Label Placement in Road Maps

A road map can be interpreted as a graph embedded in the plane, in which each vertex corresponds to a road junction and each edge to a particular road section. We consider the cartographic problem to place non-overlapping road labels along the edges so that as many road sections as possible are identified by their name, i.e., covered by a label. We show that this is NP-hard in general, but the problem can be solved in polynomial time if the road map is an embedded tree.Comment: extended version of a CIAC 2015 pape

An Algorithmic Framework for Labeling Road Maps

Given an unlabeled road map, we consider, from an algorithmic perspective, the cartographic problem to place non-overlapping road labels embedded in their roads. We first decompose the road network into logically coherent road sections, e.g., parts of roads between two junctions. Based on this decomposition, we present and implement a new and versatile framework for placing labels in road maps such that the number of labeled road sections is maximized. In an experimental evaluation with road maps of 11 major cities we show that our proposed labeling algorithm is both fast in practice and that it reaches near-optimal solution quality, where optimal solutions are obtained by mixed-integer linear programming. In comparison to the standard OpenStreetMap renderer Mapnik, our algorithm labels 31% more road sections in average.Comment: extended version of a paper to appear at GIScience 201

Conclusions and Recommendations

Rosana G. Moreira, Editor-in-Chief; Texas A&M UniversityThis is a paper from International Commission of Agricultural Engineering (CIGR, Commission Internationale du Genie Rural) E-Journal Volume 7 (2005): Conclusions and Recommendations by E. Gasparett

Berkeley PHOG: PhyloFacts orthology group prediction web server

Ortholog detection is essential in functional annotation of genomes, with applications to phylogenetic tree construction, prediction of protein–protein interaction and other bioinformatics tasks. We present here the PHOG web server employing a novel algorithm to identify orthologs based on phylogenetic analysis. Results on a benchmark dataset from the TreeFam-A manually curated orthology database show that PHOG provides a combination of high recall and precision competitive with both InParanoid and OrthoMCL, and allows users to target different taxonomic distances and precision levels through the use of tree-distance thresholds. For instance, OrthoMCL-DB achieved 76% recall and 66% precision on this dataset; at a slightly higher precision (68%) PHOG achieves 10% higher recall (86%). InParanoid achieved 87% recall at 24% precision on this dataset, while a PHOG variant designed for high recall achieves 88% recall at 61% precision, increasing precision by 37% over InParanoid. PHOG is based on pre-computed trees in the PhyloFacts resource, and contains over 366 K orthology groups with a minimum of three species. Predicted orthologs are linked to GO annotations, pathway information and biological literature. The PHOG web server is available at http://phylofacts.berkeley.edu/orthologs/

Energy efficient room illumination by the redirection of sunlight : new micro structured components

Paper presented to the 3rd Southern African Solar Energy Conference, South Africa, 11-13 May, 2015.Non tracking daylight systems, which redirect the light from solar altitudes between 15° and 65° deep into rooms without causing glare effects, have been applied successfully in several office buildings recently. These systems are based on specially shaped polymer profiles which are inserted in double glass windows and which are commercialized under the label LUMITOP. Based on these macro structured systems, fixed in the upper area of windows above eyelevel, advanced solutions using micro structured components will be reported. Main objective of this new development is the reduction of material input (e.g. PMMA) and production costs. Additionally, the optical properties and redirection performance of the existing system should be improved. First, ray tracing calculations have been carried out to identify optimum solutions for micro structured components capable of redirecting daylight with high and almost homogeneous efficiency over the relevant angular range of solar altitudes and not showing colour effects. The simulation results show, that by using a combination of micro lenses and micro prisms an almost homogeneous sunlight redirection of about 70% is achieved in the angular range of solar altitudes between 25° and 65°. These results could be confirmed by prototypes fabricated in the highly transparent silicone polymer PDMS. Suitable industrial production processes for large area panels (1400 mm x 400mm x 4mm) are hot embossing in thermoplastic materials like PMMA and UV-embossing in special UV-curing resins. Both processes are under development and the status of the development will be reported.cf201

Quantifying the Loss of Coral from a Bleaching Event Using Underwater Photogrammetry and AI-Assisted Image Segmentation

Detecting the impacts of natural and anthropogenic disturbances that cause declines in organisms or changes in community composition has long been a focus of ecology. However, a tradeoff often exists between the spatial extent over which relevant data can be collected, and the resolution of those data. Recent advances in underwater photogrammetry, as well as computer vision and machine learning tools that employ artificial intelligence (AI), offer potential solutions with which to resolve this tradeoff. Here, we coupled a rigorous photogrammetric survey method with novel AI-assisted image segmentation software in order to quantify the impact of a coral bleaching event on a tropical reef, both at an ecologically meaningful spatial scale and with high spatial resolution. In addition to outlining our workflow, we highlight three key results: (1) dramatic changes in the three-dimensional surface areas of live and dead coral, as well as the ratio of live to dead colonies before and after bleaching; (2) a size-dependent pattern of mortality in bleached corals, where the largest corals were disproportionately affected, and (3) a significantly greater decline in the surface area of live coral, as revealed by our approximation of the 3D shape compared to the more standard planar area (2D) approach. The technique of photogrammetry allows us to turn 2D images into approximate 3D models in a flexible and efficient way. Increasing the resolution, accuracy, spatial extent, and efficiency with which we can quantify effects of disturbances will improve our ability to understand the ecological consequences that cascade from small to large scales, as well as allow more informed decisions to be made regarding the mitigation of undesired impacts

Sacrificing their Careers for their Families? An Analysis of the Family Pay Penalty in Europe

This paper examines the extent of and the mechanisms behind the penalty to motherhood in six European countries. Each country provides different levels of support for maternal employment allowing us to determine institutional effects on labour market outcome. While mothers tend to earn less than non-mothers, the penalty to motherhood is considerably lower in countries with policy support for working mothers. The paper establishes the United Kingdom and West Germany to have the least policy support for working mothers as well as the largest penalties to motherhood

Using twins to better understand sibling relationships

We compared the nature of the sibling relationship in dyads of varying genetic relatedness, employing a behavioural genetic design to estimate the contribution that genes and the environment have on this familial bond. Two samples were used—the Sisters and Brothers Study consisted of 173 families with two target non-twin children (mean ages = 7.42 and 5.22 years respectively); and the Twins, Family and Behaviour study included 234 families with two target twin children (mean age = 4.70 years). Mothers and fathers reported on their children’s relationship with each other, via a postal questionnaire (the Sisters and Brothers Study) or a telephone interview (the Twins, Family and Behaviour study). Contrary to expectations, no mean level differences emerged when monozygotic twin pairs, dizygotic twin pairs, and non-twin pairs were compared on their sibling relationship quality. Behavioural genetic analyses also revealed that the sibling bond was modestly to moderately influenced by the genetic propensities of the children within the dyad, and moderately to substantially influenced by the shared environment common to both siblings. In addition, for sibling negativity, we found evidence of twin-specific environmental influence—dizygotic twins showed more reciprocity than did non-twins. Our findings have repercussions for the broader application of results from future twin-based investigations