Multi–criteria evaluation and simulated annealing for delimiting high priority habitats of Alectoris chukar and Phasianus colchicus in Iran

Evaluación de múltiples criterios y recocido simulado para delimitar los hábitats de alta prioridad de Alectoris chukar y Phasianus colchicus en Irán La degradación del hábitat y la caza son algunas de las causas más importantes del descenso demográfico de Alectoris chukar y Phasianus colchicus, que son dos de las especies cinegéticas más amenazadas de la provincia de Golestán del Irán. La escasez de datos relativos a la distribución y localización de hábitats de alta calidad para las dos especies dificulta las iniciativas de conservación en la provincia. Utilizamos la evaluación de múltiples criterios para hacer una primera selección de las zonas de distribución general y elaborar mapas de idoneidad de los hábitats para las especies. A continuación, utilizamos estos mapas en forma de algoritmo heurístico en el recocido simulado por medio del programa informático Marxan, a fin de establecer un orden de prioridad entre las zonas para la conservación de ambas especies. Para hallar la solución óptima, probamos varios valores del modificador de longitud de frontera en el proceso de recocido simulado. Nuestros resultados pusieron de manifiesto que la evaluación de múltiples criterios resultó útil para refinar los mapas de hábitat general. La evaluación de las reservas seleccionadas confirmó la idoneidad de las zonas seleccionadas (que principalmente son contiguas a las reservas actuales) lo que facilita su gestión y la hace más viable. La superficie total de las reservas seleccionadas fue de unos 476 km2. Como las reservas actuales de la provincia de Golestán solo representan el 23 % de la superficie óptima, deberá estudiarse la posibilidad de añadir otras áreas protegidas a efectos de conservar de forma eficiente estas dos especies.Habitat degradation and hunting are among the most important causes of population decline for Alectoris chukar and Phasianus colchicus, two of the most threatened game species in the Golestan Province of Iran. Limited data on distribution and location of high–quality habitats for the two species make conservation efforts more difficult in the province. We used multi–criteria evaluation (MCE) as a coarse–filter approach to refine the general distribution areas into habitat suitability maps for the species. We then used these maps as input to simulated annealing as a heuristic algorithm through Marxan in order to prioritize areas for conservation of the two species. To find the optimal solution, we tested various boundary length modifier (BLM) values in the simulated annealing process. Our results showed that the MCE approach was useful to refine general habitat maps. Assessment of the selected reserves confirmed the suitability of the selected areas (mainly neighboring the current reserves) making their management easier and more feasible. The total area of the selected reserves was about 476 km2. As current reserves of the Golestan Province represent only 23 % of the optimal area, further protected areas should be considered to efficiently conserve these two species.Evaluación de múltiples criterios y recocido simulado para delimitar los hábitats de alta prioridad de Alectoris chukar y Phasianus colchicus en Irán La degradación del hábitat y la caza son algunas de las causas más importantes del descenso demográfico de Alectoris chukar y Phasianus colchicus, que son dos de las especies cinegéticas más amenazadas de la provincia de Golestán del Irán. La escasez de datos relativos a la distribución y localización de hábitats de alta calidad para las dos especies dificulta las iniciativas de conservación en la provincia. Utilizamos la evaluación de múltiples criterios para hacer una primera selección de las zonas de distribución general y elaborar mapas de idoneidad de los hábitats para las especies. A continuación, utilizamos estos mapas en forma de algoritmo heurístico en el recocido simulado por medio del programa informático Marxan, a fin de establecer un orden de prioridad entre las zonas para la conservación de ambas especies. Para hallar la solución óptima, probamos varios valores del modificador de longitud de frontera en el proceso de recocido simulado. Nuestros resultados pusieron de manifiesto que la evaluación de múltiples criterios resultó útil para refinar los mapas de hábitat general. La evaluación de las reservas seleccionadas confirmó la idoneidad de las zonas seleccionadas (que principalmente son contiguas a las reservas actuales) lo que facilita su gestión y la hace más viable. La superficie total de las reservas seleccionadas fue de unos 476 km2. Como las reservas actuales de la provincia de Golestán solo representan el 23 % de la superficie óptima, deberá estudiarse la posibilidad de añadir otras áreas protegidas a efectos de conservar de forma eficiente estas dos especies

Entropic corrections to Newton's law

In this short letter we calculate separately the generalized uncertainty principle (GUP) and self gravitational corrections to the Newton's gravitational formula. We show that for a complete description of the GUP and self-gravity effects, both temperature and the entropy must be modified.Comment: 4 pages, Accepted for publication in "Physica Scripta",Title changed, Major revisio

