Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
‘An online survey is less personal whereas I actually sat with the lecturer and it felt like you actually cared about what I am saying’: a pedagogy-oriented action research to improve student engagement in Criminology

ABSTRACT Student engagement plays a central role in teaching and learning, given its impact on students’ retention and ability to actively participate in the learning process. This study evaluates the impact of an Interactive Action-Oriented Learning (IAOL) and teaching style on improving students’ engagement in the Explaining Punishment module in a UK university by adopting McNiff’s model of action research. Furthermore, it aims to fill a gap in the existing literature regarding the paucity of research on improving student engagement within the Criminology and Criminal Justice discipline. Two focus group discussions, each comprising eight students, were conducted. Additional data were collated from module evaluation, end terms results, and peer-feedback. Based on the end-term results, it was found that the inclusion of the IAOL contents and teaching style improved student engagement and student performance. Hence, this study suggests a model that provides practical outcomes that inform best practices in teaching and learning.
The Matrix Suppression Effect and Ionization Mechanisms in Matrix‐assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization

At appropriate matrix:analyte mixing ratios, small to moderate sized analyte ions (1000–20 000 u) can fully suppress positively charged matrix ions in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectra. This is true for all matrix species, including radical cations and adducts with protons or alkali-metal ions. Full matrix suppression is also observed, regardless of the preferred analyte ion form, be it protonated or an alkali adduct. These facts lead us to propose a mechanism for prompt, primary (not secondary gas-phase) MALDI ionization in which excited matrix molecules are the key species. At least two such excited molecules are believed to be necessary for free ion generation. This model is found to be consistent with the available data, as well as making several predictions which are confirmed by new observations. The model also predicts that the matrix suppression effect will not be observable with heavy analytes because their large excluded volume precludes desorption at the necessary mixing ratios.
MPC Based Feedback-Linearization Strategy of a Fixed-Wing UAV

This work proposes a xed-wing UAV (Ummaned Aerial Vehicle) control strategy based on feedback-linearization and model predictive control (MPC). The strategy makes use of the relationship between the applied control inputs of the UAV and the generalized forces and moments actuating on it. A linear model is obtained by the exact feedback-linearization technique, followed by the use of MPC to solve the trajectory tracking and the control allocation problems. The proposed controller is capable of actuating on the 6 DOF (Degrees of Freedom) of the UAV, avoiding inherited restrictions when the model is decoupled. The proposed strategy is applied in a curve tracking task. Simulations are performed using MATLAB software, and the results show the eciency of the proposed control strategy.
The Power of ePortfolio Development to Foster Reflective and Deeper Learning in an Online Graduate Adult Education Program

The current study addressed two problems in adult education: the lack of published research on the use of ePortfolios in graduate adult education, and more specifically, how can graduate adult educators utilize ePortfolios to foster reflective and deeper learning in a graduate adult education program? This was a 3-year qualitative study of 36 master’s students in their final capstone course in an online graduate adult education program. The primary research question was Can developing ePortfolios foster reflective and deeper learning in an online graduate adult education program? Researchers analyzed student responses to three guideline questions for the development of their ePortfolios: (a) What story did your ePortfolio tell? , (b) What surprised you? , and (c) What did you learn about yourself? These questions were designed to stimulate students’ thinking about their learning from the ePortfolio process, artifacts, and experience in the degree program. Through thematic analysis of student responses to these questions, three predominant themes emerged that provided evidence for reflective and deeper learning. The three themes were as follows: (a) Students became more reflective learners who frequently experienced deeper transformative learning, (b) Students were surprised by greater self-discovery and significant personal growth exceeding their expectations, and (c) Students found new personal strengths. Specific recommendations were provided about how to use ePortfolios in graduate adult education programs to foster reflective and deeper learning.
Análise da Utilização do Synchronverter no Controle do Lado da Rede Convencional de Geração Distribuída Baseada em Conversor de Potência Plena

