Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Resource Partitioning by Ovipositing Cicadas

Three perfectly synchronized species of periodical cicadas have been coexisting in undisturbed forests of the eastern United States for hundreds of years. Each species has partitioned a part of the forest dominated by different tree species; hence they overlap very little in host usage. Magicicada septendecimn is an upland species, M. cassini is a floodplain species, and M. septendecula lives on the upland forest edge, especially in hickories (Dybas and Lloyd 1974). However, such host preferences are obscured in man-modified habitats such as roadsides, second-growth fields, and orchards. Probably because of the rapid growth of plants in cut-over habitats, all three species of periodical cicadas are attracted to them (Lloyd and White 1976a, 1976b). In such habitats the ecological isolation of cicada species breaks down, and they are thrown back into competition. One can easily find the three species ovipositing in the same scrubby vegetation at the same time. The present study was centered on such a situation, a roadside in east central Illinois in 1972. My purpose is to answer the following questions: (1) How much of each host was used by ovipositing cicadas? (2) How much overlap was there? , and (3) Is there any evidence that resources were in short supply? In the discussion, I raise a fourth question: (4) Assuming that host preferences are constants unaffected by the intensity of interspecies crowding, how can overlap measures be used to determine whether or not the competitive system is a stable one, i.e., whether we can expect one or two of the species to be locally eliminated in the future? Following MacArthur (1972), I use the measures of ecological overlap (a's) to set limits on the ratio of single-species carrying capacities (K's) that are compatible with a stable system. I then appeal to existing census data for singlespecies populations of M. septendecim and M. cassini elsewhere in Illinois as crude estimates of carrying capacities. Combining these, I , xamine the question of whether M. septendecim and M. cassini are, in fact, K-incompatible in a twospecies system. I discuss the pitfalls of using "upstate K's and downstate a's" (to borrow an expression from an anonymous reviewer), and other assumptions that are implicit in this approach.
Favourable habitats for Coffea inter-specific hybridization in central New Caledonia: combined genetic and spatial analyses

Summary 1. Human disturbance of natural habitats has increasingly promoted hybridization between previously isolated species. Coffee trees (Coffea canephora, C. liberica and C. arabica) have been introduced into New Caledonia for cultivation since the 1850s. Many plantations have since been abandoned, leaving the cultivars to evolve in natural conditions. This historical situation and the local environmental conditions have led to gene flow between sympatric species and the creation of hybrid zones which can be considered as a natural laboratory for studying gene flow dynamics. Our objectives were to assess the nature of these hybridizations and to model the distribution of habitats favourable for these hybrid zones at a regional scale. 2. We analysed a tri-specific model population with 26 microsatellite markers using a multilocus analysis approach. We applied Bayesian methods to characterize the species identity of founder individuals and identify inter-specific hybrids. A high level of genetic diversity and inter-specific hybridization was observed in the population. To evaluate the presence of other favourable environments in the local area, a geographic information system was used to spatially differentiate the phenomenon and optimize future hybrid collecting missions. We constructed a predictive distribution model based on observation and environmental expertise (climatic parameters, physical parameters and landcover) at four reference sites of the hybrid zone. 3. At all four sites the Coffea species were found to be involved in inter-specific hybridization, with one population, in particular, revealing high genetic diversity. According to the environmental expertise, 40% of the studied region appeared to be favourable for this phenomenon and the model was validated with a prediction accuracy of 79%. 4. Synthesis and applications. The use of microsatellite markers was efficient for assessing the nature and extent of coffee tree hybridization events. The environmental expertise and model allowed comparisons between New Caledonia and Africa ecological niches. This methodology may be recommended for better management of de novo in situ coffee genetic resources and applied to other plants to provide insight into the impact of adaptation to new environment. Combining environmental and species biological parameters would help in analysing modifications in plant reproductive behaviour induced by global climate change.
Penetration and development of Meloidogyne enterolobii in resistant and susceptible Capsicum spp.

factorial scheme, being factor A: two pepper genotypes (UFGCCH 24 – ‘Bode Roxa’ - resistant, and UFGCBA 3 – ‘Cambuci’ -susceptible), and factor B: five periods of evaluation (7, 14, 21, 28, and 35 days after inoculation - DAI). The two genotypes were chosen based on a previous study that screened 72 Capsicum genotypes belong-ing to Universidade Federal de Goiás (UFG) collection. UFGCCH 24 is from Capsicum chinense species (CCH) and UFGCBA is a Capsicum baccatum species (CBA). At each period the roots were washed, stained and evaluated for nematode penetration and life cycle stage. At 35 DAI the nematode population density and reproduction factor (RF) were also evaluated by extraction from roots. Second stage juveniles (J2) penetrated the roots of resistant and susceptible genotypes, although in a lesser number in the resistant. M. enterolobii had its life cycle delayed within the resistant genotype roots resulting in a lower number of specimens. At 28 DAI, fully developed females were observed in the susceptible ‘Cambuci’, whereas in the resistant ‘Bode Roxa’ at 35 DAI, nematodes with the appearance of J4 were still observed, and some individuals differentiating into males. ‘Cambuci’ showed RF = 1.82 and higher gall index and egg mass index compared to ‘Bode Roxa’ that had RF = 0.67.
Reinforcement Learning Based Advertising Strategy Using Crowdsensing Vehicular Data

