Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Journal of Insect Science: Vol. 7 | Article 61

The influence of concurrent introduction of three transgenic vegetable cultivars on seasonal dynamics of coccinellids and their food, aphids and pollen, was examined within diversified farm systems practicing insect pest management in northeastern US agroecosystems. The transgenic cultivars used included sweet corn, potato, and winter squash, expressing Cry1(A)b, Cry3A, and plant viral coat proteins that target Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, and aphid-transmitted viruses, respectively. Transgenic systems reduced insecticides by 25%. Weekly differences in coccinellid density between transgenic and isoline crops were rare and transitory, governed by timing of at-planting or foliar insecticide use patterns; however cumulative frequencies for three of the six coccinellid species differed between transgenic and isoline crops. At a multicrop, farm systems level, seasonal dynamics of the coccinellids and aphids tracked dynamics in the sweet corn, which far surpassed the other crops in abundance of coccinellids and pollen, and harbored consistently higher aphid densities. Although these results warrant further study, the patterns suggest that diversified transgenic vegetable crops under current commercial management demonstrated transitory conservation of coccinellids, and that integration with selective insecticides or other IPM tactics could increase this potential.
On the Origins of Three-Dimensionality And Unsteadiness in the Laminar Separation Bubble

We analyse the three-dimensional non-parallel instability mechanisms responsible for transition to turbulence in regions of recirculating steady laminar two-dimensional incompressible separation bubble ®ow in a twofold manner. First, we revisit the problem of Tollmien{Schlichting (TS)-like disturbances and we demonstrate, for the ­ rst time for this type of ®ow, excellent agreement between the parabolized stabil- ity equation results and those of independently performed direct numerical simula- tions. Second, we perform a partial-derivative eigenvalue problem stability analysis by discretizing the two spatial directions on which the basic ®ow depends, precluding TS-like waves from entering the calculation domain. A new two-dimensional set of global ampli­ ed instability modes is thus discovered. In order to prove earlier topo- logical conjectures about the ®ow structural changes occurring prior to the onset of bubble unsteadiness, we reconstruct the total ®ow­ eld by linear superposition of the steady two-dimensional basic ®ow and the new most-ampli­ ed global eigenmodes. In the parameter range investigated, the result is a bifurcation into a three-dimensional ®ow­ eld in which the separation line remains una¬ected while the primary reattach- ment line becomes three dimensional, in line with the analogous result of a multitude of experimental observations.
University of Birmingham Reassessing the value of regional climate modelling using palaeoclimate simulations

Regional climate models (RCMs) are often assumed to be more skillful compared to lower‐resolution general circulation models (GCM). However, RCMs are driven by input from coarser resolution GCMs, which may introduce biases. This study employs versions of the HadAMB3 GCM at three resolutions (>50 km) to investigate the added value of higher resolution using identically configured simulations of the preindustrial (PI), mid‐Holocene, and Last Glacial Maximum. The RCM shows improved PI climatology compared to the coarse‐resolution GCM and enhanced paleoanomalies in the jet stream and storm tracks. However, there is no apparent improvement when compared to proxy reconstructions. In the high‐resolution GCM, accuracy in PI climate and atmospheric anomalies are enhanced despite its intermediate resolution. This indicates that synoptic and mesoscale features in a RCM are influenced by its low‐resolution input, which impacts the simulated climatology. This challenges the paradigm that RCMs improve the representation of climate conditions and change. Plain Language Summary Regional climate models (RCM) are often thought to simulate climate more accurately. However, RCMs use data generated by a lower‐resolution global model that is inputted at the boundaries, which may introduce biases. Here, we use three versions of the same model, a low‐resolution general circulation model (GCM), a high‐resolution GCM (HR‐GCM), and an RCM, to investigate the added value of higher resolution up to 50 km. We run simulations at three time periods: the preindustrial (PI: ~CE 1750), mid‐Holocene (6,000 years ago), and the Last Glacial Maximum (21,000 years ago). The RCM more accurately simulates PI climate and has enhanced anomalies in the past for some atmospheric processes compared to the low‐resolution GCM. However, compared to reconstructions from pollen observations, there is no evident improvement in the RCM compared to the GCM. In the HR‐GCM however, the PI climatology and anomalies in past processes are further enhanced, despite it being lower resolution than the RCM. This indicates that the climatology produced by a RCM is influenced by the input from the low‐resolution GCM. RCMs may therefore not be as accurate at simulating climate and climate change compared with an intermediate resolution global GCM.
Classification: BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES: Biochemistry

