Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Model selection based on validation criteria for Gaussian process regression: An application with highlights on the predictive variance

The manufacturing quality of industrial pieces is linked with the intrinsic concentration field of certain chemical species. Thus, from punctual measurements sparsely distributed on the piece, a robust estimation of the maximum concentration is very valuable. To this aim, Gaussian Process regression models may be used, providing useful confidence interval at each interpolation location. However, the specification of the underlying covariance function from sparse data may be arduous, both in terms of function form and hyperparameters. This specification problem, also referred to as a model selection problem, may be addressed in several ways, from expert knowledge to numerical estimation. Regarding the covariance function form, the predictivity coefficient Q2$Q^2$ is commonly used as a primary criteria and focuses on the prediction capabilities of the model predictor. In this paper, other criteria related to the correctness of the model variance, covariance and more generally to the whole conditional distribution are added. This methodology is applied on the Kriging of chemical measurements spatially distributed on circular domains, where several classical covariance functions are fitted and compared. The results highlight the need to include the above mentioned criteria to get a predictive model with robust uncertainty. The Kriging models are then used to quantify the uncertainty on the highest concentration via the use of conditional simulations.
Aerosol indirect effects on the temperature-precipitation scaling

Abstract. Indirect effects of aerosols were found to weaken convective precipitation through reduced precipitable water and convective instability. The present study aims at quantifying the relative importance of these two processes in the reduction of summer precipitation using the temperature-precipitation scaling. Based on a numerical sensitivity experiment conducted over central Europe aiming to isolate indirect effects, all others effects being equal, the results show that the scaling of hourly convective precipitation with temperature follows the Clausius-Clapeyron (CC) relationship whereas the decrease of convective precipitation does not scale with the CC law since it is mostly attributable to increased stability with increased aerosols concentrations rather than to decreased precipitable water content. This effect is larger at low temperatures for which clouds are statistically more frequent and optically thicker. At these temperatures, the increase of stability is mostly linked to the stronger reduction of temperature in the lower troposphere compared to the upper troposphere which results in lower lapse rates.
Mapping the Terrain of Training and Appointment of Educational Leaders in the Turkish Context: An Historical Perspective

The issue of training and appointment of school administrators has consumed substantial attention from educational scholars for several decades. The literature has witnessed a growing amount of research effort in investigating and identifying the effective ways of training and appointing school principals. However, there are also political, social and cultural aspects to this endeavour, which potentially influences the practices pertaining to training and appointment of school principals. This chapter represents scholarly efforts to discuss issues on the training and appointment of school administrators in Turkey within its historical and political background. Thus, first, it focuses on the historical journey of the field of educational administration in Turkey. This journey has been categorised under three phases: The Ottoman Era, Early Years of Turkish Republic and the 1950s Onwards. Second, this chapter discusses school principalship in Turkey with a specific focus on political and legal dimensions. Finally, the chapter ends with an overall evaluation of the practices and policies pertaining to school administration curriculum in Turkey.
Two-Step Facile Preparation of 2D MoS2/ZnO Nanocomposite 
 p
 -
 n
 Junctions with Enhanced Photoelectric Performance

Both p - n and n - p heterojunctions of ZnO-MoS2 have been fabricated in order to understand the performance of electron and hole transport properties in solar cells and a self-powered photodetector system. Atomically thin 2-dimensional (2D) MoS2 was prepared by using a spin coating method with controlled process times, whereas ZnO nanowires were prepared by using a plasma sputtering deposition technique. The nanoscale morphologies, composites, and photoelectric properties of nanocomposites were examined using scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and micro-Raman scattering spectroscopy, respectively. 2D heteronanostructures have exhibited an enhanced performance as compared to single-material-based prototypes. In photovoltaic mode, n - p heterojunction of the ZnO-MoS2-based prototype appears to have much better photoelectric conversion efficiency than that in the case with p - n junction, indicating highly effective hole transport properties of 2D MoS2 materials. Both band broadening and band shift were observed. Furthermore, the bias, annealing, and synergistic effects on the generated photocurrents and the response times were evaluated. The newly designed prototype exhibits exceptional properties: a broadband spectral response, a high signal-to-noise ratio, and excellent stability.
Quantification of Biofilm Formation in Indian Isolates of Salmonella enterica

