Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Formaldehyde-Induced Arthritis (FIA) using Modified Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Activity Index (RADAI) on Adult Male Wistar Rats

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune inflammatory and degenerative disease affecting the joints and joint cartilage, with extra-articular manifestations. The chronicity of RA causes irreversible damage to the skeletal system and with a poorly understood pathogenesis, current management modalities are grossly limited. Pre-clinical studies on RA in Africa are plagued with scarcity and inaccessibility of research grants and funding, and this has negatively impacted interest in research. Also, inducting agents that mimic the true pathogenesis of diseases such as RA are limited. Therefore, there is a need to find readily available alternatives to promote research studies on RA in our environment. This study aimed to evaluate the rheumatoid arthritis disease activity index (RADAI) of formaldehyde induction (FIA) in comparison to collagen induction (CIA) of arthritis using twenty adult male Wistar rats which were grouped into 5 (A-E) (n=4). Group A, the control group had feed and water only. Groups B, C, and D had two doses of 0.1% formaldehyde (50µl, 100µl, and 200µl, respectively). Group E had 200µl of bovine CII-CFA emulsion (0.2mg/ml). Booster dosage was performed 9 days later by injecting 100µl of bovine CII-CFA emulsion (0.1mg/ml). Body weights, ankle measurements, and blood samples were taken on days 1, 16, and 48, before sacrificing the animals by cervical dislocation. Both ankles were rapidly dissected and processed for histological assessment using Modified Mankin System. We recorded a 100% mortality rate on high-dose formaldehyde administration (Group D), but no mortalities were seen in other groups. In low and moderate dosages of formaldehyde, RA induction was achieved and when compared to Collagen Induced Arthritis (CIA), there was no significant difference noted. We postulate that Formaldehyde Induced Arthritis (FIA) models can serve as a substitute for CIA mimicking the true pathogenesis seen in rheumatoid arthritis.
Verbal instructional modeling: An intervention to improve students' perceived level of confidence in critical thinking skills

Verbal instructional modeling is a concept put forward by Albert Bandura (1977) under Observational Learning which assumed that when certain explanations and descriptions were presented, learning was enhanced. This study banks on this concept and confirms whether Verbal Instructional Modeling helped improve the perceived confidence of Grade 10 students from a private school in the Philippines in terms of their critical thinking skills. The study made use of a practical action research design and used a 6-point Likert Scale Questionnaire. Employing convenience sampling, the researchers collected the data pre- and post-implementation, describing the perceived level of confidence of the participants before and after the intervention. The data was then analyzed and interpreted with the use of the T-test. The study's results confirmed that Verbal Instructional Modeling improves the respondents' perceived confidence level in their critical-thinking skills. Therefore, the researchers recommend continued use of Verbal Instructional Modeling in classroom interactions.
Funding Sources, Competitiveness and Performance of Commercial Banks in Kenya

The nature of the funding source a commercial bank decides to adopt is a key performance determinant. Ideally, banks make use of either shareholders’ equity, borrowed funds, or customers' deposits to finance their operations. The liberalization in the sector has made it possible for many players to exist and as a result, each player has had to come up with a unique competitive way that allows them to attract and retain the best funding sources capable of yielding positive performance. Much as there are studies that have sought to investigate the concept of funding and performance among commercial banks, both in developing and developed economies, the studies yield mixed findings. This study sought to determine the mediating effect of the bank’s competitiveness on the relationship between funding sources and performance. A descriptive research design was adopted and used to evaluate the two hypotheses formulated for each of the study’s objectives. Secondary data obtained from 35 commercial banks that have been consistently operating in Kenya was gathered between the years 2011 to 2021. Findings obtained from the fixed effect regression model after performing a four-step regression mediation procedure indicate that bank competitiveness has a mediating effect on the relationship between funding sources and performance. This finding point to the need for both policymakers and implementers to come up with clear policies that can enable banks to utilize funds obtained from various sources more prudently and in the process ensure their performance remains optimum.
Analysis of Critical Thinking Skills of Students Assisted With Nearpod Media on Ecosystem Materials

The era of globalization is marked by changes and rapid developments that occur in various fields of life, one of which is in the field of education. This situation becomes a challenge for educators to always develop their abilities. This critical thinking skill becomes important to be appointed and trained in biology learning. Through this research, the aim is to analyze students' critical thinking skills using a blended learning model assisted by nearpod media on ecosystem materials. This study uses a quantitative approach which used method is a quasi-experimental method. The technique for collecting research data is through a description test of ten questions given during the pretest-posttest. Based on the data obtained during the study, it can be concluded thatthe results of critical thinking skills assisted by nearpod media got an average pretest of 55.53 which increased to 78.25 with an N-Gain value of 0.46 medium criteria. Students with critical thinking skills in the high category were 28 students, the medium category was 3 students, and the low category was 2 students.
Efficiacy of albendazole and paromomycin treatments against natural Giardia spp. infection in calves

