Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
OBJECT CATEGORIZATION USING CLASSEMES AND METACLASS BY LINEAR SVM

- This paper describes new descriptor for images which allows the construction of efficient and compact classifiers with good accuracy on object category recognition. The descriptors are the classifier that produces the features of each image. The descriptor is the output of a large number of weakly trained object category classifiers on the image. Unlike other attributes and hand defined classes, our features are learned automatically. We first train the classifier using dataset. Then by learning basis classes which gives us features information we are getting good accuracy. All methods are thoroughly evaluated on object classification datasets using a multitude of feature descriptors. The advantage of this descriptor is that it allows object-category queries to be made against image databases using efficient classifiers (efficient at test time). This paper also describes meta-classes which partitions the classes into subsets. In training phase we use support vector machine (SVM) classifier. The advantage of classemes using classifier is that training and testing can be done efficiently. We provide insight of when combination methods can be expected to work and how the benefit of complementary features can be exploited most efficiently.
Do Smartphones Spur or Deter Learning: A WhatsApp Case Study

Abstract Smartphones have been threatening traditional teachers and classroom conventions, although studentsinsist on referring to them when stuck or feel they are bored with the teaching approach in the classroom. Theinclination is towards the integration of smartphones into traditional teaching. Therefore, this study aims tosearch the use of WhatsApp Messenger and see its effects on student success in the EFL context. The studycompares the control group with the experimental group for the teaching of listening and pronunciation courses.The results show that a significant success difference cannot be mentioned between the groups. It also indicatesthat interactive applications such as WhatsApp Messenger increase the homogeneity of the students’ success. Thefindings also suggest that a combination of traditional and technology supported approaches could work better.
Long‐term precipitation trend analysis in Europe and in the Mediterranean basin

The spatiotemporal analysis of a region's precipitation climate regime could be particularly interesting for many fields of applied sciences, such as climatology, hydrology and water resources management. In this study, the precipitation trends at seasonal and annual scale, over a large area of the northern Hemisphere have been analysed based on a globally gridded precipitation data sets of monthly observations. In particular, among the several data sets available in literature, with spatial resolutions of 0.5° longitude/latitude, in this work the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre Full Data Reanalysis Version 6 data set has been used. The broad extension of the area under investigation allowed a better understanding of trend precipitation patterns over space. In fact, yearly results evidenced a marked negative rainfall tendency in the eastern Mediterranean (more than −20 mm/10 years) and in North Africa (until −16 mm/10 years), while a relatively large positive trend (more than 20 mm/10 years) in central and northern Europe has been observed.
Serious simulation game development for energy transition education using integrated framework game design

Due to the advantages that serious simulation game offered, many areas of studies, including energy, have used serious simulation games as their instruments. However, serious simulation games in the field of energy transition still have few attentions. In this study, serious simulation game is developed and tested as the activity of public education about energy transition which is a conversion from oil to natural gas program. The aim of the game development is to create understanding and awareness about the importance of energy transition for society in accelerating the process of energy transition in Indonesia since 1987 the energy transition program has not achieved the conversion target yet due to the lack of education about energy transition for society. Developed as a digital serious simulation game following the framework of integrated game design, the Transergy game has been tested to 15 users and then analysed. The result of verification and validation of the game shows that Transergy gives significance to the users for understanding and triggering the needs of oil to natural gas conversion.
Application of a Cost-Allocation Model to Swiss Bus and Train Lines

Public transport costs are an important decision factor when making system design choices and network or timetable planning. Although many cost models of varying degrees of sophistication have been proposed in literature, practitioners often use relatively simple models such as purely vehicle-kilometer-based cost estimations. This paper applies a cost-allocation model to Swiss bus and train lines. The proposed model is based on operating statistics including ‘productive hours’, vehicle-kilometers, vehicle number and size. The cost model is then applied to a case study for a generic public transport line with a typical demand distribution. The case study calculates the demand level at which train service becomes more effective than bus service for various combinations of minimal frequency, average speed and maximum number of coupled Electric Multiple Units.
Fine-grained visual marine vessel classification for coastal surveillance and defense applications

