Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An improved faster R-CNN approach for robust hand detection and classification in sign language

Robust hand detection and classification is one of the most essential tasks in sign language recognition. However, the problem is very challenging due to the complexity of hands in sign language. The performance of existing approaches can be easily affected by the numerous variations of sign language gestures, small and unobtrusive hand areas, and ever changing of hand locations. In this paper, to detect and classify the hands in sign language robustly, such kind of small objects that contain rich information, we propose an improved Faster R-CNN approach, namely Multi-scale Faster RCNN. Our approach extends the framework of the Faster R-CNN and a multi-scale strategy is adopted to incorporate hierarchical convolution feature maps. We evaluate our approach on the self-built sign language dataset and the experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed approach.
UCLA On-Line Working Paper Series Title Measuring Primary and Secondary School Characteristics : A Group-Based Modeling Permalink

In this paper we introduce a new way to conceptualize and measure the educational resources that young people encounter as they make their way from kindergarten to high school graduation. Using recent methodological advances in group-based modeling and a unique data set, we empirically test for and identify a series of categorically distinct school quality trajectories. We find that these trajectories vary significantly in terms of their intercept and slope, their prevalence within the sampled population, and in the sociodemographic makeup of their constituent members. We then present an extended empirical example illustrating relationships between school quality trajectories and important post-secondary educational outcomes, both before and after controlling for static, single-year measures of primary and secondary school characteristics. Our results suggest that the chronology of students’ exposures to different educational resources is significantly associated with college enrollment, college selectivity, and, in some instances, college completion.
Nutritional effects of dietary inclusion of Leucaena leucocephala and Moringa oleifera leaf meal on Rhode Island Red hens ' performance

This study consisted of two experiments, aimed at determining the effect of the dietary inclusion of either Leucaena leucocephala (LLM) or Moringa oleifera (MOLM) leaf meals on Rhode Island Red (RIR) hens’ egg production and quality. In the first experiment, thirty six RIR hens, at 36 weeks of age, were randomly divided into four groups each of nine birds and were allocated in individual cages. The four groups corresponded to four dietary treatments containing 0 (control), 5, 10, and 15 % of LLM, respectively. Simultaneously, the second experiment was carried out following the same design but using MOLM instead of LLM. The egg production and quality traits were monitored for five weeks, preceded by one week of adaptation. The results showed a quadratic effect on the egg laying rate (57.10, 57.46, 53.25, and 47.46 %), egg mass (g/hen/d) and feed conversion due to the LLM treatments (0, 5, 10, and 15 %, respectively). The MOLM treatments decreased linearly the egg laying rate (60.00, 59.72, 56.13, and 51.87 %) and the egg mass, and had a quadratic effect on the feed intake (111.15, 111.93, 107.08, and 100.47g/hen/d) when including 0, 5, 10, and 15 % of MOLM, respectively. The yolk color increased linearly by the rise in both the MOLM and the LLM levels. Other results were obtained in the albumen and yolk proportions (%) and in the yolk coefficient, while no adverse effects were found on the other egg quality traits due to the LLM or MOLM treatments. The MOLM or the LLM could be acceptable as sustainable feed resource up to 10 % in laying hen diets.
PAS Pressure-Gain Combustion for Gas Turbines

As part of the Department of Energy's Advanced Gus Turbine Systems Program, an investigation has been performed to evaluate "pressure-gain" combustion systems for gas turbine applications. Results from the investigation have shown that, due to the oscillatory combustion process, a pressure boost can be achieved for suitable combustor geometries. The pressure gains achieved thus far have been as high as 1 percent. It has also been shown that for some combustor designs operating under typical gas turbine conditions, NO, and CO emissions are about 30 ppmv and 8 ppmv, respectively. It is believed that with optimized designs, further improvements in both pressure gain and emissions may be possible. We have concluded that this technology remains a candidate for improving the efficiency of a gas turbine while reducing pollutant emissions.
Artigo Preparation , Characterization of Bentonite Clay / Activated Charcoal Composites and 2 3 Factorial Design Application in Adsorption Studies of Methylene Blue Dye

In recent years, several studies involving the preparation and use of composite clay have been the subject of scientific targets. This is due to an increasing social and environmental concern, due to high rate of depletion of oil resources and new environmental regulations, which are forced to search for new compounds that offer no risk to the environment. Thus, in this work we describe the preparation and characterization of composite clay/activated carbon (CA) and its precursors by techniques such as Xray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), thermal analysis (TG-DTA). The XRD profile of the composite showed different characteristics in relation to its precursor clay and activated carbon, a displacement of the diffraction peaks occurs, suggesting carbon intercalation between the clay layers. The great conditions for the adsorption of methylene blue dye by AC50 composite were determined by factorial design. The higher adsorption efficiency was obtained under the conditions of 40 °C, pH 8.0 and ionic strength equal to 0.01.
Theoretical and numerical analysis of a minimal residual solver for 2 D Boltzmann transport equation

