Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Timing, duration and symmetry of moult in Cape Gannets

Little has been reported on moult in sulids, including gannets. The Cape Gannet Morus capensis is an endangered seabird endemic to southern Africa. We describe the timing, duration, symmetry and sequence of flight feather moult in Cape Gannets from two breeding colonies and assess whether moult can be used as an index of condition. Using the Underhill-Zucchini model, we estimate moult parameters based on the proportion of feather mass grown. Adult Cape Gannets began primary moult at the beginning of January (2–3 January ± 28 days SD) at both colonies. Primary moult is protracted, with multiple active centres (mean ± SD 1.8 ± 0.8, range 1–4) and 2.0 ± 0.9 feathers growing at the same time (range 1–5). Primary moult is suspended by early June at Malgas Island (estimated duration of moult ± SE, 153.9 ± 4.1 days) and late June at Lambert’s Bay (176.5 ± 5.5 days). Secondary moult commenced in late January and proceeded from two nodal points. Despite more secondaries (3.3 ± 1.9, range 1–8) being grown simultaneously than primaries, 8% of birds were still moulting secondaries at the start of the breeding season. However, it was not certain that these individuals were breeding. Tail moult also overlapped with that of the primaries, with multiple active centres (2.7 ± 1.2, 1–6) and 2.9 ± 1.3 feathers growing at the same time (range 1–8). Almost all primary (98%) and secondary moult (97%) was symmetrical, but there was little symmetry in tail moult (54%). Rectrix symmetry tended to be greater among gannets at Malgas Island (T1: 58%; T2–T6: 67–73%) than at Lambert’s Bay (T1: 50%; T2–T6: 55–66%). Differences in moult duration and perhaps asymmetry between locations may be linked to foraging conditions, given that Lambert’s Bay gannets are thought to be under greater food stress than Malgas birds.
Young people and the news

Journalists, politicians and academics alike argue that children’s engagement with news is important. News not only inform citizens of all ages about important events but also contribute to democratic practices such as civic participation. Consequently, news media are considered central agents in the advancement of children’s well-being in democratic societies (Carter, 2014). Research findings also suggest that news contribute to the socialisation of children into critical and active citizens (van Deth et al., 2011). Furthermore, the reception of children’s news can encourage their prosocial behaviour and engagement (de Leeuw et al., 2015). Yet news are crucial not only for young people’s sense of belonging to society as citizens, but also for children’s innate curiosity about the world. The importance of freedom of opinion and freedom of information for young people is reflected in the United Nations “Convention on the Rights of the Child”: “The child shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of the child’s choice. ” These days, young people’s news services exist in a hypercompetitive media environment (van’t Riet & Kleemans, 2021). Therefore, understanding how children and adolescents use the news, how news can affect young people, and what young audiences expect from news is crucial knowledge for TV editors and producers. This article provides an overview of international research findings related to these questions. NEWS HABITS AND NEWS SOCIALISATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE
Design of the narrow band nonpolarizing antireflection coating illustrated with admittance diagrams

Costich's concept of intersection admittance for s- and p-polarization components of reflectivity of symmetrical three-layer subsystems together with depolarization of the incident medium and the substrate is used to design nonpolarizing narrow band anti-reflection coating. First, incident medium with one layer sub-coating and the substrate with three-layer sub- coating which forms a nonpolarizing structure of defined depolarized effective admittances are discussed. Next, the group of three layers was found which operates as depolarized system with effective admittance which match effective admittances of incident medium and the substrates are discussed. Superimposing of all these subsystems arrive at the design of the seven layer narrow band nonpolarizing anti-reflection coating. Ohmer's algorithm in generalized form by Knittl and Houserkova was used for finding the structure of the matching subsystem. Results of calculations are shown in graphical forms using conjugate s- and p- admittance diagrams.
Surface Gas Permeability of Porous Building Materials: Measurement, Analysis and Applications

In many events affecting our civil infrastructure, such as contamination or weathering, it is likely that only the surfaces of the affected building materials will be available for non-destructive measurements. In this work, we describe and analyze surface gas permeability measurements on a variety of natural and engineered building materials using two types of relatively new, non-destructive surface permeameters. It is shown that the surface gas permeability measurements correlate well with each other and could provide rapid estimates of macroscopic gas permeability and degradation of materials due to weathering. It is hypothesized that surface permeability can be used to predict macroscopic wicking of water. The results indicated that macroscopic wicking correlated reasonably well with surface permeability measurements of uniform materials with low permeabilities such as sandstones and clay brick.
Particle Dampers for Workpiece Chatter Mitigation

