Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Returns to Agricultural Public Spending in Ghana: Cocoa versus Noncocoa Subsector

Using public expenditure and agricultural production data on Ghana from 1970 to 2012, this paper assesses the returns to public spending in the agricultural sector, taking into consideration expenditures on agriculture as a whole and then separately for expenditures in the cocoa versus the noncocoa subsectors. Production functions for the agricultural sector as a whole are estimated first, and then separately for the two subsectors, to obtain elasticities of land productivity with respect to total and sectorial agricultural expenditure. Different regression methods and related diagnostic tests are used to address potential endogeneity of agricultural expenditure, cross-subsector dependence of the production function error terms, and within-subsector serial correlation of the error terms. The estimated elasticities are then used to calculate the rate of return (ROR) to expenditures in the sector as a whole and within the two subsectors. The elasticities are estimated at 0.43 for total agricultural expenditure; 0.13 for aggregate expenditure in the noncocoa subsector; and 0. 19â€“0.53 for expenditure in the cocoa sector, depending on aggregation or disaggregation of expenditure on the Ghana Cocoa Board and other industry costs. The ROR is estimated at 141â€“190 percent for total agricultural expenditure, 124 percent for expenditure in the noncocoa subsector, and 11â€“39 percent for expenditure in the cocoa subsector. The relatively higher ROR in the noncocoa subsector is mostly due to a much lower expenditure-to-productivity ratio. Implications are discussed for raising overall productivity of expenditure in the sector, as well as for further studies, such as obtaining actual time-series data on some of the production factors in the two subsectors and obtaining information on the quality of sectorial expenditures to model different time-lag effects of spending in the different subsectors.
The Performance of Quantiferon-TB Gold in-Tube (QFT-IT) Test Compared to Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) in Detecting Latent Tuberculosis Infection (LTBI) in the Presence of HIV Coinfection in a High TB-Burden Area with BCG-Vaccinated Population

Objectives: To compare quantiferon-TB gold “in tube” (QFT-IT) with the conventional tuberculin skin test (TST) for the diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in HIV-infected adults in a setting highly endemic for tuberculosis with BCG vaccinated population in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. Patients and Methods: The study population (100 BCG-vaccinated adults) was divided into 4 groups: HIV patients with TB patient contact, HIV patients with past history of TB, TB patients (positive control), and healthy volunteers (negative control). Results: Overall agreement between TST and QFT-IT was 52.4% (κ = 0.22). Increasing the TST cutoff value from 5 mm to 10 mm among HIV-positive groups resulted in better agreement 62.5% in Group 1 and 81.2% in Group 2. Discussion: In a setting with high TB prevalence, the TST gives increased false positives in HIV-positive groups if 5 mm is used as the cutoff value. This could be minimized by increasing the cutoff to 10 mm. Conclusion: The 2-step approach (initial testing of all cases with TST and confirmation of only those positive in TST by testing with QFT-IT) will be economical and help in treating LTBI cases in lower middle income countries like India.
The ‘real’ explanation of the Feldstein–Horioka puzzle

ABSTRACT This article shows that global capital markets cannot, by themselves, achieve net transfers of financial capital between countries and that both the integration of global financial markets and the integration of global goods markets are needed to achieve net transfers of capital between countries. Frictions (barriers to mobility) in one or both of these markets can impede net transfers of capital between countries, produce the Feldstein and Horioka (1980) results and prevent real interest rates from being equalized across countries. Moreover, there is empirical evidence that barriers to the mobility of goods and services are an important obstacle to international capital mobility.
Genetic diversity of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) landraces from South Western Kenya for resistance to Pythium root rot disease

Common bean landraces represent an important source of genetic resources, which is under-exploited by Kenyan crop breeding programs. The objective of this study was to characterize 51 common bean landraces from South Western Kenya for resistance to Pythium root rot using 5 peroxidase gene (POX) markers. Following infection with Pythium spp. , 11.77, 54.90 and 33.33% of the landraces were moderate-resistant, susceptible and highly susceptible, respectively. A total of 1119 alleles were amplified by the 5 primers, ranging from 3 to 8 alleles per locus. The polymorphism information content (PIC) of the POX markers varied from 0.10 to 0.47. The dendrogram generated using similarity coefficients and un-weighted pair group method with arithmetic averages (UPGMA) did not reveal any unique groupings according to their reaction to Pythium root rot disease. Population structure analysis separated the germplasm into 3 groups and all the groups contained landraces exhibiting both moderate resistance and susceptible to Pythium root rot. The lack of distinct grouping of landraces based on resistance suggests presence of significant genetic variability and different sources of resistance to Pythium root rot. These findings give valuable information for breeders and serve as a baseline for development of cultivars with Pythium root rot resistance. Key words: genetic variability, population structure, peroxidase gene markers, Pythium root rot, resistance.
Stress Relief and Related Factors in Camp Program for Firefighters

