Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ON-FARM EXPERIMENTS WITH MAIZE-MUCUNA SYSTEMS IN THE LOS TUXTLAS REGION OF VERACRUZ, MEXICO. I. MUCUNA BIOMASS AND MAIZE GRAIN YIELD

Maize (Zea mays)-mucuna (Mucuna pruriens) systems have been promoted to the smallholder farmers of the Los Tuxtlas region of southeastern Veracruz, Mexico. To determine on-farm performance, an agronomic assessment was conducted in 1995–97 replicating farmer conditions in four fields. Treatments were first- and second-season maize with first-season mucuna (system Zm-Mp/Zm), first-season maize with first- and second-season mucuna (system Zm-Mp/Mp), second-season maize following first-season mucuna (system Mp/Zm), and first- and second-season maize, no mucuna control. Data on mucuna biomass amount and quality as well as maize yield, yield components, and nutrient status were collected. Highest mucuna biomass was obtained in system Mp/Zm (leaf-stem-mulch biomass in 1996/97, 7.34 t ha−1, 147 kg ha−1 N), followed by systems Zm-Mp/Mp (5.06 t ha−1, 101 kg N ha−1) and Zm-Mp/Zm (2.75 t ha−1, 50 kg N ha−1). Second-season maize yield was increased over that of the control by 45–58% (0.15–0.23 t ha−1) in system Zm-Mp/Zm and by 118% (0.60 t ha−1) in system Mp/Zm. Mucuna did not increase first-season maize yield. Climatic constraints make second-season maize production risky and yield increases due to mucuna are low in absolute terms, perhaps not offsetting labour costs (systems Zm-Mp/Zm and Mp/Zm) or loss of first-season maize (Mp/Zm).
Modelling future water environments of Tasmania, Australia

The CSIRO Conformal-Cubic Atmospheric Model(CCAM)was used to estimate likely changes in Tasmanian precipitation and potential evapotranspiration resulting from an enhanced greenhouse scenario. The model run encompassed two 30 yr periods: 1975-2005, designated as 'present' and 2035-2065, designated as 'future'. In the present study, model precipitation and potential evapotranspiration were tuned by comparison with measurements from weather stations. Seasonal precipitation and potential evapotranspiration climatology were then created for each time period. Results show a small decrease in summer, autumn and spring precipitation along the eastern half of Tasmania, but a substantial increase in potential evapotranspiration during the same seasons. This results in a lowering of the net water storage in water bodies, and increased needs for irrigation.
Análise de séries temporais Gaussianas univariadas por meio de modelos dinâmicos lineares

Este trabalho procura deixar mais evidentes as ideias relacionadas a estruturacao de um modelo dinâmico linear univariado na analise de series temporais. Nessa perspectiva, o uso de independencia condicional e de propriedades Markovianas de primeira ordem possibilitam a recursividade em algoritmos utilizados para fazer a inferencia desses modelos, principalmente quando se pretende expandir o problema para a analise de series temporais multivaridas. Embora a recursividade traga facilidades computacionais, o entendimento por tras dessas passagens recursivas envolvem um conhecimento de probabilidade nao trivial, especialmente ao que tange o filtro de Kalman, o qual e fundamentado na atualizacao de informacao condicional proporcionada pelo uso do teorema de Bayes.
Joint Risk Neutral Laws and Hedging

Complex positions on multiple underliers are hedged using the options surface of all underliers. Hedging objectives minimize ask prices for which post-hedge residual risks are acceptable at prespecified levels. It is shown that such hedges require the use of a risk-neutral law on the set of underlying risks. A joint risk-neutral law for multiple underliers is proposed and estimated from multiple option surfaces. Under the proposed joint law, asset returns are a linear mixture of independent Levy components. Data on the independent components are estimated by an application of independent components analysis on time series data for the underlying returns. A comparison of the the risk-neutral law with the statistical law shows that risk neutral correlations dominate their statistical counterparts. Hedges significantly reduce ask prices.
Back in the black: hydrothermal carbonization of plant material as an efficient chemical process to treat the CO2 problem?

