Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Life Cycle Energy Consumption and Carbon Dioxide Emission of Residential Building Designs in Beijing

This study is based on the three types of residential buildings with framework structures in Beijing: concrete framework construction (CFC), light‐gauge steel framework construction (SFC), and wood framework construction (WFC). The analysis of the environmental load across the life cycle of the three types of buildings is conducted using life cycle assessment (LCA) according to the protocols of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14040/44. The functional unit is the three material building designs, which possess the same function and design plan, and are built in concrete, light‐gauge steel, and light frame wood, inclusive of their respective envelope materials. Throughout the investigation, the calculations of the environmental load data of materials, energy consumption, and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are comprehensively assessed and compared. The study shows that over the life cycle, the energy consumption of CFC is almost the same as that of SFC, and each of them is approximately 30% higher than that of WFC. Building use, steel material production, cement production, gypsum board production, and material transport are the main construction activities related to the energy consumption; the net CO2 emission of CFC is 44% higher than that of SFC and 49% higher than that of WFC. The main source of CO2 emission is the use of electricity; its contributions to the net CO2 emissions of WFC, SFC, and CFC are 67%, 64%, and 44%, respectively. The net CO2 emissions in the transport category cannot be ignored, with proportions amounting to 8%, 12%, and 11% for WFC, SFC, and CFC, respectively.
An empirical investigation into the impact of firm's capabilities on competitiveness and performance

Equipped with the resource-based view and network perspective, a theoretical model is built on the basis of three constructs: firm's capabilities, involving technology capability, marketing capability and network capability; competitiveness; and performance. Drawing upon a sample of 215 optoelectronic firms in Wuhan East Lake High-Tech Development Zone in PR China, results of a LISREL analysis indicate that firm's capabilities affect competitiveness which in turn affects performance. Network capability has been shown to have significant influences on technology capability and marketing capability. In addition, the relationship between technology capability and marketing capability is positive and appears to be reinforced by each other.
Legal Science and Law Enforcement Practice

Journal is to fully contribute to the formation of the active , open, democratic , humane and effective law enforcement system of the Russian state : the identification and resolution of problems of legal regulation of law enforcement; combat violations of the rights and freedoms of man and citizen; the development of law enforcement institutions ; improve the operational performance of law enforcement. Editorial Board directs authors to publish effective scientific solutions to : the formation of long-term conceptual framework of law enforcement policies; improvement of legal regulation of law enforcement and law enforcement officers ; the establishment of efficient technologies for prevention , detection, detection and investigation of crimes , other offenses ; identifying and exposing defective enforcement practices ; conservation and protection of human and civil rights ; reducing the criminalization of society , corruption, arbitrary and unlawful inaction of officials ; restore public confidence in the judicial system; systematic , integrated, coordinated development of the law enforcement agencies ( clarification of their competence , the elimination of non-core powers , the elimination of duplication of functions) .
How causal analysis can reveal autonomy in models of biological systems

Standard techniques for studying biological systems largely focus on their dynamical or, more recently, their informational properties, usually taking either a reductionist or holistic perspective. Yet, studying only individual system elements or the dynamics of the system as a whole disregards the organizational structure of the system—whether there are subsets of elements with joint causes or effects, and whether the system is strongly integrated or composed of several loosely interacting components. Integrated information theory offers a theoretical framework to (1) investigate the compositional cause–effect structure of a system and to (2) identify causal borders of highly integrated elements comprising local maxima of intrinsic cause–effect power. Here we apply this comprehensive causal analysis to a Boolean network model of the fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe) cell cycle. We demonstrate that this biological model features a non-trivial causal architecture, whose discovery may provide insights about the real cell cycle that could not be gained from holistic or reductionist approaches. We also show how some specific properties of this underlying causal architecture relate to the biological notion of autonomy. Ultimately, we suggest that analysing the causal organization of a system, including key features like intrinsic control and stable causal borders, should prove relevant for distinguishing life from non-life, and thus could also illuminate the origin of life problem. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Reconceptualizing the origins of life’.
Commonalities and contradictions in HRM and performance research

This is an overview of what the authors believe to be every empirical research article into the linkages between HRM and performance published in pre-eminent international refereed journals between 1994 and 2003. The analysis covers the design of the study, including the primary level of analysis and the identity of the respondents; the dominant theoretical framework(s) informing the article; how HRM is conceived and operationalised; how performance is conceived and operationalised; and which control and/or contingency variables are incorporated. Finally, the article examines how each study depicts the so-called 'black box' stage between HRM and performance. It reports wide disparities in the treatment of these components, but also some welcome commonalities and indicative trends that point towards a gradual convergence on how future research into this complex relationship might usefully be conducted. The findings are compared with previous reviews of the literature. The analysis should illuminate the ongoing debate about the linkages between HRM and performance, and prove valuable for future research designs.
Relationship marketing in the casino industry

