Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
GROWING RICE GRAIN WITH CONTROLLED CADMIUM CONCENTRATIONS

ABSTRACT Two solution studies were conducted a) to investigate the uptake of zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd) by rice plants (Oryza sativa L.) and interaction between these elements, and b) to determine experimental conditions for growing rice grain with desired Cd concentration for an animal feeding study. In both studies, free metal activities of cadmium and cationic microelements were buffered by an excess of chelating agents. The first study was a factorial design with two Zn levels (1.0 and 3.89 ÂμM) and four Cd levels (0.81, 1.44, 2.56 and 4.55 ÂμM) in the solution. In the second study, rice was grown in two solutions of different micro- and macro-element compositions and three Cd levels (0.0, 0.5, and 2.0 ÂμM). In the first study, solution Zn concentration of 3.89 ÂμM and corresponding free metal activity (pZn2+) of 6.00 was toxic to young rice plants. With time, Zn concentrations in rice plants decreased while Cd concentrations increased. Toxic concentration of Cd in roots (about 100 mg kg−1) associated with a 20% reduction in the root dry matter occurred at the free Cd2+ activities in the solution (pCd2+) in the range of 10.25–9.75. Sufficient Zn level in plants slightly stimulated Cd transfer from roots to shoots as opposed to barely sufficient or slightly deficient Zn concentration in shoots. However, the better Zn status in plants clearly diminished severity of Cd toxicity symptoms in shoots. The use of nutrient solutions adapted for rice growth allowed the rice grown in the second experiment to produce grain under controlled conditions. Cadmium in the brown rice grain was 0.1 to 0.8 mg kg−1, covering the range needed for feeding experiments relevant to rice Cd risk to humans. Composition of the nutrient solutions, in addition to solution Cd level, had a significant effect on Cd concentration in grain. Correlation of grain Cd concentration with solution Cd2+ activity was much stronger than with total solution Cd. Results of both experiments supported hypothesis that Cd uptake and transport within rice plants is an active process.
Gluten Index for Wheat Products: Main Variables in Affecting the Value and Nonlinear Regression Model

A gluten index test was recently introduced as a quicker method to measure wheat processing quality in comparison with the classical instrumental methods, such as a mixograph and farinograph. It is also a criterion defining whether the gluten quality is weak, normal, or strong. The gluten index test has gained wide acceptance as a method of determining gluten strength and is used in international trade specifications. The innovation of this work was to: (a) collect published data regarding the values of gluten index and form a database; (b) investigate the impact of variables, such as genotype, glutenin, and gliadins subunits, the level of nitrogen fertilization, irrigation, the protein content of flour, damages on crop and addition of enzymes, on the value of the gluten index aiming the comprehension of their interaction; (c) establish a relationship between gluten index and the two predictor variables, nitrogen fertilization level and protein content. The results suggested that the above variables have a contrary effect on the value of the gluten index, even for the same treatment of definite wheat genotype, which leads us to the conclusion that additional variables must account for defining the gluten index value. Out of all interactions between the experimental variables and gluten index, only nitrogen fertilization level and protein content were found to be significant, having a power law nonlinear relationship.
Explaining Science*

Following the revolutionary book by Thomas Kuhn [1962], philosophical accounts of the development of science have attended more or less closely to actual episodes of scientific inquiry. Lakatos and his students launched their historiographic research programme as a means of testing his scientific methodology, and both Laudan [1977] and Hull [1988] likewise appeal to data from past or contemporary scientific practice. In his new book Explaining Science [1988] Ronald Giere would take us beyond this limited test-bed for the philosophy of science by directly applying results from the cognitive sciences. The main features of this new approach are perhaps best expressed in the preface:
Unsteady response of chain-branching premixed-flames to pressure waves

