Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Participatory Governance and Development: In Search of a Causal Nexus

This paper discusses the causal nexuses between participatory governance and development through theoretical debate and research that empirically investigates this relationship. It starts by discussing literature on participation and then goes on to deal with the most relevant contributions to international debates about development. Next, departing from two of the principal explanations presented in studies about participatory democracy – institutional design and social mobilization – it analyzes empirical evidence that supports the relationship between participation and development. Finally, in light of this discussion, some conclusions are presented concerning the causal nexus capable of supporting the belief in the potentially virtuous relationship between participation and development. Early literature on participation was broadly optimistic about what participatory governance could achieve in terms of public policies and democracy, often assuming that participation could contribute to more viable and just policies, and have a positive impact on poverty, inequality and development processes. More recently, studies have become more focused on the real conditions under which forms of participatory governance have evolved. These studies have focused on: the dilemmas of emphasizing either efficiency or the inclusion of the poorest in institutional design (Abramovay et al. 2010; Bebbington et al. 2008); the difficulties of checking the distributive impacts of participatory experiences (Avritzer 2007); the disjunction between the motives and resources mobilized by the agents responsible for organizing participatory spaces; the technical and economic dimensions involved in processing the problems dealt with in these spaces (Coelho 2006; Coelho and Favareto 2007; Dagnino and Tatagiba 2007); and the fragility of the connections between deliberative experiences and governance (Favareto and Demarco 2004; Melo and Baiochi 2007). There is a lack of evidence about the causal nexuses capable of supporting the link between participation and development. The belief in participatory governance associates the inclusion of a broad spectrum of citizens in public life with an increased circulation of information, greater transparency in political processes, and participation in public debate. The democratization of debate and decision-making, together with decentralization, are key elements in an intricate process of improving systems of governance which should contribute toward giving impetus to development. This belief is based upon the combination of two analytical perspectives. The first suggests that changes in the design of the institutions can contribute to promoting changes in policy. The second draws attention to the role of social actors and their capacity to push for change in processes of development. In both approaches, participation can promote access to public policies, and their quality and responsiveness.
Measuring the Impact of Business Intelligence on Performance: An Empirical Study

In this study explain rapidly changing business environment, the need for very timely and effective business information is recognized as being indispensable for organizations not only to succeed, but even to survive. Business intelligence (BI) is a concept which refers to a managerial philosophy and a tool that is used in order to help organizations and refine information and to make more effective business decisions The sample of study is 50 industrial firms for the period 2007-2011 listed on Amman Stock Exchange . The results indicates the Knowledge economy variable measured by intellectual capital are more significant and effect of performance and this study has shown that the provision of appropriate support with regard to BI is needed as BI plays a crucial role to support decision-making in firms of all sizes more than learning and growth or financial factor but there is no significant level for customer variable Key Words: Business intelligence, Performance, Competitive Intelligence, Intellectual capital
Boredom Severity, Depression and Alcohol Consumption in Belarus

Background: There is growing evidence that boredom, even in the absence of depressive mood, is associated with increased levels of alcohol and substance misuse. However, very little of that evidence comes from studies conducted in Eastern European countries where alcohol consumption is typically high. Method: A sample of 55 Byelorussian adults were assessed using Russian-language versions of the State Boredom Measure [SBM], Boredom Proneness Scale [BPS], the Beck Depression Inventory [BDI]) and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test [AUDIT]). The data was collected in two waves over a nine month period. Results: Although levels of depression, boredom proneness and participant’s recollections of boredom over the preceding two weeks were found to be highly inter-correlated, the association between alcohol use and recollections of having frequent boredom episodes of more than three hours during the preceding two weeks remained significant even after controlling for depression and boredom proneness. Among males the best predictor of current alcohol use was the recollection of having had a high frequency of sustained boredom episodes (>3hrs) during the preceding two weeks. Among women, depression was the best predictor.
Exploring the Use of Video-Conferencing Technology in the Assessment of Spoken Language: A Mixed-Methods Study

ABSTRACT This research explores how Internet-based video-conferencing technology can be used to deliver and conduct a speaking test, and what similarities and differences can be discerned between the standard and computer-mediated face-to-face modes. The context of the study is a high-stakes speaking test, and the motivation for the research is the need for test providers to keep under constant review the extent to which their tests are accessible and fair to a wide constituency of test takers. The study examines test-takers’ scores and linguistic output, and examiners’ test administration and rating behaviors across the two modes. A convergent parallel mixed-methods research design was used, analyzing test-takers’ scores and language functions elicited, examiners’ written comments, feedback questionnaires and verbal reports, as well as observation notes taken by researchers. While the two delivery modes generated similar test score outcomes, some differences were observed in test-takers’ functional output and the behavior of examiners who served as both raters and interlocutors.
Distribution and Identification of Fish Eggs in an Internal Wave Transport Mechanism

