Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Numerical methods in real option analysis

OF MASTER’S THESIS Author Arto Sorsimo Title of thesis Numerical Methods in Real Option Analysis Degree Master of Science in Economics and Business Administration Degree programme Economics Thesis advisor Associate Professor Pauli Murto Pages v + 82 Year of approval 2015 Language English In this study we examine di↵erent numerical solution methods that can be used to solve di↵erential equations arising from real options analysis and present two case studies that are solved numerically. First we examine commonly used methods in valuating investments with uncertainty. The most suitable method for long-term investments with high uncertainty is the real options analysis, which uses an underlying stochastic variable in valuation. We introduce the framework for real options and examine the di↵erences between infinite and finite time horizon real options. Short literature review reveals that there are several problems within real options theory for which a closed-form solution does not exist and hence numerical methods should be applied. We introduce three numerical methods commonly used in real options analysis: the Monte Carlo (MC) method, binomial lattice (BL) method, and finite di↵erence method (FDM) with explicit and implicit solution scheme. Then we present two case studies, investment option that is used to benchmark numerical solutions, and abandonment option which cannot be solved analytically. Comparison of numerical methods reveals that even though the MCmethod is stable, it is inaccurate and slow in comparison to other methods. The implicit FDM is superior to the explicit method as the latter is very unstable to grid parameters. Even though the BL method outperforms other methods with respect to simulation time and accuracy, the implicit FDM is the most advantageous method as it provides always convergent solution in the whole time domain at once. Finally, we apply BL method and FDM to solve the abandonment option case the option to abandon can be exercised at any point of time during the project. On the grounds of the study, we suggest using the implicit FDM in further real option applications due to the output, convergence and stability properties, and the flexibility over the boundary conditions. We recommend investigating additional case studies with the presented numerical methods along with their extensions, as well as completely new approaches such as the finite element method.
Percolation Model for Universal Scaling of Vegetation Net Primary Productivity with Climate Variables

We show that a quantitative, physically-based model of water balance, combined with a model for the dependence of net primary productivity (NPP) of vegetation on evapotranspiration E leads to the universal scaling of NPP with the climate variables, namely, precipitation P and potential evapotranspiration E p . The model for NPP is based on percolation theory. The water balance is derived based on the hypothesis that ecosystem selection is driven by optimizing NPP with respect to the principal hydrologic fluxes i.e., E and Q (= P − E ; known as run-off), with the flux dependence of E being applied self-consistently to the NPP’s model. The predictions are compared separately with Budyko’s compilation of the NPP data as a function of E p and P using the aridity index, A I = E p /P , and E p for each set of experimental data, and are shown to be in excellent agreement with the data.
A Fast and Effective Technique Based on A Genetic Algorithm for Determining the K Shortest and Longest Path

-This paper discusses a genetic algorithm-based method for determining the k shortest and longest paths in a graph. The k-shortest path problem is a graph theory generalisation of the shortest path problem. It has applications in network routing and multi-object tracking, among others. In contrast, the longest path problem is a generalisation of the Hamiltonian path problem. It is used, among other things, to find the critical path. This can be used in circuit design, planning, and scheduling. The proposed genetic algorithm-based method was applied to both problems, and the conditions that yielded the most paths were determined. The proposed method is effective for determining a better-quality path. To assess the effectiveness of the approach, it is compared to a traditional algorithm.
Web application for visual prediction games

This thesis studies a human ability to assess the uncertainty of his/her own predictions. To evaluate this ability objectively, we analyze the human performance in the problem of prediction with the reject option, because the optimal reject option strategy requires the knowledge of the prediction uncertainty. As the test scenario, we considered the problem of predicting the human age from face images. We formulated Age Prediction Games which are special instances of the prediction problems we wanted to study, and which have simple rules understandable to everyone. We implemented a web application where the Age Prediction Games can be played online in an ordinary Internet browser. We used the application to collect responses in the Age Prediction Games on face images from two established age prediction benchmarks, the MORPH and the AgeDB database. We used the collected data to analyze the human performance in age prediction and age prediction with the reject option. We also compare the human performance with the convolution neural network trained on examples. The main finding is that humans are unable to exploit the reject option to improve performance in the game in contrast to simple CNN predictors.
Particle Inertia Effects on Radar Doppler Spectra Simulation

