Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of ungulate exclusion on understorey succession in relation to forest management in the Intermountain Western United States

Questions: Do successional trajectories in plant diversity, heterogeneity and dominance respond differently to ungulate exclusion in unmanaged forests vs managed forests that are thinned and burned? Is vegetation in recently thinned and burned stands more sensitive to changes in the grazing regime? Location: Northeast OR, USA. Methods: We evaluated changes in plant community composition, diversity, heterogeneity and dominance under herbivory by multiple ungulates (cattle, elk, deer) vs ungulate exclusion at sites where trees were recently thinned and a prescribed burn was applied (managed), and in sites that were not thinned or burned in over 40 yr (unmanaged). Plant species diversity was calculated with the Simpsons index and richness as the total number of plant species. We estimated changes inplant communityheterogeneityusing a measureof taxonomic dissimilarity. Plant dominance was measured as the relative evenness among different plant functional groups (annual and perennial forbs and graminoids, and shrubs, subshrubs and trees). Results: As expected, managed sites displayed more early succession species, such as annual forbs and annual graminoids, while unmanaged sites were dominated by late-succession species such as shrubs, subshrubs and trees. Species richness, particularly of annuals, was strongly reduced when ungulates were excluded from managed sites, and to a lesser extent from unmanaged sites for some perennial plant species. Species diversity decreased to a slightly greater extent with ungulate exclusion at managed sites. Species dominance was not influenced by ungulate exclusion. The effect of ungulate exclusion on plant heterogeneity also depended on forest management. Heterogeneity increased at managed sites and decreased in unmanaged sites with ungulate exclusion. Overall, the change in vegetation composition over time increased with the exclusion of ungulates, particularly at managed sites. Conclusions: The strength and direction of specific vegetation and diversity responses to ungulate exclusion vary with forest management, and the influence of ungulate exclusion on plant succession is more pronounced in recently thinned and burned sites. Management of wild and domestic ungulates thus needs to account for forest management activities that alter vegetation seral stage and increase the sensitivity of vegetation to the ungulate grazing regime.
Absorption capacity of European Union Pre- accession programs in Croatia

The utilization of European Union (EU) financial assistance is one of the central issues for Member States, as well as Candidate Countries like Croatia. In order to fully gain from the allocated resources of the EU budget, each country needs an adequate absorption capacity (AC). This article is about the absorption capacity of EU pre-accession programs in Croatia. The absorption capacity of EU pre-accession assistance is seen from two theoretical standpoints: the first originates from development economics, while the second developed from the theory of multilevel governance (MLG). The purpose of this article is to analyse the factors / determinants of absorption capacity, and the implementation of pre-accession programs in Croatian municipalities. In order to test the relation of AC and implementation (usage) of the EU funds, an empirical multivariable regression model of AC was established. The empirical estimation confirmed the expected positive correlation between the AC and EU funds. Another key issue that was discovered is that AC is very much a dynamic concept in the sense that ability to use EU funds changes over time, in response to a variety of endogenous and exogenous factors. As such, it calls for broader analysis and presents a challenge for further work on the subject.
Optimized Sizing of High Speed PM Generator for Renewable Energy Applications

This paper proposes optimized sizing of High Speed Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generators (HSPMSGs) for renewable energy applications to be driven by micro-turbines. These designs have more significant improvement in weights and volumes than usual or classical. This paper presents at the beginning a step by step sizing procedure of (HSPMSGs) to be used in optimization functions formulations. Then, Unconstrained Optimization for Total Losses Minimization is presented. Simple constrained optimized Total Mass with bounded constraints is introduced. Finally, Minimum Mass Genetic Sizing, Constrained by Minimum Losses is proposed. The optimization variables are the same in every optimization process. The optimized and genetic results are well depicted by some variables 3D figures for initial and detailed sizing. The simulation of generators sizing is performed using MATLAB Optimization Toolbox, and Genetic Algorithm.
How Active is Active Surveillance ? Intensity of Follow-Up During Active Surveillance for Prostate Cancer in the United States Running Title : Intensity of Prostate Cancer Active Surveillance

