Financial services in the euro-mediterranean partnership : banking

Towards the goal to gather a better understanding of the banking structure and the regulatory practices in place, the Working Group on Financial Services in the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership developed a survey. This survey is based on a questionnaire which was addressed to the States of the MEDA region. The questionnaire tackled various topics related to the banking regulation, supervisory institutions in charge and the prevalent market conditions such as current market data. Furthermore the jurisdictions were asked to assess the compliance with the Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision (BIS 25) in their countries. Essential Banking laws and regulations are now in place in most countries of the region and Central Banks are upgrading their oversight capacity. Management systems are becoming more and more sophisticated and often include enhanced risk-based supervision functions procedures, with related manuals for supervision and training of staff. Bank Corporate governance as well as regulatory compliance with capital adequacy ratios have signifi cantly improved as a result of staff better prepared to carry out their newly introduced or strengthened obligations. Despite progress and a number of successful reforms, several challenges remain and need to be addressed to prepare the banking industry. Some of the necessary reforms would also facilitate fi nancial integration in the region accommodating the envisaged free trade: - Strengthen the soundness of the banking systems in all countries. In particular it is important to reduce the high level of non performing loans, to restructure state-owned banks, and to secure compliance with prudential rules ; - Increase competition in the banking system. Notably, extensive state ownership and restrictions on foreign bank entry stifl e competition and fi nancial deepening in the region; opening up the banking sector for commercial banks both for domestic credit institutions and those abroad is a solution ; - Deepen the fi nancial markets where they are bankdominated. Financial markets (money, interbank, foreign exchange, equity, and securities markets) are nascent or shallow in most countries, and nonbank fi nancial institutions are generally underdeveloped ; - Upgrade financial sector infrastructure. In particular, accounting and auditing practices, transparency and corporate governance, the legal and judicial framework, and the payment systems need to be strengthened.Euromed MEDA; Banking; Convergence; Mediterranean countries; European Union

Conception d'une plateforme d'Animats destinée à l'étude d'aglgorithmes d'apprentissage appliqués à la survie en environnement réel

RÉSUMÉ Le présent mémoire résume les travaux de maîtrise réalisés dans l’optique de proposer une plateforme de déploiement et d’analyse d’algorithmes d’apprentissage appliqués aux animats. Les animats désignent des agents minimalement équipés aussi bien sur le plan mécanique qu’en termes de puissance de calcul. Néanmoins, la théorie gravitant autour de l’étude de ces entités vise à mettre en avant des méthodes d’apprentissages permettant à ceux-ci d’évoluer à partir de ce qu’ils auront appris de leur expérience dans l’environnement. À l’image des êtres vivants, les différences de perception du milieu environnant devraient permettre de voir naître des particularités et des comportements différents pour chacun d’entre eux. Par ailleurs, ces animats devraient avoir la faculté de pouvoir communiquer entre eux dans le but de permettre, s’ils le désirent, de pouvoir partager de l’information et de se servir d’une connaissance et d’un apprentissage communs pour assouvir ce qui devrait être leur principal objectif : survivre dans leur environnement. Le domaine de recherche des animats comprend aussi bien l’étude des animats simulés que celle des animats réels. Alors que le premier permet un déploiement facilité par l’abstraction rendue possible par les langages de haut niveau, la nécessité de devoir simuler un environnement avec l’ensemble de ses singularités induit une erreur de modélisation qui n’existe pas lorsque les animats sont physiquement réalisés. Par conséquent, si une telle plateforme était disponible, il serait alors seulement nécessaire de se concentrer sur les algorithmes d’apprentissage plutôt que sur des problèmes de modélisation. Par ailleurs, bien souvent, des algorithmes puissants lors des simulations se retrouvent inadaptés pour des problèmes réels de par le manque de fidélité entre l’environnement simulé et réel. Notamment, qu’adviendrait-il si un capteur devenait défectueux? Si une situation inconnue était rencontrée? Si le bruit ou la précision des capteurs avait mal été modélisés?Dans ce contexte, nous proposons d’étudier et de concevoir ce qui sera la base d’une plateforme de développement et d’analyse d’algorithmes d’apprentissage. À la différence des plateformes existantes, la principale originalité de cette plateforme réside dans la prise en compte des problèmes énergétiques. En effet, pour pouvoir survivre l’animat devrait être capable d’estimer et de prévoir ses dépenses énergétiques présentes et futures et de les prendre en considération dans le choix des tâches à effectuer.----------ABSTRACT This master’s thesis summarizes the achievements realized towards proposing a platform for deployment and analysis of machine learning algorithms applied to animats. Animats are agents minimally equipped on the mechanical plan as well as in terms of computing power. Nevertheless, the theory describing the study of these entities aims at discovering learning methods allowing them to evolve using what they learnt from their experience in the environment. Just like human beings, differences in perception of the surrounding environment should allow peculiarities and several behaviors for each of them. Besides, these animats should be able to communicate between them so as to allow, if needed, to share information and to use common knowledge and learning in order to succeed in what should be their main objective: survive in their environment. The research field of animats includes the study of simulated and real animats. While the former allows a facilitated deployment due to the abstraction made possible by high-level languages, the necessity to emulate an environment with all peculiarities can lead to modeling errors that may be avoided when animats are physically built. Consequently, if such a platform was available, it would only be necessary to focus on the learning algorithms rather than on the modelling problems. Besides, very often, powerful algorithms tested on simulation may prove themselves unsuitable for real problems in real environments. For instance, it is hard to predict what would happen if a sensor became defective, if an unexpected situation was met, or if the noise or the precision of the sensors was not properly modeled.In this context, we suggest studying and designing what will be the base of a platform for development and analysis of learning algorithms. Unlike the existing platforms, the main originality of this platform lies in the consideration of energy constraints. Indeed, to enhance its survivability, the animat should be able to estimate and to plan its present and future energy consumption and to consider it in the choices made. Besides, the objective was to design an animat sufficiently equipped to realize simple tasks but relatively primitive to make it necessary to take advantage of algorithmic parades, like for example the pooling of information. Therefore, the computing power embedded in the animat was purposely reduced to force the relocation of processing that proves too complex. On the other hand, a reduced size and a moderate price are necessary features to enable deployment of a colony of animats

