Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Processing Large Volume of Biometric Data in the Hadoop Single Cluster Node Environment

In big data evolution, the analysis of large scale data and scrutinizing the required vital information becomes very demanding task. The emerging cloud platform promises and gives hope in handling the enormous volume of data. Hence, a new kind of methodology is required to tap the full potential of leveraging the big data analytics over the biometric data. In this work, we are going to deal with the integration of Hadoop, a map reduce framework with the infamous powerful computer vision library tool, Opencv. The proposed setup will comparatively analyze the large set of biometric data; such as face over the pseudo distributed environment. We test the capacity of our methodology with a different data set and analyze various computational parameters. The results show the proposed method is applicable for dealing in the real distributed environment.
Development of an innovative technology-based youth passenger safety program : an evidence-based approach

Young drivers are overrepresented in motor vehicle crash rates, and their risk increases when carrying similar aged passengers. Graduated Driver Licensing strategies have demonstrated effectiveness in reducing fatalities among young drivers, however complementary approaches may further reduce crash rates. Previous studies conducted by the researchers have shown that there is considerable potential for a passenger focus in youth road safety interventions, particularly involving the encouragement of young passengers to intervene in their peers’ risky driving (Buckley, Chapman, Sheehan & Davidson, 2012). Additionally, this research has shown that technology-based applications may be a promising means of delivering passenger safety messages, particularly as young people are increasingly accessing web-based and mobile technologies. This research describes the participatory design process undertaken to develop a web-based road safety program, and involves feasibility testing of storyboards for a youth passenger safety application. Storyboards and framework web-based materials were initially developed for a passenger safety program, using the results of previous studies involving online and school-based surveys with young people. Focus groups were then conducted with 8 school staff and 30 senior school students at one public high school in the Australian Capital Territory. Young people were asked about the situations in which passengers may feel unsafe and potential strategies for intervening in their peers’ risky driving. Students were also shown the storyboards and framework web-based material and were asked to comment on design and content issues. Teachers were also shown the material and asked about their perceptions of program design and feasibility. The focus group data will be used as part of the participatory design process, in further developing the passenger safety program. This research describes an evidence-based approach to the development of a web-based application for youth passenger safety. The findings of this research and resulting technology will have important implications for the road safety education of senior high school students.
Designs and measurements of prototype magnets for the high-brilliance synchrotron light source at the University of Tokyo

A high-brilliance VUV and soft X-ray (SX) synchrotron radiation (SR) source is being planned to construct at the University of Tokyo. Designs of dipole, quadrupole and fast steering magnets for the storage ring are presented in this paper. Results of prototype measurements of the dipole and steering magnets are also described.
Effects of Different Fixative Solutions on Kidney Volume

With this study, it is aimed to determine the volumetric changes at kidneys of 40 sheep (left and right kidneys, in total 80 kidneys) before and after treated with different fixation solutions by using a stereological method. In the study, 80 sheep kidneys provided from our faculty slaughterhouse were used. Kidneys were divided into four groups of 20 kidneys in each group (10 left and 10 right kidneys). During slaughtering of the sheeps, kidneys were rapidly taken out from abdominal cavity of the animal and fresh kidneys volumes which sectioned to 0.5 cm thickness were determined by Cavalieri Principle. It was noticed that this process did not exceed 30 min in order to prevent autolysis. Afterwards, groups of kidneys each including 20 were put into Formalin, Ethyl alcohol, Zenker and Bouin solutions and fixed upon determinated fixing durations. Volume redeterminations by using Cavalier Method were also performed on fixed kidney cross sections. Number of intersected points and other parameters were entered to the macro program (Microsoft Excel XP) and volumes were determined. Volumetric changes occured on kidneys before and after fixation were evaluated, and statistical calculations were performed. It was observed that all of the fixing solutions used in this study have different rate of diminish effect on kidney volume. However this effect were not statistically significant. The evaluation of interaction on volume changes; solution, direction and solution x direction were also not significant (P>0.05). We think that data gathered at anatomical and histological research using fixed materials may be used as references.
Does Compressed Sensing have applications in Robust Statistics

