Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cross-Sectional Survey: The Influence of Various Teacher Backgrounds on West Kalimantan Chemistry TPACK Teachers

This study aims to examine teachers' perceptions of their Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) about age, gender, length of teaching, work location, teacher status, teacher education, and certification programs. This study used a cross-sectional survey method used in non-experimental quantitative research. The population in this study were all chemistry teachers in West Kalimantan using a purposive sampling technique obtain 70 to respondents from 14 districts. The survey consisted of 28 statement items and distributed questionnaires via Google form to chemistry teachers. Chemistry teachers rated themselves on a 5-point scale. All domains of the TPACK framework demonstrated valid and reliable instruments on Pearson's correlation values and Cronbach's Alpha Kruskal Wallis non-parametric test, Pearson's correlation was performed to analyze the data. Significant differences can be seen in the CK domain when viewed from gender differences with a p for CK of 0.044, so there is a significant difference between the gender of women (Mean = 4.08 SD = 0.416) and men (Mean = 4.32 SD = 0.470). Location of work affects the teacher's TCK and TPACK because there is a significant difference when viewed from the p namely the TCK and TPACK of 0.036 and 0.025. Perceptions of teachers' TPACK abilities were greater for teachers in cities than in villages in both the TCK domain (Mean = 3.58; 3.82 SD = 0.430; 0.466) and TPACK (Mean = 3.63; 3.91 SD = 0.483; 0.554).
Electron affinities of At and its homologous elements Cl, Br, and I

The multiconfiguration Dirac-Hartree-Fock method is applied to study the electron affinities of At and its homologous elements Cl, Br, and I. Our method of calculation is validated through the comparison with the available experimental electron affinities of Cl, Br, I, and other theoretical values. The agreement between our predicted electron affinities and the available experimental values for Cl, Br, and I is within 0.2%, which is an improvement of more than a factor of 10 over previous theoretical studies. Applying the same method to At, the electron affinity of At is predicted to be 2.3729(46) eV.
Economic Policy Uncertainty, World Uncertainty, and Economic Growth: Evidence from a Bayesian Vector Autoregression Analysis

This paper examines the relationship between the information content of newspaper-based Economic Policy Uncertainty (EPU) and the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) country report-based World Uncertainty (WUI) indices in relation to U.S. economic growth. Using data from 1990 to 2022 and incorporating a number of variables known to predict economic growth, our findings demonstrate the following: i) Based on different measures of WUI, whether U.S.-specific or global, and under various model specifications, we find that WUI is an important measure of uncertainty that negatively impacts real GDP growth. ii) EPU consistently exhibits a counterintuitive positive relationship with economic growth. iii) Variables such as corporate credit spreads and oil prices show a robust negative relationship with real GDP growth, while stock market returns are positively and robustly related to economic growth, underlying the importance of prices of financial assets and commodities for gauging the health of the economy.
Modification of Ginseng Insoluble Dietary Fiber by Enzymatic Method: Structural, Rheological, Thermal and Functional Properties

In this study, the effects of enzymatic modification using cellulase/xylanase on the composition and structural and functional properties of ginseng insoluble dietary fiber (G-IDF) were evaluated. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microcopy showed that enzymatic extraction treatment caused obvious structural alterations in ginseng-modified (G-MIDF) samples, which exhibited more porous and completely wrinkled surfaces. Comparing the peak morphology of G-MIDF with untreated IDF using X-ray diffractometry, the G-MIDF sample exhibited split peaks at a 2θ angle of 23.71°, along with the emergence of sharp peaks at 28.02°, 31.78°, and 35.07°. Thermo-gravimetric analysis showed that G-MIDF exhibited a specified range of pyrolysis temperature and is suitable for food applications involving processing at temperatures below 300 °C. Overall, it was evident from rheograms that both G-IDF and G-MIDF exhibited a resemblance with respect to viscosity changes as a function of the shear rate. Enzymatic treatment led to significant (p < 0.05) improvement in water holding, oil retention, water swelling, nitrite ion binding, bile acid binding, cholesterol absorption, and glucose absorption capacities.
Beyond Domar Weights: A New Measure of Systemic Importance in Production Networks

