Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
New Approach for Load Modeling

Load modeling is one of the central functions in power systems operations. Electricity cannot be stored, which means that for electric utility, the estimate of the future demand is necessary in managing the production and purchasing in an economically reasonable way. A majority of the recently reported approaches are based on neural network. The attraction of the methods lies in the assumption that neural networks are able to learn properties of the load. However, the development of the methods is not finished, and the lack of comparative results on different model variations is a problem. This paper presents a new approach in order to predict the Tunisia daily peak load. The proposed method employs a computational intelligence scheme based on the Fuzzy neural network (FNN) and support vector regression (SVR). Experimental results obtained indicate that our proposed FNN-SVR technique gives significantly good prediction accuracy compared to some classical techniques. Keywords—Neural network, Load Forecasting, Fuzzy inference, Machine learning, Fuzzy modeling and rule extraction, Support Vector Regression.
Herding in Trading by Amateur and Professional Investors

We study herding behavior of amateur and professional investors using a unique data-set consisting of all their daily transactions during a four-year period, and explore the factors that can explain such behavior and examine to what extent is herding information-driven. We distinguish between stock specific features such as systematic risk, idiosyncratic risk, and size, on the one hand, and market factors such as total stock market volume and returns on the other hand. We find herding a tendency among both types of investors and that this tendency is higher for amateurs. Herding is affected by both risk and size: it is a decreasing function of the size of the firm, and an increasing function of its risk. Idiosyncratic risk tends to positively affect herding but this effect is significantly lower for professionals. Systematic risk however positively influences only herding by professionals. Our data also reveal that herding behavior of the two groups is a persistent phenomenon, and that it is closely related to the volatility of market returns. In addition, amateurs' herding is weakly related to market returns. Most of the results are consistent in general with the theory that herding is information-based.
Do private equity investors conspire with ultimate owners in the IPO process

This paper examines the interactive effect of private equity (PE) and excess control rights on the process of firms’ going public. We find that firms with high excess control rights have more earnings management before IPO, and they are more likely to seek PE investors especially when the earnings management is high. We further show that the involvement of PE investors increases the probability of the firms’ IPO application being approved by the regulators in firms with high excess control rights. However, PE backed firms with high excess control rights are found to have a higher IPO fee, lower initial returns and lower long term post-IPO performance. We argue that in emerging markets where the protection of minority shareholders is weak and the economy is dominated by relationship and networks, ultimate owners have a strong incentive to have PE investors help them access the IPO market at the expense of minority shareholders’ interests, especially when they have excess control rights. In fact, instead of playing a monitory role, PE investors actually conspire with the ultimate owners to exploit minority shareholders’ interests and both PE investors and controlling shareholders become big winners, while minority shareholders are the only losers in the IPO process.
The Impact of Involvement in the Organisation-Public Relationship: Measuring the Mediating Role of Involvement between Organisation Behavior and Perceived Relationship Quality

Stakeholder involvement has played a significant role in the evolution of public relations from a strategic communication function to one of relationship management. Despite encouragement to explore the impact involvement has on the organisation-public relationship, few scholars have examined this construct. This study measures involvement in the non-profit organisation-volunteer relationship by using Zaichkowsky’s (1985) personal involvement inventory and examines its impact on relationship quality. New cultivation strategies, nurturance and instrumental aid, are identified. Results suggest that involvement plays a role in mediating the impact of cultivation strategies on the quality volunteers perceive in the nonprofit organisation relationship.
Inspecting the cyclical properties of the Italian Manufacturing Business survey data

The aim of this paper is to empirically investigate the cyclical features of the main Italian Manufacturing Business Survey indicators using time and frequency domain techniques. In particular, it analyzes the dynamics of each survey variable over time and with respect to different benchmark business cycles. The findings show that important changes have occurred in the periodicity and volatility of Manufacturing Survey data over the years. As expected, the contemporary cross-correlation of each Survey indicator is higher with respect to the industrial production than it is to the GDP cyclical component. Evidence of significant differences in the co-movements between each indicator with respect to GDP and industrial production is found. The cross-spectral analysis seems to reveal the existence of a common periodicity of all cyclical indicators with both the manufacturing and the whole-economy business cycle. This last result confirms the strength of Business Survey data used as short-run policy indicators.
Architecture of CIRCSIM-Tutor (v.3): a smart cardiovascular physiology tutor

