Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Influence of Chief Executive Officer’s Compensation on Firms’ Performance in the Nigeria Banking Industry

This is a quantitative research based on secondary sources of data. The study examines 12 the influence of Chief Executive Officer’s (CEO) compensation on a firm's performance. The 13 objectives of the study were to determine if CEO compensation and firm size do significantly 14 influence a firm’s performance. In other to elicit information to examine the relationship between 15 the variables, the convenience sampling technique, with the combination of both the cross-sectional 16 and time-series data (panel data) were used since they provide greater precision and guard against 17 having an illusory sample. 10 banks quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange were sampled for easy 18 accessibility of data. The least square regression technique was used to test the hypotheses of the 19 study. Two hypotheses were tested using panel least square (EViews 8) and from the research 20 work, we summarize the following results; there is a significant relationship between CEO 21 compensation and firm performance in the Nigerian banking industry. In addition, firm size does 22 significantly influence firm performance in the Nigerian banking industry. The study recommends 23 that there should be proper compensation review as this will increase the productivity of the 24 executives. Since increased pay is necessary for the efficiency of the workers, it is advised to ensure 25 a considerable pay as this will ensure for efficiency in the organization. In addition, since the core 26 goal of setting up any business is to make a profit, business organisations should sort out ways at 27 maximising profit and this could include cutting down expenses such as cutting down excessive 28 employees’ pay (CEOs pay especially) and setting apposite pay package for employees. Therefore, 29 policymakers (board of directors) should make an effort to align CEO’s pay with the firm’s 30 capability to pay. 31
Social Network Site (SNS) appropriation process in family perspective based on family types

Many previous researchers have highlighted the positive and negative impacts of SNS usage in family environment such as improving family communications and bonding or worsen the family relationships. These impacts would varies depending on the family relationships. However, studies on SNS adoption, adaptation and use according to different types of family relationships have received little research attention. Eleven actual case studies which involved 31 respondents were selected. The data collection were conducted through interviews, observations and content analysis to achieve the main research objectives of why and how do family members adopt, adapt and use SNS according to different types of family groups. Results from the data collection were used in the development of Family Appropriation Process of Social Network Site (FAPSNS) framework which also facilitated in the understanding of SNS appropriation process criteria in family, individual, technical and extra-familial perspectives. The current level of SNS appropriation according to family groups namely Modern, Chummy and Mixed families are also identified. However, this paper is focusing on the SNS appropriation process in family perspective only. The results highlighted that Modern family has successfully appropriated Facebook at Level 3 of family perspectives. Whereas, Chummy and Mixed families have disappropriated Facebook at Level 2 in family perspective.
Expression and purification of the matrix protein of Nipah virus in baculovirus insect cell system

Nipah virus (NiV) causes fatal respiratory illness and encephalitis in humans and animals. The matrix (M) protein of NiV plays an important role in the viral assembly and budding process. Thus, an access to the NiV M protein is vital to the design of viral antigens as diagnostic reagents. In this study, recombinant DNA technology was successfully adopted in the cloning and expression of NiV M protein. A recombinant expression cassette (baculovirus expression vector) was used to encode an N‐terminally His‐tagged NiV M protein in insect cells. A time‐course study demonstrated that the highest yield of recombinant M protein (400–500 μg) was expressed from 107 infected cells 3 days after infection. A single‐step purification method based on metal ion affinity chromatography was established to purify the NiV M protein, which successfully yielded a purity level of 95.67% and a purification factor of 3.39. The Western blotting and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) showed that the purified recombinant M protein (48 kDa) was antigenic and reacted strongly with the serum of a NiV infected pig. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog. , 32:171–177, 2016
The complexities of genome analysis, the Retroid agent perspective

MOTIVATION The sequences of Retroid agents from a wide diversity of organisms constitute the largest set of complete genomes currently available for the study of genomic architecture and the transfer of information within and between organisms. These agents are ubiquitous in Eukaryotes, comprising 50-90% of the genomic information in some cases. RESULTS Analyses conducted for over a decade illustrate that Retroid agents are engaged in a wide spectrum of molecular evolutionary events. A description of these complexities is presented as a three parameter conceptual framework that considers type, size, and mechanism of events that contribute to the evolution of genes, genomes, and organisms. The results of new data mining studies further illustrate the complexity of the network of relationships among and between Retroid agents and other organisms. A hidden Markov model construction strategy is presented that generates a multiple alignment more similar to those refined by human experts. CONTACT mars@parvati.msu. montana. edu
Detection of blood vessels in the retina with multiscale Gabor filters

