Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ield production functions of irrigated sugarbeet in an arid climate avid

Increased water demands and drought have resulted in the need to provide data to guide deficit water management decisions in irrigated sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris L.) production. The objective of this study was to quantify the yield response of sugarbeet to water input and actual crop evapotranspiration (ETa) on a soil type (silt loam) common to sugarbeet production in the Northwest U.S. These relationships are valuable to understanding sugarbeet response over a range of water availability and in developing tools to assess future production under water shortages. This paper consolidates data from three studies consisting of ten site-years from 2009 to 2016. The studies were at the USDA-Agricultural Research Service facility in Kimberly, ID on a Portneuf silt loam soil. Treatments consisted of varying levels of cumulative seasonal Kimberly-Penman ET model estimated crop evapotranspiration (ETc) rates ranging from rain-fed to 125% of ETc. Irrigation methods consisted of surface drip irrigation (3 site-years), linear/pivot overhead sprinkler (6 site-years), and solid-set sprinkler (1 site-year). Irrigation frequency was consistent for all studies with applications occurring 2–3 times per week depending on ETc demand. Estimated recoverable sucrose (ERS) yield and root yield were measured, and soil water contents were measured. Across all site-years, quantitative relationships between both actual crop ET (ETa) and water input, and sugarbeet yield and quality variables were developed. Significant (0.05 probability level) positive linear relationships were found between ETa and sugarbeet ERS and root yields (r2 = 0.78). Estimated recoverable sucrose and root yields increased at rates of 19.4 kg ha−1 mm−1 ETa and 0.13 Mg ha−1 mm−1 ETa, respectively. When ETa depths of 719 and 729 mm were reached by the crop, root and ERS yields were maximized, respectively. When water input (irrigation + precipitation) depths of 598 and 605 mm were applied root and ERS yields were maximized, respectively. The quantitative relationships between both ETa and water input, and sugarbeet yields can be used to quantify sugarbeet production under deficit irrigation conditions (data derived from pivot/linear, drip, and solid set irrigation types), which may arise due to water shortage scenarios, or when drought occurs in non-irrigated areas. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Multi-decadal modulations in the Aleutian-Icelandic Low seesaw and the axial symmetry of the Arctic Oscillation signature, as revealed in the 20th century reanalysis

Seesaw relationship in intensity between the surface Aleutian and Icelandic Lows (AIS) is a manifestation of atmospheric teleconnection that bridges the interannual variability over the Pacific and Atlantic in particular winter months. Analysis of the 20th Century Reanalysis data reveals that the strength and timing of AIS have undergone multi-decadal modulations in conjunction with those in structure of the Arctic Oscillation (AO) signature, extracted in the leading mode of interannual sea-level pressure (SLP) variability over the extratropical Northern Hemisphere. Specifically, events of what may be called ‘pure AO’, in which SLP anomalies exhibit a high degree of axial symmetry in association with in-phase SLP variability between the midlatitude Atlantic and Pacific, tended to occur during multi-decadal periods in which the inter-basin teleconnection through AIS was active under the enhanced interannual variability of the Aleutian Low. In contrast, the axial symmetry of the AO pattern was apparently reduced during a multi-decadal period in which the AIS teleconnection was inactive under the weakened interannual variability of the Aleutian Low. In this period, the leading mode of interannual SLP variability represented a meridional seesaw between the Atlantic and Arctic, which resembles SLP anomaly pattern associated with the cold-ocean/warm-land (COWL) temperature pattern. These multi-decadal modulations in interannual AIS signal and the axial symmetry of the interannual AO pattern occurred under multi-decadal changes in the background state that also represented the polarity changes of the COWL-like anomaly pattern.
Modeling inflation dynamics in a conflict economy

