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Sample records for southern african python

  1. A field test of attractant traps for invasive Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) in southern Florida

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reed, Robert N.; Hart, Kristen M.; Rodda, Gordon H.; Mazzotti, Frank J.; Snow, Ray W.; Cherkiss, Michael; Rozar, Rondald; Goetz, Scott

    2011-01-01

    Context: Invasive Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) are established over thousands of square kilometres of southern Florida, USA, and consume a wide range of native vertebrates. Few tools are available to control the python population, and none of the available tools have been validated in the field to assess capture success as a proportion of pythons available to be captured. Aims: Our primary aim was to conduct a trap trial for capturing invasive pythons in an area east of Everglades National Park, where many pythons had been captured in previous years, to assess the efficacy of traps for population control. We also aimed to compare results of visual surveys with trap capture rates, to determine capture rates of non-target species, and to assess capture rates as a proportion of resident pythons in the study area. Methods: We conducted a medium-scale (6053 trap nights) experiment using two types of attractant traps baited with live rats in the Frog Pond area east of Everglades National Park. We also conducted standardised and opportunistic visual surveys in the trapping area. Following the trap trial, the area was disc harrowed to expose pythons and allow calculation of an index of the number of resident pythons. Key results: We captured three pythons and 69 individuals of various rodent, amphibian, and reptile species in traps. Eleven pythons were discovered during disc harrowing operations, as were large numbers of rodents.

  2. Environmental DNA (eDNA sampling improves occurrence and detection estimates of invasive burmese pythons.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Margaret E Hunter

    Full Text Available Environmental DNA (eDNA methods are used to detect DNA that is shed into the aquatic environment by cryptic or low density species. Applied in eDNA studies, occupancy models can be used to estimate occurrence and detection probabilities and thereby account for imperfect detection. However, occupancy terminology has been applied inconsistently in eDNA studies, and many have calculated occurrence probabilities while not considering the effects of imperfect detection. Low detection of invasive giant constrictors using visual surveys and traps has hampered the estimation of occupancy and detection estimates needed for population management in southern Florida, USA. Giant constrictor snakes pose a threat to native species and the ecological restoration of the Florida Everglades. To assist with detection, we developed species-specific eDNA assays using quantitative PCR (qPCR for the Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus, Northern African python (P. sebae, boa constrictor (Boa constrictor, and the green (Eunectes murinus and yellow anaconda (E. notaeus. Burmese pythons, Northern African pythons, and boa constrictors are established and reproducing, while the green and yellow anaconda have the potential to become established. We validated the python and boa constrictor assays using laboratory trials and tested all species in 21 field locations distributed in eight southern Florida regions. Burmese python eDNA was detected in 37 of 63 field sampling events; however, the other species were not detected. Although eDNA was heterogeneously distributed in the environment, occupancy models were able to provide the first estimates of detection probabilities, which were greater than 91%. Burmese python eDNA was detected along the leading northern edge of the known population boundary. The development of informative detection tools and eDNA occupancy models can improve conservation efforts in southern Florida and support more extensive studies of invasive

  3. Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling improves occurrence and detection estimates of invasive burmese pythons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunter, Margaret E; Oyler-McCance, Sara J; Dorazio, Robert M; Fike, Jennifer A; Smith, Brian J; Hunter, Charles T; Reed, Robert N; Hart, Kristen M

    2015-01-01

    Environmental DNA (eDNA) methods are used to detect DNA that is shed into the aquatic environment by cryptic or low density species. Applied in eDNA studies, occupancy models can be used to estimate occurrence and detection probabilities and thereby account for imperfect detection. However, occupancy terminology has been applied inconsistently in eDNA studies, and many have calculated occurrence probabilities while not considering the effects of imperfect detection. Low detection of invasive giant constrictors using visual surveys and traps has hampered the estimation of occupancy and detection estimates needed for population management in southern Florida, USA. Giant constrictor snakes pose a threat to native species and the ecological restoration of the Florida Everglades. To assist with detection, we developed species-specific eDNA assays using quantitative PCR (qPCR) for the Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus), Northern African python (P. sebae), boa constrictor (Boa constrictor), and the green (Eunectes murinus) and yellow anaconda (E. notaeus). Burmese pythons, Northern African pythons, and boa constrictors are established and reproducing, while the green and yellow anaconda have the potential to become established. We validated the python and boa constrictor assays using laboratory trials and tested all species in 21 field locations distributed in eight southern Florida regions. Burmese python eDNA was detected in 37 of 63 field sampling events; however, the other species were not detected. Although eDNA was heterogeneously distributed in the environment, occupancy models were able to provide the first estimates of detection probabilities, which were greater than 91%. Burmese python eDNA was detected along the leading northern edge of the known population boundary. The development of informative detection tools and eDNA occupancy models can improve conservation efforts in southern Florida and support more extensive studies of invasive constrictors

  4. Southern African Journal of Environmental Education

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Southern African Journal of Environmental Education (SAJEE) is an accredited and ... It is published at least once a year, by the Environmental Education Association of Southern Africa (EEASA). ... AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO ...

  5. The zoonotic implications of pentastomiasis in the royal python (python regius).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ayinmode, Ab; Adedokun, Ao; Aina, A; Taiwo, V

    2010-09-01

    Pentastomes are worm-like endoparasites of the phylum Pentastomida found principally in the respiratory tract of reptiles, birds, and mammals. They cause a zoonotic disease known as pentastomiasis in humans and other mammals. The autopsy of a Nigerian royal python (Python regius) revealed two yellowish-white parasites in the lungs, tissue necrosis and inflammatory lesions. The parasite was confirmed to be Armillifer spp (Pentastomid); this is the first recorded case of pentastomiasis in the royal python (Python regius) in Nigeria. This report may be an alert of the possibility of on-going zoonotic transmission of pentastomiasis from snake to man, especially in the sub-urban/rural areas of Nigeria and other West African countries where people consume snake meat.

  6. Review of Southern African Studies: Journal Sponsorship

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Review of Southern African Studies: Journal Sponsorship. Journal Home > About the Journal > Review of Southern African Studies: Journal Sponsorship. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  7. AIDS Prevention in the Southern African Development Community ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    AIDS Prevention in the Southern African Development Community : Policy Research and Decision Support. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is at the epicentre of the AIDS pandemic. The regional adult HIV prevalence is approximately 11%, twice the average in other African countries. Scores of ...

  8. Southern African Journal of Environmental Education

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... knowledge and community based management of wildlife resources: a study of the Mumbwa and Lupande Game Management areas of Zambia. ... Southern African Journal of Environmental Education ... AJOL African Journals Online.

  9. 75 FR 38069 - Injurious Wildlife Species; Listing the Boa Constrictor, Four Python Species, and Four Anaconda...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... Python Species, and Four Anaconda Species as Injurious Reptiles AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service... regulations to add Indian python (Python molurus, including Burmese python Python molurus bivittatus), reticulated python (Broghammerus reticulatus or Python reticulatus), Northern African python (Python sebae...

  10. Southern African Business Review

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Southern African Business Review is a refereed and accredited scientific journal of the College of Economic and Management Sciences of the .... The effects of extended water supply disruptions on the operations of SMEs · EMAIL FREE ...

  11. Southern African Business Review

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Southern African Business Review. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 20, No 1 (2016) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  12. THE ORIGINS OF THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN MAMMAL FAUNA ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Southern Africa can be geographically subdivided into different biotic zones, differing from .... The greater part of the southern African mammal fauna consists of savanna .... spread into southern Africa by way of the Savanna biotic zone.

  13. Supersize me: Remains of three white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in an invasive Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) in Florida

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boback, Scott M.; Snow, Ray W.; Hsu, Teresa; Peurach, Suzanne C.; Dove, Carla J.; Reed, Robert N.

    2016-01-01

    Snakes have become successful invaders in a wide variety of ecosystems worldwide. In southern Florida, USA, the Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) has become established across thousands of square kilometers including all of Everglades National Park (ENP). Both experimental and correlative data have supported a relationship between Burmese python predation and declines or extirpations of mid- to large-sized mammals in ENP. In June 2013 a large python (4.32 m snout-vent length, 48.3 kg) was captured and removed from the park. Subsequent necropsy revealed a massive amount of fecal matter (79 cm in length, 6.5 kg) within the snake’s large intestine. A comparative examination of bone, teeth, and hooves extracted from the fecal contents revealed that this snake consumed three white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). This is the first report of an invasive Burmese python containing the remains of multiple white-tailed deer in its gut. Because the largest snakes native to southern Florida are not capable of consuming even mid-sized mammals, pythons likely represent a novel predatory threat to white-tailed deer in these habitats. This work highlights the potential impact of this large-bodied invasive snake and supports the need for more work on invasive predator-native prey relationships.

  14. Southern African Business Review: Submissions

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Southern African Business Review is a refereed and accredited journal of the College of Economic and Management Sciences of the University of South Africa. ... the right to make minor editorial adjustments without consulting the author.

  15. 78 FR 39307 - National Environmental Policy Act: Implementing Procedures; Addition to Categorical Exclusions...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-07-01

    .... Every EA prepared for an injurious species listing under the Act since 1982 (the first rule promulgated..., 2007), and four species of large constrictor snakes (Burmese python (Python molurus), Northern African python (Python sebae), Southern African python (Python natalensis), and yellow anaconda (Eunectes notaeus...

  16. 76 FR 40082 - Semiannual Regulatory Agenda

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-07-07

    ... are: Indian python (including Burmese python), reticulated python, Northern African python, Southern African python, boa constrictor, yellow anaconda, DeSchauensee's anaconda, green anaconda, and Beni... Required: Yes. Agency Contact: Art Roybal, Senior Fish and Wildlife Biologist, Department of the Interior...

  17. Record length, mass, and clutch size in the nonindigenous Burmese Python, Python bivittatus Kuhl 1820 (Squamata: Pythonidae), in Florida

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krysko, Kenneth L.; Hart, Kristen M.; Smith, Brian J.; Selby, Thomas H.; Cherkiss, Michael S.; Coutu, Nicholas T.; Reichart, Rebecca M.; Nuñez, Leroy P.; Mazzotti, Frank J.; Snow, Ray W.

    2012-01-01

    The Burmese Python, Python bivittatus Kuhl 1820 (Squamata: Pythonidae), is indigenous to northern India,east to southern China, and south to Vietnam and a few islands in Indonesia (Barker and Barker 2008, Reed and Rodda 2009). This species has been introduced since at least 1979 in southern Florida, USA, where it likely began reproducing and became established during the 1980s (Meshaka et al. 2000, Snowet al. 2007b,Kraus 2009, Krysko et al. 2011, Willson et al. 2011). Python bivittatus has been documented in Florida consuming a variety of mammals and birds, and the American Alligator(Alligator mississippiensis) (Snowet al. 2007a, 2007b; Harvey et al. 2008; Rochford et al. 2010b; Holbrook and Chesnes 2011), many of which are protected species. Herein, we provide details on two of the largest known wild P. bivittatus in Florida to date, including current records on length,mass,clutch size, and diet.

  18. Globalisation, transport and HIV | Andrews | Southern African ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    No Abstract Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine Vol. 5 (4) 2004: 41-44. Full Text: EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT · DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT · AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians · for Authors · FAQ's · More about AJOL ...

  19. Southern African Business Review: Editorial Policies

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Southern African Business Review is a refereed and accredited scientific ... Accounting, Public Management, Tourism Management and related fields. ... This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that ...

  20. South African southern ocean research programme

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    SASCAR

    1987-01-01

    Full Text Available This document describes the South African National Antarctic Research Programme's (SANARP) physical, chemical and biological Southern Ocean research programme. The programme has three main components: ecological studies of the Prince Edward Islands...

  1. Review of Southern African Studies

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Review of Southern African Studies is a multidisciplinary journal of Arts, Social and Behavioural Sciences. Vol 13, No 1 (2009). DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT Open Access DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT Subscription or Fee Access. Table of Contents. Articles. Health-Care Waste Practices in Selected Health-Care Facilities in Maseru ...

  2. Different cranial ontogeny in Europeans and Southern Africans.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marina L Sardi

    Full Text Available Modern human populations differ in developmental processes and in several phenotypic traits. However, the link between ontogenetic variation and human diversification has not been frequently addressed. Here, we analysed craniofacial ontogenies by means of geometric-morphometrics of Europeans and Southern Africans, according to dental and chronological ages. Results suggest that different adult cranial morphologies between Southern Africans and Europeans arise by a combination of processes that involve traits modified during the prenatal life and others that diverge during early postnatal ontogeny. Main craniofacial changes indicate that Europeans differ from Southern Africans by increasing facial developmental rates and extending the attainment of adult size and shape. Since other studies have suggested that native subsaharan populations attain adulthood earlier than Europeans, it is probable that facial ontogeny is linked with other developmental mechanisms that control the timing of maturation in other variables. Southern Africans appear as retaining young features in adulthood. Facial ontogeny in Europeans produces taller and narrower noses, which seems as an adaptation to colder environments. The lack of these morphological traits in Neanderthals, who lived in cold environments, seems a paradox, but it is probably the consequence of a warm-adapted faces together with precocious maturation. When modern Homo sapiens migrated into Asia and Europe, colder environments might establish pressures that constrained facial growth and development in order to depart from the warm-adapted morphology. Our results provide some answers about how cranial growth and development occur in two human populations and when developmental shifts take place providing a better adaptation to environmental constraints.

  3. The development of a GIS atlas of southern African freshwater fish ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The development of a GIS atlas of southern African freshwater fish. LEP Scott, PH Skelton, AJ Booth, L Verheust. Abstract. A geographic information systems (GIS) based atlas of southern African freshwater fish has been developed for the SADC countries. The JLB Smith Institute of Ichthyology, in collaboration with ALCOM, ...

  4. Threatened southern African soils: A need for appropriate ecotoxicological risk assessment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Eijsackers, Herman [Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520 (South Africa); Reinecke, Adriaan; Reinecke, Sophie [Department of Botany & Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602 (South Africa); Maboeta, Mark, E-mail: mark.maboeta@nwu.ac.za [Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520 (South Africa)

    2017-03-15

    In southern Africa arable soils are limited due to low rainfall and are threatened by anthropogenic activities like agriculture and mining making it susceptible to degradation. The aim of this study is to review the existing information available with regards to soil contamination and its possible threats towards biodiversity and quality of southern African soils. Some of the issues being addressed in this paper include the focus areas of ecotoxicological research in southern African countries, levels of contaminants in soils, the impacts of climate on soil animals and the representativity of standardised test species. In order to address this, we report on a literature search, which was done to determine the main focus areas of soil ecotoxicological research, highlighting strengths and research needs in comparison to approaches elsewhere in the world. Further, to address if the risk assessment approaches of Europe and the USA are valid for southern African environmental conditions; this in the light of differences in temperature, rainfall and fauna. It is concluded that risk assessment procedures for Europe and the USA were based on non-southern African conditions making it necessary to rethink risk assessment studies; although limited, in southern Africa. We recommend future research that has to be undertaken to address these issues. This research should include investigating species sensitivities in responses to contamination and including insects likes ants and termites in ecological risk assessment studies.

  5. Threatened southern African soils: A need for appropriate ecotoxicological risk assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eijsackers, Herman; Reinecke, Adriaan; Reinecke, Sophie; Maboeta, Mark

    2017-01-01

    In southern Africa arable soils are limited due to low rainfall and are threatened by anthropogenic activities like agriculture and mining making it susceptible to degradation. The aim of this study is to review the existing information available with regards to soil contamination and its possible threats towards biodiversity and quality of southern African soils. Some of the issues being addressed in this paper include the focus areas of ecotoxicological research in southern African countries, levels of contaminants in soils, the impacts of climate on soil animals and the representativity of standardised test species. In order to address this, we report on a literature search, which was done to determine the main focus areas of soil ecotoxicological research, highlighting strengths and research needs in comparison to approaches elsewhere in the world. Further, to address if the risk assessment approaches of Europe and the USA are valid for southern African environmental conditions; this in the light of differences in temperature, rainfall and fauna. It is concluded that risk assessment procedures for Europe and the USA were based on non-southern African conditions making it necessary to rethink risk assessment studies; although limited, in southern Africa. We recommend future research that has to be undertaken to address these issues. This research should include investigating species sensitivities in responses to contamination and including insects likes ants and termites in ecological risk assessment studies.

  6. Review of Southern African Studies: Submissions

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Author Guidelines. 1. Every manuscript should be accompanied with a statement that it has not been submitted for publication elsewhere. 2. The Review of Southern African Studies prefers articles which cut across disciplinary boundaries. Articles with narrow foci and incomprehensible to people outside those disciplines ...

  7. Patterns of endemicity and range restriction among southern African ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Patterns of endemicity and range restriction among southern African coastal marine invertebrates. RJ Scott, CL Griffiths, TB Robinson. Abstract. Southern Africa supports a rich marine biota of 12 734 currently described marine species. Although the distribution and overall species-richness patterns of several component ...

  8. Giant Constrictors: Biological and Management Profiles and an Establishment Risk Assessment for Nine Large Species of Pythons, Anacondas, and the Boa Constrictor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reed, Robert N.; Rodda, Gordon H.

    2009-01-01

    Giant Constrictors: Biological and Management Profiles and an Establishment Risk Assessment for Nine Large Species of Pythons, Anacondas, and the Boa Constrictor, estimates the ecological risks associated with colonization of the United States by nine large constrictors. The nine include the world's four largest snake species (Green Anaconda, Eunectes murinus; Indian or Burmese Python, Python molurus; Northern African Python, Python sebae; and Reticulated Python, Broghammerus reticulatus), the Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor), and four species that are ecologically or visually similar to one of the above (Southern African Python, Python natalensis; Yellow Anaconda, Eunectes notaeus; DeSchauensee's Anaconda, Eunectes deschauenseei; and Beni Anaconda, Eunectes beniensis). At present, the only probable pathway by which these species would become established in the United States is the pet trade. Although importation for the pet trade involves some risk that these animals could become established as exotic or invasive species, it does not guarantee such establishment. Federal regulators have the task of appraising the importation risks and balancing those risks against economic, social, and ecological benefits associated with the importation. The risk assessment quantifies only the ecological risks, recognizing that ecosystem processes are complex and only poorly understood. The risk assessment enumerates the types of economic impacts that may be experienced, but leaves quantification of economic costs to subsequent studies. Primary factors considered in judging the risk of establishment were: (1) history of establishment in other countries, (2) number of each species in commerce, (3) suitability of U.S. climates for each species, and (4) natural history traits, such as reproductive rate and dispersal ability, that influence the probability of establishment, spread, and impact. In addition, the risk assessment reviews all management tools for control of invasive giant

  9. Beginning Python using Python 2.6 and Python 3.1

    CERN Document Server

    Payne, James

    2010-01-01

    Beginning Python: Using Python 2.6 and Python 3.1 introduces this open source, portable, interpreted, object-oriented programming language that combines remarkable power with clear syntax. This book enables you to quickly create robust, reliable, and reusable Python applications by teaching the basics so you can quickly develop Web and scientific applications, incorporate databases, and master systems tasks on various operating systems, including Linux, MAC OS, and Windows. You’ll get a comprehensive tutorial that guides you from writing simple, basic Python scripts all the way through complex concepts, and also features a reference of the standard modules with examples illustrating how to implement features in the various modules. Plus, the book covers using Python in specific program development domains, such as XML, databases, scientific applications, network programming, and Web development

  10. Academic publishing: Lessons learnt from the Southern African ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Key words: academic publishing, peer review, Southern African Business Review ... Management Sciences of Unisa, for example, 16.5% of academics ..... as scientific field of manuscript; to number, origin and designation of authors; and.

  11. Interactions between the invasive Burmese python, Python bivittatus Kuhl, and the local mosquito community in Florida, USA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reeves, Lawrence E; Krysko, Kenneth L; Avery, Michael L; Gillett-Kaufman, Jennifer L; Kawahara, Akito Y; Connelly, C Roxanne; Kaufman, Phillip E

    2018-01-01

    The Burmese python, Python bivittatus Kuhl, is a well-established invasive species in the greater Everglades ecosystem of southern Florida, USA. Most research on its ecological impacts focuses on its role as a predator and its trophic interactions with native vertebrate species, particularly mammals. Beyond predation, there is little known about the ecological interactions between P. bivittatus and native faunal communities. It is likely that established populations of P. bivittatus in southern Florida serve as hosts for native mosquito communities. To test this concept, we used mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I DNA barcoding to determine the hosts of blood fed mosquitoes collected at a research facility in northern Florida where captive P. bivittatus and Argentine black and white tegu, Salvator merianae (Duméril and Bibron), are maintained in outdoor enclosures, accessible to local mosquitoes. We recovered python DNA from the blood meals of three species of Culex mosquitoes: Culex erraticus (Dyar and Knab), Culex quinquefasciatus Say, and Culex pilosus (Dyar and Knab). Culex erraticus conclusively (P = 0.001; Fisher's Exact Test) took more blood meals from P. bivittatus than from any other available host. While the majority of mosquito blood meals in our sample were derived from P. bivittatus, only one was derived from S. merianae. These results demonstrate that local mosquitoes will feed on invasive P. bivittatus, a recently introduced host. If these interactions also occur in southern Florida, P. bivittatus may be involved in the transmission networks of mosquito-vectored pathogens. Our results also illustrate the potential of detecting the presence of P. bivittatus in the field through screening mosquito blood meals for their DNA.

  12. Interactions between the invasive Burmese python, Python bivittatus Kuhl, and the local mosquito community in Florida, USA.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lawrence E Reeves

    Full Text Available The Burmese python, Python bivittatus Kuhl, is a well-established invasive species in the greater Everglades ecosystem of southern Florida, USA. Most research on its ecological impacts focuses on its role as a predator and its trophic interactions with native vertebrate species, particularly mammals. Beyond predation, there is little known about the ecological interactions between P. bivittatus and native faunal communities. It is likely that established populations of P. bivittatus in southern Florida serve as hosts for native mosquito communities. To test this concept, we used mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I DNA barcoding to determine the hosts of blood fed mosquitoes collected at a research facility in northern Florida where captive P. bivittatus and Argentine black and white tegu, Salvator merianae (Duméril and Bibron, are maintained in outdoor enclosures, accessible to local mosquitoes. We recovered python DNA from the blood meals of three species of Culex mosquitoes: Culex erraticus (Dyar and Knab, Culex quinquefasciatus Say, and Culex pilosus (Dyar and Knab. Culex erraticus conclusively (P = 0.001; Fisher's Exact Test took more blood meals from P. bivittatus than from any other available host. While the majority of mosquito blood meals in our sample were derived from P. bivittatus, only one was derived from S. merianae. These results demonstrate that local mosquitoes will feed on invasive P. bivittatus, a recently introduced host. If these interactions also occur in southern Florida, P. bivittatus may be involved in the transmission networks of mosquito-vectored pathogens. Our results also illustrate the potential of detecting the presence of P. bivittatus in the field through screening mosquito blood meals for their DNA.

  13. Towards a Southern African English Defining Vocabulary

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    user

    of parameters, such as avoiding synonyms and antonyms, to determine which words are necessary to write definitions in a concise and simple way. It has been found that existing defining vocabularies lack certain words that would make definitions more accessible to southern African learners, and therefore there is a need ...

  14. Mass-Produced, Buffer | Masitera | SAFERE: Southern African ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    SAFERE: Southern African Feminist Review. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 3, No 2 (1999) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register. DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT Open Access ...

  15. Review of Southern African Studies: Editorial Policies

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Editorial Board. Prof. R.C. Leduka Institute of Southern African Studies, NUL. Dr. F. Baffoe Baffoe and Associates, Maseru. Prof. Q. Chakela National University of Lesotho. Prof. L.B.B.J. Machobane Machobane and Associates, Maseru. Prof. E.M. Sebatane National University of Lesotho. Dr. E. Obioha National University of ...

  16. Southern African Business Review - Vol 21, No 1 (2017)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Southern African Business Review - Vol 21, No 1 (2017) ... Pre-packaged applications in business reorganisations: International principles · EMAIL ... Microcredit supply under Islamic Banking in Khartoum State, Sudan · EMAIL FREE FULL ...

  17. Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies - Vol 31 ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies. ... Object marking restrictions on Shona causative and applicative constructions · EMAIL ... A problem-oriented, form-focused course design for teaching isiZulu as an additional ...

  18. Language Policy and Practice in the Multilingual Southern African Development Community

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mooko, Theophilus

    2009-01-01

    This study explores the language policy and practice of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), an African regional economic organisation made up of 14 member states (Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia…

  19. Globalisation, transport and HIV | Andrews | Southern African ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 5, No 4 (2004) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register · Download this PDF file. The PDF file you selected ...

  20. Learning Python

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Lutz, Mark; Ascher, David

    1999-01-01

    ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv Part I. Getting Started 1. A Python Q&A Session Why Do People Use Python? Is Python a Scripting Language? Okay, But What's the Downside? Who Uses Python Today...

  1. Learning Python

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Lutz, Mark; Ascher, David

    2004-01-01

    ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv Part I. Getting Started 1. A Python Q&A Session Why Do People Use Python? Is Python a Scripting Language? Okay, But What's the Downside? Who Uses Python Today...

  2. Southern African Journal of Environmental Education - Vol 8 (1988)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Southern African Journal of Environmental Education - Vol 8 (1988) ... An interaction of archaeology with school history in a museum education context ... The child in the outdoor classroom · EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT

  3. Python essential reference

    CERN Document Server

    Beazley, David M

    2009-01-01

    Python Essential Reference is the definitive reference guide to the Python programming language — the one authoritative handbook that reliably untangles and explains both the core Python language and the most essential parts of the Python library. Designed for the professional programmer, the book is concise, to the point, and highly accessible. It also includes detailed information on the Python library and many advanced subjects that is not available in either the official Python documentation or any other single reference source. Thoroughly updated to reflect the significant new programming language features and library modules that have been introduced in Python 2.6 and Python 3, the fourth edition of Python Essential Reference is the definitive guide for programmers who need to modernize existing Python code or who are planning an eventual migration to Python 3. Programmers starting a new Python project will find detailed coverage of contemporary Python programming idioms.

  4. Cosmic tragedy in Steve Chimombo's The Python | Molande ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Cosmic tragedy in Steve Chimombo's The Python. Bright Molande. Abstract. No Abstract. Full Text: EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT · DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT · AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians · for Authors · FAQ's · More about ...

  5. Rapid microsatellite marker development using next generation pyrosequencing to inform invasive Burmese python -- Python molurus bivittatus -- management

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunter, Margaret E.; Hart, Kristen M.

    2013-01-01

    Invasive species represent an increasing threat to native ecosystems, harming indigenous taxa through predation, habitat modification, cross-species hybridization and alteration of ecosystem processes. Additionally, high economic costs are associated with environmental damage, restoration and control measures. The Burmese python, Python molurus bivittatus, is one of the most notable invasive species in the US, due to the threat it poses to imperiled species and the Greater Everglades ecosystem. To address population structure and relatedness, next generation sequencing was used to rapidly produce species-specific microsatellite loci. The Roche 454 GS-FLX Titanium platform provided 6616 di-, tri- and tetra-nucleotide repeats in 117,516 sequences. Using stringent criteria, 24 of 26 selected tri- and tetra-nucleotide loci were polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified and 18 were polymorphic. An additional six cross-species loci were amplified, and the resulting 24 loci were incorporated into eight PCR multiplexes. Multi-locus genotypes yielded an average of 61% (39%–77%) heterozygosity and 3.7 (2–6) alleles per locus. Population-level studies using the developed microsatellites will track the invasion front and monitor population-suppression dynamics. Additionally, cross-species amplification was detected in the invasive Ball, P. regius, and Northern African python, P. sebae. These markers can be used to address the hybridization potential of Burmese pythons and the larger, more aggressive P. sebae.

  6. Environmental education and quality of life | Bak | Southern African ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Southern African Journal of Environmental Education. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 17 (1997) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  7. AIDS in Zimbabwe: | Sibanda | SAFERE: Southern African Feminist ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    SAFERE: Southern African Feminist Review. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 3, No 1 (1999) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register. DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT Open Access ...

  8. Lifebox | Wilson | Southern African Journal of Anaesthesia and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Southern African Journal of Anaesthesia and Analgesia. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 18, No 1 (2012) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register. Lifebox. IH Wilson. Abstract.

  9. One being White | Newman | SAFERE: Southern African Feminist ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    SAFERE: Southern African Feminist Review. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 3, No 2 (1999) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register. DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT Open Access ...

  10. Respiratory disease in ball pythons (Python regius) experimentally infected with ball python nidovirus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoon-Hanks, Laura L; Layton, Marylee L; Ossiboff, Robert J; Parker, John S L; Dubovi, Edward J; Stenglein, Mark D

    2018-04-01

    Circumstantial evidence has linked a new group of nidoviruses with respiratory disease in pythons, lizards, and cattle. We conducted experimental infections in ball pythons (Python regius) to test the hypothesis that ball python nidovirus (BPNV) infection results in respiratory disease. Three ball pythons were inoculated orally and intratracheally with cell culture isolated BPNV and two were sham inoculated. Antemortem choanal, oroesophageal, and cloacal swabs and postmortem tissues of infected snakes were positive for viral RNA, protein, and infectious virus by qRT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, western blot and virus isolation. Clinical signs included oral mucosal reddening, abundant mucus secretions, open-mouthed breathing, and anorexia. Histologic lesions included chronic-active mucinous rhinitis, stomatitis, tracheitis, esophagitis and proliferative interstitial pneumonia. Control snakes remained negative and free of clinical signs throughout the experiment. Our findings establish a causal relationship between nidovirus infection and respiratory disease in ball pythons and shed light on disease progression and transmission. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Lifebox | Wilson | Southern African Journal of Anaesthesia and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Southern African Journal of Anaesthesia and Analgesia. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 18, No 1 (2012) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register · Download this PDF file. The PDF ...

  12. Editorial | Borges | Southern African Journal of Anaesthesia and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Southern African Journal of Anaesthesia and Analgesia. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 23, No 3 (2017) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register · Download this PDF file. The PDF ...

  13. Using Python as a first programming environment for computational physics in developing countries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akpojotor, Godfrey; Ehwerhemuepha, Louis; Echenim, Myron; Akpojotor, Famous

    2011-03-01

    Python unique features such its interpretative, multiplatform and object oriented nature as well as being a free and open source software creates the possibility that any user connected to the internet can download the entire package into any platform, install it and immediately begin to use it. Thus Python is gaining reputation as a preferred environment for introducing students and new beginners to programming. Therefore in Africa, the Python African Tour project has been launched and we are coordinating its use in computational science. We examine here the challenges and prospects of using Python for computational physics (CP) education in developing countries (DC). Then we present our project on using Python to simulate and aid the learning of laboratory experiments illustrated here by modeling of the simple pendulum and also to visualize phenomena in physics illustrated here by demonstrating the wave motion of a particle in a varying potential. This project which is to train both the teachers and our students on CP using Python can easily be adopted in other DC.

  14. Editorial | Michell | Southern African Journal of Critical Care

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Southern African Journal of Critical Care. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 32, No 2 (2016) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register. Editorial. Lance Michell. Abstract. Care or burn in ...

  15. Extra-territorial African police and soldiers in Southern Rhodesia ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Southern Rhodesia were dominated by African men from neighbouring territories such as Nyasaland, Northern Rhodesia and Portuguese East Africa who had entered the regional migrant labour system. This included many with previous military experience. As the British South Africa Police (BSAP) evolved from a ...

  16. Starting infants on antiretroviral therapy | Clayden | Southern African ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 9, No 4 (2008) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register · Download this PDF file. The PDF file you selected ...

  17. SAFARI 2000 Estimated BVOC Emissions for Southern African Land Cover Types

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — ABSTRACT: Improved vegetation distribution and emission data for Africa south of the equator were developed for the Southern African Regional Science Initiative...

  18. A genomic portrait of haplotype diversity and signatures of selection in indigenous southern African populations.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emile R Chimusa

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available We report a study of genome-wide, dense SNP (∼ 900K and copy number polymorphism data of indigenous southern Africans. We demonstrate the genetic contribution to southern and eastern African populations, which involved admixture between indigenous San, Niger-Congo-speaking and populations of Eurasian ancestry. This finding illustrates the need to account for stratification in genome-wide association studies, and that admixture mapping would likely be a successful approach in these populations. We developed a strategy to detect the signature of selection prior to and following putative admixture events. Several genomic regions show an unusual excess of Niger-Kordofanian, and unusual deficiency of both San and Eurasian ancestry, which were considered the footprints of selection after population admixture. Several SNPs with strong allele frequency differences were observed predominantly between the admixed indigenous southern African populations, and their ancestral Eurasian populations. Interestingly, many candidate genes, which were identified within the genomic regions showing signals for selection, were associated with southern African-specific high-risk, mostly communicable diseases, such as malaria, influenza, tuberculosis, and human immunodeficiency virus/AIDs. This observation suggests a potentially important role that these genes might have played in adapting to the environment. Additionally, our analyses of haplotype structure, linkage disequilibrium, recombination, copy number variation and genome-wide admixture highlight, and support the unique position of San relative to both African and non-African populations. This study contributes to a better understanding of population ancestry and selection in south-eastern African populations; and the data and results obtained will support research into the genetic contributions to infectious as well as non-communicable diseases in the region.

  19. A genomic portrait of haplotype diversity and signatures of selection in indigenous southern African populations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chimusa, Emile R; Meintjies, Ayton; Tchanga, Milaine; Mulder, Nicola; Seoighe, Cathal; Seioghe, Cathal; Soodyall, Himla; Ramesar, Rajkumar

    2015-03-01

    We report a study of genome-wide, dense SNP (∼ 900K) and copy number polymorphism data of indigenous southern Africans. We demonstrate the genetic contribution to southern and eastern African populations, which involved admixture between indigenous San, Niger-Congo-speaking and populations of Eurasian ancestry. This finding illustrates the need to account for stratification in genome-wide association studies, and that admixture mapping would likely be a successful approach in these populations. We developed a strategy to detect the signature of selection prior to and following putative admixture events. Several genomic regions show an unusual excess of Niger-Kordofanian, and unusual deficiency of both San and Eurasian ancestry, which were considered the footprints of selection after population admixture. Several SNPs with strong allele frequency differences were observed predominantly between the admixed indigenous southern African populations, and their ancestral Eurasian populations. Interestingly, many candidate genes, which were identified within the genomic regions showing signals for selection, were associated with southern African-specific high-risk, mostly communicable diseases, such as malaria, influenza, tuberculosis, and human immunodeficiency virus/AIDs. This observation suggests a potentially important role that these genes might have played in adapting to the environment. Additionally, our analyses of haplotype structure, linkage disequilibrium, recombination, copy number variation and genome-wide admixture highlight, and support the unique position of San relative to both African and non-African populations. This study contributes to a better understanding of population ancestry and selection in south-eastern African populations; and the data and results obtained will support research into the genetic contributions to infectious as well as non-communicable diseases in the region.

  20. Ascaridosis in captive reticulated python( Python reticulatus ) | Taiwo ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Two captive reticulated pythons, Python reticulatus, in the Zoological Gardens, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria died and were submitted for necropsy at the Diagnostic Laboratory of the Department of Veterinary Pathology, University of Ibadan. Both pythons had been infected with Ascaridia galli for a long period of time ...

  1. Pythons in Burma: Short-tailed python (Reptilia: Squamata)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zug, George R.; Gotte, Steve W.; Jacobs, Jeremy F.

    2011-01-01

    Short-tailed pythons, Python curtus species group, occur predominantly in the Malayan Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo. The discovery of an adult female in Mon State, Myanmar, led to a review of the distribution of all group members (spot-mapping of all localities of confirmed occurrence) and an examination of morphological variation in P. brongersmai. The resulting maps demonstrate a limited occurrence of these pythons within peninsular Malaya, Sumatra, and Borneo with broad absences in these regions. Our small samples limit the recognition of regional differentiation in the morphology of P. brongersmai populations; however, the presence of unique traits in the Myanmar python and its strong allopatry indicate that it is a unique genetic lineage, and it is described as Python kyaiktiyo new species.

  2. SAFARI 2000 Estimated BVOC Emissions for Southern African Land Cover Types

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Improved vegetation distribution and emission data for Africa south of the equator were developed for the Southern African Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI 2000)...

  3. Aspidonepsis (Asclepiadaceae, a new southern African genus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Nicholas

    1992-10-01

    Full Text Available Aspidonepsis, an endemic southern African genus, is described and compared to the closely allied genus Aspidoglossum. This newly described genus is composed of two subgenera, Aspidonepsis and Unguilobium. consisting of three and two species respectively.  Asclepias diploglossa, A. flava, A. cognata and A. reneensis are transferred to Aspidonepsis. and A. shebae is newly described. All species are discussed, illustrated and a key is given to aid in their identification.

  4. Pro Python

    CERN Document Server

    Alchin, Marty

    2010-01-01

    You've learned the basics of Python, but how do you take your skills to the next stage? Even if you know enough to be productive, there are a number of features that can take you to the next level in Python. Pro Python explores concepts and features normally left to experimentation, allowing you to be even more productive and creative. In addition to pure code concerns, Pro Python will develop your programming techniques and approaches, which will help make you a better Python programmer. Not only will this book help your code, it will also help you understand and interact with the many establ

  5. The Southern African Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI 2000). Dry-Season Campaign: An Overview

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swap, R. J.; Annegarn, H. J.; Suttles, J. T.; Haywood, J.; Hely, C.; Hobbs, P. V.; Holben, B. N.; Ji, J.; King, M. D.; Bhartia, P. K. (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    The Southern African Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI 2000) is an international science project investigating the southern African earth-atmosphere-human system. The experiment was conducted over a two-year period March 1999 - March 2001. The dry season field campaign (August-Steptember 2000) was the most intensive activity and involving over 200 scientists from 18 different nations. The main objectives of this campaign were to characterize and quantify the biogenic, pyrogenic and anthropogenic aerosol and trace gas emissions and their transport and transformations in the atmosphere and to validate the NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) satellite Terra within a scientific context. Five aircraft, namely two South African Weather Service aircraft, University of Washington CV-580, the UK Meteorological Office C-130 and the NASA ER-2, with different altitude capabilities, participated in the campaign. Additional airborne sampling of southern African air masses that had moved downwind of the subcontinent was conducted by the CSIRO over Australia. Multiple observations were taken in various sectors for a variety of synoptic conditions. Flight missions were designed to maximize synchronous over-flights of the NASA TERRA satellite platform, above regional ground validation and science targets. Numerous smaller-scale ground validation activities took place throughout the region during the campaign period.

  6. A nurse's perspective on the ART rollout | Tito | Southern African ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 15, No 1 (2014) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  7. Reflections on six years in paediatric ART | Moore | Southern African ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 15, No 1 (2014) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  8. Ecological correlates of invasion impact for Burmese pythons in Florida

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reed, R.N.; Willson, J.D.; Rodda, G.H.; Dorcas, M.E.

    2012-01-01

    An invasive population of Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) is established across several thousand square kilometers of southern Florida and appears to have caused precipitous population declines among several species of native mammals. Why has this giant snake had such great success as an invasive species when many established reptiles have failed to spread? We scored the Burmese python for each of 15 literature-based attributes relative to predefined comparison groups from a diverse range of taxa and provide a review of the natural history and ecology of Burmese pythons relevant to each attribute. We focused on attributes linked to spread and magnitude of impacts rather than establishment success. Our results suggest that attributes related to body size and generalism appeared to be particularly applicable to the Burmese python's success in Florida. The attributes with the highest scores were: high reproductive potential, low vulnerability to predation, large adult body size, large offspring size and high dietary breadth. However, attributes of ectotherms in general and pythons in particular (including predatory mode, energetic efficiency and social interactions) might have also contributed to invasion success. Although establishment risk assessments are an important initial step in prevention of new establishments, evaluating species in terms of their potential for spreading widely and negatively impacting ecosystems might become part of the means by which resource managers prioritize control efforts in environments with large numbers of introduced species.

  9. Post-exposure prophylaxis | Smith | Southern African Journal of HIV ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 2, No 1 (2001) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register. Post-exposure prophylaxis. C Smith. Abstract.

  10. Echolocation caBs of twenty southern African bat species

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    all species, and added that intensity and harmonic information. (not available through ANABAT recordings) would have proved useful for identification. The aim of this study is to present new echolocation data for. 20 southern African species using a time-expansion Petters- son D980 bat detector, particularly with the view to ...

  11. Extension systems in Southern African countries: A review | Oladele ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This paper reviews extension systems in selected southern African countries with a view of identifying the features of the systems and how they have been able to reach their target audience. Some of the features are use of committees for research and extension linkages, involvement of NGOs and private sector, the use ...

  12. Running the rat race | Pearce | Southern African Journal of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Southern African Journal of Anaesthesia and Analgesia. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 20, No 1 (2014) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register · Download this PDF file. The PDF ...

  13. Running the rat race | Pearce | Southern African Journal of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Southern African Journal of Anaesthesia and Analgesia. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 20, No 1 (2014) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register. Running the rat race. W Pearce ...

  14. Southern African Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI 2000): wet season campaigns

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Otter, LB

    2002-03-01

    Full Text Available The Southern African Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI 2000) involved two wet season and one dry season field campaigns. This paper reports on the wet season campaigns. The first was conducted at five sites along the Kalahari Transect in Zambia...

  15. Humoral regulation of heart rate during digestion in pythons (Python molurus and Python regius).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Enok, Sanne; Simonsen, Lasse Stærdal; Pedersen, Signe Vesterskov; Wang, Tobias; Skovgaard, Nini

    2012-05-15

    Pythons exhibit a doubling of heart rate when metabolism increases several times during digestion. Pythons, therefore, represent a promising model organism to study autonomic cardiovascular regulation during the postprandial state, and previous studies show that the postprandial tachycardia is governed by a release of vagal tone as well as a pronounced stimulation from nonadrenergic, noncholinergic (NANC) factors. Here we show that infusion of plasma from digesting donor pythons elicit a marked tachycardia in fasting snakes, demonstrating that the NANC factor resides in the blood. Injections of the gastrin and cholecystokinin receptor antagonist proglumide had no effect on double-blocked heart rate or blood pressure. Histamine has been recognized as a NANC factor in the early postprandial period in pythons, but the mechanism of its release has not been identified. Mast cells represent the largest repository of histamine in vertebrates, and it has been speculated that mast cells release histamine during digestion. Treatment with the mast cell stabilizer cromolyn significantly reduced postprandial heart rate in pythons compared with an untreated group but did not affect double-blocked heart rate. While this study indicates that histamine induces postprandial tachycardia in pythons, its release during digestion is not stimulated by gastrin or cholecystokinin nor is its release from mast cells a stimulant of postprandial tachycardia.

