Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors Influencing Participation and Acreage Allocation in Tree Planting Program: A Case of Nyeri District, Kenya

The study evaluated factors influencing participation in tree planting program and the extent of participation measured in acreage allocation in Nyeri district, Kenya. With many studies focusing only on the factors influencing participation, drawback often arises from self selection. Hence the study employed Heckman two stage sample selection model in analysis to deal with this problem. Various socioeconomic, farm specific and institutional factors that affect participation and the extent in tree planting program were evaluated. Multistage sampling was used to select 120 farmers. The results showed that farm size, access to micro-finance and awareness program’s benefits positively influenced participation and extent of participation and were significant at various levels of significance. This implies that increased participation can be enhanced through increased awareness of program’s benefits and institutional innovations such as inclusion of microfinance in the program model that will attract smallholder farmers.
National Savings, Investment and Institutional Freedoms in Pakistan

Institutional freedom is considered one of the most important factor in the debate of economic growth of nations. Most prominent kinds of institutional freedom which actively take part in economic prosperity are democracy (political liberalization) and economic freedom (business liberalization). In the history of economic growth savings and investment issues have their unique importance. More or less economists of all schools of thought agreed on this point of view that savings and investment directly and indirectly play vital role in economic growth of nations. This study presents the overview that either both democracy and economic freedom are really important factors for national savings and investment in Pakistan. For empirical investigation this study measured the indexes of level of economic freedom and democracy on annual basis. “Alliance for Restoration of Democracy in Asia” (ARDA) and “The Fraser Institute Canada” methodologies are adopted for measurement of democracy and economic freedom in Pakistan respectively. For study period 1970 to 2007 this study constructed the data set of 38 annual observations. The most recent econometric technique ARDL approach is employed for examination of long run and short run relationships between targeted variables. On empirically grounds it is divulged that during study period democracy in Pakistan did not contribute remarkably toward national saving and investment proxies. According to results, democracy affected the national savings and investment in Pakistan positively but insignificantly. Economic freedom the other core explanatory variable is considered more conducive for investment while it hampered the national savings remarkably in Pakistan during study period.
The Effect of Local Political Context on How Americans Vote

Neighborhood context could condition voting decisions, but systematic investigation of whether (how) the traits of a given locale shape individual voting decisions is sparse. We explore the possibility that local partisan balance affects turnout and the use of convenience voting in particular. Using comprehensive registered-voter lists from four swing states in the 2002 and 2006 elections, we find an intriguing asymmetry: Republican registrants are usually sensitive to partisan context, whereas Democrats are not. Republican election-day turnout rates generally decrease with the proportion of partisan registrants that are Democratic in the area. This demobilization is only sporadically counterbalanced by greater use of convenience voting. In contrast, Democrats exhibit less systematic patterns. In many cases, there are seemingly perverse effects, wherein Democratic turnout rates fall with growing Democratic registration advantages. The asymmetry may be driven by differences in the competitiveness of elections in areas with notable imbalances in partisan registration.
Negotiating International Food Standards: The World Trade Organization's Impact on the Codex Alimentarius Commission

The article presents an empirical account of how the role, position, and perception of the intergovernmental food standardization body, Codex Alimentarius Commission, has changed after being referred to by the World Trade Organization (WTO) as the “central reference point for the elaboration of international food standards. ” Both the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Agreement and the Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement include provisions that encourage WTO members to base their national regulations on international standards. The article focuses on key issues in the Codex that may have a significant impact on international food trade. The overall conclusion is that the WTO has contributed to constraining the activity and shaping the expectations of Codex members. Governments participating in Codex activities have changed their behavior after 1995 due to increased uncertainty with respect to how decisions in Codex may be binding for them under the WTO Agreements.
Buddhism, Economics, and Environmental Values: A Multilevel Analysis of Sustainable Development Efforts in Bhutan

Approaches linking conservation with development often ignore the impacts of economic change on traditional cultures. While some researchers suggest that development enhances environmental values, others maintain that it threatens traditional beliefs and norms that foster respect for the environment. In this article, I explore how economic factors, religious factors, and community norms are associated with environmental values in 13 villages in three communities in Bhutan. Using multilevel logistic regression, I analyze four environmental values questions and find that economic rather than religious factors are better indicators of environmental values, supporting the “conservation and development” approach. Further, traditional community norms show little relationship with environmental values. However, a national-level environmental norm resulting from government efforts and based, in part, on Buddhist principles, may be emerging. Though economic factors are clearly crucial, Bhutan's development approach suggests a top-down commitment to the environment couched in religious terms may also support environmental values.
Phase I-II trial of high-dose calcium leucovorin and 5-fluorouracil in advanced colorectal cancer.

