Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Key factors for loan repayment of micro entrepreneurs in Ghana

This thesis examines the extent to what corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies, entrepreneurial and business skills and programmes for training and monitoring improve microbusiness performance and loan repayment rates: ‘To what extent do corporate social responsibility strategies, entrepreneurial and business skills and programmes for training and monitoring improve loan repayment rates of microfinance debtors in developing countries? ’ MFIs that adopt CSR strategies provide for both financial and social empowerment services. Social empowerment services may include primary health care services, occupational skills training for microfinance debtors and debtor monitoring programmes. The 2008 credit crunch led many MFIs to abandon their CSR strategies. We analyse the case of uniCredit Ghana MFI and argue that CSR strategies contribute to public support for the MFI. This helps raise deposits and improves funding opportunities. Social empowerment investment improve microbusiness performance and loan repayment rates. We expect those MFIs that adopt CSR strategies to improve their sustainability, more than do MFIs that specialize in providing financial services only. We establish that those microfinance debtors who consider themselves endowed with entrepreneurial and business skills do not repay loans better than those microfinance debtors lacking these skills. Highly educated entrepreneurs do not repay their loans any better relative to those with primary or secondary education only. We establish that business experience is the only constituent of human capital that matters for business performance and loan repayment rates. Experienced microfinance debtors systematically repay their loans better than do those entrepreneurs lacking business experience. We observe that microfinance debtors do not agree on what skills they think are important for loan repayment probabilities. This result implies that every single microfinance debtor needs to acquire specific skills. Training programmes cannot be standardized and should be tailored towards the needs of the individual microfinance debtor. We establish that MFI loan officers neither agree on the ranking of specific skills they think are important for microfinance debtors to repay their loans promptly. This result suggests that MFI loan officers should be trained to better understand the relevance of specific entrepreneurial and business skills for microfinance entrepreneurs. We empirically establish that training programmes fail to improve loan repayment rates. Programmes for intensive microfinance debtor monitoring significantly improve loan repayment rates. Intensive monitoring is equally effective for highly and poorly educated, experienced and unexperienced, female and male microfinance debtors: MFIs may significantly improve repayment rates should they consistently monitor their microfinance debtors intensively.
Reduction of uranium by cytochrome c3 of Desulfovibrio vulgaris

