Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
INTERMEDIARIES AND ASYMMETRIC PRICING. EVIDENCE FROM THE MARKET OF LOCAL MILLET IN MALI

Commodity prices consistently increase in developing countries while they barely decline, affecting negatively poor and vulnerable people. This paper examines the role of intermediaries such as collectors, wholesalers, and retailers in the asymmetric transmission of millet prices from producers to consumers in local millet markets in Mali. We use data of local millet prices from the five most important cities in terms of local millet production in Mali namely; Bamako, Segou, Kayes, Koulikoro and Sikasso. Using the Threshold Auto-Regressive (TAR) method developed by Enders and Siklos (2001), at the exogenous threshold, we found an asymmetrical transmission between Koulikoro and Ségou collectors’ market. The result shows that, collectors in Koulikoro promptly transmit price increases while they lately transmit price decline at exogenous threshold. Strong evidence was found to suggest that, collectors in Koulikoro and wholesalers in Sikasso punctually transmit a decrease in millet prices to consumers while they tardily transmit the increase in prices to consumers even though the effect of prices increment are relatively larger than the effect of price decrease at endogenous threshold. By applying a zero exogenous threshold we found a non-asymmetric cointegration between Kayes and Ségou, Sikasso and Ségou ‘collectors market and between Sikasso and Ségou wholesalers’ market. Regardless of the threshold chosen in retailers market, we found symmetric prices transmissions between all the markets pairs. In order to reduce this asymmetric price transmission and to fight against poverty, the authors suggest that decision-makers should consider introducing millet price control in the local markets, especially when millet prices increase spontaneously.
Improved methods for analyzing MRI brain images

Image segmentation is a part of image processing for region or object extraction from the background area. Owing to the complex background, contrast of the infected portion, low intensity difference values, intricate inner body parts etc.; the problem of region extraction in segmentation is very challenging. Among various image segmentation techniques, thresholding is one of the simplest techniques, in which the region of interest is extracted from the background by comparing the pixel values with the threshold value. The threshold value is obtained from histogram of the image. The technique presented in the paper involves graph cut method in which the initial centroids are automatically selected by exploiting the symmetrical nature of the MRI images. The results obtained by the thresholding technique in this research work shows that any abnormality can be localized easily in horizontal divided MRI brain image rather than in vertical divided MRI image. Graph cut results show better segmentation than thresholding technique which is justified by PSNR and SSIM values.
Defining the Microglia Response to Ischemic Stroke Injury: The Role of CD200-CD200R1 Signaling

The work presented herein details our efforts at characterizing and understanding the mechanisms that govern microglia homeostasis and activation in the central nervous system (CNS). These studies have focused on the microglial response to aging and ischemic stroke, highlighting the importance of neuro-immune interactions and inflammatory signaling in the brain (Chapters 1 and 2). We begin with our investigations into microglial activity following ischemic brain injury and how these responses differ from that of other bone marrow-derived monocyte populations (Chapter 3). Then we define the role of the CD200-CD200R1 immuno-inhibitory signaling axis in ischemic stroke (Chapter 4), highlighting the importance of neuronal-glial interactions in maintaining immune privilege and attenuating post-stroke inflammation. Lastly, our work on the effects of aging on microglia function (Chapter 5) and immune surveillance (Chapter 6) in the CNS furthers our understanding of microglia senescence and the phenomenon of ‘inflamm-aging’.
Effects of Drive Input Pulse and Heater Surface on the Uniformity of Bubble Jet Printheads

An important aspect of print quality is the uniformity the bubble growing process on the thermal heater ments within the bubble jet printhead. The bubble primarily defines the volume of the expelled ink dro The local and temporal stability of the bubble repres the uniformity of drop mass and drop velocity. Using open pool test set-up with stroboscopic lighting a opaque or transparent waterbased fluids two majo fluences on the bubble uniformity are investigate drive input pulse and heater surface. For a rang different drive input pulse powers and heater surface terials the effects on bubble uniformity will be reviewe Experimental data will be given. The impacts on bubble jet printhead design will be discussed .
The Aesthetics and Practice of Designing Interactive Computer Events

Much confusion and hyperbole surrounds discussions of the aesthetics of interactive computer events. This essay works to clarify some of this confusion by analyzing the differences between interactive and non-interactive events, reviewing the variety of forms included under the umbrella term of interactivity, and investigating the theoretical rationales offered to support claims of interactivity's superiority derived from psychological, political, art historical, and technohistory sources. Building on this analysis, the essay suggests extensions to current GUI design canons that uniquely attend to interactivity as an aesthetic issue. It also investigates the challenges of the interactivity possibilities of emerging technologies. Introduction : Design Challenges of Interactive
Screening and characterization of lactic acid bacteria with antagonistic activities against Campylobacter jejuni from chicken manure

