Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Introduction: ethical power Europe?

It is ironic that at a time when the momentum for integration in Europe is at one of its lowest ebbs for a long time following the debacle of the European Constitu tion, the EU is seeking to position itself as a global player with a broad spectrum of civilian and military capabilities? an ambition which touches on the highly sensitive issues of member states' sovereignty and nationhood. The Union of 27 is in search of a new sense of collective purpose and legitimacy and this, it appears, is to be found in foreign and security relations. This external role is articulated in a discourse of universal ethics which defines the EU as a 'power for good' and a 'peacebuilder' in the world. The acquisition of a military capability has gone hand in hand with an emphasis on the EU as a 'force for good', thereby justifying these new power capabilities in European foreign policy. Underpinning this notion of 'ethical power Europe' (EPE) is a conceptual shift in the EU's role and aspirations from what it 'is' to what it 'does': from simply representing a 'power of attraction' and a positive role model to proac tively working to change the world in the direction of its vision of the 'global common good'. In the words of the European Security Strategy, the EU should be more 'capable' and 'responsible' and take on new tasks in the areas of crisis management, peacekeeping, state-building, and reconstructing failing states? complementing the important role it has already played in the fields of develop ment aid and humanitarian assistance.2 According to this discourse, in conceiving
Constraints to small business development across the life cycle: some evidence from peripheral areas in Israel

This paper suggests that the constraints to small business development are likely to vary across the firm's life cycle. In addition, small businesses operating in peripheral areas are likely to face growth constraints arising from their location. On the basis of survey evidence from 100 small (owner-managed) firms operating in both peripheral and central locations in Israel, the probability of encountering a constraint (capital, marketing or bureaucratic) is then estimated. This probability is estimated for two points in the firms' development trajectory: the start-up stage and the stage of sustained operation. The results suggest that at the start-up stage the personal attributes of the entrepreneur serve to mitigate the odds of encountering a constraint while firm size increases the chances. At the operating stage, the personal characteristics of the owner and the form of economic activity are found to be influential. The conclusions point to the high opportunity costs associated with small firms in per.
ERP architectural/operational alignment for order‐processing performance

The selection of an appropriate enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution remains a complicated task. Since the fundamental role of an ERP solution is to support corporate operations, a key consideration is its alignment with the process requirements of the firm. This work is an investigation into the impact that this alignment has on perceived operational performance. Data are collected using a survey administered to representatives of the machine manufacturing industry. The findings suggest that the alignment of ERP solutions with operational needs is crucial to perceived ability to deliver orders on time and to general satisfaction with the ERP solution.
Modulation of SPARC expression during butyrate-induced terminal differentiation of cultured human keratinocytes: regulation via a TGF-beta-dependent pathway.

Expression of SPARC (secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine), a 43-kDa extracellular matrix-associated glycoprotein involved in tissue remodeling, was quantitated during normal human keratinocyte (NHK) growth in culture and as a function of sodium n-butyrate (NaB)-induced differentiation to mature enucleate cornified envelopes (CEs). Low levels of SPARC expression were observed in the basal-like cells of control NHKs, with isolated cells showing intense SPARC expression on the ventral surface. After addition of NaB, SPARC expression increased and the pattern of expression shifted to one involving predominantly suprabasal cells (i.e., spinous cells, pre-CEs, and mature CEs). Dense deposits of SPARC often surrounded the mature CEs. Flow cytometric analysis indicated that approximately 13% of NHKs expressed SPARC within 24 h of seeding into culture. This fraction of SPARC+ cells increased with time and peaked immediately postconfluence (31.3 +/- 6.3% SPARC+). Cellular SPARC expression then decreased to baseline levels during entrance into plateau phase growth. SPARC was detectable in all phases of the cell cycle. SPARC levels were more intense and heterogeneous within the G2/M and G1 phases while S phase cells exhibited relatively homogeneous, low intensity, SPARC expression. During NaB-induced NHK differentiation, SPARC intracellular content increased prior to the onset of CE formation (i.e., 2 days after its addition) followed by a period of extracellular accumulation which coincided with the time of maximal CE generation (i.e., Days 4 and 5 after NaB addition). Correlation of cell size with anti-SPARC immunoreactivity revealed a predominance of SPARC expression in cells with a suprabasal phenotype. NHKs cultured on fibronectin (FN), an established modulator of epidermal cell maturation in vitro, showed a similar response to NaB. In general, however, the level of NaB-induced SPARC expression was considerably reduced in FN cultures correlating with a lower efficiency of CE formation. Induced SPARC expression was, in large part, dependent on autocrine transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) production since incubation in the presence of NaB+neutralizing antibodies to TGF-beta inhibited both the expression of SPARC by 72% and development of mature CEs.
Comment on "Falling Behind the Curve: A Positive Analysis of Stop-Start Monetary Policies and the Great Inflation"

