Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Alien species of Bugula (Bryozoa) along the Atlantic coasts of Europe

Three apparently non-native species of Bugula occur in marinas and harbours in Atlantic Europe. The most common, B. neritina, was known from a few sites in southern Britain and northern France during the 20 th century, following its discovery at Plymouth by 1911. During the 1950-60s it was abundant in a dock heated by power station effluent at Swansea, south Wales, where it flourished until the late 1960s, while water temperatures were 7-10°C above ambient. It disappeared after power generation ceased, when summer temperatures probably became insufficient to support breeding. Details of disappearances have not been recorded but B. neritina was not seen in Britain between c1970 and 1999. Since 2000, it has been recorded along the south coast of England, and subsequently in marinas in the southern North Sea, Ireland and southern Scotland, well to the north of its former range, as well as along the Atlantic coast from Spain to The Netherlands. It has also been introduced to outlying localities such as the Azores and Tristan da Cunha. We report that this rapidly spreading form has the same COI haplotype as B. neritina currently invasive elsewhere in the world. B. simplex has been reported less, with 1950s records from settlement panels in some Welsh docks. It has not been targeted in most recent marina surveys but has been observed in southwest England, Belgium and The Netherlands. There are almost no recent records of B. stolonifera, though it was probably introduced to a few British and Irish ports prior to the 1950s. Its current status in most of western Europe is unknown but it has been reported as expanding throughout most of the world during the last 60 years. Having poorly known distributions, B. simplex and B. stolonifera should be recorded during future monitoring of alien species in Atlantic Europe. Illustrations to aid identification are included for all three species.
Rural-urban marketing linkages : an infrastructure identification and survey guide

By 2030, 60 percent of the world's population are expected to be living in urban areas. Population growth is not solely in larger metropolitan centres - the mega cities. The numbers of small and intermediate-sized urban centres are also increasing and have an important role as links in the marketing system. This guide provides a simplified aid to understanding the physical implications of marketing linkages, based on a regional planning approach. The guide provides a simple planning methodology and framework that focuses on the issue of linking farmers to market outlets for their produce particularly identifying their marketing infrastructure needs. The users of the guide are likely to be at national, provincial or district levels and could include planners and engineers in ministries and departments of public works and transport, planning and marketing officers in ministries and departments of agriculture, local authority officers in planning, commerce and marketing departments and local authorities, communities, farmer groups and voluntary organizations, concerned to understand marketing constraints and with ensuring that rural producers have better access to markets for their products.
I‐gel insertion by novices in manikins and patients *

The i‐gel, a novel supraglottic airway, has been proposed for use during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. We evaluated the performance of this device in manikins and anaesthetised patients when used by novices: medical students, non‐anaesthetist physicians and allied health professionals all unfamiliar with the i‐gel. Fifty i‐gels were placed in manikins. Eighty‐eight percent (44/50) were placed on the first attempt with a median insertion time of 14 s (range 7–45). I‐gels were placed in 40 healthy anaesthetised patients. Success on the first attempt was 82.5% (33/40) and on the second attempt 15% (6/40). After three attempts there were no failures. Median insertion time was 17.5 s (range 7–197). Median airway seal was 20 cmH2O (range 13–40). One case of regurgitation and partial aspiration occurred. Our results suggest the i‐gel is rapidly inserted in both manikins and patients by novice users and compares favourably to other supraglottic airways available. Further work determining safety and efficacy during cardiopulmonary resuscitation is required.
Hopelessness and related variables among cancer patients in the Southern European Psycho-Oncology Study (SEPOS).

BACKGROUND Although hopelessness has been studied in cancer, no data are available in non-English-speaking countries. OBJECTIVE The authors sought to amass data from Southern European countries (Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland) in order to fill this void. METHOD A group of 312 cancer patients completed the Mini-MAC Hopelessness subscale, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Cancer Worry Inventory (CWI), and a six-item Visual Analog scale (VAS) to measure intensity of physical symptoms, general well-being, difficulty in coping with cancer, intensity of social support from close relationships, leisure activity, and support from religious beliefs. RESULTS Regression analysis indicated that HADS-Depression, VAS Maladaptive Coping and Well-Being, and the CWI explained 42% of the variance. CONCLUSION Hopelessness in cancer patients seems not exclusively to correspond to depression, but is related to various other psychosocial factors, such as maladaptive coping, as well.
Recruiter Incentives and Enlistment Supply.

