August 2019

Background: The study was conducted in Gagnoa, in central-western Côte d'Ivoire in one of the main areas of rainfed rice production. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the natural physical fertility status of the soils used for rainfed rice in the Gagnoa area. Methods: The test was carried out on the top of a slope at the research station of the National Center for Agronomic Research (CNRA) of Gagnoa. The methodology adopted consisted of the description of an open soil pit at the study site for the characterization of physical soil parameters (texture, coarse element rates, color). Results: The results obtained showed that the soils are slightly humiferous, soft and have good internal drainage at the level of the upper horizons (0-5 cm). Soil colouring ranges from 10 YR (0-60 cm) to 7.5 YR (60-80 cm) to reach 2.5 YR colouring in the lower soil horizons (80-100 cm). These soils also have a compact horizon, with a high rate of coarse elements (> 50%) between 20 and 40 cm, essentially consisting of ferruginous nodules, gravels and quartz fragments. Conclusions: The presence of a compact horizon with a high rate of coarse elements in the surface layers of soil constitutes the constraints to the proper development of plateau rainfed rice in the Gagnoa region. Identifying these parameters could be a start in finding solutions to improve the productivity of plateau storm rice in the Gagnoa region.

Background: Bistable images are visual stimuli that have the particular characteristic of being interpreted in two different ways. Due to their physical characteristics, these images, while being observed, encourage the observer to make perceptual alternations, in such a way that it is never possible to perceive the two possible percepts simultaneously. The defining lines and contours of a bistable image, along with all its characteristics, can influence its perception, as well as the areas of the image that are observed. Thus, the fixation points that direct attention to specific areas become modulating factors of the bottom-up type. This phenomenon applies to advertising logos of bistable type. Objective: the study aimed at establishing the influence that a fixation point shown previously can exert on the perception of two bistable logotypes. Thus, it was wanted to find if there is (or not) a bottom-up modulation effect caused by eye-fixations on a particular area of the images that might be related to one of the possible percepts of the bistable stimuli. Method: Using a fixed 120-Hz eye-tracking device, two bistable logos were observed by thirty-five participants in optimal mental health conditions. A fixation point was manipulated at the beginning of the observation of each logo to contrast the perceptions reported in that condition with the interpretations given when the logos were observed without any fixation point that could modulate the observer´s attention. An intrasubject design was conducted so that the two bistable logotypes used could be observed by all the participants. The presentation of bistable stimulus was counterbalanced so as to control the effect that the order of images could make. Results: The data was not distributed normally. By using a non-parametrical statistical test (U-MannWithney), it was found that the fixation point had a significant effect on the interpretation of the percept associated with the area where such point was placed. There is some evidence that lends support to the fact that the observed areas of a bistable stimulus have an impact on its interpretation. Conclusions: It is possible to influence the perception of a bistable logo by means of bottom-up modulators. The brain processes visual sensory information by focusing on specific features of bistable stimuli that can modulate the perception. By drawing the observer´s attention to areas that can influence visual perception, it is possible to direct bistable perception favoring one of the possible percepts to be perceived over the other one.

Background: Bistable images (or ambiguous images) have the chance to be interpreted in two different ways. Owing to its physical features, this type of images offers two independentvisual perceptswhich are associated with top-down and bottom-up modulating perceiving processes. It has been also stated that tones of voice can operate as semantic modulators in such a way that the voice itself can exert a top-down influence on the way an observer perceives a bistable visual stimulus, regardless of the understanding of the speech (words meaning) that operates as a modulating factor. Objective: The study that is outlined here aimed at establishing the modulating effect of tones of voice on the interpretation of a bistable image. The speech understanding variable was taken into consideration as a covariate. Method:45 participants viewed twice the image My girlfriend or my mother-in-law whilst listening separately to a voice of a young woman and a voice of an old woman. The first time each participant observed the image on a screen of a fixed eye-tracker device of 60 Hz. (for 20 seconds). They listened to the audio of an old woman speaking while viewing the bistable image. The second time, the image was the same, but the auditory stimulus was a young woman speaking. The auditory monologues of both the old woman and the young woman were taken from French videos. These audios were randomly presented exchanging their order so as to have a counterbalance which could control the presentation order variable. This study was an experimental-intrasubject one. Results: There were significant differences between the duration of the congruent visual understandings and the duration of the incongruous visual interpretations. The results show a statistically significant difference in favor of the modulated perception, that is, that a differential result was found in favor of the image relating to the semantically-congruent percept(congruent with the audio)in relation to the semantically-incongruous image. In addition, the understanding of the modulating voices (meanings of words) did not imply an effect on the visual interpretations that were congruent with the auditory modulator. Conclusions: Auditory stimulation can provide congruent semantic contexts with every possible interpretation of a bistable image. The use of voice tones as semantic modulators may have the possibility of exerting an effect on the decoding of bistable images, regardless of the understanding of the content of the pronounced words.

The arrangement of the trial in absentia is the Corruption Crime Act (PTPK Law) with the concept of examination in court cases of corruption without the presence of the accused. The press point in absentia is saving state wealth, so it needs to be balanced with a comprehensive and integrated asset grab mechanism with other arrangements both domestically and internationally. However, in reality it was used as an opportunity for perpetrators of corruption to not return the corrupted state money. The regulation in absentia in the PTPK Law is un consistent because there are differences in court settings in absentia for the defendant who was not present because of intentions and the defendant who was not present because he died. This study aims to find out what are the legal implications of the arrangement of trials in absentia based on Article 38 of the Law on the Eradication of Corruption Crimes against handling cases of corruption in Indonesia. This study is a normative legal research, using a legal approach, conceptual approach, case approach and comparative approach. Legal material collection techniques through library research techniques (library research). Legal material analysis techniques use qualitative descriptive analysis techniques with grammatical interpretation, systematic interpretation and futuristic interpretation. The results showed that the legal implications of the trial in absentia in handling corruption were still giving the defendant the opportunity to escape freely, so that the return of state assets caused by corruption was not optimal.