Twenty-six patients with metastatic colorectal adenocarcinoma were entered into a Phase I-II study of 5-fluorouracil (5-FUra)-high-dose leucovorin (CF). The starting dose of 5-FUra was 300 mg/sq m with escalation to 750 mg/sq m/week in 6 doses given by rapid i.v. injection midway during a 2-hr infusion of CF, 500 mg/sq m. Partial responses were seen in 9 of 23 patients (6 of 12 who had had previous 5-FUra). Complete normalization of liver enzymes was seen in two of these patients. Side effects were seen sporadically with 5-FUra doses up to 600 mg/sq m. At a 600-mg/sq m 5-FUra dose, 8 of 18 patients had diarrhea, and 2 of 18 had white blood cell counts less than 3000/microliter. At a 750-mg/sq m dose of 5-FUra, 6 of 11 patients had severe diarrhea and 6 of 11 had white blood cell counts less than 3000/microliter. Other toxicities were mild conjunctivitis and lacrimation, thinning of the nails, and alopecia. In bioavailability studies of CF p.o. , no plasma CF could be detected. After CF i.v. , mean plasma peak was 111.3 +/- 40.3 (S.D.) microM. 5-FUra-CF appears to be effective in patients clinically resistant to 5-FUra. This study is being extended to randomized trial of 5-FUra-CF versus 5-FUra alone.
Temporal coordination through communication: using genres in a virtual start-up organization

Purpose – To explain how genres structure temporal coordination in virtual teams over time.Design/methodology/approach – The first year e‐mail archive of a small distributed software development start‐up was coded and analyzed and these primary data were complemented with interviews of the key participants and examination of notes from the weekly phone meetings.Findings – In this paper, it is found that members of a small start‐up organization temporally coordinated their dispersed activities through everyday communicative practices, thus accomplishing both the distributed development of a software system and the creation of a robust virtual team. In particular, the LC members used three specific genres – status reports, bug/error notifications, and update notifications – and one genre system – phone meeting management – to coordinate their distributed software development over time.Research limitations/implications – The study confirms the various suggestions from prior virtual team research that structu.
VECADS: Vehicular Context-Aware Downstream Scheduling for Drive-Thru Internet

We study the downlink scheduling performance of an IEEE 802.11-based roadside Access Point(AP) serving a number of moving vehicles. For determining the scheduling order, throughput and Fairness are two important considerations. If system throughput Maximization is the sole consideration, some vehicles can always get resource from the AP whereas some are starved. On the other hand, if fairness is the sole consideration, resource should be allocated among all the contending vehicles regardless of individual vehicle's channel conditions and the system utilization should not be affected greatly. In this paper, we propose a novel scheduling algorithm called VEhicular Context-Aware Downstream Scheduling (VECADS). By exploiting the real-time vehicular context including the position, speed and cumulative data received by each vehicle, the scheduler can get up-to-date information to determine an appropriate scheduling order. The design objective of VECADS is to strike a better balance between system throughput and fairness among heterogeneous drive-thru vehicles. The performance of VECADS is evaluated via extensive ns2 simulations using real-world vehicular traffic traces. We show that VECADS outperforms MV-MAX, the state-of-the-art scheduling scheme for Drive-thru networks, in terms of system throughput, by 7 % while eliminating the bandwidth starvation problem of ``weak" vehicles under MV-MAX for a Jain's Index of 0.895 vs. 0.727.
Solving the Flexible Job Shop Scheduling Problem With Makespan Optimization by Using a Hybrid Taguchi-Genetic Algorithm

Enterprises exist in a competitive manufacturing environment. To reduce production costs and effectively use production capacity to improve competitiveness, a hybrid production system is necessary. The flexible job shop (FJS) is a hybrid production system, and the FJS problem (FJSP) has drawn considerable attention in the past few decades. This paper examined the FJSP and, like previous studies, aimed to minimize the total order completion time (makespan). We developed a novel method that involves encoding feasible solutions in the genes of the initial chromosomes of a genetic algorithm (GA) and embedding the Taguchi method behind mating to increase the effectiveness of the GA. Two numerical experiments were conducted for evaluating the performance of the proposed algorithm relative to that of the Brandimarte MK1-MK10 benchmarks. The first experiment involved comparing the proposed algorithm and the traditional GA. The second experiment entailed comparing the proposed algorithm with those presented in previous studies. The results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is superior to those reported in previous studies (except for that of Zhang et al.: the results in experiment MK7 were superior to those of Zhang, the results in experiments MK6 and MK10 were slightly inferior to those of Zhang, and the results were equivalent in other experiments) and effectively overcomes the encoding problem that occurs when a GA is used to solve the FJSP.
Inequality and the Import Demand Function

In this paper we assess the empirical importance of changes in inequality on the demand for imports by examining panel data for 59 developing and developed countries for the 1970-1997 period. We find significant evidence supporting that inequality has a large influence on the demand for imports. Moreover we find that this influence is positive for high-income countries (countries that mainly produce and export high quality varieties of vertically differentiated products) and negative for low-income countries (countries that produce and export low-quality varieties of vertically differentiated products). These findings are explained by developing a model of trade in vertically differentiated products. Copyright 2012 Oxford University Press 2011 All rights reserved, Oxford University Press.
Voters in Contested, Nonpartisan Judicial Elections: a Responsibile Electorate or a Problematic Public?

