cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Opportunities and Constraints for Small Agricultural Exporters in Egypt
Creators: name: Abu Hatab, Assem
name: Hess, Sebastian
name: Abu Hatab, Assem
name: Hess, Sebastian
Publisher: name: Unknown
Year: 2013
Subjects: subject: Agricultural and Food Policy
subject: Community/Rural/Urban Development
subject: Crop Production/Industries
subject: Financial Economics
subject: Health Economics and Policy
subject: International Development
subject: International Relations/Trade
subject: Land Economics/Use
subject: Political Economy
subject: agricultural exports
subject: Egypt
subject: non-tariff barriers
subject: ordered probit model

description: This study analyzed specialist small- and medium-sized agricultural export firms in Egypt in order to identify perceived opportunities and barriers regarding present and future export activities. The results indicate that these firms have to deal with stiff foreign competition in terms of price and quality criteria, while lacking relevant knowledge and information on how to deal with these challenges. The firms that perceived most future opportunities from exports were identified as using e.g. digital information sources and were able to source products from export-committed domestic farmers.
description: The IFAMR is published quarterly by the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association. More info: www.ifama.org
Non-Ergodicity of the 1D Heisenberg Model
Creators: name: Bak, M.
name: Avella, A.
name: Mancini, F.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2002
Subjects: subject: Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el)
subject: Statistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: The relevance of zero-energy functions, coming from zero-energy modes and present in the structure of bosonic Green's functions, is often underestimated. Usually, their values are fixed by assuming the ergodicity of the dynamics, but it can be shown that this is not always correct. As the zero-energy functions are connected to fundamental response properties of the system under analysis (specific heat, compressibility, susceptibility, etc.), their correct determination is not an irrelevant issue. In this paper we present some results regarding the zero-energy functions for the Heisenberg chain of spin-1/2 with periodic boundary conditions as functions of the number of sites, temperature and magnetic field. Calculations are pursued for finite chains, using equations of motion, exact diagonalization and Lanczos technique, and the extrapolation to thermodynamic limit is studied.
description: 4 pages, 2 figures
PiNN: A Python Library for Building Atomic Neural Networks of Molecules and Materials
Creators: name: Shao, Yunqi
name: Hellström, Matti
name: Mitev, Pavlin D.
name: Knijff, Lisanne
name: Zhang, Chao
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2019
Subjects: subject: Computational Physics (physics.comp-ph)
subject: Disordered Systems and Neural Networks (cond-mat.dis-nn)
subject: Chemical Physics (physics.chem-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Atomic neural networks (ANNs) constitute a class of machine learning methods for predicting potential energy surfaces and physico-chemical properties of molecules and materials. Despite many successes, developing interpretable ANN architectures and implementing existing ones efficiently are still challenging. This calls for reliable, general-purpose and open-source codes. Here, we present a python library named PiNN as a solution toward this goal. In PiNN, we designed a new interpretable and high-performing graph convolutional neural network variant, PiNet, as well as implemented the established Behler-Parrinello high-dimensional neural network. These implementations were tested using datasets of isolated small molecules, crystalline materials, liquid water and an aqueous alkaline electrolyte. PiNN comes with a visualizer called PiNNBoard to extract chemical insight "learned" by ANNs, provides analytical stress tensor calculations and interfaces to both the Atomic Simulation Environment and a development version of the Amsterdam Modeling Suite. Moreover, PiNN is highly modularized which makes it useful not only as a standalone package but also as a chain of tools to develop and to implement novel ANNs. The code is distributed under a permissive BSD license and is freely accessible at https://github.com/Teoroo-CMC/PiNN/ with full documentation and tutorials.
Recommendations to the Collection of Airborne Imaging Data for the Optimization of Structure-from-Motion Processing
Creators: name: Escarzaga, Stephen
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2019
Subjects: subject: Environmental Science
subject: 90905 Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing
subject: FOS: Environmental engineering

description: NOAA Remote Sensing Division’s North Slope, Alaska airborne imaging data is a fantastic geospatial resource for a data-poor coastal region of the Arctic. This collection provides a high-resolution snapshot of a rapidly changing environment that is exhibiting some of highest coastal retreat rates in the United States (Jones et al., 2008; Lantuit et al., 2012; Barnhart et al, 2014; Gibbs & Richmond, 2015). To better understand how raw imaging data from this collection will perform with Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry in this area, initial work has been carried out to better understand its strengths and weaknesses in the context of DEM production through SfM workflows. Informed by the results of this initial work and a review of current best practices in the field of SfM photogrammetry for the geosciences, this document presents a collection of recommendations to enhance RSD airborne image collection, processing and dissemination. The goal of this document is to assist in expanding the utility and value of future RSD collections across the Nation’s many coastlines by promoting optimal data collection parameters for SfM photogrammetry.
Pholcus triangulatus Zhang & Zhang 2000
Creators: name: Zhang, Feng
name: Zhu, Ming-Sheng
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Pholcidae
Pholcus
Pholcus triangulatus

