Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High selfing capability and low pollinator visitation in the hummingbird-pollinated epiphyte Pitcairnia heterophylla (Bromeliaceae) at a Costa Rican mountain forest

Pitcairnioideae is the second most diverse subfamily of bromeliads (Bromeliaceae), a group exclusive to tropical regions of the New World. Pitcairnioid bromeliads have floral traits assumed to promote outcrossing through biotic pollination systems; however, the reproductive biology of most of the species of this group has not been documented. Pitcairnia heterophylla is an epiphytic (seldom saxicolous) bromeliad occurring from Southern Mexico, into the Northern Andes. We studied the pollination and breeding system of P. heterophylla in an epiphytic population at a mountain forest in Costa Rica from January to April 2013. We performed hand pollination experiments (agamospermy, autonomous self-pollination, hand self-pollination and hand cross-pollination) on 89 flowers from 23 individuals (3-6 flowers per individual) in 2013 flowering season. Nectar production was measured on 18 unvisited flowers of six individuals with a hand-held refractometer. Simultaneously, floral visitors were recorded on eight individuals with trail cameras for a total of 918 hours (115 ± 52 hours per individual, mean ± SE). Under natural conditions, seed set (540.4 ± 55.2) was similar to manually selfed flowers (516.3 ± 41.5) and autonomously selfed flowers (521.1 ± 29.0), but lower to manually outcrossed flowers (670.2 ± 31.3). The flowers of P. heterophylla are self-compatible, capable of autonomous pollination, and non-agamospermous. Intrafloral self-pollination is facilitated by adichogamy and lack of floral herkogamy. The scentless red flowers of P. heterophylla with tubular corollas and nectar production suggested ornithophilic pollination which was confirmed by video recording of 46 hummingbird visits. The most common floral visitor was the short-billed hummingbird Lampornis calolaemus which accounted for 78 % of the visits. However, the visitation rate during the flowering season was low (0.6 visits per day per plant). Selfing in P. heterophylla might be explained as a mechanism of reproductive assurance and to reduce interspecific pollen flow with taxonomically unrelated plants.
Modeling Income Distribution of Households in Mwea: A Hierarchical linear Model approach

Mwea Irrigation Scheme having been formed as early as 1956, the project studies the current distribution of Gross family income in the sections of Mwea Irrigation Scheme accounting for individual’s characteristics of the persons. Different kinds of HLM models were used to get a deeper understanding of the variations in Gross family income both within and across the sections that constitute Mwea Irrigation Scheme. The significant findings of the project were that; there was non-significant difference in Gross family income between the individuals within and across the sections with respect to the effects of the measured individual’s characteristics under study. The study found a significant difference in Gross family income distribution across the sections. Subject to our discussion, the research findings suggests that there are other factors other than the ones analyzed in this study that result into sectional differences in Gross family income and hence a need to perform further research.
Turbidity Reduces Predation on Migrating Juvenile Pacific Salmon

Abstract We field tested the hypothesis that predation by piscivorous fish is reduced in turbid compared with clear water. The Harrison River (⩽1 nephelometric turbidity units, NTU) is a clear tributary of the naturally turbid Fraser River (27–108 NTU), in British Columbia, Canada. Age-0 juveniles of Harrison River stocks of Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. migrating seaward in spring obligately pass through turbid and clear reaches of these rivers. To test the hypothesis, we compared predation on salmonids by potential predators caught by beach seine and by the rate of predator attack on tethered juvenile chinook salmon O. tshawytscha in these two rivers. Of 491 predators examined, 30% of Harrison River piscivores had recently consumed fish compared with only 10% of Fraser River piscivores. Of those that ate fish, fish prey per predator was significantly lower in the Fraser River (mean = 1.1, N = 21) than in the Harrison River (mean = 1.7, N = 66). In a clear-water side channel of the Fraser River—Nicome.
The gravitational-wave recoil from the ringdown phase of coalescing black hole binaries

