Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Shapes and functions of species–area curves (II): a review of new models and parameterizations

This paper has extended and updated my earlier list and analysis of candidate models used in theoretical modelling and empirical examination of species–area relationships (SARs). I have also reviewed trivariate models that can be applied to include a second independent variable (in addition to area) and discussed extensively the justifications for fitting curves to SARs and the choice of model. There is also a summary of the characteristics of several new candidate models, especially extended power models, logarithmic models and parameterizations of the negative‐exponential family and the logistic family. I have, moreover, examined the characteristics and shapes of trivariate linear, logarithmic and power models, including combination variables and interaction terms. The choice of models according to best fit may conflict with problems of non‐normality or heteroscedasticity. The need to compare parameter estimates between data sets should also affect model choice. With few data points and large scatter, models with few parameters are often preferable. With narrow‐scale windows, even inflexible models such as the power model and the logarithmic model may produce good fits, whereas with wider‐scale windows where inflexible models do not fit well, more flexible models such as the second persistence (P2) model and the cumulative Weibull distribution may be preferable. When extrapolations and expected shapes are important, one should consider models with expected shapes, e.g. the power model for sample area curves and the P2 model for isolate curves. The choice of trivariate models poses special challenges, which one can more effectively evaluate by inspecting graphical plots.
Intraguild Predators: Behavioral Changes and Mortality of the Green Crab (Carcinus maenas) During Interactions with the American Lobster (Homarus americanus) and Jonah Crab (Cancer borealis)

Abstract The green crab Carcinus maenas invaded the Gulf of Maine over a hundred years ago and has become a well-established member of coastal ecosystems. Carcinus is most abundant in the intertidal zone despite higher availability of invertebrate prey in the nearby shallow subtidal. A previous study revealed a higher mortality rate for Carcinus in the subtidal than in the intertidal zone. Two other decapods, the American lobster Homarus americanus and Jonah crab Cancer borealis, have their highest abundance in the shallow subtidal. These three species have similar diets and predation among and within species occurs. We performed a laboratory experiment to investigate the effects of H. americanus, C. borealis, and larger conspecifics on mortality and behavior of Carcinus. Homarus americanus was the most effective predator on Carcinus, consuming 27% within 24 h. In contrast, only 5% of Carcinus were eaten by C. borealis and none by conspecifics. The presence of American lobsters had dramatic effects on Carcinus behaviors: hiding and climbing increased while walking and standing on the open substrate decreased. In contrast, Carcinus showed no significant changes of behavior in the presence of C. borealis or larger conspecifics. The consumptive and non-consumptive (behavioral) effects of lobsters on Carcinus appear to be one major cause of the scarcity of Carcinus in subtidal communities. These effects are also likely to reduce Carcinus predation on the small invertebrates that are common prey for all the large decapods in this ecosystem.
Effect of zinc and boron interaction on growth and mineral composition of lemon seedlings in a calcareous soil

The impact of different concentration of zinc (Zn) and boron (B) on growth and mineral composition of lemon seedlings (Citrus Aurantifolia L.) was studied under greenhouse conditions. We used five concentration levels of B (0, 2.5, 5, 10 and 20 µg g -1 soil) and three of Zn (0, 5 and 10 µg g -1 soil). Fresh and dry plant weights of the control treatment were strongly decreased with B levels higher than 5 µg g -1 of soil. In above mentioned B levels, lemon seedlings displayed slight to severe B toxicity symptoms. Zn treatments reduced B accumulation and the associated inhibitory effect on plant growth. Increased B level in soils enhanced the concentration of B in plant shoots to a greater extent in the absence of applied Zn. The effectiveness of Zn for the reduction of B accumulation and toxicity decreased as the level of applied B was increased. In a comparison of Zn- deficient and Zn-treated soils, plant root and shoot analysis for B indicated an increased transport of B in the absence of Zn. The best plant production was achieved when 2.5 and 10 µg g -1 soil of B and Zn were applied simultaneously. This combination was associated with the highest uptake of Zn, nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), potassium (K), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) and copper (Cu), suggesting that the combination resulted to a suitable condition in which plants had a well-balanced nutritional status. While B application increased nutrients accumulation in plant shoot, the role of Zn was a dilution effect or antagonistic relationship. The results of this study indicated that supplemental Zn has potential and practical importance in the control of B absorption and toxicity in soil where plants are grown under Zn deficiency and B toxicity.
Evidence for Polyphyly in a Species of Linanthus (Polemoniaceae): Convergent Evolution in Self-Fertilizing Taxa

