Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Agricultural Productivity and Deforestation in Brazil

When agricultural productivity improves, farmers may react by expanding farming and further encroach on forest lands, or they may choose to intensify their production and produce more output with less land. We specify the conditions under which agricultural productivity can have such ambiguous effects on deforestation. We then examine the predictions of that model using county-level data from five waves of the Brazilian Census of Agriculture and satellite-based measures of land use. We identify productivity shocks using exogenous variation in rural electrification in Brazil during 1960-2000. We show that locations suitable for hydropower generation experienced improvements in crop yields and that credit-constrained farmers subsequently shifted away from landintensive cattle-grazing and into cropping. As a result, agricultural land use declines, and this effect persists 25 years later in both census and satellite data. Brazil’s deforestation rate would have been almost twice as large between 1970 and 2000 without that increase in agricultural productivity. That makes the conservation benefits of productivity improvements comparable to the most prominent conservation packages ever implemented in Brazil. ∗We thank Arthur Bragança, Francisco Costa, Taryn Dinkelman, Torfinn Harding, Seema Jayachandran, Dana Kassem, Melanie Morten, Richard Hornbeck, Alex Pfaff, Eustáquio Reis, Mark Rosenzweig, Edson Severnini, Jillian Stallman, Joe Shapiro, Gabriel Ulyssea, and seminar participants at Stanford University, the NBER Summer Institute (Energy and Environmental Economics), Yale University, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), Duke University, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (PUC-Chile), Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Fundação Getúlio Vargas Rio de Janeiro (FGV/EPGE) and São Paulo (FGV/EESP), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), UC–Santa Barbara, University of Zurich, the Econometric Society Summer European Meeting, Association of Environmental and Resource Economics (AERE) Annual Meetings, CESIfo Energy and Climate Area Conference, NEUDC for valuable comments and discussions. We also thank Steven Helfand for kindly sharing data from the Brazilian Census of Agriculture.
The online behaviors of Islamic state terrorists in the United States

Correspondence JoeWhittaker,Department ofCriminology,College of Law, SwanseaUniversity, RichardPriceBuilding, Swansea, SA2 8PP, Wales,UK. Email: j.j.whittaker@swansea.ac. uk Research Summary: This study offers an empirical insight into terrorists’ use of the Internet. Although criminology has previously been quiet on this topic, behavior-based studies can aid in understanding the interactions between terrorists and their environments. Using a database of 231 US-based Islamic State terrorists, four important findings are offered: (1) This cohort utilized the Internet heavily for the purposes of both networking with co-ideologues and learning about their intended activity. (2) There is little reason to believe that these online interactions are replacing offline ones, as has previously been suggested. Rather, terrorists tend to operate in both domains. (3) Online activity seems to be similar across the sample, regardless of the number of co-offenders or the sophistication of attack. (4) There is reason to believe that using the Internet may be an impediment to terrorists’ success. Policy Implications: The findings of this study have two important policy implications. First, it is vital to understand the multiplicity of environments in which terrorists inhabit. Policy makers have tended to emphasize the online domain as particularly dangerous and ripe for exploitation. While this is understandable from one perspective, simplistic and monocausal explanations for radicalization must be avoided. Terrorists operate in both the online and offline domain and there is
Behaviour of Geosynthetic Encased Crushed Construction and Demolition Debris Stone Columns

Geosynthetic encased stone columns have been widely recognized as an efficient and costeffective ground improvement technique for improving the load carrying capacity of soft soils. But, the conventional resources such as stone aggregates, gravel etc. are not able to cope with the high demand in the construction industry. Therefore, utilization of potential waste materials such as crushed construction and demolition debris (CCD) in lieu of conventional aggregates in stone columns is a viable and sustainable option. Hence, an attempt was made to use geosynthetics encased CCD columns in improving the load capacity of soft clayey soil. A series of load tests were carried out to examine the performance of soft clay reinforced with geosynthetic encased CCD columns. From the load tests conducted for various L/D (length of geosynthetic encasement to diameter) ratios of the stone columns, it was observed that with fully encased CCD columns, there is a maximum of about 6 fold increase in the load carrying capacity. Thus, CCD can be considered to be a good alternative for aggregates in geosynthetics encased stone columns.
Decentralizing Platform Power: A Design Space of Multi-Level Governance in Online Social Platforms

