Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
DEVELOPMENT AND STANDARDIZATION OF ARABIC LOW-VERBAL SENTENCES- IN-NOISE TEST (LV–SIN) IN EGYPTIAN CHILDREN

: Background: Children’s reduced speech recognition abilities in noise may affect how well they learn in a noisy classroom, through both education and incidental learning. Various speech in noise tests in children have been developed to estimate the perception of speech in the presence of noise. This study was performed to develop a new Arabic open-set sentence material suitable for children aged 4 to 7 years using different types of noise. Aims of the work: Development of a new Arabic LV-SIN test and its standardization on Arabic-speaking normal hearing children of age ranging from 4 to 7 years. Studying the effect of different types of noise and sentence difficulty level on performance of children of different age groups. Patient and methods: Sixty-six normal hearing children classified into three subgroups: Subgroup A: (4 to< 5 years), Subgroup B: (5 to< 6 years) Subgroup C: (6 to 7 years). They were tested using the newly developed LV-SIN test using white, multi-talker babble and story noise. The sentences were divided into nine lists, with three levels of difficulty. Scoring was done by measuring the SNR50 which is the level at which the child repeated 50% of the number of words per list. Results: The majority of children reached SNR50 at -14 SNR in story noise, and -16 SNR in white noise and multi-talker babble noise. The mean average of number of trials until SNR50 score was reached was 2 - 3 in subgroup 1, and 3 - 4 in subgroups 2 and 3. There was statistically significant effect of age and list difficulty on SNR50 test scores. In contrast to white noise, multi-talker babble and story noise were able to segregate sentences based on difficulty level. Conclusion: Arabic LV-SIN test was developed and standardized for assessment of speech perception in noise in pre-school age children with age ranging from 4 – 7 years. Age, type of noise and list difficulty had a significant effect on LV-SIN test scores.
Evaluating efficiency of customized medium density INDUSCHIP for genotyping of Indicine cattle breeds

To initiate genomic selection programme for indicine cattle breeds and their crosses in India, National Dairy Development Board designed a medium-density (52K) customized chip on Illumina platform named as “INDUSCHIP”. The present study was conducted to examine the efficiency of INDUSCHIP SNP panel for genotyping indicine cattle breeds. Total of 500 animals belonging to 14 different indicine breeds were genotyped with Illumina Bovine HD chip. A subset of SNPs was taken for evaluating the performance of selected SNPs in different indicine breeds. The average minor allele frequency (MAF) was found to vary between 0.20–0.29 for different indicine breeds. However, for important milk breeds like Sahiwal, Gir, Red Sindhi and Kankrej the average MAF was found to be 0.27 and above. Mean Linkage Disequilibrium (LD) at 50–60 kbp distance was found to be around 0.21. There was considerable LD decay with increasing distance between SNPs. Around 0.06% SNPs were found to be significantly deviating from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. From the Principal component analysis (PCA) it was found that the first three Principal Components i.e. PC1, PC2 and PC3) could separate different indicine breeds. The present study indicated that due to the presence of highly polymorphic SNPs for the breeds of indicine origin, INDUSCHIP panel was found to be effective and informative in genotyping indicine breeds.
Identification of Transcriptome Biomarkers for Severe COVID-19 with Machine Learning Methods

The rapid spread of COVID-19 has become a major concern for people’s lives and health all around the world. COVID-19 patients in various phases and severity require individualized treatment given that different patients may develop different symptoms. We employed machine learning methods to discover biomarkers that may accurately classify COVID-19 in various disease states and severities in this study. The blood gene expression profiles from 50 COVID-19 patients without intensive care, 50 COVID-19 patients with intensive care, 10 non-COVID-19 individuals without intensive care, and 16 non-COVID-19 individuals with intensive care were analyzed. Boruta was first used to remove irrelevant gene features in the expression profiles, and then, the minimum redundancy maximum relevance was applied to sort the remaining features. The generated feature-ranked list was fed into the incremental feature selection method to discover the essential genes and build powerful classifiers. The molecular mechanism of some biomarker genes was addressed using recent studies, and biological functions enriched by essential genes were examined. Our findings imply that genes including UBE2C, PCLAF, CDK1, CCNB1, MND1, APOBEC3G, TRAF3IP3, CD48, and GZMA play key roles in defining the different states and severity of COVID-19. Thus, a new point of reference is provided for understanding the disease’s etiology and facilitating a precise therapy.
Factors Influencing Polytechnic Educators’ Behavioural Intentions to use Technology Enhanced Learning Tools: The Structural Equation Modelling Approach

