Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EVALUATION OF LIVING AND SYNTHETIC MULCHES IN ZUCCHINI FOR CONTROL OF HOMOPTERAN PESTS

of Thesis Presented to the Graduate School of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science EVALUATION OF LIVING AND SYNTHETIC MULCHES IN ZUCCHINI FOR CONTROL OF HOMOPTERAN PESTS By Daniel L. Frank December 2004 Chair: Oscar Liburd Major Department: Entomology and Nematology Living and synthetic mulches were evaluated for control of the silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia argentifolii Bellows and Perring) and aphids in zucchini. Two living mulches, buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) and white clover (Trifolium repens L.); and two synthetic mulches (reflective and white) were evaluated during fall 2002 and fall 2003. Results from trap and foliar counts showed that reflective and buckwheat mulches consistently had fewer incidences of adult whiteflies and aphids compared with the other mulch treatments evaluated, including bare ground (control). In 2003, a significant increase in the diversity of natural enemies was seen throughout all treatments. Living mulch treatments had higher natural-enemy populations than did the synthetic mulch and bare-ground treatments. Diversity of natural enemies did not differ in synthetic mulch vs. bare-ground treatments. The effectiveness of mulches for controlling immature whitefly numbers, and the incidence of squash silverleaf disorder were inconsistent between years. Although
Quantification of bare soil and its spatio-temporal dynamic using different image classification methods

Soil is essential for the development of a wide range of vital functions. Its availability and productivity in the long-term is sometimes seriously threatened by human activities. In a general term, soil degradation is defined as the deterioration of the soil function, causing a reduction of its biological potential and productivity that include multiple processes affecting their physical, chemical and biological properties (Imeson, 1998). In rangelands, physical, and also biological degradation, are mainly related to mismanagement. As an example, excessive trampling by livestock usually produces an increase in the bulk density of the soil and a decrease in porosity, significantly reducing the water holding capacity and infiltration rate, finally affecting the pasture productivity, degree of soil cover and soil vulnerability. (Gamougoun et al., 1984; Mulholland and Fullen, 1991). In this respect, the degree of ground cover is known to be one of the key elements in reflecting the soil condition and protecting soil from degradation. The amount and type of vegetation cover strongly depends on climate, topographic factors, lithology and human factors such as the history of land use. The reduction of vegetative biomass and degree of soil cover in rangelands due to grazing causes a decrease in the interception of rainfall, an increase in the percentage of bare soil and, consequently, less
Magnetism, chemical spots, and stratification in the HgMn star ϕ Phoenicis

Mercury-manganese (HgMn) stars belong to the class of chemically peculiar (CP) stars. It was recently discovered that some HgMn stars have spots of chemical elements on their surfaces. According to conventional picture of CP stars, magnetic field facilitates the formation and long term stability of chemical spots by controlling stratification of elements in stellar atmosphere. However, previous attempts to find magnetic field in HgMn stars set an upper limit on its strength at the level of about 20-100 Gauss. Observational evidence suggested that even weaker magnetic fields can be responsible for the formation of chemical spots. The main goal of our work was to verify this possibility.The search for weak magnetic fields requires the use of least-squares deconvolution (LSD) technique. This method combines information from many spectral lines providing a mean line profile with increased signal-to-noise ratio. Up to now there was no extensive comparison of the LSD profile with real spectral lines. We showed that the LSD profile of the intensity spectrum does not behave like a real spectral line as a function of chemical composition. However, for circular polarization, LSD profile resembles the profile of a spectral line with mean atomic parameters.We performed a comprehensive search for magnetic field in 47 HgMn stars and their companions, based on high-quality spectropolarimetric data obtained with the HARPSpol polarimeter at the ESO 3.6-m telescope. With the help of LSD technique, an upper limit on the mean longitudinal magnetic field was brought down to 2-10 G for most stars. We concluded that magnetic field is not responsible for the spot formation in HgMn stars.We obtained full rotational phase coverage for the HgMn stars φ Phe and 66 Eri. This enabled us to investigate line profile variability, reconstruct surface maps of chemical elements, and perform a search for magnetic field with very high sensitivity. For φ Phe we derived surface maps of Y, Sr, Ti, Cr, and obtained an upper limit of 4 G on the field strength. We also found marginal indication of vertical stratification of Y and Ti. No magnetic field was detected in both components of 66 Eri, with an upper limit of 10-24 G. We discovered chemical spots of Y, Sr, Ba, and Ti, in the primary star. We demonstrated a relation between the binary orbit and the morphology of these spots.
THE EFFECTS OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE HEALTH CARE EXPENDITURE ON HEALTH STATUS IN IRAN

