Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Concrete produced using crushed bricks as aggregate

This paper presents the results of a research program carried out at University of Aveiro, Portugal to evaluate the properties of concrete made with crushed bricks and tiles. Two types of brick and one type of tile were investigated. These materials were crushed in order to obtain a usable aggregate. The properties investigated were the workability and the density of fresh concrete, and the compressive strength, tensile splitting strength, modulus of elasticity and stress strain behavior of hardened concrete. Compressive strength was measured at 7, 14, 28 and 90 days. Different replacement ratios were investigated as well as different water/cement ratios. The results of concrete produced with recycled aggregates were compared with a reference concrete produced with natural limestone aggregates currently used in Portugal. The results that were observed seemed to indicate that ceramic residuals could be used as partial replacement of natural aggregates in concrete. The type and the manufacturing process of bricks seem to influence the behavior of concrete. The resulting strength of concrete with bricks indicates the possibility of using this type of concrete in different precast applications. material for new ceramic materials. Nevertheless, part of these wastes and those produced by the construction industry are placed in landfills. Concrete is a material that is often seen as a potential place for wastes, because of its composite nature (a binder, water and aggregates) and because it is widely used, which means that if a waste could be used in concrete, then certainly large quantities of the waste material are crecycled. Regardless of several studies in this field, such as those from Poon et al. (2002), Khalafand e DeVenny (2004a e 2004b) Brito et al. (2005), there are some questions regarding the behaviour of concrete produced with ceramic wastes as aggregate. This uncertainty is basically related with heterogeneity of wastes, different compositions, reduced strength of crushed brick aggregates, lamellar shape of aggregates and so on. The aim of this work is to investigate the effect of the replacement of natural coarse aggregate by two types of crushed bricks.
Use of Infrared Satellite Observations for the Surface Temperature Retrieval over Land in a NWP Context

In Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP), an accurate description of surface temperature is needed to assimilate satellite observations. These observations produced by infrared and microwave sensors, help retrieving good quality land surface temperature (LST) by using surface sensitive channels and emissivity atlases. This work is a preparatory step in order to assimilate LSTs in Météo-France NWP models surface analysis. We focus on IASI and SEVIRI sensors. The first part of this work aims at comparing the SEVIRI retrieved LST to local observations from two stations included in the meso-scale AROME-France domain over four periods from different seasons. Diurnal cycles of local LST and SEVIRI LST show a good agreement especially for the summer period. Averaged biases show seasonal variability and are smaller during Winter and Autumn with less than 1 K values for both stations. The second part of the study deals with the comparison of LST values retrieved from different infrared sensors in AROME-France model. First results show encouraging agreement between both LSTs. A comparison during Autumn period for clear sky conditions reveals an almost null bias and a standard deviation of about 1.6 K. More detailed comparisons were performed over contrasted seasons with a special attention to diurnal cycles for both sensors. A better agreement is noticed during nighttime. The last step of this inter-comparison was to study the simulation of SEVIRI and IASI brightness temperatures by using a fast radiative transfer model. Thus, several simulations have been run covering various dates from different seasons by daytime and nighttime using SEVIRI LSTs, IASI LSTs and AROME-France model LSTs. Simulated brightness temperatures were then compared to observations. As expected, the best simulations are the ones using the LST retrieved from the sensor for which simulations are performed. However, the LST retrieved from another sensor provides better simulations than the predicted LST from the model especially during nighttime. For IASI simulations, SEVIRI LSTs increase RMSE by 0.2 K to 0.9 K compared to IASI LSTs for nighttime case and by around 1.5 K for daytime.
M2FPA: A Multi-Yaw Multi-Pitch High-Quality Dataset and Benchmark for Facial Pose Analysis

