Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A comparative study of psychiatric morbidity and associated factors in carers of patients with schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder in Nigeria

Background Schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder are two major, long-term psychiatric disorders, often associated with considerable functional impairment. Unlike in the West, where paid informal caregivers take up the role of looking after patients with chronic illnesses, the family of the mentally ill in sub-Saharan Africa are actively involved in rendering care to their psychiatrically ill relatives. The objective of this study was to study the psychiatric morbidity in carers of patients with schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder in Nigeria. Methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted in a tertiary hospital in the Southwest geo-political zone of Nigeria. Carers of patients with schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder were included in the study. Data was gathered on patient level of functioning, as well as carer burden and carer psychological morbidity. Results The overall prevalence rate of psychiatric morbidity among the caregivers was 28.6%. There was no statistically significant difference in the sociodemographics, psychiatric morbidity, caregiver burden and patients’ functioning when the two carer groups were compared. The presence of burden in caregivers and severe impairment in patients’ functioning were significantly associated with psychiatric morbidity in caregivers of patients with schizophrenia, but not with caregivers of bipolar patients Conclusions Providing care to patients with illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder is often demanding, and may be associated with significant strain, leading to psychological distress and morbidity among caregivers.
Optimum conditions for cellulose production by bacteria isolated from local apple in Egypt

Cellulose-producing bacteria were isolated from different sources as rotten fruits, rotten vegetables and soil samples. The most efficient cellulose-producing bacteria was isolated from rotten local apple and identified as Komagataeibacter hansenii (MH1) by biochemical, morphological and 16S rRNA testes. Different media for bacterial cellulose (BC) production were tested and the most efficient one was glucose ethanol acetic acid medium (GAM medium). Optimization of nutritional and environmental conditions for bacterial cellulose production were studied. The best conditions for bacterial cellulose biosynthesis by Komagataeibacter hansenii (MH1) were 20 g/l sucrose, 10 g/l peptone, 4 ml/l acetic acid, 7ml/l ethanol at 30°C, pH 3.46 for 15 days under static culture with 5.86 g/l bacterial cellulose production. The isolated strain Komagataeibacter hansenii (MH1) was found to produce cellulose on low cost raw material begasse as it can use it as carbon source with 1.71 g/l dry BC and use it also as carbon+ nitrogen source with 1.41g/l dry BC for bacterial cellulose production but the amount of BC produced was lower than that produced on modified GAM medium.
Histopathological Study of Cervical Cancer Specimen at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar

Background: Cervical cancer is the second commonest malignanc y in females worldwide with variation in incidence and mortality from country t o country. However, there is a huge burden of the disease in sub-Saharan Africa. Aims/Objectives: The aim of this study is to do a histopathological study of cervical cancer specimens at the University of Calabar Teaching Hos pital, Calabar. Methodology: The study design is a prevalence study on archival specimens. The cervical cancer cases diagnosed between 2009 and 2014 was id entified. The paraffin-embedded tissue blocks of cervical cancer were selected. The paraff in sections were obtained for each block. The sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. T he pathology reassessment of the histopathological diagnosis was done using the Worl d Health Organization (WHO) classification. Results: There was 123 sample analyzed in this study. The ag e r nge of the subjects is 31 to 75years. The median age of the subjects is 48.59±10 . 61. Most of the patient (97.56%) had squamous cell carcinoma while 2.44% were diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the cervix. In all, 64.2% of the cases were diagnosed with non-keratini zing squamous cell carcinoma, 30.1% were diagnosed with keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma , 3.3% were diagnosed with basaloid squamous cell carcinoma and 2.44% were diagnosed wi th adenocarcinoma of the cervix. Conclusion: Cervical cancer is a huge source of concern in our s ciety constituting a big public health challenge. With recent advances in medical s ience, prevention through an organized cervical cancer screening programme and vaccination against high-risk human papillomavirus would go a long way to nip this problem on the boar d.
Do sharia compliance affect Islamic Banks performance? Evidence from Islamic Banks in Indonesia

Sharia compliance is very important for Islamic financial institutions. This study has two objectives, namely to determine the level of sharia compliance in Islamic banks in Indonesia, as well as to prove whether the sharia compliance affects the performance of Islamic banks in Indonesia. To prove this, the researcher observed the annual report of 11 Islamic banks in Indonesia for the period 2012 to 2016. Sharia compliance is measured through the level of sharia governance in Islamic banks. Sharia governance instruments used refer to Hasan (2011). While the performance of Islamic banks is measured by ROA and ROE. Content analysis is used to identify sharia governance disclosures in annual reports. The study revealed that, on average the level of sharia compliance of Islamic bank in Indonesia is at the level of best practice. While the results of statistical tests prove that there is no significant effect sharia compliance on the performance of Islamic banks both measured by ROA and ROE.
Systemic inflammation in COPD is not influenced by pulmonary rehabilitation

