Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Firm-Specific Factors and Stock Returns: Evidence from Selected Private Commercial Banks Listed on the Dhaka Stock Exchange

The purpose of this study is to examine how different firm-specific factors influence the stock returns of 29 private commercial banks (PCBs) listed on the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) in Bangladesh. The research applied time series, cross-sectional and panel data models focusing on external and internal factors influencing the stock return of developed stock markets. Very little research has been conducted on how firm-specific factors influence the stock returns of developing or emerging stock markets. Considering the current scenario of the banking industry in Bangladesh, some major firm-specific factors must be taken into consideration to determine how these factors influence the stock returns of selected banks listed on DSE, while utilizing the panel data analysis to get more significant results. The study incorporates balanced panel data (3,712 observations) for the period 2009-2019 to investigate how firm beta (volatility), earnings per share (EPS), market to book value ratio (MTBV), firm size, volume of shares traded, and turnover by value influence the stock returns. The study incorporates the Hausman specification test and the Breuschâ€“Pagan Lagrange Multiplier (LM) test, suggesting that fixed effect regression is more applicable than random effect regression. The findings show that the negative influence of firm beta and size is significant, whereas the positive influence of turnover by value and volume of shares traded on the stock returns is significant. The empirical analysis either supports or contradicts existing literature.
Assessment of Genetic Diversity of Maize (Zea mays L.) in Sudan Savannah

The success of any breeding program depends on the ability to determine germplasm diversity and genetic relationships among breeding materials. Genetic diversity is an invaluable aid in crop improvement. The study was aimed at identifying genetic diversity among twenty-two genotypes of maize sourced from International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). The genotypes were evaluated for variability in growth, yield and yield components in 2016 cropping season in the Sudan Savannah using a randomized incomplete block design with 3 replications. Principal component Analysis (PCA), cluster analysis, discriminant analysis and genotype by trait (GT) Biplot were used to assess the genetic diversity between the genotypes. A highly significant difference (P<0.01) was observed between the genotypes in all the traits studied except for days to emergence. The principal component revealed that the first six factors account for 93% variability. Factor 1 gave maximum variability and factor 2 and factor 3 can be utilized for hybridization program. The principal component biplot reveals the relationship among traits and the distance of each variable in determining variability among hybrids. The cluster diagram reveals four distinct groups. Group I consisted of 6 genotypes, group II, 6 genotypes, group III, 7 genotypes and group IV consisted of 3 genotypes. Both principal component and cluster analyses revealed the genetic diversity among the genotypes and identified genotypes that can be selected for hybridization and improvement of maize.
Modification of kaolinite clay using benzyltriethylammonium chloride as a surfactant: Preparation and characterization

Natural kaolinite clay from Perak, Malaysia with cation exchange capacity (CEC) of 2.5 meq/100g was modified using cationic surfactant, benzyltriethylammonium chloride (BTEA-Cl), at 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 times the CEC. A number of techniques, namely energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) nitrogen adsorption-desorption were then used for characterization of the kaolinite and/or organo-modified kaolinite clays. The presence of alkyl groups as a result of successful intercalation of cationic surfactant within the organokaolinite layers of the clay was exhibited by the FTIR spectra. The SEM microphotographs exhibited good dispersion of the natural clay particles and slight agglomeration in the organo-modified clay particles. XRD patterns showed that the d001 spacing of the natural kaolinite clay increased from 7.12 Å to between 7.20 7.34 Å for the organo-modified clays. Following the BET nitrogen adsorption-desorption technique, all clay samples were of Type IV with narrow hysteresis loops. Surface areas of the clays showed drastic decrease from (25.34 m/g) for natural kaolinite clay to between 5.90 13.11 m/g for organo-modified clays. The results suggested that modification of natural kaolinite clay using cation surfactant had successfully occurred. The modification can therefore be further applied for alteration and improvement of the properties of natural clays for various industrial applications.
zymography probes enable in situ localization of protease dysregulation in 1 cancer 2 3

