Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The response of monetary policy shocks on Islamic bank deposits: evidence from Malaysia based on ARDL approach

As much as it is important in a conventional system, monetary policy also plays a critical role in governing the Islamic economic system. However, in a dual banking system, things may have to be designed and devised differently to cater to the needs of both. Thus, assessing the impact of monetary policy shocks on the Islamic banking system is the key to understanding the addition of the industry towards financial stability and the extent of quality of the industry. The purpose of this paper is to initially revisit the issue of monetary policy shocks on the Islamic banking system, in the case of Malaysia. Our paper extends the previous study by using the most recent monthly data available which is from the year 2010 to the year 2016. Additionally, we incorporate the use of a robust time series technique, ARDL, and paired our analysis with an analysis of variance decomposition to strengthen our findings. Based on the results, we find evidence that despite being in the industry for almost half a century, the monetary policy shocks still have an influence on the Islamic banking deposit in Malaysia. Additionally, the Islamic banking deposits are also highly influenced by the level of inflation which comes out to be the most exogenous variable amongst all. An important implication from our analysis is that it is very critical for the central bank to help maintain the resiliency of the system by designing an appropriate monetary policy that could cater to both system and start devising legitimate risk management procedures that is applicable to these Islamic institutions.
Postglacial eruptive history of the Western Volcanic Zone, Iceland

New field observations, age constraints, and extensive chemical analyses define the complete postglacial eruptive history of the 170‐km‐long Western Volcanic Zone (WVZ) of Iceland, the ultraslow‐spreading western boundary of the south Iceland microplate. We have identified 44 separate eruptive units, 10 of which are small‐volume eruptions associated with the flanking Grímsnes system. Overall chemical variations are consistent with very simplified models of melting of a source approximating primitive mantle composition. The 17 eruptions in the first 3000 years of postglacial time account for about 64% of the total postglacial production and are incompatible‐element depleted compared to younger units, consistent with enhanced melting as a consequence of rebound immediately following deglaciation. Steadily declining eruption rates for the last 9000 years also correlate with changes in average incompatible element ratios that appear to reflect continued decline in melting extents to the present day. This result is not restricted to the WVZ, however, and may herald a decline in melting throughout all of western Iceland during later postglacial time. Lavas from the northern part of the WVZ are depleted in incompatible elements relative to those farther south at all times, indicating either a long‐wavelength gradient in mantle source composition or variations in the melting process along axis. We find no evidence in the postglacial volcanic record for current failure of the WVZ, despite evidence for continued propagation of the eastern margin of the microplate. The dominance of lava shields in the eruptive history of the WVZ contrasts with the higher number of fissure eruptions in other Icelandic volcanic zones. WVZ shields represent long‐duration, low‐effusion rate eruptions fed by recharge magma arising out of the mantle. Average effusion rate is the key variable distinguishing shield and fissure eruptions, both within the WVZ and between different volcanic zones. High effusion rate, large‐volume eruptions require the presence of large crustal magma reservoirs, which have been rare or absent in the WVZ throughout postglacial time.
Molecular Dynamics Study on the Mechanism of Nanoscale Jet Instability Reaching Supercritical Conditions

This paper investigates the characteristics of a nitrogen jet (the thermodynamic conditions ranging from subcritical to supercritical) ejected into a supercritical nitrogen environment using the molecular dynamics (MD) simulation method. The thermodynamic properties of nitrogen obtained by molecular dynamics show good agreement with the Soave-Redlich-Kwong (SRK) equation of state (EOS). The agreement provides validation for this nitrogen molecular model. The molecular dynamics simulation of homogeneous nitrogen spray is carried out in different thermodynamic conditions from subcritical to supercritical, and a spatio-temporal evolution of the nitrogen spray is obtained. The interface of the nitrogen spray is determined at the point where the concentration of ejected fluid component reaches 50%, since the supercritical jet has no obvious vapor-liquid interface. A stability analysis of the transcritical jets shows that the disturbance growth rate of the shear layer coincides very well with the classical theoretical result at subcritical region. In the supercritical region, however, the growth rate obtained by molecular dynamics deviates from the theoretical result.
Trade Secrets Law and Corporate Disclosure: Causal Evidence on the Proprietary Cost Hypothesis