For casinos involved in targeting high-end clients, relationship building and customer retention are important marketing activities. This paper investigates the effectiveness of two marketing approaches, namely customer orientation and adaptability. The paper explores how these approaches influence the performance of frontline employees operating in the casino high-end market. The investigation involved a survey administered to frontline service representatives within the VIP gaming areas of one of the world’s largest casinos. The questionnaire focused on the issues of customer orientation, adaptability and service performance. Various statistical analyses including multiple regression were deployed to analyse the data generated by the 152 valid responses. It is concluded that relationship-oriented selling behaviours are significant predictors of service performance. The predictive capacity of adaptability was particularly strong in terms of the criterion variable.
The Green Economy and Sustainable Development: An Uneasy Balance?

The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (or Rio+20) was conceived at a time of great concern for the health of the world economy. In this atmosphere ‘green economy’ was chosen as one of two central themes for the conference, building on a burgeoning body of literature on the green economy and growth. This research examines the relationship and influence between the double crisis and the rise of ‘greening’ as part of the solution. The aim is to understand what defines and distinguishes the proposals contained in twenty-four sources on the green economy (including policy documents by international agencies and think tanks, and research papers), and what is the meaning and implication of the rising greening agenda for sustainable development as it enters the 21st century. Through a systematic qualitative analysis of textual material, three categories of discourse that can illuminate the meaning and implication of greening are identified: ‘almost business as usual’, ‘greening’, and ‘all change’. An analysis of their relationship with Dryzek's classification of environmental discourse leads to the identification of three interrelated patterns: (1) scarcity and limits, (2) means and ends, and (3) reductionism and unity—which deepen our understanding of the tensions between emerging propositions. The patterns help explain the meaning and implications of greening for sustainable development, revealing an economisation and polarisation of discourses, the persisting weak interpretation of sustainable development, and a tension between the fixing or shifting of dominant socioeconomic paradigms that underpin its conceptualisation.
Investigation on the placement effect of UHF sensor and propagation characteristics of PD-induced electromagnetic wave in GIS based on FDTD method

Using ultra-high-frequency (UHF) method in practical partial discharge (PD) detection can be affected by the positioning and placement of the UHF sensor. This in turn can affect the PD diagnosis. To ensure optimal performance of the sensor and understand the propagation process of electromagnetic (EM) wave, there is a need to fully analyze how the sensor's placement affects the output signal and the attenuation of EM wave in various positions and directions. As the previous researches are mainly concentrating on the radial component of the UHF signal, the propagation of the signal components in axial and radial directions and that perpendicular to the radial direction of the GIS tank are investigated in detail in this paper. Firstly, the attenuation of UHF signals at different radial positions of a GIS model is analyzed using the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method. Then, secondly, the coupled signals in the three directions are calculated respectively. By comparing the signal received for different directions and circumferential angles, the peak to peak value (Vpp) and cumulative energy of the coupled voltage in each case are considered both in the time and frequency domain. As well, the attenuation characteristics and rules are summarized, based on which a new method for circumferential and axial location is proposed. The investigation on the propagation and the detection mechanism of EM wave in GIS provides a significant understanding of the application of UHF sensor and actual PD detection.
The Rapid Rise of Supermarkets?

A series of articles, many of them published in this journal, have charted the rapid spread of supermarkets in developing and middle-income countries and forecast its continuation. In this article, the level of supermarket penetration (share of the retail food market) is modelled quantitatively on a cross-section of 42 countries for which data could be obtained, representing all stages of development. GDP per capita, income distribution, urbanisation, female labour force participation and openness to inward foreign investment are all significant explanators. Projections to 2015 suggest significant but not explosive further penetration; increased openness and GDP growth are the most significant factors.
Amplitude and Spatial-Period Discrimination in Sinusoidal Gratings by Dynamic Touch

