Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Novelette, a Usable Visual Storytelling Digital Learning Environment

Educational digital storytelling is widely recognised as a powerful approach in developing literary skills, experience problem-solving and computational thinking, information and knowledge visualisation, build creativity and divergent thinking supported by technological solutions. However, educators feel that they miss opportunities, skills, and tools to support pupils developing creativity. Hence, we proposed a digital learning environment, named Novelette, to support both educators and learners in performing visual storytelling by scaffolding them in inventing and authoring stories. The main novelty of our approach lies in embedding literary artifices widely explored in learning settings into a digital learning environment, such as the opportunity to continue someone else’s story and the suggestion mechanism to explore analogies or synonyms starting from a word of interest. Novelette has been ideated not only as a learning environment for educators, but with educators, as it results from a user-centered and participatory design methodology to involve them in the entire design and development process actively. This paper focuses on the assessment of Novelette usability according to both educators and pupils. As a conclusive step of the co-design approach, developers tested the resulting usability according to educators in a controlled environment. Moreover, they also assessed usability according to learners in real settings at school. Results demonstrate that Novelette is considered usable by both target groups, and it is perceived as a powerful approach in developing creativity both according to quantitative insight offered by the System Usability Scale, a.k. a. , SUS, and qualitative interpretations enabled with direct observations and structured after scenario questionnaires. We can conclude that Novelette is a pleasant and usable tool to invent and authoring stories and seems to be a promising approach to develop creativity.
Taking the road most travelled: Understanding patterns of snake (Colubridae; Storeria) movement and road mortality in a state park

Roadways negatively affect their surrounding ecosystems through the contamination of air, water, and soil resources, the dissection of populations and habitat areas, and the direct mortality of several fauna. My study assessed the significance of a number of variables that might influence the temporal and spatial patterns of road mortality in a population of Midland Brownsnakes (Storeria dekayi wrightorum). I utilized passive sampling techniques and roadwalking surveys to collect individual snakes from a road during their biannual migrations from lowland activity areas to upland forests where they hibernate. I discovered that sexually biased behavioral and natural history traits impacted an individual’s survivorship. Using a GIS, I was able to locate clusters of snake movement where individuals are drawn to cross in association with certain habitat types, topographic cues, or possibly even the scent trails made by other migrating snakes. Overall, this population may require the construction of below-grade ecopassages in order to mitigate mortality.
TerraceM: A MATLAB® tool to analyze marine and lacustrine terraces using high-resolution topography

High-resolution topographic data greatly facilitate the remote identification of geomorphic features, furnishing valuable information concerning surface processes and characterization of reference markers for quantifying tectonic deformation. Marine terraces have been used as long baseline geodetic markers of relative past sea-level positions, reflecting the interplay between vertical crustal movements and sea-level oscillations. Uplift rates may be determined from the terrace age and the elevation of its shoreline angle, a geomorphic feature that can be correlated with past sea-levels positions. A precise definition of the shoreline angle in time and space is essential to obtain reliable uplift rates with coherent spatial correlation. To improve our ability to rapidly assess and map shoreline angles at regional and local scales, we have developed TerraceM, a MATLAB® graphical user interface that allows the shoreline angle and its associated error to be estimated using high-resolution topography. TerraceM uses topographic swath profiles oriented orthogonally to the terrace riser. Four functions are included to analyze the swath profiles and extract the shoreline angle, from both staircase sequences of multiple terraces and rough coasts characterized by eroded remnants of emerged terrace surfaces. The former are measured by outlining the paleocliffs and paleoplatforms and finding their intersection by extrapolating linear regressions, whereas the latter are assessed by automatically detecting peaks of sea-stack tops and back-projecting them to the modern sea cliff. In the absence of rigorous absolute age determinations of marine terraces, their geomorphic age may be estimated using previously published diffusion models. Postprocessing functions are included to obtain first-order statistics of shoreline-angle elevations and their spatial distribution. TerraceM has the ability to process series of profiles from several sites in an efficient and structured workflow. Results may be exported in Google Earth and ESRI shapefile formats. The precision and accuracy of the method have been estimated from a case study at Santa Cruz, California, by comparing TerraceM results with published field measurements. The repeatability was evaluated using multiple measurements made by inexperienced users. TerraceM will improve the efficiency and precision of estimating shoreline-angle elevations in wave-cut terraces in both marine and lacustrine environments.
Large-eddy simulation of multi-material mixing andover-expanded nozzle flow