A chemical process, hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of low value biomass, is discussed as a tool for the sequestration of atmospheric CO2. Via the available biomass, CO2 can be transformed into an efficient deposited form of carbon, i.e. hardly degradable peat or carbonaceous soil.
Sharing intellectual property rights increases the freedom of action of the other party beyond the immediate R&D collaborative process. Through the lens of game theory and social exchange

R&D alliances are often associated with exploration alliances in which firms discover new products or process jointly with an alliance partner (Koza and Lewin, 1998). In joint development, both partners are directly involved in product development tasks. According to Hertzfeld et al. (2006), patents are the most frequently used intellectual property protection mechanisms to safeguard both background knowledge (firms’ existing technologies when entering into the alliance) and foreground knowledge (the technology created during the alliance) in R&D alliances. Joint R&D activities create boundary spanning between firms and can lead to joint patents. A joint patent is a form of shared intellectual property rights where two or more organizations developing an invention jointly may apply as joint inventors (Laffie, 2005; Slowinski and Sagal, 2006). Co-ownership and the sharing of intellectual property rights raise the issue of the firm boundaries. Sharing intellectual property rights increases the other party’s freedom of action beyond the ephemeral R&D collaborative process and hence may lead firms to create their own competitor in the future. The party that obtains the rights to a newly created knowledge asset will be motivated to improve it, build on it, and use it in a variety of applications (Leiponen, 2008). As Hagedoorn (2003: 1044) emphasizes, “Theoretically, it is rather difficult to understand why, given the legal status of joint patents, companies would share their patents”.
Cablegation: 11. Simulation and Design of the Moving-Plug Gated Pipe Irrigation System

ABSTRACT THE hydraulics of a moving-plug gated pipe irrigation system are analyzed. A relationship was developed for predicting orifice discharge coefficients for a range of typical pipe flow velocity and head conditions. A simula-tion model was developed to predict the time distribution of orifice flows, the distribution of infiltrated water across a field, and runoff rates. The model can be used to design cablegation systems for fields having variable pipe slopes and variable furrow lengths. Orifice sizes are varied along the pipe line and the plug travel speed is varied in order to obtain optimum net water application for all furrows and to keep the furrow stream sizes within acceptable limits.
Investigation of Parallax Issues for Multi-Lens Multispectral Camera Band Co-Registration

Abstract. The multi-lens multispectral cameras (MSCs), such as Micasense Rededge and Parrot Sequoia, can record multispectral information by each separated lenses. With their lightweight and small size, which making they are more suitable for mounting on an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) to collect high spatial images for vegetation investigation. However, due to the multi-sensor geometry of multi-lens structure induces significant band misregistration effects in original image, performing band co-registration is necessary in order to obtain accurate spectral information. A robust and adaptive band-to-band image transform (RABBIT) is proposed to perform band co-registration of multi-lens MSCs. First is to obtain the camera rig information from camera system calibration, and utilizes the calibrated results for performing image transformation and lens distortion correction. Since the calibration uncertainty leads to different amount of systematic errors, the last step is to optimize the results in order to acquire a better co-registration accuracy. Due to the potential issues of parallax that will cause significant band misregistration effects when images are closer to the targets, four datasets thus acquired from Rededge and Sequoia were applied to evaluate the performance of RABBIT, including aerial and close-range imagery. From the results of aerial images, it shows that RABBIT can achieve sub-pixel accuracy level that is suitable for the band co-registration purpose of any multi-lens MSC. In addition, the results of close-range images also has same performance, if we focus on the band co-registration on specific target for 3D modelling, or when the target has equal distance to the camera.
Capital Budgeting Processes and Wealth Maximization Objective: Implications for Firms in Nigeria

