Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantifying Dynamic Water Storage in Unsaturated Bedrock with Borehole Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

Quantifying the volume of water that is stored in the subsurface is critical to studies of water availability to ecosystems, slope stability, and water‐rock interactions. In a variety of settings, water is stored in fractured and weathered bedrock as rock moisture. However, few techniques are available to measure rock moisture in unsaturated rock, making direct estimates of water storage dynamics difficult to obtain. Here, we use borehole nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) at two sites in seasonally dry California to quantify dynamic rock moisture storage. We show strong agreement between NMR estimates of dynamic storage and estimates derived from neutron logging and mass balance techniques. The depths of dynamic storage are up to 9 m and likely reflect the depth extent of root water uptake. To our knowledge, these data are the first to quantify the volume and depths of dynamic water storage in the bedrock vadose zone via borehole NMR.
HIV/AIDS Stigma Reduction as a Risk Factor for New HIV Infections: A Lived Experience Study of HIV Positive Young Women in a Rural Setting of Northern Uganda

BackgroundHIV/AIDS-related stigma is a global problem among HIV patients with far-reaching implications. However, stigma reduction among HIV positive young women may be a catalyst to new HIV infections. This study aimed at exploring the coping strategies used and influence of HIV-related stigma on new infections among HIV positive young women in a rural setting. MethodsA cross-sectional exploratory research design was used. HIV positive young women in the catchment area of Aboke Health Center IV were part of the study. In-depth interviews were used to collect data and analysis was done using thematic approach. ResultsThe results from the data showed that acceptance of counseling and social support are some of the ways HIV-positive young women coped up with stigma. The results also showed that While HIV-related reduction has influenced positively for some HIV positive young mothers, to others as HIV-related stigma reduces, young women living with HIV are likely to get involved in risky sexual activities like having unprotected sex thus increasing HIV transmission. ConclusionsHIV-related reduction has influenced positively for some HIV positive young mothers. However, to others as HIV-related stigma reduces, young women living with HIV are likely to get involved in risky sexual activities like having unprotected sex thus increasing HIV transmission. Based on the results, there is need to understand the negative effects HIV-related stigma reduction as this may have implications for further transmission and control of HIV pandemic. Also, further research is needed to understand whether lessening HIV-related stigma encourages risky sexual behaviors among young women.
Selection and introgression facilitated the adaptation of Chinese native endangered cattle in extreme environments

Although persistent efforts have identified and characterized a few candidate genes and related biological processes with potential functions in the adaptation of many species to extreme environments, few works have been conducted to determine the genomic basis of adaptation in endangered livestock breeds that have been living in extreme conditions for more than thousands of years. To fill this gap, we sequenced the whole genomes of nine individuals from three Chinese native endangered cattle breeds that are living in high‐altitude or arid environments. Phylogenetic and evolutionary history analyses of these three and other six breeds showed that the genetic structure of the cattle populations is primarily related to geographic location. Interestingly, we identified pervasive introgression from the yak to Zhangmu cattle (ZMC) that cover several genes (e.g., NOS2, EGLN1 and EPAS1) involved in the hypoxia response and previously identified as positive selection genes in other species, which suggested that the adaptive introgression from yak may have contributed to the adaptation of ZMC to high‐altitude environments. In addition, by contrasting the breeds in opposite living conditions, we revealed a set of candidate genes with various functions from hypoxia response, water metabolism, immune response and body shape change to embryo development and skeletal system development, etc., that may be related to high‐altitude or arid adaptation. Our research provides new insights into the recovery and adaptation of endangered native cattle and other species in extreme environments and valuable resources for future research on animal husbandry to cope with climate change.
Culture of Sustainability and Marketing Orientation of Indian Agribusiness in implementing CSR Programs—Insights from Emerging Market

The debate regarding the suitability of market orientation or culture of sustainability for corporate social responsibility (CSR) implementation and economic sustainability deserve much more scholarly attention as globalization and competition in emerging markets increases. Using qualitative content analysis of interviews with 28 senior managers of large agribusiness firms in India, this empirical article explores how market orientation or culture of sustainability affects CSR implementation, or vice versa? The findings of the study identify factors such as the nature of a firm’s business, sensitivity, commitment towards sustainable development, and pressure on profitability that prompt firms to adopt sustainability dominant, market dominant, and sustainability–market mixed corporate culture. Culture of sustainability dominant firms are likely to implement CSR more smoothly and effectively compared to firms that are driven by market orientation. Moreover, firms committed to substantial and consistent CSR are likely to induce culture of sustainability in firms. Finally, the study offers a framework that provides insights into how CSR program implementation and a culture of sustainability are complementary and could strengthen the economic sustainability of firms in emerging markets.
Evaluating food hubs: Reporting on a participatory action project

