Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antecedents of corporate misconduct: A linguistic content analysis of decoupling tendencies in sustainability reporting

Corporate social irresponsibility and corporate misconducts are a severe threat to the endeavours to establish more responsible business practices. Therefore, academia and practice alike try to find ways to anticipate these behaviors. In this regard, linguistic analysis can provide an approach to detect decoupling tendencies of firms, that is to identify firms that fail to walk the talk. This paper examines how the sustainability reports of eight manufacturing firms in the automotive and aircraft industries differ in regard to their linguistic composition. By applying the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count software, we emphasize how sustainability reports of decouplers and implementors differ in morphology, syntax, semantics and pragmatics. The analysis reveals that decouplers, among other factors, communicate in a less cognitively complex way. As they use shorter sentences, more informal language, less past and future references, and fewer conjunctions, we derive that decouplers are characterized by a lower linguistic sophistication . Moreover, decouplers’ reports can be classified by their linguistic hubris , which is defined by fewer emotional references, more self-references, less references to risk and anxiety, and heavy reliance on male language. The paper contributes to the debate on decoupling and corporate social irresponsibility, identifies linguistic antecedents of corporate misconduct, and enriches the domain of CSR reporting with a linguistic perspective. It supports the understanding of managers, policymakers and stakeholders of firms to evaluate whether a firm may fail to walk the talk.
Testing Graph Robustness Indexes for EEG Analysis in Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnosis

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is an incurable neurodegenerative disorder which mainly affects older adults. An early diagnosis is essential because medical treatments can slow down the progression of the disease only if provided during the first stage, called Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Starting from the study of electroencephalografic signals, brain functional connectivity analyses can be performed with the support of the graph theory. In particular, the purpose of this work is to verify the performances of three indexes, typically adopted to evaluate the graph robustness, in order to estimate the functional connectivity for three groups of subjects: healthy controls and people affected by dementia at two different stages (MCI and AD). The results obtained by the Connection Density Index, the Randić Index, and a normalized version of the Kirchhoff Index revealed a higher robustness in the brain networks of healthy people, followed by MCI and, finally, by AD patients, consistent with the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. The statistical analysis showed that there is a significant difference between controls and AD for all three indexes. Finally, all three indexes were compared, revealing that the the Randić Index outperformed the other two indexes. These preliminary outcomes will be exploited to address further in-depth and time-expensive analyses for improving the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.
The Removal of Zn(II) Through Calix[4]Recorcinarene Derivative Based Polymer Inclusion Membrane From Aqueous Solution

In the present work, the transport of Zn(II) metal ion from an aqueous nitrate solution of different metal ions through a polymer inclusion membrane (PIM) containing calix[4]resorcinarene derivative used as a carrier were investigated. Zn(II)metal ion showing high permeability were transported through PIMs prepared from cellulose triacetate (CTA) as a polymeric support material and 2-NPOE as a plasticizer. Total Zn(II) concentration was determined with an Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS) in the acceptor phase. The prepared PIM and supported liquid membrane (SLM) were characterized by using Scanning Electron Microscopy(SEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) techniques. The effects of membrane composition, effects of type of plasticizer in the membrane, effects of carrier concentration, and the thickness of the membranes were examined in the facilitated transport experiments of Zn(II) ion through PIM. We compared the performance of SLM experiments under the optimum conditions identified by the PIM studies. Higher permeability coefficient values for Zn(II) was found for SLM, while lower values were ascertained for PIM. The kinetic parameters which have been calculated as the constant rate (k), permeability coefficient (P), flux (J) and diffusion coefficient (D).
Exploring Climate-Change Impacts on Energy Efficiency and Overheating Vulnerability of Bioclimatic Residential Buildings under Central European Climate

