Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hail Climatology Along the Northeastern Adriatic

General awareness and overall interest regarding hailstorms and hail properties in Europe have increased significantly in the last several decades and have resulted in numerous local, national, and even Europe‐wide studies on hail and hail properties. To contribute to this field, we determined the hail climatology in the northeastern (NE) Adriatic region and analyzed its spatial and temporal patterns and performed an objectively derived weather type analysis of ERA5 daily mean data and instability indices. We studied the NE Adriatic region due to its focus on agricultural activities and on quality wine production. Our results are based on approximately 60 years of high spatial resolution measurements collected from 27 stations across complex terrain. The results show (i) high levels of spatial variability, (ii) significant annual variations, and (iii) hail throughout the whole year that (iv) intensifies in summer months. Furthermore, redistribution of hail among seasons (in particular, from summer to spring) was detected. Most significant changes were visible in the June–October period, with a negative trend of −0.06 hail days/year, and the period from November to March exhibited a positive trend of 0.13 hail cases/year. We found that deep cyclonic systems in front of and above our domain were most responsible for hail generation, often supported by southwesterly winds. Additionally, the vast majority of observed hail events occurred in unstable and sheared environments.
Perspectives of Malaysian parents on eating out: A qualitative analysis

Introduction: The culture of eating out among Malaysians has substantially increased in recent years due to the urbanisation of the society. Frequent eating out has been linked with reduced quality of diet, reduced intake of micronutrients, and increased weight gain. This study aims to explore specific factors on the perceptions and behaviours related to eating out from the perspective of parents. Methods: A qualitative study was carried out among 27 informants from various ethnicities and locations in Peninsular Malaysia. All sessions were audio-recorded, fully transcribed and analysed using thematic content analysis. Results: The main overarching theme that surfaced from this study was the role of parents in shaping the practice of eating out. Time constraints due to parents’ work commitments, the availability of various food outlets, increase in family bonding time and food preferences were recurring themes revealed by informants as facilitating factors to eating out. Other emerging themes, such as hygiene of food premises and cost of food, posed as barriers to eating out. Conclusion: These findings offered a better understanding on the eating out practices of a family from the parents’ perspective. Information as such could be incorporated in strategies to enhance the promotion of healthy eating and nutrition interventions that aim to inculcate healthy food choices
Evaluating barriers inhibiting investors participation in Public-Private Partnership project bidding process using structural equation model

Abstract The study investigates the critical barriers restraining private investors from participating in the PPP construction project bidding process. Hence, three key potential inhibiting factors, which include political constraints, public sector poor PPP capacity, and undefined project scope, were investigated. Therefore, the study adopted a quantitative research technique through a questionnaire survey to obtain data from 384 PPP practitioners sample representative in Lagos and Abuja, Nigeria. The survey recorded 274 responses, and SmartPLS (v.3.2.3) was used for the data analysis. The study developed a conceptual model to formulate hypotheses which were validated with Smart PLS3. Findings from the study indicated that the three key factors have a significant effect on the private investor's decision not to participate in the PPP bidding process. The findings from this study can help the government understand how to attract investors under her PPP arrangement. The study is unique based on the research idea and approach.
IT Reliability for Ensuring Performance of IT Used in Organizations Operating under Covid-19 Epidemic Crisis

The article concerns the analysis of elements building the reliability of IT solutions used in the organizations (system reliability, usage reliability, information reliability and support service reliability) and their influence on IT performance in conditions of the crisis, which calls for social-distancing and forces employees to work remotely, putting IT performance at the centre of attention for organizations seeking ways to survive the crisis The article aims at verifying the IT Reliability Model under such conditions and identifies which elements building the reliability of IT solutions may contribute to ensuring IT performance The empirical study is performed among 115 organizations operating in Italy during the COVID-19 epidemic crisis in March 2020 (during the lockdown and peak of the epidemic) The results are compared with a previous study performed among 349 organizations from Poland and 288 organizations operating in Switzerland operating under normal conditions in January 2019 The obtained results confirmed that there are major differences in the strength and significance of the influence of four elements building IT reliability on IT performance among employees from organizations working under normal conditions and conditions of epidemical crisis The usage reliability and support service reliability were proven to become key factors influencing IT performance under such critical conditions Implications for Central European audience: Central Europe was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, and most of the organizations experienced problems with their functioning due to the need to establish new ways of working in a world of social distancing rules Information technology became an especially important factor allowing them to remain continuity Therefore, the analysis of factors influencing its performance during the crisis may help contemporary organizations in Central Europe to overcome the crisis caused by the sudden need to relay, more than ever, on information technology © 2021 All Rights Reserved
Seismic constraints on rock damaging related to a failing mountain peak: the Hochvogel, Allgäu

