Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Technology Acceptance Model and Academic Performance of Technology Acceptance Model and Academic Performance of Postgraduate Students: The Moderating Role of Academic Self-Postgraduate Students: The Moderating Role of Academic Self-Efficacy Efficacy

Different models and theories have been tested in educational institutions to predict academic performance of the students. With the development of the technology and the advancement of communication channels, this study explores the impact of the usage of technology on student’ academic performance. For this purpose, the study aims at hiring technology acceptance model (TAM) to test the effect of the usage of social media on academic performance. TAM-core variables are comprised of five variables including perceived ease of use of social media, perceived usefulness of social media, intention to use of social media, and actual use of social media. Interestingly, the study sees the effect of TAM-core variables predicting academic performance of the postgraduate students by the moderating of academic self-efficacy. The study used Quantitative research method by adopting design survey questionnaires. First, the study administered survey questionnaires among the postgraduate students of public and private universities. The study found that there was the significant links among TAM-core variables. In addition, actual use of social media was found to have significant and positive impact on academic performance. Moreover, academic self-efficacy was found to have the moderating role between actual use of social media and academic performance. Second, the study uses Qualitative research method by conducting face-to-face interviews to support the academic self-efficacy of the students to respond academic performance positively. The study identified personal and socio-contextual factors further categorizing into other factors. Finally, the study contributes to future directions, limitations and practical implications.
MBPR ： A Business Process Repository Supporting Multi-Granularity Process Model Retrieval

—Business process repository aims at business process model discovery and reusing. However, most of current approaches for process matchmaking have the limitation that the process models should be in the same granularity, wherease a process repository with good support for multi-granularity business process retrieval is still rare. In this paper, we propose a similarity measurement mechanism which can effectively calculate the similarity between business process models in different granularity levels. A case study is used to demonstrate how modelers can search multi-granularity business process. At last, we conduct extensive experiments based on real dataset to study the performance of the repository.
Early Childhood Teachers’ Self-Efficacy for Supporting Development Scale

Purpose of this study is to develop Early Childhood Teachers Self-Efficacy Beliefs for Supporting Children’s Development Scale (ECTSBSCDS). The literature review provided an information base for the creation of scale items. Thus, initially 122 items were created. After experts review for content and discern validity 82 items left in the scale. Twenty-six preschool and kindergarten teachers from four different kindergartens in Erzurum and 156 preservice early childhood education teachers responded to the self-efficacy questionnaire. A series of factor analyses were applied after the data collection to extract factors. After the explanatory factor analysis 38 items were left in the scale. An analysis of the entire scale revealed a reliability score of 0.96. Findings revealed that the ECTSBSCDS is a valid and reliable instrument.
TECHNISCHE BERICHTE TECHNICAL REPORTS

Registering partial shapes plays an important role in numerous applications in the ﬁelds of robotics, vision, and graphics. An essential problem of registration algorithms is the determination of correspondences between surfaces. In this paper, we provide a in-depth evaluation of an approach that computes high-quality correspondences for pair-wise closest point-based iterative registration and compare the re-sults with state-of-the-art registration algorithms. Instead of using a discrete point set for correspondence search, the approach is based on a locally reconstructed continuous moving least squares surface to overcome sampling mismatches in the input shapes. Furthermore, MLS-based correspondences are highly robust to noise. We demonstrate that this strategy out-performs existing approaches in terms of registration accuracy by combining it with the SparseICP local registration algorithm. Our extensive evaluation over several thousand scans from different sources verify that MLS-based approach results in a signiﬁcant increase in alignment accuracy, surpassing state-of-the-art feature-based and probabilistic methods. At the same time, it allows an efﬁcient implementation that introduces only a modest computational overhead.
Membership Optimization for Clustering Process in Machine Intelligence-A Practical Approach

