Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Firm's Market Share Performance on Inclusion in NSE 20 Share Index: A Case Study of Mumias Sugar Company Ltd

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of firm’s share performance on inclusion in NSE 20 share index. The study adopted an event study research design. Purposive sampling method was used to select Mumias Sugar Company Ltd for analysis from the target population of NSE 20 share index constituent companies. The study found out that stocks in the NSE markets do not exhibit significant positive abnormal returns but exhibit significance change in trading volume following inclusion into index.
Amplitude and phase differentiation of synthetic seismograms: a must for waveform inversion at regional scale

SUMMARY We study systematically, using the diierential seismogram technique developed by Du et al. (1998, referred to as Paper I hereafter), the eiects of structural model perturbations on both the amplitude and the phase of synthetic seismograms computed using modal summation. The detailed frequency- and time-domain analysis shows that seismogram amplitude diierentiation, which has frequently been neglected in conventional structural waveform inversion schemes, plays a critical role in the computation of diierential seismograms, i.e. of the structural linear constraint, especially for higher modes. Since waveform inversion with numerical procedures for the diierentiation of seismogram amplitudes is computationally very expensive, a fully analytical waveform inversion scheme is developed. As a test, the synthetic seismograms corresponding to the fundamental and ¢rst few higher modes of Rayleigh waves are computed for a series of geophysically realistic structural models
Isolation of five polymorphic microsatellite loci in the invasive weed Ambrosia artemisiifolia (Asteraceae) using an enrichment protocol

We report the development of five microsatellite markers for the invasive North American native plant Ambrosia artemisiifolia (Asteraceae). An enrichment protocol was used to isolate microsatellite loci and polymorphism was explored with samples from 16 natural populations collected in the native range, across North America, and in an invaded area along the Rhone Valley in France. In these areas, we found a high level of polymorphism within population and significant heterozygote deficiencies.
Design space visualization for efficiency in knowledge discovery leading to an informed decision

Design space exploration refers to the systematic activity of discovery and evaluation of the elements in the design space in order to identify optimal solution by reducing the design space toward an area of performance. Designers sample thousand design points iteratively, explore the design space, gain knowledge about the problem and make design decision. According to the literature, Design Space Exploration results in a decision of quality called informed decision which is supported by information visualization. Indeed, the representation of design points is seen as primordial to gain understanding of the problem and make an informed decision. Thereby, in our work, we try to identify which graph is the most suited to the discovery phase and allows designers to make an informed decision. We designed a web platform with four design problem and carried out an experiment with 42 participants. It results one graph more suited to make a decision of quality and to gain the most understanding: the Scatter Plot Matrix.
Shape and geometrical parameter effects of a bimorph piezoelectric beam on energy harvesting performance

In this paper, the shape influence of piezoelectric beams including triangle, trapezoid, rectangle, inverted trapezoid, convex parabola, concave parabola, and comb-shaped (a combination of two triangular beams with a connector of 4 mm length) are addressed and analyzed by FEM. The analysis is performed for a bimorph piezoelectric beam. The analyzed parameters include the beam length, thickness and width of the piezoelectric layer. The study is performed using COMSOL Multiphysics software for all seven shapes. The results show that due to the mechanical properties of the beams, the natural frequency of the triangular beam is more for all considered parameters. In addition, as the width of the beam end increases, the natural frequency reduces, too. Since natural frequency is inversely related to electric power, the inverted trapezoidal beam has the highest electric power and the triangular beam has the lowest one.
Statistical survey on the magnetic structure in magnetotail current sheets

