Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Breeding ecology of Long-billed Curlews at Great Salt Lake, Utah

-\Vc quantified nest site characterbtics, breeding densities, and migratory chronology of L-ong-billed Curlews at Great Salt Lake, Utah. The species is apparently declining in Utah, and little is know about their hrceding ecology in the eastern Great Basin Desert. This study was designed to provide wildlife biologists with baseline data useful fc)r their sllccessful management. Curlcws arrived in northern Utah in late ~1arch and generally departed by mid-August. Nest densities at Grcat Salt Lake ranged from 0.64 to 2.36 males/km2. The habitat at curlew nest sites consisted of significantly shorter vegetation than nearby random locations (x == 5.7 versus 9.0 em, respectively; P < .01). Nests tended to be located in small patches of vegetation ncar barrcn ground. Maintenance of relatively short vegetation appears to he important in managing curlew habitat. In addition, only 2 of 10 nesb we monitorcd ill 1992 wcre succcsshil, with most lost to mammalian predators. Further research is necded to determinc thc impact of mammalian predators Oil cl1rlcw poplliatiolls.
Updated Model of the Solar Energetic Proton Environment in Space

The Solar Accumulated and Peak Proton and Heavy Ion Radiation Environment (SAPPHIRE) model provides environment specification outputs for all aspects of the Solar Energetic Particle (SEP) environment. The model is based upon a thoroughly cleaned and carefully processed data set. Herein the evolution of the solar proton model is discussed with comparisons to other models and data. This paper discusses the construction of the underlying data set, the modelling methodology, optimisation of fitted flux distributions and extrapolation of model outputs to cover a range of proton energies from 0.1 MeV to 1 GeV. The model provides outputs in terms of mission cumulative fluence, maximum event fluence and peak flux for both solar maximum and solar minimum periods. A new method for describing maximum event fluence and peak flux outputs in terms of 1-in-x-year SPEs is also described. SAPPHIRE proton model outputs are compared with previous models including CREME96, ESP-PSYCHIC and the JPL model. Low energy outputs are compared to SEP data from ACE/EPAM whilst high energy outputs are compared to a new model based on GLEs detected by Neutron Monitors (NMs).
Growth of largemouth bass in a dynamic estuarine environment : an evaluation of the relative effects of salinity , diet , and temperature

Some freshwater fishes occur regularly in estuarine areas that experience spatial and seasonal variation in marine influence. These dynamic abiotic and biotic conditions potentially influence food consumption and growth. We found that effects of an estuarine environment on the growth of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) in Alabama's Mobile–Tensaw River Delta depended on body size, distance from the marine source, and amount of freshwater inflow. Incremental growth analyses demonstrated that young largemouth bass (<age-3) grewmore rapidly downstream in the estuarine environment declining with distance upstream; this relationship was reversed for older fish with faster growth in fresher, upstream areas. Themagnitude of freshwater inflow influenced the relationship between age-specific growth and proximity to Mobile Bay. Bioenergetics simulations suggest that interactions among size-specific metabolic cost of salinity, maximum water temperature, and spatial differences in both salinity and prey energetic content can explain these growth patterns. The cost–benefit of the estuarine environment to largemouth bass is not only dynamic seasonally, but also changes ontogenetically because of shifts in salinity tolerance and prey use. Résumé : Certains poissons dulçaquicoles sont régulièrement présents en zones estuariennes dans lesquelles l'influence de la mer varie dans l'espace et en fonction de la saison. Ces conditions abiotiques et biotiques dynamiques peuvent avoir une incidence sur la consommation d'aliments et la croissance. Nous avons constaté que les effets d'un milieu estuarien sur la croissance de l'achigan à grande bouche (Micropterus salmoides) dans le delta des rivières Mobile et Tensaw, en Alabama, dépendaient de la taille du corps, de la proximité de la source marine et de l'ampleur de l'apport en eau douce. Des analyses de la croissance différentielle ont démontré que la croissance des jeunes achigans à grande bouche (<3 ans) était plus rapide dans les zones aval dumilieu estuarien, diminuant avec la distance vers l'amont; cette relation était inversée pour les poissons plus vieux, qui présentaient une croissance plus rapide dans les zones amont caractérisées par de l'eau plus douce. L'ampleur des apports en eau douce influait sur la relation entre la croissance par âge et la proximité de la baie deMobile. Des simulations bioénergétiques suggèrent que les interactions entre le coût métabolique par taille de la salinité, la température maximum de l'eau et des différences spatiales de salinité et de contenu énergétique des proies peuvent expliquer une telle répartition des taux de croissance. Le rapport coûts–bénéfices du milieu estuarien pour l'achigan à grande bouche présente non seulement une dynamique saisonnière, mais change ontogénétiquement en raison de variations de la tolérance à la salinité et de l'utilisation des proies. [Traduit par la Rédaction]
Experimental study on premixed flame acceleration in closed pipe

