Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The shoot and root growth of Brachypodium and its potential as a model for wheat and other cereal crops.

The grass genetic model Brachypodium (Brachypodium distachyon (L.) Beauv. , sequenced line Bd 21) was studied from germination to seed production to assess its potential as a phenotypic model for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and other cereal crops. Brachypodium and wheat shoot and root development and anatomy were highly similar. Main stem leaves and tillers (side shoots) emerged at the same time in both grasses in four temperature and light environments. Both developed primary and nodal axile roots at similar leaf stages with the same number and arrangement of vascular xylem tracheary elements (XTEs). Brachypodium, unlike wheat, had an elongated a mesocotyl above the seed and developed only one fine primary axile root from the base of the embryo, while wheat generally has three to five. Roots of both grasses could develop first, second and third order branches that emerged from phloem poles. Both developed up to two nodal axile roots from the coleoptile node at leaf 3, more than eight nodal axile roots from stem nodes after leaf 4, and most (97%) of the deepest roots at flowering were branches. In long days Brachypodium flowered 30 days after emergence, and root systems ceased descent 42 cm from the soil surface, such that mature roots can be studied readily in much smaller soil volumes than wheat. Brachypodium has the overwhelming advantage of a small size, fast life cycle and small genome, and is an excellent model to study cereal root system genetics and function, as well as genes for resource partitioning in whole plants.
Determination of optimal parameters for CD-SEM measurement of line-edge roughness

The measurement of line-edge roughness (LER) has recently become a topic of concern in the litho-metrology community and the semiconductor industry as a whole. The Advanced Metrology Advisory Group (AMAG), a council composed of the chief metrologists from the International SEMATECH (ISMT) consortium’s Member Companies and from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), has a project to investigate LER metrics and to direct the critical dimension scanning electron microscope (CD-SEM) supplier community towards a semiconductor industry-backed, standardized solution for implementation. The 2003 International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) has included a new definition for roughness. The ITRS envisions root mean square measurements of edge and width roughness. There are other possible metrics, some of which are surveyed here. The ITRS envisions the root mean square measurements restricted to roughness wavelengths falling within a specified process-relevant range and with measurement repeatability better than a specified tolerance. This study addresses the measurement choices required to meet those specifications. An expression for the length of line that must be measured and the spacing of measurement positions along that length is derived. Noise in the image is shown to produce roughness measurement errors that have both random and nonrandom (i.e., bias) components. Measurements are reported on both UV resist and polycrystalline silicon in special test patterns with roughness typical for those materials. These measurements indicate that the sensitivity of a roughness measurement to noise depends importantly both on the choice of edge detection algorithm and the quality of the focus. Measurements are less sensitive to noise when a model-based or sigmoidal fit algorithm is used and when the images are in good focus. Using the measured roughness characteristics for UV resist lines and applying the ITRS requirements for the 90 nm technology node, the derived expression for sampling length and sampling interval implies that a length at least 8 times the node (i.e., 720 nm) must be measured at intervals of 7.5 nm or less.
Chapter 7 Virtual Tooling for Nanoassembly and Nanomanipulations

