Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantitative visual analysis of marine barite microcrystals: Insights into precipitation and dissolution dynamics

The accumulation rate of authigenic barite (BaSO4) in marine sediments is a promising proxy for reconstructing marine export production, but many aspects of barite precipitation and dissolution in the water column remain unknown. Here, we collected, imaged, and quantitatively analyzed 5481 barite microcrystals in bottle casts from the Eastern Pacific water column to gain a better understanding of in situ barite dynamics. Barite crystal abundance increases rapidly between the surface and 500 m in depth and then declines to predominantly low abundances below ~ 1000 m. The falloff in barite abundance between the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) and the ocean interior suggests 60% ± 20% loss of barite by dissolution, nearly all of which is complete by water depths of 1000 m. However, there are occasional samples, as deep as 1250 m, with unusually high barite abundance that may represent marine snow deposition events. We found that microcrystals associated with organic matter substrates were smaller and less solid than free crystals, which suggests ongoing barite precipitation toward larger, more regularly shaped microcrystals within organic matter aggregates. Trends in barite microcrystal size with depth suggest that organic matter aggregates also play a role in shielding barite microcrystals from dissolution. In addition, our extensive data set raises new questions regarding marine barite nucleation and spatial heterogeneity. By helping bridge the gap between hypothesized barite dynamics and in situ observations of barite microcrystals, this study advances our understanding of water column Ba processes and the utility of sediment barite as an export production proxy.
Evaluating the Efficiency of Building Repair and Maintenance System Using Data Envelopment Analysis Method

Given the importance of the repair and maintenance process in keeping equipment and facilities ready for use, it is necessary to assess the process and performance of maintenance indicators regularly so that the repair and maintenance is planned and upgraded. The main purpose of the building repair and maintenance is to control the equipment, facilities, and various building components to determine productivity and optimize their ability to achieve the highest efficiency. As measuring the efficiency is one of the most important performance evaluation methods, evaluating the efficiency of the repair and maintenance is one of the qualitative factors to improve this system. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficiency and performance of the repair and maintenance in buildings using a quantitative and provable data envelopment analysis (DEA) method. The results of this study show that the DEA is a suitable method for evaluating the efficiency and productivity of the decision-making units (DMUs). Therefore, first, the questionnaire is formed based on the building repair and maintenance system parameters extracted from Topic 22 of the National Building Code, the ranks are determined, and the results obtained from the sub-indices are integrated by the mean ranking index, and the qestionnaires’ reliability is measured using Cronbach's alpha. Finally, after defining the input and output indices by the DEA, the efficiency of each building and its cost are determined based on the repair and maintenance indices(In a case study of the city of Karaj). The results showed that the minimum and maximum reduction of the cost of charging, maintenance and repair of the building to convert them into an efficient building is 1% and 80%, respectively. Moreover, based on the results, it is possible to provide suggestions to improve the efficiency of the inefficient buildings based on the repair and maintenance costs.
On buybacks, dilutions, dividends, and the pricing of stock‐based claims

We develop a structural model of the firm that accounts for dilutions, resulting from interest payment shortfalls, and allows cash surpluses to be distributed under a payout policy that permits a combination of dividends and buybacks. Since the model tracks the number of outstanding shares, it can distinguish between claims dependent on the price of a share versus claims that depend on total equity. With a further extension of the model to incorporate employee stock grants, we demonstrate how the prices of traded stock options and employee grants are affected by payout policy. The impact of both dilutions and buybacks on traded option prices and employee grants is shown to be material. This magnitude is further illustrated through a case study involving five technology firms.
Analysis of Mineral Aerosol in the Surface Layer over the Caspian Lowland Desert by the Data of 12 Summer Field Campaigns in 2002–2020

In-situ knowledge on characteristics of mineral aerosols is important for weather and climate prediction models, particularly for modeling such processes as the entrainment, transport and deposition of aerosols. However, field measurements of the dust emission flux, dust size distribution and its chemical composition under realistic wind conditions remain rare. In this study, we present experimental data over annual expeditions in the arid and semi-arid zones of the Caspian Lowland Desert (Kalmykia, south of Russia); we evaluate characteristics of mineral aerosol concentration and fluxes, estimate its chemical composition and calculate its long-distance transport characteristics. The mass concentration in different years ranges from several tens to several hundred of μg m−3. The significant influence of wind velocity on the value of mass and counting concentration and on the proposed entrainment mechanisms is confirmed. An increased content of anthropogenic elements (S, Sn, Pb, Bi, Mo, Ag, Cd, Hg, etc.), which is characteristic for all observation points in the south of the European Russia, is found. The trajectory analysis show that long-range air particles transport from the Caspian Lowland Desert to the central regions of European Russia tends to increase in the recent decades.
Advanced Community Identification Model for Social Networks

