Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prediction of Cryptocurrency prices using Transformers and Long Short term Neural Networks

Cryptocurrencies have taken over the whole financial world with their high risk and high reward quality. Cryptocurrency markets are one of the most complex and volatile markets in the world. In this paper, we make an attempt to predict financial time series for popular cryptocurrencies like Ethereum, Binance coin and Bitcoin, using deep learning and multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis techniques. After testing for non-linearity in the financial time series of popular cryptocurrencies, it was revealed that cryptocurrency time series manifest latent relations, short term, and long term memory. The method uses Transformers and Long-short term Neural networks(LSTM) to forecast the prices of various cryptocurrencies. Although using LSTM along with transformers leads to longer computational times, but the predictive accuracy is better as compared to traditional regression neural networks and kNN forecasting models. Experimentation of the proposed model reveals that the deep learning model is profoundly efficient in predicting the intrinsic dynamics of cryptocurrency financial time series.
Olfactory inhibition and recovery in chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) following copper exposure

Copper can be an effective hatchery treatment to control certain parasitic and fungal infections in salmonids, yet it is also highly toxic to the fish's olfactory system. Numerous reports have described the early inhibitory impacts of copper on fish olfaction, but very few have addressed processes of recovery. Here we show that the chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) olfactory system can recover from short-term (4 h) exposures to copper (3-58 µgL -1 ) within 1 day, as indicated by electro-olfactogram (EOG) recordings. Recovery followed initial EOG reductions of up to 88%. We also applied a novel cytophysiological approach to monitor changes in the olfactory receptor cells using a fluores- cent styryl dye, AM1-43. Copper's influence on the number of receptor cells that labelled with the dye was biphasic, initially increasing the number at the two lowest copper concentrations (3 and 8 µgL -1 ) and decreasing the number at the two highest concentrations (24 and 58 µg·L -1 ). Changes in the ability of olfactory receptor neurons to internalize the dye were monitored up to 10 days in fish recovering from copper exposure. Resume : Le cuivre peut servir de traitement efficace des piscicultures afin de controler certaines infections a parasites ou a champignons chez les salmonides, bien qu'il soit tres toxique pour le systeme olfactif des poissons. De nombreux travaux ont decrit les premiers effets inhibiteurs du cuivre sur l'olfaction des poissons, mais tres peu se sont interesses aux processus de recuperation. Nous montrons ici que le systeme olfactif du saumon keta (Oncorhynchus keta) peut recuperer apres de courtes (4 h) expositions au cuivre (3-58 µg·L -1 ) en moins d'une journee, d'apres les enregistre- ments d'electro-olfactogrammes (EOG). La recuperation fait suite a des reductions initiales de l'EOG pouvant atteindre 88 %. Une nouvelle methode cytophysiologique utilisant un colorant styryle fluorescent, AM1-43, permet de suivre les changements dans les cellules olfactives receptrices. L'effet du cuivre sur le nombre de cellules receptrices marquees par le colorant se fait en deux phases, au depart une augmentation du nombre aux deux concentrations les plus faibles de cuivre (3 et 8 µg·L -1 ) et une diminution aux deux concentrations les plus elevees (24 et 58 µg·L -1 ). Nous avons suivi les changements de la capacite des neurones olfactifs recepteurs d'incorporer le colorant jusqu'a 10 jours chez des poissons en train de recuperer d'une exposition au cuivre. (Traduit par la Redaction) Sandahl et al. 1847
The potential of semi-dwarf oilseed rape genotypes to reduce the risk of N leaching