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) (Binning et al., Phys Rev Lett 56:930– 933, 1986) has been used as a nanomanipulation tool recently because it not only has high resolution scanning ability but also can be controlled as an end-effector in the nanoenvironment (Junno et al., Appl Phys Lett 66:3627–3629, 1995). There are several challenging problems including controller design with relatively large thermal drift and other uncertainties, real-time positioning and manipulation control with sensor feedback, and nanosensing and manipulation planning. In the last decade, many researchers are working on these problems and some methods have been proposed that solved these problems partially (Chen et al., IEEE Trans Autom Sci Eng 3:208–217, 2006; Li et al., IEEE Trans Nanotechnol 4:605–614, 2005; Resch et al., Langmuir 14:6613–6616, 1998; Hansen et al., Nanotechnology 9:337– 342, 1998; Sitti, IEEE ASME Trans Mechatron 9:343–348, 2004). However, the problem caused by single tip interaction is still hindering its efficiency especially in handling nanoparticles/nano-objects to form patterns or nanostructures. Z. Wang ( ) Department of Advanced Robotics, Chiba Institute of Technology, Tsudanuma 2-17-1, Narashino, Chiba, Japan e-mail: zhidong.wang@it-chiba.ac. jp L. Liu • Z. Wang • Z. Dong State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, CAS, 114 Nanta Street, Shenhe District, Shenyang 110016, China e-mail: lqliu@sia.cn; zywang@sia.cn; dzl@sia.cn J. Huo College of Information Science and Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110004, China e-mail: bluerainhj@163.com N. Xi Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Michigan State University, 2120 Engineering Building, East Lansing, MI 48824-1226, USA e-mail: xin@egr.msu. edu C. Mavroidis and A. Ferreira (eds.), Nanorobotics, DOI 10.1007/978-1-4614-2119-1 7, © Springer ScienceCBusiness Media New York 2013 115
Hot Spots Detection of Operating PV Arrays through IR Thermal Image Using Method Based on Curve Fitting of Gray Histogram

The overall efficiency of PV arrays is affected by hot spots which should be detected and diagnosed by applying responsible monitoring techniques. The method using the IR thermal image to detect hot spots has been studied as a direct, noncontact, nondestructive technique. However, IR thermal images suffer from relatively high stochastic noise and non-uniformity clutter, so the conventional methods of image processing are not effective. The paper proposes a method to detect hotspots based on curve fitting of gray histogram. The result of MATLAB simulation proves the method proposed in the paper is effective to detect the hot spots suppressing the noise generated during the process of image acquisition.
Low-calorie yogurt added with yacon flour: development and physicochemical evaluation

La harina de yacon se ha utilizado en muchos productos alimenticios, debido a su alto contenido de fructooligosacaridos y inulina, compuestos que tienen propiedades promotoras de la salud. En este estudio, la harina de yacon fue utilizada como ingrediente en yogur "light" en las siguientes concentraciones: 1,58, 2,56, 3,00 y 3,86%. Se determinaron la composicion centesimal, pH, solidos solubles, acidez y la viscosidad del yogur suplementado con yacon se determinaron. Los resultados fueron evaluados mediante un analisis de varianza y de regresion. La composicion centesimal de los yogures permite que los clasifiquen como alimentos bajos en grasa, con bajo contenido de carbohidratos y que contenga fibra dietetica, particularmente aquellos suplementados con mas de 2,56% de harina de yacon, que puede considerarse como fuente de fibra y, en consecuencia, prebioticos. El analisis fisico-quimico revelo cambios significativos (p <0,05) en el analisis de color, solidos solubles, viscosidad y acidez a temperaturas de 10 y 25 °C con la harina de yacon en aumento.
High Frequency Guided Waves for Disbond Detection in Multi-Layered Structures

Aerospace structures often contain multi-layered metallic components where hidden defects such as localized disbonds can develop, necessitating non-destructive testing. Model structures consisting of two adhesively bonded aluminium plates and artificial defects in the bond layer were manufactured. Immersion ultrasonic C- scans were used to check the uniformity of the bond layer and the manufactured defects. Employing standard wedge transducers, high frequency guided ultrasonic waves that penetrate through the complete specimen thickness were generated. Interference occurs between the wave modes during propagation along the structure, resulting in a frequency dependent variation of the energy through the thickness with distance. Significant propagation distance with a strong, non-dispersive main wave pulse was achieved. The interaction of the high frequency guided ultrasonic waves with small disbonds in the sealant layer and lack of sealant in the multilayer structure was investigated. Guided wave pulse-echo measurements were conducted to verify the detection sensitivity and the influence of the stand-off distance predicted from the finite element simulations. The results demonstrated the potential of high frequency guided waves for hidden defect detection at critical and difficult to access locations in aerospace structures from a stand-off distance.
Coping strategies of street-involved youth: exploring contexts of resilience

