Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modelling and Forecasting Volatility of East Asian Newly Industrialized Countries and Japan Stock Markets with Non-Linear Models

This paper explores the forecasting performances of several non-linear models, namely GARCH, EGARCH, APARCH used with three distributions, namely the Gaussian normal, the Student-t and Generalized Error Distribution (GED). In order to evaluate the performance of the competing models we used the standard loss functions that is the Root Mean Squared Error, Mean Absolute Error, Mean Absolute Percentage Error and the Theil Inequality Coefficient. Our result show that the asymmetric GARCH family models are generally the best for forecasting NICs indices. We also find that both Root Mean Squared Error and Mean Absolute Error forecast statistic measures tend to choose models that were estimated assuming the normal distribution, while the other two remaining forecast measures privilege models with t-student and GED distribution.
Topographic Effects on a Wintertime Cold Front in Taiwan

Abstract This paper describes an observational and numerical study of an intense wintertime cold front that occurred in Taiwan on 8 January 1996. The front was associated with rope clouds at the leading edge, and a broad area of stratiform clouds behind. The front was blocked by the Central Mountain Range of Taiwan and divided into two sections on each side of the mountain range. As the cold air moved southward along the east coast, the increasing westward Coriolis force induced a landward acceleration. After the cold air piled up against the mountains, a coastal pressure ridge developed. The cold air damming yielded a geostrophic balance between the westward Coriolis force and the eastward component of the pressure gradient force in the x direction, and a southward acceleration in the y direction mainly caused by the southward pressure gradient force component. Over the Taiwan Strait, southward pressure gradient forces increased when the low-level stable cold air was confined over the Taiwan Strait, lead.
A study of axial impact of composite rods using SPH approach

A computational simulation of axial impact between composite rods is presented in this paper. The smoothed particle hydrodynamic (SPH) method is coded and implemented for this study, in which the property and strength for different materials are included. The SPH formulation for impact between rods as well as its computatinal procedure is also expounded. The present approach is used to study impact between composites rods parametrically. The effects of material properties and configurations of composite rod on impact response are then examined in detail. In addition, the present SPH results are compared with those from theoretical analysis.
Size magnification as a complement to cosmic shear

We investigate the extent to which cosmic size magnification may be used to complement cosmic shear in weak gravitational lensing surveys, with a view to obtaining high-precision estimates of cosmological parameters. Using simulated galaxy images, we find that unbiased estimation of the convergence field is possible using galaxies with angular sizes larger than the Point-Spread Function (PSF) and signal-to-noise ratio in excess of 10. The statistical power is similar to, but not quite as good as, cosmic shear, and it is subject to different systematic effects. Application to groundbased data will be challenging, with relatively large empirical corrections required to account for the fact that many galaxies are smaller than the PSF, but for space-based data with 0.1-0.2 arcsecond resolution, the size distribution of galaxies brighter than i ≃ 24 is almost ideal for accurate estimation of cosmic size magnification.
Defensive Walls under Threat: Examining the Status of the Great Medieval Defensive Walls of Dawuro People in Southern Ethiopia

Historically, in different countries walls are built for different purposes. Among others, defense purpose is the most common one. For instance, to mention a few, we do have the Great Wall of China was built from 3rdcentury B.C to 17thcentury A.D, the Great Zimbabwe Wall was built from 1100–1450 A.D; the Koso Defense mud Wall in Nigeria was built from1000 to 1500 A.D, in Kenya the Gunda-buche Wall and in Ethiopia,
Convection-driven dynamos in a rotating plane layer

The plane layer Childress–Soward dynamo model, consisting of a rotating layer of electrically conducting fluid between horizontal planes heated from below, is studied. Solutions periodic in the horizontal directions are sought, with electrically insulating boundary conditions applied. The large Prandtl number limit is used. Fully three-dimensional convection-driven dynamos have been studied numerically for this problem. Both the kinematic and the magnetically saturated regimes are studied, and a simple model of the dynamo mechanism is proposed. The dependence of the dynamo on the Rayleigh number, Ekman number and diffusivity ratio is studied, and the role of Taylor's constraint in low Ekman number convection-driven dynamos is considered.
Diet of two serrasalmin species, Pygocentrus piraya and Serrasalmus brandtii (Teleostei: Characidae), along a stretch of the rio de Contas, Bahia, Brazil

Serrasalmus brandtii and Pygocentrus piraya are two common piranha species in the Barragem da Pedra Reservoir, rio de Contas. In order to identify the diet composition of the two species, monthly collections were performed at three sites between May 2001 and April 2003, using two gill nets of different mesh sizes cast at the beginning of the day and visited after 6, 12 and 24 h. The qualitative composition of the diet was analyzed by determining the frequency of occurrence. Comparison of the two species showed a higher relative abundance of S. brandtii (151) compared to P. piraya (55). The food items most frequently found in the stomachs of the two species were fins, fish and shrimp. Serrasalmus brandtii showed a greater feeding plasticity than P. piraya.
The Effects of Keyword Captions to Authentic French Video on Learner Comprehension