The high integration of distributed generation based on renewable sources (GD-FER) in the conventional electrical system increases the concern associated with the reliability of the grid and the quality of the energy generated. Thus, many voltage source converter (VSI) control strategies have been reported for grid support by GD-FER, among which virtual synchronous generator (VSV) techniques, in particular the Synchronverter which has the ability to operate both in voltage and frequency support mode and in active and reactive power control mode. However, for a massive use of the Synchronverter in GD-FER it is important to analyze its performance in conventional operation, that is, in controlling the voltage of the DC bus and the reactive power delivered to the mains, especially in the event of voltage sag at the common coupling point (PAC). This makes it possible to define whether the Synchronverter operation will be permanent or only during frequency variation events and combined with conventional control. This work analyzes the behavior of the Synchronverter acting on DC bus voltage control, similar to conventional control. Then, the behavior of the Synchronverter in PV and PQ operating modes is examined in relation to the following network disturbances: symmetric and asymmetric voltage sags and voltage variation in the PAC. The results obtained demonstrate the effectiveness of the Synchronverter. Resumo: A alta integração da geração distribúıda baseada em Fontes renováveis (GD-FER) no sistema elétrico convencional aumenta preocupação associada com a confiabilidade da rede e a qualidade da energia gerada. Assim, muitas estratégias de controle do conversor fonte de tensão (VSI, do inglês Voltage Source Inverter) têm sido reportadas para o suporte à rede pela GD-FER, dentre as quais as técnicas de gerador śıncrono virtual (GSV), em particular o Synchronverter que apresenta a capacidade de operar tanto no modo de suporte a tensão e frequência como no modo de controle de potências ativa e reativa. No entanto, para utilização maciça do Synchronverter em GD-FER é importante analisar o seu desempenho na operação convencional, ou seja, no controle da tensão do barramento CC e da potência reativa entregue à rede, principalmente perante afundamentos de tensão no ponto de acoplamento comum (PAC). Assim será posśıvel definir se a operação do Synchronverter será permanente ou apenas durante eventos da variação de frequência e combinada com o controle convencional. Este trabalho analisa o comportamento do Synchronverter atuando no controle da tensão do barramento CC, semelhante ao controle convencional. Em seguida, é examinado o comportamento do Synchronverter nos modos de operação PV e PQ, frente aos seguintes distúrbios na rede: afundamentos de tensão simétrico e assimétrico e variação de tensão no PAC. Os resultados obtidos demonstram a eficácia do Synchronverter.
Recent advances in photofunctional guest/layered double hydroxide host composite systems and their applications: experimental and theoretical perspectives

Incorporation of organic photofunctional guests into host matrices has attracted considerable interest as a means of achieving controllable luminescence and other photofunctional properties for application in the next generation of light-emitting materials and sensors. In this article, recent advances in the field of photoactive guest/layered double hydroxide (LDH) host composite systems and their prospective applications are reviewed. Firstly, several chromophore/LDH solid-state powdered materials with attractive photophysical properties are introduced. Attention is then focused on ordered photoemissive LDH-based thin films, and their polarized luminescence properties and stimuli-responsive behavior as sensors. Finally, we briefly review theoretical investigations of the geometric and electronic structure of the photofunctional guest/LDH host supramolecular architecture employing molecular dynamics simulations and periodic density functional calculations.
3D conformal, IMRT and VMAT for the treatment of head and neck cancer: a brief literature review

Abstract Aim: The objective of this study has been to identify monitor unit (MU) and treatment time variations, volume coverage dissimilarity among 3D conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT), intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) treatment plans for head and neck cancer (HNC) based on literature review. Methods: A number of HNC cases were studied with the investigation of conformity and homogeneity index. Results: When high-dose modulation was required around small organs at risk (OARs), a clinically acceptable IMRT plan was achieved as VMAT usually required longer dose optimisation time. The greatest benefit of VMAT has been rapid treatment delivery allowing improved patient comfort, reduced intra-fraction motion and increased patient throughput. In some papers, 3D-CRT was shown not to meet well the requirements on parotid glands. One paper showed that cerebellum dose was lower for 3D-CRT than IMRT. However, it was found in other papers that OAR sparing with 3D-CRT was reasonable but in complex cases not enough. Conclusions: IMRT usually consists of several treatment fields with different directions, hundreds of beam lets with modulated intensity, an advantage over 3D-CRT, whereas VMAT has advantage over IMRT due to rotating beam utilisation. VMAT has lower total MU and treatment times than IMRT and 3D-CRT, while maintaining similar dosimetric endpoints.
Early childhood teachers’ management of their changing roles regarding digital technologies in kindergarten: A grounded theory study

This paper examines how early childhood teachers employed in kindergarten, understand and manage their changing roles regarding digital technologies. Nineteen participants were involved in the study. Symbolic interactionism provided the theoretical lens to investigate each early childhood teacher’s lived experiences and grounded theory provided the methodological theory and methods. Following data analysis, a central category, Professional Agency, and three major categories, Professional Identity, Pedagogical Practices, and Relationships with Families, were derived. These categories, together with the relevant empirical literature, form the key features of the Early Childhood Teacher Management of Digital Technologies Framework. This Framework contributes to knowledge and presents a substantive theory that explains how early childhood teachers manage their changing roles with digital technologies in their kindergarten.
Cloning of Drosophila purple Gene and Expression in E. coli: purple Gene encodes PTP Synthase

