Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social attributes, equity and higher educative path. Microeconometric study of a discrete choice model with logistic regression

Developed countries are subjected to many social inequalities of which access at various stages of schooling is one of the most important. Regarded as more equitable in this context, is one education system which will less make dependent the results on individuals of their social origin. While taking Boudon's model as a starting point, the study seeks to determine, using logistic modelling, factors determining the university path. The analysis shows that if the continuation of studies depends on multiple factors, the role of the social origin is not negligible. The results join those of Peraita and Sanchez (1998) concerning Spain and Sawkins (2002) concerning Scotland. However, the various estimates show that it is primarily at the university end of the course that the role of the social factors takes place. Thus, the results would be more in favour of Boudon's model at the beginning of the course, against Bourdieu's, after.
HIV/AIDS in Africa: Fertile Terrain

An interdisciplinary approach that incorporates biomedical data into an economic analysis provides the necessary foundation for HIV/AIDS policy in poor countries. This article examines the biomedical effects of economic conditions in Africa that contribute to high rates of HIV transmission. The results of statistical analysis show the correlation of economic and epidemiological variables (nutrition, distribution of income, and urbanisation) with rates of HIV. The economic/biomedical hypothesis implies a broad policy response for confronting HIV/AIDS in Africa and in Asia and Latin America.
A Comparative Economic Analysis of Tort Liability and No-Fault Compensation Systems in Automobile Insurance

Based on an analysis of annual loss ratio data by state for automobile liability insurance during 1975-1980, the economic impact of no-fault automobile insurance on the relative benefits and costs to consumers and on the predictability of relative loss costs for insurers is assessed. Several hypotheses are tested by using some regression models. The results suggest that no-fault automobile insurance tends to increase relative benefits or decrease relative costs (prices) to consumers, but in the short run it does not improve the predictability of relative loss costs for insurers. From a public policy viewpoint, these results seem to suggest that a no-fault compensation system performs more efficiently than a tort-liability system for automobile insurance consumers. I. Overview and Purpose Criticisms of the efficiency and fairness of the tort liability compensation system in automobile insurance culminated with the adoption of no-fault compensation systems in 24 states in the 1970's. No-fault automobile insurance is a first-party coverage under which each driver accepts financial responsibility for some or all losses and injuries sustained by occupants of his or her own car, pedestrians hit by his or her car, and himself or herself in exchange for partial immunity from liability for losses to third parties or other drivers and their passengers. This means that recovery of losses from automobile accidents within certain limits is available to victims without regard to fault. In contrast, under the tort liability compensation system, fault or
Rho‐dependence of Schizosaccharomyces pombe Pck2

In metazoans, the HR1 domain, a motif found in a number of proteins including the protein kinase C‐related PRKs, is responsible for an interaction with Rho‐GTPases. The structural similarity between the Schizosaccaromyces pombe Pck proteins and the mammalian Rho‐dependent protein kinase C‐related family, has led us to investigate the relationship between the function of Rho and that of Pck1/2.
不同转移潜能人大细胞肺癌细胞株转移相关microRNAs的筛选研究

背景与目的 微小RNA（microRNAs, miRNAs）参与调节肿瘤发生发展的多个过程，包括细胞的分裂增殖、细胞周期、凋亡、血管形成、侵袭和转移等。 本研究应用miRNA芯片检测具有高低不同转移潜能人大细胞肺癌细胞株L9981和NL9980的miRNA表达谱，从中筛选出与大细胞肺癌转移相关的miRNAs。 方法 收集L9981和NL9980细胞，抽提总RNA进行CY3标记，将标记RNA在miRNA芯片上进行杂交反应。 通过数据统计分析，筛选出表达明显差异的miRNAs。 应用Real-time PCR验证芯片结果，并应用生物信息学方法预测靶基因。 结果 在不同转移潜能人大细胞肺癌L9981和NL9980细胞株中共筛选到22个表达明显差异的miRNAs。 与NL9980相比，在L9981中有13个miRNAs表达上调，9个表达下调。 Real-time PCR验证miR-125a-3p在细胞中的表达水平与芯片结果趋势一致，预测其靶基因可能为胰岛素样生长因子2。 结论 筛选得到与大细胞肺癌转移相关的miRNA表达谱。
Kinetically Defined Mechanisms and Positions of Action of Two New Modulators of Glucocorticoid Receptor-regulated Gene Induction*

