Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chapter 3 Masking by Noise in Acoustic Insects : Problems and Solutions

In most environments, acoustic signals of insects are a source of high background noise levels for many birds and mammals, but at the same time, their own communication channel is noisy due to conspecific and heterospecific signalers as well. In this chapter, I first demonstrate how this situation influences communication and the evolution of related traits at the population level. Solutions for communicating under noise differ between insect taxa, because their hearing system evolved independently many times, and the signals vary strongly in the time and frequency domain. After describing some solutions from the senders’ point of view the focus of the chapter is on properties of the sensory and central nervous system, and how these properties enable receivers to detect relevant acoustic events from irrelevant noise, and to discriminate between signal variants.
IMAGE OF THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

The construction industry is a major contributor to the economy of a country. Despite many positive contributions, the industry suffers from a negative image. The purpose of this paper is to gain an understanding of the reasons for this negative image and to explore possible means by which these traditional perceptions can be changed, promoting a positive image of the industry. 6.
A BOTTOM-UP HIERARCHICAL CLUSTERING ALGORITHM WITH INTERSECTION POINTS

A pattern classification problem that does not have labelled data points requires a method to assort similar points into separated clusters before the training and testing can be performed. Clustering algorithms place most similar data points into one cluster with highest intra-cluster and lowest inter-cluster similarities. Purpose of this paper is to suggest a bottom-up hierarchical clustering algorithm which is based on intersection points and provides clusters with higher accuracy and validity compared to some well-known hierarchical and partitioning clustering algorithms. This algorithm starts with pairing two most similar data points, afterwards detects intersection points between pairs and connects them like a chain in a hierarchical form to make clusters. To show the advantages of paring and intersection points in clustering, several experiments are done with benchmark datasets. Besides our proposed algorithm, seven existing clustering algorithms are also used. Purity as an external criterion is used to evaluate the performance of clustering algorithms. Compactness of each cluster derived by clustering algorithms is also calculated to evaluate the validity of clustering algorithms. Eventually, the results of experiments show that in most cases the error rate of our proposed algorithm is lower than other clustering algorithms that are used in this study.
Aalborg Universitet SD-EAR Energy Aware Routing in Software Defined Wireless Sensor Networks

In today’s internet-of-things (IoT) environment, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have many advantages, with broad applications in different areas including environmental monitoring, maintaining security, etc. However, high energy depletion may lead to node failures in WSNs. In most WSNs, nodes deplete energy mainly because of the flooding and broadcasting of route-request (RREQ) packets, which is essential for route discovery in WSNs. The present article models wireless sensor networks as software-defined wireless sensor networks (SD-WSNs) where the network is divided into multiple clusters or zones, and each zone is controlled by a software-defined network (SDN) controller. The SDN controller is aware of the topology of each zone, and finds out the optimum energy efficient path from any source to any destination inside the zone. For destinations outside of the zone, the SDN controller of the source zone instructs the source to send a message to all of the peripheral nodes in that zone, so that they can forward the message to the peripheral nodes in other zones, and the process goes on until a destination is found. As far as energy-efficient path selection is concerned, the SDN controller of a zone is aware of the connectivity and residual energy of each node. Therefore, it is capable of discovering an optimum energy efficient path from any source to any destination inside as well as outside of the zone of the source. Accordingly, flow tables in different routers are updated dynamically. The task of route discovery is shifted from individual nodes to controllers, and as a result, the flooding of route-requests is completely eliminated. Software-defined energy aware routing (SD-EAR)also proposes an innovative sleeping strategy where exhausted nodes are allowed to go to sleep through a sleep request—sleep grant mechanism. All of these result in huge energy savings in SD-WSN, as shown in the simulation results.
A Polyurethane-based Series Elastic Actuator

This article extends previous work, presenting a novel polyurethane based compliant spring system designed to be attached to a conventional robotics servo motor, turning it into a series elastic actuator (SEA). The new system is composed by only two mechanical parts: a torsional polyurethane spring and a round aluminum support for link attachment. The polyurethane spring, had its design derived from a iterative FEM-based optimization process. We present practical results using a PID controller for robust position holding.
Coronary Artery Disease Effect of Selective Thrombus Aspiration on Serum Lipoprotein-Associated Phospholipase A 2 in Patients with ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with High Thrombus Burden

