Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A nonparametric classification algorithm of IRS-ID imagery for land cover mapping

Land cover is one of basic data layers in geographic information system for physical planning and environmental monitoring. Until recently Maximum Likelihood classifier (MLC) has been the most common method used for supervised classification of remotely sensed data. Increasingly, nonparametric classification algorithms such as decision trees are being used. Decision tree classifiers have, however, not been used as widely by the remote sensing community for land cover classification despite their nonparametric nature and their attractive properties of simplicity, flexibility and computational efficiency. The study area selected for this experiment is a protected area locates in northeast Iran. IRS-1D LISS-3 data acquired on 5 May, 2003, is used. The area includes seven types of land cover (Wood land, Open shrubland, sparse shrubland, Meadow, Bare land, Farm land and City area). The results of this study suggest that the supervised classification (MLC) producing an overall accuracy of about 72%. The Decision tree method, which improves the classification accuracy, was applied and the classification accuracy was increased by about 7 percent to 79%.
Phylogenetic relationships of the suborder Notacanthoidei (Teleostei: Albuliformes) reassessed from osteological characters, with a proposed new classification

The phylogenetic relationships of Notacanthoidei were reassessed on the basis of osteological characters and the classification of the suborder reconstructed on the basis of inferred relationships. The monophyly of the suborder is supported by two synapomorphies commonly recognized in all included genera. The phylogenetic analysis also revealed support for the suborder by five synapomorphies characterized by reversals or character transformations. In addition, notacanthoids share five apomorphies, present also in Anguilliformes, which may prove to be valid synapomorphies for the former. A phylogenetic analysis based on characters in 30 transformation series resulted in a single most parsimonious tree, which indicated that Aldrovandia branched off initially from other notacanthoids, followed by Lipogenys, and Polyacanthonotus and Notacanthus, which share a sister relationship with each other. Based on the reconstructed relationships, Notacanthoidei is classified into two families, Halosauridae and Notacanthidae, the latter being separated into subfamilies Lipogenyinae and Notacanthinae. Such a classification of Notacanthoidei, recognizing Lipogeninae as a subfamily of Notacanthidae, has not been previously proposed.
Structural and Functional Characterization of the Proteasomal Deubiquitinase Rpn11

The 26S proteasome is responsible for selective protein degradation in eukaryotic cells. Polyubiquitin chains mark proteins for degradation by the proteasome, but before degradation can occur, ubiquitin chains must be removed by the intrinsic proteasomal deubiquitinase Rpn11. My graduate work primarily focused on understanding how Rpn11 is regulated so it only removes ubiquitin chains from substrates that have been committed to degradation. To answer this question, I developed an Rpn11 purification strategy and solved the crystal structure of Rpn11 alone and in complex with ubiquitin. These structures revealed several features that control the activity of Rpn11 toward ubiquitin substrates. I showed that Rpn11 is promiscuous in its activity toward different ubiquitin substrates, which explained how the enzyme is able to remove ubiquitin molecules from the wide range of proteasome substrate proteins. Comparison of our ubiquitin-bound and ubiquitin-free structures revealed that a critical loop changes conformation when ubiquitin binds to Rpn11 to form a catalytically active state and that substrate translocation may accelerate this transition, thereby activating the enzyme.Rpn11 is part of a proteasome sub-complex called the lid. In the isolated lid Rpn11 is inhibited to reduce off pathway deubiquitination prior to proteasome assembly, but the mechanism of Rpn11 inhibition in the lid was not understood. We used cryo-EM to determine the atomic structure of the isolated lid which explained how Rpn11 is inhibited and how it becomes activated when incorporated into the proteasome. Our structure revealed that Rpn11 is held in a conformation that fully occludes its active site and prevents the enzyme from accessing ubiquitin substrates. Mutagenesis of inhibitory residues in the lid release Rpn11 from its inhibited state and activate the enzyme. Similarly, when the lid incorporates into the proteasome, Rpn11 is released from its inhibited state and adopts a fully extended, open conformation seen in the 26S proteasome.
Botnet Takedown Initiatives: A Taxonomy and Performance Model

