Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Environmental management in the United Kingdom: new survey evidence

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a snapshot of environmental management practices in the UK and discuss managerial responses to environmental issues in comparison with earlier research.Design/methodology/approach – A telephone interview survey approach is adopted encompassing both quantitative and qualitative open‐ended questions with a sample of 167 UK companies stratified by firm size and industry sector.Findings – The majority of firms are undertaking efforts to reduce their environmental impacts, yet economic considerations such as cost and risk reductions and achieving compliance with environmental legislation dominate firms' environmental behaviour. Especially small and medium‐sized firms appear to rely on relatively short‐term planning horizons, which ultimately prevent them from becoming more proactive in their environmental outlook. Comparison with earlier studies suggests that the overall behaviour of firms towards environmental issues remains reactive and economically‐oriented.
KNJIŽNICE KOT DEJAVNIK OBLIKOVANJA JAVNOSTI: POGLED SODOBNIH TEORIJ

Abstract Due to the nature of their services and pursuit of public interest, libraries have always been an important segment of public life. They have performed such a role in the past quite remarkably, but the question is to what extent are they able to contribute to the formation of attention which one should like to observe in the contemporary public? Or from another angle, the question is – what is the role that contemporary theories of the public attribute to libraries; how do they model the contribution that libraries may have in the formation and activity of the public. In this respect, the paper sets up a broader theoretical perspective in which it addresses issues about what or where is the public, what is the public as a social category, and to what extent can libraries themselves be seen as parts of their own public(s). One of the main aims of this paper is to show that any practical dilemma will remain unsolved if it is not regarded within a wider perspective “ajared” by the theories of the public. On could summarize this aim with the following question: what role does the library play in the formation and operation of the public? Although it may seem that in the present context it is primarily the libraries who are in search of their public, it is far more important to recognize, however, that the contemporary public is even more dependent on libraries as dynamic information centers. There exists a complex and mutual relation of interdependence between libraries and the public. Similarly as libraries need a public that is active, investigative and vocal, also the public requires a library that is as systematic, accessible, organized and instructive as possible.
Pitfalls and Challenges for Trust and Effectiveness in Collaborative Networks

Abstract Collaborative networks in the public and non-profit sector face challenges that are typical for their institutional context. The typical characteristics that might impede the functioning of networks and, in particular, the development of trust and network effectiveness, are related to type of instigation, network flexibility, and power in the form of unbalanced influence and the vertical character of networks. In a sample of 52 networks, the effects of network flexibility, mandatory and vertical networks, and influence on trust and network effectiveness were studied. Findings indicated that particularly flexibility in networks was important and that cognition-based trust played a central role in obtaining effective networks.
Semantic Preference-Based Personalized Recommendation on Heterogeneous Information Network

In recent years, the Internet has become an indispensable part of people’s lives, and it offers increasingly comprehensive information tailored to people’s personal preferences as well as commodity attribute information. Consequently, many researchers have used external information to improve recommendation technology. However, most previous studies consider only adding single relationship types, such as social networking friend-relationships. In the real world, considering multiple types of external relations can more accurately determine the reason why a user selected an item. To address this problem, in this paper, we propose a hybrid method called the semantic preference-based personalized recommendation on heterogeneous information networks (SPR), which combines user feedback scores with heterogeneous information networks. This method can improve recommendation problems by considering multiple types of external relationships. To apply the method, we first introduce a similarity measure between users based on a user’s potential preferences in the meta-path and design the recommended model at the global and individual level. Finally, we perform experiments on two real-world data sets, finding that the SPR method achieves better results compared with the several widely employed and the state-of-the-art recommendation methods.
Expression of BRC Repeats in Breast Cancer Cells Disrupts the BRCA2-Rad51 Complex and Leads to Radiation Hypersensitivity and Loss of G2/M Checkpoint Control*

BRCA2 is a breast tumor suppressor with a potential function in the cellular response to DNA damage. BRCA2 binds to Rad51 through its BRC repeats. In support of the biological significance of this interaction, we found that the complex of BRCA2 and Rad51 in breast cancer MCF-7 cells was diminished upon conditional expression of a wild-type, but not a mutated, BRC4 repeat using the tetracycline-inducible system. Cells expressing a wild-type BRC4 repeat showed hypersensitivity to γ-irradiation, an inability to form Rad51 radiation-induced foci, and a failure of radiation-induced G2/M, but not G1/S, checkpoint control. These results strongly suggest that the interaction between BRCA2 and Rad51 mediated by BRC repeats is critical for the cellular response to DNA damage.
Cost-effectiveness of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators.

