Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Texture Image Retrieval Using A Set of Dual-Tree Rotated Complex Wavelet Filter And Dual-Tree-Complex Wavelet Transform

: Most of the texture image retrieval systems are still incapable of providing retrieval result with high retrieval accuracy and less computational complexity. This is the limitation of conventional image retrieval system. To overcome this problem, we propose a new approach of extracting texture features for texture image retrieval by using a combined set of dual-tree rotated complex wavelet filter (DT-RCWF) and dual-tree-complex wavelet transform (DT-CWT) together, which obtains texture analysis in 12 different directions. A set of two-dimensional (2-D) rotated complex wavelet filters (RCWFs) are designed with complex wavelet filter coefficients, which gives texture information strongly oriented in six different directions (450 apart from complex wavelet transform). The 2-D RCWFs are non-separable and oriented, which improves characterization of oriented textures. The information provided by DT-RCWF complements the information generated by DT-CWT. Features are obtained by computing the energy and standard deviation on each subband of the decomposed image. To check the retrieval performance, texture database D of 500 texture images is created. Experimental results on database D consisting of 500 texture images are categorized into 5 different classes indicates that our method significantly improves retrieval performance by considering African, bus and dinosaur category examples is 81.25%, 87.50%, and 87.50% respectively by using DT-RCWF +DT-CWT, compared with from 25%, 25% and 25% of traditional approach of Gabor wavelet-based features, respectively. Experimental result also shows retrieval time for query image using proposed method is 0.08 second which is very less than that using Gabor wavelets based method having 0.146 second. The proposed method also retains comparable levels of computational complexity.
Physical, Mechanical, and Antimicrobial Properties of Carboxymethyl Cellulose Edible Films Activated with Artemisia sieberi Essential Oil

Background: Edible films and coatings are biodegradable that can preserve the quality and extend the shelf life of foods. The aim of this study was to investigate the physical and mechanical properties, and antimicrobial activity of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) film containing Artemisia sieberi Essential Oil (AEO). Methods: The studied parameters were the antibacterial activity and physical properties, including Water Vapor Permeability (WVP), Contact Angle (CA), solubility, Moisture Content (MC), and surface color; as well as mechanical properties including Elongation at break% (E%) and Tensile Strength (TS) of CMC incorporated with AEO at levels of 0 (control), 0.5, 1, and 1.5% v/v. Data were statistically analyzed by SPSS software. Results: Camphor (36.38%), 1,8-cineole (15.89%), β-Thujone (6.7%), and camphanone (6.2%) were the main components of AEO. The edible CMC film showed increase in WVP, contact angle, E%, darker color, and yellowness, with decreases in film solubility, MC, and TS after the incorporation of AEO. CMC film with 1.5% of AEO showed the highest a* (greenness) and b* (yellowness) values. The inhibition zones were 9.33, 11.5, and 17.30 mm for Staphylococcus aureus; and 8, 11.50, and 14.33 mm for Escherichia coli at AEO levels of 0.5, 1, and 1.5%, respectively. Conclusion: The overall results of this study showed that CMC films enriched with AEO could be beneficial in food packaging to retard food deterioration.
Physical distribution challenges and adaptations: A qualitative study of South Africa-based organisations operating in emerging African markets

Background: There has been substantial research addressing physical distribution challenges within emerging markets, such as Asia and South America. However, this topic is not sufficiently covered for emerging markets in Africa. Emerging markets in Africa present unique challenges that should be known to any manager intending on operating in these markets. Objectives: This study aims to provide insights into the prevalent physical distribution challenges that organisations face in emerging markets in Africa. Emphasis is placed on the adaptations organisations make to overcome these challenges. The study focused on multinational organisations operating in the fast-moving consumer goods, third-party logistics and retail industry, mostly from the perspective of the South African division. Method: A generic qualitative research design was employed. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with middle to senior managers who have knowledge of their organisation’s distribution operations in African markets. Results: The findings highlight the existence of prevalent challenges identified in the literature, namely, border congestion, informal markets and weak infrastructure, while providing insight into the sources of these challenges. Furthermore, other challenges, such as warehouse system misalignment, order processing times and variable border legislation are highlighted. Adaptations to these areas are discussed. Conclusion: The study provides further academic understanding of the challenges multinationals are facing and adaptations they are implementing when trading in emerging African markets. Theoretically, the body of knowledge of physical distribution is enhanced by addressing distribution challenges in the African context. Additionally, the study assists organisations to understand how they can possibly adapt their physical distribution operations.
Cycling Performance in Short-term Efforts: Laboratory and Field-Based Data in XCO Athletes

