Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Financial development and poverty: evidence from the CFA Franc Zone

ABSTRACT The financial liberalization in the 1980s and early 1990s led the CFA Franc Zone countries to deepen reforms in their financial systems. These reforms fostered financial development, which in turn may have reduced income poverty, as emphasized by several theoretical arguments in the literature. This study aims at estimating the contribution of financial development to poverty alleviation in the CFA Franc Zone. Results based on a panel of CFA Franc Zone countries show that financial development is associated with a drop in the proportion of poor population. Next, financial development reduces the extent to which the income of individuals falls below the poverty line. Moreover, in some cases, the effect of financial development on poverty may be subject to nonlinearities. Finally, financial instability or unstable financial development leading to crises may mitigate the favourable effect of financial development on poverty reduction. These findings are robust to the use of alternative measures of financial development and hold after controlling for a potential simultaneity and a small sample biases.
No Right to Rest: Police Enforcement Patterns and Quality of Life Consequences of the Criminalization of Homelessness

Laws restricting the behaviors of homeless people in public places are proliferating. Proponents argue that such “quality of life” laws will encourage homeless people to move off the streets and into services, and thereby improve their quality of life. Critics argue that these laws target vulnerable individuals and show little evidence of improving the lives of homeless people. To inform this debate, this article reports data from two separate surveys of Colorado homeless residents regarding their experiences with quality of life policing, supplemented by a review of police data regarding contacts, ticketing, and arrests of homeless people. The data reveal that the oft-stated goal of improving the quality of life of homeless residents through “tough love” policing campaigns has not been met. Instead, most homeless residents report their lives have become more challenging, more stressful, and less safe following expansion of quality of life policing.
The Leadership Paradox in EU Foreign Policy

This article examines a leadership paradox at the heart of EU foreign policy between the demand for effective European leadership, and leadership legitimacy embedded in state practices. This paradox is manifested in the Lisbon treaty that delegated significant formal leadership functions to the European level. We probe the question how and by whom leadership can and should be performed in EU foreign policy. To answer this question, we advance a new theoretical framework drawing on sociological institutionalism and role theory. We argue that leadership should be understood as a social role shaped in a process of interaction between leader and followers. We contribute with new empirical knowledge of leadership role relations based on an interview survey conducted in 2016. The empirical results point to role conflicts over the formal leadership functions in EU foreign policy and the emergence of new informal leadership practices by EU member states.
EVIDENCE OF BRUCELLA SP. INFECTION IN MARINE MAMMALS STRANDED ALONG THE COAST OF SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND

Abstract After recent isolations of Brucella sp. from pinnipeds and cetaceans, a survey was initiated to investigate the prevalence of Brucella sp. infections and serologic evidence of exposure in marine mammals stranded along the coasts of Connecticut and Rhode Island. One hundred and nineteen serum samples from four species of cetaceans and four species of pinnipeds were collected from 1985 to 2000 and tested for antibodies to Brucella sp. using the brucellosis card test, buffered acidified plate antigen test, and rivanol test. In addition, 20 of these were necropsied between 1998 and 2000, with lymphoid and visceral tissues cultured for Brucella sp. Three of 21 (14%) harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) and four of 53 (8%) harp seals (Phoca groenlandica) were seropositive. Brucella sp. was isolated from two of four (50%) harbor seals and three of nine (33%) harp seals. Of the five animals with positive cultures, two were seropositive and three seronegative. Brucella sp. was most frequently cultured from the lung and axillary, inguinal, and prescapular lymph nodes. Tissues from which Brucella sp. was isolated showed no gross or histopathologic changes. These results indicate that marine mammals stranded along the coast of southern New England can be exposed to and infected with Brucella sp.
Socioeconomic deprivation and mortality in people after ischemic stroke: The China National Stroke Registry

