Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multi-criteria grid impact evaluation of heat pump and photovoltaic based zero-energy dwellings

A multi-criteria evaluation of the impact on the electricity distribution grid in a residential built environment evolving towards nearly zero-energy is presented. A testbed is set up for the Belgian context with existing distribution grid topologies and urban planning. The latter is used for a Monte-Carlo simulation varying the degree of implementation of residential heat pump (HP) and photovoltaic (PV) systems. Local technical feeder constraints consisting of possible transformer overload, impermissible voltage quality and voltage safety controls limits the possible penetration level before local feeder reinforcements are required: grid constraints are reached at penetration levels starting from 0.32, depending on local feeder design and sizing. While the integration of HP and PV based nearly zero-energy dwellings can reduced the average net electricity demand from 3 500 down to 530 kWh per houshold without facing technical constraints, the electrical energy losses in the feeder evolve from an average low 16 kWh to 323 kWh per household. The impact of the urban design and geographical energy density on the one hand, and feeder typologies on the other hand on the voltage-related criteria will be researched in future work.
The Use of Artificial Neural Network and Logistic Regression to Predict the Influence of Lifestyle on Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Objective: The first cause of death worldwide is cardiovascular disease (CVD). CVD covers a wide array of disorders, including diseases of the cardiac muscle and of the vascular system supplying the heart, brain, and other vital organs. This research aims to the comprehensive impact that a series of lifestyle data from a population has on the main cardiovascular risk factors. Such predictions of the influence of lifestyle on cardiovascular risk factors could be useful. Material and methods: A cross-sectional study was designed; the subjects who lived in Minodar, Iran were interviewed by trained nurses using a structural questionnaire. Data were processed from a sample of 393 subjects of both sexes aged 26-79 years old. The output data were: high/low cholesterolemia, HDL-C cholesterol, triglyceridemia. The input data were: sex, age, build, weight, marital status, Individual’s status in the family, physical activity, hours of sleep per day, smoking, tobacco type, BMI. Two predictor models including artificial neural network and linear regression were applied. Results: Logistic regression (LR) as a conventional model obtained poor prediction performance measure values. However, LR distinguished that relationships exist between inputs and dichotomous output variables (sex and BMI in TG and sex, weight and tobacco type in HDL-C and sex in total cholesterol as more significant parameters). On the other hand, artificial neural network as a more powerful model showed high response accuracy in predicting CVD risk factors. Such pleasing results could be attributed to the non-linear nature of ANN in problem solving which provides the opportunity to predict independent variables to dependent ones non-linearly. Conclusion: The results displayed that our ANN-based model approach is very hopeful and may play a useful role in developing a better method for assessing the influence of lifestyle on cardiovascular risk factors.
The economics of the nuclear fuel cycle

The current international perception of future nuclear fuel cycle costs is reviewed and it is concluded that they should remain stable or decrease slightly over the next decade barring major discontinuities in the supply or acceptability of fossil fuels. The economic position of mixed plutonium-uranium oxide fuel is considered in relation to plutonium availability and price
Quality-of-Life Assessment of Surgical Reconstruction After Laparoscopic CholecystectomyInduced Bile Duct Injuries: What Happens at 5 Years and Beyond?

Results: Eighty-nine (81%) of 110 potential respondents to the survey completed the SF-36 questionnaires. All 8 values evaluated in the SF-36 questionnaire (physical functioning, role-physical, bodily pain, general health perceptions, vitality, social functioning, role-emotional, and mental health index) for patients undergoing biliary reconstruction were similar to those of both their matched controls (all P .10) and national norms (all P .05). The standardized physical component scale was also similar between the 2 groups (cases vs controls, 51 vs 48; P=.47), as was the standardized mental component scale (cases vs controls, 55 vs 55; P=.60).
Measurements of (cid:2) − and (cid:2) + production in proton–proton interactions at √ s N N = 17.3 GeV in the NA61/SHINE experiment

The production of (cid:2)( 1321 ) − and (cid:2)( 1321 ) + hyperons in inelastic p+p interactions is studied in a ﬁxed target experiment at a beam momentum of 158 GeV / c . Double differential distributions in rapidity y and transverse momentum p T are obtained from a sample of 33M inelastic events. They allow to extrapolate the spectra to full phase space and to determine the mean multiplicity of both (cid:2) − and (cid:2) + . The rapidity and transverse momentum spectra are compared to transport model predictions. The (cid:2) − mean multiplicity in inelastic p+p interactions at 158 GeV / c is used to quantify the strangeness enhancement in A+A collisions at the same centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair.
Identifying vulnerabilities and extreme risks in critical infrastructure networks

