Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chromosomal assignment of the canine melanophilin gene (MLPH): a candidate gene for coat color dilution in Pinschers.

Pinschers affected by coat color dilution show a specific pigmentation phenotype. The dilute pigmentation phenotype leads to a silver-blue appearance of the eumelanin-containing fur and a pale sandy color of pheomelanin-containing fur. In Pinscher breeding, dilute black-and-tan dogs are called "blue," and dilute red or brown animals are termed "fawn" or "Isabella fawn. " Coat color dilution in Pinschers is sometimes accompanied by hair loss and a recurrent infection of the hair follicles. In human and mice, several well-characterized genes are responsible for similar pigment variations. To investigate the genetic cause of the coat color dilution in Pinschers, we isolated BAC clones containing the canine ortholog of the known murine color dilution gene Mlph. RH mapping of the canine MLPH gene was performed using an STS marker derived from BAC sequences. Additionally, one MLPH BAC clone was used as probe for FISH mapping, and the canine MLPH gene was assigned to CFA25q24.
Suspended planar patch antenna for wireless energy transfer at 2.45GHz

A suspended planar patch antenna is presented for ISM band (2.4-2.485) GHz applications. This antenna can be used for wireless energy transfer as proposed in this paper. The radiating patch of the suspended patch antenna is placed over a ground plane at a height and is fed by a coaxial probe. The dielectric medium between the radiating planar patch and the ground plane is air. Suspended planar patch antenna design equations are validated by simulated and experimental results. The radiation patterns are measured in E-plane and H-plane. The analysis is performed using Method of Moments (MOM) simulation software (Zeland- IE3D version 12.0) and the experimental results are obtained from the network analyzer and radiation measurements are done in anechoic chamber. The proposed antenna provides S11 of -45dB, gain of 9.78 dBi with radiation efficiency of 99% at 2.45GHz resonant frequency. Wireless energy transfer is verified by measuring transmitted and received power using power meter with Friis transmission equation.
Enabling robot assisted landing of heavy UAV rotorcraft via combined control and workload sharing

In this paper, a tracking control approach for robot assisted landing of UAV rotorcraft, such as multicopters and helicopters, is presented. The aim is to safely land these type of flying vehicles under side wind conditions and on moving surfaces using a robot manipulator arm mounted on the ground. In our previous work, we have considered light UAVs compared to the robot's payload capabilities. In this work, we present a method that enables to realize robot assisted landing for arbitrary combinations of aerial vehicles and robot arms. We show that the combined system is overactuated. This allows to distribute the workload and enables to assist heavy rotorcraft, whose weight would otherwise exceed the nominal payload of the robot arm. The performance of the controller is evaluated in numerical simulations as well as in experiments using a custom-built hexacopter and a KUKA/DLR light-weight robot.
Accelerating BP Neural Network-Based Image Compression by CPU and GPU Cooperation

Recently, GPU has evolved into a highly parallel, multithreading, many core processor with tremendous computational capability and very high memory bandwidth. At the same time, multi-core CPU evolution continued and today's CPUs have 4-8 cores which offer dramatically increased performance and power savings characteristics. We are aware of very few works that consider both devices cooperating to solve general computations. The article tries to bring forward a method of similar master/ worker GPU-CPU cooperative computing to improve efficiency of Back-Propagation neural network-based image compression application even further than using either device independently.
The Entry, Performance, and Risk Profile of De Novo Banks

From 2000 to 2008, 1,042 new community banks were chartered. Despite the largest financial crisis in decades, the vast majority of these new banks either survived or were financially healthy when merged with another bank. In this paper we investigate whether the patterns of community bank de novo formation and failure for this cohort that formed just prior to the recent financial crisis were the same as for new institutions from earlier periods. Similar to previous periods, we find that many of the new banks chartered were in markets that experienced bank mergers or acquisitions, and were large and growing. Consistent with a “life-cycle theory” of de novos, compared with small established banks, recent de novos were financially fragile and failed at higher rates during the crisis. Discrete-time hazards models confirm that failed de novos from the recent period invested heavily in construction and development lending prior to the crisis, similar to the concentrated loan portfolios exhibited by earlier cohorts.
Towards a theoretical foundation of supply network interdependence and technology‐enabled coordination strategies

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to provide a conceptual/theoretical foundation to enhance the body of knowledge related to supply chain interdependence and technology‐enabled coordination.Design/methodology/approach – The paper heavily engaged itself in the theory/literature related to coordination theory, interdependence theory, interdependence, coordination and supply chain technologies to formulate the theoretical propositions.Findings – From the literature/theoretical bases, the paper derived a total (include sub‐components) of eight theoretical propositions related to interdependence, coordination and technology enablers.Research limitations/implications – While technology enabled‐coordination is central to supply chain management, there is a lack of a prescriptive view present in the literature. By deriving insights from the rich literature related to coordination theory and interdependence theory, we provide a theoretical foundation for future research to enhance the body of knowledge related.
Impact of gate underlap on device performance of Germanium-on Insulator MOS transistor