: Community detection in social networks is a hard problem because of the size, and the need of a deep understanding of network structure and functions. While several methods with significant effort in this direction have been devised, an outstanding open problem is the unknown number of communities, it is generally believed that the role of influential nodes that are surrounded by neighbors is very important. In addition, the similarity among nodes inside the same cluster is greater than among nodes from other clusters. Lately,the global and local methods of community detection have been getting more attention. Therefore, in this study, we propose an advanced community-detection model for social networks in order to identify network communities based on global and local information. Our proposed model initially detects the most influential nodes by using an Eigen score then performs local expansion powered by label propagation. This process is conducted with the same color till nodes reach maximum similarity. Finally, the communities are formed, and a clear community graph is displayed to the user. Our proposed model is completely parameter-free, and therefore, no prior information is required, such as the number of communities, etc. We perform simulations and experiments using well-known synthetic and real network benchmarks, and compare them with well-known state-of-the-art models. The results prove that our model is efficient in all aspects, because it quickly identifies communities in the network. Moreover, it can easily be used for friendship recommendations or in business recommendation systems.
Detrital zircon provenance of Permian to Triassic Gondwana sequences, Zealandia and eastern Australia

ABSTRACT Permian Parapara Group and Triassic Topfer Formation are small clastic sedimentary outliers that rest on Cambrian to Devonian basement terranes in the Western Province of South Island, New Zealand. New detrital zircon U-Pb age datasets from three Parapara sandstones, one Topfer sandstone and four age-equivalent eastern Australian sandstones reveal age and provenance information about former Gondwana intracontinental basins. Youngest significant zircon age populations of 264 ± 6 and 261 ± 2 Ma in two Parapara Group sandstones and 215 ± 2 Ma in the Topfer sandstone match fossil ages and indicate broadly syn-depositional igneous activity. The provenance of the igneous detritus was probably the nearby Median Batholith and/or its volcanic equivalents. Zircons in a third Parapara sandstone are predominantly Cambrian and Precambrian in age and represent a separate petrofacies with a local Western Province basement terrane provenance. Intra-basin provenance switching between Gondwana margin arc and older basement sources is thus documented in Gondwana basin sequences in Zealandia, as well as those in Australia and Antarctica.
Exchange rate co-movements and corporate foreign exchange exposures: a study on RMB

We estimate the time-varying co-movements of a large set of bilateral exchange rates/the RMB and explore their relationship with the firm-level exchange rate exposure in China. We find that firms’ exchange rate exposure increases in periods of high exchange rate co-movements. The co-movements of emerging market (EME) currencies have a weaker effect on exposure than the co-movements of developed market (DM) currencies. This effect is more pronounced after the launch of the One Belt One Road initiative, RMB inclusion in the SDR basket and in highly multinational firms, providing evidence that the RMB’s internationalization (i.e., its anchoring effect) has generally helped to reduce Chinese firms’ exposure to exchange rate fluctuations of EME currencies.
Development of Estimating Methodology for Transit Accessibility Using Smart Card Data

Transit accessibility is an explanatory variable evaluating the mobility of a region in consideration of the connectivity and demand among the regions, which has been used for an important index to determine transport policy on the transit network. This study aims to develop an accessibility index considering the two factors with a demand-weighted approach, that is, impedance and attraction level. Two variables, travel time and the ratio of trips, are employed to calculate the accessibility index, and comparative assessments between zones are conducted. The application of smart card data makes it possible to analyze travel information and reflect them empirically in the model. This study identifies zones with vulnerable accessibility and suggests criteria for transit investment plans with two aspects, that is, intensive transit area and spatial distribution of the accessibility index. These aspects contribute to transit planners by suggesting transit investment criteria and comprehensible statistics to evaluate accessibility. Since zones with low accessibility indexes are identified as being vulnerable to access from other zones, policymakers should focus on those zones to improve the overall transit network.
Authoritarian Populism in Indonesia: The Role of the Political Campaign Industry in Engineering Consent and Coercion

