Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Miocene Ethiopian amber: A new source of fossil cryptogams

Amber is renowned for the exceptional preservation state of its inclusions, allowing detailed morphological analysis and providing relevant environmental, palaeoecological, geographical, and geological information. Amber deposits are predominantly known from North America, Europe, and Asia, and are considered to be rare on the continents that formed Gondwana. The recent discovery of fossiliferous amber deposits in Ethiopia, therefore, provides an inimitable opportunity to close gaps in the fossil record of African terrestrial biota and to study organisms which are otherwise rare in the fossil record. Here we show that diverse cryptogams are preserved in highest fidelity in Miocene Ethiopian amber. We describe gametophyte fragments of four liverworts: Thysananthus aethiopicus sp. nov. (Porellales, Lejeuneaceae), Lejeunea abyssinicoides sp. nov. (Porellales, Lejeuneaceae), Frullania shewanensis sp. nov. (Porellales, Frullaniaceae), and Frullania palaeoafricana sp. nov. (Porellales, Frullaniaceae). Furthermore, we describe a pleurocarpous moss of the extant genus Isopterygium (Hypnales, Pylaisiadelphaceae) and a lichen representing the order Lecanorales. These new specimens represent the first amber fossils of liverworts, mosses, and lichens from the African continent and render Ethiopian amber as one of the few worldwide amber deposits preserving bryophytes (mosses and liverworts) or lichens. Fossil species of Thysananthus were recorded in Eocene Baltic and Oligocene Bitterfeld as well as Miocene Dominican and probably also Miocene Mexican ambers. Fossils that can unequivocally be assigned to Lejeunea have only been found in Dominican amber so far. Neotropical ambers contain only one taxon of Frullania to date, while the genus is most diverse in Baltic, Bitterfeld, and Rovno ambers, formed in temperate regions. The new fossils support a tropical to subtropical origin of Ethiopian amber. The new African liverwort fossils are included in an updated list of leafy liverworts described from worldwide Cenozoic ambers to date.
Speciation analysis of inorganic arsenic in food and water samples by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry after magnetic solid phase extraction by a novel MOF-199/modified magnetite nanoparticle composite

In this work a novel magnetic metal–organic framework (MOF-199/dithiocarbamate modified magnetite nanoparticle composite) was synthesized and utilized for speciation analysis of As(III) and As(V) via determination by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. The synthesized sorbent represented selectivity toward As(III) at pH = 3 while As(V) remained in the initial solution. Total amount of arsenic in the samples was determined after reduction of the As(V) species to As(III) ions with the mixture of Na2S2O3 and KI. A design of experiments approach was employed to find the best extraction conditions by evaluating the parameters affecting the preconcentration procedure. Under the optimal conditions the limit of detection, linearity and relative standard deviation of the method for As(III) were 1.2 ng L−1, 4–300 ng L−1 and <8.4%, respectively. The developed method was validated by analyzing two certified reference materials. Finally, the outlined method was successfully employed to the rapid extraction and speciation analysis of As(III) and As(V) in water samples and total arsenic in rice and canned tuna samples.
Influence of Morphology of Intermetallic Particles on the Microstructure and Properties Evolution in Severely Deformed Al-Fe Alloys

This study focuses on the difference in microstructural features and physical properties of Al-2Fe and Al-4Fe alloys subjected to large plastic straining. The difference in the intermetallic particle morphology in the initial state is shown to be a key parameter influencing the particle and grain fragmentation process and, as a result, the properties of these two alloys. We demonstrate that the shape and average size of Al-Fe intermetallic particles provide stronger effect on the microstructure evolution during high pressure torsion (HPT) than their volume fraction. The formation of Fe supersaturated solid solution in Al in these two alloys during deformation is discussed in connection to the morphology of the intermetallic phase. The major microstructural attributes, responsible for the solid solution formation, are highlighted.
Masking is life ”: Experiences of Masking in Autistic and non-Autistic Adults

