Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
DRIP IRRIGATION IN SUGARCANE: A REVIEW

Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.), a major cash crop in India has a unique role in sustaining agro industrial economic growth. Sugarcane being a long duration crop produces huge amount of biomass, and requires large quantity of water (1100–2200 mm) and is mostly grown as an irrigated crop using surface irrigation. The drip irrigation adoption in --sugarcane increases water use efficiency (60–200%), saves water (20–60%), reduces fertilization requirement (20–33%) through fertigation, produces better quality crop and increases yield (7–25%) as compared with conventional irrigation. However, if not installed properly, it may result in wastage of water, time, money and yield. The subsidy and technical support to farmers acts as an incentive to adopt this method on a large scale in India. Adoption of drip irrigation (surface or subsurface) system in sugarcane is technically feasible and economically viable and needs to be vigorously followed.
Working Paper No . 771 Foreign and Public Deficits in Greece : In Search of Causality by Michalis Nikiforos

The paper discusses the trajectories of the Greek public deficit and sovereign debt over the last three decades and its connection to the political and economic environment of the same period. We pay special attention to the causality between the public and the foreign deficit. We argue that from 1980 to 1995 causality ran from the public deficit to the foreign deficit, but that due to the European monetary unification process and the adoption of the common currency, causality has reversed since. This hypothesis is tested and verified econometrically using both Granger Causality and Cointegration analyses.
The Stata Command Felsdvreg to Fit a Linear Model with Two High-Dimensional Fixed Effects

This article proposes a memory-saving decomposition of the design matrix to facilitate the estimation of a linear model with two high-dimensional fixed effects. A common way to fit such a model is to take into account one of the effects by including dummy variables and to sweep out the other effect by the within transformation (fixed-effects transformation). If the number of panel units is high, creating and storing the dummy variables can involve prohibitively large computer-memory requirements. The memory-saving procedure to set up the moment matrices for estimation presented in this article can reduce the memory requirements considerably. The companion Stata ado-file felsdvreg implements the estimation method, takes care of identification issues, and provides useful summary statistics.
Robust Navigation of UAV using Inertial Sensors Aided by UWB and RTK GPS

Tight integration of ultra wideband (UWB) range measurements with real-time kinematic (RTK) aiding of inertial navigation for increased robustness to GNSS dropouts, is achieved using a double-differenced nonlinear observer. A stationary base station provides additional GNSS range measurements, upon which a double-differenced observer is formulated. The results are verified using a simulated unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with realistic inertial, GNSS and UWB measurements.
JAPANESE AND THAI SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS TEACHERS’ KNOWLEDGE OF VARIABILITY

In this article, the conceptions of variability held by samples of Japanese and Thai senior high school mathematics teachers were identified, based on the framework proposed by Shaughnessy (2007), using a comparative survey study. From contrasting the results of the two groups, relative tendencies of insufficient statistical knowledge for variability were found in both samples, such as a tendency of Japanese teachers to overgeneralize equiprobability, whereas Thai teachers tended to overgeneralize estimation. Based on these findings, the use of well-known tasks from the research literature for this comparative study seems useful to clarify the relative tendencies and insufficiencies in teacher knowledge and conceptions regarding variability held by both groups. First published November 2018 at Statistics Education Research Journal Archives
Use of extinction corrections in neutron diffraction experiments

The study of extinction by neutrons reveals many features of the extinction problem: theory and practical cases, polarised and unpolarised neutron cases. Special attention is given to the usual extinction corrections for neutron diffraction experiments, showing the relative importance of structure factor, wavelength, Lorentz factor, mosaic and the path of neutrons through the crystal. Two problems are reviewed: (a) how to detect the presence of extinction in both cases of a single crystal experiment with polarised and unpolarised neutrons; and (b) after experimental evidence for extinction in a neutron diffraction experiment, how to follow a reliable way to correct the neutron diffraction data in both cases of polarised and unpolarised neutron experiments. Some examples are given.
PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION INTO IMPACT OF SITONA LEPIDUS ADULTS ON WHITE CLOVER SEED PRODUCTION P.J. GERARD, T. EDEN and W. TOZER

A small plot trial was undertaken in the Waikato to determine the potential impact of Sitona lepidus adults on white clover seed production. Five densities of adult weevil were caged on 1 m2 plots from the time of peak adult emergence in November 1998 until harvest in late January 1999. In the laboratory, weevil adults were found to severely damage clover inflorescences when no leaves were present. Although feeding damage on leaves was highly visible in the field plots, with over 80% of the leaflets damaged at the highest density of 600 adults/m2, weevil adults were found to have no effect on flowering or seed production.
Motivation to Maintain a Nonprejudiced Identity: The Moderating Role of Normative Context and Justification for Prejudice on Moral Licensing

