Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ICT (Information And Communication Technologies) Adoption Model For Educational Institutions

It is well known that implementation of technology as an enabler in the education system is complex. Right from introducing the technology to advanced use of it, and anywhere in the world, technology implementation has been a research topic for many. Education settings, users, government policies, basic infrastructure availability, performance pressures, leadership – reasons galore. Moreover, it is just not implementation but even taking a first step of thinking about technology in education itself is not all that easy. The research in case has identified exact challenges faced by the higher education sector in adopting information and communication technologies or ICT. Though challenges may sound to be easy to list, researchers have taken efforts to identify reasons from various stakeholders (owners, heads of institutions, professors, students) to bring a completeness in the outcome. Going beyond, the study suggests ICT adoption model, very specific to higher education academia in India. The model is being tested already and has been recommended as a policy measure to the challenges faced in ICT adoption. Though the study has been conducted from the perspective of Indian higher education sector, researchers feel the ICT Adoption Model can be applicable to other sectors and regions too.
Adiabatic theorem in the thermodynamic limit: Systems with a gap in the bulk

Abstract We prove a generalised super-adiabatic theorem for extended fermionic systems assuming a spectral gap only in the bulk. More precisely, we assume that the infinite system has a unique ground state and that the corresponding Gelfand–Naimark–Segal Hamiltonian has a spectral gap above its eigenvalue zero. Moreover, we show that a similar adiabatic theorem also holds in the bulk of finite systems up to errors that vanish faster than any inverse power of the system size, although the corresponding finite-volume Hamiltonians need not have a spectral gap.
Analysis of Thoracic Impact Responses and Injury Prediction by using FE Thoracic Model

The previously developed thoracic finite element model [8, 9] was used to investigate the human thoracic dynamic responses associated with the frontal, lateral and oblique loading and to predict injuries of the thorax associated with the frontal loading. The thoracic model was developed [8, 9] to improve the human articulated rigid body model ROBBY (the model of an average adult male) [13, 14], which was previously developed at the University of West Bohemia in cooperation with ESI Group (Engineering Simulation for industry). There are implemented deformable models of the thorax and abdomen in the ROBBY model. The geometries of individual thoracic organs were based on the cadaver tomography data and color cross-section photographs obtained from Visible Human Project (VHP) [33]. The thoracic model material properties were obtained either by virtue of cooperation with ESI Group or from public sources (articles, Internet, books). Thoracic model includes the models of the sternum, ribs, costal cartilages, vertebrae, lungs, heart, trachea, main vessels (aorta, vena cava superior), intercostal muscles, diaphragm, flesh and skin. The presented study deals with the dynamic response and validation of the whole thoracic model and with the prediction of thoracic injuries by virtue of this model. The results of simulations are compared with the experimental results.
Critical assessment of pan-genomics of metagenome-assembled genomes

Background Large scale metagenome assembly and binning to generate metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) has become possible in the past five years. As a result, millions of MAGs have been produced and increasingly included in pan-genomics workflow. However, pan-genome analyses of MAGs may suffer from the known issues with MAGs: fragmentation, incompleteness, and contamination, due to mis-assembly and mis-binning. Here, we conducted a critical assessment of including MAGs in pan-genome analysis, by comparing pan-genome analysis results of complete bacterial genomes and simulated MAGs. Results We found that incompleteness led to more significant core gene loss than fragmentation. Contamination had little effect on core genome size but had major influence on accessory genomes. The core gene loss remained when using different pan-genome analysis tools and when using a mixture of MAGs and complete genomes. Importantly, the core gene loss was partially alleviated by lowering the core gene threshold and using gene prediction algorithms that consider fragmented genes, but to a less degree when incompleteness was higher than 5%. The core gene loss also led to incorrect pan-genome functional predictions and inaccurate phylogenetic trees. Conclusions We conclude that lowering core gene threshold and predicting genes in metagenome mode (as Anvi’o does with Prodigal) are necessary in pan-genome analysis of MAGs to alleviate the accuracy loss. Better quality control of MAGs and development of new pan-genome analysis tools specifically designed for MAGs are needed in future studies.
Bioprospecting of cow's ruminal microbiota from a slaughterhouse in Ambarawa, Central Java, Indonesia

