Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Degraded pastures in Brazil: improving livestock production and forest restoration

Degraded pasture is a major liability in Brazilian agriculture, but restoration and recovery efforts could turn this area into a new frontier to both agricultural yield expansion and forest restoration. Currently, rural properties with larger degraded pasture areas are associated with higher levels of technical inefficiency in Brazil. The recovery of 12 million ha of degraded pastures could generate an additional production of 17.7 million bovines while reducing the need for new agricultural land. Regional identification of degraded pastures would facilitate the targeting of agricultural extension and advisory services and rural credit efforts aimed at fostering pasture recovery. Since only 1% of Brazilian municipalities contain 25% of degraded pastures, focusing pasture recovery efforts on this small group of municipalities could generate considerable benefits. More efficient allocation of degraded and native pastures for meat production and forest restoration could provide land enough to fully comply with its Forest Code requirements, while adding 9 million heads to the cattle inventory. Degraded pasture recovery and restoration is a win–win strategy that could boost livestock husbandry and avoid deforestation in Brazil and has to be the priority strategy of agribusiness sector.
Food talk: 40-Hz fin whale calls are associated with prey biomass

Animals use varied acoustic signals that play critical roles in their lives. Understanding the function of these signals may inform about key life-history processes relevant for conservation. In the case of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus), that produce different call types associated with different behaviours, several hypotheses have emerged regarding call function, but the topic still remains in its infancy. Here, we investigate the potential function of two fin whale vocalizations, the song-forming 20-Hz call and the 40-Hz call, by examining their production in relation to season, year and prey biomass. Our results showed that the production of 20-Hz calls was strongly influenced by season, with a clear peak during the breeding months, and secondarily by year, likely due to changes in whale abundance. These results support the reproductive function of the 20-Hz song used as an acoustic display. Conversely, season and year had no effect on variation in 40-Hz calling rates, but prey biomass did. This is the first study linking 40-Hz call activity to prey biomass, supporting the previously suggested food-associated function of this call. Understanding the functions of animal signals can help identifying functional habitats and predict the negative effects of human activities with important implications for conservation.
The evolution of darker wings in seabirds in relation to temperature-dependent flight efficiency

Seabirds have evolved numerous adaptations that allow them to thrive under hostile conditions. Many seabirds share similar colour patterns, often with dark wings, suggesting that their coloration might be adaptive. Interestingly, these darker wings become hotter when birds fly under high solar irradiance, and previous studies on aerofoils have provided evidence that aerofoil surface heating can affect the ratio between lift and drag, i.e. flight efficiency. However, whether this effect benefits birds remains unknown. Here, we first used phylogenetic analyses to show that strictly oceanic seabirds with a higher glide performance (optimized by reduced sink rates, i.e. the altitude lost over time) have evolved darker wings, potentially as an additional adaptation to improve flight. Using wind tunnel experiments, we then showed that radiative heating of bird wings indeed improves their flight efficiency. These results illustrate that seabirds may have evolved wing pigmentation in part through selection for flight performance under extreme ocean conditions. We suggest that other bird clades, particularly long-distance migrants, might also benefit from this effect and therefore might show similar evolutionary trajectories. These findings may also serve as a guide for bioinspired innovations in aerospace and aviation, especially in low-speed regimes.
The exclusion of prison informant evidence for unreliability in New Zealand

Prison informant or ‘jailhouse snitch’ evidence is a notoriously unreliable category of evidence. In light of reliability concerns, the New Zealand Supreme Court has adopted a progressive approach to the exclusion of prison informant evidence, centred on greater use of general exclusionary provisions as a threshold of reliability for the admission of suspect evidence. In so doing, the court has shifted the emphasis from deference to the jury as arbiter of ultimate reliability and towards more robust judicial gatekeeping as a safeguard against false testimony. This article critically analyses the New Zealand approach, including by way of comparison with Canada, Australia and England and Wales. The New Zealand approach is presented as a principled and important example of adapting fundamental evidentiary principles and provisions in line with emerging social science evidence. However, in light of the general concerns surrounding this class of evidence, ultimately further safeguards are still needed
An efficient technique to solve coupled–time fractional Boussinesq–Burger equation using fractional decomposition method