xiii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 1 1.1 Background and Motivation . 1 1.2 Research Objectives . 4 1.3 Scope . 5 1.4 Organization of the report . 6 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW . 7 2.1 Perspectives on risk and vulnerability . 7 2.2 Critical Infrastructures as Complex Networks . 8 2.2.1 Random Networks . 11 2.2.2 Small-World Networks . 11 2.2.3 Scale-free Networks . 12 2.3 Impact or vulnerability analysis of single sector of infrastructure networks . 14 2.3. 1 Network Theoretic Methods . 14 2.3. 1.1 Approach 1 . 14 2.3. 1.2 Approach 2 . 17 2.3. 2 Optimization Methods . 18 2.3. 3 Other approaches for vulnerability assessment . 19 2.4 Cascading failure models of single sector of infrastructure networks . 20
Development of Simulation for Artificial Intelligence Techniques in Smart Homes

In this study, a customized simulation has been developed to test artificial intelligence algorithms for smart homes. In the simulation, a house with the desired number of rooms can be created and smart home components with the desired number and different tasks can be added to this house. Then, virtual individuals who will use this simulated house and weekly living scenarios for these individuals can be created. After all these operations, the system simulates a smart home in real time according to the directives from outside operators. During the simulation, the desired artificial intelligence algorithms can be run on the system and their operations can be monitored. In addition, the system can be intervened from the planned scenarios to create desired conditions at any time.
A Social Structure Model for Evaluating the Effect of Response Measures on the Spread of Smallpox

Homogeneous mixing, where all instances of contacts between any two members of the population are equally likely, is a common assumption in modeling biodefense policies against smallpox. Such a mixing pattern is rather unlikely to represent population interaction in a modern urban setting, which typically is separated into households on one hand, and into daily meeting sites such as schools and offices, on the other hand. In this paper, we develop a dynamic two-level social interaction model where individuals move back and forth between home and daily meeting sites, possibly passing through a general meeting site such as a mass transit system or other crowded areas. Based on this difference-equations model, we evaluate the effect of situational awareness and response measures, such as vaccination, quarantining, and movement restrictions, on the spread of smallpox in the population.
Chapter 1 Basic Problem and Variants 1 . 1

We are interested in a group of species, animal or plant, which, for various reasons, are threatened. They may thus disappear in the more or less near future. For example, the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List provides information on whether or not a given species is threatened. This list classifies threatened species into three categories, according to their level of extinction risk: “Vulnerable”, “Endangered”, and “Critically Endangered”. This classification is made taking into account various factors such as the population size of the species in question, the rate of decline of this population, the loss and/or fragmentation of its habitat or its genetic erosion. It is also possible to look at a set of focal species, threatened or not, as their protection automatically leads to the protection of many other species. It should be noted that many species, although common, are also in decline and this should be reversed. We are also interested in a set of geographical zones, spread over a territory, that we can decide whether or not to protect, from a given moment on, in order to ensure a certain protection for the species in question and thus increase their chance of survival. The terms “sites”, “parcels”, “patches”, “tasks”, “areas”, and “islets” are also used to designate these parts of territory. In this book, we will essentially use the term “zone” which, because of its generality, is appropriate in many contexts. The focus here is on species protection, but all of the following could easily be adapted to other threatened aspects of biodiversity such as valuable habitats. In sections 1.2–1.5 of this chapter, it is considered that there is only one level of protection for the zones. In other words, a zone is protected or not. Decisions on protective actions to be taken at the beginning of the time horizon (e.g., 10 years, 50 years or 100 years) are made at the beginning of this horizon, at which time the candidate zones are in a certain state. Protecting a zone has a cost. It differs from one zone to another and may include monetary, ecological and social aspects. We can look at the consequences of these decisions at the end of this horizon. For example, it can be assumed that a given species in a protected zone survives at the
Dynamic Delegation of Authority in Web Services

Delegation of authority (DOA) is an essential procedure in every modern business. This chapter enumerates the requirements for a delegation of authority Web service that allows users and services to delegate to other users and services authority to access computer- based resources. The various models and architecture that can support a DOA Web service are described. A key component of the DOA service is the organisations delegation policy, which provides the rules for who is allowed to delegate what to whom, and which needs to be enforced by the DOA service. The essential elements of such a delegation policy are outlined. The chapter then describes a practical DOA Web service that has been built and piloted in various grid applications. It concludes by reviewing some related research and highlighting where future research is still required.
Elaboration and intuitions of disagreement forthcoming in Philosophical Studies

: Mark Richard argues for truth-relativism about claims made using gradable adjectives. He argues that truth-relativism is the best explanation of two kinds of linguistic data, which I call: true cross-contextual reports and infelicitous denials of conflict. Richard claims that such data are generated by an example that he discusses at length. However, the consensus is that these linguistic data are illusory because they vanish when elaborations are added to examples of the same kind as Richard's original. In this paper I defend the reality of Richard's data. I show that, in trying to make their point, Richard's critics have focused upon examples that are similar in some respects to Richard's original but which lack a crucial feature of that original. When we ensure that this feature is in place, elaborations which make the data vanish are not possible. Richard's critics therefore fail to show that the data generated by Richard's original example are illusory.
University of Birmingham Does equity crowdfunding democratize entrepreneurial finance?