The common practice in captioning video programs for foreign language instruction is to transcribe the spoken language verbatim into captions. This practice presents a dense visual channel for foreign language learners. The study presented here tested a keyword captioning method based on the hypothesis that keyword captions present learners with less to read without attenuating their comprehension of the information in the spoken message. The design of the experiment was simple; the use of three different amounts of text on video were compared: full text, keywords, and no text. The results of the experiment showed that the keyword captions group outperformed the no-text group and that the full text captions group outperformed the keyword captions group; however, a post-hoc analysis revealed no significant difference between the means of the full text captions group and the keyword captions group. The positive effect of both keyword and full text captions on comprehension, the basic research hypothesis, is confirmed.
Brown bear predation on domestic sheep in central Norway

Abstract In 1994, we studied predation on domestic sheep using mortality radiocollars in an area in central Norway inhabited by brown bears (Ursus arctos). The total loss among 234 radiocollared ewes in 3 herds released on summer pastures was 54, and 51 (94.4%) were due to bear predation. Among 337 radiocollared lambs, 37 were known to have died, 14 (42.4%) due to bear predation. Bears selected ewes over lambs, consistent with optimal foraging theory. Ewes with bells had a higher risk of being killed than ewes without bells. Selection of young ewes with male-dominated litters in spring and small lambs can partly be explained according to parental investment theory and selection for individuals that are last in the flock when attacked or chased by bears.
The effects of world heritage sites and governance on tourist arrivals: worldwide evidence

The tourism sector plays an important role in economic development. Its contributes foreign exchange earnings to the nation; tax revenue to the government; and provide job to the population as well as open-up business opportunities to serve the communities. Thus, international tourist arrival plays a central role in stimulating economic growth by ensuring substantial export income in the form of international tourist receipts to a destination country. A fundamental question that relates international visitors and the destination country is “why do some destination countries attract more visitors than others? ” In this study, using a sample of 126 countries, we provide evidences that income, the number of world natural and cultural heritage sites, ethnic diversity and good governance are important factors influencing international visitors’ destination choices (tourism demand).
Telephony Fraud Detection in Next Generation Networks

Telephony fraud is a growing problem for telecommunication service providers that operate Next Generation Networks (NGN). This paper describes a framework for a rule-based fraud detection system. The classification of fraudulent calls is based on Call Detail Records (CDR) that are used by telecommunication service providers for billing purposes. By analyzing this data, fraud can be detected efficiently. We propose a method for accomplishing this. The work has been conducted in collaboration with a telephony service provider that made real- life CDR data available for analysis. The main achievement of this paper is the description of a rule-based system that detects telephony fraud using CDR data.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Recent Work Title Phase Equilibria for Aqueous Protein / Polyelectrolyte Gel Systems Permalink

PHASE EQUILffiRIA FOR AQUEOUS PROTEIN/POLYELECTROLYTE GEL SYSTEMS A molecular-thermodynamic analysis is directed toward predicting the partitioning of aqueous proteins into charged hydrogels. This analysis takes into account size exclusion by the network, electrostatic interactions, and the osmotic-pressure difference between a hydrogel and its surrounding solution. Electrostatic interactions in the polyelectrolyte gel can be described by Debye-Htickel theory, or the Mean Spherical Approximation, or Katchalsky's cell model for polyelectrolyte solutions. The cell model gives best agreement with experimental partition coefficients for cytochrome c. The quasi-electrostatic potential difference between a gel and its surrounding solution demonstrates how the electrostatic contribution to the· protein partition coefficient depends on protein charge, gel-charge density, and solution ionic strength. Finally, a qualitative guide is presented for design of a polyelectrolyte gel such that it exhibits specified swelling and partitioning properties.
EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT LEVELS OF TWO TYPES OF OLIVE PULP WITH OR WITHOUT EXOGENOUS ENZYME SUPPLEMENTATION ON BROILER PERFORMANCE AND ECONOMIC PARAMETERS

