Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High gain - high power (HGHP) DC-DC converter for DC microgrid applications: design and testing

The use of green energy sources to feed DC microgrids is gaining prominence over traditional centralised AC systems. DC microgrids are characterised by the use of intermediate DC-DC converter which acts as power conditioning units. Hence, the choice of an appropriate DC-DC converter becomes significant as the overall system efficiency is strongly dependent on the converter’s performance. This paper proposes a novel high gain high power (HGHP) DC-DC converter for DC microgrid, which is of one of the significant step forward in the development of DC microgrids. The suitability of the proposed HGHP DC-DC converter is demonstrated by experimental tests of the 60V/1.1kV, 3kW converter; test results validate the converter’s suitability for DC distribution. A significant number of performance parameters of the proposed converter is compared with state of the art converter topologies demonstrating the superior capabilities of the proposed converter. This paper also portrays the potential benefits that could be reaped by trending towards DC instead of existing AC system. The advantages and challenges to be confronted in the foreseeable future while implementing sustainable DC microgrids are also highlighted. Finally, this paper encapsulates renewable energy fed DC microgrid system as an appropriate, technically feasible, economically viable and competent solution for efficiently utilising the sustainable energy sources.
Seasonal variation of the flow in the strait of Bab al Mandab

There is a strong seasonal variation in the exchange flow through the strait of Bah al Mandab connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden (Thompson, 1939). In the winter a two-layer flow is observed in the strait. Dense intermediate water from the Red Sea flows into the Gulf of Aden and warmer fresher surface water flows into the Red Sea. In the summer season the direction of the surface flow is reversed and a third layer, of density between that of the surface layer and that of the intermediate Red Sea water, flows into the Red Sea. An analysis of this intrusion of cold water from the Gulf of Aden into the Red Sea is made using XBT data. The speed of propagation is. 0.06 m s(-1). Following the onset of the winter monsoon in September, downwelling in the Gulf of Aden cuts off the supply of cold water. In the following weeks convective mixing entrains the intrusion into the overlying mixed layer. During the summer there are net fluxes of heat and salt out of the Red Sea. These fluxes, as well as the net evaporation from the sea surface, play an important role in determining the winter time exchange and the properties of the outflow from the Red Sea. Application of two-layer hydraulic theory suggests that the winter time exchange is sub-maximal, i.e. the exchange fluxes are influenced by other processes within the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. It is suggested that the stratification in the Gulf of Aden has an important effect upon the exchange.
Dissolved organic phosphorus concentrations in the northeast subarctic Pacific Ocean

Shipboard determinations of dissolved organic P (DOP) concentrations were made for NE subarctic Pacific Ocean samples with three different oxidation-hydrolysis methods: UV irradiation, acid persulfate digestion, and a rigorous method that combines the UV and persulfate treatments (combination method). The UV technique was 71 ± 9% and the persulfate technique 83±9% efficient relative to the combination method for these coastal and open-ocean surface samples. Combination method results indicate that levels of DOP in the mixed layer of the NE Pacific during August and September ranged from 0.17 to 0.38 µm. These values are comparable to those found for the NW Atlantic in a previous study with similar methodology. A significant inverse correlation (r2 = 0.76) was found between DOP, measured by the combination method, and apparent oxygen utilization. Analysis of a small number of samples by crossflow ultrafiltration showed that 75–85% of DOP in surface seawater was comprised of 10,000 NMW) fractions, which formed 33–100% of the total DOP in these waters.
Order Aggressiveness on the ASX Market

This paper investigates how traders on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) market make their joint decision on price aggressiveness and quantity when they submit an order, based on information from limit order book and stock price movement. We use a simultaneous-equation system including an Ordered Probit model to account for the discrete nature of price aggressiveness and an OLS model to fit the continuous quantity. The results suggest a negative trade-off between price aggressiveness and quantity. Factors such as depths at the best quotes, bid-ask spread, volatility and price changes are major determinants of the traders’ order submission decision. This paper also provides evidence for a U-shaped intraday pattern of order flows and positive serial correlation in order type.
SENTIMENT ANALYSIS FOR ONLINE FORUMS HOTSPOT DETECTION