: Clustering is an unsupervised method to divide data into disjoint subsets with high intra-cluster similarity and low inter-cluster similarity. Most of the approaches perform hard clustering, i.e., they assign each item to a single cluster. This works well when clustering compact and well-separated groups of data, but in many real-world situations, clusters overlap. Thus, for items that belong to two or more clusters, it may be more appropriate to assign them with gradual memberships to avoid coarse-grained assignments of data. The objective of k-means clustering is formulated as a Rayleigh quotient function of the between-cluster scatter and the cluster membership matrix and further combined with nonlinear dimensionality reduction in Hilbert space, where heterogeneous data sources can be easily combined as kernel matrices. The objective to optimizing the kernel combination and the cluster memberships on unlabeled data is non-convex. To solve it, minimization method to optimize the cluster memberships and the kernel coefficients iteratively to convergence is to be applied. Instead of a single fixed kernel, multiple kernels may be used. Recent developments in multiple kernel learning have shown that the construction of a kernel from a number of basis kernels allows for more flexible encoding of domain knowledge from different sources or cues. We here extend the multiple kernel-learning paradigm to fuzzy clustering. The proposed algorithm simultaneously finds the best degrees of membership and the optimal kernel weights for a nonnegative combination of a set of kernels. We also embed the feature weight computation into the clustering procedure. The incorporation of multiple kernels and the automatic adjustment of kernel weights render MKFC more immune to unreliable features or kernels. It also makes combining kernels more practical, since appropriate weights are assigned automatically.
Binomial discrete time ruin probability with Parisian delay

In this paper we analyze discrete time Parisian ruin probability that happens when surplus process stays below zero longer than fixed amount of time $\zeta>0$. We identify expressions for the ruin probabilities with finite and infinite-time horizon. We find also their asymptotics when reserves tends to infinity. Finally, we calculate these probabilities for a few explicit examples. {\bf Keywords:} discrete time risk process, ruin probability, asymptotics, Parisian ruin.
Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Aerodynamics: Summary and Review of Momentum Models

Momentum models or streamtube models represent one of the fundamental approaches in modeling the aerodynamics of straight bladed vertical axis wind turbine (SB-VAWT) of Darrieus type. They are based on momentum (actuator disk) theory and widely used in performance evaluation of VAWTs. In this short review, the authors have strived to compile the basic momentum models that have been widely assumed in the literature for design and performance estimation of SB-VAWTs of Darrieus type. A comprehensive demonstration of the formulation needed for the implantation of these models is also proposed. Three streamtube models are investigated in this paper, namely, the single streamtube (SST), the multiple streamtube (MST), and the double multiple streamtube (DMST) models. Each of these models has it merits and demerits which are also thoroughly discussed in this review.
The importance of elders: Extending Hamilton’s force of selection to include intergenerational transfers

Significance Prominent explanations for postreproductive longevity emphasize the myriad ways in which older adults help descendants in social species. However, standard metrics expressing how natural selection acts with age show declines in tandem with reproduction, rendering postreproductive life vulnerable to harmful mutations. Here, we develop a framework for estimating three fitness metrics to characterize the “force of selection” in social species with pooled energy budgets. We show that intergenerational transfers of food and information in the complex, high-skill foraging niche typical of hunter-gatherers can select for longer lifespan via inclusive fitness benefits. Our findings support the theory that postreproductive life in some mammals coevolved with multigenerational cooperation in a complex foraging niche and help explain selection against late-acting deleterious alleles.
Positive Vote Count and Secure Path for Black Hole and Gray Hole in MANET

— Mobile ad hoc networks (MANET) are widely used in places where there is little or no infrastructure. A number of people with mobile devices may connect together to form a large group. Later on they may split into smaller groups. This dynamically changing network topology of MANETs makes it vulnerable to a wide range of attack. In this paper, we propose a complete protocol for detection & removal of networking Black/Gray Holes.
Computationally Efficient Strand Eddy Current Loss Calculation in Electric Machines

