Abstract
This paper uses non-traditional data, from a MicroFinance Institution (MFI), in a Credit Scoring loan classification problem and addresses a common problem in emerging markets of the lack of a verifiable customers' credit history. We perform a set of experiments to define a baseline model and prove the relevance of node embedding features, in credit scoring models, using a real world dataset. © 2020 IEEE.

Abstract

Abstract

Abstract

Abstract
Polar ecosystems are generally limited in nitrogen (N) nutrients, and the patchy availability of N is partly determined by biological pathways, such as nitrification, which are carried out by distinctive prokaryotic functional groups. The activity and diversity of microorganisms are generally strongly influenced by environmental conditions. However, we know little of the attributes that control the distribution and activity of specific microbial functional groups, such as nitrifiers, in extreme cold environments and how they may respond to change. To ascertain relationships between soil geochemistry and the ecology of nitrifying microbial communities, we carried out a laboratory-based manipulative experiment to test the selective effect of key geochemical variables on the activity and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing communities in soils from the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica. We hypothesized that nitrifying communities, adapted to different environmental conditions within the Dry Valleys, will have distinct responses when submitted to similar geochemical disturbances. In order to test this hypothesis, soils from two geographically distant and geochemically divergent locations, Miers and Beacon Valleys, were incubated over 2 months under increased conductivity, ammonia concentration, copper concentration, and organic matter content. Amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and transcripts allowed comparison of the response of ammonia-oxidizing Archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing Bacteria (AOB) to each treatment over time. This approach was combined with measurements of (NH4+)-N-15 oxidation rates using N-15 isotopic additions. Our results showed a higher potential for nitrification in Miers Valley, where environmental conditions are milder relative to Beacon Valley. AOA exhibited better adaptability to geochemical changes compared to AOB, particularly to the increase in copper and conductivity. AOA were also the only nitrifying group found in Beacon Valley soils. This laboratorial manipulative experiment provided new knowledge on how nitrifying groups respond to changes on key geochemical variables of Antarctic desert soils, and we believe these results offer new insights on the dynamics of N cycling in these ecosystems.

Abstract
Increasing the penetration of renewable resources has aggravated the operational flexibility at distribution level. In this study, a flexibility-oriented scheduling of microgrids (MGs) is suggested to reduce the power fluctuations in distribution feeders caused by the high penetration of wind turbines (WTs) in MGs. A flexibility constraint as viable and practical solution is used in MG scheduling to address this challenge. The presented scheduling model, implemented using mixed integer linear programming (MILP) and a stochastic framework, exercises risk constraints to capture the uncertainties associated with wind turbines, loads and market prices. The effectiveness of the model is investigated on a MG with high penetration of WTs in the presence of demand response (DR) and energy storage systems (ESSs). Numerical studies show the influence of risk parameters' changing on operation costs. In addition, the flexibility constraint mitigates the sharp variation of the net load at distribution level, which improves the flexibility of the distribution system.