Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Corporate sustainability performance and profitability: The moderating role of liquidity and stock price volatility - evidence from Jordan

Abstract The study aims to investigate the effect of Corporate Sustainability Performance (CSP) on profitability by examining the moderating role of liquidity and stock price volatility in the Jordanian industrial sector. The sample under study contains 56 Jordanian industrial firms. The study developed an empirical multivariate panel data model to analyze the impact of sustainability (environmental, social and governance) on firm profitability. Further, 38 criteria were utilized in the study to measure CSP to understand whether firms ranked high on sustainability parameters perform better than low-ranked firms. The study reveals a significant positive relationship between CSP and profitability; liquidity and stock price volatility also moderate CSP’s effect on the profitability of industrial companies listed on the ASE. Empirical evidence suggests that companies in Jordan should focus on improving CSP activities; to enhance financial performance. The findings could be helpful to investors, senior managers in Jordanian industrial firms, and legislators in Jordan concerning decisions about how to enhance the quality of corporate sustainability and increase the possibility of maximizing the company’s profitability. Our methodology and evaluation of corporate sustainability in this context may also be helpful to other researchers on corporate sustainability in developing economies.
Zonotopic recursive least‐squares parameter estimation: Application to fault detection

The uncertain parameters estimation problem for linear discrete‐time systems modeled in regression form and assuming an unknown but bounded description of the noise, is the main subject of this work. Particularly, zonotopic sets for bounding the parametric uncertainty are considered. Then, a zonotopic recursive least‐squares (ZRLS) estimator is proposed and compared with its stochastic counterpart (RLS), as well as with the set‐membership (SM) approach. Likewise, the parameter estimation problem is addressed from the Bayesian general framework to define the relationship between stochastic and deterministic approaches. Moreover, both ZRLS and SM applications applied to fault detection are assessed taking as a reference the minimum detectable fault in the worst case. Finally, a well‐known quadruple‐tank process is used to illustrate the estimation and fault detection results.
Void Fraction and Pressure Drop in Two-Phase Equilibrium Flows in a Vertical 2×3 Rod Bundle Channel-Assessment of Correlations against the Present Subchannel Data

In order to increase void fraction and pressure drop data in a multi-subchannel system like an actual fuel rod bundle, air-water experiments have been conducted using a vertical 2 × 3 rod bundle channel made up of two central and four side subchannels as the test channel. Void fraction and pressure drop in each subchannel were measured and the frictional pressure drop was determined mainly for slug and churn flows. The results show that both the void fraction and the frictional pressure drop are higher in the central subchannel than the side one. In order to analyze the data, the data on gas and liquid flow rates in each subchannel under the same flow condition have been used. In the analysis, the calculations by various correlations reported in literatures have been compared with the present data for validation. The recommended correlations respectively for the void fraction and the frictional pressure drop have been clarified. Results of such experiments and analyses are presented and discussed in this paper.
Shaping the field of lifelong education through three critical debates in the International Journal of Lifelong Education

ABSTRACT The editors approached the 40th anniversary of the International Journal of Lifelong Education as an opportunity to consider the field by exploring how a corpus of 1462 articles (the first 40 volumes of the journal) questioned and shaped the field. A subset of advisory board members and the editors gathered in 2021 in groups to analyse major topics. The records of the reading, analyses and discussions of these groups offer a unique snapshot of the field and the journal’s place in it. In this paper, the editors draw three topics from that work which delineate fundamental debates of lifelong education and reveal how the journal’s authors have contributed to them. The topics are: citizenship and its learning; learning in, through and for work; and widening participation and higher education. Comparing the works contributing to these topical areas indicates how the field is evolving. It becomes clear that research and theory in lifelong education should remain vigilant, critical and robust if the field is to continue as a site of hope for future citizens, workers and students, rather than appropriated as an object for measurement, calculation and deployment for relatively narrow, less-than-human interests.
Transient Response Analysis of a Dispersive Periodic Grating After Deformation

– Recently, we analyzed the issue of transient scattering for a slanted grating structure with an air region in a dispersive medium by combining the fast inverse Laplace transform method, Fourier series expansion method, and multilayer division method. In addition, we examined the inﬂuence of a slanted cavity from the resulting waveform on reﬂected electric and magnetic ﬁelds. In this article, we investigate the dispersive periodic grating after deformation. Consequently, we clarify the characteristics of the deformed cavity from the differential waveform of the reﬂected electric ﬁeld.
Cooperative adaptive control for synchronization of second‐order systems with unknown nonlinearities

