Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors Influencing Growth of Entrepreneurial Ventures in Malaysia

As a developing nation, the growth of successful small-medium enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia plays a very crucial role in the improvement of the country's economy and unemployment issues. This study is conducted to identify the success factors of founding entrepreneurs which contributes to venture growth, specifically, the relationship between venture growth and the entrepreneurs' personal initiative and human capital, the areas of competencies to be focused on, and the effectiveness of support programs provided by the government. One hundred (100) CEOs of entrepreneurial ventures are selected from the Enterprise 50 database to participate in the research through the convenient and snowballing sampling methods. Survey questionnaires are used to gather information for quantitative data, whilst qualitative data are obtained from interviews. The reliability of the questionnaire is tested using Cronbach's alpha and factor analyses are conducted to categorize the competencies. The relationships between the various constructs are examined using nonparametric statistical analysis, namely, Binary Logistics Regression, Spearman's rho, Mann-U test and Kruskal Wallis test. The study finds that there is positive significant relationship between venture growth and entrepreneurs who have personal initiative and working experience and who are focused on specific competency areas within operations, finance, and human resources. The study also discovers that there is significant negative relationship between venture growth and entrepreneurs who have high levels of education, and parents who owned business. In operations, founding entrepreneurs are found to be concerned with competitive strategies planning and the improvement of product and services. Raising capital fiom banks and institutions is the only area of concern in finance. In human resources (HR) the areas considered important are recruiting and retaining employees; HR policies and compensation plan; training and development; delegating and relinquishing control; developing performance appraisal; and motivating employees. Marketing is found to have a significant negative relationship with venture growth. The study reveals that there is no significant relationship between social network support, government support programs and venture growth.
Nidal embolization of brain arteriovenous malformations using Onyx in 94 patients.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE To report our experience in the treatment of brain arteriovenous malformations (BAVMs) using Onyx (ev3, Irvine, Calif). PATIENTS AND METHODS From January 1999 to October 2004, 94 patients with BAVMs were treated endovascularly in our department. They were 51 (54%) men and 43 (46%) women with a mean age of 32 years. A total of 210 endovascular procedures were performed with Onyx as the sole embolic agent in 88 procedures; Onyx and n-butyl cyanoacrylate (n-BCA) were used in combination in 50 procedures, and n-BCA alone was used in 72 procedures. RESULTS The course of endovascular treatment was completed in 53 patients. In 26 patients (49%, 26/53) an angiographic cure was achieved using embolization as the sole therapeutic technique. Seven (13%, 7/53) patients underwent a surgical resection of the residual BAVM nidus, 20 (38%, 20/53) patients underwent radiosurgical treatment after nidal size reduction <2 cm was accomplished by endovascular treatment. Further endovascular treatment was planned in 33 patients, whereas in 5 patients, the continuation of embolization was aborted due to difficult nidus catheterization. Procedure-related permanent neurologic deficits were observed in 8 (8.5%, 8/94) patients. There were 3 procedure-related deaths. CONCLUSION Onyx is suitable for brain BAVM embolizations and allows obtaining higher rates of anatomic cures compared with those obtained previously with other embolic agents.
Are Young Borrowers Bad Borrowers? Evidence from the Credit CARD Act of 2009

Young borrowers are the least experienced financially and, conventionally, thought to be most prone to financial mistakes. We study the relationship between age and financial problems related to credit cards. Our results challenge the notion that young borrowers are bad borrowers. We show that young borrowers are among the least likely to experience a serious credit card default. We then exploit the 2009 CARD Act to identify which individuals self-select into obtaining a credit card early in life. We find that individuals who choose early credit card use default less and are more likely to get a mortgage while young.
Components of lifetime mating success and body size in males of a scrambling damselfly

Sexual selection is hypothesized to favour small body size in males of scrambling species, that is, those in which males obtain matings by actively searching for females. I tested this hypothesis in a natural population of the scrambling emerald damselfly, Lestes sponsa. Mating efficiency (matings/visit to the pond) was the most important factor explaining variation in male lifetime mating success (LMS; 71%). This suggests a large potential for sexual selection. Path analysis of male LMS suggested a quality factor that positively affected both mating efficiency and life span. In contrast with the small-male mating advantage hypothesis, part of this potential for sexual selection was realized as stabilizing selection on male body size, indicating that there may also be a lower limit to body size for mating efficiency. This also illustrates that the constancy of body size may be explained by sexual selection alone. Survival explained about 20% of the variation in LMS and random processes were potentially important for determining LMS. My results show the problems of using mating efficiency as a measure for the intensity of sexual selection and the need to distinguish between potential and realized selection pressures, especially when comparing the importance of natural and sexual selection. I discuss mechanisms that may have caused the intermediate-male mating advantage in this scrambling species. Copyright 2000 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
ignals from noncoding RNAs : Unconventional roles for conventional pol III ranscripts

