Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Do Malaysian Islamic Banks Manage Earnings Through Profit Equalisation Reserve

The Islamic banking system has evolved globally at a rapid rate. The growing significance of the Islamic banking industry requires the development of an effective regulatory framework to provide an enabling environment to support the development of the industry. Malaysian Islamic banks have introduced another new mechanism for distributing profit for mudharabah investment. Known as the Profit Equalisation Reserve (PER), the PER was introduced to stabilise the rate of return (RoR) paid to the depositors. This practice is carried out for the purpose of income smoothing. The paper seeks to examine the provisioning behaviour of PER which reflects earnings and capital management of Islamic banks. It first focuses on detecting income smoothing practices, then it seeks to test whether PER is used for capital management purposes. Therefore, a simple conceptual framework of PER and how the reserve should vary over time will be explained. This study used a sample of two full-fledged Islamic banks and thirteen Islamic banking windows and covers the period from 2003 to 2010. The study shows that total capital before provision (TCABP) significantly affects PER and supports the hypothesis of capital management. The findings from this study will benefit the growing Malaysian Islamic finance industry which requires the development of an effective regulatory framework on best practices such as earning and capital management to provide the enabling environment to support the expansion of the industry. In addition, the findings are likely to catalyse innovative improvement towards strengthening the current Rate of Return Framework issued by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) and Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB).
Attending inside or outside: A Japanese–US comparison of spontaneous memory of group information

A recent review of empirical evidence disconfirmed the widely-held view that North Americans are less collectivistic than East Asians. However, previous research has proposed that the motivations underlying group behaviours differ across cultures: North Americans are more strongly motivated to acquire and maintain higher in-group status relative to outgroups, whereas East Asians tend to emphasize maintenance of reciprocal relationships within in-groups. We tested this hypothesis by examining the pattern of attentional allocation in group situations using a memory task. As predicted, compared to Japanese, memory performance among Americans was biased towards intergroup status difference over intragroup relationship information.
Innovation, competition and technical efficiency

Abstract Contradictory empirical and theoretical evidence on the relationship between innovation and competition has been reconciled in a model that yields an inverted U-shaped curve. I test whether the predictions of the model are supported by the data with an unbalanced panel of firms for 1990–2003 in a high productivity growth, high-tech industry, Finnish ICT manufacturing. In particular, I investigate how well alternative, yet rigorous measures of innovation and the technology gap, such as R&D intensity, R&D elasticity, technical change, technical efficiency and total factor productivity fare with respect to competition measured by the Lerner index. The results prove sensitive to the choice of variable. Overall, the model is not supported by the empirical evidence of the industry.
Transferable Meta Learning Across Domains

Meta learning algorithms are effective at obtaining meta models with the capability of solving new tasks quickly. However, they critically require sufﬁcient tasks for meta model training and the resulted model can only solve new tasks similar to the training ones. These limitations make them suffer performance decline in presence of insufﬁciency of training tasks in target domains and task heterogene-ity—the source (model training) tasks presents different characteristics from target (model application) tasks. To overcome these two significant limitations of existing meta learning algorithms, we introduce the cross-domain meta learning framework and propose a new trans-ferable meta learning (TML) algorithm. TML performs meta task adaptation jointly with meta model learning, which effectively nar-rows divergence between source and target tasks and enables transferring source meta-knowledge to solve target tasks. Thus, the resulted transferable meta model can solve new learning tasks in new domains quickly. We apply the proposed TML to cross-domain few-shot classiﬁcation problems and evaluate its performance on multiple benchmarks. It performs signiﬁcantly better and faster than well-established meta learning algorithms and ﬁne-tuned domain-adapted models.
Rehabilitation with forage grasses of an area degraded by urban solid waste deposits

Dry matter yield and chemical composition of forage grasses harvested from an area degraded by urban solid waste deposits were evaluated. A split-plot scheme in a randomized block design with four replicates was used, with five grasses in the plots and three harvests in the subplots. The mineral content and extraction and heavy metal concentration were evaluated in the second cut, using a randomized block design with five grasses and four replicates. The grasses were Brachiaria decumbens cv. Basilisk, Brachiaria ruziziensis, Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu and cv. Xaraes, and Panicum maximum cv. Tanzânia, cut at 42 days of regrowth. The dry matter yield per cut reached 1,480 kg ha-1; the minimum crude protein content was 9.5% and the average neutral detergent fiber content was 62.3%. The dry matter yield of grasses was satisfactory, and may be an alternative for rehabilitating areas degraded by solid waste deposits. The concentration of heavy metals in the plants was below toxicity levels; the chemical composition was appropriate, except for phosphorus. The rehabilitated areas may therefore be used for grazing.
THEMATIC PROGRESSIONS OF THE 2015

