Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of the Adequacy of National Agricultural Policy in Addressing Entrepreneurial Education of Selected Agricultural Training Institutions in Zambia

The study seeks to establish the adequacy of National Agricultural Policy in addressing entrepreneurial education of selected Agricultural Training Institutions in Zambia. A descriptive survey design was employed using a mixed methods approach but with greater focus on qualitative approach. Purposive random sampling procedure was used. Quantitative data was analysed using frequencies, percentages and tables while qualitative data was analysed thematically. Most of the respondents interviewed acknowledged that the current National Agricultural Policy did not adequately address entrepreneurial education in Agricultural Training Institutions. The National Agricultural Policy, both in terms of content and strategies did not appear to achieve the desired result of entrepreneurial education as they tended to be biased towards food security, fish, crop and livestock production compared to nurturing entrepreneurs. It showed fragmented sectorial strategies and policies which did not point to entrepreneurial education. A general lack of comprehensive institutional frameworks and Acts of Parliament to support and address the issues of entrepreneurial education in Agricultural Training Institutions was observed as a major constraint to job creation. The study concluded that entrepreneurial education in the National Agricultural Policy was inadequate. This research, therefore, recommended integration of entrepreneurial education in the National Agricultural Policy and enactment of appropriate strategic Acts of Parliament to support entrepreneurial education and decent job creation.
What’s the Big Deal? How Sales Promotions Displayed by Others Online Can Influence Online and Offline Purchase Intentions

Abstract When consumers view a sales promotion in a store or online, they have the ability to disseminate it online and inform others. This dissemination may be beneficial to firms because promotions shared online may bypass skepticism toward advertising. This article investigates whether consumers evaluate online sales promotions that users post differently from firm-disseminated posts. We created a unique online environment where consumers could post sales promotions they encountered. Our findings revealed that, over time, those who are most skeptical of advertising had greater intentions to purchase online and lower intentions to purchase in physical stores. Promotions disseminated by consumers may be perceived as advertising, but they can cause consumers to increase their online purchasing.
Analysis of Landslide Evolution Affecting Olive Groves Using UAV and Photogrammetric Techniques

This paper deals with the application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) techniques and high resolution photogrammetry to study the evolution of a landslide affecting olive groves. The last decade has seen an extensive use of UAV, a technology in clear progression in many environmental applications like landslide research. The methodology starts with the execution of UAV flights to acquire very high resolution images, which are oriented and georeferenced by means of aerial triangulation, bundle block adjustment and Structure from Motion (SfM) techniques, using ground control points (GCPs) as well as points transferred between flights. After Digital Surface Models (DSMs) and orthophotographs were obtained, both differential models and displacements at DSM check points between campaigns were calculated. Vertical and horizontal displacements in the range of a few decimeters to several meters were respectively measured. Finally, as the landslide occurred in an olive grove which presents a regular pattern, a semi-automatic approach to identifying and determining horizontal displacements between olive tree centroids was also developed. In conclusion, the study shows that landslide monitoring can be carried out with the required accuracy—in the order of 0.10 to 0.15 m—by means of the combination of non-invasive techniques such as UAV, photogrammetry and geographic information system (GIS).
Social media mavenism: Toward an action-based metric for knowledge dissemination on social networks

ABSTRACT This article, leaning on the concept of market mavenism, proposes a method to gauge knowledge sharing in the age of new media. Hinging on imagery, and led by Pinterest, Instagram, and WeHeartIt, a breed of social media is gaining ground by attracting millennials and females. Accordingly, there is a need to conceptualize social media mavenism in a way that deliberates the specificities of these media and theorize about its liaison with the behaviors related to social commerce and conducted by consumers on these media. In the qualitative investigation, the authors conducted semi-structured interviews with sixteen regular users of Pinterest, Instagram, Etsy, WeHeartIt or Polyvore. The quantitative investigation consisted of 528 females that are regular users of Pinterest. The results supported our thesis that the social network’s utilitarian attitude, role in decision making, and digital virtual consumption generate the maven-like behavior by fueling three social commerce-related behaviors (network expansion, social privatization, and knowledge creation). Post-hoc analysis reveals that individual factors discriminate social media mavens or influencers, showing predictive validity. The results lay the groundwork for an action-based metric that entice practitioners to target online mavens by discerning the social commerce-related behaviors they conduct – behaviors that can be nurtured by enhancing the network’s attitudinal and experiential factors.
Vehicle Evaluation, Battery Modeling, and Fleet-testing Experiences in Hawaii

