Cepaea’ vindobonensis has been shown to be closely related to Caucasotachea in recent molecular studies. The phylogenetic relationships within this clade and especially the phylogenetic position of ‘Cepaea’ vindobonensis were, however, not well resolved. Our phylogenetic analyses on the basis of an increased number of molecular genetic loci from the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes unamb…
The effect of climatic conditions and ionic contamination on the reliability of printed circuit board assembly has been investigated in terms of leakage current (LC) and electrochemical migration susceptibility. The change in LC as a function of relative humidity (RH) and temperature was measured using single components (size 0805) and surface insulation resistance comb patterns precontaminated…
A systematic revision, redescription and a first generic conspectus on a worldwide basis of the scarcely studied plant bug tribe Monaloniini (Insecta: Heteroptera: Miridae: Bryocorinae) is given. This reclassification is of great significance to agriculture as some monaloniines are major pests of cocoa, cashew, tea and other foodplants. A key to genera is given, as well as generic diagnoses …
Hydrozoan cnidarians are widespread in modern environments, but their polyps or hydroids, when not biomineralized, are generally rare in the fossil record. To assess the affinities of four hydrozoan taxa previously described on the basis of supposed fossils of non-biomineralized hydroids, we re-analysed the type specimens of these taxa using a combination of light and electron microscopic tools…
1. ‘Dated-tip’methods ofmolecular dating useDNAsequences sampled at different times, to estimate the age of their most recent common ancestor. Several tests of ‘temporal signal’ are available to determine whether data sets are suitable for such analysis.However, it remains unclear whether these tests are reliable. 2. We investigate the performance of several tests of temporal signal,…
1. The controlled adjustment of body temperature (Tb) by animals in relation to ambient temperature (Ta), or heterothermy, is a phenomenon that has a clear adaptive value. Heterothermy results in a substantial reduction in energy expenditure and water loss, but it also incurs costs, such as the energy cost required for rewarming, energy cost of excretion of metabolic wastes, delayed developm…
1. Secondary hole-nesting birds that do not construct nest holes themselves and hence regularly breed in nest boxes constitute important model systems for field studies in many biological disciplines with hundreds of scientists and amateurs involved. Those research groups are spread overwide geographic areas that experience considerable variation in environmental conditions, and researchers pr…
1. The body condition of free-ranging animals affects their response to stress, decisions, ability to fulfil vital needs and, ultimately, fitness. However, this key attribute in ecology remains difficult to assess, and there is a clear need for more integrativemeasures than the common univariate proxies. 2. We propose a systems biology approach that positions individuals along a gradient fro…
Male stag beetles possess colossal mandibles, which they wield in combat to obtain access tofemales. As with many other sexually selected weapons, males with longer mandibles win more fights. However, variation in the functional morphology of these structures, used in male-male combat, is less well understood. In this study, mandible bite force, gape, structural strength, and potential tradeoff…
1. Understanding species spatial occurrence patterns and their environmental dependence is one of the fundamental goals in ecology and evolution. Often, occurrence models are built with presence-only data because absence data are unavailable. We compare the strengths and limitations of the recently developed presence-only modellingmethod, Maxlike, with themorewidely usedMaxent. 2. In spite …
To endow game characters with more realistic affective behavior, the notion of prospect-based emotions plays an important role: recent literature suggests that emotional states of such agents should not only be triggered by present stimuli, but also by anticipation on future stimuli, and evaluation of past stimuli in the context of these anticipations. Within the current study, an extension of …
1. Integral projectionmodels (IPMs) use information on how an individual’s state influences its vital rates – survival,growth and reproduction – to make population projections. IPMs are constructed from regression models predicting vital rates from state variables (e.g. size or age) and covariates (e.g. environment). By combining regressions of vital rates, an IPM provides mechanistic i…
Brushless doubly fed machine (BDFM) shows promising results for wind power and adjustable-speed drive applications. Due to poor rotor magnetic coupling and relatively high value of slip, core loss is an important factor which can affect the steadystate and dynamic performance of BDFM. Specifically, core loss plays a major role when evaluating the efficiency of the machine. By now, there is no …