This paper investigates whether gender, age, ethnicity, and geography affect the choice of equity crowdfunding offerings vs initial public offerings (IPO) on traditional stock markets and whether these characteristics increase the likelihood of a successful offering. Using 167 equity offerings in Crowdcube and 99 equity offerings on London’s Alternative Investment Market raising between £300,000 and £5m, we find that companies with younger top management team (TMT) members are both more likely to launch equity crowdfunding offerings than IPOs, and have higher chances to successfully complete an equity crowdfunding offering. Remotely located companies are more likely to launch equity crowdfunding offerings than IPOs and have higher chances to successfully complete an equity crowdfunding offering. On the contrary, female entrepreneurs do not have higher chances to raise funds in equity crowdfunding. Minority entrepreneurs do not have higher chances of successfully raising capital but do attract a higher number of investors. Overall, our evidence provides empirical guidance for the first time to the oft-repeated policy claim that equity crowdfunding democratizes entrepreneurial finance by providing access to funding to underrepresented groups of potential entrepreneurs.
University of Dundee Expected Returns and Expected Dividend Growth in Europe

This paper uses a present value approach to show that price movements for equity indices in a sample of European stock markets can be traced to legal origin, institutional and corporate financial factors. The present value literature states that stock indices move due to changes either in discount rates, dividend growth or a combination of the two. Empirically, little is known about the mechanism through which legal, institutional and corporate financial factors influence these variables, especially in a European context. The current paper attempts to plug this gap in the literature. Using the state space approach, we show that while expected returns are highly persistent, expected dividend growth tends to vary across the sample. Movements in markets are mainly due to changes in the discount rate. However, there appears to be a difference in the proportion of movements attributable to discount rate and dividend growth components. Stock markets in civil law countries tend to have a stronger link with the dividend growth variables as well as market size and activity measures. Expected dividend growth is also driven by profitability factors in both types of country. By contrast, there is no strong evidence of corporate indicators influencing expected returns.
Democratization and Economic Growth in Emerging Market Economies

The globalization phenomenon has gained speed in various aspects especially since mid-1980s, this process in turn partially contributed to democratization of the many countries. This study researches the effect of democratization on economic growth in emerging markets over 2002-2015 period with panel cointegration test of Westerlund-Durbin-Hausman (2008) and panel causality test of Dumitrescu and Hurlin (2012). The results revealed a cointegrating relationship between economic growth and democratization, but the interaction between democratization and growth varies from country to country. However, no causality relationships were found between democratization and economic growth in the short run.
Pesquisas em Geociências Portal de Periódicos

de detecção de linhas de Steger com um procedimento de limiarização por comprimento das linhas, visando a reduzir a ocorrên- cia de linhas espúrias. A outra se baseia no método de esqueletização de regiões pela Transformada do Eixo Médio, seguido de um processo de poda para eliminar o máximo possıv́el as ramificações. A partir dos experimentos realizados é possıv́el comparar os eixos extraıd́os pelas duas formas descritas, e aque-la que utiliza o método de detecção de linhas de Steger apresenta melhores resultados do que a baseada no método de esqueletização. Abstract- STREET EXTRACTION COMBINING METHODS FOR REGION AND LINE DETECTION FROM LASER SCANNING INTENSITY IMAGES. This paper aims at extracting street centerlines from previously isolated street regions by using the image of laser scanning intensity. In this image, streets are easily identified, since they manifest as dark, elongate ribbons contrasting with background objects. The intensity image is segmented by using the region growing technique, which generates regions representing the streets. From these regions, the street centerlines are extracted in two manners. The first one is through the Steger lines detection method combined with a line-length thresholding by which lines being shorter than a minimum length are removed. The other manner is by combining the skeletonization method of regions based on the Medial Axis Transform and with a pruning process to eliminate as much as possible the ramifications. Experiments showed that the Steger-based method provided results better than the method based on skeletonization.
InternatIonal market expansIon : the case of german and russian companies IntrodUctIon

