Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Data Analysis and Interpretation of the Problem

To analyze single data set-based benchmark experiments using R. Exploratory and inferential methods are used to compare the distributions and to finally set up mathematical (order) relations between the algorithms. I reviewed the theoretical framework of the current work for inference problems in benchmark experiments. Benchmarking UCI and Grasshopper domains presented two domain-based benchmark experiments. A large number of regression diagnostic tests showing the problems and solution of diagnostics and procedures and Outlier diagnostics and procedures have been proposed in the econometrics literature. MATLAB and Gauss code for implementing these methods can be found on many sources.
Amelioration of Power Quality in Isolated Power Systems

In Isolated power systems the power quality problem is compounded as the drive converter loads are likely to fluctuate in conjunction with mining or exploration areas. The use of compensators in improving power quality of isolated power systems is considered. The roles of the compensators are to mitigate the effects of momentary voltage sags/swells, and to control the level of harmonic distortions in the networks. A control strategy for both series compensator and shunt compensator is developed to regulate power flow. However series compensator reduces harmonics to an acceptable level when compared to shunt compensator. This is achieved through phase adjustment of load terminal voltage. It leads through an increase in ride through capability of loads to the voltage sags/swells. Validity of the technique is illustrated through simulation. Hence series compensator with LC Filter is used in reducing the harmonic distortions in isolated power systems.
Repair and Adaptation of Aged Skeletal Muscle to Nonpathological Muscle Damage: The Influence of Macrophage Polarization

Repair and Adaptation of Aged Skeletal Muscle to Nonpathological Muscle Damage: The Influence of Macrophage Polarization Jacob R. Sorensen Department of Exercise Sciences, BYU Doctor of Philosophy The age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass and function is accompanied by a decline in regenerative capacity. The processes that facilitate healthy muscle repair are complex, involving several phases of degradation and rebuilding of muscle tissue and the surrounding microenvironment. Specifically, myogenic progenitor cells known as satellite cells are the most influential in repairing damaged muscle tissue. Following injury, satellite cells become activated and migrate, proliferate and fuse with mature skeletal muscle fibers to restore homeostasis to the tissue. However, satellite cells do not act in isolation, a robust inflammatory response is necessary to facilitate successful and rapid healing. Macrophages are one of the first and most abundant immune cells to infiltrate damaged skeletal muscle tissue. Primarily, macrophages adapt to a proinflammatory state to clear the area of cellular debris, promote degradation of the extracellular matrix and stimulate satellite cell activation and proliferation. Afterwards, a timely transition to an anti-inflammatory state directs rebuilding of the extracellular matrix and terminal differentiation of satellite cells. Indeed, the inhibition of macrophage activity leads to impaired healing and loss of skeletal muscle function. Little is known regarding the behavior of macrophages in aged skeletal muscle following injury in humans. Thus, the objective of this dissertation is to investigate the age-related response of macrophages in human skeletal muscle, and their role in muscle repair.
eScience for Free / Libre Open Source Software Researchers

This paper presents a case study of the application of eScience tools and practices for the social science research community studying Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) development practices. We first describe what we mean by eScience and introduce research on FLOSS to motivate the need for eScience tools and approaches. We then describe our initial efforts to introduce eScience tools for FLOSS research, potential obstacles, and how the use of such tools might affect the practice of research in this field.
Sensory evaluation of coffee cultivars in the Campo das Vertentes Mesoregion, Minas Gerais

