Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
UniOR NLP at eRisk 2021: Assessing the Severity of Depression with Part of Speech and Syntactic Features

This paper describes the participation of the UniOR NLP Research Group team in task 3 (T3) within the CLEF eRisk 2021 lab. We report the approaches used to address eRisk 2021 T3, which aims to measure the severity of the signs of depression in social media users. This year’s eRisk T3 consists of exploring methods for automatically filling out a 21-question depression questionnaire, namely Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI). We explored and tried different combinations of text pre-processing and feature extraction steps in order to grasp self-referential pieces of text and two main methods for representing the text features as input data for traditional machine learning classifiers.
Overview of SnakeCLEF 2021: Automatic Snake Species Identification with Country-Level Focus

A robust and accurate AI-driven system as an assistance tool for snake species identi � cation has vast potential to help lower deaths and disabilities caused by snakebites. With that in mind, we prepared the SnakeCLEF 2021: Automatic Snake Species Identi � cation Challenge with Country-Level Focus, designed to provide an evaluation platform that can help track the performance of end-to-end AI-driven snake species recognition systems with a focus on overall country-wise performance. We have provided 386,006 photographs of 772 snake species collected in 188 countries and country-species presence mapping for the challenge. In this paper, we report 1) a description of the provided data, 2) evaluation methodology and principles, 3) an overview of the systems submitted by the participating teams, and 4) a discussion of the obtained results.
Style Change Detection on Real-World Data using an LSTM-powered Attribution Algorithm

The task of Style Change Detection (SCD) aims at detecting author switches within one document based on their individual writing style. In this notebook, this task is divided into three sub-tasks: detecting multi-authored documents, finding style change positions, and attributing each paragraph to a unique author [1, 2]. We chose different machine learning approaches for the first task of multi-author detection, and the second task of style change detection. Our approach to the third task of SCD-based authorship attribution is a hybrid method building upon the prediction of the style change detection and extended by an attribution algorithm. The data was given by the PAN’21 challenge and is a data set collected from an English written Q&A forum [1, 2]. While the approach to task three showed to be very computationally expensive, we found good results for task one and two with F1-scores of 86% for task one and 78% for task two on the validation set.
NLytics at CheckThat! 2021: Check-Worthiness Estimation as a Regression Problem on Transformers

The following system description presents our approach to the estimation of check-worthiness of text chunks. The given task has been framed as a regression problem. In order predict a numerical value for a chunk we opted for RoBERTa (A Robustly Optimized BERT Pretraining Approach) as a neural network architecture for sequence classification. Starting off with a pre-trained model for language representation we fine-tuned this model on the given classification task with the provided annotated data in supervised training steps.
Balanced semisupervised generative adversarial network for damage assessment from low‐data imbalanced‐class regime

In recent years, applying deep learning (DL) to assess structural damages has gained growing popularity in vision‐based structural health monitoring (SHM). However, both data deficiency and class imbalance hinder the wide adoption of DL in practical applications of SHM. Common mitigation strategies include transfer learning, oversampling, and undersampling, yet these ad hoc methods only provide limited performance boost that varies from one case to another. In this work, we introduce one variant of the generative adversarial network (GAN), named the balanced semisupervised GAN (BSS‐GAN). It adopts the semisupervised learning concept and applies balanced‐batch sampling in training to resolve low‐data and imbalanced‐class problems. A series of computer experiments on concrete cracking and spalling classification were conducted under the low‐data imbalanced‐class regime with limited computing power. The results show that the BSS‐GAN is able to achieve better damage detection in terms of recall and Fβ score than other conventional methods, indicating its state‐of‐the‐art performance.
Propriétés physico-chimiques de l'amidon de gingembre (Zingiber officinale roscoe) de Côte d'Ivoire

Summary Physico-chemical Properties of Starch from Ginger Rhizome (Zingiber officinale roscoe) of Ivory Coast The ginger or rhizome of Zingiber officinale roscoe is one of spice valued for its characteristic aroma and pungency. It grows in tropical region, specially in south and east part of Asia. That spice in commercialised in dry form. In Ivory Coast, the ginger is often consumed in the form of drink commonly called “Gnamakoudji”. In order to increase the value of ginger, studies about the physico-chemical and functional properties of ginger starch have been investigated. Its amylose, ash, lipid and protein content are respectively 28.3%, 0.14%, 0.12% and 0.18%. The granule size is between 6.43 and 38.56 µm. Native ginger starch shows a very low sensitiveness to snail’s digestive sap, on the other hand, gelatinized starch is very sensitive. Acid hydrolysis gave two phases: a fast one during the first fortnight and a slow one beyond. The swelling and solubility study has revolted a weak swelling power and a low solubility in water. The thermogram showed a high gelatinization temperature in order of 83.2 °C and a gelatinization enthalpy of 14.65 J/g. Retrogradation study reveals that starch retrogrades at the end of two days and at J0, syneresis is 44% and clarity is 11.5%.
Rapid Determination of Nevirapine in Human Plasma by High- Performance Liquid Chromatography

