Speeding Up Reachability Queries in Public Transport Networks Using Graph Partitioning

Computing path queries such as the shortest path in public transport networks is challenging because the path costs between nodes change over time. A reachability query from a node at a given start time on such a network retrieves all points of interest (POIs) that are reachable within a given cost budget. Reachability queries are essential building blocks in many applications, for example, group recommendations, ranking spatial queries, or geomarketing. We propose an efficient solution for reachability queries in public transport networks. Currently, there are two options to solve reachability queries. (1) Execute a modified version of Dijkstra’s algorithm that supports time-dependent edge traversal costs; this solution is slow since it must expand edge by edge and does not use an index. (2) Issue a separate path query for each single POI, i.e., a single reachability query requires answering many path queries. None of these solutions scales to large networks with many POIs. We propose a novel and lightweight reachability index. The key idea is to partition the network into cells. Then, in contrast to other approaches, we expand the network cell by cell. Empirical evaluations on synthetic and real-world networks confirm the efficiency and the effectiveness of our index-based reachability query solution

Plant water relations, crop yield and quality of arabica coffee (Coffea arabica) as affected by supplemental deficit irrigation.

Low amount and erratic distribution of the seasonal precipitation and recurrent droughts are major threats to coffee production in Ethiopia. This necessitates application of supplemental deficit irrigation for coffee production. This study evaluated the impact of two supplemental irrigations, viz. supplemental full (SFI) and deficit irrigation (SDI) in comparison to rain-fed (RF) control on plant water relations, yield and quality of Coffea arabica L. during the dry season using three cultivars (cv. F-59, 74110 and 75227). Supplemental full irrigation consistently improved soil and plant water status and stomatal conductance (gs) during the dry season and resulted in significantly higher yield. However, the difference between SFI and SDI was not significant for crop yield, but had higher yield than RF control. Overall quality in terms of raw appearance and total quality of coffee beans was substantially improved and the amount of irrigation water applied was considerably reduced by SDI compared to SFI practice. Therefore, SDI appears to be more effective than SFI for coffee production in areas of frequent water scarcity and recurrent drought as for eastern and northern parts of Ethiopia

Semi-Dwarf Tef Lines for High Seed Yield and Lodging Tolerance in Central Ethiopia

Tef [ Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter] is the major cereal crop in the Horn of Africa, especially in Ethiopia where it is a staple food for over 60% of its 90 million population. The crop performs better than other cereal crops under extreme environmental conditions. The grain of tef is not only nutritious but also gluten-free, the cause for celiac disease, which affects humans world wide. The objective of this study was to evaluate the morpho-agronomic performance of newly developed semi-dwarf tef genotypes for grain yield and yield related agronomic traits under diverse environmental conditions. Twenty-four tef lines were evaluated, along with one local and three standard checks, at three locations in the Central Ethiopia. The mean squares due to genotypes, locations and genotype by location interactions were highly significant (P<0.01) for all the studied traits. Three genotypes, namely RIL- 91, RIL-244 and RIL-11, gave the highest seed yield, ranging between 4.4 to 4.7 t ha-1, compared to the popular and widely cultivated tef variety called Quncho which gave 4.2 t ha-1. Genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variations ranged from 0.002 to 173.9% and from 0.004 to 255.9%, respectively. The highest genetic advance (20.2 cm) and heritability estimates (86.7%) were obtained for plant height indicating that selection for this trait can be made easily. Grain yield showed significant and positive genotypic association with plant height, whole culm and second culm internode length, second culm internode diameter, number of spikelet per panicle and shoot biomass yield. Cluster analysis grouped the genotypes into six distinct classes. The first five principal components with eigenvalues greater than one accounted for 85% of the total variation. Generally, this study identified tef genotypes with better grain yield and reasonable lodging tolerance for further evaluation and eventual release to the farming communities.Tef [ Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter] est une\ua0culture majeure de c\ue9r\ue9ale dans la corne de l\u2019Afrique, particuli\ue8rement en Ethiopie o\uf9 elle est un aliment de base pour plus de 60% de son 90\ua0million de population. La culture performe mieux que d\u2019autres cultures c\ue9r\ue9ali\ue8res dans des conditions environnementales extr\ueames. Les grains du tef ne sont pas seulement nutritifs mais aussi ne contiennent pas de gluten, la cause des maladies des c\ue9r\ue9ales, qui affectent les hommes dans le monde. L\u2019objectif de cette \ue9tude \ue9tait d\u2019\ue9valuer la performance morpho-agronomique des g\ue9notypes semi-nain de tef nouvellement d\ue9velopp\ue9s pour le rendement en grain et les composantes du rendement sous diverses conditions environnementales. Vingt-quatre lign\ue9es de tef \ue9taient \ue9valu\ue9es, ensemble avec un local et trois contr\uf4les standards, dans trois locations dans la r\ue9gion centrale de l\u2019Ethiopie. Les carr\ue9es moyens dus aux g\ue9notypes, locations et aux interactions entre le g\ue9notype et l\u2019environnement \ue9taient hautement significatifs (P<0.01) pour tous les traits \ue9tudi\ue9s. Trois g\ue9notypes, nomm\ue9s RIL-91, RIL-244 and RIL-11, ont donn\ue9 les rendements les plus \ue9lev\ue9s en grain variant de 4,4 \ue0 4,7 t ha-1, compar\ue9s \ue0 la vari\ue9t\ue9 de tef populaire et largement cultiv\ue9e appel\ue9e Ounho qui a donn\ue9 4,2 t ha-1. Les coefficients de variation g\ue9notypique et ph\ue9notypique ont vari\ue9 de 0,002 \ue0 173,9% et de 0,004 \ue0 255,9%, respectivement. La plus grande avanc\ue9e g\ue9notypique (20,2 cm) et les estimations d\u2019h\ue9ritabilit\ue9 (86,7%) \ue9taient obtenues pour la taille de la plante montrant que la s\ue9lection pour ce trait peut \ueatre faite plus t\uf4t. Le rendement en grain a montr\ue9 une association significative et positive avec la taille de la plante, la longueur de l\u2019entre-n\u153ud au niveau de la canne int\ue9grale et la seconde canne, le diam\ue8tre de la seconde canne de l\u2019entre-n\u153ud, le nombre d\u2019\ue9pillet par panicule et le rendement en biomasse de la tige. L\u2019analyse en class a group\ue9 les g\ue9notypes en six classes distinctes. Les cinq premi\ue8res composantes principales avec des valeurs propres sup\ue9rieures \ue0 un ont pris en compte 85% de la variation totale. En g\ue9n\ue9rale, cette \ue9tude a identifi\ue9 des g\ue9notypes de tef avec des meilleurs rendements en grains et de tol\ue9rance raisonnable \ue0 la verse pour davantage \ue9valuation et \ue9ventuelle lib\ue9ration aux communaut\ue9s paysannes

