Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A case study of Nairobi City Council's decentralised syphilis screening programme in antenatal clinics

It has long been known that syphilis is one of the more serious sexually transmitted infections (STI), especially during pregnancy when, if untreated, at least 60 percent of infected women will experience an adverse pregnancy outcome. There has been renewed interest in its control and prevention because of its proven link with HIV transmission. In 1992, the Nairobi City Council (NCC) pilot-tested a decentralized approach to syphilis screening and management in a sample of their antenatal clinics. A case study was carried out to assess the effectiveness, readiness, and cost effectiveness of the NCC’s antenatal care program, with a focus on the decentralized syphilis screening and treatment service. This report concludes that decentralization of maternal syphilis screening and management is feasible in a public-sector urban program, and, when implemented properly, leads to more antenatal clients and their partners being screened and treated. However, the NCC clinics are insufficiently prepared to offer good quality antenatal services and to ensure that syphilis screening and treatment are available for all antenatal clients.
Money, Finance and National Income Determination: An Integrated Approach

Traditional economic models have largely failed to account adequately for the roles of money and finance in economic operations. For example, traditional models assume an exogenously determined, fixed money stock and ignore the outcomes of spending changes that result from changes in bank loans. As such, traditional models take place outside of historical time and have no role for institutions in determining economic outcomes other than to promote optimizing behavior. In this working paper, Distinguished Scholar Wynne Godley presents a formalized stock-flow model consistent with the ideas of Keynes, Kaldor, and especially Hicks. Godley's model takes place in historical time and under conditions of uncertainty and incorporates a role for the financial sector in providing funding for both capital investment and firm operations, should expectations prove false. The model was subjected to numerical simulation and found solvable and stable. Godley used Table 11.1 of the National Income Blue Book as a starting point for his stock-flow matrix. The model is of a closed economy consisting of firm, household, banking, and government sectors. The setting the model in historical time and the prominent role of finance are apparent in the matrix's specification, most noticeably in the addition of the banking sector to the model. For example, investment, which originates in the firm sector, is funded by any combination of undistributed profits, securities issues, and the change in bank loans net of cash stocks. Profit is an endogenous variable, with gross profit defined as "the flow which can potentially be appropriated by the owners of firms and their creditors (subject to a liquidity constraint) while leaving the firm intact" and derived as sales less indirect taxes and the wage bill, plus any change in inventories. Net profit, then, is defined as the flow "potentially extractable by the entrepreneur" and is derived as gross profits less the cost of holding goods after they are produced and before they are sold (defined as the loan rate of interest times the value of inventories at the beginning of the period). Net profit may be either distributed or undistributed, with the latter, as mentioned above, a source of funds for fixed investment. Firms set prices with the expectation of making profits, with the distribution of national income determined by the difference between the value of realized sales and costs.
Bound on the yield set of fiber reinforced composites subjected to antiplane shear

We consider fiber reinforced composites where both the matrix and the fibers are made of ideally plastic materials with the fibers being much stronger than the matrix. We restrict our attention to microstructures and applied stresses that lead to both microscopic and macroscopic antiplane shear deformations. We obtain a bound on the yield set of the composite in terms of the shapes of the fibers, their volume fraction and the yield set of the matrix.
An Econometric Chronology of the Financial Crisis of 2007-2008

What happened during the financial crisis of 2007-2008? Understanding the dynamics of the financial crisis requires determining the timing of important events. We document the crisis chronology econometrically based on market prices. The empirical chronology is based on locating the dates of structural breaks in panel data sets, based on the methodology of Bai (2010). Narrative chronologies are ex post. In contrast, the econometric chronology is based on contemporaneous market prices, and reveals the crisis building up prior to the Lehman collapse.
Domain Adaptation as Learning with Auxiliary Information

Many non-standard learning models, such as semi-supervised learning or transfer learning can be viewed as learning with auxiliary information. We discuss how to formally analyze the benefits of auxiliary information and suggest a formal framework for this. Further, we consider a particular case of learning with auxiliary information, namely regularized least squares regression with an extra input hypothesis. This was suggested and first analyzed by Kuzborskij and Orabona [2013] in the context of transfer learning. We extend their analysis by providing a finite sample regret bound.
Difference equations with elliptic coefficients and quantum affine algebras