Botnets are a persistent threat to all Internet users. They are networks of computers infected with malicious software that are connected over the Internet and can be instructed to carry out specific tasks – typically without the owners of those computers knowing it (Nadji et al., 2013; Plohmann et al., 2011; Whitehouse, 2014). Those who control botnets use them to steal identities, personal and financial information, illicitly gain access to bank accounts; distribute spam e-mails; shut down websites by overwhelming them with traffic (i.e., distributed denial-of-service or DDoS attacks); launch new custom-made botnets; or spread malware and ransomware (Cremonini & Riccardi, 2009; Plohmann et al., 2011; Zeidanloo et al., 2010).
Prediction of silage digestibility by near infrared reflectance spectroscopy

A total of 142 silage samples were used to evaluate the ability of near infrared refl ectance spectroscopy (NIRS) to predict dry matter (DM) and neutral detergent fi bre (NDF) digestibility. Three techniques, Partial Least Square (PLS), Principal Component Regression (PCR) and Multivariate Linear Regression (MLR), and a series of mathematical treatments were applied to establish the NIRS calibrations. The F-test and T-test of correlativity between reference and NIRS values of silage samples in validation set were carried out to verify the models. Results showed the PLS technique gave the best prediction and calibrations, and that the calibrations developed from the combination of smooth and fi rst-order derivative treatment were largely acceptable. The prediction of DM digestibility of dried samples was good with the determination coeffi cient of validation (r2) being greater than 0.80. The prediction of dried samples was better than that of fresh samples. The relative standard deviation (RSD) values of DM digestibility for dried and fresh samples were 8.25 and 11.26%, respectively. As for NDF digestibility, the RSD values were higher, being of 22.87 and 23.50% for dried and fresh samples, respectively.
Stoichiometry of microbial carbon use efficiency in soils

The carbon use efficiency (CUE) of microbial communities partitions the flow of C from primary producers to the atmosphere, decomposer food webs, and soil C stores. CUE, usually defined as the ratio of growth to assimilation, is a critical parameter in ecosystem models, but is seldom measured directly in soils because of the methodological difficulty of measuring in situ rates of microbial growth and respiration. Alternatively, CUE can be estimated indirectly from the elemental stoichiometry of organic matter and microbial biomass, and the ratios of C to nutrient-acquiring ecoenzymatic activities. We used this approach to estimate and compare microbial CUE in >2000 soils from a broad range of ecosystems. Mean CUE based on C:N stoichiometry was 0.269 ± 0.110 (mean ± SD). A parallel calculation based on C:P stoichiometry yielded a mean CUE estimate of 0.252 ± 0.125. The mean values and frequency distributions were similar to those from aquatic ecosystems, also calculated from stoichiometric models, and to those calculated from direct measurements of bacterial and fungal growth and respiration. CUE was directly related to microbial biomass C with a scaling exponent of 0.304 (95% CI 0.237–0.371) and inversely related to microbial biomass P with a scaling exponent of −0.234 (95% CI −0.289 to −0.179). Relative to CUE, biomass specific turnover time increased with a scaling exponent of 0.509 (95% CI 0.467–0.551). CUE increased weakly with mean annual temperature. CUE declined with increasing soil pH reaching a minimum at pH 7.0, then increased again as soil pH approached 9.0, a pattern consistent with pH trends in the ratio of fungal : bacteria abundance and growth. Structural equation models that related geographic variables to CUE component variables showed the strongest connections for paths linking latitude and pH to β-glucosidase activity and soil C:N:P ratios. The integration of stoichiometric and metabolic models provides a quantitative description of the functional organization of soil microbial communities that can improve the representation of CUE in microbial process and ecosystem simulation models.
Modelling of the evolution of phenolic compounds in berries of “Italia” table grape cultivar using response surface methodology

