Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chapter 2 Smart Farming Technologies – Description , Taxonomy and Economic Impact

Precision Agriculture is a cyclic optimization process where data have to be collected from the field, analysed and evaluated and finally used for decision making for site-specific management of the field. Smart farming technologies (SFT) cover all these aspects of precision agriculture and can be categorized in data acquisition, data analysis and evaluation and precision application technologies. Data acquisition technologies include GNSS technologies, mapping technologies, data acquisition of environmental properties and machines and their properties. Data analysis and evaluation technologies comprise the delineation of management zones, decision support systems and farm management information systems. Finally, preciA.T. Balafoutis (*) Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece Institute of Bio-economy & Agro-technology Centre of Research & Technology Hellas, Volos, Greece e-mail: abalafoutis@aua.gr B. Beck • J. Vangeyte Institute for Agricultural, Fisheries and Food Research (ILVO), Merelbeke, Belgium e-mail: bert.beck@ilvo.vlaanderen. be; jurgen.vangeyte@ilvo.vlaanderen. be S. Fountas • Z. Tsiropoulos Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece e-mail: sfountas@aua.gr; tsiropoulos@teilar.gr T. van der Wal Wageningen Environmental Research (Alterra), Wageningen, The Netherlands e-mail: Tamme.vanderWal@aerovision.nl I. Soto-Embodas • M. Gómez-Barbero European Commission – Joint Research Centre (JRC), Seville, Spain e-mail: iria.soto-embodas@ec.europa. eu; Manuel.GOMEZ-BARBERO@ec.europa. eu S.M. Pedersen Department of Food and Resource Economics, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark e-mail: marcus@ifro.ku. dk
HOW MUCH VALUE DO REAL ESTATE BROKERS ADD? A CASE STUDY

Sales commissions for residential real estate brokers historically average nearly six percent of a home’s closing price. Do brokers add sufficient value to justify those commissions? We address this question using a unique data set pertaining to sales of faculty and staff homes on the Stanford University campus. We find no evidence that the use of a broker leads to higher average selling prices, or that it significantly alters average initial asking prices. However, those who use brokers sell their houses more quickly. B. Douglas Bernheim Department of Economics Stanford University Stanford, CA 94305 bernheim@stanford.edu Jonathan Meer Department of Economics Stanford University Stanford, CA 94305 jmeer@stanford.edu
Digital forensic techniques for the reverse engineering of image acquisition chains

In recent years a number of new methods have been developed to detect image forgery. Most forensic techniques use footprints left on images to predict the history of the images. The images, however, sometimes could have gone through a series of processing and modification through their lifetime. It is therefore difficult to detect image tampering as the footprints could be distorted or removed over a complex chain of operations. In this research we propose digital forensic techniques that allow us to reverse engineer and determine history of images that have gone through chains of image acquisition and reproduction. This thesis presents two different approaches to address the problem. In the first part we propose a novel theoretical framework for the reverse engineering of signal acquisition chains. Based on a simplified chain model, we describe how signals have gone in the chains at different stages using the theory of sampling signals with finite rate of innovation. Under particular conditions, our technique allows to detect whether a given signal has been reacquired through the chain. It also makes possible to predict corresponding important parameters of the chain using acquisition-reconstruction artefacts left on the signal. The second part of the thesis presents our new algorithm for image recapture detection based on edge blurriness. Two overcomplete dictionaries are trained using the K-SVD approach to learn distinctive blurring patterns from sets of single captured and recaptured images. An SVM classifier is then built using dictionary approximation errors and the mean edge spread width from the training images. The algorithm, which requires no user intervention, was tested on a database that included more than 2500 high quality recaptured images. Our results show that our method achieves a performance rate that exceeds 99% for recaptured images and 94% for single captured images.
WORKING PAPER SERIES 323 Challenges for Central Banks ’ Macro Models