Background: Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) is a potential therapeutic target in acute coronary syndromes. Although recent evidence does not support the routine use of manual thrombus aspiration (TA) in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI), the use of TA is associated with a significant improvement in myocardial reperfusion, especially in patients with high thrombus burden (HTB). We hypothesized that TA would reduce the serum Lp-PLA2 levels in STEMI patients undergoing PPCI with HTB. Methods and results: Our study cohort included 320 consecutive STEMI patients undergoing PPCI with HTB who were randomly assigned to receive either TA before PPCI (TA group, n = 160) or PPCI alone (standard PPCI group, n = 160). The baseline characteristics of study participants were well-matched. After 30 2 days, serum Lp-PLA2 levels decreased by 53.9% in the TA group (152.9 58.1 ng/mL) and decreased by 31.2% in the standard PPCI group (84.2 86.6 ng/mL, p < 0.001). The TA group had a significantly lower prevalence of balloon predilatation, number of stents used, total stent length and corrected thrombolysis in myocardial infarction frame count, and a higher percentage of myocardial blush grade 2 compared with the standard PPCI group (all p < 0.001). No significant difference between the groups was observed in 30 2 days for major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (p = 0.702). Conclusions: After 30 2 days of treatment, TA may significantly reduce serum levels of Lp-PLA2 in STEMI patients undergoing PPCI with HTB.
Laser Locking For Trapped-Ion Quantum Networks

This thesis reports on the setup of a transfer lock for trapped-ion based quantum network experiments. Such a system allows a cavity-mediated Raman process to be frequencystabilized via laser locking. As a result, a coherent interface to map quantum information encoded in a trapped-ion qubit onto a photon qubit can be realized. The transfer lock scheme is based on frequency-stabilizing two lasers to an external reference-cavity, which was achieved in the course of this thesis. Linewidths and drift rates of the locked lasers were determined via frequency beat measurements. One of the locked laser systems was then used to stabilize the length of a test-cavity in air. Finally, a laser on the Ca optical qubit transition was locked to the reference-cavity, which allowed for the observation of Rabi flops.
Chapter 2 Architectures for Target Localization and Tracking 2 . 1

This chapter summarizes themain architectures used for target localization and tracking in ubiquitous computing systems. Existing approaches can be coarsely classified into peer-to-peer and hierarchical schemes. In peer-to-peer architectures each node exchanges sensing information with its neighbors in order to reach a consensus on the target status. In hierarchical architectures nodes organize following some hierarchy. Three main hierarchical schemes have been adopted: tree-based, clusterbased and hybrid schemes. Cluster-based schemes are the most widely employed and researched approaches. Clustering naturally solves scalability and efficiency since the measurement flow and the packet interchange are kept within the cluster, simplifying computations and transmissions. This chapter also presents a general architecture for cluster-based tracking that is used as the main conductor of this book. This architecture comprises three main modules that deal with typical problems in cluster-based tracking. The first one is responsible for measurement integration and target estimation. The cluster evolves as the target moves and it is necessary to dynamically decide the nodes that are included in or excluded from the cluster. Nodes included in the cluster are activated, while nodes excluded from the cluster are deactivated, saving energy. The second module is responsible for deciding which nodes should be included or excluded from the cluster. Clustering-based tracking schemes rely on a cluster head (CH) that acts as the main scheduler of the cluster. The third module of the architecture is responsible for dynamically deciding which node acts as CH. The experimentation of the schemes and modules shown in this book was performed in UBILOC (Ubiquitous Localization Testbed), a testbed specifically designed for multi-sensor target localization and tracking in ubiquitous computing systems. This chapter briefly presents its main characteristics and components.
Face feature based extraction and classification for Gender Recognition and Age Estimation using Fuzzy Model : A Review

Facial demographic classification is an attractive topic in computer vision. Attributes such as age and gender can be used in many real life application such as face recognition and internet safety for minors. In this paper, we present a novel approach for age estimation and gender classification under uncontrolled conditions following the standard protocols for fair comparison. Our proposed approach is based on Multi Level features which are extracted from normalized face images. We proposed fuzzy model base gender prediction and mining base age estimation techniques. An approach for gender prediction fuzzy model show that gender prediction performance can be boosted by up to a great extend. Our study is based on a dataset from natural data mining competition. We propose an architecture for gender prediction, which consists of the “fuzzy learning model". The experimental results will show our proposed method significantly outperform baseline methods. A detailed analysis of features provides an entertaining insight into behavior variation on female and male users. Furthermore, the combination of visual cues resulted almost as strong as textual analysis in predicting gender, while providing complementary information that can be employed to further boost gender prediction accuracy will be up to 96%. As a byproduct of our investigation, we were also able to extrapolate the semantic categories of posted pictures mostly correlated to males and females.
Phenol degradation in water whirling around DC arc

DC plasma torch with adjustable arc power was used for the degradation of phenol dissolved in water. The plasma torch involves the combination of a gas stabilized anode part and a water stabilized arc part. Water whirl surrounds the arc in the water stabilized arc part and is formed by tangential injection/ejection of water. Phenol dissolved in water circuit used for arc stabilization in concentration of 100 mg/l and its degradation byproducts were analyzed by means of HPLC with UV and fluorescence detection. Experimental results show that approximately 90% of phenol was removed from aqueous solution in comparison with its initial concentration in 40l water circuit after 25 minutes plasma treatment (electric power in plasma: 40 kW), while byproducts concentrations increased during experiment. Some basic chemical mechanisms of degradation are suggested.
Ju l 2 00 3 Ultra-low dissipation Josephson transistor

