Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Disentangling the exchange rate risk, sectoral export flows and financial development nexus

This paper examines the differential responses of various emerging market export sectors to exchange rate risk. This paper finds origin in initial theoretical posits of Ethier (1973) and Clark (1973) which both contend that exchange rate risk has a negative impact on the export flows of international trade participants who are assumed to be inherently risk averse. Through panel data analysis (random effects, fixed effects and PDOLS models), this paper explores the effect that exchange rate risk exerts on emerging market exports —which have not enjoyed as much scrutiny as their developed country counterparts. For one, this paper examines how the ten major emerging market export sectors, of eleven countries, are impacted by exchange rate volatility (as an indicator of exchange rate risk). The general conclusion is that exchange rate risk (exchange rate volatility) does exert differential impacts on various export sectors. The fact that three of the four models which exhibit a statistically significant and negative exchange rate risk coeffi cient are differentiated product lines (Iron and steel; Machinery, nuclear reactors, boilers, etc; and Vehicles other than railway, tramway) does suggest that these product lines may be more susceptible to exchange rate risk when compared to homogeneous product lines. With regards to policy, it would be prudent on the part of emerging market policymakers to adopt macroeconomic policies which inspire stability so as to eliminate speculative attacks the domestic currency. In other words, emerging markets especially dependent on export revenue from the product lines in this paper which exhibited a significant negative response to exchange rate risk should provide support to these industries during periods of volatility. ∗Acknowledgements A word of thanks is extended to the Ecnonomic Research Southern Africa (ERSA) for their financial support n completing this study †Masters student (2016) in Economics at the North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus ‡School of Economics, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, Corresponding author email: Anmar. Pretorius@nwu.ac. za
Risk Management with Generative Adversarial Networks

Effective risk management has become an essential task for any major financial institution. Correctly assessing the risks associated with the positions it holds is not only in an institution’s own best interest but also required by the financial regulators. A particularly important risk measure is Value-at-Risk (VaR). Over the years a myriad of techniques have been developed to accurately estimate VaR. In this work we set out to apply the novel technique of Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) to the problem of Value-at-Risk estimation. We investigate both unconditional and conditional forecasts. Despite the difficulties associated with the training of GANs we empirically show that one can obtain unconditional VaR forecasts that outperform classical unconditional statistical methods. In the conditional case the problem turns out to be a bit more complicated. However, we still obtain performance that is competitive with that of classical conditional methods. GANs therefore constitute a promising candidate for risk management in the future.
Mergers and Acquisitions as Risk Does the Modern Portfolio Theory Apply to Corporate Diversification?

As suggested by the Modern Portfolio Theory, diversification is supposed to cause risk reduction. However, the empirical findings sit awkwardly with this prediction. The paper presents an empirical inquiry into the influence of Mergers & Acquisitions on the market-based measure of risk level and tests the relevance of the CAPM model to the corporate domain. In all, 535 takeovers launched by American or British firms over 2001-2008 are examined, using both acquirers’ stock returns and market betas, with the latter yielding results of higher accuracy and credibility. The findings show that diversification through M&A does lead to risk reduction, especially in terms of the geographical dimension, but they do not support the popular association between risk and industry relatedness. The paper presents an empirical test of how strategic diversification ex ante influences a market-based risk measure. To this end a sample of 535 large British and American acquisitions over an 8-year period of intense merger activity (2001-2008) has been assembled. Instead of investigating into stock returns exclusively, as most conventional studies did, it will also examine changes in betas. This approach allows a more precise analysis of risk changes by isolating the impact of the acquisition announcement from underlying indices and sector movements. In particular, the model finds takeovers to be risk-reducing indeed, however industry relatedness effects were proved insignificant.
Synthesis of 3 ‐ Aryl ‐ 3 ‐ (Furan ‐ 2 ‐ yl)Propanoic Acid Derivatives, and Study of Their Antimicrobial Activity

: Reactions of 3 ‐ (furan ‐ 2 ‐ yl)propenoic acids and their esters with arenes in Brønsted super ‐ acid TfOH affords products of hydroarylation of the carbon–carbon double bond, 3 ‐ aryl ‐ 3 ‐ (furan ‐ 2 ‐ yl)propenoic acid derivatives. According to NMR and DFT studies, the corresponding O,C ‐ dipro ‐ tonated forms of the starting furan acids and esters should be reactive electrophilic species in these transformations. Starting compounds and their hydroarylation products, at a concentration of 64 μ g/mL, demonstrate good antimicrobial activity against yeast ‐ like fungi Candida albicans . Apart from that, these compounds suppress Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus .
THE ROLE OF RISK A TTITUDES AND EXP ECTATIONS IN HOUSEHOLD BORROWING IN ESTONIA

