Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using deep learning for digital soil mapping

Abstract. Digital soil mapping (DSM) has been widely used as a cost-effective method for generating soil maps. However, current DSM data representation rarely incorporates contextual information of the landscape. DSM models are usually calibrated using point observations intersected with spatially corresponding point covariates. Here, we demonstrate the use of the convolutional neural network (CNN) model that incorporates contextual information surrounding an observation to significantly improve the prediction accuracy over conventional DSM models. We describe a CNN model that takes inputs as images of covariates and explores spatial contextual information by finding non-linear local spatial relationships of neighbouring pixels. Unique features of the proposed model include input represented as a 3-D stack of images, data augmentation to reduce overfitting, and the simultaneous prediction of multiple outputs. Using a soil mapping example in Chile, the CNN model was trained to simultaneously predict soil organic carbon at multiples depths across the country. The results showed that, in this study, the CNN model reduced the error by 30 % compared with conventional techniques that only used point information of covariates. In the example of country-wide mapping at 100 m resolution, the neighbourhood size from 3 to 9 pixels is more effective than at a point location and larger neighbourhood sizes. In addition, the CNN model produces less prediction uncertainty and it is able to predict soil carbon at deeper soil layers more accurately. Because the CNN model takes the covariate represented as images, it offers a simple and effective framework for future DSM models.
Bioconcentration of trace metals in the freshwater snail Melanoides tuberculata (Mollusca: Thiaridae) from Alaro stream ecosystem of South West Nigeria

The level and tissue bioconcentration V,Mn,Fe,Co,Ni,Cu,Zn,As,Se,Mo,Ag,Cd and Pb were determined in the viscera and shell of the freshwater snail, Melanoides tuberculata in the upstream and downstream of Alaro stream, South West Nigeria. Trace metal concentrations in snail and sediment samples collected from six stations were measured using an inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The mean trace metal concentrations (ppm) of V,Mn,Fe,Co,Ni,Cu,Zn,As,Se,Mo,Ag,Cd and Pb in the snail were estimated to be 2.10-3.26,28.31-33.32,1668.21-2398.43,1.75-3.98,6.18-8.12,33.86-89.23,12.10-66.35,0.78-0.96,9.86-11.35,1.44-1.73,1.98-2.33,2.88-3.22 and 10.12-14.12 respectively. The study shows that M. tuberculata is capable of bioconcentrating trace metals in magnified quantity than that found in the sediment. The tissue concentration pattern was correlated with the amount of trace metals in the sediments.Bioconcentration of the trace metals V,Mn,Fe,Co,Ni,Cu,Zn,As,Se,Mo,Ag,Cd and Pb varied between the viscera and the shell with the viscera having the highest concentration of all the trace metals. Results of the study indicate that ingestion of sediments and algae may be the main uptake route of the trace metals in Melanoides tuberculata .
Social career influences of Xhosa adolescents elicited using the systems theory framework in a peri-urban South African township

CITATION: Albien, A. J. & Naidoo, A. V. 2016. Social career influences of Xhosa adolescents elicited using the Systems Theory Framework in a peri-urban South African township. South African Journal of Higher Education, 30(3):111‒137, doi:10.20853/30-3-668.
The strategic formation of inter-individual collaboration networks. Evidence from co-invention patterns

This paper contributes to an emerging literature aiming to understand the behavioral patterns that lead to the formation of social networks. We introduce a strategic model of inter-individual collaborations formation which is a variation of the Connections model. Heterogeneous agents benefit from knowledge spillovers flowing through the network and bear the costs of maintaining their direct links which increase with geographic distance. We show that this simple model generates emergent networks that share the main structural properties observed in most real social networks. Moreover, we bring the model to co-invention networks data and find that the model fits quite well the data through the various structural measures used. In particular, it provides a consistent explanation of the observed asymmetry in the distribution of neighborhood sizes and of the high concentration of connections in local areas while some distant connections are formed.
Confirmatory Factor Analytic Procedures for the Determination of Measurement Invariance

Confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) procedures can be used to provide evidence of measurement invariance. However, empirical evaluation has not focused on the accuracy of common CFA steps used to detect a lack of invariance across groups. This investigation examined procedures for detection of test structure differences across groups under several conditions through simulation. Specifically, sample size, number of factors, number of indicators per factor, and the distribution of the observed variables were manipulated, and 3 criteria for assessing measurement invariance were evaluated. Power and Type I error were examined to evaluate the accuracy of detecting a lack of invariance. Results suggest that the chi-square difference test adequately controls the Type I error rate in nearly all conditions, and provides relatively high power when used with maximum likelihood (ML) estimation and normally distributed observed variables. In addition, the power of the test to detect group differences for dichotomous observed variables with robust weighted least squares estimation was generally very low.
Environmental, Social and Governance Disclosures: A Call for Integrated Reporting in Nigeria

