Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Novel Method for Scheduling of Wireless Ad Hoc Networks in Polynomial Time

In this article, we address the scheduling problem in wireless ad hoc networks by exploiting the computational advantage that comes when scheduling problems can be represented by claw-free conflict graphs where we consider a wireless broadcast medium. It is possible to formulate a scheduling problem of broadcast transmissions as finding the maximum weighted independent set (MWIS) in the conflict graph of the network. Finding the MWIS of a general graph is NP-hard leading to an NP-hard complexity of scheduling. In a claw-free conflict graph, MWIS may be found in polynomial time leading to a throughput-optimal scheduling. We show that the conflict graphs of certain wireless ad hoc networks are claw-free. In order to obtain claw-free conflict graphs in general networks, we suggest introducing additional conflicts (edges) with the aim of keeping the decrease in MWIS size minimal. To this end, we introduce an iterative optimization problem to decide where to introduce edges and investigate its efficient implementation. We conclude that the claw breaking method by adding extra edges can perform very close to optimal scenario and better than the polynomial time maximal independent set scheduling benchmark under the necessary assumptions.
Year-round measurements reveal seasonal drivers of nutrient uptake in a snowmelt-driven headwater stream

Climate change may affect export of essential nutrients to downstream ecosystems in regions that host substantial winter snowpack, yet nutrient uptake is rarely quantified in snow- and ice-covered streams and rivers. To evaluate how nutrient uptake varied year-round in relation to commonly identified drivers of uptake (nutrient concentrations, biological activity, organic matter supply and composition), we measured uptake of ammonium (NH4) and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) at 2 to 4 week intervals for 3 years and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) for 2 years in a forested headwater stream in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Uptake velocities (Vf) did not vary significantly among seasons for NH4 or SRP, but a much greater range in Vf was observed for NH4 in spring and fall. DOC Vf was only detectable in summer and fall and never in winter or spring. Key biological and chemical drivers of uptake also exhibited seasonal differences: benthic algal biomass was greater in winter than all other seasons, dissolved organic matter was more aromatic in spring than fall or winter, and DOC concentrations were higher in spring than winter. NH4 Vf was nonlinearly related to temperature, with the greatest uptake observed at moderate temperatures in spring and fall, which coincided with seasonal transitions that provide optimal light conditions for autotrophs or organic matter for heterotrophs. Our results suggest that alteration to the timing of key environmental variables will affect the magnitude of nutrient uptake, and that in-stream processing during winter cannot be ignored.
Resistance of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis in the Brazilian semiarid environment

ABSTRACT: The semiarid northeast of Brazil contains a unique biome known as caatinga, with a maximum temperature of 40 ºC and a relativity humidity of 56%. The caatinga is characterized by a variety of plants, including Cereus jamacaru Dc (mandacaru), Poincianella microphylla Mart. ex G. Don (catingueira), Pilosocereus gounellei FAC Weber (xique-xique) and Mimosa tenuiflora (Willd.) Poir (jurema preta). Sheep and goat industries are economically strong in that region, despite the fact that caseous lymphadenitis is highly prevalent. The aim of the present study was to assess the survival and biofilm production of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis isolates in the environment and under controlled temperatures (28°C, 37°C and 42°C) under different surfaces (plants, soil, wood, wire and thorns). In addition, we investigated the effects of applying the disinfectants chlorhexidine, hypochlorite and quaternary ammonia in soil, tiles, wood and vegetation cover. Four strains of C. pseudotuberculosis were selected (two from goats and two from sheep) for inoculation according to their in vitro biofilm production. Adherence to microplates was used to assess the biofilm-forming ability of the bacteria. Lower survival rates were observed when isolates of C. pseudotuberculosis were subjected to a temperature of 42°C. In terms of caatinga biome plants, contamination of jurema-preta plants resulted in the lowest survival rates. The disinfectant quaternary ammonia promoted a lower inoculum survival in all surfaces. The disinfectants and the higher temperature contributed to the reduction of biofilm production in isolates of C. pseudotuberculosis. knowledge of these patterns is important for the establishment of disease control measures, given the questionable efficacy of the treatment and the immuno-prophylaxis of caseous lymphadenitis.
CFAR Detection Based on Adaptive Tight Frame and Weighted Group-Sparsity Regularization for OTHR

In high-frequency over-the-horizon radar (OTHR), it is a challenging work to detect targets in the nonhomogeneous range-Doppler (RD) map with multitarget interference and sharp/smooth clutter edges. The intensity transition of the clutter edge may be sharp or smooth due to the coexistence of atmospheric noise, sea clutter, and ionospheric clutter in OTHR. The analysis of the RD map shows the spatial correlation among neighboring cell-under-test (CUT) that varies from clutter to clutter. This article proposes an algorithm that uses the spatial relationship to estimate the statistical distribution parameters of every CUT by the adaptive tight frame and the weighted group-sparsity regularization. In the proposed algorithm, the spatial relationship is formulated mathematically by regularization terms and combined with the log-likelihood function of CUTs to construct the objective function. The proposed algorithm is verified by the simulated data and real RD maps collected from both trial sky-wave and surface-wave OTHRs in which it shows robust and improved detection.
Complete plastome sequence of Piper laetispicum (Piperaceae): An endemic plant species in South China

