Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development and assessment of uni- and multivariable flood loss models for Emilia-Romagna (Italy)

Abstract. Flood loss models are one important source of uncertainty in flood risk assessments. Many countries experience sparseness or absence of comprehensive high-quality flood loss data, which is often rooted in a lack of protocols and reference procedures for compiling loss datasets after flood events. Such data are an important reference for developing and validating flood loss models. We consider the Secchia River flood event of January 2014, when a sudden levee breach caused the inundation of nearly 52 km2 in northern Italy. After this event local authorities collected a comprehensive flood loss dataset of affected private households including building footprints and structures and damages to buildings and contents. The dataset was enriched with further information compiled by us, including economic building values, maximum water depths, velocities and flood durations for each building. By analyzing this dataset we tackle the problem of flood damage estimation in Emilia-Romagna (Italy) by identifying empirical uni- and multivariable loss models for residential buildings and contents. The accuracy of the proposed models is compared with that of several flood damage models reported in the literature, providing additional insights into the transferability of the models among different contexts. Our results show that (1) even simple univariable damage models based on local data are significantly more accurate than literature models derived for different contexts; (2) multivariable models that consider several explanatory variables outperform univariable models, which use only water depth. However, multivariable models can only be effectively developed and applied if sufficient and detailed information is available.
Reflection nebulae in the Galactic Center: the case for soft X-ray imaging polarimetry

The origin of irradiation and fluorescence of the 6.4 keV bright giant molecular clouds surrounding Sgr A*, the central supermassive black hole of our Galaxy, remains enigmatic. Testing the theory of a past active period of Sgr A* requires X-ray polarimetry. In this paper, we show how modern imaging polarimeters could revolutionize our understanding of the Galactic Center. Through Monte Carlo modeling, we produce a 4-8 keV polarization map of the Galactic Center, focusing on the polarimetric signature produced by Sgr B1, Sgr B2, G0.11-0.11, Bridge E, Bridge D, Bridge B2, MC2, MC1, Sgr C3, Sgr C2, and Sgr C1. We estimate the resulting polarization, include polarized flux dilution by the diffuse plasma emission detected toward the GC, and simulate the polarization map that modern polarimetric detectors would obtain assuming the performances of a mission prototype. The eleven reflection nebulae investigated in this paper present a variety of polarization signatures, ranging from nearly unpolarized to highly polarized (about 77%) fluxes. A major improvement in our simulation is the addition of a diffuse, unpolarized plasma emission that strongly impacts soft X-ray polarized fluxes. The dilution factor is in the range 50% - 70%, making the observation of the Bridge structure unlikely even in the context of modern polarimetry. The best targets are the Sgr B and Sgr C complexes, and the G0.11-0.11 cloud. An exploratory observation of a few hundred kilo-seconds of the Sgr B complex would allow a significant detection of the polarization and be sufficient to derive hints on the primary source of radiation. A more ambitious program (few Ms) of mapping the giant molecular clouds could then be carried out to probe with great precision the turbulent history of Sgr A*, and place important constraints on the composition and three-dimensional position of the surrounding gas.
EFFECT OF FROST STRESS ON CHLOROPHYLL a FLUORESCENCE AND MODULATED 820 nm REFLECTION IN ARABIS ALPINA POPULATION FROM RILA MOUNTAIN

