Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of Climate Change on Groundwater Management in the Northwestern Part of Uzbekistan

Global climate change can have a significant impact on the development and sustainability of agricultural production. Climate scenarios indicate that an expected increase in air temperature in semiarid Uzbekistan can lead to an increase in evapotranspiration from agricultural fields, an increase in irrigation water requirements, and a deterioration in the ameliorative status of irrigated lands. The long-term mismanagement of irrigation practices and poor conditions of drainage infrastructure have led to an increase in the water table and its salinization level in the northwestern part of Uzbekistan. This article presents the results of an analysis of the amelioration of irrigated lands in the Khorezm region of Uzbekistan as well as the modeling of the dynamics of water table depths and salinity levels using the Mann–Kendall trend test and linear regression model. The study estimated the water table depths and salinity dynamics under the impact of climate change during 2020–2050 and 2050–2100. The results show that the water table depths in the region would generally decrease (from 1.72 m in 2050 to 1.77 m by 2100 based on the Mann–Kendall trend test; from 1.75 m in 2050 to 1.79 m by 2100 according to the linear regression model), but its salinity level would increase (from 1.72 g·L−1 in 2050 to 1.85 g·L−1 by 2100 based on the Mann–Kendall trend test; from 1.97 g·L−1 in 2050 to 2.1 g·L−1 by 2100 according to the linear regression model). The results of the study provide insights into the groundwater response to climate change and assist authorities in better planning management strategies for the region.
The Contribution of Family Factors to Dropping Out of School in Greece

The current study was aimed at addressing the problem of dropping out of school in Greece and at finding out the specific social-family factors that have a significant impact on Greek students’ decision to leave school early. Furthermore, the particular students’ characteristics that potentially put them at risk and lead to their dropping out of school were drawn up through the present study. To that end, quantitative research through the use of a student questionnaire was carried out among one thousand five hundred twenty-eight (1528) students (799 boys and 729 girls) in various schools in Greece. The research results showed the presence of certain family factors that contributed towards Secondary School dropping out, the major ones being parental professional encouragement, parental school help, parental support in low school performance, parental encouragement for optimal effort, parental knowledge of children’s social life and the frequency of parents’ visits to school and their corresponding informing by teachers.
Transnational Diffusion and Regional Resistance: Domestic LGBT Association Founding, 1979–2009

Abstract:In recent decades, scholars of world cultural diffusion have begun to examine the structure of the world society itself, finding evidence of regionalization within the network of international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs). There is little research, however, on how the structure of world society shapes processes of transnational diffusion. In this paper, I propose that the regionalization of world society, measured through INGO membership composition, structures the transnational diffusion of cultural norms like LGBT associations. Analyzing an original, comprehensive dataset of 3,141 domestic, voluntary LGBT associations founded between 1979 and 2009, I find that countries embedded in anti-LGBT regions are more resistant to the diffusion of domestic LGBT associations. I further find that the negative effect of embeddedness in anti-LGBT regions on domestic LGBT association founding is weakened by dependence on Western foreign aid. The findings highlight the importance of examining the composition of INGOs as well as attending to the role of regional culture in studies of transnational diffusion.
Heterosis and combining ability studies for yield and its component traits in Maize (Zea mays L.)

Heterosis and combining ability was studied in F1 hybrids of maize with respect to grain yield and yield attributing traits using twenty-two hybrids which were developed through Line × Tester mating design. The parents and their hybrids were subjected to assess the combining ability and nature of gene action governing the quantitative traits. The results inferred that the predominance of non-additive gene action was observed for all the traits. Among the parents, the overall study of gca effects suggested that parent UMI 1200-7-26-1-6-1, N 14, N 107 and N 285 were significant general combiner for yield, these can be used to improve hybrids with desirable traits in future. Significant positive SCA effects were found for all the studied traits. Among the hybrids, N 14 × UMI 1200-7-26-1-6-1 showed desirable standard heterosis percentage over the checks CO 6 and NK 6240 along with good sca effects and per se performance for grain yield and other important yield contributing traits over different locations thus it can be used for commercial seed production programme.
The Relationship between Sustainable Development Practices and Financial Performance: A Case Study of Textile Firms in Vietnam

