Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High-frequency analysis of the complex linkage between soil CO2 fluxes, photosynthesis and environmental variables

High-frequency soil CO2 flux data are valuable for providing new insights into the processes of soil CO2 production. A record of hourly soil CO2 fluxes from a semi-arid ponderosa pine stand was spatially and temporally deconstructed in attempts to determine if variation could be explained by logical drivers using (i) CO2 production depths, (ii) relationships and lags between fluxes and soil temperatures, or (iii) the role of canopy assimilation in soil CO2 flux variation. Relationships between temperature and soil fluxes were difficult to establish at the hourly scale because diel cycles of soil fluxes varied seasonally, with the peak of flux rates occurring later in the day as soil water content decreased. Using a simple heat transport/gas diffusion model to estimate the time and depth of CO2 flux production, we determined that the variation in diel soil CO2 flux patterns could not be explained by changes in diffusion rates or production from deeper soil profiles. We tested for the effect of gross ecosystem productivity (GEP) by minimizing soil flux covariance with temperature and moisture using only data from discrete bins of environmental conditions (±1 °C soil temperature at multiple depths, precipitation-free periods and stable soil moisture). Gross ecosystem productivity was identified as a possible driver of variability at the hourly scale during the growing season, with multiple lags between ~5, 15 and 23 days. Additionally, the chamber-specific lags between GEP and soil CO2 fluxes appeared to relate to combined path length for carbon flow (top of tree to chamber center). In this sparse and heterogeneous forested system, the potential link between CO2 assimilation and soil CO2 flux may be quite variable both temporally and spatially. For model applications, it is important to note that soil CO2 fluxes are influenced by many biophysical factors, which may confound or obscure relationships with logical environmental drivers and act at multiple temporal and spatial scales; therefore, caution is needed when attributing soil CO2 fluxes to covariates like temperature, moisture and GEP.
Supporting Family Caregivers of Turkish Elders: A Systematic Review

As part of an effort to expand Turkish palliative care services, we reviewed and synthesized the original research of family caregiving for the elderly in Turkey. Our systematic review of the original research focused on Turkish elderly (≥65 years) family caregiving identified in PubMed, CINAHL, ProQuest, Ovid, and Turkish national databases, published in English or Turkish between January 2000 and April 2014. Thirteen studies were identified that included 1692 family caregivers. Identified research studies on Turkish elderly family caregiving had methodological limitations, including small, single-site samples. Studies focused mainly on describing caregivers’ characteristics, caregiving activities, perceived burden and the impact of caregiving on caregivers’ physical and psychosocial well-being, and quality of life. Shifts in Turkish caregiving have created new challenges as more women join the workforce. This cultural trend requires a similar shift in research priorities. In order to make further progress, it will be important for researchers to move beyond descriptive studies. Developing and testing culturally appropriate interventions to support elderly persons’ family caregivers are a critical need.
Capital Equipment, R&D and Wage Inequality in the US and Germany

In this paper we investigate the importance of R&D and capital investment for the evolution of wage inequality across educational groups in the US and Germany. Constructing an industry panel from the 1970s until the end of the 1990s, we nd substantial di¤erences in investment in equipment capital, R&D and the evolution of wage inequality across sectors as well as across the two countries. Investment in capital equipment and R&D are associated with more compressed wages in Germany than in the US suggesting that R&D and investment are more complementary to unskilled workers in Germany. This is consistent with the hypothesis that innovation and investment incentives can be distorted towards unskilled labor if labor market institutions raise the wage of unskilled workers above the laissez-faire productivity level in Germany but less so in the US.
A semantic tool for the protection of personal information act

The increase of connectivity due to technology advances is shifting the attention of legislators in various jurisdictions to the protection of personal information and data. The focus of this paper is the protection of privacy information, speciﬁcally the POPIA within South Africa. This paper presents the development of an ontology to establish a small knowledge base for the regulations in the POPIA and how it aﬀects organizations and individuals.
IFAD RESEARCH SERIES 43 Youth Agrifood System Employment in Developing Countries: A Gender-Differentiated Spatial Approach

Despite a burgeoning literature on youth employment, little is known about the economic activities of rural youth, including whether rural transformation, seen through the lens of the agrifood system (AFS) will create new opportunities for youth. Using data on hours worked of 467,453 workingage individuals in four age cohorts (early youth, later youth, early adulthood, later adulthood) and a rural-urban gradient based on population density (rural hinterland, intermediate, peri-urban and urban zones) in 188,996 households in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, we provide empirical evidence on this gap in literature. We find that no region allocates more than 37 per cent of their labour hours to on-farm employment, but when including off-farm AFS self- and wage employment, total AFS accounts for half of all hours worked. Even in Latin America, off-farm AFS accounts for 21 per cent of hours worked, demonstrating the importance of pre- and postfarm value added for employment creation. Youth appear to access off-farm AFS opportunities more easily than non-AFS ones, especially wage employment in urban and peri-urban zones. These findings dispute the narrative that youth do not enter farming and cannot get wage jobs, as youth work substantial hours in both sectors with distinct spatial patterns.
Theoretical Study of Benefit of Long Axial Field-of-View PET: Impact on Quantification Performance

