Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Applications of metaverse-related technologies in the services of US urban libraries

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand the applications of metaverse-related technologies in US urban libraries, explore excellent cases of US urban libraries' practices in using metaverse-related technologies to serve patrons and try to find the factor that may affect the application of metaverse-related technologies in libraries at this stage.Design/methodology/approachTo gather information about how and whether libraries use metaverse-related technologies such as three-dimensional (3D) technology, radio frequency identification (RFID), virtual reality augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI) in their services. Firstly, the authors visit 150 US urban library websites that are members of the Urban Libraries Council. Secondly, the authors calculate the proportion of services provided by urban libraries that use metaverse-related technologies and introduce outstanding cases. Lastly, the authors discuss the factors that influence the application of metaverse-related technologies in urban libraries in the United States based on data published by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.FindingsMetaverse-related technologies have been widely used in US urban libraries, but there are differences in the popularity of the applications of different technologies. In all, 84% of libraries use 3D technology, mainly in 3D printing services and 3D model building services; 76% of libraries use virtual and augmented reality technologies in their services, mainly concentrated in head-mounted VR device experiences, AR device experiences, virtual tours and virtual exhibitions; 62% of libraries use Internet of things (IoT) technology, mainly in self-checkout machines and book location services. However, AI technologies are less used in libraries, with 28% of libraries mentioning the applications of AI in their services, mainly focusing on intelligent search, virtual assistants and robot librarians. In addition, this study finds that library operating expenditures and population served do not affect the application of metaverse-related technologies in libraries.Originality/valueThis paper provides updated statistical data on the use of metaverse-related technologies in US urban libraries and aims to help library managers understand the overall applications and best practices. With this as an inspiration, they could formulate corresponding development plans to better serve their communities with metaverse-related technologies.
Double and triple junction polymer solar cells processed from solution

Multiple junction solar cells incorporating polymer:fullerene bulk heterojunctions as active layers and solution processed electron and hole transport layers are presented. The recombination layer, deposited between the active layers, is fabricated by spin coating ZnO nanoparticles from acetone, followed by spin coating neutral pH poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) from water and short UV illumination of the completed device. The key advantage of this procedure is that each step does not affect the integrity of previously deposited layers. The open-circuit voltage (Voc) for double and triple junction solar cells is close to the sum of the Voc’s of individual cells.
Influence of Plasma Actuations on Forebody Side Forces and Wakes

The variation of the asymmetric force and vortex wake on a 20 circular-cone forebody with angle of attack from 35 to 70 at zero sideslip are investigated. A pair of plasma actuators is designed and placed near the apex of the forebody. The pressure distributions over the forebody are measured in a low-turbulence 3.0 m × 1.6 m low-speed open-circuit wind tunnel at freestream velocity 5 m/s and Reynolds number of 50, 000 based on the cone base diameter. The pressure data are used to calculate the side force distribution along the forebody axis and to infer the salient features of the separated flow over the forebody under three modes of controls: plasma-off, plasma port-on and plasma starboard-on. Effects of the plasma actuations on vortex wake and side force over the cone forebody at angle of attack upto 70 are identified.
Approximating the general non-normal variance-ratio sampling distributions

SUMMARY Laguerre series expansions are developed of the frequency distributions of the 'nonnormal' variance-ratios used for testing (i) the homogeneity of a set of means in case of oneway classification for analysis of variance with non-identical group to group error distributions; and (ii) the compatibility of two population variances. The effect of non-normality on the distributions is illustrated numerically. The effect of non-normality on the frequency distributions of the variance-ratios used for testing (a) the equality of a set of means in one-way classification for analysis of variance; and (b) the compatibility of two population variances, was first studied by E. S. Pearson (1931) by way of sampling experiments. Theoretical investigations were carried out by Bartlett (1935), Geary (1936, 1947) and Gayen (1950). Their investigations were essentially of the same type, basing their derivations on the first few terms of the Edgeworth's series expansion of the probability density function of the population. They did not consider the case when, in analysis of variance, the error distribution from group to group is not identical. It has been possible here to tackle this general problem in an entirely different way. The distribution of 'between' and 'within' sum of the squares is formally expanded in terms of Laguerre polynomials and Gamma density functions. The first few coefficients are worked out in terms of population cumulants. The 'non-normal' sampling distribution of two independent variances is also given. The results obtained are important not only on their own account, but in giving an elegant and simple method of judging the degree of approximation of the expressions for large n, n being the sample size. Similar expansions of Student's t distribution and power-function of F-test have been obtained elsewhere (Tiku, 1962, 1963). Since this investigation was completed my attention has been called to a paper by Khamis (1960) advocating the use of these polynomials.
Entropy changes in rarefaction waves