The SAH domain extends the functional length of the myosin lever. Abstract Stable single alpha-helix (SAH) domains are widely distributed in the proteome, including in myosins, but their functions are unknown. To test whether SAH domains can act as levers, we replaced four of the six calmodulin binding IQ motifs in the levers of mouse myosin 5a (Myo5) with the putative SAH domain of Dictyostelium myosin MyoM of similar length. The SAH domain was inserted between the IQ motifs and the coiled coil in a Myo5 HMM construct in which the levers were truncated from 6 to 2IQ motifs (Myo5-2IQ). Electron microscopy of this chimera (Myo5-2IQ-SAH) showed the SAH domain was straight and 17 nm long as predicted, restoring the truncated lever to the length of wild type (Myo5-6IQ). The powerstroke (of 21.5 nm) measured in the optical trap was slightly less than that for Myo5-6IQ but much greater than for Myo5-2IQ. Myo5-2IQ-SAH moved processively along actin at physiological ATP concentrations with similar stride and run lengths to Myo5-6IQ in in-vitro single molecule assays. In comparison, Myo5-2IQ is not processive under these conditions. Solution biochemical experiments indicated that the rear head did not mechanically gate the rate of ADP release from the lead head, unlike Myo5-6IQ. These data show that the SAH domain can form part of a functional lever in myosins although its mechanical stiffness might be lower. More generally, we conclude that SAH domains can act as stiff structural extensions in aqueous solution and this structural role may be important in other proteins.
Integration, Calibration, and Experimental Verification of a Speed Sensor for Swimming Animals

Animal-attached GPS loggers are used to monitor the movement of land animals, but obtaining the measurements of aquatic animals remains challenging. Current animal-attached speed sensors are placed close to the body and measure the speed of the disturbed fluid near the skin interface, potentially affecting the accuracy of the measurement. Furthermore, the absolute speed estimates derived from the sensor data are affected by the location on the animal, orientation with respect to flow, and device shape. Here, we evaluate the performance of a micro-turbine in both the steady and variable flows using particle image velocimetry to visualize and measure the flow field around the tag and sensor. A closed recirculating flume was used to generate a range of both steady and oscillating flows at the sensor. During steady flow, turbine rotation rate was linearly correlated with both the free stream and near-sensor flow speeds. Following the controlled measurements of fluid speed in the flume, a tag with the speed sensor was used to measure both the speed and the total distance traveled by the dolphins in a managed environment. The results compared well with the speed and distance made from the analysis of video collected by an overhead camera system. Finally, the measurement variability of four specially designed tags with speed sensors was tested in the towing tank in the Marine Hydrodynamics Laboratory at the University of Michigan. These results provide a foundation for interpreting in-situ speed measurements from swimming animals, and potentially autonomous underwater vehicles, and will guide the development of the improved algorithms for the localization and energetics estimation.
A BIM APPROACH FOR THE ANALYSIS OF AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL MONUMENT

Abstract. In 2010 an Italian team started new on-field investigations in the area of the Sun Temple of Niuserra, 6 km south of the pyramids of Giza. The archaeological research was planned to re-examine the monument after its discovery in 1898. The work was mainly aimed at a general evaluation of the archaeological structures, still visible, in order to establish an updated plan of the temple. More than 100 scans and several 3D models by close-range photogrammetry have been acquired, processed and integrated to virtually reconstruct the archaeological area.To manage all available 3D datasets, allowing to propose new hypothesis about the monument, a BIM has been developed. Thanks to this approach different categories of environmental and technological objects have been created and analysed. The paper deals with the recent achievements, especially regarding the hierarchical conceptualisation of the architectural components. In particular, the contribution dwells on the analysis of the monument starting from the identification of a parametric library built on the semantic decomposition of the 3D replica.
Dwelling is Telling: Ruminating Over School Challenges Can Affect How Students With Strong Executive Skills Perform In Math