The user generated content on the web grows rapidly in this emergent information age. The evolutionary changes in technology make use of such information to capture only the user’s essence and finally the useful information are exposed to information seekers. Most of the existing research on text information processing, focuses in the factual domain rather than the opinion domain. Text mining plays a vital role in online forum opinion mining. But opinion mining from online forum is much more difficult than pure text process due to their semi structured characteristics. In this paper we detect online hotspot forums by computing sentiment analysis for text data available in each forum. This approach analyzes the forum text data and computes value for each piece of text. The proposed approach combines K-means clustering and Support Vector Machine (SVM) classification algorithm that can be used to group the forums into two clusters forming hotspot forums and non-hotspot forums within the current time span. The experiment helps to identify that K-means and SVM together achieve highly consistent results. The prediction result of SVM is also compared with other classifiers such as Naïve Bayes, Decision tree and among them SVM performs the best.
From Credit Crunch to Credit Boom: Transitional Challenges in Bulgarian Banking, 1999-2006

New econometric evidence is provided to identify the determinants of the rapid credit growth in Bulgaria and evaluate whether the credit boom has increased bank fragility, based on a panel data analysis of 30 Bulgarian banks over the 1999-2006 period. Employing Fixed effects and GMM estimation techniques to explore the link between credit and capital base in a partial adjustment framework, the study provides evidence for the growing risks of credit expansion and assesses the potential for banking distress in Bulgaria. The paper argues that after a period of severe credit crunch during 1997-1999, foreign-owned Bulgarian banks have financed a credit boom, especially since 2003 but this indicated growing risk in lending and increasing vulnerability to a systemic banking crisis as banks reduced their capital base and registered an increase in non-performing loans. Aggressive lending by less-capitalized banks without appropriate loan loss provisioning has also been verified empirically in a number of panel specifications. While well-capitalized banks have tended to expand credit in proportion to their capital base, banks with weak capital base engaged in excessive risk taking, and expanded credit despite growing ratio of non-performing loans. Hence, the credit boom has come at the expense of increased banking fragility in Bulgaria, raising the probability of bank failure in the event of a downturn in global financial flows which became a disturbing reality in 2008.
AN ELECTRO-PNEUMATIC THRUST BALANCE FOR SMALL-SCALE ENERGY CONVERSION USING ENCAPSULATED ROTARY MICROBALL BEARINGS

The development of an electro-pneumatic thrust balance for microball bearing supported PowerMEMS devices is reported. The thrust balance operation is presented along with its effect on performance in a tribologically-enhanced microball bearing. Experimental results show excellent agreement with predictions, demonstrating the ability to operate at optimal thrust loads, increasing speed and reliability as compared to previous designs. Maximum rotor speeds of up to 2,000rpm are demonstrated under electrical actuation at 150V peak voltage and a thrust pressure of 4psi.
Temporal variations on abundance, blood feeding activity of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) and dengue incidence in Makkah City, Saudi Arabia

Objective: To determine the genera composition and mosquito abundance in Makkah City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) with emphasis on the seasonality, population structure and blood feeding activity of Aedes aegypti (Ae. aegypti) and dengue incidence. Methods: Residential areas throughout the city were inspected through wet and dry seasons (WS and DS, accordingly) from April 2008 to March 2009. Monthly visits were performed on a total of 9 323 houses, and adult mosquitoes were sampled with light-traps (LT) placed around houses and by pyrethrum sheet spraying (PSS). Dengue incidence data were provided by the appropriate KSA’s government bodies. Results: Three genera were identified with Culex and Anopheles being the most and leastabundant, respectively. Ae. aegypti, the sole member of Aedes encountered, accounted for 3.9%of total adults collected, with abundance being greater when PSS was used. This mosquito was encountered throughout the survey period, but in greater numbers during WS. There were more females than Ae. aegypti males. Blood feeding activity of Ae. aegypti varied seasonally, with WS recording more fed females. Dengue virus was active in both seasons, but with more infection cases during WS. Conclusion: Besides providing some insights into the mosquito vectors’ fauna in Makkah City, this work also demonstrates a conjugated increase of both Ae. aegypti abundance and dengue incidence during WS. Thus, more focused efforts during this period can benefit dengue control in this country.
Work statistics in stochastically driven systems

