Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The lognormal distribution is not an appropriate null hypothesis for the species–abundance distribution

Summary 1. Of the many models for species‐abundance distributions (SADs), the lognormal has been the most popular and has been put forward as an appropriate null model for testing against theoretical SADs. In this paper we explore a number of reasons why the lognormal is not an appropriate null model, or indeed an appropriate model of any sort, for a SAD. 2. We use three empirical examples, based on published data sets, to illustrate features of SADs in general and of the lognormal in particular: the abundance of British breeding birds, the number of trees > 1 cm diameter at breast height (d.b.h.) on a 50 ha Panamanian plot, and the abundance of certain butterflies trapped at Jatun Sacha, Ecuador. The first two are complete enumerations and show left skew under logarithmic transformation, the third is an incomplete enumeration and shows right skew. 3. Fitting SADs by χ 2 test is less efficient and less informative than fitting probability plots. The left skewness of complete enumerations seems to arise from a lack of extremely abundant species rather than from a surplus of rare ones. One consequence is that the logit-normal, which stretches the right-hand end of the distribution, consistently gives a slightly better fit. 4. The central limit theorem predicts lognormality of abundances within species but not between them, and so is not a basis for the lognormal SAD. Niche breakage and population dynamical models can predict a lognormal SAD but equally can predict many other SADs. 5. The lognormal sits uncomfortably between distributions with infinite variance and the log-binomial. The latter removes the absurdity of the invisible highly abundant half of the individuals abundance curve predicted by the lognormal SAD. The veil line is a misunderstanding of the sampling properties of the SAD and fitting the Poisson lognormal is not satisfactory. A satisfactory SAD should have a thinner right-hand tail than the lognormal, as is observed empirically. 6. The SAD for logarithmic abundance cannot be Gaussian.
Rearing and aspects of biology of Cephalonomia stephanoderis and Prorops nasuta (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) parasitoids of the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

Cephalonomia stephanoderis Betrem and Prorops nasuta Waterston are two bethylid parasitoids obtained from Africa for the biological control of the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) in Mexico and Ecuador. Rearing methods and life-cycle studies carried out under controlled conditions are described for both the parasitoids and H. hampei. Scanning electron micrographs are shown of the developmental stages of the parasitoids. Data are given on development times, pre-oviposition period and on the mating and oviposition behaviour of C. stephanoderis .
Clustering driver behavior using dynamic time warping and hidden Markov model

Abstract Based on on-board diagnostics and Global Position System installed in taxicabs, driver behavior data is collected. Left turn data on six similar curves are extracted, and speed, acceleration, yaw rate, and sideslip angle of drivers in time series are selected as clustering indexes. Initial clustering is implemented by Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) and Hierarchical Clustering, and the clustering results are put into the Hidden Markov Model (HMM) to iteratively optimize the results for achieving convergence. Driver behavior patterns over time while driving on the curves and the statistical characteristics of different groups are examined. All indexes including lateral vehicle control and longitudinal vehicle control have a significant difference in different groups, indicating that the clustering method of DTW and HMM can effectively classify driver behavior. Finally, the driving behavior in different groups is further investigated and classified based on characteristics related to safe and ecological driving. This method can be applied by automobile insurance companies, and for the development of specific training courses for drivers to optimize their driving behavior.
Effects of Replacing Backfat with Fat Replacers and Olive Oil on the Quality Characteristics and Lipid Oxidation of Low-fat Sausage During Storage

Effects of replacing pork backfat with a combination (ICM) of isolated soy protein (ISP), carrageenan, and maltodextrin, or with ICM+olive oil, on the quality characteristics of sausages were investigated. Both treatments had lower fat content (p<0.05), but higher protein and moisture contents than the control (p<0.05). The fat content of low-fat sausage containing the ICM was increased on day 30 compared to day 1 and 15 (p<0.05), and that of ICM+olive oil was increased after day 15. The water holding capacity of ICM was lower than the control through day 30 (p<0.05). The ICM+olive oil had a lower cooking loss than ICM on day 1 and 15 (p<0.05). On day 1, the ICM had lower lightness and higher redness values than the control (p<0.05), and the ICM+olive oil had a higher yellowness value than the control and ICM (p<0.05). Both treatments presented higher hardness, cohesiveness, gumminess, and chewiness values than the control (p<0.05). The lipid oxidation values of both treatments were lower than the control on day 15 and 30 (p<0.05), and those were affected by the addition of olive oil. The ICM was rated higher for sensory color and overall acceptability than the ICM+olive oil (p<0.05).
Size-fractionated photosynthesis/irradiance relationships during Phaeocystis antarctica-dominated blooms in the Ross Sea, Antarctica