HE IDEA of an elective judiciary, prevailing throughout the state T and local governments of this country, brings into confrontation -~two often conflicting desiderata democratic accountability and judicial independence (Sheldon and Lovrich 1982). In an attempt to enjoy a system of &dquo;rule of law&dquo; as well as &dquo;popular government&dquo; American political institution builders have fashioned a composite notion of &dquo;nonpolitical&dquo; but elective judiciaries. This composite conception dictates that judges ought to be elected by the people, but that such elections should be carried on somewhat differently from those for other elective offices. In many jurisdictions these &dquo;special&dquo; elections are nonpartisan and occasionally held at different times than the more &dquo;political&dquo; races. In some states
P2P multicasting network design problem — Heuristic approach

Streaming services have been gaining much popularity in the Internet. The widespread adoption of broadband residential access enables individual users to use new bandwidth demanding services. Peer-to-Peer (P2P) multicasting approach using an overlay network to provide communication between peers is a valuable proposal for streaming since it provides rapid deployment at relatively low cost. Most of previous research on optimization problems related to P2P multicasting is limited only to optimization of network flows. In this work we focus on a new problem of P2P multicasting network design, i.e. flows and links' capacity are optimized jointly. We assume that the P2P multicasting system is static with low membership change rate (e.g. corporate videoconferencing, distance learning, delivery of important messages). The objective is to minimize the overlay network cost. We propose an effective heuristic algorithm. Numerical experiments are run in order to examine the proposed method against optimal results and Lagrangean relaxation algorithm as well as to illustrate the dependency of the network cost on various parameters related to P2P multicasting. The proposed algorithm can be applied to a wide range of overlay network design problems including not only streaming services but also computing and storage systems using the overlay network approach.
A New Measure of Visual Location Learning and Memory: Development and Psychometric Properties for the Brown Location Test (BLT)

There are a variety of well-established neuropsychological tests that are helpful in identifying global and specific verbal memory deficits. In contrast, tests of visual memory have produced less consistent results likely due in part to confounding variables such as verbal encodability, administration difficulties, and insufficient differentiation of among types of visual memory. The Brown Location Test (BLT) was designed to specifically measure visual memory for location of identical objects (dots) and address limitations found in commonly employed visual memory tests. This paper describes the empirical basis for the BLT and reports the psychometric properties of the test. Results indicate good internal and alternate form reliabilities. Factor analysis of a brief test battery confirmed that BLT performance is generally independent of verbal memory and global intellectual abilities. BLT performance declined with age, but there was no association between performance and gender, education, or intellectual functioning. In view of the favorable psychometric properties observed during preliminary studies, additional normative and validation studies in healthy and patient populations are warranted.
Twofold universal prediction schemes for achieving the finite-state predictability of a noisy individual binary sequence

The problem of predicting the next outcome of an individual binary sequence corrupted by noise using finite memory, is considered. The conditional finite-state (FS) predictability of an infinite individual sequence given its noisy version is defined as the minimum fraction of errors that can be made by any FS predictor fed by the noisy version. It is proved that the conditional FS predictability can be attained almost surely by universal sequential prediction schemes in the case where the noisy version is the output of a binary-symmetric channel (BSC) whose input is the clean individual sequence. In particular, universal predictors of the original noise-free setting, which operate on the noisy sequence, have this property. Moreover, these universal predictors do not depend on the crossover probability characterizing the BSC. It is seen that the noisy setting gives rise to additional criteria by which the performance of prediction schemes can be assessed. Finally, a closer look is taken at the conditional FS predictability, and this quantity is proposed as an additional measure of the complexity of a sequence, perhaps finer and more informative than the predictive complexity of the noise-free setting.
Sea urchin early and late H4 histone genes bind a specific transcription factor in a stable preinitiation complex