Relying on the splitting of the collision operator introduced in (M2AN 34 (2000) 1109; (M2AN 32 (1998) 341), we prove theoretical convergence for an in4nite dimensional adaptation of the minimal residual algorithm for Boltzmann transport equation in dimension two. Then we compare numerically this method with existing nonaccelerated schemes. It gives good results which could even be further improved by adding a DSA or SOR acceleration. c © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Fusarium tricinctum AND Fusarium acuminatum AS CAUSAL AGENTS OF GARLIC BULBS ROT IN SERBIA

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is considered to be one of the oldest crops in the world. During 2016, infected garlic bulbs occurred in storages on several localities of the Province of Vojvodina. Symptomatic cloves showed typical rot symptoms such as softened and spongy areas covered with white fungal growth with deep lesions formed on the cloves which became dry over time. A total of 36 isolates of Fusarium species were obtained from diseased cloves of garlic. Colony morphology and microscopic properties of isolated Fusarium species were recorded from the cultures grown on PDA and CLA, respectively. Identification of two chosen isolates was performed by sequencing the EF-1α gene. The TEF sequence of isolate JBL12 showed 100% similarity with several F. tricinctum sequences and sequence of JBL539 showed 99% identity with several F. acuminatum sequences and they were deposited in the NCBI GenBank. Based on the results of the morphological and molecular identification, isolates JBL12 and JBL539 were identified as F. tricinctum and F. acuminatum, respectively, as new causal agents of garlic bulbs rot in Serbia. Specific primers were designed for the PCR identification of the F. tricinctum.
Series Global Production Networks and the People ’ s Republic of China ’ s Processing

This paper unveils a systematic pattern in the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) processing trade. In a cross-section of the PRC’s provinces, the average distance traveled by processing imports (import distance) is negatively correlated with the average distance traveled by processing exports (export distance). To explain this pattern, we set up a threecountry industry-equilibrium model in which heterogeneous firms from two advanced economies, East and West, sell their products in each other’s markets. Each firm can use two modes to serve the foreign market. A firm can directly export its products from its home country. Alternatively, it can indirectly export to the foreign market by assembling its product in a third low-cost economy, PRC, which is located in the vicinity of East. Our model established two theoretical predictions relating the PRC’s geographical location to its processing trade patterns. First, the PRC’s processing exports are negatively affected by both an increase in import distance and an increase in export distance. Second, the PRC’s processing exports to East Asian economies are more sensitive to export distance and less sensitive to import distance than its processing exports to non-Asian economies. We found empirical support for both predictions. JEL Classification: F12, F14, F23 ADBI Working Paper 175 Ma, Van Assche, and Hong
On the size of the CO-depletion radius in the IRDC G351.77−0.51

An estimate of the degree of CO-depletion (fD) provides information on the physical conditions occurring in the innermost and densest regions of molecular clouds. A key parameter in these studies is the size of the depletion radius, i.e. the radius within which the C-bearing species, and in particular CO, are largely frozen on to dust grains. A strong depletion state (i.e. fD > 10, as assumed in our models) is highly favoured in the innermost regions of dark clouds, where the temperature is <20 K and the number density of molecular hydrogen exceeds a few × 104 cm−3. In this work, we estimate the size of the depleted region by studying the Infrared Dark Cloud (IRDC) G351.77−0.51. Continuum observations performed with the Herschel Space Observatory and the LArge APEX BOlometer CAmera, together with APEX C18O and C17O J = 2→1 line observations, allowed us to recover the large-scale beam- and line-of-sight-averaged depletion map of the cloud. We built a simple model to investigate the depletion in the inner regions of the clumps in the filament and the filament itself. The model suggests that the depletion radius ranges from 0.02 to 0.15 pc, comparable with the typical filament width (i.e. ∼0.1 pc). At these radii, the number density of H2 reaches values between 0.2 and 5.5 × 105 cm−3. These results provide information on the approximate spatial scales on which different chemical processes operate in high-mass star-forming regions and also suggest caution when using CO for kinematical studies in IRDCs.
Habitat induced mutational effects and fatty acid profile changes in bottom dweller Cirrhinus mrigala inhabitant of river Chenab

