Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stylized Image Generation based on Music-image Synesthesia Emotional Style Transfer using CNN Network

Emotional style of multimedia art works are abstract content information. This study aims to explore emotional style transfer method and find the possible way of matching music with appropriate images in respect to emotional style. DCNNs (Deep Convolutional Neural Networks) can capture style and provide emotional style transfer iterative solution for affective image generation. Here, we learn the image emotion features via DCNNs and map the affective style on the other images. We set image emotion feature as the style target in this style transfer problem, and held experiments to handle affective image generation of eight emotion categories, including dignified, dreaming, sad, vigorous, soothing, exciting, joyous, and graceful. A user study was conducted to test the synesthesia emotional image style transfer result with ground truth user perception triggered by the music-image pairs’ stimuli. The transferred affective image result for music-image emotional synesthesia perception was proved effective according to user study result.
Optimization method for isolation and culture of chondrocytes in human nasal cartilage tissue

Advances in cartilage tissue engineering were demonstrated cell therapy capabilities in various damages. Due to the increasing use of cell therapy, cells from different sources require to be associated with the desired tissue. Chondrocytes is one of the most widely used cell based repair strategies for cartilage. These cells are components of cartilage tissue and optimization of their isolation protocol with high efficiency and safety properties seems valuable issues. In this study, human nasal biopsy transferred to the laboratory, and was divided into small pieces after being washed two times. Then the pieces were digested with collagenase and incubated for 4 h and then centrifuged and the precipitate obtained by centrifugation was cultured in cell culture medium. In this study, chondrocyte cells obtained with normal morphology and the growth rate after one week in culture was 90%. This study aimed to optimize the human nasal chondrocyte isolation protocol and the results of this study showed that this method could be suitable for isolation of the nasal chondrocytes in therapeutic purposes.
A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON CREDIT CARD FRAUD DETECTION

- Credit card fraud is the term used to specify the transactions which are done without the knowledge of the account holder in order to cause monetary loss. Banks used various techniques to catch these fraud transactions but every year it happens and causes huge loss to the people and the bank. So there need to be a techniques which could use all the available data of the transaction and uses it to classify whether a transaction is fraud or not based on previous activity of the user. In this paper we've introduced some ideas of frauds associated with the credit cards or the other on-line card. We have tried to find a solution so that fraud get caught even before transaction takes place. In this paper we have applied various supervised algorithms on the dataset and the result founded are shown.
An Integrated Marketing Communications Plan for Mr. T's Hair in Motion

to find out people's perceptions on salons and their service needs. The data was used to create an integrated marketing communications campaign for Mr. T's Hair in Motion. The marketing communications tactics used to build awareness and attract new clients to the salon include direct mail, online, out-of-home, television, radio, and community relations tactics. The year-long plan was developed under the key selling idea, "Beauty on a Budget," which promotes the salon's quality service and affordable pricing. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank God, my family, friends, and co-workers for their kindness, love, and support during this process. I would also like to thank Dr. Karan for her patience and guidance.
Master plan coastal havens, "Nikas", Kuwait

Currently there are 20,000 to 40,000 yachts in Kuwait. The majority of these yachts is stored on land because the number of berths in Kuwait is not sufficient to accommodate them all. Besides yachts, there are approximately 1,000 fishing vessels in Kuwait. The facilities for fishermen are not of sufficient quality. To overcome these problems, the Kuwaiti government initiated the development of a master plan for 9 coastal havens on Kuwait coast. Kuwait is located at the northeastern part of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordering Saudi-Arabia and Iraq and lies on the northwestern shore of the Arabian Gulf. The emirate covers approximately 20,000 km2 and has a population 3.5 million inhabitants. The coastal havens need to facilitate fishing vessels, yachts, public transport vessels, vessels from the national authorities and incidentally vessels that take refuge in one of these coastal havens. Besides the possible locations of the havens, the demand and need for these facilities is an important aspect. The yachting demand potential gives an indication of the expected development in demand of the yachting industry up to the year 2030. There already is a need for berths in Kuwait at the moment. The master plan accounts for 6750 berths in the year 2030, an increase of 4750 berths in 25 years, and a small increase in the number of fishing vessels in Kuwait. The master plan contains recommendations for the proposed development directions and functions that have to be allocated for all coastal haven locations. The complexity of the concept of a coastal haven lays within the fact that it has to facilitate yachts, fishing vessels and somewhat larger vessels at the same time. The facility must be multipurpose to some extent, but other aspects must be kept separate in order to provide all users in their needs and meet their expectations. The design requirements and criteria are applied to one coastal haven location and are translated into three layout alternatives for one coastal haven location. The layouts are evaluated with two hydraulic models. These models simulate the wave propagation from an offshore data point into the wave conditions within the coastal haven basins. The modeled wave conditions are those that occur only once during the life of the coastal haven. The layout has to be such that it can protect the vessels from these conditions. During the modeling it is concluded that the layout needs to be such that the basins are relatively closed off. The acceptable wave height within the coastal haven is very limited, because damage to the yachts and speedboats used for fishing is not acceptable in a coastal haven.
Fundamentals of RF and Microwave Transistor Amplifiers

