Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of access to agriculture credit on farm income in the Talensi district of northern Ghana

Agricultural credit is a vital service for agricultural growth and development. Against this milieu, this study examined the effect of this variable on farm income in the Talensi District of the Upper East region of Ghana. Through a two-stage sampling approach, 168 crop farmers were randomly selected. Heckman two-stage treatment effect model was estimated to correct for selectivity biases. Empirical results from the study indicated that the probability of accessing credit was higher for highly educated farmers, farmers belonging to a farmer group, farmers with large farm size, farmers who had access to extension service, female farmers and the elderly. Further, access to credit had a positive significant effect on farm income. Therefore, the study concluded that improving access to agricultural credit service could be a potential source of poverty reduction among farmers in the district. To enhance farmers’ access to agricultural credit, intensification of farmer-based-organization is highly recommended. Farm-level policies oriented towards farmer’s access to financial credit should also be encouraged.
High Energy Ion Explosion of Atomic Clusters: Transition from Molecular to Plasma Behavior

We have studied the high-intensity femtosecond photoionization of inertially confined noble-gas clusters. The explosion of the resulting highly ionized, high-temperature microplasma ejects ions with substantial kinetic energy. We have observed Xe ions with kinetic energy up to 1MeV and charge states as high as 40{sup +}. This ion energy is over three orders of magnitude higher than has previously been observed in the Coulomb explosion of molecules or clusters of any kind and indicates that there is a fundamental shift in the nature of intense laser-matter interactions between molecules and large clusters. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}
Methods for cuttings removal from holes drilled on Mars

Background: The process of rock excavation consists of breaking the rock and the extraction of cuttings from the hole. Failure to remove the cuttings results in their being pulverized into progressively finer particle sizes, making drilling very inefficient and in the extreme case halting the drilling process altogether. A unique feature when drilling exploration boreholes on Mars is that, unlike almost all terrestrial drilling, no fluid (gas or liquid) will ordinarily be available to clear the cuttings from the borehole. Until the present, therefore, it has been supposed that an auger system will be used. The behavior of auger systems in the size range that may be used on Mars should therefore be investigated and consideration should be given to other possible means for removing
Mould contamination of ready-to-eat cereal-based foods retailed in Lesotho with special reference to toxigenic aspergillus flavus

Samples belonging to four different brands ( Instant Morvi te™, E -Papa™, Ace Instant Porridge™ and Roasted Morvite™) of ready -to-eat fortified cereal -based foodstuffs imported from the Republic of South Africa were bought from different retail outlets in the Roma valley , Lesotho and examined for contamination with moulds. All (100%) of Roasted Morvite™ and E-Papa™ examined were contaminated with fungi. The greatest average fungal load (1.33 × 10 5 ) was recorded on Roasted Morvite™ sample s. Although all the E -papa™ samples were contaminated, the upper limit average m ould load ( 1.0 × 10 4 ) was the lowest compared to other brands that were analysed . A total of 226 isolates belonging to five different genera ( Aspergillus , Penicillium , Cladosporium , Wallemia and unidentified genus) were recovered. For each of the brands assessed, average mould counts for some samples were above maximum permissible limits (10 3 CFU/g) established by World Food Programme guidelines for fortified blended foods. Aspergillus and Penicillium isolates exhibited greatest fungal population densities, 52.7%, 36.3% , respectively. Wallemia was the least frequently isolated genus in this study; only four isolates (1.8%) recovered from all the samples investigated belonged to this genus . Of the Aspergillus species isolated, A. niger had the greatest relative density (39.5%) followed by A. flavus (37.8%) , while Aspergillus amstelodami and unidentified Aspergillus species had the lowest. Of the 22 A. flavus isolates tested for sclerotia production potential, 18 produced large sclerotia with average diameter > 400.02±82.61 on Czapek solution, agar. Ten (56%) of these isolates were toxigenic as evidenced by formation of a blue fluorescence on the reverse of the plates when observed under UV (365 nm) . It was conclude d that the detection of above -permissible limits levels of moulds and aflatoxigenic fungi in some samples analysed presents a risk to consumers’ health. It is, therefore, suggested that a statutory, independent and science -based body dedicated to protecting public health and consumer interest in the area of food safety and hygiene be established. The main function of such a body would be to take all reasonable steps to ensure that food produced, distributed or marketed in Lesotho meets the highest standards of fo od safety and hygiene available.
Privatizing military housing through information technology

