Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Grazing alters ecosystem functioning and C:N:P stoichiometry of grasslands along a regional precipitation gradient

Summary 1. The Eurasian steppe has long been subject to grazing by domestic ungulates at high levels, resulting in widespread deterioration of biodiversity and ecosystem services. While abundant evidence demonstrates that heavy grazing alters the ecosystem structure and function of grasslands, research on how grazing specifically affects ecosystem functioning and stoichiometry on broad scales is scarce because of a lack of adequate ungrazed reference sites. 2. We examined the effects of grazing on ecosystem functioning and C : N : P stoichiometry across a precipitation gradient along the 700 km China–Mongolia transect (CMT), covering three community types: meadow steppe, typical steppe and desert steppe. 3. Long-term grazing has dramatically altered the C, N and P pools and stoichiometry of steppe ecosystems along the CMT. Grazing reduced the C, N and P pools in above-ground biomass and litter, while the responses in below-ground biomass and soil C, N and P pools to grazing differed substantially among community types. 4. Grazing increased N content and decreased C : N ratios in all plant compartments, suggesting accelerated N cycling. The altered C : N : P stoichiometry may be explained by changes in the composition of species and functional groups as well as increased foliar N and P contents for the same species in grazed communities. 5. Synthesis and applications. Plant stoichiometric responses to grazing ranged from large in the meadow steppe to small in the typical steppe to generally insignificant in the desert steppe, implying that different underlying mechanisms operated along the regional precipitation gradient. Our findings suggest that reducing the stocking rate and restoring the vastly degraded steppes are essential to sustain native steppe biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and biological capacity for mitigating the impact of climate change in the Inner Mongolia grassland.
Akademisyenlerin Araştırma Yaparken Ve Yayınlatırken Karşılaştıkları Güçlükler Ve Bunun Üzerinde Doktora Eğitiminin Etkisi

Amac: Bu arastirma, akademisyenlerin arastirma yapma ve yayinlamadaki gucluklerini saptamak amaciyla yapilmistir. Yontem: Tanimlayici turde olan bu arastirma Aralik 2003-Şubat 2004 tarihleri arasinda Ataturk Universitesi Hemsirelik Yuksekokulunda calisan 33 ve Saglik Hizmetleri Yuksekokulunda calisan 12 akademisyen olmak uzere toplam 45 akademisyen He yapilmistir. Arastirma verileri arastirmacilar tarafindan hazirlanan akademisyenlerin arastirma yapma ve yayinlamadaki gucluklerini saptamaya yonelik soru formu ile toplanmistir. Arastirma verilerinin istatistiksel analizi, arastirmacilar tarafindan bilgisayar ortaminda yapilmistir. Verilerin degerlendirilmesinde frekans dagilimi ve ki-kare testleri kullanilmistir.Bulgu/ar: Arastirma sonuclarina gore akademisyenlerin yayin yapma ve yayinlama asamasinda % 95.6'sinin (43) gucluk yasadigi, sadece % 4.4'unun (2) herhangi bir gucluk yasamadigi saptanmistir. Sonuclar ve Oneriler: Akademisyenler arastirma yapma ve yayinlamada yaygin olarak guclukler yasamaktadirlar. Gucluk yasama oranlari doktorasini tamamlamis olanlarda doktorasini tamamlamamis olanlara gore daha dusuktur. Ozellikle ogrenci konumundaki akademisyenler olmak uzerearastirma yapma ve yayinlama asamasinda daha cok destek sistemlerinin olusturulmasi, multidisipliner yaklasimlar onerilebilir.
Comparing proxy and model estimates of hydroclimate variability and change over the Common Era

