Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigating Installers of Security Software in 20 Countries: Individual- and Country-Level Differences

This article provides detailed evidence about the installers of online security software on personal computers according to differences among clusters of countries and various other country characteristics. The study presents unique data based on real installations around the world. The data are based on a large-scale quantitative study ( N = 18,727 ) which was prepared in cooperation with an international security company. The cluster analyses revealed four distinct clusters of software installers: those who install the software for a different user, those who are IT technicians and mostly install the software for other users, those who install the software for themselves and others on a shared computer, and those who install the software only for themselves. A second cluster analysis revealed four different country clusters. Within these clusters, countries handle online security software installation similarly; however, there are differences for the clusters according to industrialized, English-speaking countries and the cluster of developing countries. This study presents unique cluster analyses of the countries to shed light on the cross-culture differences in security software adoption and installation. The results implicate that software companies should consider providing different versions of the security software to match the country characteristics.
Appendix for Regularized Softmax Deep Multi-Agent Q -Learning

Figure 3(d) in the main text shows the learned weights in the monotonic mixing network fs of QMIX during learning, where the details of the network structure can be found in Section E.1. The weights of the monotonic mixing network are obtained from hypernetworks [5], whose outputs are reshaped into a matrix with appropriate size. Specifically, the outputs of the first and second layers are reshaped to (num_agents, embed_dim) and (embed_dim, 1) respectively, which corresponds to the first three rows (as there are three agents in the environment) and the final row in Figure 3(d) in the main text with embed_dim = 32 corresponding to the columns. A darker color represents a larger value.
IL-33 promotes gastric tumour growth in concert with activation and recruitment of inflammatory myeloid cells

Interleukin-33 (IL-33) is an IL-1 family cytokine known to promote T-helper (Th) type 2 immune responses that are often deregulated in gastric cancer (GC). IL-33 is overexpressed in human gastric tumours suggesting a role in driving GC progression although a causal link has not been proven. Here, we investigated the impact of IL-33 genetic deficiency in the well-characterized gp130F/F mouse model of GC. Expression of IL-33 (and it’s cognate receptor, ST2) was increased in human and mouse GC progression. IL-33 deficient gp130F/F /Il33−/− mice had reduced gastric tumour growth and reduced recruitment of pro-tumorigenic myeloid cells including key mast cell subsets and type-2 (M2) macrophages. Cell sorting of gastric tumours revealed that IL-33 chiefly localized to gastric (tumour) epithelial cells and was absent from tumour-infiltrating immune cells (except modest IL-33 enrichment within CD11b+ CX3CR1+CD64+MHCII+ macrophages). By contrast, ST2 was absent from gastric epithelial cells and localized exclusively within the (non-macrophage) immune cell fraction together with mast cell markers, Mcpt1 and Mcpt2. Collectively, we show that IL-33 is required for gastric tumour growth and provide evidence of a likely mechanism by which gastric epithelial-derived IL-33 drives mobilization of tumour-promoting inflammatory myeloid cells.
‘Investigation of the relationship between smartphone addiction and social loneliness in high school students’

ABSTRACT This study was carried out with the aim of evaluating the relationship between smartphone addiction and social and emotional loneliness in high school students. It was planned to be descriptive and cross-sectional. This study was conducted between November and December 2019. ‘Student Identification Form’, ‘Smartphone Addiction Scale – Short Form’ and Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale were used to collect data in the study. In the statistical analysis of the data, number, percentage values, independent samples t-test, ANOVA, correlation and regression were used. A statistically significant difference was found between school type, income status, daily internet usage time, the state of having a computer and smartphone, and smartphone addiction scale mean scores (p < 0.05). A positive correlation was found between smartphone usage and social and emotional loneliness (r = 0.216, p = 0.001). Daily internet usage, smartphone usage time, and social media engagement predicted smartphone addiction by 36% (R2 = 0.36, p < 0.001). A significant relationship was found between smartphone addiction and loneliness in high school students.
Multi-task Learning for Concurrent Prediction of Thermal Comfort, Sensation, and Preference

