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The Black-Scholes equation is famous for predicting values for the prices of Options inside the stock market scenario. However, it has the limitation of depending on the estimated value for the volatility. On the other hand, several Machine learning techniques have been employed for predicting the values of the same quantity. In this paper we analyze some fundamental properties of the Black-Scholes equation and we then propose a way to train its free-parameters, the volatility in particular. This with the purpose of using this parameter as the fundamental one to be learned by a Machine Learning system and then improve the predictions in the stock market.

" Air pollution in Macau has become a serious problem following the Pearl River Delta’s (PRD) rapid industrialization that began in the 1990s. While there has been continual improvement in recent years, harmful air pollutant concentration levels are still common, impacting Macau residents' health and creating long-term medical costs to local society. With this in mind, Macau needs an air quality forecast system that accurately predicts pollutant concentration and an early alert system instead of only daily real-time reminders. Some scholars have previously carried out studies to develop an air quality forecast for Macau by successfully using statistical models. Therefore, pursuant to the outcomes of previous studies, this dissertation aims to build upon research results and explore further possibilities of building a better ML air quality forecast model based on the time series of air pollutants concentration and meteorological data. Four different state-of-the-art ML algorithms were used to create predictive models to forecast PM2.5, PM10, and carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations for the next 24 and 48-hour. These were Support Vector Machine (SVM), Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), Random Forest (RF), and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost). In addition, Multiple Linear Regression MLR, a standard ML model, was used for this dissertation as a baseline reference for performance comparison. The daily measurements of air quality data in Macau from 2016 to 2021 were collected for this dissertation. The 2020 and 2021 datasets were used for model testing while the four-year data prior to 2020 and 2021 were used to build and train the ML models. The results showed that SVM, ANN, RF, and XGBoost were able to provide a very good performance in building up a 24-hour forecast with higher R2 and lower RMSE, MAE, and BIAS. Meanwhile, all ML models in 48-hour forecasting performance were satisfactory enough to be accepted as a two-day continuous forecast even if the R2 value was lower than the 24-hour forecast. The 48-hour forecasting model could be further improved by proper feature selection based on the 24-hour dataset, using the SHAP value test, and the adjusted R2 value of the 48-hour forecasting model."

This article discusses the new gaming law in Macau with emphasis on the critical aspects concerning the gaming operators, concession regime, and other regulatory obligations.1 Thanks to the gaming liberalization commenced in 2001,2 Macau has experienced tremendous economic growth. The past two decades have seen the rapid development of large-scale integrated resorts, and Macau now ranks among the world's major gaming jurisdictions.3 Policy and regulatory challenges have also emerged along with the growth of the junket-driven VIP business in casinos.4 With the recent amendment of Law No. 16/2001 and the subsequent enactment of Law No. 16/2022, Macau has strengthened the legal underpinnings of its system of gaming regulation to oversee various groups involved in casinos and their industry practices. The present study is among the first to review the scope and impact of the revised gaming law, and associated managerial and operational implications for Macau casinos. Topics covered include policy directions, concession requirements, industry participants, gaming taxes, and fair business practices. This study could provide insights into the “Macau 2.0” project and how casinos are to be operated and managed over the next decade. This article could also provide practical guidance for policy makers charged with formulating gaming policy and regulation in other jurisdictions.

