Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A mean bound financial model and options pricing

Most of financial models, including the famous Black Scholes-Merton options pricing model, rely upon the assumption that asset returns follow a normal distribution. However, this assumption is not justified by empirical data. To be more concrete, the empirical observations exhibit fat tails or heavy tails and implied volatilities against the strike prices demonstrate U-shaped curve resembling a smile, which is the famous volatility smile. In this paper we present a mean bound financial model and show that asset returns per time unit are Pareto distributed and assets are log Gamma distributed under this model. Based on this we study the sensitivity of the options prices to a change in underlying parameters, which are commonly called the Greeks, and derive options pricing formulas. Finally, we reveal the relation between correct volatility and implied volatility in Black Scholes model and provide a mathematical explanation of volatility smile.
The Parasol Protocol for computational mutagenesis

To aid in the discovery and development of peptides and proteins as therapeutic agents, a virtual screen can be used to predict trends and direct work ﬂ ow. We have developed the Parasol Protocol, a dynamic method implemented using the AMBER MD package, for computational site-directed mutagenesis. This tool can mutate between any pair of amino acids in a computationally expedient, automated manner. To demonstrate the potential of this methodology, we have employed the protocol to investigate a test case involving stapled peptides, and have demonstrated good agreement with experiment
Journal of Business Systems, Governance and Ethics

Young consumers group has been a growing population of consumers in Malaysia. The group is increasingly cosmopolitan in its outlook and preferences, and highly exposed to various media and advertising tactics. As Malaysia is rapidly moving towards industrialised and modern economy, the changing socio-economic factors, growing affluence and declining moral and religious standards, especially in urban areas can play an important role in shaping the ethical orientation of young consumers. This research examined the role of religiosity in determining the ethical attitudes of young consumer groups in Malaysia. Undergraduate students represent the new generation of young consumers group. Hence, two hundred and seventy eight undergraduate business and accounting students in public and private universities in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia were surveyed for this purpose. This research found limited evidence to support the hypothesis that religiosity was a positive determinant of young consumers’ ethical beliefs in Malaysia. Further, the results also revealed that male young consumers were more willing to benefit from illegal activities as well as to passively benefit at the expense of others than did the female students.
Psychometric properties of the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire–8 in Spain

Background. The ATQ is a widely used instrument consisting of 30 items that assess the frequency of negative automatic thoughts. However, the extensive length of the ATQ could compromise its measurement efficiency in survey research. Consequently, an 8-item shortened version of the ATQ has been developed. This study aims to analyze the validity of the ATQ-8 in two Spanish samples. Method. The ATQ-8 was administered to a total sample of 1148 participants (302 undergraduates and 846 general online population). To analyze convergent construct validity, the questionnaire package also included the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale – Revised (DAS-R), Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale – 21 (DASS-21), Acceptance Action Questionnaire – II (AAQ-II), Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ), Generalized Pliance Questionnaire (GPQ), and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). To analyze internal consistency, we computed Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to test the one-factor structure of the ATQ-8. In so doing, a robust diagonally weighted least square estimation method (Robust DWLS) was adopted using polychoric correlations. Afterward, we analyzed measurement invariance across samples, gender, groupage, and education level. Lastly, we evaluated convergent construct validity by computing Pearson correlations between the ATQ-8 and the remaining instruments. Results. The internal consistency across samples was adequate (alpha and omega = .89). The one-factor model demonstrated a good fit to the data (RMSEA = 0.10, 90% CI [0.089, 0.011], CFI = 0.98, NNFI = 0.97, and SRMR = 0.048). The ATQ-8 showed scalar metric invariance across samples, gender, groupage, and education level. The ATQ-8 scores were significantly associated with emotional symptoms (DASS-21), satisfaction with life (SWLS), dysfunctional schemas (DAS-R), cognitive fusion (CFQ), experiential avoidance (AAQ-II), and generalized pliance (GPQ). In conclusion, the Spanish version of the ATQ-8 demonstrated adequate psychometric properties in Spanish samples.
Genetic Diversity and Relationship of Genus Spiraea by Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Markers

