Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MICROFINANCE GROUPS

Self-Help Groups (SHGs) are the most common form of microfinance in India. We study the impact of collective actions undertaken by these groups, composed of women only, on the variety of public goods the elected local authorities deal with. We provide a simple model that suggests two hypotheses that we test and confirm using first hand data. The first hypothesis states that local authorities provide a larger variety of public goods when SHGs undertake collective actions, compared to a situation with exclusive provision by the local authority. The second hypothesis states that local authorities begin or increase the provision of public goods preferred by SHGs and that these might include goods that exert a negative externality on other villagers. We provide evidence of an important non-financial benefit of microfinance: it provides a platform that allows socially disadvantaged women to meet regularly and discuss problems. When they undertake collective actions to solve those problems, these are recognized by the local authorities. Problems that are closer to the needs of women seem to find their way into the political agenda. ∗LICOS Center for Institutions and Economic Performance, K.U. Leuven †CRED, University of Namur. Corresponding address: vandewallelore@gmail.com. We would like to thank the CRED and K.U. Leuven for funding our research. We are grateful to Jean-Marie Baland and Eliana La Ferrara for helpful discussions and suggestions, and seminar participants at CRED, LICOS, Bocconi university and LSE for useful comments. We also thank the PRADAN teams and especially Narendranath for discussions and for support in facilitating data collection and Sanjay Prasad and Amit Kumar for excellent research assistance. This paper is produced as part of the project “Actors, Markets, and Institutions in Developing Countries: A micro-empirical approach” (AMID), a Marie Curie Initial Training Network (ITN) funded by the European Commission under its Seventh Framework Programme. Contract Number 214705 PITN-GA-2008-214705. We acknowledge support from the European Research Council (AdG-230290-SSD), of which this project is also part.
Characterising the Coffee-Banana Agroforestry Systems: an Entry Point for Promoting Coffee and Banana Growing in mid-Northern Uganda

This study was conducted in the mid-Northern Ugandan districts of Nwoya, Gulu, Lira, Apach and Oyam to characterise the coffee-banana agroforestry systems. Thirty fields with coffee-banana agroforestry systems were selected and the level of field and crop management determined. Additionally, five coffee and banana plants were randomly selected and assessed for pests and diseases. All fields had Robusta coffee type whereas cooking bananas were the dominant clone (45%). Field management was limited. More than 80% of the fields had no bands, trenches or cover-crops. Most of the fields were lowly weeded (46.7%) and mulched (60%). Intercropping was low with 20% having maize or cassava. Similarly, most fields were lowly inter-planted with trees (40%) with only 28 tree/shrub species and dominated by fruit trees; namely oranges (70%), mangoes (63.3%) and pawpaw (56.7%) of the total number of tree species observed in the systems. Generally, 40% of coffee fields had not been de-suckered, pruned or changed cycle. However, at least 35% of the coffee fields were highly pruned and their cycle changed. For bananas, more than 70% of the fields were not de-suckered, propped or their corms removed, but 63% of them had been de-leafed and de-budded at a low to moderate level. Leaf skeletonisers and coffee leaf rust were the most observed pest (77.3%) and disease (15.3%) respectively. Pest damage was limited in bananas, though black Sigatoka was the commonest disease observed (56%). It is concluded that the region has embraced the systems but there is need for farmers to be provided with the right species of coffee, banana and trees.Keywords: Agroforestry-systems, cooking-bananas, Robusta-coffee.
An Integrated Literature Review of Death Education in Pre-Registration Nursing Curricula: Key Themes

