Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Central Lancashire Online Knowledge (CLoK)

The aim of this study was to investigate household food security (access) level and the dietary diversity of households in the Nsukka Local Government Area in South ‐ eastern Nigeria. From 20 local communities of Nsukka, 390 women were randomly sampled from the women's group and asked to complete a survey that determined the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale scores and the Household Dietary Diversity Scores (HDDS). The descriptive results indicated a high level of food insecurity with 82.6% households reporting various degrees of food insecurity. Over half of the sampled population experienced insufficient food quality. They either ate unwanted food (65.9%), limited variety (63.1%), or unpreferred food (64.6%). Some households experienced insufficient food intake by going a whole day without food (38.2%), go to sleep hungry (45.1%), or have no food of any kind (49%). The analysis of variance showed no significant difference ( p = 0.428) in the food security level of households headed by males as compared with those headed by females. Approximately 53.6% of households fell at or below the average HDDS; males headed 48% of these households, while females headed 64%. The chi ‐ square test indicated factors associated with household food security including age, education, work status and income, whereas the gender of the household head, household size and marital status were not significantly associated. Public – private partnerships, nutrition orientation and food intervention programs could improve food security in this area.
Enhanced Math Efﬁcacy and Performance of Minority Students through Student Class Preparation and Teacher Support

: This research investigates how minority students demonstrate their math self-efﬁcacy and performance, shaped by factors such as class preparation and math teacher support. Leveraging a comprehensive US national dataset, this study aims to provide broadly applicable insights and suggestions for students from diverse racial and linguistic backgrounds. The ﬁndings underscore the substantial inﬂuence of high school students’ class preparation on teacher support, math self-efﬁcacy, and math performance. Notably, teacher support exhibits a positive impact solely on math self-efﬁcacy but does not extend to their math performance. Upon examination of various demographic groups, this research identiﬁes noteworthy disparities in the effects experienced by different racial and linguistic groups. This study’s results carry practical implications for educators and practitioners, shedding light on strategies to enhance various minority students’ math self-efﬁcacy and outcomes.
Rapid Urban Roadside Tree Inventory Using a Mobile Laser Scanning System

This paper presents a feasible workflow for use of three-dimensional point clouds acquired by a vehicle-borne mobile laser scanning (MLS) system for urban tree inventory. Extracting geometrical information, such as crown diameter, diameter at breast height (DBH), and tree height, from the MLS point clouds is a challenging task due to huge data volume, occlusions, mixed density, and irregular distribution of points in complex urban environments. The proposed workflow consists of three parts: individual tree cluster extraction, geometric parameter estimation, and tree species classification. The results show that over 93% of the roadside trees were correctly detected with an average error of about 5% in the DBH estimation when compared to field surveys and 78% of the overall accuracy was achieved for the classification of tree species.
Evaluation of Microleakage of Temporary Crowns Made by auto mix and three dimensional Printing Methods using various types of temporary cements

Background : The fabrication of temporary crowns is one of the necessary steps in the treatment of fixed prostheses. Marginal adaptation of the temporary crowns is one of the most important factors in maintaining the gingival and pulpal health of teeth. There are various factors affecting the microleakage of temporary crowns such as fabrication method, material type, and cement type. Aim: To evaluate the microleakage of temporary crowns made by auto mix and three dimensional (3D) printing methods using various types of temporary cements. Methods : In this study, 54 human maxillary premolars were selected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. The specimens were randomly divided into two groups of made by the auto mixed method (27 specimens) and made through a3D printer method (27 specimens). Each of these groups was further divided into three subgroups (n=9)and cemented using temporary cements (zinc-oxidefreegenol; OlisemiCem (Olident, Germany), zinc-oxide eugenol; Temp-Bond (Kerr, Italy), and temporary resin cement; Bifix temp (Voco, Germany)). The results were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and independent t-test. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS. v17 software. \ Conclusion : The results of this study recommend the use of Olisemicem (ZO) cement in temporary crowns made by a 3D printer. It also showed that the use of auto mix temporary crowns along with Temp bond cement (ZOE) seems to be justified in limited clinical conditions where advanced materials are not available.
Eco Friendly Practices in Indian Hotel Industry: An Exploratory Study

