Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Potential Contribution of Sharia Micro Financing on Poverty Reduction in Slum Communities in Makassar

Poverty is a problem faced by many countries. A country that has a high number of poor people, will always face various cases as a result of poverty, namely low education, high unemployment, health problems, criminal cases and prone to security problems. That is because the poor people not only lack money, but also do not have access to health services, food and education, so they are vulnerable to illness, malnutrition, and unable to get a good education. Considering its impact on people's lives, it is deemed necessary to take actions that can reduce poverty. Governments in many countries and international institutions have also sought to help the poor throughout the world, through microfinance programs. This effort has succeeded in reducing poverty at the global level. On the other hand, poverty is still quite high. The dependence of the poor on poverty alleviation programs from the government often leads to community dependence on the government. They are just waiting for help to stay alive, so they cannot get out of the cycle of poverty. Therefore, in efforts to alleviate poverty, the important thing to do by the government and institutions involved in poverty reduction is to encourage the independence of the poor so that they can get out of the poverty circle by their own efforts. One effort to encourage the independence of the poor is to provide capital so that they can build their own business activities. In some circumstances, microfinance can be a strategy to provide a way out for the poor to escape poverty. This study aims to identify the potential contribution of Islamic microfinance to reduce poverty in slums in Makassar. The method used in this study is qualitative, in which data are collected through in-depth interviews with slum communities who have not been touched by access to financial institutions. Other interviews were conducted with the management of Islamic microfinance institutions. Interviews found that urban communities living in slums wanted to access financial institutions, but did not have the opportunity. While from the LKMS, it was stated that there are many financing programs provided for the poor. This shows that the opportunity to reduce poverty is very good with the large potential contribution of LKMS in encouraging the independence of the poor through business activities. Keywords : Sharia Microfinance Institutions, Poverty, Slum Communities
Carbonaceous Aerosol Emitted from Biofuel Household Stove Combustion in South China

Near-source measurements of smoke emissions from household stove combustion in a rural area of South China were conducted with 7 typical biomass fuels. Particulate matter samples (both PM10 and PM2.5) were analyzed for their carbonaceous components, including organic and elemental carbon (OC, EC) as well as levoglucosan (molecular tracer of biomass burning), employing thermal-optical and GC-MS analysis. The OC and EC content in PM2.5 and PM10 smoke particles derived from the various types of vegetation showed different patterns with the smallest values observed for straw type fuels. The OC/EC ratios in PM2.5 and PM10 showed an order of straw > hardwood > bamboo > softwood. Mass concentrations of particulate matter emitted from rice straw burning were highest with 12.23 ± 0.87 mg/m3 (PM10) and 9.31 ± 0.81 mg/m3 (PM2.5), while the mass ratios (LG/PM and OC/PM) were lowest among the 7 fuels, indicating that particle emissions from straw burning were higher than those from woody fuels, using similar burning conditions. The levoglucosan emission ratios were rather high and this single most abundant organic species was mainly present in the fine particle mode. Linear correlation analysis showed a strong relationship between levoglucosan and EC emissions.
Study of pesticides use conditions in cashew production in Cte dIvoire

This work aims to promote the rational use of agrochemicals in cashew cultivation by evaluating health prevention culture and environmental preservation levels in cashew producers’ practices in Cote d’Ivoire. A cross-sectional study was conducted from April 2017 to August 2018 in the 3 main cashew production areas (Mankono, Dabakala and Bondoukou). A total of 386 cashew farmers randomly selected were interviewed using the face-to-face technique with an anonymous structured questionnaire. Our results revealed that 68.9% (n=266) of the producers surveyed used agrochemicals but were essentially illiterate (66.04%) and relatively aged with 45 years in mean. Mankono represented the major site in pesticides use with mean of 10.6 L herbicide per hectare following Dabakala (2.5 l/ha). 70 different specialties were identified among them; 38.20% were not approved in Cote d'Ivoire. 11 active substances were identified. The controversy herbicide glyphosate was the most abundant active molecule used following 2,4-D amine salt. Several cases of acute intoxication (headache, nausea, etc.) were reported in 37.6% of producers who applied pesticides twice in every agricultural year for 2 to 4 h and in some cases (26%) within 1 and 4 pm without efficient protection. Concerning environment protection, 61.70% applicators abandoned pesticide packaging in the wild indicating poor environment regarding farmers’ practices. Taken together, our results suggested that the conditions of pesticide use were a real handicap for the sustainability of the cashew farming which could be improved by farmers training in safe use and rigorous control by the Ivorian Government. Key words: Pesticide-safe-use, cashew-nuts-production, agricultural-practices.
Reporting Structures and Financial Efficiency among Selected County Governments

