Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
New breeding information on Brazilian birds. 1: Rheidae, Tinamidae, Anhimidae, Anatidae, Cracidae and Podicipedidae

Summary. This is the first in a planned series of articles about the breeding behaviour of Brazilian birds. Field work has been carried out in various regions of Brazil since the 1980s. The descriptions cover various aspects of reproductive biology, such as seasonality, nest architecture, materials and measurements, clutch size, egg colour, size and shape, incubation period, nestling period, and parental care. Many data are presented scientifically for the first time. In this first paper, we present data for 16 species: Greater Rhea Rhea americana (two nests, including the first information from north-east Brazil), Small-billed Tinamou Crypturellus parvirostris (20 nests), Red-winged Tinamou Rhynchotus rufescens (three nests), Spotted Nothura Nothura maculosa (11 nests), Horned Screamer Anhima cornuta (four nests, possibly with the first biometrics of eggs in the wild from Brazil), Southern Screamer Chauna torquata (five nests), White-faced Whistling Duck Dendrocygna viduata (three nests), Black-bellied Whistling Duck D. autumnalis (eight nests), Muscovy Duck Cairina moschata (two nests), Brazilian Teal Amazonetta brasiliensis (one nest), White-cheeked Pintail Anas bahamensis (one nest), Rusty-margined Guan Penelope superciliaris (seven nests, probably with the first data on reproductive success), Chaco Chachalaca Ortalis canicollis (one nest), East Brazilian Chachalaca O. araucuan (one nest), Least Grebe Tachybaptus dominicus (six nests) and Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps (one nest).
Thirty Years of Growth of Woody Plants in a Biocorridor Established on Agricultural Land: Case Study From Vracov (Czech Republic)

Abstract In the 1970s and 1980s, the concept of ecological networks was developed in the Czech Republic. The first biocorridors were established on arable land in the beginning of the 1990s. One of them was the Vracov biocorridor. This paper deals with the growth and development of trees on two permanent research plots in the period from 1993–2021. In the biocorridor, repeated inventories of woody plants and monitoring of biometrical parameters of trees and shrubs were carried out. The number of woody plants has been decreasing as the level of stand canopy has increased. Moreover, mean heights and diameters of skeleton (Quercus robur, Tilia cordata) and filling (Acer campestre, Prunus avium) trees and shrubs (Cornus sanguinea, Ligustrum ovalifolium) were compared. Under the given conditions, the growth of these tree species can be positively evaluated.
Electronic stopping powers in silicon carbide

The stopping powers in silicon carbide (SiC) of nine different ions, ranging from Be to Au, have been determined using a time-of-flight elastic recoil detection analysis (TOF ERDA) set-up. In transmission geometry, the energy loss of ions in a self-supporting SiC film is measured over a continuous range of recoil energies, from tens to hundreds keV/nucleon, using Time-of-Flight (TOF) spectrometry. By essentially calibrating the Si detector for each channel using the TOF spectrometer, the error resulting from nominal energy calibration is eliminated. An uncertainty of less than 4% is achieved in the stopping measurements. Stopping powers predicted by SRIM (The Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter) code are in reasonable agreement with much of the experimental data, and the SRIM 2003 predictions are in somewhat better agreement than SRIM 2000 for most ions. There are, however, still some discrepancies between SRIM predictions and the experimental data. For Ni, I and Au ions, the predicted values from SRIM 2003 are up to 40% less than the measured values. The stopping data from this study as well as previous work suggest that both the modified Bohr and Bloch formulas are suitable for scaling the stopping number of heavy ions in SiCmore » within the classical interaction regime, and the Bloch formula is more appropriate to use at higher energies. « less
The Axin scaffold protects the kinase GSK3β from cross-pathway inhibition

Multiple signaling pathways regulate the kinase GSK3β by inhibitory phosphorylation at Ser9, which then occupies the GSK3β priming pocket and blocks substrate binding. Since this mechanism should affect GSK3β activity towards all primed substrates, it is unclear why Ser9 phosphorylation does not affect other GSK3β-dependent pathways, such as Wnt signaling. We used biochemical reconstitution and cell culture assays to evaluate how Wnt-associated GSK3β is insulated from cross-activation by other signals. We found that the Wnt-specific scaffold protein Axin allosterically protects GSK3β from phosphorylation at Ser9 by upstream kinases, which prevents accumulation of pS9-GSK3β in the Axin-GSK3β complex. Scaffold proteins that protect bound proteins from alternative pathway reactions could provide a general mechanism to insulate signaling pathways from improper crosstalk.
Large scale and mesoscopic hydrodynamics for dissipative particle dynamics