All around the globe, populism has become increasingly prominent in democratic societies in the developed and developing world. Scholars have attributed this rise at a response to the systematic reproduction of social inequalities entwined with processes of neoliberal globalisation, within which all countries are inextricably and dynamically linked. However, to theorise populism properly, we must look at its manifestations in countries other than the West. By taking the case of Indonesia, the third largest democracy and the largest economy in Southeast Asia, this article critically analyses the role of the political campaign industry in mobilising narratives in electoral discourses. We use the Gramscian notion of consent and coercion, in which the shaping of populist narratives relies on mechanisms of persuasion using mass and social media. Such mechanisms allow the transformation of political discourses in conjunction with oligarchic power struggle. Within this struggle, political campaigners narrate the persona of political elites, while cyber armies divide and polarise, to manufacture allegiance and agitation among the majority of young voters as part of a shifting social base. As such, we argue that, together, the narratives – through engineering consent and coercion – construct authoritarian populism that pits two crowds of “the people” against each other, while aligning them with different sections of the “elite. ”
Effect of Sulfonated Block Copolymer on the Equilibrium and Thermal Properties of Sulfonated Fluoroblock Copolymer Blend Membranes

Polymeric membrane technologies demand the synthesis of new polymers to enhance their equilibrium, thermal, and transport properties. Therefore, the focus of this investigation was the evaluation of the equilibrium and thermal properties of a sulfonated fluoroblock copolymer blend membrane composed of sulfonated poly(styrene-isobutylene-styrene) (SIBS SO3H) and a novel sulfonated fluoroblock copolymer composed of poly(4-fluo- rostyrene) (P4FS), poly(styrene) (PS) and poly(isobutylene) (PIB). The fluoroblock copolymer was synthesized using Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization (ATRP) and cationic polymerization. First, the molecular weight and the thermal stability of the block copolymer were determined using Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). Second, the chemical composition was monitored utilizing Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The molecular weight of P4FS-b-PS was Mn ~ 36,100; this value increased 8% after the cationic polymerization. The equilibrium properties of the membrane were evaluated using the water uptake and Ion-Exchange Capacity. The degradation behavior and the thermal transitions were determined using TGA and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), respectively. This newly membrane exhibited water uptake higher than 608% related to the improvement of 36% in the ion-exchange capacity and the increment of 25.31% and 25.24% in the energy required to produce the thermal transitions induced by the addition of the sulfonated fluoroblock copolymer.
Do Information Networks Benefit Households with Female Heads?

Abstract This paper fills a gap in the literature on gender bias in accessing financial assets and income generation activities by analyzing the influence of media and social networks on the financial returns of female-headed households. Empirical evidence suggests that media and social networks are effective tools for diminishing connectivity constraints, raising awareness, and influencing behaviors. Using the India Human Development Survey of female-headed households for the period 2011 to 2012, we find that media and social networks positively impact the financial returns of households. We also find that information networks have positive and significant impacts on the net income from financial investments in urban areas and net income from agricultural activities in rural areas. Following this, we explore the mediating role of financial expertise among households and confirm its importance in understanding and using the information provided by media and social networks to make relevant financial decisions.
NOVICE DESIGNERS TACKLE AND REFLECT ON THEIR PROCESS USING THE DESIGNERLY ACTIVITY THEORY

Abstract Schön used the metaphor of the swamp and mountain to express the divide between the problems tackled by practitioners and scientists. This research is concerned about the same persisting dilemma between design practice and design theory. In an attempt to discuss this dilemma, we propose to explore research through design (RtD) as a privileged approach where novice designers gain knowledge as practitioners and as researchers. Being aware that RtD approach has received criticisms regarding validity, bias and reliability, we put forward a set of theoretical tools allowing designers to simultaneously proceed with design activity and data gathering processes. To do so, the designerly activity theory framework was presented and explained to two novice designers. They were asked to use the theory's model during an internship project experience, to record their daily actions and later, to proceed with analysis of gathered data. Doing so, we gained a clearer interpretation of the impacts of using a theoretical model as a complement for research through design. We discuss the depth of the participants' reflections, the awareness to less noticeable components, and the enriched dialog between practice and theory.
Türki Cumhuriyetlerinde Dış Borç Sürdürülebilirlik Analizi: Doğrusal Olmayan Panel Birim Kök Testi

Policy makers follow restrictive fiscal policies when country-based external debts begin to increase. In order to provide further evidence for policies to combat external debt, the issue of external debt sustainability is one of the highlights in the literature. For this purpose, it is aimed to investigate whether the external debt is sustainable in the Turkic Republics with annual data covering the 1996-2019 periods. For this, the data set obtained from the World Bank official database was tested by nonlinear panel unit root analysis. According to the findings, it is seen that the series is stationary. According to these empirical results, it is concluded that the external debt is sustainable for the country group including the Turkic Republics.
Electrically Conductive Textile Materials—Application in Flexible Sensors and Antennas