This paper examined how capital budgeting processes result in the wealth maximization objective of firms in Nigeria. Data were obtained from both primary and secondary sources using the explorative research design. The findings revealed that proper identification and selection of projects becomes necessary, using capital budgeting techniques and processes and adopting those projects that would maximize the wealth of the owners through value addition to the capital of the firms. It concluded that adopting the necessary techniques and implementing them implies using capital budget processes to actualize the objectives of the firms. The paper contributes to the literature on capital budgeting as a multi-faceted process aimed at making screening and preference decisions by management, on which long-term project should be embarked on. It recommended that firms in Nigeria should entrench the capital budget processes in the firm and be seen to follow it as aproved and authorized by the board. This would result in better performances by the firms in Nigeria. Keywords: Capital Budgeting Processes, Net Present Value, Wealth Maximization, Investment Appraisal.
Short communication. Isolation of Aeromonas hydrophila in piglets

The production of Alentejano breed pig started a recovery two decades ago due to increasing demand for gourmet products. These pigs are raised in rotational semi-extensive or extensive outdoor production systems in the “Montado” (green and cork oak forest), grazing and feeding acorns and other associated food resources. Bacteria of the genus Aeromonas are considered as emerging pathogens of importance for man and animals, but its involvement in swine is not well documented. In the context of a study made at the University of Evora to assess the specific diseases of Alentejano swine, diseased piglets from two farms were submitted for pathological and bacteriological examinations. Pathological examinations revealed changes characteristic of septicemia, and Aeromonas hydrophila was isolated in pure culture from multiple organs of piglets from both farms. Antibiotic sensitivity tests showed that the isolates from one of the farms were susceptible to gentamicin, oxitetracycline, neomycin, enrofloxacin, colistin sulfate, trimethoprim, ceftiofur, and amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid. In contrast, the A. hydrophila isolated in the other farm was resistant to all drugs tested but enrofloxacin. This is the first report in the world showing the relationship between septicemia and A. hydrophila infection in piglets. The importance of this finding is further reinforced by the fact that these bacte ria can be highly resistant to antimicrobial agents.
A Study on Printed Multiple Solid Line by Combining Microcontact and Flexographic Printing Process for Microelectronic and Biomedical Applications

: Microcontact printing (µCP) is an outstanding surface patterning technique in micron scale and, even in nano scale. Surface science communities like engineers and biologists have been promoting attention in µCP, therefore they have been rich in improvement to the µCP process itself. However the process is relatively slow in production. Meanwhile flexographic technique is a high speed roll to roll process, but low in resolution and still has limitation in printing of micro-scale size. Now a day, low cost fabrication is keys to the successful introduction of printed electronics and roll to roll manufacturing processes. Therefore, study to extend flexographic into the micro-scale size resolutions, may provide an economical commercialization path for electronic devices since, flexographic is a high speed technique commonly used for printing onto very large area flexible substrates. Although low resolution and poor registration are characteristics of today's flexographic process, it has many potential to achieve fine solid line micro size by combining to microcontact printing because both of them having similarities in method of carrying printed pattern to a substrates. This study have been demonstrated that 10micron line with 10micron gap successfully printed by these 2 combinations printing techniques, using graphic ink and biological ink with is Fetal Bovine Serum.
Climatic Properties of Tropical Precipitating Convection under Varying Environmental Conditions