The aim of the present study was to evaluate and compare the efficiacy of albendazole and paromomycine treatments against natural Giardia spp. infection in calves. The calves were divided in two groups of six animals each with similar parasitic loads of Giardiaspp. cysts. Albendazole (20 mg/kg) and paromomycin (50 mg/kg) were administrated orally to group A and group P, respectively, for three consecutive days. The efficiacies of drugs evaluated by analyzing the reduction in cyst excretion in native fecal examinations on days 0, 3, 7, 10, 14, 21 and 28. In addition, percentages of reduction for days 3, 7, 10, 14, 21 and 28 according to day 0 were evaluated. The geometric mean of fecal cyst excretion in both groups started to decrease from the 3rd day, in paromomycin group the decrease continued steadily throughout the examination days starting from the 3rd day, despite that in the albendazole group the cyst amount increased in the 7th day and then decreased again. Cyst excretion reached zero in all animals at the 21st and 28th days in group P and group A, respectively. The percentage of reduction started with a high rate of 47.72% on the third day and reached 100% on the 21st day in the paromomycin group. In the albendazole group, the percentage of reduction started with a rate of 35.29% on the third day and reached 100% on the 28th day. As a result, paromomycin was found to be more effective compared to albendazole in terms of both the regularity of the mean cyst reduction and the time it takes for the cyst excretion to reach zero.
Mixture Modeling for Multivariate Observations

In this thesis, nonparametric multivariate density estimation is studied. The kernel density estimation predominately used in the literature is known to be less than ideal in both computation and estimation efficiency, especially for multivariate observations. Mixtures, particularly nonparametric and semiparametric mixtures, have the potential to outperform the kernel-based methods, as has been shown in previous research in the univariate case. It is the main goal of this research to extend the application of these mixture models to estimate nonparametrically a multivariate distribution. The major difficulty with the likelihood approach that is associated with the estimation of these mixtures in the multivariate case is that the likelihood function can not be maximized directly with respect to the whole component covariance matrix, because the covariance matrix will become singular, and that it is also computationally infeasible to use a model selection method to select a large part of the covariance matrix. To overcome it, the new method uses a volume parameter h to put a minimal restriction on the covariance matrix and hence has the likelihood function bounded with h fixed. The scalar h plays the same role as a bandwidth parameter in the univariate case and its value can be determined by a model selection method. New algorithms are also developed for fitting nonparametric and semiparametric mixtures in the multivariate case. Empirical studies using simulated and real-world data show that the new method performs significantly better than
The Effect of Healthy Lifestyle and Role Stress On Auditor Performance With Emotional Quotient As the Moderating Variable

This study aims to examine the effect of healthy lifestyle and role stress on auditor performance with emotional quotient as moderating variable. Respondents in this study is auditors who work for Inspectorate of South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. The total population consisted of 60 auditors and the technique of determining the sample was cencus method, which is the entire population were used as a research samples. In this study the method used was explanatory research. Data collection used a questionnaire instrument. Data were analyzed using Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA). The result show that healthy lifestyle positively and significantly affects auditor performance. Role stress are negatively and significantly affects auditor performance. Further analysis found that Emotional quotient mediates the relationship among healthy lifestyle and role stress on auditor performance.
Hyperspectral analysis of cultural heritage artifacts: pigment material diversity in the Gough Map of Britain

The Gough Map, one of the earliest surviving maps of Britain, was created and extensively revised over the 15th century. In 2015, the map was imaged using a hyperspectral imaging system while in the collection at the Bodleian Library, Oxford University. The goal of the collection of the hyperspectral image (HSI) of the Gough Map was to address questions such as enhancement of faded text for reading and analysis of the pigments used during its creation and revision. In particular, pigment analysis of the Gough Map will help historians understand the material diversity of its composition and potentially the timeline of, and methods used in, the creation and revision of the map. Multiple analysis methods are presented to analyze a particular pigment in the Gough Map with an emphasis on understanding the within-material diversity, i.e., the number and spatial layout of distinct red pigments. One approach for understanding the number of distinct materials in a scene (i.e., endmember selection and dimensionality estimation) is the Gram matrix approach. Here, this method is used to study the within-material differences of pigments in the map with common visual color. The application is a pigment analysis tool that extracts visually common pixels (here, the red pigments) from the Gough Map and estimates the material diversity of the pixels. Results show that the Gough Map is composed of at least five kinds of dominant red pigments with a particular spatial pattern. This research provides a useful tool for historical geographers and cartographic historians to analyze the material diversity of HSI of cultural heritage artifacts.
Selective excitation and control of coherent terahertz Smith-Purcell radiation by high-intensity period-tunable train of electron micro-bunches