Objective: To develop and validate a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for the determination of nevirapine in human plasma. Methods: A plasma sample and an internal standard were extracted with tert-butyl methyl ether and determined nevirapine concentration by HPLC method. The limit of quantitation (LOQ), accuracy, precision, specificity, stability and recovery were tested for method validation. Results: Standard curve was linear in the range 0.1 μg/mL to 20 μg/mL. The limit of quantitation was 0.1 μg/ml. Coefficients of variation (CV) of intra-day and inter-day precision were less than 4%. Accuracy was range from 97-101%. The extraction recovery was range from 94-112%. Conclusion: A rapid, sensitive and specific HPLC method was developed and can be used for determination of plasma nevirapine concentration in adult and pediatric patients infected with HIV.
Drying kinetics of poplar lumber during periodic hot-press drying

ABSTRACT The drying kinetics of poplar lumber was experimentally investigated as a function of drying temperature (115, 135, 160, 185 and 205°C) during a periodic hot-press-drying process. Poplar lumber was dried under contact (compression ratio of 10%) and high-press states (compression ratio of 44%). Compared with the contact-state, the high-press-state showed higher drying rate and higher efficiency of removing free water than bound water in wood. Eight mathematical models from the literature were established to analyze the drying behavior. The Weibull model, with an average determination coefficient R2 of 0.9958, fitted well for all applied drying conditions. The scale parameter decreased with increasing drying temperature and was lower for high-press-state drying compared with that for contact-state drying. Moisture diffusivity and activation energy were calculated according to the Weibull model. Diffusivity increased with increasing drying temperature, with the average value of 1.734 × 10−6 and 3.313 × 10−6 m2/s and activation energy of 34.79 and 32.85 kJ/mol for contact-state drying and high-press-state drying, respectively. Hot-press drying created an M-shaped curve of density distribution, with high density at the two surface regions gradually decreasing toward the core region. The contact state-dried wood showed increased density near the wood surface. Both average density and peak density improved in the case of high-press-state-dried wood. Furthermore, the hydrophilic index of wood for high-press-state drying was lower than that of the contact-state drying, and the opposite was true regarding crystallinity index. The hygroscopicity of high-press-dried poplar decreased with lower equilibrium moisture content and higher moisture excluding efficiency, compared with contact-state-dried poplar. The rapid, high-quality drying of poplar lumber through periodic hot-press was more potentially achieved by the high-press-state compared with contact-state drying.
Future changes in annual, seasonal and monthly runoff signatures in contrasting Alpine catchments in Austria

Abstract. Hydrological regimes of alpine catchments are expected to be strongly affected by climate change, mostly due to their dependence on snow and ice dynamics. While seasonal changes have been studied extensively, studies on changes in the timing and magnitude of annual extremes remain rare. This study investigates the effects of climate change on runoff patterns in six contrasting Alpine catchments in Austria using a process-based, semi-distributed hydrological model and projections from 14 regional and global climate model combinations for two representative concentration pathways, namely RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. The study catchments represent a spectrum of different hydrological regimes, from pluvial–nival to nivo-glacial, as well as distinct topographies and land forms, characterizing different elevation zones across the eastern Alps to provide a comprehensive picture of future runoff changes. The climate projections are used to model river runoff in 2071–2100, which are then compared to the 1981–2010 reference period for all study catchments. Changes in the timing and magnitude of annual maximum and minimum flows, as well as in monthly runoff and snowmelt, are quantified and analyzed. Our results indicate a substantial shift to earlier occurrences in annual maximum flows by 9 to 31 d and an extension of the potential flood season by 1 to 3 months for high-elevation catchments. For low-elevation catchments, changes in the timing of annual maximum flows are less pronounced. Magnitudes of annual maximum flows are likely to increase by 2 %–18 % under RCP4.5, while no clear changes are projected for four catchments under RCP8.5. The latter is caused by a pronounced increase in evaporation and decrease in snowmelt contributions, which offset increases in precipitation. In the future, minimum annual runoff will occur 13–31 d earlier in the winter months for high-elevation catchments, whereas for low-elevation catchments a shift from winter to autumn by about 15–100 d is projected, with generally larger changes for RCP8.5. While all catchments show an increase in mean magnitude of minimum flows by 7–30% under RCP4.5, this is only the case for four catchments under RCP8.5. Our results suggest a relationship between the elevation of catchments and changes in the timing of annual maximum and minimum flows. For the magnitude of the extreme flows, a relationship is found between catchment elevation and annual minimum flows, whereas this relationship is lacking between elevation and annual maximum flow.
Adapting to high temperatures: evidence on the impacts of sustainable agricultural practices in Uganda

