Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Policy progress with REDD+ and the promise of performance-based payments: A qualitative comparative analysis of 13 countries

Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and enhancing forest carbon stocks in developing countries (REDD+) has emerged as a promising climate change mitigation mechanism in tropical forest countries. This paper examines the national political context in 13 REDD+ countries in order to identify the enabling conditions for achieving progress in the implementation of countries' REDD+ policies and measures. The analysis builds on a previous qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) of various countries' progress with REDD+, conducted in 12 REDD+ countries in 2012. A follow-up survey in 2014 was considered timely because the REDD+ policy arena, at international and country levels, is highly dynamic and undergoes constant evolution, which affects progress with REDD+ policy making and implementation. In this paper, we examine whether the ‘promise' of performance-based funds has played a role in enabling the establishment of REDD+. The results show a set of enabling conditions and characteristics of the policy process under which REDD+ policies can be established. Two key findings of our analysis, the importance of already initiated policy change and the relevance of available performance-based funding in combination with strong national ownership of the REDD+ process, may help guide other countries seeking to formulate REDD+ policies that are likely to deliver efficient, effective and equitable outcomes.
What Is a "Professional Learning Community"?

The idea of improving schools by developing professional learning communities is currently in vogue. People use this term to describe every imaginable combination of individuals with an interest in education—a grade-level teaching team, a school committee, a high school department, an entire school district, a state department of education, a national professional organization, and so on. In fact, the term has been used so ubiquitously that it is in danger of losing all meaning.
Structural Change, Inequality, and Growth in Mexico

This paper examines the relationship between income inequality and economic growth in Mexico. We first review changes in industrial trade, production, and investment patterns over the liberalization period and how those changes led to the creation of a relatively high-wage, economic enclave of industries producing capital-goods for export. We then compare annual changes in manufacturing pay inequality and annual GDP growth, finding that the previously stable, negative relationship predicted by Kuznets broke down at the height of the period of structural reform in Mexico, giving way to a positive relationship after 1989. The paper finds that reform fundamentally altered the relationship between inequality and growth as benefits accrued to an increasingly small number of firms. The findings support the hypothesis of an “augmented” Kuznets Curve according to which some developed countries are found on an upward-sloping addendum to Kuznets’ original formulation.
Feasibility of using student subjects in accounting experiments: a review

Purpose – The unavailability of practitioners is one of the disturbing realities that often prevent the use of experimental methods in accounting research. The availability of pragmatic alternatives to accounting practitioners demands that researchers explore such alternatives fully before conducting expensive experiments with practitioners. However, the use of students as surrogates for non‐students has been a controversial issue and this has led to an under‐utilization of the experimental method in management accounting research. Recent research has warned that relying solely on practitioners as subjects in experimental methods may result in “negative externalities”. The purpose of this paper is to inquire in to the feasibility of using student subjects in behavioral accounting research so that better judgments can be made about the benefits and dangers of using students in experiments.Design/methodology/approach – The paper relies on a review and synthesis of the literature on the student surrogate deb.
Private security regimes: Conceptualizing the forces that shape the private delivery of security

There is as much diversity within the private security industry as there are differences between public and private security providers. Whereas comparisons of the two modes of delivery have kept criminologists and economists fairly busy over the years, internal variations have not attracted the same level of interest. In the current environment, binary classifications such as the public/private security dichotomy might be too generic to capture the broad spectrum of unique security arrangements being adopted by various organizations. The aim of this article is therefore to offer an alternative conceptual framework that can account for the broad range of mechanisms responsible for the diversity of private security arrangements observed in late modern societies. The term ‘security regime’ defines the convergence of internal forces and environmental constraints that determine the conditions under which security is produced and exchanged by an organization. The four key dimensions (focus, risks, utility and constraints) that characterize a specific security regime were identified from interviews conducted with more than 50 security managers. The security regime approach should expand our knowledge of the various causes that facilitate, empower or hinder public–private relationships.
TOURISM EXPENDITURES AND ENVIRONMENT IN THAILAND

Tourism activities affect the environment of different destinations, which is influenced by different tourists’ consumption. The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between inbound tourist expenditures and three main environmental dimensions, which are carbon dioxide emission from transport, energy demand, and water usage, in Thailand. This paper employs Vector Autoregressive (VAR) models to determine the relationship of variables. Data from Ministry of Energy, Bank of Thailand, Metropolitan Electricity Authority, Provincial Waterworks Authority, National Statistical Office, Department of Tourism, and Tourism Authority of Thailand between 1988 and 2012 have been applied in the model. Note that, energy demand is represented by total electricity consumption of hotel and accommodation sector in Thailand, while water usage is represented by the total water consumption of tourists. This study found the relationships among tourists’ expenditures, carbon dioxide emission from transport, energy demand, and water usage. Therefore, the policies recommendations may be essential to prepare the optimal schemes and budgets for encountering the environmental impacts from tourism business expansion.
A theory of quality‐related differences in retail margins: why there is a ‘premium’ on premium gasoline

