Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Taking stock of policy performance in Central and Eastern Europe: Policy outcomes between policy reform, transitional pressure and international influence

Despite the ever growing body of scholarly work on policy developments in the post-communist New Member States of the European Union (NMS), systematic compari- sons of policy outcome performance and its determinants are still scarce. This article iden- tifies patterns of post-communist policy outcomes across the fields of economic, social and environmental policy. By employing pooled time-series cross-sectional analysis with a Fixed Effects Vector Decomposition (FEVD) estimator it investigates to what extent policy outcome performance is determined by differing policy efforts (outputs or reform tracks), transitional conditions and international influences. Although citizens are still negatively affected by the initial economic recession, especially in the social domain, policy reforms and efforts are decisive in determining the outcome performance of the NMS relative to one another in the longer run. Successful and comprehensive market reforms and steering capabilities prove to be particularly important in this regard. Furthermore, internationali- sation has an important, albeit ambiguous, impact. While exposure to the world market is reflected in negative policy performance, interaction with and financial commitment from Western European Union countries promote positive policy outcomes.
Breastfeeding Knowledge, Attitudes, and Intention in a Sample of Undergraduate Students in Mainland China

Background: Despite the high breastfeeding initiation rate in China (> 90%), the low exclusivity rate is of concern. Some traditional behaviors, combined with increasing popularity of infant formula, may negatively affect future breastfeeding rates. As suggested by the theory of planned behavior, understanding breastfeeding beliefs of young adults may help identify and address misperceptions of future parents, supporting maintenance of the current initiation rate while increasing rates of exclusivity and duration. No research has evaluated these factors among young adults in Mainland China. Objective: The objective was to explore any relationships between breastfeeding knowledge, attitudes, previous experiences, and future intention among undergraduate students in Mainland China. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, quantitative study conducted from May to June 2012. A convenience sample of 395 students from a major public university in southwest China participated in the survey. Results: Breastfeeding knowledge was moderate (76.7% of total score), and breastfeeding was considered to be painful (34.2%), to make breasts sag (43.1%), and to restrict the freedom of mothers (52.5%). In addition, 58.2% of students reported that they would feel embarrassed if they or their partners were to breastfeed in public, and acceptability of breastfeeding in public was low (34.7%). Three-fourths of the students (75.1%) expressed future breastfeeding intent, though males were more likely to report this intention (ie, to support a partner in breastfeeding) than were females (81.3% vs 71.7%, P = .04). Conclusion: To create a more breastfeeding-friendly culture, future research is warranted to explore these negative beliefs about breastfeeding and to counter misunderstandings among future parents in Mainland China.
American Manufacturing Unions' Stasis: A Paradigmatic Perspective

This paper argues that American manufacturing unions, if they are to revitalize themselves numerically and politically, must develop new strategies in order to cope with rapidly changing environments. After reviewing two action paradigms that are available for unions, we show why manufacturing unions have adopted the economic rather than political paradigm. We argue that the economic paradigm is viable only under a specific set of conditions that no longer apply. Finally, long-term adherence to the economic paradigm produces resistance to paradigmatic change in response to external changes in many unions. As an illustration, we use the American auto industry.
4-Ammonio-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinium bis(dihydrogen phosphate) monohydrate

In the crystal structure of the title compound, C9H22N2 2+·2H2PO4 −·H2O, the H2PO4 − anions are hydrogen bonded to each other, forming a ribbon parallel to the b axis. The water molecules connect these ribbons via O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The organic cations are attached to the dihydrogen phosphate anions and water molecules through N—H⋯O and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming an infinite three-dimensional network.
Neural Responses to Taxation and Voluntary Giving Reveal Motives for Charitable Donations

Civil societies function because people pay taxes and make charitable contributions to provide public goods. One possible motive for charitable contributions, called “pure altruism,” is satisfied by increases in the public good no matter the source or intent. Another possible motive, “warm glow,” is only fulfilled by an individual's own voluntary donations. Consistent with pure altruism, we find that even mandatory, tax-like transfers to a charity elicit neural activity in areas linked to reward processing. Moreover, neural responses to the charity's financial gains predict voluntary giving. However, consistent with warm glow, neural activity further increases when people make transfers voluntarily. Both pure altruism and warm-glow motives appear to determine the hedonic consequences of financial transfers to the public good.
Vertical Poverty Revisited Immigrants in Toronto's High-Rise Private Rental Housing

