Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Migratory behaviour of the Schreiber's bat: when, where and why do cave bats migrate in a Mediterranean region?

Regional migrations are important elements of the biology of bats, but remain poorly understood. We obtained a large dataset of recoveries of ringed Miniopterus schreibersii to study the patterns and drivers of migration of a Mediterranean cave-dwelling bat. In spite of the mildness of Mediterranean winters, in average years bats hibernated, and few movements were recorded during this period. After hibernation, females migrated to spring roosts, and again to maternity roosts just before parturition. This late arrival at nurseries could be a strategy to avoid a harmful build-up of parasites. Soon after the juveniles were weaned, the mothers migrated to the roosts where they spent autumn and sometimes also winter. Juveniles remained in the warm nurseries longer, presumably because high roost temperatures speed up growth. The pattern of migration of males was similar to that of females, but they left hibernacula later and remained more mobile during the maternity season. They also arrived at the hibernacula later, possibly because they needed time to build up fat stores after the energetically costly mating season. Maternity colonies spent the yearly cycle in well-defined home ranges (mean=19 030 km2), which overlapped greatly. Bats were furthest from the maternity sites during hibernation, but even then 80% remained within 90 km of them. Each hibernaculum attracted bats from multiple nurseries, from within a mean range of 10 770 km2. We tested two potential drivers for migration – temperature in the roosts and at the foraging areas – but our results supported only the first one. Bats migrated to reach the roosts most thermally suited for each phase of their life cycle, indicating that roost temperature and associated metabolic advantages are key drivers for regional migrations of cave-dwelling bats.
Familial Hemiplegic Migraine Mutations Change α1ACa2+ Channel Kinetics*

Missense mutations in the pore-forming human α1A subunit of neuronal P/Q-type Ca2+channels are associated with familial hemiplegic migraine (FHM). The pathophysiological consequences of these mutations are unknown. We have introduced the four single mutations reported for the human α1A subunit into the conserved rabbit α1A(R192Q, T666M, V714A, and I1819L) and investigated possible changes in channel function after functional expression of mutant subunits inXenopus laevis oocytes. Changes in channel gating were observed for mutants T666M, V714A, and I1819L but not for R192Q. Ba2+ current (I Ba) inactivation was slightly faster in mutants T666M and V714A than in wild type. The time course of recovery from channel inactivation was slower than in wild type in T666M and accelerated in V714A and I1819L. As a consequence, accumulation of channel inactivation during a train of 1-Hz pulses was more pronounced for mutant T666M and less pronounced for V714A and I1819A. Our data demonstrate that three of the four FHM mutations, located at the putative channel pore, alter inactivation gating and provide a pathophysiological basis for the postulated neuronal instability in patients with FHM.
Learning about Active Learning While Actively Learning: Insights from Faculty Professional Development

ABSTRACT With knowledge in hand that teaching mathematics through active engagement leads to better learning outcomes for students, the field of mathematics is now tasked with researching effective facilitation of professional development for faculty. Our university embarked on an initial year of active learning professional development for mathematics faculty, implementing and researching a variety of professional development formats. We conjectured that effective faculty professional development, like effective mathematics instruction of students, would engage faculty in active learning experiences. Initial results indicate that effective professional development for faculty is tightly aligned with effective classroom instruction of students. This paper provides a framework of professional development practices for faculty, informed by a subset of mathematics instructional practices.
Effect of leaf rust disease on photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll contents and grain yield of wheat

Abstract The objective of the present study was to investigate what extent the leaf rust disease severity affects the photosynthesis and grain yield in wheat. This was done by estimating disease severity, photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll contents and grain yield loss in six wheat varieties under the natural and fungicide treated conditions. Among six wheat varieties/lines (Galaxy-13, Millat-11, Lasani-08, Faisalabad-08 and two wheat lines NW-1-8183-8 and NW-3-3341-7), the mean severity level of leaf rust was the highest on Galaxy-13 and Faisalabad-08, however, grain yields were also higher in Galaxy-13, Millat-11 and FSD-08. Wheat lines NW-1-8183-8, NW-3-3341-7 and wheat variety Millat-11 showed less severity with high yield. One application of fungicide, propiconazole reduced the rust infections significantly and enhance the photosynthetic rate and chlorophyll contents, resulting in significantly higher yield in fungicide treated plots. On the basis of leaf rust severity and grain yield assessment, wheat varieties Galaxy-13 and FSD-08 were found highly tolerant against rust diseases. Maximum cost-benefit ratio was found in NW-3-3341-7 (1:12.2) when treated against rust fungicide. The study concluded that rust disease significantly reduced the grain yield when not protected by fungicide. Integration of host resistance with minimum fungicide application can reduce the deleterious effect of leaf rust and gives maximum net returns.
Learning efficient push and grasp policy in a totebox from simulation

