Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Macroeconomic and Bank-Specific Determinants of Non-Performing Loans: Evidence from Nepalese Banking System

Abstract This paper aims to evaluate the macroeconomic and bank-specific determinants of non-performing loans (NPL) in the Nepalese banking system using both static and dynamic panel estimation approaches. The study considers 30 Nepalese commercial banks over the period 2003-2015 and uses 7 bank-specific and 5 macroeconomic variables to assess the impact of banking management and economic indicators on NPL. The findings show that NPLs have significant positive relationship with the export to import ratio, inefficiency, and assets size and a negative relationship with the GDP growth rate, capital adequacy, and inflation rate. The results of the empirical study indicate low economic growth as the primary cause of high NPLs in Nepal and suggest that efficient management and effective financial policies are required for a stable financial system and economy. This is the first complete study in the Nepalese banking system and also the first study that has evaluated the effects of remittance, public debts and interest spreads on NPL. The findings of this study will be helpful in designing the macroprudential and fiscal policies in Nepal.
Loughborough University Institutional Repository Drought termination : concept and characterisation

There are numerous anecdotal examples of drought terminations documented throughout the historical record on most continents. The end of a drought is the critical time during which water resource managers urgently require information on the replenishment of supplies. Yet this phase has been relatively neglected by the academic community, with much of the existing body of research on drought termination assessing the likelihood of droughts ending rather than its temporal profile. In particular, there has been little effort to characterise drought termination events themselves. This is partly explained by existing definitions of drought termination as a specific point in time when drought is considered to have finished, rather than a more holistic consideration based on approaches developed within biological sciences. There is also a lack of understanding about how drought termination propagates through the hydrological cycle. This paper specifically examines and reviews available research on drought termination, highlighting limitations associated with current definitions and offering suggestions for characterising the temporal stages of drought. An alternative definition of drought termination is proposed: a period between the maximum negative anomaly and a return to above-average conditions. Once this phase has been delineated, the duration, rate and seasonality of drought termination can be derived. The utility of these metrics is illustrated through a case study of the 2010–2012 drought in the UK, and the propagation of drought termination between river flows and groundwater levels.
Exposure assessment of aflatoxins in Thai peanut consumption

Abstract Aflatoxins (AFs) and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) intake through consumption of peanuts and peanut products were estimated from 60 samples. The samples were collected from 2 retail and 2 wholesale markets in Bangkok during November 2013–January 2014. The results showed that 80% of raw peanut samples were contaminated with AFs while 100% of roasted and ground peanuts samples were contaminated. The highest concentration of AFs was found in ground peanuts at 362.48 ng g−1 resulting in the highest mean concentration (68.22 ng g−1). According to a food consumption database, the average intake of AFs was estimated at 0.49, 0.40 and 2.13 ng/kg bw/day for raw, roasted and ground peanuts, respectively. The potential risk for cancer was estimated at 0.01–0.12 cancer/year/100,000 persons. The results suggest that the current situation of aflatoxins contamination in peanuts and peanut products (especially in ground peanuts) has an adverse effect on the health of the Thai population.
Measuring production—dissolution rates of marine biogenic silica by 30Si‐isotope dilution using a high‐resolution sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer

Regional and seasonal variability of the Si dissolution:production ratios in the surface ocean have not been well assessed. Here, we propose a new method for determining these rates, using the 30Si‐isotopic dilution technique with a high‐resolution sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (HR‐SF‐ICP‐MS). Relative analytical precision of the isotopic measurement is better than 1%, similar to that obtained by thermal ionization‐quadrupole mass spectrometry (TIMS). Accuracy and reproducibility of the isotopic measurements have been checked on artificial and natural solutions by intercomparison between two HR‐SF‐ICP‐MS instruments and one TIMS. Measurements of real Si production and dissolution rates are illustrated for two contrasted situations with an average relative precision of 10%, including one from waters with low Si content (2 µmol L−1), which required an additional purification step by cation exchange chromatography. Si production rate from this later incubation was not significantly different from the one measured by radioactive 32Si. The new method is faster and simpler than TIMS or isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). Its sensitivity is more than one order of magnitude better than TIMS, and it can cover the whole range of Si concentrations encountered in the ocean.
ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CORONAL MAGNETIC DECAY INDEX AND CORONAL MASS EJECTION SPEED

