Academic literature on the topic 'Ordered Weights Average'

This paper presents the ordered weighted average weighted average inflation (OWAWAI) and some extensions using induced and heavy aggregation operators and presents the generalized operators and some of their families. The main advantage of these new formulations is that they can use two different sets of weighting vectors and generate new scenarios based on the reordering of the arguments with the weights. With this idea, it is possible to generate new approaches that under- or overestimate the results according to the knowledge and expertise of the decision-maker. The work presents an application of these new approaches in the analysis of the inflation in Chile, Colombia, and Argentina during 2017.

Feature reduction finds the optimal feature subset using machine learning techniques and evaluation criteria. Some of the irrelevant features are existed in the real-world datasets that should be removed by using the multi criterion decision approach. The relevant features are determined by using the WOWA criteria in fuzzy set. There are two important criteria are considered such as preferential weights and importance weights of features. These weights are used to find the irrelevant features and they are removed from the mixture. In this context, WOWA operator has the capability of assigning the preferential weights and important weights to the features. It helps to obtain the irrelevant, by selecting the relevant features using the weights in the feature reduction process. The objective of this paper is to propose a FWOWA approach helps to discard the irrelevant features by avoiding the overfitting and improve the accuracy of the cluster. The irrelevant features are determined by applying WOWA. By applying WOWA, the irrelevant features are examined and it is removed from the Gaussian Mixture using (RPEM).  Â

The present research proposes a new method to analyze the sustainable development goals (SDGs) index using ordered weighted average (OWA) operators. To develop this method, five experts evaluated and designated the relative importance of each of the 17 SDGs defined by the United Nations (UN), and with the use of the OWA and prioritized OWA (POWA) operators, rankings were generated. With the results, it is possible to visualize that the ranking of countries can change depending on the weights related to each SDG because the OWA and POWA operator methods can capture the uncertainty of the phenomenon.

This paper deals with continuous Ordered Weighted Averages (OWA) on a closed interval and investigates their fundamental properties. In this paper, we focus on OWA with a truncation weight and derive the subadditivity of a top-concentrated average. We then deal with OWA from the bottom and investigate their relations. The subadditivity for OWA with monotone weights is also discussed, then OWA based on probability are demonstrated and value-at-risks are explained as an example.

Feature Reduction is a kind of dimensionality reduction of feature space. There are a number of approaches are used to identify the significant features but they are not using the weighing approach. The weighing approach is quite useful for obtaining the significant features and removing the insignificant and irrelevant features using OWA formulation. The aim of this approach is to obtain the significant features and removing insignificant features by using the pairwise approach. This approach is helpful to find the weights of pairwise features at the same time, which leads to remove the insignificant features from the feature space using OWA. The significance of the OWA formulation is that, the paired features are identified in priori and their sum of weights are equal to 1. OWA criterion is introduced to obtain the significant features that are useful for predicting the accuracy of the cluster in GMM.

The reference point method (RPM) is based on the so-called augmented max-min aggregation where the worst individual achievement maximization process is additionally regularized with the average achievement. In order to avoid inconsistencies caused by the regularization, we replace it with the ordered weighted average (OWA) which combines all the individual achievements allocating the largest weight to the worst achievement, the second largest weight to the second worst achievement, and so on. Further following the concept of the weighted OWA (WOWA) we incorporate the importance weighting of several achievements into the RPM. Such a WOWA RPM approach uses importance weights to affect achievement importance by rescaling accordingly its measure within the distribution of achievements rather than by straightforward rescaling of achievement values. The recent progress in optimization methods for ordered averages allows us to implement the WOWA RPM quite effectively as extension of the original constraints and criteria with simple linear inequalities.

Agricultural product prices are subject to various uncertainties, including unpredictable weather conditions, pest infestations, and market fluctuations, which can significantly impact agricultural yields and productivity. Accurately assessing and understanding price is crucial for farmers, policymakers, and stakeholders in the agricultural sector to make informed decisions and implement appropriate risk management strategies. This study used the ordered weighted average (OWA) operator and its extensions as mathematical aggregation techniques incorporating ordered weights to capture and evaluate the factors influencing price variation. By generating different vectors related to different inputs to the traditional formulation, it is possible to aggregate information to calculate and provide a new view of the outcomes. The results of this research can help enhance risk management practices in agriculture and support decision-making processes to mitigate the adverse effects of price.

Many decision-making situations require the evaluation of several voters or agents. In a situation where voters evaluate candidates, the question arises of how best to aggregate evaluations so as to compare the candidates. The aim of this work is to propose a method of aggregating the evaluations of the voters, which has outstanding properties and serve as a potential evaluative tool in many contexts. Ordered weighted averages is a family of rules appropriate for studying this problem. In this paper, I propose as a solution an ordered weighted average that satisfies compelling properties and whose weights are derived from the binomial distribution.

Trust and reputation management is gaining nowadays more attention then ever as online commodity exchange and other open virtual societies became a widespread reality. Most widely used computational models use reputation metrics as global property assigned to each party. More sophisticated models try to use reputation as subjective property. While introducing subjective reputation there arise a need to model preferences of agents. In this paper we propose to use weighted ordered weighted average (WOWA) operator to support the decision maker in assessing available evidence about other’s party behavior. The WOWA aggregation is defined by two weighting vectors: the preferential weights assigned to the ordered quantities and the importance weights assigned to several attributes. It allows one to express both the preference regarding sources of information by the corresponding importance weights and the compensation between attribute values aggregated by the preferential weights.

