Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Moletest: A Web-based Skin Cancer Screening System

This paper reports on a research and development programme undertaken in the Bioengineering Research Group http://teapot.dit. ie/ at Dublin Institute of Technology which led to the launch, in September 2010, of a new SME called Moletest UK Limited. Based on an exclusive license awarded by Dublin Institute of Technology in 2010, we report of the development of the world’s first remote skin cancer screening system which is based on a customer uploading a good quality digital image of a suspect mole. A ‘background to the case’ is given and the concept of the approach discussed together with an overview of the methods and algorithms developed in order to provide the service now available.
Evaluation of struvite from source-separated urine as a phosphate fertilizer.

The potential shortage of phosphorus (P) fertilizer is a threat to food security and closing the nutrient loop through recycling human excreta, especially urine, has been considered, so as to mitigate this crisis. Struvite (magnesium, ammonium phosphate), a material derived from human urine, is a product which is gaining credence with regards to using urine as a P amendment since more than 90% of P in urine can be captured during struvite production. A study to evaluate the potential of struvite as a P amendment in three contrasting soils was conducted. The soils used were an A horizon of Inanda (Ia), A horizon Sepane (Se) and an E horizon of Cartref (Cf). Phosphate adsorption properties of the soils were studied and the Freundlich model used to derive sorption parameters. From these studies, Pmax was related to the Kf parameter of the Freundlich equation. Two sets of incubation studies were then conducted. The first ran for 122 days and the second for 22 days to examine in closer detail the early stages of dissolution of the struvite as the major P release occurred during this time period of the incubation. A pot experiment was conducted in a controlled environment so as to determine the effect of P released from struvite on maize growth. The Ia, with high content of iron and aluminum oxides, displayed high sorption and affinity for P, whereas soil texture was a principal factor in the sorption properties of the Se (clayey) and Cf (sandy). The Kf decreased in the order Ia > Se > Cf and external P requirements decreased in the order Se > Ia > Cf. In the incubation studies solution P content increased with an increase in application rate of struvite. Struvite dissolution and P release varied between the different soils and the dissolution was found to be related to the P adsorption maximum of each individual soil and soil pH. The magnesium content also increased with time. In the glasshouse study, drymatter yield after six weeks growth was improved by the addition of struvite. There were no benefits achieved by using more than the recommended application rates for each soil. Struvite was as effective as conventional single superphosphate in the Ia and Cf, while superphosphate outperformed struvite on the Se. The findings of this study suggest that struvite has the potential to release P in an available form although its effectiveness and
A Vocal Tract Segmentation and Analysis over a European Portuguese MRI Database

Knowledge of the speech production mechanism is essential for the development of speech production models and theories. Magnetic Resonance Imaging delivers high quality imaging of soft tissue. To our knowledge, there are no complete systematic Magnetic Resonance Imaging studies of European Portuguese production. With this work, we intend to create a database of Magnetic Resonance Imaging images of European Portuguese and to implement segmentation techniques well known on the image processing field, but rarely used on the context of vocal tract segmentation. We present 2D vocal tract contours as well as their evaluation using a similarity metric, the Pratt Index. This metric allows not only to validate the segmentation technique, but also to infer on the differences among the sounds in study.
Adaptive PID and Model Reference Adaptive Control Switch Controller for Nonlinear Hydraulic Actuator

Nonlinear systems are modeled as piecewise linear systems at multiple operating points, where the operating points are modeled as switches between constituent linearized systems. In this paper, adaptive piecewise linear switch controller is proposed for improving the response time and tracking performance of the hydraulic actuator control system, which is essentially piecewise linear. The controller composed of PID and Model Reference Adaptive Control (MRAC) adaptively chooses the proportion of these two components and makes the designed system have faster response time at the transient phase and better tracking performance, simultaneously. Then, their stability and tracking performance are analyzed and evaluated by the hydraulic actuator control system, the hydraulic actuator is controlled by the electrohydraulic system, and its model is built, which has piecewise linear characteristic. Then the controller results are compared between PID and MRAC and the switch controller designed in this paper is applied to the hydraulic actuator; it is obvious that adaptive switch controller has better effects both on response time and on tracking performance.
Fatigue des empilements de sphères creuses métalliques

