Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluating How Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Interventions Affect the Wellbeing of Indigenous Communities in the North Rupununi, Guyana

Having its roots in computer science and information systems, the field of information and communication technologies (ICT) in development has arguably been dominated by technocentric approaches, mainly concerned with describing and managing the mechanisms of technology diffusion and adoption. However, the high failure rate of many ICT for development (ICT4D) interventions and their limited focus on wellbeing impact has drawn attention to the needs for designing better evaluation frameworks to help make sense of the complex realities in which ICT interventions take place, and for interrogating the usefulness of mainstream approaches on the impact of ICT4D interventions on wellbeing. Efforts to operationalise the capability approach, and to apply it to the field of ICT4D constitute an increasingly popular alternative in this regard. The alternative shifts the focus of ICT4D evaluation away from an exclusive focus on technology access and use, towards understanding their multidimensional development outcomes, including their impact on wellbeing. One avenue, which has largely been underexplored, is the potential contribution of systems thinking approaches for further strengthening the focus on multidimensional development outcomes while improving the practical applicability of ICT4D evaluations. This doctoral research sets out to explore how systems thinking concepts and techniques can be used to complement existing approaches so as to increase the success rate of ICT4D interventions, as measured by their effect on the wellbeing of intended beneficiaries. Drawing on multiple theoretical influences, including the capability approach, systemic inquiry, critical theory and pragmatism, this thesis evaluates four ICT4D interventions, including a researcher-led ICT4D intervention, which have all taken place in Indigenous communities of the North Rupununi, Guyana, between 2005 and 2015. The findings of this study suggest that the wellbeing impact of ICT4D interventions is primarily determined by whether they are introduced to address locally-defined needs and the extent to which beneficiary communities are involved in their design, implementation and evaluation. It argues that applying concepts and techniques from systems thinking can help address some of the criticism and shortcomings of established and emerging approaches for evaluating ICT4D interventions, by looking beyond efficiency and optimisation towards questions of participation, power, purpose and values. The research then outlines the contours of a Systemic Implementation and Evaluation (SIE) framework, as a way to draw attention to the inevitable clashes of worldviews that characterise interventions involving multiple stakeholders, and to allow a critical reflection on the nature of these interventions and the changes brought about. It concludes by producing a series of policy recommendations associated with enhancing the impact of ICT4D interventions on Indigenous wellbeing.
Economic Inequality Can Generate Unhappiness That Leads to Violent Crime in Society

Many studies in social sciences have suggested different approaches to explain violent crime in society, such as the heat hypothesis that more violence is associated to hot weather. However, these approaches provide a partial explanation of this social issue. This study shows that, controlling climate, socio-economic inequality at country level negatively affects human behaviour and leads to high rates of violent crime in society. The socio-economic inequality is one of the contributing factors that generates aversive environments, unhappiness and, as a consequence, high rates of intentional homicides in society. Overall, then, these findings here can clarify whenever possible, a vital source of unhappiness in society that may lead to aggressive behaviour and violent crime.
MRI audit of complications in intracranial stenosis treated with Wingspan device

Objectives To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the Wingspan device for the treatment of symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS). Methods We audited a prospective ongoing database of consecutive patients who received Wingspan stenting between January 2013 and December 2015. All patients underwent MRI to audit any complications during the early follow-up period. We focused on the clinical demographics, lesion characteristics, treatment results, and periprocedural complications. Functional outcomes were measured with the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at discharge and after 3 months. Results Intracranial stenting was performed in 50 patients (100%). Mean stenosis pre-stenting was 76.5±13.1% and post-stenting residual stenosis was 19.8±13.8%. The overall 30-day rate of procedure-related complications was 6.0% (3/50). Two patients (4%) developed in-stent restenosis, one of whom had a dissection at the middle cerebral artery. Interestingly, on the follow-up MRI scan there was a high incidence of asymptomatic diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) hyperintensities, 46% (23/50) presumed to be due to microembolic causes. At the 90-day, 180-day, and 1-year follow-up, three patients had further strokes resulting in a total complication rate of 12%. 92% had excellent outcomes (mRS 0–1) and only one patient had deterioration of his mRS score. Conclusions ICAS treated by Wingspan stenting using pre-placement balloon angioplasty appears safe and effective with a high technical success rate and favorable outcomes. There is a high incidence of asymptomatic DWI hyperintensites post-procedure, but these do not appear to result in long-term sequelae.
The tempo of trait divergence in geographic isolation: Avian speciation across the Marañon Valley of Peru

