Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Challenges in Learning to Speak Arabic

This paper describes a study to investigate the challenges and obstacles to speaking Arabic faced by good and poor Malay speakers of Arabic. The study used individual and focus group interviews with 14 participants to elicit data. The findings revealed 2 types of obstacles, namely, internal and external obstacles. Internal obstacles refer to the limitations that come from the learners’ own selves, knowledge and skills; while external obstacles refer to the constraints that originate from the outside, such as the lack of a supportive environment and sufficient opportunity to speak Arabic. Both good and poor Malay speakers of Arabic felt hampered more by the internal problems than by the external problems. However, it was noted that the good speakers faced more language-related problems than other internal issues, while the poor speakers revealed more internal shortcomings such as lack of confidence and self-esteem. Keywords: Arabic language, language learning strategy, problems in learning speaking skills, speaking skills.
The role of the "third eye" in reptilian behavior. American Museum novitates ; no. 1870

The pineal gland remains an organ of uncertain function despite extensive research (see summaries of literature: Pflugfelder, 1957; Kitay and Altschule, 1954; and Engel and Bergmann, 1952). Its study by means of pinealectomy has been hampered in the higher vertebrates by its recessed location and association with large blood vessels which have made difficult its removal without brain injury or serious hemorrhage. Lack of purified, standardized extracts, improper or inadequate extraction techniques (Quay, 1956b), and lack of suitable assay methods to test biological activity have hindered the physiological approach. It seems probable that the activity of the gland varies among different species (Engel and Bergmann, 1952), between individuals of the same species, and within the same individual. This may also have contributed to the variable results obtained with pinealectomy, injection, and implantation experiments. The morphology of the pineal apparatus is discussed in detail by Tilney and Warren (1919) and Gladstone and Wakely (1940). Only a brief survey is presented here for orientation. In living vertebrates the pineal system in its most complete form may be regarded as consisting of a series of outgrowths situated above the third ventricle in the roof of the diencephalon. In sequence these outgrowths are the paraphysis, dorsal sac, parapineal, and pineal bodies. The paraphysis, the most
Insights in Economical Complexity in Spain: the hidden boost of migrants in international tradings

We consider extensive data on Spanish international trades and population composition and, through statistical-mechanics and graph-theory driven analysis, we unveil that the social network made of native and foreign-born individuals plays a role in the evolution and in the diversification of trades. Indeed, migrants naturally provide key information on policies and needs in their native countries, hence allowing firm's holders to leverage transactional costs of exports and duties. As a consequence, international trading is affordable for a larger basin of firms and thus results in an increased number of transactions, which, in turn, implies a larger diversification of international traded products. These results corroborate the novel scenario depicted by "Economical Complexity", where the pattern of production and trade of more developed countries is highly diversified. We also address a central question in Economics, concerning the existence of a critical threshold for migrants (within a given territorial district) over which they effectively contribute to boost international trades: in our physically-driven picture, this phenomenon corresponds to the emergence of a phase transition and, tackling the problem from this perspective, results in a novel successful quantitative route. Finally, we can infer that the pattern of interaction between native and foreign-born population exhibits small-world features as small diameter, large clustering, and weak ties working as optimal cut-edge, in complete agreement with findings in "Social Complexity".
Ubiquitylation and Developmental Regulation of Invariant Surface Protein Expression in Trypanosomes

ABSTRACT The cell surface of Trypanosoma brucei is dominated by the glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored variant surface glycoprotein (VSG), which is essential for immune evasion. VSG biosynthesis, trafficking, and turnover are well documented, but trans-membrane domain (TMD) proteins, including the invariant surface glycoproteins (ISGs), are less well characterized. Internalization and degradation of ISG65 depend on ubiquitylation of conserved cytoplasmic lysines. Using epitope-tagged ISG75 and reporter chimeric proteins bearing the cytoplasmic and trans-membrane regions of ISG75, together with multiple mutants with lysine-to-arginine mutations, we demonstrate that the cytoplasmic tail of ISG75 is both sufficient and necessary for endosomal targeting and degradation. The ISG75 chimeric reporter protein localized to endocytic organelles, while lysine-null versions were significantly stabilized at the cell surface. Importantly, ISG75 cytoplasmic lysines are modified by extensive oligoubiquitin chains and ubiquitylation is abolished in the lysine-null version. Furthermore, we find evidence for differential modes of turnover of ISG65 and ISG75. Full-length lysine-null ISG65 localization and protein turnover are significantly perturbed, but ISG75 localization and protein turnover are not, while ubiquitin conjugates can be detected for full-length lysine-null ISG75 but not ISG65. We find that the ISG75 ectodomain has a predicted coiled-coil, suggesting that ISG75 could be part of a complex, while ISG65 behaves independently. We also demonstrate a developmental stage-specific mechanism for exclusion of surface ISG expression in insect-stage cells by a ubiquitin-independent mechanism. We suggest that ubiquitylation may be a general mechanism for regulating trans-membrane domain surface proteins in trypanosomes.
Forecasting US consumer price index: does nonlinearity matter?

