Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does Capital Flight Harm Domestic Investment? An Empirical Investigation from a Panel of Emerging and Advanced Europe

In this study, we estimate the size of capital flight and its spillover effect on domestic investment in selected European economies during the 2006 – 2016 period. The results based on the fixed effects ordinary least squares method suggest that capital flight has an adverse impact on investment in the economies included in our sample. As a robustness check, we also use the system generalized method of moments (GMM). Our results based on a mix of emerging and advanced economies are fairly similar with previous studies based on emerging economies alone (Yalta, 2010) and developing economies (Ndiaye, 2009).
Discrete‐time H2 state‐feedback control of polytopic LPV systems

This paper focuses on a new H2 state‐feedback control synthesis for discrete‐time polytopic linear parameter‐varying (LPV) systems. The synthesis conditions have been derived using an approach less conservative than those currently found in the literature, which allows to deal with polytopic LPV systems subject to time‐varying parameters in all matrices of its state‐space representation. Based on parameter‐dependent Lyapunov functions, a set of linear matrix inequalities‐based conditions is provided to obtain a discrete‐time H2 state‐feedback controller. Another significant advantage of the proposed conditions is the ability to include the poly‐quadratic condition as a particular case, presenting a solution to this so far unresolved problem. In addition, using the same concept, an improved condition for quadratic H2 control synthesis is given. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed state‐feedback control design method is assessed and compared to that of similar approaches by means of numerical examples.
Continuous selective deoxygenation of palm oil for renewable diesel production over Ni catalysts supported on Al2O3 and La2O3–Al2O3

The present study provides, for the first time in the literature, a comparative assessment of the catalytic performance of Ni catalysts supported on γ-Al2O3 and γ-Al2O3 modified with La2O3, in a continuous flow trickle bed reactor, for the selective deoxygenation of palm oil. The catalysts were prepared via the wet impregnation method and were characterized, after calcination and/or reduction, by N2 adsorption/desorption, XRD, NH3-TPD, CO2-TPD, H2-TPR, H2-TPD, XPS and TEM, and after the time-on-stream tests, by TGA, TPO, Raman and TEM. Catalytic experiments were performed between 300–400 °C, at a constant pressure (30 bar) and different LHSV (1.2–3.6 h−1). The results show that the incorporation of La2O3 in the Al2O3 support increased the Ni surface atomic concentration (XPS), affected the nature and abundance of surface basicity (CO2-TPD), and despite leading to a drop in surface acidity (NH3-TPD), the Ni/LaAl catalyst presented a larger population of medium-strength acid sites. These characteristics helped promote the SDO process and prevented extended cracking and the formation of coke. Thus, higher triglyceride conversions and n-C15 to n-C18 hydrocarbon yields were achieved with the Ni/LaAl at lower reaction temperatures. Moreover, the Ni/LaAl catalyst was considerably more stable during 20 h of time-on-stream. Examination of the spent catalysts revealed that both carbon deposition and degree of graphitization of the surface coke, as well as, the extent of sintering were lower on the Ni/LaAl catalyst, explaining its excellent performance during time-on-stream.
On temporality and morality: negotiating POW survival in current protracted wars

