Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
NONBREEDING HABITAT OCCUPANCY AND POPULATION PROCESSES: AN UPGRADE EXPERIMENT WITH A MIGRATORY BIRD

Evidence is accumulating that winter habitats occupied by migratory birds produce differences in individual condition that can carry over into subsequent stages of the annual cycle. Despite strong observational evidence, experimental work is needed to strengthen support for this hypothesis. We experimentally upgraded individual American Redstarts (Setophaga ruticilla) from low-quality second-growth scrub habitat to high-quality mangrove forest habitat by permanently removing behaviorally dominant, primarily adult males from mangrove, allowing females and immature males from scrub to colonize vacated territories. Prior to the manipulation, upgraded and control redstarts had stable-carbon isotope values in their blood indicative of scrub habitat occupancy and were comparable in body mass. Relative to control birds that overwintered exclusively in scrub, upgraded redstarts incorporated mangrove isotopic signatures, maintained body mass from winter to spring, departed earlier on spring migration, and returned at a higher rate in the following winter. Furthermore, insect biomass on upgrade territories was significantly greater than on control territories, suggesting food availability as a proximate mechanism underlying gradients of nonbreeding habitat suitability. Findings here demonstrate that winter habitat occupancy can be an important determinant of individual performance in migratory birds. Restricted access to food-rich winter habitats may limit survival of females and immature males, an outcome that could be an important driver of population structure and dynamics.
Role of vegetation in determining carbon sequestration along ecological succession in the southeastern United States

Vegetation plays a central role in controlling terrestrial carbon (C) exchange, but quantifying its impacts on C cycling on time scales of ecological succession is hindered by a lack of long‐term observations. The net ecosystem exchange of carbon (NEE) was measured for several years in adjacent ecosystems that represent distinct phases of ecological succession in the southeastern USA. The experiment was designed to isolate the role of vegetation – apart from climate and soils – in controlling biosphere–atmosphere fluxes of CO2 and water vapor. NEE was near zero over 5 years at an early successional old‐field ecosystem (OF). However, mean annual NEE was nearly equal, approximately −450 g C m−2 yr−1, at an early successional planted pine forest (PP) and a late successional hardwood forest (HW) due to the sensitivity of the former to drought and ice storm damage. We hypothesize that these observations can be explained by the relationships between gross ecosystem productivity (GEP), ecosystem respiration (RE) and canopy conductance, and long‐term shifts in ecosystem physiology in response to climate to maintain near‐constant ecosystem‐level water‐use efficiency (EWUE). Data support our hypotheses, but future research should examine if GEP and RE are causally related or merely controlled by similar drivers. At successional time scales, GEP and RE observations generally followed predictions from E. P. Odum's ‘Strategy of Ecosystem Development’, with the surprising exception that the relationship between GEP and RE resulted in large NEE at the late successional HW. A practical consequence of this research suggests that plantation forestry may confer no net benefit over the conservation of mature forests for C sequestration.
FACTORS AFFECTING BURNOUT, STRESS MANAGEMENT, AND JOB SATISFACTION OF HEALTH PROFESSIONALS: A COMPARISON OF OCCUPATION GROUPS FROM ISTANBUL

The importance of employees with low-burnout tendency, who are highly motivated, satisfied, and healthy, and can cope with stress in a complicated multidisciplinary service sector such as health, is vital. This study covers all healthcare workers and it is aimed at making comparisons in terms of the factors affecting stress management, burnout and job satisfaction in occupational groups. Frequency analysis, independent sample tests, One-way ANOVA and Pearson Correlation Analysis were used for 1237 health professional participants in Istanbul. The results show that the gender is not a significant factor in total burnout tendency rate; but the emotional burnout, personal success, marital status, age, educational background, monthly income and future concerns are effective in sub-dimensional rates. As far as the difference related to occupation is concerned; in all sub-dimensions of the field; nurses; managerial, technical and assistive personnel of health, except doctors, burnout rate has different results and these differences arise from the doctors. As may be expected, doctors’ personal accomplishment average is the highest. Among all sub-dimensions the lowest averages of “Emotional Exhaustion” belong to supporting health personnel. In terms of both endogenous and extraneous satisfaction, whereas doctors have the highest average, the lowest average belongs to health support services employees. In terms of security the difference arises from doctors again whereas the highest average of secure approach belongs to doctors and the lowest belongs to health care technicians. The regulations based on the identified factors using the results obtained will ensure prosperity for both patients and healthcare workers.
A literature review on optimal indirect taxation and the uniformity debate

A review of the theoretical literature on optimal indirect taxation reveals that analytical arguments in favor of uniform indirect taxation seem rather weak and unrealistic; hence determining the optimal tax structure remains an empirical issue. However, reviewing the empirical-computational studies pub¬lished so far, shows that most of them operate under rather restrictive and simplistic frameworks. There is little computational support for uniformity, particularly when the models approach real world com¬plexity. It appears that in a many-consumer economy, differentiated and progressive indirect taxation is likely to be the optimal solution
The spectral drop problem

