Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
HOW WELL DO ECOSYSTEM-BASED PLANNING UNITS REPRESENT DIFFERENT COMPONENTS OF BIODIVERSITY?

There are many proposals for managing biodiversity by using surrogates, such as umbrella, indicator, focal, and flagship species. We use the term biodiversity man- agement unit for any ecosystem-based classificatory scheme for managing biodiversity. The sufficiency of biodiversity management unit classification schemes depends upon (1) wheth- er different biotic elements (e.g., trees, birds, reptiles) distinguish between biodiversity management units within a classification (i.e., coherence within classes); and (2) whether different biotic elements agree upon similarities and dissimilarities among biodiversity management unit classes (i.e., conformance among classes). Recent evaluations suggest that biodiversity surrogates based on few or single taxa are not useful. Ecological vegetation classes are an ecosystem-based classification scheme used as one component for biodiversity management in Victoria, Australia. Here we evaluated the potential for ecological vegetation classes to be used as biodiversity management units in the box-ironbark ecosystem of central Victoria, Australia. Eighty sites distributed among 14 ecological vegetation classes were surveyed in the same ways for tree species, birds, mammals, reptiles, terrestrial invertebrates, and nocturnal flying insects. Habitat structure and geographic separations also were measured, which, with the biotic elements, are collectively referred to as variables. Less than half of the biotic element-ecological vegetation class pairings were coherent. Generalized Mantel tests were used to examine conformance among variables with respect to ecological vegetation classes. While most tests were not significant, birds, mammals, tree species, and habitat structure together showed significant agreement on the rating of similarities among ecological vegetation classes. In this system, use of ecological vegetation classes as biodiversity management units may account reasonably well for birds, mammals, and trees; but reptiles and invertebrates would not be accommodated. We conclude that surrogates will usually have to be augmented or developed as hierarchies to provide general representativeness.
DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF BIDIRECTIONAL CONVERTER FOR ELECTRIC AND HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Nowadays, the power demand and a shortage of fuel considered as one of the most critical worldwide issues, power, and costly fuel becomes a significant challenge for customers. This research designs a bidirectional converter (BC) following the trend has seen for renewable energy sources like photovoltaic, and, wind. This BC is proposed to transfer power from grid/ renewable energy systems to the electric vehicle system (EVS) as well as EVS to grid power transfer. The proposed work of dual stage topology allows maintaining input voltage as well as output voltage level. During discharging, the energy from a battery pack returned to the grid where the dc link bus will interconnect with electric traction inverter. Depending upon power demand, the converter input and the output voltage can be used to set reference voltage. A fuzzy proportional integral controller (FPIC) is used to regulate the voltage of dc link capacitor. The performance of the proposed BC regarding voltage gain, efficiency, and the flexible application has been analyzed using MATLAB simulation and also with experimental studies. KeywordsBi-directional converter, Cascade buckboost converter, fuzzy propagation integral controller, an electric vehicle battery storage system to grid power transfer
Measurement of chlorophyll fluorescence within leaves using a fibreoptic microprobe

Abstract. The distribution of chlorophyll fluorescence was measured within leaves of Medicago saliva with a fibre optic microprobe. Leaves were irradiated with broad band blue light (1000 μmol m−2s−1) and chlorophyll fluorescence was measured at 688 nm. The amount of fluorescence measured within the leaf depended upon the direction in which the probe was inserted. When the probe was advanced directly through the leaf from the shaded towards the irradiated surface, the maximum amount of detected fluorescence occurred near the boundary between the palisade and spongy mesophyll. When the probe was advanced through the leaf from the opposite direction maximum detected fluorescence was at the boundary between the epidermis and palisade. These results appear to be a consequence of the blue light gradient, which declined exponentially within the palisade but was counterbalanced by increasing chlorophyll content within the leaf. Modelling indicates that the measured distribution of chlorophyll fluorescence can be explained by relatively uniform emission of fluorescence throughout the palisade layer, indicating that the chloroplasts may be photosynthetically specialized to their light environment within the leaf.
Bacterial Predators of Micrococcus luteus in Soil.

