Sounding the alarm:Functionally referential signaling in Azure-winged Magpie

Functionally referential signals are a complex form of communication that conveys information about the external environment.Such signals have been found in a range of mammal and bird species and have helped us understand the complexities of animal communication.Corvids are well known for their extraordinary cognitive abilities,but relatively little attention has been paid to their vocal function.Here,we investigated the functionally referential signals of a cooperatively breeding corvid species,Azure-winged Magpie(Cyanopica cyanus).Through field observations,we suggest that Azure-winged Magpie uses referential alarm calls to distinguish two types of threats:’rasp’ calls for terrestrial threats and ’chatter’ calls for aerial threats.A playback experiment revealed that Azure-winged Magpies responded to the two call types with qualitatively different behaviors.They sought cover by flying into the bushes in response to the ’chatter’ calls,and flew to or stayed at higher positions in response to ’rasp’ calls,displaying a shorter response time to ’chatter’ calls.Significant differences in acoustic structure were found between the two types of calls.Given the extensive cognitive abilities of corvids and the fact that referential signals were once thought to be unique to primates,these findings are important for expanding our understanding of social communication and language evolution.

Egg rejection and egg recognition mechanism in a Chinese Azure-winged Magpie(Cyanopica cyanus)population

Recognition and rejection of foreign eggs are effective defense of hosts against brood parasitism.However,brood parasitism can impose various selection pressures on different geographic populations of the same host species.In a multiple cuckoo system in China,Azure-winged Magpies(Cyanopica cyanus)are parasitized by both Indian Cuckoos(Cuculus micropterus)and Asian Koels(Eudynamys scolopaceus).In this study,egg recognition ability and recognition mechanism of the Azure-winged Magpie were investigated using a population in Fusong,southeastern Jilin,China.The results showed that 55.6%(20/36)of the Azure-winged Magpies correctly rejected quail(Coturnix japonica)eggs in their nests,while 13.9%(5/36)of the individuals experienced rejection costs by wrongly rejecting their own eggs.Azure-winged Magpies could accurately reject the experimental eggs when the number of such eggs in the nests was the same as that of the magpie eggs.However,Azure-winged Magpies do not recognize and reject conspecific eggs(0/28).The present study indicates that the Azure-winged Magpie has moderate egg recognition ability toward non-mimetic quail eggs and shows a true recognition mechanism with rejecting foreign eggs by accurately recognizing their own eggs.However,they cannot recognize conspecific eggs.

Vocal repertoire of Azure-winged Magpies(Cyanopica cyanus):A context-associated communication system

Signals within animals’vocal communication are considered functional referential and context-specific.Even in the absence of the context,receivers are expected to acquire the information of calls and respond specificallyWhereas the framework was supported by plenty of evidence,its exhaustivity in describing all animal vocalisations has been questioned.Here,we investigated the vocal repertoire of a cooperatively breeding species,Azure-winged Magpie(Cyanopica cyanus),to present evidence for referential signals.The results showed that Azure-winged Magpies had a relatively large vocal repertoire,consisting of twelve distinct calls.These calls were associated with the context including movement,begging for food,contact,vigilance against predators,etc.However,even the predator-specific alarm calls would induce various responses of receivers.This implies that multiple pieces of information are involved in the vocalisation,which could be utilised by the receiver to select an appropriate response based on the surroundings.Our study gives a detailed description of the context and function of the vocal repertoire in Azure-winged Magpies,laying the foundation for further investigation on the developmental mechanisms of bird vocalisations.This study also suggests that the referential signals of animal vocalisations may not be limited to the context-specific responses of receivers and need to be discussed from a broader perspective.

Magpie 加密算法FPGA 实现及优化研究

攻击者对物联网中的设备进行监听、俘获、窃取以及修改等,导致用户关键数据的安全性和隐私性受到严重威胁。如何在资源受限的物联网设备上保证数据安全,同时又有较低的实现面积,成为加密算法设计实现的一个挑战。本文以高安全轻量级分组密码算法Magpie为研究对象,在分析其加密流程和原始设计的基础上,提出一种基于FPGA的实现方案。新的设计方案中,复用密码算法轮运算中的各个电路模块,并将密钥更新与轮运算并行设计。在Xilinx Virtex-5 xc5vlx50t上实现了该算法,其频率达到了226 MHz,面积缩减到2704slices。与原始设计方案相比,大大减少了电路面积,并提高了密码算法的运行速度,为物联网设备的安全设计提供参考。

Breeding biology of a relictual Maghreb Magpie(Pica mauritanica)population in Tunisia

Background:The Maghreb Magpie(Pica mauritanica)is an endemic North African species.Available knowledge on this species is limited to historic descriptive data with no ecological information provided.Populations continue to dramatically decline in Tunisia,where only one relic population survives.Investigating the breeding biology of this species is essential for conservation purposes.The purpose of this study was to increase our understanding of the Tunisian relic population and provide detailed data on breeding biology over two breeding seasons(2017 and 2018).Methods:This study occurred on a private farm of 650 ha,located 10 km from Dhorbania village at Kairouan Governorate,in central Tunisia.Active nests were monitored weekly during egg laying period and twice a week during hatching period.The Ivlev's electivity index was used to assess whether the frequency of use of nesting trees and bushes matched their availability in the study area.We recorded nest measurements and positions,and compared them using Wilcoxon signed-rank test.Variations of breeding parameters as number of eggs laid,hatchlings,and fledglings over years were performed using Mann–Whitney U-test andχ^(2) tests.We used a Generalized Linear Mixed Model(GLMM)to investigate how egg volume varied with clutch size and laying date.Results:We investigated clutch size,egg size,hatching and fledging success,and evaluated how these parameters varied according to laying date and nest characteristics.Clutch size averaged 5.00±0.19 but was significantly greater nest.Causes of nest failure included the depredation of nestlings by shrikes,cobras and rats(e.g.Lanius meridionalis,Naja haje and Rattus rattus),death of parents by the Black-shouldered Kite(Elanus caeruleus)and nest parasitism by the Great Spotted Cuckoo(Clamator glandarius).Clutch size,brood size and fledgling success were unaffected by laying date,nest volume and nest elevation.Egg volume decreased with laying date but was unaffected by clutch.Conclusion:Our study provides the first and only detailed data on reproductive parameters of the Maghreb Magpie in its entire geographic range(North Africa).Information gleaned from this study provides valuable information for monitoring and long-term conservation plans of the endangered Tunisian Magpie population.Additionally,our data provide an avenue of large-scale comparative studies of the reproductive ecology of the magpie complex.

