Preliminary Fit Research Articles

Applying the reference values of real-ear-to-coupler-difference for deaf and hard-of-hearing children in Taiwan: Cautions and considerations.

Measurement of real-ear-to-coupler differentials (RECDs) is a critical part of the hearing aid (HA) verification process. This study examines the validity of reference RECD values preset by the HA analyzer, Audioscan RM500, for deaf-and-hard-of-hearing (DHH) children in Taiwan. RECD measurements were performed on 658 ears of DHH children. A linear mixed model was used to analyze the reference and measured RECD values. The findings revealed slight disparities between normative RECD values from North America and those observed in Taiwanese DHH children. While generally small (less than 5 dB), these differences imply potential challenges in achieving optimal HA fitting in specific scenarios. Therefore, we recommend individualized RECD/REM measurements for cases of poor auditory performance, certain frequency ranges, or notable variations in ear canal volume. From a clinical perspective, while broadly applicable, the use of North American RECD normative data in Taiwan requires cautious consideration of potential minor variations. This study contributes to current knowledge by affirming the use of a Western RECD database for Taiwanese DHH children. However, we underscore the ongoing importance of individualized HA fitting strategies, particularly for cases with stagnant intervention progress. While built-in RECD reference values can offer preliminary fitting guidance, especially in busy clinical settings, our study sheds light on the circumstances where caution is essential. Audiologists can efficiently allocate their time and effort by focusing on personalized RECD measurements for cases exhibiting suboptimal intervention outcomes, thereby effectively optimizing HA gain settings.

Anion-Catalyzed Active Dissolution Model for the Electrochemical Adsorption of Bisulfate, Sulfate, and Oxygen on Gold in H2SO4 Solution

Several plausible mechanisms for the potential-dependent adsorption of bisulfate, sulfate, and oxygen on polycrystalline gold in H2SO4 (0.5 M) were evaluated, based on their fit to the experimental potentio dynamic polarization data using the anion-catalyzed active dissolution model (dc portion). The mechanism giving the best preliminary fit was further analyzed by modelling the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy data collected at various dc potentials in the electric double-layer and pre-oxide formation regions. Electrochemical quartz-crystal microgravimetry and optical ellipsometry provided additional evidence verifying the electrochemical adsorption of solution species on the gold surface. Surprisingly, dissolution was observed throughout the whole potential range under study, despite the electrode surfaces developing significant oxygen surface coverages. Key features of the experimental fractional surface coverages and current density were reproduced by the anion-catalyzed active dissolution model.

Liner Regression to Predict World Cup

The 2022 World Cup competition has come to an end. The winning team is not the most expensive team. In order to study the relationship between team strength and average worth, this paper uses the linear fitting method to analyze the two. Team strength: We can derive a relatively fixed strength based on the team's ranking in the world. This fitting has achieved certain results. There is a certain linear relationship between the two. The predictions speak to a team's long-term strength. To understand the relationship between the two, we need to collect data from Kaggle to come up with a more accurate ranking. The author used some preliminary data to analyze the strength of each team. Then match their ratings to their worth. Preliminary linear fitting is carried out first. With such a linear model, we can get the approximate level of a team's worth and their winning percentage after many games.

