Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SIMULATING NAVIGATION WITH VIRTUAL 3D GEOVISUALIZATIONS - A FOCUS ON MEMORY RELATED FACTORS

The use of virtual environments (VE) for navigation-related studies, such as spatial cognition and path retrieval has been widely adopted in cognitive psychology and related fields. What motivates the use of VEs for such studies is that, as opposed to real-world, we can control for the confounding variables in simulated VEs. When simulating a geographic environment as a virtual world with the intention to train navigational memory in humans, an effective and efficient visual design is important to facilitate the amount of recall. However, it is not yet clear what amount of information should be included in such visual designs intended to facilitate remembering: there can be too little or too much of it. Besides the amount of information or level of detail, the types of visual features (‘elements’ in a visual scene) that should be included in the representations to create memorable scenes and paths must be defined. We analyzed the literature in cognitive psychology, geovisualization and information visualization, and identified the key factors for studying and evaluating geovisualization designs for their function to support and strengthen human navigational memory. The key factors we identified are: i) the individual abilities and age of the users, ii) the level of realism (LOR) included in the representations and iii) the context in which the navigation is performed, thus specific tasks within a case scenario. Here we present a concise literature review and our conceptual development for follow-up experiments.
Response of microbes and bioregulators on yield performance of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) under rainfed condition

A field experiment was conducted to study the response of microbes and bioregulators on yield growth and productivity of chickpea ( Cicer arietinum L.) under rainfed condition during 2010-11 and 2011-2012 on sandy loam soils with factorial randomized block design consisting of four levels of biofertilizers inoculation viz., no inoculation, phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB), vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM) a nd PSB+VAM with two bio-regulators viz., homo-brassinolide @ 1 ppm and gibberelic acid @ 1000 ppm at pre-flowering and pod-filling stage. Result showed that the y ield attributes like number of grains plant -1 and test weight were highest in treatment receivi ng homo -brassinolide and dual inoculation of PSB+VAM. Grain yield was highest (2139 and 2211 kg ha -1 ) in treatment receiving PSB+VAM application over no inoculation (957 and 1072 kg ha -1 ). The grain yield was highest (1705 and 1797 kg ha -1 ) in treatment receiving homo-brassnolide and lowest grain yield (1481 and 1569 kg ha -1 ) at gibberelic acid during 2010 -11 and 2011 -12, respectively.
Window Mask for Possible Object Location Generation

Author(s): Xiang, Yang | Advisor(s): Soatto, Stefano | Abstract: Possible object location generation is an important pre-process for most object detection algorithms. In this thesis, we design a window sampling algorithm to address possible object location generation problem in two steps. First, we use a two-phase feature space partition method to achieve local descriptor classification and find interest points on image which have high probability to be on object of interest. Then we introduced a way to learn the relationship between object bounding window and bag-of-words representation of local image region, with which we can sample windows that are highly possible to contain an object. We implement the algorithm in MATLAB and test it on Graz-02 dataset, which has three object categories: car, bike, human. The algorithm achieves state-of-the-art performance according to coverage, window quality, number of windows and running time. The MATLAB scripts are merged into one file called ``WindowMaskCode.pdf'', which can be found in supplementary files.
Artificial neural networks and high and low flows in various climate regimes