Abstract Sequence data for the ITS region of rDNA provide evidence that Linanthus bicolor, an annual species of western North America, is polyphyletic. A previous study identified two sequence types, distinguished by over 50 fixed nucleotide differences, in populations from different geographical regions. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the two are not sister taxa and, furthermore, that each represents an independent origin of self-fertilization. The morphological similarity of the two taxa, especially in floral traits, is hypothesized to have resulted from convergent evolution in characters associated with self-fertilization. Morphological and genetic data for populations sampled throughout the range of L. bicolor indicate that these distinct genetic types correspond to intraspecific taxa as currently circumscribed. The molecular evidence for polyphyly of L. bicolor, presence of significant morphological differences between the two taxa, and evidence that they are, to a large extent, reproductively isolated provide a strong rationale for distinguishing them at the level of species. We propose that L. bicolor var. minimus be elevated to species status with the designation, L. minimus. Communicating Editor: Jeff H. Rettig
Domain-specific Knowledge Extraction from the Web of Data

Lalithsena, Sarasi. PhD, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Wright State University, 2018. Domain-specific Knowledge Extraction from the Web of Data. Domain knowledge plays a significant role in powering a number of intelligent applications such as entity recommendation, question answering, data analytics, and knowledge discovery. Recent advances in Artificial Intelligence and Semantic Web communities have contributed to the representation and creation of this domain knowledge in a machine-readable form. This has resulted in a large collection of structured datasets on the Web which is commonly referred to as the Web of data. The Web of data continues to grow rapidly since its inception, which poses a number of challenges in developing intelligent applications that can benefit from its use. Majority of these applications are focused on a particular domain. Hence they can benefit from a relevant portion of the Web of Data. For example, a movie recommendation application predominantly requires knowledge of the movie domain and a biomedical knowledge discovery application predominantly requires relevant knowledge on the genes, proteins, chemicals, disorders and their interactions. Using the entire Web of data is both unnecessary and computationally intensive, and the irrelevant portion can add to the noise which may negatively impact the performance of the application. This motivates the need to identify and extract relevant data for domain-specific applications from the Web of data. Therefore, this dissertation studies the problem of domain-specific knowledge extraction from the Web of data. The rapid growth of the Web of data takes place in three dimensions: 1) the number of knowledge graphs, 2) the size of the individual knowledge graph, and 3) the domain coverage. For example, the Linked Open Data (LOD), which is a collection of interlinked knowledge graphs on the Web, started with 12 datasets in 2007, and has evolved to more than 1100 datasets in 2017. DBpedia, which is a knowledge graph in the LOD, started with 3 million entities and 400 million relationships in
Energy- and Mobility-Aware Scheduling for Perpetual Trajectory Tracking

Energy-efficient location tracking with battery-powered devices using energy harvesting necessitates duty-cycling of GPS to prolong the system lifetime. We propose an energy- and mobility-aware scheduling framework that adapts to real-world dynamics to achieve optimal long-term tracking performance. To forecast energy, the framework uses an exponentially weighted moving average filter to compute a virtual energy budget for the remainder of the forecast period. The virtual energy budget is then used as input for our proposed information-based GPS sampling approach, which estimates the current tracking error through dead-reckoning and schedules a new GPS sample when the error exceeds a given threshold. In order to improve the long-term tracking performance, the threshold is adapted based on the current energy and movement trends to balance the expected information gain from a new GPS sample with its energy cost. We evaluate our approach on empirical traces from wild flying foxes and compare it to strategies that sample GPS using fixed and adaptive duty cycles and by using dead-reckoning with a fixed threshold. Our analysis shows that the proposed information-based GPS sampling strategy reduces the mean tracking error compared to existing methods and approaches the performance of the optimal offline sampling strategy.
Human Epithelial Related Antigen (hERA) in Salivary Glands and Their Tumors: Immunohistochemical Observations

