Specific Preferences Research Articles

Color as a key characteristic in the terminal pleistocene fluted-point-period lithic economy in northeastern North America

Red chert attributed to a small number of outcrops within the Munsungun Lake formation, northern Maine is nearly ubiquitous in late Pleistocene Fluted-Point-Period (FPP) archaeological sites throughout northeastern North America, including at sites hundreds of kilometers from this source. Red Munsungun chert also appears more frequently in FPP sites than any other material type in the region. The frequency of use and the distances over which this material was transported during the FPP differ qualitatively and quantitatively from other raw materials regularly found in FPP sites in the region. These differences in use, transport, and discard are not explained by technological considerations --such as texture or nodule size-- alone. One possible explanation for the unique treatment of this material during the FPP is color. Knappable brightly colored stone (including red) is uncommon in the Northeast which may have resulted in a specific preference for red Munsungun chert by stoneworkers during the FPP. The widespread transport and exchange of this material would also help maintain social relationships and information exchange between widely scattered bands, while the act of repeatedly returning to a specific location would have helped socialize a recently settled landscape.

Social media and deep learning reveal specific cultural preferences for biodiversity

Abstract Social media has created new opportunities to map cultural ecosystem services (CES) related to biodiversity at large scales. However, using these novel data to understand people's preferences in relation to these CES remains a challenge. To address this, we trained a deep learning model to capture people's interactions with selected flora and fauna on Flickr as a cultural service related to biodiversity and compared this with citizen science data on iNaturalist, with photos of individual species considered as human–species interactions. After mapping the distribution of people's interactions in Great Britain on Flickr and iNaturalist, we find significant spatial differences in people's preferences on the two platforms. Using a second, pretrained deep learning model, we were also able to identify different preferences for species groups such as birds on social media versus citizen science. To better understand people's preferences, we also compared people's interactions with species richness and abundance for a group of 36 bird species, sometimes finding large differences between people's interactions and these ecological measures. Our findings demonstrate that social media can be used to include a wider range of preferences in CES assessments along‐side citizen science data. However, these preferences reflect only a limited first‐hand experience of biodiversity. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

MiWords: transformer-based composite deep learning for highly accurate discovery of pre-miRNA regions across plant genomes.

Discovering pre-microRNAs (miRNAs) is the core of miRNA discovery. Using traditional sequence/structural features, many tools have been published to discover miRNAs. However, in practical applications like genomic annotations, their actual performance has been very low. This becomes more grave in plants where unlike animals pre-miRNAs are much more complex and difficult to identify. A huge gap exists between animals and plants for the available software for miRNA discovery and species-specific miRNA information. Here, we present miWords, a composite deep learning system of transformers and convolutional neural networks which sees genome as a pool of sentences made of words with specific occurrence preferences and contexts, to accurately identify pre-miRNA regions across plant genomes. A comprehensive benchmarking was done involving >10 software representing different genre and many experimentally validated datasets. miWords emerged as the best one while breaching accuracy of 98% and performance lead of ~10%. miWords was also evaluated across Arabidopsis genome where also it outperformed the compared tools. As a demonstration, miWords was run across the tea genome, reporting 803 pre-miRNA regions, all validated by small RNA-seq reads from multiple samples, and most of them were functionally supported by the degradome sequencing data. miWords is freely available as stand-alone source codes at https://scbb.ihbt.res.in/miWords/index.php.

Addressing anxiety through conversation and campus programming: a mixed methods exploration of student and parent perspectives

Objective: This mixed methods study examined student and parent experiences with anxiety and preferences for campus-based programming to address anxiety. Participants: College students (n = 156) completed a survey, and 20 students participated in focus groups. Parents of college students (n = 85) completed a survey, and 12 parents completed a phone interview. Methods: Students and parents completed surveys about trait worry, mental health literacy, and preferences for proposed programming. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Students participated in focus groups, and parents completed interviews regarding their experiences and preferences. Thematic analysis was conducted with the coded focus group and interview transcripts. Results: Quantitative and qualitative findings revealed specific program preferences (eg scheduling). Qualitative findings highlighted mismatches between student and parent perspectives and opportunities for parental skill building. Conclusions: Students and their parents are open to and eager for campus programming that provides education, skills, and support for college students with anxiety.