The objective of this study was to evaluate the sensory characteristics of coffees from Coffea arabica L. groups, in municipalities located in the Campo das Vertentes mesoregion, in the State of Minas Gerais. Natural and parchment coffees, after drying, consisted of 100% mature fruits. The experiment was carried out on 14 coffee farms located in the municipalities of Carmo da Mata, Oliveira, Santo Antonio do Amparo and Bom Sucesso, in the 2016/17 agricultural crop. In order to conduct the study, coffee fruit collections of nine groups of commercial cultivars were submitted to two types of post-harvest processing, known as “terrarium nut” and “parchment”, combinations that resulted in 250 samples. Sensory analysis was performed according to the protocol of the Specialty Coffee Association - SCA, with panelists accredited by the Coffee Quality Institute - CQI. The natural post-harvest processing (terrarium nut) showed higher scores for most groups of cultivars when compared to parchment processing. Cultivars Topazio, Bourbon Amarelo, Catucai Amarelo, Icatu Amarelo and Icatu Vermelho stood out with the highest averages for all sensory attributes. Key words: Coffee arabica L. , sensory analysis, Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), quality.
A Review on Emerging Techniques in Digital Image Compression

Image compression is basically a process of encoding the image to trim down the size of image as a number of bytes for storage and transmission purposes, while maintaining as much as possible the quality of the image. The quality of the image of most importance in any compression technique with a good compression ratio. The compressed image requires less memory space and less transmission time. A number of techniques have been developed in image processing. This paper gives a detailed view of Lossy and Lossless compression techniques and also the architectures of most efficient transforms such as Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) and Neural Networks and the newly developed Artificial Neural Network and Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) that can be efficiently used for image compression. This paper also gives a review on a hybrid method for image compression using wavelet and Artificial Neural Network and Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS).
MICROSPOROGENESIS IN A FERTILE SACCHARUM OFFICINARUM X ERIANTHUS ARUNDINACEUS HYBRID WITH FLORAL ABNORMALITIES

Saccharum officinarum is the basic species involved in the origin of commercial sugarcane varieties and Erianthus arundinaceus is a related wild species with biotic and abiotic stress resistance. The chromosome number, meiotic behaviour, floral abnormalities and fertility of the S. officinarum (2n=80) x E. arundinaceus (2n = 60) hybrid 96 GUK 578 was studied. The somatic chromosome number of the hybrid was 2n = 110, with 2n + n transmission from the parental clones. The meiotic metaphase was generally normal with 55 bivalents, whereas the subsequent meiotic stages exhibited abnormalities such as precocious separation of bivalents at late metaphase I, distorted spindles, lagging chromosomes, failure of cytokinesis, abnormal planes of cytokinesis, etc. The first division and second division restitution of nucleus resulted in 2n gametes along with the normal n gametes and aneuploid gametes from elimination of chromosomes due to lagging chromosomes. Even though pistillody was present in most of the spikelets, up to 16.4 % fertile pollen was found in anthers. The female fertility was confirmed by obtaining progeny by pollinating the hybrid with E. arundinaceus, S. spontaneum and a commercial sugarcane variety Co 1148. The chromosome number of backcross hybrid with E. arundinaceus was 2n = 85, and that of the hybrid with Co 1148 was 2n = 110, both resulting from n + n transmission. From the cytological and floral studies the hybridity of 96 GUK 578 could be confirmed and this fertile hybrid can be used in introgression of genes from E. arundinaceus to sugarcane.
N=4 conformal supergravity: the complete actions

The most general class of 4D N=4 conformal supergravity actions depends on a holomorphic function of the scalar fields that parametrize an SU(1,1)/U(1) coset space. The bosonic sector of these actions was presented in a letter [arXiv:1609.09083]. Here we provide the complete actions to all orders in the fermion fields. They rely upon a new N=4 density formula, which permits a direct but involved construction. This density formula also recovers the on-shell action for vector multiplets coupled to conformal supergravity. Applications of these results in the context of Poincare supergravity are briefly discussed.
Comprehensive Study between calculated and Measured DVHs for Prostate Cancer Patients Using IMRT/RapidArc Dosimetric Techniques