The aim of this work was to determine the phenolic profile of Vitis vinifera L. cv. “Italia” table grapes during ripening, as influenced by the harvest date and berry heterogeneity. The results showed that this cultivar is rich in phenolic compounds with health-promoting properties, particularly at early harvest stage (341 and 178 mg/kg berries of total phenols in the skin and pulp, respectively). Caftaric acid was the most abundant compound in the skin (28.95 – 51.93 mg/kg), while p-coumaroyl-glucose was the highest in the pulp (6.39 – 17.18 mg/kg). Low levels of resveratrol (0.11 0.29 mg/kg) were found in the skin starting from the 14 day of harvest. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to model the evolution of phenolic compounds in berries during ripening. The regression models were highly significant for protocatechuic acid, catechin, epicatechin and t-resveratrol in the skin, and total hydroxycinnamoyl tartaric acids in the pulp (R ≥ 0.80). This modelling could be a tool that would permit better exploitation of maximum accumulation of phenolic compounds in the vineyard by selecting the most suitable combination of sampling date and berry density. An adequate sampling strategy could be implemented to increase the content of specific bioactive phenolic compounds according to consumer preference, thus promoting the health-promoting quality of fresh table grapes and ready-to-eat fruit salads.
Dry mass estimation of tropical aquatic insects using different short-term preservation methods

Relationships of body mass and head capsule width were calculated for Thraulodes sp. , Haplohyphes sp. (Ephemeroptera), Leptonema sp. and Nectopsyche sp. (Trichoptera), and Anacroneuria sp. (Plecoptera) using different preservatives (Freezing, Formaldehyde 4% and Kahle). The organisms were collected monthly during a year on the Orituco river, Venezuela with a Surber net (0. 1296 m2 and 0.286 mm mesh size). The data presented here are representative of the organism conditions year around. No attempt was made to quantify intersample variation. Regression analysis indicated that all relationships were highly correlated for any of the fixatives used. Changes in dry mass per unit change of head capsule width, vary among species and preservatives with no clear relationship among them. Changes in dry mass calculated as the difference between dry mass of preserved samples to those of unpreserved ones, indicate that all fixatives underestimate dry mass by as much as 85.4%, except for Nectopsyche sp. whose dry mass was always overestimated. These results provide further evidence on the effect of preservatives on dry mass losses. Even when working with tropical species, any study in which biomass is going to be determined should consider the effect of preservatives on dry mass.
Determination of Microbial Activities and Biomass in Biofilm Associated with Treatment Wetlands Compartments to Investigate Active Pollutant Processing Site

Although Floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) provide immense advantages over other natural treatment facilities, there is no information about biofilm functioning and microbial-based processes in FTW. Therefore, this study was aimed to evaluate the magnitude of microbial-based processes in the root, bottom and water column zones of the FTW by employing of macrophytes. For this experiment, primary domestic wastewater effluent was used in two pairs of FTWs (I. psuedacorus and P. stratiotes) and a pair of control. Total microbial activity was estimated using FDA hydrolytic activity and specific microbial activities were examined as denitrification and nitrification activities, whilst viable microbial number and distribution in the FTW compartments were determined using ATP assay. The average nitrification rates in the FTWs were 0.55, 0.81 and 2.75 μg/ml of water, gravel and root surface per hour respectively; and denitrification rates were 0.022, 0.053 and 0.132 μg/ml of water, gravel and roots surface respectively. The mean fluorescein concentration for the FTWs were 9.2, 1.1 and 0.06 μg/ml of root, gravel and freewater respectively, indicating that the highest total microbial activity in the FTW occurs in the biofilm associated with the root system. Mean viable microbial community 3.85 × 108, 3.7 × 107 and 1.3 × 107 cells/ml of root surface, water and gravel surface. Therefore, all the result suggested that active pollutant removal in all FTW stakes place in the root zone.
Considering the Role Marked Variation Plays in Classifying Humans: A Normative Approach

