Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Malapportionment in Mongolian elections: Does institutional structure matter?

Abstract This article examines malapportionment in Mongolia from the introduction of a unicameral parliament in 1992 to the parliamentary elections in 2016. We especially address the question whether the level of malapportionment was significantly influenced by various types of electoral systems at both national and district levels. Due to its frequent electoral engineering, Mongolia can serve as a very useful case for testing the relationship between levels of malapportionment and different types of electoral systems. The results show that almost irrespective of the type of electoral system applied, the level of malapportionment grew constantly at both national and district levels until the election of 2016, when the growth ended. The importance of this finding lies in the fact that while most existing cross-national analyses of malapportionment presented rather contrary arguments, the Mongolian case demonstrates that plurality systems, or single-member district systems, are not unambiguous factor distorting fair apportionment.
Physio-chemical processes active during deformation of plagioclase rich rocks under fluid present conditions: Dissolution and precipitation creep coupled with grain boundary migration and solvent mediate phase transformation

Plagioclase is the most abundant mineral in the lower crust and it is thus important to constrain the behaviour of plagioclase during deformation. Anorthosites, which are plagioclase-rich rocks, are common in Archaean cratons but their origin and rheological importance is still debated. The aims of this thesis are to 1) describe a newly discovered Archaean anorthosite complex (Naajat Kuuat, SW Greenland), investigate its origin and a possible genetic relationship between the anorthosite and associated mafic-ultramafic rocks and 2) to study the rheology and deformation mechanisms in plagioclase-rich rocks. The main focus of this thesis is on the deformation studies. (1) Geochemical whole-rock analyses from the Naajat Kuuat complex are indicative for an origin near a subduction zone setting. A genetic link by crystal fractionation between the anorthosite and associated mafic-ultramafic units is inferred. (2) Deformation behaviour of plagioclase is assessed from analyses of three anorthosite units deformed during different conditions. Samples were analysed using the electron backscatter diffraction technique (EBSD) in combination with optical and chemical analyses. All three case studies show significant strain localisation related to grain size reduction. A wet anorthosite deformed at dry conditions (T ~675-700°C) was dynamically recrystallised. Continuous bands of recrystallised grains developed a texture yet display microstructures and grain relationships indicative for grain size sensitive creep, suggesting that the rheology followed a Newtonian flow law. In the other two studies, samples with initially dry and wet composition, respectively, have experienced deformation during fluid present conditions at T ~550-620°C. These two samples show that fluids effectively caused reactions, replacements and aided strain localisation during deformation at mid crustal conditions.
Activity patterns of grizzly bears in the Yellowstone ecosystem and their reproductive behavior, predation and the use of carrion

In 1979 and 1980 I conducted a study on the activity patterns of free-ranging grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) equipped with motion sensitive radio-transmitters in the Yellowstone ecosystem. Data included general observations on behavior, reproductive behavior, predation and the use of parrion. A least squares analysis of variance procedure was used to study the relative importance between activity and time of day, time of year, individuality among bears, lunar phase, reproductive state, and four weather related factors. These explained a significant portion of the variation in activity. The level and probability of activity indicated that bears were least active shortly before denning or after emergence and were most active during the breeding season months. During the spring grizzlies were crepuscular and more diurnal than during the summer. In the summer they were nocturnal with crepuscular activity peaks while fall activity was mainly, during the crepuscular period at sunset with some nocturnal activity. Grizzly-human encounters could possibly be lowered if hikers avoided dense timber and restricted summer travel to the hours between 1030 and 1800. One grizzly had reversed or diurnal activity patterns. Published black bear studies indicate that their activity patterns are the reverse of grizzlies. This reversal affords a possible species niche separation by time territory. The major factors believed to affect activity patterns were intraspecific and interspecific social dominance, temperature regulation, seclusion from human disturbance, food habits and availability. It appears that predation by grizzlies on large ungulates in the Yellowstone ecosystem has been underrated and that a real behavioral difference between this and populations in other study areas may exist. All of the study bears used carrion and three preyed on elk. Grizzlies typically dragged carcasses to sites within the timber, covered them with soil, and bedded within 50 meters. The ability to travel over snowpack was estimated to be five times greater for grizzlies than for large ungulates. Breeding activity was observed once and one pairbond between "mates" lasted two months. Four instances of tree climbing were noted. ACTIVITY PATTERNS OF GRIZZLY BEARS IN THE YELLOWSTONE ECOSYSTEM AND THEIR REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOR, PREDATION AND THE USE OF CARRION by Bart Otis Schleyer A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Science in Fish and Wildlife Management MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY Bozeman, Montana main lib. N 353 Sch 39 Cop.
Visual-auditory perception of prosodic focus in Japanese by native and non-native speakers

