Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Numerical Solutions to the Rosenau–Kawahara Equation for Shallow Water Waves via Pseudo–Compact Methods

This paper presents two linear finite difference schemes for the so--called Rosenau--Kawahara equation, modified from a linear scheme by Hu et al. in 2014, under a pseudo--compact method. Existence and uniqueness of solutions generated by both schemes are proved. It is shown that the first scheme possesses some conservation properties for mass and energy, whereas the other proposed scheme provides only mass conservation. Some discussions on stability are given, which reveal that numerical solutions are stable with respect to $\|\cdot\|_{\infty}$. It is also shown that pseudo--compactness allows some terms in the schemes to reach fourth--order convergence, even though the numerical solutions is of second--order convergence overall. Furthermore, numerical simulations are illustrated confirming that our schemes induce some improvements over the existing scheme by Hu et al. on precision and cost.
The role of long-distance phonological processes in spoken word recognition: A preliminary investigation

Previous work has demonstrated that during spoken word recognition, listeners can use a variety of cues to anticipate an upcoming sound before the sound is encountered. However, this vein of research has largely focused on local phenomena that hold between adjacent sounds. In order to fill this gap, we combine the Visual World Paradigm with an Artificial Language Learning methodology to investigate whether knowledge of a long-distance pattern of sibilant harmony can be utilized during spoken word recognition. The hypothesis was that participants trained on sibilant harmony could more quickly identify a target word from among a set of competitors when that target contained a prefix which had undergone regressive sibilant harmony. Participants tended to behave as expected for the subset of items that they saw during training, but the effect did not reach statistical significance and did not extend to novel items. This suggests that participants did not learn the rule of sibilant harmony and may have been memorizing which base went with which alternant. Failure to learn the pattern may have been due to certain aspects of the design, which will be addressed in future iterations of the experiment.
Modulation of extrinsic and intrinsic processing by naturalistic audiovisual stimulation

Brain activity reflects both the processing of external stimuli (extrinsic processing) and the processing of signals generated internally (intrinsic processing). Intrinsic processing is associated with default mode areas whereas extrinsic processing is associated with sensory areas. However, different stimuli involve different processes such that the level and extent of extrinsic processing varies over time. The relationship between these fluctuations in extrinsic processing and fluctuations in intrinsic processing is largely unknown. Here we present preliminary results (N=2) investigating how extrinsic (stimulus-responses) and intrinsic (default mode network connectivity) processing are modulated by naturalistic audiovisual stimulation. We focus our analysis on brain areas (fMRI voxels) showing a mixture of extrinsic and intrinsic processing, which we identify throughout the cortex. Clustering analysis suggests that in posterior brain areas extrinsic and intrinsic processing compete, whereas in parietal and frontal areas they may cooperate.
Étude de la virulence et de la résistance aux antibiotiques des Staphylococcus aureus résistants à la méthicilline chez le porc à l'abattoir au Québec

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) found in food producing animals is a major public health concern. Transmission to humans has been reported and MRSA represents a reservoir of antimicrobial resistance genes. Little is known on how MRSA successfully establishes colonization and how it is able to persist in the host. This study was conducted to determine the occurrence and the antimicrobial resistance profile of MRSA from abattoir pigs and their level of seroconversion toward Methicillinsusceptible S. aureus (MSSA). Nasal and axillary skin swabs and blood samples were randomly collected from 316 pigs from two abattoirs representing 43 farms located in the Province of Quebec, Canada. Also, 28 abscesses were sampled at the carcass inspection point. The swabs were inoculated into enrichment broth, blood agar and selective MRSA chromogenic agar plates. A multiplex PCR was performed using the nuc and mecA genes to discriminate between MRSA and MSSA. Antimicrobial susceptibilities were determined by broth microdilutions. A total of 107 isolates were identified as MRSA originating from the nasal or the axillary regions. No MSSA or MRSA were recovered from abscesses. Fifteen clones were identified by MLVA with clones VI (40.1%; 43/107) and XI (17.7%; 19/107) being the most predominant. All MRSA isolates were pvl-, tst-, etaand etb-negative. Most isolates were SCCmec type V (70.1%; 75/107). Unknown SCCmec elements were observed in 29.9 % (32/107) of the isolates. All MRSA isolates were susceptible to ciprofloxacin, gatifloxacin, gentamicin, levofloxacin, linezolid, quinupristin/dalfopristin, rifampin, streptomycin, trimethroprim/sulfamethoxazole and vancomycin. However, resistance was observed towards clindamycin (29%), daptomycin (0.9%), erythromycin (29%) and tetracycline (98.1%). Multi-resistance was confirmed in
Beyond Consistency: Contextual Dependency of Language Style in Monolog and Conversation

