Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL DETERMINANTS OF COMMERCIAL BANKS PROFITABILITY: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM BULGARIA AND ROMANIA

Our study focuses on commercial banks which are operating in Bulgaria and Romania, two countries whose banking sectors have registered major structural changes in the transition to a market economy and which are showing some similarities. Similar to other EU countries, the financial system from Bulgaria and Romania is dominated by the banking sector, which holds the largest share of total assets. Thus, we can say that health, strength and performance of the banking sector are of major importance for the sustainable economic development of states, but also for efficient transmission of monetary policy decisions on the real economy. The paper aims to identify the key factors that affect bank profitability and to evaluate empirically their contribution to a sample of 29 commercial banks in Bulgaria and Romania, for the period 2003-2012. Our research is based on data from the Bureau Van Dijk database, the World Bank and the European Central Bank and uses panel data estimation techniques. The dependent variable used in our study is the bank profitability, which is measured by two representative indicators the Return on Average Assets (ROAA) and Return on Average Equity (ROAE). Regarding the independent variables, our analysis includes capital adequacy, the loan loss reserve rate, cost to income ratio, the ratio of liquid assets to total assets, the interest expenses to deposits ratio, the non-interest income over total gross revenues, bank size, the GDP per capita growth, inflation rate, domestic bank credit to private sector and banking industry concentration. The results of our empirical study shows that among the variables considered, the loan loss reserve rate, the ratio of cost to income, GDP per capita growth and domestic bank credit to the private sector, have a significant impact on bank profitability, results in line with our expectations, but also with the results of other empirical studies.
Modeling and control for the Toyota Prius under consideration of emissions reduction

The Toyota Prius equipped with a combustion engine and two electric machines is a power-split hybrid electric vehicle. This hybrid electric vehicle uses a power-split planetary gear system to combine the benefits of series and parallel hybrid vehicles. This paper develops a dynamic model and then we apply it for the optimal control development. Dynamic Programming (DP) is utilized to minimize a combination of fuel consumption and selected emission species over a given driving cycle. A trade-off study between fuel economy and emissions was performed compared to the simulation results performed in ADVISOR. It was found that significant emission reduction could be achieved at the cost of just a small increase in fuel consumption.
Depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and alcohol-related problems among veterans with chronic hepatitis C

OBJECTIVE:The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of psychiatric comorbidities among veterans with chronic hepatitis C.METHODS:Depression, anxiety sensitivity, post-traumatic stress symptoms, and alcohol use were assessed using standardized questionnaires in 120 consecutive veterans with chronic hepatitis C referred to the Liver Clinic.RESULTS:Using well-established scoring criteria of the questionnaires, clinically significant levels of depression (44.2%), anxiety (38.1%), post-traumatic stress disorder (20.8%), and alcohol-related problems (26.7%) were observed. The majority of patients had a clinically significant score for at least one questionnaire, whereas 37.2% had significant scores in two or more questionnaires. Positive correlations were found between post-traumatic symptoms and depressive symptoms, anxiety sensitivity, and alcohol use problems. Depressive symptoms were also correlated with anxiety. Responses to the questionnaires, in general, correlated poorly with psychiatric histories documented in the medical record. Overall, 79 (65.8%) patients had one or more possible contraindications to antiviral therapy: coexisting unstable psychiatric disorders and/or recent substance use was found in 73.4% of these patients.CONCLUSIONS:Psychiatric comorbidities were very common among veterans with chronic hepatitis C and correlated poorly with diagnoses documented in the medical record. We recommend a multidisciplinary approach that includes psychological assessment using standardized questionnaires in the evaluation of these patients for antiviral therapy.
The Structure of Bradyrhizobium japonicum Transcription Factor FixK2 Unveils Sites of DNA Binding and Oxidation*

