Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Capital structure, credit risk management and financial performance of microfinance institutions in Uganda

The paper examines the relationship between capital structure, credit risk management and financial performance of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Uganda based on agency theory. The study adopted a cross–sectional research design to examine 64 MFIs in Uganda. Correlation and multiple regression analysis were performed to analyze the data. The results reveal that credit risk management significantly contributes to sound financial performance. Second, capital structure is not significantly related to financial performance. Therefore, credit risk appraisal, credit risk monitoring and credit risk mitigation are essential in achieving sound financial performance of MFIs. However, the structure of debt or equity does not necessarily affect financial performance. Hence, managers should endeavor to instill risk preventive and control mechanisms so as to mitigate credit risks and achieve positive financial performance of MFIs. Key words: Agency theory, capital structure, credit risk management, financial performance, microfinance institutions.
Screening of white rot fungi for the treatment of olive mill waste-waters

Several white rot fungi were evaluated for their ability to decolorize olive mill waste-waters (OMW). Among these, Phanerochaete chrysosporium showed the highest potential for the biological depollution of OMW. Approximately 65% of the color and 73% of the chemical oxygen demand (COD) were removed by P. chrysosporium strain HD. Phlebia radiata, Dichomitus squalens, Polyporus frondosus and Coriolus versicolor could also decolorize the OMW but to a lesser extent. The different abilities of these white rot fungi to decolorize OMW correlated with their rates of depolymerization of high molecular weight aromatics and the degradation of the low molecular weight aromatic compounds. Fourteen strains of P. chrysosporium were compared on the basis of their lignin peroxidase (LiP) production, OMW decolorization and residual material dry weight. High lignin peroxidase producer strains, such as strains HD and BKM-F-1767, showed the highest rates of OMW decolorization, P. chrysosporium strains 79–36 and FP 104297 (low LiP producer strains) did not exhibit any decolorization activity.
Celebrity Investors and the Success of Crowdfunding Campaigns

Abstract Using the source-credibility model and the match-up hypothesis, this study examines the effectiveness of celebrities’ investment information on crowdfunding campaigns. Findings from four studies indicate that when celebrities invest in projects meant for crowdfunding and when such projects are congruent with their image, investors’ intentions to invest in the projects increase. Furthermore, investors value celebrities’ past project success information more than the product-celebrity image congruent information such that if a celebrity has a previous successful investment even in an incongruent product category, investors’ intentions to invest in the project is still higher than a failed project in a product congruent category.
Evolution of spin density vectors in a strongly focused composite field

The evolution of the spin density vectors (SDVs) is studied in a strongly focused composite field. It is found that the SDVs can be spiral along the propagation axis, and they are perpendicular to the ys direction on the ys axis. This behavior is governed by the Gouy phase difference between the field polarization components. The 60° rotation of the spatial distribution of the transverse SDVs is also generated, which is found to be controlled by the Gouy phase difference between the field orbital angular momentum modes. Additionally, the spin density singularities are observed in the evolution of the SDVs.
Dead Zone Compensation in Direct Current Motors: A Review

As one of the types of electric motors, DC motors are presented, a class of motors that is commonly used in torque and speed control systems. The control of these motors in real applications is affected by system nonlinearities, such as the dead zone, which limits the motor to fulfill its task with precision since it disables the motor movement for certain applied inputs. Thus, control methods need to be implemented to compensate it. Three modern control methods generate good compensation results: artificial neural networks, fuzzy logic and sliding mode control. Thus, this study aims to perform a review of the available literature on the use of these methods in the compensation of the dead zone in direct current motors.
Cyber-Security Incidents and Audit Quality

