Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A comparison of classification algorithms within the Classifynder pollen imaging system

We describe an investigation into how Massey University’s Pollen Classifynder can accelerate the understanding of pollen and its role in nature. The Classifynder is an imaging microscopy system that can locate, image and classify slide based pollen samples. Given the laboriousness of purely manual image acquisition and identification it is vital to exploit assistive technologies like the Classifynder to enable acquisition and analysis of pollen samples. It is also vital that we understand the strengths and limitations of automated systems so that they can be used (and improved) to compliment the strengths and weaknesses of human analysts to the greatest extent possible. This article reviews some of our experiences with the Classifynder system and our exploration of alternative classifier models to enhance both accuracy and interpretability. Our experiments in the pollen analysis problem domain have been based on samples from the Australian National University’s pollen reference collection (2890 grains, 15.
Personality Traits Modulate the Effect of tDCS on Reading Speed of Social Sentences

In this case, 62 university students participated in the study, in which a between-subjects design was adopted. Participants were also given the behavioral approach system (BAS) and behavioral inhibition system (BIS) scales. Participants had to read a list of 60 sentences with interpersonal and neutral content: 20 approach (“Pedro accepted Rosa in Whatsapp”), 20 avoidance (“Pedro Blocked Rosa in Whatsapp”) and 20 neutral (“Marta thought about the causes of the problem”). After reading them, they were subjected to 20 min of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in one of the two conditions: anodal (31) or sham (31). After tDCS, they had to read other list of 60 sentences matched in approach, avoidance and neutral contents with the former list. We found significant improvement in reading speed after anodal stimulation for social and neutral sentences. Regarding affective traits, we found that anodal stimulation benefitted reading speed in low-BIS and low-BAS participants and had no effect in either high BAS or high BIS participants. In addition, tDCS improvement in reading speed was significantly lower in avoidance sentences in low-BIS (avoidance) participants. We discuss these results at the light of previous research and highlight the importance of approach and avoidance traits as moderators of tDCS effects.
Should compression of coded waveforms be done before or after focusing?

In medical ultrasound signal-to-noise ratio improvements of approximately 15-20 dB can be achieved by using coded waveforms. Exciting the transducer with an encoded waveform necessitates compression of the response which is computationally demanding. This paper investigates the possibility of reducing the workload without introducing errors. Ne - 1 compression filtrations (convolutions) can be saved by inverting the precedence of compression and beamforming (called post-compression), when N is the number of transducer elements. Post-compression with dynamic receive focusing will theoretically introduce errors. Simulations and measurements show that increasing the depth of the scatterers results in a decreased error. Transmit focus depth and the distance between focus points have a significant influence on the error. The size of the error is studied and a new scheme for correcting the error is proposed. The study is done by simulations in Field II and by measurements with our experimental scanner RASMUS. The measurements are done on a string phantom and in-vivo on the abdomen of a male volunteer.
DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF A BIOMIMETIC WIRE-DRIVEN ROBOT ARM

ABSTRACT Inspired by the octopus and snakes, we designed developand built a wire-driven serpentine robot arm. The robot arm is made of a number of rigid nodes connected by two sets of wires. The rigid nodes act as the backbone while the wires work as the muscle, which enables the 2 DOF [3]bending. The forward kinematics is derived using D-H method, while the inverse kinematics and its workspace can be solved by geometric analysis. To validate the design, a prototype is built. It is found that the positioning error of the robot arm is generally less than 2%. The advantage of this robot arm is that with several nodes fixed the rest nodes are still controllable. The positioning error is smaller when the fixed node is closer to the end effector. 1. INTRODUCTION Nowadays, robot arms are increasingly used both in industry and daily life. In general, robot arms There are mainly four types of artificial muscles: SMA (Shape could be divided into three categories: discrete, serpentine, and continuum [1][12]. Traditional sequential and parallel robots are of discrete type. They are made Ceramic)of several rigid links and joints, and can position accurately with large payload. However, they are usually big in size and have limited DOF, which constrain their performance in confined environment. Continuum robots are compact and theoretically have infinite DOF. As a result, thethey may be more suitable for confined environment. However, because of the lack of high rigidity, they are limited by its positioning accuracy and payload capacity. According to literatures, existing continuum robots are mainly in the ment stage with few practical applications [2]. Serpentine robots have higher rigidity than continuum robots and are more flexible than discrete robots. It has found many applications, such as endoscope in minimally invasive surgery . This paper presents our serpentine robot armIt is well known that traditional robots are driven by servo motors arranged at each joint, however nature works differently.For example, a human finger is made of three or four rigid bones and a number of flexible muscles and tendons [4]. As muscles can only produce tension to realize reciprocate motion, a group of muscles would work together: some extend whileothers contract. In the nature, such a bending mechanism is widely seen, such as human spines, fishes, snakes, etc. According to literatures, various artificial muscles have been developed for bending robots, continuum or serpentine. Memory Alloy) wires [5], EAP (Electro Active Polymer) [6][7], PAM (Pneumatic Artificial Muscle) [8], and PZT (Piezoelectric[9]. For SMA artificial muscles, as heating and cooling process is necessary, the response is slow. Besides, high temperature makes it unsuited for bio-related applications. For EAP artificial muscles, due to the low rigidity of the polymer ir payload capacity is rather limited. PAM artificial muscles, typically McKibben actuator, can produce large force and areeasy to control. However, they rely on air compressor system,
Pilots as Weather Briefers: The Direct Use of Aviation Weather Products by General Aviation Pilots