[Objective] This study is aimed to screen and identify new lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with antagonistic activities against Campylobacter jejuni from chicken manure, to understand their intestinal probiotic properties, and to probe the effects of LAB’s cell-free extracts on the virulence factor, flagella formation of C. jejuni. [Methods] The inhibition activities of 40 strains isolated from chicken manure were analyzed based on an oxford cup method to screen the strains with excellent antagonistic inhibitory effects on the indicator bacteria C. jejuni. The 16S rRNA gene-based technique was used to identify the selected strains. The adherence abilities of LAB strains to human intestinal epithelial cell (HT-29) were evaluated. The tolerance of LAB strains to artificial gastrointestinal juices was tested. Scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the effects of LAB’s cell-free extract on the flagella formation of C. jejuni. [Results] Forty LAB strains were isolated from chicken manure, among which X13, X14 and G20 strain showed the strongest antagonistic activities against C. jejuni. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that X13, X14, and G20 strain were respectively identified as Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus salivarius and Lactobacillus gallinarum. HT-29 cell adhesion tests showed that the adhesion index of X13, X14, and G20 were respectively 11.5, 20.3, and 14.3 cells per HT-29 cell, such results suggests that all these three strains showed strong adhesion abilities to HT-29 cell. Tolerance tests to artificial gastrointestinal juices showed that all these three strains showed good capabilities. SEM observation showed that the cell-free extracts of these three strains were able to inhibit the flagella formation of C. jejuni. [Conclusion] Three selected LAB strains from chicken manure have inhibit the growth and the flagella formation of C. jejuni in vitro effectively, which suggested that such three LAB strains could be used as potential animal protective probiotics for the control of C. jejuni infection in vivo.
Inference in economic experiments

Abstract Replication crisis and debates about p-values have raised doubts about what we can statistically infer from research findings, both in experimental and observational studies. With a view to the ongoing debate on inferential errors, this paper systematizes and discusses experimental designs with regard to the inferences that can and – perhaps more important – that cannot be made from particular designs.
Lines, damned lines and statistics: unearthing structure in Ptolemy’s Geographia

Ever since the rediscovery of Ptolemy’s Geographia in 1295, scholars have noted that it is troublingly inconsistent both internally and with the environment in which it was supposedly compiled. The problem for analysts to overcome is that the catalogue has been corrupted, amended and embellished throughout its history. It is therefore imperative to find more robust means to look for structural trends. Recent publications of the theoretical chapters and a digital catalogue of coordinates provide a variety of new possibilities. We are not alone in advocating computational procedures but will discuss two techniques that do not appear to have been considered in the literature so far and the conclusions they appear to give rise to. First, statistical analysis of the coordinates assigned to localities demonstrates clearly that ostensible precision (whether to the nearest 1/12, 1/6, 1/4, 1/3 or 1/2 degree) varies considerably by region and feature type and is locally heterogeneous. In other words, the composite nature of the data cannot only be confirmed, but we can build a clearer picture of how the sources varied by area. Secondly, while many studies have addressed either the point data or the finished maps, simple linear interpolation between coordinates following the catalogue provides a unique insight into the ‘invisible hand’ of the author(s). The unmistakable stylistic families that emerge, and the occasionally arbitrary limits imposed on them, provide further important evidence about the catalogue’s internal structure.
Apply the fusion of Watermarking techniques on coloured image using layered approach

- Watermarking technique is used to solve the issue related to security of data and copyright degradation. This issue has to be determined by keeping a steady prove on the imperceptibility and robustness or strength which incur to be its major goal. In order to achieve these objectives the usage of a mixed (hybrid) transformation is adopted in this paper, the main idea behind applying a hybrid transform is that the cover image is modified in its singular values rather than on the DWT sub-bands, therefore the watermark makes it vulnerable to vivid attacks and maintains its original state. Some simulation results are available to support the methods and relative study.
NONLINEAR INTERACTIONS BETWEEN WAVE GROUPS AND CURRENTS

The interaction between wave groups on water surfaces and submerged currents is studied. This work was motivated by the constant change of the breaker line in the nearshore region caused by the irregular nature of the wave motion. For smooth monochromatic wavetrains, the nonlinear numerical results show that surface waves can be focused by adverse surface currents, leading to very rough water surfaces, with sometimes a partial reflection being observed; upstream of these regions the surface of the water is smooth as all short waves are eliminated. For bichromatic waves, the fully nonlinear results show that partial wave blocking occurs at the individual wave components in the wave groups and that waves become almost monochromatic upstream the blocking region. These results agree qualitatively with experiments conducted by Chawla (1999).
Monetary Policy and Shadow Banking: Trapped between a Rock and a Hard Place

