Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The performance of plant species in removing nutrients from stormwater in biofiltration systems in Cape Town

In 2009, the City of Cape Town (CoCT) adopted a stormwater policy which mandates that new and existing developments should reduce the concentration of phosphorus and suspended solids in stormwater runoff by 45% and 80%, respectively, but offered no explicit guidance about how these water quality targets might be achieved. This study aims to contribute to the limited knowledge that exists about the performance of local plant species to treat stormwater. A large nursery-based study was conducted to investigate the performance of 9 locally-occurring plant species to remove orthophosphate (PO4-3), ammonia (NH3) and nitrate (NO3-) found in urban stormwater. Synthetic stormwater was applied to each species as well as a control consisting only of soil (Malmesbury shale). The discharge was collected from a drainage pipe at the base of each of the 150 containers. The results show that all species (excluding Ficinia) reduced the average concentrations of PO4-3 by 81% and NH3 by 90%. By contrast, NO3- was reduced by an average of 69% (excluding by Elegia and Phragmites) with 8 of the 9 species removing significantly more than the control. The species that performed well for all three nutrients include Agapanthus and turf grasses, Stenotaphrum and Pennisetum. The results of the study highlight three important factors in the design of biofilters: that a substantial proportion of nutrients can be captured or absorbed by plants; that the soil medium is an important factor in the removal of PO4-3 and NH3; and that plant choice is essential in the removal of NO3-. Future research should test plant species in both the laboratory and field settings, and should include additional contaminants such as household detergents, heavy metals and bacteria.
Does Accounting Conservatism Mitigate Banks’ Crash Risk?

We show that banks that follow conservative accounting on average benefit from a reduction in the likelihood of stock price crashes and the key discretionary channel is conservatism arising within the banks’ loan loss provisions. The marginal benefit of conservatism in reducing crash risk is greatest among small banks and at the low part of the bank lending cycle. While large banks exhibit crash risk, particularly during the boom periods of the bank lending cycle, the risk for stock price crashes is not reduced by more conservative accounting, even for large banks with more asymmetric information. The implication for bank regulation is that further regulation for conservative bank loan loss accounting does not present a significant opportunity to limit any systemic crash risks of the banking sector.
The age–metallicity structure of the Milky Way disc using APOGEE

The measurement of the structure of stellar populations in the Milky Way disc places fundamental constraints on models of galaxy formation and evolution. Previously, the disc’s structure has been studied in terms of populations defined geometrically and/or chemically, but a decomposition based on stellar ages provides a more direct connection to the history of the disc, and stronger constraint on theory. Here, we use positions, abundances and ages for 31 244 red giant branch stars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)-APOGEE survey, spanning 3 < Rgc < 15 kpc, to dissect the disc into mono-age and mono-[Fe/H] populations at low and high [α/Fe]. For each population, with age < 2 Gyr and [Fe/H] < 0.1 dex, we measure the structure and surface-mass density contribution. We find that low [α/Fe] mono-age populations are fit well by a broken exponential, which increases to a peak radius and decreases thereafter. We show that this profile becomes broader with age, interpreted here as a new signal of disc heating and radial migration. High [α/Fe] populations are well fit as single exponentials within the radial range considered, with an average scalelength of 1.9 ± 0.1 kpc. We find that the relative contribution of high to low [α/Fe] populations at R0 is f� = 18 per cent ± 5 per cent; high [α/Fe] contributes most of the mass at old ages, and low [α/Fe] at young ages. The low and high [α/Fe] populations overlap in age at intermediate [Fe/H], although both contribute mass at R0 across the full range of [Fe/H]. The mass-weighted scaleheight hZ distribution is a smoothly declining exponential function. High [α/Fe] populations are thicker than low [α/Fe], and the average hZ increases steadily with age, between 200 and 600 pc.
Fourwing Saltbush Seed Yield and Quality: Irrigation, Fertilization, and Ecotype Effects

