Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design Goals for Consent at Scale in Digital Service Ecosystems

Digital services have undergone a shift to multi-actor constellations characterised by the utilisation of personal data. By involving external actors, service capability and variety increase but so does the number of actors that gain access to personal data. Here, privacy policies are legal documents that serve two primary functions: specifying the purpose and details of data processing in a binding manner and informing users about it. Privacy policies therefore have special importance in which the processing is based on user consent. In a case study of the platform eBay, we identified 18 problems that point out difficulties in achieving consent in a meaningful way in today’s large-scale and massively interconnected digital service ecosystems. Based on these problems, the design goals are determined which help to find meaningful consent in digital service ecosystems. These goals include notifications for changed purposes of data processing in ecosystems or the reasonability of time needed for consent in relation to the usage time of the service. Thus far, no legal limits govern the reasonability of efforts for consent to privacy policies. This requires a fundamental rethinking of the concept of consent or far-reaching automation of privacy-related legal acts.
Ice Concentration Retrieval from the Analysis of Microwaves: Evaluation of a New Methodology Optimized for the Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer

A new methodology has been described in Kilic et al. (Ice Concentration Retrieval from the Analysis of Microwaves: A New Methodology Designed for the Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer, Remote Sensing 2020, 12, 1060, Part 1 of this study) to estimate Sea Ice Concentration (SIC) from satellite passive microwave observations between 6 and 36 GHz. The Ice Concentration Retrieval from the Analysis of Microwaves (IceCREAM) algorithm is based on an optimal estimation, with a simple radiative transfer model derived from satellite observations at 0% and 100% SIC. Observations at low and high frequencies have different spatial resolutions, and a scheme is developed to benefit from the low errors of the low frequencies and the high spatial resolutions of the high frequencies. This effort is specifically designed for the Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer (CIMR) project, equipped with a large deployable antenna to provide a spatial resolution of ∼5 km at 18 and 36 GHz, and ∼15 km at 6 and 10 GHz. The algorithm is tested with Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) observations, for a clear scene over the north polar region, with collocated Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) estimates and the Ocean Sea Ice—Satellite Application Facilities (OSI SAF) operational products. Several algorithm options are tested, and the study case shows that both high spatial resolution and low errors are obtained with the IceCREAM method. It is also tested for the full polar regions, winter and summer, under clear and cloudy conditions. Our method is globally applicable, without fine-tuning or further weather filtering. The systematic use of all channels from 6 to 36 GHz makes it robust to changes in ice surface conditions and to weather interactions.
Moss-dwelling testate amoebae and their community in Dajiuhu peatland of Shennongjia Mountains, China

Testate amoebae from a large fen peatland of China were investigated in August 2009. Thirty-six testate amoebae species belonging to 16 genera and one rotifer were identified. Three relatively drier indicator species, Assulina muscorum, Assulina seminulum, and Trinema-corythion type, were the dominate species, comprising 54% of total amoebae shells. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMS) ordination divided the testate amoebae assemblages into two groups – a drier group including A. muscorum, A. seminulum, Euglypha rotunda type, Trinema-corythion type, and Plagiopyxis callida and a wetter group including Centropysis cassis, Cyphoderia ampulla, Difflugia oblonga, Difflugia lanceolata, Euglypha strigosa type, Nebela galeata, Nebela lageniformis, and Quadruella symmetrica. Pearson correlations showed that most testate amoebae species between the two groups are negatively correlated, reflecting the possible influence of a moisture gradient. However, the ubiquitous distributions of other testate amoebae in the two-dimensional NMS ordination map suggested that factors other than moisture are also influencing the testate amoebae community in the fen.
Characteristics of Radioactive Effluent Releases from Pressurized Water Reactors after Permanent Shutdown

