Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rejection of the monotypic status of Peromyscus furvus (Rodentia: Cricetidae), with consequences for its species group

Previous studies using Cytochrome-b or ND3-ND4 mitochondrial gene have yielded intriguing evidence about the phylogenetic relationships among populations of Peromyscus furvus; however, those studies each based on phylogenies for a single type of genes, yielded conflicting topologies. In addition, analyses with traditional morphometrics have revealed differences in skull size among certain populations of the species. Therefore, in order to reassess the systematic and taxonomic status of P. furvus, we incorporated a suite of genetic and morphometric characters and employed cladistic analyses. Herein, we present results mostly derived from our genetic analyses (results from the phylogenetic examination of skull size and shape will appear later). Phylogenetic analyses were conducted using four mitochondrial genes (Cytb and ND3-ND4L-ND4) with the respective data analyzed separately or combined, followed by an analysis with genetic and morphometric data (size and shape characters). Most phylogenetic constructions were made with parsimonious methods, but probabilistic methods also were used in the analyses with the genes separated by type. Similar topologies were recovered from all analyses of the Cytb gene and from all parsimony analyses of the NADH genes; however, conflicting topologies were obtained with the probabilistic methods for the NADH genes. Additionally, to better understand the genetic variation in each type of gene, analyses for genetic divergence were conducted within and among genetic groups and haplotype networks were constructed. All the topologies obtained using genetic data questioned the monotypic status of P. furvus, as two additional clades were identified that seemingly correspond to unrecognized entities. The first of these, P. latirostris, occurs in the northern region and could be considered as either a species or subspecies. An unknown Peromyscus species nova that occurs to the south is considered as a valid species. Further, P. furvus s. s. becomes a polytypic species by recognizing at least two subspecies (P. f. angustirostris and P. f. furvus). Phylogenetic analyses also rejected membership of P. melanocarpus and P. ochraventer within the furvus species group. Instead, P. melanocarpus showed a greater affinity to P. mexicanus totontepecus, whereas, P. ochraventer either joined to the clade containing P. melanocarpus and P. m. tototepecus or to Megadontomys cryophilus in a sister clade. Finally, Osgoodomys banderanus (subgenus Haplomylomys) always remained basally positioned and segregated from all members of the subgenus Peromyscus.
Development of a Solar-Powered Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for Extended Flight Endurance

Having an exciting array of applications, the scope of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) application could be far wider one if its flight endurance can be prolonged. Solar-powered UAV, promising notable prolongation in flight endurance, is drawing increasing attention in the industries’ recent research and development. This work arose from a Bachelor’s degree capstone project at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The project aims to modify a 2-metre wingspan remote-controlled (RC) UAV available in the consumer market to be powered by a combination of solar and battery-stored power. The major objective is to greatly increase the flight endurance of the UAV by the power generated from the solar panels. The power system is first designed by selecting the suitable system architecture and then by selecting suitable components related to solar power. The flight control system is configured to conduct flight tests and validate the power system performance. Under fair experimental conditions with desirable weather conditions, the solar power system on the aircraft results in 22.5% savings in the use of battery-stored capacity. The decrease rate of battery voltage during the stable level flight of the solar-powered UAV built is also much slower than the same configuration without a solar-power system.
Comparison of Efficiency Measures of Non-Priority and Non-Pre-Emptive Priority Queues

Bir kuyruk sisteminde farkli musteri siniflari oldugunda, j-inci sinif musteriler hizmetlerini j+1,j=1,2,… sinifi musterilerden once alirlar. Bu tur kuyruklar, oncelikli kuyruklar olarak adlandirilir. Bu calismada, iki musteri sinifina sahip bir Markov oncelikli kuyruk sistemi hem sinirli olmayan hem de onceliksiz planlama kapsaminda analiz edilmis ve performans olcumleri (sistemdeki beklenen musteri sayisi, sistemdeki ortalama bekleme suresi) Little yasasi kullanilarak elde edilmistir. Performans kriterleri oncelik durumuna gore karsilastirilmistir. Ayrica gercek parametre tahminleri simulasyon sonuclariyla karsilastirilmistir. Simulasyon, R programi kullanilarak yapilmistir.
Habitat desirability modeling of Goitered Gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) by Ecological Niche Factor Analysis in the Bidouyeh Protected Area, Iran