The mechanism for U(VI) reduction by Desulfovibrio vulgaris (Hildenborough) was investigated. The H2-dependent U(VI) reductase activity in the soluble fraction of the cells was lost when the soluble fraction was passed over a cationic exchange column which extracted cytochrome c3. Addition of cytochrome c3 back to the soluble fraction that had been passed over the cationic exchange column restored the U(VI)-reducing capacity. Reduced cytochrome c3 was oxidized by U(VI), as was a c-type cytochrome(s) in whole-cell suspensions. When cytochrome c3 was combined with hydrogenase, its physiological electron donor, U(VI) was reduced in the presence of H2. Hydrogenase alone could not reduce U(VI). Rapid U(VI) reduction was followed by a subsequent slow precipitation of the U(IV) mineral uraninite. Cytochrome c3 reduced U(VI) in a uranium-contaminated surface water and groundwater. Cytochrome c3 provides the first enzyme model for the reduction and biomineralization of uranium in sedimentary environments. Furthermore, the finding that cytochrome c3 can catalyze the reductive precipitation of uranium may aid in the development of fixed-enzyme reactors and/or organisms with enhanced U(VI)-reducing capacity for the bioremediation of uranium-contaminated waters and waste streams.
Progression of Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Background Individuals with early or intermediate stages of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) make up a large, growing segment of the elderly population. Evidence is sparse regarding modifiable factors that may decrease the risk of progression to the advanced forms of AMD. Objective To advise patients with a high risk for advanced forms of AMD about preventive measures through our evaluation of the relationship between dietary fat intake and the progression of early or intermediate AMD to the advanced stages of the disease associated with visual loss. Design A prospective cohort study with an average follow-up time of 4.6 years. Setting A hospital-based clinical retinal practice specializing in macular degeneration. Patients The 261 participants were aged 60 years and older and had some sign of nonexudative AMD and visual acuity of 20/200 or better in at least 1 eye. Main Outcome Measure Progression to advanced AMD, which was defined as having geographic atrophy or neovascular disease. Results Higher total fat intake increased the risk of progression to the advanced forms of AMD, with a relative risk (RR) of 2.90 (95% confidence interval, 1.15-7.32) for the highest fat-intake quartile relative to the lowest fat-intake quartile, after controlling for other factors (P trend = .01). Animal fat intake was associated with a 2-fold increased risk of progression (RR, 2.29 for the highest quartile compared with the lowest quartile; 95% confidence interval, 0.91-5.72), although the trend for increasing risk with higher animal fat intake was not significant (P= .09). Higher vegetable fat intake had a stronger relationship with increased risk of AMD progression with an RR of 3.82 (95% confidence interval, 1.58-9.28) for the highest quartile compared with the lowest quartile (P trend = .003). Saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and transunsaturated fats increased the likelihood of progression (RR, 2.09 and P trend = .08; RR, 2.21 and P trend = .04; RR, 2.28 and P trend = .04; RR, 2.39 and P trend = .008, respectively). Higher fish intake was associated with a lower risk of AMD progression among subjects with lower linoleic acid intake. Processed baked goods, which are higher in some of these fats, increased the rate of AMD progression approximately 2-fold, and nuts were protective. Conclusions Among individuals with the early or intermediate stages of AMD, total and specific types of fat intake, as well as some fat-containing food groups, modified the risk of progression to advanced AMD. Fish intake and nuts reduced risk. Since advanced AMD is associated with visual loss and reduced quality of life, these preventive measures deserve additional research and greater emphasis.
Variation on Male Mating Success to Short-Term High Thermal Stress among Three Geographical Strains of Drosophila melanogaster

The effect of high temperature stress on mating success is investigated in three natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster from different geographical origins. In this experiment, the males of the control group were continuously kept at 25°C while the males of the second and third groups were kept at 36°C and 38.5°C respectively for 1 h before mating to evaluate the male mating success. One group of males exposed to short-term high thermal stress were immediately put into the vials to mate with females, while males of the second group were kept in the vials for a relaxation period for 1 h before mating. I found that mating success which was measured as the number of offsprings was higher in the group which was mated immediately after short-term high thermal stress. Also it is seen that the individuals exposed to 38.5 o C were much more successful than the individuals which were kept at 25 o C. There is also some variation between the populations of different origins as a respond to thermal stress. This results show us that genotype environment interaction is higher for male mating success and the relaxation period after short-term thermal stress has a negative effect on male mating success.
Quarter-Wavelength Printed Loop Antenna With an Internal Printed Matching Circuit for GSM/ DCS/PCS/UMTS Operation in the Mobile Phone

A small-size printed loop antenna with an internal printed matching circuit capable of GSM/DCS/PCS/UMTS operation in the mobile phone is proposed. The antenna comprises an 85-mm long folded loop strip and an internal printed matching circuit encircled therein and formed by a coupling strip and an inductive strip. The loop strip is excited by the coupling strip to generate a 0.25 lambda resonant mode at about 900 MHz for GSM operation. For the inductive strip, it effectively causes a wideband higher order mode at about 1900 MHz for DCS/PCS/UMTS operation. Further, the antenna shows a uniplanar structure and requires a very small printed area of 170 mm2 on the system circuit board of the mobile phone, making it easy to fabricate at low cost. Details of the proposed antenna and its radiation performances including the SAR (specific absorption rate) results are studied.
Usefulness of IgM-specific enzyme immunoassays for serodiagnosis 1 of syphilis : comparative evaluation of three different assays 2 3 4

