Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Environmental noise challenges and policies in low- and middle- income countries

Information on environmental noise challenges was gathered for 139 countries, identified by the World Bank as of low income (31), lower middle income (52), and upper middle income (56). Data on noise levels were found in urban agglomerations of two low-income, 13 lower middle-income, and 20 upper middle-income countries. Environmental noise pollution continues to grow in all studied cities due to increase in motor vehicle fleets, airport operations and industries. The main driving forces are population growth, urbanization, motorization and to a large extent technological development. In this paper the major noise sources in two low-income countries, 13 lower middle-income countries and 13 upper middle-income countries (excluding Member States of and countries on the road to the European Union) are identified and observed environmental noise levels reviewed. The paper also compiles the adverse health effects of extensive noise exposures in urban agglomerations that have already been observed in some of these countries. The key laws and by-laws and other regulations on noise pollution in these countries and the level of their enforcement are discussed.
Novel strategy of sirolimus plus thymalfasin and huaier granule on tumor recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma beyond the UCSF criteria following liver transplantation: A single center experience

Although liver transplantation (LT) lengthens the survival time of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), LT patients exhibit a high recurrence rate; particularly those that had advanced HCC associated with the tumor biological characteristics and long-term application of immunosuppressants. A consensus on optimal prophylaxis and treatment for recurrent HCC following LT does not currently exist. The present study retrospectively analyzed data from 36 non-University of California at San Francisco criteria-eligible patients with advanced HCC who underwent LT, and then treated them with sirolimus (SRL)-based therapy with thymalfasin and huaier granules (SRL+, n=18), or with tacrolimus-based therapy (controls; n=18). The SRL+ group had significantly longer recurrence times (P=0.008) and survival times (P<0.0001) (OS, 1-year: 100%, 3-year: 94.4%, 5-year: 77.8%; DFS, 1-year: 88.9%, 3-year: 55.6%, 5-year: 50.0%). Furthermore, compared with pre-LT values and the control group, the SRL+ group had significantly lower serum α-fetoprotein (AFP) levels (both P<0.0001) and percentage of Forkhead box P3 (FoxP3)+ Treg lymphocytes (P<0.001) during the first year. In the SRL+ group, FoxP3+/cluster of differentiation (CD)8+ Treg lymphocyte percentages decreased significantly following LT (P<0.001); however, CD8+/CD3+ T-cells significantly increased (P<0.001). Levels of serum AFP and FoxP3+ Treg cells increased when tumors relapsed, and decreased to near-normal when relapse foci were cured or stabilized. SRL+ therapy may decrease AFP and Treg levels, while increasing CD8+ T cells, indicating an associated mechanism among them. In conclusion, SRL+ therapy appears to be safe and effective in preventing HCC recurrence following LT with no significant adverse events, and warrants further investigation.
POTENTIAL OF DENSE MATCHING FOR THE GENERATION OF HIGH QUALITY DIGITAL ELEVATION MODELS

Until recently, the acquisition of high quality Digital Elevation Models was dominated by the use of airborne LiDAR. However, the increasing quality of digital airborne cameras in combination with recent improvements in matching algorithms meanwhile allow for the automatic image based collection as a suitable alternative. Within the paper, these progresses will be demonstrated on the example of photogrammetric DEM generation using the Semi-Global Matching (SGM) stereo method. Since this approach aims at a pixel-wise matching, dense 3D point clouds can be generated. The tests described in the paper are based on data collected from different digital airborne cameras at various flight scenarios during a recent test on photogrammetric 3D data capture. By these means, the impact of different stereo configurations on the quality of the final outcome can be evaluated and compared to already available test results. Special interest is also paid to the analysis and combination of multiple stereo image pairs with different base- to-height ratios, which can be used efficiently to increase the accuracy and reliability of the matching result.
Metapopulation dynamics following habitat loss and recovery: forest herbs in ancient and recent forests.

