Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gender dimorphism and mycorrhizal symbiosis affect floral visitors and reproductive output in Geranium sylvaticum

Summary 1. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis has been shown to enhance some plant traits to which pollinators are known to respond. Moreover, in gynodioecious species pollinators prefer hermaphrodite flowers over female ones, but the role of fungal symbiosis in sex-specific pollinator attraction is unknown. 2. We examined how plant gender dimorphism and AM symbiosis affect floral visitors and reproductive output in the gynodioecious plant Geranium sylvaticum. Floral visitors were monitored in a common garden experiment using mycorrhizal plants inoculated with either Glomus claroideum or Glomus hoi and in non-mycorrhizal condition. 3. We hypothesized that because of the larger flower display and pollen presence in hermaphrodites, (i) hermaphrodites receive more floral visitors than females. However, as females produce higher numbers of seeds than hermaphrodites, we predicted that (ii) effective pollinators visit both sexes equally and that (iii) AM symbiosis, although affecting floral characteristics and insect behaviour in general, should not have sex-specific effects on insects that transport pollen. 4. Our results confirm the hypotheses as hermaphrodites received 1·5 times as many floral visitors than females. However, the most important pollinator group, the bumblebees, did not prefer either sex, which may be important for the maintenance of both sexes in gynodioecious populations. We further corroborated that AM symbiosis, although affecting flower size and the amount of pollen, did not affect bumblebee behaviour, whereas other hymenopterans showed a deterrence for G. hoi inoculated plants. 5. This work reports the impact of AM symbiosis on the behaviour of floral visitors in a sexually dimorphic plant species. Positive interactions between plants, floral visitors and AM have been documented previously. However, potential negative tritrophic interactions between plants, floral visitors and AM may also occur. Our results suggest that plant sex and the mycorrhizal status of the plant also influence floral visitor groups that are unlikely to carry out pollination. This may benefit the plants if these floral visitors carry fungal diseases and consume pollen and nectar without effectively vectoring pollen.
Contributions to adaptive equalization and timing recovery for optical storage systems

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Potassium currents across the plasma membrane of protoplasts derived from rye roots: a patch-clamp study

Epidermal-cell protoplasts from rye (Secale cereale L.) roots were voltage-clamped in both the whole-cell and outside-out membrane-patch modes. Time-dependent inwardly-rectified (IR) and outwardly-rectified (OR) K + -currents were recorded, as well as a ubiquitous, time-independent (instantaneous) K + -current. The IR current activated at voltages more negative than -100 mV with two exponentially rising components. The time-constant of the shorter component was voltage-independent, whereas the time-constant of the longer component was voltage-dependent, increasing as the activating voltage became more negative. The IR current showed no inactivation. The IR current deactivated with a single exponential time-course. The steady-state IR current could be fitted to a Boltzmann function with -135 mV as the voltage at which the current was half-maximal and a minimal gating charge of 1.93. These parameters were insensitive to changes in E K . One component of the IR current was K + , but other ions were also permeable. The IR current was inhibited by extracellular Ca 2 +, Ba 2+ , Cs + , and TEA + , but was insensitive to quinine. Single channels with unitary conductances of 56 pS and 110 pS (in c.100 mM K + ) were recorded at negative voltages. Two OR currents were observed. One had sigmoidal activation kinetics and activated at low positive voltages. The other activated more rapidly, with apparently exponential kinetics, at voltages 50-100 mV more positive than the first. Neither current showed inactivation and deactivation of OR currents followed a double exponential time-course. Unitary-conductances of the channels mediating these OR currents were 24 pS and 57 pS (in c.100 mM K + ), respectively. Only the first type of OR current was studied in detail. This current activated with a sigmoidal time-course, which could be described using a Hodgkin-Huxley function with the activation variable raised to the second power. Its voltage-dependence was modulated in response to changes in E K and analysis of single-channel recordings indicated that the channel was K + -selective. The current was inhibited by Ba 2 + and TEA + , but not Ca 2+ , Cs + or quinine. The instantaneous current was selective for monovalent cations and K + , Na + and Cs + were all permeant. It was inhibited by extracellular quinine and the instantaneous inward K + -current was reduced by extracellular Ca 2+ , Ba 2+ and TEA + , as well as by competing permeant monovalent cations. The kinetics and pharmacology of these currents are compared with K + -currents across the plasma membrane of protoplasts from other root-derived cells and with K + channels in the plasma membrane of rye roots studied following incorporation into artificial, planar lipid bilayers.
Optimal Streaming Codes for Channels With Burst and Arbitrary Erasures