Large-Fiber Dysfunction in Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy Is Predicted by Cardiovascular Risk Factors

OBJECTIVE Diabetic large–nerve fiber dysfunction, as measured by vibration perception threshold (VPT), predicts foot ulceration, amputation, and mortality. Thus, determination of modifiable risk factors is of great clinical importance. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We assessed 1,407 patients with type 1 diabetes and a normal VPT participating in the EURODIAB Prospective Complications Study, at baseline mean ± SD age of 32.7 ± 10.2 years with diabetes duration of 14.7 ± 9.3 years and follow-up of 7.3 ± 0.6 years. VPT was measured using biothesiometry on the right big toe and medial malleolus. An abnormal result was defined as >2 SD from the predicted mean for the patient s age. RESULTS An abnormal VPT was associated with an increased incidence of gangrene, amputation, foot ulceration, leg bypass or angioplasty, and mortality (P ≤ 0.02). The incidence of abnormal VPT was 24% over the 7.3-year follow-up. Duration of diabetes and A1C significantly influenced the incidence of abnormal VPT (P < 0.0001). After correction for these, established risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), including male sex (P = 0.0004), hypertension (P < 0.0001), total cholesterol (P = 0.002), LDL cholesterol (P = 0.01), smoking (P < 0.0001), weight (P < 0.0001), and diabetes complications (retinopathy [P = 0.0001], nephropathy [P = 0.01], and autonomic neuropathy [P = 0.001]), were all found to be significant risk factors. A previous history of CVD doubled the incidence of abnormal VPT. CONCLUSIONS This prospective study indicates that cardiovascular risk factors predict development of large-fiber dysfunction, which may account for the high mortality rate in patients with an abnormal VPT, and emphasizes the importance of early determination of VPT to detect subclinical neuropathy and to address cardiovascular risk factors

Patterns of domestication in the Ethiopian oil-seed crop noug (Guizotia abyssinica)

Noug (Guizotia abyssinica) is a semidomesticated oil-seed crop, which is primarily cultivated in Ethiopia. Unlike its closest crop relative, sunflower, noug has small seeds, small flowering heads, many branches, many flowering heads, and indeterminate flowering, and it shatters in the field. Here, we conducted common garden studies and microsatellite analyses of genetic variation to test whether high levels of crop–wild gene flow and/or unfavorable phenotypic correlations have hindered noug domestication. With the exception of one population, analyses of microsatellite variation failed to detect substantial recent admixture between noug and its wild progenitor. Likewise, only very weak correlations were found between seed mass and the number or size of flowering heads. Thus, noug's ‘atypical’ domestication syndrome does not seem to be a consequence of recent introgression or unfavorable phenotypic correlations. Nonetheless, our data do reveal evidence of local adaptation of noug cultivars to different precipitation regimes, as well as high levels of phenotypic plasticity, which may permit reasonable yields under diverse environmental conditions. Why noug has not been fully domesticated remains a mystery, but perhaps early farmers selected for resilience to episodic drought or untended environments rather than larger seeds. Domestication may also have been slowed by noug's outcrossing mating syste