Numerical simulations suggest that kink and torus instabilities are two potential contributors to the initiation and prorogation of eruptive events. A magnetic parameter called the decay index (i.e., the coronal magnetic gradient of the overlying fields above the eruptive flux ropes) could play an important role in controlling the kinematics of eruptions. Previous studies have identified a threshold range of the decay index that distinguishes between eruptive and confined configurations. Here we advance the study by investigating if there is a clear correlation between the decay index and coronal mass ejection (CME) speed. Thirty-eight CMEs associated with filament eruptions and/or two-ribbon flares are selected using the Hα data from the Global Hα Network. The filaments and flare ribbons observed in Hα associated with the CMEs help to locate the magnetic polarity inversion line, along which the decay index is calculated based on the potential field extrapolation using Michelson Doppler Imager magnetograms as boundary conditions. The speeds of CMEs are obtained from the LASCO C2 CME catalog available online. We find that the mean decay index increases with CME speed for those CMEs with a speed below 1000 km s−1 and stays flat around 2.2 for the CMEs with higher speeds. In addition, we present a case study of a partial filament eruption, in which the decay indices show different values above the erupted/non-erupted part.
Role of Lactobacillus rhamnosus (FloraActive™) 19070-2 and Lactobacillus reuteri (FloraActive™) 12246 in Infant Colic: A Randomized Dietary Study

Infant colic is a common condition of unknown pathogenesis that brings frustration to families seeking for effective management. Accumulating evidence suggests that some single strains of lactobacilli may play a positive dietary role in attenuation of colic in exclusively breastfed infants. The objective of this study was to evaluate a mixture of two Lactobacillus strains in decreasing infant cry and fuss in this population. Infants aged 4–12 weeks received L. rhamnosus 19070-2 and L. reuteri 12246 in a daily dose of 250 × 106 CFU, 3.33 mg of fructooligosaccharide, and 200 IU of vitamin D3 (84 infants, probiotic group) or just vitamin D3 (84 infants, control group) for 28 days. Cry and fuss time were measured with validated Baby’s Day Diary on days 0 and 28. At baseline, mean (SD) duration of cry and fuss time was comparable in the probiotic and control groups: 305 (81) vs. 315 (90) min., respectively (p = 0.450). On day 28, mean cry and fuss time became statistically different: 142 (89) vs. 199 (72), respectively (p < 0.05). Mean change in cry and fuss time from day 0 through day 28 was −163 (99) minutes in the probiotic and −116 (94) minutes in the control group (p = 0.019). Our findings confirm that lactobacilli decrease cry and fuss time and provide a dietary support in exclusively breastfed infants with colic.
Language Policy: Administrators and Teachers’ view on English as Medium of Instruction Implementation in Indonesia

International standard school program aims at improving quality of students in which implementing English as medium of instruction in the teaching and learning process in mathematics and science subjects. This paper presents the evaluation result of English as medium of instruction in an international standard school program implementation. Findings show that the administrators and teachers have met the qualification requirements of the Ministry of National Education of Indonesia except the TOEFL and proficiency in the English language. The administrators’ perception of use of English as medium of instruction admitted that teachers could not fully use English as medium of instruction because they may not be proficient in the language. In focus group discussion, teachers did not implement the policy and fully aware that they are not proficient in English besides that it is difficult to deliver their content subjects through English. Therefore, the government should offer in-service training program for bilingual teachers which may be dubbed “English for science and Math Teaching”. Key words: English policy, international standard school (ISS), implementation, English as medium of instruction (EMI).
Edinburgh Research Explorer Is an apple like a fruit?

