Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigating The Dynamic Effect of Healthcare Expenditure and Education Expenditure On Economic Growth in Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC)

The socio-economic development level of any country has been significantly attached to the state of healthcare and well-being of its people. Moreover, it is unequivocal that healthy people have substantial influences on economic advancement of a country because when they live longer there is tendency that they will be more productive. On the other hand, the standpoint of education on economic growth cannot be underscored as it serves as method of evolution and progression of personalities and an essential indicator of broad production of the national income. Nevertheless, this paper examines the dynamic effect of healthcare expenditure and education expenditure on economic growth using evidence from Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries. The study applied Pool Mean Group (PMG) method by using 1990 to 2015 data. The study reveals a robust long-run co-integrating relationship between healthcare expenditure, education expenditure, research and development and the economic growths of OIC countries. Besides, the short-run effects indicates that, healthcare expenditure per capita significantly impact economic growth of OIC countries, while the education expenditure and research and development (technology) were insignificantly impact economic growth of OIC countries in the short-run. Albeit, the findings of the study short-run specific-effects concluded that, there is existence of a co-integrating relationship between the healthcare, education, technology and economic growth in 36 out of the 56 OIC countries, while 20 other countries have no co-integrating relationship with the economic growths. However, the study suggests that healthcare and education are device to further attain economic growth and development in OIC countries if well managed and administered.
Hydrolysis of raw tuber starches by amylase of Aspergillus niger AM07 isolated from the soil

Eight Aspergillus niger strains which produced strong starch degrading amylase were isolated from the soil using a medium containing Remazol Brilliant Blue (RBB) starch as substrate. Amylase production was detected by the disappearance of the blue colour around the colony. Among the isolates, A. niger AM07 produced the largest clear zone (7.0mm) on Remazol Brilliant Blue (RBB) agar plate and also gave the highest amylase yield (806 U/ml) in solid-state fermentation process, hence it was selected for further studies. The crude amylase preparation of A. niger AM07 had temperature and pH optima activities at 60 o C and 4.0 respectively. The optimum substrate concentration was 3 %. The action of the crude amylase of A. niger on raw tuber starches of yam, cassava, sweet potato and cocoyam were studied in comparison with the well known maize starch which is a cereal starch. The crude amylase was able to hydrolyze all the raw starches tested. Hydrolysis was significantly (p<0.05) dependent on starch source and length of incubation. At 72-h incubation time, raw cassava starch gave the highest yield of 200.1 mg/g with a conversion efficiency of 198.91% while raw maize starch gave a yield of 109.6 mg/g with 108.95 % conversion efficiency. Raw cocoyam starch was more resistant to hydrolysis and incubation of cocoyam starch beyond 24 h, resulted in decreased yield of reducing sugars. Thin layer chromatography showed glucose as the main sugar produced with low level of maltose.
DC voltage control and stability analysis of PWM-voltage-type reversible rectifiers

A PWM voltage rectifier has useful characteristics on its DC and AC sides. On its DC side, a DC-link unidirectional voltage is obtained and bidirectional power transfer capability is possible by reversing the flow direction of the DC-link current. On its AC side, near sinusoidal current waveforms and AC four-quadrant operation can be obtained, leading to high-quality power being exchanged between the power converter and the mains. The use of AC filters becomes unnecessary. The rectifier DC voltage must be regulated to a constant value. In this paper, three solutions for the DC voltage control are presented. In the first solution, the DC voltage is controlled by acting upon the quadrature component of the power converter fundamental Park's voltages with relation to the mains voltages. Slow responses are necessary because of stability reasons. Also, load power variations produce both active and reactive power variations in the power converter AC side. To improve the DC voltage response, a second control solution is presented. The power converter currents in Park's coordinates must be controlled. The DC voltage is controlled by controlling the direct Park's current component and, thus, acting only on the active power of the converter AC side. Faster responses are achieved. In this case, load power variations do not produce reactive power variations in the converter AC side. The third control solution is a simplified version of this last one. Experimental results from a 2 kVA IGBT-based prototype showing good system dynamic performance are presented.
Review of ethics curricula in undergraduate medical education

