Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Compensations of Top Executives and M&A Behaviors: An Empirical Study of Listed Companies

This study empirically examines the relationship between executive compensation and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) behaviors by identifying the influence of short- and long-term incentive on the propensity and scale of M&A. When the short-term incentive is insufficient, M&A behaviors serve as a beneficial compensation mechanism. Thus, lack of executives’ incentive promotes the propensity to engage in M&A and significantly affects the scale of M&A. With regard to long-term incentives, M&A behaviors serve as a beneficial creation mechanism. Shareholding of executives promotes M&A propensity, and does not significantly affect the scale of M&A. This study significantly contributes to research in M&A behaviors by revealing the beneficial distribution mechanisms of M&A behaviors.
Novel Diagnostic Methods in Coronavirus Testing

Coronavirus Disease-19, an infectious disease caused by SARS-COV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2) has begun at the end of 2019 causing a global pandemic The number of cases are increasing exponentially and also so far there have been more than 3 lakh deaths Some of the symptoms include common cold, respiratory distress and breathing dif-ficulty Some of the newly reported cases do not show any of the symptoms Main diagnostic tests include RT-PCR and serologic tests, which are effec-tive and quick RT-PCR, ELISA (using different components), swab test, serologic test, nasopharyngeal aspirates, and chest-CT’s are few of the diagnostic tests conducted to identify the state of the body Preventative measures like self-isolation, social distancing, less interactions, mainly maintenance of good hygiene should be taken care Due to advancement in various technologies, there is a constant search for different diagnostic testing methods to possibly find instant and accurate results, due to the drastic increase in the number of cases worldwide and has become a pandemic problem Imaging using CT-Scan and radiographic modalities can also be used to consider the progression of the covid-19 caused by SARS-COV-2 The guaranteed treatment has still not been found but using few drugs show rapid or slow and unpredictable recovery rates RT-PCR (Swab-test) and serologic tests are found to be instant and accurate
How frequency‐dependent selection affects population fitness, maladaptation and evolutionary rescue

Frequency‐dependent (FD) selection is a central process maintaining genetic variation and mediating evolution of population fitness. FD selection has attracted interest from researchers in a wide range of biological subdisciplines, including evolutionary genetics, behavioural ecology and, more recently, community ecology. However, the implications of frequency dependence for applied biological problems, particularly maladaptation, biological conservation and evolutionary rescue remain underexplored. The neglect of FD selection in conservation is particularly unfortunate. Classical theory, dating back to the 1940s, demonstrated that frequency dependence can either increase or decrease population fitness. These evolutionary consequences of FD selection are relevant to modern concerns about population persistence and the capacity of evolution to alleviate extinction risks. But exactly when should we expect FD selection to increase versus decrease absolute fitness and population growth? And how much of an impact is FD selection expected to have on population persistence versus extinction in changing environments? The answers to these questions have implications for evolutionary rescue under climate change and may inform strategies for managing threatened populations. Here, we revisit the core theory of FD selection, reviewing classical single‐locus models of population genetic change and outlining short‐ and long‐run consequences of FD selection for the evolution of population fitness. We then develop a quantitative genetic model of evolutionary rescue in a deteriorating environment, with population persistence hinging upon the evolution of a quantitative trait subject to both frequency‐dependent and frequency‐independent natural selection. We discuss the empirical literature pertinent to this theory, which supports key assumptions of our model. We show that FD selection can promote population persistence when it aligns with the direction of frequency‐independent selection imposed by abiotic environmental conditions. However, under most scenarios of environmental change, FD selection limits a population's evolutionary responsiveness to changing conditions and narrows the rate of environmental change that is evolutionarily tolerable.
DNN‐based interference mitigation beamformer

