Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Time discounting and implications for Chinese farmer responses to an upward trend in precipitation

Funding information University of Reading; China scholarship council Abstract This paper studies Chinese grape growers’ time discounting and its implications for the adoption of technology that can reduce the negative effects of increasing precipitation. Using primary data collected in Xinjiang Province, we undertook a contingent valuation of rain covers that protect fruit from rain and estimated a discounted utility model using these data. Using a hierarchical Bayesian approach, we find that local grape growers discount the future very heavily, with a discount rate of 0.17 per year, which is almost four times higher than the Chinese market interest rate. Farmers also tend to underestimate the benefits of adopting covers, with their purchase decisions appearing to largely depend on their past actual losses rather than future anticipated losses. These findings have broader implications for policies promoting proactive adaptation in response to likely increased rainfall in the region. Targeting farmers who give lower weight to events far off in the future and understanding that many farmers may tend only to make adoption decisions that have strong shortterm benefits could improve the efficacy of climate policies that target agricultural technologies.
The Bouraké semi-enclosed lagoon (New Caledonia). A natural laboratory to study the life-long adaptation of a coral reef ecosystem to climate change-like conditions

Abstract. According to current experimental evidence, coral reefs could disappear within the century if CO2 emissions remain unabated. However, recent discoveries of diverse and high cover reefs that already thrive under extreme conditions seem to contradict these projections. Volcanic CO2 vents, semi-enclosed lagoons and mangrove estuaries are unique study sites where one or more ecologically relevant parameters for life in the oceans are close or even worse than currently projected for the year 2100. These natural analogues of future conditions hold new hope for the future of coral reefs and provide unique natural laboratories to explore how reef species could keep pace with climate change. To achieve this, it is essential to characterize their environment as a whole, and accurately consider all possible environmental factors that may differ from what is expected in the future and that may possibly alter the ecosystem response. In this study, we focus on the semi-enclosed lagoon of Bouraké (New Caledonia, SW Pacific Ocean) where a healthy reef ecosystem thrives in warm, acidified and deoxygenated water. We used a multi-scale approach to characterize the main physical-chemical parameters and mapped the benthic community composition (i.e., corals, sponges, and macroalgae). The data revealed that most physical and chemical parameters are regulated by the tide, strongly fluctuate 3 to 4 times a day, and are entirely predictable. The seawater pH and dissolved oxygen decrease during falling tide and reach extreme low values at low tide (7.2 pHT and 1.9 mg O2 L−1 at Bouraké, vs 7.9 pHT and 5.5 mg O2 L−1 at reference reefs). Dissolved oxygen, temperature, and pH fluctuates according to the tide of up to 4.91 mg O2 L−1, 6.50 °C, and 0.69 pHT units on a single day. Furthermore, the concentration of most of the chemical parameters was one- to 5-times higher at the Bouraké lagoon, particularly for organic and inorganic carbon and nitrogen, but also for some nutrients, notably silicates. Surprisingly, despite extreme environmental conditions and altered seawater chemical composition, our results reveal a diverse and high cover community of macroalgae, sponges and corals accounting for 28, 11 and 66 species, respectively. Both environmental variability and nutrient imbalance might contribute to their survival under such extreme environmental conditions. We describe the natural dynamics of the Bouraké ecosystem and its relevance as a natural laboratory to investigate the benthic organism’s adaptive responses to multiple stressors like future climate change conditions.
Scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy studies of graphene

OF THE DISSERTATION Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Spectroscopy studies of graphene by Adina Luican-Mayer Dissertation Director: Prof. Eva Y. Andrei In the two-dimensional (2D) lattice of graphene, consisting of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb lattice, the charge carriers are described by a Dirac-Weyl Hamiltonian. Seeking to understand their unique nature, this thesis presents results of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS) experiments at low temperatures and in magnetic field. These techniques give access, down to atomic scales, to structural information as well as to the electronic properties of graphene. The main findings include the observation of quantized Landau levels (LL) in the presence of magnetic field, their dependence on carrier density and effects of charged impurities and other disorder on the LL spectrum. Twisting graphene layers away from the equilibrium Bernal stacking leads to the formation of Moiré patterns that significantly alter the electronic properties of graphene stacks. The second part of the thesis discusses the effects of such rotations on the electronic properties as a function of twist angle.
Synthesis and investigations of new strontium dicarboxylates