On the basis of the multipoint magnetic observations of Cluster in the region 15-19 R-E downtail, the magnetic field structure in magnetotail current sheet (CS) center is statistically surveyed. It is found that the B-y component (in GSM coordinates) is distributed mainly within vertical bar B-y vertical bar < 5nT, while the B-z component is mostly positive and distributes mainly within 1 similar to 10 nT. The plane of the magnetic field lines (MFLs) is mostly vertical to the equatorial plane, with the radius of curvature (Rc) of the MFLs being directed earthward and the binormal (perpendicular to the curvature and magnetic field direction) being directed azimuthally westward. The curvature radius of MFLs reaches a minimum, R-c,R-min, at the CS center and is larger than the corresponding local half thickness of the neutral sheet, h. Statistically, it is found that the overall surface of the CS, with the normal pointing basically along the south-north direction, can be approximated to be a plane parallel to equatorial plane, although the local CS may be flapping and is frequently tilted to the equatorial plane. The tilted CS (normal inclined to the equatorial plane) is apt to be observed near both flanks and is mainly associated with the slippage of magnetic flux tubes. It is statistically verified that the minimum curvature radius, R-c,R-min, half thickness of neutral sheet, h, and the slipping angle of MFLs, delta, in the CS satisfies h = R-c,R-min cos delta. The current density, with a mean strength of 4-8 nA/m(2), basically flows azimuthally and tangentially to the surface of the CS, from dawn side to the dusk side. There is an obvious dawn-dusk asymmetry of CS, however. For magnetic local times (MLT) similar to 21:00-similar to 01:00, the CS is relatively thinner; the minimum curvature radius of MFLs, R-c,R-min (0.6-1 R-E) and the half-thickness of neutral sheet, h (0.2-0.4 R-E), are relatively smaller, and B-z (3-5 nT) and the minimum magnetic field, B-min (5-7 nT), are weaker. It is also found that negative B-z has a higher probability of occurrence and the cross-tail current density j(Y) is dominant (2-4 nA/m(2)) in comparison to those values near both flanks. This implies that magnetic activity, e. g. , magnetic reconnection and current disruption, could be triggered more frequently in CS with similar to 21:00-similar to 01:00 MLT. Accordingly, if mapped to the region in the auroral ionosphere, it is expected that substorm onset would be optically observed with higher probability for similar to 21:00-similar to 01:00 MLT, which is well in agreement with statistical observations of auroral substorm onset.
The Role of Family Communication and Television Viewing in the Development of Materialistic Values among Young Adults. A Review.

While studies of communication effects on consumer behavior of children and adolescents have focused mainly on the effects of mass media (advertising in particular), little research has examined the effects of interpersonal communication among young adults. One finds relatively little theoretical and empirical work regarding the role of interpersonal communication in the development of materialistic values of young adults. This article deals with one important type of interpersonal communication—family communication. It conceptualizes the family communication processes and effects based on scientific and empirical research, and propose a conceptual framework which encompasses family communication, television viewing and materialism. The role of family communication and television viewing on materialism is examined and in particular, the role of family communication on materialistic values among young adults, through television viewing is examined. Lastly, a set of propositions on the basis of theory research is developed.
Kalcon, Giddani Osman Addalan and Adam, Grain Philip and Anaya- Lara, Olimpo and Lo, Kwok (2010) Grid integration of offshore wind farm using multi-terminal DC transmission system (MTDC). In: 5th IET International Conference on Power Electronics, Machines and Drives

This paper discusses the control flexibility and fault ridethrough capability of the bi-polar multi-terminal DC transmission system based on voltage source converters used for integration of large-scale offshore wind farms. Issues such as voltage support and short-term frequency stabilization of the AC network utilizing the stored energy in the wind turbine inertia and DC link capacitors are discussed. Regarding control flexibility, two aspects are presented: power sharing between the grid-side converters by any ratio, and provision of an alternative path for the power flow in case of a permanent DC fault or loss of one grid-side converter. In this investigation, the wind farms are based on fixed-speed wind generators, while the converters are modelled as a neutral-point clamped converter using the universal bridge. The investigation was conducted in Matlab/Simulink.
Inflation prediction from the term structure: the Fisher equation in a multivariate SDF framework

