Striking Patterns: Contemporary Ikat Design and Its Future

This review presents the results of a conference on ikat textiles organized in the context of the exhibition Striking Patterns: Global Traces in Local Ikat Fashion at the Museum der Kulturen Basel, Switzerland (October 2016 to March 2017). Academics and professional experts, some of them working for NGOs, debated often neglected potentialities as well as the future of contemporary ikat design and other intricately patterned handwoven textiles: the significance of new patterns; intellectual property rights; and educational encouragement. The general focus lay on the controversially perceived innovation of textile patterns in Indonesia and Timor-Leste. We will here present the main arguments of the discussion and our own suggestions for further research.     

Postharvest processes of edible insects in Africa: A review of processing methods,and the implications for nutrition,safety and new products development

In many African cultures, insects are part of the diet of humans and domesticated animals. Compared to conventional food and feed sources, insects have been associated with a low ecological foot print because fewer natural resources are required for their production. To this end, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations recognized the role that edible insects can play in improving global food and nutrition security; processing technologies, as well as packaging and storage techniques that improve shelf-life were identified as being crucial. However, knowledge of these aspects in light of nutritional value, safety, and functionality is fragmentary and needs to be consolidated. This review attempts to contribute to this effort by evaluating the available evidence on postharvest processes for edible insects in Africa, with the aim of identifying areas that need research impetus. It further draws attention to potential postharvest technology options for overcoming hurdles associated with utilization of insects for food and feed. A greater research thrust is needed in processing and this can build on traditional knowledge. The focus should be to establish optimal techniques that improve presentation, quality and safety of products, and open possibilities to diversify use of edible insects for other benefits.     

Induction of Oxidative Stress and Antioxidative Mechanisms in Arabidopsis thaliana after Uranium Exposure at pH 7.5

To evaluate the environmental impact of uranium (U) contamination, it is important to investigate the effects of U at ecologically relevant conditions. Since U speciation, and hence its toxicity, strongly depends on environmental pH, the present study aimed to investigate dose-dependent effects of U at pH 7.5. Arabidopsis thaliana plants (Mouse-ear Cress) were exposed for three days to different U concentrations at pH 7.5. In the roots, the increased capacities of ascorbate peroxidase and glutathione reductase indicate an important role for the ascorbate-glutathione cycle during U-induced stress. However, a significant decrease in the ascorbate redox state was observed after exposure to 75 and 100 µM U, indicating that those roots are severely stressed. In accordance with the roots, the ascorbate-glutathione cycle plays an important role in the antioxidative defence systems in A. thaliana leaves exposed to U at pH 7.5 as the ascorbate and glutathione biosynthesis were upregulated. In addition, small inductions of enzymes of the antioxidative defence system were observed at lower U concentrations to counteract the U-induced stress. However, at higher U concentrations it seems that the antioxidative defence system of the leaves collapses as reductions in enzyme activities and gene expression levels were observed.     

建筑的代码(上)

本文通过建筑编码形成时间句法、空间句法、绘画、建筑混合系统,以及戏剧舞蹈、建筑、能所指关系构成同系结构的大文化系统,甚至占卜、堪舆和阴阳等原始的仪式,来解释出现在中国古建筑里的符号意义,正是这种不同层面的叠加构成了建筑、音乐、仪式、神话、天体的、数字的、星相占卜、风水建筑术、政治、血缘伦理、修辞等等多义重叠,从而构成了复杂的建筑编码系统。     

面向可解释性的物体拓扑结构骨架表征方法

目的 模式识别中，通常使用大量标注数据和有效的机器学习算法训练分类器应对不确定性问题。然而，这一过程缺乏知识表征和可解释性。认知心理学和实验心理学的研究表明，人类往往不使用代价如此巨大的机制，而是使用表征、归纳、推理、解释和约束传播等与符号主义人工智能方法类似的手段来应对物体识别中的不确定性并提供可解释性。因此本文旨在从传统的符号计算出发，利用骨架拓扑结构表征提供一种可解释性的思路。方法 以骨架树为基本手段来形成物体拓扑结构特征和几何特征的形式化表征，并基于泛化框架对少量同类表征进行知识抽取来形成关于物体类别的知识概括显式化表征。结果 在形成物体类别的概括表征实验中，通过路径重建直观展示了同类属物体上得到的最一般表征的几何物理意义。在可解释性验证实验中，通过跨数据的拓扑应用展示了新测试样本相对于概括表征的特定差异，表明该表征具有良好的可解释性。最后在形状补全的不确定性推理实验中，不仅可以得到识别结论，而且清晰展示了识别背后做出的判断依据，进一步验证了该表征的可解释性。结论 实验表明一般化的形式表征能够应对尺寸、颜色和形状等不确定性问题，本文方法避免了基于纹理特征所带来的不确定性，适用于任意基于基元的表征方式，具有更好的鲁棒性、普适性和可解释性，计算代价更小。     

The influence of industrial policy and national systems of innovation on emerging economy suppliers’ learning capability

This paper links the industrial policy and national systems of innovation literature to the investigation of learning capabilities of suppliers in the context of the automotive parts industry of Pakistan. Drawing data from 50 Pakistani autoparts suppliers, the findings suggest that industrial policy has been helpful in creating a local parts supply base and facilitating the entry of Japanese assemblers in the market. However, the implementation of the policy has been weak, and it is an arduous journey for the local suppliers to develop ambidextrous (exploratory and exploitative) learning capabilities. The findings also indicate that where local training and support from R&D institutions are weak, networking alone with foreign multinationals is not sufficient on its own to develop exploratory learning capabilities of local suppliers. This paper shows the importance of creating national–provincial institutions offering learning and skills development aimed towards innovation.     

The Bark Beetle Dendroctonus rhizophagus (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) Has Digestive Capacity to Degrade Complex Substrates: Functional Characterization and Heterologous Expression of an α-Amylase

Dendroctonus-bark beetles are natural agents contributing to vital processes in coniferous forests, such as regeneration, succession, and material recycling, as they colonize and kill damaged, stressed, or old pine trees. These beetles spend most of their life cycle under stem and roots bark where they breed, develop, and feed on phloem. This tissue is rich in essential nutrients and complex molecules such as starch, cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, which apparently are not available for these beetles. We evaluated the digestive capacity of Dendroctonus rhizophagus to hydrolyze starch. Our aim was to identify α-amylases and characterize them both molecularly and biochemically. The findings showed that D. rhizophagus has an α-amylase gene (AmyDr) with a single isoform, and ORF of 1452 bp encoding a 483-amino acid protein (53.15 kDa) with a predicted signal peptide of 16 amino acids. AmyDr has a mutation in the chlorine-binding site, present in other phytophagous insects and in a marine bacterium. Docking analysis showed that AmyDr presents a higher binding affinity to amylopectin compared to amylose, and an affinity binding equally stable to calcium, chlorine, and nitrate ions. AmyDr native protein showed amylolytic activity in the head-pronotum and gut, and its recombinant protein, a polypeptide of ~53 kDa, showed conformational stability, and its activity is maintained both in the presence and absence of chlorine and nitrate ions. The AmyDr gene showed a differential expression significantly higher in the gut than the head-pronotum, indicating that starch hydrolysis occurs mainly in the midgut. An overview of the AmyDr gene expression suggests that the amylolytic activity is regulated through the developmental stages of this bark beetle and associated with starch availability in the host tree.     

基于CiteSpace的资源型产业研究知识图谱分析

资源型产业发展为推进国家经济增长和工业化进程提供了重要保障。为深入了解资源型产业的研究情况，以CNKI数据库为数据源，搜集2000—2020年关于资源型产业的核心及以上期刊论文，利用CiteSpace软件从发文作者与研究机构分布、关键词共现网络和时区图谱等方面，绘制知识图谱，进行可视化分析。研究发现：资源型产业领域的研究成果愈加丰富，但研究群体间联系合作较少，且现有的合作研究主要集中在所处地域资源富集和具有学科优势的研究机构及学者；资源型产业领域的研究热点可概括为产业发展、资源型城市、产业集群、产业结构、产业链和产业集聚等方面；针对资源型产业领域未来可从资源型产业相关理论研究、创新发展模式和可持续发展等方面深入展开。