The gold standard to detect SARS-CoV-2 infection consider testing methods based on Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Still, the time necessary to confirm patient infection can be lengthy, and the process is expensive. On the other hand, X-Ray and CT scans play a vital role in the auxiliary diagnosis process. Hence, a trusted automated technique for identifying and quantifying the infected lung regions would be advantageous. Chest X-rays are two-dimensional images of the patient’s chest and provide lung morphological information and other characteristics, like ground-glass opacities (GGO), horizontal linear opacities, or consolidations, which are characteristics of pneumonia caused by COVID-19. But before the computerized diagnostic support system can classify a medical image, a segmentation task should usually be performed to identify relevant areas to be analyzed and reduce the risk of noise and misinterpretation caused by other structures eventually present in the images. This chapter presents an AI-based system for lung segmentation in X-ray images using a U-net CNN model. The system’s performance was evaluated using metrics such as cross-entropy, dice coefficient, and Mean IoU on unseen data. Our study divided the data into training and evaluation sets using an 80/20 train-test split method. The training set was used to train the model, and the evaluation test set was used to evaluate the performance of the trained model. The results of the evaluation showed that the model achieved a Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC) of 95%, Cross entropy of 97%, and Mean IoU of 86%.

In view of the complex marine environment of navigation, especially in the case of multiple static and dynamic obstacles, the traditional obstacle avoidance algorithms applied to unmanned surface vehicles (USV) are prone to fall into the trap of local optimization. Therefore, this paper proposes an improved artificial potential field (APF) algorithm, which uses 5G communication technology to communicate between the USV and the control center. The algorithm introduces the USV discrimination mechanism to avoid the USV falling into local optimization when the USV encounter different obstacles in different scenarios. Considering the various scenarios between the USV and other dynamic obstacles such as vessels in the process of performing tasks, the algorithm introduces the concept of dynamic artificial potential field. For the multiple obstacles encountered in the process of USV sailing, based on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS), the USV determines whether the next step will fall into local optimization through the discrimination mechanism. The local potential field of the USV will dynamically adjust, and the reverse virtual gravitational potential field will be added to prevent it from falling into the local optimization and avoid collisions. The objective function and cost function are designed at the same time, so that the USV can smoothly switch between the global path and the local obstacle avoidance. The simulation results show that the improved APF algorithm proposed in this paper can successfully avoid various obstacles in the complex marine environment, and take navigation time and economic cost into account.

Macau, Macau Business, MAG, MB, MB Featured, Opinion | Macau wisely looks to mainland China, South-East Asia, and Portuguese-speaking countries, as part of its economic diversification. However, to be a player on the international stage and world-wide market, it must look wider, and, hence, the standard of English in Macau must improve dramatically and urgently.

The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of leadership styles and organizational cultures to employee’s organizational commitment under the pandemic situation in Macao. The dependent variables comprise of the three dimensions of organizational commitment. Among those three, affective commitment and continuance commitment are considered to be analyzed in this study. The leadership styles concept and organizational cultures are applied as the independent variables. The objectives are achieved using quantitative research method with questionnaires in Likert scale scores. The two significance reveals that laissez-faire leadership style had a positive relationship with continuance organizational commitment (H4) and innovative culture had a positive correlation with continuance organization commitment (H6). Such outcomes were extended to a qualitative study with qualitative approach on discourse analysis to explore the potential factor and a leadership discourse analysis was initiated. While the findings on influence of leadership and culture on organizational commitment is not a major concern for Macao employees in the pandemic situation, the significance of specific leadership style and culture rationalizes the transformation and status of Macao employees’ views towards leadership and employers’ perspective on organizational culture. The data collected in this study may also provide valuable resources for future study and training programs for the coming batch of employees in the coming new phase of Macao in entering the 2nd round of gaming licensing. Create the right leadership and culture for the organization to bring back the passion of Macao employees

Corporate leaders are constantly dealing with stress in parallel with continuous decision-making processes. The impact of acute stress on decision-making activities is a relevant area of study to evaluate the impact of the decisions made, and create tools and mechanisms to cope with the inevitable exposure to stress and better manage its impact. The intersection of leadership and neurosciences techniques is called Neuroleadership. In this work, an experiment is proposed to detect and measure the emotional arousal of two groups of business professionals, divided into two groups. The first one is the intervention/stress group, n=30, exposed to stressful conditions, and the control group, n=14, not exposed to stress. The participants are submitted to a sequence of computerized stimuli, such as watching videos, answering survey questions, and making decisions in a realistic office environment. The Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) biosensor monitors emotional arousal in real-time. The experiment design implemented stressors such as visual effects, defacement, unfairness, and time-constraint for the intervention group, followed by decision-making tasks. The results indicate that emotional arousal was statistically significantly higher for the intervention/stress group, considering Shapiro and Mann-Whitney tests. The work indicates that GSR is a reliable stress detector and may be useful to predict negative impacts on executive professionals during decision-making activities.