This paper considers transmitting a sequence of messages (streaming messages) over a packet erasure channel. In each time slot, the source constructs a packet based on the current and the previous messages and transmits the packet, which may be erased when the packet travels from the source to the destination. Every source message must be recovered perfectly at the destination subject to a fixed decoding delay. We assume that the channel loss model introduces either one burst erasure or multiple arbitrary erasures in any fixed-sized sliding window. Under this channel loss assumption, we fully characterize the maximum achievable rate by constructing streaming codes that achieve the optimal rate. In addition, our construction of optimal streaming codes implies the full characterization of the maximum achievable rate for convolutional codes with any given column distance, column span, and decoding delay. Numerical results demonstrate that the optimal streaming codes outperform existing streaming codes of comparable complexity over some instances of the Gilbert–Elliott channel and the Fritchman channel.
The Hessian Method (Highly Efficient State Smoothing, In a Nutshell)

I introduce the HESSIAN method for semi-Gaussian state space models with univariate states. The vector of states a=(a^1, . , a^n) is Gaussian and the observed vector y= (y^1 , . , y^n )> need not be. I describe a close approximation g(a) to the density f(a|y). It is easy and fast to evaluate g(a) and draw from the approximate distribution. In particular, no simulation is required to approximate normalization constants. Applications include likelihood approximation using importance sampling and posterior simulation using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC). HESSIAN is an acronym but it also refers to the Hessian of log f(a|y), which gures prominently in the derivation. I compute my approximation for a basic stochastic volatility model and compare it with the multivariate Gaussian approximation described in Durbin and Koopman (1997) and Shephard and Pitt (1997). For a wide range of plausible parameter values, I estimate the variance of log f(a|y) - log g(a) with respect to the approximate density g(a). For my approximation, this variance ranges from 330 to 39000 times smaller.
On Systematic Scan

In this thesis we study the mixing time of systematic scan Markov chains on finite spin systems. A systematic scan Markov chain is a Markov chain which updates the sites in a deterministic order and this type of Markov chain is often seen as intuitively appealing in terms of implementation to scientists conducting experimental work. Until recently systematic scan Markov chains have largely resisted analysis and a gap in the parameters that imply rapid mixing has developed between systematic scan Markov chains and the more frequently studied random update Markov chains. We reduce this gap in this thesis by improving the parameters for which systematic scan mixes when applied to several well-known spin systems. The main contribution of this thesis is the introduction of a new technique for proving rapid mixing of systematic scan Markov chains. It is known that, in a single-site setting, the mixing time of systematic scan can be bounded in terms of the influence that sites have on each other. We generalise this technique for bounding the mixing time of systematic scan to block dynamics, a setting in which a (constant size) set of sites are updated simultaneously. In particular we introduce a parameter corresponding to the maximum influence on any site and show that if this parameter is sufficiently small, then the corresponding systematic scan Markov chain mixes rapidly. We present several applications of this new proof technique. In particular we show that systematic scan mixes rapidly on spin systems corresponding to proper q-colourings of (1) general graphs, (2) trees, and (3) the grid for improved parameters than were previously known. We also obtain rapid mixing of systematic scan Markov chains for sampling H-colourings of the n-vertex path for a restricted family of H using this technique. The H-colouring result is extended to general graphs H by placing more restrictions on the scan and using path coupling, a well-established technique for bounding mixing times of Markov chains. Path coupling is also used to prove rapid mixing of a single-site systematic scan for sampling proper q-colourings of bipartite graphs.
Extended IEEE 802.11p using distance-based grouping algorithm

Vehicle communication is being utilized to provide a variety of services in the area of intelligent transport systems (ITS) by merging the communication systems and the automotive industry. In general, vehicle communication is used for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infra (V2I) communications by adopting the IEEE 802.11p / 1609 standard known as wireless access in vehicular environments (WAVE). In intelligent traffic system, vehicle information is collected by exchanging information between the roadside unit (RSU) and the vehicle. The vehicle density within the range of one RSU changes with time. The higher the vehicle density, the more vehicle information is collected on a single RSU and the probability of packet collision increases. In this paper, we analyze the vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) and vehicle to vehicle (V2V) wireless channel characteristics of the WAVE communication system based on IEEE 802.11p standard in domestic urban and highway environments to solve the phenomenon that the communication performance is deterioration when concentrated on this one infrastructure. When there are multiple vehicles communicating with a single infrastructure, the collision rate increases, which makes communication difficult. In this paper, we propose a distance-based grouping algorithm that groups multiple vehicles and communicates between groups. By using the algorithm proposed in this paper, the collision rate is reduced by an average of 4.2%.
Acoustic Feature Analysis for Hypernasality Detection in Children

