Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
WP / 19 / 038 Foreign Direct Investment , Information Technology and Economic Growth Dynamics in Sub-Saharan Africa 1 Forthcoming : Telecommunications Policy

The research assesses how information and communication technology (ICT) modulates the effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) on economic growth dynamics in 25 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa for the period 1980-2014. The employed economic growth dynamics areGross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, real GDP and GDP per capita while ICT is measured by mobile phone penetration and internet penetration. The empirical evidence is based on the Generalised Method of Moments. The study finds that both internet penetration and mobile phone penetration overwhelmingly modulate FDI to induce overall positive net effects on all three economic growth dynamics. Moreover, the positive net effects are consistently more apparent in internet-centric regressions compared to “mobile phone”oriented specifications. In the light of negative interactive effects, net effects are decomposed to provide thresholds at which ICT policy variables should be complemented with other policy initiatives in order to engender favorable outcomes on economic growth dynamics. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed. JEL Classification: E23; F21; F30; L96; O55
THE ROAD FROM LEVER-PRESS TO GPS EL CAMINO DE L A PRESIÓN A L A PAL ANCA AL GPS

B.F. Skinner developed the operant laboratory using electromechanical technology available in the 1930s. Since then, electronics and digital computers have changed the way in which events are recorded, and experiments programed and controlled. However, the essential features of the operant preparation (a set of instruments, concepts, and procedures seamlessly integrated to reliably render samples of operant behavior) have remained for the most part intact. Years of accumulated knowledge may be necessary to understand the extent of a model’s capacity and limitations. In the case of the operant preparation, a number of important limitations to its original accepted validity have appeared over time, derived from new data and more inclusive theoretical frameworks. The aim of this paper is to examine the significance of the operant assay, and to consider potential extensions to incorporate dimensions of behavior made possible by new and emerging theories and technologies. Elias Robles, School of Social & Behavioral Sciences, Arizona State University. I am grateful to Andy Lattal for his insightful comments and suggestions. Contact information: Elias Robles, 7401 W. Thunderbird Road, MC3051. Glendale, AZ 85306. Email: elias.robles@asu. edu Web: www.healthbehaviorlab. com Revista Mexicana de Análisis de la Conducta • Mexican Journal of Behavior Analysis 2017 | Núm. 2 • septiembre | No. 2 • September | Vol. 43, 164 176 | https://doi.org/10.5514/rmac.v43. i2.62311
Food and chemical toxicology.