In order to expand our understanding of the characteristics of radioactive effluent from nuclear power plants under decommissioning, which have not been systematically investigated, a series of source term models of radioactive effluent after permanent shutdown has been established based upon theoretical reasoning on the design and operation features of plants and derived in terms of fifteen arguments. Comprehensive radioactive effluent data have been collected and profiled from twenty-eight decommissioning pressurized water reactors, and annual trends of effluent from each plant have been quantitatively analyzed using Mann-Kendall statistical test. In addition, the characteristics of collected effluent data have been qualitatively interpreted based upon arguments newly proposed in this study. Furthermore, potential decreasing of dilution factor for liquid effluent and its safety implications are identified. The source term models and verified characteristics of radioactive effluent after permanent shutdown developed in this study can be used for establishing more efficient discharge monitoring program for decommissioning authorization.
Tertiary gymnosperms from Tasmania: Cupressaceae

Five new macrofossil species in three genera of the Cupressaceae are described from Oligocene and Miocene deposits in Tasmania. Papuacedrus australis is based on vegetative remains from two deposits and cannot be distinguished from the three extant species which are now restricted to New Guinea and the Moluccas. Libocedrus mesibovii is based on an ovulate cone, while L. jacksonii and L. morrisonii are based on vegetative remains. L. mesibovii and L. jacksonii are found in the same deposit, and may represent different organs of the same species, but this could not be demonstrated. These species clearly belong to Libocedrus, which is now restricted to New Zealand and New Caledonia, but are distinct from all extant species considered. Austrocedrus tasmanica is based on ovulate cones, and is distinct from the single extant species, which occurs in South America. None of the three genera have been previously reported as fossils outside the range of extant species. The presence of these genera in the Tasmanian .
Revisiting infant distributional learning using event-related potentials: Does Unimodal always inhibit and Bimodal always facilitate?

Infants can learn and generalize phonetic categories through speech sound frequency distributions. Nevertheless, previous research with varying participant ages and testing paradigms reported incongruent findings regarding the effect of distributional learning of phonetic contrasts. The current study examines infants’ distributional learning of non-native tones using electroencephalography. 5-6-month-old Australian infants were exposed to an 8-step continuum of a Mandarin Chinese high-level vs. high-falling tonal contrast. The bimodal condition had frequency peaks near the two ends of the continuum (steps 2, 7) whereas the peak was at the midpoint of the unimodal condition (steps 4, 5). Before and after listening to their corresponding distribution, both groups were tested on the same sounds (steps 3, 6) in a passive oddball paradigm. The unimodal group (N = 8) showed strong sensitivity to the sound distinction at post- but not pre-distributional learning. The bimodal group (N = 8), no significant neural sensitivity or difference was observed in pre- or post-distributional learning. The finding that unimodal exposure enhances infant perception is novel and is explained by their acoustic sensitivity to peak location, highlighting the role of the magnitude of the acoustic distinction in the stimuli when prior training and exposure is insufficient to establish phonetic categories.
Cultivares e portaenxertos sobre o vigor de plantas de pereira europeias