Deep K-band surface brightness photometry of dE galaxies

Context. Dwarf elliptical galaxies (dEs) are the most abundant in the Universe. Research into these objects in connection with late-type dwarf galaxies is important for evaluating theories of dwarf galaxy formation and evolution. Aims. Our past studies (2000-2010) suggested a possible evolutionary link between early- and late-type dwarf galaxies. These results are based on deep near-infrared (NIR) surface photometry data of dwarf irregulars (dIs), blue compact dwarfs (BCDs), and a small sample of Virgo dEs. As a continuation of those works, in 2017 we embarked on a study of dEs using the same surface photometry methods, with the aim being to compare early- and late-type dwarfs based on homogeneous datasets. Methods. We selected 74 dEs from two different environments for which we obtained deep images. Isophotal analysis was performed on the images to obtain surface brightness profiles. The two sampled environments were the Local Volume and Virgo cluster, which provide the possibility to compare isolated evolution against evolution in crowded environments. To compare dwarf datasets homogeneously, we used the NIR Ks band which is known to be a better gauge of galaxy mass, with reduced extinction compared to visible bands. Results. In this first paper, we derive apparent physical parameters for 72 dEs from deep NIR imaging and provide preliminary fitting results of their surface brightness profiles. Two targets were undetected in the Ks images, indicating possible misclassification. Physical parameters of 16 dEs are measured for the first time and the parameters of the remaining 56 dEs are compared with the literature. We obtain a mean difference between the measured physical parameters and the results from prior studies of about 0.2″ for the galaxy center coordinates, ≈20″ for the semi-major axis, ≈0.4 mag for the total apparent magnitude, ≈0.11 for the ellipticity, and ≈14° for the position angle. We find well-fitting surface brightness profiles for the dEs using the hyperbolic secant (sech) model combined with an exponential component. Alternatively, we find good agreement with observations for a sech plus a de Vaucouleurs law.

Outskirts of dark matter haloes

Halo models of large scale structure provide powerful and indispensable tools for phenomenological understanding of the clustering of matter in the Universe. While the halo model builds structures out of the superposition of haloes, defining halo profiles in their outskirts---beyond their virial radii---becomes increasingly ambiguous, as one cannot assign matter to individual haloes in a clear way. In this paper, we address this issue by finding a systematic definition of mean halo profile that can be extended to large distances---beyond the virial radius of the halo---and matched to simulation results. These halo profiles are compensated and are the key ingredients for the computation of cosmological correlation functions in an amended halo model. The latter, introduced in our earlier work [A. Y. Chen and N. Afshordi, Phys. Rev. D 101, 103522 (2020)], provides a more physically accurate phenomenological description of nonlinear structure formation, which respects conservation laws on large scales. Here, we show that this model can be extended from the matter auto-power spectrum to the halo-matter cross-power spectra by using data from $N$-body simulations. Furthermore, we find that this (dimensionless) definition of the compensated halo profile, ${r}^{3}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\ensuremath{\rho}(r)/{M}_{200c}$, has a near-universal maximum in the small range of 0.03--0.04 around the virial radius, $r\ensuremath{\simeq}{r}_{200\mathrm{c}}$, nearly independent of the halo mass. The profiles cross zero into negative values in the halo outskirts---beyond $2--3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{r}_{200\mathrm{c}}$---consistent with our previous results. We provide a preliminary fitting function for the compensated halo profiles (extensions of Navarro-Frenk-White profiles), which can be used to compute more physical observables in large scale structure.

Millimeter-Wave and High-Resolution Infrared Spectroscopy of 2-Furonitrile─A Highly Polar Substituted Furan

The rotational spectrum of 2-furonitrile (2-cyanofuran) has been obtained from 140 to 750 GHz, capturing its most intense rotational transitions at ambient temperature. 2-Furonitrile is one of two isomeric cyano-substituted furan derivatives, both of which possess a substantial dipole moment due to the cyano group. The large dipole of 2-furonitrile allowed over 10 000 rotational transitions of its ground vibrational state to be observed and least-squares fit to partial octic, A- and S-reduced Hamiltonians with low statistical uncertainty (σfit = 40 kHz). The high-resolution infrared spectrum, obtained at the Canadian Light Source, allowed for accurate and precise determination of the band origins of its three lowest-energy fundamental modes (ν24, ν17, and ν23). Similar to other cyanoarenes, the first two fundamental modes (ν24, A″, and ν17, A', for 2-furonitrile) form an a- and b-axis Coriolis-coupled dyad. More than 7000 transitions from each of these fundamental states were fit to an octic A-reduced Hamiltonian (σfit = 48 kHz), and the combined spectroscopic analysis determines fundamental energies of 160.1645522 (26) cm-1 and 171.9436561 (25) cm-1 for ν24 and ν17, respectively. The least-squares fitting of this Coriolis-coupled dyad required 11 coupling terms, Ga, GaJ, GaK, GaJJ, GaKK, Fbc, FbcJ, FbcK, Gb, GbJ, and FacK. Using both the rotational and high-resolution infrared spectra, a preliminary least-squares fit was obtained for ν23, providing its band origin of 456.7912716 (57) cm-1. The transition frequencies and spectroscopic constants provided in this work, when combined with theoretical or experimental nuclear quadrupole coupling constants, will provide the foundation for future radioastronomical searches for 2-furonitrile across the frequency range of currently available radiotelescopes.