Many regions of Europe and eastern North America share broadly similar histories of land use over the past several centuries, with varying degrees of forest clearance followed by varying degrees of forest recovery. Here I use metapopulation models to explore the influence of the extent and timing of forest clearance and recovery on patch occupancy of slowcolonizing forest herbs in ancient and recent forests. If forest clearance exceeds the threshold for metapopulation persistence, extinction may require centuries to occur even when clearance is most severe. This suggests a heavy extinction debt for forest herbs in fragmented landscapes. The time between forest clearance and recovery (tc-r) can have a strong influence on metapopulation dynamics. If tc-r is short, patch occupancy in ancient forests (PAO) will start out high, and exert a strong ‘colonization pressure’ on recent forests, increasing patch occupancy in recent forests (PRO) above its equilibrium value before it ultimately declines towards equilibrium. If tc-r is long, PAO starts out low, and both PAO and PRO rise slowly towards equilibrium. The time required for PRO to reach equilibrium is generally on the order of centuries, and increases with tc-r. The results indicate that there may be long periods of time (decades to centuries) during which patch occupancy increases or decreases even in the absence of directional environmental change.
Medoid Based Approach for Missing Values in the Data Sets Using AANN Classifier

— The imputation of the missing values in real life databases has been realized only through traditional and conventional means. It weakens the whole approach for raw and unstructured data. This paper proposes a Medoid based approach to overcome this problem. The clusters are formed based on the similarities of missing values in the dataset in an iterative manner. The missing values are imputed based on an accurate mathematical model using Partitioning Around Medoids (PAM) algorithm. The datasets are then trained and tested using Auto Associative Neural Network (AANN) classifier that approximates the error function. The dataset used for this paper is Pima Indian Diabetes (PID) dataset retrieved from University of California, Irvine (UCI) machine learning repository. The result shows that our proposed method reduces the error rate in lesser computation time.
Smart home system : integration of energy facilities and environmental factors

This paper concerns the soft-in soft-out detection in a coded communication system, where the transmitted symbols are discrete valued, and the exact a posteriori probability (APP) detection often involves prohibitive complexity. By using the properties of Gaussian functions, an approximate approach to the APP detection is devised with the idea that, in the computation of the APP of each symbol, the remaining symbols are distinguished based on their contributions to the APP of the concerned symbol, and the symbols with less contributions are approximated as (continuous) Gaussian variables [hence the name partial Gaussian approximation (PGA)] to reduce the computational complexity. The connection between the PGA detector and the reduced dimension maximum a posteriori detector (RDMAP) is investigated. It is shown that, PGA is equivalent to RDMAP, but it has a complexity much lower than that of RDMAP, i.e., PGA can be regarded as an efcient implementation of RDMAP. In addition, the application of PGA in intersymbol interference (ISI) channel equalization is also investigated.We show that PGA allows further signicant complexity reduction by exploiting the circulant structure of the system transfer matrix, which makes PGA very attractive in handling severe ISI channels with large memory length. Disciplines Engineering | Science and Technology Studies Publication Details Zhao, W. , Ding, L. , Cooper, P., Perez, P. & Robinson, D. A. (2014). Smart home system: integration of energy facilities and environmental factors. In G. Trenev & P. Bertoldi (Eds.), 7th International Conference: Energy Efficiency in Domestic Appliances and Lighting (EEDAL' 2013) (pp. 1242-1251). Italy: European Union Luxemborg. This conference paper is available at Research Online: http://ro.uow. edu.au/eispapers/3177 Smart Home System: Integration of Energy Facilities and Environmental Factors Weiliang Zhao, Lan Ding, Paul Cooper, Pascal Perez, and Duane Robinson University of Wollongong, Australia
THREE-DIMENSIONAL HYDRODYNAMIC FOCUSING ACHIEVED BY A SINGLE CHANNEL LAYER , SINGLE SHEATH-FLOW INLET MICROFLUIDIC DEVICE

