Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ANALYSIS OF SYNTHETIC APERTURE RADAR IMAGES USING BRUTE FORCE THRESHOLDING AND GRADIENT GUIDE FILTERS

Nowadays Imaging Radars (IR) finds many applications, in both civilian and defense fields to observe various scenarios over the horizon. Due to the rapid development of space borne and air borne platforms Synthetic Aperture Radars (SAR) becomes as an electronic eye to monitor different terrain features, various activities on the globe. As a result, analysis of SAR images is desirable to obtain high resolution electromagnetic (EM) images. In order to fulfill these requirements we propose a novel enhancement technique to de-speckle SAR images and to provide high resolution SAR images for the specific terrain monitoring. The proposed technique is a hybrid version of an improved brute force thresholding (BFT) based undecimated wavelet transform. The improved BFT combined with total variance process removes the speckle noise by preserving texture and edges. After this de-speckling process the image undergoes an enhancement process by gradient domain guided image filter (GDGIF). This GDGIF makes sharp enhancement and facilitates good quality SAR image for terrain analysis. GDGIF performs better than conventional guided image filter (GIF) and weighted guided filter (WGF). Simulation results confirm that the proposed realizations are well suited for real time applications. By comparing performance measures shown in Table II, the proposed method achieves better results in terms of minimum MD of 0.210, minimum MSE of 2.72E-04 and maximum PSNR of 35.658.
The Internationalization Process of a Brazilian Company- A study of the Uppsala and the Network Models applied to a Brazilian company

Background: The Uppsala and Network Models of Internationalization belong to the Nordic School and were created based on Swedish companies. Is that possible to apply these models to a Brazilian context? Brazilian companies are becoming more international and expanding to foreign markets, and this study is going to exam if the Nordic schools models can be used to explain the internationalization process of a Brazilian company. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to exam if the proposition, that states that the Uppsala and the Network Models combined can explain the internationalization process of a Brazilian company, is correct. Method: To collect material for this thesis an interview with the case company was done and also secondary data was used from the company. Results: It is possible to state that the combination of the two models is able to explain the internationalization process of the studies Brazilian company. It is also possible to state that where the Uppsala Models lacks explanation value, the Network Model can be applied.
Reconsidering the Relationship between Parenting and Religiosity

This study examined the relation between religiosity and parenting. 311 parents from the Flemish-speaking part of Belgium completed the Post-critical Belief Scale and reported on their style of parenting. Scores for religiosity (as measured by the Exclusion vs Inclusion of Transcendence dimension) were not significantly correlated with parenting styles. In contrast, the way in which religious contents are processed (as measured by the Literal vs Symbolic dimension) was significantly correlated with dimensions of parenting style.
SOT for MOT

In this paper we present a robust tracker to solve the multiple object tracking (MOT) problem, under the framework of tracking-by-detection. As the first contribution, we innovatively combine single object tracking (SOT) algorithms with multiple object tracking algorithms, and our results show that SOT is a general way to strongly reduce the number of false negatives, regardless of the quality of detection. Another contribution is that we show with a deep learning based appearance model, it is easy to associate detections of the same object efficiently and also with high accuracy. This appearance model plays an important role in our MOT algorithm to correctly associate detections into long trajectories, and also in our SOT algorithm to discover new detections mistakenly missed by the detector. The deep neural network based model ensures the robustness of our tracking algorithm, which can perform data association in a wide variety of scenes. We ran comprehensive experiments on a large-scale and challenging dataset, the MOT16 benchmark, and results showed that our tracker achieved state-of-the-art performance based on both public and private detections.
Temporal Variation of Bacterial Respiration and Growth Efficiency in Tropical Coastal Waters

ABSTRACT We investigated the temporal variation of bacterial production, respiration, and growth efficiency in the tropical coastal waters of Peninsular Malaysia. We selected five stations including two estuaries and three coastal water stations. The temperature was relatively stable (averaging around 29.5°C), whereas salinity was more variable in the estuaries. We also measured dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen (DOC and DON, respectively) concentrations. DOC generally ranged from 100 to 900 μM, whereas DON ranged from 0 to 32 μM. Bacterial respiration ranged from 0.5 to 3.2 μM O2 h−1, whereas bacterial production ranged from 0.05 to 0.51 μM C h−1. Bacterial growth efficiency was calculated as bacterial production/(bacterial production + respiration), and ranged from 0.02 to 0.40. Multiple correlation analyses revealed that bacterial production was dependent upon primary production (r2 = 0.169, df = 31, and P < 0.02) whereas bacterial respiration was dependent upon both substrate quality (i.e., DOC/DON ratio) (r2 = 0.137, df = 32, and P = 0.03) and temperature (r2 = 0.113, df = 36, and P = 0.04). Substrate quality was the most important factor (r2 = 0.119, df = 33, and P = 0.04) for the regulation of bacterial growth efficiency. Using bacterial growth efficiency values, the average bacterial carbon demand calculated was from 5.30 to 11.28 μM C h−1. When the bacterial carbon demand was compared with primary productivity, we found that net heterotrophy was established at only two stations. The ratio of bacterial carbon demand to net primary production correlated significantly with bacterial growth efficiency (r2 = 0.341, df = 35, and P < 0.001). From nonlinear regression analysis, we found that net heterotrophy was established when bacterial growth efficiency was <0.08. Our study showed the extent of net heterotrophy in these waters and illustrated the importance of heterotrophic microbial processes in coastal aquatic food webs.
Factors Influencing Enrollment in the Medication Therapy Management Clinic at an Academic Ambulatory Care Clinic

