Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In vitro production of porcine embryos. New insights into optimization of culture media with relevance to sex ratio purposes

This thesis is about challenges that currently concern in vitro production (IVP), sex determination procedures and sex-related survival of in vitro-produced porcine embryos. Specifically, the current thesis develops a new suitable PCR-based procedure based on the amplification of repetitive sequences for determining the sex of porcine embryos at different developmental stages. Furthermore, this work establishes new culture conditions and provides new knowledge about physiology, development and sexual dimorphisms in survival rates and kinetics of the development of in vitro-produced porcine embryos under specific in vitro culture conditions. The presence of optimal concentrations of hyaluronic acid and specific energy substrates at the appropriate time of embryo development, as well as the timing of several events during the earliest stages of development, essentially the timing of the first embryonic cleavage, appear to be linked amongst them and are related to subsequent embryonic competence, influencing development in a sex related manner
Proteomics of Vitreous Humor in Age-related Macular Degeneration

PURPOSE Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the major cause of central vision loss among the elderly in Western countries [1]. It is a multifactorial disease involving a complex and poorly perceived interplay of genetic, environmental, metabolic and functional factors. Therefore, the pathogenesis remains partially understood and further research is needed [2]. We performed a clinicalexperimental study to identify potential future biomarkers and new targets of therapy. The study procedure is depicted in Figure 1.
Bases of Intra-Organizational Power: An Analysis of the Information Technology Department

: Power is an important aspect of the social systems that make up organizations. The concept of power helps to explain how organizational decisions are made and executed, despite opposition that results from competing goals and desires amongst those in which a given decision affects. Using resource dependence and strategic contingency theories for guidance, we identify potential sources of intra-organizational power for the information technology (IT) department and its members. The comprehensive list of propositions developed in this paper will provide researchers potential hypotheses to test in future research, as well as a means to assess overall IT departmental power. While power plays an important role in facilitating the execution of the activities by an organization’s IT department, it is often pursued by self-interested individuals, due to the fact that it provides the ability to influence decisions, such as resource allocation, as well as providing a sense of control over organizational outcomes and personal satisfaction. Based on the propositions developed in this paper, we demonstrate how power considerations provide one plausible explanation for many of the poor organization outcomes that occur with respect to the IT function, including technology for technology’s sake, a lack of user preferences being integrated into IT systems development projects, resistance to using of knowledge management systems, and resistance to IS outsourcing. Our discussion of power-gaining activities provides practitioners an explanation of dysfunctional behaviors that previously may have been perceived as irrational, or even undetected. In our discussion section, we provide suggestions for researching the propositions we have developed. In particular, we suggest that a longitudinal or multi-case study approach may provide the best method for researchers to test our set of propositions. At the same time, we caution that results from case studies would be difficult to generalize, as the configuration of IT solutions adopted by organizations tend to be idiosyncratic.
Uniqueness Assessment of Human Mobility on Multi-Sensor Datasets

The widespread adoption of handheld devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets) makes mobility traces of users broadly available to third party services. These traces are collected by means of various sensors embedded in the users’ devices, including GPS, WiFi and GSM. We study in this paper the mobility of 300 users over a period up to 31 months from the perspective of the above three types of data and with a focus on two cities, i.e., Lausanne (Switzerland) and Lyon (France). We found that users’ mobility traces, no matter if they are collected using GPS, WiFi or GSM antennas, are highly unique. We show that on average only four spatio-temporal points from the WiFi, GSM and GPS traces are enough to uniquely identify 94% of the individuals, on both datasets. In addition, we show that using the temporal dimension (i.e., whether users move or are in a meaningful location such as their home or their working place) drastically improves the capacity to uniquely identify them compared to when only exploiting the spatial dimension (by 14% on average). In some cases, using the temporal dimension alone can represent a better mobility footprint than the spatial dimension to discriminate users. We further conduct a de-anonymisation attack to assess how mobility traces can be re-identified, and show that almost all users can be de-anonymised with a high success rate. Finally, we apply different Location Privacy Protection Mechanisms (LPPMs), including spatial filtering, temporal cloaking, adding spatial noise to mobility data, or using generalisation, and analyse the impact of these mechanisms on both the uniqueness of users’ mobility traces and the outcome of the de-anonymisation attack. We show that spatially obfuscating mobility data is not enough to protect users, and that classical LPPMs are not able to protect users against a de-anonymisation attack. We finally conclude this paper by drawing some insights towards future spatio-temporal LPPMs.
Facial Expressions Recognition and Synthesis Using Generative Adversarial Network

