Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Credit Risk Management’s Influence on Loan Performance in Commercial Banks in Pakistan

The aim of this study is to examine the current practice of credit risk in commercial banks in Pakistan. There is no notable empirical evidence found which shows the relationship between dimensions of credit risk management and loan performance in commercial banks in Pakistan and discuss the factors of credit risk management that contribute in the loan performance of commercial banks in Pakistan. Data is collected from primary sources using close-ended questions. There are 35 scheduled commercial banks operating in Pakistan with 12,424 branches across Pakistan, merely 24 commercial banks are selected for the research according to its market capitalization and data ability and reliability for the research. Data collected from managers and credit officers of commercial banks in Pakistan. Data collected by meeting them personally as well as coordinate with them via emails. Client profile, Credit Risk Policy, and Credit Risk Control have been taken as the dimensions of credit risk management as independent variables and loan performance (LP) as the dependent variable. The result showed that the client profile and credit risk control have a positive and statistically significant influence on loan performance (LP) in commercial banks in Pakistan. However, credit risk policy has a statistically significant but negative influence on loan performance in commercial banks in Pakistan. It is recommended that commercial banks in Pakistan should effectively practice these factors studied in this research to maximize the profitability by increases the loan performance of the bank.
Time-variability and disk geometry in Herbig Ae/Be disks

Abstract The origin of optical-infrared variability in young, intermediate mass Herbig Ae/Be stars is linked to their circumstellar disk. Therefore, variability could serve as a diagnostic tool to constrain the structure and dynamics of the (inner) disk. Here we discuss this diagnostic potential, and report some preliminary results from our coordinated BV RIJHKs and Spitzer monitoring observations of nine Herbig Ae stars. We aim to understand the response of the inner disks thermal emission on the changing stellar irradiation, and to separate it from UX Orionis-type fading events, which also provide information on the disk. This project is a pilot study for the era of time domain astronomy of young stars, opened by Kepler K2, Gaia, ASAS-SN, TESS, Spitzer, WISE, and JWST.
The in Vitro Effect of a Symbiotic Combination Between Cellobiose and Two Probiotic Strains Toward Two Pathogenic Bacteria

Intestinal microflora possesses both beneficial and pathogenic properties with respect to host health and well being. Three procedures are usually proposed for its modulation: probiotic, prebiotic and their combination on symbiotic. In this in vitro study the authors assess the effect of a symbiotic combination between cellobiose and two probiotic strains (L. rhamnosus, S. thermophilus) toward two pathogenic bacteria (S. aureus and E. coli). In addition, we evaluate the influence of this fiber either on the localization of the lactic inhibiting substances and their extracelluler polymer substances (EPS) production. The results showed that the prebiotic candidate noticeably elongated the adaptation phase of the target pathogens to up than 12 hours, while stimulate the probiotic growth till 2 Log CFU/mL in favor of L. rhamnosus and to approximately 3 Log CFU/mL for S. thermophilus compared with control substrate (glucose). The inhibiting effect was more important toward S. aureus (2.54 and 1.09 Log CFU/mL against 4.99 and 7.75 in co-culture with L. rhamnosus and S. thermophilus respectively at the 4th hour of incubation) and lesser for E. coli compared with the control substrate. And the results suggested that S. thermophilus inhibited both target strains mainly by bacteriocins, whilst L. rhamnosus rather inhibited S. aureus growth by bacteriocins and E. coli ones by acids production. We also observed a significant stimulation of the exopolysaccahrids production by this fiber, which may allow a better adhesion of the probiotic candidates in the intestinal tract.
Transcriptional control and population dynamics of antiviral CD8+ T cell responses