Categorisation models of metaphor interpretation are based on the premiss that categorisation statements (e.g., ‘Wilma is a nurse’) and comparison statements (e.g., ‘Betty is like a nurse’) are fundamentally different types of assertion. Against this assumption, we argue that the difference is merely a quantitative one: ‘ x is a y ’ unilaterally entails ‘ x is like a y ’, and therefore the latter is merely weaker than the former. Moreover, if ‘ x is like a y ’ licenses the inference that x is not a y , then that inference is a scalar implicature. We defend these claims partly on theoretical grounds and partly on the basis of experimental evidence. A suite of experiments indicates both that ‘ x is a y ’ unilaterally entails that x is like a y , and that in several respects the non-y inference behaves exactly as one should expect from a scalar implicature. We discuss the implications of our view of categorisation and comparison statements for categorisation models of metaphor interpretation.
Cash Management Practices and Financial Performance of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Jordan

This study examined empirically the cash management practices and its effect on the financial performance of SMEs in Jordan. However cash shortage is a chronic challenge to these firms, and cash management is very crucial to the survival and growth of small and medium enterprises. To meet the objective of this study, the researcher sampled firms operating in various sectors of economic activity. A structured questionnaire was used to collect primary data from the respondents which were analyzed to generate frequencies and percentages. The study revealed that only (32) percent from SMEs kept track of Cash Receipts and payment. and the majority (67%) of respondents have no knowledge about cash control procedures. The study concluded that cash management practices have influence on the financial performance of SMEs. The researchers recommend to the need to for SME managers to embrace efficient cash management practices as a strategy to improve their financial performance . Keywords : Cash management, cash surplus, cash deficit, cash control, small and Medium enterprises.
Critical discontinuous phase transition in the threshold contact process

We analyze a threshold contact process on a square lattice in which particles are created on empty sites with at least two neighboring particles and are annihilated spontaneously. We show by means of Monte Carlo simulations that the process undergoes a discontinuous phase transition at a definite value of the annihilation parameter, in accordance with the Gibbs phase rule, and that the discontinuous transition exhibits critical behavior. The simulations were performed by using boundary conditions in which the sites of the border of the lattice are permanently occupied by particles.
Mid-term results of a randomized trial of tricuspid annuloplasty for less-than-severe functional tricuspid regurgitation at the time of mitral valve surgery†.

OBJECTIVES The optimal management of functional tricuspid regurgitation (FTR) in the setting of mitral valve operations remains controversial. The current practice is both centre specific and surgeon specific with guidelines based on non-randomized data. A prospective randomized trial was performed to evaluate the worth of less-than-severe FTR repair during mitral valve procedures. METHODS A single-centre randomized study was designed to allocate patients with less-than-severe FTR undergoing mitral valve surgery to be prophylactically treated with or without tricuspid valve annuloplasty (TVP- or TVP+). These patients were analysed using longitudinal cardiopulmonary exercise capacity, echocardiographic follow-up and cardiac magnetic resonance. The primary outcome was freedom from more than or equal to moderate tricuspid regurgitation with vena contracta ≥4 mm. Secondary outcomes were maximal oxygen uptake and right ventricular (RV) dimension and function. RESULTS A total of 53 patients were allocated to receive concomitant TVP+, and 53 patients were treated conservatively (TVP-). At 5 years, tricuspid regurgitation was observed to be greater than mild in 10 patients in the TVP- group and no patients in the TVP+ group (P < 0.01). Maximal oxygen uptake, RV basal diameter, end-diastolic diameter and end-systolic diameter and fractional area changes were similar in both groups. Cardiac magnetic resonance confirmed no differences in RV end-diastolic volume, RV end-systolic volume and RV ejection fraction. CONCLUSIONS This single-centre prospective randomized trial demonstrated that prophylactic tricuspid annuloplasty irrespective of annular dilatation at the time of mitral surgery reduced the recurrence of moderate or severe FTR at 5-year follow-up and reduced the pulmonary pressure. Nevertheless, the functional capacity, the RV function and the RV dimension remained similar.
Effect of Clove Essential Oil as Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Agent on Cake Shelf Life

