Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Cadmium and Copper Exposure on Growth, Secondary Metabolites and Antioxidant Activity in the Medicinal Plant Sambung Nyawa (Gynura procumbens (Lour.) Merr)

A randomized complete block (RCBD) study was designed to investigate the effects of cadmium (Cd) and copper (Cu) on the growth, bioaccumulation of the two heavy metals, metabolite content and antibacterial activities in Gyanura procumbens (Lour.) Merr. Nine treatments including (1) control (no Cd and Cu); (2) Cd 2 = cadmium 2 mg/L; (3) Cd 4 = cadmium 4 mg/L; (4) Cu 70 = copper 70 mg/L; (5) Cu 140 = copper 140 mg/L); (6) Cd 2 + Cu 70 = cadmium 2 mg/L + copper 70 mg/L); (7) Cd 2 + Cu 140 = cadmium 2 mg/L + copper 70 mg/L); (8) Cd 4 + Cu 70 = cadmium 4 mg/L+ copper 70 mg/L and (9) Cd 4 + Cu 140 = cadmium 4 mg/L + copper 140 mg/L) were evaluated in this experiment. It was found that the growth parameters (plant dry weight, total leaf area and basal diameter) were reduced with the exposure to increased concentrations of Cd and Cu and further decreased under interaction between Cd and Cu. Production of total phenolics, flavonoids and saponin was observed to be reduced under combined Cd and Cu treatment. The reduction in the production of plant secondary metabolites might be due to lower phenyl alanine lyase (PAL) activity under these conditions. Due to that, the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP) and antibacterial activities was also found to be reduced by the combined treatments. The current experiments show that the medicinal properties of G. procumbens are reduced by cadmium and copper contamination. The accumulation of heavy metal also was found to be higher than the safety level recommended by the WHO in the single and combined treatments of Cd and Cu. These results indicate that exposure of G. procumbens to Cd and Cu contaminated soil may potentially harm consumers due to bioaccumulation of metals and reduced efficacy of the herbal product.
Assessing CAP Reform: Sensitivity of Modelling Decoupled Policies

The European Union reformed farm policy in June 2003 towards the decoupling of farm income support instruments. Available impact studies find that this reform reduces production incentives substantially for beef and to a lesser extent for arable crops. However, these studies assume that the previous reform, under Agenda 2000, already decoupled arable crop direct payments to a considerable extent, while beef premiums were linked more closely to production. Our main objective in this paper is to test the sensitivity of these results to this questionable modelling of Agenda 2000 direct payments, which neglects eligibility rules and land market imperfections. Our analysis reveals that the effects of the reform on both arable crop and beef production are always negative, however the Agenda 2000 direct payments are modelled. On the other hand, we show that, when the eligibility rules and land market imperfections are acknowledged, the production reducing effects may be much larger for arable crops than for beef. Policy implications of these results are noted.
Examining continuance usage of mobile banking from the perspectives of ECT and flow

The success of mobile banking services is, in part, dependent on getting users to continue using mobile services. Drawing on the expectation confirmation theory (ECT) and flow theory, this research examines the factors affecting the continuance intention of mobile banking users. The results indicate that expectation confirmation affects perceived usefulness, which affects satisfaction and the continuance intention. In addition, perceived ease of use and trust affect flow, which further predicts the continuance intention. The results imply that service providers need to concern themselves with both perceived utility and user experience in order to facilitate continuance usage of their mobile banking services.
From bags of graphs to stereo subgraphs in order to predict molecule’s properties

Quantitative Structure Activity and Property Relationships (QSAR and QSPR), aim to predict properties of molecules thanks to computational techniques. In these ﬁelds, graphs provide a natural encoding of molecules. However some molecules may have a same graph but diﬀer by the three dimensional orientation of their atoms in space. These molecules, called stereoisomers, may have diﬀerent properties which cannot be correctly predicted using usual graph encodings. In a previous paper we proposed to encode the stereoisomerism property of each atom by a local subgraph. A kernel between bags of such subgraphs then provides a similarity measure incorporating stereoisomerism properties. However, such an approach does not take into account potential interactions be-tween these subgrahs. We thus propose in this paper, a method to take these interactions into account hence providing a global point of view on molecules’s stereoisomerism properties.
Port competition in the Yangtze River Delta