Background : Autistic masking is an emerging research area, and so far, research has suggested that masking has a negative effect on autistic people. Masking relates to general social practices (such as identity management) and is often driven by stigma avoidance. Many non-autistic people also experience stigma that might drive them to suppress aspects of their identity. In this study we investigate similarities and difference in experiences of masking in autistic and non-autistic people. Method : We conducted an online survey about experiences and views of masking in autistic people ( n =144), neurodivergent people without an autism diagnosis ( n =49), and neurotypical people ( n =45) recruited via social media. We used thematic analysis to analyse responses to open-ended items about masking, using an inductive approach, at a semantic level, with a critical realist paradigm. Results: Thematic analysis revealed that some aspects of masking are shared across autistic and non-autistic people, such as utilising mimicry of others as a social strategy or feeling exhausted from masking. All groups reported that masking made them feel disconnected from their true sense of identity and had a negative effect on them. Other aspects of masking seemed more specific to autistic people, such as sensory suppression, and masking leading to suicidal ideation. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that many aspects of masking are experienced across different neurotypes and are likely related to outside perceptions of difference and stigma. It
A direct analysis of Lithuanian phrasal comparatives

Phrasal comparatives like John runs faster than Tom can be derived via two routes: i) Direct Analyses assume that the argument of than is a DP; ii) Reduced Clause Analyses assume that the than -phrase is a clause that is subject to some reduction operation ( John runs faster than Tom runs ). Based on standard diagnostics used to adjudicate between the two analyses, I argue that Lithuanian phrasal comparatives are best analyzed as directly licensed. I develop a direct analysis of Lithuanian phrasal comparatives that captures the empirical generalizations previously discussed in the literature and a new empirical generalization identified in this paper. This proposal is contra Grinsell (2012), who argued that Lithuanian phrasal comparatives are underlyingly clausal based on data that are suggested to show island sensitivity. I argue against Grinsell’s (2012) reduced clause analysis by showing that the island sensitivity of Lithuanian phrasal comparatives can be successfully captured in a direct analysis.
The Value Relevance of Corporate Investment in Carbon Abatement: The Influence of National Climate Policy

Although the literature on carbon accounting is growing, studies on the valuation impact of firms’ carbon abatement investment (CAI) are scarce, and the influence of country-specific climate policies is largely underexplored. Drawing on both the benefit and cost perspectives of the resource-based view, we predict that investors’ perceptions of the net benefits of CAI are contingent on national climate policies. Based on a comparative analysis of data from the US, the UK, and Australia, we find that CAI is viewed as value-destroying by investors in countries that do not have a stringent climate change policy. In contrast, CAI enhances firm value in jurisdictions that implement such policies. Additional analyses show that investors also consider the characteristics of CAI (i.e., the size and payback period) and the act and extensiveness of voluntary CAI disclosure when evaluating firm value. Our findings fill important gaps in the literature and have critical implications for policymakers, investors, managers, and other stakeholders who are responsible for the transition to a carbon-neutral economy.
Steel Slag as New Catalyst for the Synthesis of Fames from Soybean Oil

For the first time, secondary steel slag, the material directly coming from ladle treatments, is used as a catalyst for the biodiesel production without undergoing any preliminary chemical or thermal modifications. Catalytic material 1, which has been pre-ground to sizes below 230 mesh, has been characterized for the surface textural properties and used as a catalyst in the transesterification of triglycerides of soybean oil to produce biodiesel. Reaction conditions were optimized by DOE method, revealing no interdependence between reaction parameters and results, and showed a catalytic activity comparable with that of an analogous slag-deriving catalyst reported in the literature.
Giant Nuthatch Sitta magna density and habitat association in a potential stronghold in northern Thailand