Many have criticized the centralized and unaccountable governance of prominent online social platforms, leading to renewed interest in platform governance that incorporates multiple centers of power. Decentralization of power can arise horizontally, through parallel communities, each with local administration, and vertically, through multiple hierarchies of overlapping jurisdiction. Drawing from literature on federalism and polycentricity in analogous offline institutions, we scrutinize the landscape of existing platforms through the lens of multi-level governance. Our analysis describes how online platforms incorporate varying forms and degrees of decentralized governance. In particular, we propose a framework that characterizes the general design space and the various ways that middle levels of governance vary in how they can interact with a centralized governance system above and end users below. This focus provides a starting point for new lines of inquiry between platform- and community-governance scholarship. By engaging themes of decentralization, hierarchy, power, and responsibility, while discussing concrete examples, we connect designers and theorists of online spaces.
Students' Mathematical Modeling on PISA Quantity Problems of Formulation Category: Explicit Model Vs Implicit Model

The purpose of this study was to analyze students’ mathematical modeling on PISA quantity problems which concerns formulating contextual situations mathematically. A total of 310 eighth grade students of a state secondary school in Sidoarjo, Indonesia, were involved in a task-based questionnaire whose responses were then analyzed using the stages of understanding the problem, making mathematical models, solving mathematical models, interpreting model solutions in real situations, and validating solutions. The results showed that 21 students made mathematical models explicitly, 29 students made models implicitly and the remaining participants did not create any mathematical model, or the model is incomplete. The explicit model made by the students is one model that represents the whole problem, while the implicit model is in the form of two models, each of which describes one part of the problem, and then they are combined. Of the five stages of mathematical modeling, constructing mathematical models, interpreting model solutions, and validating solutions are found problematics for the student participants.
Evaluation of the quality, environmental safety and biological value of functional curd product

The authors conducted studies to assess the quality and calculation of biological value of the developed curd product. Estimation of organoleptic parameters was carried out with use of tasting scale of curd and curd products estimation, on the basis of which the profilogram was built and it was established that the developed curd product received the maximum quantity for taste and smell, appearance and consistency. Nutritional value of the experimental sample increased due to introduction of whey proteins and sesame seeds: protein (by 2.0%), appearance of carbohydrates (0.3%) and dietary fibers (0.05%). In the experimental sample the number of lactic acid microorganisms considerably exceeds both the normal values and the values of the control sample, which proves its probiotic properties and indicates a high physiological value. The calculated amino acid scoring of the eight essential amino acids is quite high and ranges from 105.9% valine to 191.0% tryptophan, which is well balanced and significantly exceeds the ideal protein. The biological value of the experimental sample with sesame seeds and whey proteins was 65.2%, the utility coefficient was 0.77, which indicates its high biological value and high balance of the amino acid composition.
Pattern of Hematological Response to Glivec in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Patients

Introduction: Chronic myelogenous or myeloid leukemia (CML), also known as chronic granulocytic leukemia (CGL), is a cancer of the white blood cells . It is a form of leukemia characterized by the increased and unregulated growth of predominantly myeloid cells in the bone marrow and the accumulation of these cells in the blood . It is a type of myeloproliferative disease associated with a characteristic chromosomal translocation called the Philadelphia chromosome . The Philadelphia chromosome was first recognized as a shortened chromosome 22, it was noted that the missing piece of chromosome 22 had in fact attached itself to chromosome 9, while a portion of chromosome 9 had translocated to chromosome 22. Abstract:
Application of Multivariate Analysis for the Differentiation of Indigenous Goat Populations of South Gondar, Ethiopia

The study was carried out to describe the indigenous goat population structure in selected districts (Fogera, Farta and Libokemkem) of South Gondar zone by applying multivariate analysis on morphometric variables. Fourteen morphometric traits were taken from 153 male and 357 female goats. The results indicated that the district had a significant effect on all traits of male goats except for body length (BL), height at wither (HW), height at rump (HR), ear length (EL) and scrotal circumference. The district effect in females was also significant for BL, heart girth (HG) and chest depth, paunch girth (PG), HR, and teat length. Age had a highly significant effect on all traits except for EL showing a high heterogeneity among males and females of different flocks. The cluster analysis showed two distinct groups in which Farta goats were included in one cluster while group two included the Fogera and Libokemkem goats under one sub-cluster. The canonical discriminant analysis indicated that Fogera and Libokemkem goats were the closest while the Farta and Fogera goats were the furthest. However, the Mahalanobis distances between the three goat populations were too small indicating the existence of homogeneity among them. The discriminant analysis correctly assigned the respective 58.6%, 62.3% and 63.2% of the Farta, Fogera and Libokemkem goat populations into their source population with an overall 61.4% accuracy rate. In conclusion, multivariate analysis identified BL, HG, HW, PG, HR, canon circumference, rump length, and width as the most imperative traits to effectively differentiate the indigenous goat populations in the studied districts.
RMHP_A_344923 59..70