The expression of human epithelial related antigen (hERA), a 40 kD transmembrane glycoprotein assigned to one of the small cell lung cancer antigen was evaluated in normal salivary glands and their tumors using immunohistochemical methods.In normal salivary gland acini, hERA was seen in lateral borders and basal plasma membrane of serous cells of the parotid and submandibular glands and in the basal layer of mucous cells of the sublingual and minor oral glands, the luminally projecting cell membrane being consistently unreactive. In ductal segments, hERA was seen in basal infoldings and lateral borders of striated duct cells, excretory ducts or interlobular ducts and the ductal basal cells in particular, were devoid of hERA immunostaining.Salivary pleomorphic adenoma showed luminal borders of tubulo-ductal structures immunoreactive for hERA whereas the nonluminal or the neoplastic myoepithelial cells were consistently unreactive. A similar pattern of immunoreactivity was observed in Warthin's tumor where lateral borders of luminally located tall columnar tumor cells showed reaction products whereas the basal cells were unreactive. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma showed hERA in epidermoid and intermediate tumor cells, but not in mucous secreting cells. In adenoid cystic carcinoma reaction product for hERA was seen in a limited number of lumen-lining cells and again the non-luminally located neoplastic myoepithelial cells were unreactive. The results of the present study suggest that hERA may be a useful marker to detect luminal cell components in salivary tumor and, apart from the neoplastic myoepithelial cells or their counterparts, these luminally located cells may have a potential implication in salivary gland tumorigenesis.
Online Marketing Strategy and Market Segmentation in the Spanish Rural Accommodation Sector

The present work tests the effect of the online differentiation strategies employed by rural accommodation enterprises (RAEs) among different segments of the tourist population. More specifically, the following aspects are identified: (1) the different tourist segments that undertake rural tourism; (2) the various online differentiation strategies adopted by RAEs; and (3) the effect of these online differentiation strategies on tourist behavior, by segment (in terms of perceived value). The results reveal that when the main motivation of tourists is to experience the destination itself, it is strategies based on convenience and rural identity that most influence perceived value; when tourists are more motivated by enjoying the services and facilities provided by the RAE, strategies based on convenience and reputation are those with the strongest influence on perceived value; and when tourists are interested in undertaking activity holidays, it is strategies based on convenience, reputation, and rural identity that most influence perceived value.
Production and preservation of archaeal glycerol dibiphytanyl glycerol tetraethers as intact polar lipids in marine sediments: Implications for their use in microbial ecology and TEX86 paleothermometry