description: Pholcus triangulatus Zhang & Zhang, 2000
(Fig. 54)
 Pholcu s triangulatus Zhang & Zhang 2000: 153, f. 3A–H.
 Diagnosis. Among its close Pholcus relatives (see the remark of P. alloctospilus), this species is very similar to P. clavimaculatus and P. beijingensis in the shape of the palpal bulb and epigynum, all without appendices of palpal bulb (Fig. 54F) and with an epigynal knob-shaped apophysis (Fig. 54A). It can be distinguished from these two species by chelicerae without a pair of apophyses proximocentrally (Fig. 54E) and by the triangular tip of the procursus (Fig. 54G), also from P. beijingensis by the shorter ventral apophysis of the trochanter and a nearly round uncus (Figs. 54F–G).
 Redescription. Male (holotype), total length 4.7: cephalothorax 1.6 long, 1.8 wide; abdomen 3.2 long, 1.4 wide. Leg I: 41.7 (10.4+0.9+10.1+17.7+2.7), tibia II: 7.4, tibia III: 4.8, tibia IV: 6.5; tibia I L/D: 63. Prosoma shape as in Fig. 54C. Carapace short, broad and almost circular, ochre, with pair of brown marks broadly connecting to ocular area. Cephalic region raised, with a brown longitudinal stripe and a pair of brown spots centrally, ocular area dark yellow. Clypeus 0.37, slightly ochre, without marks. Distance AME–AME 0.05. Diameter AME 0.09, ALE 0.17, PME 0.14, PLE 0.16. Chelicerae as in Fig. 54E, with pair of black apophyses distally and pair of unsclerotized thumb-shaped apophyses proximolaterally. Labium pale brown. Endites light yellow. Sternum slightly ochre, with some regular brown marks. Femora, patellae and tibiae ochre, with dark rings, metatarsi and tarsi brown. Abdomen cylindrical, pale ochre, dorsum with many brown spots as in Fig. 54C. Venter pale brown, without marks. Palps as in Figs. 54F–G, bulb with nearly round uncus, without appendix, procursus triangular.
 Variation. Tibia I in 12 male paratypes: 9.3–10.1 (mean 9.8). Body length in 12 male paratypes: 4.4–4.8.
Female: in general very similar to male. Total length of bodies 4.5–4.8. A paratype measured (Mt. Baishi), total length 4.7: cephalothorax 1.4 long, 1.5 wide; abdomen 3.3 long, 1.5 wide. Tibia I: 6.1. Distance AME–AME 0.05. Epigynum roughly rounded as in Fig. 54A, with a small knob-shaped apophysis on the median place. Dorsal view as in Fig. 54B, with a rainbow-shaped sclerotized arch anteriorly and a pair of triangular pore plates.
 Distribution. Known from type locality only.
 Material examined. CHINA: Hebei: Laiyuan County, Mt. Baishi, July 19, 1999, leg. F. Zhang and J. X. Zhang, male holotype, 12♂, 15♀ paratypes (MHBU); Tang County, Mt. Damao, May 6, 2001, leg. J. X. Zhang, 8♂, 11♀ (MHBU).
description: Published as part of Zhang, Feng & Zhu, Ming-Sheng, 2009, A review of the genus Pholcus (Araneae: Pholcidae) from China, pp. 1-114 in Zootaxa 2037 (1) on pages 93-94, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2235.1.2, http://zenodo.org/record/5317608
Combining LSND and Atmospheric Anomalies in a Three-Neutrino Picture
Creators: name: Barenboim, G.
name: Dighe, A.
name: Skadhauge, S.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2001
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We investigate the three-neutrino mixing scheme for solving the atmospheric and LSND anomalies. We find the region in the parameter space that provides a good fit to the LSND and the SK atmospheric data, taking into account the CHOOZ constraint. We demonstrate that the goodness of this fit is comparable to that of the conventional fit to the solar and atmospheric data. Large values of the LSND angle are favoured and $\sin^2(2θ_{\rm LSND})$ can be as high as 0.1. This can have important effects on the atmospheric electron neutrino ratios as well as on down-going multi-GeV muon neutrino ratios. We examine the possibility of distinguishing this scheme from the conventional one at the long baseline experiments. We find that the number of electron neutrino events observed at the CERN to Gran Sasso experiment may lead us to identify the scheme, and hence the mass pattern of neutrinos.
The power-ownership as a remedy from the owner’s power
Creators: name: Simashenkov, Pavel
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2019
Subjects: subject: 140203 Economic History
subject: FOS: Economics and business
subject: 140199 Economic Theory not elsewhere classified
subject: Economics
subject: 140101 History of Economic Thought
subject: Sociology
subject: FOS: Sociology
subject: 180106 Comparative Law
subject: FOS: Law
subject: 130302 Comparative and Cross-Cultural Education
subject: FOS: Educational sciences
subject: 220305 Ethical Theory
subject: FOS: Philosophy, ethics and religion
subject: History
subject: 220208 History and Philosophy of the Social Sciences
subject: 220209 History of Ideas
subject: 180119 Law and Society
subject: 160505 Economic Development Policy
subject: FOS: Political science
subject: 160609 Political Theory and Political Philosophy
subject: 160509 Public Administration
subject: 160806 Social Theory

