Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Automatic MR Brain Tumor Image Segmentation

Traditional Dirichlet process mixture (MDP) models has the characteristic that the image segmentation can be done without initialization of clustering numbers. For the computing speed of the classical MDP segmentation is jogging, a new kind of nonparametric segmentation (DMMDP algorithm) combined with anisotropic diffusion and Markov Random Fields (MRF) prior was inferred in this paper. The experiment results of menigioma MR images segmentation showed that the properties, such as accuracy and computing speed, of the DMMDP algorithm were significantly greater than the classical MDP model segmentation. Keywords-image segmentation ; Dirichlet process
RESEARCH ON EXTENSION OF SPARQL ONTOLOGY QUERY LANGUAGE CONSIDERING THE COMPUTATION OF INDOOR SPATIAL RELATIONS

A method suitable for indoor complex semantic query considering the computation of indoor spatial relations is provided According to the characteristics of indoor space. This paper designs ontology model describing the space related information of humans, events and Indoor space objects (e.g. Storey and Room) as well as their relations to meet the indoor semantic query. The ontology concepts are used in IndoorSPARQL query language which extends SPARQL syntax for representing and querying indoor space. And four types specific primitives for indoor query, "Adjacent", "Opposite", "Vertical" and "Contain", are defined as query functions in IndoorSPARQL used to support quantitative spatial computations. Also a method is proposed to analysis the query language. Finally this paper adopts this method to realize indoor semantic query on the study area through constructing the ontology model for the study building. The experimental results show that the method proposed in this paper can effectively support complex indoor space semantic query.
Seiche excitation in a highly stratified fjord of southern Chile: the Reloncaví fjord

Abstract. We describe a seiche process based on current, temperature, and sea-level data obtained from the Reloncavi fjord (41.6° S, 72.5° W) in southern Chile. We combined 4 months of acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) data with sea-level, temperature, and wind time series to analyze the dynamics of low-frequency (periods > 1 day) internal oscillations in the fjord. Additionally, seasonal conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD) data from 19 along-fjord stations were used to characterize the seasonality of the density field. The density profiles were used to estimate the internal long-wave phase speed (c) using two approximations: (1) a simple reduced gravity model (RGM) and (2) a continuously stratified model (CSM). No major seasonal changes in c were observed using either approximation (e.g., the CSM yielded 0.73
Assessment of Best-Management Practice Effects on Rangeland Stream Water Quality Using Multivariate Statistical Techniques

Abstract Quantifying the effects of watershed improvement efforts is critical to agencies responsible for protecting water resources of the semiarid western United States. A complex water quality data set collected from 1994 to 2004 of upper Muddy Creek Basin was subjected to cluster analysis, discriminant analysis, and canonical correlation analysis to improve understanding of basin fluvial processes and to investigate whether livestock grazing best-management practices (BMPs) improved the water quality of the watershed. Hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis grouped nine sampling sites into two clusters based on similarity of biological indices, separating the clusters into aquatic communities more and less tolerant of degraded stream conditions. Discriminant analysis yielded strong spatial and temporal distinctions, providing important data reduction by rendering seven key parameters (total dissolved solids [TDS], temperature, elevation, slope, 10-dominant taxa, percent collector-gatherers, and percent Plecoptera) for the spatial variation and four parameters (TDS, dissolved oxygen, total taxa, and community tolerance quotient) for the temporal variation. Canonical correlation analysis identified strong negative relationships among Plecoptera taxa and total taxa with TDS and turbidity in addition to strong positive associations with elevation, slope, and channel substrate weighted embeddedness value. Despite the onset of severe drought midway through the study period, overall reductions of 13% for TDS and a 30% increase in macroinvertebrate total taxa occurred across years, strongly suggesting that improvements in water quality were correlated to BMPs that stabilized stream channels and improved the condition of riparian areas.
A comparison of indexing methods to evaluate quality of horticultural soils. Part II. Sensitivity of soil microbiological indicators

