Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Emerging issues and concerns of African countries in the WTO negotiations on agriculture and the Doha Round.

Since the Uruguay Round, African countries have been concerned about the rules and operations of the multilateral trading system and are beginning to realize that they have to be active in the negotiation process to protect their interests. Consequently, several countries in the region have been relatively more active in the Doha Round negotiations and have formed alliances with other developing countries to increase their bargaining power. This paper provides a critical assessment of Africa’s concerns in the negotiations on agriculture and the Doha Round. It also examines the extent to which the Hong Kong Ministerial declaration meets the demands of African countries in the agriculture negotiations. Furthermore, it outlines essential elements of any new agreements on agriculture that would ensure a fair outcome for the region. Finally, the paper stresses that trade is important for development in Africa but is not the solution to the numerous economic and social problems facing the region. Consequently, African countries must adopt a strategic approach to trade which ensures that their participation in the Doha Round reforms does not jeopardize the achievement of key national development goals.
AIRBORNE REMOTE SENSING TO DETECT PLANT WATER STRESS IN FULL CANOPY COTTON

The potential for monitoring plant water stress in full-canopy cotton using airborne remote sensing was examined in this study. Remote sensing data, using hyperspectral (HSI), multispectral (MSI), and thermal infrared (TIR) sensors, were collected over two seasons on two varieties of Acala cotton and two experimental fields, with a total of nine flights, all with 100% canopy cover. The spatial resolution of the remote sensing data used in the study was near 1.0 m. The TIR camera was used to detect the elevated canopy temperature that occurs when the plants are water stressed. The degree of stress, as measured by the rise in canopy temperature above an unstressed baseline, was closely related to several new vegetation indices that use spectral bands in the range of 429 to 1010 nm. Both linear and nonlinear multiple regression were used to find the wavelengths that produced the highest coefficient of determination (r2) and lowest root mean square error (RMSE) for one-, two-, three-, and four-parameter HSI models. The MSI-based vegetation indices had significant correlations to plant water stress, but the r2 values were lower than those with the HSI data. The best two-parameter HSI models included one band each from the near-infrared (NIR; 850 nm) and visible (686 nm) ranges. The best three-parameter model used the bands centered at 686, 811, and 860 nm. A weighted normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was found to correlate well to water stress with r2 = 0.883. The average reflectance over the range of 923 nm to 1010 nm was found to be an indicator of differences in the canopy temperature. The main finding was that the plant water stress in Acala cotton at full canopy can be detected with airborne remote sensing, and this should greatly enhance the ability to properly schedule irrigations.
Application of SVM-Based Relevance Feedback in Image Retrieval

In the page, we discuss relevance feedback techniques in image retrieval system, and then focus on the SVM-based relevance feedback. Using SVM-based relevance feedback, the precision rate of image retrieval system is satisfied. In order to better understand the effectiveness of SVM-based relevance feedback in image retrieval system, some well-designed experiments are taken out.
Effective inhibition of specific gene by adeno- associated virus (AAV)-mediated expression of small interfering RNA

RNA-interference is the mechanism of sequence-specific, post-transcriptional gene silencing, initiated by small interfering RNA (siRNA), homologous to the gene being suppressed. Several techniques are utilized to transfer siRNA into cultured cells or animal models, while every method has advantages and disadvantages. In this study, a siRNA expression recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) was established by inserting H1 promoter into transfer plasmid of AAV Helper-Free system. To perform functional tests on siRNA, which was expressed by the viral vector, recombinant AAVs, coding for siRNA against exogenous gene, EGFP, and endogenous gene, p53, were established and added into HEK293 cells, respectively. The results proved the expression of EGFP and p53 in cells were definitely suppressed at 72 h post-infection, which suggested that the H1 promoter, inserted into the recombinant AAV, could express siRNA in mammalian cells and this siRNA delivery system could be used for longterm gene silencing.
Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel 5,7-Dichloro-1,3-benzoxazole Derivatives