Abstract Purpose: Pulmonary rehabilitation is known to lead to improvements in exercise tolerance, health-related quality of life and help reduce symptoms. Exercise, one of the largest components of such an intervention, although of great benefit, can increase the inflammatory response related to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, depending on intensity and duration. Through this study, the effects of a 12week, high-intensity PR programme on COPD inflammatory-related markers were investigated. Materials and methods: This study is a longitudinal, observational type of study. Sixty COPD patients were enrolled, 49 of which completed the programme. A 2-h high-intensity PR programme was delivered, twice weekly for 12 weeks. The following markers were assessed at baseline, 4, 8 and 12 weeks through rehabilitation – C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, neutrophil, eosinophil counts, complete blood count, six-minute walk test and St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire. Serum amyloid A levels were assessed at baseline, week 8 and 12 and exhaled NO at baseline and upon completion of the programme. Results: This 12-week PR programme resulted in no changes in the inflammatory markers but resulted in significant improvements in both the 6MW distance and health quality of life. Conclusions: Beneficial effects on functional and HRQoL measures resulted, which, however, appear unrelated to changes in the systemic inflammatory markers.
A Factor Analysis of Student’ Perceived Service Quality in Higher Education

The objective of this research was to identify the indicators and components of the student satisfaction of service quality, and to examine the appropriate integration of indicators through a confirmatory factor analysis of the theoretical factors of student satisfaction toward service quality in the Faculty of Management Science (FMS) at Ubon Ratchathani University, with an empirical data set consisting of six components. A questionnaire was used for collecting the data from a sample of 499 senior bachelor’s degree students, studying business in the Faculty of Management Science at Ubon Ratchathani University. The reliability of the questionnaire was found to be 0.94. Descriptive statistics and the CFA second order model from MPLUS were used in this study. The results showed that the observed set of data for the student satisfaction of service quality in FMS fit the factor theory model. The most significant factor was the service quality of instruction. All correlations among the six main factors for the student satisfaction of service quality were statistically significant. The items of the 6 factors had validity values ranging from high to very high. The highest factor loading to the smallest factor loading values for the student satisfaction of service quality were found to be for instruction, measurement and assessment, qualitative aspects of the lecturers, preparation for professional practice, program content, and supervision respectively; thus the service quality of supervision in FMS must be improved before other components. In the students’ view, the advisor must carry out more “follow up” actions for students, and find the best method to solve students’ problems. The outcomes of the study lead to implications for improving the service quality in the Faculty of Management Science, strategic planning for professional practice, and for future research.
A use intention survey of mobile banking with smart phones – an integrated study of security anxiety, internet trust and TAM

This paper proposes Internet trust and security anxiety as antecedent factors of the TAM model, which directly affect the intention to use mobile banking. This research adopts an extended TAM perspective to examine consumer behavior in the mobile banking context, drawing data from 427 consumers. An empirical test of the model demonstrates that security anxiety and Internet trust predict PU and PEOU, which mediate the effects of trust and security anxiety on behavioral attitudes and usage intention with regard to mobile banking. Internet trust and security anxiety thus constitute important indirect factors influencing the adoption of mobile banking. Furthermore, security anxiety has a significant and negative influence on trust, while security anxiety has no significant direct effect on PEOU. Trust has a significant influence on PEOU, and no significant direct effect on PU. This paper contributes to the theoretical and empirical analyses by demonstrating the critical roles of security anxiety and Internet trust in the adoption of mobile banking and its antecedents.
Why is the Euro Punching Below its Weight