Geographic isolation is considered essential to most speciation events, but our understanding of what controls the pace and degree of phenotypic divergence among allopatric populations remains poor. Why do some taxa exhibit phenotypic differentiation across barriers to dispersal, whereas others do not? To test factors controlling phenotypic divergence in allopatry, we employed a comparative phylogeographic approach consisting of replicates of ecologically similar Andean bird species isolated across a major biogeographic barrier, the Marañon Valley of Peru. Our study design leverages variation among codistributed taxa in their degree of plumage, morphometric, and vocal differentiation across the Marañon to examine the tempo of phenotypic evolution. We found that substantial plumage differences between populations required roughly two million years to evolve. In contrast, morphometric trait evolution showed greater idiosyncrasy and stasis. Our results demonstrate that despite a large degree of idiosyncrasy in the relationship between genetic and phenotypic divergence across taxa and environments, comparative studies within regions may reveal predictability in the pace of phenotypic divergence. Our results also suggest that social selection is important for driving differentiation of populations found in similar environments.
Closing the emissions gap: sectoral emission reduction potentials in 2030 for the G20 and world regions: An overview of potential greenhouse gas emission reductions for selected measures in the six largest economic sectors in the G20 countries and world regions

In this thesis the goal is to determine the mitigation potential, below 100$ per ton of CO2e, of nine climate mitigation measures in 2030 for the G20 and world regions across six sectors. The mitigation potentials for these measures was determined using a bottom-up approach utilizing recent literature, and where needed by up-scaling found results along assumed variables. The determined mitigation potentials are compared with the emissions gaps between a current policy scenario and scenarios limiting temperature rise below 1.5 and 2 degrees compared to pre-industrial levels. These emission gaps are estimated to be 18-22 GtCO2e, and 24-27 GtCO2e, respectively. Further, the found mitigation potentials are compared with the nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to the Paris climate accord of the G20 member states. It was found that the global mitigation potential for the nine treated measures in 2030 is 19-27 GtCO2e. Subsequently, it is concluded that the emission gaps can both be closed if the mitigation potentials for the nine measures are realized, and that the NDCsof the G20 countries can be achieved in 2030 by a large margin. Finally, it is concluded that the G20 has a mitigation potential of 14.4-20 GtCO2e in 2030 and thus has a significant share in the envisioned mitigation potential.
Self-assembly in vitro of purified CA-NC proteins from Rous sarcoma virus and human immunodeficiency virus type 1

The internal structural proteins of retroviruses are proteolytically processed from the Gag polyprotein, which alone is able to assemble into virus-like particles when expressed in cells. All Gag proteins contain domains corresponding to the three structural proteins MA, CA, and NC. We have expressed the CA and NC domains together as a unit in Escherichia coli, both for Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) and for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). We also expressed a similar HIV-1 protein carrying the C-terminal p6 domain. RSV CA-NC, HIV-1 CA-NC, and HIV-1 CA-NC-p6 were purified in native form by classic methods. After adjustment of the pH and salt concentration, each of these proteins was found to assemble at a low level of efficiency into structures that resembled circular sheets and roughly spherical particles. The presence of RNA dramatically increased the efficiency of assembly, and in this case all three proteins formed hollow, cylindrical particles whose lengths were determined by the size of the RNA. The optimal pH at which assembly occurred was 5.5 for the RSV protein and 8.0 for the HIV-1 proteins. The treatment of the RSV CA-NC cylindrical particles with nonionic detergent, with ribonuclease, or with viral protease caused disassembly. These results suggest that RNA plays an important structural role in the virion and that it may initiate and organize the assembly process. The in vitro system described should facilitate the dissection of assembly pathways in retroviruses.
Exploring the relationship between competition and innovation in Norwegian SMEs