OBJECTIVES: IgM antibodies are usually the first to be produced during treponemal infection. Three commercially available enzyme immunoassays (EIA) for detection of IgM antibodies against Treponema pallidum were evaluated. METHODS: Results of the Anti-Treponema-pallidumELISA (IgM; Euroimmun), Pathozyme Syphilis M Capture (Omega Diagnostics) and recomWell Treponema IgM (Mikrogen) were compared with those of the T. pallidum particle agglutination (TPPA) and the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) tests for 307 serum samples. RESULTS: The overall sensitivity (95% confidence interval [CI]) of the TPPA was 100% (97.7-100%) compared to 83.3% (76.5-88.8%) of the VDRL, 88.5% (82.4-93.0%) of the Pathozyme, 84.6% (78.0-89.9) of the Euroimmun, and 73.6% (66.1-80.4%) of a modified recomWell test procedure. Specificities were in the range of 91.4100%. In primary syphilis, sensitivities of the Pathozyme (89.8%; 95% CI, 79.2-96.2%) and Euroimmun tests (81.4%; 95% CI, 69.1-90.3%) were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than the sensitivity of the VDRL test (61%; 95% CI, 47.4-73.5%). IgM EIAs even were positive in some cases of suspected very early infection where the VDRL was non-reactive and the TPPA was indeterminate. CONCLUSIONS: In cases of suspected early infection specific IgM EIAs should be used in addition to other screening tests. The VDRL is not recommended for screening. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinf. 2013.03. 011 Posted at the Zurich Open Repository and Archive, University of Zurich ZORA URL: https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-85204 Accepted Version Originally published at: Bosshard, Philipp P (2013). Usefulness of IgM-specific enzyme immunoassays for serodiagnosis of syphilis: comparative evaluation of three different assays. Journal of Infection, 67(1):35-42. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinf. 2013.03. 011
Indigenous people, poverty and Community Based Health Insurance (CBHI) in Rwanda

Community Based Health Insurance (CBHI) is meant to help Rwandan citizens get access quality healthcare services. However, access to this insurance is a chal-lenge for marginalized and Indigenous communities. In order to understand these challenges and provide relevant recommendations, the current research addressed the topic of Indigenous people, poverty and CBHI in Rwanda, spe-cifically in the districts of Gicumbi and Huye. There are three main objectives that were to be fulfilled in this study including1) to evaluate the extent that the Indigenous people (Batwa) in Rwanda have access to Community Based Health Insurance (CBHI), 2) to investigate the constraints/barriers for Batwa to access CBHI? and 3) to examine the relationship between enrollment in CBHI and health/economic status of Batwa. In fulfilling the first research objective of the current study, the findings indicate that the Batwa community has low access to CBHI. While 100% of non-Batwa responded that they had enrolled for CBHI, only 70% of the Batwa respondents agreed to the enrolment. In accomplishing the second research objective, the barriers to access to CBHI led to the low- access to CBHI by the Batwa were found to be low household income, high rates of unemployment and low levels of education. Regarding education 77.8%% of Batwa’s with no education had enrolled for CBHI while 22.2% of them had not enrolled for the insurance. On the other hand, only 37.6% of re-spondents with no education were enrolled for CBHI while 61.7% of respond-ents with education had enrolled for the insurance. Concerning employment, Batwas had higher rates of temporary employment (35%) and other informal jobs (38.3%) but low rates of fulltime employment (0%) as well as farming (26.7%) compare to the non-Batwa. When analysing monthly income, the study shows that 68.3% of Batwas belonged to category 1, which is composed of fam-ilies with who cannot afford basic needs. In achieving the third research objec-tive, the study reveals that enrolment in CBHI leads to improved health and economic status for those who enrol into to the program. After enrolment for xi CBHI, 27.1% of Batwa respondents admitted to having good health. Further-more, 71.7% of the Batwa admitted that the CBHI changed their lives in terms of income because out of pocket expenditure on healthcare services reduced considerably. The main conclusion of the study is that the Batwas have low ac-cess to CBHI as a result of low income, lack of education and meagre household income even though CBHI has potential to improve their health and economic status. The recommendations of the study is that the government increase the capacity of the Batwa people for accessing CBHI by providing them with em-ployment opportunities, standardized education and capital for starting profita-ble businesses.
A Research Model: Value Drivers of B2C Company Web Site

