Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Novel Strategy for Road Lane Detection and Tracking Based on a Vehicle’s Forward Monocular Camera

Modern road vehicles are employing features of driver assistance systems (DAS) to improve drivability performance, comfort, and safety. In the future perspective, the advances in this field will lead these systems to the level of autonomous and cooperative driving, based on sensors networks and sensor fusion. This paper aims to present the readers a novel strategy for lane detection and tracking, which fits as a functional requirement to deploy DAS features like Lane Departure Warning and Lane Keeping Assist. To achieve the presented results, the digital image processing was divided into three levels. At the low-level, the input image dimensionality is reduced from three to one layer, the sharpness is improved, and region of interest is defined based on the minimum safe distance from the vehicle ahead. The feature extractor for lane edges detection design is part of the mid-level processing. The lane tracking strategy development is discussed in the high-level stage; Hough Transform and a shape-preserving spline interpolation are used to achieve a smooth lane fitting. The experimental outcomes were qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated using a ground truth comparison. The strategy shows good accuracy levels, including scenarios with shadows, curves, and road slope.
Ethical dilemmas in field placements: The experiences of social work students in Norway and possible implications for social work education

The study reported in this paper focuses on social work students’ experiences of ethical challenges, including dilemmas, during their field placements. Moreover, drawing on dialogical approach and the results of the thematic analysis, the authors discuss what ethical dilemmas the students experience during their in-field practice, and what implications the handling of these ethical dilemmas can have for the organization of social work education. The findings that are reported in this article are the results of the analysis of six sets of data collected with the help of interviews. The interpretive framework used in this study is a dialogical approach. The research strategy has been a qualitative approach, and the data collection has taken place in semi-natural settings. The thematic analysis of the data lead to four major themes of ethical challenges that the students experienced in their field placements. The first theme concerns structural conditions on a macro level that the students were confronted with when in practice. The second theme is about ethical challenges due to the students´ lack of knowledge and experience in the field. The third theme presents challenges in direct work with service users related to the students´ awareness of values and perspectives. The fourth theme concerns ethical challenges that occurred when students interacted with others in the organizations where the field placements took place. We argue that due to the fact that the authorial agency of any learner consists of personal attitudes, goals, values, knowledge, competences, and skills, it is important to organize supervision activities in a way that allows discussions in free and fearless environments so that the student could learn and unlearn knowledge and skills. This means that in-field placements should be viewed as learning arenas for various types of knowledge and skills, including knowledge on themselves, and not just places where the students can gain only strictly professional practical knowledge and try out their theoretical knowledge.
AC Loss Measurement in HTS Coil Windings Coupled With Iron Core

Utilizing high temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets coupled with iron core on the rapid cycling synchrotrons is considered as an effective way to reduce their construction and running costs. However, the heat generation by ac loss in HTS wires is a critical obstacle for the application, and prediction and reduction of ac loss in HTS magnets coupled with iron core are essential. In this work, we built one HTS double pancake coil (DPC), a stack of two DPCs, and an iron core comprising laminated steel to couple with the coil windings. The HTS-coated conductors are 200 A-class 4-mm–wide Shanghai Conductors. We report the ac loss measurement results on the coil windings with/without the iron core at three different frequencies. The ac loss in the HTS windings was significantly increased due to the existence of the iron core. Increasing the number of stack of the DPCs may help reduce the difference in ac loss values in the coil windings with/without iron cores.
Research on Logistics Text Information Abstract Generation Method

The sensational headline news has seriously affected the news browsing experience of netizens, and has caused an increasingly bad impact on the entire network. Due to this problem, the paper proposed a summary generation method based on Graph2Seq model. This method integrates keywords obtained from graph neural network training with contextual information, and integrates them into the Graph2Seq model as an attention mechanism. It plays a central role in guiding the abstract generation process and improves the accuracy of abstract generation.
Seasonal Reproductive Dynamics of a Lek-Breeding Neotropical Treefrog is not Organized by Male Size (Anura, Hylidae)