Abstract This paper explores the relationship between innovation and competition in 380 Norwegian SMEs. In contrast to a large portion of the empiric literature, we utilized the managers’ perception of their firm’s innovation activities and competitive environment as measures. In particular, this paper aimed to shed some light on this widely debated topic by examining several aspects of innovation and competition, along with including the effects of demand conditions. The results indicate that competition in the form of rapid changes in production technology has the largest overall impact on innovation, and is positively correlated with most innovation indicators. An inverse-U shaped relationship between completion and innovation is only detectable in one out of 60 possible settings. The combination of low levels of competition and high market demand is identified in one group of firms; these are also characterized by a high focus on the development of new products.
Evidence-based treatment for ankle injuries: a clinical perspective

Abstract The most common ankle injuries are ankle sprain and ankle fracture. This review discusses treatments for ankle sprain (including the management of the acute sprain and chronic instability) and ankle fracture, using evidence from recent systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials. After ankle sprain, there is evidence for the use of functional support and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. There is weak evidence suggesting that the use of manual therapy may lead to positive short-term effects. Electro-physical agents do not appear to enhance outcomes and are not recommended. Exercise may reduce the occurrence of recurrent ankle sprains and may be effective in managing chronic ankle instability. After surgical fixation for ankle fracture, an early introduction of activity, administered via early weight-bearing or exercise during the immobilization period, may lead to better outcomes. However, the use of a brace or orthosis to enable exercise during the immobilization period may also lead to a higher rate of adverse events, suggesting that this treatment regimen needs to be applied judiciously. After the immobilization period, the focus of treatment for ankle fracture should be on a progressive exercise program.
Predicting red blood cell transfusions in very low birth weight infants based on clinical risk factors.

OBJECTIVE To describe the clinical factors most predictive of red blood cell transfusion in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective review of VLBW infants cared for at a single level III NICU during a two year period, n = 199. RESULTS Overall transfusion requirement was 4.6 +/- 6.2 transfusions/infant/hospital course. Length of hospital stay, days of mechanical ventilation, requirement for dopamine support, birth weight, initial hematocrit, periventricular leukomalacia and necrotizing enterocolitis all independently correlated with number of transfusions and donors. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia and patent ductus arteriosus were associated with donor but not transfusion number. CONCLUSIONS Our data characterize the population of VLBW infants with the greatest blood transfusion and donor requirement. Further investigation is needed to target this population for interventions to reduce blood exposure.
Response rates to random digit dialing for recruiting participants to an onsite health study.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the response rates when random digit dialing was used as a substitute for geographic area sampling and household interviews to recruit 2100 African Americans for a blood pressure measurement and hypertension-related knowledge and attitudes survey. METHODS Random digit dialing was used to identify African American adults living in 12 low-income ZIP code areas of Houston, Texas. A brief survey of hypertension awareness and treatment was administered to all respondents. Those who self-identified as African American were invited to a community location for blood pressure measurement and an extended personal interview. An incentive of $10 was offered for the completed clinic visit. A substudy of nonrespondents was carried out to test the effectiveness of a $25 incentive in increasing the response rate. Data from the initial random telephone interview were used to identify differences between those who did and did not attend the measurement session. RESULTS Ninety-four percent of eligible persons contacted completed the telephone survey, and 65% agreed to visit a central community site for blood pressure measurement. In spite of the financial incentive and multiple attempts to reschedule missed appointments, only 26% of the 65% who agreed to attend completed the scheduled visit. In the substudy of the higher financial incentive, all of those who missed the original appointment agreed to another appointment, and 85% of this subgroup kept it. Not being employed full-time and a history of hypertension were consistently associated with agreement to be measured and keeping an appointment. In spite of the low response rate for scheduled appointments, differences--other than in employment status and a history of hypertension--between responders and nonresponders were small and consistent with what is usually observed in health surveys. CONCLUSIONS The use of random digit dialing as a substitute for area sampling and household screening resulted in unacceptably low response rates in the study population and should not be undertaken without further research on ways to increase response rates.
Dual Polarized Reflectarray Transmit Antenna for Operation in Ku- and Ka-Bands With Independent Feeds

