Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Role of Shared Leadership in Managing Conflicts in Multigenerational Teams: A Research Framework

With multigenerational teams becoming ubiquitous in contemporary organisations, this article aims to address the need to understand the dynamics within such teams. The study proposes a conceptual framework to examine the role of shared leadership in multigenerational teams in promoting positive team outcomes for such teams. Potential differences in work values, attitudes and behaviours among different generations are likely to predispose multigenerational teams to a higher probability of conflicts, which may negatively impact team outcomes. The study posits that if shared leadership emerges in multigenerational teams, it is likely to promote the adoption of cooperative conflict management styles and inhibit the adoption of competitive and avoidant styles, thereby leading to positive outcomes like team performance and team member satisfaction. By proposing conflict management styles as an important mechanism through which shared leadership promotes positive team outcomes, the study intends to contribute to the emerging literature on shared leadership and conflict management in multigenerational teams.
Ferromagnetism and the oxygen vacancy in ZnO:(Mn,Co)

In this report the correlation between ferromagnetism and the oxygen vacancy in thin film ZnO doped with Mn and Co is investigated. This was done by annealing samples in both air and nitrogen and performing photoluminescence and VSM measurments. A weak ferromagnetic signal was observed in ZnO:Mn, the saturation value of which could be increased when annealed in nitrogen and decreased when annealed in air. The ZnO:Co samples however showed no ferromagnetic signals. The results from the Mn samples indicate that the oxygen vacancy does indeed play a part in the observed ferromagnetic response.
Laboratory Studies of Atmospherically Important Gas- Phase Peroxy Radical Reactions

Peroxy radicals (HO2, RO2) are important intermediates in Earth's atmosphere. They are intermediates in the oxidation of alkanes and CO in combustion and atmospheric chemical processes. In earth's atmosphere, the rates of their self and cross reactions are often the dominant loss processes when NOx concentrations fall below tens of pptv. These reactions have proven difficult to study in laboratory experiments, due to complex secondary chemistry and ambiguities in radical detection. This thesis describes a new laser-photolysis apparatus to measure the rates of peroxy radical reactions under atmospheric conditions that employs simultaneous UV direct absorption and IR wavelength-modulation spectroscopy to detect the peroxy radicals. Prior kinetic measurements of gas-phase peroxy radical reactions have typically employed flash-photolysis methods coupled with detection of the radicals only by UV absorption spectroscopy. However, uncertainties can arise because several different species often contribute to the absorption signal. The IR channel provides an independent means of monitoring HO2 radicals by detection of specific rovibrational transitions. With this apparatus, the rates of the reactions HO2 + NO2, HO2 + CH3O2, CH3O2 + CH3O2, and HO2 + HO2 were studied at temperatures from 219 K to 300 K. Our measurements have, in some cases, led to significant revision of previously accepted rate constants, mechanisms, or product yields, especially at conditions relevant to the upper atmosphere. The new rate coefficients for the HO2 + HO2 reaction are shown to account for a long-standing discrepancy in modeled vs. observed hydrogen peroxide in the stratosphere. A key finding has been the observation that many previous measurements of HO2 reactions at low temperatures have suffered from problems due to complexation between HO2 and methanol, a precursor used to generate HO2. Direct kinetic evidence is presented for the formation of the HO2? CH3OH complex; the rate coefficients, equilibrium constant, and enthalpy of reaction for HO2 + CH3OH HO2? CH3OH were measured. These results are the first direct study of the chaperone effect proposed to explain the enhancement of the observed rates of the HO2 self-reaction by hydrogen-bonding species. The effects of methanol enhancement on the HO2 + NO2, HO2 + CH3O2, CH3O2 + CH3O2, and HO2 + HO2 reaction rates were measured. For the HO2 + NO2 reaction, overlapping, time-dependent signals in the UV due to the equilibrium between NO2 and N2O4 were observed that may not have been properly accounted for in previous measurements. Other studies of NO2 reactions conducted at temperatures below 250 K may be subject to similar errors. In the CH3O2 + CH3O2 reaction, detection of HO2 products has raised questions concerning the product yields and reaction mechanisms.
Managerial Political Spending Choice and Earnings Management

This study investigates whether and how the CEOs’ political spending choice is associated with their earnings management behavior. Using a sample of 8,502 firm-year observations from S&amp;P 500 firms during 1993-2012 over 10 election cycles, we provide empirical evidence that CEOs making political spending mainly through the corporate channel to recipients advised by the firms’ own political action committees engage in less earnings management than those making political spending mainly through the private channel to their own selected recipients. This finding suggests that CEOs’ political spending choice of the private channel over the corporate channel represents their strong self-interests and is associated with higher agency costs. We further show that the distinction between the two channels is less important when the CEOs’ private political spending patterns are aligned with those of their own firms. Our results are robust to techniques alleviating the potential endogeneity issue related to the political spending behavior.
Stochastic Analysis of Tsunami Hazard of the 1945 Makran Subduction Zone Mw 8.1–8.3 Earthquakes