We measured discrimination thresholds for sinusoidal gratings using active dynamic touch. In the first experiment we measured the thresholds for amplitude discrimination as a function of amplitude and spatial period. Thresholds ranged between 10.8% and 15.8% of the standard amplitude. We showed that amplitude differences as small as 2 μm can be detected. We found that Weber fractions for amplitude discrimination are constant over a range of amplitudes, but are influenced by the spatial period of the grating; discrimination improved with increasing spatial period. In the second experiment we determined the thresholds for spatial-period discrimination. We used the same design as in the first experiment. Weber fractions ranged from 6.4% to 11.8%. Amplitude was found to have no effect on the Weber fractions for spatial-period discrimination. However, the spatial period had an effect on the Weber fractions: larger spatial periods yielded lower Weber fractions.
Union Effects on Teacher Productivity

This paper examines the effect of collective bargaining on several factors known to be determinants of student achievement in the public schools, particularly its effect on the teacher's allocation of time among various activities. Estimates based on a national survey show that bargaining appears to reduce time spent in instruction, to increase the level of education of teachers, and to increase the number of administrators — all differences associated with lower student achievement. On the other hand, bargaining tends to increase the time teachers spend in class preparation, the experience level of teachers, and the teacher-student ratio — differences associated with higher student achievement. The net effect of collective bargaining on teacher productivity is therefore not clear at this time.
Time-dependent antibacterial effects of linezolid in experimental rabbit endocarditis.

were >100 in the present study, although statistical comparisons did not confirm a correlation with significant antibacterial effects. Studies in standard animal models of lung and thigh infection have shown that the efficacy of β-lactams and macrolides does not correlate with AUC/MIC, but does correlate with the percentage of time that the drug levels were maintained above the MIC for the pathogen used. Preliminary evidence shows a positive correlation between antibacterial effects and maintenance of linezolid plasma levels above the MIC for ∼40% of the dosing interval in a neutropenic mouse model of thigh infection. 5 In the present endocarditis study, linezolid trough plasma levels were maintained above the MIC for this MRSA strain for the entire dosing interval on each day except day 1. Other rabbit endocarditis studies have stressed the importance of maintaining plasma levels above the MIC to achieve efficacy. 6 It is important to consider that the pharmacokinetic requirements for efficacy in experimental endocarditis are more stringent compared with those for lung or thigh infections. Bacterial endocarditis is a deep-seated infection that is difficult to cure for several reasons. The vegetation is avascular, and is comprised of layers of platelets and fibrin, which reduces both neutrophil host-defence mechanisms and penetration of antimicrobial agents. In addition, the metabolic state of the bacteria within the vegetation may be reduced, lowering the effectiveness of drugs that target actively growing bacteria. In this setting, antibacterial agents such as β-lactams that have slow killing rates and no post-antibiotic effect must be administered at short intervals in order to maintain drug levels above the MIC throughout the entire dosing interval. The present study with linezolid demonstrates that maintaining plasma and valve vegetation drug levels above the MIC for the entire dosing interval over multiple days results in progressive reduction in bacterial counts in infected valves. While regional linezolid concentrations within the valve vegetation were not determined, the antibacterial effects and substantial drug concentration in valve homogenates suggest sufficient penetration of the drug.
What happens when transparency meets blame-avoidance?

Abstract This article explores what happens when the much-discussed doctrine of transparency as a key to good governance meets the widely observed behavioural tendency of blame-avoidance in politics and public administration. It begins by discussing transparency as an idea and distinguishing different strains of the doctrine, proceeds to discuss blame-avoidance and to identify three common types of blame-avoidance strategy, and then explores what can happen when a widely advocated governance doctrine meets a commonly observed type of behaviour. The article identifies ways in which that conjunction can produce nil effects, side-effects and reverse-effects in the pursuit of transparency. It concludes that the tension between the pursuit of transparency and the avoidance of blame is at the heart of some commonly observed problems in public management, and suggests that something other than the ‘bureaucratic’ strain of transparency may be called for when those problems are serious.
Don't Fight the Fed!

Monetary policy, as captured by changes in the Fed funds rate (FFR), is a useful signal for investors. I analyze the economic significance of trading strategies based on the "out-of-sample" forecasting power of FFR for excess equity returns. A simple market-timing strategy produces an annual Sharpe ratio of 0.55 and a certainty equivalent return (CER) gain of 3.37% per year, whereas a buy-hold strategy has a Sharpe ratio of 0.41. Rotation trading strategies for portfolios sorted on size, book-to-market, and momentum have a Sharpe ratio and CER gain as high as 0.73 and 9.60% per year, respectively. Dynamic strategies for other asset classes also produce economically significant gains. Generally, the strategies based on FFR outperform those associated with alternative predictors.
Democratic Deficit, Decentralisation and the Quest for Sustainable Communities: A Case Study of Peckham Community Council

