Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The influence of Hanok experience on tourists’ attitude and behavioral intention: An interplay between experiences and a Value-Attitude-Behavior model

This study examines the impact of Hanok experience on tourists’ attitude and behavioral intention using the experience economy (Pine and Gilmore, 1998) and the experienced utility theory (Kahneman et al., 1997). Specifically, the study explores how tourists’ experiences are associated with a Value-Attitude-Behavior (VAB) model in the context of a heritage tourism attraction such as Jeonju Hanok Village in South Korea. A total of 323 responses were examined using SEM analysis. The results revealed that educational, entertainment, and escapism experiences significantly influenced functional value. Functional value had a significant relationship with attitude, which was positively related to behavioral intention. The results indicate the interplay of tourists’ experiences with the VAB model. The study provides theoretical and practical implications for tourism and hospitality academics and practitioners.
Parkland Trees under Severe Drought: An Assessment of Species Diversity and Abundance across Three Agroecological Zones of Northern Nigeria

The appraisal of tree stand structure on parklands is crucial for sustainable agroforestry management decisions, particularly in the drylands of Nigeria. An assessment of tree species distribution in farm plots across the three driest Agroecological zones (AEZ) within Northern Nigeria was performed to determine diversity and abundance in a changing climate. The AEZ include Sudan savannah (SS), Northern Guinea savannah (NGS) and Southern Guinea savannah (SGS). In each AEZ, 3 transects were laid per village and a total of 4 sample plots were located along each transect. Tree bole diameter of all the sampled woody perennials with dbh ≥ 10 cm was measured and identified to species level. The measurement and computation include basal area, species relative density and dominance as well as the important value index (IVI). Results showed that across the AEZs, Parkia biglobosa trees had the highest IVI but reduces from the driest zone, SS (50.25%) through the transitional zone, NGS (38.45%) to the wettest AEZ, the SGS (35.43%). The lowest IVI recorded were in Gliricidia sepium (0.62%), Psidium guajava (2.89%) and Eucalyptus camaldulensis (1.83) in the SGS, NGS and SGS respectively. Parkia biglobosa and Mangifera indica dominated the landscapes and are classified as the landscapes’ habitat generalists. Despite the low organic matter content, Sudan savannah had more diverse species on its farm landscapes than the two other AEZ but with less tree popuplation density. The potential contribution of agroforestry parkland trees to agrobiodiversity in reducing drought and improving soil fertility is essential for sustainable agricultural productivity and landscape restoration.
On the Implementation of Robust Meta-Analytical-Predictive Prior

Abstract Prospectively leveraging historical control information has become increasingly popular in biometrics research. For placebo or drugs that are already being used widely, such historical controls may provide useful prior information. However, robustness of analysis in the presence of prior-data conflicts is arguably an important topic. Meta-analytical-predictive (MAP) prior is a well-known dynamic borrowing method for this purpose. A robust MAP (rMAP) prior has been shown to improve the robustness by adding a weakly informative component to the original MAP prior. Specific implementations of rMAP can vary depending on where the weakly informative prior is integrated to the relevant historical data. In this article, we outline the differences among three approaches and design simulation studies in which their performances are compared. Our results suggest that their performances can differ considerably, contrary to the perception that they are equivalent in the robustification setting.
Misunderstandings, mischaracterizations, and malicious accusations: A reply to Walby’s (2021) SWAT Everywhere?

To develop a more informed understanding of why tactical officers are used in Canada, we interviewed patrol and tactical officers from three Canadian police services (Jenkins et al., 2020). Interviewees indicated that tactical officers tend to be used on calls that go beyond the capabilities of patrol officers, including high-risk calls and calls unfolding in special environments, and that their use results in reduced threat to police and public safety. In response, Walby (2021) has argued that evidence-based policing (EBP) research of the sort we conducted is inherently biased. He also criticized our understanding of existing literature, took aim at our research methodology and conclusions, and questioned our academic integrity by claiming that we were paid by the participating police services to conduct the research. While Walby makes some valid criticisms of our research, his response is riddled with misunderstandings, mischaracterizations, and malicious (unfounded) accusations. After setting the record straight with respect to allegations regarding our nefarious motives to conduct the research, we argue that Walby completely misrepresents EBP research when he argues that it aims to support harmful police practices in exchange for financial support. We then correct numerous instances where Walby either mischaracterizes existing research or misrepresents our views (and those of our interviewees) when it comes to the use of tactical officers. We conclude by calling for more inclusive conversations to take place to address the issue of police militarization. These conversations must include community members, but they must also include the police.
Employment Status in Individuals with Upper-Limb Amputation: A Survey of Current Trends

