Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PReLU and edge-aware filter-based image denoiser using convolutional neural network

: Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) based on the discriminative learning model have been widely used for image denoising. In this study, a feed-forward denoising CNN (DnCNN) with a parametric rectified linear unit (PReLU) is used to improve the denoising performance. PReLU enhances the model fitting of the DnCNN network without affecting computational cost. This network learns the leaky parameter of negative inputs in an activation function and therefore finds a proper slope in a negative direction. The proposed denoising network is based on residual learning, which comprises repeated convolutional and PReLU units along with batch normalisation. Residual learning with batch normalisation accelerates the network training, which can be used for blind Gaussian denoising. In this network, feature maps are processed by principal component analysis and transferred to subsequent convolution layers. An adaptive bilateral filter further processes the output image of the proposed CNN for image smoothening and sharpening. The mean and variance of the Gaussian kernel of adaptive filter vary from pixel to pixel. The performance of this network is analysed on BSD-68 and Set-12 datasets, and it exhibits an improvement in peak signal-to-noise ratio and structural similarity index metric and visual representation over other state-of-the-art methods.
Genetic-based feature fusion in face recognition using arithmetic coded local binary patterns

: Local binary patterns (LBPs) are one of the attempts for gathering local features with face recognition algorithms. Although the application of LBP's in many recognition contents is too apparent, these methods have limited accuracy because of their threshold value. One problem is earning one value for two different regions with a diverse pixel neighbourhood, which causes mistakes in feature vector and decreases the discriminative power. In this study, the authors proposed a modified LBP that covers the LBP's disadvantages. The proposed approach is arithmetic coded LBP (ACLBP) that uses arithmetic coding process during LBP calculation instead of applying original thresholds. The proposed policy addresses the problem of returning one similar LBP value for two different patches. Moreover, the proposed method modifies LBP by using a different threshold for calculating the pixels differences. Using this algorithm, the authors conducted a genetic-based feature fusion method by combining LBP and histogram of oriented gradients and ACLBP. The proposed approach could work better on LFW dataset, and the ORL dataset and Yale face dataset that shows the improving role of ACLBP in comparison with the earlier version of LBP.
Inorganic Layers on Polymeric Films – Influence of Defects and Morphology on Barrier Properties

Flexible polymeric films are not only widely used in conventional packaging as substitute for glass and aluminum foil packaging but are also proposed as encapsulation for novel products, like flexible solar cells or organic light-emitting devices. The two essential properties of the polymeric packaging are flexibility and good permeation barrier properties against gases and vapors. This article deals with vacuum web coating as a common way of increasing barrier properties of polymeric films and the problems related to this procedure. Defects caused by particles and surface imperfections are found to dominate the permeation rate for such coated polymeric films. Atomic force microscopy, electron and also optical microscopy was used for analysis of the coating layer. Three-dimensional numerical simulations were performed for modeling of the influence of defect size, spacing and film thickness. Results of numerical modeling and of many practical experiments show that the permeability is almost independent of the substrate film thickness when a critical thickness is exceeded. In most cases the defects can be treated as independent of each other. The gas permeability of vacuum web-coated polymeric films can be quantitatively predicted by a simple formula. For gases, like oxygen, it is shown that a statistic analysis of the defect sizes by optical microscopy is sufficient. For water vapor transmission, however, the structure of the coating layer itself has also to be taken into account.
Exploring a Learning Management System as a Way to Improve Students’ Understanding of Geometry in Secondary Schools

Abstract The adoption of the learning management system (LMS) in secondary schools is scaling up around the globe. Many educational institutions use the LMS to mainstream teaching and learning. This study examined the effectiveness of the Moodle LMS in teaching and learning geometry in secondary schools. A quasi- experimental design was employed to generate data from two groups of students: the control group and the treatment group. The treatment groups learned geometry using the developed Moodle LMS while the control group learned geometry using the traditional chalk and talk method. Both the treatment and control groups did pre-test and post-test to track the impact of the intervention. The analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) test was employed to compare the pre-test and post-test scores and to make statistical analysis. The analysis revealed that the students who were taught geometry through the Moodle LMS outperformed those taught geometry through the traditional chalk and talk method. It is established in the study that for students to learn geometry better through the Moodle LMS, the system should be used to start teaching from the first topics of Form I to upper topics. Also, students should be given enough time to access the Moodle LMS to learn mathematics. The study concludes that the integration of the LMS in teaching and learning mathematics is a means by which failure in mathematics can be minimised.
Praying for Paisley – Fr Gerry Reynolds and the role of prayer in faith-based peacebuilding: a preliminary theoretical framework