L'optimisation combinatoire est un domaine des mathématiques dans lequel un problème consiste à trouver une solution optimale dans un ensemble fini d'objets. Elle a des applications cruciales dans de nombreux domaines. Le branch-and-cut est l'un des algorithmes les plus utilisés pour résoudre exactement des problèmes d'optimisation combinatoire. Dans cette thèse, nous nous concentrons sur les aspects informatiques du branch-and-cut et plus particulièrement, sur deux aspects importants de l'optimisation combinatoire: l'équité des solutions et l'intégration de l'apprentissage automatique. Dans la partie I, nous étudions deux approches courantes pour traiter la question de l'équité dans l'optimisation combinatoire, qui a fait l'objet d'une attention particulière au cours des dernières décennies. La première approche est l'optimisation combinatoire équilibrée, qui trouve une solution équitable en minimisant la différence entre les plus grands et les plus petits composants utilisés. En raison des difficultés à délimiter ces composants, aucun cadre général exact basé sur la programmation linéaire en nombres entiers mixtes (MILP) n'a été proposé pour l'optimisation combinatoire équilibrée. Pour combler cette lacune, nous présentons au chapitre 3 une nouvelle classe de plans de coupe locaux adaptés aux problèmes d'optimisation combinatoire équilibrée pour l'algorithme du branch-and-cut. Nous démontrons l'efficacité de la méthode proposée dans la cadre du problème du voyageur de commerce équilibré. Notamment, nous introduisons des algorithmes pour trouver des bornes et des mécanismes pour la détermination des variables afin d'accélérer un peu plus les performances. Une deuxième approche pour traiter l'équité est l'optimisation combinatoire Ordered Weighted Average (OWA), qui utilise l'opérateur OWA dans la fonction objectif. En raison de l'opérateur d'ordonnancement, l'optimisation combinatoire OWA est non linéaire, même si ses contraintes d'origine sont linéaires. Deux formulations MILP de tailles différentes ont été introduites dans la littérature pour linéariser l'opérateur OWA. Cependant, la formulation la plus performante pour l'optimisation combinatoire OWA reste incertaine, car l'intégration des méthodes de linéarisation peut introduire des difficultés supplémentaires. Dans le chapitre 4, nous fournissons des comparaisons théoriques et empiriques des deux formulations MILP pour l'optimisation combinatoire OWA. En particulier, nous prouvons que les formulations sont équivalentes en termes de relaxation de programmation linéaire. Nous montrons empiriquement que pour les problèmes d'optimisation combinatoire OWA, la formulation avec le plus de variables peut être résolue plus rapidement avec le branch-and-cut. Dans la partie II, nous développons des méthodes d'application de l'apprentissage automatique pour améliorer les problèmes de décision fondamentaux du branch-and-cut, en mettant l'accent sur la génération de coupes. Ce dernier problème se réfère à la décision de générer des coupes ou des branches à chaque nœud de l'arbre de recherche. Nous démontrons empiriquement que cette décision a un impact significatif sur les performances du branch-and-cut, en particulier pour les coupes combinatoires qui exploitent les faces de la coque convexe des solutions réalisables. Nous proposons ensuite un cadre général combinant l'apprentissage supervisé et l'apprentissage par renforcement afin d'apprendre des stratégies efficaces pour générer des coupes combinatoires dans la méthode branch-and-cut. Notre cadre comporte deux composantes : un détecteur de coupes pour prédire l'existence de coupes et un évaluateur de coupes pour choisir entre la génération de coupes et le branchement. Enfin, nous fournissons des résultats expérimentaux montrant que la méthode proposée est plus performante que les stratégies couramment utilisées pour la génération de coupes, même sur des instances plus grandes que celles utilisées pour l'apprentissage
Combinatorial optimization is a field of mathematics that searches for an optimal solution in a finite set of objects. It has crucial applications in many fields, including applied mathematics, software engineering, theoretical computer science, and machine learning. extit{Branch-and-cut} is one of the most widely-used algorithms for solving combinatorial optimization problems exactly. In this thesis, we focus on the computational aspects of branch-and-cut when studying two critical dimensions of combinatorial optimization: extit{the fairness of solutions} and extit{the integration of machine learning}.In Partef{part:1} (Chaptersef{chap:bnc-btsp} andef{chap:owa}), we study two common approaches to deal with the issue of fairness in combinatorial optimization, which has gained significant attention in the past decades. The first approach is extit{balanced combinatorial optimization}, which finds a fair solution by minimizing the difference between the largest and smallest components used. Due to the difficulties in bounding these components, to the best of our knowledge, no general exact framework based on mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) has been proposed for balanced combinatorial optimization. To address this gap, in Chapteref{chap:bnc-btsp}, we present a branch-and-cut algorithm and a novel class of local cutting planes tailored for balanced combinatorial optimization problems. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework in the Balanced Traveling Salesman Problem. Additionally, we introduce bounding algorithms and mechanisms to fix variables to accelerate performance further.The second approach to handling the issue of fairness is extit{Ordered Weighted Average (OWA) combinatorial optimization}, which integrates the OWA operator into the objective function. Due to the ordering operator, OWA combinatorial optimization is nonlinear, even if its original constraints are linear. Two MILP formulations of different sizes have been introduced in the literature to linearize the OWA operator. However, which formulation performs best for OWA combinatorial optimization remains uncertain, as integrating the linearization methods may introduce additional difficulties. In Chapteref{chap:owa}, we provide theoretical and empirical comparisons of the two MILP formulations for OWA combinatorial optimization. In particular, we prove that the formulations are equivalent in terms of the linear programming relaxation. We empirically show that for OWA combinatorial optimization problems, the formulation with more variables can be solved faster with branch-and-cut.In Partef{part:2} (Chapteref{chap:mlbnc}), we develop methods for applying machine learning to enhance fundamental decision problems in branch-and-cut, with a focus on cut generation. Cut generation refers to the decision of whether to generate cuts or to branch at each node of the search tree. We empirically demonstrate that this decision significantly impacts branch-and-cut performance, especially for combinatorial cuts that exploit the facial structure of the convex hull of feasible solutions. We then propose a general framework combining supervised and reinforcement learning to learn effective strategies for generating combinatorial cuts in branch-and-cut. Our framework has two components: a cut detector to predict cut existence and a cut evaluator to choose between generating cuts and branching. Finally, we provide experimental results showing that the proposed method outperforms commonly used strategies for cut generation, even on instances larger than those used for training

