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To improve the process controllability and fabrication uniformity of porous silicon (PS)-based electron emission devices (EEDs), we employed an epitaxial (epi) silicon film as the functional layer, leveraging its advantages of high crystalline quality and flexibility of resistivity modulation regardless of the substrate. Precise modulation of the epi film resistivity was achieved via ion implantation. We investigated the effects of resistivity modulation on the fabrication process and device performance. This scheme enabled the formation of PS through electrochemical etching without illumination, and therefore etch self-termination. As a direct result, the etching uniformity in both the vertical and horizontal directions is enhanced. It then facilitated the optimization of the oxidation of the PS surface, which is essential for EED performance. The devices exhibited a maximum electron emission current density (Je) of 80 μA/cm2 with high stability. Driven under DC mode at a bias voltage (Vps) of 23 V, Je decreased temporarily to 28 μA/cm2 after 4 h of continuous operation. This study provides a new feasible approach for research on PS EEDs.

Rapid evaluation and real-time detection of adsorption materials are particularly critical in the adsorption treatment of heavy metal wastewater. However, most elemental analysis methods have complex pretreatment procedures and are time-consuming, making real-time analysis difficult to achieve. A laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy device with a 248nm KrF excimer laser as the excitation source was used to study the rapid test of heavy metal content in wastewater absorbed by coffee grounds (SCG). This study prepared 16 sets of spent coffee grounds calibration samples and 8 sets of SCG adsorption samples by externally adding heavy metal elements. After optimizing the experimental system, the characteristic spectral lines of Cd II 226.510nm and Cu I 324.754nm were analyzed. Using Cu as the internal standard element, the Cd/Cu intensity ratios from the spectral tests of 16 calibration samples were fitted with the different Cd mass fractions in SCG to obtain a calibration model, with the polynomial fitting determination coefficient (R²) reaching 0.998. Eight adsorption samples were tested, and the calibration model was used to analyze the adsorption capacity of SCG for Cd solutions of different concentrations. The adsorption rate increased with the concentration of Cd solution, reaching a maximum of 18.96 mg/g. This work provides a reference for the rapid elemental analysis of adsorbent materials during the adsorption treatment of heavy metal wastewater.

A description of a new species from the genus Metapocyrtus Heller, 1912 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Pachyrhynchini) from Mt Kitanglad Range Natural Park, an ASEAN Heritage Site in northern Mindanao is presented and illustrated. The recent discovery is also the first mimic record of Pachyrhynchuscumingii GR Waterhouse, 1841 which are both found in the same locality. A Coptorhynchus sp. showing similar elytral patterns was also documented to be part of the mimicry complex. The new species differs from the other two species in having a distinct transverse groove between forehead and rostrum and the antennal scape reaching beyond the hind margin of the eye.

Using syntactic and semantic conventions of the taxonomic concept approach (Franz et al. 2015), we describe three newly recognized fossil broad-nosed weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae) preserved in Early Miocene amber (ca. 20.4-16.0 mya) from the Dominican Republic: Scelianoma compacta sp. n. sec. Franz & Zhang (2017) (henceforth abbreviated as [FZ2017]), Tropirhinus palpebratus sp. n. [FZ2017], and Diaprepes anticus sp. n. [FZ2017]. The taxonomic assignment of the amber inclusions is grounded in a preceding phylogenetic analysis by Franz (2012). As many as 88 of the 143 therein identified characters were coded for the fossils, whose traits are largely congruent with those present in extant congeners while also differing in ways that justify their new nomenclatural and taxonomic status. We present detailed images, descriptions, and phylogenetically informed diagnoses for the three new species-level entities, along with logically consistent Region Connection Calculus (RCC-5) alignments of the amended genus-level classifications for Scelianoma Franz and Girón 2009 [FZ2017], Tropirhinus Schoenherr 1823 [FZ2017], and Diaprepes Schoenherr 1823 [FZ2017] - in relation to 2-4 preceding classifications published in 1982-2012. The description of Scelianoma compacta [FZ2017] from Hispaniola is indicative of a more widespread historical range of Scelianoma [FZ2017] than reflected in the extant, southwestern Puerto Rican Scelianoma elydimorpha Franz and Girón 2009 sec. Franz and Girón (2009). The presence of Diaprepes anticus [FZ2017] in Hispaniola during the Early Miocene suggests an eastward directed process of island colonization and likely speciation of members of Diaprepes [FZ2017], given that most extant relatives occur throughout the Lesser Antilles. The herein presented data will facilitate more reliable reconstructions of historical biographic processes thought to have played a prominent role in the diversification of the West Indian and Neotropical mainland broad-nosed weevil lineages.