Background: This study aims to test the effectiveness of a camp program and to analyze the factors related to stress relief. To this end, the present study conducted prospective research for six months on the change of stress, depression, and the level of post-traumatic stress among the firefighters who participated in the camp program. Methods: The perceived stress (PSS-K), stress by the different portion (GARS), post-traumatic stress symptoms (IES-R) and depression (BDI-II) were evaluated at five sessions over the span of six months, and the change of each measure was analyzed. Those five sessions were before the camp, right after the camp and a month, three months and six months after the camp. Moreover, this study assessed characteristics of sociodemographic, firefighting task and mental health that are related to the level of stress at six months after the camp. Results: Compared with before the camp, the level of depression was significantly lower right after the camp. However, the level did not have significant difference after a month period. At one month after the camp, the level of stress was significantly lower than before the camp, and was maintained after six months. The predictive factors of the degree of stress relief after the camp were high job stress and low disease stress. Conclusions: This study has found that the stress relief from the camp continued until six months after the camp, and the stress-relieving effect through the camp was substantial for those with higher job stress and lower disease stress.
Understanding child sex offenders : implications for the protection of children.

UNDERSTANDING CHILD SEX OFFENDERS: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN Although largely underreported, the incidence of child sexual abuse (CSA) is increasing in South Africa within a context of engendered violence, inequalities, wider structural, cultural challenges, and the secrecy and myths, which surrounds this endemic social problem. There are two polarities of relevance to child protection in this thesis: the one involves understanding the mind-set and modus operandi of the sex offenders who sexually abuse children and the second involves understanding the entrapment and vulnerability of the victim. Understanding of these polarities has been synthesized to discern their implications for the prevention of child sexual abuse. The current study, which was conducted over three phases, was guided by a qualitative paradigm and set within a framework of critical social work theory. Critical theory focuses on the impact of socio-structural factors and dominant societal discourses on individual and family functioning, the relationship between structure and agency, the need to transcend the micro-macro divide in dealing with major psychosocial issues and the power of praxis. The first phase of the research entailed analysing the characteristics and the life experiences of twelve child sex offenders. In phase two, the testimonies of the child sex offenders were assimilated in the production of a DVD, on the mind-set and strategies adopted in sexually abusing children. In phase three the DVD was screened and various service providers and parents of sexually abused children, reflected on and assessed the lessons associated with understanding the offenders methods in selecting, grooming children, ensuring compliance, non-disclosure, desensitization, maintaining them as victims and avoiding detection. The findings indicate that understanding of the mindset and strategies of the offender has implications for child protection, within a context of altered structural factors, systems and institutions. Further implications and practical recommendations for prevention are provided. Key Words----Child sex abuse, sexual offending, prevention, offender strategies, victim grooming, modus operandi, critical theory.
The Effect of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Trauma and Bracing on Knee Proprioception

We studied the effect that chronic anterior cruciate ligament disruption, functional bracing, and a neoprene sleeve have on knee proprioception by measuring the threshold to detection of passive knee motion in all three conditions. The threshold to detection of passive knee motion was worse in knees with chronic anterior cruciate ligament insufficiency when compared with uninjured knees. This difference was small, on average an additional 0.28° of flexion-extension rotation was required for the anterior cruciate ligament-deficient knee before the subject detected motion, and of questionable significance from a clinical and functional perspective. Wearing a functional brace or neoprene sleeve on the anterior cruciate ligament-deficient knee did not significantly change the threshold to detection of passive motion in comparison with the same knee without a brace, although improvements were observed. There was no relationship between the most common clinical means of characterizing altered bio-mechanics of the anterior cruciate ligament-deficient knee (that is, the magnitude of anterior-posterior knee laxity and the grade of pivot shift) and the threshold to detection of passive knee motion.
E-commerce applications in the tourism industry : a Tanzania case study

Tourism which is regarded as information intensive sector is the mostly affected sector by technology revolution and its traditional trading structures have been totally changed. The adoption and use of e-commerce in tourism sector is regarded as a tool to widen market reach and improve efficiency and effectiveness of business operations. The degree of impact of e-commerce use on business performance depends on the intensity of its usage in organization’s key value-chain activities. However, the intensity of e-commerce use is influenced by technological, organizational and environmental (TOE) contextual factors. Based on TOE model and the existing literature on post-adoption use of e-commerce, a set of factors that affect the intensity of e-commerce use in Tanzanian tourism sector was identified. A survey was conducted with 181 Tanzanian tourism firms that have already adopted e-commerce and structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data. The findings indicated that the scope of e-commerce use has a positive impact on business performance in terms of improved internal processes, competitive position, customer service delivery, overall business performance and increased customer base. The scope of e-commerce use is affected positively by pressure intensity and perceived benefits and negatively by barriers to e-commerce use. The findings have highlighted key areas that require immediate actions from both the government and private sector in order to promote a successful growth of e commerce in the country.
Reliability of the anterior drawer and talar tilt tests using the LigMaster joint arthrometer.