Medical ethics education, it has been said, has ‘come of age’ in recent years in terms of its formal inclusion in undergraduate medical curricula. This review article examines the background to its inclusion in undergraduate curricula and goes on to examine the consensus that has arisen on the design of ethics curricula, using Harden’s curriculum and S.P.I.C. E.S models as templates. While there is consensus on content for undergraduate medical ethics education, there is still significant debate on learning and teaching methods. Despite the broad agreement on the need to apply adult education principles to ethics teaching, there would appear to be some tension between balancing the need for experiential learning and achieving the ‘core curriculum’. There are also as yet unresolved difficulties with regards to resources for delivery, academic expertise, curriculum integration and consolidation of learning. Assessment methods also remain contentious. Although there is consensus that the ultimate goal of medical ethics, and indeed of medical education as a whole, is to create ‘good doctors’, the influence of the ‘hidden curriculum’ on students’ development is only beginning to be recognized, and strategies to counteract its effects are in their infancy. The need for proper evaluation studies is recognized. It is suggested that the areas of debate appearing in the literature could be used as a starting point for evaluation studies, which would form the empirical basis of future curriculum development.
IN VITRO ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY AND PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF ABRUS PRECATORIUS LINN

Natural products would be safe and effective alternatives of synthetic pesticides. The present study was carried out to investigate the antibacterial effects of the methanolic and ethyl acetate-ethanol extracts and di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate of seeds of Abrus precatorius Linn against Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp carotovorum (Pcc), Ralstonia solanacearum (Rs), and Streptomyces scabies (Ss) using the paper disc plate technique. The methanolic extract was more potent against Pcc compared to Rs and Ss as revealed by greater inhibition zone. The phytochemical analysis of the plant extract revealed the presence of flavonoids, alkaloids, resins, phenols, glycosides, sterols and triterpenes, which might help in exerting the antibacterial effect. The ethyl acetate-ethanol mix (80 : 20) extract showed potent effects against Sc compared to Pcc and Rs. Moreover, the GC-MS analysis showed that the main component of A. precatorius seed extract was di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP). The DEHP was found to be more effective as antibacterial agent against Ss bacteria compared to Rs and Pcc. The DEHP had antibacterial activity against the tested bacteria in a concentration-dependent manner.
African Women Recently Infected With HIV-1 and HSV-2 Have Increased Risk of Acquiring Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis in the Methods for Improving Reproductive Health in Africa Trial

Background: Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis are 2 common causative agents of cervical bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STI). Against the background of the concurrent epidemics of STIs and HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, we examined the effect of HIV-1 and HSV-2 on acquiring N. gonorrhoeae and C. trachomatis in a cohort of southern African women at risk for HIV infection. Methods: We examined incidence of first infection with N. gonorrhoeae and C. trachomatis in the multisite randomized controlled trial Methods for Improving Reproductive Health in Africa. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models with time-dependent covariates were used. Results: The incidence rates of C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae infections were 6.14 per 100 woman-years and 2.42 per 100 women-years, respectively. In multivariable analyses, women who became infected with HIV-1 were more likely to acquire C. trachomatis (adjusted hazard ratio [adj. HR], 1.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.34–2.57) and N. gonorrhoeae (adj. HR, 2.29; 95% CI, 1.47–3.56) compared with HIV-uninfected women. Similarly, HSV-2 infected women were more likely to acquire C. trachomatis (adj. HR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.05–1.58) and N. gonorrhoeae (adj. HR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.11–2.21). Women who were of younger age, who did not live with their primary male partner, and who changed sex partners during the study were also more likely to acquire a cervical STI. Conclusions: Women recently infected with HIV-1 and HSV-2 were at increased risk of acquiring N. gonorrhoeae and C. trachomatis. Proactive screening and treatment of these common cervical infections, particularly among those infected with HIV-1 and HSV-2, should be considered for young sexually active women in settings with a high prevalence of HIV/STIs.
Treating depression in staff-model versus network-model managed care organizations

AbstractOBJECTIVE: To compare primary care providers’ depression-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices and to understand how these reports vary for providers in staff or group-model managed care organizations (MCOs) compared with network-model MCOs including independent practice associations and preferred provider organizations. DESIGN: Survey of primary care providers’ depression-related practices in 1996. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: We surveyed 410 providers, from 80 outpatient clinics, in 11 MCOs participating in four studies designed to improve the quality of depression care in primary care. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We measured knowledge based on depression guidelines, attitudes (beliefs about burden, skill, and barriers) related to depression, and reported behavior. Providers in both types of MCO are equally knowledgeable about treating depression (better knowledge of pharmacologic than psychotherapeutic treatments) and perceive equivalent skills in treating depression. However, compared with network-model providers, staff/group-model providers have stronger beliefs that treating depression is burdensome to their practice. While more staff/group-model providers reported time limitations as a barrier to optimal depression treatment, more network-model providers reported limited access to mental health specialty referral as a barrier. Accordingly, these staff/group-model providers are more likely to treat patients with major depression through referral (51% vs 38%) or to assess but not treat (17% vs 7%), and network-model providers are more likely to prescribe antidepressants (57% vs 6%) as first-line treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Whereas the providers from staff/group-model MCOs had greater access to and relied more on referral, the providers from network-model organizations were more likely to treat depression themselves. Given varying attitudes and behaviors, improving primary care for the treatment of depression will require unique strategies beyond enhancing technical knowledge for the two types of MCOs.
New Insights into the Immunobiology of Mononuclear Phagocytic Cells and Their Relevance to the Pathogenesis of Cardiovascular Diseases

