Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Access to credit and its effect on the adoption of agricultural technologies: the case of Zanzibar

Access to credit is among key elements for improving agricultural production and poverty reduction. Credit can facilitate farm households to purchase the needed agricultural inputs and enhance their capacity to effect long-term investment in their farms. Despite this importance, the majority of farm households lacks access to formal credit. This study therefore was conducted in order to create knowledge of the factors that determine access of rural households to formal credit in Zanzibar and to establish the linkages between access to credit and the adoption of agricultural technology under the Zanzibar smallholder farming conditions. Conceptually, access to credit can be influenced by institutional factors and household characteristics. Analyses of factors at the household level is therefore important to design strategic interventions aimed at deepening financial services through rural households in Zanzibar. In conducting this study, both primary and secondary data were collected. The data collection took place between May and June, 2006, covering the five districts of Unguja and Pemba islands. The districts involved in the study were North ‘B’, West and Central (for Unguja island) and Wete and Chake Chake (for Pemba island). In total 750 households were surveyed. Secondary data were collected from relevant institutions, including existing financial institutions. The analysis of data collected was done descriptively as well as econometrically using STATA 10.0 and SPSS 13.0 computer softwares. The main findings of the study suggest that a number of socio-economic factors are important in influencing farm households’ access to formal credit. These factors are: the number of accesses to credit, the possibility of keeping livestock, having a bank account, the value of productive assets owned, household income and the intensity of adoption of agricultural technologies. As regards factors determining farming technologies adoption, extension contacts intensity, household size, number of accesses to credit, and value of productive assets were found to significantly influence the adoption of agricultural technologies. However, with the exception of the number of accesses to credit, these variables were significant only for the non-credit constrained households and not for the credit constrained households. These results suggest the need for targeting credit interventions to farm households who are credit constrained for improving access to credit and the adoption of agricultural technologies.
A Theory of Operational Cash Holding, Endogenous Financial Constraints and Credit Rationing

This paper develops a theory of operational cash holding. Liquidity shocks due to delayed payments must be financed using cash or short-term debt. Debt holders provide an irrevocable credit line given a firm's expected insolvency risk, and equity holders select optimum cash holding. The model demonstrates the trade-off between cash holding and investing in fixed assets. Introducing uncertain cash flows leads to precautionary cash holding if debt holders impose financial constraints. Precautionary cash holding, in turn, reduces insolvency risk enhancing access to short-term finance. The theory shows that credit rationing can occur in the absence of market frictions. Using U.S. data from 1998 to 2012, empirical findings suggest that the decline in credit lines has contributed to the increase in cash holding in line with theoretical predictions.
A dyad perspective of buyer-seller relationships - the case of Taiwan agribusinesses

The research reported in this study investigates how agribusinesses in Taiwan evaluate their existing business relationships and identifies the areas for improvement. These areas were examined in terms of the variables of the five-stage buyer-seller relationships development process from the existing literature and this was achieved through a series of 20 in-depth interviews conducted with 10 agribusinesses from a dyadic perspective. The findings revealed that at the early stages of the relationship, organisations were concern with achieving product and service reliability and quality. Whilst trust, commitments, co-operation, shared goals, social and structural bonds were regarded as more critical in the later stages of the relationship for the development of a closer long-term relationship. The research findings also highlighted five areas for improvement in a buyer-seller relationship that could vary in their relevance and importance at each level of the relationship.
Partial purification and characterization of cellulases from digestive tracts of the African giant snail (Achatina achatina)

Crude cellulase was extracted from the digestive tracts of 30 mature Achatina achatina and subjected to a 3-step purification process of ammonium sulfate precipitation, dialysis, and gel filtration. This purification procedure gave 3 prominent enzyme activity peaks that coincided with protein peaks and were designated A, B, and C, corresponding to high endoglucanase, b-glucosidase, and total cellulase activities, respectively. Temperature optima of 50 °C were recorded for b-glucosidase and total cellulase while 45 °C was recorded for endoglucanase. Total cellulase, glucosidase, and endoglucanase showed maximum activities at pH values of 5.5, 4.5, and 7.5, respectively. Kinetic studies show that total cellulase has a Vmax and Km of 2427.18 mmol/min and 15.12 mg cellulose and endoglucanase has values of 955.11 mmol/min and 2.39 mg Na-CMC, while the values of b-glucosidase are 946.97 mmol/min and 4.3 mM cellobiose, respectively. This study shows that cellulases from digestive tracts of A. achatina could be utilized for degradation of cellulose-containing materials because of their high thermostability and acid/alkali stability, which reflect the potential commercial significance of the enzyme.
PREVALENCE AND ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE PATTERN OF METHICILLIN RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS ISOLATED FROM DIFFERENT CLINICAL SAMPLES.