We identify the conditions under which a stochastic driving that induces energy changes into a system coupled with a thermal bath can be treated as a work source. When these conditions are met, the work statistics satisfy the Crooks fluctuation theorem traditionally derived for deterministic drivings. We illustrate this fact by calculating and comparing the work statistics for a two-level system driven respectively by a stochastic and a deterministic piecewise constant protocol.
Dual encapsulation of hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs in PLGA nanoparticles by a single-step method: drug delivery and cytotoxicity assays

Dual drug encapsulation in biodegradable nanoparticles is always challenging and often requires strenuous optimization of the synthesis–encapsulation processes. This becomes even more difficult when the simultaneous encapsulation of molecules of different polarity is sought. Here we present a modified emulsification–evaporation process to produce polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) made of the biocompatible and biodegradable polymer poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and co-encapsulating simultaneously two different drugs, the hydrophobic dexamethasone (DX) and the hydrophilic diclofenac sodium (DS). Three independent processing parameters were systematically modified to promote the incorporation of the different-polarity drugs into PLGA and to control the particle size under 150 nm. The careful selection of the appropriate solvents (ethyl acetate and methanol) was a key requirement for the successful encapsulation of DX and DS. DS and DX release kinetics as well as cytotoxicity assays underlined the therapeutic potential of the dual encapsulation strategy.
Non-Contrast-Enhanced lung perfusion and ventilation measurements in 1H MRI by Fourier Decomposition compared to V/Q-SPECT/CT in an animal experiment

Poster: "ECR 2011 / C-0115 / Non-Contrast-Enhanced lung perfusion and ventilation measurements in 1H MRI by Fourier Decomposition compared to V/Q-SPECT/CT in an animal experiment" by: "G. Bauman1, U. Lutzen2, M. Ullrich2, G. Elke2, T. Gaas3, J. Dinkel1, W. Semmler1, J. Biederer2, C. Hintze2; 1Heidelberg/DE, 2Kiel/DE, 3Munich/DE"
Online Adapting the Magnitude of Target Birth Intensity in the PHD Filter

Capturing new targets that spontaneously appear in the multi-target tracking (MTT) scene requires a formation of TBI (target birth intensity) item in the PHD (probability hypothesis density) equations. That is, in the particle implementation of the PHD filter, a number of new particles with a certain weight mass are added to the underlying particle set during the propagation of the PHD. In general, TBI is assumed to hold for the same magnitude at all scans. This ad-hoc option is simple but is not always desirable. In this paper, a measurement-driven adaptive mechanism is proposed that determines the magnitude of TBI in real time based on the estimated number of new-born targets, which is calculated by employing the newest measurements. Simulation demonstration of the particle PHD filter has been provided.
Effects of Public External Debt and Private Investment on Agricultural Growth in Nigeria:1980-2016

