Topics

1

Applied Maths / A faster method for multiplying very big numbers

« on: July 07, 2019, 05:12:47 PM »

The multiplication of integers is a problem that has kept mathematicians busy since Antiquity. The "Babylonian" method we learn at school requires us to multiply each digit of the first number by each digit of the second one. But when both numbers have a billion digits each, that means a billion times a billion or 1018 operations.
At a rate of a billion operations per second, it would take a computer a little over 30 years to finish the job. In 1971, the mathematicians Schönhage and Strassen discovered a quicker way, cutting calculation time down to about 30 seconds on a modern laptop. In their article, they also predicted that another algorithm—yet to be found—could do an even faster job. Joris van der Hoeven, a CNRS researcher from the École Polytechnique Computer Science Laboratory LIX, and David Harvey from the University of New South Wales (Australia) have found that algorithm.

They present their work in a new article that is available to the scientific community through the online HAL archive. But one problem raised by Schönhage et Strassen remains to be solved: proving that no quicker method exists. This poses a new challenge for theoretical computer science.

https://phys.org/news/2019-04-faster-method-big.html

2

Pure Maths / Mathematicians revive abandoned approach to the Riemann Hypothesis

« on: July 07, 2019, 05:11:18 PM »

Many ways to approach the Riemann Hypothesis have been proposed during the past 150 years, but none of them have led to conquering the most famous open problem in mathematics. A new paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) suggests that one of these old approaches is more practical than previously realized.


https://phys.org/news/2019-05-mathematicians-revive-abandoned-approach-riemann.html

3

Science and Information / A Valuable Lesson For A Happier Life

« on: July 03, 2019, 09:35:33 AM »

This is by far one of the most valuable lessons for a happier life. After reading the story by  Steven Covey I decided to produce this  video to share the message with others. Get inspired with this short film of a professor explaining to his class the importance of using one's time wisely and setting priorities in order to have a fulfilling life.

Please Watch this :

4

Teaching & Research Forum / The brain consumes half of a child's energy -- and that could matter for weight

« on: July 02, 2019, 03:37:35 PM »

In a new paper published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), "A hypothesis linking the energy demand of the brain to obesity risk," co-authors Christopher Kuzawa of Northwestern University and Clancy Blair of New York University School of Medicine, propose that variation in the energy needs of brain development across kids -- in terms of the timing, intensity and duration of energy use -- could influence patterns of energy expenditure and weight gain.

"We all know that how much energy our bodies burn is an important influence on weight gain," said Kuzawa, professor of anthropology in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and a faculty fellow with the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern. "When kids are 5, their brains use almost half of their bodies' energy. And yet, we have no idea how much the brain's energy expenditure varies between kids. This is a huge hole in our understanding of energy expenditure."

"A major aim of our paper is to bring attention to this gap in understanding and to encourage researchers to measure the brain's energy use in future studies of child development, especially those focused on understanding weight gain and obesity risk."

According to the authors, another important unknown is whether programs designed to stimulate brain development through enrichment, such as preschool programs like Head Start, might influence the brain's pattern of energy use.

"We believe it plausible that increased energy expenditure by the brain could be an unanticipated benefit to early child development programs, which, of course, have many other demonstrated benefits," Kuzawa said. "That would be a great win-win."

This new hypothesis was inspired by Kuzawa and his colleagues' 2014 study showing that the brain consumes a lifetime peak of two-thirds of the body's resting energy expenditure, and almost half of total expenditure, when kids are five years old. This study also showed that ages when the brain's energy needs increase during early childhood are also ages of declining weight gain. As the energy needed for brain development declines in older children and adolescents, the rate of weight gain increases in parallel.

"This finding helped confirm a long-standing hypothesis in anthropology that human children evolved a much slower rate of childhood growth compared to other mammals and primates in part because their brains required more energy to develop," Kuzawa said.


Source :: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190617164629.htm

5

Teaching & Research Forum / Researchers grow active mini-brain-networks

« on: July 02, 2019, 03:36:08 PM »

Summary:: Cerebral organoids are artificially grown, 3D tissue cultures that resemble the human brain. Now, researchers report success with functional neural networks derived from these organoids. Although the organoids aren't actually 'thinking,' the researchers' new tool -- which detects neural activity using organoids -- could provide a method for understanding human brain function.


Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190627113945.htm

6

Teaching & Research Forum / International Youth Development Conference 2019 at UTAR Malaysia

« on: July 02, 2019, 03:33:59 PM »

Dear all,

We are pleased to organise the International Youth Development Conference 2019, themed 'Evolving Roles of Youths: Global Talent Mobility', from 27th to 28th July 2019 at UTAR, Kampar Campus. You are cordially invited to the conference.

Aim:

Preparing our Youths to be ready global citizens and to embrace talent mobility.

