Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Informal Finance for Private Sector Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

What can be done to make informal finance and microfinance suitable for financing growing small to medium size enterprises (SMEs) in Sub-Saharan Africa? First, I present the characteristics of informal finance, focusing on size, structure, and scope of activities. Informal finance has not been very attractive for the private sector. Indeed, the informal sector has considerable experience and knowledge about dealing with small borrowers, but there are significant limitations to what it can lend to growing microbusinesses. Second, I discuss some recent trends in microfinance. While externally driven microfinance projects have surfaced in Africa, their performance relative to small business finance has not been as positive as in Asia and Latin America. Third, I introduce some possible steps toward a new reform agenda that will make informal and microfinance relevant to private sector development, including focusing on links among formal, semi-formal and informal finance and how these links can be developed.
The Ilioinguinal Approach versus the Anterior Intrapelvic Approach to the Acetabulum: A Review

Abstract The ilioinguinal approach (IIA) to the acetabulum has been used as a golden standard for fifty years to treat “anterior” acetabular fractures. Since its introduction by Hirvensalo and Cole, the anterior intrapelvic approach (AIPA) has been adopted by some surgeons, whilst others remain devoted to the IIA. IIA is routinely used in the Republic of Macedonia. The aim of this study is to present a review of literature for two different anterior approaches for the treatment of acetabular fractures used in modern day surgery, focussing on AIPA and its priorities and comparing it to IIA. We performed a search, mainly electronically, and retrospective analysis of existing literature. We have identified and selected two representative and well-systematized papers for IIA, and six for AIPA. We presented the advantages and disadvantages, priorities and weaknesses of both approaches separately, comparing complications, risks and results. Based on the facts presented regarding the advantages of AIPA with a focus on visualization, accessibility and biomechanical justification, the approach should be implemented in our everyday practice and we are comfortable in stating this preference, especially due to the fact that upon comparison of the complication rate there is no significant difference between the two approaches.
Generalized immune activation in pulmonary tuberculosis: co‐activation with HIV infection

Parameters of immune activation/differentiation were studied in a group of newly diagnosed HIV− and HIV+ pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients. Compared with controls, HLA‐DR expression on both CD4 and CD8 T cells from the HIV− TB patients was approximately doubled; HLA‐DR on T cells from the HIV+ group was tripled. The monocytes from both groups of patients expressed abnormally high levels of the Fcγ receptors I and III. Serum levels of tumour necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α), neopterin and β2‐microglobulin were increased in HIV− and even more so in HIV+ TB patients. The expression of HLA‐DR on T cell subsets and of FcγR on monocytes correlated with each other, but not with serum activation markers. This pattern of non‐specific activation during TB infection may be associated with enhanced susceptibility to HIV infection.
Corporate-NGO partnerships in CSR activities: why and how?

This article describes, analyzes, and explains the emergence of partnerships between corporations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the ways in which corporations use such relationships as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. Economics concepts and the management literature are reviewed, and illustrations are provided to describe such alliances and to explain their expansion. The findings show that firms engage in CSR for altruistic, defensive, and strategic reasons. The role of NGOs in these activities, as well as the related risks for both types of partners, is also explained and studied. NGOs are identified to have fundraising, stakeholder, and strategic functions in corporate-NGO partnerships. The findings also show that the main risks for NGOs, namely, a loss of credibility and legitimacy and their consequences, are related to the financial and existential dependency created by corporate-NGO partnerships.
Credit Default Swaps and Equity Prices: The Itraxx CDS Index Market

