Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distribution of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Upland Field Soil of Japan: 2. Spore Density of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Infection Ratio in Soybean and Maize Fields

Abstract In this study, soil samples were collected from upland fields where maize and soybeans had been cultivated and the density of AM (arbuscular mycorrhizal) fungal spores and the percentage of soybean roots infected with AM fungi (infection ratio) were assessed to determine the factors of the soil chemical properties affecting the mycorrhizal infection. The roots and rhizosphere soil were sampled from 9 soybean fields and 8 maize fields in the summer of 2004. The soil samples were examined for chemical properties (pH, electric conductivity, total phosphate, available phosphate, and phosphate absorption coefficient) and the density of AM fungal spores. Soybean roots were stained with trypan blue to determine the infection ratio. There was a significant difference in soil pH and available phosphorus content with the sampling site. The phosphorus absorption coefficient markedly varied with the sampling site and there was a significant difference in the phosphorus absorption coefficient with the site. The spore density in the soybean and maize fields markedly differed with the sampling site and there was a significant difference spore density with the sampling site. The density of AM fungal spores in the soybean field was negatively correlated with the available phosphorus content, and showed a positive correlation with the phosphate adsorption. This means that an increase in the available soil phosphorus due to the application of phosphate fertilizers will lower the density of AM fungal spores in the soil and that the density of AM fungi spores is generally higher in soils with a higher phosphate absorption coefficient. It is considered that this tendency is marked in the soil with a low phosphate adsorption coefficient. The infection ratio was positively correlated with spore density, and negatively with the available phosphorus content. To increase mycorrhizal infection of soybeans, we need to decrease the amount of available soil phosphorus and simultaneously to increase the density of AM fungal spores. Excessive application of phosphorus fertilizers should be avoided.
Millimeter-Wave MIMO-NOMA-Based Positioning System for Internet-of-Things Applications

Nonorthogonal multiple access (NOMA) has been identified as a promising technology in millimeter-wave (mmWave) multiple-input–multiple-output (MIMO) communication networks for Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications, which has the advantages of both massive connectivity and high spectral efficiency. However, few researchers have considered the probability of introducing NOMA to a positioning system. In this article, a novel mmWave MIMO-NOMA-based positioning system is proposed, which is capable of meeting the requirements of IoT applications. We establish a NOMA-based positioning model from the perspective of the system level, along with the design of a transmission strategy. To characterize the positioning performance, the position error bound (PEB) is selected as evaluation criteria and theoretical expressions of the PEB are provided. Simulations of comparing localization performance between NOMA and conventional orthogonal multiple access (OMA) are conducted by using the theoretical analysis. The numerical results show that the application of NOMA to localization is a viable way to reduce the PEB compared to OMA. This article further shows under what circumstances can NOMA outperform OMA in terms of localization performance and the corresponding parameter settings.
Impact of Tourism Development on the Quality of Life: A case study of Perhentian Island, Malaysia

The purpose of this research was to identify the perceptions of the local community toward tourism development impacts on Perhentian Island. Specifically, the research examined the local community’s perceptions of sociocultural impacts, economic impacts, and environmental impacts of tourism development. The research also examined the relationship between the impacts of tourism development on the local community’s quality of life (QOL). This research was conducted using a quantitative approach by obtaining responses from 272 local community respondents on Perhentian Island. A household survey based on purposive sampling techniques was conducted to select a suitable sample. The findings of the study revealed that the positive impacts of tourism development outweighed the negative impact. Based on local community perceptions, they believed that tourism development improved their quality of life. This study also finds the impact of social-cultural benefit, economic benefits, economic cost, and environmental benefits have a significant relationship with quality of life. However, there is a negative relationship between the impact of social-cultural cost and environment cost on the quality of life. The findings of this study are important for planners and developers in planning strategic and sustainable tourism development on tourism destinations.
Pollen contamination effects on progeny from an off-site Douglas-fir seed orchard