The recent debate of research interest is the conflicting view with respect to public debt and empowerment of private sector as drive for sustainability of the economy in general and agric sector in particular. This study examined the effects of private investment and public external debt on agricultural growth in Nigeria from 1980 to 2016. Data were collected from secondary sources and were analysed using fully modified ordinary least square. The result showed that the coefficient of determination (R2) was 0.65 indicating that 65% of the variation of agricultural output was explained by public external debt, foreign direct investment, domestic private investment and labour. The result also showed that the coefficients of public external debt (-0.315) and domestic private investment (-0.488) were significant and negative indicating that unit increase in public external debt and domestic private investment decrease agricultural growth by 0.315 metric tons and 0.488 metric tons respectively. In contrast, the coefficient of labour (1.487) was positive and significant indicating that unit increase in labour will increase agricultural growth by 1.487 metric tons. It was therefore recommended that specialized development agencies should be set up with the aim of implementing and evaluating government policies on foreign external debt and domestic private investment.
Genetics and Molecular iooloy

An evaluation of the genotoxicity of domestic sewage was carried out in a municipal wastewater treatment plant. The study was carried out using Allium cepa root tip cells through cytological parameters such as aberrant cells in anaphase-telophase and the mitotic index, and the fish species Oreochromis niloticus and Tilapia rendalli, through the index of micronuclei in peripheral erythrocytes. In the Allium test, each of the four stages of the wasterwater treatment routine was analyzed, i.e., crude sewage, primary effluent, secondary effluent, and tertiary effluent. O. niloticus and T. rendalli specimens were maintained in an aquarium continuously receiving the final effluent, in an open system, before being discharged into Lake Paranoá. For micronuclei analysis, blood samples were drawn after 7, 21, 60, 102 and 142 days, respectively, in controlled conditions. The numbers of aberrant cells found in the Allium test did not differ among the four stages tested, nor when compared with the control. At all stages, the most concentrated sample was more toxic than the respective diluted samples, as demonstrated by the decreased mitotic index. Different sampling of the same group of fish revealed no increase in the micronuclei frequency, regardless of the period of exposure. A correlation between long-term exposure and micronuclei induction was not found either.
The Application of Innovative Automobile Maintenance Services from Customers’ Viewpoints: A Hybrid Method*

Company experts and academicianshave paid significant attention to issues of new product/service development. However, few studies have been carried outtodiscuss innovative product/service development mindful of the competitive positions between competitors. This study introduces a hybrid method of positioning analysis, conjoint analysis and rough set theory to understand the competition positions and facilitate innovative product/service development from the customers’ perspective. The hybrid method is also supported by in-depth interviewing, factor analysis, preference regression, ideas simulation, ideas selection, and specific weight valuation methods. We choose the automobile maintenance industry in Taiwan, whose objective is to improve product/service qualities and enhance customers’ satisfaction and loyalty.This is also the subject of our empirical study. The results show that the proposed hybrid method is effective for innovative product/service development. Moreover, the empirical findings provide useful information for automobile maintenance providers so that they may be better able to pay attention to their competitive positions and their customers’ preferences, and better able to facilitate their innovative automobile maintenance service development, in order to achieve sustainable competitive advantages.
Four Futures of Legal Automation

Simple legal jobs (such as document coding) are prime candidates for legal automation. More complex tasks cannot be routinized. So far, the debate on the likely scope and intensity of legal automation has focused on the degree to which legal tasks are simple or complex. Just as important to the legal profession, however, is the degree of regulation or deregulation likely in the future. Situations involving conflicting rights, unique fact patterns, and open-ended laws will remain excessively difficult to automate for an extended period of time. Deregulation, however, may effectively strip many persons of their rights, rendering once-hard cases simple. Similarly, disputes that now seem easy, because one party is so clearly in the right, may be rendered hard to automate by new rules that give now-disadvantaged parties new rights. By explaining how each of these reversals could arise, this Essay combines technical and sociological analyses of the future of legal automation. We conclude that the future of artificial intelligence in law is more open ended than most commentators suggest.
Optimal Control of a Parabolic Distributed Parameter System Using a Barycentric Shifted Gegenbauer Pseudospectral Method