B. Hussain*, T. Sultana, S. Sultana, Z. Iqbal, S. Nadeem and S. Mahboob Department of Zoology, Wildlife and Fisheries, Govt. College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Govt. College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology, Faisalabad, Pakistan Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Corresponding author: profbilal@yahoo.com
Present and Future Electroweak Precision Measurements and the Indirect Determination of the Mass of the Higgs Boson The Precision Electroweak Working Group of Snowmass 2001

The Precision Electroweak Working Group of Snowmass 2001 U. Baur,1 R. Clare∗,2 A. Denner,3 J.L. Diaz Cruz,4 S. Dittmaier,5 J. Erler∗,6 M. Grünewald,7 S. Heinemeyer∗,8 U. Heintz,9 M. Kraemer,10 H.E. Logan,11 K. Mönig,12 M. Narain,9 M. Roth,13 M. Schmitt,14 D. Wackeroth,15 G. Weiglein,16 D.R. Wood∗,17 and J. Wudka18 State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen PSI, Switzerland IPUAP-BUAP, 72570 Puebla, Pue. , Mexico DESY, Hamburg, Germany Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, PA 19146, USA and Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Instituto de Fisica, 01000 Mexico D.F. , Mexico RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany HET Physics Dept., Brookhaven Natl. Lab. , NY 11973, USA Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA University of Edingburgh, Edingburgh, UK Fermilab, PO Box 500, Batavia, IL 60510-0500, USA DESY, Zeuthen, Germany Universitaet Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology, Durham, UK Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA University of California, Riverside, CA 92521 (Dated: May 30, 2002)
Student-faculty and peer interactions among immigrant college students attending 4-year research universities in the United States

This study examined student-faculty interactions and peer interactions among immigrant college students attending 4-year research universities in the United States. Using the Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) survey completed by 58,000 undergraduate students from six large, public research universities, the researchers used analysis of variance and multiple linear regression analyses to explore differences between immigrant populations. The results suggest that there are significant differences between immigrant and non-immigrant college students with regard to their sense of belonging, faculty interactions, and peer interactions. There are also differences within immigrant waves and generational status. Implications and recommendations for educators in multicultural learning and teaching contexts are outlined.
Educators ’ Gender and Ideological Beliefs Versus Alternative Traditions of Teaching Social Studies in Secondary Schools in Akwa Ibom State , Nigeria

The research examined the preferred alternative traditions of teaching social studies of sampled educators divided into groups based on gender and ideological beliefs about learners. A sampled group of 313 social studies educators in junior secondary schools in Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria was surveyed. The educators positively endorsed all the four traditions, citizenship transmission, social science, reflective inquiry and the democratic transformation, in varying degrees. The ideological beliefs of educators made more significant difference than did gender in differentiating their preferences for the alternative traditions. Educators exhibited a more positive preference for the citizenship transmission but reacted less positively toward the social science, reflective inquiry and the democratic transformation tradition. Implications for instructional development are suggested.
Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems ( PACIS ) 7-15-2012 Open Innovation In Online Brand Communities

The explosive growth of social media and online communities offers companies new unique opportunities to utilize information and knowledge capital by involving users in the company’s innovation activities. Companies started to realize the huge potential of online brand communities as a source of R&D innovations, and the ability to utilize and manage customer knowledge effectively can create competitive advantage for companies. The objective of this research is to identify factors which explain community members’ participation in open innovation activities in online brand communities. It is important from the research and business viewpoint to identify the factors which motivate users to participate in open innovation and enable new value creation for the company’s services and products. Structural equation modeling results indicate that both task involvement and utility explain significantly information and knowledge sharing and willingness to participate in open innovation activities. In addition, information and knowledge sharing has a strong significant impact on participation in open innovation. Implications for research and practice are suggested.
Characteristics of the Location of Forage Crops at Dairy Cattle Backyard Farming in Banyumas Regency

One of the supports of the dairy farm productivity is forage crops whose existence is a major factor. Location as a land use pattern has many characteristics in line with situation. The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics of area locations of forage crops at backyard dairy farms in Banyumas Regency. The method of this research was a survey with qualitative approach as a model of naturalistic paradigm. Phenomenological research was impelemented in this study. The research sites were on 5 (five) developing sub-districts of backyard dairy farm locations. The results showed that the pattern of land use for the forage plant source in backyard dairy cattle farm in Banyumas Regency in each district area was is affected by the parameters of different landscapes of land ownership. Based on the results it can be concluded that the characteristics of the pastures ware flat land, sloping and undulating topography, that were located near the rice fields, roads and yards. The location of the forage crops included the use of wet and dry land, and the combination of them, in monoculture and mixed cropping with other crops, not only on lands owned by farmers themselves, but also the uses of land owned by their families.
Interactive comment on “ Secondary organic aerosol formation from gasoline vehicle emissions in a new mobile environmental reaction chamber ” by S

