Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Book Review Essay: Trade, Sustainable Development, and the Environment

The relationship among the international trade regime, environmental regulation, and the concept of sustainable development is one that is the focus of considerable attention among both academics and negotiators. There has been considerable evolution in the discussion of this issue in the past decade or so, from the trade-is-good vs. trade-is-bad debate of that era to a considerably more nuanced discussion today. Three recent volumes that participate in this discussion do so in different ways, and provide both a variety of perspectives on the issue and a good overview of the state of the debate. None of the volumes focus exclusively on the general relationship among trade, sustainable development, and the environment, but nonetheless taken together they generate three common themes that come out of the current state of the literature. The Earthscan Reader, edited by Kevin Gallagher and Jacob Werksman, would seem on the face of it to be the volume most focused on the interrelationship in question here. This volume is a reader, intended to provide an overview of the state of the literature on this issue rather than to probe a particular aspect of it or put forward a particular argument. In this aim, the volume succeeds well. It is in fact broader than the title indicates; it might be more accurately titled Globalization, the International Economy, and Sustainable Development. On speciacally trade-related issues, it has chapters that cover investment rules, intellectual property rules, and health and safety rules as well as discussions of WTO dispute resolution and the relationship between the WTO and Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs). With respect to globalization more broadly, it has chapters on the environmental policy race to the bottom, the
A photo-crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel growth factor release vehicle for wound healing applications

The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a hydrogel vehicle for sustained release of growth factors for wound healing applications. Hydrogels were fabricated using ultraviolet photo-crosslinking of acrylamide-functionalized nondegradable poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). Protein permeability was initially assessed using trypsin inhibitor (TI), a 21 000 MW model protein drug. TI permeability was altered by changing the solids content of the gel and by adding hydrophilic PVA fillers. As the PVA content increased from 10% to 20%, protein flux decreased, with no TI permeating through 20% PVA hydrogels. Further increase in model drug release was achieved by incorporating hydrophilic PVA fillers into the hydrogel. As filler molecular weight increased, TI flux increased. The mechanism for this is most likely an alteration in protein/gel interactions and transient variations in water content. The percent protein released was also altered by varying protein loading concentration. Release studies conducted using growth factor in vehicles with hydrophilic filler showed sustained release of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-β,β) for up to 3 days compared with less than 24 hours in the controls. In vitro bioactivity was demonstrated by doubling of normal human dermal fibroblas numbers when exposed to growth factor-loaded vehicle compared to control. The release vehicle developed in this study uses a rapid and simple fabrication method, and protein release can be tailored by modifying solid content, incorporating biocompatible hydrophilic fillers, and varying protein loading concentration.
Exploring occupational balance in adults in Sweden

Abstract Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the relationship between occupational balance (measured by the occupational balance questionnaire [OBQ]) and self-rated health and life satisfaction. A secondary aim was to explore differences in occupational balance among adults in Sweden. Methods: The 153 participants (63% women), recruited using convenience sampling, answered a questionnaire comprising demographic questions, the OBQ, one item about self-rated health, and one about life satisfaction. The OBQ was analysed for correlation with subjective health and life satisfaction. The OBQ and its individual items were also analysed for correlations with age and for differences between men and women and participants living with children younger than 18 years versus not. Results: The OBQ was significantly positively correlated to self-rated health and life satisfaction, supporting the relationship between occupational balance and health. No significant correlation between age and the total OBQ was identified but some differences in occupational balance, related to whether the participant was living with or without children at home, were revealed. Conclusions: The results should be interpreted with caution due to the nature of the sample and data but they can serve as a point of departure for further studies and hypotheses regarding occupational balance in different populations.
Robust Kalman filter of continuous-time Markov jump linear systems based on state estimation performance

Robust Kalman filtering problem for a class of continuous-time Markov jump linear systems with uncertain second-order statistical properties is investigated. Uncertainty is modeled by allowing process and observation noises spectral density matrices to vary arbitrarily within given classes. The upper bounds of the perturbation to the noise covariance matrices are given based on the estimation error performance, and a steady-state estimator is therefore adopted under the worst situation. Not only can this method minimize the worst performance function of the uncertainty, but the error performance can be guaranteed to be within a given bound. Finally the developed theory is illustrated by a numerical example.
MEMS energy harvester for wireless biosensors

This paper reports a motion energy harvester integrated with a battery-less wireless transmitter, and the successful transmission of low power pulses representing sensor data. An electrostatic harvester, primed by voltage representing sensor data, delivers output pulses to a resonant transmitter with an integrated antenna. This is the first ever reported demonstration, to our knowledge, of wireless sensor transmission solely powered by MEMS energy harvesting devices.
Determinants of Inflation in a Transition Economy: The Case of Ukraine

