Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Typical and Atypical Antipsychotics in Adolescent Schizophrenia: Efficacy, Tolerability, and Differential Sensitivity to Extrapyramidal Symptoms

Objective: To review the existing literature on the efficacy and tolerability of antipsychotics for adolescent psychosis. The review focuses in particular on literature regarding adverse effects that are thought to have an increased incidence in young patients and on the possible neurobiological bases for such differential sensitivity. Method: Pertinent studies were sought using Medline searches, supplemented by selected bibliographies, and reviewed. Results: There is a relative paucity of research in this area; in particular, well-controlled trials are lacking. The existing literature suggests fairly good efficacy of both typical and atypical antipsychotics in the treatment of psychotic disorders in children and adolescents. However, the incidence of certain side effects, particularly extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS), is found to be higher in young patients compared with adults. Positron emission tomography (PET) receptor studies in adults have demonstrated that the incidence of EPS is related to dose-dependent dopamine type-2 (D2) receptor occupancy and that there is a significant relationship between the number of these receptors and age. Conclusions: Improved tolerability is leading to the increasing use of atypical antipsychotics for adolescent patients, though these new drugs do have specific adverse effects of their own. There is a need for more controlled studies of atypical antipsychotics in children and adolescents. In particular, dose-finding studies are needed to determine the optimal dose range to produce the greatest improvement with the least side effects for each of these new drugs.
Sample Selection Bias in the Pathways to Adult Health Inequalities

Sample selection bias is a chronic problem in longitudinal studies that is particularly problematic for studies concerning the relationship between health and socio-economic status. This paper adopts two alternate methods for handling sample selection bias attributable to survey attrition and item non-response. Both methods are applied to examine the magnitude of bias in the effects of childhood cognition and behavior on the adult socio-economic gradient in health. A method for sample selection correction with multiple imputation for item nonresponse is implemented to account for different sources of sample selection bias over time. Estimates of a life course model of health and socioeconomic attainment demonstrate that sample selection bias inflates estimates of socioeconomic gradients. The proposed correction for sample selection bias also suggests that the effects of early child non-cognitive skills rather than cognitive skills may play an important role in the early life origins of adult socioeconomic gradients. _______________________ † Contact address: 1180 Observatory Drive, Center for Demography and Ecology University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706. Email: rwhite@ssc.wisc. edu.
Perturbation Study of Shading in Pictures

Pictorial relief was measured for a series of pictures of a smooth solid object. The scene was geometrically identical for all pictures, but the rendering was different. Whereas all pictures were monochrome full-scale photographs, they were taken under different illuminations of the scene, the source being frontal and displaced towards either the upper left, the upper right, the lower right, or the lower left. It was found that different illuminations led to significantly different, systematic alterations of pictorial relief. It is concluded that though shape constancy under changes in illumination might be said to rule in the first rough approximation, the deviations from true constancy are indeed both significant and systematic. Different from either stimulus-reduction or cue-conflict paradigms, this ‘perturbation analysis’ shows that shading is used as an important source of information even if the particular illumination appears to be ignored at first blush. For all subjects, brighter parts in the stimulus were consistently interpreted as being nearer in pictorial space, both for the global layout and for the subsidiary relief.
Accountants’ perceptions of corporate governance in public limited liability companies in an emerging economy: Evidence from Barbados

Purpose - – This paper aims to examine the perceptions of accountants on corporate governance (CG) practices in public limited liability companies in Barbados, and the perceived effectiveness of these mechanisms. Design/methodology/approach - – A three-stage approach was utilized. First, an Internet-based questionnaire was sent to members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Barbados to gain accounting perspectives on CG practices by listed Barbadian companies. Second, feedback on the survey results was obtained from the attendees of a panel session at a regional accounting conference. Third, interviews were conducted with five qualified accountants to further explore issues that emerged from the previous stages. Findings - – The results suggest that the most important mechanisms for effective CG were the board of directors, auditors and professional accountants. The timely provision of relevant information, board room culture, qualifications and independence of directors were the tasks considered most vital to enhancing board effectiveness. However, the high concentration of ownership in family-controlled firms, interlocking directorates, weak regulatory systems and cultural issues influenced the effectiveness of CG mechanisms. Recommendations for overcoming these barriers and improving CG included purposive training, whistle-blowing mechanisms, stronger legislation and adequate disclosures. Research limitations/implications - – The study’s small sample increases the likelihood of bias and important differences being missed, thus reducing the generalizability to the accounting profession as a whole. Practical implications - – The research sheds light on the value being placed on CG practices by the accounting profession. The study would assist companies, board of directors and accounting practitioners in developing CG mechanisms that are suitable for emerging countries. Originality/value - – The paper contributes to the dearth of literature on perceptions of accountants on CG practices in emerging economies.
Impact of Recurrent and Capital Expenditure on Nigeria’s Economic Growth