Physical Metallurgical Bonding Layer Formed between Fe80Si9B11 Metallic Glass and Crystalline Aluminum in Rolled Composite Plate by High-Pressure Torsion at Room Temperature

Metallic glasses (MGs) have excellent properties, such as high strength and low elastic modulus, can be used as reinforcement in metal matrix composites. In this paper, aluminum matrix composites reinforced with Fe80Si9B11 MG strips with different weight contents (5, 10, 15, 20 and 25%) were produced by roll-bonding at an initial temperature of 450 °C and 80% deformation. Tensile mechanical tests showed that the tensile strength of the composite sheets containing 10% MG strips showed the highest tensile strength of 166 MPa. Further studies on the sandwich structured samples were conducted using high-pressure torsion (HPT) technology with various pressures of 0.55 GPa, 1.10 GPa, 1.65 GPa, and 2.20 GPa. X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), TriboIndenter nanomechanical testing, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to study the microstructures, mechanical properties and the bonding interface of the material. The results show that the hardness near the interface presented a transition area. High-resolution TEM observation showed that physical metallurgical bonding can be achieved between MG and aluminum alloy. A preliminary fitting of metallurgical bonding conditions was carried out according to the experimental parameters of HPT and the interface bonding condition in this study.

Impact of W and Z Production Data and Compatibility of Neutrino DIS Data in Nuclear Parton Distribution Functions

Vector boson production and neutrino deep-inelastic scattering (DIS) data are crucial for constraining the strange quark parton distribution function (PDF) and more generally for flavor decomposition in PDF extractions. We extend the nCTEQ15 nuclear PDFs (nPDFs) by adding the recent W and Z production data from the LHC in a global nPDF fit. The new nPDF set, referred to as nCTEQ15WZ, is used as a starting point for a follow-up study in which we assess the compatibility of neutrino DIS data with charged lepton DIS data. Specifically, we re-analyze neutrino DIS data from NuTeV, Chorus, and CDHSW, as well as dimuon data from CCFR and NuTeV. To scrutinize the level of compatibility, different kinematic regions of the neutrino data are investigated. Fits to the neutrino data alone and a preliminary global fit are performed and compared to nCTEQ15WZ.

Design Base for a Frameless Glass Structure Using Structural PVB Interlayers and Stainless-Steel Fittings

Minimizing metallic primary structures in directly glazed grid shells is key to increasing transparency. Complete renunciation to a substructure results in the glass itself bearing the loads, with thin glass shells, for example, that support loads mainly via membrane forces. A 4.20 m tall, double-curved, frame-less modular glass shell with stainless steel fittings laminated into the thin interstice of two-ply laminated safety glass has been developed and built as a demonstrator to validate the concept. The fittings used to structurally join the glass modules transfer all translation loads and provide a certain rotational stiffness. They are geometrically designed to reduce stress peaks inside the laminate and feature a laminated contact surface at the edge of the glass. For lamination, an interlayer stack was applied comprising exterior layers of structural PVB to bond the fitting with the glass and translucent PVB as interior core layer for aesthetic reasons. The design of this structure initially relied on generic values for designing and finite element modelling of the fitting-interlayer bond, particularly in tensile “pull-out” mode. The present paper undertakes a review of basic interlayer stack data with regards to viscoelastic properties and adhesion, and the engineering hypotheses using recent preliminary fitting test results for various loading schemes (bending, shear, tensile).

