Southeast Asian clearwing moths buzz like their model bees

Abstract Background The endless struggle to survive has driven harmless species to evolve elaborate strategies of deceiving predators. Batesian mimicry involves imitations of noxious species’ warning signals by palatable mimics. Clearwing moths (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae), incapable of inflicting painful bites or stings, resemble bees or wasps in their morphology and sometimes imitate their behaviours. An entirely unexplored type of deception in sesiids is acoustic mimicry. We recorded the buzzing sounds of two species of Southeast Asian clearwing moths, Heterosphecia pahangensis and H. hyaloptera and compared them to their visual model bee, Tetragonilla collina, and two control species of bees occurring in the same habitat. Recordings were performed on untethered, flying insects in nature. Results Based on eight acoustic parameters and wingbeat frequencies calculated from slow-motion videos, we found that the buzzes produced by both clearwing moths highly resemble those of T. collina but differ from the two control species of bees. Conclusions Acoustic similarities to bees, alongside morphological and behavioural imitations, indicate that clearwing moths display multimodal mimicry of their evolutionary models

Proposta de Acompanhamento, Avaliação e Melhoria Dos Programas de Pós-Graduação de uma Universidade Federal.

A atuação da CAPES é fundamental na expansão e consolidação da pós-graduação stricto sensu no Brasil, corroborando com o desenvolvimento e a melhoria da qualidade dos cursos ofertados pelas IES. A avaliação possui papel importante no âmbito decisório de uma instituição, fornecendo informações para diferentes atores, em diferentes níveis e finalidades. Tratando-se de avaliações de políticas públicas, e considerando a responsabilidade das IFES de proporcionar formação gratuita de qualidade, é fundamental que aja um acompanhamento institucional para o alcance de metas para a promoção do ensino de qualidade, garantindo sua finalidade. A presente pesquisa teve como foco as ações desenvolvidas pela Pró-reitoria de Pesquisa e Pós-graduação (PRPPG) da Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (UFES) em relação ao processo de avaliação e reconhecimento de cursos de pós-graduação realizado pela Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal do Nível Superior (CAPES). O principal objetivo foi descrever quais os aspectos fundamentais para uma proposta de acompanhamento e melhoria da pós-graduação no âmbito da UFES, a fim de alcançar os resultados desejados nas avaliações da CAPES e maior qualidade dos Programas de Pós-graduação (PPG) da instituição. Para alcançar o objetivo proposto, foi necessário compreender o cenário da pós-graduação da UFES a partir da última avaliação quadrienal da CAPES (2013-2016); entender o processo atual de avaliação da pós-graduação realizada pela CAPES e suas tendências; identificar as iniciativas para a melhoria da Pós-graduação pela PRPPG da UFES, a partir do Projeto para Melhoria da Pós-graduação (PROPOS). Em sua metodologia, a pesquisa delineou-se por sua natureza aplicada e abordagem qualitativa, possui caráter bibliográfico e também documental. O cenário da pesquisa foram os Programas de Pós-graduação da UFES e os sujeitos envolvidos docentes que já haviam atuado como avaliadores em processos de avaliação anteriores no âmbito da CAPES. Buscou-se contribuir com os processos de gestão administrativa inerentes à realidade da PRPPG, com ênfase na normatização dos processos de acompanhamento dos PPG. Os resultados mostraram que o acompanhamento de PPG por consultores externos que já atuaram no processo de avaliação da CAPES, auxiliou a minimizar a dificuldade no entendimento pelos coordenadores e colegiados de PG dos indicadores/metas propostos pelo documento de área, disponibilizado pela CAPES como parâmetro para sua sistemática de avaliação. Mostrou-se relevante a institucionalização e a gestão do programa pela PRPPG e o conhecimento do processo pelos coordenadores para o alcance de melhores resultados. A partir dos dados analisados foi possível elaborar uma proposta de instrução que normatize as atividades da PRPPG quanto ao acompanhamento dos PPG, além de gerar um relatório com as principais recomendações dadas pelos consultores de cada área, constituindo assim o produto técnico da pesquisa