This paper proposes a new way of extracting inflation information from the term structure. We rehabilitate the Fisher equation, by setting it in the context of the stochastic discount factor (SDF) asset pricing theory. We develop a multivariate estimation framework which models the term structure of interest rates in a manner consistent with the SDF theory while at the same time generating and including an often omitted time varying risk component in the Fisher equation. The joint distribution of excess holding period bond returns of different maturity and fundamental macroeconomic factors is modelled on the basis of the consumption CAPM, using multivariate GARCH with conditional covariances in the mean to capture the term premia. We apply this methodology to the U.S. economy, re-examining the Fisher equation at horizons of up to one year. We find it offers substantial evidence in support of the Fisher equation and greatly improves its goodness of fit, at all horizons.
Siphonochilus aethiopicus, a traditional remedy for the treatment of allergic asthma

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the lungs, characterized by increased sensitivity to bronchoconstriction associated with infiltration of immune cells and mucus hyper secretion. In South Africa, the indigenous plant Siphonochilus aethiopicus, is used by traditional health practitioners to treat colds and flu, wheezing of the chest, coughs, influenza, sinus problems and mild asthma. In this study we aimed to investigate the potential anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating properties of S. aethiopicus in vitro. The dried and powdered S. aethiopicus plant material was extracted with organic solvents. The dried extracts were screened in vitro in the transcription response, NF-κB and a cytokine assay. Significant activity was observed for organic extracts of the plant in these assays. This study provides evidence that S. aethiopicus has anti-inflammatory and immune-suppressing properties in vitro. These findings may support anecdotal accounts of its effectiveness against allergic asthma.
Economic Signiﬁcance of Commodity Return Forecasts from the Fractionally Cointegrated VAR Model

Based on recent evidence of fractional cointegration in commodity spot and futures markets, we investigate whether a fractionally cointegrated model can provide statistically and/or economically significant forecasts of commodity returns. Specifically, we propose to model and forecast commodity spot and futures prices using a fractionally cointegrated vector autoregressive (FCVAR) model that generalizes the more well-known (non-fractional) CVAR model to allow fractional integration. We derive the best linear predictor for the FCVAR model and perform an out-of-sample forecast comparison with the non-fractional model. In our empirical analysis to daily data on 17 commodity markets, the fractional model is found to be superior in terms of in-sample fit and also out-of-sample forecasting based on statistical metrics of forecast comparison. We analyze the economic significance of the forecasts through a dynamic trading strategy based on a portfolio with weights derived from a mean-variance utility function. Although there is much heterogeneity across commodity markets, this analysis leads to statistically significant and economically meaningful profits in most markets, and shows that profits from both the fractional and non-fractional models are higher on average and statistically more significant than profits derived from a simple moving-average strategy. The analysis also shows that, in spite of the statistical advantage of the fractional model, the fractional and non-fractional models generate very similar profits with only a slight advantage to the fractional model on average.
Endogenous Spillovers under Cournot Rivalry and Co-opetitive Behaviors

We develop a model of Cournot oligopolists with endogenous R§D spillovers where a specific type of co-opetition is introduced. The two principle factors of R§D spillovers, namely the absorptive capacity and the information-sharing parameter, are assumed to depend positively on the percentage of knowledge the firm chooses to codify and reveal. It is shown that identical firms that are rivals on the final good market do not necessarily choose the lowest level for the spillover parameters. Furthermore, there is some justification for a subsidy to knowledge codification and information-sharing. However, the latter is obtained under conditions on firms' technologies and spillover functions which ensure the emergence of symmetric solutions.
Linac Twins in Radiotherapy