When planning a flight, pilots have traditionally consulted with trained weather briefers who gather, select, review, and to some extent interpret aviation weather products for them. Today, pilots can directly access these same weather products from their own computers, aircraft cockpits, and mobile devices, and choose to skip the services offered by weather briefers. A sample of 191 general aviation pilots completed a survey designed to determine how frequently they directly access weather products, how frequently they still consult with weather briefers, and which weather products pilots use and why. We identified a subset of surveyed pilots who usually or always rely solely on directly accessed weather products (approximately 25%). Although these self-briefing pilots trend toward holding higher grades of pilot certificates and make greater use of cockpit weather systems, they do not differ from other pilots in the weather products they review, and they prefer simple weather observations to more complex forecasts and descriptions of larger weather systems such as fronts and pressure regions. We explore the reasons why self-briefing pilots choose to review the products they do, and how the next generation of pilots might best be trained and supported.
Numerical simulation of performance of near-surface mounted FRP-upgraded beam–column sub-assemblages under cyclic loading

This study deals with the performance of the upgrading schemes for the existing gravity load designed (GLD) reinforced concrete (RC) beam–column sub-assemblages using near-surface mounted (NSM) fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) bars. In this study, exterior beam–column sub-assemblage of a general RC-framed structure has been considered. Numerical investigations of the sub-assemblages have been carried out under cyclic loading using nonlinear finite element analysis. Experimentally validated numerical models have been used for evaluating the performance of various upgrading schemes using NSM bars. Cyclic behaviour of reinforcement, concrete modelling based on fracture energy, bond–slip relations between concrete and steel reinforcement have been incorporated. The study also includes numerical investigation of crack and failure patterns, ultimate load-carrying capacity, strain comparisons and formation of plastic hinges, load–displacement hysteresis, energy dissipation and ductility. Seismic performance in terms of energy dissipation and development of strain in beam bar shows that some of the upgraded schemes are found to be comparable to the seismically designed ductile specimens. The findings of this study would be helpful to the practising and design engineers for developing detailing criteria for newly designed – or strengthening of deficient – reinforced concrete structure.
Topology optimization of shunted piezoelectric elements for structural vibration reduction

Passive structural vibration reduction by means of shunted piezoelectric patches is addressed in this article. The concept of topology optimization, based on the solid isotropic material with penalization method, is employed in this work to optimize, in terms of damping efficiency, the geometry of piezoelectric patches, as well as their placement on the host elastic structure. The proposed optimization procedure consists of distributing the piezoelectric material in such a way as to maximize the modal electromechanical coupling factor of the mechanical vibration mode to which the shunt is tuned. An original finite element formulation, suitable to any elastic structures with surface-mounted piezoelectric patches, is proposed to solve the electromechanical problem. Numerical examples validate and demonstrate the potential of the proposed approach for the design of piezoelectric shunt devices.
Steady-State Motion of Railway Vehicles on Curved Track:

A simplified linear theory of steady-state curve traversing is developed for bogie and two-axled vehicles. The approach is based on providing guidance by creep forces in conjunction with wheel conicity, so that flange contact is normally avoided. It is shown that this approach is realistic for a wide range of vehicle and track parameters. However, steering by creep forces is limited by the onset of wheel slip. Representative experimental results for a two-axled vehicle are presented.
Experimental Investigation of the Ash Deposition Characteristics of Biomass Pretreated by Ash Removal during Co-Combustion with Sub-Bituminous Coal

