Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Isolated Medial PICA Territorial Ischemic Infarction with an NIHSS of 0 – Emphasis on the Neurological Exam to Guide Urgent Recanalization with tPA

Posterior circulation stroke is a potentially life threatening and functionally disabling stroke. Nevertheless, patients with posterior circulation stroke may initially presents with a constellation of nonspecific symptoms mimicking other pathologies, causing delay in diagnosis. With the improvement of acute stroke management, patients who have a timely diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke can benefit tremendously from intravenous thrombolysis or mechanical thrombectomy. We present a patient with acute posterior circulation ischemia who presented with dizziness and acute vestibular syndrome. Although his NIHSS was 0, he had significant truncal ataxia, being unable to even ambulate. He was treated successful with intravenous tPA. Further workup revealed a medial PICA territorial infarction from large vessel atherosclerosis. Medial PICA infarction is a common cause of isolated truncal ataxia and NIHSS 0 strokes. We reviewed the common presentation of posterior circulation ischemia, challenges and pitfalls in diagnoses and the limitation of the current stroke scale in quantifying posterior circulation stroke severity. A clinical approach tailored to accurate detection of posterior circulation ischemia is outlined in this case report.
A Sensitivity Analysis Approach on the Effect of Foreign Aid on Growth

There is a huge body of literature on the relationship between aid and economic growth using all kinds of econometric techniques, however, little work is done on whether these econometric results are robust to changes in critical parameters included in the model or changes in model specifications. The empirical evidence that foreign aid helps or hurts economic growth is dubious at best despite the intuitive reasoning of both proponents and opponents of foreign aid. Whatever cogent theoretical reasons may be given in support of one perspective or another, the empirical results do not clarify the issue one way or the other. The ambiguity and the inconclusiveness of the empirical results demand a new approach. Using a robust approach and a novel econometric practice, this paper adds a new dimension into the current debate and tries to address the shortcomings of the literature and the nature of the conflicting findings in the literature.
REPRESENTATIONAL SPECIFICITY OF LEXICAL FORM IN THE PRODUCTION AND PERCEPTION OF SPOKEN WORDS

We examined the specificity and abstractness of formbased lexical representations of spoken words. Using a repetition-priming paradigm, we attempted to determine if flapped intervocalic alveolar stops in American English are mapped onto underlying representations of /t/ and /d/ or if flaps have an independent representational status. Subjects shadowed spoken words in two blocks of trials. Stimuli in the first block served as primes and those in the second block as targets. Primes and targets consisted of flapped and carefully articulated bisyllabic words. We measured shadowing times to target words in the second block as a function of prime type. We also examined subjects’ productions of the targets. In particular, we measured vowel duration as a correlate of voicing. The shadowing time results provide evidence for underlying perceptual representations. The analysis of subjects’ productions indicate that underlying representations subserving speech production can be primed to accentuate the surface realization of underlying /t/ and /d/.
Effect of Corporate Governance on Performance of Financial Institutions: Evidence From Islamic and Conventional Banks of Pakistan

This paper examines the impact of Corporate Governance on performance of Islamic and conventional banks in Pakistan. To achieve ouraim, panel data was collected fromthe banks‟ annual reportsfor the time period of 2007-2014. This studyincorporated Board Size, Outside Directors, Board Meetings and Board Gender Diversity as attributes of corporate governance, whereas, Return on Assets was adopted to capture banks‟ performance. The results of regression analyses show that, board size adversely affected the performance of Islamic and conventional banks. Outside Directors and gender diversity in the board enhance the performance of banks. A significant link is established between board meetings and performance of Islamic banks however, this association is negative in case of conventional banks. Furthermore, the study also investigated the performance of Islamic and conventional banks during the financial crises (2007-2009) period. The findings show that financial crises had no significant impact on the performance of Islamic banks. While a significant declined was observed in the return of conventional banks in the period of global financial crises, 2007-2009 1 .
Feeding and growth in captive squid, Illex illecebrosus , and the influence of food availability on growth in the natural population

Feeding and growth rates of tagged individuals and of a captive school of I. illecebrosus , were monitored over a 2-month period on a live fish diet. The daily feeding rate for maintenance is estimated at about 1% of body weight. Average daily feeding rates ranged from 3.6 to 6.7% and average daily growth rates from 1.0 to 1.9% of body weight, both increasing with temperature. Food conversion rates (wet food weight to wet squid weight) ranged from 25 to 36% and conversion efficiency, after allowing for maintenance, ranged from 35 to 51%. These feeding and growth rates are higher than those reported for Octopus vulgaris at comparable temperatures. The maintenance requirement was slightly higher for I. illecebrosus but the conversion efficiency was much lower. Growth rates of I. illecebrosus from field data are well below those for captive animals, indicating that the food supply of the natural population becomes increasingly limiting as the season progresses. Estimates of food consumption by the natural population are higher before July than in the remaining months of the year, and most of the squid biomass results from early season feeding when crustaceans are the principal prey. Cannibalism may be a major food source for the breeding stock late in the season and during migration from coastal waters.
Myths of Official Measurement:Auditing and Improving Administrative Data in Developing Countries