Large rock slope failures play a pivotal role in long‐term landscape evolution and are a major concern in land use planning and hazard aspects. While the failure phase and the time immediately prior to failure are increasingly well studied, the nature of the preparation phase remains enigmatic. This knowledge gap is due, to a large degree, to difficulties associated with instrumenting high mountain terrain and the local nature of classic monitoring methods, which does not allow integral observation of large rock volumes. Here, we analyse data from a small network of up to seven seismic sensors installed during July–October 2018 (with 43 days of data loss) at the summit of the Hochvogel, a 2592 m high Alpine peak. We develop proxy time series indicative of cyclic and progressive changes of the summit. Modal analysis, horizontal‐to‐vertical spectral ratio data and end‐member modelling analysis reveal diurnal cycles of increasing and decreasing coupling stiffness of a 260,000 m3 large, instable rock volume, due to thermal forcing. Relative seismic wave velocity changes also indicate diurnal accumulation and release of stress within the rock mass. At longer time scales, there is a systematic superimposed pattern of stress increased over multiple days and episodic stress release within a few days, expressed in an increased emission of short seismic pulses indicative of rock cracking. Our data provide essential first order information on the development of large‐scale slope instabilities towards catastrophic failure. © 2020 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Nitridation effects on Pb center structures at SiO2/Si(100) interfaces

Interfacial defect structures of NO-nitride oxide on Si(100) were characterized by electron spin resonance spectroscopy. We confirmed that the effective g values of the Pb1 center are affected by interfacial nitridation even at a small nitrogen concentration of 5 at. %, while those of the Pb0 center proved to be unchanged. We observed that the shifted Pb1 line appeared gradually with interfacial nitrogen concentration, which suggests that the nitrogen-induced modified structure substitutes for the original Pb1 structure. Angular variations of the shifted Pb1 lines were also significantly different from those of pure oxide. Based on our analysis, we attributed the g value shift of the Pb1 center to dangling bond tilting, caused by the displacement of nearest-neighbor Si atoms.
Shared Emotion: The Social Amplification of Partisan News on Twitter

Abstract As people increasingly rely on social media for news, it is important to understand what types of news media they are likely to come across in their social media environment. Exposure to news content in social media is the result of complex, interdependent systems driven by individuals, platforms, and institutions—among others—but an important element of exposure is what kind of news content engaged individuals tend to share with their peers. This study examines how partisan news media may be influential in social media by proposing that their content is shared more frequently and that they share more emotional content than non-partisan news media. This study examines more than 300,000 tweets and retweets from 22 news organizations to understand what type of political news is shared more widely in social media and how emotion in news content can influence political news sharing. The results suggest that partisan news media are shared more frequently in Twitter, and that partisan news content is more likely to express emotion compared with non-partisan news. Overall, partisan and emotional news media content is disproportionately amplified in social media, which may have important consequences for others who rely on social media for political news information.
Low-Damage Rocking Precast Concrete Cladding Panels: Design Approach and Experimental Validation

ABSTRACT This paper presents the development (concept, design, detailing, and fabrication) and experimental validation of a novel low-damage precast concrete cladding panel system that can accommodate significant inter-story drift demand through the rocking mechanism of the panels facilitated by smartly designed connections between the panels and the structural members. Two adjacent in-plane panels separated by ‘one-stage’ sealant joint were subjected to in-plane quasi-static cyclic drifts. The cladding system suffered no damage until 1.92% inter-story drift when the sealant tearing occurred. Furthermore, comparison with the seismic performance of traditional panel connections, reported in the literature, also demonstrated the system’s significantly improved seismic resilience.
Subsurface Migration of Copper and Zinc Mediated by Soil Colloids

