Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Migrant-Local Government Relationships in Sending Communities: The Power of Politics in Postwar El Salvador

This article analyzes refugee political transnationalism in El Salvador. It assesses the domestic or homeland component of migration history in this Central American country by focusing on the role of both local governments and specifi c communities. Moreover, it considers differences between areas that vary in terms of the level and type of political organization during and after the civil war, the levels of international migration, population concentration in settlement areas in the United States, and the types of relationships between local authorities and both collective and individual migrants. Studying and comparing political transnationalism may help explain why transnational initiatives progress in some settings but not others. This study considers some of the factors that should be taken into account in order to understand transnational activities in sending communities. The fi nding show that partisan politics constitute an element to be studied as part of the conditions that may enhance or limit relationships between migrants and local governments in postwar El Salvador.
On Migration and Risk in LDCs

The authors develop the hypothesis that aversion to risk rather than expectations of higher income is the primary motivation for rural-urban migration in developing countries. This hypothesis maintains that an optimizing risk-averse small-farmer family will try to place a family member in the urban sector in order to diversify its income portfolio. An additional hypothesis related to risk is also considered at the individual rather than the family level. (ANNOTATION)
Global metabolic responses of mice to Trypanosoma brucei brucei infection

Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) is transmitted by tsetse flies and, if untreated, is fatal. Treatment depends on infection stage, and early diagnosis is crucial for effective disease management. The systemic host biochemical changes induced by HAT that enable biomarker discovery or relate to therapeutic outcome are largely unknown. We have characterized the multivariate temporal responses of mice to Trypanosoma brucei brucei infection, using 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic metabolic phenotyping of urine and plasma. Marked alterations in plasma metabolic profiles were detected already 1 day postinfection. Elevated plasma concentrations of lactate, branched chain amino acids, and acetylglycoprotein fragments were noted. T. brucei brucei-infected mice also had an imbalance of plasma alanine and valine, consistent with differential gluconeogenesis (parasite)-ketogenesis (host) pathway counterflux, involving stimulated host glycolysis, ketogenesis, and enhanced lipid oxidation in the host. Histopathologic evidence of T. brucei brucei-induced extramedullary hepatic hemopoiesis, renal interstitial nephritis, and a provoked inflammatory response was also noted. Metabolic disturbance of gut microbiotal activity was associated with infection, as indicated by changes in the urinary concentrations of the microbial co-metabolites, including hippurate. Concluding, parasite infection results in multiple systemic biochemical effects in the host and disturbance of the symbiotic gut microbial metabolic interactions. Investigation of these transgenomic metabolic alterations may underpin the development of new diagnostic criteria and metrics of therapeutic efficacy.
Absence of Cardiolipin Results in Temperature Sensitivity, Respiratory Defects, and Mitochondrial DNA Instability Independent of pet56*

Cardiolipin (CL) is a dimeric phospholipid localized primarily in the mitochondrial membrane. Previous studies have shown that yeast cells containing a disruption of CRD1, the structural gene encoding CL synthase, exhibit temperature-sensitive colony formation and multiple mitochondrial defects. A recent report (Zhang, M., Su, X., Mileykovskaya, E., Amoscato, A. A., and Dowhan, W. (2003) J. Biol. Chem. 278, 35204–35210) suggested that defects associated with CL deficiency may result from the reduced expression of PET56 in crd1Δ mutant backgrounds and should be reevaluated. In the current study, we present evidence that CL deficiency leads to mitochondrial DNA instability, loss of viability, and defects in oxidative phosphorylation at elevated temperatures. The observed mutant phenotypes are characteristic of crd1Δ mutant cells of both PET56 and pet56 backgrounds and are complemented by an episomal copy of CRD1 but not by expression of the PET56 gene. Phosphatidylglycerol is elevated in crd1Δ mutant cells when grown in the presence of fermentable and non-fermentable carbon sources, although the extent of the increase is higher in nonfermentable medium. An increase in the ratio of phosphatidylethanolamine to phosphatidylcholine was also apparent in the mutant. These findings demonstrate that CRD1, independent of PET56, is required for optimal mitochondrial function and for an essential cellular function at elevated temperatures.
Telemonitoring and self-management in the control of hypertension (TASMINH2): a cost-effectiveness analysis