Abstract This study explores the impact of decentralisation and the concept of democratic deficit. The focus of the research is Peckham Community Council which is an area committee set up under the provisions of the 2000 Local Government Act (2000). The central question of this study is: can decentralisation address the democratic deficit and the quest for sustainable communities? As will be discussed, a democratic deficit is often assumed where the local community has little direct influence on local policy decisions and where regeneration is unresponsive to the community's needs, thus fostering a sense of alienation from the political system. More specifically, this research aims to examine (1) whether Peckham Community Council signifies a high level of community power and political participation (and thus a low level of alienation) and (2) plays a significant role in militating against democratic deficit by steering a regeneration agenda which responds to community needs.
Dynare: Reference Manual Version 4

Dynare is a software platform for handling a wide class of economic models, in particular dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) and overlapping generations (OLG) models. The models solved by Dynare include those relying on the rational expectations hypothesis, wherein agents form their expectations about the future in a way consistent with the model. But Dynare is also able to handle models where expectations are formed differently: on one extreme, models where agents perfectly anticipate the future; on the other extreme, models where agents have limited rationality or imperfect knowledge of the state of the economy and, hence, form their expectations through a learning process. Dynare offers a user-friendly and intuitive way of describing these models. It is able to perform simulations of the model given a calibration of the model parameters and is also able to estimate these parameters given a dataset. Dynare is a free software, which means that it can be downloaded free of charge, that its source code is freely available, and that it can be used for both non-profit and for-profit purposes.
Knowledge and information needs of informal caregivers in palliative care: a qualitative systematic review

Objectives: To review current understanding of the knowledge and information needs of informal caregivers in palliative settings. Data sources: Seven electronic databases were searched for the period January 1994–November 2006: Medline, CINAHL, PsychINFO, Embase, Ovid, Zetoc and Pubmed using a meta-search engine (Metalib®). Key journals and reference lists of selected papers were hand searched. Review methods: Included studies were peer-reviewed journal articles presenting original research. Given a variety of approaches to palliative care research, a validated systematic review methodology for assessing disparate evidence was used in order to assign scores to different aspects of each study (introduction and aims, method and data, sampling, data analysis, ethics and bias, findings/results, transferability/generalizability, implications and usefulness). Analysis was assisted by abstraction of the key details of each study into a table. Results: Thirty-four studies were included from eight different countries. The evidence was strongest in relation to pain management, where inadequacies in caregiver knowledge and the importance of education were emphasized. The significance of effective communication and information sharing between patient, caregiver and service provider was also emphasized. The evidence for other caregiver knowledge and information needs, for example in relation to welfare and social support, was weaker. There was limited literature on non-cancer conditions and the care-giving information needs of black and minority ethnic populations. Overall, the evidence base was predominantly descriptive and dominated by small-scale studies, limiting generalizability. Conclusions: As palliative care shifts into patients’ homes, a more rigorously researched evidence base devoted to understanding caregivers knowledge and information needs is required. Research design needs to move beyond the current focus on dyads to incorporate the complex, three-way interactions between patients, service providers and caregivers in end-of-life care settings.
Sustaining jobs and environment? The value-added wood industry in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia

This paper addresses claims that the value-added wood industries contribute towards an economically and environmentally sustainable forest economy in British Columbia, Canada. The small firms that comprise the value-added industries have grown in number, are relatively labour intensive, draw upon diverse, small volume timber supplies, and serve a wide variety of niche markets. Conceptually, the study is informed by an integration of the flexible specialisation model with green entrepreneurship. Empirically, the study adopts an extended case study approach and is based on in-depth semi-structured interviews with respondents of 41 small firms that represent various value-added wood processing activities in Metro Vancouver and with industry associations. The study found that these firms are modestly flexibly specialised and locally embedded but inter-firm networking is weak. As green entrepreneurs, they reveal variation in environmental awareness and performance but are adopters rather than leaders.
Modeling Customers’ Intentions to Use Contactless Cards

Since their introduction in the USA in 2002, contactless card payment systems have been widely regarded as the pinnacle of current retail banking technology. However, the potential demand and usage of this innovation has hitherto received little attention from the academic community. Ours is one of the first papers that explore the factors that are likely to govern acceptance and intentions to take-up the technology. The analysis utilises the methodological framework of the technology acceptance model (Davis, 1989; Davis et al., 1989) and develops a range of empirical representations. Our results lend support to the TAM conceptualisation and also indicate that some demographic characteristics imprint upon the intentions of potential users.