A superconductor-normal metal-superconductor (SNS) transistor based on superconducting microcoolers is presented. The proposed 4-terminal device consists of a long SNS Josephson junction whose N region is in addition symmetrically connected to superconducting reservoirs through tunnel barriers (I). Biasing the SINIS line allows to modify the quasiparticle temperature in the weak link, thus controlling the Josephson current. We show that, in suitable voltage and temperature regimes, large supercurrent enhancements can be achieved with respect to equilibrium, due to electron “cooling” generated by the control voltage. The extremely low power dissipation intrinsic to the structure makes this device relevant for a number of electronic applications.
THE EFFECT OF WIND TURBINES ON BIRDS AT THE SMØLA WIND POWER PLANT , NORWAY : COLLISIONS , DISPLACEMENT , AND AVOIDANCE

Comprehensive research on the effect of the Smøla wind power plant on birds has been carried out since 2006. Deaths of birds, particularly white-tailed sea eagles, in collisions are a major concern, and there is evidence that birds of some, though not all, species avoiding the wind park area relative to controls. Preliminary data suggests white-tailed sea eagles show no tendency to avoid turbine blades, treating them as if they are not there. The results indicate the importance of careful siting of wind power installations to minimize risks of conflicts with wildlife and conservation issues.
SENSORS AND STRUCTURES

Sustainability of urban systems is dependent on quantitative information of their conditions, such as level of deterioration and level of safety, in major structures, and sensors are key devices for acquiring such essential information. In addition, it requires modern technology to extract only the relevant information from the enormous amount of data gathered by the sensors. In this paper, a structural health monitoring system is presented which has been developed and studied in our laboratory for several years. The system consists of a smart sensor network for data acquisition, and a database server for data storage and management together with diagnosis and prognosis applications. This paper aims to introduce the concept of the aforementioned system and the related technologies. Other sensors and networks, however, can be extended to more novel roles for civil engineering applications, such as detecting and recording the histories of environmental conditions. Among many potential applications, we are particularly interested in using robots as moving sensors to gather information in living spaces. The information obtained by robotic sensors is used to record life phases of the living spaces as “genes”, to transform the environment and its “genes”, and to pass on selected information to future “generations” of living spaces. We call this concept “biofication of living spaces”, and we are working to develop the concept as well as the generation of such “genes”.
The influence of different stocking densities on growth performances of hybrid bester ( Huso huso ♂ x Acipenser ruthenus ♀ ) in a recirculating aquaculture system

The aim of this paper was to evaluate the influence of different stocking densities on growth performance of the hybrid bester sturgeons (Huso huso ♂ x Acipenser ruthenus ♀), reared in a recirculating aquaculture system. A number of 300 hybrid bester with an average weight of 76.6±5.36 g were randomly divided into four rearing units in order to create different stocking densities: V1 14.95 kg m; V2 10.74 kg m; V3 4.56 kg m and V4 3.19 kg m. Researches were conducted between October 20th, 2015 and November 18th, 2015, in the recirculating system of the Aquaculture, Environmental Science and Cadastre Department, University of Galati. The fish were fed with commercial STECO PRE GROWER-14–extruded pellets for sturgeons with a protein content of 50% and a fat content of 14%, the feeding intensity being 1.6% from body weight (BW) per day. At the end of the experiment, specific growth rate (SGR) calculated in V1 variant was 1.58% g day, in V2 1.56% g day, V3 1.40% g day and V4 1.55% g day. The best body weight was obtained in the group V2 followed by V1, where was the highest stocking density. The fish from these groups achieved an individual weight gain of 46.73 g/ind and 42.97 g/ind. Mortality was positively correlated with stocking density.
Learning behaviour and observed feeding patterns of dairy calves group-housed and fed using an automatic milk feeder

OBSERVATION OF DAIRY CALF LEARNING AND DRINKING BEHAVIOUR IN GROUP HOUSING WITH AUTOMATIC MILK FEEDERS Tanya Wilson Advisor: University of Guelph, 2017 Dr. Derek B. Haley This thesis is an investigation of the characteristics and behaviour of calves living in a group environment and trained to drink from an automatic milk feeder (AMF). Calves (n=147) were trained on either a solid or gated stall design associated with the AMF and behaviour was observed by video and feeder data collected for 72 h after introduction. Stall design alone did not impact how quickly calves adapted to the feeder, but when calves were stratified based on how easily they were first trained on the feeder, calves trained on the solid design explored the stall and drank 2 times sooner than calves on the gated design. Once calves learned to use the AMF, they exhibited a diurnal feeding pattern at the group level which declined during dark hours and peaked when there was human activity in the room.
Urinary incontinence and female sexual function : an integrative review of validated questionnaires

Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil. Maternidade Escola Assis Chateaubriand, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil. Confl icts of interest: there are no confl icts of interest to declare. Abstract Objective: To analyze the national and international scientifi c production regarding the relationship between the ICIQ-UI-SF (International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire – Urinary Incontinence/Short Form (ICIQ-UI/SF) and FSFI (Female Sexual Function Index) in the female population. Methods: Integrative literature review, carried out from December 2017 to May 2018, in the Scielo, Lilacs, Scopus and Pubmed databases. Searches were conducted through the association of the names of the questionnaires as descriptors, without delimitations regarding the year of publication, language, and availability of full text. Findings with a level of evidence of at least 3A for observational studies were prioritized. There was a total of fi ve scientifi c papers. Results: The evidence found about the direct relationship of the instruments had as predominant objective their application to validate the effectiveness of surgical techniques to correct urinary incontinence. Even with the improvement of incontinence, the fi ndings were different regarding the improvement of sexual function, showing changes only in some FSFI domains, or no change. Only one study sought to investigate the direct relationship of the instruments, indicating a poor connection. On the other hand, the isolated search of the instruments, associated with specifi c descriptors, indicated that urinary incontinence is a determining factor for the deterioration of both quality of life and sexual function. Conclusion: The low number of productions and results found have shown that a deeper understanding of the subject is necessary for a justifi cation and qualifi cation of care for patients with urinary incontinence.
EFFECTS OF Cymbopogonflexuosus ESSENTIAL OIL AND PH ON ANTICOAGULANT ACTIVITY OF EXTRACELLULAR PROTEINS SECRETED BY Bacillus subtilis ATCC 21332

Blood clotting is an emerging problem that seriously threatens the health of human beings such as strokes and heart attacks. For the treatment, anti-coagulants are used in which it could prevent and interrupt the process involved in the formation of blood clots. Microbial proteases have now been attracted since it is cost effective and no side effects than typical anti-coagulant agents. The protease enzymes were discovered from many microorganisms including Bacillus sp. Previous study reported that B. subtilis could produce a serine protease, known as Bacillopeptidase F with anti-coagulant activity. However, study on anti-coagulant activity of microbial protein secreted by B. subtilis after being induced with Cymbopogonflexuosus essential oil and cultured at difference pH media is still limited. In this present study, B. subtilis ATCC21332 cells were treated with a low concentration (0.01 MIC) of C. flexuosus essential oil and cultured in difference pH media (pH 6, pH 7 and pH 8) at 30°C for 72 h of fermentation. The extracellular proteins were then extracted and precipitated by using 80% of ammonium sulfate before being further identified using Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis(SDS-PAGE) and tested for anti-coagulant activity. SDS-PAGE analysis exhibited a proteins profile with a band in approximate size of 30 kDa was appeared for the treated bacteria with C. flexuosus essential oil and cultivated at three difference pH of media. The extracellular proteins secreted by B. subtilis ATCC21332 after being treated with 0.01 MIC of C. flexuosus essential oil and cultivated either at pH 6 or pH 7 or pH 8 could also prevent blood clotting. However, the extracellular proteins produced by B. subtilis ATCC21332 without inducing with 0.01 MIC of C. flexuosus essential oil only exhibited anti-coagulant activity when the bacterial cells were cultured at pH 7. As a conclusion, B. subtilis ATCC21332 can be enhanced to produce anti-coagulant enzymes after being treated with low concentration of C. flexuosus essential oil and cultivated in natural pH media or even in slightly basic or slightly acidic environment. Further study should be done to purify, identify and analyze the anti-coagulant enzymes from B. subtilis ATCC21332.
Evolutionary Regulation : from CPIX towards Contestability "

Regulation is a long-term game. To minimize transition costs and to ensure the viability of modern regulatory instruments like yardstick competition, it is important to acknowledge the historical industry structure and market developments. Likewise it is important to plan regulatory trajectories for the immediate and more distant futures. In this position paper, we stress the delicate nature of regulation and in particular the evolutionary context of regulation, where even the yardstick competition is seen as a transition step from simple CPI-X revenue caps towards pseudo-contestable markets. Document type : Communication à un colloque (Conference Paper) Référence bibliographique Agrell, Per Joakim ; Bogetoft, Peter. Evolutionary Regulation: from CPI-X towards Contestability.Position Paper workshop -Market Transparency(ENCORE, University of Amsterdam, 23/10/2003). Evolutionary Regulation: From CPI-X towards contestability Per Agrell Peter Bogetoft