Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Drivers of environmental innovation in Majorcan hotels

Using a database of Majorcan hotels, this paper examines several previously untested determinants of environmental innovations in hotels derived from the Porter hypothesis and from the specifics of knowledge transfer in the tourism industry. The empirical analysis is original in that it distinguishes between eight types of environmental innovations. The results show that hotels’ general predisposition to implement innovations, manager remuneration based on environmental performance, staff satisfaction, environmental accounting, and trainings are important determinants of the overall environmental innovation activity of Majorcan hotels. Moreover, the use of environmental management systems is associated with innovations with cost-saving potential, whereas the hotel star category is associated with innovations that contribute to hotel quality, such as wastewater treatment, noise reduction, noise isolation, and visual impact improvements. Furthermore, high levels of staff satisfaction are related to the implementation of water-saving and noise reduction innovations, as such innovations require staff participation, whereas the role of information sources in explaining innovation adoption varies based on the technical complexity of innovations. The paper concludes with policy implications for sustainable tourism development, recommendations for the hoteliers, and directions for future research.
Unobservable precision choices in financial reporting

The audited estimates of future events in financial reports contain uncertainty which is partly subject to managerial discretion. However, because firms do not routinely report the precision of their estimates (nor, for that matter, do they currently have a credible means of doing so), outside parties may be unsure about how the estimates should be interpreted. 1 This paper models a scenario in which management privately commits to a precision level at the beginning of the reporting period, immediately after the realization of a public signal which is informative about the firm's market value. For any given level of precision, the financial
Distance from Africa, not climate, explains within-population phenotypic diversity in humans

The relative importance of ancient demography and climate in determining worldwide patterns of human within-population phenotypic diversity is still open to debate. Several morphometric traits have been argued to be under selection by climatic factors, but it is unclear whether climate affects the global decline in morphological diversity with increasing geographical distance from sub-Saharan Africa. Using a large database of male and female skull measurements, we apply an explicit framework to quantify the relative role of climate and distance from Africa. We show that distance from sub-Saharan Africa is the sole determinant of human within-population phenotypic diversity, while climate plays no role. By selecting the most informative set of traits, it was possible to explain over half of the worldwide variation in phenotypic diversity. These results mirror those previously obtained for genetic markers and show that ‘bones and molecules’ are in perfect agreement for humans.
Influence of Turgor Pressure Manipulation on Plasmalemma Transport of HCO(3) and OH in Chara corallina.

A modified version of the osmotic shock technique was used to investigate HCO(3) (-) and OH(-) transport in the alga Chara corallina. Cell turgor was brought close to zero and then restored. When turgor was reduced to near the plasmolytic point using an osmoticum, little effect was observed on H(14)CO(3) (-) assimilation and OH(-) transport. However, when turgor was recovered in these cells, there was a large reduction in HCO(3) (-) and OH(-) transport activity. In contrast, when cells were air-dried to zero turgor, and rewetted to restore turgor, no significant effect on OH(-) transport was observed.The effect of plasmolysis was also studied. When Chara cells were plasmolyzed, in most cases, all OH(-) transport activity was lost and acidification was observed along the cell surface.None of the above treatments had any long term effect on cyclosis. These results are discussed with respect to present concepts of turgorinduced changes in membrane functions.
Impact of Exchange Rate Uncertainty on Commodity Trade Between the US and Australia

Exchange rate volatility is said to have negative or positive effect on trade flows. Previous studies that considered the impact of exchange rate uncertainty on the trade flows of Australia employed trade data either between Australia and rest of the world or between Australia and her few major trading partners. They were unable to discover any significant impact. In this paper when we disaggregate trade data by commodity between Australia and one of her major trading partners, the US, we find exchange rate volatility to have short-run effects on trade flows of most industries. However, the short-run effects last into long run, only in limited cases, though more in export commodities than import ones.
Factors Associated With Self-Concept in Adolescent Survivors of an 8.0-Magnitude Earthquake in China