This paper studies synchronization to a desired trajectory for multi‐agent systems with second‐order integrator dynamics and unknown nonlinearities and disturbances. The agents can have different dynamics and the treatment is for directed graphs with fixed communication topologies. The command generator or leader node dynamics is also nonlinear and unknown. Cooperative tracking adaptive controllers are designed based on each node maintaining a neural network parametric approximator and suitably tuning it to guarantee stability and performance. A Lyapunov‐based proof shows the ultimate boundedness of the tracking error. A simulation example with nodes having second‐order Lagrangian dynamics verifies the performance of the cooperative tracking adaptive controller. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Frequencies of acoustically interacting bubbles

AbstractWork on the frequencies of mutual acoustic oscillation of finite numbers of bubbles is reviewed. In many applications in medicine, industry and nature, multiple bubbles create multiple modes of oscillation. We focus only on the linear modes established transiently on acoustic excitation. The self-consistent coupled-oscillator theory is adopted. Progressively larger numbers of bubbles are described, examining both the natural frequency, and the damping of the system. Even a single bubble has interesting behaviour when close to a wall: the wall creates a mirror image coupled to the real bubble. As more bubbles are introduced, the number of modes of mutual oscillation increases, permitting increasingly more complex behaviour. A large number of bubbles in a chain gives rise to a preferred direction for the propagation of sound, owing to the re-distribution of energy to bubbles along the chain. Finally, some applications of these phenomena are discussed.
The Malaysian Public Sector Accounting Standards (MPSAS) Adoption Among Malaysian Statutory Bodies: A Literature Review with a Future Research Direction

Purpose: This study reviews literature on accrual accounting implementation in the public sector with a specific focus on studies that are related to Malaysian Public Sector Accounting Standards (MPSAS). Methodology: 73 journal articles between 1998 and May 2022 were reviewed, in addition to relevant conference papers, government documents, such as circulars, and legal records, including Acts of Parliament or statutes. Findings: Resultantly, two interrelated gaps in the existing MPSAS adoption literature were revealed. The first gap was due to research scarcity on statutory bodies while the second emanated from legal factors influencing MPSAS adoption among statutory bodies. Accordingly, a future research direction was proposed to investigate the factors influencing the MPSAS adoption level among Malaysian statutory bodies. Simultaneously, several pertinent areas, including degrees of complexity, technical factors, political elements, cultural aspects, and legal facets were highlighted to Malaysian statutory bodies when adopting the MPSAS to enable smooth MPSAS implementation. Originality/Value: This review is one of the first to examine literature related to MPSAS as prior reviews were on accrual accounting in the public sector in general or International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS). Keywords: Accrual accounting, MPSAS, statutory bodies, Malaysia.
Dynamical properties of liquid water

The collective dynamical properties of water are discussed with reference to recent inelastic scattering data as well as to simulation results reported here for the first time. Some striking features (notably the so-called 'fast sound') which aroused in the past a considerable debate now appear to be rather well understood. In contrast, there are other additional aspects (in particular, the character of a nearly flat mode at 10-12 ps -1 present both in water and in ice) which undoubtedly require a better understanding.
Some novel estimates of Jensen and Hermite-Hadamard inequalities for h-Godunova-Levin stochastic processes

It is undeniable that convex and non-convex functions play an important role in optimization. As a result of its behavior, convexity also plays a significant role in discussing inequalities. It is clear that convexity and stochastic processes are intertwined. The stochastic process is a mathematical model that describes how systems or phenomena fluctuate randomly. Probability theory generally says that the convex function applied to the expected value of a random variable is bounded above by the expected value of the random variable's convex function. Furthermore, the deep connection between convex inequalities and stochastic processes offers a whole new perspective on the study of inequality. Although Godunova-Levin functions are well known in convex theory, their properties enable us to determine inequality terms with greater accuracy than those obtained from convex functions. In this paper, we established a more refined form of Hermite-Hadamard and Jensen type inequalities for generalized interval-valued h-Godunova-Levin stochastic processes. In addition, we provide some examples to demonstrate the validity of our main findings.
Computing Deep-Tropospheric Vertical Wind Shear Analyses for Tropical Cyclone Applications: Does the Methodology Matter?

AbstractVertical wind shear is well known in the tropical cyclone (TC) forecasting community as an important environmental influence on storm structure and intensity change. The traditional way to define deep-tropospheric vertical wind shear in most prior research studies, and in operational forecast applications, is to simply use the vector difference of the 200- and 850-hPa wind fields based on global model analyses. However, is this rather basic approach to approximate vertical wind shear adequate for most TC applications? In this study, the traditional approach is compared to a different methodology for generating fields of vertical wind shear as produced by the University of Wisconsin Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS). The CIMSS fields are derived with heavy analysis weight given to available high-density satellite-derived winds. The resultant isobaric analyses are then used to create two mass-weighted layer-mean wind fields, one upper and one lower tropospheric, whic.
Optical fiber refractometer based on a Fabry-Pérot interferometer

