Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The bidirectional relationship between MFIs’ financial and social performance: Sustainability and outreach perspective

Abstract This paper examines the bidirectional relationship between sustainability and outreach of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in the MENA region, using unbalanced panel data regression during the period from 1999 to 2018. The simultaneous equation model (SEM) is used based on the 2SLS regression considering endogeneity problem between sustainability and outreach. Two main systems are developed based on SEM; the first relates sustainability with breadth of outreach, while the second includes sustainability and depth of outreach. Results state that sustainability and outreach are complementary objectives, and the direction of their relationship is from outreach to sustainability. This finding is tested and supported using various robustness checks, namely: excluding firms with few data, using other methods to estimate 2SLS regression model, and examining the impact of sustainability on outreach based on their indices developed based on the TOPSIS method. The study concludes with some suggestions for future research in this field.
Photodetection Enhancement via Graphene Oxide Deposition on Poly 3-Methyl Aniline

A graphene oxide (GO)/poly 3-methyl aniline (P3MA) photodetector has been developed for light detection in a broad optical region: UV, Vis, and IR. The 3-methyl aniline was initially synthesized via radical polymerization using an acid medium, i.e., K2S2O8 oxidant. Consequently, the GO/P3MA composite was obtained through the adsorption of GO into the surface of P3MA. The chemical structure and optical properties of the prepared materials have been illustrated via XRD, FTIR, SEM, and TEM analysis. The absorbance measurements demonstrate good optical properties in the UV, Vis, and near-IR regions, although a decrease in the bandgap from 2.4 to 1.6 eV after the composite formation was located. The current density (Jph) varies between 0.29 and 0.68 mA·cm−2 (at 2.0 V) under dark and light, respectively. The photodetector has been tested using on/off chopped light at a low potential, in which the produced Jph values decrease from 0.14 to 0.04 µA·cm−2, respectively. The GO/P3MA photodetector exhibits excellent R (and D) values of 4 and 2.7 mA·W−1 (0.90 × 109 and 0.60 × 109 Jones) in the UV (340 nm) and IR (730 nm) regions, respectively. The R and D values obtained here make the prepared photodetector a promising candidate for future light detection instruments.
Auxiliary coils for generating magnetic field gradients for a Faraday magnetometer

A set of coils has been designed and constructed for generating magnetic field gradients for a Faraday magnetometer. The authors have obtained a gradient of magnitude approximately 11 kOe m-1 (8.75*105 A m-2) in an air gap of 42 mm for a current of 12 A passing through the coils.
The Use of Systemic Inflammatory Markers From Routine Blood Tests in Predicting Preeclampsia and the Impact of Age on Marker Levels

Our study aimed to investigate the relationship between preeclampsia (PE) and blood levels of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systemic immune-inflammatory index (SII) in the first trimester of pregnancy. In addition to examining the potential correlation between these inflammatory markers and PE, we aimed to compare the levels based on age to determine whether there are potential age-related differences in marker levels. Over a six-month period, we reviewed the complete blood count (CBC) analysis results of 126 subjects, where 63 patients had a documented history of PE and 63 were healthy pregnant females. We found that age had no statistically significant effect on NLR, MLR, or SII levels, but there was a statistically significant difference in PLR levels between the 18-25 and 26-35 age groups. The study also revealed that the MLR and PLR in the 18-25 age group of preeclampsia patients were statistically significantly lower than those of healthy patients, whereas the PLR and SII in the 26-35 age group of preeclampsia patients were statistically significantly higher than those of healthy patients. The results suggest that systemic inflammatory response (SIR) markers may be able to predict the development of preeclampsia. The study also emphasized the importance of taking age into account, specifically the 18-25 and 26-35 age groups, when assessing the risk of preeclampsia. Further research is needed however to corroborate existing findings and determine the importance of the examined inflammatory markers in the diagnosis of PE.
Exponential stabilization of nonholonomic chained systems

This paper presents a feedback control scheme for the stabilization of two-input, driftless, chained nonholonomic systems, also called chained form. These systems are controllable but not asymptotically stabilizable by a smooth static-state feedback control law. In addition, exponential stability cannot be obtained with a smooth, time-varying feedback control law. Here, global, asymptotical stability with exponential convergence is achieved about any desired configuration by using a nonsmooth, time-varying feedback control law. The control law depends, in addition to the state and time, on a function which is constant except at predefined instants of time where the function is recomputed as a nonsmooth function of the state. The inputs are differentiable with respect to time and tend exponentially toward zero. For use in the analysis, a lemma on the exponential convergence of a stable time-varying nonlinear system perturbed by an exponentially decaying signal is presented. Simulation results are also shown. >
Input-output Coupler System with 45-degree Slant Angle Based on Bragg Hologram