Purpose: In 2001, the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System (UI Health) established a pharmacist-run, referral-based medication therapy management clinic (MTMC). Referrals are obtained from any UI Health provider or by self-referral. Although there is a high volume of referrals, a large percentage of patients do not enroll. This study was designed to determine the various factors that influence patient enrollment in the MTMC. Methods: This study was a retrospective chart review of demographic and patient variable data during years 2010 and 2011. Disabilities, distance from MTMC, mode of transportation, past medical history, and appointment dates were extracted from the medical records. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis. Results: A total of 103 referrals were made; however, only 17% of patients remain enrolled in MTMC. The baseline demographics included a mean age of 63 years, 68% female, 70% African American, and 81% English speaking. Patients lived an average of 8 miles from MTMC; most utilized public or government-supplemented transport services; 24% of patients reported some type of disability, most commonly utilizing a walker or a wheelchair. On average, patients were prescribed 13 medications with hypertension (70%), diabetes (56%), and hyperlipidemia (48%) being the most common chronic disease states. The reason for referral included medication management, education, medication reconciliation, and disease state management. Five patients were unable to be contacted to schedule an initial appointment. Additionally, 18 patients failed their scheduled initial appointment and did not reschedule. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated distance traveled for clinic visit, age, and history of hypertension affected the probability of patients showing for their appointments (chi-square = 19.7, P < .001). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that distance from MTMC is the most common barrier in patient enrollment; therefore, strategies to improve patient access are necessary.
Simulation Analysis Of Reverse Recovery Minimization Effects In DC/DC Converter

In this paper, the minimization of the reverse recovery effects in the power diode as part of the effort to reduce the power loss in the circuit will be investigated. An inductive chopper circuit using CoolMOS power switch is set up to serve as the platform for investigation. This report will present how the variations of the parameters values in the inductive load chopper circuit will affect its reverse recovery characteristics. The parameters considered are the gate drive, duty ratio, CoolMOS switching frequency and operating temperature. PSPICE simulation using SPW11N60C2 (600V/11A) COOLMOS and IDP09E60 (600V/9A) power diode are provided to investigate the impact of each of these parameters towards the reverse recovery effects. The switching frequency affects the total energy loss, Eloss more significantly than the factors of temperature and gate resistance but less prominent than the duty ratio, D among all the four factors simulated for investigation in this report.
Corporate social responsibility in Japanese firms in transport sector

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reporting has become common practice for large organisations globally, yet there is variance in the CSR related activities claimed in disclosures. CSR researchers argue that cultural and historical backgrounds are the influential drivers of CSR behaviour. However, the links between actual activities claimed in CSR reports and the cultural systems that underpin these reported activities is an under-explored area. This thesis discusses the uniqueness of Japanese socio-cultural aspects. While Japan is well-known for having the most advanced energy efficient technologies in the world, it is also known for being below international standards for gender equality in the workplace. Therefore, this thesis aims to explore and examine organisational behaviours through the lens of relativism in order to understand what organisations are reporting and how and why managers prioritise these activities. This thesis is based on longitudinal qualitative research focusing on the Japanese transport companies that published CSR reports between 2005 and 2009. The findings from manually coded content analysis revealed: (1) that activities related to providing public safety, waste management and the 3Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle), and environmental innovation were the top three most frequently reported CSR activities; and (2) complying with laws, career planning, flexible work practices, and providing public safety were the three categories that showed the most significant increase in reporting frequency from 2005-2009. This thesis extends the previous literature. Takagaki (2010b) identified that the transport industry, particularly the air and water sub-sectors, is the industry where the environmental problems are serious and require urgent attention. Takagaki (2010b) chose to explore the electronics industry as this industry is considered to be middle ground for its level of seriousness and urgency. This research: (1) examines the transport industry; (2) investigates the links between the actual activities reported, and the activities reported to be influential drivers of these activities.
Impact of Sale Promotıon Technıques on Consumers' Impulse Buyıng Behavıour towards Apparels at Bangalore

Sales promotion, which is one of the key elements of promotional mix, is being used widely by the marketers to compete and sustain the competitive advantage and in turn increase the sales by stimulating the consumers’ purchase decision. This present research work has made an effort to identify the various sales promotion techniques and the order by which they influence the consumers’ decision making towards apparels. Five important sales promotion techniques namely, Rebate & Discount offer, Coupon, Loyalty Programs, Price Packs and Contests are considered in this research. A self-administered questionnaire is prepared and total of 110 respondents are interviewed with it. Using the SPSS tool, the collected data is analyzed and it is found that Rebates & Discount offer and Loyalty programs have significant relationships towards the impulse buying behavior at Bangalore.
Electrical detection of nuclear magnetic resonance in GaAs-AlxGa1-xAs heterostructures.