In this paper, I collect data on the euro area shadow banking system and demonstrate that tightening of monetary policy conditions in the run-up to the global financial crisis successfully reduced the growth of traditional banking but strengthened the growth of shadow banking due to a general escape from high funding costs. After the crisis, when interest rates were depressed to all-time lows, the empirical link between monetary policy and traditional banking was significantly weakened, while the relationship with shadow banking turned from positive to negative, i.e., the post-crisis monetary easing is found to have caused massive inflows into investment funds as a result of search for yield induced by persistently low interest rates.
On the Recall of Static Call Graph Construction in Practice

Static analyses have problems modelling dynamic language features soundly while retaining acceptable precision. The problem is well-understood in theory, but there is little evidence on how this impacts the analysis of real-world programs. We have studied this issue for call graph construction on a set of 31 real-world Java programs using an oracle of actual program behaviour recorded from executions of built-in and synthesised test cases with high coverage, have measured the recall that is being achieved by various static analysis algorithms and configurations, and investigated which language features lead to static analysis false negatives. We report that (1) the median recall is 0.884 suggesting that standard static analyses have significant gaps with respect to the proportion of the program modelled (2) built-in tests are significantly better to expose dynamic program behaviour than synthesised tests (3) adding precision to the static analysis has little impact on recall indicating that those are separate concerns (4) state-of-the-art support for dynamic language features can significantly improve recall (the median observed is 0.935), but it comes with a hefty performance penalty, and (5) the main sources of unsoundness are not reflective method invocations, but objects allocated or accessed via native methods, and invocations initiated by the JVM, without matching call sites in the program under analysis. These results provide some novel insights into the interaction between static and dynamic program analyses that can be used to assess the utility of static analysis results and to guide the development of future static and hybrid analyses. These results provide some novel insights into the interaction between static and dynamic program analyses that can be used to assess the utility of static analysis results and to guide the development of future static and hybrid analyses.
The Microvariable Activity of BL Lacertae

We report on seven nights of optical observation taken over a two-week period, and the resultant analysis of the intermediate-frequency peaked BL Lac object (IBL), BL Lac itself, at redshift z = 0.069. The microvariable behavior can be confirmed over the course of minutes for each night. A relativistic beaming model was used in our analysis, to infer changes to the line of sight angles for the motion of the different relativistic components. This model has very few free parameters. The light curves we generated show both high and moderate frequency cadence to the variable behavior of BL Lac itself, in addition to the well documented long-term variability.
The Impact of Online Consumer Reviews Dimension on Online Purchase Intentions In Tokopedia

- This study aims to determine whether the dimensions of online consumer reviews consisting of source credibility, review quality, review quantity, review valence affect the online purchases intention in Tokopedia. The population in this study were all Tokopedia application users, while the sample in this study were users who made purchases using the Tokopedia application in the last 2 months with a total sample of 190 respondents. This study uses multiple linear regression analysis to determine the effect of source credibility, review quality, review quantity, review valence on purchase intentions. The results of this study indicate that the source credibility, review quality and review valence partially have a significant effect on purchase intentions, while the review quantity has no significant effect on purchase intentions.
A Convolutional Neural Network that Self-Contained Counts

—We propose a Convolutional Neural Network for counting objects and persons in images. Utilizing a sequence of images, it is possible to count with respect to a movement direction (e.g. UCSD pedestrian dataset). The proposed Number Convolutional Neural Network (NCNN) directly outputs the desired count and thus does not require additional counting steps or dense maps as intermediate step. It cannot only be superior with respect to the mean absolute error evaluated on already known datasets. It also requires only the count as ground truth data and is thus easily and quickly applied to a variety of new problem statements. Additionally, it is able to count with respect to a movement direction by integrating time-dependent information.
Lagrangian Fluid Simulation with Continuous Convolutions

We present an approach to Lagrangian fluid simulation with a new type of convolutional network. Our networks process sets of moving particles, which describe fluids in space and time. Unlike previous approaches, we do not build an explicit graph structure to connect the particles but use spatial convolutions as the main differentiable operation that relates particles to their neighbors. To this end we present a simple, novel, and effective extension of N-D convolutions to the continuous domain. We show that our network architecture can simulate different materials, generalizes to arbitrary collision geometries, and can be used for inverse problems. In addition, we demonstrate that our continuous convolutions outperform prior formulations in terms of accuracy and speed.
Metabarcoding comparison of prokaryotic microbiomes from Appalachian karst caves to surface soils in southwest Virginia, USA