Internal auditors face several obstacles including limited of independence, limited access to records as well as support and recognition by the management. The importance of internal auditing within the county government is underscored by noted irregularities including records inaccessibility, poor reporting structures and even incompetence of internal auditors within the county government expenditure. Therefore, the focus of this study was to examine the influence of internal audit independence on the financial efficiency of selected county governments. The study was guided by the specific objectives of; to evaluate the influence of reporting structure on the financial efficiency of selected county governments. The study targeted 423 respondents from the 9 county Audit Committee members of the 47 county governments in Kenya. The researcher sampled 126 respondents from the 14 (30% of the 47 targeted population of counties) which was purposively sampled regionally. Purposive sampling technique was used to get the 14 county governments. The survey involved collecting information by administering questionnaires. Data collected was descriptively analyzed using SPSS. Results were summarized using tables and presented in form of pie charts, graphs, and bar charts. The means of reporting structures and Financial Efficiency of County Governments were regressed. Findings revealed that the re lationship of reporting structures and Financial Efficiency of County Governments was linear , positive and significant. T he correlation coefficient (R) of 0.470 implied a relatively weak relationship of reporting structures and Financial Efficiency of County Governments. The coefficient of determination, R-square of 0.221 implied that 22.1 % of the variance in Financial Efficiency of County Governments was accounted for by reporting structures with the significance value of p = 0.000 which was less than 0.05. The findings would be of use in policy formulation, industry practice and research. Key Words: Reporting Structures, Financial efficiency, Internal audit independence CITATION: Psirmoi, C. M. , Fwamba, R. , & Singoro, B. (2019). Reporting structures and financial efficiency among selected County Governments. The Strategic Journal of Business & Change Management, 6 (4), 78 – 89.
Key Determinants of the Net Interest Margin of EU Banks in the Zero Lower Bound of Interest Rates

In this paper, we analyse a relationship between the net interest margin (NIM) of EU banks and market interest rates in a low-interest rate environment. We contribute to the literature by examining a large sample of annual data on 629 banks from EU member countries for the 2011-2016 period, which also covers the period of zero and negative rates. When testing three research hypotheses, we draw three main conclusions. First, NIM eroded during the whole observed period for all types of investigated banks. Second, a higher market concentration, proxied by the Herfindahl index, leads to higher NIM. Finally, we show a positive concave relationship between NIM and short-term interest rates observed in previous studies, which supports the suspected nonlinearity in an interest rate zero lower bound situation. In contrast to other researchers, we find a negative relationship between the NIM of EU banks and the yield curve slope.
Random Features Methods in Supervised Learning

Kernel methods and neural networks are two important schemes in the supervised learning field. The theory of kernel methods is well understood, but their performance in practice, particularly on large-size datasets, is not as good as neural networks. In contrast, neural networks are the most popular method in today’s machine learning with a lot of fascinating applications, but even basic theoretical properties about neural networks, such as the universal consistency or sample complexity, have not been understood. Random features methods approximate kernel methods and resolve the scalability issues. Meanwhile, they have a deep connection with neural networks. Some empirical studies demonstrate the competitive performance of random features methods, but the theoretical guarantees on the performance are not available. This thesis presents theoretical results on two aspects of random features method: the generalization performance and the approximation properties. We first study the generalization error of random features support vector machines using tools from the statistical learning theory. Then we establish the fast learning rate of random Fourier features corresponding to the Gaussian kernel, with the number of features far less than the sample size. This justifies the computational advantage of random features over kernel methods from the theoretical aspect. As an effort in exploring the possibility of designing random features, we then study the universality of random features and show that the random ReLU features method can be used in supervised
TET1 is a Tumor Suppressor That Inhibits Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Cell Migration and Invasion