  16. Python algorithms mastering basic algorithms in the Python language

    CERN Document Server

    Hetland, Magnus Lie

    2014-01-01

    Python Algorithms, Second Edition explains the Python approach to algorithm analysis and design. Written by Magnus Lie Hetland, author of Beginning Python, this book is sharply focused on classical algorithms, but it also gives a solid understanding of fundamental algorithmic problem-solving techniques. The book deals with some of the most important and challenging areas of programming and computer science in a highly readable manner. It covers both algorithmic theory and programming practice, demonstrating how theory is reflected in real Python programs. Well-known algorithms and data struc

  17. Programming Python

    CERN Document Server

    Lutz, Mark

    2011-01-01

    If you've mastered Python's fundamentals, you're ready to start using it to get real work done. Programming Python will show you how, with in-depth tutorials on the language's primary application domains: system administration, GUIs, and the Web. You'll also explore how Python is used in databases, networking, front-end scripting layers, text processing, and more. This book focuses on commonly used tools and libraries to give you a comprehensive understanding of Python's many roles in practical, real-world programming. You'll learn language syntax and programming techniques in a clear and co

  18. Learning Python

    CERN Document Server

    Lutz, Mark

    2009-01-01

    Google and YouTube use Python because it's highly adaptable, easy to maintain, and allows for rapid development. If you want to write high-quality, efficient code that's easily integrated with other languages and tools, this hands-on book will help you be productive with Python quickly -- whether you're new to programming or just new to Python. It's an easy-to-follow self-paced tutorial, based on author and Python expert Mark Lutz's popular training course. Each chapter contains a stand-alone lesson on a key component of the language, and includes a unique Test Your Knowledge section with p

  19. Notes on the activity patterns of 12 species of southern African ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    southern African rodents and a new design of activity monitor. M.R. Perrin ... while nocturnal ism in (arboreal) Graphlurus murlnus is believed to . reduce competition with ... It has a wide ap- plication in small mammal behavioural studies. The.

  20. Southern African Phanerozoic Carbonatites: Perspectives on Their Sources and Petrogeneses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Janney, P. E.; Ogungbuyi, P. I.; Marageni, M.; Harris, C.; Reid, D. L.

    2017-12-01

    Found worldwide, carbonatites are particularly numerous in southern Africa and reflect one expression of abundant intraplate alkaline magmatism of Proterozoic to Paleogene age in the region. Phanerozoic southern African carbonatites tend to be concentrated near the margins of the continent (especially the western margin), and near the East African Rift, and often occur in discrete magmatic lineations also containing kimberlites, melilitites, nephelinites and differentiated silica-undersaturated rocks such as phonolites and syenites. We present a synthesis of geochemical and radiogenic and stable isotope results for southern African carbonatites, including new trace element and isotope data from four Phanerozoic carbonatite complexes in South Africa and Namibia: Marinkas Quellen (MQ; southernmost Namibia, ≈525 Ma), Saltpeterkop (SPK; near Sutherland, South Africa, 74 Ma), Zandkopsdrift (ZKD; near Garies, South Africa, 55 Ma, a major REE deposit in development), and Dicker Willem (DW; near Aus, southern Namibia, 49 Ma). All are located in the Early-mid Proterozoic Namaqua-Natal mobile belt. These carbonatite complexes are each associated with linear, NE-SW oriented magmatic provinces, i.e., the Kuboos-Bremen Line of felsic alkaline intrusions and ultramafic lamprophyres (MQ); the Western Cape olivine melilitite province (SPK); the Namaqualand-Bushmanland-Warmbad province of olivine melilitites and kimberlites (ZKD) and the Schwarzeberg-Klinghardt-Gibeon swarm of nephelinites, phonolites and kimberlites (DW), the latter three provinces are of Paleogene to Late Cretaceous age and are clearly age progressive. Each of the four carbonatite complexes contain silica-undersaturated igneous rocks such as potassic trachyte (MQ, SPK & DW), alkaline lamprophyre (ZKD), ijolite (MQ & DW) and olivine melilitite (ZKD and SPK). Most also contain hybrid silicate-carbonate igneous rocks with <35 wt.% SiO2 and ≥20 wt.% CO2 such as nepheline sövite (DW), aillikite (ZKD) and other

  1. Head First Python

    CERN Document Server

    Barry, Paul

    2010-01-01

    Ever wished you could learn Python from a book? Head First Python is a complete learning experience for Python that helps you learn the language through a unique method that goes beyond syntax and how-to manuals, helping you understand how to be a great Python programmer. You'll quickly learn the language's fundamentals, then move onto persistence, exception handling, web development, SQLite, data wrangling, and Google App Engine. You'll also learn how to write mobile apps for Android, all thanks to the power that Python gives you. We think your time is too valuable to waste struggling with

  2. Electricity supply and demand scenarios for the Southern African power pool

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Spalding-Fecher, R

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available The study presents long-term electricity supply and demand scenarios for the twelve countries in the Southern African Power Pool, based on detailed bottom-up demand analysis for all countries and a set of internally consistent development scenarios...

  3. 21st Century African Philosophy of Adult and Human Resource Education in Southern Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mutamba, Charlene

    2012-01-01

    This paper will attempt to define a philosophy of adult education for the purpose of workforce development in Southern Africa. The different influences such as Ubuntu and communalism, indigenous education, diversity western philosophy, globalization and technology are explored in the context of the Southern African region.

  4. Salinity ranges of some southern African fish species occurring in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The recorded salinity ranges of 96 fish species occurring in southern African estuaries are documented. Factors influen- cing the tolerance of fishes to low and high salinity regimes are discussed, with most species tolerant of low rather than high salinity conditions. This is important since most systems are subject to periodic ...

  5. Dive Into Python 3

    CERN Document Server

    Pilgrim, Mark

    2009-01-01

    Mark Pilgrim's Dive Into Python 3 is a hands-on guide to Python 3 (the latest version of the Python language) and its differences from Python 2. As in the original book, Dive Into Python, each chapter starts with a real, complete code sample, proceeds to pick it apart and explain the pieces, and then puts it all back together in a summary at the end. This book includes: * Example programs completely rewritten to illustrate powerful new concepts now available in Python 3: sets, iterators, generators, closures, comprehensions, and much more* A detailed case study of porting a major library from

  6. Endocardial fibrosarcoma in a reticulated python (Python reticularis).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gumber, Sanjeev; Nevarez, Javier G; Cho, Doo-Youn

    2010-11-01

    A female, reticulated python (Python reticularis) of unknown age was presented with a history of lethargy, weakness, and distended coelom. Physical examination revealed severe dystocia and stomatitis. The reticulated python was euthanized due to a poor clinical prognosis. Postmortem examination revealed marked distention of the reproductive tract with 26 eggs (10-12 cm in diameter), pericardial effusion, and a slightly firm, pale tan mass (3-4 cm in diameter) adhered to the endocardium at the base of aorta. Based on histopathologic and transmission electron microscopic findings, the diagnosis of endocardial fibrosarcoma was made.

  7. Southern African Power Pool: Planning and Prospects for Renewable Energy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miketa, Asami [IRENA, Bonn (Germany); Merven, Bruno [Energy Research Centre, Univ. of Cape Town (South Africa)

    2013-06-25

    With the energy systems of many African countries dominated by fossil-fuel sources that are vulnerable to global price volatility, regional and intra-continental power systems with high shares of renewable energy can provide least-cost option to support continued economic growth and address the continent’s acute energy access problem. Unlocking Africa’s huge renewable energy potential could help to take many people out of poverty, while ensuring the uptake of sustainable technologies for the continent’s long-term development. The report examines the ''renewable scenario'' based on a modelling tool developed by IRENA and tested in cooperation with the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Initial results from the System Planning and Test (SPLAT) model show that the share of renewable technologies in Southern Africa could increase from the current 10% to as much as 46% in 2030, with 20% of decentralised capacity coming from renewable sources and nearly 80% of the envisaged capacity additions between 2010 and 2030 being provided by renewable energy technologies. Deployment and export of hydropower from the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Inga hydropower project to the SADC region would significantly reduce average electricity generation costs. Analysis using SPLAT – along with a similar model developed for West Africa – can provide valuable input for regional dialogue and energy projects such as the East and Southern Africa Clean Energy Corridor and the Programme for Infrastructure and Development in Africa (PIDA). IRENA, together with partner organisations, has started plans to set up capacity building and development support for energy system modelling and planning for greater integration of renewables in Africa. IRENA is also completing a similar model and study for East Africa and intends to extend this work to Central and North Africa.

  8. X Python reference manual

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    K.S. Mullender (Sjoerd)

    1995-01-01

    textabstractThis document describes the built-in types, exceptions, and functions of the X windows extension to Python. It assumes basic knowledge about the Python language and access to the X windows documentation. For an informal introduction to the language, see the Python Tutorial. The Python

  9. The spectacle of the ball python (Python regius)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Da Silva, Mari-Ann Otkjær; Heegaard, Steffen; Wang, Tobias

    2014-01-01

    A detailed morphological description of the spectacle of the ball python (Python regius) is provided. The eyes of 21 snakes were examined by light microscopy and/or transmission electron microscopy. Additionally, eyes of nine live snakes were examined using optical coherence tomography (OCT...

  10. Acariasis on pet Burmese python, Python molurus bivittatus in Malaysia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mariana, A; Vellayan, S; Halimaton, I; Ho, T M

    2011-03-01

    To identify the acari present on pet Burmese pythons in Malaysia and to determine whether there is any potential public health risk related to handling of the snakes. Two sub-adult Burmese pythons kept as pets for a period of about 6 to 7 months by different owners, were brought to an exotic animal practice for treatment. On a complete medical examination, some ticks and mites (acari) were detected beneath the dorsal and ventral scales along body length of the snakes. Ticks were directly identified and mites were mounted prior to identification. A total of 12 ticks represented by 3 males, 2 females and 7 nymphal stages of Rhipicephalus sanguineus (R. sanguineus) were extracted from the first python while the other one was with 25 female Ophionyssus natricis (O. natricis) mesostigmatid mites. Only adult female mites were found. These mites are common ectoparasites of Burmese pythons. Both the acarine species found on the Burmese pythons are known vectors of pathogens. This is the first record that R. sanguineus has been reported from a pet Burmese python in Malaysia. Copyright © 2011 Hainan Medical College. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. In vitro determination of the anti-aging potential of four southern African medicinal plants

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Ndlovu, G

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available southern African medicinal plants; Clerodendrum glabrum, Schotia brachypetala, Psychotria capensis and Peltophorum africanum, were investigated to assess their anti-aging properties....

  12. A Southern African positron beam

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Britton, D.T.; Haerting, M.; Teemane, M.R.B.; Mills, S.; Nortier, F.M.; Van der Walt, T.N.

    1997-01-01

    The first stage of a state of the art positron beam, being constructed at the University of Cape Town, is currently being brought into operation. This is the first positron beam on the African continent, as well as being the first positron beam dedicated to solid and surface studies in the southern hemisphere. The project also contains a high proportion of local development, including the encapsulated 22 Na positron source developed by our collaboration. Novel features in the design include a purely magnetic in-line deflector, working in the solenoidal guiding field, to eliminate unmoderated positrons and block the direct line of sight to the source. A combined magnetic projector and single pole probe forming lens is being implemented in the second phase of construction to achieve a spot size of 10 μm without remoderation

  13. Adventures in Python

    CERN Document Server

    Richardson, Craig

    2015-01-01

    The complete beginner's guide to Python, for young people whowant to start today Adventures in Python is designed for 11-to 15-year oldswho want to teach themselves Python programming, but don't knowwhere to start. Even if you have no programming experience at all,this easy to follow format and clear, simple instruction will getyou up and running quickly. The book walks you through nineprojects that teach you the fundamentals of programming in general,and Python in particular, gradually building your skills until youhave the confidence and ability to tackle your own projects. Videoclips accom

  14. Mainstreaming biodiversity and wildlife management into climate change policy frameworks in selected east and southern African countries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olga L. Kupika

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available The Rio+20 outcomes document, the Future We Want, enshrines green economy as one of the platforms to attain sustainable development and calls for measures that seek to address climate change and biodiversity management. This paper audits climate change policies from selected east and southern African countries to determine the extent to which climate change legislation mainstreams biodiversity and wildlife management. A scan of international, continental, regional and national climate change policies was conducted to assess whether they include biodiversity and/or wildlife management issues. The key finding is that many climate change policy–related documents, particularly the National Adaptation Programme of Actions (NAPAs, address threats to biodiversity and wildlife resources. However, international policies like the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and Kyoto Protocol do not address the matter under deliberation. Regional climate change policies such as the East African Community, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa and African Union address biodiversity and/or wildlife issues whilst the Southern African Development Community region does not have a stand-alone policy for climate change. Progressive countries like Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia have recently put in place detailed NAPAs which are mainstream responsive strategies intended to address climate change adaptation in the wildlife sector. Keywords: mainstreaming, biodiversity, wildlife, climate change policy, east and southern Africa

  15. Review of Southern African Studies - Vol 12, No 1-2 (2008)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    History of Electricity in Lesotho and The Place of 'Muela Hydropower Plant in The Wider Context of The Southern African Power Pool · EMAIL FULL TEXT EMAIL FULL TEXT · DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT. T Tsikoane. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/rosas.v12i1-2.53640 ...

  16. Genetics and southern African prehistory: an archaeological view.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitchell, Peter

    2010-01-01

    Southern African populations speaking languages that are often - but inaccurately - grouped together under the label 'Khoisan' are an important focus of molecular genetic research, not least in tracking the early stages of human genetic diversification. This paper reviews these studies from an archaeological standpoint, concentrating on modern human origins, the introduction of pastoralism to southern Africa and admixture between the region's indigenous foragers and incoming Bantu-speaking farmers. To minimise confusion and facilitate correlation with anthropological, linguistic and archaeological data it emphasises the need to use ethnolinguistic labels accurately and with due regard for the particular histories of individual groups. It also stresses the geographically and culturally biased nature of the genetic studies undertaken to date, which employ data from only a few 'Khoisan' groups. Specific topics for which the combined deployment of genetic and archaeological methods would be particularly useful include the early history of Ju-Hoan- and Tuu-speaking hunter-gatherers, the expansion of Khoe-speaking populations, the chronology of genetic exchange between hunter-gatherers and farmers, and the origins of the Sotho/Tswana- and Nguni-speaking populations that dominate much of southern Africa today.

  17. Python pocket reference

    CERN Document Server

    Lutz, Mark

    2010-01-01

    This is the book to reach for when you're coding on the fly and need an answer now. It's an easy-to-use reference to the core language, with descriptions of commonly used modules and toolkits, and a guide to recent changes, new features, and upgraded built-ins -- all updated to cover Python 3.X as well as version 2.6. You'll also quickly find exactly what you need with the handy index. Written by Mark Lutz -- widely recognized as the world's leading Python trainer -- Python Pocket Reference, Fourth Edition, is the perfect companion to O'Reilly's classic Python tutorials, also written by Mark

  18. Python profiling 101

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva

    2014-01-01

    Python code is much easier to write than C, yet much less efficient. It's often assumed that Python is not performance-oriented and therefore making effort to optimize it doesn't pay off. While in many cases it's true, at a certain moment of a development, especially right before reaching production-ready state, it might turn out that a Python code runs slowly and one needs to find a culprit. In this talk I'll not tell how to make your program faster. Instead, I'll show different techniques to look for the bottlenecks in the code. The presentation will be built around a live demo using real-life Python code.

  19. Learning Python network programming

    CERN Document Server

    Sarker, M O Faruque

    2015-01-01

    If you're a Python developer or a system administrator with Python experience and you're looking to take your first steps in network programming, then this book is for you. Basic knowledge of Python is assumed.

  20. Multiple origins of polyploidy in the phylogeny of southern African barbs (Cyprinidae) as inferred from mtDNA markers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsigenopoulos, C S; Ráb, P; Naran, D; Berrebi, P

    2002-06-01

    The cyprinid genus Barbus, with more than 800 nominal species, is an apparently polyphyletic assemblage to which a number of unrelated species, groups and/or assemblages have been assigned. It includes species that exhibit three different ploidy levels: diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid. Several lineages of the family Cyprinidae constitute a major component of the African freshwater ichthyofauna, having about 500 species, and fishes assigned to the genus 'Barbus' have the most species on the continent. We used complete sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene in order to infer phylogenetic relationships between diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid species of 'Barbus' occurring in southern Africa, the only region where representatives of all of the three ploidy levels occur. The results indicate that most of the lineages are incorrectly classified in the genus 'Barbus'. The southern African tetraploids probably originated from southern African diploids. They constitute a monophyletic group distinct from tetraploids occurring in the Euro-Mediterranean region (Barbus sensu stricto). The 'small' African diploid species seem to be paraphyletic, while the 'large' African hexaploid barbs species are of a single, recent origin and form a monophyletic group. The evidence of multiple, independent origins of polyploidy occurring in the African cyprinine cyprinids thus provides a significant contribution to the knowledge on the systematic diversity of these fishes, and warrants a thorough taxonomic reorganization of the genus.

  1. Developers@CERN Forums: Python

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva

    2016-01-01

    The Developers@CERN Forums second edition took place at the end of May on the topic of Python. How do developers at CERN interact with Python? Which cutting-edge projects are using Python? What were the highlights of this most recent forum?

  2. Reconsidering the origins of the Southern African regionalism thirty years later: towards a constructivist approach to the origins of SADC

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José Abel Moma

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The creation of SADCC has generated a debate over the real origins of the southern African model of regionalism. This paper develops the idea that the origins of SADC are both internal and external. Thus, southern African regionalism is understood as a constructivist articulation of internal and external inputs, which determined the creation of SADCC and its transformation into SADC.

  3. Python in a nutshell

    CERN Document Server

    Martelli, Alex; Holden, Steve

    2016-01-01

    Useful in many roles, from design and prototyping to testing, deployment, and maintenance, Python is consistently ranked among today’s most popular programming languages. The third edition of this practical book provides a quick reference to the language—including Python 3.5, 2.7, and highlights of 3.6—commonly used areas of its vast standard library, and some of the most useful third-party modules and packages. Ideal for programmers with some Python experience, and those coming to Python from other programming languages, this book covers a wide range of application areas, including web and network programming, XML handling, database interactions, and high-speed numeric computing. Discover how Python provides a unique mix of elegance, simplicity, practicality, and sheer power.

  4. The Southern African Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI 2000): Overview of the Dry Season Field Campaign

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swap, R. J.; Annegarn, H. J.; Suttles, J. T.; Haywood, J.; Helmlinger, M. C.; Hely, C.; Hobbs, P. V.; Holben, B. N.; Ji, J.; King, M. D.

    2002-01-01

    The Southern African Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI 2000) is an international project investigating the earth atmosphere -human system in southern Africa. The programme was conducted over a two year period from March 1999 to March 2001. The dry season field campaign (August-September 2000) was the most intensive activity involved over 200 scientist from eighteen countries. The main objectives were to characterize and quantify biogenic, pyrogenic and anthropogenic aerosol and trace gas emissions and their transport and transformations in the atmosphere and to validate NASA's Earth Observing System's Satellite Terra within a scientific context. Five aircraft-- two South African Weather Service Aeorcommanders, the University of Washington's CV-880, the U.K. Meteorological Office's C-130, and NASA's ER-2 --with different altitude capabilities, participated in the campaign. Additional airborne sampling of southern African air masses, that had moved downwind of the subcontinent, was conducted by the CSIRO over Australia. Multiple Observations were made in various geographical sections under different synoptic conditions. Airborne missions were designed to optimize the value of synchronous over-flights of the Terra Satellite platform, above regional ground validation and science targets. Numerous smaller scale ground validation activities took place throughout the subcontinent during the campaign period.

  5. Genetic structure of drone congregation areas of Africanized honeybees in southern Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thais Collet

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available As yet, certain aspects of the Africanization process are not well understood, for example, the reproductive behavior of African and European honeybees and how the first Africanized swarms were formed and spread. Drone congregation areas (DCAs are the ideal place to study honeybee reproduction under natural conditions since hundreds of drones from various colonies gather together in the same geographical area for mating. In the present study, we assessed the genetic structure of seven drone congregations and four commercial European-derived and Africanized apiaries in southern Brazil, employing seven microsatellite loci for this purpose. We also estimated the number of mother-colonies that drones of a specific DCA originated from. Pairwise comparison failed to reveal any population sub-structuring among the DCAs, thus indicating low mutual genetic differentiation. We also observed high genetic similarity between colonies of commercial apiaries and DCAs, besides a slight contribution from a European-derived apiary to a DCA formed nearby. Africanized DCAs seem to have a somewhat different genetic structure when compared to the European.

  6. Genetic structure of drone congregation areas of Africanized honeybees in southern Brazil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collet, Thais; Cristino, Alexandre Santos; Quiroga, Carlos Fernando Prada; Soares, Ademilson Espencer Egea; Del Lama, Marco Antônio

    2009-10-01

    As yet, certain aspects of the Africanization process are not well understood, for example, the reproductive behavior of African and European honeybees and how the first Africanized swarms were formed and spread. Drone congregation areas (DCAs) are the ideal place to study honeybee reproduction under natural conditions since hundreds of drones from various colonies gather together in the same geographical area for mating. In the present study, we assessed the genetic structure of seven drone congregations and four commercial European-derived and Africanized apiaries in southern Brazil, employing seven microsatellite loci for this purpose. We also estimated the number of mother-colonies that drones of a specific DCA originated from. Pairwise comparison failed to reveal any population sub-structuring among the DCAs, thus indicating low mutual genetic differentiation. We also observed high genetic similarity between colonies of commercial apiaries and DCAs, besides a slight contribution from a European-derived apiary to a DCA formed nearby. Africanized DCAs seem to have a somewhat different genetic structure when compared to the European.

  7. Python high performance programming

    CERN Document Server

    Lanaro, Gabriele

    2013-01-01

    An exciting, easy-to-follow guide illustrating the techniques to boost the performance of Python code, and their applications with plenty of hands-on examples.If you are a programmer who likes the power and simplicity of Python and would like to use this language for performance-critical applications, this book is ideal for you. All that is required is a basic knowledge of the Python programming language. The book will cover basic and advanced topics so will be great for you whether you are a new or a seasoned Python developer.

  8. Learning Python testing

    CERN Document Server

    Arbuckle, Daniel

    2014-01-01

    This book is ideal if you want to learn about the testing disciplines and automated testing tools from a hands-on, conversational guide. You should already know Python and be comfortable with Python 3.

  9. NEURON and Python.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hines, Michael L; Davison, Andrew P; Muller, Eilif

    2009-01-01

    The NEURON simulation program now allows Python to be used, alone or in combination with NEURON's traditional Hoc interpreter. Adding Python to NEURON has the immediate benefit of making available a very extensive suite of analysis tools written for engineering and science. It also catalyzes NEURON software development by offering users a modern programming tool that is recognized for its flexibility and power to create and maintain complex programs. At the same time, nothing is lost because all existing models written in Hoc, including graphical user interface tools, continue to work without change and are also available within the Python context. An example of the benefits of Python availability is the use of the xml module in implementing NEURON's Import3D and CellBuild tools to read MorphML and NeuroML model specifications.

  10. Python Integration with a Functional DBMS

    OpenAIRE

    Zou, Hanzheng

    2009-01-01

    Python is an Object Oriented programming language and widely used nowadays. This report describes how to extend a functional database system Amos II for integration with Python. Several possibilities are analyzed to combine the Amos II C external interfaces with those of Python. Based on these discussions, new functionality has been added to the Python language by implementing a Python C external module. A basic API called PyAmos, interfacing Python and Amos II, is proposed and implemented in...

  11. Functional Python programming

    CERN Document Server

    Lott, Steven

    2015-01-01

    This book is for developers who want to use Python to write programs that lean heavily on functional programming design patterns. You should be comfortable with Python programming, but no knowledge of functional programming paradigms is needed.

  12. Python data visualization cookbook

    CERN Document Server

    Milovanovic, Igor

    2013-01-01

    This book is written in a Cookbook style targeted towards an advanced audience. It covers the advanced topics of data visualization in Python.Python Data Visualization Cookbook is for developers that already know about Python programming in general. If you have heard about data visualization but you don't know where to start, then this book will guide you from the start and help you understand data, data formats, data visualization, and how to use Python to visualize data.You will need to know some general programming concepts, and any kind of programming experience will be helpful, but the co

  13. Beginning Python from novice to professional

    CERN Document Server

    Hetland, Magnus Lie

    2005-01-01

    ""Beginning Python: From Novice to Professional"" is the most comprehensive book on the Python ever written. Based on ""Practical Python,"" this newly revised book is both an introduction and practical reference for a swath of Python-related programming topics, including addressing language internals, database integration, network programming, and web services. Advanced topics, such as extending Python and packaging/distributing Python applications, are also covered. Ten different projects illustrate the concepts introduced in the book. You will learn how to create a P2P file-sharing applicati

  14. Python for Ecology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Python is a high-level scripting language that is becoming increasingly popular for scientific computing. This all-day workshop is designed to introduce the basics of Python programming to ecologists. Some scripting/programming experience is recommended (e.g. familiarity with R)....

  15. Python requests essentials

    CERN Document Server

    Chandra, Rakesh Vidya

    2015-01-01

    If you are a Python administrator or developer interested in interacting with web APIs and have a passion for creating your own web applications, this is the book for you. Basic knowledge of Python programming, APIs, and web services will be an advantage.

  16. Python library reference

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    G. van Rossum (Guido)

    1995-01-01

    textabstractPython is an extensible, interpreted, object-oriented programming language. It supports a wide range of applications, from simple text processing scripts to interactive WWW browsers. While the Python Reference Manual describes the exact syntax and semantics of the language, it does not

  17. Python geospatial development essentials

    CERN Document Server

    Bahgat, Karim

    2015-01-01

    This book is ideal for Python programmers who are tasked with or wish to make a special-purpose GIS application. Analysts, political scientists, geographers, and GIS specialists seeking a creative platform to experiment with cutting-edge spatial analysis, but who are still only beginners in Python, will also find this book beneficial. Familiarity with Tkinter application development in Python is preferable but not mandatory.

  18. HIV/TB: When is it safe to start HAART? | Wood | Southern African ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 9, No 4 (2008) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register · Download this PDF file. The PDF file you selected ...

  19. Python geospatial development

    CERN Document Server

    Westra, Erik

    2013-01-01

    This is a tutorial style book that will teach usage of Python tools for GIS using simple practical examples and then show you how to build a complete mapping application from scratch. The book assumes basic knowledge of Python. No knowledge of Open Source GIS is required.Experienced Python developers who want to learn about geospatial concepts, work with geospatial data, solve spatial problems, and build mapbased applications.This book will be useful those who want to get up to speed with Open Source GIS in order to build GIS applications or integrate GeoSpatial features into their existing ap

  20. Python to learn programming

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bogdanchikov, A.; Zhaparov, M.; Suliyev, R.

    2013-04-01

    Today we have a lot of programming languages that can realize our needs, but the most important question is how to teach programming to beginner students. In this paper we suggest using Python for this purpose, because it is a programming language that has neatly organized syntax and powerful tools to solve any task. Moreover it is very close to simple math thinking. Python is chosen as a primary programming language for freshmen in most of leading universities. Writing code in python is easy. In this paper we give some examples of program codes written in Java, C++ and Python language, and we make a comparison between them. Firstly, this paper proposes advantages of Python language in relation to C++ and JAVA. Then it shows the results of a comparison of short program codes written in three different languages, followed by a discussion on how students understand programming. Finally experimental results of students' success in programming courses are shown.

  1. Practical Maya programming with Python

    CERN Document Server

    Galanakis, Robert

    2014-01-01

    ""Practical Maya Programming with Python"" is a practical tutorial packed with plenty of examples and sample projects which guides you through building reusable, independent modules and handling unexpected errors. If you are a developer looking to build a powerful system using Python and Maya's capabilities, then this book is for you. Practical Maya Programming with Python is perfect for intermediate users with basic experience in Python and Maya who want to better their knowledge and skills.

  2. Enhanced OpenModelica Python Interface

    OpenAIRE

    Bajracharya, Sudeep

    2016-01-01

    OMPython is a Python library for OpenModelica, which provides a Python interface to OpenModelica. This thesis significantly improves OMPython by an enhanced, more powerful and easier to use API. It presents how a user can use the Python interface to simulate and access Modelica models using Python objects. The enhanced OMPython includes the list of functions that have been implemented such as getXXXNames(), getXXXValues(), setXXXValues(), getXXXOptions(), setXXXOptions(), and simulate(), etc....

  3. Python penetration testing essentials

    CERN Document Server

    Mohit

    2015-01-01

    If you are a Python programmer or a security researcher who has basic knowledge of Python programming and want to learn about penetration testing with the help of Python, this book is ideal for you. Even if you are new to the field of ethical hacking, this book can help you find the vulnerabilities in your system so that you are ready to tackle any kind of attack or intrusion.

  4. EPICS V4 in Python

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guobao Shen; Kraimer, M.; Davidsaver, M.

    2012-01-01

    At NSLS-II, Python has been selected as the primary development language for physics applications. Interest in Python as a rapid application development environment continues to grow. Many large experimental scientific facilities have adopted Python for beam commissioning and the operation. The EPICS control system framework has become the de facto standard for the control of large experimental facilities, where it is in use in over 100 facilities. The next version of EPICS (EPICS V4), under active development will extend the support for physics applications, data acquisition, and data analysis. Python support for EPICS V4 will provide an effective framework to address these requirements. This paper presents design, development and status of activities focused on EPICS V4 in Python

  5. Python pocket reference, version 2.4

    CERN Document Server

    Lutz, Mark

    2005-01-01

    Python is optimized for quality, productivity, portability, and integration. Hundreds of thousands of Python developers around the world rely on Python for general-purpose tasks, Internet scripting, systems programming, user interfaces, and product customization. Available on all major computing platforms, including commercial versions of Unix, Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X, Python is portable, powerful and remarkable easy to use. With its convenient, quick-reference format, Python Pocket Reference, 3rd Edition is the perfect on-the-job reference. More importantly, it's now been refreshed

  6. Python Introduction and Installation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    William J. Turkel

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available This first lesson in our section on dealing with Online Sources is designed to get you and your computer set up to start programming. We will focus on installing the relevant software – all free and reputable – and finally we will help you to get your toes wet with some simple programming that provides immediate results. In this opening module you will install the Python programming language, the Beautiful Soup HTML/XML parser, and a text editor. Screencaps provided here come from Komodo Edit, but you can use any text editor capable of working with Python. Here’s a list of other options: Python Editors. Once everything is installed, you will write your first programs, “Hello World” in Python and HTML.

  7. Learning Python design patterns

    CERN Document Server

    Zlobin, Gennadiy

    2013-01-01

    This book takes a tutorial-based and user-friendly approach to covering Python design patterns. Its concise presentation means that in a short space of time, you will get a good introduction to various design patterns.If you are an intermediate level Python user, this book is for you. Prior knowledge of Python programming is essential. Some knowledge of UML is also required to understand the UML diagrams which are used to describe some design patterns.

  8. Mastering object-oriented Python

    CERN Document Server

    Lott, Steven F

    2014-01-01

    This book follows a standard tutorial approach with approximately 750 code samples spread through the 19 chapters. This amounts to over 5,900 lines of code that illustrate each concept.This book is aimed at programmers who have already learned the basics of object-oriented Python and need to write more sophisticated, flexible code that integrates seamlessly with the rest of Python. This book assumes a computer science background, with experience of common Python design patterns.

  9. Python data analysis

    CERN Document Server

    Idris, Ivan

    2014-01-01

    This book is for programmers, scientists, and engineers who have knowledge of the Python language and know the basics of data science. It is for those who wish to learn different data analysis methods using Python and its libraries. This book contains all the basic ingredients you need to become an expert data analyst.

  10. Postprandial increase of oleoylethanolamide mobilization in small intestine of the Burmese python (Python molurus)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Astarita, Giuseppe; Rourke, Bryan C; Andersen, Johnnie Bremholm

    2006-01-01

    to the induction of between-meal satiety. Here we examined whether feeding-induced OEA mobilization also occurs in Burmese pythons (Python molurus), a species of ambush-hunting snakes that consumes huge meals after months of fasting and undergoes massive feeding-dependent changes in gastrointestinal hormonal...... release and gut morphology. Using liquid-chromatography/mass-spectrometry (LC/MS), we measured OEA levels in the gastrointestinal tract of fasted (28 days) and fed (48h after feeding) pythons. We observed a nearly 300-fold increase in OEA levels in the small intestine of fed compared to fasted animals......-unsaturated, but not polyunsaturated fatty-acid ethanolamides (FAE) in the small intestine of fed pythons. The identification of OEA and other FAEs in the gastrointestinal tract of Python molurus suggests that this class of lipid messengers may be widespread among vertebrate groups and may represent an evolutionarily ancient means...

  11. Amebiasis in four ball pythons, Python reginus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kojimoto, A; Uchida, K; Horii, Y; Okumura, S; Yamaguch, R; Tateyama, S

    2001-12-01

    Between September 13th and November 18th in 1999, four ball pythons, Python reginus kept in the same display, showed anorexia and died one after another. At necropsy, all four snakes had severe hemorrhagic colitis. Microscopically, all snakes had severe necrotizing hemorrhagic colitis, in association with ameba-like protozoa. Some of the protozoa had macrophage-like morphology and others formed protozoal cysts with thickened walls. These protozoa were distributed throughout the wall in the large intestine. Based on the pathological findings, these snakes were infested with a member of Entamoeba sp., presumably with infection by Entamoeba invadens, the most prevalent type of reptilian amoebae.

  12. Python at CERN

    CERN Multimedia

    Witowski, Sebastian

    2017-01-01

    The Large Hadron Collider at CERN is producing 600 million collisions every second. Only 1 in a million collisions is interesting. It requires a fast programming language to analyze and filter this amount of data. Is Python such a language? No, it’s not. Does it mean there is no place for Python in one of the largest scientific facilities in the world? Quite the contrary. The ease of use and a very low learning curve makes Python a perfect programming language for many physicists and other people without the computer science background. CERN does not only produce large amounts of data. The interesting bits of data have to be stored, analyzed, shared and published. Work of many scientists across various research facilities around the world has to be synchronized. This is the area where Python flourishes. And with CERN’s pursuit to create and use open source software, many interesting projects were born. To facilitate the analysis of data, ROOT framework [https://root.cern.ch/] was created. It’s a C++ fra...

  13. Hunter-gatherer genomic diversity suggests a southern African origin for modern humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henn, Brenna M; Gignoux, Christopher R; Jobin, Matthew; Granka, Julie M; Macpherson, J M; Kidd, Jeffrey M; Rodríguez-Botigué, Laura; Ramachandran, Sohini; Hon, Lawrence; Brisbin, Abra; Lin, Alice A; Underhill, Peter A; Comas, David; Kidd, Kenneth K; Norman, Paul J; Parham, Peter; Bustamante, Carlos D; Mountain, Joanna L; Feldman, Marcus W

    2011-03-29

    Africa is inferred to be the continent of origin for all modern human populations, but the details of human prehistory and evolution in Africa remain largely obscure owing to the complex histories of hundreds of distinct populations. We present data for more than 580,000 SNPs for several hunter-gatherer populations: the Hadza and Sandawe of Tanzania, and the ≠Khomani Bushmen of South Africa, including speakers of the nearly extinct N|u language. We find that African hunter-gatherer populations today remain highly differentiated, encompassing major components of variation that are not found in other African populations. Hunter-gatherer populations also tend to have the lowest levels of genome-wide linkage disequilibrium among 27 African populations. We analyzed geographic patterns of linkage disequilibrium and population differentiation, as measured by F(ST), in Africa. The observed patterns are consistent with an origin of modern humans in southern Africa rather than eastern Africa, as is generally assumed. Additionally, genetic variation in African hunter-gatherer populations has been significantly affected by interaction with farmers and herders over the past 5,000 y, through both severe population bottlenecks and sex-biased migration. However, African hunter-gatherer populations continue to maintain the highest levels of genetic diversity in the world.

  14. High-sodium food choices by southern, urban African Americans with heart failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kollipara, Usha K; Mo, Vivian; Toto, Kathleen H; Nelson, Lauren L; Schneider, Ruth A; Neily, Jennifer B; Drazner, Mark H

    2006-03-01

    Sodium restriction is important in the management of heart failure (HF). Although many low-sodium educational resources are available, few are directed specifically at urban African Americans. A registered dietitian prospectively interviewed 50 African-American and 25 white patients in an urban public hospital (derivation cohort) in Dallas, TX, using a food-frequency instrument that listed 146 food choices. Foods >300 mg sodium/serving consumed at least weekly by 50% of an ethnic group were classified as being a high-sodium core food for that group. Classification of foods (core or not core) was validated in a second African-American cohort (n = 144). Five high-sodium food choices were classified as core food in both the derivation and validation African-American cohorts (salt in cooking, canned vegetables, cheese, processed meats, and cold cereal) and another 3 when the derivation and validation cohorts were combined (fast food, fried chicken, and corn bread). Four of these 8 foods were not classified as core foods in whites. Eight high-sodium foods were frequently consumed by southern, urban African Americans with heart failure. Several of these foods were not commonly consumed by whites, emphasizing the need to be sensitive to ethnic differences in dietary habits when educating patients about sodium intake.

  15. Some southern African entry points into global history

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Neil Parsons

    2009-04-01

    Full Text Available So-called Global History has taken off in the Unites States to liberate undergraduates from Big Power parochialism, and has been the topic of a major conference held in London in May this year. The key element of Global Studies is to demonstrate the connectedness between different peoples and lands and periods of time. This paper is an attempt to crack the small-end of the egg by starting studies in one familiar region of the world, rather than the big-end approach of starting with general explanations or theory and then relating them back to particulars. It suggests three ways in which Southern Africa could be used as the starting point to throw more general light upon the world’s history. First, by taking cues from and asking questions about the latest genetic research which suggests that modern human population dispersal about 60 000 years ago began in Angola-Namibia frontier region. Second, by taking cues and asking questions about Indonesian contact with Africa and coastal settlement that may account for significant influences on southern African societies. Third, by tracing the biographies of real individuals whose careers encompass not only southern Africa but other parts of the world and in doing so demonstrate not only inter- connectedness of cultural, social, political and economic histories but also significant points of comparison in the experience of global trends and events.

  16. Improve projections of changes in southern African summer rainfall through comprehensive multi-timescale empirical statistical downscaling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dieppois, B.; Pohl, B.; Eden, J.; Crétat, J.; Rouault, M.; Keenlyside, N.; New, M. G.

    2017-12-01

    The water management community has hitherto neglected or underestimated many of the uncertainties in climate impact scenarios, in particular, uncertainties associated with decadal climate variability. Uncertainty in the state-of-the-art global climate models (GCMs) is time-scale-dependant, e.g. stronger at decadal than at interannual timescales, in response to the different parameterizations and to internal climate variability. In addition, non-stationarity in statistical downscaling is widely recognized as a key problem, in which time-scale dependency of predictors plays an important role. As with global climate modelling, therefore, the selection of downscaling methods must proceed with caution to avoid unintended consequences of over-correcting the noise in GCMs (e.g. interpreting internal climate variability as a model bias). GCM outputs from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 5 (CMIP5) have therefore first been selected based on their ability to reproduce southern African summer rainfall variability and their teleconnections with Pacific sea-surface temperature across the dominant timescales. In observations, southern African summer rainfall has recently been shown to exhibit significant periodicities at the interannual timescale (2-8 years), quasi-decadal (8-13 years) and inter-decadal (15-28 years) timescales, which can be interpret as the signature of ENSO, the IPO, and the PDO over the region. Most of CMIP5 GCMs underestimate southern African summer rainfall variability and their teleconnections with Pacific SSTs at these three timescales. In addition, according to a more in-depth analysis of historical and pi-control runs, this bias is might result from internal climate variability in some of the CMIP5 GCMs, suggesting potential for bias-corrected prediction based empirical statistical downscaling. A multi-timescale regression based downscaling procedure, which determines the predictors across the different timescales, has thus been used to

  17. Hemodynamic consequences of cardiac malformations in two juvenile ball pythons (Python regius).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jensen, Bjarke; Wang, Tobias

    2009-12-01

    Two cases of bifid ventricles and cardiac malformations in juvenile ball python (Python regius) were investigated by blood pressure measurements and macro- and microscopic sectioning. A study of a normal ball python was included for reference. In both cases, all cardiac chambers were enlarged and abnormally shaped. Internal assessment of the ventricles revealed a pronounced defect of the muscular ridge, which normally is responsible for separating the systemic and pulmonary circuits. Consistent with the small muscular ridge, systolic pressures were identical in the pulmonary and systemic arteries, but, the snakes, nevertheless, lived to reach body weights severalfold of their hatchling weight.

  18. Unilateral microphthalmia or anophthalmia in eight pythons (Pythonidae)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Da Silva, Mari-Ann Otkjær; Berthelsen, MF; Wang, T

    2015-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To provide morphological descriptions of microphthalmia or anophthalmia in eight pythons using microcomputerized tomography (μCT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and histopathology. ANIMALS STUDIED: Seven Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) and one ball python (P. regius) with clini......OBJECTIVE: To provide morphological descriptions of microphthalmia or anophthalmia in eight pythons using microcomputerized tomography (μCT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and histopathology. ANIMALS STUDIED: Seven Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) and one ball python (P. regius...... macroscopic anomalies. CONCLUSIONS: Eight pythons with unilateral left-sided microphthalmia or anophthalmia had one normal eye and a left orbit with malformed or incompletely developed ocular structures along with remnants of fetal structures. These cases lend further information to a condition that is often...

  19. Parallel programming with Python

    CERN Document Server

    Palach, Jan

    2014-01-01

    A fast, easy-to-follow and clear tutorial to help you develop Parallel computing systems using Python. Along with explaining the fundamentals, the book will also introduce you to slightly advanced concepts and will help you in implementing these techniques in the real world. If you are an experienced Python programmer and are willing to utilize the available computing resources by parallelizing applications in a simple way, then this book is for you. You are required to have a basic knowledge of Python development to get the most of this book.

  20. Python : the holy grail of programming

    CERN Multimedia

    2006-01-01

    From 3 to 5 July, CERN hosted the fifth EuroPython Conference bringing together 300 users of Python, an open source programming language, which is more and more appreciated, especially at CERN. The local organisation of Euopython 2006 was managed by a small team from the PH/SFT group. Above, David Quarrie presenting the use of Python in Atlas analyses. If you visited Building 40 at the beginning of July, you may have come across a long orange and yellow snake. This had no relation with the Football World Championship! It was just the mascot of the fifth EuroPython Conference that saw almost 300 software developers, designers and business people gathering at CERN for the annual meeting of the European Python community. Python is an open source programming language actively used in industry and academia for a wide variety of purposes. As CERN decided to host this conference, it is perhaps not surprising to learn that Python is increasingly used in our Laboratory in both computing and physics application domai...

