Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Voting, fraud, and violence : political accountability in African elections

My dissertation examines whether and how elections in Africa's emerging democracies support political accountability. Elections in developing countries often fail to meet acceptable standards of fairness, and this in turn can result in protest, violence, and fragility. Prior studies argue that ethnic fragmentation may produce these outcomes, but an ethnic headcount election in many African countries does not yield any one group's winner-- candidates must appeal to voters beyond their co-ethnics. I take a different approach and argue that Africans utilize a diverse set of information sources beyond ethnicity, including cues about performance and policy preferences, to demand accountable representation. In spite of these attempts, politicians frequently curtail legitimate electoral practices through corrupt manipulation of the vote, particularly when they perceive voters are likely to unseat them. Fraud creates incentives for violence between government security forces and opposition party supporters, activating a security dilemma between and within communities that encourages further fighting. Using the case of Kenya's 2007-08 election crisis, I test my argument focusing on three substantive areas : voting behavior, electoral fraud, and electoral violence. In Kenya, the fraudulent 2007 election sparked protests and wide-spread violence resulting in 1,500 deaths, 700,000 displaced people and the reversion of democratic progress. Contrary to standard accounts, my findings demonstrate that Kenyans supported well- performing candidates, regardless of their ethnicity. But commitment problems guaranteeing a free and fair race and a lack of an independent third party electoral commission to support a credible electoral process allowed for wide- spread rigging. Fraud instigated post-election protest and generated violence between party supporters, security forces, and communities. Ethnic fragmentation on its own did not cause this outcome. Novel data for my dissertation come from an exit poll, household surveys, election forensics, event count violence data, and ethnographic research from two years of fieldwork
Financial factors in R&D budget setting : the impact of interfunctional market coordination, strategic alliances, and the nature of competition

Increasingly demanding markets, changes in technology and greater international competition have made the effective management of product R&D together with its associated costs essential. The magnitude of R&D costs are of concern to many companies, potentially inhibiting organizations from investing in new product development. Although rising costs of R&D and the growing dependence of companies on R&D for product leadership increase the need to plan and evaluate R&D activities more effectively, difficulties have been experienced in applying budgetary control systems to R&D. Despite such concerns, the published literature indicates that an emphasis on financial factors in setting the size of R&D budgets is becoming a competitive necessity. A review of the published literature suggests that interfunctional market coordination, the relative use of strategic alliances and the nature of competition in terms of product cost versus product innovation are potentially instrumental in influencing the degree of emphasis on financial factors in R&D budget setting. The results of the present study indicate that these three organizational and environmental variables result in an emphasis on financial factors in setting the size of R&D budgets. Implications drawn from the findings are discussed. Copyright AFAANZ, 2004.
Volatility transmission and herding contagion during the global financial crisis

This study offers a new perspective on crisis transmission through an examination of herding contagion during 2008-global financial crisis across Asian and European financial markets. Using a bivariate GARCH-BEKK model, results show that the volatility of US stock market during the subprime crisis is significantly transmitted to Asian and European financial markets. Moreover, UK and Swiss financial markets present an important role in emitting volatility to Asian markets. In addition, Singapore constitutes the Asian channel through which crisis is transmitted across global equity markets. Using Kalman filter, residuals of index returns are estimated after controlling for macroeconomic-fundamentals and global shocks. All residuals showed enhanced volatility during the financial crisis period of mid 2007-2008. Moreover, the cross-country residual correlation between US markets and European and Asian markets increases in the turmoil period as compared to tranquil period. This finding is evidence of the presence of herding contagion in Asian and European markets during US crisis, and that can partly explains the severity of the crisis.
Transactivation of EGFR/PI3K/Akt involved in ATP‐induced inflammatory protein expression and cell motility

Phenotype transition of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is important in vascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis and restenosis. Once released, ATP may promote activation of VSMCs by stimulating cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2), cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) expression and prostaglandin (PG)E2 synthesis via activation of MAPKs and NF‐κB. However, whether alternative signaling pathways participated in regulating COX‐2 and cPLA2 expression associated with cell migration were investigated in rat VSMCs. Western blot analysis, RT‐PCR, promoter assay and PGE2 ELISA were used to determine expression of COX‐2, cPLA2 and PGE2. Specific inhibitors and siRNAs against various protein kinases or transcription factors were used to investigate the related signaling components in inflammatory protein induction by ATPγS. We found that ATPγS‐induced COX‐2 and cPLA2 expression and PGE2 release was attenuated by the pharmacological inhibitors or transfection with siRNA against PKCδ, c‐Src, EGFR, PI3‐K, Akt, p44/p42 MAPK or Elk‐1. Moreover, ATPγS‐stimulated phosphorylation of PKCδ, c‐Src, EGFR, Akt, p42/p44 MAPK and Elk‐1, suggesting the participation of PKCδ/c‐Src/EGFR/PI3‐K/Akt/p42/p44 MAPK cascade in mediating Elk‐1 activities in VSMCs. In addition, migration assay revealed that ATPγS promoted cell mobility through up‐regulation of COX‐2 and cPLA2 expression and PGE2 release, which was attenuated by pretreatment with PGE2 receptor antagonists. Taken together, these data showed that ATPγS up‐regulated the expression of COX‐2 and cPLA2 through transactivation of PKCδ/c‐Src/EGFR/PI3K/Akt/Elk‐1 pathway. Newly synthesized PGE2 acted on its receptors to promote cell motility of ATPγS‐stimulated VSMCs. J. Cell. Physiol. 227: 1628–1638, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Fiscal Policy and Private Consumption: Instrumental Variables Tests of the "Consolidated Approach."

