Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Empowering Refugees through Cash and Agriculture: A Regression Discontinuity Design

Abstract Assistance to refugees is shifting from a humanitarian model, which focuses on protection, emergency relief, and shelter, to a development model promoting refugee self-reliance through income-generating activities, market development, and cash transfers. Evidence on the effects of this paradigm shift is limited. Exploiting a regression discontinuity design, this paper tests whether the adoption of a development approach to refugee assistance in a new settlement in Kenya has a positive impact. We find that refugees benefiting from the new approach have better diets and perceive themselves as happier and more independent from humanitarian aid. We find no effect on assets and employment. These effects appear to be driven by the switch from food rations to cash transfers and by the wider promotion of small-scale agriculture. Our findings argue in favor of the development approach to refugee assistance, which is cheaper and leads to better outcomes.
Reinsurance in the Supplementary Health: A Counterfactual Study on the Impacts of Reinsurance Treaties Adoption by Healthcare Plans Operators in Brazil

The sustainability of the Brazilian Supplementary Health System has been frequently debated, since the number of operators has decreased considerably in recent years after bankruptcy records. In this context, risk transfer mechanisms are presented as options for financial loss mitigation and asset protection. Reinsurance is one of them, but, due to legal understandings, its adoption has been restricted to insurance companies since 2009 and forbidden for other types of operators, such as cooperatives, self-management, and philanthropic enterprises. Using industry microdata and applying the collective risk theory, implemented by the classic ruin model (Cramer-Lundberg), this study aimed to counterfactually verify how reinsurance would impact operators solvency in a hypothetical long-term scenario in which all of them had access to these tools. By introducing quota share, with retentions of 60% and 80% of the aggregate expenses, and Stop-Loss treaties, with retention limits of 80% and 95%, it was verified that the ruin probability decreased in the first case by around 40% and 20%. However, the adoption of Stop-Loss for aggregate expenses increased the need for solvency capital, as a result of its higher premiums, becoming viable when directed to higher cost events.
Shear failure of the Meraka hardwood in bolted connections loaded parallel to the timber grain

This current study was conducted to establish a bolted connection experimental database on Malaysia woods. The effort of improving the retrofit guideline in designing the wall-diaphragm connections of masonry buildings can be continuously done. Brittle failure verifications on the Meraka hardwood to verify the occurrence of row shear failure are presented in this paper. The hardwood species was selected due to its common use as structural rafters and joists in the construction of roof and floor diaphragms of masonry buildings, respectively. Ten groups of a single row of steel-wood-steel (SWS) connections loaded parallel to the timber grain were tested. Each group was prepared with a total of ten replicates of specimens. Comparisons of bolted connection strength between the experimental results and the predictions of the existing design equations are discussed. It was found that the timber standard of Malaysia (MS544) too conservative in estimating the strength, whilst the Row Shear Model (RSM) is more comparative.
English Language Training Curriculum: An Evaluation from Learner’s Perceptions

This study aimed to investigate EFL students’ perceptions of an English language training curriculum for English language majors at a university in Vietnam. The participants included one hundred attendants of the English language courses in the curriculum. The data were collected through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The study results reveal that five components of the English language training curriculum for English language majors at the university (including objective, content, material, teaching method, and assessment) have not yet been done at optimum, as perceived by the students. The participants also suggest making certain modifications in the five components of the curriculum to make it more effective and better adjusted to the learners’ needs. Several important implications and recommendations relevant to the field have also been included.
Consecutive determination of softwood kraft lignin structure and molar mass from NMR measurements

Abstract The general molecular properties and in particular, the molar mass of lignin are of central importance for industrial applications, as these data govern important thermal and mechanical characteristics. The focus of the present paper is pulsed field gradient-nuclear magnetic resonance (PFG-NMR), which is suitable for determination of lignins’ weight-average molar mass, based on diffusion constants. The method is calibrated by lignin fractions characterized by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). It could be demonstrated on a set of softwood kraft lignins that the PFG-NMR approach gives results in very good agreement with those obtained using conventional size exclusion chromatography (SEC).
MODELLING OF POTENTIAL RECHARGE ZONE USING GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEM BASED ON INDONESIA REGULATION AND WATER BALANCE MODEL