A range of noncoding RNAs are transcribed by pol III. A lot of them such as tRNA, 7SL RNA, 7SK RNA, 5S RNA, MRP RNA, Y RNAs, H1 RNA, and vault RNAs are considered as “house keeping” RNAs essential for eukaryotic cells. In recent years, researchers started to recognize the existence of unconventional functions of many pol III transcripts other than classical “house keeping” roles. Therefore, these ncRNAs could now be viewed as molecules with functional regulatory signals as well as cellular building blocks.
Influence of Field-Plate Configuration on Power Dissipation and Temperature Profiles in AlGaN/GaN on Silicon HEMTs

Thermal analysis of AlGaN/GaN high-electron mobility transistors on silicon has been performed with emphasis on the influence of the field-plate configuration on power dissipation and temperature profiles along a 2-D electron gas. The results highlight the importance of the field plates in power dissipation and show the difference between various field-plate configurations. Consequently, their design is important for a good thermal behavior and reliability of the transistors. By means of coupled technology computer aided design and finite element modeling simulations, a model is developed and used to characterize test structures in the saturation regime for power densities up to 12 W/mm. In addition, experiments are presented providing RF extraction of the ac output conductance and showing the influence of self-heating in a wide frequency range. In this way, the thermal resistance is extracted. The measured results are in good agreement with the electrothermal model.
Screening and Characterization of Mutations in Isoniazid-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Isolates Obtained in Brazil

ABSTRACT We investigated mutations in the genes katG, inhA (regulatory and structural regions), and kasA and the oxyR-ahpC intergenic region of 97 isoniazid (INH)-resistant and 60 INH-susceptible Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates obtained in two states in Brazil: São Paulo and Paraná. PCR-single-strand conformational polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) was evaluated for screening mutations in regions of prevalence, including codons 315 and 463 of katG, the regulatory region and codons 16 and 94 of inhA, kasA, and the oxyR-ahpC intergenic region. DNA sequencing of PCR amplicons was performed for all isolates with altered PCR-SSCP profiles. Mutations in katG were found in 83 (85.6%) of the 97 INH-resistant isolates, including mutations in codon 315 that occurred in 60 (61.9%) of the INH-resistant isolates and 23 previously unreported katG mutations. Mutations in the inhA promoter region occurred in 25 (25.8%) of the INH-resistant isolates; 6.2% of the isolates had inhA structural gene mutations, and 10.3% had mutations in the oxyR-ahpC intergenic region (one, nucleotide −48, previously unreported). Polymorphisms in the kasA gene occurred in both INH-resistant and INH-susceptible isolates. The most frequent polymorphism encoded a G269A substitution. Although KatG315 substitutions are predominant, novel mutations also appear to be responsible for INH resistance in the two states in Brazil. Since ca. 90.7% of the INH-resistant isolates had mutations identified by SSCP electrophoresis, this method may be a useful genotypic screen for INH resistance.
Real-Time Information Derivation from Big Sensor Data via Edge Computing

In data-intensive real-time applications, e.g., cognitive assistance and mobile health (mHealth), the amount of sensor data is exploding. In these applications, it is desirable to extract value-added information, e.g., mental or physical health conditions, from sensor data streams in real-time rather than overloading users with massive raw data. However, achieving the objective is challenging due to the data volume and complex data analysis tasks with stringent timing constraints. Most existing big data management systems, e.g., Hadoop, are not directly applicable to real-time sensor data analytics, since they are timing agnostic and focus on batch processing of previously stored data that are potentially outdated and subject to I/O overheads. Moreover, embedded sensors and IoT devices lack enough resources to perform sophisticated data analytics. To address the problem, we design a new real-time big data management framework to support periodic in-memory real-time sensor data analytics at the network edge by extending the map-reduce model originated in functional programming, while providing adaptive sensor data transfer to the edge server based on data importance. In this paper, a prototype system is designed and implemented as a proof of concept. In the performance evaluation, it is empirically shown that important sensor data are delivered in a preferred manner and they are analyzed in a timely fashion.
Implementation of dynamic-range enhancement and super-resolution algorithms for medical image processing

Two sophisticated algorithms aimed at `dynamic-range enhancement' and `super-resolution' are implemented dedicatedly for medical image processing. The first is intended for adaptive dynamic-range enhancement, originally developed as a means to enhance digital camera images captured under adverse conditions, such as contrejour and poor ambient lighting, which has been optimized for real-time processing of high-resolution video images, and has scored a design win in a commercial endo-scopic system. The second is targeted for single-frame superresolution, initially developed as a scaler for entertainment consoles and HDTV, which is now under evaluation as a means to provide digital zoom capabilities to medical imaging systems. FPGA implementation results of these procedures are also shown to demonstrate that the devised algorithms can be efficiently put to practical use in medical image processing and is capable of processing high-resolution video images in real-time.
Recent Advances in Lipid Nanoparticle Formulations with Solid Matrix for Oral Drug Delivery