Abstract Mountain bike cross-country Olympic has an intermittent performance profile, underlining the importance of short-term but high cycling power output. Previous findings indicate that power output during sprint tests differs between laboratory and field-based conditions and that cycling cadence rises with increasing workload. The aim was therefore to examine power output and cadence in short-term efforts under laboratory and field conditions. Twenty-three competitive athletes (17.9±3.7 years) performed a laboratory power profile test and a simulated race within one week. Power output and cadence during the power profile test were compared to corresponding short-term efforts during the race over durations of 10–300s (TT10–300). Differences were TT10+8%, TT30+7%, TT60–15% and TT300–12% for power output and+10%,+8%,+19%,+21% for cadence respectively. Compared to the race, we found higher power output during the power profile test for the shorter efforts but lower for TT60 and TT300. Confirming previous results, cadence was higher during the power profile test compared to the respective intervals of the race and increased with increasing workload or shorter time trial duration. Future research should take into account that compared to the field, a higher cadence is used in laboratory settings to produce similar power output.
BiLock

User authentication on smart devices is indispensable to keep data privacy and security. It is especially significant for emerging wearable devices such as smartwatches considering data sensitivity in them. However, conventional authentication methods are not applicable for wearables due to constraints of size and hardware, which makes present wearable devices lack convenient, secure and low-cost authentication schemes. To tackle this problem, we reveal a novel biometric authentication mechanism which makes use of sounds of human dental occlusion (i.e., tooth click). We demonstrate its feasibility by comprehensive measurement study, and design a prototype-BiLock with two Android platforms. Extensive real-world experiments have been conducted to evaluate the accuracy, robustness and security of BiLock in different environments. The results show that BiLock can achieve less than 5% average false reject rate and 0.95% average false accept rate even in a noisy environment. Comparative experiments also demonstrate that BiLock possesses advantages in robustness to noise and security against replay and observation attacks over existing voiceprinting schemes.
LUNG CANCER DETECTION USING DBRAM-CED METHOD ON FPGA VIRTEX 6

: In the Digital Image processing, discovering the boundaries of the objects in the image is one of the important stage for computer vision applications. There are different kinds of Edge Detection (ED) techniques available such as Canny, Laplacian, Log Operator, Sobel etc. From the analysis, It is found that Canny Edge Detector (CED) provides better results in comparison with other edge detectors. In this paper, architecture for CED has been introduced, which is named as DBRAM-CED. In order to improve the ED performance, Dual port Block Random Access Memory (DBRAM) is used. The hardware analysis of the performance parameters such as LUT, flip flop, slices and frequency of FPGA Virtex 6 are measured.
Relationship of Ergonomics, Lifestyle and Job Satisfaction among Sonographers in Riyadh, KSA

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study is to investigate the relationship between ergonomics, lifestyle and job satisfaction among Sonographers in Riyadh KSA. METHODOLOGY: Predictive Correlational Design study was carried out at Riyadh KSA. Ergonomics were measured by administering subscale of work context derived from the Work Design Questionnaire. Whereas, Job Stress Scale was used to measure the level of job satisfaction. Self-rated scales measured lifestyle variables included perceived health, average sleep and frequency of exercise. Data was collected through survey research forms. RESULTS: Results revealed the significant relationship between ergonomics and job satisfaction (r=0.251, p=0.002). Among lifestyle variables, perceived good health (r= 0.214, p=0.008) and sleep (r=0.242. p=0.003) were found positively related to job satisfaction. Whereas, the strong positive correlation was found between ergonomics and frequency of physical activity (r=0.255, p=0.005). No significant difference was found between male and female Sonographers on ergonomics and job satisfaction except sub-variables of lifestyle. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study contributed to evaluating the working condition of sonographers and their job satisfaction. It was found that appropriate ergonomics can predict job satisfaction among sonographers. Effective strategies for better utilization of work settings as well as achieving satisfaction in work through lifestyle was discussed to enhance the performance of sonographers.
Towards MARTE++ : an enhanced UML-based language to Model and Analyse Real-Time and Embedded Systems for the IoT age

This work receives funding from the Spanish Government under grant number TIN2014-56158-C4-2-P (M2C2), and from the Electronic Component Systems for European Leadership Joint Undertaking under grant agreement No 737494 (MegaM@RT2). This Joint Undertaking receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and Sweden, France, Spain, Italy, Finland, Czech Republic. We thank the anonymous reviewers for their insights and proposals of improvements
Three dimensional processing of silicon with pulsed lasers for optical applications