Facial Expression Recognition is the process of identifying human emotion by classifying human faces images. It is a complicated image classification problem in the field of Computer Vision. There are many training algorithms used in Facial Expression Recognition such as Multiclass Support Vector Machines (SVM), Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), Recurrent Neural Networks and Convolutional Long Short-Term Memory (ConvLSTM). Each method has its benefits and drawbacks and may be applicable to different situations. In this project, facial expression recognition will be done on same person in a video clip which contains frames of image. To assist the whole process, ConvLSTM, which is the combination of CNN and RNN, is used. ConvLSTM includes all benefits of CNN which can better distinguish two similar emotions, and the strength of RNN which can make the previous frame of image as an extra information. One of the biggest challenges in this project is that a there are insufficient sample size of high-quality public dataset in the Internet. In addition, Different head poses, and illumination make great differences in the model. In the project, we make use of Generative Adversarial Network, which consists of a generative network on the facial expression synthesis, to provide high-quality data to the discriminative network. Currently, the project is at the testing stage of the related model. Project details and current deliverable can be found through: i.cs. hku.hk/fyp/2019/fyp19005/.
Sometimes Average is Best: The Importance of Averaging for Prediction using MCMC Inference in Topic Modeling

Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approximates the posterior distribution of latent variable models by generating many samples and averaging over them. In practice, however, it is often more convenient to cut corners, using only a single sample or following a suboptimal averaging strategy. We systematically study different strategies for averaging MCMC samples and show empirically that averaging properly leads to significant improvements in prediction.
Learning Realistic High Level Decisions for Autonomous Driving at Complex Intersections

: In this work we use deep Q network (DQN) approach to learn high level actions for automated driving at un-signaled intersections. Using lanelet map, history of positions and velocities for vehicles close to the intersection are calculated that provide a generic state representation for the Reinforcement Learning (RL) agent to handle diﬀerent types of intersections. Moreover, we deﬁne safety and utility reward functions and use weighted average of them as total reward in order to evaluate the situation more precisely. The goal is to learn optimal policy which is safe but also not overcautious. According to our experiments, using such reward function, the agent can successfully learn an optimal policy which only stops for the vehicles close to the intersection and will drive fast when vehicles are far from the intersection.
Product Quality in Food and Agricultural Trade: Firm Heterogeneity and the Impact of Trade Costs

We develop a heterogeneous firm model that allows us to identify the relationship between firm productivity and product quality. The model is used to analyze the impact of trade costs on food and agricultural trade based on a bilateral trade dataset covering 159 countries over the period 2010–2013. The results show that a high firm capability cutoff—implying an ability to produce high quality—limits export market entry. In addition, fixed and variable trade costs have a negative and significant impact on the probability of firms entering export markets, while variable trade costs have a negative and significant effect on firms’ export levels.
Comparative study of common organism growth in urinary tract infection in type I and type II diabetes mellitus among womens in Salem District

Background: Specifically asymptomatic bacteriuria occurring in diabetes mellitus can cause serious complications like renal and perirenal abscess, gas forming infections such as emphysematous pyelonephritis and cystitis, fungal infections, xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis, and renal papillary necrosis. Though there is no consensus on the treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria in various population groups, it is reasonable to treat asymptomatic bacteriuria in diabetes mellitus patients because of its potential complications. The aim of the study: To compare the common organism growth in type I and type II diabetes mellitus among womens. Materials and methods: 150 Diabetes mellitus patients without any urinary complaints such as dysuria, frequency, urgency, strangury, tenesmus, nocturia, nocturnal enuresis, incontinence, urethral pain, bladder pain, renal colic, who attended diabetology department as outpatients and in patients in various wards of Govt. Government Mohan Kumuramanglam Medical College, between 20152016 were enrolled for this study. Results: Of the total 150 patients in study group 44 patients had a positive urine culture in two consecutive urine samples. Most of the patients had blood sugar levels between 151 mg% to 250 mg%. 60% of patients had blood sugar in that range. Another 20% of patients had blood sugar valve between 251 mg% to 300 mg%. In the study group, 25 cases were Escherichia coli isolates. Next S. Palanivel Rajan, I.V. Priyamvadha. Comparative study of common organism growth in urinary tract infection in type I and type II diabetes mellitus among womens in Salem District. IAIM, 2019; 6(4): 9-13. Page 10 common pathogen was Klebsiella (15 cases). There was no significant correlation in renal profile in type 1 and type 11 diabetes mellitus. Conclusion: High incidence of asymptomatic bacteriuria has been observed in Diabetic woman. High incidence of asymptomatic bacteriuria occur in both Type I Diabetes Mellitus and Type Diabetes Mellitus. Causative organisms in diabetic and non-diabetic asymptomatic bacteriuria are similar. E.coli is the commonest organism.
Multi-Tenant I/O Isolation with Open-Channel SSDs