In this paper, we designed and fabricated an input-output coupler system using two or three volume gratings at 632.8nm wavelength. The additional third grating is added at the output coupler to enhance the overall efficiency. The experimental results show that the total system throughput reaches 63% with two-grating and 75% with three-grating input-output coupler. We also present a design method to obtain the desired output power ratio between the gratings.
Is adding 48 + 25 and 45 + 28 the same? How addend compatibility influences the strategy execution in mental addition

A recent study revealed that adults frequently start to add two two-digit numbers from the larger one, suggesting that addend magnitudes are compared at an early stage of processing. However, several studies showed that symbolic number comparison involves compatibility effects: Such numerical comparison is easier when the larger number also contains the larger unit (48_25) than in the opposite, incompatible case (45_28). In this context, whether the compatibility between tens and units across operands affects the execution of arithmetic-solving strategies remains an open question. In this study, we used two kinds of verbal protocols to assess how addend compatibility influences the implementation of magnitude-based strategies. We observed that participants started their computations from the larger operand more frequently when solving compatible additions than they did when solving incompatible ones. The presence of a compatibility effect extends the view that multidigit number processing is componential rather than holistic, even in an arithmetic task that did not explicitly require a number magnitude comparison. Further, the findings corroborate the notion that number magnitude is used in mental calculation and influences the way calculation strategies are implemented.
Feasible short-step interior point algorithm for linear complementarity problem based on kernel function

In this paper we deal with the study of the polynomial complexity analysis and numer- ical implementation for a short-step interior point algorithm for monotone linear complementarity problems (LCP ) based on karnel function. The analysis is based on a new class of search di- rections. We establish the global convergence of the algorithm. Furthermore, it is shown that the algorithm has O(n 2:5 L), iteration complexity. For its numerical tests some strategies are used and indicate that the algorithm is efficient. Keyword(s). Quadratic programming, Convex nonlinear programming, Interior point methods AMS subject classification. 90C30, 90C51
The Politics of Education and Learning in Vietnam: Contributions to a Theory of Embedded Accountabilities

This paper locates many of the most important strengths and weaknesses in Vietnam’s education system in the politics of education and in features of the country’s education system’s societal embedding. By the politics of education, we mean the relations of power and authority and of domination, contestation, cooperation, and accommodation that shape the functioning of the education system as an institutional field. By the societal embeddedness, we refer to the system’s interdependent relation with its broader social and institutional environment. Understanding these elements of Vietnam’s education system is of vital importance for efforts to improve education systems’ performance in Vietnam and beyond.
Comparison of two methods for the design of active suspension systems

The design of controllers for active suspension systems can be formulated as an optimal control problem. The main objective of the controller is to isolate parts of the system from vibrations in other parts. Additional constraints are limited suspension travel, limited actuator force and good track-holding capability. The objective and the constraints can be used in the formulation of an optimality criterion. Two criteria are examined, with the corresponding LQ and H∞ control design methods. The methods are compared with respect to their ability to generate a controller that achieves the best performance. For the LQ method three controllers with different structures were generated. To illustrate the use of the design methods, controllers have been designed for a simple but typical suspension system. For this system the controllers based on a quadratic norm perform comparably but the controllers based on output feedback are less robust. The H∞ controller did not perform well for this problem when the same weighting functions were used to generate the controller as for the LQ method. Use of the H∞ design method therefore requires careful tuning of the weighting functions. Use of the standard functions is inappropriate.
Ferula communis Root Extract: In Vitro Evaluation of the Potential Additive Effect with Chemotherapy Tamoxifen in Breast Cancer (MCF-7) Cells Part II

Ferula L. , belonging to the Apiaceae family, is represented by about 170 species predominantly present in areas with a mild–warm–arid climate, including the Mediterranean region, North Africa and Central Asia. Numerous beneficial activities have been reported for this plant in traditional medicine, including antidiabetic, antimicrobial, antiproliferative, anti-dysentery, stomachache with diarrhea and cramps remedies. FER-E was obtained from the plant F. communis, and precisely from the root, collected in Sardinia, Italy. A total of 25 g of root was mixed with 125 g of acetone (ratio 1:5, room temperature). The solution was filtered, and the liquid fraction was subjected to high pressure liquid chromatographic separation (HPLC). In particular, 10 mg of dry root extract powder, from F. communis, was dissolved in 10.0 mL of methanol, filtered with a 0.2 µm PTFE filter and subjected to HPLC analysis. The net dry powder yield obtained was 2.2 g. In addition, to reduce the toxicity of FER-E, the component ferulenol was removed. High concentrations of FER-E have demonstrated a toxic effect against breast cancer, with a mechanism independent of the oxidative potential, which is absent in this extract. In fact, some in vitro tests were used and showed little or no oxidizing activity by the extract. In addition, we appreciated less damage on the respective healthy cell lines (breast), assuming that this extract could be used for its potential role against uncontrolled cancer growth. The results of this research have also shown that F. communis extract could be used together with tamoxifen, increasing its effectiveness, and reducing side effects. However, further confirmatory experiments should be carried out.
Walls in Nematics

