Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sustainability impact assessments of different urban short food supply chains: examples from London, UK

Abstract Greater London has a vibrant food scene comprising of many different types of urban and peri-urban ‘short food supply chains’ (SFSCs). This paper reports on exploratory research, which used examples of SFSCs from London to build a more detailed understanding of different types of urban SFSC and their relative performance compared to each other. To do this, we undertook a participatory sustainability impact assessment (SIA) in which local food system stakeholders were asked to rank the perceived impacts of five different urban and peri-urban SFSCs compared with the current ‘mainstream’ food supply system (defined as supermarkets retailing mass-produced, standardized food products). The SFSCs ranked were: (1) urban gardening (self-supply), (2) urban gardening (commercial), (3) community supported agriculture (CSA), (4) direct sale (on-farm) and (5) direct sale (off-farm). Results from the SIA showed that CSAs were regarded as delivering the highest overall social, economic and environmental benefits, followed by urban gardening (commercial), urban gardening (self-supply) and direct sales (off-farm). The lowest overall rating was for the supply chain direct sales (on-farm). All five SFSCs were ranked highest on the social aspects of sustainability. Following the participatory SIA of perceived sustainability, we next developed a questionnaire in order to test the feasibility of measuring the specific (rather than ‘perceived’) impacts of an urban SFSC. We applied the test at a community-led local food market in South London, where we conducted face-to-face interviews with all market stallholders (18 respondents) and a random sample of consumers (51 respondents). Results from the community-led market were similar to those acquired at the SIA workshop, with greater agreement about the social benefits of the market, compared with economic and environmental impacts. The results also suggest that producers underestimated consumers’ willingness to share the risks that the producers face and we identify this as an important aspect for future research. The paper concludes with reflections on the strengths and weaknesses of the SIA methodology.
Employee choice of consumer-driven health insurance in a multiplan, multiproduct setting.

OBJECTIVE To determine who chooses a Consumer-Driven Health Plan (CDHP) in a multiplan, multiproduct setting, and, specifically, whether the CDHP attracts the sicker employees in a company's risk pool. STUDY DESIGN We estimated a health plan choice equation for employees of the University of Minnesota, who had a choice in 2002 of a CDHP and three other health plans--a traditional health maintenance organization (HMO), a preferred provider organization (PPO), and a tiered network product based on care systems. Data from an employee survey were matched to information from the university's payroll system. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Chronic illness of the employee or family members had no effect on choice of the CDHP, but such employees tended to choose the PPO. The employee's age was not related to CDHP choice. Higher-income employees chose the CDHP, as well as those who preferred health plans with a national provider panel that includes their physician in the panel. Employees tended to choose plans with lower out-of-pocket premiums, and surprisingly, employees with a chronic health condition themselves or in their family were more price-sensitive. CONCLUSIONS This study provides the first evidence on who chooses a CDHP in a multiplan, multiproduct setting. The CDHP was not chosen disproportionately by the young and healthy, but it did attract the wealthy and those who found the availability of providers more appealing. Low out-of-pocket premiums are important features of health plans and in this setting, low premiums appeal to those who are less healthy.
English language teachers' attitudes towards inclusive education

The paper studies attitudes of teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) towards inclusion of children with special educational needs (SEN) in Serbian mainstream schools. The participants were 96 primary teachers of English with diverse experience in teaching inclusive EFL classes. The results showed that most of the respondents (N=84. i.e. 87.5%) had negative attitudes towards inclusion, due to both the lack of competences and to the absence of adequate conditions for effective inclusive practice: only 29.16% of the respondents claimed they had been specially trained to teach SEN children; 69.79% reported the availability of SEN teams in school, but most of them claimed that the teams met irregularly; only 27.08% (N=26) reported having a classroom assistant in school; most of the respondents (N=89, i.e. 92.7%) expressed their concerns related to a number of challenges they faced in daily work. Considering the fact that teachers are the key to supporting the process of inclusion, and that positive attitude is a predictor of success in inclusive teaching, the change of Serbian EFL teachers’ negative attitudes towards inclusion is of great importance. This can be achieved by providing adequate pre-service and in-service education of EFL teachers, and by improving the conditions in our schools.
Invited Commentary Invited Commentary : Decomposing with a Lot of Supposing

