Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Contrasting short-term performance of mountain birch (Betula pubescens ssp. czerepanovii) treeline along a latitudinal continentality-maritimity gradient in the southern Swedish Scandes

Positional treeline shift is a fundamental aspect and indicator of high-mountain vegetation response to climate change. This study analyses treeline performance during the period 2005/2007 -2010/2011 in the Swedish Scandes. Focus is on mountain birch (Betula pubescens ssp. czerepanovii) along a regional climatic maritimity-continentality gradient. Treeline upshift by 3.0 yr-1 in the maritime part differed significantly from retreat by 0.4 m yr-1 in the continental part of the transect. This discrepancy is discussed in terms of differential warming-induced snow cover phenology patterns and their influence on soil moisture conditions. In the continental area, earlier and more complete melting of prior relatively rare late-lying snow patches, even high above the treeline, has progressed to a state when melt water irrigation ceases. As a consequence, soil drought sets back the vigor of existing birches and precludes sexual regeneration and upslope advance of the treeline. In the maritime area, extensive and deep snow packs still exist above the treeline and constrain its position, although some release is taking place in the current warm climate. Thereby, the birch treeline expands upslope as the alpine snow patches shrink, but continue to provide sufficient melt water throughout the summer. Treeline rise appears to have been based primarily on seed regeneration over the past few decades. This is a novelty, since prior (1915-2007) treeline advance was accomplished mainly by in situ shifts in growth form of relict krummholz birches, in some cases millennial-old, prevailing above the treeline. By the snow phenology mechanism, birch can benefit from climate warming in the maritime region, which contrasts with the situation in the continental region. This discrepancy should be accounted for in projective models. In a hypothetical case of sustained warming, the subalpine birch forest belt may expand less extensively than often assumed, although advance may continue for some time in snow rich maritime areas.
Risk Perceptions, Attitudes, and Influential Factors of Rainfed Lowland Rice Farmers in Ilocos Norte, Philippines

This study analyzes the risk perceptions and risk attitudes of farmers practicing different rice-based cropping patterns in the rainfed lowland ecosystems of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. The Likert scale and Kruskal-Wallis test were employed to assess the farmersâ€™ risk perceptions while the experimental method was applied to determine the farmersâ€™ risk attitudes (i.e., risk averse, risk neutral, or risk taker). Regression analysis highlights the significant factors affecting perceptions and attitudes. Resource-endowed and resource-poor farmers generally perceived various risk sources as moderately low regardless of crops planted. However, on the average, resource-poor farmers were more likely to consider farming as not risky possibly because they had little to lose or gain compared to their resource-endowed counterparts. By source of risk, both farmer groups perceived that farming is relatively risky considering the increasing price of fertilizer and environmental factors (e.g., weather), which are beyond their control. By crop, the farmers considered rice and corn as relatively risky compared to other crops. The major crops are rice during the wet season and corn in the dry season. High fertilizer costs and erratic climatic conditions usually burden the farmers during the wet season. Similarly, corn output is badly affected by adverse weather circumstances. Farm size and wealth are the variables that affect the farmersâ€™ risk perceptions. The farmers in Ilocos Norte were found to be generally risk averse. Wealth, age, and availability of credit are important determinants of the farmersâ€™ risk attitudes, but their impacts vary across cropping patterns.
A New, Potent Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Inhibitor Improves Cardiac and Vascular Dysfunction Associated with Advanced Aging