Climate change is expected to expose the locked-in overheating risk concerning bioclimatic buildings adapted to a specific past climate state. The study aims to find energy-efficient building designs which are most resilient to overheating and increased cooling energy demands that will result from ongoing climate change. Therefore, a comprehensive parametric study of various passive building design measures was implemented, simulating the energy use of each combination for a temperate climate of Ljubljana, Slovenia. The approach to overheating vulnerability assessment was devised and applied using the increase in cooling energy demand as a performance indicator. The results showed that a B1 heating energy efficiency class according to the Slovenian Energy Performance Certificate classification was the highest attainable using the selected passive design parameters, while the energy demand for heating is projected to decrease over time. In contrast, the energy use for cooling is in general projected to increase. Furthermore, it was found that, in building models with higher heating energy use, low overheating vulnerability is easier to achieve. However, in models with high heating energy efficiency, very high overheating vulnerability is not expected. Accordingly, buildings should be designed for current heating energy efficiency and low vulnerability to future overheating. The paper shows a novel approach to bioclimatic building design with global warming adaptation integrated into the design process. It delivers recommendations for the energy-efficient, robust bioclimatic design of residential buildings in the Central European context, which are intended to guide designers and policymakers towards a resilient and sustainable built environment.
Orientation-Induced Redox Isomerism in Planar Supramolecular Systems

In this work, a previously undescribed phenomenon of orientation-induced redox isomerism in a Langmuir monolayer is revealed in the case of cerium bis-[tetra-(15-crown-5)-phthalocyaninate]-(Ce[(15C5)4Pc]2). It was established that intramolecular electron transfer (IET) from the electronic system of phthalocyanine to the 4f-orbital of cerium atom occurs upon spreading of a (Ce[(15C5)4Pc]2) chloroform solution onto the air–water interface (3D → 2D IET). This process is related to the transformation of Ce4+ cation in the solution to Ce3+ in the monolayer. It was also found that reversible Ce3+ ↔ Ce4+ IETs occur upon compression (π1 → π2) and expansion (π2 → π1) of monolayer (2Dπ1 ↔ 2Dπ2 IET, π-surface pressure). The mechanism of genuine redox isomerism was confirmed by the results of in situ UV–vis spectral measurements performed on monolayers and Langmuir–Blodgett films, AFM, and XPS studies of Langmuir–Blodgett films transferred at different surface pressures. The understanding of this reversible IET mecha.
Gender dimensions of digitalisation: a comparison of Venture Capital backed start-ups across fields

ABSTRACT The digitalisation of economic activities has given rise to much hope that it will lead to greater opportunities for women and a more ‘level playing field’ in the work place. On the other hand, there are concerns that the increasing success of the companies that are driving digitalisation might mean that the male-dominated culture of software companies is becoming more prominent and potentially reduces opportunities for women. This study investigates the gender distribution of key professionals in 8164 Venture Capital (VC) funded digital start-ups, as compared to information technology hardware and life sciences and biotechnology start-ups, as well as the impact of gender on VC funding. We find that, despite extensive advances in digitalisation over the past decade, women's participation remains low and continues to have a negative relationship with VC funding in both digital start-ups and other start-ups. Thus, our findings suggest that the recent digitalisation is not ‘levelling the playing field’ on a broad scale and that companies and policymakers need to be proactive to design inclusive strategies to capture benefits from a diverse workforce in digital start-ups.
CEO Exposure, Media Influence, and Stock Returns

Media-aware stock movements are well acknowledged by behavioral finance. As the soul of a firm, CEO media behavior is critical to the operation of a firm. CEO exposure could capture the investors’ attention and enhance the media effect in the stock market in terms of the “eyeball economics,” or CEO overexposure could attract more attention than firm-specific news, which attenuates the media effect in the stock market due to the investors’ limited attention. This study systematically explores the role and the moderating effect of CEO media behavior on the relationship between media content and stock markets. Using daily frequency data for a sample of Chinese stocks, this study shows that higher CEO media exposure attenuates the media effect on stock markets, especially consumer-related stocks.
Cluster development and regional industrial restructuring: agency and asset modification

