cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Megachile melanopoda Cockerell, new comb.
Creators: name: Raw, Anthony
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2002
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Megachilidae
Megachile
Megachile melanopoda

description: melanopoda Cockerell, new comb.
Megachile melanopoda Cockerell 1923a: 456. Male. Type locality: Issororo, N.W.D. British Guiana. Type repository BNHM 17a2462. Examined.
description: Published as part of Raw, Anthony, 2002, New combinations and synonymies of leafcutter and mason bees of the Americas (Megachile, Hymenoptera, Megachilidae), pp. 1-43 in Zootaxa 71 (1) on page 5, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.71.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/155887
Human-AI Collaboration in Real-World Complex Environment With Reinforcement Learning
Creators: Islam, Md Saiful
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

Recent advances in reinforcement learning (RL) and Human-in-the-Loop (HitL) learning have made human-AI collaboration easier for humans to team with AI agents. Leveraging human expertise and experience with AI agents in intelligent systems can be efficient and beneficial. Still, it is unclear to what extent human-AI collaboration will be successful

and how such teaming performs compared to humans or AI agents only. In this work, we show that learning from humans is effective and that human-AI collaboration outperforms human-controlled and fully autonomous AI agents in a complex simulation environment. In addition, we have developed a new simulator for critical infrastructure protection, focusing on a scenario where AI-powered drones and human teams collaborate to defend an airport against enemy drone attacks.

We develop a user interface to allow humans to assist AI agents effectively.

We demonstrate that agents learn faster while learning from policy correction compared to learning from humans or agents. Furthermore, human-AI collaboration requires lower mental and temporal demands, reduces human effort, and yields higher performance than if humans directly controlled all agents. In conclusion, we show that humans can provide helpful advice to the AI agents, allowing them to improve learning in a multi-agent setting.
Sub-Neural Policies: Option Discovery via Neural Decomposition
Creators: Alikhasi, Mahdi
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

In reinforcement learning, agents solve problems through interactions with the environment. However, when faced with intricate environmental dynamics, learning can become challenging, resulting in sub-optimal policies. A potential remedy to this situation lies in the transfer of knowledge from previously solved tasks to enhance the efficiency of the agent. In this dissertation, we investigate this approach, focusing on the decomposition of neural network policies for Markov Decision Processes into reusable sub-policies, which can be helpful'' for unforeseen tasks. We consider neural networks with piecewise linear activation functions, since they can be transformed into oblique decision trees. Each sub-tree within an oblique decision tree corresponds to a sub-policy associated with the primary task. We hypothesize that some of these sub-policies can be helpful in downstream tasks. Given that the number of these sub-policies grows exponentially with the neural network's size, we select a subset of such sub-policies while minimizing the Levin Loss. We transform the selected sub-policies into temporally extended actions, or options. To validate the algorithm's ability to discover helpful options, we present empirical findings on two challenging grid-world domains, each characterized by distinct dynamics. The experimental results show that options canoccur naturally'' within neural network encoding policies. Our results suggest that the process of decomposing neural network serves as a promising avenue for option discovery.
Development of a mixed reality AI-based audio game with tangible blocks for teaching programming concepts to visually impaired children
Creators: Cardenas Castaneda, Jennifer A
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) have become key subjects for schools and students. Despite many alternatives available to teach programming-related concepts to children, there is a lack of educational tools designed to meet the needs of visually impaired (VI) students. Learning materials and inclusivity are concepts that need to be developed together. This research aims to combine STEM principles and inclusion into a technology-based educational tool by exploring the needs of visually impaired education, emerging technologies, and educational alternatives. Moreover, teachers of visually impaired students (TVI) and parents need more resources of educational materials for their students in their early ages, as they lack alternatives. Therefore, this research proposes the development of an AI-based audio game for teaching programming concepts to VI children, which is built based on inclusive considerations and modern technology. The audio game has a distinct feature involving a mixed environment, where students have not only the software side but also the tangible side using 3D printed blocks to represent coding. To obtain an AI-based audio game, the research progresses in four phases. The first phase is the identification of the needs of visually impaired students in education, future trends, and emerging technologies in the field of STEM education for VI learners, where the research proposes a literature review through scientometric analysis methodology. The second phase is the audio-game outcome, which presents a unique approach to teaching programming concepts to VI children involving the design of tangible blocks to represent coding concepts and the development of an AI-based audio game with real-time object detection and speech recognition. In the third phase, the developed tools and methods are tested with VI learners to design guidelines for the future development of the proposed audio game and related STEM playful educational games. The audio game was validated through market research worked through Lab2Market Program by NSERC, where interviews were conducted within Canada to validate the concept and first design. Moreover, after the design improvements, a case study at the Hue-Ming School for Blin, National Changhua University of Education, and the Taiwan Foundation for the Blind, all of which are based in Taiwan. Moreover, it was also showcased in a co-design workshop held at Ontario Tech University, and during the Connecting of the Dots Conference 2023, both events were organized by CNIB. The audio game was designed to support future inclusive employment opportunities in technology-driven jobs.
Megachile minima Ashmead, new comb.
Creators: name: Raw, Anthony
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2002
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Megachilidae
Megachile
Megachile minima