Multi-tenancy environments rely at their core on fair resource distribution by the host system. For storage, this translates into the host managing throughput and latency needs for each tenant. In Solid State Drives (SSDs), throughput expectations are mostly met thanks to more powerful controllers and faster media. Latency guarantees, on the other hand, remain a challenge due to the unpredictability intrinsic to the design of current SSDs and the narrow interfaces available to the host. We propose the use of Open-Channel SSDs to partition the device into its physical units, accessible in parallel by the host, and mapped onto tenants via traditional block devices in order to provide I/O isolation. We describe our architecture and provide an experimental evaluation to show the beneﬁts.
GEMC1, a novel factor required for chromosomal DNA replication

In eukaryotic cells DNA replication begins from multiple origins. During the process of initiation, the DNA replication fork is established at each origin. In lower eukaryotes many factors required for chromosomal DNA replication have been identified. However, the regulation of DNA replication in complex multi-cellular organisms is still poorly understood. In this thesis I report the identification of GEMC1 (GEMinin Coiled-coil containing protein 1), a novel vertebrate factor belonging to a new protein family required to initiate chromosomal DNA replication. GEMC1 contains a domain similar to Geminin, a fundamental regulator of DNA replication (McGarry and Kirschner, 1998). GEMC1 is highly conserved in vertebrates and is preferentially expressed in proliferating cells. I show that Xenopus GEMC1 (XlGEMC1) binds the checkpoint and replication factor TopBP1, which promotes XlGEMC1 binding to chromatin during pre-replication complex (pre-RC) assembly. Moreover, I demonstrate that XlGEMC1 directly interacts with the replication factors Cdc45 and Cdk2/CyclinE by which it is heavily phosphorylated. Phosphorylated XlGEMC1 stimulates initiation of DNA replication. Inhibition of XlGEMC1 function with XlGEMC1 neutralizing antibodies prevents DNA replication onset by blocking Cdc45 loading onto chromatin. Inhibition of XlGEMC1 expression by morpholino antisense oligos is lethal for embryonic development. Furthermore, down-regulation of mouse GEMC1 (mGEMC1) expression by siRNA (small interfering RNA) oligos prevents initiation of DNA replication in somatic vertebrate cells. Data presented in this thesis suggest that GEMC1 promotes initiation of chromosomal DNA replication in higher eukaryotes by mediating TopBP1 and Cdk2 dependent Cdc45 recruitment onto replication origins.
Do aircrews trained and working within a same organization develop similar adaptive strategies to cope with complex situations ?

Resilient behaviour is implicitly expected within a military structure. In this context we are looking at the best trade-off between safety and operational performance. Training, the drawing up of specific rules and strategies, and the homogeneity of practices, reinforce the ability of the structure to develop resilient responses to the exposure to danger. Those exposed are working in this framework. It is interesting to consider the ways in which their actions comply with this context or the ways in which they differ from it. In this study, 10 crews, selected at random from within an operational air unit, were confronted, in a simulator, with aeronautical events of differing degrees of complexity. The observations concern the diversity of the strategies developed, taking into account the homogeneity of the organisational context. The results show great disparity in the responses to the difficulties encountered and in the different placements of the interaction between performance and safety. The role of emotional data such as confidence in one's abilities, is examined during the same flights. This role is not negligible, because it does not fit with the responses of a resilient nature expected in a small group.
Big Data Analytics Overview with Hadoop and Spark

– In this modern era of technology the amount of data and information has increased vastly. It is essential that we acquire and utilize the appropriate software to manage our ever-growing stored data. With the use of Apache software, we can observe the distribution processing of large datasets across clusters of computers. The Hadoop software library is a framework that enables applications to work with hundreds of nodes and petabytes of data. Spark permits data analysis to be done among interactive queries and data stream processing at a very fast rate. Instead of relying solely on hardware to deliver High-Availability, these software applications are designed to detect and handle failures at the application layer. With the rapid advancement in technology, it is increasingly important to scale up applications to provide modern solutions for processing large data sets. In order to demonstrate the use of this framework, we shall describe how Apache Hadoop and Spark functions across various Operating Systems as well as how it is used for the analyses of large and diverse datasets.
AMEP_A_191470 229..244

Christine J Orr Ranil R Sonnadara 1Discipline of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada; 2Department of Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada Abstract: As curricula move from a time-based system to a competency-based medical education system, faculty development will be required. Faculty will be asked to engage in the observation, assessment and feedback of tasks in the form of educational coaching. Faculty development in coaching is necessary, as the processes and tools for coaching learners toward competence are evolving with a novel assessment system. Here, we provide a scoping review of coaching in medical education. Techniques and content that could be included in the curricular design of faculty development programming for coaching (faculty as coach) are discussed based on current educational theory. A novel model of coaching for faculty (faculty as coachee) has been developed and is described by the authors. Its use is proposed for continuing professional development.
THE DETERMINATION OF CONSTRAINTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PARTICIPATION IN RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES (A SAMPLE OF SELCUK

