1,226 research outputs found
Direct mail selection by joint modeling of the probability and quantity of response
Operations such as integration or modularization of databases can be considered as operations on database universes. This paper describes some operations on database universes. Formally, a database universe is a special kind of table. It turns out that various operations on tables constitute interesting operations on database universes as well.
Testing and validating the CERES-wheat (Crop Estimation through Resource and Environment Synthesis-wheat) model in diverse environments
CERES-Wheat is a computer simulation model of the growth, development, and yield of spring and winter wheat. It was designed to be used in any location throughout the world where wheat can be grown. The model is written in Fortran 77, operates on a daily time stop, and runs on a range of computer systems from microcomputers to mainframes. Two versions of the model were developed: one, CERES-Wheat, assumes nitrogen to be nonlimiting; in the other, CERES-Wheat-N, the effects of nitrogen deficiency are simulated. The report provides the comparisons of simulations and measurements of about 350 wheat data sets collected from throughout the world
Presence of Cavities in Snags Retained in Forest Cutblocks: Do Management Policies Promote Species Retention?
Tree cavities, which are frequently excavated by primary cavity nesters, are typically used by a number of avian and non-avian species and are thus important components in maintaining biodiversity in forest ecosystems. One way to provide these habitat opportunities in harvested areas is through the retention of snags. In this study, we assessed the habitat and snag characteristics that promote cavity excavation, using the presence of cavities to infer activity of primary cavity excavators. Snags retained closer to the forest/cutblock edge contained a greater density of cavities than trees further from edge. However, the proportion of cavities found within cutblocks declined at a more rapid rate with distance from edge than did those in adjacent forested stands. There was also a tendency for cavities to occur more frequently in trees that were at the advanced stages of decay. The results of our study suggest management for snags in harvest areas should include the retention of snags closer to the forest edge combined with incorporating trees showing signs of advanced decay
Rare insights into intraspecific brood parasitism and apparent quasiâparasitism in blackâcapped chickadees
Genetic analysis of passerine birds often finds evidence of extraâpair copulations within species, but genetic evidence of intraspecific brood parasitism (IBP) and quasiâparasitism (QâP) are relatively rare. Further, it is even rarer for genetic patterns that might indicate quasiâparasitism (resident male sires offspring through extraâpair copulations, and allows the female to lay these within the maleâs nest) to be coupled with observational evidence of this behavior. In this paper, we report behavioral observations surrounding the nest of blackâcapped chickadee, one of the few species in which both IBP and QâP have been detected through a genetic analysis. These were later confirmed to have young genetically mismatched with both attending parents, as well as mismatched with the attending female but sired by the attending male. The behavioral patterns associated with this nest are contrasted with the two previously reported cases of IPB/QâP in this species, and suggest that rare âdetectionâ of quasiâparasitism may be explained by converging patterns of extraâpair behavior and the rarer strategy of intraspecific brood parasitism.
Key words: Interspecific brood parasitism, Quasiâparasitism, Blackâcapped chickadees.El anĂĄlisis genĂ©tico de los paseriformes a menudo se tropieza con evidencias de cĂłpulas fuera de pareja ocurridas dentro de la misma especie, sin embargo las evidencias genĂ©ticas del parasitismo de puesta intraespecĂfico (IBP) y el cuasiparasitismo (QâP) son relativamente raras. AdemĂĄs, es incluso mĂĄs raro que los patrones genĂ©ticos que podrĂan indicar el cuasiparasitismo (un macho residente engendra hijos mediante una cĂłpula fuera de su pareja, y permite que la hembra ponga los huevos dentro del nido masculino) estĂ©n respaldados por evidencias observadas de esta conducta. En este artĂculo, informamos de las observaciones etolĂłgicas que tuvieron lugar en torno a un nido de carbonero cabecinegro, una de las pocas especies en las que se ha detectado tanto el IBP como el QâP mediante anĂĄlisis genĂ©tico. MĂĄs adelante se confrimĂł que los jĂłvenes no coincidĂan genĂ©ticamente con ambos padres cuidadores, asĂ como tampoco coincidĂan con la hembra cuidadora, pero si con el macho cuidador. Los patrones conductuales asociados a este nido se comparan con los otros dos casos conocidos con anterioridad de IPB/QâP en esta especie, y se sugiere que la "detecciĂłnâ poco frecuente del cuasiparasitismo puede explicarse mediante los patrones convergentes de las conductas extra pareja y la estrategia aĂșn mĂĄs rara del parasitismo de puesta intraespecĂfico.
