Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dynamics of gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of cocoa genotypes in response to water deficit

The effect of drought stress on the photosynthetic gas exchange parameters of twenty cocoa genotypes (Theobroma cacao L.) was examined under glasshouse conditions. Photosynthesis, chlorophyll fluorescence and stomatal conductance evaluated in 100% and 50% of the field capacity revealed significant differences between non-stressed and stressed plants and different genotypes. Among the genotypes, the percentage reduction in terms of photosynthetic rate (29.22 and 27.68% respectively), chlorophyll fluorescence (4.2 and 4.01% respectively) was low in VTLCH 3 and VTLCH 4 while the highest reduction in stomatal conductance (48.70 and 50%) and transpiration rate (57.81 and 56.80%) under stress regimes was also recorded in the same genotypes. Therefore, VTLCH 3 and VTLCH 4 were grouped as water stress tolerant genotypes based on the dynamics of gas exchange parameters. Thus, these two genotypes could be utilized for cultivation in Tamil Nadu condition and in further breeding programs.
Aerosol impacts on warm-cloud microphysics and drizzle in a moderately polluted environment

Abstract. Climate is critically affected by aerosols, which alter cloud lifecycles and precipitation distribution through radiative and microphysical effects. In this study, aerosol and cloud property datasets from MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer), onboard the Aqua satellite, and surface observations, including aerosol concentrations, raindrop size distribution, and meteorological parameters, were used to statistically quantify the effects of aerosols on low-level warm-cloud microphysics and drizzle over northern Taiwan during multiple fall seasons (from 15 October to 30 November of 2005–2017). Our results indicated that northwestern Taiwan, which has several densely populated cities, is dominated by low-level clouds (e.g., warm, thin, and broken clouds) during the fall season. The observed effects of aerosols on warm clouds indicated aerosol indirect effects (i.e., increased aerosol loading caused a decrease in cloud effective radius (CER)), an increase in cloud optical thickness, an increase in cloud fraction, and a decrease in cloud-top temperature under a fixed cloud water path. Quantitatively, aerosol–cloud interactions (ACI=-∂ln⁡CER∂ln⁡α|CWP, changes in CER relative to changes in aerosol amounts) were 0.07 for our research domain and varied between 0.09 and 0.06 in the surrounding remote (i.e., ocean) and polluted (i.e., land) areas, respectively, indicating aerosol indirect effects were stronger in the remote area. From the raindrop size distribution analysis, high aerosol loading resulted in a decreased frequency of drizzle events, redistribution of cloud water to more numerous and smaller droplets, and reduced collision–coalescence rates. However, during light rain (≤1 mm h−1), high aerosol concentrations drove raindrops towards smaller droplet sizes and increased the appearance of drizzle drops. This study used long-term surface and satellite data to determine aerosol variations in northern Taiwan, effects on clouds and precipitation, and observational strategies for future research on aerosol–cloud–precipitation interactions.
Fine Structure, Instabilities, and Turbulence in the Lower Atmosphere: High-Resolution In Situ Slant-Path Measurements with the DataHawk UAV and Comparisons with Numerical Modeling