description: minima Ashmead, new comb.
Megachile minima Ashmead 1900: 214. Male. [Female in description] Type locality: St.Vincent [West Indies]. Type repository: BNHM 17a2494. Examined.
description: Published as part of Raw, Anthony, 2002, New combinations and synonymies of leafcutter and mason bees of the Americas (Megachile, Hymenoptera, Megachilidae), pp. 1-43 in Zootaxa 71 (1) on page 5, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.71.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/155887
SHOMANAY TOPONIMINIŃ KELIP SHÍǴÍW TARIYXÍ
Creators: name: Qádirbaeva, Dilfuza
name: Daniyarova, Zamira
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024

description: Maqalada Shomanay toponiminiń kelip shıǵıw tariyxı boyınsha sóz etildi. Sonday-aq, Shomanay rayonınıń tariyxıy áhmiyeti, ekonomikası jáne social turmısı haqqındaǵı maǵlıwmatlarǵa da toqtaldı. Izertlew juwmaǵına kóre, Shomanay Qaraqalpaqstannıń ózine tán ekonomikası, mádeniyatı hám tariyxına iye aymaq esaplanatuǵınlıǵı anıqlandı.
A STUDY ON IMPACT OF WORK ENVIRONMENT AT "UZAVTOSANOAT" ON EMPLOYEE PRODUCTIVITY
Creators: name: Sobirov, Shaxzod
name: Ashurboeva, Benazirkhon
name: Batirov, Javokhir
name: Khan, Sanober
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024

description: This study aims to investigate the impact of the work environment at “Uzavtosanoat” on employee productivity. The research design adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative surveys, qualitative interviews, and observations to gather data from employees across different departments and levels. Data analysis will involve descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, regression analysis for quantitative data, and thematic analysis for qualitative data. Ethical considerations will be upheld throughout the research process. The findings of this study are expected to provide insights into how the work environment influences employee productivity at “Uzavtosanoat” and contribute to enhancing organizational practices and employee performance.
Megachile paraensis Mocsary, new comb.
Creators: name: Raw, Anthony
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2002
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Megachilidae
Megachile
Megachile paraensis

description: paraensis Mocsary, new comb.
Megachile paraensis Mocsary 1887: 19. New name.
Megachile vigilans Smith 1879: 77. Female. Type locality: Pará [Brazil]. Type repository: BNHM 17a2428. Examined. (Not M. vigilans Smith 1878 [Himalayas].)
description: Published as part of Raw, Anthony, 2002, New combinations and synonymies of leafcutter and mason bees of the Americas (Megachile, Hymenoptera, Megachilidae), pp. 1-43 in Zootaxa 71 (1) on page 5, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.71.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/155887
Intricacies of 3D printing with freeze casting in microgravity
Creators: Ahmed, Abrar
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

The burgeoning demand for advancements in space technology and the relentless pursuit of exploring uncharted celestial frontiers necessitate a comprehensive grasp of the multifaceted aspects underpinning the sustainability of space missions. In this context, additive manufacturing (AM) has emerged as an enticing proposition for inclusion in the tool-kit of every space mission, primarily owing to its capacity to fabricate components on-demand.

The overarching objective of this doctoral thesis is to engineer a compact laboratory platform, herein referred to as FrizCast\nonTM , dedicated to unraveling the intricate intricacies of various processes integral to conventional additive manufacturing. These processes encompass material deposition, additive layering, solidification, and post-processing procedures. In the austere environment of space, characterized by the absence of gravitational forces, interfacial forces wield significant influence over the outcomes at each stage of the additive manufacturing process.

The research endeavors in this thesis will scrutinize the three dimensional (3D) printing process, both within terrestrial conditions and within reduced-gravity settings, with a keen focus on elucidating the fundamental principles governing colloidal material delivery, drop-based material accretion, multilayer mass accumulation via colloidal droplet coalescence, and the subsequent solidification  processes. Given the prevalence of lower temperatures in space, our investigations have led us to adopt freeze casting as an integral facet of the additive manufacturing process. During material solidification, external body forces will be harnessed to facilitate the manipulation of the final shape of the solidified material. Consequently, the widely employed electromagnetic field will be subjected to a rigorous examination to discern its impact on the aforementioned facets of the additive manufacturing process.