Abstract : In an empirical study of Army recruiting data, Rand concluded that demand factors such as recruiter quotas and incentives to achieve and exceed them play a critical role int he determination of enlistments. Recruiters who achieve high-quality quotas are less likely to be induced by existing incentives to increase their productivity than are those who do not achieve high-quality quotas. Thus, resource expenditures meant to induce an increase in potential supply may not result in actual high-quality enlistments because recruiters do not have incentives to secure them. Two major research and policy implications emerge: (1) Future attempts to project enlistments or to analyze the role of supply factors must consider demand factors explicitly; (2) the effectiveness of resource expenditures can be enhanced dramatically if appropriate incentives exist for recruiters. (Author)
Professional Quality of Life and Changes in Spirituality Among VHA Chaplains: A Mixed Methods Investigation

A mixed method design was implemented to examine the spirituality and emotional well-being of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) chaplains and how potential changes in spirituality and emotional well-being may affect their professional quality of life. Four distinct categories of changes emerged from the narrative statements of a nationally representative sample of 267 VHA chaplains: (1) positive changes (e.g., increased empathy), (2) negative changes (e.g., dysthymic mood, questioning religious beliefs), (3) combination of positive and negative changes, and (4) no change (e.g., sustenance through spirituality or self-care). Most chaplains reported positive (37%) or no change (30%) in their spirituality and/or emotional well-being. However, quantitative analyses revealed that chaplains who reported negative changes endorsed greater burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Overall, these findings suggest VHA chaplains are predominantly spiritually resilient, but negative changes in the spiritual domain can occur, potentially increasing the risk of adverse changes in professional quality of life.
Dual-Finger Preferred-Speed Tapping: Effects of Coordination Mode and Anatomical Finger and Limb Pairings.

Interlimb and interfinger coordination were examined in a dual-finger tapping paradigm in which 16 subjects performed at preferred frequencies. Three bimanual finger combinations, in random order (2 index; 2 middle; and 1 index and 1 middle), were performed in in-phase and antiphase coordination modes, in addition to 1 unimanual combination (antiphase index-middle). Relative phase means were within 3&percent; accuracy for all conditions. A lower tapping frequency was found in all antiphase vs. in-phase conditions, accompanied by lower phasing variability and lower intrafinger consistency in the antiphase. When frequency was changed from the preferred rate, the 2 coordination modes became more alike in variability and, within the same frequency range, demonstrated no significant differences. The bimanual mixed-fingers tapping tended to have significantly lower phasing values (a small fixed point drift) and higher tapping frequencies than the symmetric conditions. The unimanual task was similar to all other antiphase conditions. Changes in preferred frequency with different coordination modes may be related to differing perceptual informational constraints. Current models addressing natural frequencies of coupled oscillators do not account for the present data.
Derivatives: Flexibility Defines its Level Usage in Brazilian Financial Market

The aim of this study is to analyze the relationship among diverse factors that explain the use of derivatives for the fulfillment of hedge operations. The independent variables (related to flexibility) that explains the dependent variable (level of utilization of the derivatives) are: anonymity, capacity of hedging, flexibility of structure and flexibility of terms. Amongst the utilized instruments, the OTC instruments - swaps and forward contracts - are the ones that present the greater explanatory power point out by Brazilian financial decision-makers, because they are tailored as unique transactions agreed between the counterparts, thus they are not standardized.
CAR DEPENDENCE IN RURAL SCOTLAND

By obtaining a detailed understanding of the car's role in rural households in five case study areas, the possible implications for the social and economic well being of rural communities of fuel taxation and other environmentally based policy instruments can be established. The specific objectives of the research were to investigate the processes which influence household and individual decision-making affecting car ownership and use; to explore mobility and spending patterns related to car ownership and use; to measure the degree of car dependence in rural Scotland by relating car use to existing and potential public transport alternatives, social attributes and reasons for using the car; and to assess policy implications and options for the rest of the decade and beyond in light of the findings of the research. The study used a postal questionnaire, travel diaries, qualitative interviews and focus groups in five contrasting study areas of rural Scotland.
A DNA vaccine encoding the FMDV capsid precursor polypeptide P1 and the enhancing effect of bovine herpesvirus 1 VP22 protein as molecular adjuvant.

UNLABELLED DNA vaccines containing the capsid precursor polypeptide P1 gene of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) alone or combined with the VP22 gene of bovine herpesvirus 1 (BVP22) as molecular adjuvant were constructed and used for immunization of BALB/c mice. The latter were challenged with FMDV and their humoral as well as cell-mediated immune responses and virus clearance capacity were assayed. Both DNA vaccines elicited specific immune responses, however, the DNA vaccine with the BVP22 adjuvant showed stronger responses and more efficient virus clearance. A stronger Th1 response was indicated by the IgG2a/IgG1 ratio. These results indicate that (i) a DNA vaccine based on FMDV P1 can stimulate significant immune responses and virus clearance and (ii) BVP22 is a potentially useful molecular adjuvant for such a vaccine. KEYWORDS DNA vaccine; foot-and-mouth disease virus; bovine herpesvirus 1.
Earnings around Seasoned Equity Offerings: Are They Overstated?