In the Ross Sea, there are two major phytoplankton functional groups: diatoms and prymnesiophytes (dominated by Phaeocystis antarctica). Phaeocystis antarctica often occurs in colonial form, but also as solitary cells, and the two forms have distinct ecological roles. A comparison of the growth characteristics of solitary and colonial forms of Phaeocystis sp. is essential to understanding the differential impact each has on biogeochemical and ecological processes, and to allow parameterization of each form in numerical models. We measured the biomass and photosynthetic responses of two size fractions (> 20 and < 20 μm), representing colonies and solitary cells, at locations dominated by P antarctica to assess the relative photosynthetic potential of the two forms. While the relative contribution of each form to total P antarctica biomass differed among years, there were no significant differences between maximum photosynthetic rates of colonial and solitary forms within years. Substantial interannual variations in biomass and maximum photosynthetic rates normalized to chlorophyll a (P B m ) and initial light-limited rates of photosynthesis (α) were observed among years for the colonial fractions; however, interannual variations in maximum rates of photosynthesis or α of solitary cells were not observed. A laboratory experiment with P antarctica, together with field data, showed that growth stage of colonies strongly affected the maximum photosynthetic rates. Under nutrient-replete conditions and exponential growth, colonial cells had higher maximum photosynthetic rates than solitary cells, but as growth rate declined and senescence began, the solitary cells' rates became greater. This may be a reason for the high abundance of colonies that is often found in the Ross Sea during austral spring. Our results suggest that photosynthetic rates may influence the composition of the morphotypes of Phaeocystis, but do not appear to be the sole factor in regulating this critical biological variable.
Identification of whitefly resistance in tomato and hot pepper

Key words: Capsicum, Bemisia tabaci, trichome density, cuticle thickness Whitefly is economically one of the most threatening pests of pepper worldwide, which is mainly caused by its ability to transmit many different viruses. In this research, we characterized pepper germplasm to identify whitefly-resistant accessions that will form the basis for future resistance breeding. Forty-four pepper accessions representing four species (Capsicum annuum, C. frutescens, C. chinense, C. baccatum) were screened for resistance to whiteflies. Screening parameters were adult survival (AS) and oviposition rate (OR) in a no-choice test and whitefly, egg and nymphal density in free-choice tests. To combine parameters in free-choice tests, a plant resistance value was calculated. The results show that AS and OR were significantly different among accessions and were positively correlated, which was also the case for the parameters in the free-choice tests. Accessions identified as highly resistant in no-choice and free-choice tests generally were C. annuum. Whitefly density and OR correlated positively with trichome density and negatively with cuticle thickness of leaves.
Changes in biological traits of macro-benthic communities subjected to different intensities of demersal trawling along the west coast of southern Africa

Biological traits analysis (BTA) is considered to be a powerful technique for describing the ecological functioning of marine benthic assemblages. This study is the first to apply BTA to assess differences in the traits of benthic faunal assemblages between areas exposed to heavy and light trawling in a major upwelling ecosystem along the west coast of southern Africa. The data were collected from two sampling locations in Namibia and six sampling locations in South Africa. The intensity of trawling varied from area to area. Significant differences in biological traits (BT) were detected between heavily and lightly trawled areas. Weighted infaunal traits showed significant differences between heavily and lightly trawled areas for 17% of the traits investigated, while 24% of epifaunal traits investigated were significantly different between areas of different trawling intensities. This suggests that the measured BTs of the epifauna might be more sensitive to trawling disturbances than BTs of the infauna. The infaunal traits differed significantly between areas with larger or smaller proportions of sand and mud. Nevertheless, more of the significant differences in infaunal BTs were related to variations in trawling intensity than to variations in sediment composition. Significant modifications of BTs are likely to lead to modified functioning of the community and provide more general potential indicators for management than those based on species. The study confirms the need for more basic biological and life history data on macro-benthic invertebrates but nevertheless shows that BTA detected specific features that correlate with trawling intensity and that these features may be important for epifaunal assemblage functioning.
Screening for mild cognitive impairment among noncommunicable disease patients attending a rural primary health center in Puducherry, South India

Background: Cognitive impairment among noncommunicable disease (NCD) patients causes significant burden to the patients and families by increasing the dependency level and risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in the future. Hence, the current study was done to screen for mild cognitive impairment among NCD patients attending rural primary health center in Puducherry. Materials and Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study was done among 260 NCD patients attending rural health center of tertiary care center in Puducherry from February to March 2018. Information regarding sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics was done using semi-structured questionnaire, and cognitive function was screened using mini-mental status examination tool. Results: Among the 260 participants, majority were females (66.2%) and belonged to elderly age group (42.7%). About 44% of the participants did not have any formal education and almost three-fourths (70%) were unemployed. The most common NCD was hypertension (71.2%), followed by diabetes (56.2%) and bronchial asthma (15%). Proportion of cognitive impairment was 10.8% (95% confidence interval: 7.4–15.0). Cognitive impairment was three times more prevalent among elderly participants (prevalence ratio [PR] – 3.35, P = 0.002) when compared to the age group of <60 years. Similarly, the proportion of participants with cognitive impairment was twice among uneducated (PR – 2.34, P = 0.02) compared to the literate participants. Conclusion: The current study found that one in ten NCD patients has mild cognitive impairment. The elderly and illiterates were found to have more risk of cognitive dysfunction. Hence, opportunistic screening for cognitive dysfunction needs to be done at the primary health-care level.
Forage quality components in grazing-type lucerne (Medicago sativa L. complex)