For this work, a novel numerical approach is proposed to obtain solution for the class of coupled time-fractional Boussinesq–Burger equations which is a nonlinear system. This system under consideration is endowed with Caputo time-fractional derivative. By means of the natural decomposition approach, approximate solutions of the proposed nonlinear fractional system are obtained where the exact solutions are presented in the classical case of fractional order at γ = 1 . Some numerical examples are given to support the theoretical framework and to point out the role and the effectiveness of the intended method. Our results clearly show the approximate analytical solutions eventually will converge quickly to the already known exact solutions. AMS Classification: 35A22, 35C05, 35C10, 35R11, 44A30.
The Influence of Emotion and Empathy on Decisions to Help Others

Many decisions to help others are made in emotionally associated circumstances. Empathy is known to motivate prosocial behavior. However, no studies have investigated the interaction between empathy and emotion in deciding to help others. In total, 151 students scoring either high or low in empathy viewed three types of emotional clips (anger vs. sadness vs. neutrality) and completed the “Help for Another Study” task. Analysis of variance showed that participants chose to invest more time in helping others when they felt sadness than anger. Participants with high empathy chose to spend more time helping others than those with low empathy. Pearson’s correlation revealed a significant positive correlation between perspective-taking, empathic concern, and willingness to invest time in assistance under anger state; perspective-taking and fantasy were significantly correlated with willingness to invest time under sadness state. The results suggest that both emotion (i.e., sadness) and empathy (i.e., high trait empathy) are vital motivators that exert impact on prosocial helping decisions.
Ethical Leadership and Knowledge Sharing: The Effects of Positive Reciprocity and Moral Efficacy

Despite the pivotal function of knowledge sharing for enterprises in today’s highly competitive and ever-changing economic environment, the mechanism about how ethical leadership impacts employees’ knowledge sharing remains a largely unexplored domain in the literature. Drawing on the social exchange theory and social learning theory, this study examines how ethical leadership helps to encourage followers’ knowledge sharing behavior considering the dual-mediating effects of positive reciprocity and moral efficacy. A questionnaire-based survey is used to collect data in China. And structural equation modeling techniques are used to analyze the collected data in order to test the proposed hypothesis. Results show that ethical leadership has positive impact on followers’ knowledge sharing. It is also found that both positive reciprocity and moral efficacy play significant mediating effects, and they are equally important in accounting for the impact of ethical leadership on followers’ knowledge sharing. Based on the analysis results, this paper further discusses theoretical and practical implications.
Research on the influencing factors of thermal characteristics of high-speed grease lubricated angular contact ball bearing

The high temperature rise of grease lubricated angular contact ball bearing under high speed operation will affect the working accuracy of the bearing, and even lead to the loss of accuracy. In this paper, a friction heat generation model for high-speed grease lubricated angular contact ball bearing was established. Based on the quasi-static analysis model, the thermal expansion of the bearing components is brought into the quasi-static equilibrium equation, and the modified quasi-static analysis model of high-speed grease lubricated ACBB is obtained. Under grease lubrication conditions, a local bearing heat-generation model was employed to assess power losses in different contact zones, in which bearing contact parameters, external loads, and rotation speeds conditions were fully considered. Moreover, the temperature distribution of grease lubricated high-speed bearing was analyzed by the multi node thermal network method. Through the analysis model of bearing dynamic and thermal characteristics considering the influence of thermal expansion established, bearing contact parameters have significant differences. The calculated values of outer ring temperature of grease lubricated angular contact ball bearing is in good agreement with the experimental values. The model can predict the temperature values of grease lubricated angular contact ball bearing under axial load at high speed.
The Tendency of Traditional Costume at Heritage Festival for Cultural Revival

A unique phenomenon in Bangladeshi cultural heritage is the tendency to wear traditional costumes at the festivals. This research examines the influence of wearing traditional Bangladeshi costumes for the festival observance. Based on the theoretical background of Bangladeshi festival heritage, five factors were derived: togetherness, tolerance, simplicity, aestheticism, and cultural revival. This research empirically analyzed 310 participant’s data who attended UNESCO (United Nations Economic and Social Council)–recognized world intangible cultural heritage festival, “Pohela Boishakh” (first day of Bengali New Year) held in Bangladesh. Exploratory factor analysis showed that all five factors are statically significant for the impact of heritage festivals. Multiple regression analysis revealed four factors out of five statistically significant for festival importance, and all factors are significant for the tendency of wearing traditional costumes at the heritage festival.
A Simulation Study of the Effect of Delayed Retirement on Welfare of the Elderly: Evidence from China

