Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
HMM-BASED ARABIC HANDWRITTEN CURSIVE RECOGNITION SYSTEM

In this paper we present the first results of a languageindependent handwritten recognition baseline system developed to recognize cursive handwritten words. The system is based on a stochastic Hidden Markov Model HMM approach. A continuous density HMM is used in the classification module. Preprocessing and features extraction steps are described in this paper as well as the HMM-based classifier. The features used are based on the distributions of pixels in a sliding window. We have stressed the importance of the detection of a baseline in the image. Some experiments were performed on a the benchmark database IFN/ENIT of multi-scripters Arabic handwritten words (Tunisian country/village names) taken from more than 400 writers. The recognition rates obtained are promising and show that the use of a baseline reduces the error rate by 23.5%.
Biologically-inspired visual stabilization of a rotorcraft UAV in unknown outdoor environments

This paper presents the development and flight testing of a novel and efficient view-based method for the navigation and control of rotorcraft unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in unknown, GPS-denied, outdoor environments. At the core of our system is the Image Coordinates Extrapolation (ICE) algorithm which estimates the UAV 3D position and velocity in real-time by computing the pixel-wise difference between the current view (panoramic image) and a snapshot taken at a reference location (e.g., the hovering position). When combined with a PID flight controller, this simple, but effective algorithm allows a rotorcraft UAV to achieve stable and drift-free hover using image differences only, without the need to track features or to compute optic flow. The performance of our approach is evaluated in closed-loop flight tests on a custom-built quadrotor equipped with an onboard panoramic vision system and flight computer.
Testing the Impact of Wand and Weber's Decomposition Model on Process Model Understandability

Process modeling is becoming increasingly important for business process management initiatives. However, for being able to exploit the benefits associated with business process modeling the process models need to be understandable for its users. It has been shown in literature that the growing size of a process model has a negative effect on its understandability. Decomposition is a means for splitting large process models into smaller subprocess models to increase the understandability. However, it is still unclear what properties characterize a good decomposition, while generally accepted guidelines on decomposing process models are missing. We analyze Wand and Weber’s good decomposition model as an approach for creating decomposed process models that are easy to understand. The paper at hand investigates in how far the decomposition conditions influence the understandability of a process model. Using an experiment we show that the decomposition conditions actually do have a positive influence on model understandability.
Longitudinal study of experimentally induced periodontal disease in Macaca arctoides: relationship between microflora and alveolar bone loss

Macaca arctoides monkeys develop periodontal disease, and they harbor a periodontopathic indigenous flora largely similar to that of humans. This study showed that various Haemophilus isolates and H2O2-splitting asaccharolytic Bacteroides melaninogenicus strains constituted major segments of the monkey periodontal microflora. These organisms have not been previously identified among human isolates. Furthermore, the present data revealed that asaccharolytic B. melaninogenicus strains increased in proportion from a few percent to about 66% of the total isolates concomitant with the development of a significant loss of alveolar bone mass. Hence, this study strongly implicates B. melaninogenicus subsp. asaccharolyticus and closely related strains as important pathogens in actively destructive periodontal disease.
Sintered ohmic contacts to n-and p-type GaAs

Previously, all known ohmic contacts to n-GaAs have involved a so-called "alloying" procedure which consists of melting a Au-Ge eutectic or Sn-based alloy films on GaAs. We describe here a new contact metallization scheme consisting of Pd/Ge/n-GaAs which requires sintering rather than melting in order to produce ohmic contacts. The sintering is done at temperatures ranging from 350°C, 15 min to 500°C, 2 h depending on the doping level of n-GaAs (10<sup>18</sup>-10<sup>16</sup>cm<sup>-3</sup>. For n-10<sup>16</sup>cm<sup>-3</sup>GaAs, a specific contact resistance of 3 × 10<sup>-4</sup>Ω.cm<sup>2</sup>was achieved. Sintering leads to the formation of some PdGe and intermetallics associated with the Pd/GaAs interaction, namely, PdAs<inf>2</inf>and PdGa. Ohmic behavior is attributed to a combination of the doping action of Ge (as donor) and fast in-diffusion kinetics of Pd. Sintered contacts to n<sup>+</sup>and p<sup>+</sup>GaAs (N<inf>D.A</inf>∼ 10<sup>18</sup>cm<sup>-8</sup>) made by Au, Pt, and Ti Were also investigated for ohmic behavior. Each of these three metals was at least partially effective in forming ohmic contacts to p<sup>+</sup>GaAs; the degree of effectiveness increases on going from Ti to Au to Pt. It is proposed that a reasonable guideline to follow When searching for ohmic contacts is X<inf>m</inf>≳ X<inf>d</inf>where X<inf>m</inf>is the width of the metallurgical junction and X<inf>d</inf>is the ideal depletion layer width. This condition should favor ohmic contacts by promoting a micro 3-dimensional current flow at the conductor-semiconductor interface and thereby maximizing field-emission probability.
COMPARISON OF STORY DRIFT DEMANDS OF VARIOUS CONTROL STRATEGIES FOR THE SEISMIC RESISTANCE OF STEEL MOMENT FRAMES

