Action dependencies in privacy-preserving multi-agent planning

Collaborative privacy-preserving planning (CPPP) is a multi-agent planning task in which agents need to achieve a common set of goals without revealing certain private information. In many CPPP algorithms, the individual agents reason about a projection of the multi-agent problem onto a single-agent classical planning problem. For example, an agent can plan as if it controls the public actions of other agents, ignoring any private preconditions and effects theses actions may have, and use the cost of this plan as a heuristic estimate of the cost of the full, multi-agent plan. Using such a projection, however, ignores some dependencies between agents’ public actions. In particular, it does not contain dependencies between public actions of other agents caused by their private facts. We propose a projection in which these private dependencies are maintained. The benefit of our dependency-preserving projection is demonstrated by using it to produce high-level plans in a new privacy-preserving planner, and as a heuristic for guiding forward search privacy-preserving algorithms. Both are able to solve more benchmark problems than any other state-of-the-art privacy-preserving planner. This more informed projection does not explicitly expose any private fact, action, or precondition. In addition, we show that even if an adversary agent knows that an agent has some private objects of a given type (e.g., trucks), it cannot infer the number of such private objects that the agent controls. This introduces a novel form of strong privacy, which we call object-cardinality privacy, that is motivated by real-world requirements.     

Sex pheromone of Egyptian cotton leafworm (Spodoptera littoralis)

Samples of pheromone carriers, after use for 4–5 weeks in traps in the field, were analyzed. Partial isomerization of prodlure, (Z,E)-9,11-tetradecadienyl acetate (TDDA), the main component of the sex pheromone of femaleSpodoptera littoralis, took place. All three other possible isomers were formed to yield a mixture of 50% (Z,E)-9,11 -TDDA, 30% (E,E)-9,11-, 13% (E,Z)-9,11-, and 7% (Z,Z)-9,11 isomer. The process was found to be photochemically induced; none of these isomers was found under heating alone. Most of the pheromone, however, decomposed under field conditions.     

A rapid micromethod for the quantitative analysis of jojoba wax and its components

A method for the routine determination of jojoba wax ester composition and the ethanolysis products of these esters is described. In the recommended procedure, single or half seeds are crushed onto filter paper disks to provide duplicate 10–20 mg samples of the wax. One paper is extracted with petroleum ether for wax ester analysis and the second sample is transesterified in a sealed bottle using 5% HCl in ethanol at 80 C for 1–2 hr. This preparation is extracted with NaCl and petroleum ether, neutralized with potassium bicarbonate and dried with anhydrous sodium sulfate. The fatty acid ethyl esters and free alcohols are determined by gas chromatography (GC). The method requires only small amounts of seed material, provides duplicate samples of the wax, simplifies the ethanolysis procedures and reduces the time needed for the removal of the acid catalyst.     

Functionalization at the double-bond region of jojoba oil. 7. Chemical binding of jojoba liquid wax to polystyrene resins

Jojoba wax was chemically bonded to a polystyrene matrixvia a stable C-C covalent bond. This was achieved by binding allyl-brominated jojoba derivatives to lithiated crosslinked polystyrene-2% divinylbenzene or XAD-4 polymeric beads via a nucleophilic substitution reaction. The double-bond regions in the jojoba wax were preserved. A side reaction that accompanied the nucleophilic substitution was HBr elimination, which produced diene and triene systems in the bound jojoba. Phosphonation and sulfur chlorination at the double bonds of the jojoba wax, bonded to the polystyrene matrix, were also performed.     

Microarray Analysis of Oligosaccharide‐Mediated Multivalent Carbohydrate–Protein Interactions and Their Heterogeneity

Carbohydrate–protein interactions (CPIs) are involved in a wide range of biological phenomena. Hence, the characterization and presentation of carbohydrate epitopes that closely mimic the natural environment is one of the long‐term goals of glycosciences. Inspired by the multivalency, heterogeneity and nature of carbohydrate ligand‐mediated interactions, we constructed a combinatorial library of mannose and galactose homo‐ and hetero‐glycodendrons to study CPIs. Microarray analysis of these glycodendrons with a wide range of biologically important plant and animal lectins revealed that oligosaccharide structures and heterogeneity interact with each other to alter binding preferences.     

