Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interval Type-2 Fuzzy Gmc for Nonlinear Stochastic Process of Methane Production in the Anaerobic Digester System

The paper focused on the implementation of hybrid Interval Type-2 (IT2) Fuzzy with Generic Model Control (GMC) for the nonlinear stochastic waste treatment process in the anaerobic digester. Development of the deterministic methane process model has been extended to a set of stochastic nonlinear differential equations. The stochastic effect is introduced by adding white noise with unit covariance to give an interesting profile like physical plant dynamic. The IT2 Fuzzy based on Takagi-Sugeno-Mendel and GMC by Lee and Sullivan have been developed to control the holdup pH inside reactor. The pH value is being manipulated by the flowrate of Sodium hydroxide at optimal methane gas production condition. The process variables that need to be controlled and included into the controller are pH, error and change of error while the consequence fuzzy set output is from the GMC backpropagation law equations. As a result from several studies; servo and regulatory, the controller show significant improvement on the set point tracking and disturbance rejection over typical Fuzzy, Fuzzy-GMC and conventional Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controllers. It shows the controller is suitable for stochastic process and nonlinear control system application.
Analytical Modeling of PEM Fuel Cell Gas Diffusion Layers Deformation under Compression: Part 1 - Linear Behaviour Region

In the Proton exchange membrane PEM fuel cell stack, transport characteristics of the porous gas diffusion layer (GDL) change due to the GDL microstructural parameters variation in a result of compressive loading. GDL provides mechanical support for the membrane assembly against the compressive loads imposed by bipolar plates. In the compressive loads more than a critical pressure, GDL has a linear mechanical behaviour and its compressive modulus reaches a constant value. Using unit cell approach and assuming a simplified geometry for the complex and random microstructure of the GDL, a new mechanistic model is developed that can accurately predict the mechanical behaviour of GDL. A comparison between the present model and the GDL stress-strain data shows that the model can predict accurately the mechanical behaviour of the GDL material. The nonlinear behaviour of GDL will be addressed in the second part of this study.
Geographic isolation and larval dispersal shape seascape genetic patterns differently according to spatial scale

Genetic variation, as a basis of evolutionary change, allows species to adapt and persist in different climates and environments. Yet, a comprehensive assessment of the drivers of genetic variation at different spatial scales is still missing in marine ecosystems. Here, we investigated the influence of environment, geographic isolation, and larval dispersal on the variation in allele frequencies, using an extensive spatial sampling (47 locations) of the striped red mullet (Mullus surmuletus) in the Mediterranean Sea. Univariate multiple regressions were used to test the influence of environment (salinity and temperature), geographic isolation, and larval dispersal on single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) allele frequencies. We used Moran's eigenvector maps (db‐MEMs) and asymmetric eigenvector maps (AEMs) to decompose geographic and dispersal distances in predictors representing different spatial scales. We found that salinity and temperature had only a weak effect on the variation in allele frequencies. Our results revealed the predominance of geographic isolation to explain variation in allele frequencies at large spatial scale (>1,000 km), while larval dispersal was the major predictor at smaller spatial scale (<1,000 km). Our findings stress the importance of including spatial scales to understand the drivers of spatial genetic variation. We suggest that larval dispersal allows to maintain gene flows at small to intermediate scale, while at broad scale, genetic variation may be mostly shaped by adult mobility, demographic history, or multigenerational stepping‐stone dispersal. These findings bring out important spatial scale considerations to account for in the design of a protected area network that would efficiently enhance protection and persistence capacity of marine species.
Political knowledge reduces hindsight memory distortion in election judgements

Hindsight bias occurs when outcome information biases judgements. Previous studies have demonstrated hindsight bias in judgements of election outcomes, but few studies have examined the role of domain knowledge in hindsight bias. The present study examined the relationship between political knowledge and hindsight bias using both memory and hypothetical designs. Participants answered political knowledge questions and some made predictions before the 2012 US Presidential Election. After the election, participants were provided with the outcomes. Those who made predictions were asked to recall them, whereas those who did not make predictions were asked what they would have predicted. Both groups demonstrated hindsight bias: their recalled or hypothetical predictions were closer to the election results than participants' actual predictions. Political knowledge was negatively correlated with hindsight bias in recalled predictions but not significantly correlated with hindsight bias in hypothetical predictions. These findings help elucidate the role of domain knowledge in hindsight bias.
Chapter 1 Decision Tasks and Basic Algorithms

