Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Can fiscal drag pay for the public spending effects of population ageing in New Zealand?

This paper examines the extent to which projected aggregate tax revenue changes, in association with population ageing over the next 50 years, can be expected to finance expected increases in social welfare expenditures. Projections from two separate models, dealing with social expenditures and income tax and GST revenue, are used. The results suggest that the modest required increase in the overall average tax rate projected over the next 50 years can be achieved automatically by adjusting income tax thresholds using an index of prices rather than wages. Based on evidence about the New Zealand tax system over the last 50 years, comparisons of average and marginal tax rates suggest that such an increase may be feasible and affordable. The paper discusses the range of considerations involved in deciding if this automatic increase in the aggregate average tax rate, via real fiscal drag of personal income taxes, is desirable compared with alternative fiscal policy changes.
Flexible autonomy and context in human-agent collectives

Human-agent collectives (HACs) are collaborative relationships between humans and software agents that are formed to meet the individual and collective goals of their members. In general, different members of a HAC should have differing degrees of autonomy in determining how a goal is to be achieved, and the degree of autonomy that should be enjoyed by each member of the collective varies with context. This thesis explores how norms can be used to achieve context sensitive flexible autonomy in HACs. Norms can be viewed as defining standards of ideal behaviour. In the form of rules and codes, they are widely used to coordinate and regulate activity in human organisations, and more recently they have also been proposed as a coordination mechanism for multi-agent systems (MAS). Norms therefore have the potential to form a common framework for coordination and control in HACs. The thesis develops a novel framework in which group and individual norms are used to specify both the goal to be achieved by a HAC and the degree of autonomy of the HAC and/or of its members in achieving a goal. The framework allows members of a collective to create norms specifying how a goal should (or should not) be achieved, together with sanctions for non-compliance. These norms form part of the decision making context of both the humans and agents in the collective. A prototype implementation of the framework was evaluated using the Colored Trails test-bed in a scenario involving mixed human-agent teams. The experiments confirmed that norms can be used for coordination of HACs and to facilitate context related flexible autonomy.
The effect of the recession on the quality of working life of UK managers: an empirical study

This paper explores the effect of the post-2007 recession on UK managers using a unique data set derived from the Quality of Working Life Project. This project has been running since 1997 in partnership with UK's Chartered Management Institute. The paper compares a wide range of measures from surveys run in 2007 (immediately before the 'credit crunch') and in 2012 as the UK was slowly emerging from the recession. Data from the surveys are used to examine the extent, pace and nature of organisational change, to assess the effect of change on managers' views of their organisation as a place to work and to assess the effect of changing patterns of work on their physical and psychological well-being and their working hours. The paper reveals that the effect of change has overwhelmingly been seen as negative with declining levels of job satisfaction, work intensification and growing levels of ill health.
Human hepatic stellate cells are liver‐resident antigen‐presenting cells

We read with great interest the article by Teixera-Clerc et al., regarding the hepatoprotective properties displayed by cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) agonists in a mouse model of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver injury. Acute hepatitis induced by CCl4 was accelerated in CB2 knockout mice, resulting in increased serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels compared to wild-type (WT) animals. Conversely, the ALT and AST levels were reduced in CCl4-treated WT mice following the treatment with the CB2 agonist JWH-133. In apparent disagreement with these results, the same group previously demonstrated that, in the liver of obese mice which were fed a high-fat diet, CB2 stimulation potentiated insulin resistance and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), whereas CB2 inactivation reduced liver inflammation. In obese children, NAFLD ranges from simple liver steatosis to steatosis associated with inflammation and increased liver enzymes, which may eventually progress to liver cirrhosis. To highlight the role of CB2 in NAFLD progression, we took advantage of a functionally relevant CB2 polymorphism. We studied the rs35761398 variant of the CNR2 (cannabinoid receptor 2; GeneID 1269) gene, encoding for the CB2 receptor, which causes the substitution of a glutamine with a positively charged arginine at codon 63, in the first intracellular signaling loop. Receptor carrying arginine shows reduced function when activated by an endogenous cannabinoid. The variant was screened by direct sequencing in 438 Italian obese children with liver steatosis at ultrasound imaging in order to evaluate the association of the CB2 receptor Gln63Arg (Q63R) functional variant with serum AST and ALT levels. Results from this analysis (Table 1) demonstrate that the less functional R63 variant is statistically associated with higher ALT and AST levels independent of sex, age and pubertal stage. The variant is not associated with Body Mass Index, insulin resistance (assessed by Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance score) and size of abdominal fat (assessed by waist-to-hip ratio). To be homozygous for the R63 allele results in a significant risk factor for liver damage, with an odds ratio for ALT >40 of 2.7 (95% confidence interval 1⁄4 1.65-3.92, P 1⁄4 0.001). These data, obtained using an approach (i.e., association study in humans) completely different from that of previously published studies (i.e., analysis in murine models), showing that the partially inactive R63 CB2 variant is associated with liver damage progression in obese children with liver steatosis, corroborate the idea of a hepatoprotective role for CB2 receptors.
Prospects for union growth in the UK voluntary sector: the impact of the Employment Relations Act 1999