1 Dept. of Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station TX, 77843-3126; lbarroso@civilmail.tamu. edu 2 Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford CA, 94305-4020; breneman@stanford.edu 3 Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford CA, 94305-4020; smith@gofannon.stanford.edu COMPARISON OF STORY DRIFT DEMANDS OF VARIOUS CONTROL STRATEGIES FOR THE SEISMIC RESISTANCE OF STEEL MOMENT FRAMES
Human- Centric Composite- Quality Modeling and Assessment for Virtual Desktop Clouds

There are several motivations (e.g., mobility, cost, security) that are fostering a trend to transition users’ traditional desktops to thin-client based virtual desktop clouds (VDCs). Such a trend has led to a rising importance for human-centric performance modeling and assessment within user communities in industry and academia that are increasingly adopting desktop virtualization. In this paper, we present a novel reference architecture and its easily-deployable implementation for modeling and assessment of objective user QoE (Quality of Experience) within VDCs, without the need for expensive and time-consuming subjective testing. The architecture novelty is in our approach to integrate finite state machine representations for user workload generation, and slow-motion benchmarking with deep packet inspection of application task performance affected by network health i.e., QoS (Quality of Service) variations to derive a “composite quality” metric model of user QoE. We show how this metric is customizable to a particular user group profile with different application sets, and can be used to: (i) identify dominant performance indicators for troubleshooting bottlenecks, and (ii) effectively obtain both ‘absolute’ and ‘relative’ objective user QoE measurements needed for pertinent selection/adaptation of thin-client encoding configurations within VDCs. We validate the effectiveness of our composite quality modeling and assessment methodology using subjective and objective user QoE measurements in a real-world VDC featuring RDP/PCoIP thin-client protocols, and actual users for a virtual classroom lab use case within a federated university system.
Fetal size and growth in Bangladeshi pregnancies

A longitudinal study of 20 uncomplicated pregnancies in Bangladeshi women was undertaken. Fetal growth was investigated by serial ultrasound scans performed between 26 and 38 weeks of pregnancy. Repeated measurements of abdominal circumference and estimates of fetal weight were best described by a log quadratic equation. The coefficients were not significantly different from those obtained from a previously reported study of fetal growth in 67 uncomplicated pregnancies with healthy outcomes in white Anglo‐Saxon women. Further comparison between the two groups showed that the mean abdominal circumference and estimates of fetal weight of the Bangladeshi fetuses were smaller at 28, 32 and 36 weeks' gestation. These results suggest that, although Bangladeshi fetuses appear to be smaller than Anglo‐Saxon fetuses, they grow at a similar rate during the third trimester. Copyright © 1995 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology
An OmpA-Like Protein from Acinetobacterspp. Stimulates Gastrin and Interleukin-8 Promoters

ABSTRACT Bacterial overgrowth in the stomach may occur under conditions of diminished or absent acid secretion. Under these conditions, secretion of the hormone gastrin is elevated. Alternatively, bacterial factors may directly stimulate gastrin. Consistent with this hypothesis, we found that mice colonized for 2 months with a mixed bacterial culture of opportunistic pathogens showed an increase in serum gastrin. To examine regulation of gene expression by bacterial proteins, stable transformants of AGS cells expressing gastrin or interleukin-8 (IL-8) promoters were cocultured with live organisms. Both whole-cell sonicates and a heat-stable fraction were also coincubated with the cells. A level of 108 organisms per ml stimulated both the gastrin and IL-8 promoters. Heat-stable proteins prepared from these bacterial sonicates stimulated the promoter significantly more than the live organism or unheated sonicates. A 38-kDa heat-stable protein stimulating the gastrin and IL-8 promoters was cloned and found to be an OmpA-related protein. Immunoblotting using antibody to the OmpA-like protein identified an Acinetobacter sp. as the bacterial species that expressed this protein and colonized the mouse stomach. Moreover, reintubation of mice with a pure culture of theAcinetobacter sp. caused gastritis. We conclude that bacterial colonization of the stomach may increase serum gastrin levels in part through the ability of the bacteria to produce OmpA-like proteins that directly stimulate gastrin and IL-8 gene expression. These results implicate OmpA-secreting bacteria in the activation of gastrin gene expression and raise the possibility that a variety of organisms may contribute to the increase in serum gastrin and subsequent epithelial cell proliferation in the hypochlorhydric stomach.
Rapid perturbational calculations for the helmholtz equation in two dimensions