Purpose: While major prostate cancer active surveillance (AS) programs recommend repeat testing such as PSA and prostate biopsy, compliance with such testing is unknown. Our objective was to determine whether men in the community receive the same intensity of AS testing as in prospective AS protocols. Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of men aged ≥66 in the SEER-Medicare database diagnosed with prostate cancer from 2001-2009 who did not receive curative therapy in the year after diagnosis with ≥1 post-diagnosis prostate biopsy. We used multivariable-adjusted Poisson regression to determine the association between frequency of AS testing with patient demographics and clinical features. Among 1349 men with ≤5 years follow-up, we determined the proportion undergoing testing of the intensity recommended by the Sunnybrook and PRIAS programs (≥14 PSA and ≥2 biopsy), and at Johns Hopkins (≥10 PSA and ≥4 biopsy). Results: Among 5192 patients undergoing AS, >80% had ≥1 PSA test per year but <13% received biopsy beyond the first 2 years. MRI was rarely used during the study period. On multivariable analysis, recent diagnosis and higher income were associated with higher frequency of surveillance biopsy, while older age and greater comorbidity were associated with fewer biopsies. African American men underwent fewer PSAs but similar numbers of biopsies. During 5 years of AS, only 11.1% and 5.0% met the testing standards of the Sunnybrook/PRIAS and Johns Hopkins programs. M AN US CR IP T AC CE PT ED ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT
The influence of micro economic factors on the default risk of leasing industry

Article history: Received June 5, 2015 Received in revised format August 16 2015 Accepted November 8 2015 Available online November 18 2015 The aim of this study is to establish a framework for measuring and managing credit risk for fifteen leasing companies in Iran. An analysis on the influence of internal factors on credit performance will then be performed. This will enable a leasing industry to progress towards its goals and objectives in the most direct and effective way. Credit risk consists of probability of non-return. This may be in the form of bankruptcy or a decrease in financial and credit situation of the lessee. We can assume a correlated market and credit risk. The variables are extracted from the Central Bank of Kanoon Leasing Association in Iran. Numerical analysis reveals that lessee credit risk can have a substantial impact on a lease term structure. Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved. 6 © 201
Input Clip Video RGB 57 . 0 59 . 9 MPEG flow 58 .

Typical human actions last several seconds and exhibit characteristic spatio-temporal structure. Recent methods attempt to capture this structure and learn action representations with convolutional neural networks. Such representations, however, are typically learned at the level of a few video frames failing to model actions at their full temporal extent. In this work we learn video representations using neural networks with long-term temporal convolutions (LTC). We demonstrate that LTC-CNN models with increased temporal extents improve the accuracy of action recognition. We also study the impact of different low-level representations, such as raw values of video pixels and optical flow vector fields and demonstrate the importance of high-quality optical flow estimation for learning accurate action models. We report state-of-the-art results on two challenging benchmarks for human action recognition UCF101 (92.7%) and HMDB51 (67.2%).
Evidence of sympathetic cooling of Na+ ions by a Na magneto-optical trap in a hybrid trap

A hybrid ion-neutral trap provides an ideal system to study collisional dynamics between ions and neutrals. This system provides a general cooling method that can be applied to optically inaccessible species and can also potentially cool internal degrees of freedom. The long range polarization potentials ($V\propto-\alpha/r^4$) between ions and neutrals result in large scattering cross sections at cold temperatures, making the hybrid trap a favorable system for efficient sympathetic cooling of ions by collisions with neutral atoms. We present experimental evidence of sympathetic cooling in a hybrid trap of \ce{Na+} ions, which are closed shell and therefore do not have a laser induced atomic transition, by equal mass cold Na atoms in a magneto-optical trap (MOT).
Mass Transfer, Light Pulsing and Hydrodynamic Stress Effects in Photobioreactor Development

Photobioreactor scalability involves multiple different interacting aspects including mass transfer, light pulsing and hydrodynamic stress. An efficient carbon dioxide supply and a frequent displacement of cells from poorly to highly illuminated zones is desired to maximise the achieveable specific growth rate. However, a strong mixing is energy consuming and may reduce the specific growth rate because of induced cell damage. The current work examines mass transfer effects in photobioreactor development and estimates their relationship to light pulsing and hydrodynamic stress effects with a special reference to the novel inclined, thinlayer, wavy-bottomed cascading photobioreactor.
REPORT : PHYSICAL AND MAGNETIC CHARACTERIZATION OF AA AND PAHOEHOE FLOWS : HOLE 990 A 1