We propose image processing techniques for the detection of blood vessels in fundus images of the retina. The methods include the design of a bank of directionally sensitive Gabor filters with tunable scale and elongation parameters. Forty images of the retina from the Digital Retinal Images for Vessel Extraction database were used to evaluate the performance of the methods. The results of blood vessel detection using inverted green-channel images were compared with the corresponding manually segmented blood vessels. High efficiency in the detection of blood vessels with the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve of up to 0.96 was achieved with a combination of Gabor filters at three scales.
Measuring Operator’s Situation Awareness in Smart Operation of Cranes

Equipment operators play an integral role in the safe and efficiency operation of heavy equipment. They observe the environment, understand the situation, and make decisions and actions accordingly. Compared with other types of equipment, operating a crane is more sophisticated and mentally demanding, and thus crane operators are more vulnerable to human errors. Therefore, special considerations to mitigate operator errors should be taken when designing an operatorassistance system for construction cranes. With the goal of improving the operators’ situation awareness (SA) of safety risks, this research presents a technical framework and practical system architecture for an operator-assistance system by leveraging real-time motion sensing and 3D modeling of dynamic workspaces. An approach for evaluating operators’ SA was proposed to validate the effectiveness of the assistance system in actual lifting operations. Results in a series of field tests indicated that the prototype system improved the operators’ SA which resulted in an improved lift
Time-Sensitive Adaptation of Regularization Strength of Recurrent Neural Networks for Accurate Learning

Regularization is an important issue for neural networks because of strong expression power causing overfitting to data. A regularization method is to penalize cost functions by activation-based penalty. In its applications to recurrent neural networks, the method usually assigns penalty uniformly distributed over time steps. However, required strength for recurrent networks differs by time steps. In this paper we propose a new activation-based penalty function varying its strength over time steps in recurrent neural networks. To verify its impact, we conducted practical experiments to predict the power consumption of home appliances. In the results, the proposed method reduced training errors and maintained validation and test errors, which implies the improvement of forecasting ability. In sensitivity analysis, the method restricted sudden decrease of impact of early time steps to the cost.
Organ and effective doses in newborn patients during helical multislice computed tomography examination

In this study, two computational phantoms of the newborn patient were used to assess individual organ doses and effective doses delivered during head, chest, abdomen, pelvis, and torso examinations using the Siemens SOMATOM Sensation 16 helical multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) scanner. The stylized phantom used to model the patient anatomy was the revised ORNL newborn phantom by Han et al (2006 Health Phys.90 337). The tomographic phantom used in the study was that developed by Nipper et al (2002 Phys. Med. Biol. 47 3143) as recently revised by Staton et al (2006 Med. Phys. 33 3283). The stylized model was implemented within the MCNP5 radiation transport code, while the tomographic phantom was incorporated within the EGSnrc code. In both codes, the x-ray source was modelled as a fan beam originating from the focal spot at a fan angle of 52° and a focal-spot-to-axis distance of 57 cm. The helical path of the source was explicitly modelled based on variations in collimator setting (12 mm or 24 mm), detector pitch and scan length. Tube potentials of 80, 100 and 120 kVp were considered in this study. Beam profile data were acquired using radiological film measurements on a 16 cm PMMA phantom, which yielded effective beam widths of 14.7 mm and 26.8 mm for collimator settings of 12 mm and 24 mm, respectively. Values of absolute organ absorbed dose were determined via the use of normalization factors defined as the ratio of the CTDI100 measured in-phantom and that determined by Monte Carlo simulation of the PMMA phantom and ion chamber. Across various technique factors, effective dose differences between the stylized and tomographic phantoms ranged from +2% to +9% for head exams, –4% to –2% for chest exams, +8% to +24% for abdominal exams, –16% to –12% for pelvic exams and –7% to 0% for chest–abdomen–pelvis (CAP) exams. In many cases, however, relatively close agreement in effective dose was accomplished at the expense of compensating errors in individual organ dose. Per cent differences in organ dose between the stylized and tomographic phantoms at 120 kVp and 12 mm collimator setting ranged from –25% (skin) to +164% (muscle) for head exams, –92% (thyroid) to +98% (ovaries) for chest exams, –144% (uterus) to +112% (ovaries) for abdominal exams, –98% (SI wall) to +20% (thymus) for pelvic exams and –60% (extrathoracic airways) to +13% (ovaries) for CAP exams. Better agreement was seen between the two phantom types for organs entirely within the scan field. In these cases, corresponding per cent differences in organ absorbed dose did not vary more than 17%. For all scans, the effective dose was found to range approximately 1–13 mSv across the scan parameters and scan regions. The largest effective dose occurred for CAP scans at 120 kVp.
Outsourcing Logistics: Designing Transportation Contracts Between a Manufacturer and a Transporter

