Length-weight and length-length relationships of the Mediterranean shad Alosa agone (Scopoli, 1786) from the Northeastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey

The relationships between total length (TL), fork length (FL) and standard length (SL), and between TL and weight were investigated for Mediterranenan shad, Alosa agone, from two estuary localities (Karaduvar and Samandag), North-eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey. A total of 297 specimens, 150 males and 147 females, were captured by gill net and trammel net between September 2006 and May 2007 from the NE Mediterranean Sea coast of Turkey. The values of the exponent b of the length-weight relationships (LWRs) were 3.50 for female and 3.49 for male. The length-length relationship (LLRs) between the three length measurements (TL-FL-SL) were highly correlated (r2>0.99, P<0.001). This study presented the first reference on LWRs and LLRs for Mediterranean shad species from NE Mediterranean coast of Turkey.Key words: Alosa agone, Mediterranean shad, length-weight relationship, length-length relationship, NE Mediterranean Sea

Facial expression recognition with emotion-based feature fusion

© 2015 Asia-Pacific Signal and Information Processing Association. In this paper, we propose an emotion-based feature fusion method using the Discriminant-Analysis of Canonical Correlations (DCC) for facial expression recognition. There have been many image features or descriptors proposed for facial expression recognition. For the different features, they may be more accurate for the recognition of different expressions. In our proposed method, four effective descriptors for facial expression representation, namely Local Binary Pattern (LBP), Local Phase Quantization (LPQ), Weber Local Descriptor (WLD), and Pyramid of Histogram of Oriented Gradients (PHOG), are considered. Supervised Locality Preserving Projection (SLPP) is applied to the respective features for dimensionality reduction and manifold learning. Experiments show that descriptors are also sensitive to the conditions of images, such as race, lighting, pose, etc. Thus, an adaptive descriptor selection algorithm is proposed, which determines the best two features for each expression class on a given training set. These two features are fused, so as to achieve a higher recognition rate for each expression. In our experiments, the JAFFE and BAUM-2 databases are used, and experiment results show that the descriptor selection step increases the recognition rate up to 2%

General Complementarities on Complete Partial Orders

Cataloged from PDF version of article.This paper proves the existence of a Nash equilibrium for extended (semi-) uniform g-modular games, i.e., non-cooperative games where the strategy space is a complete partially ordered set, and the best reply correspondence satisfies certain monotonicity requirements

ELIGMOS: time domain simulation of the maneuvering of ships in deep and shallow waters

Calm water manoeuvring simulations are commonly used at the initial design stage as they provide useful an practical insight concerning ship's manoeuvrability and compliance with the relevant IMO criteria. In this paper the authors present ELIGMOS; a time-domain numerical code utilizing a 3-DOF manoeuvring model based on the MMG method. For the validation of the code's predictions, a comparison with the experimental results on the turning ability of S-175 has been conducted. The paper presents also the investigation performed regarding the accuracy of certain empirical formulas for the derivation of the manoeuvring derivatives is also investigated, especially for the case of shallow water where experimental data and results remain scarce. The code is written in C++ programming language, adopting a modular approach for the calculation of external forces and moment (i.e. hydrodynamic hull, rudder and propeller) which allows future enhancements with the introduction of additional terms

Saddle-node bifurcations in an optimal growth model with preferences for wealth habit

This paper studies the dynamic implications of preferences for wealth habit in a one-sector optimal growth model. We show that the dynamics may encounter saddle-node bifurcations with respect to the parameters of the preferences: the relative weight of wealth in utility and the degree of wealth habit. We analytically provide the monotone comparative statics and the continuity of the critical capital stock with respect to the discount factor, the relative weight of wealth in utility and the degree of wealth habit. © 2014 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin/Boston 2014

Mechanical Properties of Calcareous Fly Ash Stabilised Soil

Construction of any type of structure on clayey ground could be problematic due to the high swelling potential and/or low strength characteristics of the soil. This can lead to low stability or differential settlement of the ground. Many soil stabilization techniques have been proposed to prevent the uneven settlement and failure of the soil. Stabilization of soil with class C fly ash offers many advantages such as improving engineering caracteristics, being cost-effective and being environmentally friendly. Class C fly ash chemically reacts with clay which results in a more durable and stronger soil. It has been shown by various researchers that fly ash-stabilized soil is typically stiff and strong even though there is no available standard or guidelines for the use of fly ash in construction industry. This paper presents the results from a program of experimental research on stabilization of a fine-grained soil with fly ash. Laboratory experiments, including Atterberg limits, compaction, uniaxial, and consolidation tests, were conducted on samples of a clay soil with different percentages of fly ash. The results show that adding fly ash decreased the plasticity index, increased compressive strength, and decreased the swelling and compressibility index. The maximum dry density increased and optimum moisture content decreased with addition of over 5 % fly ash by dry weight of the soil.Turkish governmentEuropean Union Horizon 202