Elementary students with higher executive function (EF) tend to achieve better math outcomes. Although rumination is one maladaptive coping strategy that has been found to negatively affect EF, research exploring rumination’s impact on the relationship between EF and math performance (MP) in computation is lacking. We examined the relationship between caregiverrated measures of EF and students’ MP as a function of student-reported level of rumination; rumination was hypothesized to moderate this relationship. In a sample of students from grades four to six (n = 69, mean age = 10.68), hierarchical regression analyses showed an interaction between EF and rumination in predicting MP. Students with EF deficits demonstrated lower MP, and this was moderated by level of rumination. Specifically, EF difficulties were associated with lower MP only among high ruminators; this was not observed among low ruminators. These results demonstrate the importance of teaching students how to appropriately address math
Coplanar Stripline Loaded Reconfigurable Loop Antenna for WLAN and WiMAX Applications

In this paper, a loop antenna loaded with coplanar strip (CPS) line is proposed as a multiband antenna. The CPS line is added with two switches to vary the antenna perimeter to cover seven different bands. The CPS line introduced into the loop is not only useful in reconfiguring antenna dimensions but also provides stationary radiation patterns for the all the covered bands. The proposed antenna works in single and dual-band modes. When the proposed antenna works as a single band antenna, it produces a band from 4.2GHz to 5.7GHz. Under dual-band operation, it produces bands from 3.75GHz to 4.7GHz and from 6.4GHz to 7.8GHz. The other dual-band mode ranges from 3.5GHz to 3.8GHz and from 5.58GHz to 7.4 GHz. The simulated and measured results are in good agreement and the proposed antenna can be used satisfactorily for W-LAN and WiMax applications. The proposed technique can also be used for size reduction of loop antennas.
Research Online Research Online A Unified Robust Motion Controller Design for Series Elastic A Unified Robust Motion Controller Design for Series Elastic Actuators Actuators

Abstract Series Elastic Actuators (SEAs) have several mechanical superiorities over conventional stiff and non-back-drivable actuators, e.g., lower reflected inertia at output, greater shock tolerance, low cost force measurement, energy storage, safety, and so on. However, their applications generally suffer from performance limitations, particularly in position control, due to insufficient controller designs. This paper proposes a unified Active Disturbance Rejection (ADR) motion controller for the robust position and force control problems of SEAs by using Differential Flatness (DF) and Disturbance Observer (DOb). It can suppress not only matched but also mismatched disturbances. Robust state and control input references are systematically generated in terms of a fictitious design variable, namely differentially flat output, estimations of disturbances, and their successive time derivatives. The proposed robust motion controller improves the performance of SEAs when they suffer from internal and external disturbances, such as friction, inertia variation and external load, in real implementations. Experimental results are given to validate the proposal.  Abstract — Series Elastic Actuators (SEAs) have several mechanical superiorities over conventional stiff and non-back-drivable actuators, e.g., lower reflected inertia at output, greater shock tolerance, low cost force measurement, energy storage, safety, and so on. However, their applications generally suffer from performance limitations, particularly in position control, due to insufficient controller designs. This paper proposes a unified Active Disturbance Rejection (ADR) motion controller for the robust position and force control problems of SEAs by using Differential Flatness (DF) and Disturbance Observer (DOb). It can suppress not only matched but also mismatched disturbances. Robust state and control input references are systematically generated in terms of a fictitious design variable, namely differentially flat output, estimations of disturbances and their successive time derivatives. The proposed robust motion controller improves the performance of SEAs when they suffer from internal and external disturbances, such as friction, inertia variation and external load, in real implementations. Experimental results are given to validate the
Individual distinctiveness across call types of the southern white rhinoceros ( Ceratotherium simum simum )

