Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using Value-at-Risk for effective energy portfolio risk management

It is evident that the prediction of future variance through advanced GARCH type models is essential for an effective energy portfolio risk management. Still it fails to provide a clear view on the specific amount of capital that is at risk on behalf of the investor or any party directly affected by the price fluctuations of specific or multiple energy commodities. Thus, it is necessary for risk managers to make one further step, determining the most robust and effective approach that will enable them to precisely monitor and accurately estimate the portfolio’s Value-at-Risk, which by definition provides a good measure of the total actual amount at stake. Nevertheless, despite the variety of the variance models that have been developed and the relative VaR methodologies, the vast majority of the researchers conclude that there is no model or specific methodology that outperforms all the others. On the contrary, the best approach to minimize risk and accurately forecast the future potential losses is to adopt that specific methodology that will be able to take into consideration the particular characteristic features regarding the trade of energy products.
Nest site characteristics, duration of use and breeding success in the Guillemot Uria aalge

The fate of all eggs laid by Guillemots Uria aalge in seven study areas on the Isle of May was recorded in 12 consecutive seasons. The average success at each site was related to its physical characteristics, bird density, position on the cliff and availability of suitable habitat for ticks. The numbers of neighbours and walls, type of site, slope where the egg was incubated and distance from the top of the cliff all had a significant effect on both hatching and breeding success. Potential tick habitat had no significant effect. Much variation in hatching and breeding success remained unexplained. Sites used when the colony was less than half its current size and most frequently in the period 1984–1995 were the most successful. Since an average Guillemot pair remains together at a site for only 3–4 years. the consistently high success of many sites over a period of 10–12 years suggests that the most used sites were occupied by a succession of high-quality birds.
Novitates neocaledonicae I : An additionnal new species of Planchonella (Sapotaceae) endemic to the Roches de la Ouaième

A new species of Planchonella , endemic to the Roches de la Ouaieme in northeastern New Caledonia, is described and illustrated. Planchonella ulfii morphologically resembles P. roseoloba , while molecular data indicate a closer relation to P. minutiflora and P. koumaciensis , with all three species belonging to a clade characterized by ridged fruits. The new species brings the total for the genus to 37 species in New Caledonia, 36 of which are endemic to the archipelago. With a single known population comprising 10 individuals, a preliminary risk of extinction assessment using the IUCN Red List criteria indicates that it is Critically Endangered due to risk of fire faced by the shrubby vegetation found of the summit crest of the Roches de la Ouaieme. The level of micro-endemism found at this site is discussed.
RF-Mehndi: A Fingertip Profiled RF Identifier

This paper presents RF-Mehndi, a passive commercial RFID tag array formed identifier. The key RF-Mehndi novelty is that when the user’s fingertip touching on the tag array surface during the communication, the backscattered signals by the tag array become user-dependent and unique. Hence, if we enhance the communication modality of many personal cards nowadays by RF-Mehndi, in case that a card gets lost or stolen, it cannot be used illegally by the adversaries. To harvest such a benefit, we have two key observations in designing RF-Mehndi. The first observation is when tags are nearby, their interrogated currents can change each other’s circuit characteristics, based on which unique phase features can be obtained from backscattered signals. The second observation is that when the user’s fingertip touches the tag array surface during communication, the phase feature can be further profiled by this user. Based on these observations, the card and its holder can be potentially authenticated at the same time. To transfer the RF-Mehndi idea to a practical system, we further address technical challenges. We implement a prototype system. Extensive evaluations show the effectiveness of RF-Mehndi, achieving excellent authentication performance.
ROCK PHOSPHATE SOLUBILIZING MICROORGANISMS ISOLATED FROM MAIZE RHIZOSPHERE SOIL

The selection of microorganisms capable of solubilizing phosphorus (P) from rock phosphates (RP) may contribute to reduce the dependence of imported fertilizers in grain crops, reducing the costs of agricultural production, and also the environmental impacts. This study tested 59 microorganisms (46 bacteria and 13 fungi) isolated from maize rhizosphere for solubilization of two RP, Araxa and Itafos phosphate in vitro (PA and PI, respectively). Among the 59 microorganisms solubilizing PA, 51% of the bacteria and 8% of fungi were classified as efficient. For PI, among 18 isolates, 50% of the bacteria and no fungi were efficient. There were significant differences in the availability of P among strains for both phosphates and most isolates evaluated for both types of rocks released more soluble P from PI than PA. Bacterial isolates CMSB58, CMSB32, CMSB20 and CMSB46 solubilized almost 20% of the P total in the PA and CMSB58, CMSB82, CMSB91 and CMSB48 solubilized more than 25% of the PI. The solubilizing activity of both phosphates was associated with a reduction of pH which suggests that the acidification of the culture medium can be one of the mechanisms involved in the solubilization of P. There was a dominance of the genera Burkholderia and Bacillus in the group of the most efficient bacteria and Talaromyces and Penicillium in the fungi group. The contribution of these strains to increasing the phosphorus nutrition of grain crops should be investigated further by in vivo experiments.
On-line algorithm for scheduling parallel tasks on related computational clusters with processors of different capacities and it’s average-case analysis