Abstract Clones of superior pollen- and seed-producing plants of 4 fourwing saltbush (Atriplex canescens [Pursh] Nutt.) ecotypes were planted in a seed orchard in west-central Texas to determine if seed production and quality could be enhanced by irrigation and fertilization. Subplots of nitrogen (N) at 112 kg·ha−1, phosphorous (P) at 112 kg·ha−1, N + P at 112 + 112 kg·ha−1, or no fertilizer were superimposed on irrigated or dryland main-plots. Neither irrigation nor fertilization affected estimated seed yields or utricle fill during the third growing season after planting. Fertilization did not affect seed germination of any of the saltbush ecotypes on irrigated plots or that of the 2 more xeric ecotypes (Grandfalls and Valentine) on dryland plots. Fertilizer N on dryland plots increased germination of the San Angelo ecotype, and N + P increased germination of the Texon ecotype. Estimated gross value of the first seed crop was about $4 648·ha−1 even though the superior reproductive traits of parental pistillate plants were poorly expressed by the clones. Fertilization did not affect estimated seed yields in irrigated plots, but N and N + P increased seed yields in dryland plots in the fourth growing season. Fertilization effects on seed weights varied among irrigated and dryland plots and among saltbush ecotypes. Mortality of the shrubs during the period extending from 1988 to 1990 was not affected by irrigation or fertilization but increased among ecotypes as the xeric nature of their sites of origin increased and as the distance of their sites of origin from the seed orchard increased. Evidence from this study did not strongly support cloning, irrigation, or fertilization for improving seed harvests of fourwing saltbush in west-central Texas.
INCENTIVES TO GO GREEN: AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGA- TION OF MONETARY AND SYMBOLIC REWARDS TO MO-

Green information systems have been shown to contribute to environmental sustainability and help to prevent associated problems. Private households account for 25% of primary energy consumption in western countries, and therefore hold a great potential to curb the use of fossil fuels and prevent climate change. As such, green information systems should not focus solely on the organizational context, but also target a single individual’s behaviour in their home. Personal information systems (e.g., web portals) can achieve this focus, however, need to be actively used to produce effects. System usage can be effectively motivated through incentives, and therewith contribute to positive outcomes. Incentives are either monetary or non-monetary and can be implemented in different scales. In a large field experiment (n= 2,355), with real energy customers of a utility company, we tested the effectiveness of different types and sizes of incentive in motivating active system usage. We show that incentives significantly increased system usage of participants, and additionally increased energy savings. However, monetary incentives were not necessarily superior to non-monetary incentives.
The role of hydrological model complexity and uncertainty in climate change impact assessment

Abstract. Little quantitative knowledge is as yet available about the role of hydrological model complexity for climate change impact assessment. This study investigates and compares the varieties of different model response of three hydrological models (PROMET, Hydrotel, HSAMI), each representing a different model complexity in terms of process description, parameter space and spatial and temporal scale. The study is performed in the Ammer watershed, a 709 km2 catchment in the Bavarian alpine forelands, Germany. All models are driven and validated by a 30-year time-series (1971–2000) of observation data. It is expressed by objective functions, that all models, HSAMI and Hydrotel due to calibration, perform almost equally well for runoff simulation over the validation period. Some systematic deviances in the hydrographs and the spatial patterns of hydrologic variables are however quite distinct and thus further discussed. Virtual future climate (2071–2100) is generated by the Canadian Regional Climate Model (vers 3.7.1), driven by the Coupled Global Climate Model (vers. 2) based on an A2 emission scenario (IPCC 2007). The hydrological model performance is evaluated by flow indicators, such as flood frequency, annual 7-day and 30-day low flow and maximum seasonal flows. The modified climatic boundary conditions cause dramatic deviances in hydrologic model response. HSAMI shows tremendous overestimation of evapotranspiration, while Hydrotel and PROMET behave in comparable range. Still, their significant differences, like spatially explicit patterns of summerly water shortage or spring flood intensity, highlight the necessity to extend and quantify the uncertainty discussion in climate change impact analysis towards the remarkable effect of hydrological model complexity. It is obvious that for specific application purposes, water resources managers need to be made aware of this effect and have to take its implications into account for decision making. The paper concludes with an outlook and a proposal for future research necessities.
A Framework of Fair Trade Products Purchasing Intention in Taiwan – The Roles of Consumer Ethics, Online Information, and Trust

