Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Size , Information Sharing and Financial Access in

Purpose This study investigates how bank size affects the role of information asymmetry on financial access in a panel of 162 banks in 39 African countries for the period 2001-2011. Design/methodology/approach The empirical evidence is based on instrumental variable Fixed Effects regressions with overlapping and non-overlapping bank size thresholds to control for the QLH (Quiet Life Hypothesis). The QLH postulates that managers of large banks will use their privileges for private gains at the expense of making financial services more accessible to the general public. Financial access is measured with loan price and loan quantity whereas information asymmetry is implicit in the activities of public credit registries and private credit bureaus. Findings The findings with non-overlapping thresholds are broadly consistent with those that are conditional on overlapping thresholds. First, public credit registries have a decreasing effect on the price of loans with the magnitude of reduction comparable across all bank size thresholds. Second, both public credit registries and private credit bureaus enhance the quantity of loans. Third, compared with public credit registries, private credit bureaus have a greater influence in increasing financial access because they have a significantly higher favourable effect on the quantity and price of loans Fourth, the QLH is not apparent because large banks are not associated with lower levels of financial access compared to small banks. Originality/value Studies of public credit registries and private credit bureaus in Africa are sparse. This is one of the few to assess linkages between bank size, information asymmetry and financial access. JEL Classification: G20; G29; L96; O40; O55
DESIGNING LATTICE STRUCTURES FOR 3 D PRINTING

3D printing offers unique capability to manufacture structural shapes and sizes that are not practical with the conventional manufacturing methods. A lattice structure consisting of beam element, where most material carries load in tension is likely to be most efficient and hence has highest potential of being lightest shape for the given material. In this paper a methodology, to design, optimize and evaluate periodic lattice-based cellular structures, which can be manufactured using 3D printing is presented. A user-friendly design framework for lattice cellular structures is developed using a size optimization algorithm. Also a method to develop 3D cellular geometry for use in non-linear finite element analysis and 3D printing is introduced. The 3D model for the optimized lattice structure is built and non-linear finite element study is conducted to predict the performance. Physical parts are 3D printed and tested to compare with the simulations. Material properties for the 3D printed parts are determined for the finite element study using reverse engineering of actual measured data at coupon level.
Control stem white rot of rapeseed caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum with Coniothyrium minitans , focused on application time

Stem white rot of rapeseed caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in China is a major obstacle for further improvement of seed yield. Coniothyrium minitans, a mycoparasite of S. sclerotiorum, was introduced to control this disease in field. To find out the optimal delivery time, conidia of C. minitans were aerially delivered onto plants at 5 % bloom, 10 % bloom and 50 % bloom at Xishui county, Tianmen county and Wuxue county of Hubei Province from 2004 to 2006. The efficiency of C. minitans on control stem white rot was evaluated via yield improvement and reduction of disease severity. Among 36 valid C. minitans treatments, 30 treatments showed that the seed yields were improved with a range of 6.0 % to 27.3 %. C. minitans delivered at 5 % bloom and 10 % bloom gave higher efficiency than at 50 %; and applied twice (one at 5 % bloom and the other at 10 % bloom) gave the highest efficiency. The results also showed that C. minitans could reduce the disease severity when applied at 5 % bloom and 10 % bloom, however, the disease severity was not related to the loss of seed yield. In all experiments, dimethachlon was used as control, and results showed that this fungicide gave better efficiency than C. minitans did. This is the first time we evaluated the efficiency of C. minitans via seed yield of rapeseed. The potential of aerial application and the factors which may affect the efficiency of C. minitans against stem white rot were also discussed.
Robust Feature Extraction using Embedded Hidden Markov Model for Face Identification and Verification

Robustness is one of the key issues in face identification and verification because of variations in image due to lightning, pose; environmental effect etc. & feature extraction is one of the methods to gather information of the facial image but it is not enough to understand the whole effect of the identification. Extraction of features robustly for face recognition under larger position movement is quite a challenging one. In this paper we propose a algorithm using rectangular features of facial recover with the help of byproducts of an embedded HMMs (Hidden Markov Models) which converts and monitor face image to a state sequence. As HMMs has ability to segment images into features at stable position, and several HMMs are instructed for individual face to robustly extract their features under large position movements. Extracted features are used for each individual and appearances models rely on subspace are designed for face verification and identification. Our analysis results with experiments demonstrate that proposed technique will help to extract facial feature efficiently and improve the performance in face identification and verification under great position movement scenario.
Improved Stack Allocation Using Escape Analysis in the

