Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cultural intelligence development during short-term study abroad programmes: the role of cultural distance and prior international experience

ABSTRACT Cultural intelligence (CQ) is critical to students’ academic and career success. Drawing on experiential learning theory, the current study investigates the extent to which students’ prior international experience and short-term study abroad destinations foster the development of their CQ. We examined the learning of 121 undergraduate students participating in two-week global business immersion programmes in four different locations (Russia, the UAE, the United States and Vietnam). Survey data collected pre- and post-immersion show these short-term study abroad programmes serve as a cultural eye-opener for students with low international experience and contribute to fostering a significant level of CQ development in culturally close countries. Our study uncovers a cultural distance paradox, suggesting that programme destinations with similar cultures to the students’ home cultures facilitate a higher increase in the development of students’ cultural intelligence. The study provides important implications for higher education institutions in the design and development of short-term study abroad programmes as an affordable, fast-growing and effective format for student mobility.
Progressive pedagogies made visible: Implications for equitable mathematics teaching

This paper makes a significant contribution to contemporary debates over the direction curriculum reforms should take. It challenges claims that progressive pedagogies can exclude disadvantaged learners from gaining access to powerful knowledge and argues that greater attention needs to be given to learner agency and subject didactics. It reports on the findings from the Visible Maths Pedagogy research project, which aimed to develop and evaluate strategies for making progressive pedagogies more visible to mathematics learners. Evidence collected from student surveys and interviews suggests that these novel strategies were successful in heightening students' appreciation of the teacher's pedagogic rationale for employing progressive teaching approaches. They appeared to have a positive impact on students' mathematical engagement and awareness of how to achieve success in the secondary school mathematics classroom, particularly for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. The findings highlight the potential of progressive pedagogies made visible for establishing an alternative didactic situation based on socio- mathematical norms associated with ‘sense making’, rather than ‘answer getting’, which can help
Exopolysaccharide-producing bacteria improves survival and proteolytic profile of Lactobacillus rhamnosus gg added to semi-ripened cheese

Currently, the interest of the food industry on the use of probiotics in order to provide beneficial effects is increasing. However, one limitation is getting microorganisms to survive in food matrices. In this work, protective effect of exopolysaccharide produced by Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus NCFB 2772 on Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG survival during semi-ripening of cheese, was analyzed. Ripening was carried out at 14 ° C for 28 days in a controlled RH chamber. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was performed to determine interactions of probiotic with the exopolysaccharide. During ripening process, the proteolytic activity was determined through TNBS, SDS-PAGE and size exclusion-HPLC techniques. Viability of probiotic was measured by plate count. Cheese inoculated with both strains showed an improvement in probiotic survival. Exopolysaccharide was shown to have an effect on protein aggregation and cheese structural uniformity. Micrographs revealed a direct interaction between probiotic and exopolysaccharide. Proteolytic capacity did not decrease, and the generation and decrease of low molecular weight peptides (less than 3 kDa) was verified throughout the ripening process. Thus, using an exopolysaccharide-producing strain during cheese ripening has a positive effect on probiotic survival when they are used as starter cultures.
Basic demographic outcomes: additional findings of a single-blind, randomised, controlled trial on metacognitive training for psychosis

ABSTRACT Background Evidence of the effect of metacognitive and social cognitive impairment on the symptoms and functioning of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia led to the development of the Metacognitive Training. We hypothesise that improvement in these cognitive functions leads to less severe symptoms and to better adaptation to real-life social situations, which would be reflected in aspects of the patients’ demographic status. Method We report the additional findings of a randomised, controlled, single-blind study with a six-month follow-up period. We provided 36 patients with training to improve their metacognition and social cognition. The control group received treatment as usual. Symptom severity, measured by the PANSS scale, and demographic data were assessed at baseline and six months after the training. Results Compared to the control group, the intervention group showed less severe symptoms, and achieved more progress in demographic status. These steps may be statistically non-significant; yet, may represent crucial changes in some patients’ lives. Discussion Metacognitive Training is not only an appropriate method to decrease symptom severity, but the training of metacognitive and social cognitive functions can also contribute to a better adaptation to real-life.
Rupture Process of the 2020 Mw7.0 Samos Earthquake and its Effect on Surrounding Active Faults

