Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recovery of Native Flora and Behavioral Responses by Galerucella spp. Following Biocontrol of Purple Loosestrife

Abstract Goodyear Swamp Sanctuary, a wetland adjacent to Otsego Lake, Otsego County, New York, has been dominated by the invasive nonnative plant purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria L.) since 1975. In June 1997 a combined total of 100 adult Galerucella calmariensis (L.) and G. pusilla (Duft) were introduced into the Sanctuary in an attempt to control loosestrife. Since then, annual spring and fall monitoring has been conducted on 5/m2 quadrats with the intention of evaluating the abundance of Galerucella spp. and their impact on loosestrife over time. Through 2000 Galerucella spp. populations increased, as did damage to loosestrife, though not to the extent of controlling its growth or seed production. During the summers of 2001 and 2002 loosestrife was decimated. Following those periods, ephemeral non-target feeding by Galerucella spp. was documented primarily on red osier (Cornus stolonifera) in 2001 and speckled alder (Alnus rugosa) in 2002 with three other species being grazed to a lesser degree. No non-target species were substantially impacted during these brief periods (<1 wk). Temporal variation in the population distribution suggests that a shortage of appropriate food may have initiated early aestivation. During the summer of 2002 Galerucella spp. were found 9 km off-site, believed to result from a single-season dispersal, suggesting a mobility of a greater extent than previously recorded.
Stable isotope evidence of food web connectivity by a top predatory fish (Argyrosomus japonicus: Sciaenidae: Teleostei) in the Kowie Estuary, South Africa

In this study, food web connectivity within the Kowie Estuary on the south-east coast of South Africa was evidenced by the trophic behaviour of the predominantly piscivorous Argyrosomus japonicus. We examined stable isotopes of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) in the dominant consumers (zooplankton, invertebrates and fishes) and food sources (particulate organic matter, epibionts and benthic microalgae) in the system. An SIAR (Stable Isotope Analysis in R) mixing model was used to interpret the possible food sources for this dominant top predatory fish. Small fishes and large epibenthic invertebrates dominated the diet of A. japonicus. Based on the contrasting diet of these prey fish and invertebrates, we propose that organic matter enters the predatory fish community via two major pathways: (1) a littoral pathway dominated by benthic microalgae production and epibionts, and (2) a channel pathway dominated by suspended particulate organic matter (including phytoplankton). We conclude that the highly mobile A. japonicus consumes both pelagic and benthic fauna from the littoral and channel zones of the estuary, thereby playing a key functional role in linking food webs. This dietary diversity may help explain the success of A. japonicus as a dominant top predator in the system, primarily by increasing the energy available to this species.
Applied T-RFLP Analyses for the Identification and Characterization of Microbial Populations Associated With Damping-Off Incidence in a Transitional Organic Cropping System

Multiple statistical analyses of terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) data were used to screen and identify bacterial populations involved in general disease suppression in an organically managed soil. Prior to sampling, three different management strategies (i.e. mixed hay, tilled fallowing and open-field vegetables production) were used during the transition from conventional to organic farming, with and without compost amendment. The mixed hay transition strategy consistently led to the lowest damping-off disease incidence on two different crops in separate greenhouse and field experiments. Bacterial population structure in bulk soil and the rhizosphere of both crops was characterized using T-RFLP analyses of amplified 16S rDNA sequences. First, principal component analysis (PCA) revealed changes in the relative abundance of bacterial terminal restriction fragments (TRF) in response to transition strategy and/or compost amendment in eight different experimental contexts. In each context, a different
Adaptive Isostable Reduction of Nonlinear PDEs With Time Varying Parameters

