Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Electronic Government at the Local Level

Much like businesses with electronic commerce, public organizations are beginning to embrace electronic government (e-government). This article defines the term e-government, discusses the literature oflocal-Ievel e-government, and documents the adoption and sophistication of e-government among U.S. local governments. It employs data from a survey conducted in 2000 to examine local adoption of e-government. E-government adoption among local governments generally tracks previously documented patterns of information technology adoption, which show a statistically significant relationship between adoption and such demographic variables as population size, form and type of government, region, and metro status. The article compares the results of that survey to a normative model of e-government maturity and finds that the emergence of e-government at the local level is still in its formative stages. The analysis also examines perceived impacts from e-govemment, sophistication of e-government offerings, barriers to adoption of e-government, and ways in which these variables might be interrelated.
Jobs and organisations: Explaining group level differences in job satisfaction in the banking sector

Purpose – This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of group level differences in job satisfaction. Specifically, the authors seek to understand the shared variance in job satisfaction at the group level of jobs within organisations, in a particular industrial sector. To explain differences in job satisfaction between groups, the authors examine the role of job characteristics, particularly as these are defined within the job‐demand‐control‐support model.Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents the results of a cross‐sectional self‐report questionnaire study of 2,733 Belgian bank employees working in six specific jobs and four specific organisations. Research hypotheses are tested using multilevel analyses.Findings – There are substantial and reliable between‐group differences in job satisfaction within the banking sector. These effects are partially explained by job characteristics from the JDCS model at the individual level. At the aggregated level, only decision authority is statistica.
Searching NCBI Databases Using Entrez

One of the most widely used interfaces for the retrieval of information from biological databases is the NCBI Entrez system. Entrez capitalizes on the fact that there are pre‐existing, logical relationships between the individual entries found in numerous public databases. The existence of such natural connections, mostly biological in nature, argued for the development of a method through which all the information about a particular biological entity could be found without having to sequentially visit and query disparate databases. Two Basic Protocols describe simple, text‐based searches, illustrating the types of information that can be retrieved through the Entrez system. An Alternate Protocol builds upon the first Basic Protocol, using additional, built‐in features of the Entrez system, and providing alternative ways to issue the initial query. The Support Protocol reviews how to save frequently issued queries. Finally, Cn3D, a structure visualization tool, is also discussed. Curr. Protoc. Bioinform. 24:1.3. 1‐1.3. 26. © 2008 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
ACCESS TO AND UTILIZATION OF HIV SERVICES BY KEY POPULATIONS IN SUDAN

vi List of Abbreviations vii Definitions ix Introduction xii Chapter 1: Background information about Sudan 1 Geography and ecology 1 Demography 1 Economic context 1 Political background 1 Socio-cultural scene 2 Health system in Sudan 2 Burden of diseases 3 National Response to HIV and AIDS 3 Chapter 2: problem statement and method 5 HIV epidemic in Sudan 5 Problem statement 6 Justification 7 General Objectives 8 Specific objectives 8 Method 8 Conceptual framework for the study 9 Chapter 3: Factors affecting access and utilization of HIV services among KPAHR 11
Services Trade and Domestic Regulation

The service sector has become increasingly important in national output and employment of developing and least developed countries (LDCs). For many of these economies, services constitute a fast growing and often-dominant sector in gross domestic product (GDP), with important forward and backward linkages to the economy. However, growing trade and investment flows in services, and the liberalisation and deregulation of trade and investment regimes also pose regulatory challenges and raise many concerns.This issue of Trade Hot Topics summarises the cross-country experience with domestic regulation of services and liberalisation of services trade and investment, based on a multi-country study of six developing countries: Bangladesh, The Gambia, India, Jamaica, Kenya, and Zambia. It outlines how the service sector has evolved and been impacted by trade and investment liberalisation and sectoral reforms in these countries, the contribution of services to these economies, some of the negative outcomes associated with liberalization, the regulatory challenges that have shaped the liberalisation process, and how the national experiences have in turn shaped the multilateral commitment strategy of these countries under the WTO negotiations on services (under the General Agreement on Trade in Services or GATS).
CAPTAÇÃO DE RECURSOS POR FUNDOS DE INVESTIMENTO E MERCADO DE AÇÕES

The paper discusses the contemporaneous and lagged association between aggregate mutual fund flows and stock market performance in Brazil. The goals of the paper are (1) to ascertain whether aggregate stock fund flows are determined by the behavior of stock market, currency exchange marketand interest rates, on a daily basis, and (2) to verify whether the behavior aggregate fund flows can be used to predict future stock market price behavior. With the aid of tools of time-series analysis, the results obtained herein indicate that the answer to the first question is affirmative, but that the answer to the second question is negative, a result supportive of the belief that the Brazilian stock market is semistrong efficient regarding information on fund flows.
Mining companies' role in sustainable development: The 'why' and 'how' of corporate social responsibility from a business perspective

