Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The spillover effects of foreign direct investment on labor productivity

This study examines the effect of FDI spillovers, short-term and long-term effects of FDI spillovers on domestic firms’ productivity. It also explores the impact of FDI spillovers on domestic firms’ productivity in different groups of industries based on their factor intensity. Micro-level panel data covering about 20,000 medium and large manufacturing establishments in each year over the period 2010 and 2014 was employed. Findings/Originality : This study suggests that, within the same industry, horizontal spillovers are associated with domestic firms’ productivity: this relationship is negative in the short-term but positive in the long-term. It also demonstrates negative backward spillover effects on domestic firms’ productivity across industries. In addition, this study points out that FDI spillovers affect capital-intensive domestic firms’ productivity.
A Weather‐Regime‐Based Stochastic Weather Generator for Climate Vulnerability Assessments of Water Systems in the Western United States

Vulnerability‐based frameworks are increasingly used to better understand water system performance under climate change. This work advances the use of stochastic weather generators for climate vulnerability assessments that simulate weather based on patterns of regional atmospheric flow (i.e., weather regimes) conditioned on global‐scale climate features. The model is semiparametric by design and includes (1) a nonhomogeneous Markov chain for weather regime simulation; (2) block bootstrapping and a Gaussian copula for multivariate, multisite weather simulation; and (3) modules to impose thermodynamic and dynamical climate change, including Clausius‐Clapeyron precipitation scaling, elevation‐dependent warming, and shifting dynamics of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). In this way, the model can be used to evaluate climate impacts on water systems based on hypotheses of dynamic and thermodynamic climate change. The model is developed and tested for cold‐season climate in the Tuolumne River Basin in California but is broadly applicable across the western United States. Results show that eight weather regimes exert strong influences over local climate in the Tuolumne Basin. Model simulations adequately preserve many of the historical statistics for precipitation and temperature across sites, including the mean, variance, skew, and extreme values. Annual precipitation and temperature are somewhat underdispersed, and precipitation spell statistics are negatively biased by 1‐2 days. For simulations of future climate, the model can generate a range of Clausius‐Clapeyron scaling relationships and modes of elevation‐dependent warming. Model simulations also suggest a muted response of Tuolumne climate to changes in ENSO variability.
EFFECT OF SMART IRRIGATION CONTROLLERS UNITS ON THE PERFORMANCE AND PRODUCTIVITY OF SUBSURFACE AND SURFACE DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEMS FOR TOMATO CROP IN ARID REGIONS

Two types of Smart irrigation controller units (SIC) for scheduling irrigation water were studied under Saudi Arabia‘s present water crisis scenario. They were oprated based on evapotranspiration rate (ETR) promising tools for scheduling irrigation requirement by means of quantifying water required by plants to targeted water savings. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of these technologies, i.e. SmartLine and Hunter on irrigation amount applied, and compared with conventional irrigation scheduling methods as a control treatment. These two types of smart irrigation were implemented and tested under surface drip irrigation (DI) and subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) for tomato crop (Nema tomato cv.) in arid region. The obtained results showed that there are significant differences in the amount of applied water and the yield for the three irrigation scheduling methods. The data were normalized to produce a tomato crop yield per mm water depth applied, providing values of 66.50 (48.91), 62.74 (47.75), and 35.54 (28.21) kg/mm for the Hunter, SmartLine, and control systems, respectively, under SDI and (DI). The results also revealed that plant the growth parameters and water conservation were significantly affected by Hunter controller and SDI. The irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) under Hunter controller under SDI was generally higher (15.92 kg m -3 ) as compared with that under control DI (6.76 kg m -3 ), resulting in maximal IWUE for both growing seasons (average 15.82 kg m -3 ). The application of Hunter controller under SDI technology therefore provides significant advantages in terms of both crop yield and IWUE. In addition, Hunter controller under SDI conserves 25% of the total irrigation water as compared with the control treatment, and simultaneously generates higher total yields. Generally, it can be mentioned that Hunter Pro-C system saved more water and produced more yield with the highest use irrigation efficiency (IWUE) under SDI compared with the other irrigation scheduling methods. Moreover, the results indicated that the SDI system produced a higher yield and IWUE than DI. Ultimately, these technology is recommended for efficient automated irrigation systems and the Hunter Pro-C technique may provide a valuable tool for conserving water planning and irrigation scheduling for tomato and which is extendable to other similar agricultural crops.
Modelling fluvial responses to episodic sediment supply regimes in mountain streams