THREE DIMENSIONAL PROCESSING OF SILICON WITH PULSED LASERS FOR OPTICAL APPLICATIONS Ahmet Turnalı M.S. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering Advisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fatih Ömer Ilday May, 2015 Micromachining of silicon with lasers is being investigated for the last three decades. Until now, interior silicon modification without inscribing the surface has not resulted in success. Such an ability could enable disruptive technologies in nanophotonics by paving the way for producing monolithic optoelectronic chips. Here, we report a maskless, one step photo-induced method to generate subsurface modifications in silicon with pulsed infrared lasers for indefinitely large areas. We demonstrate continuous, highly controllable structures buried in the bulk of silicon wafers and investigate the underlying mechanism. Further, we utilize the method for spatial information encoding and fabrication of optical components in the infrared regime in silicon. This silicon processing technology can be useful in various applications, including multilayer silicon chips, solar cells and optofluidics.
Optimal Position for Beating TWAP with Prediction in T + 0 and T + 1 Markets

In this paper, we consider a trading algorithm for the investor with some prediction of the stock price in the market in order to gain excess returns, achieved by controlling the position of the stock held according to the prediction. We aim to find an optimal feedback control which maximizes the recursive mean-variance of the excess return. In this paper, we define the excess return to be the summation of every individual mean-variance for every operation. By mathematical induction, we generate an explicit expression of the different position lines, in terms of straight lines, corresponding to different signals in T + 0 market. Also, we prove that time-weighted average price (TWAP) strategy is the optimal strategy in T + 1 market when no information is available and present the numerical simulation for the kinked position lines in T + 1 market when prediction is possible. Particularly, we discover that the optimal feedback control, regardless of the type of market, is determined by all the straight or kinked position lines corresponding to all the different signals.
EVALUATION OF RETENTION OF TOOTH-COLORED VERSUS CAST METAL DENTAL CLASPS FOR A MANDIBULAR DISTAL EXTENSION PROSTHESIS

The aim of this study was to compare the retention of two different forms of clasps in mandibular distal extension prosthesis, which were; the Conventional casted metal clasps & the Tooth-colored acrylic resin clasps “Acetal resin”. Materials & Methods: For the rationale of this clinical investigation, fifteen patients were selected from the Outpatient Clinic of the Prosthodontic Department, Faculty of Oral and Dental medicine, Cairo University in accordance with certain criteria. Every patient got a skeleton parial denture that was constructed in a conventional manner. A hole was made in the middle of the lingual plate during fabrication of the framework; A Retention Measuring-Aided Device was made to allow attachment of the digital Forcemeter to this hole for measuring retention. Then, the metal clasp was removed and replaced by acetal resin clasp and the same procedures of measuring retention were performed in the same manner. Retention of the two clasp types was measured four times (at time of insertion, one month, two months and three months, respectively), by the aid of a prefabricated device (The Retention Measuring-Aided Device) for precise reproducible measurement.Results: There was a statistically significant difference (P ≤ 0.05) in the mean Forcemeter measurements from base line to one month. Later, from one month to 2 months and from 2 months to 3 months; there was a statistically insignificant difference (P ≥ 0.05) in the mean Forcemeter measurements. Conclusions and recommendations: Using Tooth-colored dental clasps would not compromise the retention of removable partial denture and can help to enhance the esthetics of removable partial dentures.
PV Inverters and Modulation Strategies: A Review and A Proposed Control Strategy for Frequency and Voltage Regulation

To ensure the reliable delivery of AC power to consumers from renewable energy sources, the photovoltaic inverter has to ensure that the frequency and magnitude of the generated AC voltage are within acceptable limits. This paper develops models and control strategies for the DC-AC converter to ensure that the sinusoidal waveform of the desired frequency voltage and magnitude generated for both single-phase and three-phase operation depend on the robustness of the inverter control system. The paper reviews various topologies and modulation approaches for photovoltaic inverters in both single-phase and three-phase operational modes. Finally, a proposed control strategy is presented to ensure frequency and voltage regulation.
Decentralization and now what? Analysing governance arrangements and service delivery performance in the water supply sector in Peru

