Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Hybrid DE-RGSO-ELM for Brain Tumor Tissue Categorization in 3D Magnetic Resonance Images

Medical diagnostics, a technique used for visualizing the internal structures and functions of human body, serves as a scientific tool to assist physicians and involves direct use of digital imaging system analysis. In this scenario, identification of brain tumors is complex in the diagnostic process. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique is noted to best assist tissue contrast for anatomical details and also carries out mechanisms for investigating the brain by functional imaging in tumor predictions. Considering 3D MRI model, analyzing the anatomy features and tissue characteristics of brain tumor is complex in nature. Henceforth, in this work, feature extraction is carried out by computing 3D gray-level cooccurence matrix (3D GLCM) and run-length matrix (RLM) and feature subselection for dimensionality reduction is performed with basic differential evolution (DE) algorithm. Classification is performed using proposed extreme learning machine (ELM), with refined group search optimizer (RGSO) technique, to select the best parameters for better simplification and training of the classifier for brain tissue and tumor characterization as white matter (WM), gray matter (GM), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and tumor. Extreme learning machine outperforms the standard binary linear SVM and BPN for medical image classifier and proves better in classifying healthy and tumor tissues. The comparison between the algorithms proves that the mean and standard deviation produced by volumetric feature extraction analysis are higher than the other approaches. The proposed work is designed for pathological brain tumor classification and for 3D MRI tumor image segmentation. The proposed approaches are applied for real time datasets and benchmark datasets taken from dataset repositories.
EFFECT OF CORN-COTTON ROTATIONS ON RENIFORM NEMATODE POPULATIONS AND CROP YIELD

Stetina, S. R. , L. D. Young, W. T. Pettigrew, and H. A. Bruns. 2007. Effect of Corn-Cotton Rotations on Reniform Nematode Populations and Crop Yield. Nematropica 37:237-248. Corn (Zea mays) as a rotation crop with cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) was evaluated in a field study conducted from 2000 through 2003 at Stoneville, MS to determine its effect on reniform nematode (Rotylenchulus reniformis) population density. The experimental design was a randomized block splitplot with eight replications. The main plots were crop rotations (continuous cotton, continuous corn, corn-cotton-corn-cotton, or cotton-corn-corn-cotton), and six-row subplots were one of four genotypes of either corn or cotton. Nematode populations in the center two rows of each subplot were determined at planting, midseason, and harvest. Cotton and corn yields were determined from samples taken from one or all four of the inner subplot rows, respectively. In plots planted to cotton the previous season, nematode populations at planting exceeded damaging levels for Mississippi, regardless of rotation sequence. Nematode populations remained below damaging levels throughout the season in cotton following two seasons of corn. However, when cotton followed one season of corn, nematode populations rebounded to damaging levels by the end of the season. Cotton lint yield from the cotton-corn-corn-cotton rotation was 194 kg/ha greater than yield from the continuous cotton plots in 2003. At the nematode population levels in this study, a rotation with at least two consecutive years of corn appears to be necessary to achieve reniform nematode suppression sufficient to increase cotton yield. Corn yields were either not affected or, in one year, improved when the crop was grown in rotation with cotton. Crop genotype did not affect reniform nematode population density, and there were no genotype x rotation interactions with respect to either reniform nematode population density or crop yield.
Breeding potential of durum wheat landraces from Jordan

