Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hybrid evolutionary network architecture search (HyENAS) for convolution class of deep neural networks with applications

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and its variants are increasingly used across wide domain of applications achieving high performance measures. For high performance, application specific CNN architecture is required, hence the need for network architecture search (NAS) becomes essential. This paper proposes a hybrid evolutionary approach for network architecture search (HyENAS), and targets convolution class of neural networks. One of the significant contribution of this technique is to completely evolve the high performance network by simultaneously finding network structures and their corresponding parameters. An elegant string representation has been proposed which efficiently represents the network. The concept of sparse block evolving requisite layer wise features for dense network is deployed. This permits the network to dynamically evolve for a specific application. In comparison to the other state‐of‐art methods, the high performance of the proposed HyENAS approach is demonstrated across various benchmark data sets belonging to the domain of malariology, oncology, neurology, ophthalmology, and genomics. Further, to deploy the proposed model on lower hardware specification devices, another salient feature of the HyENAS technique is to seamlessly sift out the simpler network architecture with comparable accuracy.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES AND RATE OF DIFFUSION TRANSETHOSOME CURCUMIN USING A COMBINATION OF TWEEN 60 AND SPAN 60 AS SURFACTANT

Objective: Curcumin penetration can be increased by formulating it into the transethosome system. Surfactant is one of the transethosome components that affect the physical properties and penetration of vesicles. In this study, a combination of two surfactants was used to see the effect of surfactants on physical properties and curcumin penetration. Methods: This study used a combination of tween 60 and span 60 with a concentration ratio of 0:5 (F1), 1:1 (F2), 2:1 (F3), and 1:2 (F4). An evaluation included testing the distribution of particle size, zeta potential, and entrapment efficiency in the system. Evaluation continued with the determination of the diffusion rate in vitro. Results: The transethosome system formed has a particle size of 167.9±4.7 nm-396±3.7 nm with a potential zeta value (-) 49.54±1.77 mV-(-) 59.05±0.95 mV, polydispersion index 0.0%-57.1% and entrapment efficiency of 83.76%-93.75%. The diffusion rate of F1 and F3 followed the Higuchi kinetics model, while F2 and F4 followed zero-order kinetics and the Korsmeyer-Peppas kinetics. Conclusion: The combination of tween 60 and span 60 could form a nano-sized transethosome of curcumin. Diffusion rate testing results show that using a surfactant combination can increase the diffusion rate of curcumin, where there is a significant difference between each formula (p<0.05).
The Comparison between the Process-oriented Approach and the Product-oriented Approach in Teaching Writing The Case of Moroccan EFL Students in Preparatory Classes for the Grandes Ecoles

Writing is an important language skill, and learning to write is not an easy endeavour, especially for English as a foreign language (EFL) students. An effective EFL writing instruction, therefore, plays a significant role in helping EFL students deal with writing problems efficiently and approach writing tasks effectively. Based on this premise, the present study aims at investigating the effect of two alternative writing approaches, process and product, on Moroccan EFL students’ writing performance to find out which of these approaches is more effective. It explores process writing instruction based on Hayes’ (2012) recent model that responded to both critiques of the 1980-s original model of Flower and Hayes and to new ideas, which adds more layers to EFL writing research and instruction. To this end, the participants were divided into two groups, A and B, and they all took a writing pre-test before the treatment. For three months (two hours per week), group A students received academic argumentative writing instruction that was product-oriented, while group B students were taught academic argumentative writing based on Hayes’ (2012) process writing model. After the treatment, all participants took a writing post-test. The analysis of the collected data revealed that group B participants showed a significant improvement in their compositions compared to their group A counterparts, which provides evidence that the process-oriented approach is more effective in enhancing EFL writing than the product-oriented approach. In the light of these findings, some pedagogical recommendations were suggested.
Divide and conquer: Multicolonial structure, nestmate recognition, and antagonistic behaviors in dense populations of the invasive ant Brachymyrmex patagonicus

Abstract The ecological success of ants has made them abundant in most environments, yet inter‐ and intraspecific competition usually limit nest density for a given population. Most invasive ant populations circumvent this limitation through a supercolonial structure, eliminating intraspecific competition through a loss of nestmate recognition and lack of aggression toward non‐nestmates. Native to South America, Brachymyrmex patagonicus has recently invaded many locations worldwide, with invasive populations described as extremely large and dense. Yet, in contrast with most invasive ants, this species exhibits a multicolonial structure, whereby each colony occupies a single nest. Here, we investigated the interplay between genetic diversity, chemical recognition, and aggressive behaviors in an invasive population of B. patagonicus. We found that, in its invasive range, this species reaches a high nest density with individual colonies located every 2.5 m and that colony boundaries are maintained through aggression toward non‐nestmates. This recognition and antagonism toward non‐nestmates is mediated by chemical differentiation between colonies, as different colonies exhibit distinct chemical profiles. We highlighted that the level of aggression between colonies is correlated with their degree of genetic difference, but not their overall chemical differentiation. This may suggest that only a few chemical compounds influence nestmate recognition in this species or that weak chemical differences are sufficient to elicit aggression. Overall, this study demonstrates that invasive ant populations can reach high densities despite a multicolonial structure with strong aggression between colonies, raising questions about the factors underlying their ecological success and mitigating negative consequences of competitive interactions.
Characterization of the Stabilization of Arsenic in Mine Tailings