The gravitational recoil or ‘kick’ of a black hole formed from the merger of two orbiting black holes, and caused by the anisotropic emission of gravitational radiation, is an astrophysically important phenomenon. We combine (i) an earlier calculation, using post-Newtonian theory, of the kick velocity accumulated up to the merger of two non-spinning black holes, (ii) a ‘close-limit approximation’ calculation of the radiation emitted during the ringdown phase, and based on a solution of the Regge–Wheeler and Zerilli equations using initial data accurate to second post-Newtonian order. We prove that ringdown radiation produces a significant ‘anti-kick’. Adding the contributions due to inspiral, merger and ringdown phases, our results for the net kick velocity agree with those from numerical relativity to 10–15% over a wide range of mass ratios, with a maximum velocity of 180 km s−1 at a mass ratio of 0.38.
Semiparametric Selection Models with Binary Outcomes

This paper addresses the estimation of a semiparametric sample selection index model where both the selection rule and the outcome variable are binary. Since the marginal effects are often of primary interest and are difficult to recover in a semiparametric setting, we develop estimators for both the marginal effects and the underlying model parameters. The marginal effect estimator only uses observations which are members of a high probability set in which the selection problem is not present. A key innovation is that this high probability set is data dependent. The model parameter estimator is a quasi-likelihood estimator based on regular kernels with bias corrections. We establish their large sample properties and provide simulation evidence confirming that these estimators perform well in finite samples.
The Application of Improved Spherical Harmonics Expansion-Based Multilevel Fast Multipole Algorithm in the Solution of Volume-Surface Integral Equation

During the solution of volume-surface integral equation (VSIE), to reduce the core memory requirement of the radiation patterns (RPs) of the basis functions, an improved spherical harmonics expansion-based multilevel fast multipole algorithm (SE-MLFMA) using the mixed-potential representation and the triangle-/tetrahedron-based grouping scheme is applied. Numerical results show that accompanying with a faster speed, the memory requirement of the RPs in the improved SE-MLFMA is several times less than that in the conventional MLFMA without compromising accuracy. A result employing the OpenMP parallelization and vector arithmetic logic unit (VALU) hardware acceleration technique is also shown to illustrate the robustness and scalability of the improved SE-MLFMA method.
Thermobaric Effects of Cast Composite Explosives of Different Charge Masses and Dimensions

The aim of this research was to determine the thermobaric effect of cast composite explosives, with different masses and dimensions of the chosen explosive charges. This was done by measuring the shock wave parameters in air (maximum overpressure and pressure impulse) and quantifying the thermal effect (temperature-time dependence), at different distances from the centre of the detonation. The chosen thermobaric explosive composition, TBE-3, was characterized. Its density, detonation velocity and viscosity-time dependence were determined. Experimental samples of different masses and calibres were prepared. The shock wave parameters in air were determined in field tests, by measuring the overpressure by piezo-electric pressure transducers. The detonation and the expansion of the explosion products were filmed by a TV high-speed camera, Phantom V9. An infrared (IR) camera FLIR SC7200 was used for recording the IR scene of the explosions and for tracking the thermal effects by a thermographic technique, i.e. thermal imaging. This work is an initial step towards establishing a method for the quantification of the thermal effects of a thermobaric detonation.
Chemiluminescence of organic peroxides: intramolecular electron-exchange luminescence from a secondary perester

Abstract : The reaction of an aminocoumarin carboxylic acid chloride (Coumarin 343) with 1-phenethyl hydroperoxide results in light emission that is easily detected with the unaided eye. This reaction proceeds through a secondary perester intermediate. Intramolecular electron exchange, modeled after the analogous process in the bioluminescence of the Firefly, is proposed as the mechanism for light generation. Attempts to carry out this reaction under conditions where the coumarin acid is recycled were not successful.
Travel Experience Cards: Capturing User Experiences in Public Transportation

