Consorting among juvenile Midas cichlids (Cichlasoma citrinellum) in relation to own and to parents' color.

Adults of the Midas cichlid, Cichlasoma citrinellum, are either normal (N) colored or gold (G); they mate assortatively by color, and that choice is influenced by prior experience with their parents. Three groups of N and two groups of G juveniles were reared by parents which were either N or G. After some months of separation from their parents, the juveniles were tested to ascertain whether the color of their parents or of their cohorts affected their affiliative responses; they were given a choice between four G and four N juveniles. There was no demonstrable effect of either their parents' or their own color. All groups spent more time with N than with G and directed more behavior toward N. The subjects differed only in that they attacked more (at a higher rate) at N and spread their fins more (at a higher rate) at G, consistent with findings in earlier studies of the effect of gold color on dominance relationships. Thus mate choice does not result from continuous associations during development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Edge Computing-Based Joint Client Selection and Networking Scheme for Federated Learning in Vehicular IoT

In order to support advanced vehicular Internet-of-Things(IoT)applications,information ex-changes among different vehicles are required to find efficient soluti...     

A control scheme for freeway traffic systems based on hybrid automata

In this paper a hybrid control scheme is devised in order to regulate traffic conditions in freeway systems. The considered control actions are ramp metering, i.e. using traffic lights at the on-ramps in order to regulate incoming traffic, and variable speed limits to be displayed on on-road variable message signs. The proposed scheme is composed of two levels: the lower level is characterized by different Model Predictive Control regulators, whereas at the higher level the different control actions are chosen according to a discrete-event dynamics. The overall scheme is then represented with the formalism of discrete-time discrete-event automata. More in detail, at the lower level, the prediction model used in the Model Predictive Control schemes is the first-order dynamical model of traffic flow in which we approximate the steady-state speed-density characteristic as a piecewise constant function. This approximation is motivated by the fact that we need a simpler finite-horizon problem to be solved on line, that in this case becomes a Mixed-Integer Linear programming problem. Depending on the system operating conditions, different regulators are determined by means of suitable Model Predictive Control schemes. The higher level of the control scheme has the function of identifying the present operating conditions and then switching to the suitable control action. The reported numerical results show the effectiveness of the proposed hybrid control framework.     

灰色神经网络在股票价格预测中的应用

研究股票价格预测问题,股票价格具非线性和不确定性变化规律。传统单一模型只能反映股票价格部分信息,预测精度不高。为了提高股票价格预测精度,在分析股票价格变化特征基础上,提出一种灰色神经网络的股票价格预测方法。首先采用GM(1,1)模型对股票价格进行预测,捕捉其线性、灰色变化规律,然后采用BP神经网络对GM(1,1)预测残差进行建模预测,捕捉其非线性和不确定性变化规律,最后两者结果相加得到股票价格最终预测结果。将灰色神经网络用于浦发银行(60000)股票收盘价为例预测,结果表明,相于传统预测模型,灰色神经网络提高了股票价格预测精度,更能全面挖掘股票价格变化规律,在股票价格预测中具有广泛的应用前景。     

基于改进变形雅克比-傅里叶矩的不变性分析

系统地分析了改进的变形雅克比-傅里叶矩的不变性,并通过充分的实验说明了改进后的雅克比-傅里叶矩具有更好的平移、灰度、尺度、旋转等多畸变不变性。此矩是一种理想的、能有效抽取图像特征的不变矩。     

Simple assay for screening phytoestrogenic compounds using the oestrogen receptor immobilised magnetite nanoparticles

With increasing interests of phytoestrogens for their potential applications, a rapid and simple tool for screening these phytochemicals is still required. In this study, a simple assay to detect phytoestrogens was developed based on the competition binding between the tested samples and the fluorescently labelled oestrogen (E2) to the human ligand binding domain of oestrogen receptor (LBD‐ER) that was immobilised on the magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs). The 40‐kDa LBD‐ER peptide was produced in an Escherichia coli system. The synthesised 68.7‐nm MNPs were silanised and subsequently covalently linked to the C‐terminus of LBD‐ER peptide. The LBD‐ER immobilised MNPs demonstrated the specific binding for the standard E2 with the equilibrium dissociation constant of 9.56 nM and the binding capacity of 0.08 pmol/1 mg of the MNPs. The LBD‐ER immobilised MNPs could evaluate oestrogenic activity of the extracts of Asparagus racemosus and Curcuma comosa, the reported phytoestrogenic plants, but not progesterone (P4) and Raphanus sativus extract, the negative controls. The results of this work clearly demonstrated a potential assay for detecting phytoestrogens of crude plant extracts, which is simple and easily adapted to a high throughput format.Inspec keywords: iron compounds, nanoparticles, microorganisms, dissociation, organic compounds, nanomedicineOther keywords: phytoestrogenic compounds, oestrogen receptor, magnetite nanoparticles, Escherichia coli system, LBD‐ER peptide, C‐terminus, equilibrium dissociation constant, binding capacity, Fe₃ O₄      

Electrospun cellulose acetate membrane for size separating and antibacterial screening of crude polysaccharides

This study aims to produce electrospun cellulose acetate (CA) membrane as the alternative supporting medium for a separation of crude polysaccharides by electrophoresis and a screening of their antibacterial activity. Among the tested conditions of fabrication, electrospun CA membrane at 57% porosity showed the best separation of each polysaccharide from the standard mixture and the crude extract of Aloe vera via electrophoresis. As compared with the commercial CA membrane, the produced electrospun CA membrane demonstrated more separated spots of polysaccharides. The antibacterial activity of the electrophoretic polysaccharide was also determined against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus as the inhibition zone after the bacterial culture agar was overlaid on the membrane and incubated for 24 h. The results of this study suggested the potential application of electrospun CA membrane combining with electrophoresis as a simple method for separating crude polysaccharides and screening for their antibacterial activity.Inspec keywords: electrospinning, polymers, antibacterial activity, microorganisms, electrophoresis, biomedical materials, porosityOther keywords: electrospun cellulose acetate membrane, size separating, antibacterial screening, crude polysaccharides, alternative supporting medium, electrophoresis, antibacterial activity, electrospun CA membrane, standard mixture, Aloe vera, electrophoretic polysaccharide, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, bacterial culture agar     

On-surface synthesis of covalent coordination polymers on micrometer scale

On-surface synthesis under ultrahigh vacuum provides a promising strategy to control matter at the atomic level,with important implications for the design of new two-dimensional materials having remarkable electronic,magnetic,or catalytic properties.This strategy must address the problem of limited extension of the domains due to the irreversible nature of covalent bonds,which prevents the ripening of defects.We show here that extended materials can be produced by a controlled co-deposition process.In particular,co-deposition of quinoid zwitterion molecules with iron atoms on a Ag(111) surface held at 570 K allows the formation of micrometer-sized domains based on covalent coordination bonds.This work opens up the construction of micrometer-scale single-layer covalent coordination materials under vacuum conditions.