In this paper we discuss a number of challenges for structural macroeconomic models in the light of the Great Recession and its aftermath. It shows that a benchmark DSGE model that shares many features with models currently used by central banks and large international institutions has diffi culty explaining both the depth and the slow recovery of the Great Recession. In order to better account for these observations, the paper analyses three extensions of the benchmark model. First, we estimate the model allowing explicitly for the zero lower bound constraint on nominal interest rates. Second, we introduce time-variation in the volatility of the exogenous disturbances to account for the non-Gaussian nature of some of the shocks. Third and finally, we extend the model with a financial accelerator and allow for time-variation in the endogenous propagation of financial shocks. All three extensions require that we go beyond the linear Gaussian assumptions that are standard in most policy models. We conclude that these extensions go some way in accounting for features of the Great Recession and its aftermath, but they do not suffi ce to address some of the major policy challenges associated with the use of non-standard monetary policy and macroprudential policies. JEL Classification: E52, E58
Vehicle Detection in Monochrome Images

The purpose of this master thesis was to study computer vision algorithms for vehicle detection in monochrome images captured by mono camera. The work has mainly been focused on detecting rear-view cars in daylight conditions. Previous work in the literature have been revised and algorithms based on edges, shadows and motion as vehicle cues have been modified, implemented and evaluated. This work presents a combination of a multiscale edge based detection and a shadow based detection as the most promising algorithm, with a positive detection rate of 96.4% on vehicles at a distance of between 5 m to 30 m. For the algorithm to work in a complete system for vehicle detection, future work should be focused on developing a vehicle classifier to reject false detections.
Athens Institute for Education and Research ATINER ATINER ' s Conference Paper Series MDT 2019-2635

Israel is known as one of the leading countries in innovation, mostly in terms of Research and Development (R&D) activity. We describe the growth of innovation activity and focus on the question about the leading factors that explain the rapid growth of innovation activity. Against the theoretical background of the rule of comparative advantage, we find that the innovation trend in Israel was mostly stimulated by comparative disadvantages. The explanation of the growth of innovative activities is mostly attributed to the characteristics of the national innovation ecosystem, and to the ability to understand its functioning and to derive appropriate policy measures. Using the data of 127 countries as gathered in the Global Innovation Index (GII), we propose a model for the explanation of the relative growth of innovation in Israel, and support it through an in-depth survey of the main leaders of innovation in the last years, from the fields of academy, industry and government.
Spectral control over $\gamma$-ray echo using a nuclear frequency comb system

Two kinds of spectral control over $\gamma$-ray echo using a nuclear frequency comb system are theoretically investigated. A nuclear frequency comb system is composed of multiple nuclear targets under magnetization (hyperfine splitting), mechanical motion (Doppler shift) or both, namely, moving and magnetized targets. In frequency domain the unperturbed single absorption line of $\gamma$-ray therefore splits into multiple lines with equal spacing and becomes a nuclear frequency comb structure. We introduce spectral shaping and dynamical splitting to the frequency comb structure respectively to optimize the use of a medium and to break the theoretical maximum of echo efficiency, i.e., 54\%. Spectral shaping scheme leads to the reduction of required sample resonant thickness for achieving high echo efficiency of especially a broadband input. Dynamical splitting method significantly advances the echo efficiency up to 67\% revealed by two equivalent nuclear frequency comb systems. We also show that using only few targets is enough to obtain good echo performance, which significantly eases the complexity of implementation. Our results extend quantum optics to 10keV regime and lay the foundation of the development of $\gamma$-ray memory.
Ef fi ciency of three-wave mixing in nonlinear composite right-and left-handed transmission lines

We investigate the three-wave mixing process that is induced by nonlinear envelope pulse collisions in composite rightand left-handed transmission lines with regularly spaced Schottky varactors. For left-handed waves, the wave number decreases as the frequency increases; this results in the resonant interaction of colliding leftand right-moving waves. In this study, we introduce design criteria for the generation efficiency of sum frequency waves using the derivative expansion method; we also introduce a method of generating pulsed second-harmonic waves.
, 2018 , Manchester , United Kingdom Outlier Ensembles : an Alternative Robust Method for Inclusive Outlier Analysis with Structural Health Monitoring Data