Les empilements de spheres creuses sont constitues de coques metalliques minces de forme spherique reliees entre elles par divers procede. La structure resultante est un materiau cellulaire a architecture interne assez regulier et controlable possedant des proprietes multifonctionnelles. On peut, en particulier en jouant sur divers parametre, comme l'epaisseur des parois et le diametre des spheres, construire un materiau sur mesure. Il est alors necessaire de parfaitement connaitre les proprietes du materiau. Dans l'industrie aeronautique, les empilements de spheres creuses sont pressentis pour reduire le bruit en partie chaude de tuyere de turbomachine. Les proprietes a atteindre ainsi que les conditions d'utilisation imposent un materiau structurellement resistant et en particulier pouvant supporter des cycles de fatigue. L'objectif de la these est d'etudier les relations entre les parametres structuraux du materiau et le comportement en fatigue resultant. Ceci grâce a une demarche d'experimentation, observation, modelisation et validation. La tomographie aux rayons X fournit des images 3D du materiau. Ces images permettent dans un premier temps d'identifier les parametres morphologiques de l'empilement. Les scans ont aussi ete utilisees pour observer et quantifier la cinetique d'endommagement au cœur du materiau au cours de l'essai de fatigue. Parallelement, de nombreux essais cycliques fournissent les durees de vie de divers echantillons. Ces donnees mettent en evidence l'importance du procede de fabrication, du mode de sollicitation et de la densite des empilements sur le comportement en fatigue. Les observations et mesures sont utilisees pour la modelisation. Les images de tomographie sont tout d'abord maillees grâce a une methode utilisant des elements coques d'epaisseurs directement mesurees sur les images. Ces nouveaux calculs de microstructure par elements finis permettent de determiner de manieres fidele les champs de contrainte et de deformation dans l'ensemble de l'eprouvette. Pour traiter la fatigue, il est alors possible de traduire ces informations locales en duree de vie ou de realiser une extension macroscopique deterministe. Cette extension a ete realisee grâce a des criteres de proportion d'elements plastifies ou de taille de zone plastique. Ces modeles permettent ensuite de determiner la limite de fatigue d'empilements generes numeriquement et d'investiguer des parametres structuraux non atteignable experimentalement.
Day-of-the-week effect on the Tunisian stock market return and volatility

Abstract In this paper, we examine empirically the day-of-the-week effect on the Tunisian stock exchange index (TUNINDEX) return and volatility. We use three multivariate general autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity models (GARCH (1,1), EGARCH (1,1), and TGARCH (1,1)) to examine the presence of daily anomalies in the TUNINDEX returns and volatilities during the period from 31 December 1997 to 07 April 2014. The empirical results of GARCH (1,1), EGARCH (1,1), and TGARCH (1,1) model indicate the existence of a significance and positive effect for Thursdays and for the return at (t − 1) on the return and volatility of TUNINDEX in a threshold of 1%. Additionally, we find the presence of a significance and negative effect for Tuesday on the TUNINDEX return and volatility. Also, we can show the persistence of volatility in the case of Tunisian stock market index.
Nucleotide sequence of 16S rRNA gene of Clarias gariepinus and its molecular phylogeny with other catfishes