Introduction: Health care expenditure has been low over the years in developing regions of the world. World statistics show that high-income countries spend more money on health spending and they have better health indicators. The objectives of this study are to determine the effect of health care expenditure on population health status in Iran and to examine the effect by public and private expenditure sources. Materials & methods: The study used time series data for the period from 1995 to 2012. The life expectancy at birth, infant mortality rate and mortality rate are used as indicators of health status. Findings: The results indicate that total health expenditures has a positive effect on life expectancy at birth and crude mortality rate but it has a negative effect on infant mortality rate. Both public and private health care spending showed significant association with some health status even though public health care spending had relatively higher impact. Discussion & Conclusion: The findings imply that health care expenditure remains a crucial component of health status improvement in Iran. Increasing health care expenditure will be a significant step in achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Further, policy makers need to establish effective public-private partnership in allocating health care expenditures.
Content creation on the Internet: a social cognitive perspective on the participation divide

Sociodemographic variables are held to impact Internet users’ willingness and ability to productively use online media. This effect can create a ‘participation divide’ between distinct user groups. Recently, studies have enhanced our understanding of the participation divide by differentiating types of online content creation. They found that sociodemographics may only affect specific forms of online participation. We suggest that social cognitive theory (SCT) helps explain why and how sociodemographic variables influence different forms of online participation. Based on SCT, we analyze the mediating effect of two cognitive constructs, self-efficacy and privacy concerns, on different types of online content creation. We conduct a survey among German Internet users and apply structural equation modeling to compare three distinct theoretical models. We find that considering the mediating effects of cognitive constructs, based on SCT, improves our understanding of which sociodemographic variables affect which type of online content creation – and why.
- Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio Is Associated With the Severity of Coronary Artery Disease in Patients

We assessed the relationship between the severity of coronary artery disease assessed by SYNTAX score (SS) and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (N:L ratio) in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). In total, 840 patients with STEMI in whom primary percutaneous coronary intervention was performed were prospectively included (622 male, 218 female; mean age 58.6 + 12.4 years). Total and differential leukocyte counts and other biochemical markers were measured at admission. Patients were categorized into tertiles on the basis of SS. The N:L ratio of SShigh group was higher compared with SSlow and SSmid groups (P < .001 for all). Multivariate regression analysis showed that N:L ratio (b 1⁄4 .277, P < .001), ejection fraction (b 1⁄4 .086, P 1⁄4 .012), age (b 1⁄4 .104, P 1⁄4 .004), and diabetes (b 1⁄4 .152, P < .001) were the independent predictors for SS in patients with STEMI.
Evaluation of likelihood based tests for non-nested dichotomus choice contingent valuation models

Distributional assumptions are crucial in the estimation of the value of public projects assessed by means of contingent valuations analyses, and it would seem obvious that tests for model specification should play an important part in the statistical analysis. It can be observed, though, that when the competing hypotheses are non nested, the choice of the model is often based on heuristic grounds, or, at most, on deterministic selection model criteria such as Akaike s (1973). In this paper we study two alternative, probabilistic, approaches to checking model specification, that, like Akaike s, are based on the Kullback-Leibler Information Criterion (KLIC) - the model selection testing proposed by Vuong (1989) and the non nested model test proposed by Cox, in the simulated approach of Pesaran and Pesaran (1993). The three approaches are confronted by comparing their performance in selecting among different contingent valuation models applied to simulated data. Our preliminary results seem to warrant the use of Vuong s test, complemented in same cases by the application of the Cox test.
Estimated potential for energy savings in heating residential buildings in Poland