Title: Activatable zymography probes enable in situ localization of protease dysregulation in 1 cancer 2 3 Authors: Ava P. Soleimany , Jesse D. Kirkpatrick , Susan Su, Jaideep S. Dudani, 4 Qian Zhong, Ahmet Bekdemir, Sangeeta N. Bhatia* 5 6 Affiliations: 7 Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 8 Cambridge, MA 02139. 9 Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Institute for Medical Engineering and 10 Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139. 11 Harvard Graduate Program in Biophysics, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115. 12 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, 13 MA 02139. 14 Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 15 02139. 16 Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA 02139. 17 Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of 18 Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139. 19 8 20 02115. 21 Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139. 22 Wyss Institute at Harvard, Boston, MA 02115. 23 These authors contributed equally to this work. 24 *Corresponding author. Email: sbhatia@mit.edu 25 26 Running title: In situ localization of protease dysregulation in cancer 27 28
Anomale Mischkristalle im System ZrO2Y2O3 Kristallbau der Nernst‐Stifte

Es wird gezeigt, daß im System Zirkonoxyd‐Yttriumoxyd neben den beiden reinen Phasen eine ziemlich ausgedehnte Flußspatphase auftritt. Diese anomalen Mischkristalle haben eine Fehlordnung vom Subtraktionssubstitutionstyp; über das Kationengitter sind Zirkon und Yttrium statistisch verteilt, im Anionengitter treten Leerstellen auf. Die Leitfähigkeit der Nernst‐Stifte wird mit dem Kristallbau in Beziehung gesetzt.
University of Birmingham Characterization of neutrophil function in PapillonLefèvre syndrome

Neutrophils from Papillon-Lefèvre Syndrome (PLS) patients exhibit multiple functional abnormalities (ROS, NETs, Chemotaxis and cytokine release), which together may explain pre-pubertal periodontitis in PLS (24 words). Abstract Background Papillon-Lef é vre Syndrome (PLS) is a rare inherited autosomal recessive disease, characterised by palmoplantar keratosis and severe pre-pubertal periodontitis leading to premature loss of all teeth. PLS is caused by a mutation in the cathepsin C (CTSC) gene, resulting in complete loss of activity and subsequent failure to activate immune response proteins. Periodontitis in PLS is thought to arise from failure to eliminate periodontal pathogens due to CTSC deficiency, although mechanistic pathways remain to be elucidated.
DRUG UTILIZATION EVALUATION AND PRICE VARIABILITY STUDY OF NON-STEROIDAL ANTI- INFLAMMATORY DRUGS IN THE ORTHOPAEDIC DEPARTMENT OF A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

The study aims to evaluate the drug utilization pattern of NSAIDs in orthopaedic in-patient department of a tertiary care hospital, Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka. A prospective observational study was carried out for a period of eight months. The drug utilization pattern of NSAIDs was analyzed by collecting the drug therapy details of the patients. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. A total number of 190 patients were included in the study, and among them, the majority of the patients were males (65.3%). Most of the patients were in the age group of 40-49 years (29.5%). The majority of the patients were prescribed NSAIDs for fracture (36.3%). In this study, fixed-dose combinations (79%) of NSAIDs were more preferred than single-drug therapy (21%). Gastroprotective agents (97.89%) were the most commonly co-prescribed drug with NSAIDs. A total of 802 drugs, 16.22% of drugs was prescribed in generic name whereas, 39.65% were prescribed from NLEM-2015 and 24.81% from the WHO model list of essential medicine-March 2017. Diclofenac sodium (50mg, tab) showed a maximum percentage price variation of 581.96 while Etoricoxib+Thiocolchicoside (60/4 mg tab) showed a minimum percentage price variation of 3.42. The usage pattern of NSAIDs were analyzed and prescriptions were assessed according to WHO prescribing indicators
Can Female Entrepreneurship Actually Reduce Poverty In Cameroon?