Summary: Cold stress is one of the most important abiotic factors which in the context of the global climatic changes strongly affects plant productivity. The perrenial plant Arabis alpina (Brassicaceae) was used as a model system to study the effect of cold stress on photosynthetic performance as measured by prompt chlorophyll a fluorescence (PSII activity), as well as by the modulated 820 nm reflection (PSI activity) . Intact wild plants collected from Rila Mountain, and plants grown in laboratory conditions from seeds were used in this study. Plants were grown at 22°C under control conditions and after that they were exposed to chilling stress (+4°C) for 4 days followed by freezing stress (-7°C) for 12h. Recovery from the frost stress was studied after return of the plants to +4°C (4 days) and further to 22°C (4 days). It was found that both the intact wild plants and the plants from seeds were tolerant to the frost stress. Net photosyntetic rate was gradually inhibited during chilling and freezing stresses with CO 2 uptake still active after the frost stress. Photosynthesis was restored during the period of recovery to values close to the control. After frost treatment both intact plants and plants grown in control conditions showed a very slight inhibition of PSII activity as revealed by the quantum yield of the primary photochemical reaction (φ Po ), whereas intersystem electron transport (φ Eo ), reduction of the end electron acceptors (φ Ro ) and the performance index of photosynthesis (PI abs ) were inhibited to a greater extent. All chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters of PSII were restored during the period of recovery. In contrast to PSII activity, the activity of PSI as probed by the modulated 820 nm reflection was much strongly inhibited after the frost stress especially in its re-reduction phase. Our results indicated that the higher tolerance of A. alpina to frost stress was accompanied with higher resistance of the overall photosynthetic performance, including both PSII and PSI.
Children's Autonomy and Perceived Control in Learning: A Model of Motivation and Achievement in Taiwan.

A model of motivation and achievement was tested with data from 50 teachers and 806 Grade 4-6 students in Taiwan. Autonomy as a construct was shown to have ecological validity in Chinese children. The proposed model fit the data well, showing that maternal involvement and autonomy support, as well as teachers' autonomy support, are important for children's autonomy and perceived control. Without the mediation of perceived control, autonomy had a small negative effect on performance; controlling for perceived control, external motivation orientation was a positive predictor for Chinese children's effort and performance. The teachers' reported motivating style, as construed in Western research, does not correspond with Chinese children's perceptions of their teachers nor does it have any relationship with their motivation measures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)
The optimization of thermal performance of an air cooler equipped with butterfly inserts by the use of imperialist competitive algorithm

The aim of this paper is to apply a novel optimization algorithm based on the imperialist competitive algorithm (ICA) to optimize the thermal performance of an air-cooled heat exchanger equipped with butterfly inserts. Experiments included inserts inclined at angles ranging from 45 to 135°. Also, the Reynolds number varied from 4021 to 16118. After data reduction, the regression equation of thermal performance was obtained as a function of the Reynolds number and the inclined angle. Then the cost function was optimized by the use of ICA. One can be sure that the thermal performance will be optimized due to the optimization of the cost function. Computational results indicate that the proposed optimization-algorithm is quite effective and powerful in optimizing the cost function. According to the results, in order to obtain maximum performance, the inclined angle must be about 95°. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res; Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/htj). DOI 10.1002/htj.20412
Application of eggshell wastes as valuable and utilizable products: A review

Eggshell is a solid waste, with production of several tons per day. Eggshell is mostly sent to the landfill with a high management cost. It is economical to transform the eggshell waste to create new values from these waste materials. The present article is an attempt to summarize the possible applications of eggshell. The eggshell waste can be used (a) at biodiesel production as a solid base catalyst used for biodiesel pollutants minimization, reducing the production costs of biodiesel and making the process of biodiesel production fully ecological and environment-friendly; (b) as an absorbent of heavy metals from wastewater as it is a serious environmental problem in the ecosystem; (c) as biomaterial in order to replace bone tissues due to the rise in the number of patients; (d) as a fertilizer and calcium supplement in nutrition for human, animals, plants, etc. Number of research articles have been included in this review to describe a methodical growth in this subject matter.
Corporate Innovation a Missing Success Factor of Rural Development - Lessons Learned from the Past Decade

'Innovation union' is one of three flagship initiatives under the smart priority of the Europe 2020 strategy. Development of social and human capitals as important resources of local development could give good basis for corporate innovation, which could be a success factor for rural regions. After introducing the importance of these capitals and corporate innovation in sustainable local development the paper firstly examines how farmers process information and how they participate in the development of a rural settlement. Secondly the ways in which animation actions are developed to help generation of innovation are described. To give answer to the first question a survey was carried out among farmers in Mezőcsat, one of Hungary's disadvantaged settlements, while the second question was examined through action learning. The results show that farmers are rather information consumers. Animators of rural settlements could play an important role in knowledge exchange between local actors including farmers and give them confidence to move beyond consuming information to become responsible information producers.
The Effect of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on the Ghanaian Economic Growth