A cultura da pereira (Pyrus communis) possui grande potencial de expansao no sul do Brasil devido as condicoes climaticas e solo. A carencia de informacoes a respeito da(s) melhor(es) combinacao(oes) de cultivares copa de pereira europeia e portaenxertos, quanto ao aspecto vegetativo e potencial produtivo, tem limitado o cultivo. O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar a influencia de cultivares copa de pereira europeia e portaenxertos de marmeleiro (Cydonia oblonga) sobre o vigor e variaveis de plantas. Os experimentos foram conduzidos em pomares comerciais da cidade de Fraiburgo, Estado de Santa Catarina, durante os ciclos de cultivo 2008/09, 09/10 e 10/11. As cultivares avaliadas foram 'Packham's Triumph', 'Santa Maria', 'Rocha' e 'Abbe Fetel' e os portaenxertos de marmeleiro EMC e Adams. O espacamento de plantio foi de 0,3m entre plantas e 4m entre linhas. As variaveis analisadas foram: a. incremento de altura de plantas (m); b. incremento de volume de copa (m3); c. incremento de diâmetro do tronco da cv. 'copa' (mm); d. incremento de diâmetro do tronco do portaenxerto (mm); e. diferenca de diâmetro do tronco entre a cultivar copa e o portaenxerto (mm); f. indice de fertilidade (no de gemas cm-1); g. massa fresca media total acumulada do material vegetativo das tres podas de inverno (kg); h. diferenca cumulativa entre a massa fresca e a massa seca dos ramos podados (kg). As diferentes combinacoes de cultivares e portaenxertos interferiram nas diferentes variaveis analisadas. As combinacoes Abbe Fetel e Rocha sobre marmelo Adams, foram significativamente mais vigorosas em termos de incremento de diâmetro do tronco da cultivar copa, incremento de altura de plantas, incremento de volume de copa e massa fresca media total acumulada do material vegetativo das podas de inverno dos tres anos. A combinacao Santa Maria sobre marmelo Adams apresentou vigor intermediario significativo de plantas de acordo com o incremento em volume de copa, diferenca de diâmetro do tronco entre a cultivar copa e do portaenxerto, sendo mais indicada para uso comercial, devido ao maior equilibrio proporcionado entre parte vegetativa e produtiva da planta, nas condicoes edafoclimaticas experimentais do Sul do Brasil.
Porosome: The universal secretory portal in cells

In the past 50 years it was believed that during cell secretion, membrane-bound secretory vesicles completely merge at the cell plasma membrane resulting in the diffusion of intra-vesicular contents to the cell exterior and the compensatory retrieval of the excess membrane by endocytosis. This explanation made no sense or logic, since following cell secretion partially empty vesicles accumulate as demonstrated in electron micrographs. Furthermore, with the 'all or none' mechanism of cell secretion by complete merger of secretory vesicle membrane at the cell plasma membrane, the cell is left with little regulation and control of the amount of content release. Moreover, it makes no sense for mammalian cells to possess such 'all or none' mechanism of cell secretion, when even single-cell organisms have developed specialized and sophisticated secretory machinery, such as the secretion apparatus of Toxoplasma gondii, the contractile vacuoles in paramecium, or the various types of secretory structures in bacteria. Therefore, in the 1960's, experimental data concerning neurotransmitter release mechanisms by B. Katz and B. Folkow brilliantly hypothesized that limitation of the quantal packet may be set by the nerve membrane, in which case the size of the packet may actually correspond to just a fraction of the vesicle content. This conundrum in the molecular mechanism of cell secretion was finally resolved in 1997 following discovery of the porosome, the universal secretory machinery in the cell. Porosomes are supramolecular lipoprotein structures at the cell plasma membrane, where membrane-bound secretory vesicles transiently dock and fuse to release inravesicular contents to the outside during cell secretion. In the past decade, the composition of the porosome, its structure and dynamics at nanometer (nm) resolution and in real time, and its functional reconstitution into artificial lipid membrane, have all been elucidated. Since porosomes in exocrine and neuroendocrine cells measure 100-180 nm, and only 20-45% increase in porosome diameter is demonstrated following the docking and fusion of secretory vesicles (0.2-1.2 μm in diameter), it is concluded that secretory vesicles "transiently" dock and fuse, rather than completely merge at the base of the porosome complex to release their contents to the outside. In agreement, it has been demonstrated that "secretory granules are recaptured largely intact after stimulated exocytosis in cultured endocrine cells"; that "single synaptic vesicles fuse transiently and successively without loss of identity"; and that "zymogen granule (the secretory vesicle in exocrine pancreas) exocytosis is characterized by long fusion pore openings and preservation of vesicle lipid identity". In this review, the discovery of the porosome, resulting in a paradigm shift in our understanding of cell secretion, is briefly presented. Biomedical Reviews 2010; 21: 1-15.
Influence of Rain and Conidial Formulation on Persistence of Beauveria bassiana on Potato Leaves and Colorado Potato Beetle Larvae

