Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cursed by Resources or Institutions?

Natural resource abundant countries constitute both growth losers and growth winners, and the main difference between the success cases and the cases of failure lays in the quality of institutions. With grabber friendly institutions more natural resources push aggregate income down, while with producer friendly institutions more natural resources increase income. Such a theory finds strong support in data. A key question we also discuss is if resources in addition alter the quality of institutions. When that is the case, countries with bad institutions suffer a double resource curse - as the deterioration of institutions strenghtens the negative effect of more natural resources.
Impact of Culture on Leadership Style: The Case of Iranian Organisations

The relationship between leadership style and organisational culture has received much attention since the 1980s, however, it is different in different parts of the world so the relationship between leadership style and national culture also requires investigation. This paper examines the relationship between national culture and leadership style in private sector organisations. To test our hypothesis that leadership style and national culture are related, data were gathered using a questionnaire survey distributed to 900 managers of private sector organisations in Iran. Of these, 350 were completed and returned. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted using SPSS 18. The results indicate that all the dimensions of national culture have a significant relationship with transformational and transactional leadership styles whereas there were mixed relationships between national culture dimensions and the passive leadership style. The results of this study add to the understanding of leadership style and will help practitioners to select an appropriate leadership style for a given national context.
Searching for a Weapon of Mass Production in Nepal

The World Bank recently published a comprehensive statement on land reform policy, the first in 30 years, that self-proclaims market-assisted land reform as a key policy to achieve not only efficiency, but even more importantly, equity. At the core of this ‘neo-populist neoclassical’ orthodoxy is: 1) the long-term pursuit of individual property and associated rights; 2) an idealized notion of the egalitarian and efficient small farmer based on the well-known inverse relation between farm size and productivity; and 3) a static view of rural markets blinding one to the negative and unforeseen consequences by landlords in the face of reform. This article critically examines the validity of these core assumptions in light of current calls for market-assisted land reform in Nepal. A major conclusion is that given the evidence, the presumed benefits of such reforms are ideologically driven, and therefore, will unlikely provide a much needed escape from poverty for millions of Nepali citizens.
Traffic forecasting using least squares support vector machines

Accurate and timely forecasting of traffic parameters is crucial for effective management of intelligent transportation systems. Travel time index (TTI) is a fundamental measure in transportation. In this article, a non-parametric technique called least squares support vector machines (LS-SVMs) is proposed to forecast TTI. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time to cooperate the rising computational intelligence technique with state space approach in traffic forecasting. Five other baseline predictors are selected for comparison purposes because of their proved effectiveness. Having good generalisation ability and guaranteeing global minima, LS-SVMs perform better than the others. Experimental results demonstrate that our predictor can significantly reduce mean absolute percentage errors and variance of absolute percentage errors, especially for predicting traffic data with weak regularity. Persuasive comparisons clearly show that it provides a large improvement in stability and robustness, which reveals that it is a promising approach in traffic forecasting and time series analysis.
The Impact Of Education And Health On Economic Growth: Evidence From Romania (1980-2011)

This paper aims at investigating the impact of education and health on economic growth by incorporating energy consumption as an important factor of production function in case of Romania during the period 1980-2011. Using ARDL bounds testing and Johansen-Juselius approaches for cointegration, the results show that the variables are cointegrated. In addition, economic growth is mainly determined by health, energy consumption and education in the long-run. Using Toda-Yamamoto causality test, the results show that there is a long-run causation linkage running from health and energy consumption to economic growth. Therefore, this paper provides an empirical evidence that supports human capital-based growth hypothesis. The findings reveal some policy implications for Romania.
The economics of stock index futures: Theory and evidence