Abstract. Social structure in anurans is directly related to reproductive traits such as chorus organization, male territoriality, pair formation, breeding site choice, and temporal breeding pattern. The Neotropical treefrog Dendropsophus sanborni is an excellent model for studies on reproductive dynamics because it is a prolonged-breeder and usually occurs in high densities. Here, our goals were to better understand the factors that lead to social organization and influence seasonal reproductive dynamics of males of the species. We addressed the hypotheses that (1) the seasonal dynamics of D. sanborni is locally delimited by climatic conditions throughout its breeding season and (2) territorial males are structured spatially and temporally based on body size. We carried out monthly field sampling between October 2015 and September 2016 in an ecotone region of Brazil that originally comprised Semideciduous Seasonal Forest and Cerrado (savannah vegetation). We specifically analyzed environmental conditions, population abundance, size of calling males, and microhabitat use. Our results showed that environmental conditions drive the seasonal reproductive pattern and social structure of calling males is not organized by size. We did not find significant variation in male size among months of the breeding season or among perch heights and types. Our findings suggest a prolonged seasonal reproductive pattern associated with climatic factors without a social structure based on body size.
Application of photosynthetic microalgae in the direct desalination pretreatment of seawater

The abilities of three species of freshwater microalgae to grow in, and desalinate untreated and undiluted seawater were investigated. The salinities of the seawater were reduced from 37.5g/L to 26.25 ± 1.33, 27.19 ± 1.33 and 30.0 ± 0.00 g/L by Desmodesmus subspicatus LC172266, Desmodesmus armatus LC172263 and Dictyosphaerium spp. LC172264 on the fourth, eighth and tenth week of the experiment, respectively, while the control had no change in the salinity. D. subspicatus cell concentration initially dropped from 1.25 × 106 cells/ml to 9.68 × 105 cells/ml and then gradually increased to 4.86 × 107 cells/ml by the tenth week. With D. armatus and Dictyosphaerium spp. , the cell concentrations increased steadily from 1.25 × 106 cells/ml to 4.97 × 108 cells/ml and 3.25 × 108 cells/ml, respectively. There were increases in the pH during desalination by the three species. This demonstrates the halotolerant potentials of these species and their abilities to reduce the salinity of seawater.
Analysis of Uncoupling Protein 1 and β3-adrenergic Receptor Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Saudi Population with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

BACKGROUND: Uncoupling proteins (UCP) and β3-adrenergic receptor (ADRB3) gene polymorphism have been implicated in the susceptibility to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) but the results are inconsistent and inconclusive. AIM: The aim was to investigate the relationship between -3826A/G (rs1800592) of UCP 1 and ADRB3 Trp64Arg (C/T) (rs4994) gene polymorphism and the incidence of T2DM among Saudis. METHODS: Genotyping of both UCP1 and ADRB3 genes was carried out in 110 healthy controls and 108 unrelated Saudis with T2DM using polymerase chain reaction-based restriction fragment length polymorphism. RESULTS: The genotype and allele frequencies of the UCP1 gene did not differ significantly between diabetic subjects and controls (p > 0.05). However, the CT genotype and the T allele of ADRB3 were higher in diabetic subjects compared with the controls while the CC genotype and C allele were higher in the controls relative to the diabetic subjects (Odds ratios [OR]: 7.85, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.23–14.59, p < 0.001 and OR: 7.434 95% CI: 4.026–13.39, p < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION: The UCP1 -3826A/G polymorphism may not be associated with the susceptibility to T2DM among Saudis while T allele of ADRB3 may be related to the risk of T2DM, whereas the CC genotype and C allele may confer protection to T2DM.
Effects of temperature on the conductivity of AOT/isooctane/water microemulsions. Influence of salts

