Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Robust optimal investment and reinsurance of an insurer under Jump-diffusion models

This paper studies a robust optimal investment and reinsurance problem under model uncertainty. The insurer's risk process is modeled by a general jump process generated by a marked point process. By transferring a proportion of insurance risk to a reinsurance company and investing the surplus into the financial market with a bond and a share index, the insurance company aims to maximize the minimal expected terminal wealth with a penalty. By using the dynamic programming, we formulate the robust optimal investment and reinsurance problem into a two-person, zero-sum, stochastic differential game between the investor and the market. Closed-form solutions for the case of the quadratic penalty function are derived in our paper.
Does Psychoeducation Help People to Respond to Goal Lapses With Self-Compassion?

Despite research indicating that responding with self-compassion to lapses in goal pursuit can help people to achieve their goals, there is evidence that people often struggle to respond with self-compassion when it would benefit them. One reason is that people may not be familiar with the concept of self-compassion or may think negatively of self-compassion. We propose that providing information about self-compassion and its benefits can help people to respond with self-compassion to lapses in goal pursuit. To test this, we randomly assigned participants to a self-compassion psychoeducation condition or control condition and then tested whether they responded with self-compassion to a recalled lapse. The results suggested that, although psychoeducation seemed to influence participants’ beliefs about self-compassion, there was no evidence that psychoeducation increased self-compassionate responding. This finding highlights the need to develop additional strategies to help people to translate knowledge about self-compassion into self-compassionate responses to lapses and difficulties.
Sex differences in animal models: A case of diabetes mellitus herbal treatment

Herbal extracts have been used for control of type 2 diabetes mellitus for many centuries and the use of animal models to test the potency of these remedies is imperative. Given that preclinical studies may eventually inform clinical research and therapeutic developments, the impact of sex should be taken into consideration as an important biological variable in order to produce precise and reproducible results applicable to both men and women. This paper sought to find out whether there is sex differentiated outcomes on aherbal treatment for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Alloxan induced diabetic wistar rats were the experimental subjects used in the study. Twenty-eight albino Wistar rats, fourteen males and fourteen females, aged 6-7 weeks and weighing 100-140 grams were subjected to this test. The response of interest was the change in blood glucose level 2 hours after the administration of the herbal treatment. A sharper rise in blood glucose level among the female rats was recorded compared to the males upon ingestion of glucose. On the other hand, the average change in blood glucose level was higher among the male rats compared to the females. This suggested that the course of the diabetes disease and the treatment effect was different in male and female rats. This study recommends the use of both male and female subjects in animal studies at both the experimental and analysis stages for completing the understanding about disease mechanisms and in driving the course of advanced diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.
Physiological Studies on Fertilization of Keitt Mango Transplants

The Mango is an important tropical fruit tree with very huge vegetative growth. Their botanical name is Magiferra indica belongs to the family Anacardiaceae. Ripe mangoes are the more popular and delicious fruit of the Orient and have been described as a king of all fruits. Also, it is greatly preferred and required with great demand especially superior cultivars. Two experiments were conducted to study the effect of different sources of N fertilizers and different concentrations of either Uncoated urea (Fast release chemical fertilizer or Coated urea (Slow-release fertilizer) on the growth and development of Keitt Mango transplants. Application of different nitrogen fertilizers in the form of Nitrobin+ urea (combination of bio and chemical fertilizer) followed by Coated urea (slow-release fertilizer) enhanced improvement in most parameters of plant dimensions, vegetative growth, plant fresh weight, fresh & dry root weight, Maximized leaf N level and both leaf P &K levels, Chlorophyll A& B, and Carotene parameters. Also, Coated urea (slow-release fertilizer) was superior to Uncoated urea (Fast release fertilizer) in maximizing most parameters under study. Furthermore, the superiority of using 10gm/L concentration from Coated Urea over 15 gm/L increases the most parameters under study.
Development of Polyelectrolyte Complex Beads Containing Vancomycin Hydrochloride for Colon-targeted Drug Delivery

