Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reducing deforestation and improving livestock productivity: greenhouse gas mitigation potential of silvopastoral systems in Caquetá

Colombia's agriculture, forestry and other land use sector accounts for nearly half of its total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The importance of smallholder deforestation is comparatively high in relation to its regional counterparts, and livestock agriculture represents the largest driver of primary forest depletion. Silvopastoral systems (SPSs) are presented as agroecological solutions that synergistically enhance livestock productivity, improve local farmers’ livelihoods and hold the potential to reduce pressure on forest conversion. The department of Caquetá represents Colombia’s most important deforestation hotspot. Targeting smallholder livestock farms through survey data, in this work we investigate the GHG mitigation potential of implementing SPSs for smallholder farms in this region. Specifically, we assess whether the carbon sequestration taking place in the soil and biomass of SPSs is sufficient to offset the per-hectare increase in livestock GHG emissions resulting from higher stocking rates. To address these questions we use data on livestock population characteristics and historic land cover changes reported from a survey covering 158 farms and model the carbon sequestration occurring in three different scenarios of progressively-increased SPS complexity using the CO2 fix model. We find that, even with moderate tree planting densities, the implementation of SPSs can reduce GHG emissions by 2.6 Mg CO2e ha−1 yr−1 in relation to current practices, while increasing agriculture productivity and contributing to the restoration of severely degraded landscapes.
An empirical study of the impact of goal orientation on individual ambidexterity – moderating roles of goal interdependence and constructive controversy

Purpose Ambidexterity is the source of organizational sustainable development and long-term success. However, understanding the role of individual ambidexterity in organizations remains underdeveloped. Recently, scholars have increasingly emphasized the importance of individual ambidexterity, calling for more research on the topic. This study aims to explore the factors influencing individual ambidexterity. It proposed that goal orientation would be related to individual ambidexterity, and perceived cooperative goal interdependence and constructive controversy would play moderating roles in this relationship. Design/methodology/approach The paper opted for a survey study. Questionnaires were distributed to enterprise managers from a part-time MBA program at a university located in Beijing, China. They were also asked to bring copies to their colleagues, so they could fill them out. The authors obtained 229 valid questionnaires and used hierarchical regression analysis to test the relationships. Findings The results revealed that both learning goal orientation and performance goal orientation were significantly and positively related to individual ambidexterity. Perceived cooperative goal interdependence and constructive controversy positively moderated the relationship between learning goal orientation/ performance goal orientation and individual ambidexterity. Practical implications The paper provides beneficial suggestions for both managers and employees. It offers a reference for managers regarding how to promote employee ambidexterity. It also provides suggestions for employee career development. Originality/value The paper explored the factors influencing ambidextrous activities at the individual level, a very scare approach in extant studies. It also constructed a systematic process mechanism of individual ambidexterity, integrating both internal and external factors.
The Review of Economics and Statistics THE VIRTUOUS CYCLE OF PROPERTY

— This paper shows that formalizing private property rights has a positive effect on the propensity to respect the property of others. We study a recent large-scale land tenure reform in West Africa that was the ﬁrst of its kind to be implemented as a randomized control trial. Results of a modiﬁed dictator game show that the formalization of private property rights reduced an individual’s willingness to take from others’ endowment. We used additional experimental measures and postexperimental survey data to rule out alternative explanations for the observed behavior that do not imply a change in preferences.
Experimental evidence of an environmental attitude-behavior gap in high-cost situations

So far, there has been mixed evidence in the literature regarding the relation between environmental attitudes and actual ``green'' actions, something known as attitude-behavior gap. This raises the question of when attitudes can actually work as a lever to promote environmental objectives, such as climate change mitigation, and, conversely, when other factors would be more effective. We tested the effect of environmental attitudes on behavior in an online experiment with real money at stake and real-world consequences. We found that environmental attitudes affected behavior in low-cost situations while increasing contribution costs generally reduced their effect. This finding is consistent with the low-cost hypothesis of environmental behavior and has important consequences for the design of more effective climate policies in a democratic context.
“Human” Problems in Semi-Autonomous Vehicles: Understanding Drivers’ Reactions to Off-Nominal Scenarios