In the context of nationals’ attitudes toward immigrants, three studies investigated the moderating role of normative context and justification for prejudice on licensing effects. Justification for prejudice was either assessed (Studies 1 and 2) or experimentally induced (Study 3). The normative context (egalitarian vs. discriminatory) and the possibility to obtain (or not) credentials as a nonprejudiced person were manipulated in all studies. A licensing effect (i.e., greater prejudice in the credentials as compared to the no-credentials conditions) was observed only in the egalitarian norm condition when justification for prejudice was high. Thus, credentials appear to provide a way for establishing a normative self-image as nonprejudiced when justification for prejudice is high, which reduces conformity to an egalitarian norm.
Intralake Heterogeneity of Thermal Responses to Climate Change: A Study of Large Northern Hemisphere Lakes

Lake surface water temperature (LSWT) measurements from various sources illustrate that lakes are warming in response to climate change. Most previous studies of geographical distributions of lake warming have tended to utilize data with limited spatial resolution of LSWTs, including single‐point time series. Spatially resolved LSWT time series are now available from satellite observations, and some studies have investigated previously the intralake warming patterns in specific lakes (e.g., North American Great Lakes). However, across‐lake comparisons of intralake warming differences have not yet been investigated at a large, across‐continental scale, thus limiting our understanding of how intralake warming patterns differ more broadly. In this study, we analyze up to 20 years of satellite data from 19 lakes situated across the Northern Hemisphere, to investigate how LSWT changes vary across different lake surfaces. We find considerable intralake variability in warming trends across many lakes. The deepest areas of large lakes are characterized by a later onset of thermal stratification, a shorter stratified warming season and exhibit longer correlation timescales of LSWT anomalies. We show that deep areas of large lakes across the Northern Hemisphere as a result tend to display higher rates of warming of summer LSWT, arising from a greater temporal persistence in deep areas of the temperature anomalies associated with an earlier onset of thermal stratification. Utilization of single‐point LSWT trends to represent changes in large lakes therefore suppresses important aspects of lake responses to climate change, whereas spatially resolved LSWT measurements can be exploited to provide more comprehensive understanding.
A 48-month Prospective Study of the Effects of Multifactorial Interventions on Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in an Urban Community: The Beijing Communities Diabetes Study 12

Objective: To assess whether multifactorial interventions have long-term effects on the risk of diabetes-related macrovascular complications in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus living in urban communities of Beijing. Design, setting and participants: A total of 2926 patients with type 2 diabetes from 15 community health centers were divided into a diabetes mellitus (DM) group (n=824), a hypertension (HTN) group (n=1267), and a cardiovascular disease (CVD) group (n=835). By applying Framingham risk scores (FRS), patients in the 3 groups were subdivided into low (FRS 20%) Framingham risk strata. After 48 months, patients were followed-up to assess the long-term effects of the multifactorial interventions. Results: At baseline, the patients’ mean neck circumference (NC) was significantly higher in the HTN and CVD groups than in the DM group (P<0.05). After 48 months of follow-up, the CVD and HTN groups both had higher blood pressures and lipid levels than the DM group (both P<0.01). Although there was no significant change in the FRS versus baseline in the low and medium Framingham risk strata, a significant reduction in FRS was noted in the high Framingham risk strata. In Cox multivariate analyses, the HTN and CVD groups had higher incidences of endpoint events than the DM group. Conclusions: This study has demonstrated for the first time a relationship between NC and CVD in diabetic patients. Multifactorial interventions for CVD risk factors over 48 months lowered the estimated 10-year risk for CVD events in diabetes. FRS score influences the incidence of CVD events in diabetic patients. Aggressive risk reduction should be focused on these individuals who had high FRS score.
Drinking Patterns , and Breast Cancer Risk

IN MANY STUDIES, HIGHER CONSUMPtion of alcohol has been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. However, the effect of low levels of drinking as is common in the United States has not been well quantified. A few studies showed increased risk, but in most, no significant association was observed. Many of these studies did not regularly update assessments of alcohol intake, which may change over a person’s lifetime and obscure the ability to detect an effect. In addition, most lacked information on drinking patterns, such as regularity of drinking and heavy episodic (“binge”) drinking. Because some breast cancer risk factors, such as first full-term pregnancy and ionizing radiation, have different effects depending on age at exposure, it is important to evaluate the role of alcohol intake at different times in a woman’s life.
The Diagnosis of Excessive Body Mass and Body Fat in 18-Year-Old Youth – Assessment of Comparability of Results Obtained on the Basis of BMI and BIA Methods

