Yield gains of coffee plants from phosphorus fertilization may not be generalized for high density planting

Inconclusive responses of the adult coffee plant to phosphorus fertilization have been reported in the literature, especially when dealing with application of this nutrient in high density planting systems. Thus, this study was carried out for the purpose of assessing the response of adult coffee plants at high planting density in full production (in regard to yield and their biennial cycle/stability) to the addition of different sources and application rates of P in the Zona da Mata region of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The experiment with coffee plants of the Catucaí Amarelo 6/30 variety was carried out over four growing seasons. Treatments were arranged in a full factorial design [(4 × 3) + 1] consisting of four P sources (monoammonium phosphate, simple superphosphate, natural reactive rock phosphate from Algeria (Djebel-Onk), and FH 550®), three P rates (100, 200, and 400 kg ha-1 year-1 of P2O5), and an additional treatment without application of the nutrient (0 kg ha-¹ year-¹). A randomized block experimental design was used with three replicates. The four seasons were evaluated as subplots in a split plot experiment. The P contents in soil and leaves increased with increased rates of P application. However, there was no effect from P application on the yield and its biennial cycle/stability regardless of the source used over the four seasons assessed.

Generalized Weyl solutions

It was shown by Weyl that the general static axisymmetric solution of the vacuum Einstein equations in four dimensions is given in terms of a single axisymmetric solution of the Laplace equation in three-dimensional flat space. Weyls construction is generalized here to arbitrary dimension D>~4. The general solution of the D-dimensional vacuum Einstein equations that admits D-2 orthogonal commuting non-null Killing vector fields is given either in terms of D-3 independent axisymmetric solutions of Laplaces equation in three-dimensional flat space or by D-4 independent solutions of Laplaces equation in two-dimensional flat space. Explicit examples of new solutions are given. These include a five-dimensional asymptotically flat black ring with an event horizon of topology S1S2 held in equilibrium by a conical singularity in the form of a disk.

Generalized Onsager symmetry

Onsager's symmetry theorem for transport near equilibrium is extended in two directions. A corresponding symmetry is obtained for linear transport near nonequilibrium stationary states, and the class of transport laws is extended to include nonlocality in both space and time. The results are formally exact and independent of any specific model for the nonequilibrium state.

Generalized percolation in random directed networks

We develop a general theory for percolation in directed random networks with arbitrary two-point correlations and bidirectional edgesthat is, edges pointing in both directions simultaneously. These two ingredients alter the previously known scenario and open new views and perspectives on percolation phenomena. Equations for the percolation threshold and the sizes of the giant components are derived in the most general case. We also present simulation results for a particular example of uncorrelated network with bidirectional edges confirming the theoretical predictions.

Generalized Langevin equations: Anomalous diffusion and probability distributions

We study the motion of a particle governed by a generalized Langevin equation. We show that, when no fluctuation-dissipation relation holds, the long-time behavior of the particle may be from stationary to superdiffusive, along with subdiffusive and diffusive. When the random force is Gaussian, we derive the exact equations for the joint and marginal probability density functions for the position and velocity of the particle and find their solutions.

Generalized adiabatic invariance

In this paper we find the quantities that are adiabatic invariants of any desired order for a general slowly time-dependent Hamiltonian. In a preceding paper, we chose a quantity that was initially an adiabatic invariant to first order, and sought the conditions to be imposed upon the Hamiltonian so that the quantum mechanical adiabatic theorem would be valid to mth order. [We found that this occurs when the first (m - 1) time derivatives of the Hamiltonian at the initial and final time instants are equal to zero.] Here we look for a quantity that is an adiabatic invariant to mth order for any Hamiltonian that changes slowly in time, and that does not fulfill any special condition (its first time derivatives are not zero initially and finally).

Petrou type-D perfect-fluid solutions in generalized Kerr-Schild form.