Indoor thermal comfort immensely impacts the health and performance of occupants. Therefore, researchers and engineers have proposed numerous computational models to estimate thermal comfort (TC). Given the impetus toward energy efficiency, the current focus is on data-driven TC prediction solutions that leverage state-of-the-art machine learning (ML) algorithms. However, an occupant’s perception of indoor thermal comfort (TC) is subjective and multi-dimensional. Different aspects of TC are represented by various standard metrics/scales viz., thermal sensation (TSV), thermal comfort (TCV), and thermal preference (TPV). The current ML-based TC prediction solutions adopt the Single-task Learning approach, i.e., one prediction model per metric. Consequently, solutions often focus on only one TC metric. Moreover, when several metrics are considered, multiple ML models for a single indoor space lead to conflicting predictions, rendering real-world deployment infeasible. This work addresses these problems by leveraging Multi-task Learning for TC prediction in naturally ventilated buildings. First, a survey-and-measurement study is conducted in the composite climatic region of north India, in 14 naturally ventilated classrooms of 5 schools, involving 512 primary school students. Next, the dataset is analyzed for important environmental, physiological, and psycho-social factors that influence thermal comfort of children. Further, “DeepComfort”, a deep neural network based Multi-task Learning model is proposed. DeepComfort predicts multiple TC output metrics viz., TSV, TPV, and TCV, simultaneously through a single model. It is validated on ASHRAE-II database and the primary student dataset created in this study. It demonstrates high F1-scores, Accuracy (≈90%), and generalization capability, despite the challenges of illogical responses and data imbalance. DeepComfort is also shown to outperform 6 popular metric-specific single-task machine learning algorithms.
An Assessment of Multistage Reward Function Design for Deep Reinforcement Learning-Based Microgrid Energy Management

Reinforcement learning based energy management strategy has been an active research subject in the past few years. Different from the baseline reward function (BRF), the work proposes and investigates a multi-stage reward mechanism (MSRM) that scores the agent’s step and final performance during training and returns it to the agent in real time as a reward. MSRM will also improve the agent’s training through expert intervention which aims to prevent the agent from being trapped in sub-optimal strategies. The energy management performance considered by MSRM-based algorithm includes the energy balance, economic cost, and reliability. The reward function is assessed in conjunction with two deep reinforcement learning algorithms: double deep Q-learning network (DDQN) and policy gradient (PG). Upon benchmarking with BRF, the numerical simulation shows that MSRM tends to improve the convergence characteristic, reduce the explained variance, and reduce the tendency of the agent being trapped in suboptimal strategies. In addition, the methods have been assessed with MPC-based energy management strategies in terms of relative cost, self-balancing rate, and computational time. The assessment concludes that, in the given context, PG-MSRM has the best overall performance.
Mass transfer effect on viscous dissipative MHD flow of nanofluid over a stretching sheet embedded in a porous medium

Present analysis elucidates the steady free convective flow of nanofluid over a stretching sheet embedded in a porous medium. Mass transfer analysis with chemical reaction acts a great role in this study. The consideration of viscous dissipation makes the heat transfer analysis more interesting. The governing equations are remodelled as a system of ordinary differential equation adopting similarity transformation and treated numerically by 4th order Runge-Kutta method along with Shooting technique. The present results are compared with the earlier results which gives a good agreement. Some important findings are; porosity acts as aiding force whereas magnetic parameter as resistive force for fluid velocity, larger values of chemical reaction parameter result lower velocity and concentration. The study is relevant in polymer processing, food processing industries and chemical industries.
Comparative analysis of the effectiveness of interactive radio and interactive television instructions on improvement in life skills among out-of-school nomadic children in Northern Nigeria

Out-of-school children are children of school age who have not been enrolled in any formal learning programme. Despite the high number of out-of-school children in Nigeria, literature is yet to pay significant attention to ways of assisting these vulnerable children to acquire life skills. This study was a comparative analysis of the impact of interactive radio (IR) and interactive television (ITV) instructions in assisting out-of-school nomadic children to develop life skills. A quasi experimental design was utilized to conduct the study involving a sample of 470 nomadic children. Going by the result, although both respondents in the IR and ITV reported a significant increase in their life skills after the intervention, participants in the ITV group reported higher score (β = .721) in their life skills than their counterparts in IR (β = .511). It is recommended, among others, that stakeholders in the education sector should consider the use of IR and ITV as instruments for teaching out-of-school nomadic children in Nigeria with a greater focus on ITV.
21st Century Digital Skills, Technology Integration in Instruction and Challenges Encountered by Senior High School Teachers in Muntinlupa National High School