Increased production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species has recently been implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiac and endothelial dysfunction associated with atherosclerosis, hypertension, and aging. Oxidant-induced cell injury triggers the activation of nuclear enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), which in turn contributes to cardiac and vascular dysfunction in various pathophysiological conditions including diabetes, reperfusion injury, circulatory shock, and aging. Here, we investigated the effect of a new PARP inhibitor, INO-1001, on cardiac and endothelial dysfunction associated with advanced aging using Millar's new Aria pressure-volume conductance system and isolated aortic rings. Young adult (3 months old) and aging (24 months old) Fischer rats were treated for 2 months with vehicle, or the potent PARP inhibitor INO-1001. In the vehicle-treated aging animals, there was a marked reduction of both systolic and diastolic cardiac function and loss of endothelial relaxant responsiveness of aortic rings to acetylcholine. Treatment with INO-1001 improved cardiac performance in aging animals and also acetylcholine-induced, nitric oxide-mediated vascular relaxation. Thus, pharmacological inhibition of PARP may represent a novel approach to improve cardiac and vascular dysfunction associated with aging.
Patterns of recruitment and young culm morphology in Arundinaria gigantea ([Walt.] Muhl.) canebrakes in western North Carolina

River cane is one of three bamboos native to the United States. This species was once ubiquitous across the southeastern US but has now been reduced to less than two percent of its original coverage. This study is among research efforts to improve our knowledge to help restore a native species, protect riparian habitats, and improve materials needed for traditional Cherokee artisan crafts. The purpose of the project was to describe recruitment patterns within canebrakes, and to determine if these patterns were related to subsequent recruited culm morphology. Four canebrakes in western North Carolina were intensively sampled by establishing 1 m2 plots every 3 m2 across the entirety of each canebrake. All culms were counted within each plot and were categorized as young (recruited within 3 years) or old. Culm diameter, branch free height, and total height were measured for all young culms. Results showed young culms with larger diameters had greater branch free height and were taller, particularly after the first 3 m into a canebrake. This may be due to larger new rhizomes branching from older rhizomes, with the new rhizomes supporting new larger culms that can compete with pre7 existing culms for light. However, culm diameter, branch free height, and total height measures decreased in size in areas where there were greater than eight young culms/m2, likely due to resource allocation trade-offs where greater recruitment occurred at the expense of culm size. The density of old and young culms had a patchy distribution within the canebrakes. This variation could be explained by clonal integration, which allows river cane culms in areas of high resources to continue to spread and support culms in resource poor areas. My results suggest creating thinned “gaps” in the interior of existing canebrakes could lead to production of larger sized culms if competition for resources is reduced and the older rhizomes support larger new rhizomes and greater competitive regeneration. Additionally, if canebrakes are allowed to expand in area so that greater interior area is created, overtime larger culms should be produced due to continual competition within the canebrake.
Establishment and management practices of two new warm-season turfgrasses in the southern transition zone

In order to meet water restrictions, turf managers in coastal areas are irrigating turfgrass with increasingly poor quality water and at lower volumes. Seashore paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum Swartz.) may offer a solution for many since it is known to tolerate poor quality water including irrigating with sea water. However, information on using Seashore paspalum as a putting green in inland areas is lacking. The objective of the study was to examine the establishment efficiency of a „SeaDwarf‟ Seashore paspalum putting green with two sprigging rates, three nitrogen (N) sources, and two N rates in the inland transition zone. The study was conducted in a split block design with three replications at Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina in 2007 and 2008. „SeaDwarf‟ was sprigged either at 91 or 182 m 3 ha -1 on May 17, 2007 and May 12, 2008. Urea, ammonium nitrate, or ammonium sulfate was applied at 22 or 44 kg N ha -1 week -1 . These soluble N sources were dissolved in water to apply as a liquid for 10 weeks with a CO2 backpack sprayer followed by a light irrigation (10 to 15 mm water) to reduce potential of foliar burns. Potassium and phosphorus were applied as 19-19-19 at 49 kg N ha -1 yr -1 prior to sprigging and additional applications of P and K as liquid forms at 24.5 kg P ha -1 yr -1 and 49 kg K ha -1 yr -1 , respectively in week 6 after sprigging. The initial mowing height was 32 mm in late July and gradually lowered to 25 mm in early August with a daily mowing frequency. Weekly measurements included percent coverage and
On random almost periodic series and random ergodic theory

