This paper examines the impact of real effective exchange rate on the trade balance of eight countries in the context of several nonlinear techniques, especially the nonlinear auto-regressive ...distributed lag model (NARDL). The advantages of the NARDL approach vis-à-vis earlier approaches is that it provides more efficient short-run and long-run coefficient estimates and allows through the distributed lag and the long-run dynamics a single common cointegrating vector. Both parts are allowed to be asymmetric. While previous studies have relied on models that ignored the time series properties of the variable and some have used the linear ARDL and obtained mixed results, the current paper uses the nonlinear auto-regressive distributed lag model (NARDL). We show that this is due to the assumption that the relationship is symmetric in nature. Results from long-run cointegration analysis, short-run analysis and half-lives, all provide evidence indicating that when depreciation is separated from appreciation, it is shown to have significant effects on the trade balance but in an asymmetric model.
Accumulating evidences have reinforced the use of medicinal plants in the treatment of various ailments as a result of negative side effects associated with conventional drugs. Plant components such ...as phenols and flavonoids with antioxidant potential have confirmed protective roles against oxidative stress-induced degenerative diseases like diabetes mellitus (DM). The current study was carried out to investigate the effect of seed pod ethanol extract from Copaifera salikounda (SPEECS) in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. SPEECS was obtained by maceration of seed pod powder in absolute ethanol for 72 h, filtered, concentrated and dried in-vacuo. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) technique was used to quantitatively elucidate the chemical constituents of SPEECS. Twenty-four male albino rats were randomly allocated into four groups (n=6): normal control, DM control, DM + 200 mg/kg SPEECS and DM + 400 mg/kg SPEECS groups. DM was induced in the Wistar albino rats through intraperitoneal injection of 200 mg/kg body weight of alloxan. After 14 days of treatment, the body weight changes and the fasting blood glucose level were determined in the different groups. Also, serum biochemical parameters such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), albumin (ALB), total protein (TP), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were estimated. The GC-MS results confirm nine bioactive compounds with 9-octadecenoic acid (55.75%) being most abundant. SPEECS (200 and 400 mg/kg) administration significantly (P < 0.05) caused gain in weight, decreased fasting blood glucose and reversed the elevated liver function enzymes (ALT, AST, ALP) while total TP and ALB were markedly elevated relative to DM control group. Furthermore, SPEECS attenuated the activities of SOD and CAT while the level of MDA was significantly (P < 0.05) decreased in dose dependent manner in comparison to the DM control. This study indicated that SPEECS can alleviate hyperglyceamia of DM. Key words: Copaifera salikounda; oxidative stress; medicinal plants; diabetes mellitus; phytochemicals; orthodox ANTIDIABETIČNI UČINEK EKSTRAKTA ETANOLA Copaifera salikounda (HECKEL) NA SLADKORNO BOLEZEN, SPROŽENO Z ALLOXAN-om, PRI PODGANAHIzvleček: Obstaja vedno več dokazov, ki poudarjajo uporabnost zdravilnih rastlin pri zdravljenju različnih bolezni, tudi zaradi različnih negativnih stranskih učinkov, povezanih s konvencionalnimi zdravili. Rastlinske sestavine kot so fenoli in flavonoidi z antioksidativnim potencialom, imajo po nekaterih raziskavah zaščitno vlogo pred degenerativnimi boleznimi, ki jih povzroča oksidativni stres, kot je sladkorna bolezen diabetes mellitus (DM). Študija je bila izvedena z namenom raziskovanja učinka etanolnega semenskega ekstrakta iz rastline Copaifera salikounda (SPEECS) pri podganah s sladkorno boleznijo, ki jo je povzročil alloxan. SPEECS je bil pridobljen z maceracijo praška semen v prahu v absolutnem etanolu 72 ur ter nadaljnjo filtracijo, koncentracijo in sušenjem v vakuumu. Za kvantitativno ugotavljanje kemijskih sestavin SPEECS je bila uporabljena tehnika plinske kromatografije in masne spektrometrije (GC-MS). Štiriindvajset samcev podgan Wistar je bilo naključno razporejenih v štiri skupine (n=6): normalna kontrola, kontrola DM, DM + 200 mg/kg SPEECS in DM + 400 mg/kg SPEECS. DM je bil pri podganah sprožen z intraperitonealno injekcijo 200 mg/kg telesne mase alloxana. Po 14 dneh zdravljenja so bile pri različnih skupinah določene spremembe telesne teže in nivo glukoze v krvi (na tešče). Poleg tega so avtorji raziskave izmerili še nekatere serumske biokemične parametre kot so ravni alaninske aminotransferaze (ALT), aspartatne aminotransferaze (AST), alkalne fosfataze (ALP), albumina (ALB), skupnih proteinov (TP), malondialdehida (MDA), superoksiddismutaze (SOD) in katalaze (CAT). Rezultati GC-MS so v izvlečku SPEECS pokazali devet bioaktivnih spojin, v katerih je največ 9-oktadecenojske kisline (55,75%). SPEECS (200 in 400 mg/kg) je povzročil znatno (P <0,05) povečanje telesne mase, znižanje glukoze v krvi na tešče in znižal raven encimov pokazateljev jetrne funkcije (ALT, AST, ALP), medtem ko je bila raven TP in ALB pri podganah, ki so prejemale SPEECS izrazito povišana v primerjavi z DM kontrolno skupino. Zdravljenje s SPEECS je tudi oslabilo aktivnosti SOD in CAT, medtem ko se je raven MDA znatno zmanjšala (P <0,05) v primerjavi s kontrolno skupino DM. Ta študija je pokazala, da lahko SPEECS ublaži hiperglikemijo pri sladkorni bolezni pri podganah.Ključne besede: Copaifera salikounda; oksidativni stres; zdravilne rastline; sladkorna bolezen; fitokemikalije; ortodoksni