This study exploits the staggered adoption of the inevitable disclosure doctrine (IDD) by U.S. state courts as an exogenous shock that generates variations in the proprietary costs of disclosure. We find that firms respond to IDD adoption by reducing the level of disclosure regarding their customers’ identities, supporting the proprietary cost hypothesis. Our results are stronger for firms in industries with a higher degree of entry threats, for firms in more volatile industries, and for firms with a lower degree of external financing dependence. Overall, this study represents one of the first efforts in identifying the causal effect of proprietary costs of disclosure on the supply of disclosure.
Surface zwitterionic functionalized graphene oxide for a novel loose nanofiltration membrane

Surface zwitterionization of graphene oxide (GO) was firstly conducted by grafting poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) (PSBMA) onto the GO surface via reverse atom transfer radical polymerization (RATRP). Then, a novel type of GO-PSBMA/polyethersulfone (PES) loose nanofiltration membrane (NFM) was constructed by mixing with modified GO composites via phase inversion. FTIR, XRD, TEM, XPS and TGA were applied to analyze the chemical composition and morphology, confirming a favorable synthesis of GO-PSBMA composites. Besides, the effect of the embedded GO-PSBMA nanoplates on the morphology and overall performance of the hybrid membranes was systematically investigated based on the SEM images, water contact angle, zeta potential, and fouling parameters. It was found that the water flux of the hybrid membrane was greatly enhanced from 6.44 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 to 11.98 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 when the GO-PSBMA content increased from 0 to 0.22 wt%. The antifouling tests revealed that the GO-PSBMA embedded membranes had an excellent antifouling performance: a high flux recovery ratio (ca. 94.4%) and a low total flux decline ratio (ca. 0.18). Additionally, the hybrid membranes exhibited a distinct advance in the mechanical strength due to the addition of highly rigid GO. Notably, compared with unmodified membranes, the hybrid membranes had a higher retention of Reactive Black 5 (99.2%) and Reactive Red 49 (97.2%), and a lower rejection of bivalent salts (10% for Na2SO4) at an operational pressure of 0.4 MPa, rendering the membranes promising for dye/salt fractionation.
Social Capital and International Migration: A Test Using Information on Family Networks1

This article uses a multistate hazard model to test the network hypothesis of social capital theory. The effects of family network ties on individual migration are estimated while controlling for measured and unmeasured conditions that influence migration risks for all family members. Results suggest that social network effects are robust to the introduction of controls for human capital, common household characteristics, and unobserved conditions. Estimates also confirm the ancillary hypothesis, which states that diffuse social capital distributed among community and household members strongly influences the likelihood of out‐migration, thus validating social capital theory in general and the network hypothesis in particular.
Mapping spoken words to meaning

This chapter provides a brief review of the nature of conceptual representations and how such representations are activated over time as spoken words are heard, including "pairwise" and "dimensional" empirical approaches, computational modeling, and the ubiquity of context effects. I conclude that while context and expectations have large impact on relative salience or activation of semantic features, such influences can only rarely override bottom-up priority, and that theoretical progress will require computational modeling.
Identifying the Local Economic Development Effects of Million Dollar Facilities

Using incentives to attract firms is the primary economic development policy for many local governments. Yet, relatively little is known about the local economic development outcomes induced by successful attraction of new establishments. The empirical challenge lies in correctly identifying the counterfactual outcome. This article tests for induced economic development in winning counties using a set of highly incentivized large plants. The article makes a methodological contribution by comparing difference‐in‐differences results from a natural experiment (in which counterfactuals are losers reported by Site Selection magazine) with a geographically proximate matching control by design strategy. Estimates are sensitive to identification strategy, with distributional and placebo tests suggesting geographically proximate matching as preferable to the natural experiment. The preferred estimates indicate successful attraction of a large new plant induces modest increases in new economic activity that does not generate fiscal surplus for winning counties.
Optimal root profiles in water-limited ecosystems q

The vertical distribution of roots in the soil is of central importance to the mass and energy exchange between the land and the atmosphere. It has been demonstrated that the vertical root profiles which maximize transpiration in numerical experiments reflect well the characteristics of root profiles observed in nature for water-limited ecosystems. Previous research has demonstrated how the optimal vertical root profile depends on both the mean annual precipitation (MAP) and the soil texture. Recently, in the climate literature, it has been suggested Chou et al. (2012) [5] that increased greenhouse forcing in the tropics can lead to a simultaneous decrease in the frequency and increase in the intensity of precipitation. In this paper we demonstrate how such a change in the statistical structure of rainfall, even with no change to MAP, requires deeper root distributions to maintain optimal water use. These results raise interesting questions for future studies of nutrient dynamics, the cost of additional below ground carbon allocation, and inter plant functional type competition. 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Earnings Uncertainty and Aggregate Wealth Accumulation

