From the Meeting of Chuang Tzu, Franz Kafka and Van Cam Hai

Panel: Imagination/Fantasy/Realit

Link projections and flypes

Let \Pi be a link projection in S^2. John Conway and later Francis Bonahon and Larry Siebenmann undertook to split $\Pi$ into canonical pieces. These pieces received different names: basic or polyhedral diagrams on one hand, rational, algebraic, bretzel, arborescent diagrams on the other hand. This paper proposes a thorough presentation of the theory, known to happy fews. We apply the existence and uniqueness theorem for the canonical decomposition to the classification of Haseman circles and to the localisation of the flypes

Minimax Estimation of Nonregular Parameters and Discontinuity in Minimax Risk

When a parameter of interest is nondifferentiable in the probability, the existing theory of semiparametric efficient estimation is not applicable, as it does not have an influence function. Song (2014) recently developed a local asymptotic minimax estimation theory for a parameter that is a nondifferentiable transform of a regular parameter, where the nondifferentiable transform is a composite map of a continuous piecewise linear map with a single kink point and a translation-scale equivariant map. The contribution of this paper is two fold. First, this paper extends the local asymptotic minimax theory to nondifferentiable transforms that are a composite map of a Lipschitz continuous map having a finite set of nondifferentiability points and a translation-scale equivariant map. Second, this paper investigates the discontinuity of the local asymptotic minimax risk in the true probability and shows that the proposed estimator remains to be optimal even when the risk is locally robustified not only over the scores at the true probability, but also over the true probability itself. However, the local robustification does not resolve the issue of discontinuity in the local asymptotic minimax risk

Compost and residues from biogas plant as potting substrates for salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive plants

Compost and residues from biogas plant have been increasingly recognized as potting substrates in horticulture. To investigate the suitability of both materials to grow salt tolerant plants in 2010 a pot experiment was conducted in the greenhouse of INRES-Plant nutrition, University of Bonn. Ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), rape (Brassica napus) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus) were chosen as experimental plants. To reduce the high salt content compost and residues from biogas plant were leached. To improve physical characteristics of raw materials, additives including Perlite, Styromull, Hygromull, Lecaton, Peat, Cocofiber were incorporated into compost or residues from biogas plant with the volumetric ratio of 4:1. Plant growth (DM) and nutrient uptake (N, P, K, Mg, Ca, Na and S) of the experimental plants grown in compost-based or residue-based substrates with and without additives and standard soil as a control were determined. Preliminary results reveal that origin compost and residues from biogas plant without leaching are suitable potting substrates for those plants. For compost leaching may not be recommended while for residues from biogas plant the effect of leaching was not distinct and needs further investigations. The incorporation of additives into the basic materials partially resulted in higher plant dry matter yield and nutrient uptake. However, differences between the additives on both parameters were mainly insignificant. Incorporation of Hygromull or Peat, especially into residues from biogas plant favored plant growth and enhanced total nutrient uptake. In 2011, pot experiments were continued with the salt-sensitive ornamental plants, Pelargonium (Pelargonium zonale Toro) and Salvia (Salvia splendens). Two separate experiments were carried out for the mixtures of compost and additives (SPS standard soil type 73 based on Peat, Hygromull or Cocofiber) with different volumetric ratios (4:1, 1:1, 1:4) and the mixtures of Peat incorporated with small proportions of compost and additives (Styromull or Perlite). The results show that the large percentage (> 50% by volume) of compost in the substrate had negative effects on plant growth and nutrient uptake (N, P, K, Mg and Na) because of its high salt content in compost-based substrates. However, both yield formation and nutrient uptake of the studied plants when grown in peat-based substrates significantly increased comparing to those of compost-based substrates and almost gained the level of the control. Especially, the growth of Salvia was significantly improved. Consequently, compost-based media (with more than 50% of compost) may not be recommended for salt sensitive ornamental plants, while less than 25% volume of compost incorporated with Peat creates favorable peat-based substrates which reasonably enhanced growth of Pelargonium and Salvia. Investigating antibiotic uptake by cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata f. abba) from the manure-amended soils containing high and low carbon content spiked with the two antibiotics Chlortetracycline and Sulfamethazine was targeted as the third objective. The input concentrations of the studied antibiotics were 100, 200 and 400 µg/kg regarded to their present concentration range in Chinese top soils. The antibiotics in plant materials were analyzed by HPLC-MS after extraction. The results reveal that the presence of available high carbon content in the soil increased crop yield of cabbage. However antibiotics were not detected in the cabbage materials according to the antibiotic employment with the initial studied concentrations. It may be concluded that with the small amounts of antibiotics applied to the soils, there is no risk of uptake of antibiotics by plants

Are life-extending treatments for terminal illnesses a special case? Exploring choices and societal viewpoints

Criteria used by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to assess life-extending, end-of-life (EoL) treatments imply that health gains from such treatments are valued more than other health gains. Despite claims that the policy is supported by societal values, evidence from preference elicitation studies is mixed and in-depth research has shown there are different societal viewpoints. Few studies elicit preferences for policies directly or combine different approaches to understand preferences.Survey questions were designed to investigate support for NICE EoL guidance at national and regional levels. These ‘Decision Rule’ and ‘Treatment Choice’ questions were administered to an online sample of 1496 UK respondents in May 2014. The same respondents answered questions designed to elicit their agreement with three viewpoints (previously identified and described) in relation to provision of EoL treatments for terminally ill patients. We report the findings of these choice questions and examine how they relate to each other and respondents' viewpoints.The Decision Rule questions described three policies: DA – a standard ‘value for money’ test, applied to all health technologies; DB – giving special consideration to all treatments for terminal illnesses; and DC – giving special consideration to specific categories of treatments for terminal illnesses e.g. life extension (as in NICE EoL guidance) or those that improve quality-of-life (QoL). Three Treatment Choices were presented: TA – improving QoL for patients with a non-terminal illness; TB – extending life for EoL patients; and TC – improving QoL at the EoL.DC received most support (45%) with most respondents giving special consideration to EoL only when treatments improved QoL. The most commonly preferred treatment choices were TA (51%) and TC (43%). Overall, this study challenges claims about public support for NICE's EoL guidance and the focus on life extension at EoL and substantiates existing evidence of plurality in societal values