The connections between robust linear regression and sparse reconstruction are brought to light. We show that in the context of xed design, the notion of breakdown point coincides with exact recovery of sparse signals from highly incomplete information. The main consequence of this connection in robust regression is that there exists, for any dimension, \many" designs on which the ‘1 estimator has a positive breakdown point. This result claries a common misunderstanding on the robustness of M-estimators.
Reduction of eco-toxicity risk of heavy metals in the rotary drum composting of water hyacinth: Waste Lime application and mechanisms

Experiments were conducted on the immobilization of eight heavy metals (HMs) (Zn, Cu, Mn, Fe, Ni, Pb, Cd, and Cr) during 20-day rotary drum composting of water hyacinth. The Tessier sequential extraction procedure was used to investigate the fractionation of HMs. The eco-toxicity risk of HMs was assessed by risk assessment code (RAC). In the results, the bioavailability factor (BAF) for different HMs presented in the following order: Mn > Zn = Fe > Cu > Cr > Cd = Pb > Ni. The total concentration of Pb was higher than that of Zn, Cu, Mn, Cd and Cr; however, its BAF was the lowest among these HMs. These results confirmed that the eco-toxicity of HMs depends on bioavailable fractions rather than on the total concentration. The greatest reduction in bioavailability and eco-toxicity risk of HMs occurred in lime 1% and 2% as compared to control and lime 3%. The eco-toxicity risk of Fe, Ni, Pb, Cd and Cr was reduced from low risk to zero risk by rotary drum composting. These studies demonstrated the high efficiency of the rotary drum for degrading compost materials and for reducing the bioavailability and eco-toxicity risk of HMs during the composting process.
Pilot evaluation in TENCompetence : a theory-driven model

Schoonenboom, J., Sligte, H. , Moghnieh, A. , Specht, M. , Glahn, C. , & Stefanov, K. (2007). Pilot evaluation in TENCompetence: a theory-driven model. In T. Navarette, J. Blat & R. Koper (Eds.). Proceedings of the 3rd TENCompetence Open Workshop 'Current Research on IMS Learning Design and Lifelong Competence Development Infrastructures' (pp. 43-50). June, 21-22, 2007, Barcelona, Spain.
Influence of Climate Conditions on Tax Revenues

The paper investigates the effects of clime conditions on collected tax revenues, based on a panel-model approach. The data-set includes 123 countries and covers the period 1996-2010. The main results show that the assumed function is linear, the clime conditions heaving a significant impact on collected tax revenues. Overall, the collected tax revenues tend to increase under cool, polar or boreal climate. The paper extends the literature in the field by focusing on the clime implications in economy and finds new evidences regarding the determinants of collected tax revenues. (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)
A Fingerprint Verification Tool Using Adaptive Resonance Theory Nets

Accurate verification o f fingerprints is important to prevent hassles related to one's identification. The hassle could be at the recognition of one's own as well as the forged prints of others. The objective of this work is to develop a fingerprint verification tool using JA VA . The algorith ms of Adaptive Resonance Theory (ART) net - ART-1 and A RT-2 have been used. These algorithms have been implemented with 'C' language. Two hundred and twenty two genuine versions of finger prints have been used as training cases and 518 very similar looking but forged fingerprints have been used as test cases. Here, the optimu m v igilance parameter (ρ) is obtained through carefully conducted parametric studies. Finally, a flexib le error threshold has been selected to accept fingerprints with 95% matching in the pixel patterns and the rest are rejected. The study observes that, ART 1 and 2 are ab le to identify forged fingerprints with Total Success Rate (TSR) of 95.80% and 97.37%, respectively.
Is there redundancy in bioengineering for molluscan assemblages on the rocky shores of central Chile

