The aim of this paper is to present some ideas how to relax the notion of the optimal solution of the stochastic optimization problem. In the deterministic case, ε-minimal solutions and level-minimal solutions are considered as desired relaxations. We call them approximative solutions and we introduce some possibilities how to combine them with randomness. Relations among random versions of approximative solutions and their consistency are presented in this paper. No measurability is assumed, therefore, treatment convenient for nonmeasurable objects is employed.
An invasive sawfly Aproceros leucopoda Takeuchi, 1939, which originates from East Asia, has colonized elms (Ulmus spp.) in Austria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and the Ukraine, at least since 2003. In Europe, the larvae can completely defoliate native and non-native elm trees and may cause at least partial dieback. Field observations indicate that elms are infested independent of their age and site characteristics. The life cycle of A. leucopoda is described based on material reared in Hokkaido, Japan. Parthenogenetic reproduction, short life cycle of summer generations and the ability to produce four generations per year result in the production of numerous progeny. The evolution of a seasonal dimorphism in head morphology, a simple cocoon that is attached directly to the host plant and a short period spent in the cocoon stage during summer, are putative apomorphies shared by Aproceros Takeuchi, 1939 and Aprosthema Konow, 1899. These traits reduce developmental costs and contribute to the proliferation of A. leucopoda. No specialized parasitoid, that can effectively reduce outbreaks of this species, is known. It is likely that this pest will spread into central and south-western Europe. Further monitoring of A. leucopoda is required to assess future range extensions in Europe, its exacerbating effect on Dutch elm disease and to find a suitable biocontrol agent. Concise keys to imaginal and larval stages are presented that will facilitate the identification of A. leucopoda.
The expression of aquaporins (AQPs ) in the fetal porcine urinary tract and its relation to gestational age has not been established. Tissue samples from the renal pelvis, ureter, bladder and urethra were obtained from porcine fetuses. Samples were examined by RT-PCR (AQPs 1-11 ), QPCR (AQPs positive on RT-PCR), and immunohistochemistry. Bladder samples were additionally examined by Western blotting. RNA was extracted from 76 tissue samples obtained from 19 fetuses. Gestational age was 60 (n=11) or 100 days (n=8). PCR showed that AQP1, 3, 9 and 11 mRNA was expressed in all locations. The expression of AQP3 increased significantly at all four locations with gestational age, whereas AQP11 significantly decreased. AQP1 expression increased in the ureter, bladder and urethra. AQP9 mRNA expression increased in the urethra and bladder, but decreased in the ureter. AQP5 was expressed only in the urethra. Immunohistochemistry showed AQP1 staining in sub-urothelial vessels at all locations. Western blotting analysis confirmed increased AQP1 protein levels in bladder samples during gestation. Expression levels of AQP1, 3, 5, 9 and 11 in the urinary tract change during gestation, and further studies are needed to provide insights into normal and pathophysiological water handling mechanisms in the fetus., L. K. Jakobsen, K. F. Trelborg, P. S. Kingo, S. Høyer, K.-E. Andersson, J. C. Djurhuus, R. Nørregaard, L. H. Olsen., and Seznam literatury
1_Chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) is one of the economically more important trees in the north of Portugal. Spiders, as generalist predators, are potential controlling agents of pests, yet the composition of the community of spiders associated with this crop is only poorly known. The objective of this study was to determine the spider communities in the canopies of chestnut trees subject to three different soil management practices in northeastern Portugal. Three chestnut groves each subject to a different agricultural practice (grazed, tilled or untilled) were studied in 2008 and 2009. The Araneae communities were sampled by beating the branches and the individuals collected were identified to family and species when possible. To investigate the structure of the spider community in each grove the abundance and family richness of spiders were calculated and compared between managements. In total, 4172 spiders were collected and, in both years, the three most abundant families were Araneidae, Philodromidae and Linyphiidae. In 2008, there was a greater abundance of spiders in the grazed, followed by the tilled and untilled groves, but no significant differences among groves. However, in 2009 there was a greater abundance of spiders in the tilled grove, followed by grazed and untilled groves and the differences between the untilled and the other two groves were significant. Araniella, Oxyopes and Anyphaena were the most abundant genera in the three groves. This study showed that soil management may influence the diversity of spiders, but the effects were weak and not consistent between years., 2_The reduction or absence of a suitable habitat for spiders under the trees in the tilled treatment might have resulted in the spiders migrating up into the canopy. However, based on the weak effects on spider abundance recorded and its potentially adverse effects on soils, tillage is not recommended for managing the incidence of pests in chestnut groves., Jacinto Benhadi-Marin ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
We present a unified and systematic approach to basic principles of Arbology, a new algorithmic discipline focusing on algorithms on trees. Stringology, a highly developed algorithmic discipline in the area of string processing, can use finite automata as its basic model of computation. For various kinds of linear notations of ranked and unranked ordered trees it holds that subtrees of a tree in a linear notation are substrings of the tree in the linear notation. Arbology uses pushdown automata reading such linear notations of trees as its basic model of computation. Basic principles known from stringology are used for the construction of particular arbology algorithms, in which the underlying tree structure is processed with the use of the pushdown store. Arbology results are shown for the basic problems subtree matching and tree indexing for ranked and unranked ordered trees.
Arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis is the most frequent and ancestral type of mycorrhizal symbiosis. It is estimated that at least 80% of terrestrial plant species are able to form a mutualistic relation with fungi. Consequently in the context of successful plant invasions, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi may have a favourable if not a crucial role. The mycorrhizal status of 23 invasive species is reported here for the first time. This study also tested whether the intensity of mycorrhizal colonization of the roots of invasive species is related to that of the dominant species of invaded plant community. This is partly supported by our results when total percentages of mycorrhizal colonization were compared. In addition, the effect of habitat and community characteristics on the intensity of colonization of the roots of invasive species by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi was tested and several significant correlations were revealed. At the among-species level, the total mycorrhizal colonization decreases and the relative arbuscular colonization increases in the roots of invasive species with increasing nitrogen availability in the habitat. Both these relations are significant after phylogenetic correction, which suggests this is an evolutionary adaptation. There are also negative correlations between the relative arbuscular colonization of invading species and the light and temperature demands of the species present in the community, and a positive correlation between the relative arbuscular colonization of the invaders and soil wetness. That all these relations are revealed at the within-species level possibly reflects differences among the habitats studied.