Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Empirical Analysis of the Causality between Indian and U.S. Stock Markets’ Conditional Volatility: Further Evidence

This paper attempts to investigate the dynamic relationship between the United States (US) and Indian stock markets through the conditional volatility of two stock markets during the 1995-2007 period, using monthly data of BSE-listed BSE 100 and NYSE-listed S&P 500 indices. The research methodology included testing of stationarity with Dickey Fuller test and the use of two-stage GARCH (1,1) model. In the first stage, conditional volatility of both stock markets was estimated, and then it was used as an exogenous variable to estimate further conditional volatility of both stock markets. The study also employed the linear regression model to test the relationship between conditional volatilities of two markets, and finally Granger causality test was used to ascertain the causal relationship between conditional volatilities of two stock markets. The study confirms the interdependency of the Indian stock market and the US stock market by the presence of a strong relationship between conditional volatilities of two markets. The study highlights the interdependency among the stock markets in question and facilitates investor diversification of funds. In fact, in the age of globalisation, integration of stock markets has become a matter of great importance for fund managers and investors as it facilitates to scale down portfolio risk through diversification of funds across the stock markets.
Integrable and superintegrable Hamiltonian systems in magnetic fields

In this article we are devoted to the construction of integrable and superintegrable two-dimensional Hamiltonian systems with scalar and vector potentials. All integrable systems with a quadratic polar coordinate type integral of motion are found. Classical trajectories are calculated in integrable cases and compared with those for a system that is not integrable.
IT/P2-16 Pellet Fueling Technology Development for Efficient Fueling of Burning Plasmas in ITER

Pellet injection from the inner wall is planned for use on ITER as the primary core fueling system since gas fueling is expected to be highly inefficient in burning plasmas. Tests of the inner wall guide tube have shown that 5mm pellets with up to 300 m/s speeds can survive intact and provide the necessary core fueling rate. Modeling and extrapolation of the inner wall pellet injection experiments from today’s smaller tokamaks leads to the prediction that this method will provide efficient core fueling beyond the pedestal region. Using pellets for triggering of frequent small edge localized modes is an attractive additional benefit that the pellet injection system can provide. A description of the ITER pellet injection system capabilities for fueling and ELM triggering are presented and performance expectations are discussed.
Why Does Investor Protection Matter for the Cost of Equity?

Investor protection matters for the cost of equity because it affects the redistribution of wealth from investors to other agents in the economy. This wealth redistribution shifts systematic risk to investors, which can not be eliminated by portfolio diversification or risk sharing through trade. Other country specific factors that affect output can be shared by international trade, which provides justification for the emphasis of the literature on investor protection in explaining cross-country differences in the cost of equity. The theory predicts that the effect of redistribution on the cost of equity is stronger in countries with larger GDP and higher GDP growth volatility. The empirical evidence shows that the effect of redistribution on the cost of equity is economically significant even across developed countries that are relatively well integrated to world markets. In addition, redistribution theory connects several seemingly unrelated international finance puzzles.
Application of Artificial Intelligence in Capsule Endoscopy: Where Are We Now?

Unlike wired endoscopy, capsule endoscopy requires additional time for a clinical specialist to review the operation and examine the lesions. To reduce the tedious review time and increase the accuracy of medical examinations, various approaches have been reported based on artificial intelligence for computer-aided diagnosis. Recently, deep learning–based approaches have been applied to many possible areas, showing greatly improved performance, especially for image-based recognition and classification. By reviewing recent deep learning–based approaches for clinical applications, we present the current status and future direction of artificial intelligence for capsule endoscopy.
Comparison between OFDM and STDCC mobile channel sounders at 3.5 GHz

In this paper, we present a comparison between OFDM and STDCC sounding techniques used to wide band channel characterization in suburban environments at 3.5 GHz band. Measurements of the received signal's power delay profile and power level for each of the sounding techniques were obtained. These experimental results are presented and compared. For this comparison, important wide band characterization information are obtained and the performances of each one of used techniques are observed.
Co-movements in EU banks’ fragility: a dynamic factor model approach