SUMMARY In northwest (NW) Europe, oilseed rape (OSR) is often used as a preceding crop for winter wheat. Due to its low N harvest index (HI) and to favourable soil conditions after harvest, large amounts of mineral N remain in the soil, which cannot completely be taken up by the subsequent wheat crop. This increases the risk of N leaching into the groundwater during the following winter. Recently, semi-dwarf genotypes of OSR were developed and made commercially available that show similar yields but reduced height growth compared to conventional genotypes. The present authors hypothesized that the introduction of dwarfing genes leads to an increase in HI for dry matter (DM) and for N of OSR. As a consequence, semi-dwarf genotypes would accumulate less aerial biomass, return fewer plant residues to the soil and need less N to achieve yield maximum compared to conventional hybrids or open pollinating varieties. This may lead to a reduced risk of N leaching after growing OSR. In order to test this hypothesis, field trials conducted in 2003/04–2005/06 near Kiel in NW Germany combined four commercial varieties of OSR (Express, Talent, Trabant and Belcanto as semi-dwarf genotype), two seeding dates (mid-August and beginning of September) and eight mineral N fertilization rates (0–240 kg N/ha). On average in 2003/04–2004/05, the semi-dwarf genotype Belcanto achieved significantly less seed yield (4·44 t/ha) than the other varieties (4·65–4·88 t/ha). However, all varieties tested required similar N fertilization to achieve maximum yield. In addition, N offtake by the seeds did not differ. No interaction between genotype and N treatment was observed. Detailed analysis of DM accumulation and N uptake during the growth period revealed only small differences between the varieties in the averages of all N treatments and both years. At harvest, Belcanto produced more pods/m2 and a slightly higher 1000 seed weight. Nevertheless, HI and N HI were similar for all genotypes. It is concluded that, despite its lower plant height, the semi-dwarf genotype did not provide the opportunity to reduce the risk of N leaching after growing OSR.
Convex shape optimization for the least biharmonic Steklov eigenvalue

The least Steklov eigenvalue d 1 for the biharmonic operator in bounded domains gives a bound for the positivity preserving property for the hinged plate problem, appears as a norm of a suitable trace operator, and gives the optimal constant to estimate the L 2 -norm of harmonic functions. These applications suggest to address the problem of minimizing d 1 in suitable classes of domains. We survey the existing results and conjectures about this topic; in particular, the existence of a convex domain of fixed measure minimizing d 1 is known, although the optimal shape is still unknown. We perform several numerical experiments which strongly suggest that the optimal planar shape is the regular pentagon. We prove the existence of a domain minimizing d 1 also among convex domains having fixed perimeter and present some numerical results supporting the conjecture that, among planar domains, the disk is the minimizer.
THE GLOBAL DEBATE ON BUDGETING: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM NIGERIA

Empirical evidence from developed economies provides that budgeting is a veritable tool for planning, controling, coordinating, communicating, evaluating and improving performance and decision making. On the other hand, some experts have mounted wide-ranging criticism of the manner in which budgetary systems are typically implemented. It is claimed that budgeting is not a worthwhile exercise, adds no value to organizations, managers are dissatisfied with it, and therefore it should be abandoned. However, the main focus of this research is to provide empirical evidence from a developing economy on the relevance of the budgetary system. A primary source of data was used and data were collected through the use of a questionnaire. Altogether, a total of one hundred and ten completed questionnaires from nine selected manufacturing companies were analyzed. A Non-Parametric test and descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. This study shows that, though the budgetary system is not perfect, its usefulness cannot be over-emphasized. The study reveals that budgeting is perceived by managers as a worthwhile exercise and a value-creation process. It is recommended therefore that research should be directed towards improving the budgetary system rather than totally abandoning it.
Trial production and testing of cement-bonded particleboard from rattan furniture waste