A fast finite element (FE) based method for the calculation of eddy current losses in the stator windings of randomly wound electric machines is presented in this paper. The method is particularly suitable for implementation in large-scale design optimization algorithms where a qualitative characterization of such losses at higher speeds is most beneficial for identification of the design solutions that exhibit the lowest overall losses including the ac losses in the stator windings. Unlike the common practice of assuming a constant slot fill factor $s_f$ for all the design variations, the maximum $s_f$ in the developed method is determined based on the individual slot structure/dimensions and strand wire specifications. Furthermore, in lieu of detailed modeling of the conductor strands in the initial FE model, which significantly adds to the complexity of the problem, an alternative rectangular coil modeling subject to a subsequent flux mapping technique for determination of the impinging flux on each individual strand is pursued. Rather than pursuing the precise estimation of ac conductor losses, the research focus of this paper is placed on the development of a computationally efficient technique for the derivation of strand eddy current losses applicable in design optimization, especially where both the electromagnetic and thermal machine behavior are accounted for. A fractional-slot concentrated winding permanent magnet synchronous machine is used for the purpose of this study due to the higher slot leakage flux and slot opening fringing flux of such machines, which are the major contributors to strand eddy current losses in the windings. The analysis is supplemented with an investigation on the influence of the electrical loading on ac winding loss effects for this machine design, a subject that has received less attention in the literature. Experimental ac loss measurements on a 12-slot 10-pole stator assembly will be discussed to verify the existing trends in the simulation results.
Mimo and Network Coding for LTE/LTE-A: A Review

: The main objective of the paper is to explore on the key technique MIMO for the latest communication networks LTE and LTE-A. Among the existing features for the LTE-A communication, MIMO is said to be the state of art. When the cellular networks with the relay nodes are exploited with the MIMO feature, it enhances the diversity of the system. The network coding technique increases the system robustness and minimizes the delay in the network sharing the resources. The natural harmony between the MIMO and network coding techniques provides a tremendous amount of improvement in the overall system capacity and performance.
Extrathymic T Cell Lymphopoiesis: Ontogeny and Contribution to Gut Intraepithelial Lymphocytes in Athymic and Euthymic Mice

In the absence of thymopoiesis, T lymphocytes are nevertheless present, mainly in the gut epithelium. Ontogeny of the extrathymic pathway and the extent of its involvement in euthymic mice are controversial. These questions have been addressed by assessing the expression of recombinase activating gene (RAG) through the use of green fluorescent protein RAG2 transgenic mouse models. In athymic mice, T lymphopoiesis occurs mainly in the mesenteric lymph node and less in the Peyer’s patches. Ontogenic steps of this lymphopoiesis resemble those of thymopoiesis, but with an apparent bias toward (cid:2)(cid:3) T cell production and with a paucity of oligoclonal (cid:4)(cid:5) T cells possibly resulting from a deficit in positive selection. Whether in athymic or euthymic mice, neither T intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) nor cryptopatch cells (reported to contain precursors of IEL) displayed fluorescence indicating recent RAG protein synthesis. Newly made T cells migrate from the mesenteric node into the thoracic duct lymph to reach the gut mucosa. In euthymic mice, this extrathymic pathway is totally repressed, except in conditions of severe lymphocytic depletion. Thus, in normal animals, all gut T IEL, including CD8 (cid:4)(cid:4) (cid:6) cells, are of thymic origin, CD8 (cid:4)(cid:4) (cid:6) TCR (cid:4)(cid:5) (cid:6) IEL being the likely progeny of double negative NK1-1 (cid:7) thymocytes, which show polyclonal V (cid:4) and V (cid:5) repertoires.
Statistical Measurement of Production Environment Inﬂuence on Code Reuse Availability

