Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On-farm and on-station selection of new cocoa varieties in Ecuador

The CFC/ICCO/Bioversity International project "Cocoa Productivity and Quality Improvement: a Participatory Approach" (2004-2010), chapter INIAP-Ecuador, provided an opportunity to continue evaluating most of the hybrid and clone trials started during the CFC/ICCO/IPGRI project "Cocoa Germplasm Utilization and Conservation: a Global Approach" (1998-2003), and to start participative cocoa research with the inclusion of producers pursuing a more efficient selection of superior cocoa cultivars. Under the umbrella of the current project, an agrosocio- economic study was completed, providing some useful insights on the multifactor environment which influences cocoa production in three distinct zones of Ecuador. Some important germplasm collecting activities also took place, enriching the phenotypic and genotypic variability of the cocoa genebank held by the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIAP) at the Estacion Experimental Tropical Pichilingue (EET Pichilingue). The project's period was also fruitful in providing information on the influence of some agronomic factors (compatibility, pruning levels, planting density, drought resistance, differences in flowering and other phenological markers) and on sensorial differences among distinct genotypes. Best hybrid trees were selected and multiplied as clones to compare their performance in trials which are currently being conducted both at the EET Pichilingue and in farmers' fields. These experiments will hopefully be the source of new commercial fine or flavour cocoa cultivars in the near future. The most important output of both abovementioned projects is their contribution, together with other projects, towards building up an important genetic base to gradually develop new cocoa varieties well into the next quarter of the century. Training and opportunities to develop research, agronomic and managerial experience for a number of people locally involved in the project represent an additional dimension in which the project made valuable contributions. We may well divide the cocoa breeding process in Ecuador into two parts, i.e. before and after the implementation period of both projects (1998-2010). (Resume d'auteur)
Using SDRT to analyze pathological conversations Logicality , rationality , and pragmatic deviances ∗

Manuel Rebuschi, Maxime Amblard, Michel Musiol. Using SDRT to analyze pathological conversations. Logicality, rationality and pragmatic deviances. Manuel Rebuschi and Martine Batt and Gerhard Heinzmann and Franck Lihoreau and Michel Musiol and Alain Trognon. Interdisciplinary Works in Logic, Epistemology, Psychology and Linguistics: Dialogue, Rationality, and Formalism, 3, Springer, pp.343 368, 2014, Logic, Argumentation & Reasoning, 978-3-319-03043-2.
The identity of some Hippolais specimens from Eritrea and the United Arab Emirates examined by mtDNA analysis: a record of Sykes's Warbler H. rama in Africa

Hippolais specimens from Eritrea and the UAE D. J. Pearson, J. S. Ash & S. Bensch Short commun cation The identity of some Hippolais specimens from Eritrea and the United Arab Emirates examined by mtDNA analysis: a record of Sykes’s Warbler H. rama in Africa DAVID J. PEARSON, 1 * JOHN S. ASH 2 & STAFFAN BENSCH 3 1 Lupin Close, Reydon, Southwold, Suffolk IP18 6NW, UK 2 Godshill Wood, Fordingbridge, Hampshire SP6 2LR, UK 3 Department of Animal Ecology, Ecology Building, Lund University, S-223 62 Lund, Sweden
Emotion and Memory Model for Social Robots: A Reinforcement Learning based on Behavior Selection

In this paper, we propose a reinforcement learning (RL) mechanism for social robots to select an action based on users’ learning performance and social engagement. We applied this behavior selection mechanism to extend the emotion and memory model, which allows a robot to create a memory account of the user’s emotional events and adapt its behavior based on the developed memory. We evaluated the model in a vocabulary-learning task at a school during a children’s game involving robot interaction to see if the model results in maintaining engagement and improving vocabulary learning across the four different interaction sessions. Generally, we observed positive ﬁndings based on child vocabulary learning and sustaining social engagement during all sessions. Compared to the trends of a previous study, we observed a higher level of social engagement across sessions in terms of the duration of the user gaze toward the robot. For vocabulary retention, we saw similar trends in general but also showing high vocabulary retention across some sessions. The ﬁndings indicate the beneﬁts of applying RL techniques that have a reward system based on multi-modal user signals or cues.
MINI-REVIEW Adolescence and the Microbiome Q1 Implications for Healthy Growth and Maturation