In the face of a constant increase in demand for energy, one of the important sources will be its saving and efficient use. The search for the greatest opportunities in this area should focus on the areas where the highest energy consumption occurs. The dominant role here is played by the communal and living sector, to the extent that it is the sub-sector of buildings with a majority share of residential buildings. The article presents the expected energy effects of measures reducing energy consumption for heating residential buildings in the whole country. The author used statistical data of the Central Statistical Office available in the database of this institution. These data were identified and searched for as suitable for the purposes of this article and were used as a basis for calculations and analyses. The calculations show that only thanks to simple actions such as improvement of thermal insulation of envelope components it is possible to reduce energy consumption for heating of residential buildings by over 70% in relation to the situation in 2011. The potential energy effect will also translate into an economic and environmental effect. Qualitative measures such as improving the performance of the heating and ventilation system of a building and/or changing the energy carrier will also reduce energy consumption for this purpose, but they are not the subject of this study.
Formation and maintenance of discrete wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) population systems in arid Australia: Habitat heterogeneity and management implications

The wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus L.) is a significant pest in arid and semi-arid Australia, where erratic rainfall and irregular pasture growth cause population sizes to oscillate, increasing virtually without limit and then crashing during drought conditions. Vacant habitat patches can be rapidly recolonized from nearby patches in high rainfall years. Using two adjoining rabbit population systems in arid and semi-arid south-west Queensland, this study evaluates patterns of population differentiation and proposes a mechanism that may lead to the formation of multiple rabbit population systems in the same locality. Using the combined haplotype frequency data from both a local and regional study, estimates of genetic exchange among local populations are considered in conjunction with ecological data to evaluate the significance of habitat attributes (and their spatial distribution) on the local distribution of rabbit populations, both within and between two adjacent population systems. A tentative model is proposed to explain the observed differences in population structure between the two adjoining systems. Under this model, population structure at specific locations is determined primarily by the availability of areas suitable for prolonged colonization and the quality of the intervening habitat that dictates the degree of isolation between locations and therefore the probability of recolonization following local extinctions. It is also suggested that the current rabbit distribution may be a function of the flexibility of behavioural responses in rabbits to the level of spatial heterogeneity of favourable habitats within the two regions.
and Achim Lilienthal Representations Fast and Accurate Scan Registration through Minimization of the Distance between Compact 3 D NDT-Nov

Registration of range sensor measurements is an important task in mobile robotics and has received a lot of attention. Several iterative optimization schemes have been proposed in order to align three-dimensional (3D) point scans. With the more widespread use of high-frame-rate 3D sensors and increasingly more challenging application scenarios for mobile robots, there is a need for fast and accurate registration methods that current state-of-the-art algorithms cannot always meet. This work proposes a novel algorithm that achieves accurate point cloud registration an order of a magnitude faster than the current state of the art. The speedup is achieved through the use of a compact spatial representation: the Three-Dimensional Normal Distributions Transform (3D-NDT). In addition, a fast, global-descriptor based on the 3D-NDT is defined and used to achieve reliable initial poses for the iterative algorithm. Finally, a closed-form expression for the covariance of the proposed method is also derived. The proposed algorithms are evaluated on two standard point cloud data sets, resulting in stable performance on a par with or better than the state of the art. The implementation is available as an open-source package for the Robot Operating System (ROS).
UNIVERSAL SURVIVAL CURVE AND SINGLE FRACTION EQUIVALENT DOSE: USEFUL TOOLS IN UNDERSTANDING POTENCY OF ABLATIVE RADIOTHERAPY: IN REGARD TO PARKS ET AL. (INT

