Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improving projections of rainfall trends through regional climate modeling and wide-ranging assessment

General Circulation Models (GCMs) are our best tool for assessing potential changes to our climate on a global scale into the future. However, certain physical processes that influence rainfall at any particular location operate at finer spatial scales than can be simulated by GCMs. Dynamical downscaling using regional climate models (RCMs) addresses this problem by simulating the relevant processes at finer scales, whilst retaining the important large-scale features of the original GCM. Assessment of the RCM simulations is an essential task before using them as a guide for potential future rainfall trends. Assessing the outputs of models both in terms of their simulation of relevant output variables (e.g. rainfall) and also the dynamics gives a more comprehensive assessment than examining the variables alone. Similarly, understanding the dynamics driving the projected trends from the model simulation can be used to gauge the plausibility of that projected trend. Here we present dynamically downscaled simulations of rainfall over the study site of Tasmania, Australia (~10 km grid scale). These fine-scale projections were produced using a dynamical downscaling regional climate model. Rainfall in the simulations is validated against a gridded climate dataset based on observations, and the model simulation of broad climate fields such as mean pressure and wind fields were assessed by comparison to reanalysis datasets. Additionally, the projected rainfall trends are interpreted in terms of known climate drivers. While GCM projections to 2100 show fairly uniform rainfall trends over all of Tasmania, the RCM projections reveal distinct trends in the different districts of Tasmania. The spatial pattern of rainfall changes also varies greatly in each season. The change in each district is driven by a unique combination of drivers and processes. The main climate drivers of change include the alteration to mean circulation in response to surface warming, changes to the strength and position of the subtropical ridge, shifts in atmospheric blocking, the southern annular mode, as well as changes to the synoptic climatology of significant systems. At a scale relevant to Tasmania the climate response to these processes is often poorly resolved in GCM simulations, and is improved through regional modelling. In this paper we present a holistic view of rainfall changes over Tasmania, linking large-scale drivers and finer scale processes to spatial and temporal changes in rainfall. Such analyses are only possible with fine-scale dynamical downscaling. We conclude that including new information from increased resolution using fine-scale dynamical downscaling provides more useful projections of rainfall changes at a local scale. We propose that analysis of the relevant rainfall mechanisms also helps to assess the confidence in which the climate simulations should be used as a tool for understanding future changes in rainfall.
Measuring Responsiveness to Feedback as a Personal Trait

People typically update their beliefs about their own abilities too little in response to feed-back, a phenomenon known as “conservatism”, and some studies suggest that they overweight good relative to bad signals (“asymmetry”). We measure individual conservatism and asymmetry in three tasks that test different cognitive skills, and study entry into a winner-takes-all competition based on similar skills. We show that individual differences in feedback responsiveness explain an important part of the variation in confidence and competition entry decisions. Conservatism is correlated across tasks and predicts competition entry both by influencing beliefs and independently of beliefs, suggesting it can be considered a personal trait. Subjects tend to be more conservative in tasks that they see as more ego-relevant and women are more conservative than men. Asymmetry is less stable across tasks, but predicts competition entry by increasing self-confidence.
Evaluation of the effectiveness of platelet-rich plasma in surgical epidermal wounds in rabbits

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is the portion of the blood plasma which contains a platelet concentration above basal levels that stimulate tissue repair by means to growth factors. The aimed of this research was to evaluate the impact of PRP on skin repair upon epidermal surgical lesions. Using a scalpel, a clean epidermal incision of 5cm length was made in the interscapular region of New Zealand rabbits (n=8), and then divided in two groups. Rabbits from the group 1 (n=4) were untreated (control group), while group 2 received PRP on the surgical wound. Autologous PRP was obtained from whole blood drawn by jugular vein puncture, collected with sodium citrate anticoagulant solution, and centrifuged at 120g x 5min. One milliliter was obtained of the phase superior to the buffy coat. Biopsies from the injured tissue were collected on days 3, 7, 14 and 21 post-surgeries, and submitted to Hematoxylin-Eosin and Masson’s Trichrome staining. In conclusion, the platelets separation method allows to obtaining plasma with higher platelets concentration and reduced number of leukocytes. Additionally, the results show that therapeutic PRP administration on surgically-induced skin injury has effect on the histological features of tissue healing compared with the control group.
Narrative experiments and imaginative inquiry