CONTEXT Joint arthrometers have been developed to help determine the severity of ligament sprains. OBJECTIVE To establish intratester and intertester reliability of the talar inversion and anterior drawer tests using the LigMaster. DESIGN Intratester reliability was investigated using a repeated-measures design. Intertester reliability was investigated using 2 different clinicians testing subjects on the same day. SETTING Athletic training research laboratory. PARTICIPANTS Thirty participants volunteered for this study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS Anterior displacement and talar inversion were measured using the LigMaster. RESULTS Intrarater reliability was . 74 for the talar inversion test and . 65 for the anterior drawer test. Interrater reliabilities for the talar inversion and anterior drawer tests were . 76 and . 81, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The LigMaster joint arthrometer is a reliable tool for measuring talar inversion and anterior displacement at the ankle.
A Robust and Efficient Two-Stage Algorithm for Power Flow Calculation of Large-Scale Systems

To satisfy the robust and real-time requirements of power flow calculation for large-scale power systems, a globally convergent method is proposed with trust-region techniques, which shows satisfying robustness and convergence. Then, this method is combined with Newton's method to achieve a two-stage algorithm, benefiting from their different advantages. In the first stage, the proposed globally convergent method is used for searching power flow solution. When the values of state variables in a certain iteration are close enough to the real operational point, the algorithm enters the second stage to use Newton's method to achieve the solution. This two-stage algorithm can achieve an accurate solution for solvable cases, and can also achieve a least-square solution, which is an approximate solution for unsolvable cases. Numerical experiments show that the proposed globally convergent method and two-stage algorithm have better robustness and efficiency than the existing methods in previous research. They have universality for well- and ill-conditioned systems as well as the cases under ill-conditioned operational modes, heavy loads and inappropriate initial values. They can also handle different limit violations, such as reactive power limit in PV buses and voltage limit with tap changers action, which could significantly benefit real practice.
Focus Group Data Pertinent to the Prevention of Obesity in African Americans

&NA; The increased prevalence of obesity among African‐American women makes it likely that they bear a disproportionate burden of comorbidities attributable to obesity, such as diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipemia. These observations suggest that intensive efforts to prevent obesity should be directed at this group. This presentation provides a summary of the findings of focus groups that convened prior to the Sisters Together, Move More, Eat Better campaign in Boston. This pilot campaign was designed to increase awareness of the importance of healthy eating and physical activity among young adult African‐American women. In addition, data collected by the Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide additional information about attitudes toward diet and physical activity among African American youth. Such data are essential to understand the attitudinal changes necessary to prevent obesity in these vulnerable populations.
Human Antibody Responses to Mature and Immature Forms of Viral Envelope in Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection: Significance for Subunit Vaccines

ABSTRACT A number of antibodies generated during human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection have been cloned by the phage library approach. Antibodies reactive with an immunodominant epitope on the F glycoprotein of this virus have a high affinity for affinity-purified F antigen. These antibodies, however, have a much lower affinity for mature F glycoprotein on the surface of infected cells and are nonneutralizing. In contrast, a potent neutralizing antibody has a high affinity for mature F protein but a much lower affinity for purified F protein or F protein in viral lysates. The data indicate that at least two F protein immunogens are produced during natural RSV infection: immature F, found in viral lysates, and mature F, found on infected cells or virions. Binding studies with polyclonal human immunoglobulin G suggest that the antibody responses to the two immunogens are of similar magnitudes. Competitive binding studies suggest that overlap between the responses is relatively limited. A mature envelope with an antigenic configuration different from that of the immature envelope has an evolutionary advantage in that the infecting virus is less subject to neutralization by the humoral response to the immature envelope that inevitably arises following lysis of infected cells. Subunit vaccines may be at a disadvantage because they most often resemble immature envelope molecules and ignore this aspect of viral evasion.
Action potential propagation and propagation block by GABA in rat posterior pituitary nerve terminals.