The gut microbiota was initially thought to develop into a stable, adult-like pro ﬁ le during early postnatal life. The formation of the gut microbiota during early life has been shown to contribute to healthy growth and has lifelong implications for host health. Adolescence, the developmental period between childhood and adulthood, is a critical window for healthy growth and maturation. The composition of the gut microbiota in adolescents is distinct from that of children and adults, which supports the premise that the gut microbiota continues to develop during adolescence toward an adult-like pro ﬁ le. Research has begun to shift its focus from understanding the gut microbiome at the extremes of the life span to evaluating the importance of the gut microbiome during adolescence and the role it plays in healthy development. This article provides an overview of adolescent development, host-microbiota interactions, and experimental models used to discern gut microbiota effects on health and disease. The role of the gut microbiota is reviewed as it relates to adolescent: i) brain development, cognition, and behavior; ii) metabolism and adiposity; and iii) skeletal growth and bone mass accrual. Future directions are addressed, including omics investigations de ﬁ ning mechanisms through which the gut microbiota in ﬂ uences adolescent development. Furthermore, we discuss advancing noninvasive interventions targeting the adolescent gut microbiota that could be employed to support healthy growth and maturation. (Am J Pathol 2023, - : 1 e 10; https://doi.
(2016). HDRFusion: HDR SLAM using a low-cost auto-exposure RGB-D sensor. In 2016 Fourth International Conference on 3D Vision (3DV 2016): Proceedings of a meeting held 25-28 October 2016, Stanford,

We describe a new method for comparing frame appearance in a frame-to-model 3-D mapping and tracking system using an low dynamic range (LDR) RGB-D camera which is robust to brightness changes caused by auto exposure. It is based on a normalised radiance measure which is invariant to exposure changes and not only robustiﬁes the tracking under changing lighting conditions, but also enables the following exposure compensation perform accurately to allow online building of high dynamic range (HDR) maps. The latter facilitates the frame-to-model tracking to minimise drift as well as better capturing light variation within the scene. Results from experiments with synthetic and real data demonstrate that the method provides both improved tracking and maps with far greater dynamic range of luminosity.
MANAGING CORPORATE TRANSFORMATION OF THE COMMERCIAL BANKING SECTOR IN THE FAST GROWING NIGERIAN ECONOMY: CHALLENGES AND STRATEGIES.

The fast growing economy makes corporate transformation an inevitable feature of corporate life in Nigeria of today. Corporate Transformation is the process of changing the characteristics and corporate culture of an organization so that it will not only lead further changes in the industry or environment but be the change itself. The commercial banking sector because of its intermediary role is positioned to lead other sectors to key in and grow with the economy. To perform this role the sector has to transform through the process of strategic management in which the following strategies prescribed in the paper will be implemented namely: staff training, recapitalization, corporate governance, focusing on core banking business and aggressive drive for deposits. To complement the transformation there should be effective supervision and regulation of the system by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC). There are challenges, such as exchange rate disability, infrastructural decay, high rate of inflation etc. But with good strategies these challenges can be surmounted.
Characterization of a Second Rhodococcus erythropolis SQ1 3-Ketosteroid 9 alpha-Hydroxylase Activity Comprising a Terminal Oxygenase Homologue, KshA2, Active with Oxygenase-Reductase Component KshB