Cytotoxic lymphocytes are central components of cellular immune responses to intracellular pathogens and malignancy. The transcriptional programs that support proper population dynamics for lifelong immunity are incompletely understood. Two T-box transcription factors, T-bet and Eomesodermin (Eomes), have critical roles in the development of natural killer cells and the differentiation of CD8+ T cells in response to acutely resolved infections. In both cases, these two factors support distinct but complementary cellular populations. In this thesis, we first used a recently generated reagent to examine and separate cellular populations with differential Eomes expression. We found that, while Eomes expression does not identify effector CD8+ T cells with enhanced cytotoxic potential, early Eomes expression does correlate with more efficient formation of long-lived, self-renewing central memory CD8+ T cells. This validated tool was then employed in our investigation into the population dynamics of CD8+ T cell responses during a chronic viral infection. While memory lymphocytes maintain lifelong immunity by slow self-renewal, chronic infections strain the regenerative capacity of antiviral T lymphocyte populations, leading to failure in long-term immunity. The cellular and molecular events controlling the regenerative capacity during chronic infection, however, are unknown. We demonstrate that two distinct states of virus-specific CD8+ T cells exist in chronically infected mice and humans. The opposing properties of renewal and differentiation of these CD8+ T cell populations are supported by the differential expression of T-box transcription factors, which cooperatively maintain the pool of antiviral CD8+ T cells during chronic viral infection. T-bethi cells have low intrinsic turnover but proliferate in response to persisting antigen, giving rise to Eomeshi terminal progeny. Genetic elimination of either subset results in failure to control chronic infection, suggesting that imbalance in differentiation and renewal could underlie the collapse of immunity in humans with chronic infections. Furthermore, this work demonstrates new roles for T-bet and Eomes in CD8+ T cells regarding self-renewal and terminal differentiation, highlighting how T-box transcription factors can operate in exquisitely context-dependent manners.
Phenotypic consequences of maternal effects during early life stages of the painted turtle, Chrysemys picta

Maternal effects are a ubiquitous source of phenoty pic variation and relevant to understanding many ecological and evolutionary ques tion . For oviparous organisms, egg size and oviposition/ nest-site choice are two maternal effects that can be particularly important. A classic assumption in li fe-history theory is that offspring with more resources allocated to them have a fitness adv antage, but this assumption is challenging to assess in the wild. Oviposition or nest-site choice can influence many aspects of the offspring environment including abio tic conditions, competition, predation risk, and food availability. This dissertation focuses on the influence of egg size and nest-site choice on early life stages of the painted turtle, Chrysemys picta. Offspring of painted turtles at our study site in Illinois are laid as eggs in earl y summer and incubate for several months. Painted turtles exhibit temperature-depend ent sex determination, where nest temperature during incubation irreversibly determin es offspring sex. Consequently, as nest-site choice can influence nest temperatures, i t can also influence offspring sex ratios. After hatching, offspring remain in the nat al nest over the winter, and disperse to aquatic habitats the following spring. This disser tation has three data chapters, and together these chapters examine the influence of ma ternal effects on phenotypes and survival during incubation, hibernation and dispers al. Data chapter two utilizes a cross-fostering design to partition the relative contribution of egg size, clutch effects, and nest environment to phenotypic variation.
Dyadic behavior in co-manipulation :from humans to robots

Para tanto diminuir o esforco fisico de um humano, quanto aumentar a percepcao de um ambiente por um robo, um diade humano-robo pode ser usado para co-manipulacao de um objeto compartilhado. Partindo da premissa de que humanos sao eficientes trabalhando juntos, a abordagem deste trabalho e a de investigar diades humano-humano co-manipulando um objeto compartilhado. A co-manipulacao e avaliada a partir de dados de um sistema de captura de movimentos, sinais de eletromiografia (EMG), e de sensores de contato customizados para analise qualitativa de desempenho. Um experimento de co-manipulacao com diades humano-humano foi projetado no qual cada humano e instruido a se comportar como um lider, um seguidor, ou simplesmente agir tao naturalmente quanto possivel. A analise de dados do experimento revelou que os humanos modulam a rigidez mecânica do braco a depender de que tipo de comportamento eles foram designados antes da co-manipulacao. Para emular o comportamento humano durante uma tarefa de co-manipulacao, um controle por admitância com rigidez variavel e apresentado neste trabalho. A rigidez desejada e continuamente variada com base em uma funcao escalar suave que define o grau de lideranca do robo. Alem disso, o controlador e analisado por meio de simulacoes, e sua estabilidade e analisada pela teoria de Lyapunov. As trajetorias resultantes do uso do controlador mostraram um padrao de comportamento muito parecido ao do experimento com diades humano-humano.
Biotic modifiers, environmental modulation and species distribution models