We are delighted to present this special issue editorial for Neural Computing and Applications special issue on LatinX in AI research. This special issue brings together a collection of articles that explore machine learning and artificial intelligence research from various perspectives, aiming to provide a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of what LatinX researchers are working on in the field. In this editorial, we will introduce the overarching theme of the special issue, highlight the significance of the selected papers, and offer insights into the contributions made by the authors. The LatinX in AI organization was launched in 2018, with leaders from organizations in Artificial Intelligence, Education, Research, Engineering, and Social Impact with a purpose to together create a group that would be focused on “Creating Opportunity for LatinX in AI.” The main goal is to increase the representation of LatinX professionals in the AI industry. LatinX in AI Org and programs are volunteer-run and fiscally sponsored by the Accel AI Institute, 501(c)3 Non-Profit.

结合实用案例讲解Java语法、面向对象程序设计技术和核心API。 全书共10章，内容涵盖Java概述、Java语法基础、面向对象基础、面向对象高级技术、 Java API、异常处理机制、Java I/O流、多线程、Java GUI编程和Java网络编程等知识要点。案例丰富，以JDK 17和IntelliJ IDEA等流行的开发环境为依托，力求让读者通过案例 掌握Java编程技术。另一个特色是在阐释专业内容的同时自然融入思政元素， 具有鲜明的时代性和引领性。 可作为普通高等院校计算机、软件工程、人工智能等专业“面向对象程序设计”“Java程序设计”课程的教材，也适 合编程爱好者自学和培训使用。

The demand for plastic has led to enormous plastic waste in the environment, which persist and negatively impact the ecosystems. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the most common thermoplastic polymers available on the market. The concerns about plastic waste generated an interest in strategies to enhance its biodegradation and finding alternative polymers. In this work was investigated the possibility of using bacteria to degrade PET and to produce bioplastics (Polyhydroxyalkanoates, PHAs). Finally, the integration of the two processes was tested. Overall, the work aimed to investigate the potential to recycle PET into bioplastic using bacteria. The potential of bacterial consortia from various environmental samples to degrade PET granules in liquid matrix was investigated. . The results revealed maximum PET granules degradation of 1.1 % by one of the tested consortia. PET degradation intermediate terephthalic acid (TPA) was not detected at the end of 55 days. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results showed major spectral peak shifts and bends on PET chemical structure compared to non-inoculated control. The biodegradation of PET films buried in the soil (A), with mangrove plants (B), and bioaugmented with a bacterial consortium (C) was also investigated. The experiments were conducted for 270 days at ambient conditions. The results revealed no difference between treatments in the degradation, with a maximum weight loss of 0.118 % in the bioaugmented treatment. Nevertheless, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and FTIR results indicated significant surface changes, spectral peak shifts, and stretches in PET chemical structures. Bacterial consortia isolated from the soil of the experimental treatments were assessed for degradation of PET monomers, TPA and monoethylene glycol (MEG), and intermediate Bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET). The consortia were inoculated in flasks containing minimal media with 1000 mg/L TPA or BHET or1113 mg/L MEG as the sole carbon source. Results showed complete degradation of TPA and significant degradation of BHET (96.09%), and MEG (83.65%) by the consortia. In the second part of the study, bacteria were isolated from various environmental samples and screened for PHA production using Sudan Black B staining on colonies and smeared glass slides. Transmission Electron Microscope images were captured to confirm the intracellular PHA inclusions. A total of 35 isolates were screened for PHA, and 22 showed positive staining. The isolate showing higher levels of PHA synthesis (EC2-30-3) was identified based on 16S rRNA gene sequence as Bacillus sp. and selected for PET monomers degradation and fermentation cultures for PHA production. It was cultured in minimal (Moreira et al., 2013) media with 1000 mg/L TPA and 1113 mg/L MEG as the carbon source for eight days. The isolate grew better in media containing MEG, which was selected as a substrate model for PHA fermentation. To integrate PET monomers biodegradation and production of PHA, the isolate was cultured in 0.2 % MEG. A control with 0.2 % of glucose was prepared, and the cultures were incubated for 96 hours. Bacillus sp. EC2-30-3 showed higher PHA accumulation in media supplied with MEG (40.31%) than glucose (25.53%). This is the first report showing that Bacillus sp. uses PET monomer as carbon source to produce a biopolymer. FTIR results of the extracted PHA identified its functional units as C–H, CH3, C=O, and C–O groups. The absorption bands obtained are closely related to the structure of PHB. The study thus confirmed the ability of the isolated bacteria to degrade PET monomers and produce biopolymers. The results of this work open the possibility for upscaling the use of bacteria to mitigate the impact of PET on the environment while producing environmentally friendly bioplastics