Generalized KerrSchild space-times for a perfect-fluid source are investigated. New Petrov type D perfect fluid solutions are obtained starting from conformally flat perfect-fluid metrics.

Petrou types D and II perfect-fluid solutions in generalized Kerr-Schild form.

Petrov types D and II perfect-fluid solutions are obtained starting from conformally flat perfect-fluid metrics and by using a generalized KerrSchild ansatz. Most of the Petrov type D metrics obtained have the property that the velocity of the fluid does not lie in the two-space defined by the principal null directions of the Weyl tensor. The properties of the perfect-fluid sources are studied. Finally, a detailed analysis of a new class of spherically symmetric static perfect-fluid metrics is given.

Rgtsp: a generalized top scoring pairs package for class prediction.

SUMMARY: A top scoring pair (TSP) classifier consists of a pair of variables whose relative ordering can be used for accurately predicting the class label of a sample. This classification rule has the advantage of being easily interpretable and more robust against technical variations in data, as those due to different microarray platforms. Here we describe a parallel implementation of this classifier which significantly reduces the training time, and a number of extensions, including a multi-class approach, which has the potential of improving the classification performance. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: Full C++ source code and R package Rgtsp are freely available from http://lausanne.isb-sib.ch/~vpopovic/research/. The implementation relies on existing OpenMP libraries.

Time of ruin in a risk model with generalized Erlang (n) interclaim times and a constant dividend barrier

In this paper we analyze the time of ruin in a risk process with the interclaim times being Erlang(n) distributed and a constant dividend barrier. We obtain an integro-differential equation for the Laplace Transform of the time of ruin. Explicit solutions for the moments of the time of ruin are presented when the individual claim amounts have a distribution with rational Laplace transform. Finally, some numerical results and a compare son with the classical risk model, with interclaim times following an exponential distribution, are given.

A comparison of mean phase difference and generalized least squares for analyzing single-case data

The present study focuses on single-case data analysis and specifically on two procedures for quantifying differences between baseline and treatment measurements The first technique tested is based on generalized least squares regression analysis and is compared to a proposed non-regression technique, which allows obtaining similar information. The comparison is carried out in the context of generated data representing a variety of patterns (i.e., independent measurements, different serial dependence underlying processes, constant or phase-specific autocorrelation and data variability, different types of trend, and slope and level change). The results suggest that the two techniques perform adequately for a wide range of conditions and researchers can use both of them with certain guarantees. The regression-based procedure offers more efficient estimates, whereas the proposed non-regression procedure is more sensitive to intervention effects. Considering current and previous findings, some tentative recommendations are offered to applied researchers in order to help choosing among the plurality of single-case data analysis techniques.

The Uncertain generalized probabilistic weighted average and its application in the theory of expertons

A new model for dealing with decision making under risk by considering subjective and objective information in the same formulation is here presented. The uncertain probabilistic weighted average (UPWA) is also presented. Its main advantage is that it unifies the probability and the weighted average in the same formulation and considering the degree of importance that each case has in the analysis. Moreover, it is able to deal with uncertain environments represented in the form of interval numbers. We study some of its main properties and particular cases. The applicability of the UPWA is also studied and it is seen that it is very broad because all the previous studies that use the probability or the weighted average can be revised with this new approach. Focus is placed on a multi-person decision making problem regarding the selection of strategies by using the theory of expertons.

