Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of dolomite and vermicompost in nutrient uptake and production of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L) on acid soil

Sweet potato production is limited where it is caused by the lack of nutrients needed by the plant, where most of the sweet potato is planted on acid dry land where liming on the soil is an important activity that is sometimes neglected by farmers. so that the need for the nutrients needed is not fulfilled, so that the production of sweet potatoes is lo, by giving Dolomite and Bio-Vermi can help to increase nutrient uptake and plant production. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of dolomite and Bio-Vemi in optimizing nutrient absorption in the growth and production of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.). The research was conducted in Aras Kabu Village, Beringi District, Deli Serdang Regency, North Sumatra using a randomized block design (RAK) with two factors and three replications. The first factor is the provision of Dolomite with 3 levels, namely D0 (without dolomite), D1 (1.5 ton/ha) and D2 (3 ton/ha). The second factor is the application of Bio-vermi with 4 levels, namely P0 (without Bio-vermi), P1 (100g/plant), P2 (150g/plant), P3 (200g/plant). The results showed that the application of dolomite and bio-vermi could increase soil pH, plant length growth and the number of yams planted. The highest increase in pH was found in D1 (1.5 ton/ha) of 5.57 and P2 (150g/plant) of 5.53, the longest plant length in P3 treatment (200g/plant) along 64.31 and D2 (3 ton/ha) along 64.27, the highest number of planted yams in treatment P1 (100g/plant) was 5.62. There is a significant interaction with dolomite and biovermi in increasing plant growth and nutrient uptake, with the provision of D1 (1.5 ton/ha) can increase soil pH and organic matter by 1% in acid soils, so that the longest plant length in treatment D1P3 is 69, 33 this proves that by giving Dolomite and Bio-vermi can help nutrient uptake and growth and production of sweet potato in acid soils.
Updating and 'future-proofing' a rich Computer Aided Language Learning resource

Traditional university instructional formats and methods are experimenting an increasing lack of effectiveness, mainly because student's lack of motivation. The NUCLEO e-learning system tries to approach the learning scenario to the engaging and immersive formats of the videogames. It provides a futurist scenario in which students (represented by avatars) have to collaborate to solve a learning “mission”. The proposal is based in two socio-constructivist approaches, problem based learning and computer supported collaborative learning and it makes use of adaptation techniques to optimize group effectiveness and to individualize the educational strategy by considering students' learning styles.
Dynamic Adaptation for Distributed Systems

Applications are typically executed on fixed distributed system architectures, and they merely interconnect a huge number of software components through networks. However, the complexity and dynamism of distributed systems are beyond our ability to build and manage such systems through conventional approaches, such as centralized and top-down architectures. On the other hand, the requirements of applications or the structure of systems change from time to time. For instance, software components that applications consist of may be dynamically added to or removed from distributed systems, and networks between computers may be rapidly disconnected and reconnected. Therefore, modern distributed systems demand availability, dependability, and reliability to adapt themselves to various changes, even dynamically, to self-adapt their architectures. This dissertation first presents the requirements and proposed approaches. The key idea behind the proposed approaches are to introduce the relocation of software components, which define functions, between computers as a basic mechanism for adaptation. Second, it introduces the design of Mimosa, which is an adaptive and reliable middleware that adapts to various changes through relocation of software components in distributed systems. Third, a policy-based language is described for specifying, and analyzing user-defined adaptations. Since the language is defined on a theoretical function, it enables the results of conflicts and divergences from adaptions to be to analyzed sequentially. Although the proposed approaches are based on adaptive deployments of software components but not on those of adaptive functions inside any software components. Therefore, my proposal can more effectively adapt to types of change between distributed systems and applications, even change the fixed system architectures. This is because user-definitions of policies were separated from software components, and then the software components could be invoked from different computers. This dissertation describes the design and implementation of the approaches with five distributed applications, and experiments were run on my system with the proposed applications over a distributed system.
T e c h n i c a l R e p o r t Foreword

Users often do not require a complete answer to their query but rather only a sample. They expect the sample to be either the largest possible or the most representative (or both) given the resources available. We call the query processing techniques that deliver such results ’approximate’. Processing of queries to streams of data is said to be ’progressive’ when it can continuously produce results as data arrives. In this paper, we are interested in the progressive and approximate processing of queries to data streams when processing is limited to main memory. In particular, we study one of the main building blocks of such processing: the progressive approximate join. We devise and present several novel progressive approximate join algorithms. We empirically evaluate the performance of our algorithms and compare them with those of algorithms based on existing techniques. In particular we study the trade-off between maximization throughput and maximization of representativeness of the sample.
Supplemental Material to Perceptually-Based Compensation of Light Pollution in Display Systems Analytic Formulation for Scattering