Genus Spiraeais a woody species primarily distributed throughout Asia. Many species of this genus are important plants medicinally and ecologically. I evaluated a representative sample of the sixteen taxa with random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers to estimate genetic relationships within genus Spiraea. In addition, RAPD analysis was also conducted to estimate the genetic diversity and population structure of these species. As the typical populations of Spiraeawere small, isolated, and patchily distributed for natural populations, they maintained a low level of genetic diversity for polymorphic primers. The mean Hwas 0.117 across species. The Korean endemic species (S.chartacea) and patchily distributed species (S.betulifolia) showed fewer alleles per locus (mean 1.240 vs. 1.297), lower percent polymorphic locus (24.0 vs. 29.7), and lower diversity (0.092 vs. 0.121) than a relatively widely spread species. An assessment of the proportion of diversity present within species, H POP /H SP , indicated that about 87.8% the total genetic diversity was among species. Thus, the majority of genetic variation (87.8%) resided within species. The phylogenic tree showed three distinct groups. One clade includes S. prunifolia for. simpliciflora, S. thunbergii, S. chamaedryfolia var. ulmifolia, S. media, and S. cantoniensis. Another clade includes S.blumei,S.pubescens, S.chartacea, and S.chinensis. The other clade is the remaining seven species.
Seasonal Changes in Abundance of Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea and Ammonia- Oxidizing Bacteria and Their Nitrification in Sand of an Eelgrass Zone

Seasonal changes in the abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) within the sand of an eelgrass (Zostera marina) zone were examined by a quantitative PCR of both crenarchaeotal and betaproteobacterial ammonia monooxygenase alpha subunit (amoA) genes together with temperature and concentrations of ammonium, nitrite, and nitrate from May 2007 to June 2008 at Tanoura Bay, Shizuoka, Japan. The abundance of both amoAs in the sand between May and June 2007 and between January and March 2008 was 1.5 to 2 orders of magnitude higher than the 10 copies g of estimated amoA between September and December. Archaeal amoA was more diverse than betaproteobacterial amoA. Betaproteobacterial amoA clone libraries were dominated by Nitrosospiralike sequence types. An incubation experiment was conducted with sands collected in February 2008 and community structure was analyzed based on reverse-transcribed amoAs. RNA was extracted from sand incubated for 12 days at 30°C, 17 days at 20°C, and 80 days at 10°C. Different amoA clones were detected from in situ sand and incubated sand. This study reveals clear evidence of seasonal change in the abundance of AOA and AOB within the sand of an eelgrass zone.
A case study in the Public Sector

The implementation of internal contracts in three elderly care facilities in the southwest coast of Sweden has been proven to achieve multiple benefits over the past years. Previous research about the success of different facilities have focused on internal contracts and its benefits, however, there was a lack of research addressing the multiple factors that could be influencing those results. This research proposes a definition of an organizational structure that explains the success of the facilities, and how that success is conceptualized. For that purpose the authors interviewed a total of ten employees in different positions from the three elderly care facilities that applied internal contracts and analyzed their answers focusing on their perception of the communication, leadership, and organization of their workplace. The results indicated that internal contracts were not the only factor involved in the success and engagement achieved, but that the responsible components was a combination of internal contracts, an organizational model based on division of labor and a leadership style focused on delegating leaders with knowledge of group development processes. Furthermore, the authors found that this combination of factors together, explained better the positive effects in the employees then every factor by itself. The research finally resulted in the development of the Colombo-Izquierdo Organizational Model, useful for the future implementation and replication of the success and achievements of the elderly care facilities studied in other environments.
Finding Common Ground: Community Arts Festivals as Spaces for Placemaking