Background: Many symbiotic nitrogen fixation genes are regulated by FixK-like proteins. Results: The high-resolution structure of a rhizobial FixK-DNA complex was solved. Conclusion: The structure explains how oxidation of a surface-exposed cysteine near the DNA-binding site interferes with transcription activation. Significance: Post-translational modification of a transcription regulator by reactive oxygen species is a means to shut off gene expression. FixK2 is a regulatory protein that activates a large number of genes for the anoxic and microoxic, endosymbiotic, and nitrogen-fixing life styles of the α-proteobacterium Bradyrhizobium japonicum. FixK2 belongs to the cAMP receptor protein (CRP) superfamily. Although most CRP family members are coregulated by effector molecules, the activity of FixK2 is negatively controlled by oxidation of its single cysteine (Cys-183) located next to the DNA-binding domain and possibly also by proteolysis. Here, we report the three-dimensional x-ray structure of FixK2, a representative of the FixK subgroup of the CRP superfamily. Crystallization succeeded only when (i) an oxidation- and protease-insensitive protein variant (FixK2(C183S)-His6) was used in which Cys-183 was replaced with serine and the C terminus was fused with a hexahistidine tag and (ii) this protein was allowed to form a complex with a 30-mer double-stranded target DNA. The structure of the FixK2-DNA complex was solved at a resolution of 1.77 Å, at which the protein formed a homodimer. The precise protein-DNA contacts were identified, which led to an affirmation of the canonical target sequence, the so-called FixK2 box. The C terminus is surface-exposed, which might explain its sensitivity to specific cleavage and degradation. The oxidation-sensitive Cys-183 is also surface-exposed and in close proximity to DNA. Therefore, we propose a mechanism whereby the oxo acids generated after oxidation of the cysteine thiol cause an electrostatic repulsion, thus preventing specific DNA binding.
Statistical Multiplexing for LTE MBMS in Dynamic Service Deployment

In 3GPP LTE, the data and control entities are separate for broadcast and multicast services (MBMS). Hence, it is impossible to support dynamic scheduling, because the control entity is not aware of the traffic. However, semi-static multiplexing i.e. statistical multiplexing is still applicable, where only the statistical characteristic of the aggregated bit rate of the multiplexed services needs to be considered. This paper gives the analysis on the semi-static multiplexing gain for MBMS in the dynamic deployment scenario, where different services have different service areas overlapped with one another. It is shown in the paper that the dynamicity of service deployment has considerable negative effect on the multiplexing gain. The detailed analysis with simulation is provided.
Psychological adjustment, substance use, HIV knowledge, and risky sexual behavior in at-risk minority females: developmental differences during adolescence.

OBJECTIVE To assess developmental differences in the psychological functioning, substance use, coping style, social support, HIV knowledge, and risky sexual behavior of at-risk, minority adolescent girls; to assess developmental differences in psychosocial correlates of risky sexual behavior in older and younger adolescents. METHOD Participants included 164 minority teens, ages 12-19, who were receiving medical care in an adolescent primary care clinic. Teens completed measures of psychological adjustment, substance use, coping style, social support, religious involvement, and HIV knowledge and attitudes. In addition, they answered questions regarding their sexual history, family situation, school status, and psychiatric and legal history. RESULTS Younger teens (ages 12-15) reported more symptoms of depression and earlier sexual debuts than older teens (ages 16-19). However, older teens reported significantly more substance use and were more likely to have been pregnant and to have contracted a sexually transmitted disease (STD) than younger teens. Older teens also reported more religious involvement and using more adaptive coping strategies than younger teens. Developmental differences in the correlates of risky behaviors were also found between younger and older teens. Specifically, conduct problems and substance use were significantly associated with risky sexual behavior for younger teens, but not for older teens. Similarly, younger teens whose peers were engaging in risky behaviors reported engaging in more risky sexual behaviors; however, these same relations were not found for older teens. CONCLUSIONS Young minority adolescents exhibiting conduct problems and using substances seem to be at highest risk for contracting HIV and STDs as a result of risky sexual behavior. Prevention interventions should target teens in high-risk environments during late elementary school or early middle school to encourage teens to delay intercourse, practice safer sex, and avoid drug and alcohol use. An interdisciplinary model of care in primary care settings is clearly indicated to provide these services to at-risk youths.
Ultrasonographic and DSCT scan analysis of single lima versus arterial T grafts 12 years after surgery.

