Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Ensemble Framework for Object Detection in Intelligent Video Surveillance System

In this paper, we present an ensemble framework with hierarchical and feedback mechanism for object detection. The proposed method is mainly composed of three phases: coarse detection, fine detection and tracking filter. In coarse detection, moving foreground can be rapidly extracted by improved ViBe background subtraction algorithm. FPDW as a fine detector scans the foreground image area, not entire the image, to determine the precise location and the number of targets. In the tracking filter, the detection results are processed to generate trajectories by the Kalman filter. And the current and the next status of the pixel is fed back from the former phases. For assessment of the effectiveness, we implement the proposed framework into pedestrian counting method. Several experiments are carried out based on the benchmark datasets. Experiment results show that the ensemble framework can achieve better detection results and real-time execution in comparison with other the state-of-art methods.
Future acidification of marginal seas: A comparative study of the Japan/East Sea and the South China Sea

The response of marginal (peripheral) seas to ocean acidification on short and long time scales is not well established. Through modeling, we examine the future acidification of two adjacent marginal seas, the South China Sea (SCS) and the Japan/East Sea (J/ES). Our results illustrate the importance of unique features in determining their acidification. The J/ES basin will become completely undersaturated with regard to calcite rapidly in the next few decades, while the SCS basin will experience relatively slower acidification. During its acidification, the J/ES will continually act as a sink for atmospheric CO2, whereas the SCS will temporarily switch from a source to a sink during the peak pCO2 interval, only to return slowly to being a source again. Marginal sea acidification will be determined by multiple factors, including their connections with the open ocean and their unique physical and biogeochemical dynamics, in addition to the level of atmospheric CO2.
A Sparse EEG-Informed fMRI Model for Hybrid EEG-fMRI Neurofeedback Prediction

Measures of brain activity through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) or Electroencephalography (EEG), two complementary modalities, are ground solutions in the context of neurofeedback (NF) mechanisms for brain-rehabilitation protocols. Though NF-EEG (real-time neurofeedback scores computed from EEG) have been explored for a very long time, NF-fMRI (real-time neurofeedback scores computed from fMRI) appeared more recently and provides more robust results and more specific brain training. Using simultaneously fMRI and EEG for multimodal neurofeedback sessions (NF-EEG-fMRI, real-time neurofeedback scores computed from fMRI and EEG) is very promising to devise brain rehabilitation protocols. However using fMRI is costly, exhausting and time consuming, and cannot be repeated too many times for the same subject. The original contribution of this paper concerns the prediction of multimodal NF scores from EEG recordings only, using a training phase where both EEG and fMRI synchronous signals, and therefore neurofeedback scores, are available. We propose a sparse regression model able to exploit EEG only to predict NF-fMRI or NF-EEG-fMRI in motor imagery tasks. We compare different NF-predictors steming from the proposed model. We show that one of the proposed NF-predictors significanlty improves over what EEG can provide alone (without the learning phase), and correlates at 0.74 in median with the ground-truth.
Dissolved methane in the Beaufort Sea and the Arctic Ocean, 1992–2009; sources and atmospheric flux