The Nexus between Population Structure, Debt Ratio, Unemployment, and Leadership Election in Aging Countries

For the past decades, aging of population has been a growing concern for many countries, imposing downward pressure on consumption, production, and population growth. Meanwhile, voters in aging countries, influenced by socioeconomic conditions like higher age dependency ratio, rising unemployment rate, constant inflow of immigration and lower fertility rate, might have specific preferences for the corresponding policy targets purposed by the leadership election candidates and might further affect the economic and immigration policies implemented by the new governments after elections. With the investigation of how the preferences of the voters for economic and immigration policies, sharped by the socioeconomic conditions, affect the implementation of the corresponding policies after leadership elections, candidates of these elections might be capable of gaining more support from voters by modifying their election platform, accordingly. In this study, three multinomial logistic models are conducted with government expenditure, taxation, and immigration policies set as dummy dependent variables, separately. And the results imply that, in aging countries, a high level of unemployment tends to induce the new governments to impose more stringent immigration policy and reduce taxation, while the possibility of a decrease of government expenditure would be higher. However, for countries with higher population growth, the new governments would be more likely to implement a tax increase.

Structured versus non-structured reporting of pelvic MRI for ileal pouch evaluation: clarity and effectiveness.

Given that ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) surgery is a technically challenging and high-morbidity procedure, there are numerous pertinent imaging findings that need to be clearly and efficiently communicated to the IBD surgeons for essential patient management and surgical planning. Structured reporting has been increasingly used over the past decade throughout various radiology subspecialties to improve reporting clarity and completeness. We compare structured versus non-structured reporting of pelvic MRI for ileal pouch to evaluate for clarity and effectiveness. 164 consecutive pelvic MRI's for ileal pouch evaluation, excluding subsequent exams for the same patient, acquired between 1/1/2019 and 7/31/2021 at one institution were included, before and after implementation (11/15/2020) of a structured reporting template, which was created with institutional IBD surgeons. Reports were assessed for the presence of 18 key features required for complete ileal pouch assessment: anastomosis (IPAA, tip of J, pouch body), cuff (length, cuffitis), pouch body (size, pouchitis, stricture), pouch inlet/pre-pouch ileum (stricture, inflammation, sharp angulation), pouch outlet (stricture), peripouch mesentery (position, mesentery twist), pelvic abscess, peri-anal fistula, pelvic lymph nodes, and skeletal abnormalities. Subgroup analysis was performed based on reader experience and divided into three categories: experienced (n = 2), other intra-institutional (n = 20), or affiliate site (n = 6). 57 (35%) structured and 107 (65%) non-structured pelvic MRI reports were reviewed. Structured reports contained 16.6 [SD:4.0] key features whereas non-structured reports contained 6.3 [SD:2.5] key features (p < .001). The largest improvement following template implementation was for reporting sharp angulation of the pouch inlet (91.2% vs. 0.9%, p < .001), tip of J suture line and pouch body anastomosis (both improved to 91.2% from 3.7%). Structured versus non-structured reports contained mean 17.7 versus 9.1 key features for experienced readers, 17.0 versus 5.9 for other intra-institutional readers, and 8.7 versus 5.3 for affiliate site readers. Structured reporting of pelvic MRI guides a systematic search pattern and comprehensive evaluation of ileal pouches, and therefore facilitates surgical planning and clinical management. This standardized reporting template can serve as baseline at other institutions for adaptation based on specific radiology and surgery preferences, fostering a collaborative environment between radiology and surgery, and ultimately improving patient care.