Literature on how street-involved youth (SIY) cope with risky environments remains very limited. This exploratory study investigates SIY's coping strategies, employing the ‘contexts of resilience’ framework (where resilience is understood as a process that changes over time and by environment) to situate an inductive thematic analysis of interviews with 10 current and former SIY. Three themes are explored: social distancing; experiences of violence; and self-harm and suicidality. The first two themes illustrate the double-edged nature of some coping strategies. While social distancing could contribute to isolation from social supports and violent self-defense to retaliatory harm, without alternative resources to prevent victimization these strategies must be acknowledged as reasoned responses to the risks associated with a violent milieu. Strategies assumed to be maladaptive among more normative youth may be among the limited resources available for SIY to utilize in attempts to make positive changes in their lives. The final theme explores self-harm and suicidality as indicative of social and structural needs and shows how in the SIY context such behaviors may not signify an outcome of non-resilience. The adaptation of assessments of coping strategies to be congruent with evaluative contexts should be applied to resilience research addressing other marginalized populations.
Intentie tot web-based professionalisering van hbo-docenten in het technisch domein:Een kwestie van rekening houden met de juiste factoren.

Probleemstelling: De techniek is een dynamische sector en verandert in hoog tempo. Om hierop te anticiperen is flexibiliteit en innoverend vermogen nodig vanuit het technisch hbo. Tevens is voortdurende professionalisering van hbo-docenten noodzakelijk. Professionalisering van docenten is namelijk de sleutel om de kwaliteit van het onderwijs te verbeteren. Hogescholen in Nederland hebben internationaal gezien echter een lager gekwalificeerd docentencorps. Dit heeft directe gevolgen voor de kwaliteit van het onderwijs. In Nederland staat onderzoek naar professionalisering van hbodocenten nog in de kinderschoenen. De factoren die gerelateerd zijn aan professionalisering van hbodocenten zijn nog onduidelijk. Vervolgens is het de trend om professionaliseringsactiviteiten in een web-based leeromgeving aan te bieden. De factoren die gerelateerd zijn aan attitude ten opzichte van web-based professionaliseringsactiviteiten zijn echter tevens onduidelijk. In dit onderzoek staan daarom twee onderzoeksvragen centraal: 1) Welke factoren zijn van invloed op de intentie tot formele professionalisering van hbo-docenten binnen het technisch domein? En 2) Welke factoren zijn van invloed op de attitude ten opzichte van web-based professionaliseringsactiviteiten van hbo-docenten binnen het technisch domein? Daartoe zijn twee conceptuele modellen ontwikkeld en getoetst. De conceptuele modellen bieden designers van professionaliseringsactiviteiten inzicht in eventuele bevorderende en belemmerende factoren omtrent deelname aan formele professionaliseringsactiviteiten in een web-based leeromgeving. Methode: Het onderzoek betreft een kwantitatief surveyonderzoek. Voor dit onderzoek is een online vragenlijst ontwikkeld, bestaande uit meerkeuze vragen en stellingen. Binnen vijf technische hboinstituten zijn 420 hbo-docenten benaderd, waarvan 190 hbo-docenten hebben deelgenomen. Resultaten: Ten eerste hebben de factoren attitude, werkdruk, en leeftijd significante invloed op intentie tot formele professionalisering. Management support heeft een positieve significante invloed op carrierekansen. Tenslotte heeft werkervaring een negatieve significante invloed op attitude tot formele professionalisering. Ten tweede heeft bruikbaarheid van web-based activiteiten significante invloed op attitude ten opzichte van blended vormgegeven professionaliseringsactiviteiten. Vervolgens
Youth Narratives of the Conflict in Northern Uganda

