Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Transformation of Realistic Images and Videos into Cartoon Images and Video using GAN

---------------------------------------------------------------------***---------------------------------------------------------------------- Abstract - Aim of the project is to put forward a solution for transforming snapshots or videos of real-world into animated photos (Cartoon Images) or Video. The earlier method of transformation requires complicated computer graphics and skills. The idea of the paper is based on designated snapshots and videos which are converted to an art form such as painting. Amongst all the techniques usable, the application of a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) called Cartoon GAN will be used for the styling real-world images that use 2 loss functions namely, content loss and adversarial loss for getting a sharp and clear image. With the help of GAN, it is possible to convert video as well to its cartoonized version and the development of the project shows that our Proposed Idea provides high quality cartooned images and videos.
Local Politics and Business in Indonesia: A Non-market Strategy Approach

Studies on non-market strategies have traditionally been conducted in developed countries with a particular focus on large firms. Little has been done in this area in developing or emerging economies. This paper investigates how small firms implement non-market strategies in an emerging economy such as Indonesia. Non-market strategies include political actions of business players, political donation, lobbying, philanthropy and business owners turning into politicians themselves. The research aims to reveal the motives of business players behind the implementation of the nonmarket strategy. In-depth case studies were carried out in two small-firms in the region of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The study documents the non-market environment in South Sulawesi, chosen as it is one of the main provinces in Indonesia undergoing high economic development. The result of this study echoed previous research that showed that in many developing countries, non-market strategies are implemented due to the low-quality of market-supporting institutions and low levels of law enforcement. The study also found that small firms are not just passive adopters of coercive initiatives. The study offers new insights on non-market strategies and contributes to the meagre literature in this area, particularly in understanding the non-market environment in Indonesia, the role of different forms of cooperation and the implications for dealing with stakeholders in today’s business environment in Indonesia.
An Online Comparative Study of the Mental Health of Adolescent Non Procrastinators, Active Procrastinators, and Passive Procrastinators

The present research intended to examine the outcomes of active and passive procrastination among Pakistani educated adolescents via online data collection. To meet the objective measures concerning active and passive procrastination (Aziz & Tariq, 2013; Choi & Moran, 2009; Chu & Choi, 2005), depression, anxiety, stress (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995), and life satisfaction (Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985) were uploaded on a website in English and Urdu. Overall 223 educated Pakistani adolescent participated via online in the study (M = 19 years, SD = 5.19; age range 13-21 years). The preliminary analysis revealed a sound internal consistency in all the measures. The Findings highlighted that active and passive procrastination are distinct constructs with entirely different implications. There were significant negative correlations between active procrastination depression, anxiety and stress. However a positive relationship was found between passive procrastination and depression, anxiety and stress. Life satisfaction was found to be positively correlated with active procrastination whereas ngatively with passive procrastination. No significant differences were observed on demographic variables. One-way MANOVA revealed significant differences among non-procrastinators, active procrastinators, and passive procrastinators. Limitations and future directions for online data collection are also discussed.
Experimental and Atomistic Simulation Study of the Structural and Adsorption Properties of Faujasite Zeolite−Templated Nanostructured Carbon Materials†

Nanostructured carbon materials were obtained by templating faujasite zeolites. This was achieved by liquid infiltration of furfuryl alcool and chemical vapor deposition of propylene and acetonitrile. These carbon materials were characterized by adsorption of gaseous nitrogen and carbon dioxide, and the carbon structure was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD). They exhibit a very large pore volume in the micropore region (i.e., narrower than 2 nm), and the XRD spectra show the presence of a nanostructured carbon material with a well-defined unit cell whose size and symmetry are imposed by the zeolite template. We made use of Grand Canonical Monte Carlo simulation of carbon adsorption in order to obtain numerical models of such materials and study their texture and mechanical and adsorption properties on an atomistic scale. The carbon−carbon interactions were modeled within the frame of the tight binding and the reactive bond order (REBO) formalisms, while carbon−zeolite interactions were assumed to be.
Research on Single Channel Speech Noise Reduction Algorithm Based on Signal Processing