This descriptive-correlational study determined the 21st-century digital skills, technology integration in instruction, and challenges encountered in integrating technology. The participants in this study were composed of ninety-five Senior High School teachers in Muntinlupa National High School. The study sought to find a significant association between 21st-century digital skills and level of technology integration in instruction; challenges encountered and the level of technology integration of teachers in instruction. The study revealed that the majority of the respondents were female, aged 40 to 49 years old, acquired MA units, 7 – 12 years of teaching experience, and attended less than 3 related training on technology integration in instructions for the last past 6 months. Findings showed that the level of 21st-century digital skills and level of technology integration in instructions of the SHS teachers was very high. Teachers highly used video conferencing software such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, GoogleMeet, Cisco, WebEx, and others as the technology they integrate for their instructions. The challenges experienced by teachers in integrating technology in instructions were the following; poor internet connection, students' lack of support system, limited electronic materials and equipment, and lack of technological support from the school experts. Senior high school teachers aged 40 to 49 have higher skills in the information of 21st-century digital skills than teachers aged 50 and above. And, female senior high school teachers have higher skills in communication, collaboration, and problem-solving in 21st-century digital skills than male senior high school teachers. Meanwhile, the teachers’ level of technology integration in instruction and the challenges encountered in integrating technology were the same regardless of teachers’ profiles. The result further revealed that the higher the 21st-century digital skills of the teachers, the higher the teachers’ level of technology integration in instructions. And, the more challenges teachers encountered in integrating technology into instructions, the higher their level of technology integration into instructions.
Tree species diversity of the Kaptai National Park in Rangamati district, Bangladesh

The purpose of this study was to estimate the tree biodiversity in the Kaptai National Park. The total area of the Kaptai National Park is about 4,564 ha (11,273.08 acres) under the jurisdiction of Rangamati South Forest Division, Rangamati Hill Tracts district. The study was conducted through extensive survey only on the tree species composition in the Kaptai National Park. During the investigation, a total of 65 tree species belonging to 29 families were recorded from the park. Among the plant families, Mimosaceae possessed the highest number of species (7) followed by Meliaceae (6), Ancardiaceae (5), Moraceae (4), Verbenaceae (4), Combretaceae (4), Myrtaceae (4), Dipterocarpaceae (3), Fabaceae (3), Rubiaceae (2), Bombacaceae (2), Caesalpiniaceae (2), Dilleniaceae (2) and Bignoniaceae (2) respectively. There were 15 families which contained single species. Tree species belonging to the family Mimosaceae was dominated in respect to number of species and their population as well. The findings of the present investigation will contribute in the regeneration of tree species in this degraded forest ecosystem and in the protection, conservation and sustainable management of the Kaptai National Park. Jahangirnagar University J. Biol. Sci. 8(2): 71-79, 2019 (December)
Pelvic Exenterations for Persistent or Recurrent Cervical Cancer following Chemoradiation: Analysis of 51 cases

Objective: To evaluate the outcome for 51 cases of persistent or recurrent cervical cancer (PRCC) treated by pelvic exenteration (PE) following chemo radiation and based on an 11-year institutional experience. Material and Methods: Clinical records were analyzed for patients with cervical cancer (CC) treated with concomitant chemo radiation therapy (CCRT) in the Oncology Unit (OU) of the General Hospital of Mexico (GHM) from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2018 and operated for PE due to tumor persistence or recurrence. Results: Anterior pelvic exenterations (APE) were performed on 22 cases (43.1%), total pelvic exenterations (TPE) on 26 cases (51.0%), and posterior pelvic exenterations (PPE) on 3 cases (5.9%). Postoperative major complication (MC) occurred in 12 patients (23.5%), but with no postoperative mortality. Kaplan Meier curves showed a 5-year overall survival (OS) of 5.9 % and an OS of 39.2% for 25 months Univariate analysis showed statistically significant correlations between disease-free survival (DFS) and rectal invasion (p < 0.0001), parametrial invasion (p = 0.031), presence of distant metastases (p < 0.0001), and surgery performed 12 months after the completion of CCRT (p = 0.031). Multivariate analysis showed significant association between DFS and the development of distant metastases (p = 0.04), and between OS and Pelvic for rectal invasion (p < 0.0001). Twelve of the 51 patients (23.5%) developed tumor recurrences, with 9 of these (75%) occurring at distant sites. Conclusions: In this series of PRCC patients, DFS was significantly associated with parametrial and rectal invasion and with surgery performed 12 months after the diagnosis of recurrence. In multivariate analysis, OS was significantly associated with rectal invasion only. Since 75% of recurrences occurred at distant sites, patients at risk should be considered for adjuvant chemotherapy (CT).
Influencing Behavior Study of Natural Almond Shell Filler on the Tensile, Thermal, and Free Vibrational Properties of Flax Fiber Intertwined Vinyl Ester Composites

