Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modelling policies for multifunctional agriculture and rural development – a norwegian case study

This paper outlines the development and use of a policy model for multifunctional agriculture and rural development. The model is an important part of the EU research project, TOP-MARD (Towards a Policy Model for Multifunctional Agriculture and Rural Development). It sets the discourse on multifunctional agriculture in the context of what OECD calls the ‘New Rural Paradigm’, and explores the ways in which both market and non-market ‘functions’ of agriculture and farm households link with economic development and quality of life in different rural territories, and how different kinds of policies influence these linkages. We develop a policy model based on an approach closer to ecological economics, adopting a systems analytic approach.We seek to capture both commodity and non-commodity relationships between farms, rural economies and quality of life. In this paper the model is applied to the Norwegian study area, Hordaland County, exploring how different policy scenarios might impact on agricultures different functions, rural economic development and quality of life.
Gait variability in Parkinson’s disease: influence of walking speed and dopaminergic treatment

Abstract Objectives: To study the effects of levodopa and walking speed on gait variability in individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Methods: Thirty-three individuals with PD were studied. Their mean age was 70·61±9·23 year. The average time since diagnosis was 9·65±5·80 year. Gait variability was studied while ‘OFF’ and ‘ON’ dopaminergic medication when the subjects walked at their usual and fastest speeds. Results: Variability of step time, double support time, stride length and stride velocity decreased significantly (P=0·037; P=0·037; P=0·022; P=0·043, respectively) after dopaminergic treatment. When subjects increased walking speed, the variability of stride length and stride velocity decreased significantly (P=0·038 and P=0·004, respectively) both while ‘OFF’ and ‘ON’ levodopa. Increasing walking speed did not change the variability of step time and double support time regardless of medication status. Conclusions: Levodopa decreased gait variability in persons with PD. Stride length and stride velocity variability appeared to be speed dependent parameters, whereas, the variability of step time and double support time appeared to be speed independent measures. Levodopa had positive effects on gait stability in PD.
Statistical Methods for Analyzing Claims of Employment Discrimination

This paper shows that in several recent EEO cases, lawyers and the courts have not used as powerful a statistical test of discrimination as they could have. The author describes two methods for combining into a single measure the results of statistical analysis of each of several data sets common in EEO cases, such as the hiring or promotion rates of minorities and majorities in each of several occupations in a company. He argues that these methods—combining one-sample binomial tests and the Mantel-Haenszel procedure—are more appropriate and usually more powerful than other tests of significance, such as Fisher's, that have been used in many EEO cases. He illustrates his argument with data from several of those cases.
Tumor‐Initiating Cells of Various Tumor Types Exhibit Differential Angiogenic Properties and React Differently to Antiangiogenic Drugs

Tumor‐initiating cells (TICs) are a subtype of tumor cells believed to be critical for initiating tumorigenesis. We sought to determine the angiogenic properties of TICs in different tumor types including U‐87MG (glioblastoma), HT29 (colon), MCF7 (breast), A549 (non‐small‐cell lung), and PANC1 (pancreatic) cancers. Long‐term cultures grown either as monolayers (“TIC‐low”) or as nonadherent tumor spheres (“TIC‐high”) were generated. The TIC‐high fractions exhibited increased expression of stem cell surface markers, high aldehyde dehydrogenase activity, high expression of p21, and resistance to standard chemotherapy in comparison to TIC‐low fractions. Furthermore, TICs from U‐87MG and HT29 but not from MCF7, A549, and PANC1 tumor types possess increased angiogenic activity. Consequently, the efficacy of vascular endothelial growth factor‐A (VEGF‐A) neutralizing antibody is limited only to those tumors that are dependent on VEGF‐A activity. In addition, such therapy had little or reversed antiangiogenic effects on tumors that do not necessarily rely on VEGF‐dependent angiogenesis. Differential angiogenic activity and antiangiogenic therapy sensitivity were also observed in TICs of the same tumor type, suggesting redundant angiogenic pathways. Collectively, our results suggest that the efficacy of antiangiogenic drugs is dependent on the angiogenic properties of TICs and, therefore, can serve as a possible biomarker to predict antiangiogenic treatment efficacy. Stem Cells2012;30:1831–1841
Assessing farmers' risk attitudes based on economic, social, personal, and environmental sources of risk: evidence from Sweden

