Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A novel region based segmentation of hepatic tumors and hepatic vein in low contrast CTA images using Bernstein polynomials

The paper presents the automated region based segmentation of liver tumor and hepatic vein from abdominal CTA images of diseased populations with inconsistent enhancement. In this paper, the liver is first segmented from abdomen CTA images using fast and reliable semi-automatic method localizing region-based active contours. A new fuzzy Bernstein polynomial level set algorithm is proposed for fast and efficient segmentation of liver lesions and hepatic vein. The region of interest is represented in a lower dimensional subspace using a set of pre-defined Bernstein basis functions. The initial level set is able to evolve directly from the initial segmentation by spatial fuzzy clustering to segment lesions and hepatic vein. The performance evaluation of the proposed algorithm was carried out on the dataset of 10 liver tumor patients. The performance comparison of the proposed algorithm with other state of art algorithms demonstrates its robustness in segmenting low contrast and inhomogeneous CTA images.
Oyun Planı: Küresel Güney’in Dünya Standartlarındaki Üniversitelerinin Gelişimindeki Dört Karşıtlık

Globalization in the 21st century provides fresh opportunities for new institutions to establish themselves. Through globalization, academic professionals, technological advancements, and capital can move across borders on a grand scale with greater ease. Many emerging societies have capitalized on this rapid economic development to build world-class, comprehensive research universities. Incidentally, these research universities often involve competing goals, such as the demand for practical labor market training, the need to incorporate the German research-university model, the desire for a liberal arts education, and the call for cultivating global-minded citizenship. With these goals posing distinctive demands, higher education institutions are often laden with tensions and contradictions. This paper conceptualizes the developmental process of higher education institutions by juxtaposing four sets of inter-related contradictions: research versus teaching; looking outward versus inward; quantity versus quality; and egalitarianism versus hierarchy . Such contradictions are examined in the context of higher education institution’s developmental priority to achieve world-class status. Our analysis raises questions about the long-term sustainability of such a strategy. Although the issues identified in this paper are prevalent in the global south, i.e. universities at the periphery of knowledge production vis-a-vis those in North America and Europe, we believe they are common themes with repercussions for institutions elsewhere.
Can preschool protect young children’s cognitive and social development? Variation by center quality and duration of attendance

This paper illustrates how high-quality preschool has the potential to serve as an intervention within normal populations. Although it is well known that targeted Early Interventions can protect the development of young children from developmental risks, there remains less evidence concerning universal preschool education. To address this disparity, a longitudinal secondary analysis was conducted that examined the psychological development of 2,862 English preschoolers between the ages of 3 to 5 years. A series of aggregated multilevel structural equation models indicated that at age 5 years, instances of significantly protected development were more strongly evidenced when examining (a) cognitive rather than social development, (b) child rather than family-level risks, and (c) the quality of the processes taking place within preschools rather than just the structures. Finally, for preschools that featured only high-quality structures, any partial protection of development was limited to instances of longer durations of child attendance.
Drawing‐fabrication of multifarious nanoplasmonic platform on PLLA paper for optimized SERS performance

A simple and efficient pen-on-paper approach is designed to prepare hydrophilic surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-active lines by directly writing on a piece of hydrophobic poly (L-lactic acid) nanofibrous paper using a pen filled with plasmonic nanoparticle ink. The pen-on-paper-line SERS substrate exhibits hydrophobic–hydrophilic focusing effects together with negligible background interference, high sensitivity, good reproducibility, and long-term stability. Furthermore, just by drawing three different plasmonic nanoparticles, the SERS activity is optimized for different molecules. Considering the complex factors involved in SERS effects of real analytes, our results provide an efficient strategy to produce optimized SERS substrates with multiple plasmonic nanoparticles. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Consumed Lifetime Estimation of DFIG Power Converter with Constructed High-Resolution Mission Profile

A high-resolution wind speed mission profile is constructed from the hourly data by using a von Karman's spectra-based method, and six constructed mission profiles with different turbulence intensities and length scales are studied. On the basis of wind speed and temperature mission profile, the consumed lifetime of the power converter in a doubly-fed induction generator-based system can be estimated by the Direct Method and the Indirect Method, where the Direct Method directly estimates the consumed lifetime by the one-second mission profile, while the Indirect Method calculates the consumed lifetime from two parts. One is based on the one-hour mission profile, and the other is calculated by the wind speed distribution and rainflow counting results of each mean wind speed. The results show that the consumed lifetime calculated by the Direct Method and the Indirect Method are the same, where the IGBT of the grid-side converter and the diode of the rotor-side converter are the fragile components. Furthermore, compared with the sampled mission profile, the constructed one leads to a higher lifetime.
1 “ Ripple ” Effects in South African House Prices

