Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cupric Hydroxide-Treated Containers Affect Growth and Flowering of Annual and Perennial Bedding Plants

Four annual cultivars, Celosia cristata L. 'Castle Pink', Impatiens Wallerana Hook. 'Super Elfin Red', Pelargonium x domesticum L.H. Bailey 'Ringo Scarlet' and Tagetes patu{a L. 'Discovery Yellow', and two perennial cultivars, Chrysanthemum x superbum Bergmans ex J. Ingram' Alaska' and Coreopsis lanceolata L. 'Early Sunrise', of bedding plants were grown in a greenhouse for about 40 days in 0.3-1 (3.5 in.) containers treated with 25, 50, or 100 g Cu(OHh/1 (approximately 1.8,3.5, and 7% (wt/wt), respectively) formulated as Spin Out™ or in non-treated containers. Following greenhouse production and a 4-day acclimation period in a shade-house, the plants were transplal\l<;;\J to a field plot. Cupric hydroxide concentrations that resulted in practical levels of control and/or elimination of root deformation (circled, kinked, and matted roots at container wall-media interfaces) were species dependent, varying between 25 and 100 gil (1.8 and 7%). During greenhouse production Cu(OHh treatments of 50 or 100 gil (3.5 or 7%) increased the vegetative growth of C. cristata and increased the number of flowers on I. Wallerana compared to plants in non-treated containers. After field planting, P. x domesticum grown in 50 or 100 g Cu(OHh/i (3.5 or 7%) and I. Wallerana in 100 g Cu(OHh/i treated containers had increased vegetative growth. The flowering potential of I. Wallerana was increased by the 50 g Cu(OHh/i (3.5%) treatment following field planting. Index words: Greenhouse production, postharvest quality, root morphology, transplant establishment, flowering potential Species used in this study: Cockscomb 'Castle Pink' (Celosia cristata L. 'Castle Pink'); Coreopsis 'Early Sunrise' (Coreopsis lanceolata L. 'Early Sunrise'); Impatiens 'Super Elfin Red' (Impatiens Wallerana Hook. f. 'Super Elfin Red'); Geranium 'Ringo Scarlet' (Pelargonium x domesticum L. 'Ringo Scarlet'); Marigold 'Discovery Yellow' (Tagetes patula L. 'Discovery Yellow'); Chrysanthemum 'Alaska' (Chrysanthemum x superbum Bergmans ex. 1. Ingram 'Alaska')
DOES PRESENCE OF PERMANENT FRESH WATER AFFECT RECRUITMENT IN PRAIRIE-NESTING DABBLING DUCKS?

Abstract In the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North Dakota, USA, American mink (Mustela vison) are a major predator of ducklings. Mink populations plummet during severe droughts, but some mink survive where permanent fresh water is available. In 1992–1993, we evaluated whether development of a permanent water body, the 125-km McClusky Canal (MC), had affected survival of gadwall (Anas strepera) and mallard (A. platyrhynchos) broods and ducklings in surrounding wetland complexes. Twelve of 25 radiomarked gadwall and mallard hens experienced total brood loss, and 148 of 199 radiomarked ducklings from 58 broods died by day 30. Gadwall broods (n = 18 radiomarked hens) survived to 30 days at a lower rate (0.52) than predicted for similar areas in the region with limited permanent fresh water (0.85; P = 0.009). Observed (n = 162 radiomarked ducklings from 48 broods) survival rates also were lower than predicted for gadwall ducklings 0–7 days old (0.42 vs. 0.60; P < 0.001) and 8–30 days old (0.41 vs. 0.80; P < 0.001). We attempted to include mallards in models constructed to predict brood and duckling survival rates in the Koenig Study Area (KSA), but data were too sparse. Rates of survival to 30 days for gadwall and mallard ducklings declined from an estimated 0.83 and 0.68 in 1976–1981 (Lokemoen et al. 1990), when the MC was first filling with water, to 0.36 and 0.31 (adjusted for radiotransmitter effects) in 1992–1993 after the MC had become a permanent freshwater body. Estimated gadwall recruitment rate (females fledged per hen) during 1992–1993 was 0.5, <50% of the estimated recruitment rate in 1976–1981. Of 130 radiomarked ducklings (both species) for which we determined cause of death, 114 mortalities were attributed to predation; at least 65% of 62 deaths in which the predator type could be discerned were caused by mink. Environmental planners and waterfowl managers should be aware of potential risks to waterfowl production from development of permanent freshwater bodies in prairie pothole landscapes and may wish to refine duck productivity models to consider negative effects of permanent water on duckling survival.
Roles for NF-κB in Regulating Gene Expression in Synaptic Plasticity and Memory

