Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Seasonal Changes in Breeding Characters of Two Syntopic Onychodactylus Salamanders with Special Reference to Differentiation in Their Breeding Seasons

Abstract: Hynobiid salamanders of the genus Onychodactylus are known to possess palmar and tarsal black tubercles or asperities during the breeding season, which were once considered male-specific characters used for spawning activity. However, such tubercles and asperities have also been observed in females and are not always developed in breeding individuals; thus, their functions remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the developmental process of the tubercles and asperities in two Onychodactylus species in the Chugoku Mountains. We found that these traits appear rapidly immediately before the start of spawning. Tubercles and asperities were also observed in females, in which they showed a similar temporal developmental pattern to that observed in males; thus, they may be adaptive traits for migration to underground spawning sites or for breeding activity at these sites. In the Chugoku Mountains, O. kinneburi and O. japonicus are known to share breeding sites for spawning, but their reproductive isolation mechanism remains unknown. In the course of our survey, we found a temporal gap in breeding season between the two species, which may be involved in premating reproductive isolation.
A FELASA Working Group Survey on Fish Species Used for Research, Methods of Euthanasia, Health Monitoring, and Biosecurity in Europe, North America, and Oceania

Simple Summary An international survey was conducted regarding species used for research, methods of euthanasia, health monitoring, and biosecurity in fish laboratories. A total of 145 facilities from 23 countries contributed. Over 80 different species were reported to be used for research, of which zebrafish (Danio rerio) was the most common by far. Anesthetic overdose was the preferred method for euthanasia for adults, fry, and larvae not capable of independent feeding. For all developmental stages, the most popular anesthetic compound was tricaine. Around half of the respondents did not perform a completion method to ensure death. One-quarter of the responding facilities did not have a health monitoring system in place. Only a small fraction reported quarantine routines to ensure reliable biological barriers. There was little consensus amongst facilities in how to perform biosecurity measures. Abstract An international survey was conducted regarding species used for research, methods of euthanasia, health monitoring, and biosecurity in fish laboratories. A total of 145 facilities from 23 countries contributed. Collectively, over 80 different species (or groups of species) were reported to be used for research, of which zebrafish (Danio rerio) was the most common by far. About half of the participating laboratories used multiple species. Anesthetic overdose was the preferred method for euthanasia for adult, fry (capable of independent feeding), and larval (not capable of independent feeding) fish. For all developmental stages, the most popular anesthetic compound was tricaine (MS-222), a substance associated with distress and aversion in several species. Moreover, around half of the respondents did not perform a completion method to ensure death. One-quarter of the responding facilities did not have a health monitoring system in place. While most respondents had some form of quarantine process for imported fish, only a small fraction reported quarantine routines that ensure reliable biological barriers. Furthermore, less than one in five screened fish for pathogens while in quarantine. In sum, there was little consensus amongst facilities in how to perform biosecurity measures. Regarding euthanasia, health monitoring, and biosecurity processes, there is a need for updated and universal guidelines and for many laboratories to adjust their practices.
A Single-Stage Quasi-Z-Source-Based 5-Level Grid-Tied PV Inverter With Reduced Leakage Current

This article presents a single-staged quasi-z-source (qZS)-based 5-level inverter topology for grid-tied photovoltaic applications. In this topology, two symmetrical qZS networks with a single dc source are fused with a 5-level hybrid inverter. When compared to the existing qZS-based 5-level inverters in the literature, the proposed power converter employs fewer semiconductor switching devices, enhancing its reliability. The objectives of boosting the voltage of the input PV source, as well as the synthesis of a 5-level output voltage are achieved with a modified level-shifted PWM scheme. Furthermore, closed-loop control schemes are implemented for the proposed power converter in both standalone and grid-tied modes of operation and its dynamic performance is assessed. The operability of the proposed power converter in the grid-tied mode of operation is demonstrated by injecting active power into the grid at the unity power factor (UPF). It is also shown that the proposed topology is capable of reducing the leakage current, which is one of the major safety concerns in transformerless PV systems. Experimental results obtained with a laboratory prototype, validate the operating principles of the power converter in both standalone and grid-tied modes of operation.
Recursive Least Squares-Algorithm-Based Normalized Adaptive Minimum Symbol Error Rate Equalizer