This paper develops a theory of vertical and horizontal product differentiation to explain observed price-cost margin differentials for goods that differ in quality. The difference in price-cost margins between the high- and low-quality goods is shown to depend positively on consumers' average valuation for incremental increases in quality and positively on the distance to each competitor's closest rival. These predictions are largely supported using an extensive station-level data set of premium and regular unleaded gasoline prices from the Los Angeles Basin area from 1992-95. Copyright 2000 by Oxford University Press.
Protein SUMOylation is Involved in Cell‐cycle Progression and Cell Morphology in Giardia lamblia

The unicellular protozoa Giardia lamblia is a food‐ and waterborne parasite that causes giardiasis. This illness is manifested as acute and self‐limited diarrhea and can evolve to long‐term complications. Successful establishment of infection by Giardia trophozoites requires adhesion to host cells and colonization of the small intestine, where parasites multiply by mitotic division. The tight binding of trophozoites to host cells occurs by means of the ventral adhesive disc, a spiral array of microtubules and associated proteins such as giardins. In this work we show that knock down of the Small Ubiquitin‐like MOdifier (SUMO) results in less adhesive trophzoites, decreased cell proliferation and deep morphological alterations, including at the ventral disc. Consistent with the reduced proliferation, SUMO knocked‐down trophozoites were arrested in G1 and in S phases of the cell cycle. Mass spectrometry analysis of anti‐SUMO immunoprecipitates was performed to identify SUMO substrates possibly involved in these events. Among the identified SUMOylation targets, α‐tubulin was further validated by Western blot and confirmed to be a SUMO target in Giardia trophozoites.
Magnetic resonance imaging–based prospective detection of intraperitoneal human ovarian carcinoma xenografts treatment response

The feasibility of applying magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for conducting prospective studies of intraperitoneal (i.p.) tumor treatment response to chemotherapy and resultant effects on survival in human ovarian carcinoma/nude mouse orthotopic xenograft models was evaluated. Female nude mice were implanted i.p. with either NMP-1 or SKOV-3ip. human ovarian carcinoma cells on day 0. Initial T2-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images of the abdomens of NMP-1–implanted mice were obtained on day 7 to confirm the presence of nascent tumors; similar confirmations were made on day 14 with mice bearing SKOV-3ip. xenografts. On the initial imaging days, a multiple-dose regimen of cisplatin (CDDP; qd7 ×3) was commenced, using 4 or 6 mg/kg treatments with the NMP-1 model and using 6 mg/kg treatments with the SKOV-3ip. model. Mice were reimaged multiple times, 2 days following each CDDP injection and at later times as well, depending on host survival. The images for each mouse from the last imaging day (day 30 for NMP-1, day 44 for SKOV-3ip.) were used in a blinded fashion to attempt to visually distinguish control from treated mice and to determine whether MRI could predict a survival benefit. For SKOV-3ip. mice, ten out of ten mice were correctly segregated into the control or the CDDP treatment group based solely on these blinded, nonquantified MR results. In this model, the 6 mg/kg multiple-dose regimen achieved a modest response, improving life span by ∼24%. However, for the NMP-1 mice, only six out of nine evaluable mice were correctly segregated into the control or one of the treatment groups by similar MRI criteria, a virtually random distribution; further, neither CDDP treatment regimen achieved a significant improvement in survival in this model. In another study, NMP-1–implanted mice were treated on day 7 after tumor implantation with a single injection of a hyaluronic acid–paclitaxel copolymer. Control and treated mice were MR imaged on day 28, which revealed marked reductions in tumor burden in treated mice, correlating well with a subsequently observed improved survival of ∼40%. Our results suggest that MRI can be used to serially and noninvasively monitor treatment response and predict ongoing treatment effects on survival.
Can Rural Communities Comply with the New Arsenic Standard for Drinking Water

Our primary concern in this paper is to determine to what extent small communities have difficulty meeting the new stricter 2001 standard for arsenic levels in their drinking water. To do this we survey water users in rural Minnesota communities that had arsenic levels in their water supply exceeding 10 μg/L during 2001-2006. Our survey results show that after obtaining complete information concerning the arsenic levels in their drinking water consumers with relatively low levels of arsenic were willing to pay $8-9 annually, while those with high levels of arsenic are willing to pay $15-17 annually. We also found that consumer’s willingness to pay (WTP) didn’t vary by community size. Thus, we conclude that compared to compliance costs ($58-327 per capita annually) small rural communities were likely to find it difficult to cover the cost of compliance through increased water charges. Since many of the communities have to cover these costs of compliance by raising water charges, we ask the basic question: are there better treatment options for these rural communities that will lower the cost to consumers? One option might be to encourage individual householders to use household water treatment devices for communities serving fewer than 500 people. The devices could be made available by the local entity supplying the community’s water possibly at a subsidized rate along with complete information about the arsenic level in the water supply.
Managing Flexible Automation

