Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EnCaps: Clothing Image Classification Based on Enhanced Capsule Network

Clothing image classification is more and more important in the development of online clothing shopping. The clothing category marking, clothing commodity retrieval, and similar clothing recommendations are the popular applications in current clothing shopping, which are based on the technology of accurate clothing image classification. Wide varieties and various styles of clothing lead to great difficulty for the accurate clothing image classification. The traditional neural network can not obtain the spatial structure information of clothing images, which leads to poor classification accuracy. In order to reach the high accuracy, the enhanced capsule (EnCaps) network is proposed with the image feature and spatial structure feature. First, the spatial structure extraction model is proposed to obtain the clothing structure feature based on the EnCaps network. Second, the enhanced feature extraction model is proposed to extract more robust clothing features based on deeper network structure and attention mechanism. Third, parameter optimization is used to reduce the computation in the proposed network based on inception mechanism. Experimental results indicate that the proposed EnCaps network achieves high performance in terms of classification accuracy and computational efficiency.
A survey of post-harvest biological losses of sucrose in Indian sugar factories: an emerging challenge.

A study of sugar processing units of India revealed that low sugar recovery was mainly due to supply of poor quality cane. Large quantities of stale and immature cane (10-20%), extraneous matter (3-10%) in cane supplies and high kill-to-mill time were major reasons for pulling down sugar recovery. Beside these, poor sanitary conditions in the mill house and use of ineffective biocides were also responsible for loss in recoverable sugar in the milling tandem. To improve sugar recovery status, pre-harvest maturity survey, supply of fresh cane, change in Government regulations pertaining to harvest supply of raw materials, closure of Cane Centre system and use of broad spectrum biocides in the milling tandem were advocated.
Exploitation of Ultrasonic Waves to Develop and Model a Sustainable Process for Washing Denim Fabrics

ABSTRACT In this paper, an ultrasonic method has been developed to achieve a cleaner washing process for denim fabrics. At first, a comparison study was established between a conventional and an ultrasonic washing processes. Effects of reducing agent and sodium hydroxide concentrations, washing temperature and washing duration parameters were studied. Then, a factorial design was dressed to model the ultrasonic process. Regression equations for the color strength reduction Δ(K/S), lightness difference ΔL* and tensile force F(N) of washed denim fabrics were established. As results, efficience of ultrasonic process has been proven, fade appearance was obtained without degrading the textile material under several washing conditions. Hence, for a frequency of 25 kHz and a power of 300 W, and according to the degree of fade appearance of denim fabrics target, optimal ultrasonic washing conditions would be selected within these proposed intervals: a sodium hydroxide concentration lower than 15 g.L−1, a reducing agent concentration lower than 6 g.L−1, a washing temperature ranging from 50°C to 70°C and a washing duration ranging from 5 to 30 minutes. Finally, certain comfort properties of washed denim fabrics were evaluated. Both conventional and ultrasonic washing processes have been found to lead to similar thermal comfort properties.
Impact of river-reservoir hybrid system on zooplankton community and river connectivity

Semi-permanent anthropogenic connectivity regulation in rivers, such as via weirs and dams, affects the plankton community. We hypothesised that the longitudinal similarity of the zooplankton community in a river could change in a river-reservoir hybrid system (RRHS). The impact of weir construction on zooplankton communities in terms of species diversity, abundance, and community structure was examined biweekly at six sites on the Nakdong River main channel for 14 years (before construction: 2002–2008; after construction: 2012–2018). We checked time series alignment using dynamic time warping between longitudinal survey sites, regardless of RRHS. Before and after RRHS, the zooplankton community showed an increasing number of species. RRHS decreased the longitudinal connectivity in terms of zooplankton species number and population density. Our study demonstrates that longitudinal zooplankton community trends can be used to study the connectivity of rivers and that longitudinal characteristics are disrupted in RRHSs.
High-resolution genetic map construction and QTL analysis of important fiber traits in kenaf using RAD-seq

Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping is a useful method for revealing the mechanism of complex genetic traits and identifying new genomic information to accelerate crop improvement. In the present study, 154 F2:3 strains and their parents were used for restriction site-associated DNA sequencing, single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) identification, and genetic map construction. After filtering based on stringent filtering standards, 297.5 Gb of clean data were obtained. Further, 5,191 polymorphic SNP markers were identified from each sample, of which 1,997 polymorphic SNP markers were successfully mapped onto 18 different linkage groups. Six QTLs (QPH, QFBW, QDBW, QFW, QFT, and QFC) were identified based on the genetic map using the multiple QTL mapping (MQM) method, which were then assigned to three linkage groups, LG16, LG8, and LG3. QPH, QFBW, QDBW, and QFW were related to fiber yield, while QFT and QFC were related to fiber quality. This is the first study of its kind to map QTL of fiber yield and fiber quality, which will facilitate further understanding of the molecular genetic basis of these traits. However, there are limitations regarding the utilization of this map because several large gaps remain in some linkage groups. Therefore, additional markers need to be developed to further narrow these regions.
Energy Shortage Failure Prediction in Photovoltaic Standalone Installations by using Machine Learning Techniques