Sanguinarine (SAG) has been recognized as an anticancer drug candidate. However, the drug-drug inter- actions (DDI) potential for SAG via the inhibition against human cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes remains unclear. In the present study, the inhibitory effects of SAG on seven major human CYP isoforms 1A2, 2A6, 2E1, 2D6, 2C8, 2C9 and 3A4 were investigated with human liver microsomes (HLM). The results showed that SAG was a potent noncompetitive inhibitor of CYP2C8 activity (Ki = 8.9 lM), and competitive inhibitor of CYP1A2, CYP2C9 and CYP3A4 activities (Ki = 2.7, 3.8 and 2.0 lM, respectively). Furthermore, SAG exhibited time- and NADPH-dependent inhibition towards CYP1A2 and CYP3A4 with KI/kinact values of 13.3/0.087 and 5.58/0.029 min � 1 lM � 1 , respectively. Weak inhibition of SAG against CYP2E1, CYP2D6 and CYP2A6 was also observed. In vitro-in vivo extrapolation (IV-IVE) from HLM data showed that more than 35.9% of CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2C8 and CYP3A4 activities in vivo could be inhibited by SAG, suggest- ing that harmful DDIs could occur when SAG or its medical preparations are co-administered with drugs primarily cleared by these CYP isoforms. Further in vivo studies are needed to evaluate the clinical sig- nificance of the data presented herein. 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
THE HEMODYNAMIC RESPONSE FUNCTION AT REST AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO BRAIN FUNCTIONING: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) time series can be modeled as the convolution between the explicit timings of presented events and a hemodynamic response function (HRF). The HRF is a model of the underlying hemodynamic response that indirectly reflects neuronal activity in response to an event. Using the HRF, a lot has been learned about the functional segregation or activation in the brain. However, functional segregation is rarely investigated in a new popular neuroimaging technique called resting-state fMRI (rfMRI) which measures spontaneous brain activity. The reason functional segregation is rarely investigated is due to the fact there are no explicit events where the HRF can be modeled too. By using a recently developed blind HRF retrieval method by Wu et al. (2013), it is possible to retrieve the HRF at rest and thus investigate functional segregation in rfMRI. In this study, we used the blind HRF retrieval method to retrieve the HRF that is characterized by three parameters: response height, time to peak, full-width at half-max. By using behavioral measures that have shown to modulate the brain during cognitive tasks, we can explore if they also regulate the brain during spontaneous activity by doing correlational analyses between the retrieved HRF and the measures. There were no indications that the selected behavioral measures correlated with the HRF parameters. As a result we conclude that they do no modulate the hemodynamics during spontaneous activity. Nederlandse samenvatting De tijdsopname van functionele beeldvorming (fMRI) kan geconstrueerd worden door de convolutie tussen aangeboden items en een hemodynamische respons functie (HRF). De HRF is een model van de onderliggende hemodynamische respons wat een indirecte weergave is van de neuronale activiteit als antwoord op aangeboden items. Door het gebruik van de HRF is er al veel geleerd over de functionele segregatie of activiteit van de hersenen. Functionele segregatie wordt daarentegen bijna niet onderzocht in functionele beeldvorming bij personen in rust (rfMRI). De reden daarvoor is het feit dat er geen items zijn waarnaar de HRF kan geconstrueerd worden. Door een recent ontwikkelde methode door Wu et al. (2013) kan functionele segregatie in rfMRI onderzocht worden door de HRF op een blinde manier te reconstrueren. In deze studie is de blinde HRF methode gebruikt om de HRF te reconstrueren die wordt weergegeven door drie parameters. Door het gebruik van gedragsmaten waarvan er al is aangetoond dat ze de activiteit van de hersenen moduleren tijdens cognitieve taken, kunnen we onderzoeken of ze ook de activiteit van de hersenen in spontane activiteit modeleren door correlationele analyses uit te voeren tussen de gereconstrueerde HRF en de gedragsmaten. Er was geen bewijs dat de geselecteerde gedragsmaten gecorreleerd waren met de HRF parameters. Als gevolg concluderen we dat de gedragsmaten de hemodynamiek tijdens spontane activiteit niet moduleren.
Thermo-mechanical characterization of post-consumer recycled high impact polystyrene from disposable cups: influence of the number of processing cycles.

In this study, the effect of six successive recycling cycles of the recycled material from high impact polystyrene disposable cups on tensile properties, glass transition temperature, flexural, impact strength tests and fluidity were studied. It has been found that after increasing recycling, the molar mass and the viscosity decrease (a slight increase of melt flow index) until the fifth cycle, the maximum yielding stress decreased due to material brittleness . The impact strength has only been relatively influenced by a 17% increase, whereas the elongation at break and the young''s modulus dropped with reprocessing cycles. Glass transition temperature have undergone a remarkable decrease: It dropped in a consistent way, by the sixth cycle we measured a drop of almost 11°C compared to the virgin material, with a notable increase in flexural modulus and hardness. The resulted curves show the reliability of this material to be used after a specific number of processing in several industrial applications.
Impure Altruistic Model: Empirical Investigation of Crowding-out Effects of Private Donations by Government Grants

