Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Engaging Collaborative Learning to Develop Students’ SkiIls of the 21st Century

Collaborative approaches to teaching and assessing students have been long practised by educators in a variety of educational settings. Collaborative learning is useful in developing students’ ability to learn to work as a team while getting them engaged in the learning activities. This study investigates the impact of collaboration in the learning of secondary school Statistics in three government secondary schools in Brunei Darussalam. In total, 71 Year 7 students participated in this study. A series of lessons and group-based activities on Statistics were conducted that consisted of hands-on activities and application of mathematical concept to real-life problems and worksheet-based instruction. Data were collected using pre- and post-tests on secondary school Statistics; a readily available 4-point student work rubrics was used as reference on collaboration that focused specifically on the level of collaboration skills acquired; and a questionnaire on students’ attitudes on collaborative learning. The results from the pre- and post-tests revealed an 11.8% increase in the test scores, and 47.9% of the students worked collaboratively within their groups and shared the responsibility towards the given tasks. The responses from the questionnaire indicated that 96% of the students found working collaboratively as a group assisted them in enhancing their learning of Statistics. Majority of the students also believed that they gained more knowledge and learnt specific skills and processes when they work in groups. This study has shown that collaborative learning helped to improve students’ performance academically as well as to develop the necessary skills of the 21st Century. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015. v6n4p544
Discretization error estimates for penalty formulations of a linearized Canham-Helfrich type energy

This paper is concerned with minimization of a fourth-order linearized Canham-Helfrich energy subject to Dirichlet boundary conditions on curves inside the domain. Such problems arise in the modeling of the mechanical interaction of biomembranes with embedded particles. There, the curve conditions result from the imposed particle--membrane coupling. We prove almost-$H^{\frac{5}{2}}$ regularity of the solution and then consider two possible penalty formulations. For the combination of these penalty formulations with a Bogner-Fox-Schmit finite element discretization we prove discretization error estimates which are optimal in view of the solution's reduced regularity. The error estimates are based on a general estimate for linear penalty problems in Hilbert spaces. Finally, we illustrate the theoretical results by numerical computations. An important feature of the presented discretization is that it does not require to resolve the particle boundary. This is crucial in order to avoid re-meshing if the presented problem arises as subproblem in a model where particles are allowed to move or rotate.
Use of synthetic aperture radar polarimetry to characterize wetland targets of Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, India.

Timely and accurate information about various habitats of a wetland ecosystem is necessary for the assessment, monitoring and management of a wetland. In this article, the state-of-the-art Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PolSAR) data have been analysed to characterize various components of a wetland ecosystem. SAR polarimetry has received negligible attention in India, mostly owing to lack of data over the Indian sub-continent. With a recent DLR-ESAR (Experimental- SAR) flight over India, it was possible to conduct a detailed, planned experiment to explore the potentials of SAR polarimetry. This study has been carried out using fully polarimetric, multi-frequency DLR-ESAR data over parts of a world heritage and Ramsar site, the Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, India. Scattering models based on physical principles have been applied to characterize the wetland targets like open-water habitat, various types of aquatic vegetation with or without standing water, along with various species of forested areas. Entropy, alpha angle and anisotropy have been derived by performing eigen vector-based target decomposition on L- and P-bands fully polarimetric SAR data, enabling us to understand the differences in wetland targets in terms of their scattering behaviour at the L- and P-bands. A significant outcome of this study is that it explores and demonstrates the potential of the state-of-the-art technique of PolSAR for characterizing scattering behaviour of various components of a wetland ecosystem, which is a less explored application of SAR, particularly in the Asian countries.
Stability of Stochastic Differential Switching Systems with Time-Delay and Impulsive Effects

This paper studies the stability of hybrid impulsive and switching stochastic neural networks. First, a new type of switching signal is constructed. The stochastic differential switching systems are steerable under the work of the switching signals. Then, using switching Lyapunov function approach, Ito formula, and generalized Halanay’s inequality, some global asymptotical and global exponential stability criteria are derived. These criteria improve the existing results on hybrid systems without noises. An example is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the results.
Anti-Consumption In East Germany: Consumer Resistance To Hyperconsumption