The ultimate aim of this project is to propose a jet-based 3D printing mechanism, which has the potential of being used in space and to study how surface and body forces affect the 3D printing process on a printer bed.  Furthermore, we have also establish a prototypical instrument that could serve as a blueprint for future space missions necessitating recurrent measurements of surface tension, surface energy, as well as 3D printing of metallic and biomaterials. Thus, this research initiative holds the potential to become an invaluable asset for the future of space exploration.
Syagrus coronata fixed oil prevents rotenone-induced movement disorders and oxidative stress in Drosophila melanogaster
Creators: name: dos Santos Nunes, Ricardo Gomes
name: de Amorim, Luciclaudio Cassimiro
name: Bezerra, Iverson Conrado
name: da Silva, Artur José
name: dos Santos, Carlos Alonso Leite
name: Gubert, Priscila
name: de Menezesa, Irwin Rose Alencar
name: Duarte, Antonia Eliene
name: Barros, Luiz Marivando
name: da Silveira Andrade-da-Costa, Belmira Lara
name: dos Santos, Márcia Vanusa
name: dos Santos Correia, Maria Tereza
name: da Rosa, Michelle Melgarejo
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Biochemistry
subject: Cell Biology
subject: Genetics
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Neuroscience
subject: Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Inorganic Chemistry
subject: FOS: Chemical sciences

description: One prominent aspect of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the presence of elevated levels of free radicals, including reactive oxygen species (ROS). Syagrus coronata (S. coronata), a palm tree, exhibits antioxidant activity attributed to its phytochemical composition, containing fatty acids, polyphenols, and flavonoids. The aim of this investigation was to examine the potential neuroprotective effects of S. coronata fixed oil against rotenone-induced toxicity using Drosophila melanogaster. Young Drosophila specimens (3–4 d old) were exposed to a diet supplemented with rotenone (50 µM) for 7 d with and without the inclusion of S. coronata fixed oil (0.2 mg/g diet). Data demonstrated that rotenone exposure resulted in significant locomotor impairment and increased mortality rates in flies. Further, rotenone administration reduced total thiol levels but elevated lipid peroxidation, iron (Fe) levels, and nitric oxide (NO) levels while decreasing the reduced capacity of mitochondria. Concomitant administration of S. coronata exhibited a protective effect against rotenone, as evidenced by a return to control levels of Fe, NO, and total thiols, lowered lipid peroxidation levels, reversed locomotor impairment, and enhanced % cell viability. Molecular docking of the oil lipidic components with antioxidant enzymes showed strong binding affinity to superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX1) enzymes. Overall, treatment with S. coronata fixed oil was found to prevent rotenone-induced movement disorders and oxidative stress in Drosophila melanogaster.
D1.2 REVIEW PAPER OF SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE
Creators: name: Antonis Antoniou
name: Kalypso Iordanou
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: public trust in science
systematic literature review
science-society co-creation
science communication
Responsible research and innovation

description: The present deliverable provides a summary of a systematic literature review on the topic of trust in science, and it has been produced for the purposes of T1.1. Systematic Literature Review of the VERITY project.

The performed systematic literature review is based on a total of 83 articles, carefully selected after screening 546 articles. The selected articles provide empirical results from various scientific disciplines (e.g., social and educational psychology, medicine, science education, science communication), which were carefully collected and analysed in order to answer the following research question:

RQ: What factors are associated with public trust in science in the literature?

The results of the analysis performed for the purposes of the systematic literature review revealed the presence of 26 different factors associated with public trust in science, which can be divided in the following three categories:

Characteristics of the public

Science communication

Scientific method, scientists, and scientific institutions

The first category concerns the factors related to the profiles of various individuals who tend to have lower or higher trust in science. The second category concerns the ways in which science communication strategies increase or decrease the perceived trustworthiness of science. The third category concerns the characteristics of the scientific method and research processes, as well as the characteristics of the researchers and institutions producing scientific knowledge, which jointly increase or decrease the perceived trustworthiness of science.

The aim of this task is to provide a state-of-the-art literature review, which reflects the current knowledge on the factors associated with the public’s trust in science and identifies gaps in our current understanding of the issue. A more detailed presentation of the results of the performed systematic literature review will be provided in an open access scientific article to be submitted for publication in due course. The article will provide further information on the evidence supporting the various factors related to trust in science, as well as a more elaborate discussion on the main research directions, theoretical claims, and methodological approaches. It will also point to existing uncertainties, contradictions, and research demands, distinguishing between consensual and contested claims.
Boysidia shuitianbaensis T. - C. Luo, D. - N. Chen, G. - Q. Zhang, La. Zhang, Li Zhang & T. - W. Li 1998
Creators: name: Gojšina, Vukašin
name: Hunyadi, András
name: Sutcharit, Chirasak
name: Tongkerd, Piyoros
name: Auffenberg, Kurt
name: Grego, Jozef
name: Vermeulen, Jaap J.
name: Reischütz, Alexander
name: Páll-Gergely, Barna
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Mollusca
Gastropoda
Stylommatophora
Hypselostomatidae
Boysidia
Boysidia shuitianbaensis

