Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Some Tests for Differences in Consumption Patterns: The Impact of Remittances Using Household Income and Expenditure Survey Data of Pakistan 1987-88

It is argued generally that the observed pattern of use of remittances1 by emigrant families reduces their effectiveness for economic development and growth. A large school of thought believes that a considerable portion of the remittance money is spent on raising current consumption, in making unproductive investment in real estate such as residential houses, and in acquiring consumer durables, etc. Such expenditure, apart from being inflationary in nature, also has a strong demonstration effect on the consumption patterns of families that do not receive remittances. Another aspect of the alleged consumption-oriented use of remittances is the relatively high import content of the consumption demand generated by remitted funds. This has the adverse implication of offsetting some of the balance of payments gains. There is, therefore, a need to critically examine the utilisation pattern of remittances in terms of statistically testing for differences in consumption behaviour between households that receive remittances and those that do not. This study attempts such an analysis based on the data from the Household Income and Expenditure Survey of 1987-88.2
Some experimental observations on the innervation of the larynx in cats

THE innervation and movements of the larynx have received the attention of many experimental investigators. It would be hard to find any series of results which has produced so many positively affirmed observations by many workers, with equally positive but exactly opposite results by many others. The experimental animals used have been varied and include rabbits, cats, dogs, goats, monkeys and finally man, and the only two generally accepted observations arising from the study of these species are that animal results cannot be applied with any certainty to man and that the larynx has as part of its raison d'etre a valvular function. That so little uniformity has been reached in the past 140 years since paralysis of the "cords" was observed by Legallois in sectioning both recurrent laryngeal nerves is sufficient to indicate the complexity of the problem. The copious literature on the subject bears further witness to that point and hence it is not without some trepidation that the following brief communication, relating to the experimental investigation of the larynx and its innervation, is contributed.
Dental enamel development defects in children and adolescents with HIV infection: case‐control study

To determine the frequency of Enamel Development Defects (DDE) and associated factors in children and adolescents infected with HIV. A case-control study was conducted in HIV-infected patients (n = 52), aged 3 to 15, and a control group formed by preschool and schoolchildren (n = 104) matched according to gender, age and household income. Data on medical history, neonatal and maternal conditions were obtained. For diagnosis of enamel defects was used modified DDE Index. DDE frequency was 61.5% in the case group and 58.7% in the control group (p = 0.569). Infection of the genitourinary tract and maternal hemorrhage were factors associated with DDE in the case and control groups, respectively. An association was observed between the use of antiretroviral regimens with protease inhibitors or efavirenz and DDE in the permanent dentition. Children and adolescents HIV-infected showed a DDE frequency similar to healthy patients, but factors associated with this condition were different between the groups.
Understanding the heterogeneous nature of the demand for soft drinks in Mexico: why social determinants also matter

Background. Soft drink consumption is a risk factor for obesity and non-communicable chronic diseases, and policies to reduce it have been proposed around the world, including taxation. Little is known about the role of other social and economic factors on the demand of such goods. In addition, heterogeneity of the demand due to different levels of consumption has been rarely explored. The aim of this study is to analyse the heterogeneous nature of the demand for soft drinks to understand the role of economic and social factors (provision of safe water /local food market conditions) and draw recommendations for the design of obesity prevention. Methods. Population, cross-sectional analysis of household data from the Mexican Family Life Survey, grouped into three consumption groups (low/medium/high consumers, defined by the proportion of total household expenditure devoted to soft drink purchases) and three economic poverty groups (defined by extreme and moderate income poverty lines). Multivariate probit regressions were applied to explore factors associated to the probability to be a consumer, and simultaneous multivariate quantile regressions were used to model the quantity purchased of soft drinks. Heckman’s procedure was used to control for identification bias. Results. The adjusted probability that a household becomes a consumer is significantly higher with male, educated heads of households and higher household income. Living in localities where access to safe water for drinking and cooking needs is not universal significantly increases the probability to consume soft drinks while living in localities with convenience stores and supermarkets (local food market condition) significantly decreases it, especially in households facing extreme poverty. Demand from low-consumption households is price-inelastic (-0.97) compared with high-consumers (-1.2). Yet when the population is grouped by poverty, households in extreme poverty have a higher significant price-elasticity (-1.5) than those above moderate poverty line (-1.3). Conclusions. In order to design policies that adequately affect the demand for soft drinks on high consumers and benefit the poor, social factors should be considered. A comprehensive obesity prevention strategy should complement taxes with policies that affect social determinants such as the local provision of safe water and local food market conditions.
Satisfaction level with neighbourhoods in low‐income public housing in Yemen

For the last 20 years, the Yemeni government has been providing housing schemes for low‐income groups. These low‐income housing schemes have not, however, been evaluated. Based on a post‐occupancy evaluation of three low‐income public housing schemes in Sana’a, Yemen, the paper describes the residents’ judgement and assessment of the environment in which they are living. Interviews with 180 occupants revealed that they attach great importance to the level of satisfaction with their neighbourhoods. The most important factor associated with neighbourhood satisfaction was privacy, a reflection of the cultural background in Yemeni society.
Post-Entry Product Introduction: Who Explores New Niches?