Most of the steps in, and many of the factors contributing to, glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-regulated gene induction are currently unknown. A competition assay, based on a validated chemical kinetic model of steroid hormone action, is now used to identify two new factors (BRD4 and negative elongation factor (NELF)-E) and to define their sites and mechanisms of action. BRD4 is a kinase involved in numerous initial steps of gene induction. Consistent with its complicated biochemistry, BRD4 is shown to alter both the maximal activity (Amax) and the steroid concentration required for half-maximal induction (EC50) of GR-mediated gene expression by acting at a minimum of three different kinetically defined steps. The action at two of these steps is dependent on BRD4 concentration, whereas the third step requires the association of BRD4 with P-TEFb. BRD4 is also found to bind to NELF-E, a component of the NELF complex. Unexpectedly, NELF-E modifies GR induction in a manner that is independent of the NELF complex. Several of the kinetically defined steps of BRD4 in this study are proposed to be related to its known biochemical actions. However, novel actions of BRD4 and of NELF-E in GR-controlled gene induction have been uncovered. The model-based competition assay is also unique in being able to order, for the first time, the sites of action of the various reaction components: GR < Cdk9 < BRD4 ≤ induced gene < NELF-E. This ability to order factor actions will assist efforts to reduce the side effects of steroid treatments.
The Truck Dispatching Problem

The paper is concerned with the optimum routing of a fleet of gasoline delivery trucks between a bulk terminal and a large number of service stations supplied by the terminal. The shortest routes between any two points in the system are given and a demand for one or several products is specified for a number of stations within the distribution system. It is desired to find a way to assign stations to trucks in such a manner that station demands are satisfied and total mileage covered by the fleet is a minimum A procedure based on a linear programming formulation is given for obtaining a near optimal solution. The calculations may be readily performed by hand or by an automatic digital computing machine. No practical applications of the method have been made as yet. A number of trial problems have been calculated, however.
The Human Development Index: "Handle with Care"

ECONOMISTS AND POLICYMAKERS have long questioned the emphasis on growth of gross national product per capita (GNP/N) as the singular goal and measure of national development. GNP/N fails to capture the distribution of the benefits of economic progress-in particular, the number and condition of persons living in poverty; and it abstracts from a multitude of specific factors that relate directly to human welfare-for example, the benefits of health, education, and political and social freedoms. The arguments advanced in favor of using the GNP/N goal and measure have been its simplicity, the assertion that it represents a reasonable proxy for several dimensions of human welfare, and most importantly, the absence of an alternative single measure that better approximates human development in the aggregate. Such an alternative measure has recently been offered by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in its Human Development Report 1990 (HDR) (New York: Oxford University Press), which unveils a "Human Development Index" (HDI). The UNDP appropriately recognizes the considerable difficulty in conceptualizing and measuring the somewhat nebulous condition of human development, and thus notes that the HDI "opens the debate" (p. iii) that will result in refinements of both the analytical framework and the empirical inputs over time. I propose to participate in that debate. I will challenge the usefulness of the conceptual framework of "human development" as specifically represented in the HDI, illustrate the sensitivity of this measure to plausible refinements, and argue that it offers only limited insights beyond those obtained by small modifications to simple measures of economic output. Until the conceptual underpinnings of the HDI are more firmly established, analysts and policymakers are better served by using much simpler measures and
Income Insurance in European Agriculture