Usually, grasping in a totebox always encounters bottlenecks when the object is at the edge or even at the corner of the totebox. Meanwhile, if the objects are stacked in a pile, there may be no grasps to be selected. In this paper, an algorithm based on deep reinforcement learning is applied to combine grasping with pushing to deal with these cases. In order to make sure that a push must increase grasp access, we propose to apply the changes of grasp’s quality function combined with forgetting mechanism to promote a pushing action. Moreover, a double experience replay is set up to increase the search on the boundaries. To make a balance between efficiency and robustness, the traditional policy is improved using acceptance thresholds and with 99% precision. Our algorithm is trained in a simulation environment using YCB object dataset and finally is transferred into a real-world environment. In our experiment, our algorithm achieves the best results both in simulation and real world (with 86.67% completion for YCB objects and 83.37% completion for novel objects) compared to other famous works. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
THE UNUSUAL EGG-ROD OF THE SPIDER HOMALOMETA CHIRIQUI (ARANEAE, TETRAGNATHIDAE) AND OTHER BIOLOGICAL DATA

Abstract Field observations of Homalometa chiriqui (Araneae, Tetragnathidae), a common habitant in coffee plantations in Chiapas, México, provide biological information on this poorly known species. Collection data revealed several generations per year. The web architecture and microhabitat selection of young juveniles differ from those of older juveniles and adult females. Females deposit their eggs inside the retreat forming a straight cylindrical egg-rod.
Children’s judgements of the obligation to help: The role of relationships

ABSTRACT Children at ages 7 (N = 24, M age = 6.96, SD age =.20), 9 (N = 29, M age = 8.76, SD age =.44), and 11 (N = 25, M age = 10.76, SD age =.66), and adults (N = 30) made judgements about the obligation to help when it conflicts with a personal desire. Across ages, the obligation to help was judged to be strongest when there were positive or neutral past interactions with the person in need of help, compared to mean past interactions. Expectation of a future friendship predicted the obligation to help, even after controlling for age and sex. However, we found no effect of children helping gender in-group members more. Evidence for altruism was not found: expected positive emotions did not predict the obligation to help. We conclude that an expectation of future relationship is the strongest predictor of helping obligation.
Possibility of natural hybridization between Cyperus iria L. and Cyperus microiria Steud.

No experimental evidence of hybridization between Cyperus iria L. and C. microiria Steud. has heretofore been documented, though occurrence of natural interspecific hybrids in the genus Cyperus has been reported by Koyama (1953, 1961). The authors have obtained new types of plants from an experimental field after a mixed planting of these two species. The new plants showed an intermediate form between the two in shape of floral scale and floret density. They were longer in spikelet length and had a greater number of florets, though seed fertilities were evidently lower than those of the parent species. The seeds of new plants were dormant in each of the reciprocal crossings between C. iria and C. microiria, and the dormancy could be broken by a stratification at 15°C for one month. This character was considered to have been inherited from the dormant parent C. microiria. Progenies of the new type plants also showed a clear segregation in the characters of spikelet and floret morphology. It can thus be confirmed that these plants obtained from mixed planting in the experimental field are to hybrids between C. iria and C. microiria.
Laboratory tests for aerobic bioremediation of the contaminated sites in the Czech Republic

Laboratory-scale testing methods applicable to evaluation of contaminated subsurface microbial communities are discussed in relation to their potential in supporting effective site bioremediation. Both culture-dependent and culture-independent techniques are considered here with special emphasis on their capacity to contribute to bioremediation system design, in optimal cases by providing information on contaminant degradation rates. In this regard, microbial soil respiration tests seem to be the most useful tool since microbial soil respiration is a sensitive and easily measurable parameter for determination of metabolic activity within the sample and is closely related to other microbial parameters such as microbial biomass.
A Methodology to Attain Public Transit Origin–Destination Mobility Patterns Using Multi-Layered Mesoscopic Analysis

Knowledge about mobility patterns has become increasingly important to urban development. In this work, public transit origin-destination (OD) mobility patterns are undergoing meso-level analysis in using the advantages of big data and for the creation of a new planning and decision-based tool. An ensemble clustering method is proposed to abstract the common OD pairs by fully considering link-based information, and the nonnegative tensor factorization model is adopted to effectively extract and visualize quantitatively the mobility patterns of OD pairs. This is attained by using multi-layered analysis such as of traffic demand, traffic accessibility and traffic congestion to enable different visual and quantitative mobility patterns. In the case study of Beijing, these patterns were analyzed and discussed by temporal and spatial factors. The results of the various patterns show explicitly when and where to provide remedies to traffic problems, by time and space. This is analogue, to some extent, to detecting and treating black spots of road accidents. The new developed multi-layered mesoscopic analysis could, therefore, be an important tool for improving urban planning, public transit planning, traffic management, and emergency intervention.
Observations on the behaviour of the planulae larvae of Clava squamata

