ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Research Summary My team of scientists and I have recently confirmed the existence of 1284 new exoplanets, or planets that orbit a star other than our Sun. The process of confirmation was performed by applying the statistical analysis of the Kepler space telescope’s planet candidate catalog, using the data obtained by the Kepler Observatory, a spacecraft on the Earth’s orbit intended for the discovery of the planets similar to Earth and part of the NASA’s search mission. The team, lead by Timothy Morton, has estimated the probability of the observable space phenomena to be Earth-like planets to be higher than 99 percent for the 1284 listed objects, making it the single biggest discovery of this kind and increasing the number of known exoplanets by more than a third (Astrobiology Magazine par. 2). Furthermore, the analysis has allowed us to recognize the 550 of the exoplanets as rocky, and nine as being within the habitable zone. Research Method The discovery of new exoplanets is comprised of two phases. First, the Kepler space observatory monitors the visible light of the space bodies and detects the changes in their brightness. The brightness cycles which are consistent with the planet’s passing in front of the star are considered the indirect proof of the space phenomenon being an exoplanet (Sengupta 89). Once such objects are discovered, they are listed in the catalog of “planet candidates.” The candidates are then subject to the rigorous confirmation process, which aims at checking their status as precisely as possible. However, the process is lengthy, which results in slowing down of the mission. The statistical approach, devised by our team, has made it possible to analyze the large amounts of available data and assign each candidate a status based on the likelihood of it being an exoplanet. The data has allowed the separation of the candidates into several subgroups, where the ones whose probability exceeds 99% are considered planets. Such division effectively eliminates the need to apply the time-consuming individual approach to the objects which do not qualify, which will potentially speed up the confirmation process. Additionally, the analysis allows for a more precise estimation of the Earth-like planets. Research Results By applying the calculation model suggested by Morton, our team was able to make several important findings. First, we were able to positively identify more than a third of the potential candidates (1284 of the 4302) as planets. Other 1327 candidates which were likely to be planets, but whose probability did not exceed the required 99 percent rate, did not qualify. Finally, 707 candidates were confirmed to be the phenomena other than the exoplanets (Astrobiology Magazine par. 2). We have also applied our analysis to the 984 exoplanets found by other techniques to further validate the findings. More importantly, our analysis has allowed us to conclude that 550 of the 1284 exoplanets are most probably rocky ones, like the Earth, as opposed to gas giants, which are far less likely to be habitable a
Introduction Despite wide spread scholarly literature in the field of corporate social responsibilities; focus has remained more on Western firms. As an offer sight, the efforts that emerging nations and economies like the United Arab Emirate World have been making become compliant with the new sustainable model of doing businesses have been ignored. The United Arab Emirate nation’s companies are standing out in developing creative efforts to do good to the community using different contexts, constraints and possibilities for CRS activity and research. The nations have seen the need to do their businesses in an ethical manner; efforts towards ethical businesses are slowly growing body of work on CSR in the Middle East by examining the impact of Islam on CSR reporting and legitimatization discourse in the United Arab Emirate world (Manjunatha 178). This paper looks into the efforts the United Arab Emirate nations have taken in enhancing CSR; it will discuss the topic tossing some issues of gender in the discussion. Discussion Although there have been numerous definition of what CSR entails, the business practice can be referred to as any corporate activity designed to benefit society as a whole or in part that may or may not directly benefit the corporation itself; the efforts might as well have an indirect effect on the business but the main intention is to benefit the community. In the United Arab Emirate nations, religion plays crucial role in decisions and opinions in the community. Companies in the nation have engaged in environmental cleaning activities, economic development/financial empowerment activities, and Islamic authorization and moralization activities (Graco 15). Being Muslim countries, zakat, a tax mandated by Islam for charitable purposes, and philanthropy are inextricably intertwined in the minds of Muslim managers; they are feeling the need to contribute to this account with the need of enhancing the development and sustainability of charitable organizations. When charity prevails and works well in a community, then the welfare of the entire community is improved. Although this tax is mandatory in the nations, the willingness through which the companies deduct and remit the amount is the main area of concern. Some of the uses that Zakat has been used for are outfitting hospital wards or clinics with the necessary equipment and, in some instances, it has been used to build healthcare. The fact that Zakat prevails in the community has not limited organizations at individual level to engage in community development/empowerment activities; for instance, Zain, a renowned United Arab Emirate multinational telecommunicatio