The article argues that despite the imminent introduction of the Employment Relations Act 1999, unions face a difficult environment in which to achieve recognition deals in the voluntary sector. However, it also highlights how some large charities are re-evaluating their position on employee representation in response to government legislation and that unions can use these developments to encourage further growth.
Still At Work? An empirical test of competing theories of long hours culture

There is increasing evidence of a widening in the cross-country dispersion in general working hours. More recently, however, there has been considerable attention given to the “long hours culture” phenomenon identified in certain segments of the labour market, in particular amongst professional and managerial staff, and potential causes and impacts of such a culture. In this study we use a large-scale European worker survey to test the validity of several competing hypotheses of why people work long hours. Our results show that there is a labour – quality of leisure trade-off for women, but not for men. Other key determinants of long working hours are industry sector, occupational status, gender and job security proxied by employment contracts.
Multiple k-Nearest Neighbor Classifier and Its Application to Tissue Characterization of Coronary Plaque

In this paper we propose a novel classification method for the multiple k-nearest neighbor (MkNN) classifier and show its practical application to medical image processing. The proposed method performs fine classification when a pair of the spatial coordinate of the observation data in the observation space and its corresponding feature vector in the feature space is provided. The proposed MkNN classifier uses the continuity of the distribution of features of the same class not only in the feature space but also in the observation space. In order to validate the performance of the present method, it is applied to the tissue characterization problem of coronary plaque. The quantitative and qualitative validity of the proposed MkNN classifier have been confirmed by actual experiments. key words: acute coronary syndromes (ACS), coronary plaque tissue characterization, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) method, multiple k-nearest neighbor (MkNN) classifier
Managing a Broadcast Infrastructure in Ad Hoc Networks in Presence of Mobility: A New Algorithmic Framework

A virtual backbone forms a source-independent broadcast infrastructure in wireless ad hoc networks. Backbone formation amounts to constructing a connected dominating set (CDS) in the underlying graph. CDS construction in static networks is a well-addressed topic, whereas distributed backbone management in mobile networks has been studied to less extent. We present an algorithmic framework for managing a dynamic backbone in presence of node mobility. The framework is designed to be effective in dealing with mobility as well as in keeping backbone size small. Our approach is fully decentralized. Nodes are not required to acquire network topology information other than its local environment. All operations involved in backbone management are distributed. Moreover, the operations do not require coordination in time. As a result, decisions of joining and leaving the backbone are made locally, individually, and asynchronously at nodes. Our simulation study demonstrates the effectiveness of the framework. Even under high mobility, backbone update is satisfactorily fast to maintain backbone connectivity as well as to keep backbone size moderate
Outsource a Core Competency?

The M&A world has learned the importance of conducting in-depth legal and financial due diligence, yet many acquisitions still fail to live up to expectations. The most common reasons actually relate to flaws in the business strategy of the acquired company rather than tangible shortcomings that the accountants and lawyers can identify. Broadening the scope of due diligence has turned out to be the answer for many private equity investors. A structured process of evaluating the business strategy of the target company improves the chances of any acquisition's success. Outsourcing is often required to diligently analyze the positioning of the target company relative to market dynamics, competitors’ strategies, management capabilities, customer needs, and brand perceptions.
Glutamine-dependent anapleurosis dictates glucose uptake and cell growth by regulating MondoA transcriptional activity

Glucose and glutamine are abundant nutrients required for cell growth, yet how cells sense and adapt to changes in their levels is not well understood. The MondoA transcription factor forms a heterocomplex with its obligate partner Mlx to regulate ≈75% of glucose-dependent transcription. By mediating glucose-induced activation of thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP), MondoA:Mlx complexes directly repress glucose uptake. We show here that glutamine inhibits transcriptional activation of TXNIP by triggering the recruitment of a histone deacetylase-dependent corepressor to the amino terminus of MondoA. Therefore, in the presence of both glucose and glutamine, TXNIP expression is low, which favors glucose uptake and aerobic glycolysis; the Warburg effect. Consistent with MondoA functioning upstream of TXNIP, MondoA knockdown reduces TXNIP expression, elevates glucose uptake and stimulates cell proliferation. Although glutamine has many intracellular fates, a cell permeable analog of a tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) intermediate, α-ketoglutarate, also blocks the transcriptional activity of MondoA at the TXNIP promoter and stimulates glucose uptake. Together our data suggest that glutamine-dependent mitochondrial anapleurosis dictates glucose uptake and aerobic glycolysis by blocking MondoA:Mlx-dependent transcriptional activation of TXNIP. We propose that this previously unappreciated coordination between glutamine and glucose utilization defines a metabolic checkpoint that restricts cell growth when subthreshold levels of these essential nutrients are available.
Exports of manufactures by developing countries: emerging patterns of trade and location