A central, yet understudied, component of state capacity is the quality of administrative data, which is a key enabler of effective policy making. I study this in the context of education systems in India. Using direct audit evidence, I show that levels of student achievement in Madhya Pradesh, from a large census covering approximately 7 million students annually, are severely inflated due to cheating. This distortion affects students at all levels of achievement but is particularly severe for low-performing students. In a follow-up randomized experiment, covering over 2400 schools in a different state (Andhra Pradesh), I evaluate whether tablet-based testing, which makes cheating harder, could reduce distortion. I find paper-based assessments proctored by teachers severely exaggerate achievement, in both private and government schools, but find no evidence of such distortion in tablet-based assessments. These results suggest that business-as-usual learning assessments may be compromised even without high-powered incentives, limiting their usefulness for policy action or research, although it may be possible to curtail such manipulation even at scale. This challenge of data corruptibility, and potentially evidence on reforms to address it, is likely to generalize across sectors. RISE Working Paper 20/042 July 2020
A Novel Approach to Plant Breeding and Improving Plant Yield

The influence of synthetic regulators of plant growth and development on biomass yield, composition and amount of essential oils in holy basil, Ocimum sanctum L. , was investigated. Four synthetic plant growth regulators namely Melatran, Humiforte N6, Aminoforte, and Kadostim were used by spraying them on the leaves of plants grown on a permanent experimental site. Results of the 3-year research confirm that all the synthetic regulators of plant growth used in this research supported plant growth and development. Further, all of these growth regulators especially the combinations of the growth regulators in treatments AH and AHK increased plant biomass fresh yield. In general, the growth regulators also triggered the early flower induction, excepting treatment 4 (AHK) which contained kadostim. The plants treated with the regulators, i.e. plants in treatments Mel, AH, and AHK, exhibited lower average number of branches in comparison to the control. The treatment Mel had plants with the least average number of branches, confirming that melatran has an inhibitory effect on branching. All of the synthetic regulators particularly the combination used in treatment 3 (AH) supported increase in yield of essential oils in the leaf and seed of Ocimum sanctum L. Copyright © www.acascipub. com, all rights reserved.
R&D Investment Decisions in Business Groups: Evidence from a Natural Experiment
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This paper examines R&D investment decisions in firms under a pyramidal ownership structure. After the Korea’s Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Act places limits on group affiliates’ equity investments, the controlling owners tend to increase long-term R&D expenditures relatively more in firms that are largely subject to the equity investment regulation. Moreover, this result is more significant for firms where the owners have low cash-flow rights, firms located in lower layers of the pyramid, and firms holding less equity shares over other group affiliates. Overall, these results suggest that controlling owners allocate resources for private benefits within their business group. JEL Codes: G30, G32, O32
INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA TO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: LESSONS FROM KENYA

Social media is a relatively new phenomenon in Kenya. It refers basically to communication and maintenance of relationships. Following recent global trends in the media landscape with the creation of increasingly powerful mobile devices and social networks, community development has dramatically changed over the past decade. Initial growth in Internet use in the 1990s resulted in many digital pioneers viewing new information and communication technologies (ICTs) as a means to radically empower people through new global connections and extensive social capital. This has extended into an interest in exploring how ICTs can contribute to international development, and particularly in the ﬁeld of ICT for development (ICT4D). With traditional media such as newspapers and television now supplemented by social media, the situation is not well understood in Kenya with respect to; the acceptance of the digital divide in Kenya, development integration of social media into existing change efforts, and active participation and engagement on social platforms. Herein, this research defines what mobile social media is, what it is not, and how it differs from other media types. This research suggests that using social media is an appropriate strategy to promote development because of its participative, interactive, open and transparent nature. Based on research findings from a wide array of literature, the research identifies the main ways Kenya can use social media in strategic community development. This paper explores the influence of social media to community development in Kenya. The paper reviews literature from existing document analysis. The paper concludes that one cannot talk of community development in modern times, without the use of social media and that communities desirous of development in Kenya should embark on self - help efforts, as it is an impossible task for the government to develop every community simultaneously, due to paucity of funds.
Detection of cognitive decline using a single-channel EEG system with an interactive assessment tool

