Better Together: An Exploration of Interfaith Ideologies

In a world full of polarizing agents that function to divide society, the binding nature of interfaith ideologies serves to develop meaningful relationships between individuals, groups, and communities that subscribe to various religious or secular belief systems. Interfaith dialogue and cooperation encapsulate one’s ability to genuinely listen, share stories, and embrace growth and learning, not despite but because of differences. This article explores the influence of interfaith work on college campuses, within urban communities, and throughout the fields of medicine and global health. These are all specific aspects of a society that has the potential, now more than ever before, to promote wellness through interfaith ideologies and pursue a future in which humankind is better together

Genetic algorithms for Hyperspectral Range and Operator Selection

A novel genetic algorithm was developed using mathematical operations on spectral ranges to explore spectral operator space and to discover useful mathematical range operations for relating spectral data to reference parameters. For each range, the starting wavelength and length of the range, and a mathematical range operation were selected with a genetic algorithm. Partial least squares (PLS) regression was used to develop models predicting reference variables from the range operations. Reflectance spectra from corn plant canopies were investigated, with proportion of plants (1) with visible tassels and (2) starting to shed pollen as reference data. PLS models developed using the spectral range operator framework had similar fitness than PLS models developed using the full spectrum. This range/operator framework enabled identification of those spectral ranges with most predictive capability and which mathematical operators were most effective in using that predictive capability. Detection of operator locality may have utility in sensor and algorithm design and in developing breeding stock for other algorithms

Commercialisation and Impacts of Pasture Legumes in Southern Australia–Lessons Learnt

Forage legumes are a key feature of temperate grasslands in southern Australia, valued for their ability to increase animal production, improve soil fertility and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Of the 36 temperate annual legume and 11 temperate perennial legume species with registered cultivars introduced or domesticated in Australia over the last 100 years, a third have made a major contribution to agriculture, a third have modest use and a third have failed to make any commercial impact. Highly successful species include subterranean clover, barrel medic, white clover, lucerne, French serradella and balansa clover. Species were assessed on the scale of their application, ease of seed production and specific requirements for agronomic management to determine critical factors for maximising commercial success. Of fundamental importance is the need to understand the farming systems context for legume technologies, particularly as it relates to potential scale of application and impact on farm profitability. Other factors included a requirement for parallel investment in rhizobiology, implementing an adequate ‘duty of care’ problem-solving framework for each new plant product and the need to construct a commercialisation model that optimises the trade-off between rapid adoption by farmers and profitability of the seed industry. Our experience to date indicates that seed industry engagement is highest when they have exclusive rights to a cultivar, can exercise some control over seed production and can market seed for a premium price without having to carry over significant seed quantities from one season to the next. A capability for non-specialist seed production on-farm (with lower associated seed costs) is a disincentive for the seed industry, but may be an appropriate commercialisation model for some public cultivars

Novel Analysis of Hyperspectral Reflectance Data for Detecting Onset of Pollen Shed in Maize

Knowledge of pollen shed dynamics in and around seed production fields is critical for ensuring a high yield of genetically pure corn seed. Recently, changes in canopy reflectance using hyperspectral reflectance have been associated with tassel emergence, which is known to precede pollen shed in a predictable manner. Practical application of this remote sensing technology, however, requires a simple and reliable method to evaluate changes in spectral images associated with the onset of tassel emergence and pollen shed. In this study, several numerical methods were investigated for estimating percentage of plants with visible tassels (VT) and percentage of plants that initiated pollen shed (IPS) from remotely sensed hyperspectral reflectance data (397 to 902 nm). Correlation analysis identified regions of the spectra that were associated with tassel emergence and anthesis (i.e., 50% of plants shedding pollen). No single band, however, generated correlations greater than 0.40 for either VT or IPS. Classification using an artificial neural network (ANN) was predictive, correctly classifying 83.5% and 88.3% of the VT and IPS data, respectively. The extensive preprocessing necessary and the black box nature of ANNs, however, rendered analysis of spectral regions difficult using this method. Partial least squares (PLS) analysis yielded models with high predictive capability (R2 of 0.80 for VT and 0.79 for IPS). The PLS coefficients, however, did not exhibit a spectrally consistent pattern. A novel range operator-enabled genetic algorithm (ROE-GA), designed to consider the shape of the spectra, had similar predictive capabilities to the ANN and PLS, but provided the added advantage of allowing information transfer for increased domain knowledge. The ROE-GA analysis is the preferred method to evaluate hyperspectral reflectance data and associate spectral changes to tassel emergence and the onset of pollen shed in corn on a field scale

Knowledge of Objective 'Oughts': Monotonicity and the New Miners Puzzle

In the classic Miners case, an agent subjectively ought to do what they know is objectively wrong. This case shows that the subjective and objective ‘oughts’ are somewhat independent. But there remains a powerful intuition that the guidance of objective ‘oughts’ is more authoritative—so long as we know what they tell us. We argue that this intuition must be given up in light of a monotonicity principle, which undercuts the rationale for saying that objective ‘oughts’ are an authoritative guide for agents and advisors

Contrasting ring-opening propensities in UV-excited α-pyrone and coumarin

Ring-opening quantum yields following UV-photoexcitation of coumarin and α-pyrone are influenced by the dynamics through, rather than just the geometries of, conical intersections.</p

Applications of near-infrared FT-Raman spectroscopy in metamict and annealed zircon: oxidation state of U ions

We report a near-infrared Fourier-transform (FT) Raman spectroscopic method to characterize the electronic transitions of U ions and the alpha-decay damage in natural zircon. The application is demonstrated by analyzing metamict and annealed zircons from Sri Lanka. The data from crystalline zircon reveal a relatively sharp spectral feature appearing near 2733 cm −1 in Stokes spectra with a laser excitation of 1064 nm. The feature is assigned as signals related to the previously reported U 5+ absorption near 6668 cm −1 . With increasing self-irradiation dose, the feature shows a systematic decrease in intensity, accompanied by a gradual development of a broad feature between 3000 and 3400 cm −1 . On heating for 1 h, the U 5+ feature shows an increase in intensity starting near ~700 K for partially metamict zircon, whereas for highly damaged zircon the first recovery of the feature takes place near 1000 K, accompanied by a decrease in the radiation-induced broad band. The changes observed in the present study reflect the variations of local environments of U ions in natural zircon during metamictization and thermal annealing.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46908/1/269_2004_Article_399.pd