Company Overview Halliburton is one of the major players in the energy industry. The company was founded in 1919. Since then, it has provided various services such as working with geological data, drilling, or well construction (“Corporate Profile”). Halliburton has fourteen product service lines. There are two main divisions: “Drilling and Evaluation, and Completion and Production” (“Corporate Profile”). Also, the company offers consulting services. There are multiple problems associated with this business. However, some of them deserve particular attention. The main goal of this paper is to discuss three issues that are relevant to the company. Significant Company Issues The first significant issue is environmental impact and waste management costs. These two problems are closely interrelated. That is why they are united as a single issue. One of the main company’s functions is establishing in-situ heavy oil assets (“Lowering Environmental Impact and Waste Management Costs”). However, this process results in a dangerous concentration of wells in areas that require particular attention to their environment. Also, it is necessary to reduce waste costs. Therefore, drilling and production operations should be improved to address both issues simultaneously. An environmental impact from such operations consists of several elements. First, drilling is a source of noise that negatively affects fauna in a particular area (“Laws and Regulations Applicable to Oil and Gas Production”). Bulldozers, drill rigs, and other equipment produce a very harmful acoustic effect. Although blasting activities are supposed to be minimized, they are still required in most cases. Second, these operations worsen the quality of air (“Laws and Regulations Applicable to Oil and Gas Production”). There is a considerable amount of emission that occurs due to drilling. It includes vehicle emission, storage of gasoline, diesel, and other fuels, and air pollution when blasting. The affected area might be up to several square miles. Wild animals often suffer from dust pneumonia. Third, there is an enormously negative impact on ecological resources (“Laws and Regulations Applicable to Oil and Gas Production”). Such operations require removing vegetation and topsoil. It ruins the natural habitat of wild animals. Therefore, their diversity and population become much less. There is a high demand for in-situ development projects, and organizations that work in the industry need new approaches to minimize negative environmental effects of their operations without increasing the overall costs. All the stakeholders should be satisfied with th
Introduction / Thesis During recent decade, it became clear to a considerable number of sociologists and political scientists that post-industrial realities often imply outdatedness of many classic socio-political concepts. For example, the process of economic Globalization has nowadays created preconditions for political notions to be discussed in terms of economy, for economic notions to be discussed in terms of criminology and for sociological notions to be discussed in terms of psychiatry. One of the most important aspects of post-modernity is the fact that it implies the process of private individuals engaging with mainstream politics as such that has very little effect on the body of these politics. The recently emerged phenomenon of Internet-based political blogging, to which ordinary citizens resort to making their political opinions heard, substantiates the validity of earlier suggestion perfectly well – by becoming indulged in discussion of political issues online, people consciously distance themselves from mainstream politics as such that only formally relate to the concept of representational democracy. In its turn, this creates a paradox – even though blogging implies a certain degree of intellectual marginalization, on the part of its practitioners; it is namely web-based political blogs to which people increasingly resort as the only objective sources of information, in regards to surrounding socio-political reality. Therefore, the importance of political blogs’ sociological implications can hardly be overestimated – apparently, people’s online political activities provide us with the insight into technical aspects of Western civilization ensuring its geopolitical stability at the expense of becoming less and less associated with classical concept of representational democracy. In this paper, we will aim to outline challenges and opportunities, associated with the concept of political blogging, and to define two research questions that will be thoroughly explored, during the course of this study’s consecutive stages. Literature review As we have suggested in Introduction, it is namely political bloggers’ disengagement with mainstream politics, which often define their stance on issues of socio-political importance. Moreover, the strength of people’s willingness to participate in online political discussions appears to be related to particulars of their racial affiliation. The conceptual premise, upon which Kim Eunseong had built his study’s “Are political blogs a different species?: An examination of nonelite political blogs” argumentation, has a direct relation to such our observation, because in this study, author was able to reveal the phenomenon of political blogging as such that reflects genetically predetermined emanations of people’s existential psyche: “Rather than representing the general public, Internet users (bloggers), especially early adopters, are composed of a small