: Vancomycin Hydrochloride is a glycopeptide antibiotic used for the treatment of Pseudomembranous colitis. This drug is susceptible to proteolytic degradation in the gastric environment and it is associated with nephrotoxicity. As the therapeutic action of vancomycin hydrochloride is intended in the intestine, colon-targeted drug delivery could help the drug achieve sufficient concentration in the target site. A polyelectrolyte complex using chitosan and hupu gum is used to prepare the beads that control the drug release and minimize the adverse effects. Eudragit S100 is used as an enteric coating material to bypass the gastric environment. The beads thus formed by polyelectrolyte complex were filled into capsules and coated with Eudragit S100. The formulation (CHP3C8) containing chitosan and hupu gum with polyethylene glycol 400 and 8% Eudragit S100 coating has shown a controlled drug release of up to 24 hours with a predetermined lag time. The ex-vivo studies have shown higher drug release in rat cecal content which can be attributed to the degradation of polyelectrolyte complex by intestinal bacteria. The in-vivo studies are carried out using white New Zealand rabbits where the capsules (CHP3C8) and solution of pure drug of vancomycin hydrochloride are administered via the oral route. The peak plasma concentration (C max ) of Vancomycin Hydrochloride from CHP3C8 and the oral solution was found to be 809.53 µ g/ml and 402 µ g/ml respectively. All the results have shown the superiority of Vancomycin Hydrochloride polyelectrolyte beads (CHP3C8) over the pure drug indicating its suitability for colon drug delivery.
Persistence and Extinction of a Stochastic Modified Bazykin Predator-Prey System with Lévy Jumps

This paper is devoted to the dynamics of a stochastic modified Bazykin predator-prey system with Levy jumps. First, we show that the system has a unique global positive solution and give some properties of solutions. Then, some sufficient conditions for persistence and extinction are derived by Ito formula and some inequalities on stochastic analysis. At last, some simulations are provided to check the main results.
A Novel Approach to Extract Exact Liver Image Boundary from Abdominal CT Scan using Neutrosophic Set and Fast Marching Method

Abstract Liver segmentation from abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan images is a complicated and challenging task. Due to the haziness in the liver pixel range, the neighboring organs of the liver have the same intensity level and existence of noise. Segmentation is necessary in the detection, identification, analysis, and measurement of objects in CT scan images. A novel approach is proposed to meet the challenges in extracting liver images from abdominal CT scan images. The proposed approach consists of three phases: (1) preprocessing, (2) CT scan image transformation to neutrosophic set, and (3) postprocessing. In preprocessing, noise in the CT scan is reduced by median filter. A “new structure” is introduced to transform a CT scan image into a neutrosophic domain, which is expressed using three membership subsets: true subset (T), false subset (F), and indeterminacy subset (I). This transform approximately extracts the liver structure. In the postprocessing phase, morphological operation is performed on the indeterminacy subset (I). A novel algorithm is designed to identify the start points within the liver section automatically. The fast marching method is applied at start points that grow outwardly to detect the accurate liver boundary. The evaluation of the proposed segmentation algorithm is concluded using area- and distance-based metrics.
A Modified Louvain Approach for Medical Community Detection using Geographic Data

Physicians create a network of associations and trust among themselves which can be observed to have an impact on the patient referral process. However, patients may sometimes disregard these referrals due to the far distances between them and the physicians. In this work, we modified the Louvain community detection algorithm to discover partitions in the intra-medical relationships network that are consistent with the locations of medical offices and may guide better referrals. We collected data from nearly 10 million appointments between 2017 and 2023, performed by 1 448310 patients in the Belo Horizonte metropolitan area. Our approach resulted in the induction of concise communities of high modularity, geographically well- partitioned, and consistent with time, highlighting the robustness of our modified Louvain algorithm.
A Synthetic Bio-Absorbable Membrane in Guided Bone Regeneration in Dehiscence-Type Defects: An Experimental In Vivo Investigation in Dogs