description: The article analyzes the phenomenon of ownership in its legal, economic, political and philosophical perspectives. Ownership is considered as an opportunity and as a guarantee of sustainable development. Comparative context is used to identify the specificity of the bourgeois model of owners’ power (social state) and the domestic concept of power-ownership (including socialist state). The author draws conclusions about ways to overcome the competition between the state and the market for the human resource and proposes to explore the ideological provision of power-ownership in order to appreciate its progressive potential and predilection in relation to the liberal model of social development
Proteção de crianças e jovens em Portugal: o que dizem ex-beneficiários, famílias, profissionais e investigadores?
Creators: name: Mourão Sacur, Bárbara
name: Guerra, Paulo
name: Diogo, Elisete
Publisher: name: Revista Temas Sociais
Year: 2024

description: Apesar dos desenvolvimentos observados na proteção de crianças e jovens, remanescem preocupações que clamam por uma ação política que efetivamente garanta os direitos da criança. A literatura tem discutido propostas para apoiar a decisão política na reforma do Sistema de Promoção e Proteção das Crianças e Jovens (SPPCJ) português.


Este estudo, dando voz aos intervenientes do SPPCJ, procura avaliar o seu nível de concordância relativamente a propostas de reforma, bem como compreender as suas posições sobre essas propostas. Numa abordagem mista, ex-beneficiários, famílias, profissionais e académicos responderam a um questionário (n = 292) e participaram em focus group (n = 18). Os resultados mostram um claro alinhamento com as propostas, justificando uma urgente reforma de determinados aspetos do SPPCJ no sentido da centralidade da criança. Discutem-se temas emergentes como “Alterações à lei: apostar nas respostas em contexto familiar”, “Alterações à lei: adaptação do sistema de justiça às crianças” e “Alterações na gestão: reestruturação do SPPCJ”. As conclusões apresentam implicações para a política.
description: Revista Temas Sociais , n. 7 (2024): Temas Sociais
Mapping a Pup-responsive Pathway from the Medial Preoptic Area to the Ventral Tegmental Area.
Creators: name: Andina, Matias
Publisher: name: University of Massachusetts Amherst
Year: 2018

description: Maternal behavior is the complex array of caregiving behaviors females display towards offspring. In rats, the transition to motherhood depends on the action of various hormones, especially estradiol near parturition, which primes the maternal circuitry to respond to pups upon first encounter at parturition with appropriate maternal behavior. Although virgin rats avoid pups, new mothers are highly motivated to interact with pups, and their maternal behavior depends on the functional interaction between the medial preoptic area (mPOA) and the ventral tegmental area (VTA). However, a precise mapping of the VTA-projecting mPOA neurons remains to be elucidated. To determine whether pup-responsive neurons in the mPOA project to the VTA, we injected the retrograde tracer Fluorogold (FG) into the VTA of new mother and virgin female rats. Six days later, females were exposed to 3 pups for 5 minutes, and their brains processed to visualize FG and c-Fos immunostaining. In addition, we further characterized the molecular phenotype of these neurons by performing immunohistochemistry against estrogen receptor alpha (Esr1). As expected, the behavior of postpartum and virgin females toward pups was different. Mothers readily approached pups and displayed maternal behavior, whereas virgins avoided interaction with pups. Despite these disparate responses to pups, no differences were found in the number and distribution of mPOAc-Fos→VTA neurons. In addition, in both postpartum and virgin females, a significant proportion of these pup-responsive mPOA→VTA projecting neurons also express Esr1. Further functional interrogation of these c-Fos+/Esr1+ mPOA→VTA neurons in virgins and mothers might elucidate distinct circuit dynamics potentially underlying their behavioral differences towards pups.
Machine learning assisted stochastic progressive failure analysis of composite laminates in a meso-macro framework
Creators: name: Ravindra S. Chahar
name: Tanmoy Mukhopadhyay
Publisher: name: Loughborough University
Year: 2021
Subjects: subject: 19999 Mathematical Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: FOS: Mathematics

description: Quantification of uncertainty in composite materials has been a challenge in terms of complexity and computation time. This is due to the nonlinear behaviour of composite materials and multiple failure mechanisms occurring simultaneously. This study develops a high fidelity surrogate model to quantify the uncertainty in matrix cracking in 90-degree plies of a composite laminate efficiently. The surrogate model is trained by continuum damage mechanics-based user subroutine (UMAT) coupled with the gaussian processes assisted finite element method. High fidelity surrogate model-based uncertainty propagation can effectively replace physics-based models and the global response of the composite laminates can be predicted accurately and cost-effectively. Using the proposed computational model, progressive failure of blunt-notched GLARE specimen is investigated considering stochasticity in applied strain following a multi-scale framework.
Plants, Parasites, and Pollinators: The Effects of Medicinal Pollens on a Common Gut Parasite in Bumble Bees
Creators: name: LoCascio, George
Publisher: name: University of Massachusetts Amherst
Year: 2018

