Linear Size Optimal q-ary Constant-Weight Codes and Constant-Composition Codes

An optimal constant-composition or constant-weight code of weight $w$ has linear size if and only if its distance $d$ is at least $2w-1$. When $d\geq 2w$, the determination of the exact size of such a constant-composition or constant-weight code is trivial, but the case of $d=2w-1$ has been solved previously only for binary and ternary constant-composition and constant-weight codes, and for some sporadic instances. This paper provides a construction for quasicyclic optimal constant-composition and constant-weight codes of weight $w$ and distance $2w-1$ based on a new generalization of difference triangle sets. As a result, the sizes of optimal constant-composition codes and optimal constant-weight codes of weight $w$ and distance $2w-1$ are determined for all such codes of sufficiently large lengths. This solves an open problem of Etzion. The sizes of optimal constant-composition codes of weight $w$ and distance $2w-1$ are also determined for all $w\leq 6$, except in two cases.Comment: 12 page

Combining Business Intelligence with Semantic Technologies: The CUBIST Project

This paper describes the European Framework Seven CUBIST project, which ran from October 2010 to September 2013. The project aimed to combine the best elements of traditional BI with the newer, semantic, technologies of the Sematic Web, in the form of RDF and FCA. CUBIST’s purpose was to provide end-users with "conceptually relevant and user friendly visual analytics" to allow them to explore their data in new ways, discovering hidden meaning and solving hitherto difficult problems. To this end, three of the partners in CUBIST were use-cases: recruitment consultancy, computational biology and the space industry. Each use-case provided their own requirements and evaluated how well the CUBIST outcomes addressed them

Composition and distribution of economic tree species in Nagi Forest Reserve, Benue State, Nigeria

The inventory of economic trees in Nagi Natural Forest Reserve, Benue state was carried out to determine the status and dominance tree species. A total area of 0.4ha was sampled representing twenty percent of the reserve. Ten (10) sample plots of equal size (20 m x 20m) were randomly selected using simple random design. In each plot, all living trees with stem diameter (dbh) ≥10 cm were identified with their botanical names and their diameter at breast heights were all measured. A total number of 84 trees were enumerated on 0.4 ha sample area. The results of the study showed that 19 genera belonging to 15 families were present.Families of Caesalpiniceae, Chrysobalanceae, Euphobiaceae and Leguminosae were dominant with two species each. All other families had only one species each. Based on the results obtained, only three (3) economic tree species out of the 22 protected were found in Nagi forest reserve. These include Prosopis africana, Parkia biglobosa and Khaya senegalensis, with frequencies of 9, 6 and 4, respectively. Prosopis africana recorded the highest mean basal area (0.27m) while Bridelia ferruginea (0.012m) recorded the least basal area. Higher number of stands were recorded in P. africana (9) and the least number of stands were recorded in Daniellia oliverii (2). Also, Prosopis africana was the most dominant while Morinda lucida was the least   dominant. Sustainable management of the protected species should be consider as a priority by Government and individual. This can be achieved through  establishment of plantation of such protected species. This could prevent the imminent loss of  biological diversity that would eventually accompany the exploration.Key Words: Economic, tree, species, dominant, forest reserve

Set-Codes with Small Intersections and Small Discrepancies

We are concerned with the problem of designing large families of subsets over a common labeled ground set that have small pairwise intersections and the property that the maximum discrepancy of the label values within each of the sets is less than or equal to one. Our results, based on transversal designs, factorizations of packings and Latin rectangles, show that by jointly constructing the sets and labeling scheme, one can achieve optimal family sizes for many parameter choices. Probabilistic arguments akin to those used for pseudorandom generators lead to significantly suboptimal results when compared to the proposed combinatorial methods. The design problem considered is motivated by applications in molecular data storage and theoretical computer science