This paper examines farmers' risk attitudes, obtained by responses to sources of risk, using an attitudinal scale approach. Economic, social, personal, and environmental sources of risk are considered in the measurement of risk attitudes. In addition, use of various types of expertise and information sources are included as risk management tools. Inferences are drawn from results of a survey mailed to a representative random sample of 500 farmers drawn from the population of medium to large farms (by acreage) in southern Sweden. Regarding the adequacy of the results it was found that a mail survey produces results similar to earlier results obtained by personal interview. Farmers' responses to the attitudinal scales showed levels of communal variation between 80 and 83%, which is higher than the result reported by Bard and Barry (2000) (68.6%). This indicates that a broader field of risk sources improves the measurement of risk attitudes. The results further indicate a slight degree of risk aversion and that crop and livestock farmers use different sets of risk management tools, depending on their risk attitudes. The results of this work are of relevance because if attitudes induce risk response, then the communication approaches for extension services or policy makers will be very different than if it is 'risk', as that word is typically used.
Shared Structurally Synthesized BDDs for speeding-up parallel pattern simulation in digital circuits

Fault simulation is a critical tool in design, analysis of testability and verification of circuits. BDDs are a well-known model for manipulating Boolean functions. We propose a new type of BDD in the form of Shared Structurally Synthesized BDD (S3BDD) for representing the structure and simulating of faults in digital circuits. The paper offers a formula for calculating the minimal size, a method for synthesis of S3BDDs and a method for parallel pattern simulation with S3BDDs. We demonstrate a considerable increase in the speed-up of simulation of digital circuits using S3BDDs.
Export Growth, Capacity Utilization, and Productivity Growth: Evidence from the Canadian Manufacturing Plants

Aggregate labor and multifactor productivity growth slowed substantially post‐2000 in the Canadian manufacturing sector. To examine the source of the decline, this paper proposes a decomposition method that delves deeper into the two micro‐components of aggregate productivity growth: a within‐plant component and a between‐plant component. The decomposition builds on earlier work by Jorgenson and his collaborators that decomposes aggregate productivity growth into its industry components, but applies it to the plant level and introduces non‐neoclassical features of the plant‐level economic environment. It finds that the preponderance of the aggregate labor and multifactor productivity growth slowdown is due to the pro‐cyclical nature of productivity growth arising from capacity utilization. Almost all of the aggregate productivity growth slowdown is driven by exporters, as exporters experienced large declines in labor productivity growth in the post‐2000 period as a result of large declines in their capacity utilization.
LEADERSHIP BEHAVIORS EXHIBITED BY FFA CHAPTER PRESIDENTS

This study identified leadership behaviors exhibited by FFA chapter presidents. It also examined the relationship between the chapter presidents' perception of their leadership behavior with the behaviors observed by their chapter officer team. The study included all chapter officer teams from the 2001-2002 school year in the Northeast Agricultural Education District of Oklahoma. These programs were notified of the study and were invited to have their officer teams participate while at the State FFA Convention. A quantitative descriptive design was employed to describe and compare the 35 chapter presidents and 136 other officers. Each completed a questionnaire to measure leadership behaviors exhibited by the chapter president. Findings indicated that chapter presidents and other officers believed that the behaviors of Enabling Others to Act, Modeling the Way, and Encouraging the Heart were the most often exhibited by the chapter president. The chapter presidents, however, held inflated self-perceptions of their leadership behavior when compared to their officers’ observations. This was consistent among all 30 statements within the five leadership practices.
Don't Skip the G1 Phase: How APC/CCdh1 Keeps SCFSKP2 in Check

By keeping the levels of Skp2 and Cks1 low during G1 progression, APC/CCdh1 prevents unscheduled degradation of SCFSkp2 substrates and premature entry into S phase. Thus, APC/CCdh1, a ubiquitin ligase involved in mitotic exit and maintenance of G0/G1 phase, directly controls SCFSKP2, a ubiquitin ligase involved in the regulation of S phase entry.
The demand for currency and the welfare cost of inflation in a 21 st century economy

The interest elasticity of money demand is key in the evaluation of the welfare cost of inflation. Yet not much is known about it in the typical environment of a modern economy, characterized by low inflation and a developed financial system. This paper uses a unique panel of Italian household data (on currency holdings, banking services, interest rates, consumption, etc.) that allows a precise estimation of the demand for currency. The data span the 1989-2002 period, characterized by a widespread diusion of bank branches, automated teller machines (ATMs) and, in recent years, low inflation rates. The estimates show that the interest elasticity is large and significant over the first part of the nineties, but essentially nil afterwards. We present a currency inventory model that introduces uncertain withdrawal options between costly and non-costly withdrawals. Financial innovation is described as an increase in the availability of the latter, to capture the diusion of e.g. bank branches and ATMs. The model predictions are consistent with several features of the data and inform us on the welfare costs of (low) inflation in a financially-developed economy.
FDI Localization, Wage and Urbanization in Central Europe. Comparative study of the evolution of stock returns for listed