Recommender systems are decision support systems helping users to identify one or more items (solutions) that fit their wishes and needs. The most frequent application of recommender systems nowadays is to propose items to individual users. However, there are many scenarios where a group of users should receive a recommendation. For example, think of a group decision regarding the next holiday destination or a group decision regarding a restaurant to visit for a joint dinner. The goal of this book is to provide an introduction to group recommender systems, i.e., recommender systems that determine recommendations for groups. In this chapter, we provide an introduction to basic types of recommendation algorithms for individual users and characterize related decision tasks. This introduction serves as a basis for the introduction of group recommendation algorithms in Chapter 2.
The influence of prey consumption and demographic stochasticity on population growth rate of Isle Royale wolves Canis lupus

The relationship between the rates of prey capture and predator population growth is a fundamental aspect of predation, yet it is rarely measured for vertebrate predators. For the isolated wolf population on Isle Royale, annual variation in kill rate explains 22% of the variation in wolf population growth rate. From the slope of this relationship, we estimate that the production efficiency (ratio of production to respiration) of wolves is between 0.5% and 1.5%. More generally, we assess the relative extent to which wolf population growth rate is affected by density dependence, prey availability (moose, Alces alces), winter weather, and demographic stochasticity. Prey availability explains the most variation in wolf growth rate (42%), but this is only recognized after accounting for the influence of a disease-induced population crash and age structure of the prey population (i.e. number of vulnerable moose, >9 years of age). Demographic stochasticity accounts for approximately 30% of the variation in wolf growth rate. This recognition is important, but not surprising, given that the average population size of Isle Royale wolves is 22. Previous work indicates that the effect of winter climate, as mediated through prey vulnerability and kill rates, is substantial. This work indicates that the direct effect of winter climate is weak, and explains only about 4% of the variation in wolf growth rate (P=0.10).
TATIANA EFIMUSHKINA REVERSIBLE DATA HIDING IN DIGITAL IMAGES Master’s thesis

TAMPERE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY Master’s Degree Programme in Information Technology EFIMUSHKINA, TATIANA: ”REVERSIBLE DATA HIDING IN DIGITAL IMAGES” Master of Science Thesis, 51 pages, January, 2013 Major subject: Communications Engineering Minor subject: Signal Processing Examiners: Professor Karen Egiazarian, Professor Yevgeni Koucheryavy, Professor Moncef Gabbouj.
Semantic labelling of road furniture in mobile laser scanning data.

Abstract. Road furniture semantic labelling is vital for large scale mapping and autonomous driving systems. Much research has been investigated on road furniture interpretation in both 2D images and 3D point clouds. Precise interpretation of road furniture in mobile laser scanning data still remains unexplored. In this paper, a novel method is proposed to interpret road furniture based on their logical relations and functionalities. Our work represents the most detailed interpretation of road furniture in mobile laser scanning data. 93.3 % of poles are correctly extracted and all of them are correctly recognised. 94.3 % of street light heads are detected and 76.9 % of them are correctly identified. Despite errors arising from the recognition of other components, our framework provides a promising solution to automatically map road furniture at a detailed level in urban environments.
Effect of TAG composition on the solid fat content profile, microstructure, and hardness of model fat blends with identical saturated fatty acid content

TAGs play an important role in determining the functional properties of fat-based food products such as margarines, chocolate, and spreads. Nowadays, special attention is given to the role of the TAG structure and how it affects functional properties such as mouth feel, texture, and plasticity. Key to this research is the need to develop more healthy fats with a reduced level of trans and saturated fatty acids (SFAs), while maintaining the desired properties. In this study, fat blends with identical levels of SFA (50%) but differing in the ratio asymmetric/symmetric blends were evaluated by pulsed NMR and texturometry as a function of storage time and storage temperature. A higher trisaturated TAG content gave rise to a higher solid fat content (SFC) at higher temperature and a lower SFC at lower temperature for both palmitic and stearic based blends. On the other hand, the effect of symmetry on the SFC-profile of the blends was only clear for the stearic based blends. At lower temperatures, the SFC of symmetric TAG based blend (blend SM) was markedly lower than that of asymmetric TAG based blend (blend iS). However, from 30 degrees C onwards, the SFC of blend SM was clearly higher than that of blend iS. The microscopic analyses revealed a denser crystal network for a higher degree of trisaturated TAG and for symmetric stearic based blends. Moreover, some blends showed a clear evolution of the microstructure during storage with smaller crystals transforming into larger ones. Finally, texture analyses demonstrated the importance of the crystallization and storage temperature on the hardness of the blends.
Assessing the influence of prey-predator ratio, prey age structure and packs size on wolf kill rates

