Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fire-bark beetle interactions: Exploring links between fire injury, resin defenses, and beetle-induced mortality in ponderosa pine forests

Fire-Bark Beetle Interactions: Exploring Links Between Fire Injury, Resin Defenses, and Beetle-Induced Mortality in Ponderosa Pine Forests Daniel D. B. Perrakis Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Professor Emeritus James K. Agee College of Forest Resources Following a century of fire exclusion, ponderosa pine {Pinus ponderosa Laws. , TP') forests of Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, are in a condition of poor forest health. Prescribed fire has been used to restore old PP stands, but often with counterproductive effects, including widespread bark beetle (Coleoptera: scolytidae) attacks observed following fires. A series of experiments was designed to assess the effects of fire on PP oleoresin flow (OF), believed to be the main defense against beetle attacks. The restoration problem provided the experimental setting, while findings were discussed in the context of a modern plant defense theory, the GrowthDifferentiation Balance (GDB). Monitoring of large PP mortality after spring and fall burns suggested that beetle activity and PP mortality were related to fire intensity and tree vigor. Both mortality and OF were greatest in hot fall burns, lower in cool spring burns, and least in controls; OF was also positively related to vigor. Additional experiments on polesized individuals nearby tested the effects of mechanical injuries on resin. OF responses after bole charring, but not trenching or pruning, were similar to those after burning. The post-fire response consisted of a short-term (2-4 weeks) post-fire OF decrease, followed by OF recovery by ~4 weeks and possible increase above pretreatment levels within ~8 weeks. Mid-summer OF remained elevated after fire for 23 years in pole-sized PP and 4+ years in old-growth trees. There was also equivocal evidence after burning for increases in resin volatile emissions. Physiological influences on OF were discussed in the context of carbon allocation. The GDB hypothesis appeared overly simplistic for explaining the shortand long-term variability in OF in Pinus. Increased OF after fire appears to be a generalized response to bole injury. This study suggests that carbon allocation to resin defenses is complex and not easily assessed by simple OF measurements. Commonly accepted ideas regarding PP resin defenses are invalid in the case of fireinjury, as both OF and mortality increased among burned trees despite heightened resin defenses. Induced or enhanced attraction of beetles following fire is suggested as the main mechanism for explaining post-fire beetle responses. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page List of Figures iii List of Tables iv
Stimulation of Human Innate Immune Defenses by Bacteria in vitro

The microflora is essential for immune education and amplification of lymphoid effector cells, mainly at the mucosal level. It is well documented that the efficacy of the mucosal immune system can be significantly impaired in germ-free animals. In this study the bacteria used as antigens (mitogen) to the stimulation of human immune cells in vitro . Gram-positive Streptococci spp and gram-negative Escherichia coli was investigated. The stimulation of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells by the various bacterial strains induced a differential cytokine pattern. Streptococci and E. coli significantly (P ≤ 0.001) induced gamma interferon (IFN- ) and interleukin-12 (IL-12). All bacteria mediated the proliferation of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Proliferate activity of lymphocytes was observed when mitogens were added. The MTT is employed to assess the response of lymphocytes to a mitogen. Bacteria and PHA was effective in inducing the MTT index of lymphocytes. Therefore, PHA, gram-positive bacteria, and gram-negative bacteria showed a high significant (P ≤ 0.001) increased percentage of MTT index (96.4, 88.2 and 74.7 %, respectively) as compared to control subjects (42.5%) with no treatment.
PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF EMOTIONS DUE TO THE COMMUNICATION IN SOCIAL NETWORKS

The emerg ing so cial net works like Facebook and Twit ter with their huge pop u lar ity pro duce a strong im pact to our life. The study of hu man emo tions by means of bioelectrical sig nals and psychometrics has a long his tory, but the data for an in flu ence of Web-based so cial net works is still scarce and spe cific meth ods are lack ing. We tried to as sem ble an ad-hoc meth od ol ogy for ex plor ing emo tions of a Facebook pi lot group of us ers im ple ment ing time-fre quency spec tral anal y sis (based on S-trans form) and rhythm dy nam ics char ac ter is tics rep re sen ta tion of a com plex set of re corded bioelectrical sig nals with par al lel psychometric tests. The spec tral na ture of the stud ied sig nals sug gests cor re la tion with the emo tions of the Facebook us ers. The ob tained ini tial re sults have shown that the as sem bled meth od ol ogy for bioelectrical sig nals' re cord ing and anal y sis might be a valu able tool for the study of im pact of so cial net works on hu man emo tions and fa cil i ta tion of IT de vel op ments as sess ment and con trol in the in for ma tion so ci ety.
An Examination of Job Satisfaction of Bank Managers According to Extrinsic, Intrinsic, and General Motivational Factors (A Study of Dera Ghazi Khan Division)