ABSTRACT The paper presents a novel theoretical framework to analyse the emergence and growth of industrial clusters. The framework focuses on the role of change agency for the modification of assets that initiate cluster development, which may also impact regional industrial restructuring. The authors distinguish between agency and assets at firm level and regional level, and argue that alignment of assets at the two levels may influence cluster development. The theoretical approach is illustrated and further advanced through a study of agency and asset modification in three recent cluster initiatives in western Norway. While the results of the empirical studies confirm the relevance of the theoretical approach, they also highlight the importance of specific regional and extra-regional contextual factors, as well as national policies and regulations, for clusters.
Anomalous Behavior of Viscosity and Electrical Conductivity of MgSiO3 Melt at Mantle Conditions

Silicate melts have served as transport agents in the chemical and thermal evolution of Earth. Molecular dynamics simulations based on a deep neural network potential trained by ab initio data show that the viscosity of MgSiO3 melt decreases with increasing pressure at low pressures (up to ∼6 GPa) before it starts to increase with further compression. The melt electrical conductivity also behaves anomalously; first increasing and then decreasing with pressure. The melt accumulation implied by the viscosity turnover at ∼23 GPa along mantle liquidus offers an explanation for the low‐velocity zone at the 660‐km discontinuity. The increase in electrical conductivity up to ∼50 GPa may contribute to the steep rise of Earth's electrical conductivity profiles derived from magnetotelluric observations. Our results also suggest that small fraction of melts could give rise to detectable bulk conductivity in deeper parts of the mantle.
Thermoelastic and thermodynamic properties of plagioclase feldspars from thermal expansion measurements

Abstract Powder X‑ray diffraction patterns between 90 and 935 K have been collected for nine plagioclase samples, with different compositions and degree of Al-Si order. The refined volumes have been modeled using the Wallace and Suzuki formulations based on the Mie-Grüneisen EOS. No significant difference has been found between the Suzuki and Wallace formulations, and between the Einstein and Debye approximations of lattice energy. A Wallace model with the first derivative of the bulk modulus constrained to the experimentally determined values leads to refined Grüneisen parameters between 0.49 and 0.41, without any definite trend between albite and anorthite; the Einstein temperature in intermediate plagioclase is θE - 650 K, but it is lower in albite [θE = 453(5) K]. A good fit with experimental heat capacity data for the An60Ab40 composition has been found using two Einstein-like oscillators with θE1 = 230(3) K and θE2 = 952(7) K, XθE1 = 0.391(5). The change with temperature in An60Ab40 of the Grüneisen parameter is small at T > 150 K, with a slight decrease with temperature. Similar results could be obtained by independent refinement of an Einstein model with two oscillators to the volume data for the same composition [θE1 = 205(30) K, θE2 = 873(52) K, and X = 0.36(4)]. The components of the thermal strain tensor with temperature have been calculated and confirm that the greatest deformation is along the a* axis, i.e., along the extension direction of the crankshaft chains of the feldspar structure. Anomalous behavior of the strain tensor components in the a-c plane has been observed in albite and An27Ab73, and is related to an increase in the c unit-cell parameter with decreasing temperature.
The feminization and misrepresentation of public relations practitioners in Turkish tv dramas

ABSTRACT Among the roles scattered in the scenarios of the Turkish TV dramas, PR practitioners are ascribed various roles and stereotyped personal traits which are mainly represented by the female gender. They are designed and scripted as similar stereotypes that are negative characters with similar roles. This paper examines how female PR professionals have been portrayed in Turkish TV dramas. Using the approach of media framing from the perspective of gendered profession, this paper analyzes women in a variety of public relations roles in Turkish TV dramas produced between 1998 and 2020. A total of fifty-five PR female practitioners were identified in these fifty-one TV dramas. The results show that among the fifty-five (N = 55) PR practitioner characters, the majority were women (N = 52) and that the general tone of most of the characters was negative, profit-oriented and manipulative. Interestingly, the study also notes that the few (N = 3) PR characters portrayed as male were all portrayed as gay. This reinforces the idea that PR is portrayed as a feminized field. Misleading media portrayals of PR practitioners can have a negative impact on how people view the profession.
Decadal terminus position changes and ice thickness measurement of Menthosa Glacier in Lahaul region of North-Western Himalaya

