Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The strategic value of e-HRM: results from an exploratory study in a governmental organization

This paper presents results from an exploratory study in a governmental organization on the strategic value of electronic human resource management (e-HRM). By applying the organizational capabilities approach, and by means of mixed research methods, data were collected on two generally acclaimed strategic advantages of e-HRM: changing the role of the human resource (HR) function towards becoming a business partner; and increasing the time available for strategic HR issues. The findings show that these strategic advantages are not convincingly realized. While HR professionals perceived role changes, line managers and non-managerial employees in general did not. The frequency of e-HRM practise was low, although it was satisfactorily used as intended. Interviewees stated that strategic advantages might arise if certain conditions are met. E-HRM does however provide some unintended benefits. The findings suggest that e-HRM alone is not sufficient to enable the HR function to create dynamic and operational capabilities. Suggestions for further research are provided.
Modernisation and Time Preferences in Tanzania: Evidence from a Large-Scale Elicitation Exercise

Abstract Assumptions about individual time preferences are important for explanations of poverty and development. Data from a large-scale elicitation exercise in Tanzania show significantly higher levels of impatience in urban areas than in rural areas. This result remains robust to adding controls for socio-economic differences between rural and urban areas, which possibly correlate with time preferences. We attribute this to differences in ‘modernisation’ between urban and rural areas, with modernisation leading to increased impatience. This is corroborated by the observed positive correlation between impatience and education; the latter being an important vehicle of modernisation for traditional societies in Tanzania.
Comparative studies of in vitro renal cephaloridine toxicity between normoglycemic and diabetic rats

This study investigated if the attenuation in cephaloridine toxicity associated with streptozotocin (STZ)‐induced diabetes can be attributed to a direct cellular effect. Comparative studies examined the direct toxicity of cephaloridine 14 days after (35 mg kg−1, i.p.) STZ or vehicle injection of male Fischer 344 (F344) rats. In vitro cephaloridine toxicity was assessed by measuring lipid peroxidation, renal gluconeogenesis and organic ion accumulation in renal cortical slices. The in vitro toxicity of cephaloridine was reduced in the diabetic group since lipid peroxidation was not increased following a 120‐min exposure to cephaloridine. This was in contrast to a concentration‐ and time‐dependent increase in lipid peroxidation in renal tissue derived from normoglycemic animals pre‐incubated with 0–5 mM cephaloridine. Renal gluconeogenesis was inhibited in a concentration‐dependent manner in the normoglycemic group following a 15–90‐min exposure to 0–5 mM cephaloridine. Pyruvate‐stimulated gluconeogenesis was diminished in the diabetic group only after a 90‐min preincubation. Renal cortical slice accumulation of p‐aminohippurate (PAH) and tetraethylammonium (TEA) was decreased in the normoglycemic group. Accumulation of TEA, but not PAH, was decreased (P < 0.05) in the diabetic group. These results indicate that in vitro cephaloridine toxicity was attenuated by STZ‐induced diabetes.
Evaluating the economic value of a public service—the case of the Municipal Library of Prague

To allocate public resources efficiently, governments need accurate information about the performance and effectiveness of public institutions. This paper presents a new approach to valuing public services, using the example of the Municipal Library of Prague (MLP). The contingent valuation method was used with a focus on library users’ willingness to pay for individual library services. The result is an overview of the perceived value of the MLP's services and its return on public investment. The proposed methodology could be used for other public services, such as healthcare or education.
Using Attitudes to Characterize Heterogeneous Preferences

This paper compares three approaches to using attitudinal data to describe heterogeneous preferences for non-market goods. Two latent class models and one random parameter logit model are included. Each model makes different assumptions about the role of attitudes in the decision process. Specifically, each model assumes a different relationship between attitudes and preferences and these differences are discussed in terms of economic and social psychology theory. The three models are then used to examine individual preferences for water clarity improvements in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The results suggest that the choice of models has important implications on the quantitative results and on the nature of the preference heterogeneity, but does not affect the qualitative implications of the results. The estimates of expected WTP were nearly identical across the three models.
Influences on the growth of SMEs: An international comparison †

Data from the STRATOS database were employed to establish the most important influences on the growth of SMEs drawn from three industrial sectors and eight European countries.Observations were grouped into cells and average proportionate growth 1980–83 regressed against average values of various variables relating to factors internal and external to the firm, and to the characteristics of owners. Standardized coefficients would suggest the highest growth was achieved by firms focusing on particular product groups, avoiding spreading their export activities too widely, avoiding operating in markets dominated by big firms and choosing carefully the countries and markets in which they operated.
Athletic performance in relation to training load.

