Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Community Based Tourism in Twyfelfontein Conservancy: Exploring Local Community's Involvement.

Local communities in Namibia have few options for alternative income, apart from selling souvenirs and livestock farming. The overall aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between tourism as a modern economic activity and the plight of indigenous people venturing into Community Based Tourism Enterprises (CBTs). The study examined actors, structures and institutions within the context of community involvement in CBTs and made use of both quantitative and qualitative research approaches. The purpose of using a qualitative approach was to get an in-depth understanding of the social and psychological phenomena that could lead to the formation of certain perceptions towards community based tourism (CBT) at Twyfelfontein Uibasen Conservancy. On the other hand, the quantitative approach sought to use numerical measurements and statistical analysis to examine social phenomena data obtained through the use of questionnaires. Sample population comprised 58 community members and 9 stakeholders made up of government, private sector and Non-Governmental Organizations. It is apparent from the study that issues of governance and ownership of commercial activities are still beyond reach of the community members. CBT partnerships have been pursued for economic purposes than for sustainable development. Whilst the conservancies were set up as a strategy for poverty alleviation the study observes that development has not yet filtered down to the needy. Local participation through ownership, capacity building and control should have precedence above pure economic issues. The study further recommends that the CBRM program as a dominant development model should recognize the need for capacity building, shared values and desires of the potential beneficiaries.
QUANTITATIVE COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY OF THE LIVER IN JUVENILE GREEN SEA TURTLES (CHELONIA MYDAS)

Abstract: Quantitative computed tomography (QCT) is a highly sensitive, applicable technique for determining the x-ray attenuation of organs. This technique reveals great precision in the detection of alterations in the x-ray attenuation of hepatic parenchyma, although the lack of studies establishing normal values limits its application in wild animals. The objective of this study was to establish mean hepatic attenuation values in four healthy juvenile sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) using QCT. Helical computed tomography scans were performed and regions of interest selected in the liver after multi-planar reconstruction images were obtained. The mean attenuation value for the hepatic parenchyma in these four turtles was 60.09 ± 5.3 standard deviation Hounsfield units. Determining normal x-ray attenuation values of the liver increases knowledge of the computed tomographic anatomy of this species and may be useful in the investigation of hepatic diseases.
Analysis of Single-Trap-Induced Random Telegraph Noise and its Interaction With Work Function Variation for Tunnel FET

This paper analyzes the impacts of a single acceptor-type and donor-type interface trap induced random telegraph noise (RTN) on tunnel FET (TFET) devices and its interaction with work function variation (WFV) using atomistic 3-D TCAD simulations. Significant RTN amplitude (ΔID/ID) is observed for a single acceptor trap near the tunneling junction, whereas a donor trap is found to cause more severe impact over a broader region across the channel region. In addition, several device design parameters that can be used to improve TFET subthreshold characteristics (thinner equivalent oxide thickness or longer Leff) are found to increase the susceptibility to RTN. Our results indicate that under WFV, TFET exhibits weaker correlation between ION and IOFF than that in the conventional MOSFET counterpart. In the presence of WFV, the RTN amplitude can be enhanced or reduced depending on the type of the trap and the composition/orientation of metal-gate grain.
Nanohybrid layered double hydroxide materials as efficient catalysts for methanol electrooxidation

In this work, efficient methanol oxidation fuel cell catalysts with excellent stability in alkaline media have been synthesized by including transition metals to the layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanohybrids. The nanohybrids CoCr-LDH, NiCoCr-LDH and NiCr-LDH were prepared by co-precipitation and their physicochemical characteristics were investigated using TEM, XRD, IR and BET analyses. The nanohybrid CoCr-LDH is found to have the highest surface area of 179.87 m2 g−1. The electrocatalytic activity measurements showed that the current density was increased by increasing the methanol concentration (from 0.1 to 3 M) as a result of its increased oxidation at the surface. The nanohybrid NiCr-LDH, showing the highest pore size (55.5 Å) showed the highest performance for methanol oxidation, with a current density of 7.02 mA cm−2 at 60 mV s−1 using 3 M methanol. In addition, the corresponding onset potential was 0.35 V (at 60 mV s−1 using 3 M methanol) which is the lowest value among all other used LDH nanohybrids. Overall, we observed the following reactivity order: NiCr-LDH > NiCoCr-LDH > CoCr-LDH, as derived from the impedance spectroscopy analysis.
Secondary Educators Perceptions of Teacher to Parent Communication and the Relationship to Student Achievement