In this semi-autobiographical essay I explore the representation and performance of imaginative inquiry practices in educational inquiry and other disciplines, with particular reference to ‘thought experiments' in the natural sciences and comparable practices in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. I share a number of experiences of writing as a mode of educational inquiry, with particular reference to narrative experiments inspired by Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari's figuration of the rhizome — a process characterised as rhizosemiotic play — and demonstrate the generativity of intertextual readings of selected fictions in catalysing them. South African Journal of Education Vol. 28 (3) 2008: pp. 335-349
Ethnic identity and its relationship to life satisfaction and mental health among Omani youth

A positive relationship between ethnic identity and psychological well-being has been widely reported in the literature. However, most work has been conducted among minorities in Western multicultural societies such as the US. Little is known about the salience and consequences of ethnic identity in Middle Eastern countries. We conducted a study in Oman where the strong emphasis on a single Arab identity exists in an ethnically heterogenous environment. We addressed the saliency of ethnic identity and its consequences for well-being. Our data comes from 563 university and high school students who completed the Phinney's Multi-Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM), the Brief Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scale, and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Results indicate that the MEIM possesses good psychometric characteristics in this population, implying that the construct is valid in this context. Furthermore, using path analytic procedures and regression analysis we established that ethnic identity, particularly ethnic belonging, was positively associated with psychological well-being (i.e., life satisfaction and mental health), thereby confirming results from other parts of the world. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Pricing Interest Rate Derivatives Under Different Interest Rate Modeling: A Critical and Empirical Comparison

This paper deals with issues related to the choice of the interest rate model to price interest rate derivatives. After the development of the market models, choosing the interest rate model has become almost a trivial task. However, their use is not always possible, so that the problem of choosing the right methodology still remains. The aim of this paper is to compare some of the most used interest rate derivatives pricing models to understand what are the issues and the drawbacks connected to each one. It is shown why and in which cases the use of each model does not give appreciable results and when, on the other hand, the opposite occurs. More exactly, it will be shown that the lack of data on the implied volatilities or the inefficiencies in the financial market can prevent the use of the market models, because a satisfying calibration of the interest rate trajectories cannot be guaranteed. Moreover, it is shown how the smile effect in the interest rate options market can affect the price provided by each model and, more exactly, that the difference between the price provided by the models and the observed market prices gets larger, as the strike price increases.
What is the potential for pipe to pipe interactions in energy piles

Background Borehole heat exchangers are one of the most common means of executing ground energy storage. Borehole thermal resistance is an important parameter since the resistance controls the temperature change between the heat transfer fluid and the ground for a given heat input according to the expression Δ , where q is the heat transfer rate per unit depth (W/m) and Rb is the borehole thermal resistance in mK/W. Rb is normally calculated on the basis of a two dimensional slice through the borehole and accounts for both borehole geometry and material properties. Minimising the resistance is a desirable target since it will help improve heat transfer to the ground. With respect to borehole geometry it is now well established that maximising the pipe spacing (U-tube shank spacing) will reduce the resistance due to two mechanisms. One is the simple 2D separation of the pipes which places the two heat sources further apart and closer to the borehole edge. However, the second mechanism is three dimensional. If the pipes are placed too close together then they will potentially exchange heat with each other rather than the ground, thus introducing axial effects. This can be accounted for within boreholes containing a single U-tube by determining a quasi-three dimensional resistance (for details see the review by Lamarche et al). Energy piles are often taken as analogous to borehole heat exchangers as they are both axisymmetric in external form. However, piles are both larger in diameter than boreholes and have the potential to contain many more heat transfer pipes. Typically it would also be expected that those pipes would have a larger spacing than in a borehole. But does energy pile design also need to consider three dimensional resistances, or would two dimensional computation be sufficient? To investigate this question two sets of analysis have been carried out. First, existing analytical tools for single U-tube heat exchangers are used to explore the theoretical potential for interactions. Secondly, fluid temperature profile data from numerical simulations are examined to determine whether interactions are occurring in double and triple U-tube connected in series.
A cognitive organization theory (COT) of organizational change: Measuring organizational texture, audience appeal, and leadership engagement