The quality of the Web site is very important in that companies can attract customers by promoting various features of the Web site. But so far it is not very clear which features of the Web site are of key significance to the performance of an e-commerce company. In response to this problem, this paper attempts to present an integrated view of the relationship between Web site features and firm performance. Some theories throw light on the explanation of the impact of Web site features on firm value, such as TAM, SERVQUAL, CSLC and D&M model. Based on these classical theories, we propose a research model under the framework of D&M model, which posits four aspects influential to Web site success - information quality, system quality, service quality and Web site functions. Each construct is conceptualized, giving descriptive items
Effect of Service Quality on Customer Retention of Safaricom Home Fibre Service in Nairobi County

iv TABLE OF CONTENTS . vi LIST OF TABLES . viii CHAPTER ONE . 1 1.0 INTRODUCTION. 1 1.1 Background to the Study . 1 1.2 Statement of the Problem . 4 1.3 General Objective . 6 1.4 Specific Objective . 6 1.5 Importance of the Study . 6 1.6 Scope of the Study . 7 1.7 Definition of Terms. 8 1.8 Chapter Summary . 9 CHAPTER TWO . 10 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW . 10 2.
Complementary-alternative medicine among cancer patients in the western region of Turkey.

PURPOSE To investigate the complementary/alternative medicine (CAM) applications and factors affecting its use among cancer patients in the western region of Turkey. PATIENTS AND METHODS Face-to-face interview technique was used. Patients were asked to answer a questionnaire about their socio-demographic features, their level of knowledge about the disease and CAM application features. RESULTS 220 adult cancer patients (79 male) were evaluated. Ninety-three (42.3%) were using at least one CAM method, the most common being herbal products which were preferred by 81 (36.3%) patients. Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) was the most commonly used herbal product. Next was nutritional support, preferred by 45 (20.3%) patients. Eighty- nine (44.5%) of 200 patients who knew the diagnosis and 4 of 20 (20%) who did not were using CAM. In the patient group with awareness of the diagnosis, CAM application was significantly higher (p=0.034). CAM applications were detected in 34 of 70 (48.5%) patients with recurrent disease while 54 of 150 (36%) patients without recurrent disease were using CAM. The CAM applications were significantly higher in the group with recurrent disease (p=0.006). Fifty-three of 103 (51.4%) patients who had advanced disease were using CAM, while only 40 of 117 (34.1%) patients with local or locally advanced disease were using it. CAM applications were significantly higher in the group with advanced disease (p=0.030). Besides, knowing the diagnosis and disease recurrence were also independent risk factors for CAM usage [odds ratio (OR(: 3.1; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.0-9.8 and OR: 2.2; 95% CI: 1.2-4.0 respectively]. As a result, nearly half of the patients (42.3%) in this region were using at least one of the CAM methods. CONCLUSION The severity of the disease (recurrence and dissemination) and patients' awareness of the diagnosis were the most important factors affecting the CAM applications.
Social Comparison in Retailer–Supplier Relationships: Referent Discrepancy Effects

Social comparisons among suppliers connected through a common retailer pose significant management challenges for the retailer. For instance, a focal supplier’s social comparison can result in upward or downward referent discrepancy, decreasing or increasing perceptions of distributive fairness, respectively, subject to the tie strength of the relationship. Because decreasing perceptions of distributive fairness can be harmful to the retailer–supplier relationship, the authors examine the use of tie strength and timing of explanations as actions a retailer can take to mitigate such perceptions. They test their hypotheses with a two-study, multimethod design conducted in Japan. Study 1 employs a survey of suppliers in a store-within-a-store context as well as objective performance data. The results indicate that upward (downward) referent discrepancy decreases (increases) a focal supplier’s perceptions of distributive fairness. Study 2 employs an experiment using brand/store managers. The results show that when upward referent discrepancies are present, retailers can mitigate the invidious effects of decreased perceptions of distributive fairness by developing strong ties and enacting procedurally fair policies such as proactively providing explanations.
Pengaruh Kompetensi Sumber Daya Manusia, Sistem Pengendalian Intern Pemerintah dan Penerapan Sistem Akuntansi Keuangan Daerah terhadap Kualitas Laporan Keuangan Pemerintah Provinsi Papua