In a radiotherapy department having more than one linear accelerator, it is rather common to match the dose output of all machines. In particular, the recently developed flattening filter free mode requires new investigations regarding the feasibility of matching and the consequences for quality assurance and workload. This refers also to the beam model of the radiotherapy treatment planning system. Our results show that matching is possible not only for flat beams but also for flattening filter free mode. Therefore, the machines can substitute each other in the case of breakdown or service without new treatment planning even in the case of complex intensity-modulated radiotherapy or volumetric-modulated arc therapy. The quality assurance is reduced to only one data set for both the linear accelerators and the radiotherapy treatment planning system.
Heavy metal speciation trends in mine slime dams: A case study of slime dams at a goldmine in Zimbabwe

Heavy metal speciation trends in the slime dams at a typical gold mine in Zimbabwe were studied using a six-step sequential extraction technique to give six fractions, namely, the exchangeable, acid soluble, easily reducible, moderately reducible, oxidizable and residual fractions. The elements studied include Cd, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cr, Fe and Mn. Cadmium was found mainly in the acid soluble fraction, and to a lesser extent in the exchangeable and easily reducible fractions. For the other elements, speciation trends within the slime dams appear to depend, in the main, on the stability of metal cyano complexes formed during the cyanide extraction process, and the ease with which the metals co-precipitate with Mn oxides and/or CaCO 3. For Fe speciation trends depend mainly on the pH within the slime dam .
The Pricing of Credit Derivatives and Estimation of Default Probability

Under the native-born model of default and the circular model of default, we take the price of credit derivatives into account. It’s supposed that the short-term market interest rates are based on Vasicek model in this article. Firstly, we calculate the price of default-free bonds in zero-coupon bond. Then, we give the default-intensity expressions under the two models. We calculate the prices of default-free bonds under the two default models. For different situations, we estimate the parameters by maximum likelihood estimation method and calculate the default probability of the company. From the analysis of the result, we find that the result conforms to reality. So the models of default intensity we suppose in the bond pricing are reasonable.
Noise reduction by range image filtering

Three-dimensional models are usually a severe simplification of the real world. Laser scans that are used to make these models have a high resolution and potentially contain much more spatial information. This potential can often not be exploited due to the measurement noise present in the data. The question addressed in this paper is how to remove the measurement noise without simplifying the model more than necessary. The proposed method solves this problem by using the redundancy present due to the high spatialresolution. By smoothing the data according to the probability and observation theory, a best linear unbiased prediction of the surface is obtained. This is implemented for range image filtering, and tested on synthetic data. The results show that this is a powerful method for the smoothing of noisy 3D data.
Membrane based U(VI) transport across supported liquid membrane from aqueous acidic media

Carrier-facilitated transport of U(VI) from dilute acidic nitrate solutions has been examined across a flat sheet supported liquid membrane (FSSLM) and hollow fiber supported liquid membrane (HFSLM) deploying Cyanex 272 (Cy 272) as the novel carrier. Using FSSLM system, the apparent rate constant (K0 bs) increased with increasing carrier concentration and became nearly constant above 0.2 M Cy 272, thereafter decreased slightly at 0.4 M Cy 272. Accurel polypropylene thin film support coded as 2E-PP and dodecane as the membrane solvent were invariably used. Among the several reagents tested, oxalic acid (0.9 M) served as the most efficient strippant for U(VI) across Cy 272-FSSLM as well as HFSLM systems. Application of this simple method has been extended for the removal of uranium from phosphate waste, which is generated in analytical laboratory of fuel reprocessing plant. In addition, transport of uranium was accomplished in presence of plutonium, americium and fission product contaminants from aqueous acidic media. ·
A Field Test to Estimate Efficiency of Rewound Induction motor

When the cost of energy increases it is important to increase the activities to reduce the energy consumption of the system up to the maximum possible limits. This proposal establishes a very low cost and time saving method to determine efficiency of induction motor at onsite for achieving above mentioned goal. Reduction in energy consumption is achieved by replacing energy efficient motor in the place of old less efficient motor. For auditing purpose pulling out the device from its working environment may cause losses in production in case of industries. On site estimations are helps To resolve such problems this paper describes an onsite method which can capable to estimate the efficiency of new as well as rewound induction motors. Motor’s efficiency computed by this method closely approaches the exact value this thing makes a greater confidence to estimate the saving potential.
Interactive comment on “Dissolution of calcium carbonate: observations and model results in the North Atlantic” by K. Friis et al