We present a new measure of producers’ aggregate importance in a production economy with inputoutput linkages. Unlike existing measures, which capture the impact of an isolated TFP shock to a sector on aggregate output, we quantify how a sector amplifies simultaneous shocks to all producers in the economy. In our context, a sector’s systemic importance reflects its ability to i) directly impact final demand, ii) indirectly affect the production of downstream firms, and iii) amplify shocks originating in other industries. Notably, our measure encompasses and extends an existing notion of centrality in production networks: producers’ Domar weight. Using US input-output data, we find that Domar weights underestimate sectors’ systemic importance by ≈ 50%, on average, and the extent of underestimation increases with the Domar weight of the sector. Additionally, our measure reveals significant changes in key US industries’ aggregate importance over time despite the relative stability of their Domar weights.
Convex Identifcation of Stable Dynamical Systems

Jack Umenberger, BE (Hons 1) Doctor of Philosophy The University of Sydney August 2017 Convex Identification of Stable Dynamical Systems This thesis concerns the scalable application of convex optimization to data-driven modeling of dynamical systems, termed system identification in the control community. Two problems commonly arising in system identification are model instability (e.g. unreliability of long-term, open-loop predictions), and nonconvexity of quality-of-fit criteria, such as simulation error (a.k.a. output error). To address these problems, this thesis presents convex parametrizations of stable dynamical systems, convex quality-of-fit criteria, and efficient algorithms to optimize the latter over the former. In particular, this thesis makes extensive use of Lagrangian relaxation, a technique for generating convex approximations to nonconvex optimization problems. Recently, Lagrangian relaxation has been used to approximate simulation error and guarantee nonlinear model stability via semidefinite programming (SDP), however, the resulting SDPs have large dimension, limiting their practical utility. The first contribution of this thesis is a custom interior point algorithm that exploits structure in the problem to significantly reduce computational complexity. The new algorithm enables empirical comparisons to established methods including Nonlinear ARX, in which superior generalization to new data is demonstrated. Equipped with this algorithmic machinery, the second contribution of this thesis is the incorporation of model stability constraints into the maximum likelihood framework. Specifically, Lagrangian relaxation is combined with the expectation maximization (EM) algorithm to derive tight bounds on the likelihood function, that can be optimized over a convex parametrization of all stable linear dynamical systems. Two different formulations are presented, one of which gives higher fidelity bounds when disturbances (a.k.a. process noise) dominate measurement noise, and vice versa. Finally, identification of positive systems is considered. Such systems enjoy substantially simpler stability and performance analysis compared to the general linear time-invariant
Fundamental Tradeoff among Identification, Secrecy and Compression Rates in Biometric Identification System

We investigate the fundamental tradeo ﬀ among the identiﬁcation, secrecy, and compression rates under the condition that the prior distribution of an identiﬁed individual is unknown. We combine the techniques developed by Tuncel (2009) and Ignatenko and Willems (2010) to analyze the capacity region of the three rate tuples mentioned above. We show that when the secrecy rate is zero, the capacity region of the identiﬁcation and compression rates is characterized as a form similar to the one given by Tuncel.
Objective Bayes and Conditional Frequentist Inference

Objective Bayesian methods have garnered considerable interest and support among statisticians, particularly over the past two decades. It has often been ignored, however, that in some cases the appropriate frequentist inference to match is a conditional one. We present various methods for extending the probability matching prior (PMP) methods to conditional settings. A method based on saddlepoint approximations is found to be the most tractable and we demonstrate its use in the most common exact ancillary statistic models. As part of this analysis, we give a proof of an exactness property of a particular PMP in location-scale models. We use the proposed matching methods to investigate the relationships between conditional and unconditional PMPs. A key component of our analysis is a numerical study of the performance of probability matching priors from both a conditional and unconditional perspective in exact ancillary models. In concluding remarks we propose many routes for future research.
Students’ Attitude towards the Utility of Kahoot! in English Learning: a Systematic Review

In the last three years till now, the use of online learning platforms significantly has become a trend caused by the pandemic. Many schools apply learning from home. It has been able to affect the students’ attitudes. Hence, teachers should think wisely about using the learning media. One of the popular online learning platforms, Kahoot! , is used by teachers. The impact of Kahoot! on students’ attitude is the researcher's concern. To support the research, the researcher applies a systematic review as research method. From a hundred articles, it has been filtered using a systematic review with PRISMA Flow into 38 articles obtained from Google Scholar, Garuda Ristekbrin, and Unpaywall. From 38 articles, it is able to state that Kahoot! is applied in learning all skills of English at once, writing skill, speaking skill, reviewing English, learning pronunciation skill, assessing vocabulary skill, conducting an exam of English, specific theme of English such as Events II, Recreation IV, Energy and Media, and tourism 1, grammar skill, reading skill, and vocabulary skill. Also, the students’ attitudes are mostly stated positive. The students are mostly motivated, better comprehending, excited, engaging, enjoyable, a good feeling, entertained, more active in class, paying attention, preferring the Kahoot! , and having the readiness to do with it in the next lesson. To recapitulate, the readers must be aware of common problems such as the internet and technical issues. Hence, the educators are able to keep the students’ attitudes in positive attitude.
Framing the Processes in Asynchronous CPD Online for Accounting Teachers in the Philippines