An outlier ensemble framework is applied to structural health motoring (SHM) data for inclusive outlier analysis. Each novelty detector in the ensemble is trained using a random subsample from the available data, then models are combined to provide a robust measure of novelty. This simple method appears to require no application-specific parameters, and it is shown to offer increased sensitivity to outliers when compared to existing techniques (FAST-MCD). Additionally a significant reduction in the computational cost is demonstrated; this is considered a key advantage for practical applications of damage detection, particularly SHM systems that are designed to run online and adaptively.
Common Antibiotics , Allergies , and Alternatives

An allergy is simply an unpleasant hypersensitivity of the immune system. Most allergies are benign and can be contained when detected early; however, a few could be debilitating and may even lead to death. Most common causes of allergic reactions include food, latex, pollen, dust, insect stings, and most importantly medications. Certain medications are well known to cause allergies such as antibiotics, anticoagulants, opioids, and diabetic agents (1). Approximately 4 per 1,000 emergency department visits in 2013-2014 were for adverse drug reactions, of which approximately 27.3% resulted in hospitalization (1). Another study reviewing International Classifi cation of Disease, 9th edition, Clinical Modifi cation codes during a 6 year period for identifi cation of allergic drug reactions found 27% of the emergency department visits were for allergic drug reactions (2). Hives and rash after taking a particular medication are common symptoms of an allergy. However, the most lifethreatening condition of any allergy is called anaphylaxis shock, which affects multiple body organs (2). Epinephrine is the fi rst line treatment for an anaphylaxis reaction (3). It is important for the podiatric physician to realize that a known drug side effect and drug toxicity are not the same as a drug allergy. The broad use of the word “allergy” is used by patients for any adverse drug reaction or drugdrug interaction. Further investigation by the physician is necessary. Nausea can be a known side effect of a drug and not an allergy. For example, constipation is a known side effect of opioid medications, therefore physicians must educate patients about known side effects of a drug versus true allergy. A true allergy occurs when the immune system recognizes a harmless substance as a foreign body, thereby triggering an immune response (4). A common immune reaction is the production of immunoglobulin E (IgE) that is specifi c to the particular drug called an allergen (3). The onset and symptoms of a drug allergy can be divided into 2 categories: Immediate reaction (from seconds to hours), which is IgE mediated, and delayed response (from hours to days or weeks), which is T cell dependent (4).
THE STATE OF THE ART OF DYNAMIC SPECTRUM ACCESS

Cognitive Radio is one of the most promising paradigms for wireless communication, as it enables a flexible use of the radio spectrum. For this, several new techniques were developed that provide a good overview about the current spectrum usage and facilitate dynamic adaptation to it. Moreover, it was investigated how to integrate those techniques into the current static spectrum assignment. This article surveys the state of the art of those methodologies that pave the way for Cognitive Radio usage in the military
Prognostic role of pretreatment red blood cell distribution width in patients with cancer: A meta-analysis of 49 studies

Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) has been recently demonstrated to be a predictor of inflammation. High pretreatment RDW level is associated with poor survival outcomes in various malignancies, although the results are controversial. We aimed to investigate the prognostic role of RDW. A systematic literature search was performed in MEDLINE and EMBASE till April 2018. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated for overall survival (OS) and combined disease-free survival, progression-free survival, and recurrence-free survival (DFS/PFS/RFS). 49 studies with 19,790 individuals were included in the final analysis. High RDW level adversely affected both OS and DFS/PFS/RFS. For solid cancers, colorectal cancer (CRC) had the strongest relationship with poor OS, followed by hepatic cancer (HCC). Negative OS outcomes were also observed in hematological malignancies. Furthermore, patients at either early or advanced stage had inverse relationship between high pretreatment RDW and poor OS. Studies with cut-off values between 13% and 14% had worse HRs for OS and DFS/PFS/RFS than others. Furthermore, region under the curve (ROC) analysis was used widely to define cut-off values and had relatively closer relationship with poorer HRs. In conclusion, our results suggested that elevated pretreatment RDW level could be a negative predictor for cancer prognosis.
HAEMATOLOGICAL IMPACT OF NATURALLY OCCURING TICK BORNE HAEMOPARASITIC INFECTIONS IN CATTLE OF WEST BENGAL , INDIA

