Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Greener purchasing activities within UK local authorities

Greener purchasing has a key role in reducing the negative environmental impacts of consumption by focusing on reducing procurement and selecting greener alternatives. Its application within local authorities is being driven by Local Agenda 21. A survey of 410 local authorities in England and Wales was used to establish the status of greener purchasing policies, assess methods used to implement such policies and evaluate the success of such policies. The rate of return was 44%, although the majority of questionnaires were not fully completed. It is apparent that many local authorities have integrated environmental considerations into purchasing policies. However, the majority of green purchasing policies were only rated as moderately successful, mainly due to the increased cost of greener products. It appears that local authorities are experiencing difficulties with implementation and maintenance of greener purchasing policies. Although limited guidance is available on greener purchasing, national guidance would be beneficial. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment
Energetic limits of phosphotransfer in the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase as measured by viscosity experiments.

Viscosogenic agents were used to test the diffusion limits of the reaction catalyzed by the catalytic subunit of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase. The effects of glycerol and sucrose on the maximum rate (kcat) and the apparent second-order rate constants (kcat/Kpeptide) for the phosphorylation of four peptidic substrates were measured at their pH optima. The agents were found to have moderate to no effect on kcat/Kpeptide for good and poor substrates, respectively. Conversely, kcat was highly sensitive to solvent viscosity for three of the four peptides at high concentrations of ATP. Taken together, these data indicate that enzymatic phosphorylation by the catalytic subunit proceeds with rapid or near rapid equilibrium binding of substrates and that all steps following the central substrate complex (i.e., chemical and conformational events) are fast relative to the rate-determining dissociation of product, ADP, when ATP levels are high. Under saturating concentrations of peptide I, LRRASLG, an unproductive form of the enzyme is populated. The observed phosphorylation rate from this complex is involved in rate limitation owing to a slow step separating unproductive and productive enzyme forms. The data are used to establish a kinetic mechanism for the catalytic subunit that predicts initial reaction velocities under varying concentrations of ATP and substrate.
Respiration of Escherichia coli in the Mouse Intestine

ABSTRACT Mammals are aerobes that harbor an intestinal ecosystem dominated by large numbers of anaerobic microorganisms. However, the role of oxygen in the intestinal ecosystem is largely unexplored. We used systematic mutational analysis to determine the role of respiratory metabolism in the streptomycin-treated mouse model of intestinal colonization. Here we provide evidence that aerobic respiration is required for commensal and pathogenic Escherichia coli to colonize mice. Our results showed that mutants lacking ATP synthase, which is required for all respiratory energy-conserving metabolism, were eliminated by competition with respiratory-competent wild-type strains. Mutants lacking the high-affinity cytochrome bd oxidase, which is used when oxygen tensions are low, also failed to colonize. However, the low-affinity cytochrome bo3 oxidase, which is used when oxygen tension is high, was found not to be necessary for colonization. Mutants lacking either nitrate reductase or fumarate reductase also had major colonization defects. The results showed that the entire E. coli population was dependent on both microaerobic and anaerobic respiration, consistent with the hypothesis that the E. coli niche is alternately microaerobic and anaerobic, rather than static. The results indicate that success of the facultative anaerobes in the intestine depends on their respiratory flexibility. Despite competition for relatively scarce carbon sources, the energy efficiency provided by respiration may contribute to the widespread distribution (i.e., success) of E. coli strains as commensal inhabitants of the mammalian intestine.
Backscatter wireless sensor network with WPT capabilities

Wireless sensor networks depend strongly on the battery duration, creating a passive sensor network scheme is one of the key strategies for IoT and or space oriented WSN systems. One of the possibilities for implementing this is to use backscatter radios, which uses a mechanism for switching the antenna load between two values and with that implement a simple and low power modulation scheme. Nevertheless, depending on the load, the energy harvesting mechanism is degraded in one of the impedance loads. This paper presents a rectifier design to harvest electrical energy for powering WSN's in both load conditions, by using two different frequencies. We found that, regarding the effect on the RF-DC conversion by modulation, almost no degradation was observed by changing modulation method under the low peak-to-average conditions.
Channels of Redistribution: Inequality and Poverty in the Russian Transition

Contrary to popular perception, Russia entered the transition with significant inequality. Using the large Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey dataset, we demonstrate that inequality has subsequently risen yet further and by end-1996 was roughly comparable to inequality in Mexico, Colombia or Malaysia. Driving this increase has been not only wealth transfers through privatization but also changes in government expenditure and a sharp growth in earnings dispersion. There has been a large, associated shift in the structure of income. The paper also looks at the incidence and depth of poverty over the period 1992-96. At the start of transition, roughly half the population of households fell below the poverty line. While this has subsequently declined, at end-1996 nearly 40 percent of households were below the poverty line and a substantial stratum of households were locked in chronic poverty.
The Epidemiology of Primary Headache Disorders

Primary headache disorders encompass a heterogeneous group of neurologic disorders that cause recurrent or persistent head pain without any clear underlying cause. The epidemiology of the most common primary headache disorders, tension-type headache and migraine, the most common trigeminal autonomic cephalalgia, cluster headache, as well as chronic daily headache are addressed in this review. The incidence, prevalence, burden, and comorbidities of these disorders are discussed, and the risk factors for progression from episodic to chronic daily headache are also reviewed.
Correlates of self-care behaviors among low-income elderly women with hypertension in South Korea.