Impact of gate underlap in nanoscale ultrathin body Germanium-on Insulator (Ge-OI) MOS transistor is investigated with the help of well calibrated TCAD simulation. Due to higher permittivity of Ge, MOS device with no underlap shows poor short channel immunity. While increasing underlap length significant improvement in short channel immunity is observed. Due to higher channel resistance reduction in on current is observed in device with large underlap length. Also in underlap device a significant reduction in gate to source/drain capacitance is observed which determine transient performance of Ge-OI devices.
Essays on insider trading and enterprise risk management

The dissertation investigates the informativeness of insider trading. Two primary questions are addressed. The first question is, are insider stock transactions informative of future stock price movements? An event study approach and an ex-post regression model are employed to examine the short-term market response to insider stock transactions traded at different levels of past stock performance based on insider trading data over the period 1996 to 2013. The dissertation is the first study to identify an “insider smile” suggesting that stock purchases by insiders earn greater abnormal returns following significant decreases and increases in stock prices; however, insiders earn only small abnormal returns from their stock purchases following small changes in stock prices. The results support that insiders are both contrarian investors and possessors of superior information about firm’s future stock price movements. Also, insiders in firms with higher levels of information uncertainty (smaller firm size and higher stock volatility) tend to earn greater abnormal returns from their stock purchases. The second question is, does enterprise risk management have effects on abnormal returns of insider trading? On the one hand, insiders in a firm with an ERM program are assumed to have better knowledge about operations and risks of the firm; thus, these insider stock transactions would earn greater abnormal returns. On the other hand, an ERM program may reduce information uncertainty of a firm and information asymmetry between insiders and outside investors. In this case, insiders in ERM firms would earn smaller abnormal returns from their stock transactions than insiders in non-ERM firms. The results show some evidence that ERM has negative (positive) effects on abnormal returns of insider stock purchases (sales) particularly for firms with higher levels of information uncertainty, which supports that an ERM program can benefit a firm from reducing information asymmetry between insiders and outside
The near attack conformation approach to the study of the chorismate to prephenate reaction

Standard free energies (ΔGN°) for formation of near attack conformers, those ground state conformers that can convert directly to the transition state, were calculated for the Claisen rearrangement of chorismate to prephenate in six different environments: water, wild-type enzymes from Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli, their Arg90Cit and Glu52Ala mutants, and the 1F7 catalytic antibody. Values of the calculated ΔGN°s and the experimentally determined activation energies (ΔG‡) are linearly related with the slope of ≈1. This demonstrates that the relative rate of the chorismate → prephenate reaction is overwhelmingly dependent on the efficiency of formation of near attack conformers in the ground state.
Developing an integrative model of internal and external marketing

The purpose of this paper is to propose a model which presents an expanded view of the beneficial impact of internal marketing (IM) in organizations. The model innovatively proposes links between the development of internal market orientation, internal marketing programs and external market orientation and external marketing programs. As a significant novel contribution to knowledge, this model advocates a continual process of improvement as marketing knowledge develops. Such an approach to the development of the marketing programs within an organization potentially increases business success and competitive advantage. The model has implications for organizational management, where internal marketing programs are desirous. Future research opportunities are suggested, including assessment of the model.
The randomized Condorcet voting system

In this paper, we study the strategy-proofness properties of the randomized Condorcet voting system (RCVS). Discovered at several occasions independently, the RCVS is arguably the natural extension of the Condorcet method to cases where a deterministic Condorcet winner does not exists. Indeed, it selects the always-existing and essentially unique Condorcet winner of lotteries over alternatives. Our main result is that, in a certain class of voting systems based on pairwise comparisons of alternatives, the RCVS is the only one to be Condorcet-proof. By Condorcet-proof, we mean that, when a Condorcet winner exists, it must be selected and no voter has incentives to misreport his preferences. We also prove two theorems about group-strategy-proofness. On one hand, we prove that there is no group-strategyproof voting system that always selects existing Condorcet winners. On the other hand, we prove that, when preferences have a one-dimensional structure, the RCVS is group-strategy-proof.
Exact Plane-Wave Expansion With Directional Spectrum: Application to Transmitting and Receiving Antennas