This study examined factors that affect educators’ behavioural intention to use Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) tools in a polytechnic in Singapore. Five hundred and twenty-five educators completed a survey measuring their responses to six variables in the extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). This study is related to the sub-theme of reconnecting people with educational technologies. Social and environmental constructs were included to measure the influence of other persons and the facilitating conditions on the educators’ intention to use (IU) TEL tools. Structural Equation Modelling was used to test the research model. The results showed that attitude towards usage (ATU) of TEL tools was the dominant determinant of educators’ IU. Overall, attitude toward usage (ATU), perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEU), subjective norm (SN) and facilitating conditions (FC) explained 65.3% of the variance in IU. SN had positive and significant effects on PEU and PU, whereas FC significantly influenced PEU. Finally, the implications of findings for polytechnic educators are discussed in the paper.
Sharp well-posedness results for the generalized Benjamin-Ono equation with high nonlinearity

We establish the local well-posedness of the generalized Benjamin-Ono equation $\partial_tu+\mathcal{H}\partial_x^2u\pm u^k\partial_xu=0$ in $H^s(\R)$, $s>1/2-1/k$ for $k\geq 12$ and without smallness assumption on the initial data. The condition $s>1/2-1/k$ is known to be sharp since the solution map $u_0\mapsto u$ is not of class $\mathcal{C}^{k+1}$ on $H^s(\R)$ for $s<1/2-1/k$. On the other hand, in the particular case of the cubic Benjamin-Ono equation, we prove the ill-posedness in $H^s(\R)$, $s<1/3$.
The effect of sustainability labels on farmed-shrimp preferences: Insights from a discrete choice experiment in Vietnam

Abstract This study investigates the effectiveness of sustainability labels, environmental attitudes, food safety concerns, and knowledge on Vietnamese consumer preferences for sustainably farmed shrimp. Mixed logit and latent class models were applied to estimate utility functions based on 459 samples collected using a choice experiment. The results indicate that Vietnamese consumers prefer sustainably farmed shrimp to conventionally farmed shrimp. Also, both food safety concerns and consumer knowledge vigorously promote sustainably farmed shrimp choices. Notably, the latent class results show that 73.5% of the respondents consider their environmental concerns about shrimp production when making decisions about consumption. The results indicate that placing information related to eco-friendly and food safety attributes on sustainability labels provides Vietnamese consumers with additional choices in the form of sustainably farmed shrimp. Finally, the simulated MXL results in the WTP space are more significant than those in the preference space, indicating that it is necessary to estimate the MXL in the WTP space to avoid specifying the parameter distribution subjectively by analysts.
Magnification relations for Kerr lensing and testing cosmic censorship

A Kerr black hole with mass parameter m and angular momentum parameter a acting as a gravitational lens gives rise to two images in the weak field limit. We study the corresponding magnification relations, namely, the signed and absolute magnification sums and the centroid up to post-Newtonian order. We show that there are post-Newtonian corrections to the total absolute magnification and centroid proportional to a/m, which is in contrast to the spherically symmetric case where such corrections vanish. Hence we also propose a new set of lensing observables for the two images involving these corrections, which should allow measuring a/m with gravitational lensing. In fact, the resolution capabilities needed to observe this for the Galactic black hole should in principle be accessible to current and near-future instrumentation. Since a/m>1 indicates a naked singularity, a most interesting application would be a test of the cosmic censorship conjecture. The technique used to derive the image properties is based on the degeneracy of the Kerr lens and a suitably displaced Schwarzschild lens at post-Newtonian order. A simple physical explanation for this degeneracy is also given.
Dynamic modelling and prediction of English Football League matches for betting