Coherence is one of the characteristic of good academic writing, including abstract that represent the whole content of research article in order to be able to show what messages want to be expressed in the abstract. This study investigated the English abstract TEFLIN in applied linguistisc written by Indonesian speaker in its coherence by analyzing the theme and rheme. This study focuses on (1) identifying the theme which are dominantly used in 2015 TEFLIN article abstracts written by non-native speaker of English (2) identifying thematic progressions which are dominantly used in 2015 TEFLIN article abstracts written by non-native speaker of English (3) finding out coherences’ quality of the research article abstract section in 2105 TEFLIN article abstracts in applied linguistic based on thematic progression. This study was designed by using descriptive qualitative. The results show that the type of theme dominantly used in 2015 TEFLIN article abstracts written by non-native speaker of English is topical theme, not all non-native speakers of English use textual theme, and just a few of them use interpersonal theme. In addition, Zig Zag pattern in thematic progression is dominantly used then followed by reitaration theme, and the last Multiple (Split) pattern, none of the abstracts use Derived TP pattern. Most of the research article abstract section in TEFLIN abstracts in applied linguistic have fair quality, just a few included to less quality, none of them was catagorized as good and poor quality. It can be concluded that English abstracts of TEFLIN in applied linguistisc written by Indonesian speakers can be catagorized as good abstract based on their coherence.
The Effects of Varying Levels of Procedural Integrity during Prompting on Conditional Discrimination Performance A Thesis Presented by

Research has shown that the reliability with which a behavioral interventi on is mplemented affects the efficacy of that intervention. The present study investigated whe ther the lack of procedural integrity on prompt delivery can affect the establishment of discri m nat ve repertoires and the emergence of equivalence relations. Three typically de veloped adults ages 22 to 26 participated. Procedural integrity, within this experiment, involved va rying the time at which a prompt was delivered, specifically through a 2 s additional del ay applied to the prescribed prompt. During the acquisition phase, each participant was traine d to relate 3 sets of arbitrary stimuli using a computer displaying PowerPoint® slides. Ea ch training block was presented at levels of 100%, 83% or 50% procedural integrity. Integrity valu es were calculated based upon the number of prompting errors presented in each block of sli des. Following the acquisition phase, participants were tested for demonstration of ra sitivity and equivalence relations. Results for 2 of the 3 participants indicated a higher number of erro s during training and post-mastery trials when participants were taught r elations at less than 100% integrity. These same 2 participants also demonstrated a greater number of sessions to mastery for relations taught with less than 100% integrity. Results for 1 par ticipant, however, indicated that the least amount of sessions to mastery and errors occur red in the blocks taught at the lowest integrity value. The percentage of independent respondi ng was greatest for all participants during blocks taught at 50% integrity, while f or 2 of 3 participants, percentage of prompted responses was highest during the 100% integrity
STARSPOTS AND SPIN–ORBIT ALIGNMENT IN THE WASP-4 EXOPLANETARY SYSTEM

We present photometry of four transits of the exoplanet WASP-4b, each with a precision of approximately 500 ppm and a time sampling of 40–60 s. We have used the data to refine the estimates of the system parameters and ephemerides. During two of the transits we observed a short-lived, low-amplitude anomaly that we interpret as the occultation of a starspot by the planet. We also found evidence for a pair of similar anomalies in previously published photometry. The recurrence of these anomalies suggests that the stellar rotation axis is nearly aligned with the orbital axis, or else the starspot would not have remained on the transit chord. By analyzing the timings of the anomalies we find the sky-projected stellar obliquity to be λ = −1+14− 12 degrees. This result is consistent with (and more constraining than) a recent observation of the Rossiter–McLaughlin effect. It suggests that the planet migration mechanism preserved the initially low obliquity, or else that tidal evolution has realigned the system. Future applications of this method using data from the CoRoT and Kepler missions will allow spin–orbit alignment to be probed for many other exoplanets.
Investigation of Cement Matrix Compositions of Nanosilica Blended Concrete

The use of pozzolanic materials in concrete mixtures can enhance the mechanical properties and durability of concrete. By reactions with pozzolanic materials and calcium hydroxide in cement matrix, calcium-silicate-hydrate (C-S-H) increases and calcium hydroxide decreases in cement matrix of concrete. Consequently, the volume of solid materials increases. The pozzolanic particles also fill spaces between clinker grains, thereby resulting in a denser cement matrix and interfacial transition zone between cement matrix and aggregates; this lowers the permeability and increases the compressive strength of concrete. Moreover, the total contents of alkali in concrete are reduced by replacing cements with pozzolanic materials; this prevents cracks due to alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR). In this study, nanosilica is incorporated in cement pastes. The differences of microstructural compositions between the hydrated cements with and without nanosilica are examined using nanoindentation, XRDA and 29 Si MAS NMR. The results can be used for a basic
Nowcasting Mexican GDP

