Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Corporate Governance Practices and Problems Faced by SMEs in Malaysia

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are vital for economic growth in the emerging economies. SMEs are the big contributor to the GDP and employment in every country. It is important that the corporate governance practices need to be implemented to monitor and control firms and their majority shareholders. The ownership concentration in Malaysian SMEs has resulted in less protection of the minority shareholders. This is because; most of the companies are family based, where the family members hold the top management positions. Therefore, the majority shareholders are involved in the act of expropriation, which results loss of huge amount of money and trust of the minority shareholders. In Malaysia, the SMEs does not have any documented corporate governance code, this creates the problems like expropriation. This study is focused on medium sized SMEs. Furthermore, this study investigates the extent of expropriation of minority shareholders and the necessity to have a comprehensive code to monitor the firms and control the stakeholders, and also it helps to protect the minority shareholders’ rights.
Comparison of medication adherence in diabetes mellitus patients on human versus analogue insulins

ABSTRACT Objetive: This study evaluated the results of treatment adherence scales in two cohorts of patients with diabetes mellitus treated either with human or analogue insulins. Methods: A cohort study was conducted in diabetes mellitus patients older than 18 that were being treated with human or analogue insulins. Two instruments were applied to each patient [medication possession ratio, Morisky-Green test] to evaluate treatment adherence. Results: A total of 238 patients, were included. The majority (69.4%) of the subjects had human insulin and 30.6% had insulin analogue prescriptions. Out of the total, 163 (68.5%) cases were classified as adherent to therapy, according to the type of insulin, as follows: 69.9% for conventional and 65.3% for analogues; without differences between the groups (CI95%:0.450–1.458). The adherence to treatment was more probable in patients with elementary-secondary education (OR:2.341; CI95%:1.199–4.568) and less probable for those in the age range of 31–45 years (OR:0.427; CI95%:0.187–0.971). Conclusions: The results of this study show that there are no significant statistical differences in adherence when comparing human with analogue insulin therapy. Strategies to improve treatment adherence are particularly important since they improve the clinical results.
Étude expérimentale d'un jet plan turbulent se développant dans un flux uniforme en co-courant

Cette etude experimentale porte sur la mesure et l'analyse du comportement d'un rideau d'air plan, vertical descendant, lorsqu'il se developpe dans un flux uniforme en co-courant. Le rapport r entre la vitesse du cocourant et la vitesse du jet evolue dans la gamme [0; 0, 3] qui comprend le cas du jet plan classique sans co-courant (r = 0). La motivation de l'etude est, pour le laboratoire d'accueil de la these (Irstea de Rennes, equipe Aeraulique et Controle des Atmospheres Turbulentes), l'apport de connaissances precises sur les rideaux d'air separateurs d'ambiance, en proprete et en temperature, pour la maitrise des ambiances locales dans l'industrie agroalimentaire et plus largement dans le domaine de la securite sanitaire des aliments. Cette etude porte principalement sur le cas isotherme, sans difference de temperature entre le jet et le co-courant, les cas anisothermes etant seulement abordes en investigation reduite dans le dernier chapitre (chap. IV). L'analyse de la turbulence est au centre de cette etude. Elle est menee a partir des differentes grandeurs caracteristiques, dont les profils de tensions de Reynolds et les echelles turbulentes caracteristiques. Elle sous-tend egalement l'analyse des evolutions des grandeurs moyennes, en particulier l'expansion du profil de vitesse moyenne. Le principal moyen d'investigation experimentale est l'anemometrie par fils chauds croises a temperature constante (CTA). La Velocimetrie par Images de Particules (PIV) est utilisee dans le chapitre IV comme moyen insensible a la temperature, pour les etudes de cas anisothermes. Le rideau plan en co-courant a ete mis en oeuvre dans une soufflerie verticale specifique dont la veine d'essai a une hauteur utile de deux metres (chap. II). L'etude s'appuie sur une analyse bibliographique (chap. I) centree sur les equations de la turbulence appliquees aux jets plans. L'analyse du comportement dans le cas isotherme (chap. III) s'interesse principalement a l'influence du rapport de vitesse r et du nombre de Reynolds. Un raisonnement mene sur le choix des variables d'adimensionnement pour decrire le comportement du jet amene a proposer un adimensionnement global, a la fois pour l'evolution de la vitesse moyenne sur l'axe, pour l'expansion de l'epaisseur du jet et pour l'evolution des fluctuations rms de vitesse. On obtient ainsi un modele de comportement generalisable aux differentes valeurs de r pour les jets en co-courant, avec au passage une methode interessante pour evaluer par ce biais des caracteristiques du cas limite du jet plan sans co-courant. Les donnees completes et precises obtenues par fils croises permettent, en fin de chapitre III, de mener une description et analyse des echelles caracteristiques de la turbulence. Il apparait que les echelles integrales sont coherentes avec le modele propose pour l'expansion du jet et que les echelles de Kolmogorov s'en deduisent ensuite par un recours a un rapport universel, fonction du nombre de Reynolds local.
Product Diversification Deciphered