Management techniques are faced with the challenge of keeping up with the greater manufacturing flexibility made possible by the development of programmable automation systems. These challenges arise in 5 areas: 1. strategy, 2. project evaluation, 3. managing change, 4. implementation of automated capabilities, and 5. labor force considerations. In the first case, dynamic rather than static perspectives on process technology are required, with strategy being the foundation of excellence in all functions, not just at the general manager level. Project evaluation should focus on the costs of failing to pursue an investment opportunity, not just on the costs of pursuing such opportunities. Management must be able to identify the kinds of organizational changes needed for making use of the full technological potential of flexibility. Implementation requires an organizational culture with a commitment to learning. The labor force must become more proactive since the main task is problem solving.
Thermodynamic analysis of the binding of component enzymes in the assembly of the pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex of Bacillus stearothermophilus

The peripheral subunit‐binding domain (PSBD) of the dihydrolipoyl acetyltransferase (E2, EC 2.3.1.12) binds tightly but mutually exclusively to dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase (E3, EC 1.8.1.4) and pyruvate decarboxylase (E1, EC 1.2.4.1) in the pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex of Bacillus stearothermophilus. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) experiments demonstrated that the enthalpies of binding (ΔH°) of both E3 and E1 with the PSBD varied with salt concentration, temperature, pH, and buffer composition. There is little significant difference in the free energies of binding (ΔG° = −12.6 kcal/mol for E3 and = −12.9 kcal/mol for E1 at pH 7.4 and 25°C). However, the association with E3 was characterized by a small, unfavorable enthalpy change (ΔH° = +2.2 kcal/mol) and a large, positive entropy change (TΔS° = +14.8 kcal/mol), whereas that with E1 was accompanied by a favorable enthalpy change (ΔH° = −8.4 kcal/mol) and a less positive entropy change (TΔS° = +4.5 kcal/mol). Values of ΔCp of −316 cal/molK and −470 cal/molK were obtained for the binding of E3 and E1, respectively. The value for E3 was not compatible with the ΔCp calculated from the nonpolar surface area buried in the crystal structure of the E3‐PSBD complex. In this instance, a large negative ΔCp is not indicative of a classical hydrophobic interaction. In differential scanning calorimetry experiments, the midpoint melting temperature (Tm) of E3 increased from 91°C to 97.1°C when it was bound to PSBD, and that of E1 increased from 65.2°C to 70.0°C. These high Tm values eliminate unfolding as a major source of the anomalous ΔCp effects at the temperatures (10–37°C) used for the ITC experiments.
Phosphate compounds of the rabbit red blood cell during storage in acid citrate dextrose (ACD) and ACD-inosine.

Red blood cells of the rabbit appear to react about the same as those of the human to storage in acid citrate dextrose (ACD) preservative in the cold; the cells of both species show a posttransfusion survival of approximately 70 per cent at three weeks and less than 50 per cent at six weeks. The fall in survival is accompanied by a reduction in the glycolytic rate and in the organic phosphate content and these changes are retarded in the presence of certain nucleosides (1-3). These facts suggest that rabbit blood may be substituted for human blood in the study of certain problems related to the maintenance of red cell viability during storage. The mechanism responsible for the loss of red cell viability during storage is not known, but one reasonable hypothesis would implicate a disturbance in the cell's carbohydrate metabolism. To learn more about the state of the metabolic machinery, which is predominantly glycolytic, rabbit blood was kept in ACDat 40 C. with and without inosine and the phosphorlylated metabolic intermediates of the red cells were analyzed by ionexchange chromatography at the beginning and after three and six weeks of storage.
Meeting the Kyoto Targets: The Importance of Developing Country Participation

This paper investigates the implications of progressively broadening the scope of the market of tradable permits from no emissions trading to full global trading. We start with the no emissions trading case where each Annex I country must individually meet its Kyoto targets. Next, we consider a case where trading of emissions permits is limited to Annex I countries only. We then expand the scope of the market to include all the non-Annex I countries but China. Finally, to investigate the role China plays in bringing down Annex I countries' compliance costs, we further broaden the market to include China into full global trading. Our results clearly demonstrate that the gain of the OECD as a whole increases as the market expands. Our results also show that developing countries themselves benefit from such an expansion too because it not only provides them for additional financial resources, but also helps to cut their baseline carbon emissions by a big margin. By contrast, the former Soviet Union tends to become worse off as the market expands. The potential conflict of interest between the former Soviet Union and developing countries underlines the importance of establishing clear rules of procedure about admitting new entrants before emissions trading begins.
Melatonin enhances mitophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis in rats with carbon tetrachloride‐induced liver fibrosis

