Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Infrastructure, Export-Led Growth and Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: An Empirical Analysis

This study examines the impact of infrastructure and outward-orientation development strategy on the development of Sub-Saharan African economies. Three structural models were estimated using two-stage least squares (2SLS) method, and the results indicate that infrastructure is a significant determinant of per capita GDP in SSA. The elasticities of the coefficients of per capita GDP with respect to telephone, power and road are 0.19, 1.01 and 0.14 respectively. The adjustment expression and the initial gap expression for infrastructure are positive and significant. The estimated convergence rate is about 2.34%. However, the primary export/GDP ratio is positive but not statistically significant. The study suggests that it is time to rethink and there is a need to shift to the new development policy agenda that focuses on domestic demand-led growth with emphasis on good governance that supports domestic growth drivers, large-scale investment in power, transport, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) systems and other forms of soft and hard infrastructure, and encourages competitiveness and diversification towards higher value-added goods and services with greater technological content.
Muscle Mass Gain After Resistance Training Is Inversely Correlated With Trunk Adiposity Gain in Postmenopausal Women

Abstract Orsatti, FL, Nahas, EAP, Orsatti, CL, de Oliveira, EP, Nahas-Neto, J, da Mota, GR, and Burini, RC. Muscle mass gain after resistance training is inversely correlated with trunk adiposity gain in postmenopausal women. J Strength Cond Res 26(8): 2130–2139, 2012—The aim of this study was to evaluate alterations in trunk adiposity (TA) over 9 months of resistance training (RT) and associate these changes with the hypertrophy of muscle mass (MM) in postmenopausal women (PW). The investigation used a sample that consisted of 22 PW (44–69 years old). The group was subjected to RT (60–80% of 1 repetition maximum) for the total body 3 d·wk−1. Body composition (dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry) and plasma levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), follicle-stimulating hormone, E2 (Immulite system), and interleukin-6 (IL-6; enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) were assessed at the beginning and end of the experiment. After RT, only women who acquired up to 5% TA gained MM, whereas women who acquired >5% TA exhibited increased IL-6 and no MM gain (p < 0.05). The &Dgr;MM was negatively associated with time of menopause (r = −0.45, p < 0.05) and positively associated with baseline IGF-1 (r = 0.47, p < 0.05). Only &Dgr;LE (leg extension) was negatively associated with baseline IL-6 (p < 0.05). Trunk adiposity growth (&Dgr;TF, kilograms) was positively correlated with changes in IL-6 (r = 0.68, p < 0.05). The MM gain was negatively correlated with &Dgr;TF (r = −0.63, p < 0.05) and changes in IL-6 (r = −0.73, p < 0.05). After adjusting all of the confounding variables, only baseline IGF-1 (positively) and changes in IL-6 (negatively) influenced MM, and only the increase in TA influenced IL-6. Our study suggests that increased levels of TA during RT increase IL-6 concentrations, which is a significant negative predictor of MM gain in PW.
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA load in plasma for the diagnosis of CMV disease before engraftment in hematopoietic stem-cell transplant recipients.

Among hematopoietic stem-cell transplant (HSCT) recipients, cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease before engraftment is rare but often fatal, and cell-based diagnostic tests have low sensitivity in this clinical setting. We used the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay to test for CMV DNA in plasma samples from 15 HSCT recipients who developed CMV disease before engraftment and from 33 matched control patients. CMV DNA was detected in plasma in 14 (93.3%) of the 15 patients who had CMV disease before engraftment, compared with 5 (15.2%) of 33 control patients (P<.001). CMV DNA was detected a median of 13 days before the onset of CMV disease (range, 0-35 days). The maximum CMV virus load in plasma was >1 log(10) higher among case patients than among control patients (median, 1700 [range, 50 to 5.5x107] vs. <50 [range, <50-350] CMV DNA copies/mL plasma, respectively; P<.001). Quantitative PCR for CMV DNA in plasma appears to be useful for the identification of HSCT recipients at risk for CMV disease before engraftment.
Research in Aboriginal communities: cultural sensitivity as a prerequisite

Most research in Aboriginal communities has been based on survey methods. This study, using a qualitative interview methodology, uses cultural sensitivity as its fundamental principal. Cultural sensitivity has been maintained by employing a number of methods. Reference Groups, active engagement with community leaders, training and employment of Aboriginal research assistants and keeping in contact with stakeholders are all used to build trust and conduct the research from the perspective of respect for persons and culture. Respect is further demonstrated by the development of a partnership between the community leaders and the researcher and feedback maintained via to the research reference group who provide ecological validation of the developing research analysis. The research model is proposed as a model for further research in Aboriginal communities. It is argued that respect for persons and cultures are critical elements built into the method. Respect is reflected in each of the steps undertaken to gather and analyse the data, validate the findings and present research outcomes in ways which communities find comprehensible, accessible, and facilitative of their growth and continued development.
From One-Fund Separation to One-Derivative Separation — The Stochastic-Solution Portfolio Choice Model under Risk