Job satisfaction can be defined in many ways, including extrinsic, intrinsic, and general motivation. Such job satisfaction is basically directed to different intrinsic and extrinsic factors that are motivators of employee attitude. Our population included all the branch managers of various banks in Punjab, but we collect data from city banks manager of dg khan. We visit all branches and personally meet with branch manager to given the accurate data about our research through questionnaire. We did factor analysis, Correlation Analysis and Regression Analysis by using statistical software. After doing all analysis we conclude that there is positive relationship between variables (Independent and dependent). Our research is helpful for branch managers and their top management, students and different researcher who are interesting in this field.
Pavement analysis and design

This is a textbook on the structural analysis and design of highway pavements. It presents the theory of pavement design and reviews the methods developed by several organizations, such as the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the Asphalt Institute (AI), and the Portland Cement Association (PCA). It can be used for an undergraduate course by skipping the appendices or as an advanced graduate course by including them. The book is organized in 13 chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the historical development of pavement design, the major road tests, the various design factors, and the differences in design concepts among highway pavements, airport pavements, and railroad trackbeds. Chapter 2 discusses stresses and strains in flexible pavements. Chapter 3 presents the KENLAYER computer program, based on Burmister's layered theory, including theoretical developments, program description, comparison with available solutions, and sensitivity analysis on the effect of various factors on pavement responses. Chapter 4 discusses stresses and deflections in rigid pavements due to curling, loading, and friction, as well as the design of dowels and joints. Influence charts for determining stresses and deflections are also presented. Chapter 5 presents the KENSLABS computer program, based on the finite element method, including theoretical developments, program description, comparison with available solutions, and sensitivity analysis. Chapter 6 discusses the concept of equivalent single-wheel and single-axle loads and the prediction of traffic. Chapter 7 describes the material characterization for mechanistic-empirical methods of pavement design including the determination of resilient modulus, fatigue and permanent deformation properties, and the modulus of subgrade reaction. Chapter 8 outlines the subdrainage design including general principles, drainage materials, and design procedures. Chapter 9 discusses pavement performance including distress, serviceability, skid resistance, nondestructive testing, and the evaluation of pavement performance. Chapter 10 illustrates the reliability concept of pavement design in which the variabilities of traffic, material, and geometric parameters are all taken into consideration. A probabilistic procedure, developed by Rosenblueth, is described and two probabilistic computer programs including VESYS for flexible pavements and PMRPD for rigid pavements are discussed. Chapter 11 outlines an idealistic mechanistic method of flexible pavement design and presents in detail the AI method and the AASHTO method, as well as the design of flexible pavement shoulders. Chapter 12 outlines an idealistic mechanistic method of rigid pavement design and presents in detail the PCA method and the AASHTO method. The design of continuous reinforced concrete pavements and rigid pavement shoulders is also included. Chapter 13 outlines the design of overlay on both flexible and rigid pavements including the AASHTO, AI, and PCA procedures. An Author Index and a Subject Index are provided.
Self-assessment of Consecutive Interpreting by MTI Interpreting Students

Assessing the quality of interpreting practice and conducting targeted training is the key to improving interpreting ability of MTI student interpreters. By reviewing literature on interpreting assessment and self-assessment, the research has decided the parameters for self-assessment of consecutive interpreting practice, developed a self-assessment form and conducted self-assessment of MTI interpreting students for fifteen weeks. Research results show that students have developed awareness of autonomous quality monitoring and improved their overall interpreting ability.
Theoretical study for Coronene and Coronene-Al, B, C, Ga, In and Coronene-O interactions by using Density Functional theory

Molecular structure geometry have been investigated for Coronene and Coronene-Al, B, C, Ga, In and Coronene-O by using Gaussian software at basis set 3-21G, B3LYP level, density functional theory (DFT). Adding the atoms Al, B, C, Ga, In or Oxygen to Coronene change electrons density distribution. Study of the magnetic characterstics shows that some systems like Coronene-Carbon and Coronene-oxygen has the antiferromagnetic charactersti, this type of magnetic properties stands for open shel system which has two type of orbital α and β orbitals. Individual atoms calculations was achieved in order to make a comparison between Coronene and the atoms to demonstrate which of them will behave as a donor or an acceptor. E HOMO , E SOMO , E LUMO , total energy electronegativity and electrophilicity were evaluated for all paradigms under the study. Using DFT to study the symmetry shows that there are two types of point group symmetries C 6h /C 1 and Cs/C 1 . Coronene-Corbon posseses the highest dipole moment value among the samples, it has the value (5.5873 Debye), dipole moment credit is very important to give sight about the internal structure of substances. Calculations of chemical potential shows clearly Al, Ga and In behave as donors, while B, C and O behave as acceptors. Also binding energy study exhibits that Coronene is going to physisorbe on the surface of the atoms B, C and O.
Supporting knowledge creation and sharing in the early phases of the strategic innovation process