Colloid migration in subsurface environments has attracted special attention lately because of its suspected role in facilitating transport of contaminants to groundwater. This study investigated the potential role of water-dispersible soil colloids (WDCs) with variable composition in transporting Cu and Zn through undisturbed soil columns, Copper or Zn solutions without colloids (controls) and combined with suspensions of montmorillonitic, mixed, illitic, and kaolinitic colloids with a range of surface properties were applied at a constant flux into undisturbed soil columns. The soil columns represented upper solum horizons of Maury (fine, mixed, mesic Typic Paleudalf) and Loradale (fine-silty, mixed, mesic Typic Argiudoll) soils with contrasting porosities and organic C (OC) contents. Colloid and metal recoveries in the eluent varied with metal, colloid, and soil properties. The presence of colloids typically enhanced metal transport by 5- to 50-fold over that of the control treatments, with Zn being consistently more mobile than Cu. The greatest metal transport potential was shown by colloids with high negative surface charge and OC content and the lowest by colloids with large particle size, low negative surface charge, and high Fe- and Al-hydroxyoxide contents. Although the dominant transport mechanism was metal sorption by colloids and cotransport, the additional soluble Cu and Zn transported in the presence of colloids suggests involvement of physical exclusion, competitive sorption, or increased metal solubilization processes. Increased amounts of OC content in the soil column appeared to overshadow the effects of macroporosity on the transport of both metals, especially Cu. These findings have important ramifications on the use of contaminant transport prediction models and the application of efficient remediation technologies.
Discovering rare-earth-free magnetic materials through the development of a database

An open-access database specialized for magnetic compounds, as well as for magnetic clusters, is developed with a focus on magnets free from rare earths. Data-intensive methods are used to facilitate the theoretical and experimental design and discovery of new magnetic materials. The utility of the datasets for computational screening, machine-learning modeling, and experimental fabrication is discussed.
Is citizen journalism dead? An examination of recent developments in the field

The reliance on untrained reporters with limited or no understanding of journalistic standards has become increasingly widespread particularly in less democratic environments and these practices have impacted news gathering and reporting. There however has been some debate about the conceivability, capacity, reliability and acceptability of citizen journalists due to the lack of the professional standards associated with the profession. Even so, diverse forms of citizen journalism continue to emerge and develop in several countries in the Global South, such as Zimbabwe and Mozambique, examined in-depth in our study of the current frameworks, trends, practices and principles of citizen journalism in Africa. Buoyed by what appears like a slump in global citizen journalism research, we identify specific cases to rethink the concept, seeking to theoretically contribute to new directions on the phenomenon’s role in African societies. Our analysis suggests that a reconceptualization of citizen journalism is imperative thanks to several factors, including improved access to the Internet and changing attitudes toward political dissent and participation, citizen journalism in Africa is taking new directions.
Modulation of dense shelf water salinity variability in the western Ross Sea associated with the Amundsen Sea Low

Dense shelf water (DSW) produced in the western Ross Sea (RS) is one of the major sources of Antarctic bottom water (AABW). Thus the understanding of long-term variability of DSW salinity and its controlling factors in the western RS is critical to assess the variability of globally distributed AABW. Here we analyze a long time record of hydrographic data (1984–2020) collected in the western RS, as well as sea ice drift vectors, surface wind speed, sea level pressure and Amundsen Sea low (ASL) indices. We confirm recent findings that there is a rapid increase of DSW salinity in the western RS after a minimum in 2013, although the DSW has experienced substantial freshening in the past few decades, indicating a significant multidecadal variability of DSW salinity in the western RS. Over the past four decades, multidecadal variability in the DSW salinity has been strongly coupled with westward zonal flow changes along the coastal current, and the post-2013 rapid enhancement of DSW salinity is accompanied by reduced freshwater input due to weakening of the westward zonal flow from the upstream Amundsen Sea (AS) into the RS. Large-scale circulation determining the strength of the zonal flow is closely linked to the ASL variability. The accelerated deepening of the ASL and the resulting southwestward extension of low pressure induce an eastward coastal current anomaly. This reduces the freshwater input from the AS to the RS and is responsible for the subsequent enhancement of DSW salinity in recent years in the western RS. These dynamical processes demonstrated here explain how the ASL changes modulate the DSW salinity in the western RS, and will help to understand the implication of climate changes in the Southern Ocean on AABW formation.
How can xsens kinematic suit add to our understanding of a slalom turn