This paper reports a microfluidic device capable of achieving three-dimensional (3D) hydrodynamic focusing with a single channel layer and single sheath-flow inlet design. The sheath flow is introduced in the vertical direction flows around the core stream in the horizontal direction. In order to investigate the device performance, numerical simulations are conducted in this study. In the experiments, the confocal microscopy is utilized to characterize the 3D hydrodynamic focusing flow fields within the device. Furthermore, flow cytometric measurement of standard fluorescence beads are also performed using the developed device to demonstrate its practicality for biological applications.
The Status of Secondary School Science Laboratory Activities for Quality Education in Case of Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia.

A high quality science education in primary and secondary schools contributes to developing scientific literacy and would be expected to predispose students to study the enabling sciences at university. The major purpose of this study was to assess the practice and problems in science laboratory activities in the secondary school of Wolaita Zone, Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Region. This study was conducted in five government secondary schools from three Town administrative and two Woreda administrative from Wolaita Zone. The Woreda education offices and secondary schools were selected by purposive sampling techniques based on the proximity. The secondary school teachers were selected by systematic sampling techniques while principals, vice principals and Woreda education supervisor expert were selected purposely. Primary data were gathered from 114 teachers, 8 laboratory technicians, 10 principals and 235 students by questionnaire, interview and observation and secondary data were collected from documents such as annual plans and laboratory reports, annual reports. The data gathered through questionnaires were analyzed using percentages and mean. The findings of this study indicated that: - (i) The current status of laboratory works in secondary schools of Wolaita Zones is in a very low level where science teaching learning process is not supported adequately by laboratory works; (ii) The most determinant constraints of laboratory activities in secondary schools include lack of laboratory rooms, inadequate supply of lab equipments, reagents and facilities, absence of trained laboratory technicians/teachers, lack of commitment and interest of teachers, lack of regular schedule for laboratory activities, , poor management, monitoring and evaluations of laboratory activities, no system for grading and assessment of laboratory examinations. (iii) laboratory activities did not get the necessary concern in all schools investigated by this study. Therefore, to bring the progress of laboratory activities in schools and to play a great role in initiating and supporting science teaching in the class, there should awareness creation by all stakeholders of the education system. Current and regular workshops and short term trainings about laboratory activities should be given to science teachers in order to enhance and update their laboratory skills and capacities to carry out experiments and demonstrations more effectively and efficiently. The respondents agreed that the government should give special consideration and effective implementation strategies for the improvement and efficient ways of science teaching in schools in order to achieve the mission and goals of the new education policy. Keywords : laboratory; laboratory activities; teacher, principals; secondary schools
COST FUNCTION BASED ON ANALYTIC HIERARCHY PROCESS FOR DATA REPLICATION STRATEGY IN CLOUD ENVIRONMENT 1

Data stored on a cloud is becoming more and more important. Thus, data replication across multiple cloud nodes is considered an effective solution to achieve good performance in terms of response time, load balancing and most importantly, high data availability and reliability. To maximize the benefit of data replication, strategic placement of replicas in the system is critical. Several replica placement works have been proposed in the literature; the most of these works are based on five parameters (criteria): mean service time, failure probability, load variance, latency and storage usage. Weights of these criteria have always been proposed by the user to calculate a cost function. In order to improve this cost function, we propose in this paper an original approach based on a multi-criteria optimization model. According to the context of the five criteria mentioned above, we have chosen the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) multicriteria optimization method which makes it easier to use it to determine the coefficient of each criterion. This modeling of the cost function makes it possible to improve the selection of the candidate sites for replica placement, which have a good impact on the simulation results, and improve performances.
Introducing, Researching, and Disseminating the Incredible Years Programmes in Wales

