Mixed Strategy Research Articles

GALA: Graph Diffusion-based Alignment with Jigsaw for Source-free Domain Adaptation.

Source-free domain adaptation is a crucial machine learning topic, as it contains numerous applications in the real world, particularly with respect to data privacy. Existing approaches predominantly focus on Euclidean data, such as images and videos, while the exploration of non-Euclidean graph data remains scarce. Recent graph neural network (GNN) approaches could suffer from serious performance decline due to domain shift and label scarcity in source-free adaptation scenarios. In this study, we propose a novel method named Graph Diffusion-based Alignment with Jigsaw (GALA) tailored for source-free graph domain adaptation. To achieve domain alignment, GALA employs a graph diffusion model to reconstruct source-style graphs from target data. Specifically, a score-based graph diffusion model is trained using source graphs to learn the generative source styles. Then, we introduce perturbations to target graphs via a stochastic differential equation instead of sampling from a prior, followed by the reverse process to reconstruct source-style graphs. We feed them into an off-the-shelf GNN and introduce class-specific thresholds with curriculum learning, which can generate accurate and unbiased pseudo-labels for target graphs. Moreover, we develop a simple yet effective graph mixing strategy named graph jigsaw to combine confident graphs and unconfident graphs, which can enhance generalization capabilities and robustness via consistency learning. Extensive experiments on benchmark datasets validate the effectiveness of GALA. The source code is available at https://github.com/luo-junyu/GALA.

Mayora: launching Coffee Joy

Learning outcomes This case is written to help students understand the concept of segmentation, targeting and positioning in the context of the biscuit industry. The primary learning objectives can be identified as follows: understand the different categorisation in the biscuit market; analyse the basis of consumer segmentation in the biscuit market; analyse the marketing mix strategy of a firm; and highlight the importance of positioning. Case overview/synopsis Rao, the Director (Marketing) of Mayora India Private Limited, was in dilemma as to how to position Coffee Joy biscuits in the Indian market. The Indian market was intensely competitive with major players like Britannia, Parle and ITC capturing a major share of the market. Should he consider the only the south Indian market based on geography?” Or “Should he target the modern aspirational youth of the country who frequent “Starbucks”? Complexity academic level This case is appropriate for the use in postgraduate course on Marketing particularly on “Segmenting-Targeting-Positioning” (STP) module. The science of STP lies in the collection and analysis of market knowledge and research to understand consumer’s mind, whereas its art lies in generating various implementable alternatives so that the brand can find a place in the hearts and minds of consumers. Supplementary material Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS8: Marketing.

Resilience and Recovery: MSME Marketing Mix Strategies Amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) sector. Although the pandemic has caused most sectors to experience huge losses, SFC Dobel Tree as one of the MSMEs in Bojonegoro Regency is able to survive and be able to develop its business until after the pandemic. The right marketing strategy is important for MSMEs to maintain their existence. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the Marketing Mix Strategy used by SFC Dobel Tree after the Covid-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study is to describe the Marketing Mix carried out by SFC Dobel Tree after the Covid-19 pandemic. This research uses a qualitative descriptive method with interview techniques and direct observation. The results showed that SFC Dobel Tree implemented through segmenting, targeting, and positioning (STP) to target its target market and implemented its marketing strategy by establishing a marketing mix and successfully overcoming challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic. The strategy includes product, promotion, people, process and physical evidence.