This article - the first in a pair of articles on corporate social responsibility (CSR) - provides an overview of mining companies' role in sustainable development, from a business perspective and in the South African context. It argues that companies' social and environmental responsibilities are increasing, due to global changes in the way the role of business is perceived, South African policy developments, as well as a strong 'business case' for companies to actively support sustainable development - beyond philanthropy and impact mitigation. Partnerships between companies, the government and civil society are introduced as a potentially effective and efficient strategy for CSR. They are no panacea, however, and require a commitment to local communities' rights to informed prior consent and authentic participation. CSR hence presents mining companies with significant challenges. Given committed leadership and the right approach, it can entail important opportunities as well. Particular attention will need to be given to potential tensions between the international debate surrounding CSR, on the one hand, and local South African development challenges and companies' responses to them, on the other.
Luxe for Less

As an emerging distribution channel, online discount websites are gaining popularity among luxury hotels. However, little guidance on the effectiveness of such price promotions in luxury hotels is provided in the extant literature. Building on the status consumption theories, we examine the joint effects of price promotions and need for status (NFS) on consumers’ attitudes toward the hotel as well as their intentions to return. Our results indicate that consumers who are high in NFS exhibit less favorable attitudes toward the luxury hotel and a lower likelihood to return on having learned that the hotel plans to implement price promotions through discount websites. On the contrary, customers who are low in NFS are unaffected by the presence of price promotions via discount websites. Therefore, luxury hotels that traditionally attract consumers high in NFS need to be aware that using price promotions via discount websites might have a detrimental effect on consumers’ perceptions of the hotel.
Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage in Aluminum Phosphide Poisoning

Poisoning, both accidental and intentional, is a significant contributor to the mortality and morbidity throughout the world. The commonest pesticide poisoning is organophosphates followed by phosphides. Ingestion of phosphides can induce severe gastrointestinal irritation leading to hemorrhage and ulcerations. Gastrointestinal hemorrhages and ulcerations beyond the duodenum have not been reported in the literature. Here, we report a case of severe hemorrhages and ulcerations in stomach, duodenum, jejunum, and ileum observed in a 45‐year‐old male who had consumed five tablets of Celphos® (each 3 g with 56% aluminum phosphide and 44% Ammonium carbonate) to commit suicide. He started vomiting after consumption, and the vomitus was blood‐tinged. Once the treatment was instituted, he was stable for a day and thereafter his condition gradually deteriorated. He died on the 4th day of hospitalization, and autopsy revealed features of multiorgan failure and extensive gastrointestinal hemorrhages.
MEMORY IMPAIRMENT AFTER MILD TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

Concerns of memory impairment are common after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Acute effects after mTBI may include posttraumatic amnesia, which may last up to 24 hours. In the postacute phase, memory concerns are usually linked with increased distractibility; impaired attention, working memory, retrieval; and executive dysfunction. These acute and postacute impairments have distinct neuroanatomic and pathophysiologic correlates. Cognitive assessment should be undertaken during the acute phase after an mTBI using a standardized tool that can be administered quickly and is sensitive to cognitive impairment. Early validation of the patient's symptoms and concerns (especially the expectation of recovery), coupled with educational and emotional support after the mTBI, remains the core approach to treatment. The effects of comorbidities, recurrent mTBIs, and blast exposures in military personnel on protracted symptoms and long-term cognitive deficits will be discussed.
Korean Experiences in Life Insurance Sector Reforms after the Financial Crisis

In July 1997, what began as a seemingly isolated currency devaluation of the Thai baht proved to have a virulent contagious effect, which led to speculative attacks in Indonesia and Taiwan as well as on the Hong Kong dollar. The contagion quickly spread to Korea where, amid massive capital outflows, a sharp depreciation in the local currency and severe distress in both the financial and corporate sectors, the nation was forced to turn to the IMF in December 1997 for a then record US$58 billion economic rescue package. After the rescue from the IMF, Korea suffered painful experiences with a rapid drop of per capita income from over US$10,000 to US$6,000 and a sharp increase in the unemployment rate from 2 per cent to 8.4 per cent, with 1.8 million unemployed. During
Role of microRNAs in plant drought tolerance