Changing the strength of synaptic connections between neurons is a process by which memory traces are encoded and stored in the nervous system. Evidence to date suggests that long term memory encoding and storage are dependent on mRNA translation and protein synthesis. Studies over the years have identified key signaling molecules involved in processes of protein synthesis in contexts of long term memory. Transcription factors, such as cAMP response element binding (CREB) protein, CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP), early growth response (Egr) protein, activator protein 1 (AP-1), and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) have been hypothesized to play roles in memory suggesting that these molecules function as part of a sophisticated response for processes of protein synthesis in long term memory. Previous studies have shown roles for some of these proteins in CNS disorders, where a rapidly growing literature supports the involvement of NF-κB, not only in neurodegenerative conditions, but also in synaptic plasticity and memory.
Development of the diatom-Phaeocystis spring bloom in the Dutch coastal zone of the North Sea: the silicon depletion versus the daily irradiance threshold hypothesis

The Dutch coastal zone of the North Sea is characterized by high nutrient inputs and low water column irradiance due to high concentrations of suspended matter. The vernal phytoplankton blooms are dominated by diatoms and the flagellate Phaeocystis (Haptophyta). Two hypotheses that predict the timing of the Phaeocystis bloom were tested with field data collected in 1992. The first one, stating that the Phaeocystis bloom starts when silicon has been depleted by a preceding diatom bloom, could not be bracketed with observations. The second hypothesis, predicting that Phaeocystis blooms under nitrogen- and phosphorus-replete conditions after a daily irradiance threshold has been passed could be supported by field observations. Furthermore, it is shown that the Dutch coastal zone is not continuously homogeneously mixed. It is argued that this is an important factor in the life cycle of Phaeocystis and in foam formation on nearby shores. Grazing by the ciliate Strombidium sulcatum and heterotrophic gymnodinoid flagellates accounted for 92% of Phaeocystis cell loss after the bloom.
Intra‐ and Interannual Vegetation Change: Implications for Long‐Term Research

To draw reliable conclusions from forest restoration experiments, it is important that long‐term measurements be repeatable or year‐to‐year variability may interfere with the correct interpretation of treatment effects. We used permanent plots in a long‐term restoration study in southwestern Colorado to measure herbaceous and shrub vegetation at three dates within a single year (June, July, and August), and between years (2003 and 2005), on untreated control plots in a warm, dry mixed conifer forest. Growing season precipitation patterns were similar between 2003 and 2005, so differences in vegetation should be related primarily to differences in the sampling month. Significant indicator species for each sampling month were present within a single year (2005), primarily reflecting early‐season annuals. We found no significant differences for total species abundance (2005). Species richness, abundance, and indicator species were significantly different between years for different sampling months indicating that sampling should be conducted within a similar time frame to avoid detecting differences that are not due to treatment effects or variations in year‐to‐year climate. These findings have implications for long‐term research studies where the objectives are to detect changes over time in response to treatments, climate variation, and natural processes. Long‐term sampling should occur within a similar phenological time frame each year over a short amount of time and should be based on the following criteria: (1) the sampling period is congruent with research objectives such as detecting rare species or peak understory abundance and (2) the sampling period is feasible in regard to personnel and financial constraints.
Response of Iodine on Antioxidant Levels of Glycine max L. Grown under Cd Stress

2 Abstract: Heavy metal (HM) toxicity is one of the major abiotic stresses leading to hazardous effects in plants. A common consequence of HM toxicity is the excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that cause lipids peroxidation, oxidation of protein, inactivation of enzymes, DNA damage and/or interactions with other vital constituents of plant cells. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the application of IO can improve the levels of antioxidants to severe cadmium stress in soybean seeds (Glycine max L). 3 -
Why Hantavirus Prevalence Does Not Always Increase With Host Density: Modeling the Role of Host Spatial Behavior and Maternal Antibodies