The present research posits the significant role that arts and cultural festivals play in contributing to placemaking and generating well-being within communities. Placemaking is recognized to be important when considering how to improve population health and wellbeing, and festivals can be seen to amplify those benefits. Drawing on qualitative data gathered from interviews with festival organizers in SouthEast England and deploying theories of space from Foucault and Massey, the present article argues that community arts and cultural festivals support the positive creation or transformation of pro-social spaces that could support community acceptance and well-being, the ability to live together and cohesively and accepting difference.
The terminal velocity of volcanic particles with shape obtained from 3 D X-1 raymicrotomography 2

21 22 New experiments of falling volcanic particles were performed in order to defineterminal 23 velocity models applicable in a wide range of Reynolds numberRe. Experiments were carried 24 out with fluids of various viscosities andwith particles that cover a wide range of size, density 25 and shape. Particle shape, which strongly influencesfluid drag, was measured in 3D by High26 resolution X-Ray microtomography, by whichsphericityΦ3D and fractal dimensionD3Dwere 27 obtained. They are easier to measure and less operator dependent than the 2D shape 28 parameters used in previous papers. Drag laws that make use of the new 3D parameters were 29 obtained by fitting particle data to the experiments, andsingle-equation terminal velocity 30 models were derived. They work well both at high and low Re(3x10<Re< 10), while 31 earlierformulationsmade use of different equations at different ranges of Re. The new drag 32 lawsare well suited for the modellingof particle transportation both in the eruptive column, 33 where coarse and fine particles are present,andalso in the distal part of the umbrella 34 region,where fine ash isinvolved in the large-scale domains of atmospheric circulation.A 35 table of the typical values of Φ3Dand D3D of particles from known plinian, subplinian and ash 36 plume eruptions is presented.Graphs of terminal velocity as a function of grain size are 37 finally proposed as tools to help volcanologists and atmosphere scientiststo model particle 38 transportationof explosive eruptions. 39 40
7 EXPANDING THE HORIZONS OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT

Advances in information systems technologies and applications and new realities in the business and economic climate are changing the nature of itiformation systems development. In particular, the areas of electronic commerce and Web-based applications challenge our notions of the role of the itiformation systems jUnction in the development process. This essay explores the impact of several of these changes on information systems development, and on developers themselves, and suggests how developers must adapt to meet these new requirements.
The effect of opioid receptor gene polymorphism (A118g) on postop tramadol consumption after gynecologic surgery performed with pfannenstiel incision

The of on ABSTRACT Aim: The analgesic efficacy and side effects of opioid medications show great inter-individual differences. Genetic studies have indicated that this difference is considerably associated with the relationship between opioid and receptor. Therefore, in this study it was aimed to investigate the effect of A118G polymorphism on postoperative tramadol consumption and opioid-related side-effects after gynecological surgery performed with a pfannenstiel incision. Material and Method: Evaluation was made of 80 patients with I-II ASA status, scheduled for gynecological surgery performed with a pfannenstiel incision under general anesthesia. Genomic DNA was extracted from the blood samples. After surgery, all of the patients were equipped with an intravenous Tramadol patient-controlled analgesia device and tramadol consumption was measured. Pain scores were measured with a numerical rating scale. All assessments were performed prior to gene analysis. In order detect the genotype for A118G single point mutation, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) methods were used. Results: The study included 80 patients were included. Of these, 60 (75%) patients were detected to have homozygous 118AA (AA) genotype and 20 (25%) patients to have heterozygous 118AG (AG). No patients with homozygous 118GG (GG mutant) genotype were detected. Patients were divided into 2 separate groups based on their genotypes. The postoperative total tramadol consumption (p=0.043), pain score (p=0.031) and patient satisfaction (p=0.026) in the AG group were significantly higher than in the AA group. No statistically significant difference (p=0.063) was detected between the groups in respect of side-effects. Conclusions: A118G polymorphism detected in the µ-opioid receptor gene has an effect on postoperative tramadol consumption.
Shape optimization of road tunnel cross-section by simulated annealing