The overall good core recovery in the basaltic sequence and the dense recording of physical and magnetic properties in Hole 990A are well suited to investigate the lava pile in detail, although no wireline measurements could be achieved during the entire Leg 163. The goal of the investigation is to show the different lava flow types with their physical and magnetic properties, based on reliable measurements of density and susceptibility with a sampling interval of 5 cm, and velocity and magnetic intensity with a sampling interval of 10 cm. The top of the volcanic sequence at Site 990 is deeply weathered and oxidized, and all of the lava flow units have oxidized flow tops. In combination with the recovery of soil horizons, this shows that the eruption and emplacement of the lava flows occurred under subaerial conditions. This subaerial emplacement is also indicated by the physical properties with characteristic low density and velocity values at the flow tops, which is a function of the high degree of subaerial flow-top alteration. The lava pile was divided into aa, pahoehoe, and a transitional form as a result of optical core observations as well as by groundmass crystal texture measurements. Highest density and velocity values are found in the aa flows; in particular the velocities of the pahoehoe flows are smaller than in the aa flows. In general, the pahoehoe flows show the highest magnetic intensities, whereas the magnetic intensities for the aa flows are 3.5 times smaller. The magnetic susceptibility shows an opposite trend.
Do physical habitat complexity and predator cues in fl uence the baseline and stress-induced glucocorticoid levels of a mangrove-associated fi sh ? In prep for : Comparative biochemistry and physiology-Part A

Article history: Received 19 May 2016 Received in revised form 7 September 2016 Accepted 9 October 2016 Available online 13 October 2016 As humanpopulations continue to expand, increases in coastal development have led to the alteration ofmuch of the world's mangrove habitat, creating problems for the multitude of species that inhabit these unique ecosystems. Habitat alteration often leads to changes in habitat complexity and predation risk, which may serve as additional stressors for those species that rely on mangroves for protection from predators. However, few studies have been conducted to date to assess the effects of these specific stressors on glucocorticoid (GC) stress hormone levels in wild fish populations. Using the checkered puffer as a model, our study sought to examine the effects of physical habitat complexity and predator environment on baseline and acute stress-induced GC levels. Thiswas accomplished by examining changes in glucose and cortisol concentrations of fish placed in artificial environments for short periods (several hours)where substrate type and the presence ofmangrove roots and predator cues were manipulated. Our results suggest that baseline and stress-induced GC levels are not significantly influenced by changes in physical habitat complexity or the predator environment using the experimental protocol that we applied. Althoughmore research is required, the current study suggests that checkered puffersmay be capable of withstanding changes in habitat complexity and increases in predation risk without experiencing adverse GC-mediated physiological effects, possibly as a result of the puffers' uniquemorphological and chemical defenses that help them to avoid predation in the wild. © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
STUDYING THE CAUSAL EFFECTS OF INSTRUCTION WITH APPLICATION TO PRIMARY-SCHOOL MATHEMATICS

This research was supported by Westat subcontract 9844 – Longitudinal Evaluation of School Change and Performance (LESCP): A Secondary Analysis. The statistical algorithms used here were developed with support from The Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods with funding from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the National Institute of Justice. Richard Congdon deserves special thanks for the applications programming. We wish to thank Susan Murphy for her numerous and extremely helpful discussions about the issues we address in this paper.
The Estimation of Minimum-Misfit Stochastic Models from Empirical Ground-Motion Prediction Equations

In areas of moderate to low seismic activity there is commonly a lack of recorded strong ground motion. As a consequence, the prediction of ground motion expected for hypothetical future earthquakes is often performed by employing em- pirical models from other regions. In this context, Campbell's hybrid empirical ap- proach (Campbell, 2003, 2004) provides a methodological framework to adapt ground-motion prediction equations to arbitrary target regions by using response spectral host-to-target-region-conversion filters. For this purpose, the empirical ground-motion prediction equation has to be quantified in terms of a stochastic model. The problem we address here is how to do this in a systematic way and how to assess the corresponding uncertainties. For the determination of the model param- eters we use a genetic algorithm search. The stochastic model spectra were calculated by using a speed-optimized version of SMSIM (Boore, 2000). For most of the em- pirical ground-motion models, we obtain sets of stochastic models that match the empirical models within the full magnitude and distance ranges of their generating data sets fairly well. The overall quality of fit and the resulting model parameter sets strongly depend on the particular choice of the distance metric used for the stochastic model. We suggest the use of the hypocentral distance metric for the stochastic simulation of strong ground motion because it provides the lowest-misfit stochastic models for most empirical equations. This is in agreement with the results of two recent studies of hypocenter locations in finite-source models which indicate that hypocenters are often located close to regions of large slip (Mai et al., 2005; Mani- ghetti et al., 2005). Because essentially all empirical ground-motion prediction equa- tions contain data from different geographical regions, the model parameters corre- sponding to the lowest-misfit stochastic models cannot necessarily be expected to represent single, physically realizable host regions but to model the generating data sets in an average way. In addition, the differences between the lowest-misfit sto- chastic models and the empirical ground-motion prediction equation are strongly distance, magnitude, and frequency dependent, which, according to the laws of un- certainty propagation, will increase the variance of the corresponding hybrid empir- ical model predictions (Scherbaum et al., 2005). As a consequence, the selection of empirical ground-motion models for host-to-target-region conversions requires con- siderable judgment of the ground-motion analyst.
Interventions to support parent – provider communication and collaboration during NICU hospitalization are vital for family-centered care and may reduce parents ’ stress and anxiety

