Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Engaging Stakeholders Through Corporate Political Activity: Insights From MNE Nonmarket Strategy in an Emerging African Market

As interest increases in the political engagement between multinational enterprises (MNEs) and emerging economy host governments, less is known about wider MNE stakeholder engagement and the development of nonmarket capabilities in institutionally fragile environments. This study investigates how MNEs engage stakeholders through corporate political activity (CPA) during the pro-market reform of Uganda’s electricity generation sector. Data is collected through semi-structured interviews, archival materials and fieldwork notes, and is analyzed using an NVivo-supported grounded analytic method. We find both proactive and reactive leveraging of CPA to manage diverse stakeholders. We argue that the host government remains the most important political stakeholder in the early phases of reform, but changes in institutional and political environments necessitate strategic adaptations as the reform process progresses. These adaptations include the need for local engagement and the accommodation of multi-level stakeholder pressures. Our findings contribute to an understanding of corporate political capabilities in Africa’s emerging markets, and illustrate how these capabilities can be strategically leveraged to effectively manage diverse
Phylogenetically vetted and stratigraphically constrained fossil calibrations within Aves

Understanding the timing of the crown radiation of birds is a major goal of avian molecular systematists and paleontologists. Despite the availability of ever-larger molecular datasets and increasingly sophisticated methods for phylogeny reconstruction and divergence time estimation, relatively little attention has been paid to outlining and applying fossil calibrations. As the avian fossil record has become better sampled, and more extinct taxa have been incorporated into a phylogenetic framework, the potential for this record to serve as a powerful source of temporal data for divergence dating analyses has increased. Nonetheless, the desire for abundant calibrations must be balanced by careful vetting of candidate fossils, especially given the prevalence of inaccurate fossil calibrations in the recent past. In this contribution, we provide seven phylogenetically vetted fossil calibrations for major divergences within crown Aves representing the splits between (1) Anatoidea, (2) Sphenisciformes, (3) Coracioidea, (4) Apodidae, (5) Coliiformes, (6) Psittaciformes, and (7) Upupiformes, and the respective extant sister taxon for each of these clades. Each calibration is based an individual specimen, which maintains the clearest possible chain of inference for converting the relevant stratigraphic horizon to a numerical date. Minimum ages for each fossil are tightly constrained and incorporate associated dating errors, and the distributions of younger fossils from the clades of interest are summarized to provide a starting point for workers interested in estimating confidence intervals or outlining prior age distribution curves. Daniel Ksepka. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, Durham, North Carolina, 27706, USA. ksepka@nescent.org Current address: Bruce Museum, Greenwich, Connecticut 06830, USA Julia Clarke. Department of Geological Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78713, USA. julia_clarke@jsg.utexas. edu
Calcium carbonate solubilization through H‐proton release from some legumes grown in calcareous saline‐sodic soils

Increasing levels of CO2 and H+ proton in the rhizosphere from some legumes may play an important role in calcite dissolution of calcareous salt affected soils. Soils planted with white and brown varieties of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) and hyacinth bean (Dolichos lablab L.) relying on either fertilizer N (KNO3) or N‐fixation were compared against soils to which gypsum was applied and a control without plants and gypsum application to study the possibility of Ca2+ release from calcite and Na+ leaching. As compared to plants relying on inorganic N, leachates from all pore volumes (0·5, 1·0, 1·5, 2·0 pore volume) in lysimeters planted with N‐fixing hyacinth bean contained significantly higher concentrations of HCO 3− with lower concentrations from lysimeters planted with white cowpea relying on N‐fixation. However, the lowest concentrations of HCO 3− were recorded in the gypsum and control treatments. In initial leaching, lysimeters planted with N‐fixing plants maintained similar leachate Ca2+ and Na+ concentrations compared to gypsum amended soils. However, gypsum amended soils were found to have a prolonged positive effect on Na+ removal. It might be concluded that some legumes that are known to fix N in calcareous salt affected soils may be an alternative ameliorant to the extremely expensive gypsum through calcite solubilization and a consequent release of Ca2+. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
GEOCHEMISTRY AND TECTONO-MAGMATIC AFFINITY OF MAFIC EXTRUSIVE AND DYKE ROCKS FROM THE OPHIOLITE MELANGE OF THE SW ZAGORJE-MID-TRANSDANUBIAN ZONE (MT. MEDVEDNICA, CROATIA)

