An analysis of employment intensity of sectoral output growth in Botswana

3Despite an impressive macroeconomic growth record in Botswanaover the past four decades, high unemployment and poverty incidences remain persistent and an intractable challenge of macroeconomic management in the country. The study explores the employment intensity of sectoral output growth in Botswana with a view to identifying key sectors of the Botswana economy that are employment intensive. To achieve this objective, the study used both simple elasticities and econometric procedures to provide empirical evidence concerning the extent to which economic growth that has occurred in Botswana is employment intensive and in which sectors. The fi ndings confi rmed the low labour absorptivecapacity of the Botswana economy at the aggregate and at sectoraldecompositions, suggesting the notion that growth performance inthe country is, after all, ’jobless growth’. With respect to policy, thestudy recommends a successful mineral-led economy that is able todiversify into sectors and activities that are by nature relatively morelabour-intensive

ANALYSIS OF FISCAL DEFICIT SUSTAINABILITY IN NIGERIAN ECONOMY: AN ERROR CORRECTION APPROACH

ABSTRACT The study investigates the sustainability of fiscal policy in Nigeria over the period of 1980-201

On the stability of the money multiplier in Nigeria: Co-integration analyses with regime shifts in banking system liquidity

The study hypothesized the existence of regime shifts in the conduct of monetary policy, occasioned by changing liquidity conditions in the domestic banking system in Nigeria. Within the context of this prognosis, the study tests the stability of the money multiplier, utilizing methodological procedures that allow for the explicit consideration of regime shift bias in the specification of the model and the empirical estimation. The study found the existence of a stable long run relationship between broad money and the monetary base, confirming that the necessary condition for monetary control within a multiplier frame work is satisfied for Nigeria. Also, the spate of quantitative easing by the Central Bank of Nigeria to ameliorate adverse liquidity conditions and the lingering effects of the global financial crises occasioned a structural break in monetary policy, determined endogenously to have occurred in November 2009

Gentamicin and magnesium chloride normalizes cholinesterase and ATPase activities in rats acutely exposed to dichlorvos (DDVP) pesticide

This study investigated possible use of gentamicin and magnesium chloride as antidotes of dichlorvos pesticide poisoning. Thirty albino rats were randomly divided into 5 groups (n = 6). Group 1 served as negative control and received distilled water only. Group 2 served as positive control and was treated with 2.5 mg/kg body weight dichlorvos intraperitoneally. Group 3 was post-treated with 0.5 mg atropine following intraperitoneal 2.5 mg/kg dichlorvos while groups 4 and 5 rat were post-treated with 28 mg/kg intramuscular magnesium chloride and 5 mg/kg intramuscular gentamicin respectively following intraperitoneal 2.5 mg/kg dichlorvos. Plasma and red blood cell acetylcholinesterase activities were estimated. Total ATPase, Na+/K+-ATPase, Ca2+-ATPase, and Mg2+-ATPase activities were estimated in the brain. Results showed significant (P < 0.05) increase in acetylcholinesterase activities in rats post treated with Atropine, MgCl2 and Gentamicin when compared with acetylcholinesterase activities in rats treated with dichlorvos only. There is significant (P < 0.05) increase in the activities of Ca2+,Mg2+-ATPases, Na+/K+-ATPase and total ATPase activities in the brain of rats post treated with atropine, magnesium chloride and gentamicin. Dichlorvos significantly (P < 0.05) reduced plasma and red blood cell cholinesterase activities, and brain ATPases activities. We concluded that dichlorvos toxicity inhibited cholinesterase, Na+/K+-ATPase and Ca2+,Mg2+-ATPases activities. Magnesium chloride and gentamicin on the other hand reduced effects of dichlorvos poisoning by promoting normal ATPase activities and inhibiting release of acetylcholine from cell. We proposed that both magnesium chloride and gentamicin can be co-administered in future as antidotes to patients with dichlorvos poisoning

Biological synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Citrus sinesis seeds: Effects on hepatic and renal functional integrities and antioxidant activities.