For wildlife diseases, one often relies on host density to predict host infection prevalence and the subsequent force of infection to humans in the case of zoonoses. Indeed, if transmission is mainly indirect, i.e., by way of the environment, the force of infection is expected to increase with host density, yet the laborious field data supporting this theoretical claim are often absent. Hantaviruses are among those zoonoses that have been studied extensively over the past decades, as they pose a significant threat to humans. In Europe, the most widespread hantavirus is the Puumala virus (PUUV), which is carried by the bank vole and causes nephropathia epidemica (NE) in humans. Extensive field campaigns have been carried out in Central Finland to shed light on this supposed relationship between bank vole density and PUUV prevalence and to identify other drivers for the infection dynamics. This resulted in the surprising observation that the relationship between bank vole density and PUUV prevalence is not purely monotonic on an annual basis, contrary to what previous models predicted: a higher vole density does not necessary result in a higher infection prevalence, nor in an increased number of humans reported having NE. Here, we advance a novel individual-based spatially-explicit model which takes into account the immunity provided by maternal antibodies and which simulates the spatial behavior of the host, both possible causes for this discrepancy that were not accounted for in previous models. We show that the reduced prevalence in peak years can be attributed to transient immunity, and that the density-dependent spatial vole behavior, i.e., the fact that home ranges are smaller in high density years, plays only a minor role. The applicability of the model is not limited to the study and prediction of PUUV (and NE) occurrence in Europe, as it could be easily adapted to model other rodent-borne diseases, either with indirect or direct transmission.
Point Cloud Projective Analysis for Part-Based Grasp Planning

This work presents an approach for part-based grasp planning in point clouds. A complete pipeline is proposed that allows a robot manipulator equipped with a range camera to perform object detection, categorization, segmentation into meaningful parts, and part-based semantic grasping. A supervised image-space technique is adopted for point cloud segmentation based on projective analysis. Projective analysis generates a set of 2D projections from the input object point cloud, labels each object projection by transferring knowledge from existing labeled images, and then fuses the labels by back-projection on the object point cloud. We introduce an algorithm for point cloud categorization based on 2D projections. We also propose a viewpoint aware algorithm that filters 2D projections according to the scanning path of the robot. Object categorization and segmentation experiments were carried out with both synthetic and real datasets. Results indicate that the proposed approach performs better than a CNN-based method for a training set of limited size. Finally, we show part-based grasping tasks in a real robotic setup.
Enhanced Functional Obfuscation of DSP core using Flip-Flops and Combinational logic

Due to globalization of Integrated Circuit (IC) design flow, Intellectual Property (IP) cores have increasingly become susceptible to various hardware threats such as Trojan insertion, piracy, overbuilding etc. An IP core can be secured against these threats using functional obfuscation based security mechanism. This paper presents a functional obfuscation of digital signal processing (DSP) core for consumer electronics systems using a novel IP core locking block (ILB) logic that leverages the structure of flip-flops and combinational circuits. These ILBs perform the locking of the functionality of a DSP design and actuate the correct functionality only on application of a valid key sequence. In existing approaches so far, executing exhaustive trials are sufficient to extract the valid keys from an obfuscated design. However, proposed work is capable of hindering the extraction of valid keys even on exhaustive trials, unless successfully applied in the first attempt only. In other words, the proposed work drastically reduces the probability of obtaining valid key of a functionally obfuscated design in exhaustive trials. Experimental results indicate that the proposed approach achieves higher security and lower design overhead than previous works.
Crop Tolerance and Weed Management Systems in Imidazolinone-Tolerant Corn (Zea mays L.)1

