Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Contract farming as a tool for the development of smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Zimbabwe’s land-reform process has been widely debated and severely criticised, yet seldom been analysed at greater depth. In the transition from startup small-holding farmer to the long-run goal of commercial farmer, Zimbabweans currently experience a phase of increasing “contract farming”. New farmers are producing for contractors who buy up their produce at predetermined prices. Ideally, these contractors or agribusinesses also help the smallholders to get the seeds and fertiliser, obtain the necessary equipment, help with the production technology and assist in other ways. On the basis of interviews with 25 farmers and 12 agribusinesses in different regions of the country, the study tries to asses the merits, risks and preconditions for success of contract farming. The responses from both sides of this contract farming system suggest that overall success will largely depend on the effective co-operation between the two sides and the facilitation of the process by relevant government departments and/or supportive NGOs. Ideally, the lessons to be learned from these transitional reform processes are directly relevant for land reform and agricultural development efforts in other African countries. %%%%AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Zimbabwe se grondhervormingsstelsel is in die jongste tyd wyd bespreek en skerp gekritiseer, maar dit is selde in groter diepte ontleed. In die oorgang van beginners-kleinskaal-boerdery tot die lang-termyn oogmerk van kommersiele boerdery word die land tans gekenmerk deur ‘n vinnig toenemende proses van “kontrak-boerdery”. Nuwe boere produseer vir kontrakteurs wat hul produksie teen voorafonderhandelde pryse opkoop. Op hul beste voorsien die kontrakteurs ook die saadgoed en kunsmis, verskaf die nodige toerusting, help met die produksie-tegnologie en voorsien ander take. Op die grondslag van diepte-onderhoude met 25 kleinboere en 12 landboubesighede in verskillende dele van die land, probeer die studie die meriete, risikos en suksesvoorwaardes van hierdie stelsel van kontrakboerdery te bepaal. Terugvoering van die twee kante van die stelsel toon dat sukses grootliks afhang van die effektiewe samewerking en interaksie van die twee partye tot die stelsel asook ondersteuning deur die betrokke staatsdepartemente en ander ondersteunende organisasies. Lesse geleer uit hierdie studie van Zimbabwe se hervormingsproses behoort direk relevant te wees vir soortgelyke hervormingsprosesse in ander Afrikastate.
Strategic Positioning of United States Air Force Civil Engineer Contingency Equipment within the Supply Chain

Abstract : The consolidation and forward positioning of critical inventories often provides substantial benefits over a geographically dispersed posture. Such benefits include, but are not limited to: increased inventory visibility, reduced transportation costs, and fewer manpower requirements. Presently, the United States Air Force (USAF) Civil Engineer (CE) community maintains a disseminated posture of equipment Unit Type Codes (UTCs), which regularly experiences inconsistencies in handling, tracking, and capability reporting. Provided the aforementioned discrepancies, this research effort examines several aspects surrounding the decision to potentially centralize critical CE inventories to either one or two locations. Specifically, the areas of cost, risk, and manpower are scrutinized to facilitate an objective decision by USAF CE senior leaders on whether or not to pursue an alternative equipment posture. Three scholarly articles are presented covering each area of interest and data supported recommendations are provided. The research offers insight concerning the decision of inventory consolidation as well as available methods to facilitate such a determination.
Profound improvement : building learning-community capacity on living-system principles

1. A Learning Community: Some Frames Of Reference 2. Personal Capacity: The Search for Knowledge 3. Personal Capacity: The Construction of Knowledge 4. Interpersonal Capacity: Building the Learning Community Climate 5. Interpersonal Capacity: Building the Team 6. Organizational Capacity: Opening Doors and Breaking down Walls 7. Organizational Capacity: Leadership for Learning 8. Organizational Capacity: Making It So 9. The Learning Community: Retrospect and Prospect
Effect of supplemental tannin on silage quality and animal performance