The need for capabilities of automated visual content analysis has substantially increased due to presence of large number of images captured by surveillance cameras. With a focus on development of practical methods for extracting effective visual data representations, deep neural network based representations have received great attention due to their success in visual categorization of generic images. For fine-grained image categorization, a closely related yet a more challenging research problem compared to generic image categorization due to high visual similarities within subgroups, diverse applications were developed such as classifying images of vehicles, birds, food and plants. Here, we propose the use of deep neural network based representations for categorizing and identifying marine vessels for defense and security applications. First, we gather a large number of marine vessel images via online sources grouping them into four coarse categories; naval, civil, commercial and service vessels. Next, we subgroup naval vessels into fine categories such as corvettes, frigates and submarines. For distinguishing images, we extract state-of-the-art deep visual representations and train support-vector-machines. Furthermore, we fine tune deep representations for marine vessel images. Experiments address two scenarios, classification and verification of naval marine vessels. Classification experiment aims coarse categorization, as well as learning models of fine categories. Verification experiment embroils identification of specific naval vessels by revealing if a pair of images belongs to identical marine vessels by the help of learnt deep representations. Obtaining promising performance, we believe these presented capabilities would be essential components of future coastal and on-board surveillance systems.
FceRI-mediated recruitment of p53/56'1y to detergent-resistant membrane domains accompanies cellular signaling

Detergent-resistant plasma membrane structures, such as caveolae, have been implicated in signal- ing, transport, and vesicle trafficking functions. Using sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation, we have isolated low- density, Triton X-100-insoluble membrane domains from RBL-2H3 mucosal mast cells that contain several markers common to caveolae, including a src-family tyrosine kinase, p53/56'Y". Aggregation of FceRI, the high-affinity IgE receptor, causes a significant increase in the amount of p53/56'Y" associated with these low-density membrane domains. Under our standard conditions for lysis, IgE-FceRI fractionates with the majority of the solubilized proteins, whereas aggregated receptor complexes are found at a higher density in the gradient. Stimulated translocation of p53/56'Y" is accompa- nied by increased tyrosine phosphorylation of several proteins in the low-density membrane domains as well as enhanced in vitro tyrosine kinase activity toward these proteins and an exogenous substrate. With a lower detergent-to-cell ratio during lysis, significant FceRI remains associated with these membrane domains, consistent with the ability to coimmu- noprecipitate tyrosine kinase activity with FceRI under similar lysis conditions [Pribluda, V. S. , Pribluda, C. & (1994) Acad. 91, 11246-11250]. These results indicate that specialized
A CMOS Front-end for GaN-based UV Imaging

The ultraviolet (UV) region in the electromagnetic spectrum is important in order to study about the stars, cosmos, galaxies along with the thin atmospheres in space. UV imaging spectrometry provides essential information of specific elements and compounds through their emission and absorption lines in the UV spectrum. Thus, the growing role of UV imaging in a variety of applications requires high-performance photodetectors. Further, it is necessary to provide single-photon counting capability for detection of distant objects along with visible blindness. Gallium nitride (GaN) and its alloys are used in solar blind avalanche photodiodes (APDs) due to their band gap nature (3.4 eV). In addition to providing visible blindness, the GaN APDs also have high gain and quantum efficiency in the UV spectral region. The readout in this work is designed for the APDs which have been developed at NASAJPL. The APDs show about 60% external quantum efficiency at 360 nm. The photodiode is a p-i-n structure based on a n-type sapphire substrate, achieving a gain as high as 2.5×105 in the UV wavelengths [1][2]. Under a reverse bias, typically as high as 60-80 V, the GaN APDs generate an avalanche current on the order of hundreds of picoamperes as shown in Fig. 1. Beyond
Association between endoscopic pressure study integrated system (EPSIS) and high-resolution manometry

Background and study aims The endoscopic pressure study integrated system (EPSIS), a novel diagnostic tool for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), allows evaluation of the anti-reflux barrier using endoscopy by monitoring the intragastric pressure (IGP) during insufflation. In this study, we evaluated the association between EPSIS results and lower esophageal sphincter (LES) function measured by high-resolution manometry (HRM) to elucidate whether EPSIS can evaluate the LES function. Patients and methods A retrospective, single-center study of patients with GERD symptoms who underwent endoscopy, pH-impedance monitoring, EPSIS, and HRM was conducted. The primary outcome was basal LES pressure and the secondary outcomes were end-respiratory LES pressure and integrated relaxation pressure (IRP). As EPSIS parameters, the following were measured: 1) pressure difference (mmHg), the difference between maximum and basal IGP; and 2) pressure gradient (mmHg/s), calculated by dividing pressure difference by the insufflating time. Pressure difference < 4.7 mmHg or pressure gradient < 0.07 mmHg/s was defined as an EPSIS GERD pattern. Results Forty-seven patients (median age: 53 years, 37 female) were analyzed. Pressure difference and pressure gradient significantly correlated with basal LES pressure (ρ = 0.29; P = 0.04 and ρ = 0.29; P = 0.04). Patients with EPSIS GERD pattern showed significantly lower basal LES pressure [13.2 (4.8–26.6) vs 25.3 (10.4–66.7) mmHg, P = 0.002], lower end-respiratory LES pressure [8.5 (1.1–15.9) vs 15.5 (1.9–43.9) mmHg, P = 0.019] and lower IRP [5.9 (1.0–12.0) vs 9.8 (1.3–17.8) mmHg, P = 0.020]. Conclusions This study showed a close association between EPSIS results and LES pressures measured by HRM. This indicates that EPSIS can evaluate the LES function during endoscopy and endorse the role of EPSIS as a diagnostic tool for GERD.
Usability and preference of electronic vs. paper and pencil OSCE checklists by examiners and influence of checklist type on missed ratings in the Swiss Federal Licensing Exam

