Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
FACULTY OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

Given an image sequence and odometry information from a moving camera, we propose a batch-based approach for robust reconstruction of scene structure and camera motion. A key part of our approach is robust loop closure detection, which is achieved by combining odometry and visual correspondences in a novel manner via bundle-adjustment. First, a large-scale structure-from motion pipeline is utilized to get a set of candidate feature correspondences and the respective triangulated 3D landmarks, which pass primitive geometric consistency checks. Thereafter, the 3D landmarks with similar visual description are arranged in a pairwise manner, where each pair is a loop closure constraint and is subjected to a 3D alignment term which tries to merge the 3D point pairs. The correctness of loop closure constraints are evaluated by including them in a bundle-adjustment optimization which checks their compatibility with the odometry information and point projections of the 3D point pairs on the cameras viewing them. The candidate loop closure constraints are iteratively reweighted such that only compatible constraints retain higher weights in the next iteration of the optimization of structure and motion. The proposed approach is evaluated using real data from a Google Tango device. The results show that we are able to produce high quality reconstructions from challenging data which includes many false loop closure candidates due to repeating scene structures and texture patterns. The results also show that it produces better reconstructions than the device’s built-in software or a state-ofthe-art pose-graph formulation. Therefore, we believe that our approach could be widely useful as a backend loop closure engine in robust reconstruction of indoor scenes.
Long-term strategies and flexibility of organic farmers in southeastern France

Since the mid-1990s, organic farming has emerged from its marginal and niche production status to become a serious developmental route for more sustainable agriculture befitting current ecological and health challenges. Nonetheless, market fluctuations and changes in the regulatory context combined with technical risks have resulted in the emergence of different points of instability within organic agriculture. On family farms, sustainability is largely guaranteed by a broad range of strategies. Drawing upon a detailed case study of nine organic farms followed up over the course of 14 years, this paper argues that different forms of farm flexibility employed during and since this period have allowed farms to remain viable. It concludes that the diversification of farm production and activities, off-farm employment and farm household commitment to organic agriculture, together with professional membership and social networking, contribute significantly to farm viability. Finally, this paper draws up different farm strategies to support the local development of organic agriculture.
A meditation on boredom: re-appraising its value through introspective phenomenology

ABSTRACT Boredom is almost universally regarded as a dysphoric mental state, characterised by features such as disengagement and low arousal. However, in certain quarters (e.g., Zen Buddhism), boredom is seen as potentially having great value and even importance. The current study sought to explore boredom through a case study involving introspective phenomenology. The author created conditions in which he would experience boredom for an hour and recorded his experience in real-time using a variant of the Experiencing Sampling Method. The data were analysed using an adaptation of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The results indicated that the state of boredom contained three main sources of value: altered perception of time, awakened curiosity about the environment, and exploration of self. Consequently, the article offers a re-appraisal of boredom, suggesting that rather than necessarily being a negative state, if engaged with, boredom has the potential to be a positive and rewarding experience.
Oil, protein, chlorophyll, cadmium and lead contents of seeds in oil and fiber flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) cultivars and in oil hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) cultivar Finola cultivated in south-western part of Finland

Chemical composition of seeds of two minor oil crops, flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) and oil hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) cultivated in Finland were analyzed and compared to others. Oilseed flax cultivars were Abacus, Aries, Comtess, Heljä, Helmi, Laser, Sunrise, and Taurus, three fiber flax cultivars were Belinka, Martta and Snaigiai. Oil hemp cultivar was Finola, a Finnish cultivar with low cannabinoids content. Oil content was higher in oil flax cultivars (42.2-48.8 mg 100 g-1) than in fiber flax (34.8-42.2 mg 100 g-1) and oil hemp (34.6 mg 100 g-1) cultivars. Protein contents were lower in high oil flax cultivars than in fiber flax cultivars. Very great difference between the species was in chlorophyll content, which was much higher in oil hemp (138.3 mg kg-1) than in oilseed (0-6.8 mg kg-1) or fiber flax (5.9-11.0 mg kg-1) cultivars. Oil hemp is so late in Finland that all seeds do not ripen well. Cadmium contents of oilseed (0.390-0.797 mg kg-1) and fiber flax (0.497-0.600 mg kg-1) cultivars were much higher than those of oil hemp (0.020 mg kg-1). Oil hemp cultivar Finola did not accumulate cadmium from the soil. Lead contents were low.
Lowermost mantle anisotropy beneath the north Pacific from differential S—ScS splitting