Use of forest fragments by animalivorous bats in french Guiana

The effects of habitat fragmentation on animalivorous bats were studied on recent forest islands created in 1994, at the time of the filling of Petit Saut dam in French Guiana. A sampling strategy, including control sites located in a nearby forested area not fragmented during the who le study period (1993-1997) was designed. Modifications affecting animali vorous bat communities in a remote 28 ha island (island 2) and in 15 islets smaller than 6 ha more or less isolated from the nearby continuous forest were analysed. Results were compared to those obtained with the same methods for frugivorous and nectarivorous bats. One hundred and forty eight gleaning animalivores, 41 aerial insectivores and 28 bats belonging to other guilds (omnivore, sanguivore) were trapped during the whole study. Capture analyses showed that species richness and abundance sharply declined in islets and in the island 2 in 1995 and 1996. However no significant difference was found between islands and continuous forest in 1997. There was no difference either in species richness or in abundance between the island 2 and several islets of comparable isolation. On the contrary, indices were significantly lower in far islets situated at more than 1 50 rn from the continuous forest than in near ones. One possible explanation is the reluctance of understorey species to cross open water to reach far islands. Between 1994 and 1997, we failed to detect any difference in the relative proportion of aerial insectivores and gleaning animalivores between islands and the continuous forest. Among non-frugivorous species, gleaning animalivores represented 73 % of the total number of captures made in the two habitats. Similarly no habitat differences were found in the respective contributions of frugivores and animalivores to bat communities. Frugivores made up roughly 80 % of the total number of bats captured during the study. Within the gleaning animalivores guild, there was a positive relationship between abundance of a species in islands and its abundance in the control area. Moreover, a positive correlation was equally found between body size and abundance in all habitats. The contribution of our results to the understanding of the impact of habitat fragmentation on animalivorous bats is limited due to rarity and low detectability of a high number of species making up animalivorous bat communities in Neotropical forests. Therefore, additional methods to collect and analyse data that take into account these features should be implemented to evaluate more accurately the impact of habitat fragmentation on bat communities at Saint-EugèneLes effets de la fragmentation de l'habitat sur la communauté des chauves-souris animalivores ont été étudiés dans les îlots forestiers formés en 1994 lors de la mise en eau du barrage de Petit Saut (Guyane française). Un protocole d'échantillonnage standardisé, incluant une zone de référence restée intacte tout au long de l'étude entre 1993 et 1997, a permis de suivre les modifications affectant la communauté des chauves-souris animalivores dans une île de 28 ha (île 2) bien isolée et dans 1 5 îlots d'une superficie inférieure à 6 ha plus ou moins isolés selon les cas. Les résultats obtenus ont été comparés avec ceux obtenus dans les mêmes conditions lors d'une précédente étude pour les chauves-souris frugivores et nectarivores. 