This thesis describes and evaluates the design and implementation of an escape analysis for KESO, a Java virtual machine for statically configured embedded systems. The goal is to allocate as many objects as possible in stack memory automatically. Reducing the number of heap-allocated objects in a garbage collected environment can lower the runtime and the complexity and size of the garbage collector’s data structures. Especially in hard real-time systems, where algorithms for garbage collection face a set of requirements that are not easily met, this can be worthwhile. The algorithm implemented in this thesis is a modified version of the one presented by Choi et al. in 2003. In benchmarks, the analysis found 18 to 34 % of allocations to be eligible for stack allocation. Using this optimization, heap memory usage was reduced by up to 29 %. The results can not only be used for the optimizations implemented yet, but open up a number of further possibilities such as removal of unnecessary synchronization primitives. Potential for optimization can also be found in methods allocating an object and returning a reference to it. Instead of using heap memory for the returned object, the caller be modified to pass a reference to a sufficiently large chunk of memory in its stack frame, which the callee could use for the object to be returned. Zusammenfassung Diese Arbeit beschreibt und evaluiert Entwurf und Implementierung einer Fluchtanalyse für KESO, eine virtuelle Maschine für Java für statisch konfigurierte eingebettete Systeme. Das Ziel ist die automatische Allokation möglichst vieler Objekte im Stapelspeicher. Die Anzahl der in der Halde allokierten Objekte zu reduzieren kann in einer Umgebung mit automatischer Speicherbereinigung sowohl deren Laufzeit als auch die Komplexität und Größe ihrer Datenstrukturen senken. Vor allem in harten Echtzeitsystemen, in denen Algorithmen zur automatischen Speicherbereinigung eine Reihe von schwierigen Anforderungen erfüllen müssen, kann dies lohnenswert sein. Der Algorithmus, der in dieser Arbeit implementiert wurde, ist eine Adaption einer Veröffentlichung von von Choi et al. 2003. In Tests konnten zwischen 18 und 34 % aller Allokationen als stapelallokierbar identifiziert werden. Durch diese Optimierung sank die Auslastung des Haldenspeichers um bis zu 29 %. Die Ergebnisse können nicht nur für die bereits implementierten Optimierungen verwendet werden, sondern eröffnen eine Reihe weiterer Möglichkeiten, wie z. B. das Entfernen unnötiger Synchronisationsprimitiven. Optimierungspotential besteht auch in Methoden, die ein Objekt anlegen und eine Referenz darauf zurückgeben. Anstatt für das zurückgegebene Objekt Speicher aus der Halde zu verwenden könnte der Aufrufer modifiziert werden eine Referenz auf ein ausreichend großes Stück Speicher aus seinem Stapelbereich weiterzugeben, das vom Aufgerufenen für das zurückzugebende Objekt genutzt werden könnte.
Historical Institutionalism and Economic Policymaking – Determinants of the Pattern of Economic Policy in Brazil, 1930–1960

From 1930 to 1960, Brazil adopted a pattern of economic policy marked by strong state intervention, high levels of protectionism, disregard of exports and a permissive treatment of inflation. These policies distorted the model of industrialisation and had a negative impact on the prospects for economic development. This article employs a historical institutionalist approach to investigate how the international context, the ideology of the policymakers, the role of the technocrats and the pressures of various social groups, especially the industrialists, influenced decisions on economic policy, contributing to the consolidation of the pattern described above.
Individual performance in an R & D alliance : a micro-level study

Though studies have explained the alliance issues at macro or meso level, the mechanism inside alliances is still not quite clear. Drawing on the theories of social capital and social network? s role in individual knowledge sharing, learning , creating and related work performance, this study investigates the relation between individual social network position and individual work performance, as well as the relation between social interaction, network position and work performance. We found that in the formal network or advice network, the network position has positive effect on work performance, of which the relation is moderated by social interaction frequency in the formal network, but not in the advice network; in the multiplexity which means both of the two networks are involved, the relations between network position, interaction frequency, and work performance are still significant, but positive in the formal network and negative in the advice network.
Measurement results for cooperative device-to-device communication in cellular networks

Device-to-Device communication is expected to be a part of future 5G networks. Many researchers have provided solid theoretical concepts to implement it, but a real practical solution is still in dearth. In this work, first the design and development of a proof-of-concept testbed for single carrier Device-to-Device (D2D) communication have been done. The results obtained from this testbed can be used to evaluate the subtle design issues associated with the real world deployment of single carrier D2D communication protocols. These issues are often overlooked in a theoretical or simulation framework. The performance of this light-weight, readily deployable testbed has been validated by emulating a cellular scenario in which a base station (BTS) and many D2D enabled devices coordinate and communicate with each other to select an optimum communication range, transmit parameters, intracellular localization and mode of communication. Through the experimental results it has been shown that D2D communication can significantly reduce the power consumption of a conventional cellular network. After this, another testbed (Multi-carrier) was developed using Software Defined radio which incorporates the concept of Spectrum Sharing through static sub-carrier allocation to D2D user by cellular system which will eventually enhance the performance of cellular as well as D2D communication system. Our purposed and deployed protocol have shown significant improvement (10% to 30% ) on Symbol Error Rate (SER) and Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) as compared with conventional direct transmission schemes.
Master Thesis