Methane concentration and isotopic composition was measured in ice‐covered and ice‐free waters of the Arctic Ocean during 11 surveys spanning the years of 1992–1995 and 2009. During ice‐free periods, methane flux from the Beaufort shelf varies from 0.14 mg CH4 m−2 d−1 to 0.43 mg CH4 m−2 d−1. Maximum fluxes from localized areas of high methane concentration are up to 1.52 mg CH4 m−2 d−1. Seasonal buildup of methane under ice can produce short‐term fluxes of methane from the Beaufort shelf that varies from 0.28 mg CH4 m−2 d−1 to 1.01 mg CH4 m−2 d−1. Scaled‐up estimates of minimum methane flux from the Beaufort Sea and pan‐Arctic shelf for both ice‐free and ice‐covered periods range from 0.02 Tg CH4 yr−1 and 0.30 Tg CH4 yr−1, respectively to maximum fluxes of 0.18 Tg CH4 yr−1 and 2.2 Tg CH4 yr−1, respectively. A methane flux of 0.36 Tg CH4 yr−1 from the deep Arctic Ocean was estimated using data from 1993 to 1994. The flux can be as much as 2.35 Tg CH4 yr−1 estimated from maximum methane concentrations and wind speeds of 12 m/s, representing only 0.42% of the annual atmospheric methane budget of ∼ 560 Tg CH4 yr−1. There were no significant changes in methane fluxes during the time period of this study. Microbial methane sources predominate with minor influxes from thermogenic methane offshore Prudhoe Bay and the Mackenzie River delta and may include methane from gas hydrate. Methane oxidation is locally important on the shelf and is a methane sink in the deep Arctic Ocean.
Microevolution and Its Impact on Hypervirulence, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Vaccine Escape in Neisseria meningitidis

Neisseria meningitidis is commensal of the human pharynx and occasionally invades the host, causing the life-threatening illness invasive meningococcal disease. The meningococcus is a highly diverse and adaptable organism thanks to natural competence, a propensity for recombination, and a highly repetitive genome. These mechanisms together result in a high level of antigenic variation to invade diverse human hosts and evade their innate and adaptive immune responses. This review explores the ways in which this diversity contributes to the evolutionary history and population structure of the meningococcus, with a particular focus on microevolution. It examines studies on meningococcal microevolution in the context of within-host evolution and persistent carriage; microevolution in the context of meningococcal outbreaks and epidemics; and the potential of microevolution to contribute to antimicrobial resistance and vaccine escape. A persistent theme is the idea that the process of microevolution contributes to the development of new hyperinvasive meningococcal variants. As such, microevolution in this species has significant potential to drive future public health threats in the form of hypervirulent, antibiotic-resistant, vaccine-escape variants. The implications of this on current vaccination strategies are explored.
Pain Control for Sickle Cell Crisis, a Novel Approach? A Retrospective Study

Background and Objectives: Pain management poses a significant challenge for patients experiencing vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC) in sickle cell disease (SCD). While opioid therapy is highly effective, its efficacy can be impeded by undesirable side effects. Local regional anesthesia (LRA), involving the deposition of a perineural anesthetic, provides a nociceptive blockade, local vasodilation and reduces the inflammatory response. However, the effectiveness of this therapeutic approach for VOC in SCD patients has been rarely reported up to now. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a single-shot local regional anesthesia (LRA) in reducing pain and consequently enhancing the management of severe vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC) in adults with sickle cell disease (SCD) unresponsive to conventional analgesic therapy. Materials and Methods: We first collected consecutive episodes of VOC in critical care (ICU and emergency room) for six months in 2022 in a French University hospital with a large population of sickle cell patients in the West Indies population. We also performed a systematic review of the use of LRA in SCD. The primary outcome was defined using a numeric pain score (NPS) and/or percentage of change in opioid use. Results: We enrolled nine SCD adults (28 years old, 4 females) for ten episodes of VOC in whom LRA was used for pain management. Opioid reduction within the first 24 h post block was −75% (50 to 96%). Similarly, the NPS decreased from 9/10 pre-block to 0–1/10 post-block. Five studies, including one case series with three patients and four case reports, employed peripheral nerve blocks for regional anesthesia. In general, local regional anesthesia (LRA) exhibited a reduction in pain and symptoms, along with a decrease in opioid consumption post-procedure. Conclusions: LRA improves pain scores, reduces opioid consumption in SCD patients with refractory pain, and may mitigate opioid-related side effects while facilitating the transition to oral analgesics. Furthermore, LRA is a safe and effective procedure.
Caracterización zoométrica y morfológica del ganado criollo de Manabí (Ecuador)