Abstract: This paper canvasses the port development of the Yangtze River Delta. Initially, we consider changes in container trade in the region since the 1990s. Competition between the ports of Ningbo and Shanghai are studied by measuring the overlapping hinterland of container distribution for Zhejiang province. We then analyse the strategies pursued by international carriers and terminal operators to secure success in this increasingly competitive environment.
Politicizing the Expertise of the Accounting Industry in the Realm of Corporate Social Responsibility

CSR performance. The authors use affect-as-information theory (Schwarz and Clore 1983, 2003) to predict a positive relationship between firm CSR performance and investors’ estimates of firm fundamental value for investors who do not explicitly assess firm CSR performance; however the influence of firm CSR performance is predicted to decrease when investors explicitly assess firm CSR performance. The authors test their predictions using an experiment in which 88 graduate business students were given information about a hypothetical firm’s financial, social, and environmental performance and asked to estimate the firm’s fundamental value and indicate their willingness to invest in the firm. Thirty-five of the participants were also asked to explicitly assess the firm’s CSR performance when making their estimates. The results are consistent with the authors’ predictions; however the results are stronger when the firm’s CSR performance is positive than when the firm’s CSR performance is negative. One criticism of the study is that it has a very narrow focus on the decision-making processes of one set of stakeholders (investors) for a narrow task. Further, the use of graduate business students to proxy for investors may limit what we learn from the study about actual investor behaviour. As such, the contribution of this study to the SEA literature is somewhat limited. However, the paper is well-written, interesting, and provides a good example of how psychology theory and experimental methods can be used to support predictions about how stakeholders use CSR information in their decision-making processes. Hopefully, this study will spur researchers with the requisite background in psychology theory and experimental methods to bring such knowledge to bear in studies of broader issues relating to the use of CSR information in the decision-making processes of other stakeholders for other tasks. Such studies would be of great interest to standard setters and other regulators as they determine policies relating to firms’ disclosure of CSR information.
The fog of cyber defence

Insights into Cyberspace, Cyber Security and Cyberwar in the Nordic Countries is an article that shows how advanced the Nordic countries are in relation to cyberspace. The article discusses narratives that show how the western countries and their militaries are willing to develop not only defensive, but also offensive capabilities in the field of cyber security. Simultaneously, these efforts challenge the existing understanding of what war –and cyberwar – is, and what it is not. Like other spaces, cyberspace will be used for the purposes of war, not necessarily only for cyberwar as such. Therefore, it is suggested that cyberwar should not be defined as a concept of war, but treated as an open phenomenon. This article suggests that the Nordic countries reconsider the concept of resilience and seek cooperation to face the challenges of cyberspace.
Analysis of decode‐and‐forward, compress‐and‐forward and combined protocols for multiterminal half‐duplex relay networks with random schedules

In this paper, protocols based on compress‐and‐forward, decode‐and‐forward and a combined approach are discussed, achievable rates are derived, and a performance analysis for a multiterminal half‐duplex relay network is carried out. Half‐duplex relays are subject to an orthogonality constraint, which prohibits simultaneous receiving and transmitting on a time‐frequency resource. With this constraint, this paper investigates random transmission schedules, such that the sequence of transmit and receive slots serves as information bearer. This concept is applied to a network of decode‐and‐forward relays, which decode the full source message or parts of it. Then a compress‐and‐forward protocol with regular encoding is introduced. Regular encoding for compress‐and‐forward overcomes the limitations due to the source‐channel‐coding separation, which is a particular bottleneck in multiterminal networks. Based on the partial decode‐and‐forward and compress‐and‐forward protocol, a protocol with one compress‐and‐forward and one decode‐and‐forward based relay is presented. Similar to the cut‐set bound, both relays operate in a mode in which only one is transmitting whereas the second one is listening to exploit additional information transmitted by the other relay.
Cloning, sequencing, and characterization of the principal acid phosphatase, the phoC+ product, from Zymomonas mobilis