BackgroundExperiencing a major natural disaster is a stressful event that challenges survival and sense of self. Adolescents are undergoing rapid developmental change in self-concept, and their sense of self is particularly susceptible to such stressful events. Although many studies have investigated adolescent self-concept, few have examined self-concept in relation to experiencing a natural disaster. ObjectivesFollowing the Great Wenchuan Earthquake in Sichuan Province, China, in 2008, this study aimed to (a) describe disaster experiences; (b) describe social support, coping, and self-support; and (c) identify disaster experiences, social support, and coping factors associated with self-concept of adolescent survivors 3 months after the earthquake. MethodsThis was a large-scale cross-sectional study. A total of 1,976 adolescents living where the earthquake caused the most severe damage took part. The Tennessee Self-Concept Scale; Coping Styles Scale; and Internality, Powerful Others, and Chance Scales were used to assess self-concept, coping strategy, and locus of control, respectively. Sociodemographic characteristics, earthquake experiences, and social support were also obtained by self-report. ResultsThree months after the disaster, adolescent self-concept was generally positive. Locus of control centered on powerful others was the strongest predictor of total self-concept. The negative coping strategy, “abreacting,” was a positive predictor of negative self-concept (self-criticism). DiscussionClose attention to adolescents who use negative coping strategies and who tend to lack a sense of control is needed after major disaster events. Studies that examine long-term relationships between earthquake and other major disaster experiences and self-concept of adolescent survivors are needed.
Self-expression values of Ethnicities (Study of Iran and Iraq Kurdish)

Democracy is a form of government in which all people have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal (and more or less direct) participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law. Iran is one of the countries in which demand for democracy has been growing and is now widespread. Nevertheless, despite of great efforts by many members of the public, Iran has not made a successful transition to democracy. This paper examines political culture Ethnicities of Kurds (Iran, Iraq) and Fars (Iran) World Values Survey data (2005; 2007). Result show relatively similar strong emphasis on Emancipative value between Iranian Kurdish and Fars and also strong and meaningful deference between Iranian and Iraqi Kurdish. We don’t found significant relationships between ethnicity and democratic political culture or Emancipative value. Key word: Democracy, Political Development, Ethnicity, Political Culture, Emancipative value
NoScope: Optimizing Deep CNN-Based Queries over Video Streams at Scale

Recent advances in computer vision---in the form of deep neural networks---have made it possible to query increasing volumes of video data with high accuracy. However, neural network inference is computationally expensive at scale: applying a state-of-the-art object detector in real time (i.e., 30+ frames per second) to a single video requires a $4000 GPU. In response, we present NoScope, a system for querying videos that can reduce the cost of neural network video analysis by up to three orders of magnitude via inference-optimized model search. Given a target video, object to detect, and reference neural network, NoScope automatically searches for and trains a sequence, or cascade, of models that preserves the accuracy of the reference network but is specialized to the target video and are therefore far less computationally expensive. NoScope cascades two types of models: specialized models that forego the full generality of the reference model but faithfully mimic its behavior for the target video and object; and difference detectors that highlight temporal differences across frames. We show that the optimal cascade architecture differs across videos and objects, so NoScope uses an efficient cost-based optimizer to search across models and cascades. With this approach, NoScope achieves two to three order of magnitude speed-ups (265-15,500x real-time) on binary classification tasks over fixed-angle webcam and surveillance video while maintaining accuracy within 1--5% of state-of-the-art neural networks.
The Effects of Culture and Structure on Strategic Flexibility During Business Model Innovation

This study uses responses from 107 multinational firms to reveal CEO perceptions of the drivers of strategic flexibility during business model innovation. While the positive effect of creative culture is confirmed, partner reliance reduces strategic flexibility during business model innovation. Further, structural change is disaggregated into efforts that either focus managerial attention on core activities or reconfigure existing activities. CEOs perceive that structural flexibility requires structural simplification while retaining control of non-core functions. We find that the relative magnitude of business model innovation effort moderates the effect of reconfiguration on strategic flexibility. The implications for theories of organizational design and dynamic capabilities are discussed.
JOURNAL OF FINANCIAL AND QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS March 1978 FINANCIAL APPLICATIONS OF DISCRIMINANT ANALYSIS: A CLARIFICATION

I. Introduc tion In a recent article in this Journal Joy and Tollefson [10] (hereafter J&T) critically analyzed discriminant analysis and its application to bankruptcy analysis. The authors make several interesting points and provide a USPful discussion of the application of this statistical technique in finance. There are, however, three aspects of their presentation which need further elaboration. These relate to their discussions of (1) the difference between the stability of the discriminant model and its predictive ability, (2) the alternative methods of making inferences about the relative discriminatory power of variables, and (3) the reference statistics to use in assessing classification efficiency. In commenting on these points we will make use of the data from the Altman [1] study as did J&T.
Mass Media and the Domestic Politics of Economic Globalization