Radar Doppler spectra observations provide a wealth of information about cloud and 7 precipitation microphysics and dynamics. The interpretation of these measurements depends on 8 our ability to simulate these observations accurately forward. The effect of small-scale turbulence 9 on the radar Doppler spectra shape has been traditionally treated by implementing the convolution 10 process on the hydrometer reflectivity spectrum and environment turbulence. This approach 11 assumes that all the particles in the radar sampling volume respond the same to turbulent scale 12 velocity fluctuations and neglects the particle inertial effect. Here, we investigate the impact of 13 particle inertia on the forward modelled radar Doppler spectra. A physics-based simulation is 14 developed to demonstrate that big droplets, with large inertia, are unable to follow the rapid change 15 of velocity field in a turbulent environment. These findings are incorporated to a new radar Doppler 16 spectra simulator. Comparison between the traditional and the newly formulated radar Doppler 17 spectra simulators indicates that the conventional simulator leads to an unrealistic broadening of 18 the spectrum, especially in strong turbulence environment. Doppler spectra observed from the W- 19 band Cloud Radar at South Great Plain (SGP) observatory are used to validate the fidelity of the 20 two Doppler spectrum simulation methods. The result indicates that the Doppler spectrum 21 generated from the proposed approach is more consistent to the observed Doppler spectrum while 22 the conventional simulator misrepresents the Doppler spectrum morphology. This study provides 23 clear evidence to illustrate the droplets inertial effect on radar Doppler spectrum and develops a 24 physics-based simulator framework to accurately emulate the Doppler spectrum for a given 25 Droplet Size Distribution in turbulence field. The proposed simulator has various potential 26 applications to the cloud/precipitation studies and provides a valuable tool to decode the cloud 27 microphysics and dynamics properties from Doppler radar observation.
Bridging the Gap between Strategic Planning and SMEs Performance: Role of External Business Environment

- Given the fact that strategic planning takes a central position in firm’s operational activities, particularly in a rapidly changing business environment, but research into circumstance under which key strategic planning elements enhance firm performance is lacking in the extant literature. As a result, this study investigates the moderating role of external business environment in strategic planning elements-SMEs performance relationship. A survey research design was used via self-administered questionnaire with a view to collecting data from 497 registered SMEs operating in Lagos- Nigeria. The sample was chosen using a simple random sampling technique Data was analysed by SPSS and Partial Least Square- Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM via PLS3). Findings revealed that significant positive relationships exist between strategy formulation, strategy implementation and SMEs performance. Findings further revealed that external business environment moderated the relationship between strategy implementation and SMEs performance. The implications, limitations and suggestions for future research were also discussed
Sur l'estimation du support d'une densité

Etant donnee une densite de probabilite multivariee inconnue $f$ a support compact et un $n$-echantillon i.i. d. issu de $f$, nous etudions l'estimateur du support de $f$ defini par l'union des boules de rayon $r_n$ centrees sur les observations. Afin de mesurer la qualite de l'estimation, nous utilisons un critere general fonde sur le volume de la difference symetrique. Sous quelques hypotheses peu restrictives, et en utilisant des outils de la geometrie riemannienne, nous etablissons les vitesses de convergence exactes de l'estimateur du support tout en examinant les consequences statistiques de ces resultats.
Image Forgery Detection using SIFT and PCA Classifiers for Panchromatic Images