Abstract 136: Video-based supervised exercise intervention successfully improves fitness in people with Type 2 diabetes: Outcomes from Diabefly® digital therapeutics platform

Background: Physical fitness is important in combating insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes. Supervised home-based exercise intervention can help in improving exercise adherence and reducing risk of injury leading to better diabetes management.Aims and Objectives: The study aims at the analysis of physical fitness in people with type 2 diabetes (PWD) following video-based supervised exercise prescription delivered as part of Diabefly® digital therapeutics program.Results: Over 90-days of program, 45 participants (mean age 45.33 ± 12.54 years, 42.2% females) received personalized home-based exercise plans based on their preliminary physical fitness assessment by qualified physiotherapists. The parameters assessed were: upper limb strength (1-min push-up test), lower limb strength (wall sit test), core strength (1-min sit-up test), flexibility (V-sit and reach test) and cardiorespiratory fitness (6-minute walk test (6MWT)) pre and post the program. Test performance was scored based on age and gender-based normative data. Statistical analysis demonstrated significant improvement in performance scores, 1-minute push-up test, wall sit test, 1-minute sit-up test, V-Sit and reach test and 6MWT by 40.17% (P<0.001), 36.61 % (P<0.001), 70.04% (P<0.001), 37.86 % (P< 0.001), and 249.25 % (P<0.001) and 7.24 % (P<0.05) respectively.Conclusion: The study demonstrates the effectiveness of video-call based exercise prescription leading to significant improvement in overall physical and cardiorespiratory fitness in PWD.

On the Use of Selected 4th Generation Nuclear Reactors in Marine Power Plants

Abstract This article provides a review of the possibility of using different types of reactors to power ships. The analyses were carried out for three different large vessels: a container ship, a liquid gas carrier and a bulk carrier. A novelty of this work is the analysis of the proposal to adapt marine power plants to ecological requirements in shipping by replacing the conventional propulsion system based on internal combustion engines with nuclear propulsion. The subjects of comparison are primarily the dimensions of the most important devices of the nuclear power plant and the preliminary fitness analysis. It was assumed for this purpose that the nuclear power plant fits in the engine room compartment and uses the space left after the removal of the combustion engines. At the same time, this propulsion provides at all times sufficient energy for port, technological and shipping operations at an economically justifiable speed. For deep-sea vessels, which are supposed to reach null emissions of CO, CO2, NOx, SOx and H2O, this is one of the most reasonable solutions. Finally the paper proves that all the above-mentioned marine functions could be effectively applied in power plants equipped with 4th generation nuclear reactors.

Form factor counting and HQET matching for new physics in Λb→Λc*lν

We calculate the $\Lambda_b \to \Lambda_c^*(2595) l \nu$ and $\Lambda_b \to \Lambda_c^*(2625) l \nu$ form factors and decay rates for all possible $b \to c l \bar\nu$ four-Fermi interactions in and beyond the Standard Model (SM), including nonzero charged lepton masses and terms up to order $\mathcal{O}(\alpha_s, 1/m_{c,b})$ in the heavy quark effective theory (HQET). We point out a subtlety involving the overcompleteness of the representation of the spin-parity $1/2^+ \to 3/2^-$ antisymmetric tensor form factors, relevant also to other higher excited-state transitions, and present a general method for the counting of the physical form factors for any hadronic transition matrix element and their matching onto HQET. We perform a preliminary fit of a simple HQET-based parametrization of the $\Lambda_b \to \Lambda_c^*$ form factors at $\mathcal{O}(\alpha_s, 1/m_{c,b})$ to an existing quark model, providing preliminary predictions for the lepton universality ratios $R(\Lambda_c^*)$ beyond the SM. Finally, we examine the possible incompatibility of recent lattice QCD results with expectations from the heavy-quark expansion and available experimental data.

