Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Correlates of private security officers’ job satisfaction in South Korea

ABSTRACT This exploratory research examines the determinants of private security officer’s job satisfaction. Despite the growing private security industries and their influence on security governance around the world, little is known about private security officers’ attitudes towards their work. In order to fill this gap, 436 in-house and contract security officers are analysed in the cultural context of South Korea. The impacts of job and organisational characteristics on job satisfaction are examined, and a subgroup analysis is performed to assess the differences in the predictors of job satisfaction between in-house and contract officers.
Effective Moisture Diffusivity and Activation Energy of Tannia Cormels: Influence of Temperature, Pre-Treatment and Slice Thickness

This study investigated the effects of temperature, pre-treatment and slice thickness on the effective moisture diffusivity and activation energy of tannia (Xanthosoma sagittifolium) cormels. White-fleshed and pink-fleshed varieties of the cormels were used for this study. The effective moisture diffusivity and activation energy of fresh and blanched cormels were determined by drying them at three temperature levels (60, 70 and 80°C) and three slice thicknesses (2, 3 and 4 mm). The effective moisture diffusivity and activation energy of the cormels ranged between 1.47×10−7 and 2.09×10−6 m2s−1 and 49.02 and 63.23 kJmol−1 respectively. The study established that the effective moisture diffusivity and activation energy are drying temperature dependent. The effects of pre-treatment and slice thickness were also found to be significant on the measured parameters. Drying of blanched thin slices of tannia cormels at relatively high temperature levels is recommended for faster and cost-effective drying of the cormels.
A Team-Based Perspective for School Improvement: The Mediating Role of School Management Teams

Abstract The call for a more collective approach to school leadership motivated the present study. The proposed model examined the mediating role of school management team (SMT) effectiveness in the relationship of SMT characteristics of goal interdependence (the extent to which a shared goal requiring cooperation is present) and functional heterogeneity (the diversity of team member knowledge and skills) to school violence, academic emphasis and teacher absenteeism. Data were collected from a sample of 92 schools randomly selected from all state-secular and state-religious schools in Israel. A multi-source survey design from a sample of 92 SMTs, their principals, and teachers who are not SMT members was used. Data were aggregated at the school level of analysis. The results from structural equation model indicated that SMT effectiveness mediated the relationship of SMT goal interdependence to school violence, academic emphasis and teachers’ absenteeism. SMT effectiveness facilitates the shift from more independent practices of teaching to teamwork, building leadership capacity promoting a positive and safely school learning environment. A work environment that promotes effective teamwork facilitating social relationships and knowledge exchange can provide a mechanism to create norms of teamwork that would benefit school effectiveness. The implications of these findings for both theory and practice are discussed.
Comparisons of the Spatial Extent of Eastern U.S. Tree Species between Expert-Drawn Little’s Range Map and Forest Inventory and Analysis

Elbert Little’s tree species range maps and Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) are two important data sources used to create historic and current tree species distributions. Yet, explicit comparisons do not exist between the two data sets. We developed a statistical procedure to compare forty-seven tree species of expert-drawn Little’s range maps to point-to-grid maps of FIA in terms of their northern and southern range extent and range porosity. First, we computed varying percentiles of species occurrence for northern and southern ranges using empirical cumulative distribution functions. Then, we evaluated distributional differences between the maps using the nonparametric two-sample Kolmogorov–Smirnov and Anderson–Darling statistics and compared these results to the conventional Jaccard dissimilarity index. Our methods found map dissimilarities near northern and southern range extents and range porosity that conventional methods failed to detect. We also found that map disparity is related to an untraceable source of errors related to abundance of species for Little’s range map and, to a lesser extent, forest area changes over the forty years. We conclude that Little’s range map has an overall tendency to draw generous range extents with little emphasis on range porosity for abundant species compared to FIA.
Unique reproductive biology of the broadcasting sea cucumber Holothuria floridana: facultative recruitment on adults inside nursery grounds

