Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors Explaining the Choice of an Economics Major: The Role of Student Characteristics, Personality and Perceptions of the Profession

A bivariate probit model is used to predict the choice of an economics major in a sample of first-year, undergraduate business students. The paper examines the statistical significance of a number of student-related characteristics on the likelihood of choosing an economics major, along with the role of student personality and perceptions of the profession. Factors analysed include secondary studies in economics, accounting and business, grade point average and attendance pattern, along with perceptions of the economics profession arrayed along dimensions of interest, independence, structure and precision. It would appear that the primary influences on the selection of a major in economics comprise student personality and level of interest in the profession.
Generative models for natural images

We discuss modern generative modelling of natural images based on neural networks. Three varieties of such models are particularly predominant at the time of writing: latent variable models such as variational autoencoders (VAE), autoregressive models such as pixel recurrent neural networks (PixelRNN), and generative adversarial networks (GAN), which are noise-transformation models trained with an adversary. This thesis touches on all three kinds. The first chapter covers background on generative models, along with relevant discussions about deep neural networks, which are currently the dominant technology for implementing powerful statistical models. In the second chapter, we implement variational autoencoders with autoregressive decoders. This removes the strong assumption of output dimensions being conditionally independent in variational autoencoders, instead tractably modelling a joint distribution, while also endowing autoregressive models with a latent code. Additionally, this model has significantly reduced computational cost compared to that of a purely autoregressive model with similar modelling assumptions and performance. We express the latent space as a hierarchy, and qualitatively demonstrate the semantic decomposition of latent causes induced by this design. Finally, we present results on standard datasets that demonstrate strongly competitive performance. In the third chapter, we present an improved training procedure for a recent variant on generative adversarial networks. Wasserstein GANs minimize the Earth-Mover’s distance between the real and generated distributions and have been shown to be much easier to train than with the standard minimax objective of GANs. However, they still exhibit some failure modes in training for some settings. We identify weight clipping as a culprit and replace it with a penalty on the gradient norm. This improves training further, and we demonstrate stability on a wide variety of settings (including language models over discrete data), and samples of high quality on the CIFAR-10 and LSUN bedrooms datasets. Finally, in the fourth chapter, we present work in development, where we consider the use of modern generative models as normality models in a zero-shot out-of-distribution detection setting. We evaluate some of the models we have discussed previously in the thesis, and find that VAEs are the most promising, although their overall performance leaves a lot of room for improvement. We conclude by reiterating the significance of generative modelling in the development of artificial intelligence, and mention some of the challenges ahead.
On the Wagner-Anantharam outer bound and achievable Gaussian source coding exponents

Tightness of the Wagner-Anantharam (W-A) outer bound [1], for the quadratic Gaussian two-terminal source coding problem, is examined. The proof of the sum rate constraint for the rate region of this problem provides some hints on possible looseness of the bound [2]. We prove tightness to the rate region for this setup, by first proving tightness for the many-help-one problem with conditional independence [6]. We also look at the performance of the W-A bound and find the worst choice of the auxiliary random variable X, appearing in the expression of the bound, for the sum rate constraint. In the second part of this work, the Gaussian point-to-point source coding problem is considered. The error exponent for this problem was presented by Ihara and Kubo [11]. We generalize the Gaussian method of types, introduced by Arikan and Merhav [10], and use Marton’s approach [9] to retrieve the best achievable error exponent for this setup. Our method is readily extendable to more complex Gaussian source coding problems.
Nanosize MgO as antibacterial agent: preparation and characteristics