On October 30, 2020, a Mw7.0 normal faulting earthquake struck the eastern Aegean Sea, causing casualties, and substantial damage at Samos island and Izmir province. We constrained the rupture history of the main shock by jointly inverting GPS static offsets, high‐rate GPS recordings, strong motion waveforms, and teleseismic broadband data. The results revealed that the slip distribution was dominated by a slip patch which spans a depth range of 3–13 km and occupies ∼30 km along strike. The rupture propagated toward SW and updip and the maximum slip amplitude reached 4.6 m at 7 km depth. The remarkably low aftershock productivity within the main asperity suggests a near complete stress release. Coseismic Coulomb stress changes effectively explain the entire aftershock sequence implying absence of short‐term postseismic stress transfer mechanisms. The static stress change calculations also suggest that active faults around Sıgacık and Kusadasi Bays have been brought closer to rupture.
The effect of forest‐to‐bog restoration on the hydrological functioning of raised and blanket bogs

The carbon sequestration potential of peatlands has led to increasing interest in the restoration of bogs previously subjected to plantation forestry. However, little information exists about the effects on hydrological processes of what has become known as forest‐to‐bog restoration. The hydrological functioning of three afforested, two intact and four forest‐to‐bog restoration sites was compared at a raised bog and blanket bog location. For the raised bog location, the annual runoff/rainfall coefficient was 59.7% for the intact site, 41.0% for the afforested site and 53.1% for the oldest restoration site (9 years post‐felling). At the blanket bog location, the coefficient was 80.6% for the intact site, 63.0% for the afforested site and 71.6% for the oldest restoration site (17 years post‐felling). Compared with intact bog, median peak storm discharge was significantly greater in the restoration sites for the raised bog location but not for the blanket bog location. Water‐table peak lag times were greatest, and water‐table depths deepest in the afforested sites and the most recent raised bog restoration site and least in the oldest blanket bog restoration site. The estimated contribution of overland flow in the afforested sites was 2.9% for the raised bog and 11.9% for the blanket bog, increasing to 8.7% and 32.2% at the oldest restoration sites for the raised bog and blanket bog, respectively. Overall, hydrological functioning of the raised bog and blanket bog restoration sites was different from the intact sites but was most similar to intact bog in the oldest restoration sites.
Roles of sudden stratospheric warming events and energetic particle precipitation in polar middle atmosphere: odd nitrogen and ozone

We use the 3-D FinROSE chemistry transport model (CTM) and Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS) observations to study connections between atmospheric dynamics and middle atmospheric NOx (NOx = NO + NO2) distribution. Two cases are considered in the northern polar regions: (1) descent of mesospheric NOx in February–March 2009 after a major sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) and, for comparison, (2) early 2007 when no NOx descent occurred. The model uses the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) operational data for winds and temperature, and we force NOx at the model upper altitude boundary (80 km) with ACE-FTS observations. We then compare the model results with ACE-FTS observations at lower altitudes. For the periods studied, geomagnetic indices are low, which indicates absence of local NOx production by particle precipitation. This gives us a good opportunity to study effects of atmospheric transport on polar NOx. The model results show no NOx descent in 2007, in agreement with ACE-FTS. In contrast, a large amount of NOx descends in February–March 2009 from the upper to lower mesosphere at latitudes larger than 60 N, i.e. inside the polar vortex. Both observations and model results suggest NOx increases of 150–200 ppb (i.e. by factor of 50) at 65 km due to the descent. However, the model underestimates the amount of NOx around 55 km by 40–60 ppb. According to the model results, chemical loss of NOx is insignificant during the descent period, i.e. polar NOx is mainly controlled by dynamics. The descent is terminated and the polar NOx amounts return to pre-descent levels in mid-March, when the polar vortex breaks. The break-up prevents the descending NOx from reaching the upper stratosphere, where it could participate in catalytic ozone destruction. Both ACE-FTS observaCorrespondence to: S. -M. Salmi (sanna-mari.salmi@fmi.fi) tions and FinROSE show a decrease of ozone of 20–30 % at 30–50 km from mid-February to mid-March. In the model, these ozone changes are not related to the descent but are due to solar activation of halogen and NOx chemistry.
Resilience of Islamic cryptocurrency markets to Covid-19 shocks and the Federal Reserve policy