Coordinated Optimization and Management of Oxygen Content and Cathode Pressure for PEMFC based on Hybrid Nonlinear Robust Control

Cathode inlet and exhaust management remains a significant challenge in proton exchange fuel cell (PEMFC). Achieving optimal oxygen content in real-time through precise control of the inlet gas is crucial for maintaining optimal output. Additionally, coordinating the air inlet and exhaust to ensure consistent cathode and anode pressures is essential for balancing the internal stack pressure and preventing nitrogen penetration, thereby enhancing PEMFC’s stability and lifespan. This paper addresses these challenges by introducing a mixed control strategy based on a fifth-order nonlinear mathematical model of the PEMFC stack cathode. Two non-singular fast terminal sliding mode structure controllers are combined as control system to optimize oxygen content and pressure control under dynamic loading conditions. The non-singular terminal sliding mode structure ensures finite-time convergence while mitigating potential singularity issues associated with traditional terminal sliding modes. The results showcase the robustness and effectiveness of the proposed control method in managing load variations, external disturbances, and PEMFC uncertainties.

Health State Prediction of Lithium-Ion Battery Based on Improved Sparrow Search Algorithm and Support Vector Regression

The state of health (SOH) prediction of lithium-ion batteries is a pivotal function within the battery management system (BMS), and achieving accurate SOH predictions is crucial for ensuring system safety and prolonging battery lifespan. To enhance prediction performance, this paper introduces an SOH prediction model based on an improved sparrow algorithm and support vector regression (ISSA-SVR). The model uses nonlinear weight reduction (NWDM) to enhance the search capability of the Sparrow algorithm and combines a mixed mutation strategy to reduce the risk of local optimal traps. Then, by analyzing the characteristics of different voltage ranges, the charging time from 3.8 V to 4.1 V, the discharge time of the battery, and the number of cycles are selected as the feature set of the model. The model’s prediction capabilities are validated across various working environments and training sample sizes, and its performance is benchmarked against other algorithms. Experimental findings indicate that the proposed model not only confines SOH prediction errors to within 1.5% but also demonstrates robust adaptability and widespread applicability.

Cost minimization analysis of treatments for metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer in Peru: Fixed-dose combination of pertuzumab and trastuzumab for subcutaneous injections.

The main objective of this study is to determine whether the employment of fixed-dose combination of pertuzumab and trastuzumab for subcutaneous injection (PH FDC SC; and Phesgo as brand name) to treat metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer patients would minimize costs compared to the traditional treatment of separate intravenous doses of pertuzumab and trastuzumab in Peru. To achieve this, we used EsSalud (the social security health insurance) data and assessed it through a mixed strategy, which consisted of a quantitative and a qualitative approach. The first one aimed to calculate the direct (non-drug consumables, drugs, and healthcare professionals) and indirect costs of both treatments to develop a comparison, whilst the second aimed to validate information and internalize the procedure in an EsSalud context. Overall, we found that the usage of PH FDC SC would be cost saving in EsSalud's context. Specifically, we found three main advantages. Firstly, PH FDC SC generates a savings of 62% in non-drug consumables, which helps alleviate the healthcare system budget constraint. Secondly, its adoption frees up 61 hours of treatment and observation time for a single patient per year, which in turn increases the attention capacity of the healthcare system in terms of nursing hours and chemotherapy couches. Thirdly, the reduction of clinic time supposes an advantage for the patient in the form of increased productivity and well-being. Hence, the adoption of this drug would improve the quality of life of patients while reducing costs and pressure on the healthcare system. This is aligned with the strategy of prioritizing the appropriate breast cancer treatment within the National Cancer Care Plan. In this regard, we also found that the savings produced from switching from the traditional intravenous treatment to the subcutaneous one would allow EsSalud to afford full annual costs of 2 additional treatments, but without increasing their budget. This would cover 7% of the gap of 29 patients who do not have access to full treatment.

