Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimal Investment Policy for Pension Annuitants in Malaysia under Economic Exposure

This research has conducted a profound evaluation into the annuity market in Malaysia from both the business and individual perspective. To a great extent, analysis is made on how the annuity insurers could better maintain the solvency level of annuity fund which is exposed under significant economic risks by obtaining an optimal fund allocation to maximise investment returns through the development of Asset-Liability Management (ALM). By adapting the concept from Wilkie model, six fundamental models including inflation rate, real interest rate, KLCI stock return, KLCI stock dividend yield, 10-year MGS return as well as Malaysian property return were formulated accordingly to the Box-Jenkins modelling approach. It concludes that the optimal weightages combination suggests that the annuity insurers should allocate 94% of the single premium such as RM100,000 which collected from the annuitant to bond market, whereas the other 5% of the fund should be invested in stock but only 1% of the premium should be allocated into the property investment.
Peróxido de hidrogênio na indução de tolerância de mudas de goiabeira ao estresse salino

A goiabeira é uma cultura importante no cenário socioeconômico da região semiárida brasileira, sendo uma fonte de geração de emprego e renda. Contudo, nesta região é comum a ocorrência de fontes hídricas com altos teores de sais dissolvidos e assim são necessárias estratégias que visem minimizar os efeitos deletérios do estresse salino nas plantas. Neste contexto, objetivou-se com este trabalho avaliar os efeitos da aplicação foliar com peróxido de hidrogênio nas trocas gasosas, eficiência fotoquímica, crescimento e qualidade de mudas de goiabeira sob estresse salino. O experimento foi conduzido sob condições de casa de vegetação em Pombal, Paraíba, utilizando-se o delineamento de blocos casualizados, com tratamentos arranjados em esquema fatorial 5 × 4 , referentes a cinco níveis de condutividade elétrica da água - CEa (0,3; 1,3; 2,3; 3,3 e 4,3 dS m-1) e quatro concentrações de peróxido de hidrogênio – H2O2 (0, 25, 50 e 75 μM) com quatro repetições e duas plantas por parcela. A irrigação com água de condutividade elétrica a partir de 0,3 dS m-1 inibiu as trocas gasosas, eficiência fotoquímica e crescimento de mudas de goiabeira, aos 91 dias após a emergência. A aplicação foliar de peróxido de hidrogênio em concentrações de até 75 μM não amenizou os efeitos do estresse salino em plantas de goiabeira na fase de formação de mudas. A goiabeira cv. Paluma é classificada como sensível a salinidade da água na fase de formação de mudas, sendo o nível limiar de 0,3 dS m-1 e diminuição por aumento unitário de 11,48%.
Chinese undergraduate students’ motivation to learn Korean as a LOTE

As rates of multilingualism increase, interest in the field of Languages Other Than English (LOTEs) has been growing over the last few years. This study investigated the motivation held by Chinese undergraduate students for learning Korean as a LOTE using Dörnyei’s L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS). In total, 123 subjects responded to the 6-point Likert scale measuring their Korean learning motivation. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 22. Logistic regression was applied for identifying variables that distinguished the first-year from the second-year learners of Korean, while canonical correlation analysis was used to examine the correlation between two sets of variables, the first set of dependent variables of the ideal L2 self and the ought-to L2 self, and the second set of independent variables of family influence, instrumentality promotion, instrumentality prevention, attitude to learning Korean, cultural interest, attitude toward community and integrativeness. Results showed that variables of family influence, cultural interest, and attitude to learning Korean were statistically significant in distinguishing the first-year from the second-year learners in terms of affective variables. In addition, canonical analysis showed that the dependent variable set of the ideal L2 self and the ought-to L2 self together shared nearly 69% variance with the independent variable set, indicating that the ideal L2 self and the ought-to L2 self together were highly related with these affective variables in the independent variable set. The findings of the current study suggest that more creative Korean language learning activities be adopted to help sustain the high levels of affect among Korean language learners.
Comparing instructor and student perspectives of online versus face-to-face education for program factors during the pandemic

Abstract Instructor and business students’ perspectives regarding online and face-to-face education during the pandemic were simultaneously surveyed. The study took place at an AACSB-accredited, Jesuit Catholic University with a strong focus on face-to-face teaching. Instructors and students who have experienced online education significantly differ on their perspectives of online education with respect to difficulty. No significant differences in their perspectives existed on student-to-student interaction, student-to-instructor interaction or cheating as both groups favored the face-to-face environment. This research offers insight into the differences in perspectives of the educational environment, which may affect student learning.
The Influence of Economic Growth, Education and Health on Poverty in East Java Province