Assuming appropriate infinite-state model, we consider a previously un-examined stochastic-solution choice problem which includes known constant-solution choice problem as a degenerated case. We suggest dependence conditions on risks to range or explicitly solve for the stochastic solution with a general optimization standard. This updated perspective not only disentangles a popular misconception on the existence of solutions to many existing models but also solves the problem of finding the optimally customizable derivative which is only examined in a few works assuming specific optimization standard and distribution of the risks.
Statistics of sexual size dimorphism.

In comparative studies of sexual size dimorphism (SSD), the methods used to quantify dimorphism are controversial. SSD is commonly expressed as a ratio between species mean values of males and females, such as M/F or (M-F)/([M+F]/2), but a number of investigators have suggested that ratios should not be used, mainly because their distributions usually violate the assumptions of parametric statistical tests, or because they lead to spurious relationships that invalidate the interpretation and statistical significance of regressions and correlations. As an alternative to ratios, the comparative study of SSD can be conducted by a combination of regression with sex-specific data and residuals from this regression. Twenty-five data sets were selected from the literature and used to duplicate a variety of statistical procedures commonly employed in studies of SSD. All analyses were repeated with five different ratios and with methods that avoid the calculation of any ratios. These data and a review of the statistical properties of ratios and residuals indicate that: (1) most of the ratios used in the SSD literature are unnecessary, and several commonly used ratios are statistically inferior to others. Only two ratios are needed, one on a logarithmic scale and one on a linear scale; (2) there is no problem with spurious correlation or non-normality when ratios are used in several types of statistical procedures commonly employed in studies of SSD; (3) residuals cannot replace ratios for the evaluation of many questions regarding the pattern of SSD among species; and (4) residuals usually are used incorrectly, leading to misspecified regression equations. Most of the questions for which residuals are used should be addressed by multiple regression. These results apply to studies using comparative methods with or without adjustments for phylogenetic effects.
Towards a Linked Information Architecture for Integrated Law Enforcement

Law enforcement agencies are facing an ever-increasing flood of data to be acquired, stored, assessed and used. Automation and advanced data analy-sis capabilities are required to supersede traditional manual work processes and legacy information silos by automatically acquiring information from a range of sources, analyzing it in the context of on-going investigations, and linking it to other pieces of knowledge pertaining to the investigation. This paper outlines a modular architecture for management of linked data in the law enforcement domain and discusses legal and policy issues related to workflows and infor-mation sharing in this context.
A Better Way to Decrease Knee Swelling in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Single-Blind Randomised Controlled Trial

Objective In this study, we compared the effects of intermittent pneumatic compression along with conventional treatment with cold-pack treatment along with conventional treatment on clinical outcomes in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Methods Eighty-nine patients with knee osteoarthritis participated in this study. One group received ultrasound, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, electrical stimulation, exercise, and cold packs. The second group received ultrasound, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, electrical stimulation, exercise, and intermittent pneumatic compression. Range of motion, muscle strength, knee swelling, pain intensity, and functional status were measured at baseline and 4th week. Results We found significant improvements in range of motion, muscle strength, pain intensity, and functional status after the treatment in both groups (p < 0.05). When comparing the effects of these two treatment programs, it was observed that the intermittent pneumatic compression treatment group had a better outcome in terms of knee swelling (p=0.028). Conclusions According to the results, we could report that intermittent pneumatic compression therapy in addition to conventional treatment has significant positive effects on clinical outcomes in patients with knee osteoarthritis. We could also report that intermittent pneumatic compression therapy along with conventional treatment is superior to cold-pack therapy along with conventional treatment in terms of knee swelling in patients with knee osteoarthritis. This trial is registered with NCT03806322.
Price Premiums From A Certified Feeder Calf Preconditioning Program

Preconditioning calf programs, while not new, are becoming more prevalent. They provide benefits to cow-calf producers while adding value for feeder cattle buyers. However, questions remain regarding the marginal returns from marketing preconditioned calves exceeds the marginal costs for preconditioning. This paper reports estimates from two models to determine the premium paid by feeder cattle buyers for preconditioned calves in the Oklahoma Quality Beef Network (OQBN) program. One model assumes feeder calf characteristics are independent as most previous research. The other assumes interdependency between several characteristics that are affected by preconditioning. Data were from seven feeder calf sales in Oklahoma in 2001 and another seven sales in 2002. Estimated price premiums for OQBN certified calves from the second model were typically higher and more consisted across sales than were the price premiums from the first model.
Cost Information and Business Strategy: A Synergistic Approach to Ensuring Valid Business Decision and Growth

