Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Status and impact of in vitro conservation of root and tubers at the International Potato Center ( CIP )

Potato in vitro slow growth storage and pathogen elimination techniques were established at CIP in the 1973-79 period. These developments pioneered the in vitro conservation and worldwide dissemination of the most important Andean root and tuber crops. The CIP’s in vitro genebank, existed now for 36 years, and currently stores potato (5,551 accessions), sweetpotato (5,454), oca (491), ulluco (418), mashua (47), yacon (29), achira (11) and arracacha (2) germplasm; additionally, breeding and research accessions of potato (3,906), sweetpotato (45) and other crops (158) are maintained. Since 2000, the use of bar-coding-assisted databases has increased the conservation efficiency and pathogen-tested materials production. Currently, 48% of the whole collection is available for international distribution under the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (IT). The establishment of safety back up copies and cryopreservation use has enhanced the longterm conservation of collections. In February 2008, CIP’s in vitro genebank was awarded with the Accreditation Certificate for applying the highest quality practices, by the UK Accreditation Service in accordance with the International Standard ISO/IEC 17025:2005. The most relevant milestones achieved are: 1) 16,843 accessions of root and tubers are safely conserved in vitro ; 2) 44,858 pathogen tested samples were distributed to 121 countries, contributing to research, conservation and productivity; 3) since 1998, CIP has repatriated more than 3,600 samples of over 1,200 pathogen-tested native potatoes varieties to 41 Andean farmer communities and 6 national institutions to restore diversity affected by crop diseases/pests, migration and poverty, and to increase productivity; 4) cryopreservation has increased efficiency through reducing labor and loss risks. Currently, the potato cryo-collection contains more than 700 accessions with 95% confidence of recovering samples after longterm preservation.
University ’ s repository of research publications and other research outputs A Reference Architecture for Natural Language Generation Systems Journal Item

We present the rags (Reference Architecture for Generation Systems) framework: a specification of an abstract Natural Language Generation (NLG) system architecture to support sharing, re-use, comparison and evaluation of NLG technologies. We argue that the evidence from a survey of actual NLG systems calls for a different emphasis in a reference proposal from that seen in similar initiatives in information extraction and multimedia interfaces. We introduce the framework itself, in particular the two-level data model that allows us to support the complex data requirements of NLG systems in a flexible and coherent fashion, and describe our efforts to validate the framework through a range of implementations.
IMAGE COMPRESSION USING CHEBYSHEV POLYNOMIAL SURFACE FIT 1

A lossy image compression method based on block-by-block surface fit using bivariate polynomial is proposed. Chebyshev polynomials of first kind are used to generate the surface for each block. Data compression is achieved by representing the gray level variations across any block by the parameters of the fitted surface and these parameters are stored instead of the pixel values. Compression with three coefficients and four coefficients in the fit model is proposed. In standard lossy compression techniques compression is achieved by exploiting spatial redundancies of the input data. In this proposed method compression does not depends on redundant information but depends on the block size that can be predefined. The method is best suited for high compression with reasonable reconstructed image quality. Performance was tested on number of test images using Chebyshev polynomials of different orders.
Biclustering Analysis and Comparison for Gene Expression Data

The advance of the high throughput technology allows to quantitative measure the level of expression of thousands of genes under several experimental conditions at one time which quickly produce many gene expression data. For efficiency processing the above data, many biclustering algorithms and many criterions are proposed. Even so, different biclustering algorithms generate different type of biclusters and draw various conclusions because the definition of the bicluster and its evaluation criterions used indifferent biclustering algorithms are similar but not the same. But there are only a few literatures forcomparing the biclustering algorithms and its evaluationcriterions. In this paper, the biclusters obtained by 11 biclustering algorithms are evaluated according to 7 criterions. In addition, the weight enrichment score and the proportion of the enriched biclusters by gene ontology are used for evaluating the biological significance of the biclustering algorithms.By analyzing the results of the chose biclustering algorithms, this study suggest that the biclustering algorithms provide a flexible solution for analyzing multiple types of gene expression data, and manyinteresting results are observedwhich facilitate exploratory data mining of gene expression data.
University of Groningen The " more at home with dementia " program

