Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Face recognition using eigen-faces, fisher-faces and neural networks

In this paper, a new face recognition method based on PCA (principal component analysis), LDA (linear discriminant analysis) and neural networks is proposed. This method consists of four steps: i) preprocessing, ii) dimension reduction using PCA, iii) feature extraction using LDA and iv) classification using neural network. Combination of PCA and LDA is used for improving the capability of LDA when a few samples of images are available and neural network classifier is used to reduce number misclassification caused by not-linearly separable classes. The proposed method was tested on Yale face database. Experimental results on this database demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method for face recognition with less misclassification in comparison with previous methods.
Increased Production of Zeaxanthin and Other Pigments by Application of Genetic Engineering Techniques toSynechocystis sp. Strain PCC 6803

ABSTRACT The psbAII locus was used as an integration platform to overexpress genes involved in carotenoid biosynthesis inSynechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 under the control of the strong psbAII promoter. The sequences of the genes encoding the yeast isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase (ipi) and theSynechocystis β-carotene hydroxylase (crtR) and the linked Synechocystis genes coding for phytoene desaturase and phytoene synthase (crtP andcrtB, respectively) were introduced intoSynechocystis, replacing the psbAII coding sequence. Expression of ipi, crtR, andcrtP and crtB led to a large increase in the corresponding transcript levels in the mutant strains, showing that the psbAII promoter can be used to drive transcription and to overexpress various genes in Synechocystis. Overexpression of crtP and crtB led to a 50% increase in the myxoxanthophyll and zeaxanthin contents in the mutant strain, whereas the β-carotene and echinenone contents remained unchanged. Overexpression of crtR induced a 2.5-fold increase in zeaxanthin accumulation in the corresponding overexpressing mutant compared to that in the wild-type strain. In this mutant strain, zeaxanthin becomes the major pigment (more than half the total amount of carotenoid) and the β-carotene and echinenone amounts are reduced by a factor of 2. However, overexpression of ipi did not result in a change in the carotenoid content of the mutant. To further alter the carotenoid content of Synechocystis, the crtOgene, encoding β-carotene ketolase, which converts β-carotene to echinenone, was disrupted in the wild type and in the overexpressing strains so that they no longer produced echinenone. In this way, by a combination of overexpression and deletion of particular genes, the carotenoid content of cyanobacteria can be altered significantly.
Forecasting embankment dam behaviour with artificial intelligence

Forecasting dam behaviour is of paramount importance to avoid collapses. It consists of detecting and controlling deterioration mechanisms. This paper sets out to propose a multi model methodology to model complex dynamic systems, such as dams. It defines three models based on expert knowledge: a structural model, a functional model and a behavioural model. They are developed from the stories of the ageing of the processes that is to say from scenarios described in terms of events. These scenarios are interpreted by expert knowledge. One of the main ideas is to use the level of abstraction of the experts to facilitate the problem solving reasoning. A conceptual model which is created from CommonKADS methodology allows us to divide consistently the knowledge base into the three models. We illustrate this methodology by monitoring the dam behaviour during its life. Currently, the three models are developed from the scenario of the ageing of a French dam. They are validated by experts who gave their accordance with the developed approach. These models show that it is possible to formalize models implicitly used by experts.
Towards optimal portfolio strategy to control maximum drawdown

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a discrete quantitative trading strategy to directly control a portfolio's maximum percentage of drawdown losses while trying to maximize the portfolio's long‐term growth rate.Design/methodology/approach – The loss control target is defined through a Rolling Economic Drawdown (REDD) with a constant look‐back time window. The authors specify risk aversion in the power‐law portfolio wealth utility function as the complement of maximum percentage loss limit and assume long‐term stable Sharpe ratios for asset class indexes while updating volatility estimation in dynamic asset allocation implementation.Findings – Over a test period of the past 20 years (1992‐2011), a risk‐based out‐of‐sample dynamic asset allocation among three broad based indexes (equity, fixed income and commodities) and a risk free asset, is robust against variations in capital market expectation inputs, and out‐performs the in‐the‐sample calibrated model and traditional asset allocation sig.
A Computer Simulation of Oscillatory Behavior in Primary Visual Cortex