The values of the specific conductivity in the ternary systems sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate + 2,2,4-trimethylpentane + water with various salts were studied to modulate the electrical percolation. The point of percolation was obtained by studying the influence of temperature on the specific conductivity of the microemulsions. Finally, the value of the threshold of percolation was determined and compared with the effect observed previously for sodium salts.
Digestion Methods for Advanced Ceramic Materials and Subsequent Determination of Silicon and Boron by Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry

Various wet chemical digestion procedures, such as pressure digestion, microwave-assisted pressure digestion and decomposition via alkali fusion, were applied to different ceramic powders including Si 3 N 4 , BN and a new advanced ceramic material. The last powder was prepared from novel precursor compounds by pyrolysis of inorganic polymers, and consists of Si, B, N and C. The precision obtained in the determination of the main components Si and B by sequential ICP-AES varied from 0.6 to 3% (m/m) for Si and from 0.2 to 2% (m/m) for B depending on the digestion method and the ceramic material. Special attention was also given to the recovery of Si and B, which is in most cases 100% within the standard deviation, and to the time consumption for the different digestion methods, which varied between 10 min and 23 h. It will be shown how the stoichiometry of the novel Si–B–N–C ceramic SiBN 2.35 C 0.78 can be determined reliably by ICP-AES analysis for Si and B. The C, N and O were evaluated by carrier gas heat extraction.
Optimal Bayesian Demand Learning over Short Horizons

We investigate the optimal Bayesian dynamic pricing and demand learning policy over short selling horizons, where the pricing decisions are time-sensitive. The seller fine-tunes the price near an incumbent price in order to maximize the total revenue. The existing literature focuses on policies that are asymptotically optimal, i.e., near optimal when the selling horizons are sufficiently long, but little is known about the optimal Bayesian policies, especially over short horizons. We formulate the problem as a finite-horizon stochastic dynamic program and identify a connection between the optimality equations and the generalized Weierstrass transform (GWT). We fully characterize the structure of the Bayesian optimal policy for the linear Gaussian demand model and prove that the optimal policy adjusts the myopic price away from the incumbent price. A notable exception occurs when the two prices coincide and the precision of the posterior belief exceeds a threshold, in which case it is optimal to forgo learning and use a fixed-price policy. Exploiting the structural results makes it possible to compute the optimal policy efficiently on an ordinary computer.
The process of resource bricolage and organizational improvisation in information technology innovation: a case study of BDZX in China

ABSTRACT Research has shown there is a connection between bricolage and improvization, but discussion about their dynamic relationship in fixed situations is limited. In the context of information technology (IT) innovation, three aspects of corporate strategic actions are analyzed in this article by the exploratory single case study of BDZX in China. The following results were found: (1) IT innovation has experienced a transformation from component to architectural innovation, triggering corporate strategic actions; (2) Resource bricolage in IT innovation process is divided into combined resources and resetting resources, and organizational improvization in IT innovation process is divided into integration capabilities and development capabilities; (3) In IT innovation, the impact of resource bricolage on companies is gradually increasing, while the impact of organizational improvization on companies is gradually decreasing.
A Critical Analysis of Capitalism, Capital Accumulation and Crisis Theory in David Harvey

This article is a critical review of David Harvey’s essentialist theorisation of a capitalist economy and its crisis from a class focused Marxist perspective. The first part examines Harvey’s immense contribution to the understanding of space and spatiality of capitalism within the Marxist tradition. Capital accumulation in his theorisation serves as the impresario of space and spatiality and the harbinger of capitalist crisis in general. Expanding on a class focused approach, the second part provides a critique of Harvey’s methodology and crisis theory in which the law of capital accumulation reigns supreme. Specifically, using an anti-essentialist methodology of overdetermination with class process of surplus labour as the theoretical entry point, as developed by Resnick and Wolff, I argue that no correspondence of the rate of capital accumulation with those of rate of profit and rate of class distribution can be drawn. This unpredictability renders capitalism inherently unstable, prone to business cycles whose cause cannot be reduced to any chosen causal factor such as the one reducible to capital accumulation. JEL Codes: P12, P16
Measurement of squalene in olive oil by fractional crystallization or headspace solid phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography

ABSTRACT Squalene is the most abundant component in the unsaponifiable fraction of olive oil with strong antioxidant properties. Its concentration in olive oils varies between 0.2 and 16.2 g/kg depending on the cultivar(s) used. The propose of this work was to determine the effectiveness of two different extraction methods for squalene determination by gas chromatography (GC) coupled to a flame ionization detector (FID) or to mass spectrometry (MS). In a first approach, oil samples were dissolved in methanol/acetone mixture 7:3 (v/v) and triglycerides separated by fractional crystallization at −20°C. The organic layer was removed, reduced to dryness and the residue reconstituted in n-heptane (containing squalane as external standard) and analyzed by GC-FID. A headspace (HS) solid phase microextraction (SPME) GC-MS method has been also developed in order to have an environmentally friendly (i.e. solventless) extraction procedure. The linear range investigated with both methods was 1.0-10 g/kg. Within-day and between days precision values, expressed as RSD%, were 4 and 7% (GC-FID), and 3 and 6% (GC-MS), respectively. The limit of detection (LOD) at a signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio of 3 were 0.019 (GC-FID) and 0.003 (GC-MS) g/kg; the limit of quantification (LOQ) calculated at S/N = 10 were 0.063 (GC-FID) and 0.008 (GC-MS) g/kg, well below the typical squalene concentration levels found in olive oils. The obtained percentage recoveries were 70 ± 2 (GC-FID) and 98 ± 3 (GC-MS), and were not concentration dependent. The potential of the method has been demonstrated by the analysis of several different olive oil samples produced from different cultivars and different locations.
Reconstruction of the Rat Sciatic Nerve by Using Biodegradable and Non-Biodegradable Conduits

The aim of the study was to compare two types of conduits made of either non-resorbable Reperen or resorbable Tissucol for their effects on the regeneration of the rat sciatic nerve under conditions of stump diastasis. Materials and Methods. The experiments were carried out using outbred white male rats of the reproductive age (n=14). The animals were divided into three groups: group 1, intact (n=5), used for studying the morphology of the sciatic nerve; group 2 (n=4) — nerve plastic surgery was performed using a conduit made of non-resorbable Reperen; group 3 (n=5) — surgery was performed using a conduit made of resorbable Tissucol. The animals were anesthetized with isoflurane. After a complete transection of the sciatic nerve in the middle third of the thigh, its stumps were inserted into a conduit of an internal diameter of 2 mm and a length of 10 mm, filled with saline. Diastasis of 5 mm in length was created by spreading the nerve ends and securing the epineurium to the tube edges with 8/0 polypropylene sutures. A total count of myelinated nerve fibers was performed in the area of repair (tubulation) and the distal part of the nerve; the formation of connective tissue sheaths was assessed 14 weeks after the operation. Results. According to the morphological assessment, both types of conduits (resorbable and non-resorbable) caused the similar number of fibers to restore in the distal part of the repaired nerve; clinical characteristics of the animals in both groups were close to each other and to the norm. Conclusion. The results allow us to consider the conduit made of non-resorbable Reperen as a device promising for neuroplasty along with the resorbable conduit made of Tissucol.
In situ and ex situ FTIR–ATR and Raman microscopic studies of organosilane hydrolysis and the effect of hydrolysis on silane diffusion through a polymeric film