Abstract The paper concerns shape optimization of a tunnel excavation cross-section. The study incorporates optimization procedure of the simulated annealing (SA). The form of a cost function derives from the energetic optimality condition, formulated in the authors’ previous papers. The utilized algorithm takes advantage of the optimization procedure already published by the authors. Unlike other approaches presented in literature, the one introduced in this paper takes into consideration a practical requirement of preserving fixed clearance gauge. Itasca Flac software is utilized in numerical examples. The optimal excavation shapes are determined for five different in situ stress ratios. This factor significantly affects the optimal topology of excavation. The resulting shapes are elongated in the direction of a principal stress greater value. Moreover, the obtained optimal shapes have smooth contours circumscribing the gauge.
High glucose-induced NF- (cid:1) B activation occurs via tyrosine phosphorylation of I (cid:1) B (cid:2) in human glomerular endothelial cells: involvement of Syk tyrosine kinase

High glucose-induced NF- (cid:1) B activation occurs via tyrosine phosphorylation of I (cid:1) B (cid:2) in human glomerular endothelial cells: involvement of Syk tyrosine kinase. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol F1065–F1075, 2008. 2008; of nuclear factor- (cid:1) B (NF- (cid:1) B) occurs by dissociation from I (cid:1) B after serine or tyrosine phosphorylation of I (cid:1) B (cid:2) , but the way of NF- (cid:1) B activation by high glucose has not been deﬁned. High glucose is known to activate NF- (cid:1) B via protein kinase C and reactive oxygen species (ROS). In this study, we investigated how high glucose activates NF- (cid:1) B for CC chemokine ligand 2 production in cultured human glomerular endothelial cells. High glucose increased nuclear translocation of p65 and also increased NF- (cid:1) B DNA binding activity. High glucose-induced NF- (cid:1) B
Assessment of Chromolena odorata potential ability of hemostasis in patients with and without Haemophilia A Inhibitors

Haemophilia is a chronic bleeding illness that causes several dif(cid:977)iculties in the patient’s daily life in various aspects. Inhibitor development is presently the most important treatment complication observed in patients with hemophilia. Treatment modalities of Haemophilia A with either plasma or recombinant FVIII regimes results in the development of inhibitors and the risk of complications in patients. Hence, newer treatment strategies involving innova-tive hemostatic therapy are warranted for better management of hemophilia patients. The aim and objective of this study was to assess the ef(cid:977)icacy of Chromolena odorata mediated hemostasis in patients with hemophilia A inhibitors. It was a cohort study constituting 147 clinically diagnosed hemophilic A patients. All the patients underwent treatment with FVIII A regimes (spe-ci(cid:977)ic or multiple). The severity of hemophilia and clotting time was assessed by standard FVIII and aPTT assays, respectively. Modi(cid:977)ied Bethesda assay method was used to detect FVIII inhibitors. The hemostatic capacity of Chromolena odorata was evaluated by pooling the patient’s plasma with Chromolena extract concentrate. Younger age group (15-30) were more preva-lent (56.4%) among hemophilia pathogenesis. Hemarthrosis was the signif-icant co-morbidity observed in 58.5% of patients. Majority of the patients (72.7%) were diagnosed with severe hemophilia A. We identi(cid:977)ied 10 clinically evident patients to possess inhibitors for FVIII. Evaluation of Chromolena odorata hemostatic potential showed the improvement of clotting capacity with optimal concentrations of extract in patients with inhibitors. The (cid:977)ind-ings of the study revealed the hemostatic properties of Chromolena odorata that can be recommended in the treatment strategies of Haemophilia patients.
Differential Perceptions of “Development” among Key Stakeholder Groups in the Philippines