ABSTRACT This article juxtaposes the procedures and narratives by which US and Israeli political cultures mediate situations of prisoners of war (POWs) during protracted wars. In protracted wars, repatriation is independent of reconciliation processes, with no international contracts governing the ethics of asymmetric prisoner exchange. Empirically, this article examines political cultures by analyzing news reports of Bowe Bergdahl (USA) and Gilad Shalit (Israel), who were imprisoned and repatriated during the US war in Afghanistan, and the Israel/Palestine conflict, respectively. Theoretically, this article (1) Situates POW affairs as highlighting a contradiction between two ideals: casualty aversion and self-sacrifice. (2) Relates POW affairs to scholarship on military-to-civilian transitions, and harnesses van Gennep’s phases of separation, liminality and reintegration, to analyze transitions as experiences of collectives, and not of soldiers. The analysis shows that US media accounts depict both the war in Afghanistan and the three phases of transition as controlled by individuals’ actions. Israeli accounts, by contrast, employ passive terminology when mediating both conflicts and POW affairs. Both political cultures develop temporal pattens to regulate the mutual obligations pertaining to soldiers, publics and states: a lingering military trial in the USA, and a new conceptualization of abduction in Israel. Arguing that temporality and morality are interlinked due to the open duration of current conflicts, this article suggests a definition of protracted wars that highlights this reciprocity between open-endedness, disrupted ceremonies, and moral changes: from rescuing soldiers to questioning the convention of obligatory rescue.
High temperature solid/liquid lubrication behaviours of DLC films

The high temperature solid/liquid lubrication performances of DLC (diamond like carbon) films were investigated by a ball‐on‐disc tribometer under perfluoropolyether (PFPE) oil. The friction and wear behaviours of DLC films sliding against a Si3N4 ball at different friction pairs, sliding speeds and temperatures were evaluated systematically under dry friction. Moreover, tribological properties of DLC films were investigated under PFPE oils lubrication at elevated temperature. The experimental results show that the solid–liquid synergy lubrication is beneficial to improve the tribological properties of the steel‐related friction system and the tribological properties of the friction pair are significantly influenced by lubrication modes under PFPE oil lubrication, especially at high temperature. Tribotests show that the friction system exhibited low friction behaviours under PFPE oil due to the excellent thermal stability of PFPE oil. Coefficient of friction (CoF) of the friction system is as super low as 0.029 under PFPE oil.
Platform Exploitation: When Service Agents Defect with Customers from Online Service Platforms

Online, pure-labor service platforms (e.g., Zeel, Amazon Home Services, Freelancer.com) represent a multibillion-dollar market. An increasing managerial concern in such markets is the opportunistic behavior of service agents who defect with customers off platform for future transactions. Using multiple methods across studies, the authors explain this platform exploitation phenomenon. In Study 1, they utilize a theories-in-use approach to clarify why and when platform exploitation occurs and derive some hypotheses. Study 2 empirically tests these hypotheses using data from a health care platform that connects nurses and patients. The results indicate that high-quality, long-tenured service agents may enhance platform usage, but customers also are more likely to defect with such agents. Platform exploitation also increases with greater customer–agent interaction frequency (i.e., building stronger relationships). This phenomenon decreases agents’ platform usage due to capacity constraints caused by serving more customers off platform. These effects are stronger as service price increases (because higher prices equate to more fee savings), as service repetitiveness increases, and as the agent’s on-platform customer pool comprises more repeat and more proximal customers. Finally, the authors use two scenario-based experiments to establish some managerial strategies to combat platform exploitation.
Evaluation of CMIP5 Climate Models Using Historical Surface Air Temperatures in Central Asia

Using historical data compiled by the Climate Research Unit, spatial and temporal analysis, trend analysis, empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis, and Taylor diagram analysis were applied to test the ability of 24 Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) climate models to accurately simulate the annual mean surface air temperature in central Asia from the perspective of the average climate state and climate variability. Results show that each model can reasonably capture the spatial distribution characteristics of the surface air temperature in central Asia but cannot accurately describe the regional details of climate change impacts. Some of the studied models, including CNRM-CM5, GFDL-CM3, and GISS-E2-H, could better simulate the high- and low-value centers and the contour distribution of the surface air temperature. Taylor diagram analysis showed that the root mean square errors of all models were less than 3, the standard deviations were between 8.36 and 13.45, and the spatial correlation coefficients were greater than 0.96. EOF analysis showed that the multi-model ensemble can accurately reproduce the surface air temperature characteristics in central Asia from 1901 to 2005, including the rising periods and the fluctuations of the north and south inversion phases. Overall, this study provides a valuable reference for future climate prediction studies in central Asia.
Review: ecosystem services in permaculture systems