Background Ten-eleven translocation (TET) enzymes catalyze the oxidation of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) promoting demethylation in cells. However, the expression pattern and biologic significance of TET in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) remain unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the biological functions of TET1 and the miRNA and mRNA expression levels in PTC cells with downregulated TET1. Methods The expression of the TET family in 49 PTC tissues and corresponding tumor-adjacent tissues, as well as PTC cell lines (BCPAP, K1, and TPC-1) and the normal thyroid epithelial cell line (Nthy-ori 3-1), were detected using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The 5hmC level was detected in PTC tissues and cell lines using immunohistochemistry and dot blot assay, respectively. After silencing the TET1 gene with siRNAs in BCPAP and TPC-1 cells, cell proliferation was detected using EdU assay. Transwell assay was used to investigate cell migration and invasion. miRNA and mRNA expression arrays were conducted in TET1-depleted BCPAP cells. Results The expression level of TET1 decreased in PTC tissues and cell lines and was consistent with the reduction in the 5hmC level. The knockdown of the TET1 gene with siRNAs in BCPAP and TPC-1 cells, cell proliferation was detected using EdU assay. Transwell assay was used to investigate cell migration and invasion. miRNA and mRNA expression arrays were conducted in TET1-depleted BCPAP cells. WNT4, FZD4, CDK6, MCF2L, and EDN1 was upregulated as potential target genes of dysregulated miRNAs. Conclusion The study showed that TET1 dysfunction inhibited the migration and invasion of BCPAP cells and might have a potential role in the pathogenesis of PTC.
The Berger–Ofek Diversification Discount Is Just Poor Firm Matching

The widely used measure of diversification value developed by Berger and Ofek (1995) consistently matches large and old diversified firms with small and young focused firms. Since valuation multiples decline with sales and age this approach manufactures a discount. We develop a new measure based on sales and age matching and show that it leads to different and more intuitive conclusions. Using daily returns, we conclude that sales and age matched firms are more than twice as correlated with diversified firms than firms chosen by the Berger and Ofek (1995) methodology and the return-weighted discount is zero. For most firms, the diversification discount is an artifact of the methods used to create it.
Preparation of Quasi-MIL-101(Cr) Loaded Ceria Catalysts for the Selective Catalytic Reduction of NOx at Low Temperature

At present, the development of novel catalysts with high activity Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) reaction at the low temperature is still a challenge. In this work, the authors prepare CeO2/quasi-MIL-101 catalysts with various amounts of deposited ceria by a double-solvent method, which are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and so on. The results show that the increase of Ce content has a great influence on the catalytic property of the catalyst. The introduction of Ce can promote the conversion between Cr3+ and Cr5+ and increase the proportion of lattice oxygen, which improves the activity of the catalyst. However, the catalyst will be peroxidized when the content of Ce is too high, resulting in the decline of the catalytic activity. This experiment indicates that CeO2/quasi-MIL-101 plays a significant role in the NH3-SCR process at the low temperature when the loading of Ce is 0.5%. This work has proved the potential of this kind of material in NH3-SCR process at the low temperature, providing help for subsequent studies.
EVALUATION OF PREDICTIVE FACTORS OF IN HOSPITAL MORTALITY IN PATIENTS WITH PROXIMAL FEMORAL FRACTURE

ABSTRACT Objective: To investigate the existence of a causal association between orthopedic treatment and the occurrence of in hospital death. Methods: 338 patients with proximal femoral fracture were evaluated, of whom 27 faced in hospital death. Patients who faced in hospital death (case group) were compared to patients who did not (control group) regarding exposure to risk factors prior to injury and factors related to orthopedic treatment. Results: The factors related to higher in hospital mortality rate were: male sex (case group: 52%, control: 26%; p = 0.005), lower Parker’s score (case group: 5.0 points, control: 6.2; p = 0.048), delirium on admission (case group: 26%, control: 10%; p = 0.011); delirium developed during hospitalization (case group: 77%, control: 35%; p <0.001), and time until surgery (13.3 days, 9.1; p = 0.049). Conclusion: The in hospital mortality rate of patients with proximal femoral fracture was 8%, and the main associated risk factors were male sex, reduced Parker’s score, delirium diagnosed on hospital admission or developed during hospitalization, and time until surgery. Level of Evidence III, Case control study.
Exploring the Factors Influencing e‑Government use: Empirical Evidence from Zimbabwe

The proliferation of e‑government adoption in developing nations is anticipated to radically progress governance and transform government‑to‑citizen interactions and general administrative operations. More so, the benefits and level of e‑government adoption in the public sector have been echoed world over; but remains subdued in the context of developing nations. This study investigates the effect of effort expectancy, price value, service quality, optimism bias and behavioural intention on citizens’ decisions to use e‑government systems in Zimbabwe. Informed by the extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) as a theoretical lens, a research model for this study was adapted and tested using quantitative data collected from a survey of 489 respondents in Zimbabwe. Using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling, the proposed model was validated, thus, the major contribution of this research. Findings of this study may be of value in policy formulation and restructuring by practitioners on e‑government matters. Thus, the results shade a light to some of the key drivers and inhibitors of e‑government adoption in developing nations. Despite achieving its aim, this study has its limitations which constitute the future research direction
Postpartum care: levels and determinants in developing countries