Internal waves have been proven to transport invertebrate larvae onshore, but there has been little indication on whether internal waves transport fish eggs. Fish eggs are typically buoyant and are often found in neustonic samples, and internal waves often cause fronts that transport oils and other light particles. This research aims to determine whether there are patterns to the distribution of fish eggs. One possibility is that offshore fish eggs can be transported onshore, to nearshore nursery habitats. Before 2003, when genetic barcoding was proposed as an identification mechanism, fish eggs could only be identified visually, using color, size, and shape. However, this method can be unreliable, so this research utilizes the COI barcoding gene to identify fish eggs to a species in samples taken in the South La Jolla State Marine Preserve, an area known to experience internal waves. Samples were taken within internal wave events and also at times without internal waves for control samples. Overall, 14 species of fish were found throughout the samples via DNA barcoding, 13 in event samples, and 7 in control samples. One sample was unable to be identified to a species, due to a higher level of species divergence from the most closely related sequenced specimen. No statistically significant differences were seen in abundance or distribution, although weak trends were seen that more fish eggs were found during event samples than in controls, and that more species were found in event samples. After calculation of diversity indices, only Simpson’s evenness showed significant differences, with event samples being more evenly distributed than control samples. Overall, fish eggs were found during internal wave fronts, indicating that they can be transported. However, insights as to how or why these eggs are transported are unclear, including whether or not the eggs are simply carried along in the fronts by accident.
The GEWEX LandFlux project: evaluation of model evaporation using tower-based and globally gridded forcing data

Abstract. Determining the spatial distribution and temporal development of evaporation at regional and global scales is required to improve our understanding of the coupled water and energy cycles and to better monitor any changes in observed trends and variability of linked hydrological processes. With recent international efforts guiding the development of long-term and globally distributed flux estimates, continued product assessments are required to inform upon the selection of suitable model structures and also to establish the appropriateness of these multi-model simulations for global application. In support of the objectives of the Global Energy and Water Cycle Exchanges (GEWEX) LandFlux project, four commonly used evaporation models are evaluated against data from tower-based eddy-covariance observations, distributed across a range of biomes and climate zones. The selected schemes include the Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) approach, the Priestley–Taylor Jet Propulsion Laboratory (PT-JPL) model, the Penman–Monteith-based Mu model (PM-Mu) and the Global Land Evaporation Amsterdam Model (GLEAM). Here we seek to examine the fidelity of global evaporation simulations by examining the multi-model response to varying sources of forcing data. To do this, we perform parallel and collocated model simulations using tower-based data together with a global-scale grid-based forcing product. Through quantifying the multi-model response to high-quality tower data, a better understanding of the subsequent model response to the coarse-scale globally gridded data that underlies the LandFlux product can be obtained, while also providing a relative evaluation and assessment of model performance. Using surface flux observations from 45 globally distributed eddy-covariance stations as independent metrics of performance, the tower-based analysis indicated that PT-JPL provided the highest overall statistical performance (0.72; 61 W m−2; 0.65), followed closely by GLEAM (0.68; 64 W m−2; 0.62), with values in parentheses representing the R2, RMSD and Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), respectively. PM-Mu (0.51; 78 W m−2; 0.45) tended to underestimate fluxes, while SEBS (0.72; 101 W m−2; 0.24) overestimated values relative to observations. A focused analysis across specific biome types and climate zones showed considerable variability in the performance of all models, with no single model consistently able to outperform any other. Results also indicated that the global gridded data tended to reduce the performance for all of the studied models when compared to the tower data, likely a response to scale mismatch and issues related to forcing quality. Rather than relying on any single model simulation, the spatial and temporal variability at both the tower- and grid-scale highlighted the potential benefits of developing an ensemble or blended evaporation product for global-scale LandFlux applications. Challenges related to the robust assessment of the LandFlux product are also discussed.
Multi-Agent Search with Deadline ∗

This paper studies a finite-horizon search problem in which two or more players are involved. Players can agree upon a proposed object by a unanimous decision. Otherwise, search continues until the deadline is reached, at which players receive predetermined fixed payoffs. If players can benefit from the object of search only at the deadline, the limit payoffs as the realizations of objects become frequent are efficient but sensitive to the distribution of possible payoff profiles. In this case the limit expected duration of search relative to the length of time before the deadline is more than a half, and approximates one in the limit as the number of involved players goes to infinity. If the benefits are received as soon as they agree, the payoff approximates the Nash bargaining solution in the limit, and an agreement is reached almost immediately.
Evaluation of Fungicides on management of Dieback and Fruit Rot Disease Causing Alternaria tenuissima (Kunze ex Pers.) WILTSHIRE of Chilli