Background Previous findings of the association between socioeconomic deprivation and mortality after ischemic stroke are inconsistent. There is a lack of data on the association with combined low education, occupational class, and income. We assessed the associations of three indicators with mortality. Methods We examined data from the China National Stroke Registry, recording all stroke patients occurred between September 2007 and August 2008. Baseline socioeconomic deprivation was measured using low levels of education at <6 years, occupation as manual laboring, and average family income per capita at ≤¥1000 per month. A total of 12,246 patients with ischemic stroke were analyzed. Results In a 12-month follow-up 1640 patients died. After adjustment for age, sex, cardiovascular risk factors, severity of stroke, and prehospital medications, odds ratio for mortality in patients with low education was 1.25 (95%CI 1.05–1.48), manual laboring 1.37 (1.09–1.72), and low income 1.19 (1.03–1.37). Further adjustment for acute care and medications in and after hospital made no substantial changes in these odds ratios, except a marginal significant odds ratio for low income (1.15, 0.99–1.33). The odds ratio for low income was 1.27 (1.01–1.60) within patients with high education. Compared with no socioeconomic deprivation, the odds ratio in patients with socioeconomic deprivation determined by any one indicator was 1.33 (1.11–1.59), by any two indicators 1.36 (1.10–1.69), and by all three indicators 1.56 (1.23–1.97). Conclusions There are significant inequalities in survival after ischemic stroke in China in terms of social and material forms of deprivation. General socioeconomic improvement, targeting groups at high risk of mortality is likely to reduce inequality in survival after stroke.
Proximity-Based Data Offloading via Network Assisted Device-to-Device Communications

Analysts predict explosive growth in traffic demand on mobile broadband systems over the coming years due to the popularity of streaming video, gaming, and other social media services. While 4G wireless technologies are making a significant effort to keep up with this demand, the expectation is that cellular deployments will fall short of the required capacity unless there is a dramatic shift towards smaller cells. There is already significant interest in femto- and pico-cell deployments for this reason. However, there is another method of creating small cells that the wireless industry has yet to capitalize on, namely direct connectivity between clients in close proximity. 3GPP is currently working to enable device-to-device (D2D) communications within Release 12 of LTE-Advanced. By comparison, IEEE has already defined a D2D communications protocol, termed WiFi Direct, which is based on the 802.11 standards. WiFi Direct not only serves to offload user data onto direct links, but does so using the unlicensed bands. To benefit users further, WiFi Direct can be enhanced by enabling the LTE network to assist during peer discovery and direct connection establishment. In this paper, we discuss the network/client requirements and performance benefits of network-assisted WiFi Direct. We assume that clients are continuously under management by the LTE network, which assists them with service/peer discovery and direct connection establishment. We show that network-assisted WiFi Direct can significantly improve the performance of proximal applications and reduce the power consumed by the clients involved, while also improving capacity of the LTE network.
Central Banking in Latin America: The Way Forward

Latin America’s central banks have made substantial progress towards delivering an environment of price stability that is supportive of sustainable economic growth. We review these achievements, and discuss remaining challenges facing central banking in the region. Where inflation remains high and volatile, achieving durable price stability will require making central banks more independent. Where inflation targeting regimes are well-established, remaining challenges surround assessments of economic slack, the communication of monetary policy, and clarifying the role of the exchange rate. Finally, macroprudential policies must be coordinated with existing objectives, and care taken to preserve the primacy of price stability.
Mnk kinases in cytokine signaling and regulation of cytokine responses

Abstract The kinases Mnk1 and Mnk2 are activated downstream of the p38 MAPK and MEK/ERK signaling pathways. Extensive work over the years has shown that these kinases control phosphorylation of the eukaryotic initiation factor 4E and regulate engagement of other effector elements, including hnRNPA1 and PSF. Mnk kinases are ubiquitously expressed and play critical roles in signaling for various cytokine receptors, and there is emerging evidence that they have important functions as mediators of proinflammatory cytokine production. In this review, the mechanisms of activation of MNK pathways by cytokine receptors are addressed and their roles in diverse cytokine-dependent biological processes are reviewed. The clinical-translational implications of such work and the relevance of future development of specific MNK inhibitors for the treatment of malignancies and autoimmune disorders are discussed.
Does a Debt Relief Lead to Increased Precautionary Savings?: Evidence from A Policy Experiment