The problem studied in this study is, How does economic growth, education and health influence poverty in East Java Province. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of economic growth, education and health on poverty in East Java Province. The research method used is using Panel Data Analysis, by choosing the best model, namely comment effect, fixed effect and random effect, selecting the best regression model using the Chow test, Hausman test and LM test. The results showed that economic growth has an effect on poverty, education also has an effect on poverty and health also has an effect on poverty.
PROBLEMS OF MARRIAGE GUARDIANS IN SUPREME COURT DECISIONS: GENDER PERSPECTIVE ANALYSIS

Family law in some countries regulates guardianship in marriage as a pillar that applies absolutely, that a marriage is considered invalid and can be canceled if it is carried out without a guardian or with an unauthorized guardian. A handful of women activists consider guardianship over women to obstruct the realization of their rights and discriminate against women, including male guardianship over women in this marriage. Long before the issue of guardianship heated up again, the Supreme Court had actually faced cases of parents trying to cancel their child's marriage because it was done with an unauthorized guardian. The court of first instance and appellate level had annulled the marriage, but the Supreme Court at the cassation level actually viewed the marriage as legal according to Islamic law. The author in this article will analyze this decision using the method of explanative analysis and describe it with thematic content. Analysis of this decision leads us to discuss the problem of women marrying themselves off, women representing their marriages and women being guardians of marriage from a gender perspective. This finding shows the dynamics of guardianship law over women in marriage. Based on the principle of al-musāwah, the basic principle in marital guardianship is that men and women are equal; may not distinguish legal provisions between men and women based solely on their gender, except based on benefit.
Computing with Words -- When Results Do Not Depend on the Selection of the Membership Function

Formulation of the problem. One of the most successful ways to trans-form natural-language expert knowledge into computer-understandable numeri-cal form is to use fuzzy logic. In fuzzy logic, each imprecise property like “small” is described by a membership function that assigns, to each possible value x , a degree (cid:22) ( x ) to which x is, e.g., small. The problem is that membership func-tions are subjective. It is therefore desirable to look for cases when the results do not depend on this subjective choice. Continuity: close , is ) degree )) ). by (cid:22) y small ( ) x
Combined static and sliding friction on an inclined plane

The friction force on a circular object rolling without sliding down an inclined plane is due to static friction. If the object commences in a sliding mode at the top of the incline, and if the incline angle is small, then a small additional sliding friction force arises to reduce the sliding speed of the contact point to zero if the incline is sufficiently long. While the object is sliding, the total friction force is equal to the static friction force plus the sliding friction force. The effect is described theoretically and is supported by measurements of the linear and angular velocities of a ball that commences to slide down a smooth incline.
CFM Self-Teaching in the Fluids Laboratory: Newtonian and Non-Newtonian Flow in Circular Pipes

Experiences of a computer fluid mechanics based self-teaching exercise on the flow of Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids are reported. This was restricted to the steady flow of fluids in circular pipes. The work involved keyboard-literate students in the first year of a mechanical engineering degree course finding the pipe design laws, in terms of the effects of diameter and pressure gradient increase on flow rate. Also, velocity profile plus development length effects, not easily taught via analytical or laboratory classes, were illustrated.
A Measurement of the Azimuthal Decorrelation in Di-jet Events in Proton-proton Collisions at √s = 7 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider

A Measurement of the Azimuthal Decorrelation in Di-Jet Events in Proton-Proton Collisions at √ s = 7 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider Gabriel Rosenbaum Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Physics University of Toronto 2011 A measurement of the azimuthal decorrelation in di-jet events in proton-proton collisions at √ s = 7 TeV is presented. Using 19.6 nb of data collected in the ATLAS detector this measurement uses the angle (∆φ) in the transverse plane between the two leading pT jets to measure the normalized differential cross section 1 σtot dσ d(∆φ) . An unfolding correction is a applied to give a jet-level result. The unfolded spectrum is compared to the predictions of two Monte Carlo event generators: Pythia and Herwig++.
Olea europaea leaves extract downregulate Newcastle disease virus gene expression in cancer cells

Many researches have been made to find antiviral agents from natural sources. Leaf of Olea europaea (OLE) is one of themost important medicinal plants, as it is a well-known source of different phytochemicals. This study was carried out toinvestigate the effect of using Olea europaea leaves extract on the level of viral gene expression (M and F) in Hela cell line byusing the qRT-PCR. Also, we examined the adding of interferon-beta ( IFN-b ) as an antivirus factor and analyzed the expressionof viral and IFN-b genes to identify viral targets for OLE extract. First, we propagated the virus in embryonated chickeneggs and showed to kill embryos in different times intervals (less than 72 hours) with marked sever hemorrhage in infectedembryos, and agglutination activity reflects titer (1024) and 1×10 6.4 (TCID50). Hela cells were cultured and different concentrationof OLE extract was added; cell viability was measured by MTT assay. Gene expression showed that the expression ofthe viral gene was downregulated in the present of OLE extract. Pretreatment with IFN-b downregulated viral gene expressionhigher than the extract, also evaluated the IFN-b concentration by ELISA assay. OLE can be considered as antivirus agent andused this property to help in control Newcastle disease.
A Probabilistic Tropical Cyclone Track Forecast Scheme Based on the Selective Consensus of Ensemble Prediction Systems

