Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fast and Accurate Deep Learning Architecture on Vehicle Type Recognition

Vehicle Type Recognition has a significant problem that happens when people need to search for vehicle data from a video surveillance system at a time when a license plate does not appear in the image. This paper proposes to solve this problem with a deep learning technique called Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), which is one of the latest advanced machine learning techniques. In the experiments, researchers collected two datasets of Vehicle Type Image Data (VTID I & II), which contained 1,310 and 4,356 images, respectively. The first experiment was performed with 5 CNN architectures (MobileNets, VGG16, VGG19, Inception V3, and Inception V4), and the second experiment with another 5 CNNs (MobileNetV2, ResNet50, Inception ResNet V2, Darknet-19, and Darknet-53) including several data augmentation methods. The results showed that MobileNets, when combine with the brightness augmented method, significantly outperformed other CNN architectures, producing the highest accuracy rate at 95.46%. It was also the fastest model when compared to other CNN networks.
Assessment of the antifertility effects of some plants in male albino mice

Some medicinal plants contain natural compounds such as isoflavonoids and polyphenols that produce sterility in male animals. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of the chloroform extract of the seeds of Sea Island cotton, Gossypium barbadense; the ethanolic extract of seeds of soybean, Glycine max; and the ethanolic extract of the leaves of rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis, on the fertility of male albino mice as a prelude for their usage in the control of house mice. The extraction of cottonseeds was performed by soaking and shaking, and the extraction of soybeans seeds and rosemary leaves was performed using the Soxhlet apparatus. Sperm parameters, histology of testes, and biochemical parameters of treated mice were compared with the corresponding ones of untreated mice. The oral administration of all extracts caused a significant reduction in sperm count and motility, and had severe histopathological effects on the testes. The plant extracts also caused significant decreases in the concentration of free testosterone, significant increases in the activities of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase, and a significant decrease in the concentration of urea in serum (except the extract of soybeans). The plant extracts tested in the present study proved to have anti-fertility effects on male albino mice, but it caused significant perturbations in the kidney and liver. These extracts could be used in the control of house mice.
Quasi-BIC Mode Lasing in a Quadrumer Plasmonic Lattice

Plasmonic lattices of metal nanoparticles have emerged as an effective platform for strong light–matter coupling, lasing, and Bose–Einstein condensation. However, the full potential of complex unit cell structures has not been exploited. On the other hand, bound states in continuum (BICs) have attracted attention, as they provide topologically protected optical modes with diverging quality factors. Here, we show that quadrumer nanoparticle lattices enable lasing in a quasi-BIC mode with a highly out-of-plane character. By combining theory with polarization-resolved measurements of the emission, we show that the lasing mode has a topological charge. Our analysis reveals that the mode is primarily polarized out-of-plane as a result of the quadrumer structure. The quality factors of the out-of-plane BIC modes of the quadrumer array can be exceedingly high. Our results unveil the power of complex multiparticle unit cells in creating topologically protected high-Q modes in periodic nanostructures.
The role of venture capital in merger and acquisition performance

ABSTRACT We examine the effects of venture capital (VC) backing on the market responses to M&A events among a group of Chinese firms listed on ChiNext. We find a positive market response to M&A carried out by the companies backed by venture capital and this effect is robust after we address the endogeneity by employing Heckman two-stage approach. Our results support the notion that the involvement of VCs in their portfolio companies alleviates the information asymmetry problem.
Fifty Economic Fallacies Exposed

Since 1988, Professor Geoffrey Wood of the Sir John Cass Business School, has written a regular column in the IEA's journal, Economic Affairs, in which he exposes popular economic fallacies. Fifty Economic Fallacies Exposed collects fifty of these columns and exposes numerous common fallacies. These lucid and stimulating columns are invaluable to students struggling to master some of the complexities of economic theory and its applications, who often find the most effective way to learn economic analysis is to see such fallacies exposed. It is a text particularly suitable for first year economics students, complementing existing textbooks as it does, and clarifying basic concepts in economics while demonstrating the practical uses of economic theory.
Cascaded Enzyme Reactions over a Three-Dimensional, Wireframe DNA Origami Scaffold

DNA nanotechnology has increasingly been used as a platform to scaffold enzymes based on its unmatched ability to structure enzymes in a desired format. The capability to organize enzymes has taken many forms from more traditional 2D pairings on individual scaffolds to recent works introducing enzyme organizations in 3D lattices. As the ability to define nanoscale structure has grown, it is critical to fully deconstruct the impact of enzyme organization at the single-scaffold level. Here, we present an open, three-dimensional (3D) DNA wireframe octahedron which is used to create a library of spatially arranged organizations of glucose oxidase and horseradish peroxidase. We explore the contribution of enzyme spacing, arrangement, and location on the 3D scaffold to cascade activity. The experiments provide insight into enzyme scaffold design, including the insignificance of scaffold sequence makeup on activity, an increase in activity at small enzyme spacings of <10 nm, and activity changes that arise from discontinuities in scaffold architecture. Most notably, the experiments allow us to determine that enzyme colocalization itself on the DNA scaffold dominates over any specific enzyme arrangement.
The Impact of Pre- and Probiotic Product Combinations on Ex vivo Growth of Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli and Salmonella Enteritidis

