Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recent trends in the microwave-assisted synthesis of metal oxide nanoparticles supported on carbon nanotubes and their applications

The study of coating carbon nanotubes with metal/oxides nanoparticles is now becoming a promising and challenging area of research. To optimize the use of carbon nanotubes in various applications, it is necessary to attach functional groups or other nanostructures to their surface. The combination of the distinctive properties of carbon nanotubes and metal/oxides is expected to be applied in field emission displays, nanoelectronic devices, novel catalysts, and polymer or ceramic reinforcement. The synthesis of these composites is still largely based on conventional techniques, such as wet impregnation followed by chemical reduction of the metal nanoparticle precursors. These techniques based on thermal heating can be time consuming and often lack control of particle size and morphology. Hence, there is interest in microwave technology recently, where using microwaves represents an alternative way of power input into chemical reactions through dielectric heating. This paper covers the synthesis and applications of carbon-nanotube-coated metal/oxides nanoparticles prepared by a microwave-assisted method. The reviewed studies show that the microwave-assisted synthesis of the composites allows processes to be completed within a shorter reaction time with uniform and well-dispersed nanoparticle formation.
Effect of Compost, Lime and P on Selected Properties of Acidic Soils of Assosa

A three-factor-experiment was conducted in the acidic soil of Assosa for two main growing seasons (2014-2015) to identify the effect of integrated application of compost, lime and phosphorus on selected chemical and physical properties of soil using maize as a test crop. The treatments consisted of compost (0 and 5 t ha -1 ), lime (0, 1.5 and 3 t ha -1 ) and phosphorus (0, 20 and 40 kg P ha -1 ). Randomized complete block design with three replications was used. The analysis showed that there was significant (p<0.01) difference due to main and interaction effects of treatments on soil pH, OC, CEC and available P, total N, exchangeable acidity and exchangeable Al. Thus, the first season compost applied at 5 t ha -1 increased the soil pH to 6.23, while the main effect of lime at 3 t ha -1 increased the pH to 5.95. The interactions of the first season compost at 5 t ha -1 , lime at 1.5 t ha -1 and P at 40 kg P ha -1 showed the highest available P (15.04 cmolc kg -1 ). The interactions of the first season lime (1.5 t ha -1 ) with P at (40 kg P ha -1 ) reduced the exchangeable acidity (0.36 cmol c kg -1 ) the highest, while the exchangeable Al was highly reduced by the main effect of compost at 5 t ha -1 (0.32 cmol c kg -1 ) and interaction of first season with lime at 3 t ha -1 (0.05 cmol c kg -1 ). The study suggested compost was as important as lime in increasing the soil pH and reducing exchangeable Al. Keywords : soil pH, available P, exchangeable acidity exchangeable Al
Identification of Salt Tolerant Rice Varieties at the Seed Germination Stage and its Relationship to Seed Husk Thickness and Ion Absorption

Salinity is one of the major abiotic stresses which limit the rice production in coastal areas and inland, where irrigated agriculture is practiced. Inland salinity in rice fields is increasing, and if corrective measures are not taken, rice production could be greatly influenced. Therefore, identification of saline tolerant rice varieties and further development of tolerance is the most viable solution. Therefore, this study was carried out to screen salinity tolerant rice varieties at seed germination stages and to study seed characteristics associated with germination under high saline conditions. Seeds of several traditional, old-improved, new-improved and hybrid rice varieties were soaked in four different saline solutions (0, 3, 25 and 45 dS/m) for nine days and germination was recorded six days later when seeds were transferred from the solution. Absorption of water, sodium and chlorine by the seeds was analyzed after soaking the seeds in saline water. Seed husk thickness and husk density were also measured. Tested varieties could be categorized into four distinct groups according to its germination ability and seedling survival rate. Pokkali, at 354, Nona Bokra and at 401 could be categorized as the tolerant varieties while Pokkali recorded the highest germination under the highest salinity level. A clear relationship was observed between seed sodium absorption percentage and seed germination of varieties. Seed-husk thickness had affected the Sodium absorption to the seeds and it determined the germination ability of the variety. Therefore, pre-soaking of rice varieties and evaluating subsequent germination could be used as a viable screening method for salinity tolerance at the seed germination level.
Different Contexts, Different Risk Preferences?

