Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Contribution of Government Expenditure on Economic Growth of Nigeria Disaggregated Approach

This study examines the long and short run relationship between public expenditure and economic growth in Nigeria over the period of 1986-2014, using Johansen cointegration and error correction approach. Two components of public sector expenditure and gross capital formation ratio are derived from Cobb Douglas production function. The result shows recurrent expenditure is the major driver of economic growth in Nigeria. Controlling for the influence of non-oil revenue, this study shows a negative and significant long run relationship between economic growth (rgdpc) and recurrent expenditure coexists with a positive short run relationship, highlighting the dual effects of recurrent expenditure on economic growth in Nigeria. For the capital expenditure, this study documents negative and significant long run effect of capital expenditure on economic growth in Nigeria. The variance decomposition confirms the collective contribution of public expenditure on economic growth. The finding of this study have some policy implications for policyholders because it could be guide on effective utilization of public funds on rightful projects rather than spending it on enormous projects that will not translate into meaningful growth of the economy
Tobacco-control policies in 11 leading managed care organizations: progress and challenges.

CONTEXT Although evidence-based national guidelines for tobacco-dependence treatment have been available since 1996, translating these guidelines into clinical practice is challenging. PRACTICE PATTERN EXAMINED Policies regarding tobacco-dependence treatment (e.g., written guidelines and coverage of pharmacotherapy) and implementation strategies of 11 U.S. managed care organizations known to have strong tobacco-control programs. DATA SOURCES Detailed telephone interviews with multiple informants at each health plan and review of written treatment guidelines and policies for tobacco dependence. RESULTS Although 10 of 11 plans had adopted tobacco-dependence treatment guidelines consistent with the national guideline, fewer had guidelines for special groups, such as adolescents (6 plans), parents (5 plans), pregnant women (5 plans), and hospitalized smokers (3 plans). Most plans offered clinician training and recommended office systems to support provider efforts; however, fewer actively facilitated their implementation. Most plans provided other support for tobacco treatment, including dedicated budgets, designated staff, and an oversight committee. All plans offered some coverage for tobacco-cessation pharmacotherapy and behavioral counseling, although not to the extent recommended by the national guideline. CONCLUSION Implementation of national tobacco-treatment guidelines is feasible in closed-panel managed care organizations. However, even these leading health plans could do more to comply with national practice guidelines on tobacco-dependence treatment and make it easier for clinicians to help patients stop smoking (e.g., through increased training and expanded coverage of tobacco-dependence treatment).
Bulimic Behaviors and Early Substance Use: Findings from a Cotwin-Control Study.

BACKGROUND Bulimic behaviors (i.e., binge eating and compensatory behaviors) and substance use frequently co-occur. However, the etiology underlying this association is poorly understood. This study evaluated the association between bulimic behaviors and early substance use, controlling for genetic and shared environmental factors. METHODS Participants were 3,540 young adult women from the Missouri Adolescent Female Twin Study. A telephone adaptation of the Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism interview assessed DSM-IV bulimic behaviors, substance use, and other psychological characteristics. Lifetime bulimic behaviors were examined in twin pairs concordant and discordant for early substance use. Logistic regressions were adjusted for the nonindependence of twin data, zygosity, age, body mass index, early menarche (onset before age 12), and early sex (first consensual sexual intercourse before age 15). RESULTS In the entire study population, women who reported early use of alcohol or nicotine were more likely to engage in bulimic behaviors after adjusting for covariates. In 53 pairs of monozygotic twins discordant for alcohol experimentation before age 15, the twin who reported early alcohol experimentation had 3.21 (95% confidence interval = 1.54 to 6.67) times higher odds of reporting bulimic behaviors than the cotwin who did not report early alcohol experimentation, even after adjustment for covariates. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that early alcohol experimentation may contribute to the development of bulimic behaviors via mechanisms extending beyond shared vulnerability, including individual-specific environmental experiences or causal pathways.
Abnormal returns in an efficient market? Statistical and economic weak form efficiency of online sports betting in European soccer