Summary. We focus on modelling the 92 soccer teams in the English Football Association League over the years 1992–1997 using refinements of the independent Poisson model of Dixon and Coles. Our framework assumes that each team has attack and defence strengths that evolve through time (rather than remaining constant) according to some unobserved bivariate stochastic process. Estimation of the teams' attack and defence capabilities is undertaken via a novel approach involving an approximation that is computationally convenient and fast. The results of this approximation compare very favourably with results obtained through the Dixon and Coles approach. We note that the full model (i.e. the model before the above approximation is made) may be implemented using Markov chain Monte Carlo procedures, and that this approach is vastly more computationally expensive. We focus on the probabilities of home win, draw or away win because these outcomes constitute the primary betting market. These probabilities are estimated for games played between any two of the 92 teams and the predictions are compared with the actual results.
GENETIC MARKERS FOR GRAIN PROTEIN PERCENTAGE IN EGYPTIAN WHEAT (Triticum aestivum L.)

: Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to study the genetic relationships and similarity among four wheat genotypes (two local cultivars, namely Giza-168 and Sakha-69 and two recombinant inbred lines one with low grain protein percentage “GPP” and the other with high grain protein percentage. Amplifications using five primers produced RAPD fingerprints with varying numbers of bands which ranged in size from 196 bp to 2519bp.The number of amplified DNA fragments per primer ranged from 4 to 10 with a mean of 8.6 bp. The primers have amplified 43 bands, out of which 33 bands (76.7%) were polymorphic. Twenty RAPD markers were found to be genotype specific with eight being specific for the low GPP line, six markers for the high GPP line, four markers for Giza-168 and two markers for Sakha-69. The mean genetic similarity among the four genotypes was 0.714 ranging from 0.656 to 0.829. The genetic relationships among the four genotypes estimated by UPGMA cluster analysis based on the RAPD-derived data indicated that a relatively small number of RAPD primers could be used for distinguishing wheat genotypes according to protein percentage. The results suggested that identification of RAPD molecular markers associated with genes influencing GPP would allow wheat breeders in Egypt to select for GPP independent of enviro-nmental effects.
A theoretical model of all-optical wavelength converter with single-mode homogeneously broadened lasers

As the key apparatus, the All optical Wavelength Converter (AOWC) will play an important role in future optical communication system. In this paper, a theoretical model based on mutual coupling effect of laser modes for all-optical wavelength converter in single-model homogeneously broaden laser is presented. With the theory the paper analyze the stability of single-model homogeneously broaden lasers and the influence on its characteristics when there is parameters variety. Numerical value of saw tooth wave is given also. Those results are useful to realization and the optimal design of the wavelength converter.
THE QUANTUM QUARTER PLANE AND THE REAL QUANTUM PLANE

Suppose q≠±1 is a complex number of modulus one. Let ${\mathcal O} ({\mathbb R}^2_q)$ be the *-algebra with two hermitean generators x and y satisfying the relation xy=qyx. Using Hilbert space representations of ${\mathcal O} ({\mathbb R}^2_q)$ and the Weyl calculus of pseudodifferential operators we construct *-algebras of "functions" on the quantum quarter plane ${\mathbb R}^{++}_q$ and on the real quantum plane ${\mathbb R}^2_q$ which are left module *-algebras for the Hopf *-algebra ${\mathcal U}_q(gl_2({\mathbb R}))$. We define covariant positive linear functionals hk, k∈ℤ2, and study the actions of the *-algebras ${\mathcal O}({\mathbb R}^2_q)$ and ${\mathcal U}_q(gl_2({\mathbb R}))$ on the associated Hilbert spaces. Quantum analogs of the partial Fourier transforms and the Fourier transform are found. A differential calculus on the "function" *-algebras is also developed and investigated.
A Novel Approach for Selective Reconstruction of Cloud-Contaminated Satellite Images

