Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Challenges of accountability in Nigeria: the role of deposit money bank

Purpose The unhealthy drive for deposit in the banking sector has pushed many banks into unethical practices, thereby resulting in high-level corruption cases in the banking sector. The purpose of this study is to investigate the short- and long-run linkages between bank net interest income and deposit liabilities interacted with corruption, to establish the influence of corruption in deposit mobilisation drive of banks in Nigeria. Also, the study analysed the causal relationship between selected bank variables and fraud. Design/methodology/approach The study used quarterly data on selected variables from 1Q 1993 to 4Q 2017 sourced from Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) annual reports and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Statistical Bulletin of various issues. Deposit Money Bank various deposit liabilities are interacted with a corruption index and used as the independent variables, while bank earnings serve as the dependent variable. Error Correction Model (ECM) and Engel Granger approach to co-integration technique were used to analyse the data. Findings The findings reveal that various bank deposit liabilities interacted with corruption index has a negative effect on bank profitability in the long run, though only corrupt fixed deposit is statistically significant at the 5 per cent significance level. Bank total asset, total loan and advances and fraud have a significant effect on bank profitability at 1 and 10 per cent significance level. The findings also reveal that banks profit from corrupt fixed deposit and demand deposit in the short run. Social implications Text Originality/value The literature is awash with bank lending corruption and various institutional factors such as competition among banks, credit bureau and information sharing about borrowers, bank supervisory policies, loan loss provisioning, bank ownership structure and regulatory environment and anti-corruption measures. The aspect of deposit mobilisation and corruption has not been well researched in literature; this study, therefore, fills the gap in the literature by examining the extent deposit money banks contributed to corruption in Nigeria through their cutthroat deposit mobilisation drive.
Cross-Cultural Validation Into Filipino of the Consumer Assessment of Health-Care Providers and Systems Surgical Care Survey (S-CAHPS)

Surgical experience is increasingly being recognized; however, Consumer Assessment of Health-Care Providers and Systems Surgical Care Survey (S-CAHPS), the tool for surgical experience, is available in English and Spanish only. To measure surgical experience among Filipinos, a culturally appropriate version should be validated. This study culturally adapted the S-CAHPS into Filipino. A five-step cross-cultural validation study was conducted. Language experts conducted forward translation, back translation, and panel reconciliation. Pretesting included content validation and pretesting of the Filipino S-CAHPS. Field testing involved 55 purposively selected postoperative patients who completed a 3-part survey from March to July 2018. The English S-CAHPS was reduced to 34 items to account cultural variations, yielding an item content validity index (I-CV) of 1.00. One-sample t test and Bland–Altman plots showed good linguistic equivalence. Correlation coefficients were ≥0.30, suggestive of good conceptual equivalence. Cronbach’s alpha values were 0.83 and 0.85 indicative of good reliability. The Filipino S-CAHPS showed acceptable psychometric properties. It is a valid and culturally appropriate instrument to measure surgical experience among Filipinos which can be utilized for quality improvement measures on both practice and policy levels.
Trapping Methods for Ixodid Ticks and Pathogen Associations of Amblyomma maculatum (Gulf Coast Tick) in Western Tennessee

Ticks are vectors of disease agents and pests of humans and animals. Various methods are used for tick monitoring and pathogen surveillance to assess tick distributions, pathogen prevalence and control measures, such as monitoring the changing geographic distribution of the Gulf Coast tick, Amblyomma maculatum. This project (1) compared the effectiveness of six trapping methods for the collection of hard (Ixodid) ticks in a typical grassland-forest habitat in southwestern Tennessee, and (2) examined pathogen associations of A. maculatum collected in western Tennessee. To compare trapping methods across time and habitat types, a temporal study was conducted in 2013 and a habitat study was conducted in 2014. Conventional tick collection methods (dragging, flagging, dry ice trapping, and sweep-netting) and novel methods (carbon dioxide (CO2)-reinforced dragging and flagging) were compared across five monthly sampling periods. Dragging, CO2 dragging, CO2 flagging and dry ice trapping were then compared across four habitat types (grassland, upland deciduous, bottomland deciduous, and coniferous). Significant interactions between trapping method and sampling period (2013) and between trapping method and habitat (2014) were identified. In both studies, the novel methods were comparable to their conventional counterparts; the addition of CO2 did not significantly increase the number of ticks collected. Dry ice trapping and dragging were effective methods of tick collection across time and habitat types, and were among the most effective methods for all species collected. To detect pathogens associated with A. maculatum and identify the best surveillance methods for monitoring infected ticks, questing and host-feeding A. maculatum (n = 265) collected in the 2013 and 2014 trapping studies and other concurrent studies were PCR-screened
Cross Culture Understanding in English Camp Program 2019: An Islamic Perspective from Madurese College Students

