Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Internal and External Governance of Cooperatives: Membership and Consistency of Values

Cooperatives are characterised by mutual-benefit coordination mechanisms aimed at the fulfilment of members’ participation rights. This ideal situation may find, in practice, obstacles within the internal characteristics of the cooperative as well as in the nature of relationship with other actors in the socio-economic environment. Building on evidence from the literature, the paper systematises and highlights some of the potential problems in the governance of cooperative firms concerning the accomplishment of cooperative mutualistic aims. In exploring the internal conditions that may affect cooperative performance, we focus in particular on the role of rules and incentives towards such aims. In synergy, when analysing the external conditions that may affect cooperative performance, the paper addresses possible sources of external control, such as those related to the nature of the business relationships between the cooperative and its production network. In taking into account both internal and external conditions, we consider an extended notion of governance, whereby those who impact on strategic decision-making are not to be searched only within the internal governance bodies, typically the board of directors or managers, but also outside the cooperative, as in the extended network of production relationships in which the organisation is embedded.
Experimental total uncertainty of the derived GNSS-integrated water vapour using four co-located techniques in Finland

Abstract. In this work, we examine data from a Global Positioning System (GPS) ground-based receiver, two co-located ground-based microwave radiometers (MWRs), and radiosondes (RAOBs) to characterize the uncertainties associated with integrated water vapour (IWV) values estimated from the GPS in a sub-Arctic climate region. The experiment was carried out during the Biogenic Aerosols–Effects on Clouds and Climate research campaign conducted using the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program's second Mobile Facility (AMF2) in collaboration with the University of Helsinki. The GPS receiver was located about 20 km away from the AMF2 instruments (radiometers and RAOB). The GPS data were processed in Precise Point Positioning mode using the state-of-the-art scientific software GIPSY-OASIS II. Differences between the GPS-derived IWV and that derived from the other three instruments are analysed in terms of bias, standard deviation, and root-mean-square error (RMSE). The availability of three co-located, independently calibrated systems (two MWRs and one RAOB) allows us to isolate issues that may be specific to a single system and to isolate the effects of the distance between the GPS receiver and the remaining instruments. The representativeness error due to the 20-km distance between the GPS and the other systems is of the order of 0.6–1.5 kg/m2 and in this study is the dominant effect when the IWV is higher than 20 kg/m2. The RMSE between the instruments shows that in the sub-Arctic region, when the IWV variability is less than 20 kg/m2, the GPS agrees with other instruments to within 0.5 kg/m2. When the variability of water vapour in the 20-km region is higher than 20 kg/m2, mostly in the summer months, the GPS agrees with other instruments within 1–2 kg/m2.
PLASMAPHERESIS: AN EXPERIENCE AT A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL.

Nusrat Bashir. Objectives:To analyze our experience with 105 cases who underwent plasmapheresis for various disorders. Materials and Methods:-Retrospective review of Plasmapheresis(PE) was done over a period of 13 years, from july 2015 to August 2002 in a tertiary care centre. Results:The main indication for PE was GuillainBarresyndrome( GBS) ( 31%) . Age of patients ranged from 18-62 years. The most common complications were paraesthesias and/or cramps (36.1%) and hypocalcemia (7%). There was no mortality related to the procedure. Conclusion:-The analysis of 105 cases of plasmapheresis in our department showed that the procedure is safe, with only minimal procedure related complications and no mortality.
Employment Transitions and Occupational Mobility in Europe: The Impact of the Great Recession

Excerpt] The aim of this report is to investigate the effect of the Great Recession on labour market flows and to explicitly link these individual-level transitions to the broad labour market developments during the crisis, such as the surge in unemployment and the phenomenon of job polarisation. To do this, and building on the ‘jobs-based approach’ used in Eurofound’s European Jobs Monitor, this study introduces a new occupational framework for studying labour market flows; this takes into account the quality of the jobs from and into which the flows are taking place by differentiating them into wage quintiles. This is useful not only in making it easier to link with previous research on structural labour market developments, but also to evaluate the nature and implications of these flows. The study offers a comprehensive and detailed picture of transitions between labour market states (employment, unemployment and inactivity) and within employment by job quality (wage) quintiles. The analysis is carried out by comparing six European countries (France, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the UK) that were selected as being representative of different institutional clusters. It is differentiated into three separate time periods: just before the crisis (2006–2007), immediately after (2009–2010), and a few years into the crisis (2012–2013), when some countries started to recover and others continued to experience recession.
Minimization of curvature in conformal geometry