Clarias gariepinus commonly known as the North American catfish, belong to a diverse group of ray finned fish. They are of considerable commercial importance; many of the larger species are farmed or fished for food. Partial sequence of 16S rRNA gene of the mitochondrial genome in the catfish Clarias gariepinus was determined that contained 561 base pairs (bp). Genomic DNA was isolated successfully by CTAB method. Amplification of DNA was carried out using universal set of primers which amplified partial region of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene. Nucleotide sequence was determined using the Sanger dideoxy sequencing method. The sequence was 561 bp long and the A+T base composition of the gene was about 53%. Interspecific and intraspecific comparison between two catfishes namely C. gariepinus and C. batrachus based on the 16S rRNA gene. The intraspecific sequences of 16S rRNA gene of C. gariepinus was aligned and 8 of polymorphic sites were observed. However, 21 polymorphic sites were revealed after comparing the interspecific sequence between C. gariepinus and C. batrachus. These polymorphic sites could be used as a molecular tool for identification of these two catfishes. Furthermore, partial 16S rRNA sequences of a few different locally found catfishes from Bangladesh and India were collected from the GenBank database, all of which were over 500 bp long. A phylogenic tree was constructed using the multiple sequence alignment data of the 8 catfish sequences to determine their phylogenic relationship. All eight catfishes form a monophylic group that belong to the order Siluriformes. Among different species of catfish C. gariepinus and C. batrachus form a monophylic group with high bootstrap value (98). Both of these fishes are consistent with phylogeny based on morphology and they belong to the family Clariidae. Labeo rohita and Channa striata were used as out groups. This research demonstrates that partial sequences of this gene can identify the different species of catfish, indicating the usefulness of mtDNA-based approach in species identification.
Volatile public spending in a model of money and sustainable growth

In a model where seignorage provides the financing instrument for the government’s budget, public spending volatility has an adverse effect on long-run growth. This negative relationship arises because the incidence of volatility in this type of public policy is responsible for higher average money growth, thus induces individuals to devote less time/effort towards capital accumulation. Another implication of the model is that policy variability provides a possible argument behind the positive correlation between inflation and inflation variability.
Consumers' beliefs on indigenous and traditional foods and acceptance of products made with cow pea leaves

The study was conducted to obtain background information on consumers’ beliefs on Indigenous and Traditional Foods (ITF) and to assess consumers’ acceptance of, preference for and intended consumption of products made with cowpea leaves. Four focus groups investigated consumers’ beliefs on ITF. Thematic analysis identified three major themes in relation to ITF consumption. These were benefits of ITF consumption, barriers of ITF consumption as well as suggestions on how to increase ITF consumption. Consumers’ acceptance of, preference for and intended consumption of products made with cowpea leaves were assessed by 87 respondents. A 5-point hedonic scale and 7-point food action rating scale was used for sensory evaluation. Sample B (Cowpea leaves stewed with tomatoes, potatoes and onions with salt and vegetable oil added) was scored statistically higher for acceptance of general appearance, colour, smell, texture and taste with means ≥4 on a 5-point hedonic scale by respondents of the total study sample. The acceptability, preference and intended consumption of samples differed significantly between the communities, age groups and education levels. Overall, Sample B was the most acceptable, preferred and respondents’ intended to eat it more often than the others except for acceptance by respondents from Tlakgameng. Key words: Consumers, consumers’ beliefs, consumption intent, cow pea leaves, preference, product acceptance.
The proposed eco: should West Africa proceed with a common currency?

This paper investigates the rationality of proceeding with a common currency in West Africa by testing for symmetry and speed of adjustment to four underlying structural shocks among a pair of 66 ECOWAS economies. The findings reveal that there is relatively high degree of symmetry in the responses of the economies to external disturbances, while about 85 percent of the correlations in supply, demand and monetary shocks among the countries are asymmetric. The size of the shocks and speed of adjustment among countries are also dissimilar, suggesting that ECOWAS should not yet proceed with the eco, since the costs will outweigh the benefits.
EFFECTS OF WATER LIMNOLOGY AND ENTEROPARASITIC INFESTATION ON MORPHOMETRICS OF OREOCHROMIS NILOTICUS (LINNE, 1757) (CICHLIDAE) IN A TROPICAL RESERVOIR