Lipid nanoparticles based on solid matrix have emerged as potential drug carriers to improve gastrointestinal (GI) absorption and oral bioavailability of several drugs, especially lipophilic compounds. These formulations may also be used for sustained drug release. Solid lipid nanoparticle (SLN) and the newer generation lipid nanoparticle, nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC), have been studied for their capability as oral drug carriers. Biodegradable, biocompatible, and physiological lipids are generally used to prepare these nanoparticles. Hence, toxicity problems related with the polymeric nanoparticles can be minimized. Furthermore, stability of the formulations might increase than other liquid nano-carriers due to the solid matrix of these lipid nanoparticles. These nanoparticles can be produced by different formulation techniques. Scaling up of the production process from lab scale to industrial scale can be easily achieved. Reasonably high drug encapsulation efficiency of the nanoparticles was documented. Oral absorption and bioavailability of several drugs were improved after oral administration of the drug-loaded SLNs or NLCs. In this review, pros and cons, different formulation and characterization techniques, drug incorporation models, GI absorption and oral bioavailability enhancement mechanisms, stability and storage condition of the formulations, and recent advances in oral delivery of the lipid nanoparticles based on solid matrix will be discussed.
What Makes Offline Word-of-Mouth More Influential than Online Word-of-Mouth?

In this paper, we examine online and offline WOM communication channels in terms of their effectiveness. We explore the factors that make offline WOM more influential than online WOM. Furthermore, we explore how personal characteristics, culture and product categories and features influence consumer preference of one channel to the other. In addition, we examine the channel characteristics that influence consumer preference of one to the other. This study suggests that the strength of ties and the quality of communication are the antecedents to the effectiveness of WOM communication channel. Moreover, it suggests that the value of information mediates the relationship between the strength of ties and the effectiveness of WOM. The study also argues that consumers trust offline WOM more when they seek information about services. On the other hand, they pay more attention to expertise when they seek information about products with high complexity. The study indicates that mindful consumers tend to engage in online WOM more than less mindful or mindless consumers. Besides, consumers in individualist culture use online communication channel more than those in collectivist culture do in order to obtain information about products.
Reconsidering the rise of ‘shareholder value’ in the United States, 1960-2000

This study analyses thousands of corporate annual reports and financial data from 1960-2000 to propose an early history of the term ‘shareholder value’ in the United States. Scholarly interest in ‘shareholder value’ has burgeoned since 2000, but still little is known about the term’s origins. My findings suggest that corporate managers’ intentional and repeated use of the term did not begin until the early 1980s and was not widespread until the 1990s. Further, my analysis of General Electric Corporation, Johnson & Johnson, and The Coca-Cola Company suggests that adopting ‘shareholder value’ rhetoric likely had little impact on the performance of these case study firms.
Novel view synthesis based on depth map layers representation

This paper presents a method that jointly performs stereo matching and inter-view interpolation to obtain the depth map and virtual view image. A novel view synthesis method based on depth map layers representation of the stereo image pairs is proposed. The main idea of this approach is to separate the depth map into several layers of depth based on the disparity distance of the corresponding points. The novel view synthesis can be interpolated independently to each layer of depth by masking the particular depth layer. The final novel view synthesis obtained with the entire layers flattens into a single layer. Since the image view synthesis is performed in separate layers, the extracted new virtual object can be superimposed onto another 3D scene. The method is useful for free viewpoint video application with a small number of camera configurations. Based on the experimental results, it shows that the algorithm could improve the efficiency of finding the depth map and to synthesis the new virtual view images.
Towards Constructing a New Taxonomy for Psychiatry Using Self-reported Symptoms

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) has served as the gold standard for psychiatric diagnosis for the past several decades in the USA, and DSM diagnoses mirror mental health and substance abuse diagnoses in ICD-9 and ICD-10. However, DSM diagnoses have severe limitations when used as phenotypes for studies of the pathophysiology underlying mental disorders, as well as for clinical treatment and research. In this paper, we use a novel approach of deconstructing DSM diagnostic criteria, and using expert knowledge to inform feature selection for unsupervised machine learning. We are able to identify clusters of symptoms that stratify subjects with the same DSM disorders into cohorts with increased clinical and biological homogeneity. These findings suggest that itemized self-report symptom data should inform a new taxonomy for psychiatry, and will enhance the bi-directional translation of knowledge from the bench to the clinic through a common terminology.
Experimental Optical Characterization and Polymeric Layouts of Gold PDMS Nanocomposite Sensor for Liquid Detection