A fiber optic sensor for liquid refractive index measurement based on a Fabry-Perot interferometer is described. The interferometer is achieved between the reflection of a short fiber Bragg grating and the Fresnel reflection from the cleaved fiber end. This fiber end is then in contact with the liquid sample to provide refractive index measurements. The sensor is characterized by immersing the fiber tip in distilled water with different concentrations of ethylene glycol. A linear relation of the interferometer fringe visibility with refractive index variation is observed, and a resolution of ~10−3 is obtained. It is also shown that the sensor operation is independent of temperature effects, other than the one related to temperature-induced change of the liquid refractive index.
Multivariable feedback, sensitivity, and decentralized control

In this paper the problem of sensitivity, reduction by feedback is studied and related to a problem of decentralized control. A plant will be represented by an N \times N matrix of frequency responses, which may be unstable or irrational. The object will be to find conditions on P(s) under which a diagonal feedback F(s) can make the sensitivity \parallel{I + P(s)F(s)}^{-1}\parallel arbitrarily small over some specified frequency interval [ -j\omega_{0}, j\omega_{0} ] without violating a global sensitivity, bound \parallel{I+ P(s)F(s)}^{-1}\parallel \leq M , ( M\geq some const. >1) for Re(s) \geq 0 . It will be shown that such a diagonal feedback of the "high gain" type can be constructed whenever P^{-1}(s) is analytic in Re(s)\geq 0, P(s) satisfies an attenuation condition near s = \infty , and P(s) approaches diagonal dominance at high frequencies. It will also be shown that these conditions on the plant can be interpreted as conditions for the existence of a decentralized wide-band control scheme.
‘Some students really want to know obscure facts about chi–square but others will pass out in terror if you mention it’: Psychology postgraduates’ experiences of teaching research methods

Gaining teaching experience is an important aspect of being a psychology postgraduate. We undertook an online survey of 140 postgraduates from 50 UK institutionsto explore their experiences of teaching with a focus on research methods in orderto inform training and workshop provision. Of the sample, 91 per cent were involved in some type of teaching; the most commonly reported activity was marking. Participants reported a high level of enjoyment of teaching and thought it was an important part of their future careers. Written responses were received from 85 respondents about their experiences of teaching research methods. Qualitative analysis ofthese findings allowed us to identify the positive aspectsof this experience, suchas finding it rewarding to help students with this important area of their learning. Our findings also identified challenges in teaching research methods such as confidence, student disengagement and lack of control over content taught. The findings are discussed in light of their implications for future training provision for postgraduates who teach.
Optimal multivariate stopping rules

For fixed i let X (i) = (X 1(i), …, X d (i)) be a d-dimensional random vector with some known joint distribution. Here i should be considered a time variable. Let X (i), i = 1, …, n be a sequence of n independent vectors, where n is the total horizon. In many examples X j (i) can be thought of as the return to partner j, when there are d ≥ 2 partners, and one stops with the ith observation. If the jth partner alone could decide on a (random) stopping rule t, his goal would be to maximize E X j (t) over all possible stopping rules t ≤ n. In the present ‘multivariate’ setup the d partners must however cooperate and stop at the same stopping time t, so as to maximize some agreed function h(∙) of the individual expected returns. The goal is thus to find a stopping rule t * for which h(E X 1 (t), …, E X d (t)) = h (E X (t)) is maximized. For continuous and monotone h we describe the class of optimal stopping rules t *. With some additional symmetry assumptions we show that the optimal rule is one which (also) maximizes E Z t where Z i = ∑ d j=1 X j (i), and hence has a particularly simple structure. Examples are included, and the results are extended both to the infinite horizon case and to the case when X (1), …, X (n) are dependent. Asymptotic comparisons between the present problem of finding suph(E X (t)) and the ‘classical’ problem of finding supE h( X (t)) are given. Comparisons between the optimal return to the statistician and to a ‘prophet’ are also included. In the present context a ‘prophet’ is someone who can base his (random) choice g on the full sequence X (1), …, X (n), with corresponding return suph(E X (g)).
The friction and wear of individual carbon fibres

Describes a study of the friction and wear of single carbon fibres rubbing against a rotating cylindrical counterface made of various materials. The observed frictional force and the coefficient of friction derived from the capstan equation are very much higher on smooth than on rough counter-surfaces. The results can be explained in terms of the true area of contact and the adhesion theory of friction, the interfacial shear strength of fibre against steel being of the order of 15-50 MN m-2.
The band structures of some transition metal dichalcogenides. III. Group VIA: trigonal prism materials

