Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
What Use Is Half a Wing in the Ecology and Evolution of Birds?

Abstract The use of incipient wings during ontogeny in living birds reveals not only the function of these developing forelimbs in growing birds' survival but also the possible employment of protowings during transitional stages in the evolution of flight. When startled, juvenile galliform birds attempt aerial flight even though their wings are not fully developed. They also flap their incipient wings when they run up precipitous inclines, a behavior we have described as wing-assisted incline running (WAIR), and when they launch from elevated structures. The functional benefit of beating these protowings has only recently been evaluated. We report the first ontogenetic aerial flight performance for any bird using a ground bird, the chukar partridge (Alectoris chukar), as a model species. We provide additional ontogenetic data on WAIR, a recently described locomotor mode in which fully or even partially developed flapping forelimbs are recruited to increase hindlimb traction and escape performance. We argue that avian ancestors may have used WAIR as an evolutionary transition from bipedal locomotion to flapping flight.
The Relative Value Relevance Of Earnings And Book Value In Malaysia And Singapore

This study examines the relative value relevance of earnings and book value in two Asian countries with similar accounting systems, Malaysia and Singapore. Based on the similarities of accounting systems between the two countries, this study hypothesizes that book value is more value relevant than earnings in determining market value of equity in Malaysia and Singapore. Results from Wald chi-square and OLS regression tests provide evidence confirming the hypothesis. This study also reveals that earnings sign, firm size and macroeconomic events affect the relative value relevance in both countries under study, whereby the results seem to be driven by firms reporting negative earnings and large firm only. The results are not robust for firms reporting positive earnings, small firms and individual year samples (represent macroeconomic events). Overall, this study provides evidence concerning the relative value relevance of earnings and book value, being two important summary measures of financial statements, from Asian region. * Prof., Universiti Teknologi MARA, Faculty of Sports Science and Recreation, 40450, SHAH ALAM, MALAYSIA, E-mail: mkamil@salam.uitm. edu.my, Tel: +60355442901, Fax: +60355442910
Cameron's Coup: How the Tories took Britain to the Brink

This book includes updated post-election material. The NHS devastated without so much as a by-your-leave; Gen Y hung out to dry; legal aid cut for the vulnerable; social housing on the brink of collapse.Cameron has been busy. Margaret Thatcher sold off the nationalised industries, her political heirs are intent on leaving an even more radical legacy - selling off the state itself. Written with their trademark precision and passion, Toynbee and Walker reveal how in four short years a party that failed to win a Commons majority has been devastatingly effective. Blending polls and statistics with moving human stories from Taunton to Teesside, Sydenham to Sheffield, Cameron's Coup shows the alarming reversal in decades of social progress. As Toynbee and Walker argue, it has been nothing short of a revolution. And they ask the pressing question: are these changes irrevocable? This is essential reading for anyone who cares about their country.
Cardiomyocyte Mineralocorticoid Receptors Are Essential for Deoxycorticosterone/Salt-Mediated Inflammation and Cardiac Fibrosis