Abstract The influence of rain on removal of Beauveria bassiana conidia from potato (Solanum tuberosum) leaves and Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) larvae was investigated. In the first experiment, substrates were exposed to simulated rain of varying intensities (25, 77, and 89 mm/h) and durations (0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 min). Substantial numbers of colony-forming units (CFU) were removed from leaves (89 to 95%) and from larvae (34 to 70%) by rain exposure, and the majority of CFU were removed within the first 15 min of exposure. Rain intensity had a minimal effect on conidial persistence on both leaves and larvae, but more CFU were removed from larvae exposed to the highest rain intensity treatment. Conspicuous clumping of conidia was observed on the cuticles of both leaves and larvae following application. After rain exposure, conidial clumping was less conspicuous. In a second experiment, the influence of six formulations on the persistence of conidia exposed to rain was investigated. Treatments consisted of a water control, sunflower oil, a wettable powder, and four oil emulsions applied at two rates. Formulation significantly affected removal of CFU from potato leaves but not Colorado potato beetle larvae. Conidia applied in sunflower oil were not removed from potato leaves by exposure to 39 mm of rain in 30 min. In contrast, conidial persistence during this period was substantially reduced for conidia applied in water, a wettable powder containing clay, and an oil emulsion formulation applied at a low volume rate (2.3 liters of oil in 281 liters of water/ha). Although simulated rain removed substantial quantities of B. bassiana CFU from leaves and to a lesser extent from Colorado potato beetle larvae, a substantial number of the conidia applied in water remained after exposure to relatively high intensity rains. Evidence suggested that conidia in direct contact with the cuticle of leaves and larvae were less prone to be removed by rain than conidia in aggregates and thus not in contact with the cuticle, and emulsifiable oil formulations may be used to enhance conidial retention on foilage.
Comparison of Control Methods for Trajectory Tracking in Fully Actuated Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

In this article, recently proposed control methods, suitable for trajectory tracking in fully actuated unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are reviewed and experimentally compared. We specifically focus on multirotor platforms with tiltable propellers, for which the thrust and torque delivered by each rotor can be oriented within the aircraft frame using servo actuators. First, the main assumptions underlying the control design model usually employed in the literature are discussed, pointing out the main limitations. Then, some recent control laws that have been proposed to address the trajectory tracking problem for these platforms are reviewed, placing emphasis on their tracking capabilities as well as on the ease of tuning and implementation. Finally, experimental results obtained by applying three control laws on a tilt-arm quadrotor UAV are shown to evaluate and compare their performance. Two experiments, representative of operating conditions for thrust-vectoring UAVs, have been performed: a set-point tracking with level attitude and a full-pose trajectory tracking task.
Effect of heavy metals on chromatin supraorganization, nuclear phenotypes, and survival of Triatoma infestans

The nuclear phenotypes and survival of the hemipteran, Triatoma infestans (Hemiptera, Reduviidae), were studied in specimens treated with copper sulfate and methylmercury. The objective was to determine whether changes in chromatin supraorganization and insect survival similar to those promoted by other stressing agents could also be induced by heavy metals. At the concentrations used, copper sulfate and methylmercury were toxic to the cells, mainly inducing nuclear degeneration in the Malpighian tubules and being lethal to a large part of the insect population. Although some individual resistance was found, especially in fasted specimens, heavy metals were found to be much more lethal than was, for instance, a thermal shock at 0 °C for 12 h. The nuclear phenotypes detected after heavy metal treatment were similar to those reported under other stressing conditions. However, the frequency at which nuclei exhibited aspects of heterochromatin unraveling was much higher than that found in fasted and thermal‐shocked specimens, and was independent of the heavy metal type used. If this phenotype represents an attempt to improve opportunities for extensive cell and insect survival, it was not sufficiently effective. In 5th instar nymphs, the effect of CuSO4 on chromatin supraorganization was detected at early steps of spermatogenesis but not in the cells which were at late spermiogenesis when the metal was administered. This is probably due to changes in nuclear protein composition and to the tightly packed state of the DNA‐ protein complexes occurring at spermiogenesis, which may protect chromatin from damages. However, when CuSO4 was supplied to 4th instar nymphs, it slowed down the spermiogenesis process, possibly due to several factors including Cu2+ binding to DNA phosphates.
Resilience and the African American Superintendent.

