Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Autonomy and task performance: Explaining the impact of grades on intrinsic motivation.

The use of grades to motivate constitutes an unresolved theoretical controversy. In 2 experiments carried out with different age groups and academic tracks, a standard-grade condition was compared with a condition in which differential scoring engendered higher grades and with a no-grade condition. The relative power of task performance and task autonomy to explain differences in subsequent intrinsic motivation (self-report task interest and continuing motivation for the task) was assessed. Results show that, compared with the standard-grade condition, both high-grade and no-grade conditions enhanced the 2 forms of subsequent intrinsic motivation. However, although task performance explained higher levels of task interest in the high-grade condition, it failed to explain higher levels of continuing motivation for the task. Task autonomy, conversely, explained the higher levels of both task interest and continuing motivation for the task experienced in the nongraded condition. Results are discussed in the light of an integrative model that differentiates the mediational role of task performance and autonomy, 2 traditional major explanations of the link between grades and intrinsic motivation.
Role of physical processes controlling oxycline and suboxic layer structures in the Black Sea

A one‐dimensional coupled physical‐biogeochemical model, together with reanalysis of the available data, are used to provide a new perspective for identification and interpretation of the suboxic layer (SOL) of the Black Sea. While the lower boundary appears to be stable at σt ≈ 16.15 ± 0.10 kg m−3, the upper boundary is found not to be isopycnally uniform as asserted previously. It is found to vary depending on the intensity of vertical diffusive and advective oxygen fluxes across the oxycline. Its position, therefore, does not always correspond to a distinct density surface irrespective of the circulation characteristics. Instead, it changes from σt ≈ 15.55 ± 0.1 in cyclonic to σt ≈ 15.9 ± 0.1 kg m−3 in anticyclonic regions, whereas its position in the peripheral Rim Current transition zone occurs at intermediate density values. These findings imply that vertical oxygen variations cannot be expressed in terms of density without taking into account physical characteristics of the water column. The presence of very strong density stratification is found to prevent ventilation of the SOL. Even intense turbulent mixing generated by a large buoyancy loss during an exceptionally cold winter season is unable to generate sufficiently dense water to overturn and temporarily supply oxygen into the suboxic zone.
The Nature and Consequences of Indirect Effects in Ecological Communities

mutualism. interaction. Abstract Indirect effects occur when the impact of one species on another requires the presence of a third species. They can arise in two general ways: through linked chains of direct interactions, and when a species changes the interactions among species. Indirect eff ects have been uncovered largely by experimen tal studies that have monitored the response of many species and discovered "unexpected results," although some studies have looked for specific indirect effects predicted from simple models. The char acteristics of such approaches make it likely that the many indirect effects remain uncovered, but the appli­
A framework for quantifying the magnitude and variability of community responses to global change drivers

A major challenge in global change ecology is to predict the trajectory and magnitude of community change in response to global change drivers (GCDs). Here, we present a new framework that not only increases the predictive power of individual studies, but also allows for synthesis across GCD studies and ecosystems. First, we suggest that by quantifying community dissimilarity of replicates both among and within treatments, we can infer both the magnitude and predictability of community change, respectively. Second, we demonstrate the utility of integrating rank abundance curves with measures of community dissimilarity to understand the species-level dynamics driving community changes and propose a series of testable hypotheses linking changes in rank abundance curves with shifts in community dissimilarity. Finally, we review six case studies that demonstrate how our new conceptual framework can be applied. Overall, we present a new framework for holistically predicting community responses to GCDs that has broad applicability in this era of unprecedented global change and novel environmental conditions.
Allies or Dissidents? Evidence from Directors’ Sharing of Surnames

Surname is an important family and social identity and engenders social ties. This study examines the effect of board directors’ surname sharing on firm value. Exploiting a setting that has a relatively high concentration of easy-to-trace surnames, we find that boards with greater director surname homogeneity are associated with a lower firm value. This effect is stronger among firms with directors sharing rare surnames and those operating in regions where the clan systems are more influential. The evidence is robust to instrumental variable estimations and a market event study of director resignations. Greater director surname homogeneity destroys firm value via lowering the likelihood of director dissent and granting excessive executive compensation. Therefore, the surname-based social ties impair a board’s effectiveness.
Experimental Fascioliasis in Llamas

