Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Disturbance, Forest Age, and Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreak Dynamics in BC: A Historical Perspective

During the past 85 years, there have been four large-scale outbreaks by the mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) in the pine forests of British Columbia. Using contemporary forest inventory data in combination with wildfire and logging statistics, we developed a simple age-class projection model to estimate changes in pine age-class distribution between 1910 and 2110. We compared past and present mountain pine beetle activity to forest age structure, and projected future forest conditions relevant to mountain pine beetle susceptibility. “Backcast” forest conditions suggest that during the early 1900s, approximately 17% of pine stands were in age classes susceptible to mountain pine beetle attack. Since then, the amount of area burned by wildfire in British Columbia has significantly decreased. This reduction in wildfire has resulted in an increase in the average age of pine stands to the present day such that approximately 55% of pine forests are in age classes considered susceptible to mountain pine beetle. At the present rate of disturbance, average stand age is forecast to continue to increase, but the amount of susceptible pine will decline following 2010 and stabilize at about 18% by 2110. The extent of mountain pine beetle outbreaks was correlated with the increase in amount of susceptible pine during 1920-2000. However, outbreak extent increased at a greater rate than the increase in susceptible forest indicating that other factors such as climate may be affecting mountain pine beetle epidemics. Theoretical fire-return cycles of 40 200 years would generate a long-term average susceptibility range of 17% 25% over large areas. This suggests that the extent of age-related, mountain pine beetle-susceptible pine forests in British Columbia is beyond the natural range of variability at a provincial scale.
The effect of entrepreneurial orientation on the performance of immigrant-owned SMMEs in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa

Small, micro and medium enterprises (SMMEs) contribute significantly to the economy of developing countries including South Africa. These enterprises face a number of challenges and it is reported that the majority of SMMEs fail within a short period of time in South Africa. A high failure rate of SMMEs is also attributed to the lack of entrepreneurial orientation among SMME owners and managers. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of entrepreneurial orientation (i.e. risk taking, innovativeness and proactiveness) on the performance of immigrant-owned small, micro and medium enterprises (SMMEs) in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Although entrepreneurial performance can be defined in various ways, this study defined performance through measuring tangible elements such as firm growth, profitability, personal wealth creation, growth in employment, turnover, and sustainability. A quantitative research design was adopted. Data was collected from 400 immigrant entrepreneurs who were selected using snowball and purposive sampling techniques. Correlation and regression analysis were used to test the hypothesis. It was found that entrepreneurial orientation has a positive effect on the performance of immigrant-owned SMMEs. Thus, risk taking, innovativeness and proactiveness have an effect on the performance of immigrant-owned SMMEs operating in South Africa. This study recommends that entrepreneurs should strive to improve their entrepreneurial orientation (risk-taking skills, innovativeness, and proactiveness) to improve the performance of their businesses; the government should show support for immigrant entrepreneurship in order to eliminate negative perceptions from communities where immigrants operate and financial institutions should develop products for immigrant entrepreneurs in South Africa as they are a growing and promising market.
FOR THE GEOGRAPHICALLOCATION OF CLIMATE CHANGEVULNERABILITY INDICATORS IN THE HEIHE BASIN

ABSTRACT: Vulnerability to climate change is an increasingly relevant topic for “at risk” communities and ecosystems. An abundance of literature describes risk, impact, sensitivity and vulnerability with regard to climate change. These attributes of human and natural systems are difficult if not impossible to observe and measure, complicating their quantification. This paper presents an approach for quantitatively synthesizing these concepts. The use of indicators is a useful method of quantifying resource vulnerability. This paper presents a part of the research work of the AS25 project, a sub-project of the Assessments of Impacts of and Adaptation to Climate Change in Multiple Regions and Sectors (AIACC) focusing on an arid region of North West China. The paper reviews approaches for the formulation of indicators for agricultural, water resources and socioeconomic vulnerability to climate change in the Heihe River Basin. Quantitative issues involved with indicator formulation, computation and geographic allocation are discussed. Methods of fuzzy set construction are proposed for continuous, categorical, and qualitative indicators.
STRAIN HARDENING OF REINFORCEMENT IN CONCRETE BUILDINGS DURING EARTHQUAKES A P RUSSELL Cement and Concrete Association of New Zealand (CCANZ)