The population of Creole cattle in Manabi’s province (Ecuador) was studied through the analysis of 15 zoometric variables, 15 zoometric indexes and 25 morphological variables. The sample was composed by 773 animals (753 females and 20 males) from 121 farmer distributed in 22 “cantons” (regions) of Manabi’s province in order to obtain the racial characterization of this cattle population. Descriptive statistics of the studied variables were calculated, besides, an analysis of variance was realized considering the sex as the only one factor of variation. By the same way the coefficients of correlation Pearson among all the morphological variables and the body weight were estimated. The average values of zoometric variables were 21.83 ± 3.28 (ACF); 48.43 ± 5.96 (LCF); 28.96 ± 4.09 (LR); 20.04 ± 2.55 (LCR); 131.97 ± 6.69 (ACR); 54.08 ± 19.17 (DBC); 55.97 ± 9.15 (DEE); 74.40 ± 6.02 (DDE); 174.95 ± 15.34 (PT); 17.78 ± 1.27 (PC); 167.15 ± 20.29 (LOI); 135.14 ± 7.63 (AEG); 43.90 ± 7.60 (AG); 44.89 ± 5.09 (AII); 455.97 ± 103.00 (PV), with significative differences between males and females (P<0.05), for most variables except in DBC y DDE. In agreement with the obtained results, the most part of Manabi’s cattle population is composed of animals of a straight profile, eumetric body and different variants of red colour coat; also, short and smooth hair, mucous and pigmented hoofs; always, with the presence of horns predominating the type “proceros” (those with birth front the line of the neck); medium-sized ears horizontally, dewlap is constant or discontinuous absence of hump and umbilical fold. As a whole, the studied animals had from moderated degree of homogeneity and harmony; highlights, the existence of an important sexual dimorphism, where males get more corporal development than females. Likewise, this population have a major corporal size than other next Iberoamerican creole cattle breeds, probably due to an adaptive mechanism to the environment where these cattle are traditionally produced. Finally, these results indicate that this population supports important similarities with the original Iberian cattle, taking part in the set of the tropical creole cattle of dual purpose.
An Approach to Remote Update Embedded Systems in the Internet of Things

There is a growing initiative on the part of regulatory bodies to employ control over firmware emissions destined for Internet of Things (IoT) devices. In this scenario, this paper presents a new approach, called SOTARU, which proposes the use of a consortium Blockchain among embedded system manufacturers as a way to allow access to the update history of devices from multiple manufacturers through a single infrastructure. The security and robustness of the proposal were evaluated with the help of the Common Open Research Emulator (CORE) distributed network emulator. As a result, it was found that SOTARU stands out in terms of security when compared to other approaches proposed in the literature, as well as being functional even in high latency scenarios.
Illite-Smectite-Rich Clay Parageneses from Quaternary Tunnel Valley Sediments of the Dutch Southern North Sea — Mineral Origin and Paleoenvironment Implications

The Pleistocene sediment infill of elongated glacial incisions of the southern North Sea (SNS) is often referred to as tunnel valleys (TVs). The depositional environment is not yet fully understood and the present study addresses this challenge from the perspective of clay-mineral transformation (illite to illite-smectite) reported from the largest Elsterian TV of the SNS. Material acquired from the K14-12 borehole in the Dutch offshore was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron microscopy, electron microprobe, and laser particle-size analysis. Illite and illite-smectite (I-S) appeared as dominant clays along with minor amounts of kaolinite, kaolinite-smectite, and chlorite. The largest amount of I-S is recognized in the main TV portion, while in pre-glacial and uppermost deposits, I-S is less abundant. The XRD peak fitting and deconvolution suggest that I-S consists of several intermediates — ordered (well crystallized illite + R3 I-S) and disordered (R0 I-S + R0 I-SS). Given the average particle sizes (>2 µm) and Kübler index values (0.415–0.341°Δ2θ), illite as well as chlorite and kaolinite were interpreted as detrital. On the basis of the distinctive distribution, grain sizes, and compositional variations of I-S, formation by means of early diagenetic in situ smectitization of illite under a cold climate is proposed. The process operated via a series of mixed-layer intermediates derived from an illite component being converted progressively to low-charged smectite. The reaction is marked by a significant net loss of K and Al with replacement by Si in a tetrahedral coordination. Layer-charge imbalance is accommodated by Fe(III) and Mg entering an octahedral sheet, whereas Ca partly fills the interlayer sites. Smectitization rates were controlled by illite grain sizes. The results of the present study support strongly the existence of an ice-marginal freshwater depositional environment at the glacial maximum in the SNS in which early diagenesis at low temperatures resulted in incomplete conversion of illite to smectite.
The effect of work motivation and work environment on employee performance through work engagement

