Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Proposal to Fix the Number of Factors on Modeling the Dynamics of Futures Contracts on Commodity Prices

In the literature on modeling commodity futures prices, we find that the stochastic behavior of the spot price is a response to between one and four factors, including both short- and long-term components. The more factors considered in modeling a spot price process, the better the fit to observed futures prices—but the more complex the procedure can be. With a view to contributing to the knowledge of how many factors should be considered, this study presents a new way of computing the best number of factors to be accounted for when modeling risk-management of energy derivatives. The new method identifies the number of factors one should consider in the model and the type of stochastic process to be followed. This study aims to add value to previous studies which consider principal components by assuming that the spot price can be modeled as a sum of several factors. When applied to four different commodities (weekly observations corresponding to futures prices traded at the NYMEX for WTI light sweet crude oil, heating oil, unleaded gasoline and Henry Hub natural gas) we find that, while crude oil and heating oil are satisfactorily well-modeled with two factors, unleaded gasoline and natural gas need a third factor to capture seasonality.
Commentary: A qualitative study of family caregivers’ coping strategies of looking after people with dementia in China

As the lead for International work within the Department of Nursing and Community Health at Glasgow Caledonian University I am acutely aware of how much of the evidence that underpins our understanding of health and healthcare originates from Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. Subsequently, I was very pleased to see that this study considered the coping strategies of family caregivers for people with dementia from a Chinese perspective. Whilst the Chinese government have enshrined the commitment of the extended family to help to care for elderly people in law, the expectation that this should be the case is evident from many other countries that I have visited. However, this is against the backdrop of many of these cultures undergoing a transition to a society where children do not always follow a more traditional model, as they seek fulltime employment, often far away from their parental home. The authors used interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore the experiences of caregivers. This approach facilitates a deep understanding of experiences as it allows the participants and the researchers to interpret the experiences that have been explored (Smith et al., 2009), thereby allowing the participant to think more deeply about their experiences and enabling the researchers to contextualise these experiences and interpretations in the wider landscape. This study identified four main themes: Being filial, Changing self & self-care, Seeking help and Having hope & continuing life. I have to confess that I had to look up the meaning of ‘filial’. Those of you who have a wider vocabulary than me will know that it means a duty to one’s parents; this being extremely important in traditional Chinese culture. These four themes were explored using quotes from the participants and discussed referring to related
Analyse fonctionnelle par spectrométrie de masse tandem : Application aux aérosols organiques atmosphériques

La matiere organique particulaire (POM) des aerosols atmospheriques presente une composition chimique particulierement complexe. Au mieux, seulement 20 % en masse des particules parviennent a etre identifies par les techniques de speciation moleculaire. D'autre part, les methodes d'analyse globale conduisent a une simplification importante de la matrice et par consequent a une perte d'informations. Les travaux menes au cours de cette these s'inscrivent dans un objectif de developpement de methodes d'analyse chimique innovantes et complementaires, permettant une meilleure connaissance et une meilleure comprehension de la fraction organique des aerosols atmospheriques. Trois methodes d'analyse fonctionnelle par spectrometrie de masse tandem (MS/MS) ont ete mises au point, pour la determination quantitative des fonctions chimiques carboxyliques (RCOOH), carbonyles (R-CO-R') et nitros (R-NO2). Dans les trois cas, la precision des mesures a ete estimee par le calcul de la variabilite obtenue pour l'analyse de 25 melanges references constitues de 16 a 31 composes selon la fonction etudiee, dans des proportions differentes d'un melange a un autre. Le resultat de cette etude statistique montre une erreur analytique inferieure a 20 % pour chacune des trois fonctions. Les limites de detection (de l'ordre de 0,005 mM) et la gamme de linearite (0,01 - 0,5 mM) ont permis d'appliquer les methodes developpees sur des echantillons d'aerosols organiques secondaires produits en chambre de simulation, d'aerosols a l'emission, et sur des aerosols atmospheriques. Les resultats obtenus sont coherents avec la litterature et notre connaissance actuelle des aerosols. Plusieurs pistes de reflexion sur l'utilisation des methodes developpees sont enfin presentees et montrent l'interet de cette nouvelle approche en termes d'etudes des sources et de vieillissement de l'aerosol.
A Critical Review of Academic Approaches, Methods and Tools to Assess Circular Economy at the Micro Level

