Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors Associated with Succession Planning and Management (SP&M) Process: A PRISMA Systematic Review

Aims: This review aimed to systematically assess the findings of primary studies to identify the intrinsic and extrinsic factors associated with succession planning and management (SP&M) process according to the PRISMA systematic review. Background : There is evidence of several related factors and gaps that still exist in understanding the differences between intrinsic and extrinsic factors which influence succession planning and management process within contexts. Design: Systematic review with narrative summary. Data Sources: Scopus and Google Scholar databases were used to identify original studies that discussed the factors associated with succession planning and management (SP&M) process between 2010 and 2020. Results: A total of 73 studies were selected for this review. Intrinsic factors dealt with social identity and leadership competency, whereas extrinsic factors dealt with organizational culture and management support. These were the most frequently reported factors associated with SP&M. Conclusion: Both intrinsic and extrinsic factors play an essential role in succession planning and management (SP&M) process. Future research should use more robust research methods and pay more attention to contrasting sectors and industries as the nature of the businesses is different. Impact: This review discussed the factors associated with succession planning and management (SP&M). The findings linked several intrinsic and extrinsic factors to SP&M. Hence, businesses should search for a perfect blend of intrinsic and extrinsic factors based on needs and organizational commitment to improve SP&M process. This is because more organizations are discovering that SP&M has gained much importance while organizations fight to attract and retain talents. Therefore, succession planning has become a vital tool to retain the best hires.
Comparison of Copulas for CDO valuation

Several models of how to price synthetic CDOs are presented. The study focuses on comparison of classical Gaussian copula with NIG copula, double t-copula and gaussian stochastic correlation model. Because the the t-copula is technically the most demanding of the presented approaches and usually remains explicitly unsolved, convolution-based transform and Gil-Pelaez integral transform techniques are applied to implement the generator of default probabilities. The main conclusion of the study is that in some cases Gaussian copula is inappropriate model for CDO pricing.
On the Diffusion of Shape

The main objective of this thesis is to study the global geometric properties of a manifold embedded in Euclidean space, as it evolves under a stochastic flow of diffeomorphisms. The processes driving the stochastic flows are chosen to be Gaussian processes with stationary increments (in time). The most common class of Gaussian processes with stationary increments is the family of fractional Brownian motions with Hurst parameter H ∈ (0, 1). This family encompasses a wide variety of processes with applications in the fields of oceanography, finance and telecommunications, to name a few. The fact that these processes possess stationary increments implies that the corresponding noise process is a stationary process, and so one can hope to obtain ergodic estimates. In Part I of the dissertation, we study the evolution of a codimension one manifold embedded in Euclidean space, under an isotropic and volume preserving Brownian flow. In particular we obtain expressions describing the expected rate of growth of the Lipschitz-Killing curvatures, or intrinsic volumes, of the manifold evolving under the flow. These results shed new light on the some of the intriguing growth properties of flows from a global perspective, rather than the local perspective, on which there is much larger literature. In Part II, we deviate from the setting of standard Brownian flows, whose analysis was primarily based on the Markovian character of the flow, and move to stochastic flows driven by fractional Brownian motion with Hurst parameter H ∈ ( 2 , 1). Adopting a pathwise approach, we obtain estimates for the growth of the Hausdorff measure of an m dimensional manifold embedded in R.
Models for Measuring Light Pollution Risk

: With the development of social economy, light pollution becomes more serious. In order to deal with double carbon policy and promote sustainable development of green economy, the reduction of light pollution has become an important task in today's society. This paper established a measurement model for evaluating the degree of light pollution (Model I) by integrating a large amount of data and principal component analysis, and applied it to four different types of areas. Combined with clustering algorithm, three strategies to solve the problem of light pollution were proposed (Model II)
Some contributions to large precision matrix estimation

Under the Gaussian assumption, the relationship between conditional independence and sparsity allows to justify the construction of estimators of the inverse of the covariance matrix -- also called precision matrix -- from regularized approaches. This thesis, originally motivated by the problem of image classification, aims at developing a method to estimate the precision matrix in high dimension, that is when the sample size $n$ is small compared to the dimension $p$ of the model. Our approach relies basically on the connection of the precision matrix to the linear regression model. It consists of estimating the precision matrix in two steps. The off-diagonal elements are first estimated by solving $p$ minimization problems of the type $ell_1$-penalized square-root of least-squares. The diagonal entries are then obtained from the result of the previous step, by residual analysis of likelihood maximization. This various estimators of the diagonal entries are compared in terms of estimation risk. Moreover, we propose a new estimator, designed to consider the possible contamination of data by outliers, thanks to the addition of a $ell_2/ell_1$ mixed norm regularization term. The nonasymptotic analysis of the consistency of our estimator points out the relevance of our method
Inference in a generalized endpoint-inflated binomial regression model