As an effective tool, roadside digital billboard advertising is widely used to attract potential customers (e.g., drivers and passengers passing by the billboards) to obtain commercial profit for the advertiser, i.e., the attracted customers’ payment. The commercial profit depends on the number of attracted customers, hence the advertiser needs to adopt an effective advertising strategy to determine the advertisement switching policy for each digital billboard to attract as many potential customers as possible. Whether a customer could be attracted is influenced by numerous factors, such as the probability that the customer could see the billboard and the degree of his/her interests in the advertisement. Besides, cooperation and competition among all digital billboards will also affect the commercial profit. Taking the above factors into consideration, we formulate the dynamic advertising problem to maximize the commercial profit for the advertiser. To address the problem, we first extract potential customers’ implicit information by using the vehicular data collected by Mobile CrowdSensing (MCS), such as their vehicular trajectories and their preferences. With this information, we then propose an advertising strategy based on multi-agent deep reinforcement learning. By using the proposed advertising strategy, the advertiser could determine the advertising policy for each digital billboard and maximize the commercial profit. Extensive experiments on three real-world datasets have been conducted to verify that our proposed advertising strategy could achieve the superior commercial profit compared with the state-of-the-art strategies.
Sustainability metrics on microalgae-based wastewater treatment system

This paper presents a life cycle assessment of a simulated large-scale process of agroindustrial wastewater treatment through microalgal heterotrophic bioreactors. The study focuses on establishing sustainability metrics for recovering energy and nutrients from wastewater to produce bulk oil and lipid extracted algae (LEA) in an integrated process. The experimental data, obtained from a benchscale facility, were used to estimate the life cycle impacts of a wastewater treatment plant with a capacity of 16,000 m3/d, with a production of 4.32 ton/d of biomass, fractioned in 0.84 ton/d of bulk oil and 3.45 ton/d of LEA. The sustainability metrics of the integrated process indicate a net energy ratio of 0.41, reduction of 98% of the water footprint, global warming potential of 47 × 106 kgCO2eq/y, eutrophication potential of 5 × 104 kg eq PO4/y, acidification potential of 7 × 104 kg SO2-eq/y and ozone depletion potential of 3.33 kg CFC-11-eq/y. The assessment of the life cycle demonstrated that this technological route presents itself as a new sustainable approach for wastewater treatment plants and their implementation and dissemination can help to support a change towards resource recovery and a sustainable circular economy.
Distributed adaptive iterative learning control for the consensus tracking of heterogeneous nonlinear multi-agent systems

This paper addresses the consensus tracking problem of leader-following heterogeneous multi-agent systems with iterative learning control. The model of heterogeneous multi-agent systems consists of first-order and second-order nonlinear dynamics. It is assumed that only a portion of following agents can receive the leader’s information. The radial basis function neural network is introduced to deal with the nonlinear terms of following agents. Then, the distributed adaptive iterative learning control protocols with neural network are designed for following agents with different dynamics. Meanwhile, the adaptive update control laws for the time-varying parameters are proposed. Theoretical analysis shows that the consensus tracking problem of the given multi-agent systems can be guaranteed on the time domain and iterative domain. Finally, the validity of theoretical results is verified by a simulation example.
Absent fathers: Psychological and socio-economic implications for black children and directions for future research

This study investigated fathers’ absence influences on the self-perceptions of South African young adults. Informants were five black university students (two females, three males; age range 20 to 28 years). They responded to semi-structured face-to-face interviews on self-perceptions from having matured in the absence of their biological fathers. Thematic analysis of the data revealed that the informants consider the father-absence when they grapple with material well-being shortage. Participants had mixed perceptions about the psychosocial effects on them from father-absence, with some believing to be thriving despite a history of father-absence. Overall, the findings suggest a need for caution in pathologising young adults with a history of father-absence as necessarily deprived.
Accounting -based valuation methods of intangible assets: Theorethical overview