Large, episodically occurring sediment supply events may temporarily dominate channel morphology and sediment transport in mountain streams. Field studies of channel response to these events are challenging to undertake, as a long data record is needed to reasonably assess a system’s state of response in the context of episodic supply. Greater confidence in the observed state of response of a system can be achieved with flume experiments where fluvial response can be observed in detail after episodic events are introduced in a controlled fashion. Yet, the amount of work necessary to carry out these experiments is large, which limits the number of experimental conditions that can be studied, and thus their utility for addressing applied problems of channel adjustment. To overcome this limitation, I developed the 1-D morphometric sediment transport model BESMo, which allows large numbers of simulations to be run in batches, generating ensemble results. This model was used to recreate results from flume experiments, after which the experimental conditions were extended to include a broader range of simulated pulse frequencies, magnitudes, and grain size compositions. It was shown that the sequencing of pulse events of different magnitudes has only a short term effect on the slope and grain size response of the channel. Furthermore, thresholds were identified that allow for the categorization of fluvial response to episodic sediment supply regimes into one of (a) constant-feed-like, or (b) pulse-dominated. The practical utility of BESMo for studying fluvial response to large sediment supply events was demonstrated through the study of potential geomorphic effects following the removal of a dam in the Carmel River, California, USA. This showed the advantage of BESMo for simulating many different future scenarios, as stochasticity could be explicitly included through varied hydrographs. This allowed results to be interpreted in light of the uncertainty in future flood occurrence. Finally, to overcome data limitations on surface grain size distributions, I developed machine-learning based methods to detect grain size distributions from images. Collectively, this work has advanced our understanding and ability to characterise downstream channel response to episodic supply events, and to better obtain data needed for this characterisation.
Reconstruction of nearshore chemical conditions in the Mesoproterozoic: evidence from red and grey beds of the Yangzhuang formation, North China Craton

ABSTRACT Mesoproterozoic red beds near ancient coasts have not aroused extensive interest. A new geochemical study of the alternating red and grey dolostones from the Yangzhuang Formation provides a better understanding of the redox conditions of nearshore sedimentary environments. In this contribution, whole-rock samples are characterized by positive correlations of rare earth elements (REE) vs. Th and FeT vs. Th and flat-type REE distribution patterns, indicating massive terrigenous input, which is considered to be inherited from felsic rocks. Relatively high (Femag+Feox)/FeT and Fe3+/Fe2+ ratios in red beds indicate more oxidized conditions in supratidal environments compared with the lower oxygen contents in intertidal environments. Under these two distinct chemical sedimentary conditions, acetic acid-leached red and grey samples both have HREE-depleted distributions, suggesting significant freshwater invasion. Moreover, limited terrigenous redox-sensitive elements (RSEs) can reach the coast where the red beds are deposited, whereas relatively high RSE enrichment factors originating from shallow oceans are recorded in grey beds. In the Mesoproterozoic, limited oxidative weathering, shallow seawater desalination, and low organic production occurred near the coast. Meanwhile, a prolonged period of low Mo and U availability preserved in carbonate minerals confirmed that marine oxygen levels failed to satisfy the deposition of offshore red beds. During the regression, potentially exposed sediments connected to atmospheric oxygen guaranteed the oxidation of iron and the formation of red beds, and these events were coupled with negative δ13Ccarb shifts in the Yanliao rift zone. Graphical Abstract
Role of Productivity Growth in Economic Growth: Evidence from Nigeria (1970–2010)

Abstract The Global Conference for Wikimedia and The Economist held in London, 2014, ranked Nigeria as the largest economy in Africa using the nominal gross domestic product. But, income redistribution, equality and productivity improvements, which are indicators for the development of an economy, remain at large. Against this background, the study is set to examine the extent to which the positive trend experienced in economic growth has translated into development in Nigeria; this is with a view to ascertaining the effect of growth translating into economic development. With particular emphasis placed on the productivity patterns in Nigeria, the study determined the contribution of productivity growth and economic growth as well as the causal relation between both variables. Using the concept of productive efficiency as a major determinant, the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) and Granger causality estimates were employed. It was discovered that a unidirectional existed between both variables. Moreover, it was discovered that productivity growth contributed positively to real economic growth and negatively to nominal economic growth. This result implies that the presence of innovations through technology has augmented productivity intricately but not so visibly in Nigeria.
Recent Movements in the Euro Exchange Rate and the Impact on Inflation in the Spanish Economy

