Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of genetic variation and relationships among tropical sweet corn inbred lines using agronomic traits

Genetic variability and relationship of 13 tropical sweet corn inbred lines derived from different source popula¬tions were investigated using agronomic traits during three consecutive years. Non-significant effects of years and years-by-lines indicated the stability of performance of the inbred lines per se over years. Contrastively, the effects of inbred lines were significant for all traits measured, indicating great genetic variability in their perfor¬mance. Among the inbred lines, TSN-S8, TSK-S8, BAK-S8, MAN-S8, MMIN-S8 and TSG-S8 were found to be high yielding, with high husked fresh ear yield, dehusked fresh ear yield and number of ears per hectare, while DFS-S8 and TFZ-S8 were found to be superior for ear characteristics including husked ear length, dehusked ear length, number of kernel rows per ear and TSS. The high heritability estimates obtained from husked and dehusked fresh ear yields in this study indicate that the inbred lines have become homozygous at almost all the loci after eight generations of selfing. Husked fresh ear yield was phenotypically and genetically correlated with dehusked fresh ear yield, number of ears per hectare, husked and dehusked ear weights, dehusked ear length, husked and dehusked ear diameter, number of kernels per row and number of kernel rows per ear, indicating direct positive contribution of these traits to husked fresh ear yield. Visualizing the relationship among the inbred lines using singular value decomposition biplot analysis revealed that the inbred lines could be assigned into three distinct groups. This indicates a strong indication of the potential of the inbred lines for their utilisation towards production of new hybrid varieties by crossing the inbred lines from different groups. It can be concluded that the inbred lines studied varied substantially in many aspects, and these differences could be exploited for specific purposes in breeding programs.
Dynamic Scoring: Alternative Financing Schemes

Neoclassical growth models predict that reductions in capital or labor tax rates are expansionary when lump-sum transfers are used to balance the government budget. This paper explores the consequences of bond-financed tax reductions that bring forth a range of possible offsetting policies, including future government consumption, capital tax rates, or labor tax rates. Through the resulting intertemporal distortions, current tax cuts can be contractionary. The paper also finds that more aggressive responses of offsetting policies to debt engender less debt accumulation and less costly tax cuts.
Financial development and economic growth: Empirical evidence from Namibia (1990Q1-2011Q4).

I attempt to empirically establish the relationship between financial development and economic growth in Namibia using the cointegration framework. The main objectives of the article are to econometrically determine the nexus between financial development and economic growth using multivariate Granger causality tests, impulse response functions and variance decomposition, as well as propose some policy alternatives for the policy makers. The article contributes to macroeconomic literature on the financial development-economic growth relationship given the fact that it is one of the few researches on the same topic ever done on Namibia. The article finds that there is a unidirectional relationship between financial development and economic growth in Namibia running from economic growth to financial development. The findings imply that Namibia realises financial sector development when the economy grows and not the other way round. The fact that the financial services sector is not significantly influencing economic growth in Namibia is a real cause for concern which implies that either the banking sector is too small to have any significant impact on the economy or it is uncompetitive and therefore inefficient. The article recommends that one way of reforming the financial sector in Namibia is to subject it to some form of competition through the licensing of new banks, of course, taking into account the size of the Namibian market.
Photographic assessment of overstory and understory leaf area index in beech forests under different management regimes in Central Italy

Abstract. Forest understory may be strongly affected by silvicultural practices such as thinning, which simultaneously modulates the overstory canopy cover and influences the availability of light. However, the understory layer is rarely considered in management decisions, partly because methods to estimate understory leaf area index are poorly developed. In this study we used two different restricted view angle photographic methods to estimate overstory plant area index LO (zenith cover photography), understory leaf area index LU (nadir cover photography) and their related canopy attributes (foliage clumping, foliage cover, crown cover, crown porosity). These measurements were performed in beech stands under different management regime. Results from photography indicated that not only overstory but also understory canopy attributes were significantly influenced by forest management. In addition, a significant negative correlation was found between LO and LU. We conclude that the photographic methods are effective for monitoring (overstory and understory) canopy status in managed stands, on account of their rapid and not destructive procedures, which allows large scale implementation of the methods.
The Competitiveness in the Function of Wages in Mexico

This work aims to analyze the structure, characteristics and managerial performance in 32 federative entities of the Mexican Republic to determine its levels of competitiveness. It splits of a previous study realized inside which a model applies it to measure the managerial competitiveness. In the model, it takes the salary and the value as variables to measure the competitiveness. The results of the research confirm the hypothesis of which the competitiveness of the States can decide slant of the managerial structure, the productivity and therefore a higher wage advantage.
Effect of age, sex, area and management practices on cattle mortality in Rajshahi division, Bangladesh

Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of age, sex, location and management on cattle mortality rate in Rajshahi division of Bangladesh. Materials and methods: The study was conducted in 8 districts of Rajshahi division during July 2011 to June 2012. A total of 17,982 cattle heads were investigated based on age, sex, area. Data were collected from the cattle owners using a closed structured questionnaire. Tentative cause of cattle mortality was identified based on clinical signs, laboratory tests, history, ante-mortem and postmortem reports. Management practices of the cattle were also investigated. Results: Out of 17,982 cattle heads, 549 were found to be dead by various diseases, and an average mortality rate was 3.05%. Age-wise mortality rate of cattle revealed that the maximum mortality rate was found in the age group of
Recycled Polypropylene Improved with Thermoplastic Elastomers

The use of recycled polypropylene (RPP) as raw material for various industries has been known. However, the mechanical and thermal properties of recycled products are lower than those of raw material. The objective of this study was to obtain and investigate the modified recycled polypropylene (RPP) with commercial elastomers for possible applications. The compounded RPP-based thermoplastic elastomers were investigated in order to determine their thermal properties (melt flow index (MFI), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), VICAT softening temperature (VST), and heat deflection temperature (HDT)), structural characteristics (optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD)), and mechanical properties (tensile properties, density, and IZOD impact). The RPP compounded with 10% elastomer recorded higher tensile properties than the unmodified RPP. Also, IZOD impact strength increased from kJ/m2 (registered for RPP) to kJ/m2 for the PPR/SIS30 compound, while the degree of crystallinity decreased for all compounds. The obtained results recommend the RPP/elastomers compounds both for environmental remediation from postconsumer PP wastes and to realize new goods with high performance for various applications.
A Review of Piecewise Linearization Methods

Various optimization problems in engineering and management are formulated as nonlinear programming problems. Because of the nonconvexity nature of this kind of problems, no efficient approach is available to derive the global optimum of the problems. How to locate a global optimal solution of a nonlinear programming problem is an important issue in optimization theory. In the last few decades, piecewise linearization methods have been widely applied to convert a nonlinear programming problem into a linear programming problem or a mixed-integer convex programming problem for obtaining an approximated global optimal solution. In the transformation process, extra binary variables, continuous variables, and constraints are introduced to reformulate the original problem. These extra variables and constraints mainly determine the solution efficiency of the converted problem. This study therefore provides a review of piecewise linearization methods and analyzes the computational efficiency of various piecewise linearization methods.
Understanding Human Emotions

The rigorous education curriculum in Singapore and the local “kiasu” culture have many impacts on youths (aged 13 to 18). One of them is the increasing levels of stress that youths face, which may lead them to suffer from mental illnesses. The rising rates of mental illnesses such as depression in youths in Singapore have also led to a higher suicide rate in youths. Hence, it is important to have an accessible platform for youths to express their feelings as a form of therapy. By writing Python code which encompasses deep learning neural networks, a chatbot will be created on an online chatting platform, Telegram. It uses deep learning and semantic analysis to carry out a conversation with the user and detect his/her levels of negative and positive emotions. The code makes use of API (Application Program Interface) TextBlob to measure the levels of stress that the user is facing through an engaging conversation via semantic analysis. This is done by calculating the frequency of positive or negative words used in the user’s text messages. Besides being a detector of levels of stress in the user, our chatbot also has the potential to aid in online supportive therapy.
Coping appraisal and affinity towards vegetarianism among a group of civil servants of Oyo state, Nigeria

Vegetarianism holds great promises for attenuating the scourge of chronic human illnesses and ensuring environmental sustainability. It is gainin g reputation as a responsible option. Hence, a methodical look at a seemingly under investigated, socio-psychological aspect of vegetarianism is called for. As such, self and response efficacy as well as affinity, with regards to vegetarianism wer e investigated among 565 government ministries employ ees. The mean affinity score almost bipolarized respondents as 54.9% scored above the mean while 45 . 1% scored below the mean. The relationship between self and response efficacy on one hand and affinity on the other is quite strong (R = 0.452; R 2 = 0.204; p < 0.05). Results of t- test and ANOVA shows that a ge, religion and education are significantly associated with affinity towards vegetarianism ( p< 0.05). Being older, Muslim and highly educated are associated with better affinity towards vegetariani sm. There is optimism for vegetarianism in the stud y area, but there is the need to strengthen campaign for ensuring same
Threshold effects of food concentration on the skeletal morphology of the bryozoan Electra pilosa (Linnaeus, 1767)