To apply our framework to perform descattering for immersive displays we need an input image, and we need to be able to simulate the observed image (including pollution) during the perceptual minimization. The challenge with descattering is that just evaluating the pollution term is a complex and computationally expensive process which, in the general case, involves solving the rendering equation [Kajiya 1986].
The Power of Music : Two Current Theories on the Influence of Music in American Society

Many peo ple have seen " Gone with the Wind, " a great south ern clas sic, and witnessed the re la tion ship be tween the charm ing Scar let O'Hara and her ever-present, al ways car ing mammy. The black mammy, as she is seen in this film is to tally in volved with the white fam ily and is por trayed as not having any fam ily or life of her own. She is constantly and hap pily car ing for white chil dren. Mov ies like this give the im pres sion that inter ra cial re la tion ships be tween women of the past were happy, as the black maid is al ways lov ingly chas ing af ter her ca pri cious white mis tress. There are two nov el s that break this ste reo type. El len Douglas's Can't Quit You, Baby (1988) and Sherley Anne Wil liams's Dessa Rose (1986) are two works that show a different re la tion ship be tween black women and their white em ploy ers. In these nov els black and white women have to over come stereo types and ra cial prej u dices to de velop friend ships. Wil liams shows the sep a ra tion be tween the slave and the slave holder in Dessa Rose. Dessa Rose is set in the nine teenth cen tury. Many white women in the 1840s were taught that black women were just ser vants. In Douglas's Can't Quit You, Baby, set in the 1960s, the prev a lent no tion was that there could be no friend ship be tween two women of the op po site race and class, as they were usually seg re gated. Wil liams and Douglas break the mold by hav ing white women and black women be come friends at the end of their novels , de fy ing his tor i cal, so cial, and per sonal bound aries. In ter ra cial friend ships in his tory and lit er a ture have been stud ied and writ ten about, but lit tle com par a tive anal y sis has been done on the works of Douglas and Wil-liams. Au thors such as Ashraf Rushdy, have each writ ten ar ti cles on the nov els discussed here. Only a few au thors, such as …
Synthesis and characterisation of double-walled carbon nanotube/cobalt oxide nanocomposite for the application of anode material for lithium ion batteries

This paper presents a novel description of synthesis and characterisation of double-walled carbon nanotube/cobalt oxide nanocomposite for its application as non-toxic, high capacity anodic material for lithium ion batteries. Double-wall carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) are synthesised using a simple flotation chemical vapour deposition technique by adding a small amount of sulfur into the catalyst. The structural, compositions and morphology of the as synthesised DWCNTs/cobalt oxide nanocomposite is performed using SEM, TEM, EDX and XRD. A 500 MHz NMR spectroscopy is also used to analyse spectrum of nanocomposite to confirm the chemicals present in the sample. The galvanostatic measurement confirms that the nanocomposite electrode show lithium storage capacity of 1575 mAh/g (milli ampere hour per gram) in the first discharge over 100 cycle. Such high storage capacity of energy through electrochemical reactions has popularised the need of daily increasing energy demand in the form of lithium ion batteries. Lithium ion batteries are now used in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs).
Distributed Observer-based Cyber-security Control of Complex Dynamical Networks

A large number of interconnected nodes in which each node is a nonlinear dynamic system is a complex dynamic system. Complex cyber physical system refers to a new generation of complex systems which depend on close interactions between their physical components and cyber components. Many modern critical infrastructures as complex cyberphysical systems can be appropriately modelled. Distributed network is used in computer distribution. The distributed network infrastructure in the computer application, software and its data is distributed across many computers. The objective of the distributed network to share the resource, usually with a specific or comparable objective. With a lower transmission implication and computation costs in CPS, the proposed distributed cyber-physical algorithms will converge fast and thus increase the reliability. The results of the simulation verify the feasibility of the solution proposed.
The three-dimensional pair distribution function analysis of disordered single crystals: basic concepts

Abstract Theory and principles of the three-dimensional pair distribution function analysis of disordered single crystals are introduced. The mathematical framework is presented and the appearance of pair distribution function patterns is discussed on the examples of some basic disorder models. It is further demonstrated how pair distribution function maps are affected by typical experimental problems. Approaches for a better understanding of such effects and strategies for a proper handing of artifacts in diffuse scattering experiments are proposed.
Bandwidth testing of a semi-rigid hip exoskeleton

Robotic exoskeletons can reduce metabolic cost in healthy individuals and restore mobility in clinical groups (such as patients with peripheral artery disease [1]). Depending on the estimation methods, up to 40% of the metabolic cost of walking comes from the hip muscles [2]. Assisting at the hip has the advantage that the exoskeleton mass is positioned close to the center of mass, which minimizes the energy cost due to added mass. Soft exosuits have the advantage that they allow greater freedom of movement. However, soft exosuits often cannot apply the same torque magnitudes as rigid exoskeletons, and they rely on friction with the skin to remain anchored. The purpose of this work was to develop a semi-rigid hip exoskeleton that can connect to and be powered by an existing actuation unit, to address the limitations of current existing soft exosuits. We evaluated the device performance by analyzing the match between desired and actual torque applied to the hip joint.
Secml-Malware: Pentesting Windows Malware Classifiers with Adversarial Exemples in Python

