Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Farmers' Practices in Developing Agricultural Land in Malaysia: is There an Islamic Microfinance Solution?

Objective – This paper attempts to highlight the farmers’ lives in Malaysia and their problems in developing idle agricultural land. Methods - This paper is using descriptive and exploratory method of study which refer to the situation of agricultural sector in Malaysia. Results - The scheme aPLS (agricultural production and loss sharing) that proposed cannot stand alone in the traditional fiqh to be implemented now. Therefore, the combinations of aPLS contract with ujrah principle are really needed. This is important to ensure the flexibility of the contract that can offer a fully comprehensive scheme of Islamic agricultural finance. Conclusion – The land together with labour can be considered as a form of capital and therefore has a similarity to the contracts of mudaraba and musharaka . Hence, it can be said that these principles are “agricultural production and loss sharing (aPLS)” because land will naturally produce an output or a product. Muzara’a and musaqa therefore can be said to be contracts which are based on sharing output rather than sharing profit. Keywords: Idle Agricultural Land, Islamic agricultural finance, Malaysia
Improving the turnover intention of tourist hotel employees Transformational leadership, leader-member exchange, and psychological contract breach

Purpose This study aims to explore the high turnover intention issue in Taiwan’s tourist hotel industry. Due to a lack of empirical research regarding front-line employees’ psychological contract breach perceptions in tourism literature, this study develops an integrated model to examine the causal relationship among transformational leadership behaviors, leader–member exchange (LMX), psychological contract breach and turnover intentions. Design/methodology/approach Data from the 226 frontline employees in Taiwan’s tourist hotel industry were employed to examine the proposed hypotheses by using a series of structural equation modeling analyses. Findings Statistic results revealed that transformational leadership behaviors influence LMX and LMX in turn influences psychological contract breach, which consequently leads to lower turnover intention. Practical implication The results of this study suggest that hospitality organizations should recruit individuals who have the potential to exhibit transformational leadership skills, along with designing leadership training programs for middle- and high-level managers. Originality/value This study provides hospitality organization leaders with the necessary information to formulate a beneficial relationship with their front-line employees, which, in turn, weakens their perception of psychological contract breaches and reduces their willingness to leave the organization.
Aetiology of acute paediatric gastroenteritis in Bulgaria during summer months: prevalence of viral infections.

Paediatric acute gastroenteritis is a global public health problem. Comprehensive laboratory investigation for viral, bacterial and parasitic agents is helpful for improving management of acute gastroenteritis in health care settings and for monitoring and controlling the spread of these infections. Our study aimed to investigate the role of various pathogens in infantile diarrhoea in Bulgaria outside the classical winter epidemics of rotavirus and norovirus. Stool samples from 115 hospitalized children aged 0-3 years collected during summer months were tested for presence of 14 infectious agents - group A rotavirus, astrovirus, Giardia, Cryptosporidium and Entamoeba using ELISAs; norovirus by real-time RT-PCR; picobirnavirus and sapovirus by RT-PCR; adenovirus using PCR, and Salmonella, Shigella, Escherichia coli, Yersinia and Campylobacter using standard bacterial cultures. Infectious origin was established in a total of 92 cases and 23 samples remained negative. A single pathogen was found in 67 stools, of which rotaviruses were the most prevalent (56.7 %), followed by noroviruses (19.4 %), enteric adenoviruses (7.5 %), astroviruses (6.0 %), bacteria and parasites (4.5 % each) and sapoviruses (1.4 %). Rotavirus predominant genotypes were G4P[8] (46.3 %) and G2P[4] (21.4 %); for astroviruses, type 1a was the most common, while the GII.4/2006b variant was the most prevalent among noroviruses. Bacteria were observed in five cases, with Salmonella sp. as the most prevalent, while parasites were found in ten stool samples, with Giardia intestinalis in five cases. The results demonstrated high morbidity associated with viral infections and that rotavirus and norovirus remain the most common pathogens associated with severe gastroenteritis during summer months in Bulgaria, a country with a temperate climate, and significant molecular diversity among circulating virus strains.
A new model for making Aboriginal policy? Evaluating the Kelowna Accord and the promise of multilevel governance in Canada

