Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
University student satisfaction, resource management and metacognitive learning strategies

The study aims to determine the relationship between university students’ satisfaction with the university and the use of resource management and metacognitive self-regulatory learning strategies through structural equation modelling. This study was designed in the relational screening model, which is among the descriptive research methods and defines the relationships between variables. The data were collected from 364 undergraduate students at a university in Turkey. Structural equation modelling was used to test the model that showed the relationships between student satisfaction, resource management and metacognitive self-regulatory learning strategies, and the descriptive statistics of the variables and correlations were also calculated. Research results show that metacognitive and resource management self-regulatory learning strategies affect student satisfaction. significantly at a low level. Students’ use of self-regulatory learning strategies positively affects their satisfaction from the institution they are studying. In addition, the mediating effect of resource management self-regulatory learning strategy between metacognitive learning and student satisfaction was examined, and the indirect impact of resource management on student satisfaction was also found to be significant.
Confidence Intervals for Ratios of Means and Medians

In studies where the response variable is measured on a ratio scale, a ratio of means or medians provides a standardized measure of effect size that is an alternative to the popular standardized mean difference. Confidence intervals for ratios of population means and medians in independent-samples designs and paired-samples designs are proposed as supplements to the independent-samples t test and paired-samples t test. The performance of the proposed confidence intervals are evaluated in a simulation study. The proposed confidence interval methods are extended to the case of a 2 × m factorial design that includes propensity score stratification and meta-analysis as special cases. R functions that implement the recommended confidence intervals are provided in the Supplemental Material file, available in the online version of this article, and are illustrated with several examples.
Increased Neurite Orientation-Dispersion and Density in the TgCRND8 Mouse Model of Amyloidosis: Inverse Relation with Functional Connectome Clustering and Modulation by Interleukin-6

Extracellular β-amyloid (Aβ) plaque deposits and inflammatory immune activation are thought to alter various aspects of tissue microstructure, such as extracellular free water, fractional anisotropy and diffusivity, as well as the density and geometric arrangement of axonal processes. Quantifying these microstructural changes in Alzheimer’s disease and related neurodegenerative dementias could serve to accurately monitor or predict disease course. In the present study we used high-field diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) to determine how Aβ and inflammatory interleukin-6 (IL6), alone or in combination, affect in vivo tissue microstructure in the TgCRND8 mouse model of Alzheimer’s-type Aβ deposition. TgCRND8 and non-transgenic (nTg) mice expressing brain-targeted IL6 or enhanced glial fibrillary protein (EGFP controls) were scanned at 8 months of age using a 2-shell, 54-gradient direction dMRI sequence at 11.1 Tesla. Images were processed using the free water elimination method and the neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) model. DTI and NODDI processing in TgCRND8 mice revealed a microstructure pattern consistent with reduced white matter integrity along with an increase in density and geometric complexity of axonal and dendritic processes. This included reduced FA, mean diffusivity (MD), and free water (FW), and increased ‘neurite’ density (NDI) and orientation dispersion (ODI). IL6 produced a ‘protective-like’ effect on FA in TgCRND8 mice, although there were minimal microstructure changes in these mice compared IL6 expressing nTg mice. In addition, we found that NDI and ODI had an inverse relationship with the functional connectome clustering coefficient, which was affected by Aβ and IL6. The relationship between NODDI and graph theory metrics suggests that increasing the density and orientation dispersion of neurites may relate to diminished functional network organization in the brain.
Spatial Agglomerations in the Spanish Food Industry: Does Sectorial Disaggregation Matter?

The food industry is the most important industrial activity in Spain in terms of production and employment; its spatial concentration is considerable. However, there is a lack of quantitative research on its agglomerations, especially at high levels of spatial and sectorial disaggregation. With the study presented, this deficit is addressed, using systematic and quantitative methods to examine the spatial agglomeration in the subsectors that the food industry is specialized. Spanish food industry clusters have been identified by applying a top-down quantitative methodological approach—the cluster index—and following a high level of territorial and sectorial disaggregation. Clusters were identified at the three- and four-digit sectorial disaggregation. The number of four-digit-level relevant clusters was higher than three-digit disaggregation. This evidence was verified using nonparametric statistical tests (Wilcoxon signed-rank test). Furthermore, the analysis of four significant three-digit subsectors allows us to advance two alternative explanations for the divergent results at the different levels of the analysis (three digits vs. four digits). This partly explains the potential competitiveness of Spain in the food industry and shows the possibility of establishing policies for the development of clusters.
Nexus of Information Asymmetry, Environmental Externalities and Financial Performance: Evidence from Listed Nigerian Companies

