Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sustainable Microfinance Institutions for Poverty Reduction: Malaysian Experience

The Microfinance industry has been identified as a developmental tool in the 21st century Worldwide to assist "unbankable" members of the society in poverty reduction. This has called for serious attention from market operators including investors and borrowers both local and international, policy-makers and the academia. Research has shown that Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in Asian countries are performing better than MFIs from Easter Europe, yet Malaysian Microfinance institutions are not big participants in this respect. This paper in the light of the above, examines the sustainability of MFIs in Malaysia. Analyzing the current trends and empirical researches on sustainable financing to the Microfinance industry, it discusses especially, the Morgan Stanley arranged transaction for MFIs, a way of integrating MFIs into the mainstream capital market. Then it examines the source of financing in Malaysian MFIs using secondary data documentation from journals and articles. It was observed that Malaysian MFIs are not self sufficient. They depend heavily on government grants, donors, local financing and savings from members. Albeit, it was observed that cases of hard-core poor and incidence of poverty decreased as at 2004. It concludes with recommendations for the policy-makers and players in this industry in Malaysia that could assist them in positioning the country as an international Hub for Microfinance Industry.
The effect of material choice on biofilm formation in a model warm water distribution system

Water distribution systems (WDS) are composed of a variety of materials and may harbour potential pathogens within surface-attached microbial biofilms. Biofilm formation on four plumbing materials, viz. copper, stainless steel 316 (SS316), ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) and cross-linked polyethylene (PEX), was investigated using scanning electron microscope (SEM)/confocal microscopy, ATP-/culture-based analysis, and molecular analysis. Material ‘inserts’ were incorporated into a mains water fed, model WDS. All materials supported biofilm growth to various degrees. After 84 days, copper and SS316 showed no significant overall differences in terms of the level of biofilm formation observed, whilst PEX supported a significantly higher level ofbiofilm. EPDM exhibited gross contamination by a complex, multispecies biofilm, at a level significantly higherthan was observed on the other materials, regardless of the analytical method used. PCR-DGGE analysis showed clear differences in the composition of the biofilm community on all materials after 84 days. The primary conclusion of this study has been to identify EPDM as a potentially unsuitable material for use as a major component in WDS.
Motivation Research on Technological Innovation

The devolopment of any economic activity occurs in the requirement of some certain motives,which allows no exception among the realm of enterprises' technological innovation.This paper,sets forth from the following three perspectives which include dynamic mechanism of technological innovation,the motivation of technological innovation and dynamic system of technological innovation,gives a comprehensive generalization and summarization of the present situation of the technological innovation dynamics from both home and abroad.And on that basis,it puts forward some future key points and breaking points in that field.
Determinants of drug-resistant tuberculosis: analysis of 11 countries.

SETTING Eleven countries/territories. OBJECTIVES Global information on the determinants of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) based on representative data is not available. We therefore studied the relationship between demographic characteristics, prior TB treatment, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection with anti-tuberculosis drug resistance. METHODS Population-based representative data on new and previously treated patients with TB collected within an international drug resistance surveillance network. RESULTS Of 9,615 patients, 8,222 (85.5%) were new cases of TB and 1,393 (14.5%) were previously treated cases. Compared with new cases, previously treated cases were significantly more likely to have resistance to one (OR = 2.5,95% CI 2.1-3.0; P < 0.001), two (OR = 4.6, 95%CI 3.7-5.6; P < 0.001), three (OR = 11.5, 95%CI 8.6-15.3; P < 0.001), and four (OR = 18.5, 95% CI 12.0-28.5; P < 0.001) drugs. An approximately linear increase in the likelihood of having multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) was observed as the total time (measured in months) of prior anti-tuberculosis treatment increased (P < 0.001, chi2 for trend). In multivariate analysis, prior TB treatment for 6-11 months (OR = 7.6, 95% CI 2.6, 22.4; P < 0.001) and > or = 12 months (OR 13.7, 95% CI 4.5-41.6; P < 0.001), but not HIV positivity, was associated with MDR-TB. CONCLUSION This study shows that prior but ineffective treatment is a strong predictor of drug resistance, and that HIV is not an independent risk factor for MDR-TB. The association between length of treatment and drug resistance may reflect longer treatment as a result of treatment failure in patients with drug resistance; it may also reflect irregular prior treatment for TB, leading to drug resistance.
Driver Rehabilitation Programs: Defining Program Models, Services, and Expertise

