Clustering algorithms for anti-money laundering using graph theory and social network analysis

HEMOLIA (a project under European community’s 7th framework programme) is a new generation Anti-Money Laundering (AML) intelligent multi-agent alert and investigation system which in addition to the traditional financial data makes extensive use of modern society’s huge telecom data source, thereby opening up a new dimension of capabilities to all Money Laundering fighters (FIUs, LEAs) and Financial Institutes (Banks, Insurance Companies, etc.). This Master-Thesis project is done at AIA, one of the partners for the HEMOLIA project in Barcelona. The objective of this thesis is to find the clusters in a network drawn by using the financial data. An extensive literature survey has been carried out and several standard algorithms related to networks have been studied and implemented. The clustering problem is a NP-hard problem and several algorithms like K-Means and Hierarchical clustering are being implemented for studying several problems relating to sociology, evolution, anthropology etc. However, these algorithms have certain drawbacks which make them very difficult to implement. The thesis suggests (a) a possible improvement to the K-Means algorithm, (b) a novel approach to the clustering problem using the Genetic Algorithms and (c) a new algorithm for finding the cluster of a node using the Genetic Algorithm.

Research librarians in a virtual environment : new skills, new services

This paper highlights both the new functions taken on by UOC research librarians and the new skills that this professional profile requires, based on the experience of the UOC Virtual Library. By setting up a series of bibliometric units, the Library has been able to integrate itself into the University through bibliometric studies and other research support services. A group of research librarians provides support to researchers from the start of the research process to the assessment of their scientific output. They also provide support for the University's strategic decision-making through the analysis of bibliometric data.

Research librarians in a virtual environment : new skills, new services

This poster highlights both the new functions taken on by UOC research librarians and the new skills that this professional profile requires, based on the experience of the UOC Virtual Library. By setting up a series of bibliometric units, the Library has been able to integrate itself into the University through bibliometric studies and other research support services. A group of research librarians provides support to researchers from the start of the research process to the assessment of their scientific output. They also provide support for the University's strategic decision-making through the analysis of bibliometric data.

Advances in Sequence Analysis: Theory, Methods, Applications

This book gives a general view of sequence analysis, the statistical study of successions of states or events. It includes innovative contributions on life course studies, transitions into and out of employment, contemporaneous and historical careers, and political trajectories. The approach presented in this book is now central to the life-course perspective and the study of social processes more generally. This volume promotes the dialogue between approaches to sequence analysis that developed separately, within traditions contrasted in space and disciplines. It includes the latest developments in sequential concepts, coding, atypical datasets and time patterns, optimal matching and alternative algorithms, survey optimization, and visualization. Field studies include original sequential material related to parenting in 19th-century Belgium, higher education and work in Finland and Italy, family formation before and after German reunification, French Jews persecuted in occupied France, long-term trends in electoral participation, and regime democratization. Overall the book reassesses the classical uses of sequences and it promotes new ways of collecting, formatting, representing and processing them. The introduction provides basic sequential concepts and tools, as well as a history of the method. Chapters are presented in a way that is both accessible to the beginner and informative to the expert.

War Signals: A Theory of Trade, Trust and Conflict

We construct a dynamic theory of civil conflict hinging on inter-ethnic trust and trade. The model economy is inhabitated by two ethnic groups. Inter-ethnic trade requires imperfectly observed bilateral investments and one group has to form beliefs on the average propensity to trade of the other group. Since conflict disrupts trade, the onset of a conflict signals that the aggressor has a low propensity to trade. Agents observe the history of conflicts and update their beliefs over time, transmitting them to the next generation. The theory bears a set of testable predictions. First, war is a stochastic process whose frequency depends on the state of endogenous beliefs. Second, the probability of future conflicts increases after each conflict episode. Third, "accidental" conflicts that do not reflect economic fundamentals can lead to a permanent breakdown of trust, plunging a society into a vicious cycle of recurrent conflicts (a war trap). The incidence of conflict can be reduced by policies abating cultural barriers, fostering inter-ethnic trade and human capital, and shifting beliefs. Coercive peace policies such as peacekeeping forces or externally imposed regime changes have instead no persistent effects.