Rapid methods of landslide hazard mapping : Fiji case study

A landslide hazard probability map can help planners (1) prepare for, and/or mitigate against, the effects of landsliding on communities and infrastructure, and (2) avoid or minimise the risks associated with new developments. The aims of the project were to establish, by means of studies in a few test areas, a generic method by which remote sensing and data analysis using a geographic information system (GIS) could provide a provisional landslide hazard zonation map. The provision of basic hazard information is an underpinning theme of the UN’s International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR). It is an essential requirement for disaster preparedness and mitigation planning. This report forms part of BGS project 92/7 (R5554) ‘Rapid assessment of landslip hazards’ Carried out under the ODA/BGS Technology Development and Research Programme as part of the British Government’s provision of aid to developing countries. It provides a detailed technical account of work undertaken in a test area in Viti Levu in collaboration with Fiji Mineral Resources Department. The study represents a demonstration of a methodology that is applicable to many developing countries. The underlying principle is that relationships between past landsliding events, interpreted from remote sensing, and factors such as the geology, relief, soils etc provide the basis for modelling where future landslides are most likely to occur. This is achieved using a GIS by ‘weighting’ each class of each variable (e.g. each lithology ‘class’ of the variable ‘geology’) according to the proportion of landslides occurring within it compared to the regional average. Combinations of variables, produced by summing the weights in individual classes, provide ‘models’ of landslide probability. The approach is empirical but has the advantage of potentially being able to provide regional scale hazard maps over large areas quickly and cheaply; this is unlikely to be achieved using conventional ground-based geotechnical methods. In Fiji, landslides are usually triggered by intense rain storms commonly associated with tropical cyclones. However, the regional distribution of landslides has not been mapped nor is it known how far geology and landscape influence the location and severity of landsliding events. The report discusses the remote sensing and GIS methodology, and describes the results of the pilot study over an area of 713 km2 in south east Viti Levu. The landslide model uses geology, elevation, slope angle, slope aspect, soil type, and forest cover as inputs. The resulting provisional landslide hazard zonation map, divided into high, medium and low zones of landslide hazard probability, suggests that whilst rainfall is the immediate cause, others controls do exert a significant influence. It is recommended that consideration be given in Fiji to implementing the techniques as part of a national strategic plan for landslide hazard zonation mapping

AMATEUR BOXER BIOMECHANICS AND PUNCH FORCE

The current study investigates the correlation between punch biomechanics and punch force in amateur male boxers (n=39). A Hybrid III 50th percentile male dummy was used to gather punch force values. TrackEye Motion Analysis (TEMA) was used to measure the velocity of each boxer’s punch. Lower body force values were determined using the Functional Assessment of Biomechanics (FAB) system. Two types of punches, hooks and straights, were analyzed. It was determined that punch forces correlated more strongly to hand velocity than to lower body forces. Punch force correlated to hand velocity with R2 values of 0.380 and 0.391 for hook and straight punches, respectively (

Vorratsschutz im Ökologischen Landbau: Entscheidungshilfe durch das Computerprogramm VOEL 1.0

VOEL 1.0 is a decision-support software for the protection of organic stored-products that was developed for store-keepers, farmers and pest control specialists in Ger-many. Most of the information given applies to all Central European countries, except for some legislative aspects concerning registration, which are specific for Germany. The program contains a decision-support module for monitoring and control of stored product pest, an encyclopedia on pests and beneficial organisms, a key for the deter-mination of these organisms, information on registered products for stored product protection in Germany, a data bank where literature concerning associations of pests and beneficials can be retrieved, a list of references on stored product protection in general and several original papers on stored-product protection

Men and Women of the Bar: The Impact of Gender on Legal Careers

In the last three and a half decades, the legal profession has undergone a dramatic transformation in the gender composition of its members. During that time, the number of women applying to law school and entering the profession has gone from a few gallant pioneers to roughly equal representation with that of men. Between 1970 and 2000, the proportion of first-year law students who were female climbed from 8% to 49%. Because the existing bar consisted primarily of male lawyers, the percent of women in the legal profession changed more slowly, but still rose dramatically. Women, as a percent of all practicing lawyers, have risen from 3% in 1970 to 27% in 2000, while the percent of lawyers who are men has made a corresponding decline. In just the thirty years from 1970 to 2000, the number of women in the legal profession increased from fewer than 10,000, to almost 300,000, marking a steady growth rate of 12% a year. Over the same period, the number of male lawyers has increased from approximately 290,000 to 780,000, for an annual growth rate of just 3.3% per year