Stochastic frontier model with distributional assumptions for rice production technical efficiency

Efficiency in agricultural production is indicative of the efficiency level of farm households in their farming activities. Farmers in developing countries do not make use of all the potential technological resources, thus making inefficient decisions in their agricultural activities. Herein, technical efficiency in relation with the production of three types of rice crop (Boro, Aus and Aman) was evaluated, with some determinants of technical efficiency identified, in Bangladesh.It was attempted, throughout this study, to access the status of technical efficiency in rice production in Bangladesh for panel data while using the Stochastic Frontier Production Model with either of truncated normal or half-normal distributional assumptions.Both time-variant and time-invariant inefficiency effects models were estimated, one at a time.Collected data from agricultural sector pertaining to three main rice crops in Bangladesh for the period of 1980 to 2008 were made used of throughout the study.The results revealed that technical efficiency gradually increased over the reference period with the half normal distribution being found preferable to the truncated normal distribution as regards the technical inefficiency effects.The value of technical efficiency was found high for Boro rice while low for Aus in comparison with Aman rice in Bangladesh for both distributions in either of time-variant or invariant ones.It was observed that the most efficient rice production system has occurred for the case of Boro with a technical efficiency of 0.98. Yearwise mean technical efficiency increased during the reference time periods

Assessing the vulnerability of Kota Kinabalu buildings

A gradual increase in moderate and low seismic activity has occurred in Sabah over the course of several years due to the presence of certain moderately active fault lines in the region. Around 300 moderate earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from MW 4.0 to 7.0 have occurred in the last 120 years. The majority of existing buildings in Sabah are wind and gravity loaded. This study proposes a preliminary seismic vulnerability assessment methodology based on empirical and analytical vulnerability method for 250 existing buildings in Kota Kinabalu city. The empirical vulnerability assessment focuses on building evaluation utilizing a standard Rapid Visual Screening (RVS) method and the FEMA 154 guidebook's moderate seismicity assessment form. A field survey was conducted on the buildings ranging in height from low-rise to high-rise. As a result, when subjected to moderate-intensity earthquakes, 60% of the buildings are classed as susceptible and vulnerable to seismic hazard. The current study included the use of nonlinear static analysis to seven different building cases for further investigation. The findings of the analysis demonstrate that the majority of the buildings respond linearly elastical when subjected to peak ground acceleration (PGA) at 0.17g, which indicate that, buildings without seismic design accumulate damage early when subjected to moderate earthquake loadings

Development of transportation models based on students’ interest in a parking charging system at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)

Transportation management and sustainable transportation planning were critical. A well-planned transportation system is extremely beneficial in terms of efficiency and environmental friendliness. To that end, parking charging was one of the transportation management topics covered in this study. A parking charging system is one in which a user can leave their vehicle at a particular place and pay a price based on the amount of time it was left unattended. Given the rising use of private vehicles, which has resulted in an increase in congestion and air pollution, it is believed that a parking fee system can be implemented to alleviate the situation. The primary purpose of this research is to develop a transportation model based on the parking price factor in Ringgit Malaysia (RM). At the completion of the study, a transportation model based on parking rates will be developed, and it is projected that once implemented, the percentage of private vehicles that use public transportation will increase. This model is deemed necessary in order to mitigate the harmful effect of an excessive number of private vehicles at UMS. The State Preference Survey (SPS) method was used. A questionnaire form was developed and distributed online to 300 respondents among the students of the Faculty of Engineering at UMS, in order to collect the required data. The data collected was then analyzed using linear regression to develop several transportation logistic models. The transportation models that have been developed in the form of a logistic model that can reflect the willingness of UMS students to shift from private vehicles to public transport. These models predict that when the parking price increases, the percentage shift of private vehicles to public transport will increase linearly. It is also found that 100% of drivers are willing to shift from private vehicles to public transport if the parking price per hour is RM 4.00. Shifting private vehicle users to public transportation may assist lower the number of private vehicles on the road and thus indirectly help mitigate the negative consequences of an excess of private automobiles

Effect of heat treatment on the tribological performance of electroless quaternary nickel alloy