Facial images in surveillance or mobile scenarios often have large view-point variations in terms of pitch and yaw angles. These jointly occurred angle variations make face recognition challenging. Current public face databases mainly consider the case of yaw variations. In this paper, a new large-scale Multi-yaw Multi-pitch high-quality database is proposed for Facial Pose Analysis (M2FPA), including face frontalization, face rotation, facial pose estimation and pose-invariant face recognition. It contains 397,544 images of 229 subjects with yaw, pitch, attribute, illumination and accessory. M2FPA is the most comprehensive multi-view face database for facial pose analysis. Further, we provide an effective benchmark for face frontalization and pose-invariant face recognition on M2FPA with several state-of-the-art methods, including DR-GAN, TP-GAN and CAPG-GAN. We believe that the new database and benchmark can significantly push forward the advance of facial pose analysis in real-world applications. Moreover, a simple yet effective parsing guided discriminator is introduced to capture the local consistency during GAN optimization. Extensive quantitative and qualitative results on M2FPA and Multi-PIE demonstrate the superiority of our face frontalization method. Baseline results for both face synthesis and face recognition from state-of-the-art methods demonstrate the challenge offered by this new database.
ects in Corporate Governance Practices : Evidence from Universal Demand Laws October 27 , 2018

Firms in the same networks tend to have similar corporate governance practices. However, it is di cult to disentangle peer e ects, where governance practices propagate from one rm to another, from selection e ects, where rms with similar governance preferences self-select into linked groups. Studying board-interlocked rms, we utilize a novel instrument based on the staggered adoption of universal demand laws across states to identify causal peer e ects in rms’ decisions concerning CEO compensation, CEO duality, and anti-takeover provisions. Our results provide support for the existence of peer e ect in the adoption of anti-takeover provisions. We nd that the entrenchment index (E-Index) of a rm increases by 0.33 points for every point increase in the E-Index of rms in the same board interlock network. The impact of universal demand laws on the interlocking directors’ prior experience in passing these provisions is a likely mechanism explaining these e ects. JEL classi cation: G34, G38.
Peer effects in fi nancial decision-making ☆

☆ We thank John Beshears, Susan Carter, Bill Evans, Dan Sacerdote, Kelly Shue, and Abigail Wozniak as well as sem Reserve Banks of Chicago and Dallas, the Cherry Blossom College of William & Mary (Mason School of Business), N the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M Univers Dallas, the University of Houston, the University of Texas and Vassar College for helpful comments and sugge Gallagher provided valuable research assistance. The vie of the authors and do not represent the U.S. Military Ac Army, or the Department of Defense. ⁎ Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: Ethan.Lieber. 2@nd.edu, (E.M.J. Liebe william.skimmyhorn@usma.edu (W. Skimmyhorn).
FIRST ISOLATION OF VIBRIO PROBIOTICUS FROM THE GUT OF PORTUNUS PELAGICUS ( LINNAEUS , 1758 ) AND ITS PROBIOTIC COMPETENCY AGAINST SHELLFISH PATHOGENS

In this study, the Vibrio probioticus was isolated from the gut of female Portunus pleagicus, identified through 16S rDNA gene sequencing, and was evaluated for its probiotic features. The probiont was tested in coculture assay at various concentrations against three target shellfish pathogens including V. harveyi, V. parahaemolyticus and Pseudoalteromonas piscicida. In a co-culture assay it was apparent that the V. probioticus had shown to outcompete the growth of tested pathogenic bacteria due to its antibacteriocin properties. Different ratios produced different effect on tested pathogens, however, the highest ratio (pathogen:probiont) was more effective in suppressing the pathogen. A maximum inhibition growth was recorded for V. harveyi and P. piscicida. The probionts could further be tested in vivo culture environment to understand the effectiveness in microbial control of P. pelagicus larviculture and other aquaculture species.
Northeast Arctic Greenland Halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides): Population Structure from Nursery to Spawning Areas