Macrophages are the primary immune cells that reside within the myocardium, suggesting that these mononuclear phagocytes are essential in the orchestration of cardiac immunity and homeostasis. Independent of the nature of the injury, the heart triggers leukocyte activation and recruitment. However, inflammation is harmful to this vital terminally differentiated organ with extremely poor regenerative capacity. As such, cardiac tissue has evolved particular strategies to increase the stress tolerance and minimize the impact of inflammation. In this sense, growing evidences show that mononuclear phagocytic cells are particularly dynamic during cardiac inflammation or infection and would actively participate in tissue repair and functional recovery. They respond to soluble mediators such as metabolites or cytokines, which play central roles in the timing of the intrinsic cardiac stress response. During myocardial infarction two distinct phases of monocyte influx have been identified. Upon infarction, the heart modulates its chemokine expression profile that sequentially and actively recruits inflammatory monocytes, first, and healing monocytes, later. In the same way, a sudden switch from inflammatory macrophages (with microbicidal effectors) toward anti-inflammatory macrophages occurs within the myocardium very shortly after infection with Trypanosoma cruzi, the causal agent of Chagas cardiomyopathy. While in sterile injury, healing response is necessary to stop tissue damage; during an intracellular infection, the anti-inflammatory milieu in infected hearts would promote microbial persistence. The balance of mononuclear phagocytic cells seems to be also dynamic in atherosclerosis influencing plaque initiation and fate. This review summarizes the participation of mononuclear phagocyte system in cardiovascular diseases, keeping in mind that the immune system evolved to promote the reestablishment of tissue homeostasis following infection/injury, and that the effects of different mediators could modulate the magnitude and quality of the immune response. The knowledge of the effects triggered by diverse mediators would serve to identify new therapeutic targets in different cardiovascular pathologies.
Adaptability and vulnerability of high flying Neotropical aerial insectivorous bats to urbanization

Aim Urbanization is a dominant demographic trend throughout the world that involves massive habitat alterations. Understanding how urbanization affects biota is a crucial prerequisite for development and application of effective species conservation programmes. Our study focuses on Neotropical high flying aerial insectivorous bats, an ecologically important, but so far seriously understudied group of vertebrates.
Intuitive knowing as a dimension of nursing

Material gathered in a qualitative study of seven holistic nurses' perceptions of holistic nursing suggests that nonrational, intuitive knowing is a dimension of the state of the art in nursing. This dimension resonates with emerging theory in nursing and other sciences. Intuitive knowing is an aspect of the pattern of personal knowledge and as such may be found credible through reflection and actualization by individual nurses.
IMF: Inferred Model-based Fuzzer

Kernel vulnerabilities are critical in security because they naturally allow attackers to gain unprivileged root access. Although there has been much research on finding kernel vulnerabilities from source code, there are relatively few research on kernel fuzzing, which is a practical bug finding technique that does not require any source code. Existing kernel fuzzing techniques involve feeding in random input values to kernel API functions. However, such a simple approach does not reveal latent bugs deep in the kernel code, because many API functions are dependent on each other, and they can quickly reject arbitrary parameter values based on their calling context. In this paper, we propose a novel fuzzing technique for commodity OS kernels that leverages inferred dependence model between API function calls to discover deep kernel bugs. We implement our technique on a fuzzing system, called IMF. IMF has already found 32 previously unknown kernel vulnerabilities on the latest macOS version 10.12. 3 (16D32) at the time of this writing.
Généralisation de cartes vectorielles d'occupation des sols : une approche par triangulation coopérative pour la fusion des polygones