We analyse co-movements in the fragility of EU banks and verify to which extent such co-movements have increased in time, following, for example, the completion of Monetary Union and the introduction of the euro. To this end, we provide a measure of co-movements in bank risk by means of a dynamic factor model, which allows to decompose an indicator of bank fragility, the Distance-to-Default, into three main components: an EU- wide, a country-specific and a bank-level idiosyncratic component. Our results show the commonality in bank risk appears to have significantly increased since 1999, in particular if one concentrates on large banks. This has obvious consequences in terms of systemic stability, but may also have far reaching policy implications with regards to the structuring of banking supervision in Europe (i.e. it increases the scope for supervisory co-operation at EU-wide level). We also believe that co-movements in bank conditions are important for monetary policy since banks still constitute monetary policy’s most important transmission channel.
Représentation graphique et comparaison de courbes de survie

Dans les études cliniques et la recherche médicale, il est fréquent que l’on veuille analyser le délai de survenue d’un événement particulier. Cet événement peut être positif (tel qu’une naissance, la guérison d’une maladie précise) ou négatif (tel que le décès, la récidive d’une maladie). Indépendamment du type d’événement considéré, la méthode statistique appliquée ici est appelée l’analyse des durées de survie. Les données sur la survie se caractérisent par le fait que pour une durée d’étude déterminée, l’événement n’a pas nécessairement eu lieu chez tous les individus observés: on ne peut donc pas indiquer de durée exacte de survie pour ces individus, mais seulement une valeur minimale. Il peut arriver également que le status de survie de quelques individus fasse défaut en raison d’une perte de suivi, parce qu’ils ont abandonné prématurément l’étude, ou parce qu’ils meurent d’une maladie ne faisant pas partie de l’étude (événement concurrent). Pour ces individus, on parle d’observation censurée: en d’autres termes, le temps d’observation du sujet n’inclut pas l’événement. Le tableau 1 p présente les durées de survie de 44 patients atteints d’une hépatite chronique active [1]. Ces patients ont été randomisés en deux groupes égaux: l’un a été traité par prednisolone, l’autre a reçu un placebo. S’il manque un tout petit nombre de données de patients dans une évaluation statistique classique, il est courant parfois d’exclure ces individus de l’analyse. Ce procédé n’est cependant pas indiqué dans l’analyse des courbes de survie, car les patients dont la durée de survie n’est pas connue avec précision fournissent tout de même une contribution importante aux observations: notamment le fait d’avoir survécu au moins jusqu’à la fin de l’intervalle d’observation (observations censurées). Si l’on excluait ces patients de l’analyse, le résultat serait faussé, car il contiendrait un biais par exclusion de personnes dont la durée de survie est tendanciellement longue. D’autre part on ne peut pas considérer une durée d’observation censurée comme une vraie durée d’observation. Il faut donc faire appel à des méthodes statistiques tenant compte de cette structure particulière de données.
MODERATING EFFECTS OF RISK MANAGEMENT FUNCTION ON DETERMINANTS OF ENTERPRISE RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLEMENTATION IN MALAYSIAN OIL AND GAS SECTOR: A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Abstract Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) has been recently acknowledged as one way out of economic crises the world is experiencing. As it has accounted for some business success stories after the 2008 global financial crises. Despite all the good experience, oil and gas sectors of the global economy are still suffering from emerging risk incidences such as dwindling oil prices, pipeline explosions, refinery shut down, staff trips and falls and new regulations. Malaysian oil and gas sector is not an exception, as it has faced and still facing some of these risky turbulances. Previous studies conducted on ERM in Malaysia were mostly on financial institutions, manufacturing sector, measuring performance and firm’s value analysis. It is against this backdrop, in which this paper develops a conceptual framework for a study to be conducted in the future. The research gap is by taking a departure from all those saturated areas to the petroleum industry with concern to ERM implementation intensity, particularly the oil and gas sector in Malaysia. The postulated determinant variables to be examined in the study are firm characteristics, information technology, staff capacity and regulatory framework, using risk management function as a moderating variable, involving major oil and gas industry players, namely Petronas and Hess Corporation. Research significance and the scope of the study were also explained in the paper. Keywords: Implementation, Drivers, Enterprise-Risk-Management, Risk, and Oil-and-Gas
INFLUENCE OF FINANCING STRATEGIES ON SUSTAINABILITY OF NON- GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS HEALTH PROJECTS IN NAIROBI COUNTY