description: Declines in several pollinator species are due to a variety of factors, including pathogens. Incorporating pollinator-friendly plant species into wild and agricultural habitats could reduce the stress of pathogens if food sources act medicinally against pathogens. Previous research demonstrated one domesticated sunflower cultivar (Helianthus annuus) can dramatically reduce a gut pathogen (Crithidia bombi) of the common eastern bumble bee, Bombus impatiens. To ascertain the breadth of this medicinal trait, we tested whether pollen from several H. annuus cultivars and four relatives could also reduce C. bombi infections in B. impatiens. We also investigated whether timing of exposure to sunflower pollen relative to time of infection affected the strength of this medicinal trait. In all experiments, bees were infected and then fed their respective pollen diets for a week before they were dissected to assess infection. In our first experiment, all pollen from Helianthus species and relatives reduced C. bombi cell counts compared to our single species control of buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum). In our timing of exposure experiments, a one-time exposure to sunflower pollen present at the time of infection did not lower infection levels. In longer exposure trials, sunflower pollen suppressed C. bombi infection with a strength inversely proportional to the time between treatment and infection. Our results suggest that medicinal pollen may be widespread in the Helianthus genus and potentially throughout the Asteraceae family. Thus, these results provide insights into how strategic plantings of certain floral resources can help mediate and influences pollinator disease dynamics.
Affleck-Dine baryogenesis in the local domain
Creators: name: Matsuda, Tomohiro
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2002
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph)
subject: Astrophysics (astro-ph)
subject: High Energy Physics - Theory (hep-th)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: For Affleck-Dine baryogenesis to proceed, there must have been two types of phase transitions. One is the destabilized-stabilized phase transition of the flat direction, which is in general induced by the Hubble parameter. The other is the phase transition related to the A-term, which induces the misalignment of the relative phase of the flat direction. In the conventional Affleck-Dine baryogenesis they are supposed to start almost simultaneously. Of course these phase transitions can take place separately, but the latter must not be later than the former because the phase transition of the A-term can not produce any baryon number when there is no condensate of the relative charge. In this paper we try to construct models where the original idea of Affleck-Dine baryogenesis is realized in a different way. We show examples in which the local domain of the false vacuum with the required condensate is formed after inflation and collapses in a safe way so that the domain wall problem is avoided. We also show examples where the phase transition of the A-term starts before the decay of the condensate. As in the conventional Affleck-Dine mechanism, the phase transition of the A-term produces baryon number in the local domain of the condensate. We construct scenarios where our mechanism produces sufficient baryon asymmetry of the Universe.
description: 18pages, latex2e, to appear in PRD
At-home meat consumption in China: an empirical study
Creators: name: Liu, Hongbo
name: Parton, Kevin A.
name: Zhou, Zhang-Yue
name: Cox, Rod
name: Liu, Hongbo
name: Parton, Kevin A.
name: Zhou, Zhang-Yue
name: Cox, Rod
Publisher: name: Unknown
Year: 2009
Subjects: subject: Demand and Price Analysis
subject: Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety
subject: censored demand
subject: China
subject: linear approximate almost ideal demand system model
subject: meat consumption.

description: The remarkable economic changes occurring within China since 1978 have resulted in a striking alteration in food consumption patterns, and one marked change is the increasing consumption of meat. Given China’s large population, a small percentage change in per capita meat consumption could lead to a dramatic impact on the production and trade of agricultural products. Such changes have major implications for policy makers and food marketers. This paper concentrates on meat consumption patterns in the home in China. A censored linear approximate almost ideal demand system model was employed in the study, and major economic parameters were estimated for different meat items. Data used in this study were collected from two separate consumer surveys – one urban and one rural in 2005.
Motion as Music: Hypermetrical Schemas in Eighteenth-Century Contredanses
Creators: name: Stevens, Alison N
Publisher: name: University of Massachusetts Amherst
Year: 2018