Food hubs create a range of economic, social, and environmental impacts through a wide variety of activities and programs. Evaluation of these impacts is important; however, many hubs lack the capacity (including time, resources, knowledge, and expertise) to do effective, ongoing evaluation work. This lack of capacity is exacerbated by the difficul¬ties inherent in capturing the kinds of complex, multidimensional, context-specific impacts and outcomes that many of these businesses and organizations strive to achieve. This paper reports on a participatory research project designed to develop a resource to support food hub evaluation efforts. It presents highlights from the guide that was created and discusses associated insights regarding the tensions and opportunities of food hub evaluation. We argue that food hubs need to be engaging in evaluation efforts, even in the face of significant resource constraints, as a means of strengthening individual entities and the sector as a whole. These efforts must be carefully aligned with a hub’s stage of development and context-specific, multifunctional goals. They should also account for food hubs’ emergent, dynamic, and adaptive nature. To that end, participatory evaluation methodologies that take a flexible, collaborative, action-oriented approach are especially relevant.
Decoding the Relationships between Body Shape, Tail Beat Frequency, and Stability for Swimming Fish

As fish swim through a fluid environment, they must actively use their fins in concert to stabilize their motion and have a robust form of locomotion. However, there is little knowledge of how these forces act on the fish body. In this study, we employ a 3D immersed boundary model to decode the relationship between roll, pitch, and yaw of the fish body and the driving forces acting on flexible fish bodies. Using bluegill sunfish as our representative geometry, we first examine the role of an actuating torque on the stability of the fish model, with a torque applied at the head of the unconstrained fish body. The resulting kinematics is a product of the passive elasticity, fluid forces, and driving torque. We then examine a constrained model to understand the role that fin geometry, body elasticity, and frequency play on the range of corrective forces acting on the fish. We find non-monotonic behavior with respect to frequency, suggesting that the effective flexibility of the fins play an important role in the swimming performance.
Enhancement of Productivity in Reverse Osmosis Desalination Processes

The steady-state and periodic performances of a seawater desalination unit based on a small-scale commercial spiral-wound membrane were studied. For the steady-state case, operating pressures ranging from 30 bar to 50 bar and temperatures ranging from 22°C to 28°C were investigated. As expected, increasing the pressure resulted in improvements in the water recovery, salt rejection and energy consumed by the feed pump per m of permeate produced. The improvements were larger for operation at low to moderate pressures than at high pressures. Both the permeation rate and salt rejection changed linearly with temperature; the permeate flux increased by 2.8%/°C whereas the salt rejection decreased by 0.007%/°C. For the case of unsteady-state operation, the operating pressure was varied according to a symmetric square wave function around an average pressure of 50 bar. The production rate increased as the period of the wave decreased. Such an improvement was obtained at the expense of a marginal increase in the total energy consumed. For a wave period of two minutes, the production rate increased by 8% over that obtained from steady-state operation while the energy consumed increased by a mere 0.15%. A simple theoretical analysis showed that a 12.3% improvement in the permeation rate would be obtained in the absence of concentration polarization. The salt rejection was not affected by this mode of operation.
A dynamical–system description of precipitation over the tropics and the midlatitudes

Abstract A dynamical–system approach is proposed to describe the relationship between precipitation and a chosen predictor. This is done by constructing a two dimensional phase space spanned by predictor and predictant. This study uses two sounding data sets from the Tropical Western Pacific and Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG) over North–East Italy as representatives of the tropics and midlatitudes, in addition to a basin–scale average over the winter–period North Atlantic from global re–analysis data. In contrast to conventional correlation-based approaches, the proposed approach depicts periodic cycles, as well as discharge–recharge cycles as its nonlinear extension. Discharge–recharge cycles for tropical convection are identified by using both the convective available potential energy (CAPE) and the column–integrated water vapor (CIW) as predictors, as well as the baroclinicity for the winter–period North–Atlantic rain. On the other hand, the midlatitude rain, as seen over FVG as well as the winter–period North Atlantic, does not constitute a well–defined periodic cycle either with CAPE or CIW as a predictor. The inferred phase–space trajectories are more deterministic at peripheries of dense data areas rather than at a middle in the phase space. Data–dense areas in phase space, where traditional approaches primarily focus, are associated with more prediction uncertainties in our analysis due to more phase-velocity fluctuations.
Development and Characterization of Saw-Tooth-Type Slit Nozzle for Electrospray

