Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recent Improvement in Particulate Matter (PM) Pollution in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

ABSTRACT Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia, has occasionally been considered the most polluted city in the world. Approximately 46% of the population resides in Ulaanbaatar, and over half of the population living in ger (traditional yurt dwelling) areas consumes raw coal, which leads to an increase in ambient air pollutants. The Government of Mongolia took a series of actions to reduce air pollution; one was the ban on the consumption of raw coal beginning on 15 May 2019. In this study, improvement in particulate matter (PM) air quality was shortly studied by assessing the hourly data for the last six years, from January 2014 to February 2020. The analysis exhibited a major improvement in PM concentrations during the 2019-2020 winter in Ulaanbaatar. The average PM concentrations clearly exhibited a decreasing trend in November 2019-February 2020 compared to the previous five years. The maximum PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations were reduced to 46% and 55%, respectively, compared to the mean maximum values of the previous five years. The most prominent occurrence frequency of PM concentrations shifted to a lower concentration range. Although a PM pollution reduction was seen during the 2019-2020 winter, further air quality improvement can be obtained by taking a set of multiple actions with accurate planning management.
Bacterial contamination and antimicrobial susceptibility from the hands of health care workers (HCWs) and inanimate surfaces in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the Windhoek Central Hospital (WCH)

Bacterial contamination of intensive care unit surfaces is of clinical concern because it is one of the major risk factors of intensive care unit-acquired infections and centre point of multidrug resistant (MDR) pathogens. This study aimed to determine the distribution of bacteria isolated from the hands of health care workers (HCWs) and inanimate surfaces in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the Windhoek Central Hospital. A cross-sectional, descriptive study carried out in NICU from September 2018 to October 2018 at the Windhoek Central Hospital in Windhoek. This study entailed the collection of 34 swab samples from high-contact environmental surfaces, as well as 2 swab samples from the hands of HCWs in NICU. Overall out of the surfaces swabbed, 52.8% yielded positive bacterial growth and 48.2% of the surfaces had no bacterial growth after 48 hours of incubation. Five different pathogens were identified, S. aureus, CoNS, Enterobacter species, Pseudomonas aeroginosa and Acinetobacter species respectively. CoNS accounted for majority of the bacterial pathogens isolated 70%, followed by Enterobacter species. The antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of clinically relevant pathogens tested showed similar patterns, with high resistant level to penicillin and cepholosporins. In the light of this, there is need therefore for thorough disinfection and conscientious contact control procedures to minimize the spread of these pathogens in the neonatal intensive care unit, where interaction between patients, HCWs, parents and caregivers is very common and frequent.
GLOBAL ASYMPTOTIC STABILITY OF ROBOT MANIPULATORS WITH LINEAR PID AND PID CONTROL

In this note we address the problem of set-point control of robot manipulators with uncertain gravity knowledge by combining several previous contributions to PID control. The main contribution is a linear PID controller which ensures global asymptotic stability of the closed loop. The key feature of the controller is that the integration is started after a short transient. In the case of unmeasurable velocities, a similar delayed PI2D controller is shown to globally asymptotically stabilize the manipulator.
More than money? An empirical investigation of socio-psychological drivers of financial citizen participation in the German energy transition

Abstract While financial citizen participation plays an increasing role in renewable energy, there is a lack of understanding which socio-psychological factors correlate with a decision to privately invest in renewable energy. Based on a conceptual model and an extensive literature review, a survey among retail investors of renewable energy projects in Germany was conducted and compared to existing population samples using logistic regressions and factor analysis. This research finds that the typical retail investor in renewable energy in Germany is more likely to be male with a higher income, to have a higher education, and to live in a more rural area compared with the overall population. The typical investor exhibits strong proenvironmental beliefs and behaviors as well as a predisposition for active citizenship. Furthermore, getting a form of non-financial or “psychic return” from the investment seems to be important for the investment decision. Strategic adaptions for public and private actors to increase retail investment in renewable energy are discussed.
Rainfall-river discharge modelling for flood forecasting using Artificial Neural Network (ANN)

This study is aimed at evaluating the applicability of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model technique for river discharge forecasting. Feed-forward multilayer perceptron neural network trained with back-propagation algorithm was employed for model development. Hydro-meteorological data for the Imo River watershed, that was collected from the Anambra-Imo River Basin Development Authority, Owerri – Imo State, South-East, Nigeria, was used to train, validate and test the model. Coefficients of determination results are 0.91, 0.91 and 0.93 for training, validation and testing periods respectively. River discharge forecasts were fitted against actual discharge data for one to five lead days. Model results gave R 2 values of 0.95, 0.95, 0.92, 0.96 and 0.94 for first, second, third, fourth, and fifth lead days of forecasts, respectively. It was generally observed that the R 2 values decreased with increase in lead days for the model. Generally, this technique proved to be effective in river discharge modelling for flood forecasting for shorter lead-day times, especially in areas with limited data sets.
Comparison of clinical feasibility of behavioural and physiological estimates of peripheral compression