The use of ESS in standalone photovoltaic installations is essential to supply energy demands, independently of solar generation. Accurate prediction of the battery state is critical for the safe, durable, and reliable operation of systems in this type of installations. In this study, an installation located in the area of Aragon (Spain) has been considered. Two methods, based on different types of RNN, are proposed to predict the battery voltage of the installation two days ahead. Specifically, the NARX network and the LSTM network are studied and compared. The implemented algorithms process battery voltage, temperature and current waveforms; and rely on the selection of different future scenarios based on weather forecasting to estimate the future voltage of the battery. The proposed methodology is capable of predicting the voltage with an RMSE error of 1.2 V for batteries of 48V, in critical situations where the installation is running out of energy. The study contributes to the ongoing research of developing preventive control systems that help reduce costs and improve the performance of remote energy storage systems based on renewable energies with a positive outcome.
REVIEW OF THE EUROPEAN FRONTAL AND SIDE IMPACT DIRECTIVES

The work reported here relates to a research project that was undertaken to support the current review of the European frontal and side impact Directives. The aim of the project was to conduct a general review focusing on the major issues identified in the Articles of the Directives and in a report to the European Commission on accident analyses. These are test speed, neck injury criteria and extension to N1 vehicles for frontal impact; and test severity, barrier height, seating position, Viscous Criterion and the necessity of a pole test for side impact. A comprehensive analysis of the results from the European New Car Assessment Programme (EuroNCAP) crash tests has been used to review the suitability of the current injury criteria, car structural performance requirements and test configuration. This is backed up with accident analysis using data from the UK Co-operative Crash Injury Study (CCIS) and the recent accident analysis co-funded by the European Commission. Full scale car crash testing has been used to help substantiate the findings of the study. The research was funded by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) and has been reported to the European Enhanced Vehicle-safety Committee (EEVC) frontal and side impact working groups.
Genetic Determinants of Plasma Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Levels: Monogenicity, Polygenicity, and “Missing” Heritability

Changes in plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) levels relate to a high risk of developing some common and complex diseases. LDL-c, as a quantitative trait, is multifactorial and depends on both genetic and environmental factors. In the pregenomic age, targeted genes were used to detect genetic factors in both hyper- and hypolipidemias, but this approach only explained extreme cases in the population distribution. Subsequently, the genetic basis of the less severe and most common dyslipidemias remained unknown. In the genomic age, performing whole-exome sequencing in families with extreme plasma LDL-c values identified some new candidate genes, but it is unlikely that such genes can explain the majority of inexplicable cases. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified several single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) associated with plasma LDL-c, introducing the idea of a polygenic origin. Polygenic risk scores (PRSs), including LDL-c-raising alleles, were developed to measure the contribution of the accumulation of small-effect variants to plasma LDL-c. This paper discusses other possibilities for unexplained dyslipidemias associated with LDL-c, such as mosaicism, maternal effect, and induced epigenetic changes. Future studies should consider gene–gene and gene–environment interactions and the development of integrated information about disease-driving networks, including phenotypes, genotypes, transcription, proteins, metabolites, and epigenetics.
Estimation of Severity in Parkinson’s Disease Using Acoustic Features of Phonatory Tasks

Unified Parkinson’s disease rating scale (UPDRS) is a popular tool in the clinical set up for the evaluation of Parkinson's disease (PD) symptoms and severity. However, the physical examination aspect and expertise requirements of the UPDRS assessment makes it subjective, expensive, and inconvenient. Thus, we have investigated the performance of vocal features from three sustained phonetic tasks (/a/, /u/, /m/) in objectively evaluating the motor UPDRS score which will help in the remote monitoring of PD motor symptoms. 26 PD patients (mean age = 72) and 22 control subjects (mean age = 66.91) volunteered the study. The voices were collected from: 1. PD patients in both off and on states of Levodopa medication and 2. control subjects. The Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) feature selection algorithm was applied to rank the voice features. Regression models using support vector machines (SVM), random forest (RF) and AdaBoost were employed for the objective evaluation of the motor UPDRS score. The parameters mean squared error (MSE), root mean squared error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE) and R2 were employed to assess the performance of the models. The average motor UPDRS score for PD off-state, on-state and controls were 27.31, 20.42 and 2.63, respectively. We observed a better objective estimation of UPDRS score in all the models when using the features from /m/ compared to that from /a/ and /u/. Our study assures the possibility of objective evaluation of motor UPDRS using the vocal features from sustained phonetic tasks in PD patients under Levodopa medication off and on-state.
Community-based waste management model in DKI Jakarta

