Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gender mainstreaming and participation in shifting cultivation among Chakma tribe : A comparative study in selected areas of Bangladesh and India

Shifting cultivation is prevalent in the uplands of eastern Bangladesh and Northeast India. Poverty and technical knowledge limitations favour its continued practice. This study assessed socioeconomic characteristics of 300 Chakma respondents' participation in shifting cultivation and the relationship of their socioeconomic characteristics with their decision making and implementation. The majority of respondents were middle aged, illiterate, medium-sized families with small farms and an annual income below their expenditure. Major patterns of participation were singles and couples. Males dominated in decision making in both countries but in implementation females dominated in India. In Bangladesh, earning family members had a significant, negative relationship with decision making, while training experience had a significant positive relationship with decision making. Education, family size and training experience had significant, negative relationships with implementation of decisions. In India, training experience and family size had significant negative relationships with implementation of decisions, whereas membership of associations had a significant, positive relationship. The study underpins gender-balanced programs for improving socioeconomics of the Chakma shifting cultivators.
Evaluation of physico-chemical , microbial and organoleptic properties of cow milk in smoked container with olive ( Olea africana ) and added leaves of Koseret ( Lippia adoensis )

Milk is perishable product which needs special attention in handling and storage. Milk handling container smoking and addition of leaves are common practices. The effects of the practices on the properties of raw cow milk are not evaluated. Hence, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of smoking milk handing pots with Olea africana and addition of leaves of Lippia adoensis on physicochemical, microbial and sensory properties of milk. Milk samples were collected and treated in laboratory. The experiment had four treatments; milk sample kept in neither smoked pot nor leaves added(T1), milk sample kept in smoked pot(T2), milk sample with added leaves(T3), milk sample with added leaves in smoked pot(T4). Physico-chemical properties (pH, titratable acidity, alcohol and specific gravity), microbial properties (standard plate count, total coliform count and methylene blue reduction tests) and sensory properties (flavor, mouth feel, aroma, appearance and overall acceptability) were determined. Results indicated that the treatments significantly affected the properties of the milk. Highest pH and specific gravity was recorded for T2(6.80±0.01) and (1.0324±0.00), respectively. Maximum plate and coliform count was recorded for T1(2.47 and 0.54 log10 cfu/ml), respectively. Longest methylen blued reduction time was for T3(7:15 hours). Better score of mouth feel, aroma and overall acceptability was for T3(4.20±0.71), T2 (3.90±0.76) and T2(4.20±0.71), respectively. Thus, the use of Olea africana and Lippia adoensis improved the physico-chemical, microbial and sensory properties of the milk to some extent.
EFFECT OF SOWING DATES AND INITIAL CUTTING TIME ON FORAGE YIELD AND QUALITY OF OAT IN MID HILLS OF NORTH WEST HIMALAYAS

A field experiment was conducted during rabi 2010-11 at Research Farm of Department of Agronomy, Forages and Grassland Management, CSK Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur to study the effect of sowing dates and initial period of cutting on forage yield of oat (Avena sativa L.). Sowing of crop on 15 th October recorded significantly higher forage yield (111.9q/ha) than that of 30 th October and 14 th November sowing. Variety JHO 99-2 recorded highest forage yield (103.07 q/ha). The oat initially cut at 90 days after sowing and left for seed production recorded significantly highest forage yield (114.06 q/ha) than the oat initially cut at 60 and 75 days after sowing (DAS).
Essential role for TAX 1 BP 1 in the termination of TNF-a-, IL-1-and LPS-mediated NF-j B and JNK signaling