Developing countries are rapidly increasing their shares of manufactured trade, not just in labour-intensive products, but also in capital- and skill-intensive ones; their shares are rising particularly rapidly in the high-technology area. However, manufactured exports remain highly concentrated in the developing world, with a few countries dominating all forms of export. Within the successful exporting countries, there are significant differences in the 'technology content' of exports. These trends are difficult to explain with received trade theory, even taking human capital into account, or with reference to broad economic policies: it is useful to bring in 'learning,' along with scale economies, increasing returns, and agglomeration as determinants of comparative advantage. These factors imply market failures, and so a role for policy in developing genuine comparative advantages. This article suggests that emerging trade and location patterns in the developing work are explained by market imperfections and government policies to overcome them. Copyright 1998 by Oxford University Press.
Increasing Handwriting Recognition Accuracy Using Morphology

Optical character recognition (OCR) has become more and more common technology, be it automated teller machines (ATM), office scanners or the scanners used at stores. In addition to that the automated recognition of handwritten characters is commonly studied problem in Computer Vision and has several applications in real life. This paper compares the different morphological operations impact on the recognition rates with different features and two commonly used classifiers; Support Vector Machines (SVM) and kNearest Neighbor (KNN). Keywords—Optical Character Recognition, K-Nearest Neighbor, Support Vector Machine, Morphological Processing.
Alternative Splicing of Rac1 Generates Rac1b, a Self-activating GTPase*

Rac1b was recently identified in malignant colorectal tumors as an alternative splice variant of Rac1 containing a 19-amino acid insertion next to the switch II region. The structures of Rac1b in the GDP- and the GppNHp-bound forms, determined at a resolution of 1.75 Å, reveal that the insertion induces an open switch I conformation and a highly mobile switch II. As a consequence, Rac1b has an accelerated GEF-independent GDP/GTP exchange and an impaired GTP hydrolysis, which is restored partially by GTPase-activating proteins. Interestingly, Rac1b is able to bind the GTPase-binding domain of PAK but not full-length PAK in a GTP-dependent manner, suggesting that the insertion does not completely abolish effector interaction. The presented study provides insights into the structural and biochemical mechanism of a self-activating GTPase.
Non-governmental organizations as agents of democratization: An African perspective

It is currently contended that the economic adjustment programmes being implemented by most African countries should be accompanied by reforms that lead to greater democracy. As part of civil society, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are expected to play an important role in fostering the democratic changes now argued to be needed. This article examines the theoretical grounds for assuming that NGOs will function as agents of democratization through their increasing presence and ability to transform society. It is argued that NGOs are unlikely to have significant impact on political reform because (a) regimes have effective instruments to contain such a possibility and (b) the legal standing, typical development approach and the relations maintained by the NGO community are not sufficiently consistent with this aim. It is concluded that in order to effectively promote democratization in Africa NGOs will need to adopt more complex development strategies and consciously include the issue of citizenship in their interventions.
Intermediate Imports and Macroeconomic Policy under Flexible Exchange Rates

Intermediate imports and macroeconomic policy under flexible exchange rates. This paper introduces an imported intermediate input into a Keynesian model of an open economy with perfect international capital mobility under flexible exchange rates. The effects of monetary and fiscal policy and of a rise in the world price of the imported intermediate input are analysed. It is shown that fiscal policy is able to influence the level of real income, contrary to the result of the well-known Fleming-Mundell model.
Contemporary neighborhood housing dynamics in a mid-sized US city: the policy consequences of mismeasuring the dependent variable