A case study reviewing the establishment of the evidence-based Incredible Years programme in Wales, describing the rationale for selecting the programme, the outcomes achieved in Wales, and the influence on policy leading to a Wales-wide dissemination strategy. The UK context features a growing trend towards evidence-based anti-violence services and significant increases in funding for early intervention. Factors that contributed to the success of this project included careful selection of a programme with evidence, establishing a local evidence base for it, ensuring that information was disseminated to government and service providers, and the need to build in a sustainability plan. The biggest challenge, lack of leader time and resources to deliver the programme effectively, is explored and solutions from Wales, including leader feedback surveys and manager training days are described.
Spatial Detection of Vehicles in Images using Convolutional Neural Networks and Stereo Matching

Convolutional Neural Networks combined with a state of the art stereo-matching method are used to find and estimate the 3D position of vehicles in pairs of stereo images. Pixel positions of vehicles are first estimated separately in pairs of stereo images using a Convolutional Neural Network for regression. These coordinates are then combined with a state-of-art stereo-matching method to determine the depth, and thus the 3D location, of the vehicles. We show in this paper that cars can be detected with a combined accuracy of approximately 90% with a tolerated radius error of 5%, and a Mean Absolute Error of 5.25m on depth estimation for cars up to 50m away.
Clickers: Enhancing the residency selection process

Background: Residency selection panels commonly use time consuming manual voting processes which are easily subjected to bias and influence of others to select successful candidates. We explored the use of an electronic audience response system (ARS) or ‘clickers’ in obstetrics and gynaecology resident selection; studying the voting process and examiner feedback on confidentiality and efficiency. Methods: All 10 interviewers were provided with clickers to vote for each of the 25 candidates at the end of the residency selection interview. Votes were cast using a 5-point Likert scale. The number of clickers provided to each interviewer was weighted according to the rank of the interviewer. Voting scores and time for each candidate was recorded by the ARS and interviewers completed a questionnaire evaluating their experience of using clickers for resident selection. Results: The 10 successful candidates scored a mean of 4.28 (SD 0.27, range 3.86-4.73), compared to 2.99 (SD 0.71, 1.50–3.79) for the 15 unsuccessful candidates (p<0.001). Average voting time was 26 seconds per candidate. Total voting time for all candidates was 650 seconds. All interviewers favoured the use of clickers, for its confidentiality, instantaneous results, and more discerning graduated response. Conclusion: Clickers provide a rapid and anonymous method of collating interviewer decisions following a rigorous selection process. It was well-received by interviewers and highly recommended for use by other residencies in their selection process.
Small water bodies formed after peat digging in Dobrzyńskie Lakeland / Małe zbiorniki wodne powstałe po wydobyciu torfu na Pojezierzu Dobrzyńskim

