NOTES ON “MULTICRITERIA FUZZY DECISION-MAKING METHOD BASED ON A NOVEL ACCURACY FUNCTION UNDER INTERVAL-VALUED INTUITIONISTIC FUZZY ENVIRONMENT”

This note points outs the inappropriateness of an accuracy function introduced by Ye [Ye, J. (2009). Multicriteria fuzzy decision-making method based on a novel accuracy function under interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy environment. Expert Systems with Applications, 36 (3): 6899–6902] and its misleading use for comparing two interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy numbers.     

Temporal variation in the diets of California Quail in western Oregon

This study was designed to describe dietary changes by comparison of information on long-term diet and plant food availability of California Quail ( Callipepla californica ) in western Oregon. We examined crops from 222 California Quail collected in 1976-78 and 1985-87. Diets included 14 key plant foods (annual frequency > 15%) among 53 taxa consumed; 10 of the 14 key foods were similar between time periods. Collectively, key foods contributed 87% of the diet by aggregate dry mass during 1985-87; six species of legumes (family Leguminosae) composed 67% of diet. Relative rankings of availabilities of key foods were similar between 1976-78 and 1985-87. This study revealed that quail were opportunistic within the group of key foods because 9 of the 14 key foods were consumed in different frequencies between the two periods. Legumes were an important dietary component in western Oregon because they composed the bulk of the diet, were among the most frequently consumed, and most were taken in substantially greater proportions than available.     

Pulsed UV Laser Modification of Polyester Textile Materials:Effect on Wettability

There has recently been great interest in ablative photodecomposition(APD), notably in pulsed UV laser treatment on polymers, for modification of physical and chemical properties, such as dyeability, printability, adhesion, Iuster and many more. Very little attention was focused, however, on the property of wetting behaviour,which is one of the most fundamental properties in affecting polymer science. Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fibers drawn to two different draw ratios and under two temperatures, and three white knitted polyester fabrics made of 100% PET fibre were used to investigate their wetting behaviour due to excimer laser treatment.Experiments like water contact angle measurement, vertical drop test and moisture regain were conducted upon samples and all results give the same conclusion that laser treatment increases the hydrophobicity of all samples tested. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation reveals how the morphological modification of polymers by laser treatment is correlate     

Validating multiple‐period density‐forecasting models

This paper examines the problem of how to validate multiple‐period density forecasting models. Such models are more difficult to validate than their single‐period equivalents, because consecutive observations are subject to common shocks that undermine i.i.d. The paper examines various solutions to this problem, and proposes a new solution based on the application of standard tests to a resample that is constructed to be i.i.d. It suggests that this solution is superior to alternatives, and presents results indicating that tests based on the i.i.d. resample approach have good power. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determining Geometric Accuracy in Turning

Mechanical components machined to high levels of ac cu racy are vital to achieve various functional requirements in engineering product s. In particular, the geometric accuracy of turned components play an important role in determining the form, fit and function of mechanical assembly requiremen ts. The geometric accuracy requirements of turned components are usually specifi ed in terms of roundness, straightness, cylindricity and concentricity. In pract ice, the accuracy specifications achievable are infl...     

A Robertsonian translocation suppresses a somatic recombination pathway to loss of heterozygosity

In mammals, loss of APC/Apc gatekeeper function initiates intestinal tumorigenesis. Several different mechanisms have been shown or proposed to mediate functional loss of APC/Apc: mutation in APC/Apc, non-disjunction, homologous somatic recombination and epigenetic silencing. The demonstration that, in the C57BL/6 (B6) Apc(Min/+) mouse model of inherited intestinal cancer, loss of Apc function can occur by loss of heterozygosity (LOH) through somatic recombination between homologs presents an opportunity to search for polymorphisms in the homologous somatic recombination pathway. We report that the Robertsonian translocation Rb(7.18)9Lub (Rb9) suppresses the multiplicity of intestinal adenomas in this mouse model. As the copy number of Rb9 increases, the association with the interphase nucleolus of the rDNA repeats centromeric to the Apc locus on Chromosome 18 is increasingly disrupted. Our analysis shows that homologous somatic recombination is the principal pathway for LOH in adenomas in B6 Apc(Min/+) mice. These studies provide additional evidence that neoplastic growth can initiate in the complete absence of canonical genomic instability.     

Introduced species and their missing parasites

Damage caused by introduced species results from the high population densities and large body sizes that they attain in their new location. Escape from the effects of natural enemies is a frequent explanation given for the success of introduced species. Because some parasites can reduce host density and decrease body size, an invader that leaves parasites behind and encounters few new parasites can experience a demographic release and become a pest. To test whether introduced species are less parasitized, we have compared the parasites of exotic species in their native and introduced ranges, using 26 host species of molluscs, crustaceans, fishes, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles. Here we report that the number of parasite species found in native populations is twice that found in exotic populations. In addition, introduced populations are less heavily parasitized (in terms of percentage infected) than are native populations. Reduced parasitization of introduced species has several causes, including reduced probability of the introduction of parasites with exotic species (or early extinction after host establishment), absence of other required hosts in the new location, and the host-specific limitations of native parasites adapting to new hosts.     

Nicotinamide and PNC1 govern lifespan extension by calorie restriction in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Calorie restriction extends lifespan in a broad range of organisms, from yeasts to mammals. Numerous hypotheses have been proposed to explain this phenomenon, including decreased oxidative damage and altered energy metabolism. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, lifespan extension by calorie restriction requires the NAD+-dependent histone deacetylase, Sir2 (ref. 1). We have recently shown that Sir2 and its closest human homologue SIRT1, a p53 deacetylase, are strongly inhibited by the vitamin B3 precursor nicotinamide. Here we show that increased expression of PNC1 (pyrazinamidase/nicotinamidase 1), which encodes an enzyme that deaminates nicotinamide, is both necessary and sufficient for lifespan extension by calorie restriction and low-intensity stress. We also identify PNC1 as a longevity gene that is responsive to all stimuli that extend lifespan. We provide evidence that nicotinamide depletion is sufficient to activate Sir2 and that this is the mechanism by which PNC1 regulates longevity. We conclude that yeast lifespan extension by calorie restriction is the consequence of an active cellular response to a low-intensity stress and speculate that nicotinamide might regulate critical cellular processes in higher organisms.     

DNA reveals high dispersal synchronizing the population dynamics of Canada lynx

Population dynamics of Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) have been of interest to ecologists for nearly sixty years. Two competing hypotheses concerning lynx population dynamics and large-scale spatial synchrony are currently debated. The first suggests that dispersal is substantial among lynx populations, and the second proposes that lynx at the periphery of their range exist in small, isolated patches that maintain cycle synchrony via correlation with extrinsic environmental factors. Resolving the nature of lynx population dynamics and dispersal is important both to ecological theory and to the conservation of threatened lynx populations: the lack of knowledge about connectivity between populations at the southern periphery of the lynx's geographic range delayed their legal listing in the United States. We test these competing hypotheses using microsatellite DNA markers and lynx samples from 17 collection sites in the core and periphery of the lynx's geographic range. Here we show high gene flow despite separation by distances greater than 3,100 km, supporting the dispersal hypothesis. We therefore suggest that management actions in the contiguous United States should focus on maintaining connectivity with the core of the lynx's geographic range.