The antibacterial activity of MgO nanoparticles prepared by a sonication method was evaluated in this paper. The effect of calcination conditions on the size and antibacterial activity of MgO nanoparticles was investigated. MgO nanoparticles were characterized for purity (TGA), crystallinity and crystal size (XRD), particle size and morphology (TEM) and surface area (BET). Results showed that the smallest size of 6 nm could be obtained. The lethal effects of nanocrystalline MgO were evaluated on Lactobacillus plantarum. At a concentration of 100 ppm, the killing effect of MgO was close to 1 log reduction for L. plantarum after 24 h exposure. At 1000 ppm and 24 h exposure, the killing effect of MgO was more than a 2.8 log reduction. With the increase of calcination time, the lethal effect of MgO nanoparticles increased after 6 h or 24 h exposure at 100 ppm or 1000 ppm. 2.86 log and 2.89 log were killed at 1000 ppm after 24 h exposure using the sample MgO, sonication, A, and the sample MgO, sonication, B, respectively. When the sample MgO, sonication, C, was used, the lethal quantity of L. plantarum was increased to a 3.36 log reduction.
A Review of the Working Conditions and Health Status of Waste Pickers at Some Landfill Sites in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa

Waste management is a global phenomenon and a challenge to all nations. There is a need to ensure that waste is handled in an environmental friendly and healthy manner. In South Africa, the last stage of the life cycle of waste is at the landfill sites, which are normally on the outskirts of town and away from communities because of their release of harmful pollutants. As in other developing countries, there are people who try to make a living by engaging in waste picking at the landfill sites. This study researched on working conditions and health status of waste pickers working at some landfill sites in the City of Tshwane metropolitan Municipality; namely Ga-Rankuwa, Onderstepoort and Hatherley. The study used a multi-method approach, where both qualitative and quantitative factors of research were utilized. The results from the 176 waste pickers in the survey showed that 43% believed that their illnesses were work related, while 34% said they were not ill at all. About 19% of the waste pickers in the survey believed their illnesses were not work related. Their working conditions remain undesirable, but their work serves as their main source of survival. Waste pickers at landfill sites are aware of the risks of working at the landfill sites especially in inhuman working conditions. There is therefore a need to facilitate improvement in their working conditions and raise awareness on their health status.
The Impact of Skill Mismatch on Earnings Losses after Job Displacement

The long-term earnings losses of displaced workers are substantial. We investigate the role of post-displacement occupational matching in explaining the cost of job displacement. We combine German administrative data on the work history of displaced workers with information on the task content of more than 260 occupations, providing a measure of skill mismatch between a worker's pre- and post-displacement occupation. We find that displaced occupational switchers suffer average wage losses of more than 8% over 15 years. However, displaced workers moving to occupations where they are initially underqualified quickly manage to return to their pre-displacement earnings path, and even gain from switching in the long run. Our preliminary results suggest that policy should encourage the requalification of displaced workers to occupations that are more skill demanding than their pre-displacement occupations.
Analytical approximations of local‐Heston volatility model and error analysis

This paper studies the expansion of an option price (with bounded Lipschitz payoff) in a stochastic volatility model including a local volatility component. The stochastic volatility is a square root process, which is widely used for modeling the behavior of the variance process (Heston model). The local volatility part is of general form, requiring only appropriate growth and boundedness assumptions. We rigorously establish tight error estimates of our expansions, using Malliavin calculus. The error analysis, which requires a careful treatment because of the lack of weak differentiability of the model, is interesting on its own. Moreover, in the particular case of call–put options, we also provide expansions of the Black–Scholes implied volatility that allow to obtain very simple formulas that are fast to compute compared to the Monte Carlo approach and maintain a very competitive accuracy.
The effect of PLC-inhibitor on echovirus 1 internalization probed with fluorescently labeled echovirus 1