—Return-oriented-programming is widely used for software exploits, and ten years after its academic description, little to no protection is deployed most of the time. Performance trade-offs or insufﬁcient protection often results in no protection deployment. Address space layout randomisation is a basic protection that just increases the complexity of writing attacks but does not prevent code-reuse exploits. Its overhead is negligible enough to justify its deployment. These protections come after software development, and are implemented in the compiler or via binary modiﬁcation. Usually, each binary is either critical and protected or not critical and not protected. This decision results from a usage criterion, like gzip , or if it exposes network interfaces, like apache . In this paper, we go through multiple views to expose elements that make it possible to compare binaries with respect to their available code-reuse components. We look at these elements to underline what part of the production process of a binary can increase or decrease its quantitative inclusion of code reuse components. With this evaluation, we expose certain disparities introduced by production tools, by the language used to write applications or even because of the targeted platform. We also show how hardware architectures affect this statistical measurement.
High dv/dt Noise Modeling and Reduction on Control Circuits of GaN-Based Full Bridge Inverters

Wide bandgap semiconductor devices allow higher switching frequency and switching speed for their superior characteristics. However, the ultra-fast switching speed causes severe high <italic>dv</italic>/<italic>dt</italic> noise in power conversion systems. High <italic>dv</italic>/<italic>dt</italic> induced common mode noise deteriorates the operation of gate drivers and control circuits by capacitive coupling. Since some new-developed gate driver integrated circuits (ICs) have improved the common mode transient immunity capability, control circuits become the limit in achieving higher switching speed. This paper investigates the impact of the high <italic>dv</italic>/<italic>dt</italic> noise on the control systems of GaN inverters. An improved propagation model is derived based on a full bridge inverter, and the main paths are analyzed. According to the proposed propagation model, different high <italic>dv</italic>/<italic>dt</italic> noise reduction methods, such as the sensing methods, common mode chokes, and isolation barrier capacitance, are compared quantitatively. Sensing methods with high impedance show better performance and small isolation barrier capacitance of the power supply of gate driver ICs are significant for high <italic>dv</italic>/<italic>dt</italic> noise reduction. Simulation results are presented based on the Q3D extraction results of the investigated inverter system and a 500-W GaN-based full bridge inverter is built for experimental verification.
Spin-Orbit-Torque Magnetic Tunnel Junction Transistor Based Area Efficient Low Power Non-Volatile Master-Slave Flip-Flop

A Spin Orbit Torque (SOT) Magnetic-Tunnel-Junction (MTJ) transistor based area efficient F) is discussed in this paper. The modified NV-MSFF has consumed less area and less power consumption when compared to the existing NVMSFF. Hence, the proposed NV-MSFF is more suitable for low power applications. The proposed NV-MSFF is designed and implemented as hybrid CMOS-Spintronics circuit using 45 nm CMOS process technology and Verilog-A model based MTJ-Transistor for Spintronics. The proposed NV-MSFF has been designed and simulated using Cadence Virtuoso-Analog-Design-Environment (ADE) with Spectre as the simulator and the simulation temperature as 27°C. The proposed NV-MSFF has 44% reduction in the area occupied. The overall energy requirement of the prevailing NV-MSFF is 1.961 µW whereas it is 194.2 nW only for modified NV-MSFF. The delay of the existing NVMSFF is 1.175 ns whereas it is 383.3 ps only for the modified NV-MSFF. The proposed NV-MSFF outperforms in terms of area, power and the propagation time.
DETERMINATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF BULGARIAN HONEY AND THEIR APPLICATION TO HONEY DISCRIMINATION

: The aim of the article is to investigate the optical properties of Bulgarian honey in regard to the potential of honey discrimination on the base of its botanical origin. Samples from three types of honey (acacia, linden, and honeydew) are measured by a fluorescence spectrometer recording emission from 350 to 800 nm with excitation at 370, 395 and 405 nm. A combination of fluorescence emission spectra with some colorimetric parameters (CIELab) is used as input data of three types of honey classifiers: the first two are based on linear and quadratic discriminant analysis, and the third one uses an artificial neural network. The neural classifier is realized as a multilayered perceptron with backpropagation learning algorithm. Principal components analysis (PCA) is used for reducing the number of inputs and for a proper visualization of the experimental results. The comparative analysis of the three classifiers is based on leave-one-out-cross validation test carried out in MATLAB environment.
Health Inequalities in Older Norwegians and the Mediating Role of Social Networks