Research Problem: The primary purpose of the paper is to set up a macroeconomic model that depict domestic inflation dynamics in a conflict economy impeded by parallel market for foreign exchange and internal political conflict. Research methodology: To investigate domestic inflation sensitivity to macro variables time-varying coefficient estimation approach employed on monthly data from Sudan during the period from January 2008 to December2013. Results: While domestic money growth (government spending) is the main driver of domestic inflation,the increasing role of parallel market for foreign exchange and imported inflation on domestic inflation reveal increasing sensitivity of the economy to external shocks. Also indicated that our model based estimates of domestic inflation rate is about 22% above the officially announced inflation rate. Recommendations: To control domestic inflation it is essential to control growth in domestic money creation and adopt more flexible official foreign exchange rate that enables inflation trageting policy.
STAR FORMATION ACTIVITY IN THE GALACTIC H ii REGION Sh2-297

We present a multiwavelength study of the Galactic H ii region Sh2-297, located in the Canis Major OB1 complex. Optical spectroscopic observations are used to constrain the spectral type of ionizing star HD 53623 as B0V. The classical nature of this H ii region is affirmed by the low values of electron density and emission measure, which are calculated to be 756 cm−3 and 9.15 × 105 cm−6 pc using the radio continuum observations at 610 and 1280 MHz, and Very Large Array archival data at 1420 MHz. To understand local star formation, we identified the young stellar object (YSO) candidates in a region of area ∼7. ′5 × 7. ′5 centered on Sh2-297 using grism slitless spectroscopy (to identify the Hα emission line stars), and near infrared (NIR) observations. NIR YSO candidates are further classified into various evolutionary stages using color–color and color–magnitude (CM) diagrams, giving 50 red sources (H − K > 0.6) and 26 Class II-like sources. The mass and age range of the YSOs are estimated to be ∼0.1–2 M☉ and 0.5–2 Myr using optical (V/V−I) and NIR (J/J−H) CM diagrams. The mean age of the YSOs is found to be ∼1 Myr, which is of the order of dynamical age of 1.07 Myr of the H ii region. Using the estimated range of visual extinction (1.1–25 mag) from literature and NIR data for the region, spectral energy distribution models have been implemented for selected YSOs which show masses and ages to be consistent with estimated values. The spatial distribution of YSOs shows an evolutionary sequence, suggesting triggered star formation in the region. The star formation seems to have propagated from the ionizing star toward the cold dark cloud LDN1657A located west of Sh2-297.
Rethinking the Debates Over Health Care Financing: Evidence from the Bankruptcy Courts

In 1999, Professors Jacoby, Sullivan, and Warren undertook an empirical study of bankruptcy filings to understand better the circumstances that brought middle-class families to a state of financial collapse. The information gathered in the study, known as Phase III of the Consumer Bankruptcy Project, revealed that an estimated more than half a million middle-class families turned to bankruptcy courts for help after illness or injury that year. The findings of the study illustrate how bankruptcy files document the economic problems families encounter when bills mount and incomes fall in the aftermath of a medical problem. In this Article, Professors Jacoby, Sullivan, and Warren present the data from their study to illustrate that hundreds of thousands of middle-class families in the United States are devastated economically each year under the current health care finance system. Their data indicate that focusing on the presence or absence of health insurance alone would lead to an incomplete solution. Instead, the authors suggest that since bankruptcy effectively serves as part of the health care payment system, bankruptcy policy should be included in any comprehensive review of health care financing policy.
Food price inflation and schooling

In the middle of the nineties the rural population in Burkina Faso was seriously hit by rising food prices. Whereas cotton farmers were able to cope with this shock given the simultaneous boom in the cotton sector, food crop farmers had to withdraw children from school and to let them work more intensively. Using the exogenous character of the income variation as an instrument allows to disentangle the pure effect of parental income from effects related to parental education, family background and other unobservables. A set of simple policy simulations illustrates the potential of unconditional cash transfers to raise schooling levels and to protect investment in children’s education against transitory income shocks. Although the involved effects are not negligible and much higher as simulations based on the pure OLS effect would suggest, they also show that making transfers conditional on attendance might largely increase the efficiency of such transfers.
Therapeutic efficacy of some extracts of hot pepper fruits (Capsicum annuum) and Sumac seeds (Rhus coriaria) on the growth of some isolated dermatophytes species