Because the role of mineralocorticoid receptors in specific cell types in cardiac remodeling remains unknown, we have compared cardiac responses with deoxycorticosterone/salt in cardiomyocyte mineralocorticoid receptor-null (MyoMRKO) and wild-type (WT) mice at 8 days and 8 weeks. No differences in cardiac function between untreated WT and MyoMRKO mice were found, whereas profibrotic markers were reduced in MyoMRKO hearts at baseline. At 8 days, MyoMRKO showed monocyte/macrophage recruitment equivalent to WT mice in response to deoxycorticosterone/salt but a suppression of markers of fibrosis compared with WT. At 8 weeks, MyoMRKO mice showed no deoxycorticosterone/salt-induced increase in inflammatory cell infiltration and collagen deposition or in proinflammatory gene expression. Although some profibrotic markers were equivalently increased in both genotypes, MyoMRKO mice also showed increased baseline levels of mRNA and protein for the transforming growth factor-&bgr;/connective tissue growth factor inhibitor decorin compared with WT that was accompanied by higher levels of matrix metalloproteinase 2/matrix metalloproteinase 9 activity. These data point to a direct role for cardiomyocyte mineralocorticoid receptor in both deoxycorticosterone/salt-induced tissue inflammation and remodeling and suggest potential mechanisms for the cardioprotective effects of selective mineralocorticoid receptor blockade in cardiomyocytes that may involve regulation of matrix metalloproteinase 2/matrix metalloproteinase 9 activity and the transforming growth factor-&bgr;-connective tissue growth factor profibrotic pathway.
miR-223 enhances the sensitivity of non-small cell lung cancer cells to erlotinib by targeting the insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related fatalities worldwide, and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the main pathological type. MicroRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs, which are involved in tumor initiation and progression. miR-223 is a tumor suppressor miRNA that has been reported in various types of cancer, including lung cancer. In the present study, to characterize the biological behavior of miR-223 in NSCLC, we established an miR-223 overexpression model in erlotinib-resistant PC-9 (PC-9/ER) cells by infection with lentivirus to induce the overexpression of miR-223. As a result, miR-223 enhanced the sensitivity of the PC-9/ER cells to erlotinib by inducing apoptosis in vitro. Additionally, in vivo experiments were performed using nude mice which were injected with the cancer cells [either the PC-9 (not resistant), PC-9/ER, or the PC-9/ER cells infected with miR-223)]. We found that the tumor volumes were reduced in the rats injected with the cells infected with miR-223. To further explore the underlying mechanisms, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and western blot analysis were used to identify the target molecules of miR-223. miR-223 was demonstrated to act as a local regulator of insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) in the acquired resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Notably, the οverexpression of IGF-1R in NSCLC was downregulated by miR-223, and the activation of Akt/S6, the downstream pathway, was also inhibited. The inhibition of IGF-1R by miR-223 was attenuated by exogenous IGF-1 expression. Therefore, miR-223 may regulate the acquired resistance of PC-9/ER cells to erlotinib by targeting the IGF-1R/Akt/S6 signaling pathway. The overexpression of miR-223 may partially reverse the acquired resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor-TKIs, thus, providing a potential therapeutic strategy for TKI-resistant NSCLC.
ILORIN: Identifier-locator resolution for infrastructure-less networks

In order to overcome the limitations of the current Internet addressing, it is generally accepted that the Future Internet needs a separation between identifiers and network locators. Such identifier-locator split is also needed in infrastructure-less networks, such as Mobile ad hoc Networks (MANETs) and Delay Tolerant Networks, since they are an integral part of the Future Internet. Despite the amount of work in infrastructure-based networks, only a few proposals have considered how to apply this identifier-locator split in infrastructure-less networks. The contribution of this paper is an identifier-locator resolution system that can work in sparse MANETs, which are prone to network partitions. Our approach is an identifier-locator association discovery system, which uses periodic beacons to exchange the resolution information, avoiding the establishment of shared state between nodes. Our system exploits the broadcast nature of the wireless medium, opportunistic encounters, and information replication to disseminate identifier-locator associations across the network. The results of our extensive experiments demonstrate that our solution outperforms the related work, achieving a higher identifier-locator association discovery rate.
Toward automatic update from callbacks to promises

Javascript is the prevalent scripting language for the web. It lets web pages register callbacks to react to user events. A callback is a function to be invoked later with a result currently unavailable. This pattern also proved to respond efficiently to remote requests. Javascript is currently used to implement complete web applications. However, callbacks are ill-suited to arrange a large asynchronous execution flow. Promises are a more adapted alternative. They provide a unified control over both the synchronous and asynchronous execution flows. The next version of Javascript proposes to replace callbacks with Promises. This paper brings the first step toward a compiler to help developers prepare this shift. We present an equivalence between callbacks and Dues. The latter are a simpler specification of Promises developed for the purpose of this demonstration. From this equivalence, we implement a compiler to transform an imbrication of callbacks into a chain of Dues. This equivalence is limited to Node.js-style asynchronous callbacks declared in situ. We evaluate our compiler over 64 npm packages, 9 of them present compatible callbacks and compile successfully. We consider this shift to be a first step toward the merge of concepts from the data-flow programming model into the imperative programming model.
The Effect of Board Structure on Bidder-Shareholders' Wealth: Further Evidence from the UK Bidding Firms

In this study we provide evidence of cross-sectional dependence of bidder-shareholder wealth and target’s board characteristics. More specifically we provide evidence that the percentage of non-executives, the board size, the stock holdings of executives, and the other directorships held by non-executives serving the target board are important in assessing the announcement of the bid, whereas in the bidder’s board only the percentage of non-executive directors is important for bidder-shareholders. In addition to that we provide evidence that some of these relationships are not monotonic in nature. Finally, in this study it is documented that bidder-shareholder wealth is favoured in acquisitions where bidders have marginally more executive than non-executive directors in their boards and therefore the question arises as to whether “dependent” boards are more efficient than “independent” ones.
On the structure of tidal tails