Individual distinctiveness in the acoustic structure of vocalizations provides a basis for individual recognition in mammals and plays an important role in social behavior. Within a species, call types can differ in individual distinctiveness, which can be explained by three factors, namely differences in the social function, the distance of the caller to the receiver, and the acoustic structure of the call. We explored the variation in individual distinctiveness across three call types (Grunt, Hiss, Snort) of the southern white rhinoceros ( Ceratotherium simum simum ) and investigated to what extent the abovementioned factors account for individual distinctiveness. Calls were recorded from 25 adult southern white rhinoceroses in six different zoos. We used three methods to compare the level of individual distinctiveness across call types, namely discriminant function analysis (DFA), potential for individual identity coding (PIC), and the information criterion (H s ). The three call types possessed an acoustic structure capable of showing individual variation to different extents. Individual distinctiveness was lowest for Snorts, intermediate for Hisses, and highest for Grunts. The level of individual distinctiveness of all three call types was lower than that previously reported for Pant calls of this species. Calls functioning to mediate intragroup social interactions had the highest individual distinctiveness. This highlights that a given communicative function and the need for individual discrimination during a social interaction have a major influence on the degree of individual distinctiveness.
The Study of Dock Performance of Citranusa Port at Kabil, Batam

The researcher analyzed the data of ship traffic and loading and unloading of goods in 2010 until 2016, to get the value of berth occupancy ratio (BOR), berth throughput (BTP). The result of data analysis during the study found that the lowest monthly value of BOR is 1.60% and the highest is 67.40%, where the result still meets the standard guideline of BOR. For goods passing dock 1,763,07 ton / meter / month and dock capacity 310.299,54 ton / month. Based on the regression analysis of the ship arrival flow and the flow of goods on the dock shows a decrease, it can be concluded that the dock facility is sufficient to be able to serve the flow of goods and the arrival of existing ships.
Towards the integration of ecophysiology with fisheries stock assessment for conservation policy and evaluating the status of the Mediterranean Sea

Abstract Recent European Union (EU) regulations have been introduced to discourage the capture of undersized specimens with the aim of reducing the bycatch mortality imposed by commercial fisheries. We argue that we still lack accurate data regarding basic information required to properly implement these regulations for most Mediterranean ecosystems, including the true mortality imposed by fisheries, escape rates from fishing gears and the capability of specimens to survive following discard. We suggest that additional reliance on physiological biomarkers could assist in all aspects of the data collection required to support implementation of the EU discard ban (aka landing obligation), particularly in determining which species should receive special dispensation from this policy. Ideally, this new approach, here termed the ‘Fisheries Environmental and Physiological Stress Analysis’ (FEPSA), would become an important step for any fish stock assessment within the ecosystem approach to fisheries management and the recognition of Good Environmental Status, as established by the EU in the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/EC). In particular, the main goal of FEPSA would be applying the study of physiological stressors to exploited stocks to estimate the so-called collateral fishing mortality, which includes the mortality experienced by fish that escape after interacting with fishing gears or that are discarded, with some degree of injury or physiological stress. The approach outlined here, which is described for bottom trawls but adaptable to any other type of fishing gear, is not a trivial undertaking but is a requirement for collecting the data required by recent EU fisheries policies. While we agree that the threats to marine biodiversity posed by fishing and associated discard practices require strong policy interventions, we emphasize that the research programs needed to support such initiatives, including the landing obligation, should be given equal priority. This is particularly true for Mediterranean fisheries, which are at a complex intersection of jurisdictional boundaries, numerous additional ecosystem threats including widespread pollution, thermal variation and hypoxia, and are historically understudied as compared to fisheries and species in more northern climates.
An Analytical Review of Dividend Policy Theories