Abstract. Murwani R, Sibero MT, Silitonga PRA, Ambariyanto A. 2021. Bioprospecting of cow's ruminal microbiota from a slaughterhouse in Ambarawa, Central Java, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 5030-5038. Ruminal microorganisms play essential roles in maintaining ruminant health. However, most studies focused only on ruminal lactic acid bacteria (LAB), although other ruminal microorganisms might have biological properties for biotechnological purposes. Therefore, the current study aimed to isolate ruminal bacteria (LAB and non-LAB) and fungi from ruminal material and conducted a bioprospecting study to understand their ability to produce antibacterial compounds and polysaccharide-degrading enzymes. The ruminal bacteria were isolated on MRS and ISP4 agar, while PDA was used to isolate the different fungi. The antibacterial property was tested against multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica ser. Typhi. The ability to produce agarase, alginate-lyase, and carrageenase was screened. Prospective isolates were identified using DNA barcoding approach. Twelve bacteria were isolated using MRS agar, six from ISP4 agar, and four fungi from PDA. Among twelve bacteria from MRS agar, eleven were considered LAB, which consisted of Lactobacillus plantarum and Pediococcus acidilactici. Several classes of bacteria such as actinobacteria, firmicutes, ? -proteobacteria, and ? -proteobacteria were isolated during this study. In addition, three fungal classes, namely Saccharomycetes, Eurotiomycetes, and Mucoromycetes were also isolated. All bacteria from MRS agar were suggested to have potential compounds with antimicrobial activity, while all ruminal fungi exhibited potential sources of polysaccharide-degrading enzymes.
Population genomic evidence of selection on structural variants in a natural hybrid zone

Structural variants (SVs) can promote speciation by directly causing reproductive isolation or by suppressing recombination across large genomic regions. Whereas examples of each mechanism have been documented, systematic tests of the role of SVs in speciation are lacking. Here, we take advantage of long-read (Oxford nanopore) whole-genome sequencing and a hybrid zone between two Lycaeides butterfly taxa (L. melissa and Jackson Hole Lycaeides) to comprehensively evaluate genome-wide patterns of introgression for SVs and relate these patterns to hypotheses about speciation. We found >100,000 SVs segregating within or between the two hybridizing species. SVs and SNPs exhibited similar levels of genetic differentiation between species, with the exception of inversions, which were more differentiated. We detected credible variation in patterns of introgression among SV loci in the hybrid zone, with 562 of 1419 ancestry-informative SVs exhibiting genomic clines that deviating from null expectations based on genome-average ancestry. Overall, hybrids exhibited a directional shift towards Jackson Hole Lycaeides ancestry at SV loci, consistent with the hypothesis that these loci experienced more selection on average then SNP loci. Surprisingly, we found that deletions, rather than inversions, showed the highest skew towards excess introgression from Jackson Hole Lycaeides. Excess Jackson Hole Lycaeides ancestry in hybrids was also especially pronounced for Z-linked SVs and inversions containing many genes. In conclusion, our results show that SVs are ubiquitous and suggest that SVs in general, but especially deletions, might contribute disproportionately to hybrid fitness and thus (partial) reproductive isolation.
The relationship between umbilical cord measurements and newborn outcomes

Objective This study investigated the relationship between umbilical vein diameter and cord length and fetal outcome in low-risk pregnancies (fetuses appropriate for gestational age [AGA]). Methods A prospective cohort study of 39 singleton pregnant women aged 19–44 years at between 38+0 and 41+6 weeks of gestation was conducted. Case demographics, umbilical vein diameter measured by prenatal ultrasound, postnatal birth weight, gender, 1- and 5-minute Apgar scores, blood gas analysis, and umbilical cord length were recorded. Fetuses with a fetal weight in the 10–90th percentile according to week of gestation were accepted as AGA. Results The mean age of the pregnant women was 27.5±5.3 years. 33% (13/39) of the pregnant women were nulliparous. There was no statistically significant correlation between umbilical vein diameter and other variables in correlation analysis (p>0.050). Umbilical cord length and umbilical vein lactate level were found to have a statistically negative and significant correlation (r=-0.418; p=0.015); however, no other pregnancy outcomes were found to have a significant correlation. There was no statistically significant difference between the median values of umbilical vein diameter and cord length by gender (p=0.076 and 0.181, respectively). Conclusion In conclusion, this study found no relationship between umbilical vein diameter and cord length and fetal weight and pregnancy outcome in low-risk 38.0–41.6-week pregnancies (AGA fetuses). However, the obtained results still need to be confirmed by larger series.
Gastroparesis: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Management

Gastroparesis is a neuromuscular disorder whose hallmark is delayed gastric emptying. It is a global challenge to the healthcare system because of poor treatment satisfaction for both the patients and clinicians, eventually leading to a reduction in the quality of life, with antecedent anxiety and depression. Although it is multifactorial in origin, diabetic, idiopathic, and drug-induced gastroparesis are the major risk factors. Disrupted interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) and gastric dysrhythmia are pivotal to the pathogenesis, with most of the investigations targeted toward assessing gastric emptying and accommodation usually affected by distorted ICC and other neural networks. The treatment challenges can be overcome by a multidisciplinary approach involving gastroenterologists, gastrointestinal surgeons, biomedical engineers, nutritionists, psychologists, nurses, radionuclide radiologists, pharmacists, and family physicians. The exploration of the fundamental physiological processes underlying gastroparesis with the use of biomechanical materials should be given more attention by biomedical engineers to integrate innovative engineering with medicine for solving complex medical issues.
Evidence for niche conservatism in alpine beetles under a climate‐driven species pump model

