Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Age, growth, and reproduction in Hector's dolphins

Data are provided on the reproductive biology and life history of Hector's dolphin, Cephalorhynchus hectori, a species found only in New Zealand waters. Samples were taken from 60 dolphins found beach-cast or killed incidentally in fishing gear. Male and female reproductive tracts were examined macroscopically and histologically, and tooth sections provided an age estimate for each individual. The traditional procedure for preparing dolphin teeth was simplified by using a faster stain and more readily available embedding and sectioning equipment. An important advantage of this method is that it facilitates the cutting of thinner sections, increasing the chances of obtaining a section through the centre of the pulp cavity. Sectioning revealed an open pulp cavity in all the teeth examined. The maximum observed age was 19 years for females and 20 years for males. Females reach a larger body size than males, and are apparently larger than males at any given age. Males appear to reach sexual maturity between 6.
Characterization of the bacterial community associated with early-developmental stages of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)

Bacterial communities in eggs and larvae of grass carp were analysed. During the early-developmental stages, grass carp harboured five bacterial phyla, i.e. Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobia, Planctomycetes and Firmicutes. However, the composition of bacterial communities varied among the different developmental stages. In eggs, the bacterial communities were dominated by Proteobacteria, while in larvae the dominant bacterial community was Bacterioidetes. With the exception of a large proportion (>50%) of uncultured bacteria, Sphingobacterium (14.75%) and Acinetobacter (13.11%) were the most abundant groups in eggs at the fertilization stage (FS). However, Aermonas was the most abundant group, ranging from 40.54% to 61.76% in eggs at the cleavage (CS), blastula (BS), organ differentiation (ODS) and hatching stages (HS). In larvae after first ingestion (OW), Chitinophagaceae (79.41%) formed the predominant bacterial community. Changes in the bacterial community were further confirmed by statistical analysis, which demonstrated significant differences in the bacterial communities of eggs at FS, eggs from CS to HS and OW. However, no significant difference was found in bacterial communities of eggs from CS to HS. Furthermore, the present study revealed that bacteria related to Chitinophagaceae persisted from CS to OW, suggesting that these bacteria form part of the autochthonous microbiota of the fish.
NEMATODES ASSOCIATED WITH SUGARCANE ( SACCHARUM SPP.) IN SANDY SOILS IN PARANA, BRAZIL

Severino, J. J., C. R. Dias-Arieira, and D. J. Tessmann. 2010. Nematodes associated with sugarcane in sandy soils in Parana, Brazil. Nematropica 40:111-119. The aim of this study was to identify and quantify phytonematodes in sugarcane cultivated in sandy soils in ten municipalities in northwestern Parana state, Brazil. In total, 74 samples of soil and roots in the rhizosphere of sugarcane were collected. In roots, the most frequently observed genus was Meloidogyne, found in 96.8% of the samples, followed by Pratylenchus (85.3%), and Helicotylenchus (31.3%). In soil, the most common genus was Pratylenchus, found in 94.3% of the samples, followed by Meloidogyne, Helicotylenchus and Xiphinema. Trichodoridae (Paratrichodorus and Trichodorus), Aphelenchus, Hoplolaimus, Mesocriconema and Hemicycliophora were less common. Pratylenchus zeae was present in 73% of the material examined and P. brachyurus in 13.5%. Helicotylenchus dihystera was found in 68.8% of the samples and was the only species within this genus identified.
Haplotype analysis within quantitative trait locus affecting intramuscular fat content on porcine chromosome 7

Previous results of fine mapping for quantitative trait loci affecting intramuscular fat content identified a 3.0-Mb chromosome interval on porcine chromosome 7, which contains at least 9 genes, based on the pig genome assembly. Therefore, we proposed these nine genes (LOC100154481, LOC100155711, LOC100155276, SPATA7, PTPN21, ZCH14, EML5, TTC8, and FOXN3) as positional candidate genes. The coding exons of the nine genes were characterized, and 45 polymorphisms were detected in F 2 Duroc × Meishan population. Within the nine genes, 10 non-synonymous substitutions and 1 insertion were geno- typed among three European breeds (Landrace, Large White, and Duroc) and 1 Chinese breed (Meishan). Genotyping data was used to perform the haplotype analysis. Polymorphisms were found in all the studied genes, except ZCH14. We surveyed the frequency of 33 haplotypes that formed non-synonymous substitu- tions in four breeds. One of them was distributed widely in the Landrace, Large White, and Meishan breeds, but not in Duroc. Each breed had different major haplotypes.
Nucleotide sequence of a chicken δ-crystallin gene

