Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Social Impacts of Emigration and Rural-Urban Migration in Croatia: 1991–2011

The paper explores the social impacts of emigration and rural-urban migration in Croatia, focusing on the period from 1991 to 2011. In this period, Croatia has experienced conflict and post-conflict-induced population movements, followed by a period of normalization of migration flows. The paper explores, in detail, labour migration and impacts on labour markets, in the context of skills shortages in Croatia. The role of remittances and social security agreements are also addressed. The paper addresses the problems of institutional support and of migration policy, making a series of recommendations for policy makers to minimize the social costs of migration and, instead, ensure that migration contributes to social development.
The evolution of conspicuous consumption

Purpose – Conspicuous consumption refers to the competitive and extravagant consumption practices and leisure activities that aim to indicate membership to a superior social class. Studies examining the symbolic role of luxury brands and status symbols, and the importance of interpersonal relations and upward social mobility via consumption choices, have been widely discussed in the marketing and consumer behaviour literature. There is, however, limited research on how the all‐encompassing concept of “conspicuous consumption” has evolved since the introduction of the term by Thorstein Veblen in 1899 in The Theory of the Leisure Class. This paper seeks to review some of the issues.Design/methodology/approach – Using a chronological periodization the paper examines and discusses the impact of wider institutional and socio‐economic forces on the evolution of conspicuous consumption phenomena. The paper adopts a historical framework related to economics and marketing.Findings – The paper shows how the concept.
An Empirical Analysis of the Effect of Supply Chain Disruptions on Long‐Run Stock Price Performance and Equity Risk of the Firm

This paper investigates the long‐term stock price effects and equity risk effects of supply chain disruptions based on a sample of 827 disruption announcements made during 1989–2000. Stock price effects are examined starting one year before through two years after the disruption announcement date. Over this time period the average abnormal stock returns of firms that experienced disruptions is nearly –40%. Much of this underperformance is observed in the year before the announcement, the day of the announcement, and the year after the announcement. Furthermore, the evidence indicates that firms do not quickly recover from the negative effects of disruptions. The equity risk of the firm also increases significantly around the announcement date. The equity risk in the year after the announcement is 13.50% higher when compared to the equity risk in the year before the announcement.
Prevalence and association of metabolic syndrome and vitamin D deficiency among postmenopausal women in a rural block of West Bengal, India

Background Prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) and vitamin D deficiency was reported among postmenopausal women (PMW) in India. However, no report is available regarding the association of MS and 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] among PMW in India. This study aimed to find out the prevalence of MS and 25(OH)D status as well as their association among rural PMW of West Bengal, India. Materials and methods This cross-sectional study was conducted among 222 randomly selected rural PMW in Singur Block, West Bengal, India. Serum 25(OH)D, Blood pressure (BP), waist circumference (WC), fasting blood glucose (FBG), triglycerides (TG) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were measured using standard procedures. MS was defined as per International Diabetes Federation, 2005 (for Asian-Indians) criteria. Statistical tests were done using SPSS software. Results Prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 46%. 51% and 19% PMW were vitamin D insufficient and deficient, respectively. 22% and 53% women having MS were vitamin D insufficient and deficient, respectively. Among the PMW, 21% and 47% with WC≥80cm; 22% and 62% with FBG≥110mg/dl; 21% and 54% with TG≥150mg/dl; 23% and 51% with HDL-C<50mg/dl, 15% and 55% with BP≥130/85mm of Hg were vitamin D insufficient and deficient, respectively. Significant statistical association between FBG and 25(OH)D status existed (p = 0.01). Significant positive correlation between WC and 25(OH)D level (p = 0.004) and significant negative correlation between FBG and 25(OH)D level observed (p = 0.02). WC was the only statistically significant predictor of the dependent variable. Odds of non-sufficient 25(OH)D level increased with decrease in WC. Conclusion High prevalence of MS as well as vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency existed among PMW of Singur block, West Bengal, India. 25(OH)D had significant inverse and direct relationship with FBG and WC. Low 25(OH)D may be one of the potential risk factors for developing MS in PMW or vice-versa.
Second Degree Price Discrimination and Natural Monopoly

This paper considers the efficiency of a contestable natural monopoly if consumers are heterogeneous and the monopolist can differentiate prices imperfectly. The paper shows that a "no-distortion-at-the-top" result, which is standard in models with restricted entry, may also appear in a contestable market. Depending on cost and demand structures, first best efficiency can also be a sustainable equilibrium. However, due to the existence of a continuum of equilibria, first best efficiency is not guaranteed. Most notably, even a stable "distortion-at-the-top" result is possible. Copyright Blackwell Publishers Ltd and the Board of Trustees of the Bulletin of Economic Research, 2004.
Road sign detection and recognition in panoramic images to generate navigational maps