We consider spectral optimization problems of the form $$\min\Big\{\lambda_1(\Omega;D):\ \Omega\subset D,\ |\Omega|=1\Big\},$$ where $D$ is a given subset of the Euclidean space $\mathbb{R}^d$. Here $\lambda_1(\Omega;D)$ is the first eigenvalue of the Laplace operator $-\Delta$ with Dirichlet conditions on $\partial\Omega\cap D$ and Neumann or Robin conditions on $\partial\Omega\cap\partial D$. The equivalent variational formulation $$\lambda_1(\Omega;D)=\min\left\{\int_\Omega|\nabla u|^2\,dx+k\int_{\partial D}u^2\,d\mathcal{H}^{d-1}\ :\ u\in H^1(D),\ u=0\hbox{ on }\partial\Omega\cap D,\ \|u\|_{L^2(\Omega)}=1\right\}$$ reminds the classical drop problems, where the first eigenvalue replaces the total variation functional. We prove an existence result for general shape cost functionals and we show some qualitative properties of the optimal domains.
Weed Nitrogen Uptake as Influenced by Nitrogen Rates at Early Corn (Zea mays L.) Growth Stages

The effect of nitrogen (N) levels on N uptake by high weed densities at early growth stages of corn ( Zea mays L., CV. Double Cross 370) was investigated for two years (20082009) at the Agricultural Research Station of Shiraz University. The experiment was arranged in a split-plot arrangement in the randomized complete blocks design with three replications. Two levels of weed control (weedy and weed free) and three levels of preplanting N (0, 50, and 90 kg ha -1 ) were employed as main and subplots, respectively. One month after crop sowing, total weed species were determined and shoot dry weights of both corn and weeds were measured. The highest weed biomass and N uptake by weeds were obtained from the application of 50 kg N ha -1 . In the first year of the study, average N content of weed seedlings grown at any rates were not significantly different, whereas in the second year, N content of the weeds in the zero N plot was 31 and 39 % less than the weeds grown in 50 and 90 kg N ha -1 applied plots, respectively. Higher uptake of N by weeds, especially redroot pigweed ( Amaranthus retroflexus ) at the early corn growth stage is an important issue for crop-weed competition.
Arthropod community structure along a latitudinal gradient: Implications for future impacts of climate change

The structure of free-living arthropod communities on the foliage of Acacia falcata was assessed along an extensive latitudinal gradient in eastern Australia. We hypothesized that abundance and biomass of arthropods within feeding groups would increase from temperate latitudes towards the tropics. We also hypothesized that the ratio of carnivores to herbivores would be consistent along the latitudinal gradient. Three sites at each of four latitudes, spanning 9 ∞ and 1150 km (Batemans Bay, Sydney, Grafton, Gympie in Australia), were sampled every season for 2 years, using pyrethrum knockdown. Abundance and biomass (based on dry weight) of arthropods within eight feeding groups were measured. The relative size of the feeding groups, and the ratio of carnivores to herbivores were then compared among latitudes and seasons. We found no consistent north to south (tropical to temperate) change in feeding group structure in terms of abundance. A weak latitudinal trend was evident for predator biomass, consisting of a reduction from north to south, but no significant trends in biomass for other feeding groups were found. Relative abundance and relative biomass of both carnivores and herbivores, as well as the ratio of carnivores to herbivores were consistent among latitudes. Finally, we compared a subset of these data to arthropod communities found on congeneric host species at individual sites along the latitudinal gradient. Overall, 68% of comparisons showed no significant differences in abundance or biomass within different feeding groups between host plants and among latitudes. We conclude that arthropod communities show consistencies among latitudes and between congeneric host species, in terms of feeding group and trophic structure. These results have implications for predicting the impacts of future climate change on arthropod communities.
Genetic Resource of the Resistance of Vicia faba L. against the Black Bean Aphid, Aphis fabae Scopoli

The Black bean aphid Aphis fabae Scopoli (Homoptera: Aphididae) is a serious pest of faba bean, Vicia faba L. (Fabaceae) in Algeria. The use of resistant cultivars may reduce the impact of this pest on broad bean production and at the same time reduce environmental risks and control costs. The level of resistance of fourteen cultivars of broad bean, Vicia faba was screened in the field against the main aphid pest of faba bean, the Black bean aphid, Aphis fabae Scopoli during January to April 2011 in Biskra region (in the east of Algeria). Among the cultivars tested, six cultivars (1, 9, 12, 13, 14 and 15) were the most resistant in the three counts, while three cultivars (4, 6 and 11) were showed a high susceptibility against this aphid at least once. The remainder of cultivars (3, 5, 7, 8 and 10) revealed an unsettled level of resistance. The relationship between the level of resistance and morphological characters of cultivars indicated that the resistant cultivars have a longer leaflet than the high susceptible cultivars. In the other hand, the statistical analysis showed that no significant differences on the plant height and the leaflet width in the tow category of cultivars (resistant and high susceptible).
Direct Field-Oriented Control of Six-Phase Induction Motor with Fuzzy-Logic Speed Controller