The effect of the euro exchange rate on inflation has taken on significant importance recently, with the application of the ECB’s expansionary monetary policy measures having coincided with episodes of euro appreciation, such as that observed between the second half of 2017 and early 2018, which tend to exert downward pressure on imported prices. This article analyses the factors behind the fluctuations in the euro exchange rate against the dollar during the recent period, and finds that this appreciation may have largely been due to the higher relative growth of the euro area, compatible with a pick-up in expected euro area inflation. However, the subsequent depreciation, since February 2018, might reflect factors related to changes in the relative confidence of financial markets to the detriment of the euro, and to the lower relative growth of the euro area compared with the United States. Further, it is documented how the pass-through of exchange rate movements to overall consumer-price inflation in the Spanish economy has increased slightly in recent years, owing mainly to the energy component, while core inflation remains much less sensitive to exchange rate changes.
Taking cues from the government: heuristic versus systematic processing in a constitutional referendum

Abstract One of the main criticisms of direct democracy is that it places excessive demands on voters. Are citizens competent enough to vote directly on policy issues? When stakes are high, do citizens mainly follow elites’ signals or do they decide in line with their issue preferences? This article addresses these questions in a multi-method setting by combining observational and experimental data from an original three-wave panel survey conducted during the 2016 Italian constitutional referendum. In particular, Finite Mixture Models are employed to model voters’ heterogeneous strategies of information processing. Findings show that heuristic voting based on government evaluation prevails over policy-related voting. More specifically, less politically sophisticated and partisan voters relied on government assessment as a heuristic, while sophisticated and independent voters based their decisions mostly on their assessment of the reform. Implications for the question of citizens’ competence in direct democracy are discussed.
The Analysis of Digital Maturity of Schools in Croatia

This paper presents results of a large pilot project among Croatian primary and secondary schools focused on digital maturity of schools. It explores relationships between indicators that influence the overall digital maturity level of a school with the main aim to identify the main drivers of digital maturity. It also reveals key steps in the development of the Framework for Digitally Mature Schools in Croatia and the instrument for assessing digital maturity of schools. The instrument evaluation involved 151 primary and secondary schools in Croatia that were assessed against maturity levels. Descriptive statistics is used to identify and explain correlations between 38 indicators of digital maturity of schools. Results obtained from the instrument show that 50 percent of schools in Croatia are in the initial phase of maturity and 43 percent of them are e-enabled which in respect to 5 different maturity levels corresponds to levels 2 and 3 respectively. An on-line system developed for this purpose, besides it features the instrument itself and enables schools to benchmark between themselves, identifies critical indicators for each school that require improvement in order for school to make progress against maturity level.
NGOs environmental legal mobilization and their access to the Spanish Supreme Court

Environmental NGOs in Spain are well known policy actors. Since the nineties some of them have been invited to participate in governmental committees and/or to provide expertise to Parliamentary committees. They have also an important role in mobilizing public opinion to defend and protect the environment. We know less though about how do they intervene in the judicial arena. In the framework of a growing role of the Courts in the field of environmental governance, the goal of this paper is to analyze to what extent Spanish NGOs resorted to the judicial arena, specifically the Supreme Court, to enforce international and European higher standards of environmental protection and advocated against wrong or inadequate praxis in the implementation of environmental regulations. Several non-judicial factors seem to have strengthened that trend in Spain: increasing environmental national and European regulation as well as the NGOs organizational capacity to make judicial claims in line with their policy preferences. Desde la década de los noventa, las ONG medioambientales de España participan en comités gubernamentales y/o como expertas en los comités parlamentarios; además de tener un papel importante en la movilización de la opinión pública. En cambio, sabemos menos sobre hasta qué punto recurren a la arena judicial. En el contexto de un creciente de papel de los tribunales en el campo de la gobernanza ambiental, el objetivo de este documento es analizar en qué medida las ONG españolas inician litigios, específicamente en el Tribunal Supremo, para exigir el cumplimiento de los estándares internacionales y europeos de protección del medio ambiente o en contra de malas praxis. Varios factores no judiciales parecen haber reforzado esa tendencia en España: el aumento de la regulación ambiental nacional y europea, así como la capacidad organizativa de las ONG para iniciar litigios en línea con su posición sobre una política determinada.
THE USE OF TASK BASED LANGUAGE TEACHING (TBLT) AS TO IMPROVE DESCRIPTIVE WRITING SKILLS

