Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Moderating effect of Firm Characteristics in the Financing Diversification Performance nexus among Credit Unions in Kakamega County, Kenya

The last two decades has seen a lot of creativity and diversity in the funding strategies pursued by credit unions as a result of financial sector liberalization and competitive pressure in the financial system. Research has shown that this diversification is both beneficial and hurting at the same time. However, firm characteristics have not mostly been factored in the diversification performance analysis though studies in other sectors underline their importance. This therefore prompted this study to analyze the moderation effect that firm characteristics specifically age, size, members occupation and management structure of credit unions could have on the relationship between diversification and performance of credit unions in Kenya. The study used a correlation analysis approach on a data set of sixteen credit unions in Kakamega County and found that whereas financing diversification had a significantly positive relationship with credit union performance; credit union size and members occupation significantly improved this relationship while age and management structure significant suppressed the relationship.
Wormholes and trumpets: Schwarzschild spacetime for the moving-puncture generation

We expand upon our previous analysis of numerical moving-puncture simulations of the Schwarzschild spacetime. We present a derivation of the family of analytic stationary 1 þ log foliations of the Schwarzschild solution, and outline a transformation to isotropic coordinates. We discuss in detail the numerical evolution of standard Schwarzschild puncture data, and the new time-independent 1 þ log data. Finally, we demonstrate that the moving-puncture method can locate the appropriate stationary geometry in a robust manner when a numerical code alternates between two forms of 1 þ log slicing during a simulation.
Asset management using an extended Markowitz theorem

Article history: Received December 28, 2013 Received in revised format April 15 2014 Accepted April 18 2014 Available online April 21 2014 Markowitz theorem is one of the most popular techniques for asset management. The method has been widely used to solve many applications, successfully. In this paper, we present a multi objective Markowitz model to determine asset allocation by considering cardinality constraints. The resulted model is an NP-Hard problem and the proposed study uses two metaheuristics, namely genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) to find efficient solutions. The proposed study has been applied on some data collected from Tehran Stock Exchange over the period 2009-2011. The study considers four objectives including cash return, 12-month return, 36-month return and Lower Partial Moment (LPM). The results indicate that there was no statistical difference between the implementation of PSO and GA methods. © 2014 Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Using Stepwise Reality Check to Analyze Open-end Fund Investors’ Herding Redemption in Taiwan

This study aims to examine whether funds with illiquid assets exhibit stronger sensitivity of redemption outflows to bad past performance than funds with liquid assets. An important aspect of our study is whether large outflows should damage future fund performance in illiquid funds more than in liquid funds. When redeemed in a large scale, the liquidity risk of open-end funds will increase, which in turn leads to a vicious circle between fund redemption and the net asset value decline. Accordingly, Stepwise Reality Check method is taken into account of the financial stability problem and to control for the data-snooping bias. Based on the sample of underperformed mutual funds in Taiwan, the empirical results show that (1) bad past performance in liquid funds is more sensitive on flow-performance relations; (2) The evidence in (1) exists only for institutional-oriented funds, but not for retail-oriented funds; and (3) Illiquid funds damage from a large number redemptions with significant return persistence. The above findings provide valuable references for fund managers to make the plan of their investments.
Consumption Baskets and Currency Choice in International Borrowing

We propose a novel explanation for the empirically low prevalence of external borrowing in local currency in emerging market economies, a phenomenon sometimes referred to as the original sin of international finance. We study the endogenous currency denomination of an emerging economy's assets and liabilities within the context of a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model with portfolio choice featuring non-tradable goods and nominal rigidities. We find that these features lower the correlation between the local currency and domestic lenders' consumption. They thus reduce the risk premium demanded by domestic lenders on local currency debt, and can therefore help explain the low willingness of foreigners to lend in local currency.
Caloric Expenditure Estimation Differences between an Elliptical Machine and Indirect Calorimetry

Although it is generally accepted that the caloric expenditure estimates obtained from exercise equipment are not accurate, there is little research regarding the magnitude of the difference in the estimates compared to indirect calorimetry, how the difference changes over time during steady state exercise, and if the differences are greater for males or females. It would benefit both the exercise science professional and the layperson to have a general idea of how much one could expect these numbers to differ as there are many people trying to balance energy expenditure and caloric intake. There are established equations for estimating caloric expenditure for both overground and treadmill walking and running [1], but the information available for elliptical machines is limited. As the elliptical trainer is a popular, low-impact option [2] for cardiovascular exercise, it is important to have a better understanding of the discrepancy between caloric expenditure as measured by indirect calorimetry versus the estimate generated by the equipment’s internal programmed algorithms. The elliptical has been identified as a positive method of exercise for multiple reasons. The elliptical has a lower Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) than is indicated by physiological response [3] which makes the exercise “feel” easier. It also has been found to provide the same cardiovascular training stimulus as the treadmill while resulting Research Article Exercise Medicine Open Access eISSN: 2508-9056
Banana Cultivation in South Asia and East Asia: A review of the evidence from archaeology and linguistics