Field studies were conducted in 1997 and 1998 to evaluate the efficacy of imidazolinone weed management systems and crop tolerance of imidazolinone-tolerant (IT) corn to imazapic. Imazapic (36 and 72 g/ha) was evaluated when applied PRE; early postemergence (EPOST), when corn was at the two- to three-leaf stage; and late postemergence (LPOST), when corn was at the six- to eight-leaf stage. Imazapyr + imazethapyr EPOST and metolachlor + atrazine followed by (fb) primisulfuron LPOST were evaluated as commercial standards. Imazapic at 36 g/ha EPOST controlled johnsongrass, Texas panicum, smellmelon, and ivyleaf and entireleaf morningglory at least 93% when adequate rainfall occurred. Devil's claw was controlled at least 85% with imazapic EPOST or LPOST at either rate. Imazapic at 36 g/ha EPOST and LPOST controlled eclipta 88 and 91%, respectively. Yellow nutsedge was controlled >91% with imazapic LPOST, which was superior to imazapic applied EPOST. Broadleaf signalgrass was controlled 94% with imazapic at 72 g/ha LPOST, which was significantly higher than other herbicide treatments. Imazapic at 36 and 72 g/ha applied PRE under moisture stress resulted in reduced weed control; but when adequate rainfall occurred, weed control was generally similar to that of EPOST and LPOST applications. Imazapic crop response at 72, 105, 140, and 211 g/ha applied at EPOST and LPOST was evaluated in two IT corn hybrids. Crop response varied with soil and environmental conditions and application timings. Imazapic at 72, 105, and 140 g/ha EPOST resulted in crop injury 33 to 55% at 6 wk after planting (WAP) in a coarse soil; however, crop injury decreased to <20% at 12 WAP. Low crop injury (<9%) was observed at 12 WAP in a clay soil. Imazapic applied LPOST resulted in lower crop injury than EPOST application. Corn plant height and yield were not affected by any imazapic treatment. Nomenclature: Imazapic; imazapyr; imazethapyr; atrazine; metolachlor; primisulfuron; ivyleaf morningglory, Ipomoea hederacea (L.) Jacq. #3 IPOHE; entireleaf morningglory, Ipomoea hederacea var. integriuscula Gray # IPOHE; smellmelon, Cucumis melo (L.) var. dudaim Naud. # CUMMD; Texas panicum, Panicum texanum Buckl. # PANTE; johnsongrass, Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers. # SORHA; devil's-claw, Proboscidea louisianica (Mill.) Thellung # PROLO; eclipta, Eclipta prostrata L. # ECLAL; yellow nutsedge, Cyperus esculentus L. # CYPES; broadleaf signalgrass, Brachiaria platyphylla (Griseb.) Nash # BRAPP; corn, Zea mays L. , ‘Garst 8326IT’, ‘Garst 8396IT’, ‘Cargill 7994IT’, ‘Garst 8222IT’. Additional index words: Crop response, application timings. Abbreviations: EPOST, early postemergence; fb, followed by; IR, imidazolinone-resistant; IT, imidazolinone-tolerant; LPOST, late postemergence; TAES, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station Field Laboratory; TP, TP Farms; WAP, weeks after planting.
Breeding healthy cereals: genetic improvement of Fusarium resistance and consequences for mycotoxins

Although it is generally agreed that increased genetic resistance to fungal colonisation by Fusarium head blight (FHB) should lead to reduced damage and particularly to reduced contamination due to mycotoxins, this review aims to highlight on this relation based on published literature in comparison to our own results. We focus here on the major cereal crop plants wheat and barley. Generally, correlations between measures for disease severity on the plants or the seeds and toxin content were found positive and significant. Breeding of new cultivars with reduced Fusarium disease severity will therefore lead to a correlated selection response in the direction of reduced toxin contamination, for the prevalent toxins such as deoxynivalenol, but also for less abundant mycotoxins and masked mycotoxins. Choosing resistant cultivars is possibly the best option for mycotoxin reduction right at the beginning of the cereal production chain: on the farmer’s field. Therefore, investment in breeding FHB resistant culti.
Performance comparison between LTE-V2X and ITS-G5 under realistic urban scenarios

Wireless communications are being used for enhancing transport systems. In order to achieve these goals, some communication technologies are specially designed to support Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) functionalities. C-V2X (Cellular Vehicle-to-everything) or LTE-V2X and ITS-G5 are one of the existing solutions respectively standardized by 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) and ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute). While ITS-G5 is a dedicated wireless network for C-ITS applications, LTE-V2X shares the network resources with other LTE applications used on mobile devices. In this paper, we give an insight on both technologies by briefly describing their communication mechanisms. Then, we compare their performances under different use cases using a networking and vehicular simulation platform. Results show that ITS-G5 outperforms LTE-V2X (mode 3) in case of the presence of concurrent LTE data traffic with V2X service. Throughout the conducted scenarios, we demonstrate the negative impact of handover on LTE-V2X eNB scheduled mode.
A Novel Bearing Fault Diagnosis of Raw Signals Based on 1D Residual Convolution Neural Network