description: Boysidia shuitianbaensis T. - C. Luo, D. - N. Chen, G. - Q. Zhang, La. Zhang, Li Zhang & T. - W. Li, 1998
Boysidia (Bensonella) shuitianbaensis Luo et al., 1998: 2 (Chinese description), 3–4 (English description), fig. 2.
Material examined.
None.
Type locality.
“ Collected from Shuitianba town (26°7'N, 106°8'E), Guiyang City, Guizhou Province, China ”.
Remarks.
According to the original description, this species should be assigned to Boysidia due to the presence of only four barriers and a merged angulo-parietal lamella.
description: Published as part of Gojšina, Vukašin, Hunyadi, András, Sutcharit, Chirasak, Tongkerd, Piyoros, Auffenberg, Kurt, Grego, Jozef, Vermeulen, Jaap J., Reischütz, Alexander & Páll-Gergely, Barna, 2025, A new start? Revision of the genera Anauchen, Bensonella, Gyliotrachela and Hypselostoma (Gastropoda, Eupulmonata, Hypselostomatidae) of Southeast Asia with description of 46 new species, pp. 1-338 in ZooKeys 1235 on pages 1-338, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1235.145281
D1.2 Review Paper of Scientific Literature
Creators: name: Antoniou, Antonis
name: Iordanou, Kalypso
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: public trust in science
systematic literature review
science-society co-creation
science communication
Responsible research and innovation

description: The present deliverable provides a summary of a systematic literature review on the topic of trust in science, and it has been produced for the purposes of T1.1. Systematic Literature Review of the VERITY project.

The performed systematic literature review is based on a total of 83 articles, carefully selected after screening 546 articles. The selected articles provide empirical results from various scientific disciplines (e.g., social and educational psychology, medicine, science education, science communication), which were carefully collected and analysed in order to answer the following research question:

RQ: What factors are associated with public trust in science in the literature?

The results of the analysis performed for the purposes of the systematic literature review revealed the presence of 26 different factors associated with public trust in science, which can be divided in the following three categories:

Characteristics of the public

Science communication

Scientific method, scientists, and scientific institutions

The first category concerns the factors related to the profiles of various individuals who tend to have lower or higher trust in science. The second category concerns the ways in which science communication strategies increase or decrease the perceived trustworthiness of science. The third category concerns the characteristics of the scientific method and research processes, as well as the characteristics of the researchers and institutions producing scientific knowledge, which jointly increase or decrease the perceived trustworthiness of science.

The aim of this task is to provide a state-of-the-art literature review, which reflects the current knowledge on the factors associated with the public’s trust in science and identifies gaps in our current understanding of the issue. A more detailed presentation of the results of the performed systematic literature review will be provided in an open access scientific article to be submitted for publication in due course. The article will provide further information on the evidence supporting the various factors related to trust in science, as well as a more elaborate discussion on the main research directions, theoretical claims, and methodological approaches. It will also point to existing uncertainties, contradictions, and research demands, distinguishing between consensual and contested claims.
Understanding the Changes in Positive and Negative Sentiments in the Discourse of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Alberta
Creators: Tchoh, Bennett Kuwan
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

The severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by the SARS coronavirus was declared a pandemic in March 2020 by the World Health Organisation. Alberta as other provinces and countries had to face the challenge of fighting this syndrome that caused what is commonly known as the COVID-19 pandemic. The measures put in place by the government officials to fight the pandemic brought about big changes to the lives of Albertans. This study sought to explore the discourse that happened online about the COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta. One might expect that the discourse will change with changes in the gravity of the pandemic. But is this the case? Using tweets scraped from Twitter, the relationships between scores of positive and negative sentiments in these tweets and the number of patients in ICU, wave of the pandemic, mentions of oneself and people identified with (Us pronouns) and mentions of the other and people not identified with (Them pronouns) was explored using visualisations and statistical analysis tools. Three methods of measuring sentiments were used and the methods compared. Results showed that the discourse on the pandemic became less positive as we moved from the first to the fourth wave. A multiple linear regression showed that the best predictors of the sentiment score of the discourse was the wave of the pandemic and the use of Them pronouns. Comparison of the sentiment measuring methods suggested that the changes in the use of positive and negative words are not accompanied by a proportional change in the sentiment in the discourse. As expected, the number of patients in ICU correlated negatively with positive sentiment scores and positively negative sentiment scores. Unlike expected, the use of the Us and Them pronouns had similar correlations in magnitude and direction with sentiment scores. The findings from this study provide a better understanding of the changes in the sentiments of the discourse of the COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta and brings to light the importance of assessing the validity of measuring instruments and methods.
Megachile philinca Cockerell, new comb.
Creators: name: Raw, Anthony
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2002
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Megachilidae
Megachile
Megachile philinca

