Factors and Challenges Influencing the Criminologist Licensure Examination Performance through the Non-passers’ Lens

<p style="text-align: justify;">This study aimed to explore the perceived factors that influenced the success and challenges experienced when taking licensure examination among Bachelor of Science in Criminology graduates of a state university in the Philippines who failed in the Criminologist Licensure Examinations (CLE). Descriptive-correlational research design was utilized to analyze quantitative data, and Colaizzi’s descriptive phenomenology was used for the thematic analysis of qualitative data. The quantitative findings revealed that home and family factor has a high influence on the success in CLE, while student factor, school factor, review center factor, and personal factor have average influence. Further, ten clusters of themes emerged as factors that influence the success in CLE. Among them were interest and focus on the program, and availability of qualified and dedicated faculty. Among the themes that emerged as challenges were lack of preparedness for the exam because of one’s work, and personal and social pressures. There is a significant difference on the respondents’ perception towards the factors that influence the success in CLE when they are grouped according to sex. Regarding the challenges associated with preparing for and taking the CLE, a significant difference is only observed when respondents are grouped according to their civil status. Generally, married respondents have higher weighted means than the single ones. This implies that the identified challenges affected married respondents more than the single ones. These results can be used to make policies and initiate programs that would enhance graduates’ success in the exam by providing appropriate interventions and early remediations.</p>

Weighted Means of Likelihood Ratio as Indices Measuring Similarity Between Densities

Criteria for similarity between probability density functions are important in the field of statistics such as density estimation. In this short paper, a set of indices measuring similarity between probability densities is proposed using the weighted means of the likelihood ratio function. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the estimates of these indices are easily obtained from observations and could be useful for both parametric and nonparametric density estimation with numerical optimization.

In Your Face: Person Identification Through Ratios and Distances Between Facial Features

These days identification of a person is an integral part of many computer-based solutions. It is a key characteristic for access control, customized services, and a proof of identity. Over the last couple of decades, many new techniques were introduced for how to identify human faces. This approach investigates the human face identification based on frontal images by producing ratios from distances between the different features and their locations. Moreover, this extended version includes an investigation of identification based on side profile by extracting and diagnosing the feature sets with geometric ratio expressions which are calculated into feature vectors. The last stage involves using weighted means to calculate the resemblance. The approach considers an explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) approach. Findings, based on a small dataset, achieve that the used approach offers promising results. Further research could have a great influence on how faces and face-profiles can be identified. Performance of the proposed system is validated using metrics such as Precision, False Acceptance Rate, False Rejection Rate, and True Positive Rate. Multiple simulations indicate an Equal Error Rate of 0.89. This work is an extended version of the paper submitted in ACIIDS 2020.

Tauberian theorems for weighted mean statistical summability of double sequences of fuzzy numbers

We discuss Tauberian conditions under which the statistical convergence of double sequences of fuzzy numbers follows from the statistical convergence of their weighted means. We also prove some other results which are necessary to establish the main results.

Prevalence and burden of symptomatic uterine leiomyomata among women in Imo State, South-Eastern Nigeri

Despite high rates of Uterine Leiomyomata (UL) diagnoses found in black women, there is paucity in research. Therefore, this study aimed at estimating the prevalence and burden of symptomatic UL among women in Imo State, Nigeria. The study is a descriptive cross-sectional hospital-based study that was carried out in Radiology, Obstetrics and Gynaecology departments of three hospitals and two diagnostic Centres covering the three senatorial zones in Imo State. The research was based on a convenience sampling of 2965 women within the age group of 16 to 49 that reside in the 3 senatorial zones referred for an ultrasound scan and who met the selection criteria within the period of study. Eligible and consented women responded to the questionnaire and underwent a transabdominal ultrasound. The data were analysed with the statistical program PASW 18 and p values < 0.05 were taken to be statistically significant. Weighted means and percentages were reported and prevalence across the senatorial zones was examined. Symptom burden among women with and without uterine fibroids was compared using weighted logistic regressions. Of 2965 respondents who met study inclusion criteria, a total of 652(22.0%) were diagnosed having UL while 2313 (78.0%) do not have the disease. Hence the overall prevalence of UL at clinics/Diagnostic centres in Imo State was 22%. Uterine fibroids impose a heavy burden on women aged 16–49 years in Imo State. It represents an important gynecologic pathology in women due to its relatively high prevalence and its significant impact on patient’s quality of life.