Although ―Fair Trade‖ organizations have existed for more than 40 years and its sales have increased remarkably recently in the global market, the issue of Fair Trade in both business and academia has received little attention in Taiwan. This study seeks to remedy this deficit by providing a framework of purchase intention on Fair Trade products. The effects of personal factors such as consumer ethics and attitude on purchase intention were investigated. Moreover, the roles of internet factors such as online information, trust, and information sharing are also examined. Research subjects are business college students from three universities each located in north, central, and south Taiwan, respectively. Respondents were requested to visit a website related to FT information. After viewing a three-minute film, an online survey was presented and data was collected through internet. As a result, a total of 215 complete questionnaires were used for subsequent analyses. The finding of this study indicated that consumer ethics and online information had a positive effect on attitude and trust, which, in
Radio Properties of GPS and CSS Sources: Galaxies versus Quasars

Abstract On the basis of the different radio properties (especially different radio morphologies) between GPS galaxies and GPS quasars, I suggest that GPS galaxies are a more homogeneous class mainly consisting of compact symmetric objects, while the majority of GPS quasars are an intrinsically different type of radio source, similar to the common flat spectrum radio sources. For CSS radio sources the difference between galaxies and quasars is less evident. This is interpreted as a bias correlated with size: samples of smaller objects are more likely to be contaminated by unrelated objects. This is consistent also with the high percentage of blazar/quasar objects present in a sample of the even smaller HFP radio sources.
The incidence of magnetic fields in cool DZ white dwarfs

Little is known about the incidence of magnetic fields among the coolest white dwarfs. Their spectra usually do not exhibit any absorption lines as the bound-bound opacities of hydrogen and helium are vanishingly small. Probing these stars for the presence of magnetic fields is therefore extremely challenging. However, external pollution of a cool white dwarf by, e.g., planetary debris, leads to the appearance of metal lines in its spectral energy distribution. These lines provide a unique tool to identify and measure magnetism in the coolest and oldest white dwarfs in the Galaxy. We report the identification of 7 strongly metal polluted, cool (T_eff < 8000 K) white dwarfs with magnetic field strengths ranging from 1.9 to 9.6 MG. An analysis of our larger magnitude-limited sample of cool DZ yields a lower limit on the magnetic incidence of 13+/-4 percent, noticeably much higher than among hot DA white dwarfs.
Studies of oil from cowpea (vigna unguiculata ( l.) walp.) cultivars commonly grown in Pakistan

The physiochemical properties and fatty acid (FA) composition of oil from seeds of 4 cowpea cultivars viz., Elite, CP1, White Star and SA dandy, commonly grown in Pakistan, were investigated. Oil contents ranged from 2.71-2.96% with triacylglycerols being present in highest amount. Iodine values were found highest in CP1 while SA dandy and CP1 excelled in saponification values and acid values, respectively. Despite variations unsaturated fatty acids were observed as being present in higher concentration in all cultivars. Among sterols, stigmasterol was present in highest amount followed by β-sitosterol and campesterol. Among tocopherols, α-, and βtocopherols were observed as being present in highest and lowest concentrations, respectively. Results from most of the parameters revealed not significant (p≤0.05) differences among the cultivars. The results showed that campestrol positively correlated with stigmasterol, Δ 5 avenasterol, Δ 7 -avenasterol, and have high negative (-0.9) correlation with β-sitosterol. However, campesterol (sterol) has only negative correlation with α-tocopherol, while have positive correlations with β-tocopherol, γ-tocopherol and δ-tocopherol. But stigmasterol has negative correlations with α-tocopherol (-0.7; high), β-tocopherol (-0.3, low) and δ-tocopherol (-0.2, low) while have low positive (+0.4) with γ-tocopherol. β-sitosterol also depicted similar correlations with different tocopherols. All cowpea cultivars appeared to be suitable as nutritional oil source of comparable quality.
An Evaluation of Inter-Fractional Set-Up Errors in Patients Treated with Distinct Immobilization Equipment for Varying Anatomical Regions