En los ecosistemas marinos los organismos bioingenieros modifican habitats a traves de sus propias estructuras fisicas e incrementan la diversidad local. En costas rocosas existen grandes solapamientos en la composicion de las comunidades asociadas a bioingenieros que forman habitats frondosos (algas) o mitilidos. Nosotros investigamos la potencial redundancia en la provision de este tipo de habitat comparando ensambles faunisticos asociados a mantos de Perumytilus purpuratus y frondas de Corallina officinalis var. chilenis, Gelidium chilense y Gastroclonium cylindricum. En tres oportunidades, entre septiembre de 2003 y enero de 2004, muestreamos ensambles de moluscos asociados a cada uno de estos bioingenieros, en alturas de mareas similares en dos areas rocosas de Chile central. De las 31 especies de moluscos identificados, 30 fueron encontrados en Corallina y 19-22 fueron identificados en los otros habitat. El conjunto de especies asociado a cada bioingeniero se sobrepone ampliamente, demostrando el potencial de redundancia en la provision de habitat y poca especificidad de habitat. Sin embargo, analisis multivariados y univariados mostraron que los bioingenieros, con excepcion de Gastroclonium, contenian un ensamble de moluscos unico en al menos uno de los periodos de muestreo, ya sea en la variacion en la frecuencia de ocurrencia, riqueza y abundancia total. Estudios recientes han destacado diversos procesos antropogenicos y naturales que influencian directamente la diversidad y composicion de especies en bioingenieros de costas rocosas. Se demuestra que para la costa de Chile central la perdida de cualquier de los bioingenieros analizados no alteraria sustancialmente el conjunto total de especies de moluscos, alojados en ellos. Sin embargo, la perdida de cualquier bioingeniero, excepto Gastroclonium, resultaria en una disminucion local de la biodiversidad debido a que cada uno de los ensambles de moluscos en Perumytilus, Corallina y Gelidium, contiene una estructura comunitaria significativamente diferente, en al menos uno de los periodos de muestreo
Liquidity and Asset Prices

Even though, due to advances in asset pricing theory, we are now endowed with a solid set of theories that allow us to value assets under an increasingly realistic set of assumptions, we still don’t have a good understanding of the relation between liquidity and asset prices. This probably has to do with the elusive nature of the concept of liquidity which prevents the emergence of a pragmatic functional relationship with the values of assets. Yet, there are many instances that illiquidity or lack of marketability may play a significant factor in the determination of asset prices. Such issues are for example important in valuing privately held companies, Rule 144 restrictions, or even valuing sovereign assets in financial distress. Here we review some important and recent advances in the area of pricing illiquid or nonmarketable assets.
The Chinese loess in Xifeng. II: A study of anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility of loess from Xifeng

SUMMARY Measurements of specimens from the loess profile of Xifeng, Gansu province, China, all show original magnetic fabric for sediments, i.e. nearly horizontal foliation and the commonly oblate magnitude ellipsoid. The degree of anisotropy always shows a strong correlation with the foliation F rather than with the lineation L. Specimens from wind-blown loess, redeposited water-lain loess and red clay show their own distribution areas respectively in a diagram of L versus F. Magnetic fabric provides evidence for the suggestion that the red clay, like the overlying wind-blown loess, is aeolian in origin, the data points from the red clay all falling within the distribution area of the wind-blown loess data points. The magnetic fabric measured from present-day palaeosols may still represent the features of the parent loess although the orientation of fabric has been slightly weakened through pedogenesis, as shown in the present study.
European Knowledge Society and Higher Education: Universities between the Tradition and Transformation

