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Dynamic Causality Between Stock Return and Exchange Rate: Is Stock-Oriented Hypothesis More Relevant in Malaysia?
No full textIn the aftermath of Lehman shock, the effect of quantitative easing policy swiftly permeated the emerging stock markets, causing substantial fluctuation in currency value of different countries. This study aims to determine whether short-term capital flow is more relevant than trade balance in affecting the exchange rate or vice versa by examining the dynamic relationship between stock return and change of Malaysian Ringgit to US Dollar (MYRUSD) as well as between stock return and change of Malaysian Ringgit to Chinese Yuan (MYRCNY). Based on daily data of July 2005–July 2015, our results show: First, in the pre-crisis period, stock returns are found to Granger cause MYRCNY and MYRUSD in mean and variance. Second, during the crisis, the causality from stock returns to MYRCNY and MYRUSD is only found in the mean. Third, in the post-crisis period, there is causality-in-mean from stock returns to MYRUSD, in addition to volatility spillover from stock returns to both MYRCNY and MYRUSD. Hence, it can be concluded that the stock-oriented hypothesis is more tenable in Malaysia, suggesting that MYRUSD is determined by the short-term capital flow. Furthermore, the forex market is informational inefficient during the post-crisis period when the stock return has predictive power over the exchange rate
A Smart Under-Frequency Load Shedding Scheme based on Takagi-Sugeno Fuzzy Inference System and Flexible Load Priority
No full textThis paper proposes a new smart under frequency load shedding (UFLS) scheme, based on Takagi-Sugeno (TS) fuzzy inference system and flexible load priority. The proposed scheme consists of two parts. First part consists of fuzzy load shed amount estimation module (FLSAEM) which uses TS-fuzzy to estimate the amount of load shed and sends its value to accurate load shedding module (ALSM) to perform accurate load shedding using flexible load priority. The performance of the proposed scheme is tested for intentional islanding case and increment of sudden load in the system. Moreover, the response of the proposed scheme is compared with adaptive UFLS scheme to highlight its advantages. The simulation results show that the proposed UFLS scheme provides the accurate load shedding due to advantage of flexible priority whereas adaptive UFLS scheme due to fixed load priority does not succeed to achieve accurate load shedding
On No-Three-In-Line Problem on m-Dimensional Torus
No full textLet Z be the set of integers and Zl be the set of integers modulo l. A set L⊆T=Zl1×Zl2Zlm is called a line if there exist a, b∈ T such that L={a+tb∈T:t∈Z}. A set X⊆ T is called a no-three-in-line set if | X∩ L| ≤ 2 for all the lines L in T. The maximum size of a no-three-in-line set is denoted by τ(T). Let m≥ 2 and k1, k2, … , km be positive integers such that gcd (ki, kj) = 1 for all i, j with i≠ j. In this paper, we will show that (Formula presented.).We will give sufficient conditions for which the equality holds. When k1= k2= ⋯ = km= 1 and n= pl where p is a prime and l≥ 1 is an integer, we will show that equality holds if and only if p= 2 and l= 1 , i.e., τ(Zpl×Zpl×⋯×Zpl) = 2pl(m-1) if and only if p= 2 and l= 1
Williams-Beuren syndrome in diverse populations
No full textWilliams–Beuren syndrome (WBS) is a common microdeletion syndrome characterized by a 1.5Mb deletion in 7q11.23. The phenotype of WBS has been well described in populations of European descent with not as much attention given to other ethnicities. In this study, individuals with WBS from diverse populations were assessed clinically and by facial analysis technology. Clinical data and images from 137 individuals with WBS were found in 19 countries with an average age of 11 years and female gender of 45%. The most common clinical phenotype elements were periorbital fullness and intellectual disability which were present in greater than 90% of our cohort. Additionally, 75% or greater of all individuals with WBS had malar flattening, long philtrum, wide mouth, and small jaw. Using facial analysis technology, we compared 286 Asian, African, Caucasian, and Latin American individuals with WBS with 286 gender and age matched controls and found that the accuracy to discriminate between WBS and controls was 0.90 when the entire cohort was evaluated concurrently. The test accuracy of the facial recognition technology increased significantly when the cohort was analyzed by specific ethnic population (P-value < 0.001 for all comparisons), with accuracies for Caucasian, African, Asian, and Latin American groups of 0.92, 0.96, 0.92, and 0.93, respectively. In summary, we present consistent clinical findings from global populations with WBS and demonstrate how facial analysis technology can support clinicians in making accurate WBS diagnoses
The Top 50 Most Cited Publications in Disability Sport: A Bibliometric Analysis
No full textDespite increasing publications in disability sport, no bibliometric analysis has been conducted to evaluate their impact.We conducted a systematic search of theWeb of Science Core Collection citation index on June 26, 2017 for publications published since 1980 to identify the top 50 most cited publications in disability sport. The top 50 cited publications were mainly articles and reviews published in the English language between 1993 and 2014. Most of the 148 authors who contributed to these publications were based in Europe and North America. The majority of the publications can be categorized as sociological and psychological as well as training and competition effects. The most researched events were the Paralympics and Special Olympics. These top-cited publications have contributed to the development of disability sport research
Complete Genome Sequences of the Plant Pathogens Dickeya solani RNS 08.23.3.1.A and Dickeya dianthicola RNS04.9
No full textDickeya spp. are bacterial pathogens causing soft-rot and blackleg diseases on a wide range of ornamental plants and crops. In this paper, we announce the PacBio complete genome sequences of the plant pathogens Dickeya solani RNS 08.23.3.1.A (PRI3337) and Dickeya dianthicola RNS04.9
Delay Factors in Reconstruction Projects: A Case Study of Mataf Expansion Project