description: An important part of the recent growth in scholarship on meter focuses on reconstructing 18th-century listening practices. Danuta Mirka (2009) studies contemporary accounts of meter in theory treatises to build a model of 18th-century metric listening, while Stefan Love (2016) takes a corpus studies approach, arguing that surveying repertoire provides a more accurate view of meter than 18th-century theorists. But despite the known debt that much 18th-century art music owes to dance and dance music, Mirka and Love only briefly mention dance. In touching so lightly on dance, these and other authors overlook the more fundamental connection between meter and movement. In this paper I examine late 18th-century French contredanses and their music to propose a model of contemporary metric hearing that unites literal and musical motion.
There are three features of the contredanse and dancing in general that support their relevance to 18th-century metric experience. First is the contredanse’s role in society—recent writers on 18th-century music often present the minuet as the premier dance of the century, but though it remained the most aristocratic dance, by the middle of the century it had been surpassed in popularity by the contredanse. Second, contredanses involved multiple dancers moving simultaneously, and music helped them coordinate their movements. As a result, hypermetrical schemas matching hypermeasures with dance moves could develop. Finally, the experience of moving in time with musical meter likely had a positive effect on dancers’ ability to find meter in music in general.
Gaussian trajectory approach to dissipative phase transitions: the case of quadratically driven photonic lattices
Creators: name: Verstraelen, Wouter
name: Rota, Riccardo
name: Savona, Vincenzo
name: Wouters, Michiel
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2019
Subjects: subject: Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
subject: Optics (physics.optics)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We apply the Gaussian trajectories approach to the study of the critical behavior of two-dimensional dissipative arrays of nonlinear photonic cavities, in presence of two-photon driving and in regimes of sizable loss rates. In spite of the highly mixed character of the density matrix of this system, the numerical approach is able to provide precise estimations of the steady-state expectation values, even for large lattices made of more than 100 sites. By performing a finite-size scaling of the relevant properties of the steady state, we extrapolate the behavior of the system in the thermodynamic limit and we show the emergence of a second-order dissipative phase transition, belonging to the universality class of thermal Ising model. This result indicates the occurrence of a crossover when the loss rate is increased from the weak-loss limit, in which the phase transition belongs to the universality class of the quantum Ising model
Experimental Results on the Diffractive Production of Light Vector Mesons at HERA
Creators: name: Crittenden, J. A.
name: Collaboration, H1
name: Collaboration, ZEUS
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2001
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Experiment (hep-ex)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We discuss results on the diffractive production of the vector mesons rho, phi and omega reported by the H1 and ZEUS collaborations at HERA. Unique to such studies is the experimental accessibility to the polarization of the vector mesons and hence to the spin-density matrix elements arising in vacuum-exchange processes. We emphasize the relation between the observed dependence on momentum transfer and the polarization state of the vector meson. The diffractive nature of the production mechanism is investigated via extraction of the Pomeron trajectory at high Q^2. Flavor symmetry is observed in the phi/rho ratios in the same region of momentum transfer where the power-law scaling becomes similar. The multivariable helicity analyses impose stringent constraints on models for the vacuum-exchange production mechanism. Semi-exclusive photoproduction of transverse rho and phi mesons at momentum transfers far exceeding their mass scale exhibit a hard scaling behavior which appears to violate the QCD helicity selection rules in a two-gluon exchange model.
description: Contributed to the proceedings of the Ringberg Workshop on New Trends in HERA Physics 2001, 17-22 June 2001, Ringberg Castle, Tegernsee, Germany (11 pages including 9 figures) Transparencies are available at http://www-zeus.physik.uni-bonn.de/~critten/ringberg/talk/ringt/index.html
Queer Temporality and Aesthetics in Taylor Mac's The Lily's Revenge: a Dramaturgical Exploration of the Play at UMass Amherst
Creators: name: Trinidad, Gaven D.
Publisher: name: University of Massachusetts Amherst
Year: 2018

description: This master’s thesis documents the dramaturgical exploration of the spring 2018 University of Massachusetts Amherst Department of Theater’s production of gender non-conforming performance artist Taylor Mac’s The Lily’s Revenge. The thesis is separated into two parts. The first half focuses on my dramaturgical analysis of Mac’s play and its exploration of queer temporality and queer embodiment, asserting the importance of queer aesthetics in American drama and its vital role in shaping the future of LGBTQIA+ politics in the United States. The second half includes reflections on rehearsal processes and performances, giving readers and fellow artists examples of the potential of queer dramaturgical practices that are products of LGBTQIA+ theater and politics in the United States. These reflections show the application of research to rehearsal processes into theatrical performances as directed, designed, and performed by graduate and undergraduate students at UMass Amherst Department of Theater, located in Amherst, Massachusetts, thus giving a trajectory of how the queer and feminist theories written into the play are manifested into a full production through collaborative design, movement, staging, and performance. Drawn from my discoveries while working on The Lily’s Revenge as production dramaturg, I have shaped my own style of collaborative “queer dramaturgy” with the director and designers, hopefully, opening new entry points of future explorations for queer dramaturgs to synthesize theory and practice onto the stage with collaborators from all disciplines and identities.
You Must Estimate Before You Indicate: Design and Model-Based Methods for Evaluating Utility of a  Candidate Forest Indicator Species
Creators: name: Fleming, Jillian
Publisher: name: University of Massachusetts Amherst
Year: 2018