Many palaeontological studies rely heavily on characteristics of the preserved phenotype, i.e. the morphology of skeletal hard parts. Although the potential for environmental influences on the phenotype is expected, rarely is the magnitude of the effects quantifiable relative to genetic factors. The clonal/colonial body plan of Bryozoa allows for the partitioning of morphological variance into its genetic and environmental factors addressing the question of, ‘how much phenotypic variation is induced in a population by changing a single environmental factor? ’ The effects of variation of food concentration on whole-colony growth rate and on zooid size/morphology can be profound in bryozoans. Here we test experimentally food effects on the skeletal phenotype of the bryozoan Electra pilosa (Linnaeus, 1767), an encrusting sheet-like bryozoan. A threshold effect was observed for the relationship between zooecium size and food concentration. Very low concentrations resulted in stunted colonies with small zooecia, but at low to intermediate concentrations a close relationship existed with zooecium size. Maximum zooecium size occurred at submaximal food concentration and submaximum zooecium size occurred at higher food concentrations. Previous studies that have reported no effect of food availability on zooecium size assessed food concentration effects at higher concentrations than were effective in the present study. In the absence of other factors, variation in zooecium size is minimal and unchanging at moderate to high food concentrations. Greater variation in zooecium size is expected at and below threshold food concentrations. We show that the preservable phenotype of these specimens subjected to controlled and induced environmental variation also records information with genetic significance.
Corn and Soybean Rotation under Reduced Tillage Management: Impacts on Soil Properties, Yield, and Net Return

A 4-yr field study was conducted from 2007 to 2010 at Stoneville, MS to examine the effects of rotating corn and soybean under reduced tillage conditions on soil properties, yields, and net return. The six rotation systems were continuous corn (CCCC), continuous soybean (SSSS), corn-soybean (CSCS), soybean-corn (SCSC), soybean-soybean-cornsoybean (SSCS), and soybean-soybean-soybean-corn (SSSC). Field preparation consisted of disking, subsoiling, disking, and bedding in the fall of 2005. After the fall of 2006, the raised beds were refurbished each fall after harvest with no additional tillage operations to maintain as reduced tillage system. The surface 5 cm soil from continuous soybean had higher pH than continuous corn in all four years. Unlike pH, total carbon and total nitrogen were higher in continuous corn compared to continuous soybean. Delta 15N tended to be higher in continuous corn compared to continuous soybean. Fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) indicated minor changes in soil microbial community in relation to cropping sequence, however there was a significant shift in rhizosphere community depending on crop. Corn yield increased every year following rotation with soybean by 16%, 31%, and 15% in 2008, 2009, and 2010, respectively, compared to continuous corn. As a result, net returns were higher in rotated corn compared with continuous corn. This study demonstrated that alternating between corn and soybean is a sustainable practice with increased net returns in corn.
Predicting Factors of Job Satisfaction through Organizational Culture: A Case of Malaysian Private Learning Institution

The paper attempts to explore the dimensions of organizational culture and job satisfaction among employees in one of the private learning institutions in Malaysia. The study utilized Organizational Culture Index (OCI) developed by Wallach (1983), which comprised of bureaucratic, innovative, and supportive cultures. Multistage sampling has been used to select the sample. A survey design is employed in this study. Questionnaires were distributed to 118 employees, however, only 77 yielded valid responses. The data were then analyzed using Pearson-Product Moment Correlation test and Multiple Regression test using enter method through the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0. The findings of the study show that bureaucratic organizational culture has a positive and a moderate relationship with job satisfaction, however, innovative and supportive organizational cultures have a positive and high relationships with job satisfaction. In addition, multiple regression analysis indicates that innovative and bureaucratic organizational cultures are the predictors that enhance job satisfaction among the employees in the current private learning institution. Hence, this had called upon the management of the particular learning institutions to foster on innovative and bureaucratic organizational cultures in order to enhance the employees’ job satisfaction that will result in higher organization’s productivity. Further study to replicate the research in various industries in Malaysian to explore more on the employees’ job satisfaction is suggested. Future studies can also examine organizational culture with other variables such as leadership style, organizational commitment, and employee engagement in the Malaysian setting.
FATTY ACID COMPOSITION OF MILK FAT IN MILK OF TZIGAY SHEEP AND THEIR F2 CROSS-BREEDS WITH CHIOS