Proceedings of the International Symposium on Auditory and Audiological Research (Proc. ISAAR), Vol. 7: Auditory Learning in Biological and Artificial Systems, August 2019, Nyborg, Denmark. Edited by A. Kressner, J. Regev, J. C. -Dalsgaard, L. Tranebjærg, S. Santurette, and T. Dau. The Danavox Jubilee Foundation, 2019. © The Authors. ISSN: 2596-5522. Comparison of clinical feasibility of behavioural and physiological estimates of peripheral compression
SJIM-V6-N1 Final Text MRVaug2016.indd

Background: Length of stay is an important performance indicator for hospital management and a key measure of health care effi ciency. Th is paper aims to determine the average length of stay in our center and the factors that infl uence it. We also investigate whether our hospital’s length of stay is a key performance measure that can be used to design quality improvement initiatives. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of hospitalizations at the Multi-disciplinary Internal Medicine Department of King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah between 2010 and 2013. We collected data including demographics, admitting diagnosis, admitting unit, treatments administered, and history of transfer from the Intensive Care Unit. Results: Th e mean length of stay was 5.9 (6.8) days. Patients admitted through the Emergency Department were more likely to have a longer hospital stay compared with those admitted through Day Care or the Outpatient Department (P < 0.001). Expatriates (P < 0.001), bedridden patients (P = 0.02), and those who received prophylaxis for deep venous thrombosis (P < 0.001) were more likely to have a longer length of stay than the rest of the sample. Furthermore, patients admitted in the morning hours had a signifi cantly shorter length of stay than those admitted in the evening hours (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Th e length of stay among patients at our department is aff ected by hospitalor patient-specifi c factors. Health care can be improved by identifying and monitoring the length of stay in high-risk patients.
PATTERNS OF TUMOURS INVOLVING THE ORBIT IN PATIENTS SEEN AT MENELLIK II REFERRAL HOSPITAL, ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA

Background: The incidence and relative frequency of orbital tumours varies widely and has been reported to be dependent on differences in geographical areas, race and age of the patient. Geographical differences may suggest environmental factors involving particular disease development and socioeconomic status. Purpose: To determine the pattern of tumors involving the orbit among patients seen at Menellik II referral hospital. Methods: Hospital based, prospective cross sectional study was conducted at Menellik II referral hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from April 2015 to July 2016 on 144 patients with orbital tumors who underwent surgical intervention and biopsy. Parameters included age, sex, patient complaint, duration and location of the lesion, description of the lesion, preoperative clinical diagnosis, and histopathological diagnosis. Results: From a total of 144 patients, 48.7% were male and 51.3% were female with mean age of 23.8 ± 21.2 years. The most prevalent histopathological diagnoses for patients under 15 years of age were retinoblastoma (31.1%) followed by dermoid cyst (28.4%), and rhabdomyosarcoma (12.2%). For patients above 15 years of age, the most frequently seen tumors were squamous cell carcinoma (23%), dermoid cyst (13.1%) and malignant lacrimal gland tumor (13.1%). Conclusion: Orbital tumors demonstrate a broad spectrum of biological behavior. The most common malignant tumors involving the orbit were retinoblastoma and squamous cell carcinoma for patients under and above 15 years of age respectively and the most common benign tumor was dermoid cyst in both age categories. The majority of the tumors in this study were secondary orbital tumors which implies late presentation of patients.
The Associations between Daily Steps and Cardiovascular Risk Factors among Female Teachers

Physical activity is an important component of cardiovascular health. The fact that physical activity is also associated with a substantial number of cognitive and academic benefits, therefore school teachers can be an important role model in promoting a physically-active lifestyle in school children. The aim of this study is to examine the levels of physical activity (PA) and its association with cardiovascular risk factors in a sample of school teachers. Forty-nine (n=49) female teachers from primary and secondary schools around Klang Valley urban areas were recruited. The PA level was determined using pedometer, worn for three consecutive days. Anthropometric measurements and blood samples were collected to determine cardiovascular risk factors. Findings showed that the school teachers recorded an overall mean (± SEM) of 7707 ± 490 steps/day, which is below the recommended target of 10 000 steps per day. According to pedometer-determined physical activity indices proposed by Tudor-Locke and Bassett (2004), 20.83% of the sample were classified as ‘sedentary’ (<5000 steps/day), 35.40% were ‘low active’ (5000 – 7499 steps/day) and only 18.70% achieved more than 10 000 steps/day. The mean values for waist circumference, fasting blood sugar, and cholesterol level, systolic and diastolic blood pressure were 83.96 ± 1.90 cm, 5.41 ± 0.26 mmol/l, 4.64±0.26 mmol/l, 118.90 ± 1.72 mmHg and 72.40±1.58 mmHg respectively. Fisher Exact Test shown that there were significant association between daily step and age category. Daily steps weakly negative correlated with systolic blood Malaysian Journal of Movement, Health & Exercises, 9(2), 113-122, 2020 114 pressure (r = -0.024, p > 0.05) as well as blood sugar levels (r = -0.061, p> 0.05), diastolic blood pressure (r = -0.079, p> 0.05), body mass index (r = 0.271, p> 0.05), waist circumference (r = -0.196, p> 0.05), as well as blood cholesterol levels (r = -0.037, p> 0.05). In conclusion, there were weak negative correlations between steps per day and cardiovascular risk factors. Generally, the level of physical activity in the sample of female workers were low moderate active. Therefore, should be an interventions programme in promoting PA.
Do external commercial borrowings and financial development affect exports?