  1. Report on the observed response of Javan lutungs (Trachypithecus auratus mauritius) upon encountering a reticulated python (Python reticulatus).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsuji, Yamato; Prayitno, Bambang; Suryobroto, Bambang

    2016-04-01

    We observed an encounter between a reticulated python (Python reticulatus) and a group of wild Javan lutungs (Trachypithecus auratus mauritius) at the Pangandaran Nature Reserve, West Java, Indonesia. A python (about 2 m in length) moved toward a group of lutungs in the trees. Upon seeing the python, an adult male and several adult female lutungs began to emit alarm calls. As the python approached, two adult and one sub-adult female jumped onto a branch near the python and began mobbing the python by shaking the branch. During the mobbing, other individuals in the group (including an adult lutung male) remained nearby but did not participate. The python then rolled into a ball-like shape and stopped moving, at which point the lutungs moved away. The total duration of the encounter was about 40 min, during which time the lutungs stopped feeding and grooming. Group cohesiveness during and after the encounter was greater than that before the encounter, indicating that lutungs adjust their daily activity in response to potential predation risk.

  2. Pynamic: the Python Dynamic Benchmark

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, G L; Ahn, D H; de Supinksi, B R; Gyllenhaal, J C; Miller, P J

    2007-07-10

    Python is widely used in scientific computing to facilitate application development and to support features such as computational steering. Making full use of some of Python's popular features, which improve programmer productivity, leads to applications that access extremely high numbers of dynamically linked libraries (DLLs). As a result, some important Python-based applications severely stress a system's dynamic linking and loading capabilities and also cause significant difficulties for most development environment tools, such as debuggers. Furthermore, using the Python paradigm for large scale MPI-based applications can create significant file IO and further stress tools and operating systems. In this paper, we present Pynamic, the first benchmark program to support configurable emulation of a wide-range of the DLL usage of Python-based applications for large scale systems. Pynamic has already accurately reproduced system software and tool issues encountered by important large Python-based scientific applications on our supercomputers. Pynamic provided insight for our system software and tool vendors, and our application developers, into the impact of several design decisions. As we describe the Pynamic benchmark, we will highlight some of the issues discovered in our large scale system software and tools using Pynamic.

  3. Installing Python Modules with pip

    OpenAIRE

    Fred Gibbs

    2013-01-01

    This lesson shows you how to download and install Python modules. There are many ways to install external modules, but for the purposes of this lesson, we’re going to use a program called pip. As of Python 2.7.9 and newer, pip is installed by default. This tutorial will be helpful for anyone using older versions of Python (which are still quite common).

  4. Diversity as a common research priority for Nordic and Southern African Universities

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Karen Bjerg

    This paper sets out to consider concepts of diversity as means to discuss and address the increasing diversity of modern societies and to reflect the development of research priorities for universities in Nordic and Southern African countries. Based on reconceptualisations of theoretical concepts...... like culture, multiculturalism and national identity the presentation will address and reflect upon how modern societies in South and North are becoming increasingly diverse with respect to demographic and ethno cultural composition of the population. The paper sets out to discuss how various European...... countries like e.g. Denmark have responded differently to diversification during the past decades. Based on this, challenges in deal-ing with diversity as a common research priority for Nordic and African universities will be shortly addressed....

  5. Reflection-Based Python-C++ Bindings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Generowicz, Jacek; Lavrijsen, Wim T.L.P.; Marino, Massimo; Mato, Pere

    2004-01-01

    Python is a flexible, powerful, high-level language with excellent interactive and introspective capabilities and a very clean syntax. As such, it can be a very effective tool for driving physics analysis. Python is designed to be extensible in low-level C-like languages, and its use as a scientific steering language has become quite widespread. To this end, existing and custom-written C or C++ libraries are bound to the Python environment as so-called extension modules. A number of tools for easing the process of creating such bindings exist, such as SWIG and Boost. Python. Yet, the process still requires a considerable amount of effort and expertise. The C++ language has few built-in introspective capabilities, but tools such as LCGDict and CINT add this by providing so-called dictionaries: libraries that contain information about the names, entry points, argument types, etc. of other libraries. The reflection information from these dictionaries can be used for the creation of bindings and so the process can be fully automated, as dictionaries are already provided for many end-user libraries for other purposes, such as object persistency. PyLCGDict is a Python extension module that uses LCG dictionaries, as PyROOT uses CINT reflection information, to allow /cwPython users to access C++ libraries with essentially no preparation on the users' behalf. In addition, and in a similar way, PyROOT gives ROOT users access to Python libraries

  6. An Investigation of the Migration of Africanized Honey Bees into the Southern United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Navarro, Hector

    1997-01-01

    It is estimated that Apis mellifera scutellata, a honey bee subspecies from Africa, now extends over a 20 million square kilometer range that includes much of South America and practically all of Central America, and recently has been introduced to the southern United States. African honeybees were introduced into Brazil in 1956 by a Brazilian geneticist, Mr. Warwick Kerr. At the insistence of the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, in 1957, 26 colonies were accidentally released in a eucalyptus forest outside S5o Paulo. The swelling front of the bees was recorded as traveling between 80 and 500 kilometers a year. David Roubik, one of the original killer bee team members estimated that there were one trillion individual Africanized/African honey bees in Latin America. An estimate that is thought to be conservative.

  7. Pro Python System Administration

    CERN Document Server

    Sileika, R

    2010-01-01

    As time goes on, system administrators are presented with increasingly complicated challenges. In the early days, a team of engineers might have had to look after one or two systems. These days, one engineer can administer hundreds or thousands of systems. System administrators are gradually replacing their tools with more advanced and flexible ones. One of the choices is Python. Structurally, Python is a modern, high-level language with a very clean syntax. Python comes with many built-in libraries that can make automation tasks easier. It also has extensive set of third-party libraries and a

  8. Aspects of potential climate change impacts on ports and maritime operations around the Southern African coast

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Rossouw, Marius

    2009-02-01

    Full Text Available to become available, and the resulting somewhat speculative discussions and predictions presented here are uncertain. Some important potential consequences of global warming on the southern African coast are highlighted, and there is presently a clear...

  9. MDSplus objects-Python implementation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fredian, T., E-mail: twf@psfc.mit.ed [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Plasma Science and Fusion Center, NW17-268, 175 Albany Street, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Stillerman, J. [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Plasma Science and Fusion Center, NW17-268, 175 Albany Street, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Manduchi, G. [Consorzio RFX, Euratom-ENEA Association, Corso Stati Uniti 4, Padova 35127 (Italy)

    2010-07-15

    MDSplus is a data acquisition and analysis software package used widely throughout the international fusion research community. During the past year, an important set of enhancements were designed under the project name of 'MDSobjects' which would provide a common, powerful application programming interface (API) to MDSplus in programming languages with object-oriented capabilities. This paper will discuss the Python language implementation of this API and some of the capabilities that this implementation provides for data storage and retrieval using the MDSplus system. We have implemented a new MDSplus Python module which exposes the MDSplus objects features to the language. The internal MDSplus programming language, TDI, has also been enhanced to be able to invoke Python commands from the TDI language. Now that Python is aware of the complex data structures in MDSplus such as Signals, the language becomes a very good candidate for applications ranging from data acquisition device support to analysis and visualization.

  10. MDSplus objects-Python implementation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fredian, T.; Stillerman, J.; Manduchi, G.

    2010-01-01

    MDSplus is a data acquisition and analysis software package used widely throughout the international fusion research community. During the past year, an important set of enhancements were designed under the project name of 'MDSobjects' which would provide a common, powerful application programming interface (API) to MDSplus in programming languages with object-oriented capabilities. This paper will discuss the Python language implementation of this API and some of the capabilities that this implementation provides for data storage and retrieval using the MDSplus system. We have implemented a new MDSplus Python module which exposes the MDSplus objects features to the language. The internal MDSplus programming language, TDI, has also been enhanced to be able to invoke Python commands from the TDI language. Now that Python is aware of the complex data structures in MDSplus such as Signals, the language becomes a very good candidate for applications ranging from data acquisition device support to analysis and visualization.

  11. Setting the agenda in emergency medicine in the southern African region: Conference assumptions and recommendations, Emergency Medicine Conference 2014: Gaborone, Botswana

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lloyd D. Christopher

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available The first international emergency medicine (EM conference in Botswana was held on 15th and 16th May 2014 at the Gaborone International Convention Centre. The support from key stakeholders positioned the conference, from its conception, to deliver expert guidance on emergency medicine relevance, education and systems implementation. The conference theme was aptly: “Setting the Agenda in Emergency Medicine in the Southern African Region.” Over 300 local, regional and international delegates convened to participate in this landmark event. Country representation included Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Lesotho, Nigeria and the United States of America. Conference assumptions intersected emergency care, African burden of injury and illness and the role of the state; the public protection ethic of emergency care, and the developmental, economic and health interest in promoting EM. The recommendations addressed emergency care relevance; health systems research as an imperative for emergency systems development in southern Africa; community agency as a requisite for emergency care resilience; emergency care workers as pivotal to the emergency medical system, and support of EM system implementation. The conference recommendations – by way of setting an agenda, augur well for emergency care development and implementation in the southern African region and are likely to prove useful to the southern African countries seeking to address health service quality, EM advocacy support and implementation guidance. Emergency medicine is the only discipline with ‘universality’ and ‘responsivity’ at the point of need. This implies the widespread potential for facilitation of access to health care: a public health goal nuanced by the African development agenda.

  12. Re-imagining a Stata/Python combination

    OpenAIRE

    James Fiedler

    2013-01-01

    At last year’s Stata Conference, I presented some ideas for combining Stata and Python within a single interface. Two methods were presented; in one, Python was used to automate Stata, and in the other, Python was used to send simulated keystrokes to the Stata GUI. The first method has the drawback of only working in Windows, and the second can be slow and subject to character input limits. In this talk I will demonstrate a method for achieving interaction between Stata and Python which does ...

  13. Challenges to a molecular approach to prey identification in the Burmese python, Python molurus bivittatus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Falk, Bryan; Reed, Robert N.

    2015-01-01

    Molecular approaches to prey identification are increasingly useful in elucidating predator–prey relationships, and we aimed to investigate the feasibility of these methods to document the species identities of prey consumed by invasive Burmese pythons in Florida. We were particularly interested in the diet of young snakes, because visual identification of prey from this size class has proven difficult. We successfully extracted DNA from the gastrointestinal contents of 43 young pythons, as well as from several control samples, and attempted amplification of DNA mini-barcodes, a 130-bp region of COX1. Using a PNA clamp to exclude python DNA, we found that prey DNA was not present in sufficient quality for amplification of this locus in 86% of our samples. All samples from the GI tracts of young pythons contained only hair, and the six samples we were able to identify to species were hispid cotton rats. This suggests that young Burmese pythons prey predominantly on small mammals and that prey diversity among snakes of this size class is low. We discuss prolonged gastrointestinal transit times and extreme gastric breakdown as possible causes of DNA degradation that limit the success of a molecular approach to prey identification in Burmese pythons

  14. Implementing Python for DrRacket

    OpenAIRE

    Ramos, Pedro Palma; Leitão, António Menezes

    2014-01-01

    The Python programming language is becoming increasingly popular in a variety of areas, most notably among novice programmers. On the other hand, Racket and other Scheme dialects are considered excellent vehicles for introducing Computer Science concepts. This paper presents an implementation of Python for Racket and the DrRacket IDE. This allows Python programmers to use Racket libraries and vice versa, as well as using DrRacket's pedagogic features. In particular, it allows architects and d...

  15. Seismic signatures of the Pan-African orogeny: implications for southern Indian high-grade terranes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rai, Abhishek; Gaur, V. K.; Rai, S. S.; Priestley, K.

    2009-02-01

    We present the results of a study designed to investigate and compare the seismic characteristics of the once contiguous terranes of eastern Gondwanaland, now incorporated in five separated continental masses, which, during the Neoproterozoic (~600Ma) Pan-African orogeny, suffered a high degree of thermal stress and deformation. Receiver functions and surface wave data from stations located in East Antarctica, Sri Lanka, the southern-Indian high-grade terranes, Madagascar and the Tanzania-Mozambique belt, were used to determine the shear-wave velocity structure, Moho depth and VP/VS values of the respective crustal segments. This study provides an additional dimension to the otherwise well-documented characteristic petrology of their surface exposures and other geological signatures such as their extensive granulitization and gem formation during the Pan-African event. Analysis of the receiver functions and surface wave data for these seismic stations located on their present day widely distributed continental fragments have been made. It is observed that with the exception of KOD (at Kodaikanal hill), situated on the southern Indian granulites having the thickest crust (~43.5 km), most of the Pan-African granulitic terranes have a crustal thicknesses of ~37 +/- 0.8km, with a transition to higher velocity at mid-crustal depths, and that their bulk composition is felsic. Average crustal VP/VS values (1.704 +/- 0.03) and thicknesses (37.8 +/- 0.8km), for four stations (SYO, PALK, TRV and ABPO), now located in East Antarctica, Sri Lanka, India and Madagascar, respectively, show remarkable similarity, indicating that the Pan-African orogeny was extensive enough to reorder the crustal structure of a wide region with a broadly similar stamp.

  16. Prospects and limitations of citizen science in invasive species management: A case study with Burmese pythons in Everglades National Park

    Science.gov (United States)

    Falk, Bryan; Snow, Raymond W.; Reed, Robert

    2016-01-01

    Citizen-science programs have the potential to contribute to the management of invasive species, including Python molurus bivittatus (Burmese Python) in Florida. We characterized citizen-science–generated Burmese Python information from Everglades National Park (ENP) to explore how citizen science may be useful in this effort. As an initial step, we compiled and summarized records of Burmese Python observations and removals collected by both professional and citizen scientists in ENP during 2000–2014 and found many patterns of possible significance, including changes in annual observations and in demographic composition after a cold event. These patterns are difficult to confidently interpret because the records lack search-effort information, however, and differences among years may result from differences in search effort. We began collecting search-effort information in 2014 by leveraging an ongoing citizen-science program in ENP. Program participation was generally low, with most authorized participants in 2014 not searching for the snakes at all. We discuss the possible explanations for low participation, especially how the low likelihood of observing pythons weakens incentives to search. The monthly rate of Burmese Python observations for 2014 averaged ~1 observation for every 8 h of searching, but during several months, the rate was 1 python per >40 h of searching. These low observation-rates are a natural outcome of the snakes’ low detectability—few Burmese Pythons are likely to be observed even if many are present. The general inaccessibility of the southern Florida landscape also severely limits the effectiveness of using visual searches to find and remove pythons for the purposes of population control. Instead, and despite the difficulties in incentivizing voluntary participation, the value of citizen-science efforts in the management of the Burmese Python population is in collecting search-effort information.

  17. Africa burning: A thematic analysis of the Southern African Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI 2000)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swap, Robert J.; Annegarn, Harold J.; Suttles, J. Timothy; King, Michael D.; Platnick, Steven; Privette, Jeffrey L.; Scholes, Robert J.

    2003-07-01

    The Southern African Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI 2000) was a major surface, airborne, and spaceborne field campaign carried out in southern Africa in 2000 and 2001 that addressed a broad range of phenomena related to land-atmosphere interactions and the biogeochemical functioning of the southern African system. This paper presents a thematic analysis and integration of the Journal of Geophysical Research SAFARI 2000 Special Issue, presenting key findings of an intensive field campaign over southern Africa in August and September of 2000. The integrating themes deal with surface emissions characterization; airborne characterizations of aerosols and trace gases; regional haze and trace gas characterization; and radiant measurements by surface, aircraft, and remote sensing platforms. Enhanced regional fuel loads associated with the moist La Niña phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle produced above average biomass burning emissions, which consequently dominated all other aerosol and trace gas emissions during the dry season. Southward transport of a broad plume of smoke originating in equatorial Africa and exiting off the east coast toward the Indian Ocean (the river of smoke) is attributed to unusual synoptic airflows associated the ENSO phase. New and revised biogenic and pyrogenic emission factors are reported, including a number of previously unreported oxygenated organic compounds and inorganic compounds from biomass combustion. Emission factors are scaled up to regional emission surfaces for biogenic species utilizing species specific and light-dependent emission factors. Fire scar estimates reveal contradictory information on the timing of the peak and extent of the biomass-burning season. Integrated tall stack coordinated measurements (between ground, airborne and remotely sensing platforms) of upwelling and downwelling radiation in massive thick aerosol layers covering much of southern Africa yield consistent estimates of large

  18. The Zoonotic Implications of Pentastomiasis in the Royal Python (Python Regius)

    OpenAIRE

    Ayinmode, AB; Adedokun, AO; Aina, A; Taiwo, V

    2010-01-01

    Pentastomes are worm-like endoparasites of the phylum Pentastomida found principally in the respiratory tract of reptiles, birds, and mammals. They cause a zoonotic disease known as pentastomiasis in humans and other mammals. The autopsy of a Nigerian royal python (Python regius) revealed two yellowish-white parasites in the lungs, tissue necrosis and inflammatory lesions. The parasite was confirmed to be Armillifer spp (Pentastomid); this is the first recorded case of pentastomiasis in the r...

  19. Ultrasonographic anatomy of the coelomic organs of boid snakes (Boa constrictor imperator, Python regius, Python molurus molurus, and Python curtus).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Banzato, Tommaso; Russo, Elisa; Finotti, Luca; Milan, Maria C; Gianesella, Matteo; Zotti, Alessandro

    2012-05-01

    To determine the ultrasonographic features of the coelomic organs of healthy snakes belonging to the Boidae and Pythonidae families. 16 ball pythons (Python regius; 7 males, 8 females, and 1 sexually immature), 10 Indian rock pythons (Python molurus molurus; 5 males, 4 females, and 1 sexually immature), 12 Python curtus (5 males and 7 females), and 8 boa constrictors (Boa constrictor imperator; 4 males and 4 females). All snakes underwent complete ultrasonographic evaluation of the coelomic cavity; chemical restraint was not necessary. A dorsolateral approach to probe placement was chosen to increase image quality and to avoid injury to the snakes and operators. Qualitative and quantitative observations were recorded. The liver, stomach, gallbladder, pancreas, small and large intestines, kidneys, cloaca, and scent glands were identified in all snakes. The hemipenes were identified in 10 of the 21 (48%) male snakes. The spleen was identified in 5 of the 46 (11%) snakes, and ureters were identified in 6 (13%). In 2 sexually immature snakes, the gonads were not visible. One (2%) snake was gravid, and 7 (15%) had small amounts of free fluid in the coelomic cavity. A significant positive correlation was identified between several measurements (diameter and thickness of scent glands, gastric and pyloric walls, and colonic wall) and body length (snout to vent) and body weight. The study findings can be used as an atlas of the ultrasonographic anatomy of the coelomic cavity in healthy boid snakes. Ultrasonography was reasonably fast to perform and was well tolerated in conscious snakes.

  20. Python Switch Statement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available The Python programming language does not have a built in switch/case control structure as found in many other high level programming languages. It is thought by some that this is a deficiency in the language, and the control structure should be added. This paper demonstrates that not only is the control structure not needed, but that the methods available in Python are more expressive than built in case statements in other high level languages.

  1. Training course "Porting code from Matlab to Python"

    OpenAIRE

    Diaz, Sandra; Klijn, Wouter; Deepu, Rajalekshmi; Peyser, Alexander; Oden, Lena

    2017-01-01

    Python is becoming a popular language for scientific applications and is increasingly used for high performance computing. In this course we want to introduce Matlab programmers to the usage of Python. Matlab and Python have a comparable language philosophy, but Python can offer better performance using its optimizations and parallelization interfaces. Python also increases the portability and flexibility (interaction with other open source and proprietary software packages) of solutions, and...

  2. What parts of the US mainland are climatically suitable for invasive alien pythons spreading from Everglades National Park?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodda, G.H.; Jarnevich, C.S.; Reed, R.N.

    2009-01-01

    The Burmese Python (Python molurus bivittatus) is now well established in southern Florida and spreading northward. The factors likely to limit this spread are unknown, but presumably include climate or are correlated with climate. We compiled monthly rainfall and temperature statistics from 149 stations located near the edge of the python's native range in Asia (Pakistan east to China and south to Indonesia). The southern and eastern native range limits extend to saltwater, leaving unresolved the species' climatic tolerances in those areas. The northern and western limits are associated with cold and aridity respectively. We plotted mean monthly rainfall against mean monthly temperature for the 149 native range weather stations to identify the climate conditions inhabited by pythons in their native range, and mapped areas of the coterminous United States with the same climate today and projected for the year 2100. We accounted for both dry-season aestivation and winter hibernation (under two scenarios of hibernation duration). The potential distribution was relatively insensitive to choice of scenario for hibernation duration. US areas climatically matched at present ranged up the coasts and across the south from Delaware to Oregon, and included most of California, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South and North Carolina. By the year 2100, projected areas of potential suitable climate extend northward beyond the current limit to include parts of the states of Washington, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. Thus a substantial portion of the mainland US is potentially vulnerable to this ostensibly tropical invader. ?? 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

  3. Scraping EDGAR with Python

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ashraf, Rasha

    2017-01-01

    This article presents Python codes that can be used to extract data from Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings. The Python program web crawls to obtain URL paths for company filings of required reports, such as Form 10-K. The program then performs a textual analysis and counts the number of occurrences of words in the filing that…

  4. Re-imagining a Stata/Python Combination

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fiedler, James

    2013-01-01

    At last year's Stata Conference, I presented some ideas for combining Stata and the Python programming language within a single interface. Two methods were presented: in one, Python was used to automate Stata; in the other, Python was used to send simulated keystrokes to the Stata GUI. The first method has the drawback of only working in Windows, and the second can be slow and subject to character input limits. In this presentation, I will demonstrate a method for achieving interaction between Stata and Python that does not suffer these drawbacks, and I will present some examples to show how this interaction can be useful.

  5. Python for scientists

    CERN Document Server

    Stewart, John M

    2017-01-01

    Scientific Python is a significant public domain alternative to expensive proprietary software packages. This book teaches from scratch everything the working scientist needs to know using copious, downloadable, useful and adaptable code snippets. Readers will discover how easy it is to implement and test non-trivial mathematical algorithms and will be guided through the many freely available add-on modules. A range of examples, relevant to many different fields, illustrate the language's capabilities. The author also shows how to use pre-existing legacy code (usually in Fortran77) within the Python environment, thus avoiding the need to master the original code. In this new edition, several chapters have been re-written to reflect the IPython notebook style. With an extended index, an entirely new chapter discussing SymPy and a substantial increase in the number of code snippets, researchers and research students will be able to quickly acquire all the skills needed for using Python effectively.

  6. Size, but not experience, affects the ontogeny of constriction performance in ball pythons (Python regius).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Penning, David A; Dartez, Schuyler F

    2016-03-01

    Constriction is a prey-immobilization technique used by many snakes and is hypothesized to have been important to the evolution and diversification of snakes. However, very few studies have examined the factors that affect constriction performance. We investigated constriction performance in ball pythons (Python regius) by evaluating how peak constriction pressure is affected by snake size, sex, and experience. In one experiment, we tested the ontogenetic scaling of constriction performance and found that snake diameter was the only significant factor determining peak constriction pressure. The number of loops applied in a coil and its interaction with snake diameter did not significantly affect constriction performance. Constriction performance in ball pythons scaled differently than in other snakes that have been studied, and medium to large ball pythons are capable of exerting significantly higher pressures than those shown to cause circulatory arrest in prey. In a second experiment, we tested the effects of experience on constriction performance in hatchling ball pythons over 10 feeding events. By allowing snakes in one test group to gain constriction experience, and manually feeding snakes under sedation in another test group, we showed that experience did not affect constriction performance. During their final (10th) feedings, all pythons constricted similarly and with sufficiently high pressures to kill prey rapidly. At the end of the 10 feeding trials, snakes that were allowed to constrict were significantly smaller than their non-constricting counterparts. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  7. Dog rabies data reported to multinational organizations from Southern and Eastern African countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beyene, Tariku Jibat; Mourits, Monique C M; Hogeveen, Henk

    2017-06-08

    Rabies is one of the viral diseases with the highest case fatality rate in humans. The main transmission route to humans is through bites, especially of infected dogs. Decisions on the allocation of resources to control and reduce the socio-economic impacts of rabies require reliable data. Several national, regional and international organizations have been gathering rabies data for more than a decade. The objective of this paper was to examine the consistencies in the number of dog rabies cases reported to different multinational organizations by Southern and Eastern African countries and to explore the presence of any time trend among the reported rabies data. Data was systematically extracted from the databases of the Southern and Eastern African Rabies Group-SEARG and the World Organization for Animal Health/World animal health information-OIE/WAHID. Despite differences in entities by which data have been reported to the two organisations, reported numbers were significantly correlated (Spearman's rho = 0.52, P rabies outbreaks. Inconsistencies in the reported numbers were observed between the databases, possibly due to the fact that human and animal health authorities report separately to the organisations involved in addition to the use of indefinite definitions of report categories set by report receiving organizations.

  8. Ethical, legal and social issues in the context of the planning stages of the Southern African Human Genome Programme.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Vries, Jantina; Slabbert, Melodie; Pepper, Michael S

    2012-03-01

    As the focus on the origin of modern man appears to be moving from eastern to southern Africa, it is recognised that indigenous populations in southern Africa may be the most genetically diverse on the planet and hence a valuable resource for human genetic diversity studies. In order to build regional capacity for the generation, analysis and application of genomic data, the Southern African Human Genome Programme was recently launched with the aid of seed funding from the national Department of Science and Technology in South Africa. The purpose of the article is to investigate pertinent ethical, legal and social issues that have emerged during the planning stages of the Southern African Human Genome Programme. A careful consideration of key issues such as public perception of genomic research, issues relating to genetic and genomic discrimination and stigmatisation, informed consent, privacy and data protection, and the concept of genomic sovereignty, is of paramount importance in the early stages of the Programme. This article will also consider the present legal framework governing genomic research in South Africa and will conclude with proposals regarding such a framework for the future.

  9. Anatomy of the python heart.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jensen, Bjarke; Nyengaard, Jens R; Pedersen, Michael; Wang, Tobias

    2010-12-01

    The hearts of all snakes and lizards consist of two atria and a single incompletely divided ventricle. In general, the squamate ventricle is subdivided into three chambers: cavum arteriosum (left), cavum venosum (medial) and cavum pulmonale (right). Although a similar division also applies to the heart of pythons, this family of snakes is unique amongst snakes in having intracardiac pressure separation. Here we provide a detailed anatomical description of the cardiac structures that confer this functional division. We measured the masses and volumes of the ventricular chambers, and we describe the gross morphology based on dissections of the heart from 13 ball pythons (Python regius) and one Burmese python (P. molurus). The cavum venosum is much reduced in pythons and constitutes approximately 10% of the cavum arteriosum. We suggest that shunts will always be less than 20%, while other studies conclude up to 50%. The high-pressure cavum arteriosum accounted for approximately 75% of the total ventricular mass, and was twice as dense as the low-pressure cavum pulmonale. The reptile ventricle has a core of spongious myocardium, but the three ventricular septa that separate the pulmonary and systemic chambers--the muscular ridge, the bulbuslamelle and the vertical septum--all had layers of compact myocardium. Pythons, however, have unique pads of connective tissue on the site of pressure separation. Because the hearts of varanid lizards, which also are endowed with pressure separation, share many of these morphological specializations, we propose that intraventricular compact myocardium is an indicator of high-pressure systems and possibly pressure separation.

  10. Unilateral microphthalmia or anophthalmia in eight pythons (Pythonidae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Da Silva, Mari-Ann O; Bertelsen, Mads F; Wang, Tobias; Pedersen, Michael; Lauridsen, Henrik; Heegaard, Steffen

    2015-01-01

    To provide morphological descriptions of microphthalmia or anophthalmia in eight pythons using microcomputerized tomography (μCT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and histopathology. Seven Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) and one ball python (P. regius) with clinically normal right eyes and an abnormal or missing left eye. At the time of euthanasia, four of the eight snakes underwent necropsy. Hereafter, the heads of two Burmese pythons and one ball python were examined using μCT, and another Burmese python was subjected to MRI. Following these procedures, the heads of these four pythons along with the heads of an additional three Burmese pythons were prepared for histology. All eight snakes had left ocular openings seen as dermal invaginations between 0.2 and 2.0 mm in diameter. They also had varying degrees of malformations of the orbital bones and a limited presence of nervous, glandular, and muscle tissue in the posterior orbit. Two individuals had small but identifiable eyes. Furthermore, remnants of the pigmented embryonic framework of the hyaloid vessels were found in the anophthalmic snakes. Necropsies revealed no other macroscopic anomalies. Eight pythons with unilateral left-sided microphthalmia or anophthalmia had one normal eye and a left orbit with malformed or incompletely developed ocular structures along with remnants of fetal structures. These cases lend further information to a condition that is often seen in snakes, but infrequently described. © 2014 American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists.

  11. Programming ArcGIS with Python cookbook

    CERN Document Server

    Pimpler, Eric

    2015-01-01

    Programming ArcGIS with Python Cookbook, Second Edition, is written for GIS professionals who wish to revolutionize their ArcGIS workflow with Python. Whether you are new to ArcGIS or a seasoned professional, you almost certainly spend time each day performing various geoprocessing tasks. This book will teach you how to use the Python programming language to automate these geoprocessing tasks and make you a more efficient and effective GIS professional.

  12. Building machine learning systems with Python

    CERN Document Server

    Coelho, Luis Pedro

    2015-01-01

    This book primarily targets Python developers who want to learn and use Python's machine learning capabilities and gain valuable insights from data to develop effective solutions for business problems.

  13. PyMOOSE: interoperable scripting in Python for MOOSE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Subhasis Ray

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Python is emerging as a common scripting language for simulators. This opens up many possibilities for interoperability in the form of analysis, interfaces, and communications between simulators. We report the integration of Python scripting with the Multi-scale Object Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE. MOOSE is a general-purpose simulation system for compartmental neuronal models and for models of signaling pathways based on chemical kinetics. We show how the Python-scripting version of MOOSE, PyMOOSE, combines the power of a compiled simulator with the versatility and ease of use of Python. We illustrate this by using Python numerical libraries to analyze MOOSE output online, and by developing a GUI in Python/Qt for a MOOSE simulation. Finally, we build and run a composite neuronal/signaling model that uses both the NEURON and MOOSE numerical engines, and Python as a bridge between the two. Thus PyMOOSE has a high degree of interoperability with analysis routines, with graphical toolkits, and with other simulators.

  14. Pybus - A Python Software Bus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lavrijsen, Wim T.L.P.

    2004-01-01

    A software bus, just like its hardware equivalent, allows for the discovery, installation, configuration, loading, unloading, and run-time replacement of software components, as well as channeling of inter-component communication. Python, a popular open-source programming language, encourages a modular design on software written in it, but it offers little or no component functionality. However, the language and its interpreter provide sufficient hooks to implement a thin, integral layer of component support. This functionality can be presented to the developer in the form of a module, making it very easy to use. This paper describes a Pythonmodule, PyBus, with which the concept of a ''software bus'' can be realized in Python. It demonstrates, within the context of the ATLAS software framework Athena, how PyBus can be used for the installation and (run-time) configuration of software, not necessarily Python modules, from a Python application in a way that is transparent to the end-user

  15. Imagining a Stata / Python Combination

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fiedler, James

    2012-01-01

    There are occasions when a task is difficult in Stata, but fairly easy in a more general programming language. Python is a popular language for a range of uses. It is easy to use, has many high ]quality packages, and programs can be written relatively quickly. Is there any advantage in combining Stata and Python within a single interface? Stata already offers support for user-written programs, which allow extensive control over calculations, but somewhat less control over graphics. Also, except for specifying output, the user has minimal programmatic control over the user interface. Python can be used in a way that allows more control over the interface and graphics, and in so doing provide a roundabout method for satisfying some user requests (e.g., transparency levels in graphics and the ability to clear the results window). My talk will explore these ideas, present a possible method for combining Stata and Python, and give examples to demonstrate how this combination might be useful.

  16. Detection of nidoviruses in live pythons and boas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marschang, Rachel E; Kolesnik, Ekaterina

    2017-02-09

    Nidoviruses have recently been described as a putative cause of severe respiratory disease in pythons in the USA and Europe. The objective of this study was to establish the use of a conventional PCR for the detection of nidoviruses in samples from live animals and to extend the list of susceptible species. A PCR targeting a portion of ORF1a of python nidoviruses was used to detect nidoviruses in diagnostic samples from live boas and pythons. A total of 95 pythons, 84 boas and 22 snakes of unknown species were included in the study. Samples tested included oral swabs and whole blood. Nidoviruses were detected in 27.4% of the pythons and 2.4% of the boas tested. They were most commonly detected in ball pythons (Python [P.] regius) and Indian rock pythons (P. molurus), but were also detected for the first time in other python species, including Morelia spp. and Boa constrictor. Oral swabs were most commonly tested positive. The PCR described here can be used for the detection of nidoviruses in oral swabs from live snakes. These viruses appear to be relatively common among snakes in captivity in Europe and screening for these viruses should be considered in the clinical work-up. Nidoviruses are believed to be an important cause of respiratory disease in pythons, but can also infect boas. Detection of these viruses in live animals is now possible and can be of interest both in diseased animals as well as in quarantine situations.

  17. Programming ArcGIS 10.1 with Python cookbook

    CERN Document Server

    Pimpler, Eric

    2013-01-01

    This book is written in a helpful, practical style with numerous hands-on recipes and chapters to help you save time and effort by using Python to power ArcGIS to create shortcuts, scripts, tools, and customizations.""Programming ArcGIS 10.1 with Python Cookbook"" is written for GIS professionals who wish to revolutionize their ArcGIS workflow with Python. Basic Python or programming knowledge is essential(?).

  18. Manipulating Strings in Python

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    William J. Turkel

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available This lesson is a brief introduction to string manipulation techniques in Python. Knowing how to manipulate strings plays a crucial role in most text processing tasks. If you’d like to experiment with the following lessons, you can write and execute short programs as we’ve been doing, or you can open up a Python shell / Terminal to try them out on the command line.

  19. Experimentally derived salinity tolerance of hatchling Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) from the Everglades, Florida (USA)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hart, Kristen M.; Schofield, Pamela J.; Gregoire, Denise R.

    2012-01-01

    In a laboratory setting, we tested the ability of 24 non-native, wild-caught hatchling Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) collected in the Florida Everglades to survive when given water containing salt to drink. After a one-month acclimation period in the laboratory, we grouped snakes into three treatments, giving them access to water that was fresh (salinity of 0, control), brackish (salinity of 10), or full-strength sea water (salinity of 35). Hatchlings survived about one month at the highest marine salinity and about five months at the brackish-water salinity; no control animals perished during the experiment. These results are indicative of a "worst-case scenario", as in the laboratory we denied access to alternate fresh-water sources that may be accessible in the wild (e.g., through rainfall). Therefore, our results may underestimate the potential of hatchling pythons to persist in saline habitats in the wild. Because of the effect of different salinity regimes on survival, predictions of ultimate geographic expansion by non-native Burmese pythons that consider salt water as barriers to dispersal for pythons may warrant re-evaluation, especially under global climate change and associated sea-level-rise scenarios.

  20. Trypanosoma cf. varani in an imported ball python (Python reginus) from Ghana.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sato, Hiroshi; Takano, Ai; Kawabata, Hiroki; Une, Yumi; Watanabe, Haruo; Mukhtar, Maowia M

    2009-08-01

    Peripheral blood from a ball python (Python reginus) imported from Ghana was cultured in Barbour-Stoenner-Kelly (BSK) medium for Borrelia spp. isolation, resulting in the prominent appearance of free, and clusters of, trypanosomes in a variety of morphological forms. The molecular phylogenetic characterization of these cultured trypanosomes, using the small subunit rDNA, indicated that this python was infected with a species closely related to Trypanosoma varani Wenyon, 1908, originally described in the Nile monitor lizard (Varanus niloticus) from Sudan. Furthermore, nucleotide sequences of glycosomal glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene of both isolates showed few differences. Giemsa-stained blood smears, prepared from the infected python 8 mo after the initial observation of trypanosomes in hemoculture, contained trypomastigotes with a broad body and a short, free flagellum; these most closely resembled the original description of T. varani, or T. voltariae Macfie, 1919 recorded in a black-necked spitting cobra (Naja nigricollis) from Ghana. It is highly possible that lizards and snakes could naturally share an identical trypanosome species. Alternatively, lizards and snakes in the same region might have closely related, but distinct, Trypanosoma species as a result of sympatric speciation. From multiple viewpoints, including molecular phylogenetic analyses, reappraisal of trypanosome species from a wide range of reptiles in Africa is needed to clarify the relationship of recorded species, or to unmask unrecorded species.

  1. Python for Unix and Linux system administration

    CERN Document Server

    Gift, Noah

    2007-01-01

    Python is an ideal language for solving problems, especially in Linux and Unix networks. With this pragmatic book, administrators can review various tasks that often occur in the management of these systems, and learn how Python can provide a more efficient and less painful way to handle them. Each chapter in Python for Unix and Linux System Administration presents a particular administrative issue, such as concurrency or data backup, and presents Python solutions through hands-on examples. Once you finish this book, you'll be able to develop your own set of command-line utilities with Pytho

  2. Energy Trade in Southern Africa

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Holland, W F.

    1996-01-01

    This document deals with possible energy growth in Southern African countries. This region possesses substantial energy resources (including fossil fuels), but because of political instability, government intervention, financial paralysis and lack of adequate transportation infrastructure, this region faces problems in satisfying energy needs. Two key international actions, namely the South African Development Community (SADC) Energy Protocol and the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) are expected to enhance energy trade and promote economic development. (TEC)

  3. PyMidas: Interface from Python to Midas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maisala, Sami; Oittinen, Tero

    2014-01-01

    PyMidas is an interface between Python and MIDAS, the major ESO legacy general purpose data processing system. PyMidas allows a user to exploit both the rich legacy of MIDAS software and the power of Python scripting in a unified interactive environment. PyMidas also allows the usage of other Python-based astronomical analysis systems such as PyRAF.

  4. Circulation controls on southern African precipitation in coupled models: The role of the Angola Low

    Science.gov (United States)

    Munday, Callum; Washington, Richard

    2017-01-01

    In southern Africa, models from the latest Coupled Model Intercomparison Project produce a wide variety of rainfall climatologies. Differences between models in rainfall amount reach 70% in the rainy season (December-February; DJF), and the median model overestimates rainfall by between 15 and 40% throughout the annual cycle. This paper investigates the role of an understudied regional circulation feature, the Angola Low, in differentiating between model estimates of precipitation. In austral spring, the Angola Low is a heat low, driven by strong surface heating whereas in DJF it is more similar to a tropical low and is associated with moist instability. In the austral summer, we find that the simulated strength of the Angola Low is associated with between 40 and 60% of the intermodel variability in model mean rainfall across the subcontinent. The relationship is particularly strong along a northwest, southeast axis aligned from Angola down to the Mozambican Channel. Along this axis, models with stronger Angola Lows simulate enhanced, by up to 50 g kg-1 ms-1, northeasterly and northwesterly moisture transport. The enhanced southward moisture flux in models with relatively deep Angola Lows increases the rate of moisture convergence in central areas of the subcontinent and reduces moisture divergence across the Mozambican coast. The results highlight the need to better understand the links between the Angola Low and southern African rainfall and suggest that improving the simulation of the Angola Low can help to constrain model estimates of southern African rainfall.

  5. A southern African origin and cryptic structure in the highly mobile plains zebra

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Casper-Emil T; Albrechtsen, Anders; Etter, Paul D.

    2018-01-01

    insights into the past phylogeography of the species. The results identify a southern African location as the most likely source region from which all extant populations expanded around 370,000 years ago. We show evidence for inclusion of the extinct and phenotypically divergent quagga (Equus quagga quagga......The plains zebra (Equus quagga) is an ecologically important species of the African savannah. It is also one of the most numerous and widely distributed ungulates, and six subspecies have been described based on morphological variation. However, the within-species evolutionary processes have been...... difficult to resolve due to its high mobility and a lack of consensus regarding the population structure. We obtained genome-wide DNA polymorphism data from more than 167,000 loci for 59 plains zebras from across the species range, encompassing all recognized extant subspecies, as well as three mountain...

  6. Python tools for Visual Studio

    CERN Document Server

    Wang, Cathy

    2014-01-01

    This is a hands-on guide that provides exemplary coverage of all the features and concepts related to PTVS.The book is intended for developers who are aiming to enhance their productivity in Python projects with automation tools that Visual Studio provides for the .Net community. Some basic knowledge of Python programming is essential.

  7. PyXNAT: XNAT in Python

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yannick eSchwartz

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available As neuroimaging databases grow in size and complexity, the time researchers spend investigating and managing the data increases to the expense of data analysis. As a result, investigators rely more and more heavily on scripting using high-level languages to automate data management and processing tasks. For this, a structured and programatic access to the data store is necessary. Web services are a first step toward this goal. They however lack in functionality and ease of use because they provide only low level interfaces to databases. We introduce here {PyXNAT}, a Python module that interacts with The Extensible Neuroimaging Archive Toolkit (XNAT through native Python calls across multiple operating systems. The choice of Python enables {PyXNAT} to expose the XNAT Web Services and unify their features with a higher level and more expressive language. {PyXNAT} provides XNAT users direct access to all the scientific packages in Python. Finally {PyXNAT} aims to be efficient and easy to use, both as a backend library to build XNAT clients and as an alternative frontend from the command line.

  8. PyXNAT: XNAT in Python.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwartz, Yannick; Barbot, Alexis; Thyreau, Benjamin; Frouin, Vincent; Varoquaux, Gaël; Siram, Aditya; Marcus, Daniel S; Poline, Jean-Baptiste

    2012-01-01

    As neuroimaging databases grow in size and complexity, the time researchers spend investigating and managing the data increases to the expense of data analysis. As a result, investigators rely more and more heavily on scripting using high-level languages to automate data management and processing tasks. For this, a structured and programmatic access to the data store is necessary. Web services are a first step toward this goal. They however lack in functionality and ease of use because they provide only low-level interfaces to databases. We introduce here PyXNAT, a Python module that interacts with The Extensible Neuroimaging Archive Toolkit (XNAT) through native Python calls across multiple operating systems. The choice of Python enables PyXNAT to expose the XNAT Web Services and unify their features with a higher level and more expressive language. PyXNAT provides XNAT users direct access to all the scientific packages in Python. Finally PyXNAT aims to be efficient and easy to use, both as a back-end library to build XNAT clients and as an alternative front-end from the command line.