In this article the on-line problem of scheduling parallel tasks on related computational clusters with processors of different capacities was studied in average case. In the problem the objective is to make a schedule on k clusters with w processors each of N tasks, where the task i,i≤N requires time hi on cluster with nominal capacity of processors and wi≤w processors. We presume for all 1≤i≤N that wi has uniform distribution on (0,w] and that hi has uniform distribution on (0,1]. The processors on different clusters have different capacities v1,…,vk. The task with nominal time hi will require wi processors be computed in time hi/vj on cluster number j. Let sum volume of computations W be the sum of volumes of computations for each task. Let L be the minimal time at which all clusters will compute all the tasks, assigned to them, where each task is assigned to one cluster. The expected value of free volume of computations E(Vsp) is used to analyze the quality of an algorithm, where Vsp=∑1≤i≤kviL-W. It was shown that for every algorithm for scheduling parallel tasks on related clusters E(Vsp)=Ω(w√N). An online scheduling algorithm Limited Hash Scheduling was proposed that distribute tasks to limited areas. This algorithm works in a closed-end mode and has a mathematical expectation of a free calculation volume equal to O(w√(N ln N)). The idea of the algorithm is to schedule tasks of close required number of required processors into different limited in time and the number of allowed to use processors areas on clusters.
Polarization Volume Gratings for Near-Eye Displays and Novel Photonic Devices

Liquid crystal-based reflective polarization volume grating (PVG), also known as a linear Bragg–Berry phase optical element or a member of volume Bragg gratings (VBGs), is a functional planar structure with patterned orientation of optical axis. Due to the strong polarization selectivity, nearly 100% diffraction efficiency, large diffraction angle, and simple fabrication process, PVGs have found potential applications in novel photonic devices and emerging near-eye displays. In this review paper, we describe the operation principles, discuss the optical properties, present the fabrication methods, and provide promising applications of PVGs for near-eye displays and novel photonic devices.
Atomicity of free algebras and Gödel’s first incompleteness Theorem Part2: The incompleteness Theorem algebraically for Ln and its guarded versions; non atomicity of the free algebras

This is a survey article on Gödel’s incompleteness theorem for finite variable fragments of first order logic and some of their guarded fragments, approached algebraically. We relate atomicity of free cylindric-like algebras to Gödel’s incompleteness result. Full proofs are included for certain special cases carefully selected to give the gist of the idea of methods used. Proofs given are entirely complete. We aspire to present our methods in a way that is accessible to the non-specialist and informative to the practitioner reaching boundaries of current research in a topic that we find fascinating and potentially on the mathematical level, with endless philosophical repercussions. As far as our technical proofs are concerned, Let 3 < m < ω, 2 < n < ω and β be any finite cardinal. We show that for any class K between CAm and RCAm and the free K algebras on β generators FrβK is not atomic. We show that the freely generated diagonal free reducts of Crsn, with finitely many generators, are not atomic either. We survey and elaborate on stronger analogous results obtained by Hajnal Andréka , István Németi and Mohamed Khaled on cylindric-like of dimension n possibly non-commutative algebras. This gives a family of guarded fragments of finite variable first order logic, that are decidable, but enjoys a form of Gödel’s incompleteness Theorem, an indeed telling co-existence. After all, Gödel’s incompleteness Theorems in several guarded logics, and ‘undecidability of the logic at hand’ do not necessarily go hand in hand.
A business model analysis of blockchain technology-based startup

Blockchain is drawing attention as rising technology with the advantages of security, transparency, and immutability by a decentralized network structure. However, blockchain technology is still an immature technology and lacks common standards. The researches on blockchain technology have been mainly focused on the financial sector but rarely applied to the supply chain in industry sectors. Especially, the blockchain technologies developed by technology entrepreneurs are still challenging to apply to an actual business due to a lack of understanding of the possibility of creating value. Therefore, it is necessary to provide technological entrepreneurs with an understanding of the business model and the feasibility of creating value with the new technology like blockchain. To address the issue, this study investigates how blockchain technology is effectively applicable and what value can be achieved from it. The purpose of this study is to analyze a livestock traceability system using blockchain technology and investigate its business model in terms of the value proposition, value delivery, and value creation. This study would provide insights into the business value creation of blockchain technology.
Culture-dependent characterization of microbes in biofilms from selected microhabitats in Rivers State, Nigeria