We have determined the complete nucleotide sequence of one of the two non-allelic delta-crystallin genes in the chicken, arbitrarily designated delta-gene 1, using a genomic clone (lambda g delta 106) containing the entire gene sequence. By comparison of the genomic sequence and the delta-crystallin cDNA sequence previously determined, we have identified exon sequences in the genomic sequence. Thus, the presence of 17 exons and 16 introns in the gene has been clarified. The delta-crystallin polypeptide deduced from the exon sequences consists of 465 amino acids which is larger, by 19 amino acid residues, than the polypeptide deduced from the cDNA sequence previously reported. Re-examination of the cDNA sequence using the same cDNA clone previously used shows that the present exon sequences are correct and the molecular weight of the deduced delta-crystallin polypeptide is 50,615 daltons instead of the previously reported value of 48,447 daltons. In addition, some structural features of the delta-crystallin gene including putative expression signals are discussed.
The role of demography and climatic events in shaping the phylogeography of Amazona aestiva (Psittaciformes, Aves) and definition of management units for conservation

Aim The blue‐fronted amazon (Amazona aestiva) is a widely distributed Neotropical parrot with two recognized sub‐species, which are mainly characterized by the colour of the shoulder. We explored mitochondrial DNA variability to determine how demographic processes and historical climatic fluctuations may have contributed to phylogeographical pattern and morphological variation of A. aestiva, and how this information could be useful to understand the evolutionary relationship of this species and the Amazona ochrocephala complex and to determine management units for conservation purposes.
In-Antenna Power Combining for Highly-Integrated Millimeter-Wave Transmitters

In this paper an in-antenna power-combining approach based on a circularly-polarized primary radiator is investigated. The radiation is based on the principle of an integrated lens antenna, where the primary radiator consists of a slot antenna with eight excitation elements. The output power of parallel amplifiers can be directly combined in the primary radiator itself without an additional power combiner network. The bandwidth, efficiency and axial ratio of the proposed primary radiator is investigated through simulations and wherever possible verified by measurements. In this work, the passive antenna, the connected amplifiers and the active antenna are investigated in detail and are finally compared with each other.
A Novel U-slot Aperture Coupled Annular-Ring Microstrip Patch Antenna for Multiband GNSS Applications

A multiband circularly polarized novel U-slot aperture coupled annular ring antenna is proposed in this paper. The antenna covers the bands of IRNSS - L1; GPS - L1, L2 and GLONASS - L1. The antenna has a stacked structure with two substrates separated by an air gap. The top substrate has two annular rings and the bottom substrate has the U-slots and the power divider network. The transmission and radiation characteristics were simulated and measured for the above mentioned bands. Measured S11 is less than -10dB and axial ratio is better than 2.2dB over the proposed bands.
Signaling through a Mutant IFN-γ Receptor

Activation of STAT1 and the IFN-γ response are thought to be mediated exclusively through the Y440 motif of the human IFNGR1 receptor subunit. Contrary to this accepted dogma, here it is shown that IFNGR1 with a mutant (Y440F) motif, when stably expressed in IFNGR1-negative human fibroblasts at levels similar to wild type, can sustain a substantial IFN-γ response. The mutant receptor supports selective induction of IFN-γ-inducible genes but is notably defective in the CIITA, class II HLA, suppressor of cytokine signaling and antiviral responses. Remarkably, similar selective defects are observed in human fibrosarcoma cells expressing a mutant JAK1. The phenotypes are novel and appear distinct from those observed in response to the inhibition of known additional pathways. Data from different cell types further emphasizes the importance of cellular background in determining the response.
Current Status and Distribution of Greater White-Fronted Goose in Japan