This paper examines determinants of inflation in Ukraine during 1993-2002 in a cointegrating framework. Two basic theoretical models--a markup and a money market model--are tested. While broad money is cointegrated with the CPI for the whole sample and for early subsamples, the cointegration ceases to be statistically significant between 1996-2002, in part because of strong remonetization. The mark-up model offers a more consistent and well-fitting overall framework for 1996-2002 data, pointing inter alia to a greater role of administered prices in the CPI within a fairly mainstream inflation process. The long-term monetary transmission mechanism operates through the exchange rate and wages, but broad money clearly enters short-term inflation determinants. Prudent macroeconomic policies, grain harvests, and administrative decisions explain the sharp decline of inflation over 2000-2002.
The Logic of Party Alignments

This paper presents a theoretical framework for analyzing change in party alignments that highlights their underlying logic and dynamic evolution. The framework is based on three analytical concepts - opportunity, motive and means. The opportunity for partisan change increases as party alignments age because aging alignments include a growing proportion of incompletely socialized and weakly aligned citizens. Motive is ever-present because of losing, but rational-calculating politicians need to dislodge the current majority and institute one of their own. And the means of partisan change are provided by powerful new issues that can split the majority party's fragile coalition. It is the dynamic interaction among these three elements that leads to the natural evolution of party alignments.
Lipid Lowering by Simvastatin Induces Regression of Human Atherosclerotic Lesions: Two Years’ Follow-Up by High-Resolution Noninvasive Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Background—Statins are widely used to treat hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerotic disease. Noninvasive MRI allows serial monitoring of atherosclerotic plaque size changes. Our aim was to investigate the effects of lipid lowering with simvastatin on atherosclerotic lesions. Methods and Results—A total of 44 aortic and 32 carotid artery plaques were detected in 21 asymptomatic hypercholesterolemic patients at baseline. The effects of statin on these atherosclerotic lesions were evaluated as changes versus baseline in lumen area (LA), vessel wall thickness (VWT), and vessel wall area (VWA) by MRI. Maximal reduction of plasma total and LDL cholesterol by simvastatin (23% and 38% respectively;P <0.01 versus baseline) was achieved after ≈6 weeks of therapy and maintained thereafter throughout the study. Significant (P <0.01) reductions in maximal VWT and VWA at 12 months (10% and 11% for aortic and 8% and 11% for carotid plaques, respectively), without changes in LA, have been reported. Further decreases in VWT and VWA ranging from 12% to 20% were observed at 18 and 24 months. A slight but significant increase (ranging from 4% to 6%) in LA was seen in both carotid and aortic lesions at these later time points. Conclusion—The present study demonstrates that maintained lipid-lowering therapy with simvastatin is associated with significant regression of established atherosclerotic lesions in humans. Our observations indicate that lipid-lowering therapy is associated with sustained vascular remodeling and emphasize the need for longer-term treatment.
Assessing the Potential of Internet Political Participation in the United States

An emerging scholarly consensus asserts that patterns of Internet political participation will merely imitate the established patterns of participatory inequality in the United States. Because those from advantaged backgrounds access the medium at higher rates, the opportunities to participate via the Internet should disproportionately extend to high-resource individuals. I argue that the focus on access has important theoretical limitations. If one accepts the future possibility of near-equal access, then explorations of the Internet’s participatory potential should include theoretical guidance about what types of individuals would most likely participate if equal Internet access were achieved. Drawing on diverse literature, two expectations develop; one predicts the reinforcement of existing participation patterns, and the other suggests a change in those patterns to include new types of individuals. I empirically test these competing claims, concluding that given equalized access, the Internet shows genuine potential to bring new individuals into the political process.
The Relation of Diabetes, Impaired Fasting Blood Glucose, and Insulin Resistance to Left Ventricular Structure and Function in African Americans

OBJECTIVE We assessed the relation of diabetes and insulin resistance (IR) on left ventricular (LV) structure and function in African Americans. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Among those receiving echocardiograms in cycle 1 of the Jackson Heart Study, we assessed the sex-specific relation of fasting blood glucose (FBG), diabetes, and IR to LV structure and function, adjusting for age, systolic blood pressure, antihypertensive medications, and BMI. RESULTS Among 2,399 participants, LV mass index (Pwomen = 0.0002 and Pmen = 0.02), posterior wall thickness (Pwomen = 0.01 and Pmen = 0.05), and interventricular septal wall thickness (Pwomen = 0.01) were related to FBG categories. Among those with normal FBG and no diabetes, concentric remodeling and low ejection fraction in women and LV mass index and posterior wall thickness in men were related to IR. CONCLUSIONS In the largest study of its kind in a community-based cohort of African Americans, we found a relation of FBG category and IR to LV structure and function.
Chemoattractant Receptors Activate Distinct Pathways for Chemotaxis and Secretion

