Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of the Structure and Performance of the Beans Marketing System in Nairobi

Beans are widely grown as a major food crop in Eastern and Southern Africa. It is the most important staple food crop after maize in Kenya (ECABREN, 2000). The beans industry in Kenya is faced with problems of shortages, seasonal supply and price fluctuations and inadequate information on production, marketing and consumption. These problems are more acute in urban areas. This paper analyzes the structure and performance of the beans marketing system in Nairobi metropolitan area, the single most important beans market in Kenya. Data from a sample of 102 traders augmented by secondary data were used to analyze the marketing system by applying descriptive statistics, concentration ratios and co-integration models. The results showed that the beans marketing structure approached that of pure competition; however, lack of capital was a barrier to entry into the wholesale and retail trade. The Johansen likelihood-based vector autoregressive model showed that there was no significant co-integration of the major markets in the city possibly due to inefficient market information flow.
Response of sheep fed on corn cob silage or elephant grass basal diet with or without Calliandra leaf meal supplementation

Limited availability of forage diet throughout the year could be overcome by utilization of crop by-products. Corn cob, a by-product from maize production is potential to be used as a fiber source for grass replacement. The objective of the study was to compare the effect of two different basal diets (basal grass diet and corn cob silage) with or without Calliandra supplementation on feed intake, nutrient digestibility, nitrogen utilization, rumen fermentation and growth of sheep. The study used 20 male sheep St Croix breed. The sheep were divided into 5 groups based on body weight. Each group was fed with one of four diet treatments for 13 weeks. The treatments were grass basal diet + concentrate, Corn cob silage (CCS) + concentrate, Grass basal diet + concentrate + 5% Calliandra leaf meal, CCS + concentrate + 5% Calliandra leaf meal. The ratio of basal diet (grass or CCS) to concentrate was 40 : 60% and was formulated in iso protein (crude protein content 14%). The diet was offered in total mix ration. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design and arranged in factorial 2 x 2 (2 type basal diets and 2 Calliandra supplementation levels) with 5 replications. Results showed that there was no interaction between basal diet and Calliandra supplementation on feed consumption, average daily gain (ADG), nutrient digestibility, rumen fermentation, except for crude protein (CP) intake. Feed consumption was not affected by basal diets or Calliandra supplementation. Feed conversion ratio and protein conversion ratio were better in grass basal diet than CCS. CP digestibility was higher in corn cob silage than basal grass diet without Calliandra supplementation. N retention was higher in corn cob basal diet than basal grass diet. Rumen fermentation was significantly affected by basal diet in which rumen ammonia and VFA concentrations were higher in grass basal diet. Grass basal diet had higher propionic acid production than CCS basal diet. From this study, it could be concluded that in iso protein diet, basal grass diet was comparable to corn cob basal diet as revealed by average daily gain was similar in both diets with average 107.5 g/head/day. Calliandra supplementation at 5% in the grass or CCS basal diet did not improve sheep performance.
An uncertainty estimate of global mercury emissions using the Monte Carlo technique

In recent years, a substantial amount of work has been done to evaluate uncertainty associated with major industrial source emissions. Yet, little has been done to assess uncertainty associated with natural source emissions. Importantly, uncertainty estimates continue to be particularly relevant in the assessment of potential regulatory options, as confidence in emissions can lead to different cost-benefit assessments. To address this problem, we employed the Monte Carlo technique to improve uncertainty estimates associated with mercury emissions from both natural and anthropogenic sources. Results demonstrate that uncertainties, as they are understood in the existing literature, are overestimated. While we are aware that a probabilistic approach like the Monte Carlo technique has certain limitations (it does not consider the accuracy of available input data, for example) it still is useful in crafting a better assessment of mercury emission uncertainty.
Growing innovative ventures – An investigation of individual-opportunity nexuses

