Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) on Islamic Banks’ Performance in Selected MENA Countries

A strong capital adequacy ratio is crucial to a financial institution's success and helps it to survive any potential financial crisis. From Q1 2017 to Q4 2019, the influence of the Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) on the performance of Commercial Islamic Banks in MENA nations (Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan) is examined. The performance measures utilized in this study are Return on Assets (ROA) and Return on Equity (ROE). The study's sample frame comprises all Islamic commercial banks in the designated MENA nations, with a sample size of 18 Islamic commercial banks. Panel data, fixed and random models, are applied in this study since there are multiple entities and time series. The findings of the study showed that the selected Islamic banks are committed to Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) which is defined under Basel III. This is considered the largest percentage regulated by the Basel Committee. The study also found that there is a statistically negative significant influence of CAR on both performance indicators ROE and ROA in the commercial Islamic banks in the selected MENA countries. The results of the study can be useful to a policymaker or decision-makers in the Islamic Banks industry. First, the research could be a reference to financial regulators such as central banks which may use the findings to provide regulation on optimal capital levels for local banks in terms of regulations, deregulations, and financial disruption. Next, the practice implications in the Islamic banking sector will provide them with insight as to how a bank’s capital influences its earnings. Hence, management can work towards attaining an optimal structure that maximizes their performance as well as identifying “best” and “worst” practices associated with capitalization levels.
The BENAR RELAXATION THERAPY (BRT) DECREASING PSYCHOLOGIC SYMPTOMS IN DIABETES TYPE II IN CANDIBINANGUN DISTRIC

Diabetes prevalence in Yogyakarta is the second highest in Indonesia, and Diabetes sufferers are prone to experiencing physical and psychological disorders. Psychological disorders such as depression, stress, and anxiety are more at risk in Diabetes patients. This condition will be worsen the prognosis and outcome, so managing psychological disorders in Diabetes patients is essential. One of the efforts to manage mental disorders in Diabetes patients is non-pharmacological therapy such as Benar Relaxation Therapy (BRT). It combining between aromatherapy and Benson relaxation techniques which is effective for mild and moderate anxiety therapy. In this study, the BRT try to test the effectivity stress, anxiety, until depression. This therapy using three sickles of therapy and the dose of the aromatherapy was three drops in 20 ml of sterile water which formulated by the researcher. The aim study is evaluate the effect of Benar Relaxation Therapy (BRT) in reducing psychological symptoms in diabetes patients. This study did Quasi-experimental research with a pre-posttest without control group design. 14 adults Diabetes patients who ADL independently and have cellphones with video features in Candibinangun district purposively taken to this study. For three consecutive days, patients received therapy for 15 minutes. Their psychological symptoms were measured using the DASS 21 and PSQI questionnaires. Meanwhile, the measurement of physiological symptoms is to measure blood pressure, pulse, and blood glucose. The data processed using the T-test and Wilcoxon test according to the results of data normality. The results showed that Benar Relaxation Therapy effectively reduced psychological symptoms in the form of depression (p = 0.038) and improved sleep quality (p = 0.042). Physiologically, this therapy was also effective in lowering blood pressure (p = 0.00). However, this therapy is not significant in reducing psychological and physiological symptoms in stress, anxiety, pulse, and blood glucose levels. The conclusions is the Benar Relaxation Therapy in this study was effective in lowering depression scores and blood pressure. This therapy also improves the quality of sleep in type 2 Diabetes patients. However, this therapy significantly increases the patient's stress and anxiety and has no significant effect on pulse and blood glucose levels. Keywords: Benar Relaxation Therapy; Psychologic Symptoms
Marital Status at First Intercourse in Married Christian Women: Relationships with Guilt, Sanctification of Sexuality, and Marital Satisfaction

Previous research has demonstrated that women experience higher levels of guilt compared with men at first sexual intercourse. Research also indicates that guilt is related to religiosity and to level of relational commitment. However, there has been no research on the correlates of sexual debut in a Christian population. This study compares the experiences of married Christian women who had first intercourse before or after marriage on guilt, sanctification of sex, and marital satisfaction. A total of 210 married Christian women were administered a survey containing measures of guilt at first intercourse, sanctification of sexuality, and marital satisfaction. The results indicate that the premarital group reported significantly higher levels of guilt at first intercourse and significantly lower levels of theistic sanctification and marital satisfaction than the marital group. In addition, there was no significant correlation between relational commitment and guilt for the premarital debut group, suggesting that those who were in a committed relationship at sexual debut experienced similar levels of guilt to those who were not in a committed relationship at debut. This study has meaningful implications for the way sexuality is discussed in Christian culture.
Microfinance loans, women’s economic empowerment, and poverty: a case study of Baobab Microfinance Company