ABSTRACT This paper highlights the critical need for a diverse span of services targeted at older drivers that is clear and understandable to health care professionals, service providers, and consumers. The paper describes how a panel of expert driver rehabilitation specialists and researchers on older drivers affirmed consensus statements addressing the need for clarification of terms and services. It also presents a new document that describes a spectrum of driver services from education to specific driver rehabilitation services. The document will provide consumers, referral sources, payers, and stakeholders invested in older drivers’ services, with the information to refer the right people to the right service at the right time.
Social context and perspectives of non-medical prescription opioid use among young adults in Rhode Island: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES This pilot study examined the context of nonmedical prescription opioid (NMPO) use and related risk behaviors among young adults in Rhode Island, a New England region with markedly high prevalence of NMPO use and overdose mortality. METHODS We conducted semi-structured interviews (n = 13) with young adults (18-29 year-olds) who reported current or recent NMPO use. We also conducted focus groups (two groups, n = 14 total) with professional service providers recruited from service organizations. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed, and key themes were analyzed. RESULTS Participants discussed high levels of access to prescription opioids for nonmedical use via prescriptions originally provided to family and friends. The contexts described by participants included social environments such as parties, in which mixing opiates with benzodiazepines, alcohol or other types of drugs, and incidents of unintentional overdose were reported. Participants attributed risk for overdose to individual-level factors (eg, users who "couldn't handle it"), rather than contextual factors, and described negative reactions to being labeled as an "addict" or "addicted. " Professional service providers had first-hand experience with young adults in treatment settings, yet limited exposure to young adults who were treatment-naïve. CONCLUSIONS Young adult NMPO users described social settings where polysubstance use and pill use were common, and highlighted an aversion to being labeled as having a substance use disorder. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE To reduce harms of NMPO use among young adults, interventions should address the social context in which drug use and risk behaviors occur. (Am J Addict 2016;25:659-665).
A Semantic Relevance Based Neural Network for Text Summarization and Text Simplification

Text summarization and text simplification are two major ways to simplify the text for poor readers, including children, non-native speakers, and the functionally illiterate. Text summarization is to produce a brief summary of the main ideas of the text, while text simplification aims to reduce the linguistic complexity of the text and retain the original meaning. Recently, most approaches for text summarization and text simplification are based on the sequence-to-sequence model, which achieves much success in many text generation tasks. However, although the generated simplified texts are similar to source texts literally, they have low semantic relevance. In this work, our goal is to improve semantic relevance between source texts and simplified texts for text summarization and text simplification. We introduce a Semantic Relevance Based neural model to encourage high semantic similarity between texts and summaries. In our model, the source text is represented by a gated attention encoder, while the summary representation is produced by a decoder. Besides, the similarity score between the representations is maximized during training. Our experiments show that the proposed model outperforms the state-of-the-art systems on two benchmark corpus.
PEDIATRIC ANKLE FRACTURES

The purpose of this review is to examine the current literature on pediatric ankle fractures. I will discuss the anatomic considerations of a pediatric patient, how to evaluate and manage these fractures, and when to surgically repair them. Surgical techniques and complications will be briefl y reviewed. Ankle fractures are the third most common fractures in children, after the fi nger and distal radial physeal fracture. Approximately 20-30% of all pediatric fractures are ankle fractures. Most ankle fractures occur at 8-15 years old. The peak injury age is 11-12 years, and is relatively uncommon under the age 5. This injury is more common in boys. The most common cause of pediatric ankle fractures is a rotational force, and is often seen in sports injuries associated with sudden changes in direction (1).
The Effectiveness of Different Trading Strategies for Price-Takers