OBJECTIVE To identify correlates of self-care behaviors among elderly, low-income Korean women with hypertension. RESEARCH DESIGN A secondary analysis of data from a community-based intervention trial for hypertension control. SETTING Three community health posts in the Gangwon province, South Korea. PARTICIPANTS Two hundred thirty-four (234) low-income elderly women (age 60-93) who had previously participated in a community-based intervention trial for hypertension control. METHODS The researchers collected data that included patient background characteristics, hypertension self-care behavior, self-efficacy of hypertension control, general knowledge of hypertension, and social support. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including hierarchical regression analysis. RESULTS The model explained 41.1% of the total variance in hypertension self-care behavior scores. Among elderly, low-income Korean women, the significant factors of their hypertension self-care behavior included: (a) self-efficacy of hypertension control (β = .62), (b) social support (β = .16), and (c) age (β = -.14). Hierarchical regression analysis showed that elderly Korean women that had higher self-efficacy of hypertension control, higher social support, and were younger were more likely to have higher hypertension self-care behavior scores. CONCLUSIONS The results highlight the need for interventions that focus on improving an individual's self-efficacy and social support to enhance hypertension self-care. The findings of this study can help nurses better understand hypertension self-care behavior in elderly, low-income Korean women.
Rational and intrinsic bubbles: a reinterpretation of empirical results

Generally, the empirical evaluation of rational and intrinsic bubbles in stock markets cannot be approached by the use of unit root tests, since the appropriate null hypothesis in such cases is that of the bubble rather than of a unit root process. In this paper, rational and intrinsic bubble processes are simulated using parameter values suggested by previous research. This suggests the possibility of testing bubbles by customized testing, i.e. through simulation of the process under the null hypothesis conditional on assumed a priori parameters of the process.
ORGANISATIONAL LEARNING, NON-TECHNICAL INNOVATION AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION OF SMEs

The purpose of the present study is to analyse the role of organisational learning as an antecedent to non-technical innovation comprising organisational and marketing innovation. Examining the effect of these dimensions of non-technical innovation on customer satisfaction is also an aim of the present study. The paper formulates research hypotheses based on a comprehensive literature review. These hypotheses are tested using structural equation modelling (SEM) based on data collected from 226 Greek small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The formulated conceptual model is strongly supported based on empirical evidence. The results confirm that organisational learning capability favours the development of organisational innovation and marketing innovation. Furthermore, the study shows that both dimensions of non-technical innovation promote the achievement of customer satisfaction.
Locally Served Network Computers

NCs are the natural evolution of PCs, ubiquitous computers everywhere. The current vision of NCs requires two improbable developments: (1) inexpensive high-bandwidth WAN links to the Internet, and (2) inexpensive centralized servers. The large NC bandwidth requirements will force each home or office to have a local server LAN attached to the NCs. These servers will be much less expensive to purchase and manage than a centralized solution. Centralized staff are expensive and unresponsive.
Decolonization, Democratization, and Communist Reform: The Soviet Collapse in Comparative Perspective

The collapse of the Soviet experiment, and of the country that embodied it, has sur ly been among the most dramatic d con sequential events of the postwar world, and indeed of the twentieth century. But how might this event, and the processes leading to it, be placed most effectively in a world historical context? How should world historians, as opposed to Russian or Soviet historians, treat the passing of the Soviet Union into history? One response might be to focus on the external roots of the Soviet collapse. The negative comparison with an economically flourishing capitalist world; the delegitimizing impact of an increasingly domi nant ethno-nationalist discourse on a multinational polity; the pres sure of Western containment policies and Cold War expenditures; the declining price of oil on the world market in the 1980s; the corrosive consequences of the Afghan debacle; the stimulus of a successful Chi nese reform program; the demonstration effect of the 1989 Eastern European revolutions? all of this and more testify to the "embedded ness" of the Soviet Union in a network of international linkages, many of which exacerbated the declining domestic sources of Soviet cohesion and vitality. Alternatively, world historians might highlight the global out comes or the global significance of the Soviet collapse. It marked the disappearance of the world's largest state, one that had been central to Eurasian political life for four centuries or more, and it occasioned new instability in many places along the borderlands of the former Soviet
Antitumor Activities and Apoptosis-regulated Mechanisms of Fermented Barley Extract in the Transplantation Tumor Model of Human HT-29 Cells in Nude Mice.