Frictional flow of a polytropic gas is investigated for centered rarefaction waves. Energy balance is maintained by assuming that mechanical energy loss due to frictional force reappears as heat. Entropy behavior at the wave front is discussed. The nonhomogeneous linear system of partial differential equations with variable coefficients for first-order frictional effects is derived. Utilizing the geometrical similarity of the Mach lines, the functional form of these quantities is ascertained, which permits explicit solutions of the boundary value problem. The expansion procedure is singular at the wave front, and results are not applicable there. First-order effects are expressed as polynomials plus terms singular at the wave front. Results are compared with expressions obtained when heat generation due to frictional force is neglected.
Factors Influencing Educational Equity in Online Instruction for Students During Covid-19

This qualitative study examined special education teachers’ perceptions of student success in online instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic school closures to isolate the key determinants in the differential student outcomes reported by the teachers. Data were collected from 16 teachers in the U.S. state of California using semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic coding. The six themes that emerged from the data were that the key determinants of student outcomes were variables related to teacher, school administrator, district, student, parent, and pedagogy. The study showed that underlying deficit thinking in school professionals, lack of planned support for those parents and students needing the most support, and limited range of teaching practices were responsible for the equity gap seen in the differential student outcomes. Recommendations include training school administrators, providing parent support to access technology, addressing needs of non-English speaking families, expanding pedagogical practices, and planning for students with the most extensive support needs.
Near infra-red imaging with the radiative transfer equation: A comparative study with finite elements

This paper presents a comparative study of near infra-red optical tomography with the radiative transfer equation. The forward model is based on the least square finite element method associated to the discrete ordinates method. Comparative tests of reconstruction on noise free data of optical properties are carried out. The results show as expected that increasing the number of degrees of freedom of the coefficients improves the quality of the reconstruction. It is also seen that using discontinuous elements for the coefficients, gives better results than continuous one as they are well suited for handling the discontinuities in the coefficients field which is usually encountered in real applications.
Antimicrobial resistance - are future prescribers aware? A study among undergraduate medical students in Kumaon region

Background: According to the WHO, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness, and death and is a global issue and measures to halt this is the need of the hour. Aims and Objectives: This study aims at identifying awareness as well as knowledge, attitude, perception, and practice regarding AMR and antibiotic use among medical undergraduate students, so to get insight and take appropriate actions to enhance their knowledge that will help in reducing AMR as they are the future prescribers. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 483 undergraduate medical students enrolled in government medical college, Haldwani. A pretested, semi structured questionnaire was designed to collect data from participants through Google forms regarding sociodemographic profile, and behavior of the participants regarding antibiotic use which comprises: Attitude, perceptions, and practice. Results: Majority of study participants have heard about AMR before (97%) of which most of them got information about antibiotic resistance by web/internet (35%). Majority of study participants were aware (>90%) of phenomenon of antibiotic resistance, 98.9% of them were correctly able to identify Amoxicillin and Penicillin as antibiotics, most of them had correct knowledge about role of antibiotics. Majority (83.6%) of participants take antibiotic only after the prescription of doctor, 78.9% of them reported use of antibiotics in the last year. Conclusion: A fair good amount of awareness, knowledge, attitude, perception, and practice regarding AMR and its use was found among study participants. Still, there is scope of improvement in it that can be addressed through giving more emphasis on this in undergraduate teaching curriculum.
A study of the geolocation errors of the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I)

Geolocation errors in excess of 20-30 km have been routinely observed in SSM/I data. Potential error sources due to inaccurate spacecraft ephemeris, spacecraft predict ephemeris, and the geolocation algorithm are examined. In addition, the effects of possible misalignment of the SSM/I instrument about its spin axis or to the spacecraft and potential spacecraft attitude errors are considered. It is found that the use of accurate spacecraft ephemerides removes about half of the geolocation error. In the cases studied, the remaining error can be reduced to below 7 km by employing a fixed set of effective spacecraft attitude corrections in the geolocation algorithm; 85-GHz imagery is presented to provide a visual evaluation of the geolocation errors along with the reduction of these errors. >
The Impact of R&D Subsidies and Non-R&D Subsidies on Innovation Output of Biopharmaceutical Firms