Although replacing biomass, (e.g., wood chips and pellets), with thinning wood and herbaceous biomass is eco-friendly and economically advantageous, their direct utilization in plant boilers is associated with ash-related challenges, including slagging and fouling. The aim of this study is to determine the effects of ash removal treatment (ashless biomass (ALB)) in the context of solid fuel power plant boilers. Ash was removed via neutralization of metal ions and carboxylic acids contained in the biomass ash. The ash removal rate of K, Na, Cl was indicated by assessing the total biomass before and after ash removal treatment, via XRF analysis. Co-combustion with sub-bituminous coal and ALB-treated biomass was analyzed using a drop tube furnace and revealed that NOx and SOx values converged converge toward an approximate 10 ppm error, whereas the Unburned Carbon (UBC) data did not exhibit a specific trend. Factors associated with slagging and fouling, (capture efficiency (CE), and energy based growth rate (GRE)) were calculated. All biomass samples without pretreatment exhibited V-shaped variation. Conversely, for ashless biomass (ALB) samples, CE and GRE gradually decreased. Thus, the ALB technique may minimize slagging and fouling in a boiler, thus, reducing internal corrosion associated with ash deposition and enhancing the economic operation of boilers.
Dietary Lycopene Supplementation Could Alleviate Aflatoxin B1 Induced Intestinal Damage through Improving Immune Function and Anti-Oxidant Capacity in Broilers

Simple Summary Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a common and devastating food-borne fungal toxic in the broiler industry. AFB1 has adverse effects on the world poultry industry as it impairs the health, performance, intestinal integrity, and immunity of broilers. There has been a great economic concern in the global poultry production, leading to billions of dollars loss every year due to AFB1. Antibiotic-free broiler production relies on feed supplementation as an alternative to antibiotic usage. We previously reported that dietary supplementation with lycopene (LYC) has shown a promising effect on performance and intestinal integrity in the broilers infected with AFB1. However, there are few reports on the effects of LYC on the intestinal development and antioxidant capacity in the broiler against AFB1. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of LYC supplementation on the intestinal immune function, barrier function, and antioxidant capacity of broilers fed with an AFB1 contaminated diet. The findings of this research highlighted that the diet supplemented with LYC has a potential effect to improve intestinal health and reduce AFB1 related oxidative and inflammatory status. Hence, this study suggested that addition of LYC in broiler poultry production alleviates the AFB1 toxicity. Abstract The present study aims to evaluate the effects of lycopene (LYC) supplementation on the intestinal immune function, barrier function, and antioxidant capacity of broilers fed with aflatoxinB1 (AFB1) contaminated diet. A total of 144 one-day-old male Arbor Acres broilers were randomly divided into three dietary treatment groups; each group consisted of six replicates (eight birds in each cage). Treatments were: (1) a basal diet containing neither AFB1 nor LYC (Control), (2) basal diet containing 100 µg/kg AFB1, and (3) basal diets with 100 µg/kg AFB1 and 200 mg/kg LYC (AFB1 and LYC). The results showed that dietary LYC supplementation ameliorated the AFB1 induced broiler intestinal changes by decreasing the inflammatory cytokines interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin 1beta (IL-1β), and increasing mRNA abundances of cludin-1 (CLDN-1) and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) in the jejunum mucosa. On the other hand, AFB1-induced increases in serum diamine oxidase (DAO) activities, D-lactate concentration, mucosal malondialdehyde (MDA), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) concentrations were reversed by dietary LYC supplementation (p < 0.05). Additionally, LYC supplementation ameliorated the redox balance through increasing the antioxidant enzyme activities and their related mRNA expression abundances compared to AFB1 exposed broilers. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with LYC could alleviate AFB1 induced broiler intestinal immune function and barrier function damage and improve antioxidants status.
Effect of Vacuum Impregnation with Sucrose and Plant Growth Hormones to Mitigate the Chilling Injury in Spinach Leaves

Vacuum impregnation (VI) has been immensely used in modifying the physicochemical properties, nutritional values and sensory attributes of fruits and vegetables. However, the metabolic consequences of the plant tissue upon impregnation have not been profoundly explored although shelf life is strongly dependent on this factor. In this study, spinach leaves were impregnated with salicylic acid (SA), γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and sucrose to improve its quality and storage ability by reducing the chilling injury through the improvement of proline content. The spinach leaves were stored at 4 °C for 7 days and were analyzed at 12 h interval. Upon 1 day of impregnation, the proline content in GABA, sucrose and SA impregnated leaves was increased by 240%, 153% and 103%, respectively, while in non-impregnated leaves, the proline content was decreased by 23.8%. The chlorophyll content of GABA impregnated leaves exhibited the lowest reduction (49%) followed by sucrose (55%) and SA (57%); meanwhile, non-impregnated leaves reduced 80% of chlorophyll content at the end of storage. Sensory evaluation showed that GABA, sucrose and SA impregnated leaves respectively, obtained higher score in terms of freshness, color, texture and overall appearance as compared to non-impregnated leaves.
The reading comprehension and inferential process of an elderly student

