Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Environmental Assessment Framework for Policy Applications: Life Cycle Assessment, External Costs and Multi-criteria Analysis

Abstract The paper presents a framework for the analysis of external costs of environmental burdens, namely an impact pathway analysis, often coupled with the inventory stage of life cycle assessment (LCA). The ground rule is: quantify as much as possible in terms of burdens (pollutant emissions, etc.), impacts, and their monetary equivalent, then use multi-criteria analysis (MCA) for any remaining impacts that are considered to be too uncertain or defy quantification through to monetization. Although MCA could be used directly on estimates of burdens or impacts, monetary valuation provides a mechanism for consistent weighting of impacts categories based on assessment of public preference. Further advantages of extending LCA through detailed impact assessment combined with monetary valuation are that it greatly simplifies MCA by combining a large number of different environmental impact categories, thereby avoiding an unmanageably large number of criteria, and also facilitates cost benefit analysis (CBA). The risks are noted of inappropriate use of the tools or interpretation/use of the results, and recommendations are made for improved practice. These points are illustrated with examples. The key messages are: (1) that policies should be targeted correctly to give a clear signal which source of a burden should be reduced by how much; (2) that analysts should take into account the needs of policy makers and the link between the analysis and possible policy applications; and (3) that current LCA practice gives limited guidance in both areas, largely through a lack of consideration of the relative and absolute importance of different types of impact. However, this is precisely the strength of external costs analysis, particularly when used with MCA.
The Saving-Investment Gap And Income Inequality: Evidence From 16 Countries

Previous studies that analyzed income inequality mostly concentrated on identifying microeconomic determinants such as income, social factors (family structure, employment, or age distribution), or factor endowments; or such macroeconomic determinants as the exchange rate, economic openness or the black market premium. These studies also relied upon cross-section estimates in their assessments. In this paper, we introduce the "saving-investment" gap, which measures whether the need for financing is unmet, as another determinant of income inequality. We then apply time-series techniques in a study of 16 countries. Using the "bounds testing" cointegration method, in which variables in a given model can be stationary, non-stationary, or a combination of the two, we find varying results across countries. While these results highlight the need for further country-specific research, they indicate the benefits that external financing can provide.
Efficiency or Competition? A Structural Econometric Analysis of Canada's AWS Auction and the Set‐Aside Provision

In 2008, Industry Canada auctioned 105 MHz of spectrum to a group of bidders that included incumbents and potential new entrants into the Canadian mobile phone market, raising $4.25 billion. In an effort to promote new entry, 40 MHz of spectrum was set‐aside for new entrants. In order to estimate the implicit cost of the set‐aside provision, we estimate the parameters of the bidders' profit function via a maximum match estimator based on the notion of pairwise stability in matches. We find that all telecommunications firms valued both geographic complementarities across auction licenses as well as absolute spectrum. Under a reasonable alternative scenario, our results indicate that the set‐aside led to a total profit loss of approximately 10%.
Let's Get Messi? Top‐Scorer Productivity in the European Champions League

type="main" xml:id="sjpe12044-abs-0001"> Getting a player like Lionel Messi in the squad would seem like a dream come true for a professional football manager, but is it always best to have top-quality players? We study the determinants of top goal-scorers’ productivity in the UEFA Champions League. We find evidence of a concave relationship between age and productivity and uncover an inverted-U relationship between performance and minutes played. Finally, we find a positive effect on height, being left footed and being a striker on the probability of scoring a goal. The results have important implications for managers both in looking to sign on new players and to maximise their potential during a competitive match.
Myocardial and forearm blood flow reserve in mild‐moderate essential hypertensive patients