A common ideology of consumption is that more things translate to a higher quality of life. This paper challenges this ideology. We explore the consumption resistance (anti-consumption) of ‘‘cheap and low-quality’’ goods experienced by consumers living in former East Germany. We interviewed men and women who lived in East Germany about their consumption experiences before, during, and after Reunification. We present three emergent themes: ‘‘consumer resistance – emergence of anti-consumption,’’ ‘‘continued frugality – resistance to contemporary throwawayism? ,’’ and ‘‘Western Brand Resistance. ’’ Our research reveals a deep aversion among East Germans to the modern, bureaucratic and obligatory practice of throwawayism and hyperconsumption. We find feelings of resentment and betrayal and discover a much deeper issue with consumption: the fact that consumption is often a disillusioning experience and that material possessions and abundance are actually driving East Germans apart – making them feel less socially connected. As East Germans are swept up in the global economic juggernaut of capitalism, they find that their collective identity and sense of community is also swallowed up. Upon this realization, dialogism appears, and we uncover this as resistance to Western practices of hyperconsumption, frugality-as-an-ethic and an aversion to low quality throwaway-type products. Based on our findings, we make suggestions for marketing practice and for future research.
Household labor supply: evidence for Spain

This paper estimates and tests household labor supply models for Spain within a structural approach. Following Fortin and Lacroix (1997), we postulate a general system of labor supplies and we obtain the set of parametric restrictions imposed by the unitary and collective models of household labor supply. The empirical results clearly reject the restrictions of the unitary model, while the restrictions of the collective model cannot be rejected. Futhermore, we verify that the estimated labor supply elasticities agree with the empirical regularities observed in other countries.
Diagnostics at High Repetition Rates: New Insights Into Transient Combustion Phenomena

This contribution highlights recent advances in laser diagnostics at high repetition rates. Based on recent improvements in all-solid-state diode-pumped laser- and CMOS camera-technology well known methods such as chemiluminescence, Mie scattering or planar laser-induced fluorescence are adapted and extended to high repetition rates in the kHz-regime. These high repetition rates enable to track transient events in turbulent combustion such as flame extinction or flash back temporally. New perspectives into turbulent combustion are thus possible by conditioning on transient phenomena or quasi-4D imaging.
Kalman Consensus Strategies and Their Application to Cooperative Control

In this paper, we propose discrete-time and continuous-time consensus update schemes motivated by the discrete-time and continuous-time Kalman filters. With certainty information encoded into each agent, the proposed consensus schemes explicitly account for relative confidence in the information that is communicated from each agent in the team. We show mild sufficient conditions under which consensus can be achieved using the proposed schemes in the presence of switching interaction topologies. The Kalman consensus scheme is shown to be input-to-state stable. We show how to exploit this fact in multi-agent cooperative control scenarios.
Predicting the consumption of young adults concerningsugared and sugar-free beverages

In the course of an internship at the agency fischerAppelt Kommunikation GmbH a quantitative study was developed and accomplished with the aim to obtain information about the choice of non-alcoholic beverages made by young adults. On the basis of these findings, recommendations for an educational initiative were formulated, in order to reduce the uncertainty of the consumer and to provide a supportive help for making a responsible choice. A written questionnaire, based on an adjusted form of the Theory of Planned Behaviour from Ajzen (1991), was carried out by sixth formers and students. To measure the behaviour of young adults a Food Frequency Questionnaire concerning sugared and sugar-free beverages was developed. 342 sixth former and students, comprising both males and females, with the mean age of 20 years, completed the questionnaire during their lessons. On the basis of their results it was determined, which factors of the TBP have the most important impact on the choice of beverages and the intention to drink less sugared beverages. The main conclusion of the study consists in the finding that the availability of sugared beverages at home proved to be the most important factor to predict the consumption of sugared beverages. The descriptive subjective norm of friends was the only variable out of the TBP which had some predicting power on the consumption of sugared beverages. The other constructs of the TBP turned out to be less influential. In particular, the correlation of the intention towards the consumption and the behaviour is unexpected low. Attitude, the injunctive subjective norm, the descriptive subjective norm of the parents, the self-identity concerning the health awareness and the perceived behavioural control were the components of the theory which account for the most variance of the intention. Moreover, female respondents and students showed a more positive attitude towards sugar-free beverages and consumed less sugared beverages than male respondents and sixth former. These findings lead to some recommendations for the initiative in order to offer the consumer a supportive help to choose the right beverage. The initiative should focus primarily on the attitude. People’s attitudes can be changed due to comprehensible, individually relevant and credible messages, which include new arguments, but conform to the person’s existing perceptions and experiences. The initiative should include implementation intentions, which can be realized in everyday life. A successful approach to change old habits consists in presenting new habits which replace the old existing ones. In order to exert influence on the availability of beverages, it is necessary to present possibilities to the respondents how they are able to exercise control on the beverage purchase of the family.
Interim FDG-PET/CT as a predictor of prognosis for HIV-related malignant lymphoma: Preliminary study

