Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Numerical Modeling of Topography-Modulated Dust Aerosol Distribution and Its Influence on the Onset of East Asian Summer Monsoon

A regional climate model coupled with a dust module was used to simulate dust aerosol distribution and its effects on the atmospheric heat source over the TP, East Asian summer monsoon onset, and precipitation in East Asia modulated by the uplift of the northern TP. We carried out four experiments, including a modern (i.e., high-mountain) experiment with (HMD) and without (HM) the major deserts in Northwest China and a low-mountain experiment with (LMD) and without (LM) the deserts. The results show that dust greatly increases in the Taklamakan Desert accompanied with the uplift of the northern TP, and the increase exceeds 150 µg kg−1 in spring. A strong cyclone in the Tarim Basin produced by the uplifted northern TP enhances dust emissions in the Taklamakan Desert in summer. Meanwhile, the dust loading over the TP also increases induced by the uplift of the northern TP, causing the heat source over the TP decreased. Under the condition of the northern TP uplift to present altitude, dust delays the East Asia summer monsoon onset by two pentads and one pentad, respectively, in the southern and northern monsoon regions and greatly suppresses precipitation in East Asia compared with results in the low terrain experiments.
What determines the success of bidding firms in M&A deals?

We examine the drivers of bidding success in multiple-bidder merger and acquisition (M&A) announcements. We employ a series of logistic regression analyses and find that higher company value, greater profitability, a friendly offer attitude and a compatibility in industry specialization between bidders and targets serve as powerful determinants of the success of a given M&A attempt when multiple bidders are present. Our findings also suggest that if a small bidder (relative to its target) wants to be the final winner among the multiple bidders, the company’s growth opportunities are valued most by the target company’s shareholders. A second research is conducted to estimate a series of cross-sectional regression models to explore the determinants of target and bidder announcement returns respectively. Our findings suggest that the market already knows around the time of the bidding which bidder will be successful (unsuccessful). The stocks of successful bidders display the typical price increase on the announcement date that is contrary to the results documented in the literature whereas the abnormal returns of unsuccessful bidders fluctuate dramatically during the same period, which can be discerned clearly from the successful bidders.
Immigration and its dependence on the welfare system: the case of France

In this paper, we bring to light the link between immigration in France and the appeal to its welfare system: familial assistance, retirement, health, housing assistance, unemployment benefits and RMI (the French Minimum Guaranteed Income). Our results show that when we control for differences in characteristics between natives and immigrants, the over representation of mi grants among the beneficiaries of social protection is noticed only for unemployment benefits and for the RMI (in addition to an over representation also on housing assistance, in particular for the populations born in North Africa.
SCREENING OF CRUDE EXTRACT OF FLAVONOIDS OF MORINGA OLEIFERA AGAINST BACTERIA AND FUNGAL PATHOGEN

Crude extracts were prepared from the flowers and callus of Moringa oleifera using ethanol extract and screened for their antimicrobial activity against some bacteria andfungal pathogen by paper disc method. The tested gram positive bacterial strains were Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus , gram negative bacterial strains were Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and fungal pathogen Candida albicans . Although flavonoids are present in all parts of Moringa oleifera , maximum amount was observed in flowers. Hence soxhlet extract of 5 grams of powdered flowers and unorganized tissues of M. oleifera were screened for their antimicrobial activity. Among the flowers and unorganized tissue tested, the ethanol extract of callus exhibited higher antimicrobial activity when compared to the floral extract. Key words: Antimicrobial, Antifungal, Moringa oleifera, Soxhlet extract, Ethanol extract Tamanna Talreja. Screening of Crude Extract of Flavonoids of Moringa oleifera against Bacteria and Fungal Pathogen. J Phytol 2/11 (2010) 31-35
Understanding Young People’s Transitions from State Care: the need for connections,