The NF-jB transcription factor is normally transiently activated by proinflammatory cytokines and bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS); however, persistent NF-jB activation is commonly observed in inflammatory disease and malignancy. The ubiquitin editing enzyme A20 serves an essential role in the termination of TNF-aand LPSmediated NF-jB signaling by inactivating key signaling molecules. However, little is known about how A20 is regulated and if other molecules play a role in the termination of NF-jB signaling. Here we demonstrate that Tax1binding protein 1 (TAX1BP1) is essential for the termination of NF-jB and JNK activation in response to TNF-a, IL-1 and LPS stimulation. In TAX1BP1-deficient mouse fibroblasts, TNF-a-, IL-1and LPS-mediated IKK and JNK activation is elevated and persistent owing to enhanced ubiquitination of RIP1 and TRAF6. Furthermore, in the absence of TAX1BP1, A20 is impaired in RIP1 binding, deubiquitination of TRAF6 and inhibition of NF-jB activation. Thus, TAX1BP1 is pivotal for the termination of NF-jB and JNK signaling by functioning as an essential regulator of A20. The EMBO Journal (2007) 26, 3910–3922. doi:10.1038/ sj.emboj. 7601823; Published online 16 August 2007 Subject Categories: signal transduction
ASSESSMENT OF BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING (BIM) KNOWLEDGE IN THE NIGERIAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is an innovative approach that is gradually being implemented across the globe. BIM aids the visualization of what is to be built in a simulated environment in order to identify potential design, construction or operational problems of a facility. Despite established benets that BIM offers, the adoption of BIM in the Nigerian Construction Industry has been relatively slow. A eld survey was conducted with the use of 90 structured questionnaires; self administered via stratied random sampling of stakeholders within the Construction Industry in Kaduna State, North-western Nigeria; all structured to identify the respondents' level of awareness of BIM, and extent of usage of BIM. 43 questionnaires were properly lled and returned. With a response rate of 44.77%, the results were analyzed using the Percentile and Relative Index (RI) methods. As a contribution to knowledge, the paper has established that there is a low level of knowledge of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the Nigerian Construction Industry which is associated to the low level of awareness and utilization amongst stakeholders. As such, the paper recommended the need for increased awareness and utilization of BIM via the participation of relevant professional bodies; the integration of BIM into the Academic curriculum; and for the Nigerian Government to facilitate the implementation of BIM in Infrastructure projects, in order to ensure adequate knowledge of BIM towards improving productivity and efciency in the Nigerian Construction Industry.
Corporate Governance and Performance in Italian Banking Groups

The paper analyzes the interaction between corporate governance and performance in the Italian banking groups during the period 2006-2010. Using the fixed effect model on a panel dataset, we test seven hypothesis concerning board size, board composition, existence of board committees, control and risk (audit) committee size and membership, board remuneration, and women directorship. The empirical research gives evidence of the influence board of directors’ composition and structure exercise on banks’ profitability in terms of ROE and ROA. We find that board size does not affect Italian bank holding companies’ performance and that smaller audit committees charged with internal control activities perform better, increasing vigilance over board decisions and activities and, thus, concurring to enhance banks’ profitability. We also find a significant negative relationship between the percentage of independent directors in the audit committee and banks’ performance in terms of both ROE and ROA. Our study shows also a significant positive relationship between the presence of women on the board of directors and both ROE and ROA, even if the representation of women in Italian bank holding companies’ boards is still scarce. The other dimensions of corporate governance (board independence, board committees’ existence, audit committee size, and board remuneration) do not have a statistically significant relationship with bank groups’ profitability. Paper to be presented at the International conference "Corporate governance & regulation: outlining new horizons for theory and practice" Pisa, Italy, September 19, 2012
1 REVISION II ( FINAL ) 1 2 Melting , Crystallization and the Glass transition : 3 Toward a Unified Description for Silicate Phase Transitions 4

28 The melting mechanism of Na2SiO3, a crystal with pyroxene structure, includes three 29 distinct reactions. All are driven by heating with each reaction commencing at a different 30 temperature. The first two reactions proceed within the crystal at temperatures well below the 31 melting point and are expressed by distinctive crystallographic, calorimetric and Raman 32 spectroscopic changes in the crystal. With the reactions identified and explained for Na2SiO3(c) 33 and the melting mechanism elucidated, the Na2SiO3 system becomes the ‘Rosetta Stone’ by 34 which to decipher the melting mechanisms of all pyroxenes and other silicate minerals. 35 The first reaction produces itinerant Na within the crystal. Itinerancy results from 36 dissociation of some NBO-Na bonds due to heating, with dissociation commencing at ~770 K. 37 The reaction proceeds according to: 38 Si-O-Na → Si-O + Na 39 The Si-O moiety remains attached to its SiO3 chain and it is charged because one of its NBO 40 atoms has no associated Na ion. The second reaction is characterized by the appearance of a Q 41 band in Raman spectra of the crystal at temperatures >770 K. It is produced via a polymerization 42 reaction involving the Si-O species, a product of the first reaction, and a Q species of an 43 adjacent SiO3 chain according to: 44 1Na2-Q + 1(Na1-Q) → 2Na1-Q + Na + O 45 Na atoms are included with each Q species to preserve mass balances and (Na1-Q) is equivalent 46 to the Si-O species. The produced Q species form cross-chain linkages which affect the 47 crystallographic properties of the crystal. They are responsible for the cessation of thermal 48
WAVE-PARTICLE DUALITY IN PHYSICS AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES

A new mathematical formula called the Planckian distribution equation (PDE) was discovered at Rutgers University in 2008-9 and has been found to fit many long-tailed histograms generated in a variety of fields of inquiries, ranging from atomic physics to single-molecule enzymology, whole-cell RNA metabolism, fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging), glottometrics, econometrics, and cosmology. PDE can be derived from Planckian radiation equation by replacing the universal constants and temperature with free parameters, A, B and C, resulting in y = (A/(x + B))/(e + B) – 1), where x is a random variable and y is frequency. PDE can also be derived from a Gaussian-like equation (GLE), y = Ae (where A is a parameter unrelated to A appearing in PDE), by non-linearly transforming its independent variable, x, while keeping the dependent variable y constant. It is possible to define a binary logarithm of the ratio between the areas under the curves of PDE and GLE as a measure of the non-randomness (or order) underlying the biophysicochemical processes generating long-tailed histograms that fit PDE. This new function has been named the Planckian information, IP, which (i) appears to be a better measure of order than the negative entropy proposed by Schrὃdinger in 1944 and (ii) may serve a role opposite to that of the Boltzmann-Gibbs entropy, S, which is a measure of disorder. The possible reasons for the universality of PDE include (i) the wave-particle duality, (ii) selection of subsets of random processes as the basic mechanism of generating order, organization, and structure in the Universe, and (iii) the Planckian process as active symmetry-braking processes driving the self-organization of the Universe. PDE and the associated wave-particle duality principle have been applied to (i) formulating the molecular mechanism of oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria, (ii) identifying patient-specific breast cancer-associated genes that determine the survival months after being treated with the anticancer drug, doxorubicin, and (iii) supporting the possible connection between the genetic code and the matrix mathematics of waves.
IMMUNOPATHOGENESIS OF HIV INFECTION 1

The rate of progression of HIV disease may be substantially different among HIVinfected individuals. Following infection of the host with any virus, the delicate balance between virus replication and the immune response to the virus determines both the outcome of the infection, i.e. the persistence versus elimination of the virus, and the different rates of progression. During primary HIV infection, a burst of viremia occurs that disseminates virus to the lymphoid organs. A potent immune response ensues that substantially, but usually not completely, curtails virus replication. This inability of the immune system to completely eliminate the virus leads to establishment of chronic, persistent infection that over time leads to profound immunosuppression. The potential mechanisms of virus escape from an otherwise effective immune response have been investigated. Clonal deletion of HIV-specific cytotoxic T-cell clones and sequestration of virus-specific cytotoxic cells away from the major site of virus replication represent important mechanisms of virus escape from the immune response that favor persistence of HIV. Qualitative differences in the primary immune response to HIV (i.e. mobilization of a restricted versus broader T-cell receptor repertoire) are associated with different rates of disease progression. Therefore, the initial interaction between the virus and immune system of the host is critical for the subsequent clinical outcome.
Does seasonal aridity and fruit availability affect the fate of seeds removed by scatterhoarding rodents in montane forests of Nigeria ?

Large-seeded tree species in tropical African forests are currently faced with an apparent seed dispersal crisis as a result of the decline in populations of large vertebrate seed dispersers. However, recent studies have shown that African giant pouched rats (Cricetomys spp) and African brushed-tailed porcupines (Atherurus africanus) can potentially disperse large-seeded species though their scatterhoarding behaviour. In this study, we used artificial seeds marked with classic thread-tagging technique for seed removal experiments to examine the effect of the two major seasons in Nigeria (i.e. wet and dry) and fruit availability on the fate of seeds removed these rodents. We hypothesized that seed removal rate; the probability of seed hoarding and dispersal distance will be higher in the wet season than the dry season. Our results show that seed removal rate was greater in the wet season while seed fate and dispersal distances were not significantly different in both seasons. We also found that the probability of seed predation decreased with fruit availability and there was a slightly negative effect of fruit availability on dispersal distance. This study suggests that fruit availability rather than seasonal aridity is more important in determining the fate of seeds removed by Afrotropical scatterhoarding rodents.
Healthier and More Educated Society Improves Multifactor Productivity: Time Varying Relationships

This study analyzes the influence of externalities generated by human capital on multifactor productivity (MFP). Education and health are two components of human capital that improvements in either of them influence the MFP. Scientific knowledge generated through published articles, and doctorates awarded by the US universities are considered as education components. Life expectancy at birth is an indicator of healthy nation. Explanators of MFP for the US private business sector for the last century are analyzed using Flexible Least Squares that enables an analyst to diagnose the magnitude of coefficient variation and detect which particular coefficients are changing. Results show that indicated variables have significant externalities and positively affect the MFP.
NON-LINEAR FRICTIONAL RESIDUAL EFFECTS ON TIDE PROPAGATION