Language is highly dynamic: It unfolds over time, and we can use it to achieve a wide variety of communicative goals, from telling a story to trying to persuade another person. One aspect of language that has gained increasing popularity among researchers in the last several decades is the individual language style (LS) represented by an individual's use of function words (e.g., pronouns, articles). Previous approaches to LS mostly focus on LS of one individual in isolation, paying less attention to the fact that language emerges from interaction with others. The aim of this paper is twofold: First, we integrate LS into a dynamical theoretical framework and present an innovative methodological approach. Second, this paper aims to address how interactive conversation-as an aspect of the communicative setting-changes an individual's LS. We use recurrence quantification analysis to look at structure in patterns of LS in monologs and conversations of 118 participants. Our results showed that LS significantly differs from monolog to conversation, and post hoc analyses further revealed that the change in LS is greater for conflict than for friendly conversations. The difference between monologs and conversations is reflected more strongly in the dynamics (i.e., structure and complexity) of LS than the proportion of function words used. Theoretical implications and directions for future studies are discussed.
Monsoon Mission: A Targeted Activity to Improve Monsoon Prediction across Scales

In spite of the summer monsoon’s importance in determining the life and economy of an agriculture-dependent country like India, committed efforts toward improving its prediction and simulation have been limited. Hence, a focused mission mode program Monsoon Mission (MM) was founded in 2012 to spur progress in this direction. This article explains the efforts made by the Earth System Science Organization (ESSO), Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), Government of India, in implementing MM to develop a dynamical prediction framework to improve monsoon prediction. Climate Forecast System, version 2 (CFSv2), and the Met Office Unified Model (UM) were chosen as the base models. The efforts in this program have resulted in 1) unparalleled skill of 0.63 for seasonal prediction of the Indian monsoon (for the period 1981–2010) in a high-resolution (∼38 km) seasonal prediction system, relative to present-generation seasonal prediction models; 2) extended-range predictions by a CFS-based grand multimodel ensemble (MME) prediction system; and 3) a gain of 2-day lead time from very high-resolution (12.5 km) Global Forecast System (GFS)-based short-range predictions up to 10 days. These prediction skills are on par with other global leading weather and climate centers, and are better in some areas. Several developmental activities like coupled data assimilation, changes in convective parameterization, cloud microphysics schemes, and parameterization of land surface processes (including snow and sea ice) led to the improvements such as reducing the strong model biases in the Indian summer monsoon simulation and elsewhere in the tropics.
κ 0 and Broadband Site Spectra in Southern California from Source Model‐Constrained Inversion

Ground‐motion modeling requires accurate representation of the earthquake source, path, and site. Site amplification is often modeled by VS30, the time‐averaged shear‐wave velocity of the top 30 m of the Earth’s surface, though recent studies find that its ability to accurately predict site effects varies. Another measure of the site is κ0, the attenuation of high‐frequency energy near the site (Anderson and Hough, 1984). We develop a novel application of the Andrews (1986) method to simultaneously invert the spectra of 3357 earthquakes in Southern California into source and site components. These earthquakes have magnitudes 2.5–5.72 and were recorded on 16 stations for a total of 52,297 records. We constrain the inversion with an individual earthquake, demonstrating the most Brune‐like shape to preserve the site spectra. We then solve for κ0 site amplification at each station in three frequency bands: 1–6 Hz, 6–14 Hz, and 14–35 Hz. The resulting values of κ0 range from 0.017 s at ANZA station PFO to 0.059 s at ANZA station SND. We compare our results to values of site κ0 from other studies, as well as site residuals from ground‐motion prediction equations. We find good agreement between our site κ0 and previous studies in the region. We find that κ0 and high‐frequency site amplification (14–35 Hz band) correlates well with independent site residuals, making it a good first‐order approximation for the effects of site attenuation or amplification on ground motion.
Should we expect Chikungunya and dengue in Southern Europe

Chikungunya and dengue arboviral diseases are in expansion throughout the world. Aedes aegypti, the principal vector of dengue and Yellow Fever has disappeared in Europe. In contrast, populations of Ae. albopictus established in Europe recently and are spreading to most southern regions. In the laboratory, this species has proven competent for transmitting various viruses. At the same time, an increase of virus importation is observed due to increased international travel. A limited Chikungunya outbreak which occurred in August September 2007 in Italy confirmed that Europe is definitely at risk for Aedes-borne diseases. The risk of local transmission of Chikungunya and/or dengue in southern Europe depends on many historical, social, economic, environmental, climatic and entomological factors that we are presenting and discussing.
Identification of business partnerships in the British population censuses 1851-1911 for BBCE