Today, tourism & hospitality industry has been appreciated as a big giant at global level; India is no exception in this context. Recognising its multifaceted benefits more than two dozen countries have directly and indirectly depended on this fasted growing industry. In fact this industry has become a pivotal sector for any economy for its growth and development in terms of contribution to GDP and employment generation. The direct and induced impacts of travel and tourism contributed UD$7.6 trillion into global economy and 292 million employment opportunities globally (WTTC, 2017). However, in this competitive era, this industry is forced to rethink / replan its strategies to cope with volatile business environment. Moreover, to remain and sustain in competitive age there is only one choice i.e. eco-friendly practices. Recognizing this very fact, the present paper aims at exploring the eco friendly practices prevailing in the Indian hotel industry. A structured questionnaire was development to collect the information from hotels. Usable responses were (N=265), the data were analysed by applying the factor analysis. The results indicate that there are certain eco friendly practices which prevail in Indian hotel industry and out of those practices there is a specific set of practices which emerged as most important for the future growth of the organisation.
Study of NiO/Al2O3 and NiO/Zn-Al2O3 catalysts for water gas shift reaction

Nickel-based catalysts are of great importance for the generation of hydrogen from natural gas. Within this process, the conditions in which commercial NiO/Al2O3 is converted to Ni0/Al2O3 catalyst should be further investigated. A widely used technique to identify Ni2+ reduction conditions and the different compounds or types of particles in which this element is present is temperature-programmed reduction. In this work, the type of nickel oxide particles occurring on Al2O3 and ZnO-Al2O3-based supports were studied by different techniques, such as energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, FTIR, the BET method, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Temperature Programmed Reduction (TPR). All materials were evaluated in the water gas shift reaction (WGS), and the influence of their characteristics on the catalytic activity was assessed. Solids were prepared at different temperatures and Ni/Zn molar ratios. The results showed the presence of NiO in all materials, as well as the presence of ZnO, NiAl2O4, and ZnAl2O4 in materials prepared at higher temperatures. In all the materials calcined at the lowest temperature, the formation of NiO particles that fail to interact with the supports was prioritized. As the calcination temperature increased, NiO aggregates were formed, which, to a greater degree, interacted with the supports, whereby nickel aluminate was detected in all materials prepared at 750 °C. Zinc increased the selectivity but decreased specific surface area and activity through the WGS reaction. The solid labeled AZ15-500 showed higher activity and selectivity, reaching values of 100% for the water gas shift reaction.
Sequencing and Analysis of the Mitochondrial Genome of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) from the Brazilian Amazon Region

Simple Summary Responsible for the transmission of arboviruses, the mosquito Aedes aegypti is a major challenge to public health in Brazil, particularly in urban areas located within tropical and subtropical regions. The recent epidemiological bulletins from the Brazilian Health Ministry in the state of Maranhão have reported high levels of urban infestation by this vector, which represents a potential risk for the occurrence of new epidemics. In this context, the present study describes the partial mitochondrial genome of a sample of Ae. aegypti from the Brazilian state of Maranhão. Studies of this type provide important insights into the biological evolution of this important species and have the potential to contribute to the development of increasingly effective strategies for the control of this disease vector. Abstract Aedes aegypti is a mosquito native to the African continent, which is now widespread in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. In many regions, it represents a major challenge to public health, given its role in the cycle of transmission of important arboviruses, such as Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya. Considering the epidemiological importance of Ae. aegypti, the present study sequenced the partial mitochondrial genome of a sample collected in the municipality of Balsas, in the Brazilian state of Maranhão, followed by High Throughput Sequencing and phylogenetic analyses. The mitochondrial sequence obtained here was 15,863 bp long, and contained 37 functional subunits (thirteen PCGs, twenty-two tRNAs and two rRNAs) in addition to a partial final portion rich in A+T. The data obtained here contribute to the enrichment of our knowledge of the taxonomy and evolutionary biology of this prominent disease vector. These findings represent an important advancement in the understanding of the characteristics of the populations of northeastern Brazil and provide valuable insights into the taxonomy and evolutionary biology of this prominent disease vector.
The Java Model: Unlocking Heterogeneous Rural Landscapes through Cluster-based Land Use Analysis