(1) The paper uses the terms SOA emission factor. I have a strong negative reaction to that term because SOA is not emitted (I have no problem expressing SOA production on a per fuel basis). As the authors well know, the problem is that the amount of SOA will depend on many atmospheric parameters (COA, VOC/NOx, OH exposure, etc.). Therefore it will vary over the atmospheric lifetime of the emissions from zero at the tailpipe to some varying but non-zero value in the atmosphere (as shown in Figure 4). A better term might be SOA production factor. In addition, the authors need to add some discussion to the paper that the values reported here are for these particular experimental conditions (e.g. very high COA, very high NOx) and therefore should not simply used as emission factors. Calling it an emission factor will create all sort of confusion.
Related Party Transactions , Family Ownership and Earnings Quality : A Study of Malaysian Firms

This study examines the effect of related party transactions on earnings quality of Malaysian firms with substantial family ownership. Certain related party transactions could be used to expropriate minority shareholders where they could transfer profits and cash from a firm to its owner. Using discretionary accruals quality (DAQ) and performance adjusted discretionary accruals (PACDA) as measures for earnings management, this study finds that earnings quality of firms with huge family ownership becomes much lower when they undertake related party transactions. This finding suggests that related party transactions could help the controlling families to expropriate the minority shareholders of the firms, hence exacerbating the agency problem and lowering earnings quality.
Factors influencing the risk of abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture

Abdominal aortic aneurysm is a relatively common vascular pathology and its rupture is an underestimated cause of death from cardiovascular causes. Determining the risk of rupture is the key clinical problem, translating directly into the choice of proper therapeutic strategy and constitutes an indication for surgical management. In most cases, aneurysm diameter is considered the decisive predictive factor. In light of current research data, it seems necessary to also consider such factors, as demography, medical history and morphology (geometry, the presence of mural thrombus) of the aneurysm. A multitude of factors, both biological and biophysical, poses a great challenge for the researchers. This publication constitutes a concise summary of current literature data on the topic.
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) Fast Collocation-Based Bayesian HMM Word Alignment

We present a new Bayesian HMM word alignment model for statistical machine translation. The model is a mixture of an alignment model and a language model. The alignment component is a Bayesian extension of the standard HMM. The language model component is responsible for the generation of words needed for source fluency reasons from source language context. This allows for untranslatable source words to remain unaligned and at the same time avoids the introduction of artificial NULL words which introduces unusually long alignment jumps. Existing Bayesian word alignment models are unpractically slow because they consider each target position when resampling a given alignment link. The sampling complexity therefore grows linearly in the target sentence length. In order to make our model useful in practice, we devise an auxiliary variable Gibbs sampler that allows us to resample alignment links in constant time independently of the target sentence length. This leads to considerable speed improvements. Experimental results show that our model performs as well as existing word alignment toolkits in terms of resulting BLEU score.
Prognostic and predictive DNA methylated biomarkers in colorectal cancer in the era of emerging technologies

Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics University of Bari via Amendola 165/A 70126 Bari, Italy e-mail: poetaluana@gmail.com Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide, and despite the care improvement of the last years it represents the fourth most common cancer-related cause of death globally. CRC results from the progressive accumulation of genetic and epigenetic alterations. Epigenetics refers to heritable and reversible changes associated with gene expression without alterations in the DNA sequence. Epigenetic modifications include aberrant DNA methylation, histone modifications, non-coding RNA deregulation, chromatin remodeling and nucleosome positioning. Over the past few decades an increasing number of high-throughput platforms for genome-wide methylation studies has been developed favoring the identification of novel epigenetic targets. These epigenetic alterations have been noted to play crucial roles not only in cancer progression, but also in cancer initiation. In this perspective aberrantly methylated genes have indeed attracted considerable interest as potential biomarkers for the early detection of disease onset, prognosis and choice of treatment, and the monitoring of disease after therapy. Despite the rapidly evolving of sequencing technologies is giving an unprecedented opportunity for identification of cancer biomarkers, the large plethora of generated data not always provide new tools which can be efficaciously translated in clinical setting. The progress in diagnostics and therapeutics biomarker studies should not be conceived only in a deep pathway understanding and single target identification but it should encompasses a more comprehensive approach which aims to develop a much-needed framework integrating laboratory science, bioinformatics, histopathological and clinical expertise.