Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effects of model based missing data methods on guessing parameter in case of ignorable missing data

Bu calismada, kayip veri durumunda model tabanli kayip veri bas etme yontemlerinin ihmal edilebilir sans parametresi uzerindeki etkilerinin belirlenmesi amaclanmistir. Bu amacla 500, 1000 ve 3000 orneklem buyuklugunde tek boyutlu Madde Tepki Kurami 3 parametreli lojistik modeline uygun olarak uretilen verilerde %2.00, %5.00 ve %10.00 oranlarinda tamamen rastgele kayip ve rastgele kayip mekanizmalarina uygun olacak sekilde kayip veri olusturulmustur. Olusturulan kayip veriler, beklenti maksimizasyon algoritmasi ve coklu atama yontemleri ile tamamlanmistir. Veri setinde tamamen rastgele kayip mekanizmasinda kayip veri olmasi durumunda coklu atama ve beklenti maksimizasyon algoritmasi yontemlerinin kayip veri oranina da bagli olarak performansinin iyi oldugu sonucuna ulasilmistir. Tum orneklem buyukluklerinde kayip veri orani %2.00 oldugunda her iki yontemin de en iyi performansi sergiledigi, kayip veri orani arttikca referans degerden uzaklasildigi gorulmektedir. Buna karsin, orneklem buyuklugu 3000 oldugunda kayip veri orani yuksek de olsa referans degere daha yakin kesitimler sunduklari sonucuna ulasilmistir. Rastgele kayip veri mekanizmasinda ise kayip veri orani dusuk oldugunda her iki yontemin de sans parametresi uzerinde iyi performans gosterdigi ancak kayip veri orani arttikca bu performansta onemli dususlerin oldugu sonucuna ulasilmistir. Coklu atama ve beklenti maksimizasyon algoritmasi ile atama yontemlerinin her ikisi de rastgele kayip veri mekanizmasinda sans parametresi uzerinde iyi performans gostermemektedir.
What can we learn from pulsar timing arrays (or not) : constraining astrophysical parametric models with gravitational waves

Super massive black holes have been found in the centre of massive galaxies, which have also been observed to merge. Consequently, the central black holes should also form a binary and merge when their host galaxies collide. The galaxy merger rate can be calculated from astrophysical observables, such as the galaxy stellar mass function, pair fraction and merger time scale. Using galaxy - black hole relations it can be converted into a super massive black hole binary (SMBHB) merger rate, i.e. the population of SMBHBs in the Universe. Additionally, properties of individual SMBHBs, like their eccentricities and the densities of their stellar environment, also have an impact on the emission of gravitational waves (GWs). All the GWs emitted by the population of SMBHBs form a gravitational wave background (GWB), which is one of the prime targets for PTAs. Although, PTAs have not been able to detect such a background yet, stringent upper limits on the GWB have been produced. This thesis aims to investigate what we can learn from these upper limits as well as what could be learned from a detection.
Organic loads reduction efficiency using natural fiber reinforced polymer encapsulated microalgae macrocapsule for wastewater treatment

Organic load such as Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) increases in the water because of the increase in human growth and industrialisation. The initial goal of the study, to characterise the natural fibre reinforced polymer encapsulated microalgae macrocapsule using Scanning electron microscope (SEM). Second, analyse organic load reduction utilising natural fiber reinforced polymer encapsulated microalgae macrocapsule. The experiment was conducted with five Schott bottles with a 1.7 liter working volume as a photobioreactors. The system was operated with three tubes fabricated with different functions. The first tube was connected to the adjustable air pump oxygen aerator to supply oxygen into the photobioreactor system. The photobioreactor’s second tube is designed to flow out gasses. The last tube is the sampling tube function to withdraw the samples for the efficacy of treatment performance. The photobioreactor will continuously be illuminated with cool-white fluorescent light (Philip TL-D 36W/865, light intensity of 60–70 μmol m-2 s-1). This study employs COD to test microalgae’s organic load reduction. From day 1 to 5, COD value shows a pattern of reduction from 352 mg/L for day 1 and 223 mg/L for day 5, respectively. The analysis reveals that the p-OPEFB (Polymeric Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch) macrocapsule has a surface structure with a rough surface before and after treatment. Optical density measures microalgae growth. BBM’s (Bold Basal Medium) increasing absorbance value allows microalgae to develop optimally. Natural fibre reinforced polymer encapsulated microalgae macrocapsule shows potential for wastewater treatment.
Iterative method to decompose hyperspectral mixed pixel using barycentric coordinate