description: The red-backed salamander (RBS; Plethodon cinereus) has a large geographic range and,
though it is common throughout, abundance varies spatially. It has been studied extensively for at
least a century and as a result; its distribution, habitat use, behavioral ecology, reproductive
ecology, and ecological role are well understood in comparison to other cryptic wildlife. Multiple
sampling methods have been developed to monitor RBS, and I discuss in detail one common
method – artificial cover objects (ACOs). Spatial capture-recapture (SCR) is uniquely suited to
estimate population parameters, including true density, and is paired well with spatially
referenced sampling methods, such as ACOs, and animals capable of retaining unique marks,
such as RBS. In the introduction of this thesis, I review RBS, ACOs, and SCR independently in
detail, and go on to discuss their compatibility for monitoring terrestrial salamander populations.
Detailed, and often range-wide, monitoring of ecosystems is necessary to gather the
information needed to achieve broad multiple-scale conservation objectives. Indicator species are
recommended tools for filling in gaps of knowledge where these range-wide data do not exist.
The use of indicator species is precluded by the lack of evaluation of candidate indicators and
their relationship to indicated processes. In this thesis, I discuss in detail the practicality of
indicator species as wildlife management tools, and challenges in their application – primarily
their practicality when direct measurement of a variable of interest is possible. I advocate for
integrative indicator species applications that make use of relationships to latent variables, review
two conceptual models involving latent variables, and propose a modification to these models that
makes relationships between variables more explicit.
Inference of among-population variation to adaptive capacity, response to large-scale
threats, and the condition of ecosystems is limited in part by unstandardized methods. Ecological
relationships are made difficult to characterize by gaps in data - and this is especially true of links
between indicator species their and related ecosystem processes. Using a candidate indicator
species, I tested the congruence of population parameter estimates from study designs that varied.
In Wendell State Forest, MA, I manipulated spatial arrangements of artificial cover objects
(ACO) arrays and evaluated their use for monitoring terrestrial salamanders. ACOs mimic natural
habitat - and attraction of RBS to traps may induce behavioral bias in parameter estimates if not
accounted for. I sought to determine if variation in ACO design can be accommodated to make
comparable estimates. I found that analyzing data from ACOs using spatial capture-recapture
(SCR) modeling produces consistent within-population density estimates regardless of ACO
configuration.
External Market Linkages and Instability in Indian Edible Oil Economy: Implications for Self-sufficiency Policy in Edible Oils
Creators: name: Thomas, Lijo
name: Jha, Girish Kumar
name: Pal, Suresh
name: Thomas, Lijo
name: Jha, Girish Kumar
name: Pal, Suresh
Publisher: name: Unknown
Year: 2013
Subjects: subject: Agricultural and Food Policy
subject: Oilseeds
subject: edible oils
subject: co-integration
subject: imports
subject: tariff
subject: edible oil policy
subject: market linkage

description: The liberalization of the economy following WTO agreement paved the way for significant changes in the edible oil economy. The paper has shown that the impact of the trade liberalization has led to integration between domestic and international edible oil markets. The consequences of this integration on price stability, and production dynamics have been examined. It has been observed that India has tried to balance the interests of both producers and consumers while fixing the import tariffs. The impact of imposition of tariff analyzed in a partial equilibrium framework has revealed that the net impact will be negative, given the current demand-supply parameters of domestic edible oil economy. The implications of these finding include an increase in research investments in oilseed to reduce the need for protecting domestic sector and to create a buffer stock of edible oils to tide over the short-term international price volatilities.
Impact of Perceptual Speed Calming Curve Countermeasures On Drivers’ Anticipation & Mitigation Ability – A Driving Simulator Study
Creators: name: VALLURU, KRISHNA
Publisher: name: University of Massachusetts Amherst
Year: 2018

description: A potential factor for curve accidents are anticipatory skills. Horizontal curves have been recognized as a significant safety issue for many years. This study investigates the impact and effectiveness of three curve based perceptual speed calming countermeasures (advanced curve warning signs, chevron sign, and heads-up display(HUD) sign) on drivers’ hazard anticipation and mitigation behavior across both left and right-winding curves, and sharp (radius 200m) and flat (radius 500m) curves. Experimental results show that the speed and lateral control in the horizontal curves differed with respect to curve radii, direction, and the type of countermeasure presented. These differences in behavior are probably due to curve-related disparities, the type of perceptual countermeasure, and the presence of hazard at the apex of the curve. HUD is found to be effective at not only reducing the drivers’ speed in the curve, but also improve the latent hazard anticipation ability of the driver at the apex of the curve. Flat and sharp curves with indications of a safety problem were virtually developed in the simulator as representative as possible without upsetting the simulator’s fidelity. 48 participants were recruited for this study between the age range of 18 and 34, and driving experience range was from 0.25 to 17.75 years.
A Study of the Intertexts in The Stone Of Goddess Nüwa (Nüwa Shi 女娲石)
Creators: name: Li, Zhimo
Publisher: name: University of Massachusetts Amherst
Year: 2018

description: As a novel on contemporary issues (shishi xiaoshuo 时事小说), the unfinished novel The Stone of Goddess Nüwa (Nüwa shi 女娲石; 1904-1905) recounts a story about new women’s attempts to save the nation, which is a reflection of late-Qing China. From a historical perspective, I aim to provide a study of the Nüwa stone and characterization of new women in the novel with the help of multiple intertexts. My thesis explores how the stone and the characterization elaborate the theme and design of the novel: new women saving the nation, which includes radical ideas for women and national salvation in the late Qing. Against the socio-cultural context of The Stone of Goddess Nüwa, I argue that through the characterization and narrative designs of the stone, the novel presents its explorations to solve social and political problems for national salvation, in which female power plays a central and crucial role. This thesis endeavors to both enrich the understanding and value of The Stone of Goddess Nüwa from a historical perspective and call critical attention to its meaning in the decades’ exploration of improving both China and Chinese women in literary works from the late Qing.
The Benefits from Certified Virus-Free Nursery Stock: A Case Study of Grapevine Leafroll-3 in the North Coast Region of California
Creators: name: Alston, Julian M.
name: Fuller, Kate B.
name: Golino, Deborah A.
name: Alston, Julian M.
name: Fuller, Kate B.
name: Golino, Deborah A.
Publisher: name: Unknown
Year: 2013
Subjects: subject: Agribusiness
subject: Crop Production/Industries
subject: Grapevine Leafroll Disease
subject: perennial crop viruses
subject: California wine and winegrapes

