Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Autodissemination of Pyriproxyfen as Novel Strategy to Control Dengue Outbreaks: A Review

The new emergence and re-emergence of arbovirus infections vectored by Aedes mosquitoes have been spread across Southeast Asia, Central Africa, United States, tropical Oceania and become a major of public health concerns. These arbovirus diseases found to have a similar vector, symptoms of the diseases and environments. The situation has become complicated without any specific vaccine or treatment for the diseases. As far as we concern, vector control is the best defense with many challenges, a scattered breeding site and biological behavioral sometimes, more difficult to control. Herein, we present a review of studies on current techniques proposed to combat arbovirus infections vectored by Aedes mosquitoes. A crucial gap in a vector control program is the inability to eliminate and destroy the cryptic breeding site by using conventional control methods. The idea and proper concept of using mosquitoes to bring insecticide to their oviposition site had been getting more interest in people to explore. Autodissemination is a self-delivery technique by manipulating the behavior of mosquitoes, carrying the insecticide and disseminate to cryptic breeding sites. This technique has shown a promising result in some countries and can be considered as additional tools in a vector control program
Nano modified zirconia dental implants: Advances and the frontiers for rapid osseointegration

Nanotechnology has created a revolution in implant dentistry. It is an established technology in the field of titanium implant dentistry and is slowly evolving when it comes to ceramic implants. The aim of this review article was to survey the use of nanotechnology for the purpose of implant surface modification in order to improve the osseointegration process of ceramic implants, but also, the various techniques and methods by which nano features can be applied to zirconia implant surfaces. With the application of this advanced technology, the composition, surface energy, roughness and topography of dental implants can be modified for enhanced and potentially faster osseointegration. Furthermore, nanotechnology implant surface modification can also influence the biological processes that occur at the bone–implant interface. The cellular activity and tissue responses occurring at the bone-zirconia interface can be enhanced by nanomodifications and result in better treatment outcomes. This review also highlights the ‘state of the art’ of nanomodified zirconia
Advantages of anti-inflammatory acupuncture in treating sepsis of coronavirus disease 2019

Background: Sepsis is one of the most serious complications and a leading cause of death in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In general, it is the result of an unregulated inflammatory cascade such as a postinfection “cytokine storm. ” The conventional treatment mainly relies on glucocorticoids, of which curative effects are not ideal, as they come with significant side effects. It is critical to seek or develop other effective therapeutics in dealing cytokine storm to fight COVID-19 with sepsis. Aims and Objectives: Raise awareness of the significance applying anti-inflammatory acupuncture in dealing COVID-19 patients with sepsis and provide an appropriate acupuncture protocol that can be easily integrated into existing medical guideline. Materials and Methods: Current evidences from animal experiments and clinical trials about acupuncture in treating infectious sepsis are reviewed, and a detailed discussion on advantages of anti-inflammatory acupuncture is followed, then the rationality on the point selection and stimulation parameters of acupuncture is analyzed to propose an appropriate acupuncture protocol. Results: Current experiments have shown that acupuncture can play a significant role to improve inflammation reaction and reduce mortality in infectious animal and patients with sepsis and its mechanisms are mainly achieved by stimulating the vagus-cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathways. Applying acupuncture in treating COVID-19 patients with sepsis has four aspects of advantages. Moreover, a simple and convenient clinical acupuncture protocol including point selection and appropriate stimulation parameters is proposed. Conclusion: Acupuncture, especially electroacupuncture, has shown potentials in effectively treating infectious sepsis of animal models and critically ill patients in small sample studies by stimulating the nervous system, but has been largely overlooked in the clinic so far. It is advised that acupuncture should be integrated into the existing medical guidelines in dealing with COVID-19 complicated with sepsis.
Do Women’s Advancement and Gender Parity Promote Economic Growth? Evidence from 30 Asian Countries

Women’s advancement and consequential gender equality have significant implications for human capital formation, increase in labour productivity, employment creation, poverty reduction, and overall socio-economic and human development. So, inclusive growth and sustainable development would not be possible without women’s empowerment and gender equality. Thus, targeting women’s empowerment is extensively relevant for Asian countries. In this context, this article explored the impact of the gender factors on the economic growth of 30 Asian economies over the period from 1997 to 2015 by using panel autoregressive distributive lag (ARDL) model. It provides the evidence of an overall positive impact of the gender parity index of health, education, employment and democratic representation on the economic growth of Asia in the long run. Therefore, gender equality is an important determinant of economic growth in Asian countries, and hence, should be on board while planning for the empowerment of women.
A flexible broadband antenna for IoT applications