Simulation models of the stock exchange are developed to explore the dependence between a trader’s ability to predict future price movements and her wealth and probability of bankruptcy, to analyze the consequences of margin trading with different leverage rates and to compare different investment strategies for small traders. We show that in the absence of margin trading the rate of successful predictions should be slightly higher than 50% to guarantee with high probability that the final wealth is greater than the initial and to assure very little probability of bankruptcy, and such a small value explains why so many people try to trade on the stock exchange. However if trader uses margin trading, this rate should be much higher and high rate leads to the risk of excessive losses.
SIRT1 controls circadian clock circuitry and promotes cell survival: a connection with age‐related neoplasms

Aging is believed to be a primary risk factor for cancer. Interestingly, the sirtuin family of class III histone deacetylases (HDACs) has been implicated in the regulation of longevity and may be a lost link between aging and cancer. SIRT1, a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)‐dependent sirtuin, has been shown to promote cell survival by inhibiting apoptosis or cellular senescence in mammalian cells. Recent studies have provided a link between the cellular metabolic function of SIRT1 and the circadian rhythm (controlled by a clock machinery), which, if deregulated, may lead to an increased risk for some cancers. Interestingly, the loss of the pineal hormone melatonin, a known regulator of circadian rhythm, has been shown to cause deregulation in the circadian rhythm machinery and an increase in susceptibility to cancer. On the basis of scientific evidence, we propose a hypothesis that SIRT1 inhibition will impart an anti‐proliferative response in age‐related cancers via resynchronization of deregulated core clock circuitry at the cellular level. If this hypothesis is found valid, it may ultimately lead to the development of novel approaches toward management of age‐related malignancies and possibly other diseases. —Jung‐Hynes, B. , Ahmad, N. SIRT1 controls circadian clock circuitry and promotes cell survival: a connection with age‐related neoplasms. FASEB J. 23, 2803–2809 (2009). www.fasebj. org
Equity Price-Volume Relationship On The Russian Stock Exchange

This paper analyses the stock price? volume relationship of individual equities in the Russian Stock Exchange. Using a vector auto-regression analysis on weekly data, we present a strong evidence of bi-directional relationship between volume and price change. This finding confirms the evidence reported by studies on many developed markets. However, the weak support for the positive price-volume relationship may imply that the differences in institutions and information flows in the Russian Stock Exchange might be important enough to affect the valuation process of their securities. Consequently, investors who based their investment strategies on momentum, have to adjust their strategies when trading on Russian Stock Markets.
How reliable is the monitoring of permanent vegetation plots? A test with multiple observers

Abstract Questions: A multiple plot design was developed for permanent vegetation plots. How reliable are the different methods used in this design and which changes can we measure ? Location: Alpine meadows (2430 m a.s.l.) in the Swiss Alps. Methods: Four inventories were obtained from 40 m2 plots: four subplots (0.4 m2) with a list of species, two 10m transects with the point method (50 points on each), one subplot (4m2) with a list of species and visual cover estimates as a percentage and the complete plot (40 m2) with a list of species and visual estimates in classes. This design was tested by five to seven experienced botanists in three plots. Results: Whatever the sampling size, only 45–63% of the species were seen by all the observers. However, the majority of the overlooked species had cover < 0.1%. Pairs of observers overlooked 10–20% less species than single observers. The point method was the best method for cover estimate, but it took much longer than visual cover estimates, and 100 points allowed for the monitoring of only a very limited number of species. The visual estimate as a percentage was more precise than classes. Working in pairs did not improve the estimates, but one botanist repeating the survey is more reliable than a succession of different observers. Conclusion: Lists of species are insufficient for monitoring. It is necessary to add cover estimates to allow for subsequent interpretations in spite of the overlooked species. The choice of the method depends on the available resources: the point method is time consuming but gives precise data for a limited number of species, while visual estimates are quick but allow for recording only large changes in cover. Constant pairs of observers improve the reliability of the records. Nomenclature: Aeschimann et al. (1996).
Mitochondrial adaptations to high‐volume exercise training are rapidly reversed after a reduction in training volume in human skeletal muscle