In this paper we obtain different types of random ergodic theorems for dynamical systems or continuous semi-flows. These results recover and extend previous works on dynamical systems and are completely new in the case of semi-flows. The proofs are based on uniform estimates on random almost periodic polynomials that we obtained very recently and on an improvement of a tool introduced by Talagrand in 1995 and further developed by Fernique in 1996. In the course of this, we partially recover results of Marcus and Pisier from the 1980s on almost sure uniform convergence of random almost periodic series.
The Death of the Overreaction Anomaly? A Multifactor Explanation of Contrarian Returns

Are the returns accruing to De Bondt and Thaler’s (1985) (DT) much celebrated overreaction anomaly pervasive? Using the CRSP data set used by for the period 1926 through 1982, and, for the first time, an additional two decades of data (1983 through 2003), we provide preliminary support for the original work of DT, reporting that the overreaction anomaly has not only persisted over the past twenty years but has increased, on a risk-unadjusted basis. However, using the three factor model of Fama and French (1993) (FF), we find no statistically significant alpha can be garnered via the overreaction anomaly, with contrarian returns driven by the factors of size and value, not the behavioral biases of investors. It is our conjecture that the anomaly is not robust under the FF framework, with ‘contrarian’ investors following such a scheme simply compensated for the inherent portfolio risk held.
Appropriate treatment modality for solitary small hepatocellular carcinoma: Radiofrequency ablation vs. resection vs. transplantation?

There has been controversy regarding the first-line treatment modality for the patients who have small solitary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); radiofrequency ablation (RFA) or percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI), surgical hepatic resection (HR) and liver transplantation (LT). For selection of treatment modality of HCC, it should be considered of hepatic reservoir function as well as the tumor stage. If the liver function is good enough, HR may be the first choice regardless of the tumor size. However, recent studies comparing RFA with resection showed comparable outcome and similar survival rates. RFA, HR and LT provide good outcome for patients who have small HCCs. RFA would be desired in patients who have below 3.0 cm in size and low alpha-fetoprotein (<200 ng/mL). However, in small HCC with high tumor marker, HR should be considered. Better patient selection for the ‘resection first’ approach and early detection of recurrence can achieve better outcomes of the salvage LT strategy. Another benefit of resection first strategy is that it make possible to do enlist of LT for patients before recurrence at high risk of HCC recurrence after resection on the basis of pathologic aggressiveness, microvascular invasion and/or satellites nodule. They should be applied appropriately according to the tumor size, location, tumor markers and underlying liver parenchymal disease.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Santa Barbara Incubation of Craving: An Analysis of Short-Access Self-Administration Models Without Food Pre-Training A thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Master of Science in Psychological and Brain Sciences by

I anticipate earning academic credit for this project as follows (10 units maximum): Course number Fall Units Winter Units Spring Units ========================== Please attach a one page description detailing your thesis project. ========================== SIGNATURES: I have read the Honors Thesis Policy document (see reverse) and acknowledge that this thesis topic should include extensive physics content. I have assisted in defining and outlining the thesis topic. If approved, I agree to supervise the work, and submit a grade for this thesis.
Characterization of the pilF—pilD pilus‐assembly locus of Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Expression of Type IV pili by the bacterial pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae appears to be essential for colonization of the human host. Several N. gonorrhoeae gene products have been recently identified which bear homology to proteins involved in pilus assembly and protein export in other bacterial systems. We report here the isolation and characterization of transposon insertion mutants in N. gonorrhoeae whose phenotypes indicate that the N. gonorrhoeae pilF and pilD gene products are required for gonoccocal pilus biogenesis. Mutants lacking the pilD gene product, a pre‐pilin peptidase, were unable to process the pre‐pilin subunit into pilin and thus were non‐piliated. pilF mutants processed pilin but did not assemble the mature subunit. Both classes of mutants released S‐pilin, a soluble, truncated form of the pilin subunit previously correlated with defects in pilus assembly. In addition, mutants containing transposon insertions in pilD or in a downstream gene, orfX, exhibited a severely restricted growth phenotype. Deletion analysis of pilD indicated that the poor growth phenotype observed for the pilD transposon mutants was a result of polar effects of the insertions on orfX expression. orfX encodes a predicted polypeptide of 23 kDa which contains a consensus nucleotide‐binding domain and has apparent homologues in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas putida, Thermus thermophilus, and the eukaryote Caenorhabditis elegans. Although expression of orfX and pilD appears to be transcriptionally coupled, mutants containing transposon insertions in orfX expressed pili. Unlike either pilF or pilD mutants, orfX mutants were also competent for DNA transformation.
A Field Study of RFID Deployment and Return Expectations