A importância de se considerar os volumes na análise dos movimentos de preços de ações pode ser considerada uma prática bastante aceita na área financeira. No entanto, quando se olha para a produção científica realizada neste campo, ainda não é possível encontrar um modelo unificado que inclua os volumes e as variações de preços para fins de análise de preços de ações. Neste trabalho é apresentado um modelo computacional que pode preencher esta lacuna, propondo um novo índice para analisar o preço das ações com base em seus históricos de preços e volumes negociados. O objetivo do modelo é o de estimar as atuais proporções do volume total de papéis negociados no mercado de uma ação (free float) distribuídos de acordo com os seus respectivos preços passados de compra. Para atingir esse objetivo, foi feito uso da modelagem dinâmica financeira aplicada a dados reais da bolsa de valores de São Paulo (Bovespa) e também a dados simulados por meio de um modelo de livro de ordens (order book). O valor do índice varia de acordo com a diferença entre a atual porcentagem do total de papéis existentes no mercado que foram comprados no passado a um preço maior do que o preço atual da ação e a sua respectiva contrapartida, que seria a atual porcentagem de papéis existentes no mercado que foram comprados no passado a um preço menor do que o preço atual da ação. Apesar de o modelo poder ser considerado matematicamente bastante simples, o mesmo foi capaz de melhorar significativamente a performance financeira de agentes operando com dados do mercado real e com dados simulados, o que contribui para demonstrar a sua racionalidade e a sua aplicabilidade. Baseados nos resultados obtidos, e também na lógica bastante intuitiva que está por trás deste modelo, acredita-se que o índice aqui proposto pode ser bastante útil na tarefa de ajudar os investidores a definir intervalos ideais para compra e venda de ações no mercado financeiro.
The importance of considering the volumes to analyze stock prices movements can be considered as a well-accepted practice in the financial area. However, when we look at the scientific production in this field, we still cannot find a unified model that includes volume and price variations for stock prices assessment purposes. In this paper we present a computer model that could fulfill this gap, proposing a new index to evaluate stock prices based on their historical prices and volumes traded. The aim of the model is to estimate the current proportions of the total volume of shares available in the market from a stock distributed according with their respective prices traded in the past. In order to do so, we made use of dynamic financial modeling and applied it to real financial data from the Sao Paulo Stock Exchange (Bovespa) and also to simulated data which was generated trough an order book model. The value of our index varies based on the difference between the current proportion of shares traded in the past for a price above the current price of the stock and its respective counterpart, which would be the proportion of shares traded in the past for a price below the current price of the stock. Besides the model can be considered mathematically very simple, it was able to improve significantly the financial performance of agents operating with real market data and with simulated data, which contributes to demonstrate its rationale and its applicability. Based on the results obtained, and also on the very intuitive logic of our model, we believe that the index proposed here can be very useful to help investors on the activity of determining ideal price ranges for buying and selling stocks in the financial market.

Multiparticle thermodynamic Green’s functions, defined in terms of grand canonical ensemble averages of time-ordered products of creation and annihilation operators, are interpreted as tracing the amplitude for time-developing correlated interacting particle motions taking place in the background of a thermal ensemble. Under equilibrium conditions, time-translational invariance permits the one-particle thermal Green’s function to be represented in terms of a single frequency, leading to a Lehmann spectral representation whose frequency poles describe the energy spectrum. This Green’s function has finite values for both t>t′ and t<t′ (unlike retarded Green’s functions), and the two parts G1> and G1< (respectively) obey a simple proportionality relation that facilitates the introduction of a spectral weight function: It is also interpreted in terms of a periodicity/antiperiodicity property of a modified Green’s function in imaginary time capable of a Fourier series representation with imaginary (Matsubara) frequencies. The analytic continuation from imaginary time to real time is discussed, as are related commutator/anticommutator functions, also retarded/advanced Green’s functions, and the spectral weight sum rule is derived. Statistical thermodynamic information is shown to be embedded in physical features of the one- and two-particle thermodynamic Green’s functions.

The Allais and Ellsberg paradoxes are presented. Various generalizations of expected utility motivated by these and other paradoxes are discussed, including betweenness preferences, rank‐dependent preferences, multiple prior max‐min preferences, and prospect theory. For betweenness preferences, which include weighted utility and disappointment aversion, an investor’s marginal utility is proportional to a stochastic discount factor. Disappointment averse utility and rank‐dependent utility have first‐order risk aversion. Multiple prior max‐min utility is one way to accomodate the Ellsberg paradox (ambiguity aversion or Knightian uncertainty). The dynamic consistency of updating multiple priors is discussed.

