Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Evolutionary Algorithm using GP surrogate model for expensive constrained optimization problems

In expensive constrained optimization problems, the evaluation of candidate solutions could be extremely computationally and/or financially expensive. This paper proposes a method, called DyHF-GP, for reducing computation costs and raising optimization efficiency, by combining Gaussian stochastic process model(GP) with DyHF(Dynamic Hybrid Framework). In DyHF-GP, the Latin Hypercube Sampling(LHS) is used to sample points, then the true function is surrogated by GP. In evolutionary processes, the sample points and the GP are updated by retention and replacement mechanism. The using of GP and true function is controlled by error among several neighbor generations. The 13 standard test functions show that DyHF-GP has higher accuracy and retrieval efficiency. The number of FES is reduced by about 60% on average within 10 -4 error, which diminishing the computation costs of the objective functions greatly.
Image processing of multiphase images obtained via X‐ray microtomography: A review

Easier access to X‐ray microtomography (μCT) facilities has provided much new insight from high‐resolution imaging for various problems in porous media research. Pore space analysis with respect to functional properties usually requires segmentation of the intensity data into different classes. Image segmentation is a nontrivial problem that may have a profound impact on all subsequent image analyses. This review deals with two issues that are neglected in most of the recent studies on image segmentation: (i) focus on multiclass segmentation and (ii) detailed descriptions as to why a specific method may fail together with strategies for preventing the failure by applying suitable image enhancement prior to segmentation. In this way, the presented algorithms become very robust and are less prone to operator bias. Three different test images are examined: a synthetic image with ground‐truth information, a synchrotron image of precision beads with three different fluids residing in the pore space, and a μCT image of a soil sample containing macropores, rocks, organic matter, and the soil matrix. Image blur is identified as the major cause for poor segmentation results. Other impairments of the raw data like noise, ring artifacts, and intensity variation can be removed with current image enhancement methods. Bayesian Markov random field segmentation, watershed segmentation, and converging active contours are well suited for multiclass segmentation, yet with different success to correct for partial volume effects and conserve small image features simultaneously.
Towards Rigorous Requirements by Automating Appraisals

Deploying advanced automated testing techniques, such as model-based testing, relies upon the development of rigorous models. Our extensive experience in trying to develop and deploy model-based testing within a large industrial setting has led us to the conclusion that developing requirement models is essential for good model-based testing practice. However, not only are requirements specifications generally incomplete, but it is also difficult to get system architects and designers to produce requirements with the rigor needed for automation. Hence, incentives are needed that tend towards the development of rigorous requirement models. To this end, we introduce the Mint tool that enables and helps automate the early detection of errors during requirements development and appraisal. The paper describes and discusses at length the semantic interpretation of scenariobased requirements and the various types of pathologies that can be detected. We also introduce a UML 2.0 profile for applying domain specific communication semantics that can be used to determine the relevance of these pathologies.
Contribution Fruit and Vegetable Intakes and Risk of Colorectal Cancer in the NIH – AARP Diet and Health Study

The authors examined the associations between fruit and vegetable intakes and risk of colorectal cancer in the NIH–AARP Diet and Health Study. Diet was assessed with a food frequency questionnaire at baseline. Relative risks and 95% confidence intervals were estimated by using the Cox proportional hazards model. During 5-year follow-up of 488,043 men and women aged 50–71 years, 2,972 incident colorectal cancer cases were identified. The respective 10th and 90th percentiles of total fruit and vegetable intake (servings/1,000 kcal per day) were 1.4 and 5.2 for men and 1.8 and 6.5 for women. Compared with that for the lowest quintile of vegetable intake, the multivariate relative risk for the highest quintile was 0.82 (95% confidence interval: 0.71, 0.94) for men and 1.12 (95% confidence interval: 0.90, 1.38) for women. Increased risk of colorectal cancer was observed for very low intake of total fruits and vegetables by men (multivariate relative risk for <1 vs. 2.0 servings/1,000 kcal per day 1⁄4 1.26, 95% confidence interval: 1.03, 1.54). Among subgroups of vegetables, green leafy vegetables were associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer for men (multivariate relative risk for the highest quintile vs. the lowest 1⁄4 0.86, 95% confidence interval: 0.74, 0.99). Intake of fruits was not related to risk of colorectal cancer in men or women.
Likelihood and Consilience: On Forster’s Counterexamples to the Likelihood Theory of Evidence

Forster presented some interesting examples having to do with distinguishing the direction of causal influence between two variables, which he argued are counterexamples to the likelihood theory of evidence. In this article, we refute Forster’s arguments by carefully examining one of the alleged counterexamples. We argue that the example is not convincing as it relies on dubious intuitions that likelihoodists have forcefully criticized. More important, we show that contrary to Forster’s contention, the consilience-based methodology he favored is accountable within the framework of the likelihood theory of evidence.
INSIDERS OWNERSHIP AND FIRM VALUE IN SOUTHERN EUROPE