In this paper we provide some early evidence of a link between the iTraxx credit default swap (CDS) index market and the stock market. To our knowledge this is the first paper studying this relationship. Knowledge about the link between stock prices, stock return volatilities and CDS spreads is important not only for risk managers using credit default swaps for hedging purposes, but also to anyone trying to profit from arbitrage possibilities in the CDS market. For a sample of European sectoral iTraxx CDS indexes, a correlation study reveals a tendency for iTraxx CDS spreads to narrow when stock prices rise and vice versa. Furthermore, there is some evidence of firm-specific information being embedded into stock prices before it is embedded into CDS spreads. Stock price volatility is also found to be significantly correlated with CDS spreads and the spreads are found to increase (decrease) with increasing (decreasing) stock price volatilities. Finally, we find significant positive autocorrelation in the iTraxx market.
Information and Communication Technologies in Support of the Tourism Industry

Tourism is one of the leading industries worldwide. The magnitude of growth in tourism will bring both opportunities and problems to source and destination markets in years to come, especially in the internal and external exchange of information in the industry. Information and Communication Technologies in Support of the Tourism Industry examines the process of transformation as it relates to the tourism industry, and the changes to that industry from modern electronic communications. Information and Communication Technologies in Support of the Tourism Industry covers not only geographically supportive technologies in communication, but also in terms of culture, economics, marketing, social, and regional issues. In-depth analyses range from the use of the Internet to supply information to the emerging patterns of tourist decision making and investments.
Portfolio Construction, Management, and Protection

Learn the details of traditional investment as well as portfolio theory with the straightforward, manageable approach found in Strong's successful PORTFOLIO CONSTRUCTION, MANAGEMENT, AND PROTECTION, 5E. You'll learn how to save time and money as this applications-oriented book guides you from theory to practice. You'll see the small and large investor in action as unique topics introduce you to fiduciary duty, investment policy, and other subjects not found in other texts. References throughout the book to material covered in the CFA exam and questions drawn from the CFA exam help you prepare for testing and professional success.
Targeted deep sequencing of CD34+ cells from peripheral blood can reproduce bone marrow molecular profile in myelodysplastic syndromes

of related donors for bone marrow transplantation in sickle cell anemia. Am J Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 1994;16:27–29. [5] Sorror ML, Maris MB, Storb R, et al. Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT)-specific comorbidity index: a new tool for risk assessment before allogeneic HCT. Blood. 2005;106(8):2912–2919. [6] Walters MC, De Castro LM, Sullivan KM, et al. Indications and results of HLA-identical sibling hematopoietic cell transplantation for sickle cell disease. Biol. Blood Marrow Transplant. 2016;22:207–211.
Does Job Matching Explain Job Satisfaction? Evidence for UK Graduates

This paper builds on recent work describing relative job satisfaction. Using an ordered probit estimation technique we examine the job satisfaction of recent UK graduates. We focus primarily on explaining job satisfaction in terms of individual matching to jobs, with the match depending on reservation returns, information sets and job offer rates. In addition, we stylise graduates as a peer group who form satisfaction levels based on their rankings relative to each other. We then examine whether or not education quality which raises peer group status and increases the job offer rate is systematically related to job satisfaction.
Degradation of nitroaromatic compounds: a model to study evolution of metabolic pathways

Although many nitroaromatic compounds have been in nature for only a few decades, bacteria have already evolved the ability to metabolize them. Both horizontal transfer of genes and mutagenesis induced under stressful conditions might facilitate evolution of new catabolic pathways. Nitrotoluene degradation pathways are supposedly derived from an ancestral naphthalene degradation pathway. The 2‐nitrotoluene degradation genes in Acidovorax sp. strain JS42 are controlled by the transcriptional activator NtdR, which differs from NagR, the activator of the naphthalene degradation operon in Ralstonia sp. strain U2, by only five amino acids. Both regulators respond to salicylate, an intermediate of naphthalene degradation, but NtdR also recognizes a wide range of nitroaromatic compounds. In this issue of Molecular Microbiology, Ju et al. present results of site‐directed mutagenesis of NtdR and NagR and show how the nitrotoluene‐responsive regulator NtdR can be generated from a NagR‐like ancestor by only a few mutations. The reconstructed hypothetical pathway for the evolution of NtdR from NagR demonstrates stepwise broadening of the effector range of the evolving protein without loss of the original activity. These results provide strong evidence for the idea that promiscuity of proteins is an important step in the evolution of new functions.
A multicentre, randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, 1‐year study of bupropion SR for smoking cessation