This paper documents significant earnings management around seasoned equity offerings. I find that discretionary accruals are positive and significant in the quarter preceding, the quarter of, and the quarter following the announcement of the offering. Additional tests that control for the endogeneity of the decision to issue equity confirm that earnings are managed in direct response to the decision to issue equity in the quarter preceding the announcement of the offering. Consistent with recent research, I find that offering firms experience poor stock price and earnings performance in the three year period subsequent to the offering. I then show that (i) the subsequent earnings declines can be predicted using the magnitude of accruals management at the time of the offering and (ii) a portion of the post-offering stock price declines are related to the predictable earnings declines. My results therefore suggest that at least a portion of the anomalous post-offering stock performance reflects the stock market's inability to unravel accruals management around the time of the offering. Data Availability: The list of firms that made seasoned offerings and the offering announcement dates are available from the author. The rest of the data used in this study are publicly available from sources identified in the paper.
Clinical guidelines: potential benefits, limitations, and harms of clinical guidelines.

This is the first in a series of four articles on issues in the development and use of clinical guidelines Over the past decade, clinical guidelines have increasingly become a familiar part of clinical practice. Every day, clinical decisions at the bedside, rules of operation at hospitals and clinics, and health spending by governments and insurers are being influenced by guidelines. As defined by the Institute of Medicine, clinical guidelines are “systematically developed statements to assist practitioner and patient decisions about appropriate health care for specific clinical circumstances. ”1 They may offer concise instructions on which diagnostic or screening tests to order, how to provide medical or surgical services, how long patients should stay in hospital, or other details of clinical practice The broad interest in clinical guidelines that is stretching across Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Africa (box) has its origin in issues that most healthcare systems face: rising healthcare costs, fueled by increased demand for care, more expensive technologies, and an ageing population; variations in service delivery among providers, hospitals, and geographical regions and the presumption that at least some of this variation stems from inappropriate care, either overuse or underuse of services; and the intrinsic desire of healthcare professionals to offer, and of patients to receive, the best care possible. Clinicians, policy makers, and payers see guidelines as a tool for making care more consistent and efficient and for closing the gap between what clinicians do and what scientific evidence supports. As guidelines diffuse into medicine, there are important lessons to learn from the firsthand experience of those who develop, evaluate, and use them.3 This article, the first of a four part series to reflect on these lessons, examines the potential benefits, limitations, and harms of clinical guidelines. Future articles will review lessons learned …
Efficiency and Quality in Local Government. The Case of Spanish Local Authorities

This study analyses efficiency levels in Spanish local governments and their determining factors through the application of DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis) methodology. It aims to find out to what extent inefficiency arises from external factors beyond the control of the entity, or on the other hand, how much it is due to inadequate management of productive resources. The results show that on the whole, there is still a wide margin within which managers could increase local government efficiency levels, although it is revealed that a great deal of inefficiency is due to exogenous factors. It is specifically found that the size of the entity, per capita tax revenue, the per capita grants or the amount of commercial activity are some of the factors determining local government inefficiency.
Financial Sector Reforms and Interest Rate Liberalization: The Kenya Experience

For financially repressed economies, financial liberalization was expected to allow for positive real interest rates, and for stimulating the mobilization and efficient allocation of domestic financial resources. At the same time, as the market becomes competitive the costs of intermediation go down, an indication of efficiency in the intermediation of financial assets. But, for successful liberalization, prerequisites must be put in place together with proper sequencing procedures. The study explored the sequencing and actions so far taken in the liberalization process in Kenya. The study also examined the interest rate levels, spreads and determining factors, as an indicator of financial sector response to the reform process. The study found that although much had been accomplished, the financial system was characterized by repression factors including negative real interest rates, inefficiency in financial intermediation and underdeveloped financial markets. This may indicate that the economy is facing secondary financial repression . Interest rates were more responsive to the policy activities during the period than to the fundamentals. Interest rates were a monetary phenomenon with an adjustment speed of 77% to disequilibrium in the monetary sector. The study concluded that there are several loose knots that need to be tightened for the economy to experience significant positive effects of financial liberalization.
Near-Optimal Allocation Algorithms for Location-Dependent Tasks in Crowdsensing