This paper documents the evolution of long-run inflation expectations and models the stance of monetary policy from 1965 to 1980. A host of survey-based measures and financial market data indicate that long-run inflation expectations rose markedly from 1965 to 1969, leveled off in the mid-1970s, and then rose at an alarming pace from 1977 to 1980. While previous studies have shown that the trajectory of the federal funds rate over that period is not well-represented by a Taylor rule with a constant inflation goal, our analysis indicates that the path of policy can be characterized by a reaction function with two breaks in the intercept—in 1970 and 1976—that correspond to discrete shifts in an implicit inflation goal. This reaction function implies that a series of stop-start episodes occurred in 1968-70, 1974-76, and 1979-80. In each episode, policy fell behind the curve by allowing a pickup in inflation before tightening belatedly, and then the subsequent contraction in economic activity led to policy easing before inflation had been brought back down to its previous level. The evidence presented in this paper raises serious doubts about several prominent theories of the Great Inflation and suggests that a simple rule with an explicit inflation goal could serve as a useful benchmark for avoiding its recurrence. * This is the revised version of a manuscript prepared for the September 2008 NBER conference on " The Great Inflation. " We appreciate comments and suggestions from the organizers, Michael Bordo and Athanasios Orphanides, and from other participants in the conference. This paper also has benefited greatly from invaluable conversations with and from the excellent research assistance of Kathleen Easterbrook. The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or anyone else associated with the Federal Reserve System.
Involvement of Protein Kinase C and Cyclic Adenosine 3′,5′-Monophosphate-Dependent Kinase in Steroidogenic Acute Regulatory Protein Expression and Steroid Biosynthesis in Leydig Cells1

Abstract This study investigated the roles of the protein kinase C (PKC) and protein kinase A (PKA) pathways in regulating constitutive steroidogenesis and steroidogenic acute regulatory (STAR; herein designated by its common name, StAR) protein in R2C Leydig tumor cells. Inhibition of PKC and phospholipase C resulted in significant decreases in steroid production, phosphorylation of cAMP-responsive element binding (CREB) protein, and Star gene transcription under basal conditions in R2C cells. These observations were corroborated in MA-10 and mLTC-1 Leydig tumor cell lines, in which activation of PKC by phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA, 10 nM) increased CREB phosphorylation and total StAR (tot-StAR) protein expression. However, induction of StAR protein by PMA did not result in the expected concomitant increase in steroids because PKC failed to phosphorylate StAR, the biologically active form of the protein. However, in conjunction with PMA, minor increases in PKA activity using submaximal doses of (Bu)2cAMP (0.05–0.1 mM; a concentration range insufficient for induction of StAR), were able to stimulate dramatic increases in both phospho-StAR (P-StAR) and steroid production. Human chorionic gonadotropin stimulation also resulted in a further enhancement in P-StAR and progesterone production when added to PMA-treated MA-10 cells. Similar results for tot-StAR and P-StAR expression were observed in primary cultures of immature rat Leydig cells treated with PMA and submaximal doses of (Bu)2cAMP. In summary, the present study demonstrates that basal activities of both PKC and PKA play important roles in the constitutive steroidogenic characteristics of R2C cells. This study also demonstrates for the first time a role for PMA-induced PKC in StAR protein regulation and the requirement for submaximal doses of cAMP to produce steroids in Leydig cells.
Optimal Protection of Property Rights in a General Equilibrium Model of Growth

We incorporate weak property rights into an otherwise standard general equilibrium model of growth and second-best optimal policy. In this setup, the state plays two of its key roles: it protects property rights and provides public services. The government chooses policy (the income tax rate, as well as the allocation of collected tax revenues between law enforcement and public services) to maximize the growth rate of the economy. The focus of our analysis is on how weak property rights generate multiple decentralized competitive equilibria, the different properties of these equilibria, and the implications of second-best optimal policies.
Simplified Non-Square Quadrature Amplitude Modulation Demapper for DOCSIS 3.1

A simplified soft demapper for non-square quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) provided by fifth generation of high-speed data-over-cable systems (DOCSIS 3.1) is proposed. By using the geometric tendency of the non-square QAM constellation and “fold-and-overlap” approach, the non-linear log likelihood ratio (LLR) equation based on the max-log maximum a posteriori (MAP) algorithm can be approximated to linear equations. With this approximation, the proposed method can be applied to high-order non-square QAM, up to 8192 QAM, with negligible bit error rate performance degradation under additive white Gaussian noise and multipath flat-fading channels. Computational complexity is reduced by at least 93% compared to the LLR calculation based on the max-log MAP algorithm.
Quality of internal control procedures: Antecedents and moderating effect on organisational justice and employee fraud