description: philinca Cockerell, new comb.
Megachile philinca Cockerell 1912a: 176. Female. Type locality: Piura, Peru. Type repository: AMNH. Examined.
description: Published as part of Raw, Anthony, 2002, New combinations and synonymies of leafcutter and mason bees of the Americas (Megachile, Hymenoptera, Megachilidae), pp. 1-43 in Zootaxa 71 (1) on page 5, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.71.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/155887
D1.2 REVIEW PAPER OF SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE
Creators: name: Antoniou, Antonis
name: Kalypso Iordanou
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: public trust in science
systematic literature review
science-society co-creation
science communication
Responsible research and innovation

description: The present deliverable provides a summary of a systematic literature review on the topic of trust in science, and it has been produced for the purposes of T1.1. Systematic Literature Review of the VERITY project. The performed systematic literature review is based on a total of 83 articles, carefully selected after screening 546 articles. The selected articles provide empirical results from various scientific disciplines (e.g., social and educational psychology, medicine, science education, science communication), which were carefully collected and analysed in order to answer the following research question: RQ: What factors are associated with public trust in science in the literature? The results of the analysis performed for the purposes of the systematic literature review revealed the presence of 26 different factors associated with public trust in science, which can be divided in the following three categories: Characteristics of the public Science communication Scientific method, scientists, and scientific institutions The first category concerns the factors related to the profiles of various individuals who tend to have lower or higher trust in science. The second category concerns the ways in which science communication strategies increase or decrease the perceived trustworthiness of science. The third category concerns the characteristics of the scientific method and research processes, as well as the characteristics of the researchers and institutions producing scientific knowledge, which jointly increase or decrease the perceived trustworthiness of science. The aim of this task is to provide a state-of-the-art literature review, which reflects the current knowledge on the factors associated with the public’s trust in science and identifies gaps in our current understanding of the issue. A more detailed presentation of the results of the performed systematic literature review will be provided in an open access scientific article to be submitted for publication in due course. The article will provide further information on the evidence supporting the various factors related to trust in science, as well as a more elaborate discussion on the main research directions, theoretical claims, and methodological approaches. It will also point to existing uncertainties, contradictions, and research demands, distinguishing between consensual and contested claims.
To Ask or Explore: A Systematic Approach to Advice
Creators: Sattarifard, Amirmohsen
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

Reinforcement learning (RL) has shown great promise in sequential decision-making tasks. However, one of the significant challenges RL faces is poor sample efficiency, which restricts its applicability in many real-world scenarios. Addressing this challenge has the potential to expand the reach of RL techniques. One class of problems that offer insights into this challenge is the multi-armed bandits (MAB) setting, which can be viewed as a simplified version of RL. By investigating and addressing sample efficiency in MAB, we hope to gain insights that can later be generalized to broader RL contexts.

In this thesis, our primary focus is the Beta-Bernoulli Bayesian multi-armed bandit with an online finite horizon setting. We adopt two strategies to tackle the sample efficiency challenge: 1- Knowledge reuse through advice and 2- Near-optimal exploration. While the advice-seeking approach has been touched upon in earlier research, it has largely been unstructured. Our work aims to provide a more systematic approach to the problem of advice in MAB, addressing two essential questions: “when to ask for advice?” and “what arm to ask about?”. Finally, we investigate the problem of near-optimal exploration. We provide a myopic approximation to the Bayes-optimal policy and show that we can reach near-optimal performance using a myopic approximation.

Our key contributions include:

 Assuming an advice budget of one, we derive an optimal solution for which arm the agent should seek advice, using the value of information (VOI) as a metric for each advice's utility.

Providing and investigating some approximations of the VOI based on our myopic horizon approximation to the Bayes-optimal policy.

 Drawing parallels between the Bayes-optimal policy and the value of information, and revealing the intertwined nature of these two aspects.

Demonstrating that in some cases, it is beneficial for an agent to postpone seeking advice, even when it is free, and providing the optimal solution for such delays in a Bayesian bandit setting.

