Proposal for a Crop Protection Information System for Rural Farmers in Tanzania

Crop protection information, such as how to control emergent and outbreak crop diseases and pests, as well as the latest research, regulations, and quality control measures for pesticides and fertilizers, is important to farmers. Rural smallholder farmers in Tanzania have traditionally relied on government agricultural officers who visit them in their villages to provide this crop protection information. However, these officers are few and cannot reach all the farmers on time. This means that farmers fail to make critical farming decisions on time, which can lead to low crop productivity. In this study, we aim to provide farmers with reliable and instant crop protection information by developing a system based on the Short Message Service (SMS) and the Web. This system automatically replies to farmers’ requests for the latest crop protection information in the Swahili language through SMS on a mobile phone or a Web system. The findings reveal that our proposed system can provide farmers with crop protection information at lower cost (500 times cheaper) than the existing Tigo Kilimo system. Furthermore, our proposed system’s deep learning model is effective in understanding and processing Swahili natural language SMS queries for crop protection information with an accuracy of 96.43%. This crop protection information will help farmers make better critical farming decisions on time and improve crop productivity.

Equity Crowdfunding sebagai Opsi Penyelamatan UMKM dari Krisis Akibat Pandemi

This study aims to identify the role of equity crowdfunding in saving MSMEs from the crisis due to the pandemic. This study used a qualitative descriptive method using various sources of information from previous research, regulations, and published repot by various agencies such as OJK and Kemenkopukm. The Covid-19 pandemic that entered Indonesia resulted in a drastic decrease in the profits of MSME business players. This makes MSMEs have to carry out various strategies to maintain their business so they are not swept away by a pandemic storm. Reducing workforce, saving sales figures using online platforms, and pivoting are some of the strategies undertaken by MSMEs to maintain their business. This makes MSMEs need to take their business through the addition. Equity crowdfunding is an option for MSMEs to increase capital to carry out various rescue strategies. In addition to providing opportunities for MSMEs to get additional funds, through the equity crowdfunding platform, MSMEs can also support their business to the wider community. This can increase the value of products and brands and increase the popularity of the customer base so as to increase the MSME business value.

Analisis Putusan Hakim dalam Tindak Pidana Pembunuhan Berencana (Putusan Nomor 1474/Pid.B/2019/PN.Dps)

Sometimes in cases that have a difficulty level of proof, there is an error by the judge in proving the defendant's guilt. Such as decision number 1474 / Pid.B / 2019/ PN.Dps. According to the author, there was an error by the judge in applying the sentence to the accused. The problems are 1. What is the legal arrangement for premeditated murder? 2. What are the judges' considerations in imposing criminal sanctions against the perpetrators of the planned murder case study of Decision Number 1474 / Pid.B / 2019 / PN.Dps? The method used is normative legal research. Regulations regarding the application of the appropriate article to the accused of murder by a judge in deciding a case. In Decision Number 1474 / Pid.B/ 2019 / PN.Dps, the judge's decision to impose a sentence of premeditated murder against the defendant, according to the author, is incorrect where based on the facts in court the defendant should have been sentenced to ordinary murder. The author suggests that the judge in determining the appropriate sentence must contain basic, clear and detailed reasons. The government, especially the judiciary, must supervise and foster the judicial process in implementing penalties.

KONSEP SPIRITUAL MARKETING DALAM PEMASARAN PROGRAM STUDI EKONOMI SYARIAH FAKULTAS EKONOMI DAN BISNIS ISLAM UNIVERSITAS SURYAKANCANA

ABSTRAKTujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk menganalisis konsep spiritual marketing dalam pemasaran prodi Ekonomi Syariah Fakultas Ekonomi dan Bisnis Islam Universitas Suryakancana yang pada akhirnya terjadi peningkatan jumlah mahasiswa dari tahun ke tahun. Metode penelitian ini menggunakan penelitian kepustakaan (library research). Adapun metode pengolahan data yang digunakan adalah dengan mengumpulkan data-data yang diperoleh dari penelitian lapangan, peraturan-peraturan dan buku-buku yang diolah serta dianalisis dengan menggunakan metode kualitatif. Kesimpulan dari penelitian ini yaitu implementasi spiritual marketing dalam upaya memasarkan prodi-prodi pada Fakultas Ekonomi dan Bisnis Islam Universitas Suryakancana sangat dianjurkan, mengingat dampak dari penerapannya sangat menguntungkan bagi peningkatan jumlah mahasiswa. Implementasi konsep spiritual marketing pada akhirnya akan menumbuhkan rasa loyalitas dan trust pada benak masyarakat akan kredibilitasnya terhadap FEBI. Adapun keuntungan dalam jangka panjang, FEBI akan memperoleh wallet share dari siklus spiritual marketing yang dapat digunakan sebagai modal pengembangan ekonomi syariah dimasa yang akan datang. ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study is to analyze the concept of spiritual marketing in the marketing of the Islamic Economics Department which in turn has increased the number of students from year to year. This research method uses library research. The data processing method used is to collect data obtained from field research, regulations and books which are processed and analyzed using qualitative methods. The conclusion of this research is that the implementation of spiritual marketing in an effort to market of Islamic Economic department at the Faculty of Islamic Economics and Business (FEBI), Suryakancana University is highly recommended, considering the impact of its application is very beneficial for increasing the number of students. The implementation of the spiritual marketing concept will ultimately foster a sense of loyalty and trust in the minds of the public regarding its credibility towards FEBI. As for the long-term benefits, FEBI will get a wallet share from the spiritual marketing cycle which can be used as capital for the development of the Islamic economy in the future.

Research guidelines for embryoids

Human embryo models formed from stem cells—known as embryoids—allow scientists to study the elusive first stages of human development without having to experiment on actual human embryos. But clear ethical guidelines for research involving embryoids are still lacking. Previously, a handful of researchers put forward new recommendations for embryoids, which they hope will be included in the next set of International Society for Stem Cell Research guidelines. Although these recommendations are an improvement over the default approach, they are nonetheless unworkable, because they rely on a poorly conceived notion of an embryoid’s ‘potential’ to trigger stringent research regulations.

Ethics in field experimentation: A call to establish new standards to protect the public from unwanted manipulation and real harms

In 1966, Henry Beecher published his foundational paper “Ethics and Clinical Research,” bringing to light unethical experiments that were routinely being conducted by leading universities and government agencies. A common theme was the lack of voluntary consent. Research regulations surrounding laboratory experiments flourished after his work. More than half a century later, we seek to follow in his footsteps and identify a new domain of risk to the public: certain types of field experiments. The nature of experimental research has changed greatly since the Belmont Report. Due in part to technological advances including social media, experimenters now target and affect whole societies, releasing interventions into a living public, often without sufficient review or controls. A large number of social science field experiments do not reflect compliance with current ethical and legal requirements that govern research with human participants. Real-world interventions are being conducted without consent or notice to the public they affect. Follow-ups and debriefing are routinely not being undertaken with the populations that experimenters injure. Importantly, even when ethical research guidelines are followed, researchers are following principles developed for experiments in controlled settings, with little assessment or protection for the wider societies within which individuals are embedded. We strive to improve the ethics of future work by advocating the creation of new norms, illustrating classes of field experiments where scholars do not appear to have recognized the ways such research circumvents ethical standards by putting people, including those outside the manipulated group, into harm’s way.

Back to WHAT? The role of research ethics in pandemic times

The Covid-19 pandemic creates an unprecedented threatening situation worldwide with an urgent need for critical reflection and new knowledge production, but also a need for imminent action despite prevailing knowledge gaps and multilevel uncertainty. With regard to the role of research ethics in these pandemic times some argue in favor of exceptionalism, others, including the authors of this paper, emphasize the urgent need to remain committed to core ethical principles and fundamental human rights obligations all reflected in research regulations and guidelines carefully crafted over time. In this paper we disentangle some of the arguments put forward in the ongoing debate about Covid-19 human challenge studies (CHIs) and the concomitant role of health-related research ethics in pandemic times. We suggest it might be helpful to think through a lens differentiating between risk, strict uncertainty and ignorance. We provide some examples of lessons learned by harm done in the name of research in the past and discuss the relevance of this legacy in the current situation.