Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Asymmetric Effects of Oil Revenue Shocks on Government Spending Composition and Productive Sectors: New Evidence from Nigeria

Oil revenue plays an important role in meeting government obligations in Nigeria. It accounts for almost 90 per cent of the total export earnings and government spending. Given the high relevance of oil in Nigeria, this paper examines the asymmetric effects of oil revenue shocks on government spending and the real sectors from 1970 to 2017. We find no long&#8208;run equilibrium relationships among oil revenue and the variables of interest. However, when we allow for non&#8208;linear relationship, cointegration is found to exist only for negative oil revenue and the variable of interest. Both the asymmetric variance decomposition and the generalised asymmetric impulse response function show positive responses of agricultural output and capital expenditure to negative oil revenue shocks while only manufacturing output and recurrent expenditure respond negatively. We recommend that the government should not depend solely on oil exports as the major source of revenue but also create incentive in the non&#8208;oil sectors for complementary revenue generation.
Comparing the Chosen: Selection Bias When Selection Is Competitive

Consider a decision maker who selects between paired random draws from two unconditional distributions, always selecting the larger draw in the pair. When will the resulting selection-conditioned distributions be ordered by first-order stochastic or monotone likelihood ratio dominance? In various guises, this question arises in many economic contexts—tournaments, contests, auctions, cheap-talk games, announcement returns, qualitative choice models, and treatment effects under self-selection. This paper develops simple, applicable characterizations of the properties of unconditional distributions that result in dominance conditioned on selection and uses these characterizations to analyze a number of economic selection problems.
Eddy Current Testing of Conductive Materials

The objective of our work is to design and implement an automatic recognition system of mechanical wear out in a conductive non magnetic material. Especially in the flight industry, this is a very important issue as recognizing wear out in a material can avoid material failures. Nowadays this exploration needs highly skilled operators that using hand-operated eddy current testing (ECT) are able to recognize the flaws type and shape. With the introduction of a microprocessor based system the performance is enhanced by increasing the test speed while avoiding errors due to human failure like inexperience and inconsistency. In the present paper a computer based eddy current testing system is proposed. A description of the implemented prototype including some details on the digital processing techniques used and the measurements obtained for different artificial defects in an aluminum plate are presented.
Site-Directed Mutagenesis of the Heterotrimeric Killer Toxin Zymocin Identifies Residues Required for Early Steps in Toxin Action

ABSTRACT Zymocin is a Kluyveromyces lactis protein toxin composed of αβγ subunits encoded by the cytoplasmic virus-like element k1 and functions by αβ-assisted delivery of the anticodon nuclease (ACNase) γ into target cells. The toxin binds to cells' chitin and exhibits chitinase activity in vitro that might be important during γ import. Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains carrying k1-derived hybrid elements deficient in either αβ (k1ORF2) or γ (k1ORF4) were generated. Loss of either gene abrogates toxicity, and unexpectedly, Orf2 secretion depends on Orf4 cosecretion. Functional zymocin assembly can be restored by nuclear expression of k1ORF2 or k1ORF4, providing an opportunity to conduct site-directed mutagenesis of holozymocin. Complementation required active site residues of α's chitinase domain and the sole cysteine residue of β (Cys250). Since βγ are reportedly disulfide linked, the requirement for the conserved γ C231 was probed. Toxicity of intracellularly expressed γ C231A indicated no major defect in ACNase activity, while complementation of k1ΔORF4 by γ C231A was lost, consistent with a role of β C250 and γ C231 in zymocin assembly. To test the capability of αβ to carry alternative cargos, the heterologous ACNase from Pichia acaciae (P. acaciae Orf2 [PaOrf2]) was expressed, along with its immunity gene, in k1ΔORF4. While efficient secretion of PaOrf2 was detected, suppression of the k1ΔORF4-derived k1Orf2 secretion defect was not observed. Thus, the dependency of k1Orf2 on k1Orf4 cosecretion needs to be overcome prior to studying αβ's capability to deliver other cargo proteins into target cells.
Assigning factuality values to semantic relations extracted from biomedical research literature