Machine learning has been increasingly used as a first line of defense for Windows malware detection. Recent work has however shown that learning-based malware detectors can be evaded by carefully-perturbed input malware samples, referred to as adversarial EXEmples, thus demanding for tools that can ease and automate the adversarial robustness evaluation of such detectors. To this end, we present secml-malware, the first Python library for computing adversarial attacks on Windows malware detectors. \secmlmalware implements state-of-the-art white-box and black-box attacks on Windows malware classifiers, by leveraging a set of feasible manipulations that can be applied to Windows programs while preserving their functionality. The library can be used to perform the penetration testing and assessment of the adversarial robustness of Windows malware detectors, and it can be easily extended to include novel attack strategies. Our library is available at https://github.com/pralab/secml_malware.
ENZYME AIDED BLEACHING OF INDUSTRIAL SOFTWOOD KRAFT PULPS

The effects of xylanase and mannanase pretreatments on TCF bleaching of industrial softwood kraft pulps cooked by different methods were studied. The relationship between the cooking method and the increase in brightness achieved by enzymes, as well as the possible enzyme-aided bleaching mechanisms, are discussed
Ju l 2 02 1 Imperial-TP-AT-2021-03 Strong coupling expansion of free energy and BPS Wilson loop in N “ 2 superconformal models with fundamental hypermultiplets

As a continuation of the study (in arXiv:2102.07696 and arXiv:2104.12625) of strongcoupling expansion of non-planar corrections in N “ 2 4d superconformal models we consider two special theories with gauge groups SUpNq and Spp2Nq. They contain N -independent numbers of hypermultiplets in rank 2 antisymmetric and fundamental representations and are planar-equivalent to the corresponding N “ 4 SYM theories. These N “ 2 theories can be realised on a system of N D3-branes with a finite number of D7-branes and O7-plane; the dual string theories should be particular orientifolds of AdS5 ˆ S superstring. Starting with the localization matrix model representation for the N “ 2 partition function on S we find exact differential relations between the 1{N terms in the corresponding free energy F and the 1 2 -BPS Wilson loop expectation value xWy and also compute their large ’t Hooft coupling (λ " 1) expansions. The structure of these expansions is different from the previously studied models without fundamental hypermultiplets. In the more tractable Spp2Nq case we find an exact resummed expression for the leading strong coupling terms at each order in the 1{N expansion. We also determine the exponentially suppressed at large λ contributions to the non-planar corrections to F and xWy and comment on their resurgence properties. We discuss dual string theory interpretation of these strong coupling expansions. 1 Also at the Institute of Theoretical and Mathematical Physics, MSU and Lebedev Institute, Moscow
Purifying Selection Determines the Short-Term Time Dependency of Evolutionary Rates in SARS-CoV-2 and pH1N1 Influenza

High throughput sequencing enables rapid genome sequencing during infectious disease outbreaks and provides an opportunity to quantify the evolutionary dynamics of pathogens in near real-time. One difficulty of undertaking evolutionary analyses over short timescales is the dependency of the inferred evolutionary parameters on the timespan of observation. Here, we characterise the molecular evolutionary dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 and 2009 pandemic H1N1 (pH1N1) influenza during the first 12 months of their respective pandemics. We use Bayesian phylogenetic methods to estimate the dates of emergence, evolutionary rates, and growth rates of SARS-CoV-2 and pH1N1 over time and investigate how varying sampling window and dataset sizes affects the accuracy of parameter estimation. We further use a generalised McDonald-Kreitman test to estimate the number of segregating non-neutral sites over time. We find that the inferred evolutionary parameters for both pandemics are time-dependent, and that the inferred rates of SARS-CoV-2 and pH1N1 decline by ~50% and ~100%, respectively, over the course of one year. After at least 4 months since the start of sequence sampling, inferred growth rates and emergence dates remain relatively stable and can be inferred reliably using a logistic growth coalescent model. We show that the time-dependency of the mean substitution rate is due to elevated substitution rates at terminal branches which are 2-4 times higher than those of internal branches for both viruses. The elevated rate at terminal branches is strongly correlated with an increasing number of segregating non-neutral sites, demonstrating the role of purifying selection in generating the time-dependency of evolutionary parameters during pandemics.
Prediabetes Blunts CD26/DPP4 Genetic Control of Postprandial Glycemia and Insulin Secretion