Past glacial cycles have generated lineage diversity in alpine habitats, acting as a climate‐driven species pump. It is not clear how much this process contributes to ecological diversification of alpine species. To examine this problem, we test patterns of genetic and phenotypic divergence in two co‐distributed species complexes of flightless alpine ground beetles. Greater differentiation in functional traits would indicate that ecological selection is an outcome of oscillating climate change, whereas greater differentiation in non‐ecological traits would indicate niche conservatism.
CEA and CA19-9 Levels and KRAS Mutation Status as Biomarkers for Colorectal Cancer

Aim: We aimed to investigate the associations among KRAS mutation, carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA), and Cancer Antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) levels, and the clinicopathological features of Colorectal Cancer (CRC) patients. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study, involving 183 CRC patients, at Princess Norah Oncology Center (PNOC), King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from 2012 to 2015. Result: A strong association was identified between CA19-9 levels and KRAS mutational status and between CA19-9 and CEA levels, in CRC patients (p=0.001 and p<0.0001, respectively). Large tumor size was associated with abnormally high CEA levels (p=0.029). Furthermore, young patients (<45 years) primarily expressed wild-type KRAS (p=0.013). The levels of CA19-9 and CEA were found to increase with increasing tumor stage (p<0.0001 and p=0.001, respectively). Mutated KRAS and abnormal CEA levels were associated with lymph node involvement (p=0.054 and p=0.014, respectively). The most common sites of distant metastases were the liver and lung in CRC patients with abnormal serum CA19-9 and CEA levels. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that patients with high CA19-9 levels have shorter survival times than patients with normal CA19-9 levels (p<0.0001). Significant effects of CEA19-9 levels on the detection of KRAS mutations were analyzed by multivariate regression analysis (p<0.001). Conclusion: This study provided new insights into the important roles played by CA19-9 and CEA during CRC progression and suggested that they may serve as useful biomarkers in CRC management. Strengths and limitations of this study • This is one of very few studies that assessed biomarkers of CRC among the Saudi population. • This is one of the first studies to determine the independent predictors of the KRAS mutation patients in Saudi Arabia. The results of this study demonstrate that CEA and CA19-9 levels can be used to indicate KRAS mutation status and can be used as surrogate biomarkers. • The sample size was limited to a single centre. A Larger sample size ensures adequate statistical power to detect even a small effect of interest. • The study is retrospective, so we were not able to obtain more information from the participants.
Predicting Early Warning Signals of Financial Distress: A Stochastic Approach*

This study proposes a simple theoretical framework that allows to assess financial distress up to five years in advance for US listed firms over the period of 1980-2010. We jointly model financial distress by two of its key driving forces, (1) a declining profitability, modeled by independent stochastic processes, and (2) insufficient liquid reserves. The financial distress model incorporates important underlying (i) time-series (ii) industry-sector (iii) firm-level growth, and (iv) volatility developments. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses show important improvements in the discriminatory accuracy and demonstrate incremental information content beyond state-of-the-art accountingand market-based prediction models. Consequently, this study might provide important ex ante warning signals for investors, regulators and practitioners. JEL classification: C63, C52, C53, G33, M41
THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION, RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND ENERGY INTENSITY ON CARBON EMISSIONS: AN EXPERIENCE FROM BRICS AND OECD COUNTRIES

JEL Classification: O00, O30, Q55. The impact of technological innovation, research and development, and energy intensity on carbon dioxide emissions is examined in this study. A panel data econometric analysis of relevant variables extracted from the OECD and World Development Indicators databases for 36 OECD and 5 BRICS countries from 2005 to 2018 reveals that the Kao panel cointegration test revealed all countries, BRICS countries, and OECD countries exhibited cointegrated relationships regarding the selected variables. At this point, the correlation matrix shows that none of the independent variables has a strong correlation coefficient with the dependent variable. We also used two regression methods to evaluate the long-run association between the study's variables; the two-stage least square (2SLS) and panel generalized method of moments (GMM) both provide similar results, indicating that they are robust. According to the findings, technological innovation and R&D have a positive association with CO2 emissions, but energy intensity has a negative relationship with CO2 emissions.
Assessment of otolaryngology knowledge among primary care providers in Saudi Arabia