ABSTRACT Information on newly settled juveniles and recruitment processes in sea cucumbers is sparse for most commercial species, impeding protection of nursery habitats, which are key to management. Here, the ecology of early life stages of Holothuria floridana was investigated. In laboratory experiments, females released a small number of oocytes, which underwent abbreviated lecithotrophic development. During broadcast spawning, some of the negatively buoyant and sticky oocytes settled on the adults where they remained anchored up to the pentactula stage (encapsulated). Several wild adults collected in the Placencia Lagoon (Belize) each hosted ~2 propagules (eggs, blastulae, pentactulae, juveniles). The nursery habitat was characterized by high adult density, shallow seagrass beds close to mangroves, and mud dominated substrata. The present work illustrates a unique facultative offspring-adult association in a free-spawning lecithotrophic species of Holothuroidea, possibly representing a hybrid state between broadcasting and external brooding. This uncommon reproductive feature may ensure successful local recruitment in one of the most competitive habitats of the tropical Americas, where predation pressure is likely to be very high.
Bill Hillier’s Legacy: Space Syntax—A Synopsis of Basic Concepts, Measures, and Empirical Application

Bill Hillier’s space syntax method and theory enables us to describe the spatial properties of a sustainable city. Empirical testing of the space syntax method over time has confirmed the capacity and innovativeness of analyzing spatial relationships with the purpose of understanding and explaining the socio-spatial organization of built environments. However, the conceptual framework of space syntax elements is scattered around in various academic writings. This article, therefore, gives a holistic and compact overview of the various concepts that are used in space syntax, from its basic elements to various analytical techniques and theories. To achieve this compact overview, we reviewed all space syntax literature accessible since the 1970s for finding core references to various concepts used in space syntax. Following a short description of its foundation and evolution through the work of Bill Hillier, we explain its basic concepts and measures in the form of an extended glossary. Explanations are enriched with various space syntax analyses and scenario testing on various scales that were applied to the city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. We conclude with a discussion about the advantages and limitations of space syntax and about how this method adds value to the creation of sustainable cities.
Global formation control of nonholonomic unicycle vehicles with guaranteed rate of convergence

This paper studies the full‐state formation control problem of multiple nonholonomic unicycle vehicles. Firstly, the formation error model is transformed into standard nonholonomic chained form, including orientation and position error subsystems. For orientation subsystem, an angular velocity control law is designed to be a cooperative term plus an exponential decay function of time, ensuring orientations reach an agreement on a common value. For position error subsystem, a time‐varying output‐like variable is carefully constructed to ensure a stable zero dynamics, that is, the consensus of these output variables guarantees position formation, overcoming the intrinsic underactuated control difficulty. Then, a linear velocity control law is derived to realize consensus of outputs. It is proved that the proposed distributed time‐varying controller is capable of steering the vehicles to globally exponentially make into desired geometric position shape with the same orientations and vanishing velocities, provided that the communication topology is directed and having a spanning tree. The calculated convergence rates are shown dependent on controller coefficients; thus, the controller is modified to additionally reach a prescribed rate of convergence by redesigning conditions of controller parameters. Finally, two numerical simulations are implemented for five unicycle vehicles, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.
The Fate of Organic Pollutants in Wastewater and Sludge Treatment: Significant Processes and Impact of Compound Properties

The fate of organic pollutants during wastewater and sludge treatment is determined by three main processes: gas exchange, sorption to suspended solids, and biodegradation. The influence of these processes differs strongly depending on the physicochemical properties of the individual compound and the particular treatment stage. For the assessment of the fate of trace pollutants in wastewater treatment, the impact of these processes must be evaluated. An acceptable removal in mechanical-biological wastewater treatment is achieved for hydrophilic compounds if they are rapidly degradable under aerobic conditions. Substances with lipophilic or amphiphilic properties should be degradable under aerobic and anaerobic conditions in order to prevent accumulation in digested sewage sludges. This article presents recent and current investigations at EAWAG which deal with the fate of selected organic substances in municipal wastewater and sludge treatment.
Exploring Experiential Quality in Sport Tourism Events: The Case of Macau Grand Prix