The genus Marshall is newly recorded for, and revised for Cuba. Nine new species are recognized as follows: (type locality, Granma, Parque Nacional Pico Turquino), (type locality, Guantánamo, El Yunque), (type locality, Cienfuegos, Parque Nacional Pico San Juan), (type locality, Santiago de Cuba, Siboney-Jutici Ecological Reserve), (type locality, Holguin, Parque Nacional La Mensura-Piloto), (type locality, Matanzas, Varahicacos), (type locality, Guantánamo, 8 km W. Imias), (type locality, Guantánamo, Loma Lafarola), and (type locality, Cienfuegos, Parque Nacional Pico San Juan). A key for their identification, descriptions, summaries of natural history information and data on distributions are presented. A molecular phylogeny based on 11 species of from Cuba, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico is reconstructed. A sister group relationship between and is recovered with a limited sampling of the former genus. The monophyly of is recovered with strong support. Cuban are not monophyletic. Five of the six sampled Cuban species form a clade, sister to an undescribed species from the Dominican Republic; and, is sister to Girón & Franz, 2010, a species from the Dominican Republic. Biogeographic implications for Cuban species are discussed in light of the phylogeny.

In order to improve the quality of image restoration and remove the blur caused by motion in the image, a blurred parameter recognition algorithm with point spread function is proposed. This algorithm combines the Fourier spectrum of the image with the edge detection based on phase consistency and identifies the blurred angle by determining the direction of the edge of the center bright stripe. Then bilinear interpolation is used to generate the sub-pixel image of the spectrum, calculate the distance between the dark bands, and estimate the blurred length. Experimental results show that, compared with the traditional algorithm, the proposed method can not only obtain higher precision of blurred angle and blurred length, but also have better stability, and can correctly detect blurred parameters of blurred images with different scales and contents.

Understanding the interplay between environmental conditions and phenotypes is a fundamental goal of biology. Unfortunately, data that include observations on phenotype and environment are highly heterogeneous and thus difficult to find and integrate. One approach that is likely to improve the status quo involves the use of ontologies to standardize and link data about phenotypes and environments. Specifying and linking data through ontologies will allow researchers to increase the scope and flexibility of large-scale analyses aided by modern computing methods. Investments in this area would advance diverse fields such as ecology, phylogenetics, and conservation biology. While several biological ontologies are well-developed, using them to link phenotypes and environments is rare because of gaps in ontological coverage and limits to interoperability among ontologies and disciplines. In this manuscript, we present (1) use cases from diverse disciplines to illustrate questions that could be answered more efficiently using a robust linkage between phenotypes and environments, (2) two proof-of-concept analyses that show the value of linking phenotypes to environments in fishes and amphibians, and (3) two proposed example data models for linking phenotypes and environments using the extensible observation ontology (OBOE) and the Biological Collections Ontology (BCO); these provide a starting point for the development of a data model linking phenotypes and environments.

Insects are possibly the most taxonomically and ecologically diverse class of multicellular organisms on Earth. Consequently, they provide nearly unlimited opportunities to develop and test ecological and evolutionary hypotheses. Currently, however, large-scale studies of insect ecology, behavior, and trait evolution are impeded by the difficulty in obtaining and analyzing data derived from natural history observations of insects. These data are typically highly heterogeneous and widely scattered among many sources, which makes developing robust information systems to aggregate and disseminate them a significant challenge. As a step towards this goal, we report initial results of a new effort to develop a standardized vocabulary and ontology for insect natural history data. In particular, we describe a new database of representative insect natural history data derived from multiple sources (but focused on data from specimens in biological collections), an analysis of the abstract conceptual areas required for a comprehensive ontology of insect natural history data, and a database of use cases and competency questions to guide the development of data systems for insect natural history data. We also discuss data modeling and technology-related challenges that must be overcome to implement robust integration of insect natural history data.

The leafhopper assassin bug, Zelus renardii Kolenati, is a natural enemy and stands out among species in the large New World genus Zelus Fabricius (∼60 spp.) by its introduction to and establishment in 3 biogeographic regions. We here present documentation of the distribution and habitat of Z. renardii in its native range in North and Central America and compare it with Z. tetracanthus Stål, a wide-ranging New World congener that apparently has not dispersed outside of its native range. In addition, we document and compare predatory and reproductive behaviors in the 2 species. Zelus renardii is widely distributed in the Western USA and shows a continuous geographic range south to Guatemala; Z. tetracanthus is broadly distributed across North and Central America and also occurs in Brazil. In Riverside County, California, Z. renardii is common in suburban and disturbed habitats in addition to certain natural areas, whereas Z. tetracanthus is usually restricted to natural areas. The behavioral comparison under laboratory conditions indicated that Z. renardii caught prey faster and that feeding duration in this species was shorter than in Z. tetracanthus. The duration of pre-copulatory behaviors in Z. renardii was shorter than in Z. tetracanthus, resulting in a shorter overall mating duration. Based on the higher percentage of egg batches that produced first instars in Z. renardii, this species may establish large populations under adverse conditions faster than Z. tetracanthus. Our observations on distribution and biology contribute toward an understanding of the differences in invasiveness between the 2 species.