Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Basin‐Floor Topography and the Scaling of Turbidites

Turbidite bed thickness distributions from deep‐water settings result from the interaction of an initial magnitude/frequency of source‐derived flow volumes, modified within the receiving basin by (1) variable flow rheologies, (2) environmental controls such as channels and lobes, and (3) basin‐floor topography. This study attempts to isolate the effects of basin‐floor topography on turbidite bed thickness distributions using outcrop examples where the ancient sea‐floor topography has been reconstructed and is thought to dominate the signal. The Eocene and Oligocene Taveyannaz and Annot Sandstones of eastern Switzerland and France were deposited in confined intraslope basin and base‐of‐slope settings. The deposits of the confined basin record flow ponding and flow stripping; the base‐of‐slope deposits record the amalgamation of turbidites. Bed thickness data for both the confined basin and proximal base‐of‐slope settings are best approximated by an exponential distribution; the data from the more distal base‐of‐slope setting are better described by a power law. Statistical experiments presented here demonstrate that these distributions can be generated by the modification of an input signal with a power‐law distribution. In the case of the confined basin, flow ponding causes dramatic thickening of beds. However, flow stripping counteracts this, particularly for the thicker beds, and may account for a very large proportion of the input volume of sediment bypassing the basin even before the basin is filled. For the base‐of‐slope setting, erosion and nondeposition of beds will result in the preferential preservation of thicker beds; the thick‐bed population is also enhanced in the data by the unidentifiable amalgamation of beds. Differentiation between distributions that characterize these settings requires careful analysis of the thinnest and thickest portions of the populations and is aided by plotting the data as the log of cumulative number against bed thickness.
Predicting university performance in Psychology: the role of previous performance and discipline‐specific knowledge

Recent initiatives to enhance retention and widen participation ensure it is crucial to understand the factors that predict students' performance during their undergraduate degree. The present research used Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to test three separate models that examined the extent to which British Psychology students' A‐level entry qualifications predicted: (1) their performance in years 1–3 of their Psychology degree, and (2) their overall degree performance. Students' overall A‐level entry qualifications positively predicted performance during their first year and overall degree performance, but negatively predicted their performance during their third year. Additionally, and more specifically, students' A‐level entry qualifications in Psychology positively predicted performance in the first year only. Such findings have implications for admissions tutors, as well as for students who have not studied Psychology before but who are considering applying to do so at university.
Description of the first instar larva of Euzonitis rubida with remarks on the systematics of the subfamily Nemognathinae (Coleoptera: Meloidae)

The first instar larva (triungulin) of Euzonitis rubida (Menetries, 1832) is described and illustrated. This is the first description of a triungulin of the nemognathine genus Euzonitis Semenow, 1893. This larva is very similar to that of the genus Zonitis Fabricius, 1775, the distinction of these two genera remaining difficult by using both larval and adult features. The examination at the scanning electron microscope of several characters of these and other genera of the subfamily Nemognathinae, confirms the main distinction of tribes, but better outlines the condition of some features previously incorrectly defined. Additional species of some genera were also examined and partially figured.
Consumer Adoption of Cloud Computing Services in Germany: Investigation of Moderating Effects by Applying an UTAUT Model