Non typhoidal Salmonella sps. , is a gram negative bacterial pathogen associated with gastrointestinal tract of farm animals like cattle, pigs and poultry (WHO, 2013). The organism transmits to human via faeco-oral route and causes food borne illness. Non typhoidal salmonellosis outbreaks occur worldwide comprising about 93 million cases of gastroenteritis and 1,55, 000 deaths annually (Majowicz et al., 2010). Various virulence factors of Salmonella sps. , which helps in adhesion and invasion are responsible for the pathogenicity. In addition, Salmonella sps. , also possess the ability to form biofilms. Biofilms are the aggregates of bacterial species inside an extracellular polysaccharide matrix. Inside biofilms, bacteria will be in natural stationary phase (Lopez et al., 2010) and their physiology will be different from that of their planktonic counterparts. This helps the bacteria to escape from host immune response. It has been studied that Salmonella sps. , could able to form biofilms in various surfaces such as plastic, stainless steel, glass, rubber, gall stones, animal cells and plants (Steenackers et al., 2012). The bacteria International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 8 Number 02 (2019) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
Adolescents’ Social Media Experiences and Their Self-Esteem: A Person-Specific Susceptibility Perspective

The aim of this preregistered study was to compare and explain the effects of (a) time spent on social media (SM), and (b) the valence (positivity or negativity) of SM experiences on adolescents’ self-esteem. We conducted a three-week experience sampling study among 300 adolescents (13-16 years; 126 assessments per adolescent; 21,970 assessments in total). Using an N=1 method of analysis (Dynamic Structural Equation Modeling), we found that the within-person effects of time spent with SM on self-esteem ranged from strongly negative ( = –.31) to moderately positive ( = +.27). Across all ESM observations of the valence of adolescents’ SM experiences, 55% of these experiences were positive, 18% negative, and 27% neutral. Finally, 78% of adolescents experienced a positive within-person effect of the valence of SM experiences on self-esteem ( ≥ +.05), 19% no to very small effects (–.05 < < +.05), and 3% a negative effect ( ≤ –.05). These sizeable differences in person-specific effects could be explained by adolescents’ trait self-esteem level, trait self-esteem instability, and their tendency to base their self-esteem on peer approval.
Morphological Foot Model for Temperature Pattern Analysis Proposed for Diabetic Foot Disorders

Infrared thermography is a non-invasive and accessible tool that maps the surface temperature of a body. This technology is particularly useful for diabetic foot disorders, since it facilitates the identification of higher risk patients by frequent monitoring and therefore limits the incidence of disabling conditions. The aim of this work is to provide a methodology to explore the entire plantar aspects of both feet, based on infrared thermography, for the assessment of diabetic foot anomalies. A non-invasive methodology was established to identify areas of higher risk and track their progress via longitudinal monitoring. A standard morphological model was extracted from a group of healthy subjects, nine females and 13 males, by spatial image registration. This healthy foot model can be taken as a template for the assessment of temperature asymmetry, even in cases in which partial amputations or deformations are present. A pixel-wise comparison of the temperature patterns was carried out by Wilcoxon´s matched-pairs test using the corresponding template. For all the subjects, the left foot was compared to the contralateral foot, the right one, providing a map of statistically significant areas of variation, within the template, among the healthy subjects at different time points. In the female case, the main areas of variability were the boundaries of the feet, whereas for the male, in addition to this, substantial changes that exhibited a clear pattern were observed. A fast and simple monitoring tool is provided to be used for personalized medical diagnosis in patients affected by diabetic foot disorders.
Response of Some Faba Bean Genotypes to Irrigation Water Deficit Grown in Sandy Soil