Abstract Over the last decade in a growing number of countries there has emerged an interest in the experiences of young people leaving state care. This has included a limited amount of cross national comparison. This paper reports the bleak descriptive picture of poor outcomes and lack of support that has emerged but cautions that this be recognised as primarily expressing an Anglo-American descriptive empirical engagement with the issue. It then goes on to argue for using Esping-Anderson’s three types of welfare regime and the European Union policy goal of social inclusion as starting points to develop a more dynamic, systemic international picture of care leaving. Keywords: Leaving care, Youth transition, Welfare regime, Social inclusion ----- Den Ubergang junger Menschen aus staatlicher Fursoge verstehen: die Notwendigkeit eines theoretischen Rahmens Zusammenfassung Das Interesse an der Lebenssituation junger Menschen, die die staatliche Fursorge verlassen, ist in den vergangenen zehn Jahren in immer mehr Landern gestiegen, wobei landerubergreifende Vergleiche und internationale Perspektiven begrenzt vorhanden sind. Der vorliegende Artikel zeigt einen Mangel an Unterstutzungssystemen auf. Dabei wird zu Bedenken gegeben, dass dieses Bild moglicherweise in erster Linie Ausdruck der anglo-amerikanischen, vornehmlich deskriptiven Beschaftigung mit diesem Thema ist. Ausgehend von Esping-Andersons dreigliedriger Klassifizierung von Wohlfahrtssystemen und der Forderung der Europaischen Union nach einer starkeren sozialen Inklusion, gilt es, eine dynamische, systemische sowie internationale Vorstellung uber aussichtsreiche Ubergangssysteme fur junge Menschen zu entwickeln. Schlagworter: Leaving care, Ubergang, Wohlfahrtssystem, soziale Integration
A New Method For Automated Noise Cancellation In Electromagnetic Field Measurement

Abstract Electromagnetic field (EMF) measurements have limited accuracy, which is additionally impaired by meter self-noise influence. In this paper, a novel noise cancellation method is proposed, based on the Hidden Markov Model (HMM) methodology. It allows us to calculate the overall field intensity with a much higher accuracy than that obtained from other popular approaches, especially when EMF measurements are close to the noise level. The effectiveness of the new method is illustrated on two EMF datasets, one recorded in an urban and the other in a rural area. Its performance is further evaluated in a thorough simulation study using datasets representing the two distinct noisy environments.
Free-riding in alliances: Testing an old theory with a new method

We revisit the old and well-established theory of free-riding in military alliances. Existing empirical evidence infers free-riding from the larger military expenditures per gross domestic product (GDP) of countries of larger GDP. Yet, larger countries have broader military and geostrategic interests that result in larger defense burdens, thus creating an identification problem for existing tests of free-riding behavior. We therefore develop alternative predictions that ignore differences in the level of military spending and instead relate to growth in spending over time. The safety level of smaller members of an alliance is affected, simultaneously, by changes to military spending of the largest alliance member as well as by spending changes of the main enemy. Using the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as test case, we estimate country-specific response functions of the smaller alliance members to growth in US military spending on the one hand and to growth of Soviet spending (if in excess of US growth) on the other, covering the period 1956–1988. Results from our quasi-spatial approach corroborate one part of the theory in that we find the vast majority of the smaller NATO allies to be free-riders. However, our empirical evidence flatly contradicts the other part of the free-riding theory: the extent of free-riding is not a function of country size. Smaller allies free-ride, but the relatively larger of the smaller allies do not free-ride any less than the relatively even smaller alliance partners.
Cost of equity estimation for the Brazilian market: a test of the Goldman Sachs model