Cloud computing services have been growing rapidly in recent years, with Dropbox, Apple iCloud and Google Drive being amongst the most established. The main purpose of this study was to investigate whether there were moderator effects for cloud usage. Therefore, Gender, Age, IT Experience, and Usage Context were included as moderating variables. Theoretical backbone was an extension of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). Herby, we investigated the UTAUT-determinants Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Facilitating Conditions, and Social Influence plus incorporated external factors Attitude towards Use, Perceived Security Risks and Perceived Trust into the research model. Data was conducted via a web survey amongst internet users in Germany during October 2014. A total of 2135 panelists started the questionnaire with 2040 finishing. Data basis for the analyses was the number of cloud computing users (n=1047). Operationalization was tested using confirmatory factor analyses and causal hypotheses were evaluated by means of structural equation modeling. In addition, the critical ratios approach was applied to investigate moderating effects. Firstly, the results show that extended UTAUT is a robust research model. In detail, Social Influence, Performance Expectancy Effort Expectancy, and Perceived Security Risks were shown to significantly impact Attitude towards Use cloud services. The combination of all constructs used accounted for 67.2% of the variances observed in usersi¯ attitude and 82.4% in users' intention to use cloud services. Secondly, we found the moderating effect for all factors investigated, particularly gender and IT experience were shown to significantly moderate attitude and behavioral intention to use cloud services.
Near-IR imaging toward a puzzling young stellar object precessing jet

Aims. The study of jets that are related to stellar objects in formation is important because it enables us to understand the history of how the stars have built up their mass. Many studies currently examine jets towards low-mass young stellar objects, while equivalent studies toward massive or intermediate-mass young stellar objects are rare. In a previous study, based on 12 CO J = 3 2 and public near-IR data, we found highly misaligned molecular outflows toward the infrared point source UGPS J185808.46+010041.8 (IRS) and some infrared features suggesting the existence of a precessing jet. Methods. Using near-IR data acquired with Gemini-NIRI at the JHKs broad- and narrowbands centered on the emission lines of [FeII], H2 1 0 S(1), H2 2 1 S(1), Br , and CO 2 0 (bh), we studied the circumstellar environment of IRS with an angular resolution between 000: 35 and 000: 45. Results. The emission in the JHKs broadbands shows in great detail a cone-shaped nebula extending to the north-northeast of the point source, which appears to be attached to it by a jet-like structure. In the three bands the nebula is resolved in a twisted-shaped feature composed of two arc-like features and a bow-shock-like structure seen mainly in the Ks band, which strongly suggests the presence of a precessing jet. An analysis of proper motions based on our Gemini observations and UKIDSS data additionally supports the precession scenario. We present one of the best-resolved cone-like nebula that is most likely related to a precessing jet up to date. The analysis of the observed near-IR lines shows that the H2 is collisionally excited, and the spatially coincidence of the [FeII] and H2 emissions in the closer arc-like feature suggests that this region is a ected by a J shock. The second arc-like feature presents H2 emission without [FeII], which suggests a nondissociated C shock or a less energetic J shock. The H2 1-0 S(1) continuumsubtracted image reveals several knots and filaments at a larger spatial scale around IRS. These perfect match the distribution of the red- and blueshifted molecular outflows discovered in our previous work. An unresolved system of YSOs is suggested to explain the distribution of the analyzed near-IR features and the molecular outflows, which in turn explains the jet precession through tidal interactions.
Determinants of IT Usage and New Product Performance

Explosive growth of information technologies (IT) has prompted interest in examining the role of IT in new product development (NPD). Through desktop software and Web-based tools, IT has been used to aid idea generation and product testing as well as for NPD activities such as process and portfolio management. Recent research suggests, however, that a gap exists between IT availability and usage. Given the importance of IT in creating business value through the development of new products and services, the present study seeks to identify factors that affect IT usage. Further, anecdotal evidence and conceptual studies intimate that the usage of IT tools for NPD can shorten time to market, can improve product quality, and can increase productivity. However, empirical substantiation of this impact is mostly nonexistent. The current study investigates the relationship between IT usage and two measures of new product performance: speed to market and market performance. Employing a mail-survey methodology, the study uses data from a sample of practitioner members from the Product Development & Management Association to examine the effect of project risk, existence of a champion, autonomy, innovative climate, IT infrastructure, and IT embeddedness on the extent of IT usage. These data are also used to explore the impact of IT usage on speed to market and market performance. The results indicate that project risk, existence of a champion, and IT embeddedness positively affect the extent of IT usage for NPD. Additionally, IT usage positively and significantly influences the performance of the new product in the marketplace. Surprisingly, and contrary to popular belief, IT usage does not have any impact on speed to market. An important implication of this study is that IT usage influences performance but not in the way managers expect. Specifically, IT usage does not seem to affect speed to market but rather positively impacts the performance of the new product in the marketplace. This result suggests that IT usage in NPD provides far more value to firms than previously thought and provides evidence to support greater investments in IT for product development efforts. Other implications of the study are that unless IT is embedded into the NPD process and champions for IT tools exist, chances are that IT will not be used and its benefits will not be realized.
An Examination of Whether Hearing a Display of Self-Compassion in Someone Else Impacts One's Own Level of Self-Compassion