We are building a 2-meter long PET scanner, called EXPLORER, that can provide high sensitivity and temporal resolution for total-body PET imaging. The aim of this study is to evaluate the improvement on quantification performance offered by the long axial field-of-view (FOV) of the EXPLORER. We use theoretical formulae based on the Fisher information matrix (FIM) of the penalized maximum likelihood image reconstruction to compute the contrast recovery coefficient (CRC) and the variance for region of interest (ROI) quantification. The CRC versus variance tradeoff curves were compared for a series of human PET scanners with a ring diameter of 83.5 cm and an axial FOV ranging from 22 cm to 220 cm. A series of mini-EXPLORER scanners with a ring diameter of 40 cm and axial FOV ranging from 11 cm to 110 cm was also examined and compared to the human scanners. A uniform cylinder (20 cm diameter and 220 cm long) was used to model the attenuation and background activity. The comparison showed that for imaging a single small ROI at the center of the axial FOV, the EXPLORER offers a 2.7-fold variance reduction over the 22-cm long scanner. For imaging an extended axial FOV of 110 cm, the EXPLORER provides a 30-fold variance reduction over the 22-cm long scanner and a 2∼3 fold variance reduction over the 110-cm long scanner. These theoretical results clearly demonstrate the large possible improvement in image quality for extended FOV imaging and are consistent with our previous results obtained from reconstructions of Monte Carlo simulated human phantom data.
Skill-biased Imports and Demand for Skills in China*

Importing capital equipment and machinery is crucial for a developing country to acquire advanced technology and achieve economic growth. In this paper we show that imported capital goods also drive up demand for skills because foreign technology is skill complementary. As a result, skill premium rises where more machines and equipment are imported. Using micro level data from China, we find that about 46% of the increase in skill premium and 21% of increase in skilled labor share could be explained by capital imports.
Water-Based Textile Batteries

Aqueous battery chemistries and materials are critical for water-compatible, smart textiles. Much of the previous research on textile batteries has focused on lithium-ion battery (LIB) chemistries, but these are extremely sensitive to air and water. There are several water-based battery chemistries, both non-rechargeable and rechargeable, that could be successfully used in textile batteries without concern for air or water exposure. These include aqueous lithium-ion batteries, zinc-carbon batteries, alkaline batteries, zinc-ion batteries, and aqueous metal-air batteries. Herein, these batteries are discussed in detail, and recent examples of flexible or textile-based prototypes are given.
DO BOARD INTERLOCKS INCREASE INNOVATION? EVIDENCE FROM NATURAL EXPERIMENTS IN INDIA∗

We examine the effect of board interlocks on patenting and R&D spending for publicly traded companies in India. We exploit two natural experiments to address endogeneity: an exogenous governance reform requiring a subset of firms to adjust their board structure and an exogenous change to the patent system that affected patentability for a subset of companies. Board interlocks have significant positive effects on both R&D and patenting. The impact on R&D is attributable to an innovation effect induced by information transmission through interlocks. The effect on patenting is driven by a strategic effect. Firms are more likely to extend patent protection by patenting inventions abroad that they have already patented in India.
Traditional versus Facebook-based surveys: Evaluation of biases in self-reported demographic and psychometric information

Background: Social media in scientiﬁc research offers a unique digital observatory of human behaviours and hence great opportunities to conduct research at large scale, answering complex sociodemographic questions. We focus on the identiﬁcation and assessment of biases in social-media-administered surveys. Objective: This study aims to shed light on population, self-selection, and behavioural biases, empirically comparing the consistency between self-reported information collected traditionally versus social-media-administered questionnaires, including demographic and psychometric attributes. Methods: We engaged a demographically representative cohort of young adults in Italy (approximately 4,000 participants) in taking a traditionally administered online survey and then, after one year, we invited them to use our ad hoc Facebook application (988 accepted) where they ﬁlled in part of the initial survey. We assess the statistically signiﬁcant differences indicating population, self-selection, and behavioural biases due to the different context in which the questionnaire is administered. Results: Our ﬁndings suggest that surveys administered on Facebook do not exhibit major biases with respect to traditionally administered surveys in terms of neither demographics nor personality traits. Loyalty, authority, and social binding values were higher in the Facebook platform, probably due to the platform’s intrinsic social character. Conclusions: We conclude that Facebook apps are valid research tools for administering demographic and psychometric surveys, provided that the entailed biases are taken into consideration. Contribution: We contribute to the characterisation of Facebook apps as a valid scientiﬁc tool to administer demographic and psychometric surveys, and to the assessment of population, self-selection, and behavioural biases in the collected data.
Anonymity or Distance? Removing Obstacles to Youth Employment in Urban Africa*