Haemoparasites reduces productivity and may lead to high mortality among animals. The present study was carried out to evaluate the heamotological change in cattle of different districts in West Bengal, India affected with naturally occurring tickborne haemoparasitic diseases (TBHD). A total of 310 cattle blood samples were screened for the presence of haemoparasites from July, 2015 to June, 2016. The blood samples were examined for haemoparasites by making thin blood smear and staining with Giemsa’s stain. The result showed that108 (34.84%) cattle were found positive with TBHD, out of which 22.9% were Theileria sp, 5.8% were Babesia sp. , 11.93% Anaplasma sp. , and 5.8% were having mixed infection, respectively. The positive samples were subjected to estimations of haematological parameters i. e. Haemoglobin concentration (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV), total erythrocyte count (TEC) and Total leucocytes count (TLC) using standard protocol. The haematological analysis showed statistically a significant (p<0.01) decreased levels of Hb, PCV, TEC and TLC in infected groups of cattle compared to infection free group cattle. This is probably the first systematic report in West Bengal, India. The result showed the haemoparasites have a negative impact on haematological parameters. This study may be useful in disease epidemiological map preparation, parasitic control policy preparation of the study areas.
Synthesis and Characterization of Nanohydroxyapatite-Gelatin Composite with Streptomycin as Antituberculosis Injectable Bone Substitute

The most effective treatment for spinal tuberculosis was by eliminating the tuberculosis bacteria and replacing the infected bone with the bone graft to induce the healing process. This study aims to synthesize and characterize nanohydroxyapatite-gelatin-based injectable bone substitute (IBS) with addition of streptomycin. The IBS was synthesized by mixing nanohydroxyapatite and 20 w/v% gelatin with ratio of 40:60, 45:55, 50:50, 55:45, 60:40, 65:35, 70:30, and 75:25 ratio and streptomycin addition as antibiotic agent. The mixture was added by hydroxypropyl methylcellulose as suspending agent. FTIR test showed that there was a chemical reaction occurring in the mixture, between the gelatin and streptomycin. The result of injectability test showed that the highest injectability of the IBS sample was 98.64% with the setting time between 30 minutes and four hours after injection on the HA scaffold that represents the bone cavity and coat the pore scaffold. The cytotoxicity test result showed that the IBS samples were nontoxic towards BHK-21 fibroblast cells and human hepatocyte cells since the viability cell was more than 50% with significant difference (p-value<0.05). The acidity of the IBS was stable and it was sensitive towards Staphylococcus aureus with significantly difference (p-value<0.05). The streptomycin release test showed that the streptomycin could be released from the IBS-injected bone scaffold with release of 2.5% after 4 hours. All the results mentioned showed that IBS was suitable as a candidate to be used in spinal tuberculosis case.
Effect of Colour , Source and Storage on Quality of Table Eggs in Port Harcourt Metropolis , Rivers State , Nigeria