As an approach to determining the degree of integration of the Brazilian economy, this paper seeks to test the explanatory power of the Goldman Sachs Model for the expected returns by a foreign investor in the Brazilian market during the past eleven years (2004-2014). Using data for the stocks of 57 of the most actively traded firms at the BM&FBovespa, it begins by testing directly the degree of integration of the Brazilian economy during this period, in an attempt to better understand the context in which the model has been used. In sequence, in an indirect test of the Goldman Sachs model, the risk factor betas (market risk and country risk) of the sample stocks were estimated and a panel regression of expected stock returns on these betas was performed. It was found that country risk is not a statistically significant explanation of expected returns, indicating that it is being added in an ad hoc fashion by market practitioners to their cost of equity calculations. Thus, although there is evidence of a positive and significant relationship between systematic risk and return, the results for country risk demonstrate that the Goldman Sachs Model was not a satisfactory explanation of expected returns in the Brazilian market in the past eleven years, leading us to question the validity of its application in practice. By adding a size premium factor to the model, there is evidence of a negative and significant relationship between companies’ size and return, although country risk remains not satisfactory to explain stock expected returns.
Methanogenesis in rabbit caecum as affected by the fermentation pattern : in vitro and in vivo measurements

Methane formation and caecal fermentation patterns were studied in vivo and in vitro in 16 white New Zealand rabbits (70-80 d and 2.27 ± 0.064 kg) allocated to four diets formulated to have a similar neutral detergent fibre (33.8±0.53%) and protein (17.7±0.33%) content, with two different fibre sources (alfalfa hay, AH or sugar beet pulp, SP) and starch (wheat or maize). Animals received the diet for 16 to 20 days before methane production was measured in vivo in a respiratory chamber. Animals were subsequently slaughtered at approximately 9:00 and caecal contents were sampled and used as inoculum for in vitro incubations to determine gas and methane production. Volatile fatty acid (VFA) and purine base (PB) concentrations were determined from both caecal content and incubation medium after 6 h. Total VFA concentration in caecal content decreased (P<0.05) in rabbits fed AH-maize diet compared with rabbits fed AH-wheat and SP-maize diets (37.7 vs. 59.6 mM), with those fed SP-wheat showing an intermediate value (53.0 mM). Fermentation pattern was affected when maize was the source of starch compared to wheat, with lower acetate (0.72 vs. 0.79; P<0.01) and higher butyrate (0.19 vs. 0.14; P<0.001) molar proportions. Fermentation in vivo vs. in vitro showed some differences (molar proportions of acetate, 0.76 vs. 0.73, P<0.001, and propionate, 0.069 vs. 0.091, P<0.001, in vivo and in vitro , respectively), probably due to differences in pH (6.0 vs. 6.7 in vivo and in vitro ; P<0.001). Only 2 out of 16 rabbits produced a substantial volume of methane in vivo (on average, 12.6 ml/BW 0.75 /d or 0.56 mmol/BW 0.75 /d), showing a high inter-individual variability that hindered comparison of treatment differences. In contrast, methane was detected in vitro in all cases and volumes were more homogenous, a higher formation (P<0.05) being observed with maize compared to wheat. A similar effect was shown in total gas production. The low methane production and H 2 recovery suggest the importance of H 2 disposal mechanisms other than methanogenesis, such as reductive acetogenesis. PB concentration in caecal content and the incubation medium, as an index of microbial concentration, was highest when SP was added with maize ( P <0.05).
Connection of OWPPs to HVDC networks using VSCs and Diode Rectifiers: an Overview

—This paper provides an overview of two technolo- gies for connecting offshore wind power plants (offshore WPPs, OWPPs) to high-voltage direct current (HVDC) networks: voltage source converters (VSCs) and diode rectiﬁers (DRs). Current grid code requirements for the connection of such power plants are also addressed, and their implications when using such technologies are discussed.
Market and Non-market Policies for Renewable Energy Diffusion: A Unifying Framework and Empirical Evidence from China’s Wind Power Sector