The Zymomonas mobilis gene encoding acid phosphatase, phoC, has been cloned and sequenced. The gene spans 792 base pairs and encodes an Mr 28,988 polypeptide. This protein was identified as the principal acid phosphatase activity in Z. mobilis by using zymograms and was more active with magnesium ions than with zinc ions. Its promoter region was similar to the -35 "pho box" region of the Escherichia coli pho genes as well as the regulatory sequences for Saccharomyces cerevisiae acid phosphatase (PHO5). A comparison of the gene structure of phoC with that of highly expressed Z. mobilis genes revealed that promoters for all genes were similar in degree of conservation of spacing and identity with the proposed Z. mobilis consensus sequence in the -10 region. The phoC gene contained a 5' transcribed terminus which was AT rich, a weak ribosome-binding site, and less biased codon usage than the highly expressed Z. mobilis genes.
Different prognostic value of cytokeratin-19 mRNA positive circulating tumor cells according to estrogen receptor and HER2 status in early-stage breast cancer.

PURPOSE To examine the prognostic value of cytokeratin-19 (CK-19) mRNA-positive circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in early-stage breast cancer patients focusing on clinically relevant subgroups based on estrogen receptor (ER) and HER2 expression. PATIENTS AND METHODS CK-19 mRNA-positive CTCs were detected by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction in the blood of 444 consecutive, stage I-III, breast cancer patients before initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy. The association between detection of CK-19 mRNA-positive CTCs and clinical outcome was analyzed for patients with ER-positive, ER-negative, triple-negative, HER2-positive, and ER-positive/HER2-negative tumors. RESULTS CK-19 mRNA-positive CTCs were detected in 181 (40.8%) of 444 patients; 109 (41.9%) of 260 patients with ER-positive tumors; 71 (40.6%) of 175 patients with ER-negative tumors; 27 (35%) of 77 patients with triple-negative tumors; 35 (39.8%) of 88 patients with HER2-positive tumors; and 82 (44.1%) of 186 patients with ER-positive/HER2-negative tumors. After a median follow-up of 53.5 months, patients with CK-19 mRNA-positive CTCs experienced reduced disease-free survival (DFS; P < .001) and overall survival (OS; P < .001); this was mainly observed in patients with ER-negative (P < .001 and P < .001, respectively) but not ER-positive tumors (P = .172 and P = .425, respectively) and in patients with triple-negative (P = .008 and P = .001, respectively) and HER2-positive (P = .023 and P = .040, respectively) but not ER-positive/HER2-negative tumors (P = .210 and P = .578, respectively). In multivariate analysis, the interaction between CK-19 mRNA-positive CTCs and ER status was the strongest independent prognostic factor for reduced DFS (hazard ratio [HR], 3.808; 95% CI, 2.415 to 6.003; P < .001) and OS (HR, 4.172; 95% CI, 2.477 to 9.161; P < .001). CONCLUSION Detection of CK-19 mRNA-positive CTCs before adjuvant chemotherapy predicts poor clinical outcome mainly in patients with ER-negative, triple-negative, and HER2-positive early-stage breast cancer.
Focal Areas for Measuring the Human Well-Being Impacts of a Conservation Initiative

Within conservation, the need to measure the impacts on people from conservation initiatives such as projects and programs is growing, but understanding and measuring the multidimensional impacts on human well-being from conservation initiatives is complex. To understand the constituent components of human well-being and identify which components of well-being are most common, we analyzed 31 known indices for measuring human well-being. We found 11 focal areas shared by two or more indices for measuring human well-being, and the focal areas of living standards, health, education, social cohesion, security, environment, and governance were in at least 14 of the 31 human well-being indices. We examined each of the common focal areas and assessed its relevance to measuring the human well-being impacts of a conservation initiative. We then looked for existing indices that include the relevant focal areas and recommend the use of Stiglitz et al. (2009)—a framework designed to measure economic performance and social progress—as a starting place for understanding and selecting human well-being focal areas suitable for measuring the impacts on people from a conservation initiative.
Diverging gonorrhea and syphilis trends in the 1980s: are they real?