The term cross cultural understanding had long been known by many people all over the world, but only a few of them knows about the influence of Islamic values along with the cross cultural understanding theme in an event called English Camp Program 2019. Due to that reason, the researcher is interested in digging more about how the Islamic values of Madurese college students affect their understanding about cultural differences of English-speaking countries in English Camp Program. In general, this research will use qualitative descriptive method because the main goal is to describe about those college students’ understanding on cultural differences in relation with Islamic values on students’ background. The result of this research shows that those Madurese college students are still holding on their Islamic values which are coming from their religious background when it comes to understand about cultural differences happened in certain English-speaking countries during the English Camp Program. Also, their Islamic values are not blocking or limiting their openess about receiving some cultural differences happened all over the world.
RoSCo: Robust Updates for Software-Defined Networks

In many Software-Defined Networking (SDN) deployments the control plane ends up being actually centralized, yielding a single point of failure and attack. This paper models the interaction between the data plane and a distributed control plane consisting of a set of failure-prone and potentially malicious (compromised) control devices, and implements a secure and robust controller platform that allows network administrators to integrate new network functionality as with a centralized approach. Concretely, the network administrator may program the data plane from the perspective of a centralized controller without worrying about distribution, asynchrony, failures, attacks, or coordination problems that any of these could cause. We introduce a formal SDN computation model for applying network policies and show that it is impossible to implement asynchronous non-blocking and strongly consistent SDN controller platforms in that model. We then present a robust SDN controller protocol (RoSCo) which implements (i) a protocol with provably linearizable semantics for applying network policies that is resilient against faulty/malicious control devices as long as a correct majority exists, and (ii) a modification to the protocol that improves performance by relaxing the guarantees of linearizability to exploit commutativity among updates. Extensive experiments conducted with a functional prototype of RoSCo over a large networked infrastructure supporting Open vSwitch (OVS)-compatible Agilio CX™ SmartNIC hardware show that RoSCo induces bearable overhead. In fact, RoSCo achieves higher throughput in most cases investigated than the seminal Ravana platform which addresses only benign (crash) failures.
The use of different methods of oocyte activation for generation of porcine fibroblast cell nuclear-transferred embryos

The present study was undertaken in order to examine the preimplantation developmental capacity of fibroblast cell cloned pig embryos produced applying different methods for activation of reconstituted oocytes. in groups ia and ib, nuclear-transferred (nT) oocytes that had descended from either adult cutaneous or foetal fibroblast cells were subjected to simultaneous fusion and activation mediated by dc pulses. in groups iia and iib, they underwent sequential physical and chemical activation involving treatment with DC pulses and subsequent exposure to 10 μM calcium ionomycin, followed by incubation with 1 mM 6-dimethylaminopurine and 5 μg mL–1 cycloheximide. The proportions of cloned embryos that reached the morula and blastocyst stages were 203/327 (62.1%) and 115/327 (35.2%) or 270/361 (74.8%) and 167/361 (46.3%) in groups ia or ib, respectively. in turn, in groups iia and iib, the morula and blastocyst formation rates yielded 147/298 (49.3%) and 79/298 (26.5%) or 228/359 (63.5%) and 118/359 (32.9%), respectively. in summary, the simultaneous fusion and electrical activation of nT oocytes reconstructed with both types of nuclear donor fibroblast cells resulted in considerably higher in vitro developmental outcomes of porcine cloned embryos than the sequential electrical and chemical activation. moreover, to our knowledge, the use of electric pulses followed by an additional activation with calcium ionomycin at a double dose and subsequent exposure to the combination of 6-dimethylaminopurine and cycloheximide at the twofold decreased concentrations is the first to stimulate gilt or sow oocytes that had been reconstituted by somatic cell nuclear transfer.
Transformer VAE: A Hierarchical Model for Structure-Aware and Interpretable Music Representation Learning

Structure awareness and interpretability are two of the most desired properties of music generation algorithms. Structure-aware models generate more natural and coherent music with long-term dependencies, while interpretable models are more friendly for human-computer interaction and co-creation. To achieve these two goals simultaneously, we designed the Transformer Variational AutoEncoder, a hierarchical model that unifies the efforts of two recent breakthroughs in deep music generation: 1) the Music Transformer and 2) Deep Music Analogy. The former learns long-term dependencies using attention mechanism, and the latter learns interpretable latent representations using a disentangled conditional-VAE. We showed that Transformer VAE is essentially capable of learning a context-sensitive hierarchical representation, regarding local representations as the context and the dependencies among the local representations as the global structure. By interacting with the model, we can achieve context transfer, realizing the imaginary situation of "what if" a piece is developed following the music flow of another piece.
PENGARUH STRUKTUR GEOLOGI TERHADAP KEMUNCULAN MATAAIR PANAS DAERAH SULILI PINRANG SULAWESI SELATAN