Historical records of major earthquakes in the northwestern Indian Ocean along the Makran Subduction Zone (MSZ) indicate high potential tsunami hazards for coastal regions of Pakistan, Iran, Oman, and western India. There are fast-growing and populous cities and ports that are economically important, such as Chabahar (Iran), Gwadar (Pakistan), Muscat (Oman), and Mumbai (India). In this study, we assess the tsunami hazard of the 1945 MSZ event (fatalities ≈300 people) using stochastic earthquake rupture models of Mw 8.1–8.3 by considering uncertainties related to rupture geometry and slip heterogeneity. To quantify the uncertainty of earthquake source characteristics in tsunami hazard analysis, 1000 stochastic tsunami scenarios are generated via a stochastic source modeling approach. There are main objectives of this study: (1) developing stochastic earthquake slip models for the MSZ, (2) comparing results of the simulation with the existing observations of the 1945 event, and (3) evaluating the effect of uncertain fault geometry and earthquake slip based on simulated near-shore wave profiles. The 1945 Makran earthquake is focused upon by comparing model predictions with existing observations, consisting of far-field tsunami waveforms recorded on tide gauges in Karachi and Mumbai and coseismic deformation along the Pakistani coast. The results identify the source model that matches the existing observations of the 1945 Makran event best among the stochastic sources. The length, width, mean slip, and maximum slip of the identified source model are 270 km, 130 km, 2.9 m, and 19.3 m, respectively. Moreover, the sensitivity of the maximum tsunami heights along the coastline to the location of a large-slip area is highlighted. The maximum heights of the tsunami and coseismic deformation results at Ormara are in the range of 0.3–7.0 m and −2.7 to 1.1 m, respectively, for the 1000 stochastic source models.
XRD investigation of cement pastes incorporating concrete floor polishing waste

X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique has been used in several works to characterize cementitious materials. XRD pattern allows the study of cement hydration products at different curing ages and with different materials additions by analyzing peak positions and relative pattern intensities [1-3]. Quantitative phase analysis (QPA) can also be carried out in order to determine the (hydrated) cement phases’ concentration, as peak intensity is related to weight fraction [4]. Gray Portland cement contain alite (C3S 3CaO.SiO2), belite (C2S 2CaO.SiO2), aluminate (C3A 3CaO.Al2O3), and ferrite (C4AF 4CaO.Al2O3.Fe2O3) as major phases. Silicate phases, which significantly contribute to the cement matrix strength at hardened state [5], have polymorphism as a function of temperature stabilization. Alite has 7 polymorphs [6], and belite has 5 polymorphs [7]. On the other hand, pure aluminate does not exhibit polymorphism, although composition variation leads to structure variation [8]. The main product of hydrated Portland cement paste is calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H), which is formed due to alite and belite reactions with water. This component exhibits amorphous or low crystallinity characteristics. C3S and C2S hydration reactions also produce calcium hydroxide (portlandite), which is crystalline and is the second main product of the hydrated paste. Ettringite and monosulphate phases are products of aluminate and ferrite hydrations, and their concentrations are due to the hydration degree of paste and aluminate and ferrite quantity [9]. When exposed to XRD investigation of cement pastes incorporating concrete floor polishing waste
Readiness for the Fourth Industrial Revolution

This chapter explored the readiness of a South African university to take part in the fourth industrial revolution by exploring the experiences of students in science and technology on the impact of COVID-19 in the learning of their practical modules. Guided by two research questions, namely how the COVID-19 has impacted students' engagement with their practical modules and students' readiness to learn remotely and carry out the practical aspects of their modules, the chapter employ a qualitative case study approach to explore the views of students that offer courses that involve practical. Seven fourth-year students were purposively selected as study sample. Data were generated online using Google forms and were analysed thematically. The chapter was framed using the technology acceptance model. Findings revealed the following: ease and clarity of concept, lack of interaction with others, lack of motivation, lack of access to ICT facilities, lack of relevant materials to execute practical tasks, and lack of conducive learning environment.
Polyglycolide and Copolyesters with Lactide

Introduction Historical Outline Chemical Structures Step-growth Polymerization of Glycolic Acid Chain-growth Polymerization of Glycolide, the Cyclic Dimer of Glycolic Acid Step-growth Copolymerization of Glycolic Acid with l- and d-Lactic Acid Chain-growth Copolymerization of Glycolide with l- and d-Lactides Transesterification Rearrangements Occurrence Monomers Polymers Biochemistry Degradation in Abiotic and Biotic Aqueous Media Degradation in Abiotic Media Degradation in Biotic Media Production Producers World Market Applications Patents Outlook and Perspectives Keywords: aliphatic polyesters; poly(α-hydroxy acids); degradable polymers; bioresorbable polymers; biodegradable polymers; glycolic acid polymers; lactic acid polymers; glycolic acid–lactic acid copolymers
Higher Education Governance of Big Data

