Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Maintaining yields and reducing nitrogen loss in rice–wheat rotation system in Taihu Lake region with proper fertilizer management

In the Tailake region of China, heavy nitrogen (N) loss of rice–wheat rotation systems, due to high fertilizer-N input with low N use efficiency (NUE), was widely reported. To alleviate the detrimental impacts caused by N loss, it is necessary to improve the fertilizer management practices. Therefore, a 3 yr field experiments with different N managements including organic combined chemical N treatment (OCN, 390 kg N ha−1 yr−1, 20% organic fertilizer), control–released urea treatment (CRU, 390 kg N ha−1 yr−1, 70% resin-coated urea), reduced chemical N treatment (RCN, 390 kg N ha−1 yr−1, all common chemical fertilizer), and site-specific N management (SSNM, 333 kg N ha−1 yr−1, all common chemical fertilizer) were conducted in the Taihu Lake region with the ‘farmer’s N’ treatment (FN, 510 kg N ha−1 yr−1, all common chemical fertilizer) as a control. Grain yield, plant N uptake (PNU), NUE, and N losses via runoff, leaching, and ammonia volatilization were assessed. In the rice season, the FN treatment had the highest N loss and lowest NUE, which can be attributed to an excessive rate of N application. Treatments of OCN and RCN with a 22% reduced N rate from FN had no significant effect on PNU nor the yield of rice in the 3 yr; however, the NUE was improved and N loss was reduced 20–32%. OCN treatment achieved the highest yield, while SSNM has the lowest N loss and highest NUE due to the lowest N rate. In wheat season, N loss decreased about 28–48% with the continuous reduction of N input, but the yield also declined, with the exception of OCN treatment. N loss through runoff, leaching and ammonia volatilization was positively correlated with the N input rate. When compared with the pure chemical fertilizer treatment of RCN under the same N input, OCN treatment has better NUE, better yield, and lower N loss. 70% of the urea replaced with resin-coated urea had no significant effect on yield and NUE improvement, but decreased the ammonia volatilization loss. Soil total N and organic matter content showed a decrease after three continuous cropping years with inorganic fertilizer application alone, but there was an increase with the OCN treatment. N balance analysis showed a N surplus for FN treatment and a balanced N budget for OCN treatment. To reduce the environmental impact and maintain a high crop production, proper N reduction together with organic amendments could be sustainable in the rice–wheat rotation system in the Taihu Lake region for a long run.
The effect of exchange rate shocks on the volatility of Australian sector excess returns: a note

The study uses GARCH-M methodology to examine the effect of exchange rate shocks on the volatility of excess returns for the nineteen sectors of the Australian stock market. The data covers the period December 1979 through April 1994. The evidence suggests that news on exchange rates can improve the volatility forecasts of certain Australian stock market sector excess returns. The findings have implications for the professional investor looking to diversify risk and, in addition, give some support to asset pricing models that place information on the state of the economy as central to the process determining equity returns.
Canada’s Immigration Selection System and Labour Market Outcomes

Dans cet article, nous examinons les différences que l’on observe, en matière de revenus et d’emploi, parmi les immigrants des différentes catégories, et nous établissons des liens avec le système de points. De plus, nous analysons les différentes approches que l’on utilise, selon la question que l’on pose au départ, pour étudier cette situation. Il existe des écarts notables, en matière de revenus et d’emploi, parmi les immigrants des différentes catégories, mais l’interprétation de ces différences varie de façon importante selon les façons dont les échantillons sont établis et selon les méthodes d’analyse utilisées. Comme on pouvait s’y attendre, les immigrants de la catégorie économique obtiennent, sur une longue période, les revenus les plus élevés; toutefois, en matière d’emploi, la situation des immigrants des autres catégories est parfois comparable, sinon supérieure, à celles des immigrants de la catégorie économique – c’est en particulier le cas des réfugiés parrainés par le secteur privé, du moins à court terme.
Morphological changes of Campylobacter jejuni growing in liquid culture

Campylobacter jejuni growing in liquid culture was found to exhibit gross morphological changes with time. Exponentially growing cells showed typical short spiral forms. At mid‐stationary phase the cells became approximately twice the length of the exponential forms. Late stationary/early decline phase cells were seen to be a mixture of coccal forms and cells which were between 3 and 4 times the length of exponentially growing cells. Continued incubation of cultures eventually resulted in a population largely of coccal forms. These morphological changes have not previously been observed when Camp. jejuni has been grown on agar‐based solid medium. It is likely that such changes result from the differential expression of genes that control the timing of cell division.
A novel dual power flow wind power generation system