Background: Since expanding the use of appropriate and effective health technologies will greatly benefit the diagnosis and treatment of some major diseases at an early stage, understanding the mechanism of technology use is crucial for its successful implementation. Few previous studies focused on the healthcare providers and involved multi-facets factors at individual, technical, organizational, and environmental levels. Purpose: To examine the influencing mechanism of technology use among Chinese physicians by integrating multilevel factors, Desgamma-Carboxy Prothrombin (DCP) was taken as an example. Methods: Through multistage random sampling, a cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among physicians in charge of direct use of DCP of sampled secondary and tertiary hospitals. Since the sample data comprised two hierarchical levels (physicians and hospitals), multilevel structural equation modeling was used to link five aspects of factors with physicians’ technology use and estimate the effects. Results: Totally, 229 physicians completed the investigation. The use of DCP appears to be at a relatively low level. Intra-class coefficients of the null model (unadjusted baseline model) suggested that physicians’ DCP use has a significant variation between hospitals. The final model identified that value cognition (B = 0.447, P < 0.01), experienced organizational practice (B = 0.203, P < 0.05), and perceived organizational atmosphere (B = −0.237, P < 0.01) contributed directly to physicians’ DCP use. Additionally, technical assessment, perceived organizational atmosphere, and perceived environmental pressure had indirect impacts on physicians’ DCP use that were mediated by value cognition and experienced organizational practice (P < 0.05). Conclusion: This study incorporated and determined the significant direct or indirect role of value cognition, technical assessment, experienced organizational practice, perceived organizational atmosphere, and perceived environmental pressure. This influencing mechanism with integrated multilevel factors could serve as a theoretical basis for tailoring interventions to promote technology use among Chinese physicians.
The Effectivity of Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) Extract on The Growth Inhibition of Candida Albicans

Department of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Diponegoro, Semarang, Indonesia Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Diponegoro Semarang, Indonesia Article Info History Received: 22 Oct 2021 Accepted: 27 Dec 2021 Available: 31 Dec 2021 Abstract Background: Denture stomatitis is a type of Candida-associated infection that mainly affects the palatal mucosa. Candida albicans is one of the normal floras that is considered to be the primary etiologic agent in the pathogenesis of denture stomatitis. Denture decontamination is necessary to prevent denture stomatitis. One method of decontamination is by immersing removable dentures in an antifungal solution. Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) is a medicinal plant showing antifungal activity. Objectives: To determine the effectivity of immersion of acrylic resin Plate in parsley extract on inhibition of growth of Candida albicans. Methods: The effectivity of immersion of heat-cured acrylic resin plates in parsley extract on inhibition of C. albicans growth was tested using an experimental laboratory study with a post-test-only control group design. Thirty samples were divided into 5 groups as 0.01%, 0.02%, and 0.05% parsley ethanol extract, 0.1% sodium hypochlorite, and sterile aquadest. The number of colony forming units per mL was obtained after calculating the colonies on SDA media, allowing the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) obtained according to the formula. Results: 0.01% parsley ethanol extract is MIC with a mean of 7.4 CFU / ml, which inhibited the growth of C. albicans by 31.05%. The Kruskal Wallis test (p<0.001) results indicate that there is an effectivity of immersion of acrylic resin plate in parsley extract on inhibition of growth of C. albicans. Conclusions: The immersion of acrylic resin plates in parsley ethanol extract with a concentration of 0.01%, 0.02%, and 0.04% has effectivity on the inhibition of growth of C. albicans.
On Centralized and Distributed Mirror Descent: Convergence Analysis Using Quadratic Constraints

Mirror descent (MD) is a powerful first-order optimization technique that subsumes several optimization algorithms including gradient descent (GD). In this work, we leverage quadratic constraints and Lyapunov functions to analyze the stability and characterize the convergence rate of the MD algorithm as well as its distributed variant using semidefinite programming (SDP). For both algorithms, we consider both strongly convex and nonstrongly convex assumptions. For centralized MD and strongly convex problems, we construct an SDP that certifies exponential convergence rates and derive a closed-form feasible solution to the SDP that recovers the optimal rate of GD as a special case. We complement our analysis by providing an explicit $O(1/k)$ convergence rate for convex problems. Next, we analyze the convergence of distributed MD and characterize the rate numerically using an SDP whose dimensions are independent of the network size. To the best of our knowledge, the numerical rate of distributed MD has not been previously reported in the literature. We further prove an $O(1/k)$ convergence rate for distributed MD in the convex setting. Our numerical experiments on strongly convex problems indicate that our framework certifies superior convergence rates compared to the existing rates for distributed GD.
Dirac’s Algorithm for Constrained Systems from the perspective of Order Theory