Abstract An algorithm coupling linear least squares and simplex optimization (LLSSIM) is used to examine the ability of a three-layer feedforward artificial neural network (ANN) to simulate the high and low flows in various climate regimes over a mountainous catchment (the Mesochora catchment in central Greece). The plot of the long-term annual catchment pseudo-precipitation (rain plus snowmelt) simulated by the snow accumulation and ablation model (SAA) of the US National Weather Service (US NWS) showed trends of three climatically distinct periods, described by clearly descending, rising and moderately descending segments in pseudo-precipitation. The ANN model was calibrated for each of the three climate types and each was validated against the others. A set of statistical measures and graphs adapted for high and low flows showed the robustness of the ANN model under various climates and transient conditions. The ANN model proved capable of simulating well the daily high and low flows when it is calibrated for increasing pseudo-precipitation and validated for moderately decreasing pseudo-precipitation. For the entire period, the ANN model provided a better simulation of high and low flows than the conceptual soil moisture accounting (SMA) model of the US NWS, which was also employed in this study. Because the ANN is not a physically-based model, it is by no means a substitute for the SMA model. However, it is concluded that the ANN approach is an effective alternative for daily high- and low-flow simulation and forecasting in climatically varied regimes, particularly in cases where the internal dynamics of the catchment do not require an explicit representation.
Analysis of NOx Emissions during Crank-Start and Cold Fast-Idle in a GDI Engine

The NOx emissions during the crank-start and cold fast-idle phases of a GDI engine are analyzed in detail. The NOx emissions of the first 3 firing cycles are studied under a wide set of parameters including the mass of fuel injected, start of injection, and ignition timing. The results show a strong dependence of the NOx emissions with injection timing; they are significantly reduced as the mixture is stratified. The impact of different valve timings on crank-start NOx emissions was analyzed. Late intake and early exhaust timings show similar potential for NOx reduction; 26-30% lower than the baseline. The combined strategy, resulting in a large symmetric negative valve overlap, shows the greatest reduction; 59% lower than the baseline. The cold fast-idle NOx emissions were studied under different equivalence ratios, injection strategies, combustion phasing, and valve timings. Slightly lean air-fuel mixtures result in a significant reduction of NOx. The engine-out emissions are highly sensitivity to combustion phasing. Initial retard results in lower mass NOx emissions up to CA50 around 40 °CA aTDC-compression. After this point the increase in fuel consumption and the reduction on residual fraction reverse the trend leading to an increase in NOx mass emissions for later combustion phasing. Moderate exhaust timing advance is beneficial for NOx emissions and has no impact on the exhaust enthalpy flow.
Sensitivity analysis in linear programming approach to optimal SVM classification

At present, linear programming (LP) techniques for optimal one-class and two-class classification can be considered well established and feasible; they pose an alternative to the quadratic programming (QP) approach, which is usually credited with having greater complexity. Sensitivity analysis, well developed in the LP context, is generally employed to furnish answers describing how an optimal solution changes when varying the parameters in an LP problem; as a possible application in optimal classification, it can be employed for the definition of the free parameters present in LP procedures, reducing the events of computational restart from scratch when searching for a satisfactory classifier through repeated trials. The proposed method is demonstrated on a simple example which exhibits its effectiveness in reducing the computational burden, but this procedure can be extrapolated to large problems as well. Keywords : Linear Programming, Optimal Classification, Sensitivity Analysis, Support Vector Machines. Normal 0 14 false false false IT X-NONE X-NONE
Job insecurity, employability, unemployment and well-being

This paper shows that employability strongly moderates the effects of unemployment and of job insecurity on well-being. I develop a simple framework for employment insecurity and employability with two key features. First, it allows for the risks surrounding unemployment and employment transitions to affect well-being both directly and indirectly through their impact on expected income. Second, the framework allows for the interaction between unemployment and employability, and between job insecurity and employability. Using panel data from Australia, I provide new random effects and fixed effects estimates of the impact of unemployment and of job insecurity on life satisfaction and on mental health, in the context of a model that takes account of the interacting risks. As predicted, unemployed people with little hope of finding a job enjoy the least well-being by a considerable margin, while employed people who are both highly employable and in a secure job enjoy the most. In between there is substantial differentiation according to employability, job insecurity and their interaction. Compared to a secure job the deleterious effects of high job insecurity on well-being are comparable to the effects of unemployment. Both are substantial. The findings are used to compute estimates of the well-being trade-off between increases in job insecurity and increases in employability, relevant to the support of "flexicurity" and similar employment policies.
Treatment Effect of Donepezil is Greater in Moderate Stage Than in Mild Stage of Alzheimer's Disease

Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive disease with an insidious onset and a downhill course. Treatment response of cholinesterase inhibitors for AD seems to depend on severity degree but it is not clear which stage is more responsive. Methods: This was a 1 year, retrospective cohort study. AD patients (very mild, 188; mild, 153; moderate, 31) were recruited from the memory impairment clinic at Pusan National University Hospital of South Korea. Mean differences (score at the end of one-year follow up - score at baseline) in the Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes (CDRSOB) were used as the primary efficacy measures. Patients initially received 5 mg/day donepezil for first 1 month, then 10 mg/day for the remainder of the study. Results: Declining rates of the CDR 0.5 and the CDR 1 have higher declining rate in CDRSOB than the CDR 2 group. Conclusion: This study shows that the rate of cognitive decline is less in moderate AD than other stage of AD. This suggests that treatment effect of donepezil may be greater in moderate stage than in mild stage of AD. doi: http://dx.doi. org/10.4021/jnr178w
Development of a Simple Test to Determine the Low Temperature Creep Compliance of Asphalt Mixtures

This Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis (IDEA) project investigated the idea of performing creep tests on asphalt mixture beam specimens with the Bending Beam Rheometer (BBR). In the first part of the investigation a detailed beam preparation procedure was developed for both laboratory compacted and field cores. A detailed loading procedure was developed and it was determined that good results can be obtained using the current BBR device at 22 deg C and 10 deg C. Based on BBR and indirect tension (IDT) experimental data for 20 laboratory mixtures a simple linear relationship was obtained between the IDT creep stiffness and the BBR creep stiffness obtained at 22 deg C and 10 deg C. A similar relation could not be identified for the field samples. The representative volume element (RVE) of asphalt mixtures at low temperatures was investigated by performing three-point bending creep tests on beams of three different sizes. The finite element simulations for a homogeneous asphalt mixture produced similar results for IDT and BBR, within 4% of each other, similar to the experimental results for two polymeric materials. Additional simulations indicated that aggregate spatial distribution in asphalt mixtures is very important and aggregate structure within the mixture should be taken into account when using an inverse model to predict the properties of the mixture components. A number of micromechanics models were also evaluated. A draft specification for obtaining low temperature creep stiffness of asphalt mixtures using the BBR was developed and will be presented at the next Asphalt Mixture Expert Task Group meeting for further comments. A draft specification will be submitted to the American Society for Testing and Materials.
Spatial Interpolation of Annual Precipitation in South Africa-Comparison and Evaluation of Methods

Abstract Data from 545 rainfall gauges were used to interpolate the spatial distribution of annual rainfall in South Africa. Several spatial interpolation methods (inverse distance weighting (IWD), ordinary kriging, universal kriging, cokriging) were tested by variation analyses and cross-validation to determine the most suitable one. The best results were achieved by ordinary kriging, whereby the setting of the parameters was determined through sensitivity analyses. The median of the errors turned out to be 61 mm (11%). The interpolation errors were generally small for the interior of the country and high for coastal and mountainous regions.
Correlation of physical and chemical attributes of soil with sugarcane yield

The objective of this work was to evaluate the correlation between sugarcane yield and some physical and chemical attributes of soil. For this, a 42-ha test area in Araras, SP, Brazil, was used. Soil properties were determined from samples collected at the beginning of the 2003/2004 harvest season, using a regular 100x100 m grid. Yield assessment was done with a yield monitor (Simprocana). Correlation analyses were performed between sugarcane yield and the following soil properties: pH, pH CaCl2, N, C, cone index, clay content, soil organic matter, P, K, Ca, Mg, H+AL, cation exchange capacity, and base saturation. Correlation coefficients were respectively ‐0.05, ‐0.29, 0.33, 0.41, ‐0.27, 0.22, 0.44, ‐0.24, trace, ‐0.06, 0.01, 0.32, 0.14, and 0.04. Correlations of chemical and physical attributes of soil with sugarcane yield are weak, and, per se, they are not able to explain sugarcane yield variation, which suggests that other variables, besides soil attributes, should be analysed.
Sustainability Strategy Formation

