Citrus indica Tanaka - a progenitor species of cultivated CitrusPublic release date: 10-Nov-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Prof. S. Rama Rao srrao22@yahoo.com 036-427-22404 Pensoft Publishers
A group of enthusiastic cytogeneticists (Marlykynti Hynniewta, Surendra Kumar Malik and Satyawada Rama Rao) from North Eastern Hill University show that C. indica occupies a special taxonomic position, as reflected in the karyomorphological data.
The genus Citrus is an economically important horticultural crop known for its fruit and juice. In India, there are about 30 species of Citrus of which at least nine species are available throughout India, while 17 species are confined to the North-Eastern states of India, which have been classified as a hot spot for Citrus biodiversity and are threatened in their natural habitat as per the criteria fixed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). Seven Indian Citrus species are considered endangered or nearly so, including C. Indica, C. macroptera, C. latipes, C. assamensis, C. ichangensis, C. megaloxycarpa and C. rugulosa.
C. indica (Tanaka, 1937) is supposed to be the most primitive species and perhaps the progenitor of cultivated Citrus. From the karyomorphological data it can be observed that the asymmetry index of different species of Citrus presently investigated had shown significant variation. C. medica, C. grandis and C. reticulatawhich are considered as true basic species are characteristic in having low asymmetry index of 1.87, 1.89 and 2.46 respectively. In the present investigation, the data from the karyomorphological observations on chromosome complements in 10 different Citrus species reflect that C. indica with its intermediate asymmetry index value (1.94) may be regarded as a true progenitor of cultivated Citrus. This study also supports the previous report that there are three true species of Citrus, viz. C. grandis, C. reticulata and C. medica.
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Original source:
Hynniewta M, Malik SK, Rao SR (2011) Karyological studies in ten species of Citrus (Linnaeus, 1753) (Rutaceae) of North-East India. Comparative Cytogenetics 5(4): 19. doi: 10.3897/CompCytogen.v5i4.1796
Posted by Pensoft Publishers.
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Citrus indica Tanaka - a progenitor species of cultivated CitrusPublic release date: 10-Nov-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Prof. S. Rama Rao srrao22@yahoo.com 036-427-22404 Pensoft Publishers
A group of enthusiastic cytogeneticists (Marlykynti Hynniewta, Surendra Kumar Malik and Satyawada Rama Rao) from North Eastern Hill University show that C. indica occupies a special taxonomic position, as reflected in the karyomorphological data.
The genus Citrus is an economically important horticultural crop known for its fruit and juice. In India, there are about 30 species of Citrus of which at least nine species are available throughout India, while 17 species are confined to the North-Eastern states of India, which have been classified as a hot spot for Citrus biodiversity and are threatened in their natural habitat as per the criteria fixed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). Seven Indian Citrus species are considered endangered or nearly so, including C. Indica, C. macroptera, C. latipes, C. assamensis, C. ichangensis, C. megaloxycarpa and C. rugulosa.
C. indica (Tanaka, 1937) is supposed to be the most primitive species and perhaps the progenitor of cultivated Citrus. From the karyomorphological data it can be observed that the asymmetry index of different species of Citrus presently investigated had shown significant variation. C. medica, C. grandis and C. reticulatawhich are considered as true basic species are characteristic in having low asymmetry index of 1.87, 1.89 and 2.46 respectively. In the present investigation, the data from the karyomorphological observations on chromosome complements in 10 different Citrus species reflect that C. indica with its intermediate asymmetry index value (1.94) may be regarded as a true progenitor of cultivated Citrus. This study also supports the previous report that there are three true species of Citrus, viz. C. grandis, C. reticulata and C. medica.
###
Original source:
Hynniewta M, Malik SK, Rao SR (2011) Karyological studies in ten species of Citrus (Linnaeus, 1753) (Rutaceae) of North-East India. Comparative Cytogenetics 5(4): 19. doi: 10.3897/CompCytogen.v5i4.1796
Posted by Pensoft Publishers.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Frustrated by one too many nickel-and-diming fees from her bank, LA gallery owner Kristen Christian created a Facebook event on Oct. 4 that called for people to move their money from banks to credit unions. Titled "Bank Transfer Day" and scheduled for Nov. 5, the event struck a chord with a large number of people. More than 70,000 RSVP'd in the month leading up to the action, and its rapid spread and synergy with the burgeoning Occupy movement ensured it a flurry of (mostly) favorable media coverage.