Jukka-Pekka Bergman Supporting knowledge creation and sharing in the early phases of the strategic innovation process Lappeenranta 2005 180 p. Acta Universitatis Lappeenrantaensis 212 Diss. Lappeenranta University of Technology ISBN 952-214-060-0, ISBN 952-214-061-9 (PDF), ISSN 1456-4491 The driving forces of technology and globalization continuously transform the business landscape in a way which undermines the existing strategies and innovations of organizations. The challenge for organizations is to establish such conditions where they are able to create new knowledge for innovative business ideas in interaction between other organizations and individuals. Innovation processes continuously need new external stimulations and seek new ideas, new information and knowledge locating more and more outside traditional organizational boundaries. In several studies, the early phases of the innovation process have been considered as the most critical ones. During these phases, the innovation process can emerge or conclude. External knowledge acquirement and utilization are noticed to be important at this stage of the innovation process giving information about the development of future markets and needs for new innovative business ideas. To make it possible, new methods and approaches to manage proactive knowledge creation and sharing activities are needed. In this study, knowledge creation and sharing in the early phases of the innovation process has been studied, and the understanding of knowledge management in the innovation process in an open and collaborative context advanced. Furthermore, the innovation management methods in this study are combined in a novel way to establish an open innovation process and tested in real-life cases. For these purposes two complementary and sequentially applied group work methods – the heuristic scenario method and the idea generation process – are examined by focusing the research on the support of the open knowledge creation and sharing process. The research objective of this thesis concerns two doctrines: the innovation management including the knowledge management, and the futures research concerning the scenario paradigm. This thesis also applies the group decision support system (GDSS) in the idea generation process to utilize the converged knowledge during the scenario process.
Ultrasonic motors : theory and applications

General outline of ultrasonic motors Principles of operation and classification of ultrasonic motors Rotary motors. Part 1: Disk-or ring-type motors Rotary motors. Part 2: Rod-or plate-type motors Linear motors Applications of ultrasonic motors Design of ultrasonic motors Appendix 1: Equivalent circuits of piezoelectric vibrators Appendix 2: Transducers for ultrasonic motors Appendix 3: Measurement methods Appendix 4: Power supply circuits.
High speed IGBT module transient thermal response measurements for model validation

A test system is introduced and applied for validation of dynamic electro-thermal models of multichip insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) modules. The test system operates the IGBT in a pulsed high power active mode with controlled current and voltage. The gate-cathode voltage is used as a time-dependent temperature sensitive parameter (TSP). The TSP is calibrated versus temperature with a temperature controlled test fixture using short pulses that do not result in self heating. It is shown that the temperature calibrations for the TSP must be performed on the same IGBT, and under the same conditions for which a transient measurement is to be made. Heating transient measurements are made for both multiple paralleled chips and for a single isolated chip in the same module. Comparisons between measurements of the single IGBT chip and paralleled chips indicate that current sharing is adequate for high-current, low-voltage heating conditions but is not adequate for high-voltage, low-current conditions. Model validation results indicate good performance of a previously developed IGBT electro-, thermal model for the range of heating rates tested.
Psychological Factors of Metabolic Syndrome

Several factors are involved in the etiology of metabolic syndrome, the most important of which are insulin resistance, obesity (especially abdominal obesity), lipid abnormalities, impaired glucose tolerance, hypertension, pre-inflammatory status, genetic factors, unhealthy lifestyle, trend Rapid urbanization, nutritional factors, inactivity, smoking and hookah smoking, social, economic and cultural factors, level of education, psychosocial stresses and environmental pollution. But psychological factors such as meta-cognitive beliefs, life orientation (optimism, pessimism) and positive and negative emotions, Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis activity, type D personality, depression and anxiety also play a role in causing it.
Comparison of Healthcare Utilization and Out-of-pocket Expenditure for Severe Disease by Health Security System: based on End-stage Renal Disease in South Korea