Motivated by some recent experimental results that are incompatible with the standard one-step model, we present an analytical study of the unsteady response of flames to acoustic waves in the framework of a simple two-step chemistry model, using conditions that are appropriate to approximately describe lean methane–air flames. The calculated response functions are qualitatively different from those obtained with the standard one-step model. The results are sufficiently encouraging to suggest that the analysis should be extended in the near future to more detailed kinetics schemes.
Five complexes containing N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)-ethylenediamine with tetracyanidopalladate(II): synthesis, crystal structures, thermal, magnetic, and catalytic properties

Five cyanide complexes, [Ni(N-bishydeten)Pd(CN)4] (1), [Cu(N-bishydeten)Pd(μ-CN)2(CN)2]n (2), [Cu(N-bishydeten)2][Pd(CN)4] (3), [Zn(N-bishydeten)Pd(CN)4] (4), and [Cd(N-bishydeten)2][Pd(CN)4] (5) (N-bishydeten = N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)-ethylenediamine), have been synthesized and characterized using various techniques. Different structures were formed when the M : L ratio was varied in copper complexes. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that 2, a 1-D cyanide-bridged complex with 2,2-CT-type zigzag chain, was obtained by using 1 : 1 M : L ratio whereas 3 was formed as a complex salt in a molar ratio of 1 : 2. The thermal stabilities determined from DTGmax values of the first decomposition stages change in the order 1 > 5 > 4 > 3 > 2. Although an EPR signal was not observed for 1, the g parameters obtained from the EPR spectra of 2 and 3 indicate that CuII ions are located in tetragonally distorted octahedral sites (D 4h), and the ground state of the unpaired electron is (2B1g). The magnetic behavior indicates a very small antiferromagnetic interaction below 10 K for 1–3. In 3, there is a temperature-independent paramagnetism (α) due to the orbital moments of the d electrons. 1–3 were tested as catalysts in Suzuki and Heck coupling reactions.
ContAuth

User authentication is key in user authorization on smart and personal devices. Over the years, several authentication mechanisms have been proposed: these also include behavioral-based biometrics. However, behavioral-based biometrics suffer from two issues: they are prone to degradation in performance (accuracy) over time (e.g., due to data distribution changes arising from user behavior) and the need to learn the machine learning model from scratch, when adding new users. In this paper, we propose ContAuth, a system that can enhance the robustness of behavioral-based authentication. ContAuth continuously adapts to new incoming data (data incremental learning) and is able to add new users without retraining (class incremental learning). Specifically, ContAuth combines deep learning models with online learning models to achieve learning on the fly, thereby preventing a severe drop in the accuracy between sessions (over time). To add new users, ContAuth employs class incremental learning methods. We evaluate ContAuth on multiple behavior-based user authentication modalities: breathing, gait. and EMG. Our results show that our framework can help True Positive Rate (TPR) to remain high (>85 %) compared to other methods for all the modalities except EMG (>70%) across the sessions while keeping False Positive Rates (FPR) at a minimum (0-10%). It can achieve up to 35% improvement in TPR over a traditional deep learning model. Additionally, iCaRL (an incremental learning method) enables ContAuth to allow the addition of new users by alleviating catastrophic forgetting, to a large extent. Finally, we also show that ContAuth can be deployed efficiently and effectively on device, further providing data privacy.
Aquilis

Smartphones are nowadays the dominant end-user device. As a result, they have become gateways to all users' communications, including sensitive personal data. In this paper, we present Aquilis, a privacy-preserving system for mobile platforms following the principles of contextual integrity to define the appropriateness of an information flow. Aquilis takes the form of a keyboard that reminds users of potential privacy leakages through a simple three-colour code. Aquilis considers the instantaneous privacy risk related to posting information (Local Sensitivity), the risk induced by repeating information over time (Longitudinal Sensitivity) and on different platforms (Cross-platform Sensitivity). Considering 50% of Aquilis warnings decreases the proportion of inappropriate information by up to 30%. Repeating information over time or in a broader exposure context increases the risk by 340% in a one-to-one context. We develop our own labeled privacy dataset of over 1000 input texts to evaluate Aquilis' accuracy. Aquilis significantly outperforms other state-of-the-art methods (F-1-0.76). Finally, we perform a user study with 35 highly privacy-aware participants. Aquilis privacy metric is close to users' privacy preferences (average divergence of 1.28/5). Users found Aquilis useful (4.41/5), easy to use (4.4/5), and agreed that Aquilis improves their online privacy awareness (4.04/5).
Size Shifts in Measurements of Droplets with the Aerodynamic Particle Sizer and the Aerosizer