Where do innovative products come from? Why do some firms address new market niches and others do not? The literature has rarely blended the concept of innovativeness of a product at the market level with the coherence of the product portfolio at the firm level. In this paper, we examine whether the introduction of products that are highly innovative occurs in firms that are very differentiated, both in terms of target niches and in terms of technological competencies, or rather in firms that focus on specific market segments and that have a limited technological capability. The results show that the introduction of products that are new to the market generally occurs in firms that introduce many products in few market segments and are characterized by a set of specialized technological and market competencies. At least in this industry, the myth of the small specialized niche player does not hold. Implications have a positive relevance to assess firms' behaviour in a given market. From the welfare point of view, this paper helps disentangle monopolistic power generated by truly new products and simple versioning of the product.
A study of prevalence of intestinal parasites and associated risk factors among the school children of Itahari, Eastern Region of Nepal

Introduction: Intestinal parasitic infestation is a major public health problem in children of developing countries Because of poor socio-economic conditions and lack of good hygienic living. The aims of this study were to measure the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infestations and to identify risk factors associated with parasitic infestations among the school children of Itahari Municipality. Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted in Grade VI, VII and VIII in Government and private schools of Itahari Municipality. Stratified random sampling method was applied to choose the schools and the study subjects. Semi-structured questionnaire was administered to the study subjects and microscopic examination of stool was done. The Chi-square test was used to measure the association of risk factors and parasitic infestation. Results: Overall intestinal parasitic infestation was found to be 31.5%. Around 13% of the study population was found to be infested with helminthes and 18.5% of the study population was protozoa infected. Not using soap after defecation, not wearing sandals, habit of nail biting and thumb sucking were found to be significantly associated with parasitic infection. Conclusions: The prevalence of intestinal parasitic infestation was found to be high in school children of Itahari. Poor sanitary condition, lack of clean drinking water supply and education is supposed to play an important role in establishing intestinal parasitic infections.
Effects of the PricewaterhouseCoopers merger on the UK audit services market

Purpose – This paper seeks to investigate the effect of the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) merger on the market for audit services in the UK. To this end a “what if” analysis is conducted comparing estimated outcomes prior to the merger with those expected under post‐merger conditions. Particular attention is given to the effect of the merger on the relative performance of the top tier and non‐top tier audit firms.Design/methodology/approach – The paper employs a Markov chain model to estimate the long‐term market shares of audit firms' pre‐merger and post‐merger. Concurrently, an optimisation model is employed to generate parameters reflecting the relative attractiveness of audit firms and the probability that a client company continues with the current audit firm.Findings – Prior to the PwC merger, this model would predict a large reduction in the share of the non‐Big Six from 17 per cent to a long run 7 per cent. However, the effect of the PwC merger appears to be that the position of the non‐Big Five ha.
Non-transport household energy consumption in Adelaide and Melbourne

The residential sector is the third largest sector of final energy use in Australian urban areas, accounting for about 12% of the country's total final energy consumption. What are the main determinants of energy consumption in the residential sector? This paper sheds light on this question by examining non-transport summer household energy consumption in Adelaide and Melbourne. Data were collected from a survey of 200 sample households and modelled according to a conceptual framework that not only emphasises household characteristics and housing stock characteristics but also controls the macro-environment factors. The findings reveal distinctive results in Adelaide and Melbourne. In Adelaide, household characteristics are the most important contributors in explaining non-transport household energy consumption. In Melbourne, the household characteristic as represented by income is important, but housing stock characteristics provide even more explanatory power. These findings contribute to the understanding of the factors that shape residential energy consumption and have policy implications in targeting household energy savings.
The effects of transport costs revisited

The aim of this paper is to study the location decisions of upstream and downstream industries when transport costs in each sector are analysed separately. By using a new economic geography model built on Venables (1996), it will be shown that the effects of cost reductions in transporting final goods are different from those in intermediate goods. Our analysis suggests that regional convergence is more the consequence of improvements in transportation between upstream and downstream firms than those between firms and consumers. This will help us to better understand the forces driving these kinds of models while giving an additional explanation to the differences between Krugman's (1991) results and those of Venables (1996). Copyright 2005, Oxford University Press.
The Role of 18F-FDG PET/CT in the Evaluation of Ascites of Undetermined Origin