The preoccupation of many workers in recent years with the detailed analysis of the settlement behaviour of the larvae of numerous sedentary invertebrates has contributed significantly to our understanding of the various factors influencing the secondary orientation reactions of animals as formulated by Fraenkel & Gunn. Investigations with the planula larvae of hydroids along these lines has hitherto been largely ignored. The intertidal hydroid Clava squamata Müller has a distribution restricted to the larger fucoids in the littoral zone and during the summer months liberates its planulae in large numbers. Detailed examination of the distribution of colonies indicated that the planulae probably possess clearly defined patterns of behaviour which assists them in locating substrates suitable for colonization. The planulae which are released in response to light are normally found to be photopositive on inert surfaces and to settle photopositively. On Ascophyllum, however, the normal substrate in nature, the older larvae are photonegative. The crawling activity of the planulae is considerably influenced by the texture and contour of surfaces. On rough and pitted surfaces activity is considerably reduced indicating a thigmokinetic response of the larvae. Water currents influence behaviour, planulae orientating positively to the direction of flow. The possible significance of these patterns of behaviour in the substrate selection and distribution of the species is discussed.
Benchmark Synthetic Training Data for Artificial Intelligence-based Li-ion Diagnosis and Prognosis

Accurate lithium battery diagnosis and prognosis is critical to increase penetration of electric vehicles and grid-tied storage systems. They are both complex due to the intricate, nonlinear, and path-dependent nature of battery degradation. Data-driven models are anticipated to play a significant role in the behavioral prediction of dynamical systems such as batteries. However, they are often limited by the amount of training data available. In this work, we generated the first big data comprehensive synthetic datasets to train diagnosis and prognosis algorithms. The proof-of-concept datasets are over three orders of magnitude larger than what is currently available in the literature. With benchmark datasets, results from different studies could be easily equated, and the performance of different algorithms can be compared, enhanced, and analyzed extensively. This will expend critical capabilities of current AI algorithms, tools, and techniques to predict scientific data.
Seasonal growth and photoinhibition in Plocamium cartilagineum (Rhodophyta) off the Isle of Man

Abstract Length frequency determinations in subtidal populations of Plocamium cartilagineum provided information on growth of upright thalli in relation to season and depth. At 2 m below lowest astronomical tide (LAT), under the laminarian canopy, growth started in March and was exponential until June, with a relative growth rate in weight of 0.026 per day. Under wave exposed conditions few mature uprights survived into the following winter. In deeper water, under the laminarian canopy, growth was slower and deeper still (13–17 m) mature uprights survived throughout the year. Clearance of the phaeophycean canopy allowed faster growth over an 8 m depth range but in early summer appeared to reduce the growth at 1 m below LAT. Uprights held on blocks at 0.5 m below LAT and in tanks exposed to reduced mid-summer daylight grew more slowly than uprights receiving less irradiance. It seemed that 0.5 mmol m−2 S−1 was inhibitory. These data agree with the concept of the species as ‘shade loving’, with a maximum re.
Multicomponent Nanocomposites for Complex Anticancer Therapy: Effect of Aggregation Processes on Their Efficacy

Multicomponent nanocomposites for anticancer therapy were prepared, characterized, and tested for their antitumor efficacy. The water-soluble star-like dextran-graft-polyacrylamide copolymer was used as a nanoplatform for the creation of polymer-based multicomponent drug delivery systems for photodynamic and combined (photodynamic+chemotherapy) antitumor therapy. The three-component nanocomposites with incorporated gold nanoparticles and photosensitizer and the four-component ones additionally loaded by Doxorubicin into polymer nanoplatform were studied at 25 and 37°C by transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. Nanocomposites were tested for their photodynamic cytotoxicity for the cell line of breast cancer MCF-7/S. Three-component nanocomposites demonstrated higher efficacy than the four-component ones. The decrease in the activity of the four-component systems is explained by the aggregation process caused by the introduction of an additional component, which leads to a decrease in the hydrophilic-hydrophobic balance of the polymer macromolecule.
On the adaptive control of robot manipulators with velocity observers

To achieve accurate tracking control of robot manipulators many schemes have been proposed. A common approach is based on adaptive control techniques, which guarantee trajectory tracking under the assumption that the robot model structure is perfectly known and linear in the unknown parameters, while joint velocities are available. Despite tracking errors tend to zero, parameter errors do not unless some persistent excitation condition is fulfilled. There are few works dealing with velocity observation in conjunction with adaptive laws. In this note, an adaptive control/observer scheme is proposed for tracking position of robot manipulators. It is shown that tracking and observation errors are ultimately bounded, with the characteristic that when a persistent excitation condition is matched then they, as well as the parameter errors, tend to zero. Simulation results are in good agreement with the developed theory.
Unsupervised Anomaly Detection for Safe Robot Operations