Isostable reduction is a powerful technique for characterizing the transient behavior of a weakly forced, nonlinear dynamical systems in relation to a stable attractor. Practically, this reduction strategy requires small magnitude inputs so that the state remains close to the underlying attractor; when inputs become too large the reduction becomes unusable. Here, we develop an adaptive isostable coordinate framework that is valid for a continuous family of system parameters. Relations are derived that capture changes to the isostable coordinates in response to parameter changes. This information is subsequently used to define a reduction strategy valid for large magnitude but slowly varying inputs. The proposed reduction framework is compared to well-established linear and nonlinear proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) reduction techniques for simulations of the 1-dimensional nonlinear Burgers’ equation with time-varying Dirichlet boundary conditions. In numerical simulations the proposed reduction strategy only requires a single mode to accurately capture system behavior. By contrast, the linear POD reduction performs poorly while the nonlinear POD strategy requires several modes to achieve comparable performance.
A Zero Inductor-Voltage 48V to 12V/70A Converter for Data Centers with 99.1% Peak Efficiency and 2.5kW/in3 Power Density

The demand for internet and computing resources has led to datacenters and servers being one of the fastest growing consumers of power in the world today. While datacenter power architectures have improved over time, the majority of the loss still occurs at the server power supply, and board level voltage regulators. To attempt to improve this, Google has proposed and implemented a 48 volt server architecture that can significantly reduce both the upstream conversion losses, and the distribution losses within the server racks. Google has estimated that this change can reduce their overall conversion losses by up to 30%, but to fully realize these benefits new technology is needed to convert 48 volts down to the point of load voltage levels. The Intermediate Bus Architecture, where a "bus converter" steps down the 48 volts to a lower bus voltage which is then stepped down by point-of-load regulators is a very attractive option to "bridge the gap" between the 48 volt architecture of cutting edge servers, and the existing 12 volt architecture. The proposed topology is a novel intermediate bus converter that can achieve up to 2500W/in3 power density, 99.1% peak efficiency, and 97.2% full load efficiency for 70A 12V output. Compared with other cutting edge designs this work achieves higher efficiency, and superior power density without the need for complex control, or a sensitive resonant based design.
ONAP Based Pro-Active Access Discovery and Selection for 5G Networks

This paper enhances the functionality of analytics and policy framework of ONAP to solve the problem of access discovery and selection of radio access networks, which is currently manually configured by the operators. We propose to automate the policy creation and handle it dynamically, based on current and historic data collected from various network nodes based on three main services (open to accomodate new services) of 5G i.e. Enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), Ultra-reliable Low Latency communication (URLLC) and Massive Machine type communication (mMTC). Learning, analysis and prediction of the real and non-real time data can help to form dynamic access discovery and selection policies on the go with help of ONAP's DCAE (Data Collection, Analytics, and Events) and policy framework. To verify the effectiveness of our proposal we created a test bed with different access points and blended SOC with ONAP. Based on three different use cases we collected real time and non-real time traffic traces for our SOC to form dynamic policies with the help of DCAE and policy framework for selection of best available gNBs or eNBs. We compare our proposal with legacy networks and existing research works in the literature.
Salinity Influences the Response of Halomonas hydrothermalis to Artificial Fossilization by Evaporative Silicification

ABSTRACT Evaporative silicification can drive microbial fossilization within diverse natural habitats. Research into this process is pivotal to understanding the terrestrial fossil record and the preservation of biomarkers within extreme environments. We employed laboratory experiments to silicify the polyextremotolerant bacterium Halomonas hydrothermalis cultured at low, intermediate and high salinities (1, 3.5 or 11.8% w/v of NaCl) under iron-rich or iron-deprived conditions. Silicification was achieved by adding sodium silicate solution (30 or 150 ppm of Si) onto cultures, followed by evaporation. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated the presence of mineralized bacteria with intact morphology across all culture conditions. However, multivariate analysis of the attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FT-IR) spectra of silicified cultures showed significant differences between the examined salinities, most notably between cultures silicified after incubation at high salinity and those at lower salinities. Although the spectra of mineralized low- and intermediate-salinity cultures appeared distinct from their nonsilicified counterparts, these differences were less pronounced at high salinity. By showing that differences in salinity can influence microbial responses to mineralization at the molecular level, these data indicate that the potential for evaporative silicification to contribute to microbial fossilization may differ between freshwater and hypersaline environments.
Diversity, flower visitation frequency and generalism of pollinators in temperate rain forests of Chiloé Island, Chile