Spectral mixture analysis (also called spectral unmixing) is one of the important and effective techniques to estimate abundance fractions of materials present in the hyperspectral imagery. Linear spectral mixture modeling is widely used in solving the spectral unmixing problems as its conciseness and clarity of physical meaning. This paper presents a novel algorithm to produce fully constrained (i.e. non-negative and sum to one constrained) abundance using the barycentric coordinates in the n-simplex. To impose non-negative constraint on the abundance, the proposed method use a serious of orthogonal projections to find the fully constrained solution, which takes into account the geometric structure of hyperspectral data set. The proposed algorithm is in line with the least squares criterion. The efficiency and effectiveness of the resulting unmixing algorithm is demonstrated using both synthetic and real hyperspectral images.
A note on Wilson coverage intervals for proportions estimated from complex samples

This note discusses the theoretical foundations for the extension of the Wilson two-sided coverage interval to an estimated proportion computed from complex survey data. The interval is shown to be asymptotically equivalent to an interval derived from a logistic transformation. A mildly better version is discussed, but users may prefer constructing a one-sided interval already in the literature.
Experimental study of plasma jets produced by conical wire array z-pinches

Plasma jets are ubiquitous in the universe; active galactic nuclei, protostars and planetary nebulae all produce jets. It is possible to model these jets in the laboratory provided a number of scaling criteria are met. This thesis describes a new technique allowing the modelling of protostellar jets based on the wire array zpinch. Experiments were performed on the MAGPIE pulsed power generator (1MA, 240ns) using a modification of the usual cylindrical wire array z-pinch, in which the wires are inclined with respect to the axis (forming a cone). Convergent flows in a conical wire array z-pinch meet in a conical shock, which ejects a highly supersonic jet (Mach number > 30). This Mach number, and hence the collimation of this jet is dependent on radiative cooling rates and, therefore, wire material; for tungsten the cooling length is comparable to the jet radius, leading to a highly collimated jet. The introduction of angular momentum into the jet has a detrimental effect on collimation. The interaction of a jet with an ambient medium is investigated. Experiments where the jet interacts with a static gas cloud demonstrate the formation of a working surface. The observed velocity of the working surface is changed by variation of the density contrast (the ratio of densities in the jet and ambient medium), and this dependence is in agreement with analytic astrophysical models. Experiments have also been performed where a jet propagates through a side wind. The jet remains well collimated as it is deflected by angles up to 30◦. Internal structure is observed in the jet, including the internal oblique shock responsible for the deflection, and the results have been compared to astrophysical models. The application of conical wire arrays to understanding the physical mechanisms involved in general wire arrays, including wire ablation, has also been explored.
Math-elearning@cat: Factores claves del uso de las TIC en educación matemática secundaria

Este articulo presenta los principales resultados obtenidos en el desarrollo del proyecto de investigacion Math-Elearning@cat, contextualizado en educacion secundaria. En concreto se identifican aquellos factores que, en opinion de los docentes, resultan mas relevantes a la hora de incorporar las Tecnologias de la Informacion y la Comunicacion (TIC) en las asignaturas de caracter matematico. Se trata de un estudio hibrido, basado en una encuesta realizada a profesores de matematicas de educacion secundaria en Cataluna (Espana). Para analizar los datos, se emplean tecnicas de analisis factorial. El analisis muestra la existencia de cuatro factores que intervienen de manera relevante en el uso de las TIC en las aulas de matematicas. Otro resultado del estudio es la constatacion de que los profesores tienen, por lo general, una predisposicion positiva al uso de las TIC en su actividad docente, aunque dicha predisposicion no parece corresponderse con su uso real.
Shibboleth: An agent-based model of signalling mimicry