Self-compassion is the ability to be kind and understanding towards oneself in times of distress or failure (Neff, 2003a). Self-compassion in adulthood is linked to childhood experiences of care and compassion (Gilbert 2005), and is associated with a number of positive outcomes. Experimental studies show that self-compassion increases in response to explicit instruction (Leary et al., 2007); however, the implicit effect of one’s current social interactions on self-compassion remains unknown. This study examined whether hearing someone talk self-compassionately about an academic failure would unconsciously increase the listener’s self-compassion levels when recalling their own personal failure. Participants were 90 female undergraduates. In session 1, they completed the Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale (RSE; Rosenberg, 1965) and the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) (Neff, 2003). In session 2, participants recalled a personal academic failure. They then listened to an audio clip of someone describing her academic failure in a self-compassionate, self-esteem preserving, or factual way. Participants subsequently completed measures of affect and state self-compassion vis-a-vis their failure. Results showed that controlling for trait self-compassion and self-esteem, there was a significant effect of condition on state self-compassion such that those in the self-compassion condition reported significantly higher state self-compassion compared to the other two conditions. There was also a main effect of condition on negative affect (NA). Contrasts revealed that controlling for pre-manipulation NA, those in the self-compassion condition had significantly lower NA after hearing the audio clip than those in the other two conditions. Findings are the first to indicate that exposure to another person’s display of self-compassion has a significant effect on one’s own self-compassion levels and affect. These findings also suggest that raising self-compassion may not require targeted individual interventions; rather, modeling self-compassionate behavior may be sufficient to quickly yield higher self-compassion in others. Additional implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Auditor Brand Name, Industry Specialisation, and Earnings Management: Evidence from Taiwanese Companies

We investigate the relationship between auditor brand name, industry specialisation, and earnings management as measured by discretionary accruals for a sample of listed companies in Taiwan, where the litigation risk against auditors is much less than the risk in the USA. We find that the use of Big 5 auditors is related to less earnings management in Taiwan. We also find that industry specialist auditors are related to less income increasing earnings management, which, to our knowledge, has not been demonstrated by any audit quality and earnings management studies in Taiwan.
Macro-roughness model of bedrock-alluvial river morphodynamics