ABSTRACT This article proposes a preliminary theoretical framework for understanding the role of prayer in faith-based peacebuilding. The framework draws on research on the life of a Redemptorist priest, Fr Gerry Reynolds (1935–2015), who was based in Belfast’s Clonard Monastery (1983–2015) during the Troubles; and recent interdisciplinary scholarship on prayer, utilising Woodhead’s [(2015). Conclusion: Prayer as changing the subject. In G. Giordan, & L. Woodhead (Eds.), A sociology of prayer (pp. 213–230). Farnham: Ashgate] re-definition of prayer as ‘changing the subject’. The framework encompasses two individual effects of prayer: (1) prompting religious identity change, and (2) sustaining hope and activism during adversity; with one additional socio-political effect: (3) creating and sustaining real-world initiatives. It argues that scholars have not yet grasped how prayer functions as a resource for faith-based peacebuilders. It advocates including prayer as a variable in future research on faith-based peacebuilding, which may confirm, challenge or alter the preliminary framework.
Quality Characteristics of Broiler Chicken Meat on Salt at Different Temperatures

The aim of this investigation was to compare the quality characteristics and muscle structure of broiler chicken meat stored at different temperatures in the retail market in Oman. The meat quality characteristics of broiler breast meat were analysed. Ten samples were randomly selected from each group of fresh, frozen, and chilled chicken meat. Colour L*, a*, b*, pH, expressed juice, cooking loss, sarcomere length, W-B-shear force and muscle structure (using scanning electron microscopy) were determined. Fresh meat samples had significantly (P < 0.05) lower pH values and lightness L* than those of chilled and frozen samples. The chilled meat samples were significantly (P < 0.05) lighter and had lower shear force values than fresh and frozen samples. Frozen samples had significantly (P < 0.05) higher expressed juice and cooking loss values than either fresh or chilled samples. The pH values of fresh, chilled, and frozen breast samples were related to colour and expressed juice. Electron microscopy demonstrated that the changes in the physical properties of the chilled meat were related to breakdown of the muscle fiber bundles. The quality characteristics of broiler meat from different storage temperatures varied significantly.
Chronic and Temporary Exposure to Student Violence Predicts Emotional Exhaustion in High School Teachers

ABSTRACT This study investigates the nexus between teacher exposure to student aggression, their level of emotional exhaustion, and the role of belongingness and perceived school safety as mediators. Random-Intercept Cross-Lag Panel Models were conducted among a sample of 2,072 secondary teachers (57.14% female) from grades 7 to 11 in 77 schools. Chronic levels of exposure to globally high levels of student aggression and specific high levels of direct victimization were associated with increased levels of emotional exhaustion. These associations were fully mediated by teacher perceptions of school belongingness and safety. Temporary fluctuations in witnessing student-to-student aggression led to increased emotional exhaustion via decreased perceptions of safety. Specific levels of witnessing student-to-teacher aggression were not linked with exhaustion over time beyond global levels of exposure to student aggression. The chronicity of exposure to different forms of student aggression is a risk factor for emotional exhaustion among teachers.
The Entangled Consumer: Rethinking the Rise of the Consumer after 1945

ABSTRACT Just as the social categories of class, gender, and religion became unstable during the “age of fracture” (Daniel Rodgers), the idea that we are all consumers was consolidated. The emergence of societies in which the consumer became a pivotal figure during the second half of the twentieth century constitutes a distinct phase in the history of consumption, which impacted the politics of consumption. This article expands the view of political consumption by looking at the institutionalization of the consumer in Dutch political system. In the course of the postwar period, an abstract notion of the consumer became widely accepted. This view was emancipatory, negating existing differences through unifying consumer policies. Focusing on the entanglement of the consumer with other social roles and categories in these negotiations, the article demonstrates that political consumption is not an anomaly, but the result of such entanglements.
From I to we: participants’ accounts of the development and impact of shared identity at large-scale displays of Irish national identity

ABSTRACT In Ireland, ritual events and parades have been a central part of civic and public life. However, there is limited understanding of the identity processes at work at these collective events. The present research aims to examine how participants attending collective events come to recognise shared social identification and the impact that this awareness is reported to have on intragroup processes. Interview data were collected over the course of two years at the St Patrick’s Day parade and 1916 Easter Rising commemorations in Dublin and Belfast with both participants and attendees at the events. Thematic analysis revealed that to the extent that individuals saw the event as an identity event, they used attendance as their primary indication of shared identity, along with visual identity markers, shared experiences, and shared affects. Participants’ accounts of the experience of shared identity focused upon a range of cognitive, affective, and social variables which together suggested a relational transformation in the crowd. These findings suggest that shared identity is an emergent state which plays a critical role in transforming social relations within the collective.
Cyberbullying Roles Among Adolescents: A Social-Ecological Theory Perspective