However, it's easy to click a link on Facebook; going through the process of closing a bank account one has used for years, changing direct deposits, canceling credit cards, and so on, is a much more intensive affair. Additionally, some credit union observers viewed the scheduling of the event on a Saturday (when many banks are closed) as a mistake, arguing that "[i]f something like Bank Transfer Day were to ever really take off in the credit union industry, it would need the support of trade associations like CUNA [the Credit Union National Association]."
Building momentum In the first few weeks after the announcement of Bank Transfer Day, word spread, in large part through the online networks of the Occupy movement. The event was touted by the main Occupy Wall Street Facebook pages and seized on by the Occupy groups in many smaller cities as an effective form of local action against "too big to fail" banks.
As for the credit union movement itself, the reaction was initially cool but supportive. However, as the event continued to pick up steam and draw media attention, movement trade associations and individual institutions alike started to increasingly embrace and support Bank Transfer Day. Many credit unions ran radio ads touting the event, and CUNA released special "Bank Transfer Day" T-shirts with messages such as "FEE-H8R" and "CU > Bank." In the final week, the headlines of Credit Union Times and major credit union blogs were dominated by discussion of the logistics of and possibilities for the coming event.
A final boost came on Nov. 3, when CUNA announced the results of a survey, which showed that approximately 650,000 people had joined credit unions since Sept. 29 (the day Bank of America (NYSE: BAC - News) announced its reviled and since-rescinded $5 per month debit card fee) and that they had brought about $4.5 billion in deposits with them. JPMorgan (NYSE: JPM - News) and Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC - News) have also rescinded their proposed fees.
To put those numbers in perspective, more people joined credit unions in October than had done so in the entirety of 2010. Though the survey was unable to parse out how much of this explosive growth was simply driven by the introduction of new bank fees versus how much was motivated by Bank Transfer Day, it's clear that the action was already having a major impact.
The day arrives In preparation for Nov. 5, many credit unions decided to extend Saturday hours and add extra staff to accommodate the possible added load of setting up new accounts, but there was a great deal of uncertainty as to what the day would actually bring. Having spoken with many credit union leaders, the editor of Credit Union Times noted that she is "not sure anyone knew what to expect from Bank Transfer Day, because what people say they'll do is very often different from what they actually do."
Though detailed statistics on the day are not yet available, anecdotal reports suggest that the preparations made were not in vain. In Joliet, Ill., Numark Credit Union reported that in the four hours its locations were open, they opened 26 checking accounts and made several loans and business referrals. By contrast, the credit union's executive vice president noted that "[o]n a usual Saturday, we're lucky if we open two accounts."
Bank Transfer Day was also an occasion for increasingly open cooperation between credit unions and the Occupy movement. According to TheWall Street Journal, representatives of several credit unions visited the Occupy Wall Street encampment in Zuccotti Park to educate people about credit unions and assist them with opening accounts, and members of Occupy Philadelphia reached out to Credit Union Times for help finding knowledgeable credit union people to help run a teach-in. Protesters in a number of cities also celebrated the event by picketing in front of banks, and in Seattle, an estimated 100 Occupiers marched two miles from their camp to open credit union accounts en masse.
The road ahead Though the final numbers are still coming in, it's clear that Bank Transfer Day was a resounding, if unanticipated, success for the credit union movement, which gained an enormous number of new members and a great deal of free publicity concerning the nature of their model. Already, the movement is abuzz with chatter about how to continue building momentum, with suggestions including increasing outreach to the "unbanked" and initiating a "national branding campaign."