This paper argues that precautionary savings due to uninsurable earnings uncertainty are likely to be an important source of aggregate wealth accumulation. The stylized model presented in this paper can easily generate levels of wealth above 60 percent of the observed net wealth in the United States, net of conventional life-cycle savings. Copyright 1991 by American Economic Association.
Time is on My Side: Relational Contracts and Aggregate Welfare

This paper develops a simple general equilibrium model which establishes a link between the patience of economic agents and the well-being of nations. We show that firms in long-term oriented countries can mitigate hold-up inefficiencies by engaging with their suppliers in relational contracting – informal agreements sustained by the value of future relationships. Our model predicts that countries with a higher level of patience will exhibit greater economic well-being and higher total factor productivity. We provide empirical evidence in line with the predictions of our theory.
MODEL FOR DYNAMIC SHEAR MODULUS AND DAMPING FOR GRANULAR SOILS

This paper presents a simple four-parameter model that can represent the shear modulus factors and damping coefficients for a granular soil subjected to horizontal shear stresses imposed by vertically propagating shear waves. The input parameters are functions of the confining pressure and density and have been derived from a generalized effective stress soil model referred to as MIT-S1. The predicted shear moduli and damping factors are in excellent agreement with high quality resonant column test data on remolded sands and confining pressures ranging from 30 kPa to 1.8 MPa. The proposed model has been implemented in a frequency domain computer code. By simulating the variations in stiffness and damping with confining pressure, the proposed model provides a more realistic simulation of ground amplification that does not filter out high frequency components of the base excitation.
Performance management in the South African motor manufacturing industry: a framework

South African motor manufacturers should find ways to improve their performance management systems to ensure survival in the face of strong competition in the market. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the industry’s approach to performance management and to make recommendations about a framework for performance management that can be implemented to obtain a competitive advantage. A well‐known instrument that proves to be highly effective in performance management is the balanced scorecard. This instrument manages performance on four distinct levels, namely from the financial perspective, the customer perspective, internal business processes and learning and growth. It is apparent from the results of this study that performance management is still very much a one‐way process, and that a lack of communication is the primary reason for unsatisfactory workforce performance. Furthermore, the majority of motor manufacturers consider the customer perspective as the most important of the four above‐mentioned perspectives. Motor manufacturers also disagree about the number of performance measures that need to be included in the performance management system, and the majority feel that both controllable and non‐controllable fixed costs must be included in the measurement of management performance. Shareholder value measures are also largely neglected in practice.
Mechanical Behavior of Recycled Self-Compacting Concrete Reinforced with Polypropylene Fibres

This paper intends to study the possibility of producing fiber recycled self-compacting concrete (FRSCC) using demolitions concrete as a coarse aggregate. Polypropylene fibers (P.P.F) were used in recycled self-compacting concrete (RSCC) with different percentages of coarse recycled concrete aggregate. Nine concrete mixtures were set up to accomplish the objective proposed at this paper. Polypropylene fibers fraction changed from 0% to 0.15% by the volume of concrete and the ratio replacement of recycled coarse aggregate with natural aggregate was 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. The fresh properties of (FRSCC) and (RSCC) were assessed utilizing V-funnel, L-box and slump flow tests. Flexural strength, compression strength, and tensile strength tests were performed with a specific end goal to examine mechanical properties. The results indicate that the optimum volume fraction of polypropylene fibers was (0.1%) for the mixes contained recycled coarse aggregate (75%), for optimum content of (P.P.F), the compression strength, flexural strength, and splitting tensile strength; improved by (34%), (14%), and (8.1%), respectively with consideration to control mix. Also the flexural strength and the tensile strength for the mixes were improved with increasing the fibers ratio compared with control mix
Being Alive

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Constitutive Changes in Circulating Follicular Helper T Cells and Their Subsets in Patients with Graves' Disease