Observations of the size of liquid droplets using the Aerodynamic Particle Sizer (APS) and the Aerosizer indicated that the measured size was significantly different from the aerodynamic diameter as calculated by measuring droplet settling velocity. The size shifts appeared to be caused by droplet distortion in the detector flow field for the Aerosizer. However, for the APS, droplet sizing was further affected by droplet impaction on the upstream side of the focusing nozzle. It is suggested that liquid accumulated in and constricted the nozzle, resulting in a particle velocity increase at the sensor. The size shift can occur with the deposition of < 0.5 μ L liquid onto the nozzle; the size shift can occur in 1–10 minutes even at concentrations of 1000 particles/L; and the size shift can disappear after cessation of liquid aerosol sampling. CFD calculations provided information about the amount of velocity increase at the APS sensor for a selected constriction. Both solid and liquid particles are affected by the nozzle constriction, which produces approximately the same percentage size shift throughout the measurement range. The size shifts (Δ) were related to droplet aerodynamic diameter ( μ m), viscosity (Pa-s), and surface tension (N/m) by the following empirical equation: Δ = −a diameter b /(surface tension c × viscosity e ). The value of b was arbitrarily set to two. The values for a, c, and e for the APS (including both droplet distortion and nozzle constriction) and for the Aerosizer were determined by a regression analysis of the available data.
Securitization and Credit Quality Alper

Banks are usually better informed on the loans they originate than other financial intermediaries. As a result, securitized loans might be of lower credit quality than — otherwise similar — nonsecuritized loans. We assess the effect of securitization activity on credit quality employing a uniquely detailed dataset from the euro-denominated syndicated loan market. We find that, at issuance, banks do not select and securitize loans of lower credit quality. Following securitization, however, the credit quality of borrowers whose loans are securitized deteriorates by more than those in the control group. We find tentative evidence suggesting that poorer performance by securitized loans might be linked to banks’ reduced monitoring incentives.
Relevance in Information Systems

– The purpose of the research underlying this article is to present how the concept of relevance is defined in accounting information system and analyse those definitions in comparison to the definition of relevance in information science. For this purpose, a systematic review related to the issue was conducted. The article presents the definitions of relevance used in publications concerning accounting information system with all its subsystems. In financial accounting and audit, materiality, which is the entity-specific aspect of relevance, is a measure of the usefulness of information for the user of financial statements. It is expressed quantitatively, but also depends on qualitative considerations. In management accounting the issue is identified with the decision-making process, for which relevant information is used. The study is the first complex publication which discusses the importance of relevance in accounting information system, and its subsystems – financial and management accounting.
The feeling of doing across levels of analysis – The effects of perceived control on learning

A person's sense of control was initially conceptualized in psychology as either a trait (Rotter, 1966), an attribution style (Weiner, 1979) or self-efficacy belief (Bandura, 1989a). More recent work in social cognition focuses on the process of inferring one's own causality and how the feeling of doing comes about. This investigation centers on a cue based process as leading to the experience of agency. These cues include vision, proprioception, social cues, and action relevant thought (Wegner & Sparrow, 2004). Since the advent of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), progress has been made in understanding the neural substrates implicated when one's infers own causality (for review see David, Newen, & Vogeley, 2008). An analysis of the different approaches to studying human agency, reveals their contributions with each level of analysis adding to and refining our understanding of perceived control and its effect on learning.
Who are the Smartest Investors in the Room? Evidence from U.S. Hedge Funds Solicitation