On the twentieth anniversary of its inception, the euro has yet to expand its role as an international currency. We document this fact with a wide range of indicators including its role as an anchor or reference in exchange rate arrangements – which we argue is a portmanteau measure – and as a currency for the denomination of trade and assets. On all these dimensions, the euro comprises a far smaller share than that of the US dollar. Furthermore, that share has been roughly constant since 1999. By some measures, the euro plays no larger role than the Deutschemark and French franc that it replaced. We explore the reasons for this underperformance. While the leading anchor currency may have a natural monopoly, a number of additional factors have limited the euro’s reach, including lack of financial centre, limited geopolitical reach and US and Chinese dominance in technology research. Most important, in our view, is the comparatively scarce supply of (safe) euro-denominated assets, which we document. The European Central Bank’s (ECB's) lack of policy clarity may have also played a role. We show that the euro era can be divided into a ‘Bundesbank-plus’ period and a ‘Whatever it Takes’ period. The first shows a smooth transition from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism and continued to stabilize German inflation. The second period is characterized by an expanding ECB arsenal of credit facilities to European banks and sovereigns.
Low coverage genomic data resolve the population divergence and gene flow history of an Australian rain forest fig wasp

Population divergence and gene flow are key processes in evolution and ecology. Model-based analysis of genome-wide datasets allows discrimination between alternative scenarios for these processes even in non-model taxa. We used two complementary approaches (one based on the blockwise site frequency spectrum (bSFS), the second on the Pairwise Sequentially Markovian Coalescent (PSMC)) to infer the divergence history of a fig wasp, Pleistodontes nigriventris. Pleistodontes nigriventris and its fig tree mutualist Ficus watkinsiana are restricted to rain forest patches along the eastern coast of Australia, and are separated into northern and southern populations by two dry forest corridors (the Burdekin and St. Lawrence Gaps). We generated whole genome sequence data for two haploid males per population and used the bSFS approach to infer the timing of divergence between northern and southern populations of P. nigriventris, and to discriminate between alternative isolation with migration (IM) and instantaneous admixture (ADM) models of post divergence gene flow. Pleistodontes nigriventris has low genetic diversity (π = 0.0008), to our knowledge one of the lowest estimates reported for a sexually reproducing arthropod. We find strongest support for an ADM model in which the two populations diverged ca. 196kya in the late Pleistocene, with almost 25% of northern lineages introduced from the south during an admixture event ca. 57kya. This divergence history is highly concordant with individual population demographies inferred from each pair of haploid males using PSMC. Our analysis illustrates the inferences possible with genome-level data for small population samples of tiny, non-model organisms and adds to a growing body of knowledge on the population structure of Australian rain forest taxa.
The professional development of primary school mathematics teachers through a design-based research methodology

The need to develop mathematics teacher practices is known worldwide (Borko, 2004; Jaworski, 1998; Koellner, Seago, & Jacobs, 2018). Professional development (PD) environments in which teachers will ‘take up’ (Adler, 2005) new paradigms and practices are necessary to make a difference in classrooms. Often, teachers take part in PD workshops but are not able to integrate new ideas into their current practices (Clark & Hollingsworth, 2002; Richardson & Placier, 2001). Cai et al. (2017, p. 234) explain that research findings should be of the correct ‘grain size’ for teachers to be able to use them in their own lesson planning. Although Brown (1992) reminds us that interventions should be able to transfer to everyday classrooms; interventions are only meaningful if they result in changes in mathematics classrooms (Wilson, 1998).
ATTITUDE OF MIDWIVES', SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS AND CURRENT PROBLEMS OF PRECONCEPTION CARE

preconception care focuses on pregnancy health and its related consequences before and after impregnation. The present study was conducted in 2015 in order to determine attitude of midwives', suggested solutions and current problems of preconception care. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study was implemented on entire midwives (202 people) working in Tabriz health centers, Iran, using demographic, attitude questionnaires and open questions. The instrument validity was determined based on CVI and CVR methods while its reliability was determined from two aspects of repeatability (ICC) and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficient). The data were statistically analyzed using descriptive and inferential methods. Results: Mean and standard deviation of midwives’ attitude was 83.15 (7.82). Most of midwives offered motivating to improve preconception care, and mentioned lack of adequate opportunity to provide preconception care as current problems of it. According to One-Way ANOVA and independent t-test, there were no significant relationship between attitudes and demographic factors. Conclusion: Based on the results midwives had a good attitude toward preconception care. In order to improvement of preconception care, considering motivational factors and providing required conditions such as enough opportunities to do qualitative preconception care are recommended
Improving outcomes following emergency laparotomy: aggregation of marginal gains

