Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Economic valuation of benefits and costs associated with the coordinated development and management of the Zambezi river basin

The Zambezi river basin is of utmost importance to its riparian countries in terms of energy, food production and natural resources. Even though there is no legal agreement on the sharing of Zambezi waters, an assessment of basin-wide economically efficient allocation policies will provide valuable information at a time where water managers and policy makers in the region are negotiating the establishment of a unified river basin institution, called the Zambezi Watercourse Commission (ZAMCOM). That institution would be responsible for, amongst other things, the design of allocation rules. In this study, basin-wide allocation policies are derived from a hydroeconomic model that considers the largest existing and planned hydraulic infrastructure and irrigation schemes in the basin. Our results illustrate that the economic value of water varies spatially, driven primarily by large changes in elevation and on the locations of existing or proposed dams. This observation may have implications for future decisions about the siting of expansions in irrigated agriculture. For example, some of the planned irrigation schemes in upstream countries are not economically sound if the power stations that are in an advanced planning phase are implemented. This study also reveals that the economic value of the three largest storage infrastructure (Kariba, Itezhitezhi, Cahora Bassa) is around US$443 million/year.
Motivational profiles related to the academic satisfaction of university students

Los objetivos del estudio fueron identificar los perfiles motivacionales de estudiantes universitarios y evaluar sus diferencias en cuanto a la satisfacción académica. Los participantes fueron 882 estudiantes con edades comprendidas entre los 17 y 50 años, procedentes de nueve universidades chilenas. Los perfiles motivacionales se identificaron mediante análisis de conglomerados, siguiendo la combinación de métodos jerárquicos y no jerárquicos. El análisis de conglomerados se realizó incluyendo las siguientes variables motivacionales: (1) motivación autónoma, (2) motivación controlada, (3) percepción de apoyo a la autonomía, y (4) percepción de control de la autonomía. Las diferencias entre los perfiles se evaluaron a través de la prueba Anova unifactorial, considerando el cálculo del tamaño del efecto y el análisis post-hoc de Games-Howell. Los resultados del análisis de conglomerados apoyaron una solución de cuatro perfiles motivacionales: mala calidad (n = 167), baja cantidad (n = 144), buena calidad (n = 333), y alta cantidad (n = 238). Además, los estudiantes agrupados en los perfiles con mayores niveles de autonomía para el aprendizaje, presentaron los niveles más altos de satisfacción académica. Como conclusión, se destaca la importancia que tienen los factores motivacionales para facilitar el desarrollo del bienestar de los estudiantes universitarios. The aims of the study were to identify the motivational profiles of university students and to assess their differences according the academic satisfaction. The participants were 882 students aged 17 to 50, from nine Chilean universities. Motivational profiles were identified by cluster analysis, following the combination of hierarchical and non-hierarchical methods. The cluster analysis was perform including the following motivational variables: (1) autonomous motivation, (2) controlled motivation, (3) perception of autonomy support, and (4) perception of autonomy control. The differences among the profiles were assessed through the one way Anova test, considering the effect size calculation, and the Games-Howell post-hoc analysis. The cluster analysis results supported a four motivational profiles solution: poor quality (n = 167), low quantity (n = 144), good quality (n = 333), and high quantity (n = 238). Moreover, students grouped into profiles with higher levels of autonomy for learning, presented the highest levels of academic satisfaction. In conclusion, the importance of motivational factors to facilitate the development of university students’ well-being is highlighted.
The Incentives of Creditors to Monitor via Debt Specialization : The Impact of CEO Horizons Compensation

Using a sample of US listed companies we extend the literature on how executive compensation influences a firm‟s capital structure. We show that an increase in any form of risktaking incentives in CEO pay leads to a greater concentration in lending relationships (measured via the specialization of a firm‟s debt structure by debt type). When the risk-taking incentives are in the form of a higher sensitivity of CEO compensation to equity volatility, the tendency towards an increasing debt specialization becomes stronger for shorter compensation horizons and furthermore for riskier firms. We also show that a higher degree of debt specialization neutralizes the loss in the market value of debt produced when CEO risk-taking incentives increase. Overall, the results point towards creditors responding to CEO compensation schemes (designed to align the interests of CEOs and shareholders) via increased debt specialization. JEL classification: G30, G32 J33, M12
Investigate the Relationship between Financial Variables with the Cash Holdings of Listed Companies in Tehran Stock Exchange

