Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Making the Most of Diversity: How Collectivism Mutes the Disruptive Effects of Demographic Heterogeneity on Group Performance

We advance social identity theory by hypothesizing that the content of demographic attributes on which members differ, and not just their distribution, influences the relationship between a groupâ€™s composition and its performance. We test this theoretical logic, using both laboratory and field data, by investigating groups with different distributions of members (from the same or different nations) and cultural orientations (individualistic or collectivistic). We hypothesize that, because a collectivistic orientation promotes group identification, a focus on collective goals, and a sense of being an interchangeable exemplar of the group, it also reduces the polarizing effects of demographic heterogeneity and improves group performance. Using an experimental design, we find that subjects primed with a collectivistic rather than an individualistic orientation see less distinction between nationally homogeneous and heterogeneous groups, and expect the group to be more successful. We also analyze archival data representing 5,460 Himalayan climbing expeditions and find that expeditions characterized by higher levels of national heterogeneity are more likely to reach the summit if more members hail from collectivistic rather than individualistic countries. Simultaneously considering the distribution and content of attributes on which members differ will accelerate the evolution of a comprehensive theory of social identity processes and consequences.
Export Standards, Market Institutions and Smallholder Farmer Exclusion from Fresh Export Vegetable High Value Chains: Experiences from Ethiopia, Kenya and Zambia

Many African countries are diversifying exports into fresh export vegetables, grown mainly by smallholder farmers. However, markets for these new products have stringent safety standards. This paper examines the green bean high value chain (HVC) for African exports to Europe to identify the critical points at which exporters strictly enforce buyers’ quality requirements and the risk of exclusion of family farmers at these points. It then discusses the strategies African countries have used to get-around these challenges and maintain participation of some farmers. The paper identifies six critical control points but finds that farmers are most threatened with exclusion from green bean HVC at the farm-level and collection-centre control points. To overcome effects of these control points, study countries used two non-market strategies namely, collective action and public-private partnerships. These findings imply that the market, if left on its own, could adopt solutions that exclude smallholder farmers from export HVC.
Factors Influencing Satisfaction with life in Female Nursing College Students with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

We explored the factors influencing satisfaction with life among female nursing college students with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). One hundred and thirty-five female nursing college students with IBS were recruited from 6 nursing colleges located in D city, South Korea. Satisfaction with life, IBS severity, and visceral sensitivity were assessed using a structured questionnaire. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to identify the factors that influenced satisfaction with life. Our results suggest that IBS severity significantly influenced satisfaction with life, with an overall explanatory power of 10.9%. As such, interventions targeting female nursing college students with IBS might benefit from focusing on the severity of IBS symptoms.
Hierarchically hyperbolic spaces I: curve complexes for cubical groups

In the context of CAT(0) cubical groups, we develop an analogue of the theory of curve complexes and subsurface projections. The role of the subsurfaces is played by a collection of convex subcomplexes called a \emph{factor system}, and the role of the curve graph is played by the \emph{contact graph}. There are a number of close parallels between the contact graph and the curve graph, including hyperbolicity, acylindricity of the action, the existence of hierarchy paths, and a Masur--Minsky-style distance formula. We then define a \emph{hierarchically hyperbolic space}; the class of such spaces includes a wide class of cubical groups (including all virtually compact special groups) as well as mapping class groups and Teichmuller space with any of the standard metrics. We deduce a number of results about these spaces, all of which are new for cubical or mapping class groups, and most of which are new for both. We show that the quasi-Lipschitz image from a ball in a nilpotent Lie group into a hierarchically hyperbolic space lies close to a product of hierarchy geodesics. We also prove a rank theorem for hierarchically hyperbolic spaces; this generalizes results of Behrstock--Minsky, Eskin--Masur--Rafi, Hamenstadt, and Kleiner. We finally prove that each hierarchically hyperbolic group admits an acylindrical action on a hyperbolic space. This acylindricity result is new for cubical groups, in which case the hyperbolic space admitting the action is the contact graph; in the case of the mapping class group, this provides a new proof of a theorem of Bowditch.
Reconnection studies under different types of turbulence driving