Species distribution models (SDMs) are a powerful tool in conservation. Predictive habitat models attempt to provide detailed predictions of distributions by relating the presence/absence of a species to a set of environmental predictors that are likely to inﬂuence the suitability of the environment for the focal species. For most of the available methods, accurate sampling of the presence/absence of the species is crucial. The lack of information about the areas where species are absent complicates the use of common ecological modeling tools, as they rely both on presence and absence data. For this reason, a modeling technique that does not require absence data was used. This modeling approach is extremely useful when absence data are not available, are unreliable, or are ecologically meaningless. So, one statistical technique that can be used to generate habitat maps based on the presence-only data is the Ecological Niche Factor Analysis (ENFA), using the modeling Biomapper software. The purpose of this study is to provide desirable habitats in Bidouyeh Protected Area in Kerman province based on the presence-only data and environmental conditions of the area by ENFA, to determine which parts according to the current conditions of the region are suitable habitat for Goitered Gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa). according to the Predicted areas, we will be able to better protect and manage the area. The results showed that variables the elevations 2000-2300 m, the western aspects, and the sealed road, respectively, are the most important factors influencing the selection of Goitered Gazelle habitat in Bidouyeh protected area. According to the modeling, approximately 15% of Bidouyeh protected area is a suitable habitat for Goitered Gazelle.
Divergent Response of Vegetation Growth to Soil Water Availability in Dry and Wet Periods Over Central Asia

Vegetation growth is interactively controlled by hydrothermal conditions and the associated biophysiological changes. These factors have experienced dramatic changes over the past decades in Central Asia, where vegetation growth is primarily constrained by soil water availability. However, we have limited understanding of the time scales and the underlying drivers for the responses of vegetation growth to variations in soil water availability between wet and dry periods. Here, we explored the response of vegetation growth to decadal‐scale hydroclimatic variations in wet versus dry periods, during 1992–2015, using remote sensing retrievals of normalized difference vegetation index and multiple climate factors. We discovered divergent responses of vegetation growth to soil water availability, measured by soil moisture content (SM), between wet and dry periods, with spatiotemporally intensified correlation to SM in the dry period. We revealed a unanimous 1‐month time lag in the response of vegetation growth to SM in the dry period, contrary to much longer time lags and a more spatially heterogeneous response in the wet period. The divergent vegetation responses to SM can be largely explained by the variations in hydroclimatic conditions and spring phenology. The intensified vegetation growth‐SM response in the dry period was strongly associated with increased temperature and vapor pressure deficit. Earlier spring phenology exerts a crucial role in mediating the relationship between vegetation growth and SM in the dry period. The complicated interactions between vegetation phenology and hydroclimatic variations should be explicitly considered in predicting regional vegetation growth under a warmer and drier climate regime in water‐stressed regions.
Investigation of a micro-optical species concentration sensor concept based on whispering galley mode resonators

This paper investigates the feasibility of a micro -optical sensor for species concentration. A theoretical analysis was carried out to model the sensor performance followed by a series of experiments. The measurement concept is based on optical mode shifts of dielectric spheres with diameters of t he order of 100 ∝m. The optical modes, which are also called the “whispering gallery modes” (WGM), are excited by coupling light into the sphere using an optical fiber. A change in the index of refraction of the medium surrounding the sphere induces a shif t in the optical modes of the sphere. Therefore, by monitoring the WGM shifts, one can determine the concentration of a given species in the medium surrounding the sphere. In the theoretical analysis, we used a simple, heuristic approach to model the WGMs in the sphere that is based on geometric optics and the basic electromagnetic equations of wave reflection. The resulting equations describe the dependence of WGMs on the refraction index of the surrounding medium. These equations indicate that the WGMs ar e not sensitive enough to index of refraction changes in the case of gas media. However, they can be sufficiently sensitive for the development of micro -sensors in liquid media. Experiments were carried out to validate the theoretical analysis and to provi de a first order assessment of this sensor concept. The concentration of two types of salts, potassium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate were measured in water.
Detection of prey DNA in bat feces: Effects of time since feeding, meal size, and prey identity

Molecular analyses of feces are widely used to study the feeding ecology of bats. However, little is known about how detectability of prey DNA from bat feces is influ enced by gut retention time, mass of prey eaten, or prey identity, which hampers the interpretation of field data. Here, we address these knowledge gaps by conducting a feeding experiment in which different insect species and meal sizes were offered to two bat species, Myotis daubentonii and Pipistrellus nathusii . The feeding regime con sisted of three main and three side prey species fed in different masses, whereupon feces were collected over 72 h and examined for prey DNA using a species- specific multiplex PCR system. DNA of all three main prey species was detectable from feces produced within 1 h after consumption of a meal. Prey detectability decreased over the following 10– 20 h, and after 40 h only spurious detections occurred. For both prey and bats, species identity affected detectability: for example, mealworms were detected for a longer time post- feeding compared to wax moths/house flies, and the latter were detected for a shorter time in M. daubentonii than in P. nathusii . While DNA from all three side prey species was detectable, signals were weak and detections lim ited to the first 20 h after consumption. These findings indicate that detectability of prey DNA from bat feces is foremost affected by the mass of prey consumed and time post- feeding, whereas it does not strongly differ between prey species. To increase the detection of prey ingested in low mass, we suggest collecting fecal samples soon after bats return from foraging, as detectability is highest right after feeding occurs, and detections largely depict the previous foraging bout (with detection windows usually <24 h).
On CSS Unsatisfiability Problem in the Presense of DTDs