Kondisi dan struktur geologi suatu daerah merupakan aspek penting karena data geologi dapat memberikan informasi tentang karakteristik lapisan batuan yang berguna di dalam ilmu panas bumi. Olehnya itu, dilakukan penelitian untuk mengeksplorasi lebih detail mengenai analisis struktur geologi mata air panas dan pengaruh kemunculan mata air panas tersebut, sebagai penunjang data eksplorasi yang belum pernah diteliti sebelumnya. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah menganalisis struktur geologi mata air panas dan mengetahui pengaruh geologi terhadap munculnya mata air panas di Daerah Sulili. Metode yang digunakan adalah metode sampling dan analisis data kekar. Struktur geologi yang terjadi pada Daerah Sulili adalah struktur kekar yang terdapat pada litologi batuan tufa. Kemunculan mata air panas diakibatkan adanya pengaruh struktur geologi berupa kekar dan sesar geser yang berkembang pada daerah tersebut.
An investigation of RNR regulation in fission yeast by confocal laser scanning FRET and near-TIRF microscopy

For genome integrity, adequate levels of deoxyribonucleotide (dNTPs) are essential to maintain faithful DNA replication and repair via the regulation of ribonucleotide reductase (RNR). In the fission yeast, RNR is composed of two subunits: Cdc22 and Suc22. The importance of Spd1 (RNR inhibitor) in Cdc22-Suc22 complex formation has been demonstrated by imaging of S. pombe containing fluorescent protein (FP) modified RNR subunit proteins in the presence of Spd1 and absence of Spd1 cells using confocal laser scanning microscopy. To investigate further the significant role of Spd1 in the regulation of RNR, 41 mutants created by Nestoras group. We used fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) by acceptor photobleaching to investigate the RNR subunit interaction and provide evidence for a new model for the role of Spd1 in RNR regulation. Different treatments such as HU, 4NQO and heat shock have been used to investigate the effect of radical scavenging on the inhibition of RNR activity and induced DNA damage on S. pombe cell viability to elucidate further the role of Spd1 in the regulation of RNR. Finally a novel imaging technique, near-total internal reflection microscopy has been developed and applied with dual-view detection. The technique has been applied to image, simultaneously, the donor CFP and acceptor YFP channels of the FP-tagged RNR complex in the wild-type S. pombe cells and perform FRET measurements that are consistent with the confocal fluorescence results. In conclusion, a new hypothesis for the role of Spd1 has been drawn from the results, which is that the inhibitory role of Spd1 mediates the Suc22-Cdc22 (R1-R2) interaction to form a FRET competent but immature and inactive RNR complex, while with Spd1 deleted RNR is clearly active in a conformation that lacks FRET.
Understanding Users’ Intention to Use Park-and-Ride Facilities in Malaysia: The Role of Trust as a Novel Construct in the Theory of Planned Behaviour

This research aimed to use the extended theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to determine whether it can explain users’ intention to use the bus-based park-and-ride (P&R) facilities in Putrajaya, Malaysia. This research introduced a new predictor related to the use of P&R facilities, namely trust. The survey involved 437 respondents. A structural equation model is used to show that trust positively influence the attitude and perceived behavioural control (PBC) towards the use of P&R facilities. However, the intention to use P&R facilities is not profoundly influenced by trust and subjective norm. Results also revealed that attitude, subjective norm, and PBC have a strong positive influence on the intention to use P&R facilities. In addition, several policy recommendations are discussed in this study. All things considered, the theory of planned behaviour was able to predict users’ intention to use P&R facilities in Malaysia. It is hoped that this research would increase researchers’ interest in conducting further investigation in this field and that the model is beneficial to service providers in helping them identify the factors that increase the number of P&R users.
Black cumin seeds as phytogenic product in broiler diets and its effects on performance, blood constituents, immunity and caecal microbial population

A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of 3 different levels (1.25, 2.5 or 5.0%) of black cumin seeds (BCS) on five hundred chicks. A basal diet was supplemented with either 0 (negative control), or 0.1% antibiotic (positive control), or 3 levels of BCS. At day 28 and 42 of age, the 2.5 and 5.0% BCS groups had significantly greater body weight gain (BWG) than the 1.25% BCS and the antibiotic group. The same groups had feed efficiency significantly improved (P<0.05) compared to the 1.25% BCS group and the controls. At both ages, measurement of the dressing percentage showed no marked variation between BCS supplementation and antibiotic. The 2.5 and 5.0% BCS groups showed an increase (P<0.05) in total protein and higher (P<0.05) haematological values than the 1.25%, antibiotic or unsupplemented diet group. The activities of blood enzymes were lower (P<0.05) and caecal coliform and Escherichia coli populations decreased (P<0.05) in BCS and antibiotic groups. Serum and tissue cholesterol concentration decreased (P<0.05) as the levels of BCS increased. The geometric means haemagglutination inhibition (HI) titres of the BCS and the antibiotic group were always higher than the negative control. The mean lymphoid organs weight/body weight ratio of the negative control was significantly (P<0.05) lower than BCS and antibiotic groups. In conclusion, including up to 2.5 or 5.0% BSC in the diets of broilers has no deleterious effects on their performance, immunity, serum biochemical constituents nor haematological indices. In fact, it may lead to the development of low-cholesterol chicken meat.
First record of the superfamily Hydrovolzioidea Thor, 1905 from China (Acari: Hydrachnidiae) with redescription and DNA barcodes of Hydrovolzia cancellata Walter, 1906