Narratives are an essential method of communication that create windows into human experiences. Narratives are also responsible for generating the societies in which they are told, or are shaped indelibly by the societies generated by more powerful narratives. In a post-conflict environment where society has been destroyed by decades of violence, the power of narratives to influence society is heightened. Such a postconflict environment is that of northern Uganda, as it emerges from the violence of the war between the LRA and the UPDF. Due to the heightened powers of narratives, it is necessary to give attention to what those narratives portray, specifically the narratives of the youth who are in a position to shape their society around themselves. Examining the youth narratives of the war in northern Uganda allows for the extraction of major themes and issues that are present or will become present in northern Ugandan society. This four-week long study seeks to extract key aspects within youth narratives of the war in northern Uganda in the form of narratives themes, perceptions of peace, and current issues with peace and politics dynamics in northern Uganda and Uganda as a whole. Data was collected through the process of interviewing and holding focus group discussions with the young generation in Gulu Municipality, Gulu District, Uganda. This report argues that the essential findings within youth narratives are a) the refusal of the youth to dismiss the war as senseless, b) the importance of the emphasis placed on fascination and reverence with Kony and his spiritual order, and c) the potential for perpetuated regional and ethnic tensions within Ugandan society.
Refuge availability increases kelp consumption by purple sea urchins exposed to predation risk cue

Predatorprey interactions in kelp forests have been a topic of research for many decades. Prey anti-predator behaviors (e.g. reducing foraging) are an important component of predatorprey interactions and can cause impacts on primary producers (trait-mediated indirect interactions, TMIIs). In kelp forests, the interactions between spiny lobsters and their sea urchin prey can have significant impacts on kelp biomass. In a laboratory mesocosm experiment, I found that both spiny lobster Panulirus interruptus waterborne risk cue and urchin refuge availability significantly affected kelp Macrocystis pyrifera consumption by urchins Strongylocentrotus pur- puratus. However, the effect of predator risk cue on kelp consumption was magnified in the absence of an urchin refuge. This study provides further evidence that TMIIs are important in lobsterurchin interactions, and suggests that refuge availability, by influencing foraging behav- ior, may also shape the important role of urchins in kelp forests.
Review of Low Profile Substrate Integrated Waveguide Cavity Backed Antennas

Low profile cavity backed antennas (CBA) based on substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) technology presented in published papers have been reviewed in this paper. Their operating mechanisms have been discussed and methods for improving the performance, such as bandwidth enhancement, size reduction, and gain improvement, have been presented. These novel antennas retain the advantage of conventional metallic cavity backed antenna, including high gain, high front-to-back ratio, and low cross polarization level, and also keep the advantages of planar antenna including low profile, light weight, low fabrication cost, and easy integration with planar circuit.
Determining successional stage of temperate coniferous forests with Landsat satellite data

Thematic Mapper (TM) digital imagery was used to map forest successional stages and to evaluate spectral differences between old-growth and mature forests in the central Cascade Range of Oregon. Relative sun incidence values were incorporated into the successional stage classification to compensate for topographic induced variation. Relative sun incidence improved the classification accuracy of young successional stages, but did not improve the classification accuracy of older, closed canopy forest classes or overall accuracy. TM bands 1, 2, and 4; the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI); and 17_ 4/3, 4/5, and 4/7 band ratio values for old-growth forests were found to be significantly lower than the values of mature forests (P <_ 0.034). The Tasseled Cap features of brightness, greenness, and wetness also had significantly lower old-growth values as compared to mature forest values [P <_ 0.010). Wetness and the 77_ 4/5 and 4/7 band ratios all had low correlations to relative sun incidence (r 2 <_ 0.16). The I'M 4/5 band ratio was named the "structural index" [Sl) because of its ability to distinguish between mature and old-growth forests and its simplicity.
Application of Classification Methods to Elective Surgical Cases Cancellation Detection

The case cancellation in the operating room can cause multi-faceted troubles, so it is difficult for the operating room manager to detect potential cancelled cases. The objective of this study is to build classification models like Decision Tree and Bayes Network to assist the operating room manager to detect the potential cancelled cases. After data acquisition and data preprocessing, classification models are trained. As a result, Decision Tree and Bayes Network outperform SVM and Neural Networks in terms of classification accuracy.
A Dynamic Multitask Model: Fixed Wages, No Externalities, and Holdup Problems