Mafic extrusive rocks occasionally intersected by dolerite dykes are the most abundant fragments of oceanic crust in the lower Callovian to upper Valanginian ophiolite melange exposed on the Mt. Medvednica, at the SW tip of the Zagorje-Mid-Transdanubian Shear Zone. The melange includes a chaotic mixture of various extrusive rocks which may be analogues of the oceanic rocks derived from (at least) two different tectonic settings. The extrusive and dyke rocks of this melange are geochemically classified into three magmatic groups: high-Ti group of N-MORB-like with arc signatures (Ti/V = 26.3-38.5), medium- Ti group (Ti/V = 20.2-23.0) and low-Ti group showing untypical LREE depleted [(La/Sm)cn = 0.49-0.62] IAT-like signatures (Ti/V = 13.2-18.0). All three geochemical groups of magmas were successfully monitored by clinopyroxene geochemistry. The magmas have consistent initial Nd-isotopic values (eNd(T=163 Ma) +5.9 to +6.3) and initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.703748-0.704286) suggesting a similar parental source related to the initial stage of intraoceanic subduction of a back-arc basin ridge. It represents the new crust formed from melts derived from LREE extremely depleted MORB-type mantle which was affected by concomitant metasomatism and partial melting in a suprasubduction forearc setting. K-Ar ages on plagioclase separates indicate uppermost Bathonian - lower Oxfordian magmatic activity between 165±3.3 Ma and 160±3.3. A geodynamic model for the Mt. Medvednica ophiolites, part of the Repno oceanic domain of the Meliata-Maliak oceanic system, is here proposed. There are many common geochemical and geological correlation features between the Mt. Medvednica and Szarvasko ophiolites, located in NE Hungary that allow to integrate them in the same oceanic domain, whereas this is not obvious in the case of the Dinaric ophiolites.
Volcano deformation analysis based an on-demand DInSAR-GRID system: the SBAS-GPOD solution

Differential SAR Interferometry (DInSAR) has already demonstrated to be an effective technique to detect and monitor ground displacements with centimeter accuracy. Moreover, the recent development of advanced DInSAR techniques, aimed at the generation of deformation time series, has led to the exploitation of the large archive of SAR data acquired all over the world, during the last 16 years, by the ERS, ENVISAT and RADARSAT satellites. Among these advanced approaches, we focus on the Small BAseline Subset (SBAS) algorithm that relies on the combination of DInSAR data pairs, characterized by a small separation between the acquisition orbits (baseline), in order to produce mean deformation velocity maps and the corresponding time series, maximizing the coherent pixel density of the investigated area. One of the main capabilities of the SBAS approach is the possibility to work at two spatial resolution scales, thus allowing us to investigate deformation phenomena affecting both extended areas (with resolution of about 100 by 100 m) and selected zones, in the latter case highlighting localized displacements that may affect single structures or buildings (at the full instrument resolution). Similarly to other advanced DInSAR techniques, the SBAS approach requires extended data storage and processing capabilities due to the large amount of data exploited for the generation of the ﬁnal products. Accordingly, we present in this work the results of the ﬁrst experiment to “plug” the robustness of the SBAS algorithm into the high
Relationship between memory improvement and brain acetylcholine following chronic choline supplementation in rats