The performance of batteries as uninterruptable power sources in any industry cannot be taken for granted. The failures in battery systems of safety-related electric systems can lead to performance deterioration, costly replacement, and, more importantly, serious hazards. The possible failures in battery systems are currently determined through periodic maintenance activities. However, it is de…
Establishing phylogenetic relationships of miniature fishes is challenging in taxa with developmental truncation. Within the Characiformes, developmental truncation appears to be relatively rare, with the Neotropical genus Priocharax being an example. Priocharax includes three miniature species among the smallest of the order and has been hypothesized to belong to the Heterocharacinae. The p…
Comprising about 17 500 described species, bees constitute a well-established clade of pollen-feeding Hymenoptera (Michener 2007). In the last 15 years, our understanding of bee phylogeny and evolution has made great progress due to increasing use of nucleotide sequences and model-based phylogenetic methods (Danforth et al. 2013). Molecular data have provided new insights into phylogenetic r…
1. Speed regulations of watercraft in protected areas are designed to reduce lethal collisions with wildlife but can have economic consequences.We present a quantitative framework for investigating the risk of deadly collisions between boats and wildlife. 2. We apply encounter rate theory to demonstrate how marine mammal–boat encounter rate can be used to predict the expected number of de…
The effect of redundancy on the aging of an efficient maximum distance separable (MDS) parity-protected distributed storage system that consists of MDS-parity protected array of storage units is explored. In light of the experimental evidences and survey data, this paper develops generalized expressions for the reliability of array storage systems based on more realistic time to failure distri…
We investigate the dielectric breakdown of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) interfacial layers compared with SiO2 used in the high-k gate dielectric stacks. We predict the maximum operating voltage for a ten-year lifetime, using extracted values of Weibull β, voltage power law exponent (n), and breakdown voltage. We show that the Al2O3 interface layer reliability is sufficient for it to be considered a…
In numerous cellular applications, cells are transported to specific positions or extracted from complex cell solutions. Therefore, an efficient cell transportation path planner for these applications is important for avoiding collisions with other cells or obstacles. In this paper, a path planning approach to transporting cells using a robot-aided optical manipulation system is presented. Opt…
Multivariate process control in Distributed Sensor Networks (DSNs) is an important and challenging topic. Although a fully deployed sensor network will minimize information loss, the associated sensing cost can be overwhelming. Many efforts have been made to investigate the optimal sensor allocation strategy for different process control applications; however, most of them assume that the sens…
The execution behavior of a system or a product can often be specified by a set of operations (sometimes called tasks, actions or activities). The process to specify these operations seems to be a real challenge in various situations, for example when designing automation systems or keeping track of the work at an emergency department. To be flexible during design and development, is about cop…
This paper is devoted to modeling and analysis ofmultiproduct manufacturing systems with homogeneous exponential machines and finite buffers. In such systems, each machine processes multiple product types with different speeds, but the processing time for each product type is the same on all machines. Buffers are finite, shared for all products. Analytical methods to evaluate the system perfor…
There is a close association between parthenogenesis and polyploidy. For this reason, we undertook a karyological analysis to test whether the parthenogenetic Marmorkrebs, Procambarus fallax forma virginalis, possesses an enlarged set of chromosomes. For this purpose, we karyotyped the Marmorkrebs, the sexual form of P. fallax (together called P. fallax complex), and the closely related species…
Nearctic taxa, which jointly colonized Eurasia and the Maghreb during the Miocene. The strict trophic relationships occurring between the glossiphoniid parasite leech Placobdella costata and its host, the emydid Emys orbicularis, make them a prime example of host–parasite cophylogenetic evolution. In the light of the discovery of the Sicilian cryptic endemic species Emys trinacris, which is t…