Using official national-level survey data, we investigate the impact of a large debt waiver program in India on beneficiaries savings and consumption. We find that the household consumption level and pattern are unaffected by the waiver. Plausibly anticipating higher credit constraints in the post-waiver period, the households increase precautionary savings as represented by increased investment in jewelry. The arbitrary program eligibility cut-off, defined in terms of landholdings, allows us to employ a robust regression discontinuity design. We perform several placebo and robustness tests in order to rule out alternative explanations.
Characterization of the desulfurization genes from Rhodococcus sp. strain IGTS8

Rhodococcus sp. strain IGTS8 possesses an enzymatic pathway that can remove covalently bound sulfur from dibenzothiophene (DBT) without breaking carbon-carbon bonds. The DNA sequence of a 4.0-kb BstBI-BsiWI fragment that carries the genes for this pathway was determined. Frameshift and deletion mutations established that three open reading frames were required for DBT desulfurization, and the genes were designated soxABC (for sulfur oxidation). Each sox gene was subcloned independently and expressed in Escherichia coli MZ1 under control of the inducible lambda pL promoter with a lambda cII ribosomal binding site. SoxC is an approximately 45-kDa protein that oxidizes DBT to DBT-5,5'-dioxide. SoxA is an approximately 50-kDa protein responsible for metabolizing DBT-5,5'-dioxide to an unidentified intermediate. SoxB is an approximately 40-kDa protein that, together with the SoxA protein, completes the desulfurization of DBT-5,5'-dioxide to 2-hydroxybiphenyl. Protein sequence comparisons revealed that the predicted SoxC protein is similar to members of the acyl coenzyme A dehydrogenase family but that the SoxA and SoxB proteins have no significant identities to other known proteins. The sox genes are plasmidborne and appear to be expressed as an operon in Rhodococcus sp. strain IGTS8 and in E. coli.
The Impact of Sovereign Debt on Growth: An Empirical Study on GIIPS versus JUUSD Countries

This study aims at concluding the general debt impact on economic growth for two different groups of countries during the period (1993-2013). Results showed negative impact of public debt on economic growth on short and long terms. Impact percentage differs according to countries and interpretive variables that interpret the relationship. Negative impact of debt starts from levels between 60-90% of gross domestic product on long term; its impact becomes bigger on long and short terms when percentage is higher than 90% of gross domestic product, whereas raise of public debt by 10% leads into decreasing economic growth by 1-2% in average. Results showed that the variables which affect the economic growth the most are savings/ investment, population growth, long and short terms of nominal interest rate, current account balance, private credit, inflation, Government budget primary balance, and debt service. Study results also revealed that banking crisis and double crisis are the most negatively reflecting crisis on the economic growth.
Ergogenic Effects of Sodium Bicarbonate

Athletes use many different strategies to enhance their performance, including clothing and footwear, training regimes, diets, and ergogenic aids. The use of ergogenic aids is believed to be widespread, with a variety of legal as well as illegal substances being used previously and currently. Among the more popular ergogenic aids is the use of sodium bicarbonate or sodium citrate, collectively recognized as "buffers. " These substances potentially provide the body with added resistance against fatigue caused by deleterious changes in acid-base balance brought about by a variety of exercise modes and durations. The popularity of buffering has generated a plethora of research dating back to the 1930s, which continues to date. The issues surrounding buffering revolve around the dosage size, timing of ingestion, and the type of exercise to benefit from the use of buffers. We hope this review addresses these pertinent issues.
The Effect of Education on a Country’s Energy Consumption: Evidence from Developed and Developing Countries