A clustering algorithm is used to define the radiative, hydrological, and microphysical properties of precipitating convective events in the equatorial region observed by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite. Storms are separated by surface type, size, and updraft strength, the latter defined by the presence or absence of lightning. SST data and global reanalysis products are used to explore sensitivity to changes in environmental conditions. Small storms are much more numerous than mesoscale convective systems, and account for fairly little of the total rainfall but contribute significantly to reflection of sunlight. Lightning storms rain more heavily, have greater cloud area, extend to higher altitude, and have higher albedos than storms without lightning. Lightning is favored by a steep lower-troposphere lapse rate and moist midlevel humidity. Storms occur more often at SST $ 288C and with strong upward 500-mb mean vertical velocity. In general, storms over warmer ocean waters rain more heavily, are larger, and have higher cloud tops, but they do not have noticeably higher albedos than storms over cooler ocean waters. Mesoscale convective system properties are more sensitive to SST. Rain rates and cloud-top heights increase statistically significantly with mean upward motion. Rain rates increase with albedo and cloud-top height over ocean, but over land there are also storms with cloud-top temperatures . 2358C whose rain rates decrease with increasing albedo. Both the fraction of available moisture that rains out and the fraction that detrains as ice increase with SST, the former faster than the latter. TRMM ice water paths derived from cloud-resolving models but constrained by observed microwave radiances are only weakly correlated with observed albedo. The results are inconsistent with the ‘‘adaptive iris’’ hypothesis and suggest feedbacks due primarily to increasing convective cloud cover with warming, but more weakly than predicted by the ‘‘thermostat’’ hypothesis.
STUDY OF SPRAY CHARACTERISTICS OF BIODIESEL USING DIMENSIONLESS ANALYSIS UNDER NON EVAPORATING CONDITIONS

The spray characteristics of the fuel greatly influence emissions from diesel engines. Spray development plays a vital role in improving the combustion and emission characteristics of fuel because it directly affects the air- fuel mixture formation. The spray characteristics of fuel mainly depend on fuel injection process, fuel density, fuel viscosity, ambient pressure and temperature. Among these, the effect of fuel injection pressure is a very important parameter directly affecting spray structure. This study investigates the effects of fuel injection pressure on the spray characteristics such as spray angle and spray tip penetration in a constant volume chamber under non evaporating conditions by image processing techniques. The macroscopic spray characteristics were quantified using dimensionless analysis by examining the role of the dominating forces associated with liquid jet breakup. The Weber number, Reynolds number and air- to- fluid density ratio were used to capture the primary forces including the inertia, surface tension and aerodynamics drag forces. The Weber number has a more profound effect on the spray penetration and spray cone angle compared to the Reynolds number contribution. This analysis yielded dimensionless correlations for spray cone angle and spray tip penetration that provided important insight into the spray breakup and atomization process.
The use of concept maps in the therapeutic patient education field: preliminary study with an analysis of the litterature

Introduction : The concept map (CM) is a teaching technique that aids learning and its assessment Originally used in general education, it was introduced in therapeutic patient education (TPE) in 2004. Aims : To describe and analyse the use of concept mapping in TPE ten years after its introduction. Methods : Analysis of the literature from 2004 to 2014 using the following databases and search engines: ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, PubMed, EM-Premium, PsycINFO, OpenGrey, Sudoc, ERIC and JSTOR. Results : Twenty-seven documents were analyzed. Twenty-one of these reported studies or practical experiences in France. The maps were used in TPE for different groups having a variety of conditions, mainly for the purpose of diagnostic and training assessments (23/27), and less commonly as a learning aid (4/27). Several methods for use were identified: construction by the patient, by the educator, as a group or individually. The authors described the benefits of each method. The effects and educational potential of concept mapping were discussed. Conclusion : Despite the limited number of publications, this literature analysis confirms the value of concept maps in TPE. However, their use, which is still limited, will depend on whether caregiver-educators see a place for them and are trained to use them.
ACYL CoA BINDING PROTEIN ( ACBP ) GENE ABLATION INDUCES PREIMPLANTATION EMBRYONIC LETHALITY IN MICE