Annual reports of most companies quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) have been found to be deficient, because they lack vital financial and non-financial information that would enable stakeholders make informed decisions. The aim of this study was to investigate the environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices of Nigerian quoted companies and discuss the need for integrated reporting (IR). A checklist was developed to capture the ESG disclosures from the annual reports of 40 companies listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange over a two-year period from 2013 to 2014. The ESG determinants were proxied by company size, profitability and auditor type. Company size was measured by total assets, profitability was measured by return on equity (ROE), and auditor type was measured by a dummy variable, ‘1‘ for Big 4 and ’0‘ for otherwise. The data obtained were analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation and regression. The findings revealed that, the level of ESG disclosure was 53%, this was made up environmental scores (7%), social scores (66%) and governance scores (81%). This showed that governance information was the most disclosed while environmental information was the least disclosed. Findings also revealed that ESG disclosure practice was influenced by auditor type; but not by company size and profitability. The current trend of integrated reporting worldwide calls for Nigerian companies to be proactive. There is a need to improve on ESG practices by integrating the financial and ESG elements to generate a single integrated report, which allows both the company and its stakeholders to make better-informed decisions.
Generalized nonlinear height–diameter models for a Cryptomeria fortunei plantation in the Pingba region of Guizhou Province, China

Abstract. The relationship between height and diameter (H-D) is an important component in forest growth and yield models, and a better understanding of the relationship will improve forest monitoring, management, and biomass estimation. Sixteen nonlinear growth functions were fitted to H-D data for 1261 trees from a Cryptomeria fortunei plantation in the Pingba region of Guizhou Province, China. Of the 1261 trees, 80 % were randomly selected for model calibration, while the remaining trees were reserved for model validation. All models were evaluated and compared by means of multiple-model performance criteria. Although all 16 models showed a good fit to the dataset and each of them accounted for more than 75 % of the total variation in height, a large difference in asymptotic estimates was observed. The Chapman–Richards, Weibull, and Naslund models were recommended for C. fortunei plantations, due to their satisfactory height prediction and biological interpretability.
iPads in the foreign language classroom: A learner’s perspective

This research paper presents the findings from the pilot study of a project exploring the potential of tablet computers in the foreign language classroom in a Malaysian public university. This article focuses on the technical amazements and challenges as experienced by a learner discovering her iPad 2 over four weeks. In-depth knowledge about the device’s user-friendliness and language learning potential was gathered through a narrative qualitative approach using classroom observations, field notes and interviews. The objectives were to unveil the learner’s perceptions toward the device as a novice user and to discover her strategies when handling the device for language learning. This study describes the learner’s intentions for adopting the iPad as a learning tool and how she overcame technological obstacles. It provides educators with hints on the learner’s tools and strategies for learning languages with the iPad as well as insights and recommendations to educators willing to venture into teaching languages with tablet computers. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.17576/3L-2014-2001-09
Banks Non-Interest Income and Global Financial Stability

Depositary institutions over the last 15 years have increased the share of non-traditional revenue in total income. While the change in business models is a global phenomenon, it is more pronounced in countries such as the U.S., France and the U.K. In this study, we examine whether market structure can help explain the cross-country variation in the diversification activities that bank choose to pursue. The UK Independent Commission of Banking raised issues related to “ring fencing retail banking from investment banking. The EU’s Liikanen Review and the Dodd-Frank Act in the US proposed policies which may limit trading and proprietary activities of large banks. It is important to understand the motivation behind these choices because non-traditional banking activities have shouldered a large part of the blame for the 2007-2009 financial crisis, and now face the brunt of regulatory efforts. Using a sample of large banks across 38 countries this paper examines how the concentration of the banking system impacts the choice of business activities and consequently the stability of banks. We show that banks in less concentrated banking systems ( such as in the US and Japan) have higher levels of non-traditional business activities with higher shareholder returns, but at a cost of increased systemic risk. In contrast, the non-traditional business activities in highly concentrated banking systems help reduce the volatility of profits and also increase banks stability. Unlike previous research we show that there is not always a one-to-one relationship between non-traditional business activities and global banks stability.
Development of word order in German complement-clause constructions: Effects of input frequencies, lexical items, and discourse function