Where any strain hardening has occurred in the reinforcement of a concrete building, the view could be taken that there is insufficient strain capacity remaining for the building to be considered as in the same state as it was before the earthquake. This disguises the fact that different reinforcement types and grades have different strain characteristics and the onset of strain hardening does not necessarily imply that insufficient strain capacity remains. Insurers have recently become aware of this issue and are monitoring concrete buildings affected in Christchurch. One possible outcome is that insurance premiums for all concrete buildings could increase as a result of this issue.
Pension Decumulation Strategies A State-of-the-Art Report

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the IFoA. The IFoA do not endorse any of the views stated, nor any claims or representations made in this publication and accept no responsibility or liability to any person for loss or damage suffered as a consequence of their placing reliance upon any view, claim or representation made in this publication. The information and expressions of opinion contained in this publication are not intended to be a comprehensive study, nor to provide actuarial advice or advice of any nature and should not be treated as a substitute for specific advice concerning individual situations.
AFM-Based Nanomechanics Growing Opportunities in Biomedical Sciences

Atomic Force Microscopes (AFM), once typically found in the basements of physics’ schools, are now beginning to populate life sciences research centers. Undeniably, the rise of mechanobiology research has found an ideal partner in AFM, to achieve not only high-resolution imaging of living samples, but also mechanical characterization of cells and tissues. Now that the study of cellular mechanical state is gaining relevance also in biomedical research, AFM is poised to make further contributions in the study of (patho)physiology and disease.
Impact of Exchange Rate and Customs Union on Trade Balance of Turkey with EU ( 15 )

This paper investigates the short-run and long-run impact of real exchange rate changes and Customs Union (CU) agreement on the trade balance of Turkey with European Union (15) countries (EU (15)). In the estimation procedure, the bounds testing approach to the cointegration and the error correction modeling is employed. Unlike the previous papers utilizing this approach, however, we adopt a new strategy in the model selection phase that ensures the selection of a statistically reliable and cointegrated model as the optimal model for estimation. Estimation results based on the quarterly data for 1982-I to 2001-IV period indicate no evidence of J-curve effect and no significant effect of customs union in the short run. In the long run, only domestic income variable has significant and expected negative effect and neither exchange rate nor customs union has any significant effect on the trade balance of Turkey with EU (15).
Emotional intelligence and coping strategies as determinants of quality of life in depressed patient – caregiver dyads : An actor – partner interdependence analysis

Objective: Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and their natural caregivers experience major lifestyle difficulties. Little is known concerning dyadic (i.e., patient and natural caregiver) characteristics' impact on quality of life. In a sample of depressed patient–caregiver dyads, we examined quality of life (QoL) levels compared with the general population and whether QoL is influenced by emotional intelligence (EI) and coping strategies using the actor–partner interdependence model (APIM). Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 79 patient–caregiver dyads. The self-reported data, completed by patients and their primary caregivers, included QoL (SF-36), EI (TEIQue-SF) and coping strategies (BriefCope). The QoL of patients and caregivers was compared with 158 French age-sex-matched healthy controls. The dyadic interactions were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results: Patients and their caregivers experienced lower QoL levels than French age–sex-matched controls. The EI findings showed actor (degree to which the person's EI was associated with his/her own QoL) and partner (degree to which the person's EI was associated with QoL of the other member of the dyad) effects for patients and caregivers. The coping strategies (i.e., problem solving, positive thinking, avoidance and social support) revealed only actor effects. Conclusion: QoL is seriously impaired in depressed patients and their primary caregivers and is associated with EI and coping strategies. Targeted interventions focusing on EI and coping strategies could be offered to improve QoL in dyads. © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Anti-Synchronization of Complex Chaotic T-System Via Optimal Adaptive Sliding-Mode and Its Application In Secure Communication