The purpose of this study is to examine and analyze the influence of competence of human resources, government internal control system and the application of regional financial accounting system to the quality of local financial statements. The population is a financial administration staff of 49 SKPD, while the sample amounted to 120. Data collection was done by direct survey. Hypothesis testing is empirically tested using Multiple Regression. The results of partial research on the quality of human resources have a positive effect on the quality of financial statements. The government's internal control system has a positive effect on the quality of local government financial reports. Other findings of the local government accounting system have a positive effect on the quality of local government financial reports. While the results simultaneously have a positive and significant effect on the quality of the Government's financial statements. Keywords: Human Resources Competency, Government Internal Control System, Application of Local Financial Accounting System and Quality of Regional Financial Report.
Trichloroethylene biodegradation by mesophilic and psychrophilic ammonia oxidizers and methanotrophs in groundwater microcosms

This study investigated the efficiency of methane and ammonium for stimulating trichloroethylene (TCE) biodegradation in groundwater microcosms (flasks and batch exchange columns) at a psychrophilic temperature (12 degrees C) typical of shallow aquifers in the northern United States or a mesophilic temperature (24 degrees C) representative of most laboratory experiments. After 140 days, TCE biodegradation rates by ammonia oxidizers and methanotrophs in mesophilic flask microcosms were similar (8 to 10 nmol day-1), but [14C]TCE mineralization (biodegradation to 14CO2) by ammonia oxidizers was significantly greater than that by methanotrophs (63 versus 53%). Under psychrophilic conditions, [14C]TCE mineralization in flask systems by ammonia oxidizers and methanotrophs was reduced to 12 and 5%, respectively. In mesophilic batch exchange columns, average TCE biodegradation rates for methanotrophs (900 nmol liter-1 day-1) were not significantly different from those of ammonia oxidizers (775 nmol liter-1 day-1). Psychrophilic TCE biodegradation rates in the columns were similar with both biostimulants and averaged 145 nmol liter-1 day-1. Methanotroph biostimulation was most adversely affected by low temperatures. At 12 degrees C, the biodegradation efficiencies (TCE degradation normalized to microbial activity) of methanotrophs and ammonia oxidizers decreased by factors of 2.6 and 1.6, respectively, relative to their biodegradation efficiencies at 24 degrees C. Collectively, these experiments demonstrated that in situ bioremediation of TCE is feasible at the psychrophilic temperatures common in surficial aquifers in the northern United States and that for such applications biostimulation of ammonia oxidizers could be more effective than has been previously reported.
The Impact of SHRM on Sustainable Organizational Learning and Performance Development

This article aimed at developing a conceptual framework about the role of Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) and its impact on managerial skills and organizational performance which offered some insights into how learning might occur at the organizational level in order to improve organizational capability as well as individual capability. It also indicated that there were plenty of research studies to advocate the influence of SHRM. Nevertheless, there were some rare examples of linkages between SHRM and sustainable organizational learning practices that can improve organizations effectiveness and develop its performance through ample qualification, suitable working condition, and potential motivation. Thus, this article aims to emphasize on several approaches of organizational learning as facilitating variables. Today, the strategic part of HRM practices which was integrated within the organization stated that the success of the organizational performance lied in developing positive attitudes of individuals, groups, and organizations that mainly enhanced individual competence as well organizational competence through organizational learning. Therefore, the context of this study identified the key concept of SHRM that influenced and boosted knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA’s) of employees in an organization. Finally, this article recommended some research suggestions based on the highlighted propositions that accelerated organizational performance and improved competitive abilities.