Turbulent ﬂows involving the interaction of shock waves and density variations are present in diverse areas of science and engineering. Inertial conﬁnement fusion (ICF), for example, is a theoretical technology which could lead to clean, inexpensive energy for thousands of years to come. The implications of ICF are enormous as are the engineering challenges associated with it. One primary obstacle is modeling and avoiding the hydrodynamic instabilities which grow on the surface of the ICF capsule and which can prevent fusion from occurring. The commercialization of space exploration and privately owned satellites has led to an unprecedented number of orbital launches, which is expected to double each year for the foreseeable future. Modern rocket propulsion systems must become more reliable and eﬃcient to sustain this growth. In the design of the supersonic rocket nozzle, a primary consideration is the avoidance of large ﬂow separation caused by shock waves and the resulting lateral forces or side loads generated. These side loads decrease the lifetime of the nozzle and destabilize the rocket. Due to the complexity of this physical process and the extreme conditions in which it occurs, limited experimental data are available and still much is not understood. Being able to accurately model turbulence and its interaction with shock waves and multi-species mixing has broad impact on these and other problems. In this thesis, numerical simulation is used to model these turbulent interactions in simpliﬁed conﬁgurations of the two aforementioned applications, ICF and rocket nozzles. Large-eddy Simulation (LES) is used to explore the multi-material mixing processes of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability and the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. Analysis of the data reveal interesting physics which were not previously documented and which have implications to astrophysical phenomena (type 1a supernovae) and advanced energy technology (ICF). LES is used to simulate an over-expanded planar nozzle which contains a shock wave turbulent boundary layer interaction. A new numerical method for simulating this type of ﬂow is described and tested on a variety of conﬁgurations to demonstrate its improved eﬀectiveness and accuracy over previous methods. The LES approach is then used to study the source of shock wave instability in the nozzle. A mechanism is identiﬁed and veriﬁed by additional simulations and a parametric study of the nozzle conﬁguration. A simple, reduced order model is proposed which captures the shock wave dynamics using a fraction of the computational cost of LES.
The HCMV US 28 vGPCR induces potent G α q / PLC-β signaling in monocytes leading to increased adhesion to endothelial cells

US28 transcripts have been detected in primary monocytes and in THP-1 monocytes infected with HCMV but US28 protein expression has not yet been demonstrated in these cell types. Moreover, the mechanism(s) by which US28 signals and contributes to viral pathogenesis in monocytes remains unclear. Here, we show that US28 protein is robustly expressed in HCMV infected THP-1 monocytes and that US28 can trigger Gαq dependent signaling in THP-1 cells infected with HCMV and in THP-1 cells stably expressing US28. US28 signaling in these cells is dependent on G-protein coupling, but independent of chemokine binding. Importantly, we demonstrate that this US28 signaling is functionally important as it stimulates the adhesion of monocytes to an endothelial monolayer. Our studies, which demonstrate that US28-driven Gαq signaling has profound effects on monocyte biology, suggest that US28 driven phenotypic changes in HCMV infected monocytes may play important roles in HCMV dissemination and/or pathogenesis. & 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Detection Performance Comparison of Two-Sensor Parallel and Tandem Distributed Detection Networks

For detecting deterministic signals corrupted by correlated Gaussian noise in a two-sensor distributed detection network, we study and compare the detection performance of the parallel topology with the tandem topology. It is known that under certain conditions, optimum sensor rules are in the form of single-threshold in both topologies. In other cases, by formulating the distributed detection problem as a nonlinear integer programming problem, suboptimal solutions for sensor rules are generated by the genetic algorithm. The analysis is also extended to 2-bit sensor reports to the fusion center.
Multicast Enhancements to Event-Driven Tactical Networking

As autonomous systems, sensors, and heterogeneous wireless platforms become increasingly interconnected and networked at the tactical edge, the performance of event-driven data sharing amongst groups of nodes becomes more central to effective operations. Event-driven architectures (EDA) are a means to better manage these events and distribute them across a network. The unique deployment constraints and group messaging requirements of tactical networks, however, create technical challenges for current state-of-the-art EDA solutions that often rely on excessive EDA management traffic and depend on unicast transport protocols. To examine group-centric EDA enhancements, we present an evaluation of multicast transport and forwarding technologies using the Zero Message Queuing (ZMQ) EDA socket library in emulated tactical network environments. Using ZMQ to generate group-based messages overtop a multicast transport layer coupled with efficient multicast packet forwarding techniques, we observe improved EDA message delivery and a reduction in overall network traffic load. While this is an initial study, our early results motivate continued work and enhancements to both the underlying network transport and EDA application design.
International Conference on Technologies and Materials for Renewable Energy , Environment and Sustainability , TMREES 15 Single and dual axis PV energy production over Greece : Comparison between measured and predicted data