: As an analog signal carrying specific information, speech has become an important means of obtaining and disseminating information in people's lives. However, in real life, speech signals are polluted by various noises during the encoding and transmission processes. At this time, you can use the voice noise reduction technology to suppress, reduce noise interference, and improve the quality of the voice. The voice noise reduction technology can be divided into single channel and multi-channel according to the number of channels of the microphone. Because of the simple model and low cost, single-channel voice noise reduction Algorithms have been the focus of research. Based on a single-channel speech algorithm for signal processing, this paper presents several basic algorithms such as Wiener filter algorithm, spectral subtraction, signal subspace algorithm, MMSE method, LMS and RLS algorithm, and digital filter, as well as their basic principles, algorithm implementation steps and advantages and disadvantages analysis.
Impact of Physical Frailty on Changes in Health-Related Quality of Life in Elderly Patients with Chronic Heart Disease after Discharge

With an aging rate of 27.7%, Japan has been categorized as a super-aging society. Indeed, of a total population of 126.71 million people, some 35.5 million were aged 65 or older on October 1, 2017. An increase in elderly cardiovascular disease patients has also been reported in aging societies. The increasing age of patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation is resulting in growing attention to elderly patient care. As a problem peculiar to the elderly, physical frailty (hereinafter, frailty) is a significant factor accompanying aging. Indeed, there is a high prevalence of frailty among the aged, often accompanied by a high risk of adverse health effects such as falls and dysfunction in daily life. It has also been shown that frailty in elderly heart disease patients has a negative effect on both the mortality rate and likelihood of re-hospitalization. Moreover, research has demonstrated that frailty compounds heart failure and that heart disease is linked to the deterioration produced by frailty. It has been reported that elderly patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are more prone to frailty and decreased acceptance of their disease in comparison to patients with other chronic diseases. Assessment and management of frailty in the care of older COPD patients is likely to improve risk stratification significantly and help personalize management, leading to better patient outcomes. Because COPD and heart disease can be said to be similar diseases in the sense that they reduce physical function secondarily, the results of this COPD study indicate that evaluation of frailty can be considered especially important in elderly heart disease patients. Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) — which is reflective of an individual’s attitude toward health — is important in cardiac rehabilitation, particularly in elderly heart disease patients and their likelihood of re-hospitalization and mortality. Indeed, research has shown that frailty is associated with a decline in HRQOL, including in elderly heart disease patients. The Medical Outcome Study 36: Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) is often used to evaluate HRQOL. In the Japanese version, the structure of the HRQOL concept comprises three categories — namely, physical health, mental health, and social health — and eight subscales. However, little research has been undertaken on the influence of frailty on the three HRQOL categories in elderly heart disease patients. Addressing this gap, this study investigates the influence of frailty on the three categories of HRQOL at the time of discharge International Journal of Gerontology 14 (2020) 119 123 https://doi.org/10.6890/IJGE. 202005_14(2). 0006
An Open-Source Lemmatizer for Russian Language based on Tree Regression Models

In this article, we consider the problem of supervised morphological analysis using an approach that differs from industry spread analogs. The article describes a new method of lemmatization based on the algorithms of machine learning, in particular, on the algorithms of regression analysis, trained on the open grammatical dictionary of Russian language. Comparison of obtained results was performed with existing alternative applications that are used nowadays for addressing lemmatization problems in NLP problems for Russian language. The proposed method shows some potential for further development as it has comparable quality but uses relatively simple machine learning algorithm and at the same time is not rule based involving no manual work. The source code for our lemmatizer is publicly available.
Assessment of Heavy-Metal Contamination of Floodplain Soils due to Mining and Mineral Processing in CN Iron Mine, NE Iran