Water quality and enteroparasitic infestation are factors that affect the productivity of fish aquaculture. American Public Health Association’s methods were used to determine Limnological characteristics of water while morphometric and enteroparasitological studies of Oreochromis niloticus were done using standard methods. Temperature of water in the reservoir was detected to be declining in value when compared with previously acquired data as a result of climate change. The water was turbid and O. niloticus was found to thrive well in the turbid water as indicated by the abundance and condition factor values obtained in the two years of study. Values of investigated limnological characteristics were within acceptable standards for fish aquaculture. The growth pattern of the fish in the reservoir was positively allometric. Gastro - intestinal helminth parasites recovered were comprised of two Acanthocephalan (Neoechinorhynchus rutili, Acanthocentius tilapiae) and the metacercaria of a Trematode, (Clinestomum tilapiae). Infestation by enteroparasites was found to affect the correlation coefficient of length - weight relationship in infested fishes, though the difference in length and weight was not significant (p = 0.05) from those of uninfested fishes.
Answer to Reviewers Comments for “Response of stratospheric water vapor and ozone to the unusual timing of El Niño and QBO disruption

The stratospheric circulation determines the transport and lifetime of key trace gases in a changing climate, including water vapor and ozone, which radiatively impact surface climate. The unusually warm El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event aligned with a disrupted Quasi–Biennial Oscillation (QBO) caused an unprecedented perturbation to this circulation in 2015– 2016. Here, we quantify the impact of the alignment of these two phenomena in 2015–2016 on lower stratospheric water vapor 5 and ozone from satellite observations. We show that the warm ENSO event substantially increased water vapor and decreased ozone in the tropical lower stratosphere. The QBO disruption significantly decreased global lower stratospheric water vapor and tropical ozone from early spring to late autumn. Thus, this QBO disruption reversed the lower stratosphere moistening triggered by the alignment of the warm ENSO event with westerly QBO in early boreal winter. Our results suggest that the interplay of ENSO events and QBO phases will be crucial for the distributions of radiatively active trace gases in a changing 10 future climate, when increasing El Niño-like conditions and a decreasing lower stratospheric QBO amplitude are expected.
Motion Planning System for Bin Picking Using 3-D Point Cloud

In this paper, we propose a motion planning system for bin picking using 3-D point cloud. The situation that the objects are put miscellaneously like the inside in a house is assumed. In the home, the equipment which makes an object stand in line doesn’t exist. Therefore the motion planning system which considered a collision problem becomes important. In this paper, Information on the objects is measured by a laser range finder (LRF). The information is used as 3-D point cloud, and the objects are recognized by model-base. We propose search method of a grasping point for two-fingered robotic hand, and propose search method of a path to approach the grasping point without colliding with other objects.
A supervised named entity recognition for information extraction from medical records

Named entity recognition is a widely used task to extract various kinds of information from unstructured text. Medical records, produced by hospitals every day contain huge amount of data about diseases, medications used in treatment and information about treatment success rate. There are a large number of systems used in information retrieval from medical documentation, but they are mostly used on documents written in English language. This paper contains the explanation of our approach to solving the problem of extracting disease and drug names from medical records written in Serbian language. Our approach uses statistical language models and can detect up to 80% of named entities, which is a good result given the very limited resources for Serbian language, which makes the process of detection much more difficult.
Factors controlling the frequency and biomass of submerged vegetation in outwash lakes supplied with surface water or groundwater

Chmara R. , Szmeja J. & Ulrich W. 2013. Patterns of abundance and co-occurrence in submerged plants communities. Ecol. Res. 28: 387–395. Clarke K.R. 1993. Non-parametric multivariate analysis of changes in community structure. Aust. J. Ecol. 18:
Performance Analysis of AQM Algorithms in Network Congestion Control