The agricultural risk environment in Europe is changing, for example because of WTO agreements and governments increasingly withdrawing from disaster assistance in case of catastrophic events. In this context, some form of income insurance may be a useful risk management tool for farmers. Insuring farmers' incomes, however, is rather problematical for reasons of asymmetric information and high correlation of the risks amongst the would-be insured, for example risks due to price fluctuations, floods, droughts and livestock epidemics. It is concluded that the most aggregated forms of income insurance that are likely to be feasible include revenue insurance for field crops, especially if there are relevant futures markets and area yield data, and business interruption insurance for livestock commodities. In Europe, only a few such schemes currendy exist; some are purely private, others are subsidised. A somewhat larger involvement of the public sector, for example through public-private partnerships for reinsurance, could extend the availability of income insurance schemes throughout Europe. Governments, however, should tread warily in entering the field of subsidised agricultural insurance, which experience shows is beset with pitfalls. Pilot tests are useful in establishing the attractiveness of income insurance schemes and other income stabilising tools for the various parties involved
Robust estimation of hedonic models of price and income for investment property

Real estate market data often contain outliers in the observations. Since outliers have a large influence on least squares estimates, robust regression methods have been recommended for this situation. Compares the performance of least squares and least median of squares, a robust method, in the estimation of price/income relationships for apartment buildings. Multiplicative models with multiplicative errors are estimated by means of natural log transformations. The study confirms the importance of employing robust methods for this application and implies this may well be so for real estate data sets more generally.
Intravitreal Triamcinolone Acetonide for Treatment of Central Retinal Vein Occlusion

Purpose To evaluate the effect of intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide on visual acuity and intraocular pressure in patients with central retinal vein occlusion. Methods This prospective comparative non-randomized clinical interventional study included 32 patients (33 eyes) with central retinal vein occlusion. The study group (12 patients; 13 eyes) received an intravitreal injection of about 20 mg of triamcinolone acetonide. The control group (20 patients) did not receive any treatment. Mean follow-up was 10.1±8.6 months in the study group and 6.0±5.2 months in the control group. Results In the study group, mean visual acuity increased significantly (p=0.018) from 0.11±0.11 preoperatively to a best visual acuity during follow-up of 0.18±0.15. An improvement in visual acuity by at least 2 Snellen lines and 3 Snellen lines, respectively was found for 8 (62%) eyes and 5 (38) eyes. Visual acuity measurements determined 1 month (p=0.038) and 3 months (p=0.046) after the injection were significantly higher than the baseline values. Increase in visual acuity was higher in the non-ischemic subgroup than in the ischemic subgroup. In the control group, baseline visual acuity and best visual acuity during the follow-up did not vary significantly (p=0.33). Visual acuity decreased significantly (p=0.007) towards the end of the follow-up. Comparing study group and control group, gain in visual acuity was significantly (p=0.01) higher in the study group. In the study group, intraocular pressure increased significantly (p=0.018) from 14.4±3.9 mmHg to a mean maximal value of 21.6±9.2 mmHg (range, 10–44 mmHg), and re-decreased (p=0.012) towards the end of follow-up to 15.3±5.1 mmHg (range, 10–21 mmHg). Conclusions Intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide temporarily increases visual acuity in central retinal vein occlusion. It is accompanied by an increase in intraocular pressure.
Frames and screens: the reduction of uncertainty in electronic derivatives trading

Abstract The article is concerned with problems of ‘framing’ in electronic derivatives markets. Traders in any given trading environment ‘frame’ or interpret information about the market by drawing on a range of other information, knowledge and heuristics. Such framing reduces uncertainty. In an open outcry market environment, framing information would be flowing in the social networks of that market environment. In electronic markets, traders do not interact with their counterparts and are generally disembedded from the social networks of the open outcry environment. Other ways of framing therefore have to be found. The article examines various ways in which this happens. The article also suggests, however, that framing in an electronic market environment remains difficult and that electronic trading therefore creates incentives to do other forms of trading as well, such as block trading, where there is more personal interaction, and where frames can therefore be re-established more easily.
Mutual Fund Performance Persistence and Competition: A Cross-Sector Analysis

