Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
E-government websites user experience from public value perspective: Case study of iTax website in Kenya

The need to encourage citizens' adoption of e-government services has led to an increasing interest in the evaluation of e-government websites. The success of e-government websites depends on how well it is perceived by the end-users. User experience of e-government websites is considered one of important factors affecting the success or failure of e-government websites. However, researchers have focused on infrastructure issues not giving user experience of websites attention as one of the factors affect usage of government services. Focusing on the three high levels of UX components namely user internal state, the characteristic of the system and context and using hedonic/pragmatic quality model to measure the user experience. This study evaluated e-government websites UX from public value perspective. iTax website in Kenya was used as a case study. Findings are discussed with reference to previous research and recommendations for practice. Finally, further research works are offered.
Recovery of Time-Dependent Damping Coefficients and Potentials Appearing in Wave Equations from Partial Data

We consider the inverse problem of determining a time-dependent damping coefficient $a$ and a time-dependent potential $q$, appearing in the wave equation $\partial_t^2u-\Delta_x u+a(t,x)\partial_tu+q(t,x)u=0$ in $Q=(0,T)\times\Omega$, with $T>0$ and $\Omega$ a $ \mathcal C^2$ bounded domain of $\mathbb R^n$, $n\geq2$, from partial observations of the solutions on $\partial Q$. More precisely, we look for observations on $\partial Q$ that allow to determine uniquely a large class of time-dependent damping coefficients $a$ and time-dependent potentials $q$ without involving an important set of data. We prove global unique determination of $a\in W^{1,p}(Q)$, with $p>n+1$, and $q\in L^\infty(Q)$ from partial observations on $\partial Q$.
Multi-classification techniques applied to EMG signal decomposition

In this paper we study the effectiveness of using multiple classifier combination for EMG signal decomposition aiming to obtain more accurate results than is possible from each of the constituent classifiers. The developed system employs an ensemble of error-independent modified certainty classifiers fused at the abstract and measurement levels for integrating information to reach a collective decision. For decision combination at the abstract level, the majority voting scheme has been investigated. While at the measurement level, two types of combination methods have been investigated: one used fixed combination tides that do not require prior training and a trainable combination method. For the second type, the fuzzy integral method was used. The ensemble classification task is completed by feeding the classifiers with different features extracted from the EMG signal. The results show that using classifier fusion methods improved the overall classification performance.
Sequence to Sequence Learning in Neural Network

Neural Network Elements. Deep learning is the name we use for “stacked neural networks”; that is, networks composed of several layers. The layers are made of nodes. A node is just a place where computation happens, loosely patterned on a neuronin the human brain, which fires when it encounters sufficient stimuli. Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) are powerful models that have achieved excellent performance on difficult learning tasks. Although DNNs work well whenever large labeled training sets are available, they cannot be used to map sequences to sequences. In this paper, we present a general end-to-end approach to sequence learning that makes minimal assumptions on the sequence structure. Our method uses a multilayered Long Short-TermMemory (LSTM) to map the input sequence to a vector of a fixed dimensionality, and then another deep LSTM to decode the target sequence from the vector. Our main result is that on an English to French translation task from theWMT14 dataset, the translations produced by the LSTM achieve a BLEU score of 34.8 on the entire test set, where the LSTM’s BLEU score was penalized on out-of-vocabulary words. Additionally, the LSTM did not have difficulty on long sentences. an important problem in sequence-to-sequence (Seq2Seq) learning referred to as copying, in which certain segments in the input sequence are selectively replicated in the output sequence. A similar phenomenon is observable in human language communication.
Performance analysis on new biometric gait motion model

Recognising people by the way they walk and/or run is new. A novel analytical model which is invariant to human gait of walking and running is developed based on the concept of dynamically coupled oscillators and the biomechanics of human walking and running. It serves as the foundation of this automatic person recognition system. The effects of noise and low resolution have been evaluated on the largest data set of its kind. This is useful as security camera footage is usually prone to noise and of poor resolution. The gait signature is formed from the Fourier description of the thigh and lower leg rotation. Angles of rotation are extracted via temporal template matching across the whole image sequence. Classification is done via the k-nearest neighbour and cross-validated with the leave-one-out rule. The promising recognition rates for both walking and running suggest the high potential of this technique and using gait as the cue for person identification in practical applications.
Development of Poly Lactic/Glycolic Acid (PLGA) Microspheres for Controlled Release of Rho-Associated Kinase Inhibitor