148 chauves-souris animalivores glaneuses, 41 insectivores aériennes, 28 omnivores ou hématophages ont été capturées au cours de l'étude. L'analyse de ces captures montre que la richesse spécifique et l'abondance des individus ont chuté fortement en 1995 et 1996 dans l'île 2 et dans les îlots mais pas en 1997. Aucune différence de richesse ou d'abondance entre l'île 2 et les îlots de degré d'isolement comparable n'a été détectée. En revanche, les indices de richesse et d'abondance obtenus pour les îlots éloignés de plus de 150 m du bloc forestier sont significativement plus faibles que ceux obtenus pour les îlots situés à proximité immédiate de la forêt intacte. Il est suggéré que le survol d'une étendue d'eau libre pourrait constituer une barrière au déplacement notamment pour les espèces animalivores glaneuses de sous-bois. Entre 1994 et 1997, la proportion relative de chauves-souris aériennes insectivores et glaneuses animalivores dans les îlots forestiers et dans le bloc forestier n'était pas différente, les glaneuses animalivores représentant 73 % des captures dans les deux milieux. De même, il n'y a pas de différence dans la contribution respective des guildes animalivores et frugivores aux peuplements insulaire et du bloc forestier. Les chauves-souris frugivores représentent autour de 80 % des captures dans les deux habitats. A l'intérieur de la guilde des glaneuses animalivores, il existe une forte corrélation entre l'abondance d'une espèce en forêt non perturbée et son abondance dans l'île 2 et dans les îlots. Une corrélation positive entre la taille corporelle et l'abondance a également été trouvée tous milieux confondus. La portée des résultats obtenus ici est limitée du fait de la rareté et de la faible piégeabilité d'un nombre élevé d'espèces qui composent le peuplement des chauves-souris animalivores en forêt néotropicale. D'autres techniques de collecte et d'analyse des données, qui tiennent compte de ces particularités, devront être mises en oeuvre pour pleinement évaluer l'impact de la fragmentation de l'habitat sur les communautés de chauves-souris animalivores à Saint-Eugèn

Modeling, design and implementation of a low-power FPGA based asynchronous wake-up receiver for wireless applications

Power consumption is a major concern for wireless sensor networks (WSNs) nodes, and it is often dominated by the power consumption of communication means. For such networks, devices are most of the time battery-powered and need to have very low power consumption. Moreover, for WSNs, limited amount of data are periodically sent and then the radio should be in idle or deep sleep mode most of the time. Thus using event-triggered radios is well suited and could lead to significant reduction of the overall power consumption of WSNs. Therefore this paper explores the design of an asynchronous module that can wake up the main receiver when another node is trying to send data. Furthermore, we implement the proposed solution in an FPGA to decrease the fabrication cost for low volume applications and make it easier to design, re-use and enhance. To decrease the static power consumption, we explore the possibility of reducing the supply voltage. The observed overall power consumption is under 5μW at 250 kbps. Moreover, using a new asynchronous design technique, we observed that power consumption can be further reduced

Practical remediation of 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one wastewater

Limiting environmental impact is a top priority for the chemical industry, and manufacturing practices need to be well controlled to avoid any potential contamination. In order to reduce waste streams during the processing of 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one (NTO), potentially evironmental hazardous at concentrations of 1 g/l, we investigated the potential remediation and recycling of water using a wide range of commercial sorption media. We studied the effect of experimental conditions, including flow rate, initial contaminant concentration and temperature. This led to the selection of Amberlyst A26 OH in a batch process and Activated Carbon in continuous flow, as the most effective sorption methods. Using high performance liquid chromatography photodiode array detection (HPLC-PDA), NTO was quantified from solutions, before and after remediation, showing a complete removal from a 10 g/l NTO solution. Our purification method therefore appears to be suitable for the remediation of NTO-contaminated wastewater