ABSTRACT We investigate the impact of Baobab Microfinance Company (BMC) loans on poverty and economic empowerment of female clients using a mixed methods approach. Using a sample of 411 BMC clients, we find in some cases, relative lower poverty and higher economic empowerment for clients with a higher frequency of loans compared to those with a lower frequency of loans. An implication is that the marginal impact of loans across different loan cycles is U-shaped rather than linear and has a short-term impact on clients. Furthermore, our qualitative results suggest that loans help women lower poverty and become economically empowered.
Open Water Flume for Fluid Mechanics Lab

Open water flume tanks with closed-loop circulation driven by centrifugal pumps are essential for hydro experimentation in academic settings as well as research centers. The device is also attractive due to its versatility and easy-to-maintain characteristics. Nevertheless, commercial open flume systems can be expensive and become less prioritized in engineering schools. This paper describes the design and fabrication of an affordable, medium-size water flume tank, suitable for education purposes. The central piece of the system is a transparent observation chamber where fluid experiments are typically conducted and observed. The expected maximum average water speed in the observation chamber of about 60 cm per second was achieved by the inclusion of a 3 hp centrifugal pump. The size and capacity of the current design were constrained by space limitation and available funds. The educational facility was assigned as a two-semester multi-disciplinary capstone senior design project incorporating students and faculty of mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering programs in our campus. The design process provides a training platform for skills in the area of Computer Aided Designs (CAD), Finite Element Analysis (FEA), Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), manufacturing, and experimentation. The multi-disciplinary project has contributed to the improvement of soft skills, such as time management, team working, and professional presentation, of the team members. The total material cost of the facility was less than USD 6000, which includes the pump and its variable frequency driver. The project was made possible due to the generous sponsor of the Vibration Institute.
Exploratory Learning as a Driver of Performance: Integrating the Effects of Knowledge Stock and Resource Flexibility in the Context of Commercial Banks in Kenya

Exploratory learning is critical in building organizational capability for performance that guarantees future viability and sustainability of the business. Research delving into the nexus between exploratory learning and performance is limited in the context of developing economies. The purpose of this paper was to examine the relationship between exploratory learning and performance and establish the conceptual nature of this relationship by determining the effect of knowledge stock and resource flexibility on this linkage and determine the effect of exploratory learning variables on performance dimensions in the context of commercial banks in Kenya. The study adopted descriptive research design in which a sample of 140 participants from commercial banks in Kenya was selected using stratified random sampling method. Data was collected using a questionnaire administered to management level staff. Multiple regression analysis and correlation analysis were used for hypotheses testing. The results established that knowledge stock which was indicated by tacit knowledge, routines and procedures, and competencies and skills has significant influence on exploratory learning. It provides the capabilities for searching for knowledge of new markets, new technology and new product development. Exploratory learning has a statistically significant positive correlation with performance and has high influence on process efficiency, product quality and customer satisfaction. Resource flexibility was found to have moderating effect on the relationship between exploratory learning and performance. It was found that organizations gain value through bundling and leveraging resource portfolios in the management of scarce resources to the extent that priority is given to high yielding opportunities, cost effective projects and efforts that respond to market, product and customer changes. The study suggests that to enhance firms’ performance, firms should enhance their knowledge capacity, invest in exploratory learning activities and leverage resources for search and operationalization of new markets, new product development and implementation of new technology.
Valorization of Waste Tires by Pyrolysis and Activation Processes

The problems related to the increase in the generation of discarded tires demonstrate the need for profitable, efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable processes for their waste management. In particular, the valorization of pyrolytic solids for energy storage applications is of interest. In this study, four processes were performed: (1) pyrolysis; (2) chemical activation and pyrolysis; (3) pyrolysis and physical activation; and (4) chemical activation, pyrolysis, and physical activation. The process consisting of chemical activation, pyrolysis, and physical activation yielded 52% solid material with the highest electrical conductivity (2.43 Ω–1 cm–1) and a surface area of 339 m2/g with an average pore size of 3.6 nm. In addition, it was found that pore size had a greater effect on the conductivity than surface area. Liquid and gas fraction compositions were modified by the presence of chemical activation: aromatization reactions were favored, and limonene was not observed in the liquid fraction, while an increase on the CH4 concentration caused an increment in the heating value of the gas fraction. It was demonstrated that chemical and physical activation enhance the properties of the pyrolytic solid product derived from waste tires that make it suitable for the partial substitution of materials for electric energy storage applications.
Voltage production and simultaneous municipal wastewater treatment in microbial fuel cells performed with Clostridium strains