Using cloud radar to investigate the effect of rainfall on migratory insect flight

The fate of migrating insects that encounter rainfall in flight is a critical consideration when modelling insect movement, but few field observations of this common phenomenon have ever been collected due to the logistical challenges of witnessing these encounters. Operational cloud radars have been deployed around the world by meteorological agencies to study precipitation physics, and as a byproduct, provide a rich database of insect observations that is freely available to researchers. Although considered unwanted ‘clutter’ by the meteorologists who collect the data, the analysis method presented here enables ecologists to delineate co-occurring signals from insects and raindrops. We present a method that uses image processing techniques on cloud radar velocity spectra to examine the fate of migrating insects when they encounter precipitation. By analysing velocity spectra, we can distinguish flying insects from falling rain and compare the relative density of insects in flight before, during and after the rainfall. We demonstrate the method on a case of insect migration in Oklahoma, USA. Using this method, we show the first reconstructed images of migrating insect layers in flight during rainfall. Our analysis shows that mild to moderate rainfall diminishes the number of insects aloft but does not cause full termination of migratory flight, as has previously been suggested. We hope this technique will spur further investigations of how changing weather conditions impact insect migration, and enable some of the first of such studies in regions of the world that are underrepresented in the literature

Aportes para la construcción de identidad en contextos de encierro

El desafío al que nos enfrentamos es el de co-gestionar una propuesta de extensión con grupos de personas que se encuentran en una especial situación de vulnerabilidad. Este desafío es aún mayor si, como en nuestro caso, tratamos de hacer confluir y no de yuxtaponer el aporte de cada una de nuestras disciplinas específicas (arte y derecho) en contextos no formales de educación (instituciones cerradas de personas privadas de libertad, internos hospitalizados y jóvenes de centros convivenciales abiertos y cerrados). El objetivo es ambicioso: la expresión artística en distintas modalidades de talleres interdisciplinarios como ejercicio de un derecho humano en sí misma  (incluyendo  las facetas de trasferencia y replicabilidad) y a su vez, como espacio de empoderamiento (rescate de la subjetividad avasallada por el disciplinamiento institucional). La posibilidad de autofortalecimiento de la identidad individual y colectiva, de cada destinatario del proyecto, como campo de poder en disputa. En lo antedicho se inscribe la meta de adquisición y desarrollo de herramientas que puedan facilitar su incorporación (más o menos próxima en el tiempo) al medio libre con una alternativa laboral mediante formas asociativas/cooperativas de producción. Están en juego aquí la elaboración de una alternativa sustentable en la construcción del conocimiento y objeto de vinculación, atravesada por un discurso jurídico-artístico-político de sostenimiento de la autovaloración individual y grupal, apuntalando los propios proyectos de vida y con acceso a la información útil a través de la práctica solidaria

Influence of oxidant agent on syngas composition: gasification of hazelnut shells through an updraft reactor

Thermophysical properties of engineering fluids have proven in the past to be essential for the design of physical and chemical processing and reaction equipment in the chemical, metallurgical, and allied industries, as they influence directly the design parameters and performance of plant units in the of, for example, heat exchangers, distillation columns, phase separation, and reactors. In the energy field, the search for the optimization of existing and alternative fuels, either using neutral or ionic fluids, is an actual research and application topic, both for new applications and the sustainable development of old technologies. One of the most important drawbacks in the industrial use of thermophysical property data is the common discrepancies in available data, measured with different methods, different samples, and questionable quality assessment. Measuring accurately the thermal conductivity of fluids has been a very successful task since the late 1970s due to the efforts of several schools in Europe, Japan, and the United States. However, the application of the most accurate techniques to several systems with technological importance, like ionic liquids, nanofluids, and molten salts, has not been made in the last ten years in a correct fashion, generating highly inaccurate data, which do not reflect the real physical situation. It is the purpose of this paper to review critically the best available techniques for the measurement of thermal conductivity of fluids, with special emphasis on transient methods and their application to ionic liquids, nanofluids, and molten salts