Species richness and taxonomic composition of pollinator assemblages are documented for 26 plant species from temperate rain forests of northern Chiloe Island, southern Chile (42∞30¢S). We investigated the patterns of generalism and specialization among plants and animal pollinators by comparing the flower visit frequency by different pollen vectors during the spring and summer months of three consecutive years (2000‐2002). Species studied exhibited a range of floral morphologies (radial vs. zygomorphic, open vs. tubular) and rewards (nectar and/or pollen). Overall, we recorded 172 pollinator species, with an average of 6.6 species of pollen vectors/plant species. Pollinators visited an average of 15.2 plant species/pollen vector. Pollinator assemblages were dominated by Coleoptera (75 species), Diptera (56 species) and Hymenoptera (30 species), but passerine birds and hummingbirds were also important. The most specialized plants were vines, including the bee-pollinated genus Luzuriaga (Philesiaceae) and two endemic species of hummingbird-pollinated Gesneriaceae. Hymenoptera contributed 41.2% of all visits, with the bumblebee Bombus dalhbomii accounting for 22.5% of these. Plants with unspecialized flower morphology supported a higher species richness of pollinators, but visiting rates did not differ from specialized flowers. © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2005, 147, 399‐416. ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS: bees ‐ birds ‐ hummingbirds ‐ Myrtaceae ‐ plant‐pollinator interactions ‐ pollination systems ‐ specialization.
Design and Characterization of a Neutral-Point-Clamped Inverter Using Medium-Voltage Silicon Carbide Power Modules

Many industries are transitioning towards medium-voltage (MV) power electronics to achieve increases in system-level power density. The development of MV-capable Silicon Carbide (SiC) technology allows these applications to be realized without the need for combining semiconductors in series, or with fewer levels in multi-level converter structures. In addition, due to the low switching losses of SiC MOSFETs, these voltage levels can be reached while significantly improving power density. However, one concern with SiC-based MV systems is electromagnetic interference (EMI), and especially common-mode (CM) behavior. The fast edge rates and higher switching frequencies of SiC-based systems are known to produce increased CM/EMI signatures. This paper describes the implementation and characterization of a SiC-based Neutral-Point-Clamped (NPC) inverter that is designed to support CM/EMI analysis at medium voltage. Experimental results are provided from a set of commissioning experiments performed at a bus voltage of 5 kV and with a peak output power of 28 kW. Both time-domain and frequency-domain plots are provided for the leakage current through the grounding network of this system. These results demonstrate that CM behavior scales linearly with dc bus voltage.
Sex-specific reproductive strategies of redfronted lemurs (Eulemur fulvus rufus, Primates, Lemuridae)

In order to characterize the endocrine changes associated with ovarian function and pregnancy in wild redfronted lemurs (Eulemur fulvus rufus), profiles of immunoreactive 5α-pregnane-3α-ol-20-one (5-P-3OH) and total estrogens (E t) in feces were generated during the breeding season and gestation. HPLC data confirmed the presence of high amounts of 5-P-3OH in the feces of redfronted lemurs and showed that estrone and estradiol-17ß were the major estrogens excreted into feces, with estrone predominating. Due to an extreme day-to-day variability in excretion of both hormones during the breeding season, estrus cycle characterization was not possible for wild females. Comparison with endocrine data from captive animals suggests that this may be associated with a highly variable amount of undigested fecal matter in the feces of wild females. A gestation length of 121.3 days was calculated on the basis of the day of behavioral estrus and date of parturition. Hormonally, pregnancy could be reliably diagnosed from day 40 45 after conception, when fecal progestogen levels clearly increased above breeding season concentrations in all females. Levels gradually increased thereafter, with 15 35 fold elevated maximum levels being reached shortly before parturition. In contrast, the pattern of fecal estrogen excretion was strongly related to the sex of the fetus in utero, with only females carrying male infants showing elevated (25 50 fold) CHAPTER 1: Endocrine characterization of female reproductive status 28 estrogen levels during the last third of gestation, while levels remained at low breeding season levels in female-carrying mothers. Thus, fecal estrogen measurements during the last 6 7 weeks of gestation allow fetal sex to be determined prenatally. By providing the first data on the reproductive endocrinology of E. fulvus, we have shown that fecal hormone analysis is a useful tool to monitor endocrine changes associated with pregnancy, while it appears to have certain limitations regarding the assessment of ovarian function.
The variable anchor box region proposal network based on confidence non-maximum suppression