This study investigates the relations between risk attitudes and expectations and different aspects of borrowing by households in Estonia. The central research question is whether risk aversion and optimism provide additional information beyond the main economic and sociodemographic characteristics in explaining borrowing behaviour. The paper uses microdata from the Estonian Household Finance and Consumption Survey (HFCS) to estimate probit and Heckman models. My analysis shows that risk-tolerant households apply for loans more often than risk-averse households do and that their loans are larger. For mortgage loans, risk aversion is related to the probability of having a loan, whereas for non-mortgage loans, risk aversion is related to the size of the outstanding liabilities. The variables describing the household’s expectations for its future financial situation are on their own related to the decision to apply for a loan, but they do not contain any relevant additional information beyond the main economic and sociodemographic characteristics of the household.
Overview of the HASOC-DravidianCodeMix Shared Task on Offensive Language Detection in Tamil and Malayalam

We present the results of HASOC-Dravidian-CodeMix shared task 1 held at FIRE 2021, a track on offensive language identification for Dravidian languages in Code-Mixed Text in this paper. This paper will detail the task, its organisation, and the submitted systems. The identification of offensive language was viewed as a classification task. For this, 16 teams participated in identifying offensive language from Tamil-English code mixed data, 11 teams for Malayalam-English code mixed data and 14 teams for Tamil data. The teams detected offensive language using various machine learning and deep learning classification models. This paper has analysed those benchmark systems to find out how well they accommodate a code-mixed scenario in Dravidian languages, focusing on Tamil and Malayalam.
Accountability-Based User Interface Design Artifacts and Their Implications for User Acceptance of AI-Enabled Services

Although services empowered by artificial intelligence (AI) have been demonstrated to provide reliable advice, users are often reluctant to follow this advice. One promising means to reduce this reluctance is increasing the degree to which users perceive accountability of the AI-enabled service (i.e., the system of AI, providers, and developers) for the provided advice. Drawing on the four core components of accountability theory (i.e., identifiability, expectation of evaluation, awareness of monitoring, and social presence), we designed four user-interface (UI) design artifacts. The results of a scenario-based factorial survey (N = 629) reveal that each UI design artifact raises users’ perceived accountability of the AI-enabled service, which in turn influences users’ intentions to follow the AI-enabled service’s advice. These findings provide important theoretical and practical insights, as they demonstrate that accountability-based UI design artifacts can increase user acceptance of AI-enabled services via the degree to which users perceive the AI-enabled services accountable.
Success Factors in Managing Legacy System Evolution: A Case Study

In this paper, we attempt to understand what contributes to a successful process for managing legacy system evolution. We provide an analysis of a number of key performance indicators such as cost, duration, and defects. By normalizing through function points, we furthermore compare to a larger benchmark. To do so we performed a mixed, retrospective case study on a series of nine software releases and eight single once-only releases, all performing on a single, legacy software system, in a West-European telecom company. We interviewed eleven stakeholders that were closely involved in the subject software releases. As a result, we listed a number of observations from the quantitative and qualitative analysis. We found that a release process that performs above average on cost and duration satisfies stakeholders through fast response and direct value, even when the reliability and availability of the actual system is weak.
Wheel slip control based on composite nonlinear feedback

To produce faster vehicle acceleration and avoid wheelspin on slippery roads, the wheel slip must be controlled to achieve maximum traction. Recent researches in slip control always had to compromise between speed of time response and overshooting. This research studies the application of Composite Nonlinear Feedback (CNF) controller for vehicle wheel slip control, particularly for in-wheel electric vehicle. A strategy for applying the CNF controller which involves feedback linearization is proposed. The CNF is a combination of a linear feedback law and a nonlinear feedback law without any switching element. The CNF control focuses on improving the transient performance. The proposed control strategy is validated by simulation.
Compact Models of Objects for Skilled Manipulation

Performing manipulation tasks in human environments challenge current robot capabilities. We need a robot that is able to detect unexpected object behavior, to control object behavior and to convey human intention to robot actions. In this work, we present a model-based solution that a robot uses to predict and control object behavior. Because the models are based on the mechanical properties of objects, their properties can have a meaning, which can help to close the gap between robotics and AI.
Synthetic Aperture Radar Image Recognition Using Contour Features