We examine the stability of risk preferences across contexts involving different stakes. Using data on households' deductible choices in three property insurance coverages and their limit choices in two liability insurance coverages, we assess the stability across the five contexts in the ordinal ranking of the households' willingness to bear risk. We find evidence of stability across contexts involving stakes of the same magnitude, but not across contexts involving stakes of very different magnitudes. Our results appear to be robust to heterogeneity in wealth and access to credit, complicating seemingly ready explanations.
Estimation of host rock thermal conductivities using thetemperature data from the drift-scale test at Yucca Mountain,Nevada

Estimation of Host Rock Thermal Conductivities Using the Temperature Data From the Drift Scale Test at Yucca Mountain, Nevada S. Mukhopadhyay and Y. W. Tsang Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California Abstract A large volume of temperature data has been collected from a very large, underground heater test, the Drift Scale Test (DST) at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The DST was designed to obtain thermal, hydrological, mechanical, and chemical (THMC) data in the unsaturated fractured rock of Yucca Mountain. Sophisticated numerical models have been developed to analyze the collected THMC data. In these analyses, thermal conductivities measured from core samples have been used as input parameters to the model. However, it was not known whether these core measurements represented the true field-scale thermal conductivity of the host rock. Realizing these difficulties, elaborate, computationally intensive geostatistical simulations have also been performed to obtain field-scale thermal conductivity of the host rock from the core measurements. In this paper, we use the temperature data from the DST as the input (instead of the measured core-scale thermal conductivity values) to develop an estimate of the field-scale thermal conductivity values. Assuming a conductive thermal regime, we develop an analytical solution for the temperature rise in the host rock of the DST; and using a nonlinear fitting routine, we obtain a best-fit estimate of field-scale thermal conductivity for the DST host rock. The temperature data collected from the DST shows clear evidence of two distinct thermal regimes: a zone below boiling (wet) and a zone above boiling (dry). We obtain estimates of thermal conductivity for both the wet and dry zones. We also analyze the sensitivity of these estimates to the input heating power of the DST. Gap numbers: 1829 Groundwater hydrology; 1832 Groundwater transport; 1875 Unsaturated zone Introduction The Drift Scale Test (DST), located in the Topopah Spring middle nonlithophysal (Tptpmn) stratigraphic unit of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, is the largest ever in situ heater test conducted in fractured welded tuff. The DST was designed to investigate the coupled thermal-hydrological-mechanical-chemical (THMC) changes in the host rock caused by long-term heating. Data collected from the DST are assisting the scientists and engineers to develop an understanding of the THMC changes likely to be encountered in the host rock around the high-level radioactive waste repository at Yucca Mountain. A more detailed discussion about the DST and analyses of the thermal-hydrological (TH) changes arising out of the DST can be found in Birkholzer and Tsang [2000] and Mukhopadhyay and Tsang [2003] and references therein.
Effects of multiple earthquakes to the seismic response of structures

Previous research has shown that well-designed modern reinforced concrete (RC) structures, e.g. RC frame buildings, are able to ensure the safety of building occupants during a strong earthquake. Reinforced concrete (RC) moment resisting frames are a prevalent form of commercial, industrial and multi-family residential construction in seismic-prone regions worldwide. However, there is a significant drawback for the current seismic codes. This concerns exclusive adoption of the isolated and rare 'design earthquake', while the influence of repeated earthquake phenomena is ignored. Despite the fact that the problem has been qualitatively acknowledged, very few studies have been reported in the literature regarding the multiple earthquake phenomena. This paper examines the behaviour of RC frames which are subjected to multiple earthquakes. It is found that the sequences of ground motions have a significant effect on the response and, hence, on the design of reinforced concrete structures.
Edging Towards a Tipping Point? An Appraisal of the Evolution of Livelihoods Under Climate Change in Semi-Arid Matobo, Zimbabwe