In the first section of his review, which is providing an overall assessment of our paper, Dr. Olson mentions that our study is dealing with two closely related, but different tracer approaches to investigate the calcium carbonate cycle. Dr. Olson argues that this comparison of approaches results in a paper that seems a bit confused. Whilst we agree that it would be advantageous to use just one approach, discussion and contrasting the two is a crucial issue of the paper. The reason being that this allows us to compare our results with those from (e.g.) Milliman et al. (1999) and GA2002 at the
Sustained release formulation of metformin-solid dispersion based on gelucire 50/13- PEG4000: an in vitro study

Metformin is a hydrophilic hypoglycemic agent with permeability and short half-life problems which leads to its low bioavailability. Solid dispersion is one of the unique approaches, to improve bioavailability profiles of drugs. The aim of this study was to prepare and evaluate solid dispersions (SDs) of metformin with polyethylene glycol 4000 (PEG 4000) and Gelucire®50/13 in order to increase its permeability and bioavailability. Solid dispersions of Metformin containing various ratios of PEG 4000: Gelucire®50/13 (1:1, 1:2, 2:1, 1:4, 4:1 as Batch A, Batch B, Batch C, Batch D and Batch E) were prepared using solvent evaporation and fusion techniques. The physical mixtures which served as controls were also prepared. The SDs were evaluated using encapsulation efficiency, percentage yield. The formulations were also characterized with FTIR and DSC. The in vitro drug release studies were also evaluated. The results obtained showed that solid dispersion formulations at pH, 1.2 and 7.4 demonstrated higher release rates than the pure drug. The SDs showed high drug release rates and encapsulation efficiency (% EE) although Batch C containing PEG 4000 and Gelucire 50/13 in the ratio of 2:1 appeared as the batch with most % EE, drug release with broad melting peak. The release rate of metformin increased with increasing amount of PEG 4000. Batch C, SDs containing PEG 4000 and Gelucire 50/13 in the ratio of 2:1 were found to be the most optimized batch with enhanced encapsulation efficiency, most drug release and therefore, improved permeability and bioavailability of metformin.
Synthesis and Failure Correction of Flattop and Cosecant Squared Beam Patterns in Linear Antenna Arrays

This paper deals with the synthesis of flattop and cosecant squared beam patterns using the firefly algorithm which is based on metaheuristics. This synthesis is followed by the correction of the radiation patterns when unfortunate malfunctioning of the individual elements in the array occurs. The necessary attention is given to the recovery process, with due emphasis on reduction of side lobe level, ripple and the reflection coefficient. Simulation in Matlab shows a successful employment of the firefly algorithm in producing voltage excitations of the good elements necessary for the recovered patterns. The performance of the firefly algorithm in failure correction is validated by duly comparing it with a standard benchmark. Keywords—cosecant squared pattern, failure correction, firefly algorithm, flattop beam pattern, linear array, side lobe level.
Models of Fermion Semi-Annihilating Dark Matter

Semi-annihilation is a generic feature of dark matter theories with symmetries larger than Z2. We investigate two examples with multi-component dark sectors comprised of an SU(2)L singlet or triplet fermion besides a scalar singlet. These are respectively the minimal fermionic semi-annihilating model, and the minimal case for a gauge-charged fermion. We study the relevant dark matter phenomenology, including the interplay of semi-annihilation and the Sommerfeld effect. We demonstrate that semi-annihilation in the singlet model can explain the gamma ray excess from the galactic center. For the triplet model we scan the parameter space, and explore how signals and constraints are modified by semi-annihilation. We find that the entire region where the model comprises all the observed dark matter is accessible to current and planned direct and indirect searches.