Traditional predation theory assumes that prey density is the primary determinant of kill rate. More recently, the ratio of prey-to-predator has been shown to be a better predictor of kill rate. However, the selective behavior of many predators also suggests that age structure of the prey population should be an important predictor of kill rate. We compared wolf– moose predation dynamics in two sites, south-central Scandinavia (SCA) and Isle Royale, Lake Superior, North America (IR), where prey density was similar, but where prey age structure and prey-to-predator ratio differed. Per capita kill rates of wolves preying on moose in SCA are three times greater than on IR. Because SCA and IR have similar prey densities differences in kill rate cannot be explained by prey density. Instead, differences in kill rate are explained by differences in the ratio of prey-to-predator, pack size and age structure of the prey populations. Although ratio-dependent functional responses was an important variable for explaining differences in kill rates between SCA and IR, kill rates tended to be higher when calves comprised a greater portion of wolves’ diet (p  0.05). Our study is the first to suggest how age structure of the prey population can affect kill rate for a mammalian predator. Differences in age structure of the SCA and IR prey populations are, in large part, the result of moose and forests being exploited in SCA, but not in IR. While predator conservation is largely motivated by restoring trophic cascades and other top–down influences, our results show how human enterprises can also alter predation through bottom–up processes.
Oxidative DNA Damage is Induced by Chronic Cigarette Smoking, but Repaired by Abstention

The association of chronic cigarette smoking and abstention with oxidative DNA damage was studied. The serum level of an oxidative DNA damage marker, 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), was measured in 20 healthy male smokers and 8 healthy male non-smokers. The 8-OHdG level was significantly higher in the smokers than in the non-smokers (0.22 ± 0.05 vs. 0.07 ± 0.02 ng/ml, p < 0.001). Ten of 20 smokers abstained from smoking for 4 weeks. Their 8-OHdG levels were significantly reduced by the smoking abstention (0.27 ± 0.05 to 0.14 ± 0.02 ng/ml, p < 0.001). The remaining 10 not only abstained from smoking, but also received 2g /day of oral vitamin C. Their 8-OHdG levels were also significantly reduced (0.27 ± 0.05 to 0.13 ± 0.02 ng/ml, p < 0.001). However, there was no significant difference in the serial changes in 8-OHdG level between the smoking abstention group and the smoking abstention with vitamin C supplementation group. These results suggest that chronic cigarette smoking enhanced oxidative DNA damage, but the damage was repaired by smoking abstention, and that vitamin C supplementation might not enhance the repair. In light of the DNA damage, smoking abstention should be encouraged.
A DNA test for sex assignment in Australasian Harrier

Recently developed molecular methods for the assignment of sex in avian species have facilitated more accurate studies in both ecology and conservation. In particular, gender spacing and dispersal studies of Australasian Ranier (Circus approximans) would benefit from the accurate identification of male and female birds. We report here the application of a sex test capable of sexing harriers using DNA extracted from feather bases. The test relies on the genetic amplification and detection of W chromosome nucleotide sequences.
Database-analysis of errors in Large-Eddy Simulation

A database of decaying homogeneous, isotropic turbulence is constructed including reference direct numerical simulations at two different Reynolds numbers and a large number of corresponding large-eddy simulations at various subgrid resolutions. Errors in large-eddy simulation as a function of physical and numerical parameters are investigated. In particular, employing the Smagorinsky subgrid parametrization, the dependence of modeling and numerical errors on simulation parameters is quantified. The interaction between these two basic sources of error is shown to lead to their partial cancellation for several flow properties. This leads to a central paradox in large-eddy simulation related to possible strategies that can be followed to improve the accuracy of predictions. Moreover, a framework is presented in which the global parameter dependence of the errors can be classified in terms of the “subgrid activity” which measures the ratio of the turbulent to the total dissipation rate. Such an analysis allows one to quantify refinement strategies and associated model parameters which provide optimal total simulation error at given computational cost.
An introduction to photocatalysis through methylene blue photodegradation

We described a simple experimental set-up for lab work on the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue by TiO2 nanoparticles. The photocatalysis process can be used for many applications. Treatments for diluted wastewater industries, air purifying in underground car parks, and preventing fouling on glass surfaces, are some of the potential applications of this phenomenon. The described experiment is easy to perform and the interpretation can be easily adapted to different levels of students, from high school students demonstrating their interest in sustainable development, to students obtaining a Masters in science departments who want to propose a full explanation for all phenomena of the photocatalytic process. Starting with a description of the experimental set-up, we analysed the photocatalyst nanoparticles and applied the Langmuir–Hinshelwood model to our experimental data. Finally we briefly discussed the respective energetic levels of the photocatalyst semiconductor and methylene blue.
Effect of Oral TGF-Α Formulations on ASA Induced Duadenal Ulcer and The Role of Lipid Peroxidation in The Healing Process

