Cost-Sensitive Decision Trees with Completion Time Requirements

In many classification tasks, managing costs and completion times are the main concerns. In this paper, we assume that the completion time for classifying an instance is determined by its class label, and that a late penalty cost is incurred if the deadline is not met. This time requirement enriches the classification problem but posts a challenge to developing a solution algorithm. We propose an innovative approach for the decision tree induction, which produces multiple candidate trees by allowing more than one splitting attribute at each node. The user can specify the maximum number of candidate trees to control the computational efforts required to produce the final solution. In the tree-induction process, an allocation scheme is used to dynamically distribute the given number of candidate trees to splitting attributes according to their estimated contributions to cost reduction. The algorithm finds the final tree by backtracking. An extensive experiment shows that the algorithm outperforms the top-down heuristic and can effectively obtain the optimal or near-optimal decision trees without an excessive computation time.classification, decision tree, cost and time sensitive learning, late penalty

Engineered spin phase diagram of two interacting electrons in semiconductor nanowire quantum dots

Spin properties of two interacting electrons in a quantum dot (QD) embedded in a nanowire with controlled aspect ratio and longitudinal magnetic fields are investigated by using a configuration interaction (CI) method and exact diagonalization (ED) techniques. The developed CI theory based on a three-dimensional (3D) parabolic model provides explicit formulations of the Coulomb matrix elements and allows for straightforward and efficient numerical implementation. Our studies reveal fruitful features of spin singlet-triplet transitions of two electrons confined in a nanowire quantum dot (NWQD), as a consequence of the competing effects of geometry-controlled kinetic energy quantization, the various Coulomb interactions, and spin Zeeman energies. The developed theory is further employed to study the spin phase diagram of two quantum-confined electrons in the regime of "cross over" dimensionality, from quasi-two-dimensional (disk-like) QDs to finite one-dimensional (rod-like) QDs.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure

Finger-gate manipulated quantum transport in a semiconductor narrow constriction with spin-orbit interactions and Zeeman effect

The authors investigate quantum transport in a narrow constriction fabricated by narrow band gap semiconductor materials with spin-orbit (SO) couplings. We consider the Rashba-Dresselhaus (RD) spin-orbit interactions (SOIs) and the Zeeman effect induced by an in-plane magnetic field along the transport direction. The interplay of the RD-SOI and the Zeeman effect may induce a SOI-Zeeman gap and influence the transport properties. We demonstrate that an attractive scattering potential may induce electron-like quasi-bound-state feature and manifest the RD-SOI-Zeeman induced Fano line-shape in conductance. Furthermore, a repulsive scattering potential may induce hole-like quasi-bound-state feature on the subband top of the lower spin branch.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figure

Life Table and Consumption Capacity of Corn Earworm,Helicoverpa armigera, Fed Asparagus,Asparagus officinalis

The life table and consumption rate of Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) reared on asparagus, Asparagus officinalis L. (Asparagales: Asparagaceae) were studied under laboratory conditions to assess their interaction. Development, survival, fecundity, and consumption data were analyzed by the age-stage, twosex life table. This study indicated that asparagus is a natural host of H. armigera. However, the poor nutritional content in asparagus foliage and the poor fitness of H. armigera that fed on asparagus indicated that asparagus is a suboptimal host in comparison to hybrid sweet corn. The uncertainty associated with life table parameters was estimated by using jackknife and bootstrap techniques, and the results were compared for statistical inference. The intrinsic rate of increase ( r ), finite rate of increase ( λ ), net reproductive rate ( R 0), and mean generation time ( T ) were estimated by the jackknife technique to be 0.0780 day (-1) , 1.0811 day (-1) , 67.4 offspring, and 54.8 days, respectively, while those estimated by the bootstrap technique were 0.0752 day (-1) , 1.0781 day (-1) , 68.0 offspring, and 55.3 days, respectively. The net consumption rate of H. armigera , as estimated by the jackknife and bootstrap technique, was 1183.02 and 1132.9 mg per individual, respectively. The frequency distribution of sample means obtained by the jackknife technique failed the normality test, while the bootstrap results fit the normal distribution well. By contrast, the relationship between the mean fecundity and the net reproductive rate, as estimated by the bootstrap technique, was slightly inconsistent with the relationship found by mathematical proof. The application of the jackknife and bootstrap techniques in estimating population parameters requires further examination