Writing skills are one of the skills that must be mastered by language learners. As an effort to improve writing skills, the researcher uses the Task Based Language Teaching (TBLT) approach. The TBLT approach is carried out on 19 level 1 students of the English Literature study program in learning descriptive writing skills in English. The type of research conducted is Classroom Action Research (CAR) in collaboration with lecturers of Writing 1 class. The research is supported by qualitative and quantitative data to determine the students’ improvement in the process of learning descriptive writing using TBLT. The results show a significant increase in the results of descriptive writing tests conducted in the first and second cycles. In addition, the use of TBLT can motivate students in the learning process. The results of this study were obtained based on the grades of the descriptive writing tests, observations and questionnaires. The results of the post-test indicate an increase in the average student score to 85.6 from the average pre-test score of 62.2. Finally, the results of the questionnaire also show that almost all students agreed to use TBLT as a guide in Descriptive writing, and it has proven to be able to improve the students’ writing skills.
ATTITUDE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS TOWARDS ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION IN RELATION TO LOCALE AND TYPE OF SCHOOL

The current research paper studies the attitude of secondary school students towards environmental pollution with respect to locale and type of school. To study the attitude of secondary school students towards environmental pollution descriptive survey method has used as research method. A sample of 200 secondary school students, comprised of 100 urban and 100 rural was drawn from five secondary schools ( 100 secondary school students from three government schools and 100 secondary school students from two private schools ) of district Kapurthala, Punjab. The secondary school students were selected from different schools of district Kapurthala, Punjab through convenience sampling technique. Environmental Pollution Attitude Scale by Prof. M. Rajamanickam (1998) was used to collect the data from secondary school students. Z’-test was used to analysis the data. Result revealed that 1) there exists statistical significant difference in attitude of urban and rural secondary school students towards environmental pollution; and 2) there exists statistical significant difference in attitude of private and government secondary school students towards environmental pollution.
Effect of Physical Activity on Drug Craving of Women With Substance Use Disorder in Compulsory Isolation: Mediating Effect of Internal Inhibition

Background Women with substance use disorder has attracted widespread attention as a prominent social issue. According to reports, physical exercise can improve the internal inhibition, effectively reduce the substance user’s drug graving, and improve withdrawal symptoms, however, the specific mechanism of internal inhibition should be further considered. This study was designed to determine the critical role of internal inhibition in the path of physical exertion affecting the drug cravings of women drug users. Methods By means of Physical Activity Rating Scale (PARS-3), internal Inhibition Scale and Drug Craving Scale, this study investigated the individuals with substance use disorder under rehabilitation in the women compulsory isolation rehabilitation center in Chongqing, China. Results (1) Women with traditional drug users had the strongest internal inhibition and new drug use disorder had the highest drug craving. The longer the duration of drug abuse, the lower the internal inhibition and the higher the drug craving. Women with moderate-intensity activity had the strongest internal inhibition and the lowest drug craving. (2) The physical activity intensity was negatively correlated with drug craving, positively correlated with intrinsic inhibition, and negatively correlated with drug craving. (3) Internal inhibition played a partial mediating effect between physical activity intensity and drug craving. Conclusion Physical activity has a positive effect on inhibiting drug craving among drug addicts, while moderate-intensity activity seems to be more conducive to enhancing the internal inhibition of addicts, to improving their resistance to drugs, and thus more conducive to reducing drug craving.
Prediction of dissolved oxygen in urban rivers at the Three Gorges Reservoir, China: extreme learning machines (ELM) versus artificial neural network (ANN)

In the present study, two non-linear mathematical modelling approaches, namely, extreme learning machine (ELM) and multilayer perceptron neural network (MLPNN) were developed to predict daily dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations. Water quality data from four urban rivers in the backwater zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir, China were used. The water quality data selected consisted of daily observed water temperature, pH, permanganate index, ammonia nitrogen, electrical conductivity, chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, total phosphorus and DO. The accuracy of the ELM model was compared with the standard MLPNN using several error statistics such as root mean squared error, mean absolute error, the coefficient of correlation and the Willmott index of agreement. Results showed that the ELM and MLPNN models perform well for the Wubu River, acceptably for the Yipin River and moderately for the Huaxi River, while poor model performance was obtained at the Tributary of Huaxi River. Model performance is negatively correlated with pollution level in each river. The MLPNN model slightly outperforms the ELM model in DO prediction. Overall, it can be concluded that MLPNN and ELM models can be applied for DO prediction in low-impacted rivers, while they may not be appropriate for DO modelling for highly polluted rivers. This article has been made Open Access thanks to the kind support of CAWQ/ACQE (https://www.cawq.ca).