Establishing a relationship between the school and the home is an important part of the work of school staffs. Parents have a great deal of influence on their children's academic success and schools are encouraged to engage their support. In Ontario, provincial education policy specifically places a priority on involving parents in their children's education. However, it is not always clear whether board policy statements translate into actions at the secondary school level or even benefit educators, parents or students. This original research, completed as a requirement for a Ph.D. at OISE, is quantiative, based on survey data and uses hierarchical linear modelling for analysis. The research questions focus on whether educators view communication with parents as important, whether principal actions can influence teacher actions and if there is a relationship between teacher-parent communication and student academic achievement. I would like to present at a roundtable discussion with others interested in principal leadership and the relationships between teachers and parents. Alternatively, a poster presentation is possible. Keywords: principal leadership, secondary education, teacher parent communication
Banks, stock market development and economic growth in South Africa: a multivariate causal linkage

This article investigates the dynamic causal relationship between bank-based financial development, stock market development and economic growth in South Africa – during the period 1980–2012. The study includes savings and investment as intermittent variables – thereby creating a multivariate Granger-causality model. Using the newly developed autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL)-bounds testing approach, the empirical results of this study reveal that there is a distinct short- and long-run unidirectional causal flow from stock market development to economic growth in South Africa. The results also indicate that there is a unidirectional causal flow from bank-based financial development to stock market development in the short run. The study, however, fails to find any causality between bank-based financial development and economic growth. The study, therefore, concludes that the development of the real sector in South Africa is largely driven by stock market development.
Thyroid Hormone Resistance and Its Management

The syndrome of impaired sensitivity to thyroid hormone, also known as syndrome of thyroid hormone resistance, is an inherited condition that occurs in 1 of 40,000 live births characterized by a reduced responsiveness of target tissues to thyroid hormone due to mutations on the thyroid hormone receptor. Patients can present with symptoms of hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism. They usually have elevated thyroid hormones and a normal or elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone level. Due to their nonspecific symptomatic presentation, these patients can be misdiagnosed if the primary care physician is not familiar with the condition. This can result in frustration for the patient and sometimes unnecessary invasive treatment such as radioactive iodine ablation, as In the case presented herein.
Integrating Big Data analytics, virtual reality, and ARAIG to support resilience assessment and development in tactical training

Combat tactical training activities utilising virtual reality environments are being used increasingly to create training scenarios to promote resilience against stressors and to enable standardized training scenarios to allow trainees to learn techniques for various stressors. Resilience is an important component for mental health. However, assessment of the trainees' response to these training activities has either been limited to various pre and post training assessment metrics or collected in parallel during experiments and analysed after collection rather than in real-time. New Big Data approaches have the potential to provide real-time analytics. We have created a Big Data analytics platform, Athena, that in real-time acquires data from a first person shooter military combat simulation game, ArmA 3, as well as the data ArmA 3 sends to the muscle stimulation component of a multisensory garment, ARAIG that provides on the body feedback to the wearer for communications, weapon fire and being hit and integrates that data with physiological response data such as heart rate, breathing behaviour and blood oxygen saturation. We present results from our initial pilot study from an ethics approved equipment integration study. Our approach is equally applicable for Virtual Reality Graded Exposure Therapy with physiological monitoring.
Heterogeneity of the Effects of Aid on Economic Growth in Sub- Saharan Africa: Comparative Evidence from Stable and Post- Conflict Countries

This study provides evidence of the effectiveness of aid through the use of a sample of 34 sub-Saharan African countries over the period 1990-2010. After considering the endogeneity of aid, the results of the estimation reveal that aid has a positive effect on growth only when the estimation is controlled for governance. The comparative analysis shows in turn that governance and education are the main channels through which aid is transmitted to growth in a stable environment. In a post-conflict environment, on the other hand, aid affects growth via investment in public capital (infrastructure). Finally, the OaxacaBlinder decomposition approach shows that the difference in terms of amounts of aid received does not explain the differences in growth observed between stable countries and countries in postconflict situations. Based on those results, the economic policy implications are discussed in the conclusion.
[Correlation analysis between polycystic ovary syndrome susceptibility genes and metabolic phenotypes].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the relationship between polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) susceptibility single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and metabolic phenotypes in glucose and lipid metabolism and explore the pathophysiological mechanism of the susceptibility genes. METHODS Three of PCOS susceptibility locus 2p16.3 (rs13405728 of LHCGR gene), 2p21 (rs13429458, rs12478601 of THADA gene) and 9q33.3 (rs2479106, rs10818854 of DENNDIA gene) were selected and the metabolic phenotypes were compared between different genotypes of SNP in PCOS patients (using dominant model). RESULTS Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was significantly increased in CC genotype group than in TC + TT groups at rs12478601 of THADA gene [(2.5 ± 0.8), (2.4 ± 0.8) mmol/L; P = 0.01]. Serum insulin level of 2 hours after 75 g glucose intake was significantly higher in GG+AG groups than that of AA group at rs2479106 of DENND1A gene[(71 ± 65), (64 ± 50) mU/L; P = 0.05 ], and the prevalence of type II diabetes in first-degree relatives of patients were also increased [9.9% (66/666), 6.9% (52/751); P < 0.05]. No association was found between metabolic phenotypes and genotypes of rs13429458, rs10818854, and rs13405728. CONCLUSIONS Genetic factors probably have effect on the metabolic characteristics of PCOS. THADA gene is related to lipid metabolism, while DENND1A gene may be involved in insulin metabolism in patients with PCOS.
The health belief model and determinants of oral hygiene practices and beliefs in preteen children: a pilot study.