Biomedical knowledge claims are often expressed as hypotheses, speculations, or opinions, rather than explicit facts (propositions). Much biomedical text mining has focused on extracting propositions from biomedical literature. One such system is SemRep, which extracts propositional content in the form of subject-predicate-object triples called predications. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of assessing the factuality level of SemRep predications to provide more nuanced distinctions between predications for downstream applications. We annotated semantic predications extracted from 500 PubMed abstracts with seven factuality values (fact, probable, possible, doubtful, counterfact, uncommitted, and conditional). We extended a rule-based, compositional approach that uses lexical and syntactic information to predict factuality levels. We compared this approach to a supervised machine learning method that uses a rich feature set based on the annotated corpus. Our results indicate that the compositional approach is more effective than the machine learning method in recognizing the factuality values of predications. The annotated corpus as well as the source code and binaries for factuality assignment are publicly available. We will also incorporate the results of the better performing compositional approach into SemMedDB, a PubMed-scale repository of semantic predications extracted using SemRep.
An approximation algorithm for the longest path problem in solid grid graphs

The longest path problem is a well-known NP-hard problem which can be used to model and solve some optimization problems. There are only a few classes of graphs for which this problem can be solved polynomially. In addition, the results show that the problem is hard to approximate within any reasonable factor for general graphs. We introduce a polynomial-time -approximation algorithm for the longest path problem in solid grid graphs. Our algorithm can also approximate the longest path between any two given boundary vertices of a solid grid graph within the same approximation factor.
Identification of a Carboxyl-terminal Diaphanous-related Formin Homology Protein Autoregulatory Domain*

Mammalian and fungalDiaphanous-related formin homology (DRF) proteins contain several regions of conserved sequence homology. These include an amino-terminal GTPasebinding domain (GBD) that interacts with activated Rho family members and formin homology domains that mediate targeting or interactions with signaling kinases and actin-binding proteins. DRFs also contain a conservedDia-autoregulatory domain (DAD) in their carboxyl termini that binds the GBD. The GBD is a bifunctional autoinhibitory domain that is regulated by activated Rho. Expression of the isolated DAD in cells causes actin fiber formation and stimulates serum response factor-regulated gene expression. Inhibitor experiments show that the effects of exogenous DAD expression are dependent upon cellular Dia proteins. Alanine substitution of DAD consensus residues that disrupt GBD binding also eliminate DAD biological activity. Thus, DAD expression activates nuclear signaling and actin remodeling by mimicking activated Rho and unlatching the autoinhibited state of the cellular complement of Dia proteins.
Event-Related Potentials Discriminate Familiar and Unusual Goal Outcomes in 5-month-Olds and Adults

Previous event-related potential (ERP) work has indicated that the neural processing of action sequences develops with age. Although adults and 9-month-olds use a semantic processing system, perceiving actions activates attentional processes in 7-month-olds. However, presenting a sequence of action context, action execution and action conclusion could challenge infants’ developing working memory capacities. A shortened stimulus presentation of a highly familiar action, presenting only the action conclusion of an eating action, may therefore enable semantic processing in even younger infants. The present study examined neural correlates of the processing of expected and unexpected action conclusions in adults and infants at 5 months of age. We analyzed ERP components reflecting semantic processing (N400), attentional processes (negative central in infants; P1, N2 in adults) and the infant positive slow wave (PSW), a marker of familiarity. In infants, the PSW was enhanced on left frontal channels in response to unexpected as compared to the expected outcomes. We did not find differences between conditions in ERP waves reflecting semantic processing or overt attentional mechanisms. In adults, in addition to differences in attentional processes on the P1 and the N2, an N400 occurred only in response to the unexpected action outcome, suggesting semantic processing taking place even without a complete action sequence being present. Results indicate that infants are already sensitive to differences in action outcomes, although the underlying mechanism which is based on familiarity is relatively rudimentary when contrasted with adults. This finding points toward different cognitive mechanisms being involved in action processing during development.
Reveromycin A‐Induced Apoptosis in Osteoclasts Is Not Accompanied by Necrosis