An experimental study has been carried out to investigate the flame acceleration in closed pipe. A horizontal steel pipe, with 2 m long and 0.1 m diameter, giving L/D ratio of 20 was used in this project. For test with 90 degree bends, the bend has a radius of 0.1 m and added a further 1 m to the length of the pipe (based on the centerline length of the segment). Ignition was affected at one end of the vessel while the other end was closed. Natural gas/oxygen mixtures were studied with equivalence ratio, Ф ranges from 0.5 to 1.8. It was demonstrated that bending pipe gave three times higher in overpressure (5.5 bars) compared to 2.0 bars of straight pipe. It is also shown that the flame speed is 63 m s -1 , greater by factor of ~ 3 for explosion in bending pipe in comparison with straight pipe (23 m s -1 ). This is due to bending acting similar to obstacles. This mechanism could induce and create more turbulence, initiating the combustion of unburned pocket at the corner region, causing high mass burning rate and hence, increasing the flame speed.
Pliability, or the whitney extension theorem for curves in carnot groups

The Whitney extension theorem is a classical result in analysis giving a necessary and sufficient condition for a function defined on a closed set to be extendable to the whole space with a given class of regularity. It has been adapted to several settings, among which the one of Carnot groups. However, the target space has generally been assumed to be equal to R^d for some d $\ge$ 1. We focus here on the extendability problem for general ordered pairs (G\_1,G\_2) (with G\_2 non-Abelian). We analyze in particular the case G\_1 = R and characterize the groups G\_2 for which the Whitney extension property holds, in terms of a newly introduced notion that we call pliability. Pliability happens to be related to rigidity as defined by Bryant an Hsu. We exploit this relation in order to provide examples of non-pliable Carnot groups, that is, Carnot groups so that the Whitney extension property does not hold. We use geometric control theory results on the accessibility of control affine systems in order to test the pliability of a Carnot group. In particular, we recover some recent results by Le Donne, Speight and Zimmermann about Lusin approximation in Carnot groups of step 2 and Whitney extension in Heisenberg groups. We extend such results to all pliable Carnot groups, and we show that the latter may be of arbitrarily large step.
The Dynamics of Actors and Contexts in Past and Present

Disclaimer/Complaints regulations If you believe that digital publication of certain material infringes any of your rights or (privacy) interests, please let the Library know, stating your reasons. In case of a legitimate complaint, the Library will make the material inaccessible and/or remove it from the website. Please Ask the Library: https://uba.uva. nl/en/contact, or a letter to: Library of the University of Amsterdam, Secretariat, Singel 425, 1012 WP Amsterdam, The Netherlands. You will be contacted as soon as possible.
Analysis of Public Bus Transportation of a Brazilian City Based on the Theory of Complex Networks Using the P-Space

The city of Curitiba, located at Southern Brazil, is recognized by its urban planning structured on three pillars: land use, collective transportation, and traffic. With 3.8 million people in its metropolitan area, the public transport system deals with approximately 2.5 million passengers daily. The structure and properties of such a transportation system have substantial implications for the urban planning and public politics for sustainable development of Curitiba. Therefore, this paper analyzes the structure of the public transportation system of Curitiba through the theory of complex networks in a static approach of network topology and presents a comparative analysis of the results from Curitiba, three cities from China (Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou), and three cities from Poland (GOP, Warszawa, and Łodź). The transportation network was modeled as a complex network with exact geographical coordinates of its bus stops. In all bus lines, the method used was the P-Space. The results show that this bus network has characteristics of both small-world and scale-free networks.
BAYESIAN UPDATING FOR PROBABILISTIC CLASSIFICATION USING RELIABILITY METHODS

Abstract. Probabilistic classification requires the computation of the posterior probability distribution of a class given a data observation. In order to generate posterior samples, an analogy has recently been established between the Bayesian updating problem and the engineering reliability problem which allows reliability methods to be applied to the former. The modification of the BUS (Bayesian Updating with Structural Reliability Methods) formulation is based on the conventional rejection principle and suggests the application of Subset Simulation (SuS) from reliability engineering to sample from posterior distributions. Under the original BUS framework a likelihood multiplier is required to be calculated before the implementation of SuS. A recently proposed algorithm learns the likelihood multiplier automatically. This research proposes the utilization of BUS for Gaussian Process classification. The above framework is illustrated using a benchmark Machine Learning dataset from an engineering application.
Cetacean Diversity and Mixed-Species Associations off Southern Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, in the northern Indian Ocean island, has a relatively narrow continental shelf and an abundance of cetacean fauna in her waters. A few vessel surveys have produced data on cetacean occurrence off the east and west coast but no similar data exists for the south. To fill this data gap vessel-based transects were carried out in 2008/2009 off a selected segment of the south coast. A high sighting rate was recorded and nine species were documented: Balaenoptera musculus, Balaenoptera brydei, Physeter macrocephalus, Stenella longirostris, Tursiops truncates, Pseudorca crassidens, Feresa attenuata, Orcinus orca and Globicephala macrorhynchus. Significantly the first scientifically documented sighting of O. orca anywhere in Sri Lanka‟s waters was recorded. Additionally blue whale feeding aggregations including mother-calf pairs were documented off southern Sri Lanka in the Austral summer. Mixed species associations involving five species of cetaceans were also recorded. The coastal waters off southern Sri Lanka are therefore an important cetacean habitat with high diversity and mixing of coastal and usually pelagic species. The implications of the importance of the area for blue whales also warrants further study and more detailed studies are recommended to generate data that can inform future management and conservation decisions.
Special education teachers perception of their self efficacy to fulfill their new roles