© Robert J. Bennett, Harry Smith, Carry van Lieshout and Piero Montebruno, University of Cambridge, members of the Cambridge Group for the History of Population and Social Structure assert their legal and moral rights to be identified as the authors of this paper; it may be referenced provided full acknowledgement is made: Cite (Harvard format): Robert J. Bennett, Harry Smith, Carry van Lieshout and Piero Montebruno (2019) Identification of business partnerships in the British population censuses 1851-1911 for BBCE. Working Paper 18: ESRC project ES/M010953: ‘Drivers of Entrepreneurship and Small Businesses’, University of Cambridge, Department of Geography and Cambridge Group for the History of Population and Social Structure.
New Resolution-Based QBF Calculi and Their Proof Complexity

Modern QBF solvers typically use two different paradigms, conflict-driven clause learning (CDCL) solving or expansion solving. Proof systems for quantified Boolean formulas (QBFs) provide a theoretical underpinning for the performance of these solvers, with Q-Resolution and its extensions relating to CDCL solving and ∀Exp+Res relating to expansion solving. This article defines two novel calculi, which are resolution-based and enable unification of some of the principal existing resolution-based QBF calculi, namely Q-resolution, long-distance Q-resolution and the expansion-based calculus ∀Exp+Res. However, the proof complexity of the QBF resolution proof systems is currently not well understood. In this article, we completely determine the relative power of the main QBF resolution systems, settling in particular the relationship between the two different types of resolution-based QBF calculi: proof systems for CDCL-based solvers (Q-resolution, universal, and long-distance Q-resolution) and proof systems for expansion-based solvers (∀Exp+Res and its generalizations IR-calc and IRM-calc defined here). The most challenging part of this comparison is to exhibit hard formulas that underlie the exponential separations of the aforementioned proof systems. To this end, we exhibit a new and elegant proof technique for showing lower bounds in QBF proof systems based on strategy extraction. This technique provides a direct transfer of circuit lower bounds to lengths-of-proofs lower bounds. We use our method to show the hardness of a natural class of parity formulas for Q-resolution and universal Q-resolution. Variants of the formulas are hard for even stronger systems such as long-distance Q-resolution and extensions. With a completely different and novel counting argument, we show the hardness of the prominent formulas of Kleine Büning et al. [51] for the strong expansion-based calculus IR-calc.
An Evaluation Of The Performance And Acceptability Of Reit In Nigeria

PURPOSE: The study investigates the performance and acceptability of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) in NigeriaDESIGN/METHODOLOGY: The study adopted index computation and risk adjusted return (ICRAR) analysis using weekly stock returns. Market weighted capitalization approach is used to develop REIT and property stocks indexes over the period 20082014. A correlation analysis of the returns was done to assess the diversification benefits of N-REIT to the market.FINDINGS: N-REIT underperformed the market in term of both average return and risk adjusted return but have a superior performance over the property company. With a low insignificant negative correlation N-REIT signals a marginal diversification advantage.RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: The sample of REITs in this study is small. There are three (3) REITs in Nigeria but only two REITs in established before 2013 were selected. This research as a potential pioneer study of Nigeria REIT did not consider a mixed asset portfolio effect or benefitPRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS:The study provides an insight into the characteristics of the Nigeria REIT which will be of interest and practical usefulness to market players. Previous studies focused on UPDC, the only listed property company in Nigeria. Therefore, investors will be guided on decision making with regard to real estate securities because of the clear evidence of the outperformance of REIT compared to the property company.ORIGINALITY/VALUE OF WORK: This paper is the first empirical studies that investigates Nigeria REIT performance on the basis of risk adjusted analysis. It contributes to the body of knowledge by adding Nigeria market into the global REIT performance analysis. The computation of indices for N-REIT in this study was to provide comparison with market index, there has been no such index in Nigeria market publicly prior to this study.
Stability of Almost Periodic Nicholson’s Blowflies Model Involving Patch Structure and Mortality Terms

Abstract Taking into account the effects of patch structure and nonlinear density-dependent mortality terms, we explore a class of almost periodic Nicholson’s blowflies model in this paper. Employing the Lyapunov function method and differential inequality technique, some novel assertions are developed to guarantee the existence and exponential stability of positive almost periodic solutions for the addressed model, which generalize and refine the corresponding results in some recently published literatures. Particularly, an example and its numerical simulations are arranged to support the proposed approach.
Do environmental, social and governance performance affect the financial performance of banks? A cross-country study of emerging market banks