Friction Stir Processing : a new microstructure improvement technique

In the present work, microstructure improvement using FSP (Friction Stir Processing) is studied. In the first part of the work, the microstructure improvement of as-cast A356 is demonstrated. Some tensile tests were applied to check the increase in ductility. However, the expected results couldn’t be achieved. In the second part, the microstructure improvement of a fusion weld in 1050 aluminium alloy is presented. Hardness tests were carried out to prove the mechanical propertyimprovements. In the third and last part, the microstructure improvement of 1050 aluminium alloy is achieved. A discussion of the mechanical property improvements induced by FSP is made. The influence of tool traverse speed on microstructure and mechanical properties is also discussed. Hardness tests and recrystallization theory enabled us to find out such influence

Technological convergence: a strategic perspective

The information and communication technologies (ICT) sectors are in a process of technological convergence. Determinant factors in this process are the liberalisation of the telecommunications markets and technological change. Many firms are engaged in a process of mergers and alliances to position themselves in this new framework. Technological and demand uncertainties are very important. Our objective in this paper is to study the economic determinants of the strategies of the firms. With this aim, we review some key technological and demand aspects. We shed some light on the strategic motivations of the firms by establishing a parallel with the evolution of the retailing sector

A new efficient approach to the direct restricted active space self-consistent field method

An implicitly parallel method for integral-block driven restricted active space self-consistent field (RASSCF) algorithms is presented. The approach is based on a model space representation of the RAS active orbitals with an efficient expansion of the model subspaces. The applicability of the method is demonstrated with a RASSCF investigation of the first two excited states of indole

Second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory without basis set superposition error : II : open-shell systems

The basis set superposition error-free second-order MØller-Plesset perturbation theory of intermolecular interactions was studied. The difficulties of the counterpoise (CP) correction in open-shell systems were also discussed. The calculations were performed by a program which was used for testing the new variants of the theory. It was shown that the CP correction for the diabatic surfaces should be preferred to the adiabatic ones

One- and two-center physical space partitioning of the energy in the density functional theory

A conceptually new approach is introduced for the decomposition of the molecular energy calculated at the density functional theory level of theory into sum of one- and two-atomic energy components, and is realized in the "fuzzy atoms" framework. (Fuzzy atoms mean that the three-dimensional physical space is divided into atomic regions having no sharp boundaries but exhibiting a continuous transition from one to another.) The new scheme uses the new concept of "bond order density" to calculate the diatomic exchange energy components and gives them unexpectedly close to the values calculated by the exact (Hartree-Fock) exchange for the same Kohn-Sham orbitals

The Employment Precariousness Scale (EPRES): psychometric properties of a new tool for epidemiological studies among waged and salaried workers

Background: Despite the fact that labour market flexibility has resulted in an expansion of precarious employment in industrialized countries, to date there is limited empirical evidence about its health consequences. The Employment Precariousness Scale (EPRES) is a newly developed, theory-based, multidimensional questionnaire specifically devised for epidemiological studies among waged and salaried workers. Objective: To assess acceptability, reliability and construct validity of EPRES in a sample of waged and salaried workers in Spain. Methods: Cross-sectional study, using a sub-sample of 6.968 temporary and permanent workers from a population-based survey carried out in 2004-2005. The survey questionnaire was interviewer administered and included the six EPRES subscales, measures of the psychosocial work environment (COPSOQ ISTAS21), and perceived general and mental health (SF-36). Results: A high response rate to all EPRES items indicated good acceptability; Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, over 0.70 for all subscales and the global score, demonstrated good internal consistency reliability; exploratory factor analysis using principal axis analysis and varimax rotation confirmed the six-subscale structure and the theoretical allocation of all items. Patterns across known groups and correlation coefficients with psychosocial work environment measures and perceived health demonstrated the expected relations, providing evidence of construct validity. Conclusions: Our results provide evidence in support of the psychometric properties of EPRES, which appears to be a promising tool for the measurement of employment precariousness in public health research.