Abstract. Tønnesen P, Tonstad S, Hjalmarson A, Lebargy F, van Spiegel PI, Hider A, Sweet R, Townsend J (Gentofte University Hospital, Gentofte, Denmark; Clinic for Preventive Medicine, Ullevål University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Smoking Cessation Clinic, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden; Hospital Maison Blanche, Reims Cedex, France; Slotervaart Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; and GlaxoSmithKline Research and Development, Greenford, Middlesex, UK). A multicentre, randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, 1‐year study of bupropion SR for smoking cessation. J Intern Med 2003; 254: 184–192.
Effectiveness of an intergrated m-health platform for malaria control : case study of Bindura, Zimbabwe

Many countries signed to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which need to be achieved by 2015.The MDGs touch on health among other things and it has been noted that developing countries, including Zimbabwe, are lagging behind in their efforts to reach these goals by 2015 with several challenges being noted as undermining efforts to reach the goals. Several countries, in almost all continents are implementing m-health to help complement traditional efforts in many sectors of health delivery. This research was made to assess the effectiveness of an internet enabled mobile phone as a data collection and reporting tool in the fight against malaria. The research was carried out on twenty health workers in and around Bindura , in Mashonaland Central. Health workers collected data on malaria cases and sent them on a password protected website using smart phones which they used to send details on every case that they received and also received messages and could also send messages via the platform. The mobile website was also tested for response time, availability and speed among other factors and together with the users responses it was concluded that a smart phone is a very powerful tool that can be used to improve malaria control in the data collection and monitoring. The author had several recommendations from the lessons learnt during the research which if implemented, will help in the realisation of the full potential of the mobile phone as a reporting tool.
Andrographis paniculata: A Review of its Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology

Objective: Plants have been effectively used in traditional medicines for centuries. The present review aims at compiling vast pharmacological applications to comprehend and synthesize the potential image of Andrographis paniculata as a multipurpose medicinal agent. Key findings: The aerial part of the plant contains a large number of chemical constituents, mainly lactones, diterpenoids, diterpene glycosides, flavonoids and flavonoid glycosides. It has multiple pharmacological properties such as antibacterial, hepatoprotective activity, anti-cancer, antitumor, hypoglycemic, immunomodulatory and hypotensive activities. Conclusions: The plant is widely cultivated and its importance as a medicinal plant is growing up with stronger reports in support of its multifarious therapeutic uses. Taking great concern of the useful benefits of the plant, it can be advocated as a safe, highly important medicinal plant for mankind.
Magnetic properties and recording characteristics of Co-Cr-Ta-Mo perpendicular recording media

Some Co-Cr-Ta-Mo perpendicular magnetic recording disks with different Mo content (C/sub Mo/) ranging from 13 to 5.1 at. % were fabricated by ion beam sputtering prepared. Magnetic properties, crystal structure and recording characteristics of those media were investigated. The disks with (C/sub Mo/) of 0 to 35 at% exhibited almost the same output values, however the media noise was decreased with increasing (C/sub Mo/). The disks with (C/sub Mo/) of 35 at. % exhibited the highest S/N, of which value 3.2 dB higher S/N, than that of the disks without Mo at a wavelength of 0.34 /spl mu/m.
Los mecanismos léxico-sintácticos en el español de España: un estudio de casos

The relations between lexicon and semantics are still a linguistic field relatively unexplored in comparison with other fields, even though the researches in this sphere are usually limited to very specific elements, such as the metaphors or the phraseological semantics. In recent decades, it begins to emerge a special interest in the impact that the lexicon has in relation with the particular syntagm in which it forms part of. That is considering that every uttered word causes a certain interpretation in the receiver (in an involuntary and instantaneous way) and the success or failure during the communicative act depends, to a great extent, on it. This research has one principal aim which is to give an explanation to certain phenomena that are produced in the lexical-syntactic interface of the selected examples, based, for this, on the most important theories within this linguistic specialty.
Energy-efficient adaptive clocking dual edge sense-amplifier flip-flop