This study aimed to determine the performance and characteristics of a synthetic barrier membrane of polylactic acid and acetyl butyl citrate (PLAB) for the lateral bone augmentation of peri-implant dehiscence defects (mean height × depth = 3 mm × 1 mm). In eight dogs, three treatment groups were randomly allocated at each chronic peri-implant dehiscence-type defect: (i) a deproteinized bovine bone mineral covered by a synthetic barrier membrane (test group), (ii) a deproteinized bovine bone mineral covered by a natural collagen membrane (positive control), and (iii) a synthetic barrier membrane (negative control). After 4 and 12 weeks of submerged healing, dissected tissue blocks were processed for calcified and decalcified histological analysis. Histometric measurements for tissue and bone width were performed, and bone-to-implant contact and alkaline phosphatase expression where measured. After 4 and 12 weeks of healing, no statistical differences between the groups were observed for the histometric measurements. The expression of alkaline phosphatase was higher in the positive control group after 4 weeks followed by the positive and negative controls (5.25 ± 4.09, 4.46 ± 3.03, and 4.35 ± 2.28%, p > 0.05) and 12 weeks followed by the negative and positive controls (4.3 ± 2.14, 3.21 ± 1.53, and 2.39 ± 1.03%, p > 0.05). Concerning the bone-to-implant contact, after 4 weeks, the test group obtained the highest results (39.54 ± 48.7) vs. (31.24 ± 42.6) and (20.23 ± 36.1), respectively, while after 12 weeks, the positive control group obtained the highest Bone to imaplant contact (BIC) results, followed by the test and negative controls, (35.91 ± 24.9) vs. (18.41 ± 20.5) and (24.3 ± 32.1), respectively; no statistically significant differences were obtained. Within the limitations of the study, new bone formation can be achieved in guided bone regeneration procedures simultaneously with implant placement either with the use of a PLAB membrane or a native collagen membrane, although these differences were not statistically significant.
Inerter-based semi-active suspensions with low-order mechanical admittance via network synthesis

In this paper, the semi-active suspension design problem is concerned by proposing a novel design method incorporating inerters, where the overall semi-active suspension is divided into a passive part and a semi-active part. A mechanical network composed of springs, dampers and inerters is employed as the passive part, and a semi-active damper constitutes the semi-active part. For the conventional semi-active suspensions, the passive part is merely a parallel connection of a spring and a damper, and the main focus is on improving the semi-active part by proposing more effective control algorithms. In contrast, in this paper, the main idea is to improve the overall vehicle performance by improving the passive part instead of the semi-active part. Low-order admittance networks are employed in the passive parts, where some low-order positive real admittance functions are optimized, and then realized as specific mechanical networks by using network synthesis. A suboptimal control law, called steepest gradient control, is utilized in the semi-active part for the control of the semi-active damper. The proposed method is illustrated based on a quarter-car model, and numerical simulations based on a quarter-car and full-car model are performed to show the effectiveness of the proposed method. In contrast to the conventional semi-active suspensions without inerters, the proposed method can provide significant improvements (over 10% and 8% improvements for the quarter-car and full-car model cases, respectively) for the overall suspension performance involving ride comfort, suspension deflection, and road holding.
Electronic and Transport Properties of Strained and Unstrained Ge2Sb2Te5: A DFT Investigation