Foreign direct investment (FDI) has been an important source of economic growth for Ghana, bringing in capital investment, technology and management knowledge needed for economic growth. This paper studied the relationship between FDI and economic growth in Ghana for the period 1980-2012 using time series data. The data used in this study was mainly from a secondary source consisting of yearly observations for real GDP growth and foreign direct investment net inflows as a percent of GDP (FDI ratio). The data was sourced from the World Banks World Development Indicators database. The linear regression technique was applied using the yearly data to ascertain the effect of FDI on real GDP. The study establishes that FDI and other two control variables under consideration impact significantly on the economic development of Ghana. It was determined in the research that the increasing trend of FDI inflows has also significantly increased the GDP of the country. Therefore, the FDI inflows to Ghana is a key driver for economic growth and development and that it does not only boost capital formation but also enhances the quality of capital stock in the country.
Determiners and incorporation in Maori

The noun phrase in Maori has been analysed by Waite 1994 and Dooley Collberg 1994 using a DP structure of the type first introduced by Abney 1987. This article presents additional evidence in the form of incorporation data which supports the DP analysis and the classification of the singular determiner te as the head of DP.
Simulating the Exoplanet Yield of a Space-based MIR Interferometer Based on Kepler Statistics

Aims: We predict the exoplanet yield of a space-based mid-infrared nulling interferometer using Monte Carlo simulations. We quantify the number and properties of detectable exoplanets and identify those target stars that have the highest or most complete detection rate. We investigate how changes in the underlying technical assumptions and uncertainties in the underlying planet population impact the scientific return. Methods: We simulated $2'000$ exoplanetary systems, based on planet occurrence statistics from Kepler with randomly orientated orbits and uniformly distributed albedos around each of $326$ nearby ($d < 20~\text{pc}$) stars. Assuming thermal equilibrium and blackbody emission, together with the limiting spatial resolution and sensitivity of our simulated instrument in the three specific bands $5.6$, $10.0$, and $15.0~\mu\text{m}$, we quantified the number of detectable exoplanets as a function of their radii and equilibrium temperatures. Results: Approximately $\sim315_{-77}^{+113}$ exoplanets, with radii $0.5~R_\text{Earth} \leq R_\text{p} \leq 6~R_\text{Earth}$, were detected in at least one band and half were detected in all three bands during $\sim0.52$ years of mission time assuming throughputs $3.5$ times worse than those for the James Webb Space Telescope and $\sim40\%$ overheads. Accounting for stellar leakage and (unknown) exozodiacal light, the discovery phase of the mission very likely requires $2$ - $3$ years in total. Roughly $85$ planets could be habitable ($0.5~R_\text{Earth} \leq R_\text{p} \leq 1.75~R_\text{Earth}$ and $200~\text{K} \leq T_\text{eq} \leq 450~\text{K}$) and are prime targets for spectroscopic observations in a second mission phase.
A comparison between qualitative and quantitative histories: the example of the efficient market hypothesis

ABSTRACT This paper uses the example of the history of the efficient market hypothesis (EMH) and citation analysis in order to investigate some differences between qualitative history and a quantitative history. The history of the EMH provides a telling example of the way quantitative analyses can supply different perspectives on the qualitative history of this hypothesis or complement it. For instance, since the EMH was proposed, several criticisms emerged. In addition, the definition and the scope of this hypothesis have been modified several times. Although the qualitative history of the EMH refers to these criticisms and these alternative definitions and scopes, qualitative tools cannot provide a clear measure of the impact of these criticisms and these modifications among economists. By studying the dissemination of the EMH, its major criticisms, and the answers economists provided, citation analysis sheds a different light on the history of the EMH.
THE APPLICATION OF INTENSIVE AND EXTENSIVE TASK-BASED FORM-FOCUSED VS. TASK-SUPPORTED INSTRUCTION ON EFL LEARNERS’ WRITTEN TASK ACCURACY