This study investigates the level of soil contamination by heavy metals according to geochemical indicators, statistics and environmental data from mining and processing of CN iron mine. Based on statistical analyzes the origin of arsenic, zinc, manganese, titanium, copper, cadmium and sulfur as a result of lithogenic activities and the origin of aluminum, lead, and iron elements are anthropogenic. The enrichment factor showed that arsenic had a strong enrichment and sulfur had extremely intense enrichment in this region. The contamination factor indicates that arsenic, copper, cadmium, and iron have significant contamination and the sulfur element has a high pollution rate of 11.84. In the land index, the accumulation of arsenic, cadmium, and sulfur has caused moderate pollution in this region. Sulfur with the coefficient of 1.83 has the highest contamination among the elements. The zoning map showed that arsenic and sulfur at the Tailing dam and the concentrate plant had the highest concentration and contamination. This indicates the direct effect of anthropogenic effects on soil contamination in the study area. The assessment of the Contamination degree showed that soil contamination in the south and south-east of the study area (Dump site and Tailing dam) has the highest rate. The amount of Pollution Load Index (PLI) in soil samples of the study area was higher than the coefficient 1 and showed the soil contamination.
Cellulosic industrial waste to enhance Pinus taeda nutrition and growth: a study in subtropical Brazil

The objectives of this work were to evaluate the influence of a compost (cellulosic sludge 70%, boiler ash 30%) on the development of Pinus taeda trees on low-growth sites in subtropical Brazil that displayed symptoms of deficiency in previous cycles, and to evaluate how the compost influences soil chemical characteristics. Six months after seedling transplant, five rates (control, 14, 25, 49 and 60 Mg ha-1) of compost were manually broadcast. For the following three years, soil and needle samples were collected for nutrient analysis along with plant growth measurements. Soil analysis indicated small increase in K availability and decrease in exchangeable Al. Large growth enhancements were observed in terms of plant height and diameter at breast height, and needle chlorosis disappeared when compost was applied. After three years of compost application, trunk volume increased from 13 m3 ha-1 in the control to 37 m3 ha-1 in the 49 Mg ha-1 treatment. P. taeda growth was inversely related to Mn and directly related to K and B foliar concentration. Findings suggest that compost application should be encouraged since it enhances initial growth of P. taeda, being an important way to recycle residue from the paper industry and contribute to more sustainable management of low fertility soils.
Self-regulation and Academic Achievement: a comparative analysis of high and low academic achievers

Department of Psychology, University of Sindh, Jamshoro, Pakistan Abstract The present study was designed to analyze the relationship of selfregulation and academic achievement among high and low achiever undergraduate students. According to Baumeister, Heatherton and Tice (1994) self-regulation skills help to control the thoughts and task performance in individuals. Students who possess more self-regulatory skills perform better in academics compared to those who are low in selfregulation. To understand the problems associated with underachievement, it is important to measure the level of self-regulation of high and low academic achievers. A sample of 450 male and female undergraduate students, divided into high (n = 250), and low (n = 200) achievers were drawn, with an age range of 20-24 years (M = 22.07, SD = 9.87) years. Findings indicated that controlled self-regulation is negative predictor of academic achievement and autonomous is positive predictor of achievement. High academic achievers were more selfregulated than low academic achievers and gender differences in selfregulation also found. Male students were significantly more selfregulated than the female students. Results have been discussed in terms of the importance of self-regulation to manage problems related to academic achievement and learning effectively.
Pain Confirmation with Neurokinin A Level During Early Orthodontic Treatment using Pre-Adjusted Edgewise and Self-Ligating System