The influence of drought stress on grain yield and developmental phases was studied in 132 landrace genotypes (LR) of durum wheat from Jordan. A number of old (OV) and improved (IV) durum wheat varieties, and F6 selections from crosses (CR) between LR and IV were included. A total of 320 genotypes were planted in an observation nursery, with two replicates, in a semiarid (El) and an arid (E2) environment. Stress susceptibility (SI) and growth inhibition (GI) indices were calculated for each entry, based on grain yield and plant height, respectively. Potential yield (Yd), in El and yield under stress (Yd) in E2 were significantly correlated (r = 0.227; P = 0.02); however, the genotype x environment interaction was significant. IV genotypes had the highest Yd in El (3562.9 kg ha-1), but not in E2 (Yd=893.6 kg ha-1). LR genotypes had a lower Yd than IV genotypes in El (2736.5 kg ha -1) and a higher Yd in E2 (923.3 kgha-1). The highest variability for grain yield in both El and E2 was displayed by CR genotypes. SI was positively correlated with Yd in El (r = 0.745; P = 0.000) and negatively with Yd in E2 (r =–0.328; P = 0.001). Also, SI was significantly correlated with days to heading and filling period in both El and E2, and with days to maturity in El. CR genotypes differed in their SI estimate (0.915) from IV (1.068) and OV (1.026). Percent growth inhibition (GI) due to stress was highest for OV (48.8) and IV (46.3); it was intermediate (37.9) for CR and lowest (33.6) for LR genotypes. A number of LR and CR genotypes have been identified with high yield potential in El and above average yield in E2. A selection index was developed and is based on SI, GI, days to heading, and filling period.
An Analysis of the Relationship among EFL Learners’ Autonomy, Self-esteem, and Choice of Vocabulary Learning Strategies

This study seeks to determine whether any significant relationship exists among EFL learners’ autonomy (LA), self-esteem (SE), and choice of vocabulary learning strategies (VLS) as well as whether LA and SE are predictors of these strategies. To achieve these aims, this study employed a descriptive research design. Participants included 157 male and female undergraduate EFL learners, all within the age range of 17 to 25 years. They were studying English within the sub-disciplines of English Literature, Linguistics, and General English. Participants were administered the following three types of questionnaires adapted by the researcher: a) a 30-item VLS questionnaire based on that of Schmitt taxonomy (1997); b) a 30-item LA questionnaire developed by Sakai, et al. (2008); c) and a 30-item SE questionnaire based on Coopersmith’s SE inventory (1967). Upon conducting preliminary analyses of this study’s assumptions, the characteristics of the data were proven legitimate via correlation and regression analyses. Correlation analysis demonstrated that a statistically significant relationship existed between EFL learners’ autonomy and VLS, with (r = .555, p < .05), and SE and VLS, with (r = .678 p < .05). Furthermore, regression analysis revealed LA and SE to be significant predictors of VLS. LA predicted 30.7% of scores in the choice of VLS (R = .555, R2 = .307), and SE predicted 45.9% of scores in the choice of VLS (R = .678, R2 = .456). These findings demonstrate that both LA and SE make strong contributions to VLS.
Touching with the mind's hand: Tactile and proprioceptive stimulation facilitates conceptual size judgements.

Is a grapefruit bigger than an apple? How do you know? People have little difficulty in comparing objects in this way, but the nature of the underlying size representations remains opaque. While visual information is clearly important in conceptualizing size, it is not the full story: object representations may also rely on how the hands feed back touch and proprioceptive information during physical interaction. In a series of novel studies, we asked people to make conceptual size comparison judgements while receiving tactile or proprioceptive stimulation to the hands or feet. Results show that hand stimulation facilitates size judgements, but, critically, only for objects that are small enough to be manipulated by the hands. These findings confirm that size representations automatically involve touch and proprioceptive information, independent of motor planning, and validate embodied assumptions that concepts are grounded in the same neural systems that govern perception and action.
Accounting for real wealth in heterogeneous-endowment public good games

Wealth heterogeneity infuences people's behavior in several socioeconomic environments, especially when groups consisting of "unequal" members have to take a collective action which affects all members equally or proportionally. After eliciting real out-of-lab wealth, we form 4-player groups playing an one-shot public good game with heterogeneous laboratory endowments. Endowing subjects according or against their real wealth gives rise to a series of interesting results. Endowment heterogeneity, lack of real relative wealth information and being "rich" both inside and outside the lab raise contributions. Finally, when eliciting subjects' beliefs, we find out that only relatively "poor" subjects expect others to contribute more than what they actually are prepared to do theirselves.
Seasonal Trends of Minerals and Proteins in Prairie Grasses.