Based on 12 trawl surveys to spawning, nursery and feeding areas of Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides Wabaum) between October 1996 and January 1999, the paper describes the population structure of the concentrations in relation to distribution area and state of maturity. The paper considers how the migration from nursery to spawning area depend on individual characteristics, such as sex, maturity stage and previous growth history, and how emigration from nursery is linked to immigration to spawning areas. The paper also describes the age and length structure of the different maturity groups in the spawning area. It was found that for both males and females, the fast growing individuals left the nursery first, and there were no obvious sex-difference in emigration rate from the nursery area. Further, the early maturing females that are found along with those close to spawning are not representative of next years spawners, as previously suggested. Before spawning stock biomass can be realistically modelled, similar studies should also be made on the vertical component of migration and all the migration processes should be quantified.
Effect of Test Realism on Speech-in-noise Outcomes in Bilateral Cochlear Implant Users

Objectives: First, to evaluate the effect of laboratory-based test realism on speech intelligibility outcomes of cochlear implant users. Second, to conduct an exploratory investigation of speech intelligibility of cochlear implant users, including bilateral benefit, under realistic laboratory conditions. Design: For the first goal, the authors measured speech intelligibility scores of 15 bilateral cochlear implant recipients under three different test realism levels at two different signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). The levels included (1) standard Bamford-Kowal-Bench-like sentences with spatially separated standard babble noise; (2) standard Bamford-Kowal-Bench-like sentences with three-dimensional recordings of actual situations; and (3) a variation of the second realism level where the sentences were obtained from natural effortful conversations. For the second goal, speech intelligibility of the realistic speech material was measured in six different acoustic scenes with realistic signal-to-noise ratios ranging from −5.8 dB to 3.2 dB. Results: Speech intelligibility was consistently highest in the most artificial (standard) test and lowest in the most realistic test. The effect of the realistic noise and that of the realistic speech material resulted in distinct SNR-dependent performance shifts with respect to their baselines. Speech intelligibility in realistic laboratory conditions was in general low, with mean scores around 60% at the highest SNR. Bilateral benefit provided on average a 7% benefit over unilateral speech understanding in the better-performing ear. Conclusions: The results obtained here suggest that standard speech-in-noise tests overestimate the performance of cochlear implant recipients in the real world. To address this limitation, future assessments need to improve the realism over current tests by considering the realism of both, the speech and the noise materials. Likewise, speech intelligibility data under realistic conditions suggest that, insofar as these results can be considered representative of real-life performance, conversational speech and noise levels common to cochlear implant recipients are challenging in terms of speech intelligibility, with average scores around 60%. The findings and limitations are discussed alongside the factors affecting speech intelligibility.
Organizational Learning and Corporate Social Responsibility Drivers of Performance in SMEs in Northwestern Mexico

The main objective of this article is to examine the effects of the organizational learning and corporate social responsibility (social, economic and environmental) practices that exert on the financial performance of SMEs (small and medium enterprises). The research is based on a sample of 343 companies of which 19.8% belong to the primary sector, 26.6% to the secondary sector and 53.6% to the tertiary sector of the northwestern region of Mexico. The data were collected from February to May 2018 with the support of a self-directed structured survey of company managers. For the analysis and validation of the results, the statistical technique of the structural equations model (SEM) based on the variance was used to validate the structured relationships in this investigation through PLS (partial least squares). These analyses were prepared with the support of SmartPLS version 3.2. 8 Professional. The results indicate that OLE (organizational learning) is a key element to strengthen CSR (corporate social responsibility) practices and increase financial performance in these types of companies, and that CSR is key to increasing financial performance. In addition, it was found that the OLE is a variable that mediates the relationship between CSR and financial performance. The work contributes to the development of the literature of organizational learning, the theory of resources and capabilities, and stakeholder theory
Timing Studies for the H i SCORE Detector

