Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Ensemble Models for Groundwater Potential Modeling and Prediction in a Karst Watershed

Due to numerous droughts in recent years, the amount of surface water in arid and semi-arid regions has decreased significantly, so reliance on groundwater to meet local and regional demands has increased. The Kabgian watershed is a karst watershed in southwestern Iran that provides a significant proportion of drinking and agriculture water supplies in the area. This study identified areas with karst groundwater potential using a combination of machine learning and statistical models, including entropy-SVM-LN, entropy-SVM-SG, and entropy-SVM-RBF. To do this, 384 karst springs were identified and mapped. Sixteen factors that are related to karst potential were identified from a review of the literature, and these were compiled for the study area. The 384 locations were randomly separated into two categories for training (269 location) and validation (115 location) datasets to be used in the modeling process. The ROC curve was used to evaluate the modeling results. The models used, in general, were good at determining the location of karst groundwater potential. The evaluation showed that the E-SVM-RBF model had an area under the curve of 0.92, indicating that it was most accurate estimator of groundwater potential among the ensemble models. Evaluation of the relative importance of each of the 16 factors revealed that land use, a vector ruggedness measure, curvature, and topography roughness index were the most important explainers of the presence of karst groundwater in the study area. It was also found that the factors affecting the presence of karst springs are significantly different from non-karst springs.
Determinants of Government Expenditure In Southwest Nigeria

This study examined the determinants of government expenditure in Southwest Nigeria. The study adopted ex-post facto research design and it covered 10 years, spanning from 2010 to 2019. The panel data used was sourced from the CBN statistical bulletin (2019) and the annual budget of each of the sampled states. Panel data estimation techniques were used and based on the most consistent and efficient estimation, it was discovered that internally generated revenue exerts a positive significant effect on both capital and recurrent expenditure to the tune of1.315 (p=0.000 < 0.05) and 0.670(p=0.001 < 0.05) respectively. It was equally discovered that statutory allocation exerts a positive but insignificant effect on both capital and recurrent expenditure for the period covered to the tune of 0.34 (p=0.236 > 0.05) 0.389 (p=0.065 > 0.05) respectively. Also, it was discovered that domestic debt exerts a negative insignificant effect on capital expenditure to the tune of -0.061 (p=0.733 > 0.05). Finally, domestic debt has a positive but insignificant effect on recurrent expenditure to the tune of 0.109 (p=0.352 > 0.05). It was established that internally generated revenue, statutory allocation and domestic debt are the determinant factors of public expenditure across all the states in the Southwest region of Nigeria. Thus, it was recommended that available revenue should be judiciously utilized on the pressing needs of the state. While revenue is needed for the functionality of the government, state governments are urged to embrace more capital projects through which additional revenue might be generated.
Impact of Auditor Competence, Integrity, and Ethics on Audit Quality in Saudi Arabia

This research is conducted to investigate the impact of auditor’s competency, integrity, and ethics on audit quality from the perceptions of auditors. The data is collected through questionnaires distributed to auditors in auditing firms in Saudi Arabia. The sample used was amounted to 102 auditors. The study surveyed different external auditors to explore their audit process attributes for achieving quality of audit. The findings show that the attributes of competence, integrity, and ethics have significant impact on audit quality. The findings indicate that the most important elements of attributes affecting audit quality are auditors’ continuous improvement and training programs, ways of carrying out their duties, and their compliance to code of conduct. This study extends the literature on audit quality and provides useful insights for audit firms and professional bodies for the policies and producers to be adopted and implemented to enhance audit quality.
Epigenetic Dysregulation of the Expression of PRSS3 Splice Variants Increases the Heterogeneity of Transcripts and Functionality in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most lethal human tumors with extensive heterogeneity. Serine protease 3 (PRSS3) is an indispensable member of the trypsin family and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several malignancies including HCC. However, paradoxical effects of PPRSS3 on carcinogenesis impede the utilization of its biomarker potential. We hereby systematically dissected the expression of four known splice variants of PRSS3 (PRSS3-SVs) and their functional relevance to HCC. Methods The expression and DNA methylation of PRSS3 transcripts and their associated clinical relevance in HCC were analyzed using several publicly available datasets and were validated using qPCR-based assays. Functional assays were performed on gain- and loss-of-function cell models, in which PRSS3 transcript constructs were separately transfected after PRSS3 expression was knocked out by CRISPR-Cas9 editing. Results PRSS3 expression was differentially decreased in HCC cell lines and tissues attributable to aberrant expression of PRSS3-SVs towards bipolarity, in which PRSS3-V2 and then -V1 were dominantly expressed whereas PRSS3-V3 and -V4 were rarely or minimally expressed. The expression of PRSS3-V2 or -V1 was reversely associated with site-specific CpG methylation and was distinct between lowly-expressed PRSS3-SVs with hypermethylation (mPRSS3Low) and highly-expressed PRSS3-SVs with hypomethylation (umPRSS3High). Function analysis revealed that PRSS3-V2 exhibited oncogenic functions distinct from a tumor-suppressive role of ectopic PRSS3-V1 or -V3, or PRSS3-V4 with inhibitory effects in PRSS3 knockout HCC cells. Clinically, aberrant expression of PRSS3-SVs was translated into divergent relevance in patients with HCC, in which significant epigenetic downregulation of PRSS3-V2 was seen in early HCC and was associated with favorable patient outcome. Conclusions Aberrant expression of divergent PRSS3-SVs disrupted by CpG methylation may integrate the effects of oncogenic PRSS3-V2 and tumor-suppressive PRSS3-V1, resulting in the molecular diversity and functional plasticity of HCC. Dysregulated expression of PRSS3-V2 by site-specific CpG methylation may have potential diagnostic value for patients with early HCC.
Residential Child and Youth Care in a Developing World: Volume 4 – African Perspectives, edited by Tuhinul Islam and Leon Fulcher