Online sports betting markets have expanded significantly during the recent decade. At the same time, due to their apparent similarities with traditional financial markets, the academic literature has perceived sports betting markets as a suitable empirical setting for different tests of efficiency. Employing a data set more extensive than in any previous relevant study, this thesis investigates weak form efficiency of online sports betting in European soccer between seasons 2009 and 2014 from two perspectives: statistical and economic. The statistical tests examine whether subjective probability indicated by average market odds is an unbiased estimator of objective outcome probability. Economic tests, representing the stricter tests of efficiency, inspect whether any betting strategy yields positive returns, utilizing highest odds quoted in the market. The statistical tests find clear evidence of a persistent favorite-longshot bias and hence of statistical weak form betting market inefficiency. On the aggregate level, both the linear and logit regression models reveal that as the subjective probability of an outcome increases, the objective probability increases more than implied by market efficiency. On the individual odds level, the technique that sorts odds into groups based on subjective probability discovers that the deviations between subjective and objective probability occur on both perimeters of the odds spectrum, not in the middle of it. Thus, in a statistical sense, the betting market appears to be weak form inefficient at high respective low probabilities, while being efficient in between. The economic tests give a more ambiguous view on weak form efficiency. When considering all the matches in the sample, neither the tobit regression model nor any of the naïve strategies show chances for profitable betting, while some of the odds groups with highest subjective probability demonstrate moderately positive returns. When only including matches with a positive expected value and simulating the associated returns, the sophisticated strategy based on quasi-arbitrage yields no profits, but the strategy that takes into account the favorite-longshot bias generates consistent profits. Therefore, the betting market seems to be inefficient also in an economic sense. The study concludes that the European online sports betting market in soccer is weak form inefficient. The results are consistent with the earlier literature in terms of statistical efficiency but not in terms of economic efficiency. Due to the lower bookmaker margins in the current market, it is shown that well known statistical biases now also lead to economic inefficiency. The study provides two explanations for the persistence of these inefficiencies: institutional arrangements and market immaturity. Since sports betting markets are not yet as sophisticated as many financial markets, they provide attractive investment opportunities for sharp bettors.
Effects of unilateral pallidotomy on voluntary movement, and simple and choice reaction times in Parkinson's disease

We studied the effects of unilateral pallidotomy on motor execution and reaction times in patients with moderately advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). Twelve consecutive patients (7 men, 5 women; all right‐handed) underwent left‐side microelectrode‐guided pallidotomy. In addition to clinical rating, reaction time (RT) tests and repetitive movements of the contralesional hand/arm were carried out at baseline and 2 to 3 months after surgery while patients were on optimal medical regimens (on period). The initiation time in both simple reaction time (SRT) and choice reaction time (CRT) improved significantly after pallidotomy (P < 0.05), whereas no effect was observed on the choice processing time, which was calculated by subtracting the mean value of the onset of SRT from that of CRT. Pallidotomy resulted in significant improvement of repetitive movements such as hand pronation/supination and finger‐tapping (P < 0.002, P < 0.005, respectively). Improvements in RT tests and repetitive movements suggest that pallidotomy may enhance attention and motor function. These effects are probably mediated through the pallido‐thalamic‐cortical neural circuitry. © 2003 Movement Disorder Society
Fixed Income Asset Pricing in Europe and the US: Extending the Elton et al. (1995) Four-Factor Model