This thesis aims to provide detailed investigation into the role and functioning of the FTSE-100 stock index futures contract, by examining four interrelated issues. Chapter 1 reviews the literature, demonstrating that stock index futures can increase investor utility by offering hedging and investment opportunities. Further, the price discovery role of futures is discussed. Chapter 2 investigates the risk return relationship for the FTSE-100 contract within a CAPM framework. While CAPM adequately explains returns prior to October 1987, post-crash the contract is riskier and excess returns and a day of the week effect are evident. Chapter 3 examines the impact of futures on the underlying spot market using GARCH, which allows examination of the link between information and volatility. While spot prices are more volatile post-futures, this is due to more rapid impounding of information. The view that futures destabilise spot markets and should be subject to further regulation is
Suppression of cervical carcinoma cell growth by intracytoplasmic codelivery of anti-oncoprotein E6 antibody and small interfering RNA

Cervical cancer is caused by high-risk types of human papillomaviruses (HPV) that encode the E6 and E7 oncogenes. Silencing of E6 gene expression in HPV-positive cell lines by transfection of small interfering RNA (siRNA) with cationic lipids restores the dormant p53 tumor suppressor pathway. Because cationic lipids can also be used for intracytoplasmic delivery of proteins, we tested whether the delivery of monoclonal antibodies that bind to HPV16 E6 and neutralize its biological activity in vitro could restore p53 function in tumor cells. Here, we show that the 4C6 antibody is efficiently delivered into the cell cytoplasm using a lipidic reagent used for siRNA transfection. The delivery of 4C6 resulted in the nuclear accumulation of p53 protein in CaSki and SiHa cells but not in HeLa cells. Furthermore, the antibody-mediated p53 response was dramatically increased when a peptide corresponding to the 4C6 epitope and bearing a COOH-terminal cysteine residue was added to the transduction mixture. We found that a fraction of the added peptides were dimers that allowed the formation of antibody polymers adsorbed onto the lipidic matrix. With this system, the proliferation of CaSki and SiHa cells was strongly diminished, but no apoptosis was detectable. Remarkably, cell growth was almost totally suppressed by the addition of E6-specific siRNA to the transduction complex. The results indicate that the activity of E6 oncoprotein can be down-regulated in vivo by lipid-mediated antibody delivery and that antibodies and siRNA act synergistically when codelivered. This novel targeting strategy is simple to implement and may find therapeutic applications. [Mol Cancer Ther 2007;16(5):1728–35]
War Continuation of Politics by Two Means: Direct and Indirect Violence in Civil

This article distinguishes between ‘‘direct’’ and ‘‘indirect’’ violence during civil wars. These two types differ in their forms of production: while indirect violence is unilaterally perpetrated by an armed group, direct violence is jointly produced by an armed group and civilians, and it hinges on local collaboration. These differences have consequences for the spatial variation of each of these types: in conventional civil wars, indirect violence is hypothesized to be positively associated with levels of prewar support for the enemy group; in contrast, direct violence is hypothesized to increase with the level of political parity between factions in a locality. The predictions are tested with a novel dataset of 1,710 municipalities in Catalonia and Aragon during the Spanish civil war (1936–1939).
Development and Sustainability of ePortfolios in Counselor Education: An Applied Retrospective

This article chronicles the evolution of an ePortfolio as a practicum/internship capstone project used to assess skill development in graduate level counselor education at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. The authors describe the successes and challenges encountered from the implementation of an internally designed and maintained ePortfolio in 2000, with revisions in 2003 and 2010, to the transition to a commercially purchased portfolio product in 2014. Experience demonstrates that an effective ePortfolio implementation requires continuous refinement. Ongoing department reflection is necessary to assure the effective implementation of the ePortfolio for multiple program requirements, while meeting the changing needs of students, faculty, and external accreditors. The process of alignment with changing standards, enhanced reflection and feedback elements, and technical design and support are detailed. This applied retrospective describes the application of the literature over time within the platform designs and evolving teaching practices throughout a decade of ePortfolio implementation.
89Zr-Bevacizumab PET Visualizes Heterogeneous Tracer Accumulation in Tumor Lesions of Renal Cell Carcinoma Patients and Differential Effects of Antiangiogenic Treatment