The first aim of our study was to compare the role of 18F-FDG PET/CT with that of CT alone in detecting the primary cause of ascites. A secondary aim was to compare the value of 18F-FDG PET/CT with that of CT alone in detecting abdominal cavity metastasis. Finally, we analyzed the receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) curves of maximal standardized uptake values (SUVmax), serum carcinoembryonic antigen, CA19-9, and CA12-5 for differential diagnostic abilities. Methods: The 18F-FDG PET/CT scans of 40 patients with ascites of undetermined origin, including 30 patients with malignant diseases and 10 with benign lesions, were reviewed for the presence of ascites. Among the 40 patients, 34 had received their diagnosis by pathologic examination and 6 by clinical follow-up. We also assessed the 18F-FDG PET/CT scans of 20 healthy volunteers for comparison. All 18F-FDG PET/CT images were visually interpreted, and the SUVmax was measured. We compared the mean diameter of true-positive lesions with that of false-negative lesions. The diagnostic abilities of SUVmax, serum carcinoembryonic antigen, CA19-9, and CA12-5 were compared using the ROC curve. Results: The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of PET/CT in detecting the primary cause of ascites were 63.3% (19/30), 70.0% (7/10), and 65.0% (26/40), respectively, and those of CT alone were 36.7% (11/30), 80% (8/10), and 47.5% (19/40), respectively (sensitivity, P < 0.05). The sensitivity of PET/CT was higher than that of CT alone for detecting abdominal cavity metastasis (86.4% vs. 27.3%, P < 0.01). The SUVmax in patients with malignant primary and metastatic lesions was significantly higher than that in healthy volunteers and in patients with benign ascites (P < 0.05). The mean maximal diameter of false-negative lesions was significantly smaller than that of true-positive lesions (P < 0.05). In ROC analysis, the areas under the curve of SUVmax, serum carcinoembryonic antigen, CA19-9, and CA12-5 were 0.803 (P < 0.01), 0.773 (P < 0.05), 0.552 (P > 0.05), and 0.220 (P < 0.01), respectively. Conclusion: 18F-FDG PET/CT assisted in detecting the original cause of ascites. The differential diagnostic ability of 18F-FDG PET/CT was superior to that of CT alone, tumor markers, and cytology. More attention should be paid to peritoneal tuberculosis, which can markedly accumulate 18F-FDG and mimic peritoneal carcinoma.
Decreased calcium-sensing receptor expression in hyperplastic parathyroid glands of uremic rats: role of dietary phosphate.

BACKGROUND The abnormal control of parathyroid hormone secretion in chronic renal failure is attributed, in part, to down-regulation of the calcium-sensing receptor (CaR) in hyperplastic parathyroid tissue. The cause of this down-regulation is unknown. Here we examined the roles of uremia and parathyroid hyperplasia on parathyroid gland (PTG) CaR expression in the rat model of renal failure. METHODS Rats made uremic by 5/6 nephrectomy were maintained for one month on diets containing 0.2% P (low phosphate), 0.5% P (normal phosphate) or 1.2% P (high phosphate); intact rats (controls) were maintained on the normal-phosphate diet. RESULTS CaR mRNA was reduced only in uremic rats fed the high-phosphate diet (55% less than in controls, P < 0.05). Immunohistochemical staining revealed decreased CaR protein expression in uremic high-phosphate rat PTG compared with controls (41% decrease as determined by computer-assisted quantitation, P < 0.01). PTG size was increased in uremic rats fed the high-phosphate diet compared with controls (2.77 +/- 0.95 vs. 0.77 +/- 0.16 microgram/g body wt, P < 0.0001). There was no increase in PTG size in uremic rats fed the low-phosphate and normal-phosphate diets (0.92 +/- 0.31 and 1.01 +/- 0.31 micrograms/g) compared with controls (0.77 +/- 0.16 microgram/g body wt). Immunohistochemical staining for proliferating cell nuclear antigen in hyperplastic PTG from uremic rats showed that CaR was decreased primarily in areas of active cell proliferation. CONCLUSION These results suggest that CaR down-regulation cannot be attributed to uremia per se, but rather, is associated with parathyroid cell proliferation. Furthermore, dietary phosphate restriction prevents both the parathyroid hyperplasia and decreased CaR expression in renal failure.
A Case of Auditory Neuropathy Caused by Pontine Hemorrhage in an Adult

