Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Financial Development and Economic Growth: Empirical Evidence from Six Mena Countries

This paper examines the causal relationship between financial development and economic growth for six Middle Eastern and North African countries (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Morocco, Syria, and Tunisia), within a quadvariate vector autoregressive framework. We employ four different measures of financial development and apply the augmented vector autoregression vector (VAR) methodology of Toda and Yamamoto to test for Granger causality. Our empirical results strongly support the hypothesis that finance leads to growth in five out of the six countries. Only in Israel could weak support be found for causality running from economic growth to financial development but no causality in the other direction. These findings suggest the need to accelerate the financial reforms that have been launched since the mid 1980s and to improve the efficiency of these countries' financial systems to stimulate savingsinvestment and, consequently, long-term economic growth. Copyright © 2008 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2008 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Social Capital and the Networking Practices of Indigenous Entrepreneurs

A comparative case study analysis has been undertaken on ustralian boriginal, native awaiians, and āori entrepreneurs. This work investigates the networking activities by these groups of indigenous entrepreneurs situated within a mixed minority (indigenous) and dominant (settler majority) urban cultural setting. The way in which indigenous entrepreneurs network to achieve their business aspirations suggests that the underlying social capital dimensions are unique to their cultural context. Five comparative characteristics also emerged from the data that assist the analysis. The research reveals how indigenous and potentially other minority ethnic entrepreneurs draw upon internal and external network ties that are related to the historical and cultural influence on social capital.
Seroprevalence of spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae infection in domestic ruminants in Khartoum State, Sudan

Abstract Spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiosis is caused by obligatory intracellular Gram‐negative bacteria that belong to the genus Rickettsia. Ticks belonging to the family Ixodidae can act as vectors, reservoirs or amplifiers of SFG rickettsiae. This study was conducted to estimate the seroprevalence of SFG rickettsioses in cattle, sheep and goats from Khartoum State, Sudan. Blood samples were collected from a total of 600 animals (sheep, goats and cattle) from 32 different farms distributed in three locations in Khartoum State during the period January to December 2012. Sera were tested for antibodies against SFG rickettsiae using IFAT. The prevalence of seropositivity was 59.3% in sheep, 60.1% in goats and 64.4% in cattle. Season was significantly (P < 0.05) associated with seroprevalence of SFG rickettsiae in cattle during winter. The SFG rickettsiae antibodies prevalence was significantly higher in female compared with male in sheep, but there were no significant differences between male and female in either cattle or goats. The prevalence was significantly higher in adult animals compared with young in both sheep and goats. With regard to management system, there was a significant difference in the prevalence in cattle raised in closed system compared with those raised in semi‐intensive system. In contrast, there was significant difference in the seroprevalence of SFG in sheep where the prevalence was higher in the sheep raised in semi‐intensive system compared with those raised in close system. There was no significant difference in the seroprevalence in goats with regard to management systems. The unexpected high prevalence of SFG rickettsia antibodies in domestic ruminants sera suggest that the veterinary and public health impact of these agents in Sudan need further evaluation especially in humans.
Perioperative monitoring of neuromuscular transmission using acceleromyography prevents residual neuromuscular block following pancuronium

The frequency of postoperative residual neuromuscular block following the use of the long‐acting non‐depolarizing muscle relaxants is high, and manual evaluation of the response to nerve stimulation does not eliminate the problem. In this prospective and randomized study we evaluated the hypothesis that perioperative use of acceleromyography would allow for a more rational and precise administration of the long‐acting muscle relaxant pancuronium resulting in a decrease in 1) the incidence and severity of postoperative residual neuromuscular block, 2) the amount of pancuronium used, and 3) the time from end of surgery to tracheal extubation. Forty adult patients were randomized into two groups, one managed without the use of a nerve stimulator, the other monitored using train‐of‐four (TOF) nerve stimulation and acceleromyography. All patients were anaesthetized with diazepam, fentanyl, thiopenione, nitrous oxide, and in some patients halothane, and they all received pancuronium 0.08–0.1 mg kg‐1 for tracheal intubation, and 1–2 mg for maintenance of neuromuscular block. Neostigmine 2.5 mg preceded by atropine 1 mg was administered for reversal. In the patients managed without a nerve stimulator, the trachea was extubated when the anaesthetist judged the neuromuscular function to have recovered adequately for upper airway protection and spontaneous ventilation. In patients monitored with acceleromyography, the trachea was extubaled when the TOF ratio was above 0.70. In all 40 patients, TOF ratio was measured using mechanomyography immediately after tracheal extubation and the patients were evaluated for clinical signs of residual neuromuscular block. Train‐of‐four ratios, as measured mechanically, varied between 0.26 and 0.96 (median 0.65) in the group not monitored dunng the operation with acceleromyography. Seven patients in this group were unable to sustain head lift for 5 seconds and five patients were unable to lift an arm to the opposite shoulder, as compared to 1 and 0 patients, respectively, in the group monitored using acceleromyography (P<0.05). The lime from end of surgery to tracheal extubation varied between 0 and 25 min (median 10 min) in the group not monitored as compared to 7–47 min (median 15 min) in the monitored group (P<0.01). There was no statistically significant difference in the total dose of pancuronium given in the two groups. It is concluded, that by using acceleromyography during Anaesthesia it is possible to avoid the problem of residual neuromuscular block following pancuronium. However, in this study this happened at the expense of a slightly prolonged recovery time (5 min longer). Under the conditions of the study the use of acceleromyography did not influence the amount of pancuronium used during anaesthesia.
Visualisation of financial time series by linear principal component analysis and nonlinear principal component analysis