Objective: This study was designed to investigate the effects of aqueous or Microemulsion solution containing Transforming Growth factors-alpha (TGF-a) and/or administration of aprotinin on healing rate of duodenal ulcer induced by acetylsalicylic acid, and to examine the relationships between oxidative processes and TGF-a formulation during duodenal ulcer healing by measuring malondialdehyde, glutathione and total nitric oxide levels. Methods: Male Wistar albino rats were divided into nine groups 1. Control , 2. Acute Ulcer, 3. Chronic Ulcer (untreated), 4. Physiological saline (PS) 5. PS containing TGF-α (10μg/kg) , 6. Microemulsion (ME), 7. Microemulsion containing TGF-α (T-ME), 8. Microemulsion containing aprotinin (AME) 9. Microemulsion containing TGF-α and aprotinin (T-AME). Acute duodenal lesions were induced by intragastric administration of acidified acetylsalicylic acid (150 mg/kg dissolved in 0.2 N HCl) to rats Ulcer areas were detected planimetrically. Tissue malondialdehyde, glutathione and total nitric oxide levels were measured by spectrophotometric methods The ultrastructural changes in duodenum observed by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Results: T-ME and/or aprotinin application decreased the duodenal ulcer areas and malondialdehyde levels and increased glutathione and total nitric oxide levels. Histological evaluation indicated that the best regeneration was observed in T-ME and T-AME groups. Conclusions: TGF-α in microemulsion dosage form accelerates the healing rate of duodenal ulcer and reduces oxidative stress.
Molecular identification of schistosome intermediate hosts: case studies of Bulinus forskalii group species (Gastropoda: Planorbidae) from Central and East Africa

African freshwater snails of the genus Bulinus act as intermediate hosts for schistosomes, trematode parasites responsible for medical and veterinary forms of schistosomiasis. The relationship between these snails and their parasites is an intricate one, with particular species of snail susceptible to infection only by certain species of schistosome. In common with other self-fertile hermaphrodite gastropods, Bulinus consists of a number of closely related species complexes with restricted gene flow between populations of each taxon. Consequently, despite their medical and veterinary importance as intermediate hosts, unambiguous identification and differentiation of planorbid snails such as these remains problematic, often confounding attempts to define the distribution and evolutionary relationships of conchologically similar taxa. Here we consider how morphological methods of discrimination can be used in conjunction with molecular based approaches to improve snail identification, thereby achieving a better understanding of the epidemiology of schistosomiasis. Data are presented from Central and East African taxa which illustrate how PCR-based methods have begun to be used in combination with traditional analyses in an integrated approach to characterize the genus Bulinus, specifically the B. forskalii species group. Particular emphasis is given to the analyses of Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPDs) and the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase I (COI).
Indoor Localization Through Machine Learning on WiFi Fingerprints

This project attempts to provide a reliably accurate indoor localization service to complement the outdoor GPS systems so widely prevalent today. Using WiFi based RSSI fingerprinting and machine learning, we build and test Bayesian models in at-home and public locations, with f-measures of 0.893 for 14 points of interest in a hallway and 0.994 with 6 rooms within a house. The current implementation differentiates itself from the other various existing ventures because of its independence from a uniquely designed and installed infrastructure the program runs indoor positioning by sensing and analyzing only the ambient signals of a given location without relying on explicitly placed beacons, or other signal generating objects. After detecting the powers (RSSI) of the numerous radio signals (WiFi was used for most tests), we use machine learning to identify numerous checkpoints set by the user during training. Future work will involve better GUI design for indoor navigation and the possibility of using different learning methods.
Inbreeding depression by recessive deleterious genes affecting female fecundity of a haplo‐diploid mite

The effect of inbreeding on haplo‐diploid organisms has been regarded as very low, because deleterious recessive genes on hemizygous (haploid) males were immediately purged generation by generation. However, we determined such recessive genes to decrease female fecundity in a population of Schizotetranychus miscanthi Saito which is known in the Acari as a subsocial species with haplo‐diploidy. In mother–son inbreeding experiments, there was no depression in egg hatchability nor in the larval survival of progeny over four generations. There was, on the other hand, significant inbreeding depression in the fecundity with increasing f‐value. Crosses between two lineages, one having deleterious effects on the fecundity and the other having no such effects, established during the inbreeding, revealed heterosis, and backcrosses showed that the depression was caused by deleterious recessive(s). These results strongly suggest the existence of some deleterious genes governing only the traits of adult females in wild populations of haplo‐diploid organisms.
PRICING OF FOREIGN CURRENCY OPTIONS IN THE SERBIAN MARKET

The main idea of this paper is to find the most suitable approach to the valuation of foreign currency options in the Serbian financial market. Volatility analysis included the application of the GARCH model which resulted in the marginal volatility measure, which was used in the pricing of basic foreign currency options in the local market. The analysis is completed with an overview of the implementation of FX derivatives in the Serbian financial market.