Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Three Essays on the Search for Economic Efficiency

In presenting this dissertation as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for an advanced degree from Georgia State University, I agree that the Library of the University shall make it available for inspection and circulation in accordance with its regulations governing materials of this type. I agree that permission to quote from, to copy from, or to publish this dissertation may be granted by the author or, in his or her absence, the professor under whose direction it was written or, in his or her absence, by the Dean of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. Such quoting, copying, or publishing must be solely for scholarly purposes and must not involve potential financial gain. It is understood that any copying from or publication of this dissertation which involves potential gain will not be allowed without written permission of the author. ____________________________________ Signature of the Author NOTICE TO BORROWERS All dissertations deposited in the Georgia State University Library must be used only in accordance with the stipulations prescribed by the author in the preceding statement. Users of this dissertation not regularly enrolled as students at Georgia State University are required to attest acceptance of the preceding stipulations by signing below. Libraries borrowing this dissertation for the use of their patrons are required to see that each user records here the information requested. ACCEPTANCE This dissertation was prepared under the direction of the candidate's Dissertation Committee. It has been approved and accepted by all members of that committee, and it has been accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Economics in the iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS As I completed the following dissertation, I had the unique and irreproducible pleasure of working with some of my favorite people; my only regret is that the solitary work of a graduate student did not afford me more opportunities to work more closely with them. It is my hope that the luxurious existence of the tenure-track assistant professor will give me some opportunities to work with them again—if not then, well, there's always tenure. First, I wish to thank Jim Cox. His example, as a scholar, a scientist, and an ardent pursuer of truth, is one I hope to follow. His passion for the field deserves credit for bringing me into the experimental fold, and his advice and encouragement have improved the nascent ideas with which he was presented …
Antimicrobials for Preterm Birth Prevention: An Overview

Objective. Preterm birth (PTB) remains a major cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. The association between PTB and infection is clear. The purpose of this report is to present a focused review of information on the use of antibiotics to prevent PTB. Methods. We performed a search of the PubMed database restricted to clinical trials or meta-analyses published in English from 1990 through May 2011 using keywords “antibiotics or antimicrobials” and “preterm. ” Results. The search yielded 67 abstracts for review. We selected 31 clinical trials (n = 26) or meta-analysis (n = 5) for further full-text review. Discussion of each eligible clinical trial, its specific inclusion criteria, antibiotic regimen used, and study results are presented. Overall, trials evaluating antibiotic treatment to prevent preterm birth have yielded mixed results regarding any benefit. Conclusion. Routine antibiotic prophylaxis is not recommended for prevention of preterm birth.
RECOUP Working Paper 1. Rates of Return to Educationby Gender in Pakistan.

Differential labour market returns to male and female education are one potential explanation for large gender gaps in education in Pakistan. We empirically test this explanation by estimating private returns to education separately for male and female wage earners. This paper contributes to the literature by using a variety of methodologies (Ordinary Least Squares, Heckman correction, 2SLS and household fixed effects) in order to consistently estimate economic returns to education. Earnings function estimates reveal a sizeable gender asymmetry in economic returns to education, with returns to women’s education being substantially and statistically significantly higher than men’s. However, a decomposition of the gender wage gap suggests that there is highly differentiated treatment by employers. We conclude that the total labour market returns are much higher for men, despite returns to education being higher for women. This suggests that parents may have an investment motive in allocating more resources to boys than to girls within households. JEL Classification Numbers: I21, J16.
Flawed System/Flawed Self: Job Searching and Unemployment Experiences

Today 4.7 million Americans have been unemployed for more than six months. In France more than ten percent of the working population is without work. In Israel it's above seven percent. And in Greece and Spain, that number approaches thirty percent. Across the developed world, the experience of unemployment has become frighteningly common - and so are the seemingly endless tactics that job seekers employ in their quest for new work. Job-Search Games delves beneath these staggering numbers to explore the world of job searching and unemployment across class and nation. Through in-depth interviews and observations at job-search support organizations, Ofer Sharone reveals how different labor-market institutions give rise to job-search games like Israel's resume-based "spec games" - which are focused on presenting one's skills to fit the job - and the "chemistry games" more common in the United States in which job seekers concentrate on presenting the person behind the resume. By closely examining the specific day-to-day activities and strategies of searching for a job, Sharone develops a theory of the mechanisms that connect objective social structures and subjective experiences in this challenging environment - and how these different structures can lead to very different experiences of unemployment.
Cortisol and Memory Retrieval in Humans: Influence of Emotional Valence