Previously we have characterized 3-ketosteroid 9 (cid:1) -hydroxylase (KSH), a key enzyme in microbial steroid degradation in Rhodococcus erythropolis strain SQ1, as a two-component iron-sulfur monooxygenase, comprised of the terminal oxygenase component KshA1 and the oxygenase-reductase component KshB. Deletion of the kshA1 gene resulted in the loss of the ability of mutant strain RG2 to grow on the steroid substrate 4-andro-stene-3,17-dione (AD). Here we report characteristics of a close KshA1 homologue, KshA2 of strain SQ1, sharing 60% identity at the amino acid level. Expression of the kshA2 gene in mutant strain RG2 restored growth on AD and ADD, indicating that kshA2 also encodes KSH activity. The functional complementation was shown to be dependent on the presence of kshB . Transcriptional analysis showed that expression of kshA2 is induced in parent strain R. erythropolis SQ1 in the presence of AD. However, promoter activity studies, using (cid:2) -lactamase of Escherichia coli as a convenient transcription reporter protein for Rhodococcus , revealed that the kshA2 promoter in fact is highly induced in the presence of 9 (cid:1) -hydroxy-4-androstene-3,17-dione (9OHAD) or a metabolite thereof. Inactivation of kshA2 in parent strain SQ1 by unmarked gene deletion did not affect growth on 9OHAD, cholesterol
Voxel Volumes and Biomass: estimating vegetation volume and litter accumulation of exotic annual grasses using automated ultra-high resolution SfM and advanced classiﬁcation techniques

Rangelands and semi-arid ecosystems are subject to increasing changes in ecologic makeup from a collection of factors. In much of the northern Great Basin, rangelands invaded by exotic annual grasses such as cheatgrass (Broumus tectorum) and medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae) are experiencing an increasingly short ﬁre cycle which is compounding and persistent. Improving and expanding ground-based ﬁeld methods for measuring above-ground biomass (AGB) may enable more sample collections across a landscape and over succession regimes, and better harmonize with other remote sensing techniques. Developments and increased adoption of uncrewed aerial vehicles and instrumentation for vegetation monitoring are enabling greater understanding of vegetation in many ecosystems. Research towards understanding the relationship of traditional ﬁeld measurements with newer aerial platforms in rangeland environments is growing rapidly, and there is increasing interest in exploring the potential use both to quantify AGB and ﬁne fuel load at pasture scales. Our study here uses relatively inexpensive handheld photography with custom sampling frames to collect and automatically reconstruct 3D-models of the vegetation within 0.2 m2 quatrats (n = 288). Next, we examine the relationship between volumetric estimates of vegetation to compare with biomass. We found that volumes calculated with 0.5 cm voxel sizes (0.125 cm3) most closely represented the range of biomass weights. We further develop methods to classify ground points, ﬁnding a 2% reduction in predictive ability compared to using the true ground surface. Overall, our reconstruction workﬂow had an R2 of 0.42, further emphasizing the importance of high-resolution imagery and reconstruction techniques. Ultimately, we conclude that more work is needed of increasing extents (such as from UAS) to better understand and constrain uncertainties in volumetric estimations of biomass in ecosystems with high amounts of invasive annual grasses and ﬁne fuel litter.
Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient based portfolio management system

— The Deep Reinforcement Learning Process (DRL) has made considerable progress since its inception towards the production of various independent systems. Nowadays, deep learning gives Reinforcement Learning (RL) the ability to conform to several dysfunctions that were previously difficult, if not impossible to resolve. In this paper, we explore the power of Deep Reinforcement Learning in order to solve the problem of portfolio management which is a process that allows the selection, prioritization and management of funds by following a defined policy. Our objective is to obtain an optimal strategy to maximize the expected return while minimizing the costs. To do this, we use the Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient which is an off-policy algorithm adapted for environments with continuous action spaces. The obtained results demonstrate that the model achieves a higher rate of return than the strategy of “Uniform Buy and Hold” stocks and the strategy of “Buy Best Stock in last month”.
Formation of Alfvénic resonance layers in magnetic reconnection