We examine the longitudinal distribution of the stars escaping from a cluster along tidal tails. Using both theory and simulations, we show that, even in the case of a star cluster in a circular galactic orbit, when the tide is steady, the distribution exhibits maxima at a distance of many tidal radii from the cluster.
Understanding the mechanism behind the zero‐commission Chinese outbound package tours: Evidence from case studies

Purpose – This study attempts to demystify the mechanism behind the negative event of the so‐called “zero‐commission” tours that have become synonymous with the booming Chinese outbound tourism in the past decade.Design/methodology/approach – Utilizing the Atlas.ti computer qualitative analysis software, nine proposed key factors constituting the zero‐tour phenomenon are examined and proven through a content analysis of 30 case studies.Findings – The validity of the proposed nine factors causing the zero‐tour and their respective degrees of relevance to the phenomenon are also investigated and empirically tested in the study.Research limitations/implications – The study used the cases from destinations such as Hong Kong and Thailand. It will be better if cases from other destinations such as Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, and Australia can be examined in future studies since the zero‐tour phenomenon also exists in other countries.Practical implications – This study may serve as a reference for the drafting a.
Money and Prices in the Polish Economy. Seasonal Cointegration Approach.

The paper presents the analysis of the long run causality behaviour between money and prices in the Polish economy during the transition period. The study makes use of the monetary inflation model known as the P-star model, originally developed by the FED economists at the end of 80-ties. The research on the relationship between money and prices in the Polish economy carried out to date indicates that some variables (GDP, prices) show the irregular seasonal pattern. For this reason we propose to analyse the long run relationship between money and prices in the Polish economy by means of seasonal cointegration, developed by Hylleberg, Engle, Granger and You in the beginning of 90-ties. The main hypothesis has been verified positively. The results of the research give the evidence that there exists a long-run causality relationship between money and prices (long-run cointegration relationship), which follows the assumptions of the P-star inflation model. The results also indicate that there are no seasonal cointegrating relationships in the P-star inflation model, which can be interpreted as the money demand equations. This means that the quality of the inflation forecasts cannot be improved by applying the additional seasonal cointegrating relationships to this model.
Tsallis entropy as a lower bound of average description length for the q-generalized code tree

We prove that the generalized Shannon additivity determines a lower bound of average description length for the q-generalized Z3-ary code tree. To clarify our main result, at first it is shown that the original Shannon additivity determines a lower bound of average code length of a Z3-ary code tree. As its generalization, we present our main result mentioned above. The generalized Shannon additivity is one of the generalized Shannon-Khinchin axioms for Tsallis entropy, i.e. one-parameter generalization of Shannon entropy. This reveals that Tsallis entropy is a lower bound of average description length for the q-generalized Z3-ary code tree.
A 20-kW, 10-kHz, Single-Phase Multilevel Active-Front-End Converter with Reactive Power Control

A 20-kW single-phase multilevel active-front-end converter has been developed as a high-performance alternative to traditional line-frequency rectifiers. The newly introduced generalized average-current-mode-control (GACMC) scheme utilizes the leading-phase admittance cancellation method (LPAC) to allow a low 10-kHz switching frequency, which reduces switching losses and increases converter efficiency, without the line current phase shift inherent to the traditional average-current-mode control when a low switching frequency is used. The GACMC features reactive power source capability, which allows the converter to be used as a static reactive power compensator in the power system independently of its function as an ac-dc converter. The medium-voltage (2.4 kV) or distribution-system-voltage (13.8 kV) level converter can be implemented with high-voltage IGBTs or high-voltage silicon carbide devices
Is why we use money important

Money and its underlying function as a medium of exchange play a central role in determining the course of macroeconomic activity. However, many of the models used to evaluate fundamental questions relating money and monetary policy to economic activity simply assume currency is valued and overlook the important properties of money that influence the way it is used and how its supply affects the economy. ; Search and matching models of money identify the characteristic assumptions for motivating the use of money in carrying out transactions by explicitly capturing the trade frictions that cause money, rather than some form of barter, to be used. This article summarizes some of the recent literature on search models of money and their successful application to issues such as currency substitution and the impact of money's quantity and growth rate on inflation and economic activity. ; This promising class of models, the author concludes, does indeed shed light on these topics and has an enormous potential to address an even broader range of issues. To date, the results of most of these applications have been qualitative. In future work, a quantitative analysis would explore not only how well these models explain the empirical facts regarding money and economic activity but might also provide guidelines for the operation of monetary policy.
A Bovine Prion Acquires an Epidemic Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Strain-Like Phenotype on Interspecies Transmission