In order to cope with population aging and emerging labor shortages, the Chinese government may soon introduce a policy to address this problem by raising the normal retirement age. However, the effects of planning for delayed retirement on the welfare of the elderly remain unknown. From an intergenerational support perspective, we develop a dynamic optimization model that can simulate changes in the welfare of the elderly over the years under different delayed retirement scenarios. Simulation results show that delaying retirement will produce a detrimental effect on old-age welfare. We further analyze strategies to mitigate this adverse effect and improve people’s welfare. First, the delayed retirement policy should raise the pension replacement rate, which could transfer part of the social welfare improvements from delayed retirement to the elderly through the transfer payment mechanism. Second, when adopting a defined-contribution pension system, the delayed retirement could increase the welfare of the elderly and the social well-being. Implications for future research and public policies concerning welfare effects of delayed retirement are discussed.
Determinants of Consumer’s Purchase Intention on Fresh E-Commerce Platform: Perspective of UTAUT Model

Despite the booming market of fresh food, the fresh e-commerce platform holds only a limited market share, owing to the lack of habitual usage of these platforms. This article explores the determinants of purchase intention when using a fresh e-commerce platform. The integrated technology acceptance model (Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology [UTAUT]) is employed as the framework. A questionnaire survey was conducted and is analyzed using the structural equation model. We find that both performance expectancy and social influence have a significantly positive effect on consumers’ purchase intention using fresh e-commerce platforms, while perceived risk has a significantly negative effect. Perceived trust plays a mediating role between performance expectancy and purchase intention, social influence and purchase intention, as well as perceived risk and purchase intention. In addition, food safety awareness is a moderator between perceived trust and purchase intention.
Platform Corporate Social Responsibility and Employee Innovation Performance: A Cross-Layer Study Mediated by Employee Intrapreneurship

Based on social exchange theory, this research developed a theoretical model on the impact of the internal corporate social responsibility (ICSR) of platform enterprises on employee innovation performance. Based on 414 employee data from 56 platform enterprises, hierarchical linear modeling was employed to test the model at two time points. The results revealed that the ICSR of platform enterprises has a significant positive effect on employee innovation performance, and employee intrapreneurship mediates the relationship; that is, the ICSR of platform enterprises promotes employees’ innovation performance by stimulating their intrapreneurship. Employees’ moral identity can also positively moderate the relationship between the ICSR of platform enterprises and employee intrapreneurship; the stronger the employees’ moral identity is, the stronger the positive impact of the platform’s ICSR is on the employees’ intrapreneurship. The relationship between the ICSR and employee innovation performance was clarified under platform economics. The current conclusions can guide platform enterprises’ innovation and sustainable development efforts.
Collaborative Learning in Makerspaces: A Grounded Theory of the Role of Collaborative Learning in Makerspaces

Makerspaces are a relatively new phenomenon that seem to create an innovative environment for individuals to work on projects and learn about technology. This article presents a grounded theory study, which investigates the impact that makerspaces have on innovation. Strauss and Corbin’s grounded theory methodology is used to research this exploratory topic. The data sample consists of 16 interviews of members of a makerspace in Shanghai, China. Data analysis was conducted abiding by Strauss and Corbin’s coding framework, entailing open coding, axial coding, and selective coding as well as coding tools, such as the coding paradigm and the conditional matrix. Collaborative learning was identified as the core phenomenon of this research, and The Collaborative Learning and its Outcomes Theory was created. The emergent theory contributes to the understanding of how makerspaces impact outcomes, such as innovation and venture creation, as well as explain how collaborative learning in conjunction with other modes of learning can facilitate learning at various complexities. As such, this study’s contributions are in developing the theoretical understanding of makerspaces as well as collaborative learning. It offers managerial and pedagogical implications that can help create learning environments where collaborative learning is fostered.
Utilization of occupational therapy services and relation to survival in people taking dementia‐specific medication in Austria—A retrospective population‐based study with a 13‐year observation period

Evidence‐based treatment of dementia includes pharmacological and non‐pharmacological methods of which psycho‐social interventions are an important component, commonly administered by occupational therapists. The aim of this study was to investigate the utilization of occupational therapy (OT) services and its association with survival in people taking dementia‐specific medication in a population‐based Austrian dataset compared to a two times as large control group without dementia‐specific medication.
Agents of sustainable transition or place branding promotors?: Local journalism and climate change in Sweden