description: Viruses and related pathogens have no cure and impose large costs on plant production. These diseases are typically spread through infected planting stock and plant propagation material. However, virus spread can be minimized if clean stock is used. We examine the costs and benefits of a virus testing and certification program for Grapevine Leafroll-3 in the North Coast region of California. We compare grower costs and benefits from using certified stock, and we extrapolate to the industry as a whole to estimate costs and benefits to consumers and producers of winegrapes, for the North Coast region. We find that the benefits from certification are large—in excess of $50 million per year for the region—and that they substantially outweigh the costs. We also find large potential benefits from roguing and replacing diseased vines rather than leaving them in the vineyard where they can spread disease. Additionally, we find large costs associated with disease entering from neighboring properties—nearly $300 per acre annually, using our baseline parameterization.
Realistic Dirac Leptogenesis
Creators: name: Murayama, Hitoshi
name: Pierce, Aaron
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2002
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We present a model of leptogenesis that preserves lepton number. The model maintains the important feature of more traditional leptogenesis scenarios: the decaying particles that provide the CP violation necessary for baryogenesis also provide the explanation for the smallness of the neutrino Yukawa couplings. This model clearly demonstrates that, contrary to conventional wisdom, neutrinos need not be Majorana in nature in order to help explain the baryon asymmetry of the universe.
description: 4 pages, 1 figure. Uses RevTex. Reference Added. Minor changes in wording
The Effect of Chemical Disorder on Defect Formation and Migration in Disordered MAX Phases
Creators: name: Singh, Prashant
name: Sauceda, Daniel
name: Arroyave, Raymundo
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2019
Subjects: subject: Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: MAX phases have attracted increased attention due to their unique combination of ceramic and metallic properties. Point-defects are known to play a vital role in the structural, electronic and transport properties of alloys in general and this system in particular. As some MAX phases have been shown to be stable in non-stoichiometric compositions, it is likely that such alloying effects will affect the behavior of lattice point defects. This problem, however, remains relatively unexplored. In this work, we investigate the alloying effect on the structural-stability, energy-stability, electronic-structure, and diffusion barrier of point defects in MAX phase alloys within a first-principles density functional theory framework. The vacancy (V$_{M}$, V$_{A}$, V$_{X}$) and antisite (M-A; M-X) defects are considered with M and A site disorder in (Zr-M)$_{2}$(AA${'}$)C, where M=Cr,Nb,Ti and AA${'}$=Al, Al-Sn, Pb-Bi. Our calculations suggest that the chemical disorder helps lower the V$_{A}$ formation energies compared to V$_{M}$ and V$_{X}$. The V$_{A}$ diffusion barrier is also significantly reduced for M-site disorder compared to their ordered counterpart. This is very important finding because reduced barrier height will ease the Al diffusion at high-operating temperatures, which will help the formation of passivating oxide layer (i.e., Al$_{2}$O$_{3}$ in aluminum-based MAX phases) and will slow down or stop the material degradation. We believe that our study will provide a fundamental understanding and an approach to tailor the key properties that can lead to the discovery of new MAX phases.
description: 26 pages, 18 figures, 2 Tables
Why Maximum Entropy? A Non-axiomatic Approach
Creators: name: Grendar,, M.
name: Grendar, M.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2002
Subjects: subject: Mathematical Physics (math-ph)
subject: Statistics Theory (math.ST)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences
subject: FOS: Mathematics
subject: 62B10; 94A17

description: Ill-posed inverse problems of the form y = X p where y is J-dimensional vector of a data, p is m-dimensional probability vector which cannot be measured directly and matrix X of observable variables is a known J,m matrix, J < m, are frequently solved by Shannon's entropy maximization (MaxEnt). Several axiomatizations were proposed to justify the MaxEnt method (also) in this context. The main aim of the presented work is two-fold: 1) to view the concept of complementarity of MaxEnt and Maximum Likelihood (ML) tasks from a geometric perspective, and consequently 2) to provide an intuitive and non-axiomatic answer to the 'Why MaxEnt?' question.
description: 4 pages, MaxEnt 2001
Protein-Protein interaction in Obstructive Sleep Apnea.docx
Creators: name: Eldaba, Mariam
name: Silverman, Lorelei
name: Silverman, Rosalind
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biomarkers