Abstract A flexible broadband antenna with high radiation efficiency for the Internet of Things (IoT) applications is presented. The design is based on a U-shaped and a triangular-shaped radiator with two tuning stubs. A 50 Ω coplanar waveguide (CPW) transmission line is employed to feed the antenna. The proposed antenna is fabricated on a flexible substrate from a composite synthesized by mixing natural rubber with SiO2 as a filler. The radiating elements, along with the CPW, are built using a highly conductive woven fabric. Results show that the antenna has a simulated and measured impedance bandwidth of 0.856–2.513 GHz and covers the most commonly used wireless communication standards and technologies for IoT applications. The radiation efficiency of the antenna reaches over 75% throughout the operating frequency band with satisfactory radiation patterns and gain. The flexible antenna was also tested under bending conditions. The presented results demonstrate that bending has a minor effect on the antenna performance within the target frequency range. The measured results show a good agreement with simulations.
European Cities in the Energy Transition: A Preliminary Analysis of 27 Cities

Nowadays, there is a wide scientific consensus about the unsustainability of the current energy system and at the same time, social awareness about climate change and the IPCC’s goals is increasing in Europe. Amongst the different pathways towards them, one alternative is the radical transition to a democratic low-carbon energy system where the local scale has a key leading role. Under this scope, this research is framed within the mPOWER project, financed by the European Commission’s H2020 programme, which promotes collaboration among different European municipalities in order to boost the transition to a renewable-based participatory energy system. This paper presents the starting point of the mPOWER project, where the main energy features of 27 selected European municipalities are collected and analysed for the year 2016. An open public tender and selection process was carried out among European cities in order to choose the candidates to participate in mPOWER project. A view of this situation will be taken by the mPOWER project as a diagnostic baseline for the following steps: a peer-to-peer knowledge-sharing process among these European municipalities, and subsequently, among a more extensive group. The first finding of the paper is that, even if those municipalities are trying to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, they are highly dependent on fossil fuels, even in cases where renewable energies have significant presence. Second, their energy consumption is logarithmically related to the human development index and gross domestic product but not to the size of the cities and their climate characteristics. Finally, despite the work that these cities are making towards energy transition in general and within the mPOWER project in particular, the paper shows a high difficulty mapping their energy systems. The lack of accurate and unified data by the municipalities is a sign of disempowerment at a local and public level in the energy sphere and makes difficult any strategy to advance towards a bottom-up energy transition. Among other goals, the mPOWER project aims to reveal these kinds of difficulties and help local authorities in managing their transition paths.
Incorporating Driver Preferences Into Eco-Driving Assistance Systems Using Optimal Control

Recently there have been several proposals for ‘eco-driving assistance systems’, designed to save fuel or electrical power by encouraging behaviours such as gentle acceleration and coasting to a stop. These systems use optimal control to find driving behaviour that minimises vehicle energy losses. In this paper, we introduce a methodology to account for driver preferences on acceleration, braking, following distances and cornering speed in such eco-driving optimal control problems. This consists of an optimal control model of acceleration and braking behaviour containing several physically-meaningful parameters to describe driver preferences. If used in combination with a model of fuel or energy consumption, this can provide an adjustable trade-off between satisfying those preferences and minimising energy losses. We demonstrate that the model gives comparable performance to existing car-following and cornering models when predicting drivers’ speed in these situations by comparison with real-world driving data. Finally, we present an example highway braking scenario for an electric vehicle, illustrating a trade-off between satisfying driver preferences on vehicle speed and acceleration and reducing electrical energy usage by up to 43%.
The Threshold Non-linear Model for the Effects of Cumulative Stressors and Traumas: A Chained Cusp Catastrophe Analysis

Studying the macro-dynamics of traumatization should significantly advance psychological science. The current article tested the validity of the non-linear threshold model of the effects of cumulative stressors and traumas (CST). We used a combined data set of adults and adolescents from Egypt, Kuwait, and the UK (N = 968) that measured CST, internalizing, externalizing and thought disorders. We used the cusp catastrophe analysis that can identify the non-linear threshold dynamics. The non-linear cusp (threshold) model accounted for a much higher variance than the linear model, indicating the presence of threshold effects of CST on internalizing, externalizing and thought disorders. Interventions should target the multiply traumatized who are at risk for the cusp effects and not only those who are victims of the cusp. The study provided evidence for the utility of a paradigm shift to study the macro-dynamics of stressors and traumas, and not only their micro-dynamics.
Performance comparison of two next-generation sequencing panels to detect actionable mutations in cell-free DNA in cancer patients