This paper is enhancing the four-factor fixed income asset pricing model initially developed by Elton et al. (1995). The aim is to increase the explanatory power of the model in time series analysis. Vast progress has been made on equity asset pricing models since the introduction of the Capital Asset Pricing Model in the 1960s with the introduction of the Fama and French (1993) three-factor model and the Carhart (1997) four-factor model. Progress into fixed income asset pricing has been slow, and there is still no consensus of which combinations of bond indexes are most suitable for explaining the returns of fixed income securities and bonds. This paper shows that by introducing a duration factor, a global bond factor, and three exchange rate factors, the resulting ninefactor model can explain up to 95.42% of return variations in fixed income fund portfolios and up to 99.97% of the return variations of individual fixed income funds. The model is shown to be robust when using a global and regional benchmark specifications, and when used in the analysis of a wide range of fund strategies, fund types, and fund objectives.
Dynamics of volatility transmission between the U.S. and the Chinese agricultural futures markets

ABSTRACT The U.S. and China are two of the biggest players in the world agricultural market. The literature documents that volatility in the U.S. agricultural futures market spills over significantly to that of China. This article provides further insights into the spillovers from China to the U.S. as well as the time horizon and dynamics of the bidirectional spillovers through the application of a multivariate extension of the heterogeneous autoregressive model, in relation to four commodities – soybean, wheat, corn and sugar. The results confirm the existence of significant spillovers from the U.S. to China for four commodities, which are primarily generated by the shorter-term volatility components in the U.S., and provide evidence for the increasing pricing power of the Chinese market. The findings are robust against various specifications and have important investment and policy implications.
Returning home to die: Circular labour migration and mortality in South Africa 1

Aim: To examine the hypothesis that circular labour migrants who become seriously ill while living away from home return to their rural homes to convalesce and possibly to die. Methods: Drawing on longitudinal data collected by the Agincourt health and demographic surveillance system in rural northeastern South Africa between 1995 and 2004, discrete time event history analysis is used to estimate the likelihood of dying for residents, short-term returning migrants, and long-term returning migrants controlling for sex, age, and historical period. Results: The annual odds of dying for short-term returning migrants are generally 1.1 to 1.9 times (depending on period, sex, and age) higher than those of residents and long-term returning migrants, and these differences are generally highly statistically significant. Further supporting the hypothesis is the fact that the proportion of HIV/TB deaths among short-term returning migrants increases dramatically as time progresses, and short-term returning migrants account for an increasing proportion of all HIV/TB deaths. Conclusions: This evidence strongly suggests that increasing numbers of circular labour migrants of prime working age are becoming ill in the urban areas where they work and coming home to be cared for and eventually to die in the rural areas where their families live. This shifts the burden of caring for them in their terminal illness to their families and the rural healthcare system with significant consequences for the distribution and allocation of health care resources.
Effects of Oral Posaconazole on the Pharmacokinetics of Atazanavir Alone and With Ritonavir or With Efavirenz in Healthy Adult Volunteers

Background:Patients with HIV/AIDS are at increased risk for opportunistic fungal infections. These patients may require concomitant treatment with antiretrovirals and azole antifungals, and interactions between these classes of drugs should be anticipated. Methods:A phase 1, open-label, randomized, crossover, drug interaction study was conducted to assess the pharmacokinetic effects of coadministration of posaconazole (400 mg twice daily), with atazanavir (ATV) (300 mg/d alone) and with ritonavir (100 mg/d) or with efavirenz (400 mg/d) in healthy volunteers. Results:Posaconazole increased maximum observed plasma concentration (Cmax) and area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) of ATV by 2.6-fold and 3.7-fold, respectively. Posaconazole increased ATV Cmax and AUC when administered with ritonavir by 1.5-fold and 2.5-fold, respectively. Most subjects who received ATV (with and without ritonavir) and posaconazole experienced clinically relevant increases in total bilirubin. Coadministration of posaconazole and efavirenz resulted in clinically relevant decreases of posaconazole Cmax and AUC of approximately 45% and 50%, respectively. Conclusions:Frequent monitoring of adverse events and toxicity related to antiviral exposure is recommended in the event of coadministration of posaconazole and ATV with or without ritonavir. In addition, because of decreased posaconazole exposure, coadministration with efavirenz should be avoided unless the benefit to patients outweighs the risk.
Effects of primary chemotherapy in conservative treatment of breast cancer patients with operable tumors larger than 3 cm. Results of a randomized trial in a single centre.