Early embryonic H4 (EH4) and H2B (EH2B) and late embryonic H4 (LH4) histone genes were transcribed in vitro in a nuclear extract from hatching blastula embryos of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. The extract was prepared by slight modifications of the methods of Morris et al. (G. F. Morris, D. H. Price, and W. F. Marzluff, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 83:3674-3678, 1986) that have been used to obtain a cell-free transcription system from embryos of the sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus. Achievement of maximum levels of transcription of the EH4 and LH4 genes required a 5- to 10-min preincubation of template with extract in the absence of ribonucleoside triphosphates. This preincubation allowed the formation of a stable complex which was preferentially transcribed compared with a second EH4 or LH4 template that was added 10 min later. Although the EH4 gene inhibited both EH4 and LH4 gene transcription in this assay and although the LH4 gene inhibited both EH4 and LH4 genes, neither of these genes inhibited transcription of the EH2B gene. Preincubation with the EH2B gene had no effect on the transcription of subsequently added EH4 or LH4 genes. Using this template commitment assay, we showed that the site of binding of at least one essential factor required for transcription of both EH4 and LH4 genes was located between positions -102 and -436 relative to the 5' terminus of the EH4 mRNA. Moreover, deletion of this region resulted in a reduction in EH4 gene transcription in vitro. The sea urchin gene-specific trans-acting factors, in the analysis of the cis-acting sequences with which they interact, and in biochemical studies on the formation of stable transcription complexes.
Measurement of plasma free metanephrine and normetanephrine by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for diagnosis of pheochromocytoma.

BACKGROUND Quantification of plasma free metanephrines is usually accomplished by HPLC with electrochemical detection, but sample preparation is labor-intensive and time-consuming, run times are long, and interfering substances sometimes obscure the relevant peaks. The aim of this study was to develop a sensitive and specific LC-MS/MS method for plasma free metanephrines. METHODS After solid-phase extraction, chromatographic separation of normetanephrine (NMN) and metanephrine (MN) was accomplished by use of a cyano analytical column. NMN, MN, d(3)-NMN, and d(3)-MN positive ions were detected in the multiple-reaction monitoring mode using the specific transitions m/z 166-->134, 180-->148, 169-->137, and 183-->151, respectively, with an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization source. RESULTS Multiple calibration curves exhibited consistent linearity and reproducibility. Interassay imprecision values (CV; n = 20) for NMN at 0.64, 1.9, and 2.7 nmol/L were 6.6%, 7.8%, and 13%, respectively. Interassay CV for MN at 0.60, 1.2, and 2.1 nmol/L (n = 20) were 9.2%, 6.8%, and 9.8%, respectively. The mean recoveries of NMN and MN relative to the internal standard were 100% and 96%, respectively. The assays were linear between 0.20 and 10.0 nmol/L. Deming regression of HPLC and LC-MS/MS results yielded slopes of 0.93 (95% confidence interval, 0.89-0.98) and 0.89 (0.85-0.93) and y-intercepts of -0.16 and 0.03 nmol/L for NMN (n = 132) and MN (n = 92), respectively. CONCLUSIONS This novel LC-MS/MS approach provides a precise, rapid, and specific alternative method to HPLC for the quantification of the low nanomolar concentrations of free metanephrines in plasma.
Property Taxes in the United States

Over 2007-2011, most counties had property tax bills that were between 0.5 and 1.5 percent of the median home price. Forty-seven percent of counties had property taxes between 0.5 and 1.0 percent of the median home price, while another 26 percent had property taxes between 1.0 and 1.5 percent (see figure). An additional 11 percent of counties had property tax bills below 0.5 percent of the median home value, and 16 percent had property tax bills exceeding 1.5 percent of the median home price. Only a few counties — just five total — had property tax bills exceeding 3 percent of the median home price. Average self-reported residential property tax burdens vary by state. As a share of housing prices, residents in all but 14 states paid between 0.5 and 1.5 percent in taxes on average. 1 Residents in three states — Delaware, Hawaii, and Louisiana — paid an average of 0.5 percent or less, while residents in 11 states — Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Texas, Vermont, and Wisconsin — paid more than 1.5 percent. As a share of housing values, counties in the Northeast, parts of the Midwest, and Texas tend to have higher property taxes relative to other counties. In general, states with high property tax burdens tend to have low sales and income taxes.
Gait learning method for stable motion using quadrupedal robot

In the field of pet robots and robot-assisted therapy (RAT), characterization of animal motion is important for the development of robots resembling various animals. This paper presents a method for the generation of animal gait in quadrupedal robots. In this study, we employed AIBO as an experimental quadrupedal robot and generated the gait of the robot on the basis of an animal's gait. In the previous study, we optimized the mono-leg orbit, which can efficiently output a propulsive force, by imitating a dog's gait using a genetic algorithm. Moreover, we generated the quadrupedal gait of AIBO using both the optimum orbit of the mono-leg and an animal's gait, classified as the gait of a walking dog based on zoology. Furthermore, we administered a questionnaire study to determine subjective human feelings to choose the best gait for AIBO from among the various gaits mentioned above. In this report, minor deviation of parameters for each joint was corrected to realize the stable gait on the ground.