Objectives:

1. To enable Youths to identify beliefs, values and behaviours that form individual and community identities and the basis for respectful relationships.
2. To enable our Youths to reinforce diverse learning and extend their international perspective.
3. To build awareness on identifying and challenging unjust practices in local and global systems.
4. To encourage participating students to be socially conscious and caring global citizens.

This conference will be held for two days, which include talks, workshops and forum by prominent speakers / trainers sharing their valuable experience and knowledge. Thus, through a series of an active learning process, student engagement can be promoted and strengthened effectively.

Attached are the details of the conference together with the registration form. If you have any further enquiries, please do not hesitate to contact us at 05-46888 88 (2282/2300) or email to iydc.kpr@utar.edu.my

Please submit your registration form and a photocopy of bank-in slip to the Department of Student Affairs before 15 July 2019.

A confirmation of registration will be given to you after the payment is made.

IYDC Website: http://iydc2019.event.utar.edu.my

Department of Student Affairs
Department of Soft Skills Competency
Kampar Campus 

7

Division of Research / Measuring the macroeconomic performance of Taiwanese economy

« on: May 15, 2019, 03:39:03 PM »

In this paper I construct a scalar-valued summary measure of the macroeconomic performance of an economy. The
measure combines any number of conventional but noncommensurate performance indicators. The basic idea behind the
procedure is to use mathematical programming techniques of efficiency measurement to construct a “best practice”
macroeconomic performance frontier, and then to measure performance in terms of an indicator-based efficiency score.
The procedure is applied to a set of ten Asian economies over the past two decades, with special attention paid to Taiwan.

8

Science and Information / জেদ থেকে জয়

« on: May 12, 2019, 02:10:57 PM »

বিশ্বখ্যাত প্রযুক্তি প্রতিষ্ঠান গুগলে অন্যতম প্রিন্সিপাল ইঞ্জিনিয়ার হিসেবে কাজ করছেন বাংলাদেশের তরুণ জাহিদ সবুর। বাংলাদেশের একটি বেসরকারি বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় থেকে পড়ালেখা শেষ করে কীভাবে তিনি গুগলের অন্যতম উচ্চ পদে পৌঁছালেন? জাহিদ সবুরের সঙ্গে কথা বলেছেন মো. সাইফুল্লাহ.

https://www.prothomalo.com/we-are/article/1593469/%E0%A6%9C%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%A6-%E0%A6%A5%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%95%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%9C%E0%A7%9F

9

Teaching & Research Forum / Italian Government Scholarships for Foreign Students

« on: May 07, 2019, 11:46:44 AM »

http://www.scholars4dev.com/3282/italian-government-scholarships-for-international-students/

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Teaching & Research Forum / http://www.scholars4dev.com/2876/usa-fulbright-scholarships-for-international-st

« on: May 07, 2019, 11:43:41 AM »

I hope that this link will be helpful for PhD funding.
http://www.scholars4dev.com/2876/usa-fulbright-scholarships-for-international-students/

11

2019 / Productivity and efficiency analysis using DEA: Evidence from financial companie

« on: May 05, 2019, 09:27:52 AM »

This study evaluates the technical efficiency, productivity change of financial companies listed in Malaysian stock exchange (Bursa Malaysia) and examines the effects of productivity change on efficiency over the period 2007–2016. Moreover, this study also concentrates on the ranking of financial companies according to their efficiency score. Data Envelopment Analysis is utilized on a Malmquist Productivity Index in order to calculate the financial companies’ efficiency scores. The results of this study show that APX, JOH, ECML, MAA, BURSA, ACSM, and LPI were fully efficient companies. The result implied that these companies were in optimal control of their inputs or resources to generate maximum outputs. Also, the results indicate a tremendous productivity gain was mostly because of a positive shift in frontier technology and technical efficiency. Common misspecification problems observed that instability of efficiency scores over productivity.

12

2019 / Forecasting the Stock Price by using Holt’s Method

« on: May 05, 2019, 09:21:19 AM »

This study proposed to develop a stock indicator that can forecast the value of a share by considering the daily closing price or opening price with the different parameter of Holt’s method. Most of the indicator which is existing in most of the stock market which forecasted value is based on a long period forecast. But, Holt’s method will be easy to analyze the price of an individual company with maximum accuracy for short period forecasting. The daily data, the closing price of the different company, are collected from the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) for the period of 2016. The variables: level, trend, forecast as well as smoothing constant (α, β) are used for quick reaction to systematic changes in the time series. By using Holt’s method, a buyer can predict, how much of a share price will be the next day. The research finds that Holt’s method forecasting is better for short time then long time as evidence shows that the fourth day predicted value is closer to the actual value. In addition, the analysis discovers that for prediction the forecast value, the fifteen and seven days’ data of any company are more accurate than 30 days’ data. This study notices that different smoothing constant is the big factor for forecasting and suggests to use smoothing constant α = 0.5, β = 0.1.

