Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Financial Reporting Quality and Wage Differentials: Evidence from Worker-Level Data

We examine whether financial reporting quality influences employee turnover and wages using employer-employee matched data in the U.S. We find that low financial reporting quality is associated with high employee turnover risk, so workers demand wage premiums to bear this risk. High corporate governance firms exhibit a weaker association between financial reporting quality and turnover rates, suggesting that corporate governance mitigates turnover risk related to low financial reporting quality. We further find that more educated and higher paid workers receive higher wage premiums associated with low financial reporting quality although turnover rates are similar across these different groups of workers, consistent with sophisticated workers identifying financial reporting quality. Using Sarbanes-Oxley mandated reports of internal control weaknesses as a research setting, we show that as a firm’s internal control system weakens, firms pay wage premiums to employees. Overall, these analyses indicate that low financial reporting quality firms compensate for higher turnover risk by paying higher wages to workers, which increases firms’ cost of labor.
COMPARISON OF UV IRRADIANCE DATA FROM OMI WITH GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS AT THE CHISINAU (KISHINEV) SITE, MOLDOVA

Erythemal UV irradiance data obtained from ground-based observations are used for validation of the UV products from overpass nadir measurements performed with the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on-board the EOS Aura satellite platform. UV ground data were obtained with using of broadband radiometers (model UV-S-B-C) at the ground-based solar radiation monitoring station in Kishinev (Chisinau), Moldova during the period from 2004 to 2009. OMI UV final products were derived by the OMI’s international team with using of the TOMS-like algorithm. Erythemal dose rate at time of overpass (OEDR) and at local noon time (EDR@noon) and erythemal daily dose (EDD) were taken into analysis. Interval of 1-min averaging of erythemal UV irradiance measurements with ground-based broadband radiometer gives an possibility to make quasi-synchronous observations with OMI overpass measurements. Validation showed that OMI overpass UV data underestimate UV data from ground observations for all sky (AS) and cloud-free (CF) conditions. Results of validation showed a bias value of –15.8% under AS and –18.3% under CF conditions. Concerning EDR@noon data bias was –15.8% under AS and –17.7% under CF conditions; taking into account EDD data some increasing in bias was observed (with a value of –21.5% and –19.9% under AS and CF conditions, respectively). The effect of aerosols on UV irradiance was studied in terms of aerosol optical depth (AOD@340 nm) retrieved from the AERONET, NASA/GSFC. It was observed that there is a high correlation of ~0.79 and that a larger relative difference corresponds to a larger value of AOD@340 nm.
Mining Mental States using Music Associations

Owing to the stigmatization of mental illnesses such as depression in India [1], there is a need for indirect unsuspecting ways to identify risk for depression and provide timely intervention. Healthy-Unhealthy Music scale (HUMS) [2] is one such assessment tool developed on Australian population that uses music engagement as an indicator of anxiety levels and potential high-risk for depression as assessed by Kessler’s Psychological Distress Scale (K10). The current study aims to ascertain its validity in an Indian setting followed by applying machine learning approaches to predict mental well-being from music associations. A diverse group comprising Indian adult population was assessed using HUMS and mental well-being and proneness to depression measures. HUMS structure investigated via Exploratory factor analyses, and concurrent validity tested with correlations to depression risk and wellbeing revealed high external validity and applicability of HUMS in Indian adult population. Furthermore, very low in-sample error for models like Support Vector Machines (SVM) with nonlinear kernels suggests an underlying pattern between HUMS responses and K10 score. Finally, a two-class model resulted in out of sample accuracy of 81%. To conclude, HUMS demonstrates high generalizability and hence applicability in Indian adult population and potential for employing ML models to capture the underlying pattern.
Electrolyte and acid-base disturbances in the critically ill patients: A retrospective case control study