Much is now known about the morphological attributes of the lucerne plant that contribute to improved tolerance to grazing. With the aim of developing grazing-tolerant varieties, a range of genotypes were preliminarily selected for the presence of desirable attributes, and categorized into four morphological models based on their top-growth morphology and vigour. Little is known about the implications for forage quality of selection of non-conventional, grazing-type lucerne. This investigation was undertaken to study aspects of the quality (crude protein, fibre, and lignin content; nutritive value; plant leafiness) of the selected material, with particular reference to the morphological models identified in the first phase and to flower colour, which has taxonomic importance within the species. The results indicate that selection of grazing-type cultivars would not produce detrimental effects in terms of forage quality relative to common, hay-type lucerne. Plants with yellow or variegated flowers, often corresponding to rhizomatous types, were characterized by high leaf percentage, which resulted in high-quality features. Komponenten der Futterqualitat in einer fur Beweidung geeigneten Luzerne (Medicago sativa L. complex) Es wurde uber die morphologischen Eigenschaften von Luzerne mit verbesserter Eignung zur Beweidung berichtet. Um Sorten von beweidungstoleranter Luzerne zu entwickeln, wurden Genotypen auf Eigenschaften ausgelesen, die gewunschte Eigenschaften der Beweidungstoleranz aufweisen, wobei vier morphologische Modelle bezuglich Sproswachstum und Wuchsigkeit berucksichtigt wurden. Es ist wenig uber Wirkungen auf die Futterqualitat bekannt, die in Zusammenhang mit einem Beweidungstyp der Luzerne stehen. Die Untersuchung bezog sich auf Qualitatsmerkmale (Rohprotein, Faser- und Ligningehalt; Nahrwert, Pflanzenbeblattung) des ausgelesenen Materials unter Berucksichtigung morphologischer Modelle, wie sie in der ersten Wachstumsphase und zur Blutenfarbe als von taxonomische Bedeutung innerhalb der Art auftreten. Die Ergebnisse weisen darauf hin, das die Selektion auf beweidungsgeeignete Kultivare keinen abtraglichen Einflus auf die Futterqualitat im Vergleich zu der ublich fur die Heunutzung geeigneten Typen hat. Pflanzen mit gelben oder bunten Bluten, die vielfach in Beziehung zu Rhizomtypen stehen, sind mit einem hohen Blattanteil charakterisiert und ergaben gute Futterqualitat.
Aerial and detritus production of the cordgrass Spartina densiflora in a southwestern Atlantic salt marsh.

We used a nondestructive method to estimate aerial and detritus productivity of the cordgrass Spartina densiflora Brongn. and evaluated the relative contribution of newly emerged and preexisting tillers to net aerial biomass and detritus production, the relative contribution of tiller detachment and leaf shedding to detritus production, and the incidence of crab (Neohelice (Chasmagnathus) granulata (Dana, 1851)), herbivory in relation to tiller age and its implications for tiller survival. Estimates of aerial and detritus productivity varied between 706.72 (SD = 153.38) and 786.15 (SD = 162.75) g·m–2·year–1 and between 1054.23 (SD = 224.49) and 1223.17 (SD = 246.84) g·m–2·year–1, respectively. These estimates of aerial production are far below the higher productivity estimates known for species of the genus Spartina but within the range of values obtained with nondestructive methods (i.e., 300–1500 g·m–2·year–1). Detachment of standing-dead tillers and leaf shedding contributed virtually in equal quantiti.
COMPUTATIONAL METHOD AND NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF TEMPERATURE FIELD FOR LARGE-SPACE STEEL STRUCTURES IN FIRE

ABSTRACT: For large-space steel structures in fire, an accurate temperature field model is essential to predict the temperature distribution for response analysis of the structure. Based on the field model theories of air thermodynamics and heat transfer, the combustion process and temperature distribution of large-space steel structures in fire were analyzed in this paper. The temperature field model of large-space fire, including fire source, smoke plume and smoke layers models, was established. Closed form formulas were developed to predict the air temperature, within its application limit, near the ceiling of large-space steel structures in fire. The accuracy of the formulas was verified by comparing with results obtained from numerical method based on field models. This research provides an important theoretical basis for further studying the behavior of large-space steel structures in fire.
Formalizing the main characteristics of QVT-based model transformation languages