IntroductIon In the treatment of children with fixed Cleft Lip and Palate (CLP), problems such as hipponasality and hypernasality, which are related to vocal emission and resonance, might appear. Nevertheless, according to the report presented in Castellanos et al. (2006), hy-pernasality is more frequently found than hipponasality (90% vs. 10%). The interest shown in hypernasality detection is that its occurrence points out problems of anatomical and neurological sort that are also related to the peripheral nervous system (Cairns, Hansen, & Riski, 1996). The presence of hypernasality, understood as the leak of nasal air and compensatory articulations, leads to low intelligibility of speech. This declining of the subject's communication capabilities may end up in behavioral and social changes. In velopharyngeal learning, the distortion of the acoustic production leads up to nasalized voice. Moreover , since air loss or nasal leak is massive, articulator mechanisms are compromised. The patient can not speak clearly and intelligibly, and thence they replace their velum palatine sphincter by glottal articulation that allows for clearer Although hard palate has been repaired surgically, it might not provide velopharyngeal competence necessary for a normal speech production. Even if the palate is potentially capable after surgery, previous speech habits might have developed compensatory articulations or physiologic compensations that aimed to approx to intelligibility that enhance the number of pathological patterns in speech. As a result, compensatory articulations persist generally, even after undergoing post technical or post surgical manipulation that had forecasted a plenty shutting. Thus, they have to be fixed before increasing the performance of the velopharyngeal sphincter throughout language therapy. In the last years, there has been a growing interest for acoustic speech analysis (ASA) as an alternative method for diagnosis and treatment in identifying functional disorders in children' This type of analysis exposes great advantages over traditional methods due to its noninvasive nature and potential to obtain a quantitative measure on the clinic state of the larynx and vocal tract. Acoustic features or objective parameters are frequently used to represent the pathologic voice on held However, such vectors are limited in their robustness because of their estimation complexity in real conditions with perturbations of nonstationary structure (Gupta & Gilbert, 2001). Although several analysis of effectiveness have been made around the different kinds of proposed features for objective evaluation of speech disorders (Frohlich & Michaelis, 2000; Yu et al., 2001), they can not be taken as a standard set …
Cross-Layer Resource Allocation for Multihop V2X Communications

Inspired by the increasingly mature vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication technology, we propose a multihop V2X downlink transmission system to improve users’ quality of experience (QoE) in hot spots. Specifically, we develop a cross-layer resource allocation algorithm to optimize the long-term system performance while guaranteeing the stability of data queues. Lyapunov optimization is employed to transform the long-term optimization problem into a series of instantaneous subproblems, which involves the joint optimization of rate control, power allocation, and mobile relay selection at each time slot. On one hand, the optimization of rate control is decoupled and carried out independently. On the other hand, a low-complexity pricing-based stable matching algorithm is proposed to solve the joint power allocation and mobile relay selection problem. Finally, simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can achieve superior performance and simultaneously guarantee queue stability.
Proactive Caching Strategy With Content-Aware Weighted Feature Matrix Learning in Small Cell Network

Content caching in wireless edge is considered to be a feasible approach to improve the user’s quality of experience by caching popular multimedia content from data center. In this letter, we focus on movie on-demand streaming from Internet-based servers and propose a novel proactive caching strategy over time in small cell network. First, it constructs a weighted feature matrix (WFM) and estimates content popularity in terms of spatiotemporal variation using content-aware WFM (CWFM). According to estimated content popularity, the CWFM-based proactive caching algorithm makes a caching decision by cooperatively caching the contents with a approach of linear programming and variable recovery to minimize the average delivery latency (ADL) in each time slot. The simulation results show that our algorithm improves the performance in terms of ADL based on MovieLens data set.
Study of Genetic Diversity among Philodendron Varieties by Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA Markers

In the present study, Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to analyze the genetic diversity in 20 varieties of Philodendron. The polymerase chain reaction was performed with 60 RAPD primers, out of which 21 primers showed clear amplification as well as more polymorphism. In total, 354 scorable RAPD loci with 348 polymorphic bands (98%) were observed. Percentages of polymorphic bands ranged from 80% to 100%. Amplified DNA fragments were used for statistical analysis. The data was obtained by scoring the bands and analyzed by using STATISTICA software. A dendrogram was obtained by cluster analysis based on the presence or absence of band which indicates similarity and diversities. The cluster analysis grouped the Philodendron varieties based on the growth habits, morphological characters and also geographical origin. This indicates that there is an association between the RAPD patterns and the geographic origin of the varieties used. The genetic diversity among the varieties was moderate, which might be due to genetically heterozygous and somaclonal variation.
Neoclypeodytes moroni Arce-Pérez and Novelo-Gutiérrez, New Species (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Hydroporinae: Bidessini) from Mexico, with Notes on the Distribution of Neoclypeodytes haroldi Miller

