Temperature and Photoperiod in Relation to Flowering in Cucumis Sativus

Cucumber plants grown under long-day and exposed to low night temperature showed a decided modification of the flowering response usually obtained under long-day conditions

LAND USE PLANNING AND POLICY IN THE SOUTH

Land Economics/Use,

Evaluating Decision Trees under Different Criteria

Based on our earlier results in decision theory, we demonstrate how decision trees can be integrated into a general framework for analysing decision situations with respect to different criteria, and suggest an evaluation rule taking into account all strategies, criteria, probabilities and utilities involved in the situations under consideration. A significant property of the framework is that it admits the representation of imprecise information at all stages. This information is modelled in sets of measures constrained by interval estimates. The strategies are then evaluated relative to different decision rules, e.g., a set of generalisations of the principle of admissibility. Decision situations are evaluated using fast algorithms developed particularly for solving these kinds of problems. The presented framework has been developed and used within a large-scale evaluation project at the Swedish National Rail Administration

A robustness study of state-of-the-art surrogate weights for MCDM

A vast number of methods for solving multi-criteria decision problems have been suggested for assessing criteria weights requiring more exact input data than users normally are able to provide. In particular, the selection of adequate criteria weights is difficult and in order to be realistic, other methods must be introduced. One class of such methods is to introduce so called surrogate weights, where numerical weights are assigned to each criterion based on a cardinal or ordinal rank ordering, assumed to represent the information extracted from the user. One essential problem is the robustness of such methods. In this article, we compare state-of-the-art methods based on surrogate weights from the literature and, utilizing a simulation approach, discuss underlying assumptions and robustness properties. This results in a quantitative measurement of these weighting methods and a methodology applicable also to forthcoming methods

Trade-offs for Ordinal Ranking Methods in Multi-Criteria Decisions

Weight elicitation methods in multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) are often cognitively demanding, require too much precision and too much time and effort. Some of the issues may be remedied by connecting elicitation methods to an inference engine facilitating a quick and easy method for decision-makers to use weaker input statements, yet being able to utilize these statements in a method for decision evaluation. One important class of such methods ranks the criteria and converts the resulting ranking into numerical so called surrogate weights. We analyse the relevance of these methods and discuss how robust they are as candidates for modelling decision-makers and analysing multi-criteria decision problems under the perspectives of several stakeholders

Working Papers of the American Society of Missiology; Vol. 5 Conversations on the Future of Mission

https://place.asburyseminary.edu/academicbooks/1028/thumbnail.jp

Highly Siderophile Elements in Pallasites and Diogenites, Including the New Pallasite, CMS 04071

Pallasites are long thought to represent a metallic core-silicate mantle boundary, where the IIIAB irons are linked to the crystallization history of the metallic fraction, and the HED meteorites may be linked to the silicate fraction. However, measurement of trace elements in individual metallic and silicate phases is necessary in order to fully under-stand the petrogenetic history of pallasites, as well as any magmatic processes which may link pallasites to both IIIAB irons and HED meteorites. In order to achieve this objective, abundances of a suite of elements were measured, including the highly siderophile elements (HSEs), in kamacite, taenite, troilite, schreibersite, chromite and olivine for the pallasites Admire, Imilac, Springwater, CMS 04071. In the diogenites GRO 95555, LAP 91900, and MET 00436, metal, sulfide, spinel, pyroxene, and silica were individually measured

Solubility of Sulfur in Shergottitic Silicate Melts Up to 0.8 GPA: Implications for S Contents of Shergottites

Shergottites have high S contents (1300 to 4600 ppm; [1]), but it is unclear if they are sulfide saturated or under-saturated. This issue has fundamental implications for determining the long term S budget of the martian surface and atmosphere (from mantle degassing), as well as evolution of the highly siderophile elements (HSE) Au, Pd, Pt, Re, Rh, Ru, Ir, and Os, since concentrations of the latter are controlled by sulfide stability. Resolution of sulfide saturation depends upon temperature, pressure, oxygen fugacity (and FeO), and magma composition [2]. Expressions derived from experimental studies allow prediction of S contents, though so far they are not calibrated for shergottitic liquids [3-5]. We have carried out new experiments designed to test current S saturation models, and then show that existing calibrations are not suitable for high FeO and low Al2O3 compositions characteristic of shergottitic liquids. The new results show that existing models underpredict S contents of sulfide saturated shergottitic liquids by a factor of 2

Experimental Insights into the Origin of Defect-Structured Hibonites Found in Meteorites

Hibonite (CaAl12O19) is a primary, highly refractory phase occurring in many Ca-Al-rich inclusions (CAIs). Previous microstructural studies of hibonite in CAIs and their Wark-Lovering (WL) rims showed the presence of numerous stacking defects in hibonites. These defects are interpreted as the modification of the stacking sequences of spinel and Ca-containing blocks within the ideal hexagonal hibonite structure due to the presence of wider spinel blocks [3], as shown by experimental studies of reaction-sintered compounds in the CaO-Al2O3 system. We performed a series of experiments in the CaO-Al2O3-MgO system in order to provide additional in-sights into the formation processes and conditions of defect-structured hibonites found in meteorites

Partitioning of Pd Between Fe-S-C and Mantle Liquids at High Pressure and Temperature: Implications for Core Formation

One of the most elusive geochemical aspects of the early Earth has been explaining the near chondritic relative abundances of the highly siderophile elements (HSE; Au, Re and the platinum group elements) in Earth's primitive upper mantle (PUM). Perhaps they were delivered to the Earth after core formation, by late addition of carbonaceous chondrite material. However, the recognition that many moderately siderophile elements can be explained by high pressure and temperature (PT) metal-silicate equilibrium, leads to the question whether high PT equilibrium can also explain the HSE concentrations. Answers to this question have been slowed by experimental difficulties (nugget effect and very low solubilities). But two different perspectives have emerged from recent studies. One perspective is that D(M/S) for HSE at high PT are not low enough to explain terrestrial mantle depletions of these elements (for Pd and Pt). A second perspective is D(M/S) are reduced substantially at high PT and even low enough to explain terrestrial mantle depletions (for Au and Pt). Issues complicating interpretation of all experiments include use of MgO- and FeO-free silicate melts, and S-free and FeNi metal-free systems. In addition, conclusions for Pt rest on an interpretation that the tiny metallic nuggets plaguing many such experiments, were formed upon quench. There is not agreement on this issue, and the general question of HSE solubility at high PT remains unresolve