The aims of this study is to evaluate the relationship between pain perception and neurokinin A (NKA) level in orthodontic patients using passive self-ligating (PSL) and preadjusted edgewise appliance (PEA). 15 patients were enrolled into the study (PSL patient group, PEA patient group, and a control group). Gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) was collected before bonding (T0), 2 hours (T1), 24 hours (T2), and 168 hours (T3) after archwire engagement. Pain perception was recorded using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). NKA was estimated using ELISA test. Mann-Whitney test was used to compare VAS score between group subjects at T0, T1, T2, and T3. Repeated ANOVA was used to compare NKA concentration between the two group. There were significant differences between the VAS during the initial alignment using both brackets at T0, T1, T2, and T3. However, no significant differences were found between the two systems. There was an increase in NKA level after archwire engagement in both groups, though this was not statistically significant. Orthodontic tooth movement may trigger neuropeptide, such as NKA released in GCF. Although not statistically significant, the PEA group consistently show a higher VAS than the PSL group. Clinical article (J Int Dent Med Res 2020; 13(4): 1411-1415)
Free-standing and bridged amine-functionalized periodic mesoporous organosilica films

In this work, we report the first successful synthesis of free-standing and bridged amine-functionalized PMO films grown at the air–water interface using 1,2-bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane (BTEE) and bis[(3-trimethoxysilyl)propyl]amine (BTMSPA) as silica sources and cationic alkyltrimethylammonium surfactant as the structure-directing agent. The films with thickness from 50 to 380 nm had a highly ordered periodic mesostructure with a two-dimensional (2D) hexagonal closed-packed arrangement of channels running parallel to the surface. The typical pore diameter and surface area of the film after solvent-extraction were 28.9 A and 630 m2 g−1, respectively, when the film was synthesized at 95 °C for 8 h with the reaction composition of 1.0 BTEE : 0.05 BTMSPA : 0.57 C16TABr : 2.28 NaOH : 336 H2O. 29Si and 13C cross polarization (CP) MAS NMR spectra identified that the organic-inorganic moieties (Si–CH2–CH2–Si and Si–(CH2)3NH(CH2)3–Si) are the basic structural unit in the film.
Investigation into the Effects of Microstructure on the Corrosion Susceptibility of Medium Carbon Steel

------------------------------------------------------------ABSTRACT--------------------------------------------------------A study on the effects of microstructural changes on the Corrosion Susceptibility of Medium Carbon Steel in different corrosive media was carried out. This was done by austenitizing the coupons at 925 C and quenching in a controlled manner into various quenchants to obtain normalized, annealed and martensitic microstructures. The coupons were later exposed to various environments and allowed to stay in the environment for 60 days. The weight loss measurements were taken at interval of 10 days. In this study, it can be concluded that microstructures obtained by different heat treatment processes are sensitive to the environment. The observable difference in corrosion rates could be attributed to precipitation of ferrite and carbide phases. These phases led to setting up of microgalvanic cells within the microstructure with the carbide phase becoming cathodic and the ferrite anodic. The result also tends to suggest that the more ferrite is precipitated (anodic area) in the normalized structure, the more corrosion rate increases. Furthermore, the combining effect of ferrite precipitation, transformation stress and carbide precipitation tends to cause higher corrosion rate in the martensitic structures. This could be attributed to high metastability (non-equilibrum position) of martensitic structure. In general, normalized structure showed the lowest susceptibility to corrosion attack while the martensitic structure showed the highest susceptibility to corrosion attack. More so, 0.5MH2SO4 was the most aggressive environment, followed by 0.5MHCL, Seawater and lastly Effluent water.
First-principles study of elastic properties of CeO2, ThO2 and PoO2

Using first-principles density functional calculations, the structural and elastic properties of fluorite type oxides CeO2, ThO2 and PoO2 were studied by means of the full-potential linear muffin-tin orbital method. Calculations were performed within the local density approximation (LDA) as well as generalized gradient approximation (GGA) to the exchange correlation potential. The calculated equilibrium lattice constants and bulk moduli are in good agreement with the experimental results, as are the computed elastic constants for CeO2 and ThO2. For PoO2 this is the first quantitative theoretical prediction of the ground state properties, and it still awaits experimental confirmation. The calculations find PoO2 to be a semiconductor with an indirect band gap and elastic constants similar in magnitude to those of CeO2 and ThO2.
Development and evaluation of liquid crystal systems of combination of 5-fluorouracil and curcumin for cervical cancer cell line