We provide a comprehensive framework of analyzing the diffusion process of renewable technology, incorporating epidemic and pecuniary effects. Relying on a panel dataset consisting of information from 1207 CDM wind projects in thirty provinces over the period 2004-2011, we find strong evidence on the dominant role of the epidemic effect and new evidence on pecuniary effects that generate a diminishing marginal effect of profitability in inducing technology adoption. Our numerical simulation demonstrates that the epidemic effect can play a quantitatively important role in the spread of renewable energy technology and markedly enhance the optimal social welfare. Our findings convey important policy implications for regulators when choosing policy instruments to enhance the diffusion and adoption of clean technology. Price instruments should be complemented by a wide range of non-market instruments to address non-market barriers.
Determinants of Technical Efficiency in Maize Production: The Case of Smallholder Farmers in Dhidhessa District of Illuababora Zone, Ethiopia

This study was conducted in Dhidhessa district of Illuababora zone in Ethiopia to measure the level of technical efficiency and identify its determinants in maize crop. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed to select 162 maize growing sample households. Inferential statistics and stochastic production functions were employed to achieve and interpret the result pertaining to objectives of the study. The Stochastic Production Frontier (SPF) result revealed that area allocated under maize and chemical fertilizers were appeared to be significantly influencing maize production at 1 percent probability level. The estimated gamma parameters indicated that 73% of the total variation in maize output was due to technical inefficiency. The average technical efficiency was 86% while return to scale (RTS) was 0.96 %. Based on the results, it was concluded that there existed scope for increasing maize output by 14 percent through efficient use of existing resources on the sample households. By improving the efficiency of maize production even through efficient use of existing resources of the farmers, an additional output of 2060 quintals of maize could have been produced on 7550 hectares of land allocated under maize production during the study period in the district. Thus, ample scope existed to realize higher output with existing resources and level of production technology. The socio-economic variables that exercised important role for variations in technical efficiency were age, education, improved seed, training on maize production and labor availability in the household. Nevertheless, participation on off farm income, interaction of off farm income and education, distance to market, and number of livestock were found to decrease efficiency significantly among farm household. Therefore, innovative institutional arrangement, education and farmers training accompanied with more access to fertilizer and improved seed were likely to enhance production efficiency in the study area. Keywords: Technical efficiency, maize production, Stochastic Frontier, Dhidhessa district
Export fluxes in a naturally iron-fertilized area of the Southern Ocean – Part 1: Seasonal dynamics of particulate organic carbon export from a moored sediment trap

Abstract. A sediment trap moored in the naturally iron-fertilized Kerguelen Plateau in the Southern Ocean provided an annual record of particulate organic carbon and nitrogen fluxes at 289 m. At the trap deployment depth, current speeds were typically low (~ 10 cm s−1) and primarily tidal-driven (M2 tidal component). Although advection was weak, the sediment trap may have been subject to hydrodynamical and biological (swimmer feeding on trap funnel) biases. Particulate organic carbon (POC) flux was generally low ( 2 km) fluxes measured from similarly productive iron-fertilized blooms. Although undertrapping cannot be excluded in shallow moored sediment trap deployment, we hypothesize that grazing pressure, including mesozooplankton and mesopelagic fishes, may be responsible for the low POC flux beneath the base of the winter mixed layer. The importance of plankton community structure in controlling the temporal variability of export fluxes is addressed in a companion paper.
Day and night fish distribution pattern in the net mouth area of the Norwegian bottom-sampling trawl

A high-frequency scanning sonar, mounted as a net sonde, was used to study fish behaviour in the mouth area of the Norwegian bottom-sampling trawl. Fish distribution patterns were significantly different by day and night. At night the fish entered the middle of the trawl, close to the bobbins, and no fish were observed escaping over the headline. During daytime the fish entered more irregularly, using the whole opening of the trawl, and haddock were lost over the headline. The daytime sonar observations were confirmed visually with an underwater vehicle with video carnera. The observations indicate that the herding process during bottom trawling may be equally efficient by day and night, and that hearing must play a significant role in this process under non-visual conditions.
The impact of sports participation on crime in England between 2012 and 2015