Strategic Plan Iowa Workforce Development October, 2004

For the 2004 strategic planning process at Iowa Workforce Development, Director Richard Running asked for as much input from all staff as possible. As a result, planning staff designed an extensive process to gather input over about a three month period during the late spring and summer: • A Guide to Staff Involvement was drafted and distributed to staff in offices throughout the state. This guide provided a brief explanation of the planning process and quoted extensively from the Vilsack/Pederson Leadership Agenda and the 2003 IWD strategic plan to illustrate each step and to show examples of alignment. The guide also provided suggestions for staff in various locations and work units to conduct their own planning sessions. The structure was designed to solicit feedback regarding elements (vision, mission, guiding principles, goals and strategies) of the existing 2003 plan. Particular attention was devoted to securing non-management staff’s perspective during the internal and external assessment exercises. • Several local offices did conduct their own structured input sessions following the suggested guidelines and sent the results to planning staff in the central administrative offices. • Other work units in many locations opted to ask planning staff to facilitate planning sessions for them. The results of these sessions were also gathered by planning staff. In all, dozens of input sessions were held and hundreds of IWD staff participated directly in the process. Because all the sessions followed similar guidelines, it was relatively easy to combine all of the input received and spot common themes that surfaced from the many sessions. A composite of all the flip chart notes was compiled into one large document (for those who like lots of detail) and another document summarized the key themes that emerged. This information was used in a day-long planning retreat on August 20. Management staff members from throughout the department were invited and each work unit and sub-state region also brought a non-management staff person as well. This group reviewed the themes from the earlier sessions and then addressed each element of the 2003 plan, proposing refinements for almost all sections. Subsequently, senior management reviewed the results of the retreat and made the final decisions for the new 2004 plan. This thorough approach, with its special emphasis on input from line staff, did result in some significant changes to IWD’s plan. Local office staff, for example, consistently expressed the need to step up our marketing efforts, especially with employers. Another need that was expressed clearly and often was the need to beef up staff training efforts, much of the capacity for which had been lost in budget and staff reductions a few years ago. Neither of these issues is new, but the degree of concern expressed by IWD staff has caused us to elevate their importance in this year’s plan.

The Exotic Palaeo-Thethys Terrane in Central Iran: New geological data from Anarak, Jandaq and Posht-e-Badam areas