ABSTRACT Permaculture is an internationally recognized sustainable agriculture model, which strategically integrates traditional and unconventional management practices in order to optimize delivery of ecosystem services. Permaculture combines crop diversification, perennialization and nature-sparing, which individually target different but overlapping beneficial ecosystem properties and processes. Permacultures may thus yield greater total ecosystem service delivery and resilience than systems which adopt these constituent techniques in isolation. Provisioning services such as crop yield and stability are often directly or indirectly influenced by regulating and supporting services such as pollination, nutrient cycling and refugia. The magnitude and direction of effects is dependent on genetic, management and environmental factors especially community and landscape composition and configuration. Permaculture may be particularly suited to fostering ecosystem services in low-input, degraded, marginal and least-profitable agricultural areas where effect sizes are most apparent.
The role of family expressiveness in American and Chinese adolescents' emotional experiences

To understand the role of family emotional socialization across cultural contexts, this research examined the associations between family emotional expressiveness and early adolescents’ emotions in the United States and China. Two times over the course of one year, 566 American ( n = 331) and Chinese ( n = 235) adolescents (age range: 11-14 years) reported on their family members’ emotional expressiveness, which was further categorized into three facets (i.e., positive, negative dominant, and negative submissive family expressiveness), and their own experience of positive and negative emotions. In both countries, positive family expressiveness (e.g., expressing excitement) was associated with adolescents’ experience of positive emotions six months later, above and beyond their prior positive emotional experience. A between-country difference was evident in the association between positive family expressiveness and adolescents’ experience of negative emotions, such that positive family expressiveness was associated with dampened negative emotions six months later among American but not Chinese adolescents. Negative dominant family expressiveness (e.g., expressing anger) was not associated with adolescents’ emotional experience six months later in both countries. However, negative submissive family expressiveness (e.g., expressing sadness) foreshadowed reduced positive emotional experience only among American adolescents. Findings highlight the importance of culture in understanding the implications of family expressiveness for adolescents’ emotional experiences.
Estimation of the Maximum Efficiency and the Load Power in the Periodic WPT Systems Using Numerical and Circuit Models

The article presents an analysis of the maximum efficiency and maximum load power, which are available to obtain in periodic wireless power transfer (WPT) systems. The numerical computations of the proposed WPT structures are performed using the finite element method and branch current method. Two theoretical models are discussed, i.e., a numerical model with simplified structure and boundary conditions as well as an equivalent circuit model is proposed to solve WPT systems with many magnetically coupled planar coils. A multivariate analysis is performed, which takes into account the variability of the number of turns, distance between a transmitting and receiving coil, and the frequency of an energy source. The outputs, such as overall efficiency, power of the source and power transferred to a load are discussed. The formulas for the load impedance required to maximize the efficiency or load power, which are taking into account the electrical parameters of the system resulting from its geometry, are presented. The results obtained from proposed models are consistent, which confirm the correctness of the adopted circuit model, which is less complex and faster to compute than numerical one. It is also possible to perform a quick assessment of electrical parameters of the analyzed WPT structure, using presented analytical formulas and numerical model or experimental data. The results allow for a detailed discussion of the dependence of the efficiency and power of the WPT system with respect to geometry of spiral coils.
Molar mass-dependent profiles of functional groups and carbohydrates in kraft lignin

Technical lignins are complex, irregular, polyphenolic compounds obtained in large quantities as by-products of the pulp and paper industries or according to current biorefinery setups. The availability of kraft lignin is increasing due to larger scale retrieval from process liquors, which opens new possibilities for further refining or new applications of such lignins. In the present study, sequential ultrafiltration of kraft lignin was performed to fractionate the lignin and to elucidate molar mass-dependent changes in lignin structure. Two industrial black liquors and three precipitated lignins were fractionated, and their functional groups were determined, providing molar mass-dependent profiles. Interrelations between structural parameters and functional groups, the molecular weight ranges, and the different lignin sources are discussed. This will help to establish structure-property-application relationships (SPARs) for technical lignins which are required for any future large-scale application.
Energy Balance Closure in the Tugai Forest in Ebinur Lake Basin, Northwest China