: Recharge zone is an important aspect for sustainable water resources management. Recharge are difficult to measure directly and the field-based methods are time consuming, expensive, and require large number of skilled manpower. Application of remote sensing and geographical information system (GIS) has wide application and good result in delineating recharge zone and various other fields. The present study aim to delineating potential recharge zone using GIS based on Indonesia Regulation with comparison of water balance modelling (NRECA and FJ Mock) in Cisadane watershed Indonesia. Water balance model is used for generating rainfall data into monthly discharge (base flow and direct runoff) with validation of 3 discharge station (Genteng, Batubeulah and Serpong) as representative of upstream, middle and downstream of Cisadane watershed. Rainfall is a dynamic and sensitive factor for generating potential recharge zone, there is a significant changing of potential recharge zone between using 3 parameters and 4 parameters, potential recharge zone can increase or decrease based on annual rainfall. The accuracy of NRECA and FJ Mock model and result fairly good validation with acceptable NSE (0.52-0.61) and R values (0.76-0.87). Potential recharge zone map using 4 parameters (land use, slope, soil and rainfall) is suitable with the results of baseflow percentage of NRECA and FJ Mock model. Cisadane watershed is dominated by medium (33.62%) to high potential recharge (55.49%).
A Comparative Experimental Study of MIMO A&F and D&F Relay Nodes Using a Software-Defined Radio Platform

The relaying technologies in co-operative systems are considered a core element in actual and future wireless communications, assisting the network by enhancing its reliability and improving its capability through exploiting co-operativity. In this paper, a co-operative system testbed based on Software Defined Radio (SDR) through Universal Software Radio Peripherals (USRPs) and the MatlabTM software is presented. The main novelty in this development of the platform is the implementation of 4G signal features, such as Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) and Downlink Shared Channel (DL-SCH) for transport channel coding, which is one of the main contribution of the paper. The developed Multi-Input and Multi-Output (MIMO) SDR co-operative platform is capable of developing prototypes for the Relay Nodes. More specifically, the Amplify-&-Forward (A&F)—with or without Zero Forcing (ZF) and Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE) Pre-Equalization—and Decode-&-Forward (D&F) protocols were implemented. Both Single-Input and Single-Output (SISO) and MIMO modes are supported by our testbed. The developed A&F and D&F MIMO co-operative systems in this paper utilize Orthogonal Space-Frequency Block Codes (OSFBCs) for the transmission of data symbols from the source to the destination. Our results show that relay nodes can substantially improve the Bit Error Rate (BER) and throughput in communications between the eNodeB (eNB) and User Equipment (UE). In particular, the maximum throughput achieved by conventional MIMO A&F is 9.3Mbps at SNR=16dB, which is 4Mbps higher than throughput of MIMO Non-Co-operative. It also shows the capacity improvement when considering the pre-equalization in the A&F schemes, compared to the conventional A&F Relay Node. For example, with MIMO A&F-MMSE pattern, a value of 11.8 Mbps is achieved for SNR=16dB, which is 84.8 % of the maximum system throughput (13.95 Mbps). On the other hand, the obtained results with D&F schemes far exceed those obtained with A&F strategies, achieving the maximum performance with the 2 × 2 MIMO D&F protocol from SNR=8dB. Furthermore, this work constitutes a first stage to the implementation of a 5G New-Radio Co-operative System platform.
Northern Fennoscandia via the British Isles: evidence for a novel post-glacial recolonization route by winter moth (Operophtera brumata)

The frequency and severity of outbreaks by pestiferous insects is increasing globally, likely as a result of human-mediated introductions of non-native organisms. However, it is not always apparent whether an outbreak is the result of a recent introduction of an evolutionarily naive population, or of recent disturbance acting on an existing population that arrived previously during natural range expansion. Here we use approximate Bayesian computation to infer the colonization history of a pestiferous insect, the winter moth, Operophtera brumata L. (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), which has caused widespread defoliation in northern Fennoscandia. We generated genotypes using a suite of 24 microsatellite loci and find that populations of winter moth in northern Europe can be assigned to five genetically distinct clusters that correspond with 1) Iceland, 2) the British Isles, 3) Central Europe and southern Fennoscandia, 4) Eastern Europe, and 5) northern Fennoscandia. We find that the northern Fennoscandia winter moth cluster is most closely related to a population presently found in the British Isles, and that these populations likely diverged around 2,900 years ago. This result suggests that current outbreaks are not the result of a recent introduction, but rather that recent climate or habitat disturbance is acting on existing populations that may have arrived to northern Fennoscandia via pre-Roman traders from the British Isles, and/or by natural dispersal across the North Sea likely using the Orkney Islands of northern Scotland as a stepping-stone before dispersing up the Norwegian coast.
Economic analysis of the controlled drainage with sub-irrigation system: a case study of grain-producing farms in Quebec and Ontario