Strategy and Marketing Communication of Islamic Educational Institutions

Competition in the world of education is one of the challenges for Islamic educational institutions in Indonesia. One solution to face these challenges is the existence of educational marketing activities in order to maintain the existence and increase the growth of educational institutions. The aim of this research is to describe the marketing strategy and communication process of educational institutions in promoting the excellence of their respective institutions. The research method used is a literature study using a descriptive approach to understand the concept of marketing strategy and communication for Islamic educational institutions. The research results show that when selecting a marketing strategy you can use a marketing mix strategy. In the marketing mix there are seven important elements, namely 7p: Product, Price, Place, Promotion, People, Physical Evidence and Process. Apart from that, you can also use a differentiation strategy. A differentiation strategy is a strategy that seeks a difference in educational institutions so that they can compete with other educational institutions. In implementing the differentiation strategy, there are several activities that can support the achievement of differentiation, namely unique academic programs, focus on certain fields, superior facilities and infrastructure, quality teachers, industry connections and job opportunities as well as an active learning approach. Components in marketing communications include several elements, namely source or communicator, message, media, recipient, effect and feedback.

Impact of Ball Milling on the Microstructure of Polyethylene Terephthalate.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a semi-crystalline polymer that finds broad use. Consequently, it contributes to the accumulation of plastics in the environment, warranting PET recycling technologies. Ball milling is a commonly used technique for the micronization of plastics before transformation. It has also recently been reported as an efficient mixing strategy for the enzymatic hydrolysis of plastics in moist-solid mixtures. However, the effect of milling on the microstructure of PET has not been systematically investigated. Thus, the primary objective of this study is to characterize the changes to the PET microstructure caused by various ball milling conditions. PET of different forms was examined, including pre- and post-consumer PET, as well as textiles. The material was treated to a range of milling frequencies and duration, before analysis of particle size, crystallinity by differential scanning calorimetry and powder X-ray diffraction, and morphology by scanning electron microscopy. Interestingly, our results suggest the convergence of crystallinity to ~30 % within 15 minutes of milling at 30 Hz. These results are consistent with an equilibrium between amorphous and crystalline regions of the polymer being established during ball milling. The combined data constitutes a reference guide for PET milling and recycling research.

On the Impossibility of Convergence of Mixed Strategies with Optimal No-Regret Learning

We study the limiting behavior of the mixed strategies that result from optimal no-regret learning in a repeated game setting where the stage game is any 2 × 2 competitive game. We consider optimal no-regret algorithms that are mean-based and monotonic in their argument. We show that for any such algorithm, the limiting mixed strategies of the players cannot converge almost surely to any Nash equilibrium. This negative result is also shown to hold under a broad relaxation of these assumptions, including popular variants of Follow-the-Regularized Leader with optimism or adaptive step sizes. Finally, we provide partial evidence that the monotonicity and mean-based assumptions can be removed or relaxed. Our results identify the inherent stochasticity in players’ realizations as a critical factor underlying this divergence, and demonstrate a crucial difference in outcomes between using the opponent’s mixtures and realizations to make updates. Funding: V. Muthukumar was supported by a Simons-Berkeley Research Fellowship, NSF awards IIS-2212182 and CCF-2239151, and generous gifts from Amazon, Adobe, and Google. S. Phade acknowledges the support of the NSF [Grants CNS-1527846 and CCF-1618145] and the NSF Science & Technology Center [Grant CCF-0939370 (Science of Information)]. A. Sahai acknowledges the support of the ML4Wireless center member companies and the NSF [Grants AST-144078 and ECCS-1343398].

Analisis Pengaruh Penerapan Strategi Bauran Pemasaran terhadap Keputusan Pembelian pada UMKM Serba Nanas Alam Sari Subang Jawa Barat

UMKM One of the producers in Subang offering processed pineapples is Serba Nanas Alam Sari. Processed pineapple sales are erratic. Businesses must create a strong marketing mix strategy in order to overcome consumer preferences and market rivalry. The purpose of this study is to examine how purchase decisions at Serba Nanas Alam Sari UMKM in Subang, West Java, are affected by the application of a marketing mix approach. In order to collect data for this study, 100 UMKM customers were given questionnaires. Mixed methods were used in this research. The techniques employed for gathering data included surveys, interviews, documentation, and observation. A Likert scale is used for variable measurement, and MSI is used to alter it. Multiple linear regression data analysis was used to ascertain the impact of place, promotion, price, and product variables on consumer purchase decisions. The study's findings indicate that the significant value is less than 0.05, indicating that purchase decisions are influenced by product, price, place, and promotion all at the same time. With a result of 1,042, the product variable has the biggest impact. This is due to the product's variety, good taste, and guaranteed product quality. The variables that affect promotion, pricing, and location are next in line. Based on the study's findings, Serba Nanas Alam Sari UMKM can benefit from an efficient marketing plan that combines quality products, competitive pricing, effective distribution, and eye-catching promotions to influence more customers' purchases.

