Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distributed optimization algorithms for multihop wireless networks

Recent technological advances in low-cost computing and communication hardware design have led to the feasibility of large-scale deployments of wireless ad hoc and sensor networks. Due to their wireless and decentralized nature, multihop wireless networks are attractive for a variety of applications. However, these properties also pose significant challenges to their developers and therefore require new types of algorithms. In cases where traditional wired networks usually rely on some kind of centralized entity, in multihop wireless networks nodes have to cooperate in a distributed and self-organizing manner. Additional side constraints, such as energy consumption, have to be taken into account as well. This thesis addresses practical problems from the domain of multihop wireless networks and investigates the application of mathematically justified distributed algorithms for solving them. Algorithms that are based on a mathematical model of an underlying optimization problem support a clear understanding of the assumptions and restrictions that are necessary in order to apply the algorithm to the problem at hand. Yet, the algorithms proposed in this thesis are simple enough to be formulated as a set of rules for each node to cooperate with other nodes in the network in computing optimal or approximate solutions. Nodes communicate with their neighbors by sending messages via wireless transmissions. Neither the size nor the number of messages grows rapidly with the size of the network. The thesis represents a step towards a unified understanding of the application of distributed optimization algorithms to problems from the domain of multihop wireless networks. The problems considered serve as examples for related problems and demonstrate the design methodology of obtaining distributed algorithms from mathematical optimization methods.
The Impact of Social Media Marketing on Consumer Purchase Intention: Consumer Survey in Saudi Arabia

The main purpose of the current research was to find out the impact of social media marketing on the purchase intention of the customers. The study was conducted in Saudi Arabia. It is a quantitative research based primary data collected through structured close ended questionnaire, distributed online. Results were drawn based on 121 responses using factor analysis, ANOVA and regression analysis. The results showed that 92.4% of the customer purchase intention has been explained by Social Media Marketing. The results are statistically significant. Keywords: Social Media Marketing, Saudi Arabia, nnConsumer Purchase Intention DOI : 10.7176/JMCR/56-03 Publication date :May 31 st 2019
An investigation into cooperative learning in a virtual world using problem-based learning

Three-dimensional multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) have the potential to provide deeply experiential learning qualitatively similar to that found in the real world. MUVEs offer a pedagogically-driven immersive learning opportunity for educationalists that is cost-effective and enjoyable. A family of digital virtual avatars was created within Second LifeÂ® to investigate the implementation of a problem-based learning (PBL) task within an MUVE. The consensus among tertiary level educators was that the experience provided more immersion and engagement than traditional methods of technological provision, leading to potentially increased depth of learning. PBL appears to be an effective tool for aiding learning within immersive three-dimensional MUVEs.
Our Classical Macro Heritage

The great recession that lingered after the meltdown of 2007–2009 brought macroeconomic theory into disrepute. Although the profession’s fascination with macro models deserves criticism, the fundamental evolutionary principles of macroeconomics remain sound. This paper briefly addresses the key shortcoming in the world of macro modeling, but its main purpose is to recount, from a history-of-thought perspective, the reasoning behind the heart and soul of macroeconomic theory, which rests largely on the insights that have evolved on the impact of hoarded savings, the distinction between nominal credit and real credit, and full-employment restoration problems after a contractionary shock. A secondary purpose of the paper is to note (but not explore deeply) that our most recent recession was not a product of a decline in aggregate demand caused by traditional Keynesian factors, but rather was instigated by a purely micro factor internal to the commercial banking system.
Beyond patient-centred care: a conceptual framework of co-production mechanisms with vulnerable groups in health and social service settings

ABSTRACT This conceptual paper proposes a framework theorizing various service co-production mechanisms that providers may use in health and social service fields caring vulnerable and stigmatized service users. I theorize that service providers employ multiple co-production mechanisms in the service delivery/implementation phase – e.g. user–provider co-production, peer co-production, and user-driven co-production – to ensure users’ engagement in service decision-making processes. The framework demonstrates that each co-production mechanism has strengths and limitations, and no single mechanism is perfect. Operations of multiple co-production methods can lead to more meaningful representation opportunities for marginalized health and social service users – important public value that every individual deserves.
Improving Student Engagement in School Music Ensemble Programs