L'etude de la RPE du gaz bidimensionnel des composes via le changement induit par RPE de la magnetoresistivite, revele des effets de memoire persistants. Les effets observes sont confirmes par l'etude de la RMN des heterostructures
Activation of a vmp pseudogene in Borrella hermsii : an aiternate mechanism of antigenic variation during relapsing fever

The relapsing fever agent, Borreiia hermsii, undergoes multiphasic antigenic variation to evade its host's immune response. A frequently observed switch is serotype 7 to 26. Uniike silent vmp genes previously characterized, the transcriptionally silent vmp26 sequence was a pseudogene in lacking a start codon. In serotype 7 the location of the silent vmp26 sequence just downstream of vmp7on the expression plasmid, as weii as on the siient plasmid, was also unique. The demonstration of a predicted circular recombination product in serotype 7 but not serotype 21 populations indicates that the pseudogene was activated by an intramolecuiar recombination producing a deletion of DNA between 20-nucleotide direct repeats in vmp7 and ^vmp26.
Three essays on big data consumer analytics in e-commerce

Consumers are increasingly spending more time and money online. Business to consumer e-commerce is growing on average of 20 percent each year and has reached 1.5 trillion dollars globally in 2014. Given the scale and growth of consumer online purchase and usage data, firms' ability to understand and utilize this data is becoming an essential competitive strategy. But, large-scale data analytics in e-commerce is still at its nascent stage and there is much to be learned in all aspects of e-commerce. Successful analytics on big data often require a combination of both data mining and econometrics: data mining to reduce or structure (from unstructured data such as text, photo, and video) large-scale data and econometric analyses to truly understand and assign causality to interesting patterns. In my dissertation, I study how firms can better utilize big data analytics and specific applications of machine learning techniques for improved e-commerce using theory-driven econometrical and experimental studies. I show that e-commerce managers can now formulate data-driven strategies for many aspect of business including cross-selling via recommenders on sales sites to increasing brand awareness and leads via social media content-engineered-marketing. These results are readily actionable with far-reaching economical consequences. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Operations & Information Management First Advisor Kartik Hosanagar This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn. edu/edissertations/1830
Regulation and Localization of Key Enzymes during the Induction of Kranz-Less, C4-Type Photosynthesis in Hydrilla verticillata

Kranz-less, C4-type photosynthesis was induced in the submersed monocot Hydrilla verticillata (L.f.) Royle. During a 12-d induction period the CO2 compensation point and O2 inhibition of photosynthesis declined linearly. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) activity increased 16-fold, with the major increase occurring within 3 d. Asparagine and alanine aminotransferases were also induced rapidly. Pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase (PPDK) and NADP-malic enzyme (ME) activities increased 10-fold but slowly over 15 d. Total ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase activity did not increase, and its activation declined from 82 to 50%. Western blots for PEPC, PPDK, and NADP-ME indicated that increased protein levels were involved in their induction. The H. verticillata NADP-ME polypeptide was larger (90 kD) than the maize C4 enzyme (62 kD). PEPC and PPDK exhibited up-regulation in the light. Subcellular fractionation of C4-type leaves showed that PEPC was cytosolic, whereas PPDK and NADP-ME were located in the chloroplasts. The O2 inhibition of photosynthesis was doubled when C4-type but not C3-type leaves were exposed to diethyl oxalacetate, a PEPC inhibitor. The data are consistent with a C4-cycle concentrating CO2 in H. verticillata chloroplasts and indicate that Kranz anatomy is not obligatory for C4-type photosynthesis. H. verticillata predates modern terrestrial C4 monocots; therefore, this inducible CO2-concentrating mechanism may represent an ancient form of C4 photosynthesis.
Achieving Uniform Carrier Distribution in MBE-Grown Compositionally Graded InGaN Multiple-Quantum-Well LEDs

We investigated the design and growth of compositionally graded InGaN multiplequantum-well (MQW)-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) without an electron-blocking layer. Numerical investigation showed uniform carrier distribution in the active region and higher radiative recombination rate for the optimized graded-MQW design, i.e., In0→xGa1→(1-x)N/InxGa(1-x)N/Inx→0Ga(1-x)→1N, as compared with the conventional stepped-MQW-LED. The composition-grading schemes, such as linear, parabolic, and Fermi-function profiles, were numerically investigated for comparison. The stepped- and graded-MQW-LEDs were then grown using plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy through surface-stoichiometry optimization based on reflection high-energy electron diffraction in situ observations. Stepped- and graded-MQW-LED showed efficiency roll over at 160 and 275 A/cm2, respectively. The extended threshold current density rollover (droop) in graded-MQW-LED is due to the improvement in carrier uniformity and radiative recombination rate, which is consistent with the numerical simulation.
Procedural learning in schizophrenia: evidence from serial reaction time.