Influence of laser power on the high-temperature creep rupture life of 304L stainless steel manufactured by selective laser melting

To study the influence of laser power on the high-temperature durability performance of 304L stainless steel, its effect on the porosity, hardness, relative density, and creep rupture life have been studied using a single-factor experiment. The relative optimal process parameters were obtained, and the microstructure and mechanical properties of the as-built samples were characterized. The results showed that the creep rupture life reached a peak at 55H for the following process parameters: scanning speed = 900 mm/s, layer thickness = 0.03 mm, hatch space = 0.1 mm, laser power = 280 W, room temperature hardness = 91.5 HRB, and relative density = 99.4%. Furthermore, the microcellular structure was uniform and dense with few pores, the orientation of the fine grains at the boundary of the molten pool was random, and the orientation of the larger columnar crystals in the molten pool had a specific preference along the <001> direction. After 55.1 h (maximum) duration at a temperature of 700 °C, the cellular substructure, that had been formed by a large number of dislocation clusters, had dissipated significantly. The dislocation lines were more evident, and a large number of dislocations had interacted with spherical nano-precipitates (enriched with O–Si–Mn nanoparticles).

The Effect of Husbandry and Original Location on the Fouling of Transplanted Panels

The best way to stop the introduction of non-indigenous species (NISs) is by preventing their transport. In the case of ship hulls, this may be accomplished by managing entrainment onto the hull. This study was designed to examine the role of hull husbandry, i.e., cleaning and grooming, in fouling community structure and to determine the effect of husbandry on the recolonization of surfaces after a transplant was performed. A series of panels were placed at two locations along the east coast of Florida (Port Canaveral and Sebastian Inlet) that are typified by distinct fouling communities. Panels were subjected to one of three treatments: groomed weekly, cleaned every two months, or freely fouling. After four months, all panels were cleaned and transplanted between sites; no further husbandry was performed. Fouling community composition and coverage was characterized at monthly intervals both before and after transplantation. Hull husbandry was found to affect coverage and composition, with groomed panels carrying a lower cover of macrofouling in general. The effect of the original location on subsequent fouling composition and recolonization by specific organisms was confirmed for encrusting bryozoans, barnacles, sponges, and tunicates. Hull husbandry also affected subsequent fouling with specific preferences shown for surfaces that had been groomed, cleaned and undisturbed.

PROFILES IN NOTETAKING: A MULTIPLE CASE STUDY

ABSTRACT Students take notes in various different ways and for numerous reasons. They have specific preferences in terms of note organization, use, and encoding techniques. At a broader level, they have individual views on the value of and habits related to notetaking. To account for both performance aspects of and individual stances on notetaking, the present paper reports on a multiple case study of notetakers in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) class in Sweden. Three students representing three levels of notetaker, namely, copious, average, and sparse, were identified based on initial quality analysis of note samples using the “information unit,” a measurement which aims to identify complete propositions in notes, as the focal point of reference. The notetaking of each student is explored via multiple data points (note samples, comprehension tests, surveys, and a written activity) in order to provide a profile of each type of notetaker. Pedagogic implications stemming from these profiles are then presented, including those for EAP teachers and students alike, arguing for the encoding and storage benefits of notetaking.

Dual Preference Distribution Learning for Item Recommendation

Recommender systems can automatically recommend users with items that they probably like. The goal of them is to model the user-item interaction by effectively representing the users and items. Existing methods have primarily learned the user’s preferences and item’s features with vectorized embeddings, and modeled the user’s general preferences to items by the interaction of them. In fact, users have their specific preferences to item attributes and different preferences are usually related. Therefore, exploring the fine-grained preferences as well as modeling the relationships among user’s different preferences could improve the recommendation performance. Toward this end, we propose a dual preference distribution learning framework (DUPLE) , which aims to jointly learn a general preference distribution and a specific preference distribution for a given user, where the former corresponds to the user’s general preference to items and the latter refers to the user’s specific preference to item attributes. Notably, the mean vector of each Gaussian distribution can capture the user’s preferences, and the covariance matrix can learn their relationship. Moreover, we can summarize a preferred attribute profile for each user, depicting his/her preferred item attributes. We then can provide the explanation for each recommended item by checking the overlap between its attributes and the user’s preferred attribute profile. Extensive quantitative and qualitative experiments on six public datasets demonstrate the effectiveness and explainability of the DUPLE method.