Abstract The numbers of the Greater White-fronted Geese Anser albifrons frontalis were monitored during winters from 2003/2004 to 2006/2007 throughout Japan. The annual average number of geese in Japan increased from 91,000 to 115,000 during these years and the maximum number reached was 138,000 in 2006/2007. Most geese (84%) stayed in northern Miyagi, and residual flocks were observed in other areas during winter. In the largest wintering area for this species in northern Miyagi, the number of geese has increased from 15,000 in 1987/1988 to 111,000 in 2006/2007.
A Supervised Method for Learning Precise Timing of Multiple Spikes in Spiking Neural Networks

Information in spiking neural network is encoded using the precise timing of spikes as done in biological neural systems. Neurons learn from these spikes based on their timing. It is evident that supervised learning do occur in biological neural systems, but exactly how it occurs and the development of definite mathematical formulation for training these neurons to fire multiple spikes at precise times remains an open research area. Significant strives have been made to formulate supervised spiking neural network learning rules for multi-spiking neurons, however, convergence is not guaranteed in most of these methods when the output spike train contains more than one spike. To this end, a new learning scheme is proposed in this paper which ensures convergence with an increase in the number of spikes in an output spike train. The proposed method elicits a locality concept of spikes and the approximation capabilities of the least squares method to derive a weight update scheme for training multi-spiking neurons using the precise timing of spikes. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated on spike sequence learning and compared with a well-known supervised learning method for multi-spiking neurons, the ReSuMe. The performance is measured using the correlation-based metric and the proposed scheme achieved better accuracy and convergence rates than the well-known learning method for varying learning periods.
Implementation of a GNSS Receiver Signal Tracking Module

Software defined radio-based GNSS receivers are getting more and more popular. Signal tracking is the most time-consuming part of signal processing in such receivers. The main purpose was to design FPGA-based signal tracking module of a System-on-Chip-based receiver. Its hardware processor system is used for signal acquisition and position computation, while the FPGA part is used for signal tracking. The design includes data buffers with shared memory, resource-efficient signal multipliers, set of correlators, discriminators and special multichannel memory-based C/A code generator. All the units are implemented using System Verilog hardware description language.
The acquisition of host‐specific feather lice by common cuckoos (Cuculus canorus)

This study addresses the question of how three species of flightless feather lice (Phthiraptera) specific to a brood parasitic bird, the common cuckoo ( Cuculus canorus ), are transmitted from one cuckoo generation to the next in the absence of any direct contact between parent and young. None of 21 cuckoo nestlings examined shortly before fledging carried cuckoo lice; nor were any lice found in 19 nests in which cuckoos had laid. Cuckoos returning to Japan for their first breeding season were as likely to be lousy as, and carried similar louse loads to, older birds. These field observations are consistent with data arising from examination of museum skins from European breeding areas and from African wintering areas, and it is concluded that cuckoos acquire their lice between leaving the nest in summer and returning to the breeding grounds the following spring. This acquisition probably occurs via direct body-to-body contact between cuckoos, a supposition bolstered by some observations.
Design of Monopole Slot Antenna by Utilizing Triple Strips for the Quad-Band Circular Polarization

A simple and compact quad-band circular polarized monopole antenna is presented for multisystem application. A monopole antenna with triple strip fed by the microstrip line, on the reverse side of the substrate a ground plane through a slotted square loop, and two stubs which are slotted employed transversely across the diagonal line of the square loop, is simulated and fabricated to stimulate a number of resonances. Later optimizations are done for the final antenna design parameters; the resonances are combined, and thus finally obtained a wide multi impedance bandwidth. The multi resonance frequency bands are achieved with different bandwidth at S11<-10dB ranges on or after 4.63 – 5.47 GHz, 6.08 – 6.59 GHz, 8.26 – 9.59 GHz, 10.05- 10.42 GHz, and 11.81 – beyond 15 GHz. The simulated quad axial ratio bands are obtained for quad operating frequency bands 217 MHz, 269 MHz, 223 MHz, and 564 MHz at centre frequency (fc) of 5.3 GHz, 9.0 GHz, 12.1 GHz and 13.8 GHz correspondingly to getting circular polarization. The gain and radiation features of the implemented antenna are also presented and deliberated.
Effect of Bending on a Textile UHF-RFID Tag Antenna