: In recent years, the unfolding collisions between urban and rural systems have shifted much of the planning community’s focus to the countryside. Understanding and guiding the rapid transformations of peri-urban landscapes, such as Java’s fragile desakota, are of critical importance. However, we must acknowledge that the integrity of foundational planning concepts can quickly erode within the peri-urban contexts. Without the traditional core and hinterland hierarchies, models such as the ‘compact city’ lose their integrity. More disconcerting, the centralised planning schemes that dominate in emerging markets tend to further muddle these topographies, without addressing the needs of rural communities. These spatial dynamics lay bare two urgent challenges: first, developing the planning methods that are informed at the micro-level, whilst possessing the potential to scale up to become coherent macro-level strategies; and second, implementing the appropriate geospatial tools that can analyse the heterogeneous landscapes. To this end, this paper explores the ‘cluster-based' land use analysis methods. Applied to Central Java, they distill ‘meso-level’ land use patterns that create opportunities to plan across the political boundaries and mediate between macro and micro scale objectives. As GIS-clusters weigh cultural, agricultural, and natural systems within one model, proposed as RGB elements, this advances the resiliency planning approaches that are rooted within the region
Spatial mapping of sedimentary contaminants in the Baltimore Harbor/Patapsco river/Back river system

Primary objective was to map concentrations of target contaminants in the surfacial sediments. Secondary objectives included: characterization of potential sites for sediment capping demonstration projects, further characterization of sediment depositional and accumulation patterns, and estimation of historical contaminant inventories through sediment geochronology. (PDF contains 112 pages)
Heavy Metal Toxicity In Traffic Interchange At T-Junction Epe Lagos State

-This study provides an overview of the current level of heavy metal toxicity at the T-junction traffic interchange, including its origins, chemical properties, enrichment factors, and health effects. The Deposition Gauge method was employed to conduct this experiment, and three deposition gauges were planted at the sampling site and the control unit being Lagos State University Epe Campus for duration of 1 month, between December 2022 and January 2023 (Dry Season). The gauges were harvested and taken to the analytical laboratory of Chemical Engineering Department in order to determine the deposition Fluxes. Prepared samples were taken the Central Research Laboratory, Tanke in Ilorin where the samples were characterized using X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer multi elements detector equipment. Mean and standard deviations were determined after which the Enrichment Factors (EF) were calculated. Twelve elements were characterized from the samples collected at the sampling site, and twenty-one elements at the control experiment unit respectively. EF was determined and elements such as Fe, Ag, Rh, Ru, In, Sn, Ti, Cd, Pd, Mn and Au were moderately enriched, with the exception of S, Cl, V, and Zn, highly enriched. This shows that anthropogenic activities affect the concentrations of some heavy metals at the sampling site as well as the control unit. Hence, a clean-up of the study area is recommended.
URL Classiﬁcation with Deep Learning

—This report is for the deep learning section of CS4248 ﬁnal project. Web pages are usually categorized based on their titles and content, which can be very time consuming. Nowadays, URLs are becoming more and more human readable, which drives the use of Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques to parse URLs and infer the category of a web page from them. In this project, we limit ourselves to performed web page classiﬁcation only using Uniform Resource Locators (URLs). We applied deep learning classiﬁers on a dataset of more than 1.5M URLs across 15 categories, obtained from online repository dmoz. Given the enormity of the dataset, we ultimately trained our models on subsets of 5 categories, and achieved an accuracy of 81.23% using Deep Learning models.
Distribution of Hydrothermal Alteration in the Cerritos Colorados Geothermal Field, Mexico

