Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Determining Solvency and Insolvency of Commercial Banks in Nigeria

This paper presents the application of artificial intelligence technique to develop aMulti-Layer Perceptron neural network model for determining the status (solvent or insolvent) of commercial banks in Nigeria. The common traditional classification techniques based on statistical parametric methods are constraint to fulfill certain assumptions. When those assumptions fail, the techniques do not often give sufficient descriptive accuracy in classifying the status of the banks. However, a class of feed-forward architecture of neural network known as Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) is not constraint by those parametric assumptions and offers good classification technique that competes well with the traditional statistical parametric techniques. In this study, data were sourced from the central bank of Nigeria and financial reports of the commercial banks in Nigeria. The banks specific variable of age, history of merger, time, total assets and total revenue are used as the input variables to the neural network. The solvency or insolvency as status are the two possible outputs of the neural network for each commercial bank in the period of 1994-2015. The developed MLP neural network model has 5 input neurons, 3 hidden neurons and 1 output neuron. Sigmoid activation function for the hidden neurons and “purelin” transfer function for the output neurons were utilized in training the MLP neural network. The results demonstrate that MLP neural networks are a viable technique for status classification of commercial banks in Nigeria.
The role of phytoplankton diversity in the emergent oceanic stoichiometry

Marine phytoplankton are a taxonomically and functionally diverse group of organisms that are key players in the most important biogeochemical cycles. Phytoplankton taxa show different resource utilization strategies (e.g. nutrient-uptake rates and cellular allocation) and traits. Therefore, acknowledging this diversity is crucial to understanding how elemental cycles operate, including the origin and dynamics of elemental ratios. In this paper, we focus on trait-based models as tools to study the role of phytoplankton diversity in the stoichiometric phenomenology observed in the laboratory and in the open ocean. We offer a compilation of known empirical results on stoichiometry and summarize how trait-based approaches have attempted to replicate these results. By contrasting the different ecological and evolutionary approaches available in the literature, we explore the strengths and limitations of the existing models. We thus try to identify existing gaps and challenges, and point to potential new directions that can be explored to fill these gaps. We aim to highlight the potential of including diversity explicitly in our modeling approaches, which can help us gain important knowledge about changes in local and global stoichiometric patterns.
Distribution Network Reconfiguration Considering Power Losses and Outages Costs Using Genetic Algorithm

Abstract This paper discusses the problem of finding the optimal network topological configuration by changing the feeder status. The reconfiguration problem is considered as a multiobjective problem aiming to minimize power losses and total interruptions costs subject to the system constraints: the network radiality voltage limits and feeder capability limits. Due to its complexity, the metaheuristic methods can be applied to solve the problem and often the choice is genetic algorithm. NSGA II is used to solve the multiobjective optimization problem in order to get Pareto optimal set with possible solutions. The proposed method has been tested on real 35 kV distribution network. The numerical results are presented to illustrate the feasibility of the proposed genetic algorithm. Keywords radial distribution network, multiobjective optimization, reconfiguration, genetic algorithms, NSGA II
High-speed and Huge-capacity Data Cache System Based on FPGA

Abstract. Aiming at the high-speed and huge-capacity data cache and transmission caused by real-time signal processor for high-resolution SAR, this paper presents a design for the high-speed and huge-capacity data acquisition system based on DDR3 SDRAM and RapidIO. Data cache is realized by MIG3.92 IP core in Xilinx Virtex_6 series FPGA. Data Transmission is realized by RapidIO IP core and GTX. The testing results show that the maximum write rate of DDR3 memory is 3120MB/s and the transmission rate of RapidIO interface is 1800 MB/s.
Software Architecture: Architecture Constraints

In this chapter, we introduce an additional, yet essential, concept in describing software architectures : architecture constraints. We explain the precise role of these entities and their importance in object-oriented, component-based or service-oriented software engi-neering. We then describe the way in which they are specified and interpreted. An architect can define architecture constraints and then associate them to architectural descriptions to limit their structure, and for ultimately making persistent a certain level of quality. These constraints enable us to enforce adherence to a particular architecture pattern or style so as to ensure a certain level of maintainability. By interpreting these constraints, we are able to check whether these patterns/styles are respected, after the evolution of architecture descriptions. We present a state of the art on the current techniques and languages for ex-pressing these constraints. We then introduce our recent research, where we have developed languages for expressing these constraints on architectures of object-oriented, component-based and service-oriented applications. We will use different examples of architecture constraints representing known patterns and styles, like the Pipe and Filter architecture style and the Service Facade or Model-View-Controller architecture patterns, to illustrate these works. We conclude this chapter with a summary of some of the open questions which have given rise to ongoing research about this concept of architecture constraints.
Investigation of the La 2 O 3Nb 2 O 5-WO 3 ternary phase diagram : Isolation and crystal structure determination of the original La 3 NbWO 10 material