The traditional target detection algorithm based on manual features has achieved good results in the past time, but the computation amount and running speed of the algorithm are not satisfactory. At present, the algorithm based on deep convolutional neural network has become the first choice and widely used. In this paper, attention guidance module is introduced in the detection based on the deep convolutional neural network, which guides the anchor box of region proposal network (RPN), making the selection of anchor box shape and size more effective. At the same time, a confidence factor non-maximum suppression (NMS) method is proposed to solve the problem of false detection and missed detection in the traditional post-processing, which makes a great contribution to the overall performance of the model. In the experiment, we found that our method has good detection performance in both RPN variants and existing advanced algorithms.
Climate variability and marine survival of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in the Oregon production area

Time series of adult recruitment for natural runs of coho salmon from the Oregon coastal region (1970‐ 94) and marine survival of hatchery-reared coho salmon from California to Washington (1960‐94) are significantly correlated with a suite of meteorological and oceanographic variables related to the biological productivity of the local coastal region. These variables include strong upwelling, cool sea surface temperature (SST), strong wind mixing, a deep and weakly stratified mixed layer, and low coastal sea level, indicating strong transport of the California Current. Principal component analysis indicates that these variables work in concert to define the dominant modes of physical variability, which appear to regulate nutrient availability and biological productivity. Multiple regression analysis suggests that coho marine survival is significantly and independently related to the dominant modes acting over this region in the periods when the coho first enter the ocean and during the overwintering/spring period prior to their spawning migration. Linear relationships provided good fits to the data and were robust, capable of predicting randomly removed portions of the data set.
NoViSec: Novel Virtual Network Mapping Framework for Secure Software-Defined Networking

Network softwarization technologies, such as software defined networking (SDN), network virtualization (NV), and network function virtualization (NFV), emerge and have been greatly promoted by their supporters. This softwarization scheme contributes to isolating network control from data panel, and allocating virtualized physical network resources flexibly. However, physical switches and links, supporting the softwarization scheme, may be attacked by malicious attackers. Even if these switches and links are softwarized and virtualized successfully, the problem of mapping various virtual network requests, known as virtual network embedding, is difficult to solve directly. Each customized VN request must be allocated and implemented in the appropriate manner. To deal with these issues, we research the virtual network mapping for secure SDN-enabled networks. Firstly, a hierarchical virtualization architecture for SDN- enabled networks is presented. Then, the security model for different malicious attacks is presented. Thirdly, we propose the novel and secure virtual network mapping framework, labeled as \textit{NoViSec}, for supporting SDN-enabled networks. Preliminary experiment results are plotted and discussed so as to validate the effectiveness of our secure \textit{NoViSec} framework.
Goatsrue (Galega Officinalis) Seed Biology

