1,680 research outputs found
An Evolutionary Multi-Objective Crowding Algorithm (EMOCA): Benchmark Test Function Results
A new evolutionary multi-objective crowding algorithm (EMOCA) is evaluated using nine benchmark multiobjective optimization problems, and shown to produce non-dominated solutions with significant diversity, outperforming state-of-the-art multi-objective evolutionary algorithms viz., Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm – II (NSGA-II), Strength Pareto Evolutionary algorithm II (SPEA-II) and Pareto Archived Evolution Strategy (PAES) on most of the test problems. The key new approach in EMOCA is to use a diversity-emphasizing probabilistic approach in determining whether an offspring individual is considered in the replacement selection phase, along with the use of a non-domination ranking scheme. This approach appears to provide a useful compromise between the two concerns of dominance and diversity in the evolving population
Limits of Fault-Tolerance on Resource-Constrained Quantum Circuits for Classical Problems
Existing lower bounds on redundancy in fault-tolerant quantum circuits are
applicable when both the input and the intended output are quantum states.
These bounds may not necessarily hold, however, when the input and the intended
output are classical bits, as in the Deutsch-Jozsa, Grover, or Shor algorithms.
Here we show that indeed, noise thresholds obtained from existing bounds do not
apply to a simple fault-tolerant implementation of the Deutsch-Jozsa algorithm.
Then we obtain the first lower bound on the minimum required redundancy for
fault-tolerant quantum circuits with classical inputs and outputs. Recent
results show that due to physical resource constraints in quantum circuits,
increasing redundancy can increase noise, which in turn may render many
fault-tolerance schemes useless. So it is of both practical and theoretical
interest to characterize the effect of resource constraints on the fundamental
limits of fault-tolerant quantum circuits. Thus as an application of our lower
bound, we characterize the fundamental limit of fault-tolerant quantum circuits
with classical inputs and outputs under resource constraint-induced noise
models
Energy-efficient Decision Fusion for Distributed Detection in Wireless Sensor Networks
This paper proposes an energy-efficient counting rule for distributed
detection by ordering sensor transmissions in wireless sensor networks. In the
counting rule-based detection in an sensor network, the local sensors
transmit binary decisions to the fusion center, where the number of all
local-sensor detections are counted and compared to a threshold. In the
ordering scheme, sensors transmit their unquantized statistics to the fusion
center in a sequential manner; highly informative sensors enjoy higher priority
for transmission. When sufficient evidence is collected at the fusion center
for decision making, the transmissions from the sensors are stopped. The
ordering scheme achieves the same error probability as the optimum
unconstrained energy approach (which requires observations from all the
sensors) with far fewer sensor transmissions. The scheme proposed in this paper
improves the energy efficiency of the counting rule detector by ordering the
sensor transmissions: each sensor transmits at a time inversely proportional to
a function of its observation. The resulting scheme combines the advantages
offered by the counting rule (efficient utilization of the network's
communication bandwidth, since the local decisions are transmitted in binary
form to the fusion center) and ordering sensor transmissions (bandwidth
efficiency, since the fusion center need not wait for all the sensors to
transmit their local decisions), thereby leading to significant energy savings.
As a concrete example, the problem of target detection in large-scale wireless
sensor networks is considered. Under certain conditions the ordering-based
counting rule scheme achieves the same detection performance as that of the
original counting rule detector with fewer than sensor transmissions; in
some cases, the savings in transmission approaches .Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures. Proceedings of FUSION 2018, Cambridge, U
Next-generation sequencing technologies: opportunities and obligations in plant genomics
The year 2003 marked the completion of the Human Genome Project. In the ∼9 years since then, genomics has become a vital tool for biomedical research and a driver for improved human health. An often ignored component of human health is plant-derived human nutrition. Plant and agricultural genomics have benefited from many of the same drivers leading technical advances in the development and application in human genomics. The most disruptive technological advance has been a doubling of sequencing data output on an average of every 5 months and has resulted in a freefall in cost per DNA base sequenced [1]. One recalls when it was acceptable to submit, review and publish RNA-sequencing manuscripts in prestigious scientific journals with zero biological or technical replicates because the cost was prohibitive. We soon arrive at the point where it requires less resource to re-sequence the genome or repeat the sequence..................