Polarization modeling and predictions for Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, part 7: preliminary NCSP system calibration and model fitting

Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) is designed to deliver accurate spectropolarimetric solar data across a wide wavelength range, covering a large field of view simultaneously using multiple facility instruments for solar disk, limb, and coronal observations. We show successful design and implementation of National Solar Observatory Coudé Laboratory Spectropolarimeter, a custom metrology tool for efficient continuous broadband polarization calibration of the telescope mirrors through a coudé laboratory focus. We compare multiple fitting techniques for the 10 to >140 variable DKIST system polarization models. We compare results with the first DKIST solar calibration observations and find small thermally forced retardance changes of ±0.2 deg and ±0.5 deg for two separate SiO2 retarders. Modulation matrices derived are stable to < ± 0.01 per element during the first on-Sun calibration tests. We achieve good fit agreement to our metrology-based model over a 390- to 1600-nm bandpass. The solutions are robust and efficient using only 10 input Stokes vectors from elliptical calibration retarders. We developed a custom polarizer assembly used with metrology tools to orient the DKIST polarization coordinates to better than 0.1-deg clocking angle.

Development and Validation of a Measure of Self-Regulated Capacity in Learning the Grammar of English as a Foreign Language

Grammatical competence constitutes an important component of communicative ability, the acquisition of which takes sustained effort, resilience, and planning, otherwise known as the capacity for self-regulated learning. It follows that assessing the self-regulatory capacity in grammar learning (SRCgram) is of prime importance. This paper reports on the development and validation of a scale for measuring SRCgram. Focus group interviews were conducted with 26 participants and a pool of 52 items was created and piloted. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were then conducted to examine the psychometric properties of the instrument. Preliminary fit indices, internal structure fit of the model, and overall model fit provided evidence for the validity of the scale. In addition, the SRCgram scale appeared to be unidimensional and of satisfactory reliability. Thus, SRCgram scale can be proposed as a diagnostic and self-assessment tool to be used by EFL teachers and learners to diagnose, assess, and foster self-regulation in grammar learning.

Development of a multidimensional polychronicity scale for information technology learning

AbstractInformation technology provides the potential for polychronic learning. However, research on polychronicity in the educational field is scarce. The purposes of this study were to develop a multidimensional polychronicity scale for information technology learning and explore the relationship between polychronicity in information technology‐supported learning and personality traits. This study is divided into two phases. First, a questionnaire survey was used to develop a multidimensional polychronicity scale for information technology learning, and 602 questionnaires were included in the analysis. Second, 129 participants reported their polychronicity in information technology‐supported learning and Big Five personality traits. The first phase results showed that the scale of polychronicity in IT‐supported learning (SPITSL) contained three constructs, that is, time tangibility (α = .89), scheduling preference (α = .84) and involvement with people (α = .85) and that the total variance explained was 69.43%. The confirmatory factor analysis results indicated that the preliminary model fit, overall model fit and internal model fit were acceptable. The second phase results showed that polychronicity was related to the Big Five personality traits. This study showed that the SPITSL has a multidimensional structure that is consistent with the definition of polychronicity advocated by many scholars.

An insight into the charge carriers transport properties and electric field distribution of CH3NH3PbBr3 thick single crystals

Thanks to their unique combination of semiconducting properties and a large cross section for energetic photons, metal halide perovskites could theoretically achieve high x-ray to charge carriers conversion rates, making them materials of high interest for the direct x-ray detection. In this work, we focus on the transport properties of methylammonium lead tribromide (MAPbBr3) single crystals. Time of Flight measurements and x-ray focused experiments along the edge of the samples were carried out. We report homogenous holes transit throughout the thickness of the samples as well as poor electrons transit. We also report the continuity of the electric field throughout the thickness of the MAPbBr3 samples, and we present preliminary fitting results to discuss its nature.