Background: Fungal infections are one of the common skin diseases with difficulty in their treatment approach. The present efficient drugs for fungal infection are limited. Aim: To determine the therapeutic efficacy of plant extracts as alternative antifungal agents. Materials and methods: 100 clinical samples [68 from female and 32 from male] were collected during the period from March to July 2017 from subjects attending Dermatology Clinic in Salah Uldean General Hospital. Fungal infection was diagnosed with using KOH wet preparation. Fungal species identified by using conventional approach. The active ingredients existing in the plant extracts were detected and analyzed through qualitative and quantitative detection technique of chemical compounds using a high performance liquid chromatographic device (HPLC). Agar diffusion method was used to determine antifungal activity of plant extracts. Results: Direct microscopic examination showed that there were (75%) positive samples, while culture shows (67%) positive samples. The isolated dermatophytes belong to Epidermophyoton, Microsporum, and Trichophyton genus. The predominant dermatophytes were T. rubrum (25%) species. The highest frequency of infection was in the age group of 11-20 years. The sensitivity of the tested fungi to the aqueous and alcoholic plant extracts varies. Alcoholic extract of the hot pepper plant was more effective as antifungal than the aqueous extract of the same plant. However, aqueous hot pepper extracts was more effective against T. mentagrophyte than that of alcoholic extract. Additionally, alcoholic Sumac extract shows higher efficacy that aqueous extract. Conclusion: Hot pepper and Sumac extracts show antifungal activity against Microsporum canis, Trichophyton rubrum and T. mentagrophyte.
Enzymatic activity, gas exchange and production of soybean co-inoculated with Bradyrhizobium japonicum and Azospirillum brasilense

Soybean occupies a prominent place in the national scenario, and the search for new technologies is continuous. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the co-inoculation, through seeds, from diazotrophs bacteria of genus Bradyrhizobium japonicum and Azospirillum brasilense, and its effects against the nodulation, enzyme activity, gas exchange, and soybean production. The experiment was conduced in completely randomized design, with seven treatments and four replications. Seven treatments were constituted in the control (no nitrogen fertilization and seed inoculation); application of N mineral; seed inoculation with B. japonicum and A. brasilense AbV5+AbV6 and AbV5+AbV6+AbV7 strains and their co-inoculations. The evaluations were performed in V4 and R4 stages, with particular biometric characteristics of shoots and roots, the gas exchange indices of the leaves and the activity of peroxidase and phenylalanine ammonia lyase enzymes. Also in the R9 stage were determined components of production and production per plant culture. The results indicate that, when combining two species of bacteria through seeds have limitation in nodulation. The A. brasilense, strains AbV5+AbV6+AbV7, inoculated through seed promotes increase in nodulation from the natural soil population; it still raises the activity of plant defense enzymes in V4 stage, however, reduces the photosynthetic rate per foliar unit. Nitrogen fertilization, seed inoculation with B. japonicum, A. brasilense (AbV5+AbV6+AbV7) and A. brasilense (AbV5+AbV6+AbV7) + B. japonicum, provide the highest yields per plant. It has been observed even though the dry mass of root and aerial part have a direct influence on plant production, and a negative relation between stomatal conductance and the number of nodules in the growing season, and that photosynthesis does not influence the plant's production, just its production factors.
SUSTAINABLE FOOD WASTE MANAGEMENT IN HOTELS: CASE STUDY LANGKAWI UNESCO GLOBAL GEOPARK