Background: Caring for people with dementia imposes heavy burdens on caregivers, especially spouses. This can lead to depression, anxiety, and physical symptoms in the caregiver, with early institutionalization for the patient. An Australian study reported that a residential caregiver training program delivered in medical settings could delay nursing home admission, lower mortality, reduce psychological morbidity in caregivers, and lower healthcare costs. In this replication study, we aim to determine the effectiveness of an adaptation of this program to non-medical settings in the Dutch health care system. Methods: A randomized controlled study design will be used, comparing an intervention group with a control group. The intervention will last for five days and will be delivered in either a holiday park or a bed and breakfast setting. The control group will receive care as usual. Data will be collected at baseline and after 3 and 6 months, and outcomes will be assessed in the caregiver group and in the dementia group. The primary outcome will be caregiver-related quality of life after 3 months. The main secondary outcome will be the neuropsychiatric symptoms in the dementia group. Secondary outcomes in the dementia group will be activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living, use of health facilities, quality of life, agitation, dementia severity, and use of psychotropic medication. Secondary outcomes in the caregiver group will be the subjective and objective burdens, health and health care facility use, psychotropic medication use, depression, anxiety, and perseverance time. Discussion: We anticipate that the outcomes will allow us to confirm the effectiveness of the intervention, and in turn, potentially inform the introduction of this program into care plans. It is also expected that the experiences and recommendations of participants will help us to develop the training program further. Trial registration: Registered in the Netherlands Trial Register on March 9, 2016, number 5775.
Mean-field model analysis of deformation and damage in friction stir processed MgC composites "

Friction Stir Processing (FSP) is an attractive manufacturing technique to produce Mg matrix composites since it avoids the problem of excessive reactivity between reinforcement and matrix encountered in liquid-phase processing routes. However, the strength of the interface in C-reinforced Mg matrix composites produced by FSP remains to be assessed. A short fibre composite has been fabricated by FSP a stack of a C-fabric between two Mg-AZ91D alloy sheets. In order to elucidate the interplay between matrix hardness and interface bonding strength, the work investigates the influence of heat treatment on the mechanical properties of the composites. An incremental Mori-Tanaka model is developed to analyse the relative roles of heat treatment and C-fibre reinforcement on the flow strength and ductility of the composites in tension and compression. The mean-field model provides an estimate of the stress at the matrix/fibre interface, from which a simple debonding criterion can be derived. Document type : Article de périodique (Journal article) Référence bibliographique Simar, Aude ; Mertens, Anne ; Ryelandt, Sophie ; Delannay, Francis ; Brassart, Laurence. Meanfield model analysis of deformation and damage in friction stir processed Mg-C composites. In: Materials Science and Engineering: A, Vol. 723, p. 324-333 (2018) DOI : 10.1016/j.msea. 2018.03. 043
Memory Augmented Neural Network with Gaussian Embeddings for One-Shot Learning

Memory augmented neural networks that use pointwise embeddings have been successfully applied to one-shot learning, however, Gaussian embeddings are more versatile and provide an opportunity to build models capturing latent structure. As a step towards combining both, we construct a memory augmented network with Gaussian embeddings. We provide results of one-shot classification on Omniglot and LFW-a datasets, and since the resulting model is generative, image reconstruction results on Omniglot. Additionally, we explain how to learn more classes in one-shot using memory augmented neural networks with a method that does not depend on the type of embeddings.
Design and Control of Biologically Inspired Joints