We investigate the development of word order in German children’s spontaneous production of complement clauses. From soon after their second birthday, young German children use both verb-final complements with complementizers and verb-second complements without complementizers. By their third birthday they use both kinds of complement clauses with a variety of complement-taking verbs. Early in development, however, verb-final complements and verb-second complements are used with separate sets of complement-taking verbs, and they are used with separate sets of item-specific main-clause phrases. For example, initially phrases such as ‘I want to see’ were used exclusively with verb-final complements, whereas phrases such as ‘do you see’ and ‘you have to say’ were used exclusively with verb-second complements. Only later in development— when specific complement-taking verbs were used with both verb-second and verb-final complements, with a greater variety of main-clause phrases, and when specific main-clause phrases were used with both verb-second and verb-final complements—was there evidence for structural links between these various, item-based, complement-clause constructions.
The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money

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Lord of the lemons: Origin and dynamics of state capacity

To better understand the role of taxation in the emergence of states, this article presents an incomplete contract model of an agricultural society in which information asymmetries cause inefficient taxation, and hence outmigration, uprisings, and rent-seeking, but also urbanization. We propose a geographic index of information costs, observability, to test our model. Our case study is the Holy Roman Empire, which had a relatively homogeneous institutional framework, state of technology, culture, and ethnic composition across hundreds of observed states, for over 500 years. We find a robust link between observability and states' tax capacity, their size, and their survival.
Evaluation of the Sensitivity of the Weather Research and Forecasting Model to Parameterization Schemes for Regional Climates of Europe over the Period 1990–95

AbstractThe Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF) is used to downscale interim ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-Interim) data for the climate over Europe for the period 1990–95 with grid spacing of 0.44° for 12 combinations of physical parameterizations. Two longwave radiation schemes, two land surface models (LSMs), two microphysics schemes, and two planetary boundary layer (PBL) schemes have been investigated while the remaining physics schemes were unchanged. WRF simulations are compared with Ensemble-Based Predictions of Climate Changes and their Impacts (ENSEMBLES) observations gridded dataset (E-OBS) for surface air temperatures (T2), precipitation, and mean sea level pressure (MSLP) in eight subregions within the model domain to assess the performance of the different parameterizations on widely varying regional climates. This work shows that T2 is modeled well by WRF with high correlation coefficients (0.8 < R < 0.95) and biases less than 4°C. T2 shows greatest sensitivity to land surface models, som.
VLBI observations of SN 2008iz - I. Expansion velocity and limits on anisotropic expansion

We present observations of the recently discovered supernova 2008iz in M 82 with the VLBI High Sensitivity Array at 22 GHz, the Very Large Array at frequencies of 1.4, 4.8, 8.4, 22 and 43 GHz, and the Chandra X-ray observatory. The supernova was clearly detected in two VLBI images separated by 11 months. The source shows a ring-like morphology and expands with a velocity of ∼23 000 km s −1 . The most likely explosion date is in mid-February 2008. The measured expansion speed is a factor of ∼2 higher than expected under the assumption that synchrotron self-absorption dominates the light curve at the peak, indicating that this absorption mechanism may not be important for the radio emission. We find no evidence for an asymmetric explosion. The VLA spectrum shows a broken power law, indicating that the source was still optically thick at 1.4 GHz in April 2009. Finally, we report upper limits on the X-ray emission from SN 2008iz and a second radio transient recently discovered by MERLIN observations.
A Molecular Dynamics Study on Wrinkles in Graphene with Simply Supported Boundary under In-Plane Shear

The formation and evolution mechanisms of wrinkling in a rectangular single layer graphene sheet (SLGS) with simply supported boundary subjected to in-plane shear displacements are investigated using molecular dynamics simulations. Through investigating the out-of-plane displacements of the key point atom, we clarify the wrinkling growth and propagation process. Our results show that the boundary condition plays important roles in the wrinkling deformation. And the dependence of wrinkling parameters on the applied shear displacements is captured. Based on the elasticity theory, the formation mechanism of graphene wrinkling is revealed from the viewpoint of elastic energy. The effects of aspect ratio of graphene, temperature, and loading velocity on graphene wrinkling parameters and patterns are also investigated.
Heroes, villains and victims: agricultural subsidies and their impacts on food security and poverty reduction