This paper analyzes the so-called “ripple” effect of house prices in large-, mediumand smallsized houses of five major metropolitan areas of South Africa, namely, Cape Town, Durban Unicity, Greater Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth/Uitenhage and Pretoria, based on available quarterly data covering the period of 1966:Q1 to 2010:Q1. Following the extant literature, we contextualize the issue as a unit root problem, with one expecting the ratios of metropolitan house price to national house price to exhibit stationarity to an underlying trend value, if there is diffusion in house prices. Using Bayesian and non-linear unit root tests, besides the standard linear tests of stationarity with and without structural break, we find overwhelmingly support of the existence of robust ripple effects. Also factor analysis conducted suggested that the ripple effects originate in Cape Town for the large housing segment, and in Durban for the mediumand small-sized houses.
Relative Projective Modules and Relative Injective Modules

Let R be a ring, and n and d fixed non-negative integers. An R-module M is called (n, d)-injective if Ext d+1 R (P, M) = 0 for any n-presented R-module P. M is said to be (n, d)-projective if Ext1 R (M, N) = 0 for any (n, d)-injective R-module N. We use these concepts to characterize n-coherent rings and (n, d)-rings. Some known results are extended.
The relationship between self-leadership, personality and job satisfaction: a review

This review paper explores the relationship between self-leadership, personality and job satisfaction among employees. Self-leadership is define as a set of self-influence strategies that have effective potential for application in various types of organization. Personality is commonly associated with individual's unique behavioral traits. Authors also discuss the Big Five Model Theory and Type A and Type B personality theory. The impacts of the constructs of the two theories on employees’ job satisfaction are reviewed in this paper.
PRODUCTION OF BACTERIOCIN FROM PEDIOCOCCUS PENTOSACEUS ISOLATED FROM KURDAI

Kurdai is a traditional fermented whole wheat snack food, native to Maharashtra and parts of Gujarat. The microbes responsible for kurdai fermentation have been successfully isolated and identified as Leuconostoc lactis, Pedicoccus pentosaceus, Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus hominis, Klebsiella pneumonia and Lactobacillus plantarum. Pedicoccus pentosaceus one of microbes responsible for kurdai fermentation were identified. In the present work, Pedicoccus pentosaceus was explored for the production of pediocin which is a Class II bacteriocin produced by lactic acid bacteria, because they are heat stable and non-modified lantibiotics. Bacteriocins have been drawing the attention of the food industry because of their increased specificity and effectiveness at low concentrations in order to prevent the development of pathogens. The activity of pediocin was evaluated using various commercial strains as indicators such as Escherichia coli MTCC 40, Bacillus cereus MTCC 1272, Leuconostoc mesenteroides NCIM 2198, Lactobacillus fermentum NCIM 2165 and Lactobacillus helveticus NCIM 2733. It was shown that the highest pediocin activity was expressed against Lactobacillus helveticus NCIM 2733 with 4.89 + 0.13 Activity Units (AU)/mL being produced. Pediocin production was then optimized by controlling the incubation time, temperature seed age, inoculum density and initial pH of the growth media.
Inventive Activities, Patents and Early Industrialisation: A Synthesis of Research Issues

The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of recent research on the connection between patent systems and inventive activities in the early phases of industrialization. Perhaps surprisingly, no consensus has been reached yet as to whether the emergence of modern patent systems exerted a favourable impact on inventive activities. However, the recent literature has shed light on a number of important features concerning the functioning of patent systems and the nature of innovation processes in this period. The concluding section of the paper flags some promising directions for further research.
Morphological evolution of cluster red sequence galaxies in the past 9 Gyr

Galaxies arrive on the red sequences of clusters at high redshift (z > 1) once their star formation is quenched and evolve passively thereafter. However, we have previously found that cluster red sequence galaxies (CRSGs) undergo signicant morphological evolution subsequent to the cessation of star formation, at some point in the past 9-10 Gyr. Through a detailed study of a large sample of cluster red sequence galaxies spanning 0:2 < z < 1:4 we elucidate the details of this evolution. Below z 0:5 0:6 (in the last 5-6 Gyr) there is little or no morphological evolution in the population as a whole, unlike in the previous 4-5 Gyrs. Over this earlier time (i) disklike systems with S ersic n < 2 progressively disappear, as (ii) the range of their axial ratios similarly decreases, removing the most elongated systems (those consistent with thin disks seen at an appreciable inclination angle), and (iii) radial colour gradients (bluer outwards) decrease in an absolute sense from signicant age-related gradients
Sound amplification in a lined duct with flow: PIV measurements