Micrococcus luteus cells died relatively rapidly when they were added to natural soil. Microscopic observation showed that the cells were being physically destroyed by bacterial predators in the soil. Two of these predators were responsible for the initial, main attack, and they were isolated. The isolates on laboratory media lysed M. luteus cells in a manner similar to the attacks that occurred in soil. Neither predator was obligate, however, nor were they nutritionally fastidious. One of these bacteria produced mycelium and conidia. Under nutritionally poor conditions it used slender filaments of mycelium to seek out host cells. It had at least some of the characteristics of a Streptoverticillium species. The other bacterium was a short, gram-negative rod that did not easily fit into any of the known groups of gram-negative bacteria. It attached to host cells, but its mechanism of lysing these cells is not known. Images
Uniform approximation of 2D Navier-Stokes equations with vorticity creation by stochastic interacting particle systems

We consider a stochastic interacting particle system in a bounded domain with reflecting boundary, including creation of new particles on the boundary prescribed by a given source term. We show that such particle system approximates 2D Navier–Stokes equations in vorticity form and impermeable boundary, the creation of particles modeling vorticity creation at the boundary. Kernel smoothing, more specifically smoothing by means of the Neumann heat semigroup on the space domain, allows to establish uniform convergence of regularized empirical measures to (weak solutions of) Navier–Stokes equations.
Delivering the Aichi target 11: challenges and opportunities for marine areas beyond national jurisdiction

In 2010, Contracting Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted the so-called ‘Aichi targets’ in order to achieve global biodiversity conservation. Target 11 specifically provides that ‘by 2020 (…) at least 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas (…) are conserved through effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and well-connected systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures’. This objective is currently far from being reached since less than 3% of the ocean has been designated as marine protected areas (MPAs). In areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) in particular, with less than 0.5% protected, there is no mechanism aimed at creating internationally-recognized MPAs and the initiatives launched by regional organizations, although promising, have limitations. ABNJ are nevertheless facing increasing human pressures and it is therefore appropriate and pressing to designate a comprehensive and representative network of MPAs in these areas. This paper analyses the current efforts conducted to better conserve marine biodiversity in ABNJ and identifies enabling conditions for meeting the Aichi Target 11. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Criteria and guidance considerations for sustainable tree stump harvesting in British Columbia

Abstract Stump extraction for forest health has been carried out operationally in British Columbia (BC) for many years. Emerging bioenergy opportunities plus the anticipated need for more fibre because of reductions in timber supply may increase interest in stump harvesting, but there are numerous environmental, economic and policy barriers that must be overcome first before industrial-scale stump harvesting can be seriously considered in BC. The potential for a future change in practice provides an opportunity to learn from the existing literature and identify knowledge gaps. In this article we review the available literature on stump harvesting from the European Union within the context of BC's forests, economy, biodiversity, environment and policies. We provide recommendations on how the government of BC could move forward if they decide to enable stump harvesting for fibre and bioenergy, including assessment of net economic and carbon benefits and environmental effects, improvements in inventory and the scientific knowledge base needed to support policy and guidance, and investigation of operational enhancements.
Effects of rainfall exclosure on the ectomycorrhizal fungi of a canopy tree in a tropical rainforest.

structure on mature tree to be affected by drought. A rainfall exclosure treatment was conducted to study changes in the ECM community of a single tree at Lambir Hills National Park, Malaysia. A vinyl sheet of conical shape covered the entire rooting area of a Dryobalanops aromatica from 22 November 2008 until 7 December 2008. Three root samples each were collected from both the tree that was treated with rainfall exclosure sheet and a control tree nearby before and after the treatment. ECM samples were identified using molecular technique. The ECM species abundance (mean number of species per sample) on the rainfall exclosure tree decreased from 8.0 ± 1.0 to 4.7 ± 0.6, whereas species abundance on the control tree was similar. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) showed that the species composition of ectomycorrhizas differed between samples collected before and after treatment. Changes in species composition before and after treatment were caused by difference in tolerance to reduction in rainfall among fungal species and by spatiotemporal variation in species composition of ectomycorrhizas.
Improving salt-tolerance in plant through modern techniques -