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The armed services must provide its personnel with acceptable housing at minimum cost within the vicinity of military installations. To achieve these housing objectives, the Department of Defense (DOD) has entered into experimental joint ventures with private developers to construct attractive housing projects on military installation property, with some of the projects reserved for military personnel. To support the analysis of the joint ventures, the DOD needed a methodology that would help officials evaluate the feasibility and cost implications of the housing projects. A decision support system, called the Housing Revitalization Support Office System (HRSOS), has been developed to provide the necessary support. The HRSOS architecture is based on a combination of database, econometric, simulation, and decision support techniques. Its deployment can help the Department of Defense to realize significant economic and management benefits. Future enhancements, motivated by the challenges from the current system, promise to increase the power of HRSOS and to further improve the DOD’s ability to manage its housing projects. To obtain the benefits, the HRSO experience suggests that system design, development, and implementation should be a team effort through an adaptive design strategy. It also indicates that an integrated suite of software development and implementation tools, offering rapid prototyping, computer assisted software engineering, and object-oriented analysis, can promote this strategy. The strategy is likely to work well in a hybrid project-technology virtual organizational form that is established and administered by the practicing top manager.
Gastronomia, culinária e mídia:estudo dos ambientes midiáticos e das linguagens da comida e da cozinha

Esta pesquisa intitulada Gastronomia, Culinaria e Midia estudo dos ambientes midiaticos e das linguagens da comida e da cozinha , sob a orientacao da Profa Dra Lucrecia D Alessio Ferrara, investiga a construcao das linguagens da gastronomia e da culinaria nos ambientes midiaticos da comida e da cozinha, e sua importância no universo midiatico contemporâneo. Considera-se nesse cenario que o sistema da cultura constituido pela midia e ressignificado pelo sistema da cultura da gastronomia e vice-versa, construindo uma nova teia de significados para ambos. Tanto a gastronomia como a culinaria constituem linguagens dos espacos qualificados, portanto de espacialidades, importantes para a analise da midia contemporânea. Na comunicacao dos meios de massa pode-se observar, nos ultimos 10 anos, a exacerbacao do uso da culinaria e, especialmente, da gastronomia como tematica de revistas, jornais, programas de televisao e sites de internet, fazendo tal sistema cultural se processar como midia modeladora de preferencias, gostos e paladares sociais, economicos e culturais. A esta pesquisa interessa a investigacao de como a midia, tanto a impressa, em jornais e revistas, quanto as televisiva e digital constroem esses ambientes midiaticos e como tal estrategia comunicativa esta afetando a relacao simbolica das pessoas com o alimento. O referencial teorico foi constituido principalmente pela Semiotica da Cultura de Iuri Lotman, e pelos trabalhos de Lucrecia Ferrara e Muniz Sodre. Por meio da observacao do corpus de pesquisa constituido por exemplos da construcao da linguagem e das estrategias de comunicacao da culinaria e da gastronomia na midia, a pesquisa se direcionou para a consolidacao da hipotese principal: acreditamos que hoje a gastronomia se transformou em uma midia independente tamanha e a importância comunicativa e cultural de sua atuacao
Non-parametric tests for small samples of categorized variables: A study

This paper presents a study on non-parametric tests to verify the similarity between two small samples of variables classified into multiple categories. The study shows that the only tests available for this situation are the chi-square and the exact tests. However, asymptotic tests, such as the chi-square, may not work well for small samples, leaving exact tests as the alternative. Nevertheless, if the number of classes increases, the implementation of these tests can become very difficult, in addition to requiring specific algorithms that may demand considerable computational effort. Therefore, as an alternative to the exact tests, a new test based on the difference between two uniform distributions is proposed. Computational assays are conducted to evaluate the performance of these three tests. Although non-parametric tests present numerous applications in various areas of knowledge, this study was motivated by the need to verify whether the business strategy adopted by a company is a determining factor for its competitiveness.
Worker flexibility in dual resource constrained (DRC) shops

