Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A weighted, statistical based, No-Reference metric for holography Image Quality Assessment

Digital holography is one of the 3D imaging systems that suffer Speckle noise. With respect to the importance of quality in 3D images, we develop an efficient general-purpose blind/no-reference holography image quality assessment metric for evaluating the quality of digital holography images. The main novelty of our approach to blind image quality assessment is based on the hypothesis that each digital holography has statistical properties that are changing in the presence of speckle noise. This change can be measured by some full reference metrics that are applied to input image and a new image, which were made by adding a known level of speckle noise to input image. These full reference measurements have the ability of identifying the distortion afflicting the input image and perform a no-reference quality assessment. In fact, adding noise to input image leads to quality loss, and the value of this loss give information about the input image quality. Finally, the result of the proposed method in estimating the quality of digital holography images were compared with some well-known full reference methods in order to demonstrate its ability.
Effect of energy levels with or without enzyme supplementation on growth of crossbred pigs

A study was conducted on 24 crossbred (Hampshire x Assam local) castrated male piglets of 14.0 ± 1.4 kg body weight, randomly divided into four groups of six animals each. Two iso-nitrogenous concentrate mixtures, with different levels of (100% and 80% of NRC) digestible energy (DE) were prepared. Piglets in group I were fed 100% DE without enzyme(HE) and group II were fed the same ration with enzyme(HEe), however, animals in group III and group IV were fed low energy rations without (LE) and with enzyme(LEe), respectively. The high and low energy diets contained 3.18 and 2.69 M Cal/kg DE respectively. No significant difference was observed amongst the groups in feed intake, daily gain and feed conversion efficiency during the 70 days growth trial. The digestibility of nutrient (except CF) was significantly (P<0.05) higher in piglets fed high energy ration as compared to low energy rations, irrespective of enzyme supplementation, Cost per kg gain in live weight was Rs. 34.87, 35.90, 29.94 and 31.00 in HE, HEe, LE, LEe groups respectively. It was concluded that the crossbred growing pigs could be reared on low energy diets with incorporation of 30% de-oiled rice bran and 34% wheat bran.
User profiling in audio description reception studies : questionnaires for all

Defining disability is not an easy task due to its multidimensionality. This paper begins with a revision of some of the most common models to define disability. The second part of the article examines end user profiling in articles, European funded projects and PhD thesis' related to one of the media accessibility modalities: audio description. The objective is to understand the approach taken by researchers. The final part of the article will propose a new approach in the study of end users in experimental research in Translation Studies, Audiovisual Translation, and Media Accessibility. This new approach gives a response to the International Telecommunication Union's suggestion of leaving the biomedical approaches behind. Our suggestion is based on Amartya Sen's capabilities approach, which has not yet been applied to user profiling in media accessibility studies. The article finishes by illustrating how this approach can be applied when profiling users in media accessibility questionnaires
Decontamination of egg shells using ultraviolet light treatment

Decontamination of egg shells is required to improve the microbiological safety of the fresh hen eggs used for human consumption or for hatching. Conventional chemical decontamination methods involving quaternary ammonium disinfectant, sodium hydroxide, phenol, hydrogen peroxide or formaldehyde, leave residues on egg shells that may damage the cuticle layer. Therefore new techniques of egg shells decontamination, such as ultraviolet (UV) radiation, have been developed. This review aims to evaluate the data from available literature and to provide a general review of UV light treatment application for egg shell decontamination. Data shows that UV treatment was effective for the inactivation of the bacterial population present on clean egg shells and recently contaminated shells. Combined treatments such as UV light with ozone or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) improved the inactivation of microorganisms. Recent advances in science and engineering indicate that treatment with UV light has a competitive advantage in comparison with traditional egg shell sanitation treatments for decontamination.
The Use of Dielectric Spectroscopy as a Tool for Predicting Meat Quality in Poultry