During recent decades, low enrolment numbers in high school music programs have been an ongoing issue in Australian schools, particularly in the senior years. Co-curricular ensemble programs provide music students with a practical and social outlet which complements their formal music education. This dissertation explores student engagement in high school cocurricular ensembles through the use of a qualitative methodology associated with Merriam (1988) and examines pedagogical methods of improving engagement and motivation within this setting. It also seeks to find a connection between student participation in co-curricular ensembles and enrolment numbers for classroom music subjects, particularly in the senior years of high school. A thorough literature review was conducted applying Framework Analysis from a constructivist perspective. This review investigates the relationship that adolescents have with music, both inside and outside of school. It outlines pedagogical approaches that relate to the conductors use of authority, task design, and evaluation in controlling the social dynamic of the ensemble to encourage an autonomous learning environment, dissuade social comparison, and enhance self-efficacy within students. Engagement is defined within the setting of Australian education using Fredricks, Blumenfeld & Paris’ (2004) framework of student engagement. Other key themes of the literature review include conductor teaching behaviours, staffing, repertoire selection, and the relationship between co-curricular ensembles and classroom music. Data was collected from Scotch College Adelaide and examined in an attempt to find a relationship between participation in co-curricular music ensembles and enrolment numbers in classroom music. Conclusions emphasise the role of the conductor in facilitating cognitive, emotional, and behavioural engagement within the ensemble. Desirable conductor behaviours include structuring rehearsals to include a variety of diverse tasks which follow complete teaching cycles, giving students opportunities to develop responsibility and independence within the ensemble, allowing for greater amounts time spent on student response, and providing students with process-oriented feedback to assist them in setting achievable short-term goals. The key output from this research is the development of a model of student engagement and motivation in an ensemble setting. This model combines various frameworks and models of student engagement, motivation, and social antecedents with instructional strategies specific
The Effect of Applying Argument Driven Inquiry Models to the Critical Thinking Skills of Students Based on Gender Differences

This study aims to determine the effect of the application of the Argument-Driven Inquiry (ADI) learning model on students' critical thinking abilities and to determine the differences in critical thinking skills between female and male students in the class using the learning model Argument-Driven Inquiry (ADI). The subjects of this study were students of class VIII.1 and VIII.5 JHS 13 Bandarlampung, consisting of 30 students of class VIII.1 and 30 students of class VIII.5. The sample was taken using a purposive technique by looking at the class with the same number of female and male students. The research design used was quasi-experimental design with Pretest-posttest Control Group Design and data collection techniques of critical thinking skills using pretest-posttest, which refers to the five criteria of critical thinking according to Ennis. The results showed that (1) there is an effect of applying the Argument-Driven Inquiry learning model on female students' critical thinking skills as indicated by the sig value. equal to 0,0001 (2) there is an effect of the application of the Argument-Driven Inquiry learning model on male students' critical thinking skills as indicated by the sig value. for 0,000 (3) there is no difference in critical thinking skills between female and male students using the ADI model indicated by the sig value and amounting to 0.725. That is, the application of the Argument-Driven Inquiry model affects the critical thinking skills of both female and male students, but there is no difference in critical thinking skills between female and male students. This means, the implementation of Argument-Driven Inquiry model effective on students’ critical thinking skill, but there is no difference in critical thinking skills between female and male students.
Antecedents of Knowledge Interaction in the Sustainable Interdisciplinary Research Team: A Mixed Research Method

This paper mainly focuses on two questions: (1) Which factors mainly influence knowledge interaction in a sustainable interdisciplinary research team (SIDRT)? and (2) How are knowledge interaction processes structured in a SIDRT? This paper first defines the conception of knowledge interaction in a SIDRT from the complex system perspective. Then the model of key influencing factors in a SIDRT is constructed through grounded theory, including subjects’ attributes, objects’ characteristics, environment, and resources of knowledge interaction. Furthermore, we propose hypotheses and empirically validate our conceptual model. The combination of the two methods can strengthen the research conclusions from different angles. Finally, based on our qualitative and quantitative results, the theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Effect of sheet forming method on the qualities of gluten-free rice wonton sheet