SUMMARY Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a popular language for describing the styles of XML documents as well as HTML documents. To resolve conﬂicts among CSS rules, CSS has a mechanism called speciﬁcity. For a DTD D and a CSS code R , due to speciﬁcity R may contain “unsatis-ﬁable” rules under D , e.g., rules that are not applied to any element of any document valid for D . In this paper, we consider the problem of detecting unsatisﬁable CSS rules under DTDs. We focus on CSS fragments in which descendant, child, adjacent sibling, and general sibling combinators are allowed. We show that the problem is coNP-hard in most cases, even if only one of the four combinators is allowed and under very restricted DTDs. We also show that the problem is in coNP or PSPACE depending on restrictions on DTDs and CSS. Finally, we present four conditions under which the problem can be solved in polynomial time.
Online dense activity detection

School of Computer Science and Technology, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin, China Tianjin Key Laboratory of Autonomous Intelligence Technology and System, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin, China Tianjin International Joint Research and Development Center of Autonomous Intelligence Technology and System, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin, China Department of Computer Engineering, Ajou University, Suwon, South Korea
マウスの中枢コリン作動性神経機構および行動に及ばすカーバメイト薬, BPMC, の影響

O-sec-butylphenyl methylcarbamate (BPMC), an anticholinesterase carbamate, was injected once (100mg/kg, s.c.) or repeatedly (50mg/kg/day for 10 days) into mice. Animals were examined for their behavior and for parameters of cholinergic activity in the forebrain. Mice that received only a single injection exhibited reduced ambulation, hypothermia, and impairment of rotarod performance for up to 3 hr after a single injection. BPMC increased levels of acetylcholine (ACh) in the forebrain for up to 6 hr, and decreased acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity for up to 24 hr. Both high-affinity choline uptake (HACU) and binding of [3H] quinuclidinyl benzilate (QNB) were reduced 20 min after a single injection without any effect on choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity. In behavioral tests conducted 10 min prior to the daily injections, rotarod performance and ambulation were slightly impaired for a few days before and after cessation of injection. Repeated treatment decreased HACU and binding of [3H] QNB for 24 hr after the final injection without any changes in levels of ACh content, AChE activity and ChAT activity. BPMC may reversibly impair cholinergic functions through effects not only on AChE activity but also on HACU and binding of [3H] QNB.
Cold start analysis of an engine coolant-MWCNT nanofluid: Synthesis and viscosity behavior under shear stress

During cold start of internal combustion engines, coolant temperature, and thermal conductivity are key parameters in the heat transfer processes that ultimately affect pollutant emissions and engine performance. Hereupon the use of coolants with suspended nanoparticles, to enhance thermal conductivity, emerged as a promising technology. However, for Newtonian materials, viscosity also increases with nanoparticle concentration. To overcome increased pumping power, the use of non-Newtonian nanofluids makes such application potentially feasible, specifically for shear-thinning materials, in which a higher shear rate leads to reducing shear viscosity due to higher shear stress. Accordingly, a nanofluid, suitable for engine cooling (0.2 wt.% MWCNT-engine coolant/distilled water 30/70 v/v%), was here fabricated and mapped. Shear rate and temperature were varied, with focus on cold start investigation. Shear thinning and shear thickening regions were mapped according to the shear rate levels, for each temperature considered. The nanofluid behaved as shear-thinning material for the entire range of temperatures (−10°C–25°C). Above shear rates of 500 s−1 and flow curves with temperatures below −5°C, a prominent shear thickening behavior was observed. Additionally, the relative apparent viscosity data were compared with four classical models. Regarding the curve fitting parameters of a modified Herschel-Bulkley equation, above 0°C, the apparent yield stress, σ 0 , was invariant with temperature. Besides, for the temperature range from 0°C to 20°C, the flow index remained approximately constant. For temperatures above −5°C, infinite-shear-rate viscosity and consistency index presented a linear decrease and a third-degree polynomial-like behavior, respectively.
Development and Validation of Qualitative and Quantitative Analytical Method for Identification and Analysis of Amphetamines by Gas Chromatography