Abstract As robots have to do more and more human tasks they need more human like moving capabilities. In this thesis a biologically inspired joint operating with tendons is build. The controlling for such joints is examined on this example. It is tried to control the joint with learning algorithms like goal babbling and Neuronal Nets. Joints operated by tendons have some advantages over motors directly in the joint. For example if the joint has not enough space as in a finger. Or if the elastic properties of the joint can protect the motor from the forces if the robot falls down. On the other side controlling a joint operated by tendons is much harder then a simple servo controlled by a PID-Controller.As robots have to do more and more human tasks they need more human like moving capabilities. In this thesis a biologically inspired joint operating with tendons is build. The controlling for such joints is examined on this example. It is tried to control the joint with learning algorithms like goal babbling and Neuronal Nets. Joints operated by tendons have some advantages over motors directly in the joint. For example if the joint has not enough space as in a finger. Or if the elastic properties of the joint can protect the motor from the forces if the robot falls down. On the other side controlling a joint operated by tendons is much harder then a simple servo controlled by a PID-Controller. Zusammenfassung Da Roboter immer menschlichere Aufgaben wahrnehmen sollen brauchen sie auch zunehmend menschliche Bewegungsfhigkeiten. Daher wurde in dieser Arbeit ein beispielhaftes Gelenk entworfen welches wie das biologische Vorbild mit Sehenen angetrieben wird. Für dieses Gelenk wurden dann verschiedene Steuererungsalgorithmen ausprobiert, unter anderem die lernenden Verfahren Goal Babling und Neuronale Netze. Sehnen getriebene Gelenke sind in einigen Bereichen besser als die Motoren direkt in das Gelenk zu bauen, zum Beispiel wenn wenig Platz ist, wie in den Fingern, oder wenn durch die elastizitt der Sehne die Hardware geschtzt werden kann, indem schwere Strze nicht direkt auf den Motor gehen. Dar ist die Steuerung eines Gelenkes welches ber Sehnen angesteuert wird koplizierter als ein einfacher Servo mit einem PID Controller.
Improving Analog Simulation Speed Using the Selective Matrix Update Approach in a VHDL-AMS Simulator

I, __Sameer Sudheer Kher____________________________________, hereby submit this work as part of the requirements for the degree of: Master of Science____________________________________________ in: Computer Engineering________________________________________ It is entitled: Improving Analog Simulation Speed Using the Selective Matrix Update Approach in aVHDL-AMS Simulator. ____________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________
Working Paper n . 14-2009 STRUCTURAL FUNDS AND ECONOMIC DIVIDE IN ITALY

This paper aims to provide a contribution to the debate on the effectiveness of cohesion policies in Italy. The focus is on the territorial effects of EU spending from 1996 to 2007. The empirical analysis is based on the estimate of an expanded neoclassical growth model in which the Structural Funds are one of the variables that explain the convergence across Italian regions. Using panel data and a dynamic panel estimator we find that the Structural Funds, even having had a greater impact in the South compared to the Centre-North, have not contributed to reduce the economic divide in Italy.
Vertical IS Standards Deployment and Integration : A Study of Antecedents and Benefits

We drew on institutional and learning theories to develop a research model assessing how organizations influence standards deployment and integration by creating institutional pressures and learning opportunities. We also examined how standards deployment and integration differentially influenced operational and strategic benefits. Survey data was collected from organizations in China who have implemented RosettaNet. Overall, the study extended research on standards adoption by examining how the learning perspective complemented institutional pressures, generating an integrated view of how pressures and learning from other organizations influence standards deployment and integration as important dimensions of standards use, as well as the benefits arising from their use.
The effect of PI 3 K inhibitor LY 294002 and gemcitabine hydrochloride combined with ionizing radiation on the formation of vasculogenic mimicry of Panc-1 cells in vitro and in vivo