Abstract: Glucocorticoids secreted in response to stress modulate memory in animals and humans. Studies in rodents suggest that glucocorticoids enhance memory consolidation but impair delayed retrieval. Similar negative effects on memory retrieval have been reported in humans. The human studies so far have not addressed the issue of emotional valence, which conceivably could modulate the effects of cortisol on retrieval. The present mini‐review discusses two recent studies from our laboratories that investigate the influence of emotional valence on the retrieval‐impairing effects of cortisol. Both studies observed that cortisol impaired retrieval and that emotional valence influenced these effects. For autobiographical memory the impairing effects were stronger for neutral than for emotional items, whereas for word retrieval the opposite pattern was observed (stronger effects on emotional words). Possible reasons for these results are the different memory domains tested as well as the different sex of the subjects. Future studies will address these issues, which are of relevance for psychiatric disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder or major depression.
Recognizing emotions from EEG subbands using wavelet analysis

Objectively recognizing emotions is a particularly important task to ensure that patients with emotional symptoms are given the appropriate treatments. The aim of this study was to develop an emotion recognition system using Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals to identify four emotions including happy, sad, angry, and relaxed. We approached this objective by firstly investigating the relevant EEG frequency band followed by deciding the appropriate feature extraction method. Two features were considered namely: 1. Wavelet Energy, and 2. Wavelet Entropy. EEG Channels reduction was then implemented to reduce the complexity of the features. The ground truth emotional states of each subject were inferred using Russel's circumplex model of emotion, that is, by mapping the subjectively reported degrees of valence (pleasure) and arousal to the appropriate emotions - for example, an emotion with high valence and high arousal is equivalent to a `happy' emotional state, while low valence and low arousal is equivalent to a `sad' emotional state. The Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier was then used for mapping each feature vector into corresponding discrete emotions. The results presented in this study indicated thatWavelet features extracted from alpha, beta and gamma bands seem to provide the necessary information for describing the aforementioned emotions. Using the DEAP (Dataset for Emotion Analysis using electroencephalogram, Physiological and Video Signals), our proposed method achieved an average sensitivity and specificity of 77.4% ± 14.1% and 69.1% ± 12.8%, respectively.
The interface of power and charity in the government of poor: A case from the Italian context in the sixteenth-seventeenth centuries

Purpose - – Within the interface between power and charity, the purpose of this paper is to enhance an understanding of the role of charities in the administration of poor in local government and to explore how accounting operates in such a context. In this investigation, the paper considers accounting, referring to both financial and non-financial information, inserted in a complex of technologies accomplishing the “government of poverty”. Design/methodology/approach - – The paper is based on a historical study referring to the case of MIA, an Italian charity, investigated during the sixteenth-seventeenth centuries, adopting Foucault's “governmentality” framework in a diachronic perspective. This approach, coordinating views coming from Anglo-Foucauldian scholars with alternative Foucault effects expressed in Dean's works, represents a novelty of this investigation. Findings - – The paper shows the interface of power (municipality) and charity (MIA) in the “government of poverty”, in a context of ancien regime, pointing out how this interplay was a key element within the “discourse of poor”. The pivotal function of MIA as an “agency of police” and the constitutive role of accounting as a technology of “government of poverty”, representing a social practice able to allow the preservation of the social equilibrium, emerge. Research limitations/implications - – The research is based on a single case study and it shows the need for both comparative and interdisciplinary analysis in order to increase an understanding of the interface of power and charity in ancien regime contexts, as well as in contemporary situations of crisis or emergencies. Originality/value - – For the first time in the accounting history literature, the work presents an extension of “governmentality” analysis into the domain of the “government of poor” through a series of Municipality Orders and their operationalisation by a charity, which adopted accounting to realise a control on people and resources contributing to reach local government equilibrium aims. The work also offers a reference within the contemporary accounting literature in relation to the debate about the role of charities or similar non-profit organizations in the context of the current financial crisis affecting the world, or in situations of emergencies.
CRELD1 mutations contribute to the occurrence of cardiac atrioventricular septal defects in Down syndrome

Cheryl L. Maslen,* Darcie Babcock, Susan W. Robinson, Lora J.H. Bean, Kenneth J. Dooley, Virginia L. Willour, and Stephanie L. Sherman Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon Heart Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon Department of Human Genetics, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia Department of Pediatrics, Sibley Heart Center, Cardiology, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
The Returns to endogenous Human Capital in Pakistan's Rural Wage Labour Market

This paper estimates the private returns to human capital in Pakistani rural labor markets. The rich data used permit inclusion of several dimensions of human capital and control for endogeneity resulting from investment in human capital. The results suggest that, without data on determinants of human capital, it would not be possible to disentangle the separate effect of each dimension of human capital on wage differentials nor to distinguish human capital explanations for wage differentials from signaling and credentialist models. With control for endogeneity of human capital and selectivity into wage employment, cognitive achievement, but not schooling attainment separate from cognitive achievement nor long-run health status, affects wage differentials. Coauthors are Jere R. Behrman, David R. Ross, and Richard Sabot. Copyright 1996 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)
Value vs. Glamour: A Global Phenomenon