Water availability is fundamental to societies and ecosystems, but our understanding of variations in hydroclimate (including extreme events, flooding, and decadal periods of drought) is limited because of a paucity of modern instrumental observations that are distributed unevenly across the globe and only span parts of the 20th and 21st centuries. Such data coverage is insufficient for characterizing hydroclimate and its associated dynamics because of its multidecadal to centennial variability and highly regionalized spatial signature. High-resolution (seasonal to decadal) hydroclimatic proxies that span all or parts of the Common Era (CE) and paleoclimate simulations from climate models are therefore important tools for augmenting our understanding of hydroclimate variability. In particular, the comparison of the two sources of information is critical for addressing the uncertainties and limitations of both while enriching each of their interpretations. We review the principal proxy data available for hydroclimatic reconstructions over the CE and highlight the contemporary understanding of how these proxies are interpreted as hydroclimate indicators. We also review the available last-millennium simulations from fully coupled climate models and discuss several outstanding challenges associated with simulating hydroclimate variability and change over the CE. A specific review of simulated hydroclimatic changes forced by volcanic events is provided, as is a discussion of expected improvements in estimated radiative forcings, models, and their implementation in the future. Our review of hydroclimatic proxies and last-millennium model simulations is used as the basis for articulating a variety of considerations and best practices for how to perform proxy–model comparisons of CE hydroclimate. This discussion provides a framework for how best to evaluate hydroclimate variability and its associated dynamics using these comparisons and how they can better inform interpretations of both proxy data and model simulations. We subsequently explore means of using proxy–model comparisons to better constrain and characterize future hydroclimate risks. This is explored specifically in the context of several examples that demonstrate how proxy–model comparisons can be used to quantitatively constrain future hydroclimatic risks as estimated from climate model projections.
A Unified Framework for Structured Low-rank Matrix Learning

We propose a novel optimization framework for learning a low-rank matrix which is also constrained to lie in a linear subspace. Exploiting the duality theory, we present a factorization that decouples the low-rank and structural constraints onto separate factors. The optimization problem is formulated on the Riemannian spectrahedron manifold, where the Riemannian framework allows to develop computationally efficient conjugate gradient and trust-region algorithms. Our approach easily accommodates popular non-smooth loss functions, e.g., L1-loss, and our algorithms are scalable to large-scale problem instances. The numerical comparisons show that our algorithms outperform state-of-the-art in standard, robust, and non-negative matrix completion, Hankel matrix learning, and multi-task feature learning problems on various benchmarks.
Holistic processing of hierarchical structures in connectionist networks

Despite the success of connectionist systems to model some aspects of cognition, critics argue that the lack of symbol processing makes them inadequate for modelling high-level cognitive tasks which require the representation and processing of hierarchical structures. In this thesis we investigate four mechanisms for encoding hierarchical structures in distributed representations that are suitable for processing in connectionist systems: Tensor Product Representation, Recursive Auto-Associative Memory (RAAM), Holographic Reduced Representation (HRR), and Binary Spatter Code (BSC). In these four schemes representations of hierarchical structures are either learned in a connectionist network or constructed by means of various mathematical operations from binary or real-value vectors. It is argued that the resulting representations carry structural information without being themselves syntactically structured. The structural information about a represented object is encoded in the position of its representation in a high-dimensional representational space. We use Principal Component Analysis and constructivist networks to show that well-separated clusters consisting of representations for structurally similar hierarchical objects are formed in the representational spaces of RAAMs and HRRs. The spatial structure of HRRs and RAAM representations supports the holistic yet structure-sensitive processing of them. Holistic operations on RAAM representations can be learned by backpropagation networks. However, holistic operators over HRRs, Tensor Products, and BSCs have to be constructed by hand, which is not a desirable situation. We propose two new algorithms for learning holistic transformations of HRRs from examples. These algorithms are able to generalise the acquired knowledge to hierarchical objects of higher complexity than the training examples. Such generalisations exhibit systematicity of a degree which, to our best knowledge, has not yet been achieved by any other comparable learning method. Finally, we outline how a number of holistic transformations can be learned in parallel and applied to representations of structurally different objects. The ability to distinguish and perform a number of different structure-sensitive operations is one step towards a connectionist architecture that is capable of modelling complex high-level cognitive tasks such as natural language processing and logical inference.
Behavioral evidence for a female‐produced sex attractant in Diaphorina citri

Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) is an important worldwide pest of citrus. It vectors three phloem‐restricted bacteria in the genus Candidatus Liberibacter that cause huanglongbing (citrus greening disease). Studies were conducted to examine the behavioral responses of male and female D. citri to conspecifics of the same and opposite sex, with and without associated citrus host plants, in both open‐air arena choice assays and Y‐tube olfactometer assays. Virgin and mated male D. citri colonized citrus plants that were currently or had been previously colonized by virgin or mated female D. citri in greater numbers than control plants without females. However, males or females did not accumulate more on plants colonized by conspecifics of the same sex compared to uninfested plants, and females showed no preference for plants pre‐infested with males compared with uninfested controls. In complementary Y‐tube olfactometer assays, virgin and mated males chose arms with odor sources from mated females compared with blank controls in the absence of associated citrus host plant volatiles. In both behavioral assays, mated female D. citri appeared more attractive than virgin females. The vibrational calling behavior of male D. citri was reduced when males were challenged by the odors of conspecific mated females relative to when males were challenged by the odor of other males. Collectively, our results provide behavioral evidence for a female‐produced volatile sex attractant pheromone in D. citri. Future identification and synthesis of a sex attractant pheromone will be an important contribution to current monitoring and management practices for D. citri.
Comparison of Compensation Mechanism Between an NMR Gyroscope and an SERF Gyroscope

Through analysis of the compensation mechanism of nuclear-magnetic-resonance (NMR) gyroscope and spin-exchange-relaxation-free (SERF) gyroscope, we demonstrate that there is a common model for these two kinds of an atomic rotation rate sensor. The output signals of NMR and SERF gyroscopes are compared directly, which provides a guidance for the scheme choosing and optimization of atomic gyroscope. The input-output relation of both gyroscopes is given, which can be used to analyze the contributions of different error sources.
Influence of gender role on internet usage pattern at home among academicians

The paper examines gender differences in Internet usage pattern among male and female academicians. Internet usage pattern covers items such as knowledge and experience on the Internet, purpose of using Internet and frequency of using e-mail. The paper also examines the influence of gender role on Internet usage pattern. The data of this qualitative study were based on interviews with five academicians in a private university in Malaysia. The study shows that gender role to certain extent does influence Internet usage pattern at home. Women are seen to have more limitations compared to men to access to the Internet at any time due to family commitment.
Reliability assessment by virtual prototyping of MEMS tunable Fabry-Perot optical cavity

A concept, virtual prototyping, is proposed. This means to simulate the behaviour of the future product even at the design phase. Based on the concurrent engineering approach, virtual prototyping requires extensive knowledge about the involved failure mechanism and its dependence on technological factors and on the functioning environment. In the paper, virtual prototyping is used for a tunable Fabry-Perot cavity for optical applications, which is a resonant micro cavity composed by two flat, parallel, high quality mirrors, separated by a variable gap. The movable membrane (mirror) is electrostatically actuated. The results demonstrate that the reliability of the device may be monitored even at the design phase by choosing appropriately the structure parameters.
A FORMAL METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING DISTINCT STATES OF VARIABILITY IN TIME-VARYING SOURCES: SGR A* AS AN EXAMPLE

Continuously time variable sources are often characterized by their power spectral density and flux distribution. These quantities can undergo dramatic changes over time if the underlying physical processes change. However, some changes can be subtle and not distinguishable using standard statistical approaches. Here, we report a methodology that aims to identify distinct but similar states of time variability. We apply this method to the Galactic supermassive black hole, where 2.2 μm flux is observed from a source associated with Sgr A* and where two distinct states have recently been suggested. Our approach is taken from mathematical finance and works with conditional flux density distributions that depend on the previous flux value. The discrete, unobserved (hidden) state variable is modeled as a stochastic process and the transition probabilities are inferred from the flux density time series. Using the most comprehensive data set to date, in which all Keck and a majority of the publicly available Very Large Telescope data have been merged, we show that Sgr A* is sufficiently described by a single intrinsic state. However, the observed flux densities exhibit two states: noise dominated and source dominated. Our methodology reported here will prove extremely useful to assess the effects of the putative gas cloud G2 that is on its way toward the black hole and might create a new state of variability.
Ultra-low latency continuous block-parallel stream windowing using FPGA on-chip memory