Purpose Earlier firms were evaluated mostly from their financial performance perspective, but with the increasing attention to sustainability goals, environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance of firms became key concerns to stakeholders. The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of ESG performance of banks on their financial performance, in the context of emerging markets. Design/methodology/approach This study employs the generalised method of moments technique for estimation purpose due to the dynamic nature of the data and to correct for endogeneity. This study uses the ESG performance data of 93 emerging market banks from 2015 to 2018, available in Asset4 ESG database of Refinitiv, formerly known as Thompson Reuters. The accounting and financial data are collected from Refinitiv Datastream database. Findings The findings indicate a positive association of emerging market banks’ environmental and social performance with their financial performance, but governance performance does not influence financial performance. Originality/value While many studies exist on the association of ESG concerns of an organisation with their financial profitability, the literature on in the context of banking is still limited. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that examines the effect of ESG practices of banks on their financial performance in the context of emerging economies.
An Objective and Efficient Method for Assessing the Impact of Reduced‐Precision Calculations On Solution Correctness

Recent studies have shown that reducing the precision of floating‐point calculations in an atmospheric model can improve the model's computational performance without affecting model fidelity, but code changes are needed to accommodate lower precision or to prevent undue round‐off error. For complex and computationally expensive systems like the Energy Exascale Earth System Model, a method is needed to objectively and efficiently assess the quality of the lower‐precision simulations and to quickly identify problematic code pieces. This paper demonstrates that the accuracy of the computed solution can be evaluated through a simple and quantitative error metric based on time step convergence. The proposed test method can unambiguously detect the accumulation of precision error and objectively assess its impact on solution accuracy. Furthermore, since fast physical processes are known to affect key features of the multiyear mean climate in atmospheric models, we show that the convergence test applied to short simulations can provide useful information about the impact of reduced precision on a model's long‐term behavior. In contrast, the traditional method of climate model evaluation requires multiple years of simulations and involves inspecting many physical quantities for statistical significance in the presence of natural variability. The simplicity, computational efficiency, and objectivity of the proposed method makes it very attractive for high‐resolution model development. The method is also expected to be applicable to other models that numerically solve time evolution equations.
Motivations, Preferences, and New Media Usage for Intramural Participation: A Case Study of a Small, Private Midwestern College

Intramural sport participation can positively impact college students’ academic performance, social development, and physical well-being (Sturts & Ross, 2013). With that in mind, a small, private Midwestern four-year college that was experiencing significant growth in their traditional, on-campus housing population sought to understand more about the preferences, motivations, and new media usage of their intramural sports participants. Therefore, the purpose of this case study was to examine that motivations, preferences and employment of new media for participants in the college’s intramural sports program. Findings from the study reveal enjoyment of competition and the desire to stay physically fit as the strongest motivating factors for intramural sport participation. Respondents preferred competition during the fall semester with competition start times between 7:01 pm and 9:00 pm. Competitors also preferred on-line registration methods and a championship t-shirt as an award. Findings also indicated that participants utilize new media methods very frequently in general but rarely use those methods to interact with the college’s recreational sports program. Implications, recommendations, and future research direction are discussed. The results from this study provide a foundation for further research into sports motives, competition preferences, and new media usage as it relates to intramural sport participation and competition.
An investigation of individual differences and Instagram use as predictors of orthorexia

Previous research suggests Instagram, a picture based social-networking site, is associated with obsessive healthy-eating (orthorexia) in females. This study aimed to build upon this research by using a cross-sectional approach to investigate the effect of exposure to popular Instagram users (micro-celebrities), Instagram health-related content (e.g. ‘fitspiration’), and user characteristics on orthorexia. Australian adult female Instagram users (`N` = 206) completed online measures of orthorexia, exposure to Instagram micro-celebrities and fitspiration content, appearance comparisons, benign envy, perfectionism, Instagram connectedness, and Instagram investment. Multiple regression analysis revealed these variables predicted 42.2% of orthorexia behaviour, with significant predictors being benign envy, appearance comparison, and exposure to micro-celebrities. Users high in Instagram connectedness (feelings of social connection through the app) had significantly weaker orthorexia at higher levels of appearance comparisons. Overall, aspects of Instagram use, benign envy, and appearance comparison tendencies, might put some females at risk of developing orthorexia more than others. Results may also suggest that interventions that increase connection with others through Instagram might be successful in reducing harmful effects of Instagram appearance comparison for females, although further research is warranted to confirm this. Future research should investigate whether and how females derive a sense of connection through Instagram.