ABSTRACT As signals of internal control weaknesses, cyber security incidents can represent significant risk factors to the quality of financial reporting. We empirically assess the audit quality implications of data breaches for a large sample of US firms. Using a difference-in-difference approach based on a matched sample of breached and non-breached firms, we find no evidence that cyber-security incidents result in a decline in audit quality. Instead, we observe positive shifts in four widely-used proxies for audit quality. We document that breached firms (i) experience a decrease in abnormal accruals, (ii) are less likely to report small profits or small earnings increases, (iii) are more likely to be issued a going concern report, and (iv) are less likely to restate their financial statements in the two years following a breach. Our results indicate that auditors effectively offset increases in audit risk through additional substantive testing and audit effort. Our evidence supports the view that auditors have increased their audit risk awareness and put in place adequate procedures to deal with the consequences of cyber-security incidents.
The effect of Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) on the development of 10-days chicken embryo based on body length and head diameter

This research aims to understand the effect of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) on the body length and head diameter of chicken embryos. The samples used in this research were 3 days chicken egg embryos weighed at 55 g. The samples were divided into two groups, the control group (without DMSO) and treatment group (injected with 0.25 mL of 2% DMSO). Each group was incubated at 38 o C for 10 days, and the observed variables were embryos body length and head diameter through macroscopic observation. The results showed that 2% DMSO did not affect the embryos body length, but increase its head diameter. The research concludes that DMSO can be used as chemical solvent with consideration of its effect on the increased embryos head diameter.
Reynolds number dependence of turbulence induced by the Richtmyer–Meshkov instability using direct numerical simulations

Abstract This paper investigates the Reynolds number dependence of a turbulent mixing layer evolving from the Richtmyer–Meshkov instability using a series of direct numerical simulations of a well-defined narrowband initial condition for a range of different Reynolds numbers. The growth rate exponent $\theta$ of the integral width and mixed mass is shown to marginally depend on the initial Reynolds number $Re_0$, as does the minimum value of the molecular mixing fraction $\varTheta$. The decay rates of turbulent kinetic energy and its dissipation rate are shown to decrease with increasing $Re_0$, while the spatial distribution of these quantities is biased towards the spike side of the layer. The normalised dissipation rate $C_{\epsilon }$ and scalar dissipation rate $C_{\chi }$ are calculated and are observed to be approaching a high Reynolds number limit. By fitting an appropriate functional form, the asymptotic values of these two quantities are estimated as $C_{\epsilon }=1.54$ and $C_{\chi }=0.66$. Finally, an evaluation of the mixing transition criterion for unsteady flows is performed, showing that, even for the highest $Re_0$ case, the turbulence in the flow is not yet fully developed. This is despite the observation of a narrow inertial range in the turbulent kinetic energy spectra, with a scaling close to $k^{-3/2}$, where k is the radial wavenumber.
Synthesis and Structure of Dinucleotides Featuring Canonical and Non‐canonical A‐Type Duplex α, β and δ Torsion Angle Combinations (LNA/α,β‐D‐CNA)

The synthesis of diastereoisomers of LNA/α,β-D-CNA dinucleotide building units of nucleic acids in which one δ torsional angle is constrained by an LNA structure and the α and β torsional angles are stereocontrolled by a dioxaphosphorinane ring structure (D-CNA family) is described. NMR structural analysis showed that the δa, αb and βb torsional angles of the (RC5′,RP)-configured LNA/α,β-D-CNA TT dimer are restricted to the canonical {δa,αb,βb} = {gauche(+)/anticlinal(+), gauche(–), trans} conformation typically observed in A-type duplexes. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2007)
Determination of Total Arsenic and Inorganic Arsenic in Marine Algae

