Measuring Concentration in Data with an Exogenous Order

Concentration measures order the statistical units under observation according to their market share. However, there are situations where an order according to an exogenous variable is more appropriate or even required. The present article introduces a generalized definition of market concentration and defines a corresponding concentration measure. It is shown that this generalized concept of market concentration satisfies the common axioms of (classical) concentration measures. In an application example, the proposed approach is compared with classical concentration measures; the data are transfer spendings of German Bundesliga soccer teams, the ``obvious'' exogenous order of the teams is the league ranking

Below Horizon Aircraft Detection Using Deep Learning for Vision-Based Sense and Avoid

Commercial operation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) would benefit from an onboard ability to sense and avoid (SAA) potential mid-air collision threats. In this paper we present a new approach for detection of aircraft below the horizon. We address some of the challenges faced by existing vision-based SAA methods such as detecting stationary aircraft (that have no relative motion to the background), rejecting moving ground vehicles, and simultaneous detection of multiple aircraft. We propose a multi-stage, vision-based aircraft detection system which utilises deep learning to produce candidate aircraft that we track over time. We evaluate the performance of our proposed system on real flight data where we demonstrate detection ranges comparable to the state of the art with the additional capability of detecting stationary aircraft, rejecting moving ground vehicles, and tracking multiple aircraft

Development of an automated microscale platform for conjugate vaccine production in E. coli

The current state-of-the-art for the production of glycoconjugate vaccines is a lengthy and complex series of process steps. An exciting alternative is Protein Glycan Coupling Technology (PGCT), where glycoconjugates are produced in vivo 1,2. This offers a significant reduction in the time and cost burden of glycoconjugate production, making this technology much more feasible for providing vaccines in developing countries. Current research seeks to apply this technology for pneumococcal vaccines 2, however much process optimisation must be done before this is achievable. This work seeks to provide an automated screening platform at the microscale, enabling the rapid screening of different process variables at considerably smaller volumes Please click Download on the upper right corner to see the full abstract

The past, present and future values of the Polynesian stone adzes and pounders collected on the Pandora

After the Pandora's partly unsuccessful pursuit of the Bounty mutineers through the Pacific islands in 1791, the ship ran aground on a submerged reef and sank 140km east of Cape York, Queensland. Archaeological excavations revealed that the Pandora crew, in addition to their primary objective, made ethnographic material collections during their voyage, including 25 stone adzes and 5 stone pounders. These collected objects are of particular interest because they have escaped the past processes that might have impacted them had they made the journey back to Europe. In archaeological studies, for instance, these adzes were not included in 20th century typological analyses concerned with understanding the initial human migrations into Oceania, or in more recent geoarchaeological research that seeks to understand Polynesian voyaging, social networks and exchanges. Our paper contextualises the adzes and pounders found on the Pandora to understand the engagement between the European crewmembers and the local people they encountered during their journey through the Pacific Islands. The Pandora crew had participated in the early colonial collecting practices that were foundational to European museum collections and the beginnings of anthropological and archaeological enquiry in the Pacific. On the other hand, the Polynesian participants likely benefited from the engagement in ways that suited their own agendas. We argue that the Pandora objects and similar museum collections as a broader assemblage are important not only for archaeological research, but also because they potentially continue to hold contemporary significance for Polynesian people today and are a legacy that can benefit future generations

Die tunesische Verfassung zwischen demokratischem Anspruch und Verfassungsrealität

Die einstige Euphorie auf eine Demokratisierung der Staaten des „Arabischen Frühlings“ ist nach den jüngsten Entwicklungen in Libyen oder Ägypten getrübt. Einzig Tunesien gilt nach wie vor als hoffnungsvoller Kandidat für eine erfolgreiche demokratische Konsolidierung. Verstärkt wird dieser Enthusiasmus durch die Verabschiedung der neuen Verfassung im Januar 2014, die erstmals und einzigartig im arabischen Kontext, Menschen-, Freiheits- und Grundrechte gewährt, sowie die Gleichstellung der Geschlechter sichert. Fraglich ist jedoch, ob die Ratifizierung einer –zumindest formal betrachtet – demokratischen Verfassung auch zur Entwicklung einer demokratischen politischen Gesellschaft führt, die für die Beseitigung autoritärer und hybrider Strukturen notwendig ist. Um also Aussagen zum demokratischen Potential der tunesischen Verfassung machen zu können, müssen sowohl die Verfassungsrealität als auch ihre gesellschaftlichen und politischen Bedingungen hinterfragt werden

Refugees and the City: UN-Habitat’s New Urban Agenda

Special protection for refugees and displaced persons should be part of countries’ housing policies

Trans-acting factors governing acetylcholinesterase mRNA metabolism in neurons

The most characterized function of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is to terminate cholinergic signaling at neuron-neuron and neuro-muscular synapses. In addition, AChE is causally or casually implicated in neuronal development, stress-response, cognition, and neurodegenerative diseases. Given the importance of AChE, many studies have focused on identifying the molecular mechanisms that govern its expression. Despite these efforts, post-transcriptional control of AChE mRNA expression is still relatively unclear. Here, we review the trans-acting factors and cis-acting elements that are known to control AChE pre-mRNA splicing, mature mRNA stability and translation. Moreover, since the Hu/ELAV family of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) have emerged in recent years as “master” post-transcriptional regulators, we discuss the possibility that predominantly neuronal ELAVs (nELAVs) play multiple roles in regulating splicing, stability, localization, and translation of AChE mRNA