Purpose of the article: There is dearth of empirical studies on the association between information asymmetry, environmental externalities and financial performance, especially in Nigeria. Thus in this paper, we examined the nexus of information asymmetry, environmental externalities and financial performance of listed Nigerian firms. Methodology/methods: In order to attain this, the ex-post facto design was adopted and the simple random sampling technique was used in selecting ten (10) firms in the industrial and consumer goods subsector with data spanning from 2012–2017. The data were obtained from the financial statements of the companiws and the Nigerian Stock Exchange Factbook, while the analysis was carried out via the ordinary least square, fixed and random effects statistical tool. Scientific aim: This paper assessed the nexus of information asymmetry, environmental externalities and financial performance in Nigeria. Findings: The study found a clear indication that the level of financial performance of industrial and consumer goods companies in Nigeria is significantly influenced by the information asymmetry, as well as environmental externalities. Contributions: In view of the findings, it was recommended that there should be collaboration between the government and regulatory framework of accounting in order to advance a robust and clear-cut legislation on disclosure of environmental externalities and information irregularity in the financial statements of companies. Also, this study contributes to knowledge by filling the gap in literature, as well as showing that apart other dynamics that may influence financial performance, information asymmetry and environmental externalities are seemingly fundamental.
Expanding the Transformative Explanatory Sequential Mixed Methods Design Archetype in a Cross-Cultural Context: The Polemics of African Refugee Livelihoods in Places of Resettlement

Transformative sequential mixed methods design in a cross-cultural context is seldom straightforward. Using a community-based participatory research approach as the transformative lens in an African refugee context in the southern United Status, we explored: (a) the intersection of culture, financial stress, and financial self-efficacy and (b) tested the efficacy of financial literacy as the focus of a culturally responsive solution grounded in community-identified priorities. Through a three-phased explanatory sequential mixed methods design, we demonstrate how the addition of a third phase of analysis that focuses on convergence and expansion of quantitative and qualitative data integration and cyclical processes of dissemination and action can strengthen the utility of transformative mixed methods research in a cross-cultural context. Our study offers a unique contribution to the long-standing methodological dialogue between the design elements of mixed methods research, community-based participatory research, and migration studies by expanding the transformative explanatory sequential design archetype in a cross-cultural context.
Development of Test-Bed Controller for Powertrain of HEV

The dynamic test-bed is a powerful tool for the powertrain integration and control strategy development of a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV). This paper focuses on developing a test-bed controller with driver simulation, road load simulation (RLS), and engine simulation. The main factors that influence the RLS accuracy are analyzed, especially inertia of test-bed and torque signal sampling frequency, and the RLS algorithm with penalty function based on a forward model is proposed. The engine model is developed and permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) is adopted to realize engine start-up/stop, torque control, and inertia simulation. The simulation platform was built in MATLAB/Simulink to verify its accuracy. The simulation results present the developed RLS with a penalty function based on a forward model that can reduce the speed and torque error. The developed controller is applied to the single-axis parallel HEV test-bed. The experiment results show that the developed test-bed controller can precisely emulate the road load and improve the efficiency of the development of HEV powertrain.
Low - speed generator with permanent magnets and additional windings in the rotor for small power wind plants and micro hydro power plants

Recently due to the worldwide population grows much attention has been paid to increasing total electricity generation. However, traditional power plants, which are used hydrocarbon fuels, cause one of the challenging problems like environmental contamination and global warming in the world. In this case, renewable or alternative energy sources can be a promising replacement for traditional hydrocarbon fuels. Uzbekistan has lots of small rivers and water reservoirs and the use of these potentials in the perspective to generate power it is a unique decision of the problem. Usually in small power plants use low-speed generators and efficiency of these type generators are very low. Hence, the main objective of this study is to increase the efficiency of the low power generator by improving and optimizing the specifications and parameters of the low power generators. The use of low-speed generators with permanent magnet excitation for micro-hydroelectric power plants and wind turbines is relevant in terms of providing good weight and size indicators, simplicity of construction, lack of sliding contacts, with the ability to perform a generator of low rotation speeds, which causes low cost and high reliability. In this study, the natures of the influence of the main geometric dimensions of the mass-dimensional parameters and the air gap on the energy indicators of the generator are estimated. Theoretical and experimental research results are submitted.
A Truthful FPTAS Auction for the Edge-Cloud Pricing Problem