The samples were pretreated by wet nitration and HCl extraction,and the contents of As in marine algae were determined by HG-AFS.The analytical conditions were optimized by orthogonal designing.Under optimum conditions,the detection limit of total arsenic,inorganic arsenic,trivalent arsenic were 0.05799 μg/L,0.03351 μg/L and 0.05286 μg/L, respectively. The correlative coefficient of linear regression equation was over 0.9994 and the precisions of total arsenic and inorganic arsenic were 1.33% and 2.94% (RSD, n=5), respectively . The average recoveries were 102.95% and 103.40% (n=5). The contents of total arsenic and inorganic arsenic in 11 kinds of marine algae samples varied within the range of 5.15 to 118.72 μg/g and 1.05 to 89.19 μg/g. Trivalent arsenic ranged from 0.31 to 27. 11μg/g. The contents of inorganic arsenic in the 11 kinds of marine algae samples were beyond GB/T 2762—2005 and GB/T 19643—2005 standard except for amethyst algae.
eDiscovery readiness at the Ministry of Transport and Communications in Botswana

This article presents the findings of the study which sought to assess e-discovery readiness at the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) in Botswana and make recommendations to improve the e-discovery process. The assessment adopted the Document Labs’ (Doculabs) Discovery Maturity Curve to examine: the e-discovery process; policies, procedures, and guidelines of e-discovery; and information organisation. Both qualitative and quantitative data collection tools were used. Semi-structured interviews with the records manager and IT manager were carried out to gain an insight into the state of e-discovery at the MTC and to allow the participants to describe the phenomena. With regard to quantitative data, the respondents were selected from 56 staff members in the IT, records management and administrative division, as they deal with the management of records. Data was analysed thematically and presented according to the objectives of the study. The study established that MTC was not e-discovery ready as the components that determine success in e-discovery such as undefined e-discovery processes, lack of policies, procedures as well as guidelines that promote successful e-discovery and the lack of a data map were not there. It is recommended that to be successful in e-discovery, MTC needs to develop and implement policies, procedures and guidelines for e-discovery; e-records retention policy; and a data map.
The Development of Anxiety in Youth Study (DAYS): A Prospective Study of Trajectories of Brain Maturation among Youth at Risk for Anxiety

Anxiety disorders are common across development and are associated with significant functional impairment and distress. Despite neuroimaging advancements in uncovering key brain regions, including the amygdala and prefrontal regions, implicated in anxiety, there is a need to characterize the role of the ventral striatum given its well-documented link to several key anxiety processes. This study aims to characterize specific neural mechanisms that underlie the evolution of illness and impairment using a longitudinal design and to move beyond traditional case control designs to provide a more comprehensive view of the developmental psychopathology of pediatric anxiety.
Calibration method for the rotating axis in panoramic 3D shape measurement based on a turntable

In panoramic three-dimensional (3D) shape measurement based on a turntable, the point cloud registration accuracy is greatly affected by the calibration of the rotating axis. To improve the calibration accuracy of the rotating axis, a calibration method based on an auxiliary camera is proposed. The calibration procedure uses a checkerboard and an auxiliary camera. Firstly, the checkerboard is rotated on the turntable to determine the rotation axis, and is used to calibrate the relative orientation of the auxiliary camera and the measurement camera, so that the two cameras have the same world coordinate system. Then, the origin point of the coordinate of the rotation axis is obtained by the auxiliary camera, and the Z-axis direction is taken as the direction of the rotation axis. Finally, the 3D shape of the multi-view is measured by the fringe projection system, and the rotation registration is completed according to the rotation axis vector. The proposed method does not need to reconstruct the 3D coordinates of multiple points when the rotating axis is calibrated. The experimental results show that the proposed method effectively improves the calibration accuracy of the rotation axis vector, and reduces the complexity of the calibration process.
Influence of electron beam sterilization on polymers when incubated in different media

Polyurethane catheters were irradiated with electron-beam. We looked at the way the catheter is physically and chemically modified after incubation in different media. An extracting medium (methanol) was compared to other oxidative, enzymatic, and saline aqueous media, mimicking some aspects of biological fluids. Irradiation had a strong impact on the stability of polymer during incubation. For nonirradiated samples incubated in aqueous media, only a small diffusion of additives was observed; no oligomer release was put into evidence, and the polymer was almost not degraded. But the chain branching that occurred because of irradiation created some weaknesses in the polymer chains: irradiated samples were mostly sensitive to chain scission and oligomers released during incubation; this trend increased with the irradiation dose. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009
The factors correlated to nurses’ decision activating code blue team in hospital