Transitioning from the current linear economic development model to a circular economy (CE) is a hot topic in academic literature, public governance, and the corporate domain. Actors have implemented CE strategies to reduce their resource use and its associated impacts, while boosting economic competitiveness and generating positive social impact. Companies are identified as key actors in transitioning to a CE, and many academics have proposed tools to assess CE and guide them in this process. This paper critically reviews such academic ‘assessment approaches’ at the micro level in order to reflect on their key properties. Seventy-four approaches are inventoried through a systematic literature review of academic literature. A critical review framework is constructed and applied, containing four perspectives: A general perspective, a descriptive perspective (methodological aspects), a normative perspective (connections to Sustainable Development), and a prescriptive perspective (implementation-focused). Methodologically, the 74 approaches are highly diverse, having various connections to previously established methodologies. Eighteen of the reviewed assessment approaches include all three dimensions of Sustainable Development (SD), in addition to a ‘circular’ dimension. Roughly one quarter of the approaches apply a participatory design approach. Suggested key desired properties of CE assessment approaches include making use of existing assessment methodologies such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), and a closer collaboration between science and practitioners to consider end-user needs in the design of CE assessment approaches.
Screening for probiotic of lactic acid bacteria isolated from the digestive tract of a native Aceh duck (Anas platyrhynchos)

Abstract. Risna YK, Harimurti S, Wihandoyo, Widodo. 2020. Screening for Probiotic of lactic acid bacteria isolated from the digestive tract of a native Aceh duck (Anas platyrhynchos). Biodiversitas 21: 3001-3007. The lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from the digestive tract of a native Aceh duck has emerged as a potential probiotic supplement for duck feed. In this study, we isolated the LAB from the digestive tract of an Aceh duck (Anas platyrhynchos) and identified the species and bacterial characteristics. Additionally, we isolated the LAB used in this study from the crop, proventriculus, ventriculus, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, and cecum of the native Aceh duck. Identification included the examination of morphology and physiology, followed by molecular identification by using 16S rRNA and sequence similarity tests for the bile salt hydrolase (bsh) gene. Bacterial isolation from the digestive tract of this duck resulted in 19 isolates with gram-positive, negative catalase, and non-motile characteristics. Of the 19 isolates, 11 isolates exhibited the ability to grow at 15°C, 37°C, and 45°C, with optimum growth at 37°C. From 11 isolates, only 6 were identified by using 16S rRNA primers and 5 were identified by using BSH primers. The identified LAB included Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus fermentum, and Pediococcus acidilactici. Hence, we conclude that Lactobacillus sp and Pediococcus sp. are potential probiotics that can be isolated and administered for duck feed.
Kinetics of deposition and post evolution relaxation in thin-films

This thesis is devoted to the use of statistical physics concepts to study the growth of films, under nonequilibrium conditions. Specifically, we consider the influence of the particle/particle and particle/substrate interacting rules on the morphology of the obtained film. We report how interesting structures can emerge from interacting rules as simple as the ones from the random sequential adsorption process. In the presence of a patterned substrate, made up of well defined regions (cells) where particles can irreversibly stick, a rich set of morphologies are obtained at the jammed state. Such structures reveal, not only the order of the pattern, but also the stochastic nature of the adsorption process and the competition during adsorption. Besides, we show that such pattern changes also the kinetics toward the asymptotic limit and report, for the first time, a transition from power law to exponential, in the functional dependence of the coverage approach to the jamming value. The competitive adsorption of segments with different sizes on a line is also considered. The influence of the size ratio on the jammed state structure is analyzed with the cumulants of the distance between segments, up-to the fourth order. Yet, a probability distribution function of distances is proposed, based on heuristic arguments. The obtained results with the proposed function are in agreement with the ones from simulation. For the growth regime where diffusion of particles on the substrate cannot be neglected, the influence of the flux of impinging particles on the nucleation and growth of islands is studied. A model based on the kinetic Monte Carlo method is then proposed to study the
Long time dynamics for functional three-dimensional Navier-Stokes-Voigt equations

In this paper we consider a non-autonomous Navier-Stokes-Voigt model including a variety of delay terms in a unified formulation. Firstly, we prove the existence and uniqueness of solutions by using a Galerkin scheme. Next, we prove the existence and eventual uniqueness of stationary solutions, as well as their exponential stability by using three methods: first, a Lyapunov function which requires differentiability for the delays; next we exploit the Razumikhin technique to weaken the differentiability assumption to just continuity; finally, we use a Gronwall-like type of argument to provide sufficient conditions for the exponential stability in a general case which, in particular, for a situation of variable delay, it only requires measurability of the variable delay function.
Uncoupling of Endothelial Nitric Oxidase Synthase by Hypochlorous Acid