OBJECTIVE A subcutaneous transplantation tumor model of human HT-29 cells was established in nude mice to study the anticarcinogenic activities and apoptosis-regulatory mechanistic effect of aqueous extract of fermented barley with Lactobacillus plantarum dy-1 (LFBE). METHODS HT-29 cells were transplanted via subcutaneous injection of 1 × 107cells into the right flank of each nude mouse. Then, nude mice were treated for 30 days with LFBE (high-dose 2 g·kg-1·d-1; low-dose 1 g·kg-1·d-1) and for 7 days with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU, 25 g·kg-1·d-1) by gavage and intraperitoneal injection, respectively. RESULTS Tumor volume and weight decreased significantly in both groups of nude mice treated with LFBE. In addition, the cell apoptosis rate of the LFBE group was significantly higher than that of the control group and 5-FU groups as measured by the TUNEL assay. Moreover, the real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR and Western blot methods further confirmed these apoptosis-enhancing and growth-inhibiting effects. The involvement of LFBE in inducing apoptosis was confirmed by the expression of Bax, Bcl-2, caspase-3, and cyclinD1. CONCLUSION The results showed that LFBE could induce subcutaneous transplantation tumor apoptosis in nude mice and could be used as a natural nutrient supplement or chemopreventive agent in the treatment of human colon cancer.
Downlink spectral efficiency evaluation with carrier aggregation in LTE-Advanced system employing Adaptive Modulation and Coding schemes

High spectral efficiency is considered as one of the most significant requirements that should be achieved in LTE-Advanced standard in order to fulfil the requirements of IMT-Advanced technology. Carrier Aggregation (CA) and Adaptive Modulation and Coding (AMC) techniques are considered as two potential techniques that can provide high spectral efficiency in wireless communication systems. In this paper, CA technique employing AMC scheme will be implemented to further enhance spectral efficiency performance. Meanwhile, this paper is targeted to simplify a mathematical formulation for calculating spectral efficiency when CA technique is implemented employing AMC scheme. Simulation results show that, the CA technique employing AMC scheme based on the formulated mathematical expression significantly achieve the best possible performance in terms of spectral efficiency in the downlink transmission compared to the performance of Non-CA based on single Component Carrier (CC) employing AMC scheme.
A Content and Comparative Analysis of Strategic Management Research in the Baltic Area: A Research Agenda for Qualitative Studies

This paper aims to provide a research agenda for qualitative studies in the field of strategic management (SM) in the Baltic area. A total of 167 strategic management-related articles in this area between 2000 and 2013 were found. The content within title, abstract and authors’ keywords were analysed by means of a multiple correspondence analysis based on the HOMALS procedure. The intellectual structure of SM in the Baltic area is to some extent similar to the global structure of the field. Hence research on this topic in the Baltic area is well integrated in the field. Three topics of interest have been identified while the fourth seems to offer more limited opportunities for qualitative studies. These are: Entry and Competition; Strategic Behaviour and the Micro-foundations of Strategy; the Growth-Performance Relationship; and Global Strategies. Despite the modest number of articles in our sample, the findings are consistent with past research on the structure of the SM field. The classification of articles into qualitative- and quantitative-based methods helped provide a research agenda. SM scholars in the Baltic area may find this article as an interesting input to their quest for finding and justifying their own research path. This is an original literature review. The use of a quantitative method in the literature review and the suggested matrix is a second original contribution to evolving methodologies for content analysis. The method allows the inclusion of large samples while limiting the use of scholars’ intuition.
Sexual orientation and mental health: results from a community survey of young and middle-aged adults.

BACKGROUND Community surveys have reported a higher rate of mental health problems in combined groups of homosexual and bisexual participants, but have not separated these two groups. AIMS To assess separately the mental health of homosexual and bisexual groups compared with heterosexuals. METHOD A community survey of 4824 adults was carried out in Canberra, Australia. Measures covered anxiety, depression, suicidality, alcohol misuse, positive and negative affect and a range of risk factors for poorer mental health. RESULTS The bisexual group was highest on measures of anxiety, depression and negative affect, with the homosexual group falling between the other two groups. Both the bisexual and homosexual groups were high on suicidality. Bisexuals also had more current adverse life events, greater childhood adversity, less positive support from family, more negative support from friends and a higher frequency of financial problems. Homosexuals reported greater childhood adversity and less positive support from family. CONCLUSIONS The bisexual group had the worst mental health, although homosexual participants also tended to report more distress.
A method for quantifying freshwater discharge rates from satellite observations and Lagrangian numerical modeling of river plumes