The effects of background pollen contamination were evaluated for first-year height growth pattern of seedlings originating from a Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco) coastal–interior transition zone seed orchard located on southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Pollen collected from five stands surrounding the orchard (background pollen) and pollen from five half-sib families of the seed orchard were applied to six individual trees in the orchard. The resulting 60 seed lots were raised outdoors in a coastal-climate nursery with five seed lots collected from wild stands of the transition zone. Heights were measured in 10-day intervals during the growing season. Final heights, maximum height growth rate, and growth cessation were subjected to analysis of variance. Growth rate and cessation were derived from data fitted to the logistic growth curve using nonlinear regression analysis. Seedlings sired by the background pollen had significantly greater final heights and growth rates. There.
Typologie des bilans d'azote de divers types d'exploitation agricole: recherche d'indicateurs de fonctionnement

Suite a un travail d'enquete s'appuyant sur la methode du bilan apparent de l'azote a l'echelle de l'exploitation agricole, les entrees et les sorties d'azote inherentes aux transactions commerciales de l'agriculteur ont pu etre analysees dans 555 fermes de France et du Nord de l'Italie. Cette methode qui assimile l'exploitation a une boite noire, prend egalement en compte les entrees d'azote par la fixation symbiotique. Elle n'integre ni les entrees par les depots atmospheriques, ni les sorties par volatilisation, denitrification et lixiviation, d'ou le qualificatif de bilan « apparent ». L'etude a permis de preciser les excedents d'azote et leurs principales sources de variation pour 11 grands types de systemes de production agricole: grandes cultures, exploitations avec ateliers hors sol, elevages bovins, exploitations mixtes de polyculture-elevage. Les fermes de grande culture presentent les surplus d'azote les plus faibles (en moyenne 50 kg.N.ha -1 .an -1 ), les fermes orientees vers la production bovine de lait ou de viande, des valeurs intermediaires (30 a 250 kg.N.ha -1 .an -1 ) et les exploitations intensives avec ateliers hors sol, les excedents les plus eleves (250 a plus de 500 kg.N.ha -1 .an -1 ). En regle generale, il apparait que dans les exploitations presentant les soldes les plus faibles ( 200 kg.N.ha -1 .an -1 ), l'excedent est fortement dependant des entrees d'azote par les aliments destines a l'alimentation animale. Deux types d'exploitations se distinguent nettement: celles orientees vers la production vegetale ou les indices d'efficacite et de conversion de l'azote en produits utiles sont en moyenne eleves (72 %) et celles specialisees en production animale ou ces indices sont plus faibles (22 a 44 %), ces dernieres mobilisant des quantites tres variables d'azote mais en exportant peu. Contrairement aux exploitations ou le type de production est lie a une surface ou le gaspillage d'azote augmente avec le surplus, les exploitations avec ateliers hors sol gaspillent d'autant moins d'azote que l'excedent est eleve. La forte variabilite des excedents d'azote et des indices d'efficacite, de conversion et de gaspillage suggere que dans de nombreuses situations, il est possible de diminuer le risque pour l'environnement d'une exploitation sans remise en cause majeure du systeme de production.
Genetic diversity and population structure of kaloula borealis (anura, microhylidae) in Korea

To assess the genetic diversity and population structure of Korean K. borealis, allozyme analysis was performed. The average genetic variability of Korean K. borealis populations was %P=13.2, Ho=0.048, and He=0.045. This value was the lowest in comparison with other Korean amphibian species studied. Also, the value was much lower than that of a reference population from Chinese K. borealis (%P=50, Ho=0.125, He=0.172). Wright's F‐statistics showed that Korean K. borealis has distinctly low level of gene flow among regional populations (FST=0.339, Nm=0.487) in comparison with other Korean amphibian species studied. However, the average level of genetic divergence among Korean K. borealis populations was moderate (Nei's D=0.020). Therefore, it appeared that low levels of genetic diversity (He=0.045) and gene flow (Nm=0.487) among regional populations are probably due to the results of decreasing population size and patchy distribution of this species in Korea.
Unequal summer use of beaver ponds by river otters : influence of beaver activity, pond size, and vegetation cover