Analisis Pengaruh Bauran Pemasaran terhadap Keputusan Pembelian Konsumen pada Produk Sayuran Organik (Studi Kasus Super Indo Q Square Bogor)

Super Indo Q Square in Bogor Regency is one of the Super Indo branches, a retail company established since 1997. To maintain competitive advantage, the company employs a marketing mix strategy encompassing price, product, promotion, location, people, process, and physical evidence. This study aims to examine the impact of this marketing mix on consumer purchasing decisions and satisfaction levels. The research method employed accidental sampling with 100 respondents, gathering both primary and secondary data through questionnaires, observations, interviews, and literature reviews. Data analysis utilized Multiple Linear Regression, Importance Performance Analysis (IPA), and Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI). The results indicate that (1) Price, product, location, people, process, and physical evidence significantly influence consumer purchasing decisions. (2) The level of customer satisfaction at Super Indo Q Square Bogor reached 83,82%, It shows a high level of satisfaction and the results of the total level of conformity obtained from all dimensions of 93%, meaning that the conformity value is still insufficient to reach 100%.

Mixed reality strategies for piano education

Head-mounted mixed reality interfaces, in which a user perceives a seamless blend of real, virtual or remote content, have great potential in a wide range of educational contexts. In this paper, we explore the use of mixed reality (MR) in piano education. We begin with a review of previous examples of virtual and mixed reality for piano teaching and learning, identifying four major categories of functionality: remote teaching, learning to read musical notation, providing alternative notation systems to Western musical notation, and enhancing users’ understanding and experience of music. Following this review, we present an application designed to demonstrate the use of MR for facilitating remote student-teacher piano lessons. Additionally, hand-tracking enables real-time, bi-directional visualization of both the student’s and teacher’s hand movements while playing, which is a crucial communication channel in piano instruction. We also present the Piano Theory Hub, an interactive area for independent learning and practice designed to compliment remote instructions. The Piano Theory Hub uses MR to provide spatial in situ explanations and exercises on notes, intervals, scales, and chords. User studies were conducted to evaluate both remote and solo aspects of the application. The first study with 10 participants revealed a strong sense of immersion and co-presence with the teacher during remote lessons. Trials also revealed that, in addition to virtual hands, visual highlighting of key-presses was found to improve visualisation of the remote users’ play. The second study, with 15 participants found the Piano Theory Hub to be helpful for beginners and some intermediate players, with feedback suggesting improvements in user experience and highlighting the limitations of replacing traditional piano teachers. Our experiments demonstrate that MR can be successfully employed for the following strategies for piano education: hand interaction coaching, flexible virtual hand and piano visibility, augmented feedback including key highlighting, gamified learning elements, and flexible teacher positioning options. Overall, the findings suggest that mixed reality holds promise as an effective tool for remote piano learning and music education, offering immersive and engaging learning experiences.

Health-awareness of Saudi Consumers and its Mediating Impact on The Effect of Marketing Mix Strategy on Purchasing Food Online during COVID-19

Health-awareness of Saudi Consumers and its Mediating Impact on The Effect of Marketing Mix Strategy on Purchasing Food Online during COVID-19

Theoretical Prediction of Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Electrocatalysts Based on Tantalum Phosphide.