Aims: Self-monitoring and self-titration of antihypertensives (self-management) is a novel intervention which improves blood pressure control. However, little evidence exists regarding the cost-effectiveness of self-monitoring of blood pressure in general and self-management in particular. This study aimed to evaluate whether self-management of hypertension was cost-effective. Design and methods: A cohort Markov model-based probabilistic cost-effectiveness analysis was undertaken extrapolating to up to 35 years from cost and outcome data collected from the telemonitoring and self-management in hypertension trial (TASMINH2). Self-management of hypertension was compared with usual care in terms of lifetime costs, quality adjusted life years and cost-effectiveness using a UK Health Service perspective. Sensitivity analyses examined the effect of different time horizons and reduced effectiveness over time from self-management. Results: In the long-term, when compared with usual care, self-management was more effective by 0.24 and 0.12 quality adjusted life years (QALYs) gained per patient for men and women, respectively. The resultant incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for self-management was £1624 per QALY for men and £4923 per QALY for women. There was at least a 99% chance of the intervention being cost-effective for both sexes at a willingness to pay threshold of £20,000 per QALY gained. These results were robust to sensitivity analyses around the assumptions made, provided that the effects of self-management lasted at least two years for men and five years for women. Conclusion: Self-monitoring with self-titration of antihypertensives and telemonitoring of blood pressure measurements not only reduces blood pressure, compared with usual care, but also represents a cost-effective use of health care resources.
What is the extent of exchange rate pass-through in Singapore? Has it changed over time?

This paper estimates the extent and evolution of exchange rate pass-through into import prices in Singapore for the period 1980 to 2005. Our results indicate that exchange rate pass-through into Singapore's import prices is 25% in the short-run and slightly higher at 29% for the long-run. There is evidence to suggest that the pass-through elasticity has trended downwards from 0.4 in 1983 to around 0.3 by 1987, after which it has remained fairly stable. The paper also examines the macroeconomic determinants of Singapore's exchange rate pass-through.
Choroidal Thickness in Strabismus and Amblyopia Cases

ABSTRACT Purpose: The aim of our study was to examine the effect of hypermetropia and anisometropic, exotropic, and esotropic amblyopia on choroidal thickness. Methods: A prospective, cross-sectional, comparative study of 120 children under the age of 16 years was conducted. Choroidal thickness was measured in patients with hypermetropia, anisometropia, esotropia, exotropia, and controls. Results: The mean subfoveal choroidal thickness in the control and hypermetropia groups was 323.9±69.0 µm and 348.9±64.5 µm, respectively. Mean choroidal thickness in amblyopic and fellow eyes was 387.4 and 351.9 µm in anisometropic, 353.8 and 338.7 µm in exotropic, 347.5 and 336.5 µm in esotropic, and 389.3 and 359.3 µm in esotropic+anisometropic groups, respectively. Choroid was significantly thicker in amblyopic eyes of anisometropic group compared to fellow (P=0.004) and control (P=0.03) eyes. The difference of choroidal thickness was not significant between both eyes and when compared to control eyes in the other groups. Conclusions: Anisometropic amblyopic eyes had thicker choroids compared to controls and fellow eyes. However the choroidal thickness was not significantly different between amblyopic and fellow eyes of esotropic or exotropic patients.
Identification of Structural Features in the G-protein Regulatory Motif Required for Regulation of Heterotrimeric G-proteins*

The G-protein regulatory (GPR) motif, a conserved 25–30 amino acid domain found in multiple mammalian proteins, stabilizes the GDP-bound conformation of Gαi, inhibits guanosine 5′-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTPγS) binding to Gαi and competes for Gβγ binding to Gα. To define the core GPR motif and key amino acid residues within a GPR peptide (TMGEEDFFDLLAKSQSKRMDDQRVDLAG), we determined the effect of truncation, insertion, and alanine substitutions on peptide-mediated inhibition of GTPγS binding to purified Gαi1. The bioactive core GPR peptide consists of 17 amino acids (7F–R23). Within this core motif, two hydrophobic sectors (7FF8 and10LL11) and Q22 are required for bioactivity, whereas M19A and R23A increased IC50values by 70-fold. Disruption of spatial relationships between the required sectors in the amino and carboxyl regions of the peptide also resulted in a loss of biological activity. Mutation of three charged sectors (4EED6, R18,20DD21) within the 28-amino acid GPR decreased peptide affinity by ∼10-fold. Alanine substitutions of selected residues within the core GPR peptide differently influenced peptide inhibition of GTPγS binding to Gαi versusGαo. These data provide a platform for the development of novel, G-protein-selective therapeutics that inhibit Gαi-mediated signaling, selectively activate Gβγ-sensitive effectors, and/or disrupt specific regulatory input to G-proteins mediated by GPR-containing proteins.
Doing business in... Sri Lanka