Echovirus 1 (EV1) belongs to the family of Picornaviridae and more specifically to the genus Enterovirus. EV1 is a small, non-enveloped RNA-virus which has a capsid consisting of four proteins VP1-VP4. EV1 has been shown to bind to α2β1-integrin on the cell surface and then endocytosed inside the cell by a mechanism that resembles both caveolin-mediated endocytosis and macropinocytosis. Instead, uncoating and RNA release are poorly understood. Here, we have successfully purified EV1 with sucrose gradient and labeled the virus with an amine reactive dye. The results showed that for successful labeling, considerably low amount of dye is sufficient for signal detection, and according to end-point dilution assay, is necessary for maintaining virus infectivity. Capsid labeled EV1 was used in cellular studies where Phospholipase C-inhibitor (PLCinhibitor) was tested as an endocytosis blocker. According to our hypothesis PLC-inhibitor blocks endocytosis, and as a result, virus remains on the cell surface. Indeed, based on immunofluorescence studies and quantification with Bioimage XD software, endocytosis was blocked, although difference to control cells was only 10%. Additionally, another immunofluorescence study showed that PLC-inhibitor decreased EV1 infection. Immunofluorescence studies were hindered by empty and disassembled virus particles, which were detected during EV1 characterization with transmission electron microcopy. Labeled empty and disassembled particles probably caused false signal in immunofluorescence studies, and thus, it was concluded that virus purification and labeling has to be more optimized for these kinds of studies. Fluorescent capsid label could provide us a tool for future uncoating and live imaging studies by minimizing non-specificity that is usually related to immunolabeling. In addition, PLC-inhibitor could enable uncoating studies to be carried out on the cell surface instead of endosomes.
Effects of Physical and Biological Treatments in Restoring Degraded Crusted Soil in Niger

Degraded lands with crusted, compacted and erosion prone soil are areas where ecosystems have crossed several thresholds of degradation. In such lands, vegetation is unlikely to develop unless artificially assisted. In this study, we use anti-erosive rehabilitation techniques coupled with biological treatment in order to investigate their effects on restoring the crusted soil and facilitating vegetation establishment. Four sites were used to monitor the effects depending on the age of the treatments: i) untreated site or control, ii) 3 years of restoration, iii) 5 years of restoration and iv) 7 years of restoration. Floristic and sites characteristics data were collected in plots of 1,000 m2 in each site. The results indicate a total of 116 plant species that have been recorded on all sites. Plant canopy and litter covers increased while rocks and bare soil cover decreased significantly (P <0.001) with age of treatment. Cover of bare soil is on average 47 ± 12% against 5 ± 1% on the site of 7 years of restoration. The vegetation cover averages 45 ± 12% and 88 ± 19%. Species richness (R), Shannon index (H ') and Pielou evenness (E) vary according to the age and type of succession. The highest values of R, H' and E were recorded at the 5 years site followed by 3 and 7 years sites with the lowest values in the untreated site.
Sexual maturity linked variations in proximate composition and mineral content of female scomberomorus commerson (narrow banded mackerel) in south east coast of India

Monthly variations in the proximate composition and the mineral content of Scomberomorus commerson (narrow banded mackerel) were investigated. The proximate composition and mineral contents significantly varied (P < 0.05) among the months (P < 0.05). Moisture content was high in May (74.84 ± 0.18 %) %), followed by protein in June (20.52 ± 0.27), lipid in December (12.35 ± 0.28%), glycogen in June (1.26 ± 0.01) and ash in March (1.42 ±0.37%). Minerals such as calcium (Ca) was maximum in June (344.59 ± 0.25), followed by phosphorus (P) in April (1878.58 ± 0.12) and iron (Fe) in October (9.83 ± 0.25). Results showed that the proximate composition and mineral content in female S. commerson were directly related to the sexual maturity of fish.
Global patterns of genetic variation in plant species along vertical and horizontal gradients on mountains