Satellite remote sensing is an efficient tool for identifying buoyant river plumes in the coastal ocean that are formed by the interaction between river discharge and ambient seawater. A new method for reconstructing the volume rates of river discharge based on the shape, extent and orientation of plumes is described that combines the output from a Lagrangian numerical model and analyses of satellite imagery. At the first step in the procedure, a high resolution satellite image is used to identify the river plume. The spatial characteristics of the plume as seen in the image are not determined solely by the current river discharge rate, as they also depend on the hydrographic features in the sea and atmospheric forcing. A previously developed and validated hydrodynamic model for river plumes is run with a variety of forcing conditions to identify the discharge rate that provides the best match between modeled and observed plumes. The method can be applied to estimate indirectly discharge from small rivers and streams, many of which lack direct measurements. Here it has been applied and validated against in situ data for two rivers feeding the eastern part of the Black Sea.
A pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic model for intrathecal baclofen in patients with severe spasticity.

AIMS Intrathecal baclofen (ITB) has proven to be an effective and safe treatment for severe spasticity. However, although ITB is used extensively, clinical decisions are based on very scarce pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PKPD) data. The aim of this study was to measure baclofen CSF concentrations and clinical effects after administration of various ITB boluses in patients with spasticity and to create a PKPD model for ITB. METHODS Twelve patients with severe spasticity received four different bolus doses of ITB (0, 25, 50, 75 μg and an optional dose of 100 μg), administered via a catheter with the tip at thoracic level (Th) 10. After each bolus, 10 CSF samples were taken at fixed time intervals, using a catheter with the tip located at Th12. Clinical effect was assessed by measuring spasticity with the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS). These data were used to develop a PKPD model. RESULTS All patients achieved an adequate spasmolytic effect with ITB doses varying from 50 to 100 μg. No serious side effects were observed. CSF baclofen concentrations, as well as the clinical effects, correlated significantly with ITB doses. The PK model predicted a steep spinal concentration gradient of ITB along the spinal axis. The clinical effect could be predicted using a delayed-effect model. CONCLUSIONS ITB is an effective and safe therapy with, however, a steep concentration gradient along the spinal axis. This means that the administered baclofen is staying mainly around the catheter tip, which stresses the importance to position the ITB catheter tip closely to the targeted spinal level.
To what Extent is Risk Grouping Method Successful in Deciding Surgical Staging in Endometrial Cancer?

Purpose The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the success rate of risk grouping method for staging surgery by exploring the rate of lymph node metastasis (LNM) in patients with endometrial cancer (EC) according to low-risk (LR) and high-risk (HR) groups. Methods Patient files were reviewed retrospectively and the data of 268 patients were included in the study who underwent lymph node dissection (LND) for EC. Nodal status, histopathologic type, myometrial invasion (MI), tumor size (TS), and grade (G) were evaluated. In the LR group, all the criteria were required (G 1-2, <1/2 MI, type 1 histology, <2 cm TS), but in the HR group, one of them was enough (G 3 or ≥1/2 MI or type 2 histology or ≥2 cm TS). Results A total of 84 (31.3%) and 184 (68.7%) patients were grouped LR and HR, respectively. In total, 23 patients had LNM (8.5%) out of 268 surgically staged EC patients. Lymph node metastasis was significantly (p = 0.001) more common in the HR group of patients (2.4%, 2/84 LR vs 11.4%, 21/184 HR). Cancer-specific survival (CSS) rates in groups were 96.8% and 88.6%, respectively (p = 0.009). Conclusions In patients with EC, there is a significant difference between LR and HR groups for LNM and CSS rates. But this method of stratification is not adequate to separate them for deciding whether surgical staging is mandatory. Moreover, even most of the HR patients (163/184, 88.6%) are exposed to unnecessary LND. Perhaps they are not really HR and the HR definition needs to be revised.
The link between 'green' and economic success: environmental management as the crucial trigger between environmental and economic performance.

The link between environmental and economic performance has been widely debated in the literature for the last ten to fifteen years. One view is that improved environmental performance mainly causes extra costs for the firm and thus reduces profitability. However, also the opposite has been argued for: improved environmental performance would induce cost savings and increase sales and thus improve economic performance. Theoretical and empirical research have provided arguments for both positions and have not been conclusive so far. This article discusses reasons for the different views and the differences in empirical research and presents a theoretical framework to explain the coexistence of the conflicting views. It is argued that not merely the level of environmental performance, but mainly the kind of environmental management with which a certain level is achieved, influences the economic outcome. The model presented provides implications for both empirical research and company management in practice. Research and business practice should focus less on general correlations and more on causal relationships of eco-efficiency, i.e. the effect of different environmental management approaches on economic performance.