The study examined the way in which novice special education teachers perceive their self efficacy to fulfill their roles as defined by the Council of Exceptional Children. Findings show that teachers have high levels of self efficacy in prevailing and standard roles, and low levels of self efficacy in newer roles that have been added to the teacher’s role in recent years, such as promoting environments in the pupil’s life. The study shows the need for reorganizing the teacher training system for special education teachers which will enable graduates to fulfill their new roles efficiently.
Do local and global macroeconomic variables help forecast volatility of Pakistani stock market

Emerging markets are characterized by higher volatility and higher associated returns as compared to developed markets. The excessive volatility in emerging markets is often considered a result of inherent instability and unpredictability of country’s political, institutional and macroeconomic environment. Increasing globalization and integration of financial markets imply that volatility of emerging markets may also be affected by global macroeconomic and business conditions. We investigate this issue for an emerging market namely Pakistan. An important objective of this research is to provide empirical evidence on whether local and global macroeconomic variables help forecast volatility of this market over and above the GARCH models which predict volatility on the basis of past shocks and past accumulated variance. Using monthly data over the post liberalization period from early 1990 to 2010 we show that global variables have higher explanatory power to affect Pakistani stock market volatility compared to the global information variables.
THE EFFECT OF ORAL HEALTH EDUCATION SEMINAR ON THE ORAL HEALTH KNOWLEDGE, PRACTICE AND PERCEPTION OF ROLE OF THE PRESCHOOL TEACHERS

Background: In Malaysia, preschool teachers have long been utilised as oral health educators. However their level of oral health knowledge and effectiveness of the training they received are seldom investigated. This study aims to evaluate the of oral health education seminar (OHE) held for public preschool teachers (KEMAS) in terms of the improvement of their knowledge, practices and attitudes Methods: This was a one arm interventional study (before and after survey following OHE seminar intervention). All KEMAS preschool teachers (n=107) in Hulu Terengganu were invited to attend OHE seminar which consisted of 1 hour lecture and 40 minutes OHE demonstration. Pre-test questionnaire was collected before the seminar started and post-test questionnaire was collected two weeks later. A self-administered questionnaire used in this study was adapted from “preschool teachers’ knowledge, practices and attitudes towards oral health”, National Oral Health Survey of Preschool Children, 2005. Data were analysed using descriptive and paired sample t-test, SPSS version 15.0. Results: Of 107 subjects, only 61 teachers responded yielding to 57% response rate. All subjects were female with mean age of 46 years (SD: 6.03). Overall, there was an improvement of teachers’ oral health knowledge, practices and attitudes after the seminar. Several items seem to have be improved significantly after the seminar, for example knowledge item on factors causing periodontal disease (p=0.03). In terms of practice, all teachers reported they brushed teeth at least twice daily using fluoridated toothpaste and use of dental floss was increased significantly after the seminar (p<0.001). Majority of teachers have positive perceptions on their roles in oral health education. Conclusion: Oral health education seminar appeared to be effective at influencing certain aspects of teachers’ oral health knowledge, practices and attitudes.
The contribution of geographic information systems in the fight against parasitic diseases: the case of Leishmaniasis

Parasitic diseases are a major public health problem because of the number of cases recorded each year, and also the wide distribution of these scourges on Moroccan territory. The objective of this study is to promote the use of health mapping by focusing on the added value of this tool in the study of the spatial and temporal distribution of the incidence of parasitic disease including leishmaniasis, and to determine the relationship between this epidemic and altitude and draw up a health risk map for this plague in the prefecture of Meknes in central Morocco. To do this we have created a database containing the geographical parameters (the communes of the city), environmental (altitude), and sanitary (level of risk of leishmaniasis) through a field study on the cases of leishmaniasis declared at the level of the municipalities of the city of Meknes and using Qgis 2.18 software which is an open source software. We subsequently exploited the database created for thematic analyzes and the creation of thematic maps with a focus on causal links connecting the geographical and environmental factors, This study shows that spatial representation and spatial analysis of impacts is an important tool in identifying risk locations. This spatial representation known as the risk map is essential in the careful identification of high-risk municipalities. Indeed, a risk map is a geographical profile of the incidence that indicates the areas where it is concentrated.
Assimilation of Standard and Targeted Observations within the Unstable Subspace of the Observation–Analysis–Forecast Cycle System