Abstract In this study, we examine the competitiveness effect of currency depreciation in the presence of external commercial borrowing (ECBs) and low financial development. The estimates of autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) show the contractionary effects of exchange rate depreciation on exports owing to increased liability denominated in foreign currency such as ECBs. We also find a positive relationship between bank credit and exports, but the marginal benefits of domestic credit diminish when the exchange rate depreciates. The findings of the study suggest that natural hedging does not act as a cushion against shocks and thus calls for the mandatory use of derivatives by firms. The development of domestic credit markets is essential to reap the benefits of currency depriciation in the export sector.
IDENTIFICATION OF THREE POPULATIONS (CHINESE FUGU RUBRIPES, JAPANESE FUGU RUBRIPES AND FUGU PSEUDOMMUS) USING RAPD MARKERS

Three populations including Fugu rubripes domesticated in China, Fagu rubripes domesticated in Japan and natural Fugu pseudommus in Qingdao were analyzed using the RAPD technology and the pattern of each sample was obtained. Altogether 20 primers were used in this experiment. No markers were found to distinguish them in the study and the patterns of Fugu rubripes from Japan and Fugu rubripes from China are almost the same. At the same time, the difference of the patterns between Fugu rubripes and Fugu pseudommus is very small. It shows that the affinities between them are very near.
Magnetic resonance imaging predictors of outcome after surgical intervention for cervical spondylotic myelopathy

Background: Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is a commonly seen spinal cord disease. There are no well-defined indications and optimal timing for surgical intervention. Therefore, defining predictors for outcome after surgical intervention will have great advantage in taking decisions for interventions.Methods: A consecutive series of all patients having signs and symptoms of cervical spondylotic myelopathy admitted to Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram who underwent decompressive surgery with or without stabilization in one year were studied. Pre-operative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings were correlated with post-operative surgical outcomes (Nurick grade) after 3 months of follow up. The pattern of spinal cord signal intensity was classified as: group A (MRI N/N) - no SI T1WI or T2WI, group B (MRI N/Hi) - no SI T1WI and high SI on T2WI and, group C (MRI Lo/Hi) - low SI T1WI and high SI on T2WI. CSM clinical outcomes were evaluated using Nurick grading system, which was used pre- and post-operatively (pre op and post op). Results: Post operatively improvement was seen in 75% of group A and 61.35 % of group B patients, but among group C only 25% patient improved according to Nurick grading pre op and post op.Conclusions: Patients with high intramedullary signal intensity on T2WI may experience a good surgical outcome. A less favorable surgical outcome is predicted by the presence of low intramedullary signal on T1WI.
Use of remote sensing methods in modelling sage grouse winter habitat

Populations of Rich County, Utah sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) have been declining in recent years. Because loss of winter habitat is a suspected factor, we used Landsat Thematic Mapper data to model structural and compositional attributes of sage grouse winter habitat over a 2,548-km 2 area in Rich County, 1989-90. Of the 7 shrub and 1 no-shrub classes delineated from the Thematic Mapper, sage grouse preferred 3, avoided 3, and demonstrated no preference for the remaining 2. To determine if the model could be extrapolated to other unsampled areas, we tested model validity with 2 independent data sets from the northern and southern ends of the county
Changes in the Content of Gibberellin-like Substances of Seeds and Seedlings in the Tall and Dwarf Varieties of Pharbitis nil Chois.

Gibberellin has a marked growth promoting effect on the dwarf varieties of such plants as pea, maize, Pharbitis nil, etc., while normal varieties are only slightly affected. Radley found no difference in the content of gibberellin-like substances between tall and dwarf peas'' . Phinney found gibberellin-like substances in abundance in the shoot of tall maize plants and in reduced amount in dwarfs 1 and 2. But he did not find any reduction in amount of them in some dwarf s2' . A preliminary report on the quantitative difference in gibberellin-like substances in the hypocotyls between tall and dwarf varieties of Pharbitis nil was made by Ogawa3' . In the present experiments, changes in amount of gibberellin-like substances in ripening seeds and in developing seedlings of both tall and dwarf varieties of Pharbitis nil were investigated in more detail.
Comparative effects of oral hypoglycemic drugs on serum YKL-40 level in type 2 diabetic patients.

