Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Experimental Assessment of Adaptive Spatial Combining for Underwater Acoustic Communications

— This paper presents a receiver structure of passive-phase conjugation (PPC) based adaptive spatial combining for underwater acoustic communications. Based on temporal diversity exploited by PPC processing, the presented structure exploits spatial diversity by adaptive multichannel combining. The structure was assessed in two field experiments which were conducted in two different seasons in Trondheim harbor. The experiments were carried out with the same configuration, but the channel physics were different due to different environmental conditions. A cross receiving array of 10 hydrophones, deployed in a water depth of 10 m, was used to collect the received waveform in a range of 2.0 km. By off-line signal processing, we have demonstrated the superior performance in exploiting spatial diversity for underwater communications.
Reflections, Models, and Software for Iterative Visualization Design

Iteration is a ubiquitous need across many different visualization design workflows. For visual design, practitioners often need to transition between the automated generation of visuals and manual drawing; however, existing software makes free-form iteration between these modalities difficult or impossible. A similar challenge exists for data as well: data abstractions often need to be adjusted; however, many data reshaping operations— particularly graph wrangling operations—have support only in programming environments that may not be accessible to many visualization designers. This dissertation begins with an effort to better understand how graphic designers, a specific subset of the broader visualization community, work with data. The lessons from that effort inspire our remaining contributions, which are directed toward the broader community of visualization practitioners: first, we present a software model and a system that make it possible to iterate between drawing and generative visualization. Second, we present a visual technique that enables inquiry into the relationship between two specific graph data wrangling operations: pivoting and filtering. Finally, we present an interface that supports a broader range of graph data wrangling operations that enable iteration between many different graph data abstractions.
May 10, 2020 Can current moisture responses predict soil CO2 efflux under altered precipitation regimes? A synthesis

As a key component of the carbon cycle, soil CO 2 efﬂux (SCE) is being increasingly studied to improve our mechanistic understanding of this important carbon ﬂux. Predicting ecosystem responses to climate change often depends on extrapolation of current relationships between ecosystem processes and their climatic drivers to conditions not yet
University of Birmingham Decoding gestural iconicity

Representational gestures are used ubiquitously to depict ideas in an iconic fashion, such as when holding up the thumb and the index finger at a certain distance to indicate the size of a matchstick. However, the process by which a physical hand configuration is mentally transformed into abstract spatial information is not well understood. We present a series of experiments that investigate how people decode the physical form of an articulator to derive imaginary geometrical constructs, which are embraced in our use of “gesture form”. We provide quantitative evidence for several key properties that play a role in this process. First, “profiling”, the ability to focus on a structural sub-unit within the complex form of the gesturing hand. Second, “perspective”, for which we show that one and the same handshape seen from different perspectives can lead to different spatial interpretations. Third, “selectivity”, the fact that gestures focus on certain spatial features at the expense of others. Our results provide a first step toward mapping out the process of how representational gestures make the communication of spatial information possible.
Improving Systems Dependability Through Private Distributed Computation and Analysis of Anomalies