The effectiveness of the insider ownership as an internal governance mechanism is addressed in the Southern European context using a sample of publicly traded firms during the 2001-2007 period. A cross country and panel data design is used, taking into account the endogeneity problem arising in studies of corporate governance. The results provide new evidence of the influence of the insider ownership on firm value by testing a non-linear relationship. Our study supports both the convergence of interests and the entrenchment effect. It also shows whether there are significant differences in the estimated relationship between family and non family firms. We find that when the large shareholder has not a family nature, firm value initially declines with insider ownership, then increases, and, finally, increases again. However, when the large shareholder has a family nature, firm value initially increases with insider ownership and then decreases.
Diversity in nutrition and bioactivity of Momordica cochinchinensis

Momordica cochinchinensis (Cucurbitaceae) aril is the richest source of the carotenoids of all known fruits with high anti-cancer activity. The plant is restricted to South East Asia with diverse morphology and genetic variations. The effect of varietal variations on carotenoids (lycopene and β-carotene) and anticancer activity was investigated to determine cultivars important for agricultural development. M. cochinchinensis aril samples were collected from 17 provinces within Thailand and Vietnam and compared with samples from Australia. Lycopene and β-carotene was quantified using HPLC and cytotoxicity on melanoma (MM418C1, D24) and breast cancer (MCF7) cells were assessed using CCK 8 assay. The greatest lycopene content was from Central Vietnam (6.3 mg/g) and greatest β-carotene was from Northern Vietnam (5.7 mg/g). Cytotoxicity was greatest from Northern Vietnam, with 70% melanoma cell death. The best varieties possessing the highest nutritional and bioactivity identified in this study will be incorporated into future breeding and crop improvement programs.
Image enhancement from a stabilised video sequence

The aim of video stabilisation is to create a new video sequence where the motions (i.e. rotations, translations) and scale differences between frames (or parts of a frame) have effectively been removed. These stabilisation effects can be obtained via digital video processing techniques which use the information extracted from the video sequence itself, with no need for additional hardware or knowledge about camera physical motion. A video sequence usually contains a large overlap between successive frames, and regions of the same scene are sampled at different positions. In this paper, this multiple sampling is combined to achieve images with a higher spatial resolution. Higher resolution imagery play an important role in assisting in the identification of people, vehicles, structures or objects of interest captured by surveillance cameras or by video cameras used in face recognition, traffic monitoring, traffic law reinforcement, driver assistance and automatic vehicle guidance systems.
BIM and the small construction firm: a critical perspective

ABSTRACT The need for technological and administrative innovation is a recurrent theme in the UK construction-reform agenda, but generic improvement recipes are beginning to give way to a more focused prescription: building information modelling (BIM). The current strategy is to mandate the use of BIM for government projects as a way of integrating the design, construction and operation of publicly procured buildings. This aspiration represents a partial turn away from a focus on managerialist agendas towards a belief in the power of digital practices to achieve the aspiration of integrated working, collaboration and innovation, a trend that is being reflected globally in relation to both national and firm-level policy interventions. This paper subjects this so-called ‘BIM revolution’ to critical scrutiny. By drawing on theories of the digital divide, a critical discourse is developed around the ways in which political reform agendas centred on BIM might not stimulate innovation on a wider scale, but could act to disenfranchise small firms that are unable (or unwilling) to engage with them. This critical analysis presents important new research questions around the technocratic optimism that pervades the current reform discourse, the trajectory of industry development that it creates and the policy process itself.
A Universal Entropy Profile for the Hot Atmospheres of Galaxies and Clusters within R2500

We present atmospheric gas entropy profiles for 40 early-type galaxies and 110 clusters spanning several decades of halo mass, atmospheric gas mass, radio jet power, and galaxy type. We show that within ∼0.1R2500 the entropy profiles of low-mass systems, including ellipticals, brightest cluster galaxies, and spiral galaxies, scale approximately as K ∝ R2/3. Beyond ∼0.1R2500 entropy profiles are slightly shallower than the K ∝ R1.1 profile expected from gravitational collapse alone, indicating that heating by active galactic nuclei (AGN) feedback extends well beyond the central galaxy. We show that the K ∝ R2/3 entropy profile shape indicates that thermally unstable cooling is balanced by heating where the inner cooling and free-fall timescales approach a constant ratio. Hot atmospheres of elliptical galaxies have a higher rate of heating per gas particle compared to those of central cluster galaxies. This excess heating may explain why some central cluster galaxies are forming stars while most early-type galaxies have experienced no significant star formation for billions of years. We show that the entropy profiles of six lenticular and spiral galaxies follow the R2/3 form. The continuity between central galaxies in clusters, giant ellipticals, and spirals suggests perhaps that processes heating the atmospheres of elliptical and brightest cluster galaxies are also active in spiral galaxies.
Spawning dynamics in the Hawaiian reef-building coral Montipora capitata