Athletic performance generally is thought to improve with increases in training load. However, few data exist showing the quantitative relationship between training load and performance. We followed 56 athletes (16 runners; 40 cyclists/speed skaters) during 12 weeks of training. We recorded index performances (3.2 km time trial or 5 or 10 km bicycle ergometry) after 6 weeks of baseline training and 6 weeks of a self-selected training increases. Training load was quantitated as the product of intensity (global rating of perceived exertion (RPE)) and the duration (time) of each training session. Load was expressed as the weekly average over the 6 weeks preceding each index performance. We also recorded the duration of high intensity training (RPE>5, hard) (inten). From 6 to 12 weeks, performance improved 12.95 +/- 3.83 to 12.66 +/- 3.00 min (p < .01). Training time (345 +/- 282 to 355 +/- 273 min/wk) and inten (61 +/- 88 to 71 +/- 91 min/wk) did not change significantly, although RPE (3.8 +/- 0.7 to 4.0 +/- 0.8) and load (1242 +/- 957 to 1386 +/- 978) increased significantly. No strong correlations existed between changes in performance and changes in any training measure (TIME, r = -0.031, RPE, r = -0.039, LOAD, r = 0.29, INTEN, r = 0.025.) Data suggest that improved performance in events of 7-20 minutes duration in response to intensified training is primarily dependent upon increases in total load and overall RPE during training and; that a 10-fold increase in training load may be associated with an approximately 10% improvement in performance. These data suggest the possibility of understanding the training responses of athletes on a quantitative basis.
Community perceptions to place attachment and tourism development in Finnish Lapland

Tourism in the Arctic is increasing rapidly and affecting local communities through land development pressures. In addition to providing economic opportunities, this development trend is affecting more intangible areas of life such as place attachment. The aim of this paper is to examine place attachment in tourism-dependent communities in the Arctic through place dependence and place identity. This is done through mapping sites with personal meanings and locally valued tourist sites in two communities in Finnish Lapland. The attachment is expressed in two different ways: currently, the economic activities are manifested almost exclusively through tourism development in Kilpisjärvi and Saariselkä, of which the most important sites are located in the natural landscape. As a result, the communities’ dependency on the natural surroundings is evident. The attachment also occurs through non-economic activities and is present through consumption-related actions, (e.g. fishing) as well as through less tangible issues, such as connecting with nature. The economic and consumption-related activities link with place dependence, whereas the more intangible factors with place identity. Mapping and calendar exercises helped to identify where the intensities of place attachment are located, and how they vary in space and time. Whilst considering place attachment and future tourism development, this paper also draws attention to changes in the local environment as a result of human activity, which may be amplified by climate change. When considering future tourism (or any) development, place attachment should carry a larger role in community and development planning.
A Bose-Einstein Condensate of Metastable Atoms

We report the realization of a Bose-Einstein condensate of metastable atoms (helium in the lowest triplet state). The excitation energy of each atom with respect to the ground state is 20 electron volts, but inelastic processes that would destroy the sample are suppressed strongly enough in a spin-polarized sample to allow condensation. Our detection scheme takes advantage of the metastability to achieve detection of individual atoms as well as of the decay products of inelastic processes. This detection opens the way toward new studies in mesoscopic quantum statistical physics, as well as in atomic quantum optics.
Anomalous anatomy of speech–language areas in adults with persistent developmental stuttering

To the Editor: I read with interest the article by Foundas et al.,1 which is the latest in a line of neurologic reports that confuse the cause and effect of stuttering (stammering). The observations associated with this clinical problem of chronic involuntary blockage are not disputed. That these observations can be interpreted as a cause of blockage is neurologically impossible. Because unintended blockage of speech is an aberration of normal speech processing, which is a manifestation of synchronization of phonation (for speech power) with articulation (that shapes phonatory power into the sounds of speech), the essence of fluent speech is the timing of speech sound phonatory/articulatory synchronization. Any cause of blockage has to account for why it can be involuntary (otherwise it would never become chronic), and, more to the point, how high-speed speech sounds can be produced with low-speed, cognitive/linguistic equipment. Synchronization speed is revealed by the syllable rate (no sound can be produced outside the context of a syllable) multiplied by the number of sounds per syllable. Syllable and cognitive thinking rates turn out to be roughly the same, which is fortunate, otherwise we would be unable to speak at the same rates we think. Decades ago, George Miller demonstrated the cognitive rate to be 7 ± 2 per second.2 In 1964, I inadvertently discovered that this is also the syllable rate, when …
An emergency department patient flow model based on queueing theory principles.