Existing approaches to the solution of the inverse scattering problems in two and three dimensions rely on linearization of the Helmholtz equation, which requires the knowledge of the Fr\'echet derivative of the far field with respect to the index of refraction. We present an efficient algorithm for this perturbational calculation in two dimensions. Our method is based on the merging and splitting procedures already established for the solution of the Lippmann-Schwinger equation [2], [3], [4]. For an $m$-by-$m$ wavelength problem, the algorithm obtains perturbations to scattered waves for $m$ distinct incident waves in $O(m^3)$ steps.
Multifragmentation in Reactions of 1-GeV Protons with Iron Nuclei

We use combinations of cascade and nuclear de-excitation models to assess the importance of the inclusion of a multifragmentation stage for the quantitative description of the 1-GeV p+Fe spallation reaction. We discuss the sensitivity of several exclusive physical observables to the deexcitation mechanism in the attempt to identify which of them can be considered suitable probes for a multifragmentation stage. The calculations show that the inclusion of a multifragmentation stage is not necessary to construct an accurate description of the observed data.
Electromyographical Comparison of Pike Variations Performed With and Without Instability Devices

Abstract Snarr, RL, Hallmark, AV, Nickerson, BS, and Esco, MR. Electromyographical comparison of pike variations performed with and without instability devices. J Strength Cond Res 30(12): 3436–3442, 2016—Instability devices are primarily used with the intent of increasing the intensity of traditional exercises by providing further muscular demands of the abdominal wall by decreasing stability. Although there are multiple studies examining these devices, most often they only compare one such device to a stable movement and overlook the comparison among multiple devices. The purpose of this investigation was to compare the electromyographical differences of the rectus abdominis (RA), external oblique (EO), erector spinae (LSES), and rectus femoris (RF) during pike variations performed on various surfaces. Twenty men and women volunteered for this study. All subjects performed 5 variations of a pike on varying surfaces (i.e., stable ground [PK], Swiss ball [SB], suspension training device [ST], BOSU ball [BOSU], and Core Coaster [CC]). Normalized (%MVC) values were recorded for each muscle during 5 repetitions of each pike variations. For the RA, EO, LSES, and RF, the PK elicited significantly lower values compared with the instability devices. In terms of the EO, the ST was significantly higher than the BOSU, SB, and CC. Results of this investigation demonstrated significant differences between the instability devices and the stable pike. These results indicate that with more freely moving instability devices (e.g., suspension device, Swiss ball, etc.), core musculature may require greater muscular demands. Practitioners should take note that traditional stable pikes may not offer a core musculature challenge to resistance-trained individuals.
Heat‐induced cytotoxicity in H2O2‐resistant Chinese hamster fibroblasts

Hydrogen‐peroxide‐resistant Chinese hamster fibroblasts, derived from the HA‐1 cell line, were isolated following continuous culturing in the presence of progressively increasing concentrations of hydrogen peroxide. The hydrogen‐peroxide‐resistant phenotype has been stable for over 360 days following removal from H2 O2 stress. These H2 O2‐resisant cell lines demonstrate increased resistance to hyperthermic cell killing, mediated by continuous heating at 43°C but not 45°C. The relationship between mammalian cellular adaptation to oxidative stress mediated by H2 O2 and resistance to 43°C hyperthermia is discussed.
Utilisation de Prosopis africana (G. et Perr.) Taub dans le sud du département d’Aguié au Niger : Les différentes formes et leur importance

La presente etude menee dans la region de Maradi (Niger), plus precisement dans le sud du departement d’Aguie, vise a recenser et a classer les differents usages de Prosopis africana . La methode de collecte des informations s’est appuyee sur une enquete ethnobotanique au niveau des menages. Les resultats de ces investigations revelent que les principaux usages faits de Prosopis africana dans cette zone sont l’alimentation humaine, le fourrage, le bois energie, la pharmacopee traditionnelle, le bois d’artisanat et de service. Parmi ceux-ci, les deux (2) derniers sont les plus importants et portent serieusement atteinte a l’etat sanitaire des individus vegetaux. La cueillette, bien que moins pratiquee que ces deux (2), n’est pas moins importante a cause de son impact sur la regeneration en diminuant le stock des semences. Mots cles : Prosopis africana , fourrage, bois, pharmacopee traditionnelle, Niger.
Industrial Ecology and Competitiveness

In the emerging field of industrial ecology one of the unsettled questions is the degree to which design for the environment, closing energy and materials loops, and other industrial ecology concepts apply at the firm level. In this article we examine this issue with a particular focus on whether industrial ecology can guide company strategy and efforts to enhance competitiveness.
Intelligent control system for alienating process in p-nitro aniline production