In recent years, layered chalcogenides have attracted interest for their appealing thermoelectric properties. We investigated the Ge2Sb2Te5 compound in two different stacking sequences, named stacking 1 (S1) and stacking 2 (S2), wherein the Ge and Sb atomic positions can be interchanged in the structure. The compound unit cell, comprising nine atoms, is made of two layers separated by a gap. We show, using the quantum theory of atoms in molecules, that the bonding across the layers has characteristics of transit region bonding, though with a close resemblance to closed-shell bonding. Both S1 and S2 are shown to bear a similar small gap. The full determination of their thermoelectric properties, including the Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity and electronic and lattice thermal conductivities, was carried out by solving the Boltzmann transport equation. We show that stacking 1 exhibits a larger Seebeck coefficient and smaller electrical conductivity than stacking 2, which is related to their small electronic gap difference, and that S1 is more suitable for thermoelectric application than S2. Moreover, under certain conditions of temperature and doping level, it could be possible to use S1-Ge2Sb2Te5 as both a p and n leg in a thermoelectric converter. Under biaxial, tensile and compressive strains, we observe that the thermoelectric properties are improved for both S1 and S2. Furthermore, the increase in the power factor of S1 in the cross-plane direction, namely perpendicular to the gap between the layers, shows that strains can counteract the electronic transport hindrance due to the gap.
Halve dumbbell shaped DGS tapered ring antenna for dual-band notch characteristics

ABSTRACT A Coplanar-Waveguide-fed tapered ring dual-band antenna with dual band notch characteristics is presented in this article. The proposed antenna comprises of a tapered ring radiator and two half-dumbbell-shaped slots in the ground plane, producing band notch features. The lower resonant mode of the antenna without Defected Ground Structure has an impedance bandwidth of 400 MHz (1500–1900 MHz), and the upper resonant band has a wider bandwidth of 3.16 GHz (3200–6360 MHz). By adjusting the position of the slots in the ground plane, the required bandwidths of 310 MHz and 400 MHz are achieved around 1.8 GHz and 3.5 GHz, respectively. The measured results indicate omnidirectional radiation pattern with a significant gain of 2.4 dB and 3.5 dB over the operating bands. The proposed antenna has simple design with two distinct larger notching bandwidths of 400 MHz (2400–2800 MHz) and 1200 MHz (4000–5200 MHz).
Characterizing weak convergence of partial sum processes to Lévy processes without Gaussian part by random measures

Following a paper of Marta Tyran-Kaminska we provide necessary and sufficient conditions for partial sum processes to converge to Levy processes without Gaussian part in terms of random measures. In this context, we give an introduction to the theory of the space of right-continuous functions having left limits with Skorokhod’s J1-topology and vague convergence on the space of random measures. A proof of the Levy-Ito decomposition using the Levy-Khintchine formula, as well as Kallenberg’s Theorem are presented.
Thermal Conductivity of Complex Plasmas Using Novel Evan-Gillan Approach

The thermal conductivity of complex fluid materials (dusty plasmas) has been explored through novel Evan-Gillan homogeneous non-equilibrium molecular dynamic (HNEMD) algorithm. The thermal conductivity coefficient obtained from HNEMD is dependent on various plasma parameters (Γ, κ). The proposed algorithm gives accurate results with fast convergence and small size effect over a wide range of plasma parameters. The cross microscopic heat energy current is discussed in association with variation of temperature (1/Γ) and external perturbations (Pz). The thermal conductivity obtained from HNEMD simulations is found to be very good agreement and more reliable than previously known numerical techniques of equilibrium molecular dynamic, nonequilibrium molecular dynamic simulations. Our new investigations point to an effective conclusion that the thermal conductivity of complex dusty plasmas is dependent on an extensive range of plasma coupling (Γ) and screening parameter (κ) and it varies by the alteration in these parameters. It is also shown that a different approach is used for computations of thermal conductivity in 2D complex plasmas and can be appropriate method for behaviors of complex systems.
The Linkage between School Autonomy and Inequality in Achievement in 69 Countries: Does Development Level Matter?