Three llamas and 2 domesti c sheep were inoculated orally with metacercaria e of liver flukes, Fasciola hepatica. The prepatent period in llamas and sheep was 8-12 wk. Sizes of fluke eggs passed in feces were similar between llamas and sheep. At necropsy, the percentage s of original inoculum recovered from the llamas and sheep were 24% and 22%, respectively. Sizes of flukes recovered from livers were similar between llamas and sheep. The gross appearanc e of the livers from the llamas varied from slight discoloration with some bile duct thickening to marked fibrosis and scarring. Llama livers were similar histologically. Bile duct hyperplasia, portal fibrosis, and granulomas , often containing degenerate d trematode eggs and necroti c debris, were hallmarks of infection. These changes resembled chronic fascioliasi s in sheep. The data indicate that llamas, like domesti c sheep, have low resistanc e to liver fluke infection.
Methanol maps of low-mass protostellar systems - I. The Serpens molecular core

Context. Methanol has a rich rotational spectrum providing a large number of transitions at sub-millimetre wavelengths from a range of energy levels in one single telescope setting, thus making it a good tracer of physical conditions in star-forming regions. Furthermore, it is formed exclusively on grain surfaces and is therefore a clean tracer of surface chemistry. Aims. Determining the physical and chemical structure of low-mass, young stellar objects, in particular the abundance structure of CH3OH, to investigate where and how CH3OH forms and how it is eventually released back to the gas phase. Methods. Observations of the Serpens molecular core have been performed at the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope using the array receiver, Harp-B. Maps over a 4. 5 × 5. 4 region were made in a frequency window around 338 GHz, covering the 7K–6K transitions of methanol. Data are compared with physical models of each source based on existing sub-millimetre continuum data. Results. Methanol emission is extended over each source, following the column density of H2 but showing up also particularly strongly around outflows. The rotational temperature is low, 15–20 K, and does not vary with position within each source. None of the Serpens Class 0 sources show the high-K lines seen in several other Class 0 sources. The abundance is typically 10 −9 –10 −8 with respect to H2 in the outer envelope, whereas “jumps” by factors of up to 10 2 –10 3 inside the region where the dust temperature exceeds 100 K are not excluded. A factor of up to ∼10 3 enhancement is seen in outflow gas, consistent with previous studies. In one object, SMM4, the ice abundance has been measured to be ∼3 × 10 −5 with respect to H2 in the outer envelope, i.e., a factor of 10 3 larger than the gas-phase abundance. Comparison with C 18 O J = 3–2 emission shows that strong CO depletion leads to a high gas-phase abundance of CH3OH not just for the Serpens sources, but also for a larger sample of deeply embedded protostars. Conclusions. The observations illustrate the large-scale, low-level desorption of CH3OH from dust grains, extending out to and beyond 7500 AU from each source, a scenario which is consistent with non-thermal (photo-)desorption from the ice. The observations also illustrate the usefulness of CH3OH as a tracer of energetic input in the form of outflows, where methanol is sputtered from the grain surfaces. Finally, the observations provide further evidence of CH3OH formation through CO hydrogenation proceeding on grain surfaces in low-mass envelopes.
Can health conditions predict body weight ? An analysis of Italian conscript patterns in the cohorts of 1951 and 1980

Understanding some of the correlates of high body mass (BMI) is useful from a health perspective, although the rapid increase in obesity around the world has become the focus of attention not only of health researchers. Increasing numbers of social scientists have also started to explore the economic correlates of the increase in body weight. As a result, the emerging literature found that in developing countries high body mass is associated with more affluent individuals (Araar et al. 2009, Molini et al. 2010), whereas in developed countries a negative relationship between income and obesity has been observed (Sobal & Stunkard 1989, McLaren 2007). With respect to other well-being indicators as ‘’height”, which reflects living conditions during growth years, BMI is a reliable indicator of shortterm effects of nutritional status and health conditions (Steckel 1995, Linares & Su 2005). The purpose of this study is approaching the well-being of Italian population from the perspective of the biological standard of living. Because we analyse trends in BMI of nationally representative samples of male conscripts born in 1951 and 1980, we provide a picture of changes between these cohorts. This period is an interesting setting to investigate since Italy was experiencing an intense process of economic, social and cultural development and its population had undergone profound transformations in reducing 1The body mass index (BMI) is a measure of body fat based on height and weight, which applies to both adult men and women. BMI is defined as an individual’s body weight divided by height squared. Four categories are generally used to classify adults: i) Underweight BMI < 18.5; ii) Normal weight =18.5-24.9; iii) Overweight = 25-29.9; iv) Obesity = 30 or over.
Improving living conditions in Slums Dwellers