The BoA Resolution No. 358-2016 requires increasing the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements for all Certified Public Accountants(CPAs) from 60 to 120 units. This action intends to strengthen the Accountancy profession in the Philippines and be globally comparable with the CPD requirements for CPAs in other countries. For CPAs in Education, the most pressing issues that have to deal with the increase of CPD units are the costs of the CPD and the disruption of their classes when they attend seminars which may affect the quality of their classroom instructional delivery. With the Pandemic in the Philippines, CPD activities were delivered online. These opened a new perspective for value innovation in the delivery of CPD through asynchronous methodology. This research paper used mixed methods to frame processes for the asynchronous CPD. The researcher surveyed 242 accounting teachers from 72 universities and colleges in the Philippines to assess the need and preferred features for asynchronous CPD Online and identified and proposed components of processes using the empirical case study method.
One-pot removal of pharmaceuticals and toxic heavy metals from water using xerogel-immobilized quartz/banana peels-activated carbon

ABSTRACT Here, we report the efficient one-pot removal of heavy metal ions and pharmaceuticals using xerogel, activated carbon and gravel. The simplest xerogel from tetramethyl orthosilicate showed ∼ twice the adsorption capacity of activated carbon derived from banana peels at 600 °C and far greater (x 35) than quartz pellets of diameter ∼300 μm. Functional groups present in both xerogel and activated carbon greatly enhanced the adsorption process. The combination of the three adsorbents resulted in the removal of > 95% of heavy metal ions and pharmaceuticals from water. The data fitted well in linear equations of Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms, and pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetics, an indication for physisorption, chemisorption, adsorption and desorption processes during pollutant capture by the adsorbents. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Large-Scale Structure in Wind Forcing over the California Current System in Summer

AbstractThe wind that drives oceanic eastern boundary upwelling systems is highly variable. In many locations, the standard deviation of wind velocity on time scales of days to weeks is larger than the mean. In the ~1600-km-long California Current System (CCS), the spatial decorrelation scale of the wind fluctuations is ~400–800 km, suggesting wind fluctuations in the north and south ends of the system are not related. Yet, there is also the suggestion in the literature of a larger-scale structure in the fluctuations. Here, empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis of buoy and satellite wind velocities confirms the existence of that structure. This analysis covers a larger spatial domain than previous EOF studies in the CCS and, to allow for propagation of the wind fluctuations, includes an approach for calculating Hilbert EOFs from time series with gaps. The large-scale structure in the wind fluctuations is a quasi-dipole pattern spanning the coastline from Washington through California. It accounts f.
EFFECTIVENESS OF COMPOST, POTASSIUM HUMATE, AND INORGANIC FERTILIZERS ON MAIZE GROWTH

Food security is the major issue in Pakistan due to exponential increase in its population. Pakistan’ economy is highly dependent upon its agriculture sector which especially relies on its major crops. There is a huge gap between the output and actual requirements of food produce. The extensive cropping system over the years and specific crop rotation on the same organic matter are speedily converting productive and fertile soils into barren soils which are causing not only quantitative but also qualitative loss of crop outcome. There is a dire need to promote the use of non-conventional approached along with conventional approaches for maximum production of crops especially maize. In University of Agriculture Faisalabad a field trial was carried out at experimental area to figure out the effect of integrated nitrogen management on growth and yield of maize. In the experiment RCBD design was used with four replications. The integrated effect of potassium humate, compost and inorganic fertilizers on growth and yield of maize was studied under field conditions. Where humic acid @ 5 L ha-1 and compost @ 100 kg ha-1 along with NPK at @ 175:150:100 kg ha-1 were applied. Plant height, ear leaf length, number of grains per cob, grain yield, Chlorophyll content in leaves, nitrogen contents in grain and leaves and various other growth parameters were recorded at maturity. Integrated use of compost and humic acid along with NPK significantly affected all growth and yield parameters.
Unified Framework of KKT Conditions Based Matrix Optimizations for MIMO Communications