The need to better the lots of citizens through government expenditure has raised questions on the impact of government expenditure on its impact on economic development and growth of nations. It is against this background that this paper examines the impact of government expenditure (disaggregated into recurrent and capital expenditure) on economic growth from 1987 to 2010. Three variable multiple regression model was adopted while recurrent expenditure and capital expenditure were used as independent variable and gross domestic product growth rate as dependent variable. The result emanating from this study reveals that while recurrent government expenditure had positive and non-significant impact on economic growth, capital expenditure had negative and non-significant impact on economic growth thus re-echoing the need for increase and encouragement of private sector investment while have proven over the years as a more efficient utilization of resources compared to public sector. Keywords: Recurrent Expenditure, Capital Expenditure, Economic Growth, Nigeria
Baseline chest radiograph for lung cancer detection in the randomized Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial.

BACKGROUND The Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial was initiated in 1992 to examine cause-specific mortality reduction from screening for these four cancers in men and women. We report lung cancer detection results of the baseline screening round. METHODS Of the 154,942 participants enrolled, who were aged 55-74 years with no history of PLCO cancers, 77,465 were randomly assigned to the intervention arm. Current or former smokers and never smokers in this arm received an initial single-view posterior-anterior chest radiograph. RESULTS In the initial screen, 5991 (8.9%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 8.7% to 9.2%) of radiographs were suspicious for lung cancer: 8.2% (95% CI = 7.9% to 8.5%) for women and 9.6% (95% CI = 9.3% to 10.0%) for men. Rates were highest for older age groups and for smokers. Among those 5991 participants with a positive screen, 206 (3.4%, 95% CI = 3.0% to 3.9%) underwent biopsy examination, 126 (61.2%, 95% CI = 54.5% to 67.8%) of whom were diagnosed with lung cancer within 12 months of the screen (59 in women and 67 in men). The positive predictive value was 2.1% (95% CI = 1.7% to 2.5%), and 1.9 lung cancers were detected per 1000 screens. Among these cancers, 44% (95% CI = 35% to 52%) were stage I non-small-cell lung cancer. High rates of lung cancer were found in current smokers (6.3 per 1000 screens) and in former smokers who had smoked within the past 15 years (4.9 per 1000 screens). The lung cancer detection rate among never smokers was 0.4 per 1000 screens; this group accounted for 11% (95% CI = 5.6% to 16.6%) of the cancers identified. CONCLUSIONS In the baseline screen, nearly half the cancers were stage I. Whether this experience results in a reduction in lung cancer mortality is yet to be seen.
Quasi-markets and the Delivery of Activation – A Frontline Perspective

This article analyzes the delivery of activation or welfare-to-work programmes and services in the context of quasi-market service provision. It adopts a frontline perspective, looking in particular into two issues often discussed in the literature on quasi-markets: risk selection in provider agencies and the administrative costs and burden related to monitoring provider agencies and agents. Data from a Dutch study of frontline workers in purchaser and provider agencies is presented to analyze frontline practices of risk selection and monitoring. The article concludes that interpreting provider behaviour in terms of risk selection may not be as straightforward as it seems, and that the widespread occurrence of risk selection processes throughout service provision chains makes it rather difficult to attribute risk selection unequivocally to rational provider behaviour. The monitoring process is experienced as an administrative burden, especially by workers in provider agencies, but it also has elements which workers consider as making a positive contribution to service provision processes in circumstances where actions of purchasers and providers need to be coordinated. This is partly related to the double function of monitoring in the context of activation policies in quasi-market contexts: monitoring provider behaviour as well as monitoring client behaviour.
Protocol implementation in hospital infection control practice: an Italian experience of preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis.

This study evaluates the effectiveness of a protocol implemented to induce behavioural modifications in healthcare workers (HCWs). A preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis protocol for surgical procedures in clean and clean-contaminated wounds was used. The study was conducted in a 300-bed Italian university hospital between 1998 and 1999. The protocol's impact was analysed by retrospective examination of the clinical records for selected common surgical procedures. The study also investigated the reasons for the low compliance with the protocol through a focus group methodology. We examined 723 surgical procedures and the overall compliance was 30.8% (56/182) before the implementation of the protocol and 45.2% (76/168) after 1 year (P< or = 0.01). During the same period compliance with the use of antibiotics increased when antibiotics were recommended by the protocol (5/115 vs. 19/109, P< or = 0.01) and use decreased when they were not (51/67 vs. 57/59, P< or = 0.01). As reported in the focus groups, reasons for low compliance included hospital policy weaknesses in protocol definition and implementation and the cultural behaviour of HCWs. Our results reinforce previous findings that monitoring the effectiveness of protocol implementation in the medical care setting is essential. Critical points that might increase the effectiveness of protocol implementation have also been identified.
Five-Coloring Graphs on the Torus