A Comprehensive and Up-to-Date Treatment of RF and Microwave Transistor Amplifiers This book provides state-of-the-art coverage of RF and microwave transistor amplifiers, including low-noise, narrowband, broadband, linear, high-power, high-efficiency, and high-voltage. Topics covered include modeling, analysis, design, packaging, and thermal and fabrication considerations. Through a unique integration of theory and practice, readers will learn to solve amplifier-related design problems ranging from matching networks to biasing and stability. More than 240 problems are included to help readers test their basic amplifier and circuit design skills-and more than half of the problems feature fully worked-out solutions. With an emphasis on theory, design, and everyday applications, this book is geared toward students, teachers, scientists, and practicing engineers who are interested in broadening their knowledge of RF and microwave transistor amplifier circuit design.
Tracheal intubation with King Vision video laryngoscope in patients with cervical spine instability—Comparison of straight versus curved reinforced endotracheal tubes

Background and Aims: King Vision video laryngoscope is commonly used to facilitate intubation in corrective surgery for cervical spine instability patients due to less manipulation. Curved and straight reinforced tracheal tubes are regularly used in this surgery as neck of the patient is likely to be flexed. We aimed to compare intubation characteristics between the curved and straight reinforced tubes through King Vision video laryngoscope in patients to be operated for cervical spine instability with the primary objective being intubation time. Methods: Sixty patients undergoing cervical spine surgery were enroled in this prospective randomised comparative clinical study. All were intubated after applying manual in-line stabilisation of the neck, using either curved (group C) or straight (group S) reinforced endotracheal tubes through King Vision video laryngoscope. The intubation time, number of attempts, incidence of tube impingement with arytenoids/aryepiglottic folds, optimisation manoeuvres required and complications were observed. Unpaired 't' test and Chi-square test were used to analyse the data using MedCalc software, version 12.5. Results: Time taken for intubation was shorter with curved compared to straight reinforced tube (16.24 ± 3.09 vs. 29.08 ± 5.48 seconds, P < 0.0001) The first attempt success rate was higher using curved than straight reinforced tube (93.3% vs. 70%, P = 0.02). Incidences of impingement with arytenoids/aryepiglottic folds and optimisation manoeuvres required more with the straight reinforced tube. Conclusion: The intubation was fast and with higher first attempt success rate with curved than with straight reinforced tube through King Vision videolaryngoscope when used in patients with cervical spine instability.
Blending as a Multi-Horizon Time Series Forecasting Tool

BLENDING AS A MULTI-HORIZON TIME SERIES FORECASTING TOOL Tian Gao, B.S. Marquette University, 2014 Every day, millions of cubic feet of natural gas is transported through interstate pipelines and consumed by customers all over the United States of America. Gas distributors, responsible for sending natural gas to individual customers, are eager for an estimate of how much natural gas will be used in the near future. GasHour software, a reliable forecasting tool from the Marquette University GasDay lab, has been providing highly accurate hourly forecasts over the past few years. Our goal is to improve current GasHour forecasts, and my thesis presents an approach to achieve that using a blending technique. This thesis includes detailed explanations of the multi-horizon forecasting technique employed by GasHour models. Several graphs are displayed to reveal the structure of hourly forecasts from GasHour. We present SMHF (Smoothing Multi-horizon Forecasts), a step-by-step method showing how a polynomial smoothing technique is applied to current GasHour predications. A slightly different approach of smoothing has also been introduced. We compare RMSEs of both GasHour forecasts and smoothed ones. Different comparisons resulting from different situations have been demonstrated as well. Several conclusions have been reached. Based on the results, blending techniques can improve current GasHour forecasts. We look forward to applying this blending technique to other fields of forecasting.
Impact of audit committee characteristics and external audit quality on firm performance: evidence from India