In the course of the exploration of the La2O3-WO3-Nb2O5 ternary phase diagram, a new compound with the formula La3NbWO10 was discovered. Its structure was determined from a combination of powder X-ray and neutron diffraction data. It crystallizes in the tetragonal space group P42/nmc (n°137) with the lattice parameters: a = 10.0807(1) Å; c = 12.5540(1) Å. The structure is built up from infinite ribbons of octahedra (W/Nb)O5 which are perpendicular to each other, lanthanum ions being distributed around these ribbons. The electrical properties of this compound were investigated on sintered pellets by means of complex impedance spectroscopy.
FABRICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ELECTROSTATIC MICRO-GENERATORS

This paper presents an electrostatic energy harvesting devices for electrical energy extraction from vibrations. We successfully fabricated prototypes of completely packaged microgenerators with a chip size of 5 mm by 6 mm. This was achieved using a modified SOI technology developed for inertial sensors at HSG- IMIT. Measurements show effective conversion of mechanical vibration energy. Microgenerators produced a maximum RMS power of 3.8 µW when excited at their resonance with an input excitation of 13 g. During a long-term experiment over a period of two hours, the electrostatic energy harvester generated a total net energy of 10.92 mJ corresponding to an average power of 1.52 µW.
Translation diaries of an illustrated technical text : Translation students’ conceptions of word-image interaction

This study set out to characterize the qualitatively different ways in which a group of master’s level translation students conceptualized the interaction of verbal and visual information during the translation of an illustrated technical text. The research approach chosen for this purpose was phenomenography, which aims to identify the differences in the ways people conceptualize various phenomena. The data of the study consisted of translation diaries written by the students. The study identified two qualitatively distinct main categories of conceptualizing the interaction of verbal and visual information: either conceptualizing the combination of modes as an entity to be perceived as a whole, or conceptualizing the modes as competing sources of information. It was concluded that the students conceptualized the images as an important part of the source text, capable of amplifying, specifying and even annulling verbal information.
Protection Augmentation in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks Using Game Theory

Game theory can provide a useful tool to study the security problem in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). Most of existing works on applying game theories to security only consider two players in the security game model: an attacker and a defender. While this assumption may be valid for a network with centralized administration, it is not realistic in MANETs, where centralized administration is not available. In this paper, using recent advances in mean field game theory, we propose a novel game theoretic approach with multiple players for security in MANETs. The mean field game theory provides a powerful mathematical tool for problems with a large number of players. The proposed scheme can enable an individual node in MANETs to make strategic security defence decisions without centralized administration. In addition, since security defence mechanisms consume precious system resources (e.g., energy), the proposed scheme considers not only the security requirement of MANETs but also the system resources. Moreover, each node in the proposed scheme only needs to know its own state information and the aggregate effect of the other nodes in the MANET. Therefore, the proposed scheme is a fully distributed scheme. Simulation results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
Malaria Surveillance at Thai-Myanmar Border, Mae Sot District, Tak Province, Thailand, July 2013

Malaria epidemic along Thai-Myanmar border is still an ongoing occurrence. We explored malaria surveillance systems in Mae Sot District in order to improve the detection and response efforts in the region. The main objective was to study effectiveness of the malaria surveillance systems at Thai-Myanmar border. Data were collected by reviewing medical records, interviewing personnel at operation levels and observing the surveillance sites. The reporting system under Bureau of Epidemiology (BOE) was hospital-based, with 76% coverage, 100% positive predictive value and 100% timeliness. It was acceptable and stable, yet less flexible. The reporting system of Bureau of Vector Borne Disease (BVBD), existed from the village level, was used to obtain information for malaria prevention and control. The reports were sent via online malaria database system. Its sustainability could be affected by withdrawal of the Global Fund. Information of both systems was closely linked at the hospital (district) level. At border areas, health personnel regularly shared information through buddy health volunteers from both countries. Collaboration between epidemiology and information technology units should be strengthened in BOE and the reporting forms should be simplified by BVBD. The central Thai government should consider how to sustain the malaria surveillance and response system in the long run.
Re-conceptualizing centrality in social networks†

In the social sciences, networks are used to represent relationships between social actors, be they individuals or aggregates. The structural importance of these actors is assessed in terms of centrality indices which are commonly defined as graph invariants. Many such indices have been proposed, but there is no unifying theory of centrality. Previous attempts at axiomatic characterization have been focused on particular indices, and the conceptual frameworks that have been proposed alternatively do not lend themselves to mathematical treatment. We show that standard centrality indices, although seemingly distinct, can in fact be expressed in a common framework based on path algebras. Since, as a consequence, all of these indices preserve the neighbourhood-inclusion pre-order, the latter provides a conceptually clear criterion for the definition of centrality indices.
VOLUNTEERING AND LIFE SATISFACTION : AN INVESTIGATION OF ENDOGENEITY