We report the observation and studies of selective excitation and control of terahertz (THz) coherent Smith-Purcell radiation (cSPr) from a train of sub-picosecond-period electron micro-bunches. The coherence of the radiation from such a train has been demonstrated. The spectrum of cSPr was measured and the selective excitation of the first and the second harmonics was observed, respectively. We also demonstrate experimentally that radiation pulses generated by each electron micro-bunch interfere coherently with the maximum intensity of cSPr observed at the frequency equal to the frequency of the micro-bunch spacing. The experimental results greatly contribute to the understanding of coherent Smith-Purcell radiation from the train of electron micro-bunches, as well as the development of THz diagnostics for accelerators.We report the observation and studies of selective excitation and control of terahertz (THz) coherent Smith-Purcell radiation (cSPr) from a train of sub-picosecond-period electron micro-bunches. The coherence of the radiation from such a train has been demonstrated. The spectrum of cSPr was measured and the selective excitation of the first and the second harmonics was observed, respectively. We also demonstrate experimentally that radiation pulses generated by each electron micro-bunch interfere coherently with the maximum intensity of cSPr observed at the frequency equal to the frequency of the micro-bunch spacing. The experimental results greatly contribute to the understanding of coherent Smith-Purcell radiation from the train of electron micro-bunches, as well as the development of THz diagnostics for accelerators.
Loss Characterization and Modeling of Class II Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors: A Synergistic Material-Microstructure-Device Approach

This article motivates the loss characterization and modeling of Class II multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs), which have been widely utilized owing to high energy density, in high-frequency resonant converters. In a resonant tank, MLCCs experience complex electrical operating conditions (e.g., large-signal, high-frequency, dc bias), but the incurred power loss has not been clearly characterized and modeled. This article first proposes a novel resonant-Sawyer–Tower circuit, which can experimentally extracts the loss of an MLCC in real operation in a resonant tank. A general loss modeling approach named Steinmetz's pre-electrified graph (SPeG) is then proposed to correlate capacitor's loss to the peak value of excitation, frequency, and dc bias voltage. The SpeG model provides the material-specific volume loss density of common class II dielectric materials and can be easily extrapolated to evaluate the loss of the MLCCs with different rated voltage and capacitance but employing the same dielectric material. To generalize the material-specific SPeG model to device-level application, this article also proposes an easy-to-follow tool, dielectric thickness observer (DTO), to estimate the internal microstructural geometry by tracking the $C$-$V$ characteristic provided in product datasheet. The synergy of the proposed characterization circuit, SPeG loss model, and DTO establishes a toolkit that enables the estimation of MLCC losses in a manner similar to that of a ferromagnetic inductor/transformer core. This article is accompanied by microscope images of the investigated MLCC samples and MATLAB scripts of the proposed DTO.
PENGARUH AUDIT TENURE, PROFITABILITAS DAN LEVERAGE TERHADAP AUDIT DELAY PADA PERUSAHAAN MANUFAKTUR SUB SEKTOR SEMEN TAHUN 2015-2019

Tujuan dari penelitian ini yaitu untuk menganalisis pengaruh Audit Tenure, Profitabilitas, dan Leverage terhadap Audit Delay. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah Perusahaan Manufaktur yang terdaftar di Bursa Efek Indonesia Subsektor semen tahun 2015-2019 . Sample dalam penelitian ini menggunakan purposive sampling. Analisis data dalam penelitian ini menggunakan regresi data panel dengan menggunakan aplikasi E-views. Hasil Penelitian menunjukan Profitabilitas dan leverage berpengaruh terhadap Audit delay perusahaan manufaktur sub sektor semen yang terdaftar BEI pada 2015-2019 sedangkan tidak ada pengaruh signifikan antara audit tenure dengan audit delay pada perusahaan manufaktur sub sektor semen pada 2015-2019.
LOFAR: The Low Frequency Array

The Low Frequency Array is a new radio telescope based on phased array principles that will operate at frequencies from 10–240 MHz. The vast improvement in sensitivity and resolution over previous instruments that have worked at these frequencies, together with the increased flexibility that results from the phased array approach (multi-beaming, no moving parts) make LOFAR an extremely versatile and powerful new instrument. We present some of the scientific drivers and give an overview of the current design.
On $\bar {G}$-$J$ anti-invariant submanifolds of almost complex contact metric manifolds