: Central cholinergic neurotransmission has an essential part in the learning and memory pathways. Being the precursor of acetylcholine (ACh), choline is particularly associated with attention, learning and memory functions. The production and release of ACh in brain can be facilitated via increased availability of free choline. Therefore, the current study was aimed to determine the correlation between choline supplementation-induced memory improvement and brain acetylcholine content. Two groups of rats (n=6) were orally administered with tap water (Control Group) and aqueous solution of choline bitartarate (Test group) respectively for a period of five (5) weeks. Cognitive performance was assessed by using behavioral tests include Novel object recognition test, Morris water maze test and Passive avoidance test to evaluate the changes in learning and memory performances. After behavioral analysis rats were decapitated and their brain samples were collected for estimation of acetylcholine levels. Following chronic administration of choline bitartarate powder improvements in recognition, associative and spatial memory performance was observed as compared to control group. Levels of acetylcholine were also increased in brain following choline supplementation. Improvements in learning and memory performances along with neurochemical alterations following chronic administration of choline bitartarate suggest that choline significantly improved the cognitive performances via enhancing the brain acetylcholine levels so it might be used as an effective therapy for neurological disorders affecting learning and memory performance.
Alveolar ridge preservation using dense polytetrafluoroethylene membranes. A review article

INTRODUCTION: Alveolar ridge preservation is a widespread term, which describes the methods of reducing hard and soft tissue loss following tooth extraction and thus preserving optimal tissue volume for future implant placement and prosthodontic rehabilitation. Various techniques give promising, long-term re-sults. Some of them utilize the use of barrier membranes. Their function is to isolate the intrabony defect from rapidly growing tissues. There are two main types of barrier membranes—resorbable and non-resorb-able, both having their characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages. AIM: The present review aims to observe the use of non-resorbable dense polytetrafluoroethylene (dPTFE) membranes for ridge preservation and evaluate its advantages, limitations, and success rate according to the literature. The collected data was carefully systematized in a comparative, concise, and unbiased review of the application of dPTFE membranes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This review is based on 56 articles, researches, case reports, retrospective studies, and controlled clinical trials. It provides a meticulous analysis of the existing electronic database. RESULTS: There is growing evidence that the utilization of dPTFE membranes successfully preserves the dimensions of the alveolar ridge, increases the width of the keratinized tissues, and preserves the place of the mucogingival junction. When using them, primary wound closure is not mandatory and the membrane can be easily removed after four weeks. CONCLUSION: The use of dPTFE for ridge preservation should be considered a reliable and successful method. Although they have some limitations, most of the studies report in favor of their utilization.
Developing and validating measurement items for a multi-dimensional social network site usage construct

Simultaneously, Social Network Sites (SNS) platforms are providing for hedonic and utilitarian type uses. However, extant research continues to model the SNS usage construct as a simplistic unidimensional construct that fails to adequately reflect the multi-dimensional nature of SNS usage in workplace contexts. This paper contributes by presenting results of a multi-phase process used to develop and validate measures of the deep structure SNS usage construct from both hedonic and utilitarian perspectives. Psychometric tests were conducted using 124 usable responses, and the results show that deep structure usage is best modelled as a reflective second order construct with three first order dimensions reflecting hedonic use, utilitarian use, and cognitive absorption. The multi-dimensional deep usage SNS usage construct will be of interest to researchers examining SNS usage in the workplace and its implications for workplace outcomes. Implications for practice, including SNS design and usage policy, are also described.
School tracking and equality of opportunity in a multilevel perspective

In the last years, the Italian schools have been deeply influenced by the "social tracking" phenomenon. Social tracking implies the existence of students segregations into socio-economic classes. Typically, researchers measure the heterogeneity between classes through the employment of specific descriptive statistical tool, such as the Gini index. However, because of the usual hierarchical structure of educational data, a more suitable method for heterogeneity measurement is recognized in multilevel models. In our proposal the attention is focused on comparing different multilevel models in order to explain the performances heterogeneity, with regard to students of the Fifth Grade of Primary School in the Lombardy region. In particular, we show the existence of a high variability between classes rather than between schools which confirms the presence of a social tracking effect on the students' scores.
Modelling prehistoric terrain Models using LiDAR-data: a geomorphological approach