The paper proposes an approach to recognize road signs in Google Street View panoramic images. The color images formed by special queries from the Google site with a 640×640 resolution serve as the input data for recognition. The recognition of the road signs is carried out by the use of the specific, while the classification is performed by the use of the neural network. The coordinates of the road signs in the image help you get the latitude and longitude of the sign location. The navigation map is made up with the coordinates of the road signs location and their type.
The Effect of Plausibility on Sentence Comprehension Among Older Adults and its Relation to Cognitive Functions

Background/Study Context: Older adults show age-related decline in complex-sentence comprehension. This has been attributed to a decrease in cognitive abilities that may support language processing, such as working memory (e.g., Caplan, DeDe, Waters, & Michaud, 2011,Psychology and Aging, 26, 439–450). The authors examined whether older adults have difficulty comprehending semantically implausible sentences and whether specific executive functions contribute to their comprehension performance. Methods: Forty-two younger adults (aged 18–35) and 42 older adults (aged 55–75) were tested on two experimental tasks: a multiple negative comprehension task and an information processing battery. Results: Both groups, older and younger adults, showed poorer performance for implausible sentences than for plausible sentences; however, no interaction was found between plausibility and age group. A regression analysis revealed that inhibition efficiency, as measured by a task that required resistance to proactive interference, predicted comprehension of implausible sentences in older adults only. Consistent with the compensation hypothesis, the older adults with better inhibition skills showed better comprehension than those with poor inhibition skills. Conclusion: The findings suggest that semantic implausibility, along with syntactic complexity, increases linguistic and cognitive processing loads on auditory sentence comprehension. Moreover, the contribution of inhibitory control to the processing of semantic plausibility, particularly among older adults, suggests that the relationship between cognitive ability and language comprehension is strongly influenced by age.
The Importance of Ethical Leadership in Employees’ Value Congruence and Turnover

This study investigates the relationship between leadership, value congruence, and employees’ intention to leave in China’s hospitality industry. We test the moderating effect of cultural values on the relationships between these factors using data gathered from employees at ten branches of a major restaurant chain in South China. Our results show (1) a positive relationship between ethical leadership and leader–follower value congruence, (2) a significant moderating effect of collectivism on the relationship between ethical leadership and leader–follower value congruence, (3) a negative relationship between leader–follower value congruence and employees’ intention to leave, and (4) a significant mediating effect of value congruence on the relationship between ethical leadership and employees’ intention to leave. Although these findings apply only to the restaurant industry, it is clear that ethical behavior by group leaders builds value congruence and discourages employee turnover.
Regulatory Pressure and Competitive Dynamics: Carbon Management Strategies of UK Energy-Intensive Companies

Corporate climate strategies are shaped by a complex interplay of various market and non-market factors. This article investigates the impact of two principal drivers—competitive dynamics and regulatory pressure—on the carbon management strategies of some of the most energy-intensive UK-listed companies. Despite significant increase in awareness of its potential strategic importance, so far there is little in the approaches of these organizations to suggest that climate change has strongly altered the competitive field or induced radical transformations in the business models of UK carbon-intensive companies. Instead, strategy appears to consist of a series of hedging practices that derive from perceptions of present and likely future market and political trends in relation to climate change.
Constraints to public influence in US Forest Service NEPA processes

The Forest Service is mandated to involve the public during agency planning efforts, but involving the public does not necessarily mean the public will gain any influence over the planning decision. An earlier survey revealed that Forest Service team leaders commonly desire greater levels of public influence than they achieve in their planning processes. Informed by interviews with 16 Forest Service employees experienced with leading planning processes, this research explores the constraints to desired public influence. We found that agency personnel serve as key ‘gatekeepers’ to public influence through their decisions and actions during the process. Efforts beyond required procedures appear to often be necessary to translate normative public comments that might otherwise be dismissed into substantive public influence on analyses and subsequent decision making. Key constraints include a lack of perceived self-efficacy and fear associated with conflict, a lack of leadership commitment to public influence, overwhelming workloads and normative beliefs about the public informed by past and current negative interactions. Conversely, key catalysts include perceptions of self-efficacy in effective communications, strong normative commitments to the value of public influence at multiple levels within the agency, manageable workloads and recognition of discretion in addressing public comments by process leaders.
Studies on fertilization in the teleost IV. Effects of aphidicolin and camptothecin on chromosome formation in fertilized medaka eggs