A large literature examines the interaction of private and public funding of public good provision and charities. Most of it tests whether private donations are crowded out by public funding, or more specifically, government grants. This essay seeks to make the following two contributions to the existing literature. First, the impure altruistic model developed in the 1980s is confirmed by empirical testing through the use of tax data. Second, the existing hypotheses of other determinants of donations, such as fund-raising expenditure, efficiency and programme service revenue, are tested using more recent data, which serves as an update to existing results. I test for crowding-out or crowding-in effects using a large panel data set gathered from charitable organisations’ tax returns. I find strong evidence that government grants do not crowd out private donations and the crowding-in effects found are small, consistent with the impure altruistic model. Regression point estimates indicate that fund-raising plays a significant role in determining the level of private donations, consistent with existing literature. In the meanwhile efficiency and programme service revenues are generally not statistically significant.
Non invasive assessment of coronary microvascular dysfunction

Microvascular abnormalities of the coronary circulation are present in several cardiac disorders, are associated with risk factors, and may be present in systemic disease. For the diagnosis and quantification of microvascular dysfunction, non invasive imaging techniques can be used. This paper will highlight the roles of exercise ECG, single photon emission computed tomography, echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, and computed tomography. Heart Metab. 2008;40:15–19.
The Microbiological Profile of Vaginosis among Women of the Reproductive Age Group, Who Attended a Tertiary Care Hospital

Background: An abnormal vaginal discharge is a common complaint in women and it can be due to vaginal infections like bacterial vaginosis, candidiasis and trichomoniasis . Aim: A descriptive cross sectional study was done to find out the common pathogens which caused vaginosis in patients of the reproductive age group, who attended the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department at the Saveetha Medical College Hospital, Thandalam, Kanchipuram District, from 1st April to 30th September, 2010. Materials and Methods: All the 140 vaginal discharge samples were subjected to gram staining to view the morphological nature of the bacteria which caused bacterial vaginosis and gram positive, budding yeast cells, wet film for the motility of Trichomonas and Chlamydial antigen detection by ELISA. Results: The overall positivity was 44%, which included bacterial vaginosis (36.4%). The positivity of candidiasis was 4.2%, that of trichomoniasis was 2.1% and that of chlamydiasis was 1.4%. Conclusion: Bacterial vaginosis was found to be the commonest cause of the abnormal vaginal discharge in women of the reproductive age group.
Factors Predicting Early Discontinuation of Exclusive Breastfeeding among Women in Kelantan, Malaysia

This study aimed to identify factors predicting discontinuation of exclusive breastfeeding in the first month of lactation among women in Kelantan, Malaysia. A prospective cohort study was conducted in two districts in Kelantan. A two-stage sampling was applied and data were collected through interviewer-guided questionnaire. Intended duration of exclusive breastfeeding, past behaviour and socio-demographic data were assessed prenatally. During follow-up at one-month post-partum, their delivery experiences, post- partum social support, breastfeeding difficulty and exclusive breastfeeding behaviour were determined. Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate factors associated with discontinuation of exclusive breastfeeding at one month. A total of 210 women participated at baseline, with 97.1% response rate at one month post-partum. The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding at one month was 54.4%. The logistic regression model showed that discontinuation of exclusive breastfeeding was associated with late initiation of breastfeeding, breastfeeding difficulties, prenatal intended duration and breast milk expression. Women who initiated breastfeeding more than one hour after delivery and those with more breastfeeding difficulties were more likely to discontinue exclusive breastfeeding. A longer prenatal intended duration and those who did not express their breast milk were less likely to discontinue exclusive breastfeeding. Strengthening of baby-friendly hospital initiative by encouraging early initiation of breastfeeding and providing skill to handle breastfeeding difficulties are needed. A correct breast milk expression technique and storage might prevent women from discarding the expressed milk. All these strategies should be emphasized during antenatal classes to improve the women's intention and actual breastfeeding behaviour later.
Financial Performance of Islamic and Conventional Banks in Malaysia: A Comparative Analysis