This paper examines the efficiency of investment decisions by hedge fund clients. While highly sophisticated, their investment decisions are made difficult by the decentralized nature of the industry. We use SEC Form D filings to examine, for the first time, inflows and outflows across the entire industry. We document that only examining net flows masks high turnover and convex responses of inflows and outflows to performance. Furthermore, we find evidence of a “smart money” effect, which surprisingly is driven by inflows rather than outflows. Finally, we also find that investor flows are smarter when investors must anticipate funds’ liquidity restrictions. JEL Classifications: G11 (portfolio choice), G23 (private financial institutions), G32 (financial risk management)
The effects of agriculture and forestry on the distribution, movements and survival of wood turtles in an intensively managed landscape

Geographic information systems (GIS) allow researchers to make cost-effective, spatially explicit predictions of species’ distributions across broad geographic areas. However, there has been little research as to whether fine-scale habitat data collected in the field could produce more robust predictions of species’ distributions. Here we used radio-telemetry data on a declining species, the North American wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta), to test whether fine-scale habitat variables were better predictors of occurrence than land-cover and topography variables measured in a GIS. Patterns of male and female occurrence were similar in the spring; however, females used a much wider array of terrestrial habitats from June-October. This spatio-temporal niche partitioning between males and females obscured the importance of fine-scale habitat variables. The occurrence of males was successfully predicted using GIS data, whereas the occurrence of females was best predicted using fine-scale variables. These results demonstrate the importance of taking a more sex-specific and temporally dynamic view of the environmental niche.
Does Auditor Supply Chain Specialization Affect Audit Opinion?

This study examines the association between auditor supply chain specialization and audit opinion. Collecting and analyzing data from annual reports of Taiwanese public firms for the fourteen-year period from 2000-2013, this research find that the audit opinion is positively associated with auditor supply chain specialization, indicating if companies and their suppliers or buyers hiring the same audit firms have a higher probability of receiving a clean opinion. Auditors accumulate multiple industry knowledge of the supply chain relationship, which has a positive impact on audit opinions. The results remain the same when authors extend tests to audit partner level. Additional tests further reveal that this association is stronger for the supplierrelated than the buyer-related supply chain specialization. The results have practical and policy implications.
Farmers’ Compliance to Pesticide Use Standards in Mwea Irrigation Scheme, Kirinyaga County, Kenya

Farmers use different types of pesticides to protect crops against losses of about 20 to 40% from pests and diseases as an effort to increase production in order to meet the increasing demands from consumers (Nakato, et al., 2015). However, non-compliance to laid down pesticide use standards has become a major risk to the environment and human health (Mustapha, et al., 2017; WHO, 2016; Bolon and Rousseaux, 2014) worldwide and in East Africa (Akinloye et al., 2011). About 3 million cases of acute pesticide poisoning have been reported worldwide, with about 220,000 deaths, the majority being in developing countries (Bempah, et. al., 2011). This has been due to use of toxic pesticides and poor pesticide handling practices (Fantke, et al., 2014) such, illiteracy among farmers, lack of awareness about the danger of misuse, the difficulty of extrapolating the dosage from a hectare to small areas, unsuitability of products in respect of the problem source, and lack of knowledge on pest and disease control (Fantke, et al., 2014). Tomato (Lycopercicum esculentum mill) is among the most important vegetables grown in many parts of Kenya, whose production plays an important role in income generation for small-scale farmers, foreign exchange earnings Abstract: Kirinyaga County is the leading producer of tomatoes in Kenya and farmers heavily rely on pesticides to control pests and diseases. The aim of the study was to evaluate the farmers’ compliance to pesticide use standards. The study was conducted in Kirinyaga County at Mwea Irrigation Scheme between July 2017 and June 2018. The study used a Cross-Sectional design that included 203 farmers (198 from open field, 5 from greenhouse farms) who grow tomatoes and use pesticides consistently for at least 2 years. Out of 20 pesticides mainly applied in open field farms, 16 were applied at significantly (P <0.05, 0.01, 0.001) higher rates and tomatoes sprayed with 19 of the pesticides were harvested at significantly (P <0.05, 0.01, 0.001) shorter Pre-Harvest Intervals, than recommended by the manufactures. On the other hand, out of all, 12, pesticides applied on in greenhouses, 3 were applied at significantly higher rates, and tomatoes sprayed with 2 pesticides were harvested at shorter durations than specified by the manufacturers. Farmers did not comply with the laid down standards. Non-compliance was due to ignorance, intentional and reliance on neighbor’s and their own, information. The study recommends frequent education and training for farmers by Ministry of Agriculture Livestock and Fisheries on safe use of pesticides to help improve on compliance to pesticide use standards.
THE MEDIABILITY OF GENOMES A STORY FROM THE “BOOK OF LIFE”

