Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Post-mortem 7.0-Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Hippocampus in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is reported to be probably linked to frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). Since FTLD is characterized by severe frontotemporal degeneration along with hippocampal atrophy (HA), the present study used post-mortem 7.0-tesla magnetic resonance imaging to investigate whether a certain degree of HA occurs in the ALS brains as well. The examined post-mortem brain samples comprised 9 from the ALS cases and 17 from the age-matched controls. The hippocampus samples were examined on the most representative coronal section using T2 and T2* MRI sequences, and the average degree of HA was determined for both groups. The occurrence of hippocampal micro-infarcts (HMIs) and hippocampal micro-bleeds (HMBs), as well as the frequency of cortical micro-infarcts (CoMIs) and cortical micro-bleeds (CoMBs) in the neocortex, were compared between the groups. Considerable HA was observed in the ALS group compared to the control group. The incidence of HMIs and HMBs was low and comparable in the ALS and control groups. Moreover, the frequency of CoMIs and CoMBs in the neocortex was relatively comparable in the two groups. This post-mortem observation of HA is an additional argument in favor of the link between ALS and FTLD. Furthermore, both ALS and FTLD share a low vascular risk profile.
Theory versus practise: Assessing reward-based crowdfunding theory through a South African case study

Purpose: This study was conducted to assess the replicability and efficacy of several key success factors (KSFs) as identified in reward-based crowdfunding (RBC) literature through a South African based case study. The dramatic rise and omnipresence of platform-driven enterprises and citizen participation have altered the social and business landscape over the past decade. Crowdfunding in its modern-day form is a fundamental embodiment of these two movements showing significant growth worldwide. Despite this growth, the theoretical development of crowdfunding emanates from a limited nexus of research, causing a lack of diversity in utilised data and applied methodologies. This study was conducted in response to these perceived shortcomings. Design/methodology/approach: The research applied an inductive interpretivist research approach through data obtained from semi-structured interviews with 18 participants in a real-life RBC campaign in South Africa. Qualitative research techniques were utilised to analyse this data, including the researcher’s field notes from the case. Findings/results: This study’s findings suggested that current literature on crowdfunding can benefit from additional contributions emerging from studies utilising alternative data sources and diversified methodologies. Moreover, several findings from this study expand on existing theories relating to participant incentives, campaign characteristics and management practices are associated with KSFs. This emerged because of the context-specific nature of this study utilising the participants’ viewpoints in favour of historical quantitative data. Practical implications: The findings provide reward-based crowdfunding practitioners deeper insight to key success factors which could influence campaign outcomes. Originality/value: These findings contribute new theoretical knowledge about KSFs and its ability to incentivise participation in RBC and present practical recommendations to future RBC designers.
Phase, grain structure, stress, and resistivity of sputter-deposited tungsten films

Sputter-deposited W films with nominal thicknesses between 5 and 180 nm were prepared by varying the base pressure prior to film deposition and by including or not including sputtered SiO2 encapsulation layers. X-ray and electron diffraction studies showed that single phase, polycrystalline α-W could be achieved in as-deposited films as thin as 5 nm. The stress state in the as-deposited films was found to be inhomogeneous. Annealing resulted in stress relaxation and reduction of resistivity for all films, except the thinnest, unencapsulated film, which agglomerated. In-plane film grain sizes measured for a subset of the annealed films with thicknesses between 5 and 180 nm surprisingly showed a near constant value (101–116 nm), independent of film thickness. Thick-film (≥120 nm) resistivity values as low as 8.6 μΩ cm at 301 K were obtained after annealing at 850 °C for 2 h. Film resistivities were found to increase with decreasing film thicknesses below 120 nm, even for films which are fully A2 α-W with no metastable, A15 β-W evident. Sputter-deposited W films with nominal thicknesses between 5 and 180 nm were prepared by varying the base pressure prior to film deposition and by including or not including sputtered SiO2 encapsulation layers. X-ray and electron diffraction studies showed that single phase, polycrystalline α-W could be achieved in as-deposited films as thin as 5 nm. The stress state in the as-deposited films was found to be inhomogeneous. Annealing resulted in stress relaxation and reduction of resistivity for all films, except the thinnest, unencapsulated film, which agglomerated. In-plane film grain sizes measured for a subset of the annealed films with thicknesses between 5 and 180 nm surprisingly showed a near constant value (101–116 nm), independent of film thickness. Thick-film (≥120 nm) resistivity values as low as 8.6 μΩ cm at 301 K were obtained after annealing at 850 °C for 2 h. Film resistivities were found to increase with decreasing film thicknesses below 120 nm, even for films which are fully A2 α-W with no.
Effectiveness of Educational videos and Games for the concept clarity and understanding of social studies subject: An intervention study