Summary Drought is a normal and recurring climate feature in most parts of the world and plays a major role in limiting crop productivity. However, plants have their own defence systems to cope with adverse climatic conditions. One of these defence mechanisms is the reprogramming of gene expression by microRNAs (miRNAs). miRNAs are small noncoding RNAs of approximately 22 nucleotides length, which have emerged as important regulators of genes at post‐transcriptional levels in a range of organisms. Some miRNAs are functionally conserved across plant species and are regulated by drought stress. These properties suggest that miRNA‐based genetic modifications have the potential to enhance drought tolerance in cereal crops. This review summarizes the current understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of plant miRNAs, involvement of plant miRNAs in drought stress responses in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), wheat (Triticum spp.) and other plant species, and the involvement of miRNAs in plant‐adaptive mechanisms under drought stress. Potential strategies and directions for future miRNA research and the utilization of miRNAs in the improvement of cereal crops for drought tolerance are also discussed.
A prospective study of therapist facilitative interpersonal skills as a predictor of treatment outcome.

OBJECTIVE This study examined whether therapists' facilitative interpersonal skills (FIS) would prospectively predict the outcomes of therapies that occurred more than one year later. METHOD Therapists were 44 clinical psychology trainees who completed the FIS performance task and a self-reported measure of social skills in the initial weeks of their training. In the FIS task, prospective therapists were presented with a standard set of videos portraying clients in therapy. Verbal responses to these therapeutic simulations were recorded and then rated by trained coders. More than one year later, the therapists began providing psychotherapy to clients in a psychology clinic. Clients completed a symptom measure before each therapy session. RESULTS Using multilevel modeling, it was found that therapist FIS significantly predicted client symptom change. That is, higher FIS therapists were more effective than lower FIS therapists. However, subsequent analyses showed that this FIS effect was not uniform across all therapy durations; specifically, higher FIS therapists were more effective than lower FIS therapists over shorter durations (e.g., ≤8 sessions) but did not differ from lower FIS therapists in effectiveness for the small percentage of therapies that were longer-term (e.g., >16 sessions). CONCLUSIONS Therapists' interpersonal characteristics may influence client progress in therapy.
Can Inflation Be Too Low

Price stability has become the predominant goal for monetary policy. Should the aim be zero inflation or could inflation be too low making it better to strive for a stable (low) positive rate of inflation? This paper analyses why inflation may interact with downward nominal rigidities so as to imply inefficiencies in resource allocation at low rates of inflation. The higher the rate of inflation, the lower the likelihood that downward nominal rigidities are binding (the Tobin argument) and this may cause a non-linear Phillips curve. Inflation can be too low in the sense that the employment level is reduced and its volatility increased. Copyright 2001 by WWZ and Helbing & Lichtenhahn Verlag AG
DOES FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT PROMOTE ECONOMIC GROWTH? EVIDENCE FROM EAST ASIA AND LATIN AMERICA

Although there is considerable evidence on the link between foreign direct investment (FDI) and economic growth in developing countries, causal patterns of the two variables has not been investigated yet with a reliable procedure. This article provides an empirical assessment of the issue by using data for 11 economies in East Asia and Latin America. Although FDI is expected to boost host economic growth, it is shown that the extent to which FDI is growth‐enhancing appears to depend on country‐specific characteristics. Particularly, FDI tends to be more likely to promote economic growth when host countries adopt liberalized trade regime, improve education and thereby human capital conditions, encourage export‐oriented FDI, and maintain macroeconomic stability.
Self-Ratings of Vocal Status in Daily Life: Reliability and Validity for Patients With Vocal Hyperfunction and a Normative Group.

Purpose The aim of this study was to establish reliability and validity for self-ratings of vocal status obtained during the daily activities of patients with vocal hyperfunction (VH) and matched controls. Method Eight-four patients with VH and 74 participants with normal voices answered 3 vocal status questions-difficulty producing soft, high-pitched phonation (D-SHP); discomfort; and fatigue-on an ambulatory voice monitor at the beginning, 5-hr intervals, and the end of each day (7 total days). Two subsets of the patient group answered the questions during a 2nd week after voice therapy (29 patients) or laryngeal surgery (16 patients). Results High reliability resulted for patients (Cronbach's α = .88) and controls (α = .95). Patients reported higher D-SHP, discomfort, and fatigue (Cohen's d = 1.62-1.92) compared with controls. Patients posttherapy and postsurgery reported significantly improved self-ratings of vocal status relative to their pretreatment ratings (d = 0.70-1.13). Within-subject changes in self-ratings greater than 20 points were considered clinically meaningful. Conclusions Ratings of D-SHP, discomfort, and fatigue have adequate reliability and validity for tracking vocal status throughout daily life in patients with VH and vocally healthy individuals. These questions could help investigate the relationship between vocal symptom variability and putative contributing factors (e.g., voice use/rest, emotions).
Influences of dietary sucrose and urea on transfer of endogenous urea to the rumen of sheep and numbers of epithelial bacteria