Azure-winged magpies solve string-pulling tasks by partial understanding of the physical cognition

String-pulling is one of the most widely used paradigms in an imal cog nition research. We in vestigated how azure-wi nged magpies Cyanopica cyan us solve multiple-string problems that they have never encountered before. In Experiment 1, the strings were arranged in parallel, slanted, or crossed to investigate what rules azure-winged magpies use to solve multiple spatial relations of strings. Experiment 2 assessed whether the subjects understood the connection between the string and the bait while taking advantage of broken strings. In Experiment 3, the subjects were confronted with strings of different lengths attached to rewards in order to explore whether the string length, as a proxy for the pulling efficiency or reward distanee, was crucial for the birds' choice of which string to pull. Gen erally, the birds were successful in tasks where the reward was close to the correct string's end, and they relied on a "proximity rule" in most cases. The results showed that azure-winged magpies had a partial understanding of the physical principles underlying the string-pulling but were stumped by complex spatial relations. They likely relied on simple strategies such as the proximity rule to solve the tasks. The effects of in dividual difference and experiential learning on string-pulling performance are also discussed.

Role of magpie in bird community formation in secondary forest

We analyzed a bird community in a secondary forest and the results show that the magpie was one of the key groups in the secondary forest.The key group is identified based on the nests used by other birds at a rate of 25%-40.17%.The size of the community is different and the number of these key groups is not certain.

学术文本结构功能深度学习识别方法的多学科对比分析

[目的/意义]学术文本的结构功能识别可视为多类别文本自动分类问题,借助深度学习技术能够获得良好的自动识别性能,然而目前缺少其在不同学科适用性的对比研究。[方法/过程]选择医学、图情、数据、出版、经济5个学科方向5种期刊的6 452篇结构式摘要为基础语料,设计并实现了基于Magpie深度学习组件的学术文本结构功能识别实验,通过对比分析同一分类模型在不同学科领域实验语料上的性能表现及其影响因素,揭示机器学习方法的学科适用性规律。[结果/结论]实验结果显示,学科差异性对于机器学习效果有显著的影响,其中医学领域学术文本的结构功能识别效率明显高于其他学科,常见的学术文本功能结构框架中"方法"和"结果"的机器学习识别效果更佳。

MAGPI手术治疗尿道下裂29例

目的:探索改进治疗冠状沟或冠状沟下型尿道下裂的方法。方法:改进尿道口前移-龟头成形术治疗冠状沟或冠状沟下型尿道下裂:在术中于尿道上方至尿道口槽顶部切开尿道,不需切开尿道口后壁;仅将龟头腹侧皮下筋膜缝合1～2针使尿道口前移,不需将龟头腹侧游离成倒V形,再行缝合。结果:29例患儿,除1例并发小尿瘘外,手术均一期完成,获成功。结论:尿道口前移-龟头成形术虽有一定的局限性,仍为治疗前端型尿道下裂最好的手术方式,经改进后手术更为简捷,术后并发症更低。

改良式MAGPI氏法治疗前尿道狭窄

目的:探讨改良MAGPI氏法治疗前尿道狭窄的临床应用价值。方法:采用改良MAGPI氏法治疗前尿道狭窄50例,并与传统的尿道外口狭窄段切开术进行比较。结果:50例患者中,仅有2例轻度尿道狭窄,经尿道扩张后改善;1例患者皮瓣坏死,发生尿漏,2次手术治愈。结论:本改良术式具有损伤小、尿漏及尿道狭窄发生率低、术后阴茎美观程度提高等明显优点,值得推广。

Surgical Resident Attrition and the Menninger Morale Curve

BACKGROUND: Attrition in surgical residency programs continues to be a significant challenge. Ap-proximately 20% of residents who begin a categorical surgery residency fail to complete it. A number of studies speculated reasons for this including work hours, life style, family pressures, and resident feelings of inadequacy including fear of termination. To date no research has been conducted investigating the relation-ship between resident morale and attrition. This study sought to determine if this linkage exists in surgery residents. METHODS: The Morale Assessment in General Practice Index (MAGPI) was administered to 21 PGY 1, 2, 3, and 5 surgical residents to assess level of morale. Non-parametric methods were carried out to assess if there were differences in morale among the four PGY groups. Additionally, analyses of the four factors comprising the MAGPI were also conducted. RESULTS: Although differences did not reach statis-tical significance, analysis of the data reveals that residents demonstrate different trends in their levels of morale based on the amount of time they spend in a residency and in a way that approximates the morale curve described by W. Walter Menninger, M.D. Additionally, two of the four factors comprising the MAGPI also indicate trends similar to that described by the Menninger morale curve. CONCLUSIONS: Although no statistically significant results were achieved, the data reveal trends that approximate shifts in morale similar to those described by the Menninger morale curve, with residents at the PGY 2 and 3 levels present-ing lower morale levels than at the PGY 1 and 5 levels. This may be due in part to the size of the population studied. Future research should be continued in this area with a larger sample size.