A pontine hemorrhage can evoke several neurological symptoms because the pons contains various nuclei and nerve fibers. Hearing loss can develop as a result of a pontine hemorrhage because there is an auditory conduction pathway in the cochlear nucleus of the pons. However, very few cases of hearing loss caused by pontine lesions have been reported, and there have been no reports of auditory neuropathy that developed following a pontine hemorrhage. Recently we had a patient who experienced a nontraumatic pontine hemorrhage who was diagnosed with auditory neuropathy. The 34-year-old male patient was admitted to the emergency department with sudden alteration of mental status. His brain computed tomographic imaging revealed a hemorrhage in the central pons. He complained of hearing difficulties after his mental status recovered through conservative treatment, but a pure-tone audiogram showed very mild hearing loss in both ears. Further hearing tests using otoacoustic emissions, which showed normal responses, and auditory brainstem responses, which showed no waveforms at maximum stimulus intensity, revealed that his hearing difficulties were caused by auditory neuropathy. This case implies that the threshold of sound detection can be preserved in patients with pontine hemorrhage who complain of hearing difficulties. Auditory neuropathy should be considered as a possible cause of hearing difficulties in these patients and appropriate hearing tests should be performed.
Delaying School Entry: Short‐ and Longer‐Term Effects on Mothers' Employment

type="main" xml:id="ecor12179-abs-0001"> Mothers' short- and longer-term employment patterns may be influenced by their child's entry to school. This paper assesses these relationships, adopting an identification strategy that draws upon school entry cut-off rules, which imply that children whose birthdates are one day apart, but lie on either side of the cut-off date, can begin school one year apart. We find that this variation has a significant initial impact on mothers' employment, but this effect quickly disappears, suggesting little evidence of longer-term employment impacts of mothers' absence from the workforce when they have young children.
A Recente Queda da Desigualdade de Renda e o Acelerado Progresso Educacional Brasileiro da Última Década

In this paper we avaluate the contribution of two different forms of discrimination (by gender and color) and three different types of segmentation (spacial, sectorial and between the formal and informal segments) in the labor market, regarding the reduction of the inequality degree in the labor remuneration and in per capita income. With the exeption of the segmentation between the formal and informal segments, all the other forms of discrimination and segmentation declined during the the decade and, in particular, during the last quarth. This reduction in the labor market? s imperfections, with it? s growing integration, had a fundamental part to explain the inequality drop of labor remuneration and per capita income. The drops in the geographic segmentation level (in particular, the segmentation between capitals and small cities) and sectorial were the most contributive factors for this recent inequality reduction. In fact, the reduction in the geographic segmentation degree contributed to explain 11% to 22% of the recent drop in the per capita income and labor remuneration? s inequality degree, respectively. The reduction in the segmentation level between sectors contributed to explain 10% to 18% of this recent drop in the per capita income and labor remuneration? s inequality degree, respectively. Together, the reductions in the discrimination and segmentation levels were responsible for 35% of the inequality drop regarding the labor remuneration, being the discrimination reduction responsible for about 10% and the segmentation reduction for about 25%. Regarding the drop in the per capita income? s inequality, the reductions in the discrimination and segmentation? s degree were responsible, together, for 18%, being the discrimination responsible for 4% and the segmentation for the other 14%. At last, we see that, regarding the reduction in the discrimination and segmentation levels, a lot of them still remains extremely high, such as the gender differencials and the formal-informal segmentation degree. In both cases, the difference between workers with identical characteristics in similar jobs is above 40%.
Nanometre–range acoustic sensitivity in male and female mosquitoes

Johnston's sensory organ at the base of the antenna serves as a movement sound detector in male mosquitoes, sensing antennal vibrations induced by the flight sounds of conspecific females. Simultaneous examination of acoustically elicited antennal vibrations and neural responses in the mosquito species Toxorhynchites brevipalpis has now demonstrated the exquisite acoustic and mechanical sensitivity of Johnston's organ in males and, surprisingly, also in females. The female Johnston's organ is less sensitive than that of males. Yet it responds to antennal deflections of ±0.0005° induced by ±11nm air particle displacements in the sound field, thereby surpassing the other insect movement sound detectors in sensitivity. These findings strongly suggest that the reception of sounds plays a crucial role in the sensory ecology of both mosquito sexes.
Whither News Shocks?

Does news about future productivity cause business-cycle fluctuations? What other effects might it have? We explore the answer to this question using semi-structural VARs, where “news” is defined as the innovation in the expectation of TFP at a fixed horizon in the future. We find that systems incorporating a number of forward-looking variables, including stock prices, consumption, consumer confidence and inflation, robustly predict three outcomes. First, following a news shock, TFP rises for several years. Second, inflation falls immediately and substantially, and stays low, often for 10 quarters or more. Third, there is a sharp increase in a forward-looking measure of consumer confidence. Consumption typically rises following good news, but investment, consumer durables purchases and hours worked typically fall on impact. All the quantity variables subsequently rise, as does TFP. Depending on the specification of the reduced form VAR, the activity variables may lead TFP to some extent – possibly lending some support to the hypothesis of news-driven business cycles – or they may move in lockstep with productivity. For the most part, the quantity and inflation responses are quite consistent with the predictions of a standard New Keynesian model augmented with real wage inertia.