Hong Yue deed onderzoek naar de arbeidsflexibliteit van werknemers in een zogenaamde Dual Resource Constraint (DRC) productie-omgeving. Dat zijn assemblagelijnen waarin elk product dat wordt gemaakt precies dezelfde productievolgorde aflegt. Tussen de verschillende verwerkingsstations is beperkt bufferruimte. Yue onderzocht de efficientie van deze lijnen afhankelijk van factoren als 'kunnen de werknemers elkaars taken overnemen', 'in hoeverre overlappen taken' of 'wat is de gunstigste verhouding mens/machine'.
Spatiotemporal Variability in Extreme Precipitation in China from Observations and Projections

Extreme precipitation events, which have intensified with global warming over the past several decades, will become more intense in the future according to model projections. Although many studies have been performed, the occurrence patterns for extreme precipitation events in past and future periods in China remain unresolved. Additionally, few studies have explained how extreme precipitation events developed over the past 58 years and how they will evolve in the next 90 years as global warming becomes much more serious. In this paper, we evaluated the spatiotemporal characteristics of extreme precipitation events using indices for the frequency, quantity, intensity, and proportion of extreme precipitation, which were proposed by the World Meteorological Organization. We simultaneously analyzed the spatiotemporal characteristics of extreme precipitation in China from 2011 to 2100 using data obtained from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) models. Despite the fixed threshold, 95th percentile precipitation values were also used as the extreme precipitation threshold to reduce the influence of various rainfall events caused by different geographic locations; then, eight extreme precipitation indices (EPIs) were calculated to evaluate extreme precipitation in China. We found that the spatial characteristics of the eight EPIs exhibited downward trends from south to north. In the periods 1960–2017 and 2011–2100, trends in the EPIs were positive, but there were differences between different regions. In the past 58 years, the extreme precipitation increased in the northwest, southeast, and the Tibet Plateau of China, while decreased in northern China. Almost all the trends of EPIs are positive in the next two periods (2011–2055 and 2056–2100) except for some EPIs, such as intensity of extreme precipitation, which decrease in southeastern China in the second period (2056–2100). This study suggests that the frequency of extreme precipitation events in China will progressively increase, which implies that a substantial burden will be placed on social economies and terrestrial ecological processes.
Domain of application in context-aware recommender systems: a review

The purpose of this research is to provide an exhaustive overview of the existing literature on the domain of applications in recommender systems with their incorporated contextual information in order to provide insight and future directions to practitioners and researchers.We reviewed published journals and conference proceedings papers from 2010 to 2016.The review finds that multimedia and e-commerce are the most focused domains of applications and that contextual information can be grouped into static, spatial and temporal contexts.
Univariate and multivariate procedures for agronomic evaluation of organically grown tomato cultivars

Tomato is one of the most important crops, the worldwide production in 2012 reached 161.8 million tons. Considering the lack of agronomic information on already available cultivars as well as on the varieties under development by breeding programs for organic systems, the objectives of this work were determine the yield components of 14 tomato cultivars in the organic system, through univariate and multivariate analysis. The experimental design was randomized blocks with six replications and five plants per plot. Evaluations consisted of total, marketable and non-marketable yield and number of marketable fruits per plant, in 2010. We carried out analysis of variance, using test F 5%. The effect of cultivar was fixed and the block effect was random. Then, means were ranked according to Scott-Knott 5%. Differences among cultivars were significant for total yield, number of marketable fruits per plant and marketable yield. The mean for total yield among cultivars was 51 t/ha and for marketable yield was 41 t/ha. Cultivars IAC 1 and Santa Clara were the least dissimilar (0.38). On the other hand, cultivars HTV 0601 and IAC 3 were the most dissimilar (10.63). The score dispersion graph showed two distinct groups. The second group contained cultivars HTV 0601, Granadero, Bari and Netuno, which stood out in the evaluation for the organic production system, presenting the highest total yield, marketable yield and number of marketable fruits per plant. Multivariate analysis was effective in identifying clusters of cultivars.
Nuclear neutrino energy spectra in high temperature astrophysical environments

