Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Financial and Labour Obstacles and Firm Employment: Evidence from Europe and Central Asia Firms

This paper examines how obstacles in access to finance, labour regulations, and employment quality affect employment growth and the permanent worker ratio at the firm level. Using firm-level data of 11,691 firms in 33 low-income and middle-income countries in Europe and Central Asia, where unemployment rates are the highest worldwide, this paper demonstrates that access to finance and employment quality obstacles hinder employment growth. The paper also shows that the greater the obstacles in access to finance and labour regulations, the lower the permanent worker ratio. The findings are robust when applying a two-stage least-squares method to address endogeneity issues. Furthermore, quantile regression analysis shows that access to finance obstacles impede the lowest-growth firms the most and the highest-growth firms the least. Our results indicate that significant financial and regulatory reforms are needed to spur sustainable employment growth.
Measurement report: Three years of size-resolved eddy-covariance particle number flux measurements in an urban environment

Abstract. Size-resolved particle number fluxes in the size range 10 nm < particle diameter (Dp) < 200 nm were measured over a 3-year period (April 2017–March 2020) using the eddy covariance technique at an urban site in Berlin, Germany. The observations indicated the site as a net source of particles with a median total particle number flux of FTNC = 0.86 × 108 m−2 s−1. The turbulent surface-atmosphere exchange of particles was clearly dominated by ultrafine particles (Dp < 100 nm) with a share of 96 % of total particle number flux (FUFP = 0.83 × 108 m−2 s−1). Annual estimates of median FTNC and FUFP slightly decreased by −9.6 % (−8.9 % for FUFP) from the first to the second observation year and a further −5.9 % (−6.1 % for FUFP) from the second to the third year. The annual variation might be due to different reasons such as variation of flux footprints in the individual years, a slight reduction of traffic intensity in the third year or a progressive transition of the vehicle fleet towards a higher share of low-emission standards or electric drive. Size-resolved measurements illustrated events of bidirectional fluxes, i.e. simultaneous emission and deposition fluxes within the size spectrum, which occurred more often in spring, late summer and autumn than in winter. Multi-year observations of size-resolved particle fluxes proved to be important for deeper understanding of particle exchange processes with the urban surface and the pronounced influence of traffic at this urban site.
VISUALIZING CLUSTER OF WORDS: A GRAPHICAL APPROACH TO GRAMMAR ACQUISITION

Language has been traditionally considered as a qualitative phenomenon that mainly requires hermeneutical methodologies in order to be studied, yet in recent decades thanks to advances in data storage, processing and visualization there has been a growing and fertile interest in analysing language by relying on statistics and quantitative methods. In light of these motivations, we think it is worthwhile to try to explore databases made up of transcripted infant spoken language in order to verify whether and how underlying patterns and recurrent sequences of learning stages work during acquisition. So, we think that the Expectation Maximization clustering method combined with an innovative graphical visualization can be useful to evaluate the development of linguistic structures over time in a reliable way
A Review of Flotation Physical Froth Flow Modifiers

Over the past few decades, the need to process more minerals while lowering capital costs has led to an increase in the size of flotation cells, e.g., 0.03 m3 to 1000 m3. However, this increase has created new challenges in the operation and design of industrial flotation cells, particularly in terms of froth removal, because the distance the froth must travel increases with an increase in the flotation cell diameter. This has a negative impact on recovery. Physical froth flow modifiers can be used to improve froth removal. Their major functions are to modify and optimise the flow of the froth, improve froth drainage, reduce dead zones, and improve froth flow and removal dynamics. Therefore, physical froth flow modifiers are discussed, evaluated, and compared in this paper. The literature indicates that physical froth flow modifiers such as crowders and launders are used extensively as industrial solutions to enhance froth transport and recovery in large flotation cells. Other modifiers (including froth baffles and froth scrapers) have been found to have a profound effect on local froth phase sub-processes, including drainage and bubble coalescence. However, industrial uptake is either dwindling or limited to small-volume rectangular/U-shaped cells in the case of scrapers, or, there is no uptake at all in the case of froth baffles. Further research on how some of the physical modifiers (e.g., baffles and launders) impact the selectivity of particles is required.
Long-Term Changes in the Wintering Population of the Dalmatian Pelican along the Black Sea-Mediterranean Flyway