Abstract. We study a model of fast magnetic reconnection in the presence of weak turbulence proposed by Lazarian and Vishniac (1999) using three-dimensional direct numerical simulations. The model has been already successfully tested in Kowal et al. (2009) confirming the dependencies of the reconnection speed Vrec on the turbulence injection power Pinj and the injection scale linj expressed by a constraint Vrec ~ Pinj1/2linj3/4and no observed dependency on Ohmic resistivity. In Kowal et al. (2009), in order to drive turbulence, we injected velocity fluctuations in Fourier space with frequencies concentrated around kinj = 1/linj, as described in Alvelius (1999). In this paper, we extend our previous studies by comparing fast magnetic reconnection under different mechanisms of turbulence injection by introducing a new way of turbulence driving. The new method injects velocity or magnetic eddies with a specified amplitude and scale in random locations directly in real space. We provide exact relations between the eddy parameters and turbulent power and injection scale. We performed simulations with new forcing in order to study turbulent power and injection scale dependencies. The results show no discrepancy between models with two different methods of turbulence driving exposing the same scalings in both cases. This is in agreement with the Lazarian and Vishniac (1999) predictions. In addition, we performed a series of models with varying viscosity ν. Although Lazarian and Vishniac (1999) do not provide any prediction for this dependence, we report a weak relation between the reconnection speed with viscosity, Vrec ~ ν−1/4.
Wire Robot Suspension Systems for Wind Tunnels

In the past decade, the main focus in ship hydrodynamic simulation was the computation of the viscous flow around a ship at constant speed and parallel inflow to the ship longitudinal axis. Meanwhile, the numerical methods developed by extensive research allow to simulate the viscous flow around a maneuvering vessel. Having these methods at hand, experimental data are required for the validation of the applied simulation models. These data can be obtained e.g. by wind tunnel experiments. Here, particularly the velocity distribution around the body and forces of the flow during a predefined motion are of interest. The motion of the ship model can be realized by a superposition of longitudinal motion simulated through the inflow in the wind tunnel and a transverse or rotational motion of the ship realized by a suspension mechanism. Mechanisms for guiding a ship model along a predefined trajectory are known e.g. from towing tank applications. However, the design criteria for these mechanisms are totally different from a wind tunnel suspension system. In the towing tank, the weight of the studied vessel is compensated by the buoyancy force. On the other hand, the required forces to move the model along a trajectory are much higher due to the higher density and mass of the water in comparison with air. In the wind tunnel application, the mass of the model leads to gravity and inertia forces which have to be compensated by the suspension system. This chapter describes the development of a suspension system based on wire robot technology. Wire robots use wires for the suspension of their end effectors. In this application, this is very advantageous since wires have a relatively small aerodynamical footprint and allow for high loads. The system described within this chapter is installed at the Technical University Hamburg-Harburg, where ship models must be moved on defined trajectories within the wind tunnel, as described above (Sturm & Schramm, 2010). The application requires the motion of heavyweight payloads up to 100kg with a frequency of up to 0.5Hz for the translational degrees-of-freedom and up to 2.5Hz for the rotational degrees-of-freedom. Within this chapter, at first a short historical review of the very active wire robot research within the last years is given in section 2. Afterwards, an appropriate design of the wire robot system is discussed in section 3. Due to the adaptability of the wire robot concept, different geometries are possible. Based upon the mechatronic development process according to VDI (2004), two designs are investigated in section 3. Therefore, virtual prototypes using mathematical models and numerical simulation are developed in sections 3.1 and 3.2. Based on the simulation results, the two designs are compared in section 3.3. Using numerical 2
Contributions of fungi to carbon flow and nutrient cycling from standing dead Typha angustifolia leaf litter in a temperate freshwater marsh

Standing dead plant litter often constitutes a large fraction of the detritus in many freshwater marshes and lake littoral habitats. Despite this evidence, microbial decay processes in standing litter and its contribution to wetland carbon and nutrient cycling have rarely been quantified. We examined the contribution of fungi to carbon flow and nutrient cycling from Typha angustifolia during senescence and standing litter decomposition. Naturally standing Typha leaves were collected in August and then periodically over 1 yr. We quantified losses in leaf carbon (C), fungal biomass, and fungal production rates and constructed a partial budget estimating C flow into fungal decomposers. Additionally, we determined leaf litter N and P concentrations to assess the effect of fungi on detrital nutrient dynamics. Significant losses in leaf C occurred during plant senescence and standing litter decay (∼ 55%). Fungal biomass increased during litter decay, reaching a maximum of 106 ± 7 mg C g−1 detrital C. Cumulative fungal production totaled 123 mg C g−1 initial detrital C, indicating that 22% of the Typha leaf C lost was assimilated into fungal biomass. Fungi also transformed and immobilized nutrients within Typha leaves, with fungal N and P accounting for > 50% of the total detrital N and P during later stages of leaf decay. Significant transformation and decomposition of emergent macrophyte litter occurs during the standing dead phase, and a large portion of the plant C and nutrients are channeled into and through fungal decomposers.
Essential oil composition of Murraya exotica from the plains of northern India