272 women with operable breast adenocarcinomas larger than 3 cm were included in a randomized trial. The patients in group A (n = 138) with histological nodal involvement (N+) or a lack of estrogen and progesterone receptors (EPR-) were treated by initial mastectomy and axillary node dissection + adjuvant chemotherapy. Those in group B (n = 134) were treated by initial chemotherapy (the same as in group A) followed by loco-regional treatment, adjusted according to their response to chemotherapy. Prognostic factors were identical in the two groups. In group A, 32 patients received no adjuvant treatment (N- and EPR+), while 104 were given adjuvant chemotherapy (N+ and/or EPR-). Two patients were lost to follow-up. In group B, all patients received initial chemotherapy; 44 were in complete clinical remission and were treated with radiotherapy only; 40 with residual tumor (less than 20 mm) were treated with tumorectomy + axillary node dissection + radiotherapy; 49 with residual tumors (greater than 20 mm) had mastectomies. Conservative treatment was administered to 84 patients in group B (62.6%). EPR-tumors responded better to chemotherapy than did EPR+ ones (p = .003). After a median follow-up of 34 months, isolated local recurrences were more frequent in the group with initial chemotherapy, which, however, experienced a better overall survival (p = 0.04).
FORESIGHT FOR EVERY KIDThe Potential Impacts of Futures Education forSocioeconomically Disadvantaged Children: A Cross-Disciplinary Inquiry

While poverty has proven to negatively impact both cognitive development and overall academic success for K-12 students in Canada and the US, current scholastic outcomes indicate that our education systems continue to fail to fully meet the needs of our most socioeconomically disadvantaged students. Foresight for Every Kid builds upon evidence that students’ success in schools is in part reliant on their valuing the future, and that relationships to the future can be associated with socioeconomic status. Following an introduction to futures studies, there follows an analysis of overlaps between existing research on the impacts of poverty, contemporary teaching strategies for socioeconomically disadvantaged learners, neuroplasticity, and time perspective theory. The project then highlights the potential in futures studies to leverage further change in our school systems, specifically to grow the ‘future orientation’ of socioeconomically disadvantaged students in order to promote academic success. To that end, two ‘futurized’ tools for educators are introduced: a futurized educator profile, and a futurized teaching process framework.
Sustained release of 5-fluorouracil from chitosan nanoparticles surface modified intra ocular lens to prevent posterior capsule opacification: an in vitro and in vivo study.

PURPOSE The study aimed to prepare a new type intra ocular lens (IOL), in which 5-Fu, as an antimetabolite drug, could be sustained released to prevent posterior capsule opacification (PCO), and evaluate its efficacy and safety in vitro and in vivo. METHODS 5-fluorouracil chitosan nanoparticles (5-Fu-CSNP) were prepared by template polymerization and selected by a cell counting kit (CCK-8). The 5-Fu-CSNPs that inhibit Human Lens Epithelial Cells (HLECs) proliferation most efficiently were chosen for further analysis. We then investigated cell death type in vitro by flow cytometry and fluorescent probe. IOLs were surface modified by 5-Fu-CSNP after being activated by a low energy fluorine ion beam, and then were implanted into rabbits' eyes after transparent lens enucleation to evaluate the efficacy of preventing PCO and safety in anterior chamber. Transparency and haze of the 5-Fu-CSNP-surface-modified intraocular lens (Nano-5-Fu-IOL) were detected by a haze meter. Drug release of the Nano-5-Fu-IOL was measured by UV spectrophotometry. RESULTS The CCK results showed that the half inhibition dose (ID50) of the HLECs in 5-Fu-CSNP group and in 5-Fu solution group was 0.2 μg/mL and 1 μg/mL, respectively. The transparency of the 5-Fu-CSNP modified IOL was observed to have no significant difference with the blank control. The IOLs can continuously release 5-Fu in 4 days in vitro. In vivo, 5-Fu-CSNP IOL group had little aqueous flare 3 days after the surgery, and lighter PCO 4 weeks after the surgery than the blank control group. The results of the light microscope and electron microscope further confirmed the above results in vivo. CONCLUSIONS The new IOL modified by 5-Fu-CSNP could be prepared and have a sustained release of 5-Fu to prevent PCO by promoting HLEC apoptosis. The drug-loaded CSNP could reduce the anterior chamber toxicity of 5-Fu markedly, which was probably due to the occurrence of endoplasmic reticulum stress and induction of apoptosis.
Low output frequency operation of the Modular Multi-Level Converter