Anewplatform for high-resolution in situmeasurements in the lower troposphere is described and its capabilities are demonstrated. The platform is the small GPS-controlled DataHawk unmanned aerial system (UAS), and measurements were performed under stratified atmospheric conditions at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, on 11October 2012. Themeasurements included spiraling vertical profiles of temperature and horizontalwind vectors, from which the potential temperature u, mechanical energy dissipation rate «, Brunt–Väsälä frequency N, temperature structure parameter CT 2 , Thorpe and Ozmidov scales LT and LO, and Richardson number Ri were inferred. Profiles of these quantities from ;50 to 400m reveal apparent gravity wave modulation at larger scales, persistent sheet-and-layer structures at scales of;30–100m, and several layers exhibiting significant correlations of large «, CT 2 , LT, and small Ri. Smaller-scale flow features suggest local gravity waves and Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities exhibiting strong correlations, yielding significant vertical displacements and inducing turbulence and mixing at smaller scales. Comparisons of these results with a direct numerical simulation (DNS) of similarmultiscale dynamics indicate close agreement between measured and modeled layer character and evolution, small-scale dynamics, and turbulence intensities. In particular, a detailed examination of the potential biases in inferred quantities and/or misinterpretation of the underlying dynamics as a result of the specific DataHawk sampling trajectory is carried out using virtual sampling paths through the DNS and comparing these with the DataHawkmeasurements.
Diversity of Insect Pollinators in Gozamin District of Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Pollination is one of a valuable ecosystem services in the maintenance of biodiversity and ensures the survival of plant species. Therefore, Insect pollinators’ diversity and their role in the ecosystem are not sufficiently recorded; thus, conducting assessment of their diversity and roles helps to recognize the economic and ecological value of insect pollination, and potential impacts of the loss of insect pollinators. Therefore, the overall aim of this study was to assess and identify insect pollinators’ diversity and frequently visited plant species in cropland and natural habitat of the study area. Transect sampling and direct field observation was used to collect data. The abundance of insect pollinators from the three study sites were sampled systematically using two transects one along the Shrubland and the other on farmland habitat. A total of 60 transect sample plots 30 in the farmland and 30 in the Shrubland habitats were observed in the study areas. A total of 34 insect pollinator species were identified. The most frequently recorded insect pollinator was Apis mellifera in Shrubland (60.4%) and farmland (67.3%). Insect diversity of the Shrubland was higher (H’=1.72) than farmland (H’=1.514). Similarly, evenness was higher in the Shrubland (J’=0.5485) as compared to farmland (J’=0.4974) which is somehow even distribution in both habitats. To understand the most visited plants by insect pollinators 40 wild plants and 4 crop species were identified. Among the sampled plants Crassocephalum macropappurn was the most frequently visited plant by different insect pollinators while Guizotia abyssinica was the most frequently visited among the sampled crops. The study has shown occurrence of diverse insect pollinators and plant species visited by insect pollinators as function of ecosystem services in the area.
Implementation of a Disaster Response Support System Based on Accumulated Past Disaster Response Information

In this study, we implemented a disaster response support system based on accumulated past disaster response information for use by emergency response headquarters during times of natural disaster. The proposed system supports disaster response operation and decision making using a database of information accumulated from past disaster cases and response efforts. The proposed system comprises a disaster response information storage system for accumulating disaster response information and a disaster information visualization system for visualizing stored data and supporting emergency response efforts. The system also displays real-time social media information transmitted by ordinary citizens.
Comparative approach for the isolation of genes involved in the osmotolerance of wheat

Improving drought tolerance of wheat is of great agronomical importance. Gene isolation techniques based on expression properties may provide new tools for breeders both in early characterization of new cultivars and in improving drought tolerance via molecular breeding. The main aim of our project is to isolate new drought activated genes which may serve both purposes. As a first step, a subtracted cDNA library was prepared, which represents the difference in the mRNA populations of wheat plantlets grown under 400 mOsm polyethylene-glycol derived osmotic stress versus plantlets grown in optimal conditions. By applying the subtraction approach, the resulted cDNA library becomes enriched in clones of differentially expressed genes including the ones of rare messages as well. This allows us to clone these genes, sequence them and, later, perform in silico analysis. Our first results indicate that the resulted library is enriched in clones coding for membrane associated channel proteins as well as abscisic acid and stress responsive ones.
Contradictory Stimulation

Motivated by the seemingly chaotic state of affairs of contemporary world political actions, I describe a possible psychological masses domination strategy called “contradictory stimulation”. Assuming that there is the possibility of a genuine intention on the part of some families and powerful organizations in guiding humanity in the way of their interests, I point through mathematical and computational models that contradictory stimulation can be effective in inducing a subservient mentality in the political citizens. Recognize the existence of artful stratagems of manipulation and “brainwashing” sharpens our critical sense and changes our world view. It is the first step in a reaction that try to ensure individual freedoms, if they are desirable.
Damage to Winter Cereals by Greylag and Pink-Footed Geese in North-East Scotland