An experimental investigation of the acoustic behavior of a liner in a rectangular channel with grazing flow has been conducted. The liner is a locally reacting structure. When increasing the velocity of the grazing flow the transmission coefficient increases at resonance frequency. The transmission coefficient can even become larger than 1 meaning that acoustical energy is produced by the liner. This amplification of the sound wave is accompanied by an increase in the stationary pressure drop induced by the liner (up to 300%). This effect is attributed to a modification of the flow induced by the acoustic wave. Thus, the flow is measured using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) imaging technique and a comparison of velocity maps with and without sound amplification is performed. Some differences occur and will be presented.
De Novo Characterization of Velvet Skin Transcriptome at the Antlers Tips of Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) and Analysis of Growth Factors and Their Receptors Related to Regeneration

The regeneration of antler velvet represents a new form of stem-cell-derived full skin regeneration, including associated appendages. While much is known of the morphological changes involved in this process, transcriptome data are lacking. In this study, we performed de novo transcriptome assembly and analysis of 27.44 million clean short reads for regenerating velvet skin in red deer (Cervus elaphus) using RNA-sequencing technology. These reads were assembled into 68,924 unique sequences. Based on BLASTX alignment, we identified 33,471 distinct transcripts. Assembled sequences were then annotated using Gene Ontology terms, Clusters of Orthologous Groups classifications, and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes. Of the 33,471 annotated sequences, 9,252 sequences were categorized into 52 GO functional groups, and 11,428 sequences had a COG classification. In total, we assigned 25,577 of the annotated sequences to 241 KEGG pathways. We found a number of highly expressed genes, including collagens, ribosomal proteins, growth factors, growth factors receptors, and extracellular matrix proteins. The data generated in this study represent the most comprehensive sequence resource available for regenerating velvet skin in red deer antlers and provide a basis for further research on deer antler molecular genetics and functional genomics.
Improving the Productivity of Some Varieties of Lentil Growing under Salt Stress

Aims: The aim was to study the interaction and effect of gibberellic acid (200 ppm) between indole acetic acid (100 ppm) in order to follow their effect on the productivity of 5 lentil varieties (Sinai 1, Giza 9, Giza 370, Giza 4 and Giza51) known to be affected by salt stress in Sinai. Study Design: The experiment was conducted as split plot design having varieties in main plot and IAA and GA3 in subplot. Place and Duration of Study: The place of Research was "Production Station, Maghara at North of Sinai government, that follow Desert research center, of the ministry of agriculture, Egypt during the two successive seasons (2014/2015 and 2015 / 2016, respectively). The duration of the study was between June 2009 and July 2010 at Medicine (Medical Unit IV) and Department of Radiology. Services of Institute of Medical Sciences (SIMS) and Hospital Lahore. Methodology: The soil was prepared. The Seeds covered with a thin layer of soil, sown and watered. Three weeks later, the developed plants were thinned. Finally, the plants collected after 110 days of growth. Growth, yield and chemical contents determined. Results: The results showed that application of IAA+GA3 substantially improved plant growth for all Original Research Article Khattab et al.; AJRCS, 2(3): 1-10, 2018; Article no.AJRCS. 41726 2 verities of lentil. Giza51 under treatment of IAA + GA3 give the highest value of plant height and dry weight of the plant. Giza4 variety with IAA+GA3 surpassed another verity of primary branches/plant. Whereas Sinai1variety with IAA+GA3 treatment surpassed in number of pods/plant, however, Giza370 surpassed in secondary branches/plant compared with other varieties and treatments. The hormones IAA and GA3 were applied individually as well as in combination (IAA+GA3) showed a significant increase in plant height, number of branches/plant of verity Sinai1, number of seeds/plant, number of pods/plant of verity Giza 370 and biological yield ton/ha of verity Giza 4. Conclusion: The concentration of GA3 (200 ppm) is increase grain yield of variety Giza 4 and seed yield/plant of variety Giza 51. The combined dose of GA3+IAA showed a significant increase in all chemical and minerals contents in seed cultivar of Sinai 1 compared with other varieties.
Performance Analysis of STBC-SM over Orthogonal STBC S

Space-time block coding (STBC) is a Multiple-Input Multiple Output (MIMO) Transmit strategy which exploits transmits diversity and high reliability. STBC have been shown to perform well with other MIMO systems. MIMO transmission scheme, called space-time block coded spatial modulation (STBC-SM), is compared extensively with all MIMO transmission schemes. STBC combines spatial modulation (SM) and space-time block coding (STBC) to take advantage of the benefits of both while avoiding their drawbacks. In the STBCSM scheme, the transmitted information symbols are expanded not only to the space and time domains but also to the spatial (antenna) domain which corresponds to the on/off status of the transmit antennas available at the space domain, and therefore both core STBC and antenna indices carry information. A general technique is presented for the design of the STBC-SM scheme for any number of transmits antennas besides the high spectral efficiency advantage provided by the antenna domain; the proposed scheme is also optimized by deriving its diversity and coding gains to exploit the diversity advantages of STBC. The performance advantages of the STBC-SM over simple OFDM, CDMA, BPSK, QPSK, QAM and PSK are shown by simulation results for various spectral efficiencies and number of channels, which are supported by the comparison for the bit error probability for different time intervals. Along with above stated MIMO techniques new version of STBC are analyzed with existing STBC-SM, like distributed STBC and Orthogonal STBC.
Obesity, BMI, and Diet Quality: How does the South Measure Up?