Tannin has the ability to reversibly complex with forage protein s . A series of experiments were conducted to test the effect of supplementary chestnut hydrolysable tannin (HT) on a variety of forage s to reduce protein degradability. Experiment 1 in vestigated the effect of additional HT to different forages on ensiling characteristics and rumen degradability. Tannin was applied prior ensiling at either 40g kg - 1 FW high tannin (HiT), or 20g kg - 1 FW low tannin (LT). An inoculant treatment ( L. plantarum ) 10 6 CFUg - 1 FW (Inoc) as a positive control and untreated (W) as a negative control. Water addition was unified by adding 0.5 l kg - 1 FW and forages ensiled for 100d. Addition of tannin reduced (P<0.01) silage NH 3 - N concentration (42, 49, 56 and 60g kg - 1 TN for HiT, LT, Inoc and W respectively). Tannin supplementation was found to r educe ( P <0.05) DM and CP effective rumen degradability Experiment 2, evaluated the effect of additional HT (30g kg - 1 DN) to rye grass either at ensiling or feeding on lamb performance. Five experimental treatments were prepared: fresh grass supplemented with HT (30g kg - 1 DM) at ensiling (GET), untreated rye grass silage (G), rye grass silage treated with inoculate (G+I), G plus additional tannin (30g kg - 1 DM) at feeding (G+T) and G+I plus a dditional tannin (30g kg - 1 DM) at feeding (G+I+T). Supplementation with tannin had no effect on lamb performance, however it reduced rumen NH 3 - N concentration in diets receiving tannin (0.14, 0.19, 0.17, 0.17 and 0.14g l - 1 GET G, G+T, G+I and G+I+T, respec tively). In e xperiment 3, lucerne silage was treated with four levels of HT (0, 25, 50 and 75 g kg - 1 DM) and offered ad libitum to single bearing ewes in late pregnancy and early lactation. Additional 25 and 50 g kg - 1 DM HT were found to increase ( P <0.05) milk yield (2.5, 2.8, 2.6 and 2.4 L d - 1 for 0, 25, 50 and 75g kg - 1 DM respectively) . In conclusion HT reduced protein degradability inside the silage silo and animal rumen, plus increas ed milk yield was observed.
Afghanistan in the Era of Fentanyl: Considering Potential Economic and Political Impacts of a Collapse in Demand for Afghanistan's Opiates

or more than a quarter century, Afghanistan’s revenues from sales of opiates—opium, morphine, and heroin—that derive from its opium poppy have helped sustain its rural populations, support its economy, and, to its detriment, fuel corruption and insurgency (Greenfield et al., 2015, citing Byrd and Mansfield, 2014). Although many policymakers have sought to end these sales, few policy analysts have considered the broad impacts of a sudden, lasting end for Afghanistan (Humphreys, Caulkins, and Felbab-Brown, 2018). In this Perspective, we ask, “What might happen to Afghanistan if demand for its opiates dropped off sharply and permanently? ” And we suggest possible answers. More specifically, we explore the potential economic and political implications of an opiate market collapse for Afghanistan and, by extension, for ongoing foreign assistance and security interventions. This scenario is plausible not because of an imagined demand-side reckoning with drug use but because illegally manufactured fentanyl—a potent, easy-toproduce, and inexpensive synthetic opioid—may displace heroin. Such a future is VICTORIA A. GREENFIELD, BRYCE PARDO, JIRKA TAYLOR
Neural Network Training on Human Body Core Temperature Data

Abstract : A multi-layer Adaptive Linear Element neural network computer program was trained with back-propagation on physiological response data from nine subjects walking on a treadmill in two simulated tropical environments. The 100 minute end-point body core temperatures calculated were compared to the measured responses. It was found that although correlation was low and simultaneous high specificity and sensitivity were not displayed, the results were comparable to the predictions from an established human thermal response prediction programme for these subjects. It is concluded that the neural network modelling technique has merit in this field and should be explored further as more data become available.
STUDI KOMPARATIF THE DAY OF THE WEEK EFFECT DAN THE MONTH OF THE YEAR EFFECT DALAM PEROLEHAN RETURN SAHAM DI BURSA EFEK INDONESIA PADA PERUSAHAAN LQ 45 PERIODE FEBRUARI 2017-JANUARI 2018