This paper analyses the financial performance of Islamic (IB) and conventional banks (CB) in Malaysia comparatively, within the scope of a dual setting arrangement in the Malaysian financial industry. Performance evaluation of both types of banks relies on ratio analyses which include Return on Equity (ROE), Return on Assets (ROA), Earnings per Share (EPS) and Debt Ratio. Data for this study covers four full-fledged IBs and four CBs in the period between 2012 and 2016. Based on statistical analysis (t-test and correlation analysis), the average of ROE was 6% for IBs and 14% for CBs. Results of t-test reveals that this higher performance of CBs is significant (t-test=1.957, p-value= 0.029). Furthermore, both ROA and EPS were significantly different between the two groups at p-value less than 1%. These results indicate that the Malaysian CBs performed better than IBs, at least for the banks included in this study. In terms of debt ratio, (the percentage of liabilities to total assets), IBs carry more debts than CBs. The risk of this higher debt is that the bank may be at risk of bankruptcy and may not be able to pay its obligations on time. The difference between the average debt of the two groups is significant at less than 5% (t-test= -2.251, p-value= 0.015). Therefore, not only is IBs’ performance inferior to CBs but their debt ratio is also higher. This research has implications for IBs; they should further improve their performance to become more competitive in the current environment for the financial industry. More importantly, IBs need to uphold Islamic ethics throughout their business operations to ensure that both the stated principles and subsequent objectives are achieved.
CONTRASTIVE RHETORIC, DISCOURSE, AND GENRE ANALYSIS: METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES

This essay outlines methodological issues relating to the areas of contrastive rhetoric, discourse, and in particular, genre analysis. It draws round kinds of research methodologies widely used in the areas. It also, specifically, presents some frameworks developed for the analysis of texts of particular genre, for instance, the genre of research articles (RAs). The discussion of frameworks for RA analysis will be presented with particular attention given to the centrality of Swales Create a Research Space (CARS) model. A caveat on the selection and application of the available frameworks or models will conclude the paper.
Interplay of ESL Students' Goal Orientations, Self-Beliefs, and Attitudinal Factors in Academic Help-Seeking Behaviors

This paper examined correlates of academic help-seeking behavior from a cognitive-motivational perspective. Briefly, the study examined motivational and attitudinal factors that help explain reported help-seeking behavior among 453 Malaysian undergraduates enrolled in an English Business Report Writing course at a university in Malaysia. The study investigated the relationships between perceptions of cognitive and social competence, goal orientations, and attitudes toward help seeking. Findings suggested that students who adopted a task-focused goal in learning sought to extend their mastery and understanding of the course, and would also seek more help whenever needed. Since task-focused students were more concerned about subject mastery, rather than being judged able by others, they would view teachers and peers as less threatening. The negative relationship between avoidance help-seeking, perceived cognitive competence and task goal orientation suggested that students who viewed themselves as less cognitively able and those who reported low task-focused goals were more inclined to avoid help-seeking in the face of difficulties. Threats from peers and teachers were more significant determinants of avoidance help-seeking behavior. These findings were discussed in relation to classroom practice.
Aspects of bleeding complications and hemostasis at central line insertion and mild induced hypothermia

