Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MEMS-actuated wavelength drop filter based on microsphere whispering gallery modes

MEMS-enabled tuneable optical coupling between optical microsphere resonators and optical fibre waveguides is reported. We describe the design, fabrication and experimental characterization of a MEMS platform, based on electrothermal actuators, which controls the resonator-to-waveguide separation. We compare the simulated and experimental displacements of the actuators in an unloaded and loaded state, where the load is a 1 mm optical spherical resonator. We then demonstrate the proof of concept application of selective wavelength dropping using the MEMS platform by modulating the coupling between the spherical resonator and a tapered optical fibre waveguide.
THE BIONOMICS OF EXONEURELLA, A SOLITARY RELATIVE OF EXONEURA (Hymenoptera : Apoidea : Ceratinini) l

Numerous nests of Exoneurella lawsoni of eastern Australia were studied through­ out the active season. Larvae are fed progressively and have curious morphological modi­ fications presumably associated with this method of feeding and with the absence of separate cells. Winter is passed by adults of both sexes in nests in pithy weed stems. Mating oc­ curs in the spring and each £ starts her own nest. Females maturing during the summer may start their own nests or, when the overwintered mother dies, one of the daughters may remain in the nest, care for her immature siblings, as well as lay her own eggs. This spe­ cies is much more nearly solitary than are the species of the related genus Exoneura. It is well known (see recent review by Sakagami 1960) that numerous bees of the genera Allodape, Exoneura, and their relatives live in small colonies in hollow stems and rear their larvae by progressive feeding. The present paper concerns an Australian species, Exoneurella lawsoni (Rayment), which is noteworthy because it is essentially solitary, each female usually rearing her own young. Like the other species of the group, and unlike all other bees, the larvae are not reared in cells but live together in a hollow stem. The
Detection of Insiders Malicious Behaviors for Nuclear Security by Hand Motion Analysis

Shi Chen, Kazuyuki Demachi, Yusuke Kawasaki and Yutaro Nakashima The University of Tokyo. Abstract After Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident, the importance of nuclear security is increased. Especially as the threat to nuclear power plants, sabotage is worthy of attention. In addition, when considering the sabotage, due attention should be paid to insiders. Moreover, hand motion is an important part of human activity and it has high contribution to high-accuracy detection of insider malicious behaviors. In this research, the real-time hand motion detection system was developed by using Kinect v2. Also, the possibility of malicious behavior detection was explored by using Stacked Auto-Encoder.
Factors influencing smallholder crop commercialisation: Evidence from Cte dIvoire

In this study, we analysed factors that influence crop output commercialisation among smallholder farmers in Cote d’Ivoire. Unlike previous studies, we correct for sample selection bias by using the Heckman maximum likelihood sample selection model with village fixed effects. We rely on a unique and detailed dataset that covers 3,393 smallholder farmers. The dataset was gathered from the 2014 National employment survey collected by the National Institute of Statistics (INS) Cote d’Ivoire. Results from the study suggest that cooperative membership and land tenure security raise the level of marketed outputs of Ivorian farmers. Female headed households sold lower proportions of their outputs than their male counterparts. Labour shortage is a major constraint to crop output commercialisation. From a policy perspective, the Government should revive its interest in collective actions such as cooperatives, facilitate farmer’s access to credit, improve food crop productivity and enhance mechanization. Key words: Crop commercialisation, Cote d’Ivoire, smallholder farmers, agriculture.
Computational Analysis of Queues with Catastrophes in a Multiphase Random Environment

A dynamically changing road traffic model which occasionally suffers a disaster (traffic collision, wrecked vehicles, conflicting weather conditions, spilled cargo, and hazardous matter) resulting in loss of all the vehicles (diverted to other routes) has been discussed. Once the system gets repaired, it undergoes trial phases and finally reaches its full capacity phase n. We have obtained the explicit steady state probabilities of the system via Matrix Geometric Method. Probability Generating Function is used to evaluate the time spent by the system in each phase. Various performance measures like mean traffic, average waiting time of vehicles, and fraction of vehicles lost are calculated. Some special cases have also been discussed.
Field investigation of contactless displacement measurement using computer vision systems for civil engineering applications