B_s -> \tau^+ \tau^- decay in the general two Higgs Doublet model

We study the exclusive decay B_s -> \tau^+ \tau^-$ in the general two Higgs doublet model. We analyse the dependencies of the branching ratio on the model parameters, including the leading order QCD corrections. We found that there is an enhancement in the branching ratio, especially for r_{tb}=\frac{\bar{\xi}_{N,tt}^U}{\bar{\xi}_{N,bb}^D}>1 case. Further, the neutral Higgs effects are detectable for large values of the parameter \bar{\xi}_{N,\tau\tau}^D.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure

Mechanisms linking intimate partner violence and prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV: A qualitative study in South Africa.

: Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) can virtually eliminate HIV infection among infants, yet up to one-third of women miss PMTCT steps. Little is known about how partner dynamics such as intimate partner violence (IPV) influence pregnant and postpartum women's adherence to PMTCT. We conducted 32 qualitative interviews with HIV-positive pregnant and postpartum women in Johannesburg who experienced IPV. Trained researchers conducted in-depth interviews over the period of May 2014-Nov 2015 using narrative and social constructionist approaches. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically and inductively using Dedoose qualitative software. Twenty-six women experienced recent IPV and one-third had poor adherence to PMTCT. Women's experience of partner violence influenced PMTCT behaviors through four pathways. First, fear of partner disclosure led some women to hide their HIV status to avoid a violent reaction. Despite strategic non-disclosure, several maintained good adherence by hiding medication or moving out from their partner's home. Second, IPV caused feelings of depression and anxiety that led to intentionally or accidentally missing medication. Five women stopped treatment altogether, in a type of passive suicidality, hoping to end the distress of IPV. Third, men's controlling behaviors reduced access to friends and family, limiting social support needed for good adherence. Fourth, in a protective pathway, women reported good adherence partly due to their mothering role. The identity around motherhood was used as a coping technique, reminding women that their infant's wellbeing depended on their own health. PMTCT is essential to prevent vertical HIV transmission, but women living with IPV face multiple pathways to non-adherence. Addressing IPV in antenatal care can support the health of women and infants and may enhance PMTCT coverage.<br/

Relation between the frequency of CD34+ bone marrow derived circulating progenitor cells and the number of diseased coronary arteries in patients with myocardial ischemia and diabetes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Bone marrow-derived circulating progenitor cells (BM-CPCs) in patients with coronary heart disease are impaired with respect to number and mobilization. However, it is unknown whether the mobilization of BM-CPCs depends on the number of diseased coronary arteries. Therefore, in our study, we analysed the correlation between the diseased coronary arteries and the frequency of CD34/45+ BM-CPCs in peripheral blood (PB) in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The frequency of CD34/45⁺BM-CPCs was measured by flow cytometry in 120 patients with coronary 1 vessel (IHD1, n = 40), coronary 2 vessel (IHD2, n = 40), coronary 3 vessel disease (IHD3, n = 40) and in a control group of healthy subjects (n = 40). There was no significant difference of the total number of cardiovascular risk factors between IHD groups, beside diabetes mellitus (DM), which was significantly higher in IHD3 group compared to IHD2 and IHD1 groups.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The frequency of CD34/45⁺BM-CPCs was significantly reduced in patients with IHD compared to the control group (CD34/45⁺; p < 0.001). The frequency of BM-CPCs was impaired in patients with IHD3 compared to IHD1 (CD34/45⁺; p < 0.001) and to IHD2 (CD34/45⁺; p = 0.001). But there was no significant difference in frequency of BM-CPCs between the patients with IHD2 and IHD1 (CD34/45⁺; p = 0.28). In a subgroup we observed a significant negative correlation between levels of hemoglobin AIc (HbAIc) and the frequency of BM-CPCs (CD34/45⁺; p < 0.001, r = -0.8).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The frequency of CD34/45⁺BM-CPCs in PB is impaired in patients with IHD. This impairment may augment with an increased number of diseased coronary arteries. Moreover, the frequency of CD34/45⁺BM-CPCs in ischemic tissue is further impaired by diabetes in patients with IHD.</p