Effect of soil drying on rate of stress development, leaf gas exchange and proline accumulation in Robusta coffee (Coffea canephora pierre ex froehner) clones

Seasonal drought stresses as a result of changes in global climate and local weather conditions are among the major factors adversely affecting growth and productivity of Robusta coffee (Coffea canephora pierre ex froehner) in many areas producing the crop. It is believed that there exists a wide range of genetic variability among Robusta coffee clones for traits associated with drought tolerance. Therefore, in an attempt to determine differences among Robusta coffee clones for some growth, physiological and biochemical parameters and identify drought-tolerant materials, 12 months old seedlings of six clones (IC-2, IC-3, IC-4, IC-6, IC-8 and R-4) were subjected to two treatments: well-watered control and drought-stressed (soil drying) by withholding irrigation for three weeks in a rain shelter at University Putra Malaysia, Malaysia. The rate of stress development, expressed as extent of wilting and damage to leaves, was considerably higher for clones IC-8, IC-4, R-4 and IC-2 than for IC-3 and IC-6 during the stress period. Leaf water potential (LWP), stomatal conductance (gs ) and rate of net photosynthesis (PN ) progressively decreased but leaf proline (LP) concentration substantially increased with time of exposure of the plants to soil drying. There was a considerable difference between coffee clones for the rate of change in these parameters. All the clones except IC-6 and IC-8 showed a negative carbon balance with the most negative value for R-4 at the end of the stress period. Six days after rewatering, LWP, gs and PN increased rapidly while LP concentration decreased and reached a level equivalent to those of well-watered plants, especially for clones IC-3 and IC-6. Among the drought-stressed plants, IC-6 and IC-3 had still significantly higher shoot growth, total dry matter yield and root to shoot ratio than did IC-2, IC-4, IC-8 and R-4. In general, clones IC-6 and IC-3 exhibited quite a better performance in almost all the parameters considered in this study and seemed to be less sensitive to drought stress. Hence, drought tolerance attributes in these clones could be linked to a more effective osmotic adjustment due to more rapid accumulation of LP and probably some morphological parameters, such as increased root-to-shoot ratio. However, further analyses at molecular level, detail biochemical studies and observations under diverse field conditions are required to come up with more conclusive recommendations

Reversing painful and non-painful diabetic neuropathy with the capsaicin 8% patch: Clinical evidence for pain relief and restoration of function via nerve fiber regeneration

Introduction: Current oral treatments for pain in diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) do not affect the progression of DPN i.e. “disease modification”. We assessed whether Capsaicin 8% patch treatment can provide pain relief and also restore nerve density and function via nerve regeneration, in both painful (PDPN) and non-painful (NPDPN) diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Methods: 50 participants with PDPN were randomized to receive Capsaicin 8% patch Qutenza with Standard of Care (SOC) (PDPN Q+SOC group), or SOC alone (PDPN SOC group). Pain symptoms were assessed with a diary (Numerical Pain Rating Scale, NRPS) and questionnaires. Investigations included quantitative sensory testing (QST) and distal calf skin biopsies, at baseline and 3 months after baseline visit; subsequent options were 3-monthly visits over 1 year. 25 participants with NPDPN had tests at baseline, and 3 months after all received Capsaicin 8% patch treatment. Results: At 3 months after baseline, PDPN Q+SOC group had reduction in NPRS score (p=0.0001), but not PDPN SOC group. Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) showed significant reductions in scores for overall and other pain descriptors only in the PDPN Q+SOC group. Warm perception thresholds were significantly improved only in the PDPN Q+SOC group (p=0.02), and correlated with reduction in SF-MPQ overall pain score (p=0.04). NPDPN Q+SOC group did not report pain during the entire study. Density of intra-epidermal nerve fibres (IENF) with PGP9.5 was increased at 3 months in PDPN Q+SOC (p=0.0002) and NPDPN Q+SOC (p=0.002) groups, but not in the PDPN SOC group. Increased sub-epidermal nerve fibres (SENF) were observed with GAP43 (marker of regenerating nerve fibres) only in PDPN Q+SOC (p=0.003) and NPDPN Q+SOC (p=0.0005) groups. Pain relief in the PDPN Q+SOC group was correlated with the increased PGP9.5 IENF (p=0.0008) and GAP43 (p=0.004), whereas those with lack of pain relief showed no such increase; in some subjects pain relief and increased nerve fibres persisted over months. PGP9.5 IENF increase correlated with axon-reflex vasodilatation in a NPDPN Q+SOC subset (p=0.006). Conclusions: Capsaicin 8% patch can provide pain relief via nerve regeneration and restoration of function in DPN (disease modification). It may thereby potentially prevent diabetic foot complications, including ulcers