Edge computing, as a new promising paradigm of cloud computing, has gained widespread attention from both academia and industry. Tremendous progress in many aspects of edge computing has been achieved. However, the further development of edge computing also needs to be promoted by economic benefits, while few studies focus on the pricing in the edge-cloud scenario. In this paper, we propose and study the Edge-Cloud Pricing Problem, where a service provider provides both the edge and the cloud platform for executing computational tasks. In order to achieve the optimal social welfare, we design a truthful auction mechanism for the service provider, which is an FPTAS. Theoretical analysis shows that our auction mechanism yields the optimal allocation that maximizes the social welfare while violating the supply constraint by at most a factor of 1+ϵ. Extensive simulations validate our analysis and show that the auction mechanism performs better than the heuristic algorithms, i.e., with ϵ=1, the auction mechanism outperforms the greedy algorithm by 30.2% in average.
Co-Cr complete maxillary denture bases casted from conventionally waxed patterns and Co-Cr complete maxillary denture bases casted from milled wax patterns fit accuracy comparison

Acrylic resins had been used to manufacture the removable complete dentures bases for many years. However there are many disadvantages connected to the use of this material as a denture base, the reason that makes the researches use metal bases as replacement, there are many ways to make patterns for metal casting in partial and complete dentures, Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare the fit accuracy of Co-Cr metal denture bases casted from conventionally waxed patterns to other Co-Cr metal denture bases casted from CAD-CAM milled wax patterns. Materials and Methods: Using 20 replicated master casts obtained by duplicating a metal die representing a fully edentulous maxillary arch, 10 Co-Cr metal plates were casted from conventionally waxed up patterns, and another 10 Co-Cr metal plates were casted from CAD-CAM milled wax patterns, after artificial teeth setting, acrylic resin had been processed, to simulate an ordinary denture base. After applying injectable addition silicone super light body impression material between each denture base and metal die was performed and let it set under 5kg weight designed to be used in this experiment, weighing process of the elastomeric silicone layer was performed to compare adaptation of the two groups of dentures. Results: The values of the silicone layer weight (in grams) in the conventional waxing group was smaller than the values of the silicone layer weight in the Co-Cr metal plates were casted from CAD-CAM milled wax patterns. Conclusions: Dentures with Co-Cr metal plates casted from conventionally waxed up patterns fits more accurately than the dentures with Co-Cr metal plates casted from CAD-CAM milled wax patterns.
Shrinkage prediction during pasta dehydration

Bressani, Gina. M.S.A.B. E. , Purdue University, May 2014. Prediction of pasta shrinkage. Major Professor: Dr. Martin R. Okos. Shrinkage models from different fields of study were reviewed. Pasta was used as a model to further develop the hypothesis of predicting shrinkage in terms of the rate of relaxation and the rate of moisture loss. An extended literature review of pasta properties, such as isotherms, diffusivity, glass transition, rheological properties, and shrinkage was conducted. Isotherm and glass transition models were developed from the literature data acquired. Creep was tested with a 25 mm-diameter flat plate at 20 to 40°C at varying moisture content. Viscoelastic parameters for the Burgers model for creep were determined, where higher moisture content samples resulted in higher creep values. A super-sensitive balance with controlled temperature and relative humidity environment was used to obtain drying curves of extruded semolina at 60°C. Samples of different thicknesses were submitted to relative humidity steps from 80% to 0%. The drying kinetics show similar behavior throughout all thicknesses, and discrepancies between curves suggest shrinkage is occurring. The diffusivity constant was shown to increase with decreasing moisture content, while diffusivity has been shown to decrease, which suggests that shrinkage has a significant effect on the drying curves. Diffusivity values obtained based on constant initial length are comparable to literature data obtained. The values were between 1.18×10 and 2.84×10 m/s. Shrinkage curves obtained suggests that shrinkage during pasta dehydration is not linear, which is contrary to the typical linear-shrinkage assumption. Although it was hypothesized that the Berens and Hopfenberg model was applicable for this study, diffusivity and relaxation occur simultaneously and not separable from the data obtained. Further research with longer
Influence of expected reward on perceptual decision making

Perceptual decision making is influenced by reward expected from alternative options or actions, but the underlying neural mechanisms are currently unknown. More specifically, it is debated whether reward effects are mediated through changes in sensory processing and/or later stages of decision making. To address this question, we conducted two experiments in which human subjects made saccades to what they perceived to be the first or second of two visually identical but asynchronously presented targets, while we manipulated expected reward from correct and incorrect responses on each trial. We found that unequal reward caused similar shifts in target selection (reward bias) between the two experiments. Moreover, observed reward biases were independent of the individual’s sensitivity to sensory signals. These findings suggest that the observed reward effects were determined heuristically via modulation of decision-making processes instead of sensory processing and thus, are more compatible with response bias rather than perceptual bias. To further explain our findings and uncover plausible neural mechanisms, we simulated our experiments with a cortical network model and tested alternative mechanisms for how reward could exert its influence. We found that our observations are more compatible with reward-dependent input to the output layer of the decision circuit. Together, our results suggest that during a temporal judgment task, the influence of reward information on perceptual choice is more compatible with changing later stages of decision making rather than early sensory processing.
Estimating abundance of a cryptic social carnivore using spatially explicit capture–recapture