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is considered a key requirement for learners as it augments their learning. This study investigated the effectiveness of utilising educational videos and games into teaching for better understanding and concept clarity of students in the subject of Social Studies. This experimental study was conducted in two Government Secondary schools, for four weeks on a sample size of fifty-eight students of class eight. Different topics from Social Studies subject were taught to the sample with the help of educational videos and games. The difference between the concept understanding of control and experimental group students was calculated through t-tests. The significant values of t-tests(0.00) and effect size(r=0.96) indicated that teaching through educational videos and games helped students in better way for their clarity of abstract and complex concepts of Social Studies subject. In the focus group discussion, students mentioned that teaching with educational videos and games helped them in understanding the difficult concepts of Social Studies and developed their interest in the subject.
Technology acceptance model and multi-user virtual reality learning environments for Chinese language education

ABSTRACT Virtual reality is a rapidly developing technology and its applications are being explored in a variety of educational fields. While an increasing amount of attention is being paid to VR as a language learning tool, there remains less research on using VR with languages other than English. Adapting the Technology Acceptance Model, this study investigated learner attitudes towards Hubs by Mozilla, a multi-user VR learning environment, for the purpose of learning Chinese as an additional language. Data were collected by means of a post-participation questionnaire that measured seven constructs. It was hypothesized that the unique features of virtual reality technology would have a statistically significant positive association with the constructs of technology acceptance. Structural Equation Modeling was used to explore the relationships between the constructs. Results indicate varying degrees in significance between the impacts of different constructs, but an overall agreeable attitude towards using the virtual environment for Chinese language learning. Furthermore, difficulties in interaction within the virtual environment seemed to affect the learners’ perceived ease of use of the technology, suggesting that increased consideration for the design of VR learning environments and for the virtual literacies of learners may help this technology be more successful in the classroom.
Ameliorative role of dietary activated carbon against ochratoxin-A induced oxidative damage, suppressed performance and toxicological effects

Abstract The present study reports that dietary addition of 2.5, 5.0, 10.0 g/kg activated charcoal (AC) in broiler feed contaminated with 0.15, 0.3 and 1.0 mg/kg ochratoxin A (OTA) showed a partial reduction in intensity of mycotoxins induced toxic effects; particularly against those induced at lower doses of toxin (0.15 and 0.3 mg/kg). The protection by AC was absent against 1.0 mg/kg OTA-mediated toxicities. Moreover, AC at 10 g/kg feed also imparted toxicological effects in broiler chicken. It can be concluded that AC possess limited adsorptive potential against OTA and increasing the dose of AC may be detrimental for animal health.
Comparative Risk Analysis by Var: An Empirical Application to Ethical Market Indices

In recent years, companies' actions towards factors of production have multiplied. The human dimension is increasingly present in decisions and companies feel socially responsible. The sustainability of companies necessarily requires limiting the negative environmental effects because of these production activities. Ethical finance in general, whether Islamic or not, is a growing demand on the part of consumers and states. The aim of this paper is to assess the risk of two ethically responsible indices such as S&P500 Shariah index and S&P500 Environment and Socially Responsible index. In this paper, we will conduct a comparative study of market risk on two ethically responsible indices: the Islamic Index of the Shariah (S&P500 Shariah index) and the S&P500 Environment and Socially Responsible index during the period from 30/09/2010 to 21/09/2018. The evolution of the market will be represented by the general index of the S&P500. To do this, we use different approaches to value at risk such as VaR parametric approach, VaR non-parametric approach and the Theory of Extreme Values approach. Our results show that, on the one hand, the S&P500 Environment and Socially Responsible index is less risky than the S&P500 Shariah index and the S&P500 index. On the other hand, the S&P500 Shariah index is at low risk when yields are extreme. We conclude that the S&P500 Environment and Socially Responsible index is less risky than the Shariah S&P500 Index when you consider that yields are moving under normal market conditions.
Sugar enolones, XIX. An approach to actinospectose‐type 2,3‐diketo sugars. – Synthetic proof for the R configuration of “Herzgift‐Methylreduktinsäure”︁