Diagnosing the faults of rolling bearing is an important thing, because it is the key component as well as the most easily damaged part in mechanical equipment. Whereas the traditional intelligent diagnosis methods rely heavily on the complex time-consuming feature extraction processes and rich diagnostic experience. Using the characteristics of one-dimensional vibration signals, we propose a one-dimensional residual convolution neural network (1D-RCNN) that directly uses time-domain waveforms as input. By introducing 1D CNN, residual blocks, batch normalization, and global average pooling layer, our model can effectively extract and identify features through deep convolution neural networks automatically without overfitting. A series of experiments were conducted based on the dataset of Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) to evaluate the performance of our proposed approach. According to the results, the proposed method is superior to state-of-the-art approaches using handcrafted features or raw data as input, and has certain practical potential in industrial production.
A Class of High Order Tuners for Adaptive Systems

Parameter estimation algorithms using higher order gradient-based methods are increasingly sought after in machine learning. Such methods however, may become unstable when regressors are time-varying. Inspired by techniques employed in adaptive systems, this letter proposes a new variational perspective to derive four higher order tuners with provable stability guarantees. This perspective includes concepts based on higher order tuners and normalization and allows stability to be established for problems with time-varying regressors. The stability analysis builds on a novel technique which stems from symplectic mechanics, that links Lagrangians and Hamiltonians to the underlying Lyapunov stability analysis, and is provided for common linear-in-parameter models.
Inhibitory activity of metabolites produced by strains of Lactobacillus plantarum isolated from Malaysian fermented food.

Inhibitory activity of 63 combinations of metabolites produced by 6 strains of locally isolated Lactobacillus plantarum I-UL4, TL1, RS5, RI11, RG14 and RG11 against various pathogens was studied. Inhibitory activities based on the diameter of inhibitory zone were then tested against Pediococcus acidilactici, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella typhimurium and Vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE). Four combinations with the highest inhibitory scores were identified. The combination of four strains RS5, RI11, RG14 and RG11 shared the highest score, followed by the combination of TL1, RG14 and RG11, combination of TL1, RI11 and RG11 and combination of TL1, RS5, RI11 and RG14. These results indicated that different combinations of metabolites had different antibacterial activity. For pathogen specificity, 63 combinations showed the highest average inhibitory activity against S. typhimurium, E. coli followed by L. monocytogenes. VRE was also inhibited by these combinations of metabolites; however, the inhibitory activity was lower than other pathogens.
Measurement Uncertainty of Harmonic Emission Indicators based on IEEE Std. 1459-2010

The study presented in this paper is aimed at analyzing the measurement uncertainty impact on the evaluation of some power ratio parameters for harmonic emissions assessment based on IEEE Std. 1459-2010 apparent power decomposition. In addition to power factors for line utilization and harmonic pollution levels evaluation defined in the Standard, the study covers also some new parameters, which have been introduced by the authors as IEEE Std. 1459-2010 power quantities ratios. The measurement of the aforesaid parameters is implemented on a PC-based wattmeter, in order to investigate the measurement uncertainty impact on the evaluation of the power ratios. The obtained results show that, in comparison with IEEE Std. 1459-2010 indicator for harmonic pollution level, better results can be reached with the new power ratios, whose behavior is more similar to the traditional power factors.
Absence of Nepotism in Genetically Heterogeneous Colonies of a Clonal Ant

Insect societies are normally closed entities from which alien individuals are excluded. The occasional fusion of unrelated colonies of the thelytokous ant Platythyrea punctata is therefore puzzling, because it strongly intensifies competition among nestmates for the replacement of an old reproductive. Most colonies of P. punctata have only one or few reproductives, which produce female offspring from unfertilized eggs, and therefore have a clonal structure. Fusion leads to multi-clone colonies. We compared the occurrence of dominance and policing behavior between single- and double-clone colonies. We find that the frequency of aggression is higher in double-clone colonies, but that individuals do not preferentially direct attacks toward non-clonemates. This matches observations in other species that social insects perceive genetic homogeneity but are not capable of reliable discrimination among nestmates of different degree of relatedness.