Field experiments were conducted for two consecutive Kharif seasons of 2014 and 2015 at vegetable research centre, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, to study the efficacy of different fungicides chlorothalonil, propineb, azoxystrobin, Kresoxym methyl, difenoconazole, tebuconazole, hexaconazole, flutriafol, azoxystobin + flutriafol and metiram + pyraclostrobin against dieback disease of chilli caused by Alternaria tenuissima. All the tested fungicides were found to be significantly superior over check in reducing incidence and severity of early dieback caused by A. tenuissima. The minimum mean disease incidence and severity was recorded in Azoxystrobin 125 SC + Flutriafol 125 SC @ 14.28+14.28 g a.i ha 11.83 and 10.67 followed by Azoxystrobin 125 SC + Flutriafol 125 SC @ 12.5 + 12.5 g a.i.ha 14.92 and 14.0 over control 52.78 and 40.67 at terminal spray respectively.The minimum fruit rot and maximum total yield was found in Azoxystrobin 125 SC + Flutriafol 125 SC @ 14.28+14.28 g a.i ha 29.32% and 37.01 q/ha followed by Azoxystrobin 125 SC + Flutriafol 125 SC @ 12.5 + 12.5 g a.i.ha 34.10% and 35.40q/ha at final picking respectively.Highest marketable yield (25.51q/ha) was obtained in treatment Azoxystrobin 125 SC + Flutriafol 125 SC @ (14.28+14.28) g a.i ha followed by Azoxystrobin 125 SC + Flutriafol 125 SC @ 12.5 + 12.5 g a.i.ha (24.61q/ha) and Azoxystrobin 23 SC @ 125 g a.i. ha (23.36 q/ha) with 70.70, 69.63 and 68.01 per cent avoidable loss, respectively.
Nectary use for gaining access to an ant host by the parasitoid Orasema simulatrix (Hymenoptera, Eucharitidae)

Eucharitidae is the only family of insects known to specialize as parasitoids of ant brood. Eggs are laid away from the host onto or in plant tissue, and the minute first-instars (planidia) are responsible for gaining access to the host through some form of phoretic attachment to the host ant or possibly through an intermediate host such as thrips. Orasema simulatrix (Eucharitidae: Oraseminae) are shown to deposit their eggs into incisions made on leaves of Chilopsis linearis (Bignoniaceae) in association with extrafloral nectaries (EFN). Nectary condition varies from fluid-filled on the newest leaves, to wet or dry nectaries on older leaves. Filled nectaries were about one third as common as dry nectaries, but were three times as likely to have recent oviposition. Larger numbers of undeveloped eggs, or eggs with mature planidia inside, were associated with filled and wet EFN. For emerged planidia, the distribution was shifted from a concentration at filled nectaries to an even greater concentration at wet nectaries. More planidia were found in EFN (9.50 ±2.85) than outside EFN (1.00 ± 0.60). Planidia were tested for their attachment to adult and larval ants and to adult and immature thrips (potential intermediate host), but the results do not support simple attachment as a viable means for transfer and successful parasitism. Pheidole desertorum was identified as the host ant, and at night is the dominant ant in the tree canopy of C. linearis. Feeding at the EFN by the host ant, and the direct association with planidia near to or in the EFN, is interpreted as a novel means of accessing the host brood.
LBM Analysis of Micro-Convection in MHD Nanofluid Flow

The lattice Boltzmann-Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook method was used to simulate Al2O3-water nanofluid to find the effects of Reynolds, Rayleigh and Hartmann numbers, slip coefficient, nanoparticle volume fraction and axial distance on forced convection heat transfer in MATLAB. The ranges of studied Reynolds number, Rayleigh number, magnetic field strength, nanoparticle volume concentration and slip coefficient include 200 ≤ Re ≤ 4000; 103 ≤ Ra ≤ 106; 0 ≤ Ha 90; 0 ≤ φ ≤ 2%; 0.005 ≤ B ≤ 0.02, respectively. The results show that increasing Reynolds number and nanoparticle volume fractions improve heat transfer in the 2D microtube under laminar, turbulent, slip and temperature jump boundary conditions. Decreasing the values of slip coefficient decreases the temperature jump and enhances the Nusselt number. A critical value for the Rayleigh number (105) and magnetic field strength (Ha 10) exists, at which the impacts of the solid volume fraction and slip coefficient effects are the most pronounced. The pressure drop shows a similar type of enhancement in magnitude, as observed in the case of the Nusselt number. However, application of nanofluids for low Reynolds numbers is more beneficial, and the effect of volume fractions are more pronounced in comparison to slip coefficient, though the effects are marginal.
Evaluation of antimicrobial activity and cell viability of Aloe vera sponges