This paper contributes to emerging research on the impacts of climate change on communities in the Global South by mapping and analyzing its impacts on rural livelihoods in semi-arid Matobo District in Zimbabwe. It investigates the possibilities and scope for climate change adaptation in this region as communal households adjust and diversify their livelihood portfolios. In so doing, it finds that climate change has had remarkable consequences on the livelihoods of people in this semi-arid area. It has altered the ecosystem leading to the disappearance of certain plant and insect species that were an essential part of the local natural habitat and livelihoods of local people. Rainfall patterns have also become unpredictable leading to erratic, mostly, poor farming seasons with direct implications on the local food system and rural economy. In response to these climate change induced impacts, a variety of new livelihood strategies are emerging as households seek to cushion themselves against this threat to their sustainability. However, a pertinent question is: how far can these adaptation strategies evolve under the increasing pressure of climate change impacts? In other words, are these communal households urging towards tipping points?
Experimental and Theoretical Evaluation of the Performance of a Whispergen Mk Vb micro CHP Unit in Typical UK House Conditions

A Whispergen Mk Vb 1KWe Stirling Engine mCHP unit was integrated into a test rig simulating a typical UK domestic hydronic heating system and tested implementing derived heat demand profiles in the house over the yearly period. The obtained experimental performance was used as input data for static simulations in CANMET Energy RETScreen software to calculate economical and environmental benefits from deployment of the mCHP instead of a condensing boiler. Simulation results show that a 16% annual monetary savings can be achieved due to the introduction of new UK feed–in tariffs. The payback period when using the mCHP system instead of a condensing boiler is about 8 years. These results can be used for determination of strategy for further improvement of the performance of the unit.
Examining the difficulty pathways of can-do statements from a localized version of the CEFR

The Japanese adaptation of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR-J) is a tailored version of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), designed to better meet the needs of Japanese learners of English. The CEFR-J, like the CEFR, uses illustrative descriptors known as can-do statements, that describe achievement goals for five skills (listening, reading, spoken production, spoken interaction and writing) across twelve levels instead of the CEFR’s original six. The goal of the present analysis is to provide validity evidence in support of the inherent difficulty hierarchy within the 5 A level sub-categories (A1.1, A1.2, A1.3, A2.1 and A2.2) in two ways: 1) by testing whether the difficulty of the can-do statements for each skill increases with the levels, and 2) by determining if there are significant differences in difficulty ratings between each level. It was found that for most skills, the rank ordering from difficulty ratings made by Japanese university students somewhat matched the level hierarchy of the CEFR-J but that significant differences between many adjacent levels were not found. The localization of a general framework for use by a specific population of users and the limitations related to using a system of can-dos that is derived from estimates of difficulty are discussed.
About The Need To Conduct Qualitative Research In The Analysis Of The Relations Between Human Resources Management And Organizational Performance

Human resources of the organization are commonly recognized as strategic. This is attributed to the knowledge, skills, and involvement of employees in the organization's economic performance. For many years, researchers have sought to demonstrate the relationship between effective and efficient human resource management and the improvement of the economic situation of companies, explaining these relationships through a variety of theoretical models. Despite numerous studies in this area, there are still many questions that are difficult to answer. The possible cause of this is the usage of quantitative methods in the researches and marginalization of qualitative methods. For this reason, the purpose of the article is to present the possibilities offered by qualitative research in the development of the theory explaining the relationship between the HRM and organizational performance.
Soil organic carbon changes simulated with the AMG model in a high-organic-matter