Mimicry is an essential strategy for exploiting competitors in competitive co-evolutionary relationships. Protection against mimicry may, furthermore, be a driving force in human linguistic diversity: the potential harm caused by failing to detect mimicked group-identity signals may select for high sensitivity to mimicry of honest group members. Here we describe the results of five agent-based models that simulate multi-generational interactions between two groups of individuals: original members of a group with an honest identity signal, and members of an outsider group who mimic that signal, aiming to pass as members of the in-group. The models correspond to the Biblical story of Shibboleth, where a tribe in conflict with another determines tribe affiliation by asking individuals to pronounce the word, ‘Shibboleth. ’ In the story, failure to reproduce the word phonetically resulted in death. Here, we run five different versions of a ‘Shibboleth’ model: a first, simple version, which evaluates whether a composite variable of mimicry quality and detection quality is a superior predictor to the model’s outcome than is cost of detection. The models thereafter evaluate variations on the simple model, incorporating group-level behaviours such as altruistic punishment. Our results suggest that group members’ sensitivity to mimicry of the Shibboleth-signal is a better predictor of whether any signal of group identity goes into fixation in the overall population than is the cost of mimicry detection. Thus, the likelihood of being detected as a mimic may be more important than the costs imposed on mimics who are detected. This suggests that theoretical models in biology should place greater emphasis on the likelihood of detection, which does not explicitly entail costs, rather than on the costs to individuals who are detected. From a language learning perspective, the results suggest that admission to group membership through linguistic signals is powered by the ability to imitate and evade detection as an outsider by existing group members.
Effect of goal-oriented prenatal education on birth preparedness, complication readiness and institutional delivery among semi-urban pregnant women in Nigeria: A quasi-experimental study

Background High maternal mortality has been associated with inadequate Birth preparedness and Complication Readiness (BPCR) and non-institutional delivery in developing countries. Therefore, there is a need for proven interventions that will improve BPCR and institutional delivery to reduce maternal mortality. Therefore, this study evaluated the effects of Goal-Oriented Prenatal Education (GOPE) on pregnant women’s BPCR and institutional delivery. Methods The study adopted a quasi-experimental two-group pre and post-test design. Two Local Government Areas (LGAs) were randomly selected from the six semi-urban LGAs in Ibadan. These LGAs were randomized into an intervention and control group. Two Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) were randomly selected from each LGA, and 400 pregnant women who registered for antenatal care in the selected PHCs, and met the inclusion criteria were purposively selected to participate in the study. A validated questionnaire and checklist were adapted for data collection at baseline and post-intervention. The pregnant women in the intervention group received GOPE focusing on knowledge and attitude to BPCR. Participants’ place of birth was documented at delivery. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and the Mann-Whitney U test at α0. 05. Results Good knowledge of BPCR was found in 65.5% of pregnant women at baseline and 91.8% post-intervention. Good BPCR practice was found in 95.3% and 73.1% of women in the intervention and control groups respectively. At delivery, 93.5% and 53.5% had institutional delivery in the intervention and control groups respectively. A significant difference (p<0.001) was observed in BPCR knowledge and attitude post-intervention, as well as in BPCR practice and institutional delivery between women in the intervention and control group. Conclusions Goal-oriented prenatal education improved birth preparedness and complication readiness as well as institutional delivery among pregnant women. This should be integrated into routine prenatal education in Nigeria.
Biomathematical approaches in protein studies

