Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Depression and Its Relation with HIV Risk and Social Well-Being among the Brothel-Based Female Sex Workers in Kolkata, India

The overall objective of the research study, called DRISHTI, is to assess the effectiveness of the use of community based caregivers to address mental health related problems among the sex workers. As designed the first phase of the study looked into the prevalence of depression among the FSWs, and to find out any association between socio demographic and sex related factors with depression. The other objective of the study is to find out the relative contribution of depression in inducing unsafe sex practices among the FSWs. The research findings has shown high rate of depression (38.3%) in varying degrees (mild, moderate and severe) among the participants (total 400). No socio-demographic factors found to be associated with depression. Whereas sex workers who are depressed are less likely to use condoms, having high prevalence of STIs and poor treatment seeking behaviour in comparison to those are not depressed. Study findings also suggest that depressed FSWs are not putting importance to good financial planning for future and more likely to engage in conflicts with other community members.
Early experience with a health promotion course for pharmacy students in Indonesia

Objective: To implement a new health promotion course as part of pharmacy public health practices and to identify pharmacy students’ knowledge, perceived role and self-efficacy with respect to what was learned through this. Method: A total of 119 fifth-year pharmacy students undertook a new health promotion course in a pharmacy school in Yogyakarta. A questionnaire consisting of 30-item knowledge scale, a 6-item perceived-role scale, and a 9-adjective self-efficacy scale was used to measure students’ knowledge and attitudes before and after the new course. Results: Of the 119 pharmacy students completing the questionnaire, 77% were female, with a mean age of 22.8 years, and 79% had BPharm degree with a grade point average in excess of 3.00. A significant post intervention improvement (p < .001) was found in terms of knowledge, perceived role and self-efficacy. The majority of students perceived that their involvement in health promotion activities would help the community and have a positive impact on their future careers. Conclusion: Pharmacy students gained positive knowledge, perceived role and self-efficacy towards a health promotion course. Strategies to ensure that positive attitudes translate into actual behaviours of engaging in health promotion activities are needed. Sustainability and the integration of health promotion activities into the curriculum of pharmacy schools nation-wide in Indonesia should be encouraged.
REVISTING THE AFFECT OF MARKET MISPRICING ON CORPORATE INVESTMENT: A DECOMPOSITION OF Q

This paper decomposes Tobin’s Q into firm-specific mispricing, industry-level mispricing, growth opportunities and financial leverage components and investigates the incremental effects of market mispricing on corporate investments after controlling for other components of Q. The paper finds that market mispricing, either at firm or industry level, indeed affects investment significantly. Moreover, the evidence is in support of both the financing and catering channel, suggesting firms adjust investment levels in attempts to time the market and to cater to the market demand. Interestingly, however, the evidence shows that the financing and catering channel can only explain the affect of industry-level mispricing on investment while neither channel seems to explain why firm-specific mispricing affects investment.
Why Is Productivity Slowing Down?

We examine the contribution of different explanations to the slowdown of labor productivity. Comparing the post-2005 period with the preceding decade for five advanced economies, we seek to explain a slowdown of 0.8 to 1.8 pp. No single explanation accounts for the slowdown, but we have identified a combination of factors that, taken together, account for much of what has been observed. In the countries we have studied, these are mismeasurement, a decline in the contribution of capital per worker, lower spillovers from the growth of intangible capital, the slowdown in trade, and a lower growth of allocative efficiency. Sectoral reallocation and a lower contribution of human capital may also have played a role in some countries. In addition to our quantitative assessment of explanations for the slowdown, we qualitatively assess other explanations, including whether productivity growth may be declining due to innovation slowing down. (JEL E23, E24, J24, L16, O33, O47)
Assessment of lead toxicity on locomotion and growth in a nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