Cost accounting information is one of the enduring tools of management for planning, decision making and control. If this information is wrongly applied, it can jeopardize the revenue aspect of the business and by extension the overall performance of the entity. This paper examines cost information and business strategy as a synergistic approach to ensuring valid business decisions and growth. The ex-post facto and descriptive research designs were used to elicit information from respondents. The paper adopted the ordinary least square analytical technique for data analysis. Findings revealed that inadequate cost information, obsolete costing techniques and ineffective corporate governance impact on organizational performance. We suggest that corporate entities should place more priority on cost information, novel costing techniques and effective corporate governance to facilitate growth, especially in the real sector of the economy in a volatile business environment. Keywords: Cost information, business strategy, corporate governance, growth
RIDE: Region-induced data enhancement method for dynamic calibration of optical see-through head-mounted displays

The most commonly used single point active alignment method (SPAAM) is based on a static pinhole camera model, in which it is assumed that both the eye and the HMD are fixed. This leads to a limitation for calibration precision. In this work, we propose a dynamic pinhole camera model according to the fact that the human eye would experience an obvious displacement over the whole calibration process. Based on such a camera model, we propose a new calibration data acquisition method called the region-induced data enhancement (RIDE) to revise the calibration data. The experimental results prove that the proposed dynamic model performs better than the traditional static model in actual calibration.
Framework Development of Series Hybrid Powertrain Design for Heavy-Duty Vehicle Considering Driving Conditions

Hybrid electric vehicles have different performance depending on power distribution and energy management. For heavy-duty vehicles, in particular, these differences will be more pronounced. This paper presents a hybrid powertrain design framework for a heavy-duty multi-purpose vehicle assuming driving conditions. A diesel-powered conventional vehicle was adopted for the hybridization target, and a series hybrid system was suggested as a suitable hybridization topology with an in-wheel motor (IWM) system. The introduced framework supplied the adequate power distribution and the IWM specification based on the speculated drive cycle and a simple energy management strategy. In particular, the reduction ratio of IWM was determined to minimize the gross mass of the motor and reduction gear. The hybridization reduced the vehicle weight by 213 kg while increasing the peak power by 53 kW. Finally, the vehicle simulation was performed using the advanced vehicle simulator for the design result from the proposed framework. The acceleration performance and gradeability limits were improved by 18% and 10%, respectively, compared to the conventional vehicle. In addition, the gasoline equivalent fuel economy of the series hybrid powertrain was 53% higher than conventional diesel powertrain for the target drive cycle.
Is Chronic Kidney Disease Comparable to Diabetes as a Coronary Artery Disease Risk Factor?

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the known risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD). Though electrocardiograms (ECGs) have limited accuracy in determining the true prevalence of CHD, we wondered whether CKD and diabetes mellitus (DM) controlled for hypertension (HTN), had similar prevalences of ECG abnormalities that could reflect underlying coronary heart disease. Method: Data were collected for 5,942 men and women aged 30 to 69 years in the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS), a cross-sectional phase of a large epidemiologic study first initiated in 1999. ECG findings of all subjects were coded according to Minnesota ECG coding criteria. The Whitehall criteria for abnormal ECG findings that could represent ischemia were utilized. Creatinine clearance (Crcl) was estimated using the Cockroft-Gault equation and diabetes was defined according to the American Diabetic Association (ADA) criteria. Subjects with moderate CKD and without DM were compared with the patients with DM without CKD. HTN prevalence was similar. The analysis was performed for all Whitehall ECG ischemia abnormalities combined, and separately for pathologic Q waves. Results: In spite of an overall similar prevalence of smoking, and a lower incidence of dyslipidemia and HTN, moderate CKD patients had a higher prevalence of Whitehall criteria abnormal ECG findings compared with the patients with DM. Over 19% of patients with CKD had abnormal ECG findings while 14.7% of diabetic patients had abnormal ECGs (P = 0.02). The prevalence of Q waves was 11.5% in patients with CKD and 10.8% in patients with DM. In an age-matched subgroup of patients with DM and no CKD, the prevalence of ECG abnormalities was 19.3%, similar to the patients with moderate CKD and no DM (19.7%) (P = 0.9). The prevalence of pathologic Q waves in an age-matched group was 11.45%, compared with 11.5%, respectively. Conclusion: Moderate CKD is a major risk factor for the development of the Whitehall ECG criteria which have been associated with ischemic heart disease. The importance of CKD as a risk factor for ECG abnormalities is comparable with DM. Patients with moderate CKD probably are candidates for aggressive CHD risk modification.
Intrarenal cytochrome P-450 metabolites of arachidonic acid in the regulation of the nonclipped kidney function in two-kidney, one-clip Goldblatt hypertensive rats