Purpose - This study aims to bring together theoretical concepts from the organizational justice, internal control and fraud literature to develop two distinct models relating to employee fraud and the quality of internal control procedures (ICP), respectively. Design/methodology/approach - Survey data from 64 Australian firms were used to develop the two models. The first model was tested using a logistic regression analysis, and the second model was tested using a multiple regression analysis. Findings - The first model reveals that the quality of ICP has a moderating effect on the relationship between perceptions of organizational justice and employee fraud. The second model indicates that ICP quality is significantly and positively related to three key organizational factors: the corporate ethical environment, the extent of risk management training of staff, and the internal audit (IA) activity level. Practical implications - Risk management strategies relating to employee fraud will need to pay greater attention to organizational factors that affect both perceptions of justice at the workplace and ICP quality, including fostering a more ethical and equitable work environment, increasing IA activities and staff training in risk management. Originality/value - Using the fraud triangle framework, this study extends previous literature by providing empirical evidence on the role of organizational justice and ICP regarding employee fraud.
Shear Velocities and Elastic Parameters of the Mantle

The recent shear wave travel-time data of Ibrahim and Nuttli (1967) and Doyle and Hales (1967) is reinterpreted to yield a shear-velocity structure that is compatible with Johnson's (1967) compressional-velocity structure. The elastic parameters Φ, K/μ, and σ are calculated as a function of depth. All three parameters increase with depth in the homogeneous regions of the mantle but only Φ increases through the transition regions. Poisson's ratio is apparently less for the close-packed deeper mantle phases than it is for the normal phases of the upper mantle. The theoretical prediction that dμ/dP becomes negative before a phase change is verified by the seismic data.
Fleet deployment in liner shipping: a case study

The fleet deployment problem is an important planning problem in liner shipping. It deals with optimally assigning voyages to available vessels in the fleet and determining vessel routes and schedules in a way that minimizes costs or maximizes profit. This paper presents a new model for a fleet deployment problem in liner shipping, and we also propose a multi-start local search heuristic to solve the problem. The heuristic has been embedded in a prototype decision support system (DSS) that has been implemented and tested at Höegh Autoliners, a major global provider of ro-ro (roll-on roll-off) vehicle transportation services. The heuristic was able to produce high-quality solutions within a few minutes to a real planning problem with more than 55 vessels and 150 voyages over a planning horizon of 4–6 months. Tests indicated that the solutions suggested by the DSS gave between 2 and 10% improvements compared with solutions from manual planning. What is almost equally important is that using the DSS can ease the planning process.
Brain amyloid accumulates in aged rats with kaolin-induced hydrocephalus

Amyloid &bgr;-peptide (A&bgr;) accumulation in aged Sprague–Dawley rats (12 months) with kaolin-induced hydrocephalus was investigated by A&bgr;(1–40) and A&bgr;(1–42) immunohistochemistry at 2, 6 and 10 weeks after induction. The low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein-1 transporting A&bgr; across the blood–brain barrier was assayed. Age-matched controls showed some positive A&bgr; staining, mainly in the choroid plexus. At 2 weeks after induction, A&bgr; staining of the arachnoid and subependymal layer was observed. At 6 weeks, larger A&bgr; accumulations were prominent at the endothelial and perivascular sites. Intraparenchymal A&bgr; positively stained accumulations occurred at 10 weeks. Microvessel lipoprotein receptor-related protein-1 staining was progressively reduced from 2 to 10 weeks. The pattern of A&bgr; deposition and lipoprotein receptor-related protein-1 loss suggests reduced A&bgr; clearance in chronic hydrocephalus.
Social and ideological cleavage formation in post‐communist hungary

ALTHOUGH ALL PARTY SYSTEMS IN POST-COMMUNIST SOCIETIES are still in their infancy, the Hungarian system has exhibited a comparatively high level of stability. This is indicated most clearly by the fact that the six parties which obtained representation in the first Hungarian election in 1990 were still the leading parties in the election of May 1994.1 So far, however, scholarly scrutiny of this relatively advanced process of party system formation has primarily concerned the behaviour of elites.2 In this article we complement these elite level studies with a survey-based analysis of the social and ideological bases of voting intentions among the Hungarian electorate. The main goal of the study is to investigate which political issues form the basis of party competition and how attitudes towards these issues structure party support. We also assess the extent to which social divisions provide the basis for electoral choices. We build, therefore, upon the research programme elaborated by Lipset & Rokkan in their classic work on the social bases of politics,3 in which they posited various stages of ideological cleavage formation, moving from pre-industrial cleavages resulting primarily from the process of nation building and church versus state conflicts in which centre-periphery differences, nationality and religion constitute the main bases of party formation, through to the conflicts associated with the industrial revolution involving social class and trade unions as the sources of new party formation.4 In this respect, a key question for understanding the likely political trajectories of states in Eastern Europe must be whether political divisions in these post-communist democracies are likely to be structured, as in the stable democracies in the West, by the social and ideological cleavages identified by Lipset & Rokkan. At present, the extent to which the cleavage structure of contemporary Hungary can be understood in terms of the ideological divisions observed in studies of Western societies is clearly open to question. A number of commentators have suggested that the legacy of communism for mass attitudes is likely to inhibit the emergence of any stable bases for ideological alignment, because of the combined effects of communism on individuals' identities and the destruction of institutions or organisations which are capable of quickly educating public opinion.5 Others, most notably Kitschelt, have argued that political competition in post-communist societies is likely to take place along a single axis comprising associated pro-market and pro-liberal versus pro-state and authoritarian positions.6 We have argued against both these views in an earlier article which sought to provide a theoretical account of the likely bases of party competition in Eastern
Underlay cognitive relay networks with imperfect channel state information and multiple primary receivers

