Distal volcanic ash layers in the Lateglacial Interstadial (GI-1): problems of stratigraphic discrimination

A new Icelandic ash layer has been detected in mid-Interstadial sediments in a number of Scottish Lateglacial sequences and has been named the Penifiler Tephra. It is rhyolitic in composition and possesses a chemistry, which is similar to the Borrobol Tephra of early Lateglacial Interstadial age, which also occurs in a number of these same sequences. Where the Borrobol Tephra has been identified in these sequences it consistently exhibits a diffuse distribution accompanied in some cases by stratigraphic bimodality. A number of sedimentological and taphonomic factors are considered in order to account for this distribution. One possibility is that these distributions are produced by taphonomic factors. Another possibility is that the Borrobol Tephra may not be the product of a single Icelandic eruption, but of two events closely spaced in time. In at least two of the sequences investigated in this study, basaltic shards were found in association with the Penifiler and Borrobol tephras, suggesting either a basaltic phase associated with these eruptions, or coincident eruptions from a separate basaltic volcanic centre. The discovery of the new Penifiler Tephra makes a contribution to the regional tephrostratigraphic framework, and provides an additional isochron for assessing the synchroneity of palaeoenvironmental changes during the Interstadial. The true stratigraphic nature and age of the Borrobol Tephra, however, remains unresolved and, therefore, its use as an isochron is more problematic. The possible occurrence of basaltic populations may strengthen correlations with basaltic tephras recently detected in the NGRIP ice-core.

Pitfalls in Protection: How Theory Can Enrich Our Understanding of Regulatory Compliance Problems in Planning Practice

This paper responds to demands for greater academic investigation into environmental protection, specifically the practical and structural problems which underpin regulatory compliance in the planning system. It critiques traditional theories of regulation and answers calls for the development of a thematic lens to facilitate the scrutiny of not only operational practice, but also the broader institutional regime. An empirical investigation builds upon the construct of really responsive regulation to study planning control and it becomes apparent that not only are there significant procedural planning difficulties facing regulatory compliance, but also that a much wider raft of issues must be considered if the complex equation is to be solved. The findings demonstrate how theory can be applied to enrich our rudimentary understanding of deep-seated problems and foster insights into areas of structural importance which are relevant to both planning and the wider regulatory arena.

Solving Decision Problems with Limited Information

We present a new algorithm for exactly solving decision-making problems represented as an influence diagram. We do not require the usual assumptions of no forgetting and regularity, which allows us to solve problems with limited information. The algorithm, which implements a sophisticated variable elimination procedure, is empirically shown to outperform a state-of-the-art algorithm in randomly generated problems of up to 150 variables and 10^64 strategies.

Semi-Qualitative Probabilistic Networks in Computer Vision Problems

This paper explores the application of semi-qualitative probabilistic networks (SQPNs) that combine numeric and qualitative information to computer vision problems. Our version of SQPN allows qualitative influences and imprecise probability measures using intervals. We describe an Imprecise Dirichlet model for parameter learning and an iterative algorithm for evaluating posterior probabilities, maximum a posteriori and most probable explanations. Experiments on facial expression recognition and image segmentation problems are performed using real data.

Some current problems in perovskite nano-ferroelectrics and multiferroics: kinetically-limited systems of finite lateral size

We describe some unsolved problems of current interest; these involve quantum critical points in
ferroelectrics and problems which are not amenable to the usual density functional theory, nor to
classical Landau free energy approaches (they are kinetically limited), nor even to the Landau–
Kittel relationship for domain size (they do not satisfy the assumption of infinite lateral diameter)
because they are dominated by finite aperiodic boundary conditions.