Bones are multifunctional passive organs of movement that supports soft tissue and directly attached muscles. They also protect internal organs and are a reserve of calcium, phosphorus and magnesium. Each bone is covered with periosteum, and the adjacent bone surfaces are covered by articular cartilage. Histologically, the bone is an organ composed of many different tissues. The main component is bone tissue (cortical and spongy) composed of a set of bone cells and intercellular substance (mineral and organic), it also contains fat, hematopoietic (bone marrow) and cartilaginous tissue. Bones are a tissue that even in adult life retains the ability to change shape and structure depending on changes in their mechanical and hormonal environment, as well as self-renewal and repair capabilities. This process is called bone turnover. The basic processes of bone turnover are: • bone modeling (incessantly changes in bone shape during individual growth) following resorption and tissue formation at various locations (e.g. bone marrow formation) to increase mass and skeletal morphology. This process occurs in the bones of growing individuals and stops after reaching puberty • bone remodeling (processes involve in maintaining bone tissue by resorbing and replacing old bone tissue with new tissue in the same place, e.g. repairing micro fractures). It is a process involving the removal and internal remodeling of existing bone and is responsible for maintaining tissue mass and architecture of mature bones. Bone turnover is regulated by two types of transformation: • osteoclastogenesis, i.e. formation of cells responsible for bone resorption • osteoblastogenesis, i.e. formation of cells responsible for bone formation (bone matrix synthesis and mineralization) Bone maturity can be defined as the completion of basic structural development and mineralization leading to maximum mass and optimal mechanical strength. The highest rate of increase in pig bone mass is observed in the first twelve weeks after birth. This period of growth is considered crucial for optimizing the growth of the skeleton of pigs, because the degree of bone mineralization in later life stages (adulthood) depends largely on the amount of bone minerals accumulated in the early stages of their growth. The development of the technique allows to determine the condition of the skeletal system (or individual bones) in living animals by methods used in human medicine, or after their slaughter. For in vivo determination of bone properties, Abstract 10 double energy X-ray absorptiometry or computed tomography scanning techniques are used. Both methods allow the quantification of mineral content and bone mineral density. The most important property from a practical point of view is the bone’s bending strength, which is directly determined by the maximum bending force. The most important factors affecting bone strength are: • age (growth period), • gender and the associated hormonal balance, • genotype and modification of genes responsible for bone growth • chemical composition of the body (protein and fat content, and the proportion between these components), • physical activity and related bone load, • nutritional factors: – protein intake influencing synthesis of organic matrix of bone, – content of minerals in the feed (CA, P, Zn, Ca/P, Mg, Mn, Na, Cl, K, Cu ratio) influencing synthesis of the inorganic matrix of bone, – mineral/protein ratio in the diet (Ca/protein, P/protein, Zn/protein) – feed energy concentration, – energy source (content of saturated fatty acids - SFA, content of polyun saturated fatty acids - PUFA, in particular ALA, EPA, DPA, DHA), – feed additives, in particular: enzymes (e.g. phytase releasing of minerals bounded in phytin complexes), probiotics and prebiotics (e.g. inulin improving the function of the digestive tract by increasing absorption of nutrients), – vitamin content that regulate metabolism and biochemical changes occurring in bone tissue (e.g. vitamin D3, B6, C and K). This study was based on the results of research experiments from available literature, and studies on growing pigs carried out at the Kielanowski Institute of Animal Physiology and Nutrition, Polish Academy of Sciences. The tests were performed in total on 300 pigs of Duroc, Pietrain, Puławska breeds, line 990 and hybrids (Great White × Duroc, Great White × Landrace), PIC pigs, slaughtered at different body weight during the growth period from 15 to 130 kg. Bones for biomechanical tests were collected after slaughter from each pig. Their length, mass and volume were determined. Based on these measurements, the specific weight (density, g/cm3) was calculated. Then each bone was cut in the middle of the shaft and the outer and inner diameters were measured both horizontally and vertically. Based on these measurements, the following indicators were calculated: • cortical thickness, • cortical surface, • cortical index. Abstract 11 Bone strength was tested by a three-point bending test. The obtained data enabled the determination of: • bending force (the magnitude of the maximum force at which disintegration and disruption of bone structure occurs), • strength (the amount of maximum force needed to break/crack of bone), • stiffness (quotient of the force acting on the bone and the amount of displacement occurring under the influence of this force). Investigation of changes in physical and biomechanical features of bones during growth was performed on pigs of the synthetic 990 line growing from 15 to 130 kg body weight. The animals were slaughtered successively at a body weight of 15, 30, 40, 50, 70, 90, 110 and 130 kg. After slaughter, the following bones were separated from the right half-carcass: humerus, 3rd and 4th metatarsal bone, femur, tibia and fibula as well as 3rd and 4th metatarsal bone. The features of bones were determined using methods described in the methodology. Describing bone growth with the Gompertz equation, it was found that the earliest slowdown of bone growth curve was observed for metacarpal and metatarsal bones. This means that these bones matured the most quickly. The established data also indicate that the rib is the slowest maturing bone. The femur, humerus, tibia and fibula were between the values of these features for the metatarsal, metacarpal and rib bones. The rate of increase in bone mass and length differed significantly between the examined bones, but in all cases it was lower (coefficient b <1) than the growth rate of the whole body of the animal. The fastest growth rate was estimated for the rib mass (coefficient b = 0.93). Among the long bones, the humerus (coefficient b = 0.81) was characterized by the fastest rate of weight gain, however femur the smallest (coefficient b = 0.71). The lowest rate of bone mass increase was observed in the foot bones, with the metacarpal bones having a slightly higher value of coefficient b than the metatarsal bones (0.67 vs 0.62). The third bone had a lower growth rate than the fourth bone, regardless of whether they were metatarsal or metacarpal. The value of the bending force increased as the animals grew. Regardless of the growth point tested, the highest values were observed for the humerus, tibia and femur, smaller for the metatarsal and metacarpal bone, and the lowest for the fibula and rib. The rate of change in the value of this indicator increased at a similar rate as the body weight changes of the animals in the case of the fibula and the fourth metacarpal bone (b value = 0.98), and more slowly in the case of the metatarsal bone, the third metacarpal bone, and the tibia bone (values of the b ratio 0.81–0.85), and the slowest femur, humerus and rib (value of b = 0.60–0.66). Bone stiffness increased as animals grew. Regardless of the growth point tested, the highest values were observed for the humerus, tibia and femur, smaller for the metatarsal and metacarpal bone, and the lowest for the fibula and rib. Abstract 12 The rate of change in the value of this indicator changed at a faster rate than the increase in weight of pigs in the case of metacarpal and metatarsal bones (coefficient b = 1.01–1.22), slightly slower in the case of fibula (coefficient b = 0.92), definitely slower in the case of the tibia (b = 0.73), ribs (b = 0.66), femur (b = 0.59) and humerus (b = 0.50). Bone strength increased as animals grew. Regardless of the growth point tested, bone strength was as follows femur > tibia > humerus > 4 metacarpal> 3 metacarpal> 3 metatarsal > 4 metatarsal > rib> fibula. The rate of increase in strength of all examined bones was greater than the rate of weight gain of pigs (value of the coefficient b = 2.04–3.26). As the animals grew, the bone density increased. However, the growth rate of this indicator for the majority of bones was slower than the rate of weight gain (the value of the coefficient b ranged from 0.37 – humerus to 0.84 – fibula). The exception was the rib, whose density increased at a similar pace increasing the body weight of animals (value of the coefficient b = 0.97). The study on the influence of the breed and the feeding intensity on bone characteristics (physical and biomechanical) was performed on pigs of the breeds Duroc, Pietrain, and synthetic 990 during a growth period of 15 to 70 kg body weight. Animals were fed ad libitum or dosed system. After slaughter at a body weight of 70 kg, three bones were taken from the right half-carcass: femur, three metatarsal, and three metacarpal and subjected to the determinations described in the methodology. The weight of bones of animals fed aa libitum was significantly lower than in pigs fed restrictively All bones of Duroc breed were significantly heavier and longer than Pietrain and 990 pig bones. The average values of bending force for the examined bones took the following order: III metatarsal bone (63.5 kg) <III metacarpal bone (77.9 kg) <femur (271.5 kg). The feeding system and breed of pigs had no significant effect on the value of this indicator. The average values of the bones strength took the following order: III metatarsal bone (92.6 kg) <III metacarpal (107.2 kg) <femur (353.1 kg). Feeding intensity and breed of animals had no significant effect on the value of this feature of the bones tested. The average bone density took the following order: femur (1.23 g/cm3) <III metatarsal bone (1.26 g/cm3) <III metacarpal bone (1.34 g / cm3). The density of bones of animals fed aa libitum was higher (P<0.01) than in animals fed with a dosing system. The density of examined bones within the breeds took the following order: Pietrain race> line 990> Duroc race. The differences between the “extreme” breeds were: 7.2% (III metatarsal bone), 8.3% (III metacarpal bone), 8.4% (femur). Abstract 13 The average bone stiffness took the following order: III metatarsal bone (35.1 kg/mm) <III metacarpus (41.5 kg/mm) <femur (60.5 kg/mm). This indicator did not differ between the groups of pigs fed at different intensity, except for the metacarpal bone, which was more stiffer in pigs fed aa libitum (P<0.05). The femur of animals fed ad libitum showed a tendency (P<0.09) to be more stiffer and a force of 4.5 kg required for its displacement by 1 mm. Breed differences in stiffness were found for the femur (P <0.05) and III metacarpal bone (P <0.05). For femur, the highest value of this indicator was found in Pietrain pigs (64.5 kg/mm), lower in pigs of 990 line (61.6 kg/mm) and the lowest in Duroc pigs (55.3 kg/mm). In turn, the 3rd metacarpal bone of Duroc and Pietrain pigs had similar stiffness (39.0 and 40.0 kg/mm respectively) and was smaller than that of line 990 pigs (45.4 kg/mm). The thickness of the cortical bone layer took the following order: III metatarsal bone (2.25 mm) <III metacarpal bone (2.41 mm) <femur (5.12 mm). The feeding system did not affect this indicator. Breed differences (P <0.05) for this trait were found only for the femur bone: Duroc (5.42 mm)> line 990 (5.13 mm)> Pietrain (4.81 mm). The cross sectional area of the examined bones was arranged in the following order: III metatarsal bone (84 mm2) <III metacarpal bone (90 mm2) <femur (286 mm2). The feeding system had no effect on the value of this bone trait, with the exception of the femur, which in animals fed the dosing system was 4.7% higher (P<0.05) than in pigs fed ad libitum. Breed differences (P<0.01) in the coross sectional area were found only in femur and III metatarsal bone. The value of this indicator was the highest in Duroc pigs, lower in 990 animals and the lowest in Pietrain pigs. The cortical index of individual bones was in the following order: III metatarsal bone (31.86) <III metacarpal bone (33.86) <femur (44.75). However, its value did not significantly depend on the intensity of feeding or the breed of pigs.