In this paper, we propose two novel dual edge-triggered flip-flops. One design eliminates redundant transitions of internal nodes when current data is the same as the previous one. This has the least power delay product compared to other dual edge-triggered flip-flops in all range of possible data switching activity and its delay is also the smallest. The other proposed flip-flop disables internal clocked transistors. When data switching activity is within 20%, it has the least power consumption
The Risk of Tuberculosis in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Treated with Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Antagonist: A Metaanalysis of Both Randomized Controlled Trials and Registry/Cohort Studies

Objective. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) antagonists have significantly improved treatment results in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but have also increased the risk of tuberculosis (TB). Etanercept (ETN), adalimumab (ADA), infliximab (IFX), golimumab, and certolizumab pegol are the 5 drugs currently available on the market. This article aimed to evaluate the risk of TB infection from these 5 drugs for patients with RA. Methods. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, COCHRANE library, OVID, and EBSCO for randomized controlled trials (RCT) of TNF-α antagonist versus control and registry/longitudinal cohort studies of 1 TNF-α antagonist versus another. The Mantel-Haenszel test was adopted to analyze risk ratio (RR) in this metaanalysis. Results. Fifty RCT and 13 non-RCT were included in this study. No significant difference in TB risk was found in the RCT because of the short observational periods. In the non-RCT, TNF-α antagonist was associated with a higher TB risk in patients with RA (RR 4.03, 95% CI 2.36–6.88), and the TB incidence rates of IFX and ADA were 2.78 and 3.88 times, respectively, higher than that of ETN. Further, preventive treatment for latent TB infection (LTBI) was shown to reduce the TB risk by 65% (RR 0.35, 95% CI 0.15–0.82). Conclusion. This study demonstrated a significant increase in TB risk in patients with RA treated with TNF-α antagonists; among them, ETN is least likely to cause active TB. The study also proposes the necessity of LTBI prophylaxis in patients with RA.
Growth, stoichiometry and cell size; temperature and nutrient responses in haptophytes

Temperature and nutrients are key factors affecting the growth, cell size, and physiology of marine phytoplankton. In the ocean, temperature and nutrient availability often co-vary because temperature drives vertical stratification, which further controls nutrient upwelling. This makes it difficult to disentangle the effects of temperature and nutrients on phytoplankton purely from observational studies. In this study, we carried out a factorial experiment crossing two temperatures (13°and 19°C) with two growth regimes (P-limited, semi-continuous batch cultures [“−P”] and nutrient replete batch cultures in turbidostat mode [“+P”]) for three species of common marine haptophytes (Emiliania huxleyi, Chrysochromulina rotalis and Prymnesium polylepis) to address the effects of temperature and nutrient limitation on elemental content and stoichiometry (C:N:P), total RNA, cell size, and growth rate. We found that the main gradient in elemental content and RNA largely was related to nutrient regime and the resulting differences in growth rate and degree of P-limitation, and observed reduced cell volume-specific content of P and RNA (but also N and C in most cases) and higher N:P and C:P in the slow growing −P cultures compared to the fast growing +P cultures. P-limited cells also tended to be larger than nutrient replete cells. Contrary to other recent studies, we found lower N:P and C:P ratios at high temperature. Overall, elemental content and RNA increased with temperature, especially in the nutrient replete cultures. Notably, however, temperature had a weaker–and in some cases a negative–effect on elemental content and RNA under P-limitation. This interaction indicates that the effect of temperature on cellular composition may differ between nutrient replete and nutrient limited conditions, where cellular uptake and storage of excess nutrients may overshadow changes in resource allocation among the non-storage fractions of biomass (e.g. P-rich ribosomes and N-rich proteins). Cell size decreased at high temperature, which is in accordance with general observations.
Further Insight into the Effectiveness of a Behavioral Teacher Program Targeting ADHD Symptoms Using Actigraphy, Classroom Observations and Peer Ratings