The changing relationship between science and the mass media has been characterised in theory as an increasing orientation of science towards the media. This study aims at supporting the media orientation concept empirically for the field of human genome research. German and British print media coverage of the final phase of the human genome sequencing provided an empirical basis in looking for indicators of a media orientation. Using a quantitative content analysis, 386 articles from four German and four British newspapers have been studied. The appearance of articles in almost any newspaper section illustrates the intertwining of the scientific with political, economic and ethical discourses in the media debate. The media attention peaks indicate the success of events such as a White House press conference. A public presentation of the sequence drafts occurred prior to their scientific publication. Individual scientists became media stars. Triggered by its far reaching implications, its “Big Science” nature and the competition of publicly and privately funded scientists to finish the first drafts of the human genome, human genome research is indicative of the media orientation of science. It is therefore highly likely that the rationalities of the media system gain an influence on the research field or even beyond it.
Mesoarchean partial melting of mafic crust and tonalite production during high-T–low-P stagnant tectonism, Akia Terrane, West Greenland

Different geodynamic models exist for the growth and differentiation of Archean continental crust, ranging from horizontal tectonics with subduction zones to vertical tectonics with foundering of greenstone sequences. U–Pb zircon geochronology, field relationships, and pressure–temperature constraints from granulite-facies metabasite of the Akia Terrane of the North Atlantic Craton in West Greenland show that this terrane grew through two major magmatic growth episodes: an earlier one at c. 3.2 Ga, and a later one at c. 3.05–2.97 Ga. Phase equilibrium modelling for assemblages related to the latter indicates temperatures of> 800 °C at< 0.9 GPa, consistent with a high apparent geothermal gradient and implies thin crust. Granulite-facies metamorphism and partial melting occurred in the absence of pervasive ductile deformation as indicated by nebulitic, undeformed pyroxene-bearing leucosome in metabasite gneiss. Trace element modelling suggests that c. 3.0 Ga tonalite at the current exposure level in the Akia Terrane was generated at pressures of> 0.8 GPa in the stability field of garnet. U–Pb zircon geochronology and existing Hf isotope data are also consistent with a model involving protracted Mesoarchean magmatic growth with limited mantle addition during a prolonged period of high temperatures in a relatively stagnant tectonic regime prior to Neoarchean compressional tectonism in the Akia
Takeovers and Bidders’ Return Determinants on Announcement Dates

The goal of this article is to determine the impact of takeover announcements on bidders’ return. Also, we analyze the influence of eleven independent variables on bidders’ return on the day of the takeover announcement. These variables are sorted in four categories related to: the characteristics of the deal, the bidder’s governance, the bidder itself and the market. Our results do not show any statistically significant abnormal rank on the announcement day (methodologically, the rank is used as a proxy of the return). However, we identify five variables as having a significant influence on bidders’ stock value on the announcement date. These variables are the type of diversification, the hostility of the offer, the duality of the functions of CEO and chairman of the board of directors, the Return On Equity (ROE) and the bidder’s debt to equity ratio.