OBJECTIVES The objective was to derive and validate a novel queuing theory-based model that predicts the effect of various patient crowding scenarios on patient left without being seen (LWBS) rates. METHODS Retrospective data were collected from all patient presentations to triage at an urban, academic, adult-only emergency department (ED) with 87,705 visits in calendar year 2008. Data from specific time windows during the day were divided into derivation and validation sets based on odd or even days. Patient records with incomplete time data were excluded. With an established call center queueing model, input variables were modified to adapt this model to the ED setting, while satisfying the underlying assumptions of queueing theory. The primary aim was the derivation and validation of an ED flow model. Chi-square and Student's t-tests were used for model derivation and validation. The secondary aim was estimating the effect of varying ED patient arrival and boarding scenarios on LWBS rates using this model. RESULTS The assumption of stationarity of the model was validated for three time periods (peak arrival rate = 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.; a moderate arrival rate = 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.; and lowest arrival rate = 4:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.) and for different days of the week and month. Between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. , defined as the primary study period representing peak arrivals, 3.9% (n = 4,038) of patients LWBS. Using the derived model, the predicted LWBS rate was 4%. LWBS rates increased as the rate of ED patient arrivals, treatment times, and ED boarding times increased. A 10% increase in hourly ED patient arrivals from the observed average arrival rate increased the predicted LWBS rate to 10.8%; a 10% decrease in hourly ED patient arrivals from the observed average arrival rate predicted a 1.6% LWBS rate. A 30-minute decrease in treatment time from the observed average treatment time predicted a 1.4% LWBS. A 1% increase in patient arrivals has the same effect on LWBS rates as a 1% increase in treatment time. Reducing boarding times by 10% is expected to reduce LWBS rates by approximately 0.8%. CONCLUSIONS This novel queuing theory-based model predicts the effect of patient arrivals, treatment time, and ED boarding on the rate of patients who LWBS at one institution. More studies are needed to validate this model across other institutions.
Is Baltic Crime Economically Rational?

Abstract The purpose of this study is to investigate whether crime in the Baltic countries is governed by economic rationality. According to a simple economic model of rational behaviour, it is expected that the propensity to commit criminal activities should be negatively related to the risk of deterrence. Potential presence of higher risk profiles for certain population segments (urban groups, males, foreigners, the unemployed, and low-income earners) are controlled for. Panel data aggregated to regional levels and observed annually for the years 2000 to 2005 are applied. Controls are applied for endogeneity among criminal activity level and risk of deterrence, intra-regional correlation, inter-temporal heterogeneity and spatial spillover. The expected negative effect of risk of deterrence on criminal activity is found for all countries, whereby the hypothesised economic rationality is confirmed.
Reliable gain-scheduled control design for networked control systems

In this article, the problem of reliable gain-scheduled H∞ performance optimization and controller design for a class of discrete-time networked control system NCS is discussed. The main aim of this work is to design a gain-scheduled controller, which consists of not only the constant parameters but also the time-varying parameter such that NCS is asymptotically stable. In particular, the proposed gain-scheduled controller is not only based on fixed gains but also the measured time-varying parameter. Further, the result is extended to obtain a robust reliable gain-scheduled H∞ control by considering both unknown disturbances and linear fractional transformation parametric uncertainties in the system model. By constructing a parameter-dependent Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional, a new set of sufficient conditions are obtained in terms of linear matrix inequalities LMIs. The existence conditions for controllers are formulated in the form of LMIs, and the controller design is cast into a convex optimization problem subject to LMI constraints. Finally, a numerical example based on a station-keeping satellite system is given to demonstrate the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed reliable control law. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 21: 214-228, 2015
A desindustrialização no Brasil

The text analyzes the contemporary deindustrialization of Brazil and some of its impasses in terms of macroeconomic policies. The level of industrialization that was reached in previous decades has deteriorated because of the lack of policies on industry and development and the combination of high interest rates, lack of investment, overvalued exchange rates and exaggerated trade openness. In this context, harmful deindustrialization occurs. It weakens and undermines the country's economy. In the absence of a macroeconomic policy in line with industrial policy, development is compromised. In these terms, underdevelopment is not a phase or a bump in the road, but a process that began with Brazil's involvement in the international capitalist market in the nineteenth century - a process which Brazil has yet to complete.
Treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma with constant-rate floxuridine infusion plus recombinant α2b-interferon