ABSTRACT Ferrous chloride has been evaluated as a novel approach to stabilize arsenic in mine tailings. The influence of iron/arsenic molar ratio, pH, stabilization time, granularity, and temperature on the concentration of released arsenic was evaluated. Arsenic speciation before and after stabilization was characterized. When the iron/arsenic molar ratio was 1 and the pH was between 6.5 and 7.5 below 50°C using a stabilization time of 1 h, the concentration of released arsenic was below 2.5 mg/L which meets national Chinese standards. Hence, this approach enhanced the stability of arsenic and reduced the toxicity of mining by-products.
Subclinical atherosclerosis and endothelial dysfunction in patients with HIV infection: is there any new diagnostic test?

Introduction: To analyze the association between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and the presence of subclinical atherosclerosis and endothelial dysfunction. Methods Prospective cohort study of HIV positive patients who underwent to intimate thickness (IMT) determination and coronary artery calcium score to determine subclinical atherosclerosis. To detect endothelial dysfunction breath holding index, flow mediated dilation and concentration of endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) were measured. Results Patients with an IMT ≥ 0.9 mm had an average of 559.3 ± 283.34 CD4/µl and those with an IMT < 0.9 mm 715.4 ± 389.92 CD4/µl (p = 0.04). Patients with a low calcium score had a significantly higher average of CD4 cells value and lower zenith viral load than those with a higher score (707.7 ± 377.5 CD4/µl vs 477.23 ± 235.7 CD4/µl (p = 0.01)) and (7x104 ± 5x104 c/ml vs 23.4 x 104 ± 19 x 104 c /ml (p = 0.02). Early EPCs concentration in patients with a CD4 nadir < 350/ul was lower than concentration among those presenting a CD4 nadir ≥ 350 (p = 0.03). Conclusion In HIV positive patients low CD4 cells levels and high viral load were associated to a higher risk of developing subclinical atherosclerosis.HIV patients with less CD4 cells may have fewer early EPCs.
Who Chooses Teacher Education and Why? Evidence From Germany

Empirically rigorous research on teacher education entry is extremely limited. Evidence on who enters teacher education and why is crucial for identifying undesired gaps in entry and can assist with teacher recruitment. Grounded in prior research, we identified four primary groups of relevant individual-level variables: student/family background, achievement/abilities, personality, and motivation. We empirically tested this conceptual model using rich data from a national cohort of German ninth-graders followed to college/university and their parents. Our study is the first to predict eventual teacher education entry early in secondary school. Although those students who eventually entered teacher education were significantly different from their counterparts across most variables, fewer were conditionally predictive. Social interests, desired working conditions, desire to have children, and students’ parents were particularly influential. Implications for research and teacher recruitment are discussed.
Evaluation of Autonomic Nervous System in Children With Cerebral Palsy: Clinical and Electophysiological Study

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most prevalent severe motor disability among children. The aim of this work was to assess autonomic dysfunction in children with cerebral palsy clinically and electrophysiologically . The study was carried out on forty children with cerebral palsy their age ranged from 4-12 years and twenty healthy children with matched age and sex as control group. CP children were subjected to questionnaire for autonomic dysfunction symptoms. Both CP children and Control group were assessed for Sympathetic Skin Response and Heart rate variability. Most of children had quadriplegic spastic cerebral palsy (82.5%). Based on Gross motor function classification system (GMFCS) classification the majority of children were in levels 4 and 5. The prevalence of autonomic dysfunction symptoms was 80% for thermoregulatory abnormalities (cold extremities), chronic constipation 65%, sleep disturbance 52.5%, loss of appetite 47.5%, sweating abnormalities 40% , recurrent nausea and/or vomiting 25%, increased sensitivity to light or dark 22.5% and bloating 15%. The percentage of unelicited Sympathetic skin response in CP children was 47.5% and 60% in upper limbs and lower limbs respectively, all of them were in level 4 and 5 of GMFCS. 20% of CP children had postural hypotension. Mean Heart rate of CP children was significantly increased more than healthy children upon head tilt test. Sympathetic Skin Response and Heart rate variability were proven to be simple and non invasive procedures in investigating autonomic dysfunction in CP children.
Parental perceptions of university cost, fear of debt, and choice of high school in Japan