The objectiveof this workis to compare betweenthe calculated dose by treatment planning system (TPS) and the measured dose collected by ArcCHECK phantom,for prostate cancer patients with two techniques:Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) and Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) using 3DVH system (Sun Nuclear Corporation, Melbourne, FL, USA). ArcCHECK is a 3D dosimetry quality assurance (QA)toolusedto measure the doses that are calculated by a (TPS)and compares them with the measured dose from the linear accelerator. The 3DVH is a measured dose(QA) software application used for comparing 3D dose and dose volume histograms (DVHs). One dataset is imported as a reference dose plan by(TPS), and the other is calculated by 3DVH from a correction of the intended TPS dose plan by ray tracing corrections that have been determined with a measurement system. 3DVH analysis uses the dose errors (derived from the measured versus calculated doses in phantom) to perturb the original 3D planned dose and accurately estimate the 3D dose distribution. This method that called PDP (Planned Dose Perturbation) results in fast, accurate, and powerful DVH comparisons.We evaluated dose difference between the TPS calculations and the collected dose reconstructed by 3DVH software.
THE AUSTRALASIAN REVIEW OF AFRICAN STUDIES

Since independence in 1957, the Volta Region of Ghana has endured ethnic-riddled internal torment and has been used as a pawn in national and international political struggles. The looming decision by the Ghanaian government to demarcate the Volta Region, to create the new Oti Region, has revived nationalistic sentiments that stem from the 1880’s German protectorate of Togoland which encompassed the region. Drawing upon theories of nationalism, this article reflects upon the turbulent history of the area and situates the three competing nationalisms of Ewe, Voltarian and Western Togoland, amidst the current political and social debate. This article suggests that these nationalisms are precariously balanced as the proposed Oti Region threatens to redefine the future of each and give rise to a dominant Voltarian identity. Introduction On the 12th of October 2017, the President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, utilised his constitutional power and appointed a Commission of Inquiry to examine the prospect of creating new regions within the country (Government of Ghana, 2017). This decision was prompted by petitions presented by chiefs, individuals and advocacy groups in some regions of Ghana, and the findings of the Commission of Inquiry have identified four regions as having a need and demand for demarcation to create six new regions (Government of Ghana 2018). The process is being administratively 1 I am indebted to Dr Max Kelly for her support and guidance throughout the drafting of this paper akpe ka ka ka as we say in the Volta Region. This article is based on research completed for partial fulfilment of Master of International and Community Development at Deakin University.
Accountability in Higher Education: The Impact of High-Stakes Testing on Academic Achievement

Aiming to increase student accountability, many governments have implemented policies to improve study success. One of the most common policies is high-stakes testing. In parts of Germany, first-year undergraduates have to pass so-called ’orientation exams’ to be eligible to continue a program. In the first part of the paper we investigate the causal effect of the introduction of the policy on early dropout. In the second part, we use plausible exogenous variation in failing the first attempt of such an orientation exam to assess the causal impact of high-stake testing on subsequent academic achievement. Applying a regression discontinuity design, we find that being exposed to a high-stake exam increases the probability to drop out of a program in the first year by 16 to 19 percentage points. This effect diminishes over time but persists until the end of their studies, as we still find a 10 to 13 percentage points difference in the probability to graduate, showing the difficulty of such a policy in choosing the right standard. JEL-Code: I21, I23, J24
Substituting Technology by Management in SMEs

This paper investigates the impact of in-house R&D and innovation management practices on innovation success in small and medium-sized firms (SMEs). While there is little doubt about the significance of technology competence for generating successful innovations, inhouse R&D activities may be a particular challenge for SMEs due to high risk exposure, high fixed costs, high minimum investment and severe financial constraints. SMEs may thus opt for refraining from R&D and relying more on innovation management tools in order to achieve innovation success. We analyse whether such a strategy can pay off. Based on data from the German CIS we find that R&D activities are a main driver for innovation success if combined with external R&D, using external innovation sources or by entering into cooperation agreements. SMEs without in-house R&D can yield a similar innovation success if they effectively apply human resource management tools or team work to facilitate innovation processes.
Image schemas, mimetic schemas, and the development of Swedish children’s gestures