South Asia provides evidence for introduced banana cultivars that are surprisingly early in the Indus Valley but late elsewhere in India. Although phytolith data are still limited, systematic samples from fourteen sites in six regions suggest an absence of bananas from most of Neolithic/Chalcolithic South Asia, but presence in part of the Indus valley. Evidence from textual sources and historical linguistics from South Asia and from China suggest the major diffusion of banana cultivars was in the later Iron Age or early historic period, c. 2000 years ago. Nevertheless Harappan period phytolith evidence from Kot Diji, suggests some cultivation by the late third or early second millennium B.C., and the environmental context implies hybridization with Musa balbisiana Colla had already occurred. Evidence of wild banana seeds from an early Holocene site in Sri Lanka probably attests to traditions of utilisation of M. balbisiana , a plausible area for hybridization with cultivated Musa acuminata Colla bananas, perhaps already being moved by the later third millennium B.C. Hybridization here, and/or in the New Guinea area now seems more plausible than hybridization in northern Southeast Asia (from Burma through Eastern India) as Simmonds had hypothesized.
Radio Wave Propagation Scene Partitioning for High-Speed Rails

Radio wave propagation scene partitioning is necessary for wireless channel modeling. As far as we know, there are no standards of scene partitioning for high-speed rail (HSR) scenarios, and therefore we propose the radio wave propagation scene partitioning scheme for HSR scenarios in this paper. Based on our measurements along the Wuhan-Guangzhou HSR, Zhengzhou-Xian passenger-dedicated line, Shijiazhuang-Taiyuan passenger-dedicated line, and Beijing-Tianjin intercity line in China, whose operation speeds are above 300 km/h, and based on the investigations on Beijing South Railway Station, Zhengzhou Railway Station, Wuhan Railway Station, Changsha Railway Station, Xian North Railway Station, Shijiazhuang North Railway Station, Taiyuan Railway Station, and Tianjin Railway Station, we obtain an overview of HSR propagation channels and record many valuable measurement data for HSR scenarios. On the basis of these measurements and investigations, we partitioned the HSR scene into twelve scenarios. Further work on theoretical analysis based on radio wave propagation mechanisms, such as reflection and diffraction, may lead us to develop the standard of radio wave propagation scene partitioning for HSR. Our work can also be used as a basis for the wireless channel modeling and the selection of some key techniques for HSR systems.
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) Economizing behaviour during travel : strategies and information sources used

In 2009, the consumer was hit hard by the consequences of the global economic and financial crisis. The crisis affected consumer spending in general and tourism in particular. In 2009, data was collected in the Netherlands about how people economize during travel, which can help to find out what kind of economizing behaviour travellers might adopt when they are confronted with less money to spend on their holidays. It was found that they mainly economize in terms of shorter vacations and changing destinations. Economizing options used differed between low and high income categories and between families with and without children. Evidence was found of a ‘cheese slicing’ strategy: economizing on a set of holiday attributes instead of on only one. Some implications for the tourism industry are suggested.
THE ROLE OF NATURAL GAS HYDRATE DURING NATURAL GAS TRANSPORTATION

The dependence of industry on natural gas has increased a lot last decades so the transportation of natural gas has become one of the most important issue in natural gas industry. Although the formation of natural gas hydrate is a problem in natural gas pipelines, the transportation of natural gas as natural gas hydrates by ships or trucks is an advantage. Therefore, in this study, first, the studies related to the inhibition of natural gas hydrate in pipelines are reviewed because there are many gas pipeline projects so natural gas hydrate inhibition is an important issue in natural gas industry. Then, the studies related to the transportation of natural gas as natural gas hydrates are reviewed in this study because this is a new subject and for the future, if research and development in this transportation method could be done successfully, this method might be better alternative compared to LNG and CNG natural gas transportation methods.
Design of N-Channel Rotary Joint using Curved Double-Ridged Waveguide and Concentric Coaxial Lines