ABSTRACT Introduction After upper-limb amputation, employment opportunities may be limited. Given the dramatic shift in the job market in the United States in the recent years, there is a need to examine the updated employment rates and the types of occupations to which individuals with amputation can return to. In this study, we assessed current employment status for people with upper-limb loss and determined whether these individuals needed to change jobs as a result of limb loss. Second, we examined whether demographic or impairment-specific factors were correlated with employment status or the need to switch jobs. Materials and methods Individuals with upper-limb amputation provided personal and employment information in an online survey. We explored the bivariate relationships between employment status and 11 personal factors (e.g., age at amputation, highest education level). Using the significant factors from this analysis, we built a logistic regression model for postamputation employment status. We also explored the relationship between these same 11 factors and the individuals' need to switch jobs after limb loss. Results A total of 199 and 160 respondents were deemed eligible for the employment status and job switch analyses, respectively. Of the working-aged respondents, 60.8% (121/199) were employed at the time of survey. Twenty-nine percent (47/160) reported needing to change jobs because of their amputation. Factors negatively associated with employment included having a bilateral amputation, lower education level, older age at amputation, higher pain frequency, and wearing a prosthesis less frequently. Higher education level was the only significant predictor of successful employment in the logistic regression model. There were no significant relationships between any factor and the need to change jobs after amputation. Conclusions The results suggest that individuals with upper-limb amputation have a lower employment rate than the national average. Future work should focus on understanding the reasons behind employment challenges in this population.
Analysis of Urea, Creatinine, and Platelet Indices in Hypertensive Patients

Hypertension may lead to complications of kidneys and blood vessels. Measurement of urea, creatinine, and platelet indices can be markers of renal function and endothelial dysfunction in hypertensive patients. This study aimed to analyze the profile and correlation between renal function parameters such as urea and creatinine and platelet indices (MPV, PDW, and PCT) with blood pressure in hypertensive patients. One hundred and thirty-third hypertensive patients treated at Wahidin Sudirohusodo Hospital from April to July 2019 were involved in this cross-sectional study. Researchers collected demographic data, blood pressure degrees (based on ESC 2018), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and urea, creatinine, and platelet index value (MPV, PDW, and PCT) data from the medical record. Descriptive analysis, Spearman test, Fisher exact test, and Kruskal-Wallis test were used confidence interval of 95%. A total of 133 participants were involved in this research. There were significant difference between the mean age (p=0.023), MPV (p=0.032), and PCT (p=0.019) to the degree of hypertension, while gender (p=0.185), urea (p=0.106), creatinine (p=0.498), platelet (p=0.094) and PDW (0.826) showed no significant difference. The bivariate correlation test showed that urea (rs= -0.232 p=0.007) and creatinine (rs= -0.180 p=0.038) had a positive correlation with systolic blood pressure. Platelets index, MPV (rs=0.285 p=0.001), and PDW (rs=0.179) were positively correlated to systolic blood pressure. Also, urea levels and creatinine were positively correlated with MPV value. There was an increase in MPV along with the increase of urea, creatinine. An increase in MPV could be a predictor of endothelial damage and the risk of atherothrombosis.
Impact of Initial Emotional States and Self-Efficacy Changes on Nursing Students’ Practical Skills Performance in Simulation-Based Education

Training through simulation has shown to increase relevant and specific skills sets across a wide range of areas in nursing and related professions. Increasing skills has a reciprocal relation to the development of self-efficacy. A study was conducted to assess changes in the development of self-efficacy in simulation training for 2nd year nursing students. Initial emotional states, pre and post self-efficacy, and expert ratings of simulation performance were assessed. Results show that students who displayed an increase in self-efficacy as a result of simulation training were also judged to perform better by expert ratings. The effect of simulation on self-efficacy could be influenced by initial states of physiological activation and over control. Results also showed that initial emotional states did not moderate self-efficacy development on outcome measures. These findings improve our understanding on the relationship between students’ self-efficacy and performance of practical skills and inform pedagogical designs and targeted interventions in relation to feedback and supervision in nursing education.
Diversifying an Academic Library’s Children’s and Young Adult Collection: A Case Study from the University of Florida’s Education Library