An investigation was conducted on the use of rattan (cane) furniture waste as furnish material for the manufacture of cement-bonded particleboard (CBP). Laboratory scale CBPs were fabricated from hot water pretreated chopped strands of mixed rattan waste obtained from rattan furniture workers in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Three-layered boards of 6-mm thickness were made comprising coarse core and fine surfaces at two density levels of 1,050 kg/m 3 and 1,200 kg/m 3 three CaCl 2 concentration levels of: 2.5%, 3.0%, and 3.5%, and using Portland cement-cane mixing ratios of 2.5:1.0, 2.75:1.0, 3.0:1.0, and 3.25:1.0. After board manufacture, ASTM D 1037 (1998) test procedures were employed to obtain strength and moisture absorption properties. Average properties for bending modulus of rupture (MOR) and modulus of elasticity (MOE) of the boards ranged between 0.5 and 1.6 N/mm 2 , and 480 and 3,563 N/mm 2 , respectively. Mean thickness swelling (TS) and water absorption (WA) values ranged between 1.1 and 8.6%, and 31 and 51%, respectively. Analysis of variance showed that except for MOE, the levels at which the density, CaCl 2 concentration, and cement-cane mixing ratio were used and their interaction had no significant effects on properties of the board. The relatively low strength and water resistance properties of the boards make them suitable only for use in low-stressed interior applications. Further investigations are, however, required on the effects of different cane preparation procedures and other fabrication variables on board properties. This is necessary to provide the guidelines required to adequately control the fabrication process and optimize material properties.
Single Doppler radar observation of the concentric eyewall in Typhoon Saomai, 2006, near landfall

Landfalling Typhoon Saomai (2006) was observed by the CINRAD WSR‐98D radar on the southeast coast of China. This study documents the formation and evolution of a concentric eyewall episode using the axisymmetric circulation derived from the ground‐based velocity track display technique. Saomai's outer eyewall formed after reaching its peak intensity, ∼5 hours before landfall. Updraft, tangential wind maximum and shallow low‐level inflow coincided with the high reflectivity and voriticity ring in both inner and outer eyewalls, surrounding a moat region characterized by weak downward motion and lower reflectivity. The subsidence and rain‐free moat region between the two eyewalls was filled with rain and upward motion prior to landfall, indicating a breakdown in the outer eyewall which was a barrier to radial inflow. Meanwhile, the outer vorticity maximum flattened and the central pressure dropped 9 hPa. The eyewall replacement cycle didn't complete probably due to the landfall.
Using participating and financial contracts to insure catastrophe risk: Implications for crop risk management

High losses generated by natural catastrophes reduce the availability of insurance. Among the ways to manage risk, the subscriptions of participating and non-participating contracts respectively permit to implement the two major principles in risk allocation: the mutuality and the transfer principles. Decomposing a global risk into its idiosyncratic and systemic components, we show that: the participating contract hedges the individual losses under a variable premium and the systemic risk is covered with a non-participating contract under a fixed premium. Based on Doherty and Schlesinger (2002) and Mahul (2002) approaches, our model replaces the non-participating contract by a financial one based on an index closely correlated to the systemic risk, under a basis risk. Despite the introduction of loading factors on both participating and financial contracts, which increase final loss, we prove that the combination of policies offers an optimal coverage that eliminates the basis risk and provides a sustainable solution for the insurer and the policyholder. We also put in evidence the necessary intermediation of insurance companies in the subscription of such contracts. Therefore, potential implications for crop risk management are studied.
Higher Education Financing: a Comparison Romania and United Kingdom

The present paper is motivated by the importance of financing for the higher education sector. The formulae based financing Romanian higher education system has been inspired from the British financing system. In this context the paper makes a comparison between the higher education financing system in Romania with the one from United Kingdom. Similarities and differences are identified and potential consequences for the sector. The paper concludes that at present at international level, public money is not enough to support higher education and that it is a necessity to encourage HEIs to attract also private funds. Based on the results of a country with a long experience in using the formulae based funding mechanism and the results of a country that recently started to use this funding mechanism, coupled with the fact that both countries use additional funding sources and mechanisms, we can conclude that at present formulae based funding mechanisms are suitable systems to allocate public funds. At the same time they have to be used together with other mechanisms to attract funds from both public and private sources in order to ensure a good financing of the higher education sector.
Retrospective Analysis of Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia Management at a Large Tertiary Hospital