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of poly lactic/glycolic acid (PLGA) as a drug delivery carrier of Rho kinase (ROCK) inhibitor for the treatment of corneal endothelial disease. Method ROCK inhibitor Y-27632 and PLGA were dissolved in water with or without gelatin (W1), and a double emulsion [(W1/O)/W2] was formed with dichloromethane (O) and polyvinyl alcohol (W2). Drug release curve was obtained by evaluating the released Y-27632 by using high performance liquid chromatography. PLGA was injected into the anterior chamber or subconjunctiva in rabbit eyes, and ocular complication was evaluated by slitlamp microscope and histological analysis. Results Y-27632 incorporated PLGA microspheres with different molecular weights, and different composition ratios of lactic acid and glycolic acid were fabricated. A high molecular weight and low content of glycolic acid produced a slower and longer release. The Y-27632 released from PLGA microspheres significantly promoted the cell proliferation of cultured corneal endothelial cells. The injection of PLGA did not induce any evident eye complication. Conclusions ROCK inhibitor-incorporated PLGA microspheres were fabricated, and the microspheres achieved the sustained release of ROCK inhibitor over 7–10 days in vitro. Our data should encourage researchers to use PLGA microspheres for treating corneal endothelial diseases.
Seiridium cupressi is the common cause of cypress canker in south-eastern Australia

Cypress canker is a common disease in south-eastern Australia. The taxonomy of the Seiridium species that cause the disease has been debated due to variable morphological characters, but in Australia most workers have followed H.J. Swart and called the pathogen Seiridium unicorne. Using β-tubulin gene intron sequences, five Australian cultures were determined to be S. cupressi, rather than S. unicorne. Morphological identification of a range of herbarium specimens confirmed that S. cupressi is the common cause of cypress canker in south-eastern Australia.
Effective modeling of magnetized graphene in the finite-difference time-domain method

In this paper, we propose a novel approach for modeling magnetized graphene in the Finite-Difference TimeDomain method by applying an anisotropic conducting boundary condition. Magnetize graphene sheet is modeled as a dispersive anisotropic conducting surface. Then applying the conducting surface boundary condition, the sheet is incorporated into the FDTD method. The proposed method is validated through a numerical example and comparing the results with analytic solution.
Cortisol and Glucose: Reliable indicators of fish stress?

Stress in fish has been widely studied. Cortisol and glucose are two of the most common stress indicators. In spite of the extended use of these indicators and their acceptance, some inconsistencies have been reported in the results of several experimental studies, much of them associated to undefined and uncontrolled variables which may alter the response in secretion of cortisol and glucose into the bloodstream. Most of those factors are not considered as direct stressors but have an effect on the intensity of the response which makes them a source of error. Some of those factors are related to metabolic changes in the organisms as an adaptation or acclimation mechanism; other are extrinsic to the fishes; other sources of error are caused unconsciously by the researcher during manipulation or due to inadequate control of variables, and may lead to intrinsic changes. The present paper is a contribution on the review of the most evident factors that may affect results when using cortisol and/or glucose as fish stress indicators. Some suggestions to avoid or minimize erroneous results in such investigations are also presented.
Enrichment and Persistence of Virus-Specific CTL in the Brain of Simian Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Monkeys Is Associated with a Unique Cytokine Environment1

The host reaction to infection of the brain contributes to a number of CNS pathologies including neuro-AIDS. In this study, we have identified the accumulation of SIV-specific CTL in the brains of SIV-infected animals who have neurophysiological abnormalities but are otherwise asymptomatic. SIV-specific CTL enter the brain early after viral infection and are maintained in the brain even when those reactive with an immunodominant epitope in Tat are lost from the rest of the body. The specialized CNS environment contributes to this unique outcome. Following SIV infection, brain levels of IL-15 were significantly elevated whereas IL-2 was absent, creating an environment that favors CTL persistence. Furthermore, in response to IL-15, brain-derived CD8+ T cells could expand in greater numbers than those from spleen. The accumulation, persistence, and maintenance of CTL in the brain are closely linked to the increased levels of IL-15 in the absence of IL-2 in the CNS following SIV infection.
Timing of the oceanographic and biological isolation of the Caribbean Sea from the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean

Geological uplift along the Central American Arc began in the Eocene with extensive development of emergent terrains by the early Miocene. Nevertheless, three independent lines of evidence are consistent with abundant seawater exchange between the oceans until about 4.7-3 Ma. (1) Isotopic and sedimentary data from ocean cores demonstrate that divergence in surface salinity and deep-sea carbonate accumulation between the Caribbean and eastern Pacific did not occur until 4.7-4.2 Ma. Moreover, strong upwelling comparable to the Pacific today persisted in Caribbean shelf environments until 4.5-3.5 Ma. (2) North and South American terrestrial mammals and tropical forest bird faunas remained overwhelmingly isolated until about 3 Ma. Some birds flew across the seaway and numerous small amphibians and plants began mixing millions of years earlier as expected due to their high probability of rafting. The rarity and ambiguity of reported exceptions to these result after a century of intensive sampling strengthen the general pattern. (3) Bathyal foraminifera first separated across the developing Isthmus approximately 13 Ma but numerous mollusks and cheilostomes are known from both oceans until the Middle Pliocene. Some species now restricted to the Pacific persisted in the Caribbean until the Pleistocene, but no species known to have originated after the Early Pliocene occurs in both oceans except for dispersal by shorebirds or human introductions. Molecular clock estimates for the timing of divergence of taxa strongly support these patterns. Isolation of the Caribbean from the Pacific about 3 Ma provides a robust model system for the study of vicariance in the oceans.
Oxidized Low Density Lipoproteins: a Role in the Pathogenesis of Atherosclerosis in Diabetes?