Abstract Water table management is a recommended practice to maintain crop production in Eastern Canada. Grain corn is highly susceptible under climate change and adoption of better management practices is almost a necessity. Use of controlled drainage with sub-irrigation is one of the practices recommended. A major question is whether farmers would adopt this practice. Since adoption of new practices often depend on their impact on farm net returns, an economic analysis of controlled drainage with sub-irrigation was undertaken. Results suggest that on grain producing farms, this technology is only slightly superior to the baseline technology of conventional drainage system.
Ab initio study of graphene interaction with O2, O and O-

A systematic ab initio (DFT-GGA) study of adsorption of various oxygen species on graphene has been performed in order to find out general trends and provide a good starting point to analyze the oxidation of more complex carbon materials. Particular attention was paid to finding an appropriate supercell model. According to our findings, atomic O is characterized by stable adsorption on graphene and very strong adsorption on defective graphene. On the other hand, O 2 does not adsorb on graphene and is allowed to diffuse freely to the defect, where it is expected to dissociate into two strongly adsorbed O atoms. The obtained results were compared with available theoretical data in the literature and good agreement was achieved.
Impacts of aerosol-photolysis interaction and aerosol-radiation 
feedback on surface-layer ozone in North China during a multi-pollutant air pollution episode

Abstract. We examined the impacts of aerosol-radiation interactions, including the effects of aerosol-photolysis interaction (API) and aerosol-radiation feedback (ARF), on surface-layer ozone (O3) concentrations during one multi-pollutant air pollution episode characterized by high O3 and PM2.5 levels from 28 July to 3 August 2014 in North China, by using the Weather Research and Forecasting with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) model embedded with an integrated process analysis scheme. Our results show that aerosol-radiation interactions decrease the daytime downward shortwave radiation at surface, 2 m temperature, 10 m wind speed, planetary boundary layer height, photolysis rates J[NO2] and J[O1D] by 115.8 W m−2, 0.56 °C, 0.12 m s−1, 129 m, 1.8 × 10−3 s−1 and 6.1 × 10−6 s−1, and increase relative humidity at 2 m and downward shortwave radiation in the atmosphere by 2.4 % and 72.8 W m−2. The weakened photolysis rates and changed meteorological conditions reduce surface-layer O3 concentrations by up to 11.4 ppb (13.5 %), with API and ARF contributing 74.6 % and 25.4 % of the O3 decrease, respectively. The combined impacts of API and ARF on surface O3 are further quantitatively characterized by the ratio of changed O3 concentration to local PM2.5 level. The ratio is calculated to be −0.14 ppb (µg m−3)−1 averaged over the multi-pollutant air pollution area in North China. Process analysis indicates that the weakened O3 chemical production makes the greatest contribution to API effect while the reduced vertical mixing is the key process for ARF effect. This study implies that future PM2.5 reductions will lead to O3 increases due to weakened aerosol-radiation interactions. Therefore, tighter controls of O3 precursors are needed to offset O3 increases caused by weakened aerosol-radiation interactions in the future.
Rapid phonotactic constraint learning in ageing: evidence from speech errors

ABSTRACT Older adults are able to implicitly pick up structural regularities in the environment despite declining cognitive abilities. Here, we investigated elderly’s abilities to implicitly pick up novel linguistic constraints in speech production. Across four training days, young and healthy older Dutch-speaking adults were asked to rapidly recite Dutch phonotactic syllables. Two unrestricted consonants were experimentally constrained to onset or coda positions depending on the medial vowel. Analysis of speech errors revealed rapid adherence to the novel second-order constraints in both the younger and the older group. However, in the older group, there was weaker trial-specific learning compared to the younger group, potentially due to explicit memory deficits. Strikingly, the error pattern of the elderly mirrors earlier developmental work with children using the same paradigm. The findings are discussed in light of possible age-dependent differences in implicit and explicit cognitive subsystems underlying human skill learning.
A systems perspective as a tool to understand disruption in travel and tourism