1. The rates of transfer of plasma urea to the rumen of six sheep given brome grass (Bromus inermis) pellets alone or with supplements of sucrose or urea were determined using [14C]urea and 14C-labelled sodium bicarbonate infusions during three periods. 2. The sheep were slaughtered after the third period and samples of rumen epithelium were taken for assessment of numbers of adherent bacteria. 3. Maximum transfer (0·31 g nitrogen/h) of urea to the rumen was observed for sheep given supplements of 150 g sucrose/d plus 20 g urea/d. Maximum clearance of plasma urea to the rumen (rate of urea transfer to the rumen per unit plasma urea concentration, 5·8 1/h) was observed for sheep given 300 g sucrose/d. 4. Urea clearance to the rumen was negatively related to rumen ammonia concentration; the slope of the relationship was increased with each addition of sucrose to the diet. 5. Numbers of facultative bacteria adherent to the rumen epithelium were increased by urea and sucrose supplements. 6. The results are discussed in relation to a hypothesis which relates the ureolytic capability of the bacteria adherent to the rumen epithelium to the control of the rate of transfer of urea into the rumen.
Estimating Consumption Deprivation in India Using Survey Data: A State-Level Rural–Urban Analysis Before and During Reform Period

Abstract This paper assesses deprivation in India employing a measure proposed by Sitaramam and using consumption data at the household level. As cereals constitute a staple food and form a major portion of expenditure on food, the deprivation measure considered here is deprivation in cereal consumption. The total expenditure at which the Engel curve for cereals turns from concave to convex is taken as the cut-off to determine the deprived households. It is shown that cereal deprivation at the all-India level exhibits a declining trend over the period 1987–1988 and 1999–2000 in the rural sector, while there is little change in the urban sector. Further, this decline in cereal deprivation seems to have been slowing down during the reform period. The estimates of deprivation are poorly correlated with the Head Count Index (HCI) and Poverty Gap Index (PGI) at state level, both in rural and urban sectors. They, however, have better temporal correlations with those poverty measures. We offer some explanation for these observed differences in alternate deprivation indices. The trends in cereal deprivation are accompanied in some cases by a decline, in real terms, in maximum cereal consumption of each group of consumers. Whether this is an improvement or otherwise of the living standards of the poor, must await further analysis of per capita food consumption in general, with an analysis of prices and quantities of various food items. It is hoped that this kind of study on deprivation of essential commodities may increase our understanding of poverty, and even suggest direct intervention strategies.
An integrated methodological framework: engaging local communities in Arctic tourism development and community-based adaptation

The Arctic region is experiencing transformation due to climate change, generating both threats and opportunities to local communities. In addition to warming, the signs of climate change are expected to materialise through an increase in the frequency and intensity of weather extremes. Climate-change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR) have so far operated fairly independently, but there is an emerging need to examine their synergies due to their similarities. Tourism in the Arctic is also increasingly being encouraged by the different levels of government and seen as an important tool for economic development. The special features of Arctic tourism include a high dependency on natural resources, making it vulnerable to the effects of climate change. This article introduces a methodological framework merging elements from DRR, CCA and tourism development with a focus on community-based data-acquiring technique. Its practicality is emphasised through the focus on current and past community responses to weather anomalies and consequent adaptation measures. It additionally explores the relationship between the environment, community and tourism and aims to understand the characteristics of a community. Two case-study communities in Finnish Lapland demonstrate its relevance and contribution to CCA and to wider sustainable Arctic tourism development.
Stimulus enhancement in greylag geese: socially mediated learning of an operant task

We recently observed the spreading of a novel tradition in a flock of semiferal greylag geese, Anser anser: an increasing number of individuals began to bite and chew the stems of butterbur, Petasites hybridus. Because this behaviour spread particularly fast within families, social learning seemed to be involved. We therefore designed an experiment with hand-reared goslings, which were socially imprinted on humans, to investigate whether and how the observation of an experienced tutor affects the acquisition of a novel skill. Goslings had to open the gliding lid of a box to get at a food reward. To each of seven hand-reared observers a human tutor demonstrated where and how to open the lid, whereas seven controls remained untutored. All observers learned to perform the task but only one of the controls succeeded. The observers explored more often at the position shown by the tutor than elsewhere and seemingly learned by trial and error. In contrast, control birds explored primarily at positions that did not allow them to open the box. These results indicate that in greylag goslings the observation of an experienced model facilitates the learning of an operant task. We conclude that stimulus enhancement followed by operant conditioning were the mechanisms involved, which may have accounted for the fast spread of the stem-chewing tradition between family members. Copyright 2000 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.