The concept of the efficient capital markets has become a topic of debate is fascinating and quite controversial in the field of finance. Since the introduction his the efficient market hypothesis, comes a variety of behavior of irregularity or discrepancy in the capital markets. Irregularity is referred to as a market anomaly (market anomaly). The Market anomaly that became a lot of attention is the anomalous effect of calendar. These anomalies are the day of the week effect and the month of the year effect. This research was conducted due to the results of several studies that are not consistent on the day of the week effect and the month of the year effect in obtaining the return of shares in Indonesia stock exchange.
Process Development for the Fabrication of Spheroidal Microdevice Packages Utilizing MEMS Technologies

Abstract : Sub-mm3 spherical microrobots are being researched as a path towards reconfigurable wireless networks and programmable matter. The microrobot design requires a spheroidal microdevice package compatible with solar energy collection, wireless sensing, and electrostatic actuation mechanisms to be developed. Throughout this research, a variety of MEMS fabrication techniques were evaluated with regards to their applicability to the packaging process. SF6-based plasma was determined to be a preferable alternative to wet HNA etching when producing repeatable bulk isotropic etches in silicon. The effect of silicon crystal orientation on etch variance and anisotropy was also investigated. HNA polishing was demonstrated as an effective method of reducing undercutting, surface roughness, and anisotropy. MatLab image processing routines were developed and incorporated into etch analysis, providing an efficient method of data collection. A method of performing sophisticated wafer alignment and photolithography processes by leveraging existing cleanroom devices was proposed. This research established a path forward for an advanced packaging scheme designed to move microelectronics packages away from the planar circuit board configurations of the past and into the autonomous architectures of the future. The proposed design is applicable to a wide variety of microelectronics applications while meeting the requirements of the sub-mm3 spherical microrobot system.
Ni-Mediated Generation of “CN” Unit from Formamide and Its Catalysis in the Cyanation Reactions

The in situ generation of a “cyano” unit from readily available organic precursors is of high interest in synthetic chemistry. Herein, we report the first example of Ni-mediated dehydration of formamide to form “CN” and its subsequent catalytic applications in the hydrocyanation of alkynes and cyanation of aryl halides. Formamide can serve as a convenient source for the nitrile unit, in that it releases water as the only byproduct.
Oxidative Stability of Crude and Refined Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) Seed Oil during Accelerated Storage

Kenaf seed oil has been suggested to be used as edible oil but there is limited information available about the oxidative stability of refined kenaf seed oil. An oxidative stability test was performed on crude and refined kenaf seed oil under accelerated storage at 65oC for 24 days. The results showed that refined oil underwent higher oxidation than the crude oil, as indicated by the peroxide value (40.55 meq/kg), p-Anisidine value (18.78) and total oxidation value (99.87) in refined oil at day 24. There was no significant difference in the free fatty acid value in refined oil during the accelerated storage. Oleic acid remained the most abundant in the fatty acid composition of kenaf seed oil, followed by linoleic acid and palmitic acid during storage. The unsaturated fatty acids decreased slightly coupled with a slight increase in the saturated fatty acids in kenaf seed oil during storage. Refining process decreased the oxidative stability of kenaf seed oil, but the refined kenaf seed oil was able to maintain good quality in free fatty acid value and fatty acid composition.
Design and the material cycle : an investigation into secondary material use in design practice