In this paper I study the flow of conjunctural data relevant to assess the state of theMexican economy. I reconstruct the flow of releases that are most frequently monitored bymarket participants, economic commentators and policy makers. Given the close linkages withthe US economy, I take into account both US and Mexican data. Following the literature onnowcasting, I jointly analyse these data in a model that is continuously updated as new data getreleased. The model can be used to assess the current macroeconomic conditions (predictingthe present) of the Mexican economy and to evaluate the importance of each macroeconomicdata release. I find that the model produces forecasts whose accuracy is similar to that ofinstitutional and judgemental forecasts, and I document the importance of considering US data.
1 A GIS-based method for identification of wide area 2 rooftop suitability for minimum size PV systems 3 using LiDAR data and photogrammetry 4

A new method for wide-area urban roof assessment of suitability for solar photovoltaics 15 is introduced and validated. Knowledge of roof geometry and physical features is essential for 16 evaluation of the impact of multiple rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) system installations on local 17 electricity networks. This paper begins by reviewing and testing a range of existing techniques for 18 identifying roof characteristics. It was found that no current method is capable of delivering 19 accurate results with publicly available input data. Hence a different approach is developed, based 20 on slope and aspect using LIDAR data, building footprint data, GIS tools and aerial photographs. It 21 assesses each roof’s suitability for PV installation. That is, its properties should allow the 22 installation of at least a minimum size photovoltaic system. In this way the minimum potential 23 solar yield for region or city may be obtained. The accuracy of the new method is then established, 24 by ground-truthing against a database of 886 household systems. This is the largest validation of a 25 rooftop assessment method to date. The method is flexible with few prior assumptions. It is based 26 on separate consideration of buildings and can therefore generate data for various PV scenarios 27 and future analyses. 28
Iterative Value-Aware Model Learning

This paper introduces a model-based reinforcement learning (MBRL) framework that incorporates the underlying decision problem in learning the transition model of the environment. This is in contrast with conventional approaches to MBRL that learn the model of the environment, for example by finding the maximum likelihood estimate, without taking into account the decision problem. Value-Aware Model Learning (VAML) framework argues that this might not be a good idea, especially if the true model of the environment does not belong to the model class from which we are estimating the model. The original VAML framework, however, may result in an optimization problem that is difficult to solve. This paper introduces a new MBRL class of algorithms, called Iterative VAML, that benefits from the structure of how the planning is performed (i.e., through approximate value iteration) to devise a simpler optimization problem. The paper theoretically analyzes Iterative VAML and provides finite sample error upper bound guarantee for it.
Deep Learning for Moving Object Detection and Tracking from a Single Camera in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) gain popularity in a wide range of civilian and military applications. Such emerging interest is pushing the development of effective collision avoidance systems which are especially crucial in a crowded airspace setting. Because of cost and weight limitations associated with UAVs’ payload, the optical sensors, simply digital cameras, are widely used for collision avoidance systems in UAVs. This requires moving object detection and tracking algorithms from a video, which can be run on board efficiently. In this paper, we present a new approach to detect and track UAVs from a single camera mounted on a different UAV. Initially, we estimate background motions via a perspective transformation model and then identify moving object candidates in the background subtracted image through deep learning classifier trained on manually labeled datasets. For each moving object candidates, we find spatio-temporal traits through optical flow matching and then prune them based on their motion patterns compared with the background. Kalman filter is applied on pruned moving objects to improve temporal consistency among the candidate detections. The algorithm was validated on video datasets taken from a UAV. Results demonstrate that our algorithm can effectively detect and track small UAVs with limited computing resources.
Prevalence and antimicrobial resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from non-clinical urine samples.

A total of 120 urine samples from apparently healthy students were analysed for the prevalence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The activity of 13 antimicrobials was also studied to determine antimicrobial resistance rates and multiple resistances amongst the isolates. Antimicrobial resistance test was carried out by the Kirby-Bauer technique. The P. aeruginosa isolates exhibited high resistance to streptomycin, sparfloxacine and ciprofloxacine (39-74%), and moderate resistance to ofloxacine, gentamicin and perfloxacine (19- 35%). The K. pneumoniae isolates exhibited moderate resistance to augumentin, co-trimoxazole and amoxicillin (22-29%). P. aeruginosa was more prevalent (80%) in the samples than K. pneumoniae (55%). The isolates also occurred more with the female students than the males. Resistances to the antimicrobials for both isolates were equally higher in the females than in the males. The results probably infers a great measure of abuse (overuse or mis - use) of antimicrobials among the student population, considering the fact that the urine samples were obtained from students who were neither on admission in the hospitals nor out patients for urinary tract infections. (Chikwendu, C. I., Amadi, E.S. and Obi, R. K. Prevalence and antimicrobial resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from non-clinical urine samples. New York Science Journal 2010;3(11):194-200). (ISSN: 1554-0200). (http://www.sciencepub.net).
Agricultural Land Conversion in the Sub-Urban Area: A Case Study of Rajshahi Metropolitan City

Bangladesh is a land scarce country where per capita cultivated land is only 12.5 decimals. It is claimed that every year about one percent of farm land in the country is being converted to non-agricultural uses. The study is based mainly on field survey covering 2 villages (Narikel Baria and Baze Silinda) from 10 sub-urban villages around Rajshahi City Corporation under Paba Upazila of Rajshahi district. The study area was selected purposively and the respondents of this research work were selected randomly. The major focus was on to mention the general land use pattern of the area, estimates the agricultural land conversion besides determining the causes and consequences affecting such conversion. Both Narikel Baria and Baze Silinda villages were selected as study area because of its relatively higher growth in infrastructure. In order to fulfill the goal of this study, primary and secondary data were collected from various sources and to analyze and process of collected data the SPSS, Excel and Arc GIS software were used. Different types of descriptive statistics were applied for representing the analyzed data. It is observed that the land conversion form agriculture to non-agriculture allied in recent time is more than the previous time due to gradually increasing land demand in housing and relevant services which invites adverse impact on agricultural land as well as its dependent population. So, it is necessary to take integrated land-use planning to offer better options for the fulfillment of land demand both of housing and agricultural sectors. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.3329/jles.v8i0. 20136 J. Life Earth Sci., Vol. 8: 21-30, 2013
Differential Evolution-Based PID Control of Nonlinear Full-Car Electrohydraulic Suspensions

This paper presents a differential-evolution- (DE-) optimized, independent multiloop proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller design for full-car nonlinear, electrohydraulic suspension systems. The multiloop PID control stabilises the actuator via force feedback and also improves the system performance. Controller gains are computed using manual tuning and through DE optimization to minimise a performance index, which addresses suspension travel, road holding, vehicle handling, ride comfort, and power consumption constraints. Simulation results showed superior performance of the DE-optimized PID-controlled active vehicle suspension system (AVSS) over the manually tuned PID-controlled AVSS and the passive vehicle suspension system (PVSS).
Promoting the Ecological Swede

Recent developments within the environmental debate have focused on the individual’s role in mitigating environmental degradation this, together with the advancement of feminist thought and globalization, has lead Andrew Dobson to call for a new conception of citizenship an ‘ecological citizenship’. Although being scarce, practical application and empirical testing has affirmed the existence of such a citizen and the unsurprising link with political affiliation. Considering Sweden’s affirmed role as an environmentally friendly nation, how and to what extent has Swedish Green Party policy taken up and adopted ‘ecological citizenship’? Using the method of frame analysis in examining official party policy documents and membership publication articles, this paper found that the Swedish Green Party had taken up and adopted ecological citizenly characteristics. It was also found that the inclusion of the private sphere and policies aimed at individual behavior, mainly taxation, were both significant and indicative for such a conclusion, affirming ‘ecological citizenships’ normative value.
Liver Involvement Associated with Dengue Infection During A Major Outbreak in Central Nepal

Background and Aims - Dengue is a systemic viral infection, which is caused by any of the four strains of dengue virus and is transmitted between humans by the bite of Aides aegypti mosquito. Hepatic dysfunction is common in dengue infection with varying degree according to the severity of the disease. The aim of this study was to analyze the spectrum of liver involvement in dengue infection during a major outbreak that occurred in central Nepal between September and December 2010. Methods - A hospital based prospective study was conducted in the department of medicine at Chitwan Medical College. Patients who had fever in the ten preceding days (acute febrile illness) who had serologic evidence of Dengue and had no clinical evidence of bacterial infection anywhere in the body, were included in the study. Clinical, biochemical and radiological evaluation was done among 414 serologically confirmed Dengue cases to assess the spectrum of liver involvement. Statistical analysis of the data was done with SPSS version 16. Results - Dengue fever (DF) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) were present in 79.3% and 20.5% of the patients respectively. Only 2 out of 414 patients had dengue shock syndrome (DSS). The spectrum of hepatic manifestations included elevation of transaminases (raised ALT and AST in 81.9% and 57.7% respectively), abnormal abdominal ultrasound (49.3%), Hepatomegaly (39.1%), and Jaundice (4.1%). The intensity of hepatic involvement was significantly higher among patients with DHF than those with DF. Conclusion : Liver is one of the major organs to be involved in Dengue infection. Significant difference existed in the spectrum of liver involvement between DF and DHF. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.3126/jaim.v2i2. 8775 Journal of Advances in Internal Medicine 2013;02(02):42-46