─ In this paper, a general design method for a special kind of N-channel rotary joint is presented. The N-channel configuration is achieved by using transition between concentric coaxial lines and double-ridged waveguides. Design of double-ridged waveguides for the purposed transition is also presented. Based on this method, an ultra wide band six-channel rotary joint is designed for a frequency band of 8 to 18 GHz. A full-wave numerical simulation tool is used to optimize the geometry of the proposed sixchannel rotary joint to achieve a compact size, wide bandwidth operation, and low insertion loss. Simulated results show the insertion loss of less than 0.5 dB and VSWR ≤ 2 for all channels over the entire frequency bandwidth. Finally, the sensitivity analysis is done to obtain the effect of the manufacturing tolerances on performances of
The k-star Property for Permutation Groups

For an integer k at least 2, a permutation group G has the k -star property if, for every k -subset of points, G contains an element that fixes it setwise but not pointwise. This property holds for all k -transitive, generously k -transitive, and almost generously k -transitive permutation groups. Study of the k -star prop erty was motivated by recent work on the case k = 3 by P. M. Neumann and the second author. The paper focuses on intransitive groups with the k -star property, studying properties of their transitive constituents, and relationships between the k -star and m -star properies for $ k \neq m $ . Several open problems are posed.
The Potential Implications of Radio Frequency Identification Technology on Marine Security

This paper describes how in the past, knowledge of the exact whereabouts of members of a ship’s crew was generally beyond the capability of any ship’s master. However, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags are an emerging technology that may provide such information within the proximity of a ship. An RFID tag is similar to a barcode containing a unique identifier for an asset, except that it contains a small integrated circuit chip with limited memory and a small antenna. This allows the RFID tag to be read or programmed at a distance using wireless signals. Driven by retailers such as Wal-Mart, RFID technology has rapidly evolved to allow for the accurate tracking of all types of physical assets through the supply chain. This escalating adoption of RFID technology has driven its cost down to the point where other spin-off applications are becoming feasible. In the post 9/11 marine world of the ISPS code, people are beginning to realize that RFID tags can be used to track mobile human assets, or ships’ crew, just like others track physical assets. Apart for the obvious security applications, RFID technology can also alert than an emergency situation has arisen – for instance, if a member of the crew can no longer be located by the RFID system, it may be that he or she has fallen overboard. The challenge for marine industries will be how to best leverage this emerging technology within the world of the ISPS code so that is benefits seafarers without impinging on their rights and freedoms. The paper begins by examining RFID technology in order to reveal its implementation issues and technological limitations, along with current applications. Then before concluding, the paper considers potential applications of RFID technology in marine security and safety.
Attentional Demands in the Execution Phase of Curling in Novices and Experts

The purpose of this study was to determine the attentional demands of a curling delivery using a dual-task procedure. Skilled and novice curlers were asked to perform take outs and draws while attentional demands were measured using reaction time (RT) in the different phases of the throw. Results showed attentional demands for the draw and take out were highest at the beginning of the delivery. Compared to the draw, a significant rise of RT was shown at the end of the take out shot. Shot success was significantly higher for the take out condition in expert compared to novice curlers.
Efficient Analysis of Structures with Rotatable Elements Using Model Order Reduction

This paper presents a novel full-wave technique which allows for a fast 3D finite element analysis of waveguide structures containing rotatable tuning elements of arbitrary shapes. Rotation of these elements changes the resonant frequencies of the structure, which can be used in the tuning process to obtain the S-characteristics desired for the device. For fast commutations of the response as the tuning elements are rotated, the 3D finite element method is supported by multilevel model-order reduction, orthogonal projection at the boundaries of macromodels and the operation called macromodels cloning. All the time-consuming steps are performed only once in the preparatory stage. In the tuning stage, only small parts of the domain are updated, by means of a special meshing technique. In effect, the tuning process is performed extremely rapidly. The results of the numerical experiments confirm the efficiency and validity of the proposed method.
Using the RRegrs R package for automating predictive modelling

Cheminformatics and bioinformatics are extensively using predictive modelling and exhibit a need for standardization of methodologies such as data splitting, cross-validation methods, best model criteria and Y-randomization. RRegrs is a new R package, available at https://www.github. com/enanomapper/RRegrs (0.05 release), which suggests an integrated framework to assist model selection and speed up the process of predictive model development. The tool proposes a fully validated scheme by employing repeated 10-fold and leave-one-out cross-validation for ten linear and non-linear regression methods. Standardized reports are produced to compare the output of modelling algorithms and assess cross-validation results for selected models. Here, we demonstrate RRegrs capabilities in terms of performance using five well-established data sets.
Archimedean Copula Estimation Parameter with Kendall Distribution Function

