Hamming-like distances for ill-defined strings in linguistic classification

Ill-defined strings often occur in soft sciences, e.g. in linguistics or in biology. In this paper we consider l-length strings which have in each position one of the three symbols 0 or false, 1 or true, b or irrelevant. We tackle some generalisations of the usual Hamming distance between binary crisp strings which were recently used in computational linguistics. We comment on their metric properties, since these should guide the selection of the clustering algorithm to be used for language classification. The concluding section is devoted to future work, and the string approach, as currently pursued, is compared to alternative approaches

Issues in Vendor/Library Relations-The Sales Call

We re-take a coding theoretic notion which goes back to Cl. Shannon: codeword distinguishability. This notion is standard in zero-error information theory, but its bearing is definitely wider and it may help to better understand new forms of coding, e.g. DNA word design. In our approach, the underlying decoding principle is very simple and very general: one decodes by trying to minimise the diversity (in the simplest case the Hamming distance) between a codeword and the output sequence observed at the end of the noisy transmission channel. Symmetrically and equivalently, one may use maximum-similarity decoders and and codeword confusabilities. The operational meaning of codewoord distinguishability is made clear by a reliability criterion, which generalises the well-known criterion on minimum Hamming distance for error-correcting codes. We investigate the formal properties of distinguishabilities versus diversities; these two notions are deeply related, and yet essentially different. An encoding theorem is put forward; as a case study we examine a channel of cryptographic interest

Effects of Anthocyanin Supplementation and Ageing Time on the Volatile Organic Compounds and Sensory Attributes of Meat from Goat Kids

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of dietary anthocyanin addition on volatile compounds of meat from goat kids during ageing. For this work, 60 male and female kids were divided into two groups: red orange and lemon extract (RLE group; n = 30), which received an RLE extract (90 mg/kg of live weight); and control (CON group; n = 30). The phytoextract in dry powder form was rich in bioflavonoids such as flavanones (about 16%) and anthocyanins (about 3%). After slaughtering, the longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle was aged at 4◦C. The volatile organic compound (VOC) and sensorial analyses were carried out at 1, 3 and 7 days. A total of 10 chemical families were identified during the ageing process. Aldehydes were the most abundant VOC, followed by ketones and alcohols. Their contents increased during the process, showing after 7 days of ageing mean values of 20,498, 2193 and 1879 ng/g of meat, respectively. Regarding dietary effects, carboxylic acids, hydrocarbons and thiols presented significant differences between treatments, with higher carboxylic acid contents observed in RLE samples (437 vs. 467 ng/g of meat for CON and RLE batches, respectively; p < 0.05). On the contrary, hydrocarbons (436 vs. 254 ng/g of meat for CON and RLE batches, respectively) and thiols (160 vs. 103 ng/g of meat for CON and RLE batches, respectively) displayed significantly (p < 0.01) higher amounts in CON compared to the RLE group. Regarding ageing time, the tenderness, juiciness, odour and overall assessment parameters showed significantly higher scores at the end of the whole process (p < 0.05). On the other hand, only odour displayed significant differences between treatments, reaching higher scores in CON samples (p < 0.05). Therefore, ageing time improved the sensorial properties (tenderness, juiciness, odour and overall assessment) and the VOC content, whereas the inclusion of anthocyanins in the kids’ diet did not have a great impact on the properties of aged meat

Spin-orbit readout using thin films of topological insulator Sb2Te3 deposited by industrial magnetron sputtering

Driving a spin-logic circuit requires the production of a large output signal by spin-charge interconversion in spin-orbit readout devices. This should be possible by using topological insulators, which are known for their high spin-charge interconversion efficiency. However, high-quality topological insulators have so far only been obtained on a small scale, or with large scale deposition techniques which are not compatible with conventional industrial deposition processes. The nanopatterning and electrical spin injection into these materials has also proven difficult due to their fragile structure and low spin conductance. We present the fabrication of a spin-orbit readout device from the topological insulator Sb2Te3 deposited by large-scale industrial magnetron sputtering on SiO2. Despite a modification of the Sb2Te3 layer structural properties during the device nanofabrication, we measured a sizeable output voltage that can be unambiguously ascribed to a spin-charge interconversion process

Message Journal, Issue 5: COVID-19 SPECIAL ISSUE Capturing visual insights, thoughts and reflections on 2020/21 and beyond...