This study was carried out to investigate the quality and the optimum length of storage of Table eggs in Port Harcourt Metropolis Rivers State, Nigeria. The design of the study was the 3 x 3 factorial experiments in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). Four hundred and eighty (480) brown and white coloured eggs collected from the farm, market and shops were studied with regards to internal and external qualities under room temperature and market environment for four week. The result showed that there were significant differences (p < 0.05) based on the colour and source on egg length, egg shape index and all the internal characteristics examined. The length of storage significantly (p < 0.05) affected the egg weight, egg shape index and all the internal characteristics. The eggs analyzed at 4 weeks old gave very poor quality (Haugh Unit, HU = 22.73) compared with those analyzed the day they were laid or on arrival in the market (HU = 54.88). The result of the interactive effect of colour and source did not affect the external characteristics but significantly (p < 0.05) affected the internal characteristics, such that the white eggs from the farm and market had poor quality (HU = 39.30 and 39.07) compared with the brown egg from the two sources (HU = 57.38 and 51.23). It was therefore concluded that eggs should be consumed within the first three weeks of lay in the warm humid tropics when stored at room temperature or bought from the market since significant deterioration was evident in the 4 th week of storage.
Incorporation Of Competitive Interactions In Breeding Programs To Improve Poultry Performance And Well-being

Over the past five decades the art of animal breeding has rapidly advanced into an exacting science with such developments as BLUP estimation of breeding values and REML estimates of variance components. These new methods promise much faster advances in genetic improvement than previously possible. However, actual responses have oiten fallen short of expectation and in some cases responses were worse than with previous methods. The reason for these disappointing results can only be due to assumptions inherent to the BLUP models used. The most commonly used and recognized assumption is that of an additiVe model, i.e. no dominance or higher order epistasis. However, a more important, and less recognized, assumption is that of noninteracting genotypes, i.e. genotypes do not compete. If higher producing animals tend to be more competitive; the effect of selection is to increase competition. Competition has the effect of lowering productivity of other animals that are in direct contention. As such, ignoring competitive interactions invalidates the BLUP model used and negates any advantages of this technology and could in fact make it a liability. This loss includes only costs due to reduced rate of gain and ignores the increased cost of building facilities, such as small group pens, needed to manage competitive interactions. In this paper I will review applications of group selection in poultry and examine potential importance in swine breeding program.
Multivariate Cluster-Based Multifactor Dimensionality Reduction to Identify Genetic Interactions for Multiple Quantitative Phenotypes

To understand the pathophysiology of complex diseases, including hypertension, diabetes, and autism, deleterious phenotypes are unlikely due to the effects of single genes, but rather, gene-gene interactions (GGIs), which are widely analyzed by multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR). Early MDR methods mainly focused on binary traits. More recently, several extensions of MDR have been developed for analyzing various traits such as quantitative traits and survival times. Newer technologies, such as genome-wide association studies (GWAS), have now been developed for assessing multiple traits, to simultaneously identify genetic variants associated with various pathological phenotypes. It has also been well demonstrated that analyzing multiple traits has several advantages over single trait analysis. While there remains a need to find GGIs for multiple traits, such studies have become more difficult, due to a lack of novel methods and software. Herein, we propose a novel multi-CMDR method, by combining fuzzy clustering and MDR, to find GGIs for multiple traits. Multi-CMDR showed similar power to existing methods, when phenotypes followed bivariate normal distributions, and showed better power than others for skewed distributions. The validity of multi-CMDR was confirmed by analyzing real-life Korean GWAS data.
POTENTIAL ROLE OF VISUALLY EVOKED POTENTIAL AND ELECTRORETINOGRAPHY " PATTERN " IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF PRIMARY OPEN-ANGLE GLAUCOMA

Glaucoma is a widely distributed progressive optic neuropathy characterized by progressive damage and loss of retinal ganglion cells of the retina and optic nerve, optic disc excavation increasing and usually, but not always, high intraocular pressure, which eventually results in gradual changes in the visual field. In our study, we tried to determine the potential role and place of electrophysiological researches (PERG and VEP) in the early detection of glaucoma optic neuropathy, comparing the electrophysiological parameters (P100 and A) and numeric parameters in ophthalmic patients studied. The results obtained in our study show that the application of PERG methods detects early damage to the retinal ganglion cells, whereas the same changes were not observed by VEP analysis, suggesting a potential role of predictive PERG analysis in the early diagnosis of pre-perimetric glaucoma. Acta Medica Medianae 2012;51(4):19-25.