Language and gesture are two semiotic systems that work together in close integration during communication. One issue in particular, that of image schemas, has been studied in relation to gestures, though most often in adult gesture and communication (Williams, forthcoming; Cienki, 2013; Mittelberg, 2006, 2018). This contrasts with mimetic schemas, which are thought to be more specific structures than image schemas, underlying children’s first iconic gestures (Zlatev, 2014). This thesis explored the gestures of three Swedish children in their fourth year. The aim was to discover whether there is a transition from more concrete modes of expression motivated by mimetic schemas, to more abstract modes of expression motivated by image schemas. This was achieved by analysing video-recorded data of three Swedish children and their caregivers in a natural environment using the CLAN software (MacWhinney, 2000). Their gestures and corresponding language were analysed, and in particular, iconic gestures and the corresponding language, with focus on the categories of Viewpoint and Mode of Representation (MOR). The results showed that more concrete modes of expression in terms of Character Viewpoint and Acting MOR were more frequent at the beginning of the fourth year, while more abstract modes of expression in terms of Observer Viewpoint and Tracing/Drawing MOR are more frequent towards the end of the fourth year, which could be interpreted as an emergence of image schema-based gestures. Representing and Moulding gestures were intermediary. The overall analysis showed that there may be a trend towards abstractness that is more gradual than abrupt, though further studies would be needed to confirm this. Further, abstract gestures did not emerge until language had been firmly established, as well as its link to gesture. This finding points to a link between image schemas and language, directly or not. (Less)
Using weak supervision to scale the development of machine-learning models for social media-based marketing research

Marketers have expressed substantial enthusiasm about the potential of social media data to enhance marketing research, and the computer science literature provides many examples of using the text and network connections of social media users to infer measurements of broad interest to marketers. Yet, adoption of such machine learning approaches has been surprisingly limited in marketing practice. We believe that, for many prediction and classification tasks, the hurdle of procuring the labeled training data that is generally necessary to build such models may be limiting widespread adoption. Such training data can be very expensive to generate, and for many tasks, may not be feasible at all. Further, the rapidly changing nature of social platforms leads to an often limited lifespan for models once trained, further decreasing the value proposition of investment. We propose that the organic structure of social media itself can be leveraged to circumvent the need for such curated training data for a variety of marketingrelevant prediction and classification tasks, making such models much more accessible and useful to marketers. We describe two emerging methodological themes of weak supervision (training on exemplars and training on groups) that are broadly promising towards this goal, and discuss examples of how they have been applied towards a variety of marketing tasks—in all cases, without requiring any manually labeled training data, and in some cases, requiring nothing more than a single keyword as input. Our hope in presenting these methodological themes and implementation examples is that it will inspire and facilitate the development of more flexible, scalable, and cost-effective models for marketing applications, and stimulate additional research in this area.
Will Gaia be precise enough to solve for the geometric distortion of the WFI?