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the divergence in national trends of gonorrhea and syphilis from 1986 to 1989 in the United States was real and if overall trends masked a contemporaneous increase in both diseases in a core group. METHODS We analyzed the following: (1) reported cases of gonorrhea and primary and secondary syphilis in the United States for the years 1981 to 1989, (2) gonorrhea screening results from six states for the years 1985 to 1989, and (3) reported cases of gonorrhea and primary and secondary syphilis by census tract for the years 1986 to 1989 in one city. RESULTS The incidence of gonorrhea decreased 22% in the United States from 1986 to 1989 while the incidence of primary and secondary syphilis increased 59%. Among Blacks, syphilis incidence increased 100% and gonorrhea incidence decreased 13%; among Whites and Hispanics, the incidence of both diseases decreased. Results from gonorrhea screening among females in six states agree with gonorrhea incidence trends in those areas. Race-specific and census tract analyses of data from a number of metropolitan areas where overall rates diverged did not demonstrate a group in which the incidence of both diseases increased. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that diverging trends of gonorrhea and syphilis from 1986 to 1989 are real and emphasize differences in the epidemiologic characteristics of these two sexually transmitted diseases.
A novel CPW low-pass filter using electromagnetic band-gap structure

A novel low-pass filter with higher attenuation in rejection band is proposed in this paper, which is designed on a coplanar waveguide (CPW) structure with Electromagnetic Band Gap (EBG) structure. In order to suppress passband ripples, the mono-periodic loaded interdigital capacitors structure is modified to double-periodic loaded structure. For higher attenuation in the rejection band without increasing circuit area, EBG structures with two dual-periodic arrays of rectangular patches are etched in the ground planes. Simulation results show that the average attenuation in the rejection band for a four-pole low-pass filter with EBG structure increases about 15dB, and the rejection bandwidth is broadened about 27%, that is, 20-dB bandwidth increases from 16.1GHz to 20.5GHz. Measurement verified the above results.
Catholic Schools, Dropout Rates and Educational Attainment

This paper examines the effect of Catholic schooling on high-school dropout rates and educational attainment. Particular attention is given to the effect of selection into the Catholic school sector. After adjusting for self-selection, the authors find that sophomores in the Catholic schools are still substantially more likely to graduate with their class. It is also shown that seniors in the Catholic schools are not more likely to acquire more schooling than other seniors if selection is taken into account. Copyright 1995 by Oxford University Press.
A joint macroeconomic-yield curve model for Hungary

The main goal of this paper is to examine the relationship between macroeconomic shocks and yield curve movements in Hungary. To this end, we apply a Nelson-Siegel type dynamic yield curve model, where changes of the yield curve are driven by two latent factors and some key macro variables that follow a VAR(1) process. The structural macroeconomic shocks are identified by sign restrictions. According to the model, more than sixty percent of the variation of the yield curve factors can be explained by macro shocks. In particular, the monetary policy shock is the most important determinant of the level factor, while the slope factor is mainly driven by risk premium and demand shocks. As for the direction of the responses, monetary policy and supply shocks decrease long forward rates, while premium and demand shocks increase short forward rates. The effect of the premium and monetary policy shocks is strongest in the period when the shock occurs, while for the demand and supply shocks the responses reach their peak only after some delay.
The Privatization of the Oceans