A storm had been brought in the unidirectional thinking regarding dividends since its evolution when Miller and Modigliani [54] put forward their proposition of dividend irrelevance. The storm further intensified as further theories added to the discussion. Based on their evidence different researchers have different opinions about dividend policy. However, despite the intensive literature on dividend policy in the last sixty years, still, the researchers are unable to achieve unanimity on a general dividend theory that can either explain the process of dividend decision making or forecast an ideal dividend policy. At this point, one is compelled to accept the term “Dividend Puzzle” introduced by Black [17] by saying, “The harder we look at the dividend picture, the more it seems like a puzzle, with pieces that just don’t fit together”.
System for DNA Vaccines Bacterial Ghosts Are an Efficient Delivery

Mass implementation of DNA vaccines is hindered by the requirement of high plasmid dosages and poor immunogenicity. We evaluated the capacity of Mannheimia haemolytica ghosts as delivery system for DNA vaccines. In vitro studies showed that bacterial ghosts loaded with a plasmid carrying the green ﬂuorescent protein-encoding gene (pEGFP-N1) are efﬁciently taken up by APC, thereby leading to high transfection rates (52–60%). Vaccination studies demonstrated that ghost-mediated delivery by intradermal or i.m. route of a eukaryotic expression plasmid containing the gene coding for (cid:1) -galactosidase under the control of the CMV immediate early gene promoter (pCMV (cid:1) ) stimulates more efﬁcient Ag-speciﬁc humoral and cellular (CD4 (cid:2) and CD8 (cid:2) ) immune responses than naked DNA in BALB/c mice. The use of ghosts also allows modulating the major Th response from a mixed Th1/Th2 to a more dominant Th2 pattern. Intravenous immunization with dendritic cells loaded ex vivo with pCMV (cid:1) containing ghosts also resulted in the elicitation of (cid:1) -galactosidase-speciﬁc responses. This suggests that dendritic cells play an important role in the stimulation of immune responses when bacterial ghosts are used as a DNA delivery system. Bacterial ghosts not only target the DNA vaccine construct to APC, but also provide a strong danger signal, acting as natural adjuvants, thereby promoting efﬁcient maturation and activation of dendritic cells. Thus, bacterial ghosts constitute a promising technology platform for the development of more efﬁcient DNA vaccines. The Journal of Immunology, 2004, 172: 6858–6865.
GREEN GARNETS OF THE “WEHRLITE” MANTLE XENOLITHS FROM KIMBERLITES: THEIR COMPOSITION AND ORIGIN (NEWLANDS DIKE, SOUTH AFRICA; NYURBINSKAYA PIPE, NAKYN FIELD, YAKUTIA)

Green garnets occasionally occur in concentrates of diamondiferous kimberlite bodies in Yakutia (Udachnaya, Aykhal, Mir, Dalnaya etc.), South Africa (Newlands, Bultfontein, Kampfersdam etc.), Venezuela (Guaniamo sills), and Canada (Mud Lake field). Clarke and Carswell (1977) have offered four models of formation of such garnets at great depths. 1). The green garnets are part of a "normal", i.e. essentially undepleted, mantle peridotite assemblage at great depths (probably >350 km), and have been brought to the surface as accidental xenocrysts in kimberlitic magma. 2). The green garnets have formed as part of the refractory residuum during a deep-level (probably >350 km) partial melting event. 3). The green garnets are the products of fractional crystallization of magma (not necessarily strictly kimberlitic) produced by the partial melting of mantle peridotite at depths > 250 km. 4). The green garnets have been derived from disaggregated garnet wehrlite xenoliths formed by subsolidus recrystallization of original spinel wehrlite assemblages (abundant olivine + minor chrome diopside and chrome spinel). It is supposed also (Schulze, 1986), that kimberlitic green garnets may have originated through subduction and prograde metamorphism of uvarovite-bearing crustal serpentinites. All formation models of green garnets have been developed based on the study of individual grains, as xenoliths of rocks with green garnets were found in kimberlites extremely rare (Kharkiv, 1978). Therefore, studies of xenoliths of "peridotites" with green garnet from Newlands dikes (South Africa), as well as mineral intergrowths and individual grains of green garnets from the new district Nakyn field of Yakutia are of great interest. GREEN GARNETS FROM THE NEWLANDS DIKE