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images play an important role in nowadays target recognition. However, due to the intrinsic impact of speckle noise in SAR images, many details of the targets are confused, thus causing difficulty on target recognition. Therefore, this paper introduces a novel image recognition method which performs well on optical images. In our paper, the target is first extracted by combining the multi-resolution Markov random field method with the wavelet transform. Such a process is able to reduce the speckle noise from different resolutions. Then, morphological filtering is utilized to further reduce the remaining noise as well as smooth the boundary. With the smoothed target, we adopt the state-ofthe- art shape representation method called bag of contour fragments for target classification, which encodes the target into different contours. Then, by using support vector machine (SVM), the contours of each target can be well classified and the target recognition can be achieved. Finally, the experimental results validate the superior performance of our method on the recognition accuracy.
Difference in the composition of the volatile odor fraction of tilapia meat samples grown under aquaculture conditions in Russia and China

China is one of the leading suppliers of fish and seafood to Russia. A strong example is tilapia fish. This relatively inexpensive fish, due to the small amount of its cultivation in the Russian Federation, is completely imported from China. However, at present, the lack of an adequate level of control over the movement of raw materials through production chains and their processing at Chinese enterprises, the import of tilapia is temporarily stopped. In this regard, a comparative assessment of the quality of tilapia grown under aquaculture conditions in Russia and China at all stages of industrial processing is relevant. In order to assess the quality of fish raw materials, a multisensory system “electronic nose” was used, which is based on a multilevel neural semiotic model that describes the mechanism of the human olfactory bulb. The use of chemical sensors allowed recording early signs of changes in the organoleptic parameters of tilapia meat. The studies showed that the meat of tilapia grown in Russia is subject to less destruction during storage at a temperature of 4 ° C than meat of tilapia grown under the agricultural conditions in China.
Study of the production process of extruded feed and evaluation of the quality of the resulting product using software methods

Enterprises for the production of food products are mainly aimed at obtaining a product with the best quality. To obtain the final product with the specified quality indicators, it is necessary to control the process that ensures its production. Therefore, in the present it is relevant to talk about quality management, which includes not only the control indicators of the finished product, but also the establishment of parameters that determine the technological process. The production of co-extruded feed mixtures is innovative. The distinctive feature of these feed mixtures is their increased nutritional value due to the use of non-traditional types of raw materials. It is possible to evaluate the quality of the mixtures obtained not only by conducting laboratory experiments, but also in an empirical way, using mathematical modeling methods and their software implementation. Thus, the relevance of the topic is dictated by the need to improve the evaluation systems of technological processes based on the mathematical apparatus and programming methods.
Modification of epoxidized methyl esters of sunflower oil fatty acids with some diols

It is possible to obtain products with a wide range of useful properties as a result of the modification of epoxidized vegetable oils and their derivatives. The aim of this work was to develop methods for the synthesis of new products by the reaction of epoxidized sunflower oil fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) with dihydric alcohols: ethylene glycol, butanediol-1,4, diethylene glycol, as well as in the study of their structure and properties. Dependences of the structure of the obtained products on the conditions of the process and the type of the modifier have been established. It was shown that carrying out the modification at a higher temperature (100 ° C) leads to the formation of crosslinked products as a result of intermolecular dehydration with the participation of both hydroxyl groups of the diol molecule. In addition to the opening of the oxirane ring, the transesterification process with the participation of the ester fragment is realized. Certain characteristics of the obtained products, including the acid number, saponification number, were determined, and the emulsifying effect was evaluated. In addition, the solidification temperature and pour point were determined for the products obtained. It was found that the products of modification of epoxy derivatives of FAME of sunflower oil obtained at 50 ° C have the greatest emulsifying effect.
Development of recipes and technologies for ready-to-cook cutlet mass based on minced tilapia

China is one of the leaders in the supply of fish and seafood to Russia. An illustrative example is the supply of tilapia fish. Today the range of tilapia fish products supplied from China is limited in the Russian food market. It is represented mainly by such products as whole frozen fish and frozen fillets, which, in turn, opens up the prospects for the production of tilapia grown under the conditions of aquaculture in Russia. In this regard, the development of innovative technologies for fish products of wide consumer demand, including ready-to-cook cutlet mass made of tilapia minced meat, is relevant. The studies show that domestic tilapia meat has a number of advantages (protein content, essential amino acids and has a higher biological value (82%)) compared to imported tilapia meat (China). Therefore, it is more advisable to use tilapia meat of local origin in a variety of food products in order to regulate their functional properties, that is, to increase or change the properties of the protein to ensure the stability of the technological process and the quality of the products obtained, as well as to expand the methods of processing and the range of obtained products.
The study of the rheological properties of a food additive for the enrichment of special-purpose pastes

The results and findings in the study of the rheological properties of additives for enriching food products with a special-purpose effect are presented in the article. The authors have developed the composition of the food enrichment system, including wheat germ cake, light albumin, white beans. The objective of the work was to conduct research on the selection of a rational amount of water and additives in order to give the latter an adapted state, implying its technological introduction into the paste masses. As a result of research, it was found that the ratio of food additives and water is 1: 2. In this case, the resulting paste based on the additive has a moisture content of 68% and a normal mechanical tension of 2.9 kPa. These indicators are fully consistent with the criteria for similar paste-like food complexes, which are planned to be enriched with the proposed food additive.
The Right Thing to Do, The Smart Thing to Do: Enhancing Diversity in Health Professions -- Summary of the Symposium on Diversity in Health Professions in Honor of Herbert W. Nickens, M.D.