Rich with detail and provocatively argued, this study of the development of property rights in the world's fisheries tells the story of one industry's evolution and provides a useful illustration of the forces that shape economic institutions. The emergence of exclusive individual rights of access in the fishing industry began after the revolution in the international law of the sea that took place in the 1970s, when the offshore area controlled by a nation for fish and other resources expanded from 3 miles to 200 miles. Rognvaldur Hannesson compares the subsequent development of private property rights in the fisheries to the historic enclosures and clearances of common land in England and Scotland and finds many parallels, including bitter fights over access rights and the impossibility of accommodating all those who want to stake a claim. Overall benefit to society in the form of increased efficiency, he points out, does not mean that all benefit equally. After tracing the development of the law of the sea since the sixteenth century, Hannesson considers what form property rights in fisheries might take and examines the forces behind the establishment of exclusive use rights to fish. He argues that one form of exclusive use rights, individual transferable quotas (ITQs), best promotes efficiency in the use of fish resources. He presents case studies of ITQ development, ranging from successful establishment in Canada and New Zealand to failures in Chile and Norway to experiments with ITQs in Iceland and the United States. The development of economic institutions, he concludes, is an evolutionary process subject to contradictory influences.
All Work and No Pay: Violations of Employment and Labor Laws in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City

Despite three decades of scholarship on economic restructuring in the United States, employers’ violations of minimum wage, overtime and other workplace laws remain understudied. This article begins to fill the gap by presenting evidence from a large-scale, original worker survey that draws on recent advances in sampling methodology to reach vulnerable workers. Our findings suggest that in America’s three largest cities, violations of employment and labor laws are pervasive across low-wage industries and occupations, affecting a wide range of workers. But while worker characteristics are correlated with violations, job and employer characteristics play the stronger role, including industry, occupation and measures of informality and nonstandard work. We therefore propose a framework in which employers’ noncompliance with labor regulations is one axis of a competitive strategy based on labor cost reduction, contributing to the reorganization of work and production in the 21st century labor market.
Institutions and the Allocation of Entrepreneurial Talent between Productive and Destructive Activities

Entrepreneurship is generally regarded as a force of change, innovation and development in modern economies. Entrepreneurs bring new and better products to markets, restore allocative efficiency through arbitrage and reinvest their profits. However, as Baumol (1990), Mehlum et al. (2003) and Acemoglu (1995) have argued, the same energy and talent can also be allocated to unproductive ends and reduce total welfare. In this paper we present a model that analyzes the allocation of a given entrepreneurial talent over destructive and productive activities. We show that in this model two stable equilibria can emerge. As Baumol (1990) hypothesized, institutions determine the pay-offs to both types of entrepreneurial activity and hence drive this allocation. But we also show that the distribution of initial wealth and entrepreneurial talent plays a decisive role. This analysis provides a different perspective on the importance of high quality institutions in developing countries and sheds light on the situation in conflict and post-conflict countries, where both informal and formal institutions arguably have broken down. Under such circumstances, our analysis shows that micro credits can support the transition to a productive equilibrium, because they help to overcome credit contraints without creating incentives for destructive entrepreneurship.
Got Milk? Food Insecurity in a Dairyland Community

Though local food assistance sites in a Wisconsin community report increases in use of their services, the amount of food insecurity clients experience was not known. Therefore, the extent of food insecurity was measured using the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) “Guide to Measuring Household Food Insecurity. ” A purposive convenience sample of 165 individuals seeking food assistance at local food banks and meal sites was surveyed and asked questions about hunger in their households. The results demonstrated that clients of food banks experienced higher levels of food insecurity and were more likely to lack calcium-rich foods and vitamin C in their diets than those seeking assistance at meal sites. Because this study was conducted in Wisconsin, America's Dairyland, a lack of calcium-rich foods was an especially surprising finding.
Learning from Saturn: Possibilities for Corporate Governance and Employee Relations

The Saturn Division of General Motors (GM) provides a critical case for thinking about the future of contemporary American industrial relations. This is not due to any widespread imitation of the Saturn model of industrial relations, but rather because, as Rubinstein and Kochan describe it, Saturn represents the ‘pinnacle of the transformation of the industrial relations system’ (38) in the United States.