The effects of the dietary inclusion of olive pulp (OP) and supplementation birds with a commercial enzyme blend (ENZ) on the performance of broilers were evaluated. Six hundred one-day-old male Ross 308 broilers were divided according to a completely randomized design into 10 treatments in a 2×2×2+2 factorial arrangement, consisting of two olive pulp levels (50 and 100 g/kg diet), two pulp categories (processed and non-processed), the inclusion or not of an enzyme blend supplement, and two control treatments without OP and the inclusion or not of the enzyme blend in the diet. Feed intake (FI), weight gain (WG), feed efficiency (FE), energy intake (EI), energy efficiency (EE), protein intake (PI), protein efficiency (PE), feed cost per kg live weight (FC/kg), and production index (IP) were determined. There was no significant difference (p> 0.05) between broilers fed the OP diets and the control diets for all parameters. Processed OP improved FE (p≤ 0.019 from 1-21 days; p≤ 0.005 from 22-42 days; and p≤ 0.008 from 1-42 days of age) and EE (p≤ 0.012 from 1-21 days; p≤ 0.012 from 22-42 days; and p≤ 0.002 from 1-42 days of age). The enzyme blend supplementation did not influence (p> 0.05) any of the studied variables. The inclusion of OP in the diets at levels up to 100g/kg would does not have deleterious effects on broiler production performance.
Identifying with Science: A case study of two 13-year-old ‘high achieving working class’ British Asian girls

This paper provides an in-depth, ‘case study’ style analysis of the experiences of two 13-year-old British Asian girls from a larger qualitative study investigating minority ethnic students' aspirations in science. Through the lens of identity as performativity and Bourdieu's notions of habitus and capital, the ways in which two girls engage with the field of science is examined. Samantha is British Indian and Fay is British Bangladeshi and they are both ‘top set’ students in science, but only one aspired to study triple science, while the other desired to be ‘famous’. The experiences of the two girls are explicated in this paper, teasing out their experiences and constructions of science. It is argued that cultural discourses of family, peers and teacher expectations can shape students' perceptions of science and education.
Supplementation of ruminally protected proteins and amino acids: feed consumption, digestion and performance of cattle and sheep.

Provision of nutrients in balanced form and required amounts is essential to meet the productive targets in livestock. Among nutrients, protein plays a pivotal role in growth, production and reproduction of farm animals. However, nature and level of dietary protein determine the supply of both physiologically and dietary essential amino acids in animals. In ruminants, protein requirements are twofold; to support the anaerobic ecosystem in the rumen and to meet the animal needs. However, because of ruminal anaerobic fermentation, a portion of dietary protein is degraded in the rumen (RDP) and the rest escape from ruminal degradation (RUP). The RDP is used to support the growth of anaerobic bacteria and thus profile of microbial protein along with the nature of RUP determines the availability of dietary and physiologically essential amino acids in ruminants. Generally, the requirements of high producing animals for dietary essential amino acids are increased from those supplied by the microbial and escaped protein pool. Thus the dietary supplementation of rumen protected protein and amino acids are recommended to support the physiological and productive needs of livestock for amino acids. The objective of this article is to review all important studies on RPP, RPL and RPM and their effects on dry matter intake (DMI), digestibility and production performance of cows and sheep. Protein is an important limiting nutrient in ruminants. It contains two fractions: RDP and RUP/RPP. The rumen microbes breakdown RDP to small peptide, AA and ammonia. These, in turn, can be used for synthesis of microbial protein. The rate of microbial protein synthesis is limited by the rate of passage of feed from the rumen. Therefore, supplementation of RDP, RUP or AA is considered important to satisfy animal’s requirements. This is especially true for animals fed on poor quality forages. Supplementation of quality protein or rumen protected amino acids (RPAA) particularly Met and Lys results in increased DMI and digestibility in cattle and sheep. It also increases growth performance, reproductive efficiency and milk yield. It may have some negative effects if Met is supplied at levels substantially in excess of calculated intestinally absorbable requirements, either alone or together with Lys. Supplementation of Met may be useful in rations with low protein content fed to early lactating cows in order to prevent negative long term effects. In conclusion, supplementation of ruminally protected proteins and amino acids improved feed consumption, digestion and performance of ruminant animals fed low quality forages.
Imaging spectroscopy (hyperspectral remote sensing) in southern Africa: an overview

Recent developments in imaging spectroscopy have seen a dramatic improvement in the characterisation of terrestrial features due to the high spectral resolution of the sensors used. For example vegetation species discrimination, stress detection and foliar chemistry mapping can now be achieved using these high spectral resolution sensors, a task that was almost impossible with coarse resolution satellite sensors. In spite of its capabilities, imaging spectroscopy is still in its early stages of development and application in southern Africa. This overview will attempt to briefly describe the science and analysis techniques, as well as review trends and challenges in the South African imaging spectroscopy landscape. It therefore is not intended as a pure research paper, but merely to illustrate the potential of and developments in imaging spectroscopy. This is pertinent to the South African scientific community where the technology is still in its infancy, especially given that the first-ever spaceborne South African imaging spectrometer, the Multi-Sensor Micro-Satellite Imager Satellite (MSMISat) is being developed for launch in the near future.
Effect of bunch rot on the sensory characteristics of the Gewürztraminer wine