Most non-governmental organizations are faced with sustainability challenges which can be attributed to difficulties in the design, monitoring and implementation of project financing strategies which may impact negatively on overall sustainability. In particular, health projects related to NGOs in Nairobi failure to achieve sustainability has been occasioned by the decision to relegate project financing strategies to a tactical status, with adverse consequences of making uninformed project financing, structural changes in such areas as financing mechanisms and resource allocation that are usually costly and time consuming. This has resulted to projects in nongovernmental organizations to be seen as inefficient and uncompetitive in accessing funding from sponsors, networking initiatives and in project design and development. This study was designed to establish the influence of project financing strategies on sustainability of non-government organizations health projects in Nairobi County, Kenya. This was done by reviewing four variables namely financing mechanisms, stakeholders’ management strategy, resource allocation management strategy and public private partnerships . The study was carried out on health related, non-governmental organizations in Nairobi County, Kenya. The researcher targeted the 453 staff (health co-coordinators, nurses and project managers) from h ealth related NGOs in Nairobi County . A stratified sampling technique was carried out on a sample size of 72 who provided primary by the use of questionnaires. The secondary data was obtained from published documents such as journals, periodicals, magazines and reports to supplement the primary data. A pilot study was conducted for the data collection instrument to determine its validity and reliability. The data was analyzed with help of SPSS version 21 and Excel. The study adopted correlation and regression analysis at 5% level of significance to determine strength and direction of the relationship of the variables under study. The analysis showed that financing mechanisms had the strongest positive (Pearson correlation coefficient =.852) influence on sustainability of NGOs health projects. In addition, resources allocation management strategy, stakeholders management strategy and public private partnership strategy are positively correlated to sustainability of NGOs health projects (Pearson correlation coefficient =.801, .755 and .739). The study recommends that effective financing mechanisms, efficient resource allocation process, involvement of all stakeholders in decision making and increased public private partnership boost sustainability of NGO health projects in Nairobi county. Finally , the study recommends for similar studies to be undertaken in other areas of Kenya for generalization of the findings of this study. Key Words: Financing Mechanisms, Stakeholder’s Management, Resource Allocation, Public Private Partnerships
Time series analysis of the response of measurement instruments

In this work the significance of treating a set of measurements as a time series is being explored. Time Series Analysis (TSA) techniques, part of the Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) approach, can provide much insight regarding the stochastic correlations that are induced on the outcome of an experiment by the measurement system and can provide criteria for the limited use of the classical variance in metrology. Specifically, techniques such as the Lag Plots, Autocorrelation Function, Power Spectral Density and Allan Variance are used to analyze series of sequential measurements, collected at equal time intervals from an electromechanical transducer. These techniques are used in conjunction with power law models of stochastic noise in order to characterize time or frequency regimes for which the usually assumed white noise model is adequate for the description of the measurement system response. However, through the detection of colored noise, usually referred to as flicker noise, which is expected to appear in almost all electronic devices, a lower threshold of measurement uncertainty for this particular system is obtained and the white noise model is no longer accurate.
Do sticky prices need to be replaced with sticky information