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology promises to transform supply chain management. Building on previous research in information systems and supply chain management, this paper proposes a theoretical framework for RFID adoption and benefits, and tests the framework using data on u. s. firms. Our analysis suggests that there is a positive association between information technology (IT) application deployment and RFID adoption. We find that RFID implementation spending and partner mandate are associated with an expectation of early return on RFID investment, and a perceived lack of industry‐wide standards is associated with an expectation of delayed return on RFID investment. These results suggest that firms with broad IT application deployment and a critical mass of RFID implementation spending are more likely to report early returns from RFID deployments. This paper extends previous research to understand the relationship between organization characteristics and adoption and expected benefits of the emerging RFID technology.
CORN ( Zea mays L.) YIELD RESPONSE TO DEFOLIATION AT DIFFERENT ROW WIDTHS

OF THESIS CORN (Zea Mays L.) YIELD RESPONSE TO DEFOLIATION AT DIFFERENT ROW WIDTHS Corn (Zea mays L.) defoliation experiments have been conducted for more than 120 years. However, there is limited data on the effect of row width on defoliation in modern hybrids. A two-year experiment was conducted in Lexington, Kentucky with two hybrids (113 relative maturity (RM) and 120 RM), two row widths (38 and 76 cm) and a combination of defoliation timings and severities: 0% defoliation (control), V7-100%, V14-50%, V14-100%, R2-50% and R2-100%. No yield difference among hybrids was observed in 2012. Yields were 26% greater in 38-cm rows than 76-cm rows in 2012. For 2013, corn yield for 38-cm was 10% greater, but hybrid, row width and defoliation interacted. Lowest yields were caused by V14-100% followed by R2-100%. Defoliations of V14-50% and R2-50% reduced yields in some cases. Complete defoliations at V7 did not reduce yields in most comparisons. Light interception below 80% during the critical period was enough to attain maximum yields in defoliated plants. Kernel number and kernel weight were most reduced by V14-100% and R2-100% defoliations, respectively. There is a potential for narrow rows to reduce grain yield losses after a defoliation event, when compared with wide rows.
The Spatial Evolution of Queues During the Morning Commute in a Single Corridor

This paper presents a qualitative description of the evolution of traffic congestion during the morning rush hour in a long freeway leading to a single destination. Traffic is generated at the freeway's many on-ramps during a short period of time and then is assumed to subside. Capacity limitations create queues on the ramps and the freeway, which is assumed to evolve according with the hydrodynamic theory of traffic flow. A special case that can be described with just a few parameters is analyzed in detail.
Associations between malaria and MHC genes in a migratory songbird