Wonton sheet is square yellow thin sheet made from wheat flour, alkaline salt (eg. Na 2 CO 3 and K 2 CO 3 ), salt (NaCl) and water. Wonton sheet is usually used to wrap meat filling and it is cooked by either boiling, frying or steaming. However, gluten protein from wheat flour in wonton sheet is harmful to coeliac disease patients. Rice is one of the most appropriate cereal grain for producing gluten-free products. However, rice flour is lack of gluten, so the rice dough could not be formed by normal method like wheat flour. This research aimed to study effect of wonton sheet forming methods on physical properties, cooking properties, and frying properties of gluten free rice wonton sheet. Chai Nat 1 (CN1) rice flour was used as raw material. Two sheet forming methods were compared in this work. First, rice flour slurry with high water content was steamed in flat tray to form a thin rice wonton sheet. The other method is to knead gelatinized rice dough with ungelatinization rice flour, and then sheet into thin wonton sheet. Raw wanton sheet made by steaming rice slurry method was more suitable to wrap the filling than that of kneading and sheeting method. However, wonton sheet formed by steaming rice slurry method was broken after boiling. In contrast, wonton sheet formed by kneading and sheeting method had good cooking quality with low cooking loss (5.55±0.77%). Elongation (%) of boiled wonton sheet formed by kneading and sheeting method was significantly lower than that of commercial wonton sheet (p≤0.05). Total oil content (%) of fried rice wonton sheets from both methods were lower than that of commercial sample. It can be concluded that the kneading and sheeting method is more suitable to produce the gluten-free wonton sheet than steaming rice slurry method, and the kneading and sheeting method should be used for producing no filling fried wonton.
The Role of R&D Leverage as a Dynamic Capability in Performance Creation: Evidence from SMEs in Taiwan

This study addresses the role of R&D leverage in SMEs’ performance creation. The authors do so by considering SMEs’ high resource dependence due to isomorphism. We propose that R&D leverage, with a presence of dynamic capabilities, plays a moderating role in the relation between resource investments and performance. This study, which focused on Taiwan’s SMEs, conducts a questionnaire survey using the hierarchical sampling technique, across various industries and geographic areas in Taiwan. The empirical findings reveal that R&D leverage as an essential leveler in resource management enhances resource advantages.
Does Firm Size Affect Worker Earnings? Case of Iranian Manufacturing Enterprises

Empirical literature on the link between firm size and wage effect indicates the positive effect of firm size on its workers’ earnings. The present study analyses firm characteristics and wage linkage in Iranian manufacturing enterprises over the period from 2004-2013. The findings indicate that the effect of education, skill, and gender on worker earnings in large enterprises is stronger than that in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In addition, in the Iranian manufacturing sector, larger exporting enterprises are more productive and capital intensive and tend to pay more wages and non-wage benefits to their employees.
Consumer Buying Behavior of Organic Food with Respect to Health and Safety Concerns among Adolescents

In the recent era, environmental protection has gained popularity and a paradigm shift has been observed in the consumer’s dietary choices. The consumer start preferring organic foods, as they are considered as healthier and eco-friendly. The organic food consumption is widely increased in the developed countries but its adoption is still low in the developing country like Pakistan. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the factors that affect the adolescent’s intention to purchase organic foods in the context of Pakistan. For the purpose of the study, the data have been collected from 350 respondents and Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) has been used for the analysis. The result shows that the variables ecological welfare, nutritional content, sensory appeal has a significant relationship with utilitarian and hedonic attitude. Whereas, natural content has a significant relationship with utilitarian attitude but has an insignificant relationship with hedonic attitude. On the contrary, price has a significant relationship with hedonic attitude but has an insignificant relationship with utilitarian attitude. Moreover, both the attitude (utilitarian and hedonic) has a significant relationship with consumer intention to buy organic foods. From the results, several implications can be derived for the marketers, policymakers, and the organic food retailers.
A Comparison of Immediate and Post-Session Feedback with Behavioral Skills Training to Improve Interview Skills in College Students

ABSTRACT Successful interviewing skills help maximize the probability that a job candidate will make a positive impression upon a prospective employer. Previous research described a method to increase appropriate interview skills using Behavioral Skills Training (BST) with post-session feedback. Immediate feedback has been shown as an effective method that may improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the training package described by previous research. The purpose of this study was to replicate past studies using BST to improve interview skills of college students and extend the study by comparing post-session and immediate feedback. All participants demonstrated improvements in interview skills, thus replicating previous findings. More specifically, BST with immediate feedback showed greater acquisition, maintenance, and generalization, with fewer training minutes required to meet mastery criteria compared to BST with post-session feedback.
On the benefits of multimodal annotations for vocabulary uptake from reading