Rotorcraft propulsion systems are continually looking to improve power density; that is reducing weight and increasing power capacity and efficiency. In order to advance rotorcraft propulsion system technology, NASA Glenn Research Center (NGRC) contracted Boeing Vertical Lift to perform system level benefit assessments of designing composite materials into rotorcraft transmission gear and shaft systems. In general, the environment inside a typical rotorcraft transmission creates issues for typical composite materials. In flight critical gears and shafts, design challenges and safety risks associated with introducing composite materials must be understood and accounted for in the design. Boeing was able to develop a technical approach for the system study that covered a relatively large population of rotorcraft main transmissions. This technical approach evaluated rotorcraft from various size classes and configurations and applied parametric estimating methods to assess the performance impact of composite hybrid technologies inside transmissions, in the rotating frame. Parametric weight estimating showed that composite hybrid technologies account for an average 9% weight savings over the baseline transmissions. More weight savings may be observed when various other aircraft systems are considered. Tandem and Tilt-rotor aircraft use similar transmissions at the forward/aft rotor head and left/right side of the aircraft, respectively, doubling estimated weight savings of a single transmission. Other aircraft systems, such as airframe, landing gear, and fuel systems benefit from reduced propulsion system weight, and, therefore, lighter weight aircraft are possible when propulsion system weight is reduced. In this paper, a systems level technical approach is summarized which was used to assess the performance impacts of introducing composite materials inside helicopter transmissions, in the rotating frame. Existing composite technologies, technical challenges, and general material selection guidance were used to develop the technical approach. Transmissions from a multitude of rotorcraft configurations and power classes were studied to build a database of expected performance gains. Component designs were developed using composite materials to varying levels of fidelity in order to develop data used for parametric weight estimating. The component designs are compiled and averaged with similar, existing designs in order to build a robust dataset for weight estimating purposes. Using information developed during the component design phase, technical challenges were defined.