Problems in model studies of biological molecules and complexes result from the size of the systems on the one hand (a large number of elements -- atoms or atomic complexes in the picometer range) and the time scale of the running processes-- from femtoseconds to hours and even days – on the other. Due to the nature of interactions in which biomolecules are involved (short as well as long-range interactions), simply increasing the computing power of modern supercomputers is not enough to solve them. Efforts are concentrated on the development of enhanced phase-space sampling methods or alternative (coarse-grained in one sense or another) representations of the studied systems, but foremost on expanding the boundaries of the existing modeling techniques through synergetic protocols of complementary approaches. The aim is to create multilevel multi-scale approaches to understanding biomolecular structure and dynamics .
Comparison of Long-term Outcomes between Nonoperative Treatment and Vascularized Bone Graft for Kienböck Disease: A Systematic Review and Single-Arm Meta-Analysis

Background This systematic literature review compared long-term outcomes between nonoperative treatment and vascularized bone graft (VBG) in patients with Kienböck disease. Methods We systematically reviewed studies on nonoperative treatment and VBG for Kienböck disease with a mean follow-up of ≥ 5 years. A systematic search was conducted in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), PubMed, and Embase databases to select relevant articles. Data on patient demographics, treatment details, and outcomes were extracted. Results Twelve studies (6 for nonoperative treatment and 6 for VBG) were included. The proportion of wrists showing worsening Lichtman stages after treatment was 40.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 25.7–56.6) and 17.0% (95% CI, 10.2%–26.9%) in the nonoperative treatment group and VBG group, respectively. No change in the stage was observed in 52.4% (95% CI, 25.5%–78.0%) and 77.8% (95% CI, 66.7%–86.0%) of the wrists in the nonoperative treatment group and VBG group, respectively. The proportion of wrists without pain at the final follow-up was 29.2% (95% CI, 16.6%–46.1%) and 35.9% (95% CI, 22.6%–52.0%) in the nonoperative treatment group and VBG group, respectively. The proportion of wrists with more than a moderate degree was 30.4% (95% CI, 22.7%–39.4%) and 12.9% (95% CI, 5.5%–27.4%) in the nonoperative treatment group and VBG group, respectively. The 95% CIs of the mean wrist range of motion and mean grip strength ratio of the affected side to the contralateral side substantially overlapped in the two groups. Conclusions The VBG group showed greater improvement in the radiographic stage and wrist pain than did the nonoperative treatment group after treatment, but meaningful differences in parameters were not observed. Further well-designed studies are needed to confirm the superiority of VBG to nonoperative treatment regarding radiographic and clinical outcomes.
Fake news stance detection using selective features and FakeNET

The proliferation of fake news has severe effects on society and individuals on multiple fronts. With fast-paced online content generation, has come the challenging problem of fake news content. Consequently, automated systems to make a timely judgment of fake news have become the need of the hour. The performance of such systems heavily relies on feature engineering and requires an appropriate feature set to increase performance and robustness. In this context, this study employs two methods for reducing the number of feature dimensions including Chi-square and principal component analysis (PCA). These methods are employed with a hybrid neural network architecture of convolutional neural network (CNN) and long short-term memory (LSTM) model called FakeNET. The use of PCA and Chi-square aims at utilizing appropriate feature vectors for better performance and lower computational complexity. A multi-class dataset is used comprising ‘agree’, ‘disagree’, ‘discuss’, and ‘unrelated’ classes obtained from the Fake News Challenges (FNC) website. Further contextual features for identifying bogus news are obtained through PCA and Chi-Square, which are given nonlinear characteristics. The purpose of this study is to locate the article’s perspective concerning the headline. The proposed approach yields gains of 0.04 in accuracy and 0.20 in the F1 score, respectively. As per the experimental results, PCA achieves a higher accuracy of 0.978 than both Chi-square and state-of-the-art approaches.
Global review and guidelines to avoid opportunistic predation of birds and bats in mist nets