Comparative analysis of customers’ awareness toward CSR practices of Islamic banks: Bahrain vs Saudi Arabia

Purpose This study aims to analyze the level of customer awareness of Islamic Banks’ activities toward corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the Kingdoms of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and test whether both groups have similarities or not. The outcome of this study determines the extent to which customer awareness regarding Islamic banking activities furthering the betterment of society and achieving socioeconomic goals beyond their financial objectives. Design/methodology/approach Quantitative methods are used in this study covering Islamic Banks in both the Kingdoms of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia; using a survey questionnaire distributed to a total of 150 customers in the Kingdom of Bahrain and 100 customers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The weighted means are calculated, and statistical tests are used, such as, Kruskal–Wallis H and independent sample tests, in analyzing the data. Findings The results of the survey reveal that the level of customer awareness is generally low in terms of the pursuit of corporate social responsibilities by the Islamic Banks. The significant statistical difference in the data gathered from the sample is highlighted when they are grouped according to their respective banks. It proves that the level of customer awareness varies considerably among the Islamic banks in the survey. It was also found that there is no significant difference between the two groups of Islamic banks’ customers in the two countries in terms of their awareness toward the CSR practices of the Islamic banks. Originality/value The findings of this study could be used to aid policymakers in the field of CSR of Islamic banks to formulate a more efficient set of CSR activities that are better aligned with the ultimate goal of achieving society’s betterment. This study may also facilitate Islamic banks in the region to set up strategies that highlight their CSR efforts and raise the awareness levels of their customers.

Not all voxels are created equal: reducing estimation bias in regional NODDI metrics using tissue-weighted means

Neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) estimates microstructural properties of neurites relating to their organisation and processing capacity that are essential for effective neuronal communication. Descriptive statistics of NODDI tissue metrics are commonly analysed in regions-of-interest (ROI) to identify brain behaviour associations. Here, the conventional method to calculate the ROI mean weights all voxels equally. However, this produces biased estimates in the presence of CSF partial volume. This study introduces the tissue-weighted mean, which calculates the mean NODDI metric across the tissue within an ROI, utilising the tissue fraction estimate from NODDI to reduce estimation bias. We demonstrate the proposed mean in a study of white matter abnormalities in young onset Alzheimer's disease (YOAD). Results show the conventional method induces significant bias that correlates with CSF partial volume, primarily affecting periventricular regions and more so in YOAD subjects than in healthy controls. The tissue-weighted mean robustly identified disease-related differences in ROIs such as the fornix (p<0.05, Bonferroni corrected), some of which were absent using the conventional mean. The tissue-weighted mean may generate new insight into microstructural disease-related effects in regions typically confounded by partial volume, representing a promising tool for the study of microstructural correlates of aging and neurodegenerative diseases.

TRENDS IN COMPANIES’ DISCLOSURE GOING PUBLIC: ETHICAL PROSPECT

Information disclosure in a go-public company is very important as transparency for stakeholders. This research discusses about trends of disclosure of media company which will go public. It is also carried out by using documentation study on the media company prospectus occurred in 2016-2021. Population is the prospectus of 18 media companies listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange. The data was then assessed by 10 students from department of financial management and 10 students from department of accounting, 10 company leaders and 10 investor practitioners. The data was processed by using Weighted Means Score (WMS). The result showed that the aspect of disclosure, cash flow, type of product/program, investment result, risk and business activity are in open category. The disclosure on assets is in the very open category; while the disclosure on important events is in the fairly open category. A media company that will go public, viewed from the ethical prospect (disclosure trend) towards company’s information is in open category which means it has already been open towards information owned by the company.