Abstract At the Freedericks transition of a nematic slab, the molecules can rotate by two different ways, giving rise to adjacent domains separated by a wall. We present observations on the structure and dynamics of these walls at magnetic fields above the transition. The local distortion through the wall agrees with theoretical prediction. The ellipticity of a wall surrounding a closed domain allows to determine some elastic constant ratios. If the magnetic field is decreased to the Freedericks critical field, the thickness and the velocity of the walls are observed to diverge respectively as (H - Hc )−1/2 and (H - Hc )−1. From the velocity of the walls we can deduce the twist viscosity γ1 in planar geometry, and a renormalized viscosity γ including backflow corrections in homeotropic geometry.
Faster R-CNN based parathyroid detection by using an automated annotation algorithm with a paired color and near-infrared imaging

During thyroid surgery, parathyroid glands may be accidentally extracted due to their similar shapes and colors to the surrounding tissues (lymph nodes, fat, and thyroid tissue). In order to avoid damaging or resecting vulnerable glands, we aim to assist surgeons to better identify the parathyroids with real-time bounding boxes on a screen available in operating rooms. Parathyroids are auto fluorescent when excited with near infrared (NIR) light; therefore, videos recorded simultaneously in NIR, and RGB color formats can be used to train a deep learning model for robust object detection and localization without the need for expert annotation. The use of NIR images facilitates the generation of the ground truth dataset. We collected 16 patients' videos during total thyroidectomy. The videos were initially decomposed into a series of images taken at every 10 frames. From this, an intensity threshold was applied on the NIR images creating newer images where the parathyroid can be easily selected. Using these images, ground truth bounding boxes were generated. Our ground truth database size was over 600 images, of which 540 images contained parathyroid glands and 66 did not. We ran Faster R-CNN twice, initially to perform localization using the images with parathyroids only. The second method was to perform classification using the entire dataset. For the first method, we achieved an average intersection over union of 85% and for second, we obtained a precision of 98% and a recall of 100%. Given the limited dataset we are very excited with these results.
The Impact of Motor-Cognitive Dual-Task Training on Physical and Cognitive Functions in Parkinson’s Disease

Rehabilitation is a high-potential approach to improving physical and cognitive functions in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Dual-task training innovatively combines motor and cognitive rehabilitation in a comprehensive module. Patients perform motor and cognitive tasks at the same time in dual-task training. The previous studies of dual-task training in PD had high heterogeneity and achieved controversial results. In the current review, we aim to summarize the current evidence of the effect of dual-task training on motor and cognitive functions in PD patients to support the clinical practice of dual-task training. In addition, we also discuss the current opinions regarding the mechanism underlying the interaction between motor and cognitive training. In conclusion, dual-task training is suitable for PD patients with varied disease duration to improve their motor function. Dual-task training can improve motor symptoms, single-task gait speed, single-task steep length, balance, and objective experience of freezing of gait in PD. The improvement in cognitive function after dual-task training is mild.
Ensemble load pattern clustering method based on deep representation features

With the development of smart meters, a large number of high-dimensional load data become available, which also brings great challenges to load pattern clustering (LPC). Although current studies have been devoted to extracting features from high-dimensional load data to achieve dimensionality reduction, they focus on the manually extracted features, which may not be able to effectively model the nonlinearity of load data. In this paper, a fused load pattern recognition method based on deep representation feature extraction is proposed to solve this problem. Specifically, two unsupervised deep representation feature extraction models are conducted to extract the characteristics of customers' electricity consumption behaviour from different views, which are convolutional neural network based autoencoder (CNN-AE) and long short-term memory based autoencoder (LSTM-AE) respectively. Then, the fusion feature selection (FFS) method is proposed to construct a set of effective feature subspaces. Finally, the ensemble clustering based on co-association (CA) is carried out to obtain the clustering results. Experimental results show that the proposed method can effectively improve the clustering performance of load profiling.
ROSAT Observations of two Southern Supernova Remnants