Legume seed production for sustainable seed supply and crop productivity: case of groundnut in Tanzania and Uganda
Improvingagriculturalproductivityandproductionisaprerequisite to sustain rural livelihoods in developing countries of sub-Saharan Africa SSA).Thisrequiresincreaseduseofqualityseedofimproved and well-adapted crop varieties. Legumes are particularly critical in ensuring food and nutritional securities of the majority of farming households. However, their productivity has been constrained because of limited availability of quality seed, jeopardizing henceforth food security and rural livelihoods. The lack of interest in productionoflegumeseedsbypotentialseedproducers,especially the private sector, is attributable to limited information on the cost and profitability of producing these seeds. Using primary data collectedfromTanzaniaandUganda,weanalyzedthecoststructureof improved groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) seed production to assess viability. We adopted cost-benefit analysis framework to evaluate different seed production models. Results showed that groundnutseedpricevariedbetween1and2USkg−1 forearly generationseed.Overall,upto50%increaseintotalseedproduction costsresultedinreduceddropinthegrossmarginearned.However, when production costs increased by 75–100%, the gross margin droppedbyabout18%and50%inTanzaniaandinUganda,respectively. These findings indicated that groundnut seed could be providedtofarmersinremotecommunitiesatanaffordablepricewhile still keeping seed producers profitably in business. Availing these seeds to smallholder producers is a major step in achieving food securityandnutritionalhealthindevelopingcountries inSSA
Comparative Root Transcriptomics Provide Insights into Drought Adaptation Strategies in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)
Drought adversely affects crop production across the globe. The root system immensely
contributes to water management and the adaptability of plants to drought stress. In this study,
drought-inducedphenotypic andtranscriptomic responses of two contrasting chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)
genotypes were compared at the vegetative, reproductive transition, and reproductive stages.
At the vegetative stage, drought-tolerant genotype maintained higher root biomass, length, and surface
area under drought stress as compared to sensitive genotype. However, at the reproductive stage,
root length and surface area of tolerant genotype was lower but displayed higher root diameter than
sensitive genotype. The shoot biomass of tolerant genotype was overall higher than the sensitive
genotype under drought stress. RNA-seq analysis identified genotype- and developmental-stage specific
differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in response to drought stress. At the vegetative stage, a total of
2161 and 1873 DEGs, and at reproductive stage 4109 and 3772 DEGs, were identified in the tolerant
and sensitive genotypes, respectively. Gene ontology (GO) analysis revealed enrichment of biological
categories related to cellular process, metabolic process, response to stimulus, response to abiotic stress,
and response to hormones. Interestingly, the expression of stress-responsive transcription factors, kinases,
ROS signaling and scavenging, transporters, root nodulation, and oxylipin biosynthesis genes were
robustly upregulated in the tolerant genotype, possibly contributing to drought adaptation. Furthermore,
activation/repression of hormone signaling and biosynthesis genes was observed. Overall, this study
sheds new insights on drought tolerance mechanisms operating in roots with broader implications for
chickpea improvement
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Design of a Polymer-Based Hollow-Core Bandgap Fiber for Low-Loss Terahertz Transmission
We use numerical simulations to design a hollowcore microstructured polymer optical fiber (HC-mPOF) suitable for broadband, terahertz (THz) pulse transmission with relatively low losses and small dispersion. The HC-mPOF consists of a central large air-core surrounded by periodically arranged wavelength-scale circular air holes in a hexagonal pattern, embedded in a uniform Teflon matrix. The THz guidance in this fiber is achieved by exploiting the photonic bandgap (PBG) effect. In our low index contrast Teflon-air (1.44:1) hexagonal periodic lattice, the PBG appears only for a certain range of non-zero values of the longitudinal wavevector. We have achieved PBG over a broad spectral range (bandwidth ~400 GHz) ranging from 1.65 to 2.05 THz in the proposed HC-mPOF. The achievable loss coefficient in our designed HC-mPOF is <;4 m-1 and the group velocity dispersion parameter is <;±5 ps/THz·cm over a 300-GHz bandwidth (1.65~1.95 THz)
Adoption Behaviour of Vegetable Growers towards Improved Technologies
ABSTRACT The average productivity of majority of the vegetables in India is lower (12 t/ha
Specialty Fibers for Terahertz Generation and Transmission: A Review
Terahertz (THz) frequency range, lying between the optical and microwave frequency ranges covers a significant portion of the electro-magnetic spectrum. Though its initial usage started in the 1960s, active research in the THz field started only in the 1990s by researchers from both optics and microwaves disciplines. The use of optical fibers for THz application has attracted considerable attention in recent years. In this paper, we review the progress and current status of optical fiber-based techniques for THz generation and transmission. The first part of this review focuses on THz sources. After a review on various types of THz sources, we discuss how specialty optical fibers can be used for THz generation. The second part of this review focuses on the guided wave propagation of THz waves for their transmission. After discussing various wave guiding schemes, we consider new fiber designs for THz transmission
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