Soil is a non-renewable natural resource, considered as the basis for food production. Changes in soil properties may indicate potentially beneficial or degradative effects of a given management practice, so it is important to select the most sensitive soil properties to act as quality indicators. This research evaluated different approaches to selecting soil quality indicators in the construction of soil quality indices (SQIs). The sensitivity of integrative SQIs, constructed by considering diverse chemical, physical, and biological properties, was compared with biological SQIs, using only biochemical and microbiological indicators, to assess soil quality in an intensive horticultural production system under short- and long-term organic and conventional management. The results provided by the SQIs showed that plots under organic management had increase soil quality compared with the conventionally managed plots, independent of the number of years under production. The SQIs integrated by physical, chemical and biological indicators were more sensitive than indices composed only of biological indicators, as they did not reflect the physical properties of the studied plots. The organic amendments had a great influence on the microbial community; therefore, microbiological indices could not provide reliable information on soil quality in production systems with high inputs of organic materials.
Exploring the Relationship between Self-Efficacy and Career Commitment among Early Career Agriculture Teachers.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in career commitment and perceived efficacy among early career agriculture teachers as well as the relationships between early career agriculture teachers’ perceived efficacy and career commitment. Five areas of selfefficacy were investigated among early career agriculture teachers in five western states: classroom management, instructional strategies, leadership of students, science teaching, and math teaching. Only small effects were found on four of the five self-efficacy variables based on years of teaching experience. Using multiple linear regression analysis, a predictive model for early career agriculture teachers’ career commitment was developed. The final model explained a total of 20% of the variance in early career agriculture teachers’ career commitment. Two areas of self-efficacy were identified as significantly related to early career teachers’ career commitment, teachers’ sense of efficacy in classroom management and science teaching. These findings implicate a need for increased emphasis on classroom management strategies and science teaching strategies throughout agriculture teacher development. Recommendations are made for potential self-efficacy building experiences based on Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy.
Effects of landscape fragmentation on genetic diversity of Stipa krylovii Roshev (Stipa L.) in agro-pastoral ecotone in Northern China.

Stipa krylovii Roshev ( Stipa L.) is one of the most important grass species for rangeland ecology and animal husbandry. But some populations of this species are under threat due to landscape fragmentation and habitat isolation resulting from the reclamation and cultivation in ecotone. To determine if and how these disturbances have impacted on genetic structure of S. krylovii populations, an inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers was used to characterize them for the first time in China. S. krylovii populations from 10 isolated patches were compared with population from unbroken natural rangeland. Eight primers screened were employed to assess genetic diversity within and among populations. The results revealed the total genetic diversity (Ht) and the within population genetic diversity (Hs) were 0.2054 and 0.1388 respectively, while the coefficient of genetic differentiation (Gst) were 0.3241 suggesting more variability within the populations than among them. The cluster pattern of S. krylovii indicated that the populations with larger habitat size were grouped together with CK population in one cluster; likewise, populations with moderate habitat size and smaller area were also grouped together respectively, while the smallest population formed itself into a solo cluster due to genetically different from others. These findings may be early signs of fragmentation effects that in the future will result in species loss even if the present populations are maintained.
Antibiotic Susceptibility of Multi-drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis using Flow Cytometry

Increased resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) to antibiotics has emphasized the need for rapid susceptibility testing. BACTEC MGIT 960 system is routinely used for drug susceptibility testing; however, the main drawback is the long incubation time. An alternative flow cytometry-based assay was evaluated for the assessment of drug susceptibility. Thirteen multi-drug resistant (MDR) M. tuberculosis cultures were tested against rifampicin (1 μg/ml), isoniazid (0.2 μg/ml), ethambutol (7.5 μg/ml), and ofloxacin (2 μg/ml) using flow cytometry by staining cells with SYTO16 and propidium iodide. Correlation rates of flow cytometry results with BACTEC MGIT 960 system were 28.5% (rifampicin); 15.4% (isoniazid), 61.5% (ethambutol) and 46.1% (ofloxacin). Findings indicate that while flow cytometry for tuberculosis (TB) drug susceptibility may reduce the length of time taken for diagnosis, there was low correlation with BACTEC MGIT 960. The high cost associated with implementation of the technique in diagnostic laboratories is a further disadvantage. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm these data.
From Emojis to Sentiment Analysis

Studies on Twitter are becoming quite common these years. Even so, the majority of them did not focused on emoticons, even less on emojis. An overview of emoticons related work has been made recently [11]. However there is still too little research work related to emojis. In this paper we draw up the work and future approaches worth considering for emoji usage in Sentiment Analysis. We aim to put necessary theoretical background before using emojis for sentiment analysis. Thus, we present an emoji usage typology along with linguistic and socio-linguistic studies on the interpretation of emojis. We also introduce approaches exploiting emojis in Sentiment Analysis. We conclude by presenting our perspectives in this domain considering the evolution of emoji usages.
Additions to wild seed and fruit fungi 1: The sexual morph of Diaporthe rosae on Magnolia champaca and Senna siamea fruits in Thailand