Abstract Post-peat water bodies formed as a result of peat digging for fuel in the 19th and the first half of the 20th century are common in the middle part of Dobrzyńskie Lakeland. In many cases peat was dug almost completely to form small water bodies. In the studied part of the lakeland 56.24 ha or 10.20% of peatland area have been exploited. The share of peatlands in the surface area of particular regions varied from 3.79% to 9.81%. The degree of peat exploitation also varied. Peat coverage of 7.06% was larger than the mean for Poland (3.80%) but close to that in young glacial areas. A group of water bodies formed after peat digging differed in terms of water quality. Physical and chemical properties of waters in studied water bodies are typical of surface and shallow ground waters in young glacial areas. They are fresh waters of a slightly higher content of mineral ions and of neutral to alkaline pH. Their electrolytic conductivity ranged between 300 and 500 μS∙cm-1. Bicarbonates and calcium dominated their ionic composition. Post-peat water bodies were colonised by pleustonic and rush plant communities. Their species composition indicates eutrophic habitat conditions. Despite the fact that post-peat water bodies were formed as a result of intense environmental disturbance, now they increase landscape diversity of the middle part of Dobrzyńskie Lakeland and are habitats of many rare and endangered plant species. Streszczenie W środkowej części Pojezierza Dobrzyńskiego często występują potorfia jako wynik wydobywania torfu na opał w XIX i pierwszej połowie XX wieku. W wielu przypadkach torf wybrano niemal zupełnie, tworząc małe zbiorniki wodne. W badanej części Pojezierza Dobrzyńskiego wyeksploatowano 56,24 ha, czyli 10,20% powierzchni torfowisk. Udział torfowisk w powierzchni poszczególnych rejonów wynosił od 3,79 do 9,81%. Zróżnicowany był również ilość eksploatacji torfów. Zatorfienie, wynoszące 7,06%, było większe niż średnio w całej Polsce (3,80%), a zbliżone do zatorfienia obszarów młodoglacjalnych. Właściwości wody grupy zbiorników powstałych po wydobyciu torfu są bardzo zróżnicowane. Właściwości fizykochemiczne wód badanych potorfii są typowe dla wód powierzchniowych i płytkich wód gruntowych na obszarach młodoglacjalnych. Są to wody słodkie, z nieznacznie większą niż średnia mineralizacją (ogólna zawartość jonów) oraz odczynem od obojętnego do zasadowego. Ich przewodnictwo elektrolityczne najczęściej wynosiło 300-500 μS∙cm-1. W składzie jonowym dominowały wodorowęglany oraz wapń. Powstałe po wydobyciu torfu zbiorniki wodne były kolonizowane przez gatunki roślin. W wyniku tego wykształciły się zbiorowiska pleustonowe, a także szuwarowe. Ich skład gatunkowy wskazuje na eutroficzne warunki siedliskowe. Mimo że powstały w wyniku znacznego przekształcenia środowiska, obecnie potorfia występujące w środkowej części Pojezierza Dobrzyńskiego zwiększają różnorodność krajobrazową i stanowią siedlisko wielu rzadkich i zagrożonych gatunków roślin.
Preservice teachers’ perceptions of their middleschooling teacher preparation

The middle schooling movement in Australia has gained momentum in the past 10 to 15 years (Pendergast & Bahr, 2005) with much of the literature recognising that preservice teachers need to graduate with theoretical and pedagogical knowledge to engage middle years students (Education Queensland, 2004). This qualitative study analysed the responses of preservice teachers towards their completion of a four-year Bachelor of Education primary degree that included a middle years pathway (or electives). The study aims to investigate the final years’ perceptions of their confidence and preparedness to teach in the middle-school context as a result of their university learning. Data were gathered using open-ended one-to-one interviews of approximately 45 minutes duration. Seven of the twenty-two final-year preservice teachers were involved in the study that represented 32% of the cohort. Results indicated the need for increased school-based units, the importance of pedagogical approaches employed by the lecturer and the preference for further linkages between middle school theories and middle school teaching practices. Those who provide teacher education courses need to consider the importance of how they deliver middle years courses as well as the content of the course. Furthermore, teacher education institutions need to evaluate and re-shape their courses to ensure preservice teachers are provided with real-world experiences related to both the literature and the profession.
Training in Creative Problem Solving : Effects on Ideation and Problem Finding and Solving in an Industrial Research Organization

The effects of training in a multistage "complete process of creative problem solving" on attitudes and behaviors of individuals were assessed both immediately after training and return to work. A controlled field " t rue" experiment was conducted within an engineering department doing applied research in a large industrial organization. Multiple methods and measures were employed on trained (n = 16), placebo (n = 16), and nonplacebo (n = 13) groups. The process trained addressed three critical stages: problem finding, problem solving, and solution implementation, each containing a fundamental diverging-converging two-step process called "ideation-evaluation. " The main findings strongly suggest the training resulted in significant, systematically measurable effects both immediately after training and 2 weeks later at work. The trained participants were significantly higher in preference for ideation in problem solving, practice of ideation in both problem finding and problem solving, and performance in problem finding. The data give rise to speculation that there may exist differing "optimum ideation-evaluation ratios" for each of the problem finding, problem solving, and solution implementation stages. These ratios may also differ by field of endeavor.