AIM The aim of this study was to investigate long-term graft outcome in patients with left internal mammary artery to left anterior descending coronary artery (LIMA-LAD) and T-grafts by ultrasonography and dual source computed tomography (DSCT) and to analyse if ultrasonography can determine graft patency. METHODS Thirty-two patients, 28 males, 50.8+/-8.8 years at operation, were studied. Fifteen patients with single LIMA-LAD and additional vein grafts (group I) and 17 patients with LIMA-free right internal mammary artery (FRIMA) T-grafts (group II) underwent DSCT, transthoracic ultrasonography of the LIMA and an electrocardiogram. Differences were tested with unpaired and paired t tests. RESULTS In group I, 4.1+/-1.1 and in group II, 4.5+/-1.1 anastomoses/patients were performed. DSCT showed three string sign LIMA (20%) grafts and six occluded venous anastomoses (13%) in group I and three (distal) string sign LIMA grafts (18%), seven occluded LIMA anastomoses (23%) and nine occluded FRIMA anastomoses (23%) in group II. Ultrasonographic variables in the proximal part of the LIMA graft did not differ between the groups. No effect was found for proximal string sign LIMA grafts in ultrasonographic graft performance. CONCLUSION Ultrasonography cannot distinguish between string sign and patent single LIMA or T-grafts nor demonstrate distal anastomosis patency in T-grafts 12 years after surgery.
Institutions, entrepreneurship and economic growth

Examining the economics of entrepreneurship from the perspectives of productive versus unproductive entrepreneurial behavior and the role of institutions in economic outcomes, the authors in this book seek to advance the research on institutions by providing a simple framework to analyze the broader, long-term consequences of economic policies. They examine the relationship between economic freedom and economic outcomes and summarize empirical evidence and theory. The book also provides practical policy solutions that are based on the authors' cogent analyses.
Evaluating Responsive Web Design's Impact on Blind Users

Recent studies show that websites complying with accessibility guidelines can still be ineffective, inefficient, and unpleasant. Compliance with accessibility guidelines does not guarantee blind users' satisfaction when accessing websites. Meanwhile, in recent years, websites have undergone radical changes regarding design, development, and construction. Responsive design is a new trend that has a strong impact on web design. To determine blind users' experience with responsive design, the authors performed empirical tests to investigate the impact of responsive design on the emotions of blind users during web interactions. They measured user emotions by applying the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) instrument. Results show that although the responsive websites investigated had acceptable levels of accessibility, they posed numerous usability barriers and triggered intense, negative user emotions. Furthermore, the average number of negative emotional reactions for blind users was higher in the case of responsive web design than in the case of nonresponsive web design.
Instability Investigation of Taylor-Couette Flow with an Axial Velocity by D Chebychev Tau-Method

Instability of a viscous incompressible flow between two rotating concentric cylinders has been investigated numerically. The outer cylinder is stationary and the inner one rotates and moves axially simultaneously. D Chebychev tau method is used to solve eigenvalue problem governing the investigation of flow stability, In the Chebychev tau method, the eigen functions of governing equations are expressed in terms of Chebychev polynomials and the generalized eigenvalue problem is solved with the QZ algorithm. It should be mentioned that this method is a new approach to solve instability of spiral Couette flow and it is less time consuming and more direct than the methods used by previous workers. The applied method is so efficient and our results are in a very good agreement with pervious works. The critical flow characteristics are calculated at the threshold of instability for various Reynolds number based on the axial velocity. The results point out that the axial velocity increases the flow stability. Also, it is found that the axisymmetric modes are more unstable than the corresponding non-axisymmetric modes for all of Reynolds number.
Interleukin-4 (C-590T) and interferon-gamma (G5644A) gene polymorphisms in patients with periodontitis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Periodontitis is a multifactorial disease and immunologic and genetic factors have an important role in its pathogenesis. Mutation in the promoter regions of the interleukin-4 and interferon-gamma genes has been reported to modify the protein expression. The objective of this study was to evaluate the possible role of interleukin-4 (C-590T) and interferon-gamma (G5644A) polymorphisms in the susceptibility to periodontitis. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this case-control study, 53 patients (36 women and 17 men), comprising 27 patients with aggressive periodontitis and 26 patients with chronic periodontitis, and 56 healthy volunteers, were enrolled. DNA was isolated from all subjects, and the polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific primer method was used to study the interleukin-4 (C-590T) and interferon-gamma (G5644A) gene polymorphisms. RESULTS Our results showed no significant difference in the allele and genotype frequencies of interleukin-4 (C-590T) and interferon-gamma (G5644A) gene polymorphisms between patients with periodontal disease and controls. CONCLUSION The results suggest that the interleukin-4 (C-590T) and interferon-gamma (G5644A) gene polymorphisms may not be associated with the susceptibility of Iranian individuals to periodontitis.
A new probabilistic approach for adaptive frequency hopping