River otters (Lontra canadensis (Schreber, 1777)) and beavers (Castor canadensis Kuhl, 1820) are semi-aquatic mammals that can occur sympatrically in freshwater ecosystems of North America, including beaver ponds. Although little research has been done on the relationship between these species, it has been described as commensal. Relatively little is known about what pond characteristics potentially influence otter use. During the summer of 2004, we documented otter activity signs (i.e., feces) at 56 beaver ponds located in Kouchibouguac National Park of Canada, along the east coast of New Brunswick. We sought to identify which of 16 variables describing pond attributes were related to otter use. Otter activity at beaver ponds was positively associated with beaver presence, pond size, and vegetation cover. We discuss how these pond characteristics can benefit otters in terms of two key habitat needs, availability of prey and shelter. Our results are a first indication that the source–sink dynamic of beave.
Joint Training End-to-End Speech Recognition Systems with Speaker Attributes

The end-to-end (E2E) model allows for simplifying the conventional automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems. It integrates the acoustic model, lexicon, and language model into one neural network. In this paper, we focus on improving the performance of the state-of-the-art transformer-based E2E ASR system (ASR-Transformer). We propose to jointly train the compressed ASR-Transformer with speaker recognition (SR) tasks. As a common practice, speaker-ids are used for joint training the ASR and SR tasks. However, this leads to no signiﬁcant improvement. To address this problem, we propose to augment the labels with meta-tags such as speaker attributes instead of simple speaker-ids. Experiments show that the proposed method can effectively improve the performance of compressed ASR-Transformer on CSJ corpus. Moreover, the proposed bags-of-attributes method has the potential to be used for building a highly customized ASR system.
Novel Cell Envelope Proteins Related to Copper Resistance in Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans

The presence in At. ferrooxidans of canonical copper resistance determinants does not explain the extremely high copper concentrations this microorganism is able to tolerate. This suggests that At. ferrooxidans may have additional copper resistance mechanisms. New possible copper resistance determinants were searched by using 2D-PAGE and real time PCR (qRT-PCR). Results showed the up-regulation of RND-type Cus systems and different RND-type efflux pumps in At. ferrooxidans grown in the presence of copper, suggesting that these proteins may be implied in resistance to this metal. Furthermore, the up-regulation of putative periplasmatic disulfide isomerases was also seen in the presence of copper. These proteins are most likely involved in the formation and rearrangement of disulfide bonds in proteins in the periplasm. Copper ions catalyze the formation of incorrect disulfide bonds in proteins. However, the up-regulated disulfide isomerases found could restore native disufide bonds allowing cell survival. In conclusion, At. ferrooxidans may resist high copper concentrations by using additional copper resistance strategies in which cell envelope proteins are very important. This knowledge could be used to select the best fit members of the bioleaching community to attain more efficient industrial biomining processes.
A new genus, Rubroboletus, to accommodate Boletus sinicus and its allies

Rubroboletus is erected as a new genus to accommodate Boletus sinicus and its allies based on morphological and molecular evidence. Morphologically, Rubroboletus differs from the remaining genera in Boletaceae by the combination of a reddish pileal surface, an orange-red to blood red surface of the hymenophore, yellow tubes, pink to red reticula or spots on the yellow background of the stipe, a bluish color-change when injured, a non-amyloid context, smooth spores which are olive-brown in deposit, and an interwoven trichodermal pileipellis. Our phylogenetic analyses based on five gene markers (ITS, nrLSU, tef1-α, rpb1 and rpb2 ) recognized eight species in the genus, including one new species and seven new combinations. A key to the eight species is provided.
A Simulation Game for the Study of Enzyme Kinetics & Inhibition