Soil organic carbon (SOC) management requires a precise knowledge of how it is affected by soil use. Simulation models could help for this purpose. The AMG model is simple, requires information that is easily available, and uses few parameters. This model has neither been calibrated/adjusted nor validated for loamy soils with high SOC concentrations. We hypothesized that AMG would satisfactorily simulate SOC stock changes in soils with these characteristics. The aims of this work were: 1) to adjust and validate AMG for different tillage systems, nitrogen (N) fertilization levels and crop types for loamy-high-SOC Mollisols, and 2) to simulate future SOC changes under different production scenarios. We used SOC stocks (0-20 cm depth) from three long-term experiments (1976-2012) (tillage systems, crop rotations, and N fertilization) in the Southeastern Buenos Aires Province, Argentina (37o 45' S, 58o 18' W) on a complex of Mollisols. Data from two of those experiments was split into two groups to adjust unknown model parameters and for cross validation. Data from the third experiment was used for independent validation. The model was used to simulate SOC stock variation (30 yr) under different combinations of initial SOC stocks (SOCi, three levels) and crop rotations (six rotations regarding continuous cropping and crop-pasture rotations). Model performance was evaluated through statistical indicators based on observed-simulated value differences, and simple linear regression of observed on simulated values. Cross validation yielded promising indicators with the mean observed-simulated value differences close to 0 (P > 0.05). Root mean square error (RMSE) and RMSE as percentage of the mean of observed values (RMSEp) were 6.0 Mg C ha-1 and 7.5%, respectively, which are acceptable. Simple linear regression of observed and simulated values was highly significant (P < 0.01) with intercept and slope not different from zero and one (P > 0.05), respectively, although R2 was low. Indicators of model performance by groups of treatments were, in general, acceptable and did not show clear trends associated with any management type. However, model performance was poorer under no tillage (NT) and N fertilization probably because of little observed data available for that treatment factor combination. Validation with independent data confirmed that AMG simulated SOC change satisfactorily. Future scenario simulations showed that when the SOCi stock was high (close to SOC saturation), even rotations with high intensification and carbon input produced a SOC stock decrease. Conversely, when the SOCi stock was low (35% loss of SOC with respect to saturation) all scenarios led to a SOC stock increase. However, AMG failed to acceptably simulate the expected effect of pastures in the rotation. The AMG model satisfactorily simulated SOC stock changes due to different management techniques of soils with a loamy surface texture and high Received: 04.10. 2016 Revised: 02.11. 2016 Accepted: 02.11. 2016 Moreno R. 1 Studdert G. A. @ studdert.guillermo@ inta.gob. ar
Urdu/Hindi Complex Predicates of Motion and the Manner/Result Complementarity

This paper surveys complex predicates of motion in Urdu/Hindi (Hook 1974, Hautli-Janisz 2013), a spatial resultative construction that denotes manner of motion along a path. In particular, I show that the combinatorial possibilities between main verb and light verb are driven by the principles of manner/result complementarity set forth by Levin and Rappaport Hovav (2008, 2013). In order to identify these meaning components in Urdu/Hindi verbs, I propose a set of truth-conditional and syntactic tests that identify manner versus result components in the class of Urdu/Hindi motion verbs. Moreover, I provide an analytical framework that shows how the dichotomy drives the patterns found in this type of complex predicate.
The clustering of galaxies in the SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey: single-probe measurements and the strong power of f(z)σ8(z) on constraining dark energy

We present measurements of the anisotropic galaxy clustering from the Data Release 9 (DR9) CMASS sample of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS). We analyse the broad-range shape of the monopole and quadrupole correlation functions to obtain constraints, at the effective redshift z = 0.57 of the sample, on the Hubble expansion rate H(z), the angular-diameter distance DA(z), the normalized growth rate f (z)σ8(z), the physical matter density Ωmh2, and the biased amplitude of matter fluctuation bσ8(z). We obtain {H(0.57), DA(0.57), f (0.57)σ8(0.57), Ωmh2, bσ8(0.57)} = {87.6+6.7−6.8 kms−1 Mpc−1, 1396 ± 73 Mpc, 0.428 ± 0.066, 0.126+0.008 -0.010 ,1.19 ± 0.14} and their covariance matrix as well. The parameters which are not well constrained by our galaxy clustering analysis are marginalized over with wide flat priors. Since no priors from other data sets [i.e. cosmic microwave background (CMB)] are adopted and no dark energy models are assumed, our results from BOSS CMASS galaxy clustering alone may be combined with other data sets, i.e. CMB, SNe, lensing or other galaxy clustering data to constrain the parameters of a given cosmological model. We show that the major power on constraining dark energy from the anisotropic galaxy clustering signal, as compared to the angular-averaged one (monopole), arises from including the normalized growth rate f (z)σ8(z). In the case of the cosmological model assuming a constant dark energy equation of state and a flat universe (wCDM), our single-probe CMASS constraints, combined with CMB (WMAP9+SPT), yield a value for the dark energy equation-of-state parameter of w = −0.90 ± 0.11. Therefore, it is important to include f (z)σ8(z) while investigating the nature of dark energy with current and upcoming large-scale galaxy surveys.
Behavioural Labour Economics: Advances and Future Directions