3 Abstract: Interest in Dielectric Spectroscopy (DS) has increased due to its potential use to predict meat quality in real time. We investigated the potential of using DS to predict meat quality characteristics such us pH, color, Water Holding Capacity (WHC), cook loss and drip loss in Pectoralis (P.) major muscle in broiler chicken. Dielectric properties were obtained utilizing a Hewlett-Packar d 85070E open-ended coaxial-line probe and an N5230C PNA L-Network Analyzer through a flexible coaxial cable. Measurements were collected at 501 frequencies on a logarithmic scale from 200 MHZ to 50 GHz. The relationship between the quality measurements and the DP which included the dielectric constant, the dielectric loss factor and the dielectric loss tangent were determined using Pearson correlation. Low correlations were obtained between the dielectric constant and the dielectric loss factor and the quality parameters measured. However, the loss tangent showed a more promising relationship with the quality parameters at frequencies between 14 and 19 GHz. The results indicate the potential for utilizing DS as a tool for predicting of meat quality related to pH and color.
Survival Strategy in the Wetland Sedge Carex brevicuspis (Cyperaceae) in Response to Flood and Drought: Avoidance or Tolerance?

Survival strategies of plants to adapt to environmental stress include avoidance and tolerance. These strategies were investigated in the wetland sedge Carex brevicuspis (Cyperaceae) to determine the plasticity of its response to flood and drought. Individual plants were grown in PVC tubes and subjected to five water levels relative to soil surface: -40 cm, -20 cm, 0 cm, +20 cm, and +40 cm. After 60 days, plants were harvested and their biomass accumulation, number of leaves (a measure of growth), root and shoot elongation, aerenchyma formation (avoidance strategy), amount of malondialdehyde (MDA), amount of water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC), alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity, amount of proline (tolerance strategy), and membrane permeability (a measure of degree of injury) were assessed. Relatively high amounts of MDA and proline and a high level of ADH activity, combined with relatively low aerenchyma area, short leaves, and low amount of WSC in the +20 cm and +40 cm treatments indicated that C. brevicuspis responded to floods with tolerance. A significant root elongation and WSC accumulation in the -20 cm treatment indicated that the species responded with high levels of avoidance to mild drought. High amounts of MDA and proline combined with relatively short roots and a low amount of WSC in the -40 cm treatment indicated a high tolerance strategy under severe drought. Overall, C. brevicuspis responded with tolerance to flood and adopted avoidance to mild drought, and it went back to tolerance under severe drought.
Taxonomic Notes on Marine Algae from Malaysia. V. Five Species of Rhodymeniales (Rhodophyceae)

Abstract Five species of the red algal order Rhodymeniales are reported from Malaysia for the first time and their characteristic features are described: Chamaebotrys boergesenii (Weber-van Bosse) Huisman (Rhodymeniaceae), Coelarthrum sp. (Rhodymeniaceae), two species of Champia (Champiaceae), C. compressa Harvey and C. vieillardii Kützing, and Lomentaria monochlamydea (J. Agardh) Kylin (Lomentariaceae). The alga with vegetative features similar to the Chamaebotrys/Coelarthrum group is new to science and is characterised by the presence of a conspicuously developed, solid, cartilaginous stipe. This alga seems to be more closely related to Coelarthrum on the basis of its upright habit rather than Chamaebotrys, which has decumbent or prostrate thalli. The production of slender branches in Champia vieillardii is an additional critical feature that distinguishes it from a closely related species, C. compressa.
Big is not better: small Acacia mellifera shrubs are more vital after fire

Fire and acacias are vital components in savanna dynamics but little is known about the relationship between postfire mortality and size of Acacia species. We determined mortality, height, and height of resprouts of the encroaching shrub species Acacia mellifera in a semiarid South African savanna 2 years after fire. As expected, resprouting ability after topkill was high, only 9% of the studied shrubs died completely. Surprisingly, shrubs that died in the fire were significantly taller than their resprouting conspecifics. Results from quantile regression show that the height of regrowth relative to the total height of taller shrubs is less than in smaller shrubs, despite taller shrubs having more access to below-ground resources. We offer two possible explanations for these unexpected results: in taller shrubs, the maximum longitudinal growth rate of resprouts may be reached and therefore, resources may be invested in a greater number of resprouts or stored as reserves. Alternatively, resprouting ability may be impaired in old age by a senescence effect caused by the accumulation of physiological dys
Tuning Techniques of PID controller: A review