In the framework of two‐dimensional incompressible MHD, we investigate the formation of Alfvénic resonance layers with different super‐Alfvénic shear flows. It is found that Alfvénic resonance layers are formed in the inflow region for the cases with the shear flow thickness larger than the current sheet thickness. The Alfvénic layers exist at where the flow velocity is equal to the local Alfvén speed and slowly drift away from the current sheet region as a magnetic island develops. The ratio (D) between the separation of the Alfvénic resonance layers and the current sheet thickness plays a crucial role on magnetic reconnection. It is found that D ~ 3 is a critical value, which is about the saturated size of a magnetic island in magnetic reconnection without super‐Alfvénic shear flow. For D < 3, the super‐Alfvénic shear flow shows mainly a suppressing effect on magnetic reconnection and the peaked reconnection rate drops below the rate without a super‐Alfvénic shear flow. When D > 3, the boosting effect of Kelvin‐Helmholtz instability surpasses the suppressing effect by Alfvénic resonance and the peaked reconnection rate is larger than that without a super‐Alfvénic shear flow. For D ~ 5, the super‐Alfvénic shear flow gives rise to a strongest boosting effect on magnetic reconnection. Possible applications are briefly discussed.
Fixed-Time Anti-Disturbance Average-Tracking for Heterogeneous Linear Multiagent Systems

This article focuses on the average-tracking control issue for heterogeneous linear multiagent systems via a fixed-time approach. The agents, with varied dynamics and state dimensions, are subject to external disturbances and each has a unique reference signal that cannot be accessed by the other agents. In this setting, each agent is provided a multiple reference signal state compensator in order to estimate the states of all reference signals. Furthermore, external disturbances are estimated using a fixed-time sliding mode disturbance observer. An anti-disturbance control protocol is proposed by combining the disturbance observer and the state compensator for agents to track the average value of reference signals within a fixed time, which is predetermined and independent of initial states. The efficiency of the suggested average-tracking control mechanism is shown by numerical experiments.
Overpressure and mudrock compaction in the Lower Kutai Basin, Indonesia: A radical reappraisal

Lateral drainage and high temperatures in the shelfal area of the Lower Kutai Basin provide an exceptional opportunity to study compaction of Miocene mudrocks and overpressure generation. Previous workers agreed that the principal mechanism of overpressure generation is disequilibrium compaction, but sonic and resistivity logs in several fields display reversals at a transition zone into high overpressure, indicating that overpressure is generated by unloading processes. The transition zone coincides with the vitrinite reflectance threshold for gas generation. Extreme overpressures in some wells are associated with reversals on density logs too, interpreted to result from opening cracks. The density-depth trends through the mudrocks are similar in all wells and independent of overpressure until extreme overpressures are encountered. This observation strongly suggests that porosity reduction is controlled by chemical compaction and that cementation has caused the mudrocks to become overcompacted, relative to the prevailing effective stress, at burial depths of approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) where the top of overpressure is encountered. Hence, the Lower Kutai Basin contains a unique reported example, to date, of a Neogene succession in which high overpressures are generated by unloading processes with no contribution from disequilibrium compaction. Density logs from the Peciko field have been used to derive the empirical porosity-depth trend ϕ = 0.434 e −0.164 z for mudrocks in the depth range 6000 to 15,000 ft (1800 to 4600 m), where z is depth in thousands of feet. The corresponding temperature range is 85 to 170°C, so this compaction curve applies for mudrocks in the chemical compaction regime, where no discrete smectite is present.
Etude floristique et structurale de deux forêts denses humides sur roches ultrabasiques en Nouvelle-Calédonie