In classical beamforming techniques such as minimum mean squared error and minimum variance distortion-less response, for computing optimum weight vector of an antenna array, direction of arrival (DoA) of desired signal should be known as prior knowledge. In this study, a deep neural-network-based beamformer is proposed for estimating the desired signal in presence of noise and interference without requiring prior knowledge on the DoA of the desired signal. In the proposed beamformer, a bidirectional long short-term memory (bi-LSTM) is employed for estimating samples of interferences. On the other hand, samples of the desired signal are estimated by either another bi-LSTM or a convolutional neural network. The signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) at the output of the proposed beamformer is 10 dB higher than the SINR at the output of the classical beamformers when the number of available snapshots is as low as 100. The proposed beamformer has promising performance when the input interference to signal ratio is as high as 34 dB and the input signal-to-noise ratio is as low as −10 dB.
Bernotti V-Y plasty techniq ue for root coverage procedure

Gingival recession is the exposure of the root surface resulting from migration of the gingival margin apical to the cementoenamel junction (CEJ). It may be localized or generalized and can be associated with one or more tooth surfaces. Even though gingival recession may occur without any symptoms it can give rise to pain from exposed dentin, patient concern about loss of the tooth, poor esthetics or root caries. The denuded root surfaces cause deterioration in the esthetic appearance, dentin hypersensitivity, and inability to perform proper oral hygiene procedures. The Bernotti V-Y flap is a coronally advanced flap technique with a “VY” flap design, which consist of a microsurgery technique with or without connective tissue graft, that will improve mucosal biotype and keratinized band in a predictable way for isolated mucosal recession, dehiscence and translucent tissue at teeth or implant sites. It is a conservative flap design, inspired by Semilunar and Modified Semilunar Tarnow’s technique, to minimize interproximal crestal bone loss and possible loss of papillae around teeth or implants, marginal mucosal position is stabilized avoiding adverse aesthetic outcomes. Miller’s Class I and II recession defects with a minimum height of (two) 2 mm are suitable to be selected to perform the Bernotti V-Y flap. The Bernotti V-Y flap consist of a pedicle flap, making a ¨V ¨incision apically to the recession defect and the flap is coronally advanced. Stability and aesthetic outcomes are achieved with the Bernotti V-Y flap. Keywords: Bernotti VY, Gingival recession, Root coverage.
Genetic mapping of pre-harvest sprouting resistance loci in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the germination of mature grain while still in spike. PHS causes downgrading of grain quality which severely limits its enduse. In western Canada, cool and wet weather during harvest makes the crops susceptible to PHS. Breeding for PHS tolerance in wheat is challenging on phenotypic basis because PHS is inherited quantitatively and strongly affected by environmental conditions. A mapping population of one hundred and fifty one doubled haploid (DH) lines from a cross between two spring wheat cultivars ND690 (non-dormant) and W98616 (dormant) was developed for genetic mapping of PHS resistance loci. Initially, 20 dormant and 20 non dormant lines were used for genetic mapping with SSR (Simple sequence repeat) and AFLP (Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism) markers. A total of 550 markers (300 SSR markers and 250 AFLP) markers have been mapped on different chromosomes. Five chromosomal regions on the chromosomes 1A, 3B, 4A, 5B and 6B associated with pre-harvest sprouting were identified in this study.
Increasing energy transfer over Eurasia and the North Atlantic enhancing the Eurasian low‐frequency wave and boreal summer droughts in China