Literaturde simdiye kadar Gumbel Clayton ve Frank arsimedyan copula aileleri icin Kendall dagilim fonksiyonu hesaplanmis ve bununla ilgili uygulamalar yapilmistir.Bu makalede Ali Mikhail ve Joe icin Kendall dagilim fonksiyonu hesaplayarak simulasyon calismasi yaptik. Gamma dagilimindan bagimli iki degisken urettik.Bu degiskenler arasindaki bagimlilik yapisi icin arsimedyan copula kullandik. Bununla baglantili olarak copulanin temel ozelliklerini ve parametrik olmayan method tanimladik. Bu calismada degiskenler arasindaki bagimlilik yapisini aciklamak icin bes copula ailesi Gumbel, Clayton, Frank Joe ve Ali Mikhail Haq ailesi kullanildi.Bu copula ailelerinin parametrik olmayan tahmini ve veri seti icin uygun copula ailesini elde ettik.
Evidence of Ranavirus Infections among Sympatric Larval Amphibians and Box Turtles

Abstract Ranaviruses are emerging as serious pathogens across ectothermic taxa, recently causing mass die-offs including entire chelonian populations. Amphibians may serve as reservoirs for chelonian infections. To assess this idea and determine whether chelonians in the Midwest are infected with (or at risk for) ranavirus infections, we tested for presence of ranavirus infections among sympatric larval amphibians (N = 135) and Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina, N = 132) earlier and later in the Box Turtle active season (between May and October 2009) in south-central Indiana. Three larval amphibians (2.2%; one Ambystoma sp. and two unidentifiable anuran larvae) and four Box Turtles (3.0%) tested positive for a ranavirus. Ranavirus infections were found in both early-season pond breeders (anurans) and then later-season pond breeders (salamanders), spanning the Box Turtle active period, but we did not detect mass die-offs. The majority (75%) of our ranavirus-positive Box Turtles were found later in the season. This represents the first documented case of ranavirus infection among a Box Turtle population in the Midwest and one of the few studies reporting ranaviruses across wild sympatric taxa. Our results suggest that ranaviruses persist sublethally in both larval amphibians and individual Box Turtles, allowing them to serve as reservoirs for this disease. Future studies should include sampling of all sympatric herpetofauna and investigate prevalence and persistence of the viruses to understand better the risks of cross-contamination.
The role of melt depletion versus refertilization in the major element chemistry of four-phase spinel peridotite xenoliths

Mantle peridotites are interpreted as either residues after partial melting and melt extraction or products of igneous refertilization of refractory peridotites. The simple distinction between these models is difficult to assess because in chemical variation diagrams, both processes lead essentially to the same results. The only exception is the Ti-in-Cpx versus Ti-in-whole-rock plots, which can successfully discriminate between these models. In this study, a modified version of Ti-in-Cpx versus Mg#-in-olivine plots was applied to ∼1,500 spinel peridotite xenoliths from worldwide localities. The results showed that the vast majority of shallow mantle samples are consistent with the partial melting model; however, a minority of samples may indicate refertilization of formerly refractory mantle domains.
Role of olfactory appendages in chemically mediated orientation of blue crabs

Benthic crustaceans such as the blue crab Callinectes sapidus use various sensory appendages to navigate chemical plumes. We characterized the role of different sensory structures in blue crabs during olfactory search by deafferenting (i.e. removing or rendering inactive) particular sensor populations and by quantifying odor-plume structure and flow dynamics. Our results indicate that blue crabs use both cephalic and thoracic appendages for olfactory-mediated orientation. Cephalic chemosensor deafferentation decreased search success, reduced walking speed and increased the duration of stationary periods. All these deficiencies are manifestations of the inability of crabs to sustain upstream progress. Crabs subjected to deafferentation of thoracic sensilla failed to correctly track the narrowing plume and showed an increased frequency of large course-corrections. Whereas cephalic sensors clearly function in motivating upstream movement during the search process, thoracic receptors aid in source localization. The differing functional roles of these 2 sets of appendages may be associated with different signal characteristics impinging on their chemosensor populations. Intermittent but intense signals received by the cephalic appendages may enable the crabs to identify attractive odors and sustain searching. Chemical signals impinging on legs are more homogeneous and may allow the crabs to acquire better information on the spatial patterns of chemical signal structure that are important for navigation. The simultaneous use of chemical signals at differing heights in the plume suggest that the 3D structure of these plumes is important for foraging success, and that different populations of neural receptors may be tuned to operate optimally in particular signal environments.