YKL-40, also named human cartilage glycoprotein-39,is secreted by a Abstract: Background:The prevalence of Type 2 diabetes mellitus and its associated micro and macro-vascular complications are globally rapidly increasing. Studies show that most diabetic complications are associated with an inflammatory response. YKL40, a novel biomarker for acute and chronic inflammation, has been proved to have a role in these complications. Many classes of antidiabetic drugs may have modulatory effects on inflammation beyond their glucose‐lowering activity. So, inThis study we evaluate comparative effects of metformin and glimepiride on ykl-40 serum level in type2 diabetic patients.
Compensation, Competence, Organizational Commitment and Its Effect on Employee Performance: Job Satisfaction as Interverning

This study aims investigate the influence of job satisfaction, compensation, performance on employee performance. How the effect of competence on job satisfaction and how the compensation effect on job satisfaction. Respondents in this study were 180 employees who have high levels of management level low, middle and top management in the telecommunications services company. Research analysis techniques using SEM analysis. The study found that the competence of positive and significant impact directly on job satisfaction; competence significant impact on the performance of employees through job satisfaction; compensation positive and significant effect on employee performance; compensation positive and significant effect on employee performance with going through job satisfaction; job satisfaction significant positive effect on employee performance; organizational commitment insignificant impact on the performance of the employees.
Drivers of X-inefficiency in Co-operative and Community Banks in Tanzania.

Over a span of years efficiency in Tanzanian Community Banks (CBs) has been found to be low. However, the specific and macroeconomic drivers of inefficiency have not been uncovered. The study applied explanatory sequential research design by examining relationship between variables through analyzing quantitative panel data. panel data was used and utilized nine (9) community banks except three banks which emerged recently. Using tobit regression and triangulation approach the study analyzed the drivers of inefficiency and found that gross loans to total deposit (Gltd), bank size (logassts), return on average assets (RoaA) and capital adequacy ratio (Car1) were statistically significant and negatively related to most bank inefficiency measures; while Net interest margin (Nim) was statistically positively related to inefficiency. The effect of macroeconomic factors on inefficiencies was not uniform; with GDP having an unexpected positive effect on inefficiency. The corresponding relationship is seemingly explained by the decreasing contribution of agriculture to GDP in Tanzania. Policy-wise, these findings imply that bank regulators should encourage community banks to increase their asset base in order to reduce inefficiencies. Moreover, community banks’ management need to reconcile between Gltd ratio and liquidity as higher Gltd ratio may compromise optimal liquidity in banks. On the effect of Nim, management should revisit their pricing policies in order not only to reduce inefficiencies but also to attract deposits from clients. On the effect of GDP on inefficiency, community banks need to diversify in other sectors of the economy so as reduce dependency on agricultural lending.
Preclinical study of innovative peptides mimicking the space structure of the α-helix B of erythropoietin

Introduction: The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of innovative peptides obtained by addition of polypeptide motifs with antiaggregation activity (Arg-Gly-Asp, Lys-Gly-Asp and Pro-Gly-Pro) to a peptide mimicking the tertiary structure of the α-helix B of erythropoietin pHBSP (Pyr-Glu-Gln-Leu-Glu-Arg-Ala-Leu-Asn-Ser-Ser). Materials and methods: The cytoprotective activity of innovative peptides mimicking the tertiary structure of the α-helix B of erythropoietin at the doses of 5 μg/ml, 30 μg/ml and 50 μg/ml was studied on human endothelial cell culture in a simulated oxidative stress. An ADMA-like model of preeclampsia was simulated in the experiment. The study was conducted in 260 female Wistar rats, weighing 250–300 g. Results and discussion: Innovative peptides mimicking the tertiary structure of the α-helix B of erythropoietin retain their cytoprotective activity in a simulated oxidative stress in HUVEC cell culture at the doses of 5 μg/ml, 30 μg/ml, and 50 μg/ml. The compounds with laboratory codes P-αB1 and P-αB3 had the most pronounced cytoprotective activity. Administration of N-nitro-L-arginine-methyl ether to pregnant females for 7 days causes the morphofunctional changes similar to clinical changes in preeclampsia. The innovative peptide under laboratory code P-αB4 at the dose of 50 μg/ kg mimicking the tertiary structure of the α-helix B of erythropoietin shows the most pronounced protective properties. Conclusion: Innovative peptides mimicking the tertiary structure of the α-helix B of erythropoietin have a pronounced positive influence on the morphofunctional disorders in animals with ADMA-like preeclampsia.