A Modified Ant Colony Algorithm for Traveling Salesman Problem

Ant colony algorithms such as Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) havebeen effectively applied to solve the Traveling Salesman problem (TSP). However,traditional ACO algorithm has some issues such as long iterative length and prone tolocal convergence. To this end, we propose we embed ACO into Cultural Algorithm(CA) framework by leveraging the dual inheritance mechanism. Best solutions areevolved in both population space and belief space, and the communication betweenthem is achieved by accept and influence operations. Besides, we employ multiplepopulation spaces for parallel execution. Experiments show that the performance ofour proposed algorithm is greatly improved

The Age-Redshift Relation For Luminous Red Galaxies Obtained From the Full Spectrum Fitting and Its Cosmological Implications

The relative age of galaxies at different redshifts can be used to infer the Hubble parameter and put constraints on cosmological models. We select 23,883 quiescent luminous red galaxies (LRGs) from the SDSS DR7 and divide them into four sub-samples according to their velocity dispersions and each sub-sample is further divided into 12 redshift bins. The spectra of the LRGs in each redshift and velocity bin are co-added in order to obtain a combined spectrum with relatively high $S/N$. Adopting the GalexEV/SteLib model, we estimate the mean ages of the LRGs from these combined spectra by the full-spectrum fitting method. We check the reliability of the estimated age by using Monte-Carlo simulations and find that the estimates are robust and reliable. Assuming that the LRGs in each sub-sample and each redshift bin were on average formed at the same time, the Hubble parameter at the present time $H_0$ is estimated from the age--redshift relation obtained for each sub-sample, which is compatible with the $H_0$ value measured by other methods. We demonstrate that a systematic bias (up to $\sim 20$) may be introduced to the $H_0$ estimation because of recent star formation in the LRGs due to the later major mergers at z\la 0.4, but this bias may be negligible for those sub-samples with large velocity dispersions. Using the age--redshift relations obtained from the sub-sample with the largest velocity dispersion or the two sub-samples with high velocity dispersions, we find H_0= 65^{+7}_{-3}\kmsmpc or H_0= 74^{+5}_{-4}\kmsmpc by assuming a spatially flat $\Lambda$CDM cosmology. With upcoming surveys, such as the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS), even larger samples of quiescent massive LRGs may be obtained, and thus the Hubble parameter can be measured with high accuracy through the age--redshift relation.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in AP

Population genetics of foxtail millet and its wild ancestor

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Foxtail millet (<it>Setaria italica </it>(L.) P. Beauv.), one of the most ancient domesticated crops, is becoming a model system for studying biofuel crops and comparative genomics in the grasses. However, knowledge on the level of genetic diversity and linkage disequilibrium (LD) is very limited in this crop and its wild ancestor, green foxtail (<it>Setaria viridis </it>(L.) P. Beauv.). Such information would help us to understand the domestication process of cultivated species and will allow further research in these species, including association mapping and identification of agricultural significant genes involved in domestication.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this study, we surveyed DNA sequence for nine loci across 50 accessions of cultivated foxtail millet and 34 of its wild progenitor. We found a low level of genetic diversity in wild green foxtail (θ = 0.0059), θ means Watterson's estimator of θ. Despite of a 55% loss of its wild diversity, foxtail millet still harbored a considerable level of diversity (θ = 0.0027) when compared to rice and sorghum (θ = 0.0024 and 0.0034, respectively). The level of LD in the domesticated foxtail millet extends to 1 kb, while it decayed rapidly to a negligible level within 150 bp in wild green foxtail. Using coalescent simulation, we estimated the bottleneck severity at k = 0.6095 when ρ/θ = 1. These results indicated that the domestication bottleneck of foxtail millet was more severe than that of maize but slightly less pronounced than that of rice.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results in this study establish a general framework for the domestication history of foxtail millet. The low level of genetic diversity and the increased level of LD in foxtail millet are mainly caused by a population bottleneck, although gene flow from foxtail millet to green foxtail is another factor that may have shaped the pattern of genetic diversity of these two related gene pools. The knowledge provided in this study will benefit future population based studies in foxtail millet.</p