If you survey computer systems’ users, most of them will agree that one of the most important system properties is dependability. The dependability of a system expresses the users’ trust in that system and how confident they are relying on these systems. It conveys the extent of the user’s confidence that it will operate as users expect. In general, dependability includes inter-dependent systems properties such as availability, safety, security, and resilience. In this dissertation, I look closely at different complicated computer systems. The goal is to enhance the systems’ trustworthiness and eventually improve their overall dependability. First, I look at the edge computing paradigm, specifically content distribution networks. Although CDNs are widely used and highly beneficial, they require end-users to share their secrets with the CDN to maximize benefits. This imposes a serious security threat. To tackle this issue, I present Harpocrates. It is a framework that utilizes Intel’s SGX technology to maintain the privacy of sensitive secrets while still allowing the end-users to leverage the CDN’s capabilities. Second, I look at complex system logs and attempt to model the system’s normal behavior using invariant mining. This study aims to answer two questions: Are automated anomaly detection tools, specifically invariant mining useful in datacenters? And; does the anomalous behavior persist over time? To answer these questions, I study the logs from one year of operations coming from the Cloudlab testbed. The results contained valuable insights indicating that although some of the invariants persisted throughout the year, the detectors must be re-trained systematically to capture new invariants. Finally, after studying different anomaly detection tools, I found that they do not specifically label malicious anomalies. They either disregard the malicious class, or they consider all anomalies malicious. These approaches pose a problem for system admins who need to differentiate between benign anomalies and malicious requests. To solve this problem, I designed Deep-Sec. It is an anomaly detection framework that introduces a novel finegrained scoring system that enables system admins to distinguish between benign and malicious anomalies and enhances accuracy on long sessions driven by human behavior rather than program structure.
An Asymptotic Theory of Sequential Designs based on Maximum Likelihood Recursions

Maximum likelihood recursions were proposed in Wu (1985, 1986) to obtain recursive procedures for nonlinear sequential design problems associated with many commonly used generalized linear models. It was argued empirically and heuristically there that these recursions should lead to asymptotically consistent and efficient designs. We prove that such recursions are consistent and asymptotically normal, at least for the location models including logistic, Poisson, gamma and inverse Gaussian. We show that a simple truncation leads to robust designs so that even if the models are incorrectly specified, the recursions still converge to the desired optimal design points. Asymptotic results concerning the sequential designs for the location-scale models are also obtained.
Building Automation: Experience with Dynamic Reconﬁguration of a Room

—This paper details a case study in the domain of building automation systems. This case study is the reconﬁguration of a room that can be split in two or merged in one according to the current needs. The building is equipped with the LON system, a standard in building automation. Such a reconﬁguration is normally done manually by a skilled technician. Thanks to our approach, it can now be autonomous and triggered by various external events such as sensor readings, a remote controller or information from an agenda. To achieve dynamic reconﬁguration in this context we rely on LINC, a coordination middleware providing an abstraction layer allowing the encapsulation of hardware and software components. Thus, we can not only integrate sensors and actuators but also legacy systems such as the LON conﬁguration tool. The coordination is provided by coordination rules which can be statically deﬁned at application deployment or dynamically added or removed to reconﬁgure the
International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Science and Software Engineering

— This paper aims to recognize human activity using various deep and shallow learning techniques. Activity recognition locates a moving person with respect to time. Its uses are in surveillance, animation and robotics and even associated with the video tracking. We combine image sequences to recognize the human activity. While recognizing action, due to motion over lapping, Self-Occlusion problem is caused and is very complex to solve. Many recognition methods make them complex to solve or skip them.This paper compares the performance of Binary Motion Image concept with the Motion History Image[1], Directional Motion History representation[1], Gait Energy Image[3] and Motion Energy Image[1],[2]to solve the self-occlusion problem by feeding them into the Convolutional Neural network[1].
L -Arginine Modiﬁes the Exopolysaccharide Matrix and Thwarts Streptococcus mutans Outgrowth within Mixed-Species Oral Bioﬁlms