Government policy-making affecting Indigenous communities in Canada has often been met with stiff resistance from Indigenous leadership. We examine multilevel governance as an alternate model for Aboriginal policy-making by examining a particular case study: the process leading up to the 2005 Kelowna Accord. We find that although multilevel governance may have the potential to produce highly desirable outcomes, its emergence seems to depend heavily on political agency. Meaningful and enduring change to Aboriginal policy-making will therefore likely require significant institutional adjustments to the Canadian federation. Sommaire L’elaboration de politiques gouvernementales ayant une incidence sur les collectivites autochtones au Canada a souvent fait face a une resistance feroce de la part des dirigeants autochtones. Nous examinons la gouvernance a divers paliers gouvernementaux en tant que modele de rechange pour l’elaboration de politiques autochtones en nous penchant sur une etude de cas particuliere : le processus qui a abouti a l'Accord de Kelowna de 2005. Nous constatons qu'alors que la gouvernance a divers paliers gouvernementaux pourrait produire des resultats hautement souhaitables, sa mise en œuvre semble fortement liee aux organismes politiques. Des changements significatifs et durables a l’elaboration des politiques autochtones exigeront donc tres probablement que d'importants ajustements soient apportes aux institutions de la federation canadienne.
Multitarget PCR for Diagnosis of Pertussis and Its Clinical Implications

ABSTRACT PCR has greatly facilitated pertussis diagnosis due to the speed, sensitivity, and specificity of this assay compared to other detection methods. Various single-target PCR assays are currently utilized, but none is universally considered to be the “gold standard. ” Our aim was to assess the use of multitarget versus single-target PCR for the diagnosis of pertussis in clinical samples. PCR assays targeting insertion sequence IS481 (IS), pertussis toxin ptxA promoter region (PT), and outer membrane porin (PO), or recA (RA) were evaluated in respiratory specimens collected from 4,442 patients with suspected pertussis. The diagnosis of pertussis was confirmed in 309 (6.96%) patients by the 3-target IS-PT-PO/RA PCR versus 247 (5.56%) by the conventional single-target IS (P = 0.007). Compared to single-target IS, the three-target combination increased the proportion of positive specimens by 1.25-fold, and two-target combinations increased the proportion of positive specimens by 1.10- to 1.24-fold. In addition, nine cases of B. parapertussis infection were also confirmed by using the discriminative features of this multitarget PCR. Of the 89 culture-proven pertussis cases, 17 (19.1%) and 5 of the 16 patients (31.3%) admitted to intensive care unit would have been missed had only the single-target IS PCR been applied. Patients with mild disease (P = 0.004) and shorter hospitalization (P = 0.006) were less likely to have positive cultures. This consensus generating real-time PCR approach permits a sensitive detection, as well as an accurate species identification of the causative Bordetella pathogens for the timely management of patients.
Electrostatic Association of Glutathione Transferase to the Nuclear Membrane

The possible nuclear compartmentalization of glutathione S-transferase (GST) isoenzymes has been the subject of contradictory reports. The discovery that the dinitrosyl-diglutathionyl-iron complex binds tightly to Alpha class GSTs in rat hepatocytes and that a significant part of the bound complex is also associated with the nuclear fraction (Pedersen, J. Z., De Maria, F., Turella, P., Federici, G., Mattei, M., Fabrini, R., Dawood, K. F., Massimi, M., Caccuri, A. M., and Ricci, G. (2007) J. Biol. Chem. 282, 6364–6371) prompted us to reconsider the nuclear localization of GSTs in these cells. Surprisingly, we found that a considerable amount of GSTs corresponding to 10% of the cytosolic pool is electrostatically associated with the outer nuclear membrane, and a similar quantity is compartmentalized inside the nucleus. Mainly Alpha class GSTs, in particular GSTA1-1, GSTA2-2, and GSTA3-3, are involved in this double modality of interaction. Confocal microscopy, immunofluorescence experiments, and molecular modeling have been used to detail the electrostatic association in hepatocytes and liposomes. A quantitative analysis of the membrane-bound Alpha GSTs suggests the existence of a multilayer assembly of these enzymes at the outer nuclear envelope that could represent an amazing novelty in cell physiology. The interception of potentially noxious compounds to prevent DNA damage could be the possible physiological role of the perinuclear and intranuclear localization of Alpha GSTs.
Internal controls and fraud – empirical evidence from oil and gas company

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the type of internal control weaknesses and its impact that leads to fraud activities in an oil and gas company, which is rarely found in empirical research. Design/methodology/approach A case study approach was taken to investigate and analyse the fraud incidents to the deepest understanding. A mixed method of data collection, specifically document analysis and interviews, was used. Findings The study found that internal control weaknesses can be major contributing factors for fraud to be committed. Poor supervision and improper documentation process provide opportunity to misappropriate the assets, worst off if it includes several people that cooperate to conduct those illegal malpractices. Research limitations/implications The results provide further confirmation of the fraud triangle theory on the causes of the fraud, i.e. opportunity because of weak internal control. It also validates with many prior studies conducted by global professional firms such as KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Association of Certified Fraud Examiners on fraud and its related causes and implications. This study, however, was conducted on only one company with limited number of interviews. Practical implications This study provides some recommendations to improve weak internal control, which in turn will reduce opportunities of fraud committed in the company. Originality/value This study is original, as it focuses on a company that operates in the highly specialized industry, i.e. oil and gas, which is rare in fraud literature, particularly in developing markets such as Malaysia. It has examined various documents and reports of employee fraud that are generally difficult to be accessed by researchers to be finally published in an academic journal. The findings of this study are inferred from direct access of company documents that are private and confidential.
Respiratory complications associated with tracheal extubationTiming of tracheal extubation and use of the laryngeal mask during emergence from anaesthesia