Much of the bridge stock on major transport links in North America and Europe was constructed in the 1950s and 1960s and has since deteriorated or is carrying loads far in excess of the original design loads. Structural Health Monitoring Systems (SHM) can provide valuable information on the bridge capacity but the application of such systems is currently limited by access and bridge type. This paper investigates the use of computer vision systems for SHM. A series of ﬁeld tests have been carried out to test the accuracy of displacement measurements using contactless methods. A video image of each test was processed using a modiﬁed version of the optical ﬂow tracking method to track displacement. These results have been validated with an established measurement method using linear variable differential transformers (LVDTs). The results obtained from the algorithm provided an accurate comparison with the validation measurements. The calculated displacements agree within 2% of the veriﬁed LVDT measurements, a number of post processing methods were then applied to attempt to reduce this error.
Integrating Managerial Pattern and Competitive Advantages: The Moderation of Competitive Inertia

In dynamic competition, the competitive inertia is determined by components both inside and outside of company. This paper investigated that, after integration, how can firm appropriately alter their integrating managerial pattern, according to competitive inertia, in order to achieve better advantages cause from integration. Through 10-year data of the oligopoly enterprises in airconditioner industry in China, the analysis demonstrated that, improving flexibilities of integration managerial pattern helps to build differentiation advantages, while negative to cost advantages; while firm competitive inertia grew, systematicness of integration managerial pattern would have positive effects on differentiation advantages, while negative on cost advantages. Key words : Integrating managerial pattern; Competitive dynamics; Competitive inertia; Competitive advantages
AGRICULTURAL EXPORT AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN NIGERIA: A MULTIVARIATE JOHANSEN COINTEGRATION ANALYSIS

This paper analyzed the relationship between agricultural export and economic growth in Nigeria. The study made use of time series data covering the period between 1980 and 2012. The research model was specified in the spirit of Hwa (1988). Phillips-Peron unit root, multivariate Johansen cointegration and error correction techniques were used to estimate the stationarity, the long-run and the short-run dynamics of the research models respectively. The empirical findings in the study revealed that agricultural export, agricultural output, net capital flow and world price of Nigeria’s major agricultural commodities are long run determinants of economic expansion in Nigeria. The paper recommended that government should direct efforts to improve agricultural export in the process of economic growth in the country.
Clinical and Pathological Characteristics of BRCA2 Positive Breast Cancer in Egyptian Female Patients

Mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes confer greater risk of developing breast cancer. Early age at onset is generally considered an indicator of genetic susceptibility to breast cancer. We determined whether tumor pathologic features and clinical features differ in patients with and without BRCA2 mutations, the study was carried out on thirty breast cancer patients, divided as fifteen with familial breast cancer and fifteen with sporadic breast cancer. Seven cases of the familial breast cancer patients showed BRCA2 mutaion. According to this study, there was statistically significant negative correlation between frequency BRCA2 gene mutations and female age, there was negative correlation between BRCA2 gene mutations and ER receptor, PR receptor and HER2/neu status (positivity and negativity) and positive correlation between gene mutations and the pathological grade of the tumor. However, this correlation did not reach a significant level. Three of the seven BRCA2 patients weRe of triple negative molecular type (from total 5patient had triple negative type among the thirty patients). The ER positive BRCA2 patients were mainly luminal B.
A Mathematical Model to Predict Tumor Responses to Cancer Drugs Based on Dose Response Curves in the Continuous Case

This project is associated with the PIC Math Program of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). This project investigates how to mathematically model the drug concentration that kills 50 percent of the 3-D tumor cells and generate a dose response curve. These curves allow us to more accurately predict effective drug dosages, such as, the ideal balance between the drug toxicity and drug effectiveness. The PDEs developed in this paper allow us to vary multiple variables (like tumor density and drug concentration) at once within a set of coupled equations, which can reduce the amount of time spent planning experiments and allow for greater accuracy in drug dosages. In future applications, we can develop a discrete model to further analyze independent parameters.
Current Account Imbalances: Signs of Adjustment?

Global external imbalances are commonly labelled as one of the main reasons for the Global Financial Crisis. This paper investigates these imbalances and determines current account equilibria for 21 OECD countries. Subsequently, we measure the speed of adjustment to the calculated equilibrium values and test for asymmetric adjustment effects. We extend the approach of Gosse and Serranito (2014) in updating and extending their dataset and testing additional variables like the net foreign assets, population growth and trade openness. We find negative threshold values of around 3.8% below equilibrium. Countries below this threshold adjust significantly faster than countries above.
Memristor-based hardware neural networks modelling review and framework concept