In this dissertation, the main goal is visualisation of financial time series. We expect that visualisation of financial time series will be a useful auxiliary for technical analysis. Firstly, we review the technical analysis methods and test our trading rules, which are built by the essential concepts of technical analysis. Next, we compare the quality of linear principal component analysis and nonlinear principal component analysis in financial market visualisation. We compare different methods of data preprocessing for visualisation purposes. Using visualisation, we demonstrate the difference between normal and crisis time period. Thus, the visualisation of financial market can be a tool to support technical analysis.
Bayesian Estimation of Probabilities of Default for Low Default Portfolios

The estimation of probabilities of default (PDs) for low default portfolios by means of upper confidence bounds is a well established procedure in many financial institutions. However, there are often discussions within the institutions or between institutions and supervisors about which confidence level to use for the estimation. The Bayesian estimator for the PD based on the uninformed, uniform prior distribution is an obvious alternative that avoids the choice of a confidence level. In this paper, we demonstrate that in the case of independent default events the upper confidence bounds can be represented as quantiles of a Bayesian posterior distribution based on a prior that is slightly more conservative than the uninformed prior. We then describe how to implement the uninformed and conservative Bayesian estimators in the dependent one- and multi-period default data cases and compare their estimates to the upper confidence bound estimates. The comparison leads us to suggest a constrained version of the uninformed (neutral) Bayesian estimator as an alternative to the upper confidence bound estimators.
Neurologically Plausible Distinctions in Cognition Relevant to Drug Use Etiology and Prevention

This article outlines several distinctions in cognition and related topics in emotion that receive support from work in cognitive neuroscience and have important implications for prevention: implicit cognition, working memory, nonverbal memory, and neurobiological systems of habit. These distinctions have not been widely acknowledged or applied in drug use prevention research, despite their neural plausibility and the availability of methods to make this link. The authors briefly review the basis for the distinctions and indicate general implications and assessment possibilities for prevention researchers conducting large-scale field trials. Subse-quently, the article outlines a connectionist framework for specific applications in prevention interventions. These possibilities begin the attempt to derive useful fusions of normally distinct areas of prevention and cognitive neuroscience, in the spirit of a transdisciplinary approach.
Unlocking the Potential of Contract Farming: Lessons from Ghana

This paper analyses sorghum contract farming in north-east Ghana in order to explore ways of making such arrangements viable for small farmers. The analysis draws on the convergence of sciences approach, which sees both science and social relations (interactions among the relevant stakeholders) as important for developing small farmer-relevant agricultural innovations (technology, procedures, new forms of organisation). The study reveals that the failure and problems encountered in this particular contracting scheme were both technical and institutional. The technical issues were a combination of pest problems, the environment and the sorghum variety chosen. The institutional issues involved the contractual arrangements and relations between the contracting parties. The authors argue that if contracts are to be fair, they must allow for compensation, contingencies and production risks. But scientific knowledge is required in order to adequately incorporate these elements.
The Relationship between Restaurant Service Quality and Consumer Loyalty among the Elderly

In the United States, the number of elderly is increasing much faster than the overall population of the country. Although this growth presents the restaurant industry with new opportunities, there is evidence that two of three senior patrons express dissatisfaction with service because of mistreatment by restaurant employees. No quantitative research has addressed the influence of service quality on older diners’ behavioral intentions. This study statistically analyzed the relationship between service quality dimensions and restaurant loyalty among elderly customers. An on-site survey was conducted at two family-style restaurants using the SERVQUAL instrument. The major findings were that friendly service and individual attention were more important factors than tangible aspects of service in influencing elderly customers’ behavioral intentions. The results of this study will help restaurant operators improve the specific service quality dimensions that enhance return business.
Predicting the behavioral intention to use enterprise resource planning systems