Background: Electrolyte and acid-base disturbances are common in critically ill patients. Early appreciation and appropriate interventions to maintain this internal milieu are lifesaving and cost effective for the patients. Objective of the study: To analyze the effects of electrolyte and acid-base disturbances on hospital mortality in critically ill patients. Materials and methods: A retrospective case control study was done on 100 patients in the intensive care unit of our hospital for six months. Results: The incidences of electrolyte and acid-base disturbances were higher in non-survivors than survivors. The serum potassium value had both clinical (4.318 in the survivors vs. 4.815 in the nonsurvivors) and statistical significance (p=0.0298) between the survivor and non-survivor group. Arterial blood HCO3 (0.0304), CO2 (P=0.0396) and pH (P=0.015) at admission were statistically different between the two groups. The incidence rates of hyperkalemia (65%), respiratory acidosis (62.5%) and mixed metabolic acidosis and respiratory acidosis (65%) were higher in the non-survivor group. Conclusion: Electrolyte and acid-base disturbances hyperkalemia, respiratory acidosis and mixed respiratory with metabolic acidosis are highly associated with hospital mortality. Jenifer Sinekalatha M, Sankara Narayanan PG, Rock Britto. Electrolyte and acid-base disturbances in the critically ill patients: A retrospective case control study. IAIM, 2019; 6(6): 1-8.
Configuration and intercomparison of deep learning neural models for statistical downscaling

Abstract. Deep learning techniques (in particular convolutional neural networks, CNNs) have recently emerged as a promising approach for statistical downscaling due to their ability to learn spatial features from huge spatiotemporal datasets. However, existing studies are based on complex models, applied to particular case studies and using simple validation frameworks, which makes a proper assessment of the (possible) added value offered by these techniques difficult. As a result, these models are usually seen as black boxes, generating distrust among the climate community, particularly in climate change applications. In this paper we undertake a comprehensive assessment of deep learning techniques for continental-scale statistical downscaling, building on the VALUE validation framework. In particular, different CNN models of increasing complexity are applied to downscale temperature and precipitation over Europe, comparing them with a few standard benchmark methods from VALUE (linear and generalized linear models) which have been traditionally used for this purpose. Besides analyzing the adequacy of different components and topologies, we also focus on their extrapolation capability, a critical point for their potential application in climate change studies. To do this, we use a warm test period as a surrogate for possible future climate conditions. Our results show that, while the added value of CNNs is mostly limited to the reproduction of extremes for temperature, these techniques do outperform the classic ones in the case of precipitation for most aspects considered. This overall good performance, together with the fact that they can be suitably applied to large regions (e.g., continents) without worrying about the spatial features being considered as predictors, can foster the use of statistical approaches in international initiatives such as Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX).
HELİCOBACTER PYLORİ ERADİKASYONUNDA PROTON POMPA İNHİBİTÖRLERİNİN EKTKİNLİKLERİNİN (LANSOPRAZOL VE OMEPRAZOL) KIYASLANMASI

Aim of this study was to define the difference between the effectivity of two proton pump inhibitors plus dual antibiotics therapy for eradication of Hp in patients with peptic ulcer. For this study, 44 subjets with documented Hp infection of the stomach were recruited. Patients were treated as follows: 1) omeprazol 20 mg bid plus amoxicillin 1gr bid plus clarithromycin 500 mg bid for one week (OAC); 2) lansoprazole 30 mg bid plus amoxicillin 1 gr bid plus clarithromycin 500 mg bid for one week (LAC). After 4 weeks upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and biopsy was repeated for histological and endoscopic evelaution. Hp eradication rates were respecti vely % 86.9 and % 90.4 in OAC and LAC groups. Both PPI-based triple therapies tested in this study were safe and effective in cur ng Hp infection. There were not any statistically signi ficant differences between two groups. OAC and LAC regimens resulted in high cure rates and thus may be considered the reatment of cho ce. Key words: Helicobacter pylori eradication, clarithromycin, amoxicillin, peptic ulcer, proton pump nh b tors
Production and secretion of heterologous immunomodulators in bacteroides thetaiotaomicron