Bu çal›flmada geliflmekte olan Avrupa Bilgi Toplumu ile ilgili olarak ortaya ç›kan yeni sosyal riskler ve de¤erler dizisi de¤iflimi, yüksekö¤retimin pay sahiplerinin görüflleri aç›s›ndan incelenmifltir. Araflt›rma sorusu bilgi toplumu ile ilgili olarak yüksekö¤retimdeki yaklafl›m de¤iflimi, politikalar, uygulama, gerçeklik ve deneyim konular›n› kapsamaktad›r. Araflt›rma alt› Avrupa ülkesinde altm›flalt› kat›l›mc› ile bir y›lda tamamlanm›flt›r. Veriler yar› yap›land›r›lm›fl görüflmeler ve odak grup toplant›lar› ile toplanm›flt›r. Araflt›rman›n tasar›m› ve örneklem niteliksel araflt›rma yöntemlerinden kartopu yöntemi ile yap›lm›flt›r. Her odak grup toplat›s›nda yeni sorular oluflmufl bu sorular görüflmelerin sorular›n› yap›land›rm›flt›r. Ayr›ca küçük bir grup ile bafllanan odak grup toplant›lar›nda görüflmeler için daha genifl bir kat›l›mc› grubuna ulafl›lm›flt›r. Veriler niteliksel veri analizi alg› kodlama yöntemi ile analiz edilmifltir. Bulgular Avrupa’daki üniversitelerin geleneksel rollerini koruduklar›n› ve bilgi toplumunun gelifltirilmesi için yeni bir role haz›r olmad›klar›n› göstermifltir. H›zla de¤iflen toplumda üniversiteler gelenek ile dönüflüm aras›nda bir ikilemle yüz yüze kalm›fllard›r. Üniversiteler Brüksel ve/veya ulusal kaynakl› de¤iflim isteklerinin bask›s› alt›ndad›r. De¤iflim bask›s› küreselleflme sorunlar›na yan›t vermekten çok kuramsal düzeyde kalmaktad›r. Böylece toplumun dönüflmesinde rolü olan üniversitelerin, temel sorunlar nedeniyle, h›zla de¤iflmekte olan toplumun gerisinde kald›¤› ortaya ç›km›flt›r. Avrupa vizyonunda yer alan toplumun h›zl› dönüflüm ihtiyac› ile Avrupa üniversitelerinin gerçe¤i aras›ndaki uçurum bu çal›flmada ortaya ç›kan önemli bir varg›d›r.
The effect of collector size on forest litter-fall collection and analysis

Litter fall is commonly collected for a variety of ecological studies. This study was designed to test the effect of collector size on the precision of forest litter-fall estimates and on the time involved in laboratory sample sorting. Collectors varied in size from 0.010 to 0.933 m2 and were physically nested, the smaller units within larger units. Ten of these collector combinations were randomly placed on a 1-ha plot in a Douglas-fir/western hemlock (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco/Tsugaheterophylla (Raf.) Sarg. ) stand in H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest. Collections were made monthly and records were kept of the time required to sort the litter into needles, epiphytes, and miscellaneous categories. Based on a definition of precision as ±10% of the mean, 90% of the time, results indicate (i) that the cost of obtaining precise estimates of needle fall decreases with decreasing collector size to 0.010 m2, (ii) that collectors of any size can be used to obtain estimates of total litter fall if the nu.
The end of democracy and the modes of resistance in education.

Our scope is to show how democracy has been trivialized as a concept and, more worryingly, as a mystified practice of consented servitude, which supposedly would bring to its very end. In fact, for the emblematic occidental societies, democracy has, at the best, been reduced to a consumerist way of life, under the capitalist liberal order, and the facade of a 'spectacularized' electoral process. Overall, the word 'democracy' is currently used to mask different forms of authoritarianism, from which nor even western societies escape. In such context, as to the promises of democracy for schools' systems, we see nothing but a bureaucratic centralization, allowing no more than an instrumental autonomy of power of execution through which the players only enjoy a 'voluntary servitude' to the neoliberal naturalized ideology of efficiency, competitiveness and pseudo meritocracy. We thus conclude by suggesting possibilities of resistance and the empowerment of the subject.
GAUGE TRANSFORMS IN STOCHASTIC INVESTMENT MODELLING