Abstract The paper presents a Direct Field-Oriented Control (DFOC) of six-phase induction motor with Fuzzy-Logic speed controller. Mathematical models of the six-phase squirrel-cage induction motor and the six-phase voltage source inverter have been presented. A method of space vector modulation used to control a six-phase voltage source inverter has been described. Simulation studies of the DFOC with Fuzzy-Logic speed controller have been carried out and the results presented and discussed.
2 Credit Frictions in General Eqilibrium

In the literature collateral constraints with non-contingent lending rates amplify business cycles. In particular, in recession resources redistribute from more e ective borrowers to less e ective lenders, which leads to deeper recession. We show that statecontingent interest rates prevent this redistribution. While moral hazard is a source for collateral constraints, contract complexity prevents the agents using optimal state contingent contract and interest rate reliefs. We develop a model that captures these phenomena by introducing a complexity penalty for adjustable rate contracts. We then show that complexity penalty is proportional to the cyclical di erence between stochastic discount factors, and ampli cation monotonically increases with complexity penalty as agents move towards xed rate contracts.
Controlled School Choice

Controlled choice over public schools is a common policy of school boards in the United States. It attempts giving choice to parents while maintaining the racial and ethnic balance at schools. None of the papers in education and in school choice describes how in practice to assign students to schools while complying with desegregation guidelines. In this paper, we provide a foundation for controlled school choice programs. We develop a natural notion of fairness, which is crucial in any school choice program, and show the following results: on the positive side assignments, which are fair for same type students and constrained non-wasteful, always exist in controlled choice problems; a “controlled” version of the student proposing deferred acceptance algorithm (CDAA) always finds such an assignment which is also weakly Pareto-optimal; on the negative side it is impossible to design a mechanism which is fair for same type students, constrained non-wasteful and incentive compatible. CDAA provides a practical solution for controlled school choice programs. JEL C78, D61, D78, I20.
Visual Detection in Linked Multi-Component Robotic Systems

In this chapter, a system to identify the different elements of a Linked Multi-Component Robotic System (L-MCRS) is specified, designed, and implemented. A L-MCRS is composed of several independent robots and a linking element between them which provide a greater complexity to these systems. The identification system is used to model each component of the L-MCRS using very basic information about each of the individual components. So, different state models that have been used in several works of the literature that have been reviewed can be covered. The chapter explains the design of the system and shows its frontend. This work is the first step towards a realistic implementation of L-MCRS.
Hybrid Speckle Noise Reduction Method for Abdominal Circumference Segmentation of Fetal Ultrasound Images

Fetal biometric size such as abdominal circumference (AC) is used to predict fetal weight or gestational age in ultrasound images. The automatic biometric measurement can improve efficiency in the ultrasonography examination workflow. The unclear boundaries of the abdomen image and the speckle noise presence are the challenges for the automated AC measurement techniques. The main problem to improve the accuracy of the automatic AC segmentation is how to remove noise while retaining the boundary features of objects. In this paper, we proposed a hybrid ultrasound image denoising framework which was a combination of spatial-based filtering method and multiresolution based method. In this technique, an ultrasound image was decomposed into subbands using wavelet transform. A thresholding technique and the anisotropic diffusion method were applied to the detail subbands, at the same time the bilateral filtering modified the approximation subband. The proposed denoising approach had the best performance in the edge preservation level and could improve the accuracy of the abdominal circumference segmentation.
Improving Louvain Algorithm for Community Detection

Community is one of the important characteristics of reality network, which can effectively reflect the inner information of network and the relation among nodes. For the division of the community there already had many effective algorithms, the Louvain algorithm based modularity is a more popular community discovery algorithm because it can divide network into different hierarchical community structure quickly and efficiently. But, with the increasing size of network, the Louvain algorithm still has a serious problem that has relatively high time complexity in handling massive data. Faced with this situation, in this paper we ensure the merit of the Louvain algorithm and combine with the LPA algorithm which has advantage of effectiveness, proposing an improved algorithm integrating the Louvain algorithm with the LPA algorithm. Through later experiments, the improved algorithm can obviously decrease time complexity, reduce execution time, and ensure the result accuracy compared to original Louvain algorithm.
Effortful Control and Academic Achievement in Rural China