Bleeding complications range from 0.5 to 1.6% in connection with central venous catheter insertions but are more frequent in patients with bone marrow failure and severe thrombocytopenia. Although supportive evidence is scarce, prophylactic platelet transfusion is sometimes performed in these patients before catheter insertion. Furthermore, the ideal threshold platelet count and timing of transfusion remain controversial among clinical studies. Hypothermia is generally considered to reduce coagulation and platelet function. However, studies performed in animals, healthy volunteers, and patients have shown conflicting results. Paper I, a retrospective study in non-intensive care unit patients, showed that serious bleeding complications in association with central line insertions were uncommon and that insertion of a large bore catheter may be an independent risk factor for mild bleeding complications in this population. Paper II, a prospective observational study, evaluated the efficacy of prophylactic platelet transfusions in thrombocytopenic patients with bone marrow failure. Transfusion improved hemostatic parameters in ROTEM and Multiplate tests by increasing the number of platelets and not by enhancing platelet function. Improved clotting parameters persisted between 1 and 4 hours after transfusion. Paper III demonstrated increased platelet aggregation and strengthened clot formation over time in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients treated with hypothermia. In patients with dual platelet inhibition, including ticagrelor and aspirin, this effect was offset by powerful P2Y12 blockade, confirmed by analysis of vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein. The effect of ticagrelor was delayed in survivors of cardiac arrest, probably due to slow gastric emptying. Paper IV demonstrated prolonged clot initiation and decreased clot propagation in ROTEM testing (EXTEM, FIBTEM, and APTEM assays) in whole blood from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients treated with mild induced hypothermia. Paper V investigated whole blood from acute coronary syndrome patients treated with ticagrelor and aspirin. In vitro applied hypothermia to 33 degrees C markedly increased platelet activity measured by flow cytometry, whereas a viscoelastic coagulation test (Sonoclot) revealed a hypocoagulative response.
Fostering young children's spirituality in early childhood holistic education in Hong Kong educational reform: Myth or reality?

In response to the wave of global education reform, the Hong Kong Government has initiated an educational reform to promote the child-centred approach to meet the changing society in the recent ten years. The Holistic Child-centred Educational Approach which enshrine a distinct kind of spirituality of interconnectedness is considered as Quality education. In order to foster the holistic curriculum in young children, the Government has recognized the values of play in the ECE informal curriculum and its allied pedagogy. Despite the Government’s persistent attempts to foster the policy, the feedback from practitioners is less than satisfactory. Through a qualitative research with two preschools with religious affiliations, it is found that spirituality education has an important role to play in fostering the good lives of young children. Children are being ‘equipped’ with skills to deal with life adversity and handling the complex human relationships. A successful implementation of spirituality education however must rest on a clear understanding of the difference between the traditional religious education and spirituality education. A genuine understanding on the part of practitioners would increase the chances for a successful implementation of the ECE Educational reform promoted by the SAR Government. (193 words)
Epstein-Barr virus infection precedes clonal expansion in Burkitt's and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-associated lymphoma [see comments]

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with distinct forms of human lymphoid malignancies, including the endemic (eBL) and sporadic forms of Burkitt's lymphoma (sBL) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome- associated non-Hodgkin lymphoma (AIDS-NHL). However, whether EBV has a pathogenetic role in these tumors or is a passenger virus has not been conclusively demonstrated. One element to distinguish between these two possibilities is to determine whether EBV infection has preceded and, thus, possibly contributed to clonal expansion, or whether infection has occurred after clonal expansion and thus is unlikely to contribute to pathogenesis. Toward this end we analyzed the structure of the heterogeneous genomic termini of EBV as markers of clonal infection in a panel of eBL (11 cases), sBL (9 cases), and AIDS-NHL (10 cases) biopsies. We show that EBV termini are uniformly clonal in sBL, eBL, and AIDS-NHL, strongly suggesting that EBV infection has preceded and, thus, most likely contributed to clonal expansion in these malignancies.
HISTOLOGICAL STUDY OF DERMIS OF CATTLE BREEDS OF MAHARASHTRA IN DIFFERENT CLIMATIC CONDITION

The present study was conducted on skin samples of 4 – 6 years of age healthy Deoni, Red kandhari, Dangi and Gaolao breeds of cattle managed under hygienic conditions on farm in different regions of Maharashtra. The skin samples, 10 of each breed were obtained surgically from loin region during winter and summer seasons separately. The dermis was consisted of connective tissue fibers, cells, hair follicles, sweat glands, sebaceous glands, arrector Pili muscles and blood vessels. Dermis showed two distinct layers namely outer, thin, cellular papillary layer and inner, thick, fibrous reticular layer.