It is well known that the chatter stability of a machining process can be improved by increasing the structural damping of the system. To date this approach has been effectively used on various components of the machining system, for example boring bars, milling tools, and the machine structure itself. Various damping treatments have been proposed, including tuned vibration absorbers, active methods, and impact dampers. However, to date there has been little or no work to investigate the issue of particle dampers for this application. This special class of damper comprises a container of thousands of small granular particles which dissipate energy by friction and impact when the container vibrates. The resulting behaviour is highly nonlinear but can provide very high levels of damping across a wide frequency range. In the present study, particle dampers were applied to a workpiece to mitigate chatter during milling, and the limiting critical depth of cut was increased by an order of magnitude. This article gives an overview of the particle damper’s behaviour and key design parameters. Cutting trials employing the device are then described.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Basic constraints from graph theory for dc-to-dc conversion networks

Some theorems in graph theory, which have received little use in circuit theory, are used to derive constraints on the voltage, current, and power associated with the elements in a dc-to-dc conversion network. The result is an insight into the necessary roles of the switches and reactances in the network. The application of the graph theorems to this problem shows their flexibility, and it is expected that they will prove useful in other areas of circuit theory.
The Radial Growth of Picea wilsonii Was More Restricted by Precipitation Due to Climate Warming on Mt. Guandi, China

Transitional climate zones (TCZ) are characterized by instability due to rapid changes in climate and biological variables, and trees growing there are particularly sensitive to climate change. Therefore, knowledge about the shifted relationships of tree growth in response to climate warming will shape regional forest conservation and management strategies. China has experienced rapid warming in recent decades. However, how tree growth in semihumid to semiarid regions, such as the Guandi Mountains, responds to more sophisticated changes in the hydrothermal combination is not yet clear. In this study, we used tree-ring width data from three sites along an elevational gradient in the Guandi Mountains to present the response of Picea wilsonii Mast. radial growth to increasing temperature and elevational differences in the relationship between tree growth and climate. The results indicated that the Guandi Mountains have experienced rapid warming with a clear trend toward aridity. From 1959 to 1995, the radial growth of P. wilsonii was mainly influenced by temperature, while it was controlled by both temperature and precipitation after rapid warming in 1996. From 1959 to 2017, this species showed a generally consistent growth–climate relationship at different elevations in the Guandi Mountains. However, the radial growth of trees at higher elevations had a higher climatic correlation than at lower elevations, and it was more conditioned by higher summer temperatures and precipitation in December of the previous year. These results suggested that P. wilsonii was more susceptible to drought and high temperatures due to a warming climate and that more attention should be devoted to forest management, especially the adverse consequences of summer drought on P. wilsonii.
Assessment of Knowledge on Hemodialysis among Renal Patients

Patient knowledge about hemodialysis is important for effective self-management behaviors. The aim of the present study was to assess the knowledge on hemodialysis among renal patients in selected hospitals of Bhopal. The research design selected for this study was descriptive in nature. The target population for this study was renal patients and the method of sampling was purposive sampling. The sample size was 50. A self-structured questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge and the study findings revealed that knowledge of renal patients regarding hemodialysis was inadequate.
Integrating forest stand projections with wildlife occupancy models to develop a decision support tool

Natural resource managers must often balance multiple objectives on a single property. When these objectives are seemingly conflicting, the manager’s job can be extremely difficult and complex. This paper presents a decision support tool, designed to aid land managers in optimizing wildlife habitat needs while accomplishing additional objectives such as ecosystem restoration or timber production. A growth and yield model, the Forest Vegetation Simulator, is used to project future stand structure based on three management scenarios: no management, active manipulation of species composition through harvesting and underplanting, and single tree selection based on the Proportional-B method. At five-year time steps, predicted forest structure is input into species specific wildlife occupancy models to estimate probability of occurrence. This allows quantification of these species response to the silvicultural prescription. By integrating these two models a unique tool is available for land managers to both gauge the efficacy of their management plans before their implementation and to develop a predicted timeline of forest structure that can be used for comparison in adaptive management.
IMPACT OF ESTABLISHING THE EUROZONE ON ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE

: The paper focuses on the impact of deepening the European integration process or the launch of the euro on the economic performance of the European economy. It points to weak economic growth rates in European economies, thus disproving the assumption of the fathers of the common European currency that the introduction of the euro will lead to higher economic growth rates. It analyses European strategies to make the Eurozone the most competitive economic center in the world, discussing the reasons why these strategies have repeatedly failed. Furthermore, the term secular stagnation in the European context is also debated. The text also discusses the reasons for the weak economic growth of the Eurozone and points to divergent developments in European economies within the Eurozone.
Structural and Biochemical Characterization of Thioredoxin-2 from Deinococcus radiodurans

Thioredoxin (Trx), a ubiquitous protein showing disulfide reductase activity, plays critical roles in cellular redox control and oxidative stress response. Trx is a member of the Trx system, comprising Trx, Trx reductase (TrxR), and a cognate reductant (generally reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, NADPH). Bacterial Trx1 contains only the Trx-fold domain, in which the active site CXXC motif that is critical for the disulfide reduction activity is located. Bacterial Trx2 contains an N-terminal extension, which forms a zinc-finger domain, including two additional CXXC motifs. The multi-stress resistant bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans encodes both Trx1 (DrTrx1) and Trx2 (DrTrx2), which act as members of the enzymatic antioxidant systems. In this study, we constructed Δdrtrx1 and Δdrtrx2 mutants and examined their survival rates under H2O2 treated conditions. Both drtrx1 and drtrx2 genes were induced following H2O2 treatment, and the Δdrtrx1 and Δdrtrx2 mutants showed a decrease in resistance toward H2O2, compared to the wild-type. Native DrTrx1 and DrTrx2 clearly displayed insulin and DTNB reduction activity, whereas mutant DrTrx1 and DrTrx2, which harbors the substitution of conserved cysteine to serine in its active site CXXC motif, showed almost no reduction activity. Mutations in the zinc binding cysteines did not fully eliminate the reduction activities of DrTrx2. Furthermore, we solved the crystal structure of full-length DrTrx2 at 1.96 Å resolution. The N-terminal zinc-finger domain of Trx2 is thought to be involved in Trx-target interaction and, from our DrTrx2 structure, the orientation of the zinc-finger domain of DrTrx2 and its interdomain interaction, between the Trx-fold domain and the zinc-finger domain, is clearly distinguished from those of the other Trx2 structures.
DIFFERENT MULTIPLE INPUT MULTIPLE OUTPUT SYSTEMS

The use of multiple antennas at the transmitter as well as at the receiver can greatly improve the capacity of a wireless link when operating in a rich scattering environment. In such an arrangement all transmitting antennas radiate in the same frequency band so the overall spectral efciency becomes very high. Such a multiple antenna scheme, popularly known as Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) has potential application in wireless local area networks (WLAN) and cellular micro-cells. One reason is that the WLANs and other short range wireless systems often operate in an indoor environment, which offers rich scattering. The other reason is the demand for higher data rates in cellular and WLAN systems to cater for multimedia services. Recently researchers have proposed di erent architectures for materializing the potential of the MIMO scheme. VBLAST (Vertical-Bell Labs Space Time) is a popular architecture that will play an important role in future standardizations. Furthermore, different decoding methods have been proposed for VBLAST. The SVD (Singular Value Decomposition) based system is envisioned as a highly effective MIMO technique in a TDD (Time Division Duplex) framework. Such a system operates by adapting the constellation size across different subchannels. In this work we study the VBLAST and SVD architectures and compare the perfor- mance and computing power requirement of these architectures. Also in this study a new effcient decoding method for the VBLAST architecture is proposed. The original VBLAST decoding method relies on the repetitive computation of the pseudoinverse of the channel matrix. Alternatively, there are methods based on the QR decomposi- tion, the matrix square root etc. Our new decoding method is based on a relatively less known matrix decomposition, the Polar Decomposition. The new method requires less computation and has several other advantages like the possibility of incremental updates, channel rank tracking, etc. We consider three different types of channels: IID random, slow fading and measured channels. The entire work is simulated in the MATLAB environment. The main contribution of this work includes: a comparative study and a head to head comparison of the VBLAST and SVD-based MIMO systems. The application of adaptive modulation in the SVD-based system and the introduction of a new effcient decoding method for the VBLAST system are also included. Simulation results are reported with comments and conclusions.
The Design of a Controller for the Steer-by-Wire System