A first generation of research found it difficult to reconcile observed inflation and cyclical output with the fixed price mechanism. Since then, researchers have been divided roughly into two camps. The first camp argues that the original mechanism is largely successful once cyclical output is replaced with labor’s share. The second camp argues for a wholesale replacement of fixed prices, e.g., with ‘sticky information. ’ We take up the question by estimating a ‘dual stickiness’ model that integrates sticky prices and information. We find that both rigidities are present in aggregate U.S. data. Thus, sticky information cannot replace sticky prices. Our dual stickiness model performs comparably to the hybrid sticky price model, which allows for a fraction of backward-looking firms. In particular, the hybrid model’s backward-looking behavior arises endogenously under dual stickiness. As such, the dual stickiness model (with an estimated seven month average information delay) may provide more plausible microeconomic foundations. JEL Classification: E31; E32
CAPACITIVELY-TRANSDUCED MECHANICALLY-COUPLED BANDPASS FILTER IN ELECTROPLATED NICKEL FOR HARVESTING ENERGY FROM AMBIENT VIBRATIONS

MEMS energy harvesters for powering miniaturized sensors have provided new opportunities in applications. This paper describes the design and fabrication of a new class of vibration energy scavengers based on mechanically coupled resonating proof masses for harvesting low-frequency ambient vibrations with high efficiency by widening of the passband. Electroplated nickel was chosen as the structural material for ease of fabrication and its compatibility with post-CMOS integration processes. Capacitive transducers were adopted for efficient conversion of mechanical oscillation between the parallel plates into electricity and simple integration with ICs.
3D Point Cloud Upsampling for Accurate Reconstruction of Dense 2.5D Thickness Maps

This paper presents a novel robust processing methodology for computing 2.5D thickness maps from dense 3D collocated surfaces. The proposed pipeline is suitable to faithfully adjust data representation detailing as required, from preserving fine surface features to coarse interpretations. The foundations of the proposed technique exploit spatial point-based filtering, ray tracing techniques and the Robust Implicit Moving Least Squares (RIMLS) algorithm applied to dense 3D datasets, such as those acquired from laser scanners. The effectiveness of the proposed technique in overcoming traditional angular aliasing and corruption artifacts is validated with 3D ranging data acquired from internal and external surfaces of exhumed water pipes. It is shown that the resulting 2.5D maps can be more accurately and completely computed to higher resolutions, while significantly reducing the number of raytracing errors when compared with 2.5D thickness maps derived from our current approach.
Developmental Relationship of Unsaturated Fatty Acid Composition and Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase mRNA Level in Hanwoo Steers` Muscle

This study was conducted to investigate the developmental relationship between fatty acid composition in different lipid fractions and stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) gene expression in steer muscles during growth. Twenty Hanwoo steers were used at 6, 12, 18, 24 and 30 months of age. Fatty acid composition and SCD mRNA level were analyzed. In the total lipid fraction, developmental profiles of C18:1, as the product of SCD enzyme, and SCD mRNA level were significantly increased between 6 months and 12 months of age. During this period, the percentage of C18:1 increased from 31.9% to 49.5% in the total lipid. The increased C18:1 level was maintained until 30 months of age within the range of 44.8- 49.9%. In contrast, the C18:0 composition decreased with age and this decrease was compensated by the increase of the C18:1. However, the sum of C18:0 and C18:1 was changed before and after 12- month old by a 20% increase. Unlike the C18 fatty acids, the C16 fatty acids such as C16:0 and C16:1 did not show a consistent change with age in steers' muscle. On the other hand, C18:2 proportion as a major polyunsaturated fatty acid in muscle was significantly reduced from 21.1% at 6 months of age to 4.4% at 12-months old and then this reduced level was maintained until 30 months within the range of 7.4-11.4%. As in the C18:1 composition during early stages, a 2-fold significant increase was observed in the ∆ 9 -desaturase index of C18 fatty acid as a measure of SCD activity , but not in that of C16 fatty acid. Also, the steady-state level of SCD mRNA reached a peak at 12 months of age. Thus, the positive relationship between the C18:1 composition and the ∆ 9 -desaturase (SCD enzyme) index of C18 fatty acid or SCD mRNA level was demonstrated during growth, but the negative relationship between the C18:2 composition and the above three indices was demonstrated at the same time, indicating that the sharp induction of SCD mRNA may be closely related to the dramatic reduction of C18:2, which is known as a suppressor of SCD gene expression during growth. (Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 2005. Vol 18, No. 4 : 562-566)
Strengthening of Masonry Walls Using Hybrid-fiber Engineered Cementitious Composite