Due to anthropogenic activities and natural abundance, lead exposure is a common phenomenon. Neurotoxic and genotoxic effects of lead are widely known. Recent studies have suggested that lead exposure can affect young generation and transfer to the progeny thus posing a great threat for future generation. The present study was focused on lead toxicity in terms of locomotion and growth of Caenorhabditis elegans (N2 wild type) at three sub-lethal doses (3μM, 15 μM and 30 μM) of Pb (NO3)2 for 24 hours (sub-chronic exposure). Caenorhabditis elegans is a nematode with an established ecotoxicity marker model organism, due to its short life cycle and ease to monitor. After lead exposure, significant toxic manifestations were observed in locomotion of the nematode in terms of omega bends (+350% for 30 μM exposure dose, p<0.001), reversals (-26.98%, -49% and -66.35% for 3 μM, 15 μM and 30 μM exposure doses respectively, p<0.001), turn counts (-38.66%, -62.61% and -81.93% for 3 μM, 15 μM and 30 μM exposure doses respectively, p<0.001 ) and peristaltic speed alterations (+97.83%, +225.92% and +454.63% for 3 μM, 15 μM and 30 μM exposure doses respectively, p<0.001). Successive reduction in the body length at lower doses shows remarkable toxic alterations in nematodes. The obtained data may be useful to extrapolate the effects of lead exposure on humans, as many of the similar pathways and cellular processes affected by Pb in humans are also present in C. elegans.
Managing Leadership Skills for Teacher Effectiveness in the Implementation of Early Childhood Education in Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria

This study assessed the extent leadership skills are managed for teacher effectiveness in the implementation of early childhood education in Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria. The study adopted a survey design. Proportionate stratified random sampling method was used to select 240 out of the 559(43 percent) centers as sample as well as subjects. The research instruments tagged: Teacher Leadership Skills Questionnaire (TLSQ) was used for data collection. Percentages and Mean were used to answer the six research questions. Findings indicated that 23 leadership skills are required for teacher effectiveness in the implementation of early childhood education in FCT. Teachers were aware of 13 leadership skills have, access to information on seven of the required leadership skills to a low extent very low extent. Possessed 10 of the required leadership to a low extent. Ten of these skills were frequently used and teachers were motivated to use 10 of the required leadership skills to a low extent Recommendation among others are that early childhood education teachers in FCT need capacity building in the areas skills such as: risk taking, advocacy, learning facilitator, technical skills, financial managing skills, strategic planning skills, creativity and innovative skills, management strategy should ready periodically in order to enable them have full awareness, have access to the information, possess, utilize and also motivated to utilize the required leadership skills for their effectiveness in the implementation of early childhood education in FCT.
ADHERENCE AND PHARMACO-CARE INTERVENTIONS AMIDST HIV PATIENTS ON COMBINED ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY IN NIGERIA

Present study examines the level of adherence and pharmaceutical care interventions among HIV patients on combined antiretroviral therapy in Nigeria. Adherence to cART among 297 patients was determined using pill counting method. The levels of patient adherence were evaluated at baseline and then re-evaluated at three, six, and nine months. The subjects were also followed up with drug counseling at 3 months interval of the hospital visit for prescription refills. More than one-half of them were on cART between 2 and 3 years. At baseline, the adherence level obtained from pill counting was 85.9%. Following the patient-focused interventions, the adherence level steadily increased to 97%. Before the intervention, patients most adhered to Tenofovir + Emtricitabine + Efavirenz followed by Zidovudine + Lamivudine + Efavirenz. After the intervention, there was an improvement in adherence level to all the regimens of drugs used for the patients. In treating HIVinfected subjects on combined antiretroviral therapy, application of pharmaceutical interventions and continual monitoring are essential to heighten adherence and promote survival.
Role of MRI in Postoperative Assessment and Detection of Recurrence in Cancer Rectum