Palabras clave: Parasitismo de puesta intraespecĂfico, Cuasiparasitismo, Carbonero cabecinegro.Genetic analysis of passerine birds often finds evidence of extraâpair copulations within species, but genetic evidence of intraspecific brood parasitism (IBP) and quasiâparasitism (QâP) are relatively rare. Further, it is even rarer for genetic patterns that might indicate quasiâparasitism (resident male sires offspring through extraâpair copulations, and allows the female to lay these within the maleâs nest) to be coupled with observational evidence of this behavior. In this paper, we report behavioral observations surrounding the nest of blackâcapped chickadee, one of the few species in which both IBP and QâP have been detected through a genetic analysis. These were later confirmed to have young genetically mismatched with both attending parents, as well as mismatched with the attending female but sired by the attending male. The behavioral patterns associated with this nest are contrasted with the two previously reported cases of IPB/QâP in this species, and suggest that rare âdetectionâ of quasiâparasitism may be explained by converging patterns of extraâpair behavior and the rarer strategy of intraspecific brood parasitism.
Key words: Interspecific brood parasitism, Quasiâparasitism, Blackâcapped chickadees
Compliance with guidelines is related to better local recurrence-free survival in ductal carcinoma in situ
The aim was to study the effect of compliance with guidelines on local recurrence (LR)-free survival in patients treated for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). From January 1992 to December 2003, 251 consecutive patients had been treated for DCIS in two hospitals in the North Netherlands. Every case in this two-hospital sample was reviewed in retrospect for its clinical and pathological parameters. It was determined whether treatment had been carried out according to clinical guidelines, and outcomes in follow-up were assessed. In addition, all patients treated for DCIS in this region (n=1389) were studied regarding clinical parameters, in order to determine whether the two-hospital sample was representative of the entire region. In the two-hospital sample, 31.4% (n=79) of the patients had not been treated according to the guidelines. Positive margins were associated with LR (hazard ratio (HR)=4.790, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.696â13.531). Breast-conserving surgery and deviation from the guidelines were independent predictors of LR (HR=7.842, 95% CI 2.126â28.926; HR=2.778, 95% CI 0.982â6.781, respectively). Although the guidelines changed over time, time was not a significant factor in predicting LRs (HR=1.254, 95% CI 0.272â5.776 for time period 1992â1995 and HR=1.976, 95% CI 0.526â7.421 for time period 1996â1999). Clinical guidelines for the treatment of patients with DCIS have been developed and updated from existing literature and best evidence. Compliance with the guidelines was an independent predictor of disease-free survival. These findings support the application of guidelines in the treatment of DCIS
Keeping Your Eyes Continuously on the Ball While Running for Catchable and Uncatchable Fly Balls
When faced with a fly ball approaching along the sagittal plane, fielders need information for the control of their running to the interception location. This information could be available in the initial part of the ball trajectory, such that the interception location can be predicted from its initial conditions. Alternatively, such predictive information is not available, and running to the interception location involves continuous visual guidance. The latter type of control would predict that fielders keep looking at the approaching ball for most of its flight, whereas the former type of control would fit with looking at the ball during the early part of the ball's flight; keeping the eyes on the ball during the remainder of its trajectory would not be necessary when the interception location can be inferred from the first part of the ball trajectory. The present contribution studied visual tracking of approaching fly balls. Participants were equipped with a mobile eye tracker. They were confronted with tennis balls approaching from about 20 m, and projected in such a way that some balls were catchable and others were not. In all situations, participants almost exclusively tracked the ball with their gaze until just before the catch or until they indicated that a ball was uncatchable. This continuous tracking of the ball, even when running close to their maximum speeds, suggests that participants employed continuous visual control rather than running to an interception location known from looking at the early part of the ball flight.</p
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