This research was done to investigate why the students of Selcuk University did not join in recreational activities in their leisure time and which factors prevented them from participating in these ones. Totally 448 students including 190 females and 258 year 2013 students’ participation in recreational activities, “The Leisure Constraints Scale” developed by Alexandris and Carroll (19 tested on the factor structure with the confirmatory factor analysis by Gürbüz as a data collection tool. Data were statistically analyzed, any changes in leisure tim were determined in the independent groups with T Analysis of Variance (Anova). Tukey test was also used to analyze the differences between the groups. As a result of the study, significant differe perceptions, ages, genders, income levels, sportive capabilities and education classes.
PECVD SiO2/Si3N4 DOUBLE LAYERS ELECTRETS FOR APPLICATION IN MEMS POWER GENERATOR

This paper reports SiO2/Si3N4 double layers electrets both prepared by PECVD on glass substrates. Their charge stability and isothermal charge decay were studied. Effects of Si3N4 thickness on the performance of double layers electret were investigated. Different methods of treatment were employed to improve charge stability under high humidity conditions. The experimental results show that PECVD prepared SiO2/Si3N4 double layers exhibit high performance under different environmental conditions. At last, an MEMS power generator structure with 10 m PECVD SiO2/Si3N4 double layers as electret was successfully fabricated by a bulk micromachining process.
RANKIN CYCLE FOR WASTE HEAT RECOVERY OF INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES

This bachelor thesis deals with Rankine cycle as a method of waste heat recovery for internal combustion engine. Firstly, internal combustion engine and some technologies on waste heat recovery are described simply. Secondly, Rankine cycle and its utilization in automobiles are overviewed. At the end, there are summarized results from simulations and experiments regarding the issue. It was stated in a conclusion that in case of waste heat recovery in automobile, Rankine cycle is a promising technology but it is not ready for wide application yet.
Temperature effect on the maximum swimming speed of jack mackerel Trachurus japonicus through muscle contraction monitoring

The purpose of this study is to know the effect of temperature on fish muscle contraction of jack mackerel (Trachurus japonicus), which muscle contraction will determine the tail beat frequency and maximum swimming speed. The maximum swimming speed of was evaluated according to the measurement of the muscle contraction time with electric stimuli of 2-7 V, 50 ms. Fish were separated into four groups for temperature acclimation at 10, 15, 18 and 22 oC to reflect typical changes in seasonal water temperature in Japan. Results showed that the swimming speed of the fish was positively related to the tail-beat frequency at all temperatures. The muscle contraction time was also affected by the acclimated temperature, which longer at the lower temperature than higher ones. Mean contraction time (Tm) was 45.1 ms at 10 oC, 32.7 ms at 15 oC, 32.9 ms at 18 oC, and 31.9 ms at 22 oC, respectively. The mean of maximum tailbeat frequency (Fmax) obtained from Fmax = 1⁄2 Tm was 11.4 Hz at 10 oC, 15.8 Hz at 15 oC, 16,4 Hz at 18 oC, and 16.6 Hz at 22 oC. These were used to estimate the maximum swimming speed (Umax) at each temperature, resulting in 9.45 FL s-1 at 10 oC, 13.5 FL s-1 at 15 oC, 14.0 FL s-1 18 oC, and 14.2 FL s-1 at 22 oC. The seasonal temperature effects on the swimming performance of T. japonicus, which lower water temperature in the winter made low swimming performance.
Recent advances into new directions

How can students of the European Union get from describing recent advances, to speculating about what are possible new directions and research agendas? How promising are terms such as “governance” and “the new governance” for improving the understanding how the Union is governed and whether, and to what degree, there is a transformation in its system of governance? This essay holds that improved theoretical understanding requires the ability to overcome four impediments in the literature: tidying up the conceptual morass, amending the inconclusive evidence, ousting the ghost of “the state” as a major frame of reference, and getting beyond the tyranny of dichotomies. It is acknowledged that the “governance turn” in EU-studies is an important one, yet it is far from obvious that dichotomies such as “government” vs. “governance” and “old” vs. “new” modes of governance – treated as exclusive alternatives are the most useful analytical tools for improving the understanding of EU developments. The main argument is that the analysis of the EU system of governance can benefit from being better related to some enduring and recurrent themes in the theoretical study of democratic governance and thereby to the long history of ideas about how societies can and should best be governed. This implies a reappraisal of how systems of governance may be conceptualized and what are the key characteristics that differentiate among modes of governance. It also implies a reappraisal of the achievements and significance of different modes of governance. To appear in Beate Kohler-Koch and Fabrice Larat (eds) (2008) European Multilevel Governance: Contrasting Images in National Research, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. Reproduction of this text is subject to permission by the authors.