Human leukocyte chemoattractant receptors activate chemotactic and cytotoxic pathways to varying degrees and also activate different G-proteins depending on the receptor and the cell-type. To determine the relationship between G-protein usage and the biological and biochemical responses activated, receptors for the chemoattractants formyl peptides (FR), platelet-activating factor (PAFR), and leukotriene B4 (BLTR) were transfected into RBL-2H3 cells. Pertussis toxin (Ptx) served as a Gαiinhibitor. These receptors were chosen to represent the spectrum of Gi usage as Ptx had differential effects on their ability to induce calcium mobilization, phosphoinositide hydrolysis, and exocytosis with complete inhibition of all responses by FR, intermediate effects on BLTR, and little effect on PAFR. Ptx did not affect ligand-induced phosphorylation of PAFR and BLTR but inhibited phosphorylation of FR. In contrast, chemotaxis to formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine, leukotriene B4, and platelet-activating factor was completely blocked by Ptx. Wortmannin, a phosphotidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor, also completely blocked ligand-induced chemotaxis by all receptors but did not affect calcium mobilization or phosphoinositide hydrolysis; however, it partially blocked the exocytosis response to formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine and the platelet-activating factor. Membrane ruffling and pseudopod extension via the BLTR was also completely inhibited by both Ptx and wortmannin. These data suggest that of the chemoattractant receptors studied, G-protein usage varies with FR being totally dependent on Gi, whereas BLTR and PAFR utilize both Gi and a Ptx-insensitive G-protein. Both Ptx-sensitive and -insensitive G-protein usage can mediate the activation of phospholipase C, mobilization of intracellular calcium, and exocytosis by chemoattractant receptors. Chemotaxis, however, had an absolute requirement for a Gi-mediated pathway.
Introduction: trade unions and labour relations in the United States

This introductory article provides European readers with a succinct review of the organisation and activity of trade unions in the US. It also provides an analytical framework within which some of the strategic options available to US trade unions in the new millennium may be analysed. Three options are addressed: ‘reform for competitive advantage', ‘associational unionism’ and an adversarial ‘social-movement strategy'. Cet article introductif présente aux lecteurs européens un résumé succinct de l'organisation et de l'activité des syndicats aux Etats-Unis. Il fournit également un cadre analytique dans lequel peuvent ětre analysées quelques-unes des alternatives stratégiques mises à la disposition des syndicats américains dans le nouveau millénaire. Trois options sont mises en avant: la réforme concernant les avantages compétitifs, l'«associational unionism» coopératif qui est orienté vers la gestion des ressources humaines et une stratégie de mouvement social contestataire. Dieser einleitende Artikel bietet europäischen Lesern und Leserinnen einen knappen Überblick der Organisation und Aktivitäten der US-amerikanischen Gewerkschaften. Es wird auch ein analytischer Rahmen angeboten, innerhalb dessen sich einige der strategischen Optionen analysiert werden können, die den Gewerkschaften im neuen Jahrtausend offenstehen. Betrachtet werden drei Strategien: Reform zur Steigerung der Wettbewerbsfähigkeit, ein kooperativer ‘associational unionism', der sich an Human Resource Management anlehnt, und eine konfliktorientierte Strategie, die Gewerkschaften als soziale Bewegung begreift.
3D segmentation of the mouse spleen in microCT via active contours

We present in this paper a novel method for 3D segmentation of the mouse spleen in X-ray CT (microCT) data. Our approach is based upon the 2D "active contours for smooth without edges" algorithm. We introduce a simple statistical weighting scheme that improves region contrast and segmentation performance. We extend the 2D approach to 3D by slice-to-slice processing, including the 3D flow of image statistics. The technique requires no training and operates semi-automatically, requiring only the entry of a single seed point within the spleen. Results are shown that demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach
A theory of selection for gamut mapping colour constancy

Gamut mapping colour constancy attempts to determine the set of diagonal matrices taking the gamut of image colours under an unknown illuminant into the gamut of colours observed under a standard illuminant. Forsyth (1990) developed such an algorithm in rgb sensor space which Finlayson (1996) later modified to work in a 2-d chromaticity space. In this paper we prove that Forsyth's 3-d solution gamut is, when projected to 2-d, identical to the gamut recovered by the 2-d algorithm. Whilst this implies that there is no inherent disadvantage in working in chromaticity space, this algorithm has a number of problems; the 2-d solution set is distorted and contains practically non-feasible illuminants. These problems have been addressed separately in previous works; we address them together in this paper. Non-feasible illuminants are discarded by intersecting the solution gamut with a non-convex gamut of common illuminants. In 2-d this intersection is relatively simple, but to remove the distortion, both these sets should be represented as 3-d cones of mappings, and the intersection is more difficult. We present an algorithm which avoids performing this intersection explicitly and which is simple to implement. Tests of this algorithm on both real and synthetic images show that it performs significantly better than the best current algorithms.
The impact of strategic behaviours on hotel performance