The eye color pigments of Drosophila melanogaster are composed of red and brown pigments. The purplish-red eye color of puple (pr) mutants is the result of a defect in the synthesis of the red pigment, drosopterins (I). The pathway leading to the biosynthesis of drosopterin was proposed by Brown et. a/. (2) and Dorsett et al. (3). GTP is converted to dihydroneopterin triphosphate (Hz-NTP) by GTP cyclohydrolase (4). Hz-NTP is then converted to 6pyruvoyl tetrahydropterin (6-PTP) by PTP synthase (5). Drosopterins are synthesized from two molecules of 6-PTP. 6-PTP undergoes a ring-enlargement reaction by the enzyme pyrimidodiazepine (PDA) synthase. The three carbon side chain is cleaved from PTP, and after oxidation, the 7,8-dihydropterin condenses nonenzymatically with PDA to produce one molecule of drosopterin. 6-PTP is also the intermediate precursor for the yellow eye pigment, sepiapterin, and the important coenzyme, H4-biopterin. The purple locus (pr: 2-54.5) of Drosophila melanogaster has been suggested to be the structural gene for PTP synthase (6). Most spontaneous mutations in Drosophila are caused by the insertion of transposable elements (7). In many cases, transposable element-induced phenotypes can be suppressed or enhanced by second mutations at various modifier loci (8). There are several modifier genes well known in Drosophila
Endogenous business cycles with financial frictions

ABSTRACT This paper uncovers a series of belief shocks that drive the U.S. economy from both financial markets data and a financial accelerator model with self-fulfiling prophecies. Indeterminacy in the economy does not require externalities or increasing returns in production but it arises from an endogenous and countercyclical markup channel. The computed belief shocks are well identified and resemble the observable proxy in the real world. The model-driven solely by belief shocks performs well on replicating major U.S. business cycle facts. The belief-driven model contains a strong internal propagation mechanism and has more forecasting ability than a standard real business cycle model disturbed by technology shocks.
Ab initio geometry optimization and ground state properties of layered ternary carbides Ti3MC2 (M = Al, Si and Ge)

The crystal structures of all layered ternary carbides called '312' phases including Ti3AlC2, Ti3SiC2 and Ti3GeC2 have been fully optimized by means of ab initio total-energy calculations. The equilibrium lattice parameters, the atomic positions in the unit cell and interatomic distances have been determined. The differences between the calculated and the measured lattice constants are generally less than 1%. It is also shown that cla of the hexagonal lattices decreases from Ti3AlC2 to Ti3GeC2. The calculated bulk moduli are 190 GPa for Ti3AlC2, 202 GPa for Ti3SiC2 and 198 GPa for Ti3GeC2, respectively, which are comparable to that of TiC. The electronic structures reveal that the Ti(1, 2) and C atoms form a strong Ti(2)-C-Ti(1)-C-Ti(2) covalent bond chain, while the bonding between Ti(2) and M (M = Al, Si, Ge) is relatively weak. The strong Ti(2)-C-Ti(1)-C-Ti(2) covalent bond chain corresponds to the high strength and modulus, while the metallic bond corresponds to the metallic conductivity of these ternaries.
A Molecular Dynamics Investigation of Compressed Aqueous Alkanoate Monolayers

Molecular dynamics are conducted on a dodecanoic acid monolayer/aqueous surface. Surface pressure is controlled by imposing constant-volume conditions for series of lengths of the square slab constituting the MD cell. The response of the alkanoate chains to the pressure is followed by examining various computed quantities that monitor their conformational order. These include atom-pair radial distribution functions, chain torsional angles, energies, atomic densities perpendicular to the interface, diffusivities and atomic plots. These quantities lead to chain separations which in the range 4-5 Å implying order when the alkanoate chains have a mean area of 0.18 nm 2.
Judicial Impact and Factual Allegations

Researchers often study the impact of legal change by investigating judges’ decisions and ignoring litigants. Many scholars believe the Supreme Court’s decisions in Twombly and Iqbal increased how specific factual allegations must be to avoid dismissal, but studies generally fail to find an effect. Using text analysis, I find evidence that litigants and their lawyers changed the information they provided after the decisions in certain types of cases. These results call into question prior studies and illustrate the need to consider the behavior of litigants. They also help shed light on issues of access to courts and separation of powers.
Deep learning-based focal plane wavefront sensing for classical and coronagraphic imaging

High-contrast imaging instruments are today primarily limited by non-common path aberrations appearing between the wavefront sensor of the adaptive optics system and the science camera. Early attempts at using artificial neural networks for focal-plane wavefront sensing showed some successful results but today's higher computational power and deep architectures promise increased performance, flexibility and robustness that have yet to be exploited. We implement two convolutional neural networks to estimate wavefront errors from simulated point-spread functions. We notably train mixture density models and show that they can assess the ambiguity on the phase sign by predicting each Zernike coefficient as a probability distribution. Our method is also applied with the Vector Vortex coronagraph (VVC), comparing the phase retrieval performance with classical imaging. Finally, preliminary results indicate that the VVC combined with polarized light can lift the sign ambiguity.
Purification of Human Elastase 1