PURPOSE There is limited understanding of children's behavioral decisions for practicing good oral hygiene. The purpose of this study was to identify factors that may motivate children to practice good oral hygiene. METHODS Guided by the Health Belief Model (HBM), eight focus groups of 42 American children (second through fifth graders) were interviewed concerning their histories with caries, perceived confidence in brushing, self-perceived susceptibility and vulnerability for caries and/or poor oral health, and perceived benefits and barriers to practicing oral hygiene. RESULTS Most children equated good oral health as being central to their overall health; however, some viewed poor oral health as occurring only in the elderly while others believed poor oral health could begin at any age. Children cited esthetic appearance of teeth and the desire to please others by brushing without reminders as motivators of good oral hygiene. The greatest barriers to performing oral hygiene were a perceived lack of time and limited access to toothbrushes and dentifrice when away. CONCLUSIONS To motivate children in this age range, emphasis should be placed on the positive aspects of maintaining good oral hygiene for its contribution to appearance and its implication for an overall healthy body and self-image.
Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Metropolitan Economic Performance

The literature suggests that technological advance is the major driver of economic growth, yet how new knowledge translates into superior economic performance is not described by the growth theories. Two recently proposed frameworks, the missing link hypothesis and the knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship, describe a mechanism of the relationship between knowledge creation and regional economic performance through entrepreneurs. This study empirically tests these frameworks using the data on professional, scientific, and technical services in U.S. metropolitan areas from 2001 to 2005. The results indicate an intervening role of entrepreneurs in the relationship between patenting activity and job-creating behavior of incumbent companies, thus lending partial support to the missing link hypothesis. The knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship is not supported, as greater local knowledge generation does not translate into increased firm formation.
A suppressor of yeast spp81/ded1 mutations encodes a very similar putative ATP‐dependent RNA helicase

The spp81/ded1 mutations were isolated as suppressors of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae pre‐mRNA splicing mutation, prp8‐1, The SPP81/DED1 gene encodes a isolated plasmids which were able to suppress the cold‐sensitive growth defect of SPP81 mutants. These plasmids encoded a gene (named DBP1) which mapped to chromosome XVI and not to the SPP81/DED1 locus on chromosome XV. The cloned gene suppressed the defect of SPP81/ded1 mutants when present on both high and low copy‐number plasmids but complemented SPP81/ded1 null mutants only when present on high copy‐number plasmids. In contrast to the SPP81/DED1 gene the DBP1 gene was not essential for cell viability. The nucleotide sequence of the DBP1 gene revealed that it also encoded a putative ATP‐dependent RNA helicase which showed considerable similarity at the amino acid level to the SPP81/DED1 protein.
Lycopene and beta-carotene protect against oxidative damage in HT29 cells at low concentrations but rapidly lose this capacity at higher doses.

Epidemiological studies have clearly demonstrated a link between dietary carotenoids and the reduced incidence of certain diseases, including some cancers. However recent intervention studies (e.g. ATBC, CARET and others) have shown that beta-carotene supplementation has little or no beneficial effect and may, in fact, increase the incidence of lung cancers in smokers. This presents a serious dilemma for the scientific community - are carotenoids at high concentrations actually harmful in certain circumstances? Currently, a significant number of intervention studies are on-going throughout the world involving carotenoids (of both natural and synthetic origin). Our approach has been to study the ability of supplementary carotenoids in protecting cells against oxidatively-induced DNA damage (as measured by the comet assay), and membrane integrity (as measured by ethidium bromide uptake). Both lycopene and beta-carotene only afforded protection against DNA damage (induced by xanthine/xanthine oxidase) at relatively low concentrations (1-3 microM). These levels are comparable with those seen in the plasma of individuals who consume a carotenoid-rich diet. However, at higher concentrations (4-10 microM), the ability to protect the cell against such oxidative damage was rapidly lost and, indeed, the presence of carotenoids may actually serve to increase the extent of DNA damage. Similar data were obtained when protection against membrane damage was studied. This would suggest that supplementation with individual carotenoids to significantly elevate blood and tissue levels is of little benefit and, may, in fact, be deleterious. This in vitro data presented maybe significant in the light of recent intervention trials.
Patient Satisfaction of Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Services in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia

Purpose: To explore the patient satisfaction of ambulatory care services at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: This is a 4-month cross-sectional survey of patient satisfaction of ambulatory care pharmacy services at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The survey consisted of 48 questions divided into two parts: the first part collects demographic information and the second part contains questions on 11 domains: (1) medication availability, (2) patient counseling, (3) pharmacist and patient relationship, (4) medication reconciliation, (5) medication aberrance, (6) pharmacy location, (7) pharmacy waiting area, (8) pharmacy communications, (9) pharmacy waiting time, (10) pharmacy recommends to others and (11) overall patient satisfaction of pharmacy services. The survey was distributed to the three hospitals in Riyadh city, included public, pediatrics and emergency hospitals ambulatory care patient. The survey was in an electronic format and it analyze the results through the Survey Monkey system. Results: A total of 606 patients responded to the survey. There were 338 (55.8%) female and 268 (44.2%) male responders. Most of them were in age group of 18–44 years (65.3%) without any statistically significant differences in the age groups among the three hospitals ( p <0.5). The highest level of education was high school (232 (38.4%)) followed by the Bachelor’s degree (191 (31.6%)) and an intermediate school (117 (19.4%)). Most of the patients visited the ambulatory care pharmacy 3 to 4 times in the past 12 months (239 (41.1%)), whereas the others (105 (18.1%)) visited the ambulatory care pharmacy for the first time. The mean (±standard deviation (SD)) waiting time to get the medications was 18.36±11.32 min and there were statistically significant differences among the three hospitals ( p <0.5). The average scores of domains 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 were 3.35, 3.2, 3.7 and 1.96, 1.8, 3.7, 3.25, 2.14, 3.61, 3.54, respectively. With a total of 381 (62.87%) responders, general evaluation of pharmacy services was found to be very good to excellent, whereas 369 (60.9%) responders recommend the pharmacy to their family or friends and 315 (52.5%) responders prefer to revisit pharmacy. Conclusion: More than half of the patients were satisfied with ambulatory care pharmacy services at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Medication reconciliation, medication adherence and pharmacy communication domains were not found to be satisfied. Improving ambulatory care pharmacy services will prevent drug misadventures, avoid additional cost and increase patient satisfaction with pharmacy services.
When and Why Does Materialism Relate to Employees’ Attitudes and Well-being: The Mediational Role of Need Satisfaction and Need Frustration

Materialistic values may be detrimental for people’s well-being. However, we know little about why (i.e., explaining mechanisms) and when (i.e., boundary conditions) this is the case. Although low satisfaction of the psychological needs is said to play a key role in this process, a recent meta-analysis indicates that the explaining power of need satisfaction is limited and suggests that need frustration may be more important. Moreover, although materialism may be detrimental in some life domains, studies in materialistic contexts such as work are lacking, particularly in the non-Western world. In response, we put need frustration to the fore and examine both need satisfaction and frustration as the underlying processes in the relation between materialism and employee attitudes and well-being in two Latin–American countries. The Chilean sample (N = 742) shows that materialism at work is associated with less positive (work satisfaction and engagement) and more negative (burnout and turnover intentions) outcomes, even when controlling for workers’ income. Notably, need frustration explained the detrimental effects of materialism alongside need satisfaction in a unique manner, showing that it is essential to distinguish both constructs. Results were replicated in Paraguay (N = 518) using different positive (organizational commitment and meaning at work) and negative (negative emotions and job insecurity) outcomes, adding to the generalizability of our results across samples of different nations.
Light field denoising by sparse 5D transform domain collaborative filtering

In this paper, we propose to extend the state-of-the-art BM3D image denoising filter to light fields, and we denote our method LFBM5D. We take full advantage of the 4D nature of light fields by creating disparity compensated 4D patches which are then stacked together with similar 4D patches along a 5th dimension. We then filter these 5D patches in the 5D transform domain, obtained by cascading a 2D spatial transform, a 2D angular transform, and a 1D transform applied along the similarities. Furthermore, we propose to use the shape-adaptive DCT as the 2D angular transform to be robust to occlusions. Results show a significant improvement in synthetic noise removal compared to state-of-the-art methods, for both light fields captured with a lenslet camera or a gantry. Experiments on Lytro Illum camera noise removal also demonstrate a clear improvement of the light field quality.