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the influence of audit committee characteristics and external audit quality on the performance of non-financial public limited companies listed on the National Stock Exchange 100. Design/methodology/approach One-way random effect panel data regression was applied to 74 non-financial firms in the Nifty 100 from 2014 until 2019. The overall audit committee index and external audit index were built based on the new Indian Companies Act, 2013 and on a review of the literature to capture the impact of the new Act on firm financial performance. Findings The outcome of the study revealed that there is lack of evidence to show that audit committee characteristics improve the performance of top Indian non-financial listed firms. However, external audit quality was found to have a significant positive impact on the financial performance of firms as measured by Tobin’s Q, while firm size and leverage were found to have a significant impact on the financial performance of firms as measured by return on assets and return on equity. Practical implications This paper will be greatly beneficial for financial practitioners and policymakers because it provides practical suggestions and recommendations about the types of external audit that are indispensable for the overall effectiveness and performance of firms. The study findings may also aid strategic policy formulation and execution for better corporate governance practices for the purpose of profit and wealth maximisation. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, to date, no previous research has evaluated the effects of audit committee features and external audit quality on the financial performance of firms in India after the implementation of the new Companies Act, 2013. Hence, this study fills this void in the present literature by examining the overall features of the audit committee and external audit and their impact on firm performance in the setting of India.
Virtual Worlds for C2 Design, Analysis, and Experimentation

Abstract : This paper will address the ability of recent technological advances in Virtual Worlds (VWs) to affect better submarine C2 design via increased participation by the fleet personnel in design and experimentation. With the rapid emergence and evolution of VWs over the past three years, the US Navy has investigated and applied multiple applications of this technology to the undersea warfare (USW) domain. One area of application that is currently being supported is C2 collaborative engineering and concept of operation exercises (COOPEXs). VWs enable all stakeholders to remotely, distributively, and collaboratively participate in the design of prototype systems in real time while utilizing video, voice, chat, and intuitive build tools. These prototypes can then be used to analyze pre-recorded C2 events for the purpose of exposing information flow through a C2 space and visualization of C2 metrics. In addition, VWs allow these virtual prototypes to be evaluated by fleet personnel immersed into the environment with enough fidelity to allow operator performance assessment. This is because VWs allow for live connections with full control to real-world tactical systems. These capabilities are currently being utilized by multiple USW programs for next generation submarine attack center design.
CCI MITIGATION IN SEVERELY FADED CODED MIMO

Multi input multi output system (MIMO) has become a viable option to meet the demand of high data rate wireless communication. But MIMO system performance is severely affected by the presence of co-channel interference (CCI). CCI cancellation in MIMO channel therefore is a challenging area of research. This paper provides a Kalman Filter based CCI cancellation approach. In the severely faded Rayleigh channel in coded MIMO set-up, experimental results show that Kalman filter based approach for CCI cancellation provides satisfactory results and can thus prove to be a reliable CCI cancellation technique in future.
The Determinants of Intellectual Capital Performance of Banks in Ghana: an Empirical Approach.

The objective of the study is to examine the variables that determine intellectual capital performance (ICP) of Ghanaian banks. The study applies the Value Added Intellectual Coefficient (VAIC™) model to estimate the ICP of banks, the data envelopment analysis technique to compute the technical efficiency (TE), and cost efficiency (CE) scores while ratio analysis is used to proxy the other variables. The study used an unbalanced panel data of 29 banks over the period 2000-2014 and the panel corrected standard error (PCSE) regression model is used so as to account for heteroscedasticity. Generally, the significant determinants of ICP are research and development investment (R&D), the efficiency of investment in human capital (HCInv), leverage, operational risk, insolvency risk (IR), diversification and return on asset (ROA). R&D, IR and ROA have a significant positive impact on ICP. HCInv and leverage have a significant negative effect on ICP. Diversification significantly enhances ICP but barriers to entry lower ICP. Size and TE negatively affect ICP while CE weakly but positively determines ICP. Bank of Ghana's policy to increase the minimum capital requirement is a good one and will reap the benefit of having a stable, stronger and resilient banking industry which strive for value creation. Banks should consider diversifying their operations so as to increase value. This can easily be done well if R&D is at the core of their operations. Bank managers should factor pricing decisions (strategies) in their attempt to increase value added.
The Anatomy of Bamboo Culms

Given its unrivalled position in terms of diversity, distribution and uses, coupled with the vital role it plays in the rural economies of several countries around the world, bamboo has emerged in recent years as potentially the most important non-wood forest resource to replace wood in construction and other uses. Concomitantly, the interest being shown in this invaluable natural resource since the 1980s has resulted in the accumulation of a considerable body of information through research on various aspects of bamboos, including the anatomy of the bamboo culm. There is, however, no comprehensive publication available on the anatomy of bamboo culm, with the available literature being fragmented, scattered and inadequate. This landmark monograph by renowned wood biologist, forestry expert and bamboo specialist, Professor Walter Liese, whose innovative work on the study of anatomical structure using advanced microscopy and other techniques has won him wide international acclaim, fulfils the need for a comprehensive overview of current knowledge on this subject. It is the first attempt to synthesize information from studies on this subject, many of which have been contributed by Professor Liese, spread over the past four decades. By identifying gaps in the current anatomical knowledge base of bamboo culm, it is expected to stimulate further research and to act as a prime mover for knowledge generation in the key areas of bamboo anatomy, growth and taxonomy.
Automotive applications of smart textiles