Decay rates and related transport coefficients of hydrodynamic disturbances in the isothermal dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) fluid depend strongly on how the probing wave length (in simulations: sizes of colloidal particles, polymers, pores, etc.) compares to the dynamic correlation length and to the range of the DPD forces. In this article the wave number dependent transport properties (dispersion relations) of the DPD fluid are calculated analytically using methods of kinetic theory, as a natural generalization of the work by Marsh et al. [Phys. Rev. E 56, 1976 (1997)]. The Navier–Stokes transport coefficients are recovered in the hydrodynamic limit of long wavelength disturbances.
Improved predictive control approach to networked control systems

A predictive control-based approach is proposed to networked control systems. In this approach, an improved predictive controller is designed using delayed sensing data and a compensation scheme is proposed to overcome the negative effects of the network-induced delays and data packet dropouts in both the forward and backward channels. The proposed approach is easy to be implemented in practice compared with previous results in that only delayed data of the control inputs are used to derive the forward control predictions. The stability of the closed-loop system is obtained by modelling the system as a time delay system with structural uncertainties. Simulations show that the proposed approach is superior to the previous results in the situation where only delayed data are used.
The Climatology and Prediction of the Chicago Lake Breeze

Abstract As part of an extensive mesoscale study of the Chicago lake breeze, ten summer months of data (1966–68) were used to compile a climatology of this phenomena and devise a simple forecasting technique. The lake breeze was found to occur at the Chicago shoreline on 36% of all days (out of a sample of 307). The time of onset ranged from before 0600 to 1&30 LST, with 0800–0900 LST being most frequent. The lake breeze front, defined as a narrow (1–2 km) band of convergence separating airflows with overland and overwater trajectories, was found to push inland anywhere from 1 block to over 40 km. Experience verified that light gradient winds, strong insolation, and land air temperatures warmer than the lake water surface were the favorable conditions for formation. However, in an attempt to arrive at more objective forecasting scheme, the work of Biggs and Graves was extended to Lake Michigan. A dimensionless number, σ = V2g/(CpΔT),is defined where Vg, is the geostrophic wind speed from the 1200 GMT surf.
Radial velocities of late-type stars in the galactic center

The 2.0-2.4 micron spectra, with 120 km/s resolution, obtained for six late-type stars within 2 pc of the center of the Galaxy were used to derive spectral types and reddenings for these stars. The supergiant density in the Galactic center is lower than in previous determinations. The radial velocities of the Galactic center stars are measured to an uncertainty of 10 km/s using a cross-correlation technique. No correspondence is found between the stellar velocities and the Ne II velocities or other gas velocities observed along the same line of sight. No systematic rotation or ordered motion is seen in the stellar velocity distribution. The total mass distribution derived from the stellar velocity dispersion is compared to the stellar mass distribution derived from the 2 micron light and the total mass distribution derived from gas velocities.
On the evolution of a nonlinear Alfvén pulse

The temporal evolution of weakly nonlinear, plane, linearly polarized Alfvén pulses in a cold homogeneous plasma is investigated. A static initial pulse-like disturbance in transverse velocity produces two Alfvén pulses that travel in opposite directions along the magnetic field. The ponderomotive force of the two pulses produces a static shock in longitudinal velocity at the starting position. The travelling pulses form a shock front that is governed by the scalar Cohen–Kulsrud equation. We find good agreement between the analytical solutions we derive and the results from a fully nonlinear numerical MHD code.
iEDeaL: A Deep Learning Framework for Detecting Highly Imbalanced Interictal Epileptiform Discharges

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disease, ranked as the second most burdensome neurological disorder worldwide. Detecting Interictal Epileptiform Discharges (IEDs) is among the most important clinician operations to support epilepsy diagnosis, rendering automatic IED detection based on electroencephalography (EEG) signals an important topic. However, most existing solutions were designed and evaluated upon artificially balanced IED datasets, which do not conform to the real-world highly imbalanced scenarios. In this work, we propose the iEDeaL framework for automatic IED detection in challenging real-world use cases. The main components of iEDeaL are the new SC neural network architecture, to efficiently detect IEDs on raw EEG series instead of extracted features, and SaSu, a novel loss function to train SC by optimizing the F β -score. Experiments on two real-world imbalanced IED datasets verify the advantages of iEDeaL in offering more accurate and efficient IED detection when compared with other state-of-the-art deep learning-based and spectrogram feature-based solutions.
Krashen's Monitor Model in L2 Acquisition: A Critical Review