This article develops a multitask model in which the agent has to produce both verifiable and unverifiable outputs in a dynamic framework as observed in actual labor markets and practices. The model derives an important result regarding the timing and the length of a wage contract. A short-term wage contract allows for greater holdup, but it motivates the agent to engage in a task whose output is unverifiable. In contrast, a long-term wage contract does not allow for holdup and induces the first-best level effort for verifiable outputs, but it removes the incentive for unverifiable outputs. By studying an optimal wage profile and finding the optimal timing to sign a contract in a multitask framework, our model explains why individuals paid fixed wages have more frequent opportunities for wage negotiation compared with those paid through incentive pay. Furthermore, our model predicts that in industries where unverifiable outputs are valued, wage contracts are renewed more frequently.
Cryptanalysis on prime power RSA modulus of the form \(N = p^r q\)

Let \(N = p^r q\) be an RSA prime power modulus for \(r \geq 2\) and \(q < p < 2 q\). This paper propose three new attacks. In the first attack we consider the class of public exponents satisfying an equation \(e X - N Y = u p^r + \frac{q^r}{u} + Z\) for suitably small positive integer \(u\). Using continued fraction we show that \(\frac{Y}{X}\) can be recovered among the convergents of the continued fraction expansion of \(\frac{e}{N}\) and leads to the successful factorization of \(N p^r q\). Moreover we show that the number of such exponents is at least \(N^{\frac{r+3}{2(r+1)}-\varepsilon}\) where \(\varepsilon \geq 0\) is arbitrarily small for large \(N\). The second and third attacks works when \(k\) RSA public keys \((N_i,e_i)\) are such that there exist \(k\) relations of the shape \(e_i x - N_i y_i = p_i^r u + \frac{q_i^r}{u} + z_i\) or of the shape \(e_i x_i - N_i y = p_i^r u + \frac{q_i^r}{u} + z_i\) where the parameters \(x\), \(x_i\), \(y\), \(y_i\), \(z_i\) are suitably small in terms of the prime factors of the moduli. We apply the LLL algorithm, and show that our strategy enable us to simultaneously factor the \(k\) prime power RSA moduli \(N_i\).
Molecular characterization of potato virus Y inducing potato tuber necrotic ringspot disease in Serbia

The Potato virus Y (PVY) is the most important limiting factor for potato seed production in Serbia. Currently, PVY is a major concern for the potato seed growers. Initially, serological (ELISA) tests were carried out on 100 potato seed tubers from each of the seven potato cv. during 2013. The infection rates with the PVYN was between 5 and 36%. A complete genome sequencing of the most common Serbian isolate of PVY (3D), followed by molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis has been performed to show what group it belongs to. Our isolate’s complete genome sequence (KJ946936) showed that the Serbian PVY isolate (3D) is 99.7% identical at nt level, with other tuber necrosis strain group (PVYNTN) from Europe. Phylogenetic analysis revealed three consistent lineages of isolates, showing that our isolate was clustered with the isolates from Europe and North America in the PVYN lineage which induces potato tuber necrotic ringspot disease (PTNRD). The Serbian isolate of PVYNTN together with the isolates from Europe was clustered in the branch of European sublineage, with a high bootstrap support and no genetic diversity. This is the first study in Serbia demonstrating phylogenetic distinction between our isolate and other isolates of PVY. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR 31018]
Financial Regulation, Credit Consumption And Economic Growth - An Analysis Of The National Credit Act In South Africa

Credit consumptions are as old as human creation. Evidence suggests that more than two third of the consumer population in the developed world lives on credit, and the volume of trade credits have grown steadily over the past decade. The increase in credit consumption has hurled an unprecedented level of economic growth. However, recent strains placed on the macroeconomic fundamentals by credit mismanagement have resulted in a series of policy interventions to ensure a guided process of credit consumption. While credit consumption regulation is not a new phenomenon, the recent spates of interventions are essential to ameliorate opportunistic behaviours (such as moral hazards and adverse selection) not only among major lenders, but also among the entire market participants. This article estimates the effects of changes in regulation as regards the rate of credit consumption and ultimately, economic growth in South Africa. Using quarterly dataset from various sources between 2007 and 2012 in regression analyses, it was found that an increase in credit consumption has precipitated an increase in economic growth. The study also uncovers that the regulatory interventions by the South African government play significant roles in reducing reckless (secured) lending, during the period under consideration at the expense of an increase in unsecured lending.