Background Follicular helper T (Tfh) cells are critical for high-affinity antibody generation and B cell maturation and differentiation, which play important roles in autoimmune diseases. Graves' disease (GD) is one prototype of common organ-specific autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD) characterized by autoreactive antibodies, suggesting a possible role for Tfh cells in the pathogenesis of GD. Our objective was to explore the role of circulating Tfh cell subsets and associated plasma cells (PCs) in patients with GD. Methods Thirty-six patients with GD and 20 healthy controls (HC) were enrolled in this study. The frequencies of circulating Tfh cell subsets and PCs were determined by flow cytometry, and plasma cytokines, including interleukin- (IL-) 21, IL-4, IL-17A, and interferon- (IFN-) γ, were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The mRNA expression of transcription factors (Bcl-6, T-bet, GATA-3, and RORγt) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was evaluated by real-time quantitative PCR. Results. Compared with HC, the frequencies of circulating CD4+CXCR5+CD45RA−Tfh (cTfh) cells with ICOS and PD-1 expression, the Tfh2 subset (CXCR3−CCR6−Tfh) cells, and PCs (CD19+CD27highCD38high) were significantly increased in the GD patients, but the frequencies of Tfh1 (CXCR3+CCR6−Tfh) and Tfh17 (CXCR3−CCR6+Tfh) subset cells among CD4+T cells were significantly decreased in GD patients. The plasma concentrations of IL-21, IL-4, and IL-17A were elevated in GD patients. Additionally, a positive correlation was found between the frequency of PD-1+Tfh cells (Tfh2 or PCs) and plasma IL-21 concentration (or serum TPO-Ab levels). The mRNA levels of transcription factors (GATA-3 and RORγt) were significantly increased, but T-bet and Bcl-6 mRNA expression was not obviously varied in PBMCs from GD patients. Interestingly, Tfh cell subsets and PCs from GD patients were partly normalized by treatment. Conclusion Circulating Tfh cell subsets and PCs might play an important role in the pathogenesis of GD, which are potential clues for GD patients' interventions.
Late Paleozoic strike‐slip shear zones in eastern central Asia (NW China): New structural and geochronological data

New structural studies and 40Ar/39Ar dating in northwest China provide information about late Paleozoic strike‐slip motions subsequent to accretional events, which built eastern central Asia during the Paleozoic. Two principal areas were affected by these large transcurrent motions. First, in the Tianshan range, main east‐west ductile shear zones are dextral and coeval with an eastward decreasing greenschist retrograde metamorphism. Associated biotites give ages ranging from 290 Ma to 245 Ma. The earlier N110 shearing occurred in western Tianshan, while the last one, dextral in whole Tianshan, occurred 250–245 Myr ago. Second, in the Chinese Altay region several NW‐SE shear zones structured the area. The main motion is sinistral and occurred along the Erqishi zone at 280–290 Ma. It is followed by a complex succession of dextral and sinistral shearing episodes, leading to the northwestward structuring, dated at 245 Ma, of a metamorphic zone that was folded during a compressive event.
Electrochemical performance of lithium titanate submicron rods synthesized by Sol-Gel/electrospinning

Lithium titanate (LTO) submicron rods with grain sizes varying from 50-80nm were synthesized without any polymer additive by sol-gel assisted electrospinning. The obtained phase pure (spinal phase) LTO submicron structures exhibited fast charge/discharge profiles at varying charging rates (C rates). After initial charge/discharge studies at various C rates (0.1C-30C) followed by at 1C rate for 200 cycles, the cell has shown specific capacity of 140.6 mA h/g with columbic efficiency of 99.8%. The ordered crystalline nanostructure enabling reduced diffusion path could explain this excellent performance of LTO submicron rods which may find potential applications as anode materials in lithium ion battery for electric vehicles.
Employment Protection and Firm Relocation: Theory and Evidence

We examine the determinants of the decision to relocate activities abroad for firms located in OECD countries. We argue that particular firm-specific features play a crucial role for the link between employment protection and relocation. Stricter employment protection laws over time in the current production location discourage firms' relocation abroad. While larger, more productive firms and firms with higher labour intensities have, ceteris paribus, higher propensities to relocate, they also face higher exit barriers if the country from which they consider relocating has strict employment protection laws. Our predictions are supported empirically, using firm level panel data for 28 OECD countries over the period 1997-2007.
--forthcoming in Cognition-- Is utilitarian sacrifice becoming more morally permissible ?

A central tenet of contemporary moral psychology is that people typically reject active forms of utilitarian sacrifice. Yet, evidence for secularization and declining empathic concern in recent decades suggests the possibility of systematic change in this attitude. In the present study, we employ hypothetical dilemmas to investigate whether judgments of utilitarian sacrifice are becoming more permissive over time. In a cross-sectional design, age negatively predicted utilitarian moral judgment (Study 1). To examine whether this pattern reflected processes of maturation, we asked a panel to re-evaluate several moral dilemmas after an eight-year interval but observed no overall change (Study 2). In contrast, a more recent age-matched sample revealed greater endorsement of utilitarian sacrifice in a time-lag design (Study 3). Taken together, these results suggest that today’s younger cohorts increasingly endorse a utilitarian resolution of sacrificial moral dilemmas.