A palmer-based continuous fuzzy flexible flow-shop scheduling algorithm

 Flexible flow shops can be thought of as generalizations of simple flow shops. In the past, the processing time for each job was usually assumed to be known exactly, but in many real-world applications, processing times may vary dynamically due to human factors or operating faults. In the past, we demonstrated how discrete fuzzy concepts could easily be used in the Palmer algorithm for managing uncertain flexible-flow-shop scheduling. In this paper, we generalize it to continuous fuzzy domains. We use triangular membership functions for flexible flow shops with more than two machine centers to examine processing-time uncertainties and to make scheduling more suitable for real applications. We first use the triangular fuzzy LPT algorithm to allocate jobs, and then use the triangular fuzzy Palmer algorithm to deal with sequencing the tasks. The proposed method thus provides a more flexible way of scheduling jobs than conventional scheduling methods.     

Forecasting conditional climate-change using a hybrid approach

A novel approach is proposed to forecast the likelihood of climate-change across spatial landscape gradients. This hybrid approach involves reconstructing past precipitation and temperature using the self-organizing map technique; determining quantile trends in the climate-change variables by quantile regression modeling; and computing conditional forecasts of climate-change variables based on self-similarity in quantile trends using the fractionally differenced auto-regressive integrated moving average technique. The proposed modeling approach is applied to states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah) in the southwestern U.S., where conditional forecasts of climate-change variables are evaluated against recent (2012) observations, evaluated at a future time period (2030), and evaluated as future trends (2009–2059). These results have broad economic, political, and social implications because they quantify uncertainty in climate-change forecasts affecting various sectors of society. Another benefit of the proposed hybrid approach is that it can be extended to any spatiotemporal scale providing self-similarity exists.     

极危孑遗蕨类中华水韭叶结构的系统学意义

水韭属是濒危的孑遗植物,是研究古生态及其物种演化的活化石。本文用扫描电子显微镜和透射电子显微镜观察了中华水韭叶片的结构特征,首次报道了:(1)通气道横隔细胞在同一平面以5~7个放射状短臂相互连接,且细胞表面有数百个微纤毛;(2)叶表皮为复表皮;(3)光合细胞以5~7个短臂在3D空间相互连接;(4)叶脉不分支,管胞的环纹与初生壁间另有连接结构,管胞周围有薄壁细胞紧密包围;(5)舌足与叶肉嵌合处各有表皮;(6)自气孔下室观察了气孔器的内侧结构,为气孔研究拓展了视野。认为水韭属叶片的超微3D结构具有稳定的特殊性和复杂性,与近源的石松科及卷柏科相差甚远,证明水韭有孤立的演化路线。     

The effect of changes in nitrate concentration in drinking water on methemoglobin levels in infants

For a five‐day period infants consuming powdered milk formula made up with tap water were exposed to water of controlled nitrate content. There was a significant rise in MetHb levels above normal in most children after the first day of exposure to high nitrate water (108 mg/1 NO3). This was followed by some indication of a drop in MetHb levels despite the continued exposure and finally a return to normal levels when the exposure to nitrates stopped. No clinical signs of methemoglobinemia developed. The possible existence of an adaption mechanism is suggested but requires further elucidation.     

Seed-germination inhibition by volatile alcohols and other compounds associated withAmaranthus palmeri residues

Effects of 3-pentanone and eight low molecular weight aliphatic alcohols and aldehydes identifed in the mixtures of volatiles released byAmaranthus palmeri S. Wats. (AMAPA) residues were determined on germination of onion, carrot, AMAPA, and tomato seeds. Three-day exposures to these volatiles significantly inhibited germination of these assay seeds, and the inhibition was dependent upon exposure time and concentration. Based on the degree of inhibition observed in both time- and concentration-dependent assays, the following activity series was obtained: 2-heptanol > 3-methyl-1-butanol, 1-hexanol > hexanal, 1-pentanol, 3-pentanone, acetaldehyde > ethanol, 2-methyl-1-propanol. The activities of this group of compounds with that of 2-heptanone appear to be additive and related to test compound volatility and hydrophilicity. 2-Heptanol and 2-heptanone also significantly inhibited the germination of other species, including shepherdspurse, soybean, lettuce, alfalfa, common purslane, oats, and lovegrass.Name of companies or commercial products are given solely for the purpose of providing specific information; their mention does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture over others not mentioned.     

Identification of volatile allelochemicals fromAmaranthus palmeri S. Wats

Allelopathic volatiles associated with the weed Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S. Wats.; AMAPA) were trapped on Tenax GC, thermally desorbed, and identified by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. Methyl ketones and alcohols (C₄–C₁₁) were the principal components of the volatiles mixture. Seedheads, stems, or roots were placed in a glass container and incubated at 31 °C (10 hr)/21 °C (14 hr) for three days prior to trapping the volatiles. Seedheads were rich in 2-heptanone which was consistently found, together with 2-heptanol, in all AMAPA tissues. Vapors of authentic 2-heptanone and (±)-2-heptanol at concentrations of 1 ppm or higher strongly inhibited the germination of onion and carrot and almost completely suppressed the germination of tomato and AMAPA seeds.Names of companies or commercial products are given solely for the purpose of providing specific information; their mention does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture over others not mentioned.     

Samuel Palmer and the Pastoral Vision

Colin Harrison , Senior Curator of European Art at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, describes how the English 19th-century artist Samuel Palmer was deeply influenced by the poet and painter William Blake. Palmer's sublime paintings of the 1820s placed a new emphasis on the harmony of nature, reinterpreting traditional subjects entirely afresh, placing the Holy Family not in the Holy Land, but in the English countryside.     

A Comparative Analysis of Primary and Extreme Characteristics of Dry or Wet Status between Asia and North America

In this study, the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) was used to analyze the average and extreme dry/wet states of Asia and North America from 1953 to 2003. The results indicate that the two continents underwent drying trends during this period. Compared with North America, Asia showed more severe drought trends. However, more significant and regular seasonal variation for drought was found in North America. The driest regions in Asia were located in the northern region of China, Mongolia, and eastern mid-Siberian plateau. Most regions in central North America were relatively wetter than other regions. The northern and southwestern regions of North America, as well as the Atlantic and Pacific coastal areas, experienced the most drought during this period. A sharp increase of the drought area and the number of extreme drought events took place from 1997 to 2003 in both Asia and North America. Severe drought events were more likely to occur during the summer on both continents. Asia had the most extreme drought events during July, but North America reached its highest drought frequency from June to September. In Asia, a persistent increasing trend of extreme drought emerged throughout the studied period. However, a more complex evolution of drought emerged in North America: a decreasing trend appeared before the mid-1960s and an increasing trend appeared after the late 1970s. A relatively steady dry/wet status was observed between the mid-1960s and the late 1970s. The role of exceptional, extreme drought events with respect to the La Nina event was considered during 1997-2003.     

Caroline Palmer.

Acknowledges Caroline Palmer for pioneering research in music cognition and performance. Her skillful studies on sound patterns produced by musicians extended our understanding of the way complex sound patterns communicate information and expressive meaning. She has combined technical skills with a knowledge of music, acoustics, and psychology to reveal a previously hidden world of finely crafted dynamic patterns used by musicians to influence listeners. A citation, biography, and selected bibliography of Palmer's works are provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)