Abstract Background Genomic alterations studies in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) have increasing clinical use in oncology. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology provides the most complete mutational analysis, but nowadays limited data are available related to the comparison of results reported by different platforms. Here we compare two NGS panels for cfDNA: Oncomine™ Pan-Cancer Cell-Free Assay (Thermo Fisher Scientific), suitable for clinical laboratories, and Guardant360® (GuardantHealth), with more genes targeted but only available in an outsourcing laboratory. Methods Peripheral blood was obtained from 16 advanced cancer patients in which Guardant360® (G360) was requested as part of their clinical assistance. Blood samples were sent to be analyzed with G360 panel, and an additional blood sample was drawn to obtain and analyze cfDNA with Oncomine™ Pan-Cancer (OM) panel in an Ion GeneStudio S5™ System. Results cfDNA analysis globally rendered 101 mutations. Regarding the 55/101 mutations claimed to be included by manufacturers in both panels, 17 mutations were reported only by G360, 10 only by OM and 28 by both. In those coincident cases, there was a high correlation between the variant allele fractions (VAFs) calculated with each panel (r = 0.979, p < 0.01). Regarding the six actionable mutations with an FDA-approved therapy reported by G360, one was missed with OM. Also, 12 mutations with clinical trials available were reported by G360 but not by OM. Conclusions In summary, G360 and OM can produce different mutational profile in the same sample, even in genes included in both panels, which is especially important if these mutations are potentially druggable.
STRESS SCORE Y LnrRMSSD COMO PARÁMETROS DE CARGA INTERNA DURANTE UNA COMPETICIÓN

The aim of this study was to analyse the behaviour of the stress score (SS) and the Neperian logarithmof the Root Mean Square of Successive R-R Interval differences(LnrMSSD) of heart rate variability (HRV) as indicators of internal load throughout sympathetic and parasympathetic modulation, supported by biochemical parameters of internal load. 14 handball university athletes (age 22.30 ± 1.83years) were evaluated. Six times of HRV and biochemical markers were collected. Each variable were analyzed by conventional statistics and using the Cohen´s d, and Hopkins magnitude for the sample size effect. It was analyzed the Pearson correlations between variables. The LnrMSSD, SS and cortisol presented significant changes (p< .05). Correlations were found between HRV (SS and LnrMSSD) and CK respectively. Results of this study shows that SS can be a reliable method for the evaluation of internal load during competition.
Investigating Some Construct Validity Threats to TALIS 2018 Teacher Job Satisfaction Scale: Implications for Social Science Researchers and Practitioners

The credibility of findings ensuing from cross-sectional survey research depends largely on the validity and reliability of the research instruments. Critical attention to the quality of such instruments will ensure logical and valid results. The purpose of this article is to provide evidence for two methodological issues observed that are potential threats to construct validity of widely used Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2018 data on teacher job satisfaction scale (TJSS). The first issue concerns reverse recoding of some items necessary to obtain a coherence covariance between these items and other items on the same subscale. The second issue concerns the addition of item cross-loading necessary to improve the fit of the TJSS. Both conceptual and empirical arguments are provided in the current article to substantiate these observations. A series of structural equation modeling tests are evaluated to assess the measurement model of the TJSS across 27 randomly selected countries/economies that participated in the survey. The results reveal gross misspecifications in the measurement model if these issues are not addressed. An alternative two-factor structure with an item cross-loading is proposed and evaluated for TJSS and found acceptable across the countries/economies. Some implications of findings for methodologists and practitioners are presented.
Construct validity of Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale in Brazilian Athletic Context

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale in the athletic context of Brazil. Method: In total, 387 athletes participated in the study, 232 men and 155 women, with a mean age of 22.1+/-4.5 years, practitioners of team modalities in clubs in Southern Brazil. The construct validity was evaluated through exploratory Factorial Analyses with Oblimin Rotation and the factorial weight 0.3 was used to exclude items. Cronbach’s Alpha and Polychoric Correlation evaluated the internal variance consistency. Results: The Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale uploaded on 2 factors showed 61% of the variance of the construct, with factor 1 adding items about positive self-esteem and factor 2 about negative self-esteem. To confirm the internal consistency of the instrument, we performed polychoric correlation between the items on the scale. All items showed significant positive correlation above 0.3 (p>0.05) confirming the good internal consistency of the questionnaire. Conclusion: This research identifies good psychometric properties of the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale in the Brazilian sport context of athletes of team sports. The bifactorial structure was verified, agreeing with the original proposal, suggesting the separate score calculation of each factor on the self-esteem Scale.
ANTIBIOTIC SUSCEPTIBILITY TESTING FOR ESCHERICHIA COLI CAUSING URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS IN SOKOTO METROPOLIS

