A clustering approach for the analysis of InSAR Time Series: application to the Bandung Basin (Indonesia)

Interferometric Synthetic Aperture (InSAR) time series measurements are widely used to monitor a variety of processes including subsidence, landslides, and volcanic activity. However, interpreting large InSAR datasets can be difficult due to the volume of data generated, requiring sophisticated signal-processing techniques to extract meaningful information. We propose a novel framework for interpreting the large number of ground displacement measurements derived from InSAR time series techniques using a three-step process: (1) dimensionality reduction of the displacement time series from an InSAR data stack; (2) clustering of the reduced dataset; and (3) detecting and quantifying accelerations and decelerations of deforming areas using a change detection method. The displacement rates, spatial variation, and the spatio-temporal nature of displacement accelerations and decelerations are used to investigate the physical behaviour of the deforming ground by linking the timing and location of changes in displacement rates to potential causal and triggering factors. We tested the method over the Bandung Basin in Indonesia using Sentinel-1 data processed with the small baseline subset InSAR time series technique. The results showed widespread subsidence in the central basin with rates up to 18.7 cm/yr. We identified 12 main clusters of subsidence, of which three covering a total area of 22 km2 show accelerating subsidence, four clusters over 52 km2 show a linear trend, and five show decelerating subsidence over an area of 22 km2. This approach provides an objective way to monitor and interpret ground movements, and is a valuable tool for understanding the physical behaviour of large deforming areas

Rapid acquisition and model-based analysis of cell-free transcription–translation reactions from nonmodel bacteria

Native cell-free transcription–translation systems offer a rapid route to characterize the regulatory elements (promoters, transcription factors) for gene expression from nonmodel microbial hosts, which can be difficult to assess through traditional in vivo approaches. One such host, Bacillus megaterium, is a giant Gram-positive bacterium with potential biotechnology applications, although many of its regulatory elements remain uncharacterized. Here, we have developed a rapid automated platform for measuring and modeling in vitro cell-free reactions and have applied this to B. megaterium to quantify a range of ribosome binding site variants and previously uncharacterized endogenous constitutive and inducible promoters. To provide quantitative models for cell-free systems, we have also applied a Bayesian approach to infer ordinary differential equation model parameters by simultaneously using time-course data from multiple experimental conditions. Using this modeling framework, we were able to infer previously unknown transcription factor binding affinities and quantify the sharing of cell-free transcription–translation resources (energy, ribosomes, RNA polymerases, nucleotides, and amino acids) using a promoter competition experiment. This allows insights into resource limiting-factors in batch cell-free synthesis mode. Our combined automated and modeling platform allows for the rapid acquisition and model-based analysis of cell-free transcription–translation data from uncharacterized microbial cell hosts, as well as resource competition within cell-free systems, which potentially can be applied to a range of cell-free synthetic biology and biotechnology applications

Open Air Museum in Katowice (1929–1955). The Idea, Plan and Realization

Although the first open-air museum was opened to the public at the end of the 19th century, the concept became popular in Poland only after the country had regained its independence in 1918. During that time, the idea was born to creatie a Silesian village heritage park, and the person who rose to the challenge was Tadeusz Dobrowolski, a conservator of monuments and the director of the Art Department at the Silesian Voivodeship Office since 1927. He saw that the industrialization of the region was rapidly consuming more and more examples of the old wooden architecture – a crucial argument in the discussion on the Polish identity of Upper Silesia. The area of the Kosciuszko Park in Katowice was selected as the location for the new heritage park. It is the place where in 1933 the court granary from Gołkowice and in 1938-1939 – the church of St. Michael Archangel from Syrynia were reconstructed. The outbreak of the war shattered all further opportunities to expand the display. The issue of creating the Silesian village heritage park in this spot was brought up again in the 1950s. Finally, out of the many propositions for its location, the decision was made to choose the westernmost part of the Voivodeship Park of Culture and Recreation in Chorzów.Chociaż pierwsze muzeum na wolnym powietrzu udostępniono zwiedzającym pod koniec XIX wieku, w Polsce idea ta nabrała popularności dopiero po odzyskaniu niepodległość w 1918 roku. Wówczas także narodziła się myśl stworzenia skansenu wsi śląskiej. Zadania tego podjął się Tadeusz Dobrowolski, który od 1927 roku pełnił funkcję konserwatora zabytków i kierownika Oddziału Sztuki w Śląskim Urzędzie Wojewódzkim. Spostrzegł on bowiem, że industrializacja regionu w zawrotnym tempie pochłania kolejne przykłady drewnianej architektury, będącej istotnym dowodem w dyskusji o polskość Górnego Śląska. Na lokalizację nowego skansenu wybrano obszar Parku Kościuszki w Katowicach, gdzie w 1933 roku odtworzono zabudowania spichlerza dworskiego z Gołkowic, a w latach 1938-1939 kościoła Michała Archanioła z Syryni. Wybuch wojny przekreślił szanse dalszej rozbudowy ekspozycji. W latach 50. tych XX weku po raz kolejny podjęto temat utworzenia skansenu wsi śląskiej w tym miejscu. Ostatecznie spośród kilku propozycji jego lokalizacji wybrano zachodnie krańce Wojewódzkiego Parku Kultury i Wypoczynku w Chorzowie