Conventional plant breeding and genetic engineering play a very important role in the development of crop for introducing resistance in the plant against different type of stress. These technologies have mainly been applied to model systems and have greatly enlarged the knowledge of mechanisms of tolerance. The various abiotic stresses cause changes in plant processes at all levels of organization (morphological, physiological, biochemical and molecular). In recent years, attention has focused on alterations in gene expression. The list of genes whose transcription is upregulated in response to stress is rapidly increasing. Functions for some of these polypeptides are close to being identified and their likely role in stress physiology is being determined. The understanding of mechanisms that regulate gene expression and the ability to transfer genes from other organisms into plants will expand the ways in which plants can be utilized. The exploitation of cloned genes to alter the function of gene products in transgenic plants, provides novel opportunities to assess their biological role in a stress response. The molecular analysis of stress responses has arrived at a stage where research can build upon a large collection of characterized genes. Identification of quantitative trait loci for abiotic stress resistance may well be an effective analytical tool. This approach is promising, considering that saturated DNA marker maps are now available for both genetic model plants and crop plants. The use of novel approaches combining genetic, physiological and molecular techniques should provide excellent results in the near future. Conventional breeding has been of some success only in the case of wheat and rice.
Effects of English Ivy (Hedera Helix) on Seed Bank Formation and Germination

ABSTRACT English ivy Hedera helix L. is rapidly invading forest ecosystems in the southeastern United States, leading to a decrease in the diversity of native plant species. To determine the underlying mechanism for the loss of diversity and understand the potential for restoration of impacted habitats, we examined whether ivy had a negative effect on seed bank formation and germination. We sampled the seed bank and the summer and fall seed rains in areas with and without ivy. In addition, we determined potential allelopathic effects of ivy on germination of Coreopsis lancelota seeds. The density and species diversity of the seed bank and seed rains were not significantly different between areas with and without ivy. However, ivy led to a marginally significant reduction in the germination rate of C. lancelota seeds. Yet, the effect of ivy on germination only occurred when ivy plants were present. Germination rates did not differ in soil from areas with and without ivy. Our results suggest that native plant communities can regenerate naturally from the seed bank if English ivy were removed.
Breeding skuas in Orkney: a 2010 census indicates density-dependent population change driven by both food supply and predation

Great Skuas Stercorarius skua and Arctic Skuas S. parasiticus were counted on their breeding grounds in Orkney during June 2010. Great Skua numbers had fallen by 23% overall since the previous census in 2000. However, the decline was not uniform across Orkney, the major colony on Hoy declining by 32% but with many smaller colonies actually increasing. Possible reasons for this difference are discussed. Arctic Skua numbers fell by 47% in the same time period and by 64% from their peak in 1992. We found evidence of intra-specific negative density dependence in trends of both skua species, suggesting that declines may have been driven by low food availability. In addition, we found a negative relationship between Arctic Skua trends between 2000 and 2010 and the numbers of Great Skuas present in each colony in 2000. These findings suggest that whilst scarcity of food may have contributed to Arctic Skua declines, predation by Great Skuas is likely to have played an additional role. Predation on Arctic Skuas, both adults and young, is also likely to be ultimately attributable to a scarcity of alternative fish prey for Great Skuas.
ANALYSING OF OPTIMIZING CALL ADMISSION IN CELLULAR NETWORKS USING EVOLUTIONARY ALGORITHM

