Approximate Minimum Diameter

We study the minimum diameter problem for a set of inexact points. By inexact, we mean that the precise location of the points is not known. Instead, the location of each point is restricted to a contineus region (\impre model) or a finite set of points (\indec model). Given a set of inexact points in one of \impre or \indec models, we wish to provide a lower-bound on the diameter of the real points. In the first part of the paper, we focus on \indec model. We present an $O(2^{\frac{1}{\epsilon^d}} \cdot \epsilon^{-2d} \cdot n^3 )$ time approximation algorithm of factor $(1+\epsilon)$ for finding minimum diameter of a set of points in $d$ dimensions. This improves the previously proposed algorithms for this problem substantially. Next, we consider the problem in \impre model. In $d$-dimensional space, we propose a polynomial time $\sqrt{d}$-approximation algorithm. In addition, for $d=2$, we define the notion of $\alpha$-separability and use our algorithm for \indec model to obtain $(1+\epsilon)$-approximation algorithm for a set of $\alpha$-separable regions in time $O(2^{\frac{1}{\epsilon^2}}\allowbreak . \frac{n^3}{\epsilon^{10} .\sin(\alpha/2)^3} )$

Approximating Nearest Neighbor Distances

Several researchers proposed using non-Euclidean metrics on point sets in Euclidean space for clustering noisy data. Almost always, a distance function is desired that recognizes the closeness of the points in the same cluster, even if the Euclidean cluster diameter is large. Therefore, it is preferred to assign smaller costs to the paths that stay close to the input points. In this paper, we consider the most natural metric with this property, which we call the nearest neighbor metric. Given a point set P and a path $\gamma$, our metric charges each point of $\gamma$ with its distance to P. The total charge along $\gamma$ determines its nearest neighbor length, which is formally defined as the integral of the distance to the input points along the curve. We describe a $(3+\varepsilon)$-approximation algorithm and a $(1+\varepsilon)$-approximation algorithm to compute the nearest neighbor metric. Both approximation algorithms work in near-linear time. The former uses shortest paths on a sparse graph using only the input points. The latter uses a sparse sample of the ambient space, to find good approximate geodesic paths.Comment: corrected author nam

The new public financial management in Malaysia

Purpose - This study focuses on the effectiveness of New Public Financial Management (NPFM) in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews the literature on the universality of NPFM, distinguishing between those arguing NPFM is universally applicable and those regarding it as situational. It then tests whether NPFM is appropriate outside western contexts, examining developments in the emerging country of Malaysia. Major surveys and in-depth interviews with senior managers in 131 government agencies explore perceptions about the effectiveness of NPFM. Findings – Although technical, socio-political and behavioral issues do arise, we find empirical support for a universalist thesis that NPFM is appropriate in this emerging context. Research limitations/implications – All limitations of qualitative research apply. Findings may not be transferable to other emerging contexts. Practical implications – Practitioners should ensure sufficient resources to train managers in new methods and interpreting information. A participative culture may reduce gaming behavior, as may measuring the results of activities rather than provision, and rewarding managers for savings. Implementation success depends on parliamentary will to honour appropriate and timely allocations and on the executive to oversee and monitor the process effectively. Originality/value – The study provides rare empirical evidence on the universalist debate in emerging countries; with no previous substantive studies existing of NPFM in Malaysia. It also challenges conventional wisdom on institutional voids, socio-cultural differences and competitive market environments, indicating NPFM may be appropriate in emerging contexts

Metabolism of profenofos to 4-bromo-2-chlorophenol, a specific and sensitive exposure biomarker.