The waste management that has been running in Jakarta today, where the majority still use the collect-transport-dump system, has been changed to a waste management approach that integrates the roles of the community, government and the private sector. This study aims to find a suitable waste management model for the DKI Jakarta Province. The research method used was descriptive analysis and a research and development approach. The informants are respondents consist of government officials related to waste management (Environmental Service), community leaders and local waste management activists. The results of the study show that The community based waste management model has so far proved to work when there is full Local Authority support and success is possible when the members of Local Organizations offering the service are form within the same community. The model has not only addressed the environmental problems resulting from poor waste management but has to a great extent contributed to the establishment of local good environment condition standards. Although the government programs in its infancy the results achieved so far indicate great potential for the improvement of the living environment through processes that are managed by communities.
Bandwidth enhancement for p-end-illuminated InP/InGaAs/InP p-i-n photodiodes by utilizing symmetrical doping profiles

This paper shows that the bandwidth of a p-end-illuminated planar InP-InGaAs-InP heterojunction p-i-n photodiode can be promoted by using a rather symmetrical doping profile that is produced through diffusion depth control. Caused by extra-depleted InP region in the end of p-InP, the device with symmetrical doping profile has additional series capacitance and thus has a smaller total capacitance than conventional asymmetrical doping profile. Such devices with 0.3 /spl mu/m depleted InP cap region, together with 1 /spl mu/m depleted InGaAs absorption region and 0.3 /spl mu/m depleted InP buffer region, having the capacitance as small as those devices with 1.6 /spl mu/m depletion region, while have the carrier transit time as short as those devices with 1.3 /spl mu/m depletion region. Under appropriate bias condition, which is required for getting rid of the heterointerface effects, the symmetrical device as stated with 40 /spl mu/m junction diameter can have a 3 dB bandwidth exceeding 17 GHz without inductance optimization. For device with conventional asymmetrical doping profile, that is, the p-n junction locating at /spl sim/0.1 /spl mu/m deep in the InGaAs layer, only a bandwidth of about 15 GHz can be obtained. Due to the same thickness of InGaAs absorption layer, both devices have similar responsivity of /spl sim/0.8 A/W at -5 V at 1.3 /spl mu/m wavelength. However, the heterointerface exposed in the depletion region results in several detrimental effects in symmetrical devices, such as interface-generation current, which leads to slightly increased dark current, and barrier/traps for hole transport, which lead to inferior photoresponse at low biases.
1-GHz-spaced 16-channel arrayed-waveguide grating for a wavelength reference standard in DWDM network systems

We fabricated a 1-GHz-spaced 16-channel arrayed-waveguide grating (AWG) by using a new AWG configuration where the path of each arrayed waveguide winds backward and forward across a 4-in diameter wafer without crossing any other waveguides. The ultra-narrow (< 1 GHz) and stable transmission bands of this AWG can be used to construct a wavelength reference standard covering the S, C, and L bands in the dense wavelength-division-multiplexing network systems whose frequency deviation is /spl plusmn/160 MHz.
Subcontractor Evaluation and Management Framework for Strategic Partnering

Recently, main contractors have shifted their attitudes about subcontract procurement to more strategic and long-term partnering philosophies. The objective of this study was to present a framework for subcontractor evaluation and management to help main contractors develop more strategic and productive relationships with their subcontract partners. As the strategic performance feedback model, the balanced scorecard concept was adopted with modification. A case study was also conducted to evaluate the framework with subcontracting strategy, performance indexes, weighting, evaluation of subcontractor performance data, and feedback methods. The research results obtained can be useful as a guideline of subcontractor management for long-term partnering and also to enhance overall productivity within the construction supply chain.
Fighting HIV-1 Persistence: At the Crossroads of “Shoc-K and B-Lock”