Introduction There is a cultural belief in most societies around the world that a marriage should be a lifetime commitment. However, the rate of divorce reported in the globe today is alarming. For example, in recent years, the number of divorce cases has risen steadily. There is no doubt that separation has become one of the social problems plaguing the 21 st society. Marriages end in many different ways. Some start with separation, while others end out of the mutual agreement and forced dissolution (Auchmuty, 2016). Each country has laws that regulate marriages and divorce within its jurisdiction. However, the divorce laws and procedures were included later in some of the jurisdictions. Many studies conducted in this field have analyzed the various indicators of marriage and divorce. The trend shows differences in the development and dissolution of family units. Most studies show that the number of marriages per 100 persons has decreased. However, the number of dissolutions continues to rise. In addition, the number of children born to unmarried couples has increased (Auchmuty, 2016). In this paper, the author discusses the concepts of marriage and divorce laws in three countries around the world. The paper will focus on the United Kingdom, South Africa, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The relevance of the existing laws and new legislation touching on marriage and divorce in these countries will be reviewed. Marriage and Divorce Laws and What they Mean to Couples: An Overview As already in this paper, the number of marriages is on the decline, while that of divorce is on the rise. However, in spite of this reality, the number of civil partnerships is on the rise (Toit, 2015). The partnerships are mainly evidenced among marginalized communities and groups, such as gays and lesbians. Marginalized groups like gays and lesbians have been ignored for a long time. They have remained absent from most legal accounts and recognitions (Burton, 2016). However, with the agitation for human rights and the expansion of legal spaces in contemporary society, these groups are becoming visible. Their visibility extends to the realm of divorce and separations. In most cases of marriage, dissolution frameworks are used more than divorce proceedings. The legality of these two ways of ending partnerships is becoming acceptable in society today. Divorce processes have various impacts on both parties. The effects include financial and emotional ramifications (Burton, 2016). However, one of the most affected parties in the divorce process is the children. The separation of parents may lead to both mental and physical illnesses. Companionate marriages are built on a set of ideals. Some of the ideals include fairness during marriage and after divorce. Regardless of
Introduction Although the story takes up less than 100 pages, Franz Kafka’s story Metamorphosis lends itself to a wide variety of interpretations in terms of theme and meaning, there doesn’t seem to be all that much to the story itself upon first glance. The story follows the experiences of Gregor Samsa after he wakes up one morning to find himself turned into a giant bug in his own bed. As he reveals himself to his family and his employer, it becomes obvious that this change is not meant to be a figurative change on the part of the author, but is also a physical change. Although the family continues to care for him, providing him with food and water and cleaning his room once a day, Gregor becomes more and more detached from them, eventually finding it difficult to keep track of what has been happening around him. His room becomes dirtier, his family becomes less attentive and he becomes less concerned with their welfare in connection with his own. As his sister and mother move his personal furniture out of his room, he leaves the room with a mind toward helping his sister, but is instead attacked by his father, becoming wounded in the process when an apple thrown at him becomes lodged in his back. Rather than tending to his wounds, the family locks him back in his room again where the apple is able to fester for months. The room becomes the general receptacle of household debris before Gregor’s final attempt to reconnect with his family results in such harsh and complete rejection that he simply crawls back in his room and dies. Through this general summary of events, then, it can be seen that one of the major themes of Kafka’s Metamorphosis is that of isolation and the devastating effects it can have on the individual. Discussion It can be argued that Gregor’s transformation is a literal indication of his feelings of separation from humanity, including the members of his own family, as can be seen in from the very beginning of the story. Despite waking up to find himself in the form of a bug, Gregor’s primary concern remains to get to work in order to continue supporting the family who has been dependent upon him for the past five years. As he reflects upon his position, he reveals the level of disconnectedness that has already occurred between himself and his family, indeed the rest of humanity, since he took a job as a traveling salesman: “And apart from business itself, this plague of traveling: the anxieties of changing trains, the irregular, inferior meals, the ever changing faces, never to be seen again, people with whom one has no chance to be friendly” (13). Even in his own home, he has taken up the habit of locking his bedroom doors “as if in a hotel” (16) and he continues to follow the rules and regulations set forth by his father even though he is the sole breadwinner of the family. As the family pleads with his manager to believe Gregor is sick, the picture of his life before the transformation becomes complete. “The boy thinks of nothing but his work! It makes me upset to see how he never goes