Summary Populations of the globally endangered Giant Nuthatch Sitta magna have declined significantly throughout their small world range in southern China and northern continental South-East Asia. Distance sampling and direct observations were used to estimate the density and habitat use of the Giant Nuthatch in a potential stronghold for the species, Chiang Dao Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand. Thirteen line transects covering 6.2 km were established in open, pine-oak habitat favoured by the nuthatch, during November 2014 to December 2015. The mean density of Giant Nuthatch was 3.94±1.22 (95% CI = 2.15–7.22) individuals/km2. Hierarchical distance sampling models indicated that habitat use by Giant Nuthatch was strongly correlated with trees of large diameter. A pair of Giant Nuthatches was radio-tracked as they fed nestlings during the 2016 breeding season. The female’s home range, centred on the nest, was 7.79 ha (95% kernel home range), approximately one-fourth of that of the male, 32.01 ha. Giant Nuthatches showed a significant preference for foraging on pines Pinus spp. and used the fissured bark of mature pines in which to store acorns of deciduous tree species. Our research indicates the importance of large, mature trees in open pine-oak forest in supporting Giant Nuthatch populations.
Microbiological Activity during Co-Composting of Food and Agricultural Waste for Soil Amendment

This study aims to establish the relationship between ambient parameters and the diversity, composition, and function of microbial communities that predominate at each stage of the co-composting of food and agricultural waste. Culture-based and culture-independent methods were used to investigate the changes in the microbiota. The favorable conditions of high initial humidity and C/N ratio caused a decrease in the richness and biodiversity of the microbiota when such conditions existed. During the thermophilic stage, the total microbial number increased, and active mineralization of organic matter was carried out by members of the genera Bacillus, Caldibacillus, Aspergillus, and Penicillium. The fungal community was sensitive to drastic temperature changes. Byssochlamys dominated among fungi during the transition from the mesophilic to the thermophilic stage and during cooling. The biodiversity increased with time and was associated with the dynamics of germination and nitrification indices, so that the more diverse the microbial community, the higher the properties of compost that stimulate plant growth and development. The microbial community of the mature compost, together with mineral plant nutrients ready for consumption and humic compounds, make this compost a good soil additive.
Partitioned formulation of contact‐impact problems with stabilized contact constraints and reciprocal mass matrices

This work presents an efficient and accuracy‐improved time explicit solution methodology for the simulation of contact‐impact problems with finite elements. The proposed solution process combines four different existent techniques. First, the contact constraints are modeled by a bipenalty contact‐impact formulation that incorporates stiffness and mass penalties preserving the stability limit of contact‐free problems for efficient explicit time integration. Second, a method of localized Lagrange multipliers is employed, which facilitates the partitioned governing equations for each substructure along with the completely localized contact penalty forces pertaining to each free substructure. Third, a method for the direct construction of sparse inverse mass matrices of the free bodies in contact is combined with the localized Lagrange multipliers approach. Finally, an element‐by‐element mass matrix scaling technique that allows the extension of the time integration step is adopted to improve the overall performance of the algorithm. A judicious synthesis of the four numerical techniques has resulted in an increased stable explicit step‐size that boosts the performance of the bipenalty method for contact problems. Classical contact‐impact numerical examples are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology.
Model-Based Identification of Alternative Bidding Zones: Applications of Clustering Algorithms with Topology Constraints