Abstract Whether schooling systems with greater autonomy offset or reinforce educational inequalities remains debateable. Yet school autonomy is often advocated by different actors including donors and international organisations in many countries. This study examines the association between school autonomy and the inequality in maths achievement of 15-year-olds by socioeconomic status (SES), and whether this correlation differs by countries’ level of development. We construct a country-level panel using six waves of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) from 69 countries in 322 country waves. We first estimate the gradient of SES and maths achievement as a measure of achievement inequality at the country level and take the country mean of the relevant covariates including school autonomy. Results from weighted mixed-effects models suggest that the association between all autonomy variables and inequality in achievement is not significant. However, academic autonomy is linked to increasing achievement inequality in high- and upper-middle-income countries compared with low- and lower-middle-income countries. But the coefficients for budget and personnel autonomy do not differ by the development level. The results remain similar in several specification tests including country and year fixed effects, which leads us to suggest not to simplistically apply autonomy reforms regardless of context.
The Impact of Heart Rate Variability Monitoring on Preventing Severe Cardiovascular Events

The increase in the incidence of cardiovascular diseases worldwide raises concerns about the urgent need to increase definite measures for the self-determination of different parameters, especially those defining cardiac function. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a non-invasive method used to evaluate autonomic nervous system modulation on the cardiac sinus node, thus describing the oscillations between consecutive electrocardiogram R-R intervals. These fluctuations are undetectable except when using specialized devices, with ECG Holter monitoring considered the gold standard. HRV is considered an independent biomarker for measuring cardiovascular risk and for screening the occurrence of both acute and chronic heart diseases. Also, it can be an important predictive factor of frailty or neurocognitive disorders, like anxiety and depression. An increased HRV is correlated with rest, exercise, and good recovery, while a decreased HRV is an effect of stress or illness. Until now, ECG Holter monitoring has been considered the gold standard for determining HRV, but the recent decade has led to an accelerated development of technology using numerous devices that were created specifically for the pre-hospital self-monitoring of health statuses. The new generation of devices is based on the use of photoplethysmography, which involves the determination of blood changes at the level of blood vessels. These devices provide additional information about heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2), step counting, physical activity, and sleep monitoring. The most common devices that have this technique are smartwatches (used on a large scale) and chest strap monitors. Therefore, the use of technology and the self-monitoring of heart rate and heart rate variability can be an important first step in screening cardiovascular pathology and reducing the pressure on medical services in a hospital. The use of telemedicine can be an alternative, especially among elderly patients who are associated with walking disorders, frailty, or neurocognitive disorders.
Estimation of polarization aberrations and its effect on the point spread function of the Thirty Meter Telescope

The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) is a future generation telescope proposed to be located in Mauna Kea, Hawaii or in La Palma in the Canary Islands. The telescope will have a segmented primary and an inclined tertiary mirror. The segmentation of the primary mirror and the inclination in the tertiary mirror can introduce significant polarization aberrations. Typically, the polarization aberrations, introduced due to the mirror coating and the high incident angles cause small modifications to the Point Spread Function (PSF). Here, we perform the polarization ray tracing for TMT using the optical design software Zemax for different input polarizations for a point source (on-axis). We calculate the diattenuation and retardance aberration maps for all the three mirrors of TMT. The coating induced astigmatism obtained from the retardance of the primary and secondary mirror is found to be of the order of 0.048 radians, whereas, the polarization induced tilt by the retardance of the tertiary mirror is in the order of 0.29 radians. The Jones pupil maps are estimated at two of the instrument ports, Wide Field Optical Spectrograph (WFOS) and Narrow Field Infrared Adaptive Optics System (NFIRAOS). The Amplitude Response Matrix (ARM) estimated at the WFOS port show the presence of ghost PSF's. The magnitude of the ghost PSF components is of the order of 2.5 x 10-5 at 1μm at WFOS port. The ARM and the Point Spread Matrix (PSM) are estimated at the focus of the NFIRAOS instrument. The Stokes PSF is shown for horizontal and vertical polarization as inputs. The Huygen's point spread function obtained from Zemax shows the variations in FWHM for unpolarized and polarized inputs. These estimations would help in the design aspects of a high contrast imaging instrument for the TMT in the future.