The importance of new ventures based on innovative products for economic prosperity has been frequently highlighted. However, the processes through which entrepreneurs create value on the market level using new ideas are not well understood. The objective of this thesis is to contribute towards the understanding of these processes. It starts out by providing a conceptualisation of the individual-opportunity nexus rooted in the entrepreneurship and the economic sociology literature. Against the backdrop of this literature, this thesis provides answers to questions as to how and why some individuals start innovative ventures; how these ventures are legitimised in a market; and how they are sustained given emerging rivalry. To study these questions, four types of opportunities for creating innovative ventures were distinguished. Using this distinction, seventeen cases were selected based on publically available information. Data collection involved twenty-two face-to-face interviews which were complemented using secondary data. The resulting case data base was then explored for cross-case patterns within and across the four types of opportunities. These comparisons were used to develop new theory about innovative ventures. The empirical results of this study show the existence of four individual-opportunity nexuses. These nexuses are not only relevant to how entrepreneurs become and stay involved in innovative ventures, but also to the challenges these ventures face. The study shows that there are distinct differences between the prior knowledge and the motivation of individuals pursuing a particular type of opportunity. Moreover, the type of opportunity pursued determines the challenges faced in legitimising innovative ventures. Whilst some entrepreneurs do not face major challenges in legitimising ventures or products, others have difficulties establishing their venture and/or their products as new economic entities. Finally, the study also shows differences regarding the intensity and the effects of emerging competition in the market of the innovative venture. Faced with these different environments, entrepreneurs need to aim at achieving fit between opportunity and strategy. Overall, this thesis contributes to the individual-opportunity nexus perspective of entrepreneurship and provides practical recommendations to individuals pursuing innovative ventures.
Morphological constraints to wave-driven circulation in coastal reef-lagoon systems: A numerical study

[1] The response of the wave‐driven circulation within coastally bounded reef‐lagoon systems to varying lagoon and channel morphology was investigated using a two‐ dimensional coupled wave‐circulation numerical model. Numerical experiments were conducted using a series of coastal reefs that incorporated a wide range of different lagoon depths and channel widths. With the morphology of both the reef (forereef and reef flat) and incident wave forcing held constant, the wave‐driven circulation was found to increase substantially as dimensionless reef morphology parameters characterizing the relative lagoon depth and channel width were each independently increased. Analysis of the wave setup fields revealed that this increased flow was due to an enhancement of the cross‐reef water level gradient, resulting from a sharp reduction in the lagoon setup as the frictional resistance on the lagoon‐channel return flow was diminished. This follows similar trends observed in existing field and laboratory studies of wave‐driven reef flows. Analysis of flushing time scales computed for each reef‐lagoon geometry predicted the existence of optimal dimensionless lagoon depths and channel widths for a reef system, to establish maximal coastal flushing. Overall, the circulation and flushing of coastal reef‐lagoon systems was found to be largely controlled by the particular morphology of the lagoon and channel region rather than solely by the morphology of the forereef and reef flat that has been the primary focus of analytical models developed to predict wave setup and circulation on reefs.
Habitat selection of the Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus in agroecosystems of Swaziland

A decline in many African raptor populations may contribute to loss of ecosystem services such as pest control. The Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus stands out as an exception, experiencing range expansions due to its proclivity for agricultural landscapes. We surveyed roads throughout agroecosystems in Swaziland for Black-shouldered Kites and looked at habitat selection in a used versus available framework. We found that kites selected for savannas and tall herbaceous vegetation but did not show preferences for or against land-use types. We also found a significant relationship with kite presence and low tree densities in the immediate vicinity of a perch site. Singles, pairs and fledgling kites were observed in agricultural landscapes, suggesting that although they are not selecting for these areas in proportion to their availability, they are foraging in it. This may be a boon for farmers who implement ecologically based rodent management programs.
Trajectory optimization for the Hevelius-lunar microsatellite mission

In this paper trajectory optimisation for the Hevelius mission is presented. The Hevelius-Lunar Microsatellite Mission - is a multilander mission to the dark side of the Moon, supported by a relay microsatellite, orbiting on a Halo orbit around L2. Three landers, with miniaturized payloads, are transported by a carrier from a LEO to the surface of the Moon, where they perform a semi-hard landing with an airbag system. This paper will present the trajectory optimisation process, focusing, in particular, on the approach employed for Δv manoeuvre optimization. An introduction to the existing methods for trajectory optimization will be presented, subsequently it will be described how these methods have been exploited and originally combined in the Hevelius mission analysis and design.
Optimality Conditions for Inventory Control

This tutorial describes recently developed general optimality conditions for Markov Decision Processes that have significant applications to inventory control. In particular, these conditions imply the validity of optimality equations and inequalities. They also imply the convergence of value iteration algorithms. For total discounted-cost problems only two mild conditions on the continuity of transition probabilities and lower semi-continuity of one-step costs are needed. For average-cost problems, a single additional assumption on the finiteness of relative values is required. The general results are applied to periodic-review inventory control problems with discounted and average-cost criteria without any assumptions on demand distributions. The case of partially observable states is also discussed.
Comparison of Two Regimens of Nigella sativa Extract for Treatment of Subclinical Mastitis Caused by Staphylococcus aureus