Reveromycin A (RM‐A), a small natural product isolated from Streptomyces bacteria, is a potential osteoporosis therapeutic in that it specifically induces apoptosis in osteoclasts but not osteoblasts. The purpose of the study presented here was to further elucidate the intracellular mechanisms of RM‐A death effects in mature osteoclasts. A specific clone of RAW264.7 murine macrophages that was previously characterized for its ability to acquire an osteoclast nature on differentiation was differentiated in the presence of receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand (RANKL). Subsequent staining was performed for tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase to confirm their osteoclast character. These osteoclasts were treated with ten micromolar RM‐A for 2, 4, 6, 24, and 48 h at a pH of 5.5. Peak apoptosis induction occurred at 4–6 h as measured by caspase 3 activity. Lactate dehydrogenase release assay revealed no significant RM‐A‐induced necrosis. Western blot analysis of cytoplasmic extracts demonstrated activation of caspase 9 (2.3‐fold at 2 h and 2.6‐fold at 4 h, each P < 0.05) and no significant changes in Bcl‐XL. In nuclear extracts, NFκB levels significantly increased on differentiation with RANKL but then remained constant through RM‐A treatment. Over the extended time course studied, RM‐A‐induced apoptosis in osteoclasts was not accompanied by necrosis, suggesting that RM‐A would likely have limited effects on immediate, neighboring bone cell types. This specific cell death profile is promising for potential clinical investigations of RM‐A as a bone antiresorptive. J. Cell. Biochem. 116: 1646–1657, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Association of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio with glucose intolerance: an indicator of systemic inflammation in patients with type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been demonstrated to be a better risk factor than total white blood cell count in the prediction of adverse outcomes in various medical conditions. This study analyzed the association of NLR with different grades of glucose tolerance and insulin resistance in Asian Indians. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Study subjects were recruited from Phase 3 of the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study (CURES). For this cross-sectional analysis, subjects with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) (n=237), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) (n=63), and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) (n=286) were selected. The hemogram was done in all subjects using a five-part hematology analyzer (model SF-3000; Sysmex, Kobe, Japan). The NLR was calculated as the ratio between counts for neutrophils and total lymphocytes. Fasting insulin was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and insulin resistance was calculated using the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR). RESULTS Subjects with DM showed a significantly higher NLR (2.2 ± 1.12) compared with IGT subjects (1.82 ± 0.63), who in turn had a higher ratio than NGT subjects (1.5 ± 0.41) (P<0.01). Pearson correlation analysis showed a significant positive correlation of NLR with glycated hemoglobin (r=0.411), fasting plasma glucose (r=0.378), and HOMA-IR (r=0.233) (P<0.001). Regression analysis showed a linear increase in NLR with increasing severity of glucose intolerance even after adjusting for age, waist circumference, blood pressure, triglycerides, and smoking. CONCLUSIONS This is the first report on the correlation of NLR with different grades of glucose intolerance and insulin resistance. NLR can be used as an adjuvant prognostic marker for macro- and microvascular complications in patients with glucose intolerance.
The Public Accounts of a ‘Private’ Act: Domestic Violence in the Eyes of Mamelodi, a South African Township

Domestic violence against women is a serious social and public health problem facing women in South Africa and other countries. This social malaise in South Africa is often seen as “private” – committed within the home space, or “imperceptible” to the public. In other words, domestic violence is framed as a phenomenon that takes place exclusively behind the closed doors of the home. This study contends with this notion of “imperceptibility” in the domestic violence discourse. Using qualitative data from Mamelodi, a black township in Pretoria, South Africa, this paper argues that the notion of imperceptibility is reductionist and helps to perpetuate the act. The commission of domestic violence does not only take place in the privacy of the home; it is also committed in public, and it is visible to the community where it takes place.
Determinants of Investment Decisions on the Capital Market