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the ongoing analyses that aim to confront the problem of marked variation. Negatively marked differences are those natural variations that are used to cleave human beings into different categories (e.g., of disablement, of medicalized pathology, of subnormalcy, or of deviance). The problem of marked variation is: Why are some rather than other variations marked as epistemically or culturally significant or as a diagnostic of pathology, and What is the epistemic background that makes these—rather than other variations—marked as subnormal? For Wilson (2018a), critical examination of the problem of marked variation is central to understanding the epistemology of medicalized pathology that made the history of eugenics possible. My aim is to explore the role marked variation plays in eugenic and other problematic classifications and the inferences they appear to license. I pay particular attention to the normative valuations of marked variations, how these valuations affect the inferences that are made by others about those possessing the variation, and how those possessing the variation perceive themselves. In the final sections, I illustrate this by critically discussing three putative kinship conceptions of race. I rely on these to extend the scope of the puzzle of marked variation from the context of historic and current markings of an individual’s variation as disability in the eugenics movement to historic and current markings for assigning putative racial ascriptions to individuals and groups. Lastly, I suggest that the problem of marked variation is a problem that looms over any epistemic account that is dependent upon sorting or classifying.
Embedding logical frameworks in scala

El Framework Logico de Edimburgo ha demostrado ser una poderosa herramienta en el estudio formal de sistemas deductivos, como por ejemplo lenguajes de programacion. Sin embargo su principal implementacion, el sistema Twelf, carece de expresividad, obligando al programador a escribir codigo repetitivo. Este proyecto presenta una manera alternativa de utilizar Twelf: a traves de un EDSL (Lenguaje Embebido de Dominio Especifico) en Scala que permite representar firmas del Framework Logico, y apoyandonos en Twelf como backend para la verificacion, abrimos la puerta a diversas posibilidades en terminos de metaprogramacion. El codigo fuente, asi como instrucciones para instalar y configurar, esta accesible en https://github.com/akathorn/elfcala. ---ABSTRACT---The Edinburgh Logical Framework has proven to be to be a powerful tool in the formal study of deductive systems, such as programming languages. However, its main implementation, the Twelf system, lacks expressiveness, requiring the programmer to write repetitive code. This project presents an alternative way of using Twelf: by providing a Scala EDSL (Embedded Domain Specific Language) that can encode Logical Framework signatures and relying on Twelf as a backend for the verification, we open the door to different possibilities in terms of metaprogramming. The source code, along with instructions to install and configure, is accessible at https://github.com/akathorn/elfcala
Children's Self-Efficacy Beliefs, Goal-Setting Behaviors, and Self-Regulated Learning

This paper explores the relations among children’s goal-setting behaviors, perceived efficacy, and self-regulated learning. Individuals’ self-regulated learning comprises three subprocesses: self-observation, self-judgment, and self-reaction. Children’s self-efficacy beliefs and goal setting play a significant role in these subprocesses. Students enter learning activities with certain goals as well as perceived efficacy for goal attainment. When working on tasks, children observe their performance, gauge goal process, and continue their work or modify the approach on the basis of the evaluation. Satisfactory goal process heightens feelings of efficacy. Goal attainment further enables children to set new challenging goals. An interactive view indicates that children’s self-regulation is a dynamic process in which such variables as perceived efficacy and goal setting influence one another reciprocally. Finally, future research directions which might help further our understanding of the research in this area are suggested.
Geodesics of three-dimensional walker manifolds

GEODESICS OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL WALKER MANIFOLDS Gökçen Büyükbaş Çakar M.S. in Mathematics Advisor: Bülent Ünal July 2016 We review some basic facts of Lorentzian geometry including causality and geodesic completeness. We depict the properties of curves and planes in threedimensional Minkowski space. We define the Walker manifolds, that is, a Lorentzian manifold which admits a parallel degenerate distribution. We calculate the Christoffel symbols and Levi-Civita connection components, Riemann curvature and Ricci curvature components for an arbitrary three-dimensional Walker manifold and strictly Walker manifold. Finally, we derive the geodesic equations of a three-dimensional Walker manifold and investigate the geodesic curves in it, particularly the ones with a constant component. We prove that any straight line with a constant third component is a geodesic in any Walker manifold with the causality depending on its second component. We prove that the existence of a geodesic in a Walker manifold with a linear third component implies that the manifold is strict. We also show that any three-dimensional Walker manifold is geodesically complete.
Preprocessing digital breast mammograms using adaptive weighted frost filter