BACKGROUND Eight randomized trials have evaluated whether the prophylactic use of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) improves survival among patients who are at risk for sudden death due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction but who have not had a life-threatening ventricular arrhythmia. We assessed the cost-effectiveness of the ICD in the populations represented in these primary-prevention trials. METHODS We developed a Markov model of the cost, quality of life, survival, and incremental cost-effectiveness of the prophylactic implantation of an ICD, as compared with control therapy, among patients with survival and mortality rates similar to those in each of the clinical trials. We modeled the efficacy of the ICD as a reduction in the relative risk of death on the basis of the hazard ratios reported in the individual clinical trials. RESULTS Use of the ICD increased lifetime costs in every trial. Two trials--the Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) Patch Trial and the Defibrillator in Acute Myocardial Infarction Trial (DINAMIT)--found that the prophylactic implantation of an ICD did not reduce the risk of death and thus was both more expensive and less effective than control therapy. For the other six trials--the Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial (MADIT) I, MADIT II, the Multicenter Unsustained Tachycardia Trial (MUSTT), the Defibrillators in Non-Ischemic Cardiomyopathy Treatment Evaluation (DEFINITE) trial, the Comparison of Medical Therapy, Pacing, and Defibrillation in Heart Failure (COMPANION) trial, and the Sudden Cardiac Death in Heart Failure Trial (SCD-HeFT)--the use of an ICD was projected to add between 1.01 and 2.99 quality-adjusted life-years (QALY) and between 68,300 dollars and 101,500 dollars in cost. Using base-case assumptions, we found that the cost-effectiveness of the ICD as compared with control therapy in these six populations ranged from 34,000 dollars to 70,200 dollars per QALY gained. Sensitivity analyses showed that this cost-effectiveness ratio would remain below 100,000 dollars per QALY as long as the ICD reduced mortality for seven or more years. CONCLUSIONS Prophylactic implantation of an ICD has a cost-effectiveness ratio below 100,000 dollars per QALY gained in populations in which a significant device-related reduction in mortality has been demonstrated.
Policy shifts influence the functional changes of the CNH systems on the Mongolian plateau

By applying the concept of the coupled natural and human system (CNH), we compared spatiotemporal changes in livestock (LSK), land cover, and ecosystem production to understand the relative roles that natural and social driving forces have on CNH dynamics on the Mongolia plateau. We used socioeconomic and physical data at prefecture level for Inner Mongolia and Mongolia from 1981 through 2010 to represent changes in net primary productivity (NPP), enhanced vegetation index (EVI), precipitation, annual average temperature, LSK, livestock density (LSKD), land cover change (LCC), gross domestic production (GDP), and population (POP). The ratios such as LSK:NPP, LSKD: EVI, LSKD:albedo, LSK:POP, and LSK:GDP were examined and compared between Inner Mongolia and Mongolia, and structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to quantify the complex interactions. Substantial differences in LSK, POP, and economic development were found among the biomes and between Inner Mongolia and Mongolia. When various indicators for policy shifts—such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) for China, the Third Campaign to Reclaim Abandoned Agriculture Lands (ATAR-3), and the Grain for Green Program for China (GFG)—were added into our SEM, the results showed significant change in the strength of the above relationships. After China joined the WTO, the relationships in Inner Mongolia between LSKD:LCC and LSKD:NPP were immensely strengthened, whereas relationships in NPP:LCC were weakened. In Mongolia, the ATAR-3 program first appeared to be an insignificant policy, but the Collapse of the Soviet Union enhanced the correlation between LSKD:LCC, weakened the connection of LCC:NPP, and did not affect LSKD:NPP. We conclude that human influences on the Mongolian CNH system exceeded those of the biophysical changes, but that the significance varies in time and per biome, as well as between Inner Mongolia and Mongolia.
Colonization history of the high‐arctic pink‐footed goose Anser brachyrhynchus

Population structure and phylogeography of the pink‐footed goose, Anser brachyrhynchus Baillon 1833, was studied using mtDNA control region sequences (221 bp) from 142 individuals. Present breeding areas of the species in Greenland, Iceland, and Svalbard were largely covered by ice during the late Pleistocene. In pairwise comparisons φST estimates showed significant differentiation among eastern and western populations, whereas sampling localities within both areas were not differentiated. The mtDNA data indicate that the populations have separated recently (less than 10 000 years ago) and present breeding areas were colonized from one refugial population. The levels of haplotype and nucleotide diversity were approximately five times higher for the eastern population compared to the western population and suggest that the latter was colonized by a subset of eastern birds. Time to the most recent common ancestor of the species is 32 000–46 000 years, i.e. the present mtDNA variation of the pink‐footed goose has accumulated during the last 0.1 My. Estimates of the long‐term female effective population size (5400–7700 for the eastern population) imply that the refugial population of the pink‐footed goose has been large. Tundra habitats were more extensive in cold periods of the late Pleistocene than today and may have sustained population sizes that allowed the accumulation of extant genetic polymorphism. It is not probable that the postulated small refugial areas in the high latitudes had a significant role in maintaining this diversity.
Duration of tick attachment as a predictor of the risk of Lyme disease in an area in which Lyme disease is endemic.