Object: The aim of this retrospective study was to clarify the potential of fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) for predicting prognosis in HIV-related malignant lymphoma (ML). Methods: Participants comprised 24 patients (23 men, 1 woman; mean age, 42.2 years; range, 25-66 years) with histologically proven ML, classified as either diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) or Burkitt lymphoma according to the classification of the World Health Organization. We compared relationships between overall survival (OS) and several indices, including FDG uptake into the lesion site on pretreatment PET and findings on interim PET. Diagnostic criteria for response evaluation followed International Harmonization Project criteria. Results: Negative findings on interim PET were associated with significantly longer OS (932±549 days) compared to positive cases (454±442 days, p =0.043). Cox regression analysis showed strong prognostic influences of interim PET findings (Hazard ratio 4.57, 95%CI 0.88-23.73) and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (Hazard ratio 10.52, 95%CI 1.26-87.82) on OS. No other indices showed significant relationships with OS. No significant correlation was confirmed between OS and both age and lesion uptake of FDG on pretreatment PET. Conclusion: HIV-related ML patients with negative findings on interim FDG-PET showed longer OS than patients with positive findings. Interim FDG-PET offers a predictor of prognosis for HIV-related ML.
EVALUATING THE DETERMINANTS OF NATIONAL INNOVATIVE CAPACITY AMONG EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

Innovative capacity has a decisive and crucial role in determining who is prospering in the global arena. Innovation is the base for the development of strategic advantages in companies, so necessary in the current context of global competitiveness. Innovative capacity enables countries to increase their productivity and attract investments, thereby sustaining continuous progress in the quality and standard of living. The national economic capacity of a country depends on institutional efficiency, its national culture, and its innovation framework. This paper reflects upon the factors that influence national innovative capacity, based on the European Innovation Scoreboard database. The aim is to reflect and evaluate the factors with influence in national innovative capacity. In this sense, we analyze innovative capacity in terms of innovative output and identify the main factors which differentiate the dynamics of the countries. Clusters analysis was performed to verify how different countries are positioned in terms of innovation outputs and determine which factors distinguish their level of innovative capacity. The results point to the existence of four groups of countries, and the factors identified are related to dimensions of institutional efficiency, namely efficiency of institutions, type of regulation, effective rule of law and level of corruption; the societies' cultural values associated with the level of hierarchy or "power distance" and "uncertainty avoidance" and with aspects related to the innovation framework such as doctorates in science and engineering, business R&D expenses, and level of collaboration for innovating.
Nonlinear Stochastic H ∞ Control with Markov Jumps and ( x , u , V )-Dependent Noise : Finite and Infinite Horizon Cases

This paper is concernedwith theH ∞ control problem for nonlinear stochasticMarkov jump systemswith state, control, and external disturbance-dependent noise. By means of inequality techniques and coupled Hamilton-Jacobi inequalities, both finite and infinite horizonH ∞ control designs of such systems are developed. Two numerical examples are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed design method.
Hexaconazole foliar application alleviates water deficit effects in common bean

Currently, the world is facing many problems of crop production. Among them, water deficit is the most dangerous one. This study aimed at evaluating the possibility of enhancing the water deficit tolerance of common bean plants, during two growth stages, by the exogenous application of hexaconazole. The experimental design was completely randomized, in a factorial arrangement, with three replicates. Hexaconazole (0 mg L -l , 10 mg L -l and 20 mg L -l ) was sprayed at flowering (R3), at 60 days after sowing, and at the grain-filling stage (R8), at 90 days after sowing. After the application, the plants were subjected to water deficit by withholding irrigation for seven days. Although all hexaconazole concentrations improved the water deficit tolerance in bean plants, in terms of plant growth and yield, the application of 20 mg L -l provided a better protection, when compared to the other concentrations (p < 0.01). The exogenous application of hexaconazole improved the water deficit tolerance, if compared to non-treated plants, affecting the morphological characteristics, yield components, total chlorophyll, proline, relative water content and enzymatic antioxidants (p < 0.01). The results showed that the hexaconazole-induced tolerance to water deficit in common bean is related to changes in the growth variables and antioxidants. In conclusion, the hexaconazole application could improve the bean growth and yield under water deficit conditions.
The Pore Collapse “Hot-Spots” Model Coupled with Brittle Damage for Solid Explosives