Abstract This paper estimates the relationship between sports participation and two broad categories of crime – property crimes and violent crimes- in 323 local authorities in England between 2012 and 2015. The objective is to assess whether participation in sporting activities influences regional crime rates. Furthermore, the impact of socioeconomic conditions on crime rates are estimated. The findings suggest sport participation is associated with reduction in both property and violent crime rates across English local authorities between 2012 and 2015. However, sports participation has a stronger effect on violent crimes compared with property crimes. The results show a 10% increase in sports participation is associated with a fall in violent crimes of 0.97 and 1.56% while a 10% increase in sports participation is associated with a fall in property crimes of approximately 0.65%.
Reading in L2 (English) and L1 (Persian): An Investigation into Reveres Transfer of Reading Strategies

This study investigates the effect of reading strategies instruction in L2 (English) on raising reading strategies awareness and use and reading ability of Iranian EFL learners in L2 (English) and L1 (Persian) as a result of transfer of reading strategies from L2 to L1. To this purpose, 120 students of intermediate and advanced English proficiency levels constituted the control and experimental groups. Then, a test of reading comprehension and a reading strategy questionnaire in L2 and L1 as pretests were distributed to the participants. After giving the experimental groups reading strategy instruction the post tests were distributed to all participants. Analysis of the data showed the experimental group outperformed the control group on the English and Persian reading comprehension strategy questionnaire and reading comprehension tests. Through teaching reading strategies in L2 we can enhance the reading strategy awareness and use and reading ability of EFL students both in L2 and L1.
GREEN PRODUCT PRICING AND MALAYSIAN CONSUMERS' WILLINGNESS TO PAY

This study aims to examine the price that consumers are willing to pay for green products relative to their non-green substitute and the actual price of the products in the market. While the price factor of green products has been investigated in previous studies, the focus has not been on the price that consumers are willing to pay for green products in comparison to non-green substitutes and actual price of the products in the market. In addition, the effects of demographic factors on the price that consumers are willing to pay for green products are also examined here. The study examined three categories of green products i.e. shampoo, light bulb and air-conditioners. The price that the respondents are willing to pay is obtained through a questionnaire. The results show that respondents are willing to pay significantly higher prices for green products relative to the non-green substitutes but the prices are significantly lower than the actual prices in the market across all the three categories of products. Furthermore, only ethnicity and income are found to influence the price consumers are willing to pay for green shampoo. The findings suggest that respondents are willing to pay premium prices for green products but are unlikely to purchase the green products due to the significant difference between the prices they are willing to pay for green products and the actual prices of these products in the market.
Assessing the Effects of Cultural Intelligence on Team Knowledge Sharing From a Socio‐Cognitive Perspective

Drawing upon social cognitive theory, this research postulates cultural intelligence as a key driver of knowledge sharing among culturally diverse teams. An empirical testing of the proposed model, by investigating team leaders from high-tech industries, reveals the applicability of social cognitive theory in understanding cultural intelligence, perceived team efficacy, and knowledge sharing. Specifically, the test results herein show that knowledge sharing is directly influenced by metacognitive, cognitive, and motivational cultural intelligence. At the same time, knowledge sharing is indirectly impacted by metacognitive and behavioral cultural intelligence through the mediation of perceived team efficacy. Lastly, this research provides managerial implications and limitations.
Transparent free relatives: two challenges for the grafting approach

This chapter argues that Free and Transparent Free relatives have bidimensional configurational structures, with the wh-element as 'pivot' in both constructions, and against the view that they have distinct multidimensional structures, being internally and externally headed by the whelement and a distinct nominal respectively. It is argued that the proposed view yields superior analyses of the following facts: [i] Transparent Free Relatives are invariably construed as existentially quantified, regardless of the quantificational force of the pivot, and [ii] certain Case effects predicted by the competing approach fail to materialize in most idiolects, and are only weakly manifested in a small number of idiolects in which they affect both Free and Transparent Free Relatives, contrary to predictions.