The study and ana lysis of rock samples from wells drilled in the Cerritos Colorados geothermal field (Mexico) allowed determining the distribution and zonation of alteration minerals in the system. Reflectance spectroscopy in the short-wave infrared range (SWIR) was used on the samples (cores and cuttings) to identify hydrothermal alteration minerals by comparing their spectra against those given in a US Geological Survey database. The main features used were common absorption peaks, shape of the spectrum, percent reflectance and wavelength, which provided guidance to identify mineral suites. The zoning and geochemical distributions of the identified minerals in the system, in general correlated with observed lithology and hydrothermal alteration. As a result, four main alteration associations (argillic, phyllic or sericitic, propylitic and advanced argillic) were defined, which reflected the temperature, pressure, fluid chemistry, and other conditions influencing the presence of characteristic mineral associations.
Analysis of the Multi-dimensional Marketing Strategies of Luxury Brands A Case Study of CELINE

With the development of China’s social economy and the continuous improvement of people’s living standards, luxury goods have played an increasingly important role in people’s lives and have become an indispensable part of life. However, with the deepening of social and economic development and the changing consumer attitudes, the marketing strategies of luxury goods are constantly evolving and innovating. This paper takes CELINE as an example to study and analyze the current situation and marketing strategies of luxury goods in the era of new media, and proposes corresponding countermeasures and suggestions, in order to provide reference and guidance for the marketing strategies of luxury goods in China.
PRAC: Round-Efficient 3-Party MPC for Dynamic Data Structures

We present Private Random Access Computations (PRAC), a 3-party Secure Multi-Party Computation (MPC) framework to support random-access data structure algorithms for MPC with efficient communication in terms of rounds and bandwidth. PRAC extends the state-of-the-art DORAM Duoram with a new implementation, more flexibility in how the DORAM memory is shared, and support for Incremental and Wide DPFs. We then use these DPF extensions to achieve algorithmic improvements in three novel oblivious data structure protocols for MPC. PRAC exploits the observation that a secure protocol for an algorithm can gain efficiency if the protocol explicitly reveals information leaked by the algorithm inherently. We first present an optimized binary search protocol that reduces the bandwidth from O( lg 2 𝑛 ) to O( lg 𝑛 ) for obliviously searching over 𝑛 items. We then present an oblivious heap protocol with rounds reduced from O( lg 𝑛 ) to O( lglg 𝑛 ) for insertions, and band-width reduced from O( lg 2 𝑛 ) to O( lg 𝑛 ) for extractions. Finally, we also present the first oblivious AVL tree protocol for MPC where no party learns the data or the structure of the AVL tree, and can support arbitrary insertions and deletions with O( lg 𝑛 ) rounds and bandwidth. We experimentally evaluate our protocols with realistic network settings for a wide range of memory sizes to demonstrate their efficiency. For instance, we observe our binary search protocol provides > 27 × and > 3 × improvements in wall-clock time and bandwidth respectively over other approaches for a memory with 2 26 items; for the same setting our heap’s extract-min protocol achieves > 31 × speedup in wall-clock time and > 13 × reduction in bandwidth.
Spacecraft formation ﬂying reconﬁguration with extended and impulsive maneuvers

This paper presents the control solutions to the spacecraft formation reconﬁguration problem when impulsive or extended maneuvers are considered, and the reference orbit is circular. The proposed approach for the derivation of the control solutions is based on the inversion of the linearized equations of relative motion parameterized using the mean relative orbit elements. The use of mean relative orbit elements eases the inclusion of perturbing accelerations, such as the Earth’s oblateness effects, and offers an immediate insight into the relative motion geometry. Several maneuvering schemes of practical operational relevance are considered and the performance of the derived impulsive and piecewise continuous control solutions are investigated through the numerical propagation of the nonlinear relative dynamics. Finally, the beneﬁts of the new extended maneuvers strategies are assessed through a comparison with the corresponding impulsive one.
WSCFER: Improving Facial Expression Representations by Weak Supervised Contrastive Learning