Can job-search support improve the labour market prospects of young jobseekers? We conduct a randomised evaluation of two programmes designed to lower spatial and informational barriers to job search among 4,000 young Ethiopians. One group of subjects receives a transport subsidy. Another group participates in a workshop where their skills are certified and they receive orientation on how to make effective job applications. We find that both treatments significantly improve the quality of the jobs young people obtain. Upon investigating the underlying mechanisms, we show that both interventions mitigate the adverse effects of spatial constraints on employment outcomes, and that the workshop helps workers to better signal their abilities. JEL codes: O12, O18, J22, J61, J64, M53.
Does good hygiene compliance reduce catheter-related blood stream infection? A single centre experience

Background: In Australia, more than 50% of end-stage kidney disease patients start haemodialysis treatment with a central venous catheter (CVC). While there are benefits of CVC access, they are associated with a high risk of bacteraemia infection. National guidelines for prevention of catheter-related infections advocate the importance of hand hygiene and asepsis practices, and for this reason, many dialysis units have regular auditing on hand hygiene and aseptic technique. Aim: To report the relationship between hygiene audit results and infection rates in our facility. Method: A hygiene audit tool was developed with 17 hygiene measures, categorised into three domains: environment, aseptic technique, and dressing care. This tool was used to observe nursing staff’s hand hygiene compliance and aseptic technique during CVC care across five regional and remote units. Audit results were collected from 2011 to 2015. Results: A total of 350 audits were analysed, and the overall hygiene compliance was consistently high (85–99%). The relationship between mean hygiene score and infection rates was negative and the association was non-significant (p=0.7). Conclusion: The overall infection rates have decreased in our facility, by an average of 76% across sites. The decrease in infection was correlated to interventions such as minimising catheter utilisation, implementation of antimicrobial dressings and streamlining protocols but not hygiene audit results. Good hygiene is fundamental in the care of a CVC; however, whilst all facilities should strive for excellent audit results, it should not be the sole focus to prevent catheter infection. Ginger Chu RN, MN (Clinical Studies), MN (Advanced Prac), PhD (c) Clinical Nurse Consultant, John Hunter Hospital; NSW, Australia Clinical Research Fellow, Hunter New England Local Health District; NSW, Australia Conjoint Senior Lecturer, University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia Kelly Adams RN, BN Nurse Manager, Community Dialysis Units, John Hunter Hospital, NSW, Australia Gemma Fogarty Clinical Nursing Unit Manager, Maitland Community Dialysis Unit, John Hunter Hospital, NSW, Australia Liz Holliday Associate Professor of Biostatistics, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia Correspondence to: Ginger Chu, Wansey Community Dialysis Unit, Australia. Email ginger.chu@hnehealth.nsw. gov.au
An Empirical Study of Mnemonic Password Recall Errors

A mnemonic password generation strategy with explicit instructions and an example of a personalized sentence was shown previously to increase the security of the resulting pass-words. But the recall rate of the passwords was low. We report one online study quantifying what errors were made and how often they were made when participants conﬁrmed and re-called passwords created with an instruction of mnemonic personalized example. The study also investigated whether an extra implementation-intention instruction improved the short-term and long-term recall of the passwords, but it was found to be ineffective. Error analyses revealed common failure types but varied rates across password conﬁrmation and recalls. A handful of human memory limitations were also evident: 1) interference of association from common usage; 2) forgotten with a lack of encoding speciﬁcity; 3) forgetting/interference of the last letter position of passwords with limited memory span. Based on the ﬁndings, we provide suggestions to improve the mnemonic strategy.
No Safe Space: prevaleNce

—Amphibian populations have experienced widespread and severe declines resulting from, in part, emerging pathogens. The Amphibian Chytrid Fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), is a fungal pathogen implicated in the decline of numerous amphibian species. Human land use and elevation are factors that may affect the distribution of this pathogen and resultant chytrid-related declines. We assessed prevalence and pathogen load of Bd related to recreation intensity throughout the Adirondack State Park, New York, USA, a 2.4 million ha, protected wildland that experiences often intense hiking pressure. We collected DNA samples from amphibians during 90-min searches of natural cover objects at 43 public hiking trails. We found robust evidence that Bd is geographically widespread and prevalent in amphibians, particularly salamanders, at trailheads and along trails. Wood Frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) and Eastern Newts (Notophthalmus viridescens) had the highest pathogen loads. Prevalence of Bd was not correlated with either elevation or recreation intensity, but was high in salamanders, which may serve as disease reservoirs and vectors in temperate forests and could additionally be adversely impacted by infection. Our results indicate amphibians are exposed to Bd, even in highly protected areas considered refugia, which has implications for conservation of amphibians and pathogen management in similar settings.
Identity and Access Management for the Internet of Things