This research’s purpose was to explore the existence of vasculogenic mimicry (VM) in both 3-D matrices of Panc-1 cells in vitro and orthotopic Panc-1 xenografts in vivo and to test the hypothesis that PI3K inhibitor LY294002 and gemcitabine hydrochloride would offer clear treatment benefit when integrated into ionizing radiation (IR) therapeutic regimens for treatment of pancreatic cancer. We explored the existence of VM in both 3-D matrices of Panc-1 cells and orthotopic Panc-1 xenografts. We subsequently investigated the activation of the PI3K/MMPs/Ln-5γ2 signaling pathway in response to IR. LY294002 and gemcitabine hydrochloride were then evaluated for their radiosensitizing effect solely and in combination. We found that VM existed in both 3-D matrices of Panc-1 cells in vitro and orthotopic Panc-1 xenografts in vivo. The expressions of p-Akt and MMP2 were found to increase in response to IR. LY294002 and gemcitabine hydrochloride combined with IR better inhibited cell migration, VM formation and MMP-2 mRNA expression of Panc-1 cells in vitro, and we also proved that the novel therapeutic regimen better inhibited tumor growth, tumor metastasis and VM formation of orthotopic Panc-1 xenografts by suppressing the PI3K/MMPs/Ln-5γ2 signaling pathway in vivo. Our present study is among the first to prove the VM formation in orthotopic Panc-1 xenografts. Furthermore, our current study is also among the first to provide preliminary evidence for the use of the novel therapeutic regimen LY294002 and gemcitabine hydrochloride combined with IR for treatment of pancreatic cancer.
Automatic Colorization of Night Vision Images for Military Operations

Third generation Night Vision devices produce images in very dark conditions amplifying thousands of times the ambient light. The goal is to develop an algorithm which automatically colorizes the produced green noisy images and offers better verification (through human eye) for target identification. Certainly, the aim of the proposed method is to improve the received signals of the optic nerve, so distinguishing shapes and colors will be more accurate. In the first phase of the overall process, a night vision image is converted to a grayscale digital image and a histogram analysis takes place. In the second phase, a grayscale image is automatically selected from a small database. The database contains grayscale images and the corresponding color images (the conversion procedure is the same with the night vision gray scaling procedure). The selection of the grayscale database image is based on the histogram comparison to the gray scaled night vision image. In the final phase, both images (night vision and color) are converted to the YCbCr color encoding and luminance comparison between the two images takes place for choosing the nearest correct color for every pixel in the night vision image, with respect to the source color image.
Studying degradation of perovskite solar cells in ambient atmosphere using photoluminescence spectroscopy

Metal halide perovskites have shown much promise for the next generation of photovoltaic solar cells. One problem hindering the widespread use is the limited stability of the material. In this work micro photoluminescence spectroscopy is used to study degradation of perovskite solar cells in ambient conditions. This is done by using the generalized Planck equation to calculate the band-to-band absorptance spectrum. Results show that it is possible to accurately ﬁnd the band-to-band absorptance in the sub band gap domain. By repeating the mapping over time the change in absorptance over time can be derived. The results show that when exposed to ambient conditions, the PL peak red-shifts, the band gap energy decreases and sub band gap band-to-band absorption increases. This change is likely due to phase segregation induced by moisture. The PL signal intensity increases for some samples over time and decreases for others. It is shown that two processes compete, an increase in luminescence caused by the excitation laser and a decrease caused by degradation. These two competing processes, one of which caused by the measurement method, makes measurement of the PL intensity an inaccu-rate method of measuring degradation of perovskite solar cells. The method suggested in this work is less affected by the laser light and is a more accurate and versatile method of measuring degradation than measuring luminescence intensity.
0 SMAPH : A Piggyback Approach for Entity-Linking in Web eries

We study the problem of linking the terms of a web-search query to a semantic representation given by the set of entities (aka concepts) mentioned in it. We introduce SMAPH, a system that performs this task using the information coming from a web search engine, an approach we call “piggybacking”. We employ search engines to alleviate the noise and irregularities that characterize the language of queries. Snippets returned as search results also provide a context for the query that makes it easier to disambiguate the meaning of the query. From the search results, SMAPH builds a set of candidate entities with high coverage. This set is ltered by linking back the candidate entities to the terms occurring in the input query, ensuring high precision. A greedy disambiguation algorithm performs this ltering; it maximizes the coherence of the solution by iteratively discovering the pertinent entities mentioned in the query. We propose three versions of SMAPH that outperform state-of-the-art solutions on the known benchmarks and on the GERDAQ dataset, a novel dataset that we have built speci cally for this problem via crowd-sourcing and that we make publicly available.
Time to TreatmentWith Endovascular Thrombectomy andOutcomes From Ischemic Stroke : AMeta-analysis