Implementation in Europe of large-scale testing to detect bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)-infected cattle and prevent the transmission of this prion disease to humans has recently led to the discovery of novel types of bovine prions. We characterized atypical isolates called BSE L-type by analyzing their molecular and neuropathological properties during transmission to several mouse lines transgenic for the prion protein (PrP). Unexpectedly, such isolates acquired strain features closely similar to those of BSE-type agents when propagated in mice expressing ovine PrP, although they retained phenotypic traits distinct from BSE in other lines, including bovine PrP mice. These findings further underline the relationship between the crossing of species barrier and prion strain diversification, and, although the origin of the epidemic BSE agent has only been speculative until now, they provide new insight into the nature of the events that could have led to the appearance of this agent.
Remarks on a Publication-Based Concept of Information

The concept of 'information' is one of the most fundamental ones in computer science. Nevertheless it has not undergone a clear foundation that may compete with foundations in other scientific fields, especially in mathemat- ics. Instead, there are many dierent approaches found in the literature which are specifically taylored to problem spaces. Since a general solution of the founda- tional issue seems to be out of focus at the moment, we concentrate in this paper on questions for a conceptualization that is centered around an understanding in the context of extractions of material out of publications as stored in publication databases maintained by publishing houses or database providers like Zentralblatt MATH.
Circular RNA profile in gliomas revealed by identification tool UROBORUS

Recent evidence suggests that many endogenous circular RNAs (circRNAs) may play roles in biological processes. However, the expression patterns and functions of circRNAs in human diseases are not well understood. Computationally identifying circRNAs from total RNA-seq data is a primary step in studying their expression pattern and biological roles. In this work, we have developed a computational pipeline named UROBORUS to detect circRNAs in total RNA-seq data. By applying UROBORUS to RNA-seq data from 46 gliomas and normal brain samples, we detected thousands of circRNAs supported by at least two read counts, followed by successful experimental validation on 24 circRNAs from the randomly selected 27 circRNAs. UROBORUS is an efficient tool that can detect circRNAs with low expression levels in total RNA-seq without RNase R treatment. The circRNAs expression profiling revealed more than 476 circular RNAs differentially expressed in control brain tissues and gliomas. Together with parental gene expression, we found that circRNA and its parental gene have diversified expression patterns in gliomas and control brain tissues. This study establishes an efficient and sensitive approach for predicting circRNAs using total RNA-seq data. The UROBORUS pipeline can be accessed freely for non-commercial purposes at http://uroborus.openbioinformatics. org/.
Performance analysis of low power microcode based asynchronous P-MBIST

In today's VLSI world, the designers concentrate on low power design, neglecting the test methodology. Defining low power test methodology is the need of the day. In this paper, Microcode based Asynchronous P-MBIST is implemented, measured and compared with similar feature Synchronous PMBIST. The implemented core has given Power, Area advantage of 95.44%, 23.95% respectively but with increased Timing of 10.04% over Synchronous P-MBIST. The design is a synthesizable core which can be extended to multiple memory fault testing. The implemented design is synthesized over two different technology 180nm & 45nm. Even, the methodology adopted has given power advantage in scaled down technology.
The ACE2/Apelin Signaling, MicroRNAs, and Hypertension

The renin-angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS) plays a pivotal role in the development of hypertension. Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which primarily metabolises angiotensin (Ang) II to generate the beneficial heptapeptide Ang-(1-7), serves as a negative regulator of the RAAS. Apelin is a second catalytic substrate for ACE2 and functions as an inotropic and cardiovascular protective peptide. The physiological effects of Apelin are exerted through binding to its receptor APJ, a seven-transmembrane G protein-coupled receptor that shares significant homology with the Ang II type 1 receptor (AT1R). The deregulation of microRNAs, a class of short and small noncoding RNAs, has been shown to involve cardiovascular remodeling and pathogenesis of hypertension via the activation of the Ang II/AT1R pathway. MicroRNAs are linked with modulation of the ACE2/Apelin signaling, which exhibits beneficial effects in the cardiovascular system and hypertension. The ACE2-coupled crosstalk among the RAAS, the Apelin system, and microRNAs provides an important mechanistic insight into hypertension. This paper focuses on what is known about the ACE2/Apelin signaling and its biological roles, paying particular attention to interactions and crosstalk among the ACE2/Apelin signaling, microRNAs, and hypertension, aiming to facilitate the exploitation of new therapeutic medicine to control hypertension.