Subsidies have been a pervasive feature of agricultural policy in both high and low income countries. This chapter describes different kinds of subsidies and reviews evidence on their economic, food security and poverty impacts. The evidence suggests that different subsidy programmes have had in some contexts profoundly positive and in other contexts profoundly negative impacts on food security and on the livelihoods of poor people and poor societies. Discussions of the historical and potential roles of subsidies and their more recent use have, however, been the victim of an unhealthy over-emphasis on their negative effects without sufficient consideration of the potential to overcome these. These issues need to be addressed if agricultural subsidies are to fulfill their potential to make a significant contribution in addressing continuing and emerging challenges to food insecurity and poverty.
Co-Evolution of Strategy, Learning and Organizational Structuring

This paper is based on the assumption that a synthesis of the old Chandlerian structure follows strategy notion and the literature on innovation and learning. The main research question was as follows: To what extent does the level of strategic activity in innovation affect the external and internal structuring directly and to what extent is this effect mediated by learning and innovation processes?
Using skewness to estimate the semi-strong GARCH(1,1) model

IV estimators with an instrument vector composed only of past squared residuals, while applicable to the semi-strong ARCH(1) model, do not extend to the semi-strong GARCH(1,1) case because of underidentification. Augmenting the instrument vector with past residuals, however, renders traditional IV estimation feasible, if the residuals are skewed. The proposed estimators are much simpler to implement than efficient IV estimators, yet they retain improved finite sample performance over QMLE. Jackknife versions of these estimators deal with the issues caused by many (potentially weak) instruments. A Monte Carlo study is included, as is an empirical application involving foreign currency spot returns.
Assessing Inter-organizational Performance in Supply Chain-Corporate Social Responsibility as a Mediator

This paper presents a conceptual model to examine the factors influencing the inter-organizational performance and implementation in inter-organizational relationships in a supply chain. We examine how attitude toward transactional orientation and relationship orientation affect inter-organizational performance, and how this association is mediated by the corporate social responsibility (CSR). The constructs are measured by well-supported measures in the literature. Data are collected from 207 manufacturing firms that are among the top 2000 Taiwanese manufacturing firms of 2010 listed by ”Business Weekly”. Transactional orientation and relationship orientation were found positively associated with the inter-organizational performance. Results show that CSR increases the willingness to establish relationships to enhance inter-organizational performance for supply chain. Findings of this study provide useful insights into how supply chain members should reinforce their collaborative behaviors and ethical-based relationships in order to enhance inter-organizational performance, consequently achieving a competitive advantage for the supply chain as a whole.
Regulation of chlorophyll synthesis in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: the role of FLP and GUN4

Le sujet de cette these est la regulation de la synthese de la chlorophylle dans l'algue unicellulaire Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. En particulier, je me suis concentre sur les proteines GUN4 et FLP. GUN4 stimule l'activite de la MG-chelatase, la premiere enzyme impliquee dans la synthese de la chlorophylle. FLP est un regulateur negatif de la synthese de la chlorophylle et l'expression de cette proteine est regulee par un signal chloroplastique dependant de l'accumulation des precurseurs de la chlorophylle. Nous avons montre que l'absence de GUN4 limite l'accumulation de la chlorophylle dans la cellule et qu'un niveau reduit de FLP provoque l'accumulation de niveaux eleves de differents precurseurs de la chlorophylle. Nous avons egalement identifie deux regulateurs putatifs de l'epissage alternatif de FLP.
Estimating Consumer Willingness to Supply and Willingness to Pay for Curbside Recycling

We estimate the willingness to pay for curbside recycling based on a contingent valuation survey of 600 residents of a large southeastern United States city. The best estimate of willingness to pay for curbside recycling is $2.29/month after adjustment for hypothetical bias. We also report the results of a field experiment designed to test the effectiveness of explicit monetary incentives and communication appeals to influence the decision to recycle and the quantity of materials to recycle. While households respond to the monetary cost of recycling, the effects of the token, ex ante incentives and appeals appear to be small. (JEL D61, Q21)
Complex tsunami waves suggested by the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary deposit at the Moncada section, western Cuba

The Moncada Formation in western Cuba is an 2-m-thick weakly metamorphosed complex characterized by repetition of calcareous sandstone units that show overall upward fining and thinning. The Moncada Formation contains abundant shocked quartz, altered vesicular impact-melt fragments, and altered and deformed greenish grains of possible impact glass origin. In addition, a high iridium (0.8 ppb)