ABSTRACT The structural porosity weakness of a natural flax fiber-layered polymer laminate was reduced by the spatial rearrangement of natural almond shell filler occupying preferentially porous sites between the stacking layers, improving the properties of the polymer laminate. The present work investigates the mechanical, thermal, and free vibrational behavior of composites, including surface modification and the effect of almond shell filler loading in the flax fiber intertwined composites. Alkaline treatment of natural flax fiber and almond shell filler effectively reduced the hydrophilic contents of hemicellulose, lignin, and wax without altering the cellulose nature, as confirmed by FTIR analysis. Tensile strength was 35% higher for the alkaline-treated 10% almond shell-filled composite than the untreated filler composite. However, the tensile strength decreased beyond 10% of filler loading because of the poor dispersion of fillers in the matrix. As evident in the 10% filled almond shell composite, due to stronger interaction, polymer-mixed almond fillers act as a thermal insulating layer between the flax stacks, increasing thermal stability. Alkali treatment with an almond shell of 10 wt% filled flax fiber composite exhibited a higher natural frequency (185 Hz) and damping value (0.042) due to total internal dissipation of dynamic forces.
MEMS Inertial Sensor Calibration Technology: Current Status and Future Trends

A review of various calibration techniques of MEMS inertial sensors is presented in this paper. MEMS inertial sensors are subject to various sources of error, so it is essential to correct these errors through calibration techniques to improve the accuracy and reliability of these sensors. In this paper, we first briefly describe the main characteristics of MEMS inertial sensors and then discuss some common error sources and the establishment of error models. A systematic review of calibration methods for inertial sensors, including gyroscopes and accelerometers, is conducted. We summarize the calibration schemes into two general categories: autonomous and nonautonomous calibration. A comprehensive overview of the latest progress made in MEMS inertial sensor calibration technology is presented, and the current state of the art and development prospects of MEMS inertial sensor calibration are analyzed with the aim of providing a reference for the future development of calibration technology.
Isolation and Characterization of New Cellulosic Microfibers from Pandan Duri (Pandanus Tectorius) for Sustainable Environment

ABSTRACT Cellulose is the main component of natural fibers whose content varies greatly depending on the type of plant and its treatment. Therefore, it is necessary to examine the effect of chemical treatment on natural fiber properties. This study successfully extracted the content from Pandan duri (Pandanus tectorius) fiber through alkalization, bleaching, and acid hydrolysis. The effect of these chemical treatments on the characteristics of fiber surface, shape, chemical composition, crystallinity, and thermal properties was examined and analyzed. Subsequently, the cellulose components in the structure and the removal of lignin groups were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy spectrum analysis. The surface morphology analysis was done by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) that showed the raw fiber surface was still in the structure of bundles. However, it was decomposed into cellulose fibrils after chemical treatment with a diameter of about 2 µm – 20 µm. The chemical composition for cellulose content increased by 90.5%, while hemicellulose decreased by 89.6% after acid hydrolysis treatment. Also, X-ray (XRD) analysis showed crystallinity increased from 39.5% for raw fibers to 67.7% after the hydrolysis. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) showed higher degradation temperature of micro cellulose offered better thermal stability compared to raw fibers. In conclusion, the cellulose from Pandanus tectorius fiber can be used to reinforce biocomposites as an alternative to synthetic fibers for sustainability of environment.
Did statutory insurance improve the welfare of Swedish workers? The statutory workplace accident insurance act of 1916

ABSTRACT Welfare researchers have regarded statutory accident insurance in 1916 as a starting point for the exceptional expansion of the Swedish welfare state. However, rather less attention has been paid to the roles played by mutual insurance societies and employer compensation schemes in offering voluntary welfare protection. We argue that voluntary welfare protection was an integral part of the early-twentieth century welfare system and played a crucial role in protecting workers in the case of sickness and accident. We also examine the limitations of these arrangements and explore the ways in which the design of the statutory scheme ensured that there was a continuing role for voluntary provision after the new Act came into operation. We also explore the impact of the scheme on wage levels, and show how its introduction eroded the wage premiums which had previously been earned by workers in high-risk industries.