We present a new concept of liquid sensing based on gold nanocomposite material showing enhancement of optical radiation and coupling. In particular, we experimentally characterize the optical transmittivity response of a millimeter pillar-type sensor made of gold micro/nanoparticles in PDMS material. The choice of the millimeter pillar-type layout is studied in order to collect better the light in a multimode receiver optical fiber. After a first three-dimensional (3D) finite-element method (FEM) modeling which analyzes the physical aspects of the proposed sensor, we experimentally characterize the PDMS/PDMS-Au pillar-type layout, and we measure the variation of the transmittivity response comparing different liquids, such as ethanol and oil, placed on the PDMS-Au sensor. Concerning the reusable process of the sensor, we study the dynamics of the sensing by measuring the transmittivity response during the time by applying ethanol as target liquid. Finally, we propose an implementation of the proposed sensor in robotics finger.
A memristor-based LUT for FPGAs

This paper presents a memristor-based Look-Up Table (LUT) for FPGAs. The proposed memory utilizes memristors as storage elements and NMOS transistors for selection. New WRITE and READ operations are proposed; the proposed LUT requires no additional circuit to handle the WRITE 1 (0) operation for both the word and bit lines. Also, it requires a RESTORE pulse only for the READ 0 operation. The WRITE operation of the proposed method requires three power lines (+Vdd, -Vdd and Gnd) and a RESTORE pulse only for the READ 0 operation, thus accomplishing savings of 25% for both the number of power lines and READ time when compared to previous methods. The proposed LUT is simulated using LTSPICE and extensive simulation results are presented with respect to different operational features, such as normalized state parameter of the memristance, pulse width, LUT size and MOSFET feature size. These results show that the proposed scheme offers superior performance compared with other existing memristor-based schemes found in the technical literature for FPGAs.
New Management Practices and Enterprise Training.

The aim of the research reported in this publication was to explore the changing nature of the demand for training in enterprises adopting new management practices and the implications for training providers of meeting the requirements of the fragmented training demand created by these changes. The research examined five new management practices: the learning organisation; total quality management; lean production/high performance work organisation; teamworking; and business process re-engineering. The study addressed five questions concerning new management practices and enterprise training: (1) to what extent are Australian enterprises adopting the new management practices; (2) what human resource practices are associated with the new management practices; (3) what training practices are associated with each of the new management practices and how do they relate to other human resource practices; (4) how effectively have Australian enterprises adopting new management practices been able to meet their training requirements from the vocational education and training (VET) system; and (5) what should training providers do to be able to meet the changing demand for training from Australian enterprises. Key findings from the research are given and the discussion focuses on issues around small business, the use of the VET system, the importance of the individual, the nature of training, the importance of behavioural skills, organisational change, training and organisational change, and implications for future policy.
Ontogenesis of Leptin Receptor in Rat Leydig Cells1

Abstract There are still many controversies about the role of leptin in reproductive function and sexual development. We recently demonstrated that leptin receptors are expressed in rodent Leydig cells and that leptin has inhibitory effects on hCG-stimulated testosterone production by adult rat Leydig cells in culture. In this study, we evaluated the expression of leptin receptor (Ob-R) in rat testes from gestational to adult age in comparison with the pattern of expression of relaxin-like factor (RLF), a specific marker of Leydig cell differentiation status. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that, in prenatal life, Ob-R immunoreactivity was absent at early embryonic ages (E14.5) and appeared at a late embryonic age (E19.5); in postnatal life, immunoreactivity was evident only after sexual maturation (35-, 60-, and 90-days old), whereas it was absent in testes from sexually immature rats (7-, 14-, and 21-days old). Immunoreaction was always confined to Leydig cells and no signal of Ob-R was detected within the tubules. The pattern of expression of Ob-R during testicular development was similar with that of RLF immunoreactivity, which was present in mature fetal as well as adult-type Leydig cells. In contrast with the findings in the testis, in the hypothalamus, the immunohistochemical pattern of Ob-R was very similar between pre- and postpubertal life. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction studies showed that Ob-R expression was present in embryonic, prepubertal, and adult rat testes; semiquantitative analysis showed that mRNA levels were much higher in late versus early embryonic testes, as well as in mature adults versus sexually immature testes, with a gradual increase from younger to older ages. Functional studies showed that, while leptin (150 ng/ml) significantly inhibited hCG-stimulated testosterone production in adult rat Leydig cells (46% reduction; P > 0.01), it did not modify prepubertal rat Leydig cells steroidogenic function in vitro. In conclusion, we showed that, in rat testis, Ob-R expression is characteristic of mature Leydig cells (fetal and adult type) and it is functional in adult but not prepubertal life.