The supernova remnants G327.1 –1.1 and G327.4 + 0.4 (Kes 27) are located 1. °5 apart in the constellation Norma. In 1980, Einstein IPC observations discovered that both were irregular filled-center X-ray sources with possible point sources superposed. This paper describes new ROSAT PSPC observations which both map the diffuse structure and clearly show several unresolved sources in each field. Both remnants have bright emitting regions inside the limb which might indicate the presence of high-energy electrons accelerated by a pulsar. The interior region is more prominent in G327.1-1.1 than in Kes 27. The spectra are relatively strongly absorbed, as expected from distant remnants close to the Galactic plane. Comparison of the X-ray and radio maps of each remnant allows us to attribute some emission to a shell and some to the interior. With this information, a blast-wave model is used to derive approximate ages and energy release. Indications are that the Kes 27 supernova deposited ~1051 ergs in the surrounding medium. The G327.1-1.1 event probably deposited a factor of 3-10 less.
Parameters of variation between verb–subject and subject–verb order in late Middle English

This article sets out to clarify the contribution of syntactic properties and subject weight for variation between verb–subject and subject–verb order in a database of fourteenth- and fifteenth-century prose. It sets out the syntactic structures which are assumed, and investigates the impact on ordering of a set of factors, using established quantitative methodologies. A series of conclusions includes the continuing distinct status of initial then, the systematic importance of clause-final position, the different impacts of subject length in different contexts, and the presence of a definiteness effect for the late placement of a subject after a nonfinite unaccusative.
A compact high-speed pnCCD camera for optical and x-ray applications

We developed a camera with a 264 × 264 pixel pnCCD of 48 μm size (thickness 450 μm) for X-ray and optical applications. It has a high quantum efficiency and can be operated up to 400 / 1000 Hz (noise≈ 2:5 ē ENC / ≈4:0 ē ENC). High-speed astronomical observations can be performed with low light levels. Results of test measurements will be presented. The camera is well suitable for ground based preparation measurements for future X-ray missions. For X-ray single photons, the spatial position can be determined with significant sub-pixel resolution.
Does Mindfulness Mediate the Relation between Impulsiveness and Job Stressfulness Perception of Professional Drivers?

(1) Background: Professional driving is a stressful occupation that requires high levels of attention and decision-making, often leading to job stress. Impulsiveness, a personality trait characterized by a tendency to act without forethought, has been associated with negative outcomes such as anxiety, stress, and risky behaviors. Mindfulness has been proposed as a potential strategy for reducing job stress in various occupational settings. However, little is known about the relationship between these variables. This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of mindfulness in the relationship between impulsiveness and job stressfulness perception among professional drivers. (2) Methods: A total of 258 professional drivers from Poland, Lithuania, and Slovakia, have completed self-report questionnaires: Impulsiveness-Venturesomeness-Empathy; Subjective Assessment of Work; Five Facet Mindfulness. (3) Results: Results indicated a positive correlation between impulsiveness and job stressfulness perception, and a negative correlation with mindfulness. Mindfulness partially mediated the relationship between impulsiveness and job stressfulness perception. Additionally, variations were identified in the perceived work environment factors and mindfulness among drivers based on their country of origin. (4) Conclusions: The findings suggest that mindfulness could be a useful approach for reducing job stressfulness perception among professional drivers with high levels of impulsiveness. Given the implications of job stressfulness for professional drivers’ health and safety, developing mindfulness interventions tailored to their specific needs could be a promising direction for future research and intervention development.
Optimization Convolutional Neural Network for Automatic Skin Lesion Diagnosis Using a Genetic Algorithm

Examining and predicting skin cancer from skin lesion images is challenging due to the complexity of the images. Early detection and treatment of skin lesion disease can prevent mortality as it can be curable. Computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) provides a second opinion for dermatologists as they can classify the type of skin lesion with high accuracy due to their ability to show various clinical identification features locally and globally. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have significantly improved the performance of CAD systems for medical image segmentation and classifications. However, tuning CNNs are challenging since the search space of all possible hyperparameter configurations is substantially vast. In this paper, we adopt a genetic algorithm to automatically configure a CNN model for an accurate, reliable, and robust automated skin lesion classification for early skin lesion diagnosis. The optimized CNN model uses four public datasets to train and be able to detect abnormalities based on skin lesion features in different orientations. The model achieves the best scores for each of the DICE coefficients, precision measure, and F-score. These scores compare better than other existing methods. Considering the success of this optimized model, it could be a valuable method to implement in clinical settings.