A reflectarray antenna capable of operating independently in the transmit frequencies (from a satellite) in Ku-band (11–13 GHz) and Ka-band (19–20 GHz) has been proposed and demonstrated. To prove that independent beams can be optimized in each frequency band using separate feeds, a 25-cm demonstrator that generates a focused beam in dual polarization (linear or circular) has been designed, manufactured, and tested. The reflectarray cells comprise two stacked sets of coupled parallel dipoles for each polarization, which permits an independent optimization of the phase for each frequency and polarization. The simulated and measured radiation patterns for both copolar and cross-polar components are in good agreement in Ku- and Ka-bands.
Diagnostic Performance and Description of Morphological Features of Focal Nodular Hyperplasia in Gd-EOB-DTPA-Enhanced Liver Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Results of a Multicenter Trial

Objectives:The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the liver with the hepatocellular-specific contrast agent gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA) in comparison to precontrast MRI and spiral computed tomography (CT) in the specific diagnosis of focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) and to describe morphologic features and enhancement pattern of FNH. Materials and Methods:In 176 patients from a phase III multicenter trial, 59 confirmed FNHs were present (13 = histopathology; 46 = imaging follow-up within 12 months before or 3 months after the MRI study). MR examination consisted of precontrast T1- and T2-w sequences, T1-weighted (w) dynamic sequences after bolus-injection of 0.025 mmol Gd-EOB-DTPA (Primovist; Bayer Schering Pharma)/kg bodyweight and T1-w sequences with fat saturation in the hepatocyte-phase after 20 minutes. The number of correctly characterized FNHs was evaluated and compared with that determined on spiral CT in an on-site reading (clinical study) and an off-site reading (3 blinded readers). The morphologic appearance and enhancement patterns of the FNHs were evaluated. Results:Characterization with combined pre- and post-MRI (88.1%) was superior to that achieved with biphasic-enhanced spiral CT (84.7%, not significant) and precontrast MRI (67.8%, P < 0.05) in the clinical study and significantly superior to both precontrast MRI and spiral CT for 2 of 3 blinded readers. Complete or partial enhancement of the lesions was present in the early dynamic phase (arterial and portovenous dynamic phase) in 94% and 85%, respectively. The pattern of lesion enhancement in the early dynamic phase was mainly homogenous (78%–80%); the median contrast-to-noise ratio was −5.9 in T1-w precontrast images, 14.0 in the arterial phase, 2.4 in the portovenous phase, and 2.9 in the equilibrium phase. Enhancement in the hepatocyte-phase after 10 and 20 minutes was observed in 88% and 90% of lesions, respectively. Conclusions:Characterization of FNH provided by Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI is superior to that provided by precontrast MRI alone or spiral CT. FNHs show very similar enhancement characteristics to those of other extracellular contrast agents in the early dynamic phase after bolus injection of Gd-EOB-DTPA, after 20 minutes in the liver-specific phase enhancement is regularly seen.
Colony stimulating factor‐1 stimulates diacylglycerol generation in murine bone marrow‐derived macrophages, but not in resident peritoneal macrophages