One of the main questions within strategy research is how strategies form. Previous research has though been shaped by top management and internal biases, largely neglecting the role of lower level and external practitioners in strategy formation. Furthermore, there is a gap regarding how sustainability strategies form. We seek to fill these gaps based on a study of strategy formation at a Swedish garment retailer. In addition to highlighting the centrality of lower level and external practitioners, we argue that theories of sensemaking can enrich the strategy-as-practice literature and provide a useful framework for understanding the connections between practitioners. We show how daily, collective and strategic level sensemaking (based on different praxis and practices) shape strategy formation. Finally, we argue that pauses to collect and sift the activities are central for strategic level sensemaking and that it is when sensemaking occurs on a strategic level that it becomes a strategy.
Efficient stray-light suppression for resonance fluorescence in quantum dot micropillars using self-aligned metal apertures

Within this work we propose and demonstrate a technological approach to efficiently suppress excitation laser stray-light in resonance fluorescence experiments on quantum dot micropillars. To ensure efficient stray-light suppression, their fabrication process includes a planarization step and subsequent covering with a titanium mask to fabricate self-aligned apertures at the micropillar positions. These apertures aim to limit laser stray-light in the side-excitation vertical-detection configuration, while enabling detection of the optical signal through the top facet of the micropillars. The beneficial effects of these apertures are proven and quantitatively evaluated within a statistical study in which we determine and compare the stray-light suppression of 48 micropillars with and without metal apertures. Actual resonance fluorescence experiments on single quantum dots coupled to the cavity mode prove the relevance of the proposed approach and demonstrate that it will foster further studies on cavity quantum electrodynamics phenomena under coherent optical excitation.
Survey On User Search Goal Inferring System

We realize that the web is a non-separable piece of individuals all through the world. Yet, the web is a sea of data with the goal that we can get every last data from the web. A fabulous exertion have made by numerous specialists to induce the client look objectives through client profiles, information of client seeking or history of client seeking and design. In any case, their fizzled the vast majority of the procedures as it isn't so much that over the web. There will dependably attempt to look by the client the same substance or records. To discover the area particular questions another method to figure the client objectives made utilization of client area and answer them. Therefore, we are going to investigate all the executed calculations for the client objective hunt.
50 MV/M RECIPE FOR ICHIRO END GROUPS WITH ETHANOL RINSING AND WIPING

Our high yield recipe for ICHIRO centre cell singles did not work well on ICHIRO end single cell cavities that have HOM coupler and high power RF input coupler port on beam tube: end group. The gradients were limited around 18-33MVm by field emission. The limitation seemed to relate to the complicate end group structures. Sulphur contaminations generated during EP process seem sticky and hard to remove only by degreasing and HPR. We tried ethanol rinsing after EP process which can dissolve sulphur. We also tried wiping with degreaser to remove contaminations. End single cell cavity with full end group reached 48MV/m so far by modified recipe combined ethanol rinsing and wiping.
Impact of the types of clusters on the innovation output and the appropriation of rents from innovation

The ability to generate innovations and capture the rents from innovation are important for firms’ competitive advantage. Increasingly firms seek knowledge abundant locations, or industry clusters, to access novel knowledge and generate innovations through knowledge recombinations (Schumpeter, 1934). We examine how different types of clusters impact on the innovation output, the knowledge flows among the clustered firms and, ultimately, on who captures the rents from innovation. The type of cluster reflects the configuration of firms and the interactions among firms, individuals and agencies in the cluster and is likely to be a major driver of both the innovative output and of which firms will be more likely to capture the rents from innovation. Extant research has noted that the social and business networks binding firms in clusters are excellent vehicles for the flow of knowledge that eases innovations, but different types of clusters may lead to different outcomes.
Quark-hybrid matter in the cores of massive neutron stars