Impact of Fish Farming on Phosphorus in Reservoir Sediments

Fish farming has seriously influenced the aquatic environment in Sancha reservoir in SW China since 1985 and has been strongly restricted since 2005. Thus, phosphorus speciation in a sediment core dated between 1945 and 2010 at cm-resolution and in surface sediments from Sancha reservoir may allow us track how fish farming impacts phosphorus dynamics in lake sediments. Fish farming shifts the major binding forms of phosphorus in sediments from organic to residual phosphorus, which mostly originated from fish feed. Sorption to metal oxides and association with organic matters are important mechanisms for phosphorus immobilisation with low fish farming activities, whereas calcium-bound phosphorous had an essential contribution to sediment phosphorus increases under intensive fish framing. Notwithstanding the shifting, the aforementioned phosphorus fractions are usually inert in the lake environment, therefore changing phosphorus mobility little. The use of fish feed and water-purification reagents, the most important additives for fish farming, introduce not only phosphorus but also large amounts of sand-sized minerals such as quartz into the lake, to which phosphorus weakly sorbs. The sand-sized minerals as additional sorbents increase the pool of easily mobilisable phosphorus in sediments, which will slow down the recovery of reservoir water due to its rapid re-mobilisation

Properties of Lactobacillus reuteri chitosan-calcium-alginate encapsulation under simulated gastrointestinal conditions

The protective effects of encapsulation on the survival of Lactobacillus reuteri and the retention of the bacterium’s probiotic properties under simulated gastrointestinal conditions were investigated. Viable counts and the remaining probiotic properties of calcium (Ca)-alginate encapsulated (A group), chitosan-Ca-alginate encapsulated (CA group), and unencapsulated, free L. reuteri (F group) were determined. Encapsulation improved the survival of L. reuteri subjected to simulated gastrointestinal conditions, with the greatest protective effect achieved in the CA group. The degree of cell membrane injury increased with increasing bile salt concentrations at constant pH, but the extent of injury was less in the encapsulated than in the free cells. Adherence rates were, in descending order: CA (0.524%) > A (0.360%) > F (0.275%). Lactobacillus reuteri cells retained their antagonistic activity toward Listeria monocytogenes even after incubation of the lactobacilli under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. Displacement of the pathogen by cells released from either of the encapsulation matrices was higher than that by free cells. The safety of L. reuteri was demonstrated in an in vitro invasion assay. [Int Microbiol 2015; 18(1):61-69]Keywords: Lactobacillus reuteri · Listeria monocytogenes · chitosan–calcium-alginate encapsulation · probiotic properties · simulated gastrointestinal condition

Transcriptional regulation of FoxO3 gene by glucocorticoids in murine myotubes.

Glucocorticoids and FoxO3 exert similar metabolic effects in skeletal muscle. FoxO3 gene expression was increased by dexamethasone (Dex), a synthetic glucocorticoid, both in vitro and in vivo. In C2C12 myotubes the increased expression is due to, at least in part, the elevated rate of FoxO3 gene transcription. In the mouse FoxO3 gene, we identified three glucocorticoid receptor (GR) binding regions (GBRs): one being upstream of the transcription start site, -17kbGBR; and two in introns, +45kbGBR and +71kbGBR. Together, these three GBRs contain four 15-bp glucocorticoid response elements (GREs). Micrococcal nuclease (MNase) assay revealed that Dex treatment increased the sensitivity to MNase in the GRE of +45kbGBR and +71kbGBR upon 30- and 60-min Dex treatment, respectively. Conversely, Dex treatment did not affect the chromatin structure near the -17kbGBR, in which the GRE is located in the linker region. Dex treatment also increased histone H3 and/or H4 acetylation in genomic regions near all three GBRs. Moreover, using chromatin conformation capture (3C) assay, we showed that Dex treatment increased the interaction between the -17kbGBR and two genomic regions: one located around +500 bp and the other around +73 kb. Finally, the transcriptional coregulator p300 was recruited to all three GBRs upon Dex treatment. The reduction of p300 expression decreased FoxO3 gene expression and Dex-stimulated interaction between distinct genomic regions of FoxO3 gene identified by 3C. Overall, our results demonstrate that glucocorticoids activated FoxO3 gene transcription through multiple GREs by chromatin structural change and DNA looping

Width-amplitude relation of Bernstein-Greene-Kruskal solitary waves

Inequality width-amplitude relations for three-dimensional Bernstein-Greene-Kruskal solitary waves are derived for magnetized plasmas. Criteria for neglecting effects of nonzero cyclotron radius are obtained. We emphasize that the form of the solitary potential is not tightly constrained, and the amplitude and widths of the potential are constrained by inequalities. The existence of a continuous range of allowed sizes and shapes for these waves makes them easily accessible. We propose that these solitary waves can be spontaneously generated in turbulence or thermal fluctuations. We expect that the high excitation probability of these waves should alter the bulk properties of the plasma medium such as electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure