Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Promoting the past, preserving the future: British university heritage collections and identity marketing

Collections of tangible heritage and material culture found in university museums present both challenges and opportunities for their parent institutions. The identification and recognition of objects and collections of material ‘heritage’ proves difficult to universities, due to the formation and utilisation of their collections. Although each university possesses a history of varied content, length and significance, the rich heritage collections kept by universities remain undefined and largely unknown. This thesis addresses new and changing roles for university museums and collections, focusing on the issues surrounding heritage. What purpose does an institutional collection of academic heritage serve beyond preserving or representing the history of a university? Using data collected during the field research programme and two case studies (University of St Andrews and University of Liverpool) the thesis explores the definition and role of heritage in the university. Through the exploration of these topics, the thesis provides a new model for university collecting institutions based on the concept of ‘university heritage’ and ‘institutional identity’, encompassing collections ranging from subject-specific departmental teaching collections to commemorative collections of fine art. By utilising these once undefined and underappreciated collections, universities can use the heritage objects and material culture representative of their academic history and traditions as institutional promotion to potential students, staff and funding bodies.
The Paychex formula for talent: Hire attitude, teach skills

The founder of Paychex built a high-performing organization on an unconventional premise at the time: Hire people with the right “attitude” and then teach them the skills to do the job. But rapid growth in the 1990s showed Paychex that it needed a more systematic approach to reliably execute this philosophy throughout its geographically dispersed operations, especially at the important front line of customer service. The resulting solution—one that includes more sophisticated hiring practices, more extensive training and development, and multiple reinforcement mechanisms—still serves the company well today. © 2004 Paychex, Inc.
Popular Protest and Elite Coordination in a Coup d’état

Elites face a daunting coordination problem when contemplating a coup. Citizens, who desire political reform, face a similar coordination problem when contemplating protest. Since elites and citizens interact with the same leadership, these coordination problems are invariably linked. We develop a model which exploits this link to isolate an informational mechanism connecting popular protests and coups. Protests aggregate citizen information and provide elites with a public signal which helps them coordinate in a coup. We show that elites “overreact” to protest as a consequence of its publicity, and we provide a microfounded explanation as to why elites use protests to facilitate coordination. Our model also suggests that protests in countries with media freedom better facilitate elite coordination. To test this, we examine how media freedom affects the relationship between protests and coups. The empirical analysis shows the effect of protests on coups is exacerbated in countries where media is free.
Job insecurity and intent to leave the nursing profession in Europe

To determine the occupational factors affecting nurses' decision to leave their profession before reaching retirement age, a large epidemiological study (Nurses' early exit study – NEXT)1 was carried out in ten European countries. Altogether 32,037 registered nurses answered a questionnaire, covering, for example, questions on job insecurity and intention to leave nursing work. The data were analysed statistically using Chi2 test and binary logistic regression models. Concern about becoming unemployed and difficulties to find a new job if laid off was reported by 40% of the respondents. More than half of the respondents were worried about their qualitative job security (being transferred to another job or changes in work schedule), while less than 40% had concerns about becoming unable to work. Thoughts about leaving the profession were reported by 15% of the respondents. The hypothesis, that nurses will show higher intention to leave if they experience high levels of job insecurity, was partly supported by the results of the study. The concern about the qualitative aspects of job security correlated positively with intent to leave nursing in almost all the participating countries; most strongly among the Finnish and Norwegian nurses. The relationship between the concern about employment security and intent to leave varied from country to country, probably due to differences in the labour market situation. The correlation was positive for the Dutch and British nurses while, for the Polish and German sample, nurses who reported worry about their employment security appeared to be less willing to leave the profession than those who were not too worried. The concern about being unable to work correlated positively with intent to leave in several countries, reflecting the demands of the profession. The effects of job insecurity can be reduced if nurses feel that they are important to the health care institution they work for, and that the institution cares about them, and values their opinion.
Foreign Direct Investment, Aid, and Terrorism: An Analysis of Developing Countries

Using a dynamic panel data framework, we investigate the relationship between the two major forms of terrorism and foreign direct investment (FDI). We then analyze how these relationships are affected by foreign aid flows. The analysis focuses on 78 developing countries for 19842008. Our findings suggest that all types of terrorism depress FDI. In addition, aid mitigates the negative effects of total and domestic terrorism on FDI; however, this is not the case for transnational terrorism. This finding highlights that different forms of terrorism call for tailoring mitigating strategies. Foreign aid apparently cannot address the causes and supply lines of transnational terrorism. Aid’s ability to curb the risk to FDI for total and domestic terrorism is extremely important because (i) domestic terrorism is an overwhelming fraction of the total terrorism for many developing nations, and (ii) FDI is an important engine of development for these nations.
Elitist with a Russian twist: Mass media discourses on European constitutional ratification in Estonia and Latvia

Abstract This article examines domestic debates on the European Constitution as reflected in the Estonian and Latvian print media during the period from October 2004 to October 2005. Data collected from six daily papers are analysed in quantitative as well as qualitative terms within the framework of comparative discourse analysis. The empirical findings suggest, first, that national media coverage of the constitutional debate in both countries was characterised by a strong legal-normative discourse among political elites and that the media failed to contribute to broader public discussion. Second, the political discourses were structured very differently in each of the two countries, with varying degrees of openness/closure to foreign public debates. And, third, in neither of these cases did the national mainstream media debates cover, let alone represent, the concerns of the sizeable, non-EU ethno-linguistic minorities permanently resident in both countries.
Measuring Attitude with Positively Packed Self-Report Ratings: Comparison of Agreement and Frequency Scales

Self-report rating scales with balanced response formats, anchored with vague frequency of activity indicators, often elicit inadequate information, especially when respondents are inclined toward a generally positive attitude toward the psychological object being rated. This study used an unbalanced or positively packed rating scale with both frequency and agreement response anchors within the context of a questionnaire about studying and learning practices and conceptions for high school students (N=734). Psychometric characteristics and communication factors were investigated using 12 pairs of items for which both frequency and agreement response formats were used. Communication factors identified by Schwarz in 1999 such as small changes in wording provided adequate explanation for changes in response rate or fit to the IRT measurement model for three pairs of items. Although psychometric evidence of the superiority of agreement over frequency response format was not conclusive, continued use of agreement anchors with a positively packed rating scale appears justified.
Teaching antiarrhythmic therapy and ECG in simulator-based interdisciplinary undergraduate medical education.

BACKGROUND Third-year students in the Dresden Medical School Programme undergo a 6 week course 'Basics of Drug Therapy' in a problem-based learning curriculum. As part of this course a practical seminar about antiarrhythmic drugs and ECG was set up. This study was conducted to evaluate the use of a simulator in this course. METHODS A total of 234 students were randomly allocated to receive instructions with (Group S) or without (Group C [control]) the use of a simulator. After a lecture on antiarrhythmic drugs, arrhythmias were presented to Group S using an advanced life support (ALS) manikin. The students were asked to administer a drug or to defibrillate, and the outcome was shown on the monitor. The students in Group C were presented with ECG charts without a simulator. The course was evaluated by a questionnaire and multiple-choice questions (MCQ) about arrhythmias. RESULTS We received 222 questionnaires. The content-time ratio was rated almost perfect in both groups, but the students in Group S rated the course better suited to link theory and practice. Students in Group S considered the simulator helpful and a good tool for teaching, and the extra effort to be worthwhile. A significantly higher number of students in Group S preferred electric cardioversion as therapy for ventricular tachycardia. CONCLUSIONS An ALS manikin can be an effective tool in teaching clinical pharmacology.
DETERMINANTS OF RETURN MIGRATION–A SOCIO‐ECONOMIC STUDY OF UNITED KINGDOM MIGRANTS WHO RETURNED FROM AUSTRALIA1

“Here the familiar atmosphere of his childhood laps him round; and he breathes it greedily—even while he marvels how time has stood still for the home-keepers, and asks himself if he can ever again be one of them. ”—The Fortunes of Richard Mahony, Part II, “The Way Home”
Financial Liberalization, Banking Crises and Economic Growth: The Case of South Mediterranean Countries

Abstract The central aim of this paper is to empirically assess the effects of financial liberalization on economic growth in the presence of banking crises. Our empirical investigation is based on a dynamic panel model for a sample of 10 South Mediterranean countries during the period 1980-2005. Results suggest that equity market liberalization positively affects economic growth in these countries, especially in the period of fragility and banking crises. Capital account liberalization, however, has no significant effects. As expected, banking crises exert negative effects on economic growth. When we control for the presence of macroeconomic stability and appropriate openness sequencing, the anticipated effects of capital account liberalization become significant. We conclude that macroeconomic reforms and trade opening are both crucial prerequisites for the success of the capital account liberalization process.
The Rise of International Environmental Politics: A Review of Current Research

This review article identifies five research themes in the study of international environmental politics. Among them, the research on regime effectiveness and on transnational networks has the greatest potential for becoming a driving force in the search for new avenues in the analysis of international relations. Although at the moment less is known about regime consequences and the role of transnational networks in international environmental politics than about regime formation, the former two have recently produced research questions and strategies that seem to be promising. However, the study of regime effectiveness and transnational networks requires more sophisticated research strategies in order to realize its full potential. Although the concept of causal mechanisms used in this research strand seems to be an extremely innovative and promising approach, it needs to be developed in more detail and backed up by comparative designs.
Persistence in the Short- and Long-Term Tourist Arrivals to Australia

This study examines the persistence in the international monthly tourist arrivals to Australia by using a variety of models based on fractional integration and seasonal autoregressions. The results based on disaggregated monthly data indicate that the series are on average mean reverting, though highly persistent, and present intense seasonal patterns. A forecasting performance of several competing models was also conducted, and it was concluded that the models based on long-range dependence outperform other more standard ones based on nonseasonal and seasonal unit roots. The model based on long memory at zero and the seasonal frequencies seems to be the most accurate in this context. More detailed analysis of the results is also derived.
Comparative capitalisms and the institutional embeddedness of innovative capabilities

Institutional systems exert important inﬂuences on ﬁrms’ development of innova-tive capabilities. This article examines studies of ﬁrms’ innovative competencieswithinthecomparativecapitalisms(CC)literature.Thisresearchprovidestheoretic-allysophisticatedassessmentsofﬁrms’innovativecapabilitiesindifferentcountries.Ittakesintoconsiderationarangeofinstitutionalareas,suchascorporategovern-ance and labour market regimes. However, CC studies differ signiﬁcantly alongthree key analytical dimensions. First, some studies focus more extensively onﬁrms and ﬁrms’ objectives than others. Second, research examines institutions atthemacro,mesoandmicrolevelstovaryingdegrees.Finally,studiesadoptdifferentassumptions on the variability and dynamism of a ﬁrm’s institutional setting; suchvariabilitycanincludetheimportanceofforeigninstitutionalresourcestoﬁrms’in-novativecapabilities. FutureCCresearchshouldpaygreaterattentiontotheorizingﬁrms’innovation-relatedrequirementsanddetailingtheirspeciﬁcinstitutionalset-tings, including their access to domestic and foreign institutional resources. Con-cepts and insights from the wider innovation and international businessliteratures can help achieve these objectives. By drawing on these related ﬁelds,CC studies of innovative capabilities will be able to assess in theoretically robustwaysthechallengesthatinternationalizationandwhatthisarticlecalls‘institutionaloutsourcing’pose for analysts and ﬁrms. Keywords: Innovative capabilities, institutions, internationalisation, organisa-tions, capabilities, varieties of capitalismJEL Classiﬁcation: O31 innovation and invention: processes and incentives, D02institutions: design, formation, and operations, L22 ﬁrm organization and marketstructure
Autonomic Modulation for the Management of Patients with Chronic Heart Failure

Dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system in heart failure (HF) has received considerable attention during the past 3 decades, largely because of the well-recognized association between increased sympathetic activity and the elaboration of biologically active molecules, collectively referred to as neurohormones, that help to maintain cardiovascular homeostasis through increased volume expansion, peripheral arterial vasoconstriction, and increased myocardial contractility. However, high and sustained levels of these biologically active molecules (eg, norepinephrine, angiotensin II, aldosterone) are overtly toxic to the heart and circulation.1 These and other insights have led to the clinical use of neurohormonal antagonists, such as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, aldosterone antagonists, and β-blockers to treat patients with HF with a reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). 1 The effectiveness of these pharmacological agents is predominantly because of their ability to directly antagonize the deleterious effects of excessive sympathetic and renin–angiotensin activation. However, the current guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) in patients with HF fails to completely restore normal autonomic balance disrupted as a part of HF pathophysiology. During the last decade, a novel approach has generated widespread interest: modulation of the autonomic nervous system as a result of either a one-time intervention (eg, denervation) or of ongoing active therapy (eg, electric stimulation) as a means of further diminishing the sympathovagal imbalance that develops in HF.2,3 Of note, therapeutic neuromodulation with device-based therapies, either with spinal cord stimulation (SCS) or vagal stimulation (VS), has been used safely in patients with chronic pain, epilepsy, and depression, since the 1980s. As noted above, HF with a reduced LVEF is associated with sustained activation of the sympathetic nervous system that is accompanied by a withdrawal of parasympathetic tone. Impaired arterial baroreflexes have been proposed as an important mechanism that contributes to the sympathovagal imbalance present in HF4 …
Protective effect of quercetin on lead-induced oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress in rat liver via the IRE1/JNK and PI3K/Akt pathway