Sustainable development practices have become very important for firms to go beyond short-term profitability, towards economic, environmental and social sustainability. This research aims to examine the relationship between a firm’s sustainable development practices and its financial performance. Modelled as a multidimensional construct, sustainable development practices are represented by environmental practices, social practices in the workplace and social practices in the community, while financial performance is determined by profitability and growth. Using a mixed method survey, data were obtained from 389 textile firms in Vietnam, where there is a dire need to promote sustainable and environmental practices. Data analysis using partial least squares structural equation modeling demonstrates that sustainable development practices positively affect financial performance directly and indirectly via customer loyalty, employee satisfaction and corporate reputation. The findings also reveal the moderating role of entrepreneurial orientation, whereby the impact of sustainable development practices on financial performance is stronger for firms that are more innovative, proactive and willing to take risks. Taken together, these findings provide support for firms to holistically implement sustainable development practices and adopt an entrepreneurial orientation.
Weibull parameters estimation using combined energy pattern and power density method for wind resource assessment

This work deals with the development of Combined Energy Pattern & Power Density Method (CEPPDM) to evaluate the two parameters needed to define Weibull distribution. Five years (2015–2019) wind data recorded each 60-minutes interval at eleven representative sites in Pakistan was used and efficiency of CEPPDM was compared with Energy Pattern Factor Method (EPFM) and Power Density Method (PDM) with the help of MAPE, MSE and R2. Analysis showed that CEPPDM is the most efficient method while EPFM is the least efficient. Furthermore, it was found that RYK is the most lucrative site and Layyah is the weakest site regarding wind potential. Wind rose plots were drawn which showed that the wind mainly blows in the range of 200°–270°.
Developing contemporary factors of political participation

ABSTRACT Drawing from research in communication and political science, this study identifies five factors of political participation that address both traditional and more contemporary forms of political engagement. To begin, a questionnaire was developed and tested with respondents from two nationwide surveys who answered questions about their political participation (N = 476 in Sample 1, N = 490 in Sample 2). Next, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted with responses from the first sample, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted with responses from the second. Both datasets yielded five distinct factors of political participation: (1) traditional political participation, (2) interpersonal political talk, (3) voting, (4) social media engagement, and (5) online information seeking. Testing convergent and discriminant validity, each factor of political participation was positively related to political efficacy and political interest. Only traditional political participation was (negatively) related to political cynicism. These results suggest that forms of political participation have become more diversified and individualized following the development of communication technologies. Therefore, each of these five factors of political participation is recommended for use in future research.
Who is the censor? Self-censorship of Russian journalists in professional routines and social networking

Today’s communicative environment, including the rise of social media, makes journalists perform publicly as both professionals and private citizens. In these circumstances, practices of self-limitation and self-censorship may extend to online behaviour. In this article, we analyse what makes journalists in public affairs media limit themselves in expression, both in editorial production and in online posting. We ask whether their self-censoring is related to personal, editorial, or external factors; whether political threats triumph over personal self-branding and professional/commercial reasons and whether these factors work differently in editorial and online behaviour; and whether journalists behave differently on different social networks. To formulate the answers, we use the results of a survey of 95 journalists from 51 Russian regions and seven in-depth interviews. Our results show that, in an organisationally weak journalistic community that operates in a restrictive environment, understanding of self-censorship differs significantly from that in Western democracies. It includes both self-limiting under pressures and personal-level ethical decisions that substitute professional codes of conduct. Moreover, for online posting and editorial work, there are different dominant ‘perceived censors’. Political threats remain the most significant of all external pressures both online and offline, but personal motives lead the decision-making in posting on social networks. Russia is characterised by platform-wide echo-chambering and high differentiation between users of Facebook and the Russia-based VK.com (formerly Vkontakte). We observe this difference in journalists’ descriptions of self-limitation on these networks.
Effects of ageing and recycling agents on the multiscale properties of binders with high RAP contents

ABSTRACT The use of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) in road construction has become a common practice in the asphalt industry due to environmental and economic benefits. However, since RAP is an aged material, recycling agents are typically used to reduce the stiffness of the recycled asphalt mixture and make it less prone to cracking at high RAP contents. This study evaluates the effect of ageing and the use of recycling agents on the rheological, microstructural, and micromechanical properties of binder blends with high RAP contents. A total of 27 binder blends were prepared with different recycled binder ratios (0.22, 0.31 and 0.5), recycling agent doses (0%, 1.2%, 5.5% and 9%), virgin binder performance grades (PG 58-28 and PG 52-34) and ageing conditions. The microscopic properties of the binder blends were characterised using atomic force microscopy (AFM). AFM results provided an evaluation of the microstructural homogeneity of the blends, with a good correlation with the binder blends macroscopic rheological properties. The addition of recycling agents improved the homogeneity of the binder blends by reducing the variation in modulus among the different phases in the microstructure. AFM proved to be a useful tool to evaluate rejuvenated binder blends at the microscale level.
Justice and power relations in urban greening: can Lisbon’s urban greening strategies lead to more environmental justice?