This mixed-methods study conducted in the Philippines explores the perceptions of various stakeholders in the international development process on the meaning of the word “development. ” It also measured the extent of differences between stakeholder groups (Adventist Development and Relief Agency [ADRA] employees, government liaisons, and beneficiaries) on their perceptions of what “development” means. Results show that approximately half of the self-generated indicators associated with the word “development” overlap between stakeholder groups, and approximately half are unique to each stakeholder group. In addition, the differences measured between stakeholder perceptions are statistically significant using ANOVA and MANOVA procedures. The implications for these different perceptions according to stakeholder group are discussed. Furthermore, the implications for faith-based NGOs working in development (such as ADRA) are also discussed.
University of Birmingham Trifluoromethyl sulphur pentafluoride, SF5CF3: atmospheric chemistry and its environmental importance via the greenhouse effect

One molecule of SF5CF3, an adduct of the SF5 and CF3 free radicals, causes more global warming than one molecule of any other greenhouse gas yet detected in the atmosphere, i.e. it has the highest per molecule radiative forcing of any greenhouse pollutant, and the value of its global warming potential is only exceeded by that of SF6. Using tunable vacuum-UV radiation from a synchrotron and coincidence spectroscopy, the strength of the central S−C bond in SF5CF3 is determined to be 3.86 ± 0.45 eV or 372 ± 43 kJ mol, and this molecule is very unlikely to be removed from the earth’s atmosphere by UV photolysis in the stratosphere. Complementary laboratory-based experiments have shown that the main sink route of this greenhouse gas is low-energy electron attachment in the mesosphere, with Lymanα photodissociation at 121.6 nm being only a minor channel. By comparison with data for SF6, the lifetime of SF5CF3 in the earth’s atmosphere is estimated to be ca. 1000 years. The principal reason for the current low level of concern about the impact of SF5CF3 on our environment is that the concentration levels are still very low, at the sub parts per trilllion level. The high growth rate of ca. 6% per annum, however, should cause concern for policymakers.
Design and improvement of magnetic coupling structure for lumped inductive power transfer systems

Taking into account high oil prices and environmental awareness, the development of electric vehicles (EVs) is considered as a healthier mode of transportation. Amongst other eco-friendly vehicles, EVs are considered as a favourable solution for a greener energy because the electricity they consume can be generated from a wide range of sources which include fossil fuel, nuclear power and renewable energy. However, users and owners of EVs feel uncomfortable because EVs require sufficient electrical energy battery storage on-board to provide sufficient driving autonomy.Lumped inductive power transfer (LIPT) system is a new technology that allows the transfer of electric power between its air-cored primary and secondary coils via high frequency magnetic fields to a consuming device. Unlike the conventional plug-in system, LIPT system is capable of providing a safe, efficient and convenient overnight recharging of EVs. However, its main limiting factor is the poor performance of its magnetic coupling structure (MCS), which is intended to transfer power efficiently. Thus the problem statement of this thesis is to improve the performance of MCS models for LIPT systems.Firstly, based on a more efficient and relevant mathematical model available in the literature, MATLAB code is implemented to compute the mutual inductance between air-cored filamentary circular (FC) coils. Also, the computation and experimental validation of the magnetic fields between two FC coils are presented.Furthermore, computational models of an IPT system for EV battery charge are presented in this thesis. Based on the technical specifications of Renault ZOE, the results obtained show that by supplying a higher frequency AC voltage to the primary coil of the MCS and compensating the primary and secondary sides of the air-cored coils with series-series capacitors, the 3 kW single-phase and 22 kW three-phase IPT systems modelled using MATLAB/Simulink are capable of delivering the electricity needed to power the Renault ZOE.Finally, in order to recommend a suitable and cost-efficient MCS model that can help transfer electric power more efficiently for the battery charging of EVs and E-bikes, a 3-D finite element analysis (FEA) package called COMSOL multiphysics is used to design, compute and investigate a more complex and realistic MCS model of LIPT systems. The designed MCS models incorporate air-cored coils with proper configuration of magnetic cores (e.g. ferrite), structural steel covering for the bottom part of the primary coil and top part of the secondary coil and lastly, iron plate which serves as a covering for the primary coil installed underground and the chassis or underbody structure of EVs. The performance of the designed models are determined by the values of the mutual inductance and induced voltage obtained from COMSOL.