Aim To understand global patterns of genetic variation in plant species on mountains and to consider the significance of mountains for the genetic structure and evolution of plant species. Location Global. Methods We review published studies. Results Genetic diversity within populations can vary along altitudinal gradients in one of four patterns. Eleven of 42 cited studies (26% of the total) found that populations at intermediate altitudes have greater diversity than populations at lower and higher altitudes. This is because the geographically central populations are under optimal environmental conditions, whereas the peripheral populations are in suboptimal situations. The second pattern, indicating that higher populations have less diversity than lower populations, was found in eight studies (19%). The third pattern, indicating that lower populations have lower diversity than higher populations, was found in 10 studies (24%). In 12 studies (29%), the intrapopulation genetic variation was found to be unaffected by altitude. Evidence of altitudinal differentiation was found in more than half of these studies, based on measurements of a range of variables including genome size, number of chromosomes or a range of loci using molecular markers. Furthermore, great variation has been found in phenotypes among populations at different altitudes in situ and in common garden experiments, even in cases where there was no associated variation in molecular composition. Mountains can be genetic barriers for species that are distributed at low elevations, but they can also provide pathways for species that occupy high-elevation habitats. [Correction added after publication 9 October 2007: ‘less diversity’ changed to ‘greater diversity’ in the second sentence of the Results section of the Abstract]. Main conclusions Genetic diversity within populations can vary along altitudinal gradients as a result of several factors. The results highlight the importance of phenotypic examinations in detecting altitudinal differences. The influence of mountain ridges on genetic differentiation varies depending, inter alia , on the elevation at which the species occurs. Based on these findings, zoning by altitudes or ridges would be helpful for the conservation of tree populations with the onset of global warming.
EFFICIENT CALCULATION OF THE RESPONSE OF A STRUCTURAL ACOUSTIC SYSTEM UNDER AERODYNAMIC EXCITATIONS

Abstract. The problem of the dynamic response of a structural-acoustic system in the midfrequency range is hereby considered. The system is initially modelled using finite elements, and is subsequently reduced using the Second Order Arnoldi Reduction method (SOAR) resulting in radical reduction of calculation times. The fully coupled system is modelled using a Statistical Energy Analysis like (SEA-like) approach, and the energetic characteristics for each subsystem are computed and compared to the direct FEM solution. The error with respect to the full FE solution is presented and the limits of the reliability of the reduction are explored. The loading applied to the model comprises typical random aeroacoustic excitations, such as a diffused sound field and a Turbulent Boundary Layer (TBL) excitation.
The Optimal Linear Quadratic Feedback State Regulator Problem for Index One Descriptor Systems

In this note we present both necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a linear static state feedback controller if the system is described by an index one descriptor system. A priori no definiteness restrictions are made w.r. t. the quadratic performance criterium. It is shown that in general the set of solutions that solve the problem constitutes a manifold. This feedback formulation of the optimization problem is natural in the context of differential games and we provide a characterization of feedback Nash equilibria in a deterministic context.
Bacterial Endo-Symbiont Inhabiting Tridax procumbens L. and Their Antimicrobial Potential

Bacterial symbionts inhabiting Tridax procumbens L. were screened for antimicrobial potential with the aim to isolate potent bacteria bearing significant activity against test pathogens. The selected isolate was subjected to large scale fermentation to extract antimicrobial metabolite. The organic phase was reduced under vacuum pressure and crude ethyl acetate extract (10 mg/mL) was evaluated for antimicrobial activity against panel of test pathogens. The antibacterial activity was measured as a zone of inhibition and compared with standard antibiotics, gentamicin and tetracycline. Similarly, antifungal activity was compared with miconazole and bavistin. Significant activity was conferred against Shigella flexneri (MTCC 731) with 27±1.5 mm zone across the disc. Partially, purification of antimicrobial metabolite with TLC-bioautography and HPLC resulted in active fraction bearing activity at Rf 0.65 and eluting between 4 and 5 retention times. The obtained results are promising enough for future purification and characterization of antimicrobial metabolite. Thus, the study attributes to the growing knowledge on endophytes as one of the rich sources of antimicrobial potentials.
Bicknell’s Thrush ( Catharus bicknelli ) habitat occupancy in Québec’s Laurentian Highlands