Due to the global spread of antibiotic resistance, there is a strong demand to replace antimicrobial growth promotors in livestock. To identify suitable additives that inhibit the growth of avian pathogenic Escherichia coli O1/O18 and Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis strains, an ex vivo screening was performed. Inulin and fructooligosaccharides (FOS) were investigated as prebiotics. Enterococcus faecium and Bacillus coagulans served as probiotic strains. Firstly, the pathogen was anaerobically incubated in caecal digesta from different broiler breeder flocks with the addition of feed additives. Secondly, subsamples of these suspensions were incubated in an antibiotic medium for selective growth of the pathogen. During this step, turbidity was recorded, and lag times were calculated for each pathogen as readout of growth inhibition. Combinations of E. faecium with inulin or FOS significantly extended the lag time for E. coli compared to control. Moreover, older age was a significant factor to enhance this inhibitory effect. In contrast, the combination of FOS and B. coagulans showed shorter lag times for S. Enteritidis. Our results indicate that the E. faecium strain with prebiotics may inhibit the pathogen proliferation in the studied poultry flocks. Furthermore, our results suggest that prophylactic treatments should be assigned by feed additive, age and animal origin.
Against Mechanism: Methodology For An Evolutionary Economics

When the first economics departments were proposed at Cambridge and Oxford, the proponents thought acceptance would be improved if economics could be seen as incorporating the methods of physics. The enterprise was premised on the existence of economic laws that describe invariant relationships between events. These event regularities, like gravity, were not affected by human action. Humans could adapt and use them, but not change them. Thus the metaphor of "mechanism" seemed appropriate and became embedded in economists' language. It is common to use the term market mechanism to link prices and commodities. This suggests the economy is like turning a crank attached to a set of gears where there is a fixed relationship between the crank's motion and the last gear's motion. The gears have no ideas of their own, they don't get mad; there is no cognitive element between events and action.
Inoculation of cucumber plants with Beauveria bassiana enhances resistance to Aphis gossypii (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and increases aphid susceptibility to pirimicarb

The entomopathogen Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill. (Ascomycota: Hypocreales) can colonize plants endophytically and stimulate the production of secondary plant metabolites with anti-herbivore activities. We assayed the topical virulence of B. bassiana to Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae), the effects of cucumber inoculation with this fungus on plant metabolites, and the physiological consequences for aphids that fed on these plants. Assays were conducted with both the commercial formulation of B. bassiana, ‘Naturalis®-L’, at the recommended concentration of 1.5 ml / L (yielding a spore concentration of 2.3 × 107 CFU per ml), and with a similar concentration of the isolated fungal strain. Topical application of 0.03 ml of solution per cm2, or 1 × 103 CFU, caused 100% mortality to A. gossypii adults after seven days, whether Naturalis®-L or the isolate alone was used. The fungus grew endophytically into foliage when sprayed on cucumbers at the 2-leaf stage and concentrations of alkaloids, fl avonoids, phenols, hydrogen peroxide, and total chlorophyll were higher than in control plants 28 days after inoculation. Malondialdehyde content, plant growth, and total yield were unaffected by B. bassiana inoculation. Aphids fed on B. bassiana-inoculated plants for 24 h had reduced activities of detoxifying enzymes (glutathione-S-transferase, carboxylesterase, and acetylcholinesterase) compared to controls. Activities of digestive enzymes, (lipase, α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and aminopeptidase) were reduced in aphids from inoculated plants, which exhibited higher activities of superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, and phenoloxidase, but lower catalase activity. Energy reserves (lipids, protein, and glycogen) were lower in aphids from inoculated plants, and they exhibited reduced fecundity, longevity, and reproductive periods, and a 50% reduction in the LC50 of pirimicarb. Thus, in addition to causing direct pathogenicity, inoculation of plants with B. bassiana negatively impacted A. gossypii physiology and reproductive performance and could usefully complement other strategies for managing cotton aphids on greenhouse cucumber. * Corresponding author; e-mail: jpmi@ksu.edu INTRODUCTION The cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae) is a polyphagous cosmopolitan pest of numerous fi eld and greenhouse crops (Ebert & Cartwright, 1997). It has the capacity for rapid population growth, causing direct feeding damage to host plants and transmitting various plant viruses (Deguine et al., 2017). Management of cotton aphids has conventionally relied on the use of synthetic insecticides (Kandil et al., 2017), which has resulted in the aphids evolving resistance to various insecticidal modes of action, and generated a need for alternative management tactics (Wang et al., 2007; Carletto et al., 2010). Eur. J. Entomol. 119: 1–11, 2022 doi: 10.14411/eje.2022. 001
Well-posedness of a random coefficient damage mechanics model*