Profenofos is a direct acting phosphorothioate organophosphorus (OP) pesticide capable of inhibiting β-esterases such as acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, and carboxylesterase. Profenofos is known to be detoxified to the biologically inactive metabolite, 4-bromo-2-chlorophenol (BCP); however, limited data are available regarding the use of urinary BCP as an exposure biomarker in humans. A pilot study conducted in Egyptian agriculture workers, demonstrated that urinary BCP levels prior to application (3.3-30.0 μg/g creatinine) were elevated to 34.5-3,566 μg/g creatinine during the time workers were applying profenofos to cotton fields. Subsequently, the in vitro enzymatic formation of BCP was examined using pooled human liver microsomes and recombinant human cytochrome P-450s (CYPs) incubated with profenofos. Of the nine human CYPs studied, only CYPs 3A4, 2B6, and 2C19 were able to metabolize profenofos to BCP. Kinetic studies indicated that CYP 2C19 has the lowest Km, 0.516 μM followed by 2B6 (Km=1.02 μM) and 3A4 (Km=18.9μM). The Vmax for BCP formation was 47.9, 25.1, and 19.2 nmol/min/nmol CYP for CYP2B6, 2C19, and 3A4, respectively. Intrinsic clearance (Vmax/Km) values of 48.8, 46.9, and 1.02 ml/min/nmol CYP 2C19, 2B6, and 3A4, respectively, indicate that CYP2C19 and CYP2B6 are primarily responsible for the detoxification of profenofos. These findings support the use of urinary BCP as a biomarker of exposure to profenofos in humans and suggest polymorphisms in CYP 2C19 and CYP 2B6 as potential biomarkers of susceptibility

KAJIAN LONGSOR AKIBAT GEMPA DI NAGARI TANDIKEK KECAMATAN PARTAMUAN KABUPATEN PADANG PARIAMAN SUMATERA BARAT, INDONESIA

Earthquacke on 30th of September 2009 in West Sumatra had ruined Padang Pariaman, Agam, and Padang city districts.  The damage was not only caused by the earthquake itself but also due to the landsliding following the earthquake, such as in Tandikek.   Hundreds of people, houses, buildings, schools, as well as agricultural land (ricefield and dryland farming) were burried in Lubuk Laweh, Kepala Koto and Cumanak.  This research was conducted by employing survey method and by observing the phenomenon of tuff pumice on how it was affected by earthquake and water.  Then, soil characteristics were analysed based on soil physical data from previous research.  Several soil characteristics analysed were soil texture, bulk density, structure and depth of solum, organic matter content, and permeability.  Land characteristics were determined through field visit.  Some land condition being observed was slope (percentage and length), stone exposed, soil water depth, and land use.  Additionally, besides from field visit, the data were also obtained from topography and morphology maps derived from Google Earth.  Rainfall data (monthly and annually) were collected from several nearby meteorology stations.  Analyses for degree of landsliding risks for an area were used soil and land characteristics criteria causing landsliding.  Based on field visit, it was seen that the research area was still susceptible to landsliding.  This was due to the parent materials of the soil deriving from tuff pumice which is crumb structure and loamy texture on the top layer.  Climate, especially annual rainfall in study site was high enough (approximately 4322 mm) which was evently distributed all year long without dry month.    Slope of the area was > 45%, especially areas hit by landsliding.  Land use was not based on soil conservation rule, such as coconut and arenga pinneca, and other mixed trees were planted on the area having > 45% slope.  The results of the soil characteristic analyses  showed that HARKAT interval of lansliding threat was 13 and land characteristics showed 20.  Summation of HARKAT values from soil and land characteristics was 33.  This number showed that the study site had high degree of landsliding risk.  The possibility of areas would be hit by lansliding were Partamuan, Koto Timur,  Sungai Geringging, and around Maninjau lake.Keywords : earthquake, soil and land characteristics, tuff pumice, wet tropica

PEMIKIRAN HAKIM DALAM PERKARA PEWARISAN BEDA AGAMA (Studi Terhadap Putusan Mahkamah Agung)