Problem statement: Little research has focused on treatment of cows w ith subclinical mastitis during lactation. The seed of Nigella sativa Linn. (Ranunculaceae), commonly known as black seed or black cumin, is used in folk (herbal) medic ine. Approach: Objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of Nigella sativa Extract (NSE) with two regimens for treatment of s ubclinical mastitis in lactating dairy cows and to determine w hich regimen enhanced efficacy of it. Results: From one hundred Holstein dairy research herd in Mashhad-Iran, 83 cows with a total of 157 subclinically Staphylococcus aureus infected quarters were included. Cows were enrolled in the study based on milk somatic cell counts >200,000 mL -1 and isolation of Staphylococcus aureus in 3 samples obtained 1 week apart. About 10 cc of NSE (in paraffin: 200 mg cc -1 ) was administered via intramammary infusion. First, Cows were divided into three treat ment groups. Group 1 (37 cows) received intramammary infusion at each milking (3 times dail y) for 3 days with 10 cc NSE. Group 2 (24 cows) received the same intramammary infusion but only once daily for 3 days. The third, 22 cows were included as an untreated negative control group. Re sults in bacteriologic cure of 69.4% of quarters an d 59.5% of cows (Group 1) compared to 60% of quarters and 45.8% of cows (Group 2). Test for mastitis diagnosis Somatic cell counts of milk from quarters that were not cured were higher prior to initiatio n of treatment than those cured. A bacteriological cu re was defined as a treated infected mammary quarter that was bacteriologically negative for the presence of S. aureus at 3-7 day after the last treatment. Conclusion: All two Nigella sativa treatment regimens were significantly better than the negative control and the nine dose Nigella sativa treatment regimen treatment group was not significantly better than the three dose treatment group (p = 0.332).
Image Super-Resolution via Wavelet Feature Extraction and Sparse Representation

This paper proposes a novel Super-Resolution (SR) technique based on wavelet feature extraction and sparse representation. First, the Low-Resolution (LR) image is interpolated employing the Lanczos operation. Then, the image is decomposed into sub-bands (LL, LH, HL and HH) via Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT). Next, the LH, HL and HH sub-bands are interpolated employing the Lanczos interpolator. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is used to reduce and to obtain the most relevant features information from the set of interpolated sub-bands. Overlapping patches are taken from the features obtained via PCA. For each patch, the sparse representation is computed using the Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (OMP) algorithm and the LR dictionary. Subsequently, this sparse representation is used to reconstruct a High-Resolution (HR) patch employing the HR dictionary and it is added to the LR image. By applying the quality objective criteria PSNR and SSIM, the novel technique has been evaluated demonstrating the superiority of the novel framework against state-of-the-art techniques.
Patterns of Cocaine Use and Drug Driving of Socially Established Long-Term Users

Even if there is a relatively large body of research on the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol and cannabis (e.g., As bridge et al., 2005;Bedard et al., 2007; Vaughn et al., 2010), the effects of cocaine on driving performance and the behavior of drug drivers have been rather neglected. Furthermore, the few empirical studies on cocaine particularly examine young partygoers or participants in therapies and victims of traffic accidents (e.g., Albery et al., 1998; Kelly et al., 2004; Macdonald et al., 2004). Thus there is scarce knowledge of middle-aged, socially established long-term cocaine users who habitually drive under the influence of this drug (for an exception see Kemmesies, 2004 1 ; Zdun, 2014 2 ), although this might be the biggest group of cocaine users apart from young partygoers.
An Experimental Study of Projectile Point Fracture Patterns

Projectile point fragments can represent a significant percentage or even exceed the number of diagnostic specimens recovered at a given site (Aikens 1970:34; Ames et al. 1981:79; Plew 1981:146). This paper is an effort to contribute to our ability to obtain useful information from projectile point fragments. Specifically, we attempt to present a means of determining causes of projectile point damage and particularly to differentiate use-related breakage from manufacturing-induced breakage. This determination may ultimately offer additional data relative to site function, identification of task-specific loci within sites, and other avenues of inquiry. Toward that end, we propose descriptive terminology and present data from an experimental study involving the manufacture, use, and breakage of a specific Great Basin projectile point type.
ENDOCRINE TESTING IN THE LABORATORY: THE USE OF SERUM SEPARATOR TUBES FOR ROUTINE CORTISOL AND THYROID ASSAYS IN CANINE PATIENTS