The success and hindrances of the blue-code activation were based on nurses’ readiness to request assistance once a patient’s clinical condition decreases. This research aims to determine the nurses’ hindrance factors in making the blue code activation at hospitals. This research is analytical-observational with a cross-sectional approach. The sample consisted of 93 nurses taken randomly. The data were collected by questionnaire from March until April 2020 at one of the Nganjuk government hospitals. The Pearson test result showed a correlation between experience with p-value 0.022, education with a p -value 0.000, cognition with p-value 0.006, and organizational culture with a p -value 0.000 toward decision-making ( p -value< 0.05). The multiple linear regression multivariate analysis shows an Exp value (B) of education is 0.292, experience with a value 0.178, cognition with a value 0.194, and cultural organization with a score of 0.425. Thus, it could be concluded that the organizational culture was the most dominant factor of the nurses’ decision making. The hindrances and success of the nurses’ decision-making are based on the nurses’ characteristics, such as cognition, communication skill, and collaboration skill. The support from the leader of an organization would influence nurses’ confidence dealing with patients’ health.
Autonomous in situ measurements of freshwater alkalinity

Total alkalinity (AT) is an important parameter in the study of aquatic biogeochemical cycles, chemical speciation modeling, and many other important fundamental and anthropogenic (e.g., industrial) processes. We know little about its short‐term variability, however, because studies are based on traditional bottle sampling typically with coarse temporal resolution. In this work, an autonomous AT sensor, named the Submersible Autonomous Moored Instrument for Alkalinity (SAMI‐alk), was tested for freshwater applications. A comprehensive evaluation was conducted in the laboratory using freshwater standards. The results demonstrated excellent precision and accuracy (± 0.1%–0.4%) over the AT range from 800 to 3000 μmol L−1. The system had no drift over an 8 d test and also demonstrated limited sensitivity to variations in temperature and ionic strength. Three SAMI‐alks were deployed for 23 d in the Clark Fork River, Montana, with a suite of other sensors. Compared to discrete samples, in situ accuracy for the three instruments were within 10–20 μmol L−1 (0.3–0.6%), indicating good performance considering the challenges of in situ measurements in a high sediment, high biofouling riverine environment with large and rapid changes in temperature. These data reveal the complex AT dynamics that are typically missed by coarse sampling. We observed AT diel cycles as large as 60–80 μmol L−1, as well as a rapid change caused by a runoff event. Significant errors in inorganic carbon system modeling result if these short‐term variations are not considered. This study demonstrates both the feasibility of the technology and importance of high‐resolution AT measurements.
The effect of short-term rentals on regional hotel efficiency

ABSTRACT Short-term rental accommodation is one of the biggest challenges facing the hotel sector. Despite the prevalence of short-term rental accommodation and its growing importance in the lodging industry, its effects on the efficiency of the hotel sector remain unexplored. This study examines the impact of short-term rental accommodation on regional hotel efficiency using a parametric stochastic frontier model. The analysis is based on data relating to Spain, a key destination in the global tourism sector. The study employs monthly panel data for the period 2008–2019 for hotels located in each of the 17 Spanish regions. The results show that hotels have low levels of technical efficiency, although all regions generally improved their performance over time. Interestingly, a higher number of short-term rentals is associated with greater technical efficiency of hotels. This finding suggests that each form of accommodation complements the other.
An Experimental Study on Pictographic Character Teaching for Primary School Pupils in Thailand