E FFECTS of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization on seasonal trends of minerals and protein in prairie grasses from virgin sod are valuable to agronomists in depicting certain soil-plantanimal relationships. Mineral and protein content of dominant grazing forages often reliably reflect soil characteristics. Analyses of calcium, phosphorus, and nitrogen, with certain restrictions, are widely used as a convenient alternative approach to more exacting but more expensive actual livestock assays. These constituents are often used for estimating the adequacy of mineral and protein for animal production. Among the more comprehensive of the many reviews relating to minerals and protein in grazing forage are those of Theiler (1932 and 1941), Orr (1929), Watkins (1943)) Stanley (1938), Vandecaveye (1940), Maynard (1941), and Beeson (1946). Beeson evaluates the present consensus of the various investigators in this field. Apparently, the important factors which tend to affect the nutritive content of grasses can be summarized as the inherent characteristics of the species, its stage of growth, the fertility of the soil, fertilizer applications, and the climate as it affects primarily the stage of growth, uptake of nutrients, weathering, and leaching of the tissues. Theiler’s review is particularly devoted to the effect on animal performance of phosphorus deficiencies uncomplicated with various other nutritional deficiencies in natural grasslands of the world. His successors, Du Toit et al
Chivalry is not Dead: Murder, Gender, and the Death Penalty

Chivalry - that set of values and code of conduct for the medieval knightly class - has long influenced American law, from Supreme Court decisions to substantive criminal law doctrines and the administration of criminal justice. The chivalrous knight was enjoined to seek honor and defend it through violence and, in a society which enforced strict gender roles, to show gallantry toward "ladies" of the same class, except for the women of the knight's own household, over whom he exercised complete authority. This article explores, for the first time, whether these chivalric values might explain sentencing outcomes in capital cases. The data for the article comes from our original study of 1299 first degree murder cases in California, whose death penalty scheme accords prosecutors and juries virtually unlimited discretion in making the death-selection decision. We examine sentencing outcomes for three particular types of murder where a "chivalry effect" might be expected - gang murders, rape murders and domestic violence murders. In cases involving single victims, the results were striking. In gang murders, the death sentence rate was less than one-tenth the overall death sentence rate. By contrast, in rape murder cases, the death sentence rate was nine times the overall death sentence rate. The death sentence rate for single-victim domestic violence murders was roughly 25% lower than the overall death sentence rate. We also examined, through this study and earlier California studies, more general data on gender disparities in death sentencing and found substantial gender-of-defendant and gender-of-victim disparities. Women guilty of capital murder are far less likely than men to be sentenced to death, and defendants who kill women are far more likely to be sentenced to death than defendants who kill men. We argue that all of these findings are consistent with chivalric norms, and we conclude that, in the prosecutors' decisions to seek death and juries' decisions to impose it, chivalry appears to be alive and well.
The effect of improver on dough rheology and bread properties

The influence of bread improver on dough rheology and bread properties was investigated. The effect of bread improver on extensographic parameters of analyzed flours with different rheological properties was more pronounced in comparison with farinographic. Regarding the effect on bread properties, the improver enhanced loaf volume and average cell area. Using improver had possitive effect on flours with medium dough strength, through improvment of loaves volume and shape with satisfying crumb structure. However, improver significantly destroyed viscoelastic properties of flours with strong dough with negative effect on loaves shape, avarage cell area and crumb porosity parameters.
Achievement effects of embedded multimedia in a Success for All reading program

Embedded multimedia refers to teaching methods that embed video content within teachers' lessons. The research of Mayer and others has suggested that multimedia instruction can enhance learning by using the capacity of both visual and verbal memory systems. The present study is an evaluation of embedded multimedia in a year-long randomized clinical trial comparing 1st graders who learned beginning reading through the Success for All program either with or without embedded, brief video components. A study involving 394 first graders in 10 high-poverty schools found significant positive effects on the Word Attack scale, controlling for pretests, in hierarchical linear modeling analyses, with school as the unit of analysis. The results provide partial support for the utility of embedded multimedia as a component of beginning reading instruction.
Radial Packing Density of Rotor- and Ring-spun Yarns