Received: 15 January 2017 Final Accepted: 15 February 2017 Published: March 2017 Background: Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) since its emergence, has been a challenge for the community owing to its potential to cause life threatening events like sepsis, endocarditis and osteomyelitis. Aims and objectives: To investigate the prevalence of MRSA in various clinical samples and to find the antibiotic resistance pattern of the MRSA isolates. Materials and Methods: Oxacillin resistance screening agar with 5.5% Nacl and Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method (cefoxitin 30μg disk) were used for MRSA confirmation and antibiotic resistance testing was done as per CLSI 2016 guidelines. E-test was done for testing sensitivity to Vancomycin. Result: Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from 350 specimens. Out of these 350 isolates, 220 (62.86%) were methicillin sensitive and rest 130 (37.14%) isolates were MRSA. Most of the MRSA isolates were from urine samples (43.71%) followed by pus (24.0%), and putum (11.14%). MRSA isolates showed high resistance to ciprofloxacin (53.38%), and clindamycin (42.31%). linezolid resistance was seen in only 6.15% and all isolates were sensitive to vancomycin. Conclusion: A high prevalence of MRSA (37.14%.) in our institution warrants the judicious use of antibiotics in treating infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus. Vancomycin and linezolid are good treatment options in infections caused by MRSA isolates.
The Effect of Grammatical Error Correction on the Development of Learning English Writing as a Foreign Language

Writing is a basic communication skill and a unique asset in the process of learning a second language. ” (Chastain 1988: 244). This study considers the effect of grammatical error correction on the development of English writing among Persian learners of English as a foreign language. The participants of the study are forty students at the age of 17 – 22 fourteen male and twenty six female. The subjects were divided into control and experimental groups. A pretest was carried out to have homogenous groups. After the pretest the subjects were asked to write samples about given topics. Each student wrote ten samples. The period of instruction lasted for twelve weeks. Both groups received grammatical error correction, and the errors were identified with red pen for both groups. However, the experimental group received a detailed list with clarification and the possible accurate answer. Moreover, an oral explanation was given to them at the time of delivery of the samples. They were also asked to pay attention to the comments. Concerning the control group, after viewing their grammatical error their papers were collected and kept by the instructors, whereas the experimental group kept their papers. Finally a post test was carried out to assess the results. The post test includes two writings about the topics suggested by the instructors. They have to write one at home and one in the class within twenty five mints. Two raters were used to correct the final tests. The results of the post tests show that there is difference from number of the errors for the sample written at home, but the difference is not significant with the samples written in the class under time pressure.
Masculinity ideology and gender equality: considering neosexism

The aims of this study are to investigate the relationship among traditional masculinity ideology, neosexism, and gender equality. Specifi- cally we tested the effect of neosexism as a mediational variable. As ex- pected, our results showed that men maintain more traditional masculinity ideology and more neosexist beliefs than women. Also masculinity ideology is negatively related to gender equality in men, but in women there is no re- lationship. The results of the mediation tests confirm that masculinity ide- ology is a good predictor of gender equality and it is mediated by neosex- ism, but only for men. The relevance of these findings with reference to neosexism as an obstacle to equality is discussed.
An experimental investigation into the flow of marble

That rocks, under the conditions to which they are subjected in certain parts of the earth’s crust, become bent and twisted in the most complicated manner is a fact which was recognised by the earliest geologists, and it needs but a glance at any of the accurate sections of contorted regions of the earth’s crust which have been prepared in more recent years to show that there is often a transfer or “flow" of material from one place to another in the folds. The manner in which this contortion, with its concomitant “flowing,” has taken place is, however, a matter concerning which there has been much discussion, and a wide divergence of opinion. Some authorities have considered it to be a purely mechanical process, while others have looked upon solution and redeposition as playing a necessary role in all such movements, The problem is one on which it would appear that much light might be thrown by experimental investigation.
The influence of decision heuristics and overconfidence on multiattribute choice: A process-tracing study

In the present study it was shown that decision heuristics and confidence judgements play important roles in the building of preferences. Based on a dual-process account of thinking, the study compared people who did well versus poorly on a series of decision heuristics and overconfidence judgement tasks. The two groups were found to differ with regard to their information search behaviour in introduced multiattribute choice tasks. High performers on the judgemental tasks were less influenced in their decision processes by numerical information format (probabilities vs. frequencies) compared to low performers. They also looked at more attributes and spent more time on the multiattribute choice tasks. The results reveal that performance on decision heuristics and overconfidence tasks has a bearing both on heuristic and analytic processes in multiattribute decision making.
Comparison of alternative methods for deriving hydraulic properties and scaling factors from single‐disc tension infiltrometer measurements