Improving living condition of slum dwellers is one of the development goals for new era. The existence of slums is essentially a manifestation of poverty, along with the economic and industrial development-slums will continue to exist and grow further. New residents need jobs, safe housing, and access to basic services. To accommodate these demands, many cities struggle to keep up and often fall short. This is in part due to resource constraints, but also due to capacity constraints, lack of urban planning and management, and lack of political will. Meeting this challenge will require new thinking and innovations in service delivery through the use of ICT, new partnerships and new financing opportunities, an expanded role for NGOs and the private sector, and new technological solutions. There is also an important role for better urban planning and management to anticipate the influx of new city residents and their needs. The condition of the Slum people can be improved even at low levels of economic development through appropriate public action for social provisioning and redistribution. This is revealed by comparative indicators of health, education and demographic transition. Increasing numbers of slums constitute a major challenge to development. The result emphasizes the need for measures to improve the physical environment of the dwelling places like basic amenities of toilets, proper drainage, sewerage system and adequate water supply.
Climatology of dust aerosol size distribution and optical properties derived from remotely sensed data in the solar spectrum

Simultaneous spectral remote observations of dust properties from space and from the ground create a powerful tool for the determination of ambient dust properties integrated on the entire atmospheric column. The two measurement methods have a complementary sensitivity to variety of dust properties. The methodology is demonstrated using spectral measurements (0.47-2.21 mm) from Landsat TM over the bright Senegalian coast and dark ocean, and Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) radiances measured in several locations. We derive (1) the dust size distribution, showing a dominant coarse mode at 1-5 mm and a secondary mode around 0.5 mm effective radius; (2) dust absorption, which is found to be substantially smaller than reported from previous measurements; (3) the real part of the refractive index which varies within the range 1.53- 1.46; and we show that (4) the effect of the dust nonspherical shape on its optical properties is not significant for scattering angles ,1208.
A new integrated fuzzy MCDM approach and its application to wastewater management

This paper proposes a fuzzy multi-criteria group decision making methodology that combines 2-tuple fuzzy linguistic representation model, linguistic hierarchies, Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). The multigranular linguistic information obtained from decision-makers are unified and aggregated employing linguistic hierarchies and 2-tuple fuzzy linguistic representation model. The weights of the criteria are calculated employing DEMATEL method, which enables to consider inner dependencies among criteria. Then, fuzzy TOPSIS method is utilized to rank the alternatives. The developed methodology is able to handle information in a decision making problem with multiple information sources. Furthermore, it enables managers to deal with heterogeneous information without loss of information. The developed methodology is used to determine the most suitable wastewater treatment (WWT) alternative for Istanbul, the largest city of Turkey that is also listed among the world's most crowded cities.
The quest for companions to post-common envelope binaries - III. A reexamination of HW Virginis

We report new mid-eclipse times of the short-period sdB/dM binary HW Virginis, which differ substantially from the times predicted by a previous model. The proposed orbits of the two planets in that model are found to be unstable. We present a new secularly stable solution, which involves two companions orbiting HW Vir with periods of 12.7 yr and 55 ± 15 yr. For orbits coplanar with the binary, the inner companion is a giant planet with mass M3 sin i3 � 14 MJup and the outer one a brown dwarf or low-mass star with a mass of M4 sin i4 = 30−120 MJup . U sing themercury6 code, we find that such a system would be stable over more than 10 7 yr, in spite of the sizeable interaction. Our model fits the observed eclipse-time variations by the light-travel time effect alone, without invoking any additional process, and provides support for the planetary hypothesis of the eclipse-time variations in close binaries. The signature of non-Keplerian orbits may be visible in the data.
Hepatitis B virus polymerase inhibits the interferon-inducible MyD 88 promoter by blocking nuclear translocation of Stat 1

Received 28 February 2007 Accepted 24 July 2007 Previous studies have suggested that hepatitis B virus (HBV) blocks expression of the alpha interferon (IFN-a)-inducible myeloid differential primary response protein (MyD88) gene. To study the molecular mechanism(s) of the inhibition of MyD88 expression by HBV, MyD88 promoter reporter plasmids and vectors expressing different HBV viral proteins were constructed. Co-transfection experiments showed that IFN-induced MyD88 promoter activity was inhibited by HBV polymerase expression in a dose-dependent manner and that the terminal protein (TP) domain of HBV polymerase was responsible for this antagonistic activity. Analysis of site mutants showed that the region targeted by the polymerase protein contained the signal transducer and activator of transcription (Stat) binding site. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis showed that the IFN-induced DNA-binding activity of Stat1 was affected. Further study demonstrated that the HBV polymerase protein inhibited the Stat1 nuclear translocation induced by IFN-a, but did not induce Stat1 degradation nor interfere with its phosphorylation. In addition, HBV polymerase could inhibit the transcriptional activity of other IFN-stimulated response element-driven promoters and the expression of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs), such as Stat1 and ISG15. In summary, these results indicate that HBV polymerase is a general inhibitor of IFN signalling and can inhibit IFN-inducible MyD88 expression by inhibiting the activity of the MyD88 promoter through blocking the nuclear translocation of Stat1.
The familiarization study in qualitative research: From theory to practice