The aim of this research is to reveal the real energy production over all Prefectures of Greece, produced by a typical medium scale photovoltaic (PV) power plant installed on one-axis and two-axis mounting systems. Previous investigations proved a remarkable difference between real and predicted energy production regarding fixed mounted PV systems. The main scope of this investigation is to further compare the efficiency and the energy produced by one and two axis tracking systems. Real measurements have been collected from more than 40 single and more than 80 dual axis PV plants all over Greece, while these measurements are compared to the simulation results for each corresponding site. It is shown that there is still a significant divergence between real measurements and simulations by known software packages. The produced photovoltaic energy yield maps concerning single and dual axis PV systems can be a powerful tool for potential investors, banks and installers for more accurate predictions of the expected annual energy yield of such PV installations. © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Peer-review under responsibility of the Euro-Mediterranean Institute for Sustainable Development (EUMISD).
On the Feasibility of Detecting Software Supply Chain Attacks

The Supply chain attack is the stealthy and sophisticated cyberattack that aims to compromise a target by exploiting weaknesses and vulnerabilities in its supply chain. Recent supply chain attacks (e.g., SolarWinds attack) have compromised some of the most secured IT infrastructures of government agencies and enterprises. The European Union Agency for Cybersecurity, ENISA, has predicted that there will be 3 times more supply chain attacks in 2021 than in 2020. In this paper, we look into the problem of supply chain attacks, the challenges of defending software supply chain attacks. We analyze what it takes to effectively prevent software supply chain attacks, and show that it is indeed feasible and practical for the customers to detect certain software supply chain attacks. We propose an information flow based detection approach that enables end users to detect many software supply chain attacks without dealing with any of the underlying software suppliers.
Understanding the Motivation that Shapes Entrepreneurship Career Intention

Entrepreneurship intention for graduate students like many other job and work career options depends on other considerations. Individuals who pursue their intentions are most likely to implement their intention. Interest in entrepreneurship as career appears to be growing. Reviews show the need in investigating the determinants of entrepreneurship as a career intention of students and it has remains the focus of most of the recent studies. This is due to the facts that entrepreneurs are creating jobs and driving economic development of a nation. In this study, the Theory of Planned Behaviour is applied to investigate students' entrepreneurial motivation and entrepreneurship intention. A total of 413 sets of completed questionnaire collected using the structured sampling methodology from the various faculties, races and student seniority at a University located in Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia were used in the analyses. The factors of entrepreneurial motivation affecting career entrepreneurship intention were found to be behavioural control, subjective norm, and attitude towards entrepreneurship. Behavioural control is found to be at a very good level while subjective norm and attitude towards entrepreneurship are both at a good level. Multiple regression analyses indicated that subjective norm and attitude of self-employment are both significantly related to student immediate and future entrepreneurship intentions. The behavioural control entrepreneurial motivation indicated significant relationship with student immediate career intention. However it was found that it is not related to entrepreneurship career intention. This study implies that young aspirant entrepreneur can be identified and targeted for development via the Planned Behaviour model for entrepreneurial interventions initiatives.
Mitigating Blind Detection Through Protograph Based Interleaving for Turbo Codes

The complexity involved to blindly detect the channel code parameters in the case of their imperfect knowledge is generally measured in terms of the minimum number of frames that an eavesdropper needs to observe for successful detection, adding an additional layer of privacy. In this work, starting from a defined almost regular interleaver for Turbo codes, we propose methods to construct a larger set of distinct interleavers that increases the minimum number of observations by a factor equal to the size of the constructed set. Furthermore, the generated sets of interleavers can be described by defining only a small number of parameters and are shown to achieve a comparable error correcting performance to base interleavers. To validate the proposed implementation-friendly method, an application example for information frame sizes $\mathrm{K}=128$ bits and $\mathrm{K}=512$ bits is provided for the construction of two sets of 8192 interleavers, prohibitively increasing detection complexity by state-of-the-art methods.
Managerial quality, administrative performance and trust in governance revisited: A follow‐up study of causality

