Search

This paper proposes the design of an approximated fractional-order low-pass Bessel filter using various optimisation techniques. Simulated annealing (SA), nonlinear least square (NLS), and firefly ...

Fireflies use bioluminescent flashes to establish a dialogue between conspecific males and females. Through this dialogue, receptive females attract conspecific males for mating. In most firefly sp...

Excursions to the estimated 55 firefly sanctuaries of Mexico have seen phenomenal growth in the past decade. Visits to three firefly entomotourism destinations in the state of Tlaxcala (Canto del B...

This article examines the concept of the post‐Western and its presence in contemporary American television. The displacement of the Western myth in these series allows their creators to take the au...

Records of fireflies are numerous in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah although little is known regarding the firefly population in Sarawak. Thus, the aim of this study is to document the diversity and...

Water distribution networks (WDN) have been a topic of discussion among scientists and researchers since a long time because of the complexity involved in its engineering design and also be...

The purpose of this study was to estimate the economic value of Muju (a county in South Korea) firefly (Lampyridae) designated as a natural monument in Korea. To estimate the value of firefly, cont...

Array antennas play an important role in different communication systems. In the synthesis of array antennas, different important parameters like pattern shape, side lobe level reduction, p...

Populations of the iconic, synchronously flashing firefly, Pteroptyx tener (Coleoptera: Lampyridae), are increasingly being threatened by habitat destruction and land conversion activities in Malay...

Magnetic resonance imaging segmentation refers to a process of assigning labels to set of pixels or multiple regions. It plays a major role in the field of biomedical applications as it is ...

A comparative study is presented for the latest bio-inspired optimization algorithms, known as bacterial foraging, firefly, cuckoo search, krill herd, and cuttlefish algorithms. This study also included the more established genetic and particle swarm optimization methods. These algorithms are then applied to a partial-fraction model fitting of tabulated measured dielectric function data for noble metals at optical wavelengths.

We report the complete mitochondrial genome of firefly, Diaphanes citrinus (Olivier). The circular genome of 18,594 bp and has a base composition of A (41.26%), C (11.64%), G (10.18%), T (36.92%). ...

We report the complete mitochondrial genome of Firefly, Abscondita chinensis. The circular genome of 16,309 bp and has a base composition of A (43.63%), C (11.53%), G (8.50%), T (36.31%). Similar t...

—This article presents a novel algorithm for optimal planning of a dispatchable distributed generator connected to the distribution networks. The proposed algorithm modifies the traditional firefly method to be able to deal with the practically constrained optimization problems by proposing formulas for tuning the algorithm parameters and updating equations. The proposed algorithm rigidly determines the optimal location and size of the distributed generation units in order to minimize the system power loss without violating the system practical constraints. Moreover, the optimal distributed generator location and minimum size for achieving a certain specified power loss are determined using the proposed method and compared to the results of a proposed heuristic technique. The distributed generation units in the proposed algorithms are modeled as voltage controlled nodes with the flexibility to be converted to constant power nodes in the case of reactive power limit violation. The proposed algorith...

We report the complete mitochondrial genome of firefly, Asymmetricata circumdata (Motschulsky).The circular genome of 15,967 bp has a base composition of A (42.44%), C (12.83%), G (8.79%) and T (36.16%). Similar to other Metazoa, our sequence contains 13 protein-coding genes. All 13 protein-coding genes were initiated by the ATN (ATT, ATA and ATG) codon. Eight protein-coding genes stopped with TAA or TAG codon and the other 5 genes have an incomplete termination codon, a single T. We sequenced the mitochondrial genome of fireflies to analyze phylogenetic relationships and deduce the evolution of their flashing signals.

Firefly algorithm is a bio-inspired optimization algorithm which has been empirically demonstrated to perform well on many optimization problems. However, it can easily get trapped in the local optima and causes low precision. Therefore, improvement of this disadvantage is the very important. In this paper, we propose a wise strategy for step setting, which considers the information of firefly's personal and the global best positions. The results show that the modified algorithm enhances the performance of the basic firefly algorithm.

This article considers a particular case of the capacitated job shop scheduling problem (CJSP) regarding sequence-dependent setup cost. At first, to formulate this problem a new mixed-integer programming (MIP) model is presented that minimises the sum of tardiness cost, overtime cost and setup cost. Then, due to the complexity of this problem, two novel hybrid approaches are developed to solve medium and large size problems. These proposed approaches are made based on two different combinations of tabu search and firefly algorithms: (i) integrated and (ii) hierarchical combination. Also, to improve the quality of solutions, in each step of the hybrid algorithms, an effective heuristic is proposed. This heuristic reduces the overtime costs of operations by efficient use of the operation’s slack. Moreover, to obtain better and more robust solutions, the Taguchi method is used to calibrate the parameters of the hybrid algorithms. Finally, the computational results are provided for evaluating the performance ...