The paper presents a Travel Experiences Card (TEC) set, produced as a tool to understand user experiences in public transportation. The card set allows exploration of diverse user experiences, from preparing travel to arriving at the destination. The set is designed using images taken during participant observation and photographic documentation of public transportation experiences. Two ways or working with the card set are proposed, one based on forced association technique and the other on focus event tool. These allowed for the breadth and the depth of exploration, respectively. We tested the cards in one pilot workshop to fine-tune it as a tool, and then applied it in two workshops in order to evaluate its usefulness. We used three important experiences for users of public transportation: safety, joy, and arriving on time. We found that the method was useful for eliciting rich responses from our participants, and for understanding the ecology of experiences. We also consider the process of designing the card set, and its evaluation, to be of relevance. Keywords—service design; interaction design; experience design; customer journeys; experience design cards.
Interlaminate Deformation in Thermoplastic Composite Laminates: Experimental-Numerical Correlation

The interlaminar deformation behaviors of thermoplastic AS4/PEEK composite laminates subjected to static tensile loading are investigated by means of microscopic moire interferometry with high spatial resolution. The fully three- dimensional orthotropic elastic-plastic analysis of interlaminar deformation for the thermoplastic laminates is developed in this paper, and used to simulate the stress-strain curves of tensile experiment for its angle-ply laminates. Under uniaxial tensile loading, the 3D orthotropic elastic-plastic FE analysis and microscopic moire interferometry of interlaminar deformations are carried out for the (±25)S4 laminates. The quantitative local-filed experimental results of interlaminar shear strain and displacements at free- edge surface of the laminate are compared with corresponding numerical results of the orthotropic elastic-plastic FE model. It is indicated that the numerical tensile stress- strain curves of angle-ply laminates computed with 3D orthotropic elastic-plastic model are agree with experimental results. The numerical interlaminar displacement U and shear strainxz are also consistent with the experimental results obtained by moire interferometry. It is expected the elastic-plastic interlaminar stresses and deformations analysis for the optimal design and application of AS4/PEEK laminates and its structures.
The Role of Inflation Targeting in Debt Denomination in Developing Countries

This paper analyzes the inflation targeting experience of developing countries as an effective monetary policy framework to promote changes in the currency composition of their international debt. Using matching with difference-in-differences to address the self-selection bias, we find that inflation targeting has led to a 3-6 percentage point reduction in the foreign currency share of international debt in targeting countries when compared to non-targeting countries. Furthermore, from the analysis of the individual currency shares, we find that inflation targeting has contributed to a 10 percentage points lower US dollar share in international debt in targeting countries compared to non-targeting countries; while the effects on the euro and other foreign currencies shares are negligible. This not only provides evidence that the structural features of international financial markets matter, but also that monetary policy can help developing countries reduce their reliance on foreign currency debt. JEL classification: F02, F34, F41, G15
Quasi‐static crack propagation in plane and plate structures using set‐valued traction‐separation laws

We introduce a numerical technique to model set‐valued traction‐separation laws in plate bending and also plane crack propagation problems. By using of recent developments in thin (Kirchhoff–Love) shell models and the extended finite element method, a complete and accurate algorithm for the cohesive law is presented and is used to determine the crack path. The cohesive law includes softening and unloading to origin, adhesion and contact. Pure debonding and contact are obtained as particular (degenerate) cases. A smooth root‐finding algorithm (based on the trust‐region method) is adopted. A step‐driven algorithm is described with a smoothed law which can be made arbitrarily close to the exact non‐smooth law. In the examples shown the results were found to be step‐size insensitive and accurate. In addition, the method provides the crack advance law, extracted from the cohesive law and the absence of stress singularity at the tip. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
New Network Optimization Methods for Fast Protection in IP Networks