Reports on a follow‐up study of the relationship between managerial quality, administrative performance and citizens’ trust in government and in public administration systems. The study was based on a survey of 502 Israeli citizens conducted during 2002 and was compared with a similar study that was conducted during 2001 among 345 Israeli citizens. The research tried to validate and replicate previous findings on the question of causality between performance and trust. As in the 2001 survey the technique of structural equation modeling with LISREL 8.3 was applied to test three competing models that were similar to those tested in the past. The present findings were very consistent with the previous ones found by the authors showing that the second model was the best fit with the data. According to this model managerial quality leads to administrative performance and ultimately to trust in governance. The findings support previous assumptions that administrative performance may be treated as a precondition to trust in governance rather than trust serving as the precondition to performance.
Optimal Signaling Schemes of 2- User Gaussian Mixture Multiple-Access Channels with 1-bit ADC

In this work, we investigate the optimal signaling schemes of a 2-user multiple access Rayleigh fading channel with 1-bit output quantization in the presence of Gaussian-mixture cochannel interference. The considered Gaussian mixture channel is an accurate model to capture non-Gaussian co-channel interference plus noise in practical wireless networks under coexistence regimes. By first examining the phases of the optimal input signals, we demonstrate that these phases must be π /2 circularly symmetric. As a result, the problem of optimizing the sum-rate is equivalent to minimizing the conditional output entropy. By establishing the Kuhn-Tucker condition (KTC) on the optimal amplitude input distributions, we then show that the optimal input amplitudes are bounded. Our proof relies on the convexity of the log of sum of Q functions. Then, given the linearity of the conditional entropy over the feasible set of bounded amplitude distributions, it is concluded that the optimal input signals must have constant amplitudes. Therefore, the use of any π /2 circularly symmetric signaling schemes with constant amplitudes and full power are sum-capacity-achieving. Using these optimal input signals, the sum-capacity can finally be calculated.
MRSA: A High-Efficiency Multi ROMix Scrypt Accelerator for Cryptocurrency Mining and Data Security

The development of low-energy, high-performance hardware for cryptocurrency mining is gaining widespread attention. The mining process for proof-of-work (PoW) in conventional cryptocurrencies’ blockchains is increasingly being replaced by application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). This leads to many security threats for the blockchain network because it decreases security and increases power consumption for mining. Therefore, Scrypt, the most representative ASIC-resistant algorithm, was developed to solve this problem. However, there are still some problems and challenges with the current Scrypt hardware. This article presents a new hardware architecture for the Scrypt algorithm intended for a PoW-based cryptocurrency mining system. The proposed Multi ROMix Scrypt Accelerator (MRSA) hardware architecture applies several optimization techniques: configuration, local-memory computing with high-performance pipelined Multi ROMix and rescheduling resources to significantly increase processing speed, flexibility, and energy efficiency. For evaluation, the MRSA is implemented on field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) to examine its actual performance, consumption, and correctness. Evaluation results on a Xilinx system-on-chip (SoC) with the ALVEO U280 Data Center Accelerator Card FPGA show that the MRSA is much more power-efficient than some of the most powerful commercial CPUs, GPUs, and other FPGA implementations. On the ALVEO U280, the MRSA achieves a maximum hash rate of 296.76 kHash/s, a throughput of 304.9 Mbps when reaching a maximum frequency of 259.94 MHz, and a power consumption of 18.12W. The energy efficiency of the MRSA on the ALVEO U280 SoC is 52.83 and 867.88 times higher than those on an RTX 3090 GPU and an i9-10940X CPU, respectively.
Synchronous Reluctance Motor Drive System Fed From Three-Phase Matrix Converter

This article introduces three-phase synchronous reluctance motor (SynRM) drive system based on matrix converter. A SynRM is selected in this drive system due to its higher efficiency and better cooling compared to induction machines. In this drive system, matrix converter is used to control SynRM as there is no big DC link capacitor in this converter as in the traditional rectifier inverter. This reduces the repetitive maintenance of the drive system. Moreover, the AC input voltage is directly converted to the output side with the required amplitude and the required frequency without any reactive element. This converter is capable of producing an extensive range of output frequencies. Indirect space vector modulation is implemented to control the converter switches with field-oriented control technique. The drive system's performance is studied at various operating condition either in torque control mode and in speed control mode.