This paper is a report of a study in progress that considers development of a framework and environment for modelling hardware memristor-based neural networks. An extensive review of the domain has been performed and partly reported in this work. Fundamental papers on memristors and memristor related technologies have been given attention. Various physical implementations of memristors have mentioned together with several mathematical models of the metal-dioxide memristor group. One of the latter has been given a closer look in the paper by briefly describing model’s mechanisms and some of the important observations. The paper also considers a recently proposed architecture of memristor-based neural networks and suggests enhancing it by replacing the utilized memristor model with a more accurate one. Based on this review, a number of development requirements was derived and formally specified. Ontological and functional models of the domain at hand have been proposed to foster understanding of the corresponding field from different points of view. Ontological model is supposed to shed light onto the object-oriented structure of memristor-based neural network, whereas the functional model exposes the underlying behavior of network’s components which is described in terms of mathematical equations. Finally, the paper shortly speculates about the development platform for the framework and its prospects.
ROBUST MATCHING OF IMAGES BY AN ALGORITHM BASED ON VOTING FOR TREATMENT ACCURACY ASSESSMENT IN RADIOTHERAPY

To find if the radiotherapy treatment of cancer is performed precisely it is necessary to register a pair of images: one made during therapy planning and the second one made during the therapy itself. To do this it is proposed to match the edges of the anatomical structures and the irradiation field found in both images and to use the Hausdorff distance modified by using a voting scheme. This makes it possible to perform the matching between those fragments of the edges which actually have their counterparts in the other image, and to omit hose which do not, in an automatic way.
Wide-Area Protection and Control: Present Status and Key Challenges

� Abstract— The electricity supply industries need tools for dealing with system-wide disturbances that often cause widespread blackouts in power system networks. When a major disturbance occurs, protection and control measures assume the greatest role to prevent further degradation of the system, restore the system to a normal state, and minimize the impact of the disturbance. Continuous technological development in communication and measurement have promoted the utilization of Phasor Measurement Unit (PMU) based Wide-Area Measurement Systems (WAMS) in power system protection and control for better management of the system security through advanced control and protection strategies. In this paper, a comprehensive survey is made on recent developments in this field. Focus of the survey is on WAMS based adaptive relaying and control applications and highlights key issues and challenges.
Analysis and Research of Several Problems of Bad Short Message Filtering System

the spread of bad message seriously affects the social ethos and disrupt the normal life order of people. It has considerable practical value to research and develop the filtering technology of bad short message. Two problems in text classification are studied in this paper, which can be used in the bad short message filtering. The first is the application of clustering method to purify unreliable corpus. Experiment shows that the method is quite obvious on purification effect of unreliable data; the second is about a little improvement of word weight index IDF. Keywords-message filtration; unreliable corpus; vector space model; IDF
Improving Theory and Research on Hazard Mitigation: Political Economy and Organizational Perspectives

This paper opens with a discussion of the progress that has been made to date in research and theory on mitigation. It goes on to suggest approaches that, by addressing neglected aspects of mitigation-related issues, may improve our understanding of the topic. Woven through the paper are calls for several shifts in emphasis with respect to studies on mitigation: (1) from a social system, consensus model to a conflict model on society and community; (2) from an event-based, discontinuous concept of disaster and mitigation to a view that stresses the continuity between ongoing social life and the disruption occasioned by natural and technological agents; (3) from the study of the social consequences of disasters to the study of aspects of the social order that increase risk and lead to disasters; and (4) from an individualistic, social psychological approach to mitigation to a perspective that takes into account macro-level social phenomena. Language: en
Combination of geodetic observations and models for glacial isostatic adjustment fields in Fennoscandia

We demonstrate a new technique for using geodetic data to update a priori predictions for Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) in the Fennoscandia region. Global Positioning System (GPS), tide gauge, and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) gravity rates are assimilated into our model. The technique allows us to investigate the individual contributions from these data sets to the output GIA model in a self‐consistent manner. Another benefit of the technique is that we are able to estimate uncertainties for the output model. These are reduced with each data set assimilated. Any uncertainties in the GPS reference frame are absorbed by reference frame adjustments that are estimated as part of the assimilation. Our updated model shows a spatial pattern and magnitude of peak uplift that is consistent with previous models, but our location of peak uplift is slightly to the east of many of these. We also simultaneously estimate a spatially averaged rate of local sea level rise. This regional rate (∼1.5 mm/yr) is consistent for all solutions, regardless of which data sets are assimilated or the magnitude of a priori GPS reference frame constraints. However, this is only the case if a uniform regional gravity rate, probably representing errors in, or unmodeled contributions to, the low‐degree harmonic terms from GRACE, is also estimated for the assimilated GRACE data. Our estimated sea level rate is consistent with estimates obtained using a more traditional approach of direct “correction” using collocated GPS and tide gauge sites.
Bactericidal activity of kitchen spices and condiments on enteropathogens