Field experiments were conducted at the Faculty of Agriculture, (Saba-Basha) - Alexandria University, Egypt during winter growing seasons of 2017and 2018. Drip irrigation system was used in sandy soil to rate the irrigation water usage and increase its use efficiency, and then maximize Faba beans productivity under water deficit conditions. Four Egyptian Faba bean ecotypes and a commercial cultivar (Cleopatra) were grown under a drip irrigation system for evaluation under water deficit conditions. Four irrigation rate treatments were applied; i.e., 100%, 80%, 60%, and 40% of the ET0. The results revealed thatthe tested Faba bean genotypes differed among themselves in most of the studied traits, whether the vegetative characters, yield, and its component traits and pod characteristics.Most of the studied characters, especially the vegetative characters, leaves chlorophyll content and pods fresh yield/feddan trait were significantly affected by the irrigation rates. The obtained results showed that there was a significant decrease in the values of most of these characters by reducing irrigation rates from 3167 (100% of the ET0) down to 1267 m3 / fed. (40% of the ET0) in the first season and from 3100 (100% of the ET0) down to 1240 m3/fed. (40% of the ET0) in the second season.The results showed that the Cleopatra cultivar was the best-tested genotype in terms of irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE). Also, the same cultivar was significantly superior to most of the tested Faba bean ecotypes in terms of growth vigor and productivity, even with irrigation water shortage, down to 2534 m3 / fed. or 2480 m3 / fed. during the first and second seasons (80% of the ET0), respectively. The results of this study showed that, under the conditions of this experiment, it is possible to rationalize irrigation water usage by 20.00% from the common irrigated treatment to reach the highest irrigation water use efficiency even with a decrease of yield, especially in semi-arid areas with limited water.
A squircle-shaped punch design for efficient contact performance of elastic materials

Abstract A new curvature, called the squircle, is proposed as a punch profile to provide superior contact performance for bulk elastic materials. Plane contact problems of a rigid squircle-shaped punch pressed onto an elastic half-plane are treated via an integral equation (IE) approach which is evidently substantiated by a finite element (FE) approach. Compared to the piecewise-defined curvatures, the continuous surface gradient of the squircle profile enables the IE formulations more tractable. In the presence of sliding friction, the consistency condition in the IE approach is implemented through a new iteration procedure. Subsurface stresses are demonstrated via the FE approach. The squircle punch profile is shown to induce a low-magnitude and smoother pressure distribution on an elastic surface, promising to cause less wear under the action of tangential oscillations.
Gait trajectory‐based interactive controller for lower limb exoskeletons for construction workers

Lower limb exoskeletons (LLEs) are sets of mechanical devices used to support the action of human lower limbs. This recently developed technology has unprecedented potential in the construction industry by increasing the strength, endurance, and other physical capabilities of construction workers. For safety considerations, LLEs need reliable and responsive controllers to closely match their mechanical operation with human gait in a synchronous manner. This research proposes the use of physical human–robot interactive (pHRI) controllers that are suitable for construction tasks. The proposed pHRI integrates a gait trajectory‐based musculoskeletal model with iterative control algorithms. To minimize the trajectory tracking error between LLEs and human lower limbs, the gait dynamic was modeled as a spring damping and impedance model for supporting and swing phases. An iterative adaptive controller was developed for trajectory tracking and predication. To validate the proposed model, an in‐lab experiment to simulate typical construction activities was conducted, allowing us to assess tracking error. The experiment results suggest that the proposed model can minimize the trajectory tracking error to a level acceptable for safe operation. The iterative controllers allow fast error convergence for different construction scenarios with proper calibration. Therefore, the proposed pHRI iterative controllers are reliable and suitable for complicated activities within the dynamic working conditions intrinsic to construction sites.
Estimating SARS-COV-2 Exposure Indoors in Delhi Given Outdoor Pollution Metrics Using Machine Learning