Objectives: The image forgery detection is the technique in which pixels are marked in the image, which are not similar to other pixels of the images. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is the classification of neural networks which will analyze each pixel of the image and classify pixels according to pixel type. Method: The PCA algorithm takes training and trained dataset as input and drive new values according to input image. In the paper improvement in the PCA algorithm with usage of Scale-Invariant-Feature-Transform algorithm (SIFT Algorithm), is proposed for image-forgery. The SIFT algorithm is the algorithm which analyze each pixel of the image and define type of pixels in the image. The output of the SIFT algorithm is given as input to PCA algorithm for data classification. The PCA algorithm will classify the data according to SIFT algorithm output. Findings: The results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm executes well in terms of “Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio” (PSNR), “Mean-Square-Error” (MSE), fault detection rate and accuracy value.
Arbre de partition binaire : un nouvel outil pour la représentation hiérarchique et l’analyse des images hyperspectrales

The optimal exploitation of the information provided by hyperspectral images requires the development of advanced image processing tools. Therefore, under the title Hyperspectral image representation and Processing with Binary Partition Trees, this PhD thesis proposes the construction and the processing of a new region-based hierarchical hyperspectral image representation:the Binary Partition Tree (BPT). This hierarchical region-based representation can be interpretedas a set of hierarchical regions stored in a tree structure. Hence, the Binary Partition Tree succeedsin presenting: (i) the decomposition of the image in terms of coherent regions and (ii) the inclusionrelations of the regions in the scene. Based on region-merging techniques, the construction of BPTis investigated in this work by studying hyperspectral region models and the associated similaritymetrics. As a matter of fact, the very high dimensionality and the complexity of the data require the definition of specific region models and similarity measures. Once the BPT is constructed, the fixed tree structure allows implementing efficient and advanced application-dependent techniqueson it. The application-dependent processing of BPT is generally implemented through aspecific pruning of the tree. Accordingly, some pruning techniques are proposed and discussed according to different applications. This Ph.D is focused in particular on segmentation, object detectionand classification of hyperspectral imagery. Experimental results on various hyperspectraldata sets demonstrate the interest and the good performances of the BPT representation.
High-dimensional nonsmooth convex optimization via optimal subgradient methods

In den letzten Jahrzehnten hat die konvexe Optimierung enorme Aufmerksamkeit erhalten und sich aufgrund ihres reichen theoretischen Rahmens sowie der rechnerischen Zuverlaessigkeit sehr rasch entwickelt. Die iterativen Verfahren in der konvexen Optimierung basieren typischerweise auf Informationen nullter, erster oder zweiter Ordnung ueber die Zielfunktion. Dabei bilden Informationen erster Ordnung (Funktionswerte und Subgradienten) die meistversprechenden Methoden zum Loesen von hoch dimensionalen oder big data Problemen. Unter diesen Methoden bieten sich sogenannte Subgradienten-Methoden an, da diese eine einfache Form haben und mit allgemeinen konvexen Problemen umgehen koennen, ohne dabei die Struktur des Problems zu beruecksichtigen (im Gegensatz zu Optimierungsmethoden, die auf proximalen Punkten basieren oder solchen vom Nesterov-Typ). Der Nachteil dieser Subgradienten-Verfahren ist jedoch, dass sie zu langsam sind, um reale Probleme, die in Technik oder angewandter Wissenschaft auftreten, effektiv loesen zu koennen. Motiviert durch den Bedarf an schnellen und zuverlaessigen Methoden fuer das Loesen von allgemeinen nicht-glatten konvexen Optimierungsproblemen wurden im Zuge dieser Arbeit spezielle Subgradienten-Verfahren entwickelt, die zum einen die optimale Komplexitaet von bekannten Verfahren erster Ordnung haben und zum anderen schnell genug sind, um hoch-dimensionale und big data -Anwendungs-probleme loesen zu koennen. Das neue Subgradienten-Verfahren (OSGA) beruht auf den Loesbarkeit eines nicht-konvexen Teilproblems. In dieser Arbeit wird gezeigt, dass man dieses Teilproblem fuer unbeschraenkte (multi-term affine zusammengesetzte Funktionen, sowie Zielfunktionen, die kostenintensive lineare Operatoren beinhalten) und einfach beschraenkte Probleme (auf einfachen Gebieten mit effektiver Projektion), sowie Probleme beschraenkt durch einfache Funktionen (Sublevel set von einfachen konvexen Funktionen) effizient loesen kann. Wenn zusaetzlich die Nicht-Glattheit der Zielfunktion in einer passenden Struktur formuliert ist, kann eine neue Subgradienten-Methode, die ebenfalls hier vorgestellt wird, eine Komplexitaet von $O(\epsilon^{-1/2})$ erreichen, welche dem optimalen Aufwand fuer glatte Probleme mit Lipschitz-stetigen Gradienten entspricht. Numerische Ergebnisse und Vergleiche mit anderen state-of-the-art-Verfahren werden in dieser Arbeit anhand von verschiedenen interessanten Anwendungsproblemen praesentiert. OSGA wurde als Software-Paket veroeffentlicht und ist fuer die Nutzung zu akademischen Zwecken frei verfuegbar.
A Performance Comparison of Systematic Polar Codes and Non-systematic Polar Codes