Dirac based his theory of constrained systems on Linear Algebra foundations. It is a brackets-algebraic consistency procedure with multiple outcomes, including new constraints dropping out and redeclaring brackets becoming necessary (Dirac brackets). This procedure has not yet been edited, however, to caution about and remove scaffolding structures that turn out to not in general be brackets-algebraically consistent. We perform this task here. Our main innovation is moreover demonstration that substantial progress can be made from placing Dirac’s Algorithm on Linear Algebra and Order Theory foundations. For chains, lattices, posets, and digraphs abound therein For instance, in the simpler version of the algorithm, its iterations form a chain, of which its Dirac brackets updating steps are a subchain. Its consistent algebraic structures, meaningful notions of weak equality, of appended Hamiltonians and of observables form bounded lattices. Many key notions – such as Dirac’s extended Hamiltonian or Dirac observables – are identified as extrema of these lattices, cementing their permanence. Others are however revealed to be but simplest examples of middles. By this, e.g. Kuchař observables are in general to be replaced by a poset of algebraicially-consistent middling A-observables. In the harder – path dependent – (previously called bifurcating or branching) version of the algorithm, moreover, iterations and Dirac brackets types become digraph-valued. What previously was a lattice of consistent constraint subalgebraic structures now becomes a competing lattice, described overall by a semi-lattice, with weak equalities, appended Hamiltonians and observables following suit. Order Theory conceptualization thus remains both lucid and under control within this harder case. Such Order-Theoretic considerations furthermore transcend to extended variants and to Temporal Relationalism implementing variants. And to the Generalized Lie Algorithm: a vast generalization of scope in which to apply Dirac’s insights from constrained dynamical systems to wherever Lie Theory is applicable. 1 dr.e. anderson.maths. physics *at* protonmail.com
New Therapies in Head and Neck Cancer

Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) is the most frequent malignancy of the head and neck region. The most prevalent risk factors include smoking, binge drinking, and infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV). While global smoking rates are declining, HPV-related HNSCC rates are rising in the United States and Western Europe, prompting a shift in our knowledge of the disease's pathogenesis, therapy, and prognosis. The prognosis for non-metastatic HNSCC is still extremely good, and it's getting better. Radiation technology and techniques have advanced, as have organ preservation surgery options and interdisciplinary therapy choices.However, there is still a gap in the management of metastatic disease. Although the progress of immune checkpoint inhibitors has resulted in much better results, only a tiny percentage of patients benefit. The majority of individuals with recurrent and/or metastatic HNSCC continue to have a dismal prognosis. This has prompted extensive research into new biomarkers and biomarker-based therapeutics. Adaptive cellular therapy and therapeutic vaccinations are two new treatment alternatives on the horizon. In this review, we highlight the most recent developments in the field of HNSCC as well as the research's future directions.
Repetition probability effects for Chinese characters and German words in the visual word form area

The magnitude of repetition suppression (RS), measured by fMRI, is modulated by the probability of repetitions (P(rep)) for various sensory stimulus categories. It has been suggested that for visually presented simple letters this P(rep) effect depends on the prior practices of the participants with the stimuli. Here we tested further if previous experiences affect the neural mechanisms of RS, leading to the modulatory effects of stimulus P(rep), for more complex lexical stimuli as well. We measured the BOLD signal in the Visual Word Form Area (VWFA) of native Chinese and German participants and estimated the P(rep) effects for Chinese characters and German words. The results showed a significant P(rep) effect for stimuli of the mother tongue in both participant groups. Interestingly, Chinese participants, learning German as a second language, also showed a significant P(rep) modulation of RS for German words while the German participants who had no prior experiences with the Chinese characters showed no such effects. Our findings suggest that P(rep) effects on RS are manifest for visual word processing as well, but only for words of a language with which participants are highly familiar. These results support further the idea that predictive processes, estimated by P(rep) modulations of RS, require prior experiences.
Multi-Agent Curricula and Emergent Implicit Signaling

Emergent communication has made strides towards learning communication from scratch, but has focused primarily on protocols that resemble human language. In nature, multi-agent cooperation gives rise to a wide range of communication that varies in structure and complexity. In this work, we recognize the full spectrum of communication that exists in nature and propose studying lower-level communication. Specifically, we study emergent implicit signaling in the context of decentralized multi-agent learning in difficult, sparse reward environments. However, learning to coordinate in such environments is challenging. We propose a curriculum-driven strategy that combines: (i) velocity-based environment shaping, tailored to the skill level of the multi-agent team; and (ii) a behavioral curriculum that helps agents learn successful single-agent behaviors as a precursor to learning multi-agent behaviors. Pursuit-evasion experiments show that our approach learns effective coordination, significantly outperforming sophisticated analytical and learned policies. Our method completes the pursuit-evasion task even when pursuers move at half of the evader's speed, whereas the highest-performing baseline fails at 80% of the evader's speed. Moreover, we examine the use of implicit signals in coordination through position-based social influence. We show that pursuers trained with our strategy exchange more than twice as much information (in bits) than baseline methods, indicating that our method has learned, and relies heavily on, the exchange of implicit signals.