ABSTRACT The objective of this article is to predict, both in sample and out of sample, the consumer price index (CPI) of the US economy based on monthly data covering the period of 1980:1–2013:12, using a variety of linear (random walk (RW), autoregressive (AR) and seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA)) and nonlinear (artificial neural network (ANN) and genetic programming (GP)) univariate models. Our results show that, while the SARIMA model is superior relative to other linear and nonlinear models, as it tends to produce smaller forecast errors; statistically, these forecasting gains are not significant relative to higher-order AR and nonlinear models, though simple benchmarks like the RW and AR(1) models are statistically outperformed. Overall, we show that in terms of forecasting the US CPI, accounting for nonlinearity does not necessarily provide us with any statistical gains.
Psychological Predictors of Managerial Performance in the Conditions of Instability of the Russian Economy

The objective of the research was to discuss the psychological predictors of managers' economic efficiency under 2014-2015 instability of the Russian economy (a case study of the Big Five personality traits, organization and communicative skills). The research engaged 310 managers (directors of clothing and accessories shops) working at the companies for a year or more. For diagnosing the personality factors, NEO FFI Five-factor questionnaire was used as adapted by M.V. Bodunov and S.D. Biryukov while COS questionnaire of V.V. Sinyavsky and B.A. Fedorishin was applied for revealing the communicative and organizational inclinations. In order to determine the managers' professional efficiency, the performances against sales plans of shops led by them in 2014-2015 were used. Regression analysis results confirm the most important predictor of the managers' economic efficiency under study is the extent of organizational skills, and this predictor retains its significance both in a relatively calm and in a more unstable economic situation. As for the Big Five factors, the most important one is conscientiousness in a relatively calm time span and openness – in the unstable economic conditions.
Liquidity Management and Profit Performance of Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Firms Listed in Nigeria Stock Exchange

This study examined the impact of liquidity ratios on the profitability of pharmaceutical companies that are quoted on Nigeria stock exchange. Manufacturing companies were chosen based on the fact that they are very crucial to the development of adequate and proper healthy conditions for the nation and needs to be viable in their operations to satisfy the public expectations from them. The variables studied are the liquidity ratio, the debt ratio, the receivable ratio, and the sales growth ratio. The researchers used only secondary sources of data. The data were extracted from the annual report and financial statements of selected manufacturing pharmaceutical entities in Nigeria covering the period 2000 to 2011. The date was analyzed and the hypotheses were tested using multiple regression analytical tools. The findings show that the liquidity ratio and profitability of the companies’ studies are significantly and positively related. The debt ratio and the sales growth ratio have a positive but not significant impact on profitability of the firms. The receivable ratio has a negative impact on the profitability but the relationship is not significant. The study then recommended that the companies should engage experts in the management of their receivables, or train and retrain their managers on management of liquidity. They should also intensify efforts in the collection of debts from customers. Debt collector’s services can be obtained from consultants who are experts in the field. Realizing that unhealthy competition can affect the working capital position of firms, the study equally recommended that the government should take action towards regulating these businesses to avoid some growing companies falling into liquidity difficulty as a result of the competition.
Tourism and the Economic Challenges of Mahikeng: A Residents’ Perspective

Tourism, once it secured high-level deliberation, can be a mechanism of growth driving economic prosperity. The South African government maintains tourism’s status as key strategic area and devised the National Tourism Sector Strategy aimed at increasing domestic tourism. Mahikeng is the provincial capital city and seat of the North West government who also proclaimed tourism as a strategic area for development. However, very little is known about Mahikeng’s almost non-existing tourism industry and its developmental potential as contributor to the alleviation of the economic challenges faced by local stakeholders. A major stakeholder for generating the economic value of tourism is the active involvement of the local community, and the focus of this study is on residents. A synthesis of industry occurrences and literature led to the conceptualization of this study. A qualitative descriptive survey was undertaken and 303 residents participated in this survey to obtain an impression of residents’ perspective of tourism and its development. Residents expressed that they are not really aware of tourism facilities (43%) but conveyed that support for tourism development is vital for success (74%). An overwhelming percentage of respondents, 80%, strongly agreed that they indeed would patronage the development of tourism, and this should spur public and private stakeholders to consider tourism as a means of addressing the economic challenges of Mahikeng. OPEN ACCESS 12850 M. POTGIETER & A. LITHEKO Tourism can be viewed from different perspectives and the focus of this paper is on the micro perspective – domestic (local) tourism as a mechanism that can make a substantial contribution towards devising strategies and plans for alleviating the economic challenges of Mahikeng as provincial capital city. The magnitude of tourism (specifically local and domestic tourism), tourism development, and destination marketing are embracing themes that cannot be apportioned in one single paper or presentation. The focus of this study is on residents’ perspective of the value of tourism for developmental purposes and the specific objectives are:  To obtain an understanding of the composition of the research population in terms of specific demographic descriptors.  To obtain an indication of residents’ perspective of tourism’s contribution towards alleviating the economic challenges of Mahikeng.  To ascertain if there are any relationships between the composition descriptors of the residents and their perspective of tourism development. This paper commenced with an introduction to the study topic and continues with a synoptic literature review. This is followed by an explanation of the research methods and data analysis techniques used. Succeeding is a presentation of the research results obtained and then a discussion of the main findings, the theoretical and managerial implications, and the recommendations emanating from this study. The paper terminates with a final conclusion.
Coleoptera Karyotype Database