A persistent problem in surface flux research is that turbulent fluxes observed by eddy covariance methods tend to be lower than the available energy. Using 7 years of eddy covariance flux observations in the Ebinur Lake National Wetland Nature Reserve (ELNWNR) in Xinjiang, Northwest China, this study analyzes the surface–atmosphere energy transfer characteristics at the station to explore variation characteristics of the energy flux and the energy balance closure (EBC), and the factors that influence EBC. The results show that: (1) diurnal and seasonal variations are observed in turbulent flux, available energy, and the partitioning of sensible and latent fluxes affected by environmental factors; (2) the degree of EBC varies significantly diurnally and seasonally, with EBC during the growing season significantly higher than during the dormant season; (3) due to the surface heterogeneity, EBC exhibits significant variations with wind direction that differ between the growing and dormant seasons; (4) environmental factors (e.g., vapor pressure deficit and air temperature) are important in limiting near-surface EBC, but they play a secondary role compared with the state of atmospheric motion. This study provides a basis for accurately assessing the material and energy exchanges between the desert Tugai forest ecosystem and the atmosphere.
Associations of Symptomatic- and Anatomical-Based Severity of Chronic Rhinosinusitis With Patients' Anxiety and Depression

Background Patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) have a high incidence rate of anxiety and depression. However, changes in anxiety and depression with different severities of CRS,and the effects of symptoms and anatomical factors on the anxiety and depression of CRS patients remain unclear.Methods A total of 112 patients were enrolled in the study. The Sino-Nasal Outcome Test-20 (SNOT-22) score, Lund-Mackay scale and Lund-Kennedy scale were used to assess the severity of CRS, and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) were used to evaluate anxiety and depression in patients. Results In the univariate analysis, SNOT-20 scores, nasal symptom scores, facial/ear symptom scores and sleep scores are significantly positively correlated with patients’ GAD-7 scores (all P<0.05); the patients’ SNOT-20 scores, nasal symptom scores, facial/ear symptom scores, sleep scores, and the higher side of the anterior ethmoid sinus and frontal sinus Lund-Mackay scores were significantly positively correlated with the patients’ PHQ-9 scores (all P<0.05). In a multivariate linear regression model, however, none of the covariates were found to be statistically associated with GAD-7. Another multivariate model indicated associations among the SNOT-20 sleep domain scores, the higher side of frontal sinus Lund- Mackay scores and PHQ-9 scores (both P < 0.01). Conclusions Exacerbated nasal and facial/ear symptoms, sleep dysfunction increase patients’ depression and anxiety. Lesions of the frontal sinus and anterior ethmoid sinus may be related to patients' depression. Treatment should be tailored to patients with these symptoms.
Short-term responses of tree squirrels to different-sized forest patches on new clearcuts in a fragmented forest landscape