Based upon the results of a national survey conducted in Taiwan, this study investigates the effects of volunteering on life satisfaction. We used a univariate ordered probit model and a simultaneous bivariate ordered probit model to compare the potential endogeneity between volunteering and life satisfaction. An exogenous military service variable was included in the bivariate model to correct the endogeneity of volunteering on life satisfaction. The results of the univariate ordered probit model suggest that volunteering has no effecton life satisfaction. However, the results from the simultaneous bivariate ordered probit model indicate volunteering has a significantposit ive effect on life satisfaction. The failure to account for endogeneity appears to underestimate the effect of volunteering on life satisfaction.
Exploring the Contrast Transitions of Korean Vowels: An Information-theoretic View

What present study purports is to explore two kinds of contrast transitions occurring to Korean vowel inventory, i.e. diphthongization of front rounded vowels /y/ and /ø/ and merger of front mid-vowels /e/ and /ɛ/. Overall, our endeavors start from the premise that the weak contrast associated with concerned vocalic segments might bring about the wavering of what they sound like. The null hypothesis is that the correlates derived from a certain amount of information as a measure of communicative efficiency deeply impact the determination of the degree of contrast among phonological units. For the purpose, relying on the corpora based on written and spoken texts, and other subsidiary data sources, the intervention of surprisal, entropic contribution, relative contrastiveness, and perceptual distance is examined as part of diagnostics on the segmental changes over time. What we found therein is that for a proper explication of /y/-/ø/ disintegration and /e/-/ɛ/ merger, the Information-theoretic approach is compelling to a certain extent.
Technical note: Improving the AWAT filter with interpolation schemes for advanced processing of high resolution data

Abstract. Weighing lysimeters with appropriate data filtering yield the most precise and unbiased information for precipitation (P) and evapotranspiration (ET). A recently introduced filter scheme for such data is the AWAT (Adaptive Window and Adaptive Threshold) filter (Peters et al., 2014). The filter applies an adaptive threshold to separate significant from insignificant mass changes, guaranteeing that P and ET are not overestimated, and uses a step interpolation between the significant mass changes. In this contribution we show that the step interpolation scheme, which reflects the resolution of the measuring system, can lead to unrealistic prediction of P and ET, especially if they are required in high temporal resolution. We introduce linear and spline interpolation schemes to overcome these problems. To guarantee that medium to strong precipitation events abruptly following low or zero fluxes are not smoothed in an unfavourable way, a simple heuristic selection criterion is used, which attributes such precipitations to the step interpolation. The three interpolation schemes (step, linear and spline) are tested and compared using a data set from a grass-reference lysimeter with 1 min resolution, ranging from 1 January to 5 August 2014. The selected output resolutions for P and ET prediction are 1 day, 1 h and 10 min. As expected, the step scheme yielded reasonable flux rates only for a resolution of 1 day, whereas the other two schemes are well able to yield reasonable results for any resolution. The spline scheme returned slightly better results than the linear scheme concerning the differences between filtered values and raw data. Moreover, this scheme allows continuous differentiability of filtered data so that any output resolution for the fluxes is sound. Since computational burden is not problematic for any of the interpolation schemes, we suggest always using the spline scheme.
AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-13-1-0409 TITLE: The Role of Skp2 in the Prostate Tumorigenesis Following Rb and p53 Loss PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR:

for Cell Symposium, Hallmarks of Cancer: Asia, November 9-11, 2-14-Beijing, China Identifying effective antitumor mechanisms when both pRb and p53 are genetically inactivated Genetic inactivation of both major tumor suppressors pRb and p53 irreparably disables most cells’ antitumor mechanisms. TCGA documents recurrent genetic inactivation of RB1 and TP53. They often co-occur and the co-occurrences become more frequent in more advanced cancer, which likely explain why advanced cancer are more likely to resist current anticancer therapies. Skp2 mediates ubiquitination of p27 to activate cyclin/CDKs, of Akt1 to promote anaerobic glycolysis, and of E-cadherin to promote cell migration. We used pRb and p53 doubly deficient mouse tumor models to determine the antitumor effects of targeting Skp2. Results show that Skp2 deletion blocked pRb and p53 doubly deficient pituitary and prostate tumorigenesis. On this platform, we identify multiple antitumor mechanisms, including mitotic block by p27, apoptosis by p73, blocking anaerobic glycolysis by targeting LDH-A, and dynamic control of EMT. We suggest that these antitumor mechanisms be considered in designing therapies for advanced and multi-therapy resistant cancer. To: Cc: Hongling Zhao Liang Zhu You forwarded this message on 10/21/2014 1:47 PM. Reply Reply All Forward Congratulations! Mary Anne Clifford Tuesday, October 21, 2014 1:33 PM
The creep behaviour of adhesives