Emergency laparotomy is a common general surgical emergency procedure carried out worldwide. It carries with it a very high morbidity and mortality, second only to surgery for ruptured aortic artery aneurysm. There has been considerable work done to improve the outcomes following emergency laparotomy worldwide. In the United Kingdom, the National Emergency Laparotomy Audit (NELA) was established in 2014. It aims to improve the quality of care for emergency laparotomy patients by providing high quality comparative data collected nationally. It also highlights key standards in the provision of care. The focus of NELA and other quality improvement projects related to emergency laparotomy is improving every step in the patient pathway. This includes access to diagnostic investigations, consultant care, risk stratification and post-operative care in an appropriate destination. Every small improvement in each step would aggregate to provide a considerable reduction in patient mortality and morbidity, as well as reduction in the healthcare burden to the system. The aim of this review is to discuss some of the significant steps in improving the quality of emergency laparotomy care and the accompanying evidence.
The Effect of Family Assistance Module Toward Family Role and Decrease of HbA1c Values in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Solok Regional Hospital

— Background: This study was conducted to determine whether the intervention of family assistance module can improve the family role and decrease HbA1c values with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM) in Solok Regional Hospital. Methods: This study was a quasi-experiment with one group pretest-posttest design. The samples consisted of 15 patients with type 2 DM who lived with their families, and the family was given an intervention in the form of a family assistance module. The role received by the patients from their family and also the patient’s HbA1c were measured twice, before and after intervention. Data analysis was done to compare the mean difference and the result of p = 0.001 (p <0.005). Results: There was a significant increase in the family role and decrease of HbA1c values before and after intervention with p obtained = 0.000 (p<0.005). The increase of family role occurred at nine units and decrease of HbA1c was 1.1 %. Conclusions: There was an increase in the family role and HbA1c value reduction in patients with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus after being given family assistance module.
Viral hepatitis and HIV co-infection in the UK Collaborative HIV cohort (UK CHIC) study

Effective treatment for HIV has led to a reduction in AIDS-related morbidity and mortality. Consequently, other co-morbidities experienced by HIV-positive people may have a significant impact on their health. Hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are transmitted via the same routes as HIV, thus HIV-positive individuals are at risk of these infections. The UK Collaborative HIV Cohort (UK CHIC) study is an observational study of HIV-positive individuals attending for care at HIV centres in the UK. This thesis takes a pragmatic approach to defining co-infection within HIV cohort studies using methods that could be implemented in other HIV cohorts where similar data are known to exist. For those individuals defined as co-infected at 11 centres, a new set of data was collected including information on liver disease progression and treatment for HBV and HCV. This novel dataset was used to examine the epidemiology of HIV and hepatitis co-infection and clinical outcomes of co-infected individuals. From 2004 to 2011, the proportion of individuals in this cohort who had been tested for HBV and/or HCV had increased. The prevalence of HBV and HCV was 6.7% and 10.7%, respectively with ongoing incidence of both infections. The majority of HIV/HBV co-infected individuals (86%) received HBV-active treatment, usually with more than 1 HBV-active drug, as recommended in clinical guidelines. A smaller proportion (38%) had received treatment for HCV with 33% known to have failed treatment within one year. The risk of liver-related death was 9.0 times higher among HIV/HBV co-infected individuals and 5.7 times higher among HIV/HCV co-infected individuals than among HIV mono-infected individuals. Mortality rates were particularly high after the first liver decompensation event. Understanding the current burden of HIV and hepatitis co-infection and the clinical outcomes of co-infected individuals allows effective planning of services and monitoring of the impact of interventions.
Building Biased Jurors: Exposing the Circularity of the Inherent Bias Rationale for Felon-Juror Exclusion

Justifying the statutory exclusion of convicted felons from jury service, lawmakers and courts allege that convicted felons harbor an inherent bias, making them sympathetic to the plight of criminal defendants and skeptical of the prosecution. Prior research suggests that a felony conviction is a significant predictor of such pre-trial biases. The purpose of this research is to further explore that finding, examining the potential impact of lifetime incarceration and multiple felony convictions on pre-trial biases. To do so, we measured the pre-trial biases of 240 otherwise eligible jurors with a felony criminal history. Results reveal that while the presence of multiple felony convictions is a statistically significant predictor of a pro-defense/anti-prosecution pre-trial bias, length of incarceration is not, suggesting that criminal justice system contact (procedure), not punishment (outcome), contributes to the formation of a pro-defense/anti-prosecution pre-trial bias among convicted felons. Results support prior research demonstrating that criminal justice procedures are stronger predictors of convicted felons’ views than are punishment outcomes. These findings also expose the circularity of the inherent bias rationale, a justification for excluding convicted felons from a process that spawns the pre-trial biases allegedly warranting exclusion. In this way, the criminal justice system helps to build biased jurors.