This paper studies the impacts of urbanization and wage on foreign direct investment (FDI) in Central Europe. This paper applies the panel data model for study of urbanization and FDI in Central Europe selected countries. We consider Central Europe selected countries over the period 1992-2009. Our estimation shows the urbanization has positive impact on attraction of FDI. We find that human capital and economic growth (market potential) are favorable for FDI flows. Distance has negative effect on FDI. Economic risk (inflation) and increasing in wage level also have negative impact on foreign direct investment.
KMS-Enabled Individual Learning in the Workplace

This study was conducted to examine the contribution that a knowledge management system (KMS) makes to individual learning in an organizational setting. Open-ended survey questions were used to collect data to help us understand user perceived system quality, information quality, and organizational conditions, which are believed to enhance the degree of KMS use in the respondents’ organizational contexts. This study found that KMS use benefits learning in a variety of ways. In addition, daily job performance, training, and personal conversation were all found to have influenced the levels of individual learning.
A Chinese Classifier Research for Query Intention and Non-query Intention

Previous research to improve the performance of Internet search engines has focused on classifying questions, sentences and user-goals but not the classification of sentences and phrases based on query intention and non-query intention. This paper investigates a classification system of query intention and non-query intention of sentences and phrases by firstly analyzing previous work and based on this we move on to designing an implementation framework model that improves the efficiency and effectiveness of using search engines. Testing was carried out and comparisons analyzed between the known Liner, Polynomial, RBF and Sigmoid categorizations and our new framework under strict laboratory conditions. The test results show that the accuracy of classifier classification is improved by up to 2.1% and recall is improved by up to 2%.
Laforin, a protein with many faces: glucan phosphatase, adapter protein, et alii

Lafora disease (LD) is a rare, fatal neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the accumulation of glycogen‐like inclusions in the cytoplasm of cells from most tissues of affected patients. One hundred years after the first description of these inclusions, the molecular bases underlying the processes involved in LD physiopathology are finally being elucidated. The main cause of the disease is related to the activity of two proteins, the dual‐specificity phosphatase laforin and the E3‐ubiquitin ligase malin, which form a functional complex. Laforin is unique in humans, as it is composed of a carbohydrate‐binding module attached to a cysteine‐based catalytic dual‐specificity phosphatase domain. Laforin directly dephosphorylates glycogen, but other proteinaceous substrates, if they exist, have remained elusive. Recently, an emerging set of laforin‐binding partners apart from malin have been described, suggestive of laforin roles unrelated to its catalytic activity. Further investigations based on different transgenic mouse models have shown that the laforin–malin complex is also involved in other cellular processes, such as response to endoplasmic reticulum stress and misfolded protein clearance by the lysosomal pathway. However, controversial data and some missing links still make it difficult to assess the concrete relationship between glycogen deregulation and neuronal damage leading to the fatal symptoms observed in LD patients, such as myoclonic seizures and epilepsy. Consequently, clinical treatments are far from being achieved. In the present review, we focus on the knowledge of laforin biology, not only as a glucan phosphatase, but also as an adaptor protein involved in several physiological pathways.
Turkey's Political Economy in the Age of Financial Globalization: The Significance of the EU Anchor

The recent Turkish experience clearly illustrates how markets and politics can interact in producing significant economic transformation. Focusing on the new phase of neo-liberal restructuring in Turkey in the post-crisis era, we highlight the importance of the European Union (EU) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) anchors and the specific domestic and external linkages through which these double external anchors have operated. We argue that the anchors played significant and complementary roles in the recent transformation process in Turkey. We also underline some of the tensions that are likely to arise in the new era of accession negotiations with the EU given the incomplete transformation accomplished so far.
An electrocardiogram-based technique to assess cardiopulmonary coupling during sleep.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To evaluate a new automated measure of cardiopulmonary coupling during sleep using a single-lead electrocardiographic signal. DESIGN Using training and test datasets of 35 polysomnograms each, we assessed the correlations of an electrocardiogram-based measure of cardiopulmonary interactions with respect to standard sleep staging, as well as to the cyclic alternating pattern classification. The pattern of coupling in 15 healthy individuals was also assessed. SETTING American Academy of Sleep Medicine Accredited Sleep Disorders Center. INTERVENTIONS None. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS From a continuous, single-lead electrocardiogram, we extracted both the normal-to-normal sinus interbeat interval series and a corresponding electrocardiogram-derived respiration signal. Employing Fourier-based techniques, the product of the coherence and cross-power of these 2 simultaneous signals was used to generate a spectrographic representation of cardiopulmonary coupling dynamics during sleep. This technique shows that non-rapid eye movement sleep in adults demonstrates spontaneous abrupt transitions between high- and low-frequency cardiopulmonary coupling regimes, which have characteristic electroencephalogram, respiratory, and heart-rate variability signatures in both health and disease. Using the kappa statistic, agreement with standard sleep staging was poor (training set 62.7%, test set 43.9%) but higher with cyclic alternating pattern scoring (training set 74%, test set 77.3%). CONCLUSIONS A sleep spectrogram derived from information in a single-lead electrocardiogram can be used to dynamically track cardiopulmonary interactions. The 2 distinct (bimodal) regimes demonstrate a closer relationship with visual cyclic alternating pattern and non-cyclic alternating pattern states than with standard sleep stages. This technique may provide a complementary approach to the conventional characterization of graded non-rapid eye movement sleep stages.
Problems of the German Contribution to EU-SILC - A Research Perspective, Comparing EU-SILC, Microcensus and SOEP