Rising temperatures due to climate change pose a significant threat to agricultural systems and the livelihoods of farmers across the globe. Identifying farm management strategies that reduce sensitivity to high temperatures is, therefore, critical for moderating the adverse effects of climate change. In this paper, we use spatially granular climate data merged with four waves of household survey data in Uganda to examine empirically the relationships between high temperatures, agricultural production outcomes, and the adoption (including its duration) of three sustainable agricultural practices (organic fertilizer adoption, banana-coffee intercropping and cereal-legume intercropping). We do this using a fixed-effect model, with instrumental variables to address potential endogeneity issues. Our findings indicate that, while exposure to high temperature does reduce farmers’ crop income, the adoption of these practices can offset the negative impact of high temperatures on such income. Indeed, we show that the benefits of adopting these practices on the total value of crop production increases monotonically astemperatures increase from their long-term averages. Moreover, the number of years a farmer adopts a practice is associated with higher total value of crop production, and this relationship holds across the full distribution of observed high temperature deviations. Taken together, the results suggest that organic fertilizer adoption, banana-coffee intercropping and cereal-legume intercropping are effective options to adapt to rising temperatures in Uganda, and these benefits increase with the duration of adoption. Adaptation policies and programmes must therefore be designed in ways that help farmers overcome initial barriers to adoption of these practices, as well as to support farmers to sustain adoption over time. This may require longer term funding horizons for adaptation programmes, and innovative support mechanisms to incentivize sustained adoption.
Podcast studies: an overview of the state-of-the-art in Brazilian radio and sound media research

This article intends to describe how radio and sound media studies cover issues related to the podcast, highlighting some theoretical and methodological contributions of researchers in the area. Then, there was a bibliographic survey of articles published in the annals of the main communication events in the country that have the word podcast in the title. In total, 34 works were found distributed among the following national events: Alcar, Compós, Intercom e SBPJor. As main results, we found a consolidation process within the radio and sound media studies about the topics related to the podcast, in addition, we find that this format reworks several sound expression previous ways of in a variety of configurations that defy a single definition.
The Effects of Task Repetition on Child EFL Learners’ Oral Performance

While the role of task repetition has received much attention in task-based research, few studies have examined how exact task repetition affects the performance of child second language learners. Also, little is known about the impact of exact task repetition on trade-off effects between linguistic performance areas among child learners. To help fill this gap, we investigated the impact of task repetition on 40 Chinese EFL learners’ oral production. The children repeated the same story-telling task three times, and transcripts of their performance were coded for linguistic complexity, accuracy, and fluency. Complexity was expressed in terms of overall complexity and subordination and phrasal complexity. We assessed accuracy with weighted clause ratios and proportion of errors. Fluency was captured by repair and breakdown fluency measures. Wilcoxon signed rank tests revealed positive effects for task repetition on fluency and accuracy. Trade-off effects observed during participants’ first performance had decreased by their third retelling. These results support Skehan’s (1998) Limited Capacity model and suggest that task repetition is a useful pedagogical tool in instructed child L2 contexts.
INTER-MARRIAGES IN INDIA: A REVIEW OF LITURATURE

with the recent modernization and western education, there has been change in traditional marriage system in India. Further, socio-economic development and globalization of Indian economy has a consequence in change of marriage pattern in India. However, Literature on mixed marriage in India is mostly theoretical; those studies based an empirical evidence are mostly case studies. Discourse on interfaith marriages in India at present involves diverse narratives ranging from opposition and resistance to acceptance. These alliances deserve greater focus in terms of their uniqueness, challenges as well as everyday negotiations that form part of their lives. Therefore, there is an imperative need to have a survey of literature on intermarriages in India. Thus, present study aim to re-explore the concept of mixed marriage in India through review of literature.
The AWG||PSC Network: A Performance Enhanced Single-Hop WDM Network with Heterogeneous Protection