The salience of gender in the illness experiences and care preferences of people with Parkinson's disease

RationaleIn recent years, interest in sex characteristics and gender dimensions of Parkinson's disease (PD) has increased. Yet, much remains to be understood about how gender-related aspects specifically impact the illness and experiences of care in persons living with PD. ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to explore the salience of gender-related aspects in the illness experiences and care provision preferences of people with PD. MethodsA descriptive qualitative study including semi-structured life story interviews was conducted with men and women living with PD in the Netherlands. Between September 2020 and February 2021, forty people with PD (20 men and 20 women) participated in digital interviews of which thirty-one (18 men and 13 women) were included in the thematic analyses for this specific study. ResultsOverall, most participants did not consider gender-related aspects salient towards their illness experiences. However, when prompted, a number of participants described several stereotypical views about gender as related to the visibility of PD, emotional experiences, help seeking, role patterns and physical appearance. While most men and women with PD did not express specific gender-related preferences for their healthcare providers, those that did, all preferred women as healthcare providers. These preferences were generally related to attributed feminine traits which are considered relevant in routine, particularly sensitive, physical examinations of people with PD. ConclusionThis study demonstrates that although every person has a gender identity, the salience attributed to gender varies with illness experiences and in care provision preferences between people with PD. These findings highlight the need for precise and personalized methodologies to capture more nuanced insights into the impact of gender dimensions on PD. Furthermore, drivers behind gender-related preferences in care provision are multifactorial and warrant further investigation among people with PD.

Bumble bee banquet: Genus‐ and species‐level floral selection by MidwesternBombus

AbstractRegionally specific flower preference data are needed to optimize conservation habitat plantings for at‐risk pollinators such as bumble bees (Bombusspp.). Current tools for selecting flowers for plantings rely on raw bee flower visits, which can be biased toward abundant flowers. To assist in planning habitat enhancements for bumble bees, we quantified genus‐ and species‐level floral preferences using a selection index that accounts for floral availability. Through 477 h of observation in Ohio, USA during the summers of 2017 and 2018, we recorded 22,999 observations of eightBombusspecies visiting 96 flowering plant taxa. As a genus,Bombusselected flowers nonrandomly; the most strongly preferred plants includedAsclepiasspp.,Cirsiumspp., Convolvulaceae,Dipsacusspp.,Echinacea purpurea,Monarda fistulosa,Penstemon digitalis, andSilphiumspp. Only a few Fabaceae were highly selected (Baptisiaspp.,Trifolium pratense, andViciaspp.), while some were preferred only during their peak bloom (Securigera varia), and others were not preferred by bumble bees (T. hybridumandMelilotusspp.). Diets differed among habitats, and in restored meadows, bumble bees selected for native planted species such asMonarda fistulosa,Asclepias syriaca,Echinacea purpurea,Penstemon digitalis, andSilphiumspp. Diets and preferences shifted over the season, largely driven by changes in plant phenologies (e.g., in June,Penstemonwas strongly selected, in July,Asclepias, and in August,Verbena). For the three most commonBombus(B. impatiens,B. griseocollis, andB. bimaculatus), rarefaction analysis indicates that we were able to detect almost all plants in their summer diets. However, for five less common species, even our extensive sampling was insufficient to fully characterize their diets. The commonBombusspecies differed in their feeding niches, perhaps reducing interspecific competition. In contrast, we found high diet overlap between three rarer species—B. vagans,B. fervidus, andB. pensylvanicus, suggesting that these at‐risk species might benefit from different floral communities than would the common species. Five of eight species (including one that is currently under review for federal listing) most strongly preferred one or another non‐native plant, presenting managers with a conservation conundrum concerning how to balance the needs of bees with the preservation of native plants.