In 1994, Josef Lakonishok, Andrei Shleifer, and Robert Vishny published a landmark study investigating the performance of value stocks relative to glamour securities in the United States over a 26-year period. Their research concluded that value stocks tended to outperform glamour stocks by wide margins. The Brandes Institute subsequently updated their work and extended the scope of the initial study to include non-U.S. markets to determine if the value premium was consistent across global markets. Now updated through June 2010, the study includes both the glamour-driven markets of the late 1990s and early 2000s, as well as the more recent worldwide economic downturn.
The Kalb-Ramond Odderon in AdS/CFT

At high energies, elastic hadronic cross sections, such as pp, pp, πp, are dominated by vacuum exchange, which in leading order of the 1/Nc expansion has been identified as the BFKL Pomeron or its strong AdS dual the closed string Reggeized graviton [1]. However the difference of particle anti-particle cross sections are given by a so-called Odderon, carrying C = -1 vacuum quantum numbers identified in weak coupling with odd numbers of exchanged gluons. Here we show that in the dual description the Odderon is the Reggeized Kalb-Ramond field (Bμν) in the Neveu-Schwartz sector of closed string theory. To first order in strong coupling, the high energy contribution of Odderon is evaluated for N = 4 Super Yang-Mills by a generalization of the gravity dual analysis for Pomeron in Ref. [1]. The consequence of confinement on the Odderon are estimated in the confining QCD-like AdS5 hardwall model of Polchinski and Strassler [2].
Phase II trial of preoperative chemoradiotherapy with oxaliplatin, cisplatin, and 5-FU in locally advanced esophageal and gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND Based on a phase I study showing the feasibility of combining of oxaliplatin, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) (OCF) with radiation therapy (RT) in esophageal cancer, the efficacy of this regimen in esophageal, gastroesophageal (GE), and gastric (G) cancer was assessed in this phase II multicenter study. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with resectable tumors were eligible. Treatment included two cycles of oxaliplatin 85 mg/m(2), cisplatin 55 mg/m(2), and continuously infused 5-FU 3 g/m(2) in 96 h and concurrent RT (45 Gy), followed by surgery after 6-8 weeks. Primary end point was complete pathologic response (pCR). RESULTS Forty-one patients were enrolled. Tumor location was esophagus 39% (squamous 10/adenocarcinoma 6), GE junction 32%, and stomach 29%. G3-G4 adverse events included asthenia (27%) and neutropenia (14%). One toxic death occurred. Thirty-one patients (75.6%) underwent surgery (R0 in 94%). Pathologic response was achieved in 58% of patients, with pCR in 50% and 16% of esophageal and GE/G cancer, respectively. pCR was achieved in 67% of squamous cell carcinoma. Survival: median follow-up, 50.4 months; median progression-free survival and overall survival were 23.2 and 28.4 months, respectively. CONCLUSION Preoperative OCF plus RT showed an acceptable toxicity and promising activity especially in squamous cell esophageal cancer.
Stabilisation of magnetic levitation with a PIλD controller

Control of active magnetic bearings is an important area of research. In this paper authors present the methodology of design, discretization and implementation PIλD controller for magnetic levitation system. Implementation on the laboratory system was performed to validate the presented methodology. The presented methodology is promising and can be successfully used in other control systems.
Knowledge of poultry diseases, biosecurity and husbandry practices among stakeholders in poultry production in Kogi State,Nigeria. -

Commercial poultry production is low in Kogi State even before the advent of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI H5N1) outbreak in Nigeria. The low level of poultry production has persisted long after the socio-economic impacts of HPAI had improved. A study was conducted among 94 poultry stakeholders in the state with the use of questionnaire to assess their knowledge of poultry diseases, biosecurity and poultry husbandry practices in six Local Government Areas of Kogi State. The findings showed that 60.0% of poultry production was rural while the rest were backyard (semi commercial) poultry. About 64.7% of poultry kept were under extensive management with the commonest diseases seen under this management system being Newcastle disease (62.9%), Coccidiosis (52.3%), Fowl pox (46.9%), Gumboro disease (39.1%) and Fowl typhoid (36.1%). Biosecurity was poor as 92.9% of respondents did not have footbath or hand wash disinfection; 70% would throw away poultry litter in the refuse dump; 12% would use the poultry litter as manure while 11% would sell out the litter. In addition, 64.7% of the poultry farmers obtained their rearing stock from the live bird market and other unknown sources while only 35.3% obtained theirs from the hatchery. The findings of this study showed that the low level of commercial poultry production in Kogi State might be due to the impacts of diseases and poor husbandry practices undertaken by the farmers. It is recommended that government should train poultry farmers on biosecurity, disease prevention and the adoption of modern husbandry practices suitable for the traditional poultry production system.
The POZ-ZF Transcription Factor Kaiso (ZBTB33) Induces Inflammation and Progenitor Cell Differentiation in the Murine Intestine