Objective The contribution of epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) and 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) as cytochrome P-450 metabolites of arachidonic acid in the regulation of the nonclipped kidney function in two-kidney, one-clip (2K1C) Goldblatt hypertensive rats was investigated during the phases of initial and stable hypertension, that is, 7 or 27 days after clipping, respectively. Methods Male Hannover Sprague–Dawley rats had the right renal artery clipped or underwent sham operation. Urinary excretion of EETs, their inactive metabolites dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids and of 20-HETE was measured. Intrarenal cytochrome P-450 protein expression and the activities of epoxygenase, ω-hydroxylase and soluble epoxide hydrolase were also determined. The responses of renal hemodynamics and electrolyte excretion of the nonclipped kidney to left renal artery infusions of inhibitors of EETs or 20-HETE formation (MS-PPOH and DDMS, respectively) were measured. Results In 2K1C rats, urinary excretion of EETs was significantly lower and that of 20-HETE was higher than that in sham-operated animals only on day 27 after clipping. Intrarenal inhibition of EETs significantly decreased renal hemodynamics and sodium excretion in sham-operated but not in 2K1C rats. Intrarenal inhibition of 20-HETE decreased sodium excretion in sham-operated rats but elicited increases in renal hemodynamics and sodium excretion in 2K1C rats. Conclusion Our results indicate that the nonclipped kidney of Goldblatt 2K1C rats in the phase of sustained hypertension exhibits decreased intrarenal EETs and elevated 20-HETE levels as compared with the kidney of sham-operated animals. This suggests that altered production and action of cytochrome P-450-derived metabolites during this stable phase contributes to the mechanism of Goldblatt 2K1C hypertension.
Stress and Coping on the Home Front: Guard and Reserve Spouses Searching for a New Normal

During deployment of National Guard or reserve troops to Iraq or Afghanistan, spouses on the home front have been largely invisible to our collective consciousness. A total of 18 spouses living in rural Wisconsin were interviewed to identify sources of stress and coping strategies. Stressors varied from predeployment through postdeployment, as did coping responses. During predeployment, spouses articulated that the primary stressor was their lives being “on hold. ” During deployment, five stressors summarize the experience: worrying, waiting, going it alone, pulling double duty, and loneliness. Communication technology made it possible for most spouses to stay in touch using telephone, e-mail, or even Webcam. Keeping busy—managing personal, family, and household responsibilities—was the most commonly identified coping strategy. Postdeployment was a period of adjustment while couples searched for a new normal. Throughout all deployment phases, skilled and astute nurses can assist families toward health and healing.
Thermoreflectance CCD imaging of self heating in AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility power transistors at high drain voltage

Thermoreflectance CCD imaging with sub-micron spatial resolution was used to characterize self heating nonuniformity in two finger AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility power transistors at equivalent power (1.27 W) for different combinations of drain and gate voltage. Thermoreflectance images of device surface temperature revealed formation and redistribution of local hotspots as transistor drain voltage increased from VD=10.7 V to 50 V. For all bias points, heating between the two fingers was not fully uniform. At high drain voltage, heating migrated toward the drain side of the channel and increased thermal nonuniformity was observed along symmetric drain and source fingers. Direct microthermocouple measurements confirmed the spatial temperature nonuniformity that was observed in thermoreflectance images. Results demonstrated the usefulness of fast thermoreflectance imaging to inspect self heating in GaN thin film power devices with high with high spatial resolution.
Passive running motion with variable stiffness in legs

This paper investigates the running motions of a planar biped robot with two springy legs. We expect to generate periodic running motions with regulable step length and step velocity by changing the stiffness in legs as well as guarantee the energy-preserving conditions. We obtain some changing rules of the running motion with respect to the stiffness in legs by a large number of simulations. These results will help to design high-efficiency running gaits for the robot.
The role of distribution and volatility specification in value at risk estimation : evidence from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange

Given the volatile nature of global financial markets, managing as well as predicting financial risk plays an increasingly important role in banking and finance. The Value at Risk (VaR) measure has emerged as the most prominent measure of downside market risk. It is measured as the alpha quantile of the profit and loss distribution. Recently a number of distributions have been proposed to model VaR: these include the extreme value theory distributions (EVT), Generalized Error Distribution (GED), Student’s t, and normal distribution. Furthermore, asymmetric as well as symmetric volatility models are combined with these distributions for out-sample VaR forecasts. This paper assesses the role of the distribution assumption and volatility specification in the accuracy of VaR estimates using daily closing prices of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange All Share Index (JSE ALSI). It is found that Student’s t distribution combined with asymmetric volatility models produces VaR estimates in out-sample periods that outperform those from models stemming from normal, EVT/symmetric volatility specification.