In this paper it is shown that the flow-dependent instabilities that develop within an observation‐analysis‐ forecast (OAF) cycle and that are responsible for the background error can be exploited in a very simple way to assimilate observations. The basic idea is that, in order to minimize the analysis and forecast errors, the analysis increment must be confined to the unstable subspace of the OAF cycle solution. The analysis solution here formally coincides with that of the classical three-dimensional variational solution with the background error covariance matrix estimated in the unstable subspace. The unstable directions of the OAF system solution are obtained by breeding initially random perturbations of the analysis but letting the perturbed trajectories undergo the same process as the control solution, including assimilation of all the available observations. The unstable vectors are then used both to target observations and for the assimilation design. The approach is demonstrated in an idealized environment using a simple model, simulated standard observations over land with a single adaptive observation over the ocean. In the application a simplified form is adopted of the analysis solution and a single unstable vector at each analysis time whose amplitude is determined by means of the adaptive observation. The remarkable reduction of the analysis and forecast error obtained by this simple method suggests that only a few accurately placed observations are sufficient to control the local instabilities that take place along the cycle. The stability of the system, with or without forcing by observations, is studied and the growth rate of the leading instability of the different control solutions is estimated. Whereas the model has more than one positive Lyapunov exponent, the solution of the OAF scheme that includes the adaptive observation is stable. It is suggested that a negative exponent can be considered a necessary condition for the convergence of a particular OAF solution to the truth, and that the estimate of the degree of stability of the control trajectory can be used as a simple criterion to evaluate the efficiency of data assimilation and observation strategies. The present findings are in line with previous quantative observability results with more realistic models and with recent studies that indicate a local low dimensionality of the unstable subspace.
Effect of Extended Mat Open Assembly Time on Properties of OSB Bonded With PMDI

In this study, the effect of increasing mat open assembly time on the strength properties of oriented strandboards bonded with polymeric methylene diphenol di-isocyanate (pMDI) resin was examined. Isocyanates are more sensitive to open assembly times than other resin systems such as phenol formaldehyde (PF), and the storage capacity of pMDI-blended wood furnish is believed to be no more than about 5 h. On the other hand, previous research works on bonding of wood elements with pMDI allude to the growth of an interpenetrating network (IPN) of cross-linked polyurea as being responsible for the high bonding capacity with pMDI and that this is enhanced with long pre-cure times (greater than 10-15 h). There was no evidence that this effect enhances the strength of OSB made from shortleaf pine, as boards pressed after a delay of 10 or more hours after blending were significantly lower in internal bond (IB) strength than those pressed within half an hour of blending. However, after a reduction of approximately 28% between 0 and 10 h, IB remained relatively stable with open assembly times up to 18 h, suggesting the potential for recycling such strands by partial substitution of them with freshly blended strands. The discrepancy between our findings and the pMDI bonding theory based on previous small-scale laboratory experiments was thought to have arisen from differences in resin distribution on the strands due to their different methods of application, and the cure temperature and moisture conditions in the core of boards being sub-optimal for the formation of an extensive network of fully cross-linked polyurea.
Early maternal employment and non-cognitive outcomes in early childhood and adolescence: evidence from British birth cohort data

We analyse the relationship between early maternal employment and child emotional and behavioural outcomes in early childhood and adolescence. Using rich data from a cohort of children born in the UK in the early 1990s, we find little evidence of a strong statistical relationship between early maternal employment and any of the emotional outcomes. However, there is some evidence that children whose mother is in full-time employment at the 18th month have worse behavioural outcomes at ages 4, 7, and 12.We suggest that these largely insignificant results may in part be explained by mothers who return tofull-time work earlier being able to compensate their children: we highlight the role of fathers’ time investment and alternative childcare arrangements in this respect.
The role of structural embeddedness in an IT outsourcing network

The design of governance to safeguard against a vendor’s opportunistic behaviour is one of the critical issues in information technology outsourcing (ITO) since this behaviour causes cost escalation and service debasement. The roles of structural embeddedness underlying network governance have been gaining its importance as complementary or substitutable governance in ITO. Our research attempts to reveal how structural embeddedness can affect the decisionmakings of clients and vendors and their resulting outcomes in an ITO network and how these effects are moderated by various ITO network structures according to outsourced IT services. An agent-based simulation and game-theoretic approach are adopted to build a simulation model to describe ITO networks with various structures and ITO transactions between clients and vendors. Finally, the future research directions are discussed.