Abstract Glacier ice-thickness measurement and distribution is one of the essential variables to assess present status of glacier-water equivalent and its volumetric reserve as well as to model the future glacier dynamics under the climate changing scenario. Yet, substantial gaps in ice thickness information exist for the Himalayan glaciers. The present study provides a long-term assessment (1965–2016) of recessional and area change patterns, as well as the detailed field-based (2016–2017) Ground Penetrating Radar(GPR), derived ice-thickness measurement of the Menthosa Glacier, Lahaul Himalaya. Additionally, the study examines whether the modelled ice thickness from remote sensing data is consistent with the field-based GPR measurement and how can it be improved. The extensive field surveys coupled with the multi-temporal high (Corona KH-4A) to medium resolution (Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper+ (ETM+)/Operational Land Imager (OLI), Sentinel 2A-Multispectral Instrument (MSI)) remote sensing data and cross-sectional GPR surveyed profile measurements have been used to examine past half a century (1965–2016) glacier fluctuation and the recent ice-thickness estimations, respectively. The results show that the Menthosa Glacier receded by 301.5 ± 19.2 m during the past half a century (1965–2016) with an average annual retreat of 5.9 ± 0.4 m a−1, whereas glacier lost 0.09 km2 ice in the frontal section. Field measurement over the past one decade (2006–2017) also conforms to a continuous recessional pattern and substantial glacier degeneration particularly the extensive surface lowering and significant appearance of ice-cliffs in the ablation and lateral zones over this period. The GPR measurements (2017) show the minimum glacier ice thickness of 24 meters at 4691 m a.s. l. (in the lower part of ablation area) and maximum glacier ice thickness of 55 meters measured at 4758 m a.s. l. (in the upper left-side tributary part of ablation area). Moreover, the modelled ice thickness derived from remotely sensed data is having Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) between 38 to 72 ± 10 m as compared with GPR measured ice thickness.
Towards an understanding of the decision process of solvers’ participation in crowdsourcing contests for problem solving

ABSTRACT Solvers’ participation is essential for successful implementation of crowdsourcing contests for problem solving (CCPS). Many efforts have been made to investigate solvers’ various participation behaviours in CCPS. Whether or not a solver will conduct a behaviour is the result of decision making. However, to our knowledge, few studies concentrated on solvers’ participation from a decision process perspective and little is known about the factors that influence the decisions that solvers are likely to make. This study aims to develop a framework for demonstrating solvers’ decisions and their relations, thereafter identify the factors that affect each of decision makings. It does so through the qualitative structured interviews conducted with solvers in a crowdsourcing platform. The interviews capture four major interrelated solvers’ decisions that are decisions of participation in CCPS, platform selection, contest selection and determination of effort level, respectively. Moreover, the factors including solvers’ motives, solvers’ individual characteristics and incentives, and their roles in each of solvers’ decision makings are presented. The findings improve the understanding of solvers’ participation in CCPS from a decision process perspective. With the further comprehending of factors that affect solvers’ decision makings, this study provides practical implications for crowdsourcing platforms to improve their services for solvers.
Flood Risk and Adaptation Strategies for Soybean Production Systems on the Flood-Prone Pampas under Climate Change

