A Parameterisation of Algorithms for Distributed Constraint Optimisation via Potential Games

This paper introduces a parameterisation of learning algorithms for distributed constraint optimisation problems (DCOPs). This parameterisation encompasses many algorithms developed in both the computer science and game theory literatures. It is built on our insight that when formulated as noncooperative games, DCOPs form a subset of the class of potential games. This result allows us to prove convergence properties of algorithms developed in the computer science literature using game theoretic methods. Furthermore, our parameterisation can assist system designers by making the pros and cons of, and the synergies between, the various DCOP algorithm components clear

Human Trophoblast Cells Modulate Endometrial Cells Nuclear Factor kappa B Response to Flagellin In Vitro

Background: Implantation is a complex process that requires a delicate cooperation between the immune and reproductive system. Any interference in the fine balance could result in embryo loss and infertility. We have recently shown that Toll-like receptor 5 activation results in a decrease of trophoblast cells binding to endometrial cells in an in vitro model of human implantation. However, little is known about the downstream signalling leading to the observed failure in implantation and the factors that modulate this immune response. Methods and Principal Findings: An in vitro model of embryo implantation was used to evaluate the effect of trophoblasts and flagellin on the activation of NF-kappa B in endometrial cells and whether TLR5-related in vitro implantation failure is signalled through NF-kappa B. We generated two different NF-kappa B reporting cell lines by transfecting either an immortalized endometrial epithelial cell line (hTERT-EECs) or a human endometrial carcinoma cell line (Ishikawa 3-H-12) with a plasmid containing the secreted alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) under the control of five NF-kappa B sites. The presence of trophoblast cells as well as flagellin increased NF-kappa B activity when compared to controls. The NF-kappa B activation induced by flagellin was further increased by the addition of trophoblast cells. Moreover, blocking NF-kappa B signalling with a specific inhibitor (BAY11-7082) was able to restore the binding ability of our trophoblast cell line to the endometrial monolayer. Conclusions: These are the first results showing a local effect of the trophoblasts on the innate immune response of the endometrial epithelium. Moreover, we show that implantation failure caused by intrauterine infections could be associated with abnormal levels of NF-kappa B activation. Further studies are needed to evaluate the target genes through which NF-kappa B activation after TLR5 stimulation lead to failure in implantation and the effect of the embryo on those genes. Understanding these pathways could help in the diagnosis and treatment of implantation failure cases

Cryptic Eimeria genotypes are common across the southern but not northern hemisphere

The phylum Apicomplexa includes parasites of medical, zoonotic and veterinary significance. Understanding the global distribution and genetic diversity of these protozoa is of fundamental importance for efficient, robust and long-lasting methods of control. Eimeria spp. cause intestinal coccidiosis in all major livestock animals and are the most important parasites of domestic chickens in terms of both economic impact and animal welfare. Despite having significant negative impacts on the efficiency of food production, many fundamental questions relating to the global distribution and genetic variation of Eimeria spp. remain largely unanswered. Here, we provide the broadest map yet of Eimeria occurrence for domestic chickens, confirming that all the known species (Eimeria acervulina, Eimeria brunetti, Eimeria maxima, Eimeria mitis, Eimeria necatrix, Eimeria praecox, Eimeria tenella) are present in all six continents where chickens are found (including 21 countries). Analysis of 248 internal transcribed spacer sequences derived from 17 countries provided evidence of possible allopatric diversity for species such as E. tenella (FST values ⩽0.34) but not E. acervulina and E. mitis, and highlighted a trend towards widespread genetic variance. We found that three genetic variants described previously only in Australia and southern Africa (operational taxonomic units x, y and z) have a wide distribution across the southern, but not the northern hemisphere. While the drivers for such a polarised distribution of these operational taxonomic unit genotypes remains unclear, the occurrence of genetically variant Eimeria may pose a risk to food security and animal welfare in Europe and North America should these parasites spread to the northern hemisphere

Automated Coronal Hole Detection using Local Intensity Thresholding Techniques

We identify coronal holes using a histogram-based intensity thresholding technique and compare their properties to fast solar wind streams at three different points in the heliosphere. The thresholding technique was tested on EUV and X-ray images obtained using instruments onboard STEREO, SOHO and Hinode. The full-disk images were transformed into Lambert equal-area projection maps and partitioned into a series of overlapping sub-images from which local histograms were extracted. The histograms were used to determine the threshold for the low intensity regions, which were then classified as coronal holes or filaments using magnetograms from the SOHO/MDI. For all three instruments, the local thresholding algorithm was found to successfully determine coronal hole boundaries in a consistent manner. Coronal hole properties extracted using the segmentation algorithm were then compared with in situ measurements of the solar wind at 1 AU from ACE and STEREO. Our results indicate that flux tubes rooted in coronal holes expand super-radially within 1 AU and that larger (smaller) coronal holes result in longer (shorter) duration high-speed solar wind streams

Svestka's Research: Then and Now

Zdenek Svestka's research work influenced many fields of solar physics, especially in the area of flare research. In this article I take five of the areas that particularly interested him and assess them in a "then and now" style. His insights in each case were quite sound, although of course in the modern era we have learned things that he could not readily have envisioned. His own views about his research life have been published recently in this journal, to which he contributed so much, and his memoir contains much additional scientific and personal information (Svestka, 2010).Comment: Invited review for "Solar and Stellar Flares," a conference in honour of Prof. Zden\v{e}k \v{S}vestka, Prague, June 23-27, 2014. This is a contribution to a Topical Issue in Solar Physics, based on the presentations at this meeting (Editors Lyndsay Fletcher and Petr Heinzel

Young and Intermediate-age Distance Indicators

Distance measurements beyond geometrical and semi-geometrical methods, rely mainly on standard candles. As the name suggests, these objects have known luminosities by virtue of their intrinsic proprieties and play a major role in our understanding of modern cosmology. The main caveats associated with standard candles are their absolute calibration, contamination of the sample from other sources and systematic uncertainties. The absolute calibration mainly depends on their chemical composition and age. To understand the impact of these effects on the distance scale, it is essential to develop methods based on different sample of standard candles. Here we review the fundamental properties of young and intermediate-age distance indicators such as Cepheids, Mira variables and Red Clump stars and the recent developments in their application as distance indicators.Comment: Review article, 63 pages (28 figures), Accepted for publication in Space Science Reviews (Chapter 3 of a special collection resulting from the May 2016 ISSI-BJ workshop on Astronomical Distance Determination in the Space Age

Search for displaced vertices arising from decays of new heavy particles in 7 TeV pp collisions at ATLAS

We present the results of a search for new, heavy particles that decay at a significant distance from their production point into a final state containing charged hadrons in association with a high-momentum muon. The search is conducted in a pp-collision data sample with a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV and an integrated luminosity of 33 pb^-1 collected in 2010 by the ATLAS detector operating at the Large Hadron Collider. Production of such particles is expected in various scenarios of physics beyond the standard model. We observe no signal and place limits on the production cross-section of supersymmetric particles in an R-parity-violating scenario as a function of the neutralino lifetime. Limits are presented for different squark and neutralino masses, enabling extension of the limits to a variety of other models.Comment: 8 pages plus author list (20 pages total), 8 figures, 1 table, final version to appear in Physics Letters