This paper describes the architecture of the recent version (v.3) of a cardiovascular physiology tutor, called CIRCSIM-Tutor. The intended purpose of CIRCSIM-Tutor is to help first year medical students in developing a problem solving skill in the domain of cardiovascular physiology. This architecture was constructed using a systematic intelligent tutoring system (ITS) development methodology which combines the features of a systematic knowledge based system development methodology with an instructional system development methodology in a single framework. The architecture of CIRCSIM-Tutor (v.3) is flexible and is consistent with some important software engineering concepts. The architecture divides the functionality of CIRCSIM-Tutor into a set of subsystems which communicates with a message passing protocol. The shared resources such as domain knowledge base, lexicon, student model are kept separate as information stores which may be freely accessed by all subsystems of CIRCSIM-Tutor. <<ETX>>
Perceptually Oriented Hypnosis

This theoretical article explores postulates representative of a perceptual frame of reference for a better understanding of hypnotic experiencing. This author contends that Perceptual Psychology, a theory first conceptualized by Snygg and Combs, as revised by Combs, Richards, and Richards in 1988, and Perceptually Oriented Hypnosis provide an effective way of understanding hypnosis, the therapist-client relationship, and has some implications as well for better comprehending psychopathology. Perceptually oriented hypnotic principles are shown to enhance the characteristics of the adequate personality, expand the phenomenal field, change personal meanings, and change aspects of the phenomenal self in the context of hypnosis. Implications for understanding differing views and conflicting perceptions of reality held by scientists and researchers are discussed. Implications for Dissociative Identity Disorder are also addressed. Research utilizing Giorgi's research methodology and Wasicsko's qualitative procedure for assessing educators' dispositions is suggested.
Can Bankruptcy Codes Create Value? - Evidence from Creditors’ Recoveries in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom

This paper provides evidence on the value creation of bankruptcy procedures that belong to different legal systems (French civil law, German civil law, and British common law). Using a sample of 900 hand-collected corporate bankruptcy files, we find that France and Germany show quite similar overall recovery rates that are greater than in the United Kingdom. However, when controlling for the quality of assets and for the structure of claims, we observe that recovery rates are not significantly different between France and the United Kingdom, while they remain greater in Germany. We show that there are significant differences in terms of recoveries between procedures within countries. Finally, we observe that the recovery rates of the different classes of claimants also significantly differ across countries and procedures. These results show that bankruptcy codes are not equivalent in the way they manage and realize the debtor’s assets and protect the various claimants.
Real Estate Brokers’ Duties to Their Clients: Why Some States Mandate Minimum Service Requirements

This study attempts to determine why certain states have adopted real estate broker minimum service laws in the United States. The federal government and academic literature assume that such laws were the result of anticompetitive industry collusion and, therefore, serve no consumer protection justification. Using hazard models and state data over 8 years, however, we find that factors reflecting state brokerage influence - strong industry associations and broker membership on licensing boards - do not result in the enactment of minimum service laws. Factors suggesting consumer protection motivations - greater number of complaints against brokers, stricter prelicensing requirements, and a Democratic state legislature - increase the likelihood of law adoption.
Exploratory Research on Customers' Resistance to Adopt Mobile Banking: A Case of Pakistan

This study aimed at to investigate the factors, which cause resistance to adopt mobile banking in Pakistan. This study used non-probabilistic sampling technique; particularly convenience and judgmental techniques were applied. The total sample size for this study was 300 (N=300) respondents, who enrolled in undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs in top Business Schools of Pakistan. Finally, the data was analyzed by using inferential statistics, particularly one sample t-test and crosstabs techniques were adopted. The results of this study revealed that respondents are reluctant to adopt mobile banking service in Pakistan, due to the facts that respondents feel new technology is too much complicated, they believe mobile banking does not offer any comparative advantage, changing PIN codes in mobile banking is not convenient, mobile banking service does not increase capability to control financial matters, respondents think that mobile banking service is difficult to use and there will be no any privacy.
Interindividual variation of physical load in a work task.

OBJECTIVES This study analyzed the variation in physical work load among subjects performing an identical work task. METHODS Electromyographs from the trapezius and infraspinatus muscles and wrist movements were recorded bilaterally from 49 women during a highly repetitive industrial work task. An interview and a physical examination were used to define 12 potential explanatory factors, namely, age, anthropometric measures, muscle strength, work stress, and musculoskeletal disorders. RESULTS For the electromyographs, the means of the 10th percentiles were 2.2% and 2.8% of the maximal voluntary electrical activity (%MVE) for the trapezius and infraspinatus muscles, respectively. However, the interindividual variations were very large [coefficients of variation (CV) 0.75 and 0.62, respectively]. Most of the variance could not be explained; only height, strength, and coactivation of the 2 muscles contributed significantly (R2(adj)0.20-0.52). The variation was still large, though smaller (CV < or =0.63), for values normalized to relative voluntary electrical activity (RVE). For the wrist movements, the median velocity was 29 degrees per second, and the interindividual variations were small (CV < or =0.24). Six factors contributed to the explained variance (R2(adj)0.12-0.55). CONCLUSIONS The interindividual variation is small for wrist movements when the same work tasks are performed. In contrast, the electromyographic variation is large, even though less after RVE normalization, which reduces the influence of strength, than when MVE is used. Because of these variations, several electromyographs are needed to characterize the exposure of a specific work task in terms of muscular load, and individual electromyographs are preferable when the worker' s risk of myalgia is being studied.
Modern Management of Rectal Cancer