Having a well-developed human resource base and a relatively well-developed capital market infrastructure, Sri Lanka offers a liberal and dynamic investment environment. Over the years, macrostability has been achieved and considerable reforms have been implemented, contributing to a healthy economic growth. This article provides useful information on the business environment and is intended to help foreign businessmen and investors to develop a good grasp of essential background knowledge for being successful in Sri Lanka. It reviews the Sri Lankan political structure, climate, and economy. Sri Lanka's infrastructure, legal framework, and socioculturel set-up, as well as market structure and potential, are also analyzed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Rate or Trade? Identifying Winning Ideas in Open Idea Sourcing

Information technology (IT) has created new patterns of digitally-mediated collaboration that allow open sourcing of ideas for new products and services. These novel sociotechnical arrangements afford finely-grained manipulation of how tasks can be represented and have changed the way organizations ideate. In this paper, we investigate differences in behavioral decision-making resulting from IT-based support of open idea evaluation. We report results from a randomized experiment of 120 participants comparing IT-based decision-making support using a rating scale (representing a judgment task) and a preference market (representing a choice task). We find that the rating scale-based task invokes significantly higher perceived ease of use than the preference market-based task and that perceived ease of use mediates the effect of the task representation treatment on the users’ decision quality. Furthermore, we find that the understandability of ideas being evaluated, which we assess through the ideas’ readability, and the perception of the task’s variability moderate the strength of this mediation effect, which becomes stronger with increasing perceived task variability and decreasing understandability of the ideas. We contribute to the literature by explaining how perceptual differences of task representations for open idea evaluation affect the decision quality of users and translate into differences in mechanism accuracy. These results enhance our understanding of how crowdsourcing as a novel mode of value creation may effectively complement traditional work structures.
Regional hydropolitics of the transboundary impacts of the Lancang cascade dams

An analysis of differing hydropolitical evaluations of transboundary effects related to Lancang (Upper Mekong) River dams finds that: (1) the downstream effects of dams are extremely complex and cannot be classified simply as positive or negative, especially given political sensitivity and limitations on data accessibility; (2) all related drivers should be considered when assessing the impacts of hydrological change in the lower Mekong River, not just those of the Lancang dams; and (3) significant downstream impacts of the two operating dams of Manwan and Dachaoshan are limited in scale to diurnal changes, primarily in the narrow channel north of Vientiane.
The Self, Health, and Depression in Elderly Women

A short-term, longitudinal, survey study was conducted to examine relationships among actual and ideal self conceptions, physical health, and depression in 149 community-dwelling elderly women. Two theoretical perspectives regarding the self were compared, women's self-development and lifespan developmental theory. As predicted by theories of women's development, relationships with others emerged as a salient aspect of the self in elderly women. Regression analyses indicated that actual and ideal self-conceptions were predicted by depression, but not generally by physical health status. Thus, physical health problems were not global in their effects on the various dimensions of the self in elderly women, but depression was.
Adequacy of antidepressant treatment in Spanish primary care: a naturalistic six-month follow-up study.

OBJECTIVE This study evaluated the adequacy of pharmacological antidepressant treatment in major depressive episodes prescribed in 16 Spanish primary care centers, both during the acute phase of treatment and after the first three months of the continuation phase, under real-world naturalistic conditions (usual care). Factors that could be associated with adequacy of care also were explored. METHODS A total of 333 patients from primary care who began pharmacological antidepressant treatment were followed up for six months. Treatment adequacy and associated factors were evaluated. RESULTS Between 27% and 32% of patients received adequate antidepressant treatment during the acute phase. Percentages of adequacy were between 21% and 25% when considering the acute phase and the first three months of the continuation phase. Psychiatric consultations were found to be associated with treatment adequacy. CONCLUSIONS In state-funded Spanish primary care centers, antidepressant treatment adequacy was poor during both the acute phase and the first three months of the continuation phase. Primary care physicians prescribed suggested antidepressants, mostly as recommended (99%) and at adequate dosages. However, they did not perform the recommended number of follow-up sessions and treated patients with depressive disorders other than major depression as if they had a major depressive episode. Collaborative interventions between primary and specialized care could improve treatment adequacy.
Pass-through of Change in Policy Interest Rate to Market Rates

This paper examines the pass through of the change in policy interest rate of the central bank of Pakistan to market interest rates. The market rates examined include KIBOR, six month deposit rate and weighted average lending rate. More or less complete pass-through of the change in policy rate to KIBOR is observed within one month. However, the magnitude of change in policy rate to deposit and lending rate is not only low but is slow as well. The pass-through to the weighted average lending rate is 47 percent and occurs with a lag of one to one and half year. The pass-through to the deposit rate is only 16 percent and occurs with a lag of one year. The asymmetry between the magnitude of pass-through to lending and deposit rates has served to increase the interest margin of the banks. The slow pass-through to the lending and deposit rate put limits on the effectiveness of interest rate as a policy tool. The pass-through, and hence the effectiveness of monetary policy will increase if all the lending and deposit rates are floating in nature and are quoted as KIBOR-plus and KIBOR-minus respectively.
The power of perspective