Colony stimulating factor‐1 (CSF‐1) stimulates DNA synthesis in murine bone marrow‐derived macrophages (BMM); however, unlike BMM, murine resident peritoneal macrophages (RPM) undergo a poor proliferative response. It has previously been shown that phosphatidylinositol‐4,5‐bisphosphate hydrolysis is not associated with CSF‐1 action in BMM. In this report we demonstrate that, despite a lack of inositol trisphosphate generation, CSF‐1 transiently elevated both [3H]myristoyl‐ and [3H]arachidonyl‐diacylglycerol (DAG) in BMM in a dose‐dependent fashion. CSF‐1 failed, however, to stimulate an increase in either species of DAG in RPM. Thus, DAG could be a second messenger for the proliferative action of CSF‐1 in macrophages. Other mitogenic agents, 12‐O‐tetradecanoyl phorbol 13‐acetate (TPA) and exogenous phospholipase C, also increased BMM levels of [3H]myristoyl‐ and [3H]arachidonyl‐DAG. The nonmitogenic agents, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) and zymosan, had different effects on the generation of either species of DAG in BMM. LPS failed to elevate either form, TNF‐α increased only [3H]arachidonyl‐DAG, while zymosan stimulated levels of both species of DAG. It therefore appears that increased diacylglycerol generation may be necessary, but perhaps not sufficient, for macrophage proliferation.
INFLASI DALAM PERSPEKTIF ISLAM

Inflasi dianggap sebagai fenomena moneter karena terjadinya penurunan nilai unit uang terhadap suatu komoditas. Secara umum penyebab terjadinya inflasi adalah; Natural inflation, seperti naiknya daya beli masyarakat secara riil. ekxpor meningkat sedangkan impor menurun, maupun turunnya tingkat produksi. Inflasi juga disebabkan oleh human error inflation misalnya corruption and bad administration, excessive tax, dan excessive sieignore. Inflasi juga dipengaruhi oleh emotional market, yang dipengaruhi oleh isu-isu, budaya, keagamaan dan pola hidup. Fenomena moneter ini berakibat buruk pada perekonomian karena menimbulkan gangguan terhadap fungsi uang, distorsi harga, merusak output, membuka peluang spekulasi, merusak efiensi dan investasi produktif, menimbulkan ketidak-adilan dan ketimpangan sosial. Ekonomi Islam menawarkan solusi untuk mengatasi inflasi diantaranya memperbaiki sistem moneter, memperbaiki moral pejabat dan tata kelola pemerintahan, menghubungkn antara kuantitas peredaran uang dengan kuantitas produksi. Mengarahkan pola belanja, melarang sikap berlebihan, mencegah penimbunan barang komoditas dan meningkatkan produksi.
Genomic Sites of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 2 (HIV-2) Integration: Similarities to HIV-1 In Vitro and Possible Differences In Vivo

ABSTRACT Retroviruses have distinct preferences in integration site selection in the host cell genome during in vitro infection, with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) integration strongly favoring transcriptional units. Additionally, studies with HIV-1 have shown that the genomic site of proviral integration may impact viral replication, with integration in heterochromatin associated with a block in viral transcription. HIV-2 is less pathogenic than HIV-1 and is believed to have a lower replication rate in vivo. Although differences in integration site selection between HIV-2 and HIV-1 could potentially explain the attenuated pathogenicity of HIV-2, no studies have characterized integration site selection by HIV-2. In this study, we mapped 202 HIV-2 integration sites during in vitro infection of peripheral blood mononuclear cells with a primary HIV-2 isolate. In addition, we assayed for in vivo proviral integration within heterochromatin in 21 HIV-1-infected subjects and 23 HIV-2-infected subjects, using an alphoid repeat PCR assay. During in vitro infection, HIV-2 displayed integration site preferences similar to those previously reported for HIV-1. Notably, 82% of HIV-2 integrations mapped to Refseq genes, and integration strongly favored regions of the genome with high gene density and high GC content. Though rare, the proportion of HIV-2 subjects with evidence of proviral integration within heterochromatin in vivo was higher than that of HIV-1-infected subjects. It is therefore possible that integration site selection may play a role in the differences in HIV-1 and HIV-2 in vivo pathogenesis.