For multi-input multi-output (MIMO) communication systems, many transceiver design problems involve the optimization of the covariance matrices of the transmitted signals. The derivation of the optimal solutions based on Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) conditions is a most popular method, and many results have been reported for different scenarios of MIMO systems. In this overview paper, we propose a unified framework in formulating the KKT conditions for general MIMO systems. Based on this framework, the optimal water-filling structures of the transmission covariance matrices are derived rigorously, which are applicable to a wide range of MIMO systems. Our results show that for seemingly different MIMO systems with various power constraints and objective functions, the derivations and water-filling structures for the optimal covariance matrix solutions are fundamentally the same. Thus, our unified framework and solution reveal the underlying relationships among the different water-filling structures of the covariance matrices. Furthermore, our results provide new solutions to the covariance matrix optimization of many complicated MIMO systems with multiple users and imperfect channel state information which were unknown before.
Efficacy & Safety of Omalizumab in Indian Adult Patients with Severe Allergic Asthma: A Retrospective Observational Study

Background: We designed the present study to understand the characteristics of patients who initiate Omalizumab in a real-world setting and understand the long-term outcomes of Omalizumab in India. Methods: This was a retrospective, observational, cohort study using the data from health records of a tertiary care center (June 2018 and May 2020) in north India. We included patients aged 18 years or over with IgE mediated asthma (IgE levels 30-1500 IU/ml) who were prescribed omalizumab therapy at MCRD Severe Asthma Clinic for a minimum duration of 16 weeks. Patients were evaluated at 16 weeks (±2 weeks) and 52 weeks(±4 weeks). Exacerbations, hospitalizations/emergency visits, medications, asthma control test (ACT) score, and lung function before/after initiation with omalizumab therapy were assessed. Results: A total of 101 patients were included in the study. The mean age of patients was 61.1 years, with only 24.8% patients aged less than 50 years The number of exacerbations per year significantly improved (p <0.001) from a mean baseline of 6.34±2.04 to 1.52±0.99 at 16 weeks, 2.81±1.63 at 52 weeks. We observed a significant improvement(p<0.001) in ACT score, frequency of OCS bursts, and FEV1 at 16 weeks and 52 weeks. There were statistically significant improvements(p<0.001) in hospitalizations/ER visits per year and reductions in mean ICS dosage and mean number of medications prescribed for asthma daily. Conclusion: Omalizumab led to improved asthma control, lung function, and QoL and allowed a reduction in the dosage of medications for asthma. The improvement was observed irrespective of age and biomarker levels.
Strategic behavior and dynamic capabilities: studies in micro and small technology-based firms

Purpose: this work aims to contribute to the literature on strategic management in micro and small firms by identifying the main strategic behavior traits in micro and small technology-based firms.Methodology: the research method consisted of two phases: the first phase, quantitative, involved a survey of 104 micro and small technology-based firms, whose results were analyzed using the cluster analysis technique. The second qualitative phase involved five case studies, whose information was obtained through five semi-structured interviews and analyzed using the content analysis technique.Results: the results indicated which micro and small technology-based firms operate in sectors with high levels of dynamism and uncertainty, and their strategic behavior is based on the definition of competitive and innovation strategies, communication of strategic objectives to employees, allocation of organizational resources for innovation, market research and investments in R&D and development of dynamic capabilities for innovation, sensing changes in the external environment, seizing and reconfiguring resources, through strategic partnerships with external agents, especially customers, which can help these companies to adapt to market demands and obtain competitive advantages.Conclusions: the strategic behavior in micro and small technology-based firms is influenced by the definition of competitive and innovation strategies, communication of strategic objectives to employees, allocation of organizational resources for innovation, market research and R&D investments, and development of dynamic capabilities for innovation.
Collective urban gardens: growing, learning and fostering social engagement

ABSTRACT Scholars have recently worked to broaden the definition of urban engagement in order to better understand the multiple manifestations of this concept. Some, interested in grasping the potential transformative or demonstrative effects of everyday actions in urban settings, have examined active practices, such as gardening. Others have focused on the scale of action and have demonstrated how limited activities can have significant effects on individuals and communities. Building on the case studies of collective gardens in the significantly different urban settings of Québec City (Canada) and Madrid (Spain), we explore how the practices of urban gardening offer forms of learning that often go beyond gardening itself and expand into collective decision making and social engagement. The gardens we look at are grassroots based, have been in operation for approximately ten years and receive a form of support from city programmes. Our results show that these gardens are the sites of social processes where gardeners develop a strong identity in relation to the alternative lifestyles that they build, as well as a sense of belonging that goes beyond the boundaries of their garden and that connects them to nature. By developing their ethos of care, gardeners learn that neighbourhood-oriented actions have political implications that can help change the city.