This paper proposes Utility Based Adaptive Frequency Hopping (UBAFH), an adaptive hopping technique implementing a new paradigm for frequency hopping systems. Traditional adaptive algorithms aim at identifying bad channels that are consequently removed from the hopset. UBAFH instead utilizes all the available frequencies but assigns different usage probabilities to different channels according to the experienced channel conditions. Opportune upper and lower limits are used in order to bound these usage probabilities and achieve a desired level of frequency diversity. We simulate the behavior of UBAFH over frequency selective fading channels and compare the achieved packet error rate and throughput with the ones of IEEE 802.15. 1 and with the adaptive frequency hopping implementation proposed by IEEE 802.15. 2 showing that UBAFH outperforms both approaches.
Analysis of parallel flow heat exchanger using SiO2 nanofluids in the laminar flow region

Convective and overall heat transfer coefficients of SiO2 nanofluid flowing in a concentric DTHE are determined experimentally. The tests are carried out in the 800<Re<1900 range using SiO2/22nm nanofluids prepared in 0.2, 0.6 and 1.0% volume concentrations in 30:70 ratio glycerol-water mixture base liquid. The thermal and physical properties of silica nanofluids are determined in the range of 20-80°C. Viscosity, thermal conductivity, and density of nanofluids increased with particle concentration whereas specific heat decreased. Thermal conductivity and specific heat of nanofluids increased with temperature while viscosity and density decreased. Heat transfer experiments are conducted using nanofluids at a bulk temperature of 35°C in a laminar developing flow region. Overall heat transfer coefficient and convective HTC of 1.0% silica nanofluids are increased by 21.2 and 36.3% compared to base liquid.
Presynaptic inhibition by dopamine of a discrete component of GABA release in rat substantia nigra pars reticulata

1 Whole‐cell patch clamp recordings were made from substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr) neurones in rat midbrain slices. Monosynaptic IPSCs were evoked by electrical stimulation of the cerebral peduncle in the presence of the glutamate receptor antagonists CNQX (6‐cyano‐7‐nitroquinoxaline‐2,3‐dione) and AP5 (2‐amino‐5‐phosphonopentanoic acid). 2 IPSCs were predominantly outward at −70 mV (in 124/135 cells), with a reversal potential of −83 mV, a time to peak of 2.6 ms and a decay time constant of 6.5 ms. Faster inward IPSCs were also observed in thirty‐five cells, with a time to peak of 1.0 ms, a decay time constant of 2.3 ms, and a reversal potential of −61 mV. Both IPSCs were sensitive to the GABAA receptor antagonists picrotoxin or bicuculline. 3 In cells recorded with Cs+‐filled pipettes, the outward IPSC reversal potential was shifted to −76 mV, closer to the estimated Cl− equilibrium potential of −56 mV, while that of the inward IPSC was unchanged at −64 mV. 4 The outward IPSC was reversibly depressed by up to 100 % by dopamine in a concentration‐dependent manner with an IC50 of 10.5 μm, while the inward IPSC was relatively insensitive. 5 Dopamine was without effect on cell holding current, or on outward IPSC reversal potential, but it increased paired‐pulse IPSC facilitation, consistent with a presynaptic site of action. 6 The D1‐like dopamine receptor agonist SKF 38393 (10 μm) depressed the outward IPSC by 43 %, while the D2‐like dopamine receptor agonist quinpirole (10 μm) was without effect. 7 It is concluded that GABA‐ergic synaptic input onto distal rather than proximal regions of SNr neurones is susceptible to presynaptic inhibition via a D1‐like receptor. These inputs are probably from striato‐nigral fibres, and their inhibition by dopamine is likely to influence the patterning of basal ganglia output.
Assessment of Effects of Stress among Healthcare Providers at the Tabarka and Jendouba General Hospital’s Emergency Service Units in Northern Tunisia