SUMMARY Seismic anisotropy is an important tool for studying the nature, origin and dynamics of the lowermost mantle (D″). We introduce differential S–ScS splitting as a tool for removing the effect of near-source and near-receiver anisotropy to estimate splitting accrued in the D″ region. This is applicable to events recorded at epicentral distances between 60° and 85°. Near-source anisotropy has often been ignored in previous studies of lowermost mantle anisotropy. We apply differential S–ScS splitting to records from Canadian National Seismic Network stations of western Pacific earthquakes; these sample the lowermost mantle beneath the north Pacific. The residual splitting in ScS, which we attribute to D″, shows lag times between 1.0 and 3.9 s. Given the near horizontal ray path of ScS in D″, we interpret the recovered fast directions as the orientation of the fast shear wave in the plane defined by the vertical and transverse directions and observe a clearly non-VTI (transverse isotropy with a vertical axis of symmetry) style of anisotropy. The largest population of results shows an approximately southeasterly dipping symmetry axis which we speculate might be explained by descending palaeoslab material being swept horizontally across the core–mantle boundary towards an upwelling region beneath the central Pacific. Non-VTI symmetry and the many possible contributions to D″ anisotropy from lower-mantle minerals, melt and subducted materials suggest that our understanding of the lowermost mantle could be greatly improved by trying to resolve a more general style of anisotropy.
Realist Review of Programs, Policies, and Interventions to Enhance the Social, Emotional, and Spiritual Well-Being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Young People Living in Out-of-Home Care

The child protection system in Australia includes out-of-home care (OoHC) for children and young people at risk of harm and neglect. In Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people are 9 times more likely to be placed in care than non-Aboriginal young people (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2015). Australia’s history of colonization and subsequent policies have caused trauma to individuals, families, and communities and resulted in poor physical and mental health and mistrust of services. This review was undertaken to identify programs and policies currently in place that aim to improve the mental health and well-being of this vulnerable population. It provides an analysis of both the strengths of the current system as well as what has been inadequately addressed based on literature in the area.By incorporating an Aboriginal perspective, this review focuses on social, emotional, and spiritual well-being (SESWB) and the aspects of a child’s life and community that promote this. A realist review of the academic and grey literature was conducted in 2014. It included an extensive search of government and non-government (NGO) publications. The review identified nine programs or policies that are designed to improve the SESWB of Aboriginal young people in OoHC in local and international settings. These are the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle, cultural support plans, Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs), family group decision-making, therapeutic care, and Panyappi Mentoring Program. Given that culturally competent service provision is important to SESWB, the review concludes that an increase in monitoring and evaluation is necessary to determine the effectiveness of programs and ensure their implementation and sustainability when warranted. Policy and research work is needed to adapt and devise programs promoting the SESWB of Aboriginal young people (at both the individual and system levels), determine their effectiveness, and ensure they are sustained when warranted.
Evaluation of IEEE 802.16j Relay Network Performance Considering Obstruction of Radio Wave Propagation by Obstacles

In IEEE 802.16j networks using a time division multiple access protocol, radio wave interference between links must be taken into account when time slots are assigned to the links. The protocol model, which defines the transmission and interference ranges as circles, has often been utilized in related studies for determining the interference between links. However, previous studies have not considered the presence of obstacles, which can affect radio wave propagation between wireless links and consequently network performance. In this paper, we investigate the performance of IEEE 802.16j networks considering the effects of obstacles. First we define an obstacle model where radio wave propagation is obstructed by the obstacles, after which we evaluate network performance by simulation experiments based on this model. The detailed simulation results reveal that the deployment of additional nodes improves the service ratio more effectively than an increase of the transmission range of nodes. Additionally, we present a method for estimating the performance of IEEE 802.16j networks on basis of regression analysis. By evaluating the accuracy of the performed analysis, we find that the relative error in the service ratio for 95% of the results is within 0.1 and the relative error in the power-to-throughput ratio for 90% of the results is within 0.2. Keywords-IEEE 802.16j; WiMAX; relay network; obstacle; radio wave obstruction.
An Error Resilient Video Coding Algo-rithm Combining FEC and WZ Technol-ogy over Error-prone Channel

Reliable video delivery has become one of the crucial issues in wireless video communications. Based on different error resilient property of forward error correction (FEC)and Wyner-Ziv (WZ), we propose a scheme which combines these two technologies. Experimental results demonstrate the scheme can possess their both advantages and have an improvement in the average peak signal to noise ratio(PSNR).
Stability of Quasi-Steady Deflagrations in Confined Porous Energetic Materials