The goals of this project were to develop essential genomic tools for modern chickpea genetics and genomics research, map the genes and quantitative traits of importance to chickpea production and generate DNA markers that are well-suited for enhanced chickpea germplasm analysis and breeding. To achieve these research goals, we proposed the following research objectives in this period of the project: 1) Develop an ordered BAC library with an average insert size of 150 - 200 kb (USA); 2) Develop 300 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers with an aid of the BAC library (USA); 3) Develop SSR marker tags for Ascochyta response, flowering date and grain weight (USA); 4) Develop a molecular genetic map consisting of at least 200 SSR markers (Israel and USA); 5) Map genes and QTLs most important to chickpea production in the U.S. and Israel: Ascochyta response, flowering and seed set date, grain weight, and grain yield under extreme dryland conditions (Israel); and 6) Determine the genetic correlation between the above four traits (Israel). Chickpea is the third most important pulse crop in the world and ranks the first in the Middle East. Chickpea seeds are a good source of plant protein (12.4-31.5%) and carbohydrates (52.4-70.9%). Although it has been demonstrated in other major crops that the modern genetics and genomics research is essential to enhance our capacity for crop genetic improvement and breeding, little work was pursued in these research areas for chickpea. It was absent in resources, tools and infrastructure that are essential for chickpea genomics and modern genetics research. For instance, there were no large-insert BAC and BIBAC libraries, no sufficient and user- friendly DNA markers, and no intraspecific genetic map. Grain sizes, flowering time and Ascochyta response are three main constraints to chickpea production in drylands. Combination of large seeds, early flowering time and Ascochyta blight resistance is desirable and of significance for further genetic improvement of chickpea. However, it was unknown how many genes and/or loci contribute to each of the traits and what correlations occur among them, making breeders difficult to combine these desirable traits. In this period of the project, we developed the resources, tools and infrastructure that are essential for chickpea genomics and modern genetics research. In particular, we constructed the proposed large-insert BAC library and an additional plant-transformation-competent BIBAC library from an Israeli advanced chickpea cultivar, Hadas. The BAC library contains 30,720 clones and has an average insert size of 151 kb, equivalent to 6.3 x chickpea haploid genomes. The BIBAC library contains 18,432 clones and has an average insert size of 135 kb, equivalent to 3.4 x chickpea haploid genomes. The combined libraries contain 49,152 clones, equivalent to 10.7 x chickpea haploid genomes. We identified all SSR loci-containing clones from the chickpea BAC library, generated sequences for 536 SSR loci from a part of the SSR-containing BACs and developed 310 new SSR markers. From the new SSR markers and selected existing SSR markers, we developed a SSR marker-based molecular genetic map of the chickpea genome. The BAC and BIBAC libraries, SSR markers and the molecular genetic map have provided essential resources and tools for modern genetic and genomic analyses of the chickpea genome. Using the SSR markers and genetic map, we mapped the genes and loci for flowering time and Ascochyta responses; one major QTL and a few minor QTLs have been identified for Ascochyta response and one major QTL has been identified for flowering time. The genetic correlations between flowering time, grain weight and Ascochyta response have been established. These results have provided essential tools and knowledge for effective manipulation and enhanced breeding of the traits in chickpea.