: PID controllers have wide applications in industries that require a comprehensive and easy control. But the performance of controllers depends on the selection of tuning parameters, which is a topic of discussion and research. Many techniques have been proposed over the past years including conventional methods and the methods that involve the application of artificial neural networks, fuzzy logics and heuristics. The non-linearties and non-minimum phase characteristics are systems are difficult to be dealt with conventional methods. In recent times these types of systems are very well dealt with the application of fuzzy logics and heuristics for the tuning of PID controller parameters. A comparison is also made between some of the techniques. The main objective of this paper is to provide inclusive source of reference for persons doing research in PID controller. This paper presents a review of conventional as well as current techniques used for tuning the PID controller. The techniques reviewed are categorized into the conventional techniques developed for tuning PID controller and the heuristic techniques applied for tuning. The techniques developed for tuning PID controller for systems like Coupled Tank System, trajectory tracking of Unmanned Air Vehicle, Quadorotor Stabilization etc is also reviewed.
Applying Artificial Intelligence to Medical Data

Machine learning, data mining, and deep learning has become the methodology of choice for analyzing medical data and images. In this study, we implemented three different machine learning techniques to medical data and image analysis. Our first study was to implement different log base entropy for a decision tree algorithm. Our results suggested that using a higher log base for the dataset, with mostly categorical attributes, with three or more categories for each attribute, can obtain a higher accuracy. For the second study, we analyzed mental health data and tuning the parameters of the decision tree (splitting method, depth, and entropy). Our results identified the most crucial attributes for the dataset. The final study is on the Kimia Path24 image dataset. We built and trained a deep convolutional neural network and tested different hypotheses of batch size, number of epochs, and learning rate. For the final study, all the hypotheses were supported by our experimental results. INDEX WORDS: Machine learning, Deep learning, Medical data, Data science, Decision tree APPLYING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO MEDICAL DATA by
Pheromonally mediated colonization patterns in the velvet worm Euperipatoides rowelli (Onychophora)

We demonstrate that the males of the peripatopsid Euperipatoides rowelli secrete a pheromone from crural papillae, which acts as an attractant to both males and females of the species. Patterns of colonization of decomposing logs and differences in sex ratio between incipient vs established populations indicate that males are the initial dispersers and colonizers, finding suitable log habitats in an exploratory fashion, while females subsequently colonize logs. This results in a disproportionately high frequency of males in newly colonized logs, followed by a gradual increase in female proportion. We argue that females use the aggregating pheromone secreted by males to target appropriate rotting log microhabitats, resulting in a clumped distribution of females compared to a more random distribution for males among recently colonized logs. This mode of colonization reduces the time that animals, especially females, spend outside the safety of suitable logs, and the risk-taking strategy of male exploration may explain the marked sex ratio bias in favour of females in the population. Rapid and non-random dispersal may also account for the contradictory evidence of unexpectedly high rates of colonization of new logs, yet a paucity of animals in leaf litter samples. The possibility that pheromone trails play a part in the dispersal process is discussed.
Reaction of Malonaldehyde with Protein

SUMMARY— Malonaldehyde was shown to react with bovine plasma albumin under aqueous conditions by a pH-dependent reaction exhibiting first-order kinetics. The maximum reaction rate observed was near pH 4.30. The reaction was shown to involve the e-amino lysine and N-terminal amino aspartic acid groups on the protein as judged by their loss to reaction with 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene. Malonaldehyde did not appear to participate in an intermolecular cross-linking reaction with gelatin sols over a wide pH range. Presumptive evidence was obtained for the reaction of malonaldehyde, derived from autoxidized lipid, with the c-amino lysine functions on bovine plasma albumin. A nucleophilic 1,4-addition of the free amino functions on the protein to the end carbon atom of the α,β-unsaturated carbonyl system of the free enol of malonaldehyde to form an enamine linkage is postulated to be the mechanism for this reaction.
A Comparison of Ductility Demands on Buckling-Restrained Braces resulting from Elastic Analysis and Nonlinear Dynamic Analysis