Residential child and youth care is the cornerstone of services to vulnerable children and youths at risk of homelessness and requiring professional support in their formative years. Before residential care became popular in countries across the world, it was the onus of local communities collectively to raise their children to become responsible citizens. These communities employed indigenous and traditional means and values handed down from one generation to the next. Inadvertently practising the spirit of ubuntu, these communities took on the responsibility of raising a child with the understanding that every child belonged to the whole village.
Experience Of Nurses In Providing Emergency Services In Ponelo Island: A Qualitative Study

An emergency involves many aspects, such as health workers, families, medical equipment and adequate health service facilities. The nurse is a health worker who can save a patient's life. Emergency services in remote areas allow nurses to face several threats and challenges. The community has the view that a nurse must be able to provide all health services in a complete manner, including treatment. This study aims to explore the experiences of nurses in emergency services in the Ponelo Islands, North Gorontalo district. The research design used was qualitative with an interpretive phenomenology approach. In-depth interviews with informants, which involved 3 participants who acted as implementing nurses at the community health center in Ponelo Island area. This study resulted in four themes, namely having concern for patients who need help, the helplessness of nurses to perform first aid in emergency cases, feeling anxious when referring patients and the importance of developing quality resources and medical center service facilities. The conclusion of the results of this study is that the limited number of nurses, the lack of development through training in emergency services and inadequate public health center service facilities causes the implementation of emergency services to be not optimal. Abstrak: Keadaan darurat melibatkan banyak aspek, seperti tenaga kesehatan, keluarga, peralatan medis dan fasilitas pelayanan kesehatan yang memadai. Perawat sebagai salah satu tenaga kesehatan yang dapat menyelamatkan nyawa pasien. Layanan darurat di daerah terpencil memungkinkan perawat menghadapi beberapa ancaman dan tantangan. Masyarakat memiliki pandangan bahwa seorang perawat, harus mampu memberikan semua layanan kesehatan secara paripurna termasuk pengobatan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengeksplorasi pengalaman perawat pelaksana dalam pelayanan gawat darurat di daerah kepulauan ponelo kabupaten gorontalo utara. Desain penelitian yang digunakan adalah kualitatif dengan pendekatan fenomenologi interpretatif. Wawancara mendalam menggunakan pertanyaan semi struktur yang melibatkan 3 partisipan yang berperan sebagai perawat pelaksana di pusat kesehatan masyarakat daerah kepulauan ponelo. Penelitian ini menghasilkan empat tema yaitu mempunyai kepedulian terhadap pasien yang membutuhkan pertolongan, ketidak berdayaan perawat melakukan pertolongan pertama pada kasus gawat darurat, perasaan cemas saat merujuk pasien dan pentingnya pengembangan kualitas sumber daya dan fasilitas layanan pusat kesehatan masyarakat. Kesimpulan hasil penelitian ini adalah keterbatasan tenaga perawat, kurangnya pengembangan melalui pelatihan layanan gawat darurat dan fasilitas layanan pusat kesehatan masyarakat yang kurang memadai menyebabkan pelaksanaan layanan gawat darurat menjadi tidak optimal.
The information advantage from existing bank-firm relationships -evidence from new clients’ screening

ABSTRACT Using a unique dataset from 17 major banks in China, we investigate whether related firms serve as an alternative information channel. We find that compared with new clients with no related firms, new clients with related firms are less likely to default. And the difference in default rates becomes more pronounced when new clients have multiple related firms or the related firms have intense relationships with the bank. Moreover, this difference increases with new clients’ degree of information asymmetry. Our results suggest that the existing bank-firm relationships from related firms play an important role in the screening process.
Fertility outcome of patients with CBAVD: a single-institution experience