The purpose of this paper is to introduce and study a q-analogue of the holonomic system of differential equations associated to the Belavin's classical r-matrix (elliptic r-matrix equations), or, equivalently, to define an elliptic deformation of the quantum Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov equations of Frenkel and Reshetikhin. In hep-th 9303018, it was shown that solutions of the elliptic r-matrix equations admit a representation as traces of products of intertwining operators between certain modules over affine sl(N). In this paper, this construction is generalized to quantum affine sl(N). The main object of study in the paper is a family of meromorphic matrix functions of n complex variables z_1,. ,z_n and three additional parameters p,q,s -- (modified) traces of products of intertwiners between modules over quantum affine sl(N). They are a new class of transcendental functions which can be degenerated into many interesting special functions -- hypergeometric and q-hypergeometric functions, elliptic and modular functions, transcendental functions of an elliptic curve, vector-valued modular forms, solutions of the Bethe ansatz equations etc. The main result of the paper states that these functions satisfy two holonomic systems of difference equations -- the first one has shift parameter p and elliptic modulus s, and the second one has shift parameter s and elliptic modulus p. The paper also contains a short proof of the quantum KZ equations.
A New Complete Sample of Submillijansky Radio Sources: An Optical and Near‐Infrared Study

The Very Large Array has been used in C configuration to map an area ≃0.3 deg2 at 1.4 GHz with 5 σ sensitivities of 0.305, 0.325, 0.380, and 0.450 mJy beam -1 over four equal subareas. Radio properties are presented for 62 detected sources. Deep optical imaging to Gunn r≃25 mag using the Hale 5 m telescope covering ≃0.21 deg2 is reported for a subset of 43 sources. This optical follow‐up is much deeper than that of existing larger area radio surveys of similar radio sensitivity. Archival J‐, H‐, and K‐band photometry from the Two‐Micron All Sky Survey is also presented. Using a robust likelihood ratio technique, we optically identified 26 radio sources with probabilities ≳80%, nine with uncertain/ambiguous detections, and eight with empty fields. Comparisons with a stellar synthesis model that includes radio emission and dust reddening suggest that the near‐infrared–optical emission in a small, bright subsample is reddened by “optically thin” dust with absorption AV≃2–2.5 mag, regardless of morphological type. This is consistent with other, more direct determinations of absorption. The radio–optical(–near‐infrared) flux ratios of early‐type galaxies require significant contamination in the radio by an active galactic nucleus, consistent with the current paradigm. Using our simple modeling approach, we also discuss a potential diagnostic for selecting ultraluminous infrared galaxies to z≃1.6 from microjansky radio surveys.
Topical Delivery of Aceclofenac: Challenges and Promises of Novel Drug Delivery Systems

Osteoarthritis (OA), a common musculoskeletal disorder, is projected to affect about 60 million people of total world population by 2020. The associated pain and disability impair the quality of life and also pose economic burden to the patient. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely prescribed in OA, while diclofenac is the most prescribed one. Oral NSAIDs are not very patient friendly, as they cause various gastrointestinal adverse effects like bleeding, ulceration, and perforation. To enhance the tolerability of diclofenac and decrease the common side effects, aceclofenac (ACE) was developed by its chemical modification. As expected, ACE is more well-tolerated than diclofenac and possesses superior efficacy but is not completely devoid of the NSAID-tagged side effects. A series of chemical modifications of already planned drug is unjustified as it consumes quanta of time, efforts, and money, and this approach will also pose stringent regulatory challenges. Therefore, it is justified to deliver ACE employing tools of drug delivery and nanotechnology to refine its safety profile. The present review highlights the constraints related to the topical delivery of ACE and the various attempts made so far for the safe and effective topical delivery employing the novel materials and methods.
Default Risk of Indonesian Government Bond

This paper is aimed at finding an explanation for fluctuation in Indonesian CDS spread during the period from January 2007 to July 2010. The analysis focuses on macroeconomic variables and market sentiment. For the purpose of selecting the variables and revealing relationships among them, the Symmetric Diagonal VECH GARCH model and the Granger causality test are conducted. The final model proposes that Indonesian credit risk fluctuation can be explained by variability of exchange rates and global market sentiment. It also suggests that financial shock from the developed countries was transmitted to the Indonesian economy in a direct way, resulting in changes to market sentiment, rather than from trade channels.
Genome-Wide Identification and Analysis of MAPK and MAPKK Gene Families in Brachypodium distachyon

MAPK cascades are universal signal transduction modules and play important roles in plant growth, development and in response to a variety of biotic and abiotic stresses. Although MAPKs and MAPKKs have been systematically investigated in several plant species including Arabidopsis, rice and poplar, no systematic analysis has been conducted in the emerging monocot model plant Brachypodium distachyon. In the present study, a total of 16 MAPK genes and 12 MAPKK genes were identified from B. distachyon. An analysis of the genomic evolution showed that both tandem and segment duplications contributed significantly to the expansion of MAPK and MAPKK families. Evolutionary relationships within subfamilies were supported by exon-intron organizations and the architectures of conserved protein motifs. Synteny analysis between B. distachyon and the other two plant species of rice and Arabidopsis showed that only one homolog of B. distachyon MAPKs was found in the corresponding syntenic blocks of Arabidopsis, while 13 homologs of B. distachyon MAPKs and MAPKKs were found in that of rice, which was consistent with the speciation process of the three species. In addition, several interactive protein pairs between the two families in B. distachyon were found through yeast two hybrid assay, whereas their orthologs of a pair in Arabidopsis and other plant species were not found to interact with each other. Finally, expression studies of closely related family members among B. distachyon, Arabidopsis and rice showed that even recently duplicated representatives may fulfill different functions and be involved in different signal pathways. Taken together, our data would provide a foundation for evolutionary and functional characterization of MAPK and MAPKK gene families in B. distachyon and other plant species to unravel their biological roles.
An analysis of the determinants of private sector investment in Kenya using the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach

V TABLE OF CONTENTS . VI LIST OF TABLES . VIII LIST OF FIGURES . IX ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS . X OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS . 1 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION . 2 1.
Credit rating changes and their impact on equity prices : how much should Banks care?

This dissertation investigates the existence of abnormal returns in a sample of 48 banks following credit rating changes done by SP second, sovereign rating downgrades’ impact on banks’ stock prices (national and foreign); third, bank rating downgrades’ impact on nondowngraded banks’ equity prices. The impacts are seldom significant: a departure from existing literature that may result from the usage of a test statistic robust to cross-correlation and event-induced volatility effects, or from time series differences.
How religious education teachers understand and implement a multi-faith curriculum : case studies from Botswana

This study explores teachers’ understanding and implementation of the multi-faith Religious Education curriculum in Botswana junior secondary schools. The multi-faith curriculum resulted from an educational policy change in 1996 that saw a move from a Christian-based RE to a multi-faith Religious Education (RE) curriculum. This study is based on qualitative case studies and draws data from classroom observations, interviews with four RE teachers, five RE education officers, eight RE in-service teachers and three groups of RE students. The main participants are two groups of teachers, those who taught the multi-faith curriculum and those who taught both the Christian based RE and the multi-faith Religious Education. In this study, documents such as the syllabus document, end of month tests, end of term examinations and end of three year junior secondary school national examinations papers were used to further highlight the classroom practices of RE teachers. Furthermore, the study adopts the teachers’ professional knowledge landscape as the theoretical framework, a view that is espoused by Clandinin and Connelly (1995), that stresses the importance of teachers’ knowledge. In the implementation of the multi-faith curriculum, there The following themes emerge in the study; teachers’ understanding of the multi-faith RE, teachers’ classroom practices in terms of their content and pedagogical knowledge, their classroom management, and especially discipline. The study reveals that there are no marked differences between these two groups of teachers in terms of their understanding of the curriculum and their classroom practices. It further reveals that there are various factors that impact on the practices of teachers such as their view of the multi-faith philosophy, assessment skills, use of students’ textbooks, mentoring and tracking of RE graduates from teacher training institutions. The study suggests that teachers need to have an adequate understanding of students’ environment, in terms of their personal experiences and social background. The study recommends that teachers in general and RE teachers in particular need to be involved on an occasion of any curriculum change because they are the main implementers. In addition, teachers need extended periods of professional in-service training on occasions of curriculum reforms.
Ductal metaplasia of human exocrine pancreas and its association with carcinoma.

Monoclonal antibodies to cell surface markers of human exocrine pancreas were used to establish the cytotypic expression of cells forming "tubular complexes" in pancreases from six adults without carcinoma and in the nontumorous pancreatic parenchyma of 16 pancreases with carcinoma. These cells manifested duct cell determinants. In general, the presence of cells with duct cell surface markers within the acini corresponded to the normal distribution of centroacinar cells in the 30 control human pancreases (from cadaveric donors); however, foci of abnormal acini were seen in these pancreases independent of or intermingled with the "tubular complexes. " The acini in these abnormal areas were formed by a core of cells and cell processes that expressed duct cell determinants. They were partially surrounded by acinar cells and showed slight or no lumenal dilation. While the causative agent(s), the cell(s) of origin, and the regression and/or progression of these lesions are yet to be determined, the replacement of acini by the spectrum of lesions composed of cells with duct cell surface marker is suggested to constitute ductal metaplasia.
Abnormal resting state corticolimbic blood flow in depressed unmedicated patients with major depression: A 15O‐H2O PET study