 Investigating a myopic horizon approximation to the Bayes-optimal policy and showing its efficacy in achieving near-optimal results.
Degenerate diffusion in porous media with hysteresis-dependent permeability
Creators: name: Gavioli, Chiara
name: Krejčí, Pavel
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Analysis of PDEs (math.AP)
subject: FOS: Mathematics
subject: 47J40, 35K65, 46E30, 76S05

description: Hysteresis in the relation between the capillary pressure and the moisture content in unsaturated porous media, which is due to surface tension at the liquid-gas interface, exhibits strong degeneracy in the resulting mass balance equation. Solutions to such degenerate equations have been recently constructed by the method of convexification. We show here that the convexification argument works even if the permeability coefficient depends on the hysteretic saturation. The problem of uniqueness remains open in this case.
description: 23 pages
Wages and Capital returns in a generalized Pólya urn
Creators: name: Gottfried, Thomas
name: Grosskinsky, Stefan
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Probability (math.PR)
subject: Theoretical Economics (econ.TH)
subject: FOS: Mathematics
subject: FOS: Economics and business
subject: 91B62, 60J05, 62L20, 91B52

description: It is a widely observed phenomenon that wealth is distributed significantly more unequal than wages. In this paper we study this phenomenon using a new extension of Pólyas urn, modelling wealth growth through wages and capital returns. We focus in particular on the role of increasing return rates on capital, which have been identified as a main driver of inequality, and labor share, the second main parameter of our model. We fit the parameters from real-world data in Germany, so that simulation results reproduce the empirical wealth distribution and recent dynamics in Germany quite accurately, and are essentially independent from initial conditions. Our model is simple enough to allow for a detailed mathematical analysis and provides interesting predictions for future developments and on the importance of wages and capital returns for wealth aggregation. We also provide an extensive discussion of the robustness of our results and the plausibility of the main assumptions used in our model.
description: 35 pages, 19 figures
Megachile rubicunda Smith, new comb.
Creators: name: Raw, Anthony
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2002
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Megachilidae
Megachile
Megachile rubicunda

description: rubicunda Smith, new comb.
Megachile rubicunda Smith 1879: 73. Male. Type locality: St. Paul [de Olivença], on the Amazons [Brazil]. Type repository: BNHM 17a2450. Examined.
description: Published as part of Raw, Anthony, 2002, New combinations and synonymies of leafcutter and mason bees of the Americas (Megachile, Hymenoptera, Megachilidae), pp. 1-43 in Zootaxa 71 (1) on page 5, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.71.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/155887
Megachile sejuncta Cockerell, new comb.
Creators: name: Raw, Anthony
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2002
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Megachilidae
Megachile
Megachile sejuncta

description: sejuncta Cockerell, new comb.
Megachile sejuncta Cockerell 1927a: 20. Male. Type locality: Cavinas, Beni, Bolivia. Type repository: USNM 29091. Examined.
description: Published as part of Raw, Anthony, 2002, New combinations and synonymies of leafcutter and mason bees of the Americas (Megachile, Hymenoptera, Megachilidae), pp. 1-43 in Zootaxa 71 (1) on page 5, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.71.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/155887
Approximation Schemes for the Airport and Railway Problem
Creators: Tian, Lijiangnan
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

In this thesis, we present approximation schemes for the airport and railway problem (AR) on several classes of graphs. The AR problem, introduced by Adamaszek et al., is a combination of the capacitated facility location problem (CFL) and the network design problem. An AR instance comprises a set of points, which are called cities, residing in some metrics, each of which is associated with a non-negative cost and a number k, which represent respectively the cost of establishing an airport in the corresponding city, and the universal airport capacity.

A feasible solution is a network of airports and railways providing services to all cities without violating any capacity, where railways are edges connecting pairs of points, with their costs equivalent to the distance between the respective points. The objective is to find such a network with the least cost. In the strict setting, the network is divided into components, each with an open airport and a maximum of k cities. In a more relaxed setting of the problem, the railway paths heading to different airports are allowed to share edges, either the cost of each city-to-airport path is paid separately, or the railways have a universal edge capacity k and one is allowed to use parallel edges (which is called AR'). Adamaszek et al. presented a PTAS for AR in the two-dimensional Euclidean metric with a uniform opening cost in the strict setting. Adamaszek et al. presented a bicriteria 4/3 (2+1/α)-approximation algorithm for AR with non-uniform opening costs in the general metric, with the airport capacity (1+α)k where 0 < α ≤ 1, a (2+k/{k-1}+ε)-approximation algorithm and a bicriteria QPTAS for the same problem in the Euclidean plane. In this work, we give a Quasi-Polynomial-Time Approximation Scheme (QPTAS) for AR with a uniform opening cost in graphs of bounded treewidth, QPTAS for AR' in graphs of bounded doubling dimensions, graphs of bounded highway dimensions and minor-free graphs, and (2+k/{k-1})(1+ε)-approximation for AR with non-uniform opening costs for the aforementioned metrics. For general metrics, we give a 2-approximation for AR with a uniform opening cost in the strict setting of the problem, and an O(log n)-approximation for AR with non-uniform opening cost.
Evaluating AlphaZero in a Strongly Solved Game
Creators: Karki, Bigyan
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