In this thesis, we answer several questions about the behaviour of prover-verifier interactions under parallel repetition when quantum information is allowed, and the verifier acts independently in them. We first consider the case in which a value is associated with each of the possible outcomes of an interaction. We prove that it is not possible for the prover to improve on the optimum average value per repetition by repeating the protocol multiple times in parallel. We look then at games in which the outcomes are classified into two types, winning outcomes and losing outcomes. We ask what is the optimal probability for the prover of winning at least k times out of n parallel repetitions, given that the optimal probability of winning when only one repetition is considered is p. A reasonable conjecture for the answer would be ∑ m≥k ( n m ) p(1 − p), as that is the answer when it is optimal for the prover to act independently. This is known to be the correct answer when k = n, and also in the classical case. It is also correct in some generalizations of the classical case that we will discuss later. We will show how this cannot be extended to all cases, presenting an example of an interaction with k = 1, n = 2 in which p ≈ 0.85, but it is possible to always win at least once. We will then give some upper bounds on the optimal probability for the prover of winning k times out of n parallel repetitions. These bounds are expressed as a function of p. Finally, we will connect our results to the study of error reduction for quantum interactive proofs using parallel repetition.
le Stress among Isfahan medical sciences students

Department of Health Education and Promotion, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Nutrition, Biochemistry and Metabolic Disorders Research Center, Gorgan School of Medicine, Public Health Department, school of Para medicine and health, Golestan University of medical sciences, Gorgan, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Department health services, school of health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
APP 3-4 A feasibility study of smart high-temperature superconducting cable to improve stability of KEPCO system *

A resistive type SFCL using REBCO tapes has high potential to limit fault currents quickly and to improve the reliability of a power system for its compactness and rapid increasing of resistance [1]. We have studied the thermal characteristics of a SFCL REBCO coil by numerical analysis using more precise analysis models. Influence of bubbles of boiling nitrogen is also considered in some cases. If bubbles are generated under fault conditions, a rapid local temperature rise may occur and even result in a permanent degradation of JC of REBCO layer. In this paper, we upgrade the previous FEM analysis model [2] for 3D thermal analysis of a REBCO coil in a resistive type SFCL (Fig.). Coupled problems of electromagnetic and thermal fields are solved for studying thermal characteristics of an SFCL REBCO coil immersed in liquid nitrogen. In computation of current distribution in the SFCL coil, a thin-plate approximation is applied to the REBCO tapes and FEM based on current vector potentials T is utilized. Current density J is defined by J=∇×T. The governing electromagnetic equation is given by ∇×(ρ∇×T)=∂B/dt (ρ: electric resistivity; B: magnetic flux density) [2]. In thermal analysis, the 3D structure of SFCL coil is modeled and the temperature rise is calculated under the condition of Joule heating, heat conduction, heat transfer, and cooling characteristics of liquid nitrogen.
Human detection and tracking using a Kinect camera for an autonomous service robot

This paper presents a novel method for people detection and tracking using depth images provided by Kinetic camera. The depth image captured by a Kinect camera is analysed using its histogram, allowing for the depth image to be divided in slices, making the retrieval of regions of interest a simple and computationally light process when compared to point clouds. These regions are then classified as human or not using a template matching technique. An efficient gradient descent algorithm is used to perform the template matching, using the RPROP algorithm, and the tracking is performed based on color image histogram comparison for each region of interest, in consecutive frames. The proposed method is viable for on-line detection and tracking of people and has been tested in a mobile platform in an unconstrained environment.
The Role of APACHE II, SOFA, Serum amylase and Lipase in Assessment of Severity and Outcome of Acute Organophosphorus Poisoning