AbstractThe paper presents a robust technique for cloud clearing of satellite imagery. The proposed algorithm combines mathematical morphological techniques with a conventional cloud clearing scheme to restore clear sky values. The derived equivalent clear sky brightness temperature plays a very important role in numerical weather prediction, climate research, and monitoring. The developed methodology uses distinct approaches for reconstruction of partially clouded domains and overcast regions. It is found that the algorithm is especially suitable for pre- or postmonsoon months, where there is a high percentage of partially cloudy and small overcast cloudy regions. The algorithm is tested for the Kalpana Very High Resolution Radiometer (VHRR) thermal infrared (TIR) band data acquired over the oceanic region adjoining India throughout the month of May 2009. It is found that the algorithm is able to clear 25% of cloudy pixels with an RMSE of 1.2 K for brightness temperature.
Cusp singularity in mean field Ising model

The entropy of the Ising model in the mean field approximation is derived by the Hamilton–Jacobi formalism. We consider a grand canonical ensemble with respect to the temperature and the external magnetic field. A cusp arises at the critical point, which shows a simple and new geometrical aspect of this model. In an educational sense, this curve with a cusp helps students acquire a more intuitive view of statistical phase transitions.
Distance Between Sets - A survey

The purpose of this paper is to give a survey on the notions of distance between subsets either of a metric space or of a measure space, including definitions, a classification, and a discussion of the best-known distance functions, which is followed by a review on applications used in many areas of knowledge, ranging from theoretical to practical applications.
Electron-positron pair creation by Coulomb and laser fields in the tunneling regime

Electron-positron pair creation due to combined nuclear Coulomb and strong laser fields is investigated for the tunneling regime. The energy spectra and angular distributions of the pair are found analytically. The energy spectrum for each lepton exhibits a sharp maximum located well above the threshold for any polarization of the laser field. The angular distributions of leptons depend on the polarization: for linear polarization, both leptons move predominantly along the laser beam direction; for circular polarization, leptons are emitted in a thin-walled cone centered on the laser beam. The spectral and angular distributions found are governed by the intensity and frequency of the field, and the frequency-independent total pair creation rates comply with the previously known results. A method of calculation--the vicinal approximation--that uses the fact that the pair production takes place in the close vicinity of the nucleus is suggested.
Fast Gradient Methods for Symmetric Nonnegative Matrix Factorization

We describe fast gradient methods for solving the symmetric nonnegative matrix factorization problem (SymNMF). We use recent results on non-Euclidean gradient methods and show that the SymNMF problem is smooth relatively to a well-chosen Bregman divergence. This approach provides a simple hyper-parameter-free method which comes with theoretical convergence guarantees. We also discuss accelerated variants. Numerical experiments on clustering problems show that our algorithm scales well and reaches both state of the art convergence speed and clustering accuracy for SymNMF methods.
From organismal physiology to ecological processes: Effects of nutrient enrichment and salinity variation in a freshwater ecosystem

Environmental stressors have profound implications for species, communities, and ecosystems by altering fundamental processes. With increasing human impacts on aquatic ecosystems, two main scenarios have been reported: (1) the spatiotemporal superposition of multiple stressors, leading to interactions among them and (2) intensifying environmental gradients, leading to threshold responses. However, studies designed to assess the effects of multiple stressors (e.g., pulse stressors) along environmental gradients (e.g., press stressors) are uncommon, and interactions between pulse and press stressors may cause abrupt changes in biological responses. We conducted a laboratory experiment to investigate the effects of osmotic stress along a nutrient enrichment gradient on a freshwater community composed of periphyton, microorganisms, and zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha). Our objectives were to (1) quantify the individual and combined effects of stressors, (2) delineate thresholds along the nutrient gradient (press) in the absence and presence of osmotic stress (pulse), and (3) test for interactions between the two stressors. We evaluated effects on metabolic rates in D. polymorpha and on microbial activity, as well as phototrophic periphyton biomass and physiological status. We observed interactions between the two stressors for metabolic rates in D. polymorpha and periphytic phaeopigments. In contrast, we found an individual effect of osmotic stress on microbial activity and chlorophyll a content. Thresholds were only identified in the presence of osmotic stress for metabolic rates in D. polymorpha. Our work highlights the importance of combining multiple stressors with environmental gradients and the need to consider multiple biological compartments when evaluating the impacts of stressors on ecosystems.
Simultaneous measurement of thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of some building materials using the transient hot strip method