Since the UK government's Waste Strategy was introduced in 2000 there has been sustained emphasis on the diversion of waste material from landfill and it has been acknowledged that stable markets for secondary materials must be developed to ensure that the resources used to recover them are not expended needlessly. This thesis looks at the issues surrounding a designer's ability to select secondary materials for the production of new artefacts and proposes a new framework for supporting that activity. While in the past recycled materials have mainly been used either for highly visible 'one-offs' or hidden components the stance taken here is that both creative design and volume production are essential for stable markets in the short term and effective materials cycles in the future. Therefore product and industrial design was the initial focus of this research. The investigation involved three empirical enquiries: Enquiry 1 employed a survey method to explore the design scenario of product and industrial designers and its influence on their ability to select secondary materials. Enquiries 2 & 3 looked at the issues involved in recovering and using secondary materials (focusing on plastic in London), and the tools currently available to support designers. The primary research suggests that the scenario of product and industrial design consultants is not generally conducive to the consideration and use of secondary materials. Specifications for two tools that could improve the situation are proposed: 1) to build knowledge and awareness of secondary materials, and; 2) to improve materials information for design. However the issues with using secondary materials in design practice are manifold and so the research concludes with a framework identifying five central considerations for supporting the use of secondary materials in design practice. This thesis contributes original knowledge in the field of design research by: • proposing specifications for new tools to support the use of secondary materials in design practice; • presenting a range of approaches to sourcing and using secondary materials in design practice; • furthering understanding of the design scenario and how it may inhibit or enable designers to act in specific ways; • challenging existing approaches to material information provision for designers with a new emphasis on dialogue with specialists and the important role of materials librarians.
Sonic Booms Produced by United States Air Force and United States Navy Aircraft: Measured Data

Abstract : A sonic measurement program was conducted at Edwards Air Force Base. Sonic boom signatures, produced by F-4, F-14, F-15, F-16, F-18, F111, SR-71, and T-38 aircraft, were obtained under the flight track and at various lateral sites which were located up to 18 miles off-track. Thirteen monitors developed by Det 1 AL/BBE were used to collect full sonic boom waveforms, and nine modified dosimeters were used to collect supplemental peak overpressures and the C- weighted Sound Exposure Levels (CSEL) for 43 near steady supersonic flights of the above United States Air Force and United States Navy aircraft. This report describes the measured database (BOOMFILE) that contains sonic boom signatures and overpressures, aircraft tracking, and local weather data. These measured data highlight the major influences on sonic boom propagation and generation. The data from this study show that a constant offset of 26 from the peak overpressure expressed in dB gives a good estimate of the CSEL of a sonic boom.
Relationship between Echocardiographic Epicardial Fat Thickness and Different Body Fat Distribution

Background : Obesity is a worldwide complicated health problem. It is connected with an amplified cardiovascular mortality and morbidity result from obesity itself on one hand and concomitant with other medical conditions like (diabetes , hypertension, , sleep apnea syndrome, insulin resistance) on other hand. obesity result in multiple functional and structural cardiac changes which may cause heart failure, these changes detected by developed cardiac imaging methods, one of these methods is Echocardiography which is simple, accurate, non-invasive, sensitive diagnostic tool for evaluation of important cardiac changes related to obesity . Objectives: The study is aimed to determine the consequences of obesity on echocardiographic value for epicardial fat thickness in adult and middle age Iraqi persons . Patients and Method: The study was a case-control, based on a non- randomized selected samples from both gender from Basrah city, carried out on 150 subjects aged 20-55 years, persons were grouped according to body mass index to: 1- 50 obese (no history of cardiovascular disease) (BMI≥30kg/m2) , 2- 50 obese having ischemic heart disease (BMI≥30kg/m2) , 50 control apparently healthy (BMI 18.5-24.9) Iraqi subjects all persons underwent transthoracic echocardiography to measure the epicardial fat thickness, this value was stated as mean and standard error. This study was done between December 2018 till April 2019 at the Echocardiography Unit in Basrah Teaching Hospital . Results: There was a significant increase in epicardial fat thickness in addition to some anthropometric indices among obese subjects as compared to control group , but waist / thigh, waist/hip and conicity index looked unchanged significantly. Conclusion: Obesity is positively interconnected with increase in epicardial fat thickness in addition to some anthropometric indices that support obesity and can predict cardiovascular risks .
Technology requirements for advanced earth orbital transportation systems. Volume 3: Summary report - dual mode propulsion