Heat treatment of nickel-based alloy can increase the alloy’s hardness as well as the wear resistance properties. Nevertheless, the effect of heat treatment on the quaternary Ni alloy coating properties produced from electroless deposition bath is less known due to its composition uniqueness. In this study, Cu and Co are added in the Ni-P alloy matrix using hypophosphite-based Electroless Ni deposition method on mild steel substrate in acidic and alkaline bath. The coatings are then heat treated at 623 K for 3600s. The coatings hardness is measured using microVickers hardness tester and the surface morphology of the coatings are studied using both Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) measurement is used to measure the coatings compositions. The wear behavior of the coatings is also investigated before and after heat treatment using ASTM G-99. The coatings from acidic-based bath produces Ni-Cu-Co-P alloy coating while the alkaline-based bath produces Ni-Co-Cu-P alloy based on XRF analysis. Results show that the hardness increases more than 20% for acidic-based bath and 40% for alkaline-based bath coating. The highest increment is the Ni-Co-Cu-P alloy, from 553.3 HV to 991.3 HV after heat treatment. The grain refinement of the coatings can be observed after heat treatment in SEM observation. This is proved by the XRD measurement results where polycrystalline Ni (111) formation is seen after heat treatment overshadowing the Cu (111) and Co (111) peaks. Ni phosphide species are also formed after the heat treatment. The polycrystalline Ni and the Ni phosphide formation, as well as the existence of Co and Cu in the alloy deposits reduces the wear rate significantly after the heat treatment

Achieving Bangladesh's Tourism Potential: Linkages to Export Diversification, Employment Generation and the 'Green Economy'

Bangladesh's international image is not as a popular tourism destination, and many people might be surprised to learn it has three World Heritage sites, including the Sundarbans tiger reserves. Moreover, it is part of important travel circuits for cultural and religious tourism, and has demonstrated potential for sports tourism. The objective of this working paper is to critically test the assertion that pro-poor "green" tourism is one of the best development options for the majority of least developed countries (LDCs) - a challenging task in Bangladesh in the face of the country's success as an exporter of readymade garments - by comparing tourism to the available alternatives with regard to the crucial government priorities of export diversification, employment generation and the "green economy". It is well-known that Bangladesh is under strong pressure to diversify its exports, to generate new employment (especially in rural areas), and to respond to critical environmental issues. The government has identified over 30 "thrust sectors" (including tourism) to help address these challenges, but otherwise tourism is rarely mentioned as a major trade and development option for Bangladesh. Within the limitations of data availability, this working paper reaches the conclusion that greater efforts to develop "green" tourism would be highly beneficial for facilitating rural development, environmental and cultural protection, gender equality, and export diversification in services. The most obvious current impediments are inadequate infrastructure, lack of investment and (typically election year) political conflict, but behind these factors appear to be a serious lack of stakeholder coordination, insufficient regulatory and administrative transparency and coherence, as well as some government reluctance to relinquish greater commercial autonomy in tourism to the private sector. This paper offers extensive analysis and some suggestions to help address the impediments, including the recommendation to create a Bangladesh Tourism Stakeholders Forum

4-Hydr-oxy-3-nitro-benzaldehyde.

The hydroxyl group in each of the two independent mol-ecules of the title compound, C(7)H(5)NO(4), participates in two O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, viz. one intra-molecular bond to the nitro group and one inter-molecular bond to the aldehyde group of the same mol-ecule in the next unit, resulting in a linear chain structure. The dihedral angle between the aromatic ring and the nitro group is 10.9 (3)° in one mol-ecule and 9.9 (2)° in the other

Pengaturan dan Akibat Hukum Perkawinan Siri Online Ditinjau dari Perspektif Hukum Islam di Indonesia