PurposeAfter the COVID-19 outbreak, the Federal Reserve has undertaken several monetary policies to alleviate the pandemic consequences on the stock markets leading to a misunderstanding on the cryptocurrency market response. This paper aims to evaluate the effects of the Federal Reserve monetary policy on the Islamic and conventional cryptocurrency dynamics during the COVID-19 pandemic. We, specifically, examine the associate bubbles and feedbacks effects.Design/methodology/approachThis paper developed a novel methodology that detects market bubbles using the statistical indicators defined by Psychological (PSY) tests. It also investigated the effect of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) announcements on conventional and Islamic cryptocurrencies compatible with Islamic laws “Shari’ah” by using the event-driven regression.FindingsThe empirical results show that the FOMC announcements have a positive significant effect after one day of the event and a negative effect before two days of the announcement on the conventional cryptocurrency markets. However, the reaction of Islamic cryptocurrencies to these events is not significant except for Hello Gold after one day of the announcement. Besides, the Hello Gold and X8X cryptocurrencies present no bubbles during this period. However, Bitcoin and Ethereum markets have short-lived bubbles.Research limitations/implicationsThe main contribution of this study is the investigation of the response and vulnerability to pandemic shocks of a new category of cryptocurrencies backed by tangible assets. This work has practical implications as it provides new insights into trading opportunities and market reactions.Originality/valueTo our knowledge, this work is the first study that compares the response of Islamic and conventional cryptocurrency markets to FOMC announcements during the COVID-19 pandemic and examines the presence of bubbles in these markets. Besides, the originality of this work is derived from the novelty of the data employed and the method used (PSY tests) in this study.
Bolide fragment detection in Doppler weather radar data using artificial intelligence/machine learning

Unsupervised machine learning methods present a promising approach for detecting fragments produced from meteors and bolides as distinct signatures within Doppler weather radar data. A method combining principal component analysis (PCA), t‐distributed statistical neighbor embedding (t‐SNE), and data point pruning based on the nearest neighbor algorithm is introduced as a process to detect outlier meteor signatures from terrestrial weather signatures using the national NOAA WSR‐88D Doppler radar network. This method is applied against unlabeled data from four weather radar sites during two bolide events: the KFWS radar for the Ash Creek bolide and the KDAX, KRGX, and KBBX radars for the Sutter’s Mill bolide. The combined algorithm results in an accuracy rate of 99.7% and can classify the data in <8 min for a 121,000 return sized data set. However, the classifier’s recall and precision rates remained low due to difficulties in correctly classifying true‐positive meteorite fall events. This method enables the expedited detection of materials from bolides and meteors that fall within the national radar network, leading to the faster confirmation of meteorite fall events and subsequent dispatch of recovery teams.
Mallard–Black Duck Hybridization and Population Genetic Structure in North Carolina

North Carolina, USA, represents the southern extent of the American black duck's ( Anas rubripes ) breeding range. Mallards ( A. platyrhynchos ) are present on the breeding grounds of the American black duck and hybridization is observed between these species; therefore, we assessed the genetic integrity, hybridization rates, and population structure of this local breeding population. We extracted genomic and mitochondrial DNA from chorioallantoic membranes and contour feathers from monitored black duck nests. We then prepared the extracted DNA for analysis using high ‐ throughput DNA sequencing methods (ddRAD ‐ seq). First, we assessed nuclear and mitochondrial population structure, genetic diversity, and di ﬀ erentiation across samples from North Carolina, and compared them against 199 genetically vetted mallards, black ducks, and mallard × black duck hybrids that served as genetic references. Next, we tested for parentage and sibling relationship and overall relatedness of black ducks in North Carolina. We recovered strong population structure and high co ‐ ancestry across genetic markers due to interrelatedness among sampled nests in North Carolina and concluded that black ducks have been locally breeding in this area for a prolonged period of time. Despite a high level of interrelatedness among our samples, nucleotide diversity was similar to the reference continental black duck population, suggesting little e ﬀ ect of genetic drift, including inbreeding. Additionally, we conclude that molecular diversity of black ducks in North Carolina is maintained at reference population levels through the in ﬂ ux of genetic material from unrelated, migrating male black ducks. Finally, we report a hybridization level of 47.5%, covering 3 ﬁ lial generations. Of identi ﬁ ed hybrids, 54.7% and 53% were the direct result of interbreeding between black ducks and captive ‐ reared or wild mallards, respectively. We conclude that because of high rates of interspeci ﬁ c hybridization and successive backcrossing events, introgression from wild and feral mallards is occurring into this population of breeding black ducks and requires careful consideration in future management e ﬀ orts. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.
Flow directions of stream‐groundwater exchange in a headwater catchment during the hydrologic year