The release of gametes into the water column by broadcast-spawning marine inver- tebrates represents the culmination of several physiological events in the parents and the first step in the supply of new recruits to marine ecosystem. The input of new propagules to coral reefs relies on spawning events that display remarkable synchronicity during limited periods each year. Although the timing of spawning is known for most species, other aspects of coral reproduction (polyp fecundity or spawning synchronicity) are less understood. This largely reflects the sporadic nature of reproductive activities and logistical problems of studying the ephemeral coral spawn- ing events in situ on the reef at night. Here, we address this gap by exploring the spatial and tem- poral spawning dynamics of Montipora capitata, a broadcast-spawning, reef-building coral from the central Pacific Ocean, by using the systematic sampling of gametes in the field. Our results indicate that spawning in this species varies among years, months and lunar days, and that the proportion of colonies spawning and synchrony of spawning do not reflect coral colony morphol- ogy, colony size or the differences in environments between sites within a year. Major differences in reproductive outputs (spawned material) were observed between the 2 yr studied, which most probably reflects variability in temperature between years or shifts in the timing of spawning (phenology). This study highlights the complexity of spawning dynamics in corals and suggests that a more comprehensive understanding of interplay between reproduction and environment is fundamentally important to accurately predict the effects of climate change in these important ecosystems.
Proteomics in Nasal Lavage Fluids from Persulfate Challenged Hairdressers

Hairdressers have an increased risk for developing airway symptoms e.g. asthma and rhinitis. Persulfate salts, which are oxidizing agents present in bleaching powder, are considered to be important causal agents for these symptoms. The underlying mechanisms are unclear and efficient tools for risk assessment and diagnosis are scarce. The general aim of this thesis was to measure proteomic changes, both with respect to protein abundances and protein oxidation, in nasal lavage fluids (NLF) from hairdressers challenged with persulfates. Proteins regulate most biological processes in the human body. Changes in protein levels may therefore provide a better understanding of disease pathogenesis and/or candidate biomarkers for persulfate exposure, effect and/or oxidative stress. A high throughput screening method for quantification of 246 NLF proteins was developed using selected reaction monitoring (SRM). Also, a strategy for identification of multiple oxidative modifications was developed and applied on proteins oxidized in vitro by persulfate. SRM assays targeting the oxidized peptides were developed. NLF samples from a previous persulfate challenge study were analyzed. Hairdressers with bleaching powder associated rhinitis were compared to hairdressers without respiratory symptoms and with atopic subjects without work related exposure to persulfate. Protein abundances in the NLF samples were analyzed with two different proteomic approaches. Pooled samples were first analyzed with an untargeted approach using 2D-nanoLC-MS/MS combined with iTRAQ-labeling and then with the SRM method targeting 246 NLF proteins. Also, oxidized peptides were measured in the samples by SRM. Several proteins with biologically relevant functions were changed after the persulfate challenge. The exact role of these proteins in relation to persulfate-induced respiratory symptoms needs to be further studied as well as the usefulness of them as effect biomarkers. Persulfates oxidized tryptophan and methionine residues. It was concluded that oxidized peptides containing these modifications are not suitable as persulfate exposure biomarkers due to poor specificity. Peptides containing oxidized tryptophan may be useful as biomarkers for oxidative stress and should be further evaluated.
Biometrics and education: a review about facial authentication software for the identification and verification of students who use virtual learning platform (LMS)

In the last decade, the use of biometrics has had a lot of success applied to the security and video surveillance tools. Due to that, facial authentication has a preferred place in continuous development with the purpose of getting the identification and verification of the user. Specifically, the use of facial authentication in virtual online environments is so important in order to improve the security mechanism in e- Learning systems, mostly in the field of online exams into a virtual platform. Particularly, the authentication of an user inside a LMS is essential for the institutions or universities to make sure that the student is who he says he is (the correct user). This article focuses on analysing and comparing the different facial authentication systems to verify the students when they use e-learning platforms, detailing the costs and the features of every system listed.
Parents/children “deals”: Inter-Vivos Transfers and Living Proximity