Cytogenetic research has a long history in Coleoptera taxonomy and evolutionary biology. The last synthesis of beetle karyotypes was completed in 1978 when only 2,160 beetles had been studied (Smith and Virkki 1978). Since this compilation, the number of beetles that have been targeted by cytogenetic studies has doubled. However, karyotype records are scattered among hundreds of journal articles often with narrow taxonomic or geographic focus. This has made it difficult to analyze large-scale patterns of karyotype evolution across Coleoptera or even determine what data is available for a clade. To eliminate this barrier, we created the Coleoptera karyotype database (www.uta.edu/karyodb/). The database currently contains 4,797 records, but we envision it as a long-term repository that will be regularly updated. This will allow open access to data that were previously scattered and often available only through subscriptionbased publications. We store the karyotype data in an SQL database that can be queried using a dynamically updated webpage. Users generate database queries by making selections at up to three taxonomic levels (suborder, family, or genus) and or selections of up to three karyotype characters (sex chromosome system, b-chromosomes, and reproductive mode). Once a user has defined a query, it is used to produce an html table. The website also allows users to export a comma-separated text file of their results for offline analysis. The long history of beetle cytogenetics has led to naming conventions that describe not only the number of autosomes and the sex chromosome system but also the behavior of the sex chromosomes during meiosis (Table 1). Testes squashes are the most common method employed in beetle karyotyping, and the karyotypes reported are meioformulas. For example, a commonly reported karyotype is “9+Xyp” which indicates nine autosomes, an XY sex determination system, and that a small Y chromosome remains at a distance from the X during meiosis. Most organisms require homologous chromosomes to come together and form chiasmata to faithfully segregate the chromosomes into the gametes. However, many beetles, particularly in the suborder Polyphaga, exhibit various forms of distance-pairing sex chromosome segregation of the sex chromosomes. In addition to variation in sex chromosomes, Coleoptera karyotypes also reveal abundant variation in chromosome number, with diploid number ranging 4–70. Our compilation reveals that variation in chromosome numbers among clades is highly heterogeneous. Some families, such as
Behaviour modification interventions to optimise red blood cell transfusion practices: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective To assess the impact of behaviour modification interventions to promote restrictive red blood cell (RBC) transfusion practices. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Setting, participants, interventions Seven electronic databases were searched to January 2018. Published randomised controlled trials (RCTs) or non-randomised studies examining an intervention to modify healthcare providers’ RBC transfusion practice in any healthcare setting were included. Primary and secondary outcomes The primary outcome was the proportion of patients transfused. Secondary outcomes included the proportion of inappropriate transfusions, RBC units transfused per patient, in-hospital mortality, length of stay (LOS), pretransfusion haemoglobin and healthcare costs. Meta-analysis was conducted using a random-effects model and meta-regression was performed in cases of heterogeneity. Publication bias was assessed by Begg’s funnel plot. Results Eighty-four low to moderate quality studies were included: 3 were RCTs and 81 were non-randomised studies. Thirty-one studies evaluated a single intervention, 44 examined a multimodal intervention. The comparator in all studies was standard of care or historical control. In 33 non-randomised studies, use of an intervention was associated with reduced odds of transfusion (OR 0.63 (95% CI 0.56 to 0.71)), odds of inappropriate transfusion (OR 0.46 (95% CI 0.36 to 0.59)), RBC units/patient weighted mean difference (WMD: −0.50 units (95% CI −0.85 to −0.16)), LOS (WMD: −1.14 days (95% CI −2.12 to −0.16)) and pretransfusion haemoglobin (−0.28 g/dL (95% CI −0.48 to −0.08)). There was no difference in odds of mortality (OR 0.90 (95% CI 0.80 to 1.02)). Protocol/algorithm and multimodal interventions were associated with the greatest decreases in the primary outcome. There was high heterogeneity among estimates and evidence for publication bias. Conclusions The literature examining the impact of interventions on RBC transfusions is extensive, although most studies are non-randomised. Despite this, pooled analysis of 33 studies revealed improvement in the primary outcome. Future work needs to shift from asking, ‘does it work? ’ to ‘what works best and at what cost? ’ PROSPERO registration number CRD42015024757.
In-vitro Antimicrobial Susceptibility Pattern of Isolates from Urine in Butembo, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Objective: This study aimed to determine the isolates from urine cultures at patients suspected with urinary tract infection and their in-vitro susceptibility pattern to antimicrobials at the Central Laboratory of Research of the “Universite Catholique du Graben” (UCG) in Butembo. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study adopting a descriptive approach, conducted from January, 2015 to December, 2016. Six hundred and seventeen patients were screened. Freshly voided mid- stream urine sample were taken according to standard method. Isolation of the microbial agents of urinary tract infections was done on blood agar and MacConkey agar media. The culture was repeated in contrast with significant bacteria and urinalysis if the isolate at the first culture is known non-pathogenic. The antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done by using disk diffusion (Kirby Bauer's) technique. Results: Out of the 617 patients screened, the culture was positive in 77.3% (477 cases). The most isolated bacteria from urine culture were Staphylococcus aureus (47%), Streptococcus spp (12%), Escherischia coli (10.9%), Moraxella spp (7.5%) and Bacillus spp (2.3%). Antibiotics which were sensible to three or more isolates were ciprofloxacin, cefuroxime, cefotaxime and vancomycin. It was also observed that all the bacterial species have a Multiple Antibiotic Resistance Index greater than 0.2. Conclusion: Continuous monitoring of antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of bacterial isolates implicated in urinary tract infections is needed seeing the high Multiple Antibiotics Resistance Indices of all samples isolates. And this should be prior to antibiotic prescription in order to ensure an optimal, desired and cost-effectiveness treatment. For empiric treatment of urinary tract infections in Butembo, we suggested ciprofloxacin, cefuroxime and cefotaxime as the first line antibiotics of choice.
Incidence, progression and risk factors for epiretinal membranes in the elderly: the ALIENOR study