Let (M, g0) a smooth compact Riemannian manifold with smooth boundary and dimension n ≥ 3. We consider a minimization problem for the scalar curvature R after a conformal change of the form g = u ∗−2g0, where u is a smooth positive function on M . In particular, we seek for minimizers of the || · ||∞ functional of R, within a conformal class, under small energy assumptions and natural geometric constraints, in order to generalize a result of Moser and Schwetlick in the case of surfaces with boundary. The nonreflexiveness of the space L∞(M) forces us to first study the corresponding minimization problem for the L norm of R after a conformal change. We establish the existence of a priori bounds for solutions of our equation under our assumptions. Then we prove the existence of minimizers for the assosciated p-problem via the Direct Method. The 4th-order Euler Lagrange equations are derived and studied, as well as regularity properties of their solutions, for all p ∈ (q,∞), where q > n 2 . Finally we let p→ +∞ and show that the limit equation produces a minimizer for our original problem. Moreover we study the structure of the nodal set Γ of a solution of the limit Euler Lagrange equation. We draw a connection between the form of the curvature of the minimizer and this nodal set. We specifically show, that the minimizer will have constant scalar curvature, outside of the set Γ, thus obtaining a connection with the Yamabe Problem on manifolds with boundary.
Spatial distribution of aquatic Oligochaeta in Ilha Grande National Park, Brazil

Ilha Grande National Park is an important conservation unit localized in the Southern part of the upper Parana river floodplain (Brazil) that includes diverse aquatic environments. Oligochaeta (Annelida) is a large group of invertebrates, with several small specimens inhabiting almost every possible niche at most freshwater ecosystem. The goal of the present study was to examine the spatial variation of Oligochaeta community in five floodplain lakes from the Ilha Grande National Park and relate the distribution with abiotic variables. Samples were taken at five sampling stations using a modified Petersen grab. Thirteen species of Oligochaeta belonging to two families Naididae and Tubificidae were recorded. Different patterns of richness and abiotic factors were identified among the lakes located in the island and at the margin of Parana river. The different patterns of granulometric texture affected directly the distribution of the Oligochaeta assemblage of theses environments. The results of this study permit to infer that the Oligochaeta assemblage, in preserved areas, present a higher richness in relation to long term studies with more frequent samplings. We concluded that Ilha Grande National Park contributes for the preservation of benthic invertebrates.
Stimulation of Interleukin-2 [IL-2] Release by Rhizophora mangle Bark Aqueous Extracts and Its Fractions

Aims: The objective of the present study was to prepare fractions of polyphenols based on their ability to stimulate release of interleukin-2 (IL-2) from a human T-cell line, Jurkat, in the presence or absence of phorbol myristic acetate (PMA), and to identify the candidate components responsible for this activity. Study Design: Rhizophora mangle L. [Rhizophoraceae] bark was collected in occident zone of CUBA, was boiled in distilled water and freezer dried for its fractionation. Methodology: The IL2-releasing the activity of different fractions were quantified using a BDOptEIA Human IL-2 ELISA kit using Jurkat Cells and PMA during the test. The ESI–MS fingerprints of the extracts [ESI-MS/MS] were acquired by the negative ion mode using a Micromass-Waters QTOF mass spectrometer. Results: Guided fractionations from Rhizophora mangle bark aqueous extracts in the evaluation of releasing activity of interleukin 2-stimulated and unstimulated with Jurkat T cells in the presence of PMA showed that the butanolic fraction had an interleukin 2 production of 250 pg mL-1 and an 89.9% yield of procyanidins. Mass spectral studies of the butanolic fraction reflected the presence of compounds that varied between 1000-1333 m/z, indicating the presence of procyanidins up to a tetramer polymerization level linked to glycosides based on monomeric units [epicatechin / catechin]. An increase of IL-2, without prior stimulation with PMA, in the Jurkat T cell model, had not been previously reported for the phenolic compounds. Conclusion: The compounds characterized preliminarily confirmed the structural diversity of polyphenols present in Rhizophora mangle L plant and its capacity to stimulate release of IL 2.
The Role of Sensory Experiences and Information on the Willingness to Pay for Organic Wheat Bread

This study examined the size and the determinants of the price premium a sample of Edmonton-area consumers was willing to pay for organic wheat bread. The development of these premiums included consideration of providing information on health or environmental advantages of organic production and consideration of sensory (taste) acceptance. To do this conventional and organic wheat was grown under similar conditions and milled and baked into 60% whole wheat bread under identical conditions. Samples of these breads were presented to consumers for sensory acceptance and a survey of their attitudes, behaviours and characteristics. The survey included a closed-ended contingent valuation question to examine consumers' willingness-to-pay (WTP) premiums for the organic bread. A trained sensory panel was used to quantify differences in the sensory characteristics of the two breads. The results suggest that in the absence of taste information respondents' WTP when environmental information was provided was greater than WTP when health information was given. When sensory taste information was included, however, the WTP estimates under the health information treatment were about twice those under the environmental information. The trained sensory panel observed the two treatments of bread to differ in texture but not in flavor, aroma or colour characteristics. The implications of these findings are that successful marketing of organic foods depends on circumstance - in the absence of sensory experience the environmental benefits of organic production appear to be more appealing than potential health benefits. Health claims are only viewed positively when the product can be tasted. Sensory scientists should use caution in interpreting WTP estimates in that they must take into account the type of information and placement of WTP questions in their study designs. We also found that sensory variables when included in the regression model had statistically significant effects on WTP estimates. The economic significance of including these variables in the logit model was limited, however. Nevertheless we feel that under some circumstances economists may find it advantageous to include sensory information in their models of food demand.
Patterns of seismic release in the southern California region