Background: Only a few studies with small sample sizes have compared electronic Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) rating checklists with traditional paper-based OSCE rating checklists. In this study, the examiner-perceived usability and preference for type of OSCE checklist (electronic vs. paper based) were compared, and the influence of OSCE checklist type on missed ratings was determined, for the Swiss Federal Licensing Examination in clinical skills for human medicine. Methods: All examiners in the Swiss Federal Licensing Examination in clinical skills for human medicine were invited over two subsequent years to evaluate the OSCE checklist type they had worked with during the examination. This was based on a questionnaire with 14 closed questions (i.e., demographic, checklist-type experience, perceived usability, checklist type preference). Furthermore, the numbers of missed ratings for the paper-based checklist were recorded. Results: The data from these examiners (n=377) with experience of both OSCE checklist types were analyzed. The electronic OSCE checklist was rated significantly higher on all usability aspects (i.e., ease of use, candidate rating and error correction, clarity, distraction using the checklist, overall satisfaction), except for the speed of registering comments (no significant difference). The majority of the examiners in both years (2014: 54.5%, n=60, 2015: 89.8%, n=230) reported preference for working with the electronic OSCE checklist in the future. Missed ratings were seen for 14.2% of the paper-based OSCE checklists, which were prevented with the electronic OSCE checklists. Conclusions: Electronic OSCE checklists were rated significantly more user-friendly and were preferred over paper-based OSCE checklists by a broad national sample of examiners, supporting previous results from faculty-level examinations. Furthermore, missed ratings were prevented with the electronic OSCE checklists. Overall, the use of electronic OSCE checklists is therefore advisable.
A Review on Biopolymer-Based Fibers via Electrospinning and Solution Blowing and Their Applications

Electrospinning, for the last few decades, has been extensively acknowledged for its ability to manufacture a macro/nanofibrous architecture from biopolymers, which is otherwise difficult to obtain, in a cost effective and user-friendly technique. Such biopolymer nanofibers can be tailored to meet applications such as drug delivery, tissue engineering, filtration, fuel cell, and food packaging etc. Due to their structural uniqueness, chemical and mechanical stability, functionality, super-high surface area-to-volume ratio, and one-dimensional orientation, electrospun biopolymer nanofibers have been proven to be extremely beneficial. A parallel method in nonwoven methodologies called “Solution Blowing” has also become a potential candidate to fabricate a similar type of architecture from biopolymer fibers, and is gaining popularity among researchers, despite its recent advent in early 2000’s. This review chiefly focuses on the fabrication of biopolymer macro/nanofibers via electrospinning and solution blowing, and several applications of such fiber architectures. Biopolymers include plant- and animal-derived biopolymers, such as cellulose, lignin, chitin, and chitosan, as well as proteins and their derivatives. The fabrication of biopolymer fibers from these biopolymers alone or as blends, predominantly with biodegradable polymers like Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), Polyethylene Oxide (PEO), Polyethylene glycol (PEG), poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) etc., or non-biodegradable polymers like polyamide, Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) etc., will be discussed in detail, along with the applications of several composites of such sort.
Edinburgh Research Explorer Institutional knowledge