Background: Aloe vera L. , member of the Liliaceae family, has been shown to stimulate cell proliferation and contribute to healing and angiogenesis, has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory activity. In addition, Aloe vera can be used as a support for drug transport. Our objective is to evaluate antimicrobial activity and cytotoxicity of sponges of Aloe vera for use as a carrying support of drugs. Results: In this work, sponge of free Aloe vera (AV) loaded with amoxicillin (AMX) or nystatin (NYS) at 1% w/w, were prepared and physico-chemically characterized via X-ray diffraction, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and thermal analysis. Antimicrobial potency of AV sponge alone, loaded with AMX or NYS, against strains of Streptococcus mutans , Staphylococcus aureus , Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans , Enterococcus faecalis and Candida albicans was determined. Osteoblasts and human gingival fibroblasts were cultivated on AV, Aloe vera loaded with amoxicillin (AV/AMX) and Aloe vera loaded with nystatin (AV/NYS) and cellular viability was assessed. The physico-chemical characterization performed suggested that the loaded drugs were dispersed in the sponge and those interactions between the AV sponge and the loaded drugs were weak. Furthermore, AV loaded with AMX or NYS demonstrated antimicrobial potency and osteoblasts and fibroblasts were viable after 24 hrs on free AV, and AV loaded with AMX or NYS. Conclusions: Our results indicate that sponges of free AV, loaded with AMX or NYS, are biocompatible and exhibit antimicrobial activity.
Characterization of Changes in Megalagrion Opsin Genes to Detect Signatures of Selection

of a thesis at the University of Miami. Thesis supervised by Professor Athula Wikramanayake No. of pages in text. (50) Megalagrion damselflies have radiated into new breeding habitats independently at least six times in the Hawaiian archipelago, and have evolved bright body coloration numerous times. We hypothesize that these radiations are correlated with specific changes in the opsin proteins. We isolated and characterized two opsin genes from nine different Megalagrion species. The opsin phylogeny is consistent with the phylogeny based on breeding habitat preference of Megalagrion species supporting the correlation between the evolutionary changes of vision and habitat shifts. dN/dS ratios of opsin sequences show that these genes are evolving under purifying selection, though some sites of the opsin genes might be evolving under positive selection. Two terrestrial-breeding Megalagrion species show higher rates of opsin gene evolution that are correlated with a rapid transformation in their breeding habitats from aquatic to terrestrial. These results support the hypothesis that opsin gene evolution has played a role in Megalagrion radiation in Hawaii.
Colour bands in Ontong-Java-Plateau carbonate oozes and chalks

Light greenish gray and pale purple color bands are common in the ooze and chalk of the Ontong Java Plateau. Analyses of Pleistocene and Pliocene ooze samples that contain abundant bands indicate that the purple bands are colored by finely disseminated iron sulfide, whereas the green bands are colored by finely disseminated Fe- and Al-bearing silicates (probably clays). No local contrasts in the total organic carbon contents, carbon and oxygen isotopic compositions, and grain sizes were found. Band abundances, counted from core photographs of all Leg 130 holes, can be correlated from hole to hole on the basis of age rather than depth. The temporal distribution of these color bands is also comparable with that of the green bands described from the Lord Howe Rise, which were previously interpreted as products of altered volcanic glass. This may indicate that the green and purple bands on the Ontong Java Plateau originate from the early alteration of volcanic ash. The crosscutting relationships between the green and purple bands and original structures in the host sediment indicate that the bands have been locally altered by redox conditions in the sediments after the bands were formed.
Finnish lake survey, 1995: regional characteristics of lake chemistry

Data sets frorn earlier national surveys, using differing sampling methods, have provided a cornrnon database for calculating critical loads of sulphur and nitrogen for surface waters in Norway, Sweden and Finland (HENRIKSEN et al. 1992). Based upon the cooperative experience gained frorn previous surveys, these countries decided to carry out a joint Nordic Lake Survey in the fali of 1995. The cooperation expanded also to adjacent areas in Denrnark, Russian Kola and Karelia and Scodand and Wales. The Northern European Lake Survey 1995 consisted of about 5,700 lakes in six countries. Sarnpling took place between Septernber 1995 and January 1996 using sirnilar statistical lake selection criteria and harmonized sampling procedures.
Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): testing galaxy formation models through the most massive galaxies in the Universe

We have analysed the growth of Brightest Group Galaxies and Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BGGs/BCGs) over the last 3 billion years using a large sample of 883 galaxies from the Galaxy And Mass Assembly survey. By comparing the stellar mass of BGGs and BCGs in groups and clusters of similar dynamical masses, we find no significant growth between redshift z = 0.27 and 0.09. We also examine the number of BGGs/BCGs that have line emission, finding that approximately 65 per cent of BGGs/BCGs show Hα in emission. From the galaxies where the necessary spectroscopic lines were accurately recovered (54 per cent of the sample), we find that half of this (i.e. 27 per cent of the sample) harbour ongoing star