Background Structural readaptation of systemic resistance-sized arterioles in response to an elevated blood pressure reduces the forearm vasodilator reserve in patients with essential hypertension. The development of a similar process at the coronary microvascular level has frequently been hypothesized, but little information about coronary remodeling during the uncomplicated stage of hypertension has been obtained, and the relationship with concomitant changes in forearm blood flow reserve is not known. Objective To assess the minimal myocardial resistance and its relationship with the minimal forearm resistance in a group of male patients with mild-to-moderate uncomplicated hypertension and carefully matched controls. Material and methods The minimal myocardial resistance (Rminmyocardial, the mean arterial pressure: hyperemic myocardial flow ratio after administration of 0.84 mg/kg dipyridamole, measured by using positron emission tomography and [13N]-ammonia), minimal forearm vascular resistance (Rminforearm, a hemodynamic index of arteriolar structure derived from the mean blood pressure and maximal postischemic forearm blood flow by venous plethysmography), echocardiographic cardiac mass and wall thickness were measured in 25 male patients with mild-to-moderate uncomplicated essential hypertension, most of whom had previously been treated, and in seven sex- and age-matched normotensive controls. Results Rminmyocardial (and hyperemia: baseline myocardial flow ratios) did not differ significantly between the two groups, whereas Rminforearm was significantly higher in hypertensives. There was no significant intraindividual correlation between the two parameters. The left ventricular mass index was greater in patients and was related positively to Rminforearm but not to Rminmyocardial for the overall sample. In a subgroup analysis, Rminforearm values were 2SD above control values in nine patients and within the normal range in the remaining 16. The myocardial reserve was very similar in the two subgroups. Conclusions The myocardial vasodilator reserve appeared to be preserved in these mild-to-moderate uncomplicated hypertensive patients, whereas the forearm vasodilator capacity was reduced, suggesting that the hypertensive readaptation process was not distributed homogeneously over the two vascular beds.
Pharmacological investigations of Punica granatum in glycerol-induced acute renal failure in rats

Objective: The present study was designed to investigate the ameliorative potential and possible mechanism of hydroalcoholic extract of flowers of P. granatum in glycerol-induced acute renal failure (ARF) in rats. Materials and Methods: The rats were subjected to rhabdomyolytic ARF by single intramuscular injection of hypertonic glycerol (50% v/v; 8 ml/kg) and the animals were sacrificed after 24 hours of glycerol injection. The plasma creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine clearance, and histopathological studies were performed to assess the degree of renal injury. Results: Pretreatment with hydroalcoholic extract of flowers of P. granatum (125 and 250 mg/kg p.o. twice daily for 3 days) significantly attenuated hypertonic glycerol-induced renal dysfunction in a dose-dependent manner. BADGE (Bisphenol-A-diglycidyl ether) (30 mg/kg), a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ antagonist, and N(omega)-nitro-l-arginine-methyl ester (L-NAME) (10, 20, and 40 mg/kg), nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, were employed to explore the mechanism of renoprotective effects of Punica granatum. Administration of BADGE (30 mg/kg) and L-NAME (40 mg/kg) abolished the beneficial effects of P. granatum in glycerol-induced renal dysfunction. Conclusion: Hydroalcoholic extract of flowers of P. granatum has ameliorative potential in attenuating myoglobinuric renal failure and its renoprotective effects involve activation of PPAR-γ and nitric oxide-dependent signaling pathway.
The Correlation of ECG Parameters to the Sub-THz Reflection Coefficient of Human Skin

It has recently been established that the coiled nature of the human sweat duct can lead to electromagnetic behavior reminiscent of a helical antenna. Previously, it was reported that both physical and mental stress could be traced through the reflection coefficient of the hand, influenced by the activity of the sweat ducts, in the W (75 GHz-110 GHz) and D (110 GHz-170 GHz) frequency bands. The reflected signal was monitored from a distance of 72 cm using a Vector Network Analyzer, while the subjects Electrocardiograms (ECGs) were concurrently registered. In the current work we report on a correlation between the reflection coefficient in the same frequency bands and some of the parameters of the ECG, principally to the ST elevation. This connection bears clinical importance because of the importance of the ST segment for the diagnosis of myocardial infarction. This correlation is explored in the article.
Southeast Asia in the 1990s: authoritarianism, democracy and capitalism

AcknowledgmentsContributors1 Introduction: Changing forms of state power in Southeast Asia2 Political power in industrialising capitalist societies: Theoretical approaches3 Indonesia: Tensions in state and regime4 Preserving the one-party state in contemporary Singapore5 Rentier capitalism in Negara Brunei Darussalam6 Malaysia: Neither authoritarian nor democratic7 Of regimes, state and pluralities: Thai politics enters the 1990s8 Class and state power in the Philippines9 The political economy of dismantling the 'bureaucratic centralism and subsidy system' in VietnamIndex
Entrepreneur motivations and life course

In this paper we propose two conceptual developments in understanding entrepreneur motivations and their effects. First, we argue that entrepreneur motivations develop dynamically in relation to career, household and business life courses. Second, we conceptualize how motivation and life courses develop interactively. We present an exploratory test of these ideas. In a sample of enterprise programme participants, we identify motivation profiles employing more robust cluster analyses than hitherto presented: our profiles are termed reluctant, convenience, economically driven, social, learning and earning, and prestige and control entrepreneurs. We then demonstrate statistical relationships between motivation profiles at a particular phase in the business life course (early establishment) and career and household life course factors. Motivations are also related to business resources, behaviour and performance. This initial confirmation of our conceptual claims suggests that further testing is warranted.
Uncertainty in Material Flow Analysis Indicators at Different Spatial Levels