Although schizophrenic patients, as a group, show deficits on measures of explicit learning, it is unclear whether they also have deficits on measures of implicit learning. The current study assessed procedural learning in a sample of 48 chronic schizophrenic inpatients and 23 normal controls using the serial reaction time test (SRT). In addition, we examined the clinical correlates of procedural learning. The SRT yields indices of total motor learning and two subcomponents: reaction time learning, and sequence learning. Although patients performed comparably to normal controls on total motor learning, they showed significantly less sequence learning (P <.03) than controls. Reaction time learning did not differ between the two groups. None of the symptom or clinical variables was correlated with the indices of learning. Chronic schizophrenic inpatients showed normal levels of procedural learning on the SRT. However, their learning was qualitatively different than that of controls (i.e. patients showed deficits in sequence learning, but not reaction time learning). Reduced sequence learning could reflect dysfunctional cortico-cerebellar circuits.
Casein kinase I-like protein linked to lipase in plant

Casein kinase I (CKI) is a Ser/Thr kinase protein that is highly conserved from plants to animals. This enzyme is involved in various cellular functions, such as DNA repair, cell cycle, cytokinesis, vesicular trafficking, morphogenesis and circadian rhythm. The CKI family contains a highly conserved kinase domain at the N-terminus and a highly diverse regulatory domain at the C-terminus. The CKI-like protein has been indentified in rice and the 2.0 Å crystal structure of the kinase domain of the CKI-like protein from rice (riceCKI) was reported by our group recently. We also identified a lipase that was a substrate of riceCKI and showed that the activity of the lipase is controlled by the activity of riceCKI. Here, we identified potential phosphorylation sites on the lipase by molecular modeling and ser/thr mapping. Moreover, we showed that the activity of the lipase was decreased by CKI in a time-dependent manner.
Structural equality at the top of the corporation: Mandated quotas for women directors.

We propose a concept of structural equality as a compromise between competing policy preferences of equality and individual liberty to address a stunning property of the governance of corporations, namely, the paucity of female directors on corporate boards. An argument for imposing a quota for women directors on boards is the need to disrupt structural impediments to permit endogenous mechanisms to sustain female recruitment beyond a critical mass. Using estimates from the Norwegian experiment, we apply an agent-based model to American board data to show that modest numerical quotas generate well-connected networks of women directors who attain equality in their centrality and influence. The analysis demonstrates the utility of computational social science for identifying policies that generate alternative and possible worlds of greater structural equality.
Paternity of offspring in multiply–mated, female crickets: the effect of nuptial food gifts and the advantage of mating first

The spermatophore transferred by male decorated crickets (Gryllodes sigillatus) includes a large gelatinous mass, the spermatophylax, that is consumed by the female after mating. This nuptial gift preoccupies the female while sperm are discharged from the remaining portion of the spermatophore, the sperm ampulla, into her reproductive tract. There is considerable variation in the mass of the spermatophylax, and about half of all males produce spermatophylaxes that are too small to ensure complete sperm transfer. We tested two hypotheses concerning the maintenance of this variation: (i) males trade–off investment in spermatophylaxes against copulation frequency; and (ii) males synthesize the largest spermatophylaxes of which they are physiologically capable. Males synthesizing large and small food gifts were permitted multiple mating opportunities with the same females, and allozyme markers were used to establish the paternity of offspring. There was a significant advantage to those males that mated first irrespective of gift size. This advantage probably arose, in part, because the sperm of first males would have had exclusive access to female's eggs during the first 24 hours of oviposition, and underscores the benefits of matings with virgin females. The paternity of ‘small–gift’ males increased with gift mass, but there was no such increase in ‘large–gift’ males. This difference probably stems from the relationship between gift mass and sperm transfer: most of the gifts of the large–gift males would have been above the threshold needed to achieve complete inseminations, whereas those of small–gift males would have been below the threshold. Within mating–order positions, there was no significant difference in the paternity of large–gift and small–gift males, a result seemingly consistent with the ‘trade–off’ hypothesis. However, there was no correlation between spermatophylax mass and male mating frequency, so that the mechanism by which small–gift males offset their fertilization disadvantage remains unknown.