Abstract Using simple methods of synthesis without template agents, 6 new compounds of strontium and dicarboxylic acids have been obtained. The resulting salts are: {1} strontium glutarate pentahydrate, {2} strontium adipate, {3} strontium pimelate monohydrate, {4} strontium suberate, {5} strontium azelate and {6} strontium dodecanedioate hemihydrate. Similarly to the known barium compounds, starting from the salt of azelaic acid, strontium compounds with longer dicarboxylic acids form acidic salts. Metal centers have the coordination number C.N. = 8, and the coordination polyhedra are dodecahedra. Glutaric acid form layered material, whereas with use of longer acids 3D systems are formed. Acids such as dodecanedioic and azealic form systems in which Sr-O polyhedra do not share edges or vertices. Isolated SrO8 polyhedra are joined by carboxylic groups of dicarboxylic acids. Strontium salts {2, 4, 5} are anhydrous, but {1} is pentahydrate, {3} is monohydrate, and {6} is hemihydrate. During thermal decomposition strontium salts of dicarboxylic acids decompose through an unknown intermediate product to strontium carbonate.
In-situ Raman spectroscopy of quartz: A pressure sensor for hydrothermal diamond-anvil cell experiments at elevated temperatures

Abstract Changes in frequency and linewidth of the 206 and 464 cm-1 A1 Raman modes of quartz were determined over temperatures from 23 to 800 °C and simultaneously at pressures ranging between 0.1 MPa and 2.1 GPa using a hydrothermal diamond-anvil cell (HDAC). The frequency shift of the 464 cm-1 peak can be used as a secondary pressure standard for SiO2-saturated systems in HDAC experiments at temperatures up to 560 °C. The frequency of this peak depends quasilinearly on pressure in the studied pressure range. The global slope (∂ν464/∂P)T is 9 ± 0.5 cm-1/GPa. A significant variation of this slope with temperature was not observed. Including literature data, the temperature induced frequency shift of the 464 cm-1 mode is described by (ΔVT)464, P = 0.1 MPa (cm-1) = 2.50136·10-11 ·T4 + 1.46454·10-8·T3 - 1.801·10-5·T2 - 0.01216·T + 0.29 where -196 ≤ T (°C) ≤ 560. The pressure dependence of the linewidth of the 464 cm-1 line increases with temperature. The frequency shifts and linewidths for the 206 cm-1 mode indicate that this line can be used as an alternative to the ruby fluorescence technique as a pressure sensor to about 5 GPa for experiments at room temperature. Both the frequency and linewidth of this mode show significant cross-derivatives (∂2V206/∂P∂T) and (∂2FWHM206/∂P∂T)
Quantification of biogeomorphic interactions between small‐scale sediment transport and primary vegetation succession on proglacial slopes of the Gepatschferner, Austria

Proglacial slopes provide suitable conditions for observing the co‐development of abiotic and biotic systems. The frequency and magnitude of geomorphic processes and plant composition govern this interplay, which is described in the model of biogeomorphic succession. In high mountain environments, this model has only been tested in a limited number of studies. The study aimed to quantify small‐scale sediment transport via erosion plots along a plant cover gradient and to investigate the influence of sediment transport on plant communities. We aimed to generate quantitative data to test existing biogeomorphic models. Small‐scale biogeomorphic interactions were investigated on 30 test plots of 2 × 3 m size on proglacial slopes of the Gepatschferner (Kaunertal) in the Austrian Alps during the snow‐free summer months over three consecutive years. The experimental plots were established on slopes along a plant cover gradient. A detailed vegetation survey was carried out to capture biotic conditions, and specific sediment yield was measured at each plot. Species abundance and composition at each site reflected successional stages. Additional environmental parameters, such as terrain age, geomorphometry, grain size distribution, soil nutrients, and precipitation, were also included in the analyses. We observed two pronounced declines in geomorphic activity on plots with both above 30% and above 75% plant cover. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling showed distinct clusters of vegetation composition that mainly followed a successional gradient. Sites that were affected by high‐magnitude geomorphic events showed different environmental conditions and species communities. Quantified process rates and observed species composition support the concept of biogeomorphic succession. The findings help to narrow down a biogeomorphic feedback window.
Political Upheavals, Tourism Flight, and Spillovers: The Case of the Arab Spring