Over the last decade, much has been written about how to develop an excellent board of directors. One of the seminal documents was the American Hospital Association’s 2009 monograph titled “Competency-Based Governance. ” That report brought to the healthcare field a concept that had been successfully used in the corporate world: determining the competencies needed for a specific job and then selecting and developing individuals based on those competencies. The AHA defined competencies as the “combination of knowledge, skills, personal characteristics, and individual and social behaviors needed to effectively perform a job. ”
A neural-network appearance-based 3-D object recognition using independent component analysis

This paper presents results on appearance-based three-dimensional (3-D) object recognition (3DOR) accomplished by utilizing a neural-network architecture developed based on independent component analysis (ICA). ICA has already been applied for face recognition in the literature with encouraging results. In this paper, we are exploring the possibility of utilizing the redundant information in the visual data to enhance the view based object recognition. The underlying premise here is that since ICA uses high-order statistics, it should in principle outperform principle component analysis (PCA), which does not utilize statistics higher than two, in the recognition task. Two databases of images captured by a CCD camera are used. It is demonstrated that ICA did perform better than PCA in one of the databases, but interestingly its performance was no better than PCA in the case of the second database. Thus, suggesting that the use of ICA may not necessarily always give better results than PCA, and that the application of ICA is highly data dependent. Various factors affecting the differences in the recognition performance using both methods are also discussed.
Managerial Technologies, Ethics and Managing

This paper engages with a key element of Legge's work: the relationship between the technical and the moral in the application of managerial technologies, and how managers manage these different layers of meaning. Taking business planning and performance measurement as an example of managerial technologies, these are analysed for the extent to which they allow for an engagement with an ethical position, using Legge's (1978) characterization of the role of managerial technologies originally identified in Power, Innovation and Problem Solving in Personnel Management. The inter-related elements of the technical, the ethical and the practical are then used to explore how managers construct the meaning of management and their implications for Legge's more recent deontological and teleological ethical framework.
Blaming cities for climate change? An analysis of urban greenhouse gas emissions inventories

Cities are often blamed for high levels of greenhouse gas emissions. However, an analysis of emissions inventories shows that — in most cases — per capita emissions from cities are lower than the average for the countries in which they are located. The paper assesses these patterns of emissions by city and by sector, discusses the implications of different methodological approaches to producing inventories, identifies the main drivers for high levels of greenhouse gas production, and examines the role and potential for cities to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.
Disciplinary Takeovers and Industry Effects

This paper presents a disciplinary explanation for some seemingly paradoxical stylized facts from the takeover literature. Most notable among these are: (1) hostile takeovers are predicted better by industry-wide than by firm-specific performance failures; and (2) gains from a successful bid for a specific firm extend to other firms in the same industry. Our explanation is based on the idea that managerial incentives based on relative performance evaluation may induce an inefficient industry-wide equilibrium in which all firms underperform with respect to a value-maximizing firm, but no firm underperforms with respect to the industry average. A takeover can serve as a means to destroy such an inefficient industry-wide incentive equilibrium. Copyright (c) 1998 Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Inequality, Majority Voting and the Redistributive Effects of Public Education Funding

This paper documents that in poor countries redistribution in cash is negligible. To the extent that public education funding is redistributive, the lion's share of redistribution in poor countries is through public education budgets. I present a simple model of how inequality determines redistribution through public education spending when funding decisions are made through majority voting. Contrary to T. Persson and G. Tabellini, and contrary to conventional wisdom, in the present model higher inequality leads to less redistribution if the curvature in the utility function is sufficiently high. I argue that large curvature of the utility function is empirically relevant. Copyright 2004 Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Trivers-Willard effect in contemporary North American society.

The Trivers-Willard hypothesis joins the ideas of R.A. Fisher and A.J. Bateman to model parental investment strategies. Trivers and Willard argue that any overall investment bias favoring either daughters or sons would be maladaptive. Nevertheless, they suggest that, in effectively polygynous species, more complex, conditional sex biases could be adaptive. In particular, they predict that parents in good condition will bias their investment toward sons and that parents in poor condition will bias their investment toward daughters. Among a sample of approximately 900 U.S. mothers we examined several measures of maternal investment including birth weight, interbirth interval and lactational commitment. Maternal condition was assessed by income and by the presence or absence of a coresident adult male. Some measures of investment (five of 14 statistical tests) showed marked and significant sex-by-condition interactions of the type and in the direction predicted by Trivers and Willard; none showed significant effects in the opposite direction. No conscious mediation is required to produce the observed investment patterns.