We prove that a graph on the torus is 5-colorable, unless it contains either K6 the complete graph on six vertices, or C3 + C5, the join of two cycles of lengths three and five, respectively, or K2 + H7, the join of K2 and the graph H7 on seven vertices obtained by applying Hajos? construction to two copies of K4, or a triangulation T11 with 11 vertices of the torus. This answers questions of Albertson, Hutchinson, Stromquist, and Straight.
Labor Markets and Evaluations of Vocational Training Programs in the Public High Schools - Toward a Framework for Analysis

A simplified model is constructed to analyze the role played by vocational training programs In high schools. The model assumes that there are two kinds of educational programs in high schools, vocational and general. It also assumes that there are two types of jobs for high school graduates. One job requires training that either can be obtained from a vocational program in high school or as general training on the job. The other job has no special training requirements. The model is used in two ways. First, it is used to examine how the equilibrium outcome is affected by limitations on the number of places in the vocational training program and by the minimum wage. Second, it helps to determine what can be. learned from studies that take what has become a standard approach to evaluating high school vocational training programs -- attempting to estimate the productivity of this program by comparing the earnings of vocational and nonvocational program graduates. We conclude that whether or not limitations on enrollments In vocational programs and minimum wages influence the wage difference between vocational and nonvocational program graduates, findings based on the standard approach to cost-benefit analysis of high school vocational training programs may prove to be highly misleading guides for policy.
Diffusion of Compliance in the ‘Race towards Brussels?’ A Spatial Approach to EU Accession Conditionality

Previous studies identified several determinants that help explain candidate states’ compliance with EU accession conditionality. However, one influence has largely been neglected so far: states’ spatial dependency. Is it possible to observe diffusion to the extent that states’ interlinkages allow their compliance with the acquis communautaire to be assessed? Are candidate states more – or perhaps even less – likely to comply with EU law when other candidates do? The paper seeks to address these questions. By building on existing research on policy diffusion, it develops a theoretical framework for studying candidates’ compliance with EU law over the accession process according to their spatial dependence. The theoretical argument focuses on ‘competitive learning’ and is tested with quantitative data. The results suggest that candidates’ levels of compliance are indeed driven by spatial interlinkages; however, free riding seems more prevalent than enhanced compliance.
Tax Reform Paralysis in Post-Conflict Guatemala

The historic Peace Accords signed in December 1996, bringing an end to more than 30 years of civil conflict, were meant to signify a new dawn in Guatemala in all areas of political, social and economic life. The spirit and the letter of the Accords recognised a transcendental and time-tested truth: that constructing a democratic society necessitates a strong, functional state. That is, genuine democratic governance cannot be attained without a state that enjoys a certain level of public legitimacy, is able to enforce the rule of law, and can extract sufficient resources from society (that is, taxes) so as to be able to undertake essential public investments. The Accords sought to place the taxation problematique – historically a taboo subject in Guatemala – at the forefront of themes to tackle, in the quest to begin to turn the page on the country’s past. The tax issue is thus inherently important to examine in its own right, but there is another major reason to study it. As economist Joseph Schumpeter famously noted, ‘the fiscal history of a people is above all an essential part of its general history’. Because taxation provides one of the principal lenses through which to assess power relations in a society, scrutinising the evolution of tax policy can shed light on the degree to which the political power balance has changed in post-conflict Guatemala. The wave of tax reform witnessed in Latin America since the 1980s incorporated revenue-enhancement as an overarching objective and, indeed, most countries in the region have succeeded in increasing their tax level (tax revenue to gross domestic product (GDP) ratio) in a sustainable manner. Yet, more than a decade after the signing of the historic Peace Accords (December 1996), genuine advancement on this critical issue remains elusive. If an extraordinarily favourable international and domestic context for reform as that prevailing in the post-Peace Accord period did not spur change in the tax front, it is improbable that genuine reform will ensue under future conditions of ‘politics as usual’. In short, the window of opportunity has now probably closed. This endows the study of the post-Peace Accord period with particular relevance: the outcome of this critical juncture in the country’s history may well shape its future course for decades to come. This article seeks to uncover the reasons behind this lack of progress. It delves first into the nature of the Guatemalan tax conundrum and its socioeconomic New Political Economy, Vol. 14, No. 1, March 2009
Perception of Nurses about Palliative Care: Experience from South-West Nigeria