Background: Cognitive decline remains highly underdiagnosed in the community despite extensive efforts to find novel biomarkers to detect it. Finding objective screening tools for cognitive decline may improve early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the community. EEG biomarkers based on machine learning (ML) may offer a noninvasive low-coast approach for identifying cognitive decline with clinically useful accuracy. However, most of the studies use multi-electrode systems which are not vastly accessible. This study aims to evaluate the ability to extract cognitive decline biomarkers using a wearable single-channel EEG system with a short interactive cognitive assessment tool. Methods: Seniors in different clinical stages of cognitive decline (healthy to mild dementia, n=60) and young healthy participants (n=22) performed a cognitive assessment which included auditory detection and resting state tasks, while being recorded with a single-channel EEG (Aurora by Neurosteer(R)). Seniors' MMSE scores were obtained by clinicians and used in allocating the groups (Healthy: MMSE>28; MCI-R: 28>MMSE>24; and MD: MMSE<24). Data analysis included standard frequency bands as well as three novel biomarkers, A0, ST4 and VC9, previously extracted from a different dataset to minimize overfitting risks. Results: Correlation between MMSE scores and reaction times was significant, validating the cognitive assessment tool. Individual MMSE scores correlated significantly with two of the EEG biomarkers: A0 and ST4. Furthermore, A0 and ST4 showed significant separation between groups of seniors with high vs. low MMSE scores, as well as the healthy young group. ST4 separated between the healthy groups (young and seniors) and the low MMSE (MD) group. Conversely, A0 differentiated between the healthy young group and all three groups of seniors. In the healthy young group, activity of Theta band and VC9 biomarker significantly increased with higher cognitive load, with both separating between the high cognitive load task and resting state. Furthermore, VC9 showed a finer separation between high and low cognitive load levels within the cognitive task. This was not shown in the senior groups, suggesting VC9 may be indicative to cognitive decline in the senior population. Conclusions: These results introduce novel biomarkers which potentially detect cognitive decline, obtained by a wearable single-channel EEG with a short interactive cognitive assessment. Such objective screening tools can be used on a large scale to detect cognitive decline and potentially allow early diagnosis of AD in every clinic.
Knowledge, practice and associated factors towards the prevention of COVID-19 among high-risk groups: A cross-sectional study in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract Background Coronavirus disease-19 is a highly transmittable virus that continues to disrupt livelihoods, particularly those of low-income segments of society, around the world. In Ethiopia, more specifically in the capital city of Addis Ababa, a sudden increase in the number of confirmed positive cases in high risk groups of the community has been observed over the last few weeks of the first case. Therefore, this study aims to assess knowledge, practices and associated factors that can contribute to the prevention of COVID-19 among high-risk groups in Addis Ababa. Methods A cross-sectional in-person survey (n=6007) was conducted from 14-30 April 2020 following a prioritization within high-risk groups in Addis Ababa. The study area targeted bus stations, public transport drivers, air transport infrastructure, health facilities, public and private pharmacies, hotels, government-owned and private banks, telecom centers, trade centers, orphanages, elderly centers, prison, prisons and selected slum areas where the people live in a crowed. A questionnaire comprised of four sections (demographics, knowledge, practice and reported symptoms) was used for data collection. The outcomes (knowledge in the transmission and prevention of COVID-19 and practices) were measured using four items. Multivariable logistic regression was applied with adjustment for potential confounding. Results About half (48%, 95% CI: 46,49) of the study participants had poor knowledge on the transmission mode of COVID-19 whereas six out of ten (60%, 95% CI: 58,61) had good knowledge on prevention methods for COVID-19. The practice of preventive measures towards COVID-19 was found to be low (49%, 95% CI: 48,50). Factors that influence knowledge on COVID-19 transmission mechanisms were female gender, older age, occupation (health care and grocery worker), lower income and the use of the 8335 free call centre. Older age, occupation (being a health worker), middle income, experience of respiratory illness and religion were significantly associated with being knowledgeable about the prevention methods for COVID-19. The study found that occupation, religion, income, knowledge on the transmission and prevention of COVID-19 were associated with the practice of precautionary measures towards COVID-19. Conclusion The study highlighted that there was moderate knowledge about transmission modes and prevention mechanism. Similarly, there was moderate practice of measures that contribute towards the prevention of COVID-19 among these priority high-risk communities of Addis Ababa. There is an urgent need to fill the knowledge gap in terms of transmission mode and prevention methods of COVID-19 to improve preventions practices and control the spread of COVID-19. Use of female public figures and religious leaders could support the effort towards the increase in awareness.
Detection, prevalence, and duration of humoral responses to SARS-CoV-2 under conditions of limited population exposure