Kolmogorov–Smirnov type test for generated variables

Distribution homogeneity testing, particularly based on the Kolmogorov–Smirnov statistic, has been applied in various empirical studies. In empirical economic analysis, it is often the case that economic variables of interest are obtained as estimated values or residuals of preliminary model fits, called generated variables. In this paper, we extend the Kolmogorov–Smirnov type homogeneity test to accommodate such generated variables, and propose an asymptotically valid bootstrap inference procedure. A small simulation study illustrates that it is crucial for reliable inference to account for estimation errors in the generated variables. The proposed method is applied to compare the total factor productivities across different countries.

Application of a B-spline model dielectric function to infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry data analysis

The flexibility of the Kramers–Kronig-consistent basis spline (B-spline) function provides advantages over traditional physics-based oscillator functions for analyzing infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry data. Oscillator functions require that the user identify the spectral location of every absorption, choose the correct oscillator line shape, and choose the correct number of oscillators (which can be difficult for organic films that have many overlapping absorption peaks). The user must also choose starting parameters sufficiently close to the final values so that the regression fit converges. Weak absorptions can be difficult to identify when they overlap with strong absorption features, or they can be obscured when there are large interference oscillations in the spectroscopic ellipsometry data. The B-spline function’s flexibility allows the user to model the infrared, dielectric-function line shape for any material, and it requires far less user input and judgment to obtain the dielectric function of a material. The user must simply define the spacing of control nodes, which can usually be obtained from a reference dielectric function or by a preliminary fit to a spectral region where the material is transparent. A “wavelength-range-expansion” fit can then be used to obtain the dielectric function for the remaining spectral range.

An Improved B-Spline Fitting Method with Arc-Length Parameterization, G2-continuous Blending, and Quality Refinement

In computer numerical control machining, tool paths are typically represented with piecewise linear segments (GO1s), which lack G1 and G2 continuity and cause fluctuation of feed rate and acceleration. To improve the continuity of tool paths, some method, e.g., B-spline tool path fitting, is preferred. However, none of the currently B-spline fitting method satisfies all tool-path fitting requirements of arc-length parameterization, G2 continuity and smoothness across the whole path. The aim of this research is to derive an industrial-strength method for B-spline tool path fitting, satisfying all of the named requirements. The improvements cover the arc-length based parameterization, G2 continuity as well as numerically measure to improve the quality of B-spline tool paths. To achieve arc-length parameterization, a preliminary fitting is added to evaluate arc-length and guide the parameterization (i.e., knot vector assignment); for joint G2-continuity, a five-control-point B-spline which satisfies chord error and shape-preserving constraints is constructed to blend adjacent B-splines; and a method based on the Hausdorff distance between the fitted B-splines and the original polylines is used to evaluate the fitting quality, and an additional refinement procedure is employed when the evaluation finds any disqualification. Simulation and experiment results prove that the proposed methods are effective.

Statistical detection of a tidal stream associated with the globular cluster M68 using Gaia data

ABSTRACT A method to search for tidal streams and to fit their orbits based on maximum likelihood is presented and applied to the Gaia data. Tests of the method are performed showing how a simulated stream produced by tidal stripping of a star cluster is recovered when added to a simulation of the Gaia catalogue. The method can be applied to search for streams associated with known progenitors or to do blind searches in a general catalogue. As the first example, we apply the method to the globular cluster M68 and detect its clear tidal stream stretching over the whole North Galactic hemisphere, and passing within 5 kpc of the Sun. This is one of the closest tidal streams to us detected so far, and is highly promising to provide new constraints on the Milky Way gravitational potential, for which we present preliminary fits finding a slightly oblate dark halo consistent with other observations. We identify the M68 tidal stream with the previously discovered Fjörm stream by Ibata et al. The tidal stream is confirmed to contain stars that are consistent with the HR-diagram of M68. We provide a list of 115 stars that are most likely to be stream members, and should be prime targets for follow-up spectroscopic studies.