Background: Korea's health security system named National Health Insurance and Medical Aid has revolutionized the nation's mandatory health insurance and continues to reduce excessive copayments. However, few have been studied on healthcare utilization and expenditure according to the health security system in case of severe disease. This study looked at reverse discrimination within End-Stage Renal Disease between National Health Insurance and Medical Aid. Methods: Subjects were a total of 305 diagnosed with End-Stage Renal Disease in Korea Health Panel from 2008 to 2013. Chi-square, t-test, and ANCOVA were conducted to identify healthcare utilization rate, out-of-pocket expenditure, and catastrophic expenditure rate. Fixed effect panel analysis was used to evaluate total out-of-pocket expenditure over a 6-year trend by National Health Insurance and Medical Aid. Results: There were no significant differences in healthcare utilization rate in emergency-room visits, admission, or out-patient department visits between National Health Insurance and Medical Aid because healthcare service was essential for a serious disease such as End-Stage Renal Disease. Meanwhile, each out-of-pocket expenditure for admission and out-patient department in National Health Insurance was 2.6 and 3.1 times higher than Medical Aid (P<0.05). A total of out-of-pocket expenditure including emergency-room visits, admission, out-patient department visits, and prescribed drug expenditure was 2.9 times higher in National Health Insurance than those of Medical Aid (P<0.001). Over a 6-year trend for a total of out-of-pocket expenditure, subjects with National Health Insurance spent more than those of Medical Aid (P<0.01). If annual household gross income was less than the median and subjects were covered by National Health Insurance, the catastrophic health expenditure rate was 85.9%, but 47.1% in Medical Aid (P<0.001). Conclusion: Serious disease such as End-Stage Renal Disease can result in reverse discrimination depending on the type of health security system. It is necessary to consider those who belong to National Health Insurance but are still poor. Key words: National Health Insurance, Medical Aid, Healthcare utilization, Out-of-pocket expenditure, End-stage Renal Disease, Catastrophic health expenditure
Assessment of the status of solid waste management in mega Cities in India: An Overview

Studies related to solid waste management now-a-days have become a serious concern in most of the urban management and industrial management studies. In a developing country, the problems associated with solid waste management are more acute than in a developed country. Unavailability of material resources and management practices to maintain solid waste creates a real threat to human societies; lack of resources leads to low quality of service provision which leads to fewer people willing to pay for said services, which in turn further erodes the resource base and so on. The problem is increasing and being complicated with innumerable growth in population and urban plus industrial expansion, which create heaps of waste and successful management of waste with a view to reuse and recycle in municipal areas. Presently, rapid diffusion of population is influencing growth of congested settled mohallas or facilitating unhygienic conditions specially affecting the health issues. Really important reason which is contributing to the problem is the improper implementation of waste dumping and mode of transport for their removal.
Controle não-linear de força de músculos artificiais poliméricos por efeito capacitivo

An incipient technology for actuation with physical and dynamic characteristics similar to natural muscles has been studied since early 90's. However, the control of such systems is not a trivial task, due to actuator non-linearities. This work presents a proposal for non-linear control of force in artificial muscles based on the VHB4905 acrylic polymer. Mathematical models of the tested actuator are developed. Experiments are performed on a especially developed test bench with a force transducer and the artificial muscle actuated by a high voltage circuit (10kV maximum). A maximum force error of 1% is obtained when comparing the model that characterizes the material and the experiment that measures force versus electric stimulus. It is shown that the proposed non-linear controller results in a better step response when compared to a standard PID controller. The standard PID does not take into account the system non-linearities, therefore it cannot avoid oscillations in the step response when subjected to high voltages, close to the dielectric breakdown of the polymer. The effectiveness of the proposed control technique is proven experimentally.
A Study of Reflectance of Sandblasted Tile with Different Colors

This study discussed the reflectance of outdoor compressed concrete paving units. The research samples were basic square ground tiles, including sandblasted tiles with secondary treatment of surface, iridescent crystal sandblasted tiles mixed with waste glass, and rustic tiles. The ASTM E1918A method lately developed by the U.S. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) was used for measurement. The measurement samples were square ground tiles in length and width of 20CM. The weather on the day was sunny, and the sunshine amount was greater than 800wa/m. The measurement site was the top of the 7th story of research building of Kuang-Fu Campus, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City. The measurement environment avoided plants, buildings and persons shielding the samples, to avoid the measurement process being disturbed. This study suggests that in order to reduce the urban heat island effect, the white flat tiles without special treatment can be selected as the material for urban outdoor pavement design. Thus, the carbon emission from special treatment can be reduced, and a good reflectance effectiveness can be obtained. Keywordstainan City; sandblasted tile; iridescent crystal sandblasted; rustic tile; reflectance.