Cavitated secretory trichomes are characterized by a short or absent stalk that is connected to a secretory hollow head. They are rare structures in angiosperms; in Fabaceae, they have been recorded in only seven genera, including Bauhinia s.s. Because B. curvula and B. rufa exhibit glands that are responsible for attracting pollinators to flowers, this study aimed to test whether the cavita…
Dysosma species (Berberidaceae, Podophylloideae) are of great medicinal pharmacogenetic importance and used as model systems to study the drivers and mechanisms of species diversification of temperate plants in East Asia. Recently, we have sequenced the transcriptome of the low-elevation D. versipellis. In this study, we sequenced the transcriptome of the high-elevation D. aurantiocaulis and…
Next-generation sequencing and phylogenomics hold great promise for elucidating complex relationships among large plant families. Here, we performed targeted capture of low copy sequences followed by nextgeneration sequencing on the Illumina platform in the large and diverse angiosperm family Compositae (Asteraceae). The family is monophyletic, based on morphology and molecular data, yet many…
Hypogean habitats offer unique opportunities for ecological studies because they are characterized by low abundance and diversity of organisms, they receive low energy inputs, they are relatively stable from a climatic point of view, and they are quite easily modeled. However, given the harsh conditions of the working environment and difficulty of access, very few studies have investigated in …
With the advance of next-generation sequencing techniques, phylogenetic analyses based on genomic data are becoming frequent in plants. However, the efficacy of different methods used to retrieve orthologs for phylogenetic studies based on transcriptome sequences is rarely compared and examined for closely related species with low genetic differentiation. In this study, we used both low-copy ge…
Mammalian enamel, the contact dental tissue,is something of an enigma. It is almost entirely made of hydroxyapatite, yet exhibits very different mechanical behavior to a homogeneous block of the same mineral. Recent approaches suggest that its hierarchical composite form,similar to other biological hard tissues, leads to a mechanical performance that depends very much on the scale of measuremen…
Effective conservation of crop wild relative (CWR) species is essential for the sustainable use and genetic improvement of crop varieties, which offers greater opportunities for world food security, particularly in modern agroecosystems where CWR diversity is under severe threat. Factors such as habitat fragmentation, human disturbances, global climate change, and invasion of harmful alien s…
Studies on chloroplast genomes of ferns and lycophytes are relatively few in comparison with those on seed plants. Although a basic phylogenetic framework of extant ferns is available, relationships among a few key nodes remain unresolved or poorly supported. The primary objective of this study is to explore the phylogenetic utility of large chloroplast gene data in resolving difficult deep …
Miniature inverted repeat transposable elements (MITEs) are the most ubiquitous transposable elements in eukaryotic genomes; they play a prominent role in sequence divergence and genome evolution. There are many wellcharacterized Stowaway‐like MITE families in wheat, but their distribution, abundance, and composition at the chromosome level are still not well understood. In this study, we sys…
It remains unknown how Ostryopsis intermedia B. Tian & J. Q. Liu (Betulaceae) originated in the SE Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP). We examined sequence variations of two maternally inherited chloroplast (cp) DNA fragments and amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP) of 32 populations for this species and two congeners, O. davidiana Decne. and O. nobilis Balf. f. W. W. Sm., distributed i…
Linguistics and genetics always reach similar results in phylogenetic studies of human populations. A previous study found that populations speaking Han Chinese dialects have closer genetic relationships to each other than to neighboring ethnic groups. However, the Pinghua Chinese population from Guangxi is an exception. We have reported that northern Pinghua people are genetically related to p…
Unionoid freshwater mussels have a unique life cyclewith a form of parental care where the larvae are developed and kept inside the gills until release, followed by an obligate parasitic stage on fish. The size and location of the marsupium have been used as important phylogenetic characters in unionoids and in Anodontini its location was described exclusively on the outer demibranchs. Two rece…