A new class of 5,7-dichloro-1,3-benzoxazole derivatives 4–11 were synthesized by fusing 5,7-dichloro-2-hydrazino-1,3-benzoxazole 3 nucleus with aliphatic acids, active methylene compounds, and with selected esters to form heterocyclic ring systems like 1,2,4-triazoles, pyrazoles, and triazine moieties. The compound 3 on diazotization reaction affords the tetrazole compound. The synthesized compounds were characterized by 1H NMR, IR, Mass, and 13C NMR spectral data and screened for cytotoxic, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and antilipase activities. The compounds 4, 5, and 8 have shown significant antimicrobial activities, whereas compounds 6 and 8 have been emerged as leading cytotoxic agents. The compounds 9, 10, and 11 were found to be strong enzyme inhibitors.
O 2-C composite materials for Pt-based anode electrocatalysts with enhanced CO tolerance

Ti-based electroconductive mixed oxides were deposited onto activated carbon by using three different sol-gel-based multistep synthesis routes. As demonstrated by X-ray diffraction, high crystallinity of the tungsten-loaded rutile was achieved by a sequence of annealing in inert atmosphere at 750°C and a short reductive treatment at 650°C. Formation of the rutile phase on the carbon support before the high temperature treatment has been proved to be the prerequisite for complete W incorporation into the rutile lattice. The structural and compositional properties of the mixed oxides were explored by transmission electron microscopy, temperature programmed reduction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Anode electrocatalysts were formulated by loading the composite of the activated carbon and the Ti-based electroconductive mixed oxides with 40 wt% Pt. Enhanced CO tolerance along with considerable stability was demonstrated for the electrocatalyst prepared using the Ti0.7W0. 3O2-C composite material with high degree of W incorporation.
Stable isotope discrimination (δ13C and δ15N) between soft tissues of the green sea turtle Chelonia mydas and its diet

The foraging ecology and movements of vertebrate species have been increasingly studied via stable isotope analyses of small quantities of body tissues. However, the theoretical and experimental basis of this method remains poorly validated for most taxa despite numerous studies using these techniques in natural systems. In this study, we measured stable carbon and stable nitrogen diet-tissue discrimination (Δ dt ) in whole blood, red blood cells, blood plasma, and epidermis of 8 captive green turtles Chelonia mydas maintained on a control diet (41% protein, 12% lipids, 4 % fiber) for 619 d. During the course of the study, mean straight carapace length increased from 45.2 ± 1.2 to 53.7 ± 2.1 cm, whereas mean body mass increased from 11.7 ± 0.7 to 19.9 ± 2,2 kg. Both diet and tissue isotope values remained constant throughout the study, indicating that diet-tissue equilibrium had been achieved. Whereas Δd dt 13 C ranged from -1.11‰ (red blood cells) to +0.17‰ (epidermis), Δ dt 15 N ranged from +0.22‰ (red blood cells) to +2.92‰ (blood plasma). These results contrast with the widely accepted discrimination factors of 0 to 1‰ for δ 13 C and 3 to 5‰ for δ 15 N. Comprising the initial enrichment factors available for green turtles, these data will be useful in future interpretations of field isotopic values for this species.
Coping With Dissonance: Psychological Mechanisms Th at Enable Ambivalent Att itudes Toward Animals