Nowadays marketers and practitioners recognize the importance of social marketing as a strategy to acquire customers. Accordingly, the enterprises and brands are embracing the use of social network in communicating with potential consumers ad actual consumers, in order its performance so as to increase its sales. Among all those social media platforms, Instagram is one of the platforms which is image orientated and can easily connect with users and provide information with photos and images. As Macau is small‐sized city where there are abundant small to medium‐sized enterprises, the local small firms are switching their marketing strategies by utilizing the Instagram to promote their product online. In order to get a better grasp of how Instagram affects the promotion of the food and beverage product in Macau, the research question has been formulated: “To what extend can the local food sectors in Macau use Instagram as a marketing tool to engage purchasing intention and strengthen their brand equity? From the perspective of customers.” Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 13 participants who are the Instagram users, with diverse situations of engagement on Instagram. According to the interviews, participants expressed that how Instagram can associate effects with arousal and brand equity (brand awareness, brand image, perceived quality and brand loyalty) and formation of purchase intention eventually through the Instagram marketing activities. The results showed that Instagram marketing activities strongly correlated the brand equity (brand awareness, brand image, and perceived quality while which in turn led to purchasing intention towards the brand. This research comprehensively illustrates the influences of Instagram marketing activities on customer‐based brand equity. The findings of this study will enable local food brands to more accurately forecast the future purchasing behaviors of their customers through Instagram marketing activities and provide a guide in managing brand equity as well

This Practice Note provides an overview of the powers of tribunals and courts to issue interim remedies including an anti-suit injunction pursuant to the Arbitration Law and the Civil Procedure Code of Macau and provisions dealing with emergency arbitrator appointments pursuant to the Macau Arbitration Law.

This thesis explores language teaching and language acquisition by multilingual learners using a Variation Theory approach and multilingual teaching in a university setting in Macao, China. It includes three case studies applied to students of the Spanish language in the introductory level which took place from late August to early December of the year 2017. The first study describes Macao’s multilingual language learners in the University of Macao in 2017. Based on the LEAP-Q questionnaire, a questionnaire was created to inquire all Spanish language students about their languages´ background, their motivations to learn new languages, as well as their learning strategies. The second study shows how the usage of Variation Theory techniques and multilingual teaching techniques boosted the teaching and the learning during the semester. This study employs a case study methodology, by analysing in-class multiple interactions gathering information on how multilinguals´ language background affects the pedagogical process. It analyses a total of 28 classes of 1 hour and 15 minutes. The third study presents the analysis of a questionnaire to 82 students of the initial level of Spanish language in the University of Macao, along with the analysis of interviews from 10 selected multilingual students about their linguistic background and how they experienced the semester. These interviews collected more information about the effectiveness of the Variation Theory in the semester in terms of in-class teaching and learning. From the triangulation of these three studies, some conclusions have been drawn about the advantages of using Variation Theory and multilingual teaching techniques for multilingual students, for the language teacher and ultimately also into the curricular design of foreign language teaching. In sum, that the linguistic background of students plays a major role in how they acquire a new language and, that applying Variation Theory techniques can be an immensely effective technique in a language classroom setting; suggesting that multilingual students will gain from being previously identified and placed in a separate class where these variation techniques were applied. Since this thesis focuses solely on an introductory language course, there is ground to explore this same approach on more advanced multilingual language learners