In this chapter, the authors conducted a study on higher education governance of big data. Big data can be described as the amount of data created which is beyond the technical capacity to be efficiently processed, stored, and managed. There are six objectives for the study, which are to investigate the characteristics of big data in higher education, in how big data contributes to higher education, how to govern big data in higher education, the higher educational governance models, the roles of government in managing higher education and the big data initiative in the developing nations. Kitchenham methodology is adopted in this study to carry out a systematic literature review. The finding, therefore, reveals that the characteristics of big data include value, velocity, volume, veracity, and variety. The findings show that big data contributes to higher education by given real-time feedback, monitor students'school performance. It shows that big data can be used for the detection of attrition risk, data visualization, students's skill estimation, and grouping and collaborations among the students. It also shows that big data can be governed through provisions of information security, compliances, and ensuring privacy. This chapter, therefore, contributed data quality and accountability as other methods of governing big data. Therefore, the authors recommend the future study to cover data stakeholders in higher education.
Production of Low-Potassium Solid Fuel from Empty Fruit Bunches (EFB) by Employing Hydrothermal Treatment and Water Washing Process

Empty fruit bunch (EFB) can be used as a solid fuel for heat and power generation. However, high ash particularly potassium content can cause slagging, and fouling which negatively affect thermal conversion systems. A pretreatment process to remove potassium and achieve better solid fuel characteristics from EFB was proposed by employing the hydrothermal treatment (HT) followed by the washing process. EFB was treated via HT at the temperatures of 100, 150, 180 and 220 °C with the holding time of 30 min. A batch washing process was then conducted at different solid-product to liquid ratios. In this study, raw EFB and HT products were experimentally investigated in the laboratory to determine the effects of HT and the washing process on the potassium removal efficiency. Thermal behaviors of unwashed and washed products were also investigated. The results showed that the combination of HT-180 and washing can remove potassium up to 92 %, lowering the ash content down to 0.9 % and the chlorine content down to 0.19 % which led to a significant improvement in its thermal behavior with lowering the slagging tendencies. These results indicated that HT followed by the washing process is a viable way to obtain a low potassium content solid fuel.
Genotype-environment interaction of barley DH lines in terms of morphological and physical traits of the stem and the degree of lodging

The study presents results of investigations concerning the effect of environmental conditions on the morpho- logical and physical traits of the stalk and the degree of lodging in barley (Hordeum vulgare). The object of the experiments were doubled haploid lines (DH) obtained from F1 hybrids between the hulled DH line RK63/1 and the hull-less breeding line 1N86. The DH lines, the initial forms, F1 and F2 hybrids were examined in the course of a three-year field experiment. The length, diameter and thickness of the stem wall, the elasticity of the stem (Young's mo- dulus) and the degree of lodging were analyzed in the study. A signi- ficant effect of the year, genotype and the genotype x year (G x E) interaction on the variability of the investigated traits was found. The evaluation and testing of the comparisons between the hulled and hull-less barley lines showed that hulled genotypes were cha- racterized by a significantly thicker and longer stem, a bigger elas- ticity and a lower degree of lodging. The size and direction of chan- ges between the hulled and hull-less lines in terms of the traits ana- lyzed depended on environmental conditions.
Ambient Non-Methane Hydrocarbons (NMHCs) Measurements in Baoding, China: Sources and Roles in Ozone Formation

Ambient non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) are important precursors of ozone (O3) and secondary organic aerosol (SOA). Online and offline measurements of NMHCs were conducted during September 2015 in Baoding, Hebei province of China, in order to investigate their sources and roles in ozone formation. Average levels of total NMHCs online measured at the urban site were 44.5 ± 26.7 ppb. Aromatics was the largest contributor to NMHCs levels and OH reactivity, with fraction of 27.1% and 35.9%, respectively. Based on offline measurements at eight sites, we found that toluene, ethylbenzene, and m,p-xylene displayed the highest level at the site close to automobile manufacturing factories, followed by downwind receptor sites and other sites. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) model was then used to analyze NMHCs sources. Four factors were identified, including traffic-related emission, automobile manufacturing coating, biogenic emission, and NG/LPG usage and background. Average relative contribution of automobile manufacturing coating to NMHCs levels during the entire online measurement period was 33.4%, and this value increased to 42% during two O3 pollution days. Sensitivity of O3 formation to NMHCs and NOX during an O3 pollution episode were analyzed using a box model based on observations. Relative incremental reactivity (RIR) results suggested that O3 formation was in NOx-titration regime (i.e., highly NMHCs-limited regime). Further scenario analyses on relationship of O3 formation with reduction of NOx and anthropogenic NMHCs (AHC) indicated that AHC and NOx should be reduced by a ratio greater than two and three to achieve 5% and 10% O3 control objectives, respectively. The largest RIR value for anthropogenic NMHC species was from xylenes, which were also an important contributor to SOA formation and dominantly from sources related to automobile manufacturing coating and traffic emission. This means reducing NMHCs emission from automobile manufacturing coating and traffic emission should be given priority for synergetic control of O3 and PM2.5.
Various Factors May Modulate the Effect of Exercise on Testosterone Levels in Men