Introduction This paper is a critical review of a book authored by Moyo (2010), titled “Dead Aid: Why Aid Makes Things Worse and How There Is another Way for Africa.” The book mainly talks about why financial assistance from western nations has failed to help Africa. Of critical note is the author’s assertion that international aid agencies should stop sending money to Africa because it discourages its people from developing home-grown solutions to their economic and social problems. At the core of the author’s arguments is the presumption that aid in Africa has relegated the continent’s inhabitants to “beggars” as opposed to problem-solvers. The aid model highlighted above stems from the general western belief that the rich should always help the poor (Hermanrud & de Soysa 2017; Asongu & Odhiambo 2019). However, as Moyo (2010) suggests, aid has only helped to make the poor poorer by disempowering their social and political structures. In light of this observation, some researchers support Moyo’s (2010) views by saying that aid has been a source of humanitarian, economic and social conflict not only in Africa but other developing nations as well (Derpanopoulos et al. 2016; Handlin 2015). Overall, Moyo (2010) characterises aid as a disease, which “pretends” to be the cure for Africa’s economic problems. In this critical review, Moyo’s (2010) work will be reviewed in the context of how it compares to existing theories of developmental economics and the works of other researchers who have also explored the same topic. This paper is classified into three main subsections. The first one is a succinct review of the author’s main arguments and is aimed at having a broader understanding of the key arguments presented in the book. The second part of the paper interrogates the author’s views of aid in Africa within the context of existing economic models of development and Africa’s current social and economic dynamics. The last part of the paper provides a summary of the review. Main Arguments Presented in the Book Moyo (2010) starts by saying that the debate about Africa and its economic problems should be conducted by people who come from the continent and not outsiders. She further digresses from this point of view by questioning why many sub-Saharan countries seem to be stuck in a cycle of corruption, disease and poverty, despite receiving more than $300 billion dollars in aid since the 1970s (Moyo 2010). O’Hare et al. (2014) also question why Africa’s economic growth has not been transformational despite receiving millions of dollars over the years. In response to this subject, Moyo (2010) posits that aid has fostered high levels of corruption on the continent and made it difficult to achieve significant levels of economic development. There are many examples of the extent that corruption has affected the economic growth of African countries. For example, in the Democr
Introduction When attending my narcotic anonymous meeting within the great Boston area, I noticed that the meeting was organized by a network of churches throughout the week to accommodate those battling with addiction and in need of frequent therapy. The group was well established because many members were congratulated outside for catching up before the meeting started. This observation was an eye-opener to me because I realized that a relationship had already been established. Group Sessions When we entered the building, everyone was given a textbook which they used for making notes during the meetings. The facilitator started by reading the 12 sentences of affirmation that all the members repeated. This was the foundation by which the members lived. After affirming that their recovery was their main priority, the meeting started with the facilitator sharing his story of recovery for those who had not heard about it. Once he was done, he introduced the topic of that day. It was about daily demons; this reviewed the temptation of drug use and the relationship the group members needed to have with higher powers to fight the demon. I believed that this subject was very direct and focused on what they dealt with together as a group. After that, they proceeded to read some passages. Participation to read the passage was voluntary and before the members could begin, they first needed to state their name and then say ‘I am an addict’. I think that this was an affirmation of their reason for being there. Everyone greeted the reader in unison. They read a complete chapter with many members reading more than once. It was time to reflect on the passage. The second portion of the two-hour meeting concluded with the facilitator sharing his thoughts and feelings regarding the chapter where he highlighted some amazing comments about the reading. He then proceeded to ask other members to share their experiences, thoughts, and feelings on the passage that they had just read. At first, some members read parts of the passage which stood out to them. Others shared their troubles with demons and how they faced them daily with the help of the people they knew in the places where they lived. The facilitator stated that the temptation of drugs was real and could kill. The first sign of conflict that arose among the group members was that many of them wanted to speak but there was not enough time for all of them to do so. The storming stage had occurred because the facilitator did not know who to speak to. There were over 15 members who wanted to discuss, but only 6 members were able to do so. This left some members bothered, frustrated, and unheard. The facilitator realized that this was occurring and assured the group that they would find a better way to manage time so that more people could speak. What I found interesting is that he asked if anyone felt as if they would hurt themselves or take drugs if they didn’t get a chance to speak. The conclusion of the meeting was a collection of coins of commitment that marked milestones of each member’s progress in their recovery. There were over 10 different coins that were