Abstract: Smart textiles have become a new topic in vehicle engineering. New applications in the automotive industry seem to have potential and may give access to entirely new system approaches. This chapter presents some of them and focuses especially on the potential of measuring physiological parameters such as heart rate, electrodermal activity and others. Investigations on prototype systems of car seats and steering wheels will be discussed.
A Complete Structural and Dynamic Characterization of Supramolecular Polymers via Automatic Learning of Defects

A central paradigm of self-assembly is to create ordered structures starting from molecular monomers that spontaneously recognize and interact with each other via noncovalent interactions. In the recent years, great efforts have been directed toward reaching the perfection in the design of a variety of supramolecular polymers and materials with different architectures. The resulting structures are often thought of as ideally perfect, defect-free supramolecular fibers, micelles, vesicles, etc., having an intrinsic dynamic character, which are typically studied at the level of statistical ensembles to assess their average properties. However, high-resolution molecular simulations recently demonstrated that local defects that may be present or may form in these assemblies, and which are poorly captured by conventional approaches, are key to controlling their dynamic behavior and properties. The study of these defects poses considerable challenges, as the flexible/dynamic nature of these soft systems makes it difficult to identify what effectively constitutes a defect, and to characterize its stability and evolution. Here, we demonstrate the power of unsupervised machine learning techniques to systematically identify and compare defects in supramolecular polymer variants in different conditions, using as a benchmark high-resolution molecular simulations of a family of supramolecular polymers. We shot that this approach allows a complete data-driven characterization of the internal structure and dynamics of these complex assemblies and of the dynamic pathways for defects formation and resorption. This provides a useful, generally applicable approach to unambiguously identify defects in these dynamic self-assembled materials and to classify them based on their structure, stability and dynamics.
Robot-assisted inspection of concrete box girders in bridges

This paper describes a robotic solution to the structural health inspection of concrete box girders. A combination of sensors including a laser range finder, a depth (RGB-D) camera, an inertial measurement unit and a high- resolution camera are mounted on a tracked robot. The robot can be driven inside a box girder even when there are steps present, to collect high-resolution images of the concrete structure. Software that allows the information captured to be registered with a 3D geometric map of the inside of a box girder, and a visualization tool that can be used to evaluate location-annotated highly-detailed surface condition pictures by the human operator has been developed. The proposed remote evaluation technique makes it feasible to safely monitor areas over a sequence of inspections, leading to more effective maintenance procedures. The effectiveness of the system is illustrated using data gathered during a field trial where the robot was deployed within the Overpass at Huntley's Point, in the junction between Victoria Road and Burns Bay Road in Sydney. Functionality to automatically identify defects/regions of interest is also being investigated. It is anticipated that supplementing manual inspection tasks with robotic aids will mitigate the risk to manual entry into a confined space with a consequential saving in associated cost. This project is collaboration between the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and the Roads & Traffic Authority (RTA) of NSW.
Highly Reliable GaAs Planar Airbridged Schottky Diodes for Flight Qualified Millimeter-wave Circuits

A GaAs planar airbridged Schottky (PAS) diode process has been developed for insertion in high performance circuits at millimeter-wave frequencies and beyond. The PAS diodes have shown a very low resistance, accompanied by low capacitance values resulting from the small anode geometry and optimization of the diode resistance. The process is developed on 4” GaAs wafers and show diode yield of >95% per wafer. The reliability of the junction is also discussed with an elevated 200 degrees thermal cycle test over a period of 24 hours showing no change in diode parameters such as ideality factor and breakdown voltage.
Virtual Networking Lab (VNL): Its Concepts and Implementation

In this paper, we present the architecture and design for a Virtual Networking Lab (VNL) that is being developed for hands-on exercises in network engineering curricula at Texas AM and the Micro-Internet Test Bed, (MITB), for execution of experiments and exercises. ARMS safeguards full and secure access of VNL equipment through the Internet, supports efficient equipment management and provides a structure for pedagogical aid. One of several planned environments, MITB is a small, yet complete inter-networking structure based on the real-world Internet architecture.