Periodic variations in correlated cellular activity have been observed in many regions of the cerebral cortex. The recent discovery of stimulus-dependent, spatially-coherent oscillations in primary visual cortex of the cat has led to suggestions of neural information encoding schemes based on phase and/or frequency variation. To explore the mechanisms underlying this behavior and their possible functional consequences, we have developed a realistic neural model, based on structural features of visual cortex, which replicates observed oscillatory phenomena. In the model, this oscillatory behavior emerges directly from the structure of the cortical network and the properties of its intrinsic neurons; however, phase coherence is shown to be an average phenomenon seen only when measurements are made over multiple trials. Because average coherence does not ensure synchrony of firing over the course of single stimuli, oscillatory phase may not be a robust strategy for directly encoding stimulus-specific information. Instead, the phase and frequency of cortical oscillations may reflect the coordination of general computational processes within and between cortical areas. Under this interpretation, coherence emerges as a result of horizontal interactions that could be involved in the formation of receptive field properties.
P o S ( F I S B H 2 0 0 6 ) 0 0 6 Etiology of vascular related infection

Atherosclerosis is probably generated and its progress certainly sustained by chronic inflammation process. In this connection, several studies are actually considering infection as another possible co-factor of atherosclerosis development. Viral and bacterial pathogens have long been suspected to affect atherogenesis directly. Helicobacter pylori, some viruses and, particularly, Chlamydia pneumoniae are infection agents most often considered in these studies. Serological, epidemiological, histological and immunological studies are in progress to test the above hypothesis. Overall, the role of C.pneumoniae in favoring the atherogenesis and/or its adverse acute events appears to be strengthened by recent evidence, which includes a clear-cut demonstration and quantification of the bacterial agent in the atherosclerotic plaque, as we conclusively show in this paper.
Application of Nursing Process and Its Affecting Factors among Nurses Working in Mekelle Zone Hospitals, Northern Ethiopia

Background. Nursing process is considered as appropriate method to explain the nursing essence, its scientific bases, technologies and humanist assumptions that encourage critical thinking and creativity, and permits solving problems in professional practice. Objective. To assess the application of nursing process and it's affecting factors in Mekelle Zone Hospitals. Methods. A cross sectional design employing quantitative and qualitative methods was conducted in Mekelle zone hospitals March 2011. Qualitative data was collected from14 head nurses of six hospitals and quantitative was collected from 200 nurses selected by simple random sampling technique from the six hospitals proportional to their size. SPSS version 16.1 and thematic analysis was used for quantitative and qualitative data respectively. Results. Majority 180 (90%) of the respondents have poor knowledge and 99.5% of the respondents have a positive attitude towards the nursing process. All of the respondents said that they did not use the nursing process during provision of care to their patients at the time of the study. Majority (75%) of the respondent said that the nurse to patient ratio was not optimal to apply the nursing process. Conclusion and Recommendation. The nursing process is not yet applied in all of the six hospitals. The finding revealed that the knowledge of nurses on the nursing process is not adequate to put it in to practice and high patient nurse ratio affects its application. The studied hospitals should consider the application of the nursing process critically by motivating nurses and monitor and evaluate its progress.
Information Matching the Content of Visual Working Memory Is Prioritized for Conscious Access

Visual working memory (VWM) is used to retain relevant information for imminent goal-directed behavior. In the experiments reported here, we found that VWM helps to prioritize relevant information that is not yet available for conscious experience. In five experiments, we demonstrated that information matching VWM content reaches visual awareness faster than does information not matching VWM content. Our findings suggest a functional link between VWM and visual awareness: The content of VWM is recruited to funnel down the vast amount of sensory input to that which is relevant for subsequent behavior and therefore requires conscious access.
Has the emergence of China hurt Asian exports?

It is investigated as to whether the exports of manufactured products by the South Asian and South East Asian countries have been negatively affected by the rise of China. Using a panel data approach, it is found that increases in world market shares of China are statistically correlated with declines in world market shares for some Asian countries since 1994, but not before 1994.
An approach to improve impedance plethysmography on the wrist by using adaptive feedback control