L -Arginine, a ubiquitous amino acid in human saliva, serves as a substrate for alkali production by arginolytic bacteria. Recently, exogenous L -arginine has been shown to enhance the alkalinogenic potential of oral bioﬁlm and destabilize its microbial community, which might help control dental caries. However, L -arginine exposure may inﬂict additional changes in the bioﬁlm milieu when bacteria are growing under cariogenic conditions. Here, we investigated how exogenous L -arginine modulates bioﬁlm development using a mixed-species model containing both cariogenic ( Streptococcus mutans ) and arginolytic ( Streptococcus gordonii ) bacteria in the presence of sucrose. We observed that 1.5% (wt/vol) L -arginine (also a clinically effective concentration) exposure suppressed the outgrowth of S. mutans , favored S. gordonii dominance, and maintained Actinomyces naeslundii growth within bioﬁlms (versus vehicle control). In parallel, topical L -arginine treatments substantially reduced the amounts of insoluble exopolysaccharides (EPS) by > 3-fold, which signiﬁcantly altered the three-dimensional (3D) architecture of the bioﬁlm. Intriguingly, L -arginine repressed S. mutans genes associated with insoluble EPS ( gtfB ) and bacteriocin ( SMU.150 ) production, while spxB expression (H 2 O 2 production) by S. gordonii increased sharply during bioﬁlm development, which resulted in higher H 2 O 2 levels in arginine-treated bioﬁlms. These modiﬁcations resulted in a markedly defective EPS matrix and areas devoid of any bacterial clusters (microcolonies) on the apatitic surface, while the in situ pH values at the bioﬁlm-apatite interface were nearly one unit higher in arginine-treated bioﬁlms (versus the vehicle control). Our data reveal new biological properties of L -arginine that impact bioﬁlm matrix assembly and the dynamic microbial interactions associated with pathogenic bioﬁlm development, indicating the multiaction potency of this promising bioﬁlm disruptor. a new which the of and the that the These may aid in the development of enhanced methods to control bioﬁlms using -argi-nine. community on the sHA surface. The bioﬁlms were transferred to UFTYE containing 1% sucrose to induce environmental changes simulating a cariogenic challenge from 29 h. The culture medium was changed twice daily (8 a.m. and 6 p.m.) until the end of the experimental period. Bioﬁlm treatments started at 19 h and were carried out at 8 a.m., 1 p.m. , and 6 p.m. each day.
Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University Prospect theory, analyst forecast, and stock returns Prospect theory, analyst forecast, and stock returns

This paper documents how prospect theory can be used to explain stock returns and analysts’ forecast behavior. Positive earnings surprises are associated with increases in abnormal returns but negative earnings surprises have only a limited negative impact on returns. We find that analysts display asymmetric behavior towards positive and negative earnings growth. Analysts’ forecasts are found to be accurate during periods of positive earnings growth, but overly optimistic during periods of negative earnings growth. Our findings have implications for the structuring of investment products, as well as the role of market timing in their introduction.
Crop Diversiﬁcation in Rice—Based Cropping Systems Improves the System Productivity, Proﬁtability and Sustainability

: Cropping systems in the Level Barind Tract (LBT) of Bangladesh are highly diverse, as Transplanted (T.) Aman and Boro (T. Boro) rice are a common practice in the area. Although. T. Aman is generally cultivated in the rainy (monsoon) season, but the T. Boro rice is the intensive irrigation-based winter rice with high establishment costs as a result of exhaustive tillage and high labours for transplanting of seedlings. Furthermore, pumping of a large amount of irrigation during T. Boro cultivation declines the level of groundwater, which is not environmentally friendly nor cost-effective. Therefore, the replacement of the T. Boro rice from the cropping pattern in the LBT area is the major concern of policymakers. In this context, a replicated three to four crop-based cropping systems (CS) ﬁeld trial was conducted in LBT of Gaibandha, Bangladesh for consecutive three years (2018–2020) to evaluate productivity, proﬁtability and sustainability of the multiple crop-based cropping systems. Among these CS, existing three crops based CS, CS1: T. Aman–Potato–T. Boro (introduction of the local potato in the existing cropping system) were compared with four crops based CS2: T. Aman–Potato–Cucumber–T. Aus (Introduction of high yielding potato, cucumber and T. Aus as an improved cropping system). After two years of observations, signiﬁcantly higher system productivity (rice equivalent yield; REY) was found in the improved CS2 than that of existing CS1 in both years (two years’ average 49% or 11.1 t ha − 1 ). As a result of the introduction of the high yielding potato, cucumber and T. Aus rice instead of the T. Boro rice. The CS2 was also found proﬁtable as compared to the CS1 in terms of higher gross margin (by 74%), net return (double) and beneﬁt-cost ratio (BCR) (1.69 vs. 1.44) due to higher gross return with slightly higher (by 28%) production cost. It is due to farmers received higher prices for potato, cucumber and two rice crops in the improved CS2 than the existing CS1. On the other hand, protein and energy output was lower (by 17% and 9%, respectively) in the CS2 than the existing CS1, due to the less content of protein and energy value in the vegetable cucumber. The results of the study revealed that crops diversiﬁcation in the existing T. Boro based CS with high yielding potato, cucumber, and T. Aus rice, improved the system productivity, proﬁtability and sustainability; which lead to improve the food security of the increasing population and also reduce the adverse effect on the environment.
BEHAVIOURAL MODELLING AND POWER QUALITY SIMULATION OF A HVDC ELECTRIC POWER SYSTEM FOR MEA