takeover, franchising The article studies various theoretical aspects of companies’ entering foreign markets. It considers the influence of globalization on the performance of companies, analyzes the ways and factors of choosing a strategy for entering the world market. It analyzes the behavioral and cultural aspects that affect the strategy of entry into the world market. The analysis of strategies of companies that entered foreign markets was carried out taking into account the previous research in this area. The result of the study was the following conclusions: 1) globalization has a positive impact on companies as the market grows, but small companies and companies on emerging markets lose out in the competitive struggle; 2) companies with significant experience tend to choose the strategy of opening their own business, while organizations without such experience prefer to conduct export activities or open joint ventures in host countries; 3) the choice of strategy with a greater involvement of resources is directly proportional to the knowledge about the culture of the country, which the company intends to enter. When entering a market with a different culture it is necessary to have a smooth adaptation for successful implementation of the strategy. Finally, people tend to make behavioral errors and the knowledge of them and their constant monitoring will help achieve successful results; 4) for entering and successful work on foreign markets a company needs not only to have competencies, but also to be able to protect and preserve them over time; 5) for the markets with high political and investment risks, as well as unfavorable economic conditions, companies tend to choose strategies with a minimum investment of funds (franchises, licensing). InternatIonal market expansIon: the case of german and russian companies
Dissolving the Rocks

Poor aqueous solubility is one of the greatest barriers for new drug candidates to enter toxicology studies, let alone clinical trials. This thesis focuses on contributing to solving this problem, evaluating the oral toxicity of mesoporous silica particles, and enhancing the apparent solubility and bioavailability of active pharmaceutical ingredients in vitro and in vivo using mesoporous silica particles. Toxicological studies in rats showed that two types of mesoporous silica particles given by oral administration were well tolerated without showing clinical signs of toxicity. Solubility enhancement, including in vivo bioavailability and in vitro intracellular activity, has been evaluated for selected drug compounds. Mesoporous silica was shown to effectively increase drug solubility by stabilizing the amorphous state of APIs, such as itraconazole (anti-fungal), dasatinib (anti-cancer), atazanavir (anti-HIV) and PA-824 (anti-tuberculosis). Itraconazole was successfully loaded into a variety of porous silica materials showing a distinct improvement in the dissolution properties in comparison to non-porous silica materials (and the free drug). Microporosity in SBA-15 particles has advantages in stabilizing the supersaturation state of dasatinib. Small pore sizes show better confinement of atazanavir, contributing to a higher dissolution of the drug compound. In the in vivo animal studies, NFM-1 loaded with atazanavir shows a four-fold increase in bioavailability compared to free crystalline atazanavir. PA-824 has a higher dissolution rate and solubility after loading into AMS-6 mesoporous particles. The loaded particles show similar antibacterial activity as the free PA-824. This thesis aims at highlighting some of the important factors enabling the selection of adequate mesoporous structures to enhance the pharmacokinetic profile of poorly water-soluble compounds, and preparing the scientific framework for uncovering the effects of drug confinement within mesopores of varying structural properties. crystallization, pharmaceutical excipients, bioavailability. higher than the free drug when co-administered with proton-pump inhibitor, which is a widely used medicine to treat the side effect from the HIV therapies. This study shows the versatility of mesopo-65 This thesis has studied the solubility enhancement when drugs are loaded into mesoporous silica, and discussed the influence of different structural factors, as well as the translation from in vitro dissolution study, to in vitro intracellular study, and to in vivo pharmacokinetic study. In conclusion mesoporous silica are well tolerated orally in rats, and can be used to enhance the solubility of poorly water-soluble active pharmaceutical ingredients.
University of Birmingham Risk of major bleeding in different indications for new oral anticoagulants

Background: meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the of major with use of (NOACs). Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing NOACs (rivaroxaban, dabigatran, apixaban, edoxaban and darexaban) with comparators were selected. Results: Fifty trials included 155,537 patients. Pooled analysis of all NOACs for all indications together demonstrated no significant difference between NOACs and comparators for risk of major bleeding (Odds Ratio [OR] 0.93, 95% CI 0.79- 1.09). Pooled analysis also showed, NOACs caused significantly less major bleeding compared to vitamin K antagonists (VKA) (0.77, 0.64- 0.91). Analysis for individual NOACs showed risk of major bleeding were not different with rivaroxaban, apixaban or dabigatran compared to pharmacologically active comparators or VKA. Indication specific analysis showed, NOACs were associated with significantly higher major bleeding after hip surgery (1.43, 1.02 -1.99), in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), (compared against placebo) (2.89, 2.01-4.14), and for medically ill patients (2.79, 1.69-4.60). For the treatment of acute venous thromboembolism (VTE) or pulmonary embolism (PE), NOACs were associated with significantly less bleeding (0.63, 0.44-0.90). No significant difference was found between NOACs and comparators in treatment of atrial fibrillation and for extended treatment of VTE.