Nowadays, many commercial telecom and multimedia providers have started to broadcast their contents over the Internet in order to reduce costs and reach new users. This continuous convergence is producing a more and more heterogeneous traffic with different demands as many real-time applications such as VoIP, IPTV, online gaming, etc. have become available. However, the integration has happened so fast that the network community could not adapt the IP protocol suite fast enough to keep up with the new requirements and there still exist missing components to facilitate the desired transmission quality. One of the main concerns is that an operational network frequently suffers component failures and the currently used reactive techniques take too much time to recover the appropriate paths and bypass a failed component. Instead, faster proactive approaches can be used, whereby after a failure, the traffic could be immediately switched to an alternate route by means of precalculated backup paths. Although there have been numerous proposals to provide faster proactive protection in IP networks, so far only the Loop-Free Alternates (LFA) technique has been widely implemented in today’s commercial routers. The main idea in LFA is to ensure that, in case of the failure on the primary forwarding path, there be a suitable backup neighbor whose path to the destination is unaffected by the failure. The strength of LFA lies in its simplicity, however, this simplicity comes at the price that not all networks could be protected. Recently, a generalization of LFA, called Remote LFA (rLFA), has been defined where, in contrast to simple LFA, not just direct neighbors but remote nodes too can be considered when searching for the backup path. Unfortunately, rLFA is equally plagued by LFA’s main weakness, namely, that there are many networks that cannot be completely protected, leaving these networks vulnerable to certain failure scenarios.
Editors' Note

I this issue, we celebrate the global reach and impact of Victorian literature. We invited literary scholars from around the world to tell us about their experiences in the classroom as they shared their passion for Victorian culture with their students. We asked them, in particular, to consider the different meanings that texts accrue for non-British, contemporary readers. From India to the Netherlands, from Italy to Hong Kong, teachers worldwide describe the rich interplay of texts and cultural contexts. We also congratulate Lucy Sheehan (Columbia University) for winning the journal’s annual Hamilton Prize for her essay “Trials of Embodiment: Being a Gothic Body in Mary Barton. ” We offer our congratulations to the first runnerup, R. Jayne Hildebrand (Columbia University) for her essay, “The Ranter and the Lyric: Ebenezer Elliott’s Corn Law Rhymes and the Genres of Reform. ” We are grateful for the hard work of the four advisory board members who adjudicated this year’s competition: Julie Codell, Nicholas Daly, Janice Helland, and Marjorie Stone. Finally, we thank all the graduate students who entered the competition and the colleagues who alerted them to the Hamilton Prize.
In-situ compression and electrochemical studies of graphene foam

This study describes the correlation between structural, mechanical and electrochemical properties of graphene foam (GF) and focuses on the effects of 3D structure on the cycle life of graphene composite electrodes. The mechanical properties of the foam were assessed under in-situ compression tests within a scanning electron microscope. The foam showed a significant recovery after subjecting it to a compression strain exceeding 70%. The mechanical integrity and recoverability of the GF is related to its structural features, such as hollow struts, large size of the graphene sheets and low level of defects, all enabled the elastic deformation under compression loading. The advantage of the high flexibility and elasticity of these GFs was further explored and validated by using them as substrates for making composite materials for supercapacitor electrodes. Our findings indicated that the produced 3D GF-based composite have excellent cycle life and they do not show any capacity fading after thousands cycles of cyclic voltammetry test. This excellent performance is due to their ability to accommodate the cyclic strains during repeated charge-discharge cycles.
Experimental analysis of picture quality after compression by different methods

In this paper we present experimental results comparing the quality of still Black & White (B/W) images compressed using four methods: JPEG, JPEG2000, EZW and SPIHT. The compression was performed on three pictures with differing levels of detail and density (bit-rates - bpp) using VCDemo software. The quality of the compressed pictures is determined by values of MSE, SNR and PSNR. The values are presented in appropriate tables and diagrams. By comparing the values obtained, we have found the methods that give best results depending on the picture bit- rate and level of detail. Streszczenie. W artykule opisano rezultaty eksperymentalnego badania kompresji obrazu czarno/bialego przy wykorzystaniu czterech metod: JPEG, JPEG2000, EZW i SPIHT. Kompresje wykonywano na trzech obrazach o roznym poziomie detali i roznej gestości. (Eksperymentalne badanie jakości obrazu po kompresji roznymi metodami)
A new reconstruction of multituberculate endocranial casts and encephalization quotient of Kryptobaatar