Buckling-Restrained Braces (BRB) are becoming more popular in modern designs and retrofits of existing buildings due to their ductile, symmetric and full hysteretic characteristics. They also have the ability to be tailored for both strength and stiffness to meet specific design requirements. Analysis has shown that there may be discrepancies between the predicted ductility demand on BRBs determined from a nonlinear dynamic analysis and that determined from an equivalent lateral force method analysis. This paper will review the results of modelling of a 6-story BRBF building subjected to recorded and synthetic strong motion time histories and compare them to an elastic 2% story drift requirement from the most recent AISC seismic provisions, as well as the ductility requirements of previous AISC codes. It will also compare the resulting analysis-based overstrength factors with those resulting from the elastic analysis. The ground motions used in this study encompass near-field and far-field motions for two different seismic hazards. The research will suggest deformation ductility requirements that could be used for BRBF design and will comment on the applicability of the 2% story drift requirement in the current AISC seismic provisions.
Quantitative analysis of changes in bacterial aerosols during endodontic, periodontic and prosthodontic treatments

Aerosols are solid or liquid particles which are ej ected during dental treatments into air and develop airborne infection. The aim of this study was to inves tigate the amount of bacterial aerosols during endodontic, periodontic and prosthodontic treatment s. In this study, air samples were collected during three different dental treatments. This sampling wa s performed at four different distances from the patients' mouth within 7 days. The bacterial growth was assessed using blood agar plates. Data was analyzed using Kruskal-wallis test. The results obt ained show that the greatest amount of aerosol was observed in prosthodontic treatment and the least v alue was shown during endodontic procedure (P<0.0001). Regarding the increased number of aeros ols during prosthodontic treatments, preventive interaction for infection control is inevitable.
On displacement of decentralised fixed modes by discrete time control

In this paper we shed light on the uncertainty related to the effects of sampling on the Unstructured Decentralised Fixed Modes (UDFMs) of continuous LTI systems. The uncertainty has arisen due to the fact that for a certain class of LTI systems the UDFMs can be moved by discrete-time controllers while they cannot be moved for others. We identify the reason behind this anomaly and provide the conditions for moving UDFMs in LTI systems by sample-data control. Numerical examples are given to illustrate all aspects of the paper.
Production Performance of Broilers Fed with Aloe vera and Curcuma longa (Turmeric)

An experiment was conducted to study the inclusion of Aloe vera and Curcuma longa and its combinations on production performance, viz., weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio, carcass characteristics and biochemical parameters for a period of six weeks with two hundred and eighty commercial, straight run day-old Vencobb broiler chicks. These chicks were randomly grouped into seven treatments with four replicates of ten chicks each. The treatment groups consisted of control (T ), 0.1 percent 1 Aloe vera powder (T ), 0. 2 percent Aloe vera powder (T ), 0.1 percent Curcuma longa powder (T ), 0. 2 2 3 4 percent Curcuma longa powder (T ) and 0.1 percent of Aloe vera and 0.1 percent of Curcuma longa powder 5 (T ) and 0.2 percent of Aloe vera and 0.2 percent of Curcuma longa powder (T ) included in the broiler diet. 6 7 The results revealed that there was no significant difference in body weight and body weight gain between treatment groups from first week to end of the experiment period except at first week (P < 0.01). Similarly, no significant difference was recorded in feed consumption and carcass yields, but in feed conversion ratio significant (P < 0.01) difference was recorded at first week of age. Livability was 100 percent in T and T 2 3 treatment groups. The mean return over feed cost differs significantly (P < 0.01) between treatment groups up to six weeks of age, which was mainly due to difference in feed cost of Aloe vera and Curcuma longa inclusion in broiler diet.
Different Root and Shoot Responses to Mowing and Fertility in Native and Invaded Grassland