Chinese Checkers, a traditional game played on a star-shaped board by 2-6 players, has been a domain for game AI research and has been strongly solved up to a 6×6 board with 6 pieces per player in a two-player game. In this work, we apply the AlphaZero algorithm, known for its success in perfect information, two-player deterministic games like Chess, Shogi, and Go, to Chinese Checkers. Our implementation involved training a custom AlphaZero agent on a 4 × 4 board with 3 pieces and a 5 × 5 board with 6 pieces. The primary contributions include a parallelized version of AlphaZero, an evaluation of AlphaZero in perfect information games, an exploration of the learning data structure, an assessment of learning accuracy on training data, and measurements of generalization on states both similar and random to those observed. While AlphaZero agents have achieved superhuman performance in certain domains, recent analysis on KataGo revealed vulnerabilities to certain strategies that human players would not fall for, indicating potential performance gaps in AlphaZero. Our work studies the nature of training and evaluating agents in simplified variants of Chinese Checkers, identifying a decrease in the accuracy of AlphaZero’s learned policy on states outside the training set. Even in smaller variants of Chinese Checkers, adversarial policies were able to leverage these shortcomings, leading to policy mistakes by AlphaZero agent during play. We propose a combination of supervised and self-play training to alleviate these exploitations, aiming to enhance the AlphaZero agent’s resilience against adversarial strategies.
Megachile subpallens Vachal, new comb.
Creators: name: Raw, Anthony
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2002
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Megachilidae
Megachile
Megachile subpallens

description: subpallens Vachal, new comb.
Megachile subpallens Vachal 1908: 230 ­231. Female. Type locality: Pachitea, Peru. Type repository: MNHN. Examined.
description: Published as part of Raw, Anthony, 2002, New combinations and synonymies of leafcutter and mason bees of the Americas (Megachile, Hymenoptera, Megachilidae), pp. 1-43 in Zootaxa 71 (1) on page 6, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.71.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/155887
Assessing uncertainties related to the use of satellite remote sensing indices to estimate Gross Primary Production
Creators: Hernández Mora, Ronny A.
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

Methods to quantify Gross Primary Production (GPP) are classified into two categories: Eddy

Covariance techniques (EC) and satellite data-driven. EC techniques can measure carbon

fluxes directly, albeit with spatial constraints. Satellite data-driven methods are promising

because they overcome spatial constraints associated with EC techniques. However, satellite-

driven products have potentially greater uncertainty than EC methods for GPP estimation

such as mixed pixels, cloud cover, and the ability of the sensor to retrieve vegetation under sat-

uration conditions in high biomass environments. Therefore, an effort to analyze and quantify

the uncertainty of GPP products derived from satellite platforms is needed. This study quan-

tifies the uncertainty of commonly used satellite vegetation indices such as Normalized Dif-

ference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhance Vegetation Index (EVI), Chlorophyll/Carotenoid

Index (CCI), and Near-Infrared Reflectance Index (NIRv) for GPP estimation compared with

direct methods such as EC measurements. We conduct this study on three different sites: the

University of Michigan Biological Station (USA), the Borden Forest Research Station flux-site

(Canada), and Bartlett Experimental Forest (USA) using traditional regression methods and

ML approaches.
Megachile tricosa Cockerell, new comb.
Creators: name: Raw, Anthony
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2002
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Megachilidae
Megachile
Megachile tricosa

description: tricosa Cockerell, new comb.
Megachile tricosa Cockerell 1927a: 21. Male. Type locality: Tumupasa, Bolivia. Type repository: USNM 29092. Examined.
description: Published as part of Raw, Anthony, 2002, New combinations and synonymies of leafcutter and mason bees of the Americas (Megachile, Hymenoptera, Megachilidae), pp. 1-43 in Zootaxa 71 (1) on page 6, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.71.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/155887
title: Bootstrapped Deattenuated Correlation with Missing Data
Creators: name: Veprinsky, Anna
Publisher: name: Old Dominion University
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/04zjtrb98
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2013

description: Issues with correlation attenuation due to measurement error are well documented. A corresponding correction, the deattenuated correlation, has been known for over a century. For over a decade, researchers have been investigated the deattenuated correlation identifying factors impacting its performance. Nonetheless, the deattenuated correlation is underutilized. In addition, there is limited research concerning confidence intervals for the deattenuated correlation. Here, the bootstrapped deattenuated correlation with corresponding confidence intervals is investigated for simulation conditions not previously considered simultaneously: missing data and non-normal distributions. The bootstrap deattenuated correlation was assessed for relative bias, standard error, and 95% coverage probability for the percentile based and bias-corrected and accelerated confidence intervals. With no missing data, the bootstrap deattenuated correlation performed well under all distributions except for the Pareto.
ZVI-loaded Biochar Composite for Effective Peroxymonosulfate Activation: Application in the Removal of Naphthenic Acids from Real Oil Sands Process Water
Creators: Vasquez Aldana, Adriana Marcela
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