SINCE BARRO s (1974) RESTATEMENT of the debt neutrality" proposition, economists have directed considerable research toward determining whether fiscal policy can affect aggregate demand. Most of the debate, both theoretical and empirical, has focused on the net wealth content of privately held government debt. Although existing research has hardly provided a definitive resolution to this debate (see, for example, Blinder and Deaton 1985, Bernheim 1987, Barro 1989), recent efforts (Feldstein 1982, Kormendi 1983, Aschauer 1985, Leiderman and Razin 1988) have followed Bailey (1971) and broadened the scope of the investigation to include the possibility that government expenditures substitute for private consumption expenditures. In doing so, Feldstein, Kormendi, and Aschauer have shown that fiscal neutrality implies certain restrictions on private consumption behavior. The first of these restrictions is what Feldstein (1982) calls ex ante crowding-out. For complete ex ante crowding-out, government spending on goods and services must substitute dollar-for-dollar for private spending. Consequently, an increase in government expenditures on consumption goods should lead to an equivalent decrease in private consumption expenditures. A second restriction is that government finance decisions should not affect private consumption. Barro (1974) has derived conditions under which this result will obtain. Essentially, maximizing consumers are assumed to be rational and forward-looking, accurately foreseeing future taxes implied by
Plant Turnover and Productivity Growth in Canadian Manufacturing

Entry is important because new firms and new plants provide an important source of competition to incumbents. They are a source of new products and technologies. In this article, we outline the size of the turnover in plants that have entered and exited the Canadian manufacturing sector over each of three periods--1973--1979, 1979--1988, and 1988--1997. We also examine the contribution of plant turnover to labor productivity growth in the manufacturing sector over the three periods. Plant turnover makes a significant contribution to productivity growth as more productive entrants replace exiting plants that are less productive. We also find that a disproportionately large fraction of the contribution of plant turnover to productivity growth is due to multi-plant or foreign-controlled firms closing down and opening up new plants. The plants opened up by multi-plant or foreign-controlled firms are typically much more productive than those opened by single-plant or domestic-controlled firms. Copyright 2006, Oxford University Press.
Functional Analysis of the Early Steps of Carotenoid Biosynthesis in Tobacco

Carotenoids contribute to energy transduction in the light harvesting complexes and serve in protection from excess light fluence. Because of the importance of carotenoids, the genes encoding enzymes of carotenoid biosynthesis in higher plants are potential targets for herbicides. To obtain further insight into tobacco carotenoid biosynthesis and to investigate and prioritize potential herbicide targets in the pathway, the effects of changed phytoene synthase (PSY) and phytoene desaturase (PDS) gene expression were studied in transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum Petit Havana SR1) plants. Genes for both enzymes were cloned from tobacco, and surprisingly two functional PSY genes were found. Transgenic tobacco plants constitutively expressing these genes in both sense and antisense orientations were examined regarding phenotype, carotenoid content and transcript levels of carotene biosynthesis genes. Overexpression of either psy gene resulted in severe phenotypic effects including dwarfism, altered leaf morphology, and pigmentation. A correlation among phenotype, transcript level, and metabolic profile was demonstrated by comparison of hemizygous and homozygous plants from the same transformation event. Antisense expression of PSY and PDS also caused lethal phenotypes. Transcript levels of other carotene biosynthesis genes remained unaltered in the transgenic mutant. Phytoene accumulated in plants expressing antisense RNA to pds. However, elevated levels of phytoene were detected suggesting an increase in metabolic flux into this pathway.
Les grands promoteurs immobiliers français

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Countercyclical Contingent Capital (CCC): Possible Use and Ideal Design