We use a Cox-type model to investigate the role of the family as an informal market: parents enjoy their children’s proximity (a proxy for the informal care they can receive from their kids) and “reward” them with an anticipated wealth transfer. Children appreciate the reward, particularly when they are likely to be subject to liquidity constraints. For unconstrained households, our model predicts that the amount of time devoted to parents – and, correspondingly, the amount of transfers received from them - is related negatively to their own lifetime income and positively to their parents’ wealth. Other things being equal, liquidity constraints increase the utility associated to money in youth and correspondingly increase the living proximity of children to their parents’ home. We test the model’s predictions on Italian data, taken from the Bank of Italy Survey on Household Income and Wealth, by distinguishing between liquidity constrained households and unconstrained ones. Our preliminary results are in line with the theoretical predictions of the model. Proximity to parents is indeed rewarded with higher transfers. As for financial imperfections, liquidity constrained households live closer to their parents than non-liquidity constrained households.
SOIL QUALITY IN A COTTON FIELD IN SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO

The goal of sustainable agriculture is to maintain a non-negative and preferably an increasing trend in per capita productivity while maintaining the soil quality. The objective of this research was to understand interactions among key soil physical and chemical properties for long-term sustainability of the existing cropping system. We collected core and bulk soil samples in a continuous cotton farm at 0-10, 10-20 and 20-30 cm depths. The soil was classified as Glendale (fine-silty, mixed, calcareous, thermic typic Torrifluvents)-Harkey (coarse-silty, mixed, calcareous, thermic typic Torrifluvents). Experimental field was minimum tilled in 2004 and conventional tilled in 2003 and 2005. Soil properties measured were bulk density (BD), drainable porosity (Ta), effective porosity (Te), available water capacity (AWC), volume of transport pores (VTP), volume of storage pores (VSP), saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks); organic carbon (SOC), nitrate-N, ammonium-N concentration; pH, electrical conductivity; and texture. We found a negative relationship among BD and Ks (R = -0.88), VTP (-0.81), nitrate-N content (r= -0.73), and Te (r = -0.61), respectively. A positive relationship was obtained among Ks and Te (r = 0.80) and VTP (r = 0.79), respectively. In general, soil properties did not vary with depth, except for AWC and VSP, which were lowest at the 10-20 cm depth. Using critical levels and relative weighting factors (RWF) for soil physical and chemical properties available in literature, ten measured soil properties were assigned a rating factor f and were added to provide a cumulative rating (CR) for each depth, separately. The CR for the farm ranged from 25 to 27 for various depths indicating that the existing cropping system is sustainable with high input. Use of cover crops, crop rotations, and less intense tillage may likely improve soil structural properties and sustainability of the cropping system.
A Hydrogenic Electrolyzer for Fuels

Abstract In this work - in view of still decreasing crude oil resources and increasing fuel prices - are presented issues concerning research on development of other, alternative fuel sources including those used in water, land and air transport means. One of them is hydrogen which, while burning, does not produce noxious carbon dioxide but only side effects such as heat and clean water. It is almost true that along with sudden drop of availability and rising price of crude oil many countries face economical paralysis. Any of alternative sources is not capable of supplying even only a basic amount of such energy, not mentioning the whole amount of energy demanded by our civilization. Hydrogen as an independent fuel for internal combustion engines has yet to go a long way to commercialization. to be Co-burning systems (combustion of mixtures)of today used hydrocarbon fuels combined with hydrogen seem closer to this aim. As proved in many investigations the substitution of a part of hydrocarbon fuel by hydrogen enables to make use of beneficial features of both the fuels. One of possible solutions of the problem may be application of an innovative hydrogenic fuel electrolyzer which is presented and evaluated in this paper.
Measuring public understanding on Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) electricity bills using ordered probit model

In 2016, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) had introduced an upgrade in its Billing and Customer Relationship Management (BCRM) as part of its long-term initiative to provide its customers with greater access to billing information. This includes information on real and suggested power consumption by the customers and further details in their billing charges. This information is useful to help TNB customers to gain better understanding on their electricity usage patterns and items involved in their billing charges. Up to date, there are not many studies done to measure public understanding on current electricity bills and whether this understanding could contribute towards positive impacts. The purpose of this paper is to measure public understanding on current TNB electricity bills and whether their satisfaction towards energy-related services, electricity utility services, and their awareness on the amount of electricity consumed by various appliances and equipment in their home could improve this understanding on the electricity bills. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods are used to achieve these objectives. A total of 160 respondents from local universities in Malaysia participated in a survey used to collect relevant information. Using Ordered Probit model, this paper finds respondents that are highly satisfied with the electricity utility services tend to understand their electricity bills better. The electric utility services include management of electricity bills and the information obtained from utility or non-utility supplier to help consumers manage their energy usage or bills. Based on the results, this paper concludes that the probability to understand the components in the monthly electricity bill increases as respondents are more satisfied with their electric utility services and are more capable to value the energy-related services.