Existing work on mutual fund performance persistence has obtained diverse results, depending on the group of funds studied. We examine whether performance persistence within a peer group of competing mutual funds depends on the group's composition. The UK mutual fund industry is ideal for such an examination, because funds compete within strictly defined sectors. We consider several sector-level attributes related to the intensity of competition within a sector and use them to explain sector-level persistence. We find robust evidence that persistence is higher in sectors where concentration of assets under management is higher. Our results indicate that the competitiveness of a mutual fund sector influences persistence in the relative performance of its members.
Transportation Futures: Policy Scenarios for Achieving Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions must be reduced by 50% to 80% by 2050 in order to limit global temperature increase to 2°C. This research analyzes three scenarios: changes in the perceived price of travel; land-use intensification; and, increases in transit use. Elasticity estimates are derived using an activity-based travel model for the state of California and broadly representative of the U.S. The VISION model is used to forecast changes in technology and fuel options for the U.S., providing a life cycle GHG forecast for the road transportation sector. Results suggest that aggressive policy action is needed, especially pricing policies,as well as technical innovations. Medium- and heavy-duty vehicles are in particular need of additional fuel or technology-based GHG reductions.
Cognitive impairment in individuals with insomnia: clinical significance and correlates.

STUDY OBJECTIVES The aims of this study were to (1) investigate the nature of cognitive impairment in individuals with insomnia, (2) document their clinical significance, (3) examine their correlates, and (4) explore differences among individuals with insomnia with and without cognitive complaints. DESIGN Participants underwent 3 consecutive nights of polysomnography. On the morning following the third night, they completed a battery of questionnaires and neuropsychological tests. PARTICIPANTS The sample included 25 adults with primary insomnia (mean age: 44.4 ± 11.5 y, 56% women) and 16 controls (mean age: 42.8 ± 12.9 y, 50% women) matched for sex, age, and education. INTERVENTION N/A. MEASUREMENT AND RESULTS Participants completed neuropsychological tests covering attention, memory, working memory, and executive functions, as well as questionnaires assessing the subjective perception of performance, depression, anxiety, fatigue, sleepiness, and hyperarousal. There were significant group differences for the attention and episodic memory domains. Clinically significant deficits were more frequent in the insomnia group. Within the insomnia group, individuals with cognitive complaints exhibited significantly poorer performance on a larger number of neuropsychological variables. All impaired aspects of performance were significantly associated with either subjective or objective sleep continuity, and some were also independently related to sleep microstructure (i.e., relative power for alpha frequencies) or selected psychological variables (i.e., beliefs or arousal). CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest clinically significant alterations in attention and episodic memory in individuals with insomnia. Objective deficits were more pronounced and involved more aspects of performance in a subgroup of individuals with cognitive complaints. These deficits appear associated with sleep continuity, and may also be related to sleep microstructure and dysfunctional beliefs.
Myopic Governments and Welfare-Enhancing Debt Limits

This paper studies welfare consequences of a soft borrowing constraint on sovereign debt which is modeled as a proportional fine per unit of debt exceeding some reference value. Debt is the result of myopic fiscal policy where the government is assumed to have a smaller discount factor than the private sector. Due to the absence of lump-sum taxation, debt reduces welfare. The paper shows that the imposition of a soft borrowing constraint, which resembles features of the Stability and Growth Pact and which is taken into account by the policy maker when setting its instruments, prevents excessive borrowing. The constraint can be implemented such as to (i) control the long run level of debt, (ii) prevent debt accumulation, and (iii) induce debt consolidation. In all three cases the constraint enhances welfare and in a welfare ranking these gains outweigh the short run welfare losses of increasing the costs of using debt to smooth taxes over the business cycle.
Teaching Old Testament studies in Zimbabwe's theological institutions in the HIV/AIDS era