Caves in carbonate rocks of the temperate Appalachian karst region of the United States host impressive ecosystems comprised of cave-adapted and endemic fauna. The primary source of biological energy to epigenic cave systems has been presumed to be surface-derived organic matter, however, the provenance of the prokaryotic microorganisms utilizing that organic matter is uncertain. Specifically, we sought to determine whether the microbes in these caves propagate from established subterranean communities, or rather, enter from the surface via infiltration and migration. This project addresses these overarching questions by determining a) significantly differing composition of prokaryotic communities inside the caves versus those found immediately outside; and b) similarity of the interior cave microbiomes between cave systems. Samples were collected from four caves in The Cedars area of Lee County VA and from two caves within Natural Tunnel State Park in Scott County, VA, and included cave sediments from streambeds, moist claysized deposits, and speleothems. Exterior soil samples were collected outside of the caves, with particular attention to sites of water infiltration into the caves below. Prokaryotic microbiomes were surveyed by Illumina sequencing the 16S rRNA barcode. Results detected 1894 unique operational taxonomic units (OTU), 21.4 % of which were shared between cave speleothems and surface soil, while 53.8 % of the OTU in cave sediment were also found in surface soil. The cave microbiomes had only small to moderate differences and were more similar to each other than to surface microbiomes. Of the phyla detected in this survey, two have not been reported in previous cave microbiome surveys, Armatimonadetes and Parvarchaeota. This survey demonstrates that the cave prokaryotic microbiomes in a temperate region with regular rainfall are primarily composed of cave-adapted microbes and that these microbes occur throughout independent cave systems in the same region.
Contemporary Science and Education: Progress or Regress?

In order to explore the potential role of education in wisdom development two independent studies were done. The main goal of the first study was focused on exploring some aspects of implicit theories of wisdom. For the purpose of this research authors have constructed The Questionnaire on Wisdom and applied it on a sample of 259 participants 18 to 92 years old. The second study, focused on the explicit theories, used the Self-Assessed Wisdom Scale (SAWS; Webster 2003; 2007) that consists of five factors: experience, emotional regulation, reminiscence/reflection, humour and openness. It was applied on a sample of 439 participants 24 to 88 years old. The role of education in wisdom development was discussed in the light of the results obtained by both implicit and explicit theories of wisdom.
Encoding Cultural Resources

What would it mean to treat XML as a craft? In many ways, information technology is the opposite of a craft, since it is based in principles of automation and devoted to the idea of minimizing or eliminating labor, without which craft is impossible. Yet when we look carefully at this picture, things become more complex: even a brief look at the history of technology can show that as it develops, craft does not disappear even with automation. Blind machines, carrying out our orders, may be necessary for automated mass production; but it requires craft to build and use them.
When to Generalise-A Case-Based Approach to Text Modelling

The variation in natural language vocabulary remains a challenge for textual case representation as the same idea can be expressed in many different ways. Thus document representations typically rely on generalisation to map low-level lexical expressions to higher level concepts in order to capture the inherent semantics of the documents. Term-relatedness measures are often used to generalise document representations by capturing semantic relationships between terms. However, generalisation is not guaranteed to improve retrieval performance all the time. Extracting pairwise term-relatedness is expensive therefore, it is important to be able to predict, given a dataset, whether or not applying generalisation will be beneficial. If not, we can avoid the overhead of having to extract term relatedness values in the first place. In this work we present a CBR approach that predicts, given a text classification dataset, whether or not using generalisation will improve text classification performance. Our evaluation shows that our CBR approach outperforms a ZeroR baseline that predicts always using generalisation.
Predictors of Adherence to Diet App Use

Chronic diseases, such as obesity and diabetes, are leading causes of mortality globally. Prevention of such chronic diseases typically requires critical diet changes to improve diet quality. Studies suggest that consistent diet-tracking can lead to improvement in diet quality. In this regard, smartphones have enabled diet-tracking through numerous apps for healthy eating and diet monitoring. However, these apps often suffer from high non-adherence, which prevents them from providing potential benefits to the users. Thus motivated, this work aims to model and identify predictors of adherence to diet app use, and particularly, the role of coaching. Preliminary analysis was done using panel data obtained from a diet app, and shows that coaching advice in addition to demographic variables can predict adherence. This study thus provides initial findings to help understand how to improve adherence to diet apps, as an enabler for improving diet quality and health outcomes.