The growing market of wearable devices made ambulant vital sign monitoring popular in recent years. Impedance plethysmography (IPG) provides a promising low power solution for detecting pulse waves and respiration by measuring the impedance of blood vessels at the wrist. However, the measurement principle makes high demands on the analog front end, due to low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and unknown measurement conditions. In this paper an approach to apply impedance plethysmography is presented. The proposed circuit is based on the impedance measurement IC AD5933 and an adaptive feedback control to regulate current injection and measuring amplification in order to adjust the optimal operating point. Experimental studies demonstrate the potential of the system as promising technology for continuous vital sign monitoring on the wrist.
Animal Studies Repository Animal Studies Repository Behavioural Analysis of a Nociceptive Event in Fish: Comparisons between Three Species Demonstrate Specific Responses Recommended Citation Behavioural Analysis of a Nociceptive Event in Fish: Comparisons between Three Species Demonstrate Specific R

(2008). Behavioural analysis of a nociceptive event in fish: Comparisons between three species demonstrate specific responses. ABSTRACT Nociception is the sensory mechanism by which potentially harmful stimuli are detected in animals and humans. The behavioural responses to noxious stimulation have been studied in two fish species thus far. However, since species-specific differences are seen in mammals, more species need to be examined to determine whether nociceptive responses are generic in fish. The present study investigated the behavioural and respiratory response to an acute noxious or potentially painful stimulus in common carp (Cyprinus carpio), zebrafish (Danio rerio) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Behavioural parameters such as frequency of swimming, use of cover and any anomalous behaviour were measured along with ventilation rate before and after noxious stimulation in the carp and zebrafish. Although no differences in behavioural or ventilation rate response were observed between noxiously stimulated carp and control fish, anomalous behaviours of rocking from side to side and rubbing of lips against the tank walls were observed in two of the five fish. In contrast, zebrafish displayed a significant reduction in frequency of swimming and an increase in ventilation rate, which was similar to the results obtained from rainbow trout. Zebrafish did not display any anomalous behaviour. These dissimilarities in response to potentially painful stimulation demonstrate that there are species-specific behavioural and physiological responses to a nociceptive event in fish.
Scanning of Transposable Elements and Analyzing Expression of Transposase Genes of Sweet Potato [Ipomoea batatas]

Background Transposable elements (TEs) are the most abundant genomic components in eukaryotes and affect the genome by their replications and movements to generate genetic plasticity. Sweet potato performs asexual reproduction generally and the TEs may be an important genetic factor for genome reorganization. Complete identification of TEs is essential for the study of genome evolution. However, the TEs of sweet potato are still poorly understood because of its complex hexaploid genome and difficulty in genome sequencing. The recent availability of the sweet potato transcriptome databases provides an opportunity for discovering and characterizing the expressed TEs. Methodology/Principal Findings We first established the integrated-transcriptome database by de novo assembling four published sweet potato transcriptome databases from three cultivars in China. Using sequence-similarity search and analysis, a total of 1,405 TEs including 883 retrotransposons and 522 DNA transposons were predicted and categorized. Depending on mapping sets of RNA-Seq raw short reads to the predicted TEs, we compared the quantities, classifications and expression activities of TEs inter- and intra-cultivars. Moreover, the differential expressions of TEs in seven tissues of Xushu 18 cultivar were analyzed by using Illumina digital gene expression (DGE) tag profiling. It was found that 417 TEs were expressed in one or more tissues and 107 in all seven tissues. Furthermore, the copy number of 11 transposase genes was determined to be 1–3 copies in the genome of sweet potato by Real-time PCR-based absolute quantification. Conclusions/Significance Our result provides a new method for TE searching on species with transcriptome sequences while lacking genome information. The searching, identification and expression analysis of TEs will provide useful TE information in sweet potato, which are valuable for the further studies of TE-mediated gene mutation and optimization in asexual reproduction. It contributes to elucidating the roles of TEs in genome evolution.
Consumer choice, competition and privatisation in European health and long-term care systems : subjective well-being effects and equity implications