EU-SILC will become one of the most important statistical data sources for the Federal Government's future Poverty and Wealth Reports, for comparing Germany's position with those of the other EU member states in the "open method of coordination", and for the international scientific community and international organisations. Hence this sample needs intensive quality control to ensure data quality. Ex ante quality control must take the form of selecting suitable survey methods, internal control of consistency of the data collected from each household, transparent data editing, reliable imputation methods and compensation for drop-outs by reweighting. Ex post consistency checks are needed in the form of comparison with other similar household samples, with administrative statistics and with macro-economic aggregates of the national accounts. In this paper the need for intensive ex post quality control is met with consistency checks in the form of a comparison between the results of EU-SILC and the microcensus and SOEP, which reveals significant deviations in the coverage of poorly integrated foreigners, small children and the level of education, as well as the ratio of house/apartment owners and the employment ratio. This causes serious distortions to the Laeken indicators calculated.
Asset Allocation for Robust Portfolios

A new risk/return optimization model is described that overcomes much of the instability inherent in traditional mean-variance optimizers with a minimal sacrifice of efficiency. The robust frontier model identifies portfolios that are close to the efficient frontier, less likely to produce extreme results, and—most importantly—are much more stable to changes in input assumptions. Practitioners using this model can approach the task of asset allocation with confidence that small errors in forecasts will not be the primary driver of asset allocation outputs, and that if the model is used over time it will not produce huge swings in allocations with consequent high transaction costs.
Seasonality Estimation in Thin Markets

The greater availability of daily data in the U.S. has led to a number of studies of the seasonality of daily stock (index) returns. While the studies recognized the potential impacts of nontrading and price-adjustment delays in general, no formal analyses of such impacts were presented; in this paper analytic results are presented for the articulation between these phenomena. The implications of the analysis are discussed and shown to be consistent with a sample of U.K. index data. A modified form of the negative weekend effect is found to be present in the U.K. data analyzed. TESTS FOR THE PRESENCE of seasonality in equity returns have been carried out by a number of authors at both the monthly and daily return levels. At the monthly level, Rozeff and Kinney [18] discovered evidence of seasonality in the U.S., while Officer [15] detected the presence of seasonality in Australian data. Fama [7] carried out some early work on U.S. daily data, and more recent contributions have been made by Cross [5], French [9], and Gibbons and Hess [10]. While these studies recognized the presence of thin trading and its potential impacts upon the experimental results, no formal analyses were presented. In this paper, we derive analytic results for the articulation between seasonality and nontrading effects' (Section I). The implications of this analysis are tested using a sample (described in Section II) of U.K. daily index data2 in Section III. Section IV discusses the implications of the results for capital market efficiency. Finally,
Factors responsible for rural household participation in institutional credit programs in Pakistan

Institutional credit plays a pivotal role in increasing farm production and improving the socioeconomic life of farmers. However, procuring credit from formal lending institutions is not easy. A number of pre-conditions are to be fulfilled to qualify for the institutional credit. This paper explores the factors that account for a household’s participation in formal agricultural credit programs. The study was conducted in 2005 to 2006 in northwest Pakistan. Using regression analysis, the study finds that education and farm size are important determinant for a household to participate in institutional credit program. The study concludes that the formal lending institutions need to devise a credit delivery mechanism based on relaxed pre-conditions which small and landless farmers could easily fulfill. Key words: Institutional credit, participation, collateral, farm production.
Excellent measures precede measures of excellence

This paper identifies quantifiable indicators that might enhance the national evaluation of learning and teaching in Australian higher education. It begins by setting out a framework suitable for guiding the identification and selection of indicators. After a brief critical review of current indicator possibilities, it defines a number of possible indicators that might be developed. The paper works from the premise that as greater significance is placed on the outcomes of measurement, we need to place greater significance on measurement itself. It is imperative that appropriate and contemporary measures are used, and that evaluations are developed in ways that ensure that the basic availability of data does not dictate the approach.