Understanding tourists’ future behavior is significant for local tourism profits. This paper aims to examine the interrelationships among experiential quality, tourist satisfaction, experiential trust, sharing tourism experience on social media, and extension effect. 796 responses were collected in the 66th MGP (Macau Grand Prix) via questionnaires. The results reveal that four dimensions (physical environment quality, access quality, outcome quality, and enjoyment quality) have positive effects on experiential quality. In addition, the results also indicate the following relationships: Experiential quality has a significant effect on tourist satisfaction; experiential quality and tourist satisfaction positively influence experiential trust; tourist satisfaction and experiential trust have significant effects on behavior of sharing tourism experience on social media, and both tourist satisfaction and experiential trust positively influence extension effect. This paper identifies the dimensions of experiential quality in sport tourism events and it plays a leading role in extending literature on tourists’ behavioral intentions of sharing behavior on social media and extension effect. The findings assist practitioners to implement marketing strategies of MGP, which enhance the extension effect and the new marketing promotions through social media. They also help various stakeholders such as destination managers and travel agents to trigger and increase local tourism
The Impact of Provider Biphobia and Microaffirmations on Bisexual Individuals’ Treatment-Seeking Intentions

Abstract Bisexual individuals experience mental illness at higher rates than monosexual individuals. In addition, previous research has found that bisexual persons face documented discrimination from mental health providers. However, research is lacking in examining how negative experiences with providers impact attitudes toward mental health care utilization among bisexual clients. This study explores the associations between bisexual individuals’ level of outness with providers, experiences of provider biphobia, experiences of microaffirmations from providers, and help-seeking attitudes. We hypothesized that: (a) Anti-bisexual experiences from a mental health provider would mediate the relationship between outness and help-seeking intentions, and (b) Microaffirmations from a provider would mediate the relationship between outness and help-seeking intentions. Results indicated that greater outness with mental health providers predicted greater microaffirmation experiences from mental health providers. As expected, anti-bisexual experiences significantly and negatively impacted intent to seek mental health treatment. There was not evidence of mediation.
Association between Blood Mercury Concentration and Factor of Health/Life

Although, mercury (Hg) is not a naturally abundant element in the environment, residues frequently occur in many environmental compartments because of widespread contamination from industrial and agricultural practices. This research evaluated Hg-B concentrations of general population who was not occupationally exposed. And also evaluates the association between life factor and health effect with Hg-B concentration of general adult through interrelationship estimation and index about kidney function and oxidative damage that appeared by questionnaire survey and medical examination. Average concentration of Hg-B was 3.19 μg/L (ND~8.64 μg/L), and persons who exceed mercury exposure level (5 μg/L) presented in WHO (1990) appeared by 16 (7.0%). High-risk group (smoking and meat main intake group) had significantly higher Hg-B concentration than low-risk group (non-smoking and vegetable diet main intake group) (p⁄0.05, low-risk group: 3.30 μg/L (ND~8.64 μg/L), high-risk group: 4.27 μg/L (ND~7.84 μg/L)
Vibration-based inverse graphical technique for thickness estimation of bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonators: application for corrosion monitoring of sacrificial anodes

Resonant acoustic sensors have been used in a variety of applications that leverage the large sensitivity of mechanical resonance frequency to shift in geometric or mechanical properties of the sensor induced by the measurand. In applications such as structural health monitoring, accurate damage quantification requires development of precise models for resonator-measurand interactions or advanced system identification or optimization algorithms. In this paper, we utilize a graphical technique originally proposed for damage assessment in beams, to determine the extent of corrosion of sacrificial zinc anode discs instrumented with piezoelectric transducers. We develop analytical models for expressing natural resonance frequencies of the radial and transverse vibration modes of a disc in terms of material and geometric properties of its constituent elements. The underlying parameters (in this case, the thicknesses of the zinc and zinc oxide films) are extracted from measured resonance frequencies by finding roots of the characteristic determinant of these modes through graphical technique. Even though accelerated corrosion induced by impressed current results in non-uniform corrosion of the anode, the graphical technique with uniform-corrosion model shows excellent agreement with experimental results and is suitable for in-situ monitoring of sacrificial anodes used in cathodic protection systems. This technique requires no calibration or model of corrosion dynamics, and is computationally inexpensive unlike optimization techniques.
Are citizen juries and assemblies on climate change driving democratic climate policymaking? An exploration of two case studies in the United Kingdom