Purpose: to determine the incidence, progression rate and risk factors for epiretinal membranes (ERMs) in a population of French elderly subjects. Methods: 735 eyes of 413 participants of the ALIENOR study were included between 2009 and 2010. Participants were reevaluated every two-years between 2009 and 2017 (corresponding to 3 follow-up visits). All included eyes had gradable spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), retinal images at baseline and at least one follow-up data collection point. A classification of ERMs using SD-OCT findings was set up to evaluate ERM incidence and progression. Results: the incidence rate of ERM was 9.42 per 100 eye-years (95% confidence interval (CI), 7.36-12.05) in our population, corresponding to a five-year cumulative incidence of 37.57%. ERM incidence was significantly associated with smoking after 85 years (Hazard Ratio (HR), 4.81; p=0.022), cataract surgery (HR, 1.86; p=0.0108), presence of vitreomacular or vitreopapillary adhesion (HR, 1.64; p=0.038) and decrease in choroidal thickness (HR 1.04; p=0.0094). The five-year cumulative progression rate was 6.86%. Conclusion: due to the systematic use of SD-OCT images, early ERMs were found to be far more frequent in our population than previously described. Incident ERMs were associated with three main ocular risk factors: cataract surgery, vitreous adhesion and interestingly, choroidal thickness.
A Dyadic Approach to Managing Heart Failure With Confidence

Background:The majority of heart failure (HF) self-care research remains focused on patients, despite the important involvement of family caregivers. Although self-care confidence has been found to play an important role in the effectiveness of HF self-care management on patient outcomes, no known research has examined self-care confidence within a dyadic context. Objective:The purpose of this study was to identify individual and dyadic determinants of self-care confidence in HF care dyads. Methods:Multilevel modeling, which controls for the interdependent nature of dyadic data, was used to examine 329 Italian HF dyads (caregivers were either spouses or adult children). Results:Both patients and caregivers reported lower-than-adequate levels of confidence, with caregivers reporting slightly higher confidence than patients. Patient and caregiver levels of confidence were significantly associated with greater patient-reported relationship quality and better caregiver mental health. Patient confidence in self-care was significantly associated with patient female gender, nonspousal care dyads, poor caregiver physical health, and low care strain. Caregiver confidence to contribute to self-care was significantly associated with poor emotional quality of life in patients and greater perceived social support by caregivers. Conclusions:Findings are supportive of the need for a dyadic perspective of HF self-care in practice and research as well as the importance of addressing the needs of both members of the dyad to maximize optimal outcomes for both.
EFFECTS OF MEDIAL WEDGE INSOLES WHEN WALKING ON DIFFERENT SURFACES

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