Abstract. The 1-D saltation–abrasion model of channel bedrock incision of Sklar and Dietrich (2004), in which the erosion rate is buffered by the surface area fraction of bedrock covered by alluvium, was a major advance over models that treat river erosion as a function of bed slope and drainage area. Their model is, however, limited because it calculates bed cover in terms of bedload sediment supply rather than local bedload transport. It implicitly assumes that as sediment supply from upstream changes, the transport rate adjusts instantaneously everywhere downstream to match. This assumption is not valid in general, and thus can give rise to unphysical consequences. Here we present a unified morphodynamic formulation of both channel incision and alluviation that specifically tracks the spatiotemporal variation in both bedload transport and alluvial thickness. It does so by relating the bedrock cover fraction to the ratio of alluvium thickness to bedrock macro-roughness, rather than to the ratio of bedload supply rate to capacity bedload transport. The new formulation (MRSAA) predicts waves of alluviation and rarification, in addition to bedrock erosion. Embedded in it are three physical processes: alluvial diffusion, fast downstream advection of alluvial disturbances, and slow upstream migration of incisional disturbances. Solutions of this formulation over a fixed bed are used to demonstrate the stripping of an initial alluvial cover, the emplacement of alluvial cover over an initially bare bed and the advection–diffusion of a sediment pulse over an alluvial bed. A solution for alluvial–incisional interaction in a channel with a basement undergoing net rock uplift shows how an impulsive increase in sediment supply can quickly and completely bury the bedrock under thick alluvium, thus blocking bedrock erosion. As the river responds to rock uplift or base level fall, the transition point separating an alluvial reach upstream from an alluvial–bedrock reach downstream migrates upstream in the form of a "hidden knickpoint". A tectonically more complex case of rock uplift subject to a localized zone of subsidence (graben) yields a steady-state solution that is not attainable with the original saltation–abrasion model. A solution for the case of bedrock–alluvial coevolution upstream of an alluviated river mouth illustrates how the bedrock surface can be progressively buried not far below the alluvium. Because the model tracks the spatiotemporal variation in both bedload transport and alluvial thickness, it is applicable to the study of the incisional response of a river subject to temporally varying sediment supply. It thus has the potential to capture the response of an alluvial–bedrock river to massive impulsive sediment inputs associated with landslides or debris flows.
SHIFT TO INDIVIDUAL FARMING AND THE PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH OF TRANSITION AGRICULTURE

We analyze the impact of individualization on productivity growth within an augmented neo-classical growth model framework. Our estimation results using a panel data covering 15 transition countries over the period 1990-2001 and applying a GMM-IV estimator support the view that the shift to individual farming, as well as the overall economic reforms, have positively contributed to the productivity growth of transition agriculture.
An Impact Evaluation of Investment in Infrastructure: The Case of the Railway Connection in Uzbekistan

The Tashguzar–Baysun–Kumkurgan (TBK) railway connection, completed in 2007 in southern Uzbekistan, provided a domestic through line to link rail stretches formerly connected only via neighboring Turkmenistan. We hypothesize that a better integrated domestic rail system would yield economic spillovers beyond the regions actually traversed by the new connector to generate higher growth for neighboring regions and even for the far terminal reaches of the system. We test for this using a difference in difference approach that assesses the impact of the rail connector on economic performance for each of three regional groupings relative to a control group of unaffected regions. We further distinguish effects for the short term (2008), medium term (2009–10), and long term (2011–12). We find statistically significant increases in GDP growth for all three regional groupings at medium or long term horizons with magnitudes of increase up to 2.6 percentage points per year.
Photosynthetic characteristics of Trichodesmium in the southwest Pacific Ocean: importance and significance

The photosynthetic capacities of Trichodesmium were investigated in a multidiscipli- nary study comprising 9 cruises in a region of the Coral Sea, southwest Pacific Ocean, where these diazotrophic cyanobacteria are particularly abundant. Thirty specific measurements of photosynthe- sis in natural communities of Trichodesmium using an O2 electrode with the addition of a 14 C-tracer gave a mean photosynthetic quotient of 1.19, quite close to the theoretical value. Seven photosynthe- sis vs. irradiance curves exhibited typically high light-saturated and compensation photosynthetic parameters Ik and Ic (327 and 77 µE m -2 s -1 , respectively), implying that Trichodesmium requires a stronger irradiance for growth than other phytoplankton typical of oligotrophic systems. The vertical profiles of in situ productivity of Trichodesmium generally showed a maximum at 10 or 20 m depth and a lower value at the surface, the latter probably being due to photoinhibition. Based on produc- tivity data and the mean measured C:chl a ratio of 188 g C g chl a -1 , the maximum Trichodesmium growth rate ranged between 0.18 and 0.32 d -1 . The high level of energy required by these organisms to grow could explain why the vertical distribution of Trichodesmium colonies is generally restricted to well-lit surface waters. Furthermore, our observations suggest that the presence of a shallow mixed-layer is a prerequisite for an optimal light regime and a maximum growth rate for this genus. Hence, the seasonal changes in both incident radiation and water column stratification would strongly control the variations in the abundance of Trichodesmium populations, which tends to be minimum in winter and spring and maximum in summer.
Value generation in private equity backed buyouts : The case of Netherlands