A transient hot strip method developed by Gustafsson (1979), for simultaneous measurement of thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of solids and fluids with low electrical conductivity, is used for the simultaneous measurements of thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of some building materials such as dry dune sand, dry brick powder, dry cement, dry mud powder and dry asbestos powder at room temperature and normal pressure. The hot strip works both as a plane heat source and a temperature sensing device. The experimental values of thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of these materials are compared with those obtained from thermal probe and hot-wire methods. A good agreement in the values indicates that the transient hot strip (ThS) method can also be used for loose porous materials for obtaining these thermal parameters.
Triple-scale analysis and fabrication of new biocompatible MgSiO3 piezoelectric thin films

Recently, the lead free piezoelectric material, which should be used for medical devices, such as health monitoring system (HMS) and drug delivery system (DDS), is strongly required. In this study, we discovered a newly designed MgSiO3 thin film, as a biocompatible piezoelectric actuator, by using the first-principles calculation and process crystallography simulation algorithm. At first, crystal structure was calculated by using the first-principles density functional theory. Secondly, the best substrate for MgSiO3 was searched by using the process crystallography simulation. Next, MgSiO3 thin film was generated in our laboratory by using the RF magnetron sputtering apparatus. Finally, crystallographic orientation was obtained by using X-ray diffractometer and the piezoelectric property of thin film was measured by the ferroelectric measurement system. As a result, lattice parameters of MgSiO3 with tetragonal structure were obtained as a=b=0.3449nm and c=0.3538nm, and its aspect ratio was 1.026. Au(111) was chosen as the best substrate, on which MgSiO3 thin film with minimum total energy could be grown. Then, MgSiO3(111) was generated on Au(111)/SrTiO3(110) by using the RF magnetron sputtering apparatus. The piezoelectric strain constant d33 of MgSiO3 thin film generated at 400°C was measured as 219.8pm/V and it was higher than one of the existing piezoelectric material BaTiO3. Consequently, we succeeded the generation of a new biocompatible MgSiO3 piezoelectric thin film, which can be applied to medical devices in the future.
BEHAVIOR OF RC COLUMNS STRENGTHENED WITH RC JACKET: A FINITE ELEMENT MODEL

Reinforced concrete (RC) jacketing is nowadays one of the most common techniques adopted for strengthening of existing RC columns. It is used to increase load-carrying capacity and ductility of weak existing members by means of a simple and cheap method. In this paper, a finite element model of RC columns strengthened with RC jacket under eccentric loading were developed using two-dimensional shell element model. To simulate the interaction between old and new concrete, the adhesive layer was modeled using cohesive surface-to-surface interaction model. Results of the finite element (FE) model are verified by comparing them with experimental work available in the literature. The result of the FE model showed good agreement with experimental results, as they were able to predict the behavior of the strengthened columns and the modes of failure with high accuracy. A parametric study was conducted to study the effect of assuming perfect bond at the interface between old and new concrete on the behavior of strengthened columns. After testing seven full scale models of column-footing, they concluded that for undamaged columns a monolithic behavior of the composite element can be achieved even without increasing their surface roughness, using bonding agents, or applying steel connectors before strengthening it by RC jacketing. et al. tested twelve RC-jacketed columns under uniaxial compression with and without preloading. The found that the entire core contributes to the axial capacity of the jacketed column, as long as adequate confinement is provided. Also, preloading does not adversely affect the capacity of the jacketed column, while it may increase its deformability. Nascimento [6] suggested improving the interface between old concrete and strengthening concrete by adding shear connectors in various amounts and positions. Experimental study was adopted in their study. The results of their study showed that choosing considerably nevertheless and The current to provide a finite element for strengthening of RC columns with RC jacket using and between and on the verified FE method, a parametric study is conducted.