Using a nonlocal extension of the SU(3) Nambu-Jona Lasinio model, which reproduces several of the key features of Quantum Chromodynamics, we show that mixed phases of deconfined quarks and confined hadrons (quark-hybrid matter) may exist in the cores of neutron stars as massive as around 2.1M⊙. The radii of these objects are found to be in the canonical range of ∼ 12−13 km. According to our study, the transition to pure quark matter does not occur in stable neutron stars, but is shifted to neutron stars which are unstable against radial oscillations. The implications of our study for the recently discovered, massive neutron star PSR J1614–2230, whose gravitational mass is 1.97±0.04M⊙, are that this neutron star may contain an extended region of quark-hybrid matter at it center, but no pure quark matter.
Assessment of performance of smallholder dairy farms in Kenya: an econometric approach

Objective: The aim of the study was to estimate the technical and cost efficiencies of smallholder dairy farms in Kenya (Embu and Meru counties). Methodology and results: Data were collected through a cross-sectional survey from 135 (96 in Embu and 39 Meru) randomly sampled farms using semi-structured questionnaires. Stochastic frontier production and cost functions were estimated using the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) technique. It revealed zero-grazed herds of four animals (mainly Friesians and Ayrshires) on two-acre sized farms that practice mixed crop-livestock farming system. The animals were underfed daily with roughages (52.2 Kg), concentrates (2.2 Kg) and mineral supplements (37 g); producing 15 Kg of milk on average. The major factors influencing milk output were the number of lactating cows and the amounts of roughages, concentrates and mineral supplements, while the prices of roughages and labour caused most variation in its production cost. The mean farmers’ technical and cost efficiencies were 83.7 and 95.6%, respectively. The production model coefficient was 2.11. These results implied that milk production could be increased by 16.3% through better use of available resources given the current state of technology without extra cost, while the cost of milk production could be decreased by about 4.4% without decreasing output. Conclusion and application of results: The results indicate that optimization of farm efficiencies could increase milk yields while concurrently lowering its production cost. The study further provides evidence that any efforts towards reducing land sub-division and promotion of enterprise specialization could increase milk affordability.
Prevalence of various β-Lactamases production among gram negative isolates in burn care unit in a tertiary care hospital

Background: The worldwide emergence of antimicrobial resistance among a wide variety of human bacterial burn wound pathogens, particularly nosocomial isolates, limits the available therapeutic options for effective treatment of burn wound infections. Aim: study was aimed to detect the prevalence of various types of β-Lactamases present among the gram negative bacilli isolated from burn wound infection (BWI). Materials and Methods: Present study was carried out in the Department of Microbiology Dr. V M Government medical college, Solapur Maharashtra from December 2012 to July 2014.Wound swabs collected from 50 patients having total body surface area (TBSA) of burn in between 20-40% on 4th, 10th and 16th day. A total of 202 wound swabs were collected aseptically and cultured for the growth of bacteria.158 gram negative bacilli were isolated and screened for the presence of Extended Spectrum βLactamases (ESBL), AmpC β-Lactamases, Metallo β-Lactamases (MBL) and confirmed by the standard confirmatory tests. Results: 27.21% of all Gram negative isolates (158) produced extended spectrum β-lactamases, AmpC β-lactamases produced by 14.55%, 21.51% showed co-production of ESBL and AmpC and 4.43% strains produced metallo β-lactamases. Klebsiella pneumoniae was the predominant bacteria producing ESBL, AmpC and co-production of ESBL and AmpC mediated resistance, whereas Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the predominant MBL producer. Conclusion: The emerging antimicrobial resistance in burn wound pathogens poses serious therapeutic challenge. Thus proper antibiotic policy and measures to restrict the indiscriminate use of cephalosporins and carbapenems should be taken to minimize the emergence of this multiple βLactamases producing pathogen.