The prolonged droughts that frequently occur in northern China are related to persistent anomalies of circulation and the low‐frequency waves. To explore the formation of the low‐frequency waves and the related internal variability and external forcing, the intra‐seasonal kinetic energy (KE) and the corresponding energy transfer terms are investigated algorithmically with multiscale energy and vorticity analysis. The results show two major energy sources located over the central North Atlantic (NA) and Europe, with increasing baroclinicity and energy conversion. The major energy conversion is from basic flow to intra‐seasonal KE, which corresponds to a southeastern extension of NA jet stream (JS) exit and the northward shift in the entrance of Afro Asian JS. JS shifts are helpful to the conjunction of both JS, and thereby enhance JS waveguide and wave energy dispersion. In addition, with increasing surface temperature and diabatic heating over Europe and the Mediterranean Sea, there are increase baroclinicity that facilitates the buoyancy energy conversion, ascending KE flux and positive pressure flux in the lower troposphere, those result in higher mid‐upper‐troposphere KE. The divergent energy contributes to the development and enhancement of the low‐frequency waves, favouring the extratropical eddy, wave structure, and quasi‐stationary waves amplitude, which is thereby conducive to magnified wave amplitude and extreme droughts in northern China. The results emphasize the internal dynamics and local forcing and provide prediction reference for extratropical extremes.
Impact of e-banking service quality on e-loyalty in pandemic times through interplay of e-satisfaction

Purpose This study aims to empirically explore e-banking service quality and its impact on the e-banking loyalty through a mediating impact of e-banking satisfaction. The account holders of three domestic systemically important banks of Pakistan were surveyed during COVID-19 to examine the electronic services provided by these banks. Design/methodology/approach The data was collected through an adapted questionnaire by using emails and messaging applications. The database of a local marketing company in Pakistan was used, and 976 responses were included in the analysis. The structured equation modeling was used to test the propositions of study. Findings The findings delineate that reliability and website design proved to increase e-banking loyalty, particularly during COVID-19. The link between e-banking privacy and security and e-banking loyalty was proved as fully mediated by e-banking satisfaction; however, indirect effect of the reliability and website design with e-banking loyalty was partially mediated. Practical implications In strategic planning of e-banking mechanisms and the associated consumer behavior, the results of this study can be helpful for policymakers. In case of similar epidemics and natural calamities, consumers may depict similar behavior as shown during the lockdown and social distancing during COVID-19; hence, the study can help regulatory bodies in preparing their safety roadmap. Originality/value The mediating effect of e-banking satisfaction between privacy & Security and e-banking loyalty implies that customer give importance to secure e-banking platforms. There can be a variation in their loyalty because of privacy concerns. The application of cognitive–motivational–relational (CMR) theory in a relationship between e-banking service quality and e-banking loyalty with a mediating role of satisfaction is an emotional response to capture the behavioral changes during COVID-19. It enables researchers to understand the CMR theory concerning COVID-19 and e-banking perspective.
The complete mitochondrial genome of Geoemyda spengleri its phylogenetic implications

Abstract In this study, we determined the entire mitochondrial genome of Geoemyda spengleri. The complete mitogenome sequence was 17,448 bp in length, containing 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and 2 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes; it also featured a control region (D-Loop). The overall nucleotide composition was as follows: A, 33.7%; T, 27.6%; C, 25.6%; and G, 13.1%, with a total A + T content of 61.3%. The phylogenetic analysis demonstrated a close relationship between G. spengleri, Sacalia quadriocellata, Sacalia bealei, Cyclemys oldhamii, and other species in Geoemydidae.
A Study of Cross-Linguistic Speech Emotion Recognition Based on 2D Feature Spaces

In this research, a study of cross-linguistic speech emotion recognition is performed. For this purpose, emotional data of different languages (English, Lithuanian, German, Spanish, Serbian, and Polish) are collected, resulting in a cross-linguistic speech emotion dataset with the size of more than 10.000 emotional utterances. Despite the bi-modal character of the databases gathered, our focus is on the acoustic representation only. The assumption is that the speech audio signal carries sufficient emotional information to detect and retrieve it. Several two-dimensional acoustic feature spaces, such as cochleagrams, spectrograms, mel-cepstrograms, and fractal dimension-based space, are employed as the representations of speech emotional features. A convolutional neural network (CNN) is used as a classifier. The results show the superiority of cochleagrams over other feature spaces utilized. In the CNN-based speaker-independent cross-linguistic speech emotion recognition (SER) experiment, the accuracy of over 90% is achieved, which is close to the monolingual case of SER.
Improving Web QoE Monitoring for Encrypted Network Traffic through Time Series Modeling