Liver fibrosis leads to liver cirrhosis and failure, and no effective treatment is currently available. Growing evidence supports a link between mitochondrial dysfunction and liver fibrogenesis and mitochondrial quality control‐based therapy has emerged as a new therapeutic target. We investigated the protective mechanisms of melatonin against mitochondrial dysfunction‐involved liver fibrosis, focusing on mitophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis. Rats were treated with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) dissolved in olive oil (0.5 mL/kg, twice a week, i.p.) for 8 wk. Melatonin was administered orally at 2.5, 5, and 10 mg/kg once a day. Chronic CCl4 exposure induced collagen deposition, hepatocellular damage, and oxidative stress, and melatonin attenuated these increases. Increases in mRNA and protein expression levels of transforming growth factor β1 and α‐smooth muscle actin in response to CCl4 were attenuated by melatonin. Melatonin attenuated hallmarks of mitochondrial dysfunction, such as mitochondrial swelling and glutamate dehydrogenase release. Chronic CCl4 exposure impaired mitophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis, and melatonin attenuated this impairment, as indicated by increases in mitochondrial DNA and in protein levels of PTEN‐induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1); Parkin; peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐gamma coactivator 1α (PGC‐1α); nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF1); and transcription factor A, mitochondrial (TFAM). CCl4‐mediated decreases in mitochondrial fission‐ and fusion‐related proteins, such as dynamin‐related protein 1 (DRP1) and mitofusin 2, were also attenuated by melatonin. Moreover, melatonin induced AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation. These results suggest that melatonin protects against liver fibrosis via upregulation of mitophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis, and may be useful as an anti‐fibrotic treatment.
Consumer Payment Preferences, Network Externalities, and Merchant Card Acceptance: An Empirical Investigation

The two-sided market theory holds that consumer adoption and merchant acceptance of payment cards are interdependent. However, empirical evidence on such network externalities is scarce, especially for the merchant side. This paper addresses this issue by examining merchant card acceptance in France. We exploit shopping diary data to construct a novel and fine-grained measure of French consumers’ payment preferences and match these with data from a nation-wide merchant survey. Controlling for (among other factors) cost, degree of competition, and customer characteristics, we find that the higher the probability that the average basket of a merchant is paid for by card in shops in the same sector and region, the higher the probability that the merchant will accept cards. In other words, we find that consumer preferences drive merchant card acceptance, which underpins the existence of network externalities on the merchant side of the payment card market.
A BUSINESS FRAMEWORK TO NETWORK SMALL SOUTH AFRICAN ENTERPRISES FOR SUSTAINABILITY

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This paper describes the role and use of enterprise engineering concepts as a formal approach to the deployment of sustainable networks of small businesses in South Africa. Small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) operating in the informal South African economy struggle to survive for various reasons. A business framework is suggested that supports informal SMMEs through their initial stages of operation, and by doing so, improves sustainable growth and employment opportunities. This implies integration of informal business activities with the formal economy. The business framework is constructed using the Zachman Enterprise Reference Architecture, and is benchmarked by a small-scale fish farming project case study to validate the research hypothesis. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie artikel beskryf die toepassing van bedryfsingenieurswesebeginsels as 'n formele benadering tot die ontwikkeling van volhoubare netwerke van klein ondernemings in Suid-Afrika. Verskeie faktore dra by tot die sukkelende voortbestaan van SMMEs in die informele ekonomie van die land. As moontlike oplossing vir hierdie probleem word n besigheidsraamwerk voorgestel wat informele SMMEs gedurende hul aanvangsfase ondersteun en daardeur volhoubare groei en werkskeppingsgeleenthede verbeter. Realisering van hierdie besigheidsraamwerk impliseer integrasie-aktiwiteite tussen die informele en formele ekonomie Die besigheidsraamwerk is ontwikkel met behulp van Zachman se Besigheidsverwysingsargitektuur. n Visboerderyprojek dien as gevallestudie vir validasie van hierdie navorsingshipotese.
Publish or Perish? The Increasing Importance of Publications for Prospective Economics Professors in Austria, Germany and Switzerland

Abstract Tenure decisions depend, among other factors, on a candidate’s career age and publication record.We associate publications with journal articles indexed in EconLit and measure publication output in equivalents of both top-five journal articles and European Economic Review (EER) articles. We find that the average age of a professor in the year of his/her first appointment is 38, i.e. he or she is appointed approximately eight years after completing the PhD. Between 1970 and 2006, the average publication record at the time of the first appointment is equivalent to 1.5 standardized top-five articles or 2.3 standardized EER articles. Publication records vary across subfields and have become more substantial over time.We predict that someone aspiring to a tenured position after 2011 should aim at an equivalent of four standardized top-five articles or six standardized EER articles.