This study aims to evaluate inter-fractional set-up errors in patients treated with distinct immobilization equipment (thermoplastic mask, knee-fix and feet-fix, wing board and vac-lok) for four anatomical regions including brain, head and neck (HN), thorax and pelvis. Data of randomly selected 140 patients who were treated for four anatomical regions were obtained using Hi-Art Helical Tomotherapy (HT) system. Pre-treatment planning was based on automatic registration readings of computed tomography (CT) and mega-voltage computed tomography (MVCT) on a daily basis. Distinct immobilization equipment was used for varying anatomical regions. Individual mean set-up error (M), systematic error (Σ), and random error (σ) values were calculated through daily translational and rotational deviation values. The size of translational, systematic and random error was 1.31 - 4.93 mm for brain, 2.28 - 4.88 mm for HN, 4.04 - 9.90 mm for thorax, and 6.34 - 14.68 mm for pelvis. Rotational values were as follows: 0.06˚ - 0.73˚ for brain, 0.42˚ - 0.6˚ for HN, 0.48˚ - 1.14˚ for thorax and 0.65˚ - 1.05˚ for pelvis. The highest translational, systematic and random error value was obtained from the pelvic regional. The highest standard and random error value in pitch and roll was produced in the rotational direction of the pelvis (0.05˚ and 0.71˚), while the highest error value in yaw was (1.14˚) produced from thorax. Inter-fractional set-up errors were most commonly produced in the pelvis, followed by thorax. Our study results suggest that the highest systematic and random errors are found for thorax and pelvis. Distinct immobilization equipment was important in these results. Safety margins around the clinical target volume (CTV) are changeable for different anatomical regions. A future work could be developed to new equipment for immobilization because of the reduced margins CTV.
Ja n 20 18 A Simple Exponential Family Framework for Zero-Shot Learning

We present a simple generative framework for learning to predict previously unseen classes, based on estimating class-attribute-gated class-conditional distributions. We model each class-conditional distribution as an exponential family distribution and the parameters of the distribution of each seen/unseen class are defined as functions of the respective observed class attributes. These functions can be learned using only the seen class data and can be used to predict the parameters of the class-conditional distribution of each unseen class. Unlike most existing methods for zero-shot learning that represent classes as fixed embeddings in some vector space, our generative model naturally represents each class as a probability distribution. It is simple to implement and also allows leveraging additional unlabeled data from unseen classes to improve the estimates of their class-conditional distributions using transductive/semi-supervised learning. Moreover, it extends seamlessly to few-shot learning by easily updating these distributions when provided with a small number of additional labelled examples from unseen classes. Through a comprehensive set of experiments on several benchmark data sets, we demonstrate the efficacy of our framework.
Tuberous sclerosis complex regulates Drosophila neuromuscular junction growth via the TORC 2 / Akt pathway

Mutations in the tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) are associated with various forms of neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and epilepsy. The heterodimeric TSC complex, consisting of Tsc1 and Tsc2 proteins, regulates the activity of the TOR (target of rapamycin) complex via Rheb, a small GTPase. TOR, an atypical serine/threonine kinase, forms two distinct complexes TORC1 and TORC2. Raptor and Rictor serve as specific functional components of TORC1 and TORC2, respectively. Previous studies have identified Tsc1 as a regulator of hippocampal neuronal morphology and function via the TOR pathway, but it is unclear whether this is mediated via TORC1 or TORC2. In a genetic screen for aberrant synaptic growth at the neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) in Drosophila, we identified that Tsc2 mutants showed increased synaptic growth. Increased synaptic growth was also observed in rictor mutants, while raptor knockdown did not phenocopy the TSC mutant phenotype, suggesting that a novel role exists for TORC2 in regulating synapse growth. Furthermore, Tsc2 mutants showed a dramatic decrease in the levels of phosphorylated Akt, and interestingly, Akt mutants phenocopied Tsc2 mutants, leading to the hypothesis that Tsc2 and Akt might work via the same genetic pathway to regulate synapse growth. Indeed, transheterozygous analysis of Tsc2 and Akt mutants confirmed this hypothesis. Finally, our data also suggest that while overexpression of rheb results in aberrant synaptic overgrowth, the overgrowth might be independent of TORC2. Thus, we propose that at the Drosophila NMJ, TSC regulates synaptic growth via the TORC2-Akt pathway.
APPARENT RADAR CROSS SECTION OF A LARGE TARGET ILLUMINATED BY A SURFACE WAVE ABOVE THE SEA

