Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cross-View Image Translation Based on Local and Global Information Guidance

The cross-view image translation task is aimed at generating scene images from arbitrary views. However, due to the great differences in the shapes and contents of the various views, the quality of the generated images is degraded. Small objects, such as vehicles’ shapes and details, are not clear, which causes them to be structurally inconsistent with the semantic map used to guide the generation process. To solve this problem, we propose a novel generative adversarial network based on a local and global information processing module (LAGGAN) to recover the image’s details and structures. The network will further combine the input viewpoint image and the target semantic segmentation map to guide the generation of the target image from another viewpoint. The proposed LAGGAN includes a two-stage generator and a parameter-sharing discriminator. LAGGAN uses a new local and global information processing module (LAG) to generate high-quality images from various views. Moreover, we integrate dilated convolutions into the discriminator to capture the global context, which can enhance the discriminative ability and further adjust the LAG module. Therefore, most semantic information can be preserved, and the details of the target viewpoint images can be translated more sharply. Quantitative and qualitative evaluation on both CVUSA and Dayton datasets attest to the fact that our method, LAGGAN, presents satisfactory perceptual results and is comparable to state-of-the-art methods on the cross-view image translation task.
Effect of Azlactones on Corrosion Inhibition of Mild Steel in Acid Medium

The inhibition efficiency of azlactones on corrosion behaviour of mild steel in 1M H2SO4 has been evaluated using weight loss, gasometry and atomic absorption spectroscopy techniques which shows increase in inhibition efficiency with increase in concentration.Effect of temperature strongly ensures stronger physisorption of the compounds, which obeys Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The inhibition efficiency has been synergistically enhanced by the addition of halide ions. The kinetic corrosion parameters analysed in terms of impedance data shows a satisfactory agreement with those obtained by potentiodynamic polarisation method.
Quality Characteristics of Commonly Consumed Drinking Water in Riyadh and Effect of Domestic Treatments on Its Chemical Constituents

Quality analysis of drinking water quality provides important information about the sources of water pollution and guidelines for health protection. This study gives information of major quality constituents of twenty bottled water brands, household water from different zones in Riyadh and zamzam water commercially available in Riyadh and the effect of domestic treatments commonly used in Saudi Arabia on its chemical constituents. Samples were allowed to warm up at ambient temperature after acidifying in 0.5% nitric acid and then aspirated directly into the inductively coupled plasma spectrometry. Concentration of major cations (calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium) and trace elements (lead, arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, selenium and zinc) in all samples were far below the maximum guidelines set by World Health Organization (2011) and Saudi Arabian Standards Organization (1984). This study led to the conclusion that zamzam water has a rich essential mineral profile. Except for sodium the concentration of other major cations (calcium, magnesium, and potassium) reported on the labels of most of the bottled water were higher than values observed in the laboratory. Home treatments such as rolling boiling and reverse osmosis didn’t show any significant (p ≥ 0.05) effect on the chemical constituents of water. Regular and proper monitoring programs should be established to assure that the quality of drinking water remains within acceptable national standards.
The Development and Psychometric Assessment of Malaysian Youth Adversity Quotient Instrument (MY-AQi) by Combining Rasch Model and Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Youths are a dominant cluster in Malaysia’s population. They need to be resilient as they are the anchor of our country’s development. Resilience is often associated with Adversity Quotient (AQ). There are many instruments developed across contexts and countries; however, good validity and reliability in measuring the AQ of youths are still scarce. Therefore, this study seeks to examine whether the items developed for the Malaysian Youth Adversity Quotient Instrument (MY-AQi) in measuring AQ within the context of Malaysian youths managed to manifest good psychometric properties using Rasch analysis. Apart from that, this study aims to measure the construct validity of the MY-AQi items using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Four constructs of AQ were established, namely control, ownership, reach, and endurance. A total of 1000 youths were assigned using stratified random sampling from five zones in Malaysia: northern, western, southern, Borneo, and eastern. Analysis from WINSTEPS 3.71 has revealed that 27 items were able to meet Rasch statistical modeling, while CFA has shown that 12 AQ measuring items could function well. The findings of this study demonstrated the strengths of the psychometric aspects by combining Rasch and CFA analysis to prove item quality and construct stability. Future studies should endeavor to develop more items to establish better youth profiles and combine AQ with other appropriate variables, such as achievement and demography. Nevertheless, some limitations can be scrutinized including a report on the more in-depth errors in the analysis conducted.
Using Temporally Synthesized Laser Pulses to Enhance the Conversion Efficiency of Sn Plasmas for EUV Lithography

