Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Estimation of stability-related soil properties using mid-infrared spectroscopy for non-agricultural land use in Lake Victoria basin, Kenya

ABSTRACT Methods for rapid and accurate soil tests are needed for stability-related soil properties, which are valuable for non-agricultural land use. The study tested the applicability of mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy for rapid estimation of selected stability-related soil properties. Two sample sets, representing different soils from across the Lake Victoria basin of Kenya, were used for the study. A model calibration set (n = 135) was obtained following a conditioned Latin hypercube sampling, and a validation set (n = 120) was obtained from independent sites using a spatially stratified random sampling strategy. Air-dried and ground (<0.5 mm) soils were scanned using a high-throughput screening accessory for diffuse reflectance attached to a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. Soil properties for interval-depth datasets were calibrated to smoothed first derivative MIR spectra using partial least-square regression (PLS) and the results were evaluated using hold-out full cross-validation. MIR spectra resulted in good prediction models with coefficient of determination (R2 ) ≥ 0.60 for air-dried moisture content (mc), liquid limit (LL), plastic limit (PL), plasticity index (PI), linear shrinkage (LS), coefficient of linear extensibility (COLE), volumetric shrinkage (VS), cation exchange capacity (CEC) and total sand content (tSa). Further independent validation gave R2 ≥ 0.72 and a ratio of prediction deviation (RPD) 3.8–2.0 for mc, LL, PI, LS, COLE, VS and CEC. MIR provides rapid estimation of several soil properties that provide stability indices valuable for non-agricultural land use in the Lake Victoria basin of Kenya. Further studies should test MIR PLS for interval/separate-depth calibrations and MIR screening of soil properties based on limitation classes commonly applied in civil works.
DETERMINANT FACTOR OF CROWDFUNDERS' BEHAVIOUR IN USING CROWDFUNDING WAQF MODEL: CASE STUDY IN GENERATION Z MUHAMMADIYAH

Introduction: The potential of Waqf is vast in Indonesia but has yet to be optimized. This paper offers a model for waqf institutions to adopt financial technology to develop Waqf for Muhammadiyah organizations. Later, the Crowdfunding waqf model (CWM) was validated by adopting the technology acceptance model (TAM) theory. Methods: This research adopts a structural equation using the partial least square approach to test the hypothesis. Based on purposive sampling, 568 questionnaires were distributed through an online survey to Generation Z Muhammadiyah. Results: Based on the findings, the Crowdfunding waqf model's perceived benefits and ease of use positively impact waqf institution trust and crowdfunder or donor behavioral intention. Furthermore, the results also found that literacy and religiosity significantly positively affect crowdfunding behavioral intentions in Waqf. Conclusion and suggestion: The results of this study provide a comprehensive perspective for policymakers, especially Muhammadiyah organizations, to improve quality by adopting crowdfunding financial technology in raising waqf funds. Finally, this paper offers additional literature on Waqf and Crowdfunding, particularly in the context of religious organizations.
Response of Kobresia pygmaea and Stipa purpurea Grassland Communities in Northern Tibet to Nitrogen and Phosphate Addition

Abstract The Tibetan Plateau is of fundamental ecological significance to China, Asia, and the world. In recent years, Tibetan grasslands have suffered from severe degradation due to climate change and anthropogenic disturbance. In this study, nitrogen (N) and phosphate were applied to a moderately degraded Kobresia pygmaea meadow and Stipa purpurea steppe in the arid alpine northern Tibetan Plateau. The results showed that with increasing nitrogenous fertilizer, the height, coverage, biomass, and importance value of the K. pygmaea population decreased whereas the population of S. purpurea exhibited the opposite trend. Application of a mixed fertilizer with the same amount of N and phosphorus (P) (5 g each per m2) doubled the biomass of the K. pygmaea meadow and increased the aboveground biomass of the S. purpurea steppe by 72.3%. The nitrogenous fertilizer increased the total biomass and belowground biomass of the S. purpurea steppe, whereas the mixed fertilizer was beneficial to aboveground grass recovery. Application of 10 g N + 5 g P m−2 fertilizer increased aboveground biomass by 164.8%, whereas the belowground biomass was less than the control by 4.7%. The N and P fertilizer did not affect soil pH, except for some changes in soil N and P contents.
The Southern Piedmont’s Continued Land-Use Evolution, 1973–2011