Jeffrey L. Saver, MD; Mayank Goyal, MD; Aad van der Lugt, MD; Bijoy K. Menon, MD; Charles B. L. M. Majoie, MD; Diederik W. Dippel, MD; Bruce C. Campbell, MD, PhD; Raul G. Nogueira, MD; Andrew M. Demchuk, MD; Alejandro Tomasello, MD; Pere Cardona, MD; Thomas G. Devlin, MD; Donald F. Frei, MD; Richard du Mesnil de Rochemont, MD; Olvert A. Berkhemer, MD; Tudor G. Jovin, MD; Adnan H. Siddiqui, MD, PhD; Wim H. van Zwam, MD; Stephen M. Davis, MD; Carlos Castaño, MD; Biggya L. Sapkota, MD; Puck S. Fransen, MD; Carlos Molina, MD; Robert J. van Oostenbrugge, MD; Ángel Chamorro, MD; Hester Lingsma, PhD; Frank L. Silver, MD; Geoffrey A. Donnan, MD; Ashfaq Shuaib, MD; Scott Brown, PhD; Bruce Stouch, PhD; Peter J. Mitchell, MD; Antoni Davalos, MD; Yvo B. W. E. M. Roos, MD; Michael D. Hill, MD, MS; for the HERMES Collaborators
Characterization of cookies formulated with rice and black bean extruded flours

The aim of this work was to formulate cookies using extruded flour from by-products of rice and common beans industries, such as broken rice and split old bean grains, in order to make available foods with added nutritional value as other options to consumers. The market of ready to eat and high quality products is increasing in the world considering the new habits and life style of modern consumers. Different proportions of rice and black bean (whole – WBF or peeled grain PBF) pre-gelatinized flours were used to prepare the cookies by partially replacing the corn starch in the original recipe. The samples were characterized for physicochemical and sensory parameters. The final products showed an interesting nutritional composition. The increase of mixed flour on cookies formulation contributed to an increase of vitamin B content. There was no tannin content detected in the final products and the level of phytate was very low with no significant difference among samples. A significant difference between products was observed for some colour parameters. The sensory analyses showed that consumers “liked lightly” the cookies with 15% and 30% PBF and 15% WBF. Cookies formulated with WBF had lower acceptance by consumers in terms of appearance and only those with 30% WBF had an intermediate score (“neither like, neither dislike”) for global acceptability. Regarding texture, when a higher amount of both flour (PBF and WBF) was applied it was observed an increase of cookie hardness and fracturability values. In conclusion it is viable to produce acceptable cookies using a rice and black bean extruded flour and then diversify the application of these byproducts generated by their processing industries.
Increasing the reliability of a part-of-speech tagging tool for use with learner language Sylvie Thouësny

The use of a part-of-speech (pos) tagger for L2 learner language is likely to result in tagging errors due to incorrect forms produced by learners. Since errors in pos-tagging will result in larger errors in the analysis of incorrect grammatical or lexical forms, it is essential to encode all components in a given text with robust and consistent tags. This article proposes a method to increase the reliability of part-of-speech tagging tools for tagging a corpus of language learners. Following a description of the creation and annotation of a learner language corpus, it explicates how the tagging accuracy of TreeTagger was increased by means of (a) identifying the lemmas (dictionary entry forms) that were unknown for the tagger, (b) checking the partof-speech tags automatically obtained against an extended set of common-sense rules based on recurrent tagging errors, and (c) cross-referencing the part-of-speech tags with the error-encoded tags. TreeTagger’s accuracy, before and after improvements, was evaluated through the means of not only recall and precision measures, but also two coefficients using distinct ways of computing the expected agreement (PE), namely the Krippendorff’s alpha and Cohen’s kappa coefficients. Bearing in mind that the input text was real-life input from language learners of French, the results clearly showed an increase in terms of tagging accuracy.