Resume : L'inventaire floristique et structural d'une foret sur alluvions et d'une foret sur pentes a ete realise dans le Parc Provincial de la Riviere Bleue situee sur roches ultrabasiques (terrains miniers) dans le sud de la Nouvelle-Caledonie. Avec 209 especes recensees sur 0,25 ha et 309 sur 2,79 ha, la foret sur pentes apparait plus riche que celle sur alluvions qui compte 138 especes sur 0,25 ha et 219 sur 2,68 ha. La comparaison du nombre d'especes representees par des individus d'un diametre 2 10 cm trouves sur une surface de l'ordre de 1 ha, pour differentes forets tropicales, indique que les, forets etudiees ici sont sensiblement moins riches qu'en NouvelleGuinee et en Malaisie mais plus riches qu'en Afrique de l'Ouest. Les especes de la foret sur alluvions appartiennent a 142 genres et 67 familles et celles de la foret sur pentes a 166 genres et 70 familles. Les deux forets ont en commun 178 especes. L'importance des principales familles en nombre de genres et d'especes, est donnee pour les 2 categories de forets. Au niveau de la famille, la difference principale entre les deux forets reside dans la predominance sur pentes des Myrtacees qui representent 10,36 o/o des especes contre seulement 3,65 o/o sur alluvions. L'examen de la densite des tiges d'un dbh 2 2 cm montre que la foret sur pentes se differencie de celle sur alluvions par un nombre plus eleve de tiges d'un diametre < 30 cm ; les valeurs etant sensiblement egales ou inferieures pour les classes de diametres 2 30 cm. Dans les forets etudiees la densite des tiges d'un diametre 2 10 cm (1533 sur pentes et 1183 sur alluvions) est relativement elevee par rapport a la moyenne pantropicale. Par contre, elle reste inferieure pour un dbh 2 60 cm avec respectivement 7,7 tiges/ha sur pentes et 15,7 tiges/ha sur alluvions. Les densites de tiges rapportees a Khectare sont calculees par famille et par espece et l'importance des especes est analysee par classe de diametres. I1 ressort que le nombre des especes representees par des individus d'un diametre compris entre 2 et 10 cm est beaucoup plus grand en foret sur pentes qu'en foret sur alluvions o U l'on note une forte predominance d'un petit nombre d'especes du sous-bois. Les surfaces terrieres qui s'etablissent pour les diametres 2 10 cm a 4934 m2/ha pour la foret sur pentes et a 47,Ol m2/ha pour la foret sur alluvions sont relativement elevees par rapport aux valeurs donnees pour differentes forets tropicales. L'examen de la surface terriere par taxon fait ressortir la predominance des Sapotacees dans les deux cas, suivies des Araliacees, des Cunoniacees, des Myrtacees, des Sapindacees et des Legumineuses dans la foret sur alluvions, des Guttiferes, Legumineuses, Palmiers, Cunoniacees, Icacinacees, Myrtacees dans la foret sur pentes.
Cultural Influence On Requirement Engineering Process And Practices; A Pakistani Perspective

— Requirement Engineering (RE) is known as the most important phase of the software development life cycle. The aim of RE is to instruct, elaborate and discuss the procedure of detecting and documenting the needs and requirements of the stakeholder. It is possible that stakeholder might be strongly influenced by their culture values as it has an impact that what we have in our minds are the seeds of cultural fields. Culture difference has a unique influence on individual’s perceptions and overall personality. The differences are not limited to the way how they communicate, collaborate or visualizing. Every particular culture has a significant amount of impacts on individuals, it depends how it address a problem, how it works and how they see things therefore it is very possible that the difference of a culture which leads to the difference of a society where norms and values are totally changed, these factors can have a great impacts on the software development teams which can cause the possibility of a threat in software development. The RE has a significant impact on the quality of the software and it is very important to have an interpersonal communication between requirement engineers and stakeholders in order to refine the requirements and do the work tightly. This study is focusing and investigating the Pakistani core cultural dimension which affects the RE activities in the context of software development. The dominant model for this study is Hofstede cultural Model. For data collection technique the questionnaire method is used, where from 217 software houses data is collected and manipulated. Boxplot is use to perform statistical calculation to interpret the result of different dimensions of the culture. Research has shown the additional influence on RE activities then Hofstede Cultural model.