To clarify the mechanisms of fish fertilization, the effects of inhibitors of DNA polymerase‐α and DNA topoisomerases on nuclear behavior before and after fertilization were examined in eggs of the medaka, Oryzias latipes. Eggs underwent the fertilization process from sperm penetration to karyogamy of pronuclei, even when inseminated and incubated in the continuous presence of aphidicolin (DNA polymerase α inhibitor), camptothecin (DNA topoisomerase I inhibitor), etoposide, or β‐lapachone (DNA topoisomerase II inhibitor). However, continuous treatment with aphidicolin or camptothecin during fertilization inhibited the formation of sister chromosomes that were normally separated into blastomeres at the time of the subsequent cleavage. Sister chromosome formation appeared concomitantly with an increase in histone H1 kinase activity at the end of DNA synthesis, 30 min post insemination. However, non‐activated eggs that were inseminated in saline containing anesthetic MS222 and aphidicolin had high levels of histone H1 kinase and MAP kinase activities, and transformation of the penetrated sperm nucleus to metaphase chromosomes occurred even in the presence of aphidicolin or camptothecin. The male chromosomes were normally separated into two anaphase chromosome masses upon egg activation. These results suggest that DNA polymerase α or DNA topoisomerase I, but not DNA topoisomerase II, may be required for the process by which the mitotic interphase nucleus transforms to separable metaphase chromosomes while the activity of MAP kinase is low, unlike the situation in meiotic division, during which MAP kinase activity is high and DNA replication is not required.
Comparative study of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor and calcium channel blocker in the treatment of steroid-resistant idiopathic nephrotic syndrome.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the anti-proteinuric effect of ramipril and verapamil in patients with steroid-resistant idiopathic nephrotic syndrome. Twenty one (21) cases of steroid-resistant idiopathic nephrotic syndrome were randomized to receive ramipril (11) and verapamil (10) and were followed up for 12 months; monthly for the 1st 3 months and then every 3 months for the remaining study period. The degree of reduction of proteinuria, blood pressure, serum creatinine, serum albumin and side effects were noted between the two groups. The comparison within the groups over different time periods was made using paired 't' test and between the groups for specific time period by unpaired 't' test. The level of significance was taken as 5% or below. RESULTS Seventeen patients (nine in the ramipril group and eight in the verapamil group) completed the study. The mean age of the patients, duration of illness, 24 hours urinary excretion of protein, mean arterial pressure, serum creatinine, cholesterol and albumin were similar in both the groups at time of randomization. The 24 hours urinary protein excretion decreased from 6319.44 +/- 1971.70 mg/day to 1852.44 +/- 1813.74 mg/day in patients receiving ramipril and from 5332.87 +/- 1947.47 mg /day to 2759.37 +/- 1929.6 mg/day in patients treated with verapamil after 12 months. There was no statistically significant difference in the reduction of proteinuria between the two groups. However, reduction in proteinuria was statistically significant from 2nd month onwards in Ramipril group and reduction was sustained throughout the study period. Reduction in mean arterial pressure was better achieved in Ramipril groups. The change in the serum potassium, creatinine, cholesterol and albumin were similar in either group of patients. Cough (2), hypotension (1) and reversible rise in serum creatinine (1) were observed with ramipril and no side effect was noted with verapamil. CONCLUSION Both ramipril and verapamil can reduce proteinuria in patients suffering from steroid-resistant idiopathic nephrotic syndrome. However, ramipril had a better and sustained reduction in proteinuria with well-controlled mean arterial pressure. Verapamil can be considered as an alternative to ramipril when the use of the latter is not tolerated because of side effects and/or worsening of renal function in patients with chronic renal insufficiency.
Increased prefrontal hemodynamic change after atomoxetine administration in pediatric attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder as measured by near‐infrared spectroscopy

Atomoxetine, approved in Japan for the treatment of pediatric attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in April 2009, is a nonstimulant that is thought to act presynaptically via the inhibition of norepinephrine reuptake. Near‐infrared spectroscopy is a non‐invasive optical tool that can be used to study oxygenation and hemodynamic changes in the cerebral cortex. The present study examined the effects of a clinical dose of atomoxetine on changes in prefrontal hemodynamic activity in children with ADHD, as measured by near‐infrared spectroscopy using the Stroop Color–Word Task.
Association of morbid obesity and weight change over time with cardiovascular survival in hemodialysis population.