The management of rectal cancer has undergone significant evolution in the past decade. The standardization of operative surgical techniques, the demonstrated efficacy of adjuvant radiation therapy as well as chemotherapy, along with improvement in diagnostic imaging aimed at preoperative staging of the disease, have significantly improved the overall results of treatment for rectal carcinoma. No other area in the gastrointestinal tract requires such careful planning and individualization of treatment options, which are needed to achieve satisfactory oncological as well as functional results. The ability to preserve anal sphincteric function and to avoid genitourinary complications, without compromising the goals of a curative resection, can now be offered to the vast majority of patients who present with rectal carcinoma. The diagnostic and therapeutic armamentarium available to the clinician approaching a case of rectal cancer has never been so rich. The recent literature abounds with information regarding the reliability of new imaging modalities to diagnose primary as well as recurring rectal cancer, the efficacy of adjuvant treatments both in the preoperative and in the postoperative setting, and the feasibility of anal sphincter-saving procedures, ranging from transanal local excisions to coloanal anastomoses. The colorectal surgeon who is managing rectal cancer must maintain a leading role in the proper planning and delivery of the various treatment modalities, taking into account patient characteristics, as well as tumor variables.
Secure electronic tendering

Tendering is a method for entering into a sales contract. Numerous electronic tendering systems have been established with the intent of improving the efficiency of the tendering process. Although providing adequate security services is a desired feature in an e-tendering system, current e-tendering systems are usually designed with little consideration of security and legal compliance. This research focuses on designing secure protocols for e-tendering systems. It involves developing methodologies for establishing security requirements, constructing security protocols and using formal methods in protocol security verification. The implication is that it may prove suitable for developing secure protocols in other electronic business domains. In depth investigations are conducted into a range of issues in relation to establishing generic security requirements for e-tendering systems. The outcomes are presented in a form of basic and advanced security requirements for e-tendering process. This analysis shows that advanced security services are required to secure e-tender negotiation integrity and the submission process. Two generic issues discovered in the course of this research, functional difference and functional limitations, are fundamental in constructing secure protocols for tender negotiation and submission processes. Functional difference identification derives advanced security requirements. Functional limitation assessment defines how the logic of generic security mechanisms should be constructed. These principles form a proactive analysis applied prior to the construction of security protocols. Security protocols have been successfully constructed using generic cryptographic security mechanisms. These protocols are secure e-tender negotiation integrity protocol suite, and secure e-tender submission protocols. Their security has been verified progressively during the design. Verification results show that protocols are secure against common threat scenarios. The primary contribution of this stage are the procedures developed for the complex e-business protocol analysis using formal methods. The research shows that proactive analysis has made this formal security verification possible and practical for complex protocols. These primary outcomes have raised awareness of security issues in e-tendering. The security solutions proposed in the protocol format are the first in e-tendering with verifiable security against common threat scenarios, and which are also practical for implementation. The procedures developed for securing the e-tendering process are generic and can be applied to other business domains. The study has made improvements in: establishing adequate security for a business process; applying proactive analysis prior to secure protocol construction; and verifying security of complex e-business protocols using tool aided formal methods.
Interaction of the N-Methyl—aspartate Receptor Complex with a Novel Synapse-associated Protein, SAP102*

Ionotropic glutamate receptors are known to cluster at high concentration on the postsynaptic membrane of excitatory synapses, but the mechanism by which this occurs is poorly understood. Studies on the neuromuscular junction and central inhibitory synapses suggest that clustering of neurotransmitter receptors requires its interaction with a cytoplasmic protein. Recently, in vitro studies have shown that members of the N-methyl—aspartate (NMDA) class of glutamate receptors interact with a synapse-associated protein, SAP90 (PSD-95). However, evidence for the in vivo interaction of NMDA receptors with SAPs is still lacking. In the present study, we demonstrate the specific interaction between SAP102, a novel synapse-associated protein, and the NMDA receptor complex from the rat cortical synaptic plasma membranes using co-immunoprecipitation techniques. No association was observed between SAP102 and GluR1, a member of the α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate class of glutamate receptors. To identify the domain on the NMDA receptor responsible for this interaction, we constructed hexahistidine fusion proteins from different regions of the NR1a and NR2 subunits of the NMDA receptor. Immunoblot overlay experiments showed that while the C-terminal domain of the NR2 subunit displayed strong binding, the NR1a intracellular C-terminal tail did not interact with SAP102. The site of interaction was more precisely located to the last 20 amino acids of the NR2 subunit as indicated by the interaction of the synthetic peptide with SAP102. In summary, we demonstrate here for the first time an in vivo interaction between the native NMDA receptor complex and a synapse-associated protein. These results suggest that SAP102 may play an important role in NMDA receptor clustering and immobilization at excitatory synapses.
Supportive mechanisms for effective change management