The Global Burden of Disease journal by the Lancet(Ritchie and Roser, 2013) and states that one million deaths have occurred from 1990 to 2017 due to air pollution. In 2018, the WHO estimated a death toll of 3.8 million due to indoor pollution(WHO,2018). In these times of the pandemic, it is quintessential for countries like India, with a huge population and high levels of pollution, to take severe measures for controlling pollution. The 2020 US Policy Report in the Lancet(2020) affirmed that there is a positive correlation between the PM2.5 or PM10 particles concentration and COVID-19 infection as the virus uses the particulate matter as a piggyback. The case study here, is based on the Indian urban locality and aims to analyze and estimate the correlations between PM2.5 particles, the AQI, weather conditions and COVID-19 particles using Machine Learning models. The optimum model is also to be used for predicting the outdoor AQI and Covid-19 infection rates in the suburban localities of northwestern Delhi and the data so obtained, would aid to calculating ,and extrapolating the mortality probability due to Covid-19 infection, indoors, in the metropolitan cities of India, like Delhi.
Fast Terminal Sliding Control of Underactuated Robotic Systems Based on Disturbance Observer with Experimental Validation

In this study, a novel fast terminal sliding mode control technique based on the disturbance observer is recommended for the stabilization of underactuated robotic systems. The finite time disturbance observer is employed to estimate the exterior disturbances of the system and develop the finite time control law. The proposed controller can regulate the state trajectories of the underactuated systems to the origin within a finite time in the existence of external disturbances. The stability analysis of the proposed control scheme is verified via the Lyapunov stabilization theory. The designed control law is enough to drive a switching surface achieving the fast terminal sliding mode against severe model nonlinearities with large parametric uncertainties and external disturbances. Illustrative simulation results and experimental validations on a cart-inverted pendulum system are provided to display the success and efficacy of the offered method.
Retrieval of Land-Use/Land Cover Change (LUCC) Maps and Urban Expansion Dynamics of Hyderabad, Pakistan via Landsat Datasets and Support Vector Machine Framework

Land-use/land cover change (LUCC) is an important problem in developing and under-developing countries with regard to global climatic changes and urban morphological distribution. Since the 1900s, urbanization has become an underlying cause of LUCC, and more than 55% of the world’s population resides in cities. The speedy growth, development and expansion of urban centers, rapid inhabitant’s growth, land insufficiency, the necessity for more manufacture, advancement of technologies remain among the several drivers of LUCC around the globe at present. In this study, the urban expansion or sprawl, together with spatial dynamics of Hyderabad, Pakistan over the last four decades were investigated and reviewed, based on remotely sensed Landsat images from 1979 to 2020. In particular, radiometric and atmospheric corrections were applied to these raw images, then the Gaussian-based Radial Basis Function (RBF) kernel was used for training, within the 10-fold support vector machine (SVM) supervised classification framework. After spatial LUCC maps were retrieved, different metrics like Producer’s Accuracy (PA), User’s Accuracy (UA) and KAPPA coefficient (KC) were adopted for spatial accuracy assessment to ensure the reliability of the proposed satellite-based retrieval mechanism. Landsat-derived results showed that there was an increase in the amount of built-up area and a decrease in vegetation and agricultural lands. Built-up area in 1979 only covered 30.69% of the total area, while it has increased and reached 65.04% after four decades. In contrast, continuous reduction of agricultural land, vegetation, waterbody, and barren land was observed. Overall, throughout the four-decade period, the portions of agricultural land, vegetation, waterbody, and barren land have decreased by 13.74%, 46.41%, 49.64% and 85.27%, respectively. These remotely observed changes highlight and symbolize the spatial characteristics of “rural to urban transition” and socioeconomic development within a modernized city, Hyderabad, which open new windows for detecting potential land-use changes and laying down feasible future urban development and planning strategies.
The Influence of Emotionally Linked Odors on Autonomic Nerve Activities