(…) Yields of grain and straw significantly lower in grazed than in ungrazed areas of several, but not all, wheat and barley fields. Yields were significantly lower in fields with high intensities of goose grazing, but grazing in at least of the fields studied was below that required to cause loss of yield. The amount of weed was significantly higher in grazed than in ungrazed areas in three fields of each crop and increased significantly with intensity of grazing. The median distance between goose roosting and feeding sites was 2-5 km and most geese fed within 10 km of their roost. (…)
MULTIPHASE FLOW MODELLING-DIFFUSE INTERFACES-SHOCK WAVES, REACTIVE FLOWS, EXPLOSIONS-THERMODYNAMICS-NUMERICAL SCHEMES

RS2N is a private research company (www.rs2n.eu) involved in strategic and challenging industrial applications needing permanent innovations in the frame of fluid flow modelling and related numerical methods. Examples of recent multiphase and diffuse interface flow models are given, as well as novel numerical strategies, ranging from Riemann solvers, automatic time implicit integration, stiff thermodynamic equilibrium solvers and diffuse interface sharpening. These solutions are used in the DALPHADT© code, fully developed by the company, and used in many research centers of Aerospace, Defense and Energy areas.
Intelligent Multimedia Systems Mean-Shift tracker

Mean-shift algorithm is an eﬃcient real-time object tracking algorithm that can be used in a wide range of object-tracking applications. In this work we evaluate mean-shift tracker performance with three color schemes normalized rgb, opponent, and grey-scale in diﬀerent image domains. We discuss implementation, strengths and weaknesses of the algorithm, and show that the performance can be improved when speciﬁc color models are applied for particular imaging domains, both color and grey-scale. We show that mean-shift performs best with rgb color space for high contrast color domains, with opponent color space for lower contrast color domains
Effects of Saharan dust on the microbial community during a large in situ mesocosm experiment in the NW Mediterranean Sea

The response of the microbial community to Saharan dust deposition was investigated in 6 large mesocosms (52 m 3 ) deployed at an oligotrophic coastal site in the NW Mediterranean Sea in June 2008 (DUNE project). The mesocosms represented well the environmental conditions observed at the study site during the 8 d experimental period, and the triplicate mesocosms exhibited high reproducibility for each treatment. Dust deposition resulted in an increase in chlorophyll a con- centration (0.22 ± 0.03 µg l -1 ), as compared to that in the control treatments (0.12 ± 0.01 µg l -1 ), but no treatment effect was observed for bacterial heterotrophic abundance at 5 m depth. Results from the fingerprinting technique CE-SSCP indicate a temporal evolution of the structure of the total (16S rRNA gene) and active (16S rRNA transcripts) bacterial community, and Saharan dust deposition had a noticeable structuring effect on the active bacterial community. Combining results from 16S rRNA gene clone libraries and CE-SSCP indicates that the relative contribution of Alteromonas macleodii to the active bacterial community was enhanced 2-fold following dust addition. The 2 operational tax- onomic units (OTUs) Thiothrix and Alteromonas, belonging to Gammaproteobacteria, and the Bac- teroidetes OTU NS5-1 were specific to the clone libraries from the dust-amended mesocosms or more abundant in these than in the control ones. CARD-FISH analyses, however, indicate that these OTUs had overall low abundances (1 to 5% of total DAPI-counts). Despite the pronounced temporal trend observed during the experimental period, dust deposition had a small, but noticeable structuring effect on the heterotrophic bacterial community that was detectable only at the OTU level at 99% similarity of the 16S rRNA gene.
DETERMINING INSTANTANEOUS SHUTTLECOCK VELOCITY: OVERCOMING THE EFFECTS OF A LOW BALLISTIC COEFFICIENT