Stephen Krashen is well-known for a set of theories collectively known as the Monitor Model, which have made substantial contributions to the fields of language learning and writing. It is likely the most often quoted second language acquisition theory and has frequently dominated education discourse. Originally published around forty years ago, the Monitor Model contains a series of ideas which have evolved and are still debated today. Despite widespread criticism, the theory has had far-reaching effects on second language research and instruction since its inception. Controversies surrounding the Monitor Model propelled the discussion on what a theory of L2 acquisition ought to be. This paper evaluates Krashen's Monitor Model critically. It gives a thorough analysis of the model's underlying assumptions, explains each of the five hypotheses, and addresses objections to the theory based on relevant empirical evidence. It also evaluates some of Krashen's rebuttals to some of the objections made to his theories. The study reveals that despite the theoretical flaws, some of Krashen's fundamental assumptions appear to be valid. The research also concludes that Krashen's monitor model is still legitimate and relevant because its core concepts have survived in some form despite years of scathing criticism.
The seasonal diet and variation in the prey selection of the little owl ( Athene noctua ) in the Northeast of Iran

Information on the dietary niche is an integral and challenging part of conservation planning, and it is essential for understanding the status of a species in biological communities and conservation. In this study, to investigate the diet of little owls Athene noctua (Strigiformes: Strigidae) in northeastern Iran's Khorasan Razavi Province, a total of 402 pellets were collected during 2019-2020. The results indicated that during four seasons, the diets of the studied little owls (contained: 72.9% rodents, 12% insects, 10.1% eulipotyphla, 2.9% birds, and 2.1% reptiles). Rodents, included Muridae, Dipodidae, and Cricetidae families. Muridae had the highest percentages in the pellets ( Mus musculus ) and ( Meriones sp. ) with 48.2% and 33.1% relative abundance, respectively). The percentage of rodents in winter, with 82.8% was superior in comparison to other seasons, and then in autumn with 77.3%, and in spring and summer with 62.9%. Simpson Biodiversity Index was 0.653 for the whole year. Spring and winter had the highest (0.758), and lowest biodiversity index (0.542), respectively. The implication of the results of this study might be in the conservation and management programs, as well.
Analytical Evaluation of Age of Information in Networks of Correlated Sources

Performance metrics such as Age of Information are used to represent data freshness, which is a key element to track in sensing scenarios with sporadic reporting, as typical for ex-ample of cyberphysical platforms in industry, health monitoring, agriculture. However, when multiple sensors are employed, all tracking the same scenario, the presence of correlation in the sensed metrics results in the collection of redundant data, which implies interesting quantitative trends. This paper leverages on analytical derivations of age of information for queueing systems, to investigate how this metric behaves in a system of correlated sources, in particular for what concerns the number of sources, their correlation, and their offered traffic. The quantitative results that we obtain can offer interesting insights for planning and managing large scale systems where information is expected to be correlated, such as sensor networks for smart industrial and agricultural applications.
System Efficient ESD Design of IO ESD Protection

The failure mode often encountered in System Efficient ESD Design (SEED) is proposed based on a case, that is, the failure caused by the mismatch between the on-board TVS and the ESD Clamp in the chip. The paper presents the SEED method, and solves the practical problem with test verification.
New Upper Bounds on the Mismatch Capacity and the Mismatched Reliability Function

We develop a novel framework for proving converse theorems for channel coding, which is based on the analysis technique of multicast transmission with an additional auxiliary receiver, which serves as a genie to the original receiver. The genie provides the original receiver a certain narrowed list of codewords to choose from that includes the transmitted one. This technique is used to derive upper bounds on the mismatch capacity of discrete memoryless channels as well as the reliability function with a mismatched decoding metric. Unlike previous works, our bounding technique exploits also the inherent symmetric requirement from the codewords, leading to these upper bounds. Since the computations of most of the known bounds on the mismatch capacity are rather complicated, we further present a method to obtain possibly looser bounds that are easier to compute. As an example, we analyze the binary-input channels case. We conclude by presenting simpler bounds on the reliability function, and provide sufficient conditions for their tightness in certain ranges of rates.
Burned Area Mapping Using Unitemporal PlanetScope Imagery With a Deep Learning Based Approach

The risk and damage of wildfires have been increasing due to various reasons including climate change, and the Republic of Korea is no exception to this situation. Burned area mapping is crucial not only to prevent further damage but also to manage burned areas. Burned area mapping using satellite data, however, has been limited by the spatial and temporal resolution of satellite data and classification accuracy. This article presents a new burned area mapping method, by which damaged areas can be mapped using semantic segmentation. For this research, PlanetScope imagery that has high-resolution images with very short revisit time was used, and the proposed method is based on U-Net which requires a unitemporal PlanetScope image. The network was trained using 17 satellite images for 12 forest fires and corresponding label images that were obtained semiautomatically by setting threshold values. Band combination tests were conducted to produce an optimal burned area mapping model. The results demonstrated that the optimal and most stable band combination is red, green, blue, and near infrared of PlanetScope. To improve classification accuracy, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, dissimilarity extracted from Gray-Level Co-Occurrence Matrix, and Land Cover Maps were used as additional datasets. In addition, topographic normalization was conducted to improve model performance and classification accuracy by reducing shadow effects. The F1 scores and overall accuracies of the final image segmentation models are ranged from 0.883 to 0.939, and from 0.990 to 0.997, respectively. These results highlight the potential of detecting burned areas using the deep learning based approach.
Measuring the USLE soil erodibility factor in the unit plots of Sparacia (southern Italy) experimental area

