פרסומים

Although supervised machine learning classification techniques have been successfully applied to detect collapsed buildings, there is still a major problem that few publications have addressed. The success of supervised machine learning strongly depends on the availability of training samples. Unfortunately, in the aftermath of a large-scale disaster, training samples become available only after several weeks or even months. However, following a disaster, information on the damage situation is one of the most important necessities for rapid search-and-rescue efforts and relief distribution. In this paper, a modification of the supervised machine learning classification technique called logistic regression is presented. Here, the training samples are replaced with probabilistic information, which is calculated from the spatial distribution of the hazard under consideration and one or more fragility functions. Such damage probabilities can be collected almost in real time for specific disasters such as earthquakes and/or tsunamis. We present the application of the proposed method to the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami for collapsed building detection. The results show good agreement with a field survey performed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, with an overall accuracy of over 80%. Thus, the proposed method can significantly contribute to a rapid estimation of the number and locations of collapsed buildings.

Honey bees feed on floral nectar and pollen that they store in their colonies as honey and bee bread. Social division of labor enables the collection of stores of food that are consumed by within-hive bees that convert stored pollen and honey into royal jelly. Royal jelly and other glandular secretions are the primary food of growing larvae and of the queen but are also fed to other colony members. Research clearly shows that bees regulate their intake, like other animals, around specific proportions of macronutrients. This form of regulation is done as individuals and at the colony level by foragers.

The paper ponders the object of archaeology, called here ‘the archaeological’. It argues that the existence of such an object is a necessary premise of the field and that ultimately it is on this object that the validity of all claims and arguments must rest. The paper suggests that the archaeological be conceived as a cultural phenomenon that consists in being disengaged from the social, an understanding that positions archaeology as a counterpart to the social sciences and the humanities, rather than a member in the same milieu. The first part of the paper focuses on the position of the archaeological with reference to the concepts of ‘Nature’ and ‘Culture’, which eventually leads us to a confrontation between archaeological statics and the dynamics of the world. Efforts to justify and understand archaeological statics consequently lead to the recognition of a constitutive distinction between buried and non-buried conditions, upon which the differentiation of the archaeological from the social is established.

The accumulation of geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol in culture water and fish is a common problem encountered in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). In these systems, like in other aquaculture systems, abatement of this problem is usually conducted by purging the fish with clean water prior to their marketing. In indoor RAS, mainly heterotrophic prokaryotes underlie the production of geosmin and MIB. While production of these off flavor compounds has been linked with the organic-rich parts of these systems, no further information on factors that promote the growth of the geosmin and MIB-producing microorganisms under these conditions is currently available. Thus far, geosmin and MIB removal from RAS has mainly been conducted by ozonation, albeit with limited success. Biodegradation of geosmin and MIB might serve as an additional method for removal of these compounds from RAS. Geosmin and MIB degradation has been detected in the latter systems, yet factors which promote the activity of geosmin and MIB degraders in these systems remain largely unknown. In the present review, the current knowledge on geosmin and MIB production and removal in RAS is presented. Emphasis is placed on the biodegradation of these off-flavor compounds, a process which has received little attention thus far.

Floral pollen is a major source of honey bee nutrition that provides them with micro- and macro-nutrients, including proteins, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. Different pollens vary in composition, including in the essential fatty acids, alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3) and linoleic acid (omega-6). Monocultures, prevalent in modern agriculture, may expose honey bee colonies to unbalanced omega-6:3 diets. The importance of omega-3 in the diet for adequate learning and cognitive function, with a focus on suitable omega-6:3 ratio, is well documented in mammals. We have recently shown, for the first time in invertebrates, the importance of omega-3 in diets for associative learning ability in honey bees. In the current work, we examine the effect of the absolute amount of omega-3 in diet compared to the omega-6:3 ratio on honey bee associative learning. We fed newly emerged bees for 1 week on different artificial diets, which had lipid concentration of 1, 2, 4, or 8%, with omega-6:3 ratios of 0.3, 1, or 5, respectively. We then tested the bees in a proboscis-extension response olfactory conditioning assay. We found that both omega-6:3 ratio and total lipid concentration affected learning. The most detrimental diet for learning was that with a high omega-6:3 ratio of 5, regardless of the absolute amount of omega-3 in the diet. Bees fed an omega-6:3 ratio of 1, with 4% total lipid concentration achieved the best performance. Our results with honey bees are consistent with those found in mammals. Best cognitive performance is achieved by a diet that is sufficiently rich in essential fatty acids, but as long as the omega-6:3 ratio is not high.

We demonstrate an approach for on-chip beam positioning with a position accuracy of up to 100 nm. This approach is based on tracking the resonance of two adjacent microring resonators that are implemented on a silicon on insulator chip. We demonstrate the functionality of our approach by illuminating the chip through a Near Field Scanning Optical Microscope tip and monitoring the shift of the microring resonances due to the thermo-optic effect. We also discuss the contribution of different effects such as free carrier absorption and dispersion to the resonance shift.

First Published in 2018. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an Informa company. © 1990 by CRC Press, LLC.

Background: Iatrogenic ureteral injury is an increasing concern in the laparoscopic era, affecting both patient morbidity and costs. Current techniques enabling intraoperative ureteral identification require invasive procedures or radiations. Our aim was to develop a real-time, non-invasive, radiation-free method to visualize ureters, based on near-infrared (NIR) imaging. For this purpose, we interfered with the biliary excretion pathway of the indocyanine green (ICG) fluorophore by loading it into liposomes, enabling renal excretion. In this work, we studied various parameters influencing ureteral imaging. Methods: Fluorescence intensity (FI) of various liposomal ICG sizes and doses were characterized in vitro and subsequently tested in vivo in mice and pigs. Quantification was performed by measuring FI in multiple points and applying the ureteral/retroperitoneum ratio (U/R). Results: The optimal liposomal ICG loading dose was 20%, for the different liposomes' sizes tested (30, 60, 100 nm). Higher concentration of ICG decreased FI. In vivo, the optimal liposome size for ureteral imaging was 60 nm, which yielded a U/R of 5.2 $\pm$ 1.7 (p < 0.001 vs. free ICG). The optimal ICG dose was 8 mg/kg (U/R = 2.1 $\pm$ 0.4, p < 0.05 vs. 4 mg/kg). Only urine after liposomal ICG injection had a measurable FI, and not after free ICG injection. Using a NIR-optimized laparoscopic camera, ureters could be effectively imaged in pigs, from 10 min after injection and persisting for at least 90 min. Ureteral peristaltic waves could be clearly identified only after liposomal ICG injection. Conclusions: Optimization of liposomal ICG allowed to visualize enhanced ureters in animal models and seems a promising fluorophore engineering, which calls for further developments.