Ming Ye and Hui Li* School of Information Science and Technology, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China *Corresponding author Abstract—Polar coding is a code construction method that can achieve the capacity of symmetric binary-input discrete memoryless channels (B-DMC). Polar codes in standard form are non-systematic polar codes (NSPCs). The codes are susceptible to error propagation under successive cancellation (SC) decoding while systematic polar codes (SPCs) are more robust against error propagation. SPCs may be considered as a generalization of NSPCs. Here,we demonstrate the performance advantages of SPCs over NSPCs under SC decoding.
On the Momentum Budget of the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation in the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model

This study documents the contribution of equatorial waves and mesoscale gravity waves to the momentum budget of the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) in a 110-level version of the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model. The model has high vertical resolution, 500 m, above the boundary layer and through the lower and middle stratosphere, decreasing gradually to about 1.5 km near the stratopause. Parameterized mesoscale gravity waves and resolved equatorial waves contribute comparable easterly and westerly accelerations near the equator. Westerly acceleration by resolved waves is due mainly to Kelvin waves of zonal wavenumber in the range k = 1–15 and is broadly distributed about the equator. Easterly acceleration near the equator is due mainly to Rossby–gravity (RG) waves with zonal wavenumbers in the range k = 4–12. These RG waves appear to be generated in situ during both the easterly and westerly phases of the QBO, wherever the meridional curvature of the equatorial westerly jet is large enough to produce reversals of the zonal-mean barotropic vorticity gradient, suggesting that they are excited by the instability of the jet. The RG waves produce a characteristic pattern of Eliassen–Palm flux divergence that includes strong easterly acceleration close to the equator and westerly acceleration farther from the equator, suggesting that the role of the RG waves is to redistribute zonal-mean vorticity such as to neutralize the instability of the westerly jet. Insofar as unstable RG waves might be present in the real atmosphere, mixing due to these waves could have important implications for transport in the tropical stratosphere.
Type-ology or typ-ology?

Abstract Typology based on codable traits has its heyday early in the development of any biological science. In mature disciplines it has long since given way to diachronic models of how complex structures evolve in shifting environments. Linguistic typology is no different. It also faces existential crises from recognition that its categories are dubiously universal and that global samples conceal macroareal biases. To avoid irrelevance, typology should blend into the linguistic landscape. It should defragment by refocusing on interdomain interactions (e.g., between mood and anaphora), and rediscover extreme languages and Sapirean types. Simultaneously, it must decentralize operationally into more manageable and illuminating family-level synchronic-diachronic microtypology.
Quantifying time perception during virtual reality gameplay using a multimodal biosensor-instrumented headset: a feasibility study