In our environment, a manufacturer procures material from a supplier and the supplier brings it in bulk to a warehouse. This material is then consigned to the plant area, where it is utilized as an input of the production process. This consignment process is outsourced by the manufacturer and a transportation company is selected via a bidding mechanism. Primarily, we consider the problem of designing parameters of a given contract for the transportation activity. We define three subproblems within the contract design problem that interact with each other to a certain extent. These subproblems are the vehicle dispatching problem, inventory control problem, and contract value problem. We define these problems, exploit their interactions, and propose solution methods. Moreover, we present an approach to design such transportation contracts, which is based on solving these subproblems in an order for an adequate number of contract parameter combinations and selecting the one that minimizes expected total costs for the manufacturer.
Resolving genetic models for the transmission of schizophrenia

Although family studies have consistently reported elevated rates of schizophrenia among the relatives of schizophrenics, the exact nature of the transmission of the disorder remains uncertain. Genetic models hypothesized to explain the transmission of schizophrenia include the generalized single locus and multifactorial threshold models. Here we briefly describe these models and test their goodness‐of‐fit to a single data set on the pooled morbid risks of schizophrenia among the relatives of schizophrenic probands in nine different classes of relatives with five different degrees of genetic relatedness. The generalized single locus model is rejected, while a pure polygenic threshold model does fit the observed risks. Allowance for environmental sources of familial resemblance under the multifactorial threshold model significantly improved the fit of the model to the data. An application of the multifactorial model to family data on tuberculosis is also reported. For tuberculosis, a strong familial environmental but not genetic effect was found, consistent with the known infectious etiology of this condition, showing that the finding of a strong genetic effect upon schizophrenia is not a necessary bias of these methods of analysis. The implications of these results for the search for major gene effects in schizophrenia are discussed.
Extended Survival by Urgent Liver Retransplantation after Using a First Graft with Metastasis from Initially Unrecognized Donor Sarcoma

A 58‐year‐old man underwent orthotopic liver transplantation for polycystic liver disease. Shortly after the procedure, it was discovered that the donor harbored a sarcoma of the aortic arch that had metastasized to the spleen, and bilateral renal cell carcinomas. The two sole organ recipients, our liver recipient and a lung recipient at another institution, were both listed for urgent retransplantation, which they received from the same second donor. The liver explant contained metastatic sarcoma. Twenty‐four months survival following lung retransplantation has been previously reported. We report the 76‐month disease‐free survival in the liver recipient.
An incidence matrix-based verification method for business process model in inter-domain network management system

Petri net has become one of the major formal methods for modeling and analyzing business processes. Petri net is utilized for business process modeling in inter-domain network management system. However business process models may contain errors. So model verification is of necessity and importance. A new model verification method is proposed based on incidence matrix of Petri net. It can be used to assess the correctness of business process models. The application of resource reservation in the inter-domain network management system is taken as an example to demonstrate the availability of the method.
Modelling Revenue Management Problem under Fare Class Interval Customer Choice

In order to explain customer choice conditioned on opened classes more realistically and efficiently, I assume a customer considers a discrete choice as a fare class interval and buys the lowest opened class with that interval. Unlike the traditional one-dimensioned, unstructured choice model, I model customer choice as a two-dimensioned fare class interval distribution. I take closed set as a more efficient research angle, and find out an additive principle to reduce computation. Then I turn the traditional maximized decision principle into minimized decision principle and get a new model for the maximized total revenue management problem. This model builds the foundation for more efficient explorations to revenue management problem. Keywords-modeling; customer behavior; customer choice; operational research; revenue management
Trends in U.S. Farmland Values and Ownership

Farm real estate (land and structures) is the major asset on the farm sector balance sheet, accounting for 84 percent of the total value of U.S. farm assets in 2009. Because of this, changes in agricultural land values are a critical barometer of farm sector performance and the fi nancial well-being of agricultural producers. These changes also have implications for a wide range of policy issues, including agricultural competitiveness, industry structure, commodity programs, conservation payments, farmland protection, and local property taxes. In addition to being the largest single investment in a typical farmer’s portfolio, farm real estate is the principal source of collateral for farm loans, enabling farm operators to purchase additional farmland and equipment or to fi nance current operating expenses and meet household needs.
Modeling trajectories of regional volume loss in progressive supranuclear palsy