Abstract This case study focuses on the Education Library’s plan to diversify its children’s and young adult literature collection. After a large renovation, the author created a collection development plan for this collection with the goal to create a diverse and inclusive collection. This article will detail the process of creating the plan and the beginning of implementation. Phase 1 focused on the addition of immigrant and refugee stories, bilingual books, and graphic novels. The emphasis of Phase 2 has been on improving the metadata of award books and purchasing books with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color main characters.
Obvious Phase Transition Status Induced by He +-Ions Implantation in KTN Crystal

We report on the formation of a critical ferroelectric state induced by the He+ ion implantation in potassium tantalate niobate crystal. An obvious phase change has been observed in the ion irradiated region, which is mostly related to the stable polarized nanometric regions formed during the ion implantation process. Under the irradiation of 2 MeV He+ ions, two distinguishable layers corresponding to different energy transfer modes (elastic nuclear collision and inelastic electronic collision, respectively) between the incident He + ions and the intrinsic lattices have been formed beneath the irradiated surface. Lattice dynamics before and after the ion implantation process are investigated by a confocal μ-Raman system. And the variations of typical Raman-active vibrational modes demonstrate the presence of lattice distortion in the irradiated region. X-ray diffraction experiments further suggest the uniform lattice elongation in this region. Piezo-response force characteristic measurements reveal the existence of stable polarized nanometric regions with more intense polarization and verify that the crystal with such a phase status possesses extraordinary microscopic disorders, which is different from the traditional ferroelectric or paraelectric phase. The ion implantation method provides a new approach to form a temperature-stable critical ferroelectric state in relaxor ferroelectric materials. Also, analyses of the modification on the lattice dynamics of the irradiated region can help us build a clear awareness of the physical essence of this critical state and the relaxor ferroelectricity.
Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles from Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench with antioxidant profile

Abstract Nanoparticles reveal unique properties due to their application in many fields. The easy, eco-friendly, and cost-effective method for synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from the aerial part of Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench was demonstrated in this work. The synthesized AgNPs were elucidated by Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Scanning electron microscope (SEM) spectroscopic analyses. The UV-Vis spectrum revealed the maximum absorption at 481 nm and SEM spectral analysis displayed the formation of spherical shape silver nanoparticles with an average size of 68.24 nm. XRD spectral analysis at 2θ degrees of 38.1°, 44.3°, 64.4°, and 77.4° can be indexed to the (111), (200), (220), and (311) Bragg’s reflections of the face-centered cubic crystalline structure. Antioxidant activity of AgNPs and water extract were executed using the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH•) scavenging, 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) radical cation (ABTS•+) scavenging, and reducing power assays. AgNPs and extract exhibited excellent antioxidant activity that could be promising for food and pharmaceutical utilization.
Social Robots for Joint Attention Development in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review

ABSTRACT With technological developments in the 21st century, robot applications have proven to be beneficial in providing some opportunities to help with teaching numerous skills such as joint attention and social skills to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, in the studies investigating the effects of robots on joint attention (JA) in children with ASD, contradictory results were reported. On this ground, this study aims to review the recent studies that were conducted with robot applications for the development of JA skills in children with ASD. Thirteen peer-reviewed articles were analysed to gain an understanding of the experimental effect of robot applications. According to the analysis, NAO drew attention as the most frequently used type of robot. It was observed that all JA studies with robots had been conducted in structured settings. Moreover, it was revealed that methodological limitations were making it difficult to draw a definite conclusion about the clinical benefits of robots. It is recommended that further studies should be conducted to increase the use validity of robots and that more studies comparing humans to robot partners, especially in JA interactions, should be conducted to enrich the literature on the subject.
Antioxidant Effects of Aerobic Training and Crocin Consumption on Doxorubicin-Induced Testicular Toxicity in Rats

Objective: Doxorubicin (DOX) treatment has been reported to increase the risk of serious toxicity in testis, therefore the aim of the present study was to investigate the antioxidant effects of training and Crocin on doxorubicin-induced testicular toxicity in rats. Materials and methods:⊆max) 5 day/w. Also, groups 2 to 7 administered 2 mg/kg/w DOX intraperitoneal. The testes were removed and glutathione peroxidase (GPX), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and protein carbonyl (PC) were analyzed using ELISA methods, one-way analysis of variance along with Bonferroni’s post hoc test were used for analysis in SPSS (P≤0.05). Results: The results of the present study showed that doxorubicin induced oxidative stress in testicular tissue by decreasing the level of GPX and TAC and increasing PC level (P≤0.05); TAC and GPX improved in all groups except groups 2 and 5, respectively, and their increase in the group 7 was significantly higher compared to other groups (P≤0.05). Increased PC levels were significantly reduced in the groups 5, 6 and 7. Conclusion: The increase in antioxidant levels in the concurrent Crocin and training group seems to be dose-dependent, but the oxidative stress in both Crocin and training groups of 10 and 50 mg/kg/d is associated with a decrease, but its modulation in the Crocin consumption group alone depends on the dose.
The Impact of Audit Committee Characteristics on Corporate Biodiversity Disclosure: An Analysis of Japanese Firms