Diabetes mellitus has been identified as an independent risk factor in the development of atherosclerosis, independent, that is, of other risk factors which frequently coexist, such as hypertension and hyperlipidaemia. ’ The accelerated atherosclerosis of diabetes is undoubtedly the result of a number of different processes, but as yet these are poorly understood. One hypothesis i s that increased post-synthetic, chemical, modification of LDL, by oxidation, glycosylation, or both, may induce endothelial injury and/or accelerate foam cell formation by rnonocyte-macrophages in the arterial intima. In support of this hypothesis, oxidized LDL is cytotoxic to cultured human endothelial and acetylated or oxidized LDL is taken up avidly by cultured human and murine rnonocyte-macrophages, rapidly stimulating foam cell The uptake and degradation of glycosylated LDL by cultured human macrophages is also markedly enhanced,’, but in contrast, unmodified, native LDL shows no tendency to stimulate foam cell f ~ r m a t i o n . ~ Both oxidation and glycosylation of LDL are known to occur in v ~ v o , ~ , loand indeed the two processes may be interrelated. ’ ’ Increased glycosylation of LDL in diabetes is well recognized, but what is the evidence that oxidation is also increased? Does increased oxidation of LDL contribute significantly to the acceleration of atherosclerosis in diabetes? Full answers to these questions are not yet available, but the existing evidence is discussed below.
A framework for improvement of importance map for image retargeting assisted by light field images

Image retargeting methods change the size of images to an arbitrary resolution while protecting visually important regions from distortion. Since retargeting methods deform contents of an image based on these importance, importance calculation methods suitable for image retargeting is needed. In this paper, we propose a framework to improve an importance map by using depth and segmentation information obtained from light field images. Depth information is used for considering the distance of objects from a camera. Segmentation information is used for maintaining visual consistency. Experimental results show that importance improved by our framework leads to better retargeting results.
Stability analysis and stabilization synthesis of singularly perturbed switched systems: An average dwell time approach

Stability analysis and stabilization synthesis problems of the singularly perturbed switched systems (SPSSs) are investigated in this paper. First, stability of the SPSS with stable subsystems is discussed by using an average dwell time approach with a full-order piecewise Lyapunov function. Then, the result is extended to the situation that not all the subsystems are Hurwitz stable. Furthermore, state feedback controllers are designed when all subsystems are stabilizable, and the design method is extended to the situation that not all subsystems are stabilizable. Finally, two examples are given to demonstrate the validity and effectiveness of the proposed methods.
Impaired Cerebellum to Primary Motor Cortex Associative Plasticity in Parkinson’s Disease and Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3

Background Functional perturbation of the cerebellum (CB)–motor cortex (M1) interactions may underlie pathophysiology of movement disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease (PD) and spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3). Recently, M1 motor excitability can be bidirectionally modulated in young subjects by corticocortical paired associative stimulation (PAS) on CB and contralateral M1 with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), probably through the cerebello–dentato–thalamo–cortical (CDTC) circuit. In this study, we investigated the CB to M1-associative plasticity in healthy elderly PD and SCA3. Methods Ten right-handed PD patients, nine gene-confirmed SCA3 patients, and 10 age-matched healthy controls (HC) were studied. One hundred and twenty pairs of TMS of the left M1 preceded by right lateral CB TMS at an interstimulus interval of 2 (CB → M1 PAS2ms) and 6 ms (CB → M1 PAS6ms) were, respectively, applied with at least 1-week interval. M1 excitability was assessed by motor-evoked potential (MEP) amplitude, short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI), intracortical facilitation (ICF), and cerebellar inhibition (CBI) at the first dorsal interosseous muscle of the right hand before and after the CB → M1 PAS. Results The M1 excitability represented by MEP amplitude was significantly facilitated and suppressed in the HC group by CB → M1 PAS2ms and CB → M1 PAS6ms, respectively. The bidirectional modulation on MEP amplitude was absent in the PD and SCA3 groups. SICI and the baseline CBI were significantly reduced in the SCA3 group compared to those of the HC group irrespective of the CB → M1 PAS protocols. There was a significant reduction of CBI immediately and 60 min after the CB → M1 PAS protocols in the HC group but not in the patient groups. No significant change of ICF was found. Conclusion Corticocortical CB → M1 PAS can induce bidirectional motor cortical plasticity in M1 for healthy aged subjects. The modulation may be independent of the inhibitory neurocircuits, such as SICI and CBI, and the facilitatory mechanism like ICF. Both patients with PD and SCA3 showed impairment of such plasticity, suggesting significant functional perturbation of the CDTC circuit.
Niche Expansion and the Niche Variation Hypothesis: Does the Degree of Individual Variation Increase in Depauperate Assemblages?