This paper is devoted to the building of a numerical pore collapse model with “hot-spots” formation for the impacted damage explosives. According to damage mechanical evolution of brittle material, the one-dimensional elastic-viscoplastic collapse model was improved to incorporate the impact damage during the dynamic collapse of pores. The damage of explosives was studied using the statistical crack mechanics (SCRAM). The effects of the heat conduction and the chemical reaction were taken into account in the formation of “hot-spots. ” To verify the improved model, numerical simulations were carried out for different pressure states and used to model a multiple-impact experiment. The results show that repeated weak impacts can lead to the collapse of pores and the “hot-spots” may occur due to the accumulation of internal defects accompanied by the softening of explosives.
Non-invasive technique for assessment of vascular wall stiffness using laser Doppler vibrometry

It has been shown that in cardiovascular risk management, stiffness of large arteries has a very good predictive value for cardiovascular disease and mortality. This parameter is best known when estimated from the pulse wave velocity (PWV) measured between the common carotid artery (CCA) in the neck and femoral artery in the groin, but may also be determined locally from short-distance measurements on a short vessel segment. In this work, we propose a novel, non-invasive, non-contact laser Doppler vibrometry (LDV) technique for evaluating PWV locally in an elastic vessel. First, the method was evaluated in a phantom setup using LDV and a reference method. Values correlated significantly between methods (R ≤ 0.973 (p ≤ 0.01)); and a Bland–Altman analysis indicated that the mean bias was reasonably small (mean bias ≤ −2.33 ms). Additionally, PWV was measured locally on the skin surface of the CCA in 14 young healthy volunteers. As a preliminary validation, PWV measured on two locations along the same artery was compared. Local PWV was found to be between 3 and 20 m s−1, which is in line with the literature (PWV = 5–13 m s−1). PWV assessed on two different locations on the same artery correlated significantly (R = 0.684 (p < 0.01)). In summary, we conclude that this new non-contact method is a promising technique to measure local vascular stiffness in a fully non-invasive way, providing new opportunities for clinical diagnosing.
4D Flow Visualization with Dynamic Vision Sensors

Flow visualization in wind tunnel testing can provide an intuitive insight into flow phenomena. The simplicity, cost and responsiveness of the visualization method is of crucial importance for practical use. In this work we aim to develop a cost-effective and fast visualization method based on tracking neutrally buoyant soap bubbles with a set of novel cameras. The “Dynamic Vision Sensor” registers the temporal change in illumination with very low latency, capturing fast processes at a low data rate. In contrast to frame based cameras, the pixels of the Dynamic Vision Sensor operate individually. The pixels are sensitive to the time derivative of the logarithm of the intensity; this design offers a high dynamic range of reportedly 120dB. Intensity changes are reported as a stream of events; an event is the basic unit of information consisting of the pixel address, the time instant of intensity change and whether the change is positive or negative. The use of helium filled soap bubbles as tracers is an established technique for large scale applications. The advantage are good visibility at distances on the order of meters and low interia. In this work a new type of bubble generator was designed and built to enable low bubble densities and constant conditions during testing. For a 3D reconstruction of the particle tracks three cameras are used. Two cameras already provide an operable 3D tracking system; a third camera is used to increase the probability of detection in areas of poor lighting or in areas with reflections and poor background contrast. The particle tracking scheme employs a Kalman filter to estimate the particles’ position and velocity. The Kalman filter offers an ideal framework to process the sequential data from the Dynamic Vision Sensors and can handle 2D tracking and 3D reconstruction in a similar manner. The 3D tracking algorithm combines the data from multiple cameras in a straightforward fashion; the number of cameras is not limited. This work provides the proof of concept with three cameras. The system performance is evaluated with experimental data from wind
Effect of Cameline Nisin isolated from Lactococcus lactis sub sp. lactis on Staphylococcus aureus sp.

The camel milk differs from milk of other species by the presence of a powerful protector system, linked to relatively high levels of lysozyme, lactoperoxidase, lactoferrin, component-3 of proteose peptone (PP3), organic acid, hydrogen peroxide and bacteriocins produced by lactic acid bacteria. The study aims to estimate the part of a bacteriocin (type nisin) produced by a strain of Lactococcus lactis sub sp lactis isolated from camel milk, in this protective system and its antibacterial activity against a strain of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from a bovine milk sample. Optimize conditions for a nisin production, by the producing strain isolated and purified, was carried out, by glucose addition (1%) to the M17 medium. Antagonism tests by the disk method showed inhibition zones (IZ O ) from 6 to 8mm in diameter depending on the incubation time of the producing strain. Thus, for incubation periods of 18h, the production of camel nisin appeared to be maximum (IZ= O 8mm) with a minimum growth of Lactococcus lactis sub sp lactis (pH 6, 37). Optimum growth of camel Lactococcus lactis sub sp lactis strain (pH 6.17) and an optimum production of nisin (IZ= O 8mm) were registered for a 24 hours incubation period.