Introduction Speech communication is multi-sensory in nature. Seeing a speaker’s head and face movements may significantly influence the listeners’ speech processing, especially when the auditory information is not clear enough. However, research on the visual-auditory integration speech processing has left prosodic perception less well investigated than segmental perception. Furthermore, while native Japanese speakers tend to use less visual cues in segmental perception than in other western languages, to what extent the visual cues are used in Japanese focus perception by the native and non-native listeners remains unknown. To fill in these gaps, we test focus perception in Japanese among native Japanese speakers and Cantonese speakers who learn Japanese, using auditory-only and auditory-visual sentences as stimuli. Methodology Thirty native Tokyo Japanese speakers and thirty Cantonese-speaking Japanese learners who had passed the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test with level N2 or N3 were asked to judge the naturalness of 28 question-answer pairs made up of broad focus eliciting questions and three-word answers carrying broad focus, or contrastive or non-contrastive narrow focus on the middle object words. Question-answer pairs were presented in two sensory modalities, auditory-only and visual-auditory modalities in two separate experimental sessions. Results Both the Japanese and Cantonese groups showed weak integration of visual cues in the judgement of naturalness. Visual-auditory modality only significantly influenced Japanese participants’ perception when the questions and answers were mismatched, but when the answers carried non-contrastive narrow focus, the visual cues impeded rather than facilitated their judgement. Also, the influences of specific visual cues like the displacement of eyebrows or head movements of both Japanese and Cantonese participants’ responses were only significant when the questions and answers were mismatched. While Japanese participants consistently relied on the left eyebrow for focus perception, the Cantonese participants referred to head movements more often. Discussion The lack of visual-auditory integration in Japanese speaking population found in segmental perception also exist in prosodic perception of focus. Not much foreign language effects has been found among the Cantonese-speaking learners either, suggesting a limited use of facial expressions in focus marking by native and non-native Japanese speakers. Overall, the present findings indicate that the integration of visual cues in perception of focus may be specific to languages rather than universal, adding to our understanding of multisensory speech perception.
Blood pressure trajectory of inpatient stroke rehabilitation patients from the Determining Optimal Post-Stroke Exercise (DOSE) trial over the first 12 months post-stroke