Aims/hypothesis Imbalances in glucose metabolism are hallmarks of clinically silent prediabetes representing dysmetabolism trajectories leading to type 2 diabetes (T2D). CD26/DPP4 is a clinically proven molecular target of diabetes-controlling drugs but the CD26 gene control of disglycemia is unsettled. Methods We dissected the genetic control of postprandial glycemic and insulin release responses by the CD26/DPP4 gene in an European/Portuguese population-based cohort that comprised individuals with normoglycemia and prediabetes, and in mouse experimental models of CD26 deficiency and hypercaloric diet. Results In individuals with normoglycemia, CD26/DPP4 single-nucleotide variants governed glycemic excursions (rs4664446, P=1.63X10-7) and C-peptide release responses (rs2300757, P=6.86X10-5) upon OGTT. Association with glycemia was stronger at 30min OGTT but the higher association of the genetic control of insulin secretion was detected in later phases of the postprandial response suggesting that CD26/DDP4 gene directly senses glucose challenges. Accordingly, in mice fed normal chow diet but not high fat diet, we found that under OGTT expression of CD26/DPP4 gene is strongly down-regulated at 30min in the mouse liver. Strikingly, no genetic association was found in prediabetic individuals indicating that postprandial glycemic control by CD26/DPP4 is abrogated in prediabetes. Furthermore, CD26 null mice provided concordant evidence that CD26/DPP4 modulates postprandial C-peptide release in normoglycemic but not in dysmetabolic states. Conclusions/interpretation These results unveiled CD26/DPP4 gene as a strong determinant of postprandial glycemia via glucose sensing mechanisms that are abrogated in prediabetes. We propose that impairments in CD26/DDP4 control of postprandial glucose-insulin responses are part of molecular mechanisms underlying early metabolic disturbances associated with T2D.
Development of a High-Performance Multiparametric MRI Oropharyngeal Primary Tumor Auto-Segmentation Deep Learning Model and Investigation of Input Channel Effects: Results from a Prospective Imaging Registry

Background and Purpose: Oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) primary gross tumor volume (GTVp) segmentation is crucial for radiotherapy. Multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) is increasingly used for OPC adaptive radiotherapy but relies on manual segmentation. Therefore, we constructed mpMRI deep learning (DL) OPC GTVp auto-segmentation models and determined the impact of input channels on segmentation performance. Materials and Methods: GTVp ground truth segmentations were manually generated for 30 OPC patients from a clinical trial. We evaluated five mpMRI input channels (T2, T1, ADC, Ktrans, Ve). 3D Residual U-net models were developed and assessed using leave-one-out cross-validation. A baseline T2 model was compared to mpMRI models (T2+T1, T2+ADC, T2+Ktrans, T2+Ve, all 5 channels [ALL]) primarily using the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC). Sensitivity, positive predictive value, Hausdorff distance (HD), false-negative DSC (FND), false-positive DSC, surface DSC, 95% HD, and mean surface distance were also assessed. For the best model, ground truth and DL-generated segmentations were compared through a Turing test using physician observers. Results: Models yielded mean DSCs from 0.71 (ALL) to 0.73 (T2+T1). Compared to the T2 model, performance was significantly improved for HD, FND, sensitivity, surface DSC, and 95% HD for the T2+T1 model (p<0.05) and for FND for the T2+Ve and ALL models (p<0.05). There were no differences between ground truth and DL-generated segmentations for all observers (p>0.05). Conclusion: DL using mpMRI provides high-quality segmentations of OPC GTVp. Incorporating additional mpMRI channels may increase the performance of certain evaluation metrics. This pilot study is a promising step towards fully automated MR-guided OPC radiotherapy.
Coronavirus vaccination rates in cultural areas in Germany

Abstract Vaccination is a significant preventive measure to contain the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Vaccination rates can provide useful information on the potential spread of infection in a given population. In this study, vaccination rates and attitudes towards vaccination in cultural sectors, specifically the music sector, have been investigated. In total, 4341 persons in four different areas, including visitors to performances of classical music and musicals, as well as professional and amateur musicians, have participated in this survey. Results show rates of 86% recovered from the COVID-19 virus or vaccinated at least once, with 54.5% fully vaccinated. These vaccination rates were considerably higher compared to the general population. An attitude of hesitation towards vaccination found in 6.4% of those sampled was half that of the general population. These findings drawn from a large sample indicate that in the field of music a high vaccination rate is to be found, as well as a low rejection rate of vaccination on the part of the audience and performers. The results can be used to provide insights into the vaccination status to be found at cultural events and, importantly, to assist in consideration of whether cultural events should be permitted to continue under pandemic circumstances.
New furano-sesquiterpenes from the sponge Dysidea herbacea

Eight new sesquiterpenes, (ll), (12), (14)-(16), (18), (20) and (21), have been isolated from four separate small collections of the sponge Dysidea herbacea. The structures of these compounds, all of which contain a furan group, were derived by comparison of their spectral properties with those of known sesquiterpenes.