The alienating process (AP) is an important step in p-nitro aniline production. This paper presented an intelligent optimization control system (IOCS) to implement the modeling, optimization, and control of the AP by improved back-propagation neural networks, c-means clustering, genetic and chaos approaches. The results of actual runs demonstrate the validity of the system.
AnonyMine : Mining anonymous social media posts using psycho-lingual and crowd-sourced dictionaries

There is lot of research activity in the area of opinion mining and sentiment analysis, which deals with the computational treatment of opinion, sentiment, and subjectivity in text. Social media websites have become increasingly popular for discussing uncomfortable topics. However, there are limited resources for mining and automatically labeling posts discussing self-disclosure. There is great incentive for a system which can be useful for monitoring emotional state of users, both for the research community as well as for mental health and business purposes. This paper presents a case where we leverage information from psycho-lingual and crowd-sourced dictionaries to create a system which can automatically predict anonymous posts about taboo topics on a social media site (Facebook Confessions). We achieve more than 80% accuracy for the most popular taboo topics, and an overall accuracy of 61.25 % across all taboo categories. We evaluate our system in two ways: a) comparing against human-annotated posts on another anonymous social media platform YikYak b) an evaluation against existing state-of-the-art models.
A software flaw taxonomy

Although proposals were made three decades ago to build static analysis tools to either assist software security evaluations or to find security flaws, it is only recently that static analysis and model checking technology has reached the point where such tooling has become feasible. In order to target their technology on a rational basis, it would be useful for tool-builders to have available a taxonomy of software security flaws organizing the problem space. Unfortunately, the only existing suitable taxonomies are sadly out-of-date, and do not adequately represent security flaws that are found in modern software.In our work, we have coalesced previous efforts to categorize security problems as well as incident reports in order to create a security flaw taxonomy. We correlate this taxonomy with available information about current high-priority security threats, and make observations regarding the results. We suggest that this taxonomy is suitable for tool developers and to outline possible areas of future research.
The quality of life of Brazilian adolescents with asthma: associated clinical and sociodemographic factors

Abstract Objective: Asthma is the most common chronic disease among adolescents. This study assessed the quality of life (QOL) related to health in adolescents with asthma and its determining factors (demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical). We also separately evaluated each of the parameters that comprised the asthma control classification. Methods: This was an observational, cross-sectional study of 114 adolescents who had doctor-diagnosed asthma. QOL was assessed using a version of the Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ) that was adapted and validated for Brazil, and higher scores indicated a better QOL. The level of asthma control was assessed using the rating system proposed by the Global Initiative for Asthma, and sociodemographic factors were evaluated. Results: When the averages of the PAQLQ domains and overall scores were compared to the potentially explanatory variables, significantly lower average PAQLQ scores were obtained for individuals with an inadequate level of asthma control (p < 0.001). Of the control components, daytime symptoms, nighttime symptoms, and limited physical activity were related to QOL. However, the use of the β2 agonist and the peak flow functional parameter were not related to QOL. Conclusions: The level of asthma control was related to QOL, but this association manifested mainly in the subjective control domains, such as nighttime and daytime symptoms and physical activity limitations. The objective domain for control classification, represented by pulmonary function, was not an independent predictor or determinant of the QOL of adolescent asthma patients.
eIF1A/eIF5B interaction network and its functions in translation initiation complex assembly and remodeling

Eukaryotic translation initiation is a highly regulated process involving multiple steps, from 43S pre-initiation complex (PIC) assembly, to ribosomal subunit joining. Subunit joining is controlled by the G-protein eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5B (eIF5B). Another protein, eIF1A, is involved in virtually all steps, including subunit joining. The intrinsically disordered eIF1A C-terminal tail (eIF1A-CTT) binds to eIF5B Domain-4 (eIF5B-D4). The ribosomal complex undergoes conformational rearrangements at every step of translation initiation; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Here we report three novel interactions involving eIF5B and eIF1A: (i) a second binding interface between eIF5B and eIF1A; (ii) a dynamic intramolecular interaction in eIF1A between the folded domain and eIF1A-CTT; and (iii) an intramolecular interaction between eIF5B-D3 and -D4. The intramolecular interactions within eIF1A and eIF5B interfere with one or both eIF5B/eIF1A contact interfaces, but are disrupted on the ribosome at different stages of translation initiation. Therefore, our results indicate that the interactions between eIF1A and eIF5B are being continuously rearranged during translation initiation. We present a model how the dynamic eIF1A/eIF5B interaction network can promote remodeling of the translation initiation complexes, and the roles in the process played by intrinsically disordered protein segments.