Government subsidies are important to the improvement of innovation level and sustainable development of biopharmaceutical firms. This paper empirically analyses the impact of government R&D and non-R&D subsidies on the innovation output of biopharmaceutical firms. We establish static, and dynamic panel mediation effect models using 2013–2019 data from China’s listed biopharmaceutical companies. Additionally, we further explore the mediating role of R&D investment between R&D subsidies and innovation output. The findings show that, first, R&D subsidies contribute to the innovation output of biopharmaceutical firms, while the effect of non-R&D subsidies is insignificant. Second, the study of the mechanism shows that R&D subsidies can significantly promote firms’ innovation output through R&D investment in the static mediating model; but interestingly, the R&D subsidies fail to promote innovation output in the dynamic mediating model through R&D investment, perhaps due to the sustainable impact of innovation. Based on the above results, this paper provides suggestions and insights for the formulation of different types of subsidy policies and the improvement of the innovation level of biopharmaceutical firms.
Mixed linear model for investigating food security during the covid-19 pandemic: Panel data for rice consumption in indonesia

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected human life behavior, starting from health, the economy to living habits, one of them is the rice consumption. This study aims to find out whether the Covid-19 pandemic can affect people's rice consumption, and what are the factors that can affect people's rice consumption before and during the pandemic. The independent factors studied in this study were harvested area, productivity, rice production, crime rate, and the ratio of household gas use, with rice consumption as the dependent variable. The data used is panel data for 2019 and 2020, from 34 provinces in Indonesia, which is one of the five countries with the highest rice consumption in the world. By using mixed linear models, the research results show that in general Covid-19 pandemic has not had a significant effect on rice consumption in Indonesia. Other facts also show that social factors, namely the crime rate during a pandemic, did not have a significant effect on rice consumption.However, this is different from economic factors such as productivity and harvested area which have a significant positive effect on rice consumption in Indonesia.
A multifactorial variant of the attributable risk for groups of exposure variables

Multifactorial approaches to risk attribution in epidemiology have been subject of intensive research activities in the last decade. In particular, the partial attributable risk parameter has been developed as a multidimensional measure of attributable risk that puts the task of quantifying a proportion of disease events in a population that can be ascribed to the adverse health effects of certain risk factors into a multifactorial perspective. The components of this parameter allow a consistent comparison of the impact of individual risk factors on the disease load in the population. However, they are not suited to compare groups of risk factors with respect to their specific combined population impact to each other reasonably. Therefore, the partial attributable risk is of rather limited applicability if an epidemiological study focuses, for example, on contrasting the total impact of multiple occupational exposures on the disease load in the population with the impact of multiple environmental or life-style factors. This paper introduces a new grouped variant of the partial attributable risk parameter which can be applied to the multifactorial risk attribution problem in the context of multiple groups of risk factors. Its application is illustrated using data from the G.R. I.P.-study (Gottingen Risk, Incidence and Prevalence Study).
Single‐Orientation Epitaxy of Quasi‐1D Tellurium Nanowires on M‐Plane Sapphire for Highly Uniform Polarization Sensitive Short‐Wave Infrared Photodetection

Tellurium (Te), an elemental van der Waals semiconductor, has intriguing anisotropic physical properties owing to its inherent quais‐1D crystal structure. Synthesizing ultrathin Te crystal with uniform orientation is important to its large‐scale device applications, but that remains a great challenge. Herein, the nanoscale grooves‐induced unidirectional epitaxy growth of 1D Te nanowires via physical vapor deposition on the annealed m‐plane sapphire is demonstrated. By enhancing the annealing temperature from 1000 to 1300 °C, nanoscale grooves on m‐plane sapphire arising along the [10 1¯$\overline 1 $ 0] direction and gradually distinct, and the corresponding Te nanowires grown on them turns from random to uniform, finally achieving nearly 95% unidirectional Te nanowires. The as‐grown Te nanowires possess high crystallinity with clearly chiral helical chains along the c‐axis direction and reveal thickness‐tunable bandgap with prominent linear‐dichroic. As results, the Te nanowire‐based photodetectors demonstrate a broadband photoresponse from visible (532 nm) to short‐wave infrared (2530 nm), with high responsivity of 327 A W−1 as well as strong and uniform polarization sensitivity (anisotropic ratio = 2.05) to 1550 nm light. The high crystallinity and superior anisotropy of Te nanowires, combined with the orientation‐controlled preparation endows it with great feasibility for constructing chip‐scale multifunctional optoelectronic devices.
REVIEW OF GENERAL EXPONENTIATION ALGORITHMS