This research examines the effect of work motivation and work environment through work engagement on employee performance. This research is quantitative research with data collection methods using questionnaires. The sample in this study was 85 employees of PT. Pelindo Terminal Petikemas New Makassar who were determined using the Slovin method. The data analysis technique used is SEM (Structural Equation Modeling) PLS. The results of this research show that the two independent variables, namely work motivation and work environment, have a positive influence, but the work motivation variable does not have a significant influence, while the work environment variable has a significant influence on employee performance. Based on the results of mediation testing, it shows that work engagement provides a partial mediation role in the relationship between work motivation and work environment on employee performance. It is hoped that the implications of the results of this research will be input for companies in efforts to improve the quality of employee performance.
Somatic embryogenesis and plantlet regeneration from nucleus tissues of Local orange (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck)

Somatic embryogenesis and plantlet regeneration were achieved in callus cultures of nucellus tissues derived from undeveloped ovules of immature fruits of local orange (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck). Four types of culture media were used and all produced embryogenic callus. Somatic embryos were developed on MS medium supplemented with BA only. Embryo maturation took place on MS medium supplemented with BA and 2,4-D. Plantlets were regenerated from those somatic embryos on half strength MS medium free of plant growth regulators. The well-developed plantlets were transferred to a potting mix containing sand and peat moss (2: 1) and grown for 8 months, with a survival rate of 100 %. Abbreviation: BA: 6-benzyl amino purine; 2,4-D: 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid; NAA: α-naphthalene acetic acid
Evaluating the effectiveness of digital storytelling for student reflection

This paper reports on the use of digital storytelling as a means of encouraging student engagement and reflection; consideration is also given to developing an appropriate mechanism to measure student reflection using this medium. Digital storytelling, the combination of still images with an audio track, was piloted in different learning contexts at the University of Gloucestershire, including: a students’ transition into higher education program; student presentations; and capturing reflections on personal development. Evaluations show that staff and students have found this approach to be a positive experience for encouraging student creativity; however, the very personal reflective nature of the stories created has raised issues about how student reflection and progression is adequately captured using this approach. The paper will report on the use of different models to assess this progression and the issues raised.
Enhancing users’ experiences of self-service technology: A design-oriented case study

Self-service technologies (SSTs) have grown rapidly and aim to help customers self-serve. Self-service can be facilitated through help centers, which offers information and support. As the demand for on-going support continues to rise, it is important with continuous research of how to assist help centers to match the affordances of current technology to customers’ needs while providing a good User Experience (UX). Therefore, this study investigates how UX design can be used to improve help centers as a tool for self-service for different stakeholders. This study was in collaboration with Nasdaq, where the users’ needs, expectations and concerns when looking for help to use Nasdaq’s products were identified. In an evaluation, the main features of help center’s that influenced users’ experience and encouraged their use of the technology were measured by a theoretical lens of a revised version of a Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The results of this study declare that the major significance in establishing a successful help center lies in ensuring easy accessibility to information through a search function and a well-organized side navigation. Additionally, incorporating a training and getting started page with a combination of videos and text are crucial for advanced products.
Maritime Communications - Current State and the Future Potential with SDN and SDR

The rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) has opened up exciting possibilities for new applications. One such novel application is the modernization of maritime communications. Effective maritime communication is vital for ensuring the safety of crew members, vessels, and cargo. The maritime industry is responsible for the transportation of a significant portion of global trade, and as such, the efficient and secure transfer of information is essential to maintain the flow of goods and services. With the increasing complexity of maritime operations, technological advancements such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), and the Internet of Ships (IoS) have been introduced to enhance communication and operational efficiency. However, these technologies also bring new challenges in terms of security and network management. Compromised IT systems, with escalated privileges, can potentially enable easy and ready access to operational technology (OT) systems and networks with the same privileges, with an increased risk of zero-day attacks. In this paper, we first provide a review of the current state and modalities of maritime communications. We then review the current adoption of software-defined radios (SDRs) and software-defined networks (SDNs) in the maritime industry and evaluate their impact as maritime IoT enablers. Finally, as a key contribution of this paper, we propose a unified SDN–SDR-driven cross-layer communications framework that leverages the existing SATCOM communications infrastructure, for improved and resilient maritime communications in highly dynamic and resource-constrained environments.
Fintech Adoption Factors: A Study on an Educated Romanian Population

Even though the literature implies that customers and banking organizations can profit from digital banking in various ways, client adoption of this service is still low, especially in emerging and developing nations. Consumers’ openness to digital services limits their willingness to adopt digital banking, especially mobile banking services. We used a quantitative research method based on a questionnaire sent during August–December 2022 to Romanian individuals and received 118 answers, which we analyzed using the logistic regression model; throughout, we determined the extent of mobile banking use, payments, and banking products needed within the population with tertiary education, as well as new developments that the shift to digitalization brings to users, with new features for existing products, cryptocurrency accounts, and fintech companies now being complementary to traditional banks. Our study presents current customer perceptions of implementing bank digitalization through mobile applications in a developing nation like Romania; here, advantages are counterbalanced by limitations and there are, undoubtedly, difficulties to be overcome in the quest for a more effective e-business framework. We determined the factors that are relevant in making people use fintech accounts using logit analysis.
Performance Evaluation and Comparison of Microservices and Serverless Deployments in Cloud

Microservices and serverless are arguably the two most widely used architectures today for deploying applications in the cloud. With both these technologies, applications can take advantage of faster delivery, lightweight, scalable, and lower development and maintenance costs. However, there are ongoing debates concerning which of these two architectures to use for deploying a given application. This paper evaluates and compares them quantitatively in terms of their performance and cost, based on a use case study for an image processing application. The study was conducted by deploying the application using the two technologies in the two major cloud platforms, Amazon AWS and Google Cloud. Results showed that serverless perform better in terms of performance and cost, whereas microservices show superiority in terms of memory use.
Round Trip Time (RTT) and Doppler Measurements for IoRT Localization by a Single-Satellite

Accurate node localization holds prime significance across a range of future network applications. In this letter, we present a novel scheme for instantaneous localization of static Internet-of-Remote-Things (IoRT) terminals from the satellite/network side, employing a single-channel probing by a single-antenna-equipped single-orbiter. Our method measures both Round Trip Time (RTT) and Doppler shift, which aid the proposed localization scheme. A geometric framework to establish a probabilistic relationship between satellite Transmit (Tx) and Receive (Rx) positions with the target IoRT terminal location is proposed. The key steps of the proposed framework are summarized in an algorithmic form. Precise IoRT node positioning relies on the accurate estimation of RTT, Doppler shift, and satellite position. For instance, at a 200km satellite altitude and precise satellite positioning, an error of 1.25Hz in Doppler and $0.0125~\mu $ sec in RTT estimation translates into a positioning error of 7.081m. Notably, this error increases with an increase in satellite altitude, making the proposed scheme better suited for lower-altitude satellites.