The aim of this study was to evaluate efficiency of clove essential oil (CEO) as antioxidant and antimicrobial agent and use in cake preservation as a natural plant preservative due to the harmful effects of synthetic antioxidants. CEO was evaluated their antioxidant effect after adding in cakes (by determining the peroxide value, thiobarbitoric acid and free fatty acid during 28 days of storage at room temperature) and antimicrobial activity (by determining the counts of total bacteria, coliform bacteria, molds and yeasts under the same previous conditions). Also, the effect of CEO on the appearance, color, odor, taste, texture and overall acceptability of the cake samples was sensory evaluated and compared with control sample. The results showed that the CEO was able to retard the oxidation rate and reduction of formed preliminary and secondary oxidation products in cakes compared with synthetic antioxidant, except the sample containing 400 ppm CEO had lower values than control and almost equal with the sample containing BHT. The microbiological study exhibited that CEO was more effective in inhibiting the growth of tested microorganisms with increasing of CEO levels. Also, sensory results indicated that no significant effects were observed between different cake samples in most qualities and they generally were acceptable, except the sample containing 800 ppm CEO was the lowest (p<0.05) acceptable sample. It could be concluded that, CEO exhibited high antioxidant activity and effective antimicrobial properties in cakes when compared with the synthetic antioxidant during 28 days of storage. Consequently, this essential oil could be used as natural antioxidant and antimicrobial in foodstuffs, especially those containing lipid and can increase shelf-life of those foods, beside their safe effects on human health.
Guidelines for Performing a Comprehensive Transesophageal Echocardiographic Examination: Recommendations from the American Society of Echocardiography and the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists

Scott T. Reeves, MD, FASE, Kathryn E. Glas, MD, FASE, Holger Eltzschig, MD, Joseph P. Mathew, MD, FASE, David S. Rubenson, MD, FASE, Gregg S. Hartman, MD, and Stanton K. Shernan, MD, FASE, for the Council for Intraoperative Echocardiography of the American Society of Echocardiography, Charleston, South Carolina; Atlanta, Georgia; Tubingen, Germany; Durham, North Carolina; La Jolla, California; and Lebanon, New Hampshire
Lithospheric structure of an Archean craton and adjacent mobile belt revealed from 2‐D and 3‐D inversion of magnetotelluric data: Example from southern Congo craton in northern Namibia

Archean cratons, and the stitching Proterozoic orogenic belts on their flanks, form an integral part of the Southern Africa tectonic landscape. Of these, virtually nothing is known of the position and thickness of the southern boundary of the composite Congo craton and the Neoproterozoic Pan‐African orogenic belt due to thick sedimentary cover. We present the first lithospheric‐scale geophysical study of that cryptic boundary and define its geometry at depth. Our results are derived from two‐dimensional (2‐D) and three‐dimensional (3‐D) inversion of magnetotelluric data acquired along four semiparallel profiles crossing the Kalahari craton across the Damara‐Ghanzi‐Chobe belts (DGC) and extending into the Congo craton. Two‐dimensional and three‐dimensional electrical resistivity models show significant lateral variation in the crust and upper mantle across strike from the younger DGC orogen to the older adjacent cratons. We find Damara belt lithosphere to be more conductive and significantly thinner than that of the adjacent Congo craton. The Congo craton is characterized by very thick (to depths of 250 km) and resistive (i.e., cold) lithosphere. Resistive upper crustal features are interpreted as caused by igneous intrusions emplaced during Pan‐African magmatism. Graphite‐bearing calcite marbles and sulfides are widespread in the Damara belt and account for the high crustal conductivity in the Central Zone. The resistivity models provide new constraints on the southern extent of the greater Congo craton and suggest that the current boundary drawn on geological maps needs revision and that the craton should be extended further south.
CHARACTERIZATION OF CHITOSAN NANOPARTICLES ADDED WITH ESSENTIAL OILS. In vitro EFFECT ON Pectobacterium carotovorum