This research seeks to analyse how decentralization affects water provision in Peru. Thus, it focuses on the variety of governance arrangements of responsibility between local and national entities that exist in the sector, and its relationship with service delivery outcomes. The research question then is: ‘How decentralization influence service delivery performance for water supply in Peru? ’. As part of the study, a conceptual frame was developed as a product of a literature review on the variables that influence decentralization outcomes, that proposes ten variables categorised between institutional, social and organizational factors. Then, a multiple-case study was developed, that analysed the structures for water provision in the provinces of Oyon, Cusco, and Chincha. While primary qualitative data was the main source for the study, secondary data as documents, reports, and statistical data completed the information. For developing the analysis, first, the decentralization processes were analysed under the concepts of devolution, delegation, and deconcentration. Later, the proposed conceptual framework was contrasted with the cases. This analysis has led to identifying the diversity within the governance arrangements that exits in Peru and the relevance and implications this has for service delivery. First the cases show that there are no perfect representations of the categories, displaying hybrid characteristics, but also representing devolution, delegation and deconcentration in reality. This diversity coexists in the water supply sector in Peru. Then, while there are shared obstacles, decentralization types require different mechanisms to improve. For a service devolved, the political framework and environment will be considerable factors for decision-making. For the intermediate scenery of delegation local human resources can be crucial to define the level of actual independence local entities can have and the improvements they can generate. Lastly, deconcentrated structures for service provision rely on their regulatory structure, which makes its improvement depend on central government capacity to understand local settings. Despite this, for the three cases agency and policy entrepreneurship were present, which are not collected in the conceptual framework. Lastly, context will be relevant for the way decentralization fits reality and generates its outcomes.
THE MEANING EXTENSION OF OVER: A CRITIQUE OF KEY THEORIES

This paper summarizes different approaches to the meaning extension of the English preposition over and proposes a multimodal approach comprising three spatial image theories and one mental space theory in reference to an image-based view. It is concluded that the author’s proposal is a combination of Deane’s 2005 multimodal spatial representations and 2017 Kövecses’s model, in which there is an emphasis that treating the spatial configurations of a spatial marker requires different frames and when the marker denotes a non-spatial sense, there exists an activation of a metaphor layered from its frame in certain context with a specific communicative purpose to the domain of which the frame is a part and finally the activation will reach the image schema that supports the frame.
Management functions of the investment and construction complex

The paper classifies the factors of investment and construction complex management for territorial development. The research method is classification. Results: the investment and construction complex functioning factors with seven interrelated groups are classified (international, country-specific, regional, subdivision, investment and construction complex factors, certain participant and personal employee factors). Conclusion: the most frequent approaches regarding investment and construction complex are discrete and discrete-continuous; in comparison, the continuous approach to a greater extent reflects the complexity of the management process, without analyzing the sequence of management stages.
The structural properties of carotid arteries in carotid artery diseases – a retrospective computed tomography angiography study

Purpose Aim of the study was to find answers to the following questions: What haemodynamic changes may occur in patients with stenotic, aneurysmal, dissection of the carotid artery and its branches? How do these changes differ in patients with normal and carotid disease? Material and methods In order to achieve this aim, the cranio-cervical CT angiography images of patients who were referred to our clinic for any reason and received the diagnosis of carotid stenosis, carotid dissection, and extra or intracranial aneurysm were reviewed retrospectively. Results Significant differences were detected in the carotid arteries of normal patients and those with aneurysm and dissection. When normal and aneurismal patients were compared, right and left ICA diameters (p = 0.000, p = 0.002, respectively), total ICA diameters (p = 0.000), carotid left Ø diameters (p = 0.026), right and left total Ø diameters (p = 0.024), and Murray’s and our cosine values of Ø angles (p = 0.001 and p = 0.022, respectively) were found to be different. Also, in a comparison made between normal patients and patients with dissection, right CCA (p = 0.000), ICA (p = 0.001), ECA (p = 0.004) diameters, total CCA (p = 0.001), ICA (p = 0.009), and ECA (p = 0.003) diameters were also found to be different. Conclusions This study showed that the presence of aneurysm plays an important role in the remodelling of the carotid arteries. Also, it is understood that Murray’s laws are still valid for the detection of structural deterioration in carotid artery diseases. Hence, it is believed that these data can be used in artificial intelligence studies.
MASTER’S THESIS IN LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE FACULTY OF LIBRARIANSHIP, INFORMATION, EDUCATION AND IT

Writing has a peculiar place within higher art education. Students in all three cycles are required to produce written thesis work alongside their artistic work in order to receive a diploma. However, there is no established style or methodological approach to the written thesis work and the information practices of art students are not well researched. This thesis attempts to discover and explain the information practices of art students by studying master’s theses from two Swedish universities using a mixed method. A quantitative study provides data on the types and subject of the references of interest to art students. While a qualitative study of a smaller number of theses is conducted in order to better understand the reference practices in the context of the art field. Results are analysed using a theoretical framework composed of Richard Whitley’s theories on the social and intellectual organization of the scientific fields and Björn Hammarfelt’s writing on reference practices within the humanities. Findings confirm the previously documented importance of non-art material and print books, but also highlight the importance of various digital sources to students. It was also discovered that art students are unlikely to strictly follow established references styles in their theses. Instead, reference practices are highly individualized and related to variables such as degree of specialization within the individual program and the stylistic construction theses.