ABSTRACT Generalized endpoint-inflated binomial regression was recently proposed to model count data with large frequencies of both zeros and right-endpoints. Maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) was developed for this model and simulations suggest that the resulting estimates behave well. However, large-sample properties of the MLE have not yet been rigorously established. Such results are however essential for ensuring reliable statistical inference and decision-making. This paper addresses this issue. Identifiability of the generalized endpoint-inflated binomial regression model is first proved. Then, consistency and asymptotic normality of the MLE are established. A simulation study is conducted to assess finite-sample behaviour of the estimator.
The Neurobiology of Methamphetamine Addiction and the Potential to Reduce Misuse Through Conjugate Vaccines Targeting Toll-Like Receptor 4

The methamphetamine epidemic continues to worsen each year and has contributed to more overdose deaths than opioids. Methamphetamine was listed in the top ten lethal drugs in 2021 in the United States. The drug has been shown to cause health problems such as addiction and neurological and behavioral changes. One possible solution to address this crisis is through vaccinations. Vaccinations consist of injecting a controlled substance with the goal of creating compound-specific antibodies. Although still early in development, vaccinations have been found to improve withdrawal symptoms and decrease drug-seeking behavior with minimal health side effects in rodent studies. This paper provides an overview of the clinical presentation and neurobiology of methamphetamine addiction and drug-seeking behaviors. The responses and adverse effects of conjugate vaccines IXTv-100 with adjuvant glucopyranosyl lipid A administered in oil-water stable emulsion and tetanus-toxoid conjugated to succinyl-methamphetamine adsorbed on aluminum hydroxide combined with adjuvant E6020 are examined.
A Fast Fixed Point Continuation Algorithm with Application to Compressed Sensing

: Fixed point continuation (FPC) algorithm is a developed version of convex optimization algorithm, which is an important research method for reconstruction of Compressed Sensing (CS). In this paper, a fast FPC (FFPC) algorithm is proposed to accelerate the convergence speed of FPC algorithm. It is introduced into an efficient shifting step, and its current iteration is updated by using special linear combination of two previous iterations. Therefore the accuracy of each iteration is improved, and the convergence speed is accelerated. In the numerical experiments, the convergence of FFPC algorithm is proven, the convergence speed of FFPC algorithm is obviously improved compared with the standard FPC algorithm, and the reconstruction quality is better than other algorithms.
Wind Accretion - Observations Vs Theory

The theory of quasi-spherical subsonic accretion onto magnetized rotating neutron star is reviewed. Different regimes of quasi-spherical accretion onto a neutron star: supersonic (Bondi) accretion, which takes place when the captured matter cools down rapidly and falls supersonically towards the neutron-star magnetosphere, and subsonic (settling) accretion which occurs when the plasma remains hot until it meets the magnetospheric boundary. In subsonic accretion, which works at X-ray luminosities $\lesssim 4\times 10^{36}$~erg~s$^{-1}$, a hot quasi-spherical shell must form around the magnetosphere, and the actual accretion rate onto the neutron star is determined by the ability of the plasma to enter the magnetosphere due to the Rayleigh-Taylor instability. We show how the dimensionless parameters of the theory can be determined from observations of equilibrium X-ray pulsars (Vela X-1, GX 301-2). We also discuss how in the settling accretion theory bright X-ray flares ($\sim 10^{38}-10^{40}$~ergs) observed in supergiant fast X-ray transients (SFXT) may be produced by sporadic capture of magnetized stellar-wind plasma. At sufficiently low accretion rates, magnetic reconnection can enhance the magnetospheric plasma entry rate, resulting in copious production of X-ray photons, strong Compton cooling and ultimately in unstable accretion of the entire shell. A bright flare develops on the free-fall time scale in the shell, and the typical energy released in an SFXT bright flare corresponds to the mass of the shell.
A hybrid approach for nonlinear computational aeroacoustics predictions

abstract In many aeroacoustics applications involving nonlinear waves and obstructions in the far-field, approaches based on the classical acoustic analogy theory or the linearised Euler equations are unable to fully characterise the acoustic field. Therefore, computational aeroacoustics hybrid methods that incorporate nonlinear wave propagation have to be constructed. In this study, a hybrid approach coupling Navier–Stokes equations in the acoustic source region with nonlinear Euler equations in the acoustic propagation region is introduced and tested. The full Navier–Stokes equations are solved in the source region to identify the acoustic sources. The flow variables of interest are then transferred from the source region to the acoustic propagation region, where the full nonlinear Euler equations with source terms are solved. The transition between the two regions is made through a buffer zone where the flow variables are penalised via a source term added to the Euler equations. Tests were conducted on simple acoustic and vorticity disturbances, two-dimensional jets (Mach 0.9 and 2), and a three-dimensional jet (Mach 1.5), impinging on a wall. The method is proven to be effective and accurate in predicting sound pressure levels associated with the propagation of linear and nonlinear waves in the near- and far-field regions.
A Comparative Study on Programming Education——Based on China and America