Fractals,fuzzy logic and expert systems to assist in the construction of musical pieces

The authors present a suite to assist in the creation of musical pieces, whose foundation lies on fractals, fuzzy logic and expert systems. Even though algorithmic music has been explored, some gaps still exist. The favored approach has consisted in mapping numbers to notes to create appealing pieces. This, we contend, is a necessary but not a sufficient condition. Our suite, besides the necessary mapping, possesses the following advantages. First, it is possible to define notes, tempos, and notes durations. Notes evolve according to the selected fractal. Tempos and durations can remain fixed or they also can follow a fractal. Second, it is possible to translate the resultant fractal notes into notes belonging to a musical scale. This is done by firing appropriate rules in a rule base. Third, interpretation templates are provided. Also, melodies or harmonies are available. The suite currently contains several known fractal systems, and we also proposed one dynamical, recursive computation based on Mamdani fuzzy rule bases. The suite we present helps promoting and monitoring the creative process of composing musical scores. The actual implementation of the suite was done on the Java language.     

The Skyline algorithm for POMDP value function pruning

We address the pruning or filtering problem, encountered in exact value iteration in POMDPs and elsewhere, in which a collection of linear functions is reduced to the minimal subset retaining the same maximal surface. We introduce the Skyline algorithm, which traces the graph corresponding to the maximal surface. The algorithm has both a complete and an iterative version, which we present, along with the classical Lark??s algorithm, in terms of the basic dictionary-based simplex iteration from linear programming. We discuss computational complexity results, and present comparative experiments on both randomly-generated and well-known POMDP benchmarks.     

Metal sorption properties of sulfur-chlorinated jojoba wax bound to polystyrene beads

A new solid extractant (designated PS-DETA-JS) in which sulfur-chlorinated jojoba wax is bound via an amine spacer group to polystyrene beads was synthesized. The absorption of mercury cations from acidic solutions and of chromate anions from saline solutions onto PS-DETA-JS was investigated. The sorption of mercury ions by the solid extractant was compared with that by liquid-sulfurized jojoba wax impregnated inside macroporous resins. The static and dynamic properties of dichromate sorption from 2–20 g/L NaCl solutions at pH 4.1 were studied. Selective sorption of Cr(VI) was obtained at low chromate concentrations (∼ 6 ppm) in saline aqueous solutions. Complete regeneration of the PS-DETA-JS resin was achieved after the reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) and the elution of the Cr(III) with 1N HCl. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Gelatin-Chitosan Composite Films and Edible Coatings to Enhance the Quality of Food Products: Layer-by-Layer vs. Blended Formulations

Two different approaches, blending and layer-by-layer electrostatic deposition (LbL), were utilized to combine two biopolymers, gelatin and chitosan, in edible films or coatings. The performance of the blended and LbL composite films and single-component gelatin and chitosan films was compared in terms of mechanical, optical, and spectroscopic properties. In parallel, edible coatings based on these formulations were applied on a food model: fresh-cut melon. Physiological, textural, and microbiological parameters of the coated fruit were studied in comparison with non coated control. Surprisingly, in spite of the higher thickness, the composite films and especially the LbL formulation demonstrated enhanced water vapor permeability as compared to single-component films. The LbL film had higher strength and better elasticity than the blended one. All edible coatings containing chitosan effectively inhibited microbial growth on fresh-cut melons. The LbL formulation demonstrated the most effective inhibition of the total microbial growth especially after 5–7 days of storage, while the blended formulation demonstrated high antifungal activity after 11 days of storage. The LbL formulation demonstrated superior performance in preservation of fruit texture and also slightly reduced fruit weight loss, while the blended formulation did not improve these parameters. Both composite coatings do not obstruct fruit gas exchange and do not cause accumulation of off-flavor volatiles.