The ability of species to modulate environmental conditions and resources has long been of interest. In the past three decades the impacts of these biotic modifiers have been investigated as ‘ecosystem engineers’, ‘niche constructors’, ‘facilitators’ and ‘keystone species’. This environmental modulation can vary spatially from extremely local to global, temporally from days to geological time, and taxonomically from a few to a very large number of species. Modulation impacts are pervasive and affect, inter alia, the climate, structural environments, disturbance rates, soils and the atmospheric chemical composition. Biotic modifiers may profoundly transform the projected environmental conditions, and consequently have a significant impact on the predicted occurrence of the focal species in species distribution models (SDMs). This applies especially when these models are projected into different geographical regions or into the future or the past, where these biotic modifiers may be absent, or other biotic modifiers may be present. We show that environmental modulation can be represented in SDMs as additional variables. In some instances it is possible to use the species (e.g. biotic modifiers) in order to reflect the modulation. This would apply particularly to cases where the effect is the result of a single or a small number of species (e.g. elephants transforming woodland to grassland). Where numerous species generate an effect (such as tree species making a forest, or grasses facilitating fire) that modulates the abiotic environment, the effect itself might be a better descriptor for the aggregated action of the numerous species. We refer to this ‘effect’ as the modulator. Much of the information required to incorporate environmental modulation effects in SDMs is already available from remote‐sensing data and vegetation models.
Evolutionary Conservation Genetics

Preface 1. The Extinction Vortex - is Genetic Variation Related to Extinction? 2. How to Measure Genetic Variation 3. Inbreeding, Geographic Subdivision and Gene Flow 4. Genetic Diversity in Changing Environments 5. Genes Under Selection: Mhc and Others 6. Local Adaptation 7. Ecological Genomics 8. An Evolutionary Conservation Biology References Index
VNTR polymorphisms of the IL-1RN gene: IL-1RN*1 allele and the susceptibiliuty of SLE in the Malaysian population

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic autoimmune disease resulting from a defect in immunoregulation. The occurrence of this disease is mainly due to genetic, environmental and endocrine factors. Due to the role of IL-1ra in the regulation of T-cell activation, we hypothesized that its encoding gene may be associated with the susceptibility to SLE in the Malaysian population. The polymorphisms for the IL-1RN gene were analyzed in 100 SLE patients and 100 matched normal healthy controls. In this study, it was noted that the IL1RN*1 allele was significantly associated to the susceptibility of SLE (OR = 2.667, p = 0.019). The IL-1RN*2 allele in turn, showed an inverse association (OR = 0.313, p = 0.012). Furthermore, our preliminary study also revealed the distribution pattern of genetic polymorphisms for IL-1RN gene in the Malaysian population. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Detection of intracellular microRNA using a self-assembling magnetic resonance beacon

MicroRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) are implicated in several biological processes such as proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, development and disease. A number of miRNA imaging tools have been developed due to the scientific and clinical significance of miRNA. Current miRNA imaging techniques are based on reporter gene and molecular beacon systems, and most of these techniques utilize fluorescent probes. These techniques have been successfully used to study the function and interaction of miRNAs in the cellular environment. However, they have limited clinical applicability as imaging systems, mainly due to the inability of fluorescent probes to penetrate tissue. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides high resolution in three dimensions to analyze the anatomy and structure of tissues. We developed a self-assembling magnetic nanoparticle based molecular beacon (miR124a MR beacon) to detect miR124a in mammalian cells and tissues during neuronal differentiation by T2-weighted magnetic resonance (MR). The self-assembled structure of the miR124a MR beacons was induced by incubating 3’-adaptor, 5’-adaptor and miR linker containing the miR124a binding sequence and adaptor binding sequence. When the miR124a expression level was low in cells and tissues, the MR signal of the miR124a MR beacons was quenched. As the concentration of miR124a increased during neuronal differentiation, selective hybridization occurred between miR124a and the miR124a binding sequence of the miR124a MR beacon. This ultimately induced nanoparticle disassembly and a gradual increase in the MR signal. Our findings suggest that this method can be used to monitor the expression of miRNAs, as well as other intracellular genetic and cellular processes, by MR imaging in vivo .
GEOGRAPHIC PATTERN OF GENETIC VARIATION IN Modiolus capax (Conrad, 1837) FROM THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA PATRÓN GEOGRÁFICO DE LA VARIACIÓN GENÉTICA EN Modiolus capax (Conrad, 1837) DEL GOLFO DE CALIFORNIA