Contingent capital i? ½ any debt instrument that converts into equity when a predefined event occurs i? ½ has received increasing attention as a viable tool for allowing banks to raise capital when needed at relatively more affordable prices than common equity. While the debate has focused on contingent capital for systemically important financial institutions, this paper concentrates on its possible use for covering capital needs arising from the implementation of countercyclical buffers. We propose the introduction of countercyclical contingent capital (CCC) based on a double trigger. The interaction of the two triggers would determine a quasi-default status. Conversion would be required when the financial system is simultaneously facing aggregate problems and the individual bank i? ½ while still in a going concern status i? ½ shows weaknesses. Building on this proposal, the paper tests how different double triggers would have worked in the past and discusses the optimal design of the conversion mechanism and prudential treatment.
Estimation of a Two-Stage LES-AIDS Consumer Demand System for Eight EC Countries

This paper discusses specification and an estimation of a two-stage Linear Expenditure System-Almost Ideal Demand System (LES-AIDS) consumer demand system for eight EC countries. The upper level allocates uncommitted expenditure via an AIDS system between food, beverages, and other commodities. The technique used exploits the fact that there are only three AlDS-aggregates to explicitly maintain concavity of the expenditure function within a given range of budget shares; it also ensures consistency of the aggregate price index in the AIDS with the parameters of the system. The lower level allocates food via an LES-system for ten categories, with time-dependent commitments. Empirical results look promising. Copyright 1992 by Oxford University Press.
Placement autonomique de machines virtuelles sur un système de stockage hybride dans un cloud IaaS. (Autonomic virtual machines placement on hybrid storage system in IaaS cloud)

Les operateurs de cloud IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) proposent a leurs clients des ressources virtualisees (CPU, stockage et reseau) sous forme de machines virtuelles (VM). L’explosion du marche du cloud les a contraints a optimiser tres finement l’utilisation de leurs centres de donnees afin de proposer des services attractifs a moindre cout. En plus des investissements lies a l’achat des infrastructures et de leur cout d’utilisation, la consommation energetique apparait comme un point de depense important (2% de la consommation mondiale) et en constante augmentation. Sa maitrise represente pour ces operateurs un levier tres interessant a exploiter. D’un point de vue technique, le controle de la consommation energetique s’appuie essentiellement sur les methodes de consolidation. Or la plupart d'entre elles ne prennent en compte que l’utilisation CPU des machines physiques (PM) pour le placement de VM. En effet, des etudes recentes ont montre que les systemes de stockage et les E/S disque constituent une part considerable de la consommation energetique d’un centre de donnees (entre 14% et 40%). Dans cette these nous introduisons un nouveau modele autonomique d’optimisation de placement de VM inspire de MAPE-K (Monitor, Analyze, Plan, Execute, Knowledge), et prenant en compte en plus du CPU, les E/S des VM ainsi que les systemes de stockage associes. Ainsi, notre premiere contribution est relative au developpement d’un outil de trace des E/S de VM multi-niveaux. Les traces collectees alimentent, dans l’etape Analyze, un modele de cout etendu dont l’originalite consiste a prendre en compte le profil d’acces des VM, les caracteristiques du systeme de stockage, ainsi que les contraintes economiques de l’environnement cloud. Nous analysons par ailleurs les caracteristiques des deux principales classes de stockage, pour aboutir a un modele hybride exploitant au mieux les avantages de chacune. En effet, les disques durs magnetiques (HDD) sont des supports de stockage a la fois energivores et peu performants compares aux unites de calcul. Neanmoins, leur prix par gigaoctet et leur longevite peuvent jouer en leur faveur. Contrairement aux HDD, les disques SSD a base de memoire flash sont plus performants et consomment peu d’energie. Leur prix eleve par gigaoctet et leur courte duree de vie (compares aux HDD) representent leurs contraintes majeures. L’etape Plan a donne lieu, d’une part, a une extension de l'outil de simulation CloudSim pour la prise en compte des E/S des VM, du caractere hybride du systeme de stockage, ainsi que la mise en oeuvre du modele de cout propose dans l'etape Analyze. Nous avons propose d’autre part, plusieurs heuristiques se basant sur notre modele de cout et que nous avons integrees dans CloudSim. Nous montrons finalement que notre approche permet d’ameliorer d’un facteur trois le cout de placement de VM obtenu par les approches existantes.
A micro intellectual capital knowledge flow model: a critical account of IC inside the classroom

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to use the critical approach to management research (Alvesson and Deetz), to examine intellectual capital (IC) with the twin perspectives of from inside the classroom and as a bottom‐up approach, and, in the process, develop a micro IC model of knowledge flows.Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents a case study, based on the author's experience in applying the concept of micro IC to the classroom and student learning.Findings – IC is created without the students being formally aware of its extent. The focus moves from a top‐down evaluation of IC stocks such as student academic performance to a bottom‐up view of IC flows in which discipline knowledge is applied and generic attributes such as collaboration, communication and critical evaluation are exercised with incremental improvement. These are not normally noticed by the students. However, some skills which do not form part of the university skills plan are acknowledged by students. These include high eng.
Costa Rica During the Global Recession: Fiscal Stimulus with Tight Monetary Policy