In the past decade, the academia of education and computer science has regarded programming as a core competence of K-12 students. China's K-12 programming education market was launched in 2013. By 2017, the entire K-12 programming education market ushered in a period of the explosion, many of China's original K-12 programming education platforms emerged. Still, its development speed lags behind many countries led by the United States. The lack of literature on comparing K-12 programming education between China and the United States can be distinguished as a research gap in this field. It is necessary to conduct a comparative study because it can help promote a thorough understanding of their development status. The research paper mainly adopts composite methods of quantitative bibliometrics and qualitative interview to fill in this gap together with market research. The results of bibliometrics show the two developing paradigms of programming education, the research focus on computational thinking, and the trend topics of K-12 programming education among academia. Based on our Chinese market research, the teaching mode of K-12 programming education are online, offline, and blended learning. When it comes to course contents and their corresponding orientation, the elementary courses are formative education, the middle-level lessons are algorithm-oriented, and the hardest are the creative ones designed for computer competitions. Besides, most programming education curriculum starts from visual lessons and adds game elements. Through interviews with relevant professionals and teachers in China and the United States, we learned their views on programming platforms, evaluation criteria, computational thinking, and the development trend of K-12 programming education.
Efficacy of virtual reality distraction technique for anxiety and pain control in orthopedic forearm surgeries performed under supraclavicular brachial plexus block: A randomized controlled study

ABSTRACT Background Virtual reality (VR) distraction has been considered an alternative to medication to treat acute pain related to different procedures. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of VR in reducing anxiety and pain in patients having orthopedic forearm operations under supraclavicular brachial plexus block. Methods This was an open-label, parallel-group, randomized trial. Thirty adult patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I or II were enrolled for orthopedic forearm operations performed under supraclavicular brachial plexus block. The patients were randomized into two equal groups. In the VR group, 15 patients performed the procedure with the use of VR and administration of midazolam according to the patient’s request, while in the control group, 15 patients received 2 mg midazolam followed by a titration dose according to the patient’s request. The primary outcome was the total intravenous sedation needed for the patient. Secondary outcomes included total perioperative analgesic utilization, incidence of harmful effects, patient satisfaction rating, and hemodynamic parameters. Results Virtual distraction technique significantly reduced the intraoperative midazolam consumption (2.00 ± 0.00 vs 6.67 ± 2.09 mg, respectively, p < 0.001) compared to the control group. The total perioperative analgesic consumption, incidence of adverse effects, and hemodynamic parameters were not significantly different in both groups. Patients who performed the block with the VR distraction technique showed better satisfaction scores compared to the control group (9.60 ± 0.51 vs 8.53 ± 0.92, respectively, p = 0.001). Conclusion In orthopedic forearm surgeries under supraclavicular nerve block, the VR distraction technique can reduce intraoperative sedation requirements and improve patient satisfaction.
Electronic, Spin and Valley Transport in Two Dimensional Dirac Systems

This dissertation aims to study and understand relevant issues related to the electronic, spin and valley transport in two-dimensional Dirac systems for different given physical settings. In summary, four key findings are achieved. First, studying persistent currents in confined chaotic Dirac fermion systems with a ring geometry and an applied Aharonov-Bohm flux, unusual whispering-gallery modes with edge-dependent currents and spin polarization are identified. They can survive for highly asymmetric rings that host fully developed classical chaos. By sustaining robust persistent currents, these modes can be utilized to form a robust relativistic quantum two-level system. Second, the quantized topological edge states in confined massive Dirac fermion systems exhibiting a remarkable reverse Stark effect in response to an applied electric field, and an electrically or optically controllable spin switching behavior are uncovered. Third, novel wave scattering and transport in Dirac-like pseudospin-1 systems are reported. (a), for small scatterer size, a surprising revival resonant scattering with a peculiar boundary trapping by forming unusual vortices is uncovered. Intriguingly, it can persist in arbitrarily weak scatterer strength regime, which underlies a superscattering behavior beyond the conventional scenario. (b), for larger size, a perfect caustic phenomenon arises as a manifestation of the super-Klein tunneling effect. (c), in the far-field, an unexpected isotropic transport emerges at low energies. Fourth, a geometric valley Hall effect (gVHE) originated from fractional singular Berry flux is revealed. It is shown that gVHE possesses a nonlinear dependence on the Berry flux with asymmetrical resonance features and can be considerably enhanced by electrically controllable resonant valley skew scattering. With the gVHE, efficient valley filtering can arise and these phenomena are robust against thermal fluctuations and disorder averaging.
The impulse spectrum method for vibration suppression of a flexible multilink robot arm