Acyl CoA Binding Protein (ACBP) Gene Ablation Induces Pre-Implantation Embryonic Lethality in Mice. (December 2010) Danilo Landrock, Diplom (B.S. equivalent), Berlin, Germany Co-Chairs of Advisory Committee, Dr. Ann B. Kier Dr. Friedhelm Schroeder Unique among the intracellular lipid binding proteins, acyl CoA binding protein (ACBP) exclusively binds long chain fatty acyl CoAs (LCFA-CoAs). To test if ACBP is an essential protein in mammals, the ACBP gene was ablated by homologous recombination in mice. While ACBP heterozygotes appeared phenotypically normal, intercrossing of the heterozygotes did not result in any live homozygous deficient (null) ACBP pups. Heterozygous and wild type embryos were detected at all postimplantation stages, but no homozygous ACBP null embryos were obtained– suggesting that an embryonic lethality occurred at a preimplantation stage of development, or that embryos never formed. While ACBP null embryos were not detected at any blastocyst stage, ACBP null embryos were detected at the morula (8cell), cleavage (2-cell), and zygote (1-cell) preimplantation stages. Two other LCFACoA binding proteins, sterol carrier protein-2 (SCP-2) and sterol carrier protein-x (SCPx) were significantly upregulated at these stages. These findings demonstrate for the first time that ACBP is an essential protein required for embryonic development and its loss of function may be initially compensated by concomitant upregulation of two other
ENHANCING CRM STRATEGY: THE ROLE OF DATA, LEADERSHIP AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

Author Silja Patrikainen Title of Thesis Enhancing CRM strategy: The role of data, leadership and organizational culture Discipline Marketing Type of work Master’s Thesis Time of publication 2018 Number of pages 94 + appendix Abstract Change in customer’s buying behaviour has lead customer encounters to fragment across channels. Companies now need to master value creation in multiple touchpoints, online and offline, to develop profitable customer relationships. To gain customer understanding and to deliver value to the right customer at the right time, companies need to effectively implement CRM strategy. Holistic approach, which considers several business operations as part of the CRM process, is a key factor in CRM success. Nevertheless, little is known about how elements such as leadership and organizational culture affect CRM. This study develops a new research framework to explore how elements of leadership, organizational culture and data and analytics can be used to enhance CRM strategy development and implementation. In addition, the study aims to explore which activities of leadership, organizational culture, data and analytics best support the CRM. Main findings of the study reveal that the created framework effectivelyChange in customer’s buying behaviour has lead customer encounters to fragment across channels. Companies now need to master value creation in multiple touchpoints, online and offline, to develop profitable customer relationships. To gain customer understanding and to deliver value to the right customer at the right time, companies need to effectively implement CRM strategy. Holistic approach, which considers several business operations as part of the CRM process, is a key factor in CRM success. Nevertheless, little is known about how elements such as leadership and organizational culture affect CRM. This study develops a new research framework to explore how elements of leadership, organizational culture and data and analytics can be used to enhance CRM strategy development and implementation. In addition, the study aims to explore which activities of leadership, organizational culture, data and analytics best support the CRM. Main findings of the study reveal that the created framework effectively describes how the three elements are related to CRM strategy development and implementation. All three elements have a significant role in CRM process. Leadership acts as a gate keeper to strategy. Its commitment to the process and ability to implement strategy and enhance cross-functional coordination greatly influences the outcomes of the implementation. From the features of organizational culture, customer-orientation, culture of continuous development and people orientation arose as the main facilitators of CRM strategy. Finally, data and analytics have a strong supportive role thorough CRM process. The role of data, analytics, and IT has shifted from a reporting and record storing tool to enabler of supreme customer value creation and a competitive advantage that is hard to copy.
Mortality caused by aqueous extract of the leaves of Datura stramineus to goat biting louse, Bovicola caprae (Phthiraptera)

Extensive and indiscriminate use of organic lousicides is leading to environmental hazards i.e. persistence of residues, development of resistance and targeting of non-target beneficial organism. Hence, phytotherapy is emerging as effective tool for louse control, due to ecofriendly and biodegradable nature of plant extracts. In the present study the mortality and repellency caused by five concentration of aqueous extract of the leaves of commonly available Datura stramineus were tested against goat biting louse, Bovicola caprae. Fifteen percent concentration of extract prepared from leaves of aforesaid plant imparted 77% mortality and 66% repellency to goat biting louse.