Hawaii is an attractive proving ground for electric and hybrid vehicles (EHV) evaluation. Envisioning and embracing the needs for environmental-friendly advanced transportation technology developments, the Hawaii Center for Advanced Transportation Technologies (HCATT) and the Electrochemical Power Systems Laboratory (EPSL) at the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute (HNEI) of the University of Hawaii, are working together to promote and facilitate EHV development in Hawaii. This paper reports some of the recent activities in EHV evaluation, battery modeling, and fleet testing in the HCATT program. The fleet of EHV in this program includes battery-powered EV (BEV) and battery-fuel cell hybrid electric vehicles (HEV). We will present vehicle test results, battery modeling and simulation tool developments, and data analysis approaches that we developed and used in the program.
Synthesis of robust output feedback guaranteed cost controllers for a class of uncertain linear systems

This paper deals with a design problem of robust output feedback guaranteed cost controllers for a class of uncertain linear systems. Our goal is to show an LMI-based design method of robust output feedback controllers which guarantee the upper bound on a given quadratic cost function. In this paper, by using the S-procedure we show that sufficient conditions for the existence of the robust output feedback guaranteed cost controller are given in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Furthermore, we consider a design method of an optimal robust output feedback guaranteed cost controller minimizing the upper bound on the quadratic cost function. Finally, a numerical example is included.
Influence of previous herbivory on behavior and development of Spodoptera exigua larvae on glanded and glandless cotton

We examined the influence of previous herbivore injury on the feeding behavior, survival and development of larval beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua Hübner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), on glanded and glandless ‘Stoneville 213’ cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L. In a greenhouse study, neonate S. exigua placed on the terminal foliage of glanded cotton plants moved down the plant to feed on older leaves. The location of feeding was more concentrated towards the bottom of the plant on previously damaged plants than on undamaged control plants. In contrast, larval feeding on glandless plants was evenly distributed within the plant and no difference in distribution was noted on plants that had sustained previous herbivore injury when compared to undamaged plants. In a laboratory study, where larvae were offered one type of foliage in a no‐choice situation, survival on young or mature leaves from glanded or glandless plants, with or without previous herbivore injury, did not differ significantly. However, pupae of larvae reared on young leaves of damaged glanded cotton weighed significantly less than pupae from larvae fed all other diets. Pupae from larvae fed young leaves of control glandless plants weighed significantly more than pupae from all other diets. Similar trends were observed in adult weights. In addition, time to pupation and time to adult emergence were significantly longer for larvae fed young leaves from damaged glanded plants compared to all other diets. The experiments reported here link larval feeding behavior of S. exigua to performance. Larval feeding preferences changed following induction of systemic defense such that food choice was optimized for growth.
The power of productive organisational energy in relation to leadership style and job satisfaction: the context of Saudi Arabian universities

Leadership as a research concept has been for many years – and still remains – an area of significance. The topic of leadership has been researched and debated a great deal; however, the leadership style adopted by higher education institutions within a particular context and culture has been considered very little. The primary aim of the Doctorate research study carried out herein is to examine and evaluate the relationship between leadership styles, i.e. transformational and transactional, productive organisational energy and academic and administrative staffs’ job satisfaction in public and private universities of Saudi Arabia. In fact, during the latest few decades, the leadership body of literature has expanded beyond the focus on traits and behaviours and also provided the theoretical basis for understanding the nature of each variable, which is highlighted in the research study. The present study was based completely on the quantitative research method approach. Data for the research were collected from the academics and administrative staff of two higher educational institutions in Saudi Arabia through the use of a survey questionnaire which was sent to more than 1,400 potential respondents. A theoretical framework was also assessed in an empirical study in Saudi Arabia, to examine the impact of leadership style on job satisfaction and the mediating role played by productive organisational energy – as observed in the relationship between leadership style and job satisfaction. The study is significant for practical purposes, as it can benefit organisations in identifying their need for a specific leadership style, in order to boost their employees’ productive energy and satisfaction. The relationship between leadership style, productive organisational energy and job satisfaction was tested theoretically and empirically. The research determined that in the public King Abdulaziz University, transformational leadership predicted neither job satisfaction nor productive organisational energy to a significant level, though transactional leadership did so. Conversely, for the private Dar Alhekma University, transformational leadership did predict job satisfaction and productive organisational energy to a significant level, but transactional leadership did not manage to do so. Finally, a review of some of the limitations of the research study and several areas of future research are provided on the basis of the empirical and theoretical findings.
Emotional Distress amongst the Supporters of the Elderly Mentally Infirm

Summary Three samples of supporters of elderly infirm dependents who were either attending or about to attend day hospitals were given the 30-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) to complete. Prevalence levels of disturbance varied from 57% to 73%; female supporters (the majority) reported higher levels of distress. High scores were related to a diagnosable psychiatric condition, and were significantly associated with a combination of poor self-health ratings in the supporters, more frequent behaviour problems in the dependents, and a more negative view of the premorbid relationship between supporter and dependent. Reported amount of contact time and levels of formal and informal outside support were not related to GHQ scores.
Sequestration Effect on the Open-Cyclic Switchable Property of Warfarin Induced by Cyclodextrin: Time-Resolved Fluorescence Study