What remains to be seen is whether this particular wave of customer defections will negatively impact the bottom lines of major national banks in a meaningful way. It is possible, as some credit union critics have suggested, that Bank Transfer Day simply hastened the departure of unprofitable customers that Bank of America and others were trying to drive off anyway, in which case the action might actually have had the effect of increasing those banks' profitability.
If, however, Bank Transfer Day has caught the imagination of a critical mass of moderate to high-wealth individuals who decide to move not just their deposits, but also their mortgages, car loans, and more, it may well send a message to the banking industry.
Fool contributor Matt Cropp spends his spare time reading credit union board meeting minutes from the 1950s and enjoying yak puns. He doesn't own shares in any of the companies mentioned in this article. The Motley Fool owns shares of Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo. Try any of our Foolish newsletter servicesfree for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe thatconsidering a diverse range of insightsmakes us better investors. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. ? TLC reality show "19 Kids and Counting" may soon need a new name. Arkansas couple Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar appeared with their burgeoning clan on NBC's "Today" show Tuesday and announced they are expecting their 20th child in April ( http://bit.ly/tVfmny).
Forty-five-year-old Michelle Duggar said she's in good physical shape and that she's not worried, despite complications during her last pregnancy that led to the premature birth of their youngest child two years ago. She says she's made it through her first trimester safely.
The couple has said they don't use birth control. Michelle Duggar says she didn't necessarily expect to get pregnant again and that she and her husband are excited to welcome the new addition to the family.
I love this. Someone noticed that movie posters are always the same and collected them to prove it. Some of the design clich?s are hilarious, like Tiny People On the Beach With Giant Heads in the Clouds or Legs Wide Spread. More »
Robotics researchers in Munich develop a new form of human-machine communication
Mask-bot can already reproduce simple dialog. When Dr. Takaaki Kuratate says "rainbow", for example, Mask-bot flutters its eyelids and responds with an astoundingly elaborate sentence on the subject: "When the sunlight strikes raindrops in the air, they act like a prism and form a rainbow". And when it talks, Mask-bot also moves its head a little and raises its eyebrows to create a knowledgeable impression.
What at first looks deceptively like a real talking person is actually the prototype of a new robot face that a team at the Institute for Cognitive Systems (ICS) at TU Mnchen has developed in collaboration with a group in Japan. "Mask-bot will influence the way in which we humans communicate with robots in the future," predicts Prof. Gordon Cheng, head of the ICS team. The researchers developed several innovations in the course of creating Mask-bot.
The projection of any number of realistic 3D faces is one of these. Although other groups have also developed three-dimensional heads, these display a more cartoon-like style. Mask-bot, however, can display realistic three-dimensional heads on a transparent plastic mask, and can change the face on-demand. A projector positioned behind the mask accurately beams a human face onto the back of the mask, creating very realistic features that can be seen from various angles, including the side.
Many comparable systems project faces onto the front of a mask following the same concept as cinema projection. "Walt Disney was a pioneer in this field back in the 1960s," explains Kuratate. "He made the installations in his Haunted Mansion by projecting the faces of grimacing actors onto busts." Whereas Walt Disney projected images from the front, the makers of Mask-bot use on-board rear projection to ensure a seamless face-to-face interaction.
This means that there is only a twelve centimeter gap between the high-compression, x0.25 fish-eye lens with a macro adapter and the face mask. The CoTeSys team therefore had to ensure that an entire face could actually be beamed onto the mask at this short distance. Mask-bot is also bright enough to function in daylight thanks to a particularly strong and small projector and a coating of luminous paint sprayed on the inside of the plastic mask. "You don't have to keep Mask-bot behind closed curtains," laughs Kuratate.
This part of the new system could soon be deployed in video conferences. "Usually, participants are shown on screen. With Mask-bot, however, you can create a realistic replica of a person that actually sits and speaks with you at the conference table. You can use a generic mask for male and female, or you can provide a custom-made mask for each person," explains Takaaki Kuratate.
In order to be used as a robot face, Mask-bot must be able to function without requiring a video image of the person speaking. A new program already enables the system to convert a normal two-dimensional photograph into a correctly proportioned projection for a three-dimensional mask. Further algorithms provide the facial expressions and voice.