Education has been regarded throughout history as one of the main drivers of economic development and innovation, and can be viewed as one of the means available to nations for encouraging energy education, implementation of renewable energy and reduced energy consumption. This paper analyses the causal and empirical relationship between primary energy consumption and education for a group of developed and developing countries as well as an aggregate panel of the developed and developing country groups for the period 1980-2013. The results confirm a unidirectional relationship between energy consumption and education, flowing from education to energy consumption. Another interesting result is the confirmation of a non-linear relationship between energy consumption and education: energy consumption is increased by higher education levels in developing countries while energy consumption falls with higher education levels in developed countries. Lastly this paper provides a brief description of the impact of these results on energy policy and recommends that developed countries implement pro-education policies to reduce energy consumption while developing countries should make use of education coupled with environmental awareness programs to reduce the effect increased education will have on energy consumption
Isometric strength, sprint power, and aerobic power in individuals with a spinal cord injury.

This study investigated in rather specific wheelchair tests the relationships among estimates of isometric upper-body strength (Fiso), sprint power (P30), aerobic power (VO2peak), and maximal power output (POaer) in a group of 44 men (age 34 +/- 12 yr) with longstanding spinal cord injuries ranging from C4/C5 to L5. Fiso was defined as the maximum force that could be exerted on the blocked rims of a stationary wheelchair ergometer. The estimation of P30 involved the measurement of the mean power during a 30-s all-out sprint test on the same wheelchair ergometer. VO2peak and POaer were determined as the peak oxygen uptake and highest sustained power output during a discontinuous progressive maximal exercise test on a motorized treadmill, while subjects used their own daily use wheelchair. Fiso ranged from 1.5 N.kg-1 (mean of both arms) in the group with quadriplegia to 3.4 N.kg-1 in the group with lowest-lesions, and P30 ranged from 0.5 to 1.5 W.kg-1 among the subjects. VO2peak ranged from 13.6 ml.kg-1.min-1 in the group with quadriplegia to 31.3 ml.kg-1.min-1 in the group with lowest-lesions, and POaer ranged from 0.4 to 1.1 W.kg-1. Strong positive relationships (r = 0.81-0.92) were demonstrated among all variables. Regression equations among variables were calculated: P30 = 0.51 Fiso - 0.18 (R2 = 0.75); POaer = 0.34 Fiso - 0.02 (R2 = 0.66); POaer = 0.67 P30 + 0.11 (R2 = 0.81); VO2peak = 6.52 Fiso + 4.15 (R2 = 0.76); VO2peak = 12.03 P30 + 7.43 (R2 = 0.77); VO2peak = 16.81 POaer + 6.44 (R2 = 0.84). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Cross-border Investment and Economic Integration: The Case of Guangdong Province and Hong Kong SAR

In this paper, we undertake a comparative study of the performance of local and foreign competitors’ manufacturing firms in a FDI-recipient region—Guangdong Province, China—and analyzes the policy implications of the comparison for the advanced, FDI-outflow region—Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). By highlighting changes in productivity that vary with changes in manufacturing firm ownership, we reveal that domestic firms have been catching up with their foreign counterparts, including Hong Kong-based firms, though foreign firms have successfully strengthened their dominating position in Guangdong’s manufacturing industry.
Testing-Based Component Assessment for Substitutability

Updating systems assembled from components demand a careful treatment due to stability risks. Replacement components must be properly evaluated to identify the required similar behaviour. Our proposal complements the regular compatibility analysis with black-box testing criteria to reinforce reliability. The aim is to analyze functions of data transformation encapsulated on components, i.e. their behaviour. This complies with the observabilitytesting metric. A Component Behaviour Test Suite is built concerning the integration level to be later applied on candidate upgrades. The approach is supported through a tool developed on our group, testooj , which is focused on Java components.
Inhibitor of Cysteine Peptidase Does Not Influence the Development of Leishmania mexicana in Lutzomyia longipalpis