Ta-based transition metal catalysts have shown significant catalytic activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in recent studies. However, the application of tantalum phosphide (TaP) in the HER has not been documented. Herein, a systematic study of TaP catalysts was performed through density functional theory (DFT). The performance of TaP (004) for the HER was predicted. Thermodynamic analyses of Ta-terminated and P-terminated surfaces with adsorbed hydrogen atoms were conducted, and the HER mechanism on TaP (004) surfaces was carefully investigated. Theoretical results revealed that TaP (004) exhibits excellent HER activity (ΔGH*=0.0456 eV), and both the Ta-terminated and P-terminated surfaces follow the Volmer-Heyrovsky mechanism under acidic conditions, with the Volmer step being the rate-determining step. A mixed surface strategy was also applied to explore the synergistic effects of Ta-terminated and P-terminated surfaces, which enhanced the HER activity. Additionally, the study screened dopants to assess their impact on the HER activity, revealing that doping with S, Ni, Co, Fe, and Cr could improve the HER performance.

Strategi Bauran Pemasaran dalam Meningkatkan Volume Penjualan pada Intentions Coffee: Studi Kasus di Kota Pare

This research aims to analyze the marketing strategies used by Intentions Coffee in Pare City to increase its sales volume. This research method uses a descriptive qualitative approach. The sample determination was carried out purposively by analyzing the 7P marketing mix strategy (product, price, place, promotion, pople, physical evidence, process) that had been determined. This research also uses SWOT analysis (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat). SWOT analysis is used to evaluate the impact of strengths and weaknesses on the company's environment as well as opportunities and threats on the company's external environment. By analyzing using the SWOT method, it can produce several alternative strategies for making the right decisions to carry out. The results of this research show that Intentions Coffee has an internal strength of 1.86, a weakness of 0.96, an opportunity of 1.38 and a threat of 1.47. In the SWOT analysis diagram, Intentions Coffee is in quadrant position 2 (two) which can support a diversification strategy by optimizing the strength of the threats it has.

The Influence of The 7P Marketing Mix Strategy and Digital Marketing on Car Purchasing Decisions at PT. Hadji Kalla Toyota Palopo Branch

Marketing mix helps companies design marketing strategies by paying attention to product, price, distribution, and promotion, while digital marketing uses digital technology to reach consumers directly, both work together to create brand awareness, influence consumer perceptions, and facilitate the purchasing process, influencing purchasing decisions consumers positively. This research aims to determine the influence of 7p marketing mix and digital marketing on car purchasing decisions at Pt. Hadji Kalla Toyota Palopo Branch, either partially or simultaneously. The research approach used in this research is a quantitative approach, namely a direct survey using data collection through questionnaires and observation. The research results show that (1) Marketing mix has no effect on purchasing decisions, with a calculated t value of the marketing mix variable of 1.201 < t table value (1.678) and a sig. 0.312 > 0.05. (2) Digital marketing has a significant positive effect on purchasing decisions, with a calculated t value for the digital marketing variable of 2.553 > t table value of 1.678 and a sig value. 0.014 < 0.05. And (3) Marketing mix and digital marketing simultaneously (together) have a significant effect on purchasing decisions with a calculated F value of 20.233 and a significance of 0.000 < 0.05.

Pengaruh Strategi Marketing Mix Terhadap Keputusan Pembelian pada Alyasini Mart Rembang

In keeping up with the development of the lifestyle of the surrounding residents. As well as business strategy movements such as minimarkets such as Indomart and Alfamart that are familiar everywhere, performance efforts to retain Alyasini Mart minimarket consumers are very important in order to plan the overall marketing communication program process or marketing mix. This study aims to explain the influence of marketing mix strategy on purchasing decisions at Alyasini Mart Rembang, and among the variables are products, prices, promotions, locations. To measure the above influence, the researcher used a quantitative approach with a sample survey type, this study was 100 respondents who were consumers of Alyasini Mart. The data analysis used is analysis with multiple regression analysis, validity test of classical assumption test, hypothesis test (T and F test) with the help of spss, the results of this study show that product variables partially have a positive and significant effect on purchase decisions. Price partially has a positive and significant impact on purchase decisions. Promotions partially have a positive and significant impact on purchase decisions. Places partially have a positive and significant influence impact on purchase decisions. Marketing Mix (Product, Price, Promotion, Place) simultaneously has a positive and significant influence on purchasing decisions at Alyasini Mart Rembang.

