Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neuropsychological Assessment of Current and Past Crack Cocaine Users

Background: Cognitive changes due to crack cocaine consumption remain unclear. Methods: For clarification, 55 subjects were assigned to three groups: control group, crack cocaine current users, and ex-users. Participants were submitted to Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and tasks evaluating executive functioning and verbal memory. Mood state was also measured. Intergroup comparisons were carried out. Results: Control group performance on the MMSE was better than that of users and ex-users. Verbal memory performance for logical memory of users was impaired. Ex-users scored lower on DSST and Trail Making Test (Part B). Conclusion: Chronic crack cocaine use seems to disrupt general cognitive functioning (MMSE), verbal memory, and attentional resources, but findings suggest that some of these effects could be reversed by abstinence.
Mergers & Acquisitions research: A bibliometric study of top strategy journals, 2000 - 2009

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) are important modes through which firms undertake their domestic and international strategies. This bibliometric review examines the extant research on M&As in the top five strategic management journals during a ten years period ? from 2000 to 2009. The 90 articles identified in these top journals denote an eclectic theoretical focus with the prevalence of four theories ? resource-based view, transaction costs, agency theory and institutional theory. We present a brief analysis of the key issues in M&A research, as well as the samples and theories more commonly used. We conclude by presenting a broad discussion comprising the methods used, the research questions investigated, the type of articles, as well as limitations and avenues for future enquiry.
Arbitrage in Stock Index Futures

The textbook description of arbitrage suggests that it is a straightforward matter of taking offsetting positions in different securities and realizing the arbitrage profit. Such descriptions, however, typically ignore the transaction costs that give rise to the arbitrage opportunity in the first place. Taking proper account of these transactions costs may considerably complicate the problem, particularly when, as is usually the case, the arbitrage potential is restricted. ' This article is concerned withoptimal arbitrage strategies with transaction costs when the arbitrage potential is restricted by position limits. The particular case we shall analyze is the Standard and Poor's (SP the corresponding figure for the S&P 500 portfolio for the same period was
EU agencies: what is common and what is distinctive compared with national-level public agencies

The number and relevance of EU agencies have rapidly increased over the years: EU agencies nowadays constitute an important part of the EU institutional landscape. The article investigates the EU agencies through categories of analysis well established in studies of public management focused on the phenomenon of agencies at the country level: structural disaggregation, autonomy, and contractualization. It emerges that EU agencies are relatively homogeneous, an aspect that differentiates European agencies from the highly heterogeneous world of national-level agencies. The main features of the EU agencies are examined, the `European type' of agency is identified and defined, and the way the EU agency model differs from country-level agencies is analysed. Research agendas on the reform of the European Union might benefit from systematic investigation of EU agencies: theoretical frameworks drawn from the public management field can provide a significant contribution in this respect. Points for practitioners EU agencies are no longer `residual' organizations: they are a significant component of the functioning of the EU system and policy networks. By investigating the features of such agencies through the conceptual lenses of public management, and through comparison with the (much more investigated) national-level agencies, the article provides an outline of EU agencies in terms of structural relations with the other EU institutions, autonomy, and modalities of steering and control. Reforms of the EU through the establishment or revamping of agencies could benefit from the systematic consideration of such features.
On the relationship of atypical and low-dose conventional antipsychotics with akathisia in a clinical patient population

Metabolic side-effects of atypical antipsychotics have led to concern about their relative safety compared with low doses of conventional neuroleptics. Akathisia is an often misdiagnosed side-effect, which leads to non-compliance and sometimes even exacerbation of psychosis or suicidal behaviour. In fact, little is known about the differences between antipsychotic drugs in clinical practice, since only as few as 20% of patients may be eligible for studies comparing antipsychotic medications with each other. The aim of this study was to find out if the use of conventional antipsychotics is associated with an increased risk of akathisia (compared with atypical antipsychotics) even when low doses of conventional antipsychotics are used. The Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale was used to evaluate akathisia in 100 outpatients on antipsychotic medication. Conventional antipsychotics were associated with an increased risk of akathisia compared with atypical antipsychotics, although the chlorpromazine equivalent doses of conventional antipsychotics were lower than those of the atypicals. An additional akathisia-provoking effect of SSRIs could not be ruled out. The results suggest favouring atypical antipsychotic medication in patients who may easily develop akathisia.
Sorafenib or placebo in combination with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) with doxorubicin-eluting beads (DEBDOX) for intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC): Phase II, randomized, double-blind SPACE trial.