Background and objective: Congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens (CBAVD) is not common and fertility outcome is not clear. This study is to report fertility outcomes of infertile male with CBAVD. Material and methods: Our study cohort comprised CBAVD males who were enrolled from 2005 to 2019. Baseline information was collected including mean age, previous medical history, duration of infertility, sex hormone assays, ejaculate volume/pH, parameters of sperm retrieved by percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration (PESA), development of seminal vesicle TRUS, follow up fertility outcomes of the patients with Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)and compared the impact of varies male factors on fertility outcomes.Results: 172 participants with CBAVD were analyzed. A total of 211 ICSI cycles were performed and the live birth rate was 46.92%. Among 126 live births, 57 (45.24%) were boy and 69 (54.76%) were girl. The neonatal weight and height are 3036.83 ± 672.17 g, 49.43 ± 2.49 cm, respectively. There were no significant differences between successes group of couples and fail group of couples for first ICSI cycles cases in terms of age (P = 0.09), testicle volume (left P = 0.96, right P = 0.41), sex hormones (P > 0.05), ejaculate volume (P = 0.79), ejaculate pH (P = 0.78) or sperm quality parameters from PESA (P > 0.05). Conclusions: This study indicates that the clinical characteristics of male with CBAVD had no impact on fertility outcomes.
Application of CCME water quality index for drinking purpose in Tigris River within Wasit Province, Iraq

The water quality index (WQI) is an essential part of the water resource management system through its use as a numerical scale to evaluate and classify the quality of the water body for various beneficial uses (drinks, industry and irrigation). The present study used WQI based on the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment‎ (CCME-WQI) ‎ as a tool for assessing the quality of Tigris River in Wasit Province, Iraq for drinking purposes through assaying different chemical and physical parameters. Four sites were selected along the river between Al-Kut City and Al-Aziziyah from August 2016 through July 2017. Water samples were collected monthly and nine physicochemical parameters were selected: pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrate, phosphate, sulfate, chlorides, lead, zinc and manganese. Based on the results of water quality index, the river water was considered as marginal in all the studied sites, and the CCME-WQI ranged between 56-62. The highest deviation has been occurred in phosphate, nitrate, sulfate, lead, and manganese, leading to decrease the water quality index value.
An ABC Optimized Adaptive Fuzzy Sliding Mode Control Strategy for Full Vehicle Active Suspension System

This work presents a Fuzzy based adaptive Sliding Mode Control scheme to deal with the control problem of full vehicle active suspension system and take into consideration the nonlinearities of the spring and damper, unmodeled dynamics as well as external disturbances. The control law of fuzzy-based Adaptive Sliding Mode Control scheme will update the parameters of fuzzy sliding mode control by using the stability analysis of Lyapunov criteria such that the convergence infinite time and the stability of the closed-loop is ensured. The proposed control scheme consists of four similar subsystems used for the four sides of the vehicle. The sub-control scheme contains two loops, the outer loop is built using a sliding mode controller with a fuzzy estimator to approximate and estimate the unknown parameters in the system. In the inner loop, a controller of type Fractional Order PID (FOPID) is utilized to create the required actuator force. All parameters in the four sub-control schemes are optimized utilizing Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) algorithm in order to improve the performance. The results indicate the effectiveness and good achievement of the proposed controller in providing the best ability to limit the vibration with good robustness properties in comparison with passive suspension system and using sliding mode control method. The controlled suspension system shows excellent results when it was tested with and without typical breaking and bending torques.
Stabilization of the Lower Jamuna River in Bangladesh—Hydraulic and Morphological Assessment

This paper presents a hydraulic and morphological analysis of the Lower Jamuna in Bangladesh with a focus on two key bifurcations that are important for stabilization of the Lower Jamuna reach. We used ground measurements, historical data, multispectral satellite images from various sources as well as numerical models. We carried out hydraulic analyses of the changes and their peculiarities, such as flow distributions at the bifurcation and hysteresis of the stage–discharge relationships. We supplemented our analysis by using numerical models to simulate discharge distribution at the bifurcations under various flow and riverbed conditions. We developed an advanced and automated satellite image processing application for the Lower Jamuna, referred to as Morphology Monitor (MoMo), using the Google Earth Engine. MoMo was found to be an effective tool for a rapid assessment and analysis of the changes in deep-channel and sandbar areas. It is also useful for monitoring and assessing riverbank and char erosion and accretion, which is important not only for morphological but also ecological impact assessment. The application can be adapted as an operational tool as well. Furthermore, we assessed the evolution of deep channels at the bifurcations based on regularly and extensively measured bathymetry data. The analysis was carried out in complement with morphological modeling, particularly for short-term prediction. In this paper we present the major findings of the analysis and discuss their implications for adaptive river management.
Perennial Crop Dynamics May Affect Long-Run Groundwater Levels