During the last few years there has been an increase in consumption of psychostimulants, substances that augment brain activity, in Brazil and around the world. It’s noted that the utilization of these substances involves not only medical need, but also recreational purposes, being the latter identified as indication of substance abuse. Among these stimulants, there are anorexigenics, such as amphetamines and derivatives. Amphetamines are drugs that stimulate the central nervous system, capable of generating euphoric states, enhanced vigilance, endurance and anorexia. Adulteration is a very similar phenomenon within the drug market. For this, it is always a challenge for police intelligence to develop accurate, robust and especially cheap analytical techniques in order to unravel the pattern of drug tampering. Here we demonstrate a highly reliable, reproducible and low-cost method, namely the use of flame-ionized gas chromatography for detection and quantification of amphetamines. Standardization of our method was based on analysis of amphetamine, methamphetamine, amfepramone, methylenedioxymethamphetamine and fenproporex. Calibration curve linearity for each of the analytes was obtained by injecting five replicates of the following concentrations: 1000 μg. mL-1, 500 μg. mL-1, 250 μg. mL-1, 125 μg. mL-1, 75 μg. mL-1, 50 μg. mL-1, 25 μg. mL-1 and 10 μg. mL-1. Adherence to established parameters were followed throughout. The calibrations curves corresponding to amphetamine, MDMA and amfepramone presented a correction linear coefficient of (r2) = 0.9991906, (r2) = 0.9993966 and (r2) = 0.9996338 and another validation parameters also meet the requirements of regulatory bodies.
Visualization and characterization of dynamic patterns of flow, growth and activity of biofilms growing in porous media

Using a mesoscale porous media flat plate reactor we utilized a naturally bioluminescent biofilm ( V. fischeri ) and dye studies to obtain valuable information on the interactions between biofilms and reactive flow in porous media. The growth and development of the V. fischeri biofilm in a porous media geometry was studied using digital time lapse images of the bioluminescent signal given off by the developing biofilm. The effect of biofilm development on porous media hydrodynamics was examined using dye tracer studies and image analysis. The natural bioluminescence of the V. fischeri allowed real-time, in-situ study of biofilm development in porous media, without destruction of the biofilm. Dye studies and image analysis enabled the study of effects of biofilm accumulation on porous media hydraulics, with comparisons to plug flow and completely mixed systems with varying degrees of biofilm accumulation. The real-time nature of the study permitted us to visualize dynamic flow channel formation within the biofilm/porous media system. In addition, the sensitivity of the V. fischeri biofilm to dissolved oxygen allowed us to capture real-time images of reactive transport within the system. This work is the first meso-scale visualization of the interactions between biofilm and flow in porous media.
Using Molecular Design to Influence Intermolecular Interactions

Using Molecular Design to Influence Intermolecular Interactions Christine Laura Schenck This thesis describes the impact of molecular design on intermolecular interactions. Chapter 2 explores tuning the properties of contorted hexabenzocoronene (HBC) derivatives to improve photovoltaic performance. First, the interaction between contorted HBC derivatives with varying degrees of “bowl” character and fullerenes are explored in solution. Association constants were determined by fluorescence quenching experiments with fullerenes C70, C60, and PhenylC61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM). NMR titration experiments mimic fluorescence quenching results that suggest that association in solution increases with shape-complementarity between donor and acceptor. Second, efforts towards the synthesis of azulene HBC, an HBC derivative with red-shifted absorption, are discussed. Calculations of this target molecule and a selected intermediate are compared to those of the parent contorted HBC. Finally, an azulene HBC synthetic intermediate is explored as a potential sensor. Chapter 3 presents a study of the single molecule conductance of cobalt chalcogenide clusters. The synthesis of cobalt chalcogenide clusters decorated with a variety of conjugated molecular connectors was developed. Single molecule conductance of these clusters was shown to take place through the molecular connectors, and was tunable by controlling the substitution of the connectors. The tunability of cluster conductance that was demonstrated in the single molecule experiments was shown to extend to thin film experiments in chapter 4. Preliminary investigation into the mechanism of conductance of these films is discussed. In chapter 5, a family of nickel telluride clusters with a variety of ligands is synthesized. The X-ray crystal structures of these clusters are analyzed and insight into how ligand sterics and electronics influence the final cluster structure is discussed.
Genomic regions controlling yield-related traits in spring wheat: A mini review and a case study for rainfed environments in Australia and China.

A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed in six environments to identify major or consistent alleles responsible for wheat yield traits in Australia and North China where rainfed farming system is adopted. A panel of 228 spring wheat varieties were genotyped by double digest restriction-site associated DNA genotyping-by-sequencing. A total of 223 significant marker-trait association (MTAs) and 46 candidate genes for large- or consistent-effect MTAs were identified. The results were compared with previous studies based on a mini-review of 23 GWAS analyses on wheat yield. A phenomenon seldom reported in previous studies was that MTAs responsible for the trait tended to cluster together at certain chromosome segments, and many candidate genes were in the form of gene clusters. Although linkage disequilibrium (LD) might contribute to the co-segregation of the regions, it also suggested that marker-assisted selection (MAS) or transgenic method targeting a single gene might not be as effective as MAS targeting a larger genomic region where all the genes or gene clusters underlying play important roles.