This study aims to contribute to understanding how social networks serve as an intervening pathway leading to socioeconomic health inequality among older adults in Norway. Longitudinal survey data from the second and the third waves of the Norwegian Life Course, Ageing, and Generation Study were used in this paper. Hayes PROCESS was used to estimate the mediating effect of the contact frequency and the support potential of friends on the impact of social-economic position (SEP) at wave 2 on health outcomes at wave 3. The total indirect effect of the income on physical health observed was 0.04. The total indirect effect of the highest level of education attained on physical health observed was 0.12. The result showed a social-economic gradient in health among older adults in Norway where the social network is a crucial pathway via which SEP influences peoples’ health.
Autophagy‐related 5 gene mRNA expression and ATG5 rs510432 polymorphism in children with bronchial asthma

Bronchial asthma is a common chronic respiratory disease in children with complex pathogenesis, characterized by airway hyper‐responsiveness, obstruction, mucus hyperproduction, and airway remodeling. Autophagy is important for cellular physiology, and the ATG5 rs510432 has recently been implicated in several fundamental characteristics of childhood asthma pathogenesis and may play a role in the disease progression. This study aims to assess the expression of ATG5 messenger RNA (mRNA) according to rs510432 polymorphism in asthmatic children and to evaluate their possible relation with the development of the disease.
The influence of SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccination on post‐operative outcomes in microsurgery patients

The healthcare industry's efforts to immunize the global community against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) have been unprecedented. Given the fast‐tracking of the novel vaccine, its short‐ and long‐term medical implications remain largely to‐be‐determined in most patient populations. This study aims to analyze 90‐day post‐operative outcomes in microsurgical patients, who have received or not received SARS‐CoV‐2‐vaccination, using a continuously updated federated electronic medical record network (TriNetX Inc, Cambridge, MA).
Effect of risperidone on serum IL-6 levels in individuals with schizophrenia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background Risperidone has been significant correlated with a direct effect of interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in patients with schizophrenia. This fact allows the opportunity to link the probable immunomodulatory effect of antipsychotic medication. Specially, a proper functioning of IL-6 pathway plays a potential role in the treatment or development of schizophrenia. Objective Our primary aim was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the effect of risperidone on IL-6 levels in individuals with schizophrenia. Methods Studies were identified through a systematic search using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. The articles found were subjected to the inclusion and exclusion criteria; then, the mean and standardised differences were extracted to calculate the standardised mean differences using the CMA software. Results IL-6 levels in individuals with schizophrenia were compared before and after receiving risperidone as treatment. Increased levels of IL-6 levels were observed in individuals with schizophrenia who received risperidone (point estimate 0.249, lower limit 0.042, upper limit 0.455, p-value 0.018). In the Asian population sub-analysis, no statistically significant differences were observed (point estimate 0.103, lower limit −0.187, upper limit 0.215, p value 0.890). When we compared individuals with schizophrenia to the control groups, a significant increase of IL-6 levels was observed in the group with schizophrenia (point estimate 0.248, lower limit 0.024, upper limit 0.472, p-value 0.30). Conclusions Risperidone appears to play an important role in IL-6 levels in schizophrenia. Potential implications of increased IL-6 levels in people with schizophrenia should be considered in future studies. KEY POINTS Increased levels of IL-6 levels were observed in individuals with schizophrenia who received risperidone. Risperidone appears to play an important role in IL-6 levels in schizophrenia. This study could serve for future research focussed on IL-6.