Some second language acquisition researchers argue that the way the instructors provide form focused instructions is of great significance in SLA development . The aim of the present study was to investigate whether intensive and extensive form-focused instruction would be useful for Iranian EFL learners’ written task accuracy. To accomplish the purpose of this quasi-experimental study, 60 female elementary learners in four intact classes were randomly selected as, the control group (n=15), intensive focus on form group (n=15), extensive focus on form group (n=15), and traditional (PPP) group (n=15). All groups participated in 17 sessions of telling reading summary task. The intensive group received feedback on simple past tense errors only. The extensive group received feedback on all kinds of errors including grammatical, pronunciation and lexical errors. The PPP group was based on traditional method of presenting, practicing and producing and the control group didn’t receive any feedback on errors. To collect written data from the participants, a narrative task was employed. The written data was quantified regarding the accuracy measure introduced by Ellis (2012). The results of statistical analysis revealed that all form focused groups significantly outperformed the control group. It can also be concluded that the intensive focus on form was more effective in improving Iranian learners’ written accuracy.
The Pursuit of Happiness: The Effect of Social Involvement on Life Satisfaction in Canada

A popular area of discussion within “happiness studies” across disciplines is the question of whether money can buy happiness or not. Contradictory findings have encouraged an ongoing debate and keep the topic aflame among sociologists, economists, and psychologists. Recently, sociologists have branched out to consider other social factors that may bear a closer relationship to a person’s level of happiness: marital status, religiosity, work and employment, to name a few. Using quantitative methods to analyze data from the 2005-2006 World Values Survey, this paper shows that social involvement and civic participation can promote happiness among Canadians. Statistical controls rule out potential confounding variables, which are based off of past literature on happiness studies. The results suggest that social involvement does indeed promote happiness among Canadians; however, there are multiple factors which increase or decrease one’s likelihood of being socially involved. Three major influencers were identified: affluence, education and religiosity.
Analisis Faktor Yang Mempengaruhi Nilai Perusahaan Pada Perusahaan Perbankan Yang Terdaftar Di Bursa Efek Indonesia

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh debt to assets ratio, deviden payout ratio, dan return on assets terhadap nilai perusahaan (price to book value) pada perusahaan perbankan yang terdaftar di BEI sejak tahun 2012 sampai dengan tahun 2016. Metode penelitian ini adalah menggunakan desain penelitian kausal, dengan jumlah sampel 26 perusahaan selama 5 tahun. Jenis data yang digunakan adalah data sekunder. Data yang telah dikumpulkan terlebih dahulu dilakukan pengujian asumsi klasik. Pengujian hipotesis dalam penelitian ini menggunakan regresi linier berganda dengan uji t dan uji F pada level signifikansi 5%. Hasil analisis kuantitatif menunjukkan bahwa secara parsial variabel debt to asset ratio (DAR), dan return onassets (ROA) tidak berpengaruh terhadap nilai perusahaan, sedangkan dividend payout ratio (DPR) berpengaruh terhadap nilai perusahaan. Secara simultan, debt to asset ratio (DAR), dividend payout ratio(DPR), dan return on asset (ROA) berpengaruh secara signifikan terhadap nilai perusahaan. Dimana 7.4% faktordari perubahan nilai perusahaan dapat dijelaskan oleh faktor dari ketiga variabel independen, sedangkan sisanya sebesar 94.6% dijelaskan oleh faktor lain yang tidak dimasukan dalam model regresi.
Tibetan Plateau warming and precipitation changes in East Asia