The excited-state lifetimes of the anticoagulant drug warfarin (W) in water and in the absence and presence of methyl-β-cyclodextrins (Me-β-CD) were recorded using time-resolved fluorescence measurements. Selective excitation of the open and cyclic protonated isomers of W were acquired with laser emitting diodes (LED) producing 320 and 280 nm excitation pulses, respectively. Formation of the inclusion complex was checked by UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, and the values of binding constants (2.9 × 103 M–1 and 4.2 × 102 M−1 for protonated and deprotonated forms, respectively) were extracted from the spectrophotometric data. Both absorption and time-resolved fluorescence results established that the interior of the macromolecular host binds preferentially the open protonated form, red shifts the maximum of its absorption of light at ~305 nm, extends its excited-state lifetime, and decreases its emission quantum yield (ФF). Collectively, sequestration of the open guest molecules decreases markedly their radiative rate constants (kr), likely due to formation of hydrogen-bonded complexes in both the ground and excited states. Due to lack of interactions, no change was observed in the excited-state lifetime of the cyclic form in the presence of Me-β-CD. The host also increases the excited-state lifetime and ФF of the drug deprotonated form (W−). These later findings could be attributed to the increased rigidity inside the cavity of Me-β-CD. The pKa values extracted from the variations of the UV-visible absorption spectra of W versus the pH of aqueous solution showed that the open isomer is more acidic in both ground and excited states. The positive shifts in pKa values induced by three derivatives of cyclodextrins: HE-β-CD, Ac-β-CD, and Me-β-CD supported the preferential binding of these hosts to open isomers over cyclic.
Développement d’une méthode Level Set pour le suivi d’interface. Application de la rupture de jet liquide

Ce memoire presente des developpements d’une simulation numerique directe pour l’etude de l’atomisation des jets liquides. Une methode Level Set, pour decrire l’interface, est couplee a la methode Ghost Fluid, pour prendre en compte les discontinuites a sa traversee. Cette approche est appliquee a l’etude des jets liquides dans le regime de Rayleigh. L’accord entre les simulations et differents resultats theoriques et experimentaux montre l’interet d’une telle approche. Cependant, la methode Level Set presente comme principale contrainte de ne pas etre conservative en masse et voit son domaine d’application limite a l’etude des jets a faible vitesse. Le couplage VOF/Level Set est ici developpe et permet de palier ce defaut. Ce couplage est teste dans des configurations academiques afin d’etre valide et de lui apporter differentes ameliorations. Le code calcul est alors applique a une etude sur l’atomisation d’un jet liquide haute vitesse. Des donnees statistiques sont extraites afin d’aider a la modelisation de l’atomisation primaire ou des etudes ont ete menees en collaboration avec des equipes developpant de tels outils. Des simulations sont extraits des sequences d’images montrant differents mecanismes de formation de gouttes montrant la diversite et la complexite de ces mecanismes dans les conditions etudiees. Les limitations et les apports d’une telle approche sont finalement discutes.
Nitric oxide regulates cGMP‐dependent cAMP‐responsive element binding protein phosphorylation and Bcl‐2 expression in cerebellar neurons: implication for a survival role of nitric oxide

Nitric oxide (NO) is a small, diffusible, highly reactive molecule with a dichotomous regulatory role in the brain: an intra‐ and intercellular messenger under physiological conditions and a neurodegenerative agent under pathological conditions. We have recently demonstrated that long‐lasting exposure to an neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) inhibitor down‐regulated serine/threonine kinase (Akt) survival pathway and caused apoptosis in cerebellar granule cell cultures. The present study further substantiates the role of NO in neuronal survival by demonstrating that blocking its production down‐regulates the activity of cAMP‐responsive element binding protein (CREB), a transcription factor involved in cell survival and synaptic plasticity. Pharmacological dissection of the pathway linking NO to CREB shows that cGMP and its kinase are intermediate effectors. We also identify Bcl‐2 as one of the anti‐apoptotic genes down‐regulated by NO shortage and decreased CREB phosphorylation. These results not only confirm the role of CREB in neuronal survival but also provide circumstantial evidence for a novel link among NO, CREB activation and survival.
Attack Detection Research for Software Defined Network

Software-defined network structure of the network fundamental changes, its network equipment to achieve the hardware and software isolation and virtualization technology underlying hardware, so as to further development of the network provides a platform. This is due to the hardware and software isolation, making the network more vulnerable to attack, thus changing the topology and business information. To solve this problem, the paper depending on the traffic data and the corresponding topology, the method gives security software-defined network, combined with business process model of cloud computing, network security algorithm optimization. Simulation results show that the proposed method is robust to a variety of business, and can effectively prevent network attacks.
A semiparametric marginal mixture cure model for clustered survival data