1. A theoretical model was developed to investigate action potential propagation in posterior pituitary nerve terminals. This model was then used to evaluate the efficacy of depolarizing and shunting GABA responses on action potential propagation. 2. Experimental data obtained from the posterior pituitary with patch clamp techniques were used to derive empirical expressions for the voltage and time dependence of the nerve terminal Na+ and K+ channels. The essential structure employed here was based on anatomical and cable data from the posterior pituitary, and consisted of a long cylindrical axon (diameter, 0.5 mm) with a large spherical swelling (diameter, 4‐21 mm) in the middle. 3. In the absence of an inhibitory conductance, simulated action potentials propagated with high fidelity through the nerve terminal. Swellings could block propagation, but only when sizes exceeded those observed in the posterior pituitary. Adding axonal branches reduced the critical size only slightly. These results suggested that action potentials invade the entire posterior pituitary nerve terminal in the absence of inhibition or depression. 4. The addition of inhibitory conductance to a swelling caused simulated action potentials to fail at the swelling. Depolarizing inhibitory conductances were 1.6 times more effective than shunting inhibitory conductances in blocking propagation. 5. Inhibitory conductances within the range of experimentally observed magnitudes and localized to swellings in the observed range of sizes were too weak to block simulated action potentials. However, twofold enhancement of GABA responses by neurosteroid resulted in currents strong enough to block propagation in realistic swelling sizes. 6. GABA could block simulated propagation without neurosteroid enhancement provided that GABA was present throughout a region in the order of a few hundred micrometres. For this widespread inhibition depolarizing conductance was 2.2 times more effective than shunting conductance. 7. These results imply two modes of propagation block, one resulting from highly localized release of inhibitory transmitter under conditions potentiating GABA responses, and the other resulting from widespread release of GABA in the absence of receptor potentiation. 8. The Na+ channels of the posterior pituitary nerve terminal have a unique voltage dependence that allows small depolarizations to inactivate without causing activation. The voltage dependence of this Na+ channel may serve as a specialized adaptation that facilitates in allowing small depolarizing conductances to block action potential propagation.
Design of 45 degree microstrip phase shifter for beam forming network application using parallel coupled lines

A 45 degree differential microstrip phase shifter operating in the frequency band ranging from 1.4 GHz to 2.7 GHz is presented in this paper. It is designed by adopting the model of double parallel Schiffman phase shifter and simulated on an FR4 substrate by using two electromagnetic simulation software, ADS from Agilent technologies and CST Microwave Studio. The proposed phase shift circuit offers good results in terms of return loss, insertion loss and phase shift. Good agreement between simulated results using ADS and CST Microwave Studio is obtained.
Modelling the effects of different fracture geometries and healing stages on ultrasound signal loss across a long bone fracture

The effect on the signal amplitude of ultrasonic waves propagating along cortical bone plates was modelled using a 2D Finite Difference code. Different healing stages, represented by modified fracture geometries were introduced to the plate model. A simple transverse and oblique fracture filled with water was introduced to simulate the inflammatory stage. Subsequently, a symmetric external callus surrounding a transverse fracture was modelled to represent an advanced stage of healing. In comparison to the baseline (intact plate) data, a large net loss in signal amplitude was produced for the simple transverse and oblique cases. Changing the geometry to an external callus with different mechanical properties caused the net loss in signal amplitude to reduce significantly. This relative change in signal amplitude as the geometry and mechanical properties of the fracture site change could potentially be used to monitor the healing process.
Plasma sphingosine-1-phosphate measurement in healthy subjects: close correlation with red blood cell parameters

Abstract Background Since sphingosine-1-phosphate (Sph-1-P) plays an important role as an extracellular mediator through interaction with specific cell surface receptors, especially in the area of vascular biology and immunology/haematology, determination of its plasma concentration may become important from the clinical viewpoint. Thus, we attempted to develop a method of measuring the plasma Sph-1-P concentration for use in the clinical laboratory setting. Methods After two-step lipid extraction, Sph-1-P was coupled with o-phthaldialdehyde, and the resultant fluorescent derivative was separated by high-performance liquid chromatography. C17-Sph-1-P was used as the internal standard, instead of dihydrosphingosine-1-phosphate, which had been used previously for the same purpose but was actually detected in plasma. Results Our procedures for preparing the plasma samples and assay Sph-1-P were found to be satisfactory for clinical laboratory testing. The plasma Sph-1-P concentrations were significantly higher in men (413.1 ± 52.0 nmol/L; mean ± SD) than in women (352.4 ± 39.7 nmol/L). Unexpectedly, strong positive correlations were found between the plasma Sph-1-P concentration and red blood cell (RBC)-related parameters, rather than platelet-related parameters. Conclusions Our present study confirmed the possibility of the clinical introduction of plasma Sph-1-P measurement, and in addition, suggested that RBCs may be involved in the regulation of plasma Sph-1-P concentrations.