Consumer choice has become a key reform trend in the provision of public services in Western European welfare states. Research on the welfare effects of choice reforms – including greater provider choice for the individual and competition between providers – has largely focused on economic evaluations of the extrinsic (outcome) effects of choice, thereby leaving its intrinsic, or procedural, value unexplored. The overarching objective of this thesis is to investigate the welfare effects of choice in the provision of health and long-term care (LTC) and their implications for equity. The thesis utilises the subjective well-being approach – incorporating both procedural and outcome utility from choice – to measure welfare effects based on quantitative analysis of survey data. Welfare effects and equity implications are examined in relation to: competition in health care in the English National Health System (NHS); choice of care package in the German long-term care system; and individual preferences and views of choice as a priority in the provision of health care in three NHS countries. The thesis argues that both service characteristics – extent of competition, information availability, technical complexity – and individual capabilities – ability to process information, capacity to manage transaction costs, availability of private support – influence the benefits that individuals derive from choice. Results suggest that choice policies have an overall positive welfare effect in both health and long-term care. However, while direct evidence of outcome improvements is found, the empirical analysis only finds indirect evidence of procedural utility. Middle class characteristics, primarily income and education, are found to have a positive influence on the benefits of choice, amounting to evidence of inequitable facets of choice policies. The middle class further exhibits preferences for choice over and above other characteristics of health care systems. Overall, this thesis advocates a holistic approach to the analysis of choice, incorporating its procedural value and paying particular attention to the equity implications of the choice situation, information processing and differences in available options as well as preferences for choice.
Correlation of Brand Mentions in Social Media and Web Searching Before and After Real Life Events: Phase Analysis of Social Media and Search Data for Super Bowl 2015 Commercials

The integration of social media technologies with second screen devices during the broadcasts of in-real-life events facilitates a mode of online conversation we refer to as the social soundtrack. In this research, we compute the correlations between the comments people post in the social soundtrack on various platforms (i.e., Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr) and the terms people search for on a major web search engine (i.e., Google). The broadcast media event for this research is Super Bowl 2015 commercials. Using statistical t-tests, we compare the correlations between the relative volume of searching, obtained via Google Trends, and the relative volume of social soundtrack postings on each of three social media platforms for two temporal phases (Pre and Post) for Super Bowl 2015. We exclude the game day from our research due to insufficiency of granularity for search data on the game day. Research results show that there is no overall significant difference in phase correlation between social media and search data. However, at the individual level, there are brands that do show significant correlation between phases. The number of significant positive correlations between the social soundtrack postings and web search concerning brands are considerably high compared to the number of significant negative correlations in both phases. The research results are important in identifying the temporal trends and interplay between type of social media platforms and searching concerning the sharing of brand mentions in word-of-mouth marketing. The result will eventually help retailers focusing on the brands with higher correlations to lever the opportunity of electronic word of mouth advertising.
Time of Arrival Estimation for UWB Localizers in Realistic Environments

This paper investigates time of arrival (ToA) estimation methods for ultra-wide bandwidth (UWB) propagation signals. Different algorithms are implemented in order to detect the direct path in a dense multipath environment. Different suboptimal, low-complex techniques based on peak detection are used to deal with partial overlap of signal paths. A comparison in terms of ranging accuracy, complexity, and parameters sensitivity to propagation conditions is carried out also considering a conventional technique based on threshold detection. In particular, the algorithms are tested on experimental data collected from a measurement campaign performed in a typical office building.
Conference on Information Fusion ( FUSION ) Threat Evaluation and Weapons Allocation in Network-Centric Warfare

The concepts of threat evaluation and weapons allocation (TEWA) in the defence domain have traditionally been considered from the single platform perspective. However, with the current trend in defence towards network-centric warfare, that is the linking of sensors, engagement systems and decisionmakers into an effective and responsive whole, it is becoming more appropriate to view these concepts at the force level. One approach to the challenge of developing force level TEWA functionality is to regard TEWA as a dynamic human decisionmaking process aimed at the successful exploitation of tactical resources (eg sensors and weapons) during the conduct of command and control activities. In this paper, the results of taking this approach to force level TEWA through the application of the applied cognitive work analysis methodology are presented. In particular, a functional abstraction network is described which encapsulates the inferential transformation from sensor data acquisition to inferences about the identification, intent and level of threat for the given entities in the defence environment. Finally, emerging threat evaluation and weapons allocation concepts in network-centric warfare are outlined and an example is given to illustrate the ideas developed within the paper.
Difficulties in the new physical education curriculum reform and strategies for breaking through

The author analyzed problems which confuse the physical education curriculum reform,such as physical education classes enhancing physical quality,physical education classes blending into health education,physical education classes implementing modular teaching,determination of textbooks suitable for physical education classes,setup of teaching objectives accurate for physical education classes,and suggested to break through difficulties encountered in the curriculum reform by implementing strategies such as strengthening the study and perfection of the physical education curriculum and teaching theories,creating conditions for ensuring the smooth implementation of the curriculum reform,opening secondary classrooms to effectively promote physical health level etc.