In this article, the experimental results of hybrid-fiber engineered cementitious composite (HFECC)-strengthened masonry walls subjected to quasi-static out-of-plane loadings are reported. The aim is to assess the extent to which HFECC-strengthening systems can improve the out-of-plane resistance of unreinforced masonry walls. A total of 12 masonry panels were fabricated and tested in the laboratory under both patch load and uniformly distributed load. Test results showed significant improvement of HFECC-strengthened masonry wall’s performance against out-of-plane loadings. To provide design aid for such HFECC-strengthened masonry walls, simplified theoretical models were also developed to predict its out-of-plane ultimate load-carrying capacities based on the observed failure mechanisms. The theoretically predicted values compared favorably with experimental data.
Improving SVM and TSVM with Multiclass Accordance Sampling for Breast Cancer

The Support Vector Machine (SVM) is a state of art classification method and it widely used in bioinformatics and other disciplines due to its high accuracy. The basic SVM takes a set of input data, predicts, for each given input, which of two possible classes, treating only labelled data in supervised learning, and supports only binary classification. Transductive support vector machines (TSVM) extend SVMs in that they could also treating partially labelled data in semisupervised learning. In TSVM a binary random sampling is used to gradually select unlabeled samples to train classifier. In this paper, we provide and explore whether using multiclass selective sampling method can improve TSVM performance replacing the random sampling used TSVM. Experimental results show that accordance-sampling method can improve TSVM.
Comparative Evaluation of Zinc Oxide Effects on Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) Grown in Different Media

ZnO is extensively used in a wide range of industrial applications. Hence, considerable accumulation of this substance occurs in the environment. The objective of the present study was to compare and characterize the growth of model tobacco plant at different ZnO levels in various rooting media (i.e., water-based, perlite-based, and sand-based). In soilless medium (especially water-based), ZnO levels lower and/or higher than 1μM showed negative impacts on fresh weights, some of leaves indices, and number of flowers and fruits. In soil-based media, 250 and 500 mg ZnO kg often scored the highest values for the mentioned indices. However, all evaluated indices were much higher in waterbased than the other two media. Flavonoids, antocyanins and FRAP capacity increased at highest levels in soil-grown and perlite-grown media, but Zn content was the same for all concentrations in soil-grown plants. Photosynthetic pigments decreased at 1,000 mg kg in soil-based media. Overall, the sensitivity to small changes in ZnO levels was much higher in water-based compared to the other two media, while ZnO supply resulted in improvement of some parameters in soil-based media. Soil and perlite possess certain experimental limitations (e.g., surface absorption, unfavorable pH, low gas exchange, limited spread of roots and insoluble Zn-complexes), while water-grown plants were comparatively better than the other media in terms of experimental control and handling. These results show different effects of ZnO levels in different media and also suggest the water-based medium as a possible alternate for future accurate investigations of Zn trials.
Fixed points of mixed non-monotone tripled operators in ordered Banach spaces and applications

This paper is concerned with a class of mixed non-monotone tripled operators under the general conditions of ordering relations in ordered Banach spaces. By means of the cone theory and technique of equivalent norms, the existence and uniqueness of fixed points for such tripled operators are established. The proof method in this paper is different from those used in the former relevant theorems. At last, an application is presented to illustrate our result. We extend some previous existing results. c ©2016 all rights reserved.