Oil Sands Process Water (OSPW) is a byproduct generated during the extraction of bitumen from oil sands deposits in Northern Alberta, Canada. This matrix presents a critical environmental and industrial challenge due to its toxic nature, primarily associated with its complex mixture of contaminants, notably naphthenic acids (NAs). Consequently, significant efforts have been directed toward developing efficient treatment methods for the remediation and reclamation of OSPW. This thesis investigates for the first time the synergetic effect of coupling peroxymonosulfate (PMS) with a zero-valent iron (ZVI)-loaded biochar (FL600-Fe) derived from pyrolyzed flax straw (FL600-Fe) as a promising method for the efficient degradation of NAs in real OSPW.

Characterization techniques demonstrated the successful incorporation of ZVI particles into the biochar, magnetization properties, and a suitable zeta potential value that helps in the generation of reactive oxygen species due to a positive surface charge. Following adsorption equilibrium experiments and optimal experimental parameters analyses, results indicated that the FL600-Fe/PMS system exhibited a 93.9% degradation efficiency of classical NAs (O2-NAs) after 120 min using a catalyst and oxidant dose of 1 g L–1 and 1 mM, respectively. The radicals responsible for the degradation of NAs were identified as •OH, SO4•– and O2•– using quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. The toxicity was evaluated through a 21-hour microbial viability assay, demonstrating a remarkable increase of over 80% in bacterial growth post-treatment. The concentration of bioavailable acid extractable organics that contribute to toxicity in OSPW was reduced by over 70% post-treatment. Furthermore, leaching tests confirmed the stability of the composite biochar, as hardly any iron leaching was detected.

These results suggest that the FL600-Fe/PMS system has high environmental compatibility due to no secondary contamination associated with iron leaching during treatment and toxicity reduction, demonstrating its potential for the treatment of a matrix with a complex chemical composition like OSPW. Additionally, the feedstock used for the composite is a sustainable and renewable material produced from agricultural waste, which makes it a sustainable, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly process for OSPW reclamation.
APPRAISING STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESSFUL INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION AND ITS IMPACT ON CORPORATIONS
Creators: name: Ms Asiia, Mukhammad
name: Yadgarova, Darina
name: Abdullayeva, Nazokat
name: Dr, Shobhit
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024

description: This paper examines corporate strategies for successful international expansion and their impact on organizational performance and growth. Through a review of literature and empirical data, it identifies critical factors influencing expansion success, such as market selection, entry modes, cultural adaptation, and strategic alliances. The research assesses these strategies across various industries and regions, highlighting their effects on financial performance, market share, innovation, and learning. The findings offer practical insights for improving globalization efforts and provide recommendations for future research.
Experimental and numerical simulation of degradation of pollutants in water by microbubble-enhanced cold plasma activation -Degradation - Effect of pollutants’ initial concentration
Creators: Shahsavari, Nima
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

The necessity to secure reliable water resources has always been a challenge for human societies. Numerous factors contribute to heightened concerns, often resulting in serious crises for governments striving to ensure the provision of clean potable water

for diverse purposes. At the same time, overpopulation, global warming, and industrial growth have motivated researchers to think about alternative ways to provide, recycle, reuse and treat water resources. Besides, increased access to social media and stricter environmental regulations compel industry sectors to find suitable, efficient, and feasible approaches to treat their wastewater, so that treated water can be safely disposed of to water bodies or reused in similar applications. There has been a myriad of conventional methods for water and wastewater treatments some of which are still frequently used. However, a more advanced approach capable of being utilized for a wide range of pollutants present in water is still an open research avenue.

First part of this thesis is devoted to coupling cold plasma activation with hydrodynamic cavitation to leverage better mass transfer between gas and liquid phases via microbubble generation and collapse. A modified Venturi tube with an opening is used to allow the self-entrainment of air as the plasma gas into the water flow. Three sample pollutants widely observed in wastewater streams are studied i.e., two

antibiotics (sulfathiazole and norfloxacin) and an azo dye (methylene blue). The effects of initial concentration and water flow rate are investigated. Energy yield and degradation kinetics of experiments are also elaborated and applications are extended to larger volumes to show the ability of method to be applied in larger capacities.

In the second part, Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) simulations are performed to study the interactions in a three phase system. Cavitation effect is elaborated in detail along with the impact from air as the plasma activated gas. Effect of different water flow rates on the generation and expansion of cavitating bubbly flow is studied

and results are validated versus experiments that were conducted in the first chapter. Transient simulations are performed in ANSYS Fluent 2020R2 commercial CFD software. Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) models are utilized to capture turbulence phenomena and mixture model is considered for multiphase flow. Post processing of results are performed in CFD-Post to better understand the dynamics  and physical behavior of the system.