AbstractSelective consensus and a grand ensemble based on an ensemble prediction system (EPS) have been found to be effective in improving deterministic tropical cyclone (TC) track forecasts, while little attention has been paid to quantitative applications of the forecast uncertainty information provided by EPSs. In this paper the forecast uncertainty information is evaluated for two operational EPSs and their grand ensemble. Then, a probabilistic TC track forecast scheme is proposed based on the selective consensus of the two EPSs; this scheme is composed of member picking, mean track shifting, and probability ellipses. The operational EPSs are from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF-EPS) and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP-GEFS). Evaluation exhibits that the hit ratios of ECMWF-EPS are above 80% for the 70% probability ellipses at all lead times until 120 h and are used in the proposed scheme. The other components of the proposed scheme are about picki.
Towards optimality of the parallel tempering algorithm

Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques for sampling from complex probability distributions have become mainstream. Big data and high model complexity demand more scalable and robust algorithms. A famous problem with MCMC is making it robust to situations when the target distribution is multi-modal. In such cases the algorithm can become trapped in a subset of the state space and fail to escape during the entirety of the run of the algorithm. This non-exploration of the state space results in highly biased sample output. Simulated (ST) and Parallel (PT) Tempering algorithms are typically used to address multi-modality problems. These methods flatten out the target distribution using a temperature schedule. This allows the Markov chain to move freely around the state space and explore all regions of significant mass. This thesis explores two new ideas to improve the scalability of the PT algorithm. These are implemented in prototype algorithms, QuanTA and HAT, which are accompanied by supportive theoretical optimal scaling results. QuanTA focuses on improving transfer speed of the hot state mixing information to the target cold state. The associated scaling result for QuanTA shows that under mild conditions the QuanTA approach admits a higher order temperature spacing than the PT algorithm. HAT focuses on preserving modal weight through the temperature schedule. This is an issue that can lead to critically poor performance of the PT approach. The associated optimal scaling result is useful from a practical perspective. The result also challenges the notion that without modal weight preservation tempering schedules can be selected based on swap acceptance rates; an idea repeatedly used in the current literature. The new algorithms are prototype designs and have clear limitations. However, the impressive empirical performance of these new algorithms, together with supportive theory, illustrate their substantial improvement over existing methodology.
Understanding topological quantum error-correction codes using classical spin models

Quantum computers promise an impressive speedup for specific tasks, such as factorization and search algorithms, and they also excel at simulating physical systems. Unfortunately, sensitivity to noise makes most of the current quantum computing schemes prone to errors and nonscalable, allowing only for small proof-of-principle devices. One promising avenue to resolve this problem is to perform active quantum error correction using topology: By encoding quantum states in topological properties of a larger system, decoherence can be prevented at the hardware level. At the same time, the intrinsic locality of the operations required for error correction renders this approach suitable for actual physical realizations. The key figure of merit when analyzing topological error correction codes is the critical error threshold, which denotes the maximum tolerable error rate for reliable error correction. This stability of a code can be understood by mapping the problem onto a classical statistical spin model with disorder. Because the mapping associates quantum errors with percolating domain walls, the scenario of feasible error recovery corresponds to finding the related spin system in an ordered state. This fruitful synergy between quantum computing proposals and frustrated spin models is used in this thesis to numerically calculate – for the first time – the error threshold of several topological error-correction codes via large-scale Monte Carlo simulations. The encouraging results for the Toric code, topological color codes and topological subsystem codes for di↵erent error channels raise hopes that reliable quantum computation can be accomplished using topological error correction.
Low Complexity MRC Detection for OTFS Receiver With Oversampling

Orthogonal time-frequency space (OTFS) modulation shows superior performance in high-mobility wireless environments compared to orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). In this paper, we consider maximal ratio combining (MRC) detection for an OTFS receiver with oversampling for channels with fractional delays and Doppler shifts. Specifically, we first reformulate input-output relations in delay-Doppler and delay-time domains for an oversampled OTFS receiver. Then we present a modified iterative MRC detection in both domains taking advantage of the oversampled received signal to improve error performance. The complexity of our detection method is equivalent to that of standard MRC detection scaled by the oversampling factor, while remaining much lower than message passing (MP) detection. We also develop a noise whitening approach to decorrelate the oversampled noise in time domain and derive the optimal combining weights of the MRC detection. Simulation results show that the proposed detection with receiver oversampling outperforms the MRC detection with Nyquist sampling, and the oversampling MP detection. Finally, we show that adding noise whitening can significantly improve error performance, compared to the MRC detection without noise whitening. This comes at a small additional computational cost, while still remaining much lower than MP detection.
Health Risk and Quality Assessment of Vegetables Cultivated on Soils from a Heavily Polluted Old Mining Area