In his brief introduction, Ian Graham notes that human interaction with and efforts to understand and use the seas have been key historical forces that informed ship design over the course of marit...

We report the complete mitochondrial genome of firefly, Luciola curtithorax. The circular genome of 16,882 bp has a base composition of A (44.98%), C (11.84%), G (8.15%), and T (35.03%). Our sequence is similar to other Metazoa, which contains 13 protein-coding genes. All 13 protein-coding genes were initiated by the ATN (ATT, ATA, and ATG) codon. Ten protein-coding genes stopped with TAA or TAG codon and the other three genes have an incomplete termination codon, a single T––. We sequenced the mitochondrial genome of fireflies to analyze phylogenetic relationships and deduce the evolution of their flashing signals.

We report the complete mitochondrial genome of firefly, Abscondita anceyi (Olivier). The circular genome of 16,519 bp has a base composition of A (43.81%), C (11.80%), G (8.35%), and T (36.03%). Similar to other Metazoa, our sequence contains 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, and a non-coding AT-rich region. We sequenced the mitochondrial genome of fireflies to analyse phylogenetic relationships and deduce the evolution of their flashing signals.

We report the complete mitochondrial genome of firefly, Pteroptyx maipo. The circular genome of 16,127 bp has a base composition of A (44.22%), C (11.60%), G (8.23%) and T (35.96%). Our sequence is...

Since the introduction of robotic technology, there have been significant changes to the field of gynecologic oncology. The number of minimally invasive procedures has drastically increased, with robotic procedures rising remarkably. With recent evidence suggesting that minimally invasive techniques should be the standard of care for early endometrial and cervical cancers, the push for new technology and advancements has continued. Several emerging robotic technologies have significant potential in the field of gynecologic oncology. The single-site robotic platform enables robotic surgery through a single incision; the Firefly camera detects the fluorescent dye indocyanine green, which may improve sensitivity in sentinel lymph node biopsy; and a robotic vessel-sealing device and stapler will continue to improve efficiency of the robotic surgeon.

We will report the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Japanese firefly ‘Heike Botaru’, Luciola lateralis (Coleoptera: Lampyridae). Total length of this mitogenome was 16,719 bp and the composition of each base was A (42.50%), C (9.01%), G (14.16%), T (34.33%), respectively. The obtained sequence fulfils general mitogenome composition of metazoan (13 protein coding sequences (CDSs), 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA subunits, and an AT-rich region). From the phylogenetic tree analysis using 25 kinds of insect mitogenome including firefly family was found that L. lateralis is the closest to the genus Aquatica.

We performed mitogenome analysis of Japanese firefly Luciola cruciata (Coleoptera: Lampyridae), which is unique species in Japan. It is classified into six haplotypes based on the difference of COII sequence on mitochondrial DNA. The complete mitogenome sequence of Tohoku group has been registered so far, we newly analysed West Japan groups which belong to different haplotype. The total length of analysed mitogenome was 15,990 bp, being one base longer than the case of Tohoku’s firefly. The base substitution was found at 273 positions over the whole mitochondrial sequence, while amino acid substitution accompanying it was observed at only 11 positions.

Alike, yet different; the titles of these two new works link them together, but from there they diverge. Postmortem: Establishing the Cause of Death, by Steven Koehler and Cyril Wecht, two forensic...

By Coral Bracho Translated by Forrest Gander New York: New Directions, 2008 After the publication of her critically-acclaimed second book El ser que va a morir (Being toward Death) in 1981, Coral B...

Scholars of Japan like to point out that the Japanese are interested in tamed (miniature trees, ikebana, gardens) as opposed to wild nature, and that for the Japanese, culture and nature are not mutually exclusive concepts. Moreover, there hardly seems to be any direct relationship between the Japanese sensitivity to nature and Japanese environmental behaviour. Bearing these general assumptions in mind, this paper analyzes the changes in the relationship between the Japanese and animals through two recent movements in Japan: firefly protection and fly fishing.This study is based on interviews and participant observation among several firefly protection groups in the Kansai area from 1989 to 1997, among fly-fishing fishermen, and in fishing cooperatives of Gifu prefecture since 1997. In order to ascertain tendencies regarding new shifts in attitudes toward animals, specific observations regarding each of these issues will be disregarded so as to deal only with the commonalities. The similarities be...