Abstract Introduction. A systematic increase in the frequency of excessive body mass in young Poles is an argument supporting the need for identification persons with the increased risk. It is justified to test the level of comparability of the applied screening methods and criteria of diagnosing excessive body mass and body fat in the adolescent group. Aim. To assess the comparability of the results in terms of frequency of diagnosing of overweight and body fat excessive content depending on the method and assessment criteria in 18-year-olds. Material and methods. The study comprised 141 secondary school students (100 women and 41 men), with the age median of 17.8 ± 0.5 years. The measurements included height and body mass (to calculate the BMI) and assessment of the percentage of body fat content with two methods of bioelectric impedance in two bipolar versions: Tanita BC-570 and Omron BF-306. Results. Excessive body mass, as defined by the BMI, was found in 12.1% of students. The incidence of diagnosing excessive contents of body fat in the organism depended on the method of measurement and criteria of results interpretation; 20.6% with the Tanita and 28.3% with the Omron method. The measurements with Tanita BC-570 scales demonstrated stronger correlation with BMI value (p<0.001; r2=0.34) than measurements with the Omron BF-306 (p<0.001; r2=0.16). Conclusions. In young adults: 1. the diagnosis of excessive body mass by BMI and measurement with use of the bioelectric impedance methods with two bipolar versions (Tanita BC-570, Omron BF-306) provided inconsistent results. 2. The proportion of young people with excessive body fat was greater than indicated by the BMI norms. 3. The measurement with Tanita BC-570 scales demonstrated stronger correlation with BMI values than by the ones with the Omron. 4. Critical approach to the applied methods is indispensable in screening studies of nutrition level among adolescents.
Genetics of adaptive traits in heifers and their relationship to growth, pubertal and carcass traits in two tropical beef cattle genotypes

Genetic analyses of tropical adaptive traits were conducted for two tropically adapted genotypes, Brahman (BRAH) and Tropical Composite (TCOMP). Traits included tick scores (TICK), faecal egg counts (EPG), buffalo fly-lesion scores (FLY), rectal temperatures under hot conditions (TEMP), coat scores (COAT), coat colour on a light to dark scale (COLOUR), navel scores (NAVEL) and temperament measured as flight time (FT). The data comprised adaptive measures recorded at specific times on 2071 heifers comprising 966 BRAH and 1105 TCOMP. The genetic correlations of these adaptive traits with heifer growth, scanned carcass, pubertal measures and steer growth and carcass traits were estimated. BRAH recorded significantly (P 50%). In general, phenotypic correlations between these adaptive traits were low and genetic correlations were non-significant, implying trait independence. Genetic correlations between EPG and weight traits (0.29 to 0.44) indicated a positive relationship, implying no deleterious effect of worms on the growth at a genetic level, especially in TCOMP. The negative genetic correlations between COAT and body-condition score across genotypes (–0.33 to –0.48) indicated genetic advantage of sleek coats in tropics. A positive genetic correlation between COAT and the age at the first-observed corpus luteum (0.73) in BRAH indicated that BRAH with sleeker coats were genetically early maturing. Further, sleeker coats were genetically indicative of lower weights and lower fat cover at puberty in BRAH. The scanned fat measures at rump and rib sites for feedlot steers showed strong genetic correlation (0.50–0.58) with heifer TEMP, indicating genetically fatter animals had genetically lower heat tolerance. In BRAH, a positive genetic association between heifer COLOUR and scanned fat measures in steers (0.50–0.54) implied increased fatness in genetically darker animals. Further, in BRAH, a strong negative genetic correlation (–0.97) was observed between steer retail beef yield and heifer TEMP, indicating a favourable genetic association. In general, genetic correlations between adaptive traits and other economic traits were genotype specific. Further, it can be concluded that selection for productive and pubertal traits in tropical beef cattle genotypes would not adversely affect their tropical adaptability.
Nutritional and immunological importance of colostrum for the new-born pig