If there is a theme running through the Message Covid-19 special issue, it is one of caring. Of our own and others’ resilience and wellbeing, of friendship and community, of students, practitioners and their futures, of social justice, equality and of doing the right thing. The veins of designing with care run through the edition, wide and deep. It captures, not designers as heroes, but those with humble views, exposing the need to understand a diversity of perspectives when trying to comprehend the complexity that Covid-19 continues to generate. As graphic designers, illustrators and visual communicators, contributors have created, documented, written, visualised, reflected, shared, connected and co-created, designed for good causes and re-defined what it is to be a student, an academic and a designer during the pandemic. This poignant period in time has driven us, through isolation, towards new rules of living, and new ways of working; to see and map the world in a different light. A light that is uncertain, disjointed, and constantly being redefined. This Message issue captures responses from the graphic communication design community in their raw state, to allow contributors to communicate their experiences through both their written and visual voice. Thus, the reader can discern as much from the words as the design and visualisations. Through this issue a substantial number of contributions have focused on personal reflection, isolation, fear, anxiety and wellbeing, as well as reaching out to community, making connections and collaborating. This was not surprising in a world in which connection with others has often been remote, and where ‘normal’ social structures of support and care have been broken down. We also gain insight into those who are using graphic communication design to inspire and capture new ways of teaching and learning, developing themselves as designers, educators, and activists, responding to social justice and to do good; gaining greater insight into society, government actions and conspiracy. Introduction: Victoria Squire - Coping with Covid: Community, connection and collaboration: James Alexander & Carole Evans, Meg Davies, Matthew Frame, Chae Ho Lee, Alma Hoffmann, Holly K. Kaufman-Hill, Joshua Korenblat, Warren Lehrer, Christine Lhowe, Sara Nesteruk, Cat Normoyle & Jessica Teague, Kyuha Shim. - Coping with Covid: Isolation, wellbeing and hope: Sadia Abdisalam, Tom Ayling, Jessica Barness, Megan Culliford, Stephanie Cunningham, Sofija Gvozdeva, Hedzlynn Kamaruzzaman, Merle Karp, Erica V. P. Lewis, Kelly Salchow Macarthur, Steven McCarthy, Shelly Mayers, Elizabeth Shefrin, Angelica Sibrian, David Smart, Ane Thon Knutsen, Isobel Thomas, Darryl Westley. - Coping with Covid: Pedagogy, teaching and learning: Bernard J Canniffe, Subir Dey, Aaron Ganci, Elizabeth Herrmann, John Kilburn, Paul Nini, Emily Osborne, Gianni Sinni & Irene Sgarro, Dave Wood, Helena Gregory, Colin Raeburn & Jackie Malcolm. - Coping with Covid: Social justice, activism and doing good: Class Action Collective, Xinyi Li, Matt Soar, Junie Tang, Lisa Winstanley. - Coping with Covid: Society, control and conspiracy: Diana Bîrhală, Maria Borțoi, Patti Capaldi, Tânia A. Cardoso, Peter Gibbons, Bianca Milea, Rebecca Tegtmeyer, Danne Wo

An axiomatic derivation of the coding-theoretic possibilistic entropy

We re-take the possibilistic (strictly non-probabilistic) model for information sources and information coding put forward in Fuzzy Sets and Systems 132-1 (2002); the coding-theoretic possibilistic entropy is defined there as the asymptotic rate of compression codes, which are optimal with respect to a possibilistic (not probabilistic) criterion. By proving a uniqueness theorem, in this paper we provide also an axiomatic derivation for such a possibilistic entropy, and so we are able to support its use as an adequate measure of non-specificity, or rather of possibilistic ignorance, as we shall prefer to say. We compare our possibilistic entropy with two well-known measures of non-specificity: Hartley measure as found in set theory and U-uncertainty as found in possibility theory. The comparison allows us to show that the latter posseses a coding-theoretic meaning

Maximum rank distance for binary strings

The rank distance is a low-complexity and robust distance between sequences, which has been used in computational linguistics and bioinformatics. We tackle the problem of maximizing rank distances; in particular, we solve the problem of exhibiting sequences at largest rank distance from a given binary sequence