This paper examines regional differences in obesity rates, Body Mass Index (BMI) and dietary quality, using data from the 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), Mobile Examination Center (MEC). For women, BMI and obesity prevalence may be higher in the Deep South states, but the difference is explained by demographic characteristics. Diet quality was found to be lower in the South.
Analysis and control of a multi-level flying capacitor inverter

The paper presents the results of a study into the optimal switch mode sequence for a multi-level flying capacitor inverter to synthesis a sinewave voltage under staircase angle control. It is shown that a properly selected sequence will yield the voltage and loss balances in capacitor voltages and switching devices respectively and minimize the load voltage THD values. A general mathematical model for an N-level inverter is presented which can be conveniently applied for computer simulation of any operating mode.
Variability in diatom contributions to biomass, organic matter production and export across a frontal gradient in the California Current Ecosystem

© 2015. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. In the offshore waters of Southern California, submesoscale processes associated with fronts may stimulate phytoplankton blooms and lead to biomass shifts at multiple trophic levels. Here we report the results of a study on the cycling of biogenic silica (bSiO 2 ) with estimates of the contributions of diatoms to primary and new production in water masses adjacent to (i.e., coastal or oceanic) and within an offshore front in the Southern California Current Ecosystem (CCE). The coastal and oceanic water were sampled in cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies, respectively, with the frontal water being an interaction region between the eddy types. Concentrations of bSiO 2 varied by 25-fold across the front, with concentrations in frontal waters 20-25% of those in coastal waters. Rates of biogenic silica production spanned an equally large range, with rates within the frontal region that were half those in the coastal regions. Contributions of diatoms to primary and new production were disproportionately higher than their contribution to autotrophic biomass in all areas, ranging from 5-8%, 19-30%, and 32-43% for both processes in the oceanic, frontal and coastal waters, respectively. Across the frontal area, diatoms could account for <1.0%, 6-8%, and 44-72% of organic matter export in the oceanic, frontal and coastal waters, respectively. The results suggest that the regions of frontal interactions between eddies in the southern CCE can account for variability in diatom biomass, productivity and export over very short spatial scales that is comparable to the variability observed across the Pacific basin.
Intensification of the Amazon hydrological cycle over the last two decades

The Amazon basin hosts half the planet's remaining moist tropical forests, but they may be threatened in a warming world. Nevertheless, climate model predictions vary from rapid drying to modest wetting. Here we report that the catchment of the world's largest river is experiencing a substantial wetting trend since approximately 1990. This intensification of the hydrological cycle is concentrated overwhelmingly in the wet season driving progressively greater differences in Amazon peak and minimum flows. The onset of the trend coincides with the onset of an upward trend in tropical Atlantic sea surface temperatures (SST). This positive longer‐term correlation contrasts with the short‐term, negative response of basin‐wide precipitation to positive anomalies in tropical North Atlantic SST, which are driven by temporary shifts in the intertropical convergence zone position. We propose that the Amazon precipitation changes since 1990 are instead related to increasing atmospheric water vapor import from the warming tropical Atlantic.
The Differences Between Pre-Service Chemistry, Fine Art, and Primary Education Teachers Regarding Interest and Knowledge About Fine Art Materials

The primary purpose of this paper is to identify the level of interest and knowledge about fine art materials (in selected works of art) that can influence pre-service primary school, chemistry, and fine art teachers’ implementation of this content into their teaching. This knowledge can help them be aware of how a specific fine art material can be used in fine art classes. Fine art materials can also be applied in different manners by chemistry teachers and primary school teachers (science lessons) to explain the specific chemical characteristics of these substances. Altogether, 118 pre-service teachers from the Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana participated in the study. The data were collected using three instruments: information about participants (IP), fine art materials achievement test (FAMAT), and individual interest questionnaire (IIQ), which comprise items for self-concept. It can be concluded that pre-service teachers’ average score (49.6%) on FAMAT is quite low. The results also showed that pre-service fine art teachers achieved better results than the other two groups did. Similar results were also obtained regarding participants’ interest and self-concept in learning about fine art materials. It can be concluded that more emphasis should be placed on developing the understanding of chemical and fine art concepts due to the fact that fine art and chemistry can be interdisciplinarily connected in education, according to contemporary curricular guidelines.