The nutritional and immunological importance of colostrum for the survival and development of the neonatal pig are reviewed. The pig is born with low body energy stores and devoid of serum immunoglobulins. Colostrum provides the piglet with both energy and maternal antibodies but its fat and protein composition is very variable. Colostrum is very digestible, and both colostral energy and nitrogen (N) are retained with a very high efficiency. Colostrum production by the sow assessed from the weight gain of the litter from birth to 24 h of age is very variable (from 1900 to 5300 g). There is no clear effect of litter size or parity, suggesting that colostrum production is a characteristic of the sow. Within a litter, colostrum consumption by the individual piglets varies considerably. It is independent of birth order, but related positively to birth weight and negatively to litter size. Other factors influencing colostrum consumption, including cold stress, premature birth and birth hypoxia, are discussed. Because of the epitheliochorial nature of the porcine placenta, the new-born piglet must acquire maternal immunoglobulin G (IgG) from ingested colostrum for passive immune protection until the immune system of the piglet becomes fully developed. Colostrum IgG concentrations in milk vary widely between individual sows both in initial concentration and in the rate at which concentrations decline during the first 24 h of life. The piglet can only absorb intact IgG prior to gut closure, which occurs in the first 24 h of life and is induced by intakes of colostrum which are insufficient to maintain piglet live-weight. As a result, the amounts of intact IgG absorbed by the piglet vary widely. The effects of colostrum consumption on neonatal survival are discussed. Consumption of colostrum in amounts sufficient to meet the energy requirement of the piglet is a major determinant for survival. Since most neonatal losses occur in the first 2 days of life, before acquisition of a maternal IgG for immune protection becomes important for survival, piglet serum IgG concentration does not correlate well with early survival but is important in later resistance to disease challenge. It is concluded that colostrum production is a good marker for the maternal quality of the sow. Future research should focus on the ability of the sow to produce more colostrum and on the possible delayed effects of passive immunisation on the health and performance of piglet at weaning and later in life.
Does Ownership Structure Affect Jordanian Companies' Tendency to Practice Earnings Management?

The aim of this paper is to examine the effect of ownership structure on a firm’s ability to practice earnings management. To achieve this goal all 77th Jordanian industrial companies listed at Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) for the period 2000-2014 were selected resulting in 1089 firm-year observations. The empirical results suggest that the earnings management practices of Jordanian industrial companies listed at ASE are influenced by the ownership structure. Precisely, the result shows that equity concentration, management ownership and institutional investor equity are associated inversely with the practices of earnings management. Our results are consistent with the Alignment of Interest Hypothesis and the Efficient Monitoring Hypothesis which suggest that large shareholders have less motivation to manipulate earnings, and can reduce the scope of managerial opportunism.
Sero-prevalence of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia and its potential risk factors in selected sites of Western Oromia, Ethiopia

Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) is a disease of cattle caused by Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. Mycoides small colonies and it is one of the most important threats to cattle health and production in Ethiopia, such as at livestock farm of Bako Agricultural Research Center (BARC) an outbreak of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia occurred in May, 2011 and many animals were affected and died before the disease was identified. Therefore, this study was designed to determine the seroprevalence of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia in the selected districts of Western Oromia Zones as well as to assess the risk factors associated with the occurrence of the disease. Therefore, a cross-sectional study design was conducted from November 2013 to March 2014 in three selected districts from three Western Oromia Zones. A total of 386 sera were examined for the presence of specific antibodies of the disease by using competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA). In this study, districts, peasant associations, age, sex, breed and body conditions were considered as risk factors. Thus, the overall seroprevalence of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia in this study was 28.5%. The seroprevalence of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia at districts level were 40.3%, 19.0 % and 5.7 % in Gobbu-Sayyo, Bako-Tibbe and Horro district, respectively. There was a statistically significant variation (p 0.05) with the serostatus of the animal. In conclusion, the present study indicated that the overall prevalence of CBPP in Western Oromia Zones was high, This warrants the need of the institute to follow appropriate preventive and control measures to stop further spread of the disease and appropriate controlling and prevention should be designed in general as a country level and further study should be done in the future to know the temporal pattern of the disease. Keywords : Seroprevalence, CBPP, Risk factors, cELISA, Western Oromia Zones, Ethiopia
Art Therapy in Hospice: A Catalyst for Insight and Healing

Abstract The reach of art therapy in assisting a hospice patient in confronting existential issues at the end of life is illustrated in this article with a case that took place over the course of 22 semiweekly sessions. Painting with an art therapist allowed the patient to shift from a state of anxiety and existential dread to a more accepting, fluid awareness of the dying process. Additional benefits to the patient included improved quality of life, self-expression, and meaning making, as well as an increased ability to relate to the art therapist and to connect with family members and staff. The case illustrates the power of art, art therapy, and the therapeutic relationship in coping with end-of-life issues and concerns.
Why do prices rise faster than they fall? With an application to mortgage rates

Abstract There have been a variety of studies investigating the relative importance of structural change and real intensity change to the change in China’s energy consumption in the 1980s. However, no detailed analysis to date has been done to examine whether or not the increased energy efficiency trend in the 1980s still prevails in the 1990s. This article has filled this gap by investigating the change in energy consumption in China’s industrial sector in the 1990s, based on the data sets of value added and enduse energy consumption for the 29 industrial subsectors. Our results clearly show that the overwhelming contributor to the decline in industrial energy use in the 1990s was the decline in real energy intensity, indicating that the trend of real energy intensity declines in the 1980s at the 2-digit level was still maintained in the 1990s. This conclusion still holds even if we lower the growth rate dramatically in line with the belief that the growth rate of China’s GDP is overestimated.