Food Safety is of growing concern globally, and more so considering the relatively high proportion of soft drinks in the beverage market worldwide, and its rate of consumption especially amongst the ...youths. It is essential to evaluate the levels of toxic metals and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) residues of which when present in soft drinks above the permissible limits could pose serious public health risk. The aim of this present study was to assess the levels of heavy metals (Pb, Hg, Cd ,As) and Polycyclic aromatic Hydrocarbons(PAHs) in 16 commercial soft drinks marketed in Awka, using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy(AAS) and Flame Ionization detector (GC-FID), respectively. The carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk assessment were performed using the method established by United State Environmental Protection agency(USEPA).The data obtained were compared with the permissible limit set for drinking water by United State Environmental Protection Agency(USEPA),World Health Organization (WHO),Standard Organization of Nigeria(SON) and Federal Environmental Protection Agency(FEPA). The highest mean level of 0.6116 mg/l is related to Pb and the lowest of 0.0028mg/l related to Hg. The mean levels of the metals increased in this order: Hg<As<Cd<Pb. For the PAHs, using Benzo(a)pyrene as the benchmark for other PAHs congeners because of its strong carcinogenic potency, is not detected in this study, and thus pose no health risk. The target hazard quotient (THQ) of Hg in the studied samples is less than 1. Pb levels in75% the studied samples had THQ>1, and thus, pose a health risk. The hazard index, calculated as the combined risk of heavy metal toxicity is greater than unity (HI>1).The incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) values estimated for Pb, As and Cd in the sample were 6.25%,31.25% and 25% ,respectively, representing higher than acceptable risk value of (10-6 -10-4) . The results raise a concern for the public exposed with respect to As and Cd carcinogenic risk values. Â
Despite the fact that many factors and experiences throughout the lifespan contribute to an individual’s psychological adjustment, early childhood experiences and challenges have been shown to play a ...pivotal role in the development of childhood anxiety. The quality of a child’s early childhood interactions, family structure, and environment predict later psychological adjustment; however, further research is needed to understand the individual’s view of the contribution and impact of specific family structures. Based on the continuing change of family units in terms of structure and dynamics, studies on family structures need to include the individual’s understanding and view of the influence of family structures on the development of childhood anxiety. Studies also need to include the experiences of the adults raised in such family structures and how their coping strategies impacted their adult lives. This study used qualitative phenomenological methodology to capture the lived experiences of the participants. Data collection included interviews with a purposive sample of 7 adult participants recruited from flyers posted in local churches and local public libraries. Participants were adults (male and female) raised in blended family structures with a self-reported diagnosis of childhood anxiety and not in therapy. The data was analyzed using the modified Van Kaam data analysis method and NVivo software. The analyzed data helped the researcher to address the research questions. The experiences of the participants included living with a lie, not feeling good enough and a sense of not belonging. Coping strategies with anxiety within their blended family setting involved acting out, substance use/abuse, emotional outbursts and rebellion/isolation. The ways in which these coping strategies affected the participants’ adult lives included difficulty with relationships, difficulty managing certain situations, overprotection of their children and communication problems. Each participant’s structural and textural themes were integrated to generate a synthesized textural-structural composite for the whole group and the impact of family structure on anxiety coping as adults. The findings in the study provided an understanding of the adult’s recollection of anxiety disorder and how those coping strategies impacted their adult lives. The study also showed support for the Ecological Systems Theory and other scholarly research literature on anxiety and blended families. The researcher recommended use of larger sample sizes with more racial, class, ethnic and cultural diversity for the future research studies. In addition, a comparison of children raised in different family settings might help to determine if having the same parents and siblings might make any difference in understanding of phenomenon, cognitions and coping strategies. The researcher’s practical recommendations included several cognitive intervention strategies for mental health practitioners and therapists who work with families.
Supply side economic policies designed to encourage participation in postgraduate education have the ultimate goal to improve productivity of the workforce. For such policies to deliver the expected ...impact, they should be designed taking into consideration individual perceptions of "self" in relation to educational experiences and credit market imperfections. In his 2014 UK Autumn statement, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced the provision of postgraduate loans of £10,000 each to benefit 40,000 students from the 2016/17 academic session and onwards. Targeted at prospective students below the age of 30, this policy aims at developing a higher-skilled workforce by providing access to students especially from low-income backgrounds. Thus, through this initiative, the government hopes to improve the public return on higher education through offering the prospects for a higher private return to higher education. This research explores the effects of this policy on two types of individuals who it is expected to impact: the final-year undergraduate student considering her path towards employment, and the graduate who considers returning to higher education. This comparison is made in two scenarios considering intertemporal choice with exponential discounting as well as hyperbolic discounting. Thus, a model characterising optimal stopping times for both individuals is derived. This will allow for more government consideration of the social and economic constraints that influence transitions within higher education and may direct future research on understanding student progression within higher education. The methodology adopted allows for inferences to be derived regarding how the nature of individual behaviour changes given the effects of individual identity and financial constraints. It further proposes an exposé on how fundamentally disparate theoretical assumptions can shape our understanding of the opportunity costs of transitions to taught postgraduate degrees. The results explored in this document depict some implications on public policy which span from the rationale behind funding PGT degrees to the effect of socio-economic disparities on the UK's widening participation agenda.
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