Multituberculate and eutriconodontan endocasts differ from those of primitive therian mammals in their lack of visible midbrain exposure on the dorsal side and in having a vermis−like triangular bulge (recognized herein as the cast of a large sinus—the superior cistern) inserted between the cerebral hemispheres. As the shape and proportions of multituberculate, eutriconodontan, and Cretaceous eutherian endocasts are otherwise similar, one might speculate that the multituberculate and eutriconodontan brains did not differ essentially from those of primitive eutherian and marsupial mammals, in which the midbrain is exposed dorsally. This conclusion might have important phylogenetic implications, as multituberculates and eutriconodontans may lay closer to the therians sensu strico, than hitherto believed. We describe an endocast of the Late Cretaceous multituberculate Kryptobaatar, which differs from those of other multituberculates (Ptilodus, Chulsan− baatar, and Nemegtbaatar) in having unusually long olfactory bulbs and the paraflocculi elongated transversely, rather than ball−shaped. We estimate the encephalization quotient (EQ) of Kryptobaatar, using: 1) Jerison’s classical equation (1) based on estimation of endocranial volume and body mass; 2) McDermott et al.’s derived body mass estimation equa− tion (2) using upper molar lengths; and 3) estimation of body mass based on new equations (3a, 3b, 3c, and 3d1–9), which we propose, using measurements of the humerus, radius, ulna, femur and tibia. In both Jerison’s method and a mean of our series of derived formulae, the EQ varies around 0.71, which is higher than estimated for other multituberculate mam− mals. It remains an open question whether the evolutionary success of Kryptobaatar (which was a dominant mammal dur− ing the ? early Campanian on the Gobi Desert and survived until the ? late Campanian) might have been related to its rela− tively high EQ and well developed sensorimotor adaptations, in particular olfaction and coordinated movements.
Persistence of the exotic kelp Undaria pinnatifida does not depend on sea urchin grazing

We investigated mechanisms enabling persistence of the introduced Asian kelp Undaria pinnatifida on the sea urchin (Heliocidaris erythrogramma) 'barrens' on the east coast of Tasmania. Development of dense stands of U. pinnatifida requires disturbance to reduce the cover of native algae. Observations of U. pinnatifida occurring abundantly on sea urchin barrens suggests that disturbance in the form of grazing by sea urchins prevents recovery of native canopy-forming species, allowing dense stands of U. pinnatifida to persist. We examined this hypothesis over a 30 mo period in a manipulative experiment in which the response of native algae and U. pinnatifida was examined in treatments comprising all possible combinations of +/- urchins, +/- U. pinnatifida and +/- enhanced native algal spore inoculum. The results demonstrated that the sea urchin H. erythrogramma can have a significant impact on U. pinnatifida abundance. The response was most dramatic in the 2001 sporophyte growth season, when sea urchins destructively grazed U. pinnatifida sporophytes in experimental plots on the urchin barren. In other years, when there was higher recruitment of U. pinnatifida sporophytes, urchins reduced sporophyte abundance but did not prevent development of a U. pinnatifida canopy. Removal of sea urchins resulted in a slow increase in cover of understorey red algae, but only limited recovery of native canopy-forming species. In treatments where both sea urchins and U. pinnatifida were removed, cover of canopy-forming species did not exceed 6% over the duration of the study. Thus, in the absence of sea urchin grazing, there was no evidence of inhibition of U. pinnatifida by native algae. While the intensity of sea urchin grazing may directly influence the extent of the U. pinnatifida canopy, recovery of native canopyforming species was apparently influenced by a combination of factors including seaurchin grazing, depth and, most importantly, the degree of sediment accumulation on the rocky substratum. The manipulations showed that removal of the factor (i.e. sea urchin grazing) that ostensibly facilitated replacement of native canopy-forming algae by U. pinnatifida did not realise recovery of native canopy-forming species.