The Symposium on Diversity in the Health Professions in Honor of Herbert W. Nickens, M.D., was convened in March 2001 to provide a forum for health policymakers, health professions educators, education policymakers, researchers, and others to address three significant and contradictory challenges: the continued under-representation of African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans in health professions; the growth of these populations in the United States and subsequent pressure to address their health care needs; and the recent policy, legislative, and legal challenges to affirmative action that may limit access for underrepresented minority students to health professions training. The symposium summary along with a collection of papers presented are to help stimulate further discussion and action toward addressing these challenges. The Right Thing to Do, The Smart Thing to Do: Enhancing Diversity in Health Professions illustrates how the health care industry and health care professions are fighting to retain the public’s confidence so that the U.S. health care system can continue to be the world’s best.
Zero skew clock routing with tree topology construction using simulated annealing method

In synchronous VLSI designs, clock network quality plays a key role in determining system performance. As a part of clock routing, the clock tree topology generation is a crucial problem to the solution. We explore the topology characteristics of clock trees and give a simulated annealing method solving the clock routing problem by manipulating the clock tree topology. The elaborately designed rules of generating a neighbor solution at each iteration step of the simulated annealing process have an important impact on the final solution. As the experimental results illustrated, our approach is effective for zero skew clock routing compared with algorithms which have a topology generation method using top-down and bottom-up heuristics, respectively.
Building new business model from multiple case study research in the Internet of Me

Abstract The digital revolution has greatly changed the approach to culture, work, leisure time, the way we interact and communicate with people: the digitization of information has taken root and has become essential in all areas of social life as a phenomenon that guides and monitors the transformation of society in all its various forms, bringing great changes in almost all areas and especially in the world of work and industry. One of the core elements of the fourth industrial revolution is the systematic application of IoT technologies (Internet of Things) and IoM (Internet of Me) to production processes on a global scale. This study seeks to identify the main decision in the IoT/IoM pattern innovation, more specifically, the purpose of the paper is primarily an analysis of what are the possible future benefits of IoT and IoM, trying to understand the effort and their opportunities for a consumer oriented business. Then to analyze the competitive advantage that companies are pursuing when they implement a business which is IoT/IoM oriented. Our research aims to address the following two research questions: 1)Does exist a well-structured business model for the companies IoT/IoM service oriented? and 2)Is it possible to standardize behavioral pattern and to draw guidelines for companies who want to start similar strategic management? The research presents two phases methodologically joined between them: from a theoretical point of view it is defined the change from the business model towards the “ecosystem” of business model in the strategy IoT/IoM oriented, and from a empirical point of view the business development of an Italian start-up first mover group in the sectors involved in IoT and IoM revolution, through the direct interview qualitative tool.
ournal of C osmology and A stroparticle P hysics J Warm inﬂation on the brane

In this paper, warm inﬂationary models on a brane scenario are studied. Here we consider slow-roll inﬂation and a high-dissipation regime in a high-energy scenario. General conditions required for these models to be realizable are derived. We describe scalar and tensor perturbations for these scenarios. Speciﬁcally we study the power-law potentials considering a dissipation parameter to be a constant on the one hand and φ dependent on the other hand. We use recent astronomical observations to restrict the parameters appearing in our model.
A high performance 19.2MHz digitally controlled crystal oscillator for NB-IoT

This design implements a 19.2MHz digitally controlled crystal oscillator (DCXO) for the narrow-band internet of things system (NB-IoTs). The paper uses positive feedback principle and phase analysis method to design the oscillator, and then the circuit is realized in a 55nm CMOS technology. The DCXO frequency is controlled by a capacitor matrix controlled by a 10bit digital signal. The results show that the crystal tunable range is more than 70ppm, with tuning step of 0.1∼0.2ppm. The phase noise in 1 KHz and 10 KHz offset were -137dBc/Hz and -159dBc/Hz, respectively. The maximum power consumption is 0.72mW at 1.2V power supply voltage, including an output buffer with 0.24mW power consumption.