Animal studies have shown an exponential increase in the risk of Borrelia burgdorferi infection after 48-72 h of deer tick attachment. Persons with tick bites were prospectively studied to determine if those with prolonged tick attachment constitute a high-risk group for infection. Ticks were identified, measured for engorgement, and assayed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for B. burgdorferi DNA. Duration of attachment was determined from the scutal index of engorgement. Of 316 submissions, 229 were deer ticks; 14% were positive by PCR. Paired sera and an intact tick for determination of duration of attachment were available for 105 subjects (109 bites). There were 4 human cases (3.7% of bites) of B. burgdorferi infection. The incidence was significantly higher for duration of attachment > or =72 h than for <72 h: 3 (20%) of 15 vs. 1 (1.1%) of 94 (P = .008; odds ratio, 23.3; 95% confidence interval, 2.2-242). PCR was an unreliable predictor of infection. Tick identification and measurement of engorgement can be used to identify a small, high-risk subset of persons who may benefit from antibiotic prophylaxis.
Establishing an evaluation performance measurement model for the financial service sector

The study employs a multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) approach to evaluate the performance of wealth management (WM) banking. We first apply the balanced scorecard methodology to build a framework for WM banking and then provide a framework for the sub-criteria by applying the Delphi method. The empirical results reveal that the performance of WM banks in Taiwan is evaluated by applying the analytic network process (ANP) and grey relational analysis (GRA). Importantly, the proposed model can assist the banking sector in assessing the performance of WM banks, making it highly applicable for bank managers engaged in decision-making as well as financial sector analysts.
BEHAVIOR OF MONTHLY TOTAL RETURNS OF U.S. TREASURY BILLS: 1926 TO 2011

We explore the behavior of total monthly returns of Treasury bills from January 1926 to December 2011. We examine three types of month effects: if the mean of T-bills total monthly returns of the data set, and of a given month were significantly different from zero; if the mean of T-bills total monthly returns of a given month was different from the mean of the other eleven months stacked; and if the variance of the T-bills total monthly returns for a given month was different from the variance of the other eleven months stacked. The mean of T-bills total monthly returns (0.294%) for the data set as well as the mean of all the months were significantly greater than zero. No month effect was detected either in terms of mean or in terms of variance. When the data are sliced into three sub-periods, we find results similar to what we find for the entire data set. The non-existence of significant differences in the means or the volatilities of the returns of a month compared to the other eleven months stacked shows that the T-bills market is largely efficient. This is contrary to what we found with similar studies on monthly returns of long-term Treasury and corporate bonds. The mean of T-bills total monthly returns during the Republican presidencies (0.372%) was higher than during the Democratic presidencies (0.215%). Compared to the other eleven months stacked, the variance of the returns of December during Republican presidencies was lower whereas it was higher during Democratic presidencies. INTRODUCTIONU.S. Treasury bills market is one of the most active markets in the world. U.S. Treasury securities are the debt financing instruments of the United States federal government. T-bills have maturities of 1-month, 3-month, 6-month, and 1-year. They are issued at a discount to face value and reach full value (par value) at maturity. The difference between the discount price and par value is the interest or return earned. They carry a par value of $1,000 and up to $5 million. T- bills are backed by the credit of the U.S. government, and are thus considered close to risk-free investment. From 1928 to 2011, U.S. three-month T-bills provided investors with a 3.61% compound annual return. With 3.11% compound annual inflation, the real return over this period has been 0.50%. During this period, the annual returns have ranged between 0% and 15%, with the returns ranging from 0% to 5% in 59 of the 84-year period. Historically, T-bills have realized the highest returns during the inflationary 1970's and early 1980's. T-bills have realized the lowest returns during the years of the Great Depression (the 1930's), during the 1940's, when interest rates were price controlled ("pegged") by the Federal Reserve, and recently during the "Great Recession" period and thereafter (2008 - 2011).
An energy-efficient transceiver architecture for short range wireless sensor applications