Objective: The study was designed to diffuse awareness on the prevalence of Escherichia coli as a causative agent of urinary tract infection (UTI) in Sokoto metropolis as well as to determine the susceptibility to commonly used antibiotics in Specialist Hospital Sokoto (SHS). This is also to raise awareness of the risk of giving antibiotics and their direct impact on the outcome analysis of UTIs.Methods: This study was conducted at SHS, and ethical approval to carry out the study was obtained from the Ethical Committee of the hospital. Informed consent was obtained from each participant. Early morning, mid-stream clean catch urine samples were collected by patients in sterile disposable containers. The antibiotic susceptibility of the isolates was determined against 10 commonly prescribed antibiotics in SHS using the modified Kirby–Bauer disc agar diffusion.Results: A total of 86 urine samples were analyzed over 2 months, and 34 were culture positive giving an isolation rate of 39.5%, while 48 were culture negative giving a rate of 55.8%, and 4 (4.7%) were undecided. A total of 16 isolates were E. coli (47.1%), while 18 accounts for others (52.9%). The results of antimicrobial susceptibility profile to 10 antibiotics showed that E. coli displayed high susceptibility to vancomycin (91.6%), followed by amikacin (89.2%) and then meropenem (88.0%), while high rate of resistance was found in nalidixic acid (81.2%), followed by co-trimoxazole (73.3%) and then norfloxacin (76.2%). Conclusion: When there is an adequate detection of E. coli and other uropathogens, it will aid in selecting the appropriate antimicrobial therapy and this will also serve as a means of infection control. This will go a long way in reducing the cost of treatment and threat of resistance as witnessed in the management of some uropathogens.
Are Discretionary Accruals a Signal for a Bright Future?: Evidence from an Information Search Demand and Supply Matrix

Purpose – Two competing hypotheses explain the motivation of using discretionary accruals: managerial opportunism and managerial optimism. To the extent of the managerial optimism hypothesis, the purpose of this study is to examine whether managers use discretionary accruals to disseminate private information when the information demand of stakeholders is high and the information supply is low. Design/Methodology/Approach – The final sample consists of 2,855 KSE firm-years listed on Korea Stock Exchange (KSE) from 2007 to 2013. All dependent and independent variables are winsorized at the top and bottom 1 percent. Multiple regression analysis were used to test the hypotheses. Findings – The study found managers tend to use more discretionary accruals when the information demand is high and the information supply is low, and the discretionary accruals contain favorable signals about future performance. Research Implications or Originality – First, the study provides evidence for the managerial optimism hypothesis of the earnings management literature. Second, it provides a framework for information demand and supply dynamics with a new type of data. Despite several limitations, this study sheds new light on the discretionary accruals and the information demand/supply literature in the field of Internet Searches, Accounting, and Financial Economics.
Running the trophic gauntlet: Empirical support for reduced foraging success in juvenile salmon in tidally mixed coastal waters

The productivity of Fraser River sockeye salmon has declined in recent years, with 2019 being the lowest return on record. The cause of the decline is still not fully understood; however, bottom-up drivers and trophic interactions during the early marine migration are considered to be important contributing factors. McKinnell et al. (Fisheries Oceanography, 23, 2014 and 322) developed a “trophic gauntlet hy -pothesis,” proposing that low biological productivity leads to an energy deficit from poor foraging opportunities in migrating salmon. When combined with poor foraging conditions in typically productive waters elsewhere on the migration, low marine survival may result. Our study examined prey availability and stomach fullness of juvenile sockeye salmon along the 120 km stretch of the coastal migration through the Discovery Islands and Johnstone Strait to determine whether this section of the migration is indeed food limited. We observed low stomach fullness throughout tidally mixed waters, providing empirical support for the trophic gauntlet hypothesis. Zooplankton abundance was high in these regions so it appeared that unfavourably small prey size may have been the cause of low foraging success. We also observed foraging hotspots at both ends of the gauntlet, indicating that such areas may be key feeding grounds for migratory salmon.
AN INVESTIGATION ON THE EFFECT OF AUDIT COMMITTEE ON FINANCIAL REPORTING QUALITY IN PRE AND POST IFRS ADOPTION: EVIDENCE FROM MALAYSIAN COMPANIES

Purpose of study: This study sought to investigate the effect of the audit committee on Financial Reporting Quality (FRQ), explicitly focuses on the period pre- and post-mandatory IFRS adoption in Malaysia. The Financial Reporting Quality in this study proxied by earnings management. Malaysian. Methodology: The sample study has covered 81 listed companies on Bursa Malaysia, with 567 observations, which examined the time of 2009 to 2015. The relationship was analyzed by statistical multiple regression linear methods and also examined the significance of differences between pre and post IFRS adoption by paired sample t-test. Result: The main finding reveals that the relationship between the audit committee and financial reporting quality after IFRS adoption in Malaysia has more significant. However, empirical evidence showed that the post period of mandatory IFRS evidently no significant difference level of earnings management practice. This result indicates that the IFRS adoption cannot reduce managerial discretion yet and the possibility for EM manipulation for Malaysian companies. Implication/Application: This finding has critical implications for regulators and policymakers, that the consequences of IFRS adoption do not increase the quality of financial reporting when EM practices still continue in the different forms. Novelty/Originality of this study: This study gives empirical evidence that there are differences in relationship level between audit quality and earnings management in the period before and after IFRS mandatory adoption in Malaysia companies.