We report combined FTIR–ATR and Raman microscopic studies of the distribution and redistribution of three different silane adhesion promoters in thin (10–20 μm) PVC films deposited on a Si/SiO2/SiOH substrate (a “model” glass surface). It has been shown that the different functionalized silanes diffuse at different rates through the polymer (at 70°C) and therefore have different distributions at the polymer/glass interface. The differences in behavior have been rationalized in terms of their respective abilities to hydrolyze and condense, under the different humidity and temperature conditions used. As the level of humidity rises there is evidence that the diffusion rate (measured using a dual-mode sorption model) decreases as a result of hydrolysis and condensation in the polymer films. The data are of importance as a direct measure of the relation between humidity levels and the adhesive action of a silane promoter at polymer/glass interfaces. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 82: 2016–2026, 2001
Current surgical management of follicular thyroid carcinoma

Follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) comprises a heterogenous group of tumors, which divides into subtypes with different malignant potential: minimally invasive (excellent prognosis), encapsulated angioinvasive and widely invasive FTC (higher risk metastasis and recurrence). Numerous clinical risk factors (presence of metastases, advanced patient age, tumor size and others), which can be used to assess FTC aggressiveness, are discussed with regard to the present literature. The definitive characterization of follicular neoplasms depends on postoperative histology, due to the incapability of preoperative imaging, fineneedle aspiration cytology or molecular analysis to clearly distinguish between FTC and benign follicular thyroid adenoma. In this review, treatment strategies for FTC (according to the WHO 2017 classification of endocrine neoplasms) are presented, as recommended by the leading expert societies American Thyroid Association (ATA), British Thyroid Association (BTA), German Society of Endocrine Surgery (CAEK) and European Society of Endocrine Surgery (ESES). Hemithyroidectomy is sufficient in low-risk FTC (capsular invasion only). Thyroidectomy with postoperative radioiodine therapy is recommended for high-risk FTCs (angioinvasion; widely invasive histology). Prophylactic lymphadenectomy is not necessary. Considering clinical risk factors, an individual surgical approach should be chosen, following a stepwise, escalating surgical management with restricted primary resection (hemithyroidectomy) and, if necessary, completion surgery based on the definitive histopathology.
A Single Phase Grid Connected PV System working in Different
 Modes

The current grid standards for the single-phase residential PV system expect it to operate at Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) mode under normal operating conditions and to maintain the voltage profile whenever a grid fault occurs. The proposed system supplies power to the load under stable conditions and the PV system works in MPPT mode. When the fault occurs at the Point of Common Coupling (PCC) and the voltage is reduced, the proposed controller maintains the voltage profile by injecting the current fed by the current controller at the PCC. The controller shifts from MPPT to the faulty mode and maintains voltage as per grid requirements. During islanding conditions, the PV system successfully caters to the requirements of the load by shifting the control from MPPT to islanding mode. When the PV system is in operation the power quality is enhanced. Keywords-maximum power point tracking (MPPT); photovoltaic (PV) systems; perturb and observe (P and O); point of common coupling(PCC)
Analysis and Prediction of Regional Mobility Patterns of Bus Travellers Using Smart Card Data and Points of Interest Data

Mobility patterns at region level can provide more macroscopic and intuitive knowledge on how people gather in or depart from the region. However, the analysis and prediction of regional mobility patterns have yet to be effectively addressed. In light of this, using smart card data (SCD) and points of interest (POI) data, a multi-step methodology which integrates the inner-restricted fuzzy C-means clustering, nonnegative tensor factorization and artificial neural network are proposed and implemented in this paper. It overcomes the difficulties in region division, pattern extraction, and prediction. The bus SCD and POI data in Beijing city are utilized for proving the usefulness of the methodology. The regional mobility patterns of bus travellers in Beijing city are extracted from the third-order tensors involving 1110 regions, 34 time slots, and 7 days of the week. The analyzed results show that the proposed methodology has a good performance on predicting the regional mobility patterns based on the regional properties. Furthermore, by considering both of the regional boarding and alighting patterns, the predictions of the regional aggregation pattern can also be achieved. These research achievements can not only provide a deep insight on the human mobility patterns at region level, but also support the evidence-based and forward-looking urban planning and intelligent transportation management.