ABSTRACT Research related to autonomous vehicles and to their implications for human-machine interactions is on the rise. Advanced Driver Assistance Systems have become increasingly popular in vehicles currently deployed on the market, making researchers wonder about potential risks in case of technology failures for drivers that become accustomed to the use of such technology. To further our understanding of such concern, this work looks at the currently available data from autonomous vehicles field testing that has been carried out in California from 2014 to 2017. Our examination includes both qualitative and quantitative analyses, respectively, based on (i) the type of response in terms of control takeover in off-nominal scenarios that led to collisions involving autonomous vehicles; and (ii) the time to takeover after disengagements of the autonomous technology that acts as “brain” of the vehicle, with the request to the human driver to regain control of the vehicle. Our findings include expected values for the response time, discussion of factors that affect dispersion, presentation of how to determine trust and experience effects in the data, as well as a careful comparison with state-of-the-art literature on the topic.
Comparative models of transplant and non-transplant human kidney disease

Late kidney transplant losses along with chronic kidney disease in non-renal solid organ transplantation pose major problem in this field. To address this I compared ischaemia, interstitial scarring and inflammation on the renal biopsies from failing renal transplants and chronic kidney disease outside renal transplantation using native CKD as a control group. For matched renal function, a similar degree of interstitial scarring was observed across the three study groups. Ischaemia was predominant in failing renal transplants; conversely inflammation was predominant in native CKD. The relationship between macrophages and endothelial cells indicated that, despite a lower macrophage load, there may be an allogeneic impact of macrophages on endothelial cells. In the biopsies from CKD, mRNA levels for iNOS, arginase, CX3CL1, BCL-2, MCP-1/CCL2 and FSP-1 were increased in association with an increasing macrophage load. Macrophage load correlated positively with arginase/iNOS mRNA ratio, suggesting M2 phenotypic transformation of the macrophages. Co-localization studies, demonstrated an increased number of macrophages within 5 microns from endothelial cells in failing renal transplants when compared to chronic kidney disease. Further studies directed towards manipulating macrophage-endothelial cell interaction may be potentially beneficial in improving the longevity of renal transplants.
Do Security Breaches Matter? The Shareholder Puzzle

This article analyzes the effect of computer breaches on publicly traded equities from 2005 to 2017. An event study is performed and breaches analyzed conditioned on whether the breach announcement has been made in the mainstream media or through other channels. We find that in the period prior to the announcement date in the media, the mean abnormal return is negative, reflecting a likely leakage of information. In the period following the announcement date, the mean abnormal return is positive, often more than offsetting the previous declines. The findings have important implications for analysts, portfolio managers, institutional investors, and regulators.
Incorporating Ethics-Awareness Competence in China Translator-Training Programme

Received: June 01, 2019 Accepted: June 30, 2019 Published: July 31, 2019 Volume: 2 Issue: 4 DOI: 10.32996/ijllt.2019. 2.4. 16 This paper addresses the imperative of embedding ethics-awareness competence in translator-training programmes in China, and illustrates the components and methodology that such training involves. Although ethical issues have been approached from a variety of perspectives in the wider discipline of Translation Studies in China, discussion about the role of ethicsawareness in professional translation practice has tended to centre on the perceived qualities of loyalty or fidelity to the source text rather than exploring ethics as a value-based professional system. Moreover, there has been little discussion as to how ethics-awareness might be presented in the translator-training curriculum. This paper adopts a more reflective and critical stance towards ethical issues, and in particular as to how ethics might be taught through the application of “identity-state-explain” model under social constructivism. There are different interpretations between ethics and experience, while this paper will evaluate the perspectives of deontologists and consequentialists, discussing ethics in order both to present a practicebased discussion that draws upon ethics as an abstract system that is concerned to shape and control behaviours. Everything discussed here has a real-world value, calling as it does for a different approach to translatortraining than has hitherto been adopted. The paper will also seek to make a series of pedagogic recommendations that bring together real-world concerns with the enhanced professionalization of the role of the translator in today’s technological landscape. This competence is undeniably about text and how text is used, but professional translators also have to think for themselves what ethics might mean in different situations, to assess whether an activist stance may or may not be appropriate, and how the subject of translation itself is being publicly represented.
Italian Road Tunnels: Economic and Environmental Effects of an On-Going Project to Reduce Lighting Consumption

Tunnel lighting represents a major cost item for road managers, and particularly in Italy owing to its specific geomorphological and orographic features. In 2018, ANAS, the Italian government-owned road company launched an ambitious program to rehabilitate the lighting systems of more than 700 tunnel tubes across Italy. The Greenlight plan aims to reduce consumption and improve the management of lighting systems while minimizing the impact of works. Outdated high-pressure sodium (HPS) luminaries will be substituted with state-of-the-art light emitting diode (LED) luminaries without modifying the position and the number of the existing luminaires. The project involves an amount of 155 million euros and provides a total return over a less than seven-year period. The first phase of the project involves 147 tubes and is still on-going: 28 GWh (on average 55% of the current consumption) will be saved every year against a 30 million euro investment. More importantly, the economic benefits also have a direct impact on the environment for citizens and safety levels for road users—every year more than 17,000 t of CO2 eq. and 230 TJ from combustion of fossil fuels will be saved. The lighting quality of the artificial lighting inside the tunnel will be enhanced thanks to better uniformity and the color temperature of the luminaries. The experience presented here could be useful since other road managers may pursue a similar approach in order to balance often-conflicting environmental, economic and safety goals.
Accuracy of clinical laboratories studied by comparison with definitive methods.