This article exploits the Arab Spring, which occurred in 2011, as a natural experiment to study the effect of political upheavals on international travel. We find that foreign tourists’ demand to travel to countries experiencing Arab Spring episodes was sharply reduced and persisted after two years. We also find evidence of two different spillover effects: a tourism diversion to rest of the world, and a regional contagion to geographically nearby countries (other Arab countries that did not experience Arab Spring episodes and the Mediterranean region, although with heterogenous effects across individual countries). To disentangle how spillovers are channeled, we test whether geographical and cultural (Islamic) affinity play any role. We find that diversion is explained by the attitudes of Western tourists but not of those whose origin is Arabic. Furthermore, we find that the contagion caused by the Arab Spring is stronger for the nearest Muslim countries. JEL codes: F14, F51, H12, O11
Psychological and sleep-related factors among quarantined Omani students returning from abroad

ABSTRACT Background One of the many repercussions from the COVID-19 pandemic has been stress. The death toll from the pandemic, as well as sleep loss, have been noted to be the root causes of COVID-19 related stress and distress among students in the Arabian Gulf countries. Aims This study aimed to examine the relationship between self-reported sleeping problems and the socio-demographic, clinical and lifestyle factors among quarantined Omani students arriving from abroad Methods This was a cross-sectional analytical study conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, from April 1-10 2020. The participants were all Omani students who had arrived from abroad during the pandemic. The outcome measures consisted of the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder -7 (GAD-7), as well as relevant socio-demographic, clinical, and lifestyle factors. Result A total of 376 participants were included in this study with 49.5% (n = 186) noted to be suffering from insomnia. Multivariate logistic analysis suggested that female students were 2.4 times (odds ratio [OR] = 2.43; confidence interval [CI]: 1.50-3.93; P < .001) more likely to suffer from insomnia when compared to male students. Conclusion Almost half of the participants self-reported sleeping problems, with a higher prevalence among female students. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings
Consumption practices during the COVID‐19 crisis

Abstract This research draws on protection motivation theory, temporal construal theory, and self‐determination theory to understand consumption practices during a pandemic crisis by looking at the narratives of British consumers during the COVID‐19 crisis. A two‐stage design is adopted: the first stage adopts an exploratory strategy to identify consumption‐related themes using netnography, while the second stage explores these themes further to gain a deeper insight through 13 semi‐structured interviews. Three themes emerge relating to different aspects of consumption practices. These themes are found to link to the self‐control research area and include consumers' self‐control changing their shopping behaviour, having less self‐control over unhealthy snack consumption and having less self‐control concerning alcohol. These lead to changes in other consumption practices, including store format and type of shopping. Different initiatives are discussed to help retailers retain their new lockdown customers to help manufacturers provide healthier options and to help weight management businesses and the National Health Service reduce unhealthy consumption habits.
Liquid Metal‐Based Strain Sensor with Ultralow Detection Limit for Human–Machine Interface Applications

Flexible strain sensors play vital role in human–machine interaction. Despite their vast development, a strain sensor having broad strain sensing range, ultralow detection limit, and negligible hysteresis still remains a challenge. Herein, a liquid metal (LM)‐based stretchable resistive strain sensor, prepared by selective wetting and transferring process to attain improved compatibility between LM and polydimethylsiloxane substrate, is reported. This sensor exhibits broad strain sensing range (105%), with ultralow detection limit (0.05%), minimal hysteresis, fast response time (58 ms), and excellent repeatability. When practically demonstrated, this sensor successfully monitored various human activities, such as blink motion monitoring, voice intensity differentiation, heartbeat and wrist pulse monitoring. Moreover, when the current sensor is used in the form of smart kneecap and smart glove, it efficiently detected various human gestures, which confirms its great application potential in the fields of human health and motion monitoring, human–machine interface, and virtual reality applications.
Population density, activity centres, and pandemic: Visualizing clusters of COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong

The impacts of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on society and economy are wide-ranging, long-lasting, and global. The experience of multiple countries or regions in fighting the pandemic indicates that there could be multiple COVID-19 surges, where a growing number of cases can be observed in the more recent surge(s). Were COVID-19 cases and clusters of cases (across surges) randomly distributed in spaces? Did population density and activity centres influence clusters of cases and associated venues? Based on information on the associated venues of the four surges of COVID-19 cases between January 2020 and February 2021 as well as population density, visuals were made to distinguish the relationships between population density, activity centres, and clusters of cases in Hong Kong. Different spatial patterns were observed across the four surges: fewer cases were observed in the first surge with a more evenly distributed pattern of clusters; the second surge as compared to the first surge saw a wider distribution and an increase in the number/layer of clusters; compared to the second surge, the third surge suffered from many more cases but saw a decrease in the general number of clusters; and compared to the previous three surges, the fourth surge had the largest number of cases, yet even fewer clusters were observed, where several clusters are again concentrated in specific areas similar to the previous surge. Across the four surges, a few locales could see recurrent clusters of cases and a few communities were without cases.
Synthesis, characterization, and photophysical properties of cyclotriphosphazenes containing quinoline-4-aldehyde-p-oxyanil moieties

Abstract In the present work, a series of cyclotriphosphazenes including Schiff bases, {[N3P3(biph)2(R)2] (5), [N3P3(biph)(R)4] (6), and N3P3R6 (7) (biph = 2′,2′′-dioxy-1′,1′′- biphenyl, R = Quinoline-4-aldehyde-p-oxyanil}, were synthesized in high yields via the nucleophilic substitution reactions of quinoline-4-aldehyde-p-hydroxyanil (1) with [N3P3(biph)2Cl2] (2) and [N3P3(biph)Cl4] (3) and N3P3Cl6 (4), respectively. The structures of all products (5, 6, and 7) were defined by elemental analysis, mass spectrometry, FTIR, (1H, 13C, and 31P) NMR spectroscopies. Furthermore, the photophysical properties of these new cyclotriphosphazenes (5, 6, and 7) in different solvents and concentrations were investigated and the results were compared and discussed. The absorption characteristics of novel cyclotriphosphazene-based Schiff bases demonstrated n–π* and π–π* transitions which can be attributed to quinoline side whereas absorbance values were significantly enhanced under the same analytical conditions when the number of quinoline groups attached to the cyclotriphosphazene-core increased. As a result, the molar absorptivity of novel cyclotriphosphazene-based Schiff bases which substituted with two (5) and six quinolines moieties (7) were increased 4.43- and 11.4-fold, respectively, when compared with their precursor (1). Graphical Abstract
Digital disruption and planning – use of data and digital technology by professional planners, and perceptions of change to planning work

ABSTRACT In an era of smart cities and digitalisation, there is a plethora of digital government and digital planning initiatives. Such rapid digitalisation is putting the planning profession under pressure to adapt to new digital technology. Our research investigates the use of data and technology, perceived and desired outcomes arising from digital disruption, and perceived barriers to the adoption of new technologies to in day to day planning work from the point of view of practicing planners across a wide range of professional roles. This paper reports the results of a mixed-methods study involving both a survey and workshop, with participants located primarily in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Our research finds that widespread digital disruption is anticipated by most participants and provides important evidence to assist planning organisations in preparing for this change.
Sensitivity Analysis of OTEC-CC-MX-1 kWe Plant Prototype