—Organizations today gather unprecedented quantities of data from their operations. This data is coming from transactions made by a person or from a connected gadget. From personal devices to industry including government, the internet has become the primary means of modern communication, further increasing the need for a method to track and secure these devices. Protecting the integrity of connected devices collecting data is critical to ensure the trustworthiness of the system. An organization must not only know the identity of the users on their networks and have the capability of tracing the actions performed by a user but they must trust the system providing them with this knowledge. To manage the vast number of devices and feel confident that a machine’s identity is verifiable, companies need to deploy digital credentialing systems with a strong root of trust. Traditionally, this has been done with Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) through the use of a smart card. Blockchain technologies combined with PKI can be utilized in such a way as to provide an identity and access management solution for the internet of things (IoT). Improvements to the security of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology and various implementations of blockchain make viable options for managing the identity and access of IoT devices.
How Effective are Macroprudential Policies in Asiapacific? Evidence from a Meta-Analysis

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of macroprudential policies in five Asia-Pacific countries (Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, the Philippines and Thailand). We use supervisory bank-level data and apply a common empirical strategy. We find that macroprudential policies are effective in reducing excessive household credit growth. Additionally, a tightening in macroprudential policy has a stronger effect than an easing. We also find that banks’ size and liquidity influence the effect of macroprudential policy on credit growth. Finally, macroprudential policy is effective in reducing bank risk as measured by the non-performing loan ratio. Full Publication: Measuring the Effectiveness of Macroprudential Policies Using Supervisory Bank-Level Data
NocturNal activity of aNtiguaN lizards uNder artificial light

—Widespread human development has led to the proliferation of artificial light at night, an increasingly recognized but poorly understood component of anthropogenic global change. Animals specialized to diurnal activity are presented opportunities to use this night-light niche, but the ecological consequences are largely unknown. While published records make note of nocturnal activity in a diversity of diurnal taxa, few case studies have gone beyond isolated observations to quantify patterns of nocturnal activity, document animal behavior, and describe new species interactions. From 13 June to 15 July 2017, we conducted hourly nocturnal surveys to assess how two species of diurnal Anolis lizards (Leach’s Anole, Anolis leachii, and Watt’s Anole, A. wattsi) use artificial light on Long Island, Antigua. Our data show that both anole species foraged in artificially illuminated habitats and were more active prior to sunrise compared to the early night. Mark-resight data for a focal species, A. leachii, suggest that patterns of nocturnal activity were not significantly different between individuals. Finally, our behavioral observations for the two anoles and a third lizard species, the nocturnal Thick-tailed Gecko (Thecadactylus rapicauda), reveal a lack of agonistic interactions. Our study reveals an altered temporal niche for two diurnal Antiguan lizards and adds to a growing body of evidence documenting the broad influences of anthropogenic change on biodiversity.
Anonymous credentials 2.0

The concept of anonymous credentials allows users to prove that their identity satisfies certain properties in an uncorrelated way without revealing other identity details. The properties can be raw identity attributes such as the birth date or the address, or more sophisticated predicates such as “A is older than 20 years old”. We assume three parties: issuer, holder, and verifier. From the functional perspective, the issuer gives a credential C based on identity schema X, which asserts certain properties P about X, to the holder. The credential consists of attributes represented by integers m1,m2, . ,ml. The holder then presents (P, C) to the Verifier, which can verify that the issuer has asserted that holder’s identity has property P.
The AMMA LAnd SurfAce ModeL inTercoMpAriSon

The West African monsoon (WAM) circulation modulates the seasonal northward displacement of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ). It is the main source of precipitation over a large part of West Africa. However, predominantly relatively wet years during the 1950s and 1960s were followed by a much drier period during the 1970s and 1990s. This extreme rainfall variability corresponds to one of the strongest interdecadal signals on the planet over the last halfcentury. There is an urgent need to better understand and predict the WAM, because social stability in this region depends to a large degree on water resources. The economies are primarily agrarian, and there are issues related to food security and health. In addition, there is increasing pressure on the already limited water resources in this region, owing to one of the most rapidly increasing populations on the planet. Numerous researchers over the last three decades have investigated the nature of the extreme rainfall variability (e.g., Nicholson 1980; Le Barbé et al. 2002). It has been shown that a significant part of the interannual variability can be linked to sea surface (sfc) temperature anomalies (e.g., Folland et al. 1986; Fontaine and Janicot 1996), but there is also evidence that land surface conditions over West Africa make a significant contribution to this variability (e.g., Nicholson 2000; Philippon et al. 2005).