Understanding spatiotemporal dynamics in wildlife populations is of paramount importance for their effective conservation, however longitudinal studies are relatively scarce for most animal groups. Waterbirds are an exception however, since midwinter surveys have been implemented in most areas of the world for over four decades. The Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus is a globally threatened emblematic wetland species of the Palearctic, with a wide distribution in Europe and Asia. Its global population is divided into three distinct groups that coincide with the Black Sea-Mediterranean Flyway, the Central Asian Flyway and the East Asian Flyway. In this study we used International Waterfowl Census data to assess long-term changes in the wintering population of the Dalmatian Pelican pertaining to the Black Sea-Mediterranean Flyway. We report national and regional population trends in SE Europe and Turkey and explore spatiotemporal patterns in the wintering numbers and distribution of the species in relation to climate variability during the last two decades. Our key findings suggest that during the past 30 years the abundance of wintering Pelicans increased across the entire study area. Within the eastern subpopulation this increase was most accentuated in the northern edge of the species' wintering distribution, which was associated with a local warming trend, and was coupled with a north-eastern shift in the distribution pattern, yet not driven by climate conditions. Other contributing factors, such as winter site fidelity, local food availability, finer scale climatic and habitat conditions, but also carry-over effects should be considered in future studies. Given the advancement of first laying dates in Dalmatian Pelicans in almost all breeding sites and the strict timing of IWC counts, we also propose the implementation of species-specific winter surveys, independently from IWC, to obtain a more thorough understanding of the dynamics of the Dalmatian Pelican's wintering population.
Enabling The Smart Factory – A Digital Platform Concept For Standardized Data Integration

The digital transformation of industrial manufacturing companies is still seen as a challenge on the path to the smart factory and efficient and transparent production. Companies have already been dealing with concepts such as Industry 4.0 and the associated tasks of digitization and process automation for years. More recently, data-driven methods of machine learning and artificial intelligence, have increased the demands on data integration in industrial applications and the need for seamless and automated communication within information systems. This facilitates the creation of entirely new business models or the adaption of new approaches such as predictive analytics (e.g. for predictive maintenance) or data mining methods (e.g. for anomaly detection) to increase productivity. A multitude of partly proprietary standards for communication between machines and systems, and interface definitions complicates the integration of systems and data. To minimize the challenges of system and data integration, we have developed a digital platform concept as a solution to standardized data integration issues. In a first step, through literature research and expert interviews, we identified current industrial trends and key relevant standards and processes. In a second step, we developed a concept for a digital platform - a Service Hub - through which the identified standards and integration processes can be marketed. The Service Hub supports companies in their digital transformation and offers providers of various integration solutions an opportunity for individualized marketing of frequently used (integration) processes.
An environmental scan of librarian involvement in systematic reviews at Queen’s University: 2020 update

Introduction Systematic reviews are a growing research methodology in the health sciences, and in other disciplines, having a significant impact on librarian workload. In a follow up to an earlier study, an environmental scan was conducted at Queen’s University to determine what has changed, if anything, since the introduction of a tiered service for knowledge synthesis by examining review publications where at least one co-author was from Queen’s University. Methods A search was conducted in PubMed and the Joanna Briggs database to find systematic reviews and meta-analyses with at least one author from Queen’s University for the five-year time since the last environmental scan. Reviews were categorized by the degree of involvement of the librarian(s) regardless of their institutional affiliation: librarian as co-author, librarian named in the acknowledgements, no known librarian involvement in the review. Results Of 453 systematic reviews published in the five-year time frame, nearly 20% (89) had a librarian named as co-author. A further 24.5% (110) acknowledged the role of a librarian in the search, either in the acknowledgements section or in the body of the text of the article. In just over half of reviews (235 or 51.8%) a librarian was either not involved, or was not explicitly acknowledged. More librarians and more institutions were represented in the period of 2016-2020 than in 2010-2015. Conclusion In the five years since the last environmental scan, an increasing number of reviews recognized the role of the librarian in publishing systematic reviews, either through co-authorship or named acknowledgement. This also suggests that as more librarians have become involved in systematic reviews, librarian capacity for this work has increased compared to five years ago.
RNA-Seq based exploration of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in cotton(Gossypium hirsutum. L) upon infection with Aspergillus tubingensis