Previous analyses have shown that unconfined deflagrations propagating through both porous and nonporous energetic materials can exhibit a thermal/diffusive instability that corresponds to the onset of various oscillatory modes of combustion. For porous materials, two-phase-flow effects, associated with the motion of the gas products relative to the condensed material, playa significant role that can shift stability boundaries with respect to those associated with the nonporous problem. In the present work, additional significant effects are shown to be associated with confinement. which produces an overpressure in the burned-gas region that leads to reversal of the gas flow and hence partial permeation of the hot gases into the unburned porous material. This results in a superadiabatic effect that increases the combustion temperature and consequently, the burning rate. Under the assumption of gas-phase quasi-steadiness, an asymptotic model is presented that facilitates a perturbation analysis of both the basic solution. corresponding to a steadily propagating planar combustion wave, and its stability. The neutral stability boundaries collapse to the previous results in the absence of confinement, but different trends arising from the presence of the gas-permeation layer are predicted for the confined problem. Whereas two-phase-flow effects are generally destabilizing in the unconfined geometry, the effects of increasing overpressure and hence combustion temperature associated with confinement are shown to be generally stabilizing with respect to thermal/diffusive instability. analogous to the effects of decreasing heat losses on combustion temperature and stability in single-phase deflagrations.
A Study on Lean Manufacturing Implementation in the Malaysian Electrical and Electronics Industry

The purpose of this study is to investigate the adoption of lean manufacturing in the electrical and electronics industry in Malaysia. A questionnaire survey was used to explore 14 key areas of lean manufacturing namely, scheduling, inventory, material handling, equipment, work processes, quality, employees, layout, suppliers, customers, safety and ergonomics, product design, management and culture, and tools and techniques. The respondents were asked to rate the extent of implementation for each of these areas. The average mean score for each area was calculated and some statistical analyses were then performed. In addition, the survey also examined various issues associated with lean manufacturing such as its understanding among the respondent companies, its benefits and obstacles, the tools and techniques used etc. The survey results show that many companies in the electrical and electronics industry are committed to implement lean manufacturing. Generally, most of them are “moderate–to–extensive” implementers. All the 14 key areas investigated serve as a useful guide for organizations when they are adopting lean manufacturing. In essence, this is perhaps the first study that investigates the actual implementation of lean manufacturing in the Malaysian electrical and electronics industry.
“Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cell plasticity in human colorectal cancer”

13 Introduction I Molecular basis of colorectal cancer 15 II Signaling pathways altered in CRCs 17 III Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), cell plasticity and cancer progression 22 IV Cancer stem cell (CSCs) 25 References 27 Chapter 1 Aim of study 39 References 41 Chapter 2 Material and methods 2.1 Patients 45 2.2 Cell cultures 45 2.3 Hanging drop assay 45 2.4 Cytogenetic analysis 45 2.5 RER assay 46 2.6 RT-PCR analysis 46 2.7 Real-Time PCR quantification analysis 47 2.8 Western Blot assay 48 2.9 Immunofluorescence assay 48 References 50 Chapter 3 Results 3.1 Isolation and molecular characterization of primary colorectal cancer cell cultures 53
Tourist satisfaction in relation to attractions and implications for conservation in the protected areas of the Northern Circuit, Tanzania

This study assessed tourist satisfaction and its links with tourist attractions and infrastructure at the following six protected areas on the Northern Tourist Circuit of Tanzania: Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Serengeti National Park, Arusha National Park, and Mt. Kilimanjaro National Park. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 185 tourists visiting the protected areas. Satisfaction ratings for the Northern Circuit were high, with 86% of tourists willing to be repeat visitors. Tourists were attracted primarily to wildlife viewing. Although most tourists were not influenced to visit the region by indigenous culture or physical features, 81% of tourists noted that non-wildlife attractions enhanced their tourist experience. A range of ways to develop more sustainable forms of tourism emerged from the work, including lengthening stays, guide/driver capacity building, and partnership working with tour operators to improve marketing, increase satisfaction rates, and diversify the product.
Tax Revenues and Economic Growth: An Empirical Investigation for Greece Using Causality Analysis

This study examines the relationship between tax revenues and the rate of economic growth for Greece. The viewpoint that the low ratio of direct to indirect taxation promotes high economic growth has been a main subject for discussion. However, not many papers have attempted to test the above hypothesis. One of the main problems that researchers are facing is the lack of time series data over a sufficiently long period. This brings out particular problems when testing for unit roots and cointegration between time series of the variables used. In this study, we try to analyse the relationship between total tax revenues, income tax and tax on capital gains, gross domestic saving and the rate of economic growth. In order to find this relationship, annual data from 1965 until 2002 and causality analysis are used. The findings have shown that there exists causal relationship between tax revenues and economic growth in Greece.
Temporal and Spatial variation of Contribution from Ship Emissions to the concentration and deposition of air pollutants in the Baltic Sea