ABSTRACT It has been proposed that the natural cysteine peptidase inhibitor ICP of Leishmania mexicana protects the protozoan parasite from insect host proteolytic enzymes, thereby promoting survival. To test this hypothesis, L. mexicana mutants deficient in ICP were evaluated for their ability to develop in the sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis. No significant differences were found between the wild-type parasites, two independently derived ICP-deficient mutants, or mutants overexpressing ICP; all lines developed similarly in the sand fly midgut and produced heavy late-stage infections. In addition, recombinant L. mexicana ICP did not inhibit peptidase activity of the midgut extracts in vitro. We conclude that ICP has no major role in promoting survival of L. mexicana in the vectorial part of its life cycle in L. longipalpis.
Reactivity to smoking- and food-related cues in currently dieting and non-dieting young women smokers

There is some evidence to suggest that young women dieters who smoke experience greater cigarette cravings in the presence of food-related related cues. The aim of this experiment was to examine reactivity to both smoking-related and water cues by dieting and non-dieting women smokers in the presence or absence of food cues. Eighteen female undergraduates attended two sessions (food present and food absent). At each session, participants were presented with a cigarette and water cue in a counterbalanced order. Pre- and post-cue measures included the brief version of the Questionnaire for Smoking Urges, heart rate and self-reported mood. All smokers showed enhanced reactivity (increased craving and heart rate) to smoking versus water cues. For dieters there was a larger increase in cigarette craving and heart rate in response to the smoking-related cues in the presence of food compared with the absence of food, whereas for non-dieters there was a smaller increase in cigarette craving and heart rate in response to the smoking-related cues in the presence of food compared with the absence of food. Mood and appetite ratings were not significantly affected by either cue type or session. The results suggest that cue reactivity to smoking-related cues is modulated by the presence of incentive stimuli relevant to the individual.
Genetic Control of Experimental Lyme Arthritis in the Absence of Specific Immunity

ABSTRACT Host genetics play an important role in determining resistance or susceptibility to experimental Lyme arthritis. While specific immunity appears to regulate disease resolution, innate immunity appears to regulate disease severity. Intradermal infection with Borrelia burgdorferi yields severe arthritis in C3H/He (C3H) mice but only minimal arthritis in BALB/c mice. Intradermal infection of immunodeficient C3H SCID mice also results in severe arthritis, but arthritis of only moderate severity in BALB/c SCID mice. In the present study, we examined immunodeficient recombinase-activating gene-knockout (RAG-1−/−) (RAG−) mice from resistant C57BL/6 (B6) and DBA/2 (DBA) mouse strains. B. burgdorferi-infected B6 RAG− and DBA RAG− mice had little or no ankle swelling, a low occurrence of inflammatory infiltrates in tibiotarsal joints, and low arthritis severity scores in comparison to RAG+ and RAG− BALB/c or C3H mice. Few differences in spirochete DNA levels in ankles of resistant and susceptible RAG− mice were seen. These data suggest that resistance to arthritis development following B. burgdorferi infection is not necessarily dependent on an acquired immune response and can occur despite the presence of high spirochete burden. Thus, genes expressed outside the specific immune response can be central regulators of experimental arthritis.
Hormonal Therapy: Does It Increase or Decrease Cardiovascular Risk?

The use of hormonal therapy (HT) has become one of the most controversial topics in the area of women’s health. A particular area of confusion has been the issue of cardiovascular benefit versus cardiovascular risk for women using HT. Although years of observational data have suggested that women receiving HT have a lower incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD) and longer survival, several prospective, randomized controlled trials have brought this tenet into debate. This article provides a historical perspective on the role of HT and CAD. The Heart and Estrogen/Progestin Replacement Study (HERS) and the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) data are analyzed in conjunction with newer data. Finally, an explanation will be provided as to how early initiation of HT could afford cardiovascular protection and not contradict the HERS and WHI. Target Audience: Obstetricians & Gynecologists, Family Physicians Learning Objectives: After completion of this article, the reader should be able to state that controversy still remains in the use of hormonal therapy (HT) for menopause, explain that there are conflicting data from both prospective and observational studies, and recall that a new look at prospective data may indicate that HT has beneficial cardiovascular effects.