This paper shows that, in spite of a reasonably sized fiscal stimulus package, Costa Rica’s economy continues on a downward path, partly because fiscal policy is being offset by a tightening of monetary policy. The paper notes that the International Monetary Fund has insisted that Costa Rica’s monetary policy remain tight due to worries over inflation targets and a perceived risk of a balance of payments crisis. However, the author notes that the IMF could help prevent a balance of payments crisis through the provision of a credit line of foreign currency, as it has done, for example, in Mexico – a vastly larger economy. The paper also examines the government’s macroeconomic policies in recent years, prior to the world recession, to see what alternative policies might have done better.
Cnn3 regulates neural tube morphogenesis and neuronal stem cell properties

Calponin 3 (Cnn3) is a member of the Cnn family of actin‐binding molecules that is highly expressed in the mammalian brain and has been shown to control dendritic spine morphology, density, and plasticity by regulating actin cytoskeletal reorganization and dynamics. However, little is known about the role of Cnn3 during embryonic development. In this study, we analyzed mutant animals deficient in Cnn3 to gain a better understanding of its role in brain morphogenesis. Embryos lacking Cnn3 exhibited massive malformation of the developing brain including exoencephaly, closure defects at the rostral neural tube, and strong enlargement of brain tissue. In wild‐type animals, we found Cnn3 being localized to the apical lining of the neuroepithelium in close vicinity to beta‐Catenin and N‐cadherin. By performing immunohistochemistry on beta‐Catenin and p‐Smad, and furthermore taking advantage of Wnt‐reporter animals, we provide evidence that the loss of Cnn3 during development can affect signaling pathways crucial for correct morphogenesis of the neural tube. In addition, we used embryonic neurosphere cultures to investigate the role of Cnn3 in embryonic neuronal stem cells (NSC). Here, we observed that Cnn3 deficiency in NSCs increased the number of newly formed neurospheres and increased neurosphere size without perturbing their differentiation potential. Together, our study provides evidence for an important role of Cnn3 during development of the embryonic brain and in regulating NSC function.
Choice of Exchange Rate Regime in a Selection of African Countries

Abstract An exchange rate regime has an important impact on macroeconomic policies within developing countries and therefore essential in macroeconomic policy formation. The main research question is to determine how the variety of determinants would influence the exchange rate regime choice for a selection of 19 African developing countries. A distinction is made between three groups of variables, namely economic fundamentals, economic stabilization aspects and currency crises factors, all affecting a country’s exchange regime choice. The probability of these determinants is then estimated to establish whether the selected countries would choose a fixed, an intermediate or a flexible exchange regime.
Therapeutic effect of continuous exercise training program on serum creatinine concentration in men with hypertension: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND Creatinine (Cr) has been implicated as an independent predictor of hypertension and exercise has been reported as adjunct therapy for hypertension. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of continuous training programme on blood pressure and serum creatinine concentration in black African subjects with hypertension. METHODS Three hundred and fifty seven male patients with mild to moderate (systolic blood pressure [SBP] between 140-180 & diastolic blood pressure [DBP] between 90-109 mmHg) essential hypertension were age matched and randomly grouped into continuous & control groups. The continuous group involved in an 8 weeks continuous training (60-79% HR reserve) of between 45 minutes to 60 minutes, 3 times per week, while the control group remain sedentary. SBP, DBP, VO2max, serum Cr, body mass index (BMI), waist hip ratio (WHR) and percent (%) body fat. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and Pearson correlation tests were used in data analysis. RESULTS Findings of the study revealed significant decreased effects of continuous training programme on SBP, DBP, Cr, BMI, WHR, % body fat and significant increase in VO2max at p< 0.05. Serum Cr is significantly and negatively correlated with SBP (-.335), DBP (.194), BMI (.268), WHR (-.258) and % body fat (-.190) at p<0.05. CONCLUSION The present study demonstrated a rationale bases for the adjunct therapeutic role of moderate intensity continuous exercise training as a multi-therapy in the down regulation of blood pressure, serum Cr, body size and body fat in hypertension.
Bleeding after tonsillectomy in severe von Willebrand's disease

Abstract A case is reported of a HIV–positive patient with severe von Willebrand's disease describing the bleeding complications during and after tonsillectomy. This patient underwent surgery for asymmetrical tonsillar hypertrophy. The tonsils were spontaneously haemorrhaging and there therefore was a suspicion of neoplasia. Despite close cooperation between the ENT Department and the Haemophilia Centre, involving per–operative Factor VIII monitoring and replacement, the patient suffered both protracted primary and secondary haemorrhages. We report this as a cautionary tale as our previous experience with mild to moderate haemophilia has been uncomplicated, but on this occcasion there was massive haemorrhage. We feel that tonsillectomy should not be undertaken in a patient with a severe bleeding disorder without an absolute indicate.