Abstract Mist nets are one of the most widely used techniques in the study of birds and bats worldwide. However, a number of risks are involved, including opportunistic predation. Given this potential cost, here we: (1) review the global literature to understand the factors that might contribute to predation risk for birds and bats captured in mist nets; (2) review existing guidelines for best practice use of mist nets; and (3) based on our reviews, recommend new guidelines for the use of mist nets to minimize the risk of opportunistic predation. Based on keyword in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French, and using Google Scholar, Scopus, SciElo, and Web of Science, we found 48 articles reporting opportunistic predation. In the included articles, 178 predation events, involving 52 predator and 84 prey species, were reported. In most of the reports, the mist nets were placed at ground level, the bats and birds were preyed on from the shelf closest to the ground, the mist‐net checks occurred at intervals of 1 h or 30 min and the most common predators were arboreal and scansorial species (primates and marsupials). Despite the occurrences of predation in 13 countries, guidelines for best practice mist‐net use were found in only three, despite extensive searches and contact with key people in each country. Based on the existing guidelines and our results, we recommend that mist nets be fixed with the lowest shelf at least 50 cm above ground level and be checked at 15‐min intervals; when predators are observed near mist nets, the nets either be constantly observed, closed, or relocated; suppressed the vegetation around the mist nets; captured animals be removed from the mist nets as soon as possible, and more than one researcher/technician should be in the field at all times.
Identification and initial validation of maximal tumor area as a novel prognostic factor for overall and disease-free survival in patients with resectable colon cancer: a retrospective study

Background: The tumor area may be a potential prognostic indicator. The present study aimed to determine and validate the prognostic value of tumor area in curable colon cancer. Methods: This retrospective study included a training and validation cohorts of patients who underwent radical surgery for colon cancer. Independent prognostic factors for overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were identified using Cox proportional hazards regression models. The prognostic discrimination was evaluated using the integrated area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (iAUCs) for prognostic factors and models. The prognostic discrimination between tumor area and other individual factors was compared, along with the prognostic discrimination between the tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging system and other prognostic models. Two-sample Wilcoxon tests were carried out to identify significant differences between the two iAUCs. A two-sided P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 3051 colon cancer patients were included in the training cohort and 872 patients in the validation cohort. Tumor area, age, differentiation, T stage, and N stage were independent prognostic factors for both OS and DFS in the training cohort. Tumor area had a better OS and DFS prognostic discrimination characteristics than T stage, maximal tumor diameter, differentiation, tumor location, and number of retrieved lymph nodes. The novel prognostic model of T stage + N stage + tumor area (iAUC for OS, 0.714, P<0.001; iAUC for DFS, 0.694, P<0.001) showed a better prognostic discrimination than the TNM staging system (T stage + N stage; iAUC for OS, 0.664; iAUC for DFS, 0.658). Similar results were observed in an independent validation cohort. Conclusions: Tumor area was identified as an independent prognostic factor for both OS and DFS in curable colon cancer patients, and in cases with an adequate number of retrieved lymph nodes. The novel prognostic model of combining T stage, N stage, and tumor area may be an alternative to the current TNM staging system.
Identifying explosives using broadband millimeter-wave imaging

Millimeter wave imaging is employed in Advanced Technology Imaging (AIT) systems to screen personnel for concealed explosives and weapons. AIT systems deployed in airports auto-detect potential threats by highlighting their location on a generic outline of a person using imaging data collected over a range of frequency. We show how the spectral information from the imaging data can be used to identify the composition of an anomalous object, in particular if it is an explosive material. The discriminative value of the technique was illustrated on military sheet explosive using millimeter-wave reflection data at frequencies 18 – 40 GHz, and commercial explosives using 2 – 18 GHz, but the free-space measurement was limited to a single horn with a large-area sample. This work extends the method to imaging data collected at high resolution with a 18 – 40 GHz imaging system. The identification of explosives is accomplished by extracting the dielectric constant from the free-space, multifrequency data. The reflection coefficient is a function of frequency because of propagation effects associated with the material’s complex dielectric constant, which include interference from multiple reflections and energy loss in the sample. The dielectric constant is obtained by numerically fitting the reflection coefficient as a function of frequency to an optical model. In principal, the implementation of this technique in standoff imaging systems would allow threat assessment to be accomplished within the scope of millimeter-wave screening.