Observational evidence presented here indicates that the surface temperatures on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) have increased by about 1.8°C over the past 50 years. The precipitation pattern that is projected as a result of this warming resembles the leading pattern of precipitation variations in East Asia (EA). Numerical experiments with atmospheric general circulation models show that atmospheric heating induced by the rising TP temperatures can enhance East Asian subtropical frontal rainfall. The mechanism of the linkage is found to be through two distinct Rossby wave trains and the isentropic uplift to the east of the TP, which deform the western Pacific Subtropical High and enhance moisture convergence toward the EA subtropical front. The model calculations suggest that the past changes in TP temperatures and EA summer rainfall may be linked, and that projected future increases in TP temperatures may lead to further enhanced summer frontal rainfall in EA region.
Continuous fluorescence recording as a way to improve Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) models of paralytic shellfish toxin accumulation

A simple system was used to simulate the effect of alternating toxic (paralytic shellfish poisoning tox- ins) and non-toxic microalgal diets on oyster feeding behaviors and rates of toxin accumulation. These experimental conditions were meant to reflect, to some extent, the incoming and outgoing fluxes of toxic algae observed at the mouth of the Penze estuary (Northern Brittany, France). Physiological and toxicological parameters were estimated based on fluorescence measurements recorded continuously at the outlet of each experimental tank, which contained a single oyster. Qtox, this variable describes toxin uptake in oysters, it was used (instead of the toxin ingestion rate): i) in simple graphical analyses, ii) as well as in one- and two-compartment models. Results show that toxin uptake varies widely from one individual to another and is not proportional to the concentration of toxic algae in sea water. A one-compartment model with individual fluorescence recordings as "input" data gave questionable results, however, a two-compartment model was found to effectively describe contamination kinetics in oysters. Limitations of this model as well as possible improvements are discussed.
Hypo-vitaminosis D in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Ankylosing Spondylitis

Hypo-vitaminosis D and its relevance to the stability of the immune system represent an interesting investigational topic in the field of rheumatology. Objectives: survey hypo-vitaminosis D and its relation to disease activity parameters in a population of patients with autoimmune diseases. Materials and methods: case control study including 70 patients: 30 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 30 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and 10 patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). In vitro quantitative determination of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 using the electro-chemi-luminescence immunoassay "ECLIA" was done. Serum concentrations ≥ 30 ng/ml has been considered sufficient and levels between 11 ng/ml-29 ng/ml has been considered insufficient, whilst patients with levels ≤ 10 ng/ml has been considered deficient. Fifty healthy control subjects were included. Results: Hypo-vitaminosis D was reported in 91.4% of the patients vs. 68% of the control group. The mean values of vitamin D in the population with AID was significantly lower than in controls (16.14 ± 9.32 ng/ml vs 24.61 ± 8.36 ng/ml, t=-5.05, P<0.01**, 95% CI=-12.31-5.31). The majority of patients (57.1%) had insufficiency vs 34.3% with vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D levels inversely correlated with the ESR (r=-0.23, P=0.04) and with the SLEDAI score in SLE (r=-0.419, P=0.02). Regression analysis identified the presence of an autoimmune disease as a potentially significant risk factor for vitamin D deficiency (P<0.001). Conclusion: The study reported a higher prevalence of hypo-vitaminosis D with autoimmune diseases. Lower levels of vitamin D correlated with higher ESR in all patients and with the SLEDAI score.
Measurement of Strain and Strain Rate during the Impact of Tennis Ball Cores

The aim of this investigation was to establish the strains and strain rates experienced by tennis ball cores during impact to inform material characterisation testing and finite element modelling. Three-dimensional surface strains and strain rates were measured using two high-speed video cameras and corresponding digital image correlation software (GOM Correlate Professional). The results suggest that material characterisation testing to a maximum strain of 0.4 and a maximum rate of 500 s−1 in tension and to a maximum strain of −0.4 and a maximum rate of −800 s−1 in compression would encapsulate the demands placed on the material during impact and, in turn, define the range of properties required to encapsulate the behavior of the material during impact, enabling testing to be application-specific and strain-rate-dependent properties to be established and incorporated in finite element models.