La generalisation cartographique consiste a transformer la representation de l'espace geographique de maniere a pouvoir restituer l'information spatiale a differents niveaux d'abstraction. Les travaux presentes dans cette these traitent plus particulierement de la generalisation de cartes vectorielles d'occupation des sols. Les travaux recenses dans le cadre de l'etat de l'art realise dans le premier chapitre montrent certes l'existence de methodes et d'outils de generalisation, mais uniquement un contexte de donnees maillees ou de cartes topographiques. En effet, la specificite de notre problematique reside dans le fait que, sur une carte d'occupation des sols, l'information est presente sur la totalite de la carte tandis qu'une carte topographique possede des zones non renseignees. Les outils de generalisation existants ne sont donc pas adaptes aux cartes d'occupation des sols. Aussi, apres avoir presente les differents modeles necessaires a la generalisation, nous proposons d'analyser les methodes et outils existants dans le cadre specifique de l'occupation des sols. Nous effectuons donc, dans le deuxieme chapitre, une proposition methodologique mettant en œuvre plusieurs operateurs de generalisation adaptes a notre problematique. Notre demarche s'appuie sur l'utilisation d'une base de donnees caracteristique de l'occupation des sols, Corine Land Cover, et fait l'objet, en fin de chapitre, d'une validation pratique au travers d'une maquette realisee avec le logiciel arc/info. Les resultats obtenus sont certes satisfaisants mais, comme toutes les methodes existantes, notre approche gere insuffisamment le caractere evolutif des donnees geographiques : son processus est sequentiel et sa mise en œuvre reste lourde ; a chaque mise a jour du jeu de donnees initial, la donnee generalisee doit etre recreee. Pour repondre a cette problematique, nous exposons dans le troisieme chapitre, une nouvelle methode de fusion basee sur une triangulation dont la principale propriete est d'offrir une consistance dans la prise en compte des polygones. Grâce a cette methode, nous pouvons alors proposer une modelisation par objets spatio-temporels actifs, l'activite des polygones etant decrite a travers une extension du formalisme des reseaux de Petri. Les modeles complets de ces polygones spatio-temporels actifs sont presentes en fin de chapitre.
INFANTS ’ RECOGNITION OF POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE FACES 17 expert face processing : are infants sensitive to normal differences in second-order relational information ?

Just as faces share the same basic arrangement of features, with two eyes above a nose above a mouth, human eyes all share the same basic contrast polarity relations, with a sclera lighter than an iris and a pupil, and this is unique among primates. The current study examined whether this bright-dark relationship of sclera to iris plays a critical role in face recognition from early in development. Specifically, we tested face discrimination in 7and 8-month-old infants while independently manipulating the contrast polarity of the eye region and of the rest of the face. This gave four face contrast polarity conditions: fully positive condition, fully negative condition, positive face with negated eyes (" negative eyes") condition, and negated face with positive eyes (" positive eyes" ) condition. In a familiarization and novelty preference procedure, we found that 7and 8-month-olds could discriminate between faces only when the contrast polarity of the eyes was preserved (positive) and that this did not depend on the contrast polarity of the rest of the face. This demonstrates the critical role of eye contrast polarity for face recognition in 7and 8-month-olds and is consistent with previous findings for adults.
Drivers of Bank /Branch Switching Intentional Behaviour in Retail Banking: Evidence from Indian Banking Customers

The purpose of this research was to identify and examine the factors that are significant barriers to bank/ branch switching in India from the retail customer’s perspective. The research design was causal cross sectional and primary data was collected using structured questionnaire. The research was conducted between Sep 2018 to Nov 2018.Target population was retail bank customers of nine banks (six nationalized and three private) of India. Sample frame was the bank customers who visited the bank on the days of the study and sample size was 450 (50 customers each bank). The result of the study revealed that eight factors namely Price, Service quality, Switching cost, Reputation of bank, Promotional advertising, Response to service failure, Customer satisfaction, Innovative service product offerings significantly affects switching intention while Location of bank and Involuntary switching had insignificant effect on switching intention with a predicted switching rate of 24.22%. The model explains 80.6% variation in switching intention. Price, Response to service failure and Innovative service product offerings were three important critical factors for bank switching. Therefore, there is a need for banks to review their bank charges or transaction fees, they must be very responsive to the service failures and should come out with innovative schemes to have a competitive edge. Keywords: Retail banking, customer switching, Price, Service quality, Switching cost, Customer satisfaction. DOI : 10.7176/JMCR/54-01 Publication date :March 31 st 2019
Automatic identification of massive lesions in digitalized mammograms

Mammography is the most effective procedure for early diagnosis of the breast cancer. Computer-aided detection (CAD) system can be very helpful for radiologists in identification abnormalities earlier and faster than traditional screening program. In this paper, an automatic method to identify massive lesions in digitalized mammograms is proposed. The proposed method is a four-step method. In first step, image processing techniques is applied to enhance mammograms. This is followed by detection of the region-of-interest (ROI). Subsequently, Haralick-based features are extracted from the detected ROI. Finally, using artificial neural network, detected ROIs is classified as masses or non-masses based on extracted Haralick features. Our method is evaluated on Mini-MIAS database. The methods' performance is evaluated using Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve. The archived result Az=0.876 means that our method can be a quite effective tool in diagnosing breast cancer.