Abstract A growing number of families around the world are relying on student loans to pay for university under recent cost-sharing policies. However, it remains unclear to what extent university costs and the likelihood of needing student loans affect decisions in the early stages of education. This article examines the influence of parents’ attitudes towards taking out student loans and anticipated economic burdens for attending university on high school choice, using a longitudinal survey of students and their mothers conducted in Japan. This article shows that students whose mothers anticipate a large financial burden and are averse to taking out student loans are more likely to attend vocational high school than those whose mothers do not so anticipate and are willing to borrow. Furthermore, lower-class families show greater sensitivity to these perceived material barriers in upper secondary school choices than higher-class families when navigating a highly privatised educational system.
Microscopic modeling of cyclists interactions with pedestrians in shared spaces: a Gaussian process inverse reinforcement learning approach

This study presents a microsimulation-oriented framework for modeling cyclists' interactions with pedestrians in shared spaces. The objectives of this study are to 1) infer how cyclists in head-on and crossing interactions rationally assess and make guidance decisions of acceleration and yaw rate, and 2) use advanced Artificial Intelligent (AI) techniques to model road-user interactions. The Markov Decision Process modeling framework is used to account for road-user rationality and intelligence. Road user trajectories from three shared spaces in North America are extracted by means of computer-vision algorithms. Inverse Reinforcement Learning (IRL) algorithms are utilized to recover continuous linear and nonlinear Gaussian-Process (GP) reward-functions (RFs). Deep Reinforcement Learning is used to estimate optimal cyclist policies. Results demonstrated that the GP-RF captures the more complex interaction behaviour and accounts for road-user heterogeneity. The GP-RF led to more consistent inferences of road-users behaviour and accurate predictions of their trajectories compared with the linear RF.
Fear of failure in sport, exercise, and physical activity: a scoping review

ABSTRACT Fear of failure is a popular catchphrase used by performers in a variety of domains to reference motivating and/or inhibiting forces. In 2001, Conroy produced a review of research on the development of fear of failure and associated problems across a variety of different domains that also offered ideas on future research directions in relation to treatment. His review provided researchers with an understanding of the fear of failure at a time when little research had been conducted in the sport and exercise domain. The present scoping review is focused upon research in sport, exercise, and physical activity on fear of failure emerging subsequent to Conroy’s review to provide readers with an up-to-date understanding of how fear of failure is manifested among participants in sport and exercise. A total of 48 articles are included in this scoping review, which are divided into a total of four groups; (1) measurement of fear of failure, (2) antecedents of fear of failure, (3) outcomes of fear of failure, and (4) fear of failure and gender/sex differences. Future recommendations for research are discussed.
Reef communities show predictable undulations in linear abundance size spectra from copepods to sharks.

Among the more widely accepted general hypotheses in ecology is that community relationships between abundance and body size follow a log-linear size spectrum, from the smallest consumers to the largest predators (i.e. 'bacteria to whales'). Nevertheless, most studies only investigate small subsets of this spectrum, and note that extreme size classes in survey data deviate from linear expectations. In this study, we fit size spectra to field data from 45 rocky and coral reef sites along a 28° latitudinal gradient, comprising individuals from 0.125 mm to 2 m in body size. We found that 96% of the variation in abundance along this 'extended' size gradient was described by a single linear function across all sites. However, consistent 'wobbles' were also observed, with subtle peaks and troughs in abundance along the spectrum, which varied with sea temperature, as predicted by theory relating to trophic cascades.
Impact of Governments’ Fiscal Behaviors on Public Finance Sustainability: A Comparative Study

The aim of this research is to highlight the specificity of fiscal sustainability in some developing EU countries by analyzing the implications of fiscal rules on governments’ fiscal behaviors. We employ a panel data analysis to evaluate developing EU countries for the period 2000–2014 and we investigate the status of convergence of fiscal responsibility coordinates by computing the convergence score of fiscal responsibility. The research is based on interdisciplinary coordinates and helps to consolidate judgments from both legal and financial perspectives, making a contribution to the literature that investigates the relationship between the legal framework related to government decision-making and public finance sustainability. The choice of the study sample in relation to developing EU countries represents a contribution and a point of reference for the literature that investigates the sustainability of developing EU countries and highlights the importance of fiscal risk management and control mechanisms in enhancing the performance of the public sector and fiscal sustainability. The results suggest that it is important to reinforce the interaction between the legal framework and the institutional one by identifying good practices for designing and operating effective independent fiscal institutions, making them capable not only of advising the government on fiscal policy matters but also of promoting sound fiscal policy and sustainable public finance.
Impact of an ink drop on paper