We have studied the laser pulse shape dependence of the conversion efficiency of λ = 1.03 μm laser pulse energy into 13.5 nm extreme ultraviolet (EUV) emission from a Sn laser-produced plasma. Laser pulses of arbitrary temporal shape ranging from hundreds of picoseconds to several nanoseconds were generated using a programmable pulse synthesizer based on a diode-pumped chirped pulse amplification Yb: YAG laser. Measurements show that the conversion efficiency favors the use of nearly square pulses of duration longer than 2 ns, in agreement with hydrodynamic/atomic physics simulations. A 35% increase in conversion efficiency was obtained when Q-switched pulses were substituted by square pulses of a similar duration. Experiments conducted irradiating a Sn target with a sequence of two time-delayed 250 ps pulses showed a 30 percent increase in the EUV yield respect to a single pulse of the same total energy when the pulse separation was optimum at 2.1 ns. This suggests that re-heating of the plasma with delayed laser pulses could be used to improve the EUV yield. The spectroscopic characterization of EUV emission and in-band EUV images that characterize the source size are also presented.
Integration of a Testbench for the Optical and Thermal Characterization of Near-Infrared Detectors Used in Ground and Space-Based Astronomy

The mercury–cadmium–tellurium (MCT) sensors are considered the ideal infrared detectors to equip the focal plane arrays (FPAs) of astronomical scientific missions. To tackle Europe to be self-sufficient on this technology and promote to reach the same maturity level attained by the current MCT sensors market leaders, the Astronomy European Infrared Detector (ASTEROID) project aims to provide Europe with the capability to manufacture high-performance infrared FPAs devoted to scientific use, space astronomy, and ground-based telescope infrastructures. The resulting detector will be a hybridized MCT array with a CdZnTe substrate of 2k $\times2\text{k}$ pixels and 15 $\mu \text{m}$ of pixel pitch. The Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE) will lead the task to validate the detector performance with respect to the hybridization reliability between the readout integrated circuit (ROIC) and the MCT detector by submitting it to several low-temperature thermal cycles. After every thermal stress, the detector will be optically characterized in order to measure any performance degradation and possible problems with the pixel operability. To perform such tasks, two custom setups, focused on optical and cryo-vacuum aspects, were developed, which, used in conjunction, allows to cool down the detector from the room temperature up to ~30 K, while it is electro-optically characterized in terms of linearity, gain, quantum efficiency, and cosmetics defects, among others. The whole cryo-vacuum system and the optical setup are fully described in this article as part of the work packages assigned to IFAE to test the hybridized detector to assess the reliability at operating temperature and after several thermal cycles.
The effects of different drying methods on drying time, essential oil content and composition of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.)