The aim of present research is investigate the relationship between financial variables includes growth opportunities, systematic risk and Annual stock return with the level of cash holdings in the Tehran Stock Exchange. Statistical population of present research has been all the companies listed in Tehran Stock Exchange which include 449 company during the years 2007 to 2014. Of the statistical population, 77 companies were selected. According to the main hypothesis and first sub-hypothesis, the relationship between systemic risk and cash holdings is significant, direct and positive. According to the main hypothesis and second sub-hypothesis, the relationship between systemic risk and cash holdings is not significant and this can be due to other interfering factors such as economic and financial factors and different statistical population. According to the main hypothesis and third sub-hypothesis, the relationship between annual stock return and cash holdings is significant, direct and positive.
Synthesized 2nd Generation Zeolite as an Acid-Catalyst for Esterification Reaction

MCM-48 zeolites have unique properties from the surfaces and structure point of view as it’s shown in the results ,and unique and very sensitive to be prepared, have been experimentally prepared and utilized as a second-generation/ acid - catalyst for esterification reactions of oleic acid as a model oil for a free fatty acid source with Ethanol. The characterization of the catalyst used in the reaction has been identified by various methods indicating the prepared MCM-48 is highly matching the profile of common commercial MCM-48 zeolite. The XRF results show domination of SiO2 on the chemical structure with 99.1% and agreeable with the expected from MCM-48 for it's of silica-based, and the SEM results show the cubic crystallographic space group compatible with Ia3d space group giving the hexagonal surface structure. The AFM test gave an average particle diameter of 97.51 nm and an average catalyst roughness of 0.855 nm. Esterification reaction of oleic acid with ethanol on MCM-48 has been carried in a batch reactor with 5% the prepared MCM-48 zeolite catalyst loading gives 81% of conversion after one hour at 353K
An Empirical Investigation of the Influence of Critical Factors on ERP Information Quality

In this research study a model is developed to investigate the relationship between critical factors and the quality of the information obtained from an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Nine critical factors that influence ERP information quality and four information quality dimensions pertinent to ERP deployments were identified and modified from literature. A questionnaire was used to collect data from the ERP system users in a production firm that had implemented an ERP system. The data collected were analyzed using multivariate techniques such as factor and multiple regression analyses. The results and the implications of the findings of the study are discussed.
Basking activity pattern of the European pond turtle, Emys orbicularis (Linnaeus, 1758) in Babat valley (Gödöllő, Hungary)

The populations of the widespread European pond turtle and their numbers are decreasing in Hungary and other European countries. Knowledge of basking habits, along with other biological characteristics of the species, could be important to preserve the European pond turtle. The purpose of our research was to assess the seasonal and daily basking activity of the European pond turtle, and the effects of weather parameters on sun-basking, for which no prior data exist for Hungary. Our study was carried out in the area of a dammed valley pond system at Gödöllő (Hungary) over two years. The results showed that the seasonal peak of the turtles’ basking (the highest number of observed sun-basking turtles) was in the spring. When using a finer time scale (1.5-hour intervals), we found that daily activity peaks were earlier in the spring and summer (11:00–12:30 h) than in autumn (12:30–14:00 h). Based on three measured temperatures (air temperature in shade and sunlight, water temperature), the number of basking turtles positively correlated with temperatures and varied seasonally; the optimal temperature ranges also shifted during the year. In the spring and autumn, turtles started sun-basking at lower temperatures than in the summer. We observed the narrowest optimal temperature ranges in the summer as well. Based on a Principal Component Analysis of weather parameters, low humidity and high air temperature created optimal basking conditions, whereas high humidity, and low air and water temperatures had an adverse effect.
b ) True Feasible RegionWrong Feasible Region Set of Optimal Solutions True Feasible RegionWrong Feasible Region Set of Optimal Solutions Figure 1

Nowadays, the top-k accuracy is a major performance criterion when benchmarking multiclass classifier using datasets with a large number of categories. Top-k multiclass SVM has been designed with the aim to minimize the empirical risk based on the top-k accuracy. There already exist two SDCA-based algorithms to learn the top-k SVM, enjoying several preferable properties for optimization, although both the algorithms suffer from two disadvantages. A weak point is that, since the design of the algorithms are specialized only to the top-k hinge, their applicability to other variants is limited. The other disadvantage is that both the two algorithms cannot attain the optimal solution in most cases due to their theoritical imperfections. In this study, a weighted extension of top-k SVM is considered, and novel learning algorithms based on the Frank-Wolfe algorithm is devised. The new learning algorithms possess all the favorable properties of SDCA as well as the applicability not only to the original top-k SVM but also to the weighted extension. Geometrical convergence is achieved by smoothing the loss functions. Numerical simulations demonstrate that only the proposed Frank-Wolfe algorithms can converge to the optimum, in contrast with the failure of the two existing SDCA-based algorithms. Finally, our analytical results for these two studies are presented to shed light on the meaning of the solutions produced from their algorithms.
Effect of chemical and thermal treatment on the geotechnical properties of dredged sediment