The adaptive minimum symbol error rate (AMSER) equalizer is known to have better symbol error rate (SER) performance than the adaptive minimum mean square error equalizer. Furthermore, the normalized AMSER (NAMSER) equalizer outperforms the AMSER equalizer, which can be regarded as the improvement of the normalized least mean square (NLMS) equalizer by incorporating the minimum SER (MSER) criterion. Inspired by that, we propose an improved recursive least squares-based NAMSER equalizer (RLS-NAMSER) that takes the advantage of faster convergence of the RLS algorithm over the NLMS algorithm. The RLS algorithm is first reconsidered from the perspective of optimization problem and an approximate RLS (ARLS) algorithm is proposed which converges faster than the NLMS algorithm. The RLS-NAMSER equalizer is then proposed by combining the ARLS equalizer with the MSER criterion. Simulation results show that the RLS-NAMSER equalizer has better convergence performance than the NAMSER equalizer while having nearly the same steady state performance as the NAMSER equalizer.
The use of pitch in Large-Vocabulary Continuous Speech Recognition System

In this article the authors normalize the speech signal based on the publicly available AN4 database. The authors added to the algorithm of calculating the MFCC coefficients, the normalization procedure, that uses pitch of the voice. As demonstrated by empirical tests authors were able to improve speech recognition accuracy rate of about 20%. Streszczenie. W niniejszym artykule autorzy normalizują sygnał mowy wykorzystując publicznie dostępną bazę danych AN4. Autorzy dodali do algorytmu obliczania współczynników MFCC, procedurę normalizacji, wykorzystującą wysokość tonu głosu. Jak wynika z przeprowadzonych testów, autorzy uzyskali poprawę dokładności rozpoznawania mowy o około 20% (Wykorzystanie wysokości tonu głosu w systemach rozpoznawania mowy ciągłej z dużą ilością słów).
Data-Driven Soft Demapping for Residual Impairments Channels

Deep learning based solutions are being integrated into the physical and link layers of wireless networks. They often effect an improvement in transmission reliability and/or efficiency when there is a model or an algorithm deficit. In this letter, we propose a deep learning-aided soft demapper, consisting of a fully-connected deep neural network (DNN), to alleviate a channel model deficit. We apply it in microwave backhaul transmissions affected by impairments generated by the local oscillator and power amplifier. The proposed DNN soft demapper learns the best approximation for the log-likelihood ratios (LLRs). The learned LLRs show gains over model-based impairment-aware LLRs, as they capture the actual channel as observed through data. We implement weight pruning and periodical retraining to adapt to statistical changes and make our proposed approach fit for practical cost-aware applications.
The suppression of interference effects in the multiple scattering of light

The character of the propagation of waves of any kind in media with random refractive-index inhomogeneities is determined by the ratio of the wavelength /Z to the radiation mean free path I . As a rule, in light scattering A / I ( 1. In the zeroth approximation in this parameter, the transport of the wave-field energy is determined by an intensity-transport equation in which interference effects are negle~ted. '-~ In this approximation one can calculate the correlation function of the field at any point of space; in particular, the cross section can be obtained for the scattering by an arbitrary volume that contains inhomogeneities. The form of the principal interference correction to the correlation function of a field in the case of scattering by stationary inhomogeneities is also The corresponding correction to the cross section is highly anisotropic and differs noticeably from zero only for directions close to Ibackscattering. Although the interference correction to the total cross section is indeed small in the parameter A /I, the correction for the backscattering direction is of the order of the differential cross section itself. The cause of so strong an interference effect is the following. The derivation of the transport equation includes incoherent addition of the intensities of waves subject to various multiple scattering processes. The phase relations between them are not taken into account because the inhomogeneities are randomly distributed. If, however, symmetry with respect to time reversal obtains in the medium, a wave successively scattered by certain inhomogeneities, and a wave scattered by the same inhomogeneities but passing through them in a reverse sequence, have the same phase. "8 An important role in backscattering is played by the interference between these waves. The presence of amplification of the backscattering is not connected with the statistics of the inhomogeneities, but is determined only by the symmetry properties of the medium with respect to time reversal. It is clear therefore that all the actions that violate this symmetry will suppress this effect. In scattering by nonstationary inhomogeneities, the phases of these waves are no longer equal, inasmuch as the forward and backward waves pass through the same inhomogeneities at different instants of time. The result is total or partial suppression of the effect. In Refs. 9 and 10 were considered coherent effects in backscattering of sound by bodies located near a choppy sea surface under conditions when single scattering by the surface and the scatterer is substantial. The present paper deals with the effect of random motion of refractive-index inhomogeneities of a medium, and of the gyrotropy produced in the medium by an external magnetic field via the Faraday effect, on interference effects in multiple scattering. The scattering cross section as a function of these factors is calculated.
Rational Design of Porous Poly(ethylene glycol) Films as a Matrix for ssDNA Immobilization and Hybridization