To replicate facial expressions, Takaaki Kuratate developed a talking head animation engine a system in which a computer filters an extensive series of face motion data from people collected by a motion capture system and selects the facial expressions that best match a specific sound, called a phoneme, when it is being spoken. The computer extracts a set of facial coordinates from each of these expressions, which it can then assign to any new face, thus bringing it to life. Emotion synthesis software delivers the visible emotional nuances that indicate, for example, when someone is happy, sad or angry.
Mask-bot can realistically reproduce content typed via a keyboard in English, Japanese and soon German. A powerful text-to-speech system converts text to audio signals, producing a female or male voice, which can then set to quiet or loud, happy or sad, all at the touch of a button.
But Mask-bot is not yet able to understand much of the spoken word. It can currently only listen and make appropriate responses as part of a fixed programming sequence. However, this is not something that is restricted to Mask-bot alone. A huge amount of research worldwide is still being channeled into the development of programs that enable robots to listen and understand humans in real time and make appropriate responses. "Our established international collaboration is therefore more important than ever," explains Kuratate.
The CoTeSys group has chosen a different route to researchers who use dozens of small motors to manipulate individual facial parts and reproduce facial expressions. Mask-bot will be able to combine expression and voice much faster than slower mechanical faces. The Munich researchers are already working on the next generation. Mask-bot 2 will see the mask, projector and computer control system all contained inside a mobile robot. Whereas the first prototype cost just under EUR 3,000, costs for the successor model should come in at around EUR 400. Besides video conferencing, "These systems could soon be used as companions for older people who spend a lot of time on their own," continues Kuratate.
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Mask-bot is the result of collaboration with AIST, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Japan.
Video: Watch the maskbot at
http://www.youtube.com/user/icsTUMunich#p/a/u/1/oFp1hpH25oI
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Mask-bot: A robot with a human facePublic release date: 7-Nov-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Robotics researchers in Munich develop a new form of human-machine communication
Mask-bot can already reproduce simple dialog. When Dr. Takaaki Kuratate says "rainbow", for example, Mask-bot flutters its eyelids and responds with an astoundingly elaborate sentence on the subject: "When the sunlight strikes raindrops in the air, they act like a prism and form a rainbow". And when it talks, Mask-bot also moves its head a little and raises its eyebrows to create a knowledgeable impression.
What at first looks deceptively like a real talking person is actually the prototype of a new robot face that a team at the Institute for Cognitive Systems (ICS) at TU Mnchen has developed in collaboration with a group in Japan. "Mask-bot will influence the way in which we humans communicate with robots in the future," predicts Prof. Gordon Cheng, head of the ICS team. The researchers developed several innovations in the course of creating Mask-bot.
The projection of any number of realistic 3D faces is one of these. Although other groups have also developed three-dimensional heads, these display a more cartoon-like style. Mask-bot, however, can display realistic three-dimensional heads on a transparent plastic mask, and can change the face on-demand. A projector positioned behind the mask accurately beams a human face onto the back of the mask, creating very realistic features that can be seen from various angles, including the side.
Many comparable systems project faces onto the front of a mask following the same concept as cinema projection. "Walt Disney was a pioneer in this field back in the 1960s," explains Kuratate. "He made the installations in his Haunted Mansion by projecting the faces of grimacing actors onto busts." Whereas Walt Disney projected images from the front, the makers of Mask-bot use on-board rear projection to ensure a seamless face-to-face interaction.
This means that there is only a twelve centimeter gap between the high-compression, x0.25 fish-eye lens with a macro adapter and the face mask. The CoTeSys team therefore had to ensure that an entire face could actually be beamed onto the mask at this short distance. Mask-bot is also bright enough to function in daylight thanks to a particularly strong and small projector and a coating of luminous paint sprayed on the inside of the plastic mask. "You don't have to keep Mask-bot behind closed curtains," laughs Kuratate.