Background: Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a disease that is difficult to quickly and accurately diagnose. The 4T score calculation is often used to determine the probability of HIT in order to guide further work-up and therapeutics. Our study aims to assess current practices regarding the diagnosis and management of HIT, particularly in reference to the appropriateness and cost of work-up and initiation of heparin alternatives based on the 4T score. Methods: A retrospective chart review was carried out on patients at Scripps Mercy San Diego for whom work-up had been pursued with HIT antibody test and/or serotonin release assay between May 2011 and May 2012. For each of these patients a 4T score assessing the probability of HIT was carried out based on available chart information. Results : Of the 218 work-ups reviewed, 74% had a low pre-test probability of HIT and 53% occurred in the medical intensive care unit (ICU). Only five of the 218 work-ups and one of the 116 ICU patient work-ups resulted in a diagnosis of HIT. The cost of using heparin alternatives in patients without a final diagnosis of HIT was approximately $100,750 and the cost of pursuing serologic work-up in patients with a low 4T score was $33,360. Average optical density (OD) scores among patients with a low and intermediate 4T score did not reach the threshold value for positivity with values of 0.257 and 0.334, respectively. Patients in the high 4T score group had average OD values of 1.68, which is 5 above the threshold for a positive result and the probability of HIT being present did not reach 50% until the OD was above 1.40. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the significant costs associated with HIT diagnosis and management at a large hospital. Implementing a clinical decision support system to mitigate inappropriate ordering of serologic studies and initiation of heparin alternatives may be cost-saving. Further prospective studies will need to be undertaken to test this hypothesis. J Hematol. 2014;3(2):27-33 doi: http://dx.doi. org/10.14740/jh157w
Effect of Investment in Human Capital Development onOrganisational Performance: Empirical Examination of thePerception of Small Business Owners in Nigeria

Numerous extant studies linking human capital and organizational performance abound, but few focused on the small scale business context. Thus a study towards determining the nature of relationship between the two construct among small scale enterprise owners is thoughtful. Drawn from literature, four variable measures – skills, education, knowledge, and training – were used to predict and explain the human capital effectiveness construct. Thus, four hypotheses (one for each variable measure) were formulated linking each variable measure to the human capital effectiveness construct. The construct, organizational performance, was divided into two sub-constructs, financial organizational performance and non-financial organizational performance to formulate two additional hypotheses linking each to human capital effectiveness. Twenty-five small scale business owners were purposively selected in Awka metropolis of Nigeria. A structured five-point likert type questionnaire was designed and distributed and a 100% return rate was recorded. ANOVA, t-test, multiple regression analysis, simple regression analysis, and pearson’s correlation coefficient were all employed to conduct relevant analyses. While keeping constant other factors that can impact on organizational performance, the study singled out human capital and it was shown that a high intercorelation exist among the four variable measure predictors of human capital effectiveness. A key finding of this study is that, training and skill are stronger predictors of human capital effectiveness over and above knowledge and education. This study, in no small measure, provides penetrating insight for small scale business owners in the area of human resources management. Managerial implications, limitations and opportunity for further research are discussed.
Towards force-correlated ultrasound volume elastography

This thesis proposes three ultrasound-based methods that enable quantification of tissue and organ properties with potential applications as non-invasive, image-based biomarkers: forcecontrolled elasticity quantification for the identification of strain hardening; registration and segmentation of B-mode images to measure organ volumes; and force-correlated threedimensional elasticity maps. In order to allow for the simultaneous collection of tissue elasticity and compressive force, a shear wave elasticity enabled ultrasound probe was integrated with a load cell which measured the sonographer-applied preload. The device was used to demonstrate the strong preload dependence of elasticity in ex-vivo bovine liver, illustrating the importance of accounting for preload when using elastography to assess tissue health. Finally, this device enables the quantification of strain hardening as an additional metric for tissue health. The capability organ volume measurements through freehand ultrasound imaging was demonstrated in a clinical study in which kidney volumes were obtained from ultrasound sweeps and compared to ground truth data from CT scans. While the technology needs to be refined to achieve better agreement between the measured volumes, the initial results of this ongoing study allowed for the identification of an ideal acquisition strategy. These findings will inform future data collection to achieve an improved accuracy. The acquisition of three-dimensional force-correlated elasticity maps was demonstrated on a phantom with the successful detection of a high-stiffness lesion embedded in bulk material. The presented technology has the potential to be a quantitative replacement for manual palpation. Given further refinement, this technology could be used to replace needle biopsy in various diseases in which progression correlates with tissue stiffness, such as thyroid nodules or liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. Our method, unlike the inherently localized needle biopsy, allows for the assessment of tissue over a broad volume, potentially improving reliability and repeatability in diagnosing and staging diffuse diseases. Thesis Supervisor: Brian W. Anthony Title: Principal Research Scientist, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Artificial Neural Network Estimation of Global Solar Radiation Using Meteorological Parameters in Gusau, Nigeria