On the success of generalized food deception in orchids : the role of sympatric rewarding species and pollinators

Résumé : La production de nectar assure aux plantes entomophiles un important succès reproducteur. Malgré cela, de nombreuses espèces d'orchidées ne produisent pas de nectar. La majorité de ces orchidées dites trompeuses exploitent simplement l'instinct des pollinisateurs généralistes, qui les pousse à chercher du nectar dans les fleurs. Afin d'optimiser la récolte de nectar, les pollinisateurs apprennent à différencier les fleurs trompeuses des nectarifères, et à concentrer leurs visites sur ces dernières, au détriment des plantes trompeuses. Chez les orchidées non autogames, la reproduction est assurée uniquement par les pollinisateurs. L'apprentissage des pollinisateurs a donc un impact négatif sur la reproduction des orchidées trompeuses. Cependant, les caractéristiques d'une espèce trompeuse et des espèces nectarifères au sein d'une communauté végétale peuvent affecter l'apprentissage et le taux de visite des pollinisateurs aux plantes trompeuses. J'ai réalisé des expériences en milieu naturel et en milieu contrôlé, pour déterminer si les caractéristiques florales, spatiales et temporelles des communautés affectent le taux de visite et le succès reproducteur de plantes trompeuses. Une agrégation spatiale élevée des plantes trompeuses et des plantes nectarifères diminue le succès reproducteur des plantes trompeuses. De plus, les pollinisateurs visitent plus souvent l'espèce trompeuse Iorsque ses fleurs sont de couleur similaire à celles de l'espèce nectarifère. Cet effet bénéfique de la similarité pour la couleur des fleurs s'accentue si les deux espèces sont mélangées et proches spatialement, ou si l'espèce trompeuse fleurit après l'espèce nectarifère. Enfin, le comportement des pollinisateurs n'est pas tout de suite affecté lorsque les caractéristiques de la communauté changent. Les caractéristiques des communautés végétales affectent donc la reproduction des espèces trompeuses. Bien que L'absence de coûts associés à la production de nectar, l'exportation efficace de pollen et la production de graines de qualité dont bénéficient les orchidées trompeuses favorisent Ieur maintien, les caractéristiques de la communauté peuvent aussi y contribuer. Mon étude fournit donc une explication alternative et complémentaire au maintien des orchidées trompeuses. Je conclus par une discussion des implications possibles de ces résultats sur le maintien et l'évolution des orchidées trompeuses, en tenant compte de la dynamique des caractéristiques des communautés végétales naturelles. Abstract : Despite the importance of producing food to ensure a high reproductive success, many orchid species lack such rewards. The majority of deceptive orchids simply exploit the instinctive food-foraging behaviour of generalist pollinators. This strategy is termed generalized food deception. To optimize their foraging efficiency, pollinators can learn to discriminate deceptive from rewarding flowers and to focus their visits to the rewarding plants, to the disadvantage of the deceptive plants. Because the reproductive success of non-autogamous orchids entirely relies on pollinator visitation rate, pollinator learning decreases the reproductive success of deceptive orchids. However, the characteristics of deceptive and rewarding plants within a community may affect pollinator learning and visitation rate to a deceptive orchid. Therefore, the biological characteristics of natural plant communities may be crucial to the maintenance of generalized food deceptive orchids. My study focused on the floral, spatial and temporal characteristics of plant communities. I used both in and ex sitar experiments to investigate whether these characteristics influence pollinator visitation rates and the reproductive success of deceptive orchids. A high spatial aggregation of both deceptive and rewarding species decreased the reproductive success of the deceptive species. Also, being of similar flower colour to rewarding sympatric species increased pollinator visitation rates to a deceptive species. The beneficial effect of flower colour similarity was even more pronounced when both species were spatially closely mingled or when the deceptive species flowered after the rewarding species. Finally, pollinator behaviour was unaffected in the short term by a change in the characteristics of plant communities, indicating that pollinators need time to learn under new conditions. Thus, the characteristics of plant communities may crucially affect the reproductive success of deceptive orchids. Although the absence of costs associated with nectar production, the efficient pollen export and the high seed quality of deceptive orchids may favour their maintenance, the characteristics of plant communities may also contribute to it. Therefore, my study provides an alternative yet complementary explanation to the maintenance of generalized food deceptive orchids in natural populations. I discuss the possible implications for the maintenance and the evolution of generalized food deceptive orchids with regards to the floral and temporal dynamics of natural plant communities.