The leveraged buyout (henceforth, LBO) wave of the 1980s was an important phenomenon, thoroughly analyzed in the academic literature from that period, and, in general, the results were supporting the theory that buyouts generate value and enhance the financial performance of the company, even if they were based on the share prices or the accounting data of the companies that went through a buyout. After a period of stagnation, at the beginning of the 1990s, the second wave of LBOs peaked in 2000, generating new concerns about the effects that buyouts have on organizations’ performance and the society. In the academic literature, the changes in performance are usually assessed by studying the effect that LBOs have on companies share prices (event studies), by analysing the return to investors after a LBO or by looking at the financial and accounting measures of the company that went through the LBO. In this thesis, the latter method will be used, to assess if there will be an improvement in the accounting and financial performance of Dutch companies that went through a private equity backed buyout.
Does economic freedom lead or lag economic growth? evidence from Bangladesh

Despite a drop of 0.2 points in 2015 in the Index of Economic Freedom, Bangladesh is awarded an upgraded economic status by the World Bank due to a consistent and boosted economic growth. However, there is a debate as to whether Economic Freedom leads or lags economic growth. Using ARDL approach and taking Bangladesh as a case study, this paper investigates whether economic freedom leads or lags economic growth in Bangladesh during the period 1995 - 2015. This study chooses Heritage Foundation's Index of Economic Freedom as it is widely accepted. The results tend to indicate that Economic Freedom does clearly lead and enhance economic growth in the context of Bangladesh during the period under review.
Test-Retest Reliability of Muscle Thickness, Echo-Intensity and Cross Sectional Area of Quadriceps and Hamstrings Muscle Groups Using B-mode Ultrasound

Ultrasound muscle images have been extensively used as tools for investigating, diagnosing and monitoring thigh muscles. However, there is a lack of information examining ultrasound reliability of quadriceps and hamstrings images for research and clinical use. Objectives: To determine the reliability of muscle thickness (MT), echo intensity (EI) and cross sectional area (CSA) of quadriceps and hamstrings muscle groups. Methods : Single transverse images of the rectus femoris (RF), vastus intermedius (VI), vastus medialis (VM), vastus lateralis (VL), biceps femoris long head (BFlh), semitendinosus (ST), and semimembranosus (SM) muscles were scanned in the right and left legs of ten healthy collegiate men (age 23.4 ± 2.2 yrs, mass 71.7 ± 11.7 kg, height 1.73 ± 0.06 m) between two sessions with one day interval. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), standard error of measurement (SEM), and minimum difference to be considered “real” (MD) were measured for MT, EI, and CSA. Results: A range of 0.97-0.99, 0.83-0.88, and 0.86-0.97 (ICC); 0.72-1.38, 2.73-3.41, and 0.36-1.04 (SEM); and 2.01-3.82, 7.56-9.46, and 0.99-2.89 (MD) were found for quadriceps muscles, and 0.93-0.99, 0.74-0.90, and 0.89-0.96 (ICC); 0.73-1.94, 3.29-4.98, and 0.69-1.08 (SEM); and 2.03-5.38, 9.13-13.81, and 1.91-2.98 (MD) were found for hamstrings muscles. Conclusions : These results suggest that ultrasound imaging of both quadriceps and hamstrings muscle architecture is a reliable technique for assessing thigh musculoskeletal tissue. The anatomical sites, as well as ultrasound adjustments, images, and results utilized here may assist future researchers and clinicians as reference tools when measuring quadriceps and hamstrings musculature.