Abstract Goatsrue is an introduced perennial plant which has proven to have great invasive potential, leading to its classification as a noxious weed in many states and at the federal level. Very little research has been done on its basic biology. Physical dormancy of mature goatsrue seed was tested through scarification with sulfuric acid for up to 60 min resulting in 100% germination. Comparison of dormancy for 26-yr-old and 6-mo-old goatsrue seed indicated that aged seeds had reduced dormancy levels compared to newly harvested seeds. Maximum germination was similar among the 6-mo old and 26-yr-old seed lots, suggesting no loss of viability had occurred in seed stored dry for 26 yr. Goatsrue seedling emergence was inversely related to burial depth, and decreased as burial depth increased. Emergence of seed buried at 0.5 to 3.0 cm soil depth was 93 to 87%, respectively, and no emergence occurred from 12 and 14 cm. When the soil seed bank of five goatsrue-infested areas was sampled, the largest density of seeds found was 74,609 seeds m−2 while the lowest was 14,832 seeds m−2. Viability and dormancy of seeds recovered from the soil seed bank survey ranged from 91 to 100% and 80 to 93%, respectively. Management, which reduces the soil seed bank and controls emerging seedlings, is as essential as control of mature goatsrue plants in order to avoid seedling establishment and reinvasion of a location. Nomenclature: Goatsrue, Galega officinalis L
Habitat Structure Associated with Borrelia burgdorferi Prevalence in Small Mammals in New York State

Abstract The relationship between habitat structural composition, presence of Ixodes scapularis Say (I. dammini Spielman, Clifford, Piesman, and Corwin), and the prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi infection in small mammal populations was studied at 12 4-ha study sites selected within two perpendicular transects spanning New York State. Species-adjusted small mammal infection rates (SARs) were calculated to enable comparison of B. burgdorferi infection rates among sites with differing small mammal species composition and were used as the outcome variable in a predictive model. Sites with high SARs were characterized by lower overstory tree canopy height and basal area, increased understory coverage, substantial understory shrub coverage, decreased presence of surface water or saturated soil, high dominance values for I. scapularis, and higher tick burdens on small mammals. These differences were statistically significant from sites with moderate or low SAR values. Understory foliage height profiles were created for each study site, and significant differences in vegetation structural composition between high SAR sites and those with low or moderate SAR were documented. High SAR sites had increased density of herbaceous foliage at 0 and 25 cm, and higher shrub density at 0, 25, and 50 cm measurements above the ground, associated with I. scapularis questing success, and lower densities of sapling trees at 25, 50, and 75 cm. The structural composition of understory vegetation may dictate vector density and predict B. burgdorferi infection rates in small mammals in New York State.
A female‐dominated feeding hierarchy in juvenile sepia officinal is in the laboratory

Ten juvenile Sepia officinalis were observed during feeding, as two five‐member groups, to look for possible dominance relationships during feeding. Three measures of feeding, number of shrimp prey eaten, priority to take prey and access priority over another individual, were measured. After ten days the ten animals were grouped differently and the study was repeated. Priority of access and priority to eat were significantly related, r = 0.67 and 0.78. However, of the other four correlations, only one was significant with this group size, suggesting a weak relationship between ability to gain access to food and actual intake. When animals’ overall rankings given the two different groupings were correlated, the relationship was very high (r = 0.96). Female Sepia tended to dominate males and larger females tended to dominate smaller ones (r = 0.58). Thus juvenile Sepia have the capacity to form dominance relationships within a feeding situation.
Model System Studies on N-Nitrosamine Formation in Cured Meats: The Effect of Curing Solution Ingredients

Solutes commonly employed in curing solutions were evaluated for their effect on nitrosamine formation utilizing a ground pork model system. Sodium erythorbate and sodium ascorbate were found to be equally effective in reducing nitrosopyrrolidine levels. The incorporation of sodium tripolyphosphate or sucrose had no detectable effect on nitrosamine formation. However, sodium chloride, the solute present at the highest concentration in bacon curing solutions, exhibited a concentration dependent inhibition of nitrosopyrrolidine formation. Nitrosopyrrolidine levels in samples containing no added sodium chloride were found to be 50% higher than samples processed with 1.5% added salt.