Despite the success of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), integrated HIV-1 proviral DNA cannot be eradicated from an infected individual. HAART is not able to eliminate latently infected cells that remain invisible to the immune system. Viral sanctuaries in specific tissues and immune-privileged sites may cause residual viral replication that contributes to HIV-1 persistence. The “Shock or Kick, and Kill” approach uses latency reversing agents (LRAs) in the presence of HAART, followed by cell-killing due to viral cytopathic effects and immune-mediated clearance. Different LRAs may be required for the in vivo reactivation of HIV-1 in different CD4+ T cell reservoirs, leading to the activation of cellular transcription factors acting on the integrated proviral HIV-1 LTR. An important requirement for LRA drugs is the reactivation of viral transcription and replication without causing a generalized immune activation. Toll-like receptors, RIG-I like receptors, and STING agonists have emerged recently as a new class of LRAs that augment selective apoptosis in reactivated T lymphocytes. The challenge is to extend in vitro observations to HIV-1 positive patients. Further studies are also needed to overcome the mechanisms that protect latently infected cells from reactivation and/or elimination by the immune system. The Block and Lock alternative strategy aims at using latency promoting/inducing agents (LPAs/LIAs) to block the ability of latent proviruses to reactivate transcription in order to achieve a long term lock down of potential residual virus replication. The Shock and Kill and the Block and Lock approaches may not be only alternative to each other, but, if combined together (one after the other), or given all at once [namely “Shoc-K(kill) and B(block)-Lock”], they may represent a better approach to a functional cure.
Probability-of-decision interval 3+3 (POD-i3+3) design for phase I dose finding trials with late-onset toxicity

Late-onset toxicities often occur in phase I trials investigating novel immunotherapy and molecular targeted therapies. For trials with cohort based designs (such as modified toxicity probability interval, Bayesian optimal interval, and i3+3), patients are often turned away since the current cohort are still being followed without definite dose-limiting toxicities, which results in prolonged trial duration and waste of patient resources. In this paper, we incorporate a probability-of-decision framework into the i3+3 design and allow real-time dosing inference when the next patient becomes available. Both follow-up time for the pending patients and time to dose-limiting toxicities for the observed patients are used in calculating the posterior probability of each possible dosing decision. An intensive simulation study is conducted to evaluate the operating characteristics of the newly proposed probability-of-decision-i3+3 design under various dosing scenarios and patient accrual settings. Results show that the probability-of-decision-i3+3 design achieves comparable safety and reliability performances but much shorter trial duration compared to the complete designs.
Non‐linear control of induction motors via input‐output decoupling

An original two-step input-output decoupling approach aimed at the design of a non-linear controller for induction machines is described. The resulting scheme is compared to both the non-linear control by exact linearization and the classical field-oriented vector control. The performance of the three controllers, which are implemented in discrete time, is evaluated and compared in the framework of a realistically simulated variable speed drive. The proposed approach provides excellent flux-speed decoupling, and it allows for a straightforward and exact limitation of the machine currents. The latter represents the major advantage to most other non-linear control schemes, where the inaccessibility of the currents, which prevents their correct limitation, is a major drawback
Real time statistical process control for plasma etching

The development and the application of a real-time statistical process control (SPC) scheme are presented. Based on time-series and multivariate statistics, this scheme can accommodate real-time sensor readings such as can be collected from a single-wafer plasma etcher via the SECSII communications protocol. The scheme has been successfully applied on a Lam Rainbow plasma etcher, and it has been able to detect internal machine shifts that cannot be seen with classical SPC procedures. <<ETX>>
Effect of Retail Layout on Traffic Density and Travel Distance

Past research in the field of retail facility layout has been limited to evaluating customer travel behavior assuming a fixed store layout or evaluating store layout assuming fixed traffic density zones. This study relaxes these assumptions and explores the effect of department layout on traffic density and shopper travel distances in a retail store. The analysis consists of three stages. First, actual shopping data is used to identify the probability distributions of (i) number of items in a trip and (ii) departments where these items are located. Second, for a predefined department layout and a given list of items, all shortest paths that a shopper could opt for in the store are determined. Finally, overall aisle densities upon aggregating these travel paths are calculated. Our preliminary results suggest that departments with a high percentage of items purchased do not necessarily need to be located at the rear of the store in order to draw a reasonable amount of traffic there. Moreover, layouts that achieved a close-to-uniform traffic distribution also had lower average shopper distances. Weighting the interior of the store produces the most uniform traffic distribution.
How to capture all FIR perfect reconstruction QMF banks with unimodular matrices?

The problem of perfect reconstruction in maximally decimated FIR (finite impulse response) QMF (quadrature mirror filter) banks is revisited. A necessary and sufficient condition for perfect reconstruction in this system is that the polyphase matrix of the analysis bank must have a determinant equal to a delay. The author explores various avenues to completely parameterize such matrices. It is shown that the problem can always be decomposed into two problems: one of parameterizing lossless matrices, and one of parameterizing unimodular matrices. Several possibilities for unimodular parameterization are explored. <<ETX>>