Context: Liquid crystalline gel, self-assembled vesicular systems covered with nonionic surfactants, are promising for use in drug delivery. Aims: To develop and evaluate the liquid crystal (LC) systems of a combination of 5-fluorouracil and curcumin for a cervical cancer cell line. Methods: The LC was formulated using water, surfactant, and glycerin. Optimization was carried out by using different surfactants. The formulations were chosen for various studies, such as pH determination, environmental scanning electron microscopy (eSEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and dissolution study. The synergism of the combination of 5-FU and curcumin on cervical cancer HeLa cell line was then analyzed using CompuSyn software. Results: The formulations with 60% surfactant, the average particle size was in the ranges from 15.68 – 26.35 nm whereas with 40% surfactant, were 11.27 - 21.35 nm. The percentage of dissolution of 5-FU at pH 7 (PBS) A2: 40.23 > B2: 47.39 > X2: 50.36 > Y2: 56.36 compared to at pH 4 (vaginal simulated fluid, VSF) were A2: 36.23 > B2: 43.64 > X2: 45.67 > Y2: 49.01. The percentage of dissolution of curcumin of different formulations were at pH 7 (PBS) A2: 44.85 > B2: 51.36 > X2: 58.61 > Y2: 64.38 compared to at pH 4 (VSF) were A2: 41.03 > B2: 49.37 > X2: 57.85 > Y2: 68.75. Conclusions: The combination of the drugs showed that there was a synergistic effect when it was being administered together. The combination of drugs in LC system had a sustained release as well as it was effective against cervical cancer HeLa cell line.
Design and Calibration of a Counterflow Virtual Impactor for Sampling of Atmospheric Fog and Cloud Droplets

An instrument is described that samples cloud droplets by removing them from the surrounding air and small unactivated particles through inertial impaction. The sampled droplets are then evaporated, leaving behind the material dissolved or suspended in the droplets as residue particles or gases. The instrument is capable of sampling droplets as a function of their size; it has an adjustable cut size in the range between about 9 and 30 μm in diameter, rejects droplets and particles smaller than the cut size, and captures droplets larger than the cut size. Details of the instrumental design and construction are discussed, as well as a relative calibration of the collection efficiency. Results from the calibration experiments indicate that the counterflow virtual impactor probe behaves in accordance with theoretical predictions using Stoke's number calculations. A complete description of the calibration methodology is presented.
An Earthworm-like Soft Robot with Integration of Single Pneumatic Actuator and Cellular Structures for Peristaltic Motion

Earthworm-like soft robots have been widely studied for various applications, such as medical endoscopy and pipeline inspection. Many actuation modes have been chosen to drive the soft robots, including pneumatic actuators, dielectric elastomeric actuators, and shape memory actuators. Pneumatic actuators stand out since the soft robots with pneumatic actuation can produce relatively large forces and displacements with relatively ease of fabrication. Currently, several pneumatic actuators are used to realize elongating movement and anchoring movement of the earthworm for peristaltic motion. More pneumatic actuators not only require more pumps and valves to actuate and control the earthworm, but also lead to less efficient movement control of the earthworm. To address this issue, a new design with integrated single pneumatic actuator and cellular structures is developed to realize elongating movement and anchoring movement of the earthworm-like soft robot in peristaltic motion. With the new design, the simulation model of the new earthworm is developed to simulate both elongating and anchoring movements of the earthworm. A 3D printed prototype of the earthworm-like soft robot is fabricated to validate the proposed design and simulation model. Experimental results show good agreement with the simulation in elongations of peristaltic motion as the differences between the simulated and experimental is 5.8 % in one cycle of the peristaltic motion.