Coupled Effects of a Perturbation in a Complex Structure Observed with SDO/AIA, SDO/HMI and ROSA/HARDcam

We study properties of intensity fluctuations in NOAA Active Region 11250 observed on 13 July 2011 starting at UT 13:32. Included are data obtained in the EUV bands of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO/AIA) as well as nearly simultaneous observations of the chromosphere made, at much higher spatial and temporal resolution, with the Rapid Oscillations in the Solar Atmosphere (ROSA) and Hydrogen-Alpha Rapid Dynamics camera (HARDcam) systems at the Dunn Solar Telescope. A complex structure seen in both the ROSA/HARDcam and SDO data sets comprises a system of loops extending outward from near the boundary of the leading sunspot umbra. It is visible in the ROSA Ca II K and HARDcam Hα images, as well as the SDO 304 Å, 171 Å and 193 Å channels, and it thus couples the chromosphere, transition region and corona. In the ground-based images the loop structure is 4.1 Mm long. Some 17.5 Mm, can be traced in the SDO/AIA data. The chromospheric emissions observed by ROSA and HARDcam appear to occupy the inner, and apparently cooler and lower, quarter of the loop. We compare the intensity fluctuations of two points within the structure. From alignment with SDO/HMI images we identify a point "A" near the loop structure, which sits directly above a bipolar magnetic feature in the photosphere. Point "B" is characteristic of locations within the loops that are visible in both the ROSA/HARDcam and the SDO/AIA data. The intensity traces for point A are quiet during the first part of the data string. At time ~ 19 min they suddenly begin a series of impulsive brightenings. In the 171 Å and 193 Å coronal lines the brightenings are localized impulses in time, but in the transition region line at 304 Å they are more extended in time. The intensity traces in the 304 Å line for point B shows a quasi-periodic signal that changes properties at about 19 min. The wavelet power spectra are characterized by two periodicities. A 6.7 min period extends from the beginning of the series until about 25 minutes, and another signal with period ~3 min starts at about 20 min. The 193 Å power spectrum has a characteristic period of 5 min, before the 20 min transition and a 2.5 min periodicity afterward. In the case of HARDcam Hα data a localized 4 min periodicity can be found until about 7 min, followed by a quiet regime. After ~20 min a 2.3 min periodicity appears. Interestingly a coronal loop visible in the 94 Å line that is centrally located in the AR, running from the leading umbra to the following polarity, at about time 20 min undergoes a strong brightening beginning at the same moment all along 15 Mm of its length. The fact that these different signals all experience a clear-cut change at time about 20 min suggests an underlying organizing mechanism. Given that point A has a direct connection to the photospheric magnetic bipole, we conjecture that the whole extended structure is connected in a complex manner to the underlying magnetic field. The periodicities in these features may favor the wave nature rather than upflows and interpretations will be discussed.

Assessment of Atomic Data: Problems and Solutions

For the reliable analysis and modeling of astrophysical, laser-produced, and fusion plasmas, atomic data are required for a number of parameters, including energy levels, radiative rates, and electron impact excitation rates. Such data are desired for a range of elements (H to W) and their many ions. However, measurements of atomic data, mainly for radiative and excitation rates, are not feasible for many species, and therefore, calculations are needed. For some ions (such as of C, Fe, and Kr), there is a variety of calculations available in the literature, but often, they differ significantly from one another. Therefore, there is a great demand from the user community to have data "assessed" for accuracy so that they can be confidently applied to the modeling of plasmas. In this paper we highlight the difficulties in assessing atomic data and offer some solutions for improving the accuracy of calculated results.