Protein phosphatases are classified into types 1 (PP1) and 2 (PP2A, 2B, and 2C). We have already established a new analysis method for PP2A inhibitors by using the firefly bioluminescence system for detection. This method was successfully applied to determine the PP1γ inhibitory activity of known inhibitors, i.e., calyculin A, microcystin-LR, and tautomycin, requiring less than 10 pmol of a sample.

Prevention of microbial beer spoilage is an important area both in terms of cost and product quality. Brewery hygiene is maintained through the use of sophisticated in-place cleaning systems. An assay, based on a lightemitting reaction from the American firefly (Thotinus pyralis), can now be used to monitor the effectiveness of cleaning and sterilization within minutes. Previously results were obtained 2–3 days after cleaning. Although developed only recently, the technique is now routinely used in a number of breweries.

by Andrew Ross. Firefly Books, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada; www.fireflybooks.com. 112 pages; 2010; $29.95 (hardbound). Andrew Ross is the principal curator of paleobiology at the National Museum...

A rapid, sensitive firefly bioluminescence ATP assay using a liquid scintillation counter for measurement of assay light output is described. The use of partially purified luciferase and synthetic ...

Sericesthis geminata (Boisduval) is a nocturnal, eucalypt‐defoliating scarabaeid beetle. Its eye, like that of many other nocturnal arthropods, is of the ‘clear‐zone’ type, in which dioptric apparatus and receptor layer are separated by a region devoid of pigment. The eye is unusual, however, in possessing a tiered retinula, consisting of a distal rhabdomere, a proximal rhabdom, and a small basal rhabdomere. The distal rhabdomere, located directly above the proximal rhabdom, belongs to a single retinula cell whose microvilli are arranged in a complicated pattern and in 3 main directions. The diameter of the distal rhabdomere is extremely large, and its microvilli are approximately twice as thick as those of the proximal rhabdom, which measure 70–75 nm. The proximal rhabdom comprises 6 fused, V‐shaped rhabdomeres, and resembles that of the firefly. Cell migrations in response to dark/light adaptation were not observed. The presence of a large, distal rhabdomere, the unique tri‐ or polydirectional arrangeme...

Display life of Leucospermum cv. Firefly is restricted by foliage damage. Treatment with sucrose solutions, either continuously during display (1% sucrose) or for a 24 h pulse treatment at 20° C (5% sucrose), failed to reduce leaf desiccation. Continuous 5% sucrose treatment induced more severe leaf damage and reduced leaf display life further, whereas flower head display was increased greatly with continuous sucrose treatments. Preservatives improved the water balance (expressed as nett water loss) of inflorescences during display life, but failed to reduce the rapid decline in water uptake that occurred during the first days of display. During continuous treatment, transpiration was reduced, possibly as a result of greater leaf damage in treated inflorescences.

This investigation was designed to explore the effects of microwaves on the adenosine triphosphate levels of liver hepatocytes. Chinese hamster littermates were irradiated with 2450 MHz microwave radiation at a power density of 50 mW/cm2 for 30 minutes to 4.5 hours over a period of 1 to 21 days. The animals were sacrificed immediately after the last exposure. Adenosine triphosphate levels per gram weight of tissue were measured by using luciferin firefly extract. It was found that, under these conditions, there was no significant difference between control and experimental animals, when littermates were used in each of the above groups.

The principal's main chance lies in training on the job. The principal about whom I am going to speak today has a superintendent who believes that his principals should spend only one hour a day on paper work and the rest of their time on the real problems of the school. To that end he asks for as few reports as possible. Before issuing report blanks he scrutinizes them with the most stubborn care to detect all queries which are not absolutely necessary, and he rigidly follows the policy of providing enough clerical help in the offices of his principals to care for every necessary detail that a clerk can attend to. I am about to describe the opportunities of a principal who, when relieved of office-routine-paper work, has a passion for working upon his real problems. The principal who prefers office routine to a pulsating human environment can be dragged from his office by no administrative machinery. His routine duties hold him as the magnet holds the steel. More clerks mean less leisure because he must find work for them to do. For such, fewer reports mean greater care devoted to them ; his hour must be filled. But the principal with a passion for human contacts seizes the opportunity to close his desk and meet the vital problems as they come. When he thinks of his work he does not visualize his paper work but boys and girls with childish failings and high ideals which flash and die to flash again, like the firefly's lamp in the twilight. He sees his teachers with their problems of instruc tion and discipline, their joyous moments of satisfactions, fol lowed by their long periods of depressing discouragement. He sees the great city of homes from which mothers and fathers send their children to school with seriousness or indifference or flippancy. He sees the parents entering his office with timidity