There is no doubt that HIV/AIDS is humanityâ€™s greatest enemy in this century. Millions of people have been affected and infected by this disease. In Zimbabwe statistics have it that about 2000 people die of HIV/AIDS related diseases every week. A lot of resources are spent in caring for the infected and the affected. With this scenario, HIV/AIDS no longer has to be seen as a medical problem. - It is now a social problem and so every sector of the society has to think deeply on how it can 'make a difference' in dealing with HIV/AIDS. This article argues that the teaching of Biblical Studies in Zimbabwe's theological institutions should be geared towards addressing the problem. It argues for the centrality of Biblical Studies in both theological institutions and Christian societies. ' It shows how the Bible has been used to address human problems and how a Biblical studies course taking cognisancy of the HIV/AIDS problem can be rewarding. It ends by suggesting some topics and instructional methodologies to be used in teaching Biblical Studies in Zimbabwe's theological institutions in the era of HIV/AIDS.
Volatility spillovers of rupee-dollar and rupee-euro exchange rates on Indian stock prices: evidence from GARCH model

This paper examines the effect of volatility in both rupee-dollar and rupee-euro exchange rates on stock prices in India using daily data from 3-Apr-2007 to 30-Mar-2012. Adopting a generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH) and exponential GARCH (EGARCH) model, the study suggests a negative relationship between exchange rate and stock prices in India. Even though India is a major trade partner of European Union, the study couldn’t find any significant statistical effect of fluctuations in Euro-rupee exchange rates on stock prices, while the effect of fluctuations in Dollar-rupee exchange rates on stock prices is highly significant. The study also reveals that shocks to exchange rate have symmetric effect on stock prices and exchange rate fluctuations have permanent effects on stock price volatility in India.
Evidence-Based Policy and Management in Practice: Education in England, 1980s to 2002

Education is a powerful intervention in the lives of children and their parents. As such it could probably contribute significantly to efforts to improve society. To do so there would need to be agreement regarding: what sort of society we seek to create (values); knowledge about what is happening and where there are problems (cf epidemiology in medicine); and evidence-based policies to address the problems and discover ‘what works’ (cf clinical trials in medicine). The failure of politicians to adopt evidence - based approaches is seen as a problem but so also is a culture in academia that is anti-scientific. Schools, in contrast, have adopted rigorous and comprehensive monitoring systems over the last 20 years and are increasingly participating in experiments and careful evaluation. Questions are raised about proper roles of regulatory agencies.
Child Marriage: A Cultural Health Phenomenon

Child marriage continues to be a challenge worldwide and especially in southern Asia and Africa. While it affects both sexes, girls are more affected as they are the majority of the victims. Child marriage causes untold suffering to the victims; it curtails the child’s education, affects the general health, and puts the affected in a disadvantaged position. From this paper, culture continues to perpetuate and entrench the practice of child marriage in most communities. This paper discusses the cultural factors behind the practice of child marriage such as bride wealth, value of virginity among others. It also examines the health implications on the life of the children as well as the strategies put in place by various stakeholders in order to end the practice. The paper recommends that the communities should be actively involved in coming up with the ways of ending the practice. Awareness should be created on the negative implications of child marriage on the health of the children and their general wellbeing.
Presence of cancer cells in gastric lavage of gastric cancer patients as an indicator of advanced disease, predictor of tumour aggressive phenotype and independent prognostic factor for poor survival: The endoluminal metastatic pathway of gastric cancer and GL0/GL1 classification

As of 2017, the pathobiology of gastric cancer (GC) is far from fully understood; consequently, new methods of basic and advanced research have been proposed and tested. The presence (GL1) vs absence (GL0) of malignant cells exfoliated in gastric lavage (GL) of GC patients was formerly evaluated with diagnostic intent but not for staging or prognostic assessment. We investigated this hitherto unreported application of cytopathology.