Purpose – This study has a twofold purpose: to identify the competitive strategies and advantages of hotels located in the province of Alicante (Spain); and to inform hotel managers about how some key strategic variables (size, type of hotel management, category and competitive advantage) impact on hotel performance.Design/methodology/approach – A study of the population was carried out using a questionnaire addressed to hotel managers. A principal components factor analysis was performed to identify business strategies. In addition, hotels were grouped together according to the key strategic variables and the degree of development of the different business strategies implemented.Findings – A comparative study of the performance levels achieved by each strategic group was carried out for the purpose of checking whether any of them produced significantly higher performance levels. In the light of the results, if hotels are to achieve higher performance levels, they should preferably be medium or large size.
Assessing Policy Capacity for Climate Change Adaptation: Governance Arrangements, Resource Deployments, and Analytical Skills in Canadian Infrastructure Policy Making

Abstract This article examines the infrastructure policy sector’s capacity to respond to climate change adaptationthrough an analysis of the Canadian case. It includes a three-level examination of capacity: at the macrolevel through a virtual policy network analysis; at the meso level through examination of the leaddepartment’s evolving mandate and resources; and at the micro level through analysis of survey datarelated to departmental workers policy tasks and attitudes. Four hypotheses across these three levels are setout and tested at the national and subnational levels. Together, the ﬁndings suggest that the policycapacity in the Canadian infrastructure sector will be unable to meet the demands placed upon the sectorto respond to the increasing challenges of climate change adaptation. KEY WORDS: infrastructure policy, Canada, federal–provincial relations, climate change, policy capac-ity, organizational routines, policy change Introduction F orecasted increases in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events andclimate variability have direct effects on the average conditions in which most majorinfrastructure operates (Auld, 2008; Auld & MacIver, 2005; Infrastructure Canada,2006). As such, climate change adaptation will require substantial changes to thelarge-scale technical structures that support a society, such as roads, water supply,wastewater, power grids, ports, and communications infrastructure (Auld M Harchaoui, Tarkhani, & Warren, 2004; Larson, 2003; Lemmen,Warren, Lacroix, & Bush, 2007). Infrastructure assets generally have the following attributes: (1) they are largenetworks constructed over generations, which are not often replaced as a wholesystem; (2) the system or network has a long and indeﬁnite life because its servicecapacity is maintained in perpetuity (by continual refurbishment or replacement ofcomponents as they wear out); (3) the system components are interdependent andnot usually capable of subdivision or separate disposal and consequently are notreadily disposable within the commercial marketplace; and (4) the assets have a
The Value of Public Sector Annual Reports and Annual Reporting Awards in Organisational Legitimacy

Despite considerable diversity in Australian public sector organisations, annual reports have been promoted as an appropriate tool to discharge the accountability of all government agencies. Further, annual reporting competitions have been promoted as a means of ensuring the quality of those annual reports. The limited prior research which addresses these issues ignores the possibility that there may be a variation in the value of both the annual report and the competition depending on the type of public sector organization. This study applies institutional theory, informed by accountability theory, to understand the influence of stakeholders on the annual reporting practices and policies adopted by organisations. It focuses on the Queensland public sector and the Queensland Annual Reporting Award (QARA) and uses a series of case studies to examine the value of the annual report. Consistent with institutional theory, the results indicate that both the annual report and competition entry were used as legitimising tools. Further, cross sectional variation in the perceived value of the annual report and the entry into the annual reporting competition was found.
Spatial alignment of human cortex by matching hierarchical patterns of functional connectivity

A novel cortical surface registration method is proposed to spatially align inter-subject cortical surfaces by maximizing the similarity of their hierarchical patterns of local functional connectivity extracted from fMRI data. The cortical surface with fMRI data is characterized by functional connectivity information for each vertex of the surface to its spatial neighbors on the cortex sheet at multiple spatial scales with a hierarchical structure. Each vertex's functional connectivity information at a given scale is represented as a probability distribution of functional connectivity measures between functional signals of the vertex and its neighbors so that the functional connectivity information is independent on the vertices' spatial locations. The cortical surface registration is implemented under the spherical demons framework by matching different cortical surfaces' functional connectivity information. The experimental results for the registration of both task and resting-state fMRI data across different subjects have demonstrated that the proposed algorithm could improve the functional consistency of cortical surfaces of different subjects, and compared favorably with state-of-the-art cortical surface registration techniques.