In this paper we tackle the problem of the role of non-linear terms on the propagation of the tidal wave in prismatic and convergent channels, through a one-dimensional formulation of the shallow water momentum and continuity equations. The solution is obtained numerically applying the MacCormack explicit scheme. The above approach allows one to take into account non-linear effects and to compare different formulations for the frictional term. It is shown that a linearized approximation is not suitable to represent adequately the propagation of the tidal wave, in particular when sharp fronts occur. Moreover, the effect on the mean free surface slope of non-linear residual effects associated with the frictional term is investigated. They are related to the different values of flow depth occurring during the ebb and the flood phase. As a result the average water level tends to rise landward, due to the larger dissipation in the ebb phase.
The dependence of the durability of digestate briquettes and sorption properties on represented particle sizes

Digestate, a product of the anaerobic digestion process, is traditionally used as liquid fertiliser. Besides agriculture use, it became possible to dry its separated solid part and compress it into briquette or pellet form. In the context of the characterisation of briquettes, the description here largely covers the mechanical properties of texture components and the distribution of particles within the briquette space. In order to define these properties and understand the relations between the mechanical part and any influencing factors, researchers started to identify the relationship between particles size distribution in briquettes and sorption properties and therefore mechanical properties. The objective of the present research was to compare size distribution in particles in different digestate samples and to study the connection to water sorption by briquettes and the durability of briquettes that have been made from two kinds of digestate material. For a comparison, two types of digestate were used, for which particles were split into a few size files according to the sieve size. By using digital image analysis, the dimensions of particles were specified and compared with values that were measured by means of a calliper. Sorption properties were defined through experimentation: exposing briquettes to a water source with water adsorption being determined via moisture content. Other mechanical properties were represented by toughness and the rate of abrasion. As result, digestate is an appropriate sorption matter which can multiply its initial mass by a factor of five if the water supply is sufficient. In the case of a dimension measurement of particles, digestate texture is represented by particles with one prevalent dimension, in most cases this being length. The length of particles was between approximately 1mm to 9 mm. The digestate has been proven to be a good water sorbent material and can be applied in various sectors of agriculture.
Determinants of Market Facilitators Choice by Smallholder Farmers in Laikipia County , Kenya

Horticultural crop production is one of the major crops grown in arid and semi-arid lands especially in Laikipia County, Kenya.Market facilitators’ help in linking smallholder farmers to high value market either in rural or urban markets. The underpinning factors in choice of market facilitators by smallholder farmers are not yet well understood. Therefore, this paper aims to determine those factors influencingchoice of market facilitators by farmers while marketing their produce. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 396 farmers in Laikipia East district. Binary Logit model was used as the major analytical tool; it is applicable when analyzing binary decision or response. The results showed that, household size, age of household head and marketing through a group positively influenced choice of market facilitators by smallholder farmers. On the other hand, number of members in the group, access to market information, purpose of farming and amount of output produced negatively influenced choice of market facilitators. Based on these findings, policy was drawn to improve access to facilitators by farmers that linked them to high value output market.
Forming of Si NCs and amorphous nanoclusters in dielectric films

Semiconductor nanocrystals in dielectric films are interesting from fundamental aspect, because quantum-size effects in them appear even at room temperature, so such objects can be called as “quantum dots”. Silicon nanocrystals and amorphous silicon nanoclusters in substoichiometric SiOx and SiNx films are traps for electrons and holes that apply in nonvolatile memory devices. In this chapter the formation of silicon nanocrystals and silicon amorphous nanoclusters in SiOx and SiNx films was studied using structural and optical methods. The phonon confinement model was refined to obtain sizes of silicon nanocrystals from analysis of Raman scattering data. Structural models that lead to nanoscale potential fluctuation in amorphous SiOx and SiNx are considered. A new structural model which is intermediate between random mixture and random bonding models is proposed. Memristor effects in SiOx films are discussed.
Multi-StageDiscreteTime andRandomizedDynamic AverageConsensus

In this paper we propose a novel local interaction protocol which solves the discrete time dynamic average consensus problem, i.e., the consensus problem on the average value of a set of time-varying input signals in an undirected graph. The proposed interaction protocol is based on a multi-stage cascade of dynamic consensus filters which tracks the average value of the inputs with small and bounded error. We characterize its convergence properties for time-varying discrete-time inputs with bounded variations. The main novelty of the proposed algorithm is that, with respect to other dynamic average consensus protocols, we obtain the next unique set of advantages: i) The protocol, inspired by proportional dynamic consensus, does not exploit integral control actions or input derivatives, thus exhibits robustness to re-initialization errors, changes in the network size and noise in the input signals; ii) The proposed design allows to trade-off the quantity of information locally exchanged by the agents, i.e., the number of stages, with steady-state error, tracking error and convergence time; iii) The protocol can be implemented with randomized and asynchronous local state updates and keep in expectation the performance of the discretetime version. Numerical examples are given to corroborate the theoretical findings, including the case where a new agent joins and leaves the network during the algorithm execution to show robustness to re-initialization errors during runtime.