Three meteorological parameters namely sunshine duration, maximum ambient temperature and relative humidity were used to estimate monthly average global solar irradiation on a horizontal surface for Gusau, Nigeria. The study used artificial neural networks (ANN) for the estimation. Results have shown good agreement between the estimated and measured values of global solar irradiation. A correlation coefficient of 0.9996 was obtained with a maximum percentage error of 0.8512 and root mean square error of 0.0029. The comparison between the ANN and some existing empirical models has shown the advantage of the proposed ANN prediction model.
A SURVEY OF SIO EMISSION TOWARDS INTERSTELLAR MASERS . I. SIO LINE CHARACTERISTICS

We have conducted a survey of SiO emission to- wards galactic H2O and OH masers and ultracompact HII regions using the 15-m SEST and the 20-m Onsala tele- scope. With the SEST the transitions (v =0 ;J =2 1) and (v =0 ;J =3 2) of SiO at 3 and 2 mm were measured simultaneously. With Onsala only the (v =0 ;J =2 1) line was accessible. Altogether 369 objects were observed and SiO was detected towards 137 of them. The detec- tion rate is highest towards the most intense H2 Om asers, which probably require powerful shocks to be excited. The SiO detection rate correlates also with the integrated far- infrared flux density and the FIR luminosity of the asso- ciated IRAS point source, indicating that the occurrence of shocks is related to the amount of radiation from the central stellar source(s). For flux and luminosity limited samples the SiO detection rate is higher in the inner 7 kpc from the galactic centre than elsewhere. This suggests that dense cores belonging to the so called \molecular ring" provide particularly favourable conditions for the produc- tion of gaseous SiO. The full widths above 2 of the SiO(J =2 1) lines, which are likely to be related to the associated shock veloc- ities, range from 2 to 60 km s 1 except for the line in Ori KL which has a full width of about 100 km s 1 . T he me- dian of our sample is 19 km s 1 . The SiO lines are single- peaked and the peak velocities are always close to the ambient cloud velocity as determined from published CS observations. These line characteristics are compared with the predictions of kinematical bow-shock models. The SiO line shapes correspond with the model of Raga & Cabrit (1993) where the emission arises from turbulent wakes be- hind bow-shocks. However, the number of symmetric, rel- Send oprint requests to: J. Harju ? The entire Tables B.1 and B.2 and the spectra of all the detected SiO sources are only available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html atively narrow proles indicates that at least in some of the observed sources SiO emission arises also from the qui- escent gas component. We suggest that this is due to evaporation of silicon compounds from grain mantles and their reprocessing to SiO in dense quiescent gas according to the model of McKay (1995, 1996). These reactions may be initiated and sustained by ionizing radiation from shocks, in the same way as the enhancement of HCO + near Herbig-Haro ob- jects has been explained in the model of Wolre & Konigl (1993). The excitation temperatures of SiO(J =2 1) and (J =3 2) transitions were determined towards three strong sources using measurements in isotopically sub- stituted SiO. In all three sources the transitions are clearly subthermally excited, implying moderate densities (< 31 0 6 cm 3 ) in the SiO emission regions.