Para ulama klasik telah melarang bagi seorang non Muslim untuk mendapatkan warisan dari Muslim atau sebaliknya, begitu juga terdapat dalam Kompilasi Hukum Islam yang juga melarang adanya waris beda agama, hal itu juga seirama dengan fatwa MUI yang juga mengharamkan adanya waris beda agama, hal ini berlandaskan pada hadits Nabi yang berbunyi tidaklah saling Mewari seorang muslim kepada ahli warisnya yang kafir, atau seorang ahli waris kafir mewarisi kepada ahli waris muslim. Selain itu para ulama juga menegaskan bahwa wasiat juga tidak didapatkan bagi ahli waris non Muslim yang dianalogikan pada waris beda agama tersebut. Namun di sisi lain muncullah putusan Mahkamah Agung yang sangat berbeda dan bahkan bertentangan dengan dasar hukum normatif dan hukum positif di Indonesia, yaitu Putusan No. 368K/AG/1995 dan Putusan No. 51K/SG/1999, serta Putusan No. 16 K/AG/2010 tentang kebolehan seorang ahli waris non Muslim mendapatkan warisan dengan cara diberikannya wasit wajibah kepadanya, dengan menggali ulang makna filosofis serta pertimbangan sosiologis. Illat putusan hukum tersebut tidak diqiyaskan kepada ahli waris beda agama yang tidak mendapatkan warisan, namun diqiyaskan kepada bentuk sedekah atau hibah dapat diberikan kepada siapa saja yang dikehendaki. Based on the background of the problem above, the problems examined in this study are; 1) What is the thought of the Supreme Court judge in deciding on the Differential Religion case and its relation to the decision about a mandatory will? 2) What methods and approaches are used by Supreme Court judges in deciding substantive equitable Differential Religion? Penelitian ini merupakan kombinasi antara penelitian hukum normative dan empiris (applied law research). Penelitian hukum normative-empiris adalah penelitian hukum yang obyek kajian aturan hukum normative (in abstracto) dan penerapannya pada peristiwa hukum (in concreto). Untuk menganalisis permasalahan-permasalahan dalam disertasi ini, peneliti menggunakan beberapa teori, adapun teori-teori tersebut dikelompokan dalam 3 (tiga) kategori: teori Maqasid al-syari’ah sebagai Grand Theory, sebagai Middle Theory yaitu teori pembaruan, serta sebagai Application Theory adalah teori prilaku hakim. Hakim Mahkamah Agung memutuskan perkara waris beda agama dengan cara menjadikannya sebagai wasiat wajibah dengan pendekatan filosofis, bahwa wasiat wajibah dapat diberikan kepada selain ahli waris dengan tidak melebihi dari sepertiga, hal ini dilakukan demi kemaslahatan sehingga tidak diqiyaskan pada waris, namun kepada infaq, secara sosial bahwa seorang ahli waris non Muslim mendapatkan wasiat wajibah dikarenakan ada hubungan dekat dengan orang yang meninggal, meskipun hal ini bertentangan dengan hukum normatif dan hukum positif di Indonesia, yang melarang adanya hak waris bagi non Muslim. Putusan Hakim Mahkamah Agung tentang kebolehan non Muslim melalui pintu wasiat wajibah, merupakan bentuk sikap progresif, inovatif dan responsif seorang hakim dan telah menjadi yurisprudensi bagi para hakim di lingkungan Pengadilan Agama. Namun demikian Penerapan Wasiat Wajibah ini tidak bisa diterapkan secara umum dan menyeluruh karena harus dicermati bagaimana posisi kasus dan modusnya

A well-separated pairs decomposition algorithm for k-d trees implemented on multi-core architectures

Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.Variations of k-d trees represent a fundamental data structure used in Computational Geometry with numerous applications in science. For example particle track tting in the software of the LHC experiments, and in simulations of N-body systems in the study of dynamics of interacting galaxies, particle beam physics, and molecular dynamics in biochemistry. The many-body tree methods devised by Barnes and Hutt in the 1980s and the Fast Multipole Method introduced in 1987 by Greengard and Rokhlin use variants of k-d trees to reduce the computation time upper bounds to O(n log n) and even O(n) from O(n2). We present an algorithm that uses the principle of well-separated pairs decomposition to always produce compressed trees in O(n log n) work. We present and evaluate parallel implementations for the algorithm that can take advantage of multi-core architectures.The Science and Technology Facilities Council, UK

Maximum gradient embeddings and monotone clustering

Let (X,d_X) be an n-point metric space. We show that there exists a distribution D over non-contractive embeddings into trees f:X-->T such that for every x in X, the expectation with respect to D of the maximum over y in X of the ratio d_T(f(x),f(y)) / d_X(x,y) is at most C (log n)^2, where C is a universal constant. Conversely we show that the above quadratic dependence on log n cannot be improved in general. Such embeddings, which we call maximum gradient embeddings, yield a framework for the design of approximation algorithms for a wide range of clustering problems with monotone costs, including fault-tolerant versions of k-median and facility location.Comment: 25 pages, 2 figures. Final version, minor revision of the previous one. To appear in "Combinatorica