PHYSICAL REVIEW C 94, 055808 (2016) Nuclear neutrino energy spectra in high temperature astrophysical environments G. Wendell Misch Department of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China and Collaborative Innovation Center of IFSA (CICIFSA), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China George M. Fuller Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA (Received 6 July 2016; revised manuscript received 4 October 2016; published 30 November 2016) Astrophysical environments that reach temperatures greater than ∼100 keV can have significant neutrino energy loss via both plasma processes and nuclear weak interactions. We find that nuclear processes likely produce the highest-energy neutrinos. The important weak nuclear interactions include both charged current channels (electron capture and emission and positron capture and emission) and neutral current channels (deexcitation of nuclei via neutrino pair emission). We show that, in order to make a realistic prediction of the nuclear neutrino spectrum, one must take nuclear structure into account; in some cases, the most important transitions may involve excited states, possibly in both parent and daughter nuclei. We find that the standard technique of producing a neutrino energy spectrum by using a single transition with a Q value and matrix element chosen to fit published neutrino production rates and energy losses will not accurately capture important spectral features. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevC.94. 055808 I. INTRODUCTION In this paper, we calculate energy spectra for neutrinos produced in nuclear weak interaction processes that occur in precollapse massive stars. A key motivation for this work is the possibility of detecting a neutrino signal from a massive star, perhaps even months before collapse [1–4]. Patton & Lunardini (hereafter PL this results in an unusually-high-energy neutrino. Furthermore, these excited nuclei may directly produce neutrino pairs. When excited nuclei deexcite, the usual channel is γ -ray emission; however, they may also emit a virtual Z 0 boson that decays into a neutrino antineutrino pair, shown schematically in Fig. 2. In fact, this can be the dominant source of neutrino pairs in a collapsing stellar core [22,23,25–27]. If the nucleus deexcites from a highly excited state, it can produce an energetic neutrino pair of any flavor, and these neutrinos can make a substantial contribution at the high-energy end of the neutrino spectrum. One final process that we will not discuss but which falls under the general purview of nuclear neutrinos is neutral current inelastic neutrino scattering on nuclei (Fig. 4) [22,28,29]. Scattering does not produce neutrinos, but it can alter the neutrino spectrum. During the event, the nucleus can either gain internal energy from the neutrino in a subelastic ©2016 American Physical Society
Establishment of an in vitro culture protocol of Chuquiraga jussieui J.F. Gmel. from apical and axillary buds 1

In vitro establishment of endangered plant species conservation has become a major concern worldwide due to an increase in number of threatened species. Chuquiraga jussieui J.F. Gmel. , an Andes mountains shrub is an ideal candidate for the process of conservation due to its state of extinction in Ecuador. Apical and axillary buds of Chuquiraga jussieui were cultivated for 30 days on ½ strength MS (MURASHIGE & SKOOG) [1] medium with different concentrations of BAP (0.1 to 2.0 mg/L), IBA (0.0 - 0.1 mg/L) and BRA (2.0 mg/L) in order to generate shoots. The obtained shoots were transferred to a ½ strength MS multiplication medium supplemented with BAP, IBA and BRA (5 mg/L) for 30 days. The best results for the in vitro multiplication of Chuquiraga jussieui were obtained using ½ strength MS medium supplemented with 2.0 mg/L BAP and 2 mg/L BRA. The rooting process was achieved using IBA (2.0 - 6.0 mg/L) and BAP (0.0 - 0.1 mg/L) added to ½ strength MS medium. The micropropagation of Chuquiragua is critical to conservation efforts in Andean ecosystems due to the ecological role that it plays and our study of the multiplication protocol could overcome this problem.
Permo-Triassic magnetostratigraphy in China: the type section near Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, North China