Means of algorithmic coordination of undertakings' behaviour in the light of European Union antitrust law

W pracy dokonano oceny efektywności narzędzia polityki gospodarczej, jakim jest unijne prawo antymonopolowe, w zwalczaniu niedozwolonej koordynacji przedsiębiorstw, do której dochodzi przy użyciu algorytmów. Pierwszy rozdział przedstawia podstawowe zagadnienia techniczne związane z algorytmiką, wprowadza typologię algorytmów oraz różnych technologii ich funkcjonowania, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem algorytmów opartych na sztucznej inteligencji. W drugim rozdziale przedstawiono ekonomiczne podstawy zmowy oraz wpływ teorii ekonomicznych na regulację antykonkurencyjnej koordynacji przedsiębiorstw za pomocą narzędzi polityki gospodarczej. Następnie zarysowano dyskusję wokół wpływu algorytmów na warunki konkurencji rynkowej. Trzeci rozdział zawiera omówienie przesłanek uznania koordynacji przedsiębiorstw za zabronią w świetle prawa unijnego. Stanowi on podstawę do dokonywanych w dalszej części pracy ocen prawnych różnych konfiguracji zmowy oraz pojawiających się propozycji uregulowania użycia algorytmów.W czwartym rozdziale przedstawiono analizę prawną różnych scenariuszy użycia algorytmów w zmowach zarówno horyzontalnych, jak i wertykalnych. Rozróżnienia scenariuszy dokonano w zależności od skomplikowania danej konfiguracji rynkowej, a także rodzaju użytych algorytmów. Ostatni, piąty rozdział stanowi przegląd zapatrywań na problematykę algorytmów w prawie antymonopolowym. Przekrój propozycji ujęcia zagadnienia algorytmów w ramy prawne waha się od braku potrzeby jakiejkolwiek interwencji, przez uregulowanie procesu tworzenia algorytmów, aż do daleko idących zmian w rozkładzie ciężaru dowodu w postępowaniu antymonopolowym.The paper assesses the effectiveness of an economic policy tool, i.e. EU antitrust law, in combating illicit coordination of companies, which takes place with the use of algorithms. The first chapter presents basic technical issues related to algorithmics, introduces a typology of algorithms and various technologies of their functioning, with particular emphasis on algorithms based on artificial intelligence. The second chapter presents the economic foundations of collusion and the impact of economic theories on the regulation of anti-competitive coordination of companies by means of economic policy tools. It then outlines a discussion on the impact of algorithms on market competition conditions. The third chapter discusses the prerequisites for considering coordination between undertakings as prohibited under EU law. It forms the basis for the legal assessments of different collusive configurations and emerging proposals to regulate the use of algorithms.The fourth chapter provides a legal analysis of the different scenarios for the use of algorithms in both horizontal and vertical collusion. Scenarios were differentiated according to the complexity of a given market configuration and the type of algorithms used. The last, fifth chapter is an overview of approaches to the issue of algorithms in antitrust law. The scope of the proposals to include the issue of algorithms in the legal framework ranges from the lack of need for any intervention, through regulation of the algorithm development process, to far-reaching changes in the distribution of the burden of proof in antitrust proceedings

Direct nucleophilic and electrophilic activation of alcohols using a unified boron-based organocatalyst scaffold

Abstract Organocatalytic strategies for the direct activation of hydroxy-containing compounds have paled in comparison to those applicable to carbonyl compounds. To this end, boronic acids have emerged as valuable catalysts for the functionalization of hydroxy groups in a mild and selective fashion. Distinct modes of activation in boronic acid-catalyzed transformations are often accomplished by vastly different catalytic species, complicating the design of broadly applicable catalyst classes. Herein, we report the use of benzoxazaborine as a general scaffold for the development of structurally related yet mechanistically divergent catalysts for the direct nucleophilic and electrophilic activation of alcohols under ambient conditions. The utility of these catalysts is demonstrated in the monophosphorylation of vicinal diols and the reductive deoxygenation of benzylic alcohols and ketones respectively. Mechanistic studies of both processes reveal the contrasting nature of key tetravalent boron intermediates in the two catalytic manifolds