The definition of bidding zones is a relevant question for electricity markets. The bidding zones can be identified starting from information on the nodal prices and network topology, considering the operational conditions that may lead to congestion of the transmission lines. A well-designed bidding zone configuration is a key milestone for an efficient market design and a secure power system operation, being the basis for capacity allocation and congestion management processes, as acknowledged in the relevant European regulation. Alternative bidding zone configurations can be identified in a process assisted by the application of clustering methods, which use a predefined set of features, objectives and constraints to determine the partitioning of the network nodes into groups. These groups are then analysed and validated to become candidate bidding zones. The content of the manuscript can be summarized as follows: (1) A novel probabilistic multi-scenario methodology was adopted. The approach needs the analysis of features that are computed considering a set of scenarios defined from solutions in normal operation and in planned maintenance cases. The weights of the scenarios are indicated by TSOs on the basis of the expected frequency of occurrence; (2) The relevant features considered are the Locational Marginal Prices (LMPs) and the Power Transfer Distribution Factors (PTDFs); (3) An innovative computation procedure based on clustering algorithms was developed to group nodes of the transmission electrical network into bidding zones considering topological constraints. Several settings and clustering algorithms were tested in order to evaluate the robustness of the identified solutions.
Diversity of Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp] Landraces in Mozambique: New Opportunities for Crop Improvement and Future Breeding Programs

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is a neglected crop native to Africa, with an outstanding potential to contribute to the major challenges in food and nutrition security, as well as in agricultural sustainability. Two major issues regarding cowpea research have been highlighted in recent years—the establishment of core collections and the characterization of landraces—as crucial to the implementation of environmentally resilient and nutrition-sensitive production systems. In this work, we have collected, mapped, and characterized the morphological attributes of 61 cowpea genotypes, from 10 landraces spanning across six agro-ecological zones and three provinces in Mozambique. Our results reveal that local landraces retain a high level of morphological diversity without a specific geographical pattern, suggesting the existence of gene flow. Nevertheless, accessions from one landrace, i.e., Maringué, seem to be the most promising in terms of yield and nutrition-related parameters, and could therefore be integrated into the ongoing conservation and breeding efforts in the region towards the production of elite varieties of cowpea.
Microbiological analysis of domestic water sources in Banda slum of Kampala, Uganda

There is scarcity of information about the safety of water in Banda slum of Kampala, Uganda and yet reports indicate outbreaks of infectious diseases such as typhoid fever and cholera. The aim of this study was to determine the risk of exposure to waterborne infections by Banda residents due to faecal contamination of water sources. Four hundred respondents were sampled and interviewed on the methods of water collection, treatment and storage. Water samples were collected with sterile glass bottles in duplicate from the dug well, protected spring and piped water system in December 2018 on two different consecutive days. They were transported to the laboratory for total and faecal coliform count analysis within 2 h using a lightproof-insulated box containing ice-packs. The mean Escherichia coli count for the dug well was 43± 18 c.f. u/mL. The protected spring had no detectable E. coli, but its total plate count level was 76± 1.4 c.f. u/mL. Only 46% of the respondents treated their drinking water using boiling and filtering methods. Poor sanitation and hygiene practices were observed. The total and faecal coliform counts of water sources were unsatisfactory making Banda residents highly at risk of infectious diseases, given the small number of residents that treated water.
The Paradox of Ghanaian High School Mathematics Teachers’ Perspectives on ICT Use

The paper sought to investigate the perceived use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) of high school mathematics teachers in Ghana. A hundred high school mathematics teachers from 20 public schools,10 each located in the rural and urban areas respectively in the Central region of Ghana, were stratified and used in the study. A questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The result of the study indicated low levels of perceived knowledge/skills of ICT use by high school mathematics teachers, contrary to their reported high usage levels of ICTs. The findings of the study also indicated that the high school mathematics teachers’ ICT use in a professional related context (instructional delivery, assessment, and professional learning network) was minimal compared to use for social networking, although they seemed to be fully aware of the relevance of using ICT in a professional related manner. Similarly, their reported technical knowledge/skills of ICT were low. Thus, the results of the study suggest that, though the teachers reported high ICT usage, actual usage seems to be at the peripheries. Among other things, this study has implications for curriculum development and training in Ghana and countries of similar context. It may be necessary for the Curriculum Research Development Division (CRDD) of the Ghana Education Service in collaboration with the related agencies to explicitly define parameters such as what ICT tools must be used, when they must be used, and how they should be used when reviewing and revising their mathematics teaching curriculum.
Unlocking employee’s green behavior in fertilizer industry: the role of green HRM practices and psychological ownership