This part of the new system could soon be deployed in video conferences. "Usually, participants are shown on screen. With Mask-bot, however, you can create a realistic replica of a person that actually sits and speaks with you at the conference table. You can use a generic mask for male and female, or you can provide a custom-made mask for each person," explains Takaaki Kuratate.
In order to be used as a robot face, Mask-bot must be able to function without requiring a video image of the person speaking. A new program already enables the system to convert a normal two-dimensional photograph into a correctly proportioned projection for a three-dimensional mask. Further algorithms provide the facial expressions and voice.
To replicate facial expressions, Takaaki Kuratate developed a talking head animation engine a system in which a computer filters an extensive series of face motion data from people collected by a motion capture system and selects the facial expressions that best match a specific sound, called a phoneme, when it is being spoken. The computer extracts a set of facial coordinates from each of these expressions, which it can then assign to any new face, thus bringing it to life. Emotion synthesis software delivers the visible emotional nuances that indicate, for example, when someone is happy, sad or angry.
Mask-bot can realistically reproduce content typed via a keyboard in English, Japanese and soon German. A powerful text-to-speech system converts text to audio signals, producing a female or male voice, which can then set to quiet or loud, happy or sad, all at the touch of a button.
But Mask-bot is not yet able to understand much of the spoken word. It can currently only listen and make appropriate responses as part of a fixed programming sequence. However, this is not something that is restricted to Mask-bot alone. A huge amount of research worldwide is still being channeled into the development of programs that enable robots to listen and understand humans in real time and make appropriate responses. "Our established international collaboration is therefore more important than ever," explains Kuratate.
The CoTeSys group has chosen a different route to researchers who use dozens of small motors to manipulate individual facial parts and reproduce facial expressions. Mask-bot will be able to combine expression and voice much faster than slower mechanical faces. The Munich researchers are already working on the next generation. Mask-bot 2 will see the mask, projector and computer control system all contained inside a mobile robot. Whereas the first prototype cost just under EUR 3,000, costs for the successor model should come in at around EUR 400. Besides video conferencing, "These systems could soon be used as companions for older people who spend a lot of time on their own," continues Kuratate.
###
Mask-bot is the result of collaboration with AIST, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Japan.
Video: Watch the maskbot at
http://www.youtube.com/user/icsTUMunich#p/a/u/1/oFp1hpH25oI
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
SHANGHAI (Reuters) ? China is likely to inject more than 1 trillion yuan ($158 billion) into the money market in the next two months via annual subsidies from the Ministry of Finance, the official China Securities Journal on Monday quoted a research report as saying.
The injection will help improve liquidity, which has been impacted by the government's tight monetary policy in place since October last year, the newspaper quoted the report by China International Capital Corp (CICC) as saying.
The Finance Ministry typically offers subsidies to various industries and sectors in the last two months of each year as part of distribution of the government's annual tax income.
The ministry does not publicize these subsidies but the market estimated they totaled 1 trillion-2 trillion yuan in 2010.
The People's Bank of China (PBOC) has not raised interest rates or bank reserve requirement ratios (RRR) since July in a sign that the government may be considering loosening its tight monetary stance amid the market turmoil sparked by the euro zone debt crisis.
The central bank previously instituted a slew of rate and RRR hikes as inflation repeatedly hit three-year highs.
Those steps offset the impact of liquidity injections via Finance Ministry subsidies late last year, but the market widely expects the PBOC will leave the subsidies to improve market liquidity this year, traders have said.
(Reporting by Lu Jianxin and Carrie Ho; Editing by Jonathan Hopfner)
We've known all along that the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus packs a dual-core 1.2GHz processor of some sort, but Samsung's only just now finally confirmed to AnandTech that the 7-inch tablet does indeed use an Exynos system on a chip. That's the very same SoC found in the company's Galaxy S II smartphone, so we should be looking at some similar performance from the tablet. In case you missed the news last month, it's officially set to hit the US on November 13th for $400. That memo doesn't seem to have reached Amazon, however, which is now listing the 16GB model as in stock and shipping immediately. Hit the source link below if you're ready to take the plunge.
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Public release date: 10-Nov-2011
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