Today fast communication technologies are the need for modern communication and computer networks as well as the Internet. They are developed for transmission of huge amounts of information, for which Congestion Control Algorithms (CCAs) are most powerful. A congestion control method is one of the essential that keep any network energetic and decent for the users. Various algorithms suggested recently trying to provide an efficient control of congestion that occurs in the network. Active Queue Management (AQM) is one of such method which provides superior control in congestion control. This paper concentrates on active queue management established congestion control algorithms to discuss performance parameters designed for networks stable as well as optimal (minimum) queue length and issues about the merits and demerits of the congestion control algorithms and evaluate their features. Keywords: Congestion; Congestion Control; Communication Network; Active Queue Management; Throughput, Latency
Photocatalytic Activity of Cu Doped TiO2 Films Deposited by Electrophoresis

On latest years, an emergency necessity for clean methods to improvement of environment quality has attracted attention in several researches fields. The use of films on photocatalysis process is one of the most interesting alternatives due to its easily on separation of residual water and recovery of photocatalyst. In this work, we synthesized bare and Cu doped TiO2 powder samples, which were characterized by X ray diffraction, micro-Raman spectroscopy, optical spectroscopy in ultraviolet and visible region and photocatalytic experiments for degradation of Rhodamine B dye. TiO2 doped with 0.5% at. Cu promoted anatase phase stabilization, local structural distortions and reduction of band gap energy due to formation of intermediate energy levels within band gap. Cu doped TiO2 sample was deposited by electrophoresis on aluminum substrate and resulted in thickness of approximately 125 μm, and 3 films on experiments tests allowed 56.3% of degradation of Rhodamine B solution in 60 minutes of reaction. Therefore, electrophoretic deposition is an effective method to obtain photocatalytic films and has shown an attractive potential for technological applications.
Peer Victimization in Middle Childhood: Characteristics, Causes, and Consequences of School Bullying

This paper focuses on a particular type of peer victimization commonly identified as school bullying. In the past. myths and inaccurate assumptions coupled with the lack of empirical data on the long term effects and stability of peer victimization have presented serious obstacles toward a greater understanding of bullying. Recent research, however, suggests that the number of students affected is much higher than previously believed, the range of behaviours involved more severe, and the consequences long-lasting; in many cases, the maladjustment for both victims and bullies can extend well into adulthood. Clearly, peer victimization is a complex and multidimensional aspect of school life that needs to be understood in greater depth and taken much more seriously because of the associated consequences. This paper will provide an overview of four central aspects of bullying, namely, the myths, characteristics, callses, and consequences.
THE ONSET OF MASSIVE STAR FORMATION: THE EVOLUTION OF TEMPERATURE AND DENSITY STRUCTURE IN AN INFRARED DARK CLOUD

We present new NH3 (1, 1), (2, 2), and (4, 4) observations from the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array compiled with work in the literature to explore the range of conditions observed in young, massive star-forming regions. To sample the effects of evolution independent from those of distance/resolution, abundance, and large-scale environment, we compare clumps in different evolutionary stages within a single infrared dark cloud (IRDC), G32.02+0.06. We find that the early stages of clustered star formation are characterized by dense, parsec-scale filamentary structures interspersed with complexes of dense cores (<0.1 pc cores clustered in complexes separated by ∼1 pc) with masses from about 10 to 100 M☉. The most quiescent core is the most extended while the star forming cores are denser and more compact, showing very similar column density structure before and shortly after the onset of massive star formation, with peak surface densities Σ ≳ 1 g cm−2. Quiescent cores and filaments show smoothly varying temperatures from 10 to 20 K, rising to over 40 K in star-forming cores. We calculate virial parameters for 16 cores and find that the level of support provided by turbulence is generally insufficient to support them against gravitational collapse (〈αvir〉 ∼ 0.6). The star-forming filaments show smooth velocity fields, punctuated by discontinuities at the sites of active star formation. We discuss the massive molecular filament (M ∼ 105 M☉, length >60 pc) hosting the IRDC, hypothesizing that it may have been shaped by previous generations of massive stars.