A novel slit-type electrospray nozzle was developed and characterized. The nozzle consisted of two parallel slits, one of which had sawtooth-like tips. We determined the current-flow rate and droplet size-flow rate relationships, and found that there was a stable cone-jet mode at each sawtooth-like tip. The size of the generated droplets and the flow rate at each spraying tip were determined by using a phase Doppler particle analyzer. The mono-dispersed droplets with diameters of 18–22 μm and a geometric standard deviation of 1.06–1.10 were produced. The stable cone-jet mode was observed at flow rates of up to 160 mL/h. The tip-by-tip variations of the droplet sizes and the flow rates at the tips were less than 5% and 6%, respectively. Copyright 2015 American Association for Aerosol Research
Two Bregman projection methods for solving variational inequalities

ABSTRACT Using Bregman distances, we propose two extragradient-like methods for solving variational inequality problems with Lipschitz cost operators in a Hilbert space. Weak and strong convergence theorems for our algorithms are established when the cost operator is either monotone or pseudomonotone. The variable stepsizes are generated by the algorithms at each iterative stage without any line search procedure. Our stepsize rule allows the algorithms to be easily implemented without prior knowledge of the Lipschitz constant of the cost operator. We also provide several numerical findings in order to illustrate our theoretical results.
Understanding the Response to High-Stakes Incentives in Primary Education

This paper studies responses to high-stakes incentives arising from early ability tracking. We use three complementary research designs exploiting differences in school track admission rules at the end of primary school in Germany's early ability tracking system. Our results show that the need to perform well to qualify for a better track raises students' math, reading, listening, and orthography skills in grade 4, the final grade before students are sorted into tracks. Evidence from self-reported behavior suggests that these effects are driven by greater study effort but not parental responses. However, we also observe that stronger incentives decrease student well-being and intrinsic motivation to study.
Low temperature has opposite effects on sex determination in a marine fish at the larval/postlarval and juvenile stages

Abstract Temperature‐dependent sex determination (TSD) can be observed in multiple reptile and fish species. It is adaptive when varying environmental conditions advantage either males or females. A good knowledge of the thermosensitive period is key to understand how environmental changes may lead to changes in population sex ratio. Here, by manipulating temperature during development, we confirm that cold temperature (16°C) increases the proportion of fish that develop as females in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) until 56 days posthatching, but show that it has an opposite effect at later stages, with the proportion of males reaching ~90% after 230 days at 16°C. This is the first observation of opposite effects of temperature at different time periods on the sex ratio of a vertebrate. Our results highlight the potential complexity of environmental effects on sex determination.
Leader Machiavellianism as an Antecedent to Ethical Leadership: The Impact on Follower Psychological Empowerment and Work Outcomes

Though considerable research has been conducted on ethical leadership, we still know very little about the antecedents to ethical leadership perceptions. Drawing primarily from social learning theory, we propose a process model by which leader Machiavellianism affects ethical leadership, which is then hypothesized to influence psychological empowerment. In addition, we propose that team member role performance and organization-directed organizational citizenship behavior will be consequences of psychological empowerment. Drawing from a sample of 242 employees reporting to 82 leaders, our findings broadly demonstrate support for our hypotheses and advance our understanding of both antecedents and outcomes of ethical leadership. We discuss the theoretical implications of our findings, along with the practical insights, limitations, and future research opportunities.
Outcome of Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy Without JJ Stent in Comparison to Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy With JJ Stent

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the outcomes of PCNL without JJ ureteric stent in comparison to PCNL with JJ ureteric stent. Patients and Methods: This observational study intended to compare the outcome between PCNL without JJ stent and PCNL with JJ stent of 50 cases of renal stone disease according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria and randomly assigned to Group A (PCNL without JJ stent) and Group B (PCNL with JJ stent). This study was conducted in the department of urology, Dhaka Medical College Hospital from July 2014 to June 2016. During postoperative period, both groups were compared with respect to fever, loin pain, dysuria, frequency of micturation, duration of haematuria, continuation of urine leakage, hospital stay, urinoma and hematoma and urinary tract infection. Results: Among the 50 patients, the mean postoperative hospital stay was significantly longer in PCNL with JJ stent (4.48 ± 2.14 days) than that of PCNL without JJ stent (2.60 ± 0.50 days). The continuation of urine leakage at the site of percutaneous tract was also significantly longer in PCNL with JJ stent than in PCNL without JJ stent (10.8 ± 3.18 hours vs 14.14 ± 3.28 hours, P <0.001). Assessment of outcome during 3 weeks showed that out of 25 subjects in Group B, 9 (36%) loin pain, 8 (32%) dysuria, 8 (32%) frequency of micturition, 4 (16%) haematuria and another 7 (28%) urinary tract infection. None of the subjects of Group A reported same type of complications. Conclusions: Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy without JJ stent (stentless PCNL) is safe, effective and viable option in a selected group of patients – with stone size d”3 cm, normal preoperative renal function, single percutaneous puncture, minimum bleeding, no perforation of the collecting system, no obstruction and complete clearance of stones, JJ stent may not be required.
Capacitance creep and recovery behavior of magnetorheological elastomers