iii Acknowledgements . iv List of Tables . ix List of Figures . x List of Abbreviations . xi Chapter 1 Literature Review and Introduction . 1 1.1 The gastrointestinal tract (GIT) . 1 1.1.1 The colonic mucosa . 1 1.2 Mucosal immunology . 3 1.2. 1 Innate immunity . 4 1.2. 2 Adaptive immunity . 7 1.2. 3 Signaling molecules . 9 1.2. 4 Microbe-immune system interaction . 10 1.3 Immune dysfunction . 11 1.3. 1 Cost of immune dysfunction. 13 1.3. 2 Current Solutions . 14 1.4 Microbe intervention . 15 1.4. 1 Prebiotics . 15 1.4. 2 Probiotics . 16 1.4. 3 Synbiotics . 16 1.5 Bioengineering . 17 1.5. 1 E. coli . 18
Duality in Adaptive Robust Linear Optimization

Adaptive robust optimization is a modelling paradigm for multistage optimization under uncertainty where one seeks decisions that minimize the worst-case cost with respect to all possible scenarios in a prescribed uncertainty set. However, optimal policies for adaptive robust optimization problems are difficult to compute. Therefore, one often restricts to the class of affine policies which give good solutions. We propose a simple set-lifting procedure to enhance the quality of affine policies for adaptive robust linear optimization problems, which yields the optimal solution in finite iterations. Using a new lower bound technique, we compute tight lower bounds on the optimal value and the obtained solution can be used to warm start the exact methods to reduce the computation time. Leveraging the primal and dual formulations, we improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the exact solution method of Zeng and Zhao (2013), and extend their method to solve problems without complete recourse. The effectiveness of our method is demonstrated on a uncapacitated lot-sizing problem (with complete recourse) and a capacitated lot-sizing problem (without complete recourse).
Students’ Attitudinal Variables as Correlates of Achievement in Secondary School Mathematics in Barbados

This study was designed to determine the relationship between and amongst variables: students’ perceptions of mathematics usefulness, parents’ involvement and mathematics teacher influence on achievement in mathematics. A sample of 170 4 and 5 form students who comprised of 116 girls and 54 boys participated in this study. Two instruments were used for data collection. Data analysis involved the interpretation of frequencies, t-test and regression analysis. Results of the frequencies showed that students had positive perceptions of the usefulness of mathematics and the influence of their mathematics teachers. However they displayed negative perceptions of their parents’ involvement in reference to their achievement of mathematics. The results also showed there was no significant differences amongst male and female students on any of the three variables as it pertained to mathematics achievement. Mathematics usefulness (t = -.770; df = 168; p =.442), teacher influence (t = 1.120; df = 168; p =.228) and parental involvement (t = -.728; df = 168; p =.467). Additionally the contribution of the three variables though small contributed to mathematics achievement accounting for 6.2% (R square = 0.062, P< 0.05) of the total variance. Also, all the variables except students’ perceptions of parental involvement contributed significantly to mathematics achievement with students’ perception of their mathematics teacher contributing the most and students’ perception of parental involvement, the least. Hence teachers ought to continue to encourage and show interest in the progress of their students and provide the necessary intervention students might require to enhance their problem solving skills; which would directly improve students’ performance in mathematics. Likewise parents should become more involve in their children education in mathematics and be more aware of the challenges they encountered in the subject.
Research on Cerebral Protection Effect and Mechanism of Dex Combined with Shengmai Injection on CPB Rates

Objective: To explore the cerebral protection effect and mechanism of dextrometadiazine (Dex) combined with Shengmai injection on CPB rates. Method: 10 healthy, adult and male SD rats were classified into CPB group and drug intervention group according to random number table, and each group included 5 rates. CPB group: equivalent normal saline + CPB 120min; drug intervention group: Dex combined with Shengmai injection + CPB 120min. IT-6 (interleukin), IL-10 and S100βwere monitored at two points of time: before CPB (T0) and CPB 2h (T1). Water content and calcium content of rats’ brain tissues were determined. Results: Compared with CPB group, IL-6 and S100βof drug intervention group lowered at T1, and Water content and calcium content of brain tissues decreased. The differences had statistical significance (P<0.05). Conclusion: Dex combined with Shengmai injection can relieve inflammatory response and alleviate rats’ CPB cerebral injury through effectively reducing water content and calcium content of rats’ brain tissues after CPB.
E-mobile Acceptance Using Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT): Research on Universities in Jordan