Background: rectal cancer constitutes about one third of all gastrointestinal tumor. High resolution MRI plays a pivotal role in the post-operative follow up and also plays an important role in detection of recurrence. It is the best modality to assess the relations of the rectal tumor and the potential circumferential resection margin (CRM). Therefore it is currently considered the method of choice for local staging of rectal cancer and follows up after total mesorectal excision (TME) and detection of residual or recurrent cancer. Objective: the purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy of MRI in the postoperative assessment rectal carcinoma and detection of recurrence. Subjects and methods: twenty patients with pathologically proven rectal carcinoma underwent pelvic MRI examination. Results: this study was conducted on twenty patients (13 male and 7 female) who underwent surgical excision of pathologically proven cancer rectum. Patients were selected from outpatient’s clinic and Department of Surgery at the El-Demerdash Hospital. The patient’s age ranges from 32 to 75 years old. Conclusion: MRI of rectal cancer was accurate for post-operative assessment and had high sensitivity with specificity in the detection of recurrence.
STRUCTURING E-SERVICES EVALUATION BASED ON MULTI-LEVEL VALUE FLOW MODELS

The high penetration of the Internet/WWW has led to the development of various types of e-services, such as e-business, e-banking, e-government and e-learning; however, their usage and quality have been lower than expected. Since this is a relatively new area, there is a need for intensive learning and improvement, and this can be achieved through deep and sophisticated evaluation of existing e-services that will produce extensive knowledge on their value generation mechanism and provide guidance for improvement interventions. In this direction this paper describes and validates a methodology for structuring and enhancing e-services evaluation based on the estimation of multi-level value flow models, which enable a better understanding of their value generation mechanisms and provides improvement decisions support. It is founded on well established theoretical frameworks from previous research in the areas of IS evaluation, technology acceptance models (TAM), IS success models and e-services evaluation. The proposed methodology has been validated for an e-learning service provided by the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) to ICT professionals.
Competitive gains from trade and the product mix: evidence from Italian rms

We investigate the e¤ects of import penetration on the price-cost margins of roughly 28,000 rms operating in the Italian manufacturing sector, controlling for the potential endogeneity of the productivity shock. In the period considered (1998-2003), we nd broad evidence of pro-competitive gains from trade at the aggregate level. However, when performing the same analysis at a more detailed industry level, we nd a substantial heterogeneity of responses: in some industries, the increased exposure to international trade leads to lower price-cost margins, while in others this result is reverted. In particular, the industries in which we nd a positive impact of import penetration on price-cost margins exhibit, on average, a high export-ratio and a larger variation in the composition of their product-mix. JEL classi cation: F15, L11 Keywords: price cost margins, trade openness, rmsheterogeneity Corresponding author: IEP-Università Bocconi, Via Gobbi, 5, I-20136 Milan. (T)+39.02. 5836.5405; (F)+39.02. 5836.5439; carlo.altomonte@unibocconi.it
The Nonlinear Relationship between Investor Sentiment, Stock Return, and Volatility

Based on the DSSW model, we analyze the nonlinear impact mechanism of investor sentiment on stock return and volatility by adjusting its hypothesis in Chinese stock market. We examine the relationship between investor sentiment, stock return, and volatility by applying OLS regression and quantile regression. Our empirical results show that the effects of investor sentiment on stock market return are asymmetric. There is “Freedman effect” in Chinese stock market, but only optimistic sentiment has a significant nonlinear impact on stock market returns when the stock market is a balanced market or a bear market. Meanwhile, “create the space effect” does exist in Chinese stock market too. It only exists when the market is in equilibrium, and only pessimistic sentiment has the nonlinear effect on stock market volatility.
Sheep farmers’ attitudes to farm inspections and the role of sanctions and rewards as motivation to reduce the prevalence of lameness

The Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007 make it an offence to allow unnecessary suffering to animals, highlighting that farmers have a duty of care for their animals. Despite this, the current global mean prevalence of lameness in sheep in England is 5%; i.e. ~750,000 lame adult sheep at any time. To investigate farmers’ attitudes to sanctions and rewards as drivers to reduce the prevalence of lameness in sheep, farmers’ attitudes to external inspections, acceptable prevalence of lameness and attitudes on outcomes from inspections were investigated using a self-administered questionnaire. A total of 43/102 convenience–selected English sheep farmers responded to the questionnaire. Their median flock size was 500 ewes with a geometric mean prevalence of lameness of 2.8%. Few farmers selected correct descriptions of the legislation for treatment and transport of lame sheep. Participants considered 5–7.5% prevalence of lameness acceptable and were least tolerant of farmers who rarely treated lameness and most tolerant of farmers experiencing an incident out of their control, e.g. disease outbreak. Participants consider sanctions and rewards would help to control lameness on sheep farms in England. Sanctions (prosecution, reduction in payment from the single (basic) payment scheme or suspension from a farm assurance scheme) were considered “fair” when lameness was ≥10% and rewards “fair” when lameness was ≤2%. If these farmers’ attitudes are applied to 1,300 randomly selected flocks with a mean prevalence of lameness of 3.5%, 24.6% flocks had ≥10% lameness and would be sanctioned and 32.5% flocks had ≤2% lameness and would be rewarded.
Bioremediation of phenanthrene-polluted soil using Bacillus kochii AHV-KH14 as a halo-tolerant strain isolated from compost

Background: Phenanthrene (PHE) is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) with crystalline structure of C14H10, which was produced from incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons and fossil fuels and can cause harmful biological effects. Bioremediation using halophilic bacteria is payed attention over chemical methods due to considerable benefits. Methods: In the present study, a halo-tolerant bacterium Bacillus kochii strain AHV-KH14 was isolated from municipal compost, and used for the bioremediation of PHE from the contaminated soil. The effects of operational parameters including soil/water ratio, initial inoculum size, PHE concentration, and salinity on the bioremediation performance were investigated. Results: A biodegradation efficiency of about to 98% was obtained for PHE concentration of 50 mg/ kg and salinity level of 1.5%. By increasing salinity content PHE concentration, PHE biodegradation rate decreased significantly. It was found that the bioremediation efficiency decreased with increasing PHE concentration. It was also revealed that for the unwashed soil sample, cumulative concentrations of different hydrocarbons played an important role in decreasing the efficiency of bioremediation. Conclusion: A natural hydrocarbon-contaminated soil sample with total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) concentration of 2350 mg/kg was subjected to bioremediation using the selected conditions of operational parameters, and a biodegradation rate of 17.7% was obtained.
Study on biometric growth parameters in different fish species of family Bagridae from Harike wetland, Punjab, India

The present study was based on biometric growth parameters and their relationship in different fish species of family Bagridae from Harike wetland, a Ramsar site in Punjab. During the study period from March 2017 to November 2017, three major species of family Bagridae viz. Sperata seenghala, Sperata aor and Rita rita were encountered in fish catch from Harike wetland. Biometric growth parameters likelength-weight relationship (LWR), length-length relationship (LLR), condition factor (K) and relative condition factor (Kn) were analysed in all reported species of Bagridae. LWR showed negative allometric growth pattern in S. seenghala (b = 2.74) while isometric growth in S. aor (b= 3.02) and R. rita (b = 3.05). The length parameters revealed strong relationship between total length, standard length and fork length with correlation coefficient range of 0.89-0.99 in all reported species of Bagridae. Relative condition factor (Kn) value varied considerably from 1.65-1.73 while condition factor ranged from 0.45-1.31 which may be attributed to different environmental conditions of wetland. This study may serve as baseline information in formulation of action plan for management and conservation of these species.
A study of prevalence and characteristics of glaucoma in pseudo exfoliation syndrome