For climate modelling in order to predict climate change scenarios, it is important to consider past climate conditions and their impacts. The study of past climates, paleoclimatology, makes frequent use of molecular fossils, molecules that are preserved over geological time scales. Ratios of different compounds can be used, for example, as paleothermometers in order to determine temperatures of air and sea millions of years ago. One of these paleothermometers is the so-called TEX86 which is based on compounds present in the membranes of microorganisms called Thaumarchaeota, that thrive in the ocean. Their membrane lipids are glycerol diether glycerol tetraethers with hydrophilic headgroups (IPL-GDGTs), which are degraded after cell death to core lipid (CL-) GDGTs by release of the head groups, and settle to the sea floor packaged in organic matter particles. After deposition, the distribution of the different GDGTs on which the TEX86 is based can potentially be altered through several process, thereby altering the temperature signal. Sedimentary Thaumarchaeota could produce GDGTs within the sediment, and degradation processes, especially exposure to oxygen, could degrade some GDGTs faster than others. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the effect of post-depositional processes in marine sediments have on the GDGT distribution and thus the TEX86. This was achieved by analysis of IPL- and CL-GDGT distributions, and by conducting stable isotope probing experiments. Results showed that GDGTs from pelagic Thaumarchaeota are deposited and preserved in the sediment as both IPL- and CL-GDGTs. This suggests that IPL-GDGTs are not representative for live Thaumarchaeota and can, dependent on their headgroups, be preserved over geological time scales. Furthermore, it was discovered that GDGT-distributions differ per type of head group, and preferential degradation of more labile head group-containing IPL-GDGTs can thus result in small distributional changes of the IPL-GDGTs. However, these changes are not large enough to change the TEX86 of CL-GDGTs, which is used in paleotemperature determinations. A lack of incorporation of 13C from different 13C-labelled substrates – phytodetritus, amino acids, glucose, pyruvate and bicarbonate – confirmed the slow turnover of IPL-GDGTs and indicated that, if sedimentary Thaumarchaeota are indeed active in sediments, they are only present in relatively low numbers and growing and metabolizing only slowly (up to 100s of years of doubling times). In situ produced GDGTs were shown to degrade completely rather than just lose their head groups and pass over into the CL-pool. Sedimentary processes thus hardly influence the TEX86. IPL-GDGT distributions can change with proceeding degradation, but CL-GDGT distributions are not affected by this. Activity and biomass of sedimentary Archaea have thus previously been overestimated, as the majority of IPL-GDGTs present in sediments are fossil.
Effects of pH and aluminium on the growth of temperate pasture species. I. Temperate grasses and legumes supplied with inorganic nitrogen

A flowing solution culture experiment was conducted in which four temperature pasture grasses and 11 temperate pasture legumes were grown in solutions of low ionic strength for 29 days at six aluminium (Al) levels with average AI~+ activities {AI~+J of 1.0, 5.1, 5.9, 9.9, 20.8, 41.6 /. IM at pH 4.5. Growth of these species was also measured at pH 5.5 in the absence of Al. In the absence of added Al, lucerne (Medicago sativa) cv. Hunter River and phalaris (Phalaris aquatica) cv. Grasslands Maru grew better at pH 5.5 than at 4.5. The reverse was so for ryegrass (Lolium perenne) cv. Grasslands Nui and subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum) cv. Tallarook. Increasing the pH from 4.5 to 5.5 had no effect on the growth of the other 11 species and cultivars tested. Micromolar activities of A1 (40 pM) markedly reduced the growth of all species. Four groups were tentatively identified in terms of their tolerance to Al. The two cultivars of ryegrass and the two red clover (Trifolium pratense) cultivars, together with Lotus corniculatus cv. Maitland, were relatively sensitive to Al. A 50% reduction in total dry matter (TDM) was associated with {AI~+} of 2-3 PM. The four white clover (Trifolium repens) cultivars, tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) cv. Grasslands Roa, phalaris cv. Grasslands Maru, and lucerne cv. Hunter River were intermediate in their tolerance, with {A13+} of 3-5 /. IM reducing TDM by 50%. The two subterranean clover cultivars were more tolerant to Al than white clover (50% TDM reduction at 5-6 WM {AI~+}. Lotus pedunculatus CV. Grasslands Maku was exceptional in its tolerance to Al. Its growth was unaffected by {A13+} up to 5 WM and 50% growth reduction was associated with {~l~+} of 7p~. The results of this study emphasize the need to conduct solution culture experiments at realistic solution concentrations and ionic strengths when examining the effects of A1 on plant growth.
Evolutionary genetics of partial migration – the threshold model of migration revis(it)ed