Data Synthesis: Various technologies were used, including videoconferencing, videophone, and commercially available modalities such as Skype, FaceTime, AngelEye, and NICView Webcams. In the 11 studies, three main outcomes were evaluated: parents’ perception of technology use, health care providers’ perceptions of technology use, and objective outcomes, such as parental anxiety or stress or infant length of stay. Overall, parents and health care providers perceived the varied interventions quite favorably, although a few significant differences were found for the objective measures.
Twenty Years after the “ Jack in the Box ” Outbreak , Why Is E . coli O 157 still a Problem ?

Preharvest food safety refers to the concept of reducing the rates of contamination of unprocessed foods with food-borne disease pathogens in order to reduce human exposure and disease. This article addresses the search for effective preharvest food safety practices for application to live cattle to reduce both contamination of foods of bovine origin and environmental contamination resulting from cattle. Although this research has resulted in several practices that significantly decrease contamination by Escherichia coli O157, the effects are limited in magnitude and unlikely to affect the incidence of human disease without much wider application and considerably higher efficacy than is presently apparent. Infection of cattle with E. coli O157 is transient and seasonally variable, likely resulting from a complex web of exposures. It is likely that better identification of the true maintenance reservoir of this agent and related Shiga toxin-producing E. coli is required to develop more effective control measures for these important foodand waterborne disease agents.
Independent behavior of bacterial laccases to inducers and metal ions during production and activity

Laccase, a blue copper oxidase, is an enzyme that is involved in the oxidation of aromatic compounds which prove otherwise difficult to degrade in the environment. The substrates of laccase are xenobiotics and synthetic dyes. The isolation of bacterial strains was investigated for laccase production and its activity. The medium for production was a high nitrogen medium containing aromatic compounds as inducers, for instance, guaiacol, phenol red and black liquor (from pulp and paper industry) gave higher production. The enzymes of isolated bacteria had the optimum pH and temperature in the range of 3 to 5 and 32 to 37°C, respectively. Furthermore, metal ions had an effect on the laccase enzyme; MnSO4 and CuSO4 showed a significant increase in laccase activity. However, the effects of metal ions on either laccase production or laccase activity were not clear. The laccase production and activity were dependent on species of bacterial strains. The laccase bacteria were identified as Rhodococcus sp. , Enterobacter sp. , Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Delftia tsuruhatensis. The synthetic dyes were determined in the reduction of color using the G32 strain; this strain gave 20 to 65% of dye reduction within three days.
A similarity law for Widom-and coexistence lines

The coexistence line of a fluid separates liquid and gaseous states at subcritical pressures, ending at the critical point. Only recently, it became clear that the supercritical state space can likewise be divided into regions with liquid-like and gas-like properties, separated by an extension to the coexistence line. This cross-over line is commonly referred to as the Widom line, and is characterized by large changes in density or enthalpy, manifesting as maxima in the thermodynamic response functions. Thus, a reliable representation of the coexistence line and the Widom line is important for suband supercritical applications that depend on an accurate prediction of fluid properties. While it is known for subcritical pressures that nondimensionalization with the respective species critical pressures pcr and temperatures Tcr only collapses coexistence line data for simple fluids, this approach is used for Widom lines of all fluids. However, we show here that the Widom line does not adhere to the corresponding states principle, but instead to the extended corresponding states principle. We resolve this problem in two steps. First, we propose a Widom line functional based on the Clapeyron equation and derive an analytical, species specific expression for the only parameter from the Soave-Redlich-Kwong equation of state. This parameter is a function of the acentric factor ω and compares well with experimental data. Second, we introduce the scaled reduced pressure pr to replace the previously used reduced pressure pr = p/pcr. We show that p ∗ r is a function of the acentric factor only and can thus be readily determined from fluid property tables. It collapses both subcritical coexistence line and supercritical Widom line data over a wide range of species with acentric factors ranging from −0.38 (helium) to 0.34 (water), including alkanes up to n-hexane. By using pr , the extended corresponding states principle can be applied within corresponding states principle formalism. Furthermore, pr provides a theoretical foundation to compare Widom lines of different fluids.