In this study, the authors investigate the effect of imperfect channel state information (CSI) on underlay cognitive radio networks in the presence of multiple primary users (PUs). Particularly, with multiple proactive partial decode-and-forward (DF) relays available, both the relay selection channels and interference channels are assumed to be imperfect. In this context, firstly, based on the instantaneous CSI (ICSI) of interference channels, exact closed form expressions for the outage probability (OP) and the interference probability (IP) are derived, where IP is used as a performance metric to quantify the impact of harmful interference caused by secondary user (SU) on PUs. It is shown that, when the ICSI of interference channels are imperfect, the secondary networks always interfere with PUs' communications. Then, to reduce the harmful interference caused by secondary nodes, we propose an adaptive power control scheme relying on the partial CSI (PCSI) of interference channels. Finally, simulation results verify the accuracy and effectiveness of the author's analytical study, and indicate the proposed scheme strikes a good tradeoff between the interference introduced by secondary nodes on PUs and SU's performance.
Classifying current social responsibility accounting methods for assisting a dialogue between business and society

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to discuss the drawbacks of current social and environmental accounting methods and to present a classification for developing a new accounting model. Design/methodology/approach - The various social and environmental accounting methods are classified and discussed on the basis of various criteria such as the types of accounting principles and the content and information units utilized. Findings - Current social and environmental accounting methods utilize different criteria, measurement units and principles, a fact that makes the information provided ambiguous and problematic for a reliable business-society dialogue under a common and understandable context. A new classification is presented based on specific criteria in the prospect of developing a new accounting model. Research limitations/implications - The proposed new classification aiming to develop a new accounting model is a theoretical proposition which should be validated and tested in practice with a series of case studies before it can be recommended as an alternative to current accounting methods. Originality/value - The paper attempts to highlight the drawbacks of the current social and environmental accounting methods and proposes a new classification for the development of a new accounting model.
Effect of phenolic acids on functions of rat aorta, vas deferens and on metabolic changes in streptozotocin-induced diabetes

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effects of antioxidant treatment on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic metabolic and smooth muscle (SM) complications in rats. Materials and Methods: Threeweeks after STZ injection (i.v.), vehicle, p-OH benzoic (p-OHBA), protocatechic (PA) and gallic acids (GA) were separately administered (10 mg/kg each, i.p.) to the rats everyday for 3 weeks. Metabolic functions were observedregularly. The rats in all groups were sacrificed andaorta and Vas deferens were dissected. Theresponses of isolated organs to agonists (acetylcholine and phenylephrine) were recorded. Results: Protocatechic acid prevented increase in food consumption and feces output significantly. The responses of isolated organs to agonists increased in the STZ-diabetic rats. The test drugs either prevented, exacerbated or didnot affect the SMchanges in the STZ-diabetic rats. Conclusions: It was concluded that p-OHBA, PA and GA may cause effects independently of their antioxidant effect and/or of diabeticcomplications. They may exhibit pro-oxidant activities in the experimental conditions applied.
Layering, Administrative Change and National Paths to Europeanization: The Case of the Water Framework Directive

Abstract The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) can be seen as a reform effort that intervenes in the member states' domestic administrative system by obliging “whole of government” measures across sectoral lines of authority and levels of government. This puts pressure on the sectoral authorities to coordinate their activities. In this article we ask the following questions: How do the state executives respond to the WFD? How can we understand their behaviour and action choices in the implementation of EU law? And third: What can our findings tell us about changes to the European administrative system? This article reveals that despite resistance and strong cognitive priors among the state executives, the WFD logic of ecosystem-based management is gaining a foothold as an administrative principle. Thus, in order to explain changes in the administrative system, we need to take the regional level into account. Our findings suggest that attention needs to be paid to the role of complex, multi-level structures, which includes the regional, river basin district level in the development of a European administrative order.