Mammography became the most efficient tool for early detection among breast cancer patients because it can detect cancer up to two years earlier than a mass can be shown. Pre-processing and postprocessing of mammographic images involves high computational cost. Preprocessing is an essential element of any imaging modalities whose foremost aim is to execute such processes which can bring the image to that quality where it is suitable for further analysis and extraction of significant data. This paper talks about pre-processing which has great significance in mammographic image analysis due to poor quality of mammograms since they are captured at low dose of radiation while the high amount of radiation may jeopardize the patient’s health. Many techniques have been used to enhance image quality, image smoothing and noise restoration. The experimental results conclude that the proposed Adaptive Weighted Frost filter is the best suitable choice for eliminating noise from mammographic images and performs better comparatively. The comparison of proposed technique with various existing techniques is performed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The experiments have demonstrated that the proposed technique provides better results as compare to existing techniques.
Remembering Actions: An Analysis of the Sources of Children's Confusions.

Klthough confusions about memories for performed and imagined actions have been observed from both adults and children alike, children have more difficulty than adults distinguishing actions they performed from actions they imagined performing (Foley JAnson, 1985). The present experiments were designed to seek a clarification of the basis of children's confusion between actions and imaginations. In Experiment 1, 7 and 10 year olds engaged in two types of tracing exercises (using 11 pencil and a finger; a pencil and a stylus; or a finger and a stylus). In Experiment 2, children traced and iMagined tracihg pictures uSing one of these three tools. In both experiments, the degree of confusion varied with condition. In some cases, confusions involving different types of tracing were greater than those involving imaginal memories. A theoretical interpretation is developed that emphasizes the importance of specific information associated with motor programs tor ch11dren'5 decisiOn processes.
A MINIMUM SPANNING TREE BASED METHOD FOR UAV IMAGE SEGMENTATION

Abstract. This paper proposes a Minimum Span Tree (MST) based image segmentation method for UAV images in coastal area. An edge weight based optimal criterion (merging predicate) is defined, which based on statistical learning theory (SLT). And we used a scale control parameter to control the segmentation scale. Experiments based on the high resolution UAV images in coastal area show that the proposed merging predicate can keep the integrity of the objects and prevent results from over segmentation. The segmentation results proves its efficiency in segmenting the rich texture images with good boundary of objects.
Geochemistry and Mineralogy of Clays from the Algarve Basin, Portugal: A Multivariate Approach to Palaeoenvironmental Investigations

Lower Cretaceous and Triassic-Hettangian clays from the Algarve Basin (South Portugal) were deposited in distinct environments during basin subsidence due to Pangea break up. The mineralogy, geochemistry and granulometry of 45 samples of both clay groups were studied, using X-ray diffraction, instrumental neutron activation analysis, X-ray fluorescence and laser diffractometry by attenuation of X-rays. Multivariate statistical techniques (principal component analysis and K-means clustering), after scandium normalization of chemical contents, were used to study simultaneously all data, enabling to distinguish the different clay types by establishing the best discriminatory parameters: high contents (in decreased order) of kaolinite, quartz, Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA), Ti, goethite, Hf, Si, > 63 μm fraction and Zr, characterize the group of clays from Cretaceous; while high contents of hematite, Mg, mobile elements (K, Cs and P), illite, Ca, phyllosilicates in general, Mn and dolomite, are associated to Triassic-Hettangian clays. This approach revealed useful to facilitate the integration of all data, as was possible to confront the geochemistry with the mineralogy, enabling the best palaeoenvironmental interpretations. In fact, the clay mineral assemblage is significantly influenced by the domi- nant weathering process and provides information on changes in aridity/humidity patterns.