  The phenomenon in 2019 where the arrival of a virus called Covid-19 which required the public to limit all activities, including weddings. From this incident, one factor in the emergence of online serial marriages, because online serial marriages cost a minimum of money as well as the requirements for marriages that present few marriage witnesses. From this incident, one factor in the emergence of online serial marriages, because online serial marriages cost a minimum of money as well as the requirements for marriages that present few marriage witnesses. This study aims to reveal the Legal Arrangements and Consequences of Online Siri Marriage from the Perspective of Islamic Law in Indonesia. This research is a type of normative legal research or literary legal research or conservative legal research using a law approach and the legal system. This research was carried out by means of a library car study. The type of data used in this study is in the form of primary and secondary legal materials. The analysis of legal materials uses methods of description, codification (organization), understanding, and legal reasons/ideas. Achievements This research shows that currently there is no logical meaning related to unregistered marriage in the provisions of the law

Kewajiban Hukum (Legal Liability) Auditor

Konflik antara auditor dan pemakai terjadi karena kesenjangan harapan (expectation gap) antara pemakai dan auditor (Loebbecke dan Arens, 1999, h.788). Sebagian besar auditor melaksanakan audit sesuai dengan standar auditing yang berlaku umum adalah segalanya. Banyak pemakai yakin bahwa auditor menjamin akurasi laporan keuangan dan sebagian pemakai bahkan percaya bahwa auditor menjamin masa depan keuangan Perusahaan. Untuk itu makalah ini melihat apa sebenarnya kewajiban hukum auditor menjamin masa depan keuangan Perusahaan. Untuk itu makalah ini melihat apa sebenarnya kewajiban hukum auditor dilihat dari konsep, kasus-kasus dan praktik yang telah terjadi di beberapa negara antara lain Amerika, Inggris, Australia dan Indonesia. Secara khusus pembahasan banyak mengacu terhadap situasi dan kondisi praktik akuntan yang ada di Amerika. Berdasrkan deskriptif dan pembahasn yang diuraikan dalam makalah ini, kewajiban hukum auditor meliputi (1) kewajiban kepada klien (Liabilities to client), (2) kewajiban kepada pihak ketika menurut common law (liabilites to third party), (3) kewajiban perdata menurut hukum sekuritas federal (liabilities under securitas law)  dan (4) kewajiban kriminal (criminal liabilities). Makalah ini menyimpulkan penetapan terhadap sejauh mana auditor harus bertanggung jawab atas kebenaran laporan keuangan merupakan hal yang relevan terhadap profesi dan terhadap masyarakat. Adanya tanggung jawab jelas menunjukkan peringatan terhadap cara yang ceroboh atau bahkan ketidakjujuran dari beberapa auditor, akan tetapi, tidak adil untuk menganggap bahwa auditor harus bertanggung jawab secara hukum atas segala kekeliruan dalam laporan keuangan

Analisis Kandungan Biodiesel Hasil Reaksi Transesterifikasi Minyak Jelantah Berdasarkan Perbedaan Kosentrasi Katalis NaOH Menggunakan GC-MS

Pada penelitian ini telah diteliti pengaruh % konsentrasi massa katalis NaOH terhadap produksi metil ester (biodiesel) melalui transterifikasi minyak goreng bekas (minyak jelantah) dan metanol. Hasil tertinggi ditemukan pada katalis NaOH 0,6% dengan rendemen 85%. Sedangkan untuk penggunaan katalis NaOH 0,4; 0,5; dan 0,7% massa katalis  adalah masing-masing 65,5%, 67,8% dan 72%. Instrumen Gas Chromatography (GC) dan Mass Spectrocopy (MS) telah mampu mendeskripsikan secara kualitatif dan kuantitatif kandungan biodiesel sintetik. Analisis GC-MS telah mengidentifikasi 3 puncak yang memiliki nilai area lebih tinggi dari 14 puncak yang terdeteksi sebagai metil ester asam lemak. Hasil kromatogram deteksi GC-MS menunjukkan bahwa 3 puncak tertinggi adalah pada   puncak ke 7 yaitu metil oleat, luas area 55,47 % dan waktu retensi 17,967 menit; puncak ke 4 adalah metil palmitat dengan luas 36,66% dan waktu retensi 16,127 menit; dan puncak ke 8 adalah metil stearat dengan luas 4,41% dan waktu retensi 18,101 menit. Sementara itu, puncak 2 adalah metil mersitat dengan luas area hanya 1,15%