Abstract Lead (Pb), a well-known environmental toxin, is one of the major hazards for human health. Quercetin (QE), a natural flavonoid, has been reported to have many benefits and medicinal properties. However, its protective effects against Pb-induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in liver have not been clarified. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of quercetin on hepatic ER stress in rats exposed to Pb. Wistar rats were exposed to lead acetate in the drinking water with or without quercetin co-administration for 75 days. Our data showed that quercetin significantly prevented Pb-induced hepatotoxicity in a dose-dependent manner, indicated by both diagnostic indicators of liver damage and histopathological analysis. Quercetin markedly decreased Pb contents in blood and liver. Western blot analysis showed that Pb-induced ER stress in rat liver was significantly inhibited by quercetin. In exploring the underlying mechanisms of quercetin action, we found quercetin markedly suppressed Pb-induced oxidative stress. Quercetin decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and increased the total antioxidant capacity in rat livers. Additionally, quercetin dramatically increased Phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) and phosphorylated protein kinase B (PKB/Akt) levels in liver rats. In the examined unfolded protein response (UPR) pathways, quercetin markedly inhibited the Pb-induced increase of the phosphorylated inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1) and c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) in rat liver. Taken together, these results suggested that the inhibition of Pb-induced ER stress by quercetin is due at least in part to its anti-oxidant stress activity and its ability to modulate the PI3K/Akt and IRE1/JNK signaling pathway.
Preferences Matter: A Constructive Approach to Incorporating Local Stakeholders’ Preferences in the Sustainability Evaluation of Energy Technologies

This research paper aims at developing and applying a constructive weighting methodology for the elicitation of local stakeholders’ preferences regarding a set of sustainability evaluation criteria during the assessment of low-carbon energy technologies. The overall methodology has been applied and tested for the sustainability evaluation of selected low-carbon energy technologies in Europe from a local stakeholders’ perspective. The researchers applied a constructive weighting methodology based on different Multiple Criteria Analysis (MCA) techniques to test the consistency of stakeholders’ preferences. The methodology was piloted based on a small-scale European local stakeholders’ survey within the framework of Covenant CapaCITY, an Intelligent Energy Europe project that supports the development of Sustainable Energy Action Plans (SEAPs). It became evident that the local stakeholders who participated placed high priorities on aspects such as CO2eq emissions reduction, ecosystem damages reduction, and resilience to climate change during the evaluation of low-carbon energy technologies. Considering the overall energy technologies assessment, wind off-shore, solar PV, hydropower, and wind on-shore achieved the highest scores and better reflected the priorities of local stakeholders considering a large set of multiple sustainability criteria. The high number of criteria led to some inconsistencies of stakeholders’ preferences, confirming the need for consistency checks and/or combining different methods of preference elicitation.
The Hierarcity Model Of The Size Distribution Of Centres

We know that human beings live in centres, that is, cities, towns and villages of different size. Both large and small centres have a number of advantages and disadvantages, different for different people and this is why we have a whole range of sizes. Statistically, we even find that the size distribution is fairly regular. No scientific explanation worthy of that name has been advanced so far. Neither do we know whether or not the existing distribution is optimal.
Quantum theory analysis of twin-photon beams generated by parametric fluorescence

Integrated nonlinear optic devices for generation of twin photon beams are expected to be a key device for the development of quantum information techniques. This paper presents a systematic quantum theory analysis on generation of twin photons by parametric fluorescence and properties of the twin photon beams. The analysis uses multimode-pair description including phase mismatched cases. Full description of the quantum states of the twin photon beams is obtained. Mathematical expressions for photon numbers, photon beam powers, efficiency, wavelength bandwidth, and photon correlation are deduced. Numerical data are given for several types degenerate and nondegenerate quasi-phase matched LiNbO/sub 3/ waveguide twin-photon generation devices.
Human Trafficking and the Haitian Child Abduction Attempt: Policy Analysis and Implications for Social Workers and NASW

Child trafficking, under the guise of intercountry adoption, is a form of human trafficking that is of ten misunderstood by policy makers, governments, the media, and nongovernmental organizations. The aim of this analysis is to bring awareness and attention to child trafficking disguised as inter country adoption, to provide an analysis of current policies that address human trafficking and inter country adoption, and to suggest that in order to support more ethical child welfare practices, social workers and NASW, in particular, should take a more aggressive role in the development of sound approaches to international child welfare and the protection of children, especially during humanitarian emergencies. We use the 2010 abduction attempt of Haitian children by American missionaries as a case to demonstrate how existing policies are insufficient to provide protection to victims and to prosecute perpetrators of this form of child trafficking. We conduct an analysis of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 and provide an application of the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000.