Purpose: Since researchers from different streams have used varied methodologies, that are complex to measure a firm’s level of corporate diversification, the primary purpose of this paper is to provide practicing managers a range of alternate measures of diversification that can be computed with ease, from data that are available in their day-to-day management information systems. Design/ methodology/ approach: Using a sample of large companies listed in the Bombay stock exchange, unrelated diversification index based on entropy measure is calculated. Five, alternative measures of diversification are developed from the same data set. Using hierarchical regression, this study explores as to which of the product diversification measures developed, explains the unrelated diversification measure calculated based on the Entropy measure. Findings: The study provides the practicing managers three alternate measures of diversification, the proportion of the largest two-digit industry sales to total firm sales (DIVH2D), the number of products a firm produces (DIVNP) and the proportion of the ‘number of two-digit industry codes to the number of four-digit industry code’ (DIV2B4). These help managers gauge their firm’s extent of unrelated diversification. Research limitations/ implications: The alternate measures of diversification help the managers’ benchmark their level of unrelated diversity, without having to go through the pain of calculating diversity through traditional methodologies that are complex and cumbersome.
Features of the honey bee APIS mellifera genome versus fruit fly drosophila melanogaster

The analysis of the nuclear and the mitochondrial genomes of the honey bee Apis mellifera in comparison with the well-annotated, finished fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster genome was presented in this article. The nuclear genome of the honey bee has about 245 millions b.p. which distributed in 16 chromosomes and contains about 10 thousands genes. The mitochondrial genome of the A. mellifera has about 16 thousands b.p. which located in mitochondrion’s and contains 35 genes. The nuclear genome of the fruit fly has about 144 millions b.p. which distributed in 4 chromosomes and contains about 17 thousands genes. The mitochondrial genome of the D. melanogaster has about 19 thousands b.p., which located in mitochondrion’s and contains 37 genes. Despite the full sequencing of the nuclear and the mitochondrial genomes of the A. mellifera the function of several genes and loci of A. mellifera are not disclosed fully. A comparative analysis of the genomes of A. mellifera and D. melanogaster using bioinformatics techniques allowed to reveal the features of the structure and function of the honey bee A. mellifera genome. The genome of A. mellifera have more similarity with the vertebrate genome than D. melanogaster. The genome of A. mellifera contains less genes of the native immunity, of detoxification enzymes, of cuticle proteins and taste receptors compared with D. melanogaster. However, A. mellifera contains new genes associated with olfactory receptors, the processing of pollen and nectar, poison organs, wax glands, caste determination and labor division which absent at D. melanogaster. Probably, this is due to the ecology of bees and their social evolution.
Tutorial: Using Color Effectively in Computer Graphics