— Single–hop WDM networks based on a central Passive Star Coupler (PSC) or Arrayed–Waveguide Grating (AWG) hub have received a great deal of attention as promising solutions for the quickly increasing trafﬁc in metropolitan and local area networks. These single–hop networks suffer from a single point of failure: If the central hub fails, then all network connectivity is lost. To address this single point of failure in an efﬁcient manner, we propose a novel single–hop WDM network, the AWG k PSC network. The AWG k PSC network consists of an AWG in parallel with a PSC. The AWG and PSC provide heterogeneous protection for each other; the AWG k PSC network remains functional when either the AWG or the PSC fails. If both AWG and PSC are functional, the AWG k PSC network uniquely combines the respective strengths of the two devices. By means of analysis and verifying simulations we ﬁnd that the throughput of the AWG k PSC network is signiﬁcantly larger than the total throughput obtained by combining the throughput of a stand– alone AWG network with the throughput of a stand–alone PSC network. We also ﬁnd that the AWG k PSC network gives over a wide operating range a better throughput–delay performance than a network consisting of either two load sharing PSCs in parallel or two load sharing AWGs in parallel.
Investigation of the Hyperfine Structure of Atomic Niobium (Nb I) Spectral Lines Based on the Lower Energy Levels at 22936, 23010, and 23048 cm-1

The hyperfine (hf) structure constants of three atomic niobium energy levels in the energy range around 23000 cm-1 (at 22936.90, 23010.58, and 23048.58 cm-1) are known with only limited accuracy, and the constants of combining levels are sometimes even unknown. Thus we performed laser spectroscopic investigations in the wavelength range between 5600 and 6500 A, and we excited altogether 16 transitions in which these lower levels are involved. Beside a more precise determination of the hf structure constants of the three lower levels (which were determined on several lines sharing a common upper level), these experiments led to the knowledge of the hf constants of nine levels with previously unknown constants. Beside these results, also the hf constants of 13 further energy levels are reported. For six of these levels, the constants were previously unknown.
EXPLORING THE EFFECTS ON FIFTH GRADERS’ CONCEPT ACHIEVEMENT AND SCIENTIFIC EPISTEMOLOGICAL BELIEFS: APPLYING THE PREDICTION-OBSERVATION-EXPLANATION INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING MODEL IN SCIENCE EDUCATION

The inquiry-based learning model can facilitate students’ understanding of scientific concepts. Scientific epistemological beliefs (SEBs) are related to students’ beliefs about the nature of the process of knowledge in science education. However, whether the “prediction-observation-explanation” (POE) inquiry-based learning model can facilitate fifth graders’ concept achievement and SEBs in science education has not been extensively studied. This study selected the unit of Light Refraction to explore the effects of POE learning on fifth graders’ science concept achievement and SEBs. The Light Refraction Test and Scientific Epistemological Beliefs measurement were applied to the two groups prior to and following the experiment. The experimental group (N=86) participated in POE inquiry-based learning, whereas the control group (N=88) participated without POE inquiry-based learning. The results revealed a significant difference between the two groups, with the experimental group learners performing better than the control group in the concept achievement. In addition, the results showed better positive effects of POE on experimental group learners’ SEBs in the scales of Source and Certainty. Findings suggested that learners achieved better concept achievements and SEBs with the approach of POE inquiry-based learning, which pointed to certain implications for inquiry-based teaching, as well as in education of future science instructors. Keywords: inquiry-based learning model, light refraction, prediction-observation-explanation, science education, scientific epistemological beliefs
Effect of Cell Phone-Emitted Electromagnetic Waves on Levels of Male Sex Hormones and Oxidative Stress Biomarkers in Humans

Corresponding Author: Mariam Abdur-Rahman Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt Email: mariam@sci.cu. edu.eg Abstract: Cell phones emit Electromagnetic Waves (EMWs) that may have adverse effects on human health. The study aimed to investigate some possible health impacts associated with cell phone-derived EMWs on male sex hormones and oxidative stress biomarkers. One-hundred recruited male volunteers were classified into two equal groups; group 1 who used mobile phones less than one hour per day for less than five years and group 2 who used mobile phones more than one hour per day for more than five years which then subdivided into 3 groups according to the duration of usage in daily hours and annual usage. Sex hormones (testosterone, luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone) as well as oxidative stress biomarkers (malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase) were investigated. In comparison to group 1, group 2 showed a significant decrement in the blood levels of both testosterone and superoxide dismutase, which is accompanied by an increment in levels of luteinizing and follicle-stimulating hormones as well as malondialdehyde. Moreover, among group 2 subjects that used mobile for ˃3 h/day for ˃15 years showed highly significant differences than those who used mobile for shorter periods, meaning that duration of exposure to mobile has serious clinical significance. Findings from our study confirmed that long-term use of cell phones can cause alteration in male sex hormones as well as a redox imbalance characterized by increased lipid peroxidation and decreased antioxidant biomarkers.