Recent policy has raised the profile of end-of-life care internationally, with the aim of increasing access to quality care for everyone experiencing life-limiting illness. This reflects an international shift in the provision of palliative care to encompass chronic conditions other than cancer. Nurses have an important role in delivering this care and need to be equipped with particular knowledge and skills. However, pre-registration nursing curricula have traditionally had a limited emphasis on death and dying and nurses report feeling unprepared to care for dying patients. This has led to claims that death education in pre-registration curricula is inadequate. This integrated review explores the published literature that reports on death education within pre-registration nurse education. Presenting an international overview, the aim of the review is to contribute to knowledge about the nature and extent of death education in pre-registration curricula. In the context of this paper, death education encompasses both palliative and end-of-life care. Electronic searches of major bibliographic databases found inconsistencies across educational provision with variations in quantity, content, and approach. Despite an increasing amount of death education in pre-registration curricula, there remains a deficit in key areas such as knowledge, skills, organisation of care, and teamwork.
Urinary Biomarkers IGFBP-7 and TIMP-2 for AKI Risk Stratification: Are

AKI is one of the most common organ dysfunctions in critically ill patients [2] which adversely impacts shortand long-term clinical outcomes. It is frequently observed in patients after cardiac surgery (CS) involving cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) [3]. Early diagnosis of AKI, preferably within 24 hours after ICU admission, is likely pivotal to the development of effective therapies. Traditional biomarkers like creatinine are late indicators of AKI, delaying diagnosis by days.
Is Procalcitonin more superior to hs-CRP in the diagnosis of infection in diabetic foot ulcer?

INTRODUCTION Procalcitonin (PCT) has recently emerged as a marker for diagnosing infection. This study aimed to compare the performance of PCT and other infection markers in diagnosing infected diabetic foot ulcer (IDFU). MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 128 diabetic patients with foot ulcers were recruited and divided into two groups, consisting of 73 patients in the IDFU group and 55 in the non-infected diabetic foot ulcer (NIDFU). The severity of infection in IDFU patients was graded based on the Infectious Disease Society of America-International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot classification. Blood samples from all the patients were collected for measurement of PCT, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and white cell count (WBC). The area under the receiver operating curves (AUC) were then constructed and analysed. RESULTS PCT, hs-CRP and WBC levels were significantly higher in the IDFU group compared to NIDFU with hs-CRP demonstrated the highest AUC (0.91; p <0.001) followed by PCT (0.814; p < 0.001) and lastly WBC (0.775; p < 0.001). The best cut off value, sensitivity and specificity for the presence of infection in diabetic foot, were 3.47 mg/dL, 80% and 89% for hs-CRP, 0.11 ng/ml, 70% and 87% for PCT and 11.8x109/L, 60% and 90% for WBC. All the infection markers showed significant positive correlations with infection severity of DFU. CONCLUSION This study showed that hs-CRP is a more sensitive marker for diagnosing IDFU. Although PCT is useful in differentiating IDFU from NIDFU, the use of PCT is not necessary as it adds little value to the current practice.
Soil Properties as Determinant of Woody Trees Distribution in Kanawa Forest Reserve, Gombe State, Nigeria

The present study examined the influence of soil properties on the distribution of woody tree species in the study area. Point CenteredQuarter sampling method was employed to collect soil and vegetation data from six contrasting vegetation types.Composite soil samples were collected at two predetermined (0-15 and 15-30cm) soil depths. The samples were analysed using standard procedures in the laboratory. The study revealed that soil physico-chemical properties varied from site to site and were dominated by certain plant species (Raphia sudanica, Elaeis guineensis, Senna siamea, Ficus congoensis, Ficus polita, Gmelina arborea, Azadirachta indica, Anogeissus leiocarpus, Vitex doniana and Albizzia lebbeck). Correlations between soil types and vegetation types showed significant and positive correlations within the various soil parameters studied at all the vegetation types. However, there was a negative correlation within some of the vegetation types. From this findings, it was concluded that the variations within soil physical and chemical properties influence the distribution pattern of flora in the area. The differences are therefore indications of the variation in biophysical components such as soil, water, topography among others. It was recommended that this study would act as a basis for making sound ecological predictions and
Optimal Taxation and Social Insurance with Endogenous Private Insurance