Summary Elastase was obtained from human pancreas by extraction with sodium acetate buffer, pH 4.5, fractionation with ammonium sulfate, and adsorption on powdered elastin. The enzyme was eluted from elastin with dilute acetic acid and precipitated with ammonium sulfate. An orcein–elastin substrate was used for assay of the enzymatic activity. Maximum activity occurred at pH 8.6 to 8.9. Proelastase was not present in the purified preparations, i.e., there was no enhancement of enzymatic activity upon treatment with trypsin.
Pilot Study of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) Cessation Methods

Currently, 7.6% of the U.S. young adults aged 18–24 years old use e-cigarettes. This study piloted three methods of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) cessation by measuring cessation rates, motivational techniques that contributed to cessation success, and participants’ changes after decreasing vape use. Participants were randomized into three study arms (nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) + behavioral support, vape-taper + behavioral support, self-guided) in a 1:1:1 ratio. All participants were invited to attend nine in-person or phone appointments over the 6-month study period. At 12 weeks, 3 of 7 (42.9%) participants in the NRT + behavioral support arm, 6 of 8 (75%) vape-taper + behavioral support arm, and 7 of 9 (77.8%) self-guided arm self-reported being vape-free and nicotine-free. At 6 months, 3 of 7 (42.9%) participants in the NRT + behavioral support arm, 6 of 8 (75%) vape-taper + behavioral support arm, and 4 of 9 (44.4%) self-guided arm self-reported being vape-free and nicotine-free. A challenge to quitting and remain quit is social pressures, but participants identified self-control and establishing new habits to be the best methods to overcome the desire to vape. Participants who received behavioral support and a vape-taper plan from pharmacists were more likely to be vape-free and nicotine-free at 6 months.
Captivating, splendid or instructive?

What is the impact of reading fiction? We analyse online Dutch book reviews to detect overall affective impact, narrative feelings, response to style and reflection. We create a set of rules that analyze the reviews and detect the impact aspects. We evaluate the detection by asking raters about the presence of these aspects in reviews and comparing these ratings to our detection. Inter rater agreements are weak to moderate; however, there is a significant correlation between the model's predictions for all impact aspects except reflection. The detected impact correlates with book genres in the way one would expect: narrative feelings are highest for thrillers, stylistic response is highest for literary books. We can thus estimate some aspects of the response books evoke in readers. Initial results suggest that the appreciation of style is linked to reflection in the reader. However, the concepts underlying the impact categories need further exploration.
Assessing brand love, brand sacredness and brand fidelity towards halal brands

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the role of contemporary consumer-brand relationships in predicting brand sacredness, brand fidelity and propensity to spread word of mouth (WOM) in the context of “halal” cosmetic brands. Design/methodology/approach The proposed research framework has been empirically tested by collecting responses from 403 Muslim respondents of diverse demographics. Structural equation modelling has been used for exploring the underlying relationships between emotions associated with halal brands. Findings All the proposed hypotheses were positively significant, thus confirming that brand love is significantly affected by brand trust, brand image, self-congruence and brand experience. Further, brand love acts as a significant determinant in shaping brand sacredness, brand fidelity and WOM. Research limitations/implications The study has made a significant contribution by exploring the intensity of brand love and its effect on relationship-maintenance triad in halal cosmetic brands in India. Practical implications Marketers must understand the emotional side of brands to create synergy in their marketing efforts. Moreover, in the case of religious or faith-based brands, attainment of the highest order of brand love can play a revolutionary role for long-term growth. Originality/value In the context of halal cosmetic brands in India, this study has offered a new perspective by extending the literature on consumer-brand relationships. The use of brand fidelity and brand sacredness has enhanced the effectiveness of emotions with which consumers have been looking at brands for ages.
Tri‐band superconducting filter based on crossed resonators with controllable coupling and feeding structures

In this article, a compact tri‐band high‐temperature superconducting filter with controllable coupling and feeding structures based on crossed resonator which consists of two‐end‐open UIR with a short stub and an open stub shunted at the resonator center is proposed. Due to the symmetrical structure of the proposed resonator, the odd‐ and even‐mode analysis method can be used to derive their resonance frequencies. Then, a capacitance‐loaded microstrip line is added between the resonators to flexibly control the bandwidths. Furthermore, one tapped line and one coupled line are utilized to realize the acquired external coupling under prior specifications. For demonstration, a tri‐band filter operating at 1.6 GHz (Global Positioning System), 2.45 GHz (Wireless Local Area Networks), and 3.5 GHz (WiMAX) is designed, analyzed using the electromagnetic simulator, and fabricated using an YBa2Cu3Oy thin film on an MgO substrate. The measured results agree well with the simulated ones.