: Samples of lyophilized human serum were circulated to participants in the CAP Chemistry Survey program. The participants measured the concentrations in the samples of calcium, iron, lithium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium. Samples were also sent to the National Board of Standards (NBS), and the concentrations of these seven analytes were measured; definitive methods were used. The participant values and the NBS values were compared, providing a measure of the accuracy of the participating laboratories and of the individual methods used by the participants. There was, in general, close agreement between the NBS values and the participant values. A bias that varied with the concentration of the analyte was a common feature.
An Analysis of the Behavior of the Real Exchange Rate in Chile

The main goal of this paper is to estimate the equilibrium real exchange rate path for Chile using a simple model for the 1977.I – 2003.III period. Using cointegration techniques, we find a cointegrating relationship between the real exchange rate (RER) and its fundamentals —that is, sectoral productivity differentials, the ratio of net foreign assets to GDP, the terms of trade and public absorption. Among our main results, we have: (a) the estimates of the RER equation are qualitatively similar whenever we used the RER index TCR-5 or TCR total (which includes emerging economies in the basket of countries). (b) The real depreciation of the Chilean peso in the 1980s is mainly attributed to a greater net external indebtness in the country and to lower levels of public spending during periods of fiscal adjustment. (c) The real appreciation of the peso during 1990-97 is explained by an improvement in the net foreign asset position of Chile and growth in the relative productivity of the traded sector. (d) The model predicts poorly the movements in the 1998-2002 period. The only forces that predict a depreciation of the Chilean peso during this period are the decline in the terms of trade and the net foreign asset position.
Composition of taxes and growth: Evidence from OECD panel data

This paper analyzes the impact of the composition of taxes on economic growth using a panel of OECD countries. In contrast to Kneller et al. (Fiscal policy and growth: evidence from OECD countries, 1999), over 1980-2005 distortionary taxation did not reduce growth, while an increase in non-distortionary taxation had a negative association with growth. When the data are extended to the great recession and its recovery period (1980−2015), distortionary taxation significantly reduces growth as originally conjectured, but the negative effect of non-distortionary taxation survives. This paper argues that distortions from expenditure taxes in recent years can be accounted for by a combination of an exploding increased debt/GDP and globalization.
The Practice and Implications for Performance Measurement and Equity Valuation of Dirty Surplus Accounting Flows: International Evidence.

This thesis investigates dirty surplus accounting practice in different countries and its implications for performance measurement and equity valuation. First, I examine the characteristics of dirty surplus accounting permitted by accounting regulation and reported by companies in four countries: France, Germany, the U. K and the U. S during the period 1993 to 2001. I find that dirty surplus flows are negative on average. I also find substantial cross-country variation in dirty surplus accounting both in accounting rules and in companies' reporting practice. Dirty surplus accounting seems more severe in France and Germany than in the U. K and the U. S. Second, I analyse the implications of dirty surplus accounting and crosscountry variation therein for accounting-based measures of abnormal performance. I find that the omission of dirty surplus flows creates inaccuracy in abnormal performance measurement for all classes of dirty surplus flows and across the four accounting regimes studied. Bias in abnormal performance measurement is largely caused by goodwill-related flows. Third, I explore the valuation implications of dirty surplus accounting. I demonstrate that the residual income valuation model (RIVM) and the abnormal earnings growth model (AEGM) should yield identical intrinsic value estimates provided there is consistency in projections of accounting numbers. Accordingly, omission of dirty surplus flows from these projections results in identical valuation error in both models. I then perform empirical tests of the relationship between valuation errors and dirty surplus flows, both in terms of bias and inaccuracy. Only in the case of the U. S. do I find some evidence of such relationship. For this country, I also find evidence of industry differences in the relationship between financial and non-financial companies. Finally, results suggest cross-country differences in the relationship between the U. S. and the other three countries, particularly in terms of inaccuracy.
Public Investment Boosted Private Investment in Brazil between 1982 and 2013