In this issue of the Journal, VanderWeele and Vansteelandt (Am J Epidemiol. 2010;172(12):1339–1348) provide simple formulae for estimation of direct and indirect effects using standard logistic regression when the exposure and outcome are binary, the mediator is continuous, and the odds ratio is the chosen effect measure. They also provide concisely stated lists of assumptions necessary for estimation of these effects, including various conditional independencies and homogeneity of exposure and mediator effects over covariate strata. They further suggest that this will allow effect decomposition in case-control studies if the sampling fractions and population outcome prevalence are known with certainty. In this invited commentary, the author argues that, in a well-designed case-control study in which the sampling fraction is known, it should not be necessary to rely on the odds ratio. The odds ratio has well-known deficiencies as a causal parameter, and its use severely complicates evaluation of confounding and effect homogeneity. Although VanderWeele and Vansteelandt propose that a rare disease assumption is not necessary for estimation of controlled direct effects using their approach, collapsibility concerns suggest otherwise when the goal is causal inference rather than merely measuring association. Moreover, their clear statement of assumptions necessary for the estimation of natural/pure effects suggests that these quantities will rarely be viable estimands in observational epidemiology.
Vascular compliance in normal pressure hydrocephalus.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is considered to be a combination of altered CSF resorption and a reversible form of cerebral ischemia. The hypothesis tested in this study was that a reduction in venous compliance in the territory drained by the superior sagittal sinus (SSS) is associated with NPH and cerebral ischemia. METHODS This prospective study involved 27 patients without evidence of hydrocephalus. This group was subdivided into those with normal MR findings and those with evidence of ischemia or atrophy. Ten patients with NPH then underwent MR flow quantification studies of the cerebral vessels. Five of these patients had the same studies performed after CSF drainage. Vascular compliance was measured in the SSS and straight sinus territory by use of MR flow quantification with net systolic pulse volume (NSPV) and arteriovenous delay (AVD) as markers. RESULTS Vascular compliance of patients with ischemia or atrophy was significantly higher than that of healthy subjects (mean NSPV in the SSS, 417 microL and 274 microL, respectively). Patients with NPH showed lower compliance than that of the healthy subjects in the SSS (mean NSPV, 212 microL and 274 microL, respectively; mean AVD, 42 ms and 89 ms, respectively). After intervention, the NPH group showed compliance approximating the group with ischemia/atrophy. CONCLUSION Vascular compliance is significantly different in the brains of healthy subjects as compared with that in patients with ischemia/atrophy or NPH.
Survival and remodeling of melanopsin cells during retinal dystrophy

Abstract The melanopsin positive, intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) of the inner retina have been shown to send wide-ranging projections throughout the brain. To investigate the response of this important cell type during retinal dystrophy, we use the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) dystrophic rat, a major model of retinal degeneration. We find that ipRGCs exhibit a distinctive molecular profile that remains unaltered during early stages of outer retinal pathology (15 weeks of age). In particular, these cells express βIII tubulin, α-acetylated tubulin, and microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs), while remaining negative for other RGC markers such as neurofilaments, calretinin, and parvalbumin. By 14 months of age, melanopsin positive fibers invade ectopic locations in the dystrophic retina and ipRGC axons/dendrites become distorted (a process that may involve vascular remodeling). The morphological abnormalities in melanopsin processes are associated with elevated immunoreactivity for MAP1b and a reduction in α-acetylated tubulin. Quantification of ipRGCs in whole mounts reveals reduced melanopsin cell number with increasing age. Focusing on the retinal periphery, we find a significant decline in melanopsin cell density contrasted by a stability of melanopsin positive processes. In addition to these findings, we describe for the first time, a distinct plexus of melanopsin processes in the far peripheral retina, a structure that is coincident with a short wavelength opsin cone-enriched rim. We conclude that some ipRGCs are lost in RCS dystrophic rats as the disease progresses and that this loss may involve vascular remodeling. However, a significant number of melanopsin positive cells survive into advanced stages of retinal degeneration and show indications of remodeling in response to pathology. Our findings underline the importance of early intervention in human retinal disease in order to preserve integrity of the inner retinal photoreceptive network.
Regional Policy Variables and Local Employment Growth Evidence from Korea

— This paper examines the effects of regional policy variables on local employment growth using the panel data from 1998 to 2013 in Korea. The employment equation is derived from Constant Elasticity Substitution (CES) production function. Employment growth is specified as a function of wage rate, output, local public expenditure, and local R&D expenditure. The research and development expenditure is the proxy variable of technological innovation. The demand for labor takes into account dynamics since the cost of adjustments in the demand for labor will be induced in the long-run. A Dynamic Panel Regression Model is employed considering the effect of lagged employment using regional panel data. The results show that public expenditure has positive effects on local employment growth and that the effect of public expenditure in manufacturing sector is more elastic than that of service sector. A one percent increase in public expenditure increases industrial employment in manufacturing sector by 0.14 percent and industrial employment in service sector by 0.04 percent. Total gross value added per capita (labor productivity) has a positive effect on employment growth in manufacturing sector and a negative effect on the same in service sector. The total fixed capital formation has positive effects on total industrial employment and industrial employment in service sector. The effects on wage rate on employment growth in all industry sectors are negative.
The Relationship of Coffee Consumption to Various Self-Reported Cardiovascular Events in Middle-Aged Norwegian Men and Women