The essential oil composition of Murraya exotica leaves and flowers from CIMAP Research Farm, Lucknow, were analysed by GC and GC-MS, which resulted in the identification of 56 and 72 constituents, representing 99.8% and 99.2% of the oils, respectively. The leaf oil showed ( £ )-nerolidol (27.8%), α-zingiberene (10.0%), β-caryophyllene (9.7%), (E,E) farnesol (8.9%) and δ-elemene (5.1%) as the major constituents, while the flower oil showed (E,E,E)-α-springene (23.8%), ( £ )-nerolidol (18.7%), (E,E) α-farnesene (13.2%), methyl palmitate (6.8%) and germacrene B (5.9%) as the major constituents.
Litter identity affects assimilation of carbon and nitrogen by a shredding caddisfly

Ecologists often equate litter quality with decomposition rate. In soil and sediments, litter that is rapidly decomposed by microbes often has low concentrations of tannin and lignin and low C:N ratios. Do these same traits also favor element transfer to higher trophic levels in streams, where many insects depend on litter as their primary food source? We test the hypothesis that slow decomposition rates promote element transfer from litter to insects, whereas rapid decomposition favors microbes. We measured carbon and nitrogen fluxes from four plant species to a leaf‐shredding caddisfly using isotopically labeled litter. Caddisflies assimilated a higher percentage of litter carbon and nitrogen lost from slowly decomposing litters (Platanus wrightii and Quercus gambelii). In contrast, rapidly decomposing litters (Fraxinus velutina and Populus fremontii) supported higher microbial biomass. These results challenge the view that rapidly decomposing litter is higher quality by demonstrating that slowly decomposing litters provide a critical resource for insects.
The gravitational field of Phobos

The external gravitational field produced by a rigid body of uniform density but irregular shape is formulated in terms of spherical harmonics. The formalism is applied to the Martian satellite Phobos. Based on a 3-dimensional shape model of Phobos by Duxbury, the gravitational coefficients up to degree and order 4 for a homogeneous Phobos are computed. In particular, the authors find J{sub 2} = 0.105. The in-plane liberation amplitude of a homogeneous Phobos is predicted to be 0.97{degree}, within the rather large uncertainty of the observed value of 0.78 {plus minus} 0.4{degree}.
Sleep and Young Children's Development of Self-Regulation and Academic Skills

School readiness incorporates children’s academic abilities and their ability to self-regulate in the classroom. Prior research shows that sleep is related to children’s development of these skills, although the mechanisms through which sleep affects school readiness are not well understood. Research also indicates that economically disadvantaged children and children of color may have poorer academic and regulatory skills at school entry and may sleep less and sleep less well on a regular basis. The current study explores the role of sleep quantity and quality in young children’s development of two skills critical for school success: self-regulation and academic abilities. This study intentionally focuses on a predominantly AfricanAmerican, economically disadvantaged population, who may be at risk for greater sleeprelated difficulties and lower school-related skills at kindergarten entry. It was hypothesized that a) young children with higher quantity and quality of sleep would show greater development of academic skills and self-regulation across one calendar year, b) the role of sleep in the development of these abilities would be relatively stronger among kindergarteners than among 1 graders, and c) the role of sleep quality and quantity in young children’s development of academic abilities would be partially explained by the relation between sleep and self-regulation. Results provide mixed support for the hypotheses, indicating that sleep quality and quantity relate differentially to different school-related skills among kindergarteners and 1 graders. This study contributes research to help explain how and why sleep affects young children and may offer insights for caregivers and educators working to help children develop school-related skills. SLEEP AND CHILDREN’S DEVELOPMENT ii
Impedance Ratio Method for Urine Conductivity-Invariant Estimation of Bladder Volume

Abstract Non-invasive estimation of bladder volume could help patients with impaired bladder volume sensation to determine the right moment for catheterisation. Continuous, non-invasive impedance measurement is a promising technology in this scenario, although influences of body posture and unknown urine conductivity limit wide clinical use today. We studied impedance changes related to bladder volume by simulation, in-vitro and in-vivo measurements with pigs. In this work, we present a method to reduce the influence of urine conductivity to cystovolumetry and bring bioimpedance cystovolumetry closer to a clinical application.
Prosody in Cantonese and Teochew Noun Phrases

We report production data on the prosodic realization of two types of foci (constituent wh-answers, and constituent correction) of two Chinese languages that are very different from Mandarin: Hong Kong Cantonese and Teochew (a variety of Southern Min dialect spoken in Jieyang, Guangdong China). The results indicated that unlike what was reported about focus prosody at the sentential level in Cantonese, on-focus lengthening was observed with wh focus data but nothing about on-focus intensity. F0 cues were not obvious but some tendency of post-focal compression was found in F0 velocity. The Teochew data instead showed no significant acoustic distinction across different types of information structure.
The Ability to Switch Frames of Reference , and Its Relation to Mental Rotation