Introduction The badminton shuttlecock has a lower ballistic coefficient, a measure of ability to overcome air resistance, and greater deceleration during flight than any other airborne sporting implement (Nakagawa, Hasegawa, Murakami, & Obayashi, 2012). Indeed, initial shuttlecock velocities of 67 m·s have been reported to decelerate in 0.6 s to close to the terminal velocity of approximately 7 m·s (Chen, Pan, & Chen, 2009; Hubbard & Cooke, 1997). These rapid decelerations and marker movement due to the spin or flip of the shuttlecock, as well as tracking errors, present researchers with difficulties when seeking to accurately determine post-impact shuttlecock velocity via differentiation (Texier, Cohen, Quéré, & Claneta, 2012).
PRIMERJAVA MED FORCHEIMERJEVIM IN BRINKMANOVIM MODELOM KONVEKTIVNEGA TOKA V POROZNI KOTANJI Z ROBNOOBMOČNO INTEGRALSKO METODO COMPARISON BETWEEN THE FORCHEIMER AND THE BRINKMAN MODEL FOR CONVECTIVE FLOW IN POROUS CAVITY WITH BOUNDARY DOMAIN INTEGRAL METHOD

V prispevku je predstavljena uporaba Forcheimerjevega modela za analizo konvektivnega toka v porozni kotanji s poudarkom na določitvi vpliva dodatnega (Forcheimerjevega) vztrajnostnega člena v gibalni enačbi na hitrost in skupni prenos toplote. Znano je, da je vpliv tega člena pri inženirskih problemih v zasičeni porozni snovi minimalen, kar pa še ni bilo dokazano z uporabo metode robnih elementov (MRE) ali s katero od njenih razširitev. V prispevku je zato podana numerična rešitev problema naravne konvekcije v porozni kotanji z uporabo robnoobmočne integralske metode (ROIM), pri čemer so hitrosti in skupni prenos toplote izračunani za različna modificirana Rayleighova in Darcyjeva števila, rešitve pa primerjane z objavljenimi rezultati na osnovi Brinkmanovega modela. Ključne besede: Forcheimerjev model, robnoobmočna integralska metoda, porozna snov, naravna konvekcija
Seasonal changes in the testicular activity of the Iranian Mountain Viper, Montivipera albicornuta (Nilson & Andrén, 1985) (Reptilia: Viperidae)

The Iranian Mountain Viper, Montivipera albicornuta, is a venomous snake endemic to Iran. We compared the seasonal cycle of testicular activity of 74 male specimens during a one-year period in two cold mountain climate habitats: Tarom (in Zanjan Province) and Bostanabad (in Eastern Azerbaijan Province) in northwestern Iran. The maximum testicular volume was observed in both habitats during autumn. The diameter of seminiferous tubules reached a maximum length in winter and a minimum in summer. The number of spermatids increased in autumn. Spermiogenesis occurred in spring and the maximum number of spermatozoa was reached then. In M. albicornuta in Iran, the testes were more active in autumn and spring, and spermatogenesis started in autumn and continued until mating in spring.
Large N non-perturbative effects in N = 4 superconformal Chern-Simons theories

We investigate the large N instanton effects of partition functions in a class of N = 4 circular quiver Chern-Simons theories on a three-sphere. Our analysis is based on the supersymmetry localization and the Fermi-gas formalism. The resulting matrix model can be regarded as a two-parameter deformation of the ABJM matrix model, and has richer non-perturbative structures. Based on a systematic semi-classical analysis, we find analytic expressions of membrane instanton corrections. We also exactly compute the partition function for various cases and find some exact forms of worldsheet instanton corrections, which appear as quantum mechanical non-perturbative corrections in the Fermi-gas system.
The Arabidopsis TONNEAU 2 Gene Encodes a Putative Novel Protein Phosphatase 2A Regulatory Subunit Essential for the Control of the Cortical Cytoskeleton

In Arabidopsis ton 2 mutants, abnormalities of the cortical microtubular cytoskeleton, such as disorganization of the interphase microtubule array and lack of the preprophase band before mitosis, markedly affect cell shape and arrangement as well as overall plant morphology. We present the molecular isolation of the TON 2 gene, which is highly conserved in higher plants and has a vertebrate homolog of unknown function. It encodes a protein similar in its C-ter-minal part to B (cid:2) regulatory subunits of type 2A protein phosphatases (PP2As). We show that the TON2 protein interacts with an Arabidopsis type A subunit of PP2A in the yeast two-hybrid system and thus likely defines a novel subclass of PP2A subunits that are possibly involved in the control of cytoskeletal structures in plants.
Event-Based Visual Place Recognition With Ensembles of Temporal Windows