Background High blood pressure (BP) is the primary risk factor for recurrent strokes. Despite established clinical guidelines, some stroke survivors exhibit uncontrolled BP over the first 12 months post-stroke. Furthermore, research on BP trajectories in stroke survivors admitted to inpatient rehabilitation hospitals is limited. Exercise is recommended to reduce BP after stroke. However, the effect of high repetition gait training at aerobic intensities (>40% heart rate reserve; HRR) during inpatient rehabilitation on BP is unclear. We aimed to determine the effect of an aerobic gait training intervention on BP trajectory over the first 12 months post-stroke. Methods This is a secondary analysis of the Determining Optimal Post-Stroke Exercise (DOSE) trial. Participants with stroke admitted to inpatient rehabilitation hospitals were recruited and randomized to usual care (n = 24), DOSE1 (n = 25; >2,000 steps, 40–60% HRR for >30 min/session, 20 sessions over 4 weeks), or DOSE2 (n = 25; additional DOSE1 session/day) groups. Resting BP [systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP)] was measured at baseline (inpatient rehabilitation admission), post-intervention (near inpatient discharge), 6- and 12-month post-stroke. Linear mixed-effects models were used to examine the effects of group and time (weeks post-stroke) on SBP, DBP and hypertension (≥140/90 mmHg; ≥130/80 mmHg, if diabetic), controlling for age, stroke type, and baseline history of hypertension. Results No effect of intervention group on SBP, DBP, or hypertension was observed. BP increased from baseline to 12-month post-stroke for SBP (from [mean ± standard deviation] 121.8 ± 15.0 to 131.8 ± 17.8 mmHg) and for DBP (74.4 ± 9.8 to 78.5 ± 10.1 mmHg). The proportion of hypertensive participants increased from 20.8% (n = 15/72) to 32.8% (n = 19/58). These increases in BP were statistically significant: an effect [estimation (95%CI), value of p] of time was observed on SBP [0.19 (0.12–0.26) mmHg/week, p < 0.001], DBP [0.09 (0.05–0.14) mmHg/week, p < 0.001], and hypertension [OR (95%CI): 1.03 (1.01–1.05), p = 0.010]. A baseline history of hypertension was associated with higher SBP by 13.45 (8.73–18.17) mmHg, higher DBP by 5.57 (2.02–9.12) mmHg, and 42.22 (6.60–270.08) times the odds of being hypertensive at each timepoint, compared to those without. Conclusion Blood pressure increased after inpatient rehabilitation over the first 12 months post-stroke, especially among those with a history of hypertension. The 4-week aerobic gait training intervention did not influence this trajectory.
Co-designing an interactive artificial intelligent system with post-stroke patients and caregivers to augment the lost abilities and improve their quality of life: a human-centric approach

Objectives The motor disability due to stroke compromises the autonomy of patients and caregivers. To support autonomy and other personal and social needs, trustworthy, multifunctional, adaptive, and interactive assistive devices represent optimal solutions. To fulfill this aim, an artificial intelligence system named MAIA would aim to interpret users’ intentions and translate them into actions performed by assistive devices. Analyzing their perspectives is essential to develop the MAIA system operating in harmony with patients’ and caregivers’ needs as much as possible. Methods Post-stroke patients and caregivers were interviewed to explore the impact of motor disability on their lives, previous experiences with assistive technologies, opinions, and attitudes about MAIA and their needs. Interview transcripts were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Results Sixteen interviews were conducted with 12 post-stroke patients and four caregivers. Three themes emerged: (1) Needs to be satisfied, (2) MAIA technology acceptance, and (3) Perceived trustfulness. Overall, patients are seeking rehabilitative technology, contrary to caregivers needing assistive technology to help them daily. An easy-to-use and ergonomic technology is preferable. However, a few participants trust a system based on artificial intelligence. Conclusion An interactive artificial intelligence technology could help post-stroke patients and their caregivers to restore motor autonomy. The insights from participants to develop the system depends on their motor ability and the role of patients or caregiver. Although technology grows exponentially, more efforts are needed to strengthen people’s trust in advanced technology.
A Molecular Dynamics Study of Single-Gas and Mixed-Gas N2 and CH4 Transport in Triptycene-Based Polyimide Membranes

Fluorinated polyimides incorporated with triptycene units have gained growing attention over the last decade since they present potentially interesting selectivities and a higher free volume with respect to their triptycene-free counterparts. This work examines the transport of single-gas and mixed-gas N2 and CH4 in the triptycene-based 6FDA-BAPT homopolyimide and in a block 15,000 g mol−1/15,000 g mol−1 6FDA-mPDA/BAPT copolyimide by using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The void-space analyses reveal that, while the free volume consists of small-to-medium holes in the 6FDA-BAPT homopolyimide, there are more medium-to-large holes in the 6FDA-mPDA/BAPT copolyimide. The single-gas sorption isotherms for N2 and CH4 over the 0–70 bar range at 338.5 K show that both gases are more soluble in the block copolyimide, with a higher affinity for methane. CH4 favours sites with the most favourable energetic interactions, while N2 probes more sites in the matrices. The volume swellings remain limited since neither N2 nor CH4 plasticise penetrants. The transport of a binary-gas 2:1 CH4/N2 mixture is also examined in both polyimides under operating conditions similar to those used in current natural gas processing, i.e., at 65.5 bar and 338.5 K. In the mixed-gas simulations, the solubility selectivities in favour of CH4 are enhanced similarly in both matrices. Although diffusion is higher in 6FDA-BAPT/6FDA-mPDA, the diffusion selectivities are also close. Both triptycene-based polyimides under study favour, to a similar extent, the transport of methane over that of nitrogen under the conditions studied.
Assessing the Value of Renewable Forecasting Accuracy in Power System Operation