We conducted an extensive serological study to quantify population-level exposure and define correlates of immunity against SARS-CoV-2. We found that relative to mild COVID-19 cases, individuals with severe disease exhibited elevated authentic virus-neutralizing titers and antibody levels against nucleocapsid (N) and the receptor binding domain (RBD) and the S2 region of spike protein. Unlike disease severity, age and sex played lesser roles in serological responses. All cases, including asymptomatic individuals, seroconverted by 2 weeks post-PCR confirmation. RBD- and S2-specific and neutralizing antibody titers remained elevated and stable for at least 2-3 months post-onset, whereas those against N were more variable with rapid declines in many samples. Testing of 5882 self-recruited members of the local community demonstrated that 1.24% of individuals showed antibody reactivity to RBD. However, 18% (13/73) of these putative seropositive samples failed to neutralize authentic SARS-CoV-2 virus. Each of the neutralizing, but only 1 of the non-neutralizing samples, also displayed potent reactivity to S2. Thus, inclusion of multiple independent assays markedly improved the accuracy of antibody tests in low seroprevalence communities and revealed differences in antibody kinetics depending on the viral antigen. In contrast to other reports, we conclude that immunity is durable for at least several months after SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Relationship between tagSNPs and haplotype of TNF-A gene and gastric cancer in Uygur and Han ethnic groups in Xinjiang

OBJECTIVE:To determine the association of TNF-A rs1800629 and rs361525 polymorphism and haplotypes with the susceptibility of gastric cancer in Uygur and Han ethnic groups in Xinjiang.METHODS:Snapshot method was used for the polymorphism of TNF-A gene in 322 cases of gastric cancer(93 Uygur ethnic group,229 Han ethnic group) and 487 controls(231 Uygurs,256 Hans) in Xinjiang area.Haplotypes distribution was estimated by the SHEsis software.Statistical differences of the genotype and haplotype frequencies between the case group and the control group were also estimated.RESULTS:In Uygur populations,allele,genotype and haplotype of TNF-A gene at rs 1800629 and rs361525 site showed no significant differences between gastric cancer and control groups(P0.05). In Han populations,there was significant difference in the frequency of TNF-A gene at rs361525 site AA+GA genotype between cases and controls(x~2 = 4.56,P=0.03). The individuals with A allele had increased risk of developing GC (OR=2.41,95%CI:1.06-5.49). There was no significant difference in the frequency of TNF-A gene at rsl800629 site between gastric cancer and control group.The frequencies of TNF-A gene haplotype A-A were 0.92%and 0.86%in cases and controls,respectively,with significant difference between them(x~2 =7.03,P=0.01). CONCLUSION:The genetic polymorphism of TNF-A was associated with susceptibility to gastric cancer in the Han population and this relationship varied among different ethnic groups.
(Re)Measuring Community College Student Engagement: Testing a Seven-Factor CCSSE Model

Objective: Despite the popularity of the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE), this instrument has been criticized regarding its development, theoretical basis, validity, and connection to practice. In light of these concerns, this article reframes the survey by employing Chickering and Gamson’s seven principles, one of the survey’s original theoretical frameworks. A robust discussion of the new measure and its implications for research and practice is presented. Method: Chickering and Gamson’s theory was used to motivate, create, and evaluate a seven-factor model using items from the CCSSE. Drawing on responses from two community colleges (N = 1,076), a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test this model. Results: Findings provide support for a seven-factor model with high model fit and moderate-to-strong factor reliability. Contributions: This study offers a valid alternative approach to considering CCSSE data that may influence future work in the area of community college student engagement. We also consider how institutional research practitioners and other stakeholders can leverage study insights to promote student success across community college contexts.
Anomaly Detection for Individual Sequences with Applications in Identifying Malicious Tools

Anomaly detection refers to the problem of identifying abnormal behaviour within a set of measurements. In many cases, one has some statistical model for normal data, and wishes to identify whether new data fit the model or not. However, in others, while there are normal data to learn from, there is no statistical model for this data, and there is no structured parameter set to estimate. Thus, one is forced to assume an individual sequences setup, where there is no given model or any guarantee that such a model exists. In this work, we propose a universal anomaly detection algorithm for one-dimensional time series that is able to learn the normal behaviour of systems and alert for abnormalities, without assuming anything on the normal data, or anything on the anomalies. The suggested method utilizes new information measures that were derived from the Lempel–Ziv (LZ) compression algorithm in order to optimally and efficiently learn the normal behaviour (during learning), and then estimate the likelihood of new data (during operation) and classify it accordingly. We apply the algorithm to key problems in computer security, as well as a benchmark anomaly detection data set, all using simple, single-feature time-indexed data. The first is detecting Botnets Command and Control (C&C) channels without deep inspection. We then apply it to the problems of malicious tools detection via system calls monitoring and data leakage identification.We conclude with the New York City (NYC) taxi data. Finally, while using information theoretic tools, we show that an attacker’s attempt to maliciously fool the detection system by trying to generate normal data is bound to fail, either due to a high probability of error or because of the need for huge amounts of resources.