A new exact plane-wave expansion is presented for general time-harmonic electromagnetic fields radiated by an arbitrary finite source region in three dimensions. The plane-wave expansion employs a directional spectrum that is proportional to the far-field pattern of the source. The directionality is achieved through an exact representation that involves a beam parameter, which determines the sharpness of the spectrum. When the beam parameter is set to zero, the new expansion becomes identical to the plane-wave expansion employed in the fast multipole method. The expansion is exact for observations points all the way up to the source region and includes evanescent waves. An antenna- antenna transmission formula follows straightforwardly. Numerical examples demonstrate that the new plane-wave expansion requires fewer plane waves than previously derived plane-wave expansions.
Exploring consumers' product‐specific colour meanings

Purpose – The impact of colour is acknowledged, yet empirical studies on colours with marketing implications are rare. The paper seeks to advance our understanding of the role of package colours in consumers' product experiences by studying the relationship between colour meanings and product. It also aims at offering insights into the meanings associated with colours in a product context.Design/methodology/approach – Understanding of package colours was elicited by applying the preference‐consumption difference interview technique. The data were analysed applying means‐end chain. Accordingly, it was possible to detect, not only the multifunction played by package colours, but also meanings that colours conveyed at different abstraction level. As colour research within marketing was fragmented and no such colour theory exists, the paper developed a theoretical framework for the paper.Findings – Based on the evidence, the proposed framework is further elaborated so that it could better capture the connecti.
Non-government organisations in the alcohol and other drugs sector: issues and options for sustainability

This report presents the results of research by the Social Policy Research Centre into the governance, sustainability and funding of non- profit non-government organisations in the alcohol and other drugs sector in Australia. The research included a review of the research literature as well as key informant consultations, and aimed to identify the issues for NGOs in the sector and options for their future operation. The report is an overview of issues to assist further discussion, research, planning and action in the sector. Key issues included: problems with workforce capacity; constraints on independence and advocacy; governance issues; and adequacy of funding.
Pathogenicity of modified bat influenza virus with different M genes and its reassortment potential with swine influenza A virus.

In our previous studies, the reassortant virus containing only the PR8 H1N1 matrix (M) gene in the background of the modified bat influenza Bat09 : mH1mN1 virus could be generated. However, whether M genes from other origins can be rescued in the background of the Bat09 : mH1mN1 virus and whether the resulting novel reassortant virus is virulent remain unknown. Herein, two reassortant viruses were generated in the background of the Bat09 : mH1mN1 virus containing either a North American or a Eurasian swine influenza virus M gene. These two reassortant viruses and the reassortant virus with PR8 M as well as the control Bat09 : mH1mN1 virus replicated efficiently in cultured cells, while the reassortant virus with PR8 M grew to a higher titre than the other three viruses in tested cells. Mouse studies showed that reassortant viruses with either North American or Eurasian swine influenza virus M gene did not enhance virulence, whereas the reassortant virus with PR8 M gene displayed higher pathogenicity when compared to the Bat09 : mH1mN1 virus. This is most likely due to the fact that the PR8 H1N1 virus is a mouse-adapted virus. Furthermore, reassortment potential between the Bat09 : mH1mN1 virus and an H3N2 swine influenza virus (A/swine/Texas/4199-2/1998) was investigated using co-infection of Madin-Darby canine kidney cells, but no reassortant viruses were detected. Taken together, our results indicate that the modified bat influenza virus is most likely incapable of reassortment with influenza A viruses with in vitro co-infection experiments, although reassortant viruses with different M genes can be generated by reverse genetics.
The impact of the Affordable Care Act on hospital‐led community health evaluation in the U.S. Appalachian Ohio region

In recent years, policy developments in the United States have dramatically changed how nonprofit hospitals interact with surrounding communities. However, despite the importance of these changes encoded in Internal Revenue Service regulations, little is known about how these requirements have affected how nonprofit hospitals are approaching community health evaluation. We present qualitative findings from interviews with hospital employees and consultants overseeing preliminary rounds of community health needs assessments, as required by the Affordable Care Act. The sample comes from the Appalachian region of Ohio, an area targeted because of significant health challenges. Our findings suggest that the Affordable Care Act has led hospitals to formalize their processes, focus on developing an evidence base, cultivate local partnerships, and reflect on the role of the hospital in public health.
Does Big 4 Affect the Earnings Response Coefficient (ERC)? Evidence From Malaysia