People generally tend to love and show care for animals. Yet they also purchase and consume animal products that are produced in a way that causes animals great suffering. This critical literature review focuses on the psychological mechanisms that ease or eliminate cognitive tensions associated with the recognition of one’s contribution to animal suffering. The major mechanisms discussed are cognitive dissonance, psychic numbing, denial of mind, and linguistic objectification. Psychosocial factors are also discussed, including physical invisibility of animal cruelty, improper socialization about farm animals, and group biases. Recent studies specifically focused on human attitudes toward animals and their suffering are supplemented by attention to broader coping mechanisms associated with the large-scale suffering of others. The results of the research discussed in this review suggest that cognitive dissonance is the cause of unpleasant guilt associated with animal suffering and is thus a crucial motivating factor for behavioral or attitudinal change. Since most Americans do not cease consumption of animal products, attitudinal changes are presented as the preferred route to dissonance reduction. The mechanism of psychic numbing may aid in dulling the negative affect associated with mass suffering. Denial of mind to animals may ease tension by devaluing their suffering, which is likely also a result of linguistic objectification. Social factors are suggested as aiding these mechanisms. Overall these findings suggest that ending animal cruelty will involve significant psychological and social adjustments in the way we think about and address animals.
Effects of feed restriction on yield, retail cuts and tissue composition of carcass of Saanen kids

Twenty-seven male Saanen kids were used in a completely randomized design to investigate the effect of feed restriction on retail and biological carcass yields, proportion of carcass retail cuts, carcass compactness, leg tissue composition, and ribeye area (REA). Animals were assigned to one of the following treatments: 0 (free access to feed: ad libitum), 30 or 60% of feed restriction. Initial body weight (BW) averaged 5 kg and animals were slaughtered when they reached 20 kg BW. Data were submitted to regression analysis as function of feed restriction. Feed restriction reduced carcass weight, retail cuts weight, and chump proportion and increased neck proportion. Bone proportion also increased while muscle tissue and fat proportion (including subcutaneous fat) decreased with feed restriction. Although REA and carcass compactness were both affected by feed restriction, they can be used to predict the proportion of carcass muscle. Carcass traits of Saanen kids were not negatively affected by 30% of feed restriction.
Healthcare social question answering: Concept mapping and cluster analysis based on graph theory

Healthcare Social Question Answering (SQA) services are dedicated platforms for users to freely ask questions regarding their health related concerns and respond to or rate other users' questions. To have a deeper insight into harnessing the rich data collected in healthcare SQA services, this study aims to investigate the concepts discussed using the intricate web of social relationships among questions, answers, associated askers and answerers by applying graph theory, concept mapping and cluster analysis. We collected 4212 question from Drugs.com, one of the popular healthcare SQA services to visualise concepts using Leximancer and cluster similar questions using quadripartite graph-based cluster analysis. The findings demonstrate the openness demonstrated by users on their weight, sleep and drug related questions. The cluster analysis revealed the possibility of applying graph theory to identify similar questions.
Accumulation Tests for FDR Control in Ordered Hypothesis Testing

ABSTRACT Multiple testing problems arising in modern scientific applications can involve simultaneously testing thousands or even millions of hypotheses, with relatively few true signals. In this article, we consider the multiple testing problem where prior information is available (for instance, from an earlier study under different experimental conditions), that can allow us to test the hypotheses as a ranked list to increase the number of discoveries. Given an ordered list of n hypotheses, the aim is to select a data-dependent cutoff k and declare the first k hypotheses to be statistically significant while bounding the false discovery rate (FDR). Generalizing several existing methods, we develop a family of “accumulation tests” to choose a cutoff k that adapts to the amount of signal at the top of the ranked list. We introduce a new method in this family, the HingeExp method, which offers higher power to detect true signals compared to existing techniques. Our theoretical results prove that these methods control a modified FDR on finite samples, and characterize the power of the methods in the family. We apply the tests to simulated data, including a high-dimensional model selection problem for linear regression. We also compare accumulation tests to existing methods for multiple testing on a real data problem of identifying differential gene expression over a dosage gradient. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.
Ters Yüz Sınıf Uygulamasında Klinik Öğrenme İkliminin Değerlendirilmesi