Analysis of single‐disc tension infiltrometer data is commonly based on the interpretation of the steady state infiltration rate derived from large time measurements. In this study, three analytical models describing the cumulative infiltration curve were used to estimate the sorptivity and the steady state infiltration rates. Hydraulic conductivity was estimated from (1) two steady state infiltration rates, (2) a sorptivity value and a steady state infiltration rate, and (3) two sorptivity estimates. In total, seven different methods were used to calculate the hydraulic conductivity. We compared the spatial variability of sorptivity, steady state infiltration rates, unsaturated hydraulic conductivity, and scaling factors of these seven methods. Cumulative infiltration curves were measured at 50 locations and three pressure heads along a 40 m long transect on a silty loam Eutric Regosol. In a first step the amount of water and the time needed to wet the contact sand under the disc was successfully filtered from the raw data using nonlinear regression techniques. The analytical models described the infiltration curves very well but gave different estimates of the sorptivities and steady state infiltration rates. Method 2 using both sorptivity and steady state infiltration rate resulted in the largest estimates of the mean unsaturated hydraulic conductivity, whereas the other two methods (1 and 3) resulted in similar mean values. Linear scaling analysis described well the observed variability in the hydraulic conductivity. Overall, different methods produced quite different unsaturated hydraulic conductivity estimates at specific locations, while their field mean or scaled properties were better comparable. Results of this study may prove to be important for deciding appropriate disc infiltrometer data analysis procedure while addressing water flow and chemical transport behavior at different spatial scales.
Lower mass normalization of the stellar initial mass function for dense massive early-type galaxies at z ~ 1.4

This paper aims at understanding if the normalization of the stellar initial mass function (IMF) of massive early-type galaxies (ETGs) varies with cosmic time and/or with mean stellar mass density Sigma (M*/2\pi Re^2). For this purpose we collected a sample of 18 dense (Sigma>2500 M_sun/pc^2) ETGs at 1.2 = 1.4 follow the same IMF-sigma_e trend of typical local ETGs, but with a lower mass-normalization. Nonetheless, once the IMF-sigma_e trend we have found for high-z dense ETGs is compared with that of local ETGs with similar Sigma and sigma_e, they turn out to be consistent. The similarity between the IMF-sigma_e trends of dense high-z and low-z ETGs over 9 Gyr of evolution and their lower mass-normalization with respect to the mean value of local ETGs suggest that, independently on formation redshift, the physical conditions characterizing the formation of a dense spheroid lead to a mass spectrum of new formed stars with an higher ratio of high- to low-mass stars with respect to the IMF of normal local ETGs.
On a decomposition of Banach spaces

By using D. Preiss’ approach to a construction from a paper by J. Matoušek and E. Matoušková, and some results of E. Matoušková, we prove that we can decompose a separable Banach space with modulus of convexity of power type p as a union of a ball small set (in a rather strong symmetric sense) and a set which is Aronszajn null. This improves an earlier unpublished result of E. Matoušková. As a corollary, in each separable Banach space with modulus of convexity of power type p, there exists a closed nonempty set A and a Borel non-Haar null set Q such that no point from Q has a nearest point in A. Another corollary is that l1 and L1 can be decomposed as unions of a ball small set and an Aronszajn null set.
Imaging along‐strike variations in mechanical properties of the Gofar transform fault, East Pacific Rise

A large part of global plate motion on mid‐ocean ridge transform faults (RTFs) is not accommodated as major earthquakes. When large earthquakes do occur, they often repeat quasiperiodically. We focus here on the high slip rate (∼14 cm/yr) Gofar transform fault on the equatorial East Pacific Rise. This fault is subdivided into patches that slip during Mw 5.5–6 earthquakes every 5 to 6 years. These patches are separated by rupture barriers that accommodate slip through swarms of smaller events and/or aseismic creep. We performed an imaging study to investigate which spatiotemporal variations of the fault zone properties control this segmentation in mechanical behavior and could explain the specific behavior of RTFs at the global scale. We adopt a double‐difference approach in a joint inversion of active air gun shots and microseismicity recorded for 1 year. This data set includes the 2008 Mw 6 Gofar earthquake. The along‐strike P wave velocity structure reveals an abrupt transition between the barrier area, characterized by a damaged fault zone of 10–20% reduced Vp and a nearly intact fault zone in the asperity area. The importance of the strength of the damage zone on the mechanical behavior is supported by the temporal S wave velocity changes which suggest increased damage within the barrier area, during the week preceding the Mw 6 earthquake. Our results support the conclusion that extended highly damaged zones are the key factor in limiting the role of major earthquakes to accommodate plate motion along RTFs.
SEASONAL VARIATION IN THE D-COMPONENT OF Sq NEAR THE DIP-EQUATOR