Objective: This work reports the possible toxicological effects of AgNPs on the liver and kidney. Additionally, it also beamed its searchlight on its effects on the antioxidant defense mechanism in male Wistar rats.Method: Male Wistar rats (n=28) were used for the study. Control animals (n=7) were exposed to only drinking ware ad-libitum for 12 weeks. The remaining 21 rats were randomized into 3 groups of 7 animals each and were exposed to 50, 150 and 250 kg/mg body weight AgNPs biosynthesized from Citrus sinensisi for the same period after which blood and liver were removed from the rats and analyzed spectrophotometrically.Results: A non-significant reduction of plasma ALT, AST, ?GT and ALP characterized the effects of AgNPs in the animal tested. Similarly, AgNPs significantly depleted the plasma creatinine and urea level. The exposure also up-regulated the activities/concentration of antioxidant markers. Malondialdehyde concentration was also significantly depleted by AgNPs.Conclusion: The findings from this study revealed that biologically synthesized AgNPs induced no toxicological potential on hepatic and renal structural and functional integrity. Meanwhile, it enhanced the activities and concentration of antioxidant markers

Neural Correlates of Rumination in Adolescents with Remitted Major Depressive Disorder and Healthy Controls

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Springer Verlag via the DOI in this record.The aim of the current study was to use fMRI to examine the neural correlates of engaging in rumination among a sample of remitted depressed adolescents, a population at high risk for future depressive relapse. A rumination induction task was used to assess differences in patterns of neural activation during rumination as compared with a distraction condition among 26 adolescents in remission from major depressive disorder (rMDD) and 15 healthy control adolescents. Self-report depression and rumination as well as clinician-rated depression were also assessed among all participants. All participants recruited regions in the default mode network (DMN), including the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), inferior parietal lobe (IPL), and medial temporal gyrus (MTG) during rumination. Increased activation in these regions during rumination was correlated with increased self-report rumination and symptoms of depression across all participants. Adolescents with rMDD also exhibited greater activation in regions involved in visual, somatosensory, and emotion processing when compared to healthy peers. The current findings suggest that during ruminative thought, adolescents with rMDD are characterized by increased recruitment of regions within the DMN and in areas involved in visual, somatosensory, and emotion processing.The current study was funded by UL1TR00050 (PI:Azar for UIC CCTS) Professional Development award, the Klingenstein Third Generation Foundation, The UIC Campus Research Board, and a Varela award from the Mind and Life Institute (awarded to RHJ). ATP and KLB were supported by National Institute of Mental Health Grant T32- MH067631 (Training in the Neuroscience of Mental Health; PI: Mark Rasenick), and SAL was supported by MH091811 and MH101487. The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose

Attenuated intrinsic connectivity within cognitive control network among individuals with remitted depression: Temporal stability and association with negative cognitive styles.

This is the author's accepted manuscriptThe final version is available from Wiley via the DOI in this recordMany individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) experience cognitive dysfunction including impaired cognitive control and negative cognitive styles. Functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging studies of individuals with current MDD have documented altered resting-state connectivity within the default-mode network and across networks. However, no studies to date have evaluated the extent to which impaired connectivity within the cognitive control network (CCN) may be present in remitted MDD (rMDD), nor have studies examined the temporal stability of such attenuation over time. This represents a major gap in understanding stable, trait-like depression risk phenotypes. In this study, resting-state functional connectivity data were collected from 52 unmedicated young adults with rMDD and 47 demographically matched healthy controls, using three bilateral seeds in the CCN (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, inferior parietal lobule, and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex). Mean connectivity within the entire CCN was attenuated among individuals with rMDD, was stable and reliable over time, and was most pronounced with the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and right inferior parietal lobule, results that were corroborated by supplemental independent component analysis. Attenuated connectivity in rMDD appeared to be specific to the CCN as opposed to representing attenuated within-network coherence in other networks (e.g., default-mode, salience). In addition, attenuated connectivity within the CCN mediated relationships between rMDD status and cognitive risk factors for depression, including ruminative brooding, pessimistic attributional style, and negative automatic thoughts. Given that these cognitive markers are known predictors of relapse, these results suggest that attenuated connectivity within the CCN could represent a biomarker for trait phenotypes of depression risk