LBA154^ Background: The global SPACE trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of S in combination with TACE with DEBDOX in patients (pts) with intermediate-stage HCC (BCLC B). METHODS Pts were eligible if they had asymptomatic, unresectable, multinodular tumors without vascular invasion (VI) or extrahepatic spread (EHS); Child-Pugh A liver functional status; and ECOG PS 0. Pts were randomized to receive S 400 mg bid or matching P continuously (1 cycle = 4 wks) until progression. All pts received TACE with DEBDOX (150 mg doxorubicin; Biocompatibles UK Ltd) 3-7d after first dose of study drug, and then on d1 (±4d) of months 3, 7, and 13, and q6 months thereafter. The primary endpoint was time to radiologic progression (TTP) by independent review (predefined alpha = 0.15). Secondary endpoints were overall survival (OS), time to VI/EHS, time to untreatable progression (TTUP), and safety. RESULTS Of 452 pts screened, 307 were randomized to S (n=154) or P (n=153). The HR for TTP was 0.797 (95% CI, 0.588, 1.080; p=0.072). Median TTP (50th percentile) was 169d/166d in the S and P groups, respectively; TTP at the 25th and 75th percentiles (preplanned) was 112/88d and 285/224d in the S and P groups, respectively. There were no unexpected safety findings. Median treatment duration in the S and P groups was 4.8 and 6.3 months, respectively, and median daily dose of study drug was 566 mg and 791 mg, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The study met its primary endpoint of improving TTP when S was added to a regimen of TACE with DEBDOX, compared with TACE with DEBDOX alone. The combination was well tolerated; no new safety findings that would preclude use of the combination were observed. The encouraging efficacy signal requires confirmation with data from ongoing phase III trials evaluating the combination of S plus TACE. [Table: see text].
The Impact of Constraints on Value-Added

While cynics view investment constraints as a lawyers' way of managing risk or simply as a manifestation of the risk management of the 1950s when no computers and risk models were available, other observers regard constraints as a worst case safeguard against a breakdown in risk management practices and a practical reality of peer risk in institutional investing. A closer look at the costs of constraints suggests a new methodology to measure the impact of individual constraints on an investor's value added. This approach differs from current methods that either focus on a headline measure of information ratio shrinkage (also called transfer coefficient) or express the impact of constraints as distortions in implied alphas.
Relationship between patient characteristics, mandibular head morphology and thickness of the roof of the glenoid fossa in symptomatic temporomandibular joints.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this clinical study was to investigate the minimum thickness of the roof of the glenoid fossa (RGF) of grossly normal temporomandibular joints (TMJ) and to correlate this with patient gender, age and the morphological classification of the mandibular head. METHODS The study was performed on 191 TMJs from 109 patients (25 male and 84 female, age range 3-79 years, mean age 28.1 years) who visited Nihon University Dental Hospital, Japan with suspected TMJ disorders. The patients underwent cone beam computed tomography (3DX CT) to enable observation of the morphological features of the mandibular head. The minimum thickness of the RGF was measured using frontal section images acquired by CT. The morphology of the mandibular heads was classified according to the method of Yale and colleagues. Mean linear measurements were used for statistical analyses of patient gender, age and mandibular head morphology. RESULTS The average minimum thickness of the RGF was 0.79 mm. No significant difference in thickness was found between male and female patients. In addition, no differences were recorded as a result of variation in age or mandibular head morphology. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that RGF thickness is not significantly correlated with gender, age, or mandibular head morphology, at least in this cohort of patients.
Income Distribution and Economic Growth: The Case of Brazil

In a perfect world, it will be great if the growth can be distributed equally and all poverty is removed simultaneously. Unfortunately, as Simon Kuznets has pointed out, economic growth is rarely distributed equally, in fact, according to him, economic growth initially leads to higher income inequality of income, as some sectors grow faster and some do not grow at all. In this paper, we apply the Kuznets hypothesis to the Brazilian case. Our test shows that in case of Brazil, the Gini coefficient has in fact behaved as Kuznets predicted.
INVASION OF GENE DUPLICATION THROUGH MASKING FOR MALADAPTIVE GENE FLOW