This article is part of a master’s dissertation that investigated the reading comprehension and the inferential process of elderly students from a youth and adults class. Only data from one of the participants will be considered, which were constructed through semi-structured interviews and reading sessions. The interviews aimed to identify the participant’s life and reading stories. The reading sessions consisted of answering inferential questions about two texts - a cordel and a poem - divided into parts previously established by the researcher. The results showed that: the participant’s reading comprehension and inferential processes were based mainly on the textual material; there was a connection between the participant’s life and reading histories and his comprehension of the texts, and, moreover, it was demonstrated that there was a greater difficulty for the participant in reading the poetic genre than in reading the cordel genre.
Finite element analysis on reduction of the cross talk in ultrasonic transducers

In an ultrasonic transducer, the cross talk between array elements is an important performance degrading factor, and there is strong need to identify the sources of the problem and to find the means to reduce its level. This paper considers two most representative ultrasonic transducers, capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (cMUT) and piezoelectric transducer. Both are linear array immersion transducers. Two-dimensional finite element models of the transducers are constructed using the commercial code ANSYS. We analyze the origin and level of the cross talk between array elements, with evidence of coupling through certain waves such as the Stoneley wave propagating at the transducer-water interface and the Lamb wave propagating in the substrate or the impedance matching layer. For reduction of the cross talk level, the effects of various structural schemes are investigated. They are the change of wafer thickness, the installation of etched trenches of various dimension and sound absorbing materials inside, and installation of polymer walls between array elements for a cMUT as well as the change of the dimension and material of kerfs for a piezoelectric transducer. Results for the two transducers are discussed to describe the general method to reduce the cross talk level in ultrasonic transducers.
Indoor Air Quality, Environmental Tobacco Smoke and Asthma: A Case Control Study of Asthma in a Community Population

In recent decades the prevalence of asthma has been increasing in Western countries. Altered environment and lifestyle conditions have been implicated but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The Indoor Pollutants, Endotoxin, Allergens, Damp and Asthma (IPEADAM) study is a cross-sectional, case control study designed to analyse the home environments of 200 children in Manchester. In this paper the home concentrations and relationships to asthma development have been examined for a variety of indoor agents including environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and damp, which have been reported as potential factors in the development or the exacerbation of asthma. Levels of respirable particles and tobacco specific particles were found to be significantly higher in the homes with smokers present, but there were no differences in the levels of NO2, formaldehyde or VOCs. However, there were no significant differences in the levels of tobacco related pollutants in the homes of children with and without asthma. Similarly there were no statistically significant differences in the levels of NO2, formaldehyde, VOCs, temperature or relative humidity between the homes of children with and without asthma. This study has demonstrated that few differences exist between the home environments of English children, between 4-16 years of age, with asthma and those without the disease. The parameters examined in this study are unlikely to be related to the development of asthma. Avoidance of these pollutants may not be beneficial in preventing the development of asthma in this age group.
“My Skill Is Putting on a Mask and Convincing People Not to Look Closer”: Silence, Secrecy and Self-Reliance in Men’s Accounts of Troubles-Telling in an Online Discussion Forum for Anxiety

Although anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental health disorder in Australia, little is known about men’s anxiety help-seeking practices. This study investigates how male users of an online discussion forum accounted for engaging in troubles-telling in an online community. Posts on an online discussion forum written by men who identify as experiencing anxiety were analysed using discursive psychology, through the identification of four interpretative repertoires: (1) orienting to troubles-telling as their purpose for posting, (2) troubles-talk as a necessary form of self-help, (3) the online community as a last resort and (4) anxiety as a hidden, secret experience. Findings demonstrate how men reproduced hegemonic masculine ideals of strength, self-reliance and emotional stoicism, while also sharing their experiences of anxiety online. This research highlights the relevance of masculine social norms in understanding anxiety help-seeking practices, and also illustrates the value of online communities in offering support to men in need.
Evaluation of four equivalent diameter formulations for prefabricated vertical drains using flow rates

The rectangular cross-section of a prefabricated vertical drain (PVD) is typically converted to a circular cross-section to aid in design. This conversion is performed regardless of whether the PVD will be used for soil improvement or for remediation. An experimental programme to evaluate four of the most commonly used equivalent diameter formulations based on flow rates is described, and the results from those experiments are presented. The results indicate that the formulation recommended by Hansbo in 1979 adequately simulates a PVD under both injection and extraction conditions. Furthermore, there was no dramatic difference observed for the flow rates from, or into, a PVD with and without smear. It should be noted, however, that the tested material was a silty sand, and hence the effect of smear should not be significant.