Sixty patients were randomly allocated to one of three groups and the incidences of respiratory complications which occurred during emergence from anaesthesia were compared under the following three circumstances: tracheal extubation after the patient had regained consciousness (awake group); tracheal extubation while the patient was still anaesthetised (anaesthetised group); and the use of the laryngeal mask during emergence from anaesthesia (mask group). In the mask group, the laryngeal mask was inserted under deep anaesthesia before tracheal extubation and the lungs were ventilated through the laryngeal mask after tracheal extubation. In the awake group, straining (bucking) occurred in 18 patients and desaturation (arterial oxygen haemoglobin saturation < 95%) in two patients. In the anaesthetised group, airway obstruction occurred in 17 patients and desaturation in one of these patients. In the mask group, ventilation through the laryngeal mask was temporarily difficult immediately after tracheal extubation in one patient and coughing occurred before removal of the mask in three patients. No respiratory complications occurred in two patients in the awake group, three patients in the anaesthetised group and 16 patients in the mask group. The incidence of respiratory complications during recovery from anaesthesia was significantly lower in the mask group than in the other two groups (pooled) (p << 0.001). Therefore, the use of the laryngeal mask after tracheal extubation decreases the incidence of respiratory complications during recovery from anaesthesia.
ResNet-Based Vehicle Classification and Localization in Traffic Surveillance Systems

In this paper, we present ResNet-based vehicle classification and localization methods using real traffic surveillance recordings. We utilize a MIOvision traffic dataset, which comprises 11 categories including a variety of vehicles, such as bicycle, bus, car, motorcycle, and so on. To improve the classification performance, we exploit a technique called joint fine-tuning (JF). In addition, we propose a dropping CNN (DropCNN) method to create a synergy effect with the JF. For the localization, we implement basic concepts of state-of-the-art region based detector combined with a backbone convolutional feature extractor using 50 and 101 layers of residual networks and ensemble them into a single model. Finally, we achieved the highest accuracy in both classification and localization tasks using the dataset among several state-of-the-art methods, including VGG16, AlexNet, and ResNet50 for the classification, and YOLO Faster R-CNN, and SSD for the localization reported on the website.
Impact of Increased Patient Choice of Providers in Sweden: Cataract Surgery

Objectives Choice of provider was introduced in Sweden in 2001. Our aim was to describe the scope and character of patient flows and to analyze any differences between patients who chose to move outside of their home county (movers) and those who did not (non-movers) with regard to age, sex, waiting time and level of need. Methods Use of cataract operations between 2005 and 2008 based on data from the National Cataract Register. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, odds ratios and multivariate regression analysis to compare movers and non-movers. Information on contracting between county councils and providers in other counties was obtained from a survey. Results Only 4% of cataract patients were treated by a provider outside their home county. Patient flows were mainly determined by contracts between county councils and providers, and only 1% were considered to be ‘true’ movers (i.e. patients who were not part of any special contracting agreement). Movers differed from non-movers in that they were on average younger, had less serious visual problems and had shorter waiting times. Conclusion Though patient flows are minor in scope, the possibility of changing provider has probably been important in tackling long waits in some counties. However, the reform may threaten the equity of health care use.
Why invest in communication for immunization? Evidence and lessons learned.

This report makes a case for revitalizing investments in communication for immunization. It considers communication in a broad sense including advocacy social and community mobilization and information education and communication (IEC) activities. It identifies communication challenges that affect the success of immunization services; offers evidence of the contributions of communication activities; identifies lessons learned and suggests ways in which communication can continue to strengthen immunization programs. Without well-planned adequately funded strategic communication immunization programs fall short of meeting and sustaining coverage goals. Communication is particularly needed to achieve vaccination coverage in hard-to-reach populations and to build trust in vaccines among those who question them. Stakeholders also to need advocate for immunization programs to persuade governments donors and other actors to support vaccine programs vis-a-vis other health programs and priorities. (excerpt)
Financial Factors and Manufacturing Exports: Firm-Level Evidence From Egypt

Abstract This paper focuses on the effects of financial factors on manufacturing firms’ export participation in a panel of Egyptian manufacturing firms over the 2003–2008 period. Our main results show that financial constraints reduce export participation of Egyptian firms, while financial liquidity improves it. Moreover, financial constraints have a negative impact on alternative measures of export activity, namely, export intensity and the time the firm takes before starting to export. Consequently, adding to the scarce literature on developing countries, our results support an important impact of financial factors on Egyptian firms’ participation in international trade.
Caudal ventrolateral medullary neurons are elements of the network responsible for the 10-Hz rhythm in sympathetic nerve discharge.