Purpose – Rarely have studies on the acquisition of knowledge in internationalisation focused on institutional knowledge. The aim of this paper is, therefore, to investigate the acquisition of this knowledge, and its assimilation and exploitation processes in internationalisation. Design/methodology/approach – The paper utilises ten longitudinal revelatory case studies built from multiple semi-structured interviews conducted with three different firm types of SMEs in the pharmaceutical industry and secondary documents to which the researchers obtained proprietary access. Findings –The study enhances our conceptual understanding of the institutional learning process in internationalisation by, for the first time, developing a framework to characterise this process. The study explores and identifies multiple types of institutional knowledge required, the sequencing of their acquisition, sources, and learning methods utilised. It also discusses transferability of this learning across foreign markets and firms’ absorptive capacity for that knowledge. Regulatory-specific product knowledge, found to be the most important type required, appeared to affect significantly both market selection and mode of entry, and when acquired insufficiently, prevented internationalisation. Research limitations/ implications – While the sample size is relatively small, and sector-specific, the findings were consistent across all the SME firms and firm types. They may also be generalisable to other sectors, firm sizes such as MNEs and types, particularly those which are knowledge-based or highly regulated, given that similar institutional knowledge and processes of acquisition are necessary for firms of all sizes in internationalisation. Practical implications – International marketing managers will gain valuable insights, based on a framework proven to propel firms to successful internationalisation, upon how to plan, organise, manage and match their institutional knowledge-seeking and learning activities with their firms’ internal capabilities, staffing and other resources in an effective and timely manner. Originality/value – This study contributes to our conceptual understanding of the institutional knowledge learning process in the internationalisation.
Treatment of stage IV periodontitis: The EFP S3 level clinical practice guideline.

BACKGROUND The recently published clinical practice guideline (CPG) for the treatment of periodontitis in stages I-III provided evidence-based recommendations for the treatment of periodontitis patients, defined according to the 2018 classification. Stage IV periodontitis shares the severity and complexity characteristics of stage III periodontitis, but includes the anatomical and functional sequelae of tooth and periodontal attachment loss (tooth flaring and drifting, bite collapse, etc.), which require additional interventions following completion of active periodontal therapy. AIM To develop an S3 Level CPG for the treatment of stage IV periodontitis, focusing on the implementation of inter-disciplinary treatment approaches required to treat/rehabilitate patients following associated sequelae and tooth loss. MATERIALS AND METHODS This S3 Level CPG was developed by the European Federation of Periodontology (EFP), following methodological guidance from the Association of Scientific Medical Societies in Germany and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) process. A rigorous and transparent process included synthesis of relevant research in 13 specifically commissioned systematic reviews, evaluation of the quality and strength of evidence, the formulation of specific recommendations and a structured consensus process with leading experts and a broad base of stakeholders. RESULTS The S3 Level CPG for the treatment of stage IV periodontitis culminated in recommendations for different interventions, including orthodontic tooth movement, tooth splinting, occlusal adjustment, tooth- or implant-supported fixed or removable dental prostheses and supportive periodontal care. Prior to treatment planning, it is critically important to undertake a definitive and comprehensive diagnosis and case evaluation, obtain relevant patient information, and engage in frequent re-evaluations during and after treatment. The periodontal component of therapy should follow the CPG for the treatment of periodontitis in stages I-III. CONCLUSIONS The present S3 Level CPG informs clinical practice, health systems, policymakers and, indirectly, the public on the available and most effective modalities to treat patients with stage IV periodontitis and to maintain a healthy dentition over lifetime, according to the available evidence at the time of publication.
Multifactorial influences underpinning a decision on COVID-19 vaccination among healthcare workers: a qualitative analysis

ABSTRACT COVID-19 vaccination in healthcare workers (HCW) is essential for improved patient safety and resilience of health systems. Despite growing body of literature on the perceptions of COVID vaccines in HCWs, existing studies tend to focus on reasons for ‘refusing’ the vaccines, using surveys almost exclusively. To gain a more nuanced understanding, we explored multifactorial influences underpinning a decision on vaccination and suggestions for decision support to improve vaccine uptake among HCWs in the early phase of vaccination rollout. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with thirty-three HCWs in Singapore. Transcribed data was thematically analyzed. Decisions to accept vaccines were underpinned by a desire to protect patients primarily driven by a sense of professional integrity, collective responsibility to protect others, confidence in health authorities and a desire to return to a pre-pandemic way of life. However, there were prevailing concerns with respect to the vaccines, including long-term benefits, safety and efficacy, that hampered a decision. Inadequate information and social media representation of vaccination appeared to add to negative beliefs, impeding a decision to accept while low perceived susceptibility played a moderate role in the decision to delay or decline vaccination. Participants made valuable suggestions to bolster vaccination. Our findings support an approach to improving vaccine uptake in HCWs that features routine tracking and transparent updates on vaccination status, use of institutional platforms for sharing of experience, assuring contingency management plans and tailored communications to emphasize the duty of care and positive outlook associated with vaccination.