The late Ediacaran siliciclastic successions of eastern Newfoundland, Canada, are renowned for their fossils of soft-bodied macro-organisms, which may include some of the earliest animals. Despite the potential importance of such fossils for evolutionary understanding, the taxonomic framework within which Ediacaran macrofossils are described is not clearly defined. Rangeomorphs from a newly di…
This book addresses one of the most interesting techniques used for the non-destructive evaluation of materials: The acoustic emission technique (AET). Compared to other non-destructive testing (NDT) methods, AET can monitor changes in materials behavior over a long time and without moving one of its components i.e. sensors. This makes the technique quite unique along with the ability to detec…
A fi shery managers’ guidebook was fi rst published as an FAO Fisheries Technical Paper in 2002 (Cochrane, 2002) to meet the need for information and guidance on the broad and often complex task of fi sheries management. Based on subsequent experience and feedback gained from publication of the fi rst edition, this new volume, co-published by FAO and Blackwell, has been expanded to provide br…
A novel parameters estimation strategy of interior permanent magnet synchronous machine (IPMSM) for accurate torque control is proposed and investigated in this paper. The difference of q-axis inductance and d-axis inductance is estimated by a PI regulator using the deviation between actual output power and reference power. The estimated difference of dq inductance can be used to achieve maxim…
This paper proposes an approach to improve surface-type classification of images containing inconsistently illuminated surfaces. When a mobile inspection robot is visually inspecting surface-types in a dark environment and a directional light source is used to illuminate the surfaces, the images captured may exhibit illumination variance that can be caused by the orientation and distance of the…
Competition and demand for consistent and high-quality product have spurred the development of quality prediction methods for industrial manufacturing processes. Multiplicity of phases is, in general, common nature of many batch manufacturing processes. Considering that different phases may have different effects on qualities, one of the key issues is how to partition the whole batch process …
In this paper, two adaptive observer-based strategies are proposed for control of nonlinear processes using input/output (I/O) data. In the two strategies, pseudo-partial derivative (PPD) parameter of compact form dynamic linearization and PPD vector of partial form dynamic linearization are all estimated by the adaptive observer, which are used to dynamically linearize a nonlinear system. The …
The ubiquity of cloud applications requires the meticulous design of cloud networks with high quality of service, low costs, and low CO2 emissions. This paper presents a planning problem and an extremely efficient tabu search heuristic for optimizing the locations of cloud data centers and software components while simultaneously finding the information routing and network link capacities. The …
Mate, prey, and predator recognition often depend on the integration of information from multiple sensory modalities including visual, auditory,and/or olfactory inputs. In Crotalinae, the eyes sense visible light while the pit organs detect infrared (IR) radiation. Previous studies indicate that there is significant overlap between the eye and pit sensory fields and that both senses are involve…
Genome-scale sequence data have become increasingly available in the phylogenetic studies for understanding the evolutionary histories of species. However, it is challenging to develop probabilistic models to account for heterogeneity of phylogenomic data. The multispecies coalescent model describes gene trees as independent random variables generated from a coalescence process occurring alo…
Alpha‐amylases play essential roles in germination, and the malting and brewing processes, by hydrolyzing starch granules present in the endosperm of barley. Hordeum spontaneum C. Koch, the progenitor of cultivated barley that harbors rich genetic diversity, was collected from seven different environments. To investigate the influence of microclimatic ecological divergence on a‐amylase, s…
As the field of ancient DNA (aDNA) enters its third decade, it is perhaps time to reflect on the amazing transformation that it has undergone. Early analyses of aDNA focused on mitochondrial and/or chloroplast DNA, which were abundantly available in the cell, making retrieval and reproducibility much easier. Study of mitochondrial DNA through time allows evolutionary relationships between sp…
An important model of a conserved gene cluster is called the gene team model, in which a chromosome is defined to be a permutation of distinct genes and a gene team is defined to be a set of genes that appear in two or more species, with the distance between adjacent genes in the team for each chromosome always no more than a certain threshold d. A gene team tree is a succinct way to represent …