A novel dual power flow wind power generation system based on electrical variable transmission (EVT) is proposed which combines the advantages of direct-driven and non-direct-driven systems. In this paper, the principles of the dual power flow wind power generation system are presented. The dynamic model and operation modes of the double layer permanent magnet outer rotor based EVT are introduced. Furthermore, the operation processes and control strategies of the novel system are simulated and analyzed. An EVT prototype machine is designed and verified by finite element analysis (FEA).
New physics-based analytic approach to the thin-oxide breakdown statistics

A new analytic cell-based approach to the modeling of the oxide breakdown statistics is presented. The new model has the same predictive power as the standard percolation approach and the advantage of providing simple analytic results. The scaling with oxide thickness of the Weibull slope and the mean critical density of defects at breakdown are accounted for correctly.
What do Consumers’ Fund Flows Maximize? Evidence from Their Brokers’ Incentives

We ask whether mutual funds’ flows reflect the incentives of the brokers intermediating them. The incentives we address are those revealed in statutory filings: the brokers’ shares of sales loads and other revenue, and their affiliation with the fund family. We find significant effects of these payments to brokers on funds’ inflows, particularly when the brokers are not affiliated. Tracking these investments forward, we find load sharing, but not revenue sharing, to predict poor performance, consistent with the different incentives these payments impart. We identify one benefit of captive brokerage, which is the recapture of redemptions elsewhere in the family.
Biological activity of dihydroartemisinin in canine osteosarcoma cell lines.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the biological activity of dihydroartemisinin on canine osteosarcoma cell lines in vitro. SAMPLE POPULATION 4 canine osteosarcoma cell lines. PROCEDURES Cell viability assays were performed on canine osteosarcoma cell lines OSCA2, OSCA16, OSCA50, and D17 after 24, 48, and 72 hours of treatment with dihydroartemisinin at concentrations of 0.1 to 100 microM. Apoptosis was assessed by use of an ELISA for free nuclosomal DNA fragmentation and by western blot analysis for cleavage of caspase 3. Cell cycle analysis was performed by use of staining with propidium iodide and flow cytometry. Detection of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was conducted in the D17 cell line by use of 6-carboxy-2',7'-dihydrofluorescein diacetate and flow cytometry. RESULTS The concentration of dihydroartemisinin required for 50% inhibition of cell viability (IC50) was achieved in all 4 canine osteosarcoma cell lines and ranged from 8.7 to 43.6 microM. Induction of apoptosis was evident as an increase in nucleosomal DNA fragmentation, cleavage of caspase 3, and an increase in the population in the sub G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle detected by flow cytometry. Exposure to dihydroartemisinin also resulted in a decrease in the G0/G1 population. Iron-dependent generation of ROS was detected in dihydroartemisinin-treated D17 cells; ROS generation increased in a dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Incubation with dihydroartemisinin resulted in biological activity against canine osteosarcoma cell lines, which included induction of apoptosis and arrest of the cell cycle. Clinical trials of dihydroartemisinin in dogs with osteosarcoma should be conducted.
Blending and reusing rules for architectural degradation prevention

As software systems are maintained, their architecture often de-grades through the processes of architectural drift and erosion. These processes are often intertwined and the same modules in the code become the locus of both drift and erosion symptoms. Thus, architects should elaborate architecture rules for detecting occur-rences of both degradation symptoms. While the specification of such rules is time-consuming, they are similar across software projects adhering to similar architecture decompositions. Unfortu-nately, existing anti-degradation techniques are limited as they focus only on detecting either drift or erosion symptoms. They also do not support the reuse of recurring anti-degradation rules. In this context, the contribution of this paper is twofold. First, it presents TamDera, a domain-specific language for: (i) specifying rule-based strategies to detect both erosion and drift symptoms, and (ii) promoting the hierarchical and compositional reuse of design rules across multiple projects. The language was designed with usual concepts from programming languages in mind such as, inheritance and modularization. Second, we evaluated to what extent developers would benefit from the definition and reuse of hybrid rules. Our study involved 21 versions pertaining to 5 software projects, and more than 600 rules. On average 45% of classes that had drift symptoms in first versions presented inter-related erosion problems in latter versions or vice-versa. Also, up to 72% of all the TamDera rules in a project are from a pre-defined library of reusable rules. They were responsible for detecting on average of 73% of the inter-related degradation symptoms across the projects.
New insights into protein export in malaria parasites