Biofilms from different microhabitats such as air conditioner outlets, drainage system pipes, laboratory and kitchen sinks were sampled twice from the same sample sites at interval of four weeks. The sample sites were University of Port Harcourt, Abuja campus, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital and Alakahia town, Rivers State. The significance of the study was to determine the various groups of bacteria and fungi involved in biofilm formation within the microhabitats sampled. Such knowledge will help us to understand the health implications of the individuals at risk within the environment sampled. A total of 48 bacterial and 34 fungal species covering 10 and four genera, respectively were isolated and characterized as Bacillus, Enterobacter, Escherichia, Klebsiella, Salmonella, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Proteus, Pseudomonas, Vibrio; Aspergillus, Mucor, Penicillium and Saccharomyces. Drainage system pipes had the highest frequency of bacterial and fungal microbial composition. On the other hand, kitchen sinks had the lowest frequency of bacterial isolates while laboratory sinks had the lowest fungal microbial communities isolated from the biofilms. The variation in microbial load was attributed to varying favourable conditions which aided in biofilm development at various stages in the respective microhabitats. Industrial and medical equipment need to be monitored for biofilm attachment and such discourage their formation where it is not beneficial with appropriate biocide applications. Key words: Biofilms, health, microhabitats.
Interrupted Time Series Design

Interrupted time-series designs allow researchers to examine the effect of an intervention. Multiple observations are obtained prior to the intervention to establish a baseline. Multiple observations are also obtained after the intervention. Effects are demonstrated when the observations after the intervention deviate from expectations derived from baseline projections. Keywords: single-case design; AB design; time series
Application of Value Engineering at Design Stage in Indonesia Construction Industry

Value Engineering is a systematic method that using function analysis to improve value of a project. The proper application of VW method is expected to deliver best value of a project in terms of quality, technology, efficiency and innovation. This research is designed to evaluate the application of VE method in design stage of construction building in Indonesia. Based on the result of questionnaire survey and interviews, it was found that the application of VE in the design stage has not been optimized applied due to the lack of VE understanding and incomplete VE process. Therefore a recommendation on a proper VE method based on International standard is proposed to solve problems encountered in Indonesia.
Characterizing National Airspace System Operations Using Automated Voice Data Processing A Case Study Exploring Approach Procedure Utilization

—Air Traffic Control (ATC) radio communications contain a wealth of situational context information. While valuable, this information resource has been difficult and expensive to use for large scale analyses because raw speech audio cannot be directly used in analyses without human or computer interpretation. To help the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) better understand National Airspace System (NAS) dynamics, The MITRE Corporation (MITRE) has been developing voice data analysis capabilities that can enable information from ATC voice communications to be automatically processed on a large scale and used in post-operational analyses. These capabilities use an array of technologies to segment audio data by speaker role, transcribe the audio to text, and extract semantic entities such as aircraft identifiers and clearances. The data derived by these capabilities can inform large-scale analyses, augmenting existing data sources such as radar tracks and flight plans, and enable studies and the generation of metrics that were previously impractical. This paper describes these voice data processing capabilities and presents one example of the use of voice data: to enable better understanding of Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) procedure utilization in the NAS. This paper describes an initial use of voice data analysis to better understand approach procedure utilization, which opens the door for many new analyses.
Data-Driven Meets Theory-Driven Research in the Era of Big Data: Opportunities and Challenges for Information Systems Research

The era of big data provides many opportunities for conducting impactful research from both datadriven and theory-driven perspectives. However, data-driven and theory-driven research have progressed somewhat independently. In this paper, we develop a framework that articulates important differences between these two perspectives and propose a role for information systems research at their intersection. The framework presents a set of pathways that combine the datadriven and theory-driven perspectives. From these pathways, we derive a set of challenges, and show how they can be addressed by research in information systems. By doing so, we identify an important role that information systems research can play in advancing both data-driven and theory-driven research in the era of big data.
Causal Demand Modelling for Applications in En Route Air Traffic Management