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) films, fabricated by thermally induced crosslinking of amine- and epoxy-terminated four-arm STAR-PEG precursors, were used as porous and bioinert matrix for single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) immobilization and hybridization. The immobilization relied on the reaction between the amine groups in the films and N-hydroxy succinimide (NHS) ester groups of the NHS-ester-decorated ssDNA. Whereas the amount of reactive amine groups in the films with the standard 1:1 composition of the precursors turned out to be too low for efficient immobilization, it could be increased noticeably using an excess (2:1) concentration of the amine-terminated precursor. The respective films retained the bioinertness of the 1:1 prototype and could be successfully decorated with probe ssDNA, resulting in porous, 3D PEG-ssDNA sensing assemblies. These assemblies exhibited high selectivity with respect to the target ssDNA strands, with a hybridization efficiency of 78–89% for the matching sequences and full inertness for non-complementary strands. The respective strategy can be applied to the fabrication of DNA microarrays and DNA sensors. As a suitable transduction technique, requiring no ssDNA labeling and showing high sensitivity in the PEG-ssDNA case, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy is suggested.
Vector Generalized Additive Models

Vector smoothing is used to extend the class of generalized additive models in a very natural way to include a class of multivariate regression models. The resulting models are called 'vector generalized additive models'. The class of models for which the methodology gives generalized additive extensions includes the multiple logistic regression model for nominal responses, the continuation ratio model and the proportional and non-proportional odds models for ordinal responses, and the bivariate probit and bivariate logistic models for correlated binary responses. They may also be applied to generalized estimating equations.
Interpretation, Imagination, and Transformation in the Creation of the “Timang XekorY”

This study is about the creation of the XekorY composition (by Laura Pranti Tutom), that aims to visualize the traditional Iban invocation ritual of Timang Tuah (Goodluck chant). This exploratory study recounts from the first person perspective, the process in bringing to life creativity from three different levels: interpretation, imagination and transformation, before a live audience at Sultan Idris Education University on 24 th of May, 2019. This paper narrates through music and visual artistry, the journey and experience of the lemambang (bards) on a mission to deliver the Timang Tuah. For interpretation, the content is summarized from a chanting text and conceptualized through the composer’s inspirational framework, ideas and imagination. The imagination has been transformed into a musical performance created through a combination of 4D (luck based numbers) and XY coordinates, followed by a series of pitch. The data include field data collected from questionnaires, semi structured interviews and participant observation involving bards, community leaders, ritual specialists, and students from the Music program from UPSI and UNIMAS. The findings suggest that most students (88%) who participated as music players and audience of the Timang XekorY performance could understand and appreciate the creative effort and were willing to watch the “real” Timang Tuah performance, while members of the public who had limited musical knowledge benefited from the Program Book of the Timang XekorY distributed before the performance.
Instantons, the Information Metric, and the AdS/CFT Correspondence

We describe some remarkable properties of the so-called Information Metric on instanton moduli space. This Metric is manifestly gauge and conformally invariant and coincides with the Euclidean AdS_5 metric on the one-instanton SU(2) moduli space for the standard metric on R^4. We propose that for an arbitrary boundary metric the AdS/CFT bulk space-time is the instanton moduli space equipped with the Information Metric. To test this proposal, we examine the variation of the instanton moduli and the Information Metric for first-order perturbations of the boundary metric and obtain three non-trivial and somewhat surprising results: (1) The perturbed Information Metric is Einstein. (2) The perturbed instanton density is the corresponding massless boundary-to-bulk scalar propagator. (3) The regularized boundary-to-bulk geodesic distance is proportional to the logarithm of the perturbed instanton density. The Hamilton-Jacobi equation implied by (3) equips the moduli space with a rich geometrical structure which we explore. These results tentatively suggest a picture in which the one-instanton sector of SU(2) Yang-Mills theory (rather than some large-N limit) is in some sense holographically dual to bulk gravity.
Study on the Construction of a Time-Space Four-Dimensional Combined Imaging Model and Moving Target Location Prediction Model

Time-space four-dimensional motion target localization is a fundamental and challenging task in the field of intelligent driving, and an important part of achieving the upgrade in existing target localization technologies. In order to solve the problem of the lack of localization of moving targets in a spatio-temporal four-dimensional environment in the existing spatio-temporal data model, this paper proposes an optical imaging model in the four-dimensional time-space system and a mathematical model of the object-image point mapping relationship in the four-dimensional time-space system based on the central perspective projection model, combined with the one-dimensional “time” and three-dimensional “space”. After adding the temporal dimension, the imaging system parameters are extended. In order to solve the nonlinear mapping problem of complex systems, this paper proposes to construct a time-space four-dimensional object-image mapping relationship model based on a BP artificial neural network and demonstrates the feasibility of the joint time-space four-dimensional imaging model theory. In addition, indoor time-space four-dimensional localization prediction experiments verify the performance of the model in this paper. The maximum relative error rates of the predicted motion depth values, time values, and velocity values of this localization method compared with the real values do not exceed 0.23%, 2.03%, and 1.51%, respectively
Determination of Empirical Relations between Geoelectrical Data and Geotechnical Parameters in Foundation Studies for a proposed Earth Dam.