In order to survive and promote its virulence the malaria parasite must export hundreds of its proteins beyond an encasing vacuole and membrane into the host red blood cell. In the last few years, several major advances have been made that have significantly contributed to our understanding of this export process. These include: (i) the identification of sequences that direct protein export (a signal sequence and a motif termed PEXEL), which have allowed predictions of the exportomes of Plasmodium species that are the cause of malaria, (ii) the recognition that the fate of proteins destined for export is already decided within the parasite's endoplasmic reticulum and involves the PEXEL motif being recognized and cleaved by the aspartic protease plasmepsin V and (iii) the discovery of the Plasmodium translocon of exported proteins (PTEX) that is responsible for the passage of proteins across the vacuolar membrane. We review protein export in Plasmodium and these latest developments in the field that have now provided a new platform from which trafficking of malaria proteins can be dissected.
A Feminist Political Economic Critique of Women and Investment in the Popular Media

From a feminist political economic perspective, this paper examines the relationship between gender and investment in the popular media in three interrelating ways. First, a discourse analysis was used to examine eight popular books on investment for women published in the US. The popular financial literature asks women to solve the problems that they encounter in a patriarchal household by participating in the financial market. Second, Suze Orman was used as a case study to show the commodification process of financial information through the tactics brand differentiation, multi-platform delivery, and creation of niche markets. Third, the consumption of commodities is linked to that of production and distribution by revealing the relations between the gendered production and reproduction in the household, transnational corporations, and financial institutions.
Life course pathways to business start-up

We explore how socially embedded life courses of individuals within Britain affect the resources they have available and their capacity to apply those resources to start-up. We propose that there will be common pathways to entrepreneurship from privileged resource ownership and test our propositions by modelling a specific life course framework, based on class and gender. We operationalize our model employing 18 waves of the British Household Panel Survey and event history random effect logistic regression modelling. Our hypotheses receive broad support. Business start-up in Britain is primarily made from privileged class backgrounds that enable resource acquisition and are a means of reproducing or defending prosperity. The poor avoid entrepreneurship except when low household income threatens further downward mobility and entrepreneurship is a more attractive option. We find that gendered childcare responsibilities disrupt class-based pathways to entrepreneurship. We interpret the implications of this study for understanding entrepreneurship and society and suggest research directions.
Dynamic Hedging and Order Flow Dynamics 1

The price process in a financial market is driven by demand and supply. Statistical analyses have shown that price “feeds back” on future demand and supply. To date, few testable models have been proposed that oer an economic explanation for this relationship. In this paper, we investigate a mechanism that might, at least to some extent, explain the positive feedback eect of prices on future order volume, namely dynamic hedging. Using order book and transaction data from the Swiss Stock Exchange and Eurex, we investigate the dependencies between theoretical hedging demand generated by option holders and actual order volume in the underlying stock market. We are able to show that the popular belief that options trading has a negative systematic impact on the underlying market in the form of a positive feedback does not seem to be warranted.
Voice within trade unions? A test of the voice and loyalty hypothesis

Frustration–aggression theories, such as exit–voice and loyalty, have been tested using agents as voice but have not been examined with unions as the organization in question. Utilizing longitudinal panel data (n = 874), this article tests this theory with regard to voice within a trade union. This study does not find support for the exit–voice model; instead, it provides support for cost–benefit and interactionist theories. Further, the study finds that members with high union satisfaction are more likely to express voice when they perceive their leaders to be highly responsive to their needs and concerns.
Algebraic methods applied to shortest path and maximum flow problems in stochastic networks

We present an algebraic approach for computing the distribution of the length of a shortest s ‐ t path, as well as the distribution of the capacity of a minimum s ‐ t cut, in a network where the arc values (lengths and capacities) have known (discrete) probability distributions. For each problem, both exact and approximating algorithms are presented. These approximating algorithms are shown to yield upper and lower bounds on the distribution of interest. This approach likewise provides exact and bounding distributions on the maximum flow value in stochastic networks. We also obtain bounds on the expected shortest path length as well as the expected minimum cut capacity (and the expected maximum flow value). © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. NETWORKS, 2013
Ill-Conceived, Even If Competently Administered: Software Patents, Litigation, and Innovationâ€”A Comment on Graham and Vishnubhakat