Poisoning with Organophosphate (OP) compounds is responsible for great morbidities and mortalities all over the world especially in developing countries including Egypt. Scoring systems have been continuously developed to predict outcomes in patients with severe illness, to improve resource allocation and to assist in clinical decision-making particularly for ICU patients. The quest for biomarkers in relation to OP compound poisoning started quite a long time back but cheap and easily measurable biomarkers having prognostic value is the need of the hour. The objective of this study is to evaluate the role of acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) score, the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, serum amylase and lipase in assessing severity and outcome of acute organophosphorus poisoning.A retrospective and prospective study was carried out on 200 patients of acute OP poisoning admitted to the Poison Control Center (PCC), Ain Shams University Hospitals. Information after obtaining the permission of the director of PCC and the regional ethics committee was collected from the sheets and computerized data base of the patients, an informed written consent has been obtained from each patient or from his/her caregiver for inclusion in the prospective part of the study. APACHE II and SOFA scores were calculated to each patient admitted and biochemical analysis of serum amylase and lipase were estimated in the prospective part of the study. The results were revised, coded and organized for statistical analysis. The study results revealed 180 (90%) patients discharged and 20 (10%) patients died. The study showed that there were 76% of patients had APACHE II score ≤ 9, while 12.5% of patients had APACHE II score from 10 to 14, there were 8.5% of patients had APACHE II score from 15 to 24 and APACHE II score was > 24 in 3% of patients. SOFA score in 88.5%of patients was ≤ 6, while in 4.5% of patients SOFA score was from 7 to 9 and in 7%of patients SOFA score was > 9. Hyperamylasemia observed in 83.3% of died and 33.3% of died patients had increased lipase. There was significant difference between discharged and died patients as regards APACHE II score, SOFA Score, serum amylase and lipase. It could be concluded that SOFA score, APACHEII score, serum amylase and lipase had a role in assessment of severity of acute organophosphorus poisoning but only SOFA score, APACHEII score and serum amylase could be used as predictors of outcome. SOFA score is more useful in predicting mortality, and easier and simpler than the APACHEII and serum amylase. From the previous results, our study recommends that predictors of outcome (APACHE II score, SOFA score and serum amylase) should be assessed routinely and as early as possible to evaluate the severity, improve the course of management and deciding the pathway of care.
A comparative study of interface capturing methods with AMR for incompressible two-phase flows

This paper presents a comparative study of interface capturing methods with adaptive mesh reﬁnement for Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) of incompressible two-phase ﬂows. The numerical algorithms for ﬂuid motion and interface capturing methods have been previously introduced in the context of the ﬁnite-volume approach for both mass conservative level-set methodology and coupled volume-of-ﬂuid/level-set method for unstructured/structured ﬁxed meshes. The Adaptive Mesh Reﬁnement (AMR) method introduced in consist on a cell-based reﬁnement technique to minimize the number of computational cells and provide the spatial resolution required for the interface capturing methods. The present AMR framework adapts the mesh according to a physics-based reﬁnement criteria deﬁned by the movement of the interface between the ﬂuid-phases. Numerical experiments are presented to evaluate the methods described in this work. This includes a study of the hydrodynamics of single bubbles rising in a quiescent viscous liquid, including its shape, terminal velocity, and wake patterns. These results are experimental numerical a comparison of the diﬀerent approaches
Mesostructured m-Cresol Formaldehyde , Resorcinol Formaldehyde and m-Aminophenol Formaldehyde Composite Resins : Their Adsorption and Optical Properties

Three mesostructured resol frameworks have been synthesized through condensation between m-cresol formaldehyde, resorcinol formaldehyde and maminophenol formaldehyde. The resol derived from mcresol and resorcinol with formaldehyde have been synthesized using supramolecular assembly of cationic surfactant under alkaline pH conditions whereas for the preparation of m-aminophenol-formaldehyde composite, self-assembly of a neutral surfactant has been used under acidic pH condition. The resin of maminophenol and formaldehyde has been used as precursor for N-doped mesoporous carbon. All the materials have been characterized thoroughly using powder X-ray diffraction, transmission and scanning electron microscopy, nitrogen and hydrogen sorption studies, thermal analysis and UV-Vis and photoluminescence spectroscopy. These composite materials exhibit photoluminescence property at room temperature. All the organic nanocomposite materials after template extraction showed relatively low surface area. The carbon sample derived from m-aminophenol formaldehyde showed considerable surface area. The dye absorption property of the template extracted m-aminophenol formaldehyde composite and the mesoporous carbon material has been studied using some organic dyes. It has been found that the all organic composite is capable of efficiently adsorbing these dyes compared to the carbon aerogel. The adsorption is expected to proceed via strong interaction of the dye molecules with the reactive functional groups present in the resol framework.
Extraction in IHLS Color Space Using Support Vector Machine

Scene text extraction is a challenging research area due to variety of image degradations caused by imaging conditions and low cost consumer devices. In this paper we propose a text extraction method that uses chroma and lightness component for generation of extraction hypotheses and incorporates SVM (support vector machine) based text detection stage as tool for hypotheses verification. The choice of chroma and lightness components is based on their complementarity with respect to image degradations like shadows and highlights. Another novelty is the usage of IHLS color space for text extraction task which is motivated by saturation definition that eliminates instability of this component at low lightness values. Results obtained on the ICDAR 2011 dataset confirm complementarity of chroma and lightness. Compared to the state-of-the-art methods, the proposed algorithm achieves higher correct recognition rate and comparable total edit distance.