- The wireless cellular network had undergone a phenomenal growth in terms of number of mobile users in the last decade. In modern telecommunication era, the scarce resources and the constraints in using them drives the technocrats to optimize the use of available resources to the maximum extent possible. Incredibly, the demand for bandwidth is ever increasing to the far end. By exercising priority based services, the burst arrival of calls is limited and hence the congestion in the network is controlled. This enhances offering trusted QoS to the users without compromising the resource allocation to the existing users. The proposed algorithm provides guaranteed QoS to both new calls and handoff calls. When the requested resource is not available, instead of denying the handoff call request the call is buffered. Proposed Evolutionary Handoff Algorithm (EHA) permits the new calls and handoff calls to share the cell capacity while maintaining certain access priority to handoff calls.
Reproductive cycles of the bivalve molluscs Atactodea striata (Gmelin), Gafrarium tumidum röding and Anadara scapha (L.) in New Caledonia

Monthly samples of the bivalves Atactodea striata, Gafrariurn turnidum and Anadara scapha were collected over 1 year from the littoral zone on the south-western coast of New Caledonia. A. striata and G. turnidum were studied by macroscopic examination of gonads and microscopic examination of gamete smears. For A. scapha, only microscopic examination was used. A. striata and G. turnidum are dioecious, whereas A. scapha is a protandric hermaphrodite. Sexual differentiation begins at a shell length of 20 mm for A. striata and G. turnidum and 22 mm for A. scapha. The three species have an extended or continuous breeding period, although, in all three, sexual activity peaks in the hot season.
Leaf colour patterns, vegetative and sexual reproduction of Episcia lilacina (Gesneriaceae)

Episcia lilacina ist eine auslauferbildende, terrestrische, krautige Pflanze Vegetative Vermehrung uber Auslaufer stellt eine effektive Strategie zur Erweiterung des Habitats dar. Die Farben und Muster der Blatter von Episcia lilacina sind sehr vielfaltig. Fast alle denkbaren Variationen zwischen dunkelrot und hellgrun kommen vor. Anthocyane sind fur die rote Farbung verantwortlich. Chloroplasten von Schattenpflanzen sind nicht in der Lage mit erhohten Sonneneinstrahlung umzugehen und werden dadurch zerstort. Die Chloroplasten der grunen Morphen sind von vorn herein an hohere Belastung angepasst, dadurch ist keine zusatzliche Anthocyaneinlagerung notwendig. Episcia lilacina entwickelt hypocrateriforme Einzelbluten mit zygomorpher Symmetrie. Die zarten Bluten sind lila gefarbt. Nektar liegt versteckt in einem Sporn. Zwischen Nektar und Sexualorganen besteht eine grose Distanz. Sexuelle Reproduktion ist grostenteils durch vegetative Vermehrung ersetzt. Die Frucht von Episcia lilacina ist eine Kapsel mit rundlichen, roten oder weisen Samen. Die maximale Menge an produziertem Nektar einer Blute ist 5,4 µl. Der Nektar hat eine Zuckerkonzentration von 27%. Beide Tatsachen weisen auf Schmetterlinge als Bestauber hin. Wahrend des Untersuchungszeitraums konnte nur eine einzige stachellose Bienenart (Unterfamilie der Meliponinae) auf den Bluten beobachtet werden. Diese Bienen sind nicht die legitimen Bestauber, sondern nur Sekundarbestauber von Episcia lilacina.
Nutritional evaluation of kale (Brassica oleracea) diets:4. Responses to supplementation with synthetic S-methyl-L-cysteine sulphoxide (SMCO)

SUMMARY Synthetic SMCO was added to basal diets of either fresh kale or lucerne at the concentrations 0, 0·2, 0·4, 0·8 and 1·6% D.M. and each diet offered ad libitum to groups of four lambs that were individually fed indoors. Within each group, two lambs were of haemoglobin genotype AA and two were AB. Initial live weight (W) was 21 kg and the experiment lasted for 6 weeks. SMCO supplementation depressed voluntary intake, body growth and wool growth, caused the development of haemolytic anaemia and produced kidney hypertrophy. Effects were much more severe when SMCO was added to a kale than to a lucerne diet, with the lowest SMCO intake of kale-fed lambs (0·3 g/kg W) producing marked detrimental effects whereas the highest SMCO intake of lucerne-fed lambs (0·7 g/kg W) produced only small and transient effects. The intake depressions were evident during the first week of SMCO supplementation and persisted throughout the full 6-week feeding period. Approximately 80 and 65% of the changes in body growth and wool growth could be accounted for by changes in intake, and it was concluded that the most important effect of SMCO in ruminant diets is as an intake depressant. It is suggested that the greater ratio of soluble to structural carbohydrate in kale (2·3) compared with lucerne (0·9) probably resulted in a microbial population developing in the rumen of kale-fed sheep that could metabolize SMCO to dimethyl disulphide at a faster rate than occurred in the rumen of lucerne-fed sheep. Dimethyl disulphide production is postulated as the cause of both the haemolytic anaemia and appetite depression. Plasma SMCO concentrations did not increase with increasing SMCO intake in sheep fed either diet, indicating that there must have been negligible absorption of this amino acid from tho digestive system. No haemoglobin C was produced by any of the lambs fed lucerne, and kale-fed lambs produced significant amounts only during weeks 5 and 6, with type AA lambs producing more than type AB lambs. However, there was no difference between AA and AB lambs in rate of decline in total haemoglobin concentration or upon voluntary intake, body growth and wool growth.
Relationship between pace of life and immune responses in wild rodents

Life histories of animals tend to vary along a slow to fast continuum. Th ose with fast life histories have shorter life spans, faster development, and higher reproductive rates relative to animals with slower life histories. Th ese diff erences in life histories have been linked to diff erences in investment in immunological defenses. Animals with faster life histories are predicted to invest relatively more in innate immune responses, which include rapidly-deployed, non-specifi c defenses against a broad spectrum of invaders. On the other hand, animals with slower life histories are predicted to invest relatively more in adaptive immune responses, which are more slowly-deployed and are highly pathogen-specifi c. Th ese predictions have been confi rmed in some taxa, but other studies have not found this association. We tested this prediction by measuring innate and adaptive immunity of white-footed mice Peromyscus leucopus , chipmunks Tamias striatus , and gray squirrels Sciurus carolinensis , three species of rodents that inhabit deciduous forests in the northeastern US. Th ese species exhibit a range of life histories, with mice having a relatively fast life history, squirrels a relatively slow one, and chipmunks an intermediate one. We found mice to have the greatest ‘ bacterial killing capacity ’ , a common measure of innate immunity, and squirrels the lowest, consistent with the pace-of-life immune-defense hypothesis. We also found squirrels to mount the most pronounced antibody response when challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an immunogenic component of bacteria, while mice had the lowest, again consistent with predictions based on their life histories. Th ese results have implications beyond ecoimmunology because the probability that a host species will transmit an infection – its ‘ reservoir competence ’ – has been linked to its immune strategy. Understanding the relationship between immunology and reservoir competence is a critical frontier in the ecology of infectious diseases.
Humanistic Treatment of Father-Daughter Incest

was an engineering-psychologist in the aerospace industry. He ruefully admits that he was among the first in the attempt to define scientifically the characteristics of humans as "blackboxes" in electro-mechanical systems His constricted view of humankind began to expand in the mid-sixties when he joined Venture, the growth center founded by John Levy, Jean-Elsa and Louie Sloss, and Norma Lyman To these and other fnends in Venture he attributes his introduction to the humanistic orientation which guides the CSATP To Venture, Hank owes an even greater debt since it was in a Venture group where he met his wife, Anna They soon became co-leaders of their own group of two and for groups formed for lay and professional people In 1971 they started the CSATP and currently direct its treatment and training project for California