  9. Photodermatitis and photokeratoconjunctivitis in a ball python (Python regius) and a blue-tongue skink (Tiliqua spp.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gardiner, David W; Baines, Frances M; Pandher, Karamjeet

    2009-12-01

    A male ball python (Python regius) and a female blue tongue skink (Tiliqua spp.) of unknown age were evaluated for anorexia, lethargy, excessive shedding, corneal opacity (python), and weight loss (skink) of approximately three weeks' duration. These animals represented the worst affected animals from a private herpetarium where many animals exhibited similar signs. At necropsy, the python had bilateral corneal opacity and scattered moderate dysecdysis. The skink had mild dysecdysis, poor body condition, moderate intestinal nematodiasis, and mild liver atrophy. Microscopic evaluation revealed epidermal erosion and ulceration, with severe epidermal basal cell degeneration and necrosis, and superficial dermatitis (python and skink). Severe bilateral ulcerative keratoconjunctivitis with bacterial colonization was noted in the ball python. Microscopic findings within the skin and eyes were suggestive of ultraviolet (UV) radiation damage or of photodermatitis and photokeratoconjunctivitis. Removal of the recently installed new lamps from the terrariums of the surviving reptiles resulted in resolution of clinical signs. Evaluation of a sample lamp of the type associated with these cases revealed an extremely high UV output, including very-short-wavelength UVB, neither found in natural sunlight nor emitted by several other UVB lamps unassociated with photokeratoconjunctivitis. Exposure to high-intensity and/or inappropriate wavelengths of UV radiation may be associated with significant morbidity, and even mortality, in reptiles. Veterinarians who are presented with reptiles with ocular and/or cutaneous disease of unapparent cause should fully evaluate the specifics of the vivarium light sources. Further research is needed to determine the characteristics of appropriate and of toxic UV light for reptiles kept in captivity.

  10. Python GUI Scripting Interface for Running Atomic Physics Applications

    OpenAIRE

    Tahat, Amani; Tahat, Mofleh

    2011-01-01

    We create a Python GUI scripting interface working under Windows in addition to (UNIX/Linux). The GUI has been built around the Python open-source programming language. We use the Python's GUI library that so called Python Mega Widgets (PMW) and based on Tkinter Python module (http://www.freenetpages.co.uk/hp/alan.gauld/tutgui.htm). The new GUI was motivated primarily by the desire of more updated operations, more flexibility incorporating future and current improvements in producing atomic d...

  11. TEACHING ALGORITHMIZATION AND PROGRAMMING USING PYTHON LANGUAGE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Lvov

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available The article describes requirements to educational programming languages and considers the use of Python as the first programming language. The issues of introduction of this programming language into teaching and replacing Pascal by Python are examined. The advantages of such approach are regarded. The comparison of popular programming languages is represented from the point of view of their convenience of use for teaching algorithmization and programming. Python supports lots of programming paradigms: structural, object-oriented, functional, imperative and aspect-oriented, and learning can be started without any preparation. There is one more advantage of the language: all algorithms are written easily and structurally in Python. Therefore, due to all mentioned above, it is possible to affirm that Python pretends to become a decent replacement for educational programming language PASCAL both at schools and on the first courses of higher education establishments.

  12. Effects of repeated burning on woody vegetation structure and composition in a semi-arid southern African savanna

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gandiwa, E.

    2011-01-01

    The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of repeated dry season annual hot fires on woody plants in a semiarid southern African savanna in Zimbabwe. Parts of the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) research fields in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe have been burnt annually in

  13. MEG and EEG data analysis with MNE-Python

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandre eGramfort

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Magnetoencephalography and electroencephalography (M/EEG measure the weakelectromagnetic signals generated by neuronal activity in the brain. Using thesesignals to characterize and locate neural activation in the brain is achallenge that requires expertise in physics, signalprocessing, statistics, and numerical methods. As part of the MNE softwaresuite, MNE-Python is an open-sourcesoftware package that addresses this challenge by providingstate-of-the-art algorithms implemented in Python that cover multiple methods of data preprocessing, source localization, statistical analysis, and estimation offunctional connectivity between distributed brain regions.All algorithms and utility functions are implemented in a consistent manner with well-documented interfaces, enabling users to create M/EEG data analysispipelines by writing Python scripts.Moreover, MNE-Python is tightly integrated with the core Python libraries for scientificcomptutation (Numpy, Scipy and visualization (matplotlib and Mayavi, as wellas the greater neuroimaging ecosystem in Python via the Nibabel package. The code is provided under the new BSD licenseallowing code reuse, even in commercial products. Although MNE-Python has onlybeen under heavy development for a couple of years, it has rapidly evolved withexpanded analysis capabilities and pedagogical tutorials because multiple labs have collaborated during code development to help share best practices.MNE-Python also gives easy access to preprocessed datasets,helping users to get started quickly and facilitating reproducibility ofmethods by other researchers. Full documentation, including dozens ofexamples, is available at http://martinos.org/mne.

  14. PRACTICAL APPROACH FOR HYPERSPECTRAL IMAGE PROCESSING IN PYTHON

    OpenAIRE

    Annala, L.; Eskelinen, M. A.; Hämäläinen, J.; Riihinen, A.; Pölönen, I.

    2018-01-01

    Python is a very popular programming language among data scientists around the world. Python can also be used in hyperspectral data analysis. There are some toolboxes designed for spectral imaging, such as Spectral Python and HyperSpy, but there is a need for analysis pipeline, which is easy to use and agile for different solutions. We propose a Python pipeline which is built on packages xarray, Holoviews and scikit-learn. We have developed some of own tools, MaskAccessor, VisualisorAccessor ...

  15. Python and computer vision

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Doak, J. E. (Justin E.); Prasad, Lakshman

    2002-01-01

    This paper discusses the use of Python in a computer vision (CV) project. We begin by providing background information on the specific approach to CV employed by the project. This includes a brief discussion of Constrained Delaunay Triangulation (CDT), the Chordal Axis Transform (CAT), shape feature extraction and syntactic characterization, and normalization of strings representing objects. (The terms 'object' and 'blob' are used interchangeably, both referring to an entity extracted from an image.) The rest of the paper focuses on the use of Python in three critical areas: (1) interactions with a MySQL database, (2) rapid prototyping of algorithms, and (3) gluing together all components of the project including existing C and C++ modules. For (l), we provide a schema definition and discuss how the various tables interact to represent objects in the database as tree structures. (2) focuses on an algorithm to create a hierarchical representation of an object, given its string representation, and an algorithm to match unknown objects against objects in a database. And finally, (3) discusses the use of Boost Python to interact with the pre-existing C and C++ code that creates the CDTs and CATS, performs shape feature extraction and syntactic characterization, and normalizes object strings. The paper concludes with a vision of the future use of Python for the CV project.

  16. Ball python nidovirus: a candidate etiologic agent for severe respiratory disease in Python regius.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stenglein, Mark D; Jacobson, Elliott R; Wozniak, Edward J; Wellehan, James F X; Kincaid, Anne; Gordon, Marcus; Porter, Brian F; Baumgartner, Wes; Stahl, Scott; Kelley, Karen; Towner, Jonathan S; DeRisi, Joseph L

    2014-09-09

    A severe, sometimes fatal respiratory disease has been observed in captive ball pythons (Python regius) since the late 1990s. In order to better understand this disease and its etiology, we collected case and control samples and performed pathological and diagnostic analyses. Electron micrographs revealed filamentous virus-like particles in lung epithelial cells of sick animals. Diagnostic testing for known pathogens did not identify an etiologic agent, so unbiased metagenomic sequencing was performed. Abundant nidovirus-like sequences were identified in cases and were used to assemble the genome of a previously unknown virus in the order Nidovirales. The nidoviruses, which were not previously known to infect nonavian reptiles, are a diverse order that includes important human and veterinary pathogens. The presence of the viral RNA was confirmed in all diseased animals (n = 8) but was not detected in healthy pythons or other snakes (n = 57). Viral RNA levels were generally highest in the lung and other respiratory tract tissues. The 33.5-kb viral genome is the largest RNA genome yet described and shares canonical characteristics with other nidovirus genomes, although several features distinguish this from related viruses. This virus, which we named ball python nidovirus (BPNV), will likely establish a new genus in Torovirinae subfamily. The identification of a novel nidovirus in reptiles contributes to our understanding of the biology and evolution of related viruses, and its association with lung disease in pythons is a promising step toward elucidating an etiology for this long-standing veterinary disease. Ball pythons are popular pets because of their diverse coloration, generally nonaggressive behavior, and relatively small size. Since the 1990s, veterinarians have been aware of an infectious respiratory disease of unknown cause in ball pythons that can be fatal. We used unbiased shotgun sequencing to discover a novel virus in the order Nidovirales that was

  17. Python Materials Genomics (pymatgen): A robust, open-source python library for materials analysis

    OpenAIRE

    Ong, Shyue Ping; Richards, William Davidson; Jain, Anubhav; Hautier, Geoffroy; Kocher, Michael; Cholia, Shreyas; Gunter, Dan; Chevrier, Vincent L.; Persson, Kristin A.; Ceder, Gerbrand

    2012-01-01

    We present the Python Materials Genomics (pymatgen) library, a robust, open-source Python library for materials analysis. A key enabler in high-throughput computational materials science efforts is a robust set of software tools to perform initial setup for the calculations (e.g., generation of structures and necessary input files) and post-calculation analysis to derive useful material properties from raw calculated data. The pymatgen library aims to meet these needs by (1) defining core Pyt...

  18. Python for finance

    CERN Document Server

    Yan, Yuxing

    2014-01-01

    Python is a free and powerful tool which can be used to build a financial calculator and price options, and can also explain many trading strategies and test various hypotheses. In addition to that, real-world data can be used to run CAPM (Capital Asset Pricing Model), the Fama-French 3-factor model, estimate VaR (Value at Risk), and estimate spread, illiquidity, and liquidity. This book explores the basics of programming in Python. It is a step-by-step tutorial that will teach you, with the help of concise, practical programs, how to run various statistic tests. With this book, you will learn

  19. Optimising trans-national power generation and transmission investments: a Southern African example

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Graeber, Bernhard; Spalding-Fecher, Randall; Gonah, Brian

    2005-01-01

    Increased integration and co-operation within the Southern African power sector has opened up significant opportunities for reducing the economic and environmental costs of meeting increasing electricity demand in Southern Africa. This paper applies a linear programming model to investigate the economic and environmental benefits of regional integrated planning for electricity, and the impact of including environmental costs in the decision-making process. We find that, from a financial perspective, optimising generation and transmission investments in the region would result in savings of dollar 2-4 billion over 20 years, or 5% of total system costs. Introducing a tax based on the external damage costs of carbon dioxide as part of the decision-making process would result in moderate increases in financial costs (15-20%), but would reduce regional carbon emissions by up to 55% at a mitigation cost of dollar 11 per tonne of carbon dioxide. This raises the possibility of financing regional power projects with Clean Development Mechanism funding, which we explore with an example

  20. Creating and Viewing HTML Files with Python

    OpenAIRE

    William J. Turkel; Adam Crymble

    2012-01-01

    This lesson uses Python to create and view an HTML file. If you write programs that output HTML, you can use any browser to look at your results. This is especially convenient if your program is automatically creating hyperlinks or graphic entities like charts and diagrams. Here you will learn how to create HTML files with Python scripts, and how to use Python to automatically open an HTML file in Firefox.

  1. The Nubian Complex of Dhofar, Oman: an African middle stone age industry in Southern Arabia.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeffrey I Rose

    Full Text Available Despite the numerous studies proposing early human population expansions from Africa into Arabia during the Late Pleistocene, no archaeological sites have yet been discovered in Arabia that resemble a specific African industry, which would indicate demographic exchange across the Red Sea. Here we report the discovery of a buried site and more than 100 new surface scatters in the Dhofar region of Oman belonging to a regionally-specific African lithic industry--the late Nubian Complex--known previously only from the northeast and Horn of Africa during Marine Isotope Stage 5, ∼128,000 to 74,000 years ago. Two optically stimulated luminescence age estimates from the open-air site of Aybut Al Auwal in Oman place the Arabian Nubian Complex at ∼106,000 years ago, providing archaeological evidence for the presence of a distinct northeast African Middle Stone Age technocomplex in southern Arabia sometime in the first half of Marine Isotope Stage 5.

  2. Climate and southern Africa's water-energy-food nexus

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Conway, D

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available be strengthened for this purpose: the Southern African Development Community, the Southern African Power Pool and trade of agricultural products amounting to significant transfers of embedded water....

  3. MEG and EEG data analysis with MNE-Python.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gramfort, Alexandre; Luessi, Martin; Larson, Eric; Engemann, Denis A; Strohmeier, Daniel; Brodbeck, Christian; Goj, Roman; Jas, Mainak; Brooks, Teon; Parkkonen, Lauri; Hämäläinen, Matti

    2013-12-26

    Magnetoencephalography and electroencephalography (M/EEG) measure the weak electromagnetic signals generated by neuronal activity in the brain. Using these signals to characterize and locate neural activation in the brain is a challenge that requires expertise in physics, signal processing, statistics, and numerical methods. As part of the MNE software suite, MNE-Python is an open-source software package that addresses this challenge by providing state-of-the-art algorithms implemented in Python that cover multiple methods of data preprocessing, source localization, statistical analysis, and estimation of functional connectivity between distributed brain regions. All algorithms and utility functions are implemented in a consistent manner with well-documented interfaces, enabling users to create M/EEG data analysis pipelines by writing Python scripts. Moreover, MNE-Python is tightly integrated with the core Python libraries for scientific comptutation (NumPy, SciPy) and visualization (matplotlib and Mayavi), as well as the greater neuroimaging ecosystem in Python via the Nibabel package. The code is provided under the new BSD license allowing code reuse, even in commercial products. Although MNE-Python has only been under heavy development for a couple of years, it has rapidly evolved with expanded analysis capabilities and pedagogical tutorials because multiple labs have collaborated during code development to help share best practices. MNE-Python also gives easy access to preprocessed datasets, helping users to get started quickly and facilitating reproducibility of methods by other researchers. Full documentation, including dozens of examples, is available at http://martinos.org/mne.

  4. Creating and Viewing HTML Files with Python

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    William J. Turkel

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available This lesson uses Python to create and view an HTML file. If you write programs that output HTML, you can use any browser to look at your results. This is especially convenient if your program is automatically creating hyperlinks or graphic entities like charts and diagrams. Here you will learn how to create HTML files with Python scripts, and how to use Python to automatically open an HTML file in Firefox.

  5. Beginning programming with Python for dummies

    CERN Document Server

    Mueller, John Paul

    2014-01-01

    Learn Python-the fun and easy way-and get in the programming game today! Python is one of the fastest growing programming languages, and no wonder. It requires three to five times less time than developing in Java, is a great building block for learning both procedural and object-oriented programming concepts, and is an ideal language for data analysis. Beginning Programming with Python For Dummies is the perfect guide to this dynamic and powerful programming language-even if you''ve never coded before! Author John Paul Mueller draws on his vast programming knowledge and experience to guide yo

  6. Building probabilistic graphical models with Python

    CERN Document Server

    Karkera, Kiran R

    2014-01-01

    This is a short, practical guide that allows data scientists to understand the concepts of Graphical models and enables them to try them out using small Python code snippets, without being too mathematically complicated. If you are a data scientist who knows about machine learning and want to enhance your knowledge of graphical models, such as Bayes network, in order to use them to solve real-world problems using Python libraries, this book is for you. This book is intended for those who have some Python and machine learning experience, or are exploring the machine learning field.

  7. Extending and embedding the Python interpreter

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    G. van Rossum (Guido)

    1995-01-01

    textabstractPython is an interpreted, object-oriented programming language. This document describes how to write modules in C or C++ to extend the Python interpreter with new modules. Those modules can define new functions but also new object types and their methods. The document also describes

  8. PyROOT: Seamless Melting of C++ and Python

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva

    2016-01-01

    With ROOT it's possible to use any C++ library from Python without writing any bindings nor dictionaries: loading the library and injecting the relevant headers in the ROOT C++ interpreter is enough to guarantee interactive usage from within Python. Just in time (JIT) compilation of C++ code and immediate utilisation of C++ entities from within Python is also supported. Thanks to the ROOT type system and C++ interpreter and JIT compiler, complete Python/C++ interoperability is achieved. In this contribution we explain how this mechanism is general enough to make any library written in C or C++ usable from within Python and how concepts such as template metaprogramming are mapped in Python. We review the basics of the JIT compilation capabilities provided by the Clang based ROOT interpreter, Cling, and the way in which some of the information of the Abstract Syntax Tree (AST) built by Clang is stored by the ROOT type system. The way in which ROOT manages the automatic loading of libraries and parsing of neces...

  9. Interactive game programming with Python (CodeSkulptor)

    OpenAIRE

    Ajayi, Richard Olugbenga

    2014-01-01

    Over the years, several types of gaming platforms have been created to encourage a more organised and friendly atmosphere for game lovers in various works of life, culture, and environment. This thesis focuses on the concept of interactive programming using Python. It encourages the use of Python to create simple interactive games applications based on basic human concept and ideas. CodeSkulptor is a browser-based IDE programming environment and uses the Python programming language. O...

  10. A taxonomic revision of the southern African native and naturalized species of Silene L. (Caryophyllaceae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. C. Manning

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available The native and naturalized species of Silene L. in southern Africa are reviewed, with full synonomy and the description of two new species from the West Coast of Western Cape. Eight native species and three naturalized species are recognized, including the first identification in southern Africa of the Mediterranean S. nocturna L. The identity of S. aethiopica Burm., which has remained unknown since its description, is established and is found to be the oldest name for S. clandestina Jacq. Patterns of morphological variation within each species are discussed and subspecies are recognized for geographically segregated groups of populations that are ± morphologically diagnosable. The following new names or combinations are made among the southern African taxa: S. aethiopica subsp. longiflora; S. burchellii subsp. modesta, subsp. multiflora, and subsp. pilosellifolia; S. crassifolia subsp. primuliflora; S. saldanhensis; S. rigens; and S. undulata subsp. polyantha. Each taxon is described, with information on ecology and distribution, and most species are illustrated, including SEM micrographs of the seeds.

  11. A student's guide to Python for physical modeling

    CERN Document Server

    Kinder, Jesse M

    2015-01-01

    Python is a computer programming language that is rapidly gaining popularity throughout the sciences. A Student’s Guide to Python for Physical Modeling aims to help you, the student, teach yourself enough of the Python programming language to get started with physical modeling. You will learn how to install an open-source Python programming environment and use it to accomplish many common scientific computing tasks: importing, exporting, and visualizing data; numerical analysis; and simulation. No prior programming experience is assumed. This tutorial focuses on fundamentals and introduces a wide range of useful techniques, including: Basic Python programming and scripting Numerical arrays Two- and three-dimensional graphics Monte Carlo simulations Numerical methods, including solving ordinary differential equations Image processing Animation Numerous code samples and exercises—with solutions—illustrate new ideas as they are introduced. A website that accompanies this guide provides additional resourc...

  12. African Journals Online (AJOL)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    It has also been difficult for African researchers to access the work of other African ... search for an article by title, author/s or keywords,; and find other information sources ... Southern African Business Review; The role played by the South African ... The Basis of Distinction Between Qualitative and Quantitative Research in ...

  13. Predators in training: operant conditioning of novel behavior in wild Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivitattus).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Emer, Sherri A; Mora, Cordula V; Harvey, Mark T; Grace, Michael S

    2015-01-01

    Large pythons and boas comprise a group of animals whose anatomy and physiology are very different from traditional mammalian, avian and other reptilian models typically used in operant conditioning. In the current study, investigators used a modified shaping procedure involving successive approximations to train wild Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivitattus) to approach and depress an illuminated push button in order to gain access to a food reward. Results show that these large, wild snakes can be trained to accept extremely small food items, associate a stimulus with such rewards via operant conditioning and perform a contingent operant response to gain access to a food reward. The shaping procedure produced robust responses and provides a mechanism for investigating complex behavioral phenomena in massive snakes that are rarely studied in learning research.

  14. Python based high-level synthesis compiler

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cieszewski, Radosław; Pozniak, Krzysztof; Romaniuk, Ryszard

    2014-11-01

    This paper presents a python based High-Level synthesis (HLS) compiler. The compiler interprets an algorithmic description of a desired behavior written in Python and map it to VHDL. FPGA combines many benefits of both software and ASIC implementations. Like software, the mapped circuit is flexible, and can be reconfigured over the lifetime of the system. FPGAs therefore have the potential to achieve far greater performance than software as a result of bypassing the fetch-decode-execute operations of traditional processors, and possibly exploiting a greater level of parallelism. Creating parallel programs implemented in FPGAs is not trivial. This article describes design, implementation and first results of created Python based compiler.

  15. Python tutorial

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    G. van Rossum (Guido)

    1995-01-01

    textabstractPython is a simple, yet powerful programming language that bridges the gap between C and shell programming, and is thus ideally suited for ``throw-away programming'' and rapid prototyping. Its syntax is put together from constructs borrowed from a variety of other languages; most

  16. Saccular lung cannulation in a ball python (Python regius) to treat a tracheal obstruction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Myers, Debbie A; Wellehan, James F X; Isaza, Ramiro

    2009-03-01

    An adult male ball python (Python regius) presented in a state of severe dyspnea characterized by open-mouth breathing and vertical positioning of the head and neck. The animal had copious discharge in the tracheal lumen acting as an obstruction. A tube was placed through the body wall into the caudal saccular aspect of the lung to allow the animal to breathe while treatment was initiated. The ball python's dyspnea immediately improved. Diagnostics confirmed a bacterial respiratory infection with predominantly Providencia rettgeri. The saccular lung (air sac) tube was removed after 13 days. Pulmonary endoscopy before closure showed minimal damage with a small amount of hemorrhage in the surrounding muscle tissue. Respiratory disease is a common occurrence in captive snakes and can be associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Saccular lung cannulation is a relatively simple procedure that can alleviate tracheal narrowing or obstruction, similar to air sac cannulation in birds.

  17. A modern Python interface for the Generic Mapping Tools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uieda, L.; Wessel, P.

    2017-12-01

    Figures generated by The Generic Mapping Tools (GMT) are present in countless publications across the Earth sciences. The command-line interface of GMT lends the tool its flexibility but also creates a barrier to entry for begginers. Meanwhile, adoption of the Python programming language has grown across the scientific community. This growth is largely due to the simplicity and low barrier to entry of the language and its ecosystem of tools. Thus, it is not surprising that there have been at least three attempts to create Python interfaces for GMT: gmtpy (github.com/emolch/gmtpy), pygmt (github.com/ian-r-rose/pygmt), and PyGMT (github.com/glimmer-cism/PyGMT). None of these projects are currently active and, with the exception of pygmt, they do not use the GMT Application Programming Interface (API) introduced in GMT 5. The two main Python libraries for plotting data on maps are the matplotlib Basemap toolkit (matplotlib.org/basemap) and Cartopy (scitools.org.uk/cartopy), both of which rely on matplotlib (matplotlib.org) as the backend for generating the figures. Basemap is known to have limitations and is being discontinued. Cartopy is an improvement over Basemap but is still bound by the speed and memory constraints of matplotlib. We present a new Python interface for GMT (GMT/Python) that makes use of the GMT API and of new features being developed for the upcoming GMT 6 release. The GMT/Python library is designed according to the norms and styles of the Python community. The library integrates with the scientific Python ecosystem by using the "virtual files" from the GMT API to implement input and output of Python data types (numpy "ndarray" for tabular data and xarray "Dataset" for grids). Other features include an object-oriented interface for creating figures, the ability to display figures in the Jupyter notebook, and descriptive aliases for GMT arguments (e.g., "region" instead of "R" and "projection" instead of "J"). GMT/Python can also serve as a backend

  18. SunPy—Python for solar physics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Community, The SunPy; Mumford, Stuart J; Freij, Nabil; Bennett, Samuel M; Christe, Steven; Ireland, Jack; Shih, Albert Y; Inglis, Andrew R; Pérez-Suárez, David; Liedtke, Simon; Hewett, Russell J; Mayer, Florian; Hughitt, Keith; Meszaros, Tomas; Malocha, Michael; Evans, John; Agrawal, Ankit; Leonard, Andrew J; Robitaille, Thomas P; Mampaey, Benjamin

    2015-01-01

    This paper presents SunPy (version 0.5), a community-developed Python package for solar physics. Python, a free, cross-platform, general-purpose, high-level programming language, has seen widespread adoption among the scientific community, resulting in the availability of a large number of software packages, from numerical computation (NumPy, SciPy) and machine learning (scikit-learn) to visualization and plotting (matplotlib). SunPy is a data-analysis environment specializing in providing the software necessary to analyse solar and heliospheric data in Python. SunPy is open-source software (BSD licence) and has an open and transparent development workflow that anyone can contribute to. SunPy provides access to solar data through integration with the Virtual Solar Observatory (VSO), the Heliophysics Event Knowledgebase (HEK), and the HELiophysics Integrated Observatory (HELIO) webservices. It currently supports image data from major solar missions (e.g., SDO, SOHO, STEREO, and IRIS), time-series data from missions such as GOES, SDO/EVE, and PROBA2/LYRA, and radio spectra from e-Callisto and STEREO/SWAVES. We describe SunPy's functionality, provide examples of solar data analysis in SunPy, and show how Python-based solar data-analysis can leverage the many existing tools already available in Python. We discuss the future goals of the project and encourage interested users to become involved in the planning and development of SunPy. (paper)

  19. Accessing the VO with Python

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plante, R.; Fitzpatrick, M.; Graham, M.; Tody, D.; Young, W.

    2014-05-01

    We introduce two products for accessing the VO from Python: PyVO and VOClient. PyVO is built on the widely-used Astropy package and is well suited for integrating automated access to astronomical data into highly customizable scripts and applications for data analysis in Python. VOClient is built on a collection of C-libraries and is well suited for integrating with multi-language analysis packages. It also provides a framework for integrating legacy software into the Python environment. In this demo, we will run through several examples demonstrate basic data discovery and retrieval of data. This includes finding archives containing data of interest (VO registry), retrieving datasets (SIA, SSA), and exploring (Cone Search, SLAP). VOClient features some extended capabilities including the ability to communicate to other desktop applications from a script using the SAMP protocol.

  20. A New Python Library for Spectroscopic Analysis with MIDAS Style

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Y.; Luo, A.; Zhao, Y.

    2013-10-01

    The ESO MIDAS is a system for astronomers to analyze data which many astronomers are using. Python is a high level script language and there are many applications for astronomical data process. We are releasing a new Python library which realizes some MIDAS commands in Python. People can use it to write a MIDAS style Python code. We call it PydasLib. It is a Python library based on ESO MIDAS functions, which is easily used by astronomers who are familiar with the usage of MIDAS.

  1. Hearing with an atympanic ear: good vibration and poor sound-pressure detection in the royal python, Python regius

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Christian Bech; Christensen-Dalsgaard, Jakob; Brandt, Christian

    2012-01-01

    are sensitive to sound pressure and (2) snakes are sensitive to vibrations, but cannot hear the sound pressure per se. Vibration and sound-pressure sensitivities were quantified by measuring brainstem evoked potentials in 11 royal pythons, Python regius. Vibrograms and audiograms showed greatest sensitivity...... at low frequencies of 80-160 Hz, with sensitivities of -54 dB re. 1 m s(-2) and 78 dB re. 20 μPa, respectively. To investigate whether pythons detect sound pressure or sound-induced head vibrations, we measured the sound-induced head vibrations in three dimensions when snakes were exposed to sound...... pressure at threshold levels. In general, head vibrations induced by threshold-level sound pressure were equal to or greater than those induced by threshold-level vibrations, and therefore sound-pressure sensitivity can be explained by sound-induced head vibration. From this we conclude that pythons...

  2. Practical Approach for Hyperspectral Image Processing in Python

    Science.gov (United States)

    Annala, L.; Eskelinen, M. A.; Hämäläinen, J.; Riihinen, A.; Pölönen, I.

    2018-04-01

    Python is a very popular programming language among data scientists around the world. Python can also be used in hyperspectral data analysis. There are some toolboxes designed for spectral imaging, such as Spectral Python and HyperSpy, but there is a need for analysis pipeline, which is easy to use and agile for different solutions. We propose a Python pipeline which is built on packages xarray, Holoviews and scikit-learn. We have developed some of own tools, MaskAccessor, VisualisorAccessor and a spectral index library. They also fulfill our goal of easy and agile data processing. In this paper we will present our processing pipeline and demonstrate it in practice.

  3. Pharmacokinetics of a long-acting ceftiofur formulation (ceftiofur crystalline free acid) in the ball python (Python regius).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adkesson, Michael J; Fernandez-Varon, Emilio; Cox, Sherry; Martín-Jiménez, Tomás

    2011-09-01

    The objective of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetics of a long-acting formulation of ceftiofur crystalline-free acid (CCFA) following intramuscular injection in ball pythons (Python regius). Six adult ball pythons received an injection of CCFA (15 mg/kg) in the epaxial muscles. Blood samples were collected by cardiocentesis immediately prior to and at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 18, 24, 48, 72, 96, 144, 192, 240, 288, 384, 480, 576, 720, and 864 hr after CCFA administration. Plasma ceftiofur concentrations were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. A noncompartmental pharmacokinetic analysis was applied to the data. Maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) was 7.096 +/- 1.95 microg/ml and occurred at (Tmax) 2.17 +/- 0.98 hr. The area under the curve (0 to infinity) for ceftiofur was 74.59 +/- 13.05 microg x h/ml and the elimination half-life associated with the terminal slope of the concentration-time curve was 64.31 +/- 14.2 hr. Mean residence time (0 to infinity) was 46.85 +/- 13.53 hr. CCFA at 15 mg/kg was well tolerated in all the pythons. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) data for bacterial isolates from snakes are not well established. For MIC values of python. For MICs > or =0.5 microg/ml, more frequent dosing or a higher dosage may be required.

  4. Python-Assisted MODFLOW Application and Code Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Langevin, C.

    2013-12-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has a long history of developing and maintaining free, open-source software for hydrological investigations. The MODFLOW program is one of the most popular hydrologic simulation programs released by the USGS, and it is considered to be the most widely used groundwater flow simulation code. MODFLOW was written using a modular design and a procedural FORTRAN style, which resulted in code that could be understood, modified, and enhanced by many hydrologists. The code is fast, and because it uses standard FORTRAN it can be run on most operating systems. Most MODFLOW users rely on proprietary graphical user interfaces for constructing models and viewing model results. Some recent efforts, however, have focused on construction of MODFLOW models using open-source Python scripts. Customizable Python packages, such as FloPy (https://code.google.com/p/flopy), can be used to generate input files, read simulation results, and visualize results in two and three dimensions. Automating this sequence of steps leads to models that can be reproduced directly from original data and rediscretized in space and time. Python is also being used in the development and testing of new MODFLOW functionality. New packages and numerical formulations can be quickly prototyped and tested first with Python programs before implementation in MODFLOW. This is made possible by the flexible object-oriented design capabilities available in Python, the ability to call FORTRAN code from Python, and the ease with which linear systems of equations can be solved using SciPy, for example. Once new features are added to MODFLOW, Python can then be used to automate comprehensive regression testing and ensure reliability and accuracy of new versions prior to release.

  5. Python and AWS Cookbook

    CERN Document Server

    Garnaat, Mitch

    2011-01-01

    If you intend to use Amazon Web Services (AWS) for remote computing and storage, Python is an ideal programming language for developing applications and controlling your cloud-based infrastructure. This cookbook gets you started with more than two dozen recipes for using Python with AWS, based on the author's boto library. You'll find detailed recipes for working with the S3 storage service as well as EC2, the service that lets you design and build cloud applications. Each recipe includes a code solution you can use immediately, along with a discussion of why and how the recipe works. You al

  6. Python for probability, statistics, and machine learning

    CERN Document Server

    Unpingco, José

    2016-01-01

    This book covers the key ideas that link probability, statistics, and machine learning illustrated using Python modules in these areas. The entire text, including all the figures and numerical results, is reproducible using the Python codes and their associated Jupyter/IPython notebooks, which are provided as supplementary downloads. The author develops key intuitions in machine learning by working meaningful examples using multiple analytical methods and Python codes, thereby connecting theoretical concepts to concrete implementations. Modern Python modules like Pandas, Sympy, and Scikit-learn are applied to simulate and visualize important machine learning concepts like the bias/variance trade-off, cross-validation, and regularization. Many abstract mathematical ideas, such as convergence in probability theory, are developed and illustrated with numerical examples. This book is suitable for anyone with an undergraduate-level exposure to probability, statistics, or machine learning and with rudimentary knowl...

  7. Leveraging Comparative Genomics to Identify and Functionally Characterize Genes Associated with Sperm Phenotypes in Python bivittatus (Burmese Python

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kristopher J. L. Irizarry

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Comparative genomics approaches provide a means of leveraging functional genomics information from a highly annotated model organism’s genome (such as the mouse genome in order to make physiological inferences about the role of genes and proteins in a less characterized organism’s genome (such as the Burmese python. We employed a comparative genomics approach to produce the functional annotation of Python bivittatus genes encoding proteins associated with sperm phenotypes. We identify 129 gene-phenotype relationships in the python which are implicated in 10 specific sperm phenotypes. Results obtained through our systematic analysis identified subsets of python genes exhibiting associations with gene ontology annotation terms. Functional annotation data was represented in a semantic scatter plot. Together, these newly annotated Python bivittatus genome resources provide a high resolution framework from which the biology relating to reptile spermatogenesis, fertility, and reproduction can be further investigated. Applications of our research include (1 production of genetic diagnostics for assessing fertility in domestic and wild reptiles; (2 enhanced assisted reproduction technology for endangered and captive reptiles; and (3 novel molecular targets for biotechnology-based approaches aimed at reducing fertility and reproduction of invasive reptiles. Additional enhancements to reptile genomic resources will further enhance their value.

  8. Pyception: Teaching Python with a Serious Game

    OpenAIRE

    Laskemoen, Kristian

    2013-01-01

    This thesis set out to study how an online serious game could affect users? motivation on learning Python. One of the projects core goals is to find out whether learning Python is more motivating when having an effortless start through a web based game. A second goal is to find out if Python as a programming language are well suited for a serious game.After the development and implementation of the game, it was performed a user experiment in order to receive feedback. Data from this user expe...

  9. A postmortem experience of Indian rock python (Python molurus molurus that swallowed a whole barking deer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amam Zonaed Siddiki

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available The object of this study was to report a post mortem findings of a female Indian Rock Python with a length of 406 cm (13.32 feet and approximate weight of 60 kg (including a whole deer that was swallowed by the python, that was brought to the Teaching Veterinary Hospital, Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (CVASU by the Forest Department of Kumira Range Office, Chittagong. The local inhabitants accidently found the python at the forest area of Kumira and they frightenedly injured and killed the snake eventually. The postmortem (PM examination was performed according to standard protocols. Gross examination revealed bloody discharge was come out through mouth and a couple of skin lacerations observed on the right dorso-lateral part of the abdominal region. The whole barrel-shaped body cavity was opened and whole deer (partially decomposed was recovered from the stomach. Furthermore, three fractured ribs were found on right thorax. The PM examination team believes that the possible cause of python death was traumatic injury inflicted by the local people. [Vet World 2013; 6(3.000: 163-165

  10. A facility for creating Python extensions in C++

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dubois, P F

    1998-01-01

    Python extensions are usually created by writing the glue that connects Python to the desired new functionality in the C language. While simple extensions do not require much effort, to do the job correctly with full error checking is tedious and prone to errors in reference counting and to memory leaks, especially when errors occur. The resulting program is difficult to read and maintain. By designing suitable C++ classes to wrap the Python C API, we are able to produce extensions that are correct and which clean up after themselves correctly when errors occur. This facility also integrates the C++ and Python exception facilities. This paper briefly describes our package for this purpose, named CXX. The emphasis is on our design choices and the way these contribute to the construction of accurate Python extensions. We also briefly relate the way CXX's facilities for sequence classes allow use of C++'s Standard Template Library (STL) algorithms on C++ sequences

  11. Strike kinematics and performance in juvenile ball pythons (Python regius).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ryerson, William G; Tan, Weimin

    2017-08-01

    The rapid strike of snakes has interested researchers for decades. Although most work has focused on the strike performance of vipers, recent work has shown that other snakes outside of the Viperidae can strike with the same velocities and accelerations. However, to date all of these examples focus on performance in adult snakes. Here, we use high-speed video to measure the strike kinematics and performance of 10 juvenile (pythons, Python regius. We find that juvenile P. regius strike at levels comparable to larger snakes, but with shorter durations and over shorter distances. We conclude that the juvenile P. regius maintain performance likely through manipulation of the axial musculature and accompanying elastic tissues, and that this is a first step to understanding ontogenetic changes in behavior and a potential avenue for understanding how captivity may also impact behavior. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  12. The Python ARM Radar Toolkit (Py-ART), a Library for Working with Weather Radar Data in the Python Programming Language

    OpenAIRE

    Helmus, Jonathan J; Collis, Scott M

    2016-01-01

    The Python ARM Radar Toolkit is a package for reading, visualizing, correcting and analysing data from weather radars. Development began to meet the needs of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility and has since expanded to provide a general-purpose framework for working with data from weather radars in the Python programming language. The toolkit is built on top of libraries in the Scientific Python ecosystem including NumPy, SciPy, and matplotlib, and makes use of Cy...

  13. Algorithmic synthesis using Python compiler

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cieszewski, Radoslaw; Romaniuk, Ryszard; Pozniak, Krzysztof; Linczuk, Maciej

    2015-09-01

    This paper presents a python to VHDL compiler. The compiler interprets an algorithmic description of a desired behavior written in Python and translate it to VHDL. FPGA combines many benefits of both software and ASIC implementations. Like software, the programmed circuit is flexible, and can be reconfigured over the lifetime of the system. FPGAs have the potential to achieve far greater performance than software as a result of bypassing the fetch-decode-execute operations of traditional processors, and possibly exploiting a greater level of parallelism. This can be achieved by using many computational resources at the same time. Creating parallel programs implemented in FPGAs in pure HDL is difficult and time consuming. Using higher level of abstraction and High-Level Synthesis compiler implementation time can be reduced. The compiler has been implemented using the Python language. This article describes design, implementation and results of created tools.

  14. Mechanisms of Vowel Variation in African American English.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holt, Yolanda Feimster

    2018-02-15

    This research explored mechanisms of vowel variation in African American English by comparing 2 geographically distant groups of African American and White American English speakers for participation in the African American Shift and the Southern Vowel Shift. Thirty-two male (African American: n = 16, White American controls: n = 16) lifelong residents of cities in eastern and western North Carolina produced heed,hid,heyd,head,had,hod,hawed,whod,hood,hoed,hide,howed,hoyd, and heard 3 times each in random order. Formant frequency, duration, and acoustic analyses were completed for the vowels /i, ɪ, e, ɛ, æ, ɑ, ɔ, u, ʊ, o, aɪ, aʊ, oɪ, ɝ/ produced in the listed words. African American English speakers show vowel variation. In the west, the African American English speakers are participating in the Southern Vowel Shift and hod fronting of the African American Shift. In the east, neither the African American English speakers nor their White peers are participating in the Southern Vowel Shift. The African American English speakers show limited participation in the African American Shift. The results provide evidence of regional and socio-ethnic variation in African American English in North Carolina.

  15. PRACTICAL APPROACH FOR HYPERSPECTRAL IMAGE PROCESSING IN PYTHON

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. Annala

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Python is a very popular programming language among data scientists around the world. Python can also be used in hyperspectral data analysis. There are some toolboxes designed for spectral imaging, such as Spectral Python and HyperSpy, but there is a need for analysis pipeline, which is easy to use and agile for different solutions. We propose a Python pipeline which is built on packages xarray, Holoviews and scikit-learn. We have developed some of own tools, MaskAccessor, VisualisorAccessor and a spectral index library. They also fulfill our goal of easy and agile data processing. In this paper we will present our processing pipeline and demonstrate it in practice.

  16. Machine learning in Python essential techniques for predictive analysis

    CERN Document Server

    Bowles, Michael

    2015-01-01

    Learn a simpler and more effective way to analyze data and predict outcomes with Python Machine Learning in Python shows you how to successfully analyze data using only two core machine learning algorithms, and how to apply them using Python. By focusing on two algorithm families that effectively predict outcomes, this book is able to provide full descriptions of the mechanisms at work, and the examples that illustrate the machinery with specific, hackable code. The algorithms are explained in simple terms with no complex math and applied using Python, with guidance on algorithm selection, d

  17. Compiling an Evidence-Based Improvement Plan for the Support of Distance-Education Students at a Southern African University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Makhakhane, Bothephana; Wilkinson, Annette C.; Ndeya-Ndereya, Charity N.

    2016-01-01

    This article illustrates how an event guide can be used to organise, systematise and prioritise the large amount of findings from an extensive study. The study aimed to enhance student support at a distance-education institute in a Southern African country (Lesotho). In this case study an improvement-oriented evaluation of the strengths,…

  18. Development of a technique for contrast radiographic examination of the gastrointestinal tract in ball pythons (Python regius).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Banzato, Tommaso; Russo, Elisa; Finotti, Luca; Zotti, Alessandro

    2012-07-01

    To develop a technique for radiographic evaluation of the gastrointestinal tract in ball pythons (Python regius). 10 ball python cadavers (5 males and 5 females) and 18 healthy adult ball pythons (10 males and 8 females). Live snakes were allocated to 3 groups (A, B, and C). A dose (25 mL/kg) of barium sulfate suspension at 3 concentrations (25%, 35%, and 45% [wt/vol]) was administered through an esophageal probe to snakes in groups A, B, and C, respectively. Each evaluation ended when all the contrast medium had reached the large intestine. Transit times through the esophagus, stomach, and small intestine were recorded. Imaging quality was evaluated by 3 investigators who assigned a grading score on the basis of predetermined criteria. Statistical analysis was conducted to evaluate differences in quality among the study groups. The esophagus and stomach had a consistent distribution pattern of contrast medium, whereas 3 distribution patterns of contrast medium were identified in the small intestine, regardless of barium concentration. Significant differences in imaging quality were detected among the 3 groups. Radiographic procedures were tolerated well by all snakes. The 35% concentration of contrast medium yielded the best imaging quality. Use of contrast medium for evaluation of the cranial portion of the gastrointestinal tract could be a reliable technique for the diagnosis of gastrointestinal diseases in ball pythons. However, results of this study may not translate to other snake species because of variables identified in this group of snakes.