During California’s severe drought from 2011 to 2017, a significant shift in irrigated area from annual to perennial crops occurred. Due to the time requirements associated with bringing perennial crops to maturity, more perennial acreage likely increases the opportunity costs of fallowing, a common drought mitigation strategy. Increases in the costs of fallowing may put additional pressure on another common “go-to” drought mitigation strategy—groundwater pumping. Yet, overdrafted groundwater systems worldwide are increasingly becoming the norm. In response to depleting aquifers, as evidenced in California, sustainable groundwater management policies are being implemented. There has been little modeling of the potential effect of increased perennial crop production on groundwater use and the implications for public policy. A dynamic, integrated deterministic model of agricultural production in Kern County, CA, is developed here with both groundwater and perennial area by vintage treated as stock variables. Model scenarios investigate the impacts of surface water reductions and perennial prices on land and groundwater use. The results generally indicate that perennial production may lead to slower aquifer draw-down compared with deterministic models lacking perennial crop dynamics, highlighting the importance of accounting for the dynamic nature of perennial crops in understanding the co-evolution of agricultural and groundwater systems under climate change.
MSME lending and bank efficiency: Evidence from Indonesia

Banks prefer to lend to bigger clients for a variety of reasons, including transaction costs and risk considerations. Due to this phenomenon, the Central Bank of Indonesia issued a regulation that requires banks to channel a minimum proportion of their credit portfolio to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Nevertheless, the impact of channeling funds to MSMEs remains a subject of controversy, in part de- pending on the dimensions and metrics used. This study examines how MSME lending affects the efficiency of banks in Indonesia, a country where MSMEs constitute more than 99% of business entities. Using a total of 175 panel data observations of banks in Indonesia from 2014–2018, banks’ cost efficiency is first estimated using a stochastic frontier approach (SFA). Panel data regression is used to examine the impact of MSME lending on efficiency. The result of this study shows a significant and positive impact of the proportion of MSME lending on bank efficiency, which indicates that requiring banks to channel funds to MSMEs does not only potentially support economic devel- opment, but also is beneficial from the business perspective in the Indonesian context.
New glyoxalated pre-gelatinized starch as release retardant for extended release pellets containing zaltoprofen: statistical optimization, in-vitro and in-vivo evaluation

Abstract The aim of the present investigation is to develop zaltoprofen-loaded extended-release (ER) pellets formulation by an extrusion-spheronization technique using glyoxalated pre-gelatinized starch (GPS) complex as a novel matrix-forming polymer. The prime objective was to prepare an efficient and robust ER drug delivery system of zaltoprofen. Pellets were characterized by physicochemical, morphological, and solid-state characterization. The formulation was also analyzed for in-vitro drug release and in-vivo pharmacokinetic parameters. The FTIR analysis confirmed the GPS complex formation through the formation of the hemiacetal group while the ketone groups of glyoxal are abolished. Optimized formulation G5 containing 5:8 ratio of GPS complex and MCC showed 99.03 ± 2.12 percent cumulative drug releases in 14 h. The in-vivo study showed decreased C max and increased t 1/2 compared to bulk zaltoprofen, and hence would be a viable alternative for ER-type formulations. In the author’s opinion, the GPS-based ER pellet formulation would be an excellent delivery system for zaltoprofen.
Meta-Reweighted Regularization for Unsupervised Domain Adaptation

Unsupervised domain adaptation (UDA) enables knowledge transfer from a labeled source domain to an unlabeled target domain by reducing the cross-domain distribution discrepancy, and the adversarial learning based paradigm has achieved remarkable success. On top of the derived domain-invariant feature representations, a promising stream of recent works seeks to further regularize the classification decision boundary via self-training to learn target adaptive classifier with pseudo-labeled target samples. However, since the pseudo labels are inevitably noisy, most of prior methods focus on manually designing elaborate target selection algorithms or optimization objectives to combat the negative effect caused by the incorrect pseudo labels. Different from them, in this paper, we propose a simple and powerful meta-learning based target-reweighting regularization algorithm, called MetaReg, which regularizes the model training by learning to reweight the noisy pseudo-labeled target samples. Specifically, MetaReg is motivated by the intuition that an ideal target classifier trained on correct target pseudo labels should make small classification errors on target-like source samples. Therefore, we explicitly define a meta reweighting problem that aims to find the optimal weights for different target pseudo labels by minimizing the classification loss on a designed validation set, a class-balanced set consisting of source samples that are most similar to target ones. Note that the optimization problem can be solved efficiently with a simplified approximation technique. As a result, the automatically learned optimal weights are utilized to reweight pseudo-labeled target samples, and regularize the model learning by target supervision with the learned different importance. Comprehensive experiments on several cross-domain image and text datasets verify that MetaReg could outperform the non-regularized UDA counterparts with state-of-the-art performance. Code is available at https://github.com/BIT-DA/MetaReg.