The southern Piedmont in the U.S. was an important farming region during the 19th century, but by the end of the 20th century, agricultural land use had decreased substantially with forest becoming the majority land cover by the 1970s. Geographical literature has documented this change but has not concentrated on the region’s contemporary land uses. The Piedmont currently has three main types of land use and land cover changes: cyclic forestry, changes between forest and agriculture, and urbanization. The first and second groupings are reversible and land uses and land covers can change among them, but urbanization is normally a permanent change that increases in area through time. U.S. Geological Survey findings indicate that cyclic forestry of cutting (clearing) and regrowth dominated recent land change in the Piedmont. This paper explores the Piedmont’s current land uses and some of their driving forces.
Paleozoic multiple subduction-accretion processes of the southern Altaids

The formation and development of the southern Altaids is controversial with regard to its accretionary orogenesis and continental growth. The Altay-East Junggar orogenic collage of North Xinjiang, China, offers a special natural laboratory to resolve this puzzle. Three tectonic units were juxtaposed, roughly from North to South, in the study area. The northern part (Chinese Altay), composed of variably deformed and metamorphosed Paleozoic sedimentary, volcanic, and granitic rocks, is interpreted as a Japan-type island arc of Paleozoic to Carboniferous-Permian age. The central part (Erqis), which consists of ophiolitic mélanges and coherent assemblages, is a Paleozoic accretionary complex. The southern part (East Junggar), characterized by imbricated ophiolitic mélanges, Nb-enriched basalts, adakitic rocks and volcanic rocks, is regarded as a Devonian-Carboniferous intra-oceanic island arc with some Paleozoic ophiolites, superimposed by Permian arc volcanism. A plagiogranite from an imbricated ophiolitic mélange (Armantai) in the East Junggar yields a new SHRIMP zircon age of 503 ± 7 Ma. Using published age constraints, we propose the presence of multiple subduction systems in this part of the Paloasian Ocean in the Paleozoic. The intraoceanic arcs became accreted to the southern active margin of the Siberian craton in the middle Carboniferous-Permian. During the long accretionary processes, in addition to large-scale southward-directed thrusting, large-scale, orogen-parallel, strike-slip movements (for example, Erqis fault) in the Permian translated fragments of these intraoceanic arcs and associated accretionary wedges. This new tectonic model has broad implications for the architecture and crustal growth of Central Asia and for other ancient orogens.
Genome-Wide Identification and Transcriptional Expression Profiles of Transcription Factor WRKY in Common Walnut (Juglans regia L.)

The transcription factor WRKY is widely distributed in the plant kingdom, playing a significant role in plant growth, development and response to stresses. Walnut is an economically important temperate tree species valued for both its edible nuts and high-quality wood, and its response to various stresses is an important factor that determines the quality of its fruit. However, in walnut trees themselves, information about the WRKY gene family remains scarce. In this paper, we perform a comprehensive study of the WRKY gene family in walnut. In total, we identified 103 WRKY genes in the common walnut that are clustered into 4 groups and distributed on 14 chromosomes. The conserved domains all contained a WRKY domain, and motif 2 was observed in most WRKYs, suggesting a high degree of conservation and similar functions within each subfamily. However, gene structure was significantly differentiated between different subfamilies. Synteny analysis indicates that there were 56 gene pairs in J. regia and A. thaliana, 76 in J. regia and J. mandshurica, 75 in J. regia and J. microcarpa, 76 in J. regia and P. trichocarpa, and 33 in J. regia and Q. robur, indicating that the WRKY gene family may come from a common ancestor. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the WRKY gene family was involved in resistance traits and the plant-pathogen interaction pathway. In anthracnose-resistant F26 fruits (AR) and anthracnose-susceptible F423 fruits (AS), transcriptome and qPCR analysis results showed that JrWRKY83, JrWRKY73 and JrWRKY74 were expressed significantly more highly in resistant cultivars, indicating that these three genes may be important contributors to stress resistance in walnut trees. Furthermore, we investigate how these three genes potentially target miRNAs and interact with proteins. JrWRKY73 was target by the miR156 family, including 12 miRNAs; this miRNA family targets WRKY genes to enhance plant defense. JrWRKY73 also interacted with the resistance gene AtMPK6, showing that it may play a crucial role in walnut defense.
OSTRACODS ACROSS THE PERMIAN-TRIASSIC BOUNDARY IN WESTERN TETHYS: THE BULLA PARASTRATOTYPE (SOUTHERN ALPS, ITALY)

Investigation of the ostracod fauna of the parastratotype of the Permian-Triassic boundary at Bulla in the Southern Alps produced 62 species belonging to 31 genera. They are all discussed and figured. This paper presents results of the first description of ostracods from this important site. One genus, Bairdiacratia n. gen., and 13 species are new: Glyptopleurina pasinii n. sp. , Knoxiella ventrospinosa n. sp. , Knightina bullaensis n. sp. , Bairdia ortiseiensis n. sp. , B. cheni n. sp. , B. (Rectobairdia) kershawi n. sp. , Bairdiacratia qinglai n.gen. n. sp. , B. tergi lata n. gen. n. sp. , Microcheilinella lata n. sp. , Parabythocythere chongpani n. sp. , Cavellina bellerophonella n. sp. , C. alpina n. sp. and C. triassica n. sp. The palaeocecological analysis of each unit is produced. The unconformity-paraconformity U1 is clearly reflected in the ostracod assemblages and is marked by a drop in diversity and abundance of specimens. It was followed by a change in the ostracod faunal composition. The Bulla Member displays maximum ostracod diversity and abundance linked with the trangressive trend reported for this period. The unconformity-paraconformity U2, at the boundary between the Bellerophon and Werfen formations (Bulla and Lower Tesero members) is the main extinction level for ostracods. The Lower Tesero, Lower Mazzin and Upper Tesero members have very poor faunas. The lower part of the Upper Mazzin Mb. is characterized by an uneven burst of diversity before the great period of taxonomic paucity observed during the late Griesbachian all over the world.
Genesis and sedimentary structures of late Holocene aeolian drift sands in northwest Europe

Abstract In northwest Europe local resedimentation of terrestrial deposits by wind from the Neolithic to the present has resulted in widespread accumulation of (aeolian) drift sands. These deposits consist mainly of fine, well-sorted and well-rounded unimodal sands; their mineralogical composition usually reflects local provenance. Palynological studies combined with radiocarbon analyses of the topmost part of buried peat sections reveal no distinct regional phases in drift sand accumulation: ages mainly vary from ad 500 to 1700. Small remnants of current actively moving drift sands provide evidence of sub-recent deflation and accumulation processes in relation to relief, topsoil and aerodynamic conditions. These are reflected in the sedimentary structures. Principal structures show dune foreset cross-bedding as well as even or wavy sub-horizontal lamination, while occasional strings of granules or small pebbles represent deflation phases. Primary structures resulting from tractional deposition (mainly sub-critical climbing ripple migration) and grainfall deposition, secondary structures (mainly slump, scour-fill and adhesion structures) and non-aeolian structures (mainly caused by rain impact, convolution structures, wetted sand crusts, and foot- or hoof-imprints) have a distinct appearance in lacquer peels and in SEM micrographs. Transport and accumulation of these temperate aeolian sands appear to have occurred under dry, moist and wet conditions.
One-Year-Old Seedling Biomass Distribution and Root Architecture Characteristics Differed Between Two Desert Plants: Tamarix ramosissima and Alhagi sparsifolia

One-year-old seedlings of Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb. and Alhagi sparsifolia Shap. , two dominant species in the southern rim of the Taklamakan Desert, were investigated. A root uprooting and trench profile method were used to study the characteristics of the biomass distribution and root architecture. The results showed that the biomass distribution of two species differed. T. ramosissima had more biomass in the shoots, whereas A. sparsifolia had more biomass in the roots. The root architecture of two species differed, the root distribution of T. ramosissima resembled a “herringbone” formation in vertical profile, whereas the roots of A. sparsifolia were distributed in the form of a web, with dichotomous architecture.
PRODUCTIVITY AND MISALLOCATION IN GENERAL EQUILIBRIUM.

