A Survey on Client Throughput Prediction Algorithms in Wired and Wireless Networks

Network communication has become a part of everyday life, and the interconnection among devices and people will increase even more in the future. Nevertheless, prediction of Quality of Service parameters, particularly throughput, is quite a challenging task. In this survey, we provide an extensive insight into the literature on Transmission Control Protocol throughput prediction. The goal is to provide an overview of the used techniques and to elaborate on open aspects and white spots in this area. We assessed more than 35 approaches spanning from equation-based over various time smoothing to modern learning and location smoothing methods. In addition, different error functions for the evaluation of the approaches as well as publicly available recording tools and datasets are discussed. To conclude, we point out open challenges especially looking in the area of moving mobile network clients. The use of throughput prediction not only enables a more efficient use of the available bandwidth, the techniques shown in this work also result in more robust and stable communication.

Eliminating white spots

This article reflects on the construction of Curt Nimuendajú's “Ethno-historical map”, an exhaustive work that sought to map the native groups of South America. This map was one of the most widely-used representations by researchers since its creation in 1944. The theoretical framework adopted in this paper stresses maps as rhetorical constructs that should be read as texts. The article also discusses the limits and possibilities of a visual vocabulary to understand explicit and implicit theoretical and methodological decisions in cartography. Digital cartography will be employed to bring out the differences between what the author of the project intended and what was presented in the "Ethno-historical map". The text starts with a description of the work and its most evident options, showing a relative selectivity in Nimuendajú's choices. In the last part, technical procedures will be abandoned to interpret the results considering the new critical cartography and ethno-geography positions.

A fantastic new species of secretive forest frog discovered from forest fragments near Andasibe, Madagascar

We describe a fantastic new species of forest frog (Mantellidae: Gephyromantis: subgenus: Laurentomantis) from moderately high elevations in the vicinity of Andasibe, Madagascar. This region has been surveyed extensively and has a remarkably high anuran diversity with many undocumented species still being discovered. Surprisingly, by exploring areas around Andasibe that lacked biodiversity surveys, we discovered a spectacular and clearly morphologically distinct species, previously unknown to science, Gephyromantis marokorokosp. nov., documented for the first time in 2015. The new species is well characterised by a very rugose and granular dorsum, dark brown skin with bright red mottling, sparse light orange to white spots on the ventre, vibrant red eyes and femoral glands present only in males that consist of eight medium-sized granules. Bioacoustically, the new species has a quiet advertisement call that differs from related species by having a moderate call duration, 2–4 strongly pulsed notes and a slow note repetition rate. Furthermore, it has substantial differentiation in mitochondrial DNA, with pairwise distances of 7–9% to all other related species in sequences of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA marker. Additional evidence is given through a combined four mitochondrial markers and four nuclear exons concatenated species tree, strongly supporting G. striatus as the sister species of the new species in both analyses. The discovery of this new species highlights the need for continued inventory work in high elevation rainforests of Madagascar, even in relatively well-studied regions.

Assimilation and Accommodation

This research provides a systematic overview of psychological areas using assimilation and accommodation to explain development and adaptation processes from 1998 to 2018. We primarily aimed to identify the main psychological research areas connected to assimilation and accommodation. We used assimilation and accommodation as keywords to extract data from SpringerLink, PsycINFO, and PsycARTICLES. Of 500 articles, 473 were included in the analysis. Ten categories were identified to allow systematization along with different research areas and development trajectories. The meanings of these terms were analyzed in terms of scientific impact, their connection to Piaget and Baldwin, application, and research methods. Our analysis has distilled the most driving and scientifically relevant approaches to assimilation and accommodation within psychological research, with the work of Baldwin and Piaget influencing practically all views. Thus, we have identified a common understanding of assimilation and accommodation, although the direction of the adaptation process should be made explicit in the future. Based on our analyses, we were able to identify white spots on the research map that should be focused on in future work: the need to better understand the interdependence and synchronicity of both processes, the connection to affects and emotions, and the potential co-research with artificial intelligence.

Mikrischyrum musicum, a new katydid species from montane rainforest in southern Ecuador with complex pure-tone calling song (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Pseudophyllinae: Platyphyllini)

The katydid Mikrischyrum musicum sp. nov. is described as third species of the genus, along with the remarkable low-ultrasound musical calling song of the male. It is the first species of the genus with known females, which are considerably larger than males and lack the conspicuous white spots on the pronotum. Pure-tone songs among pseudophyllines and development of pronotum markings of Platyphyllini are briefly discussed.