In this article we studied anti-invariant submanifolds of almost complex contact metric manifolds. We found a relation between Nijenhuis tensor fields of anti-invariant submanifolds and almost complex contact manifolds. We investigated relations between curvature tensors of these manifolds. Moreover, we studied anti-invariant submanifolds of almost complex contact metric manifolds.Some necessary conditions on which a submanifolds of an almost complex contact metric manifolds is Ḡ-J anti-invariant were given. Also we found some characterizations for totally geodesic or umbilical Ḡ-J anti-invariant submanifolds of almost complex contact metric manifolds.
Asymptotic stability sets for linear systems with commensurable delays : A matrix pencil approach

This paper focuses on the problem of asymptotic stability of a class of linear systems described by differential equations with delayed state and commensurable delays. Exact construction of some asymptotic stability sets is given in terms of some algebraic properties of two constant and finite-dimensional matrix pencils obtained via a linearization technique of some matrix polynomials.
Details of the Collapse of a Cavitation Bubble Next to a Flat, Rigid Wall

A detailed numerical study of a single laser-induced cavitation bubble that is generated next to a flat, solid wall under normal ambient conditions is presented. For the numerical simulation a compressible two-phase solver of the finite volume software package OpenFOAM has been adapted for our purpose. Bubbles with an initial normalized distance γ from the wall in the range γ ∈ [1.02,1.5] are simulated. The investigation focuses on the dynamics of the liquid-on-liquid impact of the micro-jet, the splitting of the resulting torus bubble into several ring-like bubbles and their subsequent collapse. Details of the dynamics of the bubble at and after jet-impact, including the formation of an annular sheet-like "nano-jet" are presented. Pressure waves emanating from jetimpact and collapse are described. The influence of the initial distance from the wall on the above described phenomena is investigated. In particular, jet velocities and the maximum pressure at jet-impact are given for this range of normalized distances.
Predictability of downward propagation of major sudden stratospheric warmings

Major sudden stratospheric warmings (SSWs) are striking phenomena of wintertime stratospheric circulation usually defined as a reversal of zonal mean circulation from westerlies to easterlies. SSWs often have significant impact on tropospheric circulation and cause anomalies in surface climate lasting for up to 2 months. For this reason, dynamics and predictability of SSW receive considerable attention. It is however well‐known that not all SSWs cause significant, long‐lasting impact on the troposphere. In order to explain differences in tropospheric impacts following SSWs, several reasons have been previously proposed, including differences in type of SSW (split or displacement), persistence of stratospheric anomalies, preconditioning of the tropospheric circulation, and whether or not SSW was accompanied by a planetary wave reflection in the stratosphere. Here we address the predictability of tropospheric impacts by SSWs by seeking early precursors of the impacts. We separate midwinter SSWs into two groups: those which are followed by significant, long‐lasting impacts on the tropospheric circulation (defined in terms of anomalous Northern Annular Mode) and those not followed by significant anomalies in the annular mode. We show that SSWs characterised by a more negative Northern Annular Mode index in the lower stratosphere around 150 hPa and enhanced wave activity propagation to the stratosphere during the first few days following the central date have a larger probability of being followed by tropospheric impact, both in reanalyses and in climate model runs. These anomalies play a more important role in the subsequent downward propagation of the signal to the troposphere than the type of SSW: whether it is a split or a displacement, or absorptive or reflective SSW. We propose that using these anomalies as precursors of tropospheric impacts of SSW can enhance climate predictability.
Contributions of Indoor Household Activities to Inhalation Health Risks Induced by Gaseous Air Pollutants in Hong Kong Home

To understand inhalation health risks at home, a comprehensive sampling campaign was conducted in a Hong Kong residential apartment from October to December 2019. Emissions of nine typical household activities, household background release and outdoor pollution were continuously monitored using a suite of the state-of-the-art instruments. Health risks were evaluated in each one-year exposure period. Acrolein and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) likely caused chronic non-carcinogenic risks to residents in all exposure stages. Furthermore, the health risk of the respiratory system was proved in all age groups. For the first time, several household activities were found to cause acute health risks due to exposure to formaldehyde, benzene, NO 2 and acrolein in normal urban daily life. The probability distributions of cancer risks from household activities revealed that formaldehyde was the main carcinogen with an average risk of 2.00 × 10 – 4 , followed by benzene, acetaldehyde, ethylbenzene and dichlorobenzene. Among all indoor activities, incense burning was the largest contributor to total cancer risk (46%), as this source was respectively responsible for 47%, 54%, and 39% of cancer risks from formaldehyde, benzene, and acetaldehyde, followed by cooking and smoking. Notably, source-related health risk analysis showed that household background release dominated regardless of cancer risk (35.7 – 58.5%) or non-carcinogenic risk (57.1%). Further, the cancer risk from birth to 18 years was approximately 1.8 – 2.7 times that of 18 – 60 and 60 – 85 years of age. This study shed light on health risks posed by various household activities and highlighted the importance of indoor activities and household background release on acute and chronic health risks.