In the past decades, behavioural economics has become an influential and important field of economics. Interest in behavioural economics derives from unease with standard economic models that are based on restrictive assumptions, which confine the nature of human motivation. Although Adam Smith, the founding father of modern economics, had highlighted the multitude of psychological motives that drive human behaviour, and despite the fact that many influential economists thereafter believed in tenets of modern behavioural economics, the homo economicus assumption became prevalent, until this construct was challenged by compelling evidence on social, cognitive and emotional factors that drive decision-making and social interaction.Since human interaction is germane to labour markets, one would expect behavioural economics to be highly relevant for labour economics. This paper gauges whether and how behavioural economics has left its mark on labour economics, considers the timing and structure of this development, and contemplates its future impact on labour economics.
GRB 091127: The cooling break race on magnetic fuel

Aims. Using high-quality, broad-band afterglow data for GRB 091127, we investigate the validity of the synchrotron fireball model for gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), and infer physical parameters of the ultra-relativistic outflow. Methods. We used multi-wavelength (NIR to X-ray) follow-up observations obtained with GROND simultaneously in the grizJH filters and the XRT onboard the Swift satellite in the 0.3 to 10 keV energy range. The resulting afterglow light curve is of excellent accuracy with relative photometric errors as low as 1%, and the spectral energy distribution (SED) is well-sampled over 5 decades in energy. These data present one of the most comprehensive observing campaigns for a single GRB afterglow and allow us to test several proposed emission models and outflow characteristics in unprecedented detail. Results. Both the multi-color light curve and the broad-band SED of the afterglow of GRB 091127 show evidence of a cooling break moving from high to lower energies. The early light curve is well described by a broken power-law, where the initial decay in the optical/NIR wavelength range is considerably flatter than at X-rays. Detailed fitting of the time-resolved SED shows that the break is very smooth with a sharpness index of 2.2 ± 0.2, and evolves towards lower frequencies as a power-law with index −1.23 ± 0.06. These are the first accurate and contemporaneous measurements of both the sharpness of the spectral break and its time evolution. Conclusions. The measured evolution of the cooling break (νc ∝ t ∼−1.2 ) is not consistent with the predictions of the standard model, wherein νc ∝ t ∼−0.5 is expected. A possible explanation for the observed behavior is a time dependence of the microphysical parame- ters, in particular the fraction of the total energy in the magnetic fieldB. This conclusion provides further evidence that the standard fireball model is too simplistic, and time-dependent micro-physical parameters may be required to model the growing number of well-sampled afterglow light curves.
Nominal Bonds and Interest Rates: The Case of One-Period Bonds ∗

This paper is the first step in the integration of the (search-theoretic) microfoundation of monetary theory into the fruitful analysis by Lucas (1990). I construct two search models, in which fiat money coexists in equilibrium with default-free nominal bonds issued by the government, and then use the models to analyze the effects of money growth and open market operations. In the first model, matured bonds circulate in the goods market as perfect substitutes for money and there are a continuum of stationary equilibria of this sort. In the second model, matured bonds do not circulate in the goods market and there is a unique stationary equilibrium. In both models, newly issued bonds are sold at a discount for money and thus they bear positive interest. The effects of monetary policies differ in these two economies.