In this paper, we introduce a novel pseudospectral method for the numerical solution of optimal control problems governed by a parabolic distributed parameter system. The infinite-dimensional optimal control problem is reduced into a finite-dimensional nonlinear programming problem through shifted Gegenbauer quadratures constructed using a stable barycentric representation of Lagrange interpolating polynomials and explicit barycentric weights for the shifted Gegenbauer-Gauss (SGG) points. A rigorous error analysis of the method is presented, and a numerical test example is given to show the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed pseudospectral method.
Improved control of water loss from micropropagated grapevines ( Vitis vinifera cv. Nebbiolo)

Micropropagated plantlets are generally susceptible to rapid desiccation when exposed to reduced relative humidity and require a costly acclimatization procedure. Detached leaves of micropropagated Vitis vinifera , cv. Nebbiolo, plantlets were used to evaluate the relative contribution of leaf cuticle and stomata to water loss. Water loss occurred mainly from the abaxial surface of detached leaves; moreover, a large majority of stomata was still open 3 h after exposure to 63 % RH. An indirect estimation of epicuticular wax suggested a lower wax deposition for micropropagated plantlets compared to acclimatized and field-grown plants of the same clone. A previously developed method to produce hardened micropropagated plants was adopted: 1 mg(.)l(-1) paclobutrazol (PBZ) was added to the medium and culture vessels with reduced relative humidity (rRH) were used during the last stage of micropropagation. Under our experimental conditions, rRH was more effective to reduce transpiration than PBZ; a combination of both treatments improved plant survival during acclimatization.
The Inflation-Hedging Characteristics of Real Estate Investment Trusts

This study investigates the relationship between inflation and returns on US Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). The actual inflation rate is broken down to an expected and unexpected component. Two different measures of anticipated inflation were used, short-term bill rates and a survey. I will employ a combination of regression equations and cointegration tests. A cointegration test on this matter is a method more used by modern day literature. The results reveal that REITs generally tend to behave like equities with respect to their hedging characteristics, regardless of the chosen anticipated inflation measure.
Pricing holder-extendable options in a stochastic volatility model with an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process

Holder-extendable options are characterized by two maturity dates, which means the option can be exercised at either the expiration date or the extended maturity date. This paper develops a pricing framework for holder-extendable options which deals with the extended version of a stochastic volatility model with an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (OU) process. The extended model allows correlation between volatility and asset returns. The method uses Fourier inversion techniques that does not require an initial guess of the characteristic functions. A closed-form pricing formula for holder-extendable options is derived for logarithmic asset price dynamics.
Efficient and robust portfolio optimization in the multivariate Generalized Hyperbolic framework

In this paper, we apply the multivariate Generalized Hyperbolic (mGH) distribution to portfolio modelling, using Conditional Value at Risk (CVaR) as a risk measure. Exploiting the fact that portfolios whose constituents follow an mGH distribution are univariate GH distributed, we prove some results relating to measurement and decomposition of portfolio risk, and show how to efficiently tackle portfolio optimization. Moreover, we develop a robust portfolio optimization approach in the mGH framework, using Worst Case Conditional Value at Risk (WCVaR) as risk measure.
Urban vegetation mapping by airborne hyperspetral imagery; feasibility and limitations

Fast urbanization requires complex management of green spaces inside districts and all around the cities. In this context, the use of high-resolution imagery could give a fast overview of species distribution in the considered study zone, and could even permit species recognition by taking advantage of high spectral resolution (i.e. superspectral/hyperspectral imagery). In this study, we aim to explore the feasibility of eight vegetation species recognition inside Kaunas city (Lithuania). The goal is to determine the potential of metric/centimetric spatial resolution imagery with less than hundred bands and a limited spectral interval (e.g. Vis-NIR), to be able to recognize urban vegetation species. The ground truth samples were also limited for some of the considered species. The method included pre-treatments based on vegetation masking and feature selection using Minimum Noise Fraction (MNF). Support Vector Machine (based classifier) showed encouraging performance over Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM), the accuracies were not notably high in term of statistical analysis (i.e. up to 46% of overall accuracy) but the visual inspection showed coherent distribution of the detected species.