The use of serum separator tubes has greatly increased efficiency in the laboratory and has reduced in vitro effects on biochemical results. Serum separator tubes have also been associated with interferences regarding endocrine assays and monitoring of therapeutic drug levels. This study measured canine serum cortisol and total thyroxine (TT4) values from both plain serum tubes and serum separator tubes to evaluate for any interference using the Immulite® 1000 chemistry analyzer. Linear regression and Bland-Altman analysis demonstrate good to excellent agreement between results from both tube types and no bias for the T4 samples. Cortisol results demonstrate good agreement and minimal negative bias that increased slightly over time. These results indicate that either tube can be used confidently to collect samples for T4 assays using the Immulite® 1000. Until canine specific bias levels can be established, SST should be used with caution for baseline cortisol testing in dogs. INDEX WORDS: Endocrinology, Veterinary Medicine, Laboratory Medicine, Hypothyroidism, Hyperadrenocorticism, Serum Separator Tube ENDOCRINE TESTING IN THE LABORATORY: THE USE OF SERUM SEPARATOR TUBES FOR ROUTINE CORTISOL AND THYROID ASSAYS IN CANINE PATIENTS
Comparing the acute effects of elastic resistance bands on kinetics and kinematics during the bench press exercise

Comparing the Acute Effects of Elastic Resistance Bands on Kinetics and Kinematics During the Bench Press Exercise Elastic resistance training is becoming very popular in the strength and conditioning realm and is used at the collegiate and professional levels for various sports. Elastic resistance training has been shown to increase the force, velocity, and power compared to traditional free weight movements. The purpose of this study was to determine if a specific loading condition could increase both kinetic and kinematic variables within a bench press. To test this, two loading conditions (15% and 25% of 1RM) were used and each resistance load was added to a base of 60% of 1RM free weights. Twelve recreationally trained male athletes participated. They were familiarized with the elastic resistance bands before measurements were taken. Each participant performed one set (three repetitions) at each specific intensity level. A GymAware analyzer measured the variables of force, velocity, and power during each full lift. A 2x3 repeated measures ANOVA was used to determine if there was a significant difference in force, velocity, and/or power between groups (p ≤ . 05). Both mean velocity and mean force were significantly different between elastic resistance loads. Results indicated that neither elastic resistance intensity was more effective at increasing power output production than the other. The force and velocity relationship between the elastic resistance loads mimicked the expected free weight load outcome, lighter equals greater velocity and heavier greater force.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HEALTH DEVELOPMENT INDEX AND FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT INDEX: EVIDENCE FROM HIGH INCOME COUNTRIES

Economic growth is a complex process affected by many factors at different levels which is commonly proxied by health. In this study, the causal between health and financial development is investegated using heteregenuis panel causality test over the period 1991-2014. To this end, Principal component analysis is initially applied to construct indexes for each variable. Results show that health development indexgranger causes financial development index. Ekonomik buyume, saglik degiskeni tarafindan sikca rastlanan farkli seviyelerde bircok faktorden etkilenen karmasik bir surectir. Bu calismada, saglik ve finansal degiskenler arasindaki nedensellik iliskisi 1991-2014 yillari boyunca panel nedensellik testi kullanilarak arastirilmistir. Bu amacla, temel bilesenler analizi degiskenlerden dizinler elde etmek icin baslangicta uygulanmistir. Sonuclar, saglik gelisme endeksinin finansal gelisme endeksinin granger nedeni oldugunu gostermektedir.
DistributedControl of Inverter-BasedLossyMicrogrids for Power Sharing andFrequencyRegulationUnderVoltage Constraints

This paper presents a new distributed control framework to coordinate inverter-interfaced distributed energy resources (DERs) in island microgrids. We show that under bounded load uncertainties, the proposed control method can steer the microgrid to a desired steady state with synchronized inverter frequency across the network and proportional sharing of both active and reactive powers among the inverters. We also show that such convergence can be achieved while respecting constraints on voltage magnitude and branch angle differences. The controller is robust under various contingency scenarios, including loss of communication links and failures of DERs. The proposed controller is applicable to lossy mesh microgrids with heterogeneous R/X distribution lines and reasonable parameter variations. Simulations based on various microgrid operation scenarios are also provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed control method.
A Machine Learning based Fine-Tuned and Stacked Model: Predictive Analysis on Cancer Dataset

The earlier forecast and location of disease cells can be useful in curing the illness in medical applications. Knowledge discovery is having many significant roles in health sector, bioinformatics etc. Plenty of hidden information is available in the datasets present in the various domains like medical information, textual analysis, image attributes exploration etc. Predictive analytics and modeling encompasses a variety of statistical methodologies from machine learning that can analyze the present along with historical facts to make the predictions about the future events. Breast cancer research already has involved with the good amount of progress in recent decade, but due to advancement in technologies, there is still some possibilities for an improvement. In this paper, the fine-tuned and stacked model procedure is presented which is experimented on standard breast cancer dataset. The obtained results show the improvement over stateof-the-art algorithms with improved performance parameters e.g. disease prediction accuracy, sensitivity and better F1 score etc. Keywords—Machine learning; Cancer prediction; Data mining and Knowledge discovery; Supervised learning; Neural Networks