Abstract: The aim of this study is to investigate whether the so-called crowding in effects of complementarity or the crowding out effects of substitution occurred between public investment and private investment in Brazil from 1982 to 2013. This will be carried out through a theoretical debate on the investment general dynamics and an econometric analysis of vector error correction (VEC) model for the Brazilian case. The trajectory of the Brazilian economy and the empirical results show the presence of crowding in between public and private investments in the period, in accordance with the Post-Keynesian approaches. The crowding in is justified by the effects on demand via the Keynesian multiplier and via the expansion of the domestic market (particularly provided by infrastructure) and by the effects on the supply of private capital through the reduction of production costs, the increase in productivity, and through structural changes facilitated by public policy. Complementarity with regard to both the investments of the public administration and of federal government-owned/controlled enterprises is confirmed. Furthermore, a significant causal relationship is observed between public investment and the output of industrial manufacturing, which, from the structuralist perspective, is a sector that is considered a driving force of the economy. The special contributions of this paper are its time series for public investment and the variety of models that show crowding in between public and private investment.
The Influencing Mechanism of Three-Dimensional Capital on the Employment of Land-Expropriated Farmers—Based on Structural Equation Model

Land-expropriated farmers are a new group accompanied by rapid urbanization in China. The problem of employment not only is related to their own survival and development, but also directly affects the quality and effectiveness of economic and social development of China. This paper introduces the three-dimensional capital factors of human capital, social capital and psychological capital, comprehensively analyzes the mechanism of their “independent” and “synergistic” influences on the employment of land-expropriated farmers, and constructs a theoretical model of the influences. Based on the survey data of land-expropriated farmers in Daxing district of Beijing, this paper uses the structural equation model to test the theoretical model empirically, and obtains the influence paths and coefficients of three-dimensional capital on the employment of land-expropriated farmers. It is helpful to grasp the key to solve the problem of land-expropriated farmers at the decision-making and implementation levels, and to defuse social risks caused by unemployment of land-expropriated farmers more effectively.
Estimating the Impact of Trade Costs on Agricultural Productivity

Utilizing a new measure of trade costs, this study tries to provide first evidence of the link between trade costs and productivity in the agricultural sector. Using a panel data of readily available data, across the 34 OECD member countries, this paper tries to assess and estimate the impact of trade costs on agricultural sector productivity for the 1995 – 2014 period. According to the results, there is strong evidence that when the agricultural sector faces lower trade costs, it tends to be more productive and there is some evidence that it experiences higher productivity growth too.
Self-Management of Type 2 Diabetes in the Nepali American Population

This paper aims to explore and critically analyze the various factors that influence the self-management of type 2 diabetes in the Nepali American population in the United States (U.S.). The topic is important because the prevalence of diabetes in the South Asian population is increasing. South Asians in the U.S. are at a higher risk for developing the condition than Whites, or any other ethnicities. Some of the key strengths, weaknesses, threats, and challenges faced by this specific population will be highlighted. Recommendations for nurses and allied health professionals on how to provide culturally competent and quality care to Nepali Americans in managing their diabetic condition will be outlined.
Sustainable Management of Coastal Wetlands in Taiwan: A Review for Invasion, Conservation, and Removal of Mangroves

Mangrove management has been a sustainable concern in coastal wetlands for decades, especially for original near-shore wetlands and environments without mangrove forests. Although studies outlining environmental, social, and economic benefits of mangrove forests have been increasing, few studies have examined sustainability and policies for reducing or removing mangroves. This study explores the current implemented strategies pertaining to the invasion, conservation, and removal of mangroves for wetland sustainability. A total of 19 mangrove sites were sorted out to develop the main patterns and factors for the destruction or protection in estuaries on the western coast of Taiwan. For traditional wetland management, when faced with development pressure, having protected areas under certain laws is a good direction to go for mangrove sustainability. Furthermore, due to the invasion of mangroves in the mudflats, the Siangshan Wetland indicated mangrove removal can be a positive conservation case as an appropriate habitat rehabilitation strategy for benthic organisms. Under special conditions, mangrove removal provides useful insights into the sustainability of wetlands. These insights contribute to facilitating the worldwide move towards sustainable management on mangrove wetlands. The study also presents the following strategies to further reduce or remove mangroves in the coastal wetlands that contain no mangrove forests: (1) Conducting studies to evaluate the effectiveness of mangrove removal; (2) implementing policies to ensure positive influences on coastal wetlands, and (3) providing mangrove conservation education for sustainable development.