Dredging of sediments is necessary in order to maintain maritime activities and for flood prevention. However the increased industrial activities are causing accumulation of pollutants in the sediments. The main contaminants are heavy metals and organic compounds. Because of the cost of storage, treatment and valorization can be economically sound. This study focuses on the technology to treat heavy metals from dredged sediments using phosphoric acid (H3PO4) (the Novosol® process developed by Solvay company) with a goal to stabilize heavy metals by capturing them in calcium phosphate matrix and to destroy organic matter by calcination at 650°C. Several studies have been conducted in this field. The stabilized materials obtained have been used in civil engineering. However these studies have never assessed the effect of the composition of the phosphoric acid on the treatment. In this paper the effect of two types of phosphoric acids with various composition and origins were compared. The investigation focuses on the effect of the phosphoric acids on the environmental behavior of metals and on the geotechnical properties of the dredged sediment. © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Peer-review under responsibility of the Scientific Committee of SYMPHOS 2013.
ORIGINAL DESIGN AND VALIDATION OF AN INSTRUMENT TO ASSESS MOTOR CREATIVITY IN ADOLESCENTS

The goal was to design and validate a Motor Creativity Assessment Instrument (ICM) in adolescents: a single-task test that evaluates this variable, and four of its dimensions, Flow, Flexibility, Imagination and Originality, through body expression. Three hundred and twelve secondary students (11-16 years) were randomly divided in two groups to undertake two independent tests (test-1, test2). Six experts on creativity participated in the validation process. The instrument’s reliability was obtained through the inter-observer agreement, using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient on both tests, and obtaining scores almost perfect in all cases (0.81-1.00). Internal, response, content and construct validity were also assessed, obtaining positive results in all of them. The ICM has been proven an adequate, easy-to-implement instrument to assess motor creativity in adolescents; a very important variable in Physical Education and Sport.
Hydrocarbon Content in Surface Water and Sediment of Qua-Iboe River

The total petroleum hydrocarbon content in surface water and sediment of Qua Iboe River, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria was assessed by randomly collecting samples from five sampling points of the study area and from a control site. The samples were extracted with dichloromethane (DCM) by liquid-liquid partition for water and Soxhlet extraction for sediments followed by subsequent clean up on column chromatography and analyzed by gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID) for the determination of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH). The results showed variation of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) content from 90 to 250 μg/L in the water and 270 to 830 mg/kg in the sediments, with mean value of 168.33±59.29 μg/L and 606.83±229.48 mg/kg respectively. The average amount of TPH in the water samples collected from all the sampling points was generally lower than the EU standard limit of 300 g/L. However, the levels in the sediments exceeded the EGASPIN target value (50 mg/kg) for mineral oil but were below the intervention value (5,000 mg/kg), this indicates a serious impact of oil industrial activities on the area. Hence, our findings have indicated evidence that Qua Iboe River is under pollution threat and underscore the need for early remediation if adverse health defects are to be prevented. DOI: https://dx.doi. org/10.4314/jasem.v22i12. 14 Copyright: Copyright © 2018 Inyang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CCL), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Exceptionally High Geothermal Heat Flux Needed to Sustain the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream

Abstract. The Northeast Greenland Ice Stream (NEGIS) currently drains more than 10 % of the Greenland Ice Sheet area, and has recently undergone significant dynamic changes. It is therefore critical to accurately represent this feature when assessing the future contribution of Greenland to sea level rise. At present, NEGIS is reproduced in ice sheet models by inferring basal conditions using observed surface velocities. This approach helps estimate conditions at the base of the ice sheet, but cannot be used to estimate the evolution of basal drag in time, so it is not a good representation of the evolution of the ice sheet in future climate warming scenarios. NEGIS is suggested to be initiated by a geothermal heat flux anomaly close to the ice divide, left behind by the movement of Greenland over the Icelandic plume. However, the heat flux underneath the ice sheet is largely unknown, except for a few direct measurements from deep ice core drill sites. Using the Ice Sheet System Model (ISSM), with ice dynamics coupled to a subglacial hydrology model, we investigate the possibility of initiating NEGIS by inserting hotspots with various locations and intensities. We find that a minimum geothermal heat flux value of 970 mW/m2 located close to EastGRIP is required locally to reproduce the observed NEGIS velocities, consistent with previous estimates. By including high geothermal heat flux and the effect of water on sliding, we successfully reproduce the main characteristics of NEGIS in an ice sheet model without using data assimilation.
Feedback on Ideas