Drying is one of the oldest methods for preservation of agricultural products after harvest. Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) belongs to Lamiaceae family which is used as a medicinal and spice species. This experiment was carried out to determine the effect of different drying methods on drying time, essential oil content and composition of Basil. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete blocks design with three replications and treatments were included two temperature levels (50 and 70 °C), six microwave powers (100, 180, 300, 450, 600 and 900 w), and two drying methods (sun and shade drying). The drying process was continued until the mass of the sample was reduced to a moisture content of about 0.10 on a dry basis or 10 % on a wet basis. Results indicated minimum and maximum drying times (4.1 minutes and 48 hours) were obtained at 900 w microwave powers and shade drying, respectively. Maximum and minimum essential oil content (1.3 and 0.3 %) were obtained by shade drying and in 450, 600 and 900 w, respectively. Microwave powers had negative effect on the main compositions of essential oil (geranial and methyl chavicol) but shade drying preserved them. According to the results, shade drying was identified as a suitable method for Basil, because essential oil content and composition were considerably maintained.
Examination of selected synthesis and room‐temperature storage parameters for wood adhesive‐type urea–formaldehyde resins by 13C‐NMR spectroscopy. V

The effects of posttreatments of particleboard adhesive-type urea–formaldehyde resins were studied. The resins were synthesized with formaldehyde/first urea (F/U1) mol ratios of 1.40, 1.60, 1.80, 2.10, and 2.40 and then the second urea was added to give a final formaldehyde/urea ratio of 1.15 in alkaline pH. The resins were posttreated at 60°C for up to 13.5 h and the 2.5-h heat-treated resin samples were stored at room temperature for up to 27 days. Resins sampled during the posttreatments were examined by 13C-NMR and evaluated by bonding particleboards. In the posttreatments, hydroxymethyl groups on the polymeric resin components dissociated to formaldehyde and reacted with the second urea, and methylene and methylene–ether groups were formed from reactions involving the second urea. Methylene–diurea and urea groups bonded to UF polymers were identified. As a result, the viscosity of the resins initially decreased but later increased along with the cloudiness of the resins. Bond-strength and formaldehyde-emission values of particleboard varied with posttreatment variables as well as with the F/U1 mol ratios used in the resin syntheses. The results would be useful in optimizing resin synthesis and handling parameters. Various reaction mechanisms were considered. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 1896–1917, 2003
Disrupted visual cortical plasticity in early neurodegeneration

Neurodegeneration is a hallmark of many dementias and is thought to underlie a progressive impairment of neural plasticity. How neurodegeneration affects plasticity in neural circuits is not known. We therefore characterised the impact of tau-driven neurodegeneration on plasticity in the visual system, where normal function is well understood. We studied a very simple form of visual plasticity that allowed us to track both long timescales (across days) and shorter timescales (over minutes). We recorded the local field potential in the primary visual cortex of rTg4510 transgenic mice, a mouse model of tauopathy, while animals were repeatedly exposed to the same stimulus over the course of 9 days. We studied animals at early stages of neurodegeneration (5 months old) and at a more advanced stage where pathology is evident (8 months). We found that both short- and long-term visual plasticity were already disrupted at early stages of neurodegeneration, and were further reduced in older animals, such that it was abolished in mice expressing the mutant tau. Additionally, we found that visually evoked behaviours were disrupted in both younger and older mice expressing the mutant tau. Our results show that visual cortical plasticity and visually evoked behaviours are disrupted in the rTg4510 model of tauopathy, even at early stages of neurodegeneration. This simple measure of neural plasticity may help understand how neurodegeneration disrupts neural circuits, and offers a translatable platform for detection and tracking of the disease.Visual plasticity is disrupted at early stages of neurodegeneration in rTg4510 miceVisual plasticity is reduced in older animals, particularly during neurodegenerationInstinctive visual behaviours are reduced in neurodegenerationShort-term visual plasticity is reduced in neurodegeneration
An investigation into the study habits of distance learners: Implications for personal guidance and counselling at University of Nairobi, Kenya