We study a one-dimensional damage mechanics model in the presence of random materials properties. The model is formulated as a quasilinear partial differential equation of visco-elastic dynamics with a random field coefficient. We prove that in a transformed coordinate system the problem is well-posed as an abstract evolution equation in Banach spaces, and on the probability space it has a strongly measurable and Bochner integrable solution. We also establish the existence of weak solutions in the underlying physical coordinate system. We present numerical examples that demonstrate propagation of uncertainty in the stress–strain relation based on properties of the random damage field.
Prediction of Renal Damage in Children with Henoch-Schönlein Purpura Based on Machine Learning

Background This article is objected to explore the value of machine learning algorithm in predicting the risk of renal damage in children with Henoch-Schönlein Purpura, and to construct a predictive model of Henoch-Schönlein Purpura Nephritis in children and analyze the related risk factors of Henoch-Schönlein Purpura Nephritis in children. Methods Case data of 288 hospitalized children with Henoch-Schönlein Purpura from November 2018 to October 2021 were collected. The data included 42 indicators such as demographic characteristics, clinical symptoms and laboratory tests, etc. Univariate feature selection was used for feature extraction, and Logistic regression, support vector machine, decision tree and random forest algorithm were used respectively for classification prediction. Last, the performance of four algorithms are compared using accuracy rate and recall rate. Results The accuracy rate, recall rate and AUC of the established random forest model were 0.83, 0.86 and 0.91 respectively, which were higher than 0.74, 0.80 and 0.89 of the Logistic regression model; higher than 0.70, 0.80 and 0.89 of support vector machine model; higher than 0.74, 0.80 and 0.81 of the decision tree model. The top 10 important features provided by random forest model are Persistent purpura≥4weeks, Cr, Clinic time, ALB, WBC, TC, TG, Relapse, TG, Recurrent purpura and EB-DNA. Conclusion The model based on random forest algorithm has better performance in the prediction of children with allergic purpura renal damage, indicated by better classification accuracy, better classification effect and better generalization performance.
Ultra-compact lumped element cross-over

A novel ultra-compact wide-band microwave cross-over using lumped components is presented for the first time. The proposed cross-over is composed by inductors and capacitors, and the explicit design equations are derived based on the even–odd mode method. The size of the proposed cross-over is 1 × 1 cm2, and the bandwidth is 20–30%. Full-wave electromagnetic simulations are performed and an experimental prototype is fabricated to demonstrate the novel design concept. The measurement results match well with the theoretical and numerical results.
Bioaccumulation of Trace Metals for Daily Fish Consumption from Selected Former Tin Mining Ponds in Peninsular Malaysia: A Review on Safety of Fish Consumption

Tin mining was the predominate mining industry in Malaysia, especially during the mid-19th century. Most of the former mining areas have been reused for aquaculture purposes. Fish produced from former mining areas have been misunderstood as a high health risk if consumed due to their likelihood of containing high heavy metal content in their tissue. Therefore, we review national information on trace metals levels in the fish tissue of the selected former mining ponds in Peninsular Malaysia, together with background content of trace metals in their surroundings and food security and human health implications. Seven trace metals (Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Pb, Cr, and Ni) were observed in the water column and sediment. Various reports showed that background trace metal concentrations in the former mining area are mostly lower than several established limits (which were used as the main reference), except for the areas that were being treated for secondary use. Trace metal contents in the fish tissue also showed the same tendency of high contents due to improper or unfinished treatment of former mining ponds. In the context of food safety, various local reports have shown that the consumption of aquaculture products from former mining areas over a lifetime is unlikely causing any hazardous impact and hence may be regarded to be safe. However, these findings are restricted due to the limited studies in Peninsular Malaysia. Therefore, extensive study regarding this particular issue is highly recommended.
Modeling of an origami robot driven by electrostatic forces

Origami is an interesting methodology for developing soft devices, machines and robots. We have developed an origami robot in our previous work, which is driven by electrostatic forces. This robot exhibited interesting attributes of simple structure, light weight, and low cost. A model is expected to play a significant role in interpreting its behavior and improving its performance. In this paper, we illustrate a dynamic model to analyze this origami robot’s motion. The finite element method is first employed to simulate the electrostatic forces among non-parallel deformable plates. A multi-body dynamic model is then developed to interpret the mechanism of this origami robot. The material and structural parameters are calibrated, the forces are analyzed (including the electrostatic forces, inertia forces, frictions, etc), and the robot’s dynamic behaviors are finally predicted. The calculations are well consistent with the experimental results.
Acute effects of overspeed stimuli with towing system on athletic sprint performance: A systematic review with meta-analysis