In computer graphics, judicious use of colors helps to get the message across. Using several tasks that engage the user in different ways as examples, this tutorial outlines principles for using color effectively in computer graphics. These principles offer a starting point for color choices in the context of user-centered designs. The tutorial provides color selection guidelines based on biological, psychological and technological considerations. Each section ends with a few general guidelines for color selection, summarizing the main points discussed. Prototyping and usability assessment will help you refine and verify your own color choices for each application.
In vivo tibial compression decreases osteolysis and tumor formation in a human metastatic breast cancer model

Bone metastasis, the leading cause of breast cancer‐related deaths, is characterized by bone degradation due to increased osteoclastic activity. In contrast, mechanical stimulation in healthy individuals upregulates osteoblastic activity, leading to new bone formation. However, the effect of mechanical loading on the development and progression of metastatic breast cancer in bone remains unclear. Here, we developed a new in vivo model to investigate the role of skeletal mechanical stimuli on the development and osteolytic capability of secondary breast tumors. Specifically, we applied compressive loading to the tibia following intratibial injection of metastatic breast cancer cells (MDA‐MB231) into the proximal compartment of female immunocompromised (SCID) mice. In the absence of loading, tibiae developed histologically‐detectable tumors with associated osteolysis and excessive degradation of the proximal bone tissue. In contrast, mechanical loading dramatically reduced osteolysis and tumor formation and increased tibial cancellous mass due to trabecular thickening. These loading effects were similar to the baseline response we observed in non‐injected SCID mice. In vitro mechanical loading of MDA‐MB231 in a pathologically relevant 3D culture model suggested that the observed effects were not due to loading‐induced tumor cell death, but rather mediated via decreased expression of genes interfering with bone homeostasis. Collectively, our results suggest that mechanical loading inhibits the growth and osteolytic capability of secondary breast tumors after their homing to the bone, which may inform future treatment of breast cancer patients with advanced disease. © 2013 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
Blunted erythropoietin response to anaemia in rheumatoid arthritis

Summary. The relationship of serum immunoreactive erythropoietin to haemoglobin concentration was defined for 54 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 41 patients with anaemia of varying aetiology (excluding pregnancy and renal insufficiency), not associated with RA. Significant inverse correlations between the logarithm of serum immunoreactive erythropoietin and the haemoglobin concentration were noted for the anaemic patients in both groups. The regression line for the RA patients had a similar slope, but a significantly lower y‐intercept as compared to that for the non‐RA patients. Erythropoietin levels were also significantly lower for the group of RA patients than for the group of non‐RA patients when matched for comparable haemoglobin concentrations. These studies suggest that the erythropoietin response to anaemia in RA is intact but blunted relative to that for anaemia of other aetiologies. Lower levels of serum erythropoietin in anaemic RA patients may contribute to the pathogenesis of their anaemia.
Adaptive Statistical Signatures of Network Soft-Failures in User Devices

Efficient fault detection and characterization are crucial requirements for automated network diagnosis systems. In this paper, we present normalized statistical signatures (NSSs), a network ‘softfailure’ characterization technique for user devices (UDs) based upon exhaustive sets of aggregated statistical features extracted from transmission control protocol (TCP) packet streams. TCP streams are collected on-demand (e.g. upon user complaint) with fixed data transfer limits to capture the artifacts resulting from UD faults. NSSs created using live network and testbed data are able to uniquely characterize many faults and offer insight into how various types of features are affected by the faults and networks. We then introduce the link adaptive signature estimation (LASE) technique to reduce the quantities of collected NSSs required for generalized diagnostic systems with variable link parameters. We create feature estimator functions using multivariate regression techniques to generate artificial NSSs, which are subsequently used to train machine learning systems that have robust generalization capabilities. Performance of a prototype fault classifier system based on NSSs shows that an overall detection accuracy of 98% can be achieved for eight types of faults in a live network environment. In this paper, we specifically focus on formulating the basic framework of NSS and LASE, and limit the analysis to wired networks. This work can later be extended to encompass more complex fixed and mobile wireless networking environments. We expect that the combination of NSSs and LASE can serve as the foundation of next-generation automated network diagnosis systems.
RNA-dependent RNA Polymerase Activity of the Soluble Recombinant Hepatitis C Virus NS5B Protein Truncated at the C-terminal Region*

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5B protein encodes an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP), which is the central catalytic enzyme of HCV replicase. We established a new method to purify soluble HCV NS5B in the glutathioneS-transferase-fused form NS5Bt from Escherichia coli which lacks the C-terminal 21 amino acid residues encompassing a putative anchoring domain (anino acids 2990–3010). The recombinant soluble protein exhibited RdRP activity in vitro which was dependent upon the template and primer, but it did not exhibit the terminal transferase activity that has been reported to be associated with the recombinant NS5B protein from insect cells. The RdRP activity of purified glutathioneS-transferase-NS5Bt and thrombin-cleavaged non-fused NS5Bt shares most of the properties. Substitution mutations of NS5Bt at the GDD motif, which is highly conserved among viral RdRPs, and at the clustered basic residues (amino acids 2919–2924 and 2693–2699) abolished the RdRP activity. The C-terminal region of NS5B, which is dispensable for the RdRP activity, dramatically affected the subcellular localization of NS5B retaining it in perinuclear sites in transiently overexpressed mammalian cells. These results may provide some clues to dissecting the molecular mechanism of the HCV replication and also act as a basis for developing new anti-viral drugs.
A Y-Shaped Stub Proximity Coupled V-Slot Microstrip Patch Antenna

A Y-shaped proximity coupled V-slot microstrip patch antenna (MPA) is presented in this letter. Separating the patch from the Y-shaped stub by a foam layer with height of 0.05lambda0 (lambda0 is the free-space wavelength at the center frequency), the proposed MPA shows an impedance bandwidth (BW) of 21%, simple structure and a high gain of about 9 dBi, which is not sensitive to the fabrication and construction errors
Contribution à la commande adaptative robuste par modes glissants

Cette these a pour objectif le developpement d’une famille de commandes adaptatives robustes par modes glissant pour une large classe de systemes non lineaires incertains et perturbes. Ainsi, deux lois de commande ont ete developpees. Dans la premiere, le modele du systeme a ete reformule de telle sorte que toutes les dynamiques inconnues soient regroupees dans une seule fonction et ainsi utiliser un seul approximateur. Dans ce contexte, les reseaux d’ondelettes flous ont ete d’abord utilises vus leurs convergences rapides mais ils ne permettent de donner de bons resultats en presence des informations linguistiques incertaines. Afin de remedier a cela, un systeme flou de type-2 a ete utilise. Pour assurer la robustesse vis-a-vis des perturbations externes, des incertitudes et erreurs d’approximation, le mode glissant a ete propose. Pour reduire les sollicitations au demarrage au niveau du signal de commande, une surface non-lineaire a ete introduite. La loi de commande ainsi construite permet d’assurer la robustesse et la stabilite globale du systeme boucle tout en eliminant le phenomene de chattering dans le cas du mode glissant classique. Cependant, le choix des gains de la surface de glissement devient complique pour des systemes d’ordre superieur a 2. Pour resoudre ce probleme, une nouvelle loi de commande par mode glissant a ete proposee. L’avantage principal de cette approche reside dans le fait que la surface de glissement a ete modifiee de telle sorte que la phase d’approche a ete supprimee ce qui rend le systeme plus robuste et augmente sa vitesse de convergence aux signaux de references.
The Flying Monkey : a multifunctional mesoscale robot that can run , fly , and grasp

The possibilities and ease of control make a quadrotor aircraft an attractive platform for studying swarm behavior, modeling, and control. The energetics of sustained flight for small aircraft, however, limit typical applications to only a few minutes. Adding payloads – and the mechanisms used to manipulate them – reduces this flight time even further. In this paper we present the flying monkey, a novel robot platform having three main capabilities: walking, grasping, and flight. This new robotic platform merges one of the world’s smallest quadrotor aircraft the Dragonfly, with a lightweight, single-degree-of-freedom walking mechanism and an SMAactuated gripper to enable all three functions in a 30 g package. The main goal and key contribution of this paper is to design and prototype the flying monkey that has increased mission life and capabilities through the combination of the functionalities of legged and aerial robots.
Some graph invariants related to the distance matrix of a digraph

Abstract: It is the very usual case that the sbortest paths between all pairs of vertices in a given graph are required. Then the distance matrix D of such graph has to be arranged. In addition some quantities related to the distance matrix D can be useful. The program in the system Mathematica was created to calculate specific quantities for a given directed graph. Further the determinant of the distance matrix and the distance polynomial for a cycle with n vertices were found.
Mutational Analysis of a Conserved Signal-Transducing Element: the HAMP Linker of the Escherichia coli Nitrate Sensor NarX

ABSTRACT The HAMP linker, a predicted structural element observed in sensor proteins from all domains of life, is proposed to transmit signals between extracellular sensory input domains and cytoplasmic output domains. HAMP (histidine kinase, adenylyl cyclase, methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein, and phosphatase) linkers are located just inside the cytoplasmic membrane and are projected to form two short amphipathic α-helices (AS-1 and AS-2) joined by an unstructured connector. The presumed helices are comprised of hydrophobic residues in heptad repeats, with only three positions exhibiting strong conservation. We generated missense mutations at these three positions and throughout the HAMP linker in the Escherichia coli nitrate sensor kinase NarX and screened the resulting mutants for defective responses to nitrate. Most missense mutations in this region resulted in a constitutive phenotype mimicking the ligand-bound state, and only one residue (a conserved Glu before AS-2) was essential for HAMP linker function. We also scanned the narX HAMP linker with an overlapping set of seven-residue deletions. Deletions in AS-1 and the connector resulted in constitutive phenotypes. Two deletions in AS-2 resulted in a novel reversed response phenotype in which the response to ligand was the opposite of that seen for the narX+ strain. These observations are consistent with the proposed HAMP linker structure, show that the HAMP linker plays an active role in transmembrane signal transduction, and indicate that the two amphipathic α-helices have different roles in signal transduction.
Role of Heat Shock Proteins in Livestock Adaptation to Heat Stress

The present review is an attempt to signify the importance of heat shock proteins in livestock adaptation during heat stress. The cellular and molecular responses in livestock are very crucial as it may lead to identification of confirmatory biomarker for heat stress in livestock. Thermo-tolerant gene expression and elevated heat shock protein (HSP) levels are observed to be the ultimate response through which the cell survives the heat stress. The HSPs have chaperonic activity ensuring the folding, unfolding and refolding of stress-denatured proteins. The components of heat shock response include heat shock factors (HSFs), heat shock element (HSE) and HSP. The cellular response to heat stress in mammalian organisms is controlled at the transcription level and it is mediated by a family of HSF which are regulated by the corresponding HSF genes. The activated HSFs bind with the HSE in the promoter region of HSP genes culminating in enhanced transcription of HSP mRNA. The HSP70, HSP90 and HSP27 are the predominant HSPs having protective role during heat stress in farm animals. Among these HSPs studied, HSP70 was identified to be the ideal biological marker for quantifying heat stress in animals.
Fast background subtraction for moving cameras based on nonparametric models

Abstract. In this paper, a fast background subtraction algorithm for freely moving cameras is presented. A nonparametric sample consensus model is employed as the appearance background model. The as-similar-as-possible warping technique, which obtains multiple homographies for different regions of the frame, is introduced to robustly estimate and compensate the camera motion between the consecutive frames. Unlike previous methods, our algorithm does not need any preprocess step for computing the dense optical flow or point trajectories. Instead, a superpixel-based seeded region growing scheme is proposed to extend the motion cue based on the sparse optical flow to the entire image. Then, a superpixel-based temporal coherent Markov random field optimization framework is built on the raw segmentations from the background model and the motion cue, and the final background/foreground labels are obtained using the graph-cut algorithm. Extensive experimental evaluations show that our algorithm achieves satisfactory accuracy, while being much faster than the state-of-the-art competing methods.