Financial services in the euro-mediterranean partnership : banking

Towards the goal to gather a better understanding of the banking structure and the regulatory practices in place, the Working Group on Financial Services in the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership developed a survey. This survey is based on a questionnaire which was addressed to the States of the MEDA region. The questionnaire tackled various topics related to the banking regulation, supervisory institutions in charge and the prevalent market conditions such as current market data. Furthermore the jurisdictions were asked to assess the compliance with the Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision (BIS 25) in their countries. Essential Banking laws and regulations are now in place in most countries of the region and Central Banks are upgrading their oversight capacity. Management systems are becoming more and more sophisticated and often include enhanced risk-based supervision functions procedures, with related manuals for supervision and training of staff. Bank Corporate governance as well as regulatory compliance with capital adequacy ratios have signifi cantly improved as a result of staff better prepared to carry out their newly introduced or strengthened obligations. Despite progress and a number of successful reforms, several challenges remain and need to be addressed to prepare the banking industry. Some of the necessary reforms would also facilitate fi nancial integration in the region accommodating the envisaged free trade: - Strengthen the soundness of the banking systems in all countries. In particular it is important to reduce the high level of non performing loans, to restructure state-owned banks, and to secure compliance with prudential rules ; - Increase competition in the banking system. Notably, extensive state ownership and restrictions on foreign bank entry stifl e competition and fi nancial deepening in the region; opening up the banking sector for commercial banks both for domestic credit institutions and those abroad is a solution ; - Deepen the fi nancial markets where they are bankdominated. Financial markets (money, interbank, foreign exchange, equity, and securities markets) are nascent or shallow in most countries, and nonbank fi nancial institutions are generally underdeveloped ; - Upgrade financial sector infrastructure. In particular, accounting and auditing practices, transparency and corporate governance, the legal and judicial framework, and the payment systems need to be strengthened

Financial services in the euro-mediterranean partnership : banking

Towards the goal to gather a better understanding of the banking structure and the regulatory practices in place, the Working Group on Financial Services in the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership developed a survey. This survey is based on a questionnaire which was addressed to the States of the MEDA region. The questionnaire tackled various topics related to the banking regulation, supervisory institutions in charge and the prevalent market conditions such as current market data. Furthermore the jurisdictions were asked to assess the compliance with the Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision (BIS 25) in their countries. Essential Banking laws and regulations are now in place in most countries of the region and Central Banks are upgrading their oversight capacity. Management systems are becoming more and more sophisticated and often include enhanced risk-based supervision functions procedures, with related manuals for supervision and training of staff. Bank Corporate governance as well as regulatory compliance with capital adequacy ratios have signifi cantly improved as a result of staff better prepared to carry out their newly introduced or strengthened obligations. Despite progress and a number of successful reforms, several challenges remain and need to be addressed to prepare the banking industry. Some of the necessary reforms would also facilitate fi nancial integration in the region accommodating the envisaged free trade: - Strengthen the soundness of the banking systems in all countries. In particular it is important to reduce the high level of non performing loans, to restructure state-owned banks, and to secure compliance with prudential rules ; - Increase competition in the banking system. Notably, extensive state ownership and restrictions on foreign bank entry stifl e competition and fi nancial deepening in the region; opening up the banking sector for commercial banks both for domestic credit institutions and those abroad is a solution ; - Deepen the fi nancial markets where they are bankdominated. Financial markets (money, interbank, foreign exchange, equity, and securities markets) are nascent or shallow in most countries, and nonbank fi nancial institutions are generally underdeveloped ; - Upgrade financial sector infrastructure. In particular, accounting and auditing practices, transparency and corporate governance, the legal and judicial framework, and the payment systems need to be strengthened

Practical colorimetry of 3-Nitro-1,2,4-Triazol-5-One

A field ready colorimetric method of quantifying the concentration of aqueous 3‐nitro‐1,2,4‐triazol‐5‐one (NTO), several orders of magnitude below its environmental toxicity level, has been developed. The test allows for the immediate evaluation of the level of contamination in aqueous solution without the need for analytical equipment such as high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). The observed colours have been explained by the different NTO species present over the range of pH; these observations are supported by modelling and experimental results