The paper investigates the effect of female entrepreneurship on poverty in Cameroon. The two stage least squares estimation technique was used to estimate the parameters of both the female and poverty models for the period 1985 to 2016. Findings from data analysis revealed that female unemployment and domestic credit to private sector are key determinants to female entrepreneurship in Cameroon. Also female entrepreneurship was seen as a key factor in reducing poverty at a national level in Cameroon. From a policy perspective, an important conclusion is that for Cameroon to achieve the medium term objectives of poverty reduc tion as stated in the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) and eventually to attain the long term vision of emergence by 2035, female entrepreneurship needs to be given more consideration in government’s economic policy.
Birth, Death, and Record Linkage: Survival Analysis in the Presence of Record Linkage Error

Longitudinal panels have a long history of use across the social sciences; however, they can be imperfect representations of reality when record linkage methods are employed during their creation. In this paper I study survival analysis (e.g. firm death, mortality, or emigration) when missed linkages induce error in the observed lifetime durations, and thus inconsistency in standard survival estimators. Importantly, the error introduced is not accommodated by a standard competing risks model. Hence new methods are developed which restore consistency of the parameters of interest without correcting the linkages. This work makes three distinct theoretical contributions under increasingly relaxed assumptions. First, under the strong assumption of a known independent linkage error process I show that the marginal distribution of time to death is nonparametrically identified from linkage error induced durations. Second, when observations on start and end dates are introduced, I show that nonparametric point identification of the joint distribution of lifetimes and linkage error is typically achieved. Third, when no restriction is placed on the dependence structure, I apply partial identification methods to derive sharp informative bounds on the marginal distribution of lifetimes. New estimators and inference methods are introduced across all scenarios and their validity is established formally. The methods are applied to longitudinal business data (where linkage error occurs due to establishment relocation), and show that establishment death rates in the first 3 years can be overestimated by as much as 10 percentage points with naive methods, while those proposed here are able to recover true rates of survival from mis-linked data. JEL Codes: C1, C23, C41, M13, R3
Assessment of the Genetic Variation in Chrysophyllum albidum G. Don Using CP SSR Marker

Chrysophyllum albidum is among the forest tree species that provides Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) of enormous domestic significant to both rural and urban dwellers in West Africa, with great export potentials. The fruit pulp is widely consumed and thus play a significant role in food security. C. albidum, which is classified among the endangered tree species with a high probability of going into extinction in the nearest future, is endowed with a high degree of climatic adaptability. This indicate that there may exist a tremendous genetic variation that needs to be identified for immediate conservation. In this study, total genomic DNA was extracted from 0.020 g powder of silica gel dried leaves using the QIAGEN DNeasy plant Mini Kit according to the manufacturer’s instruction. DNA was amplified by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The estimation of total gene diversity (Ht), gene diversity due to variation within population (Hs), gene diversity due to differences among populations (Gst) and gene flow (Nm*) were 0.1330±0.041, 0.0472±0.002, 0.645, and 0.275 in that order. This reveals that genetic base of this important tree species has been seriously eroded. Therefore, urgent steps must be taken by individual, organizations and government to conserve the genetic base of this important tree species.
“I feel proper self-conscious all the time”: A qualitative study of adolescent girls’ views of menstruation and physical activity.

Background: Many children and adolescents do not engage in sufficient physical activity. Girls are less active than boys, and their activity levels decline more steeply with age. Menstruation may be associated with the decline in girls’ activity but there are few person-centred studies examining adolescent girl’s experiences of menstruation and physical activity. These are needed to understand the influence that menstruation has on the physical activity experiences of girls to inform effective interventions. Methods: Focus groups were conducted with 46 girls aged 13-15 years across three schools. The discussions explored; experiences of, barriers to and facilitators of being active during menstruation; experiences in physical education/sports teams; and talking with others about periods and being active. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Four themes were identified: 1) balancing perceived barriers and benefits 2) motivation and enjoyment, 3) social influences and 4) coping strategies. Participants reported using diverse strategies to overcome barriers to being active posed by menstruation and the importance of peer-support and enjoyable forms of activity. Conclusions: Menstruation has a strong influence on girls’ physical activity experiences through intra- and inter-personal factors. The implications for how these can be addressed in efforts to increase girls’ physical activity are discussed.
Association Studies of Agronomic Traits, Genetic Structure and Phylogeny of Some Selected Nigeria Cowpea Cultivars