In this paper, a textile UHF-RFID tag antenna at 915 MHz based on a T-match dipole loaded with circular patch on a felt fabric substrate is presented and discussed. In addition, the bending impact on the read range is analyzed by means of full 3D electromagnetic simulations. The bending analysis results indicate that the proposed textile tag can be used under both, concave and convex bending with a reduction of read range lower than 10 % in all cases. These results confirm that the proposed UHF-RFID tag is a useful design in application where the devices can be deformed, such as wearable applications.
Vegetation of the greater Maya Mountains, Belize

Abstract This paper describes a new vegetation classification for the Greater Maya Mountains of Belize, focusing primarily on the Chiquibul Forest Reserve. Extensive use is made of GIS, remote sensing, botanical collections and field visits to provide a macro‐ and meso‐scale overview of the vegetation of this region. A total of 32 vegetation classes have been defined, both geographically and structurally, including 11 new classes. Where possible, classes have been compared with earlier classifications. A dominant scaling technique has been used to enable direct comparison between ground truthing data and a supervised Maximum Likelihood Classifier image‐based vegetation classification. The merits of such classifications and the effect of scale are discussed.
Steady-State Voltage Stability Assesment of the Kenyan High Voltage Transmission Network

Voltage instability has long been suspected to be the main cause of voltage collapse and islanding of power systems. Voltage stability analysis is thus very crucial in ensuring equilibrium in a power system. This paper presents a study to assess the steady-state voltage stability of the Kenyan high voltage transmission network. In this paper QV modal analysis is used to identify the weakest buses in the system and also determine the critical lines that are important to the voltage stability of the system. PV and QV curve techniques are then used to determine the voltage stability margins of the weak buses identified. A contingency study is also done to determine the effect of removing one of the critical lines in the network on the voltage stability margins of the system. DIgSILENT Powerfactory simulation software is used in the study. The analysis is performed on the 2016 model of the Kenyan Power System.
Enrichment of amino acids in the sea surface microlayer at coastal and open ocean sites in the North Atlantic Ocean

We investigated how regional differences in environmental parameters influenced enrichment of amino acids in the sea surface microlayer relative to underlying bulk seawater. Concentrations and compositions of dissolved free (DFAA), dissolved combined (DCAA), and particulate (PAA) amino acids were measured in the sea surface microlayer and corresponding subsurface waters along a transect from coastal Massachusetts to open ocean waters of the Sargasso Sea. We also measured total bacteria concentrations, the percent bacteria with damaged membranes, and concentrations of virus‐like particles. Microlayer samples taken by two different techniques—screen sampler (thickness 200–400 µm) and rotating drum (thickness 30–60 µm)—were compared. On average, concentrations of bacteria and amino acids in both subsurface and microlayer water were higher in water masses with higher fluorescence, lower temperature and salinity, and historically higher chlorophyll. The microlayer was enriched with amino acids and bacteria and, in most instances, virus‐like particles. Consistent microlayer features such as nonuniform preferential enrichment with DFAA and PAA and a uniform difference in dissolved amino acid compositio between microlayer and subsurface water, were unrelated to environmental parameters measured. Wind, humidity, and light also had no apparent effects on amino acid concentration, composition, or enrichment in the microlayer in this study.
Reduction Technique of Differential Propagation Delay with Negative Group Delay Function

This paper deals with an innovative technique of propagation delay reduction. The technique is based on the use of bandpass negative group delay (NGD) function. The principle of the propagation delay reduction is introduced by considering a simple scenario of Tx multi-wireless sensors communicating with a single Rx sensor. With the consideration of bandpass NGD function, it is shown that the differential between the propagation delay can be reduced considerably. The feasibility of the technique is confirmed with group delay diagram by considering microstrip NGD prototype measured S-parameters.
Metamaterial-inspired Near-Field Resonant Parasitic Dipole Antennas on High Permittivity Dielectrics