Intangible assets are fundamental generators of companies' competitive advantage. While the tangible assets were the most important company's resources in the past, nowadays, the intellectual resources determine the success of a company. Intangible resources represent the non-physical substances, which are difficult to define, measure and valuate. Thus, the purpose of the paper is to analyze the valuation methods of intangible assets in the area of the traditional accounting framework. The paper addresses the importance of the intangible assets in management literature, and links various valuation methods of intangible assets to the context of economics, business and strategic management.
Model for sectional leading-edge vortex lift for the prediction of rotating samara seeds performance

ABSTRACT This article presents a development of a simple analytical aerodynamic model capable of describing the effect of leading-edge vortices (LEVs) on the lift of rotating samara wings. This analytical model is based on the adaptation of Polhamus’ method to develop a sectional two-dimensional lift function, which was implemented in a numerical blade element model (BEM) of a rotating samara blade. Furthermore, wind tunnel experiments were conducted to validate the numerical BEM and to assess the validity of the newly developed analytical lift function. The results showed good agreement between the numerical model and the experimental measurements of rotational speed and rate of descent of the samara wing. The results were also compared with numerical predictions using BEM but adopting different lift coefficient expressions available in literature. This research contributed towards efficient aerodynamic modelling of the lift generated by LEVs on rotating samara wings for performance prediction, which could potentially be used in the design of bio-inspired rotary micro-air vehicles.
Postsecondary Education Access (Im)Possibilities for Undocu/DACAmented Youth Living With the Potential Elimination of DACA

Abstract Undocu/DACAmented youth continue to face exclusionary policies and educational environments that deter their postsecondary education trajectories. This research draws from 32 interviews with parents and undocu/DACAmented youth in Michigan. Of particular interest were participants’ experiences with postsecondary education access since this is one of the first blocked normative rites undocu/DACAmented youth confront. The theory of liminal legality is used to frame how DACA has created a liminal status for undocu/DACAmented youth that largely results in illusory postsecondary education aspirations and continues to restrict their postsecondary access. The findings reveal undocu/DACAmented youth encounter some possibilities coupled with numerous impossibilities that shape their higher education trajectories. These challenges were more pronounced since President Trump ordered an end to the DACA program. Implications of this investigation are significant given the current sociopolitical landscape and threatened well-being of over 700,000 DACA recipients.
Deaths Attributable to Air Pollution in Nordic Countries: Disparities in the Estimates

Particulate matter air pollution is widely considered as the leading environmental cause of premature mortality. However, there are substantial differences in the estimated health burden between the assessments. The aim of this work is to quantify the deaths attributable to ambient air pollution in Nordic countries applying selected assessment tools and approaches, and to identify the main disparities. We quantified and compared the estimated deaths from three health risk assessment tools and from a set of different concentration-response functions. A separate analysis was conducted for the impacts of spatial resolution of the exposure model on the estimated deaths. We found that the death rate (deaths per million) attributable to PM2.5 and O3 were the highest in Denmark and the lowest in Iceland. In the five Nordic countries, the results between the three tools ranged from 8500 to 11,400 for PM2.5 related deaths, and for ozone from 230 to 260 deaths in 2015. Substantially larger differences were found between five concentration-response functions. The shape of concentration-response functions, and applied theoretical thresholds led to substantial differences in the estimated deaths. Nordic countries are especially sensitive to theoretical thresholds due to low exposures. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that when using spatial exposure assessment methods, high spatial resolution is necessary to avoid underestimation of exposures and health effects.
Peg-mediated fusion of Rubus idaeus (raspberry) and R. fruticosus (blackberry) protoplasts, selection and characterisation of callus lines

ABSTRACT Cell suspension-derived protoplasts of two cultivated Rubus species, Rubus idaeus-raspberry (subgenus Idaeobatus 2n=2x=14) and R. fruticosus-blackberry (a complex species aggregate within the subgenus Eubatus, 2n=4x=28) were fused using different polyethylene glycol (PEG) fusion treatments. Duration of PEG treatment and choice of culture media influenced the rate of cell divisions and plating efficiency. Colony formation was initiated on solid media for the production of several callus lines. Cytological analyses were performed on selected callus lines with hexaploid chromosome number. Two hexaploid fusion callus lines, selected for their homogeneity in growth and ploidy level, were examined by molecular cytogenetic techniques of fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) and genomic in situ hybridisation (GISH). GISH revealed the presence of the heterokaryon within the fusion callus lines. FISH probed with ribosomal DNA (rDNA) showed variable numbers and sizes of loci. Aberrant distribution and condensation of rDNA were common in interphase cells. FISH results suggest that large karyotype rearrangements occurred, including variation in chromosome number and rDNA loci translocations. Attempts to regenerate plants from the hexaploid callus lines following several applications of plant growth regulator combinations were unsuccessful. This may be attributed to the genomic reorganisation and instability of these long-term fusion callus cultures.
Agaricus megalosporus: A New Species in Section Minores