This paper addresses the problem of Quality of Experience (QoE) monitoring for web browsing. In particular, the inference of common Web QoE metrics such as Speed Index (SI) is investigated. Based on a large dataset collected with open web-measurement platforms on different device-types, a unique feature set is designed and used to estimate the RUMSI - an efficient approximation to SI, with machinelearning based regression and classification approaches. Results indicate that it is possible to estimate the RUMSI accurately, and that in particular, recurrent neural networks are highly suitable for the task, as they capture the network dynamics more precisely.
Post-entry growth in scope and scale among Chinese multinational enterprises: a structural embeddedness explanation

PurposeBoth the scope of postentry growth and the scale of postentry growth are essential for Chinese multinational enterprises' aggressive internationalization. Yet, prior literature has not considered the synergistic approach of postentry growth that seeks the scope of growth and the scale of growth simultaneously. Building upon the embeddedness perspective and the learning view, we address how structural embeddedness directly affects firms' postentry growth in the form of scope and scale and indirectly affects postentry growth via both the scope of growth and the scale of growth. Particularly, we investigate the decreasing mediating effect of the growth's scale on the growth's scope when embeddedness strengthens.Design/methodology/approachWith a survey data set of 206 Chinese multinational firms from manufacturing and service industries, we conduct structural equation modeling (SEM), partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM), instantaneous indirect effect assessment and hierarchical linear regression model to test our hypotheses.FindingsFirst, Chinese multinational enterprises’ (CMNEs) structural embeddedness is positively related to their scope of postentry growth, while has a U-shaped relationship with their scale of postentry growth. Second, CMNEs' scope of postentry growth mediates the relationship between structural embeddedness and the scale of postentry growth, the mediation effect counts for 33.5% of the over effect. Finally, the indirect effect of structural embeddedness on the scope of postentry growth through the scale of postentry growth is nonlinear. As the structural embeddedness strengthens, the positive indirect effect gradually weakens.Originality/valueWe believe this study further connects core international business research on postentry growth to the fast-growing literature on emerging markets multinational enterprises' internationalization. In addition, we undertake an initial effort in addressing an important gap in the literature: how structural embeddedness matters to firms' postentry growth. Moreover, this study finds important evidence to support the direct and indirect effect of structural embeddedness on postentry growth.
Persistence of Culturable Antibiotic Resistant Fecal Coliforms From Manure Amended Vegetable Fields

The reduced efficacy of antibiotics in treating common infections is one of the most pressing health concerns of the 21st Century. Increasing evidence links the widespread use of antibiotics in livestock production to the transfer of bacteria carrying antibiotic resistance genes to the broader environment. It is therefore critical to understand the persistence and dissemination of resistance in agricultural soils to understand potential threats to consumers. The goal of this large-scale agricultural field experiment was to identify the effects of crop (lettuce, radish) and fertilizer type (inorganic, compost, raw manure) on the incidence and persistence of antibiotic-resistant fecal coliforms, a common family of fecal indicator bacteria used to track the environmental spread of antibiotic resistance. Soil samples were collected eight times over a 120-day period and analyzed for fecal coliforms utlizing a suite of MacConkey agars supplemented with different antibiotics (ceftazidime, clindamycin, erythromycin, sulfamethoxazole, and tetracycline). Given the number of samples with resistant fecal coliform concentrations below the limit of detection, analyses to identify the effects of soil treatment and crop relied on Zero-inflated Poisson Regressions. Antibioticresistant culturable fecal coliforms were recoverable from soils across all treatments immediately following application, though persistence throughout the experiment varied by antibiotic. Sulfamethoxazoleand tetracycline-resistant fecal coliforms were nondetectable after Day 1; this was expected, as the cattle supplying the manure amendments were not treated with these antibiotics or similar analogs. Clindamycinand erythromycin-resistant fecal coliforms were nondetectable after 42 days but rebounded on Day 90 in the soil; both of these drugs were of the same antibiotic class as the ones used to treat the dairy cattle during the manure collection period. Ceftazidime-resistant fecal coliform levels were consistently high throughout the duration of the growing season. No statistical differences were observed between root and aboveground crops. Results suggest that soils amended with raw or composted dairy manure are at risk of contamination with antibiotic resistant fecal coliforms; however, composting decreased the antibiotic resistant fecal coliform levels of the macrolide (erythromycin) and lincosamide (clindamycin) antibiotic classes administered to the dairy cattle (cephapirin and pirlimycin).
In vitro anti-plasmodial activity of crude extracts of Gardenia ternifolia, Pittosporum viridiflorum and Phytolaca dodecandra used for treatment of malaria in Kericho County, Kenya.