Private rental housing is an under-researched but important segment of the housing market. Building on United Way of Toronto’s (2011) Vertical Poverty research, this paper presents a further analysis of the data collected from the original investigation with a focus on immigrant integration, residential satisfaction and social networking. The descriptive analysis draws from 2,176 face-to-face interviews that were collected for Vertical Poverty’s original sample of private rental market tenants living in Toronto’s inner suburban high-rise apartment buildings. Results focus on immigrant housing circumstances by length of time in Canada and categorizes participants into very recent immigrants (< 5 years in Canada), recent (5-10 years), longer term (10+ years), and the Canadian-born. Findings are presented according to socio-demographic profiles of the sample, spatial concentrations, mobility, satisfaction with housing, and social networks. Like the original research, this study confirms and reinforces the importance of older suburban rental housing in Toronto’s overall housing mix. The high-rise stock in Toronto’s inner suburbs is a vital component of its local affordable rental market, particularly for immigrants. This housing stock provides an important base for new arrivals as they go through the settlement process. Accordingly, this paper recommends that policy for this segment of the housing market include protection of the stock, a greater appreciation for the role of rental tenure, multi-level integration of immigration and housing policy, and improvements to the social environment of high-rise buildings and neighbourhoods where they are located.
Negative Pressure Rewarming vs. Forced Air Warming in Hypothermic Postanesthetic Volunteers

We compared changes in core temperature and systemic heat balance with a new negative pressure/warming device (Vital Heat® ) that uses negative pressure combined with heat to facilitate warming in vasoconstricted postoperative patients to those resulting from passive insulation or forced air. Seven healthy volunteers were anesthetized and cooled to a tympanic membrane temperature near 34°C. Anesthesia was discontinued and shivering was prevented by using meperidine. The vasoconstricted volunteers were rewarmed for 2 h using three randomly assigned methods: 1) Vital Heat® plus cotton blanket; 2) one layer of cotton blanket; 3) forced-air warming. Thermal flux was recorded from 15 skin-surface sites; metabolic heat production was estimated from total body oxygen consumption. Metabolic heat production remained constant throughout the study. Systemic heat loss remained constant during warming with cotton blankets but decreased significantly during the other treatments. Systemic heat balance increased significantly more with forced air (140 ± 21 kcal) than with Vital Heat® (66 ± 19 kcal) or cotton blankets (47 ± 18 kcal). Core temperature increased no faster with Vital Heat® warming (1.3 ± 0.4°C) than with a cotton blanket (1.2 ± 0.4°C). In contrast, core temperature increased more rapidly with forced air warming (2.6 ± 0.6°C). In this study we show that calories from a negative pressure rewarming device are largely constrained to the forearm and that heat does not flow to the core thermal compartment. IMPLICATIONS In this study we show that calories from a negative pressure rewarming device are largely constrained to the forearm, and that heat does not flow to the core thermal compartment. Consequently, this warming concept is not more effective than passive insulation in hypothermic postanesthetic subjects. In contrast, rewarming is very effective with convective warming.
SWEDISH TRADE UNION CONSENT TO FINANCE‐LED CAPITALISM: A QUESTION OF TIME

Why do actors that may be expected to contest finance-led capitalism in crisis periods rarely do so in effective and sustainable ways? This article contributes to the understanding of this question by explaining the sudden and puzzling silence of trade unions during the 1990–94 Swedish banking crisis. It underlines the importance of working within certain time-scales in prioritized policy areas for shaping strategic selectivity and precluding effective contest. The varied power of trade unions to perform effectively in different policy areas is important. However, cognitive-filters as stressed by constructivists are not. Findings point to a modified version of Korpi's power mobilization theory, where power resources are seen as refracted by the ‘institutional materiality’ of the corporatist state.
Social Capital: Analysing the Effect of a Political Perspective on the Perceived Role of Government in Community Prosperity

Abstract Social capital has enjoyed a surge in popularity in recent years, however debate continues over the concept in policy and community renewal strategies. This paper explores how different interpretations of the concept may affect the role that government is perceived to have in developing ‘social capital’. Empirical research findings are used to explore the relevance of different social capital interpretations to the role of government in rural prosperity. The paper argues that the current dominant interpretation obscures the role that government can play in generating community prosperity. Additionally, this paper argues that the dominant interpretation of the concept does not acknowledge the effect that government actions may have on social networks and, therefore, social and economic outcomes. The paper comments on the implications of different social capital interpretations for policy development focused on the social and economic sustainability of rural Australia. It concludes that the political context of the use of social capital affects how it is interpreted. Further, the interpretation utilised affects government policy responses to the renewal of rural communities, a factor largely unrecognised in social capital debates.
Interactions between Metabotropic Glutamate 5 and Adenosine A2A Receptors in Normal and Parkinsonian Mice