Event cameras are bio-inspired sensors capable of providing a continuous stream of events with low latency, and high dynamic range. As a single event only carries limited information about the brightness change at a particular pixel, events are commonly accumulated into spatio-temporal windows for further processing. However, the optimal window length varies depending on the scene, camera motion, the task being performed, and other factors. In this research, we develop a novel ensemble-based scheme for combining temporal windows of varying lengths that are processed in parallel. For applications where the increased computational requirements of this approach are not practical, we also introduce a new “approximate” ensemble scheme that achieves significant computational efficiencies without unduly compromising the original performance gains provided by the ensemble approach. We demonstrate our ensemble scheme on the visual place recognition (VPR) task, introducing a new Brisbane-Event-VPR dataset with annotated recordings captured using a DAVIS346 color event camera. We show that our proposed ensemble scheme significantly outperforms all the single-window baselines, and conventional model-based ensembles, irrespective of the image reconstruction, and feature extraction methods used in the VPR pipeline, and evaluate which ensemble combination technique performs best. These results demonstrate the significant benefits of ensemble schemes for event camera processing in the VPR domain, and may have relevance to other related processes, including feature tracking, visual-inertial odometry, and steering prediction in driving.
ARTICLE—THE MANY FACETS OF OPIOID RECEPTOR PHOSPHORYLATION Agonist Binding and Desensitization of the m-Opioid Receptor Is Modulated by Phosphorylation of the C-Terminal Tail Domain

Sustained activation of G protein–coupled receptors can lead to a rapid decline in signaling through acute receptor desensitization. In the case of the m-opioid receptor (MOPr), this desensitization may play a role in the development of analgesic tolerance. It is understood that phosphorylation of MOPr promotes association with b-arrestin proteins, which then facilitates desensitization and receptor internalization. Agonists that induce acute desensitization have been shown to induce a noncanonical high-affinity agonist binding state in MOPr, conferring a persistent memory of prior receptor activation. In the current study, live-cell confocal imaging was used to investigate the role of receptor phosphorylation in agonist binding to MOPr. A phosphorylation cluster in the C-terminal tail of MOPr was identified as a mediator of agonist-induced affinity changes in MOPr. This site is unique from the primary phosphorylation cluster responsible for b-arrestin binding and internalization. Electrophysiologic measurements of receptor function suggest that both phosphorylation clusters may play a parallel role during acute receptor desensitization. Desensitization was unaffected by alanine mutation of either phosphorylation cluster, but was largely eliminated when both clusters were mutated. Overall, this work suggests that there are multiple effects of MOPr phosphorylation that appear to regulate MOPr function: one affecting b-arrestin binding and a second affecting agonist binding.
Radiation and genetics of cattail populations from Chornobyl

We present 11 dinucleotide microsatellite DNA loci isolated from the narrow-leaved cattail (Typha angustifolia) and describe conditions for their amplification. The PCR primers were tested on at least 20 individuals of Typha angustifolia and T. latifolia from two Ukrainian populations per species. The primers amplify loci with relatively high numbers of alleles (averaging 7.22 and 4.95 alleles per locus in T. angustifolia and T. latifolia respectively), and polymorphic information content (averaging 0.61 and 0.46 in T. angustifolia and T. latifolia respectively). Cattails are widespread wetland plants that invade and colonize aquatic and marsh habitats in temperate and tropical regions of the world (Liu et al. 1978). Cattails are distributed across a broad range of environmental conditions including some contaminated sites. Contaminants may increase the rate of mutation, and highly variable, codominant and specific genetic markers are needed for determining whether the contaminant has increased the amount of mutation. Microsatellites are good markers for this purpose and have been shown to have elevated mutation rates in wheat grown in contaminated Chornobyl soils (Kovalchuk et al. 2000). Cattail populations occur naturally in radioactively contaminated areas around the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. Microsatellites can be used to test for differences in genetic variation between Typha populations from the contaminated Chornobyl environment and reference sites in Ukraine. Our objective was to develop primers for the amplification of microsatellite DNA loci in two Typha species and to test them for polymorphism in cattails from Ukraine.