ABSTRACT Overspeed-based training is widely used to improve athletes’ maximum running speed and towing systems are one of the most frequently employed methods for this purpose. However, the effectiveness of this modality has not been thoroughly determined. This review analyzes the acute effects of overspeed conditions with towing systems in sprinters. The articles were searched, analysed and selected following the PRISMA methodology in the PubMed, SPORTDiscus and Google Scholar databases. Sixteen studies were included, with a total sample of 240 men and 56 women (14 to 31y; 1.73 to 1.82 m; 66.2 to 77.0 kg). The main acute responses found were: 1) an increase in maximum running speed (ES = 1.54, large), stride length (ES = 0.92, moderate), flight time (ES = 0.28, small) and stride rate (ES = 0.12, trivial); and, 2) a decrease in contact time (ES = 0.57, small). However, analysis of the reported ground reaction forces and electromyography data did not provide enough consistent evidence to conclusively determine whether the changes are due to a greater muscular response of the athlete or the effect of the towing system. Future research should focus on studying the mechanisms responsible for the observed acute effects.
High-precision displacement measurement algorithm based on a depth fusion of grating projection pattern.

Displacement measurement based on an image recognition algorithm has more advantages in the field of displacement measurement. Due to the uncertainty of image location, the accuracy of the displacement measurement algorithm studied in the previous stage is limited. To improve the accuracy of image-type displacement measurement, a high-precision displacement measurement algorithm based on depth fusion of the grating projection pattern is proposed. First, a line-scan image sensor and parallel light source are placed on both sides of the calibration grating. The marking pattern on the calibration grating is projected onto the image sensor through illumination of the parallel light source to realize the projection imaging. Then, the centroid algorithm is used to calculate the centroid of each line in the collected image, and the mean value of the centroid group is determined. Finally, a linear function is used to fit multiple centroids to calculate the endpoints of the subdivision region, and the subdivision operation is carried out according to a ratio algorithm. To test the performance of the proposed algorithm, a linear displacement measurement device with a 250 mm range and an angular displacement measurement device with a 100 mm diameter grating are both used for experiments. After testing, the linear measurement accuracy of the proposed algorithm is improved from 4.63 to 1.26 µm, and the angular displacement measurement accuracy is enhanced from 8.87 to 2.88''. The research in this paper provides a theoretical basis for high-performance displacement measurement.
Continuous Security Metrics for Prevalent Network Threats: Introduction and First Four Metrics

Abstract : The goal of this work is to introduce meaningful security metrics that motivate effective improvements in network security. We present a methodology for directly deriving security metrics from realistic mathematical models of adversarial behaviors and systems and also a maturity model to guide the adoption and use of these metrics. Four security metrics are described that assess the risk from prevalent network threats. These can be computed automatically and continuously on a network to assess the effectiveness of controls. Each new metric directly assesses the effect of controls that mitigate vulnerabilities, continuously estimates the risk from one adversary, and provides direct insight into what changes must be made to improve security. Details of an explicit maturity model are provided for each metric that guide security practitioners through three stages where they (1) develop foundational understanding, tools and procedures, (2) make accurate and timely measurements that cover all relevant network components and specify security conditions to test, and (3) perform continuous risk assessments and network improvements. Metrics are designed to address specific threats, maintain practicality and simplicity, and motivate risk reduction. These initial four metrics and additional ones we are developing should be added incrementally to a network to gradually improve overall security as scores drop to acceptable levels and the risks from associated cyber threats are mitigated.
Miss Distance Simulation for Air Defense Missile by Combined Control of Lateral Thrust and Aerodynamic Force

An ignition law of lateral pulse rockets and guidance policy of terminal correction was given for air defense missile by combined control of lateral thrust and aerodynamic force.By final miss distance simulation,the interceptibility according to the targets with different motion characteristics was studied and the influence of main error factors was analyzed.The results show that this combined control method has perfect ballistic correction ability,but it is greatly affected by the measurement error of radar seeker.
Psychological Entitlement and Work-related Outcomes during the Covid-19 Pandemic. The Role of Telecommuting as a Moderator

Telecommuting is a necessary change imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, little is known about its interactions with the employees’ personal traits and their impact on work-related outcomes. With this study, we aimed to test the moderating role of telecommuting on the relationship between psychological entitlement and three work outcomes (job satisfaction, counterproductive work behavior and organizational citizenship behavior). Also, job satisfaction was included as a mediator between psychological entitlement and counterproductive work behavior, respectively organizational citizenship behavior. Our sample consisted of 253 employees who were either telecommuting or working from their workplace. The moderated mediation analyses showed significant differences between the two groups. The outcomes of telecommuting and their managerial implications are discussed.