ABSTRACT Hydrachnidiae are the most abundant and diverse groups of benthic arthropods. Seven superfamilies are included in the subcohort Hydrachnidiae, six of which have been reported from China. In our recent collection, we found several specimens of Hydrovolzia. The specimens were identified as Hydrovolzia cancellata Walter, 1906 using morphological characteristics. DNA barcodes were generated and represent the first reported for this species. Interspecific divergence between H. cancellata and H. placophora was analysed based on DNA barcodes. The result showed that the two species could be distinguished easily by DNA barcodes. The presence of H. cancellata in China means that seven superfamilies are officially reported in the country.
Using Virtual Simulations to Assess Situational Awareness and Communication in Medical and Nursing Education: A Technical Feasibility Study

ABSTRACT Communication and situational awareness, among other “human factors,” are critical skills needed within high-reliability organizations (HROs). HROs are challenged to develop an effective methodology for the systematic assessment of these skills. Virtual reality (VR) simulation technology offers a promising approach to meet this challenge. By utilizing a verbal coding procedure in tandem with eye-tracking metrics, we conducted a technical feasibility study to assess the impact of an interprofessional training (TeamSTEPPS®) on communication accuracy and observing responses among medical and nursing students in a virtual simulation. The results suggest that communication accuracy significantly improved as a result of TeamSTEPPS® training. These findings and changes in situational awareness among individuals are discussed.
Phase partition and identification based on kernel entropy component analysis and multi-class support vector machines-fireworks algorithm for multi-phase batch process fault diagnosis

For the characteristics of nonlinear and multi-phase in the batch process, a self-adaptive multi-phase batch process fault diagnosis method is proposed in this paper. Firstly, kernel entropy component analysis (KECA) method is used to achieve multi-phase partition adaptively, which makes the process data mapped into the high-dimensional feature space and then constructs the core entropy and the angular structure similarity. Then a multi-phase KECA failure monitoring model is developed by using the angular structure similarity as the statistic, which is based on the partitioned phases and the effective failure features by the KECA feature extraction method. A multi-phase batch process fault diagnosis method, which applies the multi-class support vector machines (MSVM) and fireworks algorithm (FWA), is proposed to recognize each sub-phase fault diagnosis automatically. The effectiveness and advantages of the proposed multi-phase fault diagnosis method are illustrated with a case study on a fed-batch penicillin fermentation process.
Examining the Acute and Chronic Effects of Sepsis on the Circadian Clock in the Mouse

Circadian rhythms are recurring patterns (~24hrs) in behaviour and physiology that are driven primarily by an endogenous biological timekeeping system, with the master pacemaker located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus. Studies have indicated bidirectional relationships between the circadian and the immune systems, however while there is much evidence regarding the regulation of immune function by the circadian system, information regarding the impact of immune processes on the timekeeping system is more limited, including that regarding the long-term modulation of the circadian system following immune challenge. The current set of studies address this gap in the literature by examining the long-term impact of sepsis, a substantial immune challenge, on circadian timekeeping processes, following sepsis induction by peripheral treatment with lipopolysaccharide (5mg/kg). Following recovery, post-septic circadian behaviour, SCN molecular oscillations and SCN responsiveness were assessed. SCN neurochemistry was also assessed both in the acute phase and in the long-term post LPS treatment. LPS induced sepsis did not affect core circadian locomotor rhythmicity parameters, but did result in long-term attenuations in post-septic resetting in response to phase advancing photic stimulation, and alterations in re-entrainment to advances of the photoperiod. Perturbations were observed in SCN neurochemistry in the acute phase following septic LPS treatment, and chronic attenuations were also found in post-septic SCN clock gene protein product expression. LPS induced sepsis caused attenuations in SCN functional activation in response to both photic and immune stimulation, as well as alterations in circadian resetting in response to phase resetting immune stimuli. Overall, these data provide further insight into immune circadian communication, and the long-term impact of immune challenge on timekeeping processes, and describe a previously unknown impact of the chronic effects of experimental sepsis on the circadian timekeeping system.