Employees are often assigned tasks comprising two distinct phases: in the first phase, ideas are generated; in the second phase, the best idea is implemented. Furthermore, it is common for supervisors to give feedback to their employees during this process. This paper studies the supervisor’s problem. Supervisors face the following tradeoff: while honest feedback encourages employees to discard bad ideas, it can also be demotivating. We obtain three main results. First, the supervisor only gives honest feedback to agents who believe in their ability to succeed. Second, receiving honest feedback leads such high self-opinion agents to exert more effort. Third, overconfidence is potentially welfare improving.
Title New developments in the use of positive airway pressure for obstructive sleep apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a disorder which afflicts a large number of individuals around the world. OSA causes sleepiness and is a major cardiovascular risk factor. Since its inception in the early 1980’s, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) has emerged as the major treatment of OSA, and it has been shown to improve sleepiness, hypertension, and a number of cardiovascular indices. Despite its successes, adherence with treatment remains a major limitation. Herein we will review the evidence behind the use of positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy, its various modes, and the methods employed to improve adherence. We will also discuss the future of PAP therapy in OSA and personalization of care.
REAL ESTATE ECONOMICS Is Timing Everything ? Race , Homeownership and Net Worth in the Tumultuous 2000 s

We use the Panel Study of Income Dynamics to estimate how net worth was affected among lowand moderate-income households who became first-time homebuyers at different points during the volatile 2000s. We address selection using propensity score matching and estimating difference-in-difference models, and use quantile regressions to account for the skew in net worth outcomes. Results highlight the significance of race in the relationship between first-time home buying and net worth during the decade. Although timing was critical to the short-term trajectory of net worth for whites, total net worth declines for black first-time homebuyers regardless of economic climate. The most dramatic differences between black and white new homebuyers is their neighborhood locations, with blacks purchasing in predominantly black neighborhoods with lower housing prices and price appreciation, and lower and declining rates of homeownership.
Use of Sea Water Heat Rejection in Sydney : Heat Exchanger Fouling-( 12 cp )

Many Industrial and Commercial processes produce heat as a by-product of the work done, which must be rejected from the system in order for it to continue to operate efficiently and effectively. This is none more applicable than modern Air Conditioning Systems, which must reject the heat generated as a by-product of the equipment operation, but also the heat generated as part of the vapour compression refrigeration cycle, which they so heavily feature. One method of achieving this is through the use of Sea Water Heat Rejection (SWHR), consisting of heat exchangers which transfer heat from the system to a nearby source of sea water.
Evaluating the Role of Crowdfunding as an Alternate Finance Opportunity : A Fund Raiser ’ s Perspective

The paper examines the status of ownership preference of HRD function and responsibility in Nepali banks to make it strategic. It investigates into the dilemma whether the top management, or HR and HRD managers should own the responsibility for formulating HRD policy, plans and strategies and then for implementing them. Based on a survey of managers (N=708) chosen through a proportionate, stratified random sampling technique from three banking sectors (foreign joint venture commercial banks, private commercial banks and national development banks) and three strata (top, middle and lower management hierarchies), the study discovered that the Nepalese bank managers largely related the roles and responsibilities of HRD policy ‘formulation’ with top management, and those of ‘implementation’ to HR officials, and in both functional streams, they placed emphasis on collaboration with each other in developing human resources, so that it can contribute to strategic management of Nepali banks.
China as a ‘ Model ’ of Utilizing Foreign Capital for Economic Development : Perceptions , Observations and Interpretations

In recent years, China has been widely regarded as the most successful country in the world in utilizing inward foreign direct investment for its economic development. In particular, it has been portrayed and praised by the orthodox establishments of globalization as a ‘model’ in this regard for the rest of the developing world. The objective of this paper is to assess the role of FDI in China’s economic development with reference to the broader literature on FDI and late development. Its main analytical finding is that FDI in China has promoted economic development in one respect (improving allocative efficiency), but has had unfavourable effect in another respect (worsening productive efficiency), resulting in an overall impact that tends to be on the negative side. The orthodox story of China is thus judged to be partial or even misleading. Dic Lo, PhD, is Senior Lecturer in Economics at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and Director of the Centre of Research in Comparative Political Economy at the School of Economics, Renmin University of China.
Replicating and Mitigating Spectre Attacks on a Open Source RISC-V Microarchitecture

Recent revelations of new side-channel vulnerabilities in modern processors has made hardware security a first-order concern in processor design. We demonstrate how the Berkeley Out-of-Order Machine (BOOM), a generic open-source out-of-order RISC-V processor, is useful for studying the performance and security implications of microarchitectural mitigations for side-channel attacks. Two results are presented. First we replicate several basic variants of Spectre attacks which exploit the effects of speculative execution in the L1 data cache. We then implement a preliminary hardware mitigation for such attacks, demonstrate its effectiveness, and measure its impact on performance, and area. Compared to the baseline processor, our mitigation displays a 2% IPC improvement, a 2.5% area increase, and a 0.36% clock reduction in a 45nm process. To our knowledge, our work is the first available demonstration on an open-source RISC-V processor of speculative side-channel attacks and a potential hardware mitigation. Our methodology demonstrates the value of the open-source RISC-V hardware ecosystem for secure hardware research.