Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PRODUCTIVITY INTERVENTION AND SMALLHOLDER FARMERS: THE CASE OF GHANA'S COCOA ABRABOPA PROGRAM

Despite the dependence of more than three-quarters of a million households depending on cocoa for their living in Ghana, the production segment of the cocoa industry is fraught with significant challenges manifesting as low farm productivity. Various intervention programs to help farmers improve productivity at the farm level have been used over the past few decades. One of such programs is the Cocoa Abrabopa Program (CAA), which uses an integrated approach where farmers are supplied inputs made up of fertilizer, pesticides and fungicides as well as provided training and extension support services. The inputs are provided on credit and the producers repay the cost of these inputs upon selling their crop. This study sought to assess the results of the CAA in enhancing the net profits of its members over time. It used survey data collected over five years from members of the CAA program. The study used an econometric model to evaluate the demographic and production characteristics of CAA members on their net profits. The results show that male members in the CAA program had higher net profits that their female counterparts, about GHS 237.32 more. For every year increase in the member’s age, the net income increased by GHS 6.46, which was statistically significant at the 10 percent level. The crux of the study – the effectiveness of the CAA program in enhancing performance – was supported by the results. Participants who were two years in the program posted GHS 591.13 more net profit than those who were in their first year. Those who were three year and four or more years posted respectively GHS 1,211.04 and GHS 18,752.29 than those in the first year. All these were statistically significant at the 1 percent level. Thus, the CAA program is producing what it is expected to produce – enhancing the net profits of its members and doing so in higher levels with the duration of membership. The study also found that having a bank account produced a higher effect on net profits than being male, posting GHS 296.13 more net profit than not having a bank account. The econometric model specified and estimated was significant and the variability in all the independent variables in the model explained about 46 percent of the variability in net profits. The study recommends that the CAA program incorporates helping all its members open bank accounts as part of its offerings. It also recommends working with policymakers and community leaders across its operational areas to encourage investments in the education of females and elimination of the tenural rights discrimination that frequently confronts females in agriculture. It also recommends that an increased effort be made to expand membership of the CAA program to all cocoa producers in Western South because of the significant benefit of the yield effect of the region on net profit of CAA members in the region.
An iterative observer approach to harmonic estimation for multiple measurements in power distribution systems

In the past decade, there has been a significant increase in the use of power electronic components in the design of household and industrial equipment. The use of power electronic based renewable energy resources, electric vehicles and other residential nonlinear loads may result in significant increases in injection levels of harmonics across a power system. Hence, it is important for utility companies to ascertain the exact harmonic levels present in terms of the amplitude and phase of each harmonic order. This paper provides a mathematical basis for distribution system state-space equations to formulate an iterative observer, which can simultaneously estimate harmonics present in a number of measurements taken from the power system. The method not only improves the computation time and provides real-time data for harmonic monitoring, but also performs wide area harmonic estimation for harmonic observability. Simulations and comparisons are provided to illustrate the performance of the proposed method against that obtained using a Kalman filter and fast Fourier transform (FFT). A number of scenarios such as measurement noise and change in amplitude of harmonic injections are simulated to verify the accuracy of the proposed approach and the results are included.
FINGERTIP HAPTICS: A NOVEL DIRECTION IN HAPTIC DISPLAY

“Fingertip haptics” refers to the direct exploration of a virtual environment with the fingertips, rather than through an intermediate grasped object, such as a stylus or thimble. This paper describes our investigation of fingertip haptics to date, and continues to study a novel approach to rendering slip at the finger pad. We use a rotating drum to render the velocity of a surface as it passes beneath the fingertip. Our previous work resulted in a prototype device in one degree of freedom that helped test two groups of 14 subjects on their ability to sense the nature of the fingertip contact sensation (i.e., whether an actual surface or a rotating drum renders the contact sensation). The experimental results in this paper show strong justification of our mechanical approach to rendering relative velocity at the fingertip, and demonstrate fingertip sensitivity to mechanism dynamics.
AJUSTE DE MODELO DE PREDIÇÃO DE ÁREA FOLIAR DO FEIJOEIRO EM FUNÇÃO DE MEDIDAS LINEARES