Abstract The article deals with the psychological determinants of investment decisions made by an individual investor on the capital market. The purpose of this article is to try to assess the relationship between capital involvement and selected personality traits and how individuals perceive investments in securities of different nominal unit price. The author attempts to verify whether specific price thresholds affect respondents in a similar way as prices of goods and services to customers, in the context of capital investment. The results of the nationwide survey of 564 individual investors are based on analyses using the model of the willingness to invest in shares with a specific nominal value compared to the individual characteristics of the respondents. The results of the study indicate a significant relationship between personality traits and the tendency to choose stocks with relatively low or very high denomination (current transaction price).
Conserved arginines on the rim of Hfq catalyze base pair formation and exchange

The Sm-like protein Hfq is required for gene regulation by small RNAs (sRNAs) in bacteria and facilitates base pairing between sRNAs and their mRNA targets. The proximal and distal faces of the Hfq hexamer specifically bind sRNA and mRNA targets, but they do not explain how Hfq accelerates the formation and exchange of RNA base pairs. Here, we show that conserved arginines on the outer rim of the hexamer that are known to interact with sRNA bodies are required for Hfq’s chaperone activity. Mutations in the arginine patch lower the ability of Hfq to act in sRNA regulation of rpoS translation and eliminate annealing of natural sRNAs or unstructured oligonucleotides, without preventing binding to either the proximal or distal face. Stopped-flow FRET and fluorescence anisotropy show that complementary RNAs transiently form a ternary complex with Hfq, but the RNAs are not released as a double helix in the absence of rim arginines. RNAs bound to either face of Hfq quench the fluorescence of a tryptophan adjacent to the arginine patch, demonstrating that the rim can simultaneously engage two RNA strands. We propose that the arginine patch overcomes entropic and electrostatic barriers to helix nucleation and constitutes the active site for Hfq’s chaperone function.
Analysis of Linear Flux-Switching Permanent Magnet Motor Using Response Surface Methodology

This paper focuses on the performance analysis of linear flux-switching permanent magnet (LFSPM) motor. The analysis of electrical machines is mostly done by finite element method (FEM) and analytical method. However, it is time-consuming to determine the effects of the design parameters on the motor performance with FEM. It is also difficult to utilize the analytical technique for the intricate structure of LFSPM motor. In this paper, the response surface methodology in conjunction with FEM is proposed to analyze the LFSPM motor efficiently. As a demonstration, the influence of design parameters on the motor net thrust force is analyzed with the proposed method. Analysis of variance and comparison between the fitted response and results obtained from FEM all confirm the validity of the proposed method.
The impact of treatment on 3 years' outcome for heroin dependence: findings from the Australian Treatment Outcome Study (ATOS).

AIM To examine the impact of treatment for heroin dependence on drug use, injection-related risk-taking, health problems, criminality and general physical and mental health over 3 years among heroin-dependent Australians. DESIGN Longitudinal prospective cohort study. PARTICIPANTS A total of 615 heroin users enrolled in the Australian Treatment Outcome Study; 94.5% of the sample completed at least one follow-up interview over 36-month follow-up. FINDINGS The proportion who reported using heroin in the preceding month continued to decrease significantly from baseline to 24-month follow-up (99% versus 35%), with this rate remaining stable to 36-month follow-up. The reduction in heroin use was accompanied by reductions in other drug use. There were also substantial reductions in risk-taking, crime, injection-related health problems and improvements in general physical and mental health. Positive outcomes were associated with more time in maintenance therapies and residential rehabilitation and fewer treatment episodes. Time spent in detoxification was not associated with positive outcomes. Major depression was also associated consistently with poorer outcome. CONCLUSIONS At 3 years, there were impressive reductions in drug use, criminality, psychopathology and injection-related health problems following treatment exposure.
Aldose reductase inhibitors for the treatment of diabetic polyneuropathy.