Compound-level identification of sasang constitution type-specific personalized herbal medicine using data science approach

IntroductionSasang Constitutional Medicine (SCM) is a type of traditional Korean medicine where patients are classified as one of four Sasang constitution types (Sasang type) and medications consisting of medicinal herbs are prescribed according to the Sasang type. Despite the importance of personalized medicine, the operation mechanism is largely unknown. To gain a better understanding, we investigated the compound information that composes Sasang type-specific personalized herbal medicines on both multivariate and univariate levels. MethodsFive machine learning classifiers including extremely randomized trees (ERT) were trained to investigate whether the Sasang type can be explained by compound information at the multivariate level. Hierarchical clustering was conducted to determine whether compounds are processed distributedly or specifically. Taxonomic and biosynthetic analyses were conducted on these compounds. A univariate level statistical test was conducted to provide more robust Sasang type-specific compound information. ResultsUsing the trained ERT classifier, sixty important compounds were extracted. The sixty compounds were clustered into three groups, corresponding to each Sasang type-prominent compounds, suggesting that most compounds have specific preference for the Sasang type. Structural and biosynthetic characteristics of these Sasang type-prominent compounds were determined based on taxonomy and pathway analyses. Fourteen compounds showed statistically significant relevance with the Sasang type. Additionally, we predicted the Sasang type of unknown herbs, which were confirmed by their biological effects in functional assays. ConclusionThis study investigated the personalized herbal medicines of the SCM using compound information. This study provided information on the chemical characteristics of the compounds that are essential for classifying the Sasang type of medicinal herbs, as well as predictions regarding the Sasang type of the commonly used but unidentified medicinal herbs.

Analysis of Perceptions, Preferences, and Participation Intention of Urban Forest Healing Program among Cancer Survivors.

It is important to manage the health of cancer survivors who have returned to their daily lives. An increasing number of cancer survivors are undertaking health care in forests near their residences. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the perceptions of forest healing and the program preferences of adult cancer survivors. Data were collected from 388 female cancer survivors through an online survey. Breast cancer survivors comprised 66.2%, and 63.6% of the study participants were diagnosed with cancer within 2 to 5 years prior to the study. The subjective health status was 2.68 ± 0.61 out of 4 points. Of the participants, 62.1% had heard of forest healing and 65.7% intended to participate in the forest healing program. Participants who frequently visited the forest were more likely to participate in the forest healing program in the future than those who rarely visited the forest. A survey among 255 people on specific preferences for the program found that the regular visit type was preferred over the one-time visit type. These results are meaningful because they can be used as a basis for the development of a forest treatment program that reflects the needs of cancer survivors.

The BDNF Val68Met polymorphism causes a sex specific alcohol preference over social interaction and also acute tolerance to the anxiolytic effects of alcohol, a phenotype driven by malfunction of BDNF in the ventral hippocampus of male mice

BackgroundThe brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Valine 66 to Methionine human polymorphism results in impaired activity-dependent BDNF release and has been linked to psychiatric disorders including depression and anxiety. We previously showed that male knock-in mice carrying the mouse Methionine homolog (Met68BDNF) exhibit excessive and compulsive alcohol drinking behaviors as compared to the wild-type Val68BDNF mice.ObjectiveHere, we set out to determine the potential mechanism for the heightened and compulsive alcohol drinking phenotypes detected in Met68BDNF mice.ResultsWe found that male, but not female Met68BDNF mice exhibit social anxiety-like behaviors. We further show that male Met68BDNF mice exhibit a preference for alcohol over social interaction. In contrast, alcohol place preference without an alternative social reward, is similar in male Met68BDNF and Val68BDNF mice. Since the Met68BDNF mice show social anxiety phenotypes, we tested whether alcohol reliefs anxiety similarly in Met68BDNF and Val68BDNF mice and found that male, but not female Met68BDNF mice are insensitive to the acute anxiolytic action of alcohol. Finally, we show that this acute tolerance to alcohol-dependent anxiolysis can be restored by overexpressing wild-type Val68BDNF in the ventral hippocampus (vHC) of Met68BDNF mice.ConclusionsTogether, our results suggest that excessive alcohol drinking in the Met68BDNF may be attributed, in part, to heighted social anxiety and a lack of alcohol-dependent anxiolysis, a phenotype that is associated with malfunction of BDNF signaling in the vHC of male Met68BDNF mice.