This article proposes a novel method for analytically assessing the value of renewable forecasting accuracy in power system operation. Different from previous assessment methods where renewable forecasting accuracy is perturbed numerically, the proposed method directly derives sensitivity formulae of the operation model with respect to (w.r.t.) renewable forecasting error distribution change. Compared with conventional analytical sensitivity methods dealing with only deterministic parameters, deriving such sensitivity formulae is challenging and necessitates the closed-form expression of forecasting error distribution parameters in the operation model. To tackle this challenge, we propose to model and reformulate the two-stage stochastic unit commitment for wind-penetrated power systems based on the Point Estimate Method (PEM). Then, leveraging the explicitly expressed wind power statistical moments in the PEM-based model, the sensitivity formulae of expected operation costs w.r. t. both global and nodal wind power forecasting error distribution change are derived. The proposed method provides to assess the value of renewable forecasting accuracy and identify critical nodes with uncertain injections that are most influential on system operation without exhausting numerical simulations. Case studies on modified IEEE systems verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Effect of Deep Eutectic System (DES) on Oral Bioavailability of Celecoxib: In Silico, In Vitro, and In Vivo Study

Different deep eutectic systems (DES) of choline chloride (CC)–urea (UA) (1:2), CC–glycerol (GLY) (1:2), CC–malonic acid (MA) (1:1), and CC–ascorbic acid (AA) (2:1) were generated and characterized by polarized light microscope (PLM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscope (FTIR). The equilibrium solubility of celecoxib (CLX) in DES was compared to that in deionized water. The CC–MA (1:1) system provided ~10,000 times improvement in the solubility of CLX (13,114.75 µg/g) and was used for the generation of the CLX–DES system. The latter was characterized by PLM and FTIR to study the microstructure and intermolecular interaction between the CLX and CC–MA (1:1) DES. FTIR demonstrated the retention of the chemical structure of CLX. In vitro drug release studies in FaSSIF initially demonstrated high supersaturation, which decreased by ~2 fold after 2 h. Density functional theory (DFT)-based calculations provided a molecular-level understanding of enhanced solubility. Gibbs free energy calculations established the role of the strongest binding of CLX with CC and MA. A phase solubility study highlighted the role of hydrotropy-induced solubilization of the CLX–DES system. Animal pharmacokinetic studies established 2.76 times improvement in Cmax, 1.52 times reduction in tmax, and 1.81 times improvement in AUC0-∞. The overall results demonstrated the potential of developing a DES-based supersaturating drug-delivery system for pharmaceutical loading of drugs having solubility and dissolution rate-limited oral bioavailability.
International fraud: A management perspective