Proposed role for COUP-TFII in regulating fetal Leydig cell steroidogenesis, perturbation of which leads to masculinization disorders in rodents

Reproductive disorders that are common/increasing in prevalence in human males may arise because of deficient androgen production/action during a fetal 'masculinization programming window'. We identify a potentially important role for Chicken Ovalbumin Upstream Promoter-Transcription Factor II (COUP-TFII) in Leydig cell (LC) steroidogenesis that may partly explain this. In rats, fetal LC size and intratesticular testosterone (ITT) increased ~3-fold between e15.5-e21.5 which associated with a progressive decrease in the percentage of LC expressing COUP-TFII. Exposure of fetuses to dibutyl phthalate (DBP), which induces masculinization disorders, dose-dependently prevented the age-related decrease in LC COUP-TFII expression and the normal increases in LC size and ITT. We show that nuclear COUP-TFII expression in fetal rat LC relates inversely to LC expression of steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1)-dependent genes (StAR, Cyp11a1, Cyp17a1) with overlapping binding sites for SF-1 and COUP-TFII in their promoter regions, but does not affect an SF-1 dependent LC gene (3β-HSD) without overlapping sites. We also show that once COUP-TFII expression in LC has switched off, it is re-induced by DBP exposure, coincident with suppression of ITT. Furthermore, other treatments that reduce fetal ITT in rats (dexamethasone, diethylstilbestrol (DES)) also maintain/induce LC nuclear expression of COUP-TFII. In contrast to rats, in mice DBP neither causes persistence of fetal LC COUP-TFII nor reduces ITT, whereas DES-exposure of mice maintains COUP-TFII expression in fetal LC and decreases ITT, as in rats. These findings suggest that lifting of repression by COUP-TFII may be an important mechanism that promotes increased testosterone production by fetal LC to drive masculinization. As we also show an age-related decline in expression of COUP-TFII in human fetal LC, this mechanism may also be functional in humans, and its susceptibility to disruption by environmental chemicals, stress and pregnancy hormones could explain the origin of some human male reproductive disorders.

An efficient harmony search with new pitch adjustment for dynamic economic dispatch

A simple yet efficient harmony search (HS) method with a new pitch adjustment rule (NPAHS) is proposed for dynamic economic dispatch (DED) of electrical power systems, a large-scale non-linear real time optimization problem imposed by a number of complex constraints. The new pitch adjustment rule is based on the perturbation information and the mean value of the harmony memory, which is simple to implement and helps to enhance solution quality and convergence speed. A new constraint handling technique is also developed to effectively handle various constraints in the DED problem, and the violation of ramp rate limits between the first and last scheduling intervals that is often ignored by existing approaches for DED problems is effectively eliminated. To validate the effectiveness, the NPAHS is first tested on 10 popular benchmark functions with 100 dimensions, in comparison with four HS variants and five state-of-the-art evolutionary algorithms. Then, NPAHS is used to solve three 24-h DED systems with 5, 15 and 54 units, which consider the valve point effects, transmission loss, emission and prohibited operating zones. Simulation results on all these systems show the scalability and superiority of the proposed NPAHS on various large scale problems.

Study on Some Key Problems Related to Integrated Energy Systems: 区域综合能源系统若干问题研究

The research on integrated energy system technology meets the major national strategic needs of China. Focusing on the vital theory of planning and optimal operation of integrated energy system, six fundamental problems in the study of integrated energy system are proposed systematically, including the common modeling technology for integrated energy system, the integrated simulation of integrated energy system, the planning theory and method of integrated energy system, the security theory and method of integrated energy system, the optimal operation and control of integrated energy system, the benefit assessment and operational mechanisms of integrated energy system. The status of domestic and foreign research directions related to each scientific problems are surveyed and anticipated.

Measuring non-use value of environmental goods using the contingent valuation method:problems of information and cognition and the application of cognitive questionnaire design methods

Much interest now focuses on the use of the contingent valuation method (CVM) to assess non-use value of environmental goods. The paper reviews recent literature and highlights particular problems of information provision and respondent knowledge, comprehension and cognition. These must be dealt with by economists in designing CVM surveys for eliciting non-use values. Cognitive questionnaire design methods are presented which invoke concepts from psychology and tools from cognitive survey design (focus groups and verbal reports) to reduce a complex environmnetal good into a meaningful commodity that can be valued by respondents in a contingent market. This process is illustrated with examples from the authors' own research valuing alternative afforestation programmes. -Authors