  19. Learning selenium testing tools with Python

    CERN Document Server

    Gundecha, Unmesh

    2014-01-01

    If you are a quality testing professional, or a software or web application developer looking to create automation test scripts for your web applications, with an interest in Python, then this is the perfect guide for you. Python developers who need to do Selenium testing need not learn Java, as they can directly use Selenium for testing with this book.

  20. Programming for computations Python : a gentle introduction to numerical simulations with Python

    CERN Document Server

    Linge, Svein

    2016-01-01

    This book presents computer programming as a key method for solving mathematical problems. There are two versions of the book, one for MATLAB and one for Python. The book was inspired by the Springer book TCSE 6: A Primer on Scientific Programming with Python (by Langtangen), but the style is more accessible and concise, in keeping with the needs of engineering students. The book outlines the shortest possible path from no previous experience with programming to a set of skills that allows the students to write simple programs for solving common mathematical problems with numerical methods in engineering and science courses. The emphasis is on generic algorithms, clean design of programs, use of functions, and automatic tests for verification.

  1. Groundwater quality characterization to protect biodiversity in SADC region (Southern African Development Community

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stefania Vitale

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The following paper describes the first phase of a study held in the context of the SECOSUD Phase II project, called “Conservation and equitable use of biological diversity in the SADC region (Southern African Development Community, which aims at promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable economic development in the SADC [1]. The Southern African Development Community (SADC is an inter-governmental organization, with 15 member states: Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Mauritius, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Madagascar, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its aim is to increase socio-economic cooperation and integration among the community. It is one of the richest area in terms of biodiversity. The main goal of the Project is to contribute to stop biodiversity loss by supporting the development of conservation strategies. Biodiversity or biological diversity is formally defined by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD as: “the variability among living organisms from all sources including, among others, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems” (UN 1992 Article 2 [2]. Biodiversity is affected by the interaction of multiple drivers and pressures including demographic, economic, socio-political, scientific and technological ones, which are leading to further decline, degradation and loss. The principal pressures on biodiversity include habitat loss and degradation, overexploitation, alien invasive species, climate change and pollution. These pressures are continuing to increase. To use biodiversity and to keep it in a sustainable way, it is necessary to study it, assess its economic value, develop a global strategy and a global network to monitor its status in the biosphere. An important step in developing conservation of biodiversity

  2. Psychometric evaluation of the Problem Areas in Diabetes (PAID survey in Southern, rural African American women with Type 2 diabetes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elasy Tom A

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The Problem Areas in Diabetes (PAID survey is a measure of diabetes-related stress for which reported use has been in largely Caucasian populations. Our purpose was to assess the psychometric properties of the PAID in Southern rural African American women with Type 2 diabetes. Methods A convenience sample of African American women (N = 131 ranging from 21–50 years of age and diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes were recruited for a survey study from two rural Southern community health centers. Participants completed the PAID, Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D, and the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities Scale (SDSCA. Factor analysis, Cronbach's coefficient alpha, and construct validation facilitated psychometric evaluation. Results A principle component factor analysis of the PAID yielded two factors, 1 a lack of confidence subscale, and 2 a negative emotional consequences subscale. The Lack of Confidence and Negative Emotional Consequences subscales, but not the overall PAID scale, were associated with glycemic control and body mass index, respectively. Relationships with measures of depression and diabetes self-care supported construct validity of both subscales. Both subscales had acceptable (alpha = 0.85 and 0.94 internal consistency measures. Conclusion A psychometrically sound two-factor solution to the PAID survey is identified in Southern, rural African American women with Type 2 diabetes. Lack of confidence in and negative emotional consequences of diabetes self-care implementation provide a better understanding of determinants of glycemic control and weight than an aggregate of the two scales.

  3. African Journals Online (AJOL)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    It has also been difficult for African researchers to access the work of other African academics. ... search for an article by title, author/s or keywords,; and find other information ... Southern African Business Review; Project Work by Students for First ... The Basis of Distinction Between Qualitative and Quantitative Research in ...

  4. African Journals Online (AJOL)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    It has also been difficult for African researchers to access the work of other African ... search for an article by title, author/s or keywords,; and find other information ... Southern African Business Review; Effect of Globalization on Sovereignty of States ... The Basis of Distinction Between Qualitative and Quantitative Research in ...

  5. African Journals Online (AJOL)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    It has also been difficult for African researchers to access the work of other African ... search for an article by title, author/s or keywords,; and find other information sources ... Southern African Business Review; Conflicts in Africa: Meaning, Causes, ... The Basis of Distinction Between Qualitative and Quantitative Research in ...

  6. Clinical and histologic effects of intracardiac administration of propofol for induction of anesthesia in ball pythons (Python regius).

    Science.gov (United States)

    McFadden, Michael S; Bennett, R Avery; Reavill, Drury R; Ragetly, Guillaume R; Clark-Price, Stuart C

    2011-09-15

    To assess the clinical differences between induction of anesthesia in ball pythons with intracardiac administration of propofol and induction with isoflurane in oxygen and to assess the histologic findings over time in hearts following intracardiac administration of propofol. Prospective randomized study. 30 hatchling ball pythons (Python regius). Anesthesia was induced with intracardiac administration of propofol (10 mg/kg [4.5 mg/lb]) in 18 ball pythons and with 5% isoflurane in oxygen in 12 ball pythons. Induction time, time of anesthesia, and recovery time were recorded. Hearts from snakes receiving intracardiac administration of propofol were evaluated histologically 3, 7, 14, 30, and 60 days following propofol administration. Induction time with intracardiac administration of propofol was significantly shorter than induction time with 5% isoflurane in oxygen. No significant differences were found in total anesthesia time. Recovery following intracardiac administration of propofol was significantly longer than recovery following induction of anesthesia with isoflurane in oxygen. Heart tissue evaluated histologically at 3, 7, and 14 days following intracardiac administration of propofol had mild inflammatory changes, and no histopathologic lesions were seen 30 and 60 days following propofol administration. Intracardiac injection of propofol in snakes is safe and provides a rapid induction of anesthesia but leads to prolonged recovery, compared with that following induction with isoflurane. Histopathologic lesions in heart tissues following intracardiac injection of propofol were mild and resolved after 14 days.

  7. Python bindings for the open source electromagnetic simulator Meep

    OpenAIRE

    Lambert, Emmanuel; Fiers, Martin; Nizamov, Shavkat; Tassaert, Martijn; Johnson, Steven G; Bienstman, Peter; Bogaerts, Wim

    2011-01-01

    Meep is a broadly used open source package for finite-difference time-domain electromagnetic simulations. Python bindings for Meep make it easier to use for researchers and open promising opportunities for integration with other packages in the Python ecosystem. As this project shows, implementing Python-Meep offers benefits for specific disciplines and for the wider research community.

  8. The influence of Pleistocene climatic changes and ocean currents on the phylogeography of the southern African barnacle, Tetraclita serrata (Thoracica; Cirripedia.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Terry V Reynolds

    Full Text Available The evolutionary effects of glacial periods are poorly understood for Southern Hemisphere marine intertidal species, particularly obligatory sessile organisms. We examined this by assessing the phylogeographic patterns of the southern African volcano barnacle, Tetraclita serrata, a dominant species on rocky intertidal shores. Restricted gene flow in some geographical areas was hypothesized based on oceanic circulation patterns and known biogeographic regions. Barnacle population genetic structure was investigated using the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI region for 410 individuals sampled from 20 localities spanning the South African coast. The mtDNA data were augmented by generating nuclear internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1 sequences from a subset of samples. Phylogenetic and population genetic analyses of mitochondrial DNA data reveal two distinct clades with mostly sympatric distributions, whereas nuclear analyses reveal only a single lineage. Shallow, but significant structure (0.0041-0.0065, P<0.01 was detected for the mtDNA data set, with the south-west African region identified as harbouring the highest levels of genetic diversity. Gene flow analyses on the mtDNA data show that individuals sampled in south-western localities experience gene flow primarily in the direction of the Benguela Current, while south and eastern localities experience bi-directional gene flow, suggesting an influence of both the inshore currents and the offshore Agulhas Current in the larval distribution of T. serrata. The mtDNA haplotype network, Bayesian Skyline Plots, mismatch distributions and time since expansion indicate that T. serrata population numbers were not severely affected by the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, unlike other southern African marine species. The processes resulting in the two morphologically cryptic mtDNA lineages may be the result of a recent historical allopatric event followed by secondary contact or could reflect

  9. Geoconservation - a southern African and African perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reimold, Wolf Uwe

    1999-10-01

    In contrast to Europe, where geoconservation is actively pursued in most countries and where two international symposia on this subject have been staged in 1991 and 1996, geoconservation in Africa has indeed a very poor record. Considering the wealth of outstanding geological sites and the importance African stratigraphy has within the global geological record, pro-active geoconservation on this continent has not featured very prominently to date. In the interest of science, education and tourism, unique and typical geosites need to be identified, catalogued, and prioritised with the aim being their protection. Most African countries do not have vibrant non-governmental organisations such as a strong geological society, which could drive projects like geoconservation, or strong support from the private sector for environmental work. Here, a case is made for the role that established National Geological Surveys, some of which are already involved with retroactive environmental geological work, could play in the forefront of pro-active geoconservation and site protection.

  10. Reproductive system and the spermatophoric reaction of the mesopelagic squid Octopoteuthis sicula (Ruppell 1844) (Cephalopoda : Octopoteuthidae) from southern African waters

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hoving, H. J. T.; Lipinski, M. R.; Videler, J. J.

    2008-01-01

    Reproductive features of the poorly known oceanic squid Octopoteuthis sicula are described and quantified to gain insight into the reproductive biology of the species. The data are based on 39 complete and partial specimens from southern African waters, collected between 1975 and 2005. The specimens

  11. pupyMPI - MPI implemented in pure Python

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bromer, Rune; Hantho, Frederik; Vinter, Brian

    2011-01-01

    As distributed memory systems have become common, the de facto standard for communication is still the Message Passing Interface (MPI). pupyMPI is a pure Python implementation of a broad subset of the MPI 1.3 specifications that allows Python programmers to utilize multiple CPUs with datatypes...

  12. Phylogenetic studies of Terfezia pfeilii and Choiromyces echinulatus (Pezizales) support new genera for southern African truffles: Kalaharituber and Eremiomyces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yael Ferdman; Sharon Aviram; Nurit Roth-Bejerano; James M. Trappe; Varda. Kagan-Zur

    2005-01-01

    The ITS region including the 5.8S rRNA gene as well as the 5' end of the 28S rRNA gene of hypogeous Pezizaceae and Tuberaceae were studied to clarify the generic placement of two southern African desert truffles, Terfezia pfeilii and Choiromyces echinulatus. The results show that...

  13. Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropy Measurement from Python V

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coble, K.; Dodelson, S.; Dragovan, M.; Ganga, K.; Knox, L.; Kovac, J.; Ratra, B.; Souradeep, T.

    2003-02-01

    We analyze observations of the microwave sky made with the Python experiment in its fifth year of operation at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica. After modeling the noise and constructing a map, we extract the cosmic signal from the data. We simultaneously estimate the angular power spectrum in eight bands ranging from large (l~40) to small (l~260) angular scales, with power detected in the first six bands. There is a significant rise in the power spectrum from large to smaller (l~200) scales, consistent with that expected from acoustic oscillations in the early universe. We compare this Python V map to a map made from data taken in the third year of Python. Python III observations were made at a frequency of 90 GHz and covered a subset of the region of the sky covered by Python V observations, which were made at 40 GHz. Good agreement is obtained both visually (with a filtered version of the map) and via a likelihood ratio test.

  14. Computed tomography of ball pythons (Python regius) in curled recumbency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hedley, Joanna; Eatwell, Kevin; Schwarz, Tobias

    2014-01-01

    Anesthesia and tube restraint methods are often required for computed tomography (CT) of snakes due to their natural tendency to curl up. However, these restraint methods may cause animal stress. The aim of this study was to determine whether the CT appearance of the lungs differs for ball pythons in a curled position vs. tube restraint. Whole body CT was performed on ten clinically healthy ball pythons, first in curled and then in straight positions restrained in a tube. Curved multiplanar reformatted (MPR) lung images from curled position scans were compared with standard MPR lung images from straight position scans. Lung attenuation and thickness were measured at three locations for each scan. Time for positioning and scanning was 12 ± 5 min shorter for curled snakes compared to tube restraint. Lung parenchyma thickness and attenuation declined from cranial to caudal on both straight and curled position images. Mean lung parenchyma thickness was greater in curled images at locations 1 (P = 0.048) and 3 (P = 0.044). Mean lung parenchyma thickness decreased between location 1 and 2 by 86-87% (straight: curled) and between location 1 and 3 by 51-50% (straight: curled). Mean lung attenuation at location 1 was significantly greater on curled position images than tube restraint images (P = 0.043). Findings indicated that CT evaluation of the lungs is feasible for ball pythons positioned in curled recumbency if curved MPR is available. However, lung parenchyma thickness and attenuation in some locations may vary from those acquired using tube restraint. © 2014 American College of Veterinary Radiology.

  15. Subspectacular nematodiasis caused by a novel Serpentirhabdias species in ball pythons (Python regius).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hausmann, J C; Mans, C; Dreyfus, J; Reavill, D R; Lucio-Forster, A; Bowman, D D

    2015-01-01

    Subspectacular nematodiasis was diagnosed in three captive-bred juvenile ball pythons (Python regius) from two unrelated facilities within a 6-month period. The snakes were presented with similar lesions, including swelling of facial, periocular and oral tissues. Bilaterally, the subspectacular spaces were distended and filled with an opaque fluid, which contained nematodes and eggs. Histopathology showed nematodes throughout the periocular tissue, subspectacular space and subcutaneous tissue of the head. The nematodes from both facilities were morphologically indistinguishable and most closely resembled Serpentirhabdias species. Morphological characterization and genetic sequencing indicate this is a previously undescribed rhabdiasid nematode. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. SpiceyPy, a Python Wrapper for SPICE

    Science.gov (United States)

    Annex, A.

    2017-06-01

    SpiceyPy is an open source Python wrapper for the NAIF SPICE toolkit. It is available for macOS, Linux, and Windows platforms and for Python versions 2.7.x and 3.x as well as Anaconda. SpiceyPy can be installed by running: “pip install spiceypy.”

  17. Python in the NERSC Exascale Science Applications Program for Data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ronaghi, Zahra; Thomas, Rollin; Deslippe, Jack; Bailey, Stephen; Gursoy, Doga; Kisner, Theodore; Keskitalo, Reijo; Borrill, Julian

    2017-11-12

    We describe a new effort at the National Energy Re- search Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) in performance analysis and optimization of scientific Python applications targeting the Intel Xeon Phi (Knights Landing, KNL) many- core architecture. The Python-centered work outlined here is part of a larger effort called the NERSC Exascale Science Applications Program (NESAP) for Data. NESAP for Data focuses on applications that process and analyze high-volume, high-velocity data sets from experimental/observational science (EOS) facilities supported by the US Department of Energy Office of Science. We present three case study applications from NESAP for Data that use Python. These codes vary in terms of “Python purity” from applications developed in pure Python to ones that use Python mainly as a convenience layer for scientists without expertise in lower level programming lan- guages like C, C++ or Fortran. The science case, requirements, constraints, algorithms, and initial performance optimizations for each code are discussed. Our goal with this paper is to contribute to the larger conversation around the role of Python in high-performance computing today and tomorrow, highlighting areas for future work and emerging best practices

  18. DeepPy: Pythonic deep learning

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Anders Boesen Lindbo

    This technical report introduces DeepPy – a deep learning framework built on top of NumPy with GPU acceleration. DeepPy bridges the gap between highperformance neural networks and the ease of development from Python/NumPy. Users with a background in scientific computing in Python will quickly...... be able to understand and change the DeepPy codebase as it is mainly implemented using high-level NumPy primitives. Moreover, DeepPy supports complex network architectures by letting the user compose mathematical expressions as directed graphs. The latest version is available at http...

  19. Reimplementing a Multi-Agent System in Python

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Villadsen, Jørgen; Jensen, Andreas Schmidt; Ettienne, Mikko Berggren

    2012-01-01

    We provide a brief description of our Python-DTU system, including the overall design, the tools and the algorithms that we used in the Multi-Agent Programming Contest 2012, where the scenario was called Agents on Mars like in 2011. Our solution is an improvement of our Python-DTU system from last...

  20. Reimplementing a Multi-Agent System in Python

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Villadsen, Jørgen; Jensen, Andreas Schmidt; Ettienne, Mikko Berggren

    2013-01-01

    We provide a brief description of our Python-DTU system, including the overall design, the tools and the algorithms that we used in the Multi-Agent Programming Contest 2012, where the scenario was called Agents on Mars like in 2011. Our solution is an improvement of our Python-DTU system from last...

  1. Infestation of Royal Python (Python regius) with ticks Amblyomma ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Python/Boa Family is found in most part of tropics. It is a highly domesticated pet and can easily be handled (Cansdale 1962). Snakes are commonly infected by ticks more importantly the hand bodied ticks (Fowler, 1986).However, under captive condition, ticks usually exert a lot of burden on their hosts being carriers of ...

  2. Python erythrocytes are resistant to α-hemolysin from Escherichia coli.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larsen, Casper K; Skals, Marianne; Wang, Tobias; Cheema, Muhammad U; Leipziger, Jens; Praetorius, Helle A

    2011-12-01

    α-Hemolysin (HlyA) from Escherichia coli lyses mammalian erythrocytes by creating nonselective cation pores in the membrane. Pore insertion triggers ATP release and subsequent P2X receptor and pannexin channel activation. Blockage of either P2X receptors or pannexin channels reduces HlyA-induced hemolysis. We found that erythrocytes from Python regius and Python molurus are remarkably resistant to HlyA-induced hemolysis compared to human and Trachemys scripta erythrocytes. HlyA concentrations that induced maximal hemolysis of human erythrocytes did not affect python erythrocytes, but increasing the HlyA concentration 40-fold did induce hemolysis. Python erythrocytes were more resistant to osmotic stress than human erythrocytes, but osmotic stress tolerance per se did not confer HlyA resistance. Erythrocytes from T. scripta, which showed higher osmotic resistance than python erythrocytes, were as susceptible to HlyA as human erythrocytes. Therefore, we tested whether python erythrocytes lack the purinergic signalling known to amplify HlyA-induced hemolysis in human erythrocytes. P. regius erythrocytes increased intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration and reduced cell volume when exposed to 3 mM ATP, indicating the presence of a P2X₇-like receptor. In addition, scavenging extracellular ATP or blocking P2 receptors or pannexin channels reduced the HlyA-induced hemolysis. We tested whether the low HlyA sensitivity resulted from low affinity of HlyA to the python erythrocyte membrane. We found comparable incorporation of HlyA into human and python erythrocyte membranes. Taken together, the remarkable HlyA resistance of python erythrocytes was not explained by increased osmotic resistance, lack of purinergic hemolysis amplification, or differences in HlyA affinity.

  3. Re-Os dating of molybdenites from Southern India: implication for Pan-African metallogeny

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santosh, M.; Suzuki, Katsuhiko; Masuda, Akimasa

    1994-01-01

    Rhenium-osmium (Re-Os) dating of two molybdenite samples from the alkali granite and pegmatite of Ambalavayal in northern Kerala (S. India) yielded ages of 567 ±28 Ma and 566±77 Ma, respectively. These ages closely compare with the previously determined Rb-Sr whole rock age of 595±20 Ma Rb-Sr for granite, and K-Ar biotite age of 560±30 Ma for the pegmatite. Our study provides the first direct determination of the timing of ore mineralization associated with felsic magmatism in southern India, and reveals the fingerprints of a prominent Pan-African metallogenic event. This timing coincides with the formation of rare metal and gemstone-bearing pegmatites in different parts of southern India, Sri Lanka, Madagascar and East Antarctica. In most cases, the mineralizations are genetically related to felsic magmas emplaced along structural conduits, suggesting that the magmatism and metallogeny are related to deep-seated extension in the cratonized crustal segments of the Gondwana assembly. (author). 20 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab

  4. On Parallel Software Engineering Education Using Python

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marowka, Ami

    2018-01-01

    Python is gaining popularity in academia as the preferred language to teach novices serial programming. The syntax of Python is clean, easy, and simple to understand. At the same time, it is a high-level programming language that supports multi programming paradigms such as imperative, functional, and object-oriented. Therefore, by default, it is…

  5. Python 3 Web Development Beginner's Guide

    CERN Document Server

    Anders, Michel

    2011-01-01

    Part of Packt's Beginner's Guide Series, this book follows a sample application, with lots of screenshots, to help you get to grips with the techniques as quickly as possible. Moderately experienced Python programmers who want to learn how to create fairly complex, database-driven, cross browser compatible web apps that are maintainable and look good will find this book of most use. All key technologies except for Python 3 are explained in detail.

  6. Morphological respiratory diffusion capacity of the lungs of ball pythons (Python regius).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Starck, J Matthias; Aupperle, Heike; Kiefer, Ingmar; Weimer, Isabel; Krautwald-Junghanns, Maria-Elisabeth; Pees, Michael

    2012-08-01

    This study aims at a functional and morphological characterization of the lung of a boid snake. In particular, we were interested to see if the python's lungs are designed with excess capacity as compared to resting and working oxygen demands. Therefore, the morphological respiratory diffusion capacity of ball pythons (Python regius) was examined following a stereological, hierarchically nested approach. The volume of the respiratory exchange tissue was determined using computed tomography. Tissue compartments were quantified using stereological methods on light microscopic images. The tissue diffusion barrier for oxygen transport was characterized and measured using transmission electron micrographs. We found a significant negative correlation between body mass and the volume of respiratory tissue; the lungs of larger snakes had relatively less respiratory tissue. Therefore, mass-specific respiratory tissue was calculated to exclude effects of body mass. The volume of the lung that contains parenchyma was 11.9±5.0mm(3)g(-1). The volume fraction, i.e., the actual pulmonary exchange tissue per lung parenchyma, was 63.22±7.3%; the total respiratory surface was, on average, 0.214±0.129m(2); it was significantly negatively correlated to body mass, with larger snakes having proportionally smaller respiratory surfaces. For the air-blood barrier, a harmonic mean of 0.78±0.05μm was found, with the epithelial layer representing the thickest part of the barrier. Based on these findings, a median diffusion capacity of the tissue barrier ( [Formula: see text] ) of 0.69±0.38ml O(2)min(-1)mmHg(-1) was calculated. Based on published values for blood oxygen concentration, a total oxygen uptake capacity of 61.16mlO(2)min(-1)kg(-1) can be assumed. This value exceeds the maximum demand for oxygen in ball pythons by a factor of 12. We conclude that healthy individuals of P. regius possess a considerable spare capacity for tissue oxygen exchange. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Gmb

  7. African Journals Online (AJOL)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    It has also been difficult for African researchers to access the work of other ... search for an article by title, author/s or keywords,; and find other information ... Southern African Business Review; The Basis of Distinction Between Qualitative and ...

  8. Python reference manual

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    G. van Rossum (Guido)

    1995-01-01

    textabstractPython is a simple, yet powerful, interpreted programming language that bridges the gap between C and shell programming, and is thus ideally suited for ``throw-away programming'' and rapid prototyping. Its syntax is put together from constructs borrowed from a variety of other languages;

  9. Towards One Health Knowledge Networks: A Southern African Centre of Infectious Disease Surveillance case study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eric Beda

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available The dynamic nature of new information and/or knowledge is a big challenge for information systems. Early knowledge management systems focused entirely on technologies for storing, searching and retrieving data; these systems have proved a failure. Juirsica and Mylopoulos1 suggested that in order to build effective technologies for knowledge management, we need to further our understanding of how individuals, groups and organisations use knowledge. As the focus on knowledge management for organisations and consortia alike is moving towards a keen appreciation of how deeply knowledge is embedded in people’s experiences, there is a general realisation that knowledge cannot be stored or captured digitally. This puts more emphasis in creating enabling environments for interactions that stimulate knowledge sharing. Our work aims at developing an un-obtrusive intelligent system that glues together effective contemporary and traditional technologies to aid these interactions and manage the information captured. In addition this system will include tools to aid propagating a repository of scientific information relevant to surveillance of infectious diseases to complement knowledge shared and/or acts as a point of reference. This work is ongoing and based on experiences in developing a knowledge network management system for the Southern African Centre of Infectious Disease Surveillance (SACIDS, A One Health consortium of southern African academic and research institutions involved with infectious diseases of humans and animals in partnership with world-renowned centres of research in industrialised countries.

  10. Tangent: Automatic Differentiation Using Source Code Transformation in Python

    OpenAIRE

    van Merriënboer, Bart; Wiltschko, Alexander B.; Moldovan, Dan

    2017-01-01

    Automatic differentiation (AD) is an essential primitive for machine learning programming systems. Tangent is a new library that performs AD using source code transformation (SCT) in Python. It takes numeric functions written in a syntactic subset of Python and NumPy as input, and generates new Python functions which calculate a derivative. This approach to automatic differentiation is different from existing packages popular in machine learning, such as TensorFlow and Autograd. Advantages ar...

  11. Learning Python with Raspberry Pi

    CERN Document Server

    Bradbury, Alex

    2014-01-01

    The must-have companion guide to the Raspberry Pi User Guide! Raspberry Pi chose Python as its teaching language of choice to encourage a new generation of programmers to learn how to program. This approachable book serves as an ideal resource for anyone wanting to use Raspberry Pi to learn to program and helps you get started with the Python programming language. Aimed at first-time developers with no prior programming language assumed, this beginner book gets you up and running.Covers variables, loops, and functionsAddresses 3D graphics programmingWalks you through programming MinecraftZero

  12. Relapsing fever causative agent in Southern Iran is a closely related species to East African borreliae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naddaf, Saied Reza; Ghazinezhad, Behnaz; Kazemirad, Elham; Cutler, Sally Jane

    2017-10-01

    We obtained two blood samples from relapsing fever patients residing in Jask County, Hormozgan Province, southern Iran in 2013. Sequencing of a partial fragment of glpQ from two samples, and further characterization of one of them by analyzing flaB gene, and 16S-23S spacer (IGS) revealed the greatest sequence identity with East African borreliae, Borrelia recurrentis, and Borrelia duttonii, and Borrelia microti from Iran. Phylogenetic analyses of glpQ, flaB, and concatenated sequences (glpQ, flab, and IGS) clustered these sequences amongst East African Relapsing fever borreliae and B. microti from Iran. However, the more discriminatory IGS disclosed a unique 8-bp signature (CAGCCTAA) separating these from B. microti and indeed other relapsing fever borreliae. In southern Iran, relapsing fever cases are mostly from localities in which O. erraticus ticks, the notorious vector of B. microti, prevail. There are chances that this argasid tick serves as a host and vector of several closely related species or ecotypes including the one we identified in the present study. The distribution of this Borrelia species remains to be elucidated, but it is assumed to be endemic to lowland areas of the Hormozgan Province, as well as Sistan va Baluchistan in the southeast and South Khorasan (in Persian: Khorasan-e Jonobi) in the east of Iran. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  13. Techniques of remote sensing and GIS as tools for visualizing impact of climate change-induced flood in the southern African region.

    Science.gov (United States)

    This study employs remote sensing and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) data to visualize the impact of climate change caused by flooding in the Southern African region in order to assist decision makers’ plans for future occurrences. In pursuit of this objective, this study uses Digital Elevat...

  14. Leveraging Python Interoperability Tools to Improve Sapphire's Usability

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gezahegne, A; Love, N S

    2007-12-10

    The Sapphire project at the Center for Applied Scientific Computing (CASC) develops and applies an extensive set of data mining algorithms for the analysis of large data sets. Sapphire's algorithms are currently available as a set of C++ libraries. However many users prefer higher level scripting languages such as Python for their ease of use and flexibility. In this report, we evaluate four interoperability tools for the purpose of wrapping Sapphire's core functionality with Python. Exposing Sapphire's functionality through a Python interface would increase its usability and connect its algorithms to existing Python tools.

  15. Python programming language and the effectiveness of its inclusion in the teaching

    OpenAIRE

    Vitásek, Tomáš

    2009-01-01

    The goal of the first part of this work is to summarize the basics of the Python programming language. Show how to create programs in Python, what are the modules, the basic data types, syntax and the possibility of approach to language. The second part will address the description of the initial programming courses, their objectives and what benefits it brings to teaching Python. Finally, then look at the (in)dependence on the Python platform for running and how to get from Python to another...

  16. Python scripting in the Nengo simulator

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Terrence C Stewart

    2009-03-01

    Full Text Available Nengo is an open-source neural simulator that has been greatly enhanced by the recent addition of a Python script interface. Nengo provides a wide range of features that are useful for physiological simulations, including unique features that facilitate development of population-coding models using the Neural Engineering Framework (NEF. This framework uses information theory, signal processing, and control theory to formalize the development of large-scale neural circuit models. Notably, it can also be used to determine the synaptic weights that underlie observed network dynamics and transformations of represented variables. Nengo provides rich NEF support, and includes customizable models of spike generation, muscle dynamics, synaptic plasticity, and synaptic integration, as well as an intuitive graphical user interface. All aspects of Nengo models are accessible via the Python interface, allowing for programmatic creation of models, inspection and modification of neural parameters, and automation of model evaluation. Since Nengo combines Python and Java, it can also be integrated with any existing Java or 100% Python code libraries. Current work includes connecting neural models in Nengo with existing symbolic cognitive models, creating hybrid systems that combine detailed neural models of specific brain regions with higher-level models of remaining brain areas. Such hybrid models can provide 1 more realistic boundary conditions for the neural components, and 2 more realistic sub-components for the larger cognitive models.

  17. Python scripting in the nengo simulator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stewart, Terrence C; Tripp, Bryan; Eliasmith, Chris

    2009-01-01

    Nengo (http://nengo.ca) is an open-source neural simulator that has been greatly enhanced by the recent addition of a Python script interface. Nengo provides a wide range of features that are useful for physiological simulations, including unique features that facilitate development of population-coding models using the neural engineering framework (NEF). This framework uses information theory, signal processing, and control theory to formalize the development of large-scale neural circuit models. Notably, it can also be used to determine the synaptic weights that underlie observed network dynamics and transformations of represented variables. Nengo provides rich NEF support, and includes customizable models of spike generation, muscle dynamics, synaptic plasticity, and synaptic integration, as well as an intuitive graphical user interface. All aspects of Nengo models are accessible via the Python interface, allowing for programmatic creation of models, inspection and modification of neural parameters, and automation of model evaluation. Since Nengo combines Python and Java, it can also be integrated with any existing Java or 100% Python code libraries. Current work includes connecting neural models in Nengo with existing symbolic cognitive models, creating hybrid systems that combine detailed neural models of specific brain regions with higher-level models of remaining brain areas. Such hybrid models can provide (1) more realistic boundary conditions for the neural components, and (2) more realistic sub-components for the larger cognitive models.

  18. Identification of a novel nidovirus in an outbreak of fatal respiratory disease in ball pythons (Python regius).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uccellini, Lorenzo; Ossiboff, Robert J; de Matos, Ricardo E C; Morrisey, James K; Petrosov, Alexandra; Navarrete-Macias, Isamara; Jain, Komal; Hicks, Allison L; Buckles, Elizabeth L; Tokarz, Rafal; McAloose, Denise; Lipkin, Walter Ian

    2014-08-08

    Respiratory infections are important causes of morbidity and mortality in reptiles; however, the causative agents are only infrequently identified. Pneumonia, tracheitis and esophagitis were reported in a collection of ball pythons (Python regius). Eight of 12 snakes had evidence of bacterial pneumonia. High-throughput sequencing of total extracted nucleic acids from lung, esophagus and spleen revealed a novel nidovirus. PCR indicated the presence of viral RNA in lung, trachea, esophagus, liver, and spleen. In situ hybridization confirmed the presence of intracellular, intracytoplasmic viral nucleic acids in the lungs of infected snakes. Phylogenetic analysis based on a 1,136 amino acid segment of the polyprotein suggests that this virus may represent a new species in the subfamily Torovirinae. This report of a novel nidovirus in ball pythons may provide insight into the pathogenesis of respiratory disease in this species and enhances our knowledge of the diversity of nidoviruses.

  19. Scripting MODFLOW model development using Python and FloPy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bakker, Mark; Post, Vincent E. A.; Langevin, Christian D.; Hughes, Joseph D.; White, Jeremy; Starn, Jeffrey; Fienen, Michael N.

    2016-01-01

    Graphical user interfaces (GUIs) are commonly used to construct and postprocess numerical groundwater flow and transport models. Scripting model development with the programming language Python is presented here as an alternative approach. One advantage of Python is that there are many packages available to facilitate the model development process, including packages for plotting, array manipulation, optimization, and data analysis. For MODFLOW-based models, the FloPy package was developed by the authors to construct model input files, run the model, and read and plot simulation results. Use of Python with the available scientific packages and FloPy facilitates data exploration, alternative model evaluations, and model analyses that can be difficult to perform with GUIs. Furthermore, Python scripts are a complete, transparent, and repeatable record of the modeling process. The approach is introduced with a simple FloPy example to create and postprocess a MODFLOW model. A more complicated capture-fraction analysis with a real-world model is presented to demonstrate the types of analyses that can be performed using Python and FloPy.

  20. Cost versus precision for approximate typing for Python

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fritz, Levin; Hage, J.

    2017-01-01

    In this paper we describe a variation of monotone frameworks that enables us to perform approximate typing of Python, in particular for dealing with some of its more dynamic features such as first-class functions and Python's dynamic class system. We additionally introduce a substantial number of

  1. African Journals Online (AJOL)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Ethiopian Journal of Education and Sciences; Conflicts in Africa: Meaning, Causes, Impact and Solution African Research Review; The competitive advantage of nations: is Porter's Diamond Framework a new theory that explains the international competitiveness of countries? Southern African Business Review; The Rise of ...

  2. TensorLy: Tensor Learning in Python

    OpenAIRE

    Kossaifi, Jean; Panagakis, Yannis; Pantic, Maja

    2016-01-01

    Tensors are higher-order extensions of matrices. While matrix methods form the cornerstone of machine learning and data analysis, tensor methods have been gaining increasing traction. However, software support for tensor operations is not on the same footing. In order to bridge this gap, we have developed \\emph{TensorLy}, a high-level API for tensor methods and deep tensorized neural networks in Python. TensorLy aims to follow the same standards adopted by the main projects of the Python scie...

  3. HOPE: Just-in-time Python compiler for astrophysical computations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akeret, Joel; Gamper, Lukas; Amara, Adam; Refregier, Alexandre

    2014-11-01

    HOPE is a specialized Python just-in-time (JIT) compiler designed for numerical astrophysical applications. HOPE focuses on a subset of the language and is able to translate Python code into C++ while performing numerical optimization on mathematical expressions at runtime. To enable the JIT compilation, the user only needs to add a decorator to the function definition. By using HOPE, the user benefits from being able to write common numerical code in Python while getting the performance of compiled implementation.

  4. The genetic prehistory of southern Africa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pickrell, Joseph K; Patterson, Nick; Barbieri, Chiara; Berthold, Falko; Gerlach, Linda; Güldemann, Tom; Kure, Blesswell; Mpoloka, Sununguko Wata; Nakagawa, Hirosi; Naumann, Christfried; Lipson, Mark; Loh, Po-Ru; Lachance, Joseph; Mountain, Joanna; Bustamante, Carlos D; Berger, Bonnie; Tishkoff, Sarah A; Henn, Brenna M; Stoneking, Mark; Reich, David; Pakendorf, Brigitte

    2012-01-01

    Southern and eastern African populations that speak non-Bantu languages with click consonants are known to harbour some of the most ancient genetic lineages in humans, but their relationships are poorly understood. Here, we report data from 23 populations analysed at over half a million single-nucleotide polymorphisms, using a genome-wide array designed for studying human history. The southern African Khoisan fall into two genetic groups, loosely corresponding to the northwestern and southeastern Kalahari, which we show separated within the last 30,000 years. We find that all individuals derive at least a few percent of their genomes from admixture with non-Khoisan populations that began ∼1,200 years ago. In addition, the East African Hadza and Sandawe derive a fraction of their ancestry from admixture with a population related to the Khoisan, supporting the hypothesis of an ancient link between southern and eastern Africa.

  5. A Python Library for Historical Comparative Linguistics

    OpenAIRE

    Moran , Steven; List , Johann-Mattis

    2012-01-01

    Awarded best paper award; International audience; In this talk we will discuss a European Research Council funded collaborative effort to build a Python library for undertaking academic research in historical-comparative linguistics. Our aim of implementing quantitative methods, specifically in Python, is to transform historical-comparative linguistics from a primarily handcrafted scientific scholarly endeavor, performed by individual researchers, into a quantitative and collaborative field o...

  6. Python for data analysis data wrangling with Pandas, NumPy, and IPython

    CERN Document Server

    McKinney, Wes

    2017-01-01

    Get complete instructions for manipulating, processing, cleaning, and crunching datasets in Python. Updated for Python 3.6, the second edition of this hands-on guide is packed with practical case studies that show you how to solve a broad set of data analysis problems effectively. You’ll learn the latest versions of pandas, NumPy, IPython, and Jupyter in the process. Written by Wes McKinney, the creator of the Python pandas project, this book is a practical, modern introduction to data science tools in Python. It’s ideal for analysts new to Python and for Python programmers new to data science and scientific computing. Data files and related material are available on GitHub. Use the IPython shell and Jupyter notebook for exploratory computing Learn basic and advanced features in NumPy (Numerical Python) Get started with data analysis tools in the pandas library Use flexible tools to load, clean, transform, merge, and reshape data Create informative visualizations with matplotlib ...

  7. Annual congress of the South African Society of Pathologists: congress brochure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1980-01-01

    The 1980 annual congress of the South African Society of Pathologists was held in cooperation with the Southern African Society for Haematology, International Academy of Pathology, South African Association of Clinical Biochemistry and the Southern African Microbiology Society on the 7-9th July at the South African Institute for Medical Research. The subjects covered in this abstracts include virology, microbiology, histopathology, immunology, and chemical pathology. It seems that the use of isotopes as tracers is very popular in pathology and relative fields

  8. The Python ARM Radar Toolkit (Py-ART, a Library for Working with Weather Radar Data in the Python Programming Language

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jonathan J Helmus

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available The Python ARM Radar Toolkit is a package for reading, visualizing, correcting and analysing data from weather radars. Development began to meet the needs of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility and has since expanded to provide a general-purpose framework for working with data from weather radars in the Python programming language. The toolkit is built on top of libraries in the Scientific Python ecosystem including NumPy, SciPy, and matplotlib, and makes use of Cython for interfacing with existing radar libraries written in C and to speed up computationally demanding algorithms. The source code for the toolkit is available on GitHub and is distributed under a BSD license.

  9. Implementation of quantum game theory simulations using Python

    Science.gov (United States)

    Madrid S., A.

    2013-05-01

    This paper provides some examples about quantum games simulated in Python's programming language. The quantum games have been developed with the Sympy Python library, which permits solving quantum problems in a symbolic form. The application of these methods of quantum mechanics to game theory gives us more possibility to achieve results not possible before. To illustrate the results of these methods, in particular, there have been simulated the quantum battle of the sexes, the prisoner's dilemma and card games. These solutions are able to exceed the classic bottle neck and obtain optimal quantum strategies. In this form, python demonstrated that is possible to do more advanced and complicated quantum games algorithms.

  10. Fatty acids identified in the Burmese python promote beneficial cardiac growth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riquelme, Cecilia A; Magida, Jason A; Harrison, Brooke C; Wall, Christopher E; Marr, Thomas G; Secor, Stephen M; Leinwand, Leslie A

    2011-10-28

    Burmese pythons display a marked increase in heart mass after a large meal. We investigated the molecular mechanisms of this physiological heart growth with the goal of applying this knowledge to the mammalian heart. We found that heart growth in pythons is characterized by myocyte hypertrophy in the absence of cell proliferation and by activation of physiological signal transduction pathways. Despite high levels of circulating lipids, the postprandial python heart does not accumulate triglycerides or fatty acids. Instead, there is robust activation of pathways of fatty acid transport and oxidation combined with increased expression and activity of superoxide dismutase, a cardioprotective enzyme. We also identified a combination of fatty acids in python plasma that promotes physiological heart growth when injected into either pythons or mice.

  11. An intuitive Python interface for Bioconductor libraries demonstrates the utility of language translators

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gautier, Laurent

    2010-01-01

    time, Python has matured as a rich and reliable language for the agile development of prototypes or final implementations, as well as for handling large data sets. Results The data structures and functions from Bioconductor can be exposed to Python as a regular library. This allows a fully transparent...... and native use of Bioconductor from Python, without one having to know the R language and with only a small community of translators required to know both. To demonstrate this, we have implemented such Python representations for key infrastructure packages in Bioconductor, letting a Python programmer handle...... annotation data, microarray data, and next-generation sequencing data. Conclusions Bioconductor is now not solely reserved to R users. Building a Python application using Bioconductor functionality can be done just like if Bioconductor was a Python package....

  12. Double valvular insufficiency in a Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus, Linnaeus, 1758) suffering from concomitant bacterial pneumonia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schilliger, Lionel; Tréhiou-Sechi, Emilie; Petit, Amandine M P; Misbach, Charlotte; Chetboul, Valérie

    2010-12-01

    Ultrasonography, and, to a lesser extent, echocardiography are now well-established, noninvasive, and painless diagnostic tools in herpetologic medicine. Various cardiac lesions have been previously described in reptiles, but valvulopathy is rarely documented in these animals and, consequently, is poorly understood. In this report, sinoatrial and atrioventricular insufficiencies were diagnosed in a 5-yr-old captive dyspneic Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) on the basis of echocardiographic and Doppler examination. This case report is the first to document Doppler assessment of valvular regurgitations in a reptile.

  13. Pybel: a Python wrapper for the OpenBabel cheminformatics toolkit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Morley Chris

    2008-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Scripting languages such as Python are ideally suited to common programming tasks in cheminformatics such as data analysis and parsing information from files. However, for reasons of efficiency, cheminformatics toolkits such as the OpenBabel toolkit are often implemented in compiled languages such as C++. We describe Pybel, a Python module that provides access to the OpenBabel toolkit. Results Pybel wraps the direct toolkit bindings to simplify common tasks such as reading and writing molecular files and calculating fingerprints. Extensive use is made of Python iterators to simplify loops such as that over all the molecules in a file. A Pybel Molecule can be easily interconverted to an OpenBabel OBMol to access those methods or attributes not wrapped by Pybel. Conclusion Pybel allows cheminformaticians to rapidly develop Python scripts that manipulate chemical information. It is open source, available cross-platform, and offers the power of the OpenBabel toolkit to Python programmers.