The genetic component of nine elite cowpea cultivars in Nigeria were analysed using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) technology along with their agronomic trait with the aim of understanding their genetic structure, diversity, phylogenic relationship and marker-trait association among the varieties. Twenty-five morpho-agronomic and disease reaction traits of the cultivars were studied. Genotyping was done with 255 SNPs markers, while Association analysis was done using the general and mixed linear models. 160 SNPs (71.0%) were highly polymorphic. There was narrow genetic diversity with three structured populations and three evolutionary paths identified among the cultivars. 93 SNPs (26 SNPs associated with more than one trait) and 84 SNPs (7 SNPs associated with more than one trait) were identified using the General and Mixed Linear Models respectively. Strong associated SNP markers which can be used to improve cowpea production were identified. The study also provides information that can be utilised in cowpea yield and disease resistance improvement programme.
Smartphone Sonar-Based Contact-Free Respiration Rate Monitoring

Vital sign (e.g., respiration rate) monitoring has become increasingly more important because it offers useful clues about medical conditions such as sleep disorders. There is a compelling need for technologies that enable contact-free and easy deployment of vital sign monitoring over an extended period of time for healthcare. In this article, we present a SonarBeat system to leverage a phase-based active sonar to monitor respiration rates with smartphones. We provide a sonar phase analysis and discuss the technical challenges for respiration rate estimation utilizing an inaudible sound signal. Moreover, we design and implement the SonarBeat system, with components including signal generation, data extraction, received signal preprocessing, and breathing rate estimation with Android smartphones. Our extensive experimental results validate the superior performance of SonarBeat in different indoor environment settings.
Automated Routing of Muscle Fibers for Soft Robots

This article introduces a computational approach for routing thin artificial muscle actuators through hyperelastic soft robots, in order to achieve a desired deformation behavior. Provided with a robot design and a set of example deformations, we continuously co-optimize the routing of actuators, and their actuation, to approximate example deformations as closely as possible. We introduce a data-driven model for McKibben muscles, modeling their contraction behavior when embedded in a silicone elastomer matrix. To enable the automated routing, a differentiable hyperelastic material simulation is presented. Because standard finite elements are not differentiable at element boundaries, we implement a moving least squares formulation, making the deformation gradient twice differentiable. Our robots are fabricated in a two-step molding process, with the complex mold design steps automated. While most soft robotic designs utilize bending, we study the use of our technique in approximating twisting deformations on a bar example. To demonstrate the efficacy of our technique in soft robotic design, we show a continuum robot, a tentacle, and a four-legged walking robot.
Integral Characterization of the 16S rRNA Gene of Non-sporulating Bacteria and Its Action Against Anticarsia gemmatalis Hübner (Lepidoptera: Erebidae)

Brazil is the world’s largest producer of soybean (Glycine max), an extremely important legume due to its source of proteins and essential oils for humans and animals, besides to its applications in the various branches of industry. The velvetbean caterpillar [Anticarsia gemmatalis Hübner (Lepidoptera: Erebidae)] is a great pest that affects this crop and has been controlled by chemical and biological pesticides based on Bacillus thuringiensis. The objectives of this work were to prospect soil microorganisms, to characterize them using the 16S rRNA gene and to perform bioassays to analyze the lethality or subletality of these isolates against A. gemmatalis larvae. The DNA sequencing of the marker gene was complete, covering all conserved regions of it to determine the phylogenetic position of the isolates. Regarding to bioassays, subletality efficacy were low both for sporulant and for the non-sporulant bacterial strains tested. However, based on the signature by complete 16S rRNA analyses of the non-sporulating bacterial isolates, new characteristics worth of studying and prospecting biotechnologically became available.
Measurement of carbon condensates using small-angle x-ray scattering during detonation of the high explosive hexanitrostilbene