The HiSCORE experiment is set to be a large-area cosmic gamma-ray observatory, designed to detect ultra-high energy gamma-rays with a large number of non-imaging atmospheric Cherenkov light detector stations. For gamma/hadron separation and angular resolution, it relies on precise timing on the order of 1 ns or less. The DRS4 Evaluation Board is a data acquisition device with sampling rates of several GHz. It has been chosen for prototyping HiSCORE and was investigated for timing accuracy. Normally distributed signal arrival time differences between the different input channels of the device were found. Their magnitudes and distribution spreads were observed to be on the order of 10 to 100 ps. Furthermore, a readout frequency of 525 events per second was achieved over the device’s USB connection, which is close to the theoretical limit. Finally, an analog time-tagging system integrated with the detector stations’ data flow was drafted. Simulations show it to be viable, but dedicated hardware development will be necessary for an implementation. Zusammenfassung: Das HiSCORE-Experiment soll ein großflächiges Observatorium für kosmische Gammastrahlen werden, das ultra-hochenergetische Gammastrahlen mit einer großen Zahl nicht-abbildender Detektorstationen für atmosphärisches Cherenkovlicht misst. Für die Unterscheidung von primären Gammastrahlen und Hadronen sowie für eine gute Winkelauflösung ist es auf präzise Zeitinformationen in der Größenordnung von 1 ns oder weniger angewiesen. Das DRS4 Evaluation Board ist ein Datennahmegerät mit Ausleserate von einigen GHz. Es ist für den Einsatz im HiSCORE-Prototypen ausgewählt worden und wurde auf Zeitgenauigkeit untersucht. Normalverteilte Zeitunterschiede in der Ankunft der Signale zwischen den verschiedenen Eingangskanälen des Geräts wurden entdeckt. Ihr Betrag und die Breite ihrer Verteilung wurden in der Größenordnung von 10 bis 100 ps gemessen. Weiterhin wurde eine Auslesefrequenz von 525 Ereignissen pro Sekunde über die USB-Verbindung des Geräts erreicht, was nahe der theoretischen Obergrenze liegt. Zuletzt wurde ein analoges Zeitstempel-System entworfen, das im Datenfluss der Detektorstationen integriert sein soll. Simulationen zeigen seine Funktionstüchtigkeit, aber gezielte Hardwareentwicklung wird für eine Implementation notwendig sein.
The association between the level of risk disclosure and corporation characteristics in the annual reports of Egyptian companies

*Purpose: the main objective of this study is to test and examine the relationship between specific firm characteristics in Egypt and the level of risk disclosure in the annual reports of Egyptian firms listed on the Egyptian Stock Exchange. *Design/methodology/approach: this study uses a list of risk keywords to determine the differences in the level of risk disclosure between firms in different sectors. The sample includes 49 non-financial firms listed on the Egyptian Stock Exchange for the years 2008, 2009 and 2010. Statistical analysis is implemented using a multiple linear regression analysis. *Findings: the results show that firm size is significantly positive (in all the three years) with the level of risk disclosure. Industry type variable (which divided to: industries, cement, construction, petrochemicals and services), is found being insignificantly associated with the level of risk information disclosed in the annual reports for all the three years. However, leverage is found being insignificantly associated with the level of risk information disclosed in the annual reports for all the three years. *Research limitations/implications: there are many requests to help shareholders to understand a firm’s risk position by providing more information risks. Disclose more risk information do not lead to improve risk communication until increase the readability of the risk disclosure. We consider the follow limitations. First, the selected items do not show importance levels observed by financial information users. Second, the study applies an “unweights” approach to measure the level of forward-looking disclosure. Finally, the study concentrates on non-financial listed firms on the Egyptian Stock Exchange and excludes financial and insurance firms. *Originality/value: Information about risk is very important to investors, because it helps them to evaluate risk as a part of their investment decision-making process. Previous studies provided little information about risk to investors, and there are not previous studies about risk made in Egyptian environment. So, this study represents the first approach for studying the association between the level of risk disclosure and corporation characteristics in the annual reports of Egyptian companies, provides an initial understanding of risk management disclosure in the annual reports of Egyptian companies, and tries to provide enough information about risk that help investors to assess risk in their investment decision-making. *key words: risk and accounting disclosure, firm characteristics, financial reports, Egyptian Stock Exchange
An Exploratory Viewpoint on the Perspectives and Practices of Testing Alternative Option Pricing Models