O conhecimento da área foliar em estudos agronômicos é essencial em pesquisas que envolvem interrelações com outras variáveis relacionadas com essa variável, como a produtividade, produção de fotossimilados, absorção de nutrientes. No entanto, em muitos casos torna-se inviável o procedimento em decorrência da necessidade de destruição do material a ser medido. Portanto, a utilização de métodos indiretos que possibilitem a estimativa dessa variável é uma alternativa para a obtenção da área foliar sem sua destruição. O objetivo deste trabalho foi o de ajustar modelos matemáticos para estimar a área do trifólio de feijão, cultivar IPR Tangará, por meio de medidas lineares do folíolo central e comparar com o desempenho de modelos retirados na literatura. Foram utilizados 1.195 trifólios para o ajuste de modelos e 527 para validação. A área foliar da cultivar IPR tangará pode ser predita por meio de medidas do comprimento e largura do trifólio central. Modelos ajustados para uma determinada cultivar não podem ser utilizados em outras cultivares.
ULTRASTRUCTURAL ASPECTS OF PROGRAMMED CELL DEATH IN THE EXOCARP OIL GLANDS OF MANDARIN (CITRUS DELICIOSA TEN.)

In the exocarp of mandarin fruit (Citrus deliciosa Ten.), numerous globular/ovoid oil glands occur. In the centre of each gland, an essential oil-accumulating cavity is formed by a process of cell lysis. This process is induced by PCD which becomes ultrastructurally evident by the presence of a large number of fragmented ER-elements with a dark content. They appear only at the stage of PCD initiation and they disappear afterwards. ER-elements are scattered over the entire cytoplasmic area and do not locally aggregate or associate with other cell organelles and particularly the vacuoles. TEM observations favour the interpretation that ER involves in PCD of oil gland cells by releasing hydrolytic enzymes directly to the cytosol.
Factors influencing the winter haulout behaviour of Weddell seals: Consequences for satellite telemetry

An understanding of pinniped haulout behaviour can provide information on how ani- mals interact with their environment, their foraging strategies and the behaviour of their prey. For Weddell seals Leptonychotes weddelli, knowledge of haulout patterns and the environmental drivers of haulout is comprehensive for the austral spring and summer, but is poorly described outside this period. Pinniped behaviour is commonly examined using satellite telemetry; however, it is unclear whether the behavioural state of the seal can itself influence data acquisition. We examined haulout behaviour of female Weddell seals in eastern Antarctica over 3 winters (March to August, 2006-2008) using satellite-linked data loggers. Haulout behaviour followed a diel cycle with predominantly noc- turnal haulouts. The environmental variables wind speed and temperature were influential on haulout, with seals tending to haul out more in lower winds and at higher temperatures. Haulout duration decreased across the winter, as did the number of satellite uplinks, suggesting that haulout duration played a role in data acquisition. There was no evidence of a decline in tag condition over this period, indicating that the decrease in uplinks was primarily the result of the winter behaviour of the seals. Overall, the number of haulout locations in the data set was over-represented, with more uplinks per hour occurring when the seals were hauled out than when they were at sea. For Weddell seals and other ice seals, tracking data that include haulout locations can bias spatial representations of foraging behaviour (e.g. haulout sites may be mistaken for regions of area-restricted search).
Cranial foramina and relationships of Eutypomys (Rodentia, Eutypomyidae). American Museum novitates ; no. 2626

Derived characters of the sphenopalatine, interorbital, and dorsal palatine foramina are shared by the Eutypomyidae and Castoridae. These support the hypothesis that the two families had common ancestry in a stem species from which no other rodent groups are descended. The two families may be included in a monophyletic superfamily, Castoroidea.
Optimising Nobel Prize Laureates

The Nobel Prize, which has existed since 1901, is awarded to persons (and on rare occasion to institutions) who have achieved outstanding results in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and the pursuit of peace. The history of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences – awarded for the first time in 1969 and officially known as the ‘Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel’ – shows a slightly different picture, since in the first two decades it was awarded to still living “doyens” of this branch of science (Frisch, Tinbergen, Hicks, Myrdal, Hayek, Haavelmo, Coase – just to mention a few of them). In recent years, this prize serves primarily for the recognition of research results: In 1994, 2005, 2007, 2012 and 2014 the prize was awarded to scientists excelling in various game theories, in 1996 and 2001 to experts working in the field of asymmetric information, and in 2002 to experts researching the link between psychology and economic science. In 2010 and 2016, the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences was awarded in the field of labour market analysis and contract theory, respectively. It appears as if the Committee awarding the prize first chose a generally topical subject matter and then award the Prize to experts who are successful and produce outstanding results in that field. 2018 was no exception. Although the laudation of the two laureates – William Nordhaus and Paul Romer – mentions their excellent scientific achievement, as they received the Prize “for their work analysing the impact of climate change on global economy, and related to the endogenous growth theory”, a more detailed analysis shows that here again there is a very strong link between the two scientists in terms of content and methodology, since the problem of sustainability and the application of the optimisation procedures, mentioned in the title, also connects them.
Learning to be a good orthographic reader