This paper analyzes median assessed residential property values using three different operationalizations of a tract-level dependent variable for a mid-sized US city: Louisville, Kentucky. We estimated the impacts of accessibility, socio-demographics, and housing characteristics as well as three policy interventions (HOPE VI, historic preservation districts, and university–community partnerships) on median assessed values and changes to them over the 2000–2006 housing bubble. Our interpretation of models employing the three different operationalizations leads to different conclusions about neighborhood health and the efficacy of policy programs. Conventional operationalizations employed by advocates, such as looking at medians or raw dollar changes in median values, are likely to find that policy interventions have less of an impact compared to measuring recent percent changes in property values. Thus, we provide a methodological contribution that shows that percent changes should accompany traditional analysis in capturing the effects of contemporary policy interventions. Mismeasuring neighborhood housing markets has played a role in prematurely concluding that targeted policy programs in neighborhoods are ineffective. Based on our analysis, we invite academics and policy-makers to rethink contemporary neighborhood housing dynamics.
Theories of target zones and realignment of RMB (currency of China) exchange rate

On the basis of introducing the theory of Target Zones and Exchange Rate, this paper tests for the significant to reform Chinese currency Renmingbi (RMB) exchange regime, and the possibility to build a target zone. It is pointed out that, under the tendency of economic globalization and entered WTO, it is necessary and urgent for China to realign and innovate its present exchange arrangement; target zones and its exchange rate mechanism is feasible for the reality of contemporary global economy and the situation of China. The authors analysis how to determine equilibrium of exchange rate and border of RMB target zones, and what kind of actions the Chinese government should do in such procedure.
Sustainable supply chain governance systems: conditions for effective market based governance in global trade.

In this article I discuss the conceptualisation and existing empirical research on the creation of sustainable global product chains. This papers sets steps in moving from normative prescriptive approaches towards an empirical descriptive approach, comparing available research in various forms of global markets and types of commodities and lifting the analysis to the level of 'product channels' (the collective level) instead of 'product chains' of collaborating individual businesses. It explores various strategies employed by businesses in international collaboration in product improvement and competitive mechanisms that may support the change towards more sustainable products sourced from developing countries. Recent research in the Dutch-South African value chain of fruits and wine are used as examples to illustrate the virtue of this three level approach. For a full understanding of dynamics in achieving sustainability in global value chains a multi-level theoretical approach is required combining empirical studies at firm level, at global value chain system level and at the level of global dynamics.
An Integrated Memory Array Processor for Embedded Image Recognition Systems

Embedded processors for video image recognition in most cases not only need to address the conventional cost (die size and power) versus real-time performance issue, but must also maintain high flexibility due to the immense diversity of recognition targets, situations, and applications. This paper describes IMAP, a highly parallel SIMD linear processor and memory array architecture that addresses these trade-off requirements. By using parallel and systolic algorithmic techniques, but based on a simple linear array architecture, IMAP successfully exploits not only the straightforward per-image row data level parallelism (DLP), but also the inherent DLP of other memory access patterns frequently found in various image recognition tasks, while allowing programming to be done using an explicit parallel C language (1DC). We describe and evaluate IMAP-CE, one of the latest IMAP processors, integrating 128 100 MHz 8 bit 4-way VLIW PEs, 128 2 KByte RAMs, and one 16 bit RISC control processor onto a single chip. The PE instruction set is enhanced to support 1DC code. The die size of IMAP-CE is 11 times11 mm2 integrating 32.7 M transistors, while the power consumption is, on average, approximately 2 watts. IMAP-CE is evaluated mainly by comparing its performance while running 1DC code with that of a 2.4 GHz Intel P4 running optimized C code. Based on the use of parallelizing techniques, benchmark results show a speed increase of up to 20 times for image filter kernels and of 4 times for a full image recognition application
Acupuncturists as Entrepreneurs: Experiences of New Professionals Founding Private Practices

The entrepreneurship aspects of private professional practice has been largely overlooked in both the literature and most graduate school professional programs, including acupuncture and oriental medicine (AOM). Because selfemployment in a private practice is the path for the majority of acupuncturists at the present time, they must exhibit entrepreneurial behaviors, and they receive little support from the profession. This research explored 12 new professionals’ experiences founding their private practices in depth using narrative methodology in order to gain insights to guide future research and interventions. Analysis focused on cognition/perception (C), social capital (S) and entrepreneurial learning (L) process aspects in the experiences of these professionals at the individual, community/profession, and larger society levels using Salzer’s (1998) and Rappaport’s (1994) conception of socializing influences as lenses. All three factors appear to be important to entrepreneurship in a professional context, and they interact with each other on multiple levels. As to Cognition/Perception (C), the study found that those embracing entrepreneurship aspects of practice had enhanced success, while those resisting it experienced difficulty until their perceptions changed. Thus, findings supported Hofer and Sandberg’s (1987) contention that entrepreneurship can be learned. As to Social Capital (S), those whose focus is inward and engagement is primarily within the profession experienced isolation and difficulty to a greater degree, while those who engaged the larger society and built cross-profession