Quality and sustainability have been unresolved issues since the repercussion of the commercialization of distance education. Personal guidance, counseling and study habits, which are critical in maintaining the quality of distance education, have been underrated in most distance education. The study investigated the influence of personal guidance and counseling on study habits of distance learners in Bachelor of Education at the University of Nairobi. 319 respondents participated in the study by filling in questionnaires. The results of the Pearson Correlation Coefficient showed a positive correlation R= 0637 between personal guidance and counseling and study habits. The hypothesis was tested at α=. 05 level of significance and the results H01: Personal guidance and counseling do not significantly influence study habits of distance learners was rejected since P=0.000<0.05. Therefore, the study concluded that there is a significant influence of personal guidance and counseling support services on the study habits of distance learners in Bachelor of Education studies of the University of Nairobi. The study recommends a paradigm shift through face to face and digital technology in the provision of personal guidance and counseling for study habits to maintain the quality of distance education.
Detection of plasma confinement states in the TCV tokamak

Fusion plasmas in Tokamak machines can be categorized as being in three different confinement states: low (L), high (H) and dithering (D). These regimes are characterized by different transport properties of the plasma affecting the energy confinement, which reflect in characteristic physics behaviours of the plasma dynamics. Current devices, and also future reactors as ITER and DEMO, rely on the H mode to achieve high performance close to operational limits which is desirable in terms of power balance. The development of data-driven, real-time qualified, approaches to automatically detect the occurrence of transitions between these confinement states is essential to find for these machines the highest attainable density and confinement, and provide enhanced capability for controlling Tokamaks, such as safe discharge termination, and to optimize the energy gain. For this, reliable and large databases labeled by experts are needed to train the aforementioned algorithms. We propose two algorithms, a sequence to sequence model (seq2seq), capable of running close to real-time, and a segment classifier based on the UNet architecture (UTime), which although not real-time capable, can look at a larger context serving as a baseline, more adequate model to help on the labelling process.
CO Adsorption on Molybdenum Carbides and Molecular Simulation

Monte Carlo simulation was carried out for the adsorption of CO on β-Mo2C with various C/Mo atomic ratios. The CO adsorption on β-Mo2C showed the minimum value of the self-diffusion coefficient and the maximum value of the adsorption energy at C/Mo = 0.40, in accord with the experimental data of total CO uptake on the β-Mo2C0.82 (C/Mo = 0.41). The molecular dynamics of the CO adsorption predicts the approach of CO to the surface of β-Mo2C. The CO molecule preferably adsorbs on carbon deficient sites in the top layer (the molybdenum atom is in the second layer) and molybdenum atoms neighboring the carbon deficient sites of β-Mo2C. The simulated molecular dynamics suggested that the CO molecule hopped from the molybdenum atom to the carbon deficient site in the top layer, being displaced 90° by each turn.
CT-Value (△HU and CT-Value ratioin) differential diagnosis of small hepatocellular carcinoma from focal nodular hyperplasia

Background: The objective was to explore the value of the CT value difference (△HU) and CT value ratio (CVR) between the hepatic arterial (AP), portal (PP), and delayed phases (DP) to differentiate the small Hepatocellular Carcinoma (SHCC, ≤ 3 cm) from the small Focal nodular hyperplasia (SFNH, ≤ 3 cm). Materials and Methods: All the lesions were confirmed by clinically and/ or pathologically and all the patients underwent triple-phase enhanced CT scans. The lesions’ CT values (LCV) and the surrounding normal liver parenchyma (NCV) of the enhancement phases were measured separately, the △HU and CVR were calculated. Results: The median age and the male/ female ratios of the SHCC and SFNH have statistically significant, and the size haven’t statistically significant. The △HU and CVR of the AP, PP, and DP of the SHCCs and SFNHs were statistically significant, respectively. The area under curve of △HU and CVR of AP, PP and DP were increased gradually. When the △HU and CVR of the AP, PP and DP were 105.800HU vs. 1.516, -12.600HU vs. 0.949, -19.750 HU vs. 0.951, obtained the maximum You-den indexes. The corresponding sensitivity and specificity were 80.6 % and 90.1 % vs. 88.90% and 72.1%, 100% and 81.1% vs. 100% and 81.1%, 94.4 % and 96.4% vs. 94.4 % and 96.4%, respectively. Conclusion: The SHCC was highly suggested when △HU and CVR are no greater than 105.800HU and 1.516, -12.600HU and 0.949, -19.750 HU and 0.951 of the AP, PP, and DP in the middle-aged and elderly male patients, especially in the DP.
Procyclicality in Basel III in the Visegrád Countries

The term procyclicality refers to the ability of a system to amplify business cycles. The recent financial crisis has revealed that the current bank regulatory framework Basel II affects the business cycle in exactly that manner. As a result, the newly published Basel III has introduced tools that should mitigate the procyclical nature of regulatory framework. As the Basel III framework was published in December 2010, there are few studies analyzing its effect on procyclicality. The aim of the paper is to analyze whether the new tools are effective and whether the procyclicality under Basel III has been mitigated compared to Basel II. We employ a regression model with households and firm sector in order to conduct such analysis. Using the OLS estimation method we estimate the sensitivity of Basel risk weights to the business cycle under both Basel II and Basel III conditions. The main contribution of this paper consists of implementation of Basel III countercyclical tools and of comparison between both frameworks. The paper further contributes to the existing literature by conducting the analysis on the data for the Visegrád Group (the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland). When applying a standard regulatory formula, we show that results for Hungary differ greatly from the rest of the region as this country has shown a completely different pattern in the input data. This conclusion that regulatory rules cannot be applied generally for all countries should be appealing for both regulators and bankers.
Comparative evaluation of the effect of black and green tea on artificially demineralized permanent enamel: in vitro study

Purpose: To evaluate and compare the effect of black and green tea on initial enamel caries like lesions of extracted human permanent teeth through microhardness analysis and polarized light microscopic evaluation. Materials and methods: Fifty extracted young premolars with a standardized window on enamel were immersed in a demineralizing solution for 48 hours to produce subsurface enamel lesions. They were divided into two groups according to the type of treatment (n= 25), group I: teeth were treated by black tea infusion; group II: teeth were treated by green tea infusion. The enamel surface microhardness was measured at baseline, after the incipient enamel lesion, and after treatment. Additional twenty young premolars were selected and prepared for evaluation of the changes in enamel birefringence using the polarized light microscope. Results: Both groups showed a statistically significant increase in enamel surface microhardness after treatment as compared to the demineralization phase. By comparing the two groups, there was a statistically significant difference in the percentage of surface microhardness recovery after treatment in favor of the black tea group (P <0.0001). The polarized light microscope showed an increase in the negative enamel birefringence in both groups with less degree in the green tea group. Conclusion: Both black and green tea have a remineralizing effect on the initial enamel caries lesions with better effect of the black tea.
H19/Igf2 Expression and Methylation of Histone 3 in Mice Chimeric Blastocysts.

Background Currently, the efficient production of chimeric mice and their survival are still challenging. Recent researches have indicated that preimplantation embryo culture media and manipulation lead to abnormal methylation of histone in the H19/Igf2 promotor region and consequently alter their gene expression pattern. This investigation was designed to evaluate the relationship between the methylation state of histone H3 and H19/Igf2 expression in mice chimeric blastocysts. Methods Mouse 129/Sv embryonic stem cells (mESCs) expressing the green fluorescent protein (mESCs-GFP) were injected into the perivitelline space of 2.5 days post-coitis (dpc) embryos (C57BL/6) using a micromanipulator. H3K4 and H3K9 methylation, and H19 and Igf2 expression was measured by immunocytochemistry and q-PCR, respectively, in blastocysts. Results Histone H3 trimethylation in H3K4 and H3K9 in chimeric blastocysts was significantly less and greater, respectively (p< 0.05), than in controls. H19 expression was significantly less (p< 0.05), while Igf2 expression was less, but not significantly so, in chimeric than in control blastocysts. Conclusion Our results showed, that the alteration ofH3K4me3 and H3K9me3 methylation, change H19/Igf2 expression in chimeric blastocysts.