The limbic system, supporting emotions, behavioral motivation, and memory, in the brain receives coming odor before the sensory cortex. Therefore, certain odor can affect autonomic nerve system and physiological parameters due to smell-induced activity in the limbic system. The purpose of this study focused was to investigate the influence of odor, taking the level of arousal and valence into account, on autonomic nerve activities and physiological parameters. Eight healthy young males (20.6 ± 0.5 yr), who gave a response of high arousal (6.8 ± 0.5) and negative valence (1.5 ± 0.8) to the odor of vinegar (VNG), and an opposite response (arousal 2.3 ± 0.8, valence 6.6 ± 0.4) to the odor of orange (ORG), were selected as subjects. Heart rate and its variability (HRV), and blood pressure (BP) were evaluated for the subjects who were quietly seated, wore a plastic mask with a vapored odor-injection pipe, and breathed naturally the two aromas (VNG, and ORG). A no aroma condition was also included in the test as a control. Repeated measures ANOVA with a Turkey post-hoc test revealed a significant odor effect in the variables of HRV, and BP. VNG led to a higher ratio of low frequency /high frequency (LF/HF), and lower HF compared to the control (p < 0.05, p < 0.05, respectively). VNG also had significantly higher diastolic and mean BP than ORG (p < 0.05, p < 0.05, respectively). ORG, on the other hand, failed to show any significant odor effect on HRV and BP variables. LF/HF can be a sympathetic nerve activity indicator while HF is known as a para-sympathetic nerve activity indicator. Our results of breathing VNG thus suggests that odors causing negative valence and high arousal can facilitate sympathetic nerve activity, and/or withdraw para-sympathetic nerve activity. A higher BP with VNG compared to ORG can also be attributed to the effect of these autonomic nerve activities. Consider all the various factors together, it can be concluded that some emotionally linked odors were strong enough to modulate autonomic nerve activities as well as the level of BP in resting individuals.
Robust Monocular 3D Lane Detection With Dual Attention

Getting an accurate estimation of three-dimensional position of the driveable lane is crucial for autonomous driving. In this work, we introduce a novel attention module called Dual Attention (DA) which enables the model to perform robustly and accurately under complicated enviromental conditions. More specifically, the attention mechanism adopts a two-pathway correlated attention method to produce additional features and aggregate globle information. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method by following and extending recently proposed state-of-the-art 3D lane marking detection methods. Moreover, we use a novel linear-interpolation loss to precisely fit the lane marking. Extensive conducted experiments demonstrate that our methods outperform baseline methods on Apollo synthetic 3D dataset.
Electrocatalytic Activity of Reduced Graphene Oxide Supported Cobalt Cinnamate for Oxygen Evolution Reaction

The stability of porous coordination polymers during an electrochemical reaction could be improved by introducing supporter materials. An I3O0-type inorganic hybrid electrocatalyst, cobalt cinnamate, supported on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was successfully prepared for an oxygen evolution reaction. The electrocatalytic activity and stability of cobalt cinnamate(catalyst)/rGO composite were significantly improved due to the strong interaction between catalyst and supporter, which led to enhanced anchoring stability and electrical conductivity. The catalyst/rGO composite shows ~30 mV reduction in overpotential and improvement in durability from ≥35% to ≥70% after a reaction time of 12 h, compared to the catalyst alone.
From Oncological Paradigms to Non-Communicable Disease Pandemic. The Need of Recovery Human Biology Evolution

The paradigm of the Somatic Mutation Theory (SMT) is failing, and a new paradigm is underway but not yet established. What is being challenged is a conceptual approach that involves the entire human biology and the development of chronic diseases. The behavior of breast and other solid cancers is compatible with the concept that the primary tumor is able to control its microscopic metastases, in the same way that an organ (e.g., the liver) is able to control its physiological size. This finding suggested that cancer and its metastases may behave as an organoid. The new paradigm under construction considers the origin of tumors as a disturbance in the communication network between tissue cell populations and between cells and extracellular matrix, and supports a systemic approach to the study of both healthy and pathologic tissues. The commentary provides a rationale for the role of physical exercise in the control of tumor dormancy according to a human evolutionary perspective.