Material flow analysis (MFA) is a tool for research and decision support in environmental policy and management. In order to promote the use of MFA at different spatial scales, a quantification of the uncertainty in nationwide, regional, and urban MFA methodologies is provided. In particular, the impact of the input data quality on the main MFA indicators is analyzed and the sources and extent of uncertainties for different spatial scales are listed. The types, origin, and extent of the errors are described in detail and several imputation methods are explained and evaluated. By introducing a novel approach to account measurement errors in data sets with “very few details on the measurement errors,” this article aims at contributing to the development of a standardized method to account for the uncertainty in MFA studies. This study uses the time series of MFA data for 1996–2011 at three spatial scales—nationwide (Sweden), regional (the Stockholm Region), and metropolitan (Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmo)—to determine how propagation of measurement errors affects the MFA results. The following MFA indicators were studied: direct material input; domestic processed output; and domestic material consumption. Generally, availability decreased as the spatial scale was lowered, whereas data errors increased. In the specific case of Sweden, the data on freight transport by rail and on waste produced by economic activities at the regional and metropolitan level should be improved.
Extra-Euro Area Manufacturing Import Prices and Exchange Rate Pass-Through

This paper uses a model of import prices whereby exporters to the euro area set export prices partly as a mark-up on their production costs (i.e., the degree of exchange rate pass-through) and partly in line with euro area producer prices (i.e., pricing-to-market). Using both time series and panel estimation techniques, the econometric results suggest that the pass through of changes in the effective exchange rate of the euro to the price of extra-euro area imports of manufactures is around 50% - 70%, while pricing-to-market has an estimated weight of between 50% - 30%. We also find some evidence of differences across import suppliers, with EU member states who are not part of the euro area assigning a relatively larger weight to pricing-to-market, while euro area imports from the United States seem to be characterised by a relatively higher degree of exchange rate pass-through. JEL Classification: D40, E30, F10, F31
The reno-pineal axis: A novel role for melatonin

The pineal gland is a tiny endocrine gland whose physiologic role has been the focus of much research and much more speculation over the past century. This mini-review discusses recent findings which correlate melatonin and renal physiology, and postulates the presence of a “reno-pineal axis. ” Drawing lessons from comparative endocrinology, while quoting human data, it advocates the need to study the “reno-pineal axis” in greater detail.
How Firms Capture Value From Their Innovations

Over the past 25 years, the technology strategy literature has examined how four primary mechanisms—patents, secrecy, lead time, and complementary assets—influence whether and to what extent firms capture value generated by their innovations. Although this literature has had a profound impact on our understanding of how firms capture value from innovation, we have yet to develop a robust theory that allows us to unbundle the characteristics of institutions, industries, firms, and individual technologies that affect the selection of particular value capture mechanisms. The purpose of this article is to provide a foundation for addressing these gaps in the literature. We identify and assess relevant scholarly work regarding value capture mechanisms published in top-tier peer-reviewed management journals between 1980 and 2011. We then review the assumptions, insights, and causal mechanisms for the antecedents and consequences of the value capture mechanisms highlighted in these articles. The ultimate objective is to identify research opportunities that help to better understand the conditions under which specific bundles of value capture mechanisms are most likely to help innovating firms achieve persistent superior performance.
Transient Receptor Potential Channel 6–Mediated, Localized Cytosolic [Na+] Transients Drive Na+/Ca2+ Exchanger–Mediated Ca2+ Entry in Purinergically Stimulated Aorta Smooth Muscle Cells

The Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) is increasingly recognized as a physiological mediator of Ca2+ influx and significantly contributes to salt-sensitive hypertension. We recently reported that Ca2+ influx by the NCX (1) is the primary mechanism of Ca2+ entry in purinergically stimulated rat aorta smooth muscle cells and (2) requires functional coupling with transient receptor potential channel 6 nonselective cation channels. Using the Na+ indicator CoroNa Green, we now directly observed and characterized the localized cytosolic [Na+] ([Na+]i) elevations that have long been hypothesized to underlie physiological NCX reversal but that have never been directly shown. Stimulation of rat aorta smooth muscle cells caused both global and monotonic [Na+]i elevations and localized [Na+]i transients (LNats) at the cell periphery. Inhibition of nonselective cation channels with SKF-96365 (50 &mgr;mol/L) and 2-amino-4-phosphonobutyrate (75 &mgr;mol/L) reduced both global and localized [Na+]i elevations in response to ATP (1 mmol/L). This effect was mimicked by expression of a dominant negative construct of transient receptor potential channel 6. Selective inhibition of NCX-mediated Ca2+ entry with KB-R7943 (10 &mgr;mol/L) enhanced the LNats, whereas the global cytosolic [Na+] signal was unaffected. Inhibition of mitochondrial Na+ uptake with CGP-37157 (10 &mgr;mol/L) increased both LNats and global cytosolic [Na+] elevations. These findings directly demonstrate NCX regulation by LNats, which are restricted to subsarcolemmal, cytoplasmic microdomains. Analysis of the LNats, which facilitate Ca2+ entry via NCX, suggests that mitochondria limit the cytosolic diffusion of LNats generated by agonist-mediated activation of transient receptor potential channel 6–containing channels.
Attentes économiques et linguistiques et appui à la souveraineté du Québec: une analyse prospective et comparative

Abstract Why are Quebeckers favourably disposed or opposed to sovereignty? This choice partly depends upon the prospective evaluation of the costs and benefits of sovereignty and federalism. What are the relative contributions of economic and linguistic expectations in this choice? Does the impact of these expectations vary according to the time horizon in which they are set? The authors approach these questions from the perspective of the economic theory of voting and with the help of original measures of the determinants of support for sovereignty. They compare expectations of what would occur to the economy and to the French language were Quebec to become a sovereign country with expectations of what would occur if Quebec remained a province of Canada. These measures are taken from a survey of university students. Our logistic regression analysis shows that the implicit calculation of costs and benefits plays a significant role in the choice between sovereignty and federalism, and that economic expectations influence the formation of opinion to a somewhat greater degree than do linguistic expectations. Moreover, medium-term expectations are more important than short-term economic expectations and more important than long-term expectations about the situation of the French language in Quebec. Résumé Pourquoi les Québécois sont-ils favorables ou opposés à la souveraineté? Ce choix repose en partie sur l'évaluation prospective des coûts et des bénéfices de la souveraineté et du fédéralisme. Quelle est la part relative des attentes économiques et linguistiques dans ce choix? Le rôle de ces attentes varie-t-il en fonction de leur horizon temporel? Les auteurs abordent ces questions à la lumière de la théorie économique du vote et à l'aide de mesures nouvelles des déterminants de l'appui à la souveraineté, qui mettent l'accent sur la comparaison entre les attentes économiques et linguistiques des individus dans l'hypothèse d'un Québec souverain et les mêmes attentes si le Québec demeure une province canadienne. Ces mesures proviennent d'un sondage effectué auprès d'étudiants universitaires. L'analyse de régression logistique montre que le calcul implicite des coûts et des bénéfices joue un rôle non négligeable dans le choix d'une option, et que les attentes économiques influencent un peu plus la formation des opinions que les attentes linguistiques. De plus, les attentes de moyen terme sont plus déterminantes que celles qui portent sur l'avenir immédiat, dans le cas de l'économie, ou sur l'avenir éloigné, dans le cas de la langue
Voluntary Audit Committee Formation and Agency Costs

This paper finds that only a small proportion of listed companies in Hong Kong voluntarily establish audit committees prior to the implementation of the revised Code of Best Practice, which effectively mandated them. We show that firms with dispersed ownership, a greater proportion of outside directors, and that have a non-Big Five auditor, are associated with the voluntary adoption of audit committees. The latter result differs from other studies and it suggests that audit committees are a substitute mechanism for the employment of high quality auditors (using the Big Five as a proxy for high quality).
The Impact of International Terrorist Attacks on the Risk and Return of Malaysian Equity Portfolios

How are the risks and returns of industrial and market portfolios altered as a result of terrorist events? This paper investigates the effects of five international terrorist attacks on equities listed on the Malaysian Stock Exchange. It uses an event study methodology to explore the relationship between equity stock returns, terrorist attacks and asset pricing models to assess whether systematic risks change after these events. The evidence demonstrates that strategies such as closing down an exchange during a crisis are ineffective. Furthermore, after the September 11, 2001 attacks, Malaysian equity markets were insensitive to subsequent terrorist attacks in other countries.