We consider a marginal model for the regression analysis of clustered failure time data with a cure fraction. We propose to use novel generalized estimating equations in an expectation–maximization algorithm to estimate regression parameters in a semiparametric proportional hazards mixture cure model. The dependence among the cure statuses and among the survival times of uncured patients within clusters are modeled by working correlation matrices in the estimating equations. We use a bootstrap method to obtain the variances of the estimates. We report a simulation study to demonstrate a substantial efficiency gain of the proposed method over an existing marginal method. Finally, we apply the model and the proposed method to a set of data from a multi‐institutional study of tonsil cancer patients treated with a radiation therapy. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Inhibition of Chemoattractant N‐Formyl Peptide Receptor Trafficking by Active Arrestins

Recent studies have highlighted the emergence of a class of G protein‐coupled receptors that are internalized in an arrestin‐independent manner. In addition to demonstrating that the N‐formyl peptide receptor belongs in this family, we have recently shown that recycling of the receptor requires the presence of arrestins. To further elucidate mechanisms of arrestin‐dependent regulation of G protein‐coupled receptor processing, we examined the effects of altering the receptor–arrestin complex on ternary complex formation and cellular trafficking of the N‐formyl peptide receptor by studying two active arrestin‐2 mutants (truncated arrestin‐2 [1–382], and arrestin‐2 I386A, V387A, F388A). Complexes between the N‐formyl peptide receptor and active arrestins exhibited higher affinity in vitro than the complex between the N‐formyl peptide receptor and wild‐type arrestin and furthermore were observed in vivo by colocalization studies using confocal microscopy. To assess the effects of these altered interactions on receptor trafficking, we demonstrated that active, but not wild‐type, arrestin expression retards N‐formyl peptide receptor internalization. Furthermore, expression of arrestin‐2 I386A/V387A/F388A but not arrestin‐2 [1–382] inhibited recycling of the N‐formyl peptide receptor, reflecting an expanded role for arrestins in G protein‐coupled receptor processing and trafficking. Whereas the extent of N‐formyl peptide receptor phosphorylation had no effect on the inhibition of internalization, N‐formyl peptide receptor recycling was restored when the receptor was only partially phosphorylated. These results indicate not only that a functional interaction between receptor and arrestin is required for recycling of certain G protein‐coupled receptors, such as the N‐formyl peptide receptor, but that the pattern of receptor phosphorylation further regulates this process.
PCA filter based covariance descriptor for 2.5D face recognition

Region covariance matrix (RCM) as a feature descriptor is shown promising in various object detection and recognition tasks. However, vanilla RCM breaks down in face recognition due to its inadequacy in extracting discriminative features from facial image. In this paper, cascaded Principle Component Analysis (PCA) filter responses that derived from the multi-layer PCA network are leveraged to extract the sufficient discriminative facial feature for RCM construction. The factors that affect the performance of cascaded PCA filter responses in forming RCM for 2.5D face recognition is investigated. To be specific, the influence of patch size and filter numbers of cascaded PCA filter responses to RCM is probed. Besides that, block division is proposed for RCM to further enhance the accuracy performance. Experimental results have demonstrated the efficacy of the proposed approach.
Dissociation and trafficking of rat GABAB receptor heterodimer upon chronic capsaicin stimulation

Gamma‐aminobutyric acid type B receptors (GABAB) are G‐protein‐coupled receptors that mediate GABAergic inhibition in the brain. Their functional expression is dependent upon the formation of heterodimers between GABAB1 and GABAB2 subunits, a process that occurs within the endoplasmic reticulum. However, the mechanisms that regulate GABAB receptor oligomerization at the plasma membrane remain largely unknown.
The Ocean One hands: An adaptive design for robust marine manipulation

Underactuated, compliant, tendon-driven robotic hands are suited for deep-sea exploration. The robust Ocean One hand design utilizes elastic finger joints and a spring transmission to achieve a variety of pinch and wrap grasps. Compliance in the fingers and transmission determines the degree of load-sharing among contacts and the hands’ ability to secure irregularly shaped objects. However, it can also decrease external grasp stiffness and acquisition reliability. SimGrasp, a flexible dynamic hand simulator, enables parametric studies of the hand for acquisition and pull-out tests with varying transmission spring rates. In the present application, we take advantage of achieving different stiffnesses by reversing the direction of tendon windup using a torsional spring-loaded winch. With this provision, the hand can be relatively soft for handling delicate objects and stiff for tasks requiring strength. Two hands were field-tested as part of the Ocean One humanoid platform, which acquired a vase from the La Lune shipwreck site at a 91 m depth in the Mediterranean Sea.