In this paper, we propose and demonstrate a real-time ultra-fast multi-data stream processing methodology on FPGA called “SWIM” (Stream Windowing on Interleaved Memory). The method exploits the flexible on-chip block memory fabric on existing FPGA architectures to achieve ultra-low-latency and fully pipelined continuous data flow while maintaining linear spatial locality of data for efficient data addressing and processing. The SWIM method is directly applicable to many practical applications such as real-time stencil computing, streaming image data processing, as well as closed loop-control systems that require ultra-low latency interleaved access and processing of high-speed sensor data. We demonstrate two practical cases on actual FPGA for generic 3-by-3 2-D convolution filter and image super-resolution method using pixel interleaving. Both memory usage and latency scales linearly with window height, or width of the 2-D input data set. The generic implementation of SWIM on FPGA showed impressive worst-case operation frequency of 410 MHz and uses 9. 0χ and 5. 6χ less Register and LUT resources respectively compared with a high-level synthesis solution.
Should we use the shorter Thai‐version quality of life and symptoms questionnaires in women with overactive bladder?

The aim of this study was to test: (i) the validation and reliability of the Thai versions of overactive bladder (OAB) questionnaires (the 8‐item and 3‐item Overactive Bladder Symptoms Score questionnaires [OAB‐v8 and OAB‐v3, respectively] and the Overactive Bladder Questionnaire [OAB‐q]); and (ii) the correlation of the OAB‐v8, OAB‐v3, and the single‐question Quality of Life Questionnaire (1‐QoL) to the OAB‐q in Thai women with OAB.
The automatic modeling of complex functions based on gene expression programming

In this paper, we apply gene expression programming to the automatic modeling of complex function. In our programs, the complex functions are expressed by multi-layer tree. The genetic operators such as mutation, transposition, recombination and termination conditions are designed respectively. Furthermore, we give two examples, whose results show that the models set up by gene expression programming are better than the models set up by genetic programming.
Prosecutorial Discretion in Mutual Fund Settlement Negotiations, 2003-7

Abstract This paper examines the negotiated settlements of 20 market timing and late trading cases, comparing the restitution obtained for shareholders with an estimate of shareholder dilution. This restitution ratio varies from 0.04 to 5, or from 0.1 to 10 if penalties are included. While some of this variation is explained by differences in the defendants' conduct, controlling for this, settlement negotiations that involved New York as well as the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) resulted in restitution ratios that were higher by a factor of 5-10. An analysis that uses the firms' headquarters location and customers' state of residence as instruments for New York's involvement suggests that this difference is causal, and not the result of New York involving itself in cases likely to lead to large settlements. Given the much larger staff and institutional expertise of the SEC, it is likely that these differences in outcomes are due to differences in effective aggressiveness, not prosecutorial resources. Differences in aggressiveness are consistent with popular conceptions of the regulators' career concerns, as well as with theories of industry focus and regulatory capture.
Wind farm detection using weather radar

This paper describes the influence of echoes from wind farm to weather radar. Currently, the echoes from the wind farm located in radar operational range are causing interferences. These interference and signal disturbances are processed by the radar and on high level signal products visible for the operator there are fake images of clouds, rains, storms in wind farm location. In this paper the authors will show results of processing raw weather radar data on which the presence of the wind farm is observed.
Accelerating T2 mapping using structured sparse representation