The University of OxfordRecent years have brought about rapid advances in our understanding of reading andhow it develops, particularly in relation to the importance of alphabetic coding skills.However, much less has been known about the transition from alphabetic decodingto the rapid and automatic orthographic recognition of words, which is the hallmarkof skilled reading. The purpose of this special issue is to focus speciﬁcally onorthographic processes in reading and how they are acquired. The present paperprovides an overview of the special issue, drawing attention to key themes that runthrough the various contributions.
A Green and Facile Approach for the Synthesis Copper Oxide Nanoparticles Using Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Flower Extracts and It's Antibacterial Activities

This work is to details an environmental benign route for the fabrication of Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuONPs) using Hibiscus rosa-sinensis flower extracts at room temperature. This method is totally a green method, free from toxic and harmful solvent. The present study is aimed to prepare flower extract of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis in deionised water. This extract is added to copper acetate solution and we observed the Colour change of the solution from blue colour to sea green coloured solution, in confirmed the formation of Copper Oxide nanoparticles. The leaf extract helped in the bio reduction of Copper ions yielding CuO NPs. The CuO NPs thus biosynthesized were characterized using UV- visible spectra showed the absorbance peak of 505 nm due to the excitation of surface Plasmon vibrations. FTIR spectrum revealed that the reduction of Copper oxide nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction of the synthesized nanoparticles indicates the formation of CuO with a monoclinic structure. The synthesized nanoparticles are subjected to SEM, EDX, and antibacterial activities.
Science Parks, Knowledge Spillovers, and Firms' Innovative Performance. Evidence from Finland

The paper focuses on the role of Science Parks (SPs) as seedbeds of innovation. It investigates whether and to what extent locating inside a science park relates to the innovative output of tenant firms. The simple assessment methodology proposed relies on count data models, uses patents as innovation performance indicators, and exploits original data regarding the Finnish science parks, their main characteristics, and the data of 252 SP tenant firms, including their patenting activity over the period 1970– 2002. Among other results, the study suggests that both within and among SPs interaction and spillover effects exist, and points out the way in which they relate to firms’ innovative output. Results are robust to controlling for the existence of innovation lags. Parks’ first mover disadvantages also emerge, as well as nonnegligible matching phenomena whereby firms’ and parks’ characteristics matter jointly. Paper submitted to the special issue The Knowledge-Based Society: Transition, Geography, and Competition Policy
Traditional Media and Their Internet Spin-Offs: An Explorative Study on Key Levers for Online Success and the Impact of Offline Reach

This study examines factors that account for the success of traditional media's Internet spin-offs in terms of attracted users and the page impressions they generate. Based on empirical data pertaining to the German market, we derive a model explaining online success through the reach of the parent offline medium regarded as given, and the varying degrees to which 5 key levers are employed by the Web site management. The analysis demonstrates that differences in offline reach, considered as one of the main assets of traditional media to leverage online, account for only about a third of the differences in the number of users and for about a tenth of the differences in page impressions. Although the argument for the importance of offline reach (i.e., the brand equity to be leveraged online) is theoretically convincing, this analysis illustrates that the large differences in page impressions and the number of users still are predominantly due to the considerable disparities in manageable levers, inherently independent of offline reach. By benchmarking these levers, the analysis elucidates that managers of online spin-offs are far from maximizing online success.
A Novel Colour-Constancy Algorithm: A Mixture of Existing Algorithms

Colour constancy algorithms attempt to provide an accurate colour representation of images independent of the illuminant colour used for scene illumination. In this paper we investigate well-known and state-ofthe-art colour-constancy algorithms. We then select a few of these algorithms and combine them using a weighted-sum approach. Four methods are involved in the weights estimation. The first method uniformly distributes the weights among the algorithms. The second one uses learning set of images to train the weights based on errors. The third method searches for a linear combination of all methods’ outcomes that minimise the error. The fourth one trains a continuous perceptron, in order to find optimum combination of the methods. In all four approaches, we used a set of 60 images. Each of these images was taken with a Gretag Macbeth colour checker card in the scene, in order to make quantitative evaluation of colour-consistency algorithms. The results obtained show our proposed method outperforms individual algorithms. The best results were obtained using the weights for linear combination and the trained continuous perceptron to combine the algorithms.
A New Fuzzy Cognitive Map Learning Algorithm for Speech Emotion Recognition