Malaria parasites are a widespread and species-rich group infecting many wild populations of mammals, birds and reptiles. Studies on humans have demonstrated that genetic factors play a key role in the susceptibility and outcome of malaria infections. Until the present study, it has not been examined whether genetic variation in hosts is important for the outcome of malaria infections in natural avian populations. We investigated associations between major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes and prevalence of three different avian malaria parasites (Haemoproteus payevskyi (GRW1), Plasmodium sp. (GRW2) and Plasmodium sp. (GRW4)) in a long-term study of great reed warblers Acrocephalus arundinaceus. We hypothesized that the MHC genes could either give full protection against a malaria infection, or confer protection against lethal malaria and direct the infection towards being milder. We found a positive association between numbers of MHC class I alleles (a measure of level of heterozygosity) and prevalence of the GRW2 parasite, suggesting the latter scenario. There was also a positive association between a specific MHC allele (B4b), previously shown to be under frequency-dependent selection in the study population, and prevalence of GRW2. These associations suggest that individuals carrying either a large number of MHC alleles or a specific MHC allele are protected against lethal malaria infections.
The Bootstrap of Mean for Dependent Heterogeneous Arrays

Presently, conditions ensuring the validity of bootstrap methods for the sample mean of (possibly heterogeneous) near epoch dependent (NED) functions of mixing processes are unknown. Here we establish the validity of the bootstrap in this context, extending the applicability of bootstrap methods to a class of processes broadly relevant for applications in economics and finance. Our results apply to two block bootstrap methods: the moving blocks bootstrap of Kunsch ( 989) and Liu and Singh ( 992), and the stationary bootstrap of Politis and Romano ( 994). In particular, the consistency of the bootstrap variance estimator for the sample mean is shown to be robust against heteroskedasticity and dependence of unknown form. The first order asymptotic validity of the bootstrap approximation to the actual distribution of the sample mean is also established in this heterogeneous NED context.
Large-Scale and High-Quality Multi-View Stereo

Acquisition of 3D model of real objects and scenes is indispensable and useful in many practical applications, such as digital archives, game and entertainment industries, engineering, advertisement. There are 2 main methods for 3D acquisition : laser-based reconstruction (active method) and image-based reconstruction from multiple images of the scene in different points of view (passive method). While laser-based reconstruction achieves high accuracy, it is complex, expensive and difficult to set up for large-scale outdoor reconstruction. Image-based, or multi-view stereo methods are more versatile, easier, faster and cheaper. By the time we begin this thesis, most multi-view methods could handle only low resolution images under controlled environment. This thesis targets multi-view stereo both both in large scale and high accuracy issues. We significantly improve some previous methods and combine them into a remarkably effective multi-view pipeline with GPU acceleration. From high-resolution images, we produce highly complete and accurate meshes that achieve best scores in many international recognized benchmarks. Aiming even larger scale, on one hand, we develop Divide and Conquer approaches in order to reconstruct many small parts of a big scene. On the other hand, to combine separate partial results, we create a new merging method, which can merge automatically and quickly hundreds of meshes. With all these components, we are successful to reconstruct highly accurate water-tight meshes for cities and historical monuments from large collections of high-resolution images (around 1600 images of 5 M Pixel images)
Structural basis of host recognition and biofilm formation by Salmonella Saf pili

Pili are critical in host recognition, colonization and biofilm formation during bacterial infection. Here, we report the crystal structures of SafD-dsc and SafD-SafA-SafA (SafDAA-dsc) in Saf pili. Cell adherence assays show that SafD and SafA are both required for host recognition, suggesting a poly-adhesive mechanism for Saf pili. Moreover, the SafDAA-dsc structure, as well as SAXS characterization, reveals an unexpected inter-molecular oligomerization, prompting the investigation of Saf-driven self-association in biofilm formation. The bead/cell aggregation and biofilm formation assays are used to demonstrate the novel function of Saf pili. Structure-based mutants targeting the inter-molecular hydrogen bonds and complementary architecture/surfaces in SafDAA-dsc dimers significantly impaired the Saf self-association activity and biofilm formation. In summary, our results identify two novel functions of Saf pili: the poly-adhesive and self-associating activities. More importantly, Saf-Saf structures and functional characterizations help to define a pili-mediated inter-cellular oligomerizaiton mechanism for bacterial aggregation, colonization and ultimate biofilm formation.