Aims: The aim of this work was to determine the effect of grapes infected by bunch rot on the sensory characteristics of the Brazilian Gewurztraminer wine.Methods and results: The treatments consisted of wine made from bunch rot infected grapes containing 0, 2.5, 5, 10, 15 and 20 %, weight basis, of bunch rot. Variables evaluated were related to vision, smell and taste/flavor. Results show that the presence of increasing proportions of infected grapes had significant effect on the visual, smelling and tasting aspects of the Gewurztraminer wine. Results show that healthy grapes and treatment with 2.5 % of infected grapes produced better wines.Conclusion: The results of this work show that wine quality is greatly dependent on the grape health arriving at the winery. Wines made from grapes having up to 2.5 % of grapes rot were the best ones in the visual, smelling and tasting aspects.Significance and impact of the study: In viticultural regions characterized by rainy and hot summers many pathogens have appropriate conditions to develop. In this way, to make quality wines it is very important to control grape rot diseases in the vineyards and to avoid grapes infected with pathogens related to these diseases during vinification.
Competition In Iran’s Banking Sector: Panzar-Rosse Approach

The Iranian banking sector has undergone huge and substantial reform in the last decade; privatization, establishment of private banks and development of modern technologies (IT). This paper investigates the competitive condition of the Iranian banking industry over the period 2005-2010 using the H-statistic proposed by Panzar and Rosse. The properties of this non-structural methodology make it an excellent framework for assessing the degree of competition in the banking industry. To calculate H statistics, a reduced form of revenue equation was estimated. The calculated H statistics for the whole sample period was 0.7101. The extent of H statistics and the result of wald test indicate that the structure of Iranian Banking sector is neither monopoly nor competition. Our findings were in favor of monopolistic competition.
Study on Effect of Number of Transparent Covers and Refractive Index on Performance of Solar Water Heater

Liquid flat plate collector (solar flat plate collector) is one of the important applications in solar thermal system. The development in solar photovoltaic is an emerging challenge for the solar thermal system. In the current work an attempt has been made to optimize the number of transparent covers and refractive index to improve the optical efficiency and thermal efficiency for the collector. Performance of the liquid flat plate collector at VIT University Vellore has been simulated numerically for January 21st at an interval of half an hour with different numbers of transparent covers (0–3) and different refractive index values ranging from 1.1 to 1.7. The formulation and solutions are developed with simple software Microsoft Office Excel to result the performance characteristics. The result shows that the efficiency of the flat plate collector increases with an increase in number of covers and decreases after an optimum number of covers. It also decreases with an increase in refractive index. The combination of optimum number (two) and lower refractive index (1.1) results improved useful heat.
Reliability of Relative Predictions in Population Viability Analysis

Abstract: Despite numerous claims that population viability analysis ( PVA ) makes reliable predictions of the relative risks of extinction, there is little evidence to support this assertion. To assess the veracity of the claim, we investigated uncertainty in the relative predictions of a PVA model with simulation experiments. We used a stochastic Ricker model to investigate the reliability of predicted changes in risks of decline in response to changes in parameters, the reliability of ranking species in terms of their relative threat, and the reliability of choosing the better of two management decisions. The predicted changes in risks of decline within 100 years were more reliable than absolute predictions. We made useful predictions of relative risks using only 10 years of data. Across 160 different parameter combinations, the rank correlation between the true risks of extinction within 100 years and predicted risks was 0.59 with 10 years of data, increasing to 0.89 with 100 years of data. We identified the better of two management strategies 67–74% of the time using 10 years of data, increasing to 92–93% of the time with 100 years of data. Our results demonstrate that, despite considerable uncertainty in the predicted risks of decline, PVA may reliably contribute to the management of threatened species.
The Effectiveness of Group-Therapy Intervention on Quality of Life and Hope of Women Infected with Human immunodeficiency virus

Background: AIDS is one of the most important causes of death in the world and the affected patients, in addition to physical problems, experience various psychological problems, especially symptoms of depression such as hopelessness, isolation and social isolation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of group-therapy intervention to improve quality of life and hope in women with HIV.Materials and Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, pretest and post-test design with a control group was used. The sample size included 24 HIV-positive patients referring to Health Care Center of Mashhad city in 2014 that were randomly divided into 12 patients in the case group and 12 in the control group. For data analysis, multivariate analysis of covariance was used.Results: The results showed that hope therapy interventions improved the quality of life of patients with HIV in two dimensions (cognitive and social). The interventions led to a significant increase in both navigational and operating dimensions of hope in the experimental group, compared with the control group.Conclusion: Therefore, interventions with the protocol of hope therapy can improve quality of life and hope in patients with certain diseases. Regarding the efficacy of the intervention of hope therapy, it is suggested that this method be used as a procedure in AIDS counselling.Keywords: Group Therapy, Quality Of Life, Hope, AIDS