Selecting an appropriate recognition method is crucial in speech emotion recognition applications. However, the current methods do not consider the relationship between emotions. Thus, in this study, a speech emotion recognition system based on the fuzzy cognitive map (FCM) approach is constructed. Moreover, a new FCM learning algorithm for speech emotion recognition is proposed. This algorithm includes the use of the pleasure-arousal-dominance emotion scale to calculate the weights between emotions and certain mathematical derivations to determine the network structure. The proposed algorithm can handle a large number of concepts, whereas a typical FCM can handle only relatively simple networks (maps). Different acoustic features, including fundamental speech features and a new spectral feature, are extracted to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. Three experiments are conducted in this paper, namely, single feature experiment, feature combination experiment, and comparison between the proposed algorithm and typical networks. All experiments are performed on TYUT2.0 and EMO-DB databases. Results of the feature combination experiments show that the recognition rates of the combination features are 10%–20% better than those of single features. The proposed FCM learning algorithm generates 5%–20% performance improvement compared with traditional classification networks.
Stability of the Participation Banking Sector Against the Economic Crisis in Turkey

The purpose of this article is to analyze whether participating banking sector is more stable than conventional banking sector during the global economic crisis. The main point is that which banking system are financially less affected from the global economic crisis. For this anlysis, we have used trend analysis method for 2006-2011 on yearly basis. In this study, yearly financial ratios of conventional and participating banking sectors were utilized. Financial ratios can be sorted as profitability, liquidity, risknesss and asset quality ratios. Results of the study show that participating banking sector is more stable than conventional banking sector in terms of profitability, riskiness and liquidity during the analysis term which includes 2008 global economic crisis. In addition, both sectors are almost similiar and stable in terms of asset quality.
Talk 1 : Information Theory and Living Organism

Just "consciousness" IS the Existence itself with or without Space/Time manifestations. BEING comes first, and this Being IS conscious escaping any Time constraints (trans becomes in our model, for the first time in the History of Science and Philosophy, not only a perfectly argued and acceptable ontologically “prime" manifestation, too. We hope to contribute to a major paradigmatic shift centered on these new and advanced understandings. Our conceptual framework is highly consistent with Vedic tr designing Informational structures and processes as pro Transcending these ancient models and the Cartesian dualism, we defend an asymmetrical mon Information is extended into Space ability to form pre specific gradi combinatorials of different gradients from its own. Individual and Universal Consciousness are described as super-implicated orders of the same SQ (down to the Bhutatmas as infinitesimal units both of energy and Information where the hyper dimensional link is performed), a self Hence its natural feature of preserving cognitive components in their integral range after its disconnection from Brain's Quantum activity. The "show" is not affected by a technical dysfunction in the Radio background process Abstract: Norbert Wiener and Claude Shannon introduced information theory independently in 1948. Shannon introduced it to quantify the amount of data that can be transmitted by communication devices. It causes considerable confusion when it was applied to biological system. This theory deals with the capacity of the system to transmit information, not with the meaning or content of the transmitted information. Here, in this paper, we make a critical analysis regarding specificity and the origin of life. It raises the controversy between the reductionist and non context of use of information theory in living organism. Keywor reductionist, Semantics and syntactic aspects of information. Norbert Wiener and Claude Shannon introduced information theory independently in 1948. Shannon introduced it to quantify the amount of data that can be transmitted by communication devices. It causes considerable confusion when it was applied to biological system. This theory deals with the capacity of the system to transmit information, not with the meaning or content of the transmitted information. Here, in this paper, we make a critical analysis regarding specificity and the origin of life. It raises the controversy between the reductionist and non context of use of information theory in living organism. Keywor reductionist, Semantics and syntactic aspects of information. The real solution to the mind general, and the brain in particular. 1.Introduction In English dictionary the word information refers to knowledge communicated or received concerning a particular fact or circumstance. The word in -energetic configurations in its own regime). The Conscious Structure (entity) is defined by its ent of Informational complexity which allows for its active interaction with Informational -conscious structure is no way dependent upon Quantum may be linked to the Quantum processes in Brain but it may be