Phytolith Analysis for Differentiating between Foxtail Millet (Setaria italica) and Green Foxtail (Setaria viridis)

Foxtail millet (Setaria italica) is one of the oldest domesticated cereal crops in Eurasia, but identifying foxtail millets, especially in charred grains, and differentiating it from its wild ancestor, green foxtail (Setaria viridis), in the archaeobotanical remains, is still problematic. Phytolithic analysis provides a meaningful method for identifying this important crop. In this paper, the silicon structure patterns in the glumes, lemmas, and paleas from inflorescence bracts in 16 modern plants of foxtail millet and green foxtail from China and Europe are examined using light microscopy with phase-contrast and a microscopic interferometer. Our research shows that the silicon structure of ΩIII from upper lemmas and paleas in foxtail millet and green foxtail can be correspondingly divided into two groups. The size of ΩIII type phytolith of foxtail millet is bigger than that from green foxtail. Discriminant function analysis reveals that 78.4% of data on foxtail millet and 76.9% of data on green foxtail are correctly classified. This means certain morphotypes of phytoliths are relatively reliable tools for distinguishing foxtail millet from green foxtail. Our results also revealed that the husk phytolith morphologies of foxtail millets from China and Eastern Europe are markedly different from those from Western Europe. Our research gives a meaningful method of separating foxtail millet and green foxtail. The implications of these findings for understanding the history of foxtail millet domestication and cultivation in ancient civilizations are significant

Function of TRP channels in monocytes/macrophages

The transient receptor potential channel (TRP channel) family is a kind of non- specific cation channel widely distributed in various tissues and organs of the human body, including the respiratory system, cardiovascular system, immune system, etc. It has been reported that various TRP channels are expressed in mammalian macrophages. TRP channels may be involved in various signaling pathways in the development of various systemic diseases through changes in intracellular concentrations of cations such as calcium and magnesium. These TRP channels may also intermingle with macrophage activation signals to jointly regulate the occurrence and development of diseases. Here, we summarize recent findings on the expression and function of TRP channels in macrophages and discuss their role as modulators of macrophage activation and function. As research on TRP channels in health and disease progresses, it is anticipated that positive or negative modulators of TRP channels for treating specific diseases may be promising therapeutic options for the prevention and/or treatment of disease

Identification by Automated Screening of a Small Molecule that Selectively Eliminates Neural Stem Cells Derived from hESCs but Not Dopamine Neurons

BACKGROUND:We have previously described fundamental differences in the biology of stem cells as compared to other dividing cell populations. We reasoned therefore that a differential screen using US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved compounds may identify either selective survival factors or specific toxins and may be useful for the therapeutically-driven manufacturing of cells in vitro and possibly in vivo. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:In this study we report on optimized methods for feeder-free culture of hESCs and hESC-derived neural stem cells (NSCs) to facilitate automated screening. We show that we are able to measure ATP as an indicator of metabolic activity in an automated screening assay. With this optimized platform we screened a collection of FDA-approved drugs to identify compounds that have differential toxicity to hESCs and their neural derivatives. Nine compounds were identified to be specifically toxic for NSCs to a greater extent than for hESCs. Six of these initial hits were retested and verified by large-scale cell culture to determine dose-responsive NSC toxicity. One of the compounds retested, amiodarone HCL, was further tested for possible effects on postmitotic neurons, a likely target for transplant therapy. Amiodarone HCL was found to be selectively toxic to NSCs but not to differentiated neurons or glial cells. Treated and untreated NSCs and neurons were then interrogated with global gene expression analysis to explore the mechanisms of action of amiodarone HCl. The gene expression analysis suggests that activation of cell-type specific cationic channels may underlie the toxicity of the drug. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:In conclusion, we have developed a screening strategy that allows us to rapidly identify clinically approved drugs for use in a Chemistry, Manufacture and Control protocol that can be safely used to deplete unwanted contaminating precursor cells from a differentiated cell product. Our results also suggest that such a strategy is rich in the potential of identifying lineage specific reagents and provides additional evidence for the utility of stem cells in screening and discovery paradigms