Exercise has been proposed to increase serum testosterone concentrations. The analysis of existing literature demonstrates a large degree of variability in hormonal changes during exercise. In our manuscript, we summarized and reviewed the literature, and concluded that this variability can be explained by the effect of numerous factors, such as (a) the use of different types of exercise (e.g., endurance vs. resistance); (b) training intensity and/or duration of resting periods; (c) study populations (e.g., young vs. elderly; lean vs. obese; sedentary vs. athletes); and (d) the time point when serum testosterone was measured (e.g., during or immediately after vs. several minutes or hours after the exercise). Although exercise increases plasma testosterone concentrations, this effect depends on many factors, including the aforementioned ones. Future studies should focus on clarifying the metabolic and molecular mechanisms whereby exercise may affect serum testosterone concentrations in the short and long-terms, and furthermore, how this affects downstream mechanisms.
Knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards COVID-19 among Colombians during the outbreak: an online cross-sectional survey

ABSTRACT Background Preventing the spread of COVID-19 requires the modification of behavior, including social distancing, mask-wearing, and regular handwashing. Modifying behavior requires understanding people’s knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) regarding health threats. We explored KAPs among Colombians to examine whether KAPs affect adherence to recommended practices during the initial outbreak. Methods We distributed a cross-sectional, internet-based questionnaire using referral network techniques. The questionnaire addressed three areas: knowledge about COVID-19; attitudes toward the ability to control it; and, self-reported practices related to the control of COVID-19. Demographic data were also collected. Results A total of 482 individuals completed the questionnaire. Participants had low to moderate levels of knowledge about COVID-19. They expressed mixed levels of optimism about the world eventually controlling COVID-19, but they were very optimistic about Colombia’s ability to control the disease. They reported extremely high levels of adoption of preventive practices. Binomial regression suggests few demographic factors associated with KAPs. Generally, knowledge had no association with optimism and little association with self-reported adoption of recommended practices. Conclusions These findings indicate that greater knowledge of COVID-19 is insufficient to prompt behavior change. Colombians’ greater optimism about their own country’s ability to overcome COVID-19 as compared to the world’s ability should be explored in greater depth. Since attitudes are associated with actions, future investigation of Colombians’ optimism may provide guidance for improving attitudes elsewhere. Because adoption of preventive practices is extremely high in Colombia, Colombia may serve as a model case for how other nations can respond to COVID-19.
Antecedents of Trust and Adoption Intention toward Artificially Intelligent Recommendation Systems in Travel Planning: A Heuristic–Systematic Model

Drawing on the dual process theory, this study investigates the impacts of systematic and heuristic cues on travelers’ cognitive trust, emotional trust, and adoption intention toward artificial intelligence (AI)–based recommendation systems in travel planning. The moderating effect of perceived risk is also examined. Two studies with both scenario-based surveys and lab experiment approaches are conducted. Findings suggest that while travelers utilize both systematic and heuristic cues, effects of systematic cues on adoption as a decision aid is stronger than the effects of heuristic cues. Emotional trust has a stronger impact on intention to adopt as a delegated agent than cognitive trust. Perceived risk moderates the relationships between systematic and heuristic cues, trust, and adoption intentions. When travelers perceive high risk, they rely more on systematic cues through building cognitive trust. However, when the level of perceived risk is low, travelers depend more on heuristic cues through establishing emotional trust.
Photodissociation dynamics of H2S on new coupled ab initio potential energy surfaces

Three-dimensional potential energy surfaces for the electronic ground state as well as the lowest three 1A″ states have been computed using highly correlated CASSCF-MRCI wave functions and a large basis set. An approximate diabatization scheme has been employed to generate quasidiabatic potential energy surfaces for the lowest two 1A″ states. The diabatization is based on the condition that both the orbitals as well as the configuration coefficients of the diabatic wave functions change as little as possible as function of geometry. The diabatic potential energy surfaces are used in time-dependent simulations of the absorption spectrum as well as the vibrational and rotational product distributions. Excellent agreement between the computed and experimental absorption spectra and product distributions is obtained, indicating that the ab initio potentials as well as the diabatization scheme are accurate.