An investigation into the variables that have a bearing on the acceptance of D-learning (Digital-learning) services such as E-learning and M-learning, in Jordanian universities is presented. This is followed with a discussion on modernising M-learning with emerging technologies. The study fuses the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (“UTAUT”) model with the cultural paradigm and educational variables. 100 valid questionnaires distributed to random Jordanian students in two cities were used to collect the primary data. The IBM SPSS® (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) software platform was used to analyse the data. The validity of the overall model was proven statistically with an acceptable fit of the data to the measurement model. The findings show that the factor with the highest direct effect on “Intention to use M-learning” is the “Attitude toward using M-learning”. Whilst the factor with the highest indirect effect on “Intention to use M-learning” is “Compatibility”. The conclusions are that the: cultural factor has a significant and positive impact on the “perceived usefulness” and “perceived ease of use”. “Perceived usefulness” and “perceived ease of use” have the greater impact on the “customers’ attitude”, which consequently influences the students’ “intention to use M-learning services”. The findings also indicate that educational variables such as the attainment value, self-management of learning and the perceived enjoyment significantly affected M-learning adoption intention. Emerging technologies such as the Cloud, AI (Artificial Intelligence) and the Blockchain and how they may be utilised to enhance the delivery of M-learning is discussed throughout the paper.
SURGICAL SITE INFECTIONS: INCIDENCE AND RISK FACTORS IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL, WESTERN INDIA

Purpose: The present study was aimed at obtaining the incidence of Surgical Site Infections (SSI) and determining various risks the factors influencing the Surgical Site Infections rate with special reference to the NNIS risk index at tertiary care hospital, Gujarat. Western India. Methods: In this study, 200 patients who underwent various surgeries were included and various risk factors were studied. Swabs were obtained from wounds and were processed without delay using standard microbiological methods. Results: Overall SSI rate was 16% (32/200). The most common organism isolated was Escherichia coli (35.7%, 10/28). Increase in pre-operative hospital stay, ASA (American Society of Anesthesiology) score > 2, increase in surgical wound class, emergency surgeries, longer duration of surgery were associated with increased SSI rates. NNIS risk index was calculated for all patients and it was found that SSI rate increases with increase in NNIS risk index. Conclusion: The risk indices, like the NNIS risk index provide information about potential risk factors for development of SSI. Survei llance of surgical site infections with feedback of appropriate data to surgeons would be desirable to reduce SSI rates.
AHMT_A_190565 153..172

Schroth Scoliosis & Spine Clinic, Physiotherapy Department, Athens, Greece Abstract: Brace effectiveness for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis was controversial until recent studies provided high quality of evidence that bracing can decrease likelihood of progression and need for operative treatment. Very low evidence exists regarding bracing over 40 and adult degenerative scoliosis. Initial in-brace correction and compliance seem to be the most important predictive factors for successful treatment outcome. However, the amount of correction and adherence to wearing hours have not been established yet. Moderate evidence suggests that thoracic and double curves, and curves over 30 at an early growth stage have more risk for failure. High and low bodymass index scores are also associatedwith low successful rates. CAD/ CAM braces have shown better initial correction and are more comfortable than conventional plaster cast braces. For a curve at high risk of progression, rigid and day-time braces are significantly more effective than soft or night-time braces. No safe conclusion on effectiveness can be drawn while comparing symmetrical and asymmetrical brace designs. The addition of physiotherapeutic scoliosis-specific exercises in brace treatment can provide better outcomes and is recommended, when possible. Despite the growing evidence for brace effectiveness, there is still an imperative need for future high methodological quality studies to be conducted.
Improving Students’ Thinking Skill Based on Class Interaction in Discovery Instructional: A Case of Lesson Study