Inhibiting Cation Segregation to Enable Highly Efficient Perovskite Light‐Emitting Diodes

AbstractPerovskite light‐emitting diodes (PeLEDs) present potential applications for next‐generation displays due to their excellent luminescent properties and solution processing. The formamidinium‐caesium lead bromide (FAxCs1−xPbBr3) mixed cation strategy is one of the primary methods to achieve high‐performance of Cs‐dominate PeLEDs system. However, the inhomogeneous distribution of cations is detrimental to the photoelectronic performance of Cs‐dominated PeLEDs. Here, in mixed FA/Cs perovskite films, it is observed that Cs, Br and trace Pb elements precipitated on the surface of the perovskite films. It is found that the segregation of cations is induced by the uncontrollable crystallization process of Cs/FA cations. By introducing biuret additive, the hydrogen bonding interaction of biuret and FA cation balances crystallization rate, which therefore significantly improves the crystal quality and cations distribution of perovskite films. As a result, green PeLEDs with a high external quantum efficiency of 28.8% are obtained, and represent five times enhancement in half‐life time (T50) of 2.48 h at an initial luminance of 100 cd m−2 relative to the control device. The results help to understand the relationship between cationic distribution and PeLEDs properties, offering significant insights for modulating the performance of PeLEDs.

The Game Theory of Football Penalty Kicks

Abstract. Soccer is the world's number one sport, known for its fierce rivalries and full of surprises. Especially in important international competitions, such as the World Cup and the European Championships, matches are often about national honor and the expectations of millions of fans. Penalty kicks are a common punishment in soccer, where the goalkeeper and the shooter are pitted against each other in a one-on-one confrontation. Penalty kicks, because of their simplicity of confrontation, have a breath-taking tension and excitement, and most of the victory depends on the decision-making confrontation between the shooter and the goalkeeper. Game theory is an important tool for studying how participants make decisions to maximize their own gains in situations of conflict and competition. In order to study how the goalkeeper saves most effectively, this paper analyzes the penalty shot from the perspective of game theory, and obtains the optimal solution for the goalkeeper's save direction in a simplified situation by calculating the Nash equilibrium under mixed strategies.

GREMI: An Explainable Multi-Omics Integration Framework for Enhanced Disease Prediction and Module Identification.

Multi-omics integration has demonstrated promising performance in complex disease prediction. However, existing research typically focuses on maximizing prediction accuracy, while often neglecting the essential task of discovering meaningful biomarkers. This issue is particularly important in biomedicine, as molecules often interact rather than function individually to influence disease outcomes. To this end, we propose a two-phase framework named GREMI to assist multi-omics classification and explanation. In the prediction phase, we propose to improve prediction performance by employing a graph attention architecture on sample-wise co-functional networks to incorporate biomolecular interaction information for enhanced feature representation, followed by the integration of a joint-late mixed strategy and the true-class-probability block to adaptively evaluate classification confidence at both feature and omics levels. In the interpretation phase, we propose a multi-view approach to explain disease outcomes from the interaction module perspective, providing a more intuitive understanding and biomedical rationale. We incorporate Monte Carlo tree search (MCTS) to explore local-view subgraphs and pinpoint modules that highly contribute to disease characterization from the global-view. Extensive experiments demonstrate that the proposed framework outperforms state-of-the-art methods in seven different classification tasks, and our model effectively addresses data mutual interference when the number of omics types increases. We further illustrate the functional- and disease-relevance of the identified modules, as well as validate the classification performance of discovered modules using an independent cohort.