Three garden vegetables—radish, carrot and lettuce—were cultivated in a pot experiment using two soils from the Příbram area polluted mainly by cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb) and chromium (Cr). The soils of the Příbram district, Czech Republic, are heavily polluted as a result of the atmospheric deposition of toxic elements originating from historic lead–silver mining and smelting activities. The results showed that lettuce absorbed the highest amounts of toxic elements (Cd 28 and 30, Cr 12 and 13, Zn 92 and 205 mg·kg−1 DW), except Pb, which was higher in radish (30 and 49 mg·kg−1 DW). Changes in macronutrient contents in edible parts were not found, except for sulfur. A higher total free amino acids (fAAs) accumulation was shown in all vegetables in more contaminated soil, with the highest fAA content being in radish. A group of essential fAAs reached 7–24% of total fAAs in vegetables. The risk to human health was characterized using the target hazard quotient and total hazard index (HI). The cumulative effect of the consumption of vegetables with HI > 1 showed possible non-carcinogenic health effects for lettuce and carrot. HI decreased in the order Cd > Pb > Cr > Zn. The carcinogenic risk of toxic elements decreased in the order Cd > Cr > Pb (0.00054, 0.00026, 0.00003). These values showed a carcinogenic risk from the consumption of lettuce and carrot and confirmed that the adult population of the studied area is at high risk if lettuce and carrot cultivated in this area are consumed daily.
Soft Modelling by Latent Variables: The Non-Linear Iterative Partial Least Squares (NIPALS) Approach

The NIPALS approach is applied to the ‘soft’ type of model that has come to the fore in sociology and other social sciences in the last five or ten years, namely path models that involve latent variables which serve as proxies for blocks of directly observed variables. Such models are seen as hybrids of the ‘hard’ models of econometrics where all variables are directly observed (path models in the form of simultaneous equations systems) and the ‘soft’ models of psychology where the human mind is described in terms of latent variables and their directly observed indicators. For hybrid models that involve one or two latent variables the NIPALS approach has been developed in [38], [41] and [42]. The present paper extends the NIPALS approach to path models with three or more latent variables. Each new latent variable brings a rapid increase in the pluralism of possible model designs, and new problems arise in the parameter estimation of the models. Iterative procedures are given for the point estimation of the parameters. With a view to cases when the iterative estimation does not converge, a device of range estimation is developed, where high profile versus low profile estimates give ranges for the parameter estimates.
Pregnancy related hormones increase CYP3A mediated buprenorphine metabolism in human hepatocytes: a comparison to CYP3A substrates nifedipine and midazolam

Introduction: Pregnancy increases the clearance of CYP3A4 substrate drugs and pregnancy-related hormones (PRHs) induce hepatic CYP3A4 expression and metabolism. However, it remains unclear to what extent the magnitude of PRH-evoked changes in hepatic CYP3A metabolism varies across multiple substrates. This study quantified the impact of PRHs on CYP3A protein concentrations and buprenorphine metabolism in human hepatocytes, and compared the magnitude of these effects to nifedipine and midazolam metabolism. Methods: Sandwich-cultured human hepatocytes (SCHH) from female donors were exposed to PRHs, administered in combination across a range of physiologically relevant concentrations, for 72 h. Absolute protein concentrations of CYP3A4, CYP3A5, and CYP3A7 in SCHH membrane fractions were quantified by nanoLC-MS/MS, and norbuprenorphine (nor-BUP), dehydro-nifedipine (dehydro-NIF), and 1-hydroxy-midazolam (1-OH-MDZ) formation was evaluated. Results: Compared to control, PRH exposure increased CYP3A4, CYP3A7, and total CYP3A protein concentrations, but not CYP3A5 concentrations, and increased nor-BUP, dehydro-NIF, and 1-OH-MDZ formation in a concentration-dependent manner. The formation of nor-BUP, dehydro-NIF, and 1-OH-MDZ each positively correlated with PRH-mediated changes in total CYP3A protein concentrations. The PRH-evoked increase in nor-BUP formation was evident in all donors; however, the PRH induction of dehydro-NIF and 1-OH-MDZ formation was diminished in a hepatocyte donor with high basal CYP3A5 expression. Discussion: These findings demonstrate that PRHs increase buprenorphine, nifedipine, and midazolam metabolism in SCHH via induction of CYP3A4 and total CYP3A protein concentrations, and the magnitude of these effects vary across hepatocyte donors in a substrate-specific manner. These data provide insight into the contribution of PRH induction of CYP3A4 metabolism to increased buprenorphine clearance during pregnancy.