Swirling astrophysical flows - efficient amplifiers of Alfven waves

We show that a helical shear flow of a magnetized plasma may serve as an efficient amplifier of Alfven waves. We find that even when the flow is purely ejectional (i.e., when no rotation is present) Alfven waves are amplified through the transient, shear-induced, algebraic amplification process. Series of transient amplifications, taking place sequentially along the flow, may result in a cascade amplification of these waves. However, when a flow is swirling or helical (i.e., some rotation is imposed on the plasma motion), Alfven waves become subject to new, much more powerful shear instabilities. In this case, depending on the type of differential rotation, both usual and parametric instabilities may appear. We claim that these phenomena may lead to the generation of large amplitude Alfven waves and the mechanism may account for the appearance of such waves in the solar atmosphere, in accretion-ejecion flows and in accretion columns. These processes may also serve as an important initial (linear and nonmodal) phase in the ultimate subcritical transition to MHD Alfvenic turbulence in various kinds of astrophysical shear flows.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication (25-11-02) in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Understanding and engineering enzymes for enhanced biofuel production.

Today, carbon-rich fossil fuels, primarily oil, coal and natural gas, provide 85% of the energy consumed in the United States. The release of greenhouse gases from these fuels has spurred research into alternative, non-fossil energy sources. Lignocellulosic biomass is renewable resource that is carbon-neutral, and can provide a raw material for alternative transportation fuels. Plant-derived biomass contains cellulose, which is difficult to convert to monomeric sugars for production of fuels. The development of cost-effective and energy-efficient processes to transform the cellulosic content of biomass into fuels is hampered by significant roadblocks, including the lack of specifically developed energy crops, the difficulty in separating biomass components, the high costs of enzymatic deconstruction of biomass, and the inhibitory effect of fuels and processing byproducts on organisms responsible for producing fuels from biomass monomers. One of the main impediments to more widespread utilization of this important resource is the recalcitrance of cellulosic biomass and techniques that can be utilized to deconstruct cellulosic biomass

Abrupt fault detection and isolation for gas turbine components based on a 1D convolutional neural network using time series data

The FDI step identifies the presence of a fault, its level, type, and possible location. Gas turbine gas-path fault detection and isolation can improve the availability and economy of gas turbine components. Data-driven FDI methods are studied in this paper. Some notable gas turbine FDI challenges include: insensitivity to operating conditions, robust separation of faults, noisy sensor readings and missing data, reliable fault detection in time-varying conditions, and the influence of performance gradual deterioration. For conventional ML methods, the problem with handling time series data is its volume and the associated computational complexity; therefore, the available information must be appropriately compressed via the transformation of high-dimensional data into a low-dimensional feature space with minimal loss of class separability. In order to improve the detection and isolation sensitivity, this paper develops a method for FDI based on CNNs. Work in this paper includes: (1) Defining the problem and assembling a dataset. (2) Preparing data for training, validation and test: data generation, feature engineering, data pre-processing, data formatting. (3) Building up the model. (4) Training and validating the model (evaluation protocol). (5) Optimizing: a. deciding the model size. b. regularizing the model by getting more training data, reducing the capacity of the network, adding weight regularization or adding dropout. c. tuning hyperparameters. (6) Evaluation

Boosting cross-border regions through better cross-border transport services. The European case

Cross-border regions are the laboratories of European integration. Daily interactions across European borders let citizens experience the benefits of the European Union (EU) internal market. Still, many border barriers continue to prevent individuals and organisations from exploiting the full-potential of European border regions and the benefits of a more integrated European territory. Amongst these barriers are the absence or inappropriate supply of cross-border public transport services. In this context, this paper presents potential policy tools to increase border permeability related to cross-border public transport as well as practical results from a few case-studies implemented across Europe.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

High-resolution MCP-TimePix3 imaging/timing detector for antimatter physics

We present a hybrid imaging/timing detector for force sensitive inertial measurements designed for measurements on positronium, the metastable bound state of an electron and a positron, but also suitable for applications involving other low intensity, low energy beams of neutral (antimatter)-atoms, such as antihydrogen. The performance of the prototype detector was evaluated with a tunable low energy positron beam, resulting in a spatial resolution of approximate t