The association between number of cups of coffee consumed per day and self-reported heart infarction, angina pectoris, or symptoms of angina pectoris was studied in 11635 men and 11785 women, aged 40-54 years, who attended two cardiovascular screenings. Questionnaire information on heart infarction has previously been found to be reliable. Altogether 240, 201 and 241 men reported heart infarction, angina pectoris (without heart infarction) and symptoms of angina pectoris, respectively, at the last, but not at the first screening. The corresponding figures for women were 35, 102 and 395. Univariate analysis showed a positive association between number of cups of coffee and self-reported heart infarction. The same applies to self-reported angina pectoris. After adjustment for major coronary risk factors, the associations became weaker. The relative risks of self-reported heart infarction between users of nine or more cups and users of less than one cup were 1.7 (95% CI: 1.0, 3.0) and 1.5 (0.3, 7.5) in men and women, respectively. The relative risks were smaller than those found in a previous study relating coffee consumption to coronary heart disease mortality. For self-reported angina pectoris the corresponding relative risks were 1.4 (0.8, 2.7) for men and 2.7 (1.1, 6.7) for women. The study is suggestive of a modest relationship between coffee consumption and self-reported occurrence of both heart infarction and angina pectoris.
Culture and Fairness: The Idea of Civilization Fairness

Who benefits from the interconnected processes often referred to as globalization? Is it a relatively few people, with most others either being harmed or at least not helped? Are the good things that globalization produces, whatever they are, widely shared? What processes lead us in one direction or another? This book examines a key dimension of globalization: its fairness. It investigates the meaning of and role fairness plays when public institutions are faced with the challenges and opportunities of globalization. Here a distinguished group of contributors, including both academics and practitioners, focuses on East and Southeast Asia, but the relevance of the issues discussed extends well beyond these regions. They present a broad-ranging examination of the intersections between fairness, globalization, and public institutions. [Book Synopsis]
Emerging Tools for a "Driverless" Legal System

Professor Talley (Talley, 2018) has provided an exciting introduction to how machine learning has changed and could change legal practice and research. He asks the provocative question of whether the legal system could become automated in the same way that cars are becoming driverless. Due to its simplicity, the central example in Professor Talley’s piece (COW waivers) is useful as an introduction, but also somewhat limited in scope. The goal of this comment is to discuss more recent developments in machine learning that might be well suited for more ambitious legal tasks.
T-box transcription factor TBX3 reprogrammes mature cardiac myocytes into pacemaker-like cells.

AIM Treatment of disorders of the sinus node or the atrioventricular node requires insights into the molecular mechanisms of development and homoeostasis of these pacemaker tissues. In the developing heart, transcription factor TBX3 is required for pacemaker and conduction system development. Here, we explore the role of TBX3 in the adult heart and investigate whether TBX3 is able to reprogramme terminally differentiated working cardiomyocytes into pacemaker cells. METHODS AND RESULTS TBX3 expression was ectopically induced in cardiomyocytes of adult transgenic mice using tamoxifen. Expression analysis revealed an efficient switch from the working myocardial expression profile to that of the pacemaker myocardium. This included suppression of genes encoding gap junction subunits (Cx40, Cx43), the cardiac Na(+) channel (Na(V)1.5; I(Na)), and inwardly rectifying K(+) ion channels (K(ir) genes; I(K1)). Concordantly, we observed conduction slowing in these hearts and reductions in I(Na) and I(K1) in cardiomyocytes isolated from these hearts. The reduction in I(K1) resulted in a more depolarized maximum diastolic potential, thus enabling spontaneous diastolic depolarization. Neither ectopic pacemaker activity nor pacemaker current I(f) was observed. Lentiviral expression of TBX3 in ventricular cardiomyocytes resulted in conduction slowing and development of heterogeneous phenotypes, including depolarized and spontaneously active cardiomyocytes. CONCLUSIONS TBX3 reprogrammes terminally differentiated working cardiomyocytes and induces important pacemaker properties. The ability of TBX3 to reduce intercellular coupling to overcome current-to-load mismatch and the ability to reduce I(K1) density to enable diastolic depolarization are promising TBX3 characteristics that may facilitate biological pacemaker formation strategies.
Cilia-driven fluid flow in the zebrafish pronephros, brain and Kupffer's vesicle is required for normal organogenesis