A stereochemically defined, preparatively satisfactory access is described to stable derivatives of D-actinospectose, a 4,6-dideoxy-D-glycero-hexopyranos-2,3-diulose (3a ⇌ 3b) realized in spectinomycin (1) and a series of Calotropis cardenolides (2). Key steps are the conversions of the 6-deoxy-D-hydroxyglucal ester 8 either into the hexulose tribenzoate 10 (47%) by chlorination and hydrolysis, or into the α-ulosyl bromide 12 (76%) via NBS bromination in the presence of methanol. The suitability of 12, as well as of the actinospectosyl chloride 6, for β-selective introduction of the actinospectosyl moiety is demonstrated by silver carbonate-promoted glycosylation and subsequent β-elimination (12 14, 15), resulting in annulation (6 16) when reacted with diols. – Reduction of the free carbonyl function of the dibenzoylactinospectose 13 with zinc tetrahydroborate is followed by 3-O 2-O-benzoyl migration and β-elimination to afford the stable benzoate 5 of “Herzgift-Methylreduktinsaure”. The rotational and chiroptical data of 5 furnish unequivocal synthetic proof for the D (or R) configuration of the methyl-bearing C-5′ in Calotropis cardenolides. Zucker-Enolone, XIX. - Einfacher Zugang zu 2,3-Diketozuckern des Actinospectose-Typs. - Synthetischer Beweis der R-Konfiguration von „Herzgift-Methylreduktingsaure” Ein sterisch definierter, praparativ ergiebiger Zugang zu stabilen Derivaten der D-Actinospectose, einer im Spectinomycin (1) sowie in zahlreichen Calotropis-Cardenoliden (2) vorkommenden 4,6-Didesoxy-D-glycero-hexopyrano-2,3-diulose (3a ⇌ 3b), wird beschrieben. Schlusselschritte sind die Uberfuhrung des 6-Desoxy-D-hydroxyglucal-esters 8 in das Hexulosetribenzoat 10 (47%) durch Chlorierung und Hydrolyse, oder in das α-Ulosylbromid 12 (76%) durch NBS-Bromierung in Gegenwart von Methanol. Sowohl 12 als auch das Actinospectosylchlorid 6 sind zur β-selektiven Einfuhrung von Actinospectosyl-Resten geeignet, was anhand Silbercarbonat-induzierter Glycosylierung und β-Eliminierung (12 14, 15), bzw. durch Anellierung (6 16) bei Umsetzung mit Diolen, demonstriert wird. – Reduktion der freien Carbonylgruppe in Dibenzoylactinospectose 13 fuhrt durch nachfolgende 3-O 2-O-Benzoyl-Wanderung und β-Eliminierung zum stabilen Benzoat 5 der “Herzgift-Methylreduktinsaure”, dessen Drehwert und chiroptische Daten einen eindeutigen synthetischen Beweis fur die D-(R-)Konfiguration am Methyl-tragenden C-5′ in Calotropis-Cardenoliden liefert.
Online Shopping Motives during the COVID-19 Pandemic—Lessons from the Crisis