High-voltage direct current (HVDC) electric power system (EPS) is a promising architecture for more electric aircraft (MEA). With more electric power used, a higher voltage is necessary to make aircrafts more efficient and less weighted. However, there are no standards can be followed to evaluate the power quality of HVDC EPS, especially for 540 VDC system. In this study, a potential HVDC EPS is proposed and power quality is studied by simulation. Behavioural models of the system are established in detail from source to load. Three kinds of typical loads of MEA are defined and their impacts on power quality are analysed including resistances, power electronic converters, and motors. Some suggestions are provided for design and integration of the EPS for MEA.
PHARMACOVIGILANCE AWARENESS ASSESSMENT AMONG HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS THROUGH KAP QUESTIONNAIRE STUDY IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

Under reporting of Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) is daunting challenge very commonly encountered in the practice of pharmacovigilance. Evaluating the reasons behind the under-reporting is a necessity which differ as per individual institutions. The present study was aimed at assessing awareness and perceptions about pharmacovigilance in a tertiary care teaching hospital along with the reasons for the underreporting of the ADRs. Methods: A pre-tested questionnaire was used with 20 questions from knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) domains. Data was collected from clinicians, residents and interns. Analysis was done by using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) statistical software. Results: Out of 112 respondents 62 (55.4 %) had correct knowledge of definitions while 95 (84.8 %) responded wrongly about individuals authorized to report. Question about reporting of a serious adverse event was answered correctly by 59 (52.7%); however 95 (84.8%) responded about ADR reporting being a necessity. It was considered as a professional obligation by 73 (65.2%). Among the participants 61 (54.5%) experienced ADR in the practice but only 15 (13.4%) reported. Reasons stated for difficulty in reporting the ADRs were lack of adequate time for 35 respondents (31.3 %) while 34 (30.4 %) mentioned uncertainty about labelling incidence as ADR. Conclusion: Study showed considerable lack of precise knowledge and awareness about ADR reporting protocol. Factors which discourage the ADR reporting can be worked upon by stressing upon the awareness measures and necessity about ADR reporting as well as improving the simplicity and easy accessibility of the ADR reporting protocol.
Knowledge Management Capabilities (KMCs): Tools to Support Development and Sustainability of Social Enterprise

– Knowledge and its management are recognized as a strategic asset that provides organizations with a competitive edge. Prior research demonstrates that knowledge management capabilities (KMCs) are crucial because it helps organizations promote best practice, facilitate knowledge creation and enhance innovation and organization sustainability. Although there is a growing realization that KMCs is critical to knowledge creation, there is still an emerging area of inquiry whose essential component, relationships and how KMC can support the development and sustainability of social enterprise, especially in Malaysia. In this paper, the key concept of knowledge management and organizational capability are reviewed. This paper would be of attention to readers who would like to understand more about how KMCs can become a valuable tool to support the development of social enterprises . Copyright © 2015 Penerbit Akademia Baru - All rights reserved.
Edinburgh Research Explorer The Socio-cultural Value of Upland Regions in the Vicinity of Cities in Comparison With Urban Green Spaces