Much is known about the domestic politics of globalization but political scientists have largely ignored one critical link between the international economy and many individuals around the world: mass media. Considering the likely effects of mass media on public perceptions of responsibility, this article develops an argument about the effects of mass media on individuals’ blame attributions for the adjustment costs of economic globalization. The article then develops a simple formal model of how these effects on blame attributions affect the incentives of policymakers, illustrating that mass media undermine the political pressures which have traditionally required policymakers to compensate domestic groups harmed by globalization. Individual-level implications of the theory are tested on survey data from France in 1992-1993 and state-level implications are tested on data from most countries around the world from 1960 to 2010. The evidence shows that mass media diffuse the political backlash from groups harmed by globalization, leading to weakened welfare-state responsiveness. A key implication is that this article provides novel empirical evidence of the sociallyconstructed nature of international politics and contributes to bridging the divide between rationalism and constructivism in international relations research.
Corporate governance and post-bankruptcy reorganisation performance: Evidence from Thailand

Purpose - This research seeks to investigate the role of key corporate governance mechanisms in determining a firm's post-bankruptcy performance following reorganisation. Design/methodology/approach - The study is based on agency theory and uses a unique sample of 111 filing companies whose reorganisation plans have been confirmed by the Thai Central Bankruptcy Court during the period 1999-2002. Findings - The results indicate that monitoring and incentive mechanisms are significant determinants of a firm's post-bankruptcy performance. The key monitoring mechanism is ownership concentration, measured by shares held by the largest shareholder, whereas the critical incentive mechanisms are cash compensation and percentage of common shares held by the plan administrator. The results indicate that these mechanisms can mitigate agency problems in previously insolvent companies and increase post-bankruptcy performance over a three year period. Originality/value - The study is timely given that many organisations are facing rebuilding programs following the impact of the global financial crisis. Prior research in Thailand and elsewhere has not measured bankruptcy reorganisation outcomes in terms of the difference of actual financial performance to predicted performance and in relation to the governance factors of the reorganisation process. Neither has this aspect been considered within an agency theory framework. This provides a unique opportunity to consider these variables based on the theoretical framework of agency theory and to evaluate the importance of governance mechanisms in reorganisation proceedings.
Is a thoracotomy rather than thoracoscopic resection associated with improved survival after pulmonary metastasectomy?

A best evidence topic in thoracic surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was 'in patients undergoing pulmonary metastasectomy, does a thoracotomy (rather than a thoracoscopic approach) affect survival? ' Altogether >153 papers were found using the reported search, of which seven represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The authors, journal, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes and results of these papers are tabulated. No papers were greater than level-three evidence. Length of stay and length of chest drainage were found to be significantly shorter in the minimally invasive groups in one study, although this result is undermined by significant differences between the two cohorts. One paper demonstrated that, although there was a significantly closer resection margin in thoracoscopic resections, this had no effect on survival or recurrence rates. A prognostic analysis found no correlation between surgical approach and survival across a number of primary pathologies. However, by analysing the results by primary pathology, the sample groups were small. Despite no difference being found in outcome, more complications were seen with open resections in one study, and although there was a trend towards improved disease survival following resection of single resections by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), this did not reach significance. We conclude that there have been few high-quality studies to date, and further studies would be beneficial. From the published data, VATS metastasectomy has been associated with shorter hospital stays, chest drainage times and perioperative complications. We did not find evidence for a survival difference with either approach, and the lack of high-quality data makes it impossible to recommend any particular surgical approach in terms of long-term survival.
To React or Not? Fiscal Policy, Volatility and Welfare in the EU-3

This paper develops a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model to examine the quantitative macroeconomic implications of countercyclical fiscal policy for France, Germany and the UK. The model incorporates real wage rigidity which is the particular market failure justifying policy intervention. We subject the model to productivity shocks and use either government consumption or investment to react to the output gap or the public debt-to-output ratio. If the object of fiscal policy is purely to stabilize output or debt volatility, then our results suggest substantial reductions can be obtained, especially with respect to output. In stark contrast, however, a formal general equilibrium welfare assessment of the volatility implications of these alternative instrument/target combinations reveals the welfare gains from active policy, measured as a share of consumption, to be very modest.
Diurnal Variation in Wingate-Test Performance and Associated Electromyographic Parameters