This study examines the effect of audit quality (AQ) on the earnings response coefficient (ERC) based on a sample of 1,884 firm-year observations comprising 471 firms listed on the Bursa Malaysia from 2007 to 2010. This study tests whether AQ affects ERC after controlling the established determinants of ERC: beta, growth, earnings persistence, and size. Using reverse regression, the study confirms that Big 4 is significant and positive to ERC. Auditor switching from non-Big 4 to Big 4 indicates the same results; however, the switching of auditors among Big 4 is not significant. The study thus provides systematic and comprehensive additional evidence on the effect of AQ via the measurement of Big 4; and auditor switching from non-Big 4 to Big 4 and switching among Big 4 on ERC. This is an important contribution to the literature but especially so given that the evidence comes from Malaysia, an emerging economy, whereas the existing empirical literature relates mainly to the developed countries.
Factors influencing employees' job satisfaction: a case of University of Nairobi Enterprises and Services (UNES)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors influencing employee’s job satisfaction at University of Nairobi Enterprises and Services (UNES) which is the commercial arm of the University of Nairobi created to facilitate efficient use of institutional resources, including those represented by human capacity within the ranks of academia. To achieve this objective, the study explored four independent variables of job satisfaction, namely, training, remuneration, motivation and work environment while the dependent variable is job satisfaction among UNES employees. The rationale for the study was derived from the observation that some employees of UNES seem better adjusted and happy at work and are able to cope well with the demands of the company while others are not. Another observation was the management's new challenge at UNES to maintain a workforce that performs concertedly to achieve the company goals. \ • This study, is based on a qualitative methodology. Data was collected using a questionnaire containing Likert scale type questions which were administered to staff members, where the researcher dropped and picked them after three days to allow the respondents' time to fill them. These questionnaires where then edited and the data collected analyzed using the SPSS computer package. The major findings of this investigation were that four factors, namely training, remuneration, motivation and work environment directly contribute towards employee’s job satisfaction. The study recommends that interventions should be carried out to increase levels of job satisfaction among UNES employees this is important as job satisfaction has a strong correlation with job performance. It also recommends on how management can eliminate low motivation and job dissatisfaction amongst employees by reinforcing relevant human resources policies, improving working conditions and compensation.
ON APPLICATIONS OF ROBOTS

Robotics application has slowly increasing for the past 2 decades in various industries. This paper reviews the robotics application in various industries to understand different robotics applications, to learn the different design of robots, to outline the problems and adaptability improvements in the robotics application. The design and control of robot should be such that it can be operated from any place and for different surface environments from steel, glass, ceramic, wood, concrete etc. with low energy consumption and cost.
Loan Officer Incentives, Internal Rating Models and Default Rates

There is increasing reliance on quantitative complex models, such as internal ratings based (IRB) models for bank regulation, with much resources being spent on model validation exercises. We argue that a significant cost of IRB models that is not well understood or monitored is the change in loan officer incentives down the line. Using proprietary data on almost a quarter million loan applications, we show loan officer incentives significantly skew ratings even if the quantitative model is correct and there is no subjectivity in the system. These incentive effects have a first order effect on bank profitability. Incentives influence the hard information reported by loan officers and thus change the link between hard information and default probabilities in a way not captured by regular model validation exercises. Banks and regulators need to take these effects into account when using internal ratings for risk assessment and regulation.
Legionellae isolated from clinical and environmental samples in Spain (1983–90): monoclonal typing of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 isolates

SUMMARY Legionella isolates recovered in 21 different Spanish provinces over 8 years from both clinical (67 isolates) and environmental (181) samples, mostly from case-associated buildings, are described: 92·5% of clinical isolates were L. pneumophila serogroup 1 (SGI), only five isolates belonging to other species or serogroups: two L. pneumophila SG6, two SG8 and one L. bozemanii SG1 not clearly related with clinical infection. L. pneumophila SG1 accounted for 53·6% of isolates from the environment, followed by SG8 (27·6%). SG3 (9·4%) and SG6 (7·2%). Three isolates were labelled as SG8/10. Subtyping of L. pneumophila SG1 by the standardized panel of monoclonal antibodies revealed 90·3% of clinical and 78·3% of environmental isolates as belonging to Pontiac subgroup. Pontiac isolates were further divided into 55·3% Philadelphia 1 or Allentown 1, 21·9% Benidorm 030E and 20·4% Knoxville 1. Characterization of samples from four outbreaks in which both clinical and environmental isolates had been recovered permitted the recognition of three Philadelphia 1 or Allentown 1 and one Knoxville 1 strains as the aetiological agents.
Protecting Intellectual Property and Privacy in the Digital Age: The Use of National Cybersecurity Strategies to Mitigate Cyber Risk

This Article analyzes State involvement in cybersecurity, particularly policies aimed at mitigating cyber threats below the armed attack threshold — cybercrime and espionage. Although the focus is on national cybersecurity strategies, related domestic follow-up initiatives are also considered, such as the U.S. National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework. Further, the vital role of the private sector to help identify and instill cybersecurity best practices is also considered as part of a polycentric ecosystem designed to help foster cyber peace.