No validated predictive biomarkers for antiangiogenic treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) exist. Tumor vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) level may be useful. We determined tumor uptake of 89Zr-bevacizumab, a VEGF-A–binding PET tracer, in mRCC patients before and during antiangiogenic treatment in a pilot study. Methods: Patients underwent 89Zr-bevacizumab PET scans at baseline and 2 and 6 wk after initiating either bevacizumab (10 mg/kg every 2 wk) with interferon-α (3–9 million IU 3 times/wk) (n = 11) or sunitinib (50 mg daily, 4 of every 6 wk) (n = 11). Standardized uptake values were compared with plasma VEGF-A and time to disease progression. Results: 89Zr-bevacizumab PET scans visualized 125 evaluable tumor lesions in 22 patients, with a median SUVmax (maximum standardized uptake value) of 6.9 (range, 2.3–46.9). Bevacizumab/interferon-α induced a mean change in tumor SUVmax of −47.0% (range, −84.7 to +20.0%; P < 0.0001) at 2 wk and an additional −9.7% (range, −44.8 to +38.9%; P = 0.015) at 6 wk. In the sunitinib group, the mean change in tumor SUVmax was −14.3% at 2 wk (range, −80.4 to +269.9; P = 0.006), but at 6 wk the mean change in tumor SUVmax was +72.6% (range, −46.4 to +236%; P < 0.0001) above baseline. SUVmax was not related to plasma VEGF-A at all scan moments. A baseline mean tumor SUVmax greater than 10.0 in the 3 most intense lesions corresponded with longer time to disease progression (89.7 vs. 23.0 wk; hazard ratio, 0.22; 95% confidence interval, 0.05–1.00). Conclusion: Tumor uptake of 89Zr-bevacizumab is high in mRCC, with remarkable interpatient and intrapatient heterogeneity. Bevacizumab/interferon-α strongly decreases tumor uptake whereas sunitinib results in a modest reduction with an overshoot after 2 drug-free weeks. High baseline tumor SUVmax was associated with longer time to progression.
The Determinants of CDS Bid-Ask Spreads

Recently, the issue of liquidity has generated considerable attention in financial research. In this article, Meng and ap Gwilym analyze the determinants of liquidity in the market for credit default swaps, as measured by the width of their bid-ask spreads. Many of the “usual suspects” are found to have explanatory power: Spreads were wider for higher CDS spread volatility, for lower issuer credit rating, and for sovereign vs. corporate issuers in speculative grades; spreads were lower for 5-year contracts than for nonstandard maturities, for larger transaction size, and for the years 2004 and 2005. One significant finding in the article is that a demand/supply imbalance between protection buyers and protection sellers significantly widens spreads.
The disappearance of momentum

We investigate the dynamics of the momentum premium in the USA. The momentum premium is significantly positive only during certain periods, notably from the 1940s to the mid-1960s and from the mid-1970s to the late 1990s, and it has disappeared since the late 1990s. Our results further suggest that momentum profits have slowly disappeared since the early 1990s, in a process which was delayed by the occurrence of the high-tech and telecom stock bubble of the late 1990s. In particular, we estimate that the bubble accounted for at least 50% of momentum profits during the period from 1994 to 2000.
Turn It Off: Encouraging Environmentally-Friendly Behaviours in the Workplace

This paper reports the results of a pre-test post-test intervention study that aimed to encourage energy conservation behaviour by office workers at a large Australian hospital. Using visual prompts and top management support for energy conservation behaviour, significant long-term improvements were made for behaviours with individual responsibility. However, for behaviours with collective responsibility the results were mixed. Energy audits were used as an objective measure of behaviour change. Additionally, pre- and post-intervention surveys revealed significant changes in self-reported behaviour, perceived top management support, perceived internal environmental orientation, norms, and knowledge regarding energy conservation behaviour. The findings suggest that different intervention strategies may be required depending on whether the targeted behaviours have collective or individual responsibility.
Effects of calcium supplementation on bone loss and fractures in congestive heart failure.