Terrain surfaces conserve human activities in terms of textures and structures. With reference to archaeological questions, the geological archive is investigated by means of models regarding anthropogenic traces. In doing so, the high-resolution digital terrain model is of inestimable value for the decoding of the archive. The evaluation of these terrain models and the reconstruction of historical surfaces is still a challenging issue. Due to the data collection by means of LiDAR systems (light detection and ranging) and despite their subsequent pre-processing and filtering, recently anthropogenic artefacts are still present in the digital terrain model. Analysis have shown that elements, such as contour lines and channels, can well be extracted from a high-resolution digital terrain model. This way, channels in settlement areas show a clear anthropogenic character. This fact can also be observed for contour lines. Some contour lines representing a possibly natural ground surface and avoid anthropogenic artefacts. Comparable to channels, noticeable patterns of contour lines become visible in areas with anthropogenic artefacts. The presented workflow uses functionalities of ArcGIS and the programming language R.1 The method starts with the extraction of contour lines from the digital terrain model. Through macroscopic analyses based on geomorphological expert knowledge, contour lines are selected representing the natural geomorphological character of the surface. In a first step, points are determined along each contour line in regular intervals. This points and the corresponding height information which is taken from an original digital terrain model is saved as a point cloud. Using the programme library gstat, a variographic analysis and the use of a Kriging-procedure based on this follow.2-4 The result is a digital terrain model filtered considering geomorphological expert knowledge showing no human degradation in terms of artefacts, preserving the landscape-genetic character and can be called a prehistoric terrain model.
Extended Abstract Track

We introduce a novel approach to disentangle style from content in the 3D domain and perform unsupervised neural style transfer. Our approach is able to extract style information from 3D input in a self supervised fashion, conditioning the definition of style on inductive biases enforced explicitly, in the form of specific augmentations applied to the input.This allows, at test time, to select specifically the features to be transferred between two arbitrary 3D shapes, being still able to capture complex changes (e.g. combinations of arbitrary geometrical and topological transformations) with the data prior. Coupled with the choice of representing 3D shapes as neural implicit fields, we are able to perform style transfer in a controllable way, handling a variety of transformations. We validate our approach qualitatively and quantitatively on a dataset with font style labels.
Impact investing : an emerging asset class

Socially responsible investing is an investment strategy that not only seeks to attract a financial return, but also to bring about social change. However, recently impact investing emerged. This strategy also considers both aspects as in socially responsible investing, but uses a positive screen rather than a negative screen. The former results in a list of companies that do good, whereas the latter suffices by looking good, or minimize negative side effects. First, we discuss socially responsible investing and its current state. SRI differentiates itself from traditional investing by taking into account sustainability factors: environmental, social, governance. A social investor only invests in companies that have a sufficient sustainability score. SRI portfolios are found to be profitable. Subsequently, we define impact investing. Impact investing is an improvement over socially responsible investing. It is not about minimizing negative side effects, but to create positive side effects. The definition of impact investing comprises three elements: intentionality, nonfinancial measurement, and return. Afterwards, we build a measurement framework that allows to grasp impact. We propose to score all companies on general indicators to capture intentionality. Depending on its industry sector, companies will be scored on specific indicators to grasp impact in that industry sector.
Analysis of urban growth pattern using remote sensing and GIS: a case study of Kolkata, India

Urban growth pattern has a direct influence on urban development processes both at the city and neighbourhood levels, but on the other hand growth pattern is also affected by land and housing policy, current built-up area, available developable area, change in household count, population, economy, and others. Remote sensing and GIS techniques can be used to analyse and model the urban growth pattern. This study was carried out to identify and analyse the urban growth pattern of Kolkata, India. Several statistical methods were applied to recognize and analyse this pattern, which shows increasing dispersed development of the city with the declining population growth rate. Apart from the derived results, this study also shows the potentiality of remote sensing and GIS techniques for the analysis of urban growth patterns.
Accumulation of Nutrients and the Relation between Fruit, Grain, and Husk of Coffee Robusta Cultivated in Brazilian Amazon