Objective: The Positivity and Rules program (PR program), a low-level behavioral teacher program targeting symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), has shown positive effects on teacher-rated ADHD symptoms and social functioning. This study aimed to assess whether program effects could be confirmed by instruments assessing classroom behavior other than teacher-ratings, given teachers’ involvement with the training. Methods: Participants were 114 primary school children (age = 6–13) displaying ADHD symptoms in the classroom, who were randomly assigned to the treatment (n = 58) or control group (n = 65). ADHD symptoms were measured using classroom observations and actigraphy, and peer acceptance was measured using peer ratings. Intention-to-treat multilevel analyses were conducted to assess program effects. Results: No beneficial program effects were found for any of the measures. Conclusion: The earlier beneficial program effects on both ADHD symptoms and social functioning reported by teachers, may be explained by a change in the perception of teachers rather than changes in the child’s behavior. Other methodological explanations are also discussed, such as differences between instruments in the sensitivity to program-related changes. The current study underlines the importance of using different measures of classroom behavior to study program effects. ClinicalTrials.gov registration number: NCT02518711
Rationale and Methodology for a Community-Based Study of Diabetic Retinopathy in an Indonesian Population with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: The Jogjakarta Eye Diabetic Study in the Community

ABSTRACT Purpose: There are no available data about diabetic retinopathy (DR) in the Indonesian population. This report summarizes the rationale and study design of the Jogjakarta Eye Diabetic Study in the Community (JOGED.COM), a community-based study to estimate the prevalence and risk factors of DR in persons with type 2 diabetes in Jogjakarta, Indonesia. Methods: The JOGED.COM aimed to examine a cross-sectional sample of 1200 persons with type 2 diabetes aged 30 years and older residing in the study area. We identified 121 community health centers (CHCs) in Jogjakarta and listed 35 CHCs with non-communicable diseases facilities. Multi-stage, clustered random sampling was used to select 22 CHCs randomly. We included CHCs with coverage population >30,000, and excluded those classified as 100% rural. Lists of persons with diabetes confirmed by their family physician were provided from each CHC. Examinations procedures included detailed interviews, general and eye examinations, anthropometry and body composition scan, and dilated fundus photography. Results: We collaborated with local health authorities, family physicians, and local health practitioners in the recruitment phase. A total of 1435 invitations were distributed, and 1184 people (82.5%) with type 2 diabetes participated in this study, of whom 1138 (79.3%) had completed data with gradable retinal images. Conclusions: JOGED.COM is the first epidemiologic study of DR in an Indonesian population. This study will provide key information about the prevalence and risk factors of DR in the community. These data are very important for future health promotion programs to reduce the burden of DR in the population.
DC current in nanosilica-based polyethylene nanocomposites

In the present paper, DC current of polyethylene nanocomposites containing different nanosilica loading ratios, either the untreated or the surface treated using the trimethoxy(propyl)silane coupling agent has been investigated. TGA was used to identify the true loading concentration in the samples and the nanofillers dispersion was studied using SEM. A range of electric field from 10 kV/mm to 50 kV/mm were applied It has been found that two dynamic processes are involved in the current observed over a period of 3 hours. The initial process was dominated by trap filling where a decreasing current versus time was observed. The second process was related to the transient space charge limited current in the unfilled sample but taken over by the effect of nanofillers that shows a continuous current increase versus time rather than peaking. The exact mechanism responsible for the increasing current is not known yet. The influence of surface treatment of the nanofillers on the current is significant, resulting in a lower current comparing with the untreated samples. A current dip has been observed for samples with lower loading concentration, supporting the deep trap concept.