Nasa desalting kit development, phase ii first progress report

NASA desalting kit development - container and processor desig

On Discrimination Discovery and Removal in Ranked Data using Causal Graph

Predictive models learned from historical data are widely used to help companies and organizations make decisions. However, they may digitally unfairly treat unwanted groups, raising concerns about fairness and discrimination. In this paper, we study the fairness-aware ranking problem which aims to discover discrimination in ranked datasets and reconstruct the fair ranking. Existing methods in fairness-aware ranking are mainly based on statistical parity that cannot measure the true discriminatory effect since discrimination is causal. On the other hand, existing methods in causal-based anti-discrimination learning focus on classification problems and cannot be directly applied to handle the ranked data. To address these limitations, we propose to map the rank position to a continuous score variable that represents the qualification of the candidates. Then, we build a causal graph that consists of both the discrete profile attributes and the continuous score. The path-specific effect technique is extended to the mixed-variable causal graph to identify both direct and indirect discrimination. The relationship between the path-specific effects for the ranked data and those for the binary decision is theoretically analyzed. Finally, algorithms for discovering and removing discrimination from a ranked dataset are developed. Experiments using the real dataset show the effectiveness of our approaches.Comment: 9 page

Pornography beyond the media

The aim of this article is to reflect on pornography in consumer society nowadays. The link between pornographic literature and the French Revolution will be our starting point. We will continue then to show how liberal consumer societies represent a particular synthesis of freedom and pleasure

Pornografia além da mídia

The aim of this article is to reflect on pornography in consumer society nowadays. The link between pornographic literature and the French Revolution will be our starting point. We will continue then to show how liberal consumer societies represent a particular synthesis of freedom and pleasure.El presente artículo tiene por objetivo reflexionar sobre el tema de la pornografía en la actual sociedad de consumo. Para ello partiremos del vínculo entre la literatura pornográfica y la Revolución Francesa y proseguemos mostrando cómo las sociedades liberales de consumo representan una particular síntesis de la libertad y el goce.O presente artigo tem por objetivo refletir sobre o tema da pornografia na atual sociedade de consumo. Para tanto partiremos do vínculo entre a literatura pornográfica e a Revolução Francesa e prosseguiremos mostrando como as sociedades liberais de consumo representam uma particular síntese de liberdade e gozo

A fábula flusseriana e o futuro da educação

This article is about some of Vilém Flusser’s theoretical conceptions on the new forms of thinking arisen from modern technologies which encompass education’s challenge: reading images through concepts. This article also reflects on the “blind spot” of Flusser’s theory: the new exploration form – aesthesis – into the contemporary capitalism.Este artículo parte de algunas concepciones sostenidas por Vilém Flusser acerca de las nuevas formas de pensamiento emergentes a partir de las nuevas tecnologías, así como del desafío para la educación que de ahí se deriva - la "lectura" de imágenes a través de los conceptos -, y prosigue reflejando acerca de del punto ciego presente en su pensamiento: la nueva forma de explotación - aesthesis - propia al capitalismo contemporáneo.Este artigo parte de algumas concepções sustentadas por Vilém Flusser acerca das novas formas de pensamento emergentes a partir das novas tecnologias, bem como do desafio para a educação que daí se deriva – a “leitura” de imagens através dos conceitos –, e prossegue refletindo acerca do ponto cego presente em seu pensamento: a nova forma de exploração – aesthesis – própria ao capitalismo contemporâneo

Crítica Musical e Psicanálise

[por] Este artigo desenvolve a hipótese segunda a qual podemos distinguir duas camadas de recepção da teoria psicanalítica na obra de Theodor W. Adorno. A primeira delas, ainda pouco explorada, se faz presente nos escritos musicais do compositor e filósofo frankfurtiano, sob a forma de um conjunto de suposições tácitas e implícitas convergente com o procedimento da crítica imanente em operação no âmbito da singula-ridade estética: identificação de problemas pelo recurso à história da materialidade musical; caracterização dos mesmos a partir de indícios sintomáticos a serem decifrados; composição de sentidos inteligíveis mediante exercício hermenêutico para tudo aquilo que, a primeira vista, carece de sentido; e, circunscrição metodológica à singularidade do caso (obra) em análise. Já a segunda camada de recepção assume a forma de uma psicologia social analiticamente orientada presente em grande medida nas obras produzidas durante operíodo do exílio.[eng] In this article we would like to discuss the hypothesis according to which we can distinguish two ways to understand Psychoanalysis in Adornos’s work. The first way, which has not been sufficiently enlightened, is found in Adornos’s critical works of music not only as a composer but also as a philosopher. Adorno’s understanding of Psychoanalysis shows us a set of tacit and implicit assumptions in accordance to his immanent criticism of the singularity of esthetics: - identification of problems through the history of the musical material; characterization of these problems by symptomatic signs to be deciphered; creation of rational meaning to anything meaningless by an hermeneutic procedure; and a methodological circumscription of the singularity of the case under analysis (art composition). The second way to understand psychoanalysis in Adorno’s works is by social psychology, psychoanalytically oriented in the main works produced during the period of his exile

Genetic control of protein, oil and fatty acids content under partial drought stress and late sowing conditions in sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

The purpose of the present study was to map quantitative trait locus (QTLs) associated with percentage of seed protein, oil and fatty acids content under different conditions in a population of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) of sunflower. Three independent field experiments were conducted with well-, partial-irrigated and late-sowing conditions in randomized complete block design with three replications. High significant variation among genotypes is observed for the studied traits in all conditions. Several specific and non-specific QTLs for the aforementioned traits were detected. Under late-sowing condition, a specific QTL of palmitic acid content on linkage group 6 (PAC-LS.6) is located between ORS1233 and SSL66_1 markers. Common chromosomic regions are observed for percentage of seed oil and stearic acid content on linkage group 10 (PSO-PI.10 and SAC-WI.10) and 15 (PSO-PI.15 and SAC-LS.15). Overlapping occurs for QTLs of oleic and linoleic acids content on linkage groups 10, 11 and 16. Seven QTLs associated with palmitic, stearic, oleic and linoleic acids content are identified on linkage group 14. These common QTLs are linked to HPPD homologue, HuCL04260C001. Coincidence of the position for some detected QTLs and candidate genes involved in enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants would be useful for the function of the respective genes in fatty acid stability.Key words: Sunflower, quantitative trait locus, simple sequence repeats, oil content, protein content, fatty acids

Traceability Technology Adoption in Supply Chain Networks

Modern traceability technologies promise to improve supply chain management by simplifying recalls, increasing visibility, or verifying sustainable supplier practices. Initiatives leading the implementation of traceability technologies must choose the least-costly set of firms —or seed set — to target for early adoption. Choosing this seed set is challenging because firms are part of supply chains interlinked in complex networks, yielding an inherent supply chain effect: benefits obtained from traceability are conditional on technology adoption by a subset of firms in a product’s supply chain. We prove that the problem of selecting the least-costly seed set in a supply chain network is hard to solve and even approximate within a polylogarithmic factor. Nevertheless, we provide a novel linear programming-based algorithm to identify the least-costly seed set. The algorithm is fixed-parameter tractable in the supply chain network’s treewidth, which we show to be low in real-world supply chain networks. The algorithm also enables us to derive easily-computable bounds on the cost of selecting an optimal seed set. Finally, we leverage our algorithms to conduct large-scale numerical experiments that provide insights into how the supply chain network structure influences diffusion. These insights can help managers optimize their technology diffusion strategy

Broadband Fields Radiated in a Solid by Water-Coupled Transducers: A Comparison of Approximate Models, Numerical Approaches and Experiments

In number of configurations, ultrasonic tests in the French nuclear industry are made using water-coupled focused transducers. To study the influence of the various parameters involved in transducer/piece configurations, model-based predictions of the field radiated by transducers are very useful. A model (called Champ-Sons) has been developed at the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) to calculate the field radiated by focused or unfocused transducer through liquid/solid interface at normal or oblique incidence [1]. It can deal with radiating surface of complex (3-D) shape (spherical focusing, Fermat’s surfaces, multiple-elements [2] etc.). The calculation is done directly in the time domain for broadband sources and in the frequency domain for narrowband sources. In its present form Champ-Sons deals with either plane or cylindrical interfaces between a fluid and an isotropic solid. It is implemented in a user-friendly software developed at the CEA called CIVA [3] for NDT data processing (eddy-current, ultrasonics, neutrongraphy, radiography). Since non-canonical configurations are considered and pure numerical schemes are too computer intensive, the model treats the refraction at the fluid/solid interface in an approximate way. It has been validated experimentally [1]