Dynamical spreading of an ink drop impacting on paper has been investigated experimentally. Ink drops of various sizes and velocities, impacting on paper, were observed by a microscope with stroboscopic lighting. Experimental data are explained well by a simple correlation formula, which predicts the ratio of spreading as a function of the Weber number and the Reynolds number. This experimental formula can be conveniently used in the design of ink jet printers.
Application of Multiplex Molecular Assays in the Diagnosis of Acute Respiratory Infectious Diseases

Acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) are the most common diseases worldwide and an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Upper and lower respiratory tract infections are caused by a variety of bacterial, viral, and fungal pathogens. Clinical diagnosis of respiratory tract infections is challenging because of indistinguishable symptoms. Laboratory diagnosis is performed by serology, culture, electron microscopy, and immunological antigen detection assays. These conventional diagnostic procedures are time consuming, lack sensitivity, require special laboratory setup, and well-trained staff. In the clinical laboratories, multiplex molecular nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) are continuously replacing conventional diagnostic methods. This review summarizes and discusses the availability, clinical use, advantages and disadvantages of multiplex molecular methods in the detection and identification of ARTI pathogens. The multiplex molecular assays can simultaneously detect 20 or more bacterial and viral pathogens and have the advantage of increased sensitivity, specificity, and rapid turn-around time. These assays are helpful in syndromic based testing in high risk patient population, particularly those who are immunocompromised, hospitalized and/or seen in the emergency department. Limitations of multiplex molecular assays include inability to detect all the possible pathogens that can be present, not being able to differentiate between asymptomatic carriers and true infections, and sometimes results are difficult to interpret. Furthermore, additional testing may be required as these assays do not provide any information regarding antimicrobial susceptibility profile. Rapid and accurate diagnosis of respiratory tract infections leads to better treatment decisions, reduction in the further diagnostic procedures, length of hospital stay, better infection control measures, and associated healthcare costs.
Ca2C MXene monolayer as a superior anode for metal-ion batteries

Rechargeable batteries can effectively mitigate the increasing crisis associated with clean energy storage technologies. The alkali metal-ion based rechargeable batteries require a low diffusion barrier, a low average open-circuit voltage (OCV), and a high storage capacity for their superior performance. Using comprehensive first-principle calculations, we demonstrate that calcium carbide monolayer (Ca2C-ML) MXene meets all the aforementioned criteria and is a superior anode material for lithium (Li), sodium (Na), and potassium (K) metal-ion batteries. By first-principles calculations, the structural and electronic properties of Ca2C-ML and its extensive ion battery applications are studied. The adsorption properties of Li, Na, and K alkali ions on the Ca2C-ML sheet confirm excellent charge transfer and electrical conductivity. The ultra-low diffusion barriers of 0.027, 0.059, and 0.028 eV for Li, Na, and K alkali ions, respectively, indicate the superior mobility and fast cycling caliber (metal adsorption and desorption) of the Ca2C-ML. The OCV of the Ca2C-ML is 0.10, 0.24, and 0.28 V for Li, Na, and K-ions, respectively, ensuring a better battery performance. The specific capacity of 582 mAh g−1 is achieved for all three cases, which is much higher than that of a traditional graphite anode with Li, Na, and K ions. The volume expansion during the intercalation is negligible for all three cases, indicating long term structural integrity of the anode using Ca2C-ML. Our investigations suggest that the newly designed 2D Ca2C-ML is a suitable anode candidate for use in the next-generation of high-performance Li, Na, and K-ion batteries.
Modelling and Implementing Smart Universities: An IT Conceptual Framework

The smart city concept has been gaining momentum in the scientific community because of its potentially huge impact on citizens’ quality of life. However, expectations have not yet been met in practice. This is firstly due to the sheer breadth of such projects and secondly to the lack of methodologies available to guide the development of flexible and sustainable platforms over time. In this work, we propose to address these issues by using a university campus as a less complex mock-up version of a city. Despite differences between them, we find services that are common to both, and a medium-sized city’s population is comparable to that of a university community. We propose an IT conceptual framework to model and implement smart university projects, which supports the design of a platform that is both in line with the strategic plans of universities and is flexible, sustainable, stable, and sufficiently modular to support the addition of different value-added services over the years. Our framework is based on a service provision model materialised in an IT architecture and managed following a methodology to integrate IT components that ensure the insertion of new, smart initiatives of value to the community, aligned with the university’s needs, via a value-added service planning process. The results are presented in the University of Alicante case study and the SmartUA project.