We provide a general non-parametric formula for aggregating microeconomic shocks in general equilibrium economies with distortions such as taxes, markups, frictions to resource reallocation, and nominal rigidities. We show that the macroeconomic impact of a shock can be boiled down into two components: its “pure” technology effect; and its effect on allocative efficiency arising from the associated reallocation of resources, which can be measured via changes in factor income shares. We also derive a formula showing how these two components are determined by structural microeconomic parameters such as elasticities of substitution, returns to scale, factor mobility, and network linkages. Overall, our results generalize those of Solow (1957) and Hulten (1978) to economies with distortions. To demonstrate their empirical relevance, we pursue different applications, focusing on markup distortions. For example, we operationalize our non-parametric results and show that improvements in allocative efficiency account for about 50% of measured TFP growth over the period 1997-2015. We also implement our structural results and conclude that eliminating markups would raise TFP by about 40%, increasing the economywide cost of monopoly distortions by two orders of magnitude compared to the famous 0.1% estimates of Harberger (1954).
Cities of change - Addis Ababa: transformation strategies for urban territories in the 21st century

Dieses Handbuch analysiert zeitgen ssische urbane Ph nomene in Wachstumsregionen am Beispiel der thiopischen Hauptstadt Addis Abeba und stellt einen Katalog nachhaltiger Strategien f r die St dtebaupraxis in der 2. und 3. Welt vor.
EXPLAINING THE DECISIONS TO CARRY OUT PRODUCT AND PROCESS INNOVATIONS IN THE SPANISH MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

This paper investigates the determinants of innovation activity in a large sample of Spanish manufacturing firms during the period 1990-1993. A distinction is made between product and process innovations and, among the explanatory variables, special attention is paid to firm and market characteristics. The analysis incorporates some important differences regarding to previous works in this field. On the one hand, we distinguish different kinds of innovations. On the other, the use of panel data allows us to control for unobserved firm heterogeneity. The reasons for the presence and intensity of innovation activities in firms and industries have received a lot of attention in the economic literature during the past 50 years. Most of this research tries to expand the line opened by Schumpeter (1942). As it is well known, the Schumpeterian hypotheses look at firm's characteristics (mainly its size as a source of internally generated financial resources) and at the characteristics of the market (mainly the degree of competition) as the principal determinants of innovation activity by business firms. Therefore, most of the post Schumpeterian empirical research has focused in trying to test whether larger firms in markets with "not too much" competition innovate more than the rest of firms (see Levin complete surveys of this empirical literature). There have also been several studies trying to test the Schumpeterian hypotheses using Spanish data: Lafuente et al. Our research in this paper of the dissertation introduces several distinct features in relation to previous works. First, we measure innovation activity in terms of outputs rather than in terms of inputs as it was done in the papers quoted above. We count as innovation the report by each firm in the sample that such activity has actually taken place. Therefore, not only patented innovations are considered. We believe that the report of product or process innovations 2 is a more complete indicator of innovative activity than the use of the number of patents, since there are many innovations that are introduced without being patented. Second, among the explanatory variables we include a measure of technological capital which, in fact, implies the estimation of an implicit "production function" of innovations. The stock of technological capital is constructed using a permanent inventory model of R&D expenditures over time, with an exogenously given depreciation rate. So, our approach is in line with Hall and Mairesse (1993) or Crepon and Duguet (1997) and in contrast with Bound …
A plate model for Jurassic to Recent intraplate volcanism in the Pacific Ocean basin