Objective— The aim of the present study is to determine whether hypochlorous acid (HOCl), the major oxidant of leukocyte-derived myeloperoxidase (MPO), oxidizes the zinc-thiolate center of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and uncouples the enzyme. Methods and Results— Exposure of purified recombinant eNOS to HOCl (≥100 μmol/L) released zinc and disrupted the enzyme-active eNOS dimers. In parallel with increased detections of both O2·− and ONOO−, clinically relevant concentrations of HOCl disrupted eNOS dimers in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) at concentration 10- to 100-fold lower than those required for recombinant eNOS. In HUVEC, HOCl increased the translocation of both p67phox and p47phox of NAD(P)H oxidase and the phosphorylation of atypical protein kinase C-ζ. Further, genetic or pharmacological inhibition of either NAD(P)H oxidase–derived O2·− or PKC-ζ or NOS abolished the effects of HOCl on eNOS dimers. Consistently, HOCl increased both O2·− and ONOO− and eNOS dimer.
SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS OF CORE DEPOSITORS: A COMPARISON BETWEEN ISLAMIC AND CONVENTIONAL BANKS IN INDONESIA

Islamic banking grows promisingly in line with an increase in public confidence in Islamic business and the economy. Even though there is an increase in terms of assets, financing, and deposits, there has been a slowdown in business growth in the last five years, due to (i) the high cost of funds, (ii) low public understanding and awareness so that Islamic bank depositors are only dominated by certain group or categories commonly called core depositors, and (iii) the behaviors of core depositors which tend to carry out displaced commercial risk, and may withdraw funds or disbursement of deposits at any time. Besides, the problem of core depositors' behaviors could also cause liquidity imbalance in banks which is dominated by short-term funding with longer-term financing tenors. These conditions must be the focus of banks to mitigate liquidity risks to increase profitability and business performance. This study aims to analyze the internal and macroeconomic factors that affect the sensitivity of core depositors in Islamic and conventional banking in Indonesia used the Autoregressive Distributed Lag approach and Granger causality test used monthly data from 2013-2019. The results showed that the Islamic banking core depositors are more sensitive to the performance of Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR), the Exchange rate (FEX), and the Repo rate (RRA). Meanwhile, conventional core depositors are sensitive to Loan to Deposit Ratio (LDR) and FEX. The impact of core depositors' sensitivity to liquidity risk has been seen in conventional banks, while the core depositors of Islamic banks have no impact on liquidity risk. This paper specifically complements the previous research on the analysis of core depositors and that it can be used as an early warning sign of liquidity risk on Islamic and conventional banks in Indonesia.
Cinnamon supplementation improves blood pressure in type 2 diabetic patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Some studies have suggested that consumption of some herbal medicines may improve blood pressure. The present systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to assess the efficacy of cinnamon supplementation on blood pressure in type 2 diabetic patients. The systematic search was undertaking using several online databases (PubMed, Embase, Scopus and Web of Sciences) to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effect of cinnamon supplementation on systolic blood pressure (SBP) or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in type 2 diabetic patients that were published up until 10 December 2019. Potential publication bias was assessed using the Egger regression test. Five full-text articles were included in this meta-analysis. Pooled results of the meta-analysis on 332 participants indicated a significant reduction in SBP and DBP following cinnamon administration. No publication bias was found. The results of the present study suggested that cinnamon might be effective in improving blood pressure in type 2 diabetic patients.
A review on microstructures and properties of high entropy alloys manufactured by selective laser melting

High entropy alloys (HEAs) with multi-component solid solution microstructures have the potential for large-scale industrial applications due to their excellent mechanical and functional properties. However, the mechanical properties of HEAs limit the selection of processing technologies. Additive manufacturing technology possesses strong processing adaptability, making itthe best candidate method to overcome this issue. This comprehensive review examines the current state of selective laser melting (SLM) of HEAs. Introducing SLM to HEAs processing is motivated by its high quality for dimensional accuracy, geometric complexity, surface roughness, and microstructure. This review focuses on analyzing the current developments and challenges in SLM of HEAs, including defects, microstructures, and properties, as well as strengthing prediction models of fabricated HEAs. This review also offers directions for future studies to address existing challenges and promote technological advancement.
Has the Yield Curve Accurately Predicts the Malaysian Economy in the Previous Two Decades