The radial packing density of rotor-spun yarn was measured on the basis of the theory reported earlier by the author [J ndian J Text Res, 11 (1986) 26]. The effect of yarn twist and count on the fibre packing density of rotor-spun yarn in comparison with tbat of ring-spun yarn was studied. The packing density of both the yarns over the yarn cross-section was not uniform and increased with yarn twist. In rotor yarn it was higher near the yarn axis and less towards the outer surface of yarn in comparison with that of ring-spun yarn. The packing density of rotor-spun yarn was less than that of ring-spun yarn, which is one of the causes of the lesser strength of rotor-spun yarn. For the same material and twist coefficient, the packing density of coarse yarn was less than that of finer yarn.
A Dynamically Engaged University, Knowledge Spillovers, and the Local Economy

﻿An engaged university is deeply embedded in its local community, entwined in various economic, social, and professional networks over which creative and innovative ideas circulate. In keeping with its core mission of education, an engaged university can leverage these networks by implementing a research agenda designed to gain a better understanding of the propagation and exchange of ideas over the networks in which it operates. We refer to a university that has adopted such an agenda as a dynamically engaged university. Guided by a strategic plan that recognizes and supports the study of networks, a dynamically engaged university is then positioned to effectively differentiate itself from online education, local community colleges, and less community-oriented universities. By promoting education focused on networks, the dynamically engaged university spurs local economic growth in ways not previously explored.
Ice volumetric changes on active volcanoes in southern Chile

Abstract Most of the glaciers in southern Chile have been retreating and shrinking during recent decades in response to atmospheric warming and decrease in precipitation. However, some glacier fluctuations are directly associated with the effusive and geothermal activity of ice-covered active volcanoes widely distributed in the region. The aim of this paper is to study the ice volumetric changes by comparing several topographic datasets. A maximum mean ice thinning rate of 0.81 ± 0.45 m a−1 was observed on the ash/debris-covered ablation area of Volcan Villarrica between 1961 and 2004, whilst on Volcan Mocho the signal-to-noise ratio was too small to yield any conclusion. An area reduction of 0.036 ±0.019 km2 a−1 since 1976 was obtained on Glaciar Mocho, while on Volcan Villarrica the area change was −0.090 ± 0.034 km2 a−1 between 1976 and 2005. Glaciers on active volcanoes are therefore shrinking, mainly in response to climatic driving factors. However, volcanic activity is affecting glaciers in two opposite ways: ash/debris advection is helping to reduce surface ablation at lower reaches by insulating the ice from solar radiation, while geothermal activity is probably enhancing melting and water production at the bedrock, resulting in negative ice-elevation changes.
The success of emissions control legislation in mitigating air pollution is higher than previously estimated.

During the last 30 years significant effort has been made to improve air quality through legislation for emissions reduction. Global three‐dimensional chemistry-transport simulations of atmospheric composition changes over the past three decades have been performed to assess the impact of these measures. The simulations are based on assimilated meteorology to account for the year‐to‐year observed climate variability and on different anthropogenic emissions scenarios of pollutants which may 5 or may not account for air quality legislation application. The ACCMIP dataset historical emissions are used as the starting point. We show that air quality legislation has been more efficient than thought in limiting the rapid increase of air pollutants due to significant technology development. The achieved reductions in nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, black carbon and sulphate aerosols are found to be significant when comparing to simulations neglecting legislation for the protection of the environment. We also show the large tropospheric air-quality benefit from the development of cleaner technology. These 30‐ 10 year hindcast simulations demonstrate that the actual benefit in air quality due to air pollution legislation and technological advances is higher than the gain calculated by a simple comparison against a constant anthropogenic emissions simulation, as is usually done. Our results also indicate that over China and India the beneficial technological advances for the air-quality have been masked by the explosive increase in local population and the disproportional increase in energy demand.
Narrow Framing and Life Insurance