Background Worldwide malaria caused by P. falciparum is still the most leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Poor access to treatment in endemic region and parasite resistance to artemisinin drugs with its derivatives has completely affected the efficient treatment of this disease. Herbs offer greatest foundation for development and discovery of new antimalarial agents and a way to ensure that everyone get access to these drugs. The aim of this study was to determine i n vitro anti-plasmodial activity of crude extracts of three plants namely G ardenia ternifolia roots bark (family Rubiaceae), Pittosporum viridiflorum stem bark (family Papilionaceae) and Phytolaca dodecandra leaves (family Phytolaceae ) used for treatment of malaria by traditional herbal medicine men in Kericho County, Kenya. Methods The study aimed to investigate in vitro anti-plasmodial activity of hexane, dichloromethane (DCM), Methanol (MeOH) and 5% H 2 O/MeOH extracts of the three plants against mefloquine/ chloroquine resistance (W2) and mefloquine/chloroquine sensitive (3D7) strains of P. falciparum . Anti-plasmodial activity of the exudates was measured using a standard in vitro (Micro-Test (MARK III) kit) assay. Results Chemosupression of all the tested plants extracts was high and moderate having their IC 50 < 10µg/ml and expressing a sigmoid curve except the DCM extract of plant P. viridiflorum. 3D7 clone was extremely susceptible having the mean IC 50 < 5µg/ mL to all the plant extracts except again DCM extract of plant P. viridiflorum. Results trend of extracts were similar to that of Mefloquine and chloroquine suggesting that there was a similar manner of action. Conclusion Demonstrated activity in vitro by the three plant species shows the potential of African traditional medicine in treating/preventing malaria, hence it will be imperative to isolate various metabolites of the three tested plants for qualitative and quantitative analysis and further, in-vivo analysis using murine and primate models should be performed with an aim of them being drug candidates for malaria.
Evaluation of the Effects of a Supplement Composed by Quercetin, Rutin, Bromelain and L-Carnosine in Patients with Borderline Uricemia

The aim of this study was to evaluate if a nutraceutical containing quercetin, rutin, bromelain and L-carnosine (Uricemin®) can reduce uric acid levels in subjects with values between ≥ 6 and < 7 mg/dl after 3 months of therapy. Patients were randomized to Uricemin® or placebo for three months. We evaluated body weight, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), lipid profile, uricemia (UA), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (Hs-CRP) at baseline and after 3 months since the study start. Treatment tolerability was assessed evaluating transaminases, and creatinine, and all adverse events were recorded. A total of 116 patients were enrolled in the trial. Of these, 59 were randomized to the nutraceutical and 57 to placebo. One hundred and seven subjects completed the study, and were included in the analysis. We did not record any change in glycemia, or lipid profile in neither group. We observed a reduction of uricemia, and Hs-CRP in the group treated with Uricemin®, compared to baseline and to placebo (p < 0.05 for both). The results of this study suggested that a combination of quercetin, rutin, bromelain and L-carnosine can be useful in reducing uricemia in patients with borderline uricemia.