To the Editor: I would like to thank Drs. Park, Papiez, and Timmerman for pointing out an erroneous statement in my letter (1). It is clearly correct that their model is differentiable at least once by requiring that the left-sided derivative is equal to the right-sided derivative at the fit point, ensuring a smooth transition without a kink. What should have been said in my letter is that fitting two dissimilar functions together at a point leads only to a continuous but not necessarily smooth curve (i.e., a curve without a kink at the fit point) unless smoothness is enforced by adding the necessary condition that the leftsided derivative is equal to the right-sided derivative. Therefore, Drs. Park, Papiez, and Timmerman are entirely correct when referring to this necessary condition as the ‘‘most critical feature’’ of their model. However, this feature is not a consequence of their model but rather a necessary condition that has to be added by hand to ensure that the experimental data are described by a smooth curve. I therefore completely agree with them that one should not to ascribe too much meaning to models; after all, they are just a limited attempt to describe experimental observations. However, having to enforce smoothness at a fit point is a rather artificial requirement for a model, because nature in general does not enforce smoothness. The prime example in this regard is Brownian motion, whose path is continuous but nowhere differentiable. As for the point of marginal misses that has been raised by Drs. Park, Papiez, and Timmerman, I have to say that I did not talk about marginal misses at all but rather about inadequate dosimetric coverage of microscopic disease extensions as a possible mode of treatment failure. Their argument regarding central recurrences being due to radiation-resistant tumor cell subpopulations within the gross tumor volume (GTV) is a feasible one. They can not, however, definitely exclude the possibility that tumor recurrence could also have resulted from inadequate dosimetric coverage of microscopic disease extensions that have moved along with normal tissue into the volume vacated by the initial GTV that has been successfully ablated by stereotactic body radiotherapy. I would like to refer the reader to the study by Arvidson et al. (2) for a detailed discussion of the point that the planning technique used might necessitate the use of very high doses per fraction to ‘‘throw’’ the dose far enough out to achieve control of microscopic extensions, to avoid treatment failures.
ACCELERATING EAS WITH GAUSSIAN PROCESS FITNESS FUNCTION MODELS 185 Radial Basis Functions Networks : The output of a Radial Basis Function Network

We present an overview of evolutionary algorithms that use empirical models of the fitness function to accelerate convergence, distinguishing between evolution control and the surrogate approach. We describe the Gaussian process model and propose using it as an inexpensive fitness function surrogate. Implementation issues such as efficient and numerically stable computation, exploration versus exploitation, local modeling, multiple objectives and constraints, and failed evaluations are addressed. Our resulting Gaussian process optimization procedure clearly outperforms other evolutionary strategies on standard test functions as well as on a real-world problem: the optimization of stationary gas turbine compressor profiles.
SIMULATION OF TWO PHASE OIL-GAS FLOW IN PIPELINE

T-junction, or commonly known as stand pipe appendage, is used by oil/gas industries to tap gas from existing production header for the purpose of downstream pipeline instrumentation. The appendage is either pre-design or retrofitted with minimum internals for maximum reliability for remote deployment. The motivation for this research originated from the lack of stand-pipe design method to correctly account for the splitting/separation nature of multiphase fluid within the pipeline straight from the production header. Consequently, a certain amount of liquid migrates together with the gas, resulting in the so-called carryover issue. This situation is further aggravated by the different flow regimes in the header pipeline which is not taken into account by the design practice. The negative consequences of this carryover on the operation of downstream unit have often led to frequent trip and maintenance issues. This paper presents the preliminary research in the finding of the two phase oil/gas separation in T-junction. The computed solutions are compared with experimental data and a good agreement is achieved.
On Some Problems of James

We consider the class of meromorphic univalent functions having a simple pole at p ∈ (0, 1) and that map the unit disc onto the exterior of a domain which is starlike with respect to a point w0 6= 0, ∞. We denote this class of functions by Σ ∗(p, w0). In this paper, we find the exact region of variability for the second Taylor coefficient for functions in Σ∗(p, w0). In view of this result we rectify some results of James Miller.
Investigating the potential of a test of non-word discrimination as a screening tool for persisting speech sound difficulties