A low-power, energy-efficient and configurable transceiver architecture is introduced. It is implemented on a single chip intended for use in short range radios based on WPAN (IEEE802.15.4) at 2.4GHz. The circuitry employed in the dual conversion receiver with the tunable LNA is re-used in the dual loop frequency synthesizer to form a constant envelope modulator and function as the transmitter; Techniques are presented for tuning the center frequency and bandwidth of the LNA, as well as generating the required local oscillator frequencies using injection locking mechanism. The transceiver is fabricated in a 0.18-μm standard CMOS process. The receiver achieves −83-dBm sensitivity and −25dBm 1-dB compression point. The transmitter outputs −7-dBm QPSK signal, while carrier phase noise is better than −108-dBc/Hz at 5-MHz offset. Active mode power consumption is 11-mW and 14-mW in receive and transmit modes, respectively, on a 1.6-V supply.
BARRIERS TO WOMEN'S SMALL-BUSINESS SUCCESS IN THE UNITED STATES

Although ever-increasing numbers of women in the United States have been choosing small-business ownership in an apparent attempt to escape their well-documented inequality in the labor market, in this country, small businesses owned by women tend to be less successful than those owned by men. This article brings together the scattered pieces of data available in order to shed light on women's inability to gain greater parity with men in the small-business arena in the United States. Analysis suggests that U.S. women's influx into small capitalism results from their movement into expanding, but highly competitive, industrial niches that are relatively unattractive to men. The authors find that these woman-owned businesses are concentrated within traditionally female-typed fields with lower average business receipts than male-typed fields. Moreover, even within the same industrial subcategories, women owners achieve less economic success than men owners. Although some of the immediate barriers faced by U.S. women in the small-business arena-such as lack of access to capital and government contracts-differ from those that confront women employees, the underlying causes are similar. The authors' discussion suggests that women in the United States carry their labor market disadvantage with them to the small-business sphere, where it is compounded by new manifestations of the same institutional barriers.
Prevalence of relative systemic hypertension in adults with sickle cell disease in Ghana

Individuals with sickle cell disease particularly with the homozygous (SS) genotype historically have relatively low blood pressure. Nonetheless, they develop vasculopathy-associated organ dysfunction and the risk of organ dysfunction increases at blood pressures that are normal in the general population. This phenomenon is termed relative systemic hypertension (RSH) with a systolic blood pressure range of 120–139 mmHg, and diastolic blood pressure range of 70–89 mmHg. The significance of RSH lies in its association with renal insufficiency, pulmonary hypertension, stroke and propensity to progress to systemic hypertension. We conducted a retrospective chart review of 1,000 adults with sickle cell disease at the Ghana Institute of Clinical Genetics, to determine the prevalence of RSH in sickle cell disease in Ghana and associated complications. We found a high prevalence of RSH and hypertension with a relatively low frequency of renal insufficiency. Pulse pressure, a predictor of mortality, was higher in males of all ages. We anticipate that providing an estimate of the burden of RSH will heighten its recognition and clinical management among health care providers.
Aquacold - a Crowdsourced Query Understanding and Query Construction Tool for the Linked Data Web

The Linked Data Web promises a disseminated, dynamic, ever expanding knowledge base where relationships between content and entities can be expressed and queried using formal logic rules. The data formats and exchange protocols that comprise the Linked Data Web have existed for over 15 years and grown to incorporate over 149 billion triples but there is no established ‘mainstream’ system that allows regular non-technical users to query the linked data web using natural language. In this paper we introduce Aquacold (Aggregated Query Understanding And Construction Over Linked Data), a novel Linked Data query tool designed to fill this gap. Aquacold combines a simple browsing interface for exploring, filtering and sorting linked data with query labelling which allows the user to store a natural language representation of the underlying SPARQL query. A search interface allows users to write guided natural language queries, which are converted into SPARQL queries to retrieve results from the linked data source. A set of voting tools are presented for each query and associated result set to surface the most accurate templates and relegate those that are less accurate. This crowdsourced approach for labelling, saving and voting on linked data query templates enables regular, non-technical users to make complex natural language queries over the linked data web without having to use a structured language such as SPARQL. In this paper we provide an overview of the system and discuss an early prototype.
Income Smoothing and Consumption Smoothing

One way that risk-averse households protect consumption levels is to borrow and use insurance mechanisms. Another way, common in low-income economies, is to diversify economic activities and make conservative production and employment choices. Households thus tend toward limiting exposure only to shocks that can be handled with available credit and insurance. Typically, both types of mechanisms are studied independently but much more can be learned by studying them together. First, we obtain a more complete picture of risks, costs, and insurance possibilities. Second, it opens the way to considering biases in standard tests of credit and insurance.