description: study analyzing the protein-protein interaction in patients with obstructive sleep apnea through high-throughput cell biology methods.
Pion-nucleon scattering to $\mathcal{O}(p^3)$ in heavy baryon SU(3) chiral perturbation theory
Creators: name: Huang, Bo-Lin
name: Ou-Yang, Jing
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2019
Subjects: subject: Nuclear Theory (nucl-th)
subject: High Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We calculate the complete $T$-matrices of pion-nucleon ($πN$) scattering to the third order in heavy baryon SU(3) chiral perturbation theory. The baryon mass in the chiral limit $M_0$ and the low-energy constants are determined by fitting to phase shifts of $πN$ and the experimental octet-baryon masses simultaneously. By using these constants, we obtain the pion-nucleon sigma terms, $σ_{πN}=(34.57\pm 11.85)$ MeV. We also find that a very small strangeness content of the proton, $y \simeq 0$. The scattering lengths and the scattering volumes are predicted, which turn out to be in good agreement with those of other approaches and the available experiment data. The contributions from the third-order amplitudes are discussed in detail. We find that the contributions from the internal kaon lines of one-loop diagrams and the counterterms of the third order are sizeable. In addition, the issue of convergence is also discussed.
description: 18 pages, 7 figures, 3 tables
IFOP Study of Public Opinion
Creators: name: Institut Francais D'Opinion Publique
Publisher: name: Roper Center for Public Opinion Research
Year: 2022

description: Judging films (1); returning from work (1); visiting friends (1); French society (2); economic development (1); national objectives (1); President Pompidou (1); Prime Minister Messmer (1); March 4th voting (1).
On Lepton Flavor Violation in Tau Decays
Creators: name: Cvetic, G.
name: Dib, C.
name: Kim, C. S.
name: Kim, J. D.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2002
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We study lepton flavor violation (LFV) in tau decays induced by heavy Majorana neutrinos within two models: (I) the Standard Model with additional right-handed heavy Majorana neutrinos, i.e., a typical seesaw-type model; (II) the Standard Model with left-handed and right-handed neutral singlets, which are inspired by certain scenarios of SO(10)models and heterotic superstring models with E_6 symmetry. We calculate various LFV branching ratios and a T-odd asymmetry. The seesaw Model I predicts very small branching ratios for LFV processes in most of the parameter space, although in a very restricted parameter region it can reach maximal branching ratios Br(tau to mu gamma) approx 10^-9 and Br(tau to 3mu) approx 10^-10. In contrast, Model II may show branching ratios Br(tau to e gamma) approx 10^-8 and Br(tau to 3e) < 10^-9, over a sizable region of the parameter space, large enough to be tested by experiments in the near future.
description: 19 pages, 5 ps-figures; minor changes, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. D
Real-Time Dengue Forecasting In Thailand: A Comparison Of Penalized Regression Approaches Using Internet Search Data
Creators: name: Kusiak, Caroline
Publisher: name: University of Massachusetts Amherst
Year: 2018

description: Dengue fever affects over 390 million people annually worldwide and is of particu- lar concern in Southeast Asia where it is one of the leading causes of hospitalization. Modeling trends in dengue occurrence can provide valuable information to Public Health officials, however many challenges arise depending on the data available. In Thailand, reporting of dengue cases is often delayed by more than 6 weeks, and a small fraction of cases may not be reported until over 11 months after they occurred. This study shows that incorporating data on Google Search trends can improve dis- ease predictions in settings with severely underreported data. We compare penalized regression approaches to seasonal baseline models and illustrate that incorporation of search data can improve prediction error. This builds on previous research show- ing that search data and recent surveillance data together can be used to create accurate forecasts for diseases such as influenza and dengue fever. This work shows that even in settings where timely surveillance data is not available, using search data in real-time can produce more accurate short-term forecasts than a seasonal baseline prediction. However, forecast accuracy degrades the further into the future the forecasts go. The relative accuracy of these forecasts compared to a seasonal average forecast varies depending on location. Overall, these data and models can improve short-term public health situational awareness and should be incorporated into larger real-time forecasting efforts.
Free energy determination of phase coexistence in model C60: A comprehensive Monte Carlo study
Creators: name: Costa, D.
name: Pellicane, G.
name: Abramo, M. C.
name: Caccamo, C.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2002
Subjects: subject: Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: The free energy of the solid and fluid phases of the Girifalco C60 model are determined through extensive Monte Carlo simulations. In this model the molecules interact through a spherical pair potential, characterized by a narrow and attractive well, adjacent to a harshly repulsive core. We have used the Widom test particle method and a mapping from an Einstein crystal, in order to estimate the absolute free energy in the fluid and solid phases, respectively; we have then determined the free energy along several isotherms, and the whole phase diagram, by means of standard thermodynamic integrations. We highlight how the interplay between the liquid-vapor and the liquid-solid coexistence conditions determines the existence of a narrow liquid pocket in the phase diagram, whose stability is assessed and confirmed in agreement with previous studies. In particular, the critical temperature follows closely an extended corresponding-states rule recently outlined by Noro and Frenkel [J. Chem. Phys. 113:2941 (2000)]. We discuss the emerging "energetic" properties of the system, which drive the phase behavior in systems interacting through short-range forces [A. A. Louis, Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 359:939 (2001)], in order to explain the discrepancy between the predictions of several structural indicators and the results of full free energy calculations, to locate the fluid phase boundaries. More generally, we aim to provide extended reference data for calculations of the free energy of the C60 fullerite in the low temperature regime, as for the determination of the phase diagram of higher order fullerenes and other fullerene-related materials, whose description is based on the same model adopted in this work.
description: RevTeX, 11 pages, 9 figures