The study was conducted on aggregate milk samples, which were taken every month during the milking period from Tzigay sheep and their F2 cross-breeds of Chios, raised in the conditions of the Central Balkan Mountain. The fat extraction of milk samples was done by the Rose-Gottlieb method. Fatty acid composition was determined on a gas chromatograph with flame ionization detector and capillary column. The aim of the study was to follow the changes in the composition of fatty acids in the milk fat of milk of Tzigay sheep and their F2 cross-breeds. The saturated fatty acids in milk of the two groups had high values during both consecutive years, as they varied from 67.05% in milk of Tzigay sheep in the second lactation up to 70.87% at their F2 cross-breeds. The content of myristic acid was correspondingly 8.22-8.88% at Tzigay sheep and 8.45-8.74% at their F2 cross-breeds. The total amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the examined milk for the two types of sheep was comparatively low with near concentrations (4.39-5.20%) in the period of the two years. The milk of the two groups had high values of the correlation SFA/PUSFA (15.71 and 13.17) and low values of PUSFA/SFA (0.06-0.08). Monоunsaturated fatty acids, represented mainly by the oleic acid (C18:1) varied during both periods from 21.92% to 25.32% and appeared as a substratum in the synthesis of CLA. The short-chain fatty acids (C4:0-C11:0) had higher values in Tzigay sheep in comparison with F2 cross-breeds of Chios. The long-chain fatty acids (C17iso-C25:0) maintained close concentration in the milk of Tzigay breed, while their content in the milk of F2 cross-breeds was increased.
ULTRAVIOLET SPECTROSCOPY OF TYPE IIB SUPERNOVAE: DIVERSITY AND THE IMPACT OF CIRCUMSTELLAR MATERIAL

We present new Hubble Space Telescope (HST) multi-epoch ultraviolet (UV) spectra of the bright Type IIb SN 2013df, and undertake a comprehensive analysis of the set of four SNe IIb for which HST UV spectra are available (SN 1993J, SN 2001ig, SN 2011dh, and SN 2013df). We find strong diversity in both continuum levels and line features among these objects. We use radiative-transfer models that fit the optical part of the spectrum well, and find that in three of these four events we see a UV continuum flux excess, apparently unaffected by line absorption. We hypothesize that this emission originates above the photosphere, and is related to interaction with circumstellar material (CSM) located in close proximity to the SN progenitor. In contrast, the spectra of SN 2001ig are well fit by single-temperature models, display weak continuum and strong reverse-fluorescence features, and are similar to spectra of radioactive 56Ni-dominated SNe Ia. A comparison of the early shock-cooling components in the observed light curves with the UV continuum levels which we assume trace the strength of CSM interaction suggests that events with slower cooling have stronger CSM emission. The radio emission from events having a prominent UV excess is perhaps consistent with slower blast-wave velocities, as expected if the explosion shock was slowed down by the CSM that is also responsible for the strong UV, but this connection is currently speculative as it is based on only a few events.
Improving Ms Estimates by Calibrating Variable-Period Magnitude Scales at Regional Distances

During the final year of our project, we have calibrated the use of surface-wave magnitudes (Ms), measured at regional distances as a rapid and robust estimator of seismic moment. We have used the Russell (2006) variableperiod surface-wave magnitude formula to convert Ms to seismic-moment magnitude, Mw, at local to regional distances using global datasets. In this pilot study, the Russell Ms technology was applied to 169 North American events with 3.2 < Mw < 6.5 at distances ranging from 48 to 5,268 km. The technique uses a time-domain magnitude estimation procedure that employs zero-phase Butterworth filters to effectively measure Rayleigh-wave Airy phase amplitudes at local and near-regional distances (e.g., < 1000 km). This allows for surface wave magnitudes to be estimated within minutes of the initiation of a seismic event. Of the 7,370 event-station pairs, more than half (4,051) of the measurements were at distances < 1,000 km. The Ms estimates were regressed against moment magnitudes (Mw) estimated from P-wave modeling and/or Rayleigh- and Love-wave spectral amplitudes (Herrmann et al., 2008). Mw can be estimated using the relationship: Mw = 1.951 + 0.649 Ms. The observed scatter in the estimated Mw was approximately ±0.2 magnitude units. The residuals between true and Ms-predicted Mw have a definable faulting mechanism effect, especially when strike-slip events are compared to those with other mechanisms. Preliminary results suggest that our Ms:Mw relationship for North America is also transportable to the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula. We have also determined a methodology to estimate the Ms detection thresholds for the Russell formula. Broadband noise estimates for any seismic station, which are typically in units of acceleration m 2 /s 3 and decibels, can be converted to nanometers (nm) and input into the Russell equation for variable-period surface waves. We propagate these noise estimates at periods (T) between 8 and 40 s to distances (Δ) between 1 and 40 degrees. The Ms(T,Δ) were estimated and contoured providing the optimal detection threshold for each station. We have estimated the Ms(T,Δ) for the stations of the Global Seismographic Network (GSN) using broadband noise estimates supplied by Berger et al. (2004).