The use of adhesives in the reinforcement of structural members has increased in the last few years. However, limited information concerning the creep behaviour of structural adhesives has been found in the literature. The present study is part of a general research project at Chalmers University of Technology focused on the strengthening of steel members with carbon fibre reinforced polymers (CFRP) and bonded by structural adhesives. This thesis specifically focuses on the analysis of the creep behaviour of structural adhesives and also the possibility to reinforce them with carbon fibres. The present study includes uniaxial tensile creep tests, where two epoxy adhesives were tested at different stress levels. Experimental data showed that the adhesives reinforced with carbon fibres experiment less creep strains than the unreinforced adhesives. Uniaxial tensile tests were also performed in order to obtain material parameters, such as ultimate tensile stress, ultimate tensile strain, Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio. Non linear behaviour was observed and the results were in agreement with previous studies and the manufacturer’s data. No conclusions concerning the effect of fibre reinforcement could be made on tensile strength due to the scatter in the results. It was found that much care should be given in the application of the adhesive during the performance of the tests because of air bubbles. Another factor that affected the results was that the orientation of the carbon fibres could not be controlled and they were randomly oriented. A two-dimensional FE Model was developed based on the results from the tests in order to have a reliable tool to simulate the creep behaviour of adhesives. Results were compared with the experimental data, showing good agreement if high stresses were not considered. As a suggestion for further research, a lap shear joint was also modelled using the constants obtained from the experiments. Results showed shear and peel stress redistribution in the adhesive layer.
Beyond proximity: Consequentialist Ethics and System Dynamics

Consequentialism is a moral philosophy that maintains that the moral worth of an action is determined by the consequences it has for the welfare of a society. Consequences of model design are a part of the model lifecycle that is often neglected. This paper investigates the issue using system dynamics modeling as an example. Since a system dynamics model is a product of the modeler’s design decisions, the modeler should consider the life cycle consequences of using the model. Seen from a consequentialist perspective, the consequences of policies developed from system dynamics models determine the model’s moral value (ethical/unethical). This concept is explored by discussing model uncertainty from an engineering perspective. In this perspective, the ethical considerations shift from the behavior of the modeler (and away from validation) to the model itself and the model’s inherent uncertainty. When the ethical considerations are taken away from the modeler and directed to what the model does, the ethical boundaries extend beyond the proximity of the model. This discussion renews the ethics conversation in system dynamics by considering this shift in philosophical perspective, and investigates how consequentialist moral philosophy applies to the modeling process and in communicating with decision-makers. A model of social assistance in Norway in the context of immigration pressures illustrates some possibilities for addressing these ethical concerns. This paper argues for an ethical framework, or at the very least, an ethical conversation within the field of system dynamics. Article first published online: 25 FEB 2017
A Novel Verifiable Secret Sharing with Detection and Identification of Cheaters' Group

Shamir’s (t, n)-SS scheme is very simple to generate and distribute the shares for a secret among n participants by using such polynomial. We assume the dealer a mutually trust parity when he distributes the shares to participants securely. In addition when the participants pooling their shares in the secret reconstruction phase a honest participants can always reconstruct the real secret by Pooling areal shares. The property of verifiability enables participants to verify that their shares are consistent. Tompa and Woll suggested an important cheating scenario in Shamir’s secret reconstruction. They found a solution to remove a single cheater with small probability, unfortunately, their scheme is based on computational assumptions. In addition each participants will receive a huge number of shares. In this paper we will construct scheme to be informationtheoretically secure verifiable secret sharing which does not contain a single cheater. On the other hand we will eliminate these problems in Tompa and Woll scheme. Our proposed scheme is not only to detect and identify a cheater, but to prevent him from recovering the secret when the honest participants cannot.
Singularities in Global Hyperbolic Space-time Manifold

If a space-time is timelike or null geodesically incomplete but cannot be embedded in a larger space-time, then we say that it has a singularity. There are two types of singularities in the space-time manifold. First one is called the Big Bang singularity. This type of singularity must be interpreted as the catastrophic event from which the entire universe emerged, where all the known laws of physics and mathematics breakdown in such a way that we cannot know what was happened during and before the big bang singularity. The second type is Schwarzschild singularity, which is considered as the end state of the gravitational collapse of a massive star which has exhausted its nuclear fuel providing the pressure gradient against the inwards pull of gravity. Global hyperbolicity is the most important condition on causal structure space-time, which is involved in problems as cosmic censorship, predictability, etc. Here both types of singularities in global hyperbolic space-time manifold are discussed in some details.