Southern California experiences earthquakes on the San Andreas system of vertical right-lateral predominantly strike-slip faults and on a second system of faults that includes thrusts, oblique-slip, left-lateral, and other faults. Pattern recognition and cluster analysis are used to analyze the catalog of earthquakes with magnitudes ≥5.5 from 1915 to 1994. We use pattern recognition to find a suite of traits that would characterize each of these two systems and distinguish them from each other. Both pattern recognition and cluster analysis show that epochs of seismic release occur in which one or the other system is the predominant form of earthquake activity. For the past 2 decades the second system has been the active one. Small changes in the direction of plate movements could account for this phenomenon. Seismic release on the San Andreas system is preceded by episodes of activity in the Great Basin or in the Gulf of California. Presumably, these episodes would represent extension in the former region and spreading and slip on transform faults in the latter.
The impact of income disparity on vulnerability and information collection: an analysis of the 2011 Thai Flood

The impact of income disparity on vulnerability and information collection during the 2011 Thai Flood was examined through a survey investigation. Lower‐income respondents were found to have been more likely to be inundated by the flood than higher‐income respondents because of the location of their residences, and lower‐income respondents whose residences flooded were also less likely to have evacuated. Television was widely used, regardless of income level, but lower‐income respondents tended to also utilise lower‐technology modes, such as radios and loudspeakers, in contrast to the Internet‐based modes used by higher‐income respondents. Lower‐income respondents also tended to be less aware of the government hotline; however, those that were aware of it were more likely to find it useful. Overall, while income was a good predictor of people's flood vulnerability, it was not the best predictor for media usage; other demographic characteristics, such as education level and age, should also be considered.
Recent debate and heavy evidence on human origin

The discovery and the study of Australopithecus sediba has brought the debate between its supporters as the only immediate ancestor of Homo erectus excluding H. habilis out of that ancestry as well as any other eventual species of genus Homo, and on the other side the defenders of Homo habilis as the direct ancestor of Homo erectus and following humans. Here the second opinion is supported, with the view that the succession between two species is not instantaneous, the new distinctive traits appearing, generally inherited in several individuals of a single living species, and tribe, coexisting with other individuals bearing primitive traits, until these disappear, even a time after the separation of the groups with different inheritance prevalent. Besides the known sites yielding lithic tools more than 2 Ma old the fossil group of Dmanissi (Rep. Georgia) is a solid proof: one of the earliest tribes of H. erectus/ergaster, leaving Africa to Eurasia near 1.8 Ma, including individuals with prevalent traits of H. habilis. The climate and environment crises between near 2.5-1.8 Ma ago with harsh aridity in Africa may have infl uenced such complexes process. In South Africa similar genetic changes may have occurred at a near time, but accompanying evidences of direct effect on the origin of H. erectus populations are still missing.
“I see my section scar like a battle scar”: The ongoing embodied subjectivity of maternity

Though many women may be dissatisfied with their bodies, maternity represents a period when the body deviates significantly from Western beauty ideals. However, the developing corpus of literature is contradictory and there is limited knowledge about the longer-term implications of maternity. Further, much of the early postpartum literature focuses on body image, precluding consideration of broader embodiment and other potential issues. Taking account of recent feminist critiques about acknowledging women’s reproductive capacities, the study reported here explores the embodied subjectivity of longer-term bodily changes resulting from pregnancy, childbirth and early mothering. The data explored are from three focus groups. Mothers were recruited from two universities in the North of England, UK. Data were transcribed and analysed thematically and discursively using a feminist and poststructuralist approach, while also taking account of where language was elusive. A number of contradictory, yet interrelated embodied constructions were identified including the aesthetic, the maternal, the suffering/sentient, the strong and the embarrassing body. New insights are offered, in that, not only are the postpartum body and the “work of mothering” inextricably linked, but also that maternal embodied identities are in continuous process across the life course and may have implications for health and well-being.
Serum and saliva sialic acid and oxidative stress parameters changes in bulls with foot and mouth disease.