This paper reviews some prominent applications and approaches to developing smart fabrics for wearable technology. The importance of flexible and electrically conductive textiles in the emerging body-centric sensing and wireless communication systems is highlighted. Examples of applications are discussed with a focus on a range of textile-based sensors and antennas. Developments in alternative materials and structures for producing flexible and conductive textiles are reviewed, including inherently conductive polymers, carbon-based materials, and nano-enhanced composite fibers and fibrous structures.
Experimental Uncertainty Analysis for the Particle Size Distribution for Better Understanding of Batch Grinding Process

Uncertainty in industrial processes is very common, but it is particularly high in the grinding process (GP), due to the set of interacting operating/design parameters. This uncertainty can be evaluated in different ways, but, without a doubt, one of the most important parameters that characterise all GPs is the particle size distribution (PSD). However, is the PSD a good way to quantify the uncertainty in the milling process? This is the question we attempt to answer in this paper. To do so, we use 10 experimental grinding repetitions, 3 grinding times, and 14 Tyler meshes (more than 400 experimental results). The most relevant results were compared for the weight percentage for each size (WPES), cumulative weight undersize (CWU), or the use of particle size distribution models (PSDM), in terms of continuous changes in statistical parameters in WPES for different grinding times. The probability distribution was found to be changeable when reporting the results of WPES/CWU/PSDM, we detected the over-/under-estimation of uncertainty when using WPES/CWU, and variations in the relationships between sizes were observed when using WPES/CWU. Finally, our conclusion was that the way in which the data are analysed is not trivial, due to the possible deviations that may occur in the uncertainty process.
Road Hazard Assessment Using Pothole and Traffic Data in South Korea

Road surface conditions have a direct effect on the quality of driving, which in turn affects overall traffic flow. Many studies have been conducted to accurately identify road surface conditions using diverse technologies. However, these previously proposed methods may still be insufficient to estimate actual risks along the roads because the exact road risk levels cannot be determined from only road surface damage data. The actual risk level of the road must be derived by considering both the road surface damage data as well as other factors such as speed. In this study, the road hazard index is proposed using smartphone-obtained pothole and traffic data to represent the level of risk due to road surface conditions. The relevant algorithm and its operating system are developed to produce the estimated index values that are classified into four levels of road risk. This road hazard index can assist road agencies in establishing road maintenance plans and budgets and will allow drivers to minimize the risk of accidents by adjusting their driving speeds in advance of dangerous road conditions. To demonstrate the proposed risk hazard assessment methodology, road hazards were assessed along specific test road sections based on observed pothole and historical travel speed data. It was found that the proposed methodology provides a rational method for improving traffic safety.
Elusive hypersomnolence in seasonal affective disorder: actigraphic and self-reported sleep in and out of depressive episodes

Abstract Background Hypersomnolence has been considered a prominent feature of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) despite mixed research findings. In the largest multi-season study conducted to date, we aimed to clarify the nature and extent of hypersomnolence in SAD using multiple measurements during winter depressive episodes and summer remission. Methods Sleep measurements assessed in individuals with SAD and nonseasonal, never-depressed controls included actigraphy, daily sleep diaries, retrospective self-report questionnaires, and self-reported hypersomnia assessed via clinical interviews. To characterize hypersomnolence in SAD we (1) compared sleep between diagnostic groups and seasons, (2) examined correlates of self-reported hypersomnia in SAD, and (3) assessed agreement between commonly used measurement modalities. Results In winter compared to summer, individuals with SAD (n = 64) reported sleeping 72 min longer based on clinical interviews (p < 0.001) and 23 min longer based on actigraphy (p = 0.011). Controls (n = 80) did not differ across seasons. There were no seasonal or group differences on total sleep time when assessed by sleep diaries or retrospective self-reports (p's > 0.05). Endorsement of winter hypersomnia in SAD participants was predicted by greater fatigue, total sleep time, time in bed, naps, and later sleep midpoints (p's < 0.05). Conclusion Despite a winter increase in total sleep time and year-round elevated daytime sleepiness, the average total sleep time (7 h) suggest hypersomnolence is a poor characterization of SAD. Importantly, self-reported hypersomnia captures multiple sleep disruptions, not solely lengthened sleep duration. We recommend using a multimodal assessment of hypersomnolence in mood disorders prior to sleep intervention.