ABSTRACT As urban greening has become a prevalent tool in the context of global climate governance, this paper examines Lisbon’s greening strategies in the context of its election as European Green Capital 2020. While applying an analytical framework based on environmental justice, we perform a cross-analysis of the city-wide greening strategies, together with a peculiar and unusual planning process for a new green space in the neighbourhood of Marvila. Based on qualitative research carried out in-situ, we argue that Lisbon’s greening strategies are based on a discourse of ecological benefits, without aiming to ensure access to green space for different population groups. Procedural justice concerns are widely undervalued, resulting in limited space available for community involvement. We show how urban greening is essentially a multiscalar exercise, impacted by and affecting multiple scales simultaneously. Hence procedural justice deserves a much more prominent role in urban greening, as participation and recognition can give local communities the opportunity to adapt global urban agendas toward their particular needs and desires. Our findings lead us to conclude that environmental justice is ultimately an exercise of multiscalar governance, where local decision-making needs to attend to contextual challenges but also to a long-term sustainability vision at a larger scale.
Characterization of the cancer-associated short isoform of Tet1 in DNA replication

Almost all cells of a metazoan organism share the same genetic information but can differ highly in their function and phenotype. The transition from the same genotype to different phenotypes is mostly achieved by epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA base modifications. The most prominent and best studied DNA modification is 5-methylcytosine (5mC), which was implicated in transcriptional repression. The levels of 5mC are maintained on the newly synthesized DNA strand, to ensure its faithful inheritance during mitotic cell division. Oxidation of the 5mC by Tet dioxygenases, to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) and even further, can drastically change the epigenetic information transported by this modification and hence modulate gene expression and the overall phenotype of a cell. However, the exact regulation of Tet proteins and the putative cell cycle dependent inheritance of their oxidative products still is under investigation. In the present work, I therefore characterized the subnuclear distribution of different Tet proteins throughout the cell cycle and especially during S-phase and potential implications for cellular homoeostasis. I identified the recruitment of the short isoform of Tet1 (Tet1s), which is found to be overexpressed in different cancers, to sites of ongoing DNA replication in pericentric heterochromatin, which is rich in 5mC. I furthermore found that Tet1s localization during S-phase and also its catalytic activity is highly dependent on a conserved lysine residue. Moreover, I could show that Tet1 physically interacts with the E3 ubiquitin-ligase Uhrf1 and that the observed localization of Tet1s to sites of ongoing DNA replication in pericentric heterochromatin requires the presence of Uhrf1. Finally, I found that a breast cancer cell line that was shown to overexpress Tet1s, exhibits significantly changed 5mC and 5hmC levels, globally as well as in situ, in comparison to non-transformed breast epithelial cells. In summary, my findings contribute to the understanding of how the epigenetic information of every cell can be diversified by the regulation of Tet protein localization and their catalytic activity.
INFLUENCE OF BRANDING AND ADVERTISING ON CONSUMERS’ PURCHASE DECISION OF INTER-CITY TRANSPORT SERVICE IN ACCRA, GHANA: A CASE OF STATE TRANSPORT COMPANY

The study examines the influence of branding and advertising on consumers’ purchase decision of inter-city transport service in Accra, Ghana. Data were collected using questionnaire administered through personal interviews to 300 customers of State Transport Company in Accra, Ghana, and data analyses carried out using SPSS version 20. The findings of the study revealed that brand image is significantly influencing consumers’ purchase decision of State Transport Company’s services in Accra, Ghana. Again, the study showed that brand awareness is positively influencing consumers’ purchase decision of State Transport Company services in Accra, Ghana. On the bases of these findings, it was recommended that the State Transport Company should build strong brand beliefs to enable consumers hold unique mental picture of the brand. More so, the brand should be built in such a way that consumers can recognize and recall it in any given situations. JEL: M30; M37; R40 Article visualizations:
Evidence for Multi-stage Melt Transport in the Lower Ocean Crust: the Atlantis Bank Gabbroic Massif (IODP Hole U1473A, SW Indian Ridge)