In this paper, the authors develop a cognitive organization theory (COT) of organizational change. COT was developed in the 2000s, by taking insights from cognitive psychology and anthropology to rebuild the foundation of organizational ecology (OE), grounding macro processes of organizational legitimation, inertia and mortality in micro processes of appeal and engagement. COT also explored the micro-level process of organizational change, arguing that four features (i.e. asperity, intricacy, opacity, and viscosity) of an organization's texture impact the appeal of organizational change. However, to data, empirical studies of a COT of organizational change are absent. An important reason is that many of the new COT constructs are not linked to empirical measures. The purpose of this paper is to develop reliable and valid survey measures of COT's key constructs. ,The authors follow a three-step procedure to develop reliable and valid survey measures of COT's key constructs. First, the authors construct survey measures by using existing organizational behavior (OB) scales and develop new scales in consultation with COT experts. Second, the authors apply factor analysis to evaluate convergent and discriminant validity and use Cronbach's α to determine the reliability of the scales. Third, the authors estimate a structural equation model to determine external validity, by exploring whether the measures have the effect hypothesized in COT. ,The authors find that existing OB scales can be used to proxy for COT's key constructs of appeal and engagement. The authors also find that two organizational texture variables (i.e., asperity and opacity) are significantly associated with the appeal of organizational change, further confirming the validity of applying a COT to organization change. The results are promising, proving evidence as to the criterion-related validity of the measures of COT constructs. From the total of 39 coefficients of COT-inspired independent and control variables, 22 are significant. ,The authors’ findings illustrate that micro OB and macro OE can be effectively combined in a COT of organizational change. However, the authors' contribution is only a first step, requiring further theoretical and methodological refinement. Theoretically, OB and OE can be integrated further, by linking together more concepts and constructs from the two streams of literature. Methodologically, the link between constructs and empirical measures can be refined, by adding extra scales and items, and collecting more data to validate them. ,In this paper, the authors develop a COT of organizational change and link its central constructs to empirical measures, by connecting them to existing OB constructs and developing new scales and items. This opens the door to empirical studies on a COT of organizational change, hereby providing a stepping-stone for further integration of micro OB and macro OE.
Grasping Hand Pose Estimation from RGB Images Using Digital Human Model by Convolutional Neural Network

Recently, there has been an increase in research estimating hand poses using images. Due to the hand’s high degree of freedom and self-occlusion, multi-view or depth images are often used. Our objective was to estimate hand poses specifically while grasping objects. When holding something, the hand moves in many directions. However, if the camera is too distant from the hand, it may move out of range. Widening the viewing angle, however, reduces the resolution beyond usable limits. One possible solution was developed by Kashiwagi by setting the camera on an object, the hand’s pose can be estimated regardless of its position. However, Kashiwagi's method cannot be used without estimating the fingertips’ positions. Recently, another method using a convolutional neural network (CNN), useful for estimating complex poses, has been proposed. Unfortunately, it is difficult to collect the large number of images with ground truth needed for learning. In this research, we focused on creating a large dataset by generating hand pose images using a digital human model and motioncaptured data using DhaibaWorks. We evaluated the model by calculating the distance of the estimated pose and ground truth of the test data, which was approximately 12.3 mm on average. In comparison, the average distance in related work was 18.5 mm. We also tested our method with ordinary camera images and confirmed that it can be used in the real world. Our method provides a new means of dataset generation: annotations are done automatically with motion capture technology, which reduces the time required. In future work, we will improve the architecture of the CNN and shorten the execution time for real-time processing.
Demand and Innovation in European Industries

After the decade-old debate between demand-pull and technology-push perspectives, demand seems to have fallen out of fashion. In this paper two models are proposed on the determinants of general innovative activities and on the market impact of product innovations. The models combine the supply and demand engines of innovation, and qualify the type of innovative efforts, distinguishing between those oriented towards cost reductions or towards technological competitiveness. The models are tested at the industry level for 22 manufacturing sectors and 17 services sectors in six European countries. The results show that efforts at technological competitiveness, product oriented strategies and the growth of household consumption and export are the key determinants of innovation and performances.
Oil price risk in the Eurozone: a sectoral analysis

This study investigates how oil price movements impact the main Eurozone industry supersectors returns. We use a multifactor market model in which we incorporate oil price changes as an additional risk factor. In order to account for possible breaks in the relationship, we use the Bai and Perron (1998, 2003) breakpoints identification methodology. We find evidence of the presence of structural instabilities on the relationship between sector stock returns and oil price changes. Different breakpoints are identified, particularly the 2003 Iraq invasion year, the 2008 subprime crisis and the 2012 Euro debt crisis. Moreover, our results prove that stock return sensitivities to oil prices are time varying and sector dependent. Besides, the subprime financial crisis appears to induce a significantly positive effect on the oil-stock market nexus. However, the Euro debt crisis has a mostly negative effect. The other identified breakpoints do not seem to have any significant effect on the oil stock market nexus. Olfa Belhassine (Tunisia), Amira Ben Bouzid (Tunisia) BUSINESS PERSPECTIVES LLC “СPС “Business Perspectives” Hryhorii Skovoroda lane, 10, Sumy, 40022, Ukraine www.businessperspectives. org OIL PRICE RISK IN THE EUROZONE: A SECTORAL ANALYSIS Received on: 10th of May 2017 Accepted on: 6th of September 2017
The independent and interactive effects of the Big-Five personality dimensions upon dispositional coping and coping effectiveness in sport