In light of increasing pressure to deliver climate action targets, and the growing role of citizens in raising the importance of the issue, deliberative democratic processes (e.g. Citizen Juries and Citizen Assemblies) on climate change are increasingly being used to provide a voice to citizens in climate change decision-making. Through a comparative case study of two processes that ran in the UK in 2019 (the Leeds Climate Change Citizens’ Jury and the Oxford Citizens’ Assembly on Climate Change), this paper investigates how far Citizen Assemblies and Juries on climate change are increasing citizen engagement on climate change and creating more citizen-centred climate policy-making. Interviews were conducted with policy-makers, councillors, professional facilitators and others involved in running these processes to assess motivations for conducting these, their structure and the impact and influence they had. The findings suggest the impact of these processes is not uniform: they have an indirect impact on policymaking by creating momentum around climate action and supporting the introduction of pre-planned or pre-existing policies rather than a direct impact by being truly being citizen-centred policymaking processes or conducive to new climate policy. We conclude with reflections on how these processes give elected representatives a public mandate on climate change, that they help to identify more nuanced and in-depth public opinions in a fair and informed way, yet it can be challenging to embed citizen juries and assemblies in wider democratic processes.
Effect of different factors in drying water chestnut corm to supplement into functional instant rice powder

Water chestnut (Trapa natans L., sensu lato) is an annual, floating-leaved aquatic plant of temperate and tropical freshwater wetlands, rivers, lakes, ponds, and estuaries. After harvest, water chestnut corms rapidly decline in quality due to desiccation, discoloration and pathogen invasion; current storage systems are not conductive for long term storage of the fresh product. Purpose of our research is to investigate different factors affecting to the manufacture of functional instant rice powder supplemented with the dried water chestnut corm. This fortified rice powder is useful to improve nutrition for children living rural and remote area.
The aims of teaching mathematics: mathematical literacy vs mathematical reasoning

We discuss different alternatives of the content of school mathematics. According to the prevalent public opinion in Lithuania school mathematics can be oriented either to the academic mathematics or to the applications of mathematics. In reality the second alternative means lowering of the level of teaching in the hope that school mathematics will be accessible to all students. While the content oriented to the academic school mathematics is accessible only to gifted students. In this article we describe a middle alternative content which we call school mathematics based on mathematical reasoning. We argue that such school mathematics serves all students and makes acquaintance with mathematical reasoning and with applications of mathematics to the real world. Reasoning makes mathematics reasonable for all.
Evaluation of precipitation datasets available on Google earth engine over India

Monthly mean precipitation estimates of seven products (TerraClimate, TRMM, CHIRPS, PERSIANN‐CDR, GPM‐IMERG, ERA5 and CFSR) available on Google earth engine (GEE) are evaluated against gridded gauge‐based precipitation product available from Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) for their skills and presence of systematic biases (during 2001–2018). All these products represent the climatological features reasonably well. Presence of systematic biases in these products is also observed from their evaluation. Biases across the periphery of the country are relatively on the higher side in comparison to the central regions. The magnitude of spatial variability is represented better for winter precipitation in comparison to summer precipitation. During both winter and summer, ensemble mean of various products outperforms individual products in terms of both RMSE and correlation. Performance of these products is also assessed across various Indian states, elevation bands and climate zones. The ability of these products to represent the seasonality was observed to be highest for the states with mid‐ranged peaks (10–20 mm·day−1) which tend to decrease with both increasing and decreasing peaks. Ability of the precipitation products to resemble the annual cycle does not vary with the amount of precipitation, although individual disparity among the products exists. Additionally, an alternative approach for data evaluation using Multiple Triple Collocation (MTC) was performed for the period 2001–2015 using an additional dataset obtained from soil‐moisture‐based rainfall estimates (SM2RAIN). Results from MTC convey that ERA5 performs relatively poor in comparison to the other products for central India followed by CFSR. In brief, the comprehensive evaluation of precipitation products reported herein will act a valuable reference for the researchers as well as decision makers to select the optimal product for their intended application and will inform the users about the various uncertainties in the foundations and specification of these products.
Everybody wants some: Collection and control of personal information, privacy concerns, and social media use

As the utility of social media platforms for interacting with large populations, as well as understanding how they interact, becomes an increasingly interesting area, privacy concerns could present a barrier to engagement. This study employs a survey method to explore social media user frustrations with terms of service agreements and concerns over privacy and personal information shared on them. Findings support that concerns over control, collection, and access to personal information associate with decreased intensity of social media use and correlate to frustration with terms of service agreements regarding personal information use. Given the relationship between use and privacy concerns, leaving privacy concerns unaddressed might also lead to a reduction of use if these concerns continue to grow among users.