  14. Geoplotlib: a Python Toolbox for Visualizing Geographical Data

    OpenAIRE

    Cuttone, Andrea; Lehmann, Sune; Larsen, Jakob Eg

    2016-01-01

    We introduce geoplotlib, an open-source python toolbox for visualizing geographical data. geoplotlib supports the development of hardware-accelerated interactive visualizations in pure python, and provides implementations of dot maps, kernel density estimation, spatial graphs, Voronoi tesselation, shapefiles and many more common spatial visualizations. We describe geoplotlib design, functionalities and use cases.

  15. Next-Generation Web Frameworks in Python

    CERN Document Server

    Daly, Liza

    2007-01-01

    With its flexibility, readability, and maturecode libraries, Python is a naturalchoice for developing agile and maintainableweb applications. Severalframeworks have emerged in the last fewyears that share ideas with Ruby on Railsand leverage the expressive nature of Python.This Short Cut will tell you whatyou need to know about the hottest fullstackframeworks: Django, Pylons, andTurboGears. Their philosophies, relativestrengths, and development status aredescribed in detail. What you won't find out is, "Which oneshould I use?" The short answer is thatall of them can be used to build web appl

  16. A 3d game in python

    OpenAIRE

    Xu, Minghui

    2014-01-01

    3D game has widely been accepted and loved by many game players. More and more different kinds of 3D games were developed to feed people’s needs. The most common programming language for development of 3D game is C++ nowadays. Python is a high-level scripting language. It is simple and clear. The concise syntax could speed up the development cycle. This project was to develop a 3D game using only Python. The game is about how a cat lives in the street. In order to live, the player need...

  17. SymPy: symbolic computing in Python

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aaron Meurer

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available SymPy is an open source computer algebra system written in pure Python. It is built with a focus on extensibility and ease of use, through both interactive and programmatic applications. These characteristics have led SymPy to become a popular symbolic library for the scientific Python ecosystem. This paper presents the architecture of SymPy, a description of its features, and a discussion of select submodules. The supplementary material provide additional examples and further outline details of the architecture and features of SymPy.

  18. Feasibility of Python in teaching programming

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rafael Martínez Estévez

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Given the diversity of the objectives of the programming courses in the Cuban educational system and the training of teachers, it is not easy to decide the language to be used in each case. The intention of this article is to bring to debate to our context a trend that has been growing in the last decade: Python as a first programming language. The aim of this study is to compile some inter national experiences in the use of Python in introductory programming courses, also analyzing their advantages and disadvantages.

  19. Data Visualization within the Python ecosystem

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva

    2016-01-01

    Data analysis is integral to what we do at CERN. Data visualization is at the foundation of this workflow and is also an important part of the python stack. Python's plotting ecosystem offers numerous open source solutions. These solutions can offer ease of use, detailed configuration, interactivity and web readiness. This talk will cover three of the most robust and supported packages, matplotlib, bokeh, and plotly. It aims to provide an overview of these packages. In addition, give suggestions to where these tools might fit in an analysis workflow.

  20. Python for secret agents

    CERN Document Server

    Lott, Steven F

    2014-01-01

    If you are a Python beginner who is looking to learn the language through interesting projects, this book is for you. A basic knowledge of programming and statistics is beneficial to get the most out of the book.

  1. Pro Android Python with SL4A Writing Android Native Apps Using Python, Lua, and Beanshell

    CERN Document Server

    Ferrill, Paul

    2011-01-01

    Pro Android Python with SL4A is for programmers and hobbyists who want to write apps for Android devices without having to learn Java first. Paul Ferrill leads you from installing the Scripting Layer for Android (SL4A) to writing small scripts, to more complicated and interesting projects, and finally to uploading and packaging your programs to an Android device. Android runs scripts in many scripting languages, but Python, Lua, and Beanshell are particularly popular. Most programmers know more than one programming language, so that they have the best tool for whatever task they want to accomp

  2. High genetic connectivity among estuarine populations of the riverbream Acanthopagrus vagus along the southern African coast

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oosthuizen, Carel J.; Cowley, Paul D.; Kyle, Scotty R.; Bloomer, Paulette

    2016-12-01

    Physical and/or physiological constraints are assumed to isolate fish populations confined to or dependent on estuarine habitats. Strong isolation by distance is thus expected to affect connectivity. Such structuring has important implications for sustainable utilisation and replenishment of estuarine stocks that are heavily exploited. Here we present a preliminary investigation of the phylogenetic relationships of the riverbream (Acanthopagrus species) along the southern African coast and the geographic genetic structure of what appears to be a locally endemic species or lineage. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cytochrome b sequences support the notion that the species occurring along the southern African coast is A. vagus and not A. berda as previously thought. Yet, the taxonomy of this widespread Indo-West Pacific species or species-complex requires more in-depth investigation. No genetic differentiation was detected among estuarine populations of A. vagus based on the analyses of mtDNA ND2 gene sequences and 10 polymorphic nuclear microsatellite markers. The star-like genealogy and statistical analyses are consistent with a recent population expansion event. Spatial analyses of microsatellite genotypes fail to reject the null hypothesis of panmixia, indicative of a recent population expansion or ongoing gene flow between different estuaries. The northern localities were identified as containing most of the observed variation. This study not only provides insight into the phylogenetic relationship of A. vagus relative to other Acanthopagrus species but also sheds light on the demographic history and contemporary gene flow of the species.

  3. Status of parallel Python-based implementation of UEDGE

    Science.gov (United States)

    Umansky, M. V.; Pankin, A. Y.; Rognlien, T. D.; Dimits, A. M.; Friedman, A.; Joseph, I.

    2017-10-01

    The tokamak edge transport code UEDGE has long used the code-development and run-time framework Basis. However, with the support for Basis expected to terminate in the coming years, and with the advent of the modern numerical language Python, it has become desirable to move UEDGE to Python, to ensure its long-term viability. Our new Python-based UEDGE implementation takes advantage of the portable build system developed for FACETS. The new implementation gives access to Python's graphical libraries and numerical packages for pre- and post-processing, and support of HDF5 simplifies exchanging data. The older serial version of UEDGE has used for time-stepping the Newton-Krylov solver NKSOL. The renovated implementation uses backward Euler discretization with nonlinear solvers from PETSc, which has the promise to significantly improve the UEDGE parallel performance. We will report on assessment of some of the extended UEDGE capabilities emerging in the new implementation, and will discuss the future directions. Work performed for U.S. DOE by LLNL under contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

  4. An introduction to Python and computer programming

    CERN Document Server

    Zhang, Yue

    2015-01-01

    This book introduces Python programming language and fundamental concepts in algorithms and computing. Its target audience includes students and engineers with little or no background in programming, who need to master a practical programming language and learn the basic thinking in computer science/programming. The main contents come from lecture notes for engineering students from all disciplines, and has received high ratings. Its materials and ordering have been adjusted repeatedly according to classroom reception. Compared to alternative textbooks in the market, this book introduces the underlying Python implementation of number, string, list, tuple, dict, function, class, instance and module objects in a consistent and easy-to-understand way, making assignment, function definition, function call, mutability and binding environments understandable inside-out. By giving the abstraction of implementation mechanisms, this book builds a solid understanding of the Python programming language.

  5. PyCSP - Communicating Sequential Processes for Python

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vinter, Brian; Bjørndalen, John Markus; Anshus, Otto Johan

    CSP presently supports the core CSP abstractions. We introduce the PyCSP library, its implementation, a few performance benchmarks, and show example code using PyCSP. An early prototype of PyCSP has been used in this year's Extreme Multiprogramming Class at the CS department, university of Copenhagen......The Python programming language is effective for rapidly specifying programs and experimenting with them. It is increasingly being used in computational sciences, and in teaching computer science. CSP is effective for describing concurrency. It has become especially relevant with the emergence...... of commodity multi-core architectures. We are interested in exploring how a combination of Python and CSP can benefit both the computational sciences and the hands-on teaching of distributed and parallel computing in computer science. To make this possible, we have developed PyCSP, a CSP library for Python. Py...

  6. African Journals Online (AJOL)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    It has also been difficult for African researchers to access the work of other ... search for an article by title, author/s or keywords,; and find other information ... Southern African Business Review; Income Tax Assignment under the ... Mizan Law Review; The Basis of Distinction Between Qualitative and Quantitative Research in ...

  7. SAFERE: Southern African Feminist Review

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Feminism and Masculinity in an African Capitalist Context: · EMAIL FULL TEXT EMAIL FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT. Mwenda G. Ntarangwi, 19-32. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/safere.v3i1.23948 ...

  8. Expyriment: A Python library for cognitive and neuroscientific experiments

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Krause, F.; Lindemann, O.

    2014-01-01

    Expyriment is an open-source and platform-independent lightweight Python library for designing and conducting timing-critical behavioral and neuroimaging experiments. The major goal is to provide a well-structured Python library for script-based experiment development, with a high priority being the

  9. Lectin histochemical aspects of mucus function in the oesophagus of the reticulated python (Python reticulatus).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meyer, W; Luz, S; Schnapper, A

    2009-08-01

    Using lectin histochemistry, the study characterizes basic functional aspects of the mucus produced by the oesophageal epithelium of the Reticulated python (Python reticulatus). Reaction staining varied as related to the two epithelium types present, containing goblet cells and ciliary cells. Remarkable intensities were achieved especially in the luminal mucus layer and the fine mucus covering the epithelial ciliary border for Con A (alpha-D-Man; alpha-D-Glc) as part of neutral glycoproteins, Limax flavus agglutinin (NeuNac = NeuNgc), emphasizing that water binding hyaluronan provides a hydrated interface conductive to the passage of material and UEA-I (alpha-L-Fuc), corroborating the view that fucose-rich highly viscous mucus is helpful against mechanical stress during prey transport.

  10. Three-dimensional technology for linear morphological studies: a re-examination of cranial variation in four southern African indigenous populations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franklin, D; Freedman, L; Milne, N

    2005-01-01

    In order to compare linear dimensions made by traditional anthropometric techniques, and those obtained from three-dimensional coordinates, samples of four indigenous southern African populations were analysed. Linear measurements were obtained using mathematically transformed, three-dimensional landmark data on 207 male crania of Cape Nguni, Natal Nguni, Sotho and Shangaan. Univariate comparisons for accuracy of the transformed linear data were made with those in a traditional linear study by de Villiers (The Skull of the South African Negro: A Biometrical and Morphological Study. Witwatersrand University Press, Johannesburg) on similar samples and equivalent landmarks. Comparisons were not made with her Penrose (Ann Eugenics 18 (1954) 337) analysis as an apparently anomalous 'shape'-'size' statistic was found. The univariate comparisons demonstrated that accurate linear measurements could be derived from three-dimensional data, showing that it is possible to simultaneously obtain data for three-dimensional geometric 'shape' and linear interlandmark analyses. Using Penrose and canonical variates analyses of the transformed three-dimensional interlandmark measurements, similar population distances were found for the four indigenous southern African populations. The inter-population distance relationships took the form of three separated pairs of distances, with the within-pair distances very similar in size. The cranial features of the four populations were found to be overall very similar morphometrically. However the populations were each shown by CVA to have population specific features, and using discriminant analyses 50% or more of the individual crania (with the exception of the Sotho) could be referred to their correct populations.

  11. PyTrilinos: Recent Advances in the Python Interface to Trilinos

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    William F. Spotz

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available PyTrilinos is a set of Python interfaces to compiled Trilinos packages. This collection supports serial and parallel dense linear algebra, serial and parallel sparse linear algebra, direct and iterative linear solution techniques, algebraic and multilevel preconditioners, nonlinear solvers and continuation algorithms, eigensolvers and partitioning algorithms. Also included are a variety of related utility functions and classes, including distributed I/O, coloring algorithms and matrix generation. PyTrilinos vector objects are compatible with the popular NumPy Python package. As a Python front end to compiled libraries, PyTrilinos takes advantage of the flexibility and ease of use of Python, and the efficiency of the underlying C++, C and Fortran numerical kernels. This paper covers recent, previously unpublished advances in the PyTrilinos package.

  12. Addressing the Issue of Gender Equity in the Presidency of the University System in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Region

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guramatunhu-Mudiwa, Precious

    2010-01-01

    The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is a regional economic grouping of 15 countries whose common vision is to promote economic, social and political development and growth. Arguably, sustainable growth can be realized if there is equal access to all positions of power and influence in the area, but an investigation of 117…

  13. Programski jezik MicroPython na mikrokrmilnikih ARM Cortex-M4

    OpenAIRE

    Brajnik, Mark

    2017-01-01

    V sklopu diplomske naloge je narejen pregled programskega jezika MicroPython in primerjava z najpogosteje uporabljenima programskima jezikoma za mikrokrmilnike. MicroPython smo uporabili za programiranje razvojne plošče Nucleo L476RG. Opravili smo namestitev MicroPython strojno-programske opreme na razvojno ploščo Nucleo L476RG, primerjali hitrost izvajanja programske kode z Arduinom Uno ter prikazali uporabo MicroPythona in Arduina na primerih sledilnega robota in PID krmiljenja elektromotor...

  14. Transcriptome Analysis of the Response of Burmese Python to Digestion

    OpenAIRE

    Duan, Jinjie; Sanggaard, Kristian Wejse; Schauser, Leif; Lauridsen, Sanne Enok; Enghild, Jan J.; Schierup, Mikkel Heide; Wang, Tobias

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Exceptional and extreme feeding behaviour makes the Burmese python (Python bivittatus) an interesting model to study physiological remodelling and metabolic adaptation in response to refeeding after prolonged starvation. In this study, we used transcriptome sequencing of 5 visceral organs during fasting as well as 24 hours and 48 hours after ingestion of a large meal to unravel the postprandial changes in Burmese pythons. We first used the pooled data to perform a de novo assembly of...

  15. Python as First Textual Programming Language in Secondary Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José Carlos GARCÍA MONSÁLVEZ

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available With the recent introduction of Programming in the K-12 curricula there is an opportunity to include Computer Science fundamental concepts. This paper presents the origin and evolution of Python as well as their main features that configure it as an ideal programming language. We also review and classify some educational tools in the Python ecosystem. Such tools cover a wide-open spectrum of resources from interactive books to libraries which ease the construction of student elaborated software artefacts. This work presents a multidisciplinary proposal to use the Python programming language in all levels of Secondary Stage.

  16. Learning robotics using Python

    CERN Document Server

    Joseph, Lentin

    2015-01-01

    If you are an engineer, a researcher, or a hobbyist, and you are interested in robotics and want to build your own robot, this book is for you. Readers are assumed to be new to robotics but should have experience with Python.

  17. Schopnosti překladačů programovacího jazyka Python

    OpenAIRE

    Pala, Ondřej

    2015-01-01

    PALA, Ondřej. Ability of compilers programming language Python. Brno, 2015. Diploma thesis. Mendel university in Brno. Diploma thesis rate ability of selected compilers programming language Python. First path of thesis is focused to programming language Python and principle of working compilers. Second path is focused to creating testing tasks, defining eva-luation criterias of compilers and testing compilers without testing tasks.

  18. Introduction into bi-partite networks in python

    OpenAIRE

    Kasberger, Stefan

    2016-01-01

    This essay and the related computation delivers a comprehensive introduction into the concept of bipartite networks, a class of networks whose nodes are divided into two sets and only the connection between two nodes in different sets is allowed (Easley and Kleinberg, 2010). The analysis and visualization is done in the programming language Python and offers easy to understand first steps in both fields, network analyses and python programming. As data a collaboration network of github users ...

  19. Visualization of the CMS python configuration system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Erdmann, M; Fischer, R; Klimkovich, T; Mueller, G; Steggemann, J; Hegner, B; Hinzmann, A

    2010-01-01

    The job configuration system of the CMS experiment is based on the Python programming language. Software modules and their order of execution are both represented by Python objects. In order to investigate and verify configuration parameters and dependencies naturally appearing in modular software, CMS employs a graphical tool. This tool visualizes the configuration objects, their dependencies, and the information flow. Furthermore it can be used for documentation purposes. The underlying software concepts as well as the visualization are presented.

  20. Visualization of the CMS python configuration system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Erdmann, M; Fischer, R; Klimkovich, T; Mueller, G; Steggemann, J [RWTH Aachen University, Physikalisches Institut 3A, 52062 Aachen (Germany); Hegner, B [CERN, CH-1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland); Hinzmann, A, E-mail: andreas.hinzmann@cern.c

    2010-04-01

    The job configuration system of the CMS experiment is based on the Python programming language. Software modules and their order of execution are both represented by Python objects. In order to investigate and verify configuration parameters and dependencies naturally appearing in modular software, CMS employs a graphical tool. This tool visualizes the configuration objects, their dependencies, and the information flow. Furthermore it can be used for documentation purposes. The underlying software concepts as well as the visualization are presented.

  1. The Southern African Large Telescope project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buckley, David A. H.; Charles, Philip A.; Nordsieck, Kenneth H.; O'Donoghue, Darragh

    The recently completed Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) is a low cost, innovative, 10 m class optical telescope, which began limited scientific operations in August 2005, just 5 years after ground-breaking. This paper describes the design and construction of SALT, including the first-light instruments, SALTICAM and the Robert Stobie Spectrograph (RSS). A rigorous systems engineering approach has ensured that SALT was built to specification, on budget, close to the original schedule and using a relatively small project team. The design trade-offs, which include an active spherical primary mirror array and a fixed altitude telescope with a prime focus tracker, although restrictive in comparison to conventional telescopes, have resulted in an affordable 10 m class telescope for South Africa and its ten partners. Coupled with an initial set of two seeing-limited instruments that concentrate on the UV-visible region (320 - 900 nm) and featuring some niche observational capabilities, SALT will have an ability to conduct some unique science. This includes high time resolution studies, for which some initial results have already been obtained. Many of the versatile modes available with the RSS - which is currently being commissioned - are unique and provide unparallelled opportunities for imaging polarimetry and spectropolarimetry. Likewise, Multi-Object Spectroscopy (with slit masks) and imaging spectroscopy with the RSS, the latter using Fabry-Perot étalons and interference filters, will extend the multiplex advantage over resolutions from 300 to 9000 and fields of view of 2 to 8 arcminutes. Future instrumentation plans include an extremely stable, fibre-fed, high resolution échelle spectrograph and a near-IR (to between 1.5 to 1.7 μm) extension to the RSS. Future development possibilities include phasing the primary mirror and AO. Finally, extrapolations of the SALT/HET designs to ELT proportions remain viable and are surely more affordable than conventional

  2. Raspberry Pi cookbook for Python programmers

    CERN Document Server

    Cox, Tim

    2014-01-01

    ""Raspberry Pi Cookbook for Python Programmers"" is written in a Cookbook format, presenting examples in the style of recipes.This allows you to go directly to your topic of interest, or follow topics throughout a chapter to gain a thorough in-depth knowledge.The aim of this book is to bring you a broad range of Python 3 examples and practical ideas which you can develop to suit your own requirements. By modifying and combining the examples to create your own projects you learn far more effectively with a much greater understanding. Each chapter is designed to become a foundation for further e

  3. Building machine learning systems with Python

    CERN Document Server

    Richert, Willi

    2013-01-01

    This is a tutorial-driven and practical, but well-grounded book showcasing good Machine Learning practices. There will be an emphasis on using existing technologies instead of showing how to write your own implementations of algorithms. This book is a scenario-based, example-driven tutorial. By the end of the book you will have learnt critical aspects of Machine Learning Python projects and experienced the power of ML-based systems by actually working on them.This book primarily targets Python developers who want to learn about and build Machine Learning into their projects, or who want to pro

  4. A southern African origin and cryptic structure in the highly mobile plains zebra.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pedersen, Casper-Emil T; Albrechtsen, Anders; Etter, Paul D; Johnson, Eric A; Orlando, Ludovic; Chikhi, Lounes; Siegismund, Hans R; Heller, Rasmus

    2018-03-01

    The plains zebra (Equus quagga) is an ecologically important species of the African savannah. It is also one of the most numerous and widely distributed ungulates, and six subspecies have been described based on morphological variation. However, the within-species evolutionary processes have been difficult to resolve due to its high mobility and a lack of consensus regarding the population structure. We obtained genome-wide DNA polymorphism data from more than 167,000 loci for 59 plains zebras from across the species range, encompassing all recognized extant subspecies, as well as three mountain zebras (Equus zebra) and three Grevy's zebras (Equus grevyi). Surprisingly, the population genetic structure does not mirror the morphology-based subspecies delineation, underlining the dangers of basing management units exclusively on morphological variation. We use demographic modelling to provide insights into the past phylogeography of the species. The results identify a southern African location as the most likely source region from which all extant populations expanded around 370,000 years ago. We show evidence for inclusion of the extinct and phenotypically divergent quagga (Equus quagga quagga) in the plains zebra variation and reveal that it was less divergent from the other subspecies than the northernmost (Ugandan) extant population.

  5. Pyndri: a Python Interface to the Indri Search Engine

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van Gysel, C.; Kanoulas, E.; de Rijke, M.; Jose, J.M.; Hauff, C.; Altıngovde, I.S.; Song, D.; Albakour, D.; Watt, S.; Tait, J.

    2017-01-01

    We introduce pyndri, a Python interface to the Indri search engine. Pyndri allows to access Indri indexes from Python at two levels: (1) dictionary and tokenized document collection, (2) evaluating queries on the index. We hope that with the release of pyndri, we will stimulate reproducible, open

  6. Measuring conditions and trends in ecosystem services at multiple scales: the Southern African Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (SAfMA) experience

    OpenAIRE

    van Jaarsveld, A.S; Biggs, R; Scholes, R.J; Bohensky, E; Reyers, B; Lynam, T; Musvoto, C; Fabricius, C

    2005-01-01

    The Southern African Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (SAfMA) evaluated the relationships between ecosystem services and human well-being at multiple scales, ranging from local through to sub-continental. Trends in ecosystem services (fresh water, food, fuel-wood, cultural and biodiversity) over the period 1990-2000 were mixed across scales. Freshwater resources appear strained across the continent with large numbers of people not securing adequate supplies, especially of good quality water. T...

  7. Python data science handbook essential tools for working with data

    CERN Document Server

    VanderPlas, Jake

    2016-01-01

    For many researchers, Python is a first-class tool mainly because of its libraries for storing, manipulating, and gaining insight from data. Several resources exist for individual pieces of this data science stack, but only with the Python Data Science Handbook do you get them all—IPython, NumPy, Pandas, Matplotlib, Scikit-Learn, and other related tools. Working scientists and data crunchers familiar with reading and writing Python code will find this comprehensive desk reference ideal for tackling day-to-day issues.

  8. THE PARADOX OF MIGRATION AND THE INTERESTS OF THE ATOMISTIC NATION-STATES: THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Phazha Jimmy Ngandwe

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available The "paradox of migration and the interests of the atomistic nation-states" interrogates the phenomenon of migration in general and in the Southern African Development Community in particular. The point of departure of the paper is the African Union and the Southern African Development Community’s legal framework on migration, as read with the national legal instruments of the different member states. Its focal point is the raison d’être of this phenomenon of migration and the corresponding approaches and attitudes of the nation-states within which migration takes place inter se. This includes the psycho-social impact of migration. Internationally as well as regionally, States are concerned with issues of sovereignty, the preservation of the welfare of the citizenry, ensuring social cohesion social, cultural and economic development including job creation, and fighting against transnational organised crime, including terrorism. The theme of the paper is that whereas migration should form the bedrock of regionalism and globalisation, the negative attitudes of the nation-states to migration are more often than not at variance with the objectives of regionalism and globalisation. The central question of the research is how states can discharge their duties and obligations vis-à-vis their nationals without perpetuating the bottlenecks to and the stigma that attaches to migration and thereby upsetting the international as well as regional integration objectives of the free movement of people. This is the issue that the paper is intended to explore. The main areas of concern are that the negative attitudes of the nation-states are manifested in the hostile treatment of migrants at all ports of entry, including illegal or ungazetted points of entry, within the nation-states in general, and in their labour markets in particular. This research therefore explores the paradoxical nature of the duties and responsibilities of states within the

  9. Atmospheric Chemistry Over Southern Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gatebe, Charles K.; Levy, Robert C.; Thompson, Anne M.

    2011-01-01

    During the southern African dry season, regional haze from mixed industrial pollution, biomass burning aerosol and gases from domestic and grassland fires, and biogenic sources from plants and soils is worsened by a semi-permanent atmosphere gyre over the subcontinent. These factors were a driver of several major international field campaigns in the 1990s and early 2000s, and attracted many scientists to the region. Some researchers were interested in understanding fundamental processes governing chemistry of the atmosphere and interaction with climate change. Others found favorable conditions for evaluating satellite-derived measurements of atmospheric properties and a changing land surface. With that background in mind a workshop on atmospheric chemistry was held in South Africa. Sponsored by the International Commission for Atmospheric Chemistry and Global Pollution (ICACGP; http://www.icacgp.org/), the workshop received generous support from the South African power utility, Eskom, and the Climatology Research Group of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. The purpose of the workshop was to review some earlier findings as well as more recent findings on southern African climate vulnerability, chemical changes due to urbanization, land-use modification, and how these factors interact. Originally proposed by John Burrows, president of ICACGP, the workshop was the first ICACGP regional workshop to study the interaction of air pollution with global chemical and climate change. Organized locally by the University of the Witwatersrand, the workshop attracted more than 60 delegates from South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe, France, Germany, Canada, and the United States. More than 30 presentations were given, exploring both retrospective and prospective aspects of the science. In several talks, attention was focused on southern African chemistry, atmospheric pollution monitoring, and climate processes as they were studied in the field

  10. Usage of the Python programming language in the CMS experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilkinson, R; Hegner, B; Jones, C D

    2010-01-01

    Being a highly dynamic language and allowing reliable programming with quick turnarounds, Python is a widely used programming language in CMS. Most of the tools used in workflow management and the GRID interface tools are written in this language. Also most of the tools used in the context of release management: integration builds, release building and deploying, as well as performance measurements are in Python. With an interface to the CMS data formats, rapid prototyping of analyses and debugging is an additional use case. Finally in 2008 the CMS experiment switched to using Python as its configuration language. This paper will give an overview of the general usage of Python in the CMS experiment and discuss which features of the language make it well-suited for the existing use cases.

  11. p3d--Python module for structural bioinformatics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fufezan, Christian; Specht, Michael

    2009-08-21

    High-throughput bioinformatic analysis tools are needed to mine the large amount of structural data via knowledge based approaches. The development of such tools requires a robust interface to access the structural data in an easy way. For this the Python scripting language is the optimal choice since its philosophy is to write an understandable source code. p3d is an object oriented Python module that adds a simple yet powerful interface to the Python interpreter to process and analyse three dimensional protein structure files (PDB files). p3d's strength arises from the combination of a) very fast spatial access to the structural data due to the implementation of a binary space partitioning (BSP) tree, b) set theory and c) functions that allow to combine a and b and that use human readable language in the search queries rather than complex computer language. All these factors combined facilitate the rapid development of bioinformatic tools that can perform quick and complex analyses of protein structures. p3d is the perfect tool to quickly develop tools for structural bioinformatics using the Python scripting language.

  12. Introduction to Python for CMF Authority Users

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pritchett-Sheats, Lori A. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

    2017-03-14

    This talk is a very broad over view of Python that highlights key features in the language used in the Common Model Framework (CMF). I assume that the audience has some programming experience in a shell scripting language (C shell, Bash, PERL) or other high level language (C/C++/ Fortran). The talk will cover Python data types, classes (objects) and basic programming constructs. The talk concludes with slides describing how I developed the basic classes for a TITANS homework assignment.

  13. Surgical management of maxillary and premaxillary osteomyelitis in a reticulated python (Python reticulatus).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Latney, La'Toya V; McDermott, Colin; Scott, Gregory; Soltero-Rivera, Maria M; Beguesse, Kyla; Sánchez, Melissa D; Lewis, John R

    2016-05-01

    CASE DESCRIPTION A 1-year-old reticulated python (Python reticulatus) was evaluated because of a 2-week history of wheezing and hissing. CLINICAL FINDINGS Rostral facial cellulitis and deep gingival pockets associated with missing rostral maxillary teeth were evident. Tissues of the nares were swollen, resulting in an audible wheeze during respiration. Multiple scars and superficial facial wounds attributed to biting by live prey were apparent. Radiographic examination revealed bilateral, focal, rostral maxillary osteomyelitis. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME Wound irrigation, antimicrobials, and anti-inflammatory drug treatment resulted in reduced cellulitis. A 3-week regimen that included empirical antimicrobial treatment and improved husbandry resulted in resolution of the respiratory sounds and partial healing of bite wounds, but radiographic evaluation revealed progressive maxillary osteomyelitis. Microbial culture of blood yielded scant gram-positive cocci and Bacillus spp, which were suspected sample contaminants. Bilateral partial maxillectomies were performed; microbial culture and histologic examination of resected bone confirmed osteomyelitis with gram-positive cocci. Treatment with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was initiated on the basis of microbial susceptibility tests. Four months later, follow-up radiography revealed premaxillary osteomyelitis; surgery was declined, and treatment with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was reinstituted. Eight months after surgery, the patient was reevaluated because of recurrent clinical signs; premaxillectomy was performed, and treatment with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was prescribed on the basis of microbial culture of bone and microbial susceptibility testing. Resolution of osteomyelitis was confirmed by CT 11 months after the initial surgery. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Focal maxillectomies and premaxillectomy were successfully performed in a large python. Surgical management and appropriate antimicrobial treatment

  14. PNet: A Python Library for Petri Net Modeling and Simulation

    OpenAIRE

    Zhu En Chay; Bing Feng Goh; Maurice HT Ling

    2016-01-01

    Petri Net is a formalism to describe changes between 2 or more states across discrete time and has been used to model many systems. We present PNet – a pure Python library for Petri Net modeling and simulation in Python programming language. The design of PNet focuses on reducing the learning curve needed to define a Petri Net by using a text-based language rather than programming constructs to define transition rules. Complex transition rules can be refined as regular Python functions. To de...

  15. Rapid application development by KEKB accelerator operators using EPICS/Python

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanaka, M.; Satoh, Y.; Kitabayashi, T.

    2004-01-01

    In the KEKB accelerator facility, the control system is constructed based on the framework of EPICS. By using EPICS/Python API, which is originated from KEK, we can develop an EPICS channel access application based on simple Python technology with only a few knowledge of EPICS channel access protocols. The operator's new tuning ideas are quickly implemented to the control system. In this paper, we introduce the EPICS/Python API and report the effectiveness of rapid application development by the KEKB operators using the API. (author)

  16. Boards and governance in African national cricket organisations: An ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Southern African Business Review ... the boards of African national cricket organisations to enhance the understanding of board involvement in ... The research reports on the composition of the boards of African cricket organisations as well as ...

  17. Writing faster Python

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva

    2016-01-01

    Did you know that Python preallocates integers from -5 to 257 ? Reusing them 1000 times, instead of allocating memory for a bigger integer, can save you a couple of milliseconds of code’s execution time. If you want to learn more about this kind of optimizations then, … well, probably this presentation is not for you :) Instead of going into such small details, I will talk about more "sane" ideas for writing faster code. After a very brief overview of how to optimize Python code (rule 1: don’t do this; rule 2: don’t do this yet; rule 3: ok, but what if I really want to do this ?), I will show simple and fast ways of measuring the execution time and finally, discuss examples of how some code structures could be improved. You will see: - What is the fastest way of removing duplicates from a list - How much faster your code is when you reuse the built-in functions instead of trying to reinvent the wheel - What is faster than the good ol’ for loop - If the lookup is faster in a list or a set (and w...

  18. Simplifying the parallelization of scientific codes by a function-centric approach in Python

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nilsen, Jon K; Cai Xing; Langtangen, Hans Petter; Hoeyland, Bjoern

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to show how existing scientific software can be parallelized using a separate thin layer of Python code where all parallelization-specific tasks are implemented. We provide specific examples of such a Python code layer, which can act as templates for parallelizing a wide set of serial scientific codes. The use of Python for parallelization is motivated by the fact that the language is well suited for reusing existing serial codes programmed in other languages. The extreme flexibility of Python with regard to handling functions makes it very easy to wrap up decomposed computational tasks of a serial scientific application as Python functions. Many parallelization-specific components can be implemented as generic Python functions, which may take as input those wrapped functions that perform concrete computational tasks. The overall programming effort needed by this parallelization approach is limited, and the resulting parallel Python scripts have a compact and clean structure. The usefulness of the parallelization approach is exemplified by three different classes of application in natural and social sciences.

  19. Deep learning with Python

    CERN Document Server

    Chollet, Francois

    2018-01-01

    DESCRIPTION Deep learning is applicable to a widening range of artificial intelligence problems, such as image classification, speech recognition, text classification, question answering, text-to-speech, and optical character recognition. Deep Learning with Python is structured around a series of practical code examples that illustrate each new concept introduced and demonstrate best practices. By the time you reach the end of this book, you will have become a Keras expert and will be able to apply deep learning in your own projects. KEY FEATURES • Practical code examples • In-depth introduction to Keras • Teaches the difference between Deep Learning and AI ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY Deep learning is the technology behind photo tagging systems at Facebook and Google, self-driving cars, speech recognition systems on your smartphone, and much more. AUTHOR BIO Francois Chollet is the author of Keras, one of the most widely used libraries for deep learning in Python. He has been working with deep neural ...

  20. Reduction of blood oxygen levels enhances postprandial cardiac hypertrophy in Burmese python (Python bivittatus).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slay, Christopher E; Enok, Sanne; Hicks, James W; Wang, Tobias

    2014-05-15

    Physiological cardiac hypertrophy is characterized by reversible enlargement of cardiomyocytes and changes in chamber architecture, which increase stroke volume and via augmented convective oxygen transport. Cardiac hypertrophy is known to occur in response to repeated elevations of O2 demand and/or reduced O2 supply in several species of vertebrate ectotherms, including postprandial Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus). Recent data suggest postprandial cardiac hypertrophy in P. bivittatus is a facultative rather than obligatory response to digestion, though the triggers of this response are unknown. Here, we hypothesized that an O2 supply-demand mismatch stimulates postprandial cardiac enlargement in Burmese pythons. To test this hypothesis, we rendered animals anemic prior to feeding, essentially halving blood oxygen content during the postprandial period. Fed anemic animals had heart rates 126% higher than those of fasted controls, which, coupled with a 71% increase in mean arterial pressure, suggests fed anemic animals were experiencing significantly elevated cardiac work. We found significant cardiac hypertrophy in fed anemic animals, which exhibited ventricles 39% larger than those of fasted controls and 28% larger than in fed controls. These findings support our hypothesis that those animals with a greater magnitude of O2 supply-demand mismatch exhibit the largest hearts. The 'low O2 signal' stimulating postprandial cardiac hypertrophy is likely mediated by elevated ventricular wall stress associated with postprandial hemodynamics. © 2014. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  1. Developers@CERN Forum | Python at CERN | 30 – 31 May

    CERN Multimedia

    2016-01-01

    The Developers@CERN Forum is an event by developers for developers aimed at promoting knowledge- and experience-sharing (see here). The second forum will take place in the IT auditorium in the afternoons of 30 and 31 May.   With the topic “Python at CERN”, it will consist of a series of talks regarding the Python language, frameworks and tools used at CERN. Are you a Python guru or would you like to learn? Come and share your Python experiences with other developers! Submissions for presentations and workshops are open until 9 May at http://cern.ch/dev-forum. If you would like to stay informed about this or future events, please subscribe to the announcement e-group (just a few e-mails per year) here. 

  2. Python passive network mapping P2NMAP

    CERN Document Server

    Hosmer, Chet

    2015-01-01

    Python Passive Network Mapping: P2NMAP is the first book to reveal a revolutionary and open source method for exposing nefarious network activity. The ""Heartbleed"" vulnerability has revealed significant weaknesses within enterprise environments related to the lack of a definitive mapping of network assets. In Python Passive Network Mapping, Chet Hosmer shows you how to effectively and definitively passively map networks. Active or probing methods to network mapping have traditionally been used, but they have many drawbacks - they can disrupt operations, crash systems, and - most important

  3. African Voices and Activists at the WSF in Nairobi: The Uncertain Ways of Transnational African Activism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marie-Emmanuelle Pommerolle

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Transnational social movement studies have long neglected the way activists from the South, and particularly from Africa, have participated in World Social Forum processes. Alterglobal activists have also been accused of neglecting or dominating southern voices. The organization of the WSF in Nairobi was seen as an opportunity to make African voices be heard. This examines how Africans activists participated in Nairobi, and the complex relationship they have to northern and other southern (such as Asia and Latin America activists. The African alterglobal movement is seen as a space of tensions (i.e. between South Africans and the rest of the continent, between French and English speaking Africa, or between NGOs and more radical organizations reflected in national mobilizations. Our team of 23 French and 12 Kenyan scholars made collective ethnographic observations in more than a hundred workshops and conducted 150 biographical interviews of African activists in order to examine how: Africa was referred to in the WSF; activists financed their trip to Nairobi; and Afrocentric, anti-imperialist, and anticolonial arguments have been used.

  4. Methods to determine the impact of rainfall on fuels and burned area in southern African savannas

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Archibald, S

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available /Aux fins d'examen seulement Southern African re regimes as revealed by remote sensing S. Archibald1;2;6, R.J. Scholes1;2, D.P. Roy3, G.Roberts4, L. Boschetti5 April 9, 2010 1CSIR, Ecosystems Processes and Dynamics, PO Box 395, Pretoria 0001, South... densities have di erent e ects on the number of res per km2 and360 14 For Review Purposes Only/Aux fins d'examen seulement on the size of individual res. The number of ignitions increases with human population361 density, (Figure 7A) but there is a...

  5. GillesPy: A Python Package for Stochastic Model Building and Simulation

    OpenAIRE

    Abel, John H.; Drawert, Brian; Hellander, Andreas; Petzold, Linda R.

    2016-01-01

    GillesPy is an open-source Python package for model construction and simulation of stochastic biochemical systems. GillesPy consists of a Python framework for model building and an interface to the StochKit2 suite of efficient simulation algorithms based on the Gillespie stochastic simulation algorithms (SSA). To enable intuitive model construction and seamless integration into the scientific Python stack, we present an easy to understand, action-oriented programming interface. Here, we descr...

  6. Python-based framework for coupled MC-TH reactor calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Travleev, A.A.; Molitor, R.; Sanchez, V.

    2013-01-01

    We have developed a set of Python packages to provide a modern programming interface to codes used for analysis of nuclear reactors. Python classes can be classified by their functionality into three groups: low-level interfaces, general model classes and high-level interfaces. A low-level interface describes an interface between Python and a particular code. General model classes can be used to describe calculation geometry and meshes to represent system variables. High-level interface classes are used to convert geometry described with general model classes into instances of low-level interface classes and to put results of code calculations (read by low-interface classes) back to general model. The implementation of Python interfaces to the Monte Carlo neutronics code MCNP and thermo-hydraulic code SCF allow efficient description of calculation models and provide a framework for coupled calculations. In this paper we illustrate how these interfaces can be used to describe a pin model, and report results of coupled MCNP-SCF calculations performed for a PWR fuel assembly, organized by means of the interfaces

  7. Jungle Giants: Assessing Sustainable Harvesting in a Difficult-to-Survey Species (Python reticulatus.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel J D Natusch

    Full Text Available Sustainability of wildlife harvests is critical but difficult to assess. Evaluations of sustainability typically combine modelling with the measurement of underlying abundances. For many taxa harvested in developing countries, however, abundances are near-impossible to survey and a lack of detailed ecological information impedes the reliability of models. In such cases, repeated surveys of the attributes of harvested individuals may provide more robust information on sustainability. If the numbers, sizes and other demographic attributes of animals taken for the commercial trade do not change over biologically significant time intervals (decades, there is a prima facie case that the harvest is indeed sustainable. Here, we report the results of examinations of > 4,200 reticulated pythons (Python reticulatus taken for the commercial leather industry in northern and southern Sumatra, Indonesia. The numbers, mean body sizes, clutch sizes, sizes at maturity and proportion of giant specimens have not decreased between our first surveys (1995 and repeat surveys (2015. Thus, despite assumptions to the contrary, the harvest appears to be sustainable. We use our data to inform the design of future monitoring programs for this species. Our study underpins the need for robust science to inform wildlife trade policy and decision-making, and urges wildlife managers to assess sustainability of difficult-to-survey terrestrial wildlife by drawing inferences directly from the harvest itself.

  8. Jungle Giants: Assessing Sustainable Harvesting in a Difficult-to-Survey Species (Python reticulatus).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Natusch, Daniel J D; Lyons, Jessica A; Mumpuni; Riyanto, Awal; Shine, Richard

    2016-01-01

    Sustainability of wildlife harvests is critical but difficult to assess. Evaluations of sustainability typically combine modelling with the measurement of underlying abundances. For many taxa harvested in developing countries, however, abundances are near-impossible to survey and a lack of detailed ecological information impedes the reliability of models. In such cases, repeated surveys of the attributes of harvested individuals may provide more robust information on sustainability. If the numbers, sizes and other demographic attributes of animals taken for the commercial trade do not change over biologically significant time intervals (decades), there is a prima facie case that the harvest is indeed sustainable. Here, we report the results of examinations of > 4,200 reticulated pythons (Python reticulatus) taken for the commercial leather industry in northern and southern Sumatra, Indonesia. The numbers, mean body sizes, clutch sizes, sizes at maturity and proportion of giant specimens have not decreased between our first surveys (1995) and repeat surveys (2015). Thus, despite assumptions to the contrary, the harvest appears to be sustainable. We use our data to inform the design of future monitoring programs for this species. Our study underpins the need for robust science to inform wildlife trade policy and decision-making, and urges wildlife managers to assess sustainability of difficult-to-survey terrestrial wildlife by drawing inferences directly from the harvest itself.

  9. Wyrm: A Brain-Computer Interface Toolbox in Python.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Venthur, Bastian; Dähne, Sven; Höhne, Johannes; Heller, Hendrik; Blankertz, Benjamin

    2015-10-01

    In the last years Python has gained more and more traction in the scientific community. Projects like NumPy, SciPy, and Matplotlib have created a strong foundation for scientific computing in Python and machine learning packages like scikit-learn or packages for data analysis like Pandas are building on top of it. In this paper we present Wyrm ( https://github.com/bbci/wyrm ), an open source BCI toolbox in Python. Wyrm is applicable to a broad range of neuroscientific problems. It can be used as a toolbox for analysis and visualization of neurophysiological data and in real-time settings, like an online BCI application. In order to prevent software defects, Wyrm makes extensive use of unit testing. We will explain the key aspects of Wyrm's software architecture and design decisions for its data structure, and demonstrate and validate the use of our toolbox by presenting our approach to the classification tasks of two different data sets from the BCI Competition III. Furthermore, we will give a brief analysis of the data sets using our toolbox, and demonstrate how we implemented an online experiment using Wyrm. With Wyrm we add the final piece to our ongoing effort to provide a complete, free and open source BCI system in Python.