In this paper, an optimal adaptive sliding mode controller is proposed for anti-synchronization of two identical hyperchaotic systems. We use hyperchaotic complex T-system for master and slave systems with unknown parameters in the slave system. To construct the optimal adaptive sliding mode controller, first a simple sliding surface is designed. Then, the optimal adaptive sliding mode controller is derived to guarantee the occurrence of the sliding motion. Also, suitable update laws are designed to estimate the unknown parameters. The optimality and stability of the proposed method are proved using Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman(HJB) technique and Barbalates lemma, respectively. Finally, antisynchronization result is applied to secure communication via masking method. Numerical simulations illustrate the ability and effectiveness of proposed method.
An Electroencephalogram Analysis Method to Detect Preference Patterns Using Gray Association Degrees and Support Vector Machines

This paper introduces an electroencephalogram (EEG) analysis method to detect preferences for particular sounds. Our study aims to create novel brain–computer interfaces (BMIs) to control human mental (NBMICM), which are used to detect human mental conditions i.e., preferences, thinking, and consciousness, choose stimuli to control these mental conditions, and evaluate these choices. It is important to detect the preferences on stimuli. If the stimuli related to the preference can be detected, the NBCIMC can provide stimuli to the user based on their emotions by detecting their favorite stimuli. The proposed method adopted EEG recording technique, extraction techniques of EEG features and detection methods of preferences. EEG recording employs a simple electroencephalograph, for which the measurement position is the left frontal lobe (Fp1) of the brain. We assume that the differences of the EEG activities on the patterns of preference are expressed in the association between the changes of the power spectra on each frequency band of the EEG. To calculate the association, we employ the gray theory model. The EEG feature is extracted by calculating the gray association degree, then, the preferences are detect using a support vector machine (SVM). Experiments are conducted to test the effectiveness of this method, which is validated by a mean accuracy rate >88% on the favorite sound detection. These results suggest that the detection of subject’s favorite sounds becomes easy when the EEG signals are analyzed while the gray associate degrees are used as the EEG feature and the SVM is used as the classifier.
Electromagnetic Information Delivery as a New Perspsctive in Medicine

Since the time of Hyppocrates it is very well known that is possible to transfer biochemical information for the treatment of human diseases by using molecules as active principle. This strategy has been the most efficient one until the time of Becker and Fröhlich when we become aware that it was also possible transfer effective information to biological target by the use of electromagnetic field in the ELF range. Later on Benveniste suggested that for every chemical molecule there is only and only one electromagnetic image a kind of electromagnetic signature. Benveniste and coworkers demonstrated that picking up the physical signals of a chemical compound and transferring it to an aqueous system by mean of an electronic device this procedure was mimicking the same effect of the chemical source molecule. The transfer of the physical activity is probably mediated and can be amplified by water biophysical re-patterning. Electromagnetic Information Transfer of Specific Molecular Signals according to previous report and ours was performed in order to understand the possible role of water in mediating the electro-magnetic information transfer of biological active molecules such as retinoic acid (RA). The electromagnetic information signals from the retinoic acid solution (RA-EMIT) was captured and transferred to the target by a commercially available oscillator (Vega Select 719). The retinoic acid signals was transferred to a cell culture medium (RPMI). Neuroblastoma Cell Line (LAN5) was seeded and grown up for four days in presence of Retinoic Acid signal and/or chemical molecule. The experimental findings demonstrated that the RA signal shows the tendency to behave as a differentiating agent such as the original molecule.
PATHOGENS AND PARASITIC NEMATODES ASSOCIATED WITH POPULATIONS OF FALL ARMYWORM (LEPIDOPTERA: NOCTUIDAE) LARVAE IN MEXICO