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine various factors affecting users' behavioral intention to use (BIU) enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, based on data from 75 potential end‐users of ERP systems.Design/methodology/approach – A survey methodology is used to gather data. The research model is constructed based on the findings of the previous studies.Findings – The results indicate that subjective norms, perceived usefulness (PU) and education level are determinants of BIU the system. In addition, PU affects attitude toward use, and both perceived ease of use (PEOU) and compatibility affect PU. In addition, among personal characteristics, education level has a significant effect on PEOU and behavioral intention. However, there is no significant relationship between attitude and behavioral intention.Research limitations/implications – As the sample is limited, the findings will require validation among other populations.Practical implications – This paper provides evidence that compatib.
Combination therapy of pioglitazone with voglibose improves glycemic control safely and rapidly in Japanese type 2-diabetic patients on hemodialysis.

AIMS Unfortunately, clinicians are diagnosing a growing number of patients on hemodialysis (HD) with insulin-resistant, Type 2 diabetes in Japan. While alpha-glucosidase inhibitors (alpha-GI) such as oral antidiabetic agents are indicated for Japanese diabetics on HD, pioglitazone and other PPARgamma agonists are now contraindicated. No prospective study has evaluated the use of thiazolidinediones in diabetics with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in combination with alpha-GI. In this study we evaluated the efficacy and safety of pioglitazone in Japanese diabetics on HD. METHODS An open-label randomized study was performed on 31 Type 2 diabetics on HD with unstable glycemic control receiving constant doses of voglibose. The patients were randomly assigned to two groups: a combination therapy group (pioglitazone group) administered pioglitazone (fixed dose 30 mg) plus voglibose, and a monotherapy group (control group) administered voglibose alone. The efficacy of the treatments was determined by monitoring glycemic control (plasma glucose and HbA1c) and insulin resistance. Insulin resistance was assessed using the homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-R). Safety and tolerance were determined by monitoring clinical and laboratory parameters. RESULTS The pioglitazone was effective in reducing plasma glucose and HbA1c from the baseline levels from Week 4 onward. It was also effective in reducing triglycerides. HOMA-R decreased significantly at 4 weeks in the pioglitazone group, and the decrease continued up to the last measurement at Week 12. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures at 4 weeks were statistically lower in the pioglitazone group than in the control group. No serious adverse effects such as hypoglycemia, liver impairment or rhabdomyolysis were observed in any of the patients. CONCLUSIONS Pioglitazone was safe and effective as a treatment for diabetics on dialysis therapy. The 30 mg daily dose of pioglitazone was sufficient for Japanese HD patients, obese and nonobese alike. The combination therapy of pioglitazone with voglibose will add to the list of first-line drug treatments for glycemic control in uremic Type 2 diabetes.
Factors Affecting the Intention to Reuse Mobile Banking Service

The accelerated advancement in technology resulted to the appearance of Self Service Technology. One form of self-service technology in the banking sector is the presence of mobile banking. This study aims to examine the influence of five factors toward the reusing of Mobile Bank Central Asia (BCA) in Bandung. Those factors used in this study were the extension of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) constructs, i.e perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived credibility, customer awareness and social influence. Data was collected through distributed questionnaire to 100 respondents who used Mobile BCA by using judgment sampling. Multiple linear regression technique was employed to investigate the influence among variables. This study empirically concluded that consumer intention to reuse BCA mobile services was positively influenced by social influence, customer awareness and perceived ease of use. On the other hand, perceived usefulness and perceived credibility did not influence the intention of reusing Mobile BCA in Bandung. Further study is suggested to use probability sampling technique to cover the real voice of mobile banking user in Bandung and to explore the lack influence of perceived usefulness and perceived credibility toward reusing of Mobile BCA.
Continuous Cuffless Blood Pressure Estimation Using Pulse Transit Time and Photoplethysmogram Intensity Ratio