The body condition (BC) score is recognized in the dairy industry as an essential tool for managing the energy reserves of the dairy cow, which is essential for sustaining optimal and efficient production over several lactations. The current use of BC scoring depends on the accuracy of subjective visual estimates, and this limits its kusefulness as a management aid in the dairy industry. A measuring tool that would frequently provide objective data on the cow's body reserves would be a major contribution to efficient dairy herd management. Ultrasonic sensors have the potential to be developed into an efficient BC measuring device, and the experimental use of such sensors for subcutaneous fat thickness (SDFT) estimates, as an indication for BC in beef cattle, supports this assumption. The purposes of this project were: 1. To compare visual BC scoring and ultrasonic fat thickness with on-line automated body weight (BW) measurements as monitors of nutritional adequacy of dairy cows at various stages of lactation. 2. To determine the effects of variation in digestive fill in early and late lactation on the accuracy of body weight measurements in lactating cows. 3. To modify an existing ultrasonic system and develop a specialized, low-cost sensor for repeatable determination of body condition scores by users with minimal training and skill. 4. To develop a standard for the assignment of body condition scores based on ultrasonic measurements of subdermal fat thickness. The procedure to execute these objectives involved: 1. Frequent measurement of BW, milk yield (MY), BC (visually scored) and subdermal fat thickness ultrasonically measured of dairy cows, and data analysis on average and individual basis. 2. Testing and selection of an appropriate special-purpose sensor, finding an optimum body location for working an ultrasonic measurement, prcessing the signals obtained, and correlating the resulting measurements with performance responses in lactating cows. Linking the ultrasonic signals to BC scores, and developing a BC scoring data acquisition system are the first steps towards fulfilling the necessary requirements for incorporating this device into an existing dairy herd management system, in order to provide the industry with a powerful managment tool. From the results obtained we could conclude that: 1. BC does not correlate with BW changes during all stages of lactation, although in general terms it does. These results were confirmed by individual cow BW and BC data obtained during the course of lactation, that were supported by individual objective ultrasonic measurement of SDFT. 2. BW changes reflect energy metabolism reliably ony after peak milk yield; early in lactation, a decrease in BW expresses mobilization of body reserves only qualitatively, and not quantitatively. 3. Gastrointestinal content increases throughout the whole period during which dry matter intake (DMI) increases. The drastic increase very early in lactation prevents the use of BW changes as a basis for quantitative estimatio of energy meatabolism; at this stage of lactation, konly a BC score or any other direct measurements willl provide a quantitative estimate of energy metabolism. 4. Ultrasonic measurements of subdermal fat thickness can be used to quantify changes that correlate with the actual condition of the cow, as assessed by performance and the traditional way of scoring. 5. To find the best site on the cow's body at which to obtain responses to BC and its changes in the course of lactation, additional sites have to be examined. From the present study, it seems that the sites between ribs 12 and 13 have the potential for this purpose. 6. The use of templates made it easier to repeat measurements at a desired site and spot. However, the convenient easy-to-handle way to standardize the measurement, described in this study, koffers scope for improvement. 7. The RF peak values of the A-mode are better indicators of the location of fat layer borders than image analysis, from the point of view of future commercial development. 8. The distances between the RF peaks of the A-mode can be automatically measured by suitable software, for future commercial development. 9. Proper analysis of daily body weight and milk yield data can provide the necessary information on body condition changes during lactation, until a direct BC measurement device is developed. 10. In any case, at least one visual BC assessment has to be done, preferably immediately after calving, for calibration purposes.

In 2015, the Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division (NSNSD) received a request to collect baseline acoustical data at Mesa Verde National Park (MEVE). Between July and August 2015, as well as February and March 2016, three acoustical monitoring systems were deployed throughout the park, however one site (MEVE002) stopped recording after a couple days during the summer due to wildlife interference. The goal of the study was to establish a baseline soundscape inventory of backcountry and frontcountry sites within the park. This inventory will be used to establish indicators and thresholds of soundscape quality that will support the park and NSNSD in developing a comprehensive approach to protecting the acoustic environment through soundscape management planning. Additionally, results of this study will help the park identify major sources of noise within the park, as well as provide a baseline understanding of the acoustical environment as a whole for use in potential future comparative studies. In this deployment, sound pressure level (SPL) was measured continuously every second by a calibrated sound level meter. Other equipment included an anemometer to collect wind speed and a digital audio recorder collecting continuous recordings to document sound sources. In this document, “sound pressure level” refers to broadband (12.5 Hz–20 kHz), A-weighted, 1-second time averaged sound level (LAeq, 1s), and hereafter referred to as “sound level.” Sound levels are measured on a logarithmic scale relative to the reference sound pressure for atmospheric sources, 20 μPa. The logarithmic scale is a useful way to express the wide range of sound pressures perceived by the human ear. Sound levels are reported in decibels (dB). A-weighting is applied to sound levels in order to account for the response of the human ear (Harris, 1998). To approximate human hearing sensitivity, A-weighting discounts sounds below 1 kHz and above 6 kHz. Trained technicians calculated time audible metrics after monitoring was complete. See Methods section for protocol details, equipment specifications, and metric calculations. Median existing (LA50) and natural ambient (LAnat) metrics are also reported for daytime (7:00–19:00) and nighttime (19:00–7:00). Prominent noise sources at the two backcountry sites (MEVE001 and MEVE002) included vehicles and aircraft, while building and vehicle predominated at the frontcountry site (MEVE003). Table 1 displays time audible values for each of these noise sources during the monitoring period, as well as ambient sound levels. In determining the current conditions of an acoustical environment, it is informative to examine how often sound levels exceed certain values. Table 2 reports the percent of time that measured levels at the three monitoring locations were above four key values.