Arithmetic on large integers is often necessary in cryptography. Many cryptosys- tems depend on the possibility of computing powers e g (exponentiation). In this paper we describe well-known exponentiation algorithms with their complexity analysis. Our algo- rithm introduces a new idea of solving the exponen tiation problem. We show cases in which the complexity of our algorithm is better tha n the complexity of any other algo- rithms. g , where g is an element of group G, and e is a positive integer number (1+2). Generally, thi s prob- lem is considered when g is a real number. In this paper we analyse general expo- nentiation algorithms and compare their effectivene ss. As the criterion of the effec- tiveness of the algorithm we adopted the number of group operations which the algorithm performs. When this number is smaller for a set of values adopted by e, such an algorithm is considered to be more efficien t. We are aware of the fact that analysis of the number of algorithm bit operations would be more conclusive. Aware of this fact, we abandoned it to simplify the analysis and thus to make the paper clearer. In this paper we present our own contribution, a ne w general exponentiation al- gorithm. We called it the algorithm of zero-one seq uences and it is contained in Section 2 of this work. We compare its effectivenes s to other algorithms presented in the work.
Effect of increasing disorder on superconductivity of Mo/Nb superlattices

We investigated the superconducting properties of Nb/Mo superlattices (SLs). The structural changes as a function of Nb and Mo layer thickness allow us to investigate the effect of disorder on the superconducting properties in a controlled fashion. Systematic structural studies provide quantitative measures of disorder parameters, such as roughness, interdiffusion, and strain, which allow separating their effect on the individual superconducting layers. The Mo critical temperature does not change as the layer thickness decreases below its coherence length. Thus, the SL critical temperatures in the presence of disorder and proximity effects can be modeled by considering only the effects of the Nb mean free path and coherence length. With increasing layer thickness, the SL critical temperatures approach Nb bulk values. Contrary to expectations the Tc of Mo remains below the Nb Tc. We discuss the results using existing theories based on Coulomb repulsion or changes in the density of states at the Fermi surface as a function of disorder. Questions about current understanding of the effect of disorder on superconductivity arise from the results.
SUPERVISOR BASE OSTRACISM & EMPLOYEE BEHAVIOURS: MEDIATION AND MODERATOR ANALYSIS

This study aims to investigate the relationships between supervisor-based ostracism and ingratiatory and extra-role behaviors in Pakistan, with job insecurity and political skills playing moderating and mediating roles, respectively. The supervisor-based ostracism, ingratiatory, as well as extra-role behaviors were hypothesized to have the direct correlations with one another. The survey was administered and data analyzed through different statistical procedures in order to examine the desired relationship among the research variables. The results provide significant information that helps in reaching the desired conclusion. The findings showed that with the exception of political skills, all of the variables have significant positive relationships; supervisor-based ostracism has a positive relationship with the ingratiatory behaviors that lead to extra role behaviors; and job insecurity and political skills moderate effects of dependent variables. Thus, based upon the results of study, certain recommendations have been extracted for policy makers as well as future researchers along with provision of managerial and theoretical implications.
A beam-scanning and polarization-agile antenna array using mutually coupled oscillating doublers

In this paper, a two-dimensional mutually coupled oscillator array is studied for the application of a beam-scanning and polarization-agile antenna array. In the design of antenna array, a two-dimensional oscillator array is implemented in x-y plane, the polarization agility is provided by one dimension (or y-direction) and the other dimension (or x-direction) is for beam scanning. By properly tuning the free-running frequencies of these oscillators, the array radiation direction can be scanned at the selected polarization states including linearly polarized, left-hand and right-hand circularly polarized states. The maximal phase difference of /spl plusmn/180/spl deg/ between coupled oscillating signals is acquired by utilizing their second-harmonic signals. This then gives well-defined phase differences among oscillators for beam scanning in addition to the required quadrature phase difference for circular polarization. The performances of polarization agility and beam scanning for a four-element antenna array are verified experimentally and shown to have the potential for adaptive antenna array applications.
Adaptive sliding mode control for chaotic synchronization of oscillator with input nonlinearity

This paper deals with the problem of sliding mode control to achieve chaotic synchronization for the controlled driven system with an input nonlinear term – the term commonly ignored in the published literature. However, the problem does possess importance in practical applications while hardware limits imposed on the actuating devices need to be considered. The major contribution here is the development of a new adaptive control scheme instead of directly computing the magnitudes of overall nonlinear dynamics for compensation as that commonly adopted in the published literature. In the influence of control input nonlinearity, the adaptive sliding mode control scheme, possessing time-varying feedback gains, can compensate unmatched nonlinear dynamics without knowing their magnitudes. In addition, it is unnecessary to determine these time-varying feedback gains in advance but apply adaptive tuning according to suitably updated rules. Based on the Lyapunov stability analysis, a new condition ensuring stable synchronization is established. Case study and numerical simulations are given to verify effectiveness of the presented scheme.