We sought to explore the extent to which race might influence how African American superintendents cope with the stressors of their leadership roles and the presence of support while in such positions. In order to test this question, we recruited African American superintendents across the United States. We specifically measured their ability to cope with stressors and maintain resilience in leadership. African American superintendents indicated that they primarily utilized problem-based coping to navigate role stress and that they perceived themselves as successfully bouncing back from that stress. We offer a brief set of recommendations based upon these results to foster further coping and resilience among this remarkable group of leaders.
Field comparison of transpiration, stomatal conductance and vulnerability to cavitation of Quercus petraea and Quercus robur under water stress

in adult oaks (Quercus petraea and Q robur) during a period of water shortage in a simplified lysimeter. Sap flux densities and stomatal conductance were reduced by = 70% at maximal drought intensity. Predawn leaf water potential then ranged from -1.7 to -2.0 MPa. The slightly lower transpiration observed in pedunculate oaks could be ascribed to their smaller crown development. Nevertheless, no significant difference in stomatal conductance could be observed between the two species. They also had the same percent loss of conductivity (= 80%) in petioles at maximal drought intensity when midday leaf water potential had dropped to = -3.0 MPa. Finally, good agreement was found between observed losses of hydraulic conductivity during in situ dehydration and the vulnerability curves obtained under laboratory conditions. The shifts in maximal conductivity observed in some droughted trees probably accentuated discrepancies between field and laboratory data. However, a correction procedure helped overcome these artifacts.
The effect of a Mediterranean summer environment on the permeability of hard seeds of subterranean clover

Burr samples of nine strains of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) were collected from field sward trials at monthly intervals during the summer and autumn months and tested for hard seed content. Similar tests were carried out on burrs exposed to an artificial environment in a laboratory oven, which simulated the temperature conditions on a bare soil surface during the hot summer months in the agricultural districts of Western Australia. The maximum level of hard-seededness for all strains was achieved in the late spring or early summer soon after field maturity. There was significant variation in the maximum hard seed content of the different strains. Over the summer and autumn months the hard seed content of all strains declined in the samples from the field and the laboratory. There was considerable variability among strains in the rate and pattern of decline in hard seed content, and in the percentage of hard seed remaining in the autumn. The agronomic significance of the strain variability and the possibility of its inclusion in a breeding and selection programme are discussed.
CNN-on-AWS: Efficient Allocation of Multikernel Applications on Multi-FPGA Platforms

Multi-FPGA platforms, like Amazon AWS F1, can run in the cloud multikernel pipelined applications, like convolutional neural networks (CNNs), with excellent performance and lower energy consumption than CPUs or GPUs. We propose a method to efficiently map these applications on multi-FPGA platforms to maximize the application throughput. Our methodology finds, for the given resources, the optimal number of parallel instances of each kernel in the pipeline and their allocation to one or more among the available FPGAs. We obtain this by formulating and solving a mixed-integer, nonlinear optimization problem, in which we model the performance of each component and the duration of the phases in which the accelerated computation can be split into, namely: 1) data transfer from a host CPU to the DDR memory of each FPGA; 2) data transfer from FPGA DDR to FPGA on-chip memory; 3) kernel computation on the FPGA; 4) data transfer from FPGA on-chip memory to FPGA DDR; and 5) data transfer from FPGA DDR to host. Finding the optimal solution using a mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) solver is often highly inefficient. Hence, we provide a fast heuristic method that according to our experiments can be much more efficient than the MINLP solver and finds comparable results. For larger problems (more CNN layers), our heuristic method can quickly find (several thousand times faster) much better solutions than the MINLP solver, even if we run the latter for a very long time.