Gene duplication can increase an organism's ability to mask the effect of deleterious alleles present in the population, but this is typically a small effect when the source of the genetic variation is mutation. Migration can introduce orders of magnitude more deleterious alleles per generation and may therefore be an important force acting on the structure of genomes. Using formal analytical methods, we study the invasion of haplotypes containing two copies of the resident allele, assuming that a single‐locus equilibrium is already established in a continent‐island model of migration. Provided that the immigrant allele can be completely masked by multiple functional gene copies, a new duplication will deterministically spread so long as duplicate haplotypes are, on average, fitter than single‐copy haplotypes. When fitness depends on the number of immigrant allele copies and their masking ability then the threshold for invasion depends on the rate of immigration and the rate of recombination between the gene copies. Results from several special cases, including formation of protein dimers and Dobzhansky–Muller incompatibilities, suggest that duplications can invade in a wide range of selection regimes. We hypothesize that duplication in response to gene flow may provide an explanation for the high levels of polymorphism in gene copy number observed in natural populations.
A study of Thai employees' preferred leadership style

This study examined the perceived and preferred style of leadership among employees in Thai organizations. Data were collected from a sample of employees in manufacturing firms. Correlation analysis and analysis of variance techniques were employed to examine the relationships between preferred leadership style, perceived leadership style, influence in decision-making, satisfaction with participation and job satisfaction. The results showed that the most preferred style of leader for employees was the consultative manager, followed by participative, paternalistic, whilst the least preferred leader was an autocratic manager. On the other hand, the largest proportion of employees perceived their managers to be consultative, followed by paternalistic, autocratic and participative. In addition, employees who perceived their managers to be more democratic also reported a higher level of influence in decision-making, greater satisfaction with participation and job satisfaction. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
The Impact of Organizational Politics on The Effectiveness of Management Development In The Kenya Civil Service

The Civil service as a formal organization is designed to co-ordinate activities to drive the Governmentâ€™s development agenda. It is the policy implementation arm of the Government and is guided by public policy pronouncements and attendant development plans and circulars (GOK, 2006). The civil service is expected to be effective and efficient in order to play a vital role in economic development of the country. Yet, the civil service as part of the political system is exposed to political decisions that may influence its effectiveness. This study sought to find out to what extent organization politics affect effectiveness of management development. Using an exploratory survey design, the study targeted 205 managers in the civil service deployed in Nairobi. The sample was picked through stratified random and simple random sampling and Data was collected using a questionnaire with both Likert type and open questions. SPSS was used to analyze the data quantitatively and qualitatively.The study found that managers were fully aware of the political context of the civil service but they did not think that Organizational Politics affected key management areas and felt that their supervisors supported them and ensured they were clear about their roles. They however thought that Organization Politics affected social relations at the workplace significantly. The study concluded that practices like performance contracting had reduced negative impacts and ensured that managers were clear on what was expected of them. The effect of politics on social relationships could be the reason for the â€˜silo mentalityâ€™ pervading the civil service interfering with learning from each other, limiting benchmarking of successful interventions and resulting in duplication of effort that interferes with effective service delivery. The study recommends that the Government addresses the impact of politics on social relationships to improve work based learning through internal bench marking.
The Operating Performance of Seasoned Equity Issuers: Free Cash Flow and Post-Issue Performance

We examine changes in operating performance for a large sample of industrial firms conducting seasoned equity offerings (SEOs). Our sample of SEO firms has significant improvements in operating performance prior to the issue. The SEO firms experience a sharp, statistically significant decrease in profitability following the SEO in both industry-adjusted and unadjusted comparisons. We find that the decline in profitability is greater for firms that have higher free cash flow, and that SEO firms that invest in new fixed assets perform better than SEO firms that do not.
Body mass index (BMI)-for-age and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among high school students in Tehran.