13

2019 / FORMULATIONS AND ANALYSIS OF NONLINEAR MODIFIED BURGERS EQUATIONS IN A DENSE PLA

« on: May 05, 2019, 09:19:19 AM »

A theoretical investigation has been made to study the cylindrical and spherical electron-acoustic
shock waves (EASWs) in an unmagnetized, collisionless degenerate quantum plasma system containing
two distinct groups of electrons (one inertial non-relativistic cold electrons and other inertialess
ultra-relativistic hot electrons) and positively charged static ions. By employing well known reductive
perturbation method the modified Burgers (mB) equation has been derived. It is seen that only
rarefactive shock waves can propagate in such a quantum plasma system. The effects of degenerate
plasma pressure and number density of hot and cold electron fluids, nonplanar geometry, and
positively charged static ions are responsible to modify the fundamental properties of EASWs. It is
also observed that the properties of planar mB shocks are quite different from those of nonplanar mB
shocks. The findings of the present investigation should be useful in understanding the nonlinear
phenomena associated with nonplanar EAWs in both space and laboratory plasmas.

14

2019 / Efficiency analysis by combination of frontier methods: ULFR

« on: May 05, 2019, 09:17:34 AM »

Abstract: This study proposes a new efficiency measurement technique CDS as combination of data
envelopment analysis (DEA) and stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) and compares the CDS efficiency score
with the DEA and SFA efficiency scores. The financial companies listed in Malaysian Stock Exchange for the
period 2007-2016 are used to estimate the different types of efficiency score. Besides, linear regression
analysis and ULFR (unreplicated linear functional relationship) analysis are used to analyze the performance
of this CDS technique with the DEA and SFA techniques. The result suggests that the most efficient model is
CDS which has a significant positive correlation with profit risk. Among the CDS, DEA and SFA techniques,
the recommended technique (CDS) shows higher coefficient of determination values for both ULFR (0.9994)
and linear regression (0.292) analysis. Also, based on the results of CDS, this study postulates that the most
efficient firm is ACSM (Aeon Credit Service (M) Bhd) and the least efficient firm is MAY (Malayan Banking
Bhd).

15

Motivation / A verbal wound is as bad as a physical wound

« on: December 07, 2016, 11:41:55 AM »

ছোট্ট একটি ছেলে, যে তার মেজাজ/ক্রোধ/রাগ(Temper/anger) কে নিয়ন্ত্রণ করতে পারে না। তো তার বাবা একদিন তাকে এক ব্যাগ পেরেক ও একটি হাতুরি দিল এবং তাকে বললো " প্রতিদিন যতবার তোমার মেজাজ নিয়ন্ত্রণ করতে পারবে না, ঠিক ততবার আমাদের কাঠের বেষ্টনীতে একটা করে পেরেক ঠুকবে।"
প্রথমদিন সে ২৩টি পেরেক ঠুকল, দ্বিতীয় দিন ১৭টি,এভাবে দিনে দিনে তার পেরেক ঠোকার হার কমে গিয়ে একদিন শূন্যে নেমে এলো। সে আবিষ্কার করল যে, এভাবে প্রতিদিন বেষ্টনীতে পেরেক ঠোকার থেকে মেজাজ নিয়ন্ত্রণ করা ভাল। তার মেজাজকে পুরোপুরি নিয়ন্ত্রণ করা শিখে যখন তার বাবার কাছে গেল,বাবা বলল “ এবার থেকে যেদিন তুমি তোমার মেজাজকে নিয়ন্ত্রণ করতে পারবে, প্রত্যেকবার একটা করে পেরেক তুলে ফেলবে”।এভাবে কিছুদিনের মধ্যে সে সব পেরেক তুলে ফেলার পর বাবার কাছে গেল। বাবা তাকে সেই বেষ্টনীর কাছে নিয়ে গেল, যেখানে সে পেরেক ঠুকত।
বাবা বললো “ তুমি আজ তোমার মেজাজকে নিয়ন্ত্রণ করতে শিখে গিয়েছ, খুব ভাল, কিন্তু লক্ষ্য করো বেষ্টনীর গর্তগুলো,পেরেকের কারণে ক্ষত হয়ে আছে। এই বেষ্টনীকে আর আগের মত ফিরিয়ে আনা সম্ভব নয়, যখন তুমি মেজাজ হারিয়ে কিছু বল বা করো তখন এটা এরকম একটা দাগ রেখে যায়, যা কখনই আগের মত ফিরে পাওয়া সম্ভব নয়। যেমনঃ একজন মানুষকে ছুরি দিয়ে আঘাত করে, তুমি তাকে কোটি বার দুঃখিত বললেও, ক্ষত থেকে যাবেই।”
“A verbal wound is as bad as a physical wound”