The major challenge of Facial Expression Recog-nition (FER) is to learn class discriminative representations, and the existing works mainly address it by designing various classification networks from class level. However, learning representations at class level is limited due to the inconspicuous class discrimination among different facial expressions. Thus, in this paper, we propose a Weak Supervised Contrastive learning FER (WSCFER) method to improve facial expression representations by simultaneously learning instance-level representations which are highly complementary to the general class-level representations. Specifically, our proposed WSCFER consists of three components: a major task for FER classification, an auxiliary task for Weak Supervised Contrastive (WSC) learning which pulls augmented samples of the same image together while pushing apart instance samples from different classes, and a Partial Consistency Loss (PCL) for optimizing the two embedding spaces from both the class level and the instance level. We compare WSC with some state-of-the-art contrastive methods and find that it can efficiently learn instance-level representations but avoid overemphasizing irrelevant parts, which is crucial for FER. WSCFER achieves superior performance on several in-the-wild databases, and it also shows the promising potential for learning representations under noisy annotations.
Self-aware Collaborative Edge Inference with Embedded Devices for Task-oriented IIoT

The computing and communication resources of embedded devices are constrained and heterogeneous, resulting in a low quality-of-experience for compute-intensive applications in task-oriented industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), such as edge inference. To address these challenges, we first propose a model partitioning-based self-aware collaborative edge inference framework. Furthermore, the throughput-aware collaborative inference algorithm is designed for typical IIoT scenario, stacking tasks. Via jointly optimizing the partition layer and collaborative device selection, the optimal inference efficiency, maximum inference throughput, can be obtained. Finally, the performance of our proposal is demonstrated by extensive simulations and tests based on 10 Raspberry Pi 4Bs and popular models. Specifically, with the proposed algorithm, our platform reaches up to 14.77× throughput speed up for stacking tasks, which indicates that the the proposed design can improve the inference efficiency.
Differentially Pre-coded Polar Codes for Physical Layer Security

Polar codes can be utilized to enhance physical layer security (PLS) over wiretap channels. Most of the polar-coding based PLS schemes require the channel state information (CSI) of the main channel and that of the eavesdropper’s channel. However, the CSI of the eavesdropper’s channel is generally unavailable in practice. In this paper, we propose a differentially pre-coded polar coding (DPPC) scheme for systems where the CSI of the eavesdropper’s channel is unavailable. The main idea of DPPC is to add a differential pre-coding operation prior to polar coding. In classical polar coding scheme, a legitimate transmitter (Alice) transmits K information bits to a legitimate receiver (Bob), where K is the number of good sub-channels of the main channel. For Bob, all bits transmitted on good sub-channels can be decoded correctly. On the other hand, some of the K information bits lie in the bad sub-channels of the eavesdropper (Eve) and thus cannot be decoded correctly by Eve, given the assumption that the eavesdropper’s channel is degraded compared to the main channel. The pre-coding operation introduced in the DPPC scheme XORs a "good" information bit (i.e., the bit that will be decoded correctly by Eve) with a "bad" information bit (i.e., the bit that will not be decoded correctly by Eve), yielding an error propagation at Eve after the inverse operation of the pre-coding. This results in a high BER at Eve. Meanwhile, the error performance of Bob remains unchanged because the pre-coding operation is applied to the K information bits, all of which will be received correctly with polar coding. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed scheme can achieve transmission reliability and security simultaneously. Moreover, our scheme outperforms the existing candidates in terms of transmission reliability in the high-SNR regime.