ABSTRACT Several research articles published in the realm of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) have reported evidence of the benefits of multimodal annotations, i.e. the provision of pictorial as well as verbal clarifications, for vocabulary uptake from reading. Almost invariably, these publications account for the observed benefits with reference to Paivio's Dual Coding Theory, suggesting it is the visual illustration of word meaning that enhances the quality of processing and hence makes new words more memorable. In this discussion article, we explore the possibility that it is not necessarily the multimodality per se that accounts for the reported benefits. Instead, we argue that the provision of multimodal annotations is one of several possible means of inviting more and/or longer attention to the annotations – with amounts of attention given to words being a significant predictor of their retention in memory. After reviewing the available research on the subject and questioning whether invoking Paivio's Dual Coding Theory is an optimal account for reported findings, we report an eye-tracking study the results of which are consistent with the alternative thesis that the advantage of multimodal glosses for word learning lies with the greater quantity of attention these glosses attract in comparison with single-mode glosses. We conclude with a call for further research on combinations and sequences of annotation types, regardless of multimodality, as ways of promoting vocabulary uptake from reading.
Class size in the primary school years (Kindergarten - Grade three)

Studies of the effects of class size on children's learning have been conducted throughout the twentieth century involving nearly a million students. This article summarizes the professional literature on the effects of class size on primary grade children's learning and how it corresponds to the NAEYC's developmentally appropriate guidelines. Then, class size reduction policies such as hiring an additional teacher, implementing tutoring programs, or grouping students differently throughout the day to reduce class size during reading and math classes are presented. This article was written to help those who are involved in early childhood programs understand the many benefits that children gain from being in small classes during their primary school years. This open access graduate research paper is available at UNI ScholarWorks: https://scholarworks.uni. edu/grp/748 Class Size in the Primary School Years (Kindergarten Grade Three) A Journal Article Submitted to the Department of Curriculum and Instruction In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Education UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA
Effectiveness of Written Feedback in ESL Writing

Feedback is one of the most influential tools in the learning of writing. However, there are divided views on its impact on ESL writing. This article reviews past studies to explore the various types of written feedback and its effectiveness. Firstly, it discusses the feedback role in ESL students’ writing, followed by the types of feedback. Furthermore, it highlights the type of feedback which is useful and effective in the writing process. Next, it presents the different views on the effectiveness of feedback in ESL writing due to the type of feedback and the way it is given. Lastly, it concludes that feedback acts as a scaffold by providing a meaningful and impactful learning to students.
Equity Issues When in Distress

We investigate the role of financial distress in the seasoned equity market. We find that distressed firms comprise about 40% of SEOs and these distressed issuers have worse abnormal announcement returns than non‐distressed issuers. Stock return volatility is an important determinant for announcement returns for non‐distressed SEO issuers but not for distressed SEO issuers. Signals of firm quality are associated with better announcement returns, larger issues, increased investment, improved operating performance, and lower likelihood of delisting for distressed SEO firms as compared to non‐distressed firms. Our findings suggest equity finance is valuable for financially distressed firms with strong growth prospects.
Employees’ Remuneration and Performance in Nigerian Breweries PLC

This Study Aimed At Assessing The Effects Employees’ Remunerations On Productivity In The In Nigerian Breweries Plc. This Study Was Guided by three research objectives namely; to identify and discuss various forms of remuneration package in use, to examine the effects of remuneration packages on employees performance and to establish the relationship between improved remuneration and productivity in the Nigeria breweries. The study used descriptive research design. The population of this study consists of all staff working at the Nigerian Breweries PLC Ibadan. Sample of one hundred and twenty respondents were selected. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents. The descriptive statistics employed include; frequencies and percentage and the relationship between independent and dependent variables were established using Pearson Product Moment Correlation coefficient with the use of (SPSS). The findings were presented using tables and figures. From the findings in the Hypothesis, the r= 0.509** was obtained. This is significant as the p-value greater than 0.05. This shows that there was a significant relationship between remuneration packages’ and employee performance. The findings also revealed that quick payment of remuneration has great influence on employees’ productivity. The study concluded that remuneration package such as overtime, constant remuneration payment, promotes morale and increase team cohesion. From this finding, it was recommended that, organization should continue providing security benefits to all employees, as it will positively influence employee productivity and raise overall performance in the all sectors. The study also recommends that the organization should continue providing health protection benefits to its employees since it will help them create a sense of loyalty and encourage their productivity in the economic sector. Organizations, especially Breweries PLC should review the current retirement package since a good retirement package will attract and retain employees in the organization and also improve their productivity.