Primary school pupils in Thailand may encounter tremendous difficulties in learning Chinese and Chinese character learning is one of them. This paper, starting from the characteristics of pictographs, selects 50 pictographic characters as the teaching content and takes the sixth-grade students of Nan Christian School in Thailand as the research object. The students are divided into two groups. One is the experimental group and the other is the control group. Different teaching tactics and methods are used in teaching. Through analysis of the results of the two tests, this paper will try to seek the answer to the question about which pictograph teaching method is more suitable for Thai students. The author hopes that the experimental results can provide some effective suggestions in the pictographic character teaching for Thai primary school students.
Extra-group paternity varies with proxies of relatedness in a social mammal with high inbreeding risk

Behavioral mechanisms for avoiding inbreeding are common in the natural world and are believed to have evolved as a response to the negative consequences of inbreeding. However, despite a fundamental role in fitness, we have a limited understanding of the cues that individuals use to assess inbreeding risk, as well as the extent to which individual inbreeding behavior is repeatable. We used piecewise structural equation modeling of 24 years of data to investigate the causes and consequences of within- versus extra-group paternity in banded mongooses. This cooperatively breeding mammal lives in tight-knit social groups that often contain closely related opposite-sex breeders, so inbreeding can be avoided through extra-group mating. We used molecular parentage assignments to show that, despite extra-group paternity resulting in outbred offspring, within-group inbreeding occurs frequently, with around 16% litters being moderately or highly inbred. Additionally, extra-group paternity appears to be plastic, with females mating outside of their social group according to individual proxies (age and immigration status) and societal proxies (group size and age) of within-group inbreeding risk but not in direct response to levels of within-group relatedness. While individual repeatability in extra-group paternity was relatively low, female cobreeders showed high repeatability, suggesting a strong constraint arising from the opportunities for extra-group mating. The use of extra-group paternity as an inbreeding avoidance strategy is, therefore, limited by high costs, opportunity constraints, and the limited reliability of proxies of inbreeding risk.
Generalized anxiety disorder associated with individual work performance of Indonesian medical personnel during COVID-19 outbreak

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has the potential to affect the mental health of medical personnel. This study aimed to investigate the anxiety experienced by medical personnel during the COVID-19 outbreak and its correlation with individual work performance. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 501 Medical Personnel in Indonesia. Anxiety level and work performance were assessed by the GAD-7 and IWP-1.0. Data analysis techniques used were descriptive statistics, Man-Whitney test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman's Rank-Order Correlation. The results showed that 33.33% of the participants did not experience anxiety, followed by moderate, mild, and severe levels (31.14%, 27.74%, and 7.78%). Furthermore, the level of anxiety was different in terms of sex, age, and type of medical personnel, while there was no difference in the length of time of work. The results of the correlation analysis showed that anxiety was correlated with task performance and contextual performance, but there was no correlation with the counter-productive work behavior. There is a crucial need for psychological assistance to medical personnel in orders to reduce their anxiety as well as improve their performance.
ECO-BAT: A New Routing Protocol for Energy Consumption Optimization Based on BAT Algorithm in WSN

Wireless sensor network (WSN) has been widely used due to its vast range of applications. The energy problem is one of the important problems influencing the complete application. Sensor nodes use very small batteries as a power source and replacing them is not an easy task. With this restriction, the sensor nodes must conserve their energy and extend the network lifetime as long as possible. Also, these limits motivate much of the research to suggest solutions in all layers of the protocol stack to save energy. So, energy management efficiency becomes a key requirement in WSN design. The efficiency of these networks is highly dependent on routing protocols directly affecting the network lifetime. Clustering is one of the most popular techniques preferred in routing operations. In this work we propose a novel energy-efficient protocol for WSN based on a bat algorithm called ECO-BAT (Energy Consumption Optimization with BAT algorithm for WSN) to prolong the network lifetime. We use an objective function that generates an optimal number of sensor clusters with cluster heads (CH) to minimize energy consumption. The performance of the proposed approach is compared with Low-Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (LEACH) and Energy Efficient cluster formation in wireless sensor networks based on the MultiObjective Bat algorithm (EEMOB) protocols. The results obtained are interesting in terms of energy-saving and prolongation of the network lifetime.