As a novel conductive elastomer, magnetorheological elastomers (MREs) featuring both high sensitivity and wide working range have been employed as a new sensing material for flexible tactile sensors. Their sensing mechanism, that is, the spatial distribution rearrangement of particles under compression, completely differs from their conventional counterparts. The piezo-capacitive effect of MREs resulting from the unique mechanism of particles rearrangement is actually a response to the microscopic mechanical movement of particles. This nature brings a core concern on the intrinsic relationship between their mechanical and electrical properties. This study illuminates them from the perspective of electrical creep and recovery behavior of MREs. We give a meaningful analysis for the capacitance creep-recovery mechanism. The experimental fact strongly demonstrated that the particles rearrangement was the direct cause, while the strain creep was an indirect cause. All the behaviors were well interpreted by an evolution mechanism of the particles rearrangement driven by the mechanical strain creep of the flexible matrix under constant pressure. In simpler terms, the electrical creep was induced by the mechanical creep. We further explored the creep effect in practical applications and found a “self-healing” behavior, which indicated that the MRE sensors could obtain a stable sensing capability after a pre-processing.
Bottom-up (top-down) rolling budgeting and job autonomy: consequences for the role of role overload and managerial performance

ABSTRACT Drawing on job demands-control theory, this study examined how bottom-up (BU) versus top-down (TD) approaches for implementing a rolling budget can impact lower-level managers’ performance. The analysis of survey data of 98 solar firms in Taiwan demonstrated that BU relative to TD rolling-budget approaches in three phases of the budgeting process (namely, the issuance of guidelines, development of the budget proposals, and negotiation of final budgets) increased self-perceived role overload among lower and middle-level managers. Further, the difference between BU and TD rolling-budget approaches in their effect on perceptions of role overload will be smaller when job autonomy is higher in the two phases of the budgeting process (namely, development of the budget proposals and negotiation of final budgets). Lastly, role overload was found to play a full mediating role in the relationship between rolling-budget approaches, and self-perceived performance in all three phases of the budget process. Overall, these insights suggest that in order to fully understand the consequences of rolling budgets, we should consider both job autonomy and role overload.
Comparison of Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery and Conventional Phacoemulsification in Shallow Anterior Chambers and Glaucoma

Purpose To compare femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) versus conventional phacoemulsification in shallow anterior chamber cataract patients with glaucoma or zonulysis. Methods This was a single-center retrospective review of cataract surgeries in shallow anterior chamber and glaucoma patients between January 2016 and December 2018 in which a LenSx femtosecond laser was used. The outcome measures included pre- and postoperative uncorrected and corrected distance visual acuity (UDVA and CDVA), intraocular pressure (IOP), endothelial cell density (ECD), endothelial cell loss (ECL), and object scatter index (OSI). Results One hundred and six eyes of 106 patients with a mean anterior chamber depth of 1.54 ± 0.51 mm were included in this study. Among them, 26 (23.2%) had zonulysis and 18 eyes had capsular tension ring implantation in general. The percentage of capsular tension ring implantation was statistically significantly lower in the FLACS group (P = 0.027). The UDVA, CDVA, ECD, and IOP were not statistically significant between the two groups at all time points. The postoperative ECL and OSI of the FLACS group was better than those of the conventional group (P < 0.01). Conclusions FLACS can reduce ECL and improve visual quality compared to the conventional phacoemulsification in shallow anterior chamber patients. Also, it has the trend of reducing the use of capsular tension rings in subluxated cataracts. It is an ideal choice for patients with complicated cataract such as with shallow anterior chambers, glaucoma, and zonulysis.
Dog Eat Dog: Measuring Network Effects Using a Digital Platform Merger

Digital platforms are increasingly the subject of regulatory scrutiny. In comparison to multiple competitors, a single platform may increase consumer welfare if network effects are large or may decrease welfare due to higher prices or reduction in platform variety. We study the net effect of this trade-off in the context of the merger between the two largest platforms for pet-sitting services. We exploit variation in pre-merger market shares and a difference-in-differences approach to causally estimate network effects at the platform and market level. We find that consumers are, on average, not substantially better off with a single combined platform than with two separate and competing platforms. On one hand, users of the acquiring platform benefited from the merger because of network effects. On the other hand, users of the acquired platform experienced worse outcomes. Our results highlight the importance of platform differentiation even when platforms enjoy network effects.