The impulse spectrum method is proposed systematically, extending the method of vibration control by model-based feedforward. The impulse spectrum of multilink suggests free feeding directly responsible for flexible precessions, capable of vibration suppression (VSP) while maintaining swift response. The invariance criterion over piecewise extents of multilink configuration is proposed, with the extent given by allowable insensitivity as the basis of outputs interference for VSP. On the invariance assumption, the spectral functions are extractable for the annihilator of vibration of multilink, with the oscillatory matrix for multimode oscillators derived as the key of the annihilator, showing the feasibility of simultaneous VSP of the oscillators of multilink. Robust VSP is ensured by designing the impulse spectrum with respect to the augmented oscillatory matrix of some order, and hybrid robustness against variation of concerned parameters that can reduce response delay. The properties of the impulse spectrum for VSP of flexible multilink are presented for the guidelines to design impulse spectra for diverse potential and purposes, including the metric array-based bandwide VSP of nonconcurrent multimode in favor of disturbance-rejection. Numerical simulations are conducted to validate the theoretical study, demonstrating the effectiveness of the method.
Study of Relation between Asthma Severity and Obesity in Egyptian Children

Background: The rising incidence of asthma has sparked a debate over a possible link between the two disorders asthma and obesity, which is a leading cause of morbidity accounting for nearly 300,000 deaths annually. Objective: To determine whether child obesity is associated with a higher risk of bronchial asthma and more severe asthma symptoms or not. Patients and Methods: The study comprised one hundred kids with asthma. They were divided into two groups according to their body mass index. Group I included 50 patients, overweight or obese with mild, moderate and severe persistent asthma. Group II included 50 patients, non-obese with mild, moderate and severe persistent asthma. Complete clinical examination, anthropometric measurements, as well as pulmonary functions were assessed among all cases. Results: Pulmonary functions revealed much better results among the non-obese asthmatics than obese ones. However, Body mass index showed no significant correlation to spirometric values except with PEF25-75% in obese group (significantly negative). Conclusion: Spirometry parameters were significantly better among non-obese asthmatics when compared to obese asthmatics.
A Local Binary Pattern Based Facial Expression Recognition using K- Nearest Neighbor (KNN) Search

- The face is the primary focus of attention in social interaction plays a major role in conveying identity and emotion. Detection and recognition of facial expression from images are not restricted in the real-world situations has many potential applications. The face detection and recognition can be used for the security purpose, voter verification etc. The facial expression is a significant key for interpersonal relations where non-verbal communication is conveyed from person to person. The different methodologies and techniques are introduced for detection, extraction, classification and recognition of the face. The proposed method is K-Nearest neighbor along with Local Binary Pattern and Asymmetric Region LBP are used for extracting features and feature classification of the image. This proposed method is best among the existing methods in terms of recognition rate. The method is implemented in MATLAB.
ANALISIS KADAR FITOKIMIA DAN ZAT WARNA DALAM SARI BUAH ANGKUNG HIJAU DAN MERAH (Basella alba and Basella rubra)

The phytochemical compounds and pigments of Basella alba and Basella rubra fruits have been investigated. The extract of mature basella fruits is facile by pressing technique. The extract was analyzed for the total phenolics, flavonoids, anthocyanins, and betalains by spectrophotometer methods. Total phenolic, flavonoid and anthocyanin in Basella rubra extract were Basella alba with values of 62,23 (mg/g GA); 46,78 (mg/g QE) and 0,62 mg/g respectively. Betalain concentration in booth extract was not significantly different at 1,03 mg/g. Antioxidant activity in both fruit juices has an IC 50 value of 51,62 mg/mL.
Survey of Reliability Research on 3D Packaged Memory

As the core carrier of information storage, a semiconductor memory device is a basic product with a large volume that is widespread in the integrated circuit industry. With the rapid development of semiconductor manufacturing processes and materials, the internal structure of memory has gradually shifted from a 2D planar packaging structure to a 3D packaging structure to meet industry demands for high-frequency, high-speed, and large-capacity devices with low power consumption. However, advanced 3D packaging technology can pose some reliability risks, making devices prone to failure, especially when used in harsh environmental conditions, including temperature changes, high temperature and humidity levels, and mechanical stress. In this paper, the authors introduce the typical structure characteristics of 3D packaged memory; analyze the reasons for device failure caused by stress; summarize current research methods that utilize temperature, mechanical and hygrothermal theories, and failure models; and present future challenges and directions regarding the reliability research of 3D packaged memory.