The engineering of agrochemicals and inorganic fertilizers indirectly facilitates the emissions of NO2 and CO2. The extensive use of pesticides and inorganic chemical fertilizers has drawn the world’s attention to green practices. Grounded on the ability-motivation-opportunity (AMO) theory, we investigated the effect of green human resource management (GHRM) practices on employees’ green behavior with the mediating role of psychological ownership. We applied the partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique to 279 responses acquired from the fertilizer manufacturing firm employees. The results show that GHRM practices (green competence building, green motivation enhancing, and green employee involvement practices) significantly improve employee green behavior. Additionally, GHRM practices enhance the sense of ownership of nature among employees due to which they involve themselves proactively in eco-friendly activities and behavior.
The Impact of EA-Driven Dynamic Capabilities, Innovativeness, and Structure on Organizational Benefits: A Variance and fsQCA Perspective

Enterprise Architecture (EA) allows firms to create value on the firm and operational levels. This paper argues that firms’ EA-driven dynamic capabilities lead to innovative value-creating actions and, ultimately, improve organizational benefits. Hence, we propose a theoretical model that explains how these dynamic capabilities enable the innovativeness of firms. Moreover, we explain the contingent role of an organic firm structure and its relation to firm innovativeness. Data within this study is collected from 299 CIOs and IT managers. This study uses a variance-based approach and a complementary fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to analyze the model’s hypothesized relationships. Our study outcomes demonstrate a positive relationship between EA-driven dynamic capabilities and firms’ innovativeness as well as between innovation and organizational benefits. Our post-hoc analyses using fsQCA reveal various circumstances in which organic firm structure and valuable, rare, inimitable, and non-substitutional (VRIN) firm resources are particularly relevant for firms to obtain high levels of firm innovativeness.
X-ray powder diffraction and optical characterization of the Cu(In1-xGax)3Se5 semiconducting system

Powder X-ray diffraction and optical studies were performed to characterize the fundamental structural aspects and determine the energy band gap Eg of several compositions of the Cu(In 1-x Ga x ) 3 Se 5 semiconducting system. In contrast to what has been published for thin films, the present work, carried out on synthesized bulk samples, indicates that a solid solution is formed over the entire range of composition. The parameters a and c of the tetragonal chalcopyrite-related unit cell were found to vary from 5.7541(5) and 11.538(3) A for x = 0 to 5.4995(8) and 10.946(3) A for x =1, when In is continuously replaced by the smaller Ga atom. The variation of the energy band gap with composition in this system can be expressed better by a quadratic relation of the form Eg = a + bx + cx 2 than by a straight line as has been reported by other authors.
Multiscale geographically and temporally weighted regression with a unilateral temporal weighting scheme and its application in the analysis of spatiotemporal characteristics of house prices in Beijing

ABSTRACT Geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) has been demonstrated as an effective tool for exploring spatiotemporal data under spatial and temporal heterogeneity. Exploiting the advantages of the two most popular GTWR methods, we propose an alternative GTWR with a good balance between complexity and interpretability via a unilateral temporal weighting scheme called unilateral GTWR (UGTWR). When compared to the other two popular GTWR methods, the simulation experiment shows that UGTWR has comparable estimation accuracy and model fit, but it is more efficient. Furthermore, we propose its multiscale extension, coined multiscale UGTWR (MUGTWR), to characterize the spatiotemporal dynamic regression relationships at multiple scales. The proposed MUGTWR was applied to the analysis of house prices in the period of 2014–2018 in Beijing as a case study. Our analysis reveals that MUGTWR can effectively capture different levels of spatiotemporal heterogeneity in selected factors affecting house prices at different scales. Therefore, this study is useful for the formulation of housing policy in which the spatiotemporal dynamics of house prices with respect to specific factors can be considered.