SUMMARY This paper provides a coherent mathematical framework that is applicable to all stochastic investment models. It provides a mechanism for comparing different models and provides a generic methodology for generating the required outputs. The concept of a gauge is introduced - which comprises a deflator and term structure for each quantity modelled. We show how gauges enable the economic, statistical and practical constraints faced by the developers of models to be simultaneously incorporated, without having to trade off between different constraints. Transforms between gauges are developed that show how all quantities of interest relating to a specific economic quantity can be derived from principal gauges.
New record of cestodes in ducks from Assam, India with histopathological study

The present study was conducted to find out the incidence of different helminths in ducks in Assam, India. A total of 108 duck carcasses were collected and internal organs were examined at laboratory. Out of 108 ducks examined, 50 ducks were found positive for different cestode parasites with the incidence rate of 46.29%. Amongst these 50 positive ducks, only in 2 ducks, one new cestode species was recovered which was identified as Apora sp. These parasites were recovered after removal of the cornified layer of gizzard which have not yet recorded from this country from any birds. The percentage of incidence was found to be 4.00% with a total of 45 numbers of parasites recovered. Histopathological study of the affected gizzard revealed multiple longitudinal and cross-sections of the parasites in the subkeratinized area in cystic cavities.
Drying kinetic and shrinkage circumstance of Persian shallot bulb

Abstract: The drying kinetics and volume shrinkage of Persian shallot bulb were looked at during air-drying. Six mathematical drying kinetics models were used, the non-linear page models represents good agreement with experimental data with average of Mean Relative Absolute Errors as 1.77%. Liner and exponential models were fitted to volume shrinkage containing with coefficients of determination from 0.956 to 0.998. Keywords: drying model, shrinkage, Persian shallot Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE AR-SA /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:. 0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
A free/open-source hybrid morphological disambiguation tool for Kazakh

This paper presents the results of developing a morphological disambiguation tool for Kazakh. Starting with a previously developed rule-based approach, we tried to cope with the complex morphology of Kazakh by breaking up lexical forms across their derivational boundaries into inflectional groups and modeling their behavior with statistical methods. A hybrid rule-based/statistical approach appears to benefit morphological disambiguation demonstrating a per-token accuracy of 91% in running text.
Network Effects, Switching Costs, and Underlying Preferences in Operating Systems for Servers: A Case of Linux vs. Windows

We seek to investigate to what extent network effects and switching costs affect the decision to adopt Linux or Windows as the operating system for computer servers. To this end, we use detailed survey data of over 100,000 establishments in the United States. To account for unobserved preferences for either operating system, we employ recently developed dynamic discrete choice panel data methods (Arellano and Carrasco 2003). The results from our empirical analysis suggest that among network effects, switching costs, and unobserved preferences, the last two are important factors in the market for operating systems for servers. We find that switching costs are significant, but can be severely overestimated by methods that do not account for unobserved heterogeneity in establishment-specific tastes for operating systems. We also find that once taste heterogeneity is taken into account, network effects are not significant.
Communication Externalities on the Knowledge-based Firms in Metropolitan Areas: Case Study of China and Korea

This paper provides some evidence on communication style that serves as the contact tool and its related external economies to knowledge-intensive production and innovation within the emerging high-technology based industrial clusters in metropolitan areas of China and Korea. Our unique data-set from questionnaire survey enables us to examine the firms' behavior of communication regarding the choice of communication mode, how often, with whom, and for what purpose. Such analysis provides insights about actual relationships among business partners of industry-university-government in each cluster of Zhongguancun Area (Beijing), Seoul Digital Complex and Daedeok Valley (Daejeon). Our studies demonstrate that 1) with suppliers firms contact with high frequency but with less face-to-face meeting opportunities, 2) with customers and banks/investors but more with face-to-face contact, as common characteristic, 3) and that firms' long-term experience in the market is helpful to construct such meaningful communication network in Seoul Digital Complex. However, we could not show fully that communication externalities generated by the face-to-face contact influence the innovative output of firms.