We are studying seed and fruit fungi in Thailand and made several sexual morph collections of Diaporthe rosae from dried fruits of Magnolia champaca and Senna siamea. The sexual morphs were linked to the asexual morphs based on molecular data, and morphological similarity with the asexual morph produced on PDA. The asexual morph of D. rosae was previously reported from a dead pedicel of Rosa sp. (Rosaceae) from the same location as its sexual morph. The sexual morph is characterized by 34–46 × 6.7–9 μm asci and 10–12.5 × 2.8–3.6 μm, ellipsoidal ascospores. We also provide LSU, ITS, tub2 and tef sequence data of D. rosae strains which are deposited in GenBank. The molecular analyses were performed in the ARB software environment and the pipeline is provided as supplementary data.
Electrophoretic deposition of carbon nanotubes on heat spreader for fabrication of thermal interface materials (TIM)

Thermal interface materials (TIMs) are applied in packaging of electronic devices for heat dissipation purposes. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are promising material due to their high thermal conductivity properties which will give optimum performance as TIMs. In this research study, electrophoretic deposition (EPD) is used which enables the deposition process conduct at room temperature with simple equipment setup which beneficial for CNTs deposition. As-produced CNTs was purified and directly deposited on heat spreader using direct current (DC) electricity. Dimethylformamide (DMF) was used as suspension medium for CNTs and the effect of suspension concentration was studied. From the screening of suspension concentration, 0.50 mg/mL yielded good deposition with thickness of 4.78 μm of CNTs deposited on heat spreader at applied voltage of 150V and 10 min deposition time. Further studied in different applied voltage and voltage of 250 V shows the maximum thickness of 15.01 μm with 2.0 mg weight of deposited CNTs which is suitable for fabrication of TIM.
On the use of the checker-board test to assess the resolution of tomographic inversions

SUMMARY This note is devoted to the confrontation of intuitive ideas in the field of inverse problems, especially in tomographic seismological studies, with the results of a more rigorous approach. With the help of a simple example, we show that tests commonly used to illustrate the quality of inversion results can be misleading. Based on a classical mathematical analysis, we explain the origin of the problems that we have seen. Our main conclusion is that, in circumstances not so unrealistic, and in contradiction to a generally accepted idea, small-size structures like in the ‘checker-board test’ can be well retrieved while larger structures are poorly retrieved.
Sprayed Pyrolyzed ZnO Films with Nanoflake and Nanorod Morphologies and Their Photocatalytic Activity

There is an increasing interest on the application of ZnO nanorods in photocatalysis and many growth methods have been applied, in particular the spray pyrolysis technique which is attractive for large scale production. However it is interesting to know if the nanorod morphology is the best considering its photocatalytic activity, stability, and cost effectiveness compared to a nonoriented growth. In this work we present a systematic study of the effect of the precursor solution type of salt, solvent, and concentration on the morphology of sprayed ZnO films to obtain nanoflakes and nanorods without the use of surfactants or catalysts. The surface properties and structural characteristics of these types of films were investigated to elucidate which morphology is more favorable for photocatalytic applications. Wettability and photocatalytic experiments were carried out in the same conditions. After UV irradiation both morphologies became hydrophilic and achieved a dye discoloration efficiency higher than 90%; however, the nanoflake morphology provided the highest photocatalytic performance 99% dye discoloration and stability and the lowest energy consumption during the synthesis process. The surface-to-volume ratio revealed that the nanoflake morphology is more adequate for photocatalytic water treatment applications and that the thin nanorods should be preferred over the large ones.
New Foundation or New Façade? The ILO and the 2008 Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization

The 2008 Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization was the first attempt since the end of World War II to reformulate the ILO's message. The strain placed on the ILO's core normative functions by globalization made it indispensable. The object of the Declaration is thus first to restate the ILO's mandate and objectives to highlight their relevance to the current context. This message contains three major innovations: a strategic, proactive presentation of the mission around four core objectives; the affirmation of the inseparability of those objectives; and the strengthening of the status of the fundamental principles and rights at work vis-a-vis trade liberalization. In addition, and unlike the post-World War II Declaration of Philadelphia, the 2008 Declaration introduces various procedural innovations to translate these approaches into concrete action by the ILO and its members, and increase the Organization's influence on relevant non-state actors. For the Declaration's potential to be realized, the ILO's analytical capacity must be strengthened, requiring a reshuffling of priorities or additional resources. The current crisis may help achieve this otherwise unlikely prospect.
Poultry Birds Egg: An Egg inside Egg whose Biological, Nutritional and Cultural Value Gives and Sustains Life