Cilia, as motile and sensory organelles, have been implicated in normal development, as well as diseases including cystic kidney disease, hydrocephalus and situs inversus. In kidney epithelia, cilia are proposed to be non-motile sensory organelles, while in the mouse node, two cilia populations, motile and non-motile have been proposed to regulate situs. We show that cilia in the zebrafish larval kidney, the spinal cord and Kupffer's vesicle are motile, suggesting that fluid flow is a common feature of each of these organs. Disruption of cilia structure or motility resulted in pronephric cyst formation, hydrocephalus and left-right asymmetry defects. The data show that loss of fluid flow leads to fluid accumulation, which can account for organ distension pathologies in the kidney and brain. In Kupffer's vesicle, loss of flow is associated with loss of left-right patterning, indicating that the `nodal flow' mechanism of generating situs is conserved in non-mammalian vertebrates.
Ecosystem Services Management Based on Differentiation and Regionalization along Vertical Gradient in Taihang Mountain, China

The regulation and management of ecosystem services are fundamental for sustainable development in mountain areas. Although no obvious vertical band spectrum exists in Taihang Mountain region, vertical differentiation of ecological characteristics in the region is obvious. The ecosystem characteristics of vertical differentiation were analyzed using 4 typical ecological indices (land use, temperature, net primary productivity, and water yield). The ecosystem service functional pattern was determined based on analysis of the ecosystem services value per unit area. The 2 ecosystem critical zones of vertical differentiation (500–600 m and 1400–1500 m) were determined. The mountain area was divided into 3 ecological zones—sub-alpine zone (>1500 m), mid-mountain zone (600–1400 m) and hilly zone (<500 m). The ecosystem services functional pattern was as follows: provisioning services was the main ecosystem services function in the hilly zone, 4 ecosystem service functions were equally important in the mid-mountain zone, regulating, supporting and cultural services were the main ecosystem service functions in the sub-alpine zone. The model of ecosystem service regulation and management in 3 ecological zones was built based on the functional patterns to promote sustainable development.
A fuzzy content matching-based e-Commerce recommendation approach

E-Commerce products often come with rich and tree-structured content information describing the attributes. To well utilize the content information, this study proposed a fuzzy content matching-based recommendation approach to assist e-Commerce customers to choose their truly interested items. In this paper, users' ratings and preferences are represented using fuzzy numbers to remain uncertainties. Tree-structured content information is transformed to a set of descriptors, and users' preferences on these descriptors are derived from fuzzy ratings by using fuzzy number operations. A kind of preference dependence relations is established between descriptors to explore the relations of different content features, and as a base to sketch the complete profile of users. While the extended preference profile of a user is established, given a new item, the fuzzy match degree of the user preference and the item content information is carried out, and then a fuzzy Topsis ranking method is proposed to able to rank all candidate items according to the fuzzy match degrees, and the highest ranked items are recommended to the target user. We conduct empirical experiments on Yelp and MovieLens datasets. The results indicate that the proposed approach improve recommendation performance in terms of both coverage and accuracy.
Risk factors associated with the incidence of open-angle glaucoma: the visual impairment project.

PURPOSE To assess the relationship between potential risk factors and the development of open-angle glaucoma (OAG) in Australian residents aged 40 and or more years. METHODS A total of 3271 participants were recruited at baseline from nine urban areas through cluster random sampling and subjected to comprehensive standardized interviews and ophthalmic examination, both at baseline and at 5-year follow-up. The participation rate at follow-up was 85% of the surviving baseline cohort. OAG was diagnosed with definite, probable, or possible certainty by a consensus panel of six ophthalmologists. Potential risk factors identified at baseline included various sociodemographic, anthropometric, dietary, familial, medical, and ocular characteristics of the participants. Risk factor analyses were performed for development of at least possible OAG (possible, probable, and definite OAG) and then at least probable OAG (probable and definite OAG) to represent a higher level of certainty. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. RESULTS Increased age and increased intraocular pressure (IOP) were associated with increased risk of development of OAG, according to multivariate analyses. A family history of glaucoma (relative risk [RR] = 2.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.03-4.2), the presence of age-related macular degeneration (RR = 2.2, 95% CI = 1.2-3.9), the presence of pseudoexfoliation (RR = 9.4, 95% CI = 2.6-34.4), and a cup-disc ratio (CDR) greater than 0.7 (RR = 7.9, 95% CI = 4.4-14.1) were associated with greater risk of development of at least possible OAG. Having ever taken alpha-blockers (RR = 4.8, 95% CI = 1.2-18.8), the presence of pseudoexfoliation (RR = 11.2, 95% CI = 2.0-63.3), and a CDR higher than 0.7 (RR = 11.0, 95% CI = 4.6-26.8) also indicated significant risk of development of at least probable OAG. CONCLUSIONS Certain nonmodifiable risk factors may be used to identify high-risk individuals, and increased IOP remains an important modifiable risk factor for OAG. However, more prospective studies on risk factors are required to clarify further the etiological picture of OAG.