We have all experienced the sense of time slowing down when we are bored or speeding up when we are focused, engaged, or excited about a task. In virtual reality (VR), perception of time can be a key aspect related to flow, immersion, engagement, and ultimately, to overall quality of experience. While several studies have explored changes in time perception using questionnaires, limited studies have attempted to characterize them objectively. In this paper, we propose the use of a multimodal biosensor-embedded VR headset capable of measuring electroencephalography (EEG), electrooculography (EOG), electrocardiography (ECG), and head movement data while the user is immersed in a virtual environment. Eight gamers were recruited to play a commercial action game comprised of puzzle-solving tasks and first-person shooting and combat. After gameplay, ratings were given across multiple dimensions, including (1) the perception of time flowing differently than usual and (2) the gamers losing sense of time. Several features were extracted from the biosignals, ranked based on a two-step feature selection procedure, and then mapped to a predicted time perception rating using a Gaussian process regressor. Top features were found to come from the four signal modalities and the two regressors, one for each time perception scale, were shown to achieve results significantly better than chance. An in-depth analysis of the top features is presented with the hope that the insights can be used to inform the design of more engaging and immersive VR experiences.
A COMPARATIVE STUDY TO ASSESS THE LONELINESS AMONG ELDERLY MEN AND WOMEN IN SELECTED RESIDENTIAL AREAS OF DELHI WITH A VIEW TO DEVELOP AND DISSEMINATE AN INFORMATION BOOKLET ON COPING WITH LONELINESS.

Loneliness has long been identified as problem associated with old age and denotes a lack of quantity and quality of social contacts. It is a state in which one experiences a powerful feeling of emptiness and isolation. A comparative study to assess the loneliness was conducted on the elderly men and women of selected residential areas of Delhi. The objectives of the study were to (1) To assess loneliness among elderly men and women. (2) To compare loneliness between elderly men and women. (3) To assess the factors responsible for loneliness among elderly men and women. (4) To find out the relationship between loneliness and working status. (5) To develop and disseminate an information booklet on coping with loneliness among elderly. The conceptual framework of the present study is based on Discrepancy Model of Loneliness, a quantitative research approach was used for the study. A structured interview schedule and a recording sheet were prepared. The Reliability of tool was worked out by using Cronbach’s
Sound signals of tsunamis from a slender fault

Since the speed of sound in water is much greater than that of the surface gravity waves, acoustic signals can be used for early warning of tsunamis. We simplify existing works by treating the sound wave alone without the much slower gravity wave, and derive a two-dimensional theory for signals emanating from a fault of finite length. Under the assumptions of a slender fault and constant sea depth, the asymptotic technique of multiple scales is applied to obtain analytical results. The modal envelopes of the two-dimensional sound waves are found to be governed by the Schrödinger equation and are solved explicitly. An approximate method is described for the inverse estimation of fault properties from the pressure record at a distant hydrophone.
Transabdominal Preperitoneal Versus Lichtenstein Procedure for Inguinal Hernia Repair in Adults: A Comparative Evaluation of the Early Postoperative Pain and Outcomes

Inguinal hernia repairs are one of the most common procedures in general surgery. In addition to classical open surgery, laparoscopic techniques, such as transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) and total extraperitoneal (TEP) hernia repair, have gained acceptance and are increasingly used for inguinal hernia repairs, and these three techniques are the only standards for inguinal hernia repairs. This study aimed to compare the results of inguinal hernia repairs in adult patients using the TAPP patch technique and Lichtenstein techniques regarding the level of pain perceived one day after surgery and the number of days of hospitalization. A two-year study was performed on 129 patients who underwent TAPP vs. 109 patients who underwent Liechtenstein hernia repair. Our results revealed statistical significance for both variables (Tpain(233) = -7.12, p< 0.001, d=2.92; Tdays of hospitalization(233) = -31.34, p< 0.001, d=4.01). TAPP is a safe method for inguinal hernia repairs, allowing quick recovery and less postoperative pain than the classical Liechtenstein technique.