Whole-genomes from the extinct Xerces Blue butterfly reveal low diversity and long-term population decline

The Xerces Blue (Glaucopsyche xerces) is considered to be the first butterfly to become extinct at global scale in historical times. It was notable for its chalky lavender wings with conspicuous white spots on the ventral wings. The last individuals were collected in their restricted habitat, in the dunes near the Presidio military base in San Francisco, in 1941. To explore the demographic history of this iconic butterfly and to better understand why it went extinct, we sequenced at medium coverage the genomes of four 80 to 100-year-old Xerces Blue specimens and seven historic specimens of its closest relative, the Silvery Blue (G. lygdamus). We compared these to a novel annotated genome of the Green-Underside Blue (G. alexis). Phylogenetic relationships inferred from complete mitochondrial genomes indicate that Xerces Blue was a distinct species that diverged from the Silvery Blue lineage at least 850,000 years ago. Using nuclear genomes, we show that both species experienced population growth during the MIS 7 interglacial period, but the Xerces Blue decreased to a very low effective population size subsequently, a trend opposite to that observed in the Silvery Blue. Runs of homozygosity in the Xerces Blue were significantly greater than in the Silvery Blue, suggesting a higher incidence of inbreeding. In addition, the Xerces Blue carried a higher proportion of derived, putatively deleterious amino acid-changing alleles than the Silvery Blue. These results demonstrate that the Xerces Blue experienced more than 100 thousand years of population decline, prior to its human-induced final extinction.

Ukrainian State Regional Development Fund: Current Realities, Opportunities

The article examines the modern realities of the functioning of the State Regional Development Fund as a budget program within the State Budget of Ukraine. The purpose of the study is to reveal the key features of the Fund functioning in modern conditions, to assess the current state of financial support of regional development projects, to identify the main problems in this field, and to develop possible solutions. The article substantiates the importance of sustainable development of territories as a mode of functioning of the region, characterized by harmonious positive changes in the most important spheres of life of the individual, society, and state, considering the interests of present and future generations. The change of the tendency of the gap between the declared and approved volumes of financing of regional development projects in 2015-2021 is estimated and the possible consequences of such gap are outlined. The volume and number of development projects in the regional and district dimension, funded by the Ukrainian State Regional Development Fund in 2020, are marked on the map of Ukraine. The need for uniform distribution of project financing based on the new zoning and elimination of "white spots" on the project map is emphasized. The ratio of the number of regional development projects in terms of settlements of implementation by their status was studied. Structural analysis of the use of funds of the Ukrainian State Regional Development Fund by purpose and type of work is performed; the average cost of regional development projects by category and in general are calculated and compared. Based on the analysis, the "bottlenecks" of the Ukrainian State Regional Development Fund functioning at the present stage are identified and the ways to solve them are proposed.

A new species of the Genus Pelodiscus Fitzinger, 1835 (Testudines: Trionychidae) from Huangshan, Anhui, China

A new species of the soft-shelled turtle genus Pelodiscus is described based on seven specimens from Huangshan, southern Anhui Province, China. The new species, Pelodiscus huangshanensis sp. nov., is distinguished from other species in the genus Pelodiscus by the following characteristics: (1) Small size (maximum carapace length of 101.16 mm and maximum body length of 190 mm); (2) keel high; (3) tiny yellowish-white spots on the throat; (4) no black pinstripes around the eyes; (5) white longitudinal bands on both sides of the neck in juveniles, absent in adults; (6) plastron yellowish-white, and only a dark patch on each side of the armpit; (7) many tubercles on the dorsal surface, but indistinct in the center; and (8) entoplastron “⌒” shaped. The phylogenetic relationships of the species in Pelodiscus were reconstructed using the sequences of cytochrome b (cyt b) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 (ND4) genes. The new species formed a monophyletic clade with strong support. The uncorrected pairwise distances between the new species and other representatives of Pelodiscus ranged from 5.4% to 9.2% for cyt b and 4.1% to 7.6% for ND4. The new species brings the number of species of the genus Pelodiscus to six; five species are distributed in China, with three species endemic to China.

The Russian Old-Settlers in the Arctic Coast of Eastern Siberia: Family Name Diversity in the Context of Their Origin

The populations of the Arctic Ocean coast in Eastern Siberia (Russia) are represented by a multicultural conglomerate of peoples of different origins: Paleo-Asiatic (Chukchi), Uralic (Yukaghirs), Tungusic (Evenks, Evens), Turkic (Yakuts, Dolgans), and Slavic (Russian explorers), who inhabited this territory during various historical periods. However, among the modern Arctic populations there are still “white spots”, such as people of the small village of “Russkoe Ust’ye”, who still have not been thoroughly studied. The main population consists of so called Russian old-settlers—the Russkoustinians. They traditionally distinguish their lineages into three groups identified by their time of settlement. First are the “Pomors”—who according to their legends are considered as the descendants of the first European colonists of the Age of Discovery, who settled the eastern shores of the Arctic Ocean in the 16th century before the inclusion of this territory in the Russian Empire in the early 17th century. Second are the “Cossacks”—who reached the Arctic during explorations of Siberia. The last are the “Zashiversk”—who arrived after the abolition of their hometown. In order to test these hypotheses, we analyzed modern family name diversity based on information on 62 individuals from 36 questionnaires. The analysis revealed that the “Pomors” lineages were presented in five families (43.5%), the “Cossacks” in one family (6.5%), and the “Zashiversk” in 37.1% of families. This fact indicates a probability that this village was founded by Russian Pomors who arrived there by the Northern Sea Routes before the official East Siberian colonization period.