The impact of dual-mode propulsion on cost-effective technology requirements for advanced earth-orbital transportation systems is considered. Additional objectives were to determine the advantages of the best dual mode concept relative to the LO2/LH2 concept of the basic study. Normal technology requirements applicable to horizontal take-off and landing single-stage-to-orbit systems utilizing dual mode rocket propulsion were projected to the 1985 time period. These technology projections were then incorporated in a vehicle parametric design analysis for two different operational concepts of a dual mode propulsion system. The resultant performance, weights and costs of each concept were compared. The selected propulsion concept was evaluated to confirm the parametric trending/scaling of weights and to optimize the configuration.
The voluntary environmentalists : green clubs, ISO 14001, and voluntary regulations

Tables Figures List of appendices Preface 1. Introduction 2. Green clubs: an institutionalist perspective 3. ISO 14001 and voluntary programs 4. Adopting ISO 14001 5. ISO 14001 and firms' performance 6. Conclusions and future directions References Index.
Ecosystem functions are related to tree diversity in forests but soil biodiversity in open woodlands and shrublands

Millions of trees are expected to be planted in forested and non‐forested ecosystems during the United Nations Decade of Restoration. Trees and soil organisms are known to interact, and are both crucial for maintaining multiple ecosystem functions. However, little is known about how the bidirectional relationships among above‐ and below‐ground diversity and ecosystem functions differ across forested and non‐forested ecosystems. We collected data from 126 sites from humid to arid areas in eastern Australia to explore bidirectional relationships among above‐ground (richness of trees and other plants) and below‐ground (richness of bacteria, fungi, invertebrate, protist) diversity and multiple ecosystem functions (multifunctionality, litter and labile carbon storage, nutrient pools, decomposition, groundstorey plant biomass production, soil stability) in forested (tree cover >10%) and non‐forested (tree cover ≤10%, open woodlands, shrublands) systems. We found that the relative importance of above‐ and below‐ground diversity differed among forested and non‐forested systems. Ecosystem functions, such as litter and labile carbon storage and soil stability, were associated mainly with tree richness in forested systems. By comparison, ecosystem functions of non‐forests were related to the richness of soil organisms. Such bidirectional biodiversity–ecosystem function relationships varied with the target function, and the relationships among ecosystem functions and the relative abundance of species varied with tree and soil taxa. The richness of other plants (i.e. all plants excluding trees) and soil organisms was positively coupled in forests only, but there were no linkages among above‐ and below‐ground diversity and ecosystem functions in non‐forests for groundstorey plant biomass production. Furthermore, increases in aridity and soil pH further weakened the biodiversity–ecosystem function relationships in forested and non‐forested systems, by suppressing above‐ground diversity and bacterial richness, respectively. Synthesis. Our study provides strong empirical evidence that the bidirectional relationships among above‐ and below‐ground diversity and ecosystem functions are highly variable across ecosystem and function types. Moreover, our study demonstrates that soil biodiversity is relatively more important than tree diversity in supporting ecosystem functions in non‐forested systems. This suggests that conservation of soil biodiversity is critical for maintaining the functioning of open woodland and shrubland systems.
Simulating the collision response of ship side structures: A failure criteria benchmark study

Simulations of the collision response of three different ship side structures are performed using the finite element method. The aim is to obtain a force-penetration curve based on the inner mechanics without considering outer dynamics. Respective structures were previously tested in large scale under the right angle ship-ship collision with a bulbous bow and these experiments were used to validate the simulations. The analysis focus is to determine the influence on the collision results from different failure criteria including the mesh size sensitivity. This paper applies the Germanischer Lloyd (GL) criterion based on thru thickness plastic strain, the criterion based on studies of Peschmann and the Rice-Tracey and Crockcroft-Latham (RTCL) criterion. The comparison of results attained here with the experimental results brings an insight into the sensitivity of the failure criteria. The final conclusion of this work is the performance of the studied failure criteria and further guidelines for collision or grounding simulations.