This paper seeks to bridge a perceived gap in the literature on the methodology of qualitative research. The audience in mind is business and management students who are required to carry out field research as a part of their masters or doctoral degrees. After submitting a research proposal or candidacy, which sets out the research strategy in broad terms, students are characteristically faced with field work involving the collection of data from participants or respondents. Whatever thought and planning has been given to interviewing and questionnaires in theory, it is a necessity in qualitative research to adapt to the situation on the ground which is unique for every research.
A constructive study on creating core business relevant CREM strategy and performance measures

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to describe the creation process of the model for identifying the added value of corporate real estate management (CREM), implement the developed model in a case organisation and test whether it works in practice. Design/methodology/approach – The study is carried out using a constructive research approach, where the validity of the model built is tested through a single, but in‐depth, case study. Findings – The research presents the model for identifying the added value of CREM, the theoretical connections from the empirical research and practical implications of the developed model. Furthermore, the study presents the main step of a constructive research approach and examines the applicability of this research approach to real estate and facilities management‐related research. Practical implications – The model tested and developed in this research provides corporate real estate and facilities managers with the tools they need to identify their contribution to the weal.
Square Pegs in Round Holes: Inequalities, Grievances, and Civil War

Much of the recent research on civil war treats explanations rooted in political and economic grievances with considerable suspicion and claims that there is little empirical evidence of any relationship between ethnicity or inequality and political violence. We argue that common indicators used in previous research, such as the ethno-linguistic fractionalization (ELF) and the Gini coefficient for income dispersion, fail to capture fundamental aspects of political exclusion and economic inequality that can motivate conflict. Drawing on insights from group-level research, we develop new country-level indices that directly reflect inequalities among ethnic groups, including political discrimination and wealth differentials along ethnic lines. Our analysis reveals that these theoretically informed country profiles are much better predictors of civil war onset than conventional inequality indicators, even when we control for a number of alternative factors potentially related to grievances or opportunities for conflict.
Atomistic computer simulations of diffusion mechanisms in lithium lanthanum titanate solid state electrolytes for lithium ion batteries

Solid state lithium ion electrolytes are important to the development of next generation safer and high power density lithium ion batteries. Perovskite-structured LLT is a promising solid electrolyte with high lithium ion conductivity. LLT also serves as a good model system to understand lithium ion diffusion behaviors in solids. In this thesis, molecular dynamics and related atomistic computer simulations were used to study the diffusion behavior and diffusion mechanism in bulk crystal and grain boundary in lithium lanthanum titanate (LLT) solid state electrolytes. The effects of defect concentration on the structure and lithium ion diffusion behaviors in LLT were systematically studied and the lithium ion self-diffusion and diffusion energy barrier were investigated by both dynamic simulations and static calculations using the nudged elastic band (NEB) method. The simulation results show that there exist an optimal vacancy concentration at around x=0.067 at which lithium ions have the highest diffusion coefficient and the lowest diffusion energy barrier. The lowest energy barrier from dynamics simulations was found to be around 0.22 eV, which compared favorably with 0.19 eV from static NEB calculations. It was also found that lithium ions diffuse through bottleneck structures made of oxygen ions, which expand in dimension by 8-10% when lithium ions pass through. By designing perovskite structures with large bottleneck sizes can lead to materials with higher lithium ion conductivities. The structure and diffusion behavior of lithium silicate glasses and their interfaces, due to their importance as a grain boundary phase, with LLT crystals were also investigated by using molecular dynamics simulations. The short and medium range structures of the lithium silicate glasses were characterized and the ceramic/glass interface models were obtained using MD simulations. Lithium ion diffusion behaviors in the glass and across the glass/ceramic interfaces were investigated. It was found that there existed a minor segregation of lithium ions at the glass/crystal interface. Lithium ion diffusion energy barrier at the interface was found to be dominated by the glass phase.