Abstract Context. Tree squirrels disappear when forests are clearcut. The American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) and northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus) may occupy retention forest patches on new clearcuts, but with conflicting results with respect to area, isolation, and edge effects of patches. Aims. We tested the hypothesis that abundance, reproduction and body mass of T. hudsonicus and G. sabrinus populations would be greater in large than small patches of retention forest on new clearcuts. Methods. We measured demographic responses of both sciurids from 2014 to 2016 in replicated (n = 4) treatments of four sizes (ha) of retention patches (means of 0.53, 1.50, 4.13 and 18.73) in south-central British Columbia, Canada. Key results. Mean abundance of T. hudsonicus per sample line was similar among treatment sites, ranging from 0.7 to 1.7 (2014), 1.0 to 1.7 (2015) and 0.5 to 1.3 (2016). There was a positive linear relationship of mean abundance of red squirrels and increased basal area of conifers in the larger patches. Mean numbers of G. sabrinus were consistently highest in the 4.13 ha patch class in all years and appeared to decline over time in the other patches with fewest captures in the smallest patch size. There was a significant positive linear relationship between mean overall abundance of G. sabrinus and total density of overstorey trees. Conclusions. Mean abundance, reproduction and body mass (red squirrels) of both sciurids were generally similar among patch sizes, and hence these results did not support the hypothesis. Implications. Although our results were short-term, habitat quality was apparently sufficient to maintain the occurrence of T. hudsonicus across patch sizes ranging from 0.3 to 20.0 ha. Glaucomys sabrinus also occurred in several patches (13 of 16), albeit at low and variable numbers.
First-Decade Biomass and Carbon Accumulation, and Woody Community Change after Severe Wind Damage in a Hemlock-White Pine Forest Remnant

Studies of biomass and carbon dynamics and community composition change after forest wind disturbance have predominantly examined trends after low and intermediate severity events, while studies after very severe wind disturbance have been few. This study documents trends in aboveground biomass and carbon across 10 years of forest recovery after severe wind disturbance. In July 1989, a tornado struck mature Tsugacanadensis-Pinusstrobus forest in northwest Connecticut, USA, causing damage across roughly 8 ha. Canopy tree damage and regeneration were surveyed in 1991 and 1999. Two primary hypotheses were tested, both of which derive from regeneration being primarily via the release of suppressed saplings rather than new seedling establishment: (1) Biomass and carbon accumulation will be faster than accumulation reported from a similar forest that experienced similar severity of wind disturbance; and (2) The stand will experience very little change in species composition or diversity. Estimated immediate post-disturbance (1989) aboveground live-tree carbon was 20.7 ± 43.9 Mg ha−1 (9.9% of pre-disturbance) Ten years after the disturbance, carbon in aboveground live tree biomass increased to 37.1 ± 47.9 Mg ha−1; thus for the first decade, annual accumulation averaged 1.6 Mg ha−1 of carbon; this was significantly faster than the rate reported in a similar forest that experienced similar severity of wind disturbance. The species diversity of woody stems ten years after the disturbance was significantly higher (nonoverlapping confidence intervals of rarefaction curves) than pre-disturbance canopy trees. Thus, hypothesis 1 was confirmed while hypothesis 2 was rejected. This study augments the limited number of longer-term empirical studies that report biomass and carbon accumulation rates after wind disturbance, and can therefore serve as a benchmark for mechanistic and modeling research.
Emerging need for a national policy on psychosocial risk assessment and monitoring in a developing country: A modified Delphi Study

Purpose: To create a framework for consensus on the assessment and monitoring of psychosocial risks by taking the opinions of key people from relevant experts and institutions in Turkey. Methods: A modified Delphi Study was conducted with key experts from different stakeholders and institutions working on psychosocial risk assessment and monitoring policy and practice in Turkey. Representation was not aimed. Purposive and convenient sample was selected by including tripartite structure of occupational health perspective. The study was conducted on June and July 2019 via internet. Two rounded survey method was used to get information from the participants. Results: The participants were agreed on workload, lack of job security, overwork, the low quality of leadership, insufficient wages, underemployment, mobbing, bullying and discrimination are the most important psychosocial risks in Turkey. Psychosocial risk assessments were not carried out in workplaces due to non-prioritization and negligence. The awareness on psychosocial risks at work is low and no standard approach has been identified in psychosocial risk monitoring. There is a need for an action plan supported by many different disciplines, stakeholders and institutions. Legal infrastructure and guideing is needed for psychosocial risk assessment. Competence of OHS professionals should be ensured for the efficient execution. Conclusion: Legal regulations and complementary documents are necessary to guide employers and OHS professionals while conducting psychosocial risk management. These actions should be handled with all participation of social partners, sectoral and professional associations.