In North America, several migratory bird species inhabiting boreal and eastern forests are declining. Habitat loss is frequently cited as a limiting factor. We estimated occupancy of suitable nesting habitat by Bicknell’s Thrush (Catharus bicknelli), a forest dwelling threatened species, in the Laurentian Highlands of Québec. Forests in this region are shaped by intensive forestry activities and natural disturbances. The species was found primarily in stands of about 20 years or more, with higher occupancy in older stands on hilltops where recent forestry activities and natural perturbations have been much less prevalent. Bicknell's Thrush occupancy was significantly associated with high elevations in landscapes with relatively low amounts of precommercial thinning. Occupancy and multivariate niche approaches indicated that a large extent of potential habitat (> 80%) was unoccupied by breeding Bicknell’s Thrushes. We conclude that maintaining sufficient amounts of suitable breeding habitat in this exploited forest landscape remains important to enable the species’ recovery, but that an increase in its numbers may not materialize without further measures unrelated to availability of breeding habitat. Taux d'occupation de l'habitat par la Grive de Bicknell (Catharus bicknelli) sur le plateau Laurentien du Québec RÉSUMÉ. En Amérique du Nord, les populations de plusieurs espèces d'oiseaux migrateurs nichant dans les forêts boréales et de l'Est sont en diminution. La perte d'habitat est souvent soulevée comme facteur limitant. Nous avons estimé le taux d'occupation d'habitats favorables par la Grive de Bicknell (Catharus bicknelli), une espèce forestière menacée, sur le plateau Laurentien du Québec. Les forêts de cette région ont été façonnées par des activités forestières intenses et des perturbations naturelles. L'espèce a surtout été trouvée dans des peuplements âgés de 20 ans et plus, et le taux d'occupation le plus élevé a été observé dans de vieux peuplements au sommet de montagnes, où est advenu beaucoup moins d'activités forestières récentes et de perturbations naturelles. L'occupation par la Grive de Bicknell était associée aux hautes élévations où les éclaircies précommerciales étaient moins fréquentes. Tant le taux d'occupation que l'analyse multivariée ont indiqué que de grandes étendues d'habitats favorables (> 80 %) n'hébergeaient pas de Grives de Bicknell. Nous concluons que le maintien d'habitats de nidification favorables dans ce paysage de forêts exploitées demeure important pour le rétablissement de l'espèce, mais la hausse des effectifs risque de ne pas se matérialiser si des mesures additionnelles de protection non liées à la disponibilité d'habitats de nidification ne sont pas mises en place.
Cross-country evidence on the link between the level of infrastructure and capital inflows

The relationship between public infrastructure and international capital flows is empirically investigated. Out of a sample of 30 countries a cross-sectional econometric model is constructed to estimate the effects. Different components of infrastructure variables are tested in relation to their impact on different kinds of external capital liabilities. The results suggest a positive relationship between the level of infrastructure and capital inflows. However, statistical significance cannot be established for all variables in question.
Space geodetic observations of repeating slow slip events beneath the Bonin Islands

Title Space geodetic observations of repeating slow slip events beneath the Bonin Islands Author(s) Arisa, Deasy; Heki, Kosuke Citation Geophysical journal international, 210(3): 1494-1502 Issue Date 2017-09-01 Doc URL http://hdl.handle. net/2115/67742 Rights This article has been accepted for publication in Geophysical Journal International ©: 2017 Deasy Arisa and Kosuke Heki Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Type article File Information GJI21
A Practical Way to Develop the Orbital-free Density Functional Calculations

Aims: For modeling of large polyatomic systems one may use the variation principle for energy density functional. The key point to make this is to find the functional of kinetic energy in the orbital -freeapproach. Study Design:We describe a way to find functionals of kinetic energy for single atoms and to use them for modeling of polyatomic systems. On examples of diatomic systems Si2, Al2, and P2the equilibrium interatomic distances and binding energies were calculated in good comparison with published data. Results for Si -Al, Si-P and Al-P dimers are also close to results of Kohn -Sham calculations. Place and Duration of Study:Institute of Materials, Khabarovsk, Russia ; Institute of Applied Mathematics,Khabarovsk, Russia;2011-2013. Methodology: We worked in the frameworks of pseudo potentials and the local density approximation of the density functional theory. We used the Kohn -Sham calculations as