In recent decades, multiple flood events have had a devastating impact on soybean production in Argentina. Recent advances suggest that the frequency and intensity of destructive flood events on the Argentinian Pampas will increase under pressure from climate change. This paper provides bottom-up insight into the flood risk for soybean production systems under climate change and the suitability of adaptation strategies in two of the most flood-prone areas of the Pampas region. The flood risk perceptions of soybean producers were explored through interviews, translated into climatic indicators and then studied using a multi-model climate data analysis. Soybean producers perceived the present flood risk for rural accessibility to be of the highest concern, especially during the harvest and sowing seasons when heavy machinery needs to reach soybean lots. An analysis of climatic change projections found a rising trend in annual and harvest precipitation and a slight drying trend during the sowing season. This indicates that the flood risk for harvest accessibility may increase under climate change. Several adaptation strategies were identified that can systemically address flood risks, but these require collaborative action and cannot be undertaken by individual producers. The results suggest that if cooperative adaptation efforts are not made in the short term, the continued increase in flood risk may force soybean producers in the case study locations to shift away from soybean towards more robust land uses.
Caesarean Delivery Use in Ethiopia: A Spatial and Hierarchical Bayesian Analysis

Background: Access to emergency obstetric care (EmOC) is very important for reducing maternal mortality. A geographically linked data analysis using population and health facility data is potentially valuable to map caesarean delivery use, and to identify inequalities in service access and provision. Thus, this study aimed to assess the spatial patterns of caesarean delivery use, and to identify associated factors among pregnant women in Ethiopia. Method: A secondary data analysis of the 2016 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey linked with the 2014 Ethiopian Service Provision Assessment was conducted. A hierarchical Bayesian analysis was carried out using the SAS MCMC procedure. A spatial analysis was performed to identify the hot spot areas of caesarean delivery use with ArcGIS. Results: Women who had four or more ANC visits were 4.077 (95% Credible Interval (CrI): 1.909, 8.179) times more likely to use caesarean delivery compared to those who had no ANC visits. Pregnant women living in rural areas were 60% less likely to deliver via caesarean section. About 50% of the variability in the rate of caesarean delivery was accounted for by location. The spatial analysis found that Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa and the Harari region had clusters of high caesarean delivery rates. Conclusion: There were significant variations in the use of caesarean delivery services across the different regions of Ethiopia. The findings have important policy implications. The Ethiopian government has to increase the distribution of EmOC facilities and/or to establish a faster transportation system to allow pregnant women to reach EmOC facilities when caesarean delivery is indicated.
Integration of logistic regression and multilayer perceptron for intelligent single and dual axis solar tracking systems

Intelligent solar tracking systems to track the trajectory of the sun across the sky has been actively studied and proposed nowadays. Several low performance intelligent solar tracking systems have been designed and implemented. Multilayer perceptron (MLP) is one of the common controllers that used to drive solar tracking systems. However, when the input data are complex for neural network, neural network would not well explain the relationship between these data. Thus, it performed worse than when the input data are simple. Using a premapping of relationship between samples of data as input to neural network along with the original input data could probably a strong guide to help neural network to reach the desired goal and predict the output variables faster and more accurate. It is found that using the output of logistic regression as input to neural network would faster the process of finding the predicted output by neural network. Thus, this study aims to propose new efficient and low complexity single and dual axis solar tracking systems by integrating supervised logistic regression (LR) and supervised MLP or cascade multilayer perceptron (CMLP). LR models are trained by using one of unsupervised clustering techniques (k‐means, fuzzy c‐means, and hierarchical clustering algorithms). The proposed models were used to predict both tilt and orientation angles by two different data sets (month, day, and time variables data set) and (month, day, time, Isc, Voc, and power radiation variables data sets). The results revealed that the proposed MLP/CMLP‐LR systems are able to increase the prediction rate and decrease the mean square error rate as compared to conventional models in both single and dual axis solar tracking systems. The new developed intelligent systems achieved less number of overall connections, less number of neurons, and less time complexity. The finding suggests that the proposed intelligent solar tracking systems has a great potential to be applied for real‐world applications (i.e., solar heating systems, solar lightening systems, factories, and solar powered ventilation.