  10. Aura: A Multi-Featured Programming Framework in Python

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper puts forward the design, programming and application of innovative educational software, ‘Aura’ made using Python and PyQt Python bindings. The research paper presents a new concept of using a single tool to relate between syntaxes of various programming languages and algorithms. It radically increases their understanding and retaining capacity, since they can correlate between many programming languages. The software is a totally unorthodox attempt towards helping students who have their first tryst with programming languages. The application is designed to help students understand how algorithms work and thus, help them in learning multiple programming languages on a single platform using an interactive graphical user interface. This paper elucidates how using Python and PyQt bindings, a comprehensive feature rich application, that implements an interactive algorithm building technique, a web browser, multiple programming language framework, a code generator and a real time code sharing hub be embedded into a single interface. And also explains, that using Python as building tool, it requires much less coding than conventional feature rich applications coded in other programming languages, and at the same time does not compromise on stability, inter-operability and robustness of the application.

  11. Python for signal processing featuring IPython notebooks

    CERN Document Server

    Unpingco, José

    2013-01-01

    This book covers the fundamental concepts in signal processing illustrated with Python code and made available via IPython Notebooks, which are live, interactive, browser-based documents that allow one to change parameters, redraw plots, and tinker with the ideas presented in the text. Everything in the text is computable in this format and thereby invites readers to ""experiment and learn"" as they read. The book focuses on the core, fundamental principles of signal processing. The code corresponding to this book uses the core functionality of the scientific Python toolchain that should remai

  12. Clinical nursing and midwifery research: grey literature in African countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, C; Dohrn, J; Omoni, G; Malata, A; Klopper, H; Larson, E

    2016-03-01

    This study reviewed grey literature to assess clinical nursing and midwifery research conducted in southern and eastern African countries over the past decade. The shortage of published nursing research from African countries severely limits the ability of practicing nurses and midwives to base clinical decisions on solid evidence. However, little is known regarding unpublished or unindexed clinical research ('grey literature'), a potentially rich source of information. Identifying these sources may reveal resources to assist nurses in providing evidence-based care. This scoping review of grey literature on clinical nursing and midwifery research in southern and eastern African countries helped to identify gaps in research and assess whether these gaps differ from published research. Systematic searches of grey literature were performed. Research was included if it was conducted by nurses in 1 of 25 southern or eastern African countries, between 2004 and 2014 and included patient outcomes. Data were extracted on location, institution, research topic, institutional connections and author information. Chi-square tests were performed to compare differences between indexed and non-indexed literature. We found 262 studies by 287 authors from 17 southern and eastern African countries covering 13 topics. Although all topics were also found in indexed literature and there were statistically significant differences between the number of times, fewer topics were covered in grey literature vs. indexed. Patient satisfaction and experience and traditional health practices were more likely to be published, whereas chronic disease, assault and paediatric-related research were less often published. Generally, there is a paucity of clinical nursing research in this region. This could reflect the shortage of nurses prepared to conduct research in this region. Nurses may find additional resources for evidence in the grey literature. A complete understanding of the state of nursing

  13. Multi-Agent Programming Contest 2011 - The Python-DTU Team

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Villadsen, Jørgen; Ettienne, Mikko Berggren; Vester, Steen

    We provide a brief description of the Python-DTU system, including the overall design, the tools and the algorithms that we plan to use in the agent contest.......We provide a brief description of the Python-DTU system, including the overall design, the tools and the algorithms that we plan to use in the agent contest....

  14. Multi-Agent Programming Contest 2012 - The Python-DTU Team

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Villadsen, Jørgen; Jensen, Andreas Schmidt; Ettienne, Mikko Berggren

    We provide a brief description of the Python-DTU system, including the overall design, the tools and the algorithms that we plan to use in the agent contest.......We provide a brief description of the Python-DTU system, including the overall design, the tools and the algorithms that we plan to use in the agent contest....

  15. Monty Python e a inversão do platonismo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Flavia Pitaluga

    2008-11-01

    Full Text Available O objetivo deste trabalho é analisar os filmes Monty Python and the holy grail (Em busca do cálice sagrado e Monty Python's life of Brian (A vida de Brian à luz das discussões de Gilles Deleuze sobre o sentido na filosofia dos estóicos. A inversão do platonismo e a ascensão à superfície dos simulacros são problemas centrais para compreendermos o humor do grupo. Ao longo da discussão, as questões sobre o lugar do clichê no cinema, o falso e suas potências e a injeção de temporalidade nas produções cinematográficas, uma das características do cinema moderno, serão abordadas. A hipótese destas articulações é que a morte de Deus (crise da Verdade é inseparável da maneira como o indivíduo moderno experimenta o tempo: o cinema moderno, ao fazer "a apresentação direta do tempo" (DELEUZE, 1990, coloca em questão a linearidade e a própria verdade como representáveis. Palavras-chave: simulacro; nonsense; humor; Monty Python Abstract: Monty Python and the inversion of Platonism — The purpose of this paper is to analyze the films "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" and "Monty Python's Life of Brian" in the light of Gilles Deleuze's reflections about meaning in the philosophy of the Stoics. The inversion of Platonism and the rise of simulacra to the surface are keys to understanding the group's humor. This discussion examines questions relating to the role of clichés in motion pictures, the fake and its powers, and the insertion of temporality in film productions as one of the characteristics of modern moviemaking. The hypothesis underpinning these articulations is that the death of God (the crisis of Truth is inseparable from the way in which modern individuals experience time: modern cinema, in its "direct presentation of time" (DELEUZE, 1990, questions linearity and truth itself as being representable. Keywords: simulacrum; nonsense; humor; Monty Python

  16. First Hemolivia from southern Africa: reassigning chelonian ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    To date, only a single species of Hemolivia, Hemolivia mauritanica (Sergent & Sergent, 1904), has been described from African terrestrial tortoises. Although various haemogregarines have been described from southern African terrapins and tortoises, including species from the genus Haemogregarina and one from the ...

  17. Non-uniform splitting of a single mantle plume by double cratonic roots : Insight into the origin of the central and southern East African Rift System

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Koptev, Alexander; Cloetingh, Sierd; Gerya, Taras; Calais, Eric; Leroy, Sylvie

    Using numerical thermo-mechanical experiments we analyse the role of an active mantle plume and pre-existing lithospheric thickness differences in the structural development of the central and southern East African Rift system. The plume-lithosphere interaction model setup captures the essential

  18. Renal plasticity in response to feeding in the Burmese python, Python molurus bivittatus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esbaugh, A J; Secor, S M; Grosell, M

    2015-10-01

    Burmese pythons are sit-and-wait predators that are well adapted to go long periods without food, yet subsequently consume and digest single meals that can exceed their body weight. These large feeding events result in a dramatic alkaline tide that is compensated by a hypoventilatory response that normalizes plasma pH; however, little is known regarding how plasma HCO3(-) is lowered in the days post-feeding. The current study demonstrated that Burmese pythons contain the cellular machinery for renal acid-base compensation and actively remodel the kidney to limit HCO3(-) reabsorption in the post-feeding period. After being fed a 25% body weight meal plasma total CO2 was elevated by 1.5-fold after 1 day, but returned to control concentrations by 4 days post-feeding (d pf). Gene expression analysis was used to verify the presence of carbonic anhydrase (CA) II, IV and XIII, Na(+) H(+) exchanger 3 (NHE3), the Na(+) HCO3(-) co-transporter (NBC) and V-type ATPase. CA IV expression was significantly down-regulated at 3 dpf versus fasted controls. This was supported by activity analysis that showed a significant decrease in the amount of GPI-linked CA activity in isolated kidney membranes at 3 dpf versus fasted controls. In addition, V-type ATPase activity was significantly up-regulated at 3 dpf; no change in gene expression was observed. Both CA II and NHE3 expression was up-regulated at 3 dpf, which may be related to post-prandial ion balance. These results suggest that Burmese pythons actively remodel their kidney after feeding, which would in part benefit renal HCO3(-) clearance. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Full Genome Sequencing Reveals New Southern African Territories Genotypes Bringing Us Closer to Understanding True Variability of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus in Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lasecka-Dykes, Lidia; Wright, Caroline F.; Di Nardo, Antonello; Logan, Grace; Mioulet, Valerie; Jackson, Terry; Tuthill, Tobias J.; Knowles, Nick J.; King, Donald P.

    2018-01-01

    Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) causes a highly contagious disease of cloven-hooved animals that poses a constant burden on farmers in endemic regions and threatens the livestock industries in disease-free countries. Despite the increased number of publicly available whole genome sequences, FMDV data are biased by the opportunistic nature of sampling. Since whole genomic sequences of Southern African Territories (SAT) are particularly underrepresented, this study sequenced 34 isolates from eastern and southern Africa. Phylogenetic analyses revealed two novel genotypes (that comprised 8/34 of these SAT isolates) which contained unusual 5′ untranslated and non-structural encoding regions. While recombination has occurred between these sequences, phylogeny violation analyses indicated that the high degree of sequence diversity for the novel SAT genotypes has not solely arisen from recombination events. Based on estimates of the timing of ancestral divergence, these data are interpreted as being representative of un-sampled FMDV isolates that have been subjected to geographical isolation within Africa by the effects of the Great African Rinderpest Pandemic (1887–1897), which caused a mass die-out of FMDV-susceptible hosts. These findings demonstrate that further sequencing of African FMDV isolates is likely to reveal more unusual genotypes and will allow for better understanding of natural variability and evolution of FMDV. PMID:29652800

  20. Querying and Serving N-gram Language Models with Python

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available Statistical n-gram language modeling is a very important technique in Natural Language Processing (NLP and Computational Linguistics used to assess the fluency of an utterance in any given language. It is widely employed in several important NLP applications such as Machine Translation and Automatic Speech Recognition. However, the most commonly used toolkit (SRILM to build such language models on a large scale is written entirely in C++ which presents a challenge to an NLP developer or researcher whose primary language of choice is Python. This article first provides a gentle introduction to statistical language modeling. It then describes how to build a native and efficient Python interface (using SWIG to the SRILM toolkit such that language models can be queried and used directly in Python code. Finally, it also demonstrates an effective use case of this interface by showing how to leverage it to build a Python language model server. Such a server can prove to be extremely useful when the language model needs to be queried by multiple clients over a network: the language model must only be loaded into memory once by the server and can then satisfy multiple requests. This article includes only those listings of source code that are most salient. To conserve space, some are only presented in excerpted form. The complete set of full source code listings may be found in Volume 1 of The Python Papers Source Codes Journal.

  1. African Journals Online: Browse Alphabetically -- letter S

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Items 51 - 62 of 62 ... The Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine is a medical journal focused on HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention and related topics relevant to clinical and public health practice. The purpose of ... Southern Forests: a Journal of Forest Science is one of the leading forestry journals in the Southern Hemisphere.

  2. An introduction to statistics with Python with applications in the life sciences

    CERN Document Server

    Haslwanter, Thomas

    2016-01-01

    This textbook provides an introduction to the free software Python and its use for statistical data analysis. It covers common statistical tests for continuous, discrete and categorical data, as well as linear regression analysis and topics from survival analysis and Bayesian statistics. Working code and data for Python solutions for each test, together with easy-to-follow Python examples, can be reproduced by the reader and reinforce their immediate understanding of the topic. With recent advances in the Python ecosystem, Python has become a popular language for scientific computing, offering a powerful environment for statistical data analysis and an interesting alternative to R. The book is intended for master and PhD students, mainly from the life and medical sciences, with a basic knowledge of statistics. As it also provides some statistics background, the book can be used by anyone who wants to perform a statistical data analysis. .

  3. PyEEG: an open source Python module for EEG/MEG feature extraction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bao, Forrest Sheng; Liu, Xin; Zhang, Christina

    2011-01-01

    Computer-aided diagnosis of neural diseases from EEG signals (or other physiological signals that can be treated as time series, e.g., MEG) is an emerging field that has gained much attention in past years. Extracting features is a key component in the analysis of EEG signals. In our previous works, we have implemented many EEG feature extraction functions in the Python programming language. As Python is gaining more ground in scientific computing, an open source Python module for extracting EEG features has the potential to save much time for computational neuroscientists. In this paper, we introduce PyEEG, an open source Python module for EEG feature extraction.

  4. Computational analysis of candidate disease genes and variants for Salt-sensitive hypertension in indigenous Southern Africans

    KAUST Repository

    Tiffin, Nicki

    2010-09-27

    Multiple factors underlie susceptibility to essential hypertension, including a significant genetic and ethnic component, and environmental effects. Blood pressure response of hypertensive individuals to salt is heterogeneous, but salt sensitivity appears more prevalent in people of indigenous African origin. The underlying genetics of salt-sensitive hypertension, however, are poorly understood. In this study, computational methods including text- and data-mining have been used to select and prioritize candidate aetiological genes for salt-sensitive hypertension. Additionally, we have compared allele frequencies and copy number variation for single nucleotide polymorphisms in candidate genes between indigenous Southern African and Caucasian populations, with the aim of identifying candidate genes with significant variability between the population groups: identifying genetic variability between population groups can exploit ethnic differences in disease prevalence to aid with prioritisation of good candidate genes. Our top-ranking candidate genes include parathyroid hormone precursor (PTH) and type-1angiotensin II receptor (AGTR1). We propose that the candidate genes identified in this study warrant further investigation as potential aetiological genes for salt-sensitive hypertension. © 2010 Tiffin et al.

  5. Bacterial co-infections in a captive Python bivittatus with septicemia

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ADEYEYE

    2016-05-27

    May 27, 2016 ... *Correspondence: Tel.: +60 1116689774, E-mail: usuba5050@yahoo.com. Abstract. This case reports bacterial co-infection in a dead albino python (Python bivittatus). The snake was brought in dead to the Universiti Veterinary Hospital, Universiti Putra Malaysia. Necropsy was conducted and organ.

  6. Multi-Agent Programming Contest 2016 – The Python-DTU Team

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Villadsen, Jørgen; Halkjær From, Andreas; Jacobi, Salvador

    2018-01-01

    We provide a detailed description of the Python-DTU system, including the overall system design and the tools used in the agent contest.......We provide a detailed description of the Python-DTU system, including the overall system design and the tools used in the agent contest....

  7. Anaesthetic induction with alfaxalone in the ball python (Python regius): dose response and effect of injection site.

    Science.gov (United States)

    James, Lauren E; Williams, Catherine Ja; Bertelsen, Mads F; Wang, Tobias

    2018-05-01

    To characterise the minimum dose of intramuscular alfaxalone required to facilitate intubation for mechanical ventilation, and to investigate the impact of cranial versus caudal injection on anaesthetic depth. Randomised crossover study. Six healthy juvenile ball pythons (Python regius). Three dosages (10, 20 and 30 mg kg -1 ) of alfaxalone were administered to each python in a caudal location with a minimum 2 weeks washout. Induction and recovery were monitored by assessing muscle tone, righting reflex, response to a noxious stimulus and the ability to intubate. A subsequent experiment assessed the influence of injection site by comparing administration of 20 mg kg -1 alfaxalone in a cranial location (1 cm cranial to the heart) with the caudal site. Respiration rate was monitored throughout, and when intubation was possible, snakes were mechanically ventilated. Regardless of dose and injection site, maximum effect was reached within 10.0 ± 2.7 minutes. When administered at the caudal injection site, intubation was only successful after a dosage of 30 mg kg- 1 , which is higher than in previous reports for other reptiles. However, intubation was possible in all cases after 7.2 ± 1.6 minutes upon cranial administration of 20 mg kg -1 , and anaesthetic duration was significantly lengthened (p pythons, and may serve as a useful induction agent prior to provision of volatile anaesthetics. The same dosage injected in the cranial site led to deeper anaesthesia than when injected caudally, suggesting that shunting to the liver and first-pass metabolism of alfaxalone occur when injected caudally, via the renal portal system. Copyright © 2018 Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists and American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. The big squeeze: scaling of constriction pressure in two of the world's largest snakes, Python reticulatus and Python molurus bivittatus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Penning, David A; Dartez, Schuyler F; Moon, Brad R

    2015-11-01

    Snakes are important predators that have radiated throughout many ecosystems, and constriction was important in their radiation. Constrictors immobilize and kill prey by using body loops to exert pressure on their prey. Despite its importance, little is known about constriction performance or its full effects on prey. We studied the scaling of constriction performance in two species of giant pythons (Python reticulatus and Python molurus bivittatus) and propose a new mechanism of prey death by constriction. In both species, peak constriction pressure increased significantly with snake diameter. These and other constrictors can exert pressures dramatically higher than their prey's blood pressure, suggesting that constriction can stop circulatory function and perhaps kill prey rapidly by over-pressurizing the brain and disrupting neural function. We propose the latter 'red-out effect' as another possible mechanism of prey death from constriction. These effects may be important to recognize and treat properly in rare cases when constrictors injure humans. © 2015. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  9. Effect of laser treatment on first-intention incisional wound healing in ball pythons (Python regius).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cole, Grayson L; Lux, Cassie N; Schumacher, Juergen P; Seibert, Rachel L; Sadler, Ryan A; Henderson, Andrea L; Odoi, Agricola; Newkirk, Kim M

    2015-10-01

    To evaluate effects of laser treatment on incisional wound healing in ball pythons (Python regius). 6 healthy adult ball pythons. Snakes were sedated, a skin biopsy specimen was collected for histologic examination, and eight 2-cm skin incisions were made in each snake; each incision was closed with staples (day 0). Gross evaluation of all incision sites was performed daily for 30 days, and a wound score was assigned. Four incisions of each snake were treated (5 J/cm(2) and a wavelength of 980 nm on a continuous wave sequence) by use of a class 4 laser once daily for 7 consecutive days; the other 4 incisions were not treated. Two excisional skin biopsy specimens (1 control and 1 treatment) were collected from each snake on days 2, 7, 14, and 30 and evaluated microscopically. Scores were assigned for total inflammation, degree of fibrosis, and collagen maturity. Generalized linear models were used to investigate the effect of treatment on each variable. Wound scores for laser-treated incisions were significantly better than scores for control incisions on day 2 but not at other time points. There were no significant differences in necrosis, fibroplasia, inflammation, granuloma formation, or bacterial contamination between control and treatment groups. Collagen maturity was significantly better for the laser-treated incisions on day 14. Laser treatment resulted in a significant increase in collagen maturity at day 14 but did not otherwise significantly improve healing of skin incisions.

  10. First record of invasive Burmese Python oviposition and brooding inside an anthropogenic structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanslowe, Emma; Falk, Bryan; Collier, Michelle A. M.; Josimovich, Jillian; Rahill, Thomas; Reed, Robert

    2016-01-01

    We discovered an adult female Python bivittatus (Burmese Python) coiled around a clutch of 25 eggs in a cement culvert in Flamingo, FL, in Everglades National Park. To our knowledge, this is the first record of an invasive Burmese Python laying eggs and brooding inside an anthropogenic structure in Florida. A 92% hatch-success rate suggests that the cement culvert provided suitable conditions for oviposition, embryonic development, and hatching. Given the plenitude of such anthropogenic structures across the landscape, available sites for oviposition and brooding may not be limiting for the invasive Burmese Python population.

  11. Python for Google app engine

    CERN Document Server

    Pippi, Massimiliano

    2015-01-01

    If you are a Python developer, whether you have experience in web applications development or not, and want to rapidly deploy a scalable backend service or a modern web application on Google App Engine, then this book is for you.

  12. Ultrasonographic diagnosis of an endocarditis valvularis in a Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) with pneumonia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schroff, Sandra; Schmidt, Volker; Kiefer, Ingmar; Krautwald-Junghanns, Maria-Elisabeth; Pees, Michael

    2010-12-01

    An 11-yr-old Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) was presented with a history of respiratory symptoms. Computed tomography and an endoscopic examination of the left lung were performed and revealed severe pneumonia. Microbiologic examination of a tracheal wash sample and an endoscopy-guided sample from the lung confirmed infection with Salmonella enterica ssp. IV, Enterobacter cloacae, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Computed tomographic examination demonstrated a hyperattenuated structure within the heart. Echocardiographic examination revealed a hyperechoic mass at the pulmonic valve as well as a dilated truncus pulmonalis. As therapy for pneumonia was ineffective, the snake was euthanized. Postmortem examination confirmed pneumonia and infective endocarditis of the pulmonic valve caused by septicemia with Salmonella enterica ssp. IV. Focal arteriosclerosis of the pulmonary trunk was also diagnosed. The case presented here demonstrates the possible connection between respiratory and cardiovascular diseases in snakes.

  13. Strategic culture of the Southern African Development Community ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    (SADC) Brigade took pride of place at the opening of the 2007 SADC Summit in Lusaka, Zambia. This SADC Brigade is tied in closely to both the security architecture of the African Standby Force (ASF) of the African Union (AU) and the SADC Mutual Defence Pact. In the recent past (1998), military interventions by SADC ...

  14. Hearing with an atympanic ear: good vibration and poor sound-pressure detection in the royal python, Python regius.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christensen, Christian Bech; Christensen-Dalsgaard, Jakob; Brandt, Christian; Madsen, Peter Teglberg

    2012-01-15

    Snakes lack both an outer ear and a tympanic middle ear, which in most tetrapods provide impedance matching between the air and inner ear fluids and hence improve pressure hearing in air. Snakes would therefore be expected to have very poor pressure hearing and generally be insensitive to airborne sound, whereas the connection of the middle ear bone to the jaw bones in snakes should confer acute sensitivity to substrate vibrations. Some studies have nevertheless claimed that snakes are quite sensitive to both vibration and sound pressure. Here we test the two hypotheses that: (1) snakes are sensitive to sound pressure and (2) snakes are sensitive to vibrations, but cannot hear the sound pressure per se. Vibration and sound-pressure sensitivities were quantified by measuring brainstem evoked potentials in 11 royal pythons, Python regius. Vibrograms and audiograms showed greatest sensitivity at low frequencies of 80-160 Hz, with sensitivities of -54 dB re. 1 m s(-2) and 78 dB re. 20 μPa, respectively. To investigate whether pythons detect sound pressure or sound-induced head vibrations, we measured the sound-induced head vibrations in three dimensions when snakes were exposed to sound pressure at threshold levels. In general, head vibrations induced by threshold-level sound pressure were equal to or greater than those induced by threshold-level vibrations, and therefore sound-pressure sensitivity can be explained by sound-induced head vibration. From this we conclude that pythons, and possibly all snakes, lost effective pressure hearing with the complete reduction of a functional outer and middle ear, but have an acute vibration sensitivity that may be used for communication and detection of predators and prey.

  15. Regional health governance: A suggested agenda for Southern African health diplomacy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Penfold, Erica Dale; Fourie, Pieter

    2015-12-01

    Regional organisations can effectively promote regional health diplomacy and governance through engagement with regional social policy. Regional bodies make decisions about health challenges in the region, for example, the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) and the World Health Organisation South East Asia Regional Office (WHO-SEARO). The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has a limited health presence as a regional organisation and diplomatic partner in health governance. This article identifies how SADC facilitates and coordinates health policy, arguing that SADC has the potential to promote regional health diplomacy and governance through engagement with regional social policy. The article identifies the role of global health diplomacy and niche diplomacy in health governance. The role of SADC as a regional organisation and the way it functions is then explained, focusing on how SADC engages with health issues in the region. Recommendations are made as to how SADC can play a more decisive role as a regional organisation to implement South-South management of the regional social policy, health governance and health diplomacy agenda.

  16. Challenge in environmentally sustainable development in some southern African developing countries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chiburre, J.A.

    2005-01-01

    This paper examines the challenges in attaining environmentally sustainable development in some southern African developing countries, with main focus on environmentally degrading activities carried out by the poor rural communities as the only way of scaling down poverty. The typical examples include, among others, charcoal burning, firewood gathering and hunting. These activities are practiced by poor rural communities for commercial purposes, with the main market being the urban areas; whose population increase and the inability to afford electricity for domestic purposes have made the demand for charcoal and firewood to increase. While recognising the right for the basic needs for everyone, efforts have been made to reduce the pressure exerted by rural communities on to natural resources, and alternative income generating activities have been adopted. However, successes in these fields are still not observable. The paper also discusses the need for integrated approaches that might reduce the demand on natural forest resources-based energy, which consist of subsidized electricity, fast growing tree plantation, and energy efficiency, among others. (author)

  17. HOPE: A Python just-in-time compiler for astrophysical computations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akeret, J.; Gamper, L.; Amara, A.; Refregier, A.

    2015-04-01

    The Python programming language is becoming increasingly popular for scientific applications due to its simplicity, versatility, and the broad range of its libraries. A drawback of this dynamic language, however, is its low runtime performance which limits its applicability for large simulations and for the analysis of large data sets, as is common in astrophysics and cosmology. While various frameworks have been developed to address this limitation, most focus on covering the complete language set, and either force the user to alter the code or are not able to reach the full speed of an optimised native compiled language. In order to combine the ease of Python and the speed of C++, we developed HOPE, a specialised Python just-in-time (JIT) compiler designed for numerical astrophysical applications. HOPE focuses on a subset of the language and is able to translate Python code into C++ while performing numerical optimisation on mathematical expressions at runtime. To enable the JIT compilation, the user only needs to add a decorator to the function definition. We assess the performance of HOPE by performing a series of benchmarks and compare its execution speed with that of plain Python, C++ and the other existing frameworks. We find that HOPE improves the performance compared to plain Python by a factor of 2 to 120, achieves speeds comparable to that of C++, and often exceeds the speed of the existing solutions. We discuss the differences between HOPE and the other frameworks, as well as future extensions of its capabilities. The fully documented HOPE package is available at http://hope.phys.ethz.ch and is published under the GPLv3 license on PyPI and GitHub.

  18. p3d – Python module for structural bioinformatics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fufezan Christian

    2009-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background High-throughput bioinformatic analysis tools are needed to mine the large amount of structural data via knowledge based approaches. The development of such tools requires a robust interface to access the structural data in an easy way. For this the Python scripting language is the optimal choice since its philosophy is to write an understandable source code. Results p3d is an object oriented Python module that adds a simple yet powerful interface to the Python interpreter to process and analyse three dimensional protein structure files (PDB files. p3d's strength arises from the combination of a very fast spatial access to the structural data due to the implementation of a binary space partitioning (BSP tree, b set theory and c functions that allow to combine a and b and that use human readable language in the search queries rather than complex computer language. All these factors combined facilitate the rapid development of bioinformatic tools that can perform quick and complex analyses of protein structures. Conclusion p3d is the perfect tool to quickly develop tools for structural bioinformatics using the Python scripting language.

  19. OMPC: an Open-Source MATLAB-to-Python Compiler.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jurica, Peter; van Leeuwen, Cees

    2009-01-01

    Free access to scientific information facilitates scientific progress. Open-access scientific journals are a first step in this direction; a further step is to make auxiliary and supplementary materials that accompany scientific publications, such as methodological procedures and data-analysis tools, open and accessible to the scientific community. To this purpose it is instrumental to establish a software base, which will grow toward a comprehensive free and open-source language of technical and scientific computing. Endeavors in this direction are met with an important obstacle. MATLAB((R)), the predominant computation tool in many fields of research, is a closed-source commercial product. To facilitate the transition to an open computation platform, we propose Open-source MATLAB((R))-to-Python Compiler (OMPC), a platform that uses syntax adaptation and emulation to allow transparent import of existing MATLAB((R)) functions into Python programs. The imported MATLAB((R)) modules will run independently of MATLAB((R)), relying on Python's numerical and scientific libraries. Python offers a stable and mature open source platform that, in many respects, surpasses commonly used, expensive commercial closed source packages. The proposed software will therefore facilitate the transparent transition towards a free and general open-source lingua franca for scientific computation, while enabling access to the existing methods and algorithms of technical computing already available in MATLAB((R)). OMPC is available at http://ompc.juricap.com.

  20. Prioritizing blood flow: cardiovascular performance in response to the competing demands of locomotion and digestion for the Burmese python, Python molurus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Secor, Stephen M; White, Scott E

    2010-01-01

    Individually, the metabolic demands of digestion or movement can be fully supported by elevations in cardiovascular performance, but when occurring simultaneously, vascular perfusion may have to be prioritized to either the gut or skeletal muscles. Burmese pythons (Python molurus) experience similar increases in metabolic rate during the digestion of a meal as they do while crawling, hence each would have an equal demand for vascular supply when these two actions are combined. To determine, for the Burmese python, whether blood flow is prioritized when snakes are digesting and moving, we examined changes in cardiac performance and blood flow in response to digestion, movement, and the combination of digestion and movement. We used perivascular blood flow probes to measure blood flow through the left carotid artery, dorsal aorta, superior mesenteric artery and hepatic portal vein, and to calculate cardiac output, heart rate and stroke volume. Fasted pythons while crawling experienced a 2.7- and 3.3-fold increase, respectively, in heart rate and cardiac output, and a 66% decrease in superior mesenteric flow. During the digestion of a rodent meal equaling in mass to 24.7% of the snake's body mass, heart rate and cardiac output increased by 3.3- and 4.4-fold, respectively. Digestion also resulted in respective 11.6- and 14.1-fold increases in superior mesenteric and hepatic portal flow. When crawling while digesting, cardiac output and dorsal aorta flow increased by only 21% and 9%, respectively, a modest increase compared with that when they start to crawl on an empty stomach. Crawling did triggered a significant reduction in blood flow to the digesting gut, decreasing superior mesenteric and hepatic portal flow by 81% and 47%, respectively. When faced with the dual demands of digestion and crawling, Burmese pythons prioritize blood flow, apparently diverting visceral supply to the axial muscles.

  1. The spectacle of the ball python (Python regius): a morphological description.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Da Silva, Mari-Ann O; Heegaard, Steffen; Wang, Tobias; Nyengaard, Jens R; Bertelsen, Mads F

    2014-05-01

    A detailed morphological description of the spectacle of the ball python (Python regius) is provided. The eyes of 21 snakes were examined by light microscopy and/or transmission electron microscopy. Additionally, eyes of nine live snakes were examined using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and Scheimpflug scanning (Pentacam). The spectacle consists of three layers: outer epithelium, stroma and inner epithelium. The outer epithelium is made up of flat basal cells overlaid by keratin, the stroma consists of organized layers of collagen fibrils with interweaving nerve fibers and blood vessels, and the inner epithelium holds squamous cells containing vesicles and microvilli. At the rim of the spectacle, there is a transition zone, where the spectacle merges with the epidermis and dermis of the periocular scales. This zone is characterized by a greater height of the basal cells of the outer epithelium and a less orderly organization of the stroma compared with the spectacle proper. The thickness of the spectacle was uniform throughout. It averaged 96 ± 10 µm in histological specimens and 108 ± 13 µm using OCT. The subspectacular space was extremely narrow in the live snakes; however, the space was visible at the periphery of the spectacle with OCT. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  2. Southern African ancient genomes estimate modern human divergence to 350,000 to 260,000 years ago.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schlebusch, Carina M; Malmström, Helena; Günther, Torsten; Sjödin, Per; Coutinho, Alexandra; Edlund, Hanna; Munters, Arielle R; Vicente, Mário; Steyn, Maryna; Soodyall, Himla; Lombard, Marlize; Jakobsson, Mattias

    2017-11-03

    Southern Africa is consistently placed as a potential region for the evolution of Homo sapiens We present genome sequences, up to 13x coverage, from seven ancient individuals from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The remains of three Stone Age hunter-gatherers (about 2000 years old) were genetically similar to current-day southern San groups, and those of four Iron Age farmers (300 to 500 years old) were genetically similar to present-day Bantu-language speakers. We estimate that all modern-day Khoe-San groups have been influenced by 9 to 30% genetic admixture from East Africans/Eurasians. Using traditional and new approaches, we estimate the first modern human population divergence time to between 350,000 and 260,000 years ago. This estimate increases the deepest divergence among modern humans, coinciding with anatomical developments of archaic humans into modern humans, as represented in the local fossil record. Copyright © 2017 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.

  3. The effects of UV light on calcium metabolism in ball pythons (Python regius).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hedley, J; Eatwell, K

    2013-10-12

    Despite the popularity of keeping snakes in captivity, there has been limited investigation into the effects of UV radiation on vitamin D levels in snakes. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of UV-b radiation on plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels and ionised calcium concentrations in ball pythons (Python regius). Blood samples were taken from 14 ball pythons, which had never been exposed to UV-b light, to obtain baseline 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels and ionised calcium concentrations. Blood samples were then taken again from the same snakes 70 days later after one group (Group 1, n=6 females) were exposed to UV-b radiation daily, and the other group (Group 2, n=5 males and 3 females) were exposed to no UV-b radiation. Mean±sd 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels on day 0 in Group 1 were 197±35 nmol/l, and on day 70 were 203.5±13.8 nmol/l. Mean±sd 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels in Group 2 on day 0 were 77.7±41.5 nmol/l, and on day 70 were 83.0±41.9 nmol/l. Mean±sd ionised calcium levels at day 0 were 1.84±0.05 mmol/l for Group 1, and on day 70 were 1.78±0.07 mmol/l. Mean±sd ionised calcium levels at day 0 were 1.79±0.07 mmol/l for Group 2, and on day 70 were 1.81±0.05 mmol/l. No association was demonstrated between exposure to UV-b radiation and plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 and ionised calcium concentrations. These results may provide baseline parameters for future studies in this and other snake species to determine ability to utilise UV-b light for vitamin D production.

  4. Python data science essentials

    CERN Document Server

    Boschetti, Alberto

    2015-01-01

    If you are an aspiring data scientist and you have at least a working knowledge of data analysis and Python, this book will get you started in data science. Data analysts with experience of R or MATLAB will also find the book to be a comprehensive reference to enhance their data manipulation and machine learning skills.

  5. ParselTongue: AIPS Talking Python

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kettenis, M.; van Langevelde, H. J.; Reynolds, C.; Cotton, B.

    2006-07-01

    After more than 20 years of service, classic AIPS still is the data reduction package of choice for many radio-interferometry projects, especially for VLBI. Its age shows, most prominently in the limited scripting capabilities of its user interface: POPS. ParselTongue is an attempt to make the trusted AIPS algorithms and AIPS data structures available in a modern dynamic programming language: Python. It also provides an environment to do distributed computing to take advantage of modern computing clusters. This makes it suitable for use as a scripting interface for doing complicated data reduction on large data sets. It is also used as a coding platform for the new calibration algorithms that are being developed for the European VLBI Network as part of the ALBUS project. Here we hope to take advantage of Python's extensive support for web-based technologies to automate things like collecting calibration data.

  6. Learning scientific programming with Python

    CERN Document Server

    Hill, Christian

    2015-01-01

    Learn to master basic programming tasks from scratch with real-life scientifically relevant examples and solutions drawn from both science and engineering. Students and researchers at all levels are increasingly turning to the powerful Python programming language as an alternative to commercial packages and this fast-paced introduction moves from the basics to advanced concepts in one complete volume, enabling readers to quickly gain proficiency. Beginning with general programming concepts such as loops and functions within the core Python 3 language, and moving onto the NumPy, SciPy and Matplotlib libraries for numerical programming and data visualisation, this textbook also discusses the use of IPython notebooks to build rich-media, shareable documents for scientific analysis. Including a final chapter introducing challenging topics such as floating-point precision and algorithm stability, and with extensive online resources to support advanced study, this textbook represents a targeted package for students...

  7. Modern African Art: Getting beyond the Traditional To Recognize Contemporaneous Aesthetics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kader, Themina

    College students in art history courses study African art more frequently than in the past. Textbooks and videos, however, do not reflect the realities of creative expression today in Africa. Rather, African art dwells on the traditional arts of the west and southern regions of Africa. This paper focuses on eastern and southern sub-Saharan Africa…

  8. Transliterating non-ASCII characters with Python

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seth Bernstein

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available This lesson shows how to use Python to transliterate automatically a list of words from a language with a non-Latin alphabet to a standardized format using the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII characters. It builds on readers’ understanding of Python from the lessons “Viewing HTML Files,” “Working with Web Pages,” “From HTML to List of Words (part 1” and “Intro to Beautiful Soup.” At the end of the lesson, we will use the transliteration dictionary to convert the names from a database of the Russian organization Memorial from Cyrillic into Latin characters. Although the example uses Cyrillic characters, the technique can be reproduced with other alphabets using Unicode.

  9. GillesPy: A Python Package for Stochastic Model Building and Simulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abel, John H; Drawert, Brian; Hellander, Andreas; Petzold, Linda R

    2016-09-01

    GillesPy is an open-source Python package for model construction and simulation of stochastic biochemical systems. GillesPy consists of a Python framework for model building and an interface to the StochKit2 suite of efficient simulation algorithms based on the Gillespie stochastic simulation algorithms (SSA). To enable intuitive model construction and seamless integration into the scientific Python stack, we present an easy to understand, action-oriented programming interface. Here, we describe the components of this package and provide a detailed example relevant to the computational biology community.

  10. Emission of Volatile OrganoHalogens by Southern African Solar Salt Works

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kotte, Karsten; Weissflog, Ludwig; Lange, Christian Albert; Huber, Stefan; Pienaar, Jacobus J.

    2010-05-01

    Volatile organic compounds containing halogens - especially chlorine - have been considered for a long time of industrial origin only, and it was assumed that the production and emission of these compounds can easily be controlled by humans in case they will cause a threat for life on Earth. Since the middle of the 80ies of the last century it became clear that the biologically active organohalogens isolated by chemists are purposefully produced by nature as antibiotics or as antifeedant etc. To date more than 3800 organohalogens are known to be naturally produced by bio-geochemical processes. The global budgets of many such species are poorly understood and only now with the emergence of better analytical techniques being discovered. For example the compound chloromethane nature's production (5 GT) outdates the anthropogenic production (50 KT) by a factor of 100. Thus organohalogens are an interesting recent case in point since they can influence the ozone budget of the boundary layer, play a role in the production of aerosols and the climate change discussion. An intriguing observation is that most of the atmospheric CH3Cl and CH3Br are of terrestrial rather than of marine origin and that a number of halogenated small organic molecules are produced in soils. The high concentrations of halides in salt soils point to a possibly higher importance of natural halogenation processes as a source of volatile organohalogens. Terrestrial biota, such as fungi, plants, animals and insects, as well as marine algea, bacteria and archaea are known or suspected to be de-novo producers of volatile organohalogens. In recent years we revealed the possibility for VOX to form actively in water and bottom sediments of hyper-saline environments in the course of studying aridization processes during climatic warming. Due to the nature of their production process solar salt works, as to be found along-side the Southern African coast line but also upcountry, combine a variety of semi- and

  11. graphkernels: R and Python packages for graph comparison.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sugiyama, Mahito; Ghisu, M Elisabetta; Llinares-López, Felipe; Borgwardt, Karsten

    2018-02-01

    Measuring the similarity of graphs is a fundamental step in the analysis of graph-structured data, which is omnipresent in computational biology. Graph kernels have been proposed as a powerful and efficient approach to this problem of graph comparison. Here we provide graphkernels, the first R and Python graph kernel libraries including baseline kernels such as label histogram based kernels, classic graph kernels such as random walk based kernels, and the state-of-the-art Weisfeiler-Lehman graph kernel. The core of all graph kernels is implemented in C ++ for efficiency. Using the kernel matrices computed by the package, we can easily perform tasks such as classification, regression and clustering on graph-structured samples. The R and Python packages including source code are available at https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=graphkernels and https://pypi.python.org/pypi/graphkernels. mahito@nii.ac.jp or elisabetta.ghisu@bsse.ethz.ch. Supplementary data are available online at Bioinformatics. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

  12. DendroPy: a Python library for phylogenetic computing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sukumaran, Jeet; Holder, Mark T

    2010-06-15

    DendroPy is a cross-platform library for the Python programming language that provides for object-oriented reading, writing, simulation and manipulation of phylogenetic data, with an emphasis on phylogenetic tree operations. DendroPy uses a splits-hash mapping to perform rapid calculations of tree distances, similarities and shape under various metrics. It contains rich simulation routines to generate trees under a number of different phylogenetic and coalescent models. DendroPy's data simulation and manipulation facilities, in conjunction with its support of a broad range of phylogenetic data formats (NEXUS, Newick, PHYLIP, FASTA, NeXML, etc.), allow it to serve a useful role in various phyloinformatics and phylogeographic pipelines. The stable release of the library is available for download and automated installation through the Python Package Index site (http://pypi.python.org/pypi/DendroPy), while the active development source code repository is available to the public from GitHub (http://github.com/jeetsukumaran/DendroPy).

  13. The African oil industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ford, Mark; Griffiths, Thalia

    1999-10-01

    Contains Executive Summary and Chapters on: Adding value to African hydrocarbons in a global energy market; North Africa; East Africa; West Africa; Central Africa; Southern Africa; Strategies for Africa; Outlook. (Author)

  14. The roles of spirituality in the relationship between traumatic life events, mental health, and drug use among African American women from one southern state.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Staton-Tindall, Michele; Duvall, Jamieson; Stevens-Watkins, Danelle; Oser, Carrie B

    2013-09-01

    This study examines the role of spirituality as a moderator of the relationship between traumatic life experiences, mental health, and drug use in a sample of African American women. It was hypothesized that there would be an inverse relationship overall between spirituality and mental health and drug use among this sample of African American women. Secondly, was expected that spirituality would moderate the relationship between traumatic life events and mental health and drug use. African American women (n = 206) were recruited from the community and from probation officers in three urban areas of a southern state, and face-to-face interviews were completed. Findings indicated that there was a main effect for spirituality (as measured by existential well-being on the Spiritual Well-Being Scale) and traumatic life events, mental health, and alcohol use. In addition, spirituality was a significant moderator of the relationship between traumatic life events and cocaine use. Discussion and implications for African American women are included.