1. This is the first study to show that caudal ventrolateral medullary (CVLM) neurons play an important role in governing the 10-Hz rhythm in sympathetic nerve discharge (SND). Spike-triggered averaging showed that the naturally occurring discharges of 66 of 246 CVLM neurons located 0-2.5 mm rostral to the obex, 4-4.25 mm lateral to the midline, and within 2 mm of the ventral surface were correlated to the 10-Hz rhythm in inferior cardiac SND of 17 urethan-anesthetized cats. 2. Frequency domain analysis was used to characterize further the relationships between SND and the discharges of 45 CVLM neurons with activity correlated to the 10-Hz rhythm in inferior cardiac nerve activity. The autospectra of the discharges of 22 of these neurons contained a sharp peak near 10 Hz (corresponding to the peak in the autospectra of SND), although the mean firing rate of these neurons was only 5.9 +/- 0.5 (SE) spikes/s. The peak coherence value relating the 10-Hz discharges of these CVLM neurons and the inferior cardiac nerve was 0.42 +/- 0.03. The autospectra for the other 23 CVLM neurons did not contain a peak near 10 Hz. Their mean firing rate was 2.3 +/- 0.5 spikes/s, and the peak coherence value relating their discharges to the 10-Hz rhythm in SND was 0.08 +/- 0.01. The coherence value was significantly different than zero in all but three cases. 3. Importantly, spike-triggered averaging and coherence analysis demonstrated that CVLM neurons with activity correlated to the 10-Hz rhythm did not have activity correlated 1:1 to the cardiac-related rhythm in SND of baroreceptor-innervated cats. Also, their discharges were not correlated to the irregular 2- to 6-Hz oscillations in SND of baroreceptor-denervated cats. These data support the hypothesis that different pools of brain stem neurons generate the 10-Hz rhythm and the 2- to 6-Hz oscillations (or cardiac-related rhythm) in SND. 4. Despite the fact that CVLM neurons with activity correlated to the 10-Hz rhythm did not have activity correlated 1:1 to the cardiac-related rhythm in SND, these neurons were influenced by baroreceptor afferent nerve activity. First, their firing rates could be decreased (n = 12) or increased (n = 2) during the pressor response induced by inflating a balloon in the aorta (aortic obstruction). Second, on occasion, the discharges of CVLM neurons and the 10-Hz rhythm in SND were entrained to a harmonic of the heart rate. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Recommendation for a non-animal alternative to rat caries testing.

PURPOSE As a requirement of the Food & Drug Administration's final monograph on "Anticaries drug products for over-the-counter human use", the toothpaste industry has been conducting animal caries tests on every fluoride-containing toothpaste introduced into the U.S. market since 1996. The practice of testing in animals, although required by law, is in stark conflict with the corporate policy of many U.S. and global toothpaste manufacturers, in which, if possible, alternatives to animal testing are utilized. A provision does exist within the regulation which allows the use of an alternative method to demonstrate efficacy. However, to take advantage of this provision, a petition must be submitted to the FDA and in this petition data demonstrating the alternative provides results of "equivalent accuracy" must be included. After many years of research, model development and model comparisons, we have identified one particular laboratory model that demonstrated excellent correlation with the currently accepted animal caries models. This model, known as the Featherstone pH cycling model, is discussed in this paper. METHODS The Featherstone pH cycling model has been shown to produce results of equivalent accuracy to the animal caries model by: (1) demonstrating a clinically relevant fluoride dose response similar to that shown in the animal caries model (including 1100 ppm F, 250 ppm F and placebo); (2) demonstrating similar results to the animal caries model for clinically proven dentifrice formulations relative to positive and negative controls; (3) demonstrating discriminating ability in strong agreement with the animal caries model for differentiating between a dentifrice formulation with attenuated fluoride activity and a USP standard; and (4) providing a clinically relevant representation of the caries process, as demonstrated by orthodontic banding studies. In addition, the model sufficiently addresses both salivary and abrasive/anticalculus agent interference concerns. RESULTS For more than 50 years, fluoride has been the first defense in the fight against dental caries. The clinical effectiveness of fluoride is well accepted and documented extensively in the literature. The mechanism through which fluoride provides its benefit is very straightforward and well understood. The proposed laboratory model effectively simulates the effect of the caries process and has been shown to demonstrate equivalent accuracy to animal caries. This indicates that there are strong scientific grounds for the use of this model as an alternative to the animal caries test. Based on the strength of the data and the correlations noted between the two models, we recommend that the scientific community and the toothpaste industry broadly accept the Featherstone laboratory pH cycling model as an appropriate alternative to animal testing, particularly for ionic fluoride based dentifrices.