Estimating population abundance of wolves (Canis lupus) in densely forested landscapes is challenging because reduced visibility lowers the success of methods such as aerial surveys and enumeration of group size using radiotelemetry. However, regular population estimates of wolves are necessary for population monitoring and sustainable management. We used noninvasive hair snaring and spatially explicit capture–recapture (SECR) to estimate wolf abundance on Prince of Wales Island (POW), Alaska, USA, during 2012–2015. We monitored 36–82 hair-snare stations weekly for 9–11 weeks during autumn. The noninvasive study area covered 1,683 km during 2012–2013 and was expanded to 3,281 km during 2014– 2015.We identified 57 individual wolves during the study period using DNA from hair follicles genotyped at 10microsatellite loci.We used population density estimates using SECR (2013: 24.5 wolves/1,000 km [95% CI1⁄4 14.4–41.9 wolves/1,000 km], 2014: 9.9 wolves/1,000 km [95% CI1⁄4 5.5–17.7/1,000 km], 2015: 11.9 wolves/1,000 km [95% CI1⁄4 7.7–18.5 wolves/1,000 km]) to predict the autumn population for the POW management unit (2013: 221.1 wolves [95% CI1⁄4 130–378]; 2014: 89.1 wolves [95% CI1⁄4 49.8–159.4]; 2015: 107.5 wolves [95% CI1⁄4 69–167]). We detected and redetected more wolves and increased the precision of the density estimate after increasing the hair sampling intensity and sampling area in 2014–2015. Our results demonstrate that estimating wolf abundance using noninvasive sampling and SECR was feasible and reliably applied producing a statistically robust population estimate for monitoring wolf populations in densely forested areas. These methods have promise for application to widely ranging carnivores at population-level scales and may be especially useful when regular density estimates are necessary for management and conservation. 2019 The Wildlife Society.
Gastrointestinal helminths of intensively managed poultry in Kwara Central, Kwara State, Nigeria: Its diversity, prevalence, intensity, and risk factors

Aim: Helminth infections inflict negatively on the production and well-being of animals including poultry. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence, species diversity, intensity, and risk factors associated with the gastrointestinal helminths of intensively raised poultry in Kwara Central senatorial district of Kwara State. Materials and Methods: Fecal samples were collected from 502 poultry species from 15 farms. The samples were subjected to floatation and the formalin-ethyl acetate concentration techniques of examination. The intensity of infections was determined using McMaster counting technique. Results: Seven helminth species were detected with Heterakis gallinarum (10.2%) and Ascaridia galli (6.0%) been the most prevalent, while Capillaria species was the least prevalent (0.8%). Physiological status, bird type, production purpose, farm age (years), presence of other animals in the farm, flock size (birds), farm size (acres), housing type, farm type, frequency of anthelmintic use, distance to waste area (meters), level of biosecurity, and frequency of cleaning the pen were the risk factors significantly (p<0.05) associated with the presence of helminth infections. Conclusion: This study shows that helminth infections are endemic in the study area, as 66.7% of the sampled farms were infected with one or more helminth species. Findings from this study provide information that will assist in improving the poultry sector in Kwara State, Nigeria in general, for better production and profitability.
Deep genetic differentiation between two morphologically similar species of wolf herrings (Teleostei, Clupeoidei, Chirocentridae)

Wolf herrings (Chirocentridae; Clupeoidei) are commonly found in local fish markets throughout the Indo‐West Pacific region where they constitute an auxiliary source of food and income for local communities. The validity of the two species of wolf herrings, Chirocentrus dorab Forsskal, 1775 and C. nudus Swainon, 1839, is only supported by slight morphological differences. The identification of either species is challenging, especially for juveniles, and precludes accurate assessments of these natural resources at a species level. As a step towards gaining better knowledge of the genetic structure of these fishes, we examined genetic differentiation between these two species by reconstructing their entire mitogenomic sequences using high‐throughput sequencing technology. We found that the mitogenome of each species shared the same gene content and order that were the same for those found in most other teleost fishes. Despite their high morphological similarity, these two species of Chirocentrus were genetically well differentiated (p‐distance = 16.3% at their cytochrome oxidase I). A mitogenomic time‐calibrated phylogenetic analysis showed that wolf herrings originated about 35 million years ago, and they represent a case of morphological stasis. Furthermore, comparison of published and newly determined mitochondrial COI barcode region sequences from 22 individuals revealed species‐level cryptic genetic diversity within C. dorab. Altogether, these mitochondrial data are effective in discriminating species within this genus and informing population genetic relationships within species of wolf herrings.