Résumé Le « terrane » d'Anarak-Jandak occupe une position géologique clé au nord-ouest du Microcontinent Centre-East Iranien (CE1M), connecté avec le Bloc du Grand Kavir et la ceinture métamorphique de Sanandaj-Sirjan. Nous discutons ici l'origine de ces différentes unités, reliées jusqu'à présent à des épisodes orogéniques d'âge Précambrien à Paléozoïque inférieur, pour conclure finalement de leur affinité paléotéthysienne. Leur histoire commence par un épisode de rifting d'âge Ordovicien supérieur-Dévonien inférieur, pour se terminer au Trias par la collision des blocs Cimmériens dérivé du Gondwana avec le Bloc du Turan d'affinité asiatique (événement Eocimmérien). La plus importante unité métamorphique affleurant au sud-ouest de la région de Jandak-Anarak-Kaboudan est une épaisse séquence silicoclastique à grains fins contenant des blocs ophiolitiques (marginal-sea-type), et des associations basalte-gabbro à signatures géochimiques de type supra-subduction. Dans la région de Nakhlak, nous avons daté ces gabbros par la méthode U-Pb à 387f0.11 Ma ; les roches métamorphiques pélitiques ont donné des âges de refroidissement Ar-Ar pour la muscovite de 320 à 333 Ma. Ce complexe d'accrétion "varisque" a été métamorphisé dans le faciès schiste vert-amphibolite au cours de l'accrétion de la ceinture granitique d'Airekan, d'âge Cambrien inférieur (549±15 Ma par la méthode U/Pb), qui affleure aujourd'hui à l'extrémité nord-ouest du terrane d'Anarak-Jandak . La subduction vers le nord de l'océan Paléotéthys depuis le Paléazoïque supérieur jusqu'au Trias, a permis l'accumulation de grandes quantités de matériel océanique dans la zone de subduction. Par exemple, une succession de guyots (Anarak, Kaboudan, et Meraji Seamounts) et de hauts sous-marins, entrés en collision oblique avec le prisme d'accrétion, est à l'origine d'un léger métamorphisme de type HP qui affecte ces séries {âges Ar-Ar de 280 à 230 Ma). De plus, le magmatisme bimodal de Chah Gorbeh est caractérisé d'une part par des roches de type trondjémite-gabbros (262 Ma), d'autre part par des laves en coussin de type basaltes alcalins-rhyolites; ces roches magmatiques ont recoupé l'ophiolite d'Anarak lors de la mise en place de cette dernière dans la fosse interne de subduction. Quant au prisme d'accrétion de Doshakh, d'âge essentiellement Permien supérieur, i1 a été accrété le long de la marge continentale et métamorphisé dans le faciès schiste vert. La fermeture de la Paléotéthys s'enregistre finalement par la sédimentation dans le bassin d'avant pays du flysch de Bayazeh, d'âge probable Triasique. Le matériel issu de l'arc magmatique de la Paléotéthys est très bien préservé dans les dépôts infra-arc Dévonien supérieur-Carbonifère de Godar-e-Siah, ainsi que dans la succession d'avant-arc de Nakhlak. Pendant l'intervalle Paléozoïque supérieur-Trias, la région de Jandak a été soumise à un régime extensif de type bassin d'arrière-arc, dont un témoin pourrait être la ceinture ophiolitique d'Arusan, elle-même comparable aux écailles ophiolitiques d'Aghdarband au nord-est de l'Iran. Cet ensemble métamorphique est recoupé par des granites d'arc à collisionnel datés à 215±15 Ma. Dans la région de Yazd, témoin de la marge passive Cimmérienne, la sédimentation syn-rift Silurienne à Dévonienne inférieure a été interrompue pendant l'intervalle Trias moyen-Trias supérieur; il en a été de même pour les dépôts de plate-forme Paléozoïque supérieur. L'érosion, qui dans ce dernier cas a atteint le Permien, pourrait être liée au bombement flexural de la marge passive. La collision finale n'a pas induit de déformations trop importantes, et se caractérise par la mise en place de nappes sur la marge passive. Cet événement est scellé par des dépôts molassique du Lias. D'un point de vue régional, la zone s'étendant actuellement de la Mer Noire au Pamir a été soumise à six épisodes d'extension-compression du Jurassique inférieur (début du l'ouverture en position arrière-arc de la Néotéthys) à l'Eocène moyen. Par exemple, le terrane d'AnarakJandak, probablement situé entre le Kopeh Dagh et la plate-forme nord Afghane, s'est complètement détaché de sa patrie d'origine au début du Crétacé supérieur. Des preuves de cet événement se retrouvent dans les séries de plate-forme de Khur (préservation de séries syn-rift