Differentially expressed genes help in exploring plant defense mechanism under variable stress conditions. In current investigation, RNA sequencing was executed to explore the differential gene expression in resistant and susceptible varieties of Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum), upon infection with Aspergillus tubingensis. Comparative RNA-Seq of control and infected plants was performed using Illumina HiSeq 2,500. Overall 79.84 G clean data was generated and 6,558 DEGs were identified in both varieties, in response to pathogen inoculation. Differentially expressed genes were found to be involved in defense, antifungal response, signaling pathways, oxidative burst and transcription. Genes involved in defense responses, MAPK signaling, cell wall fortification and signal transduction were highly induced in resistant variety. Real time PCR also revealed the up regulation of MAPKKK YODA like, L-ascorbate oxidase, late embryogenesis abundant protein (At1g64065) and flavonoid 3',5'-hydroxylase-like, in resistant variety. Elevated accumulation of such DEGs in resistant variety could function as the source for identifying biomarkers for breeding and these can be used as potential candidate genes for transgenic manipulation. Their study also helped in understanding complex plant-fungal interaction and advanced the understanding of plant-microbe interaction. Inclusively, our findings provide an indispensable foundation for advanced understanding of the plant resistance mechanisms of cotton.
Proximity to the Frontier, Markups, and the Response of Innovation to Foreign Competition: Evidence from Matched Production-Innovation Surveys in Chile

This paper employs a matched firm production-innovation panel dataset from Chile to explore the response of firm innovation to the increased competition arising from the China shock. The data cover a wider range of innovation inputs and outputs than previously possible and allow generating measures of markups and efficiency (TFPQ) that correspond closely to the concepts of rents and technological leadership envisaged in the Schumpeterian literature. Except for the 10 percent most productive plants that see an increase in quality, increased competition depresses most measures of innovation. These differences are exacerbated when interacted with plant-level movements in rents. (JEL D24, L25, L60, O14, O19, O31, O34)
A peptide encoding gene MdCLE8 regulates lateral root development in apple

Nitrogen is not only an essential nutrient for plant, but also an important signal molecule to integrate and regulate gene expression, metabolism and growth. Plant peptides are considered as a new type of hormone, and play an important regulatory role in plant growth and development. However, little is known about the co-regulation network between nitrogen and peptide hormones in plant. Here we identified an apple MdCLE8 gene, which encodes a putative peptide, induced by nitrogen deficiency in apple. Ectopic expression of MdCLE8 inhibited lateral root formation in Arabidopsis under nitrogen deficiency. Similarly, overexpression of MdCLE8 inhibited lateral root development in apple adventitious roots, and this inhibition was amplified under nitrogen deficiency treatment. Further studies showed that MdCLE8 may inhibit the expression of several key genes during lateral root emergence stage in Arabidopsis , thereby inhibiting the emergence of lateral root from root cortex cells. Collectively, our study not only broadened the gene regulatory network under the influence of nitrogen in apple, but also expanded the function of CLE peptide hormones in apple. The apple peptide encoding gene MdCLE8 is induced by nitrogen deficiency signaling and negatively regulates lateral root formation in plants.
Wideband cavity‐backed slot array with high gain and high aperture efficiency

In this article, a wideband cavity‐backed slot array antenna with high gain and high aperture efficiency is presented. A novel cavity‐backed subarray is designed with compact size and applied to construct a 4 × 8 array. The array antenna is composed of two feeding layers and a radiating layer. The subarrays are placed on the top layer and SIW structure feeding network on the two layers below is used to feed them. The presented antenna is designed, fabricated and measured. The measured results reveal that the working bandwidth reaches up to 17.6%, ranging from 18.7 to 22.3 GHz with the peak gain of 19.5 dBi. Besides, the maximum aperture efficiency of 77.6% is calculated by employing measured gain and aperture size at 21.9 GHz. The presented array can be utilized as a receiving antenna in satellite communication systems.
Automation on Twitter: Measuring the Effectiveness of Approaches to Bot Detection

The effectiveness of approaches to bot detection varies, with real-time detection being almost impossible. As a result, this article argues that the general Twitter using public cannot be expected to judge which accounts are bots with certainty and therefore do not know to what extent they are being manipulated online. In this article, the challenge of detecting bots and fake accounts is demonstrated by constructing two distinct methods to bot detection. The first method takes a fixed criteria-based approach, by building on commonly cited identifiers for bots. The second method takes a more flexible, investigative approach in order to uncover bots involved in coordinated efforts to influence online debates. As well as profiling the specific mechanics of how each one operates, we argue that they can be compared against an evaluative framework that specifies a set of key criteria that bot detection methods should meet in order to perform. Here, we identify four key criteria on which these methods can be evaluated and then examine how they perform in terms of the key criteria of accuracy. The results of these methods are then compared and cross-checked against an existing and widely used bot detection service. The findings show that different bot detection methods can present significantly different results and that only confirmation from Twitter, through suspensions or announcements, can truly allow users to know whether an account is a bot or not. We argue that this development could have a significant effect on the level of trust that social media users have both in the information they receive through social media and also in the political process.
A Network Slicing Framework for UAV-Aided Vehicular Networks