Clostridium strains are known due to their capability to produce hydrogen and free electrons during their metabolism; however, voltage production and electric current generation by Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) have not been deeply explored yet employing these microorganisms. In this paper we evaluated both voltage generation and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) reduction in municipal wastewater by one chamber MFC performed with graphite cloth electrodes and inoculated with Clostridium bifermentans, Clostridium sordellii and native bacteria. Clostridium strains grew properly on both Ravot medium and municipal wastewater reaching the maximum develops at 96 and 120 hours for bifermentans and sordellii respectively. Microbial growth kinetics determined by Gompertz modified model showed low lag times for all tests. Clostridium sordellii showed not only the maximum voltages but also the highest potential to remove organic matter from wastewater since COD diminished around 60% at the end of MFC’s operation. The addition of phosphate salts solution increased the removal of organic matter but was not efficient to generate voltage, moreover, the microorganisms present in wastewater were able to produce voltage but the amount of organic matter removed by them were low. The maximum generated voltage, Power Density (PD), Volumetric Power Density (VPD) and Current Density (CD) values were observed in MFC inoculated with Clostridium sordelli and performed with wastewater with no buffer solution, they were; 0.372 V, 153.43 mW m-2, 1.73 W m-3 and 0.413 A m-2 respectively. Clostridium strains showed a high potential to reduce COD in wastewater generating green energy as by-product.
Dynamic changes of land use/cover and landscape pattern in a typical alpine river basin of the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau, China

Landscape heterogeneity is a comprehensive reflection of spatial patch and gradient, which is an important feature of landscape pattern. The China land use/cover dataset (CLUD) with 1 km spatial resolution was used in this study to investigate the dynamic changes of land use/cover in the Yarlung Tsangpo River basin (YTRB) of China from 1980 to 2015 through the land use transition matrix and dynamic degrees. The semi‐variogram model of the study area was constructed at different scales to determine the landscape characteristic scale of the YTRB. The traditional landscape index method and moving window method were used to investigate the watershed landscape pattern at the class and landscape levels, respectively. The results showed that the overall change in land use over the YTRB was not significant during the period 1980–2015, whereas the relative change in each type of land use was significant. Permanent glacier‐snow significantly degraded by 22.72%, while built‐up areas increased by 106.38%. The degree of the landscape fragmentation and diversity gradually increased from upstream to downstream. The unused land has the highest degree of fragmentation, and the agglomeration degree of urban land patches increased. The result of land use dynamic degree indicated that natural factors were the main causes of changes in land use during the first sub‐period 1980–2000, while human activities were the major drivers of changes in land use during the second sub‐period 2000–2015. The results can provide important information on the impact of regional development and environmental governance policies on the changes in land use/cover and landscape in Tibet.
The Mediating Role of Major Sport Events in Visitors’ Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction, and Intention to Revisit a Destination

Sport events represent a popular motive for travel and can bring a huge influx of visitors with multiple benefits for a destination. The purpose of this article is to analyze the effect of previous experience with the destination on future behavior in the form of intention to visit/revisit it and to shed more light on the relationship between visitors’ satisfaction and their future revisit intentions depending on their previous experience with the destination and the sporting event. The research setting was EuroBasket 2015, Zagreb, Croatia (EB), the largest and the most important basketball competition for national teams in Europe. A face-to-face survey with visitors of each of the 15 played games was conducted on site. In total, 765 questionnaires were collected. For the purpose of this paper, only foreign visitors (461 questionnaires) were included in the analysis. The connection between past experience and future intention to visit was tested with Pearson’s chi-squared test, differences in satisfaction levels—using the t-test for independent samples. In the next step of the analysis, we performed an analysis of impact asymmetry (IA) and of impact range (IR). The necessary input data were obtained through an OLS regression model with binary-coded dummy variables. The results showed that repeat visitors are more likely to express an intention to revisit the destination than first-time visitors, but the level of total satisfaction with EB was the same for both groups (first-time visitors and repeat visitors). The most influential event attributes for overall satisfaction were organization of EB in general, layout of the arena, and preparation of the city for the event. The study expanded the theoretical understanding of the visitors’ satisfaction with sporting event attributes as well their intention to revisit the destination.
Multiple graph realizations method: improving the accuracy and the efficiency of the shortest path method through random sampling

