16 research outputs found

    Selection on Floral Morphology and Environmental Determinants of Fecundity in a Hawk Moth-Pollinated Violet

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    This paper presents the results of a 5—yr field study on the determinants of individual variation in maternal fecundity (seed production) in the narrowly endemic violet Viola cazorlensis (Violaceae), at a southeastern Spanish locality. Flowers of this species are characterized by a very long, thin spur and broad morphological variability, and are pollinated by a single species of day—flying hawk moth (Macroglossum stellatarum; Lepidoptera, Sphingidae). The primary aim of this investigation was to answer the question, What are the relative importances, as explanations of individual differences in fecundity, of variability in floral traits and of other fecundity determinants that are of an extrinsic nature, such as microhabitat type and interactions with herbivores? The floral morphology of individual V. cazorlensis plants was characterized by means of both "conventional," linear measurements of the size of flower parts (petals, spur, peduncle), and shape analysis of corolla outline (using thin—plate splines relative warps analysis). Spatial (among substrate types) and temporal (among years) patterns of variation in flower, fruit, and seed production by V. cazorlensis plants are described, with particular emphasis on the comparative effects of floral morphology, herbivory (by mammalian ungulates and two species of lepidopteran larvae), and substrate type (rock cliffs, bare rocks at ground level, and sandy soils), on cumulative seed production at the individual plant level. Cumulative seed production of individual V. cazorlensis plants depended significantly on average floral morphology (both size and shape components), thus revealing the existence of phenotypic selection on the floral morphology of this species at the study population. Among all the floral traits examined, spur length was the only one for which no significant relationship with fecundity was found. Type of substrate largely determined differences between V. cazorlensis plants in the impact of herbivory (plants growing on the soil exhibited the greatest reproductive losses to herbivores), and it also influenced plant size and flower production per reproductive episode. Plant size, in turn, influenced the supra—annual frequency of flowering and the number of flowers produced in each reproductive event. Flower production and herbivory levels significantly influenced (positively and negatively, respectively) fruit number, which was the major direct determinant of seed production. Path analysis revealed that the main determinants of individual variation in cumulative seed production over the study period were, in decreasing order of importance (absolute value of "effect coefficient" in parentheses), cumulative fruit production (0.946), mean flower production per reproductive event (0.868), plant size (0.441), herbivory by ungulates (—0.221), and average score on the first relative warp (0.107), a descriptor of flower shape. After accounting for the effects of substrate type, herbivory, plant size, and flower and fruit production, individual variation in floral morphology (aspects of size and shape) explained a negligible proportion (2.1%) of total individual variation in cumulative fruit production. Phenotypic selection on the floral morphology of V. cazorlensis at the study population, although statistically significant, was therefore almost inconsequential as a source of individual variation in maternal fitness, its effects being heavily "dilute" by the overwhelming influence of other factors. As exemplified by this study, selection on the floral phenotype may often become largely irrelevant in evolutionary terms because other ecological factors are far more important determinants of fitness differences among plants. A realistic assessment of the potential relevance of selection on plant reproductive traits thus requires a quantitative evaluation, in its natural scenario, of the predictable consequences of such selectionPeer reviewe

    Revival and Multiplatform Presentation of Forgotten Religious Heritage Sites in the Project Named “Sacred Past”

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    The objective of the paper is to shed light on the importance of the digital presentation of religious heritage and present the multimedia documentation of a chapel developed within the “Oltári Múlt” (“Sacred Past”, in Hungarian) project. It aims to preserve the values of medieval churches through video documentation. Walls and stones come alive for contemporary visitors, connecting the present with the past. The paper showcases an example of a chapel and how video documentation, virtual tours, and other ICT tools are applied in the project to create a digital narrative with a creative vision and mastermind approach

    Enhanced V-model

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    Typically, software development processes are time consuming, expensive, and rigorous, particularly for safety-critical applications. Even if guidelines and recommendations are defined by sector-specific functional safety standards, development process may not be completed because of excessive costs or insufficient planning. The V-model is one of the most well-known software development lifecycle model. In this study, the V-model lifecycle is modified by adding an intermediate step. The proposed modification is realized by checking the fault diagnosability of each module. The proposed modification provides three advantages: (1) it checks whether the constructed model covers all software requirements related with faults; (2) it decreases costs by early detection of modeling deficiencies before the coding and testing phases; and (3) it enables code simplicity in decision of fault occurrence

    Fraunhofer patterns in magnetic Josephson junctions with non-uniform magnetic susceptibility

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    the development of superconducting memory and logic based on magnetic Josephson junctions relies on an understanding of junction properties and, in particular, the dependence of critical current on external magnetic flux (i.e. Fraunhofer patterns). With the rapid development of Josephson junctions with various forms of inhomogeneous barrier magnetism, Fraunhofer patterns are increasingly complex. In this paper we model Fraunhofer patterns for magnetic Josephson junctions in which the barrier magnetic susceptibility is position-and external-magnetic-field dependent. The model predicts anomalous Fraunhofer patterns in which local minima in the Josephson critical current can be nonzero and non-periodic with external magnetic flux due to an interference effect between magnetised and demagnetised regions

    Designing and validating a cost effective safe network: Application to a PACS system

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    Network security has been a major issue long time ago. Confidentiality, integrity and availability of data are the primary concerns of any network administrator. Recently, several attacks have resulted in huge losses of resources and of data availability. For example, in May 2017, medical entities in the United Kingdom have been paralyzed due to WannaCry ransomware world-wide cyber-attack. Thus, the main objective of this paper is to propose a more secured network architecture that will be designed for the case of the PACS - Picture Archiving and Communication System - that is used for storing and transmitting radiography images and reports through the hospital internal network. This paper presents an off-the-shelf solution based on the concept of one-way link data diode and open source softwares to assure safety and security in a cost effective manner. The novelty of this approach is in the design of a data diode that limits the physical connection to two network interfaces, and eliminates the need for a third network connection needed to provide a carrier signal for the transmitter. This system has shown some latency in data transfer but has increased the safety and the security of files transferred between the PACS network and the external network. © 2019 IEEE
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