Pulse transit time (PTT) has attracted much interest for cuffless blood pressure (BP) measurement. However, its limited accuracy is one of the main problems preventing its widespread acceptance. Arterial BP oscillates mainly at high frequency (HF) because of respiratory activity, and at low frequency (LF) because of vasomotor tone. Prior studies suggested that PTT can track BP variation in HF range, but was inadequate to follow the LF variation, which is probably the main reason for its unsatisfactory accuracy. This paper presents a new indicator, the photoplethysmogram intensity ratio (PIR), which can be affected by changes in the arterial diameter, and, thus, trace the LF variation of BP. Spectral analysis of BP, PTT, PIR, and respiratory signal confirmed that PTT was related to BP in HF at the respiratory frequency, while PIR was associated with BP in LF range. We, therefore, develop a novel BP estimation algorithm by using both PTT and PIR. The proposed algorithm was validated on 27 healthy subjects with continuous Finapres BP as reference. The results showed that the mean ± standard deviation (SD) for the estimated systolic, diastolic, and mean BP with the proposed method against reference were -0.37 ± 5.21, -0.08 ± 4.06, -0.18 ± 4.13 mmHg, and mean absolute difference (MAD) were 4.09, 3.18, 3.18 mmHg, respectively. Furthermore, the proposed method outperformed the two most cited PTT algorithms for about 2 mmHg in SD and MAD. These results demonstrated that the proposed BP model using PIR and PTT can estimate continuous BP with improved accuracy.
DEFECTS OF NEUROMUSCULAR TRANSMISSION IN SYNDROMES OTHER THAN MYASTHENIA GRAVIS

At the Second International Conference on Myasthenia Gravis, characteristics of a myasthenic syndrome sometimes associated with bronchogenic carcinoma, particularly the small cell type, were described in detail and contrasted with those of classical myasthenia gravis (Lambert et al., 1961). Since that time, observations on the myasthenic syndrome sometimes associated with bronchogenic carcinoma (myasthenic syndrome SCCa) have been confirmed by study of an additional 13 patients in our laboratory (Lambert et al., 1965; Lambert & Rooke, 1965) and in reports of similar studies by Brune (1961), Salamone (1964), Norris (1963) and Wise (1962). The clinical and physiological characteristics of the syndrome have been sufficiently different from those of classical myasthenia gravis to suggest tha t the mechanism of the defect of neuromuscular transmission is also different. Physiologically, there is in rested muscle a marked depression of the twitch and action potential evoked by a maximal nerve stimulus. During brief repetitive stimulation a t a slow rate (2 per second), a further transient decrease of the response occurs, but during repetitive stimulation a t a fast rate (10 to 200 per second) a marked increase of the response occurs. The defect is like that produced by excess magnesium ions, botulinum toxin and neomycin, agents whose predominant effect is to decrease the number of quanta of acetylcholine (ACh) released by a nerve impulse. In patients with myasthenia gravis, there is in rested muscle a relatively small depression of the response to a single maximal nerve stimulus, and, during repetitive stimulation, a decrease of the response occurs not only a t slow rates, but usually also a t high rates. Facilitation of the response a t high rates of stimulation, when it occurs, is small in amount in comparison with that found in the myasthenic syndrome SCCa. The studies of Elmqvist and his associates (1965) indicate that in myasthenia gravis there is a reduction of the quantum size rather than a reduction in the number of quanta of ACh released by a nerve impulse. Recently, I have studied a patient who had a defect of neuromuscular transmission different from those just described. In some respects the defect resembled that which occurs with bronchogenic carcinoma. In the rested muscle, there was a marked depression of the response to a single nerve stimulus. However, facilitation of the response occurred during repetitive stimulation a t all rates from 1 per second to 200 per second. There was no depression of successive responses to stimulation a t slow rates as is charac-
Bacterial Coinfections in Travelers with Malaria: Rationale for Antibiotic Therapy

ABSTRACT Malaria predisposes children in areas where malaria is endemic to concurrent bacteremia, often with severe outcomes. The importance of bacterial coinfections in patients diagnosed with malaria in nonendemic settings has, however, not been reported. A retrospective analysis of microbiology data was performed in 755 travelers diagnosed with malaria in Sweden. Bacterial cultures from blood and other locations were correlated to clinical outcome and antibiotic treatment. Blood cultures were drawn from 417 (55%) patients (88% of whom were >15 years old), and bacterial isolates of clinical relevance (Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis and Escherichia coli) were detected in 2 patients (0.3%). Cultures from other locations (mainly urine, nasopharyngeal, and fecal samples) were obtained from 44% of the patients with 4.9% positivity. Of the 38 patients given antibiotics, 47% had neither severe malaria nor positive cultures and/or radiology signs indicative of treatment. C-reactive protein levels were associated with bacterial infections but had only a fair predictive value. Bacterial coinfections are uncommon among travelers with malaria. These data suggest a weaker association between malaria and bacteremia than previously described in endemic settings and might indicate different patient populations with different pathophysiological mechanisms and microbial environments. The study supports a restrictive antibiotic policy in returning travelers with malaria.