BACKGROUND In maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) outpatients, a reverse epidemiology is described, ie, baseline obesity appears paradoxically associated with improved survival. However, the association between changes in weight over time and prospective mortality is not known. METHODS Using time-dependent Cox models and adjusting for changes in laboratory values over time, the relation of quarterly-varying 3-month averaged body mass index (BMI) to all-cause and cardiovascular mortality was examined in a 2-year cohort of 54,535 MHD patients from virtually all DaVita dialysis clinics in the United States. RESULTS Patients, aged 61.7 +/- 15.5 (SD) years, included 54% men and 45% with diabetes. Time-dependent unadjusted and multivariate-adjusted models, based on quarterly-averaged BMI controlled for case-mix and available time-varying laboratory surrogates of nutritional status, were calculated in 11 categories of BMI. Obesity, including morbid obesity, was associated with better survival and reduced cardiovascular death, even after accounting for changes in BMI and laboratory values over time. Survival advantages of obesity were maintained for dichotomized BMI cutoff values of 25, 30, and 35 kg/m2 across almost all strata of age, race, sex, dialysis dose, protein intake, and serum albumin level. Examining the regression slope of change in weight over time, progressively worsening weight loss was associated with poor survival, whereas weight gain showed a tendency toward decreased cardiovascular death. CONCLUSION Weight gain and both baseline and time-varying obesity may be associated with reduced cardiovascular mortality in MHD patients independent of laboratory surrogates of nutritional status and their changes over time. Morbidly obese patients have the lowest mortality. Clinical trials need to verify these observational findings.
Inservice Education Needs of Teachers of Pilot Agriscience Courses in Mississippi.

Tyler (197 1) defined a need as a difference between a present condition and an acceptable norm. This definition serves as the basis for the discrepancy model of assessing learner needs. One discrepancy model, developed by Borich (1980), is commonly used in educational settings and is appropriate for assessing inservice education needs of teachers (Barrick et al., 1983). In this study, the researchers used the Borich model to assess the inservice education needs of teachers of pilot agriscience courses in Mississippi. Background information about the pilot courses and a discussion of the appropriateness of the Borich model for assessing inservice education needs are provided below.
Why is working memory related to intelligence? Different contributions from storage and processing

Domain-specific contributions of working memory (WM), short-term memory (STM), and executive functioning (EF) to individual differences in intelligence were analysed using a latent variable approach. A sample of 345 participants completed a battery of 24 tests tapping the constructs of interests as comprehensively as possible. Visuospatial and verbal STM and WM tasks were administered along with three subcomponents of EF, namely inhibition, planning, and shifting. Intelligence was assessed by non-verbal/abstract/fluid intelligence (Gf) and verbal/crystallised intelligence (Gc) standardised tests. Structural equation modelling results show that EF is the main predictor of Gf, whereas verbal STM is the main predictor of Gc. Storage and processing providing different contributions to the prediction of Gf and Gc supports the view that both short-term storage and executive functioning account for the relationship between WM and intelligence. This main conclusion stresses the importance of acknowledging core cognitive constructs as being hierarchical systems with general and domain-specific mechanisms.
Characterization of coaggregation between Bacteroides gingivalis T22 and Fusobacterium nucleatum T18

Bacterial adherence is a key factor in the colonization of the oral ecosystem, yet little is known about the mechanisms by which the pathogen Bacteroides gingivalis adheres in the periodontal environment. We examined the ability of strains of B. gingivalis to coaggregate with selected microorganisms isolated from the subgingival microbiota of the cynomolgus monkey. A strong interaction was demonstrated between strains of B. gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum, whereas less pronounced or no interaction was observed with other oral isolates. Electron microscopic examination of coaggregates revealed large masses of bacteria, in which the fusiform F. nucleatum T18 and coccobacillary B. gingivalis T22 cells formed a woven pattern. To investigate this interaction and the nature of the bacterial cell surface molecules involved, we used a microcoaggregation assay. Galactose and galactose-related sugars blocked coaggregation, in contrast with the lack of effect of glucose or glucose-related sugars. The ability of F. nucleatum T18 cells to coaggregate was diminished by pretreatment with pronase. Pretreatment of B. gingivalis T22 cells with pronase resulted in an inhibition of coaggregation, whereas pretreatment with sodium metaperiodate completely abolished coaggregation. These data suggest that the coaggregation between B. gingivalis T22 and F. nucleatum T18 represents a carbohydrate-lectin interaction, mediated by a galactose-containing carbohydrate on B. gingivalis T22 and a protein on F. nucleatum T18.
Climate Change Policy Choices and Technical Innovation

Climate policy makers, faced with the tradeoff between the damaging effects of greenhouse gases and the costs of reducing them, often look to technological change as the solution. However, good incentives for developing and making use of climate-friendly technologies depend critically on whether good climate policies are in place. This paper considers the economic forces that drive the creation and implementation of cleaner technologies. Greenhouse gas abatement policies are compared for the incentives they create for firms to innovate. A distinction is made between the innovations that lower one's own costs and those that can also be applicable to other firms. Climate policies compare differently depending on how widespread are the opportunities for technological adoption and the extent to which innovations can be imitated. The interaction between innovation and environmental policies over longer time horizons are also discussed, as well as the appropriate role for government in the research, development.