Many studies explore the differences between Route and Survey perspectives used in navigation and verbal directions, some of which examine the costs of switching between perspectives, as well as factors that mediate those costs. In addition, studies provide evidence for the role of different visuospatial skills involved in a range of navigation and map tasks, although none have looked specifically at visuo-spatial skills involved in the process of switching. This study tests for a correlation between mental rotation and the ability to switch between route and survey perspectives, by looking at performance and reaction times on a perspective-switch task, and examines the issues involved in a change between perspectives in a reading task. The stimuli in the reading task were adapted from previous studies, and altered to remove suggestions of other frames of reference, limiting the description to one perspective on the described location. The test revealed significant correlations between mental rotation and perspective switching through reaction time on a switch question, which differed significantly from the average response time, and through performance on questions after a route description by males. In addition this study catalogues strategies used by men and women on the mental rotation task, which may contribute to the gender difference found in the result as well as on the mental rotation task. The results, along with additional observations obtained during the study, are discussed in the context of reference frame types, to further explore what a reading-based, perspectiveswitch task entails. M2 Stage Mémoire CogMaster Program Université Paris Descartes Director: Roberto Casati Title: Directeur de Recherche, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Insitut Jean Nicod Tutor: Patrick Cavanagh Title: Professor, Université Paris Descartes, Laboratoire Psychologie de la Perception
Factors Affecting Access to Formal Credit by Micro and Small Enterprises in Uganda

This article investigates the factors affecting access to formal credit by micro and small enterprises in Uganda using the Gender Enterprise Survey that was funded by the IDRC. The study employed a probit model. The findings show that firm sales, ownerâ€™s education level, belonging to a business association, belonging to business group, use of internet, owning a personal and business bank account, and gender of the owner are positively associated with access to formal credit. We also find that experienced firms are less likely to apply for credit hence reduce the probability to receive formal bank credit. Our results provide insights on the existing gaps in designing supportive policies for micro and small enterprise to enable them increase their access to credit especially from the formal financial institutions.
Heterogeneity in epidemic models and its effect on the spread of infection

We first study an epidemic amongst a population consisting of individuals with the same infectivity but with varying susceptibilities to the disease. The asymptotic final epidemic size is compared with the corresponding size for a homogeneous population. Then we group a heterogeneous population into households, assuming very high infectivity within households, and investigate how the global infection pressure is affected by rearranging individuals between the households. In both situations considered, it turns out that whether or not homogenizing the individuals or households will result in an increased spread of infection actually depends on the infectiousness of the disease.
Climate change impacts on global agricultural land availability

Climate change can affect both crop yield and the land area suitable for agriculture. This study provides a spatially explicit estimate of the impact of climate change on worldwide agricultural land availability, considering uncertainty in climate change projections and ambiguity with regard to land classification. Uncertainty in general circulation model (GCM) projections is addressed using data assembled from thirteen GCMs and two representative emission scenarios (A1B and B1 employ CO2-equivalent greenhouse gas concentrations of 850 and 600 ppmv, respectively; B1 represents a greener economy). Erroneous data and the uncertain nature of land classifications based on multiple indices (i.e. soil properties, land slope, temperature, and humidity) are handled with fuzzy logic modeling. It is found that the total global arable land area is likely to decrease by 0.8–1.7% under scenario A1B and increase by 2.0–4.4% under scenario B1. Regions characterized by relatively high latitudes such as Russia, China and the US may expect an increase of total arable land by 37–67%, 22–36% and 4–17%, respectively, while tropical and sub-tropical regions may suffer different levels of lost arable land. For example, South America may lose 1–21% of its arable land area, Africa 1–18%, Europe 11–17%, and India 2–4%. When considering, in addition, land used for human settlements and natural conservation, the net potential arable land may decrease even further worldwide by the end of the 21st century under both scenarios due to population growth. Regionally, it is likely that both climate change and population growth will cause reductions in arable land in Africa, South America, India and Europe. However, in Russia, China and the US, significant arable land increases may still be possible. Although the magnitudes of the projected changes vary by scenario, the increasing or decreasing trends in arable land area are regionally consistent.
Domestic Banks as Lightning Rods? Home Bias and Information During Eurozone Crisis

European banks have been criticized for holding excessive domestic government debt during economic downturns, which may have intensified the diabolic loop between sovereign and bank credit risks. By using a novel bank-level dataset covering the entire timeline of the Eurozone crisis, I first re-confirm that the crisis led to the reallocation of sovereign debt from foreign to domestic banks. This reallocation was only visible for banks as opposed to other domestic private agents and it cannot be explained by the banks' risk-shifting tendency. In contrast to the recent literature focusing only on sovereign debt, I show that banks' private sector exposures were (at least) equally affected by a rise in home bias. Finally, consistent with these patterns, I propose a new debt reallocation channel based on informational frictions and show that informationally closer foreign banks increase their relative exposures when sovereign risk rises. The effect of informational closeness is economically meaningful and robust to the use of different information measures and controls for alternative channels of sovereign debt reallocation.