Increased mitochondrial content and respiration have both been reported after exercise training. However, no study has directly compared how different training volumes influence mitochondrial respiration and markers of mitochondrial biogenesis. Ten healthy men performed high‐intensity interval cycling during 3 consecutive training phases; 4 wk of normal‐volume training (NVT; 3/wk), followed by 20 d of high‐volume training (HVT; 2/d) and 2 wk of reduced‐volume training (RVT; 5 sessions). Resting biopsy samples (vastus lateralis) were obtained at baseline and after each phase. No mitochondrial parameter changed after NVT. After HVT, mitochondrial respiration and citrate synthase activity (~40–50%), as well as the protein content of electron transport system (ETS) subunits (~10–40%), and that of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor γ coactivator‐1a (PGC‐1a), NRF1, mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM), PHF20, and p53 (~65–170%) all increased compared to baseline; mitochondrial specific respiration remained unchanged. After RVT, all the mitochondrial parameters measured except citrate synthase activity (~36% above initial) were not significantly different compared to baseline (all P >0.05). Our findings demonstrate that training volume is an important determinant of training‐induced mitochondrial adaptations and highlight the rapid reversibility of human skeletal muscle to a reduction in training volume. —Granata, C. , Oliveira, R. S. F. , Little, J. P., Renner, K. , Bishop, D. J. Mitochondrial adaptations to high‐volume exercise training are rapidly reversed after a reduction in training volume in human skeletal muscle. FASEB J. 30, 3413–3423 (2016). www.fasebj. org
Packaging logistics in supply chain practice – current state, trade-offs and improvement potential

ABSTRACT Packaging affects the logistical and environmental efficiency of supply chains. The purpose is to increase knowledge of the current state, trade-offs and improvement potential of packaging logistics in supply chain practice. The research is based on 22 cases, each of which consists of supply chain mapping and structured interviews with three supply chain actors (manufacturer, distributor and retailer). The paper identifies and explains improvement areas, trade-offs and gaps in packaging systems from a supply chain perspective for the whole packaging system, each packaging level and each actor. The results highlight a supply chain potential of better incorporating the packaging system requirements from actors not responsible for developing or selecting packaging. The paper discusses models for cost and benefit sharing and for identification and decision-making about trade-offs in packaging systems. Companies should collaborate, apply an integrated approach and find new approaches to integrate customers and suppliers into the packaging development process.
Decreased heart rate variability is associated with increased transcranial Doppler velocities in children with sickle cell disease.

OBJECTIVE To explore the relationship between 24-hour blood pressure (BP) variability, heart rate (HR) variability, and transcranial Doppler velocity (TCDV) in a cohort of pediatric sickle cell disease (SCD) patients. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This is a retrospective study of 11 children aged 8-18 years with SCD who previously underwent 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring and TCDV measurements. INTERVENTIONS Medical records were reviewed for TCDV and 24-hour ABP data. TCDV in the right and left middle cerebral artery were examined, and the highest velocity was recorded. HR and BP standard deviations were used as markers of variability. The relationships between daytime, nighttime, and 24-hour blood pressures and heart rate variability were determined. RESULTS Mean age, body mass index and hemoglobin levels were 11.2 ± 3.0 years, 18.7 ± 3.4 kg/m2, and 9.1 ± 1.7 g/dL, respectively. Median transcranial Doppler velocity was 136cm/s (125-142). Decreased day, night, and 24-hour heart rate variability were significantly associated with increased transcranial Doppler velocity (R = -.69, P = .02; R = -.82 P =.002; R = -.66, P = .03, respectively). BP variability did not correlate with TCDV. Nighttime BP indexes were higher than daytime. CONCLUSIONS In this small cohort, decreased heart rate variability assessed by the standard deviation of HR was associated with increased transcranial Doppler velocities in children with SCD. No correlation between measurements of BP variability and TCDV was found. Our study provides new information on heart rate and blood pressure variability and TCDV; a surrogate marker of stroke risk in sickle cell disease. Larger multicenter studies are needed to confirm our findings.
Early Role of CD4+ Th1 Cells and Antibodies in HER-2 Adenovirus Vaccine Protection against Autochthonous Mammary Carcinomas