In a fifth generation (5G) vehicular network architecture, several point of access (PoA) types, including both road side units (RSUs) and aerial relay nodes (ARNs), can be leveraged to undertake the service of an increasing number of vehicular users. In such an architecture, the application of efficient resource allocation schemes is indispensable. In this direction, this paper describes a network slicing scheme for 5G vehicular networks that aims to optimize the performance of modern network services. The proposed architecture consists of ground RSUs and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) acting as ARNs enabling the communication between ground vehicular nodes and providing additional communication resources. Both RSUs and ARNs implement the LTE vehicle-to-everything (LTE-V2X) technology, while the position of each ARN is optimized by applying a fuzzy multi-attribute decision-making (fuzzy MADM) technique. With regard to the proposed network architecture, each RSU maintains a local virtual resource pool (LVRP) which contains local RBs (LRBs) and shared RBs (SRBs), while an SDN controller maintains a virtual resource pool (VRP), where the SRBs of the RSUs are stored. In addition, each ARN maintains its own resource blocks (RBs). For users connected to the RSUs, if the remaining RBs of the current RSU can satisfy the predefined threshold value, the LRBs of the RSU are allocated to user services. On the contrary, if the remaining RBs of the current RSU cannot satisfy the threshold, extra RBs from the VRP are allocated to user services. Similarly, for users connected to ARNs, the satisfaction grade of each user service is monitored considering both the QoS and the signal-to-noise plus interference (SINR) factors. If the satisfaction grade is higher than the predefined threshold value, the service requirements can be satisfied by the remaining RBs of the ARN. On the contrary, if the estimated satisfaction grade is lower than the predefined threshold value, the ARN borrows extra RBs from the LVRP of the corresponding RSU to achieve the required satisfaction grade. Performance evaluation shows that the suggested method optimizes the resource allocation and improves the performance of the offered services in terms of throughput, packet transfer delay, jitter and packet loss ratio, since the use of ARNs that obtain optimal positions improves the channel conditions observed from each vehicular user.
Addressing Determinants of Paternal Subjective Well-Being Through Fatherhood Education

Fatherhood education promotes responsible father involvement, which supports family well-being. However, research is lacking relative to the impact of these programs on paternal subjective well-being. Using Andersen’s Behavioral Model, this study examines the impact of a fatherhood education program on participants’ perceptions of social support and self-reported mental health. Upon program completion, participants reported higher levels of perceived social support, and lower levels of depression and anxiety. Bi-directional associations between social support and paternal mental health were noted. Multivariate analyses revealed the characteristics of fathers who might benefit from post-program interventions that focus on building stronger social support systems and addressing mental health needs.
Corpus Linguistics Representations on Age Groups in Light of Google Books

The goal of the research lays on identifying social representations around words associated with human beings in Google Books BYU Corpus, in a period of 208 years, from 1800 to 2008. In this paper, the main data findings of a corpus-based investigation are focused on the adjectives preceding such words as man, woman, adolescent, boy, girl, child, and teenager in database. By verifying patterns of association between each of these words and immediate collocates, it is possible to infer how these concepts are represented over time. First, queries were conducted in the Corpus. Second, adjectives were selected. Third, these were classified into semantic categories. Fourth, collocates were classified through sentiment analysis. Finally, major representations were inferred based on semantic categories and sentiment analysis scores. The word “children” showed different representations: medical, consisting of collocates such as asthmatic, disabled, religious and evaluative. We have concluded that over time, representations of age, health and race increased, while representations of innocence decreased. It can be applied that the collocates that appeared in the latter half-century compared to first half-century give an indication of the current representations. Finally, for children, these include hyperactive and disadvantaged, indicating a shift toward a “problematic” representation of children.
Resilience and childhood trauma in a substance-dependent sample: A cross-sectional, controlled study

ABSTRACT Background Childhood trauma has been regarded as a risk factor for substance use disorder and resilience has been found to be a protective factor against the development of psychopathology in the face of adversity. Methods: A total of 93 male substance-dependent patients and 59 healthy male volunteers were included. Resilience was assessed using the Resilience Scale for Adults, childhood trauma using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, and substance use with the Drug Use Disorders Identification Test. Results Childhood trauma was higher, resilience was lower in the patient group. After controlling for any effects of age, education and severity of childhood trauma, regression results showed that for every one-point increase in resilience, there was a concomitant 15.78% decrease in severity of substance use disorder. Substance-dependent patients with a history of suicide attempt had lower resilience scores than substance-dependent patients without a history of suicide attempt. Conclusions We conclude that resilience mitigates the severity of substance use disorder. Interventions to improve resilience might reduce the severity of substance use disorder and prevent suicide attempt in substance-dependent patients.