The dynamics of carbon condensation in detonating high explosives remains controversial. Detonation model validation requires data for processes occurring at nanometer length scales on time scales ranging from nanoseconds to microseconds. A new detonation endstation has been commissioned to acquire and provide time-resolved small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) from detonating explosives. Hexanitrostilbene (HNS) was selected as the first to investigate due to its ease of initiation using exploding foils and flyers, vacuum compatibility, high thermal stability, and stoichiometric carbon abundance that produces high carbon condensate yields. The SAXS data during detonation, collected with 300 ns time resolution, provide unprecedented signal fidelity over a broad q-range. This fidelity permits the first analysis of both the Guinier and Porod/power-law regions of the scattering profile during detonation, which contains information about the size and morphology of the resultant carbon condensate nanoparticles. T.
Integrating Multiple Deep Learning Models to Classify Disaster Scene Videos

—It is well-known that the trend of increasing global natural disasters of natural disasters globally, accompanied by increasing loss of life and property, shows no signs of halting. The ﬁfth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2014) predicts that as global warming continues in the coming decades, its contribution to the increase in natural disaster losses will become more prominent. However, through rapid and accurate analysis of disaster scenarios, there is still an opportunity to signiﬁcantly reduce catastrophic losses caused by extreme events. From a video, we extract key frames and identify embedded objects (using YOLOv3). The densely labeled images are given a global label using various VGG, ResNet, and MobileNet tools. Classical quality measures (accuracy, precision, and recall) will guide subsequent development directions.
Psychological counselling interventions to improve perceived quality of life and counter anxiety and depression in pulmonary-arterial-hypertension patients: A clinical trial

Introduction: Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) is a rare and progressive disease, frequently associated with a worsening of perceived quality of life as well as anxiety and depression symptomatology. Psychological counselling helps the patient understand the diagnosis and prevent the onset of psychopathologies. This study evaluates the effect of counselling sessions on anxiety and depression as well as the impact on self-reported quality of life in patients with PAH. Methods: Patients with a diagnosis of PAH were recruited at the Monaldi Hospital (Naples). An EQ-5D 3L questionnaire was administered to all patients at baseline (pre-session), three months (post-session) after the last session to patients who received psychological counselling (experimental group, EG) and after the first questionnaire to patients who did not (control group, CG). The EQ-5D index and EQ-VAS score were analysed in both groups. Results: A sample of 50 patients with a PAH diagnosis was evaluated; among them 6% had mild PAH, 66% moderate PAH, and 28% severe PAH. The majority (53%) did not receive psychological counselling. All patients showed no significant difference in EQ-5D index (P > 0.05), EQ-VAS score (P > 0.05), and the anxiety/depression dimension (P >.05) at baseline. However, between preand post-session evaluations, the analysis showed a significant change in the EQ-VAS score (P = 0.00) and the anxiety/depression dimension (P = 0.02) in the EG. In the CG, there was a similar change in the anxiety/depression dimension (P = 0.00) but not in the EQ-VAS score (P = 0.05) in CG. The z-test revealed significant intergroup relations, showing that the EG had a 37% increase in perceived quality of life and a 9% reduction in anxiety and depression, while a 12% reduction was observed for the CG’s perceived quality of life and a 44% increase in anxiety and depression. Discussion and Conclusions: This study showed that patients with PAH who received psychological support improved their health-related quality of life by reducing anxiety and depression symptomatology. Our findings highlight the impact of psychological support in the treatment of patients with PAH. Affiliations: