Bacterial lessons on organelle division

Mitochondria and chloroplasts arose from bacterial endosymbionts about a billion years ago. This ancestry is now showing us how these organelles divide in modem cells.

Parameter optimization of kernel-based one-class classifier on imbalance learning

Compared with conventional two-class learning schemes, one-class classification simply uses a single class in the classifier training phase. Applying one-class classification to learn from unbalanced data set is regarded as the recognition based learning and has shown to have the potential of achieving better performance. Similar to twoclass learning, parameter selection is a significant issue, especially when the classifier is sensitive to the parameters. For one-class learning scheme with the kernel function, such as one-class Support Vector Machine and Support Vector Data Description, besides the parameters involved in the kernel, there is another one-class specific parameter: the rejection rate v. In this paper, we proposed a general framework to involve the majority class in solving the parameter selection problem. In this framework, we first use the minority target class for training in the one-class classification stage; then we use both minority and majority class for estimating the generalization performance of the constructed classifier. This generalization performance is set as the optimization criteria. We employed the Grid search and Experiment Design search to attain various parameter settings. Experiments on UCI and Reuters text data show that the parameter optimized one-class classifiers outperform all the standard one-class learning schemes we examined.

Parameter estimation of one-class SVM on imbalance text classification

Compared with conventional two-class learning schemes, one-class classification simply uses a single class for training purposes. Applying one-class classification to the minorities in an imbalanced data has been shown to achieve better performance than the two-class one. In this paper, in order to make the best use of all the available information during the learning procedure, we propose a general framework which first uses the minority class for training in the one-class classification stage; and then uses both minority and majority class for estimating the generalization performance of the constructed classifier. Based upon this generalization performance measurement, parameter search algorithm selects the best parameter settings for this classifier. Experiments on UCI and Reuters text data show that one-class SVM embedded in this framework achieves much better performance than the standard one-class SVM alone and other learning schemes, such as one-class Naive Bayes, one-class nearest neighbour and neural network.

Comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable: the role of journalism in the academy

The new professional disciplines such as journalism and public relations face unique challenges in entering the academy and as they formulate their own methodologies, pedagogies and theoretical frameworks there arises inevitable tensions between them and the more traditional disciplines.

As recently as January of this year in announcing the establishment of a new institute of journalism at Oxford University backed by £1.75m funding from Reuters, the vice chancellor of Oxford University, Dr John Hood, outlined plans to make this new centre one of the most authoritative sources of reliable analysis of journalism at an international, national and local level.

He went on to say that the aim of the institute would be to "break down the barriers of incomprehension and distrust which have tended to define the relationship between the academy and journalism." It is that ambivalent relationship which provides the focus for this paper.

As late as the mid 90s in the Australian academy focus was on the so called "Media Wars" with proponents of a pure and empirical form of journalism education declaring "No More Theory!" Tensions remain at least in the Australian context between the profession and practitioners and those who have moved to journalism education. Even within the ranks of the educators there are still divisions between those who see themselves only as practitioners with skills to impart, and those who see themselves as also building the disciplinary base.

Interdisciplinarity is often seen as the solution to such tensions but such hybrid mergings bring with them their own problems. This paper looks at the "Media Wars", their aftermath, and provides a case study of a discipline still seeking its own secure methodological and theoretical niche within the academy. It also poses its own solution in suggesting that it is time for a riotous Feyeraband type of play to produce the kind of disciplinary pastiche which will help in securing that niche.

Prevention of suicide : police powers, parliamentary intent and judicial interpretation

While in most countries suicide is no longer a crime, it is also acknowledged that the state has an interest in the preservation of human life, prevention of suicide, and protection of vulnerable persons from harming themselves. In a civil, secular and democratic society, however, the public law principle of state protective powers has to be balanced against the private law principle of personal autonomy (personal self-determination). Under the doctrine of autonomy, competent adults of sound mind can make legally binding voluntary choices, including the so-called ‘death-choice’ (refusal of life-sustaining or life-prolonging treatment as well as suicide). To add to the complexity, whereas the powers of the state in relation to suicide and its prevention have been codified, the concepts of personal autonomy and personal liberty are grounded in common law. Stuart v Kirkland–Veenstra [2008] VSCA 32, which is at present being considered by the High Court of Australia, exemplifies tensions that arise in the suicide-prevention area of jurisprudence. This article explores powers and duties of police officers in relation to suicide prevention and the notion of mental illness by reference to the Kirkland–Veenstra case, the relevant statutory framework and the common law.

Where is a corporation's "centre of main interests" in international insolvency?

The international community has long sought the appropriate means by which insolvencies involving several jurisdictions should be conducted. Central to the solution proposed is the view that jurisdictions should primarily co-operate with the proceeding underway in a company's "centre of main interests". This concept will be of increasing importance to Australia with the passing of the Cross Border Insolvency Act 2008 , which enacts domestically the provisions of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law Model Law on Cross Border Insolvency. This article examines how this concept was intended to operate, the actual provisions of the relevant Instruments together with how it has been judicially interpreted. It will be shown that while some certainties concerning the operation of this concept have been achieved, determining this actual location remains surrounded with considerable vagueness. This article proceeds to suggest the most appropriate interpretation of this "centre of main interests" concept.

Defendants' liability for pure mental harm to third parties in Australia : still a work in progress

In Australia, both common and statutory law allows compensation for negligently occasioned recognised psychiatric injury, but distinguishes between pure mental harm and consequential mental harm. This column briefly discusses the concept of pure "mental harm" and the major Australian cases relating to defendants' liability to third parties for causing them pure mental harm (Jaensch v Coffey (1984) 155 CLR 549 [PDF]; Tame v New South Wales; Annetts v Australian Stations Pty Ltd (2002) 211 CLR 317 [PDF]; Sullivan v Moody (2001) 207 CLR 562 [PDF]; and Gifford v Strang Patrick Stevedoring Pty Ltd (2003) 214 CLR 269 [PDF]). The analysis focuses on judicial approaches to determining liability in these cases, especially causation. Lack of guiding principles and precise tests for attribution of liability are illustrated by Kemp v Lyell McEwin Health Service (2006) 96 SASR 192 [PDF]. This case is analysed first in the context of common law, and then in the light of the reform legislation contained in the Civil Liability Act 1936 (SA) and similar provisions in other jurisdictions.