SUMMARY A palaeomagnetic study has been made of samples collected from the Permo-Triassic type section near Taiyuan, Shanxi Province in the North China Block. No results were obtained from the Upper Carboniferous Shanxi and Taiyuan Formations. Results from the Permian Lower and Upper Shihezi and Shiqianfeng Formations and from the Lower Triassic Liujiagou Formation were restricted mainly to the red shale and red mudstone horizons that were preferentially sampled for this study. After thermal demagnetization, the following pole positions were obtained: Lower Permian (Lower Shihezi Formation, N = 11 samples) 20.9"N, 1.4"E with dp = 6.1" and dm = 12.2"; Upper Permian (combined Upper Shihezi and Shiqianfeng Formations, N = 89 samples) 47.8"N, 357.4"E with dp = 2.3" and dm = 4.3"; Lower Triassic (Liujiagou Formation, N = 25 samples) 50.0°N, 351.O"E with dp = 3.7" and dm = 7.0". The sequence crosses the younger boundary of the Permo-Carboniferous reversed (Kiaman) superchron, and the polarity sequence observed suggests that this superchron ended in mid-Ufimian times. A minimum of 13 polarity zones (seven normal and six reverse) then follow before the Permo-Triassic boundary. This is in excellent agreement with currently available observations worldwide.
Economic Crisis in Europe: Panel Analysis of Inflation, Unemployment and Gross Domestic Product Growth Rates

This panel analysis study is conducted to examine the relationship between inflation rates (CPI) and unemployment rates (HUR) with the Gross Domestic Product growth rates (GDP), before and after the 2008 European crisis. Quarterly data for 18 consecutive years and six sample countries from Europe (Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary and United Kingdom) have been considered in the panel. In order to get a more profound understanding of the impacts of the European crisis on the relationship between the variables, the panel data set has been classified into 3 separate panels, such that Panel 1 (1999Q1-2007Q4) represents before-crisis panel, Panel 2 (2008Q1-2016Q4) represents the during/after crisis panel and lastly, Panel 3 (1999Q1-2016Q4) represents the long-run panel. Panel 1 is subject to the Fixed Effects with LSDV model, whereby four out of the six countries are significant, and CPI and HUR are insignificant predictors of the GDP. Both Panel 2 and Panel 3 are subject to the Two-way Random Effects model, whereby both CPI and HUR have negative significant effect on GDP. Granger Causality test has also been carried out to determine whether causality is present among variables, based on each panel.
How Authenticity and Self-Directedness and Student Perceptions Thereof Predict Competence Development in Hands-On Simulations.

Hands-on simulations are increasingly used in vocational oriented curricula to create meaningful, occupation-related learning experiences. However, more insight is required about precisely what characteristics in hands-on simulations enhance outcomes that students need for their future occupation, such as competencies. This study aims to examine how constructivist pedagogical–didactic design principles affect competence development of senior vocational education and professionally oriented bachelor's degree students in a wide range of hands-on simulations. For this purpose, 23 hands-on simulations were studied. Teachers rated the degree of authenticity and self-directedness of the hands-on simulations. Student perceptions (N = 516) of value, authenticity and self-directedness (operationalized as choice), as well as their competence development, were gathered using questionnaires. The results of the hierarchical regression analyses showed that: (1) authenticity and self-directedness did not automatically lead to more competence development; and (2) student perceptions of perceived value, authenticity and choice of how to perform tasks were the main predictors of competence development in the simulations. Nonetheless, the additional mediation analyses suggest that it is still important for teachers to invest in learning activities that stimulate self-directedness as these activities indirectly predicted competence development, through student perceptions. Several reasons for the results are discussed, among them the mismatch between teachers and students of what was considered authentic, complexity of the simulations, the teacher's role as facilitator instead of activator and the lack of choice possibilities. Ideas for future research, as well as practical implications concerning designing and implementing hands-on simulations for fostering competence development, are suggested.