The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) is still widely used to predict soil loss by water erosion and to establish soil conservation measures. In this model, the soil erodibility factor $K$ accounts for the susceptibility of the soil to be eroded due to the detachment and transport processes operated by the erosive agents. According to the USLE scheme, the $K$ factor should be measured on unit plots, i.e., bare plots of given length (22 m) and steepness (9%) tilled along the maximum slope direction, but there is little evidence that there ever existed an actual unit plot between the plots used to develop the USLE. Given the difficulty in collecting sufficient data to adequately measure $K$. , the nomograph method was early developed to allow estimation of $K$ based on standard soil properties. First, in this investigation the soil erodibility factor was experimentally determined for the clay soil of the Sparacia (Sicily) experimental station, based on the available measurements collected in two unit plots. Although a limited database was available for this analysis, a very low value (0.0038 t ha h ha−1 MJ−1 mm−1) was determined, which was an order of magnitude lower than the nomograph value. Then, the values of the plot steepness factor $S$ were determined using soil loss measurements collected on plots varying in steepness from 9 to 26% and resulted higher than the estimated values by a well-known literature expression. Finally, the plot length factor $L$ resulted independent of the plot length and equal to one. The former result was explained by the different flow transport capacity in the unit plot and plot with increased steepness, while the result of a constant length factor was supported by other experimental investigations.
A Review and Analysis of Attack Vectors on MIL-STD-1553 Communication Bus

MIL-STD-1553 has been used for the past four decades by the military as a standardized, reliable, and fault-tolerant communication bus to provide connectivity between different embedded components in mission-critical military vehicles. The bus was designed with a great focus on reliability, responsiveness, and fault tolerance. However, its security aspects were an afterthought. Indeed, in the early 1970s, the notion of cyberattacks was not ubiquitous as it is today. Attacking computerized systems located at very high altitudes was an inconceivable scenario for many people, including security engineers. With current developments in cybersecurity and telecommunication networks, the security analysis of the MIL-STD-1553 bus reveals that the system is not immune from cyberattacks. The bus is vulnerable to many attacks that could seriously damage the entire system. Rebuilding the security of MIL-STD-1553 from scratch is cost prohibitive and a very complex, not scalable, and inflexible approach. A common alternative to embedding security to the existing system is the development of an intrusion detection system that can be added to the MIL-STD-1553 bus with minimal cost. In this article, we review and discuss some possible attack vectors on the MIL-STD-1553 bus. Then, we analyze the risk and consequences of each attack vector on a fighter jet. This review and analysis will provide security engineers with a holistic overview of possible attacks and their related risk on MIL-STD-1553 to better design an effective intrusion detection system.
Sparse Regression Codes for MIMO Detection

We consider sparse regression codes (SPARCs) for the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) detection problem. Specifically, we introduce normals with unknown variances (NUV) priors to represent one-hot vectors in SPARCs and derive the corresponding NUV-EM algorithm accordingly. Then, we apply this algorithm to MIMO detection problems. In order to tackle issues arising from the proposed NUV-EM algorithm, a (Hadamard-based) Gaussian generalized approximate message passing (GAMP) algorithm, along with a simple rejection technique, is proposed. Simulation results show that our proposed algorithms work well over various channels.
Information-Energy Capacity Region for IRS-aided SWIPT Systems

In this paper, we study the fundamental limits of a simultaneous wireless information and power transfer communication system, which is facilitated by an intelligent reflecting surface (IRS). Specifically, we propose a low-complexity optimization scheme that optimizes iteratively the input probability distribution at the transmitter side and the phase shift coefficient at the IRS to enhance the information-energy capacity region. By using alternating optimization and Lagrangian decomposition, analytical expressions for the optimal input distribution and the phase shifts are derived which decrease the computational complexity of the proposed scheme. A novel joint optimization scheme is also proposed inspired by the one in [1] for SWIPT systems. Numerical results show that the iterative optimization scheme almost achieves the same performance in comparison with the proposed joint optimization scheme while ensuring a reduced computation for high energy-harvesting thresholds.