For pt. II see ibid., vol. 5, 746 (1972). The semiempirical tight binding method is applied to the calculation of the electronic band structures of MoS2, MoSe2, alpha -MoTe2, WS2 and WSe2 in a two dimensional approximation. After a review of the structure and the physical properties of these compounds, the symmetry of the relevant Brillouin zones, including the effects of spin, is discussed. With this material one can fit the calculated band structures of all five compounds to the experimental data. Some of the fine structure of the optical spectra can be interpreted by extending the work into three dimensions. It is also possible to explain some of the properties to which the calculations were not fitted explicitly.
A Four-Year Survey of Hemoparasites from Nocturnal Raptors (Strigiformes) Confirms a Relation between Leucocytozoon and Low Hematocrit and Body Condition Scores of Parasitized Birds

Simple Summary Parasitism is one of the most common life strategies on Earth, where the host and the parasite establish a successful relationship and continually adapt to each other. Most of the studies on wild birds show that those with hemoparasites are usually asymptomatic due to this host–parasite coevolution, so blood parasites are often detected as incidental laboratory findings. Most of these studies have been performed mainly in passerines and migratory species, but nocturnal raptors seem to be more exposed to blood parasite vectors than other avian species due to their behavior and distribution. Blood samples were collected from 134 individuals during a four-year period to assess the occurrence of blood parasites and parasitemia in different species of nocturnal raptors and their effect on hematological parameters. Thirty-five percent (95% CI: 27.5–43.5%) of individuals included in the study tested positive for at least one hemoparasite genus, and 11.2% showed coinfection. Leucocytozoon was the genus most frequently detected (32.1%), followed by Haemoproteus (11.2%), Trypanosoma and Plasmodium (2.2% each). The Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo) was the species with the highest prevalence (94.7%). Moderate anemia and an increase in leukocyte counts were detected in the positive birds. Moreover, the positive animals showed a poor body condition score. Abstract Most hemoparasites hosted by wild birds appear to be harmless, but most of the blood parasite studies in avian wildlife are mainly focused on passerines or migratory species. This study aimed to assess the occurrence of blood parasites in nocturnal raptors (Strigiformes order) and their effect on hematological parameters. A total of 134 blood samples were collected during a four-year period for hematological analysis and hemoparasite detection and quantification by microscopical examination of the samples. Overall, the occurrence of hemoparasites was 35.1%, with Leucocytozoon being the most frequently detected (32.1%), followed by Haemoproteus (11.2%), Trypanosoma and Plasmodium (2.2% each). Among the different bird species, the Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo) showed the highest blood parasite positivity (94.7%). In barn owls, the positive birds displayed a lower hematocrit measurement and body condition score than the non-parasitized ones (p = 0.007 and p = 0.005, respectively), especially those parasitized by Leucocytozoon. Moreover, the analysis of the magnitude of this association revealed that the presence of hemoparasites is five times more frequent in barn owls with a 2/5 body condition score. Despite the host–parasite coevolution in Strigiformes, our results show a correlation between the presence of hemoparasites and some health parameters, including blood parameters.
Elite rugby league players’ attitudes towards sport psychology consulting

The primary aim of this study was to investigate elite rugby league players’ attitudes towards sport psychology consulting. A secondary aim was to understand the extent to which these attitudes might impact on the utilisation of psychological services in elite rugby league. A purposive sample of elite rugby league players (N=8) participated in a semi-structured interview designed to explore their knowledge, attitudes and experiences of sport psychology support. A general inductive analysis of the qualitative data was performed. Results show that despite the participants displaying positive attitudes and expressing a willingness to engage psychological services, many have concerns regarding how they will be perceived by significant others. Despite all participants describing their own use of specific mental skills in preparation for competition, only one participant confirmed having access to a full-time sport psychologist. Many participants indicated that attitudes of coaches and senior management are a key factor in the apparent lack of provision of psychological services within elite rugby league.
On Europa's magnetospheric interaction : A MHD simulation of the E4 flyby

The global three-dimensional interaction of Europa with the Jovian magnetosphere is modeled by using a complete set of ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations. The model accounts for exospheric mass loading, ion-neutral charge exchange, recombination, and a possible intrinsic dipole magnetic field of Europa. The single-fluid MHD equations are solved by using a modern, finite volume, higher-order, Godunov-type method on an adaptively refined unstructured grid, which allows detailed modeling of the region near Europa while still resolving both the upstream region and the satellite's wake. The magnetic field and plasma density measured during Galileo's E4 flyby of December 19, 1996, are reproduced reasonably well in the simulation. We find the agreement between the data and our model particularly convincing if we assume that the plasma velocity during the E4 flyby deviated from the nominal corotation direction by approximately 20P. Evidence from the Galileo energetic particle detector also supports this assumption. In this case, we can fit the data using a dipole with orientation close to that of an induced dipole arising from the interaction of a hypothetical conducting subsurface layer on Europa with the periodically changing magnetic field of Jupiter. However, the magnitude of the dipole in our model is somewhat smaller (70%) than that suggested by Khurana et al. [1998]. The total mass loading and ion-neutral charge exchange rates are consistent with the estimates of Europa's atmosphere and ionosphere.