The shipping sector contributes significantly to increasing emissions of air pollutants. In order to achieve sustainable shipping, primarily through new regulations and techniques, greater knowledge of dispersion and deposition of air pollutants is required. Regional model calculations of the dispersion and deposition of sulphur, nitrogen and particulate matter from the international maritime sector in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea have been made for the years 2009 to 2013. In some areas in the Baltic Sea region the contribution of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and nitrogen dioxide from international shipping represented up to 80 % of the total near surface concentration of the pollutants. Contributions from shipping of PM 2,5 and PM 10 were calculated to a maximum of 21 % and 13 % respectively. The contribution of wet deposition of sulphur from shipping was maximum 29 % of the total wet deposition, and for dry deposition the contribution from shipping was maximum 84 %. The highest percentage contribution of wet deposition of nitrogen from shipping reached 28 % and for dry deposition 47 %. The highest concentrations and deposition of the pollutants in the study were found near large ports and shipping lanes. High concentrations were also found over larger areas at sea and over land where many people are exposed. With enhanced regulations for sulphur content in maritime fuel, the cleaning of exhausts through scrubbers has become a possible economic solution. Wet scrubbers meet the air quality criteria but their consequences for the marine environment are largely unknown. The resulting potential of future acidification in the Baltic Sea, both from atmospheric deposition and from open-loop scrubber water along the shipping lanes, based on different assumptions about sulphur content in fuel and scrubber usage has been assessed. Shipping is expected to increase globally and in the Baltic Sea region, deposition of sulphur due to shipping will depend on traffic density, emission regulations and technology choices for the emission controls. To evaluate future changes scenarios are developed considering the amount of scrubber technology used. The increase in deposition for the different scenarios differs slightly for the basins in the Baltic Sea. The proportion of ocean acidifying sulphur from ships increases when taking scrubber water into account and the major reason to increasing acidifying nitrogen from ships are due to increasing ship traffic. This study also generates a database of scenarios for atmospheric deposition and scrubber exhaust from the period 2011 to 2050.
Exact Solution of PTT Fluid in Optical Fiber Coating Analysis using Two-layer Coating Flow

To investigate double-layer resin coating of optical fiber glass is, hereby, conducted on the wet-on-wet process. For this purpose the PTT (phan Thien Tanner) model was adopted for this study. As a simple, the coating process in the primary and secondary coating die was taken of two immiscible Non-Newtonian viscoelastic PTT fluids of different viscosities with a signed pressure gradient. The problem of heat transfer analysis is considered in optical fiber coating analysis. Exact solution for the velocity, shear stress, volume flux and temperature distribution for the primary and secondary coating die are obtained. Thickness of coated fiber optic in both layers is also calculated. The effect of
DIFFERENCES IN NICHE BREADTH AMONG SOME TEUTHIVOROUS MESOPELAGIC MARINE MAMMALS

An important issue in ecology is how species which are members of the same ecological guild differ in their use of resources (Emlen 1973, pp. 175–178). Species may use particular resources in different proportions, or, more generally, employ more or fewer resource types, so having relatively wide and narrow niche breadths, respectively. Another way of expressing this variation is from generalists, with wide niche breadths, to specialists, with narrow niches. One of the great food resources of the Earth is the cephalopod biomass of the mesopelagic and bathypelagic ocean (Clarke 1977). These animals are preyed upon by a number of deep-diving marine mammals, especially sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus), beaked whales (family Ziphiidae), and elephant seals (Mirounga spp.). Here, we ask whether the mammalian mesopelagic cephalopod predators (which have sufficient diet information available) differ in their niche breadth. Do some use relatively more squid taxa than others? If so, why might this be? Diet in these species has been principally determined by examining the cephalopod lower beaks which accumulate in their stomachs. These beaks can be allocated to genus, and sometimes species, and a size of the original animal may be extrapolated (Clarke 1986). Thus squid beaks retrieved from the stomachs of dead or lavaged animals may be used to estimate diet (e.g., Clarke 1980). However this method possesses potential biases. These include the omission of the non
A Device for High Priority Inter Vehicular Communication with Travel & Traffic Information

There are many problems that could go wrong on roads, due to weather, due to carelessness of the driver, mechanical issues etc. Managing all these issues at a controllable level is sometimes difficult. Better-informed road traffic can cut down these problems at a significant level. Developing a reliable system for gathering travel and traffic information is the solution for many of these problems. Through this publication we would like to put forward an idea of a vehicular device that can act as a part of a bigger system to synchronize and solve the problems faced up to a certain extent.
The Cellular Saving System in Networks Smartphone on Data offloading Energy

In cellular networks, due to practical deployment issues, some areas have good wireless coverage while others may not. This results in significant throughput (service quality) difference between wireless carriers at some locations. Through extensive measurements, we have validated the existence of such service quality difference. Then, through peer to peer interfaces such as Wi-Fi direct, a mobile device (node) with low service quality can offload its data traffic to nodes with better service quality, to save energy and reduce delay. Through trace-driven simulations, we also show that all users can benefit from data offloading in the long run.