Summary Background Floxuridine (FUDR) and α-interferon (IFN) are active agents in advanced renal cell carcinoma, with different dose-limiting toxic effects and antitumor synergism in experimental models. The main purpose of this phase II study was to assess the activity and toxic effects of a combination of FUDR and α2b-IFN in metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Patients and methods Metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients with measurable disease entered the study. FUDR was administered as a constant-rate continuous infusion for 14 days every 28 days at a starting daily dose of 0.1 mg/kg and with dose escalations of 0.025 mg/kg/day at each subsequent cycle if WHO ≥2 toxicity had not occurred. IFNα2b 10 × 106 I.U. was administered intramuscularly 3 times per week. Results Forty-two patients entered the study and a total of 272 cycles of FUDR + α2b-IFN were administered. In 41 evaluable patients WHO grade III–IV toxic effects included nausea and vomiting (22%), diarrhea (32%), stomatitis (12%), fatigue (27%) and anorexia (12%). It was possible to increase the initial FUDR does in 21 (50%) patients; the median FUDR dose intensity was 0.35 mg/kg/week (range 0.18–0.54). Among 39 evaluable patients, 3 (7.5%) complete and 10 (25.5%) partial responses were observed (response rate 33%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 19%–50%) which lasted a median of 13 months (5.5–40+). Responses also occurred in liver (2), in patients pretreated with systemic therapy (5) and in patients who had other unfavourable prognostic characteristics (7). Median progression-free and survival times were 9 and 16 months, respectively. Conclusion In this study FUDR + α2b-IFN demonstrated interesting activity in metastatic renal cell carcinoma, showing promise also in patients with unfavourable prognostic characteristics. The antitumor activity of FUDR and α2b-IFN seems to be cumulative, but cumulative toxicity is also observed. These results require confirmation in randomised trials.
Bridging from Goals to Tasks with Design Study Analysis Reports

Visualization researchers and practitioners engaged in generating or evaluating designs are faced with the difficult problem of transforming the questions asked and actions taken by target users from domain-specific language and context into more abstract forms. Existing abstract task classifications aim to provide support for this endeavour by providing a carefully delineated suite of actions. Our experience is that this bottom-up approach is part of the challenge: low-level actions are difficult to interpret without a higher-level context of analysis goals and the analysis process. To bridge this gap, we propose a framework based on analysis reports derived from open-coding 20 design study papers published at IEEE InfoVis 2009–2015, to build on the previous work of abstractions that collectively encompass a broad variety of domains. The framework is organized in two axes illustrated by nine analysis goals. It helps situate the analysis goals by placing each goal under axes of specificity (Explore, Describe, Explain, Confirm) and number of data populations (Single, Multiple). The single-population types are Discover Observation, Describe Observation, Identify Main Cause, and Collect Evidence. The multiple-population types are Compare Entities, Explain Differences, and Evaluate Hypothesis. Each analysis goal is scoped by an input and an output and is characterized by analysis steps reported in the design study papers. We provide examples of how we and others have used the framework in a top-down approach to abstracting domain problems: visualization designers or researchers first identify the analysis goals of each unit of analysis in an analysis stream, and then encode the individual steps using existing task classifications with the context of the goal, the level of specificity, and the number of populations involved in the analysis.
Cultural Models and Shoreline Social Conflict

Along the coast we witness property conflicts that would seem strange at inland locations. To understand why property conflicts seem particularly common and intense along shorelines, one must appreciate that property is enacted by real people in specific places. The successful enactment of property requires sufficiently shared expectations for behavior. Expectations are formed by consulting cultural models, which are inter-subjectively shared cognitive tools. This article describes seven cultural models of property that can play a role in the enactment of property along the shoreline. These are the sovereignty, community, landscape, ecology, commodity, moral order, and productivity models. A focus on cultural models shows how property conflicts can occur when models are not adequately grounded in real world circumstances, when a cultural model is not shared, or when multiple cultural models conflict. This article argues that all three of these types of failures are more likely to occur along shorelines than with inland property. Finally, even though cultural models of property are not hierarchical, this article argues that too much emphasis is currently being placed on the sovereignty and commodity models, and it suggests ways to reestablish a better balance between all of the cultural models of property.
Pharmacist Involvement in a Community Paramedicine Team

Background: Hospital readmissions have recently gained scrutiny by health systems as a result of their high costs of care and potential for financial penalty in hospital reimbursement. Mobile-integrated health and community paramedicine (MIH-CP) programs have expanded to serve patients at high risk of hospital readmission. Pharmacists have also improved clinical outcomes for patients during in-home visits. However, pharmacists working with a MIH-CP program have not been previously described. This project utilized a novel multidisciplinary Community Paramedicine Team (CPT) consisting of a pharmacist, paramedic, and social worker to target patients with heart failure at high risk of readmission to assist with coordination of care and education. Objectives: This article describes the development of the CPT, delineation of CPT member responsibilities, and outcomes from pilot visits. Methods: The CPT visited eligible patients in their homes to provide services. Patients with heart failure who were readmitted within 30 days were eligible for a home visit. Results: A total of 6 patients were seen during the pilot, and 2 additional patients were seen after the pilot. Conclusion: Imbedding a pharmacist into a CPT provides a unique expansion of pharmacy services and a novel approach to address hospital readmissions.