Evidence for heteromeric receptor complexes comprising adenosine A2A and metabotropic glutamate 5 (mGlu5) receptors in striatum has raised the possibility of synergistic interactions between striatal A2A and mGlu5 receptors. We investigated the role of striatal A2A receptors in the locomotor stimulant and antiparkinsonian properties of mGlu5 antagonists using complementary pharmacologic and genetic approaches. Locomotion acutely stimulated by the mGlu5 antagonist [2-methyl-6-(phenylethynyl)-pyridine (MPEP)] was absent in mGlu5 knock-out (KO) mice and was potentiated by an A2A antagonist KW-6002 [(E)-1,3-diethyl-8-(3,4-dimethoxystyryl)-7-methylxanthine], both in normal and in dopamine-depleted (reserpinized) mice. Conversely, the MPEP-induced motor response was markedly attenuated in single and double A2A and D2 receptor KO mice. In contrast, motor stimulation by a D1 dopamine agonist was not attenuated in the KO mice. The A2A receptor dependence of MPEP-induced motor stimulation was investigated further using a postnatal forebrain-specific conditional (Cre/loxP system) KO of the A2A receptor. MPEP loses the ability to stimulate locomotion in conditional KO mice, suggesting that this mGlu5 antagonist effect requires the postdevelopmental action of striatal A2A receptors. The potentiation of mGlu5 antagonist-induced motor stimulation by an A2A antagonist and its dependence on both D2 and forebrain A2A receptors highlight the functional interdependence of these receptors. These data also strengthen a rationale for pursuing a combinational drug strategy for enhancing the antiparkinsonian effects of A2A and mGlu5 antagonists.
Innovation in the context of small family businesses involved in a ‘niche’ market

Innovation is a fundamental process in the development and long-term survival of businesses. Many researchers have proposed frameworks and concepts to develop a theory of innovation. Though to date such attempts have remained largely elusive, studies have identified links between innovation and social capital, role, and other theories. Partly based on these theoretical foundations, this case study investigates the extent to which small family wineries producing niche wines are involved in innovation, as well as the links between the 'evolution' of their sector and innovation. To this end, the study examines the perceptions of winery owners, managers, and representatives of wine associations and regulatory councils. While acquiring technology and modern winery equipment are predominant, diversification through increased involvement in wine tourism and wine exports are also perceived as important ways to innovate. The study discusses the implications of these and other findings, and proposes avenues for future research.
The functional domains of the murine Thy-1 gene promoter

The Thy-1 gene promoter resembles a "housekeeping" promoter in that it is located within a methylation-free island, lacks a canonical TATA box, and displays heterogeneity in the 5'-end termini of the mRNA. Using transgenic mice, we show that this promoter does not confer any tissue specificity and is active only in a position-dependent manner. It can only be activated in a tissue-specific manner by elements that lie downstream of the initiation site. We have analyzed the functional domains of the minimal Thy-1 promoter and show that the dominant promoter elements consist of multiple binding sites for the transcription factor Sp1, an inverted CCAAT box, and sequences proximal to the transcription start site. DNase I and gel mobility shift assays show the binding of a number of nuclear factors to these elements, including Sp1 and CP1. Our results show that the structure of this promoter only permits productive interactions of the two transcription factors Sp1 and CP1 with the basal transcription machinery in the presence of enhancer sequences.
Association between Polymorphism in p 21 Waf 1 / Cip 1 Cyclin-dependent Kinase Inhibitor Gene and Human Oral Cancer 1

The cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor genep21 plays a central role in inducing cellular growth arrest, terminal differentiation, and apoptosis. Alterations in this gene may adversely affect regulation of these processes and increase susceptibility for cancer. We have recently reported a novel polymorphism in the p21 gene in the Indian population and its association with esophageal cancer. An A3G transition at codon 149 resulted in amino acid substitution from aspartate to glycine in the proliferating cell nuclear antigen binding COOH-terminal domain of p21 that may affect PCNA-p21 interactions, thereby affecting regulation of cellular proliferation, and may increase susceptibility for development of cancer. In a parallel study in our laboratory, we searched for putative p21 mutations in oral premalignant and malignant lesions. No somatic mutation was detected in exon 2 of p21. Interestingly, a codon 149 polymorphism variant (A3G) was identified in 11 of 30 (37%) premalignant lesions (7 of 19 hyperplastic lesions and 4 of 11 dysplastic lesions) and 11 of 30 (37%) squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). This codon 149 variant was also identified in paired lymphocytes of all of the patients with premalignant lesions and SCCs harboring the variant allele, suggesting the occurrence of a polymorphism. Lymphocyte DNA isolated from 50 unrelated ageand gender-matched healthy subjects was screened for this polymorphism. Seven of 50 (14%) normal controls harbored the A3G codon 149 variant allele. Immunohistochemical analysis of p21 Waf1/Cip1 protein expression showed immunoreactivity in 19 of these 30 (63%) oral premalignant lesions and 16 of 30 (53%) SCCs. The most intriguing features of the study were: (a) the significant increase in frequency of this polymorphism not only in patients with oral SCCs (P5 0.038), but also in patients with premalignant lesions (P5 0.038), compared with normal controls; and (b) the significantly higher frequency of p21 variants (codon 149) in oral premalignant lesions (10 of 11 cases) and SCCs (11 of 11 cases) with wildtype p53 (P 5 0.045) than in lesions withp53 mutations, suggesting that this polymorphism affects the p53 pathway and may play a vital role in oral tumorigenesis. Furthermore, overexpression of p21 protein in oral lesions harboring missense mutations in thep53 gene suggest a p53-independent role for p21 in the pathogenesis of oral cancer.
Energy Intensity Developments in 40 Major Economies: Structural Change or Technology Improvement?

This study analyzes energy intensity trends and drivers in 40 major economies using the WIOD database, a novel harmonized and consistent dataset of input-output table time series accompanied by environmental satellite data. We use logarithmic mean Divisia index decomposition to (1) study trends in global energy intensity between 1995 and 2007, (2) attribute efficiency changes to either changes in technology or changes in the structure of the economy, and (3) highlight sectoral and regional differences. We first show that heterogeneity within each sector across countries is high. These general trends within the sectors are dominated by large economies, first and foremost the United States. In most cases, heterogeneity is lower within each country across the different sectors. Regarding changes of energy intensity at the country level, improvements between 1995 and 2007 are largely attributable to technological change while structural change is less important in most countries. Notable exceptions are Japan, the United States, Australia, Taiwan, Mexico and Brazil where a change in the industry mix was the main driver behind the observed energy intensity reduction.
Does Analysis Matter? Economics and Planning in the Department of the Interior

Economics is the basis for a substantial portion of the formal policy analyses conducted in government though the effect of analysis is seldom investigated. The 5-Year Offshore Leasing Plan of the Department of the Interior is the specific basis for a schedule of auctions in each of twenty-six planning areas. The schedule is investigated for its relationship to data presented in the plan using a Poisson regression. The conclusion is that the data are statistically related to the number of sales, but that estimated coefficients are of such small size that only major changes in the data would alter the outcome. Copyright 1991 by MIT Press.
Unequal but ‘fair’? Housework and child care in a sample of low- to moderate-income British couples.

This paper first discusses the reported distribution and perceived ‘fairness’ of housework and child care in couple relationships from a gender perspective, and then uses this to inform a qualitative analysis of the same issues, drawing on interviews with men and women in lowto moderate-income British couples. As in previous studies, housework and child care were said to be performed disproportionately by women, but both men and women in most couples thought their arrangements were fair. A number of possible approaches are explored to explain this superficially paradoxical finding.
Testing a Typology of Homelessness Across Welfare Regimes: Shelter Use in Denmark and the USA

This article compares patterns of homeless shelter use in Denmark and the USA. Combining data from homeless shelters in Denmark with population registers, we find that the prevalence of shelter use is substantially lower in Denmark than in the USA. A cluster analysis of shelter stays identifies three types of users similar to findings from US research: the transitionally, episodically and chronically homeless. However, the transitionally homeless in Denmark have a higher tendency of suffering from mental illness and substance abuse than the transitionally homeless in the USA. The results support Stephens and Fitzpatrick' hypothesis that countries with more extensive welfare systems and lower levels of poverty have lower levels of homelessness, mainly amongst those with complex support needs, whereas in countries with less extensive welfare systems homelessness affects broader groups and is more widely associated with poverty and housing affordability problems.
Medical Tourism: Revenue Generation or International Transfer of Healthcare Problems?

This paper focuses on the relatively new conduit for the transfer of services from the developed to the developing economies - the growing trend of "medical tourism" where patients travel to low-cost developing countries for health procedures. Previous analysis of this trend tends to focus on either the cost savings for the patients or the revenue potential for the host economies. However, viewing the health sector merely in the monetary terms of transnational trade presents contradictions, which call for re-evaluating yet again the limitations of measuring economic progress merely in monetary terms. This article examines these contradictions based on a case study of the medical tourism industry in India. While health tourism is a potential revenue source, it also competes with the domestic health sector and could transfer some of the health care problems of the developed world to the developing world.