ABSTRACT Few studies have been conducted to perform an in-depth examination of cyberbullying roles and to identify multifaceted factors associated with cyberbullying roles. Using Latent Class Analysis, the current study identified four cyberbullying roles (i.e., cyberbully, cyber victim, cyberbully victim, and noninvolved) based on the data from the 2009–2010 Health Behavior in School-Aged Children study in the United States. Multinomial logistic regressions were constructed to determine the social-ecological factors related to different cyberbullying roles. Certain individual, family, peer, and school factors were found to be associated with distinctive cyberbullying roles. There were common and unique predictors observed that distinguished cyberbullies, cyber victims, and cyberbully victims. Findings suggest the importance of considering both common and unique factors in intervention strategies targeting specific cyberbullying roles. Improving the effectiveness of cyberbullying intervention and prevention programs also requires attention to multifaceted domains and tailoring programs to the population served.
“It Is More Than Just about Music”: Lifelong Learning, Social Interaction and Connection

Abstract For older people, participating in leisure activities enhances their sense of social, emotional, mental, spiritual and psychological wellbeing. This article reports on a case study that situated itself across two southern hemisphere countries – Australia and South Africa – and with two ensembles, namely: an instrumental ensemble in Melbourne (all musical readers); and a vocal ensemble in Clarens (all non-readers of music). The authors drew on Seligman's elements of positive emotion, engagement, relationships and meaning, and accomplishment (PERMA) to explore the ensemble members’ engagement as “serious leisure and the wider community”. Using qualitative case study methodology, they employed interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) as an organising tool to analyse and code their questionnaires and interview data. The findings are presented under three overarching themes, namely: meeting for serious leisure; music learning; and connecting with the wider community. While music engagement for older adults is an achievement in itself, sharing it with the wider community is considered most significant for the participants. Discussing two ensembles is a limitation in itself, therefore generalisations to other ensembles cannot be made. The article was written in 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown period in both countries. Further research is planned across both countries to explore any implications the lockdown has had on the two groups once they are permitted to recommence rehearsals.
Isolation of Some Pathogens from Raw Milk of Different Milch Animals

2 Abstract: In this study, it was aimed to isolate some pathogens from raw milk of different milch animals. For this aim, 36 samples of sheep milk, 25 samples of goat milk and 4 samples of cow milk were analyzed. Among the 66 total raw milk samples, S. aureus was isolated from 12 samples while E. coli was isolated from 6 samples. Salmonella spp. could not be isolated in any of the samples.
The Big Problem of Small Particles: A Comparison of Methods for Determination of Particle Size in Nanocrystalline Anatase Powders

We compare different methods for particle size determination in nanocrystalline anatase (TiO2) powders: transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nitrogen adsorption measurements, mercury porosimetry, and X-ray diffraction(XRD). The main source of errors in TEM is the sampling of the powder population, whereas in XRD the deconvolution of peak broadening due to instrument, microstrains, and crystalline domain size is delicate and can lead to unreliable results. Different approaches including Scherrer and Williamson-Hall equations are discussed. The presence of mesopores due to agglomerate formation is clearly revealed in adsorption measurements and porosimetry.
Transient deformation of freely-suspended liquid droplets in electrostatic fields

The problem of freely-suspended liquid droplets deforming due to an applied electrostatic field is examined. Developed is a numerical model capable of predicting the complete transient histories of droplets in systems with a wide range of dispersedand continuous-phase densities, viscosities, relative permittivities, and electric field strengths. For liquid/gas systems, the predictions of the numerical model demonstrated that the critical field strength and critical permittivity ratio during actual transient breakup are not necessarily the same as those predicted by steady-state theories. An approximate analytical model of transient droplet deformation is also developed, which is able to predict the deformation time histories for large Ohnesorge number, small-deformation liquid/liquid systems. The approximate analytical model agreed well with the results of the complete numerical model.
Effects of Composition, Orientation and Temperature on the O2 Permeability of Model Polymer/Clay Nanocomposites

Studies of the barrier properties of polymer/layered silicate nanocomposites have traditionally focused on systems with low organoclay contents, with very little work comparing theory and experiment over broad composition ranges. As a result, in spite of many reports of promising enhancements in barrier properties, the envelope of applicability nanocomposite barrier models is generally unknown, making predictive modeling and materials design difficult if not impossible. In this work, model polystyrene (PS)/dimethyl ditallow modified montmorillonite (DMDT-MMT) nanocomposites are produced via a novel spray casting technique capable of creating homogeneous, free-standing nanocomposite films. This approach provides a single experimental methodology for producing films of pure polymer, pure organoclay, or any intermediate composition, with consistently high levels of layer orientation in all cases. The results of oxygen permeation analysis (OPA) performed on these model materials (0−100 vol % organoclay in 10%.
Coprecipitation of thorium with UO2