The study assessed the relationship between exposure to stress and posttraumatic symptoms among nurses and physicians in a Jendouba general hospital. Hospital staff who were exposed to stress were assessed for posttraumatic stress disorder. High levels of stress symptoms were found in physicians and nurses. Logistic regression analysis showed that nurses had an increased risk for posttraumatic stress disorder factors characterized by negative behavior to patient, increased workload excessive ambiguity and role conflict and the lack of free. These findings showed that nurses suffered from more severe posttraumatic symptoms compared to physicians after exposure to prolonged stress. The gap between physicians and nurses warrants further study.
A human-oriented mutual assistive framework using collaborative filtering towards disasters

Originally, collaborative filtering was adopted in purchase recommendation systems (e.g., Amazon.com) based on purchased history. In this paper, we apply collaborative filtering on the basis of accumulated feedbacks of the data extracted from social media from a community of users to build up a knowledge-based framework that can match offers to needs in disaster and emergency situations. This framework is constructed by high-level data fusion, i.e., incorporating text-based natural language processing with image-based processing using long-term relevance feedback, and learns user's preferences and adjusts their needs and offers accordingly. It can be deemed as a fundamental trial for timely mutual assist in disasters.
Quantitative metabolomics of photoreceptor degeneration and the effects of stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelium transplantation

Photoreceptor degeneration is characteristic of vision-threatening diseases including age-related macular degeneration. Photoreceptors are metabolically demanding cells in the retina, but specific details about their metabolic behaviours are unresolved. The quantitative metabolomics of retinal degeneration could provide valuable insights and inform future therapies. Here, we determined the metabolomic ‘fingerprint’ of healthy and dystrophic retinas in rat models using optimized metabolite extraction techniques. A number of classes of metabolites were consistently dysregulated during degeneration: vitamin A analogues, fatty acid amides, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, acyl carnitines and several phospholipid species. For the first time, a distinct temporal trend of several important metabolites including DHA (4Z,7Z,10Z,13Z,16Z,19Z-docosahexaenoic acid), all-trans-retinal and its toxic end-product N-retinyl-N-retinylidene-ethanolamine were observed between healthy and dystrophic retinas. In this study, metabolomics was further used to determine the temporal effects of the therapeutic intervention of grafting stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) in dystrophic retinas, which significantly prevented photoreceptor atrophy in our previous studies. The result revealed that lipid levels such as phosphatidylethanolamine in eyes were restored in those animals receiving the RPE grafts. In conclusion, this study provides insight into the metabolomics of retinal degeneration, and further understanding of the efficacy of RPE transplantation. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Quantitative mass spectrometry’.
Evaluation of the effects of β-tricalcium phosphate on physical, mechanical and biological properties of Poly (3-hydroxybutyrate)/chitosan electrospun scaffold for cartilage tissue engineering applications

ABSTRACT Scaffold designing for cartilage tissue engineering requires suitable physico-mechanical and biological properties. This research was carried out to study the effects of β-tricalcium phosphate nanoparticles (β-TCP) on Poly (3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB)-chitosan (Cs) electrospun scaffold. Results showed that the addition of different amounts of β-TCP increased fibre diameter, porosity, hydrophilicity and tensile strength in the proper condition. An increase in the degradation rate was observed by an increase in the amount of β-TCP. The biological behaviour of the PHB-Cs/7.5%wt β-TCP electrospun nanocomposite scaffold was investigated through the formation of apatite-like granules and proper attachment and proliferation of chondrocytes on the surface of scaffolds.