A machine learning driven multiple criteria decision analysis using LS-SVM feature elimination: Sustainability performance assessment with incomplete data

The move towards an era of big data structured problems has led to the development of state-of-the-art solutions, mainly in decision sciences. Large Scale Decision-Making (LSDM) and Data-Driven Decision-Making (DDDM) approaches have emerged from a rapidly evolving research field. A common challenge in LSDM problems formed from various heterogeneous databases is incomplete data. Multiple criteria decision analysis approaches have been utilized as the primary element of LSDM techniques to solve similar complex problems, and these methods cannot function under incomplete data. Large number of dimensions in LSDM problems are usually problematic, which has previously been addressed by machine learning driven methods. Moreover, while in traditional multiple criteria decision analysis methods, the criteria are based on beneficial and non-beneficial attributes, in LSDM problems, decision-makers define specific objectives for attributes adjusting the problem with their specific preferences. This study proposed a machine learning-driven DDDM method for solving LSDM problems with incomplete data and a substantial number of decision attributes. Incomplete data imputation was conducted using the Expectation–Maximization (EM) algorithm, and Recursive Feature Elimination (RFE) with Least Square Support Vector (LS-SVM) was used to extract the core criteria. Target-based COmbined COmpromise Solution (T-CoCoSo) and Target-based Multi-Attributive Border Approximation Area Comparison (T-MABAC) methods combined with Shannon’s Entropy weighting method were used for the performance assessment stage. Ultimately, to validate the reliability of the proposed method, sustainability performance of all countries worldwide under Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with incomplete data was evaluated. The outcomes show that the proposed machine learning-driven data-driven decision-making method is a reliable tool for such LSDM problems.

Travel vlogs influencing tourist decisions: information preferences and gender differences

PurposeAs independent travel has become increasingly popular in recent years, factors influencing users’ attitudes and behaviors should be explored. Besides, the rise of video platforms like YouTube, Bilibili and TikTok has led to the flourishing of user generated content (UGC), among which travel vlogs have become convenient and essential references for tourists before and while they travel on their own.Design/methodology/approachThis research used quantitative analysis through a survey designed for young people, as most vlog viewers are in those age groups, to explore the attitudes and perceptions of vlog preference, attitudes and cognizance of travel vlogs among different gender, guided by the decision-making theory and preference theory with 455 participants.FindingsSurvey results showed that both genders have common choices regarding travel vlog preference, attitudes, sharing and cognizance. Yet, gender differences appear in some cognition of travel vlogs and specific preferences, such as information searching habits, trusty travel and information sources.Originality/valueExisting studies focus on the influence of platforms on users, but scant studies focus on user perceptions of vlogs as a new information carrier for young people in East Asia, especially regarding gender differences, which is crucial in media-based marketing. This research provides practical suggestions to marketers and vloggers to attract and engage different genders of young people and theoretical implications on decision and preference theories.