We investigated the differences in the resting state corticolimbic blood flow between 20 unmedicated depressed patients and 21 healthy comparisons. Resting state cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured with H215O PET. Anatomical MRI scans were performed on an Elscint 1.9 T Prestige system for PET‐MRI coregistration. Significant changes in cerebral blood flow indicating neural activity were detected using an ROI‐free image subtraction strategy. In addition, the resting blood flow in patients was correlated with the severity of depression as measured by HAM‐D scores. Depressed patients showed decreases in blood flow in right anterior cingulate (Brodmann areas 24 and 32) and increased blood flow in left and right posterior cingulate (Brodmann areas 23, 29, 30), left parahippocampal gyrus (Brodmann area 36), and right caudate compared with healthy volunteers. The severity of depression was inversely correlated with the left middle and inferior frontal gyri (Brodmann areas 9 and 47) and right medial frontal gyrus (Brodmann area 10) and right anterior cingulate (Brodmann areas 24, 32) blood flow, and directly correlated with the right thalamus blood flow. These findings support previous reports of abnormalities in the resting state blood flow in the limbic‐frontal structures in depressed patients compared to healthy volunteers. Hum Brain Mapp, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors mGluR 1 a and mGluR 5 a : Localization in Both Synaptic Layers of the Rat Retina

We examined the distribution of the group I metabotropic glutamate receptors, mGluR1a and mGluR5a, in the adult rat retina and during postnatal development using receptorspecific antisera. In contrast to the restricted localization of group II and group III mGluRs to either the outer plexiform layer (OPL) or the inner plexiform layer (IPL), group I mGluRs are present in both synaptic layers in the rat retina. Double-labeling experiments and electron microscopy showed that in the OPL the two receptors are localized on the dendritic tips of bipolar cells postsynaptic to photoreceptor terminals. In the IPL the two mGluRs are localized on amacrine cell processes postsynaptic to bipolar cell terminals. These results suggest that group I mGluRs are involved in synaptic processing in both plexiform layers and in both the scotopic and photopic pathways in the rat retina. We propose that mGluR1a and mGluR5a play an important modulatory role in the responses of retinal neurons to inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitters.
THE SIZE OF FARSIGHTED STABLE COALITIONS IN A GAME OF POLLUTION ABATEMENT

Abstract The game theoretical analysis of international environmental problems has received increasing attention in recent years. Major issues are as follows. Under which conditions will an international environmental agreement (IEA) be signed? Will the agreement be stable? Game theory has given different answers to these questions; in particular, it is possible to show that if countries are myopic then only small stable coalitions occur, but if they are farsighted then both large and small stable coalitions exist. This paper studies the size of a farsighted stable IEA by considering a quadratic cost function in a pollution abatement model. Following Rubio and Ulph [2006] , we consider both the case of non‐negative emissions as well as the case of unrestricted ones.
Intra-Species Genetic Diversity and Clonal Structure of Cryptosporidium parvum in Sheep Farms in a Confined Geographical Area in Northeastern Spain

A multilocus fragment typing approach including eleven variable-number tandem-repeat (VNTR) loci and the GP60 gene was used to investigate the intra-farm and intra-host genetic diversity of Cryptosporidium parvum in sheep farms in a confined area in northeastern Spain. Genomic DNA samples of 113 C. parvum isolates from diarrheic pre-weaned lambs collected in 49 meat-type sheep farms were analyzed. Loci exhibited various degrees of polymorphism, the finding of 7–9 alleles in the four most variable and discriminatory markers (ML2, Cgd6_5400, Cgd6_3940, and GP60) being remarkable. The combination of alleles at the twelve loci identified a total of 74 multilocus subtypes (MLTs) and provided a Hunter-Gaston discriminatory index of 0.988 (95% CI, 0.979−0.996). The finding that most MLTs (n = 64) were unique to individual farms evidenced that cryptosporidial infection is mainly transmitted within sheep flocks, with herd-to-herd transmission playing a secondary role. Limited intra- host variability was found, since only five isolates were genotypically mixed. In contrast, a significant intra-farm genetic diversity was seen, with the presence of multiple MLTs on more than a half of the farms (28/46), suggesting frequent mutations or genetic exchange through recombination. Comparison with a previous study in calves in northern Spain using the same 12-loci typing approach showed differences in the identity of major alleles at most loci, with a single MLT being shared between lambs and calves. Analysis of evolutionary descent by the algorithm eBURST indicated a high degree of genetic divergence, with over 41% MLTs appearing as singletons along with a high number of clonal complexes, most of them linking only two MLTs. Bayesian Structure analysis and F statistics also revealed the genetic remoteness of most C. parvum isolates and no ancestral population size was chosen. Linkage analysis evidenced a prevalent pattern of clonality within the parasite population.
Political Bias in Fiscal Policy Formation: an Econometric Analysis of Coalition Systems

This paper provides a comprehensive econometric analysis of some debated issues concerning the political and institutional determinants of fiscal policy outcomes. Several innovative results are obtained. It turns out that a significant effect on fiscal policy formation can be traced back to the ideological orientation of the policymaker, to the degree of cabinet instability, to cross-country differences in electoral and budgetary institutions and to the dispersion of political power within the ruling coalition. Instead, the preferences of the median voter appear to have little importance. The evidence also rejects the theory of fiscal illusion in decision-making.