The present study was designed to evaluate time-of-day effects on electromyographic (EMG) activity changes during a short-term intense cycling exercise. In a randomized order, 22 male subjects were asked to perform a 30-s Wingate test against a constant braking load of 0.087 kg·kg−1 body mass during two experimental sessions, which were set up either at 07:00 or 17:00 h. During the test, peak power (Ppeak), mean power (Pmean), fatigue index (FI; % of decrease in power output throughout the 30 s), and evolution of power output (5-s span) throughout the exercise were analyzed. Surface EMG activity was recorded in both the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis muscles throughout the test and analyzed over a 5-s span. The root mean square (RMS) and mean power frequency (MPF) of EMG were calculated. Neuromuscular efficiency (NME) was estimated from the ratio of power to RMS. Resting core temperature, Ppeak, Pmean, and FI were significantly higher (p < .05) in the evening than morning test (e.g., Ppeak: 11.6 ± 0.8 vs. 11.9 ± 1 W·kg−1). The results showed that power output decreased following two phases. During the first phase (first 20s), power output decreased rapidly and values were higher (p < .05) in the evening than in the morning. During the second phase (last 10s), power decreased slightly and appeared independent of the time of day of testing. This power output decrease was paralleled by evolution of the MPF and NME. During the first phase, NME and MPF were higher (p < .05) in the evening. During the second phase, NME and MPF were independent of time of day. In addition, no significant differences were noticed between 7:00 and 17:00 h for EMG RMS during the whole 30 s. Taken together, these results suggest that peripheral mechanisms (i.e., muscle power and fatigue) are more likely the cause of the diurnal variation of the Wingate-test performance rather than central mechanisms. (Author correspondence: n_souissi@yahoo.fr)
The Effects of “Psychological Inoculation” Versus Ventilation on the Mental Resilience of Israeli Citizens Under Continuous War Stress

Anxiety and hopelessness are common reactions of citizens exposed to continuous war threats. Common interventions focus on support, calming, and emotional ventilation, with few attempts to reduce people's cognitive barriers concerning active coping, which could increase their resilience. This study tested the effects of psychological inoculation (PI), which specifically aims to challenge such barriers, on the mental resilience of Israeli citizens living in Sderot. Participants were randomly assigned to either 2 PI sessions or 2 ventilation sessions, provided over the phone. Anxiety, helplessness, pessimism, and functioning were briefly assessed at baseline and 1 week after interventions. No time, group, or group × time interactions were observed. However, a time × group × sex interaction emerged for helplessness: Men benefited from the PI whereas women benefited from ventilation, in reducing helplessness. Under chronic war stress, it seems difficult to improve people's resilience, although PI may be partly beneficial for men. Further research is needed to test the effects of PI on mental resilience.
α‐Galactosylceramide suppresses murine eosinophil production through interferon‐γ‐dependent induction of NO synthase and CD95

α‐Galactosylceramide (α‐GalCer), a pleiotropic immunomodulator with therapeutic potential in neoplastic, autoimmune and allergic diseases, activates invariant natural killer T‐cells throughCD1‐restricted receptors for α‐GalCer on antigen‐presenting cells, inducing cytokine secretion. However the haemopoietic effects of α‐GalCer remain little explored.
Profile of Indian Patients with Juvenile Onset Chronic Inflammatory Joint Disease Using the ILAR Classification Criteria for JIA: A Community-based Cohort Study

Objective. To assess the current International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR) classification criteria (Edmonton, 2001) for juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in Indian patients. Methods. Out of 441 children, 330 with chronic joint pains were diagnosed with juvenile onset chronic inflammatory arthritis and followed in an observational cohort. Our study was carried out from 1994 to 2006 in a community rheumatology clinic. Emphasis was placed on obtaining data required by the ILAR system. Of the original group, 235 children were eventually classified as having JIA; 108 were examined during the first year of illness. Results. We assigned 224 children (95%) to discrete JIA categories: enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA; 36%), oligoarthritis (OLA-persistent; 17%), polyarthritis rheumatoid factor (RF)-negative (17%), polyarthritis RF-positive (12%), systemic arthritis (8%), OLA-extended (4%), and psoriatic arthritis (1%). The remaining 11 children (5%) were classified with undifferentiated arthritis (mostly an overlap due to seropositive RF and/or HLA-B27). The prevalence of ERA (89% HLA-B27-positive) and seropositive RF was unexpectedly high. Although agreement (κ > 0.79) with the American College of Rheumatology criteria and the European Spondylarthropathy Study Group criteria was good to excellent, the ILAR system was found to be more comprehensive and clinically homogeneous. However, some problems appear unique in our scenario. Conclusion. A wide-spectrum phenotype of JIA is demonstrated by an Indian cohort. Although useful, RF and HLA-B27 in this population proved problematic to the ILAR classification.