  15. The Southern Kalahari: a potential new dust source in the Southern Hemisphere?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bhattachan, Abinash; D’Odorico, Paolo; Baddock, Matthew C; Zobeck, Ted M; Okin, Gregory S; Cassar, Nicolas

    2012-01-01

    Most sources of atmospheric dust on Earth are located in the Northern Hemisphere. The lower dust emissions in the Southern Hemisphere in part limit the supply of micronutrients (primarily soluble iron) to the Southern Ocean, thereby constraining its productivity. Climate and land use change can alter the current distribution of dust source regions on Earth. Can new dust sources be activated in the Southern Hemisphere? Here we show that vegetation loss and dune remobilization in the Southern Kalahari can promote dust emissions comparable to those observed from major contemporary dust sources in the Southern African region. Dust generation experiments support the hypothesis that, in the Southern Kalahari, aeolian deposits that are currently mostly stabilized by savanna vegetation are capable of emitting substantial amounts of dust from interdune areas. We show that dust from these areas is relatively rich in soluble iron, an important micronutrient for ocean productivity. Trajectory analyses show that dust from the Kalahari commonly reaches the Southern Ocean and could therefore enhance its productivity. (letter)

  16. Pyteomics--a Python framework for exploratory data analysis and rapid software prototyping in proteomics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goloborodko, Anton A; Levitsky, Lev I; Ivanov, Mark V; Gorshkov, Mikhail V

    2013-02-01

    Pyteomics is a cross-platform, open-source Python library providing a rich set of tools for MS-based proteomics. It provides modules for reading LC-MS/MS data, search engine output, protein sequence databases, theoretical prediction of retention times, electrochemical properties of polypeptides, mass and m/z calculations, and sequence parsing. Pyteomics is available under Apache license; release versions are available at the Python Package Index http://pypi.python.org/pyteomics, the source code repository at http://hg.theorchromo.ru/pyteomics, documentation at http://packages.python.org/pyteomics. Pyteomics.biolccc documentation is available at http://packages.python.org/pyteomics.biolccc/. Questions on installation and usage can be addressed to pyteomics mailing list: pyteomics@googlegroups.com.

  17. MongoDB and Python Patterns and processes for the popular document-oriented database

    CERN Document Server

    O'Higgins, Niall

    2011-01-01

    Learn how to leverage MongoDB with your Python applications, using the hands-on recipes in this book. You get complete code samples for tasks such as making fast geo queries for location-based apps, efficiently indexing your user documents for social-graph lookups, and many other scenarios. This guide explains the basics of the document-oriented database and shows you how to set up a Python environment with it. Learn how to read and write to MongoDB, apply idiomatic MongoDB and Python patterns, and use the database with several popular Python web frameworks. You'll discover how to model your

  18. Southern Coup: Recruiting African American Faculty Members at an Elite Private Southern Research University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barrett, Thomas Gregory; Smith, Theophus

    2008-01-01

    Competition for highly qualified African American faculty members among elite universities in the United States remains keen. Two of the most successful research universities at recruiting African American faculty members are located in the Southeast. Employing a conceptual framework grounded in organizational culture and climate literature, in…

  19. Compulsory African languages in tertiary education: prejudices from ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies ... of African languages, in reality more has to be done if policy provisions are to be realised. ... of language attitude planning and that existing resources at universities should be ...

  20. A One Health Evaluation of the Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marie C. E. Hanin

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Rooted in the recognition that emerging infectious diseases occur at the interface of human, animal, and ecosystem health, the Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance (SACIDS initiative aims to promote a trans-sectoral approach to address better infectious disease risk management in five countries of the Southern African Development Community. Nine years after SACIDS’ inception, this study aimed to evaluate the program by applying a One Health (OH evaluation framework developed by the Network for Evaluation of One Health (NEOH. The evaluation included a description of the context and the initiative, illustration of the theory of change, identification of outputs and outcomes, and assessment of the One Healthness. The latter is the sum of characteristics that defines an integrated approach and includes OH thinking, OH planning, OH working, sharing infrastructure, learning infrastructure, and systemic organization. The protocols made available by NEOH were used to develop data collection protocols and identify the study design. The framework relies on a mixed methods approach by combining a descriptive and qualitative assessment with a semi-quantitative evaluation (scoring. Data for the analysis were gathered during a document review, in group and individual interviews and in an online survey. Operational aspects (i.e., OH thinking, planning, and working were found to be balanced overall with the highest score in the planning dimension, whereas the infrastructure (learning infrastructure, systemic organization, and sharing infrastructure was high for the first two dimensions, but low for sharing. The OH index calculated was 0.359, and the OH ratio calculated was 1.495. The program was praised for its great innovative energy in a difficult landscape dominated by poor infrastructure and its ability to create awareness for OH and enthuse people for the concept; training of people and networking. Shortcomings were identified

  1. Determining the appropriate code in a South African business ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Determining the appropriate code in a South African business environment. ... Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies ... would be perceived to enhance the quality of the interaction between client and service provider.

  2. SADCC: challenging the "South African connection.".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liebenow, J G

    1982-01-01

    The Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC) which unites 9 states with a combined population of 60 million, has as its objective the task of promoting economic development and realizing economic independence. In many respects the strain of neocolonialism that Southern Africa faces at this time is even more virulent than that facing West, Central, and East Africa. In the latter regions the surrender of political authority by colonial administrators frequently left the commercial, agricultural, and industrial interests of the European powers in continued control of the economies of the former colonies. The fate of economic development plans was determined by situations and decisions made in places distant from the African continent. In the case of Southern Africa, the withdrawal or expulsion of European colonialists has found whites in neighboring South Africa most eager to step into the economic breech. For most of the Southern African states this variant strain of the neocolonial virus creates a dual problem: the independent states acting separately have been no match for South Africa; and the acquiescence of independent African states in forging economic links with South Africa has impeded the liberation efforts of Africans in Namibia and the Republic of South Africa. Discussion focus turns to the challenges that confront SADCC; transport as the most significant factor accounting for the dependency of SADCC states upon South Africa; the role of minerals in dependency; other aspects of dependency; South Africa's proposed Constellation of States; the origins and objectives of SADCC; and dollars and donors. SADCC planning for economic liberation has been conducted against the background of a counterproposal advanced by South Africa's government, which put the Republic at the center of an expanded network of economic linkages within the entire southern African region. While being formally rejected, the Constellation of States scheme does have

  3. Pārskatu ģenerēšanas bibliotēka Python valodai

    OpenAIRE

    Paltovs, Deniss

    2012-01-01

    Kvalifikācijas darba pamatā ir pārskatu ģenerēšanas bibliotēka Python valodai - PythonReports, kura ļauj Python izstrādātajiem no datiem un šablona izveidot izdruku uz ekrāna vai printera. Gala produkts ir vizuālais redaktors, kurš ļauj ērti un uzskatāmi veidot un rediģēt PythonReports šablonus, izmantojot mūsdienu lietotāju saskarnes tehnoloģijas operētājsistēmās ar grafisku lietotāja saskarni. Kvalifikācijas darbs balstās uz iepriekšējo pieredzi, iegūto izmantojot līdzīgus rīkus citās sist...

  4. pypet: A Python Toolkit for Data Management of Parameter Explorations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meyer, Robert; Obermayer, Klaus

    2016-01-01

    pypet (Python parameter exploration toolkit) is a new multi-platform Python toolkit for managing numerical simulations. Sampling the space of model parameters is a key aspect of simulations and numerical experiments. pypet is designed to allow easy and arbitrary sampling of trajectories through a parameter space beyond simple grid searches. pypet collects and stores both simulation parameters and results in a single HDF5 file. This collective storage allows fast and convenient loading of data for further analyses. pypet provides various additional features such as multiprocessing and parallelization of simulations, dynamic loading of data, integration of git version control, and supervision of experiments via the electronic lab notebook Sumatra. pypet supports a rich set of data formats, including native Python types, Numpy and Scipy data, Pandas DataFrames, and BRIAN(2) quantities. Besides these formats, users can easily extend the toolkit to allow customized data types. pypet is a flexible tool suited for both short Python scripts and large scale projects. pypet's various features, especially the tight link between parameters and results, promote reproducible research in computational neuroscience and simulation-based disciplines.

  5. PyPDB: a Python API for the Protein Data Bank.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gilpin, William

    2016-01-01

    We have created a Python programming interface for the RCSB Protein Data Bank (PDB) that allows search and data retrieval for a wide range of result types, including BLAST and sequence motif queries. The API relies on the existing XML-based API and operates by creating custom XML requests from native Python types, allowing extensibility and straightforward modification. The package has the ability to perform many types of advanced search of the PDB that are otherwise only available through the PDB website. PyPDB is implemented exclusively in Python 3 using standard libraries for maximal compatibility. The most up-to-date version, including iPython notebooks containing usage tutorials, is available free-of-charge under an open-source MIT license via GitHub at https://github.com/williamgilpin/pypdb, and the full API reference is at http://williamgilpin.github.io/pypdb_docs/html/. The latest stable release is also available on PyPI. wgilpin@stanford.edu. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  6. ACPYPE - AnteChamber PYthon Parser interfacE.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sousa da Silva, Alan W; Vranken, Wim F

    2012-07-23

    ACPYPE (or AnteChamber PYthon Parser interfacE) is a wrapper script around the ANTECHAMBER software that simplifies the generation of small molecule topologies and parameters for a variety of molecular dynamics programmes like GROMACS, CHARMM and CNS. It is written in the Python programming language and was developed as a tool for interfacing with other Python based applications such as the CCPN software suite (for NMR data analysis) and ARIA (for structure calculations from NMR data). ACPYPE is open source code, under GNU GPL v3, and is available as a stand-alone application at http://www.ccpn.ac.uk/acpype and as a web portal application at http://webapps.ccpn.ac.uk/acpype. We verified the topologies generated by ACPYPE in three ways: by comparing with default AMBER topologies for standard amino acids; by generating and verifying topologies for a large set of ligands from the PDB; and by recalculating the structures for 5 protein-ligand complexes from the PDB. ACPYPE is a tool that simplifies the automatic generation of topology and parameters in different formats for different molecular mechanics programmes, including calculation of partial charges, while being object oriented for integration with other applications.

  7. A Python extension to the ATLAS online software for the thin gap chamber trigger system

    CERN Document Server

    Maeno, Tadashi; Komatsu, Satoru; Nakayoshi, Kazuo; Yasu, Yoshiji

    2004-01-01

    A Python extension module for A Toroidal LHC Apparatus (ATLAS) Online Software has been developed for the Thin Gap Chamber (TGC) trigger system. Python is an interactive scripting language including built- in high-level libraries, and provides an easy way to build Web applications. These features are not included in the Online Software, and are important in developing test software for the TGC trigger system. The Python extension module is designed and implemented using a C++ library, "Boost.Python." We have developed a Web application using the extension module and Zope (a Python-based Web application server), which allows one to monitor the TGC trigger system from anywhere in the world. The functionalities of the Python extension module and its application for the TGC trigger system are presented. 7 Refs.

  8. pyPaSWAS: Python-based multi-core CPU and GPU sequence alignment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Warris, Sven; Timal, N Roshan N; Kempenaar, Marcel; Poortinga, Arne M; van de Geest, Henri; Varbanescu, Ana L; Nap, Jan-Peter

    2018-01-01

    Our previously published CUDA-only application PaSWAS for Smith-Waterman (SW) sequence alignment of any type of sequence on NVIDIA-based GPUs is platform-specific and therefore adopted less than could be. The OpenCL language is supported more widely and allows use on a variety of hardware platforms. Moreover, there is a need to promote the adoption of parallel computing in bioinformatics by making its use and extension more simple through more and better application of high-level languages commonly used in bioinformatics, such as Python. The novel application pyPaSWAS presents the parallel SW sequence alignment code fully packed in Python. It is a generic SW implementation running on several hardware platforms with multi-core systems and/or GPUs that provides accurate sequence alignments that also can be inspected for alignment details. Additionally, pyPaSWAS support the affine gap penalty. Python libraries are used for automated system configuration, I/O and logging. This way, the Python environment will stimulate further extension and use of pyPaSWAS. pyPaSWAS presents an easy Python-based environment for accurate and retrievable parallel SW sequence alignments on GPUs and multi-core systems. The strategy of integrating Python with high-performance parallel compute languages to create a developer- and user-friendly environment should be considered for other computationally intensive bioinformatics algorithms.

  9. The applicability of the South African census 2011 data for evidence-based urban planning

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Khuluse-Makhanya, Sibusisiwe

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available us? , - Volume 17 (1) June 2016 Southern African Journal of Demography Southern African Journal of Demography Volume 17(1) June 2016 CONTENTS Estimation of Swaziland fertility: What do the methods tell.... Quantitative and qualitative articles that enhance knowledge of the demography and its interaction with population issues in the Southern Africa region are considered. Articles may cover pure demography (fertility, mortality and migration...

  10. OzPythonPlex: An optimised forensic STR multiplex assay set for the Australasian carpet python (Morelia spilota).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ciavaglia, Sherryn; Linacre, Adrian

    2018-05-01

    Reptile species, and in particular snakes, are protected by national and international agreements yet are commonly handled illegally. To aid in the enforcement of such legislation, we report on the development of three 11-plex assays from the genome of the carpet python to type 24 loci of tetra-nucleotide and penta-nucleotide repeat motifs (pure, compound and complex included). The loci range in size between 70 and 550 bp. Seventeen of the loci are newly characterised with the inclusion of seven previously developed loci to facilitate cross-comparison with previous carpet python genotyping studies. Assays were optimised in accordance with human forensic profiling kits using one nanogram template DNA. Three loci are included in all three of the multiplex reactions as quality assurance markers, to ensure sample identity and genotyping accuracy is maintained across the three profiling assays. Allelic ladders have been developed for the three assays to ensure consistent and precise allele designation. A DNA reference database of allele frequencies is presented based on 249 samples collected from throughout the species native range. A small number of validation tests are conducted to demonstrate the utility of these multiplex assays. We suggest further appropriate validation tests that should be conducted prior to the application of the multiplex assays in criminal investigations involving carpet pythons. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Africanization in the United States: replacement of feral European honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) by an African hybrid swarm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pinto, M Alice; Rubink, William L; Patton, John C; Coulson, Robert N; Johnston, J Spencer

    2005-08-01

    The expansion of Africanized honeybees from South America to the southwestern United States in feral population from the southern United States undergoing Africanization. Our microsatellite data showed that (1) the process of Africanization involved both maternal and paternal bidirectional gene flow between European and Africanized honeybees and (2) the panmitic European population was replaced by panmitic mixtures of A. m. scutellata and European genes within 5 years after Africanization. The post-Africanization gene pool (1998-2001) was composed of a diverse array of recombinant classes with a substantial European genetic contribution (mean 25-37%). Therefore, the resulting feral honeybee population of south Texas was best viewed as a hybrid swarm.

  12. Jet flavor tagging with Deep Learning using Python

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva

    2016-01-01

    Besides the part that implements the resulting deep neural net in the ATLAS C++ software framework, a Python framework has been developed to connect HEP data to standard Data Science Python based libraries for Machine Learning. It makes use of HDF5, JSON and Pickle as intermediate data storage format, pandas and numpy for data handling and calculations, Keras for neural net construction and training as well as testing and matplotlib for plotting. It can be seen as an example of taking advantage of outside-HEP software developments without relying on the HEP standard ROOT.

  13. Proceedings of the 7th Python in Science conference

    OpenAIRE

    Varoquaux , Gaël; Vaught , Travis; Millman , Jarrod

    2008-01-01

    International audience; The SciPy conference provides a unique opportunity to learn and affect what is happening in the realm of scientific computing with Python. Attendees have the opportunity to review the available tools and how they apply to specific problems. By providing a forum for developers to share their Python expertise with the wider commercial, academic, and research communities, this conference fosters collaboration and facilitates the sharing of software components, techniques ...

  14. Proceedings of the 8th Python in Science conference

    OpenAIRE

    Varoquaux , Gaël; Van Der Walt , Stefan; Millman , Jarrod

    2009-01-01

    International audience; The SciPy conference provides a unique opportunity to learn and affect what is happening in the realm of scientific computing with Python. Attendees have the opportunity to review the available tools and how they apply to specific problems. By providing a forum for developers to share their Python expertise with the wider commercial, academic, and research communities, this conference fosters collaboration and facilitates the sharing of software components, techniques ...

  15. PyEEG: An Open Source Python Module for EEG/MEG Feature Extraction

    OpenAIRE

    Bao, Forrest Sheng; Liu, Xin; Zhang, Christina

    2011-01-01

    Computer-aided diagnosis of neural diseases from EEG signals (or other physiological signals that can be treated as time series, e.g., MEG) is an emerging field that has gained much attention in past years. Extracting features is a key component in the analysis of EEG signals. In our previous works, we have implemented many EEG feature extraction functions in the Python programming language. As Python is gaining more ground in scientific computing, an open source Python module for extracting ...

  16. Flexible Environmental Modeling with Python and Open - GIS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pryet, Alexandre; Atteia, Olivier; Delottier, Hugo; Cousquer, Yohann

    2015-04-01

    Numerical modeling now represents a prominent task of environmental studies. During the last decades, numerous commercial programs have been made available to environmental modelers. These software applications offer user-friendly graphical user interfaces that allow an efficient management of many case studies. However, they suffer from a lack of flexibility and closed-source policies impede source code reviewing and enhancement for original studies. Advanced modeling studies require flexible tools capable of managing thousands of model runs for parameter optimization, uncertainty and sensitivity analysis. In addition, there is a growing need for the coupling of various numerical models associating, for instance, groundwater flow modeling to multi-species geochemical reactions. Researchers have produced hundreds of open-source powerful command line programs. However, there is a need for a flexible graphical user interface allowing an efficient processing of geospatial data that comes along any environmental study. Here, we present the advantages of using the free and open-source Qgis platform and the Python scripting language for conducting environmental modeling studies. The interactive graphical user interface is first used for the visualization and pre-processing of input geospatial datasets. Python scripting language is then employed for further input data processing, call to one or several models, and post-processing of model outputs. Model results are eventually sent back to the GIS program, processed and visualized. This approach combines the advantages of interactive graphical interfaces and the flexibility of Python scripting language for data processing and model calls. The numerous python modules available facilitate geospatial data processing and numerical analysis of model outputs. Once input data has been prepared with the graphical user interface, models may be run thousands of times from the command line with sequential or parallel calls. We

  17. Annual congress of the South African Society of Pathologists

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1981-01-01

    The joint annual congress of the South African Society of Pathologists, International Academy of Pathology, South African Association of Clinical Biochemists and the Southern African Microbiology Society, was held from 13 to 15 July 1981 in Bloemfontein. This congress covered facets of clinical biochemistry, anatomical pathology, virology, microbiology, immunology and molecular biology

  18. Medical ethics education: thoughts on a South African medical ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    South African Journal of Higher Education ... emphasised the place of bioethics within the emerging integrated medical curricula in southern Africa. ... There has been little development of African syllabi in bioethics that reflect the plasticity of ...

  19. The isolation and localization of arbitrary restriction fragment length polymorphisms in Southern African populations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Conn, V.

    1987-01-01

    The main aim of this study was to contribute to the mapping of the human genome by searching for and characterizing a number of RFLPs (restriction fragment length polymorphisms) in the human genome. The more specific aims of this study were: 1. To isolate single-copy human DNA sequences from a human genomic library. 2. To use these single-copy sequences as DNA probes to search for polymorphic variation among Caucasoid individuals. 3. To show by means of family studies that the RFLPs were inherited in a co-dominant Mendelian fashion. 4. To determine the population frequencies of these RFLPs in Southern African Populations, namely the Bantu-speaking Negroids and the San. 5. To assign these RFLP-detecting DNA sequences to human chromosomes using somatic cell hybrid lines. In this study DNA was labelled with Phosphorus 32

  20. CVXPY: A Python-Embedded Modeling Language for Convex Optimization

    OpenAIRE

    Diamond, Steven; Boyd, Stephen

    2016-01-01

    CVXPY is a domain-specific language for convex optimization embedded in Python. It allows the user to express convex optimization problems in a natural syntax that follows the math, rather than in the restrictive standard form required by solvers. CVXPY makes it easy to combine convex optimization with high-level features of Python such as parallelism and object-oriented design. CVXPY is available at http://www.cvxpy.org/ under the GPL license, along with documentation and examples.

  1. CVXPY: A Python-Embedded Modeling Language for Convex Optimization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diamond, Steven; Boyd, Stephen

    2016-04-01

    CVXPY is a domain-specific language for convex optimization embedded in Python. It allows the user to express convex optimization problems in a natural syntax that follows the math, rather than in the restrictive standard form required by solvers. CVXPY makes it easy to combine convex optimization with high-level features of Python such as parallelism and object-oriented design. CVXPY is available at http://www.cvxpy.org/ under the GPL license, along with documentation and examples.

  2. African Journals Online: Zimbabwe

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Items 1 - 12 of 12 ... SAFERE: Southern African Feminist Review. SAFERE provides women with a writing platform which is feminist in content and ... The Zimbabwe Journal of Educational Research comprised of four sections: Scholarly articles ...

  3. Why is Southern African canine babesiosis so virulent? An evolutionary perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Penzhorn Barend L

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Canine babesiosis is a common, highly virulent disease in Southern Africa with even pups and juveniles being severely affected. This contrasts with bovine babesiosis, for example, where host, parasite and vector co-evolved and young animals develop immunity after infection without showing clinical signs. Babesia rossi, the main causative organism of canine babesiosis in sub-Saharan Africa, was first described from a side-striped jackal (Canis adustus in Kenya. Although data are meagre, there is evidence that indigenous African canids, such as jackals and wild dogs (Lycaon pictus, can harbour the parasite without showing untoward effects. Dogs are not indigenous to Africa. The vast majority of dogs presented at veterinary facilities in South Africa represent recently introduced European, Asian or American breeds. The contention is that B. rossi is a new challenge to which these dogs have not adapted. With intensive treatment of clinical cases, natural selection is effectively negated and the status quo will probably be maintained indefinitely. It is postulated that Babesia vogeli, which frequently results in unapparent infections or mild manifestations in dogs, represents or is closely related to the ancestral form of the canine parasite, possibly originating from wolves (Canis lupus.

  4. pypet: A Python Toolkit for Data Management of Parameter Explorations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert Meyer

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available pypet (Python parameter exploration toolkit is a new multi-platform Python toolkit for managing numerical simulations. Sampling the space of model parameters is a key aspect of simulations and numerical experiments. pypet is designed to allow easy and arbitrary sampling of trajectories through a parameter space beyond simple grid searches.pypet collects and stores both simulation parameters and results in a single HDF5 file.This collective storage allows fast and convenient loading of data for further analyses.pypet provides various additional features such as multiprocessing and parallelization of simulations, dynamic loading of data, integration of git version control, and supervision of experiments via the electronic lab notebook Sumatra. pypet supports a rich set of data formats, including native Python types, Numpy and Scipy data, Pandas DataFrames, and BRIAN(2 quantities. Besides these formats, users can easily extend the toolkit to allow customized data types. pypet is a flexible tool suited for both short Python scripts and large scale projects. pypet's various features, especially the tight link between parameters and results, promote reproducible research in computational neuroscience and simulation-based disciplines.

  5. Nidovirus-Associated Proliferative Pneumonia in the Green Tree Python (Morelia viridis)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dervas, Eva; Hepojoki, Jussi; Laimbacher, Andrea; Romero-Palomo, Fernando; Jelinek, Christine; Keller, Saskia; Smura, Teemu; Hetzel, Udo

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT In 2014 we observed a noticeable increase in the number of sudden deaths among green tree pythons (Morelia viridis). Pathological examination revealed the accumulation of mucoid material within the airways and lungs in association with enlargement of the entire lung. We performed a full necropsy and histological examination on 12 affected green tree pythons from 7 different breeders to characterize the pathogenesis of this mucinous pneumonia. By histology we could show a marked hyperplasia of the airway epithelium and of faveolar type II pneumocytes. Since routine microbiological tests failed to identify a causative agent, we studied lung tissue samples from a few diseased snakes by next-generation sequencing (NGS). From the NGS data we could assemble a piece of RNA genome whose sequence was pythons and Indian pythons. We then employed reverse transcription-PCR to demonstrate the presence of the novel nidovirus in all diseased snakes. To attempt virus isolation, we established primary cultures of Morelia viridis liver and brain cells, which we inoculated with homogenates of lung tissue from infected individuals. Ultrastructural examination of concentrated cell culture supernatants showed the presence of nidovirus particles, and subsequent NGS analysis yielded the full genome of the novel virus Morelia viridis nidovirus (MVNV). We then generated an antibody against MVNV nucleoprotein, which we used alongside RNA in situ hybridization to demonstrate viral antigen and RNA in the affected lungs. This suggests that in natural infection MVNV damages the respiratory tract epithelium, which then results in epithelial hyperplasia, most likely as an exaggerated regenerative attempt in association with increased epithelial turnover. IMPORTANCE Novel nidoviruses associated with severe respiratory disease were fairly recently identified in ball pythons and Indian pythons. Herein we report on the isolation and identification of a further nidovirus from green tree

  6. The Dictionary Unit for South African English. South African Concise Oxford Dictionary

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rajend Mesthrie

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available The South African Concise Oxford Dictionary (henceforth SACOD is a South Af-rican version of the Concise Oxford Dictionary, the first time that this particular hybrid has been prepared. It is testimony to the enduring success of the work of the Dictionary Unit for South African English at Rhodes University, headed by teams that included Jean and William Branford in the 1970s, Penny Silva in the 1990s and now, Kathryn Kavanagh. The lexicographical work from the unit saw the publication of four editions of the Dictionary of Southern African English (1978, 1980, 1987, 1991, a South African Pocket Oxford Dictionary (SAPOD and the Dictionary of South African English on Historical Principles (DOSAEHP (1995. SACOD differs from the rest in several ways. It is larger in scope than SAPOD, smaller than DOSAEHP, and unlike DOSAE and DOSAEHP, does not deal with South African words alone. Based on the 10th edition of the Concise Oxford Dictionary SACOD has excised some words from the parent, whilst adding many new words of general English as well as of South Africa.

  7. ACPYPE - AnteChamber PYthon Parser interfacE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sousa da Silva Alan W

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background ACPYPE (or AnteChamber PYthon Parser interfacE is a wrapper script around the ANTECHAMBER software that simplifies the generation of small molecule topologies and parameters for a variety of molecular dynamics programmes like GROMACS, CHARMM and CNS. It is written in the Python programming language and was developed as a tool for interfacing with other Python based applications such as the CCPN software suite (for NMR data analysis and ARIA (for structure calculations from NMR data. ACPYPE is open source code, under GNU GPL v3, and is available as a stand-alone application at http://www.ccpn.ac.uk/acpype and as a web portal application at http://webapps.ccpn.ac.uk/acpype. Findings We verified the topologies generated by ACPYPE in three ways: by comparing with default AMBER topologies for standard amino acids; by generating and verifying topologies for a large set of ligands from the PDB; and by recalculating the structures for 5 protein–ligand complexes from the PDB. Conclusions ACPYPE is a tool that simplifies the automatic generation of topology and parameters in different formats for different molecular mechanics programmes, including calculation of partial charges, while being object oriented for integration with other applications.

  8. pymzML--Python module for high-throughput bioinformatics on mass spectrometry data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bald, Till; Barth, Johannes; Niehues, Anna; Specht, Michael; Hippler, Michael; Fufezan, Christian

    2012-04-01

    pymzML is an extension to Python that offers (i) an easy access to mass spectrometry (MS) data that allows the rapid development of tools, (ii) a very fast parser for mzML data, the standard data format in MS and (iii) a set of functions to compare or handle spectra. pymzML requires Python2.6.5+ and is fully compatible with Python3. The module is freely available on http://pymzml.github.com or pypi, is published under LGPL license and requires no additional modules to be installed. christian@fufezan.net.

  9. Southern African Development Research Network | IDRC ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    ... to craft policies for fruitful integration into the global economy and inclusive growth. ... The grant will support a broad-based research network, the Southern Africa ... researchers based in regional institutions; transforming selected institutions ...

  10. Python 3 text processing with NLTK 3 cookbook

    CERN Document Server

    Perkins, Jacob

    2014-01-01

    This book is intended for Python programmers interested in learning how to do natural language processing. Maybe you've learned the limits of regular expressions the hard way, or you've realized that human language cannot be deterministically parsed like a computer language. Perhaps you have more text than you know what to do with, and need automated ways to analyze and structure that text. This Cookbook will show you how to train and use statistical language models to process text in ways that are practically impossible with standard programming tools. A basic knowledge of Python and the basi

  11. Evaluation of the role of the cyclooxygenase signaling pathway during inflammation in skin and muscle tissues of ball pythons (Python regius).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sadler, Ryan A; Schumacher, Juergen P; Rathore, Kusum; Newkirk, Kim M; Cole, Grayson; Seibert, Rachel; Cekanova, Maria

    2016-05-01

    OBJECTIVE To determine degrees of production of cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and -2 and other mediators of inflammation in noninflamed and inflamed skin and muscle tissues in ball pythons (Python regius). ANIMALS 6 healthy adult male ball pythons. PROCEDURES Biopsy specimens of noninflamed skin and muscle tissue were collected from anesthetized snakes on day 0. A 2-cm skin and muscle incision was then made 5 cm distal to the biopsy sites with a CO2 laser to induce inflammation. On day 7, biopsy specimens of skin and muscle tissues were collected from the incision sites. Inflamed and noninflamed tissue specimens were evaluated for production of COX-1, COX-2, phosphorylated protein kinase B (AKT), total AKT, nuclear factor κ-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells, phosphorylated extracellular receptor kinases (ERKs) 1 and 2, and total ERK proteins by western blot analysis. Histologic evaluation was performed on H&E-stained tissue sections. RESULTS All biopsy specimens of inflamed skin and muscle tissues had higher histologic inflammation scores than did specimens of noninflamed tissue. Inflamed skin specimens had significantly greater production of COX-1 and phosphorylated ERK than did noninflamed skin specimens. Inflamed muscle specimens had significantly greater production of phosphorylated ERK and phosphorylated AKT, significantly lower production of COX-1, and no difference in production of COX-2, compared with production in noninflamed muscle specimens. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Production of COX-1, but not COX-2, was significantly greater in inflamed versus noninflamed skin specimens from ball pythons. Additional research into the reptilian COX signaling pathway is warranted.

  12. Development of hemipenes in the ball python snake Python regius.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leal, Francisca; Cohn, Martin J

    2015-01-01

    Within amniotes, external copulatory organs have undergone extensive morphological diversification. One of the most extreme examples is squamate (lizards and snakes) hemipenes, which are paired copulatory organs that extend from the lateral margins of the cloaca. Here, we describe the development of hemipenes in a basal snake, the ball python (Python regius). Snake hemipenes arise as a pair of lateral swellings on either side of the caudal part of the cloaca, and these paired outgrowths persist to form the left and right hemipenes. In non-squamate amniotes, external genitalia form from paired swellings that arise on the anterior side of the cloaca, which then fuse medially to form a single genital tubercle, the anlagen of the penis or clitoris. Whereas in non-squamate amniotes, Sonic hedgehog (Shh)-expressing cells of the cloacal endoderm form the urethral or sulcus epithelium and are required for phallus outgrowth, the hemipenes of squamates lack an endodermal contribution, and the sulcus does not express Shh. Thus, snake hemipenes differ from the genital tubercles of non-squamate amniotes both in their embryonic origins and in at least part of patterning mechanisms, which raises the possibility that hemipenes may not be direct homologs of the unpaired amniote penis. Nonetheless, we find that some developmental genes show similar expression patterns in snake hemipenes buds and non-squamate genital tubercles, suggesting that homologous developmental mechanisms are involved in aspects of external genital development across amniotes, even when these structures may have different developmental origins and may have arisen independently during evolution.

  13. GPAW - massively parallel electronic structure calculations with Python-based software

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Enkovaara, Jussi; Romero, Nichols A.; Shende, Sameer

    2011-01-01

    of the productivity enhancing features together with a good numerical performance. We have used this approach in implementing an electronic structure simulation software GPAW using the combination of Python and C programming languages. While the chosen approach works well in standard workstations and Unix...... popular choice. While dynamic, interpreted languages, such as Python, can increase the effciency of programmer, they cannot compete directly with the raw performance of compiled languages. However, by using an interpreted language together with a compiled language, it is possible to have most...... environments, massively parallel supercomputing systems can present some challenges in porting, debugging and profiling the software. In this paper we describe some details of the implementation and discuss the advantages and challenges of the combined Python/C approach. We show that despite the challenges...

  14. Pleistocene aridification cycles shaped the contemporary genetic architecture of Southern African baboons.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Riashna Sithaldeen

    Full Text Available Plio-Pleistocene environmental change influenced the evolutionary history of many animal lineages in Africa, highlighting key roles for both climate and tectonics in the evolution of Africa's faunal diversity. Here, we explore diversification in the southern African chacma baboon Papio ursinus sensu lato and reveal a dominant role for increasingly arid landscapes during past glacial cycles in shaping contemporary genetic structure. Recent work on baboons (Papio spp. supports complex lineage structuring with a dominant pulse of diversification occurring 1-2Ma, and yet the link to palaeoenvironmental change remains largely untested. Phylogeographic reconstruction based on mitochondrial DNA sequence data supports a scenario where chacma baboon populations were likely restricted to refugia during periods of regional cooling and drying through the Late Pleistocene. The two lineages of chacma baboon, ursinus and griseipes, are strongly geographically structured, and demographic reconstruction together with spatial analysis of genetic variation point to possible climate-driven isolating events where baboons may have retreated to more optimum conditions during cooler, drier periods. Our analysis highlights a period of continuous population growth beginning in the Middle to Late Pleistocene in both the ursinus and the PG2 griseipes lineages. All three clades identified in the study then enter a state of declining population size (Nef through to the Holocene; this is particularly marked in the last 20,000 years, most likely coincident with the Last Glacial Maximum. The pattern recovered here conforms to expectations based on the dynamic regional climate trends in southern Africa through the Pleistocene and provides further support for complex patterns of diversification in the region's biodiversity.

  15. Implementing the millennium development food security goals Challenges of the southern African context

    Science.gov (United States)

    Love, David; Twomlow, Steve; Mupangwa, Walter; van der Zaag, Pieter; Gumbo, Bekithemba

    The Millennium Development Goals’ target to halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger is extremely important in southern Africa, where food security has become increasingly problematic over the last 20 years. One “quick-win” proposal is replenishment of soil nutrients for smallholder farmers, through free or subsidised chemical fertilisers. Other proposals include appropriate irrigation technology, improved inputs and interventions targeted at women. Analysis of over 10 years of agro-hydrological and agro-economic studies from southern African show that a different approach is required to interventions proposed. There are sustainability problems with free chemical fertiliser due to transport costs and ancillary costs. Furthermore, recent studies in Zimbabwe and Mozambique show that significant increases in yield can only be obtained when soil fertility management is combined with good crop husbandry, e.g. timely planting and weeding. Ongoing replenishment of fertility would be dependent on a continued free or subsidised fertiliser supply, and transport system. Increasing access to irrigation will help, but is not the only solution and cannot reach even a majority of farmers. It has been determined that short dryspells are often the major cause of low yields in sub-Saharan Africa. Soil-water conservation approaches, e.g. winter weeding and conservation tillage, can reduce risk and increase yield. The following specific recommendations are made for urgent interventions to contribute sustainably to food security in southern Africa: (i) To increases access to fertiliser, consider development of strong input markets at end-user level. (ii) Intensification of technology transfer, focusing on capacity building for transfer of existing technologies and much closer collaboration between state and NGO sectors, agronomists and water engineers. (iii) Increasing the uptake of soil-water conservation methods, including conservation tillage and weeding, and

  16. Myiasis by Megaselia scalaris (Diptera: Phoridae) in a python affected by pulmonitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vanin, S; Mazzariol, S; Menandro, M L; Lafisca, A; Turchetto, M

    2013-01-01

    Myiases are caused by the presence of maggots in vertebrate tissues and organs. Myiases have been studied widely in humans, farm animals, and pets, whereas reports of myiasis in reptiles are scarce. We describe a case of myiasis caused by the Megaselia scalaris (Loew) in an Indian python (Python molurus bivittatus, Kuhl) (Ophida: Boidae). The python, 15 yr old, born and reared in a terrarium in the mainland of Venice (Italy), was affected by diffuse, purulent pneumonia caused by Burkholderia cepacia. The severe infestation of maggots found in the lungs during an autopsy indicated at a myiasis.

  17. African Journals Online (AJOL)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Continuing Medical Education; The competitive advantage of nations: is Porter's Diamond Framework a new theory that explains the international competitiveness of countries? Southern African Business Review; The Basis of Distinction Between Qualitative and Quantitative Research in Social Science: Reflection on ...

  18. African Journals Online (AJOL)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Southern African Business Review; The Roles of Information Communication Technologies in Education: Review Article with Emphasis to the Computer and ... AFRREV IJAH: An International Journal of Arts and Humanities; Book Review: Insurance in Ethiopia: Historical Development, Present Status and Future Challenges

  19. Emerge - A Python environment for the modeling of subsurface transfers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lopez, S.; Smai, F.; Sochala, P.

    2014-12-01

    The simulation of subsurface mass and energy transfers often relies on specific codes that were mainly developed using compiled languages which usually ensure computational efficiency at the expense of relatively long development times and relatively rigid software. Even if a very detailed, possibly graphical, user-interface is developed the core numerical aspects are rarely accessible and the smallest modification will always need a compilation step. Thus, user-defined physical laws or alternative numerical schemes may be relatively difficult to use. Over the last decade, Python has emerged as a popular and widely used language in the scientific community. There already exist several libraries for the pre and post-treatment of input and output files for reservoir simulators (e.g. pytough). Development times in Python are considerably reduced compared to compiled languages, and programs can be easily interfaced with libraries written in compiled languages with several comprehensive numerical libraries that provide sequential and parallel solvers (e.g. PETSc, Trilinos…). The core objective of the Emerge project is to explore the possibility to develop a modeling environment in full Python. Consequently, we are developing an open python package with the classes/objects necessary to express, discretize and solve the physical problems encountered in the modeling of subsurface transfers. We heavily relied on Python to have a convenient and concise way of manipulating potentially complex concepts with a few lines of code and a high level of abstraction. Our result aims to be a friendly numerical environment targeting both numerical engineers and physicist or geoscientists with the possibility to quickly specify and handle geometries, arbitrary meshes, spatially or temporally varying properties, PDE formulations, boundary conditions…

  20. User-friendly parallelization of GAUDI applications with Python

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mato, Pere; Smith, Eoin

    2010-01-01

    GAUDI is a software framework in C++ used to build event data processing applications using a set of standard components with well-defined interfaces. Simulation, high-level trigger, reconstruction, and analysis programs used by several experiments are developed using GAUDI. These applications can be configured and driven by simple Python scripts. Given the fact that a considerable amount of existing software has been developed using serial methodology, and has existed in some cases for many years, implementation of parallelisation techniques at the framework level may offer a way of exploiting current multi-core technologies to maximize performance and reduce latencies without re-writing thousands/millions of lines of code. In the solution we have developed, the parallelization techniques are introduced to the high level Python scripts which configure and drive the applications, such that the core C++ application code requires no modification, and that end users need make only minimal changes to their scripts. The developed solution leverages from existing generic Python modules that support parallel processing. Naturally, the parallel version of a given program should produce results consistent with its serial execution. The evaluation of several prototypes incorporating various parallelization techniques are presented and discussed.

  1. User-friendly parallelization of GAUDI applications with Python

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mato, Pere; Smith, Eoin, E-mail: pere.mato@cern.c [PH Department, CERN, 1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland)

    2010-04-01

    GAUDI is a software framework in C++ used to build event data processing applications using a set of standard components with well-defined interfaces. Simulation, high-level trigger, reconstruction, and analysis programs used by several experiments are developed using GAUDI. These applications can be configured and driven by simple Python scripts. Given the fact that a considerable amount of existing software has been developed using serial methodology, and has existed in some cases for many years, implementation of parallelisation techniques at the framework level may offer a way of exploiting current multi-core technologies to maximize performance and reduce latencies without re-writing thousands/millions of lines of code. In the solution we have developed, the parallelization techniques are introduced to the high level Python scripts which configure and drive the applications, such that the core C++ application code requires no modification, and that end users need make only minimal changes to their scripts. The developed solution leverages from existing generic Python modules that support parallel processing. Naturally, the parallel version of a given program should produce results consistent with its serial execution. The evaluation of several prototypes incorporating various parallelization techniques are presented and discussed.

  2. Mammal decline, linked to invasive Burmese python, shifts host use of vector mosquito towards reservoir hosts of a zoonotic disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoyer, Isaiah J; Blosser, Erik M; Acevedo, Carolina; Thompson, Anna Carels; Reeves, Lawrence E; Burkett-Cadena, Nathan D

    2017-10-01

    Invasive apex predators have profound impacts on natural communities, yet the consequences of these impacts on the transmission of zoonotic pathogens are unexplored. Collapse of large- and medium-sized mammal populations in the Florida Everglades has been linked to the invasive Burmese python, Python bivittatus Kuhl. We used historic and current data to investigate potential impacts of these community effects on contact between the reservoir hosts (certain rodents) and vectors of Everglades virus, a zoonotic mosquito-borne pathogen that circulates in southern Florida. The percentage of blood meals taken from the primary reservoir host, the hispid cotton rat, Sigmodon hispidus Say and Ord, increased dramatically (422.2%) from 1979 (14.7%) to 2016 (76.8%), while blood meals from deer, raccoons and opossums decreased by 98.2%, reflecting precipitous declines in relative abundance of these larger mammals, attributed to python predation. Overall species diversity of hosts detected in Culex cedecei blood meals from the Everglades declined by 40.2% over the same period ( H (1979) = 1.68, H (2016) = 1.01). Predictions based upon the dilution effect theory suggest that increased relative feedings upon reservoir hosts translate into increased abundance of infectious vectors, and a corresponding upsurge of Everglades virus occurrence and risk of human exposure, although this was not tested in the current study. This work constitutes the first indication that an invasive predator can increase contact between vectors and reservoirs of a human pathogen and highlights unrecognized indirect impacts of invasive predators. © 2017 The Author(s).

  3. ConKit: a python interface to contact predictions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simkovic, Felix; Thomas, Jens M H; Rigden, Daniel J

    2017-07-15

    Recent advances in protein residue contact prediction algorithms have led to the emergence of many new methods and a variety of file formats. We present ConKit , an open source, modular and extensible Python interface which allows facile conversion between formats and provides an interface to analyses of sequence alignments and sets of contact predictions. ConKit is available via the Python Package Index. The documentation can be found at http://www.conkit.org . ConKit is licensed under the BSD 3-Clause. hlfsimko@liverpool.ac.uk or drigden@liverpool.ac.uk. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

  4. PyMercury: Interactive Python for the Mercury Monte Carlo Particle Transport Code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iandola, F.N.; O'Brien, M.J.; Procassini, R.J.

    2010-01-01

    Monte Carlo particle transport applications are often written in low-level languages (C/C++) for optimal performance on clusters and supercomputers. However, this development approach often sacrifices straightforward usability and testing in the interest of fast application performance. To improve usability, some high-performance computing applications employ mixed-language programming with high-level and low-level languages. In this study, we consider the benefits of incorporating an interactive Python interface into a Monte Carlo application. With PyMercury, a new Python extension to the Mercury general-purpose Monte Carlo particle transport code, we improve application usability without diminishing performance. In two