We present a new implementation of the shortest path method (SPM) that calculates accurate traveltimes in arbitrarily large model spaces without the requirement of large computational times and large amounts of memory, an inherent problem of the Dijkstra's-like algorithms. The multiple graph realizations method is based upon multiple sampling of the model space, using numerous random graphs. The performance of this new method is compared against the conventional way to improve the accuracy of SPM, which is to use denser grids and connectivity stencils of higher order. Our results suggest that although for relatively small models, single runs of the SPM are more suitable to achieve the desired accuracy, in large models, and after a certain level of desired accuracy, this approach becomes inefficient or even unfeasible, as the requirements in memory and computational time increases dramatically. On the contrary our method can achieve the desired accuracy with linear impact in computational time and negligible impact in required memory.
Resetting the Evaluation Indicators for School Garden Education Service

Background and objective The vitalization of urban agriculture has increased various forms of experience-based education using school gardens, which raised the importance of school gardens in terms of value as well as the need to develop an implementation system for education-based agricultural experience service using school gardens. Thus, we reset the evaluation indicators from the previous study to establish objective evaluation indicators that enable quantitative comparison of school garden education services. Methods Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and direct question (DQ) surveys were conducted on 20 experts from October 12 to 19, 2020 after establishing the purpose and subjects of evaluation, and then the weights were calculated using the Expert Choice 2010 program. Results First, we analyzed the problems of the previous indicators by categorizing the performance indicators and comparing and verifying them with six requirements of valuation. Then, we added ‘welfare values’ and established sub-indicators accordingly. The importance of value indicator in AHP was in the order of education values (0.544), health values (0.182), welfare values (0.164), environmental values (0.062), and economic values (0.049). The importance of environmental and economic values was relatively low, less than 0.1. The importance of sub-indicators was highest in cultivating character (0.144), followed by enhancing ecological sensitivity (0.141) > promoting mental health (0.134) > cultivating agricultural literacy (0.120) > improving social skills (0.104). And mitigating climate change in environmental values was lowest (0.009). Increase in income was the lowest (0.036). This can be regarded as the expression of change to increase the educational effect based on collective life and the connotative meaning of ‘school’. In the case of DQ, the AHP weight and order were the same, but the environmental and economic values were relatively low, and the result was different from AHP weight. For sub-indicators, the importance in DQ was highest in promoting mental health (0.136), followed by promoting physical health (0.085), ]cultivating character (0.082), social integration (0.072), and enhancing ecological sensitivity (0.071). After reviewing related experts, we came up with 5 evaluation indicators and 16 sub-indicators for school garden education service, which are objective evaluation indicators that enable quantitative comparison. Conclusion In the future, we will validate the socioeconomic values of school garden education services and contribute to revitalizing school gardens by establishing policy alternatives for effective operation and management of school gardens.
Crystal structure of diaqua-bis(5′-(pyridin-1-ium-4-yl)-1H-[3,3′-bi(1,2,4-triazol)]-2′-ide-κ2N,N′)cobalt(II) — bis(5-(pyridin-4-yl-κN)-1H,1′H-3,3′-bi(1,2,4-triazole))octamolybdate – water (2/1/8), C27H33CoMo4N21O19

Abstract C27H33CoMo4N21O19, triclinic, P1̄ (no. 2), a = 12.1200(6) Å, b = 13.0412(6) Å, c = 15.7235(7) Å, α = 103.800(1)o, β = 98.427(1)o, γ = 110.278(1)o, V = 2191.08(18) Å3, Z = 2, Rgt(F)=0.030, wRref(F2)=0.073, T = 296 K.
Occurrence of Leptospira spp. and factors associated with the infection in horses from a military contingent in the Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil

The seroprevalence of Leptospira spp. and infection risk factors were investigated in horses from a military contingent in the Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. A total of 446 horses were evaluated and categorized into 309 mares, 11 stallions, and 126 horses with an average age of three years. To determine seroprevalence, serum samples from all horses were submitted to the microscopic agglutination test against 12 serovars belonging to nine serogroups, usually circulating in equine populations. To investigate the possible risk factors of infection by Leptospira spp. , questionnaires were applied in that military unit. The seroprevalence in the horses with an average age of 3 years, mares, and stallions were 57.94% (73/126), 54.05% (165/309), and 45.45% (5/11), respectively. The main risk factors identified were contact with different water sources, the presence of rodents, and contact with wild and domestic animals. The high seroprevalence of anti‑Leptospira spp. antibodies may be associated with the presence of these risk factors. Therefore, the exposure of horses to possible reservoirs of Leptospira spp. should be minimized. Also, the immunoprophylaxis protocol should be reviewed and a shorter interval between vaccinations adopted to control leptospirosis in this herd.