Traditionally used methods for kinematic analysis of alpine skiing has limitations regarding data collecting and data processing. Also, analysis of measured parameters, interpretation, and implementation in practice are postponed. Therefore, aim of this paper was to determine differences in the performance of slalom turns between three conditions using a relatively new technology that allows fast data collecting and analysis. Twenty kinematic variables were analysed for each turn (both the left and right) and 26 turns were executed in each condition. All turns were performed by a national skiing demonstrator. Differences were determined by MANOVA (F=71.3; p=.00). Tukey’s post-hoc test showed that the turns performed on the ski simulator differed in every variable from the turns performed in other two condition, and the free skiing turns differed from the corridor turns in the following variables: hip joint angle of abduction of the right leg in the left turn, p=. 00; distance of the projection of the centre of mass relative to the right foot in the left turn, p=. 00; hip joint angle of flexion of the left leg in the left turn, p=. 02; hip joint angle of abduction of the left leg in the left turn, p=. 01; distance of the projection of the centre of mass relative to the left foot in the left turn, p=. 00; knee angle of flexion of the left leg in the right turn, p=. 04). The kinematic parameters obtained using the XSENS suit during slalom turns performed on the ski simulator and ski slope suggested significant differences in the position of the lower extremities, which might be important for situational efficiency and technical performance. Our results can be used to improve the alpine skiing technique. They suggest more precise relations between space parameters, such as body position and the angles between different body segments during a slalom turn. Methodology of research and technology used could contribute to the development of new scientific approaches in biomechanical research of top-level sports.
High-performance work practices, employee well-being, and supportive leadership: spillover mechanisms and boundary conditions between HRM and leadership behavior

Abstract The aim of this paper is to deepen our understanding of the relationships between high-performance work practices (HPWPs) and employee well-being. In particular, we integrate three employee well-being types, proposing that HPWPs positively affect employee health (i.e. health status, sickness absence, and sleep quality), mediated by job satisfaction and employee engagement. We also analyze the influence of supportive leadership as a key contextual factor. We hypothesize that the positive relationships between HPWPs and employee health via job satisfaction and engagement will be reinforced by supportive leadership, since the relationships between HPWPs and a) job satisfaction and b) work engagement should be stronger when leadership is more supportive. These hypotheses are tested with representative data from German-speaking countries (Austria, Germany, and Switzerland; N = 3325). The results support the mediating roles of job satisfaction and work engagement. Interestingly, the remaining direct relationships between HPWPs and sleep quality are negative, which supports a counteracting effects model. We further find a moderating effect where, in contrast to our assumption, supportive leadership attenuates HPWPs’ effects.
Fronto-Temporal Analysis of EEG Signals of Patients with Depression: Characterisation, Nonlinear Dynamics and Surrogate Analysis

The recent advances in signal processing techniques have enabled the analysis of biosignals from brain so as to enhance the predictive capability of mental states. Biosignal analysis has been successfully used to characterise EEG signals of unipolar depression patients. Methods of characterisation of EEG signals and the use of nonlinear parameters are the major highlights of this chapter. Bipolar frontopolar-temporal EEG recordings obtained under eyes open and eyes closed conditions are used for the analysis. A discussion on the reliability of the use of energy distribution and Relative Wavelet Energy calculations for distinguishing unipolar depression patients from healthy controls is presented. The potential of the application of Wavelet Entropy to differentiate states of the brain under normal and pathologic condition is introduced. Details are given on the suitability of ascertaining certain nonlinear indices on the feature extraction, assuming the time series to be highly nonlinear. The assumption of nonlinearity of the measured EEG time series is further verified using surrogate analysis. The studies discussed in this chapter indicate lower values of nonlinear measures for patients. The higher values of signal energy associated with the delta bands of depression patients in the lower frequency range are regarded as a major characteristic indicative of a state of depression. The chapter concludes by presenting the important results in this direction that may lead to better insight on the brain activity and cognitive processes. These measures are hence posited to be potential biomarkers for the detection of depression.