BACKGROUND Polyneuropathy, a common complication of diabetes mellitus, causes pain and sensory and motor deficits in the limbs, and is also an important independent predictor of foot ulceration. Inhibiting the metabolism of glucose by the polyol pathway using aldose reductase inhibitors is a potential mechanism to slow or reverse the neuropathy's progression. OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of aldose reductase inhibitors on the progression of symptoms, signs or functional disability in diabetic polyneuropathy. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched the Cochrane Neuromuscular Disease Group Trials Register, MEDLINE (from January 1966 to May 2007), EMBASE (from January 1980 to May 2007) and LILACS (from 1982 to May 2007). We reviewed bibliographies of randomized trials identified, and contacted authors and experts in the field. SELECTION CRITERIA We included randomized controlled trials comparing an aldose reductase inhibitor with control, and lasting at least six months. The primary outcome measure was change in neurological function, measured in various ways, including strength testing, sensory examination, and composite scores of neurological examination. Secondary outcome measures were nerve conduction studies, neuropathic symptoms, quality of life, occurrence of foot ulcers and adverse effects. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Trials included in the review were selected and assessed independently by at least two of us. Methodological criteria and study results were recorded on data extraction forms. MAIN RESULTS Thirty-two randomized controlled trials meeting the inclusion criteria were identified. Many had significant methodological flaws. Change in neurological function, our primary outcome measure, was assessed in 29 trials, but sufficient data for meta-analysis were only available in 13 studies, involving 879 treated participants and 909 controls. There was no overall significant difference between the treated and control groups (SMD -0.25, 95% CI -0.56 to 0.05), although one subgroup analysis (four trials using tolrestat) favored treatment. A benefit for neuropathic symptoms was suggested by a group of trials using a dichotomized endpoint (improvement or not), but this was contradicted by another group of trials which measured symptoms on a continuous scale. There was no overall benefit on nerve conduction parameters (27 studies) or foot ulceration (one study). Quality of life was not assessed in any of the studies. While most adverse events were infrequent and minor, three compounds had dose limiting adverse events that lead to their withdrawal from human use: severe hypersensitivity reactions with sorbinil, elevation of creatinine with zenarestat, and alteration of liver function with tolrestat. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS We found no statistically significant difference between aldose reductase inhibitors and placebo in the treatment of diabetic polyneuropathy. Any future clinical trials of aldose reductase inhibitors should be restricted to compounds proven to have substantial biological or preclinical advantages over previously tested agents.
IS HUMAN CAPITAL ACCUMULATION A GROWTH DRIVER IN NIGERIA? AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION

Accumulation of human capital is critical to sustained economic growth in the long run, since it facilitates the efficient absorption of new capital developments, improves the speed of adaptation of entrepreneurs and generates innovation necessary for sustained economic growth. It is against this premise this study investigate the human-capital accumulation growth-nexus in Nigeria. Employing a dynamic approach, involving test for unit roots, and cointegration, and finally, the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimation techniques on annual time series data, covering the period 1981 to 2016, sourced from the World Bank Development Indicators (WDI) and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Statistical Bulletin, the empirical findings reveal that human and physical capital accumulation significantly induce rapid and sustained economic growth in the long-run. The other variables- infrastructural development (measured by ICT infrastructure) and industrial output (a measure of industrialization) have positive but weak impacts on economic growth, on account of the weak infrastructural development, and low level of industrialization in Nigeria. Inflation rate (a measure of macroeconomic policy environment) on the other hand, is found to have a militating effect on economic growth. We recommend amongst others; sustained investments in human and physical capital accumulation, stable and coherent macroeconomic policies, particularly with respect to taming of domestic inflationary pressures, supportive institutional structures and aggressive industrialization-enhancing policies, in order to enhance sustained economic growth in Nigeria.