Abstract Grassland root responses to mowing and fertility are less well known than shoot responses, even though as much as 90% of productivity in semiarid grasslands occurs belowground. Thus, understanding root responses may aid the management of invasive grassland species such as Agropyron cristatum (L.) Gaerth (crested wheatgrass). We asked whether root responses reflect shoot responses to mowing and fertility in native grassland with and without a major component of crested wheatgrass. We subjected grasslands in northern Montana to 5 yr of mowing at two nitrogen (N) levels and followed root responses with minirhizotrons. Surprisingly, the roots of both native and invaded grasslands were unaffected by mowing and N addition, despite significant changes in shoot mass across both vegetation types. Root length was significantly greater beneath areas heavily occupied by crested wheatgrass (363 m · m−2 image ± 200, mean ± standard deviation [SD]) than areas comprising largely native grassland (168 m · m−2 image ± 128 SD). Also, no interactions occurred between year and any other factor, indicating that there were no changes in belowground responses over the 5 yr examined. In contrast, shoot mass was significantly reduced by mowing (not mowed, 612 g · m−2 ± 235 SD; mowed, 239 g · m−2 ± 81 SD) and was significantly increased by N addition (no added N, 380 g · m−2 ± 215 SD; added N, 488 g · m−2 ± 287 SD). In conclusion, 5 yr of mowing decreased shoot mass, but not root mass. On the other hand, 5 yr of N addition increased shoot mass, but not root mass. Given that most production and competition in grasslands occurs belowground, this suggests that mowing may not be a successful tool for reducing crested wheatgrass root length, regardless of soil fertility.
Antarctic neritic zooplankton community (Admiralty Bay, King George Island, South Shetland Islands)

Sixty seven zooplankton taxa were recorded in a total of 54 WP-2 net vertical hauls carried out in a year round cycle in Admiralty Bay. Copepoda were the most common and abundant group and Oithona similis was the dominant species throughout the area. Polychaeta, Ostracoda and Chaetognatha were also rather common and abundant. Euphausiacea, Amphi- poda and Salpae occured mainly in the central part and the outlet area of the bay. No differences in zooplankton assemblages diversity in the four investigated areas of Admiralty Bay were en­ countered. However, distinct differences in species richness between the zooplankton of Ezcurra Inlet and the main basin of the bay were observed. The. composition of zooplankton was rather stable throughout the year, but seasonal occurrences of larvae of Polychaeta, Crustacea, Echino- dermata and Ascidiacea were noted. A Ust of the 174 zooplankton taxa ever found in Admiralty Bay is presented by combining the present results with the existing scientific data.
SURVEY OF ENTOMOPATHOGENIC NEMATODES IN VARIOUS LANDSCAPE SYSTEMS ON OAHU, HAWAII, AND THEIR PATHOGENICITY AGAINST COCONUT RHINOCEROS BEETLE (COLEOPTERA: SCARABAEIDAE)

The use of locally available biological control agents (e.g., entomopathogenic nematodes, EPNs) can be an important tool in integrated pest management (IPM) programs of newly established invasive pests, such as coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB), Oryctes rhinoceros (L.). With this aim, we surveyed EPNs from 12 landscape sites that included four public/recreational areas, six botanical gardens, and two forest reserves on the island of Oahu, HI. Overall, 35 (83.3%) of the total samples were found positive for EPNs and out of those samples, 20 (57.1%) samples yielded virulent strains. EPNs recovered from the surveyed sites were primarily composed of Heterorhabditis spp. Some Heterorhabditis spp. virulent strains were tested for pathogenicity against first instar CRB larvae. Although our study did not show significant effects of Heterorhabditis spp. strains against CRB larvae, some strains inflicted mortality of first instar larvae after 2 days as well as a week after exposure. Our findings indicated that the locally available strains of Heterorhabditis spp. could potentially be a useful biological control agent, in an IPM program, to control first instar CRB larvae. However, further research is needed to test virulent commercial strains of Heterorhabditid and Steinernematid against CRB larvae. The results of such studies will uncover if certain EPN strains could be incorporated as a part of CRB IPM program.