Abstract In this paper Agaricus megalosporus sp. nov. is introduced with a description, line drawings, color photographs. Its novelty is supported both by its morphology and phylogenetic analysis. A. megalosporus is characterized by medium to large fruiting bodies, a heavily fibrillose squamulose stipe and relatively large basidiospores. This new species is compared with some morphologically similar species. ITS sequence data analysis by maximum likelihood, unweighted parsimony and Bayesian analysis shows that A. megalosporus should be placed in section Minores. Résumé Une description, des dessins, et des photographies en couleurs d'Agaricus megalosporus, une espèce nouvelle, sont présentés. La nouveauté de cette espèce est supportée à la fois par sa morphologie et par une analyse phylogénétique. A. megalosporus se caractérise par ses sporophores de taille moyenne ou grande, un stipe fortement fibrillosquamuleux et des basidiospores relativement grandes. L'analyse de séquences ITS par maximum de vraisemblance, maximum de parcimonie non pondérée et analyse Bayesienne démontre que A. megalosporus appartient à la section Minores.
Market Analysis of Distributed Learning Resource Management for Internet of Things: A Game-Theoretic Approach

In this article, to meet a delay requirement for data analytics from Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices, we design a novel market model of the distributed learning resource management mechanism for multiple mobile-edge computing (MEC) operators. We consider a hybrid architecture (cloud-MEC) for the distributed learning, which is also known as “federated learning” as one of the practical examples, where a coordinator at the cloud coordinates IoT sensors to efficiently distribute their sensing data over multiple MECs. In this sense, multiple MECs receive a shared model from the coordinator and conduct local training of received partial sensing data from IoT sensors. Then, the coordinator at the cloud merges returned local training results from MECs and generates a global model. To model a hierarchical decision-making structure as a market behavior, we formulate and solve a Stackelberg game model. Specifically, in the case of MEC operators as leaders, we design a pricing scheme for MEC operators to obtain its maximum utility by considering a tradeoff between the revenue and energy consumption. Then, as a follower, while the coordinator aims at achieving a balance between the satisfaction attained from the distributed learning and the costs, it follows the MEC operators’ decisions by coordinating IoT sensors to distribute their sensing data over MECs. A unique Stackelberg equilibrium (SE) point is given as a closed form. Finally, we reveal that the SE solution maximizes the utility of all market participants. This game-theoretic study demonstrates that there is an incentive for utilizing multiple MECs to achieve better satisfaction of IoT services in distributed learning.
Maximization of Mutual Reaction Between Two Conformal Phased Arrays of Antennas to Enhance Power Transfer in Radiating Near-Field Region

In paper, wireless power transfer (WPT) between two paired transmitting and receiving antenna arrays (TXAA and RXAA, respectively) is studied for high transferring efficiency when they are in the radiating near-field region of each other. The reaction between them is studied by examining a power reaction factor (PRF) to achieve a maximum magnitude as a design target. In contrast to conventional near-field focus (NFF) TXAA design to maximize illumination power strength in a designated narrow zone, this work results in conformal phase and amplitude matches between the TXAA and RXAA radiations. In study, an elemental PRF matrix is first built and then decomposed by singular-value decomposition (SVD) to produce excitations of orthogonal beams for the TXAA and RXAA radiations. The reaction between paired orthogonal beams of TXAA and RXAA is examined to result in optimum weighting coefficients, where the elemental excitations of TXAA and RXAA are subsequently found. In this paper, the theoretical concept is first introduced. Numerical simulations, as well as full-wave simulation, are shown to validate the feasibility of this optimization concept.
An Enhanced Partial-Data Superimposed Training Scheme for OFDM Systems

In partial-data superimposed training (PDST) scheme, pilot signals are superimposed to data symbols, which inevitably introduce interferences between them. In order to reduce these interferences, we propose an enhanced scheme, which shifts the positions of pilot signals and adds them onto the data symbols with the lowest power sum. Simulation results identify the availability of the proposed method in improving the accuracy of channel estimation and degrading the symbol error rate (SER).
CATTS (Controlled Atmosphere Temperature Treatment System): A Novel Tool for the Development of Quarantine Treatments

Controlled atmosphere (1.0% O2, 15% CO2) in combination with high temperature (45 and 47°C) was compared with high temperature alone to determine the impact of combination heat and controlled atmosphere treatments on mortality of 5th instars of codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.), in sweet cherries. The combined treatment unit is termed CAITS for Controlled Atmosphere/Temperature Treatment System. LT99s at 45 and 47°C were 64 and 44 min, respectively, for the combined treatments and 124 and 72 min, respectively, for high temperature alone. This research demonstrates the potential effectiveness of controlled atmosphere in combination with high temperatures as a quarantine treatment against codling moth larvae in sweet cherries.