BACKGROUND Cross-sectional studies have shown that more than 50% of patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) have decreased bone mineral density (BMD). There is limited knowledge about the longitudinal changes of BMD and how to treat bone loss in patients with CHF. METHODS The present study was a prospective, longitudinal trial in which 33 male patients with CHF (ejection fraction (EF): 30+/-11%) were assigned to 1000 mg calcium supplementation or no supplementation. BMD was measured at the lumbar spine (LS) and the femoral neck (FN) by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at baseline and after 12 months. RESULTS Osteopenia (LS 33% and FN 36%) and osteoporosis (LS 15% and FN 6%) were frequently seen in these patients; 70% showed impaired renal function, 42% secondary hyperparathyroidism, and 33% hypogonadism. Bone resorption markers were strongly elevated and correlated negatively with the EF. Patients without calcium supplementation revealed a reduction of BMD (LS 1.7% and FN 1.9%) within 12 months. The fracture incidence was 6%. Patients with calcium supplementation also demonstrated a 6% fracture incidence and a decrease in BMD (LS 1.2% and FN 1.6%), which was not significantly different from the untreated group. Loss of BMD at FN was only seen in patients with impaired renal function. CONCLUSIONS Patients with CHF demonstrate a progressive decrease in BMD when compared with age-matched healthy individuals. Increased bone resorption due to renal insufficiency with consecutive secondary hyperparathyroidism is a main reason for BMD loss in CHF. Calcium supplementation alone cannot sufficiently prevent the decrease in BMD.
From paradigm to practice : the politics and implementation of sustainable human development in Uganda

Today, the credibility of the international development community is increasingly being called into question. At the root of the problem are the extremely unequal nature of recent growth, the end of the Cold War, economic recession in the North, and the lacklustre record of foreign aid in reaching those left behind. By the 1990s, the notion of Sustainable Human Development (SHD) or what is sometimes called People-Centred Development (PCD) was being hailed as a possible framework for building a newly-invigorated system of international development cooperation based on genuine North-South partnership, holistic, equitable, participatory, empowering and sustainable development. This thesis explores the implementability and transformational potential of the SHD/PCD paradigm by analyzing how a multilateral development agency (UNDP) and an international NGO (Action Aid) put it into practice both globally and in Uganda. Its main argument is that despite both agencies' contributions to service-delivery and training, and their genuine efforts to reorient their work towards SHD/PCD approaches, in the final analysis neither UNDP or Action Aid realize the more transformative goals of the SHD/PCD agenda or seriously challenge the status quo. This is partly due to the excessively abstract, unfinished, ideologically confused and contradictory nature of the SHD/PCD paradigm itself, (i.e., the Baroque Science Phenomenon). However UNDP and Action Aid, both of which adopted SHD/PCD to enhance their profiles, must assume much of the responsibility blame for subordinating core SHD/PCD goals to their own organizational interests (i.e., the River Pollution Phenomenon) . The thesis also demonstrates how both agencies undermine their effectiveness by making a series of fallacious assumptions about both poor communities' and their own catalytic potential in an effort to reconcile the gap between their agencies' SHD/PCD aspirations and the real-life constraints facing their goals.
Mental health literacy in Hong Kong

Background and aims: The aim of this study was to investigate Hong Kong nationals’ ability to recognize 13 different mental disorders and to examine whether there may be a relationship between their mental health literacy (MHL) and their tendency to describe/explain symptoms of mental disorders in physical terms. Methods: A total of 299 participants took part in this study and the vignettes depict post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), dependent personality disorder, schizotypal personality disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, bipolar disorder, social phobia, panic disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, schizophrenia and antisocial personality disorder. Results: Overall, OCD was the best identified and the personality disorders were the worst. A significant negative correlation was found between participants’ MHL and the rate of offering a ‘physical’ rather than a ‘psychological’ explanation. Some mental disorders were better recognized than others such as OCD (40.1%) and depression (36.3%). However, the majority of the other disorders were very poorly recognized and labelled with the rest having ‘correct response’ rates of lower than 15%. Over half of the mental disorders had ‘correct’ response rates of lower than 5%. Conclusion: In accordance with many other studies in the area, this study found Asian participants poor at recognizing mental disorders. This is probably due to the fact that mental illnesses of all kinds remain a taboo topic.
TREK‐1 channels do not mediate nitrergic neurotransmission in circular smooth muscle from the lower oesophageal sphincter

Background and purpose: The ionic mechanisms underlying nitrergic inhibitory junction potentials (IJPs) in gut smooth muscle remain a matter of debate. Recently, it has been reported that opening of TWIK‐related K+ channel 1 (TREK‐1) K+ channels contributes to the nitrergic IJP in colonic smooth muscle. We investigated the effects of TREK‐1 channel blockers on nitrergic neurotransmission in mouse and opossum lower oesophageal sphincter (LOS) circular smooth muscle (CSM).
[Lymph node metastasis in head-neck tumors].

BACKGROUND One of the most important criteria of malignancy of head and neck cancer are the cervical lymph metastases. Being significant for the therapeutical plan is how tumor depending parameters like T-stage, degree of differentiation and tumor localisation will influence the N-stage and therefore the extension of neck dissection. METHOD To evaluate the pattern of formations of metastases and the success of therapy a retrospective study was performed on 405 patients with carcinoma of the oral cavity (n = 47), the oropharynx (n = 117), the hypopharynx (n = 47) and the larynx (n = 193). RESULTS By the time of surgery carcinoma of the hypopharynx were most frequently accompanied by cervical metastases (80%), followed by carcinoma of the oropharynx (70%), the oral cavity (52%) and the larynx (26%). Occurrence and extension of regional lymph node metastases correlated well with T-stages and degree of differentiation. After surgical therapy locoregional recurrence could be observed in 5.2% of the patients. Five-year-survival rate was reduced to 50% on patients with positive lymph nodes. The different tumour sites showed preferred patterns of metastatic spread, without complete avoidance of certain levels. CONCLUSION For the decision on indication and extent of neck dissection the preoperative diagnostic (ultrasound, CT-scan, MRI), localisation of tumour, T-stage, degree of differentiation and the knowledge of typical metastatic spread must be considered.
Advances in microcirculation network evaluation: an update.

Many methods are available today for clinical evaluation of the blood supply to an extremity or part of an extremity, some of which are excellent for determining the presence and severity of arterial and venous disorders. These methods, however, do not give any information on the microvascular status of the diseased areas. This is particularly true for the skin circulation, which has a rather complex vascular network with nutritional and thermoregulatory vessels, arteriovenous shunts, etc. The most useful method for clinical evaluation of the skin capillary circulation is vital capillary microscopy. The skin capillaries in an area with a reduced microcirculation change in structure, and it is possible to evaluate the viability of the skin by microscopic studies of these capillary changes. Both morphology and blood flow can be investigated. By using different intravital fluorescent dyes, e.g. sodium fluorescein and indocyanine green, the microvascular dynamics, flow distribution and microvascular permeability can also be studied. The total skin microcirculation can be evaluated by Laser Doppler fluxmetry, which measures primarily the blood flow in the thermoregulatory vascular bed, i.e. the subpapillary arterial and venous plexa. It is easy to use in clinical practice, but interpretation of the results can sometimes be difficult. Measuring transcutaneous oxygen tension has for many years been used in clinical routine to evaluate the viability of skin in patients with vascular disorders. It has recently been shown that inhalation of oxygen may induce vasoconstriction in healthy subjects and in patients with moderate arterial insufficiency, but an increase of the skin microcirculation in areas of severe ischaemia. By using different combinations of the above mentioned microcirculatory techniques, valuable information can be gained regarding pathophysiological phenomena of the microcirculation in many diseases, e.g. vascular disorders, collagenosis. Raynaud's phenomenon, diabetes and hypertension. Using techniques for both macro- and microcirculation is also of great importance for evaluating the effect of therapeutic procedures in several of these disorders.