Classical assesssment of the received power by a radar leads to a decorrelation of many relevant phenomena (i.e. propagation, backscattering), which may introduce modelling errors notably in the presence of large target with respect to the wavelength. To overcome this limitation, a new hybrid approach is proposed. It combines a method of propagation calculation (the parabolic wave equation) with a method of scattering calculation (the EFIE solved by a method of moment approach) and an application of the reciprocity principle (the power coupling factor). Each method constituting the hybrid approach is described; the example of a large cargo is chosen and its apparent RCS is evaluated above the sea at low frequency. The results are discussed, studying the influence of the different parts of the boat on the apparent RCS. † Also with UPS-AD2M-IGEEP, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse Cedex 4, France 42 Fabbro, Combes, and Guillet
Amorphization mechanism and defect structures in ion-beam-amorphized Si, Ge, and GaAs

We are studying ion-irradiation-induced amorphization in Si, Ge, and GaAs using molecular-dynamics simulations. Although high-energy recoils produce defects and amorphous pockets, we show that low-energy recoils (about 5--10 eV) can lead to a significant component of the athermal recrystallization of preexisting damage. For typical experimental irradiation conditions this recrystallization is, however, not sufficient to fully recrystallize larger amorphous pockets, which grow and induce full amorphization. We also examine the coordination and topological defect structures in Si, Ge, and GaAs observed in the simulations, and find that these structures can explain some experimentally observed features found in amorphous semiconductors. For irradiated amorphous GaAs, we suggest that long (about 2.8 \AA{}) and weak Ga-Ga bonds, also present in pure Ga, are produced during irradiation.
The effects of salinity on the dynamics of a Pterocarpus officinalis forest stand in Puerto Rico

Coastal wetland plant communities are strongly structured by water depth and salinity. Rising sea level will cause changes in the hydro-period, surface water salinity and salt-water intrusion in coastal areas, which will reduce the distribution of forests in these areas. We studied the dynamics of a Pterocarpus officinalis stand in Puerto Rico over a 9-y period. We observed differences in plant growth, recruitment and mortality across a salinity gradient within a 1-ha plot. In areas of high salinity, recruitment, juvenile density and growth rates of juveniles and adults were lower. The detrimental effect of salinity was also observed in a growth experiment; seedlings in 5‰ and 10‰ salinity treatments had higher mortality, slower growth and less above- and below-ground biomass than control seedlings (0‰). In addition, an increase from 0 to 1‰ in salinity resulted in approximately 50% less nodulation in seedlings. Low recruitment in high salinity areas and lack of recruitment in adjacent grasslands will further reduce the distribution of this forest type. Although some ecosystems can respond to changing conditions by migration to more favourable areas, this is not the case with P. officinalis, and thus, restoration efforts are needed to re-establish this species where it occurred historically.
A New Method for Quantifying Fire Growth Rates Using Statistical and Empirical Data – Applied to Determine the Effect of Arson

When designing fire safety of buildings the fire growth rate is an important parameter, in large affecting the overall fire safety level within the building. Generally, a deterministic fire growth rate is used raising the question whether the resulting design arrives at a reasonable level of safety. A method was developed to obtain distributions of fire growth rates in specific building types. The new method uses data from two sources: fire statistics, and fire growth rates on single objects obtained by calorimetry experiments. In addition, the method was demonstrated by a case study investigating whether the overall fire growth rate is faster for commercial buildings if arson fires are included than if they are not. The results show that there is a considerably higher fire growth rate when arson fires are accounted for, e.g. designing for a fast fire growth rate of 0.047 kW/s2 covers 97% of accidental fires (arson excluded) but only 91% of all fires (arson included). The results indicate that there is a need to account for arson fires when designing buildings when the probability of arson is high. The developed method provides means to account for arson in fire safety engineering, and to further quantify the achieved fire safety level.