Summary Coprecipitation may be a significant process in controlling radionuclide (RN) release during spent fuel dissolution/reprecipitation in a breached geological disposal site by water. The objective of this work was to study the coprecipitation of thorium with UO2 as host phase under reducing conditions (pure N2 and Eh<-100 mV/SHE) as a function of pH and [Th]/[U] initial concentration ratio. For pH < 4, the final concentration of Th was found to be considerably lower than expected if pure phase, Th(OH)4(s) was formed. Coprecipitation phenomena and formation of solid solutions (U,Th)O2+x(s) are suggested to be responsible for the lower solubility concentrations. For pH > 4, the final concentrations seems to be similar to pure phase solubility.
Four New Lanostane Triterpenoids from Euphorbia humifusa

Four new lanostane triterpenoids, namely (3β)-3-hydroxy-24-methylenelanost-8-ene-7,11-dione (1), (3β)-3-hydroxylanosta-8,24-diene-7,11-dione (2), (3β,7α)-3,7-dihydroxylanosta-8,24-dien-11-one (3), and (3β,11β)-3,11-dihydroxylanosta-8,24-dien-7-one (4) were isolated from Euphorbia humifusa, together with 2 known compounds. The structures of these new compounds were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis and comparison with the related known compounds.
Pyrolysis of tetra pack in municipal solid waste

The pyrolysis of tetra pack in nitrogen was investigated with a thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) reaction system. The pyrolysis kinetics experiments for the tetra pack and its main components (kraft paper and low-density poly(ethene) (LDPE)) were carried out at heating rates (β) of 5.2, 12.8, 21.8 K min−1. The results indicated that the one-reaction model and two-reaction model could be used to describe the pyrolysis of LDPE and kraft paper respectively. The total reaction rate of tetra pack can be expressed by the summation of the individual class of LDPE and kraft paper by multiplying the weighting factors. The pyrolysis products experiments were carried out at a constant heating rate of 5.2 K min−1. The gaseous products were collected at room temperature (298 K) and analyzed by gas chromatography (GC). The residues were collected at some significant pyrolysis reaction temperatures and analyzed by an elemental analyzer (EA) and X-ray powdered diffraction (XRPD). The accumulated masses and the instantaneous concentrations of gaseous products were obtained under the experimental conditions. The major gaseous products included non-hydrocarbons (CO2, CO, and H2O) and hydrocarbons (C1–5). In the XRPD analysis, the results indicated that pure aluminum foil could be obtained from the final residues. The proposed model may be supported by the pyrolysis mechanisms with product distribution. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry
Effects of Different Types of Composts on Soil Characteristics and Morphological Traits of Two Dry Rangeland Species

Today, environmental protection and safe crop production are very important. The management of soil elements by compost is considered as important for sustainable agriculture. The mode of action of the composts is very different between various plant species. To evaluate the effects of different composts on soil structural and chemical properties and on morphological traits of two dry rangeland species (atriplex; Atriplex lentiformis and mesquite; Prosopos juliflora), a study was conducted in Fars Province of Iran during the year 2010. The study was a factorial experiment based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. Treatments included compost types: solid (SC) and liquid compost or compost tea (LC), solid-liquid mixture (XSL) and control (Con; non used compost) as the first factor, and two pasture plant species as the second factor. The results showed that the compost application had significant and positive effects on morphological traits such as plant height, stem diameter, plant volume, crown length, width, and area, and caused 15, 51.18, 70.67, 34.18, 18.35, and 64.94% increase on these morphological traits, respectively. Although soil acidity was not significantly affected by compost and species, the effects of compost were significant on organic matter percentage, soil phosphorous, and potassium contents. Soil nitrogen percentage was affected by both species and compost. Compost application caused a decrease in the amount of sodium compared with the control. Overall, the results of this study suggested that within the compost types, liquid compost was an advisable biofertilizer in a similar climate. Furthermore, the LC and the XSL are recommended for improving the morphological traits and the soil characteristics, respectively.
Leaching of Lead and Connectivity of Plumbate Networks in Lead Silicate Glasses

The formation of a plumbate network in binary lead silicate glasses was examined based on the leaching behavior of Pb2+ in lead silicate glasses over a wide composition region. The effective diffusion coefficient of Pb2+ at 40°C was on the order of 10−17 m2/s for PbO<35 mol% glasses, and increased three orders of magnitude for 35–50 mol% PbO contents. Such a steep composition dependence is considered to be because of changes in the medium or longer range structure. That is, it is proposed that the plumbate network forms a percolative 3D network in the composition region to form diffusion paths for the lead ions. In addition, the present results indicate that the lead ion exists as a network former over the entire glass forming composition range of the binary silicate glasses.