Background: Nurses play a major role all over the world in the palliative care team. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge and attitude of nurses toward palliative care in a tertiary level hospital in Nigeria. Subjects and Methods: Setting: This cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was carried out among nurses at a tertiary health care facility in Ado-Ekiti, South-West Nigeria. A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was carried out. The questionnaire sought information about the sociodemographic profile of respondents, their knowledge of definition and philosophy of palliative care among other things. Descriptive statistics was used to obtain the general characteristics of the study participants, while Chi-square was used to determine the association between categorical variables. A two-sided P < 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: A total of 100 questionnaires were returned with a female preponderance among the respondents with F: M ratio of 9:1. Regarding the definition of palliative care, 71.8% (48/66) of the respondents understood palliative care to be about pain medicine, 55% (33/60) thought it to be geriatric medicine, while 90.2% (83/92) felt palliative care is about the active care of the dying. Exactly 80.5% (66/82) respondents agreed that palliative care recognizes dying as a normal process while 84.1% (74/88) respondents were of the opinion that all dying patients would require palliative care. The use of morphine would improve the quality of life of patients according to 68.9% (42/61) of respondents. Conclusion: There are gaps in the knowledge of healthcare workers in the area of palliative care and this call for a review of the current nursing curriculum and practice guidelines in Nigeria.
Capital Structure as a Bargaining Tool: The Role of Leverage in Contract Renegotiation

This paper presents a strategic model of temporarily high leverage. When the repayment of senior claims depends in part upon further investment, shareholders may be able to alter credibly their incentives to invest through an exchange of junior debt for equity and thereby force concessions from senior creditors. The authors focus on the conflict between shareholders and risk-averse workers and show that this strategic use of debt leads to an inefficient allocation of risk. They characterize conditions under which firms will undergo leveraged recapitalizations, their choice of debt instruments, and the dynamics of their capital structure. Copyright 1993 by American Economic Association.
Intra-Household Distribution of Resources and Alcohol Consumption: the "Passive Drinking Effect" in Italy

This paper shows that a high consumption of alcoholic beverages can affect intrahousehold distribution of resources between household members. We term this effect the “passive drinking effect” to underline that it is a negative consequence caused by drinking and that it is suffered by other household members. For the investigation of this issue we rely on the collective framework, and estimate a collective quadratic almost ideal demand system. Our results show that for Italian households a high level of alcohol consumption actually influences the distribution of resources. In general the change is in favour of the husband, with a larger eff ect for poor households. If we consider who drinks, the shift is in favour of the member that consumes more alcohol and is stronger for males than for females. This suggests that a possible overbearing effect caused by alcohol is more likely to belong to the husband. This evidence underline that alcohol consumption is not only an individual problem and that public costs that are transfered to the other household members should be taken into account when designing social policies.
Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia after rituximab therapy for antibody‐mediated rejection in a renal transplant recipient

Abstract: We report the case of a 54‐year‐old woman who underwent living‐related renal transplantation for end‐stage renal disease from IgA nephropathy. She was subsequently diagnosed with antibody‐mediated rejection (AMR) and received rituximab, a potent B‐cell suppressive agent. After therapy with rituximab, she developed Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) requiring hospitalization. We discuss the increasing literature for the use of rituximab for AMR and the need for PJP prophylaxis in this setting.
Local Demand for Education: A Critique of School Finance and Economic Research CIRCA 1959–1969

The citizens of some school districts demand more educational services than the citizens of others. This is a fact of life for most local school administrators. If administrators have time to contemplate this situation at all, they are apt to quickly dismiss it as one of the more unfortunate consequences of the highly decentralized educa­ tional financing system used in this country. Recently, an increased interest in the United States in a goal of equal educational opportunity for all students has made this matter of unequal local district demand very disturbing. Disturbing facts tend to attract educational researchers, and this case has proven no exception.
An Empirical Investigation into Long- and Short-Term Indebtedness

The external debt position of a country often lies at the heart of her financial crisis. While it is well-known that indebtedness and in particular a surge in short-term debts often precipitate a debt crisis that is often made worse by runs on a country’s foreign exchange, the reasons why a country takes a particular debt position is rarely formally explained. This paper investigates the long-term determinants of international indebtedness, the time-rates of change of indebtedness, and a nation’s shortto longterm debt ratio. The data set used is the World Data CD-ROM. Six potential explanatory variables are: size, per-cap GNP, growth rate, net-exports, change in reserves, and money supply. Cross-sectional regressions are run for each year from 1984 to 1993 to establish a pattern of answers to the indebtedness problem.