The architecture of lower oceanic crust at slow- and ultraslow-spreading ridge is diverse, yet the mechanisms that produce this diversity are not well understood. Particularly, the 660-km2 gabbroic massif at Atlantis Bank (Southwest Indian Ridge) exhibits significant compositional zonation, representing a high magma supply end member for accretion of the lower ocean crust at slow and ultraslow-spreading ridges. We present the petrographic and geochemical data of olivine gabbros from the 809-metre IODP Hole U1473A at Atlantis Bank gabbroic massif. Structurally, the upper portion of U1473A consists of a ∼600-metre shear zone; below this, the hole is relatively undeformed, with several minor shear zones. Olivine gabbros away from the shear zones have mineral trace element compositions indicative of high-temperature reaction with an oxide-undersaturated melt. By contrast, olivine gabbros within shear zones display petrographic and chemical features indicative of reaction with a relatively low-temperature, oxide-saturated melt. These features indicate an early stage of primitive to moderately evolved melt migration, followed by deformation-driven transport of highly evolved Fe–Ti-rich melts to high levels in this gabbroic massif. The close relationship between shear zones and the reaction with oxide-saturated melts suggests that syn-magmatic shear zones provide a conduit for late-stage, Fe–Ti-rich melt transport through Atlantis Bank lower crust. This process is critical to generate the compositional zonation observed. Thus, the degree of syn-magmatic deformation, which is fundamentally related to magma supply, plays a dominant role in developing the diversity of lower ocean crust observed at slow- and ultraslow-spreading ridges.
Computer aided math learning as a tool to assess and increase motivation in learning math by visually impaired students

Abstract Purpose Effective teaching and learning mathematics is important to achieve good results during an academic and professional career. This is especially difficult for visually impaired students because of difficulties in managing structural information included in maths formulae. Methods The extended multimedia alternative method, including the problem of decomposition and knowledge vector, were presented and compared to the classical teaching method. A qualitative method to evaluate motivation during the process of teaching and learning maths for impaired students, which includes eleven detailed motivators, has been developed. Results The alternative teaching method offers statistically significant improvements in four of the eleven proposed assessment categories: success in progress – adjusting the difficulties of learning, presentation of the material, approval: group/individual and alternative presentation of mathematic materials. The experiments carried out allowed the authors to increase the knowledge about the limitations and challenges occurring in the process of maths education among visually impaired students and their motivation. Conclusions Based on the experiments and research results, it can be concluded that applying the proposed method of decomposition together with evaluation procedure based on the vector of knowledge in the process of teaching and learning of mathematics by visually impaired may increase their motivation positively. Implications for Rehabilitation The key aspects of the alternative method of presenting math formulae are included in the bellow points: • It increases the availability of materials containing structured information (mathematical formulae) for the blind. • It limits the importance of communication barriers in math education: the possibility of self-study, reducing costs – by reducing the number of individual tutorials. • It contributes to the development of universal rules for the structural presentation of information • It increases the independence of the student from the teacher.
The clarifying role of time series data in the population genetics of HIV

HIV can evolve remarkably quickly in response to anti-retroviral therapies and the immune system. This evolution stymies treatment effectiveness and prevents the development of an HIV vaccine. Consequently, there has been great interest in using population genetics to disentangle the forces that govern the HIV adaptive landscape (selection, drift, mutation, recombination). Traditional population genetics approaches look at the current state of genetic variation and infer the processes that can generate them [1, 2, 3, 4]. However, because HIV evolves rapidly, we can also sample populations repeatedly over time and watch evolution in action [5, 6, 7]. In this paper, we demonstrate how time series data can bound evolutionary parameters in a way that complements and informs traditional population genetic approaches. Specifically, we focus on our recent paper [2], in which we show that, as improved HIV drugs have led to fewer patients failing therapy due to resistance evolution, less genetic diversity has been maintained following the fixation of drug resistance mutations. We interpret this as evidence that resistance to early HIV drugs that failed quickly and predictably was driven by soft sweeps while evolution of resistance to better drugs is both less frequent and when it takes place it is associated with harder sweeps due to an effectively lower HIV population mutation rate (θ). Recently, Harris et al. have proposed an alternative interpretation [8]: the signal could be due to an increase in the selective benefit of mutations conferring resistance to better drugs. Therefore, better drugs lead to faster sweeps with less opportunity for recombination to rescue diversity. In this paper, we use time series data to show that drug resistance evolution during ineffective treatment is very fast, providing new evidence that soft sweeps drove early HIV treatment failure.