Partial migration is a common and widespread phenomenon in animal populations. Even though the ecological causes for the evolution and maintenance of partial migration have been widely discussed, the consequences of the genetics underlying diff erences in migration patterns have been little acknowledged. Here, I revise current ideas on the genetics of partial migration and identify open questions, focussing on migration in birds. Th e threshold model of migration describing the inheritance and phenotypic expression of migratory behaviour is strongly supported by experimental results. As a consequence of migration being a threshold trait, high levels of genetic variation can be preserved, even under strong directional selection. Th is is partly due to strong environmental canalization. Th is cryptic genetic variation may explain rapid de novo evolution of migratory behaviour in resident populations and the high prevalence of partial migration in animal populations. To date the threshold model of migration has been tested only under laboratory conditions. For obtaining a more realistic representation of migratory behaviour in the wild, the simple threshold model needs to be extended by considering that the threshold of migration or the liability may be modifi ed by environmental eff ects. Th is environmental threshold model is valid for both facultative and obligate migration movements, and identifi es genetic accommodation as an important process underlying evolutionary change in migration status. Future research should aim at identifying the major environmental variables modifying migration propensity and at determining reaction norms of the threshold and liability across variation in these variables.
Foundations of Vision

For people with intact vision, it would be hard to imagine what life would be like without it. Vision is the sense that we rely on most to perform everyday tasks. Imagine if instead you had to accomplish all of your daily routines while blindfolded. We depend on vision whenever we navigate to work by foot or by car, search for our favorite snack in the grocery aisle, or scan the words on a printed page trying to extract their underlying meaning. For many mammals and especially for higher primates, vision is essential for survival, allowing us to reliably identify objects, food sources, conspecifics, and the layout of the surrounding environment. Beyond its survival value, our visual sense provides us with an intrinsic source of beauty and pleasure, a tapestry of richly detailed experiences. We may find ourselves captivated by an expansive view from a seaside cliff, a swirl of colors in an abstract oil painting, or an endearing smile from a close friend. The power of vision lies in the dense array of information that it provides about the surrounding environment, from distances near and far, registered by the geometry of light patterns projected onto the backs of the eyes. It is commonly said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Consider for a moment the chirping activity of the ganglion cells in your retinae right now, and their outgoing bundle of roughly 1 million axonal fibers through each optic tract. Following each glance or microsaccade, a new pattern of activity is registered by the photoreceptors, then processed by the bipolar neurons and the ganglion cells, after which these high-bandwidth signals are relayed to the lateral geniculate nucleus and ultimately to the visual cortex for in-depth analysis. Psychologists and neuroscientists have made remarkable advances in understanding the functional organization of the visual system, uncovering important clues about its perceptual mechanisms and underlying neural codes. Computational neuroscientist David Marr (1982) once quipped that the function of vision is “to know what is where by looking. ” As Marr well appreciated, the problem underlying vision is far easier to summarize than it is to solve. Our visual system does a remarkably good job of solving this problem, getting things pretty much right about 99.9% of the time. On those rare occasions where the visual system seems to come up with “the wrong answer,” as in the case of visual illusions, scientists can gain insight into the powerful computations that underlie the automatic inferences made by the visual system.
Analyzing stock market trends using social media user moods and social influence

Information from microblogs is gaining increasing attention from researchers interested in analyzing fluctuations in stock markets. Behavioral financial theory draws on social psychology to explain some of the irrational behaviors associated with financial decisions to help explain some of the fluctuations. In this study we argue that social media users who demonstrate an interest in finance can offer insights into ways in which irrational behaviors may affect a stock market. To test this, we analyzed all the data collected over a 3‐month period in 2011 from Tencent Weibo (one of the largest microblogging websites in China). We designed a social influence (SI)‐based Tencent finance‐related moods model to simulate investors' irrational behaviors, and designed a Tencent Moods‐based Stock Trend Analysis (TM_STA) model to detect correlations between Tencent moods and the Hushen‐300 index (one of the most important financial indexes in China). Experimental results show that the proposed method can help explain the data fluctuation. The findings support the existing behavioral financial theory, and can help to understand short‐term rises and falls in a stock market. We use behavioral financial theory to further explain our findings, and to propose a trading model to verify the proposed model.