Precipitation and flow behavior of AISI 630 stainless steel deformed at elevated temperatures

Hot compression tests were performed on the samples of AISI 630 stainless steel in the temperature range of 900-1050 C and at strain rates of 10–3- 1 s21. Single peak stress flow behavior was observed at all deformation conditions. An irregular relationship was found between the peak point of flow curves and processing condition, i.e., temperature and strain rate. The stress relaxation tests at the temperature range of 900-1050 C revealed that dynamic precipitation (DP) of carbides in the matrix and grain boundaries causes the considered irregularities in the peak stres

Harnessing Historical Corrections to build Test Collections for Named Entity Disambiguation

Matching mentions of persons to the actual persons (the name disambiguation problem) is central for several digital library applications. Scientists have been working on algorithms to create this matching for decades without finding a universal solution. One problem is that test collections for this problem are often small and specific to a certain collection. In this work, we present an approach that can create large test collections from historical metadata with minimal extra cost. We apply this approach to the DBLP collection to generate two freely available test collections. One collection focuses on the properties of defects and one on the evaluation of disambiguation algorithms.Comment: Preprint of a paper accepted at TPDL 201

Some notes about the density of states for a negative pressure matter

The main goal of this paper is deriving Density of states $g(\epsilon)$ (degeneracy function) per volume for an equation of state (EOS) $p=-\rho$ (we called it dark energy(DE)).We have concluded that thermodynamic quantities such as pressure and energy density are simple functions of temperature, fugacity, curvature and mass of Bosons. Our work has been expressed the origin of some claims about the negativity of the entropy for the scalar fields models of DE.Comment: 12 pages,Major revision,Typos fixed,References added,it has now been accepted for publication in International Journal of Modern Physics E. It was accepted on May 31, 201

A Genome-Wide Screening and SNPs-to-Genes Approach to Identify Novel Genetic Risk Factors Associated with Frontotemporal Dementia

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is the second most prevalent form of early onset dementia after Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We performed a case-control association study in an Italian FTD cohort (n = 530) followed by the novel SNPs-to-genes approach and functional annotation analysis. We identified two novel potential loci for FTD. Suggestive SNPs reached p-values ~10-7 and OR > 2.5 (2p16.3) and 1.5 (17q25.3). Suggestive alleles at 17q25.3 identified a disease-associated haplotype causing decreased expression of -cis genes such as RFNG and AATK involved in neuronal genesis and differentiation, and axon outgrowth, respectively. We replicated this locus through the SNPs-to-genes approach. Our functional annotation analysis indicated significant enrichment for functions of the brain (neuronal genesis, differentiation and maturation), the synapse (neurotransmission and synapse plasticity), and elements of the immune system, the latter supporting our recent international FTD-GWAS. This is the largest genome-wide study in Italian FTD to date. Although our results are not conclusive, we set the basis for future replication studies and identification of susceptible molecular mechanisms involved in FTD pathogenesis

New agegraphic dark energy in Horava-Lifshitz cosmology

We investigate the new agegraphic dark energy scenario in a universe governed by Horava-Lifshitz gravity. We consider both the detailed and non-detailed balanced version of the theory, we impose an arbitrary curvature, and we allow for an interaction between the matter and dark energy sectors. Extracting the differential equation for the evolution of the dark energy density parameter and performing an expansion of the dark energy equation-of-state parameter, we calculate its present and its low-redshift value as functions of the dark energy and curvature density parameters at present, of the Horava-Lifshitz running parameter $\lambda$, of the new agegraphic dark energy parameter $n$, and of the interaction coupling $b$. We find that $w_0=-0.82^{+0.08}_{-0.08}$ and $w_1=0.08^{+0.09}_{-0.07}$. Although this analysis indicates that the scenario can be compatible with observations, it does not enlighten the discussion about the possible conceptual and theoretical problems of Horava-Lifshitz gravity.Comment: 17 pages, no figures, version published at JCA

Observational constraints on Horava-Lifshitz cosmology

We use observational data from Type Ia Supernovae (SNIa), Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO), and Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), along with requirements of Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN), to constrain the cosmological scenarios governed by Horava-Lifshitz gravity. We consider both the detailed and non-detailed balance versions of the gravitational sector, and we include the matter and radiation sectors. We conclude that the detailed-balance scenario cannot be ruled out from the observational point of view, however the corresponding likelihood contours impose tight constraints on the involved parameters. The scenario beyond detailed balance is compatible with observational data, and we present the corresponding stringent constraints and contour-plots of the parameters. Although this analysis indicates that Horava-Lifshitz cosmology can be compatible with observations, it does not enlighten the discussion about its possible conceptual and theoretical problems.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, version published in JCA