Understanding near‐stream groundwater dynamics and flow directions is important for predicting hillslope‐stream connectivity, streamflow generation, and hydrologic controls of streamwater quality. To determine the drivers of groundwater flow in the stream corridor (i.e., the stream channel and the adjacent groundwater in footslopes and riparian areas), we observed the water levels of 36 wells and 7 piezometers along a headwater stream section over a period of 18 months. Groundwater dynamics during events were controlled by the initial position of the groundwater table relative to the subsurface structure. The near‐stream groundwater table displayed a fast and pronounced response to precipitation events when lying in fractured bedrock with low storage capacity, and responded less frequently and in a less pronounced way when lying in upper layers with high storage capacity. Precipitation depth, intensity, regolith thickness above the fractured bedrock, and proximity to and elevation above the stream channel also had an effect on the groundwater dynamics, which varied with hydrologic conditions. Our high‐frequency and spatially dense measurements highlight the competing influence of groundwater inflow from upslope locations, streamwater level and bedrock properties on the spatiotemporal dynamics of flowpaths in the stream corridor. Near‐stream groundwater pointed uniformly towards the stream channel when the stream corridor was hydrologically connected to upslope groundwater. However, local interruptions of the water inflow from upslope locations caused flow reversals towards the footslopes. The direction of near‐stream groundwater followed the local fractured bedrock topography during dry hydrologic conditions on a few occasions after events. The outcomes of this research contribute to a better understanding of the drivers controlling spatiotemporal changes in near‐stream groundwater dynamics and flow directions in multiple wetness states of the stream corridor.
Knowledge‐guided machine learning for improving daily soil temperature prediction across the United States

Data‐driven models used for predicting soil temperature usually have increasing errors with increasing depth. By exploring the integration of knowledge‐based and machine learning approaches, this study used a novel transformation of meteorological variables to increase prediction accuracy of soil temperature with increasing soil depth. Using datasets for two soil textures (silty clay loam and loamy coarse sand) at two locations with different climates, predictive models were developed for five depths (5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 cm) as a function of meteorological features using an adaptive neuro‐fuzzy inference system (ANFIS). For each depth, soil temperature was predicted with nontransformation (NT), autocorrelation (AC), moving average (MA), and a combination of transformations (NT‐ACMA) of meteorological features. Across all depths, the predictive accuracy of NT‐ACMA models was significantly higher than that of NT, AC, and MA models for both soil textures (R2 = .99, RMSE = 1 °C for silty clay loam; R2 = .99, RMSE = 1.2 °C for loamy coarse sand), with increasing prediction accuracy as soil depth increases. Results for different soil textures and climates in 11 locations across the contiguous United States show that, except for 100‐cm depth, there seems to be significant positive linear relationships between the best moving average and the solar inclination. This makes our NT‐ACMA technique transferable to any location in the contiguous United States irrespective of the location, climate, and soil texture. We conclude that integrating lag times and moving averages of meteorological features can lead to better prediction of soil temperature at different soil depths.
Biofuel Benefit or Bummer? A Review Comparing Environmental Effects, Economics, and Feasibility of North American Native Perennial Grass and Traditional Annual Row Crops When Used for Biofuel

While biofuels have been touted as a benefit for growers—with the ability to be planted on marginal lands, for improved wildlife habitat, to sustain soils, and to reduce runoff—there remains to be a general summary of how beneficial they really are. This paper aims to review the environmental effects, feasibility, and economic aspects of using native perennial grasses in North America as biofuels as opposed to traditional annual crops. The Scopus database was used to search for manuscripts relating to each topic. In some instances, very few results appeared, so a second database, Digitop, was also used. Native perennial grasses have been found to sequester carbon and cultivating them can create a carbon sink in the soil. Overall, wildlife benefit more by having native perennial grass for biofuels planted than annual maize and having fewer harvests a season is better for wildlife over the entire year. Economically, growing native perennial grasses can be advantageous especially on marginal land, where it has a comparatively high yield. Although the second-generation biofuel supply chain is susceptible to changing market prices, it can be made more resilient and has advantages, for example resistance against the impacts of drought. Although there are many cultivars to choose from, factors like climate, soil, and genetics can provide pertinent information to match each specimen’s ideal growing conditions to the right location.
ZOOMING IN ON PRODUCT-SERVICE SYSTEM ECODESIGNING: A NOVEL ANALYSIS APPROACH AND APPLICATION TO A CASE INVOLVING EXPERIENCED PRACTITIONERS

Abstract In this article, we introduce a protocol analysis-based approach to analyze the cognitive characteristics of conceptual ecodesigning of product-service systems (PSSs). We initially present a novel and generic model to represent the lifecycle stages of solutions offered by industry and we contextualize it to PSS based offerings. Based on this representation of the PSS lifecycle stages and that of its architecture, we propose a multi-level coding scheme and a protocol analysis-based approach to analyze the distribution of designers' cognitive effort on the following three dimensions: i) different lifecycle stages, ii) different aspects of PSS architecture and iii) ecodesign activities and environmental issues. We applied this approach to analyze a conceptual PSS ecodesign case, performed in a laboratory setting by a pair of experienced practitioners. The results clearly indicate the evidence of quantitative differences in the distribution of the designers' cognitive effort on the different dimensions of PSS ecodesigning and thus, confirms the applicability and utility of the proposed approach.