From simple source centroiding to large-area image mosaics, a multifaceted variety of scientific applications with the Wide-Field Imager (WFI) of the Wide-Field InfraRed Survey Telescope (WFIRST) require accurate and/or precise astrometry. To this goal, cutting-edge knowledge of the Point-Spread Function (PSF) and of the geometric distortion are required. The primary purpose of this technical report is to quantify the achievable precision of the geometricdistortion solution of the WFI using Gaia stars as a reference and a stellar field with similar characteristics of those that will be targeted by the Bulge Microlensing Survey. To this aim, we: (i) simulate a set of dithered images of the Sagittarius window in the Galactic bulge; (ii) distort the “raw” images according to a given geometric distortion; (iii) take into account for inter-pixel capacitance (IPC) effects and jitter RMS; (iv) solve for the geometric distortion using expected Gaia stars in the field; and (v) perform an exploratory investigation of jitter RMS and IPC effects on the shape the PSF. We find that, when Gaia’s expected end-of-mission astrometric errors are ignored, we can solve for the geometric-distortion solution of a single WFI detector to 0.03 pixel root mean square (RMS) using library, WebbPSF-based PSF models. The solution improves by a factor of about 6 when the PSFs are perturbed to take into account for jitter and IPC effects. When we include Gaia’s end-of-mission astrometric errors, the precision of the recovered geometric-distortion solution with the perturbed (library) PSF models worsens to about 0.03 (0.04) pixel RMS. We find IPC effects to introduce significant pixel-phase errors in the measured stellar positions when the adopted PSF model does not account for them. Jitter RMS typically has a lesser effect on the PSF shape. The geometric-distortion solution is expected to substantially improve when the distortion itself is solved for using an autocalibration approach based on much larger dithers (up to the entire WFI detector). We will focus on the autocalibration approach in a future technical report.
IPER programs: a narrative framework for program development

In this paper, we describe both propositional and narrative frameworks to design and evaluate IPER programs. While a propositional framework provides a way to report on outcomes and is of interest to funders, a narrative framework provides insight into the lives of students and how a program fits into their life story. We have found that listening to students and understanding their lives provides insight into how to design a program that keeps students engaged, growing, and returning to the program year after year. Understanding the student narrative is essential and precedes the design of effective STEM programs.
Developers’ Perspectives on Architecture Violations: A Survey

Architecture violations are indicators of code decay. Software developers have to follow the original or planned architecture. However, several systems often require redesign or reengineering. This paper aims to understand the knowledge of software developers architecture violations and anti-design patterns. I used an exploratory survey to collect responses from 30 professional software developers. Analysis of the responses found 25% of respondents were not aware of about architecture violations while 36% were aware of them but were not sure of their significance. Based on the responses, I also identified five categories of developers’ perspectives on architecture violations and design anti-patterns: non-adherence to original architecture, lack of software quality, poor design decisions, lack of developer’s skills, and cost-benefit considerations. keywords: architecture constraints, architecture violations, survey, reverse engineering, software evolution
Urban air pollution adversely impacts brain functions in human populations and animal models. Emerging findings show associations of airborne pollutant levels with mild cognitive impairments (Calderon-Garciduenas

Airborne particulate matter (PM) from urban vehicular aerosols altered glutamate receptor functions and induced glial inflammatory responses in rodent models after chronic exposure. Potential neurotoxic mechanisms were analyzed in vitro. In hippocampal slices, 2 h exposure to aqueous nanosized PM (nPM) selectively altered post-synaptic proteins in cornu ammonis area 1 (CA1) neurons: increased GluA1, GluN2A, and GluN2B, but not GluA2, GluN1, or mGlur5; increased post synaptic density 95 and spinophilin, but not synaptophysin, while dentate gyrus (DG) neurons were unresponsive. In hippocampal slices and neurons, MitoSOX red fluorescence was increased by nPM, implying free radical production. Specifically, NO ̇ production by slices was increased within 15 min of exposure to nPM with dose dependence, 1–10 lg/ mL. Correspondingly, CA1 neurons exhibited increased nitrosylation of the GluN2A receptor and dephosphorylation of GluN2B (S1303) and of GluA1 (S831 & S845). Again, DG neurons were unresponsive to nPM. The induction of NO ̇ and nitrosylation were inhibited by AP5, an NMDA receptor antagonist, which also protects neurite outgrowth in vitro from inhibition by nPM. Membrane injury (EthidiumD-1 uptake) showed parallel specificity. Finally, nPM decreased evoked excitatory post-synaptic currents of CA1 neurons. These findings further document the selective impact of nPM on glutamatergic functions and identify novel responses of NMDA receptor-stimulated NO ̇ production and nitrosylation reactions during nPM-mediated neurotoxicity.