Drive-by-Wire (DBW) technologies improve conventional vehicle performance and a Steer-by-Wire (SBW) system is one of the DBW technologies. The control algorithm of the SBW system was designed in this paper. To verify the control algorithm, the SBW system is modeled using the bond graph method. The first aim of the control algorithm is controlling the steering wheel assist motor to make the real vehicle's steering feel and for a vehicle designer to adjust the steering feel as he finds necessary. Therefore, torque map is designed to determine the steering wheel reactive torque. The second aim is controlling the front wheel assist motor to improve vehicle's maneuverability and stability by using understeer and oversteer propensity of a vehicle. Furthermore, high performance control algorithm is proposed in this paper and Active Roll Stability Control (ARSC) method is designed as one of the high performance control algorithm.
Exploration von Bibliotheksbeständen mit dynamischer Peephole Navigation

This thesis describes a new way of browsing library collections. Different from conventional browsing in libraries there is no restriction due to the shelving. Instead the user can create and form the structure of the books interactively. In the course of this work a system has been created, which allows an intuitive and interactive access for browsing the library's media. A series of design goals have been developed based on previous works and existing prototypes. Using these goals a browsing landscape has been designed, utilizing metaphors from the real world to make it self-explanatory. The navigation of said landscape works in a natural fashion. With the help of a dynamic peephole the user can walk and use his movements for navigation. In the following evaluation the usability of the system has been tested. The study has been designed and evaluated using the design goals. Based on the findings several suggestions for improvements have been made and presented.
Teachers’ feelings of curriculum ownership: the Estonian case

ABSTRACT The post-Soviet transition agenda in the Baltic states included changing the role of teachers from passive recipients of top-down orders to active curriculum developers who feel ownership over curriculum decision-making. Recent studies have seriously questioned the achievement of this goal. In this article, we aim to elucidate Estonian schoolteachers’ feelings of curriculum ownership as expressed in a questionnaire that asked about their role as curriculum developers and curriculum users. We found that most of the respondents did not express feelings of curriculum ownership. We will discuss the potential reasons for this finding and the implications for further enhancing teachers’ curriculum ownership.
Morpho-histology, endogenous hormone dynamics, and transcriptome profiling in Dacrydium pectinatum during female cone development

Dacrydium pectinatum de Laubenfels is a perennial dioeciously gymnosperm species dominant in tropical montane rain forests. Due to deforestation, natural disasters, long infancy, and poor natural regeneration ability, the population of this species has been significantly reduced and listed as an endangered protected plant. To better understand the female cone development in D. pectinatum, we examined the morphological and anatomical changes, analyzed the endogenous hormone dynamics, and profiled gene expression. The female reproductive structures were first observed in January. The morpho-histological observations suggest that the development of the D. pectinatum megaspore can be largely divided into six stages: early flower bud differentiation, bract primordium differentiation, ovule primordium differentiation, dormancy, ovule maturity, and seed maturity. The levels of gibberellins (GA), auxin (IAA), abscisic acid (ABA), and cytokinin (CTK) fluctuate during the process of female cone development. The female cones of D. pectinatum need to maintain a low level of GA3-IAA-ABA steady state to promote seed germination. The first transcriptome database for female D. pectinatum was generated, revealing 310,621 unigenes. Differential expression analyses revealed several floral (MADS2, AGL62, and LFY) and hormone biosynthesis and signal transduction (CKX, KO, KAO, ABA4, ACO, etc.) genes that could be critical for female cone development. Our study provides new insights into the cone development in D. pectinatum and the foundation for female cone induction with hormones.
Improving Relational Database Upon the Arrival of Storage Hardware with Built-in Transparent Compression

This paper presents an approach to enable relational database take full advantage of modern storage hardware with built-in transparent compression. Advanced storage appliances (e.g., all-flash array) and some latest SSDs (solid-state drives) can perform hardware-based data compression, transparently from OS and applications. Moreover, the growing deployment of hardware-based compression capability in Cloud storage infrastructure leads to the imminent arrival of cloud-based storage hardware with built-in transparent compression. To make relational database better leverage modern storage hardware, we propose to deploy a dual in-memory vs. on-storage page format: While pages in database cache memory retain the conventional row-based format, each page on storage devices has a column-based format so that it can be better compressed by storage hardware. We present design techniques that can further improve the on-storage page data compressibility through additional light-weight column data transformation. We the impact of compression algorithms on the selection of column data transformation techniques. We integrated the design techniques into MySQL/InnoDB by adding only about 600 lines of code, and ran Sysbench OLTP workloads on a commercial SSD with built-in transparent compression. The results show that the proposed solution can bring up to 45% additional reduction on the storage cost at only a few percentage of performance degradation.