This paper characterizes the welfare gains from redistributive taxation and social insurance in an environment where the private sector provides partial insurance. We analyze stylized models in which adverse selection, pre-existing information, or imperfect optimization in private insurance markets create a role for government intervention. We derive simple formulas that map reduced-form empirical estimates into quantitative predictions for optimal tax and social insurance policy. Applications to unemployment and health insurance show that taking private market insurance into account matters significantly for optimal benefit levels given existing empirical estimates of the key parameters.
Exploiting assembly pheromone for the control of ixodid ticks

The effect of an Assembly Pheromone – Deltamethrin complex (AP – D complex) on the larvae of five ixodid tick species viz. Rhipicephalus sanguineus, R. microplus, R. haemaphysaloides, Hyalomma marginatum and Haemaphysalis bispinosa, as well as the adults of R. sanguineus and R. microplus, was assessed by in vitro bioassays. All the larval as well as adult stages of ticks exposed to the AP – D complex were lured and killed within 24 hours of exposure, except H. bispinosa. Exposure to the AP – D complex for an hour resulted in 70%, 95%, 90%, 90%, 95% mortality of the larval stages of Rhipicephalus sanguineus, R. microplus, R. haemaphysaloides, H. bispinosa and H. marginatum respectively. No mortality was observed when the larval stages of the five tick species were exposed to AP alone (positive control). Exposure of adults to the AP – D complex for an hour resulted 92% and 90% mortality of R. microplus and R. sanguineus, respectively. Negligible mortality was recorded in adult ticks exposed to deltamethrin alone (Negative control), while no mortality was recorded when exposed only to AP (Positive control). Hence, the AP – D complex is better in luring and killing ticks than AP or D alone, regardless of the life stage. Our results suggest that the development of a sustained release AP – D complex device may be an effective means of controlling ticks in India.
UNIVERSIDADE DE SÃO PAULO INSTITUTO DE GEOCIÊNCIAS ESTRUTURAS

Moura, T.T. Transverse structures in Taubaté and Santos basins: nature and possible continuity in Santos Basin, Brazil. 2015. 23 f. MSc Dissertation. Instituto de Geociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo. The Taubaté and Resende are NE-to-ENE-oriented Paleogene continental rift basins of the central segment of the Continental Rift of Southeastern Brazil. Both basins were installed during the Eocene as a result of a NW-SE-oriented extensional stress field. This stress field reactivated NE-trending shear zones of the Precambrian basement as normal faults, which played a major role during the basin installation and evolution. There are also numerous N-S, NE-SW and NW-SE-oriented structures transverse to the NE-trending basin axis. These structures comprise faults and folds that were active at different time intervals, but their role in the basin evolution is poorly understood yet. In order to recognize these structures in the subsurface in Taubaté Basin, five longitudinal seismic profiles were interpreted showing their distinctive character as normal and reverse faults, which intersect different seismic units and indicate a polyphasic tectonic deformation. The presence of transverse structural highs, recognizable in the seismic profiles, which were active during the opening of the basin, can be related to anticlines formed in the hangingwall during an evolution related to the growing of the border master faults in a NW-SE-trending extensional regime. Moreover, syn-sedimentary NW-SE-oriented transverse normal faults oblique to the ENE-orientation of the border master faults were described in outcrops in the Resende Basin. These structures are interpreted as release faults and thus formed in the same extensional context. Stratigraphic relationships and paleostress analysis of fault populations indicate that transverse structures are related to four deformational events: a NE-SW-oriented compression probably during the Miocene, a NW-SEoriented compression in the Late Pleistocene to Holocene, an E-W-to-NW-SE-oriented extension in the Holocene and lastly, an E-W-oriented compression related to the present-day stress field. The evolution of the adjoining offshore Santos Basin during the Cenozoic has a narrow correlation with the formation and evolution of Taubaté and Resende basins. The migration of depocenters in the Santos Basin during the Cenozoic can be associated with the presence of NW-SE-oriented transverse structures, changes in the stress fields, and generation and deformation events in the continental rift basins
Investigations of the Mechanism of the Sand Shooting into the Core Box