Crowdsensing offers an efficient way to meet the demand in large-scale sensing applications. In crowdsensing, optimal task allocation is challenging since sensing tasks with different requirements of quality of sensing are typically associated with specific locations, and mobile users have time constraints. We show that the allocation problem is NP-hard. We then focus on approximation algorithms and devise an efficient local-ratio-based algorithm (LRBA). Our analysis shows that the approximation ratio of the aggregate rewards obtained by optimal allocation to those by LRBA is 5. This reveals that LRBA is efficient, since a lower (but not tight) bound on the approximation ratio is 4. We extend the results to the general scenario where mobile users are heterogeneous. A distributed version of LRBA, namely DLRBA, is designed, which can be iteratively executed at each mobile user without the need for the platform to collect all the information of mobile users. We prove that both centralized and distributed versions can output the same solution. Extensive simulation results are provided to demonstrate the advantages of our proposed algorithms.
PENGARUH CSR DISCLOSURE TERHADAP NILAI PERUSAHAAN DENGAN KINERJA KEUANGAN SEBAGAI VARIABEL INTERVENING (STUDI KASUS PERUSAHAAN MANUFAKTUR YANG TERDAFTAR di BEI )

CSR issue influences the corporate business performance, so that the corporate is demanded to be responsive.The aims of the research are to perceive: (1) the influence of CSR disclosure to firm value, (2) the influence of CSR disclosure to the firm value with financial performance as intervening variable. The research took 32 manufacturing companies listed on Indonesia Stock Exchange from 2007 to 2009 for the population by purposive judgement sampling. Data was collected by content analysis and documentation method with the observation period during 3 years. The analysis method used path analysis with SPSS 17 version. The results show that CSR disclosure does not influence the firm value directly, and the firm value with financial performance as variable intervening does not either. Keywords: CSR Disclosure, Firm Value, Financial Performance.
An Empirical Investigation of Ex Post Transaction Costs in Franchised Distribution Channels

This study focuses on organizational efforts to constrain ex post transaction costs in interorganizational exchange. The theoretical model frames opportunism as a determinant of transaction costs and implicates cooperation and formalization as control structures that alleviate opportunism. The model also examines whether the proposed theoretical relationships are enduring. Franchisee–franchisor relationships in the Norwegian distribution system of a multinational oil refiner provide the context for analysis. A test of the model using multisample data across two time periods indicates that opportunistic behavior consistently increases transaction costs. Furthermore, cooperative interaction curbs bargaining costs, and formalization reduces opportunism. The authors discuss implications for interorganizational theory and franchising management.
Environmental enrichment reverses learning impairment in the Morris water maze after focal cerebral ischemia in rats

Cognitive impairment is common after ischemic stroke. In rodent stroke models using occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) this is reflected by impaired spatial memory associated with the size of the ischemic lesion. Housing in an enriched environment enhances brain plasticity and improves recovery of sensorimotor functions after experimental stroke in rats. In this study we report that postischemic housing in an enriched environment also attenuates the long‐term spatial memory impairment after MCA occlusion and extinguishes the association between spatial memory and infarct volume. An enriched environment did not significantly alter the expression of selected neuronal plasticity‐associated genes 1 month after MCA occlusion, indicating that most of the adaptive changes induced by an enriched environment have already occurred at this time point. We conclude that the attenuated memory impairment induced by environmental enrichment after MCA occlusion provides a useful model for further studies on the neurobiological mechanisms of recovery of cognitive functions after ischemic stroke.
Factor V Leiden and genetic defects of thrombophilia in childhood porencephaly

AIMS To determine to what extent the Arg506 to Gln point mutation in the factor V gene and further genetic factors of thrombophilia affect the risk of porencephaly in neonates and infants. METHODS The Arg506 to Gln mutation, factor V, protein C, protein S, antithrombin, antiphospholipid antibodies and lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)) were retrospectively measured in neonates and children with porencephaly (n=24). RESULTS Genetic risk factors for thrombophilia were diagnosed in 16 of these 24 patients: heterozygous factor V Leiden (n=3); protein C deficiency type I (n=6); increased Lp (a) (n=3); and protein S type I deficiency (n=1). Three of the 16 infants had two genetic risk factors of thrombophilia: factor V Leiden mutation combined with increased familial Lp (a) was found in two, and factor V Leiden mutation with protein S deficiency type I in one. CONCLUSIONS The findings indicate that deficiencies in the protein C anticoagulant pathway have an important role in the aetiology of congenital porencephaly.
Investigating the Relative Roles of the Degradation of Land and Global Warming in Amazonia

Large-scale removal of the tropical rain forest will have significant negative effects on regional water and energy balance, climate and global bio-geochemical cycles. Numerical experiments using General Circulation Models (GCMs) [1, 2, 3 and many others], using statistical-dynam‐ ical simple climate models (SDMs) [4, 5, 6] and field observations) [7] have shown that the large-scale deforestation in Amazonia may indeed influence regional climate. Reduction in evapotranspiration and precipitation and an increase in the surface temperature in the tropical region occur when the forest is replaced by pasture.