Previous researchers have argued that yield curve contains information for future growth, and to a certain extent, was accurate in predicting recessions through the signal of yield curve inversion. This paper provides new evidence on the long- and short-run relationship between economic growth and yield spread in Malaysia, based on a 20-year span of data ranging from January 1996 to December 2016. By using the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) framework, the sample data are divided into three samples after taking into consideration the two major crises occurred in Malaysia over the last two decades. We find strong evidence of cointegration between the yield spread and growth, concurring on the long-run and short-run dynamics between them. Though significant, the instability of the yield spread to affect the movement of growth does not support the priori expectation on the predictive ability of the yield curve in Malaysia.
Understanding the Key Antecedents of Users’ Disclosing Behaviors on Social Networking Sites: The Privacy Paradox

This study explored the formation mechanisms of users’ disclosing behaviors from the perspectives of the privacy paradox. The theoretical framework incorporates perceived control over personal information and subjective norms into the privacy calculus model. The proposed theoretical framework was empirically tested using survey data collected from 350 Facebook users. The findings show that users’ intention to disclose personal information has a marginally significant effect on users’ disclosing behaviors. The analysis results reveal that privacy concerns negatively affect the intention to disclose personal information while they are not significantly related to users’ disclosing behaviors. This study found that perceived control over personal information plays a significant role in enhancing trust in social network site (SNS) providers, users’ intention to disclose personal information, and users’ disclosing behaviors. Moreover, perceived control over personal information mitigates the level of privacy concerns. Several implications for research and practice are described.
Bayesian Model Selection of Gaussian Directed Acyclic Graph Structures

During the last years, graphical models have become a popular tool to represent dependencies among variables in many scientific areas. Typically, the objective is to discover dependence relationships that can be represented through a directed acyclic graph (DAG). The set of all conditional independencies encoded by a DAG determines its Markov property. In general, DAGs encoding the same conditional independencies are not distinguishable from observational data and can be collected into equivalence classes, each one represented by a chain graph called essential graph (EG). However, both the DAG and EG space grow super exponentially in the number of variables, and so, graph structural learning requires the adoption of Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques. In this paper, we review some recent results on Bayesian model selection of Gaussian DAG models under a unified framework. These results are based on closed‐form expressions for the marginal likelihood of a DAG and EG structure, which is obtained from a few suitable assumptions on the prior for model parameters. We then introduce a general MCMC scheme that can be adopted both for model selection of DAGs and EGs together with a couple of applications on real data sets.
Numerical Analysis of the Influence of Empty Channels Design on Performance of Resin Flow in a Porous Plate

This numerical study aims to investigate the influence of I and T-shaped empty channels’ geometry on the filling time of resin in a rectangular porous enclosed mold, mimicking the main operating principle of a liquid resin infusion (LRI) process. Geometrical optimization was conducted with the constructal design (CD) and exhaustive search (ES) methods. The problem was subjected to two constraints (areas of porous mold and empty channels). In addition, the I and T-shaped channels were subjected to one and three degrees of freedom (DOF), respectively. Conservation equations of mass and momentum for modeling of resin/air mixture flow were numerically solved with the finite volume method (FVM). Interaction between the phases was considered with the volume of fluid method (VOF), and the effect of porous medium resistance in the resin flow was calculated with Darcy’s law. For the studied conditions, the best T-shaped configuration resulted in a filling time nearly three times lower than that for optimal I-shaped geometry, showing that the complexity of the channels benefited the performance. Moreover, the best T-shaped configurations were achieved for long single and bifurcated branches, except for configurations with skinny channels, which saw the generation of permanent voids.
Direct and Indirect Tourism Online Channels. Do They Have a Different Potential for Customer Loyalty?

To manage their competitive goals, e-tourism service companies, in direct and in indirect channels respectively, need to know the antecedents of customer loyalty. Customer loyalty, generated by satisfaction in its various forms, is the cornerstone of the company’s assets and financial sustainability. Current literature does not provide a comparative analysis on this issue. To fill this gap, this research presents a model that includes customer satisfaction and participation as the main drivers of customer loyalty. The empirical research relies on one survey conducted by a market research company addressed to Internet users in Spain with experience in online purchases of tourism products. The estimation method is 3SLS (Three-Stage Least Squares), a simultaneous equations model applied to the database obtained. The results reveal a different potential of the two types of e-channels in producing higher levels of loyalty through customer participation. Increasing the participation of customers in indirect e-tourism channels results in higher returns on loyalty while the impact is lower in the direct channels. These findings are especially interesting for tourism service providers.