Abstract The climate crisis concerns the whole fabric of society. Local journalism can play a key role when cities are handling the problems. In this article, I analyse local media discourses on climate change in four Swedish cities that aim to be role models in the transition towards carbon neutrality. A discourse analysis of news articles and op-eds about the climate, combined with semi-structured interviews with journalists working at four different local newspapers, shows that the climate crisis is covered in all newspapers – even if the amount and ambition varies – including the ability to fill key roles as watchdog and educator. The newsrooms’ climate focus also had to give way when the Covid-19 pandemic struck. Local decisions about transportation, food, and urban development are common topics and often debated in the local press. However, the prize-winning cities’ ambitious green plans to become climate neutral already by 2030 remain vague for the journalists and probably also their readers.
Methodology for multi-criteria assessment of working conditions as an object of qualimetry

Abstract The article considers several modern scientific papers substantiating the need for assessing workplace safety and focusing on methods applied for the quantitative assessment of working conditions. The analysis found unsolved problems in qualimetry, which could lead to the development of new practical and generally applicable methods to effectively assess working conditions. The analysis proved the relevance of the topic and helped to determine the aim of the article, i.e., the development of a methodology for the quantitative assessment of working conditions in industries, considering harmful production factors. An exponential distribution, which belongs to the theory of extreme statistics, was proposed for the transition of heterogeneous single indicators of harmful factors into a dimensionless scale. Affine transformations were used to combine dissimilar scales, making it possible to divide segments on dissimilar scales into equal proportions. The article proposes a step-by-step method for determining a complex indicator of working conditions in industries. The proposed methodology allows management decisions that minimise the deviation in actual values of harmful factors from the optimal ones. The developed technique was tested at one specific metallurgical production site.
Effect of Protein Binding Coverage, Location, and Distance on the Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance Response of Purified Au Nanoplates Grown Directly on Surfaces

Here we report the effect of protein binding coverage, location, and binding distance on the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) response of purified Au nanoplates grown directly on surfaces. The response to human anti-IgG binding on the nanoplate surface depends strongly on these variables. The method of anti-IgG attachment controlled the binding location (terrace, edge, or vertex sites) and the linker coverage and chain length controlled the antibody coverage and binding distance, respectively. The average change in λmax (Δλmax) for binding to terraces at medium coverage, edge sites at low coverage and edge sites at medium coverage was 21 ± 5, 44 ± 2, and 53 ± 4 nm on nanoplate samples purified by sonication, for example. The trend was similar for samples purified by taping, except that the shifts were all smaller due to a smaller initial λmax for those samples. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images reveal the coverage and binding location of anti-IgG on the nanoplates and, when correlated with th.
RAFFT: Efficient prediction of RNA folding pathways using the fast Fourier transform

We propose a novel heuristic to predict RNA secondary structure formation pathways that has two components: (i) a folding algorithm and (ii) a kinetic ansatz. This heuristic is inspired by the kinetic partitioning mechanism, by which molecules follow alternative folding pathways to their native structure, some much faster than others. Similarly, our algorithm RAFFT starts by generating an ensemble of concurrent folding pathways ending in multiple metastable structures, which is in contrast with traditional thermodynamic approaches that find single structures with minimal free energies. When we constrained the algorithm to predict only 50 structures per sequence, nearnative structures were found for RNA molecules of length ≤ 200 nucleotides. Our heuristic has been tested on the coronavirus frameshifting stimulation element (CFSE): an ensemble of 68 distinct structures allowed us to produce complete folding kinetic trajectories, whereas known methods require evaluating millions of sub-optimal structures to achieve this result. Thanks to the fast Fourier transform on which RAFFT is based, these computations are efficient, with complexity 𝒪(L2 log L).
SARS-CoV-2 Nsp14 mediates the effects of viral infection on the host cell transcriptome

Viral infection involves complex set of events orchestrated by multiple viral proteins. To identify functions of SARS-CoV-2 proteins, we performed transcriptomic analyses of cells expressing individual viral proteins. Expression of Nsp14, a protein involved in viral RNA replication, provoked a dramatic remodeling of the transcriptome that strongly resembled that observed following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Moreover, Nsp14 expression altered the splicing of more than 1,000 genes and resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of circRNAs, which are linked to innate immunity. These effects were independent of the Nsp14 exonuclease activity and required the N7-guanine-methyltransferase domain of the protein. Activation of the NFkB pathway and increased expression of CXCL8 occurred early upon Nsp14 expression. We identified IMPDH2, which catalyzes the rate-limiting step of guanine nucleotides biosynthesis, as a key mediator of these effects. Nsp14 expression caused an increase in GTP cellular levels, and the effect of Nsp14 was strongly decreased in presence of IMPDH2 inhibitors. Together, our data demonstrate an unknown role for Nsp14 with implications for therapy.