HER-2 is an oncogenic tumor-associated Ag that is overexpressed in several human tumors including breast and ovarian cancer. The efficacy and mechanism of a HER-2-expressing recombinant adenoviral vaccine to protect against tumorigenesis was examined using HER-2 transgenic (BALB-neuT) mice, which develop spontaneous breast tumors in all 10 mammary glands, and also using a transplantable mouse tumor model. Vaccination beginning at 6–8 wk of age (through 19 wk of age) prevented development of spontaneous mammary tumors even after 50 wk, whereas the animals in the control groups had tumors in all mammary glands by 25 wk. Such long-term protection after the last boost has not been achieved previously in this transgenic mouse in which the oncogene is continuously spawning tumorigenesis. Using β2-microglobulin-knockout, IFN-γ-knockout, and B cell-deficient mice, CD4+ and CD8+ cell depletion, and Ab transfer studies, we show that induction of anti-HER-2/neu Abs are both necessary and sufficient for protection, and the IgG2a isotype is most effective. In contrast, CD8+ T cells are not necessary at all, and CD4+ T cells are necessary for only 36–48 h after immunization to provide help for B cells but not as effector cells. Equal protection in immunized mice deficient in FcγRI/III excluded an FcR-mediated mechanism. Anti-HER-2 serum not only inhibited growth of mammary tumor cell lines expressing HER-2 in vitro but also protected mice from tumors in vivo, suggesting a direct action of Ab on the tumor cells. Such a vaccine may provide Ab-mediated protection against HER-2-expressing breast cancers in humans.
Effect of Hailey-Hailey Disease Mutations on the Function of a New Variant of Human Secretory Pathway Ca2+/Mn2+-ATPase (hSPCA1)*

ATP2C1, encoding the human secretory pathway Ca2+/Mn2+ ATPase (hSPCA1), was recently identified as the defective gene in Hailey-Hailey Disease (HHD), an autosomal dominant skin disorder characterized by persistent blisters and erosions. To investigate the underlying cause of HHD, we have analyzed the changes in expression level and function of hSPCA1 caused by mutations found in HHD patients. Mutations were introduced into hSPCA1d, a novel splice variant expressed in keratinocytes, described here for the first time. Encoded by the full-length of optional exons 27 and 28, hSPCA1d was longer than previously identified splice variants. The protein competitively transported Ca2+ and Mn2+ with equally high affinity into the Golgi of COS-1 cells. Ca2+- and Mn2+-dependent phosphoenzyme intermediate formation in forward (ATP-fuelled) and reverse (Pi-fuelled) directions was also demonstrated. HHD mutant proteins L341P, C344Y, C411R, T570I, and G789R showed low levels of expression, despite normal levels of mRNA and correct targeting to the Golgi, suggesting instability or abnormal folding of the mutated hSPCA1 polypeptides. P201L had little effect on the enzymatic cycle, whereas I580V caused a block in the E1∼P → E2-P conformational transition. D742Y and G309C were devoid of Ca2+- and Mn2+-dependent phosphoenzyme formation from ATP. The capacity to phosphorylate from Pi was retained in these mutants but with a loss of sensitivity to both Ca2+ and Mn2+ in D742Y and a preferential loss of sensitivity to Mn2+ in G309C. These results highlight the crucial role played by Asp-742 in the architecture of the hSPCA1 ion-binding site and reveal a role for Gly-309 in Mn2+ transport selectivity.
Policy of extended producer responsibility (case study)

The concept of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a policy principle to promote environmental improvement of products and manufacturing systems. Approach to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in various Asian and European countries to increase public awareness and concern about the government’s environmental impact of products and production processes, encourage sustainable design, as well as end-use products that focus on the improvement of environmental performance of products and manufacturing systems product.