The study comprised of 12 bulls, aged between 18-36 months, determined severe symptoms of Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and 10 clinically healthy bulls of similar age. Serum and saliva total sialic acid (SA), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) and nitric oxide (NO) levels were measured. In this study were determined acute fever, anorexia, vesicular lesions in the mouth and feet of infected animals with consequent excessive salivation, lameness and reduced productivity as clinical signs. Mean serum SA, MDA, GSH and NO levels were 503.96±21.43 mg/L, 31.82±3.43 μmol/L, 63.43±2.92 mg/dL, and 6.49±0.36 nmol/L in healthy bulls and 862.01±17.35 mg/L, 82.49±9.90 μmol/L, 24.96±2.32 mg/dL, and 13.89±0.53 nmol/L in FMD cases, respectively. Mean saliva SA, MDA, GSH and NO levels were 75.98±10.25 mg/L, 1.06±0.17 μmol/L, 0.67±0.05 mg/dL, and 1.44±0.14 nmol/L in healthy bulls and 156.49±14.07 mg/L, 1.81±0.15 μmol/L, 0.34±0.03 mg/dL, and 2.44±0.16 nmol/L in FMD cases, respectively. The differences between the two groups were statistically significant (P<0.001 and P<0.01). Mean serum and saliva GSH level was lower in FMD while all other parameters were considerable high. As a result, showing signs of foot and mouth disease in bulls, serum and saliva in sialic acid and oxidative stress parameters are affected very significantly.
Dorosłe dzieci alkoholików

Życie dziecka w rodzinie, w której jedno lub oboje rodzice nadużywają alkoholu, jest trudne i nieprzewidywalne. Żyje ono w ciągłym chaosie, nie mogąc przewidzieć, co się wydarzy. Jednego dnia tata zachowuje się normalnie, a następnego dzieją się z nim dziwne rzeczy – krzyczy, bije, wygląda na chorego. Dziecko nie rozumie takiej przemiany, a reszta rodziny zajęta alkoholikiem nie potrafi lub nie chce mu tego wyjaśnić. Jeżeli pod wpływem alkoholu rodzic staje się agresywny, używa przemocy, to dziecko jest w jeszcze trudniejszej sytuacji. Osoba, która powinna dawać mu poczucie bezpieczeństwa, wsparcie, opiekę, staje się źródłem zagrożenia.
The effects of gear shift indicator usage on fuel efficiency of a motor vehicle

The manner of gear shifting is one of the main factors affecting the fuel efficiency of motor vehicles. Potential savings resulted from optimized gear shifting led to introduction of gear shift indicators in passenger vehicles as an obligation from 2012. The effects of gear shift indicators usage are still not studied enough. That was the motive for the authors to conduct the experiments to justify their usage, both from the economic and ecological standpoint. The presented results come from the tests conducted on FIAT 500L vehicle to determine the fuel consumption using the new European driving cycle, but for three different gear shift patterns: 1) as defined in UNECE Regulation No. 83; 2) as indicated by vehicle’s gear shift indicator; 3) based on the average vehicle speed values collected from gear shift indicators of 35 passenger vehicles of different makes, types and characteristics. Maximum difference in fuel consumption recorded in tests done using three different gear shift patterns is 18.7%. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR 35045: Scientific-Technological Support to Enhancing the Safety of Special Road and Rail Vehicles]
Top-end inequality and growth: Empirical evidence

New series of the top 1% income shares in 23 countries are used to investigate the relationship between top-end inequality and subsequent economic growth from the 1920s to the 2000s. The association is studied using different time-period specifications, with a focus on data averaged over 5- and 10-year periods. To address the issue related to chosen functional forms, penalized spline methods are exploited to allow for nonlinearities. Empirical evidence suggests that the association between top-end inequality and growth can be linked to the level of economic development. The main findings relate to currently "advanced" countries: the results show a negative relationship between top-end inequality and subsequent growth in many settings, but the findings also suggest that this association may become weaker in the course of economic development. “Lessadvanced” countries need to be studied further when more data become available.
Foreign Aid, Public Spending, Optimal Fiscal and Monetary Policies, and Long-Run Growth

This paper presents a group of models showing the strikingly different implications of foreign aid to the private sector and public sector. In the first model, with decentralized decision-making and without optimal choices of fiscal policies on behalf of the government, foreign aid to the private sector has no effect on the long-run capital accumulation and it raises private consumption one to one; whereas foreign aid to the government leads to more public spending and higher private capital accumulation. In another model with optimal choices of both fiscal and monetary policies, foreign aid to the private sector gives rise to higher inflation and income taxation. Although aid to the private sector raises private money holdings and consumption, it reduces capital accumulation. However, when foreign aid is provided to the public sector, the government cuts both the inflation rate and the income tax rate, raises public spending, and provides more incentives for private capital accumulation and money holdings. In the long run, aid to the public sector leads to more private capital accumulation, consumption, money holdings, and welfare.