The Mexican Caribbean Sea has potential zones for Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) implementation. Universidad del Caribe and Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnologia, with the support of the Mexican Centre of Innovation in Ocean Energy, designed and constructed a prototype OTEC plant (OTEC-CC-MX-1 kWe), which is the first initiative in Mexico for exploitation of this type of renewable energy. This paper presents a sensitivity analysis whose objective was to know, before carrying out the experimental tests, the behavior of OTEC-CC-MX-1 kWe regarding temperature differences, as well as the non-possible operating conditions, which allows us to assess possible modifications in the prototype installation. An algorithm was developed to obtain the inlet and outlet temperatures of the water and working fluid in the heat exchangers using the monthly surface and deep-water temperature data from the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model and Geographically Weighted Regression Temperature Model for the Mexican Caribbean Sea. With these temperatures, the following were analyzed: fluctuation of thermal efficiency, mass flows of R-152a and water and power production. By analyzing the results, we verified maximum and minimum mass flows of water and R-152a to produce 1 kWe during a typical year in the Mexican Caribbean Sea and the conditions when the production of electricity is not possible for OTEC-CC-MX-1 kWe.
ROLE OF TEACHING STYLES ON SELF- REGULATION AMONG THE ADOLESCENTS WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES

Purpose of the study: This study examined the role of teaching styles on self-regulation among adolescents with physical disabilities and moderating effects of age on the relationship between teaching styles and self-regulation. Methodology: 150 students from Islamabad and Rawalpindi divisions were included in this study. Adolescent Self-Regulatory Inventory (Moilanen,2007) and Junior High School Teaching Styles Questionnaire (Chen,2008) was used to assess teaching styles and self-regulation. A purposive-convenient sampling technique was used, and SPSS 22 was used for data analysis. Main Findings: The results demonstrated that the democratic teaching style was the most perceived teaching style among adolescents with a physical disability. It was found that teaching styles predicts self-regulation significantly with (β = .24, R2 = .05) and p < . 001. Democratic teaching style had a significant relationship with long-term self-regulation. Age played a moderator role between teaching style and self-regulation with (β= -.16, R2=.09) and p < . 01 among adolescents with a physical disability. Applications of this study: Results of the study will be helpful in the rehabilitation of this marginalized part of society and helps teachers to understand that how their style could affect the personality development of special students. Novelty/Originality of this study: There is a need to study the handicapped population, their problems, and opportunities for their rehabilitation, especially in Pakistan. As the needs of students with disabilities are entirely different from regular students, society and teachers need a constructive mindset to solve and eliminate the challenges faced by them.
Characteristics of lactic acid bacteria isolated from palm sugar from West Sumatra, Indonesia and their potential as a probiotic

Abstract. Ramadhanti N, Melia S, Hellyward J, Purwati E. 2021. Characteristics of lactic acid bacteria isolated from palm sugar from West Sumatra, Indonesia and their potential as a probiotic. Biodiversitas 22: 2610-2616. Palm sugar is one of the sugar products from palm sap processing. It is made by reducing the water content in the sap to certain water content and is used as a natural sweetener. This study used palm sugar from 3 producers, i.e. Marapalam Gula Semut (MGS), Tetesan Gula Semut (TGS) and Sungayang Gula Semut (SGS) in Sungayang, West Sumatra, Indonesia. This study aimed to isolate and identify lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from palm sugar, potentially as a probiotic, using the 16S rRNA method. The probiotic potential of bacteria was selected based on morphology, biochemical properties, resistance to acidic pH 3 and 0.3% bile salts, antimicrobial activity against pathogenic bacteria. The results showed that lactic acid bacteria isolated from palm sugar are Gram-positive rod-shaped (Bassil), negative catalase, and homofermentative. The total colonies of lactic acid bacteria ranged from 50 x 107 cfu/g - 117 x 107 cfu/g. The MGS lactic acid bacteria had 74.71% viability resistance in acidic pH 3, 65.52% viability against bile salts (0.3% ox gall). The diameter of inhibition against Escherichia coli O157 was 18.20 mm, Propionibacterium acnes (18.00 mm), Acinetobacter baumannii (14.19 mm), and Listeria monocytogenes (16.35 mm). The phylogenetic tree based on 16S rRNA showed that the MGS isolate has a similarity of 99.92% to Lactobacillus fermentum strain 1743. It can be concluded that Lactobacillus fermentum strain 1743 isolated from palm sugar has potential as a probiotic.