Coffee genotypes cultivated in the Amazonian region have been gaining increasing prominence in Brazilian plantations. This study aimed to quantify nutrient accumulation in the fruits, grains, and husks of Robusta coffee genotypes cultivated in the Brazilian Amazon and estimate genetic diversity. The experiment was conducted in Alta Floresta D’Oeste—Rondônia, Brazil. To assess nutrient accumulation, fresh fruits were collected. These were dried, processed, separated into grains and husks, and subjected to chemical analysis. Nutrient accumulation in fruits, grains, and husks, as well as the grain/husk ratio, underwent analysis of variance through the F-test (p < 0.01. For each evaluated trait, the experimental coefficient of 337 variation (CVe), genetic coefficient of variation (CVg), and genotypic determination coefficient (H2) were also estimated. Variability was observed among Robusta coffee genotypes, with VP06, AS4, and AS10 being the most dissimilar. LB080 had the lowest dry fruit weight and the lowest percentage of grains in relation to husks. ZD156 accumulated more K in the grains, while VP06 and AS10 were the genotypes that accumulated more nutrients in the husks. Nutrients N, K, Ca, and P are accumulated in larger quantities, necessitating the calibration of mineral fertilization dosages and distribution.
Extended Grid Based Collision Avoidance Considering COLREGs for Vessels

Abstract In this work a grid based collision avoidance algorithm which considers the physical constrains of a vessel is presented. For this purpose a new geometry neighbourhood is introduced and explained in detail. The collision avoidance algorithm pays attention to the COLREGs and provides a collision-free path. To find this path, Lee's algorithm is used.
Unpacking isovists: a framework for 3D spatial visibility analysis

ABSTRACT This article explores the ways in which researchers conceptualize and visualize visibility in spatial research – using isovists and visualscapes. We review how visibility analyses have been used in spatial analysis and visualization. We dissect the geometric conceptualization of isovists, and geometric relationships between isovist origins and targets. From this, we develop an expanded typology of isovists based on geometries of visibility and the relationships between an observer and the observed. This typology differentiates panoptic isovists, constrained isovists, and targeted isovists. We apply these isovist examples to urban privacy and surveillance to ground the new conceptual framework. We conclude with a discussion surrounding future research and conceptual development needed to advance visualscapes and visibility analysis.
CGDTest: A Testing Tool for Deep Neural Network

Over the past years, Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) have brought a transformative impact in various domains, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), Nature Language Processing (NLP), and Finance. Concomitant with this achievement, there have been numerous concerns related to the reliability and security issues associated with DNNs. Examples of security problems comprise various types of attacks, including but not limited to adversarial, data poisoning, and membership inference attacks. These problems become particularly acute when considering DNN in the context of mission-critical tasks such as Airborne Collision Avoidance Systems (ACAS) for aircraft. To address these issues, this report introduces a tester, CGDTest, to verify the robustness of the DNN. CGDTest is a novel approach in the research field of neural network verification and the first to apply the Gradient Descent (GD) method for verifying the robustness of DNNs. CGDTest aims to find a DNN input that satisfies user-specified constraints. Firstly, CGDTest parses user-specified constraints and converts them into a differentiable constraint loss function. Then, CGDTest employs gradient descent methods to modify the initialized DNN input, moving in the direction of decreased loss using the computed gradient value with respect to the input. If an input results in a constraint loss function of zero, it is considered a satisfiable assignment for the constraints. Otherwise, CGDTest outputs UNSAT (i.e., unsatisfiable). CGTest has achieved VNN-COMP compliance. VNN-COMP is an excellent platform for comparing the performance of various verification and testing tools over large real-world benchmarks, so VNN-COMP is an effective metric for evaluating verification and testing tools in handling real-world benchmarks.