The genetic variation of the two largest Modiolus capax (Conrad, 1837) populations that occur on the west coast of the Gulf of California was studied by the allozyme analysis of eight polymorphisms of twelve isozyme loci. Genetic variation was examined in about 200 mussels collected from three levels of the intertidal zone and from three sublittoral demes. Two loci (LAP* and GPI*) displayed particularly high allelic diversity (18 and 19 alleles, respectively), many of which were rare (p < 0.1). Heterozygote deficiency was a common feature across all loci, probably explained by the Wahlund effect. The genetic structure of the population was analyzed using Wright’s F-statistics, and its significance was assessed by permutation and numerical resampling methods. There was a lower degree of genetic divergence among intertidal levels (F ST = 0.042) than among sublittoral demes (ST = 0.080), yet both values were significant. Comparisions between grouped genotype frequencies for each extreme locality (San Felipe vs La Paz) revealed a low but significant level of genetic divergence (F ST = 0.049), which suggests genetic flow over vast geographic distances (approximately 1100 km), but slight local genetic divergence due to physical or biological factors acting over the larval dispersal and settlement.
Molecular diagnostics : current technology and applications

Section 1: Applications to Plant and Animal Health 1. Update on Molecular Tools for Detection of Plant Pathogenic Bacteria and Viruses 2. Molecular Diagnostic Tools for Detection of Plant Pathogenic Fungi 3. Application of Molecular Techniques for Detection of Bacterial Veterinary Pathogens Section 2: Applications to Food Safety (Foodborne Pathogens, Pests, GMO) 4. Molecular Diagnostics and Epidemiological Typing Methods for Common Foodborne Pathogens Campylobacter and Salmonella 5. DNA Biosensor Chips for GMO Detection 6. Molecular Techniques for Identification of Quarantine Insects and Mites: The Potential of Microarrays Section 3: Applications to Biomedical and Clinical Sciences 7. Biosensor Applications of Peptide Nucleic Acid for Direct Detection of PCR Amplified DNA of Pathogens E. coli 0157:H7 and MRSA 8. Molecular Diagnostics of Medically Important Bacterial Infections 9. Molecular Diagnostic Tools for the Detection of Bacteria in Dental Plaque 10. Molecular Investigations of Haematological Malignancies 11. Molecular Diagnosis of Medical Viruses 12. Molecular Diagnosis of Parasites of Medical Importance Section 4: Applications to Biothreats, Drugs and Forensics 13. Applications of Biosensor Technology for Molecular Recognition and Detection 14. Molecular Diagnosis and Bioterrorism: An Update
Valor nutritivo y digestión ruminal de zacate Buffel común (Cenchrus ciliaris L.)

El estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar y comparar estacionalmente el valor nutritivo y la degradabilidad efectiva de la materia seca (DEMS), la proteina cruda (DEPC) y la pared celular (DEFDN) de la planta completa, las hojas y los tallos del zacate buffel comun ( Cenchrus ciliaris L.). Se estimo tambien el consumo potencial de minerales por los bovinos. Las plantas fueron colectadas manualmente en otono, invierno, primavera y verano, en una pradera no regada, de aproximadamente 15 ha, ubicada en Linares, N.L. , Mexico. Los valores de PC, Ca, P, Mg, K, Na, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, DEMS, DEPC y DEFDN fueron mas elevados en primavera y mas bajos en invierno. Contrariamente, la pared celular y sus componentes (celulosa, hemicelulosa y lignina) fueron mas bajos en primavera y mas altos en invierno. Las hojas del zacate buffel comun tuvieron una mayor calidad nutritiva y degradabilidad efectiva que los tallos. En general, el contenido de Ca, Mg (con excepcion de otono e invierno), K, Fe, Zn y Mn (con excepcion de invierno y verano) fue suficiente para satisfacer las demandas nutricionales de los bovinos en crecimiento en todas las estaciones del ano. Sin embargo, los contenidos de P, Na y Cu fueron deficientes. Debido a la elevada concentracion de todos los minerales en las hojas, seria recomendable aumentar la relacion hoja:tallo. Mientras tanto, se debera complementar al ganado, alimentado con zacate buffel comun en esta region de Mexico, con P, Na y Cu durante todo el ano, con Mg en otono e invierno y con Mn durante invierno y primavera.
α‐Thalassaemia as a result of a novel splice donor site mutation of the α1‐globin gene

We describe the characterization of an α+‐thalassaemia determinant as a result of a transition of G→A of the donor splice consensus site sequence of the first intron of the α1‐globin gene (α1IVS I‐1). The mutation was found in combination with the South‐East Asian α0‐thalassaemia deletion in an haemoglobin (Hb)H patient and her sister, both of Thai origin. Sequencing of the abnormally spliced mRNA product revealed the presence of a cryptic splice site in exon 1 of the α1‐globin gene. No normally spliced α1mRNA was detected. The abnormally spliced mRNA product from the α1‐gene carrying the mutation does not lead to functional protein and causes a mild HbH‐disease phenotype when in combination with the deletion type α0‐thalassaemia.
The use of computer-guided surgery via a partially guided protocol does not completely compensate for the level of operator experience in implant placement

Purpose: There is always a tension between allowing novice trainees to place implantsindependently and the need to achieve accurate functional and esthetic outcomes. We aimed tomeasure the influence of surgeon experience on the accuracy of implants placed using a teethsupportedsurgical guide via a partially guided surgical protocol in a clinical setting.Materials and Methods: Twenty partially edentulous patients were randomly allocatedto expert and novice surgeon groups. Implant drilling and placement for the two groups wereperformed through a flapless surgical technique using surgical guides following a partially guidedsurgical protocol. The study primary independent variable was the surgeon experience, whilethe outcome variable was the accuracy, which was measured based on the differences in implantangulations pre- and postoperatively. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to findthe influence of surgeon experience, implant size, and the interactive effect of surgeon experienceand implant size on the angular deviation.Results: A total of 40 implants were inserted in 7 males and 13 females. There was no significantdifference (p = 0.453) in the mesio-distal deviation between the expert and novice groups. In abucco-lingual direction, the expert group performed more accurate implant placement (3.7 ± 3.35)compared with the novice surgeons (8.5 ± 6.3). There was no effect for implant size and/or theinteraction effect on the degree of angular deviations.Conclusion: The level of surgeon experience affects the accuracy of implants placed using ateeth-supported surgical guide in a bucco-lingual direction; therefore, the use of computer-guidedsurgery via a partially guided protocol does not completely compensate for the level of operatorexperience. However, such surgical guide might be used in a whole task training of novice surgeons,as it can bridge a gap between simulation training in vitro and free-hand surgery in a clinical setting.
Simplified criteria for finite element modelling of European preloadable bolts

High strength preloadable bolt assemblies are commonly adopted in beam-to-column bolted connections. Nowadays, two systems of high strength preloadable grade 10.9 bolt assembly are recommended in Europe for structural applications, namely HR and HV, which are characterized by different failure modes. Recently, experimental tests performed on HR and HV bolt assemblies highlighted that the type of bolt assembly may significantly influence the joint response. Therefore, the accuracy of numerical modelling of bolt assemblies is crucial to simulate effectively the non-linear behaviour of bolted joints with either failure mode 2 or mode 3 of the bolt rows. In light of these considerations, this present paper describes and discusses some modelling criteria for both HR and HV bolts to be implemented in 3D finite element models by finite element analysis and structural designers. The comparison between the calibrated models and experimental results shows the accuracy of the proposed assumptions in simulating all stages of assembly tensile response.