Progressive supranuclear palsy is a neurodegenerative disease with progressive brain atrophy over time. It is unknown which specific brain regions decline over time, whether regional volume loss occurs in a linear fashion, and whether regional atrophy correlates with clinical decline over time in progressive supranuclear palsy. Twenty‐eight subjects meeting probable progressive supranuclear palsy criteria were prospectively recruited and completed 96 MRI scans over 2 years. Mixed‐effect models were utilized to determine which regions had significant atrophy over time and whether decline was linear or nonlinear. We assessed 13 regions across the brain, as well as whole‐brain and ventricular volume. Regional trajectories were also correlated with change in clinical measures of executive function and gait and ocular motor impairment. A linear decline was observed in all frontal and temporal regions, the superior parietal lobe, the thalamus, the caudate nuclei, and the midbrain, as well as in the whole brain. Ventricular expansion was also linear. Nonlinear decline was observed for the caudal middle frontal lobe and globus pallidus. Rates of change in the superior frontal lobe, thalamus, and midbrain were beyond those expected in normal aging. Decline in frontal lobe volume and the midbrain area correlated best to decline in clinical measures. In progressive supranuclear palsy, atrophy is occurring in multiple brain regions, particularly in those that have previously been implicated in the disease. Decline is mainly linear but can be nonlinear for some regions. The frontal lobe and midbrain seem to be playing the most significant roles in the progressive worsening of clinical signs in progressive supranuclear palsy. © 2013 Movement Disorder Society
Umbrella Branding in Pharmaceutical Markets

Umbrella branding is a marketing practice whereby multi-product firms leverage their reputation across different product categories. The paper investigates how advertising in the market for non-prescription drugs affects the decision to buy prescription drugs from the same firm. To estimate the effects of umbrella branding, I exploit the fact that consumer-directed advertising of prescription drugs is prohibited in Germany and identify advertising spillovers with an instrumental variable that builds on exogenous seasonality in the non-prescription drug industry. Umbrella branding results in market expansion, particularly for generic firms, and can have a positive effect on consumer welfare in under-treated therapeutic areas.
Patient Health Monitoring with a Wellness Score Using Body Area Networks

The patient health monitoring system proposed in this dissertation takes advantage of the state of art wireless sensing and wireless communication technologies. The system adds a supplementary tier to the typical architecture of a wearable wireless health monitoring system by incorporating a device fixed onto the end-user for the relay of information to a medical professional. In the prototype, four on-body sensors, measuring blood pressure, blood oxygenation, heart rate and movement, form a body area network and communicate via Bluetooth Low Energy with a near contact unit. Sensed values are stored in a server. Values are retrieved from the server, processed and analysed to produce an appropriate warning which is displayed on an end-device. Warnings are issued by a designed and validated wellness health score algorithm which combines gathered sensor readings.
The Opposing Transcriptional Activities of the Two Isoforms of the Human Progesterone Receptor Are Due to Differential Cofactor Binding

ABSTRACT The human progesterone receptor (PR) exists as two functionally distinct isoforms, hPRA and hPRB. hPRB functions as a transcriptional activator in most cell and promoter contexts, while hPRA is transcriptionally inactive and functions as a strong ligand-dependent transdominant repressor of steroid hormone receptor transcriptional activity. Although the precise mechanism of hPRA-mediated transrepression is not fully understood, an inhibitory domain (ID) within human PR, which is necessary for transrepression by hPRA, has been identified. Interestingly, although ID is present within both hPR isoforms, it is functionally active only in the context of hPRA, suggesting that the two receptors adopt distinct conformations within the cell which allow hPRA to interact with a set of cofactors that are different from those recognized by hPRB. In support of this hypothesis, we identified, using phage display technology, hPRA-selective peptides which differentially modulate hPRA and hPRB transcriptional activity. Furthermore, using a combination of in vitro and in vivo methodologies, we demonstrate that the two receptors exhibit different cofactor interactions. Specifically, it was determined that hPRA has a higher affinity for the corepressor SMRT than hPRB and that this interaction is facilitated by ID. Interestingly, inhibition of SMRT activity, by either a dominant negative mutant (C'SMRT) or histone deacetylase inhibitors, reverses hPRA-mediated transrepression but does not convert hPRA to a transcriptional activator. Together, these data indicate that the ability of hPRA to transrepress steroid hormone receptor transcriptional activity and its inability to activate progesterone-responsive promoters occur by distinct mechanisms. To this effect, we observed that hPRA, unlike hPRB, was unable to efficiently recruit the transcriptional coactivators GRIP1 and SRC-1 upon agonist binding. Thus, although both receptors contain sequences within their ligand-binding domains known to be required for coactivator binding, the ability of PR to interact with cofactors in a productive manner is regulated by sequences contained within the amino terminus of the receptors. We propose, therefore, that hPRA is transcriptionally inactive due to its inability to efficiently recruit coactivators. Furthermore, our experiments indicate that hPRA interacts efficiently with the corepressor SMRT and that this activity permits it to function as a transdominant repressor.