The subject of enzymes appears in high school biology curriculum as an independent topic and as a thread that connects various topics. Students have difficulty understanding concepts concerning enzyme kinetics and enzyme inhibition due to the abstract nature of molecules in general and of enzymes in particular. Several approaches that are commonly used to explain different patterns of enzyme kinetics indude laboratory experiments (Barbaric & Ries 1988; Bucholtz 1988; Meador 1988; Palmer 1986) and mathematical analysis (Bamsley 1990; Laidler 1988; Serra et al. 1986; Splittgerber 1983). In this artide, we suggest a simulation game which might facdlitate understanding of aspects concerning enzyme kinetics and inhibition. The first part of the game deals with the relationship between enzyme activity and substrate concentration. The second part concerns characterization of competitive and noncompetitive inhibition of enzyme activity. In competitive inhibition, the inhibitor resembles the substrate and carries out reversible binding, but the reaction actually does not occur once the inhibitor is bound. While the inhibitor occupies the active site, it prevents binding by the substrate until the release of the inhibitor from the enzyme takes place. In noncompetitive inhibition, the inhibitor binds to the enzyme a form that causes changes in the enzyme configuration
Overview on Grid-Forming Inverter Control Methods

In this paper, different control approaches for grid-forming inverters are discussed and compared with the grid-forming properties of synchronous machines. Grid-forming inverters are able to operate AC grids with or without rotating machines. In the past, they have been successfully deployed in inverter dominated island grids or in uninterruptable power supply (UPS) systems. It is expected that with increasing shares of inverter-based electrical power generation, grid-forming inverters will also become relevant for interconnected power systems. In contrast to conventional current-controlled inverters, grid-forming inverters do not immediately follow the grid voltage. They form voltage phasors that have an inertial behavior. In consequence, they can inherently deliver momentary reserve and increase power grid resilience.
Impact of task-oriented training on balance in spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsied children

Introduction. A large majority of hemiplegic cerebral palsy children demonstrate poor balance, which leads to poor gait and impaired reaching movements as the maintenance of stability is critical to all movements. Various approaches and strategies are used to improve balance; task-oriented training is one of them. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of task-oriented training on balance in spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsied children. Methods. overall, 30 spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy children who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were randomly allocated into 2 equal groups (control and study group). The control group received a selected therapeutic exercise program for 90 min. The study group received the same program for 60 min and task-oriented training for 30 min. The total treatment provided for both groups was 90 min/day, 3 days/week for 4 successive months. Baseline and post-treatment assessment of each child with regard to overall, anteroposterior, and mediolateral stability indices was performed by using the Biodex Balance System. Results. Children in both groups showed significant improvements in post-treatment mean values of all measured variables when compared with the pre-treatment mean values (p < 0.05). Significant improvement was observed in favour of the study group when comparing the post-treatment mean values of both groups. Conclusions. Task-oriented training is a useful tool that can be applied in improving balance in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy.
Fucoxanthin protects neonatal rat cardiomyocytes and attenuates high glucose-mediated oxidative stress via the AMPK pathway

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DC) is associated with impaired diastolic function. Hyperglycemia-mediated oxidative stress and apoptosis are the major factors responsible for DC. Also NADPH oxidase is the main source of ROS in cardiac cells or cardiomyocytes. Here we evaluated the effect of fucoxanthin (FXN) on high glucose cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes.For the study, Iry neonatal rat cardiomyocytes were cultured in a high glucose environment (30 mM/l) in the presence and absence of FXN. Apoptosis, cell viability, activity of NADPH oxidase and expression level of its subunits, levels of MDA and activity of endogenous antioxidant enzymes were studied. We also confirmed the involved pathway by studying the expression of AMPK, GSK-3 and Akt in the cardiomyocytes.The high glucose environment increased the production of ROS, and FXN decreased the oxidative burden by inhibiting ROS in cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. FXN inhibited the activity of NADPH oxidase and Rac1 also increased the expression of its subunits. Treatment of FXN reversed the MDA, CAT, GSHpx, SOD activity and GSH contents. FXN down-regulated the levels of Bax and up-regulated the levels of Bcl-2 (anti-apoptotic protein); treatment protected the cardiomyocytes from injury. Also, FXN increased the levels of pAMPK in cardiac cells treated with high glucose. The pharmacological inhibitor of AMPK abolished the activities of FXN in high glucose induced cardiomyocytes.FXN exerted protective action on cardiac cells subjected to high glucose-mediated apoptosis by suppressing NADPH oxidase-mediated production of ROS and maintaining the antioxidant defense in the tissues. The attenuating activity of FXN was propagated via the AMPK cascade.
Species composition and phylogenetic diversity in a tropical peat swamp forest, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia

The catenary sequence of vegetation in tropical peat swamp forest has been attributed to reduced nutrient availability along the gradient of peat depth. The objective of this study was to assess the phylogenetic structure of tropical peat swamp forest vegetation with the aim of clarifying the community assemblages. We laid out six plots along the gradient of peat depth in the upper catchment of the Sabangau river, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia and investigated forest phylogenetic structure. We found a tendency for phylogenetic diversity to decrease as peat depth increased. Higher phylogenetic diversity in the forest zone closest to the river could be attributed to competitive exclusion in a relatively benign peatland environment, whilst lower phylogenetic diversity further from the river could be attributed to the filtering effect of a more stressful environment. There was, however, unexpected low phylogenetic diversity in the tall interior community in the Sabangau forest, where environmental conditions were less extreme. This observed low phylogenetic diversity is possibly related to the history of peat development and degradation in this location as the ombrogenous peat is undergoing long-term oxidation due to reduced precipitation and lowering of the water table. We conclude that not only environmental filtering but also biotic filtering through such mechanisms as competitive exclusion contribute to the catenary sequence of tropical peat swamp forest vegetation
Security Analysis of Partially Hidden Password Systems Resistant to Shoulder Surfing Attacks

As more users use mobile devices, shoulder surfing attacks have emerged as an important issue in security. According to research report, in fact, the result showed that about 30% of smartphone users are hit by shoulder surfing attacks. To this end, in this paper, we consider a shoulder surfing attack and propose a partially hidden password system to resistant to its attack. In order to help readers understand, we describe the proposed password system in more detail using one simple example. The core idea behind the proposed system is to place the user’s password randomly in the specified grid instead of entering a password directly. As a result, even if an attacker makes a shoulder surfing attack to observe the password, the user can hide the preset password and defend against the attack. We also show how the security of the password system proposed in this paper is improved. In addition, even if there are consecutive shoulder surfing attacks, the security of the proposed password system is robust.
Compensation of Transmitter I/Q Imbalance in Millimeter-Wave MIMO Systems Using a Single Transmitter Observation Receiver

This article proposes a new method to concurrently identify and compensate for the $I/Q$ imbalance in millimeter-wave (mm-wave) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) direct-conversion transmitters (Txs) using a single transmitter observation receiver (TOR) fed with the combined outputs of the individual Tx chains. In addition, a signal training approach is proposed that minimizes in-band distortion while maintaining acceptable performance in the out-of-band region. The proposed $I/Q$ imbalance mitigation method is validated by both the simulation and measurement results, using quadrature modulators arranged in one, two, and four Tx configurations for a compensation bandwidth of 4 GHz. The simulation results demonstrate the ability of the proposed method to obtain the same performance for one, two, and four Txs after compensation using an ideal power combiner. Simulations also reveal the sensitivity of the output signal quality to the isolation of the combiner. The experimental measurement results show a normalized mean-square error improvement from 14.5% to 2.22% and 3.46% for the one and four Tx configurations, respectively, using a power combiner with limited isolation. Finally, the method’s ability to improve compensation accuracy is demonstrated as part of the digital predistortion (DPD) linearization of an mm-wave power amplifier (PA).