The hotel sector is one of the key players in developing tourism industry in the islands, and contributing towards islands economy, employment opportunities and the overall development. However, food waste generated by hotels has significantly impacted the environment, social well-being and tourism economy. Sustainable food waste management practices are vital among the business operations of the hotel sector to reduce food waste and operational costs through efficient use of food resources. The aim of this paper is to examine current practice of hotel operators towards sustainable food waste management from purchasing of food resources to food wastes disposal. The data was gathered using structured and self-administered questionnaires, which involved 42 hoteliers from the island of Langkawi UNESCO Global Geopark. From the main findings, it was found that there was a lack of emphasis from the hotels on their policy related to wastage of food and unsustainable food consumption pattern by their guests. This reflects on the lack of practices towards sustainable food waste management by the hotel sector. Therefore, planning for sustainable food waste management on island hotels is essential to ensure the protection of environmental resources and to reduce the problem regarding limited capacity landfills on the islands.
Preweaning calf survival of a Nellore beef cattle population

The preweaning calf survival (SW) is one of the main economic bottlenecks of beef cattle rearing systems, however there is still few quantitative studies approaching this issue. Being a binary trait, genetic parameters for SW can be estimated considering continuous or categorical data under frequentist and Bayesian methods providing support for the selection and mating of animals in breeding programs. Therefore, the objectives in this study were to obtain and compare the variance component estimates for preweaning calf survival of calves in single-trait analyses and their correlations with a continuous trait in two-trait analyses. An amount of 25 218 data of the categorical trait of calf survival until weaning (SW) and the continuous trait of weaning weight (WW) were collected between the years of 2000 and 2012 in six herds of Nellore cattle. Methods III of Henderson, Maximum Restricted Likelihood (REML), Bayesian Inference and Generalized Linear Mixed Model (GLMM) were tested. Variance components obtained in one-trait analyses were similar to those obtained in two-trait analyses. Estimates of heritability (h2) obtained with different models for SW ranged from 0.0206 to 0.2644. The comparison between different estimation methods in single or two-trait analysis models allows the conclusion that the most appropriate method for SW analysis was the Bayesian estimation under an animal model and assuming linear distribution for phenotypes of SW trait.
Analysis of chlorpyrifos degradation by Kocuria sp. using GC and FTIR

An organophosphate (OP) pesticide is the most popular type of pesticide family, which effectively eliminates pests owing to its acute neurotoxicity. Organophosphorus hydrolase (oph) is a bacterial enzyme that is capable of degrading a wide range of neurotoxic OP pesticides. It was proved that Kocuria species was capable of degrading organophosphate (OP) pesticide, chlorpyrifos. The present study was aimed at analysing its ability in degrading chlorpyrifos using Gas Chromatography (GC) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) techniques.
RESULTS FOR GENERALIZED φ-CONTRACTION ON A SET WITH TWO METRICS

The aim of this paper is to present fixed point theorems for multivalued operators T : X → P (X), on a nonempty set X with two metrics d and %, satisfying the following generalized φ-contraction condition: H%(T (x), T (y)) ≤ φ(M (x, y)), for every x, y ∈ X,
Forms of sulphur and their relationship with soil properties in some soils of North Bank Plain zone of Assam ANJALlBASUMATARY

Forms of sulphur and their relationships with soil properties and sulphur availability indices were investigated in some rapeseed-growing Inceptisols of Lakhimpur, Sonipat and Darrang districts, Assam. The abundance of various forms of sulphur was in the decreasing order i.e. total S >organic S (83.12-87.17%) > heat soluble S (4.78-6.12 %) >sulphate S> water soluble S> adsorbed S. All forms of S showed significantly positive correlation with organic carbon and clay content. The significant correlation between different forms of S suggested an interrelated dynamic equilibrium among different forms of S. Organic carbon was the most dominant factor governing the Sulphur Availability lndex (r = 0.795**) followed by clay (r = 0.672**). The step-wise multiple regression analysis revealed that organic carbon and clay play an important role towards different forms of S and sulphur availability index. About 28 and 40 per cent of soils of Lakhimpur and Darrang district were found deficient in available S. Additional key words: Forms a/sulphur, sulphur availability index, soil properties
An evaluation of a psychosocial stress and coping model in the police work context

Orientation: Stress is a social reality which does not exist in isolation, but in many social situations, especially work-related environments. Police officers in particular suffer from highly negative stress related outcomes. Research purpose: The purpose of the study was to determine how Moos's hypothesised stress and coping model (1994) fitted a sample of police officers. Motivation for the study: The study was an attempt to understand police officers' unique needs and how the frequency and/or intensity of perceived stress could be reduced so that they would be able to cope more effectively with stress. Research design, approach and method: A non-experimental survey design, following the quantitative tradition, was used in pursuit of the research objectives. A random sample of 505 participants was extracted from a population of serving male and female police officers reflecting the typical South African ethnic groups. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to establish the adequacy of between the hypothesised Moos model and the sample. Main findings: The hypothesised theoretical framework was disproved. A respecified model and inter-correlations confirm that some officers experience burnout, while, paradoxically, others continue to be unaffected because of the buffering effect of social support, personality factors and other resilience factors not revealed in this study. Practical/managerial implications: The study calls on police management for awareness of the negative health consequences of prolonged stressors. Simultaneously, employee assistance programmes could be directed to problem-solving strategies, perceived self-efficacy and learned resourcefulness to improve control over prolonged negative stress consequences among members. Contribution/value-add: This research provides a theoretical framework to understand, describe and assess individual well-being in the police work context.
Decide like Lionel Messi! The impact of regulatory focus on divergent thinking in sports

According to Higgins, the regulatory focus theory states that in terms of motivational information processing, it makes a difference whether people have a promotion or prevention focus. A focus on aspirations is labeled as promotion focus, whereas a focus on responsibility is called prevention focus. In our study, the theory will be applied to the area of sport decision making. We showed that soccer players make different decisions in a sport-specific divergent-thinking task depending on their regulatory focus (promotion vs. prevention). Promotionframed athletes were able to produce more original, flexible, and adequate solutions than prevention-framed athletes. Theoretical and practical implications for sport psychology are discussed.
Changes in American preservice elementary teachers' efficacy beliefs and anxieties during a science methods course

Fifty-five American preservice elementary teachers’ personal science teaching efficacy (PSTE) beliefs, science anxiety (SANX) levels, and common science misconceptions were investigated during a science methods course. A significant increase in the PSTE scores and a slight -but statistically insignificant- decrease in the SANX scores were detected during the course. Consistent with Bandura’s social cognitive theory, the inclusion of inquiry activities and micro-teaching experiences into science methods course contributed to positive changes in preservice teachers’ beliefs regarding science teaching. On the other hand, a majority of the participants possessed several misconceptions about basic science topics. It was concluded that, similar to mastery experiences as a source of efficacy beliefs, participants’ unawareness of their science misconceptions contributed to enhancement of their personal science teaching efficacy beliefs.
Direct comparison of the sensitivity of a spiral and a twin-slot antenna coupled HEB mixer at 1 6 THz

To make a direct comparison of the sensitivity between a spiral and a twin slot antenna coupled HEB mixer, we designed both types of mixers and fabricated them in a single processing run and on the same wafer. Both mixers have similar dimensions of NbN bridges (1.5-2 pm x0.2 pm). At 1.6 THz we obtained a nearly identical receiver noise temperature from both mixers (only 5% difference), which is in a good agreement with the simulation based on semi analytical models for both antennas. In addition, by using a bandpass filter to reduce the direct detection effect and lowering the bath temperature to 2.4 K, we measured the lowest receiver noise temperature of 700 K at 1.63 THz using the twin-slot antenna mixer.
The effects of risks and environmental factors on bank cost efficiency: A study in East Asia and Pacific region

Abstract The interrelationship between risks and bank efficiency has received much attention in banking literature for years, especially after the Asian financial crisis in 1997 and the global financial crisis (GFC) in 2008. This study collected and analyzed the data of 247 banks of 12 developed and developing economies in East Asia and Pacific area over the 2003–2012 period to find the empirical evidence for that relationships. Using a stochastic frontier approach (SFA) to estimate bank cost efficiency, we found that there are significant relationships among risks, cost efficiency and environmental factors, but they are in different levels when comparing between developed and developing economies, or between the periods of pre- and post-2008 financial crisis.