Life insurance is a large yet poorly understood industry. A final death benefit is not paid for a majority of policies. Insurers make money on customers that lapse their policies and lose money on customers that keep their coverage. Policy loads are inverted relative to the dynamic pattern consistent with reclassification risk insurance. As an industry, insurers lobby to ban secondary markets despite the liquidity provided. These (and other) stylized facts cannot easily be explained by information problems alone. We demonstrate that a simple model of narrow framing, where consumers do not fully account for their need for future liquidity when purchasing insurance, offers a simple and unified explanation.
METABOLIC RESPONSE AND NUTRIENT REMOVAL BYTOLYPOTHRIX TENUIS (KUTZ.) FROM FERTILIZERINDUSTRIAL EFFLUENT

With an increase in industrialization the problem of effluent disposal and maintaining the quality of natural ecosystem is becoming acute. Replacing the conventional approach of disposal or dilution, new technologies of bioremediation, detoxification, accumulation, and disinfection of the system are being developed. Exploitation of cyanobacteria in bioremediation is one of the recent trends. In the present study, cyanobacteria -Tolypothrix tenuis (Kutz.) was treated with fertilizer industry effluent to find out its nutrient removal efficiency and also metabolic changes occurring due to it. The metabolic changes (Growth- Chlorophyll-a, Carotenoids, Proteins, Carbohydrate, Phenols and Amino acids) and nutrient removal (PO4, SO4 &NO2 uptake) were determined after every three-day interval for 15 days. Results showed growth of T. tenuis in 90 per cent effluent concentration was inhibited by 65% that compared to control at the end of 15 days. The test concentrations caused a concentration dependent decrease in pigment content. A decrease in carbohydrate values was observed with rise in effluent concentrations. However, Phenols were found to increase with increased effluent concentrations but amino acids were found to decline. Rise in removal of phosphate by the organism was observed in all the doses of effluent in medium. Removal of nutrients from the medium was found to increase.
The Effects Of Cigarette Smoking On The Serum Levels Of Some Antioxidants (Vitamin C And E ) Amongst Male Smokers In Levels In College Of Health Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nnewi Campus, Anambra State

Smoking has been identified as one of the major risk factors in human diseases such as atherosclerosis and several cancers. This study investigated the effect of smoking on vitamin C and E levels in male cigarette smokers in College of Health Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nnewi Campus, Anambra State. A total of 100 subjects comprising of (50 smokers and controls) each were recruited for the study. A well structured questionnaire was used in obtaining the demographic and anthropometric data as well as dietary pattern of subjects. Thereafter, 5mls of blood sample was collected from subjects and used for the evaluation biochemical parameters. Biochemical parameters (vitamin C and E levels) were estimated using standard methods and results subjected to statistical analysis using student t-test and Pearson r correlation. The results show a significant decrease in the mean serum levels of Vitamins C (0.82±0.33 vs 1.49±0.25; p=0.000) and E (12.36±1.61 vs15.61±1.91; p=0.000) in smokers compared with non smokers respectively. More so, there was a significant positive correlation between BMI and serum level of Vitamin C (r=0.345; P=0.014) and E (r=0.187; P=0.024) in cigarette smokers. In conclusion, the study revealed the deleterious effects of cigarette smoking on serum levels of vitamins C and E in smokers. Hence, there is need for proper dietary management in patients.
1 6-8-2013 TO LEAVE OR TO STAY ? THE DECISION CONTEXT , SELF-IMAGE , AND OWNER-MANAGERS ’ PERSISTENCE DECISIONS

In this paper we draw on social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986) and examine the roles of the decision context (consisting of venture attachment, family time pressure, social approval pressure and the number of personal options) and one self-image (i.e., fear of failure) in SME owner-managers’ persistence decision making. We test our hypotheses using a metric conjoint experiment with 90 SME owner-managers and find the decision context and self-image interact in a complex way to influence owner-managers’ persistence decisions.