Background: Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness. Pseudo exfoliation is a recognised risk factor for developing glaucoma. Pseudo exfoliation glaucoma is the most common form of secondary open angle glaucoma. Aim and Objective: To study the prevalence and characteristics of Glaucoma in Pseudo exfoliation syndrome. Methods: This hospital – based, descriptive cross-sectional study included all patients diagnosed as Pseudo exfoliation syndrome with age group of 40-80 years at the Tertiary Eye Care Centre. A study proforma was used to obtain socio-demographic information, medical history, ocular history and relevant findings on ocular and systemic examination. Descriptive and comparative statistical analyses were performed. Results: Ninety-six patients with pseudo exfoliation of age 61.15+7.41 SD were examined. The prevalence of glaucoma among the Pseudo exfoliation patients was 35%. In Pseudo exfoliation syndrome, Open angle glaucoma (88%) is more common than Angle closure glaucoma (12%) and Unilateral glaucoma [65%] is more common than Bilateral glaucoma (35%). Glaucoma in Pseudo exfoliation syndrome showed signs of moderate to severe glaucomatous damage including moderate (71%) to severe (22%) optic disc cupping and moderate (33%) to severe (9%) visual field defects. Single drug (Timolol 0.5%) was effective in 21% of glaucoma patients and combination drugs (Timolol 0.5% and Brimonidine 0.2%) needed to treat 44% of glaucoma patients. Rest 35% of patients had poor response to medical management and were effectively managed by Trabeculectomy. Conclusion: Glaucoma in Pseudo exfoliation syndrome is relatively common and has a more severe clinical course. Hence careful ocular examination of Pseudo exfoliation patients is mandatory to identify and treat glaucoma at the earliest.
Labor Market Opportunities and Sex-Specific Investment in Children’s Health: The Role of Women’s Decision Making Power

Using data from Mexico, I show that labor demand shocks that reduce women’s employment opportunities relative to that of men negatively affect women’s relative decision making power within households and, through this channel, decrease investment in the health of children, particularly girls. Importantly, these effects are not limited to working women. I present some evidence that the observed changes in girls’ health outcomes are driven by worse nutrition. Using the differential effects of China’s admission to the WTO across Mexican industries, I check the robustness of my results. JEL-Code: O15, O14, I12, J13, J16, O54 ∗Department of Economics, Lund University, Sweden. E-mail: kaveh.majlesi@nek.lu. se A previous version of this paper was circulated under the title, ”Labor Market Opportunities and Sex-Specific Investment in Children’s Human Capital: Evidence from Mexico” (January 2012). I am very grateful to Eduardo Gonzalez Pier and Judith Frias at IMSS for making available the Municipality level employment data. I would also like to thank Jason Abrevaya, Sandra Black, Nicholas Bloom, Leigh Linden, Petter Lundborg, Emily Oster, Robert Pollak, Steve Trejo, Thomas Wiseman, and participants at the NEUDC conference at Yale and various seminars for comments and suggestions. All errors are mine.
Effect of Brain Gym ® exercises on cognitive function and brain-derived neurotrophic factor plasma level in elderly: a randomized controlled trial

Background Cognitive impairment and dementia are some of the major health concerns in the aging population. Many studies showed positive effects of physical exercise in delaying or preventing these conditions. Brain Gym ® exercises is a structured aerobic exercise involving head, eyes and crossing movements of the extremities in order to stimulate both brain hemispheres. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Brain Gym ® exercises sessions on cognitive function and plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the elderly. Methods A non-blinded randomized controlled study involving 64 healthy women aged >60 years who were randomized into Brain Gym ® exercises treatment group (n=32) and control group (n=32). Treatment group joined 60 minutes of brain gym exercises sessions twice a week for 12 weeks. The measured outcomes were cognitive function (assessed by mini-mental state examination [MMSE] questionnaire) and plasma BDNF levels. The outcomes were measured at base-line and after the intervention. An independent t-test was used to analyze the data. Results The BDNF levels were increased in both groups after 12 weeks, and there was a significant difference between treatment group (41.26 ± 6,82 ng/mL) and control group (37.10 ± 8.11 ng/mL)(p=0.040). However, the MMSE score was not significantly different between the two groups (p=0.200). Conclusion Brain Gym ® exercises sessions significantly increase plasma BDNF level in the elderly population. In practical terms, we may suggest evaluation of the effects of Brain Gym ® exercises as a strategy in the treatment of disorders associated with central degenerative changes.