Model-Driven Development (MDD) aims at developing software more productively by using models as the main artifacts. Here, the models with high abstraction levels must be transformed into lower levels and finally executable models, i.e., source code. As a result, model transformation languages/tools play a main role on realizing the MDD goal. The Object-Management Group (OMG) presented the Query/View/Transformation (QVT) as a standard for the Meta-Object Facility (MOF)-based model transformation languages.However, implementing a model transformation language, which supports the full features of the QVT proposal requires a formal model of the underlying concepts. Having common terminology and a formal, precise, and consistent specification facilitates developing dependable transformation languages/tools.This paper aims to provide a formal specification of the main characteristics of a QVT-Relations (QVTr) model transformation language using the Z notation. The proposed formal model can be adapted for formalizing other domain and language concepts too. To show the applicability of the proposed formalism, a simplified version of the classic object-relational transformation is specified. Additionally, we show how the semantics clarifies some outstanding semantic issues in QVTr. The proposed formalism of this paper will pave the way to building support tools for model transformations in a unified manner in MDD.
A Risk Estimation Framework for Security Threats in Computer Networks

In security risk management of computer networks, some challenges are more serious in large networks. Specifying and estimating risks is largely dependent on the knowledge of security experts. In this paper, a framework for security risk estimation is proposed to address this issue. It represents the security knowledge required for security risk estimation and utilizes current security metrics and vulnerability databases. This framework is a major step towards automating the process of security risk estimation so that a network administrator can estimate the risk of the network with less expertise and effort. As a case study, the proposed framework is applied to a sample network to show its applicability and usability in operational environments. The comparison of results with two existing methods showed the validity of the estimations given by the proposed framework.
Understanding the relationship between energy conservation and reliability in parallel disk arrays

Energy conservation schemes based on power management or workload skew for disk arrays adversely affect disk reliability due to either workload concentration or frequent disk speed transitions. A thorough understanding of the relationship between energy-saving techniques and disk reliability is still an open problem, which prevents effective design of new energy-saving techniques and application of existing approaches in reliability-critical environments. This paper presents an empirical reliability model, called PRESS (Predictor of Reliability for Energy-Saving Schemes). Fed by operating temperature, disk utilization, and disk speed transition frequency, PRESS estimates the reliability of an entire disk array. Further, a new energy-saving strategy with reliability awareness named READ (Reliability and Energy Aware Distribution) is developed in the light of the insights provided by PRESS. Experimental results demonstrate that READ consistently performs better than existing approaches in performance and reliability while achieving a comparable level of energy consumption. © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The development of a functional digestive system in the African catfish, Clarias gariepinus (Burchell).

The morphological and physiological development of the intestine, stomach, liver and pancreas of the African catfish, Clarius guriepinus (Burchell 1822), was investigated from hatching until 9 days after the start of exogenous feeding by histological, histochemical and immunohistochemical procedures. During the yolk sac period, lasting 48 hours at 30 C, the digestive system develops from a rather undifferentiated system into a distinct liver and pancreas and a segmented intestine (parts I to III). Insulin and glucagon producing cells were clearly found in the endocrine pancreatic islets from 14 hours after hatching onwards, while at the start of exogenous feeding, the exocrine pancreas showed an intense zymogen colouration. Exogenous feeding started three days after fertilization, i.e., 48 hours after hatching. At that moment, the rearing temperature was lowered to 27.5 C. The first day of feeding was referred to as day zero, changing into day 1 when the first 24 hours of feeding were completed. From the start of exogenous feeding onwards, aminopeptidase, non-specific esterase and ATP-ase were detected in the digestive system. Morphologically, the stomach was completed at day 4 of exogenous feeding. Gastric acid secretion started on day 4 and lead to a pH below 3.3 in the stomach on day 5. During the first four days of exogenous feeding, C-t-gastrin immunopositive cells were found throughout the gut, including the gastric epithelium. After day 4, the C-t-gastrin cells were only detected in the anterior intestine. The completeness of the stomach development was also marked by the appearance of non-specific esterase activity in the stomach epithelial cells on day 5. All data together clearly indicate that in Clarius gariepinus, the ontogeny of a functional digestive system has been completed on day 5 after the start of exogenous feeding, marking thereby the end of the larval period.
Local rigidity for PGL(3,C)-representations of 3-manifold groups

Let M be a non-compact hyperbolic 3-manifold that has a triangulation by positively oriented ideal tetraedra. We explain how to produce local coordinates for the variety defined by the gluing equations for PGL(3,C)-representations. In particular we prove local rigidity of the "geometric" representation in PGL(3,C), recovering a recent result of Menal-Ferrer and Porti. More generally we give a criterion for local rigidty of PGL(3,C)-representations and provide detailed analysis of the figure eight knot sister manifold exhibiting the different possibilities that can occur.