ABSTRACT Research Findings: This study investigated the relationships between effortful control and early literacy and mathematics achievement. A total of 181 children (85 girls and 96 boys) from rural China were assessed when they were in Grades 1 and 2. Path analyses controlling for maternal education indicated that effortful control at the beginning of Grade 1 predicted incremental achievement in literacy and mathematics at the end of Grade 1 and mathematics achievement at the end of Grade 2. Growth in effortful control during Grade 1 also contributed significantly to the prediction of both literacy and mathematics achievement at the end of Grade 2. Although girls performed significantly better than boys in literacy achievement, gender did not moderate the relationships between effortful control and literacy and mathematics achievement. Practice or Policy: Children’s effortful control appears to be an important predictor of early literacy and mathematics achievement. Findings suggest that children’s effortful control should be fostered during the preschool and early years of formal schooling, and this can be done in both home and school contexts.
Unsupervised Support Vector Machine Based Principal Component Analysis for Structural Health Monitoring

Summary Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is concerned with identifying damage based on measurements obtained from structures being monitored. For the civil structures exposed to time-varying environmental and operational conditions, it is inevitablethat environmental and operationalvariabilityproduces an adverse effect on the dynamic behaviors of the structures. Since the signals are measured under theinfluenceof thesevaryingconditions,normalizing thedatato distinguishthe effects of damage from those caused by the environmental and operational variations is important in order to achieve successful structural health monitoring goals. In this paper, kernel principal component analysis (kernel PCA) using unsupervised supportvector machineis developed and incorporated witha timepredictionmodel for data normalization by characterizing the relationshipbetween the extracted features and an unmeasured environmental parameter. This method performs a nonlinear principal component analysis by using kernel functions in high-dimensional feature spaces without involving computationally expensive nonlinear optimization. The advantages of the proposed method are demonstrated using a numerical example with comparison results obtained by applying an autoassociative neural network.
Determination of iodine and sodium content in fermented meat products purchased in the Czech Republic- a pilot study

Iodine deficiency is still one of acute global public health problems. The best strategy to ensure its required amount in human population is salt fortification with potassium iodate or iodide. Food industry plays an important role in supporting good health status of consumers. Using iodized salt in meat production is not mandatory in the Czech Republic. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate a group of salty meat products - fermented meats purchased in the Czech Republic in terms of iodine and sodium content. Totally 36 samples purchased in 9 major retail chains, produced in 9 different European countries were analyzed by spectrophotometric methods. As the results show, the use of iodinated salt was obvious only among Czech producers. The application of iodinated and marine salt does not mean that those products are a good source of iodine. Consumers should be more informed about iodine and sodium content in food. They should also be more aware about the health impact of high sodium intake. This pilot study compares iodine and sodium content in this type of meat products produced in different European countries but purchased in the Czech Republic. Iodised salt, meat products, health, food, monitoring
A Cognitive Analysis of the English Existential Construction from the Perspective of Iconicity

For the purpose of seeking the underlying motivations of the English existential construction, this paper first constructs the English representations of Idealized Cognitive Model construction pattern of existential construction and then , based on the theory of iconicity, attempts to explain the internal language structure from the external factors by exploring four kinds of mapping relationship between the linguistic structure of the English existential construction and the conceptual structure it represents, accordingly, to find out the cognitive motivations of the English existential construction forming. It can also make us grasp the nature of this language construction and better understand the construction forming motivations of this universal complex construction of almost all the human languages.
Along‐axis hydrothermal flow at the axis of slow spreading Mid‐Ocean Ridges: Insights from numerical models of the Lucky Strike vent field (MAR)

The processes and efficiency of hydrothermal heat extraction along the axis of mid‐ocean ridges are controlled by lithospheric thermal and permeability structures. Hydrothermal circulation models based on the structure of fast and intermediate spreading ridges predict that hydrothermal cell organization and vent site distribution are primarily controlled by the thermodynamics of high‐temperature mid‐ocean ridge hydrothermal fluids. Using recent constraints on shallow structure at the slow spreading Lucky Strike segment along the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge, we present a physical model of hydrothermal cooling that incorporates the specificities of a magma‐rich slow spreading environment. Using three‐dimensional numerical models, we show that, in contrast to the aforementioned models, the subsurface flow at Lucky Strike is primarily controlled by across‐axis permeability variations. Models with across‐axis permeability gradients produce along‐axis oriented hydrothermal cells and an alternating pattern of heat extraction highs and lows that match the distribution of microseismic clusters recorded at the Lucky Strike axial volcano. The flow is also influenced by temperature gradients at the base of the permeable hydrothermal domain. Although our models are based on the structure and seismicity of the Lucky Strike segment, across‐axis permeability gradients are also likely to occur at faster spreading ridges and these results may also have important implications for the cooling of young crust at fast and intermediate spreading centers.