This study examines the perspectives and practices of testing option pricing models, spanning over four decades of literature across prominent journals. The study reveals that the bulk of research on option pricing focuses on developing new models, than comparing relative performance of already existing models. The review has been classified as perspectives and practices in Deterministic and Stochastic Option pricing models to identify the most frequently compared Option pricing models. The review has been presented in a structured order consolidating different perspectives of testing pricing performance of Option pricing models with an objective to gain insights into the existing literature and form a base for developing future research.
SUPPORTED BY UNIGESTION “ A Theory of Liquidity and Risk Management

We formulate a dynamic financial contracting problem with risky inalienable human capital. We show that the inalienability of the entrepreneur's risky human capital not only gives rise to endogenous liquidity limits but also calls for dynamic liquidity and risk management policies via standard securities that firms routinely pursue in practice, such as retained earnings, possible line of credit draw-downs, and hedging via futures and insurance contracts. Friday, September 25, 2015, 10:30-12:00 Room 126, Extranef building at the University of Lausanne A Theory of Liquidity and Risk Management∗ Patrick Bolton† Neng Wang‡ Jinqiang Yang§ September 7, 2015 Abstract We formulate a dynamic financial contracting problem with risky inalienable human capital. We show that the inalienability of the entrepreneur’s risky human capital not only gives rise to endogenous liquidity limits but also calls for dynamic liquidity and risk management policies via standard securities that firms routinely pursue in practice, such as retained earnings, possible line of credit draw-downs, and hedging via futures and insurance contracts.We formulate a dynamic financial contracting problem with risky inalienable human capital. We show that the inalienability of the entrepreneur’s risky human capital not only gives rise to endogenous liquidity limits but also calls for dynamic liquidity and risk management policies via standard securities that firms routinely pursue in practice, such as retained earnings, possible line of credit draw-downs, and hedging via futures and insurance contracts. ∗We thank Hengjie Ai, Marco Bassetto, Michael Brennan, Henry Cao, Vera Chau, Wei Cui, Peter DeMarzo, Darrell Duffie, Lars Peter Hansen, Oliver Hart, Arvind Krishnamurthy, Guy Laroque, Jianjun Miao, Adriano Rampini, Richard Roll, Yuliy Sannikov, Tom Sargent, Suresh Sundaresan, René Stulz, Jeff Zwiebel, and seminar participants at the American Finance Association meetings (Boston), AFR Summer Institute, Caltech, Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, Columbia University, University of Hong Kong, National University of Singapore, New York University Stern, Ohio State University, Princeton University, Sargent SRG Group, Summer Institute of Finance Conference (2014), Shanghai University of Finance & Economics, Stanford Business School, University of British Columbia, University College London, University of Oxford, and University of Toronto for helpful comments. First draft: 2012. †Columbia University, NBER and CEPR. Email: pb2208@columbia.edu. Tel. 212-854-9245. ‡Columbia Business School and NBER. Email: neng.wang@columbia.edu. Tel. 212-854-3869. §The School of Finance, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (SUFE). Email: yang.jinqiang@mail.sufe. edu.cn.
CAMA Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis Generalised Density Forecast Combinations CAMA Working Paper 24 / 2014 March 2014

Density forecast combinations are becoming increasingly popular as a means of improving forecast `accuracy', as measured by a scoring rule. In this paper we generalise this literature by letting the combination weights follow more general schemes. Sieve estimation is used to optimise the score of the generalised density combination where the combination weights depend on the variable one is trying to forecast. Specific attention is paid to the use of piecewise linear weight functions that let the weights vary by region of the density. We analyse these schemes theoretically, in Monte Carlo experiments and in an empirical study. Our results show that the generalised combinations outperform their linear counterparts.