Abstract Neoclypeodytes moroni Arce-Pérez and Novelo-Gutiérrez, new species, is described and illustrated. Neoclypeodytes moroni is characterized by a total body length of 2.5 mm; frontal region of the head with two rows of fine punctures; clypeus elongate, trapezoidal, and fissured, its margins raised and apex slightly rounded and smooth; metacoxal length/ width ratio 3.55–3.87; elytra without sutural stria; and male genitalia with the median lobe strongly convergent in the apical third, ending in a rounded tip. By the shape of the clypeus and the large metacoxal ratio, N. moroni is considered closely related to Neoclypeodytes anasinus Miller. Both species share the characteristic in which the clypeus is projected and trapezoidal, which is unlike all other species of Neoclypeodytes Young known to date. Neoclypeodytes haroldi Miller is reported from Veracruz, Mexico for the first time.
Corn silage neutral detergent fiber: refining a mathematical approach for in vitro rates of digestion.

The digestibility of corn silage is affected by many factors such as hybrid, season, and processing. Explaining this variation is usually the job of the nutritionist with tools that are appropriate and cost-effective. Tools designed to help account for some of this variation are nutritional models such as the Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS) and the Cornell-Penn-Miner (CPM) Dairy program. Inherent to the proper use of the CNCPS and CPM, the digestion rate for the carbohydrate and protein pools must be inputted and should be specific to the feeds that are being used.
Primary structure of a soluble matrix protein of scallop shell: Implications for calcium carbonate biomineralization

Abstract Soluble proteins in the scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) foliated calcite shell layer were characterized using biochemical and molecular biological techniques. SDS PAGE of these molecules revealed three major protein bands, 97 kD, 72 kD, and 49 kD in molecular weight, when stained with Coomassie Brilliant Blue. Periodic Acid Schiff staining and Stains-All staining indicated that these proteins are slightly glycosylated and may have cation-binding potential. N-terminal sequencing of the three proteins revealed that all three share the same amino acid sequence at least for the first 20 residues. A partial amino acid sequence of 436 amino acids of one of these proteins (MSP-1) was deduced by characterization of the complementary DNA encoding the protein. The deduced sequence is composed of a high proporton of Ser (31%), Gly (25%), and Asp (20%), typifying an acidic glycoprotein of mineralized tissues. The protein has a basic domain near the Nterminus and two highly conserved Asp-rich domains interspersed in three Ser and Glyrich regions. In contrast with prevalent expectations, (Asp-Gly)n-, (Asp-Ser)n-, and (Asp- Gly-X-Gly-X-Gly)n-type sequence motifs do not exist in the Asp-rich domains, demanding revision of previous theories of protein-mineral interactions.
The Design of Application Architecture of the Institute of Business Based on Enterprise Architecture Planning

Institute of Business (IOB) is committed to achieve its goals, i.e. becomes a place for economics and business as well as computer science developers, and prepare a ready-to-use Human Resources (HR), especially for Timor Leste. At present, IOB does not have an alignment between business processes and information systems owned. Therefore, this paper proposes an architectural design that bridges the alignment. The methods used to build the framework are include Enterprise Architecture Planning (EAP), SWOT, Value Chain, and Mc Farlan Grid. The built frameworks are focused on the needs of the application architecture. The resulted portfolio has 45 applications for various divisions of IOB. In addition, the SWOT analysis shows that IOB's internal and external factors are in the second quadrant. Thus, IOB's position is relatively strong, though it is facing a big challenge. The recommended strategy is the Strengths-Threats (ST) strategy that uses the company’s strength to overcome the threats. This strategy includes improving facilities, adding faculties and departments, developing academic information systems, improving the quality of learning, and improving the human resources quality.
Learning to Communicate Implicitly by Actions

In situations where explicit communication is limited, human collaborators act by learning to: (i) infer meaning behind their partner's actions, and (ii) convey private information about the state to their partner implicitly through actions. The first component of this learning process has been well-studied in multi-agent systems, whereas the second — which is equally crucial for successful collaboration — has not. To mimic both components mentioned above, thereby completing the learning process, we introduce a novel algorithm: Policy Belief Learning (PBL). PBL uses a belief module to model the other agent's private information and a policy module to form a distribution over actions informed by the belief module. Furthermore, to encourage communication by actions, we propose a novel auxiliary reward which incentivizes one agent to help its partner to make correct inferences about its private information. The auxiliary reward for communication is integrated into the learning of the policy module. We evaluate our approach on a set of environments including a matrix game, particle environment and the non-competitive bidding problem from contract bridge. We show empirically that this auxiliary reward is effective and easy to generalize. These results demonstrate that our PBL algorithm can produce strong pairs of agents in collaborative games where explicit communication is disabled.