Since its discovery, several studies have implicated the POZ-ZF protein Kaiso in both developmental and tumorigenic processes. However, most of the information regarding Kaiso’s function to date has been gleaned from studies in Xenopus laevis embryos and mammalian cultured cells. To examine Kaiso’s role in a relevant, mammalian organ-specific context, we generated and characterized a Kaiso transgenic mouse expressing a murine Kaiso transgene under the control of the intestine-specific villin promoter. Kaiso transgenic mice were viable and fertile but pathological examination of the small intestine revealed distinct morphological changes. Kaiso transgenics (KaisoTg/+) exhibited a crypt expansion phenotype that was accompanied by increased differentiation of epithelial progenitor cells into secretory cell lineages; this was evidenced by increased cell populations expressing Goblet, Paneth and enteroendocrine markers. Paradoxically however, enhanced differentiation in KaisoTg/+ was accompanied by reduced proliferation, a phenotype reminiscent of Notch inhibition. Indeed, expression of the Notch signalling target HES-1 was decreased in KaisoTg/+ animals. Finally, our Kaiso transgenics exhibited several hallmarks of inflammation, including increased neutrophil infiltration and activation, villi fusion and crypt hyperplasia. Interestingly, the Kaiso binding partner and emerging anti-inflammatory mediator p120ctn is recruited to the nucleus in KaisoTg/+ mice intestinal cells suggesting that Kaiso may elicit inflammation by antagonizing p120ctn function.
Early Indicators of Enduring Symptoms in High School Athletes With Multiple Previous Concussions

BACKGROUND:Despite recent findings of cognitive, emotional, physical, and behavioral symptomatology in retired professional athletes with a history of multiple concussions, there is little systematic research examining these symptoms in high school athletes with a history of concussion. OBJECTIVE:To identify cognitive, emotional, and physical symptoms at baseline in nonconcussed high school athletes based on concussion history. METHODS:A multicenter sample of 616 high school athletes who completed baseline evaluations were assigned to groups based on history of concussion (none, 1, 2, or more previous concussions). The Post-Concussion Symptom Scale was administered as part of a computerized neuropsychological test battery during athletes' preseason baseline evaluations. Cross-sectional analyses were used to examine symptoms reported at the time of baseline neuropsychological testing. RESULTS:High school athletes with a history of 2 or more concussions showed significantly higher ratings of concussion-related symptoms (cognitive, physical, sleep difficulties) than athletes with a history of one or no previous concussions. CONCLUSION:It appears that youth athletes who sustain multiple concussions experience a variety of subtle effects, which may be possible precursors of the future onset of concussion-related difficulties.
Hippocampal and caudate volume reductions in antipsychotic-naive first-episode schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND Enlarged ventricles and reduced hippocampal volume are consistently found in patients with first-episode schizophrenia. Studies investigating brain structure in antipsychotic-naive patients have generally focused on the striatum. In this study, we examined whether ventricular enlargement and hippocampal and caudate volume reductions are morphological traits of antipsychotic-naive first-episode schizophrenia. METHODS We obtained high-resolution 3-dimensional T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scans for 38 antipsychotic-naive first-episode schizophrenia patients and 43 matched healthy controls by use of a 3-T scanner. We warped the brain images to each other by use of a high-dimensional intersubject registration algorithm. We performed voxel-wise group comparisons with permutation tests. We performed small volume correction for the hippocampus, caudate and ventricles by use of a false discovery rate correction (p < 0.05) to control for multiple comparisons. We derived and analyzed estimates of brain structure volumes. We grouped patients as those with (n = 9) or without (n = 29) any lifetime substance abuse to examine the possible effects of substance abuse. RESULTS We found that hippocampal and caudate volumes were decreased in patients with first-episode schizophrenia. We found no ventricular enlargement, differences in global volume or significant associations between tissue volume and duration of untreated illness or psychopathology. The hippocampal volume reductions appeared to be influenced by a history of substance abuse. Exploratory analyses indicated reduced volume of the nucleus accumbens in patients with first-episode schizophrenia. LIMITATIONS This study was not a priori designed to test for differences between schizophrenia patients with or without lifetime substance abuse, and this subgroup was small. CONCLUSION Reductions in hippocampal and caudate volume may constitute morphological traits in antipsychotic-naive first-episode schizophrenia patients. However, the clinical implications of these findings are unclear. Moreover, past substance abuse may accentuate hippocampal volume reduction. Magnetic resonance imaging studies addressing the potential effects of substance abuse in antipsychotic-naive first-episode schizophrenia patients are warranted.