The investigation of established drivers of online purchase behavior is of great relevance during the COVID-19 pandemic, as companies must anticipate consumer behavior during this global crisis to maintain a competitive edge. This study investigates online shopping motives of generation Y and Z during the COVID-19 shutdown in April 2020. We use survey data from 451 German consumers to examine the relations between normative, utilitarian and hedonic motives, and purchase intentions employing structural equation modeling. The results show that normative determinants such as media reports on the economic situation are related to consumers’ purchase intentions, whereas the normative influence of close social networks is not. Furthermore, we find that hedonic motivation is a better predictor of purchase intentions than utilitarian motives and that individuals practicing social distancing, generation Z, and women show higher levels of hedonic motivation. We provide recommendations for e-commerce companies on ways to address consumers’ purchase motives and strategically harness normative influences.
Linking Soil CO2 Efflux to Individual Trees: Size-Dependent Variation and the Importance of the Birch Effect

Soil CO2 efflux (FCO2) is a major component of the terrestrial carbon (C) cycle but challenges in explaining local variability hamper efforts to link broad-scale fluxes to their biotic drivers. Trees are the dominant C source for forest soils, so linking tree properties to FCO2 could open new avenues to study plant-soil feedbacks and facilitate scaling; furthermore, FCO2 responds dynamically to meteorological conditions, complicating predictions of total FCO2 and forest C balance. We tested for proximity effects of individual Acer saccharum Marsh. trees on FCO2, comparing FCO2 within 1 m of mature stems to background fluxes before and after an intense rainfall event. Wetting significantly increased background FCO2 (6.4 ± 0.3 vs. 8.6 ± 0.6 s.e. μmol CO2 m−2s−1), with a much larger enhancement near tree stems (6.3 ± 0.3 vs. 10.8 ± 0.4 μmol CO2 m−2s−1). FCO2 varied significantly among individual trees and post-rain values increased with tree diameter (with a slope of 0.058 μmol CO2 m−2s−1cm−1). Post-wetting amplification of FCO2 (the ‘Birch effect’) in root zones often results from the improved mobility of labile carbohydrates and further metabolization of recalcitrant organic matter, which may both occur at higher densities near larger trees. Our results indicate that plant-soil feedbacks change through tree ontogeny and provide evidence for a novel link between whole-system carbon fluxes and forest structure.
DEVELOPING CHARACTER EDUCATION THROUGH ACADEMIC CULTURE IN INDONESIAN PROGRAMMED ISLAMIC HIGH SCHOOL

Academic dishonesty, which is a part of educational problems, occurs mostly in religious-based high schools. The dishonest behavior of these students is contrary to the application of character education in educational institutions. This research aimed to describe the experiences of teachers and students in the Programmed Islamic High School (PIHS) relating to academic culture in the development of student character education. The data collection method used in this research was a phenomenological qualitative method by conducting in-depth interviews with four teachers and six students in a PIHS. Apart from the results of the interviews, the acquisition of data was also supported by documentation and observations of the daily activities of the students, which reflected the application of character education. The results showed that the academic culture at PIHS contributes greatly to developing student character education. Character education developed from academic culture can be seen from their academic discourse, publications, knowledge acquisition, disciplinary, and academic activities management. From the academic culture, students have a religious, honest, nationalistic, responsible, cooperative, and independent character. This research suggests that the pattern of academic culture in the development of character education in PIHS can be adopted by other religion-based schools. Keywords: academic culture, character education, daily activities, Programmed Islamic high school
Tourism falls apart: How insecurity affects African tourism

Although it seems obvious that tourism flows would be adversely affected by terrorism, crime and corruption, not all the empirical evidence supports this view. This article investigates the extent to which insecurity hurts tourism in Africa. We use a new data set consisting of 187 countries, 38 of which are in Africa, for the period 1995–2017. It combines information on the number of tourist arrivals in African countries with information on three types of security risk – terrorism, crime and corruption. While we find no statistically significant evidence that connects terrorism to tourism globally, we do find an effect for tourists travelling to Africa. Crime, too, hurts tourism, but we find no robust relationship between corruption and tourism. Our results emphasize the importance of government expenditure on safety and security to protect this labour-intensive and pro-poor sector.
Women's empowerment and household food security in Ghana