1 Terminology & Abbreviations . 2 Introduction . 3 Prevalence and consequences of Speech Sound Disorders . 3 Classification of Speech Sound Disorders . 4 Nature of Deficits in Children with SSDs . 5 Speech perception . 7 Phonological representations . 8 Identifying phonological processing deficits: Non-word repetition, non-word discrimination and real word discrimination . 9 Non-word repetition – speech output task . 9 Non-word Discrimination – speech input task . 11 Real word discrimination – speech input task . 11 Benefits of early identification and efficacy of interventions: . 13 Motivation for this study . 14 Research Aims . 14 Methodology . 16 Ethical Approval and Consent . 16 Experimental Design . 16 Participants . 16 Assessments administered . 17 Assessments administered at initial assessment: . 17 Assessments administered at Time 2 . 20 Procedure . 20 Reliability . 21 Scoring of NWD and RWD tasks . 21 Analysis . 22 Results. 23 Overview of results . 23 Statistical analysis of data . 25 Discussion . 27 Main Findings. 27 Clinical Implications . 28 Limitations: . 29 Conclusions: . 29 References . 30 Appendix A -Test of Auditory (NWD) Discrimination . 37 Appendix BTest of Real word Discrimination. 39
SIMULATION STUDY OF LIGHTNING FAULT WAVEFORMS INFLUENCED BY THE ARC QUENCHING PROPERTIES OF WOODEN DISTRIBUTION LINE POLES

With an ever increasing emphasis on reliability of supply, improvement in the lightning performance of distribution lines is required. The arc quenching properties of wooden distribution line poles during lightning strikes are an important factor in the reduction of switchgear operation, hence outages. Measurements were conducted on a 22 kV distribution line and it was suspected, in some cases, that direct lightning strikes to the line did not cause switchgear operation. Distribution lines predominantly use wooden poles with a specific configuration which incorporates a ‘wooden’ spark gap. This paper provides background to the basic configuration of a typical distribution line and the processes which govern the electric arc. A simulation using a dynamic arc model shows that field measured lightning overvoltages on a distribution line are reproducible through system modelling. The simplistic dynamic arc model developed is sufficiently accurate to describe a set of arcs in a larger system such as a distribution line.
ANISOTROPY OF THIRD-ORDER STRUCTURE FUNCTIONS IN MHD TURBULENCE

The measure of the third-order structure function, Y ? > , is employed in the solar wind to compute the cascade rate of turbulence. In the absence of a mean field B 0 = 0 ? > , Y ? > is expected to be isotropic (radial) and independent of the direction of increments, so its measure yields directly the cascade rate. For turbulence with mean field, as in the solar wind, Y ? > is expected to become more two-dimensional (2D), that is, to have larger perpendicular components, losing the above simple symmetry. To get the cascade rate, one should compute the flux of Y ? > , which is not feasible with single-spacecraft data; thus, measurements rely on assumptions about the unknown symmetry. We use direct numerical simulations (DNSs) of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence to characterize the anisotropy of Y ? > . We find that for strong guide field B 0 = 5 ? > the degree of two-dimensionalization depends on the relative importance of shear-Alfvén and pseudo-Alfvén polarizations (the two components of an Alfvén mode in incompressible MHD). The anisotropy also shows up in the inertial range. The more Y ? > is 2D, the more the inertial range extent differs along parallel and perpendicular directions. We finally test the two methods employed in observations and find that the so-obtained cascade rate may depend on the angle between B0 and the direction of increments. Both methods yield a vanishing cascade rate along the parallel direction, contrary to observations, suggesting a weaker anisotropy of solar wind turbulence compared to our DNSs. This could be due to a weaker mean field and/or to solar wind expansion.