L'objectiu de la meva tesi es tractar i entendre millor els multiples aspectes de la corrupcio i el frau internacionals des de la perspectiva del management. Amb aquesta finalitat, hi proporciono un compendi d'articles, tots els quals han estat publicats en journals amb revisors, o be estan en proces de ser-ho. El primer article que presento en la meva tesi fou publicat al European Business Forum, una revista especialitzada patrocinada per la CEMS, que es llegida per mes de 40.000 professionals dels negocis d'arreu d'Europa. Alguns dels diaris internacionals mes importants, com ara el Times of London Newspaper, tambe citen aquest article a bastament. S'hi exposa per que i com es cometen els fraus. El segon article que comento a la tesi es troba actualment en fase de "revisio i reenviament" al Journal of Business Ethics. Es tracta d'un journal sobre factors d'impacte, inclos a la llista dels 40 millors journals de management que publica el Financial Times. Aquest article tracta de com les persones fan servir el poder per reclutar altres persones per tal que participin en el frau d'estats financers. Aquest segon article tambe es va sotmetre a la revisio d'arbitres a l'edicio 2007 de la European Academy of Management Conference que tingue lloc a Paris, Franca. El tercer article que es presenta en la meva tesi fou publicat a The Journal of Digital Forensics, Security, and Law. Tambe s'havia presentat previament a la XII Conferencia Anual d'AMCIS amb revisors, que tingue lloc a Acapulco, Mexic. La Conferencia d'AMCIS es un dels principals congressos academics que tracten dels camps relacionats amb els sistemes d'informacio. Aquest tercer article analitza com els responsables de perpetrar el frau se serveixen dels principis i les estrategies de poder i negociacio per enredar les persones per Internet perque participin en projectes de frau. El quart article que comento fou publicat a l'Information Systems Security Journal. Aquest journal fa 17 anys que el publica Taylor and Francis Publishing -una de les principals editorials de journals academics-, i es la publicacio oficial de CISSP i SSCP. L'article analitza les tendencies actuals en materia de frau i la seva deteccio. El cinque article que es presenta fou publicat a la Corporate Finance Review. Aquest article tracta especificament del frau d'estats financers als Estats Units. Tambe explica que pot fer Europa per aprendre dels errors comesos als Estats Units. La Corporate Finance Review es patrocinada per Thomson Education -una editorial lider en l'ambit educatiu. Actualment, la revista es troba al 12e any de publicacio. Finalment, el darrer article que presento a la tesi es un comentari que es va fer sobre el tema del frau entre dos professors americans i jo mateix. Aquest dialeg es va publicar al Journal of Management, Spirituality, and Religion. El comentari tractava el tema de la relacio entre organitzacions imbuides en la religio i el frau.
A Study on the Potential of an English Language Learning (ELL) Website

English Language Learning (ELL) websites are powerful learning tools that teachers can utilise to support language learning. The presence of various authentic materials enhances students' learning opportunities and assists educators. Despite the increasing abundance of free websites, educators and users still face challenges in finding quality websites. This notion accentuates the vitality of website evaluation. Thus, this study aims to explore the selected ELL website (LearnEnglish Kids) to evaluate the technical quality, the pedagogical potential, and the appropriateness of free ELL websites available to be used in the Malaysian context. This qualitative research was initiated with the screening stage using Google PageRank to determine one website with the best Page Rank (PR). The selected website is LearnEnglish Kids. The selected website was then evaluated using Website Grader. This was followed by the distribution of checklists to 13 primary school teachers. Five of them were interviewed. All in all, LearnEnglish Kids is found to be having average technical quality with a few issues related to its performance, SEO, and mobile friendliness aspects. Based on the evaluators' responses it is highly recommended. Besides, it was found to be moderately appropriate to be used in the Malaysian context despite the problems and challenges accentuated by the respondents. This study sheds light on the potential of websites as powerful learning tools, the importance of ELL websites evaluation, the utilisation of automated evaluation tools to check the technical quality of websites and a list of features to design an effective and quality ELL website.
BUBBLY TWO PHASE FLOW IN HYDRAULIC JUMP

Paper reports on an experimental study of the air-entraining roller zone of hydraulic jumps in open channels. Hot-film anemometry techniques were used, involving instant digitizing of analog signals and delayed electronic processing of the tape-recorded data. The two phases (air versus water) were identified by a signal threshold. Results are presented on void ratio and average size and statistical size distribution of the entrained air bubbles for jumps with and without fully developed inflow. Findings confirm that the state of flow development of the supercritical stream entering the jump has a significant bearing on the resulting flow configuration within the jump body and thus, on the air-entraining capacity of the hydraulic jumps.