Giris; Pamukkale Universitesi Tip Fakultesi kulak burun bogaz klinik stajinda ters yuz sinif uygulanmaktadir. Ters yuz sinif uygulamasinda ogrenciler mesai saatlerini klinik hizmetlerde degerlendirirken, cevrimici sunulan dersleri ise bagimsiz calisma saatlerinde izlemektedirler. Bu calismada ters yuz sinif stratejisinin ogrenci klinik ogrenme iklim algisindaki etkisi arastirilmistir. Gerec ve Yontem: Veriler Klinik Ogrenme Iklim Olcegi kullanilarak toplanmistir. Yetmis alti ogrenci olcek formunu doldurmustur. Sonuclar onceden rapor edilmis ulusal verilerle karsilastirilmistir. Ayrica ogrenci yazili geri bildirimleri icerigi incelenmis ve bu icerikler ilgili olcek maddeleri altinda toplanmistir. Bu sekilde geri bildirimlerden elde dilen ipuclari ile Klinik Ogrenme Iklim olcek sonuclari aciklanmaya calisilmistir. Bulgular: Calisma grubunun puanlari ulusal puanlardan daha yuksek bulunmustur. Toplam olcek puan ortalamalari ulusalda 118.47±20.85 iken, arastirma grubunda (PAUKBB) 149.65 ±12.04 bulunmustur. En yuksek fark ise klinik egitim ortami alt olcek puaninda ortaya cikmistir (Ulusal 75.19±16.01 vs PAUKBB 101.81 ± 8.55). Yazili geri bildirimlerde de bu nicel verileri aciklayabilecek cok sayida ogrenci yorumuna rastlanmistir. Sonuc: Ters yuz sinif uygulamasinin ogrencilerin klinik ogrenme iklim algisini pozitif olarak etkiledigi yonunde kanitlar elde edilmistir. Bu basarinin bir kisminin ogretim uyelerinin ve uzmanlik ogrencilerinin klinik egitim surecine aktif katilimina da bagli oldugu goz ardi edilmemelidir.
Impact of Non-Financial Reward Strategies on Teachers’ Performance: A Study of Secondary Schools in Nyamira County, Kenya

The teaching profession has in the recent past suffered from exodus of teachers moving from both public and private schools to other fields of employment. Mass exodus of trained teachers to other fields, lack of commitment to work itself as a teacher and decimal performance in national examinations and co-curricular activities, all indicate lack of satisfaction by teachers as employees. The study explored non-financial reward strategies employed to enhance higher levels of academic achievement, lower labour turnover and enhance teacher‘s commitment to their basic roles. The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of non-financial reward strategies on teachers` performance at secondary schools. The objectives of the study were: to determine the effects of recognition on teachers’ performance; establish the effects of promotion on motivation of teachers’ performance; establish the effects of effective communication on teachers’ performance, and establish the effects of job enrichment on teachers’ performance. The study employed a descriptive survey research design with quantitative methods. Primary data was collected using a questionnaire. The targeted population comprised of 1600 teachers from 186 public secondary schools in Nyamira County. Simple random sampling technique was used where 94 respondents formed the sample size. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. The study findings revealed that non-financial reward strategies for performance in secondary schools emanate from motivation acquired through recognition, job enrichment, communication and structured promotions adopted to achieve the set objectives. The study confirmed that recognition strategy was the most influential as it was ranked first with a strength of 4.44 on a 5-point Likert scale followed by communication strategy (with a strength of 4.25), then job enrichment strategy (with a strength of 3.88) and promotion strategy (2.93) was last. A coefficient of determination, r 2 = 0.5 indicated a positive relationship between non-financial reward strategies adopted in secondary schools in Nyamira County and performance in national examinations. The researcher recommended that schools should embrace the use of non-financial rewards to achieve a higher level of performance in national examinations since these strategies are less costly, affordable and at the disposure of all school-managers. Keywords: Non-Reward strategies, Teachers Performance, Promotion, Communication
Mining Sequential Patterns from mFUSP-Tree Ashin