BACKGROUND The study aimed to determine the association between body mass index (BMI)-for-age and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among high school students in Tehran. METHODS A total of 465 high school students (227 girls and 238 boys) and their parents were participated in this cross-sectional study. Body weight and height of the students were measured. For assessing HRQOL, both adolescent self-report and parent proxy-report of the Persian version of Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL™4.0) questionnaire were completed by adolescents and their parents respectively. RESULTS The prevalence of overweight and obesity (38.5%) was higher than severe thinness and thinness (2.8%). Mean of adolescent self-reported and parent proxy-reported HRQOL total score were 80.26 ± 12.07 and 81.30 ± 14.08 respectively. In terms of HRQOL subscale scores, the highest subscale score of HRQOL was reported in social functioning (87.27 ± 14.40) and the lowest score was reported in emotional functioning (69.83 ± 18.69). Based on adolescent self-report, adolescent boys had significantly higher mean score for total and all subscale scores of HRQOL compared with girls (P < 0.05). BMI-for-age was inversely correlated to adolescent self-reported HRQOL total score (r = -0.25, P < 0.05). Based on adolescents self-report, HRQOL total score was significantly different by body weight status (F = 16.16, P < 0.05). Normal weight adolescents had significantly higher HRQOL total score compared with overweight (mean difference: 7.32; P < 0.05) and obese adolescents (mean difference: 9.10, P < 0.05). The HRQOL total score was not significantly different between normal weight and underweight adolescents (mean difference: 1.65, P = 0.96). However, based on parent proxy-reports, HRQOL total score was not significantly different by body weight status (F = 2.64, P = 0.059). CONCLUSION More than one-third of adolescents were overweight and obese. BMI-for-age was inversely correlated to adolescent self-reported HRQOL. Based on adolescents' perspective, overweight and obese adolescents had poorer HRQOL compared with normal weight adolescents. Intervention studies are needed to improve the HRQOL of overweight and obese adolescents in Tehran.
Standardisation versus Adaptation: Geographical Pressures to Deviate from Franchise Formats

There is a tension in business format franchising between, on the one hand, standardisation and uniformity and, on the other hand, geographical variations in market conditions and resource availability. Previous research has demonstrated in the case of independent small firms that local geographical conditions influence business strategy. This paper examines whether variations in the local geographical environment, notably in terms of demand and supply side conditions, affect format implementation and whether franchisors permit franchisees to make local adaptations of the format in response to local environmental conditions. The study is based on interviews with 40 UK-based franchisors, all of whom were at the later stages of roll-out or in the consolidation stage of network development. Local variations in the business environment do create a conflict with the need to maintain the uniformity of the franchise format. Adaptation was restricted to peripheral format components. No changes were made to the core format components. Most franchisors recognise that their franchisees are an important source of innovation. However, implementation of franchisee ideas across the system is found in only a minority of cases. These findings link to the franchisee control–autonomy debate, confirming other studies which suggest that franchisees enjoy considerable operational autonomy.
The economics of arms imports after the end of the cold war

Arms transfers are financed through a variety of means, including cash payments, barter trade, military aid and credit. The fiscal and economic effects of these various forms of arms transfer financing differ. Data on the flow of arms transfers, as provided by international sources on the arms transfers tell little about actual economic burdens. During the Cold War, military aid and credit financing had larger shares in overall funding of arms imports, particularly by developing countries. After the end of the Cold War, levels of military aid are sharply reduced. Little is known about credit funding. However, measured by an opportunity cost method, it seems that indebtedness due to arms imports did not increase as much during the 1990s as it had during the 1980s. This is another indicator that the arms trade has become more commercial, with customers needing to be able to pay for the imports. Less financially well-off customers have become less important for the producers of new weaponry, and instead impo.
The Impact Of Early Schooling On Subsequent Literacy And Numeracy Performance - Estimates From A Policy-Induced 'Natural' Experiment

This paper exploits a policy-induced natural experiment that occurred in South Australia in the mid-1980s to generate a 'causal' estimate of the effect of schooling on the literacy and numeracy performance of school students in their middle years of secondary school (in Year 9 for most students). The Early Years of School policy changed the way that an identifiable subset of students progressed through junior primary school, causing them to obtain an additional year of schooling for any completed Grade or level compared with their predecessors. The impact of the policy change on the age-grade structure of student cohorts in South Australia is captured between two waves of longitudinal data. Based on the analysis of the impact of this policy change, it appears that an additional year of junior primary school increased the numeracy and literacy performance in mid-secondary school significantly, by around one half of a standard deviation. These effects were the same for boys and girls and were similar across the distribution of ability - they were the same for low school achievers as high ones
Interconnection Economics of All-IP Networks

This paper is an exploratory study on the interconnection economics of All-IP networks. To understand the economics of the yet-to-be-realized All-IP networks, this paper begins with discussing three important features of current IP networks: packet switching, receiver benefit, and two-sidedness. It then develops simple models of interconnection for basic fixed fee settlements and for session-based charges. The analysis shows that interconnection settlements depend on network size, market competitiveness, direct and cross network externalities, and costs. Some policy issues are also briefly discussed.