—Faults in robot operations are risky, particularly when robots are operating in the same environment as humans. Early detection of such faults is necessary to prevent further escalation and endangering human life. However, due to sensor noise and unforeseen faults in robots, creating a model for fault prediction is difﬁcult. Existing supervised data-driven approaches rely on large amounts of labelled data for detecting anomalies, which is impractical in real applications. In this paper, we present an unsupervised machine learning approach for this purpose, which requires only data corresponding to the normal operation of the robot. We demonstrate how to fuse multi-modal information from robot motion sensors and evaluate the proposed framework in multiple scenarios collected from a real mobile robot.
A NOVEL DUAL BAND-NOTCHED CPW-FED UWB MIMO ANTENNA WITH MUTUAL COUPLING REDUCTION CHARACTERISTICS

A novel dual band-notched CPW-fed UWB MIMO antenna with mutual coupling reduction characteristics is presented in this paper. The proposed antenna uses CPW feeding to expand the antenna bandwidth. The measured impedance bandwidth with S11 < −10 dB is 137% from 3 GHz to 16 GHz. The overall size of the antenna is 46mm × 32mm × 1.6 mm. In order to achieve dual bandnotched characteristics, a cup-shaped branch is added to the grounding plate, and a step impedance resonator (SIR) is added to the microstrip line. By adding periodic strip branches on the back of the antenna, the mutual coupling between the two antennas is significantly reduced, which meets the requirements of practical applications. In addition, the proposed antenna has a compact size and can provide a stable radiation pattern, which is suitable for UWB communication systems.
Character Displacement, Sexual Dimprphism, and Morphological Variation among British and Irish Mustelids

Five native terrestrial mustelids are found in Great Britain. Only three of these occur in Ireland. Farmed American mink have recently established feral populations on both islands. We studied inter- and intraspecific size relationships, sexual size dimor- phism, and morphological variation among these mustelids. We viewed each sex as a separate morphospecies, skull length as a measure of body size, and the upper canine tooth as the organ used to kill prey. Geographic variation was low in both islands, so we considered the mustelid population of each island a single unit. Community-wide character displacement (evidenced by equal size ratios) was found among British mustelids for canine diameter. For skull length it was seen only when the largely vermivorous badger was excluded. When we added feral mink the regular pattern disappeared, but when we substituted the mink for the polecat, which is now restricted to parts of Wales and adjacent England, community-wide character displacement was man- ifest. For Irish mustelids size ratios were not equal, but the pattern for canines was more regular than for skull lengths. Adding the local feral mink did not result in a regular pattern, but addition of the mink and exclusion of the badger yielded equal ratios for skull length but not for canines. These patterns plus published empirical data support a hypothesis of prey size partitioning. The significant differences in size between some of the British and Irish populations of the same morphospecies suggest the possibility of ecological release among Irish mustelids, whose populations originally derive from British ones. In particular, canine sexual size dimorphism is greater for Irish pine martens, stoats, and mink, as would be expected if there were fewer competitors. For the marten and the stoat, Irish females have evolved to be strikingly smaller than their British counterparts, in each case approximating the size of the male of a missing species (polecat for the marten, weasel for the stoat). For skull length there is no consistent pattern. Finally, morphological variation is greater in Ireland for five of six morphospecies, as predicted by the niche-variation hypothesis.
Linear Formulations for Topology-Variable-Based Distribution System Reliability Assessment Considering Switching Interruptions

Continuity of supply plays a significant role in modern distribution system planning and operational studies. Accordingly, various techniques have been developed for reliability assessment of distribution networks. However, owing to the complexities and restrictions of these methods, many researchers have resorted to several heuristic optimization algorithms for solving reliability-constrained optimization problems. Therefore, solution quality and convergence to global optimality cannot be guaranteed. Aiming to address this issue, two salient mathematical models are introduced in this paper for topology-variable-based reliability evaluation of both radial and radially-operated meshed distribution networks. Cast as a set of linear expressions, the first model is suitable for radial networks. The second model relies on mixed-integer linear programming and allows handling not only radial networks but also radially-operated meshed distribution grids. Therefore, the proposed formulations can be readily incorporated into various mathematical programming models for distribution system planning and operation. Numerical results from several case studies back the scalability of the developed models, which is promising for their further application in distribution system optimization studies. Moreover, the benefits of the proposed formulations in terms of solution quality are empirically evidenced.