The niche expansion and niche variation hypotheses predict that release from interspecific competition will promote niche expansion in depauperate assemblages. Niche expansion can occur by different mechanisms, including an increase in within‐individual, among‐individual, or bimodal variation (sexual dimorphism). Here we explore whether populations with larger niche breadth have a higher degree of diet variation. We also test whether populations from depauperate lizard assemblages differ in dietary resource use with respect to variation within and/or among individuals and sexual dimorphism. We found support for the niche expansion and niche variation hypotheses. Populations in assemblages with low phylogenetic diversity had a higher degree of individual variation, suggesting a tendency for niche expansion. We also found evidence suggesting that the mechanism causing niche expansion is an increase in variation among individuals rather than an increase in within‐individual variation or an increase in bimodal variation due to sexual dimorphism.
ℋ∞ controller design for closed-loop wake redirection

The focus of control research in wind energy has shifted more and more from individual wind turbines to wind farms due to the potential efficiency improvement in the energy production. In this work, the wind farm control concept “wake redirection” is further investigated. More precisely, the concept of lidar-based closed-loop wake redirection is extended. A lidar-based wake center estimation is assumed and fed back to a controller, which steers the wake by employing the yaw actuator to a desired position. In this work, a ℋ∞ controller design approach for lidar-based closed-loop wake redirection is investigated. The controller is designed using models that are obtained from the wind farm simulation tool WFSim. First, a model identification procedure is applied to derive the controller design models. Then, a ℋ∞ controller design is conducted to obtain a controller for each identified model. The controllers are presented and the performances are analyzed. In a final step, a single controller is implemented in WFSim and closed-loop step simulations are conducted illustrating the desired behavior.
A robust preprocessing algorithm for iris segmentation from low contrast eye images

Iris recognition systems offer highly accurate personal identification both on small and very-large scale systems needed in government, forensic and commercial applications. The automatic segmentation of a noise-free iris region is imperative for optimal performance of the system. However, image characteristics such as brightness and contrast, the differing levels of pigmentation, occlusion by eyelashes and/or eyelids, coupled with varying sensor and environmental conditions, makes iris segmentation a huge and difficult task. This paper proposes an image pre-processing algorithm for robust iris segmentation of low contrast images, aimed at reducing mis-localization errors of basic curve-fitting algorithms. Similar to face detection, the algorithm performs iris detection with a k-NN classifier trained with features extracted by a rotation-invariant texture descriptor based on the co-occurrence of local binary patterns. The integration of the proposed algorithm into an existing open-source iris segmentation module offered a 40% improvement in execution time; a segmentation accuracy of 92% was also recorded over 1,898 low contrast eye images acquired from African subjects. The low contrast eye images were acquired to support diversity in iris recognition.
Detection of carotid stenosis. From NASCET results to clinical practice.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Results from large multicenter studies have shown that carotid endarterectomy, performed with low perioperative morbidity and mortality, is beneficial for patients with symptomatic carotid stenosis > or = 70% as calculated according to strict angiographic criteria. To apply these results in clinical practice, individual institutions should determine whether locally implemented duplex ultrasonography adequately identifies patients with > or = 70% stenosis and whether the degree of stenosis reported by local angiographers correlates with strict angiographic measurements. METHODS We compared estimates of carotid stenosis obtained by duplex ultrasonography and the radiologists' reports from conventional cerebral angiography with each other and with results obtained using North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial (NASCET) criteria. RESULTS One hundred seventy-one vessels were available for review. In 155 (91%) of the cases, the reports from the ultrasound and angiogram were in agreement with regard to whether the stenosis was > or = 70% or < 70%. In 11 of the 16 cases where there was a disparity between the studies, the ultrasound was in closer agreement with measurements obtained using NASCET criteria. Nine of the angiography reports overestimated the degree of stenosis compared with NASCET measurements; twice angiography underestimated the stenosis. Twice the ultrasound underestimated the stenosis, and three times it overestimated the stenosis. CONCLUSIONS Duplex ultrasonography was highly sensitive for detecting significant carotid stenosis at our institution; however, angiography reports often graded the degree of stenosis to be more severe than measurements obtained using NASCET criteria. Institutions that evaluate patients for carotid endarterectomy should investigate the correlation between their ultrasound and angiographic studies so that the results of carotid endarterectomy trials can be accurately applied.