During the Summer and Autumn of 2023, Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland was affected by a cyanobacterial bloom. Testing of water from within the bloom reported high concentrations of one type of cyanobacterial toxin, microcystins. Samples were taken from the Lough of eels, roach, perch, pollan and bream and tested for a range of cyanobacterial toxins, including microcystins, nodularins, anatoxin, cylindrospermopsin and saxitoxin. Each sample comprised 10 fish, and five samples were taken of each species, except for bream for which a single sample was collected. The fish were dissected and the edible flesh, intestine, liver, roe, gonad and/or gills analysed separately. Microcystins were detected at a range of concentrations in the various parts of the fish that were sampled - intestine, liver, roe and/or gills, but were not detected in the edible flesh of any of the fish samples. Averaged across the samples, the highest concentrations of microcystins were quantified in the intestine samples, followed by the liver samples, with low concentrations were detected in the gills and a small number of the samples of gonads and roe. None of the other toxins were detected in any fish sample. The initial analysis for microcystins was of free toxins only. However, there is evidence that microcystins which are covalently bound to proteins are also bioavailable and therefore 22 fish tissue samples, including nine fish flesh samples, were also sent to another laboratory where they were analysed by a method which measures the total concentrations of microcystins, free and protein-bound. The viscera tissue samples chosen for the further analysis were those with the highest concentrations of the free toxins, while the fish flesh samples included 2-3 samples each of eels, roach, pollan and perch. The concentrations of total microcystins found in viscera samples were around one order of magnitude higher than the concentrations of free microcystins that had been measured. However, microcystins were still not detected in the edible fish flesh samples. It is possible that microcystins were not present at any level in any of the fish flesh samples. However, the presence of microcystins in the edible flesh of fish has been reported in the scientific literature, albeit at lower levels than those in the gastrointestinal tract or other parts of the viscera such as liver (Testai et al., 2016). Since microcystins were detected in other parts of the fish sampled from Lough Neagh it is also possible that they were also present in the fish flesh but at levels below the limits of detection of the analytical methods. The limit of detection of the analytical method for total (free + bound) microcystins was 10 µg/kg wet weight. An upper bound dietary exposure assessment was conducted. While a lower bound exposure assessment would assume the microcystins were not present in the edible flesh, i.e. a concentration of 0 µg/kg, the upper bound approach assumed they were present at the limit of detection of 10 µg/kg. The true concentrations may be between these levels. The exposure assessments consider high consumers of fish (97.5th percentile). For eels, consumption data were used from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS). For roach, perch, pollan and bream. No consumption data were available from the NDNS and consumption data for trout were used instead as a proxy. The main target organ for toxicity of the microcystins is the liver, though other organs may also be affected. The microcystin most studied toxicologically is microcystin-LR, which is one of the most common microcystins. A WHO review established a provisional tolerable daily intake (TDI) for microcystin-LR of 0.04 µg per kg bodyweight (bw). WHO recommended that exposures to total microcystins should be compared to this provisional TDI, though there is uncertainty with this as individual microcystins are likely to differ significantly in their toxic potencies. Estimated dietary exposures of total microcystins were all within the provisional TDI, indicating no health concern from consuming the edible flesh of these species. Since fish may be caught and prepared for consumption not only by food business operators but by recreational anglers, concern has been raised that evisceration may be incomplete or the edible flesh may become contaminated in the process, and therefore this was also considered in the risk assessment. This was based on the sample of fish which contained the highest concentration of total microcystins in a viscera component, which was a sample of roach with a particularly high concentration of microcystins in intestine. It was assumed that 10% of the relative proportion of intestine to flesh in the fish would be inadvertently consumed with the flesh. In this scenario, dietary exposures would be within the provisional TDI in most age groups or would marginally exceed the TDI, but this would not be toxicologically significant. In addition, since this exposure scenario used an upper bound approach to the concentration in flesh, and used the highest concentration in any viscera sample, it is not clear that there would be any exceedance of the provisional TDI in practice. Overall, it appears unlikely that consumers will substantially exceed the provisional TDI on a long-term basis due to incomplete evisceration of fish. Overall, exposure to microcystins from eating the edible flesh of the tested fish species would not be expected to cause adverse effects in consumers, including if the fish is inadequately eviscerated. Therefore, we consider the frequency of adverse reactions in the general population to be negligible, so rare that it does not merit to be included. Based on the possible levels of exposure to microcystins from fish from Lough Neagh, it is considered that any liver injury, were it to occur in consumers of fish, would result from long term exposure and be mild. Overall, we consider the severity of illness that could potentially occur as a result of exposure to microcystins from consuming edible fish flesh from Lough Neagh to be medium (i.e. moderate illness, incapacitating but not usually life-threatening and of moderate duration). We consider the level of uncertainty to be medium (i.e. there are some but no complete data available), but that this does not affect the conclusion of the risk assessment since many of the key uncertainties are addressed within the risk assessment. However, future monitoring would be useful to assess whether microcystin concentrations in the fish change over time.

The study dealt with the patterns of adaptation of the genus Berberis L. low-abundant alien plants to the climatic conditions of the steppe zone of Ukraine. The success of the introduction, which was conducted on the territory of the Botanical Garden of Oles Honchar Dnipro National University (city of Dnipro) near 60 years ago, was evaluated by a set of indicators. According to the study of phenological rhythms, introduced plants can be characterized as plants with a relatively short growing season, a relatively long shoot growth, a short flowering period and a long maturing period. This indicates the lability of the phenological rhythms of the introduced plants, which respond to changes in environmental conditions in terms of the beginning and end of the phenological phases. The aquatic regime of introduced plants reflects the level of their adaptation to the environment due to the ability of plant organism to withstand water consumption. The study of water exchange features of Berberis L. plants revealed a moderate decrease in the intensity of transpiration and a moderate water deficit in the plant leaves, which indicates the adaptation of the species to the difficult climatic conditions of the steppe zone. The response of introduced plants to the level of moisture in the steppe region confirmed the universal mechanism of plant adaptation to arid conditions. Comparative analysis of the reproductive ability of introduced plants of the genus Berberis L. in the conditions of the Botanical Garden revealed a significant variability of quantitative indicators. The weight of 100 fruits ranged from 12.5 g (B. vulgaris) to 16.3 g (B. declinata). Seed length varied from 4.5 mm (B. canadensis) to 5.2 mm (B. declinata, B. amurensis), seed width varied from 1.8 mm (B. amurensis, B. vulgaris) to 2.1 mm (B. koreana). The highest mass of 1000 seeds was observed in the species B. koreana. To compare sample averages, the criterion for the significant difference of Tukey's group averages was used. The investigated plants of the genus Berberis L. can be recommended for the introduction into large-scale and individual gardening in order to expand the range of fruit products and obtain biologically valuable raw materials for the industrial production of functional products.