The objective of the study is to examine the impact of audit committee (AC) characteristics on corporate biodiversity disclosure by using the data of Japanese listed firms. For this purpose, the empirical data has been collected from corporate reports. The study develops hypotheses about the relationship between corporate biodiversity disclosure and AC characteristics such as size, independence, gender diversity, independent chair, frequency of meetings, and financial expertise. We use panel regression (fixed effects model) to test the proposed hypotheses. The empirical results depict that the AC size, gender diversity, AC meetings, and financial expertise significantly impact corporate biodiversity disclosure. However, the AC independence and independence of the chair are not significant. The findings of this study may help regulators, policymakers, investors, shareholders, and managers in assessing and monitoring the corporate biodiversity disclosure in light of AC characteristics.
Influence of perforated gas diffusion layer micropore shape parameters on water removal in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell flow channel

To investigate and optimize the water‐gas transport performance of microporous gas diffusion layer (GDL) flow channel, the simulation of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is implemented with the volume of fluid method (VOF). The impact of microporous GDL flow channel with different depths, radiuses, and spacings on water transport and water removal is discussed. With the increase of microporous depth, the droplet movement velocity gradually accelerates. When the droplet returns to GDL, the peak of drag reduction rate increases first and then decreases and the peak of pressure drop tends to rise. The micropore radius has a few effects on droplet movement velocity, but it has obvious effects on the velocity field, pressure drop, and drag reduction rate. The influence of the spacing on the water droplet movement velocity and pressure drop is inconspicuous, but it has certain influence on drag reduction rate of the droplet returning to GDL and the microporous GDL velocity field. When the depth is 50 μm, radius is 50 μm, and spacing is 200 μm, the flow channel has a better drag reduction performance. The work in this paper provides a guide for the design of the microporous GDL for drag reduction and water removal.
Study Of Students’ Performance Prediction Models Using Machine Learning

Educational Data Mining (EDM) is a novel concept associated with developing methods for exploring the specific types of data produced by educational settings and using those approaches to effectively understand students and the environments in which they learn. Prediction attempts to shape trends that will allow it to predict results or learning outcomes based on available data. Predicting student success has become an appealing challenge for researchers. They develop an understandable and efficient model using supervised and unsupervised EDM techniques. This assists decision-makers in improving student performance. The task of deciding the best model leads to the emergence of various techniques from both EDM techniques. The numerous research models used to solve the problem of student success prediction using educational data mining are discussed in this paper. The primary purpose of this paper is to explain the methodology for implementing the proposed solution for student performance prediction, as well as to present the findings of a study aimed at evaluating the performance of various data mining classification algorithms on the given dataset in order to assess their potential usefulness for achieving the goal and objectives.
Controllable Text-to-Image Generation with Enhanced Text Encoder and Edge-Preserving Embedding

Text-to-image generation through generative adversarial networks (GANs) has become a popular research topic in the fields of natural language processing and high-quality image synthesizing. By learning latent word features of queries, many state-of-the-art GANs generate images from coarse to fine in a multi-stage trend. While this mechanism is able to synthesize realistic images stage by stage, failures containing semantic mismatches and shape distortions still exist. In this project, we adopted a multi-stage text-to-image GAN as a baseline, and remodeled this structure in two ways: 1) modify the text encoder by pre-processing text queries with pre-trained language models to gain deeply mined text information, and 2) develop an edge-preserving structure to capture feature mismatches, denoted as “edge loss”, between text latent information and generated image edges. Experiments on benchmark dataset demonstrate that models of our method outperform the baseline model and increase Inception Scores by over 30%, and that our approaches are able to effectively generate synthetic images using natural language descriptions.
Estimating Stress-Strength Model for Weighted Lomax Distribution

This paper aims to estimate the stress-strength reliability parameter = ( < ), when and are follow the weighted Lomax (WL) distribution. The behavior of stress-strength parameters and reliability have been studied by using maximum likelihood and Bayesian estimators through the Monte Carlo simulation study which carried out showing satisfactory performance of the estimators obtained. Finally, two real data sets representing waiting times before service of the customers of two banks A and B are fitted using the WL distribution and used to estimate the stress-strength parameters and reliability function.