The number of patents has increased dramatically in the past three decades, as has the number of patent-related lawsuits, particularly in the field of software. Industry and academic experts have expressed concern that many of the patents being issued are of low quality. Writing in the Journal of Economic Perspectives, Stuart Graham and Saurabh Vishnubhakat have defended the United States Patent and Trademark Office, arguing that the PTO has acted responsibly in issuing patents that are legally valid and that it is handling problems constructively. We accept some of Graham and Vishnubhakat’s defense of the PTO, but argue that the most important issue is not whether the law is being competently administered but whether patent law, particularly as applied to software, is creating patents that are overly broad and ambiguous. We maintain that it is, and that the results are less innovation and more costly and unproductive litigation.
Arm-breaking, Consumer Credit and Personal Bankruptcy

The consumer credit transaction is analyzed as a contract which provides insurance as well as present consumption for the borrower. Creditors' remedies such as “arm-breaking” are shown to facilitate provision of insurance (forgiveness of debts) when lenders cannot monitor outcomes. Alternatively, if outcomes are observable but lenders do not ex ante know the risk associated with each borrower, the market may generate an excessive amount of arm-breaking and agreements to forgo discharge following bankruptcy as low risk borrowers signal their characteristics, suggesting that government limitations on such provisions might be efficient. The secured credit transaction is shown to be a complex contract which attempts to provide efficient repayment, seller incentives for performance and mitigation following default, and insurance for the borrower. Garnishment and discharge of debts following bankruptcy are also considered.
Sexual Harassment in the Hospitality Industry: Perceptions of Restaurant Employees

Abstract With the cost of litigation and the dollar amount of settlements both increasing substantially, it is with a pro-active view to look at the perspective of sexual harassment by restaurant employees. The purpose of this study is to measure female restaurant employees' and male restaurant employees' perceptions and attitudes on sexual harassment in the restaurant industry. By analyzing the responses of the female restaurant employees and male restaurant employees, a better understanding of the similarities and differences among these two distinct employee segments could be obtained. This research paper will try to provide some useful information when it comes to sexual harassment in the restaurant industry and what policies should be implemented.
Beginnings of Prosodic Organization: Intonation and Duration Patterns of Disyllables Produced by Japanese and French Infants

In this study, some prosodic aspects of the disyllabic vocalizations (both babbling and words) produced by four French and four Japanese children of about 18 months of age, are examined. F0 contour and vowel durations in disyllables are found to be clearly language-specific. For French infants, rising F0 contours and final syllable lengthening are the rule, whereas falling F0 contours and absence of final lengthening are the rule for Japanese children. These results are congruent with adult prosody in the two languages. They hold for both babbling and utterances identified as words. The disyllables produced by the Japanese infants reflect adult forms not only in terms of global intonation patterns, but also in terms of tone and duration characteristics at the lexical level.
Power Politics and the Undersupply of Financial Stability in Europe

ABSTRACT This article analyses the politics of banking and fiscal union in the EU in the context of continued threats to financial stability in Europe. Contrasting the expectations of functional responses and power politics, it finds that the behavior of the states and the outcome of negotiations most closely resembles contemporary realist expectations. Minimal supranationalism takes place to prevent complete collapse, but the main development is that financially powerful member states coerce and impose changes on weaker member states, without committing to the financial transfers that the latter require to survive the financial crisis, with negative consequences for European financial stability.
Internet Financial Reporting (IFR) in the GCC: extent and practices

Internet Financial Reporting (IFR) is fast becoming the norm in most western countries; however, little is known about IFR practices in developing countries. This paper investigates the extent and variety of practices of IFR by companies listed on the Muscat Securities Market (MSM) in Oman and the Bahrain Stock Exchange (BSE) in Bahrain. This paper attempts to add to the literature on IFR by providing evidence of IFR practices in Oman and Bahrain. The 142 companies listed on the MSM and 51 companies listed on the BSE are investigated to ascertain whether they maintain websites and/or if these sites are being used for communicating financial information. Only 124 of the listed companies on both markets are found to operate websites, with even less (only 63) engaging in IFR. However, IFR is not restricted to the publication of annual financial statements only as the companies also disclose financial highlights through their websites. The results of this study indicate that IFR is still at an embryonic stage in Oman and Bahrain, and there are lots of opportunities and challenges for all stakeholder parties in corporate reporting.