The medicinal value of many of the spices and condiments used in Indian cooking has been known for centuries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the bactericidal activity of spices and condiments used in the Indian kitchen on enteropathogens endemic to our country. Aqueous extracts of onion (Allium cepa Linn.), garlic (Allium sativum Linn.), ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.), black pepper (Piper nigrum Linn.), clove [Syzygium aromaticum (Linn.) Merrill & Perry], asafoetida (Ferula assafoetida Linn.), omum (Bishop’s weeds) [Trachyspermum ammi (Linn.) Sprague syn. Carum copticum Hiern. ], mint (Mentha spicata Linn. emend. Nathh. syn. M. viridis Linn.), cumin seeds (Cuminum cyminum Linn.) and turmeric(Curcuma domestica Valeton) were used in the study. Their antimicrobial activity against various diarrhoeagenic bacteria, viz. Salmonella typhi, S. typhimurium, Shigella flexneri, Sh. dysenteriae, Escherichia coli, Yersinia enterocolitica and Campylobacter jejuni were investigated by the disc diffusion and growth inhibition methods. Extracts of clove showed maximal antimicrobial activity against all the enteropathogens investigated. Black pepper showed antimicrobial effect on Sh. dysenteriae, C. jejuni, E. coli 0157 and E. coli 0102. Ginger and mint showed the least bactericidal effect on the enteropathogens studied. The remaining spices and condiments showed different degree of activity with different microbes. Spices and condiments, thus not only add flavour to the Indian cooking, but they may also protect us from various gastrointestinal endemic diseases.
Television Viewing Profile and Values: Implications for Moral Education

This study analyzed some aspects of the television viewing profile and personal values of a sample of 1,318 people from the Basque Country (Spain). It also studied the relationship between said values and profile. The instruments used were the Values and Television Questionnaire (Val-TV 0.1) and the Television Habit Questionnaire (CH-TV.01). In relation to values, the results revealed that the highest scores were obtained in benevo- lence, conformity and self-direction. As regards the viewing profile, leisure and entertain- ment programs were the most popular. The characters chosen by respondents were mainly older, male, fictional characters with no profession. Furthermore, significant differences were found between values and said aspects of the viewing profile. The results found enable the relationships between values and television preferences to be viewed as an educational re- source for moral education.
How to link agricultural productivity, water availability and water demand in a risk context: a model for managing hydrological risks

The importance of water scarcity in irrigated agriculture in Spain provides the rationale for this paper, which analyses and evaluates the risk of water shortage on the economic result of this kind of agriculture. The main objective is to monitor this risk on a real-time basis. For this aim, we first estimated a number of regression models that explain irrigated agricultural productivity based on crop price indices, a time trend and water availability. These models, which correct for auto-correlation, yield good explanatory power. Second we carried out ex ante simulations of agricultural productivity using fitted distribution functions of water balance. The risk model framework provides the basis for a real time drought management system through a variety of distribution functions of expected economic results, which can be revised on a monthly basis before the beginning of the irrigation season. The results of the simulation show how this kind of risk model can be used to anticipate the effects of droughts and complement the hydrological models used to manage water storage in years of scarcity. Different risk profiles are identified. For example, in Genil-Cabra we found that the resilience of the system after a drought period is very high, whereas in La Plana de Castellon the risk of irrigation area abandonment is increasing year by year. In Genil-Cabra the estimated losses were 60 million euros in 2007. The models were applied to some of the most agriculturally relevant irrigation districts in Spain.
A LabVIEW Approach of Detecting Area of Tumor in a Brain

The Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and Computed Tomography (CT) scan plays an important role in Brain Tumor detection. The tumor means abnormal cells growth in a human body. In this paper, comparison of abnormal brain with normal brain is done and exact position and area of the tumor using NI LABVIEW software was found out. This technique is carried out in two steps: i) First acquire gray scale image from MRI and CT scan images[1] and then comparing the tumor images using IMAQ tools ii) Applying edge detection, FFT filter techniques and measurement technique to find out exact location and area of the brain tumor. The edge detection technique is based on drastic changes in intensities of brain and tumor region. Fast Fourier Transform is used here to study the tumor region of MRI Brain Image in terms of its pixel intensity as it helps in removing the frequency components of edge detected MRI scan image. Not only for the brain tumor, this techniques can also be used for the analysis of clots in the brain