Domestication of avian species began long time ago, even before human civilization yet birds like quails, guinea fowls, pigeons, swans and doves are still being tamed. Meanwhile, some poultry birds like fowls, ducks, turkeys, geese, emu, peafowl and ostriches have been successfully domesticated. Among these breeds the fowl is the commonest and the most cherished by many people all over the world [1]. In most parts of the world, especially in rural communities, many people are involved in poultry production like manufacturing, sales and distribution of equipment, chicks, eggs, crates and feed for livelihood. The poultry industry could be divided into egg and meat production but the spent layer may also end up as meat even though it was bred, reared and maintained for egg production.
Factors affecting the functional length of productive life in Slovak Pinzgau cows

A proportional hazard model was used to analyze the impact of the most important factors on the length of productive life in 44 796 Slovak Pinzgau cows. The calculations were carried out with Survival Kit 3.12. The milk production level within a herd was the most important factor. The relation between the milk production level and the culling risk was strongly non-linear. Cows with extremely low milk production (less than 1.5 standard deviations below average) had a 4.8 times higher culling risk than average cows. The culling risk for the highest yielding cows was about one half of the risk of average cows. In the first lactation the culling risk was highest at the beginning and decreased in the course of lactation whereas in subsequent lactations the culling risk was highest at the end of lactation. The risk decreased with parity. The effect of age at first calving did not have a large influence on the length of productive life, although a linear increase in culling risk was observed as the age at first calving increased. Cows from expanding herds were at lower risk to be culled compared to cows in herds of stable and decreasing size.
Two Sample Tests for High Dimensional Covariance Matrices

We propose two tests for the equality of covariance matrices between two high-dimensional populations. One test is on the whole variance-covariance matrices, and the other is on offdiagonal sub-matrices which define the covariance between two non-overlapping segments of the high-dimensional random vectors. The tests are applicable (i) when the data dimension is much larger than the sample sizes, namely the “large p, small n” situations and (ii) without assuming parametric distributions for the two populations. These two aspects surpass the capability of the conventional likelihood ratio test. The proposed tests can be used to test on covariances associated with gene ontology terms.
Structural and Topological Basis of Glass Properties and Diffusion

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Expatriates, subsidiary autonomy and the overseas subsidiary performance of MNEs from an emerging economy

Abstract Despite a growing body of research on the role of expatriates in subsidiary performance, the mechanisms through which expatriates affect subsidiary performance are still the subject of debate. Drawing on resource dependence theory, we examine the indirect effects of expatriates on subsidiary performance via subsidiary autonomy based on a sample of Chinese multinational enterprises. The findings show that an increase in expatriates reduces the level of subsidiary autonomy and thus negatively affects subsidiary performance. We also find that the institutional quality of host countries reinforces the negative impact of expatriates on subsidiary autonomy, but reduces the importance of the latter on subsidiary performance.
Europeanising Advisory Expertise: The Role of ‘Independent, Objective, and Transparent’ Scientific Advice in Agri-Biotech Regulation

Since various crises concerning food safety in the European Union (EU), institutional reforms have been designed to regain public confidence in regulatory decisions and their expert basis. By Europeanising advisory expertise, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) was also intended to help harmonise ‘science-based regulation’ and thus facilitate EU decisions. In evaluating agri-biotech products during 2003 – 05, however, the EFSA procedure extended previous expert disagreements rather than overcome them. The EFSA was designed to demonstrate that expert advice would be ‘independent, objective, and transparent’; yet tensions arose between expert experience versus independence, between transparency versus objectivity, and between harmonisation versus precaution. These conflicts have been shaped by the dominant problem diagnosis, which favours a narrow expert consensus within a specific policy view. Alternative problem diagnoses suggest that expertise should instead be pluralised, so that norms and uncertainties become more explicit. Pressure for EU reform manifests tensions between the dominant and alternative problem diagnoses.
Effects of Porosity on the Free Convection Flow of Non-Newtonian Fluids Along a Vertical Plate Embedded in a Porous Medium

In recent years, great interest has been shown in porous media. The applications of porous media in geophysics, petroleum processes, and air conditioning are well established. Many studies of porous media have been carried out, mostly dealing with constant porosity. In this study, the variable porosity effects are investigated for a vertical plate in a variable porous medium. The governing partial nonlinear differential equations were transformed into a set of coupled ordinary differential equations, which was solved using the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method. The results obtained for the different power law index n, and variable porosity of the bed, were found to be in good agreement with previous studies. Results show that when porosity increases temperature variation becomes steeper, and the Nusselt number increases almost linearly with increasing porosity.