It is well-known that if a (horizontal) electric dipole antenna is placed on the interface between a high permittivity dielectric and air, it will radiate a majority of its power into the dielectric rather than into the air region. This basic physics effect is a significant roadblock to achieving efficient on-body and on-chip antennas. The future 5G outlook includes numerous Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices that involve both types of antenna systems. It will be described herein and in my presentation how one can use metamaterial-inspired Huygens dipole antennas to achieve systems that radiate primarily into the air region rather than into the dielectric.
Olfactory and Feeding Preferences of Cryptorhynchus lapathi L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Among Hybrid Clones and Natural Poplars

Abstract Hybrid poplar clones show varying levels of attack by Cryptorhynchus lapathi (L.), a wood-boring weevil. We studied differences in olfactory and feeding behavior among four different hybrid poplars in a series of laboratory bioassays. Weevils did not discriminate between resistant and susceptible clones based on olfaction in pitfall bioassays or antennal responses but did discriminate against the most resistant hybrid, NM 6 (P. nigra L. × P. maximowiczii Henry), in choice and no-choice paired-twig feeding bioassays. In addition, the susceptible hybrid, TN 302–9 (P. trichocarpa Torrey and Gray × P. nigra), was preferred for feeding over Salix scouleriana Barratt ex Hooker, a preferred host in the wild. We conclude that resistance among hybrid poplars is in part based on antixenotic cues before oviposition.
Optimization Design of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Cogging Torque for High Voltage Circuit Breaker

In the motor-driven high-voltage circuit breaker, as the power executive part of the operating mechanism, the performance of motor plays a decisive role in the opening and closing speed of the high-voltage circuit breaker. Therefore, the design of a high-power permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) with high torque density and low torque ripple is the basis for the stable operation of high-voltage circuit breakers. According to the current use of PMSM, it is found that the cogging torque caused by the interaction between the permanent magnet field and the cogging of stator, it will cause oscillation at the end position of circuit breaker. According to the practical problems, the method of rotor slanting pole and opening hole is adopted. Through electromagnetic simulation calculation and actual product test, finally, we can get the optimal solution of the cogging design of PMSM for high-voltage circuit breaker.
Emulation of end-to-end communications systems in railway scenarios: physical layer results

The complexity of modern communication systems is remarkable, and the efforts needed to put into service a new one are substantial as well. In some industrial sectors, circumstances are even harder. For example, in railways, the tests to be done are costly due to the integration in the rolling stock plus the need to have physical access to the railway tracks. Therefore, it is worth having a suitable emulator that considers many different radio-access technologies (RAT) in several railway scenarios (viaducts, tunnels, rural, hilly, etc.). Moreover, it should be able to do an end-to-end emulation, absolutely transparent for the application layer (this is, considering not only the physical layer but the network one as well). In this paper, we highlight the physical layer aspects considered in the construction of this emulator. Integration with the network layer is briefly mentioned, as well as the whole architecture.
The Variability of Scattering from Leaves and Its Impact on Propagation

Models for the scattering of leaves is a key input into the current ITU-R recommendation P.833-9 for attenuation in vegetation. This paper examines the variability of scattering from leaves due to uncertainties in various parameters including leaf size, shape, curvature, inhomogeneity and moisture content. The resulting scattering amplitudes have been determined using numerical methods at frequencies of 1.9 and 26 GHz. The modelling assumptions made in current literature, backed up by measurements are reasonable up to around 10 GHz. However, at 20 GHz and beyond it is shown that some of these assumptions begin to breakdown.
Compact Eight-Band Monopole for LTE Mobile Phone

A compact eight-band monopole for LTE mobile phone is presented. The antenna is mainly composed of a Tshape monopole and a coupled parasitic ground strip which are excited to cover LTE800/GSM850/GSM900 bands. Moreover, three modes of parasitic ground strip contribute to covering the DCS/PCS/UMTS/LTE2300/LTE2500 bands. The merit of the proposed antenna is to cover eight bands in the 2G/3G/4G bands without any lumped-element matching circuit under the condition of $19\times 46\times0.8$ mm3 nonground portion, which is suitable for the wideband LTE mobile phone applications. Good agreement is achieved between the measurement and simulation results.