In order to establish empirical equations relating layer resistivity with geotechnical parameters for engineering site characterization, geotechnical tests comprising Standard Penetration Test (SPT), Atterberg Limit, Triaxial Compression, and Oedometer Consolidation Tests were conducted on the subsoil in six boreholes drilled to a maximum depth of 20m along a proposed dam axis. The locations of the boreholes coincided with VES stations previously occupied along the axis. Atterberg Limit Test was conducted on the disturbed soil samples while the undisturbed samples were subjected to quick (undrained) triaxial and oedometer consolidation tests. The SPT blows (N) required for the 300mm penetration following the first 150mm penetration below the bottom of the borehole was taken as the penetration resistance of the soil. The geoelectrical data and geotechnical parameters were subsequently correlated. The depths to geoelectrical interfaces (x) correlate strongly with the actual depths (y) obtained from drilling while the subsoil resistivity (⍴) weakly correlates with SPT, N values. The regression equations are: y = 0.977x – 0.035 and N = 0.001⍴ + 21.89, while the coefficients of correlation are r=0.95 and r=0.21 respectively. There exists a positive correlation (r=0.59) between layer resistivity and bulk density (γ). The empirical equation: γ = -8E-06⍴ + 1.735 shows increase in resistivity with increasing bulk density/subsoil compaction. Plasticity index (PI), cohesion (C) and coefficient of compressibility (Mv) decrease with increasing resistivity. While PI and C correlate strongly, Mv only correlates fairly. The empirical equations and the coefficients of correlation (r) are: PI = 29.04–0. 02ρ (r=0.92), C = 304. 9ρ -0.21 (r=0.98) and Mv = 3E-09⍴ 2 – 3E-05ρ + 0.182 (r=-0.77), respectively. The empirical equations established can be used to estimate geotechnical parameters from which relevant engineering deductions can be made.
Checking the shape of discrete distributions

Techniques for examining or testing the distributional behavior of a sample of continuous data have received much attention in the statistical literature. Most commonly the question is whether the data depart seriously from a Gaussian distribution, either systematically or by having a few anomalous observations. At times other families of distributions, such as the exponential or the Weibull, serve as the standard of comparison. Rather than summarize a possibly complex pattern of behavior in a single number, we learn more from graphical displays, as in a normal probability plot. In a similar vein graphical techniques help us to appreciate how closely a sample of discrete data follows a member of one of the common families of discrete distributions, such as the binomial or the Poisson. Simple graphical techniques that incorporate resistance - so as to isolate unusual portions of the data and prevent them from distorting the overall picture are emphasized here.
High throughput saliency-based quantification of grape powdery mildew at the microscopic level for disease resistance breeding

Abstract Imaging-based high throughput phenotyping (HTP) systems have demonstrated promising solutions to enhance genetic understanding of grapevine powdery mildew (PM) resistance and have accelerated PM-resistant cultivar breeding. The accuracy and throughput of extracting phenotypic traits from images are still the bottleneck of modern HTP systems, especially at the microscopic level. The goal of this study was to develop a saliency-based processing pipeline for the quantification of PM infection in microscopic images and comprehensively evaluate its performance for genetic analyses. An input image was segregated into subimages that were classified as infected or healthy by a pretrained CNN classifier. Saliency maps from the classification were generated post-hoc and used for the quantification of PM infection in the input image at the pixel level without the use of mask annotations. A total of seven phenotypic traits were extracted from images collected for a biparental population. Experimental results showed that optimal combinations of convolutional neural network and saliency methods achieved strong measurement correlations (r = 0.74 to 0.75) with human assessments at the image patch level, and the traits calculated by the saliency-based processing pipeline were highly correlated (r = 0.87 to 0.88) with reference PM infection ratings at the leaf image level. The high quantification accuracy of the saliency-based pipeline led to the increased explanation of phenotypic variance and reliable identification of quantitative trait loci. Therefore, the saliency-based processing pipeline can be used as an effective and efficient analysis tool for PM disease research and breeding programs in the future, especially agricultural and life science studies requiring microscopic image analysis.