Establishing and improving the independent reading ability of middle school students has become one of the critical topics in the world, especially for second language learners. The cultivation of independent reading ability has specific challenges. This action research investigated the effectiveness of integrating robot-assisted teaching in reading lessons at lower primary grades. A group of third-grade students (n=15) participated in this research. The instruments include the pre-and post-test of a reading competency test (RCT) and motivational index (MI), a teacher reflection journal, and focus group discussion with parents. The whole intervention is conducted in two cycles, and requires the completion of four 40-minute lessons each week per cycle. The findings support the view that integrating robot-assisted teaching in the classroom can improve students' learning motivation to a certain extent, and that intervention programs positively impact students' learning motivation and independent reading ability in English. This study provides suggestion for the design of English reading instruction, and encourages English teachers to pay more attention to improving students' independent reading ability

Informal recycling plays a crucial role in municiapl solid waste management in many cities, particularly in the global South. This study examines the practices, challenges, and opportunities of informal recycling in Macau, a small city and Self Autonomous Region (S.A.R.) in China. Using qualitative research methods, including semi-structured interviews, this study explores the motivations and strategies of informal recyclers, the challenges they face, and the potential for collaboration with formal waste management systems. The findings of this study reveal that informal recycling in Macau is a complex and multifaceted reality and practice that involves a range of actors, from waste pickers to small-scale processors to exporters, all with their specific challenges. Informal recyclers are motivated by economic necessity, and they employ a variety of strategies to collect and process recyclable materials. However, they also face significant challenges, including high rental and transportation costs, lack of manpower, China’s waste import policies and ensuing restrictions, fluctuating global price rates of materials and the unstable income as serious consequence, accompanied by limited support from the local Government. This study also identifies opportunities for sustainable development of informal recycling in Macau, supported by the analysis of data collected via questionnaire survey regarding Macau citizens’ waste separation habits and their willingness to pay for resource separation and recovering process. The identified oppurtunities include establishing partnerships between informal and formal waste management actors, improving the infrastructure, and introducing environmental levy system and consistent policies and regulations. Overall, this study contributes to a better understanding of the role of informal recycling sector in waste management in Macau and provides insights into potential strategies for improving the sustainability of resource and waste management practices in the city

Peer-rewieved journal

"Over time, the large shopping malls in Macao will require some changes to improve space utilization, resulting in renovation projects that affect indoor particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) concentrations. Employees work long hours in an environment where the ambient air quality is poor, directly affecting their work efficiency. Nonetheless, the concentration of PM produced by the interior renovation of shopping malls has yet to receive particular attention. Therefore, this study will investigate IAQ, in particular, PM10 and PM2.5 in large-scale shopping mall renovation projects in three different indoor locations (i.e., public, renovation, and construction areas) to understand the causes of indoor PM10 and PM2.5. This study will collect on-site PM data for analysis, examine whether the current control measures are appropriate and propose some improvements. The data collected will be compared with IAQ standards from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG), specifically PM concentrations. The research results can provide a reference guide for decision-makers, management, construction teams, design consultant teams and renovation teams of large-scale projects. In addition, the monitoring of IAQ can ensure a comfortable environment for employees and customers."