Observation of Claw Use and Feeding Behavior of the Red-Legged Seriema and Its Implication for Claw Use in Deinonychosaurs

The red-legged seriema (Cariama cristata) is unique among extant birds in that they possess prominent recurved sickle claws on the second pedal digits which are held off the ground, outwardly similar to the claws of the extinct deinonychosaurs and basal avialans, and probably convergently evolved due to similar lifestyle/feeding habits. Thus, the way in which seriemas use their claws has the potential to shine additional light on how deinonychosaurs used theirs. Though formerly thought of as slashing weapons, it has also been hypothesized that deinonychosaurs used their claws to pin and grasp rather than slash. This newer hypothesis has been called the Raptor Prey Restraint (RPR) hypothesis. Our observations of claw use in simulated and real feeding behavior of red-legged seriemas at the Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium, and Safari Park in Phoenix, AZ, and the Tracy Aviary and Botanical Gardens in Salt Lake City, UT, are consistent with the RPR hypothesis. The seriemas were observed using their feet, with special preference given to digit II, to pin objects/prey, which were torn at in tandem with the beak. Given the high degree of similarity between the claws of seriemas and the claws of deinonychosaurs, as well as their shared paravian ancestry and similar predatory cursorial lifestyles, it is likely that seriemas are among the best extant proxies for deinonychosaur claw use. That they use their claws in a manner so consistent with hypothesized deinonychosaur claw use is further evidence that the RPR hypothesis is most likely the best hypothesis for the function of the digit II “killing claws” of deinonychosaurs.

Peer-to-peer energy trading market considering renewable energy uncertainty and participants’ individual preferences

With the development of renewable energy resources, peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading is becoming more and more popular on the user side. However, the prosumers’ uncertain fluctuation and specific preference requirements have brought new challenges to the traditional market mechanism. Therefore, we propose a novel pricing mechanism, including preference marginal price (PMP), uncertainty marginal price (UMP), and local marginal price (LMP) in this paper. These pricing strategies can overcome the uncertainty problems in the current market and credit the reserve resources that ensure flexible energy delivery. We embed these pricing strategies into the robust economic dispatch model and employ a column-and-constraints generation (CCG) algorithm to solve the model. Among these prices, local marginal prices are used to charge energy consumption and financial transmission right (FTR) credits. Uncertainty marginal prices are charged for the reserve resources and financial transmission right holders. Preference marginal prices are charged from the prosumers with specific welfare requirements to credit the reserve resources, financial transmission right holders and energy producers. The market equilibrium and revenue adequacy are proven in the appendix to verify the effectiveness of the proposed pricing mechanism. In the simulation section, the total operation costs and marginal price payments increase with the rise of uncertainty level and preference requirement degree. The financial transmission right underfunding problem is verified in a three-bus system. The underfunding can be covered by congestion funds collected from uncertainty and preference marginal prices.

The Glacier Views of Jean-Antoine Linck – A Milestone for the Mont Blanc Glacier History from the 18th to the 19th Century

Interdisciplinary approaches are needed to reconstruct the behaviour of glaciers beyond the beginning of systematic measurements. For example, historical documents have been used to reconstruct former glacier extents successfully at different sites, including in the well-documented Mont Blanc area that became popular since the mid-18th century among artists, scientists, and travellers. Jean-Antoine Linck from Geneva is probably the artist to whom we owe the greatest number of unique glacier views. Linck’s special preference were the ice regions, which he discovered and drew with alpinistic daring and naturalistic correctness, preferably by gouache, although many pencil sketches are preserved. Linck subtly used the etching technique to create easily reproducible plates in large format, which are then hand-coloured with gouache and watercolour. This technique allowed him to create numerous reproductions of the same view, while still giving them a unique and original aspect, views that are remarkable for their serenity and silence, while offering luminous atmospheres. These illustrations introduced the realistic representation of the high mountains into the iconography of Genevese painting and thus led to a new kind of landscape painting with a permanent character. From a perspective of glacier history and although many of his artworks are not exactly dated by the author, the work of Jean-Antoine Linck is indispensable since it represents the whole development, specifically of the Mer de Glace and the Glacier des Bossons, but also other glaciers during the period from the end of the 18th century until the 19th century glacier maximum around 1820. Linck’s work has the same importance for the Mont Blanc area as that of Caspar Wolf and Samuel Birmann for the central Swiss Alps or Thomas Ender for the Austrian Alps in terms of glacier iconography. Therefore, Linck was both an artist and a glacier historian.