We examined the independent and interactive effects of the Big-Five personality traits on dispositional coping and coping effectiveness among athletes. Participants were 400 athletes (mean age 22.97, s = 7.00) from the UK. The athletes completed measures of personality, dispositional coping, and coping effectiveness. The Big-Five personality traits independently predicted the use of higher order coping dimensions. Extraversion, agreeableness, and openness positively predicted task-oriented coping. Neuroticism positively predicted distraction-oriented coping, whereas agreeableness, extraversion, and conscientiousness were negative predictors. Both extraversion and neuroticism positively predicted disengagement-oriented coping, whereas agreeableness and conscientiousness were negative predictors. Only neuroticism predicted coping effectiveness, which emerged as a negative predictor. Findings also showed a two-way interaction effect for predicting task-oriented coping between neuroticism and openness, and between extraversion and neuroticism. A further two-way interaction effect for predicting distraction-oriented coping was found between agreeableness and conscientiousness. These findings reinforce the need to investigate not only independent, but also interactive effects of personality dimensions upon sport-related dispositional coping.
Dynamics of Employment- and Earnings-Assimilation of First-Generation Immigrant Men in Sweden, 1990-2000

The employment- and earnings-assimilation of first-generation immigrant men in Sweden was estimated using a dynamic random-e¤ects sample-selection model with eleven waves of unbalanced panel-data during 1990-2000. Endogenous initial values were controlled for using the simple Wooldridge method. Local market unemployment-rates were used as a proxy in order to control for the effect of changing macroeconomic conditions. Significant structural (true) state-dependence was found both on the employment-probabilities and on the earnings of both immigrants and native Swedes. The size of structural state-dependence differed between immigrants and Swedes. Failure to control for the structural state-dependence could have caused bias not only in the assimilation measures but also in the cohort-effects. For example, standard (classic) assimilation model seriously overestimates short-run marginal assimilation-rates and underestimates long-run marginal assimilation- rates. The model controlling for structural state-dependence shows that the earnings of all immigrants in Sweden (except Iraqies) eventually converge to those of native Swedes, but only Nordics and Westerners are able to reach the employment- probability of native Swedes.
A Java Source-code SQL Injection Attack Detection Algorithm Based on Static Analysis

This paper researches the method of SQL injection attack detection and the principle of static analysis scanning, and presents a Java source-code SQL injection attack detection algorithm. The detection algorithm includes these steps: lexical analysis of source code, parsing of source code, constructing abstract syntax tree of source code, defining rules, abstract syntax tree traversal, tracking problems, detecting possible paths of SQL injection attack etc. Test results show the proposed detection algorithm in this paper performs perfectly and has higher recognition rate. Keywordsstatic analysis; SQL injection attack; abstract syntax tree.
Modelling engineering change management in a new product development supply chain

The changes within a new product development (NPD) process are handled differently depending on the stage of the project. The changes during the initial stages of the project are addressed by design iterations, while the changes after the product design is complete are addressed using a formal engineering change management (ECM) process. The ECM process is a complex process, especially under a collaborative environment, where various independent entities work together for a common cause of product development. The interactions between the NPD and ECM processes have rarely been investigated in the research community. In this paper, we attempt to study the interactions between the various NPD and ECM process parameters by modelling the processes and simulated the model to understand the parameter interactions. The organisations in a supply chain have been characterised based on their interactions with the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) during the NPD process. The organisation process templates representing the NPD and ECM processes of each type of organisation in the supply chain have been modelled. The templates have been used to develop a simulation model representing the NPD and ECM processes for a supply chain. The process variables, such as processing rates, resources, resource composition, resource allocation priority, processing quality and phase overlap, have been included in the model. The results indicate that most of the variables and interactions among the variables have a significant influence on the NPD lead time. By identifying the status of the NPD process, the decision-makers can use these results to develop appropriate management policies to govern their product development projects.