PurposeThis study adopts three dimensions of women’s empowerment: (1) relative education empowerment, (2) women's autonomy in decision-making and (3) domestic violence to examine the effect of women’s empowerment on household food security in Ghana.Design/methodology/approachThe study employed the generalised ordered logit model (GOLM) and dominance analysis using a sample of 1,017 households from the seventh round of Ghana Living Standard Survey (GLSS7). FindingsThe findings from the study revealed that women’s empowerment proxied by relative years of schooling and women's decision-making were important indicators for improving household food security. Further, there exist varying dimensions of women’s empowerment in households, and these dimensions have a significant effect on the state of food security of households.Originality/valueThere are a number of studies on the effect of women's empowerment on food security. However, this study contributes to the literature by examining the varying effects of different dimensions of women’s empowerment on food security. This provides policymakers with a guide that looks at different levels of women’s empowerment and the combinations of women's empowerment dimensions that contribute for reducing food insecurity.
Pre‐ and post‐expiry metal levels in canned dry milk

Levels of 12 metals (Ca, K, Na, Mg, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cd, Cr, Pb and Ni) were estimated in 19 different imported brands of unexpired and expired canned dry milk available from local markets. The HNO3/HClO4‐based wet digestion method was used for the analysis of the samples by the FAAS technique under optimum analytical conditions. Of the macronutrients, Ca showed highest at 1,144 μg/g in the dry milk from Holland. In the case of micronutrients, Fe showed the maximum level at 119.15 μg/kg in the milk from UK. Cr dominated at 23.19 μg/kg compared with other heavy toxic trace elements. The following order of decreasing concentration was observed for both unexpired and expired milk: Ca > Na > K > Mg > Fe > Zn > Cr > Pb > Cu > Ni > Cd. All the trace elements were found to have 100 per cent incidence of occurrence. The expired milk samples showed enhanced levels of Fe, Zn, Cr and Pb by a factor of 1.2‐1.6 on average. The results of the metal contents were compared with those for fresh cow milk. The data were stat.
Habitual Tea Drinking is Associated with Reduced Odds of Restrictive Spirometry Pattern in Non-smokers

Cheng-Yuan Hsu National Cheng Kung University Hospital I-Hsuan Wu National Cheng Kung University Medical Center: National Cheng Kung University Hospital Chieh-Ying Chou National Cheng Kung University Medical Center: National Cheng Kung University Hospital Yin-Fan Chang National Cheng Kung University Medical Center: National Cheng Kung University Hospital Zih-Jie Sun National Cheng Kung University Medical Center: National Cheng Kung University Hospital Yi-Ching Yang National Cheng Kung University Medical Center: National Cheng Kung University Hospital Feng-Hwa Lu National Cheng Kung University Medical Center: National Cheng Kung University Hospital Chih-Jen Chang National Cheng Kung University Medical Center: National Cheng Kung University Hospital Jin-Shang Wu (  jins@mail.ncku.edu.tw ) Department of Family Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
Plural Governance for the Management of Local Public Services: An Empirical Investigation on the French Car Park Industry

This paper investigates the use of plural governance for the provision of local public services. Most of the studies conducted on local data compare direct public provision (i.e., in-house provision where governments produce public services themselves, using their own equipment and employees) to contracting out. But governments actually face a more complex set of choices than the simple make-or-buy dichotomy. In particular, cities can simultaneously opt for the ‘make’ and ‘buy’ alternatives for the provision of the same public service, and thus produce a portion of the service themselves while contracting with external (public or private) companies. We show how contractual perspectives and the resource-based view of the firm help to understand the rationales behind plural sourcing. Organizations appear to be able to adopt this governance structure to enhance efficiency since it enables them to employ benchmarking strategies. However, authors in public management insist on the specificities of public sector contracting, and our analysis also includes political measures, such as the number of changes of political affiliation at the head of cities. Our empirical analysis examines data about car park management by 97 municipalities in 2010. We use a multinomial logit to compare three distinct alternatives: total internal provision, complete externalization, and plural sourcing. Our results clearly indicate that plural sourcing is a strategic choice that is adopted by municipalities to reduce the cost of service delivery when they suffer from high levels of fiscal stress. Plural governance does not result from the alternation of political parties in power, indicating that political factors do not play a significant role in explaining that sourcing decision.