The results of investigations of sand shooting into the core box are presented in the hereby paper. The investigations concern the formation of the diphase sand-air flux, its motion, flowing and compaction in the cavity during the core forming. Conditions deciding on the course of individual phases of the process are discussed with taking into consideration the influence of such factors as: the shot pressure, shooting hole diameter, number and distribution of deaerating vents in experimental core boxes (of a single cavity and of multi cavities) on the core sand compaction state. Investigations were performed by means of the modernised experimental shooting machine SR-3D, of the shooting chamber volume of 3.3 dm 3 , connected with the system of pneumatic supply ensuring the stable pressure supply of values: 0.4 MPa, 0.5 MPa and 0.6 MPa. Two diameters of the shooting hole, equal 10 mm and 20 mm, were applied for filling three experimental core boxes differing in dimensions of cavities and in number and distribution of deaerating vents. The filling process of core boxes was recorded by means of the digital camera PHANTOM V210 with the filming rate of 3000 pictures in second. Simultaneously, during the shot, other values allowing to determine the intensity of the core sand outflow from the shooting chamber to the core box, were tested. The presented in this publication results constitute the important element of the experimental verification of the blowing process simulation calculations which will be performed.
Effects Of Light On The Feeding Interactions And Spatial Distributions Of The Opossum Shrimp, Mysis Relicta, And The Alewife, Alosa Pseudoharengus, In Lake Ontario

Light and temperature strongly influence the vertical distribution of the mysid shrimp, Mysis relicta. In this study, the vertical movements and depth selection behavior of mysids exposed to different light intensities and light-temperature gradients in the laboratory were monitored and a mysid light preference function in units relevant to mysid vision“mylux”was derived. Mysids preferred light levels between 10 and 10 mylux (~10 to 10 lux) and rarely moved into waters of 10 mylux (~0.1 lux) and greater. A model that assumed equal weight and independence of mysid light and temperature preference functions successfully predicted the proportion of mysids found in two different temperature-light combinations in the laboratory. This model also predicted the depth of maximum mysid density to within 2 m on two spring nights and within 5 m on two summer nights of varying moon phase and thermal conditions in Lake Ontario. This study provides novel insights into how temperature and light interact to influence the vertical distribution of mysids. The model may be used to predict mysid vertical distribution in any deepwater system inhabited by mysids in which the primary mysid predators are visual feeders.
Empirical Assessment of Female Director Effect on Tax Aggressiveness of Listed Insurance Firms in Nigeria

This study empirically examined the effect of female director on tax aggressiveness of listed insurance firms in Nigeria. The main objective of this research was to empirically investigate the effect of female board members on tax aggressiveness, determine the composition and representation of female directors on the board of insurance companies, find out how tax aggressive are listed insurance firms and apply the BLAU (1977) index method to measure female director representation as a departure from conventional approaches specifically in the Nigerian context in the reference period, 2014 to 2018. The population of the study consists of all the quoted insurance firms as at 31 December, 2016. A sample of twenty eight (28) quoted insurance firms was selected and data were collected over the period. Inferential statistic consisting of the General Method of Moment was used for the data analysis. The results obtained reveal that board size is negative and exerts significant impact on tax aggressiveness in insurance firms in Nigeria. Female director is significant and positively related with tax aggressiveness of firms in the insurance sector in Nigeria. Board independence is significant and exerts a positive influence on tax aggressiveness of insurance firms in Nigeria. Firm size exerts negative and nonsignificant effect on tax aggressiveness of insurance companies in Nigeria. The study therefore recommends that the Federal government has to come up with a policy to respond to the marginalization of female on the insurance firm corporate board in Nigeria. The aim of this policy thrust should be targeted at reducing politics and biasness against women on the corporate boards of listed insurance firms.
The Impact of Ramucirumab Treatment on Survival and Quality of Life in Patients with Gastric Cancer