puis de marge passive). Les ophiolites de Nain et de Sabzevar sont de plus interprétée comme un témoin de l'existence de ce bassin d'arrière-arc. Dans l'intervalle Eocène-Oligocène, l'indentation par la plaque indienne de l'Eurasie a été contemporaine de la rotation horaire de fragments de l'ancien microcontinent Iranien et de la formation du CEIM. Cette rotation est responsable du transport du terrane d'Anarak-Jandak vers sa position actuelle en Iran Central, et de la dislocation de Terranes de moindre importance, comme le bloc de Posht-e Badam. Depuis le Miocène supérieur, et à la suite de la collision entre l'Arabie et l'Iran, le ternane d'Anarak-Jandak a subi des déformations liées à l'activité d'une zone de cisaillement dextre parallèle à la suture du Zagros, à l'arrière de l'arc magmatique d'Uromieh-Dokhtar. Résumé large public Le Microcontinent Centre-Est Iranien occupe une position géologique clé au centre de l'Iran. Les différentes unités qui le composent, reliées jusqu'à présent à des épisodes orogéniques d'âge Précambrien à Paléozoïque inférieur, sont maintenant rajeunies et liés à la fermeture de l'océean Paléotéthys. Leur histoire commence par un épisode de rifting d'âge Ordovicien supérieur à Dévonien inférieur, pour se terminer au Trias par la collision des- blocs Cimmériens, dérivés du Gondwana, avec le Bloc du Turan d'affinité asiatique. Dans la marge active asiatique de la Paléotéthys, nous avons daté les restes d'un océan marginal à 387±0.11 Ma. Ce complexe d'accrétion a été métamorphisé au cours de la réaccrétion de la ceinture granitique d'Airekan, d'âge Cambrien inférieur (549±15 Ma), qui affleure aujourd'hui à l'extrémité nord-ouest du « terrane » d'Anarak-Jandak correspondant à la plus grande partie de la région étudiée. Le matériel issu de l'arc magmatique de la Paléotéthys est très bien préservé et daté du Dévonien supérieur-Carbonifère. Pendant l'intervalle Paléozoïque supérieur-Trias, la région a été soumise à un régime extensif de type bassin d'arrière-arc, dont un témoin pourrait être la ceinture ophiolitique d'Arusan, comparable aux écailles ophiolitiques d'Aghdarband au nord-est de l'Iran. Cet ensemble métamorphique est recoupé par des granites datés à 215±15 Ma. La subduction vers le nord de l'océan Paléotéthys depuis le Paléozoïque supérieur jusqu'au Trias, a permis l'accumulation de grandes quantités de matériel océanique dans la zone de subduction. Par exemple, une succession de volcans sous-marins, entrés en collision avec le prisme d'accrétion, est à l'origine d'un léger métamorphisme de type HP qui affecte ces séries (280 à 230 Ma). Quant au prisme d'accrétion de Doshakh, d'âge essentiellement Permien supérieur, il a été mis en place le long de la marge continentale et métamorphisé dans le faciès schiste vert. La fermeture de la Paléotéthys s'enregistre finalement par la sédimentation dans le bassin d'avant pays du flysch de Bayazeh, d'âge Triasique. Dans la région de Yazd, on trouve les témoins de la marge passive Cimmérienne, la sédimentation syn-rift Silurienne à Dévonienne inférieure a été interrompue pendant l'intervalle Trias moyen-Trias supérieur, marqué par la flexuration de la marge passive lorsqu'elle rentra en collision avec la marge active asiatique. Cet événement est scellé par des dépôts molassique à charbon du Lias. Le «terrane» d'Anarak-Jandak, probablement situé à l'origine entre le Kopeh Dagh et la plate-forme nord Afghane, s'est complètement détaché de cette région au début du Crétacé supérieur lors de l'ouverture d'un bassin d'arrière-arc, engendré, cette fois, par la subduction de l'océan Néotéthys situé au sud des blocs cimmériens. Des preuves de cet événement se retrouvent dans les séries syn-rift, puis de marge passive de Khour. Les ophiolites de Nain et de Sabzevar sont interprétées comme un témoin de l'existence de ce bassin d'arrière-arc. Dans l'intervalle Eocène-Oligocène, l'indentation de l'Eurasie par la plaque indienne a été contemporaine de la rotation horaire de fragments de l'ancien microcontinent centre-Iranien. Cette rotation de près de 90° est responsable du transport du « terrane » d'Anarak-Jandak vers sa position actuelle. Abstract The Anarak-Jandaq terrane occupies a strategic geological situation at the north-western part of the Central-East Iranian Microcontinent (CEIM) and in connection with the Great Kavir Block and Sanandaj-Sirjan metamorphic belt. Our recent findings redefine the origin of these mentioned areas so far attributed to the Precambrian-Early Palaeozoic orogenic episodes, to be now directly related to the tectonic evolution of the Palaeo-Tethys Ocean, commenced by Late Ordovician-Early Devonian rifting events and terminated in the Triassic by the Eocimmerian tectonic event due to the collision of the Cimmerian blocks with the Asiatic Turan block. The most distributed metamorphic unit that is exposed from the south-west of Jandaq to the Anarak and Kaboudan areas is a thick and fine grain siliciclastic sequence accompanied by marginal-sea-basin ophiolitic blocks including basalt-gabbro association with supra-subduction-geochemical signature. These gabbros in the Nakhlak area were dated by U/Pb method at 387.6 ± 0.11 Ma and the metamorphic pelitic rocks yielded a range of 320 to 333 Ma muscovite-cooling ages based on 40Ar/39 Ar method. This "Variscan" accretionary complex was metamorphosed in greenschist-amphibolite facies during accretion to the Lower Cambrian Airekan granitic belt (549 ± 15 Ma by U/Pb method) that crops out at the northwestern edge of the Anarak-Jandaq terrane. Continued northward subduction of the Palaeo-Tethys Ocean during the entire Late Palaeozoic-Middle Triassic brought huge amount of oceanic material to the subduction zone. One chain of Carboniferous-Triassic oceanic rises and seamounts (the Anarak, Kaboudan, and Meraji Seamounts) obliquely collided with the accretionary wedge and created a mild HP metamorphic event (280-230 Ma based on 40Ar/39Ar results). Bimodal magmatism of the Chah Gorbeh area is characterized by a 262 Ma trondjemite-gabbro as well as pillow alkalibasalts-rhyolites which intruded the Anarak ophiolite when it was being emplaced within the inner-wall trench. The mainly Late Permian-Triassic Doshakh wedge was accreted along the continent and metamorphosed under lower greenschist facies and the probable Triassic Bayazeh flysch filled the foreland basin during the final closure. The Palaeo-Tethys magmatic arc products have been well preserved in the Late Devonian-Carboniferous Godar-e-Siah intra-arc deposits and the Triassic Nakhlak fore-arc succession. During the Late Palaeozoic-Triassic times, the Jandaq area has been affected by back-arc extension and probably the Arusan ophiolitic belt is the remnant of this narrow basin comparable to the Aqdarband ophiolitic remnant in north-east Iran. This metamorphic belt was intruded by 215 ± 15 Ma arc to collisional granites. In the passive margin of the Cimmerian block, on the Yazd region, the Silurian-Early Devonian syn-rift succession as well as the nearly continuous Upper Palaeozoic platform-type deposition was interrupted during the Middle to Late Triassic time, local erosion down to Devonian levels may be related to flexural bulge erosion. The collision event was not so strong to generate intensive deformation but was accompanied by some nappe thrusting onto the passive margin. It is finally unconformably covered by Liassic continental molassic deposits. Related to the onset of Neo-Tethyan back-arc opening in Early Jurassic to Mid-Eocene times, six periods of extensional-compressional events have differently influenced an elongated area, extending from the West Black Sea to Pamir. The Anarak-Jandaq terrane which was situated somewhere in this affected area, probably between the Kopeh Dagh and North Afghan platform, was completely detached from its source at the beginning of the Late Cretaceous

Salience theory of choice under risk

We present a theory of choice among lotteries in which the decision maker's attention is drawn to (precisely defined) salient payoffs. This leads the decision maker to a context-dependent representation of lotteries in which true probabilities are replaced by decision weights distorted in favor of salient payoffs. By endogenizing decision weights as a function of payoffs, our model provides a novel and unified account of many empirical phenomena, including frequent risk-seeking behavior, invariance failures such as the Allais paradox, and preference reversals. It also yields new predictions, including some that distinguish it from Prospect Theory, which we test.