Modular Multilevel Converters (MMLC) based on series connected half-bridges achieve high phase voltages, need little or no filters and feature redundancy and modularity. In contrast to the similar series connected H-bridge converters an expensive and lossy transformer is not necessary. The capacitors buffer power fluctuations at fundamental and second harmonic frequency, therefore the capacitor voltage ripple magnitude increases with decreasing phase current frequencies and will become infinite at zero phase current frequency. This is a problem in variable speed drive applications where phase current frequencies from starting from zero are needed. An operating mode for low phase current frequencies which enables MMLCs to magnetize and start induction machines with quadratic torque loads is presented and the achievable torque-speed characteristic is derived. It is also shown that rotor flux optimization also reduces the capacitor voltage ripple at low torque. The method has successfully been tested in an experimental converter.
Onset Time of Binocular Rivalry and Duration of Inter-Dominance Periods as Psychophysical Markers of ADHD

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the main neurobiological disorders in young children. Despite its prevalence, current diagnosis is debated. In this study we tested whether measures of binocular rivalry (BR) can contribute to the diagnosis of ADHD. BR is a phenomenon that is produced when two different images are presented to the two eyes simultaneously. Under these conditions the image presented to one eye competes with that presented to the other eye in seeking to achieve perceptual dominance. This competition is resolved through the activation of a given percept coupled with the suppression of the percept that had predominated until that point. We assume that the difficulty with inhibiting responses of ADHD children also affects their ability to inhibit the dominant image in a BR context. We analyzed the time to rivalry onset and the inter-dominance periods as measures of the temporal cost of resolving how long it takes for the brain to select (or suppress) one percept over the other. Our results show that the time to onset of rivalry (the first dominance) was longer in the clinical groups (ADHD-C and ADHD-I) than in the control group. As regards the inter-dominance periods, these were longer in the ADHD-C group than among controls, with the shortest period corresponding to the ADHD-I group. This study shows that BR can be used as a tool to develop a behavioral indicator of ADHD.
Use and toxicity of complementary and alternative medicines among emergency department patients.

OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence and type of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) used by ED patients, to identify patient subgroups more likely to use CAM, the conditions for which they were taken, and the prevalence of side-effects and toxicity associated with CAM use. METHODS This was an analytical cross-sectional survey of patients at a large tertiary referral ED. Consenting patients completed a specifically designed study questionnaire, in their preferred language if required. Information was collected on CAM use on the day of presentation and within the previous week and previous year. RESULTS Four hundred and four patients were enrolled (participation rate 97.1%). Fifty (12.4%, 95% CI 9.4, 16.1) patients had taken a CAM on the day of presentation, 203 (50.2%, 95% CI 45.3, 55.2) within the previous week and 275 (68.1%, 95% CI 63.2, 72.5) within the previous year. CAM users were significantly younger, better educated and more likely to be female than non-CAM users (P < 0.01). 103 different CAM had been taken for a wide variety of reasons. Side-effects were experienced in 53 of the 1182 CAM courses taken (side-effect rate of 4.5%). One patient presented suffering specifically from CAM toxicity. CONCLUSION Complementary and alternative medicines are used by a considerable proportion of ED patients. The potential for side-effects, toxicity and interaction with traditional medication indicates the need for consideration of CAM use in patient assessment.