This paper discusses the mechanisms used to support and enable change in contemporary organisations in Europe. Based on a literature review, we identify and classify critical factors to the management of change. These include organisation structure, organisation culture and climate, communication mechanisms, training and skills development as well as evaluation procedures for the monitoring of the change effort. These factors are then analysed in the context of empirical findings in four European countries: Greece, Spain, Denmark and the UK. As a result of this analysis, best practices for change management are identified. The research findings suggest that it is critical to adopt a holistic approach to continuous change with emphasis on communication, teamwork, education and training and an adaptive culture.
Time course of acetaminophen-protein adducts and acetaminophen metabolites in circulation of overdose patients and in HepaRG cells

Abstract 1. It has been suggested that acetaminophen (APAP)-protein adducts can be measured in circulation to diagnose APAP-induced liver injury. However, the full-time course of plasma adducts has not been studied specifically in early-presenting overdose patients. In fact, surprisingly little work has been done on the metabolism of APAP after overdose in general. 2. We measured APAP, five APAP metabolites and APAP-protein adducts in plasma samples from early- and late-presenting overdose patients, and APAP-protein adducts in culture medium from HepaRG cells. 3. In contrast to earlier rodents studies, we found that APAP-protein adducts were lower at early time points and peaked around the time of peak liver injury, suggesting that these adduct levels may take longer to become elevated or remain elevated than previously thought. 4. APAP and its major metabolites were elevated in plasma at early time points and rapidly decreased. 5. Although clinical measurement of APAP-protein adducts holds promise as a diagnostic tool, we suggest caution in its interpretation in very early-presenting patients. Our data also support the idea that sulfation is saturated even at low doses but glucuronidation has a much higher capacity, highlighting the importance of glucuronidation in APAP metabolism.
TOWARDS CERTIFICATION OF 3 D VIDEO QUALITY ASSESSMENT

Subjective quality assessment is widely used to understand and to study human perception of multimedia quality and as a basis for developing objective metrics to automatically predict the quality of audiovisual presentations. There are several recognized international protocols and procedures for reliable assessment of quality in multimedia systems and services, with emphasis on speech, audio and video modalities. However, the aspect of certification is not yet well understood in this context. This paper discusses various issues regarding certification of multimedia quality assessment. To be concrete, the discussion is illustrated by the procedure implemented to assess 3D video compression technologies within the MPEG effort for the definition of a 3D video coding standard. Selected results from four laboratories, Acreo, EPFL, NTNU and UBC, which participated in the assessment are presented. This case study is used in an early attempt to define a process for certification of subjective test campaigns, based on a cross-validation of the test results across different laboratories, towards the ultimate goal of Quality of Experience (QoE) certification.
Zeta Chain of the T-Cell Receptor Interacts with nef of Simian Immunodeficiency Virus and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 2

ABSTRACT A truncated version of the nef gene of simian immunodeficiency virus SIVmac239 capable of encoding amino acids 98 to 263 was used as bait to screen a cDNA library from activated lymphocytes in a yeast two-hybrid system. The zeta chain of the T-cell receptor (TCRζ) was found to interact specifically not only with truncated SIV nef in yeast cells but also with full-length glutathione S-transferase (GST)-SIVnef fusion protein in vitro. Coimmunoprecipitation of TCRζ with full-length SIV nef was demonstrated in transfected Jurkat cells and in Cos 18 cells which express the cytoplasmic domain of TCRζ fused to the external domain of CD8 via the CD8 transmembrane domain. Using a series of nef deletion mutants, we have mapped the binding site within the central core domain of nef (amino acids 98 to 235). Binding of TCRζ was specific for nef isolated from SIVmac239, SIVsmH4, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-2ST and was not detected with nef from five different HIV-1 isolates. An active tyrosine kinase was coprecipitated with nef-TCRζcomplexes from Jurkat cells but not from J.CAM1. 6 cells which lack a functional Lck tyrosine kinase. These results demonstrate a specific association of SIV and HIV-2 nef, but not HIV-1 nef, with TCRζ.