We propose a new T2 mapping method to improve the CS reconstruction based on the theory of structured sparse representation. The proposed method learns the PCA sub-dictionaries for adaptive sparse representation and suppresses the sparse coding noise to obtain good reconstructions. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method capable of delivering state-of-the-art performance at CS reconstruction and T2 mapping.
A New Species of Snake in the Genus Contia (Squamata: Colubridae) from California and Oregon

Abstract We describe Contia longicaudae, a new colubroid snake from California and Oregon, USA. Because C. longicaudae differs only subtly from the nominate species, C. tenuis, it has long been overlooked. However, genetic and morphological data readily distinguish C. longicaudae as distinct from C. tenuis. Contia longicaudae is genetically cohesive, possesses a greater number of caudal scales, a proportionately longer tail, and tends to be larger overall with more pronounced dorso-lateral stripes and a more muted ventral coloration than C. tenuis. Contia longicaudae also occurs in more mesic and well-shaded habitats than C. tenuis. Both forms appear to be broadly parapatric throughout much of northwestern California, and a few areas of sympatry have already been identified, particularly in southwestern Oregon, but the two species have not yet been found syntopically. Our data also reveal additional structure within C. tenuis; populations from the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains form an incipient lineage that warrants further investigation. The genetic and morphological subdivisions identified here allow future evolutionary and ecological studies, and conservations efforts, to focus on distinct evolutionary units within Contia.
From drought to flooding: understanding the abrupt 2010–11 hydrological annual cycle in the Amazonas River and tributaries

In this work we document and analyze the hydrological annual cycles characterized by a rapid transition between low and high flows in the Amazonas River (Peruvian Amazon) and we show how these events, which may impact vulnerable riverside residents, are related to regional climate variability. Our analysis is based on comprehensive discharge, rainfall and average suspended sediment data sets. Particular attention is paid to the 2010–11 hydrological year, when an unprecedented abrupt transition from the extreme September 2010 drought (8300 m3 s−1) to one of the four highest discharges in April 2011 (49 500 m3 s−1) was recorded at Tamshiyacu (Amazonas River). This unusual transition is also observed in average suspended sediments. Years with a rapid increase in discharge are characterized by negative sea surface temperature anomalies in the central equatorial Pacific during austral summer, corresponding to a La Niña-like mode. It originates a geopotential height wave train over the subtropical South Pacific and southeastern South America, with a negative anomaly along the southern Amazon and the southeastern South Atlantic convergence zone region. As a consequence, the monsoon flux is retained over the Amazon and a strong convergence of humidity occurs in the Peruvian Amazon basin, favoring high rainfall and discharge. These features are also reported during the 2010–11 austral summer, when an intense La Niña event characterized the equatorial Pacific.
CHANGES IN A STREAM’S PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL CONDITIONS FOLLOWING LIVESTOCK EXCLUSION

Runoff from dairy cow pastures can degrade the quality of surface waters. Weekly grab samples were collected for 7.5 years from a small stream draining a 56.7–ha, mostly dairy cow pasture and analyzed for fecal coliform and enterococci (streptococci). In situ measurements of pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, conductivity, and turbidity were made during most grab sampling events. Fecal coliform and enterococci levels for samples collected during the 2.25 years prior to the installation of livestock exclusion fencing were more than 300% greater at the downstream monitoring station compared to the upstream station. After fencing, fecal coliform and enterococci levels decreased 65.9% and 57.0%, respectively. The decreased bacteria levels were significantly different, indicating that livestock exclusion fencing was effective at reducing bacteria levels in the stream. While the levels of dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, and specific conductivity downstream relative to upstream following fencing generally documented improved water quality, the changes were not statistically significant. Conversely, decreases in turbidity and suspended sediment levels following fencing were significantly different. Levels of most of the physical parameters and bacteria were not significantly different at the upstream monitoring site following the installation of the alternate water supply in the pasture upstream. Thus, the alternate water supply, without fencing, was not effective at improving water quality in the upper pasture.