Mountain and upland regions provide a wide range of ecosystem services to residents and visitors. While ecosystem research in mountain regions is on the rise, the linkages between sociocultural benefits and ecological systems remain little explored. Mountainous regions close to urban areas provide numerous benefits to a large number of individuals, suggesting a high social value, particularly for cultural ecosystem services. We explored and compared visitors’ valuation of ecosystem services in the Pentland Hills, an upland range close to the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, and urban green spaces within Edinburgh. Based on 715 responses to user surveys in both study areas, we identified intense use and high social value for both areas. Several ecosystem services were perceived as equally important in both areas, including many cultural ecosystem services. Significant differences were revealed in the value of physically using nature, which Pentland Hills users rated more highly than those in the urban green spaces, and of mitigation of pollutants and carbon sequestration, for which the urban green spaces were valued more highly. Major differences were further identified for preferences in future land management, with nature-oriented management preferred by about 57 % of the interviewees in the Pentland Hills, compared to 31 % in the urban parks. The study highlights the substantial value of upland areas in close vicinity to a city for physically using and experiencing nature, with a strong acceptance of nature conservation .
Zebra ﬁnches show spatial avoidance of near but not far distance trafﬁc noise

Trafﬁc noise is on the rise worldwide. Birds have been reported to decrease in number and diversity near highways. This could be indirectly caused by trafﬁc if birds avoid overall poorer habitat quality near highways or directly if birds actively avoid noisy conditions. To test whether trafﬁc noise directly affects birds’ spatial preferences, we designed a preference test where zebra ﬁnches ( Taeniopygia guttata ) could move freely between noisy and quiet aviaries that only differed in the type of noise playbacks. During playback of high amplitude trafﬁc noise recorded near from highways (5–15 m), birds spent signiﬁcantly more time in the quieter aviary. Such spatial preferences were not observed during playbacks of moderate amplitude trafﬁc noise recorded further away (200–400 m). Our result provides experimental support for the growing notion that trafﬁc noise itself rather than the presence of vehicles may sufﬁce to deter birds from busy roads.
Risks of the Female Youth to Drugs and Substance Abuse in Makindu Town, Kenya

This study paid particular attention to investigating the nature and magnitude of risks exposed to the female youth abusing drugs in Makindu town Kenya. Consequently, this exploratory study had the following objectives: to identify and classify the type of risks experienced by female youth exposed to drug and substance use. The research design used in the study was case study design. Using snow ball sampling technique. 29 respondents were sampled for the study. The data was collected by use of unstructured interviews designed for female youth abusing drug and substance, focus group discussion guides for female youth whose partners abused drugs, key informant for key informants, participant observation and where possible an observation checklist. According to the finding of the study, it was evident that: Biological risks included: lung complications, HIV/Aids, poor duty performance, falling , chipping and staining of teeth etc, social risks included; neglect of children, fighting with spouse and others, influencing children to abuse sleeping pills etc, and psychological: loss of memory, mental illness, anorexia etc were cited to be some of the risks the female youth experienced after abusing drugs and substance.
Correlation of the Effect of 1-Lactamase Inhibitors on the P-Lactamase in Growing Cultures of Gram-Negative Bacteria with Their Effect on the Isolated 3-Lactamase

The effectiveness of clavulanic acid, sulbactam, quinacillin sulfone, and the carbapenems and MM4550 as inhibitors of TEM-2 13-lactamase in growing cultures of gram-negative bacteria has been studied. Each of these 13-lactams inhibited the enzyme in intact cells, and the nature of the inhibition correlated with studies on the purified enzyme. The potency of these compounds as inhibitors of the (3-lactamase in vivo can be correlated with the amounts hydrolyzed by the purified enzyme under saturating conditions during the inhibition of the enzyme in vitro. From these lactamase Escherichia the the clavulanic 5, sulbactam