The purpose of the present paper is to analyse the seasonal variation of the geomagnetic D·component of Sq at five selected magnetic observatories nea rthe dipequator, by using data on magnetically quiet days during the IGY. The result shows a persistent winter-summer symmetry in such a way that its variation has a maximum value at about 0.7 L.T. (= 15 r) and 18 L.T. (= 5 r) and a minimum value at about 12 L.T. C= -15 r) for summer, and the sign of its variation is inversed for winter. It will be discussed as to why these variations of the Dcomponent occurred.
SHAPEMOL: a 3D code for calculating CO line emission in planetary and protoplanetary nebulae: Detailed model-fitting of the complex nebula NGC 6302

This work was partially supported by grant “UNAM-PAPIIT 100410 and 101014” and by the Spanish MICINN within the program CONSOLIDER INGENIO 2010, under grant “Molecular Astrophysics: The Herschel and ALMA Era, ASTROMOL” (ref.: CSD2009-00038).
Changes in sea-surface temperature and atmospheric circulation patterns associated with reductions in Arctic sea ice cover in recent decades

Abstract. In recent decades, the Arctic sea ice has been declining at a rapid pace as the Arctic warms at a rate of twice the global average. The underlying physical mechanisms for the Arctic warming and accelerated sea ice retreat are not fully understood. In this study, we apply a relatively novel statistical method called self-organizing maps (SOM) along with composite analysis to examine the trend and variability of autumn Arctic sea ice in the past three decades and their relationships to large-scale atmospheric circulation changes. Our statistical results show that the anomalous autumn Arctic dipole (AD) (Node 1) and the Arctic Oscillation (AO) (Node 9) could explain in a statistical sense as much as 50 % of autumn sea ice decline between 1979 and 2016. The Arctic atmospheric circulation anomalies associated with anomalous sea-surface temperature (SST) patterns over the North Pacific and North Atlantic influence Arctic sea ice primarily through anomalous temperature and water vapor advection and associated radiative feedback.
Characteristics of rainfall events in regional climate model simulations for the Czech Republic

Abstract. Characteristics of rainfall events in an ensemble of 23 regional climate model (RCM) simulations are evaluated against observed data in the Czech Republic for the period 1981–2000. Individual rainfall events are identified using the concept of minimum inter-event time (MIT) and only heavy events (15 % of events with the largest event depths) during the warm season (May–September) are considered. Inasmuch as an RCM grid box represents a spatial average, the effects of areal averaging of rainfall data on characteristics of events are investigated using the observed data. Rainfall events from the RCM simulations are then compared to those from the at-site and area-average observations. Simulated number of heavy events and seasonal total precipitation due to heavy events are on average represented relatively well despite the higher spatial variation compared to observations. RCM-simulated event depths are comparable to the area-average observations, while event durations are overestimated and other characteristics related to rainfall intensity are significantly underestimated. The differences between RCM-simulated and at-site observed rainfall event characteristics are in general dominated by the biases of the climate models rather than the areal-averaging effect. Most of the rainfall event characteristics in the majority of the RCM simulations show a similar altitude-dependence pattern as in the observed data. The number of heavy events and seasonal total precipitation due to heavy events increase with altitude, and this dependence is captured better by the RCM simulations with higher spatial resolution.
Afona pectinata (Crustacea: Anomopoda; Cbydoridae), a new freshwater dadoceran from Soutbeast Mexico

A new species of the chydorid cladoceran genus Alonl1 is described herein [rom parthenogcnélic femaJes. The material was collected from several freshwater lagoons and pools in the southem p ortion of lhe Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico at an altitude less than 100m above sea leve! The ncw species can be distinguished from other species of Alonl1 by the combination of severaJ fealUres: a well-developed armatllre of the antennac. p ostabdomen, and postabdoll1inal c\aw, the outer distal lobe ofthe first thoracic lill1b bears two pecten-like setae. and the exopod of thoracic limb 1II has only five setae. This ne w taxon is related to other specics of IIIO/w described from South America and the Old continent.
The Anatomical and Histological Structures of Buzzard’s (Buteo buteo) Small Intestine and Liver, and Immunohistochemical Localization of Catalase

This study aimed to examine the structure of the buzzard’s Buteo buteo) small intestine and liver, and the localization of catalase in those organs. Crossman’s modified triple stain and Periodic Acid Schiff (PAS) stain were applied to the samples for histological examination. To detect catalase localization in the tissues, the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex (ABC) technique was used. It was observed that the general histological structure of the buzzard’s small intestine and liver was similar to that of other avian species. Catalase immunoreactivity in the lamina propria and submucosa in the small intestine were also observed, as well as catalase immunoreactivity in the hepatocyte cytoplasm in the liver. Some areas in the small intestine and liver had catalase immunoreactivity, which means that an antioxidant defence occurs in those areas.