No full textDelays in construction projects are a common phenomenon throughout the industry. This problem has many negative impacts on the time, cost, and sustainability of the projects. Many studies were conducted to identify the main causes of this delay in new construction projects in different regions but very few studies have focused on finding an explanation for the causes of delay in major reconstruction projects that have great religious and cultural sustainability. This paper examines the factors that contributed to work delays in one of the most major reconstruction projects that took place recently in the Middle East, which is namely the Mataf Expansion Project in the city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Fourteen interviews were conducted with project managers, construction managers, and senior site engineers to identify the factors that they encountered and led to the delay in the reconstruction activities of this project. Some of the findings were consistent and similar to most other causes of delay that are associated with new construction projects. However, interestingly, this research has discovered the existence of other unavoidable factors that caused a delay and should be considered for any similar reconstruction projects. The results showed that these factors could be divided into two groups: the first one is related to the demolition phase (five factors) and the second group is related to construction works (nine factors). In addition, it has been observed that the building material during the reconstruction is considered one of the major delaying factors. Finally, these 14 delay factors should be carefully considered to assure the sustainability of the main object's function during the reconstruction activities
Elevated concentrations of naturally occurring radionuclides in heavy mineral-rich beach sands of Langkawi Island, Malaysia
No full textStudy is made of the radioactivity in the beach sands of Langkawi island, a well-known tourist destination. Investigation is made of the relative presence of the naturally occurring radionuclide 40K and the natural-series indicator radionuclides 226Ra and 232Th, the gamma radiation exposure also being estimated. Sample quantities of black and white sand were collected for gamma ray spectrometry, yielding activity concentration in black sands of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K from 451 ± 9 to 2411 ± 65 Bq kg− 1 (mean of 1478 Bq kg− 1); 232 ± 4 to 1272 ± 35 Bq kg− 1 (mean of 718 Bq kg− 1) and 61 ± 6 to 136 ± 7 Bq kg− 1 (mean of 103 Bq kg− 1) respectively. Conversely, in white sands the respective values for 226Ra and 232Th were appreciably lower, at 8.3 ± 0.5 to 13.7 ± 1.4 Bq kg− 1 (mean of 9.8 Bq kg− 1) and 4.5 ± 0.7 to 9.4 ± 1.0 Bq kg− 1 (mean of 5.9 Bq kg− 1); 40K activities differed insubstantially from that in black sands, at 85 ± 4 to 133 ± 7 Bq kg− 1 with a mean of 102 Bq kg− 1. The mean activity concentrations of 226Ra and 232Th in black sands are comparable with that of high background areas elsewhere in the world. The heavy minerals content gives rise to elevated 226Ra and 232Th activity concentrations in all of black sand samples. Evaluation of the various radiological risk parameters points to values which in some cases could be in excess of recommendations providing for safe living and working. Statistical analysis examines correlations between the origins of the radionuclides, also identifying and classifying the radiological parameters. Present results may help to form an interest in rare-earth resources for the electronics industry, power generation and the viability of nuclear fuels cycle resources
Combined effects of knee brace, laterally wedged insoles and toe-in gait on knee adduction moment and balance in moderate medial knee osteoarthritis patients
No full textObjective: To test the hypothesis that toe-in gait (TI) will further reduce first peak (Knee Adduction Moment) KAM and decrease balance when combined with a knee brace (KB) and laterally wedged insoles (LWI) in medial knee osteoarthritis (kOA) patients. Participants: Twenty patients with bilateral symptomatic medial kOA. Interventions: 4-point leverage-based KB, full-length LWI with 5° inclination and toe-in gait (TI). Main outcome measures: First and second peak knee adduction moment (fKAM and sKAM respectively), balance and pain. Methods: The fKAM and sKAM were determined from 3-dimensional gait analysis with six randomized conditions: (1) N (without any intervention), (2) KB, (3) KB + TI, (4) LWI, (5) LWI + TI, (6) KB + LWI + TI. Balance was assessed by Biodex Balance System using three stability settings, (i) Static (ii) Moderate dynamic setting for fall risk (FR12) and (iii) High dynamic setting for fall risk (FR8). Results: The reduction in fKAM and sKAM was greatest (19.75% and 12%) when TI was combined with KB and LWI respectively. No change in balance was observed when TI combined with KB, and LWI and when used concurrently with both the orthosis at static and FR12 conditions. Significant balance reduction was found at FR8 for KB + TI (22.22%), and KB + LWI + TI (35.71%). Pain increased significantly for KB (258%), KB + TI (305%), LWI + TI (210%) and KB + LWI + TI (316%). LWI showed no effect on pain. Conclusions: There is a synergistic effect of TI when combined with KB and LWI concurrently in sKAM reduction. However, the concurrent use of TI, KB and LWI decreases balance and pain as assessed on a highly dynamic platform
A Localization-Free Interference and Energy Holes Minimization Routing for Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks
No full textInterference and energy holes formation in underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSNs) threaten the reliable delivery of data packets from a source to a destination. Interference also causes inefficient utilization of the limited battery power of the sensor nodes in that more power is consumed in the retransmission of the lost packets. Energy holes are dead nodes close to the surface of water, and their early death interrupts data delivery even when the network has live nodes. This paper proposes a localization-free interference and energy holes minimization (LF-IEHM) routing protocol for UWSNs. The proposed algorithm overcomes interference during data packet forwarding by defining a unique packet holding time for every sensor node. The energy holes formation is mitigated by a variable transmission range of the sensor nodes. As compared to the conventional routing protocols, the proposed protocol does not require the localization information of the sensor nodes, which is cumbersome and difficult to obtain, as nodes change their positions with water currents. Simulation results show superior performance of the proposed scheme in terms of packets received at the final destination and end-to-end delay