Figure 2d indicates formation of the Caribbean Plate in the late Cretaceous. Obducted Jurassic crust around the Caribbean is taken to indicate late Jurassic-early Cretaceous spreading. This would accord with Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico opening. The Caribbean plateau seems to have formed during several pulses, 130-120 Ma, 90-88 Ma and around 78-76 Ma. It is centered on the Beata Ridge. Analogy with the Scotia Plate (West Scotia Ridge) suggests this was the locus of early, Atlantic-Caribbean spreading between the Americas (James, 2005a). In this model the Caribbean Plate and its plateau formed in-place.
Safe handling of renewable fuels and fuel mixtures

The overall objective of this research project was to create new data on the safety-technical characteristics of renewable fuels, low-rank coals and mixtures of these. Knowledge of basic handling and safety-technical chracteristics is of crucial significance for the design of handling equipment and safety systems, and for the assessment of explosion and fire hazards. Ten biomass and lignite fuel samples and two fuel mixtures were included in the work programme. Extensive physical and chemical characterisation was performed for all samples. The reactivity of the combustible dusts was characterised by thermal analysis (DTA-TGA). Based on the thermal runaway temperatures of the dusts the samples are listed by order of reactivity. Self-ignition properties of the fuels were studied at normal and elevated pressure (1 25 bar). The results of the self-ignition tests for the fuel samples are mainly in line with the reactivity tests carried out on DTA-TGA. The elevated pressure had a significant effect on the self-ignition temperature of all fuel samples. Partial inerting increased the self-ignition temperature, but to a rather low degree. Dust explosion tests were performed in 1 m vessels and 20 litre spheres. Dust explosion parameters were determined both in normal conditions and at elevated temperature and pressure. A linear correlation was found between the maximum explosion pressure Pmax and the initial pressure. The values measured for the rate of pressure rise, the KSt-value, were considerably more scattered. Most differences can probably be associated with diverse turbulence conditions inside the explosion vessel. In most cases, the lower oxygen concentration LOC slightly increased with increasing initial pressure. LOC decreases with increasing initial temperature, around 1 3 vol% per 100 oC temperature rise. Suppression systems are frequently used in industry as a measure of explosion protection. The suppression tests were conducted in a heatable the 1 m vessel. Increasing the temperature makes the suppression of the dust explosion more demanding. Use of partly inert atmosphere led to an increased efficiency of the explosion suppression system.
Beach Erosion and Accretion in Relation to Seasonal Longshore Current Variation in the Northern Kerala Coast, India

A one-year set of beach profile and longshore current data measured bimonthly were analysed to understand the relationship of the longshore current to the beach erosion and accretion phenomena in the northern Kerala coast. The study indicated that the longshore current activity can be linked with the following erosional and accretional phases: (1) a depositional phase dominated by a northerly current; (2) a transitional phase with perceptible erosion showing reversal in current direction; and (3) an erosional phase dominated by a southerly current. The intensity of the longshore current and the rates of erosion and accretion are directly related.
The Relationship between Personality and Perceived Mental Fatigability by

An increase in number of adults over the age of 65 living in the United States has led to a proportionate increase in the number of individuals reporting symptoms of fatigue one of the chief complaints among older adults that has been associated with a decline in functionality, and increased risk for negative health outcomes. Perceived mental fatigability is a construct of fatigue that is ideal for the measurement of perceived mental tiredness in an aging population because it accounts for self-pacing bias, provides activities that are standardized in intensity and duration, and can be done with a self-report questionnaire as opposed to a performance-based assessment, which are common among measures of fatigue, but difficult for older adults. Personality traits may be related to perceived mental fatigability through several direct and indirect mechanisms including health behaviors, sensation seeking behaviors, and the cost/benefit theory of motivation. This cross-sectional analysis considers a sample of 1,812 relatively healthy and educated older men from the 4 visit of the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) Study, completed between 2014 and 2016. Linear regression models were used to assess the relationship between optimism, conscientiousness, goal reengagement, goal disengagement, and perceived mental fatigability as measured by the Pittsburgh Fatigability Scale (PFS) when controlling for relevant demographics, psychological and behavioral variables, comorbidities, and physical activity and function.