Increasing air traffic volume makes en route Traffic Management Initiatives (TMIs) more important than ever before. The effective execution of en route TMIs depends on accurate predictions of airspace demand. Precise forecasts of airspace demand require causal models of route choice. Previous research shows that obtaining such models is extremely difficult, due to the complex nature of the airspace system. In this paper, we test three methods for making causal estimates of route utility in the context of two en route TMIs – the Airspace Flow Program (AFP) and Collaborative Trajectory Options Program (CTOP). The testing was done using simulated TMI data. We show that statistical models of the behavior of individual flights produce biased estimates of route utility. Models based on changes in aggregate delay produce better estimates; however, such models are harder to implement in practice. Finally, CTOP offers data structures that allow us to achieve higher quality airspace demand
DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A MICROCONTROLLER BASED FLAMMABLE GAS DETECTOR AND AUTOMATIC ALARM SYSTEM TO ENSURE THE INDUSTRIAL AND DOMESTIC SAFETY

The risk of industrial and domestic accidents from methane gas leakage can be minimized by an inexpensively designed gas detector. This approach intends to produce a suitable and reliable solution in the context of a third world country, where equipment and components are either not available or prohibitively expensive. This affordable and easy-to-install device monitors and displays the concentration of gas mixed in the air and sounds a buzzer just before the concentration reaches danger level. It is often required to know the amount of gases mixed in the air for which the optimum and safe amount of oxygen can be available in that area. This system is a reliable solution as a safety tool in modern industrial and residential settings. It consists of an Atmel Atmega 328P microcontroller, an MQ-9 gas sensor, a buzzer for automatic alarm system, a red LED for warning and an LCD monitor for display the concentration of gas. The system is user friendly and fit to be installed in kitchens, labs or industries.
Calibration of Thermocouples By Comparison Techniques

1.2 In general, this test method is applicable to unused thermocouples. This test method does not apply to used thermocouples due to their potential material inhomogeneity— the effects of which cannot be identified or quantified by standard calibration techniques. Thermocouples with largediameter thermoelements and sheathed thermocouples may require special care to control thermal conduction losses.
Molecular marker analysis of genetic variation characterizing a grasspea (Lathyrus sativus) collection from central Italy

Levels of genetic similarity characterizing 20 grasspea (Lathyrus sativus L.) populations collected in central Italy (17 populations in the Marche region and three populations in the Abruzzo region) were analysed with amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) molecular markers. Two main clusters were found: one included large-seeded populations from farms that were not market-oriented (named Household populations) and the second, small-seeded populations, cultivated in market-oriented farms (named Commercial populations). Relationships among populations collected in different regions were found, although one population of the Abruzzo region was placed between the two main clusters, suggesting a possible further genetic differentiation within this grasspea germplasm collection. Principal component analysis based on AFLP marker frequency was effective in identifying polymorphic markers showing high discriminating ability between clusters H and C. In particular, seven markers showing high positive and three markers with low negative PC1 scores showed an almost cluster-specific distribution. These results will be useful for enhancing Italian grasspea germplasm use in plant-breeding programmes and for extending grasspea cultivation within the sustainable agricultural systems of central Italy.
Study on Dynamic Characteristics of Rotor-bearing Model in the Hydraulic-mechanical-electric Coupled System of Hydro Generator Unit

A hydraulic-mechanical-electric coupled model for hydroelectric shaft-bearing system was established, which contains the penstock model of water-carriage system, the model of governor system and the model of exciter system. A differential equations for coupled model, consisting of the key parameters from different systems (such as head, flow, speed and exciting current), were established and solved simultaneously. Further,a rotor-bearing system model is coupled to the whole system by User Programmable Features (UPFs). On this basis, a newly method which was focused on the study of rotor system dynamic nonlinear properties during the process of operation condition’s changing was introduced. In this paper, the model was applied in the rotor dynamic analysis in aplicable start-up laws with different parameters. This analysis method could provide a reference to the stable and optimum operation of hydro generator units.
Optimal Pricing under Mixed Logit Customer Choice

In this paper we consider the problem of pricing multiple differentiated products. This is challenging as a price change in one product, not only changes the demand of that particular product, but also the demand for the other products. To address this problem, customer choice models have recently been introduced as these are capable of describing customer choice behavior across differentiated products. In the present paper the objective is to obtain the revenue-maximizing prices when the customer’s decision making process is modelled according to a particular customer choice model, namely the mixed logit model. The main advantage of using the mixed logit model, also known as the random coefficients logit model, for this purpose is its flexibility. In the single-product case we establish log-concavity of the optimization problem under certain regularity conditions. In addition, in the multi-product case, we present the results of our extensive numerical experiments. These suggest that the mixed logit model, by taking unobserved customer heterogeneity and flexible substitution patterns into account, can significantly improve the attainable revenue.