Objective: This study aims to assess the knowledge and deficits of otolaryngology in primary care physicians who work at primary care centers or tertiary hospitals in Riyadh, KSA. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted among residents of primary care specialties and otolaryngology residents in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A 10-item question with multiple-choice to assess the knowledge toward otolaryngology was given to the primary care provider by using face to face interview. Further, questions about clinical rotation in otolaryngology during medical school and residency were asked whether they participated or not. Results: A total of 253 primary care physicians took part (92 internal medicines, 79 family medicines, and 82 pediatrics) and 13 otolaryngologists, Primary care physicians who participated in clinical rotations during medical school and residency were 79.7% and 26.3%, respectively. Otolaryngologists' percentage of average correct knowledge score was (89.2%), family medicine (62.9%), pediatrics (55.4%), and internal medicine (52.5%). Primary care providers who participated in a clinical rotation in otolaryngology showed significantly higher knowledge scores than those who did not participate (p<0.001). Conclusion: primary care physicians had unsatisfactory ratings after examinations. Previous otolaryngology clinical rotation during residency had a positive effect on the knowledge of PCPs with their daily practice, which supports adding further clinical training in otolaryngology for primary care specialties.
The role of biosphere-atmosphere-ocean interactions in regulating precipitation variability over West Africa

Vegetation cover greatly regulates the exchange of energy in its internal, latent and kinetic forms. There is a marked difference between the properties of land (with and without vegetation cover) and oceans that further alters the energy distribution. The circulation of the atmosphere is another essential component of the climate, since it both responds to the energy gradient and regulates it by transporting energy and moisture. Land cover changes and sea surface temperature variations over tropical regions have been the subject of extensive research in the last three decades due to their possible regional and global climate change impact. Eltahir and Gong (1996) provided a comprehensive physical mechanism that describes the dynamics of the West African monsoon in terms of variations of the biosphere and ocean components. Starting with the moist static energy horizontal gradient (a quantity related to the entropy gradient of the atmosphere), they described the zonal wind speed. The strength of the monsoon regulates precipitation variability over the region, which in turn affects the state of the regional vegetation. In addition, Eltahir (1997) states that the amount of energy in the boundary layer regulates the height of the level of free convection. Therefore, the energy in the boundary layer affects both large-scale and micro-scale phenomena regulating precipitation variability. The recent drought conditions together with human-induced deforestation and desertification provided a positive feedback to vegetation degradation and low precipitation rates. In this study we performed an analysis of the inter-annual and intrannual variability of different climatic variables (e.g. moist static energy, wind, precipitation, sea surface temperature, radiation components and cloud cover) that confirms the proposed physical theory of biosphere-atmosphere-ocean interactions. It is observed that favorable conditions for high precipitation rates existed in the 1958-1967 period in the biosphere and ocean components. The conditions of the biosphere reversed during the 1968-97 period. The ocean conditions were not favorable for high precipitation rates in the 1974-1990 period. Although the ocean conditions became favorable for high precipitation rates during the last decade of the 2 0 th century, the biosphere conditions remained unfavorable. This is consistent with the low precipitation rates observed. It should be pointed out that the monsoon circulation was also weaker during the 1968-97 period. Future research includes sensitivity experiments on deforestation, desertification and sea surface temperature variations using a state of the art regional climate model. Recent enhancements on the large-scale precipitation scheme, sub-grid spatial variability and the surface-vegetation-atmosphere transfer scheme will be included in these future studies. Thesis Supervisor: Elfatih A.B. Eltahir Title: Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Genetic risk scores used in cardiovascular disease prediction models: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND Cardiovascular disease is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental risk factors. Some risk factors can change with age, but a genetic predisposition is permanent. Therefore, identifying the genotype of cardiovascular disease and using it alone or in combination with existing risk algorithms can improve risk prediction. This systematic review was conducted to examine existing studies on predictive models for cardiovascular disease using genetic risk score and to determine the clinical utility. METHODS An electronic database search was conducted to identify studies published from January 2005 to July 2020. The literature search was performed using the search terms "coronary artery disease", "coronary heart disease", "cardiovascular diseases", "genetic risk score", and "polygenic risk score". RESULTS Through systematic review, 29 studies were identified. In most studies, genetic risk score was associated with the incidence of cardiovascular disease. In 23 studies, clinical utility was improved based on discrimination between or reclassification of subjects who did and did not experience an event, but the improvement was modest. CONCLUSIONS The predictive model for cardiovascular disease using genetic risk score has limited usefulness in clinical practice due to methodological heterogeneity of genetic risk score constructs. Further research to develop a standardized protocol of genetic risk score constructs and validation studies with various cohorts from diverse populations are required.