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of systems thinking and its value for strategic foresight and scenario planning to address disruptive forces from the outside, with the outbreak of COVID19 as a case study. Design/methodology/approach This conceptual paper concisely discusses the notion of systems thinking and the concept of complex adaptive systems and puts this in the context of contemporary society in general and travel and tourism in particular. Strategic foresight and scenario planning are introduced as an approach to anticipate disruptions in the complex adaptive travel and tourism system. Findings As COVID-19 has demonstrated, travel and tourism is sensitive for disruptions from the outside. To ensure long-term resilience and sustainability, a systems approach embedded in strategic foresight and scenario planning is emphasised. Practical implications Strategic foresight and scenario planning is a competence that can be learned. Originality/value Given the present status of COVID-19 and other disruptors on travel and tourism, a resilient approach to the future is necessary; thus, the value of this viewpoint paper is the proposition of an adaptive capacity system. This paper offers advice to understand and manage complexity and adaptive systems.
A Proactive Model for Optimizing Swarm Search Algorithms for Intrusion Detection System

This paper proposes a novel a Proactive model for Swarm Optimization for feature selection (PMSO) of intrusion detection system. The proposed model potentially enhances the search process and initial value of population for swarm optimization algorithms. The swarm optimization often suffering from falling in a local optimum, one of the main causes of this problem is the initial value of the population. Our proposed model is applied with the aim to address these challenges by restarting generate the population when system sensed the search process go forward stagnation. This process will give high exploration and reduce the probability of Stagnation in local optima. Benchmark datasets, namely, NSL-KDD datasets is used to demonstrate and validate the performance of the proposed model for intrusion detection. Experimentally, the machine learning accuracy has provided better classification results with proposed system (%2) than swarm optimization (Particle Swarm Optimization and Bat Algorithm).
La chimie des substances renouvelables

This introduction to the special issue describes briefly the wide possibilities of using vegetal biomass (a renewable resource) as a source of monomers, oligomers and polymers. The interest of this strategy is double: on the one hand because a large variety of products is available either directly or after chemical modification and, on the other hand because these sources are continuously renewed and ubiquitous. Thus, simple and complex molecular structures like terpenes, different types of resins, oils, hemicelluloses, tannins, lignins, starch, cellulose. can be extracted directly from many vegetable species whereas other compounds, such as furfural, fatty acids, xylitol, sorbitol. are obtained by isolating different precursors and modifying them chemically.
Knowledge Management Enablers and Its Impact on the Performance Outcomes of State Universities in the Philippines

The main objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between knowledge management enablers and performance outcomes in higher education institutions in the Philippines particularly state universities. The population of the study was the faculty members of three selected state universities. Simple random sampling was utilized to select the samples. The sample size of the study was 150 and all the 150 questionnaires were useful for the aim of this study and making the response rate of 100%. The reliability of data was tested by Cronbach’s alpha and regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. Results revealed that employee management has positive and significant impacts on teaching, research, citation, international outlook, and industry income. The same results are determined with organizational culture except for industry income. Information technology has positive and significant impacts on international outlook and industry income while leadership has negative and significant impacts on international outlook. This study concludes that employee motivation was a predictor of performance in teaching, research, citation, international outlook, and industry income. Organizational culture was a predictor of teaching, research, citation, and international outlook. Information technology was a predictor of international outlook and industry income and leadership was only a predictor of international outlook but negatively. The findings of this study may be utilized by higher education institutions in decision making to develop policies in achieving better performance outcomes.
Forest Cover Dynamics of a Lowland Rainforest in Southwestern Nigeria Using GIS and Remote Sensing Techniques

The rate of forest degradation and deforestation in Nigeria has been increasing over the years and is prominent in the southwestern parts. Despite the significant change and degradation observed in a lowland rainforest in the region—Ogbese Forest Reserve, there is a great dearth of information about the level of forest cover change. Therefore, this study determined the cover dynamics of the rainforest reserve over the epoch of 20 years using Geographic Information System and remote sensing techniques. Coordinates of the boundary and some other benchmark places within the forest reserve were obtained. Secondary data collection included: Landsat imageries of 1998, 2002 and 2018. An interview guide was used to obtain information from forest officials and locals of the surrounding communities to complement the spatial data obtained. Image classification was done using the maximum likelihood algorithm. The rate of change across the epochs was determined using the area of the land cover classes. The level of vegetation disturbance in the reserve was determined through Normalized Difference Vegetation Index. Five different forest cover classes were identified in the study area: forest, plantation, farmland, grassland, and bare land. The natural forest reduced significantly from 34.43 km2 (48%) in 1998 to 8.73 km2 (12%) in 2002 and was depleted further by 2018, while other cover classes increased. NDVI value also reduced from 0.25 to 0.13. Agriculture, among others, was observed as the main driver of forest degradation and deforestation in Ogbese Forest Reserve. The study concluded that the remaining forest (i.e. plantation) could also be depleted by 2025, as it decreases by −0.94 km2 per year if proper reforestation and management practices are not introduced.