Larvae of fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) and soil samples were collected in six Mexican states. Larvae were collected from whorl-stage corn, grain sorghum, forage sorghum, and Sudan grass ﬁelds in 64 locations during the summer of 2000, to deter- mine the occurrence of entomopathogens and parasitic nematodes. A total of 5591 FAW larvae from 64 locations were examined for indigenous FAW biological control agents. Overall total larval mortality was 3.935%. The larval mortality percent due to entomopathogens and parasitic nematodes was 3.524%, other causes reached 0.411% of total mortality. Three spe- cies of entomopathogenic fungi representing two classes, Hyphomycetes ( Nomuraea rileyi , and Hirsutella sp.) and Zygomycetes ( Entomophthora sp.) were recovered from FAW larvae, and two species of Hyphomycetes ( Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana ) were isolated from soil samples. An unidentiﬁed microsporidian was recovered from four locations in the State of Jalisco, three from Michoacán, three from Nayarit, and one from Veracruz and Colima, respectively. Mermithid nematodes were recovered from 24 FAW larvae at three lo- cations in Nayarit and three larvae were recovered from two locations in Veracruz. Six larvae showing symptoms of viral disease were collected from Sinaloa (2), Jalisco (2), Michoacán (1), and Nayarit (1). Entomopathogenic nematodes from the genus Heterorhabditis sp. and Steinernema sp. were isolated from soil samples from Colima in one and two lo- cations, respectively. Steinernema sp. , and Heterorhabditis sp. were isolated from soil in one location in Michoacán. Steinernema sp. was recovered from two locations of Jalisco. In this survey, N. rileyi , mermithid nematodes, and microsporidia were the most frequent pathogens and parasites. rileyi , and Hirsutella sp. , an unidentiﬁed microsporidian, mermithid nematodes, and an ascovirus affecting FAW larvae. The occurrence of the bacterium Bacillus thuringensis and steinernematid and heterorhabditid nematodes are reported from soil samples. This paper reports on the presence of entomopathogens and parasitic nematodes in FAW larval populations and recovered from soil samples of corn, grain sorghum, forage sorghum, and Sudan grass ﬁelds from six Mexican states, during the summer of 2000.
Biopolitics , Education and Resistance in the Contemporary World

Biopolitics, Education and Resistance in the Contemporary World. The present work has two main objectives: first, to examine the ways in which the technologies of power in contemporary capitalism produce forms of subjection and lowering, in life in general and in education in particular. Next, it seeks to analyze the conditions for the production of resistance strategies to biopower. In this way, the aim is to interrogate the present time, using analytical tools that allow to stress the practices instituted in the education field, as well as to put in motion the processes of subjectivation created and experienced there. In this sense, it is important not only to diagnose a certain condition (of the school, of education, of the contemporary world), but above all to cross it with problematizations that may open new possibilities for the construction of existence.
Progress in Climate/Groundwater Modeling of Ancient Mars

While evidence exists for a more complex hydrology during parts of ancient Mars evolution, the timing and duration of these past climates is still debated [1]. The Viking, Mars Global Surveyor (MGS), and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) spacecraft all observed valley networks in the equatorial and southern tropical regions of Mars [2, 3] and lake strandlines/shorelines [4]. Evidence for persistent late stage hydrology in Gale Crater over geologically long time periods (10-10 yrs) raises questions regarding the nature of hydrology and climate on Mars [5]. Mudstone layers on the crater floor provide evidence for a past lake within Gale Crater [5] and fan deposits suggest younger surface hydrology [6]. Understanding these various observations requires investigation of both the climate hydrology and groundwater hydrology of ancient Mars. A number of groups have investigated the various climate conditions for ancient Mars [7, 8, 9, 10, 11]. As well, the groundwater hydrology of Mars has been investigated by a few groups in the last decade [12, 13, 14, 15, 16]. These investigations, however, have mostly treated the atmospheric and subsurface regimes as entirely separate and disconnected. We are developing a modeling system that combines the climate modeling and groundwater modeling of the Martian hydrology. We are applying this system to the late Noachian and early Hesperian eras on Mars, with the aim of improving our understanding of the evidence for surface and subsurface water in the Martian geological history. Here we discuss our previous work and our ongoing endeavor to combine the climate and subsurface domains.
Dynamic voltage and frequency scaling for 3D graphics applications on the state-of-the-art mobile GPUs