Mining sequential patterns from sequence database has consequential responsibility in the data mining region as it can find the association from the ordered list of events. Mining methods that predicated on the pattern growth approach, such as PrefixSpan, are well-organized enough to denude the sequential patterns, but engendering a projection database for each pattern regards as bottleneck of these methods. Lin (2008) first commenced the concept of tree structure to sequential pattern mining, which is acknowledged as Fast updated sequential pattern tree (FUSP tree). However, link information stored in each node of FUSP tree structure increases the complication of this method due to its link updating process. In this paper, at first, we have proposed a modified fast updated sequential pattern tree (called a mFUSP tree) arrangement for storing the complete set of sequences with just frequent items, their frequencies and their relations among items in the given sequence into a compact data structure; excluding this tree structure avoids storing link information along to the next node of the following branch in the tree that carries the same item. Afterward, we have established by a mining method that our mFUSP tree structure is proficient enough to ascertain out the perfect set of frequent sequential patterns from sequence databases without generating any intermediate projected tree and without calling for repeated scanning of the original database during mining. Our experimental result proves that, the performance of our proposed mFUSP tree mining approach is a lot more trustworthy than other existing algorithms like GSP, PrefixSpan and FUSP tree based mining.
Modeling of Reversible Chain Transfer Catalyzed Polymerization by Moment Equations Method

A moment equations method was performed to study the Reversible chain Transfer Catalyzed Polymerization (RTCP) of styrene in 80°C. To do this, a kinetic scheme containing conventional free radical polymerization reactions and equilibrium reactions of RTCP was assumed. After obtaining mass balance equations, three moment equations were defined for free and dormant radicals and dead chains. Monomer conversion, catalyst and cocatalyst concentrations, molecular weights and polydispersity index profiles were achieved for two different systems and compared with the simulation results of Goto et al. and also with the experimental results of this work. These systems have had different reaction rate constants for equilibrium reactions of RTCP. The results showed the pseudo-linear increase of conversion and molecular weight versus time while a small PDI values were obtained for system 1 while the final PDI value of system 2 was high. Calculating average error of results compared to experimental and simulation results of Goto et al. showed a good agreement of modeling results with others and confirm the accuracy of results obtained in this work.
El análisis factorial confirmatorio y la validez de escalas en modelos causales

This research discusses the role of structural equation models and, specifically, confirmatory factor analysis, regarding the validity of the measurement scales when a casual model is proposed. The viewpoints of Hayduk (1996) and Borsboom, Mellenbergh and van Heerden (2004) are discussed, in order to provide a framework upon which researchers can decide how to proceed in applied research. The divergences of these per-spectives with regard to the widespread use of the two-step procedure (Anderson and Gerbing, 1988) should encourage thinking about the suit-ability of the confirmatory factor analysis, and the adequacy of the empiri-cal procedures for studying criterion, convergent and discriminant validity.
Extended frequency bandwidth through multi-degree-of-freedom nonlinear magneto-mechanical energy harvesting

Energy harvesting from different vibration sources is typically designed by means of a single degree of freedom approach and implementing both linear and nonlinear principles and techniques. In this paper, starting from the experience of the authors in different applications and using linear magneto-inductive electromechanical oscillators, a two-degree-of-freedom energy harvester is designed with the aim of supplying sensors in a wing typical section. The energy harvester can be modelled as a system of two masses with linear springs or nonlinear elastic interactions due to magneto-static forces. The equivalent mechanical dampers of the same device are four coils that can be connected to the electric interface and then to the electric load circuit. The strong improvement of this simple extension of a linear generator with two degrees of freedom relies on the dynamic improvements of the coupling to the source that can be tuned in order to increase the frequency bandwidth of the device. The simulations show that, although the limited stroke of the magnets and the undesired mechanical friction can reduce the energy harvested, the nonlinearities of the magnetic forces and fluxes can represent an effective advantage, in particular, in a multi-degree of freedom system subject to a large frequency bandwidth input or random excitations. Potential perspectives could be also implemented through semi-active or active strategies obtained through the electric interface.