Maternal mortality continues to be high in many countries of the developing world. Focused antenatal care (ANC) and childbirth with a skilled attendant have been highlighted as effective interventions to reduce this burden. However better understanding of conditions such as postpartum hemorrhage-the largest killer-and its occurrence in the early postpartum period have shown the importance of early and universal postpartum care (PPC). This study was undertaken to analyze the variables (occurrence timing and background characteristics) associated with receipt of postpartum care in 30 developing countries representing the major regions of the world. Data from Demographic and Health Surveys carried out between 1999 and 2004 were used in the study. Results show that about half of all births in these countries continue to occur outside health institutions and in seven out of ten births mothers do not receive any postpartum care. Of the noninstitutional births for which mothers receive postpartum care the average timing of the first postpartum checkup is three days after birth. If all births are counted-assuming institutional births receive postpartum care 12 hours after delivery - the average timing of postpartum care is two days following delivery. The characteristics of women most often associated with receiving postpartum care are belonging to a household with higher wealth status and having received antenatal care. Education beyond the primary level urban residence and media exposure are strongly correlated with receiving postpartum care. However some relationships are less clear or are reversed for postpartum care performed by traditional birth attendants or other nonskilled attendants. This paper highlights specific countries where despite low numbers of institutional births many women do receive postpartum care. It is suggested that countries should invest in ensuring that all births-whether at a health institution or at home-are attended by a skilled provider at the time of delivery or within a few hours to help reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. (excerpt)
Using an Arbitrary Moment Predictor to Investigate the Optimal Choice of Prognostic Moments in Bulk Cloud Microphysics Schemes

Most bulk cloud microphysics schemes predict up to three standard properties of hydrometeor size distributions, namely, the mass mixing ratio, number concentration, and reflectivity factor in order of increasing scheme complexity. However, it is unclear whether this combination of properties is optimal for obtaining the best simulation of clouds and precipitation in models. In this study, a bin microphysics scheme has been modified to act like a bulk microphysics scheme. The new scheme can predict an arbitrary combination of two or three moments of the hydrometeor size distributions. As a first test of the arbitrary moment predictor (AMP), box model simulations of condensation, evaporation, and collision‐coalescence are conducted for a variety of initial cloud droplet distributions and for a variety of configurations of AMP. The performance of AMP is assessed relative to the bin scheme from which it was built. The results show that no double‐ or triple‐moment configuration of AMP can simultaneously minimize the error of all cloud droplet distribution moments. In general, predicting low‐order moments helps to minimize errors in the cloud droplet number concentration, but predicting high‐order moments tends to minimize errors in the cloud mass mixing ratio. The results have implications for which moments should be predicted by bulk microphysics schemes for the cloud droplet category.
Chronic Diseases Multimorbidity among Adult People Living with HIV at Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Southern Ethiopia

Background Due to the wide implementation of antiretroviral therapy (ART), people living with HIV (PLWHIV) are now living longer. This increased the risk of developing noncommunicable chronic diseases (NCCDs) among them. Objective We aimed to describe prevalence of NCCDs multimorbidity among PLWHIV at Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital (HUCSH). Method In April 2016, institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among PLWHIV, aged ≥ 18 years at the ART unit of HUCSH. A nurse working in the ART unit interviewed patients and reviewed medical records. Data on the NCCDs and its risk factors were obtained. List of diseases considered in this study were arthritis, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, congestive heart failure (CHF), rheumatic heart diseases (RHD), chronic bronchitis, asthma, and cancer. Results More than half of the respondents (196) had at least one of the NCCDs and 34 (8.9%) had multimorbidity. The main system of the body affected were the musculoskeletal system, 146 (38.2%) and respiratory system, 46 (12.0%). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of individual NCCDs by gender. Patients aged above 44 years, patients with ART duration of at least 6 years, and patients with higher CD4 counts had increased odds of having any one of the NCCDs. Multimorbidity patients with a longer ART duration had an increased risk. Conclusion The prevalence of NCCD multimorbidity among PLWHIV was high. Monitoring the occurrence of NCCDs among PLWHIV and noncommunicable disease care is recommended.