Chitosan is a biomacromolecule with antibacterial activity against a broad spectrum of bacteria, while essential oils are known to possess antimicrobial activity. In this work, lime and thyme essential oils were encapsulated in chitosan nanoparticles by nanoprecipitation method. The success of the encapsulation was confirmed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Z Potential. The obtained nanoparticles exhibited a regular distribution and spherical shape with size range of 117-250 nm. The antibacterial activity of the chitosan nanoparticles and chitosan nanoparticles added with thyme essential oil presented a significant inhibitory e ect on the growth of Pectobacterium carotovorum.
Impacts of rodents on rice production in Asia

This paper provides an up-to-date review of the preharvest impact of rodent pests on rice-based agricultural systems in 11 Asian countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, People's Republic of China, India, Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Under traditional rice farming systems, rodents generally cause chronic losses to production in the order of 5-10% per annum. In many areas, this figure has risen dramatically over the last few decades, most noticeably in places where cropping frequency has increased from one to two or three crops per year. Today, it is not unusual for smallholder rice farmers to report chronic yield losses of 20-30% per annum, rising to 50% or even total crop loss in certain seasons. In many areas, farmers actually abstain from planting a second or third rice crop because of the expectation of severe rodent damage. This 'forgone' loss in productivity is rarely taken into account. In Asia, a loss of 5% of rice production amounts to approximately 30 million t; enough rice to feed 180 million people for 12 months. Postharvest losses are probably of a similar magnitude to preharvest losses. However, the data are patchy and there have been few studies of the impacts of rodents on postharvest storage of rice in the past decade.
Comparative Evaluation of 2 In‐Clinic Assays for Vector‐Borne Disease Testing in Dogs

ABSTRACT Vector‐borne agents comprise medically important infections affecting dogs throughout much of the world. Sensitive detection of antibodies directed at tick‐borne disease‐causing organisms in dogs is diagnostically important for veterinarians, pets and their owners, and epidemiologically important for public health surveillance. The SNAP 4Dx Plus Test (IDEXX Laboratories, Inc., Westbrook, ME) identifies antibodies to or infection with multiple tick‐borne pathogens and canine heartworm antigen in a single assay. Recently, VetScan FLEX4 Rapid Test (Abaxis, Inc., Union City, CA) was launched as a new assay to detect tick‐borne pathogen antibodies and heartworm antigen. In the present study, we evaluated the comparative performance of SNAP 4Dx Plus (SNAP) and FLEX4 Rapid Test (FLEX4) using samples selected based on geographic distributions for canine vector borne diseases, including Borrelia burgdorferi (n = 105), Anaplasma phagocytophilum (160), Anaplasma platys (115), Ehrlichia canis (154), Ehrlichia ewingii (163), Ehrlichia chaffeensis (151) and Dirofilaria immitis (105). Canine vector borne diseases infection status was established for each sample by a combination of reference methods that included necropsy (D. immitis, heartworm disease), Western immunoblotting (B. burgdorferi), immunofluorescence assays (A. phagocytophilum and E. canis) and species‐specific ELISAs (A. platys, E. canis, E. ewingii and E. chaffeensis). For comparisons among the 2 assays, samples were evaluated per the manufacturers’ instructions for each test kit. By testing each same sample set compared to the defined reference results, sensitivities differed substantially between SNAP and FLEX4, at 95.5 vs. 40.9%, respectively for B. burgdorferi, 97.1% vs. 61.4% for E. canis, 98.2% vs. 59.3% for E. ewingii, 64.3% vs. 35.7% for E. chaffeensis, 84.5% vs. 12.7% for A. phagocytophilum, 83.3% vs. 33.3% for A. platys, and 94.1% vs. 88.2% for D. immitis. Specificities for both rapid assay tests ranged from 98% to 100%. Based upon the comparative results derived from this study, the SNAP test was more sensitive than the FLEX4 test for detection of antibodies to all tick‐borne pathogens and heartworm disease (Dirofilaria immitis) antigen in dogs.