of the Dissertation Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling for 3D Graphics Applications on the State-Of-The-Art Mobile GPUs by Navid Farazmand Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Engineering Northeastern University, February 2018 Dr. Kaeli, Adviser Today, there are more mobile computing devices running on batteries than computers connected to a power source, and this trend is bound to continue. Power consumption has always been one of the design considerations in digital electronic devices. However, low-power design in battery powered mobile devices has become a first-order design objective due to their unique characteristics of mobile applications. Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS) is a runtime power management technique commonly utilized to reduce power consumption, while achieving a predetermined level of performance. There have been numerous DVFS studies for general-purpose computing on CPUs and desktop Graphics Processing Units (GPU) over the past two decades. Nevertheless, DVFS for graphics workloads running on mobile GPUs has gained more attention in recent years and there remains a need for more research in this area. Mobile graphics workloads are an integrated part of the user experience on smartphones. Typical workloads range from User Interfaces (UIs), to mapping applications to browsers and mobile games. Thus, optimizing the energy consumption of mobile graphics workloads is essential for satisfactory operation of these devices. Early research into the potential benefits of DVFS for mobile graphics applications utilized emulated GPUs for evaluation. Follow up research focused on porting existing DVFS algorithms to mobile GPUs or enabling workload prediction for DVFS by taking advantage of the asynchronous nature of CPU and GPU operation. The goal of this thesis is to propose novel DVFS solutions for state-of-the-art mobile GPUs that improve energy consumption without negatively impacting performance guarantees. To achieve this goal, in this thesis we first introduce a fine-grained workload performance and energy consumption analysis framework for real-world use cases. Using this framework, we present a thorough
Responses of Non-Eye Movement Central Vestibular Neurons to Sinusoidal Yaw Rotation in Compensated Macaques after Unilateral Plugging of Three Semicircular Canals

After injury to the vestibular system, behavioral measures of vestibular performance recover to variable degrees (vestibular compensation). Central neuronal responses after unilateral labyrinthectomy (UL), which eliminates both afferent resting activity and sensitivity to movement, have been well studied. However, unilateral semicircular canal plugging (UCP), which attenuates angular velocity detection while leaving afferent resting activity intact, has not been extensively studied. The current study was performed to understand the response properties of yaw sensitive neurons after vestibular compensation in the vestibular nuclei of rhesus macaques that underwent UCP. The responses at a series of frequencies (0.1 to 2 Hz) and peak velocities (15 to 210°/s) were compared between neurons recorded before and at least 6 weeks after UCP. Results from non-eye movement neurons are reported. The gain of central type I neurons (those responding to ipsilateral yaw rotation) on the side of UCP was reduced relative to normal controls (0.48±0.30(SD) normal, 0.32±0.15 ipsilateral; 0.44±0.22 contralateral: all in sp/s/°/s at 0.5 Hz, ±60°/s). Type II neurons (those responding to contralateral yaw rotation) after UCP have reduced sensitivities (0.40±0.27 normal, 0.35±0.25 ipsilateral; 0.25±0.18 contralateral: all in sp/s/°/s at 0.5 Hz, ±60°/s). The difference in central responses after UCP and after UL is primarily in the distribution of type I and type II neurons in the vestibular nuclei (type I neurons comprise 66% in VN normally; 51% ipsilesion UCP; 59% contralesion UCP; 38% ipsilesion UL; 65% contralesion UL), and the magnitude of the responses of type II neurons ipsilateral to the lesion (type II neurons ipsilateral to UL at 05. Hz, ±60° 0.45±0.33 sp/s/°/s). These differences suggest that the need to compensate for unilateral loss of resting vestibular nerve activity after UL necessitates a different strategy for recovery of dynamic vestibular responses compared to after UCP.