Lesson Study (LS) activity aims to improve teachers’ professionalism using discovery-based instructional design. Teachers’ professionalism was measured based on communication during the learning process, especially questions and statements from the teachers and students on various topics. Thirty-two high school biology teachers and twelve model teachers involved in this research. The procedures of the LS activity included curriculum review (up to constructing learning objectives); lesson plan making; implementation of lesson plans; communication of the results; and workshop. The research showed that LS activity changed the questioning skills of the teachers and students. Changes in the quality of teachers’ questions and statements were proportionate with the changes in students’ answers quality. The quality of questions and statements affected the teachers’ competencies; also, improved the quality of learning as it facilitated students’ thinking of learning as thinking categories.
Effects of testosterone propionate on hindlimb-immobilized rats

Forty albino male rats were randomly divided into 4 groups of 10. Group I served as the nonimmobilized control and received daily placebo injections of sesame oil. The rats in group II were castrated, their hindlimbs were immobilized using a plaster cast, and they received daily injections of sesame oil. The group III rats were also castrated and casted but received a daily injection of 5 mg testosterone propionate. The animals in group IV were not castrated but were casted and received daily testosterone propionate injections. The duration of each treatment was 15 days for each rat. The gastrocnemius, quadriceps, soleus, and cardiac muscles were weighed after treatment. O2 consumption capacity (QO2), citrate synthase activities, and percentages of water were measured in the gastrocnemius, quadriceps, and cardiac tissues. Along with the atrophy of muscle and reduction in body size, the immobilization significantly reduced the aerobic capacity of affected muscle groups and cardiac tissue. The greatest reductions in body weight, muscle size, heart size, and QO2 were seen in the castrated group that received only placebo injections of sesame oil. The anticatabolic effects of the anabolic steroid were evident in groups III and IV. The results indicate that hindlimb immobilization not only causes severe atrophy in those muscles immobilized but has an overall catabolic effect on the animal. Testosterone, or the lack of it, can significantly affect the amount of muscle atrophy.
Spontaneous Fungal Peritonitis in Egyptian Patients with Cirrhotic Ascites

*Corresponding Author: Noha Mahmoud Gohar: Lecturer of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University. Tel. : 02/01001332681 nohagohar@yahoo.com Background: Spontaneous fungal peritonitis in liver cirrhotic patients is considered a serious complication with a grave prognosis. The available data describing this entity are still deficient, however they all stress that early diagnosis and proper management is essential to decrease mortality. Objectives: This study was conducted to assess the incidence, characteristics and predisposing factors of fungal peritonitis in patients with cirrhotic ascites. Methodology: Ascitic fluid samples were collected from 141 Egyptian patients with cirrhotic ascites. Ascetic fluid specimens were subjected to direct microscopic examination, bacterial and fungal culture. Results: Sixty one patients were diagnosed to have spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP), eight of them were culture positive SBP and E. coli was the commonest organism to be isolated. A single case of spontaneous fungal peritonitis (SFP) was detected caused by Candida albicans. ChildPugh C, high MELD score and high bilirubin level might be among the risk factors of development of SFP.
Supervised and Unsupervised Machine Translation for Myanmar-English and Khmer-English

This paper presents the NICT’s supervised and unsupervised machine translation systems for the WAT2019 Myanmar-English and Khmer-English translation tasks. For all the translation directions, we built state-of-the-art supervised neural (NMT) and statistical (SMT) machine translation systems, using monolingual data cleaned and normalized. Our combination of NMT and SMT performed among the best systems for the four translation directions. We also investigated the feasibility of unsupervised machine translation for low-resource and distant language pairs and confirmed observations of previous work showing that unsupervised MT is still largely unable to deal with them.