: Gastric cancer is the sixth most common cancer and is known to be the ﬁ fth-leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally in 2018. Systemic therapy remains the only curative option in advanced gastric carcinoma with the primary goal of improving the Health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL) (including palliation of symptoms such as dysphagia) and prolonging overall survival. Recently, ramucirumab is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (US-FDA) as a second-line agent either as monotherapy or in combination with paclitaxel in advanced or metastatic gastric and gastro-esophageal junction adenocarcinoma patients who have progressed on prior treatment with ﬂ uoropyrimidine or platinum containing chemotherapy. HRQoL is a subjective term that typically constitutes four components – psychological, social, occupational and physical well being. This has been evaluated as secondary endpoint in the pivotal Phase III trials with ramucirumab. HRQoL measurement can potentially provide additional information for clinical decision making beyond that of traditional medical outcomes. The present work is primarily focused on discussing HRQoL in gastric cancer patients and the impact of ramucirumab on the HRQoL in the patients with advanced gastric cancer. We also summarized the studies that evaluated the bene ﬁ ts of systemic therapies on HRQoL in advanced gastric cancer.
Using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) to screen for child mental health status in Mongolia

Objectives: To determine emotional and behavioral problems among adolescents and to define risk factors for these emotional and behavioral problems. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among selected and qualified middle and high school children, their parents and teachers. The “Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire“(SDQ) was employed with the intention to measure psychosocial problems and strengths [prosocial behavior] in children between the ages of 4-10 and adolescents ages 11-17, through a multi-informant methodology. The questionnaire consists of 25 items equally divided across five scales measuring: 1) emotional symptoms; 2) conduct problems; 3) hyperactivity-inattention; 4) peer problems; and 5) prosocial behavior. Except for the prosocial scale, the combined scale (Total Score) reflects total difficulties, indicating the severity and content of the psychosocial problems. The prosocial scale indicates the amount of prosocial characteristics a child displays. Results: In the SDQ questionnaires answered by parents, we obtained the following scores: 27.4% for emotional symptoms, 28.2% for conduct disorders, 20.4% for hyperactivity, 81.4% for interpersonal relationships, and 43.3% as the Total Score. In the SDQ questionnaires answered by teachers, we obtained high scorings such as 8.9% for emotional symptoms, 20.2% for conduct disorders, 13.4% for hyperactivity, 47.6% for interpersonal relationships, and a Total Score of 33.4%. In the SDQ questionnaires answered by the adolescents themselves, we obtained scorings such as: 10.0% for emotional symptoms, 10.2% for conduct disorders, 18.8% for hyperactivity, 14.6% for interpersonal relationships, and 16.3% as the Total Score. Conclusion: Mongolian adolescents have emotional and behavioral problems as confirmed by the Total Scores of parents 43.3%, by teachers 33.4% and self-reports 16.3%. The SDQ confirmed that an adolescent’s age, gender, family environment and living areas will influence their emotional and behavioral well-being. psychiatric disorders. However, only about 20% were in contact with a specialist from the mental health service [2,3]. According to the British school-based survey results, 18-22% of participants were diagnosed with mental health problems including 5-8% diagnosed with severe emotional disorders [4-6]. According to the results of a study by the Global School based Student Health Survey 2013 in Mongolia, 23% of 5393 students aged 12-17 were seriously considering suicidal behavior; and 9.6% did attempt suicide within the past year. Girls attempt at suicide were more frequent than boys. In the World Health Organization Report Instrument for Mental Health Systems /WHO-AIMS/ 2006 reported; “Mongolia does not offer child and adolescence mental health services. Furthermore,
COPD_A_234470 585..593

1Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital East Affiliated to Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Science, Shanghai 201306, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Cardiology, Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital East Affiliated to Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Science, Shanghai 201306, People’s Republic of China Purpose: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with increased