Abstract Piper laetispicum is dioecious climbers woody with 10 m tall, which is an endemic species in China. It grows on trees or rocks in forests (100–600 m) in Guangdong and Hainan Province of China. Here, we report and characterize the complete plastid genome sequence of P. laetispicum in an effort to provide genomic resources useful for promoting its conservation. The complete plastome is 161,721 bp in length and contains the typical structure and gene content of angiosperm plastome, including two inverted repeat (IR) regions of 27,125 bp, a large single copy (LSC) region of 89,224 bp and a small single copy (SSC) region of 18,247 bp. The plastome contains 114 genes, consisting of 80 unique protein-coding genes, 30 unique tRNA gene, and four unique rRNA genes. The overall A/T content in the plastome of P. laetispicum is 61.70%. The complete plastome sequence of P. laetispicum will provide a useful resource for the conservation genetics of this species as well as for the phylogenetic studies for Piper.
Validation of IoT Infrastructure for the Construction of Smart Cities Solutions on Living Lab Platform

The use of Internet-of-things (IoT) applications (solutions) in the real world has increased exponentially. In smart cities, networked IoT devices are collecting data from the physical medium to optimize the decisions to improve city services to citizens. One way to evaluate this services solution is the use of the living labs, shown as a good option to evaluate previous real applications. However, when this is implemented in the real-world cases, most of them are no scalar to the complexity of the city. One of the factors is that it is assumed an IoT infrastructure designed to meet the properties of the scalability for a smart city. This article proposes a validation methodology for the scalability compliant infrastructure: modularity, interoperability, and resiliency properties. The proposed methodology is based on the best practices achieved during a living lab of the Smart Cities Innovation Center in the Universidad de Guadalajara implementation.
Study of the growth and the pathogenicity of mycoplasma and adenovirus infections of avian tracheal explants

Studies essentially involved examination of the structural details of the pathogenicity of single and mixed infections of mycoplasma and CELO virus in tracheal explants and infected chickens* The first part of the work concerned study of the growth response of the parasites in explants, alone or together* This was followed by study by light and electron microscopy of their effects, and interaction with the explants* Tracheal specimens from infected birds were also examined for any evidence of pathogenicity similar to that found in explants* In the explants there was evidence for interference between the growth of the parasites but only with Mycoplasma gallisepticum were extensive cytopathological effects detected* Mycoplasma gallinarum also caused some damage to the tissues but by a mechanism which appeared to be different to that associated with M* gallisepticum, which early on developed an intimate relationship with the cells* Structural differences between the two mycoplasmas were also detected in the scanning and transmission electron microscope which probably related to their functional activities* CELO virus was virtually without effects on the explants although viral material was seen in many epithelial cells, and there was little evidence for a synergistic relationship between virus and mycoplasma* No morphological evidence of mycoplasma or virus was found in the trachea of infected birds and the pathogenic effects, which were detected, seemed to reflect more on the treatment the birds experienced at infection than on the activities of the parasites*
Emergence timing and fixation height in Pachydiplax longipennis (Odonata: Libellulidae) at varying substrate density and sunlight exposure

Emergence substrate and sunlight penetration inherently trade off in patchy vegetation. Given the importance of solar radiation at emergence, we expected greater sunlight availability in sparse vegetation to advance emergence timing and reduce the average height of emergence fixation. We used outdoor mesocosms stocked with varying cattail (Typha) densities and late-stage Pachydiplax longipennis (Odonata: Libellulidae) larvae. As predicted, emergence based on exuviae observations began significantly earlier (5 d) at lower cattail density and greater sunlight exposure, with over 60% of the emergence completed midway into the experiment period, compared to about 50% in the medium and higher density cattail. This finding suggests lag effects under relatively limited light availability in a temperate-centered lentic-breeding heliotherm. Contrary to our prediction, we found significantly greater emergence heights at lower cattail density ( 18.0 cm) than at medium ( 13.0 cm) and higher ( 10.0 cm) densities. We recommend further study of emergence heights using larval choice experiments in natural settings. Variation in emergence timing and fixation height under the substrate–sunlight tradeoff may be driven proximally by larval choices/development and ultimately by adult activity.
Improvement of lignans production in hairy root culture of Linum mucronatum using abiotic and biotic elicitors .

Elicitors could be used as the enhancer of plant secondary-metabolite synthesis and could play an important role in biosynthetic pathways of important medicinal compounds. The present study investigated the effect of abiotic elicitor (fungal extract of Fusarium graminearum) and two abiotic elicitors (methyl jasmonate and salicylic acid) at different concentrations in 18- and 30-day-old cultures of hairy roots infected with two strains of Agrobacterium rhizogenes, A13 and 9534. The hairy roots were harvested 48 and 96 h after inoculation. Polymerase chain reaction analysis (PCR) with specific primers rolB and virD genes was performed to confirm the transgenic hairy roots production. Detection and identification of lignan was carried out by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. The results of PCR analysis showed diagnostic bands 780 bp in size related to specific reproduction of rolB gene. Also maximum lignan production for each elicitor was as follow: fungal extract at 1% v/v (12.87 ± 0.66 and 89.65 ± 3.9 mg/gr DW ± SD podophyllotoxin and 6-methoxypodophyllotoxin, respectively for), methyl jasmonat at 100 µm (11.37± 0.65 and 75.65 ± 3.9 mg/gr DW± SD for podophyllotoxin and 6-methoxypodophyllotoxin, respectively), and salicylic acid at 200 µm (7.97 ± 0.33 and 51.68 ±2.1 mg/gr DW ± SD for podophyllotoxin and 6methoxypodophyllotoxin, respectively). Important factors such as strain of agrobacterium (A13), duration of exposure time (48 h), and age of culture (18-day-old culture) affected lignan accumulation.
Foreign Capital Flows and Stock Market Capitalization at the Nairobi Securities Exchange, Kenya

Since the onset of financial markets liberalization in the early 1990s, the volume of capital inflows to emerging capital markets has grown to unprecedented levels. Despite growth in capital flows, emerging capital markets are characterized by small size and very low liquidity. In the period 2008-2018, the number of listed firms at the Nairobi Securities Exchange increased only by twelve firms from 55 listed firms in the January 2008 to 67 listed firms as at December 2018 giving an average annual increase of approximately one firm per year. This study therefore sought to establish the effect of foreign capital inflows on stock market capitalization at the Nairobi Securities Exchange, Kenya. The study adopted a causal research design and time series data for the period 2008-2018 was analysed using correlation analysis, and the Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model. The findings from correlation analysis indicate that foreign direct investment had a negative and significant effect on stock market capitalization while foreign equity portfolio inflows had negative but insignificant effect on stock market capitalization at the Nairobi Securities Exchange, Kenya. The autoregressive distributed lag test results support the existence a significant short run positive effects of all foreign capital inflows on stock market capitalization as evidenced by the negative and significant coefficient of the Error Correction Term (ECT). However, in the long run foreign direct investment had a significant negative effect on stock market capitalization while the effect of foreign equity portfolio on stock market capitalization was equally negative but insignificant in the long run. In view of the foregoing findings, there is need for the Kenyan government to reconsider its foreign investment policy to target only productive foreign capital inflows. Moreover, the Capital Markets Authority needs to implement policy measures that will attract active participation of the local investors at the Nairobi Securities Exchange. Keywords: Foreign Capital Inflows, Stock Market capitalization and Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE). DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/12-26-07 Publication date: September 30 th 2020
Aircraft Interior Requirements for a Good Sleep

Sleeping in long haul flights is difficult. There is noise, an upright sitting position and neighbours and crew disturb the sleep. However, there is not much information available for designers on the most important factors next to the seat that could improve the sleep quality. In this paper a co-creation session and a survey among 109 participants has been performed to study factors influencing sleep in a long-haul flight. This study shows that not only the seat is important for a good sleep, but factors like privacy, hygiene and neighbours play a role as well. The more frequent travellers experience more comfort during sleep. So, probably a good preparation is important as well.
Container volume and controlled-release fertilizer influence the seedling quality of Agonandra brasiliensis

ABSTRACT Agonandra brasiliensis is a tree from tropical forests, with a wide occurrence in the Brazilian Savannah region. Despite its potential as wood and for reforestarion, efficient protocols for its seedling production are still lacking. This study aimed to assess morphological characteristics for the seedling quality of A. brasiliensis, under nursery conditions, as a function of container volume and controlled-release fertilizer dose. The experiment was carried out in a 2 x 5 factorial scheme, testing two container volumes (1.8 L and 2.2 L) and five doses (0 g L-1, 1 g L-1, 2 g L-1, 4 g L-1 and 8 g L-1) of the encapsulated fertilizer Forth Cote™ (formulation NPK 15-09-12). The plots consisted of five homogeneous seedlings transplanted in polyethylene bags (15 cm x 35 cm) with washed medium sand substrate. The following characteristics were measured: shoot length; stem diameter; increases in length and diameter; total dry matter; shoot and root dry matters and the ratio between them. The Dickson Quality Index was also obtained. The seedling quality for morphological traits, such as shoot length, stem diameter and total dry matter, was especially favoured by treatments combining the controlled-release fertilizer at a dose around 5.0 g L-1 and container volume of 2.2 L.
Development and validation of a stability-indicating ultra-fast liquid chromatographic analysis for the simultaneous determination of fenticonazole and its related substances in pharmaceutical formulations

A precise stability-indicating an ultra-fast liquid chromatographic method was developed for determination of fenticonazole and its related substances in pharmaceutical formulations. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a C18 column (100 × 4mm, 3 μm) under gradient elution by using mixture of 85% phosphoric acid solution adjusted to pH 3.0 using triethyamine and acetonitrile at a flow rate of 0.8 mL per minute. The analytes were detected using photodiode array detector at 235 nm. The retention time for fenticonazole was about 7.5 min. The drug was subjected to different stress conditions like hydrolysis (acid, alkaline and neutral), oxidation, photolysis and thermal degradation in accordance to ICH guidelines. A minor degradation was observed during oxidative hydrolysis. No degradation was observed under the other stress conditions. The method was validated for specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy, robustness, and system suitability. The method was linear in the drug concentration range of 5–150 μg/mL with the correlation coefficient being 0.9985. The relative standard deviation for precision was below 2%. The mean recoveries were between 99.12–100.47% for drug substance. According to the obtained results, the method can successfully be applied for routine quality control analysis of fenticonazole in pharmaceutical formulation.
How to Bloom the Green Desert: Eucalyptus Plantations and Native Forests in Uruguay beyond Black and White Perspectives

The ongoing debate on the boon or bane of monocultural timber plantations demonstrates the need to develop alternative approaches that achieve forest productivity while conserving biodiversity. We assessed the diversity of tree species in native forests and in Eucalyptus plantations, and evaluated the potential use of native species to enhance plantation management. For this purpose, we established one-hectare permanent plots in nine native forests (riverine and park forests) and nine Eucalyptus plantations in the northwestern part of Uruguay. Forest inventories were carried out on 200 m2 plots and regeneration was assessed along transects in 9 m2 subplots. Riverine forests have the highest Shannon diversity index (2.5) followed by park forests (2.1) and Eucalyptus plantations (1.3). Tree density was high in riverine forests (1913/ha) and plantations (1315/ha), whereas park forests have lower tree density (796/ha). Regeneration density was high in riverine forests (39136/ha) and park forests (7500/ha); however, native species can regenerate in the understory of plantations (727/ha), and this underlines the possibility of developing a mixed species approach to reduce the negative impact of monocultures. Differences in the composition of plant communities were denoted between native forests and plantations, although native forests were similar in composition, even in the presence of exotic species. Native forests harbor specialist species that are absent from plantations, and therefore perform a decisive role in maintaining local biodiversity. Strategies to enhance species diversity and structural diversity within plantations or to establish mixed buffer strips containing native species at the edge of plantations are potential measures to enhance biodiversity and foster the integration of plantations into the local landscape.
Estimating evapotranspiration in semi-arid rangelands: connecting reference to actual evapotranspiration and the role of soil evaporation

In a context of water scarcity, efforts to increase landscape production should focus on improving water productivity. This requires an appreciation of the various components of evapotranspiration (ET), including soil evaporation (Es) because the latter reflects ‘unproductive’ water loss. Both complex and simple algorithms have been developed to determine ET. In data scarce areas, developing and testing parsimonious algorithms is useful. This study sought to improve a simple single layer ET model by incorporating an Es component. Empirical methods were also explored to predict ET from vegetation indices (VIs), leaf area index (LAI) and reference evapotranspiration (ET0). A large aperture scintillometer and an eddy covariance (EC) system were used to validate the proposed algorithm at three sites over Grasslands and Albany Thicket biomes in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. There was good agreement between the observed and predicted ET with RMSE of 0.30–0.58 mm d−1 when average daily observed ET was 0.43–3.24 mm. The VIs had moderate correlations with the observed data due to the significant role played by Es (65%–84%) across the sites and stomatal conductance at the Albany Thicket site. The simple algorithms developed would make determining ET easier in data scarce regions.
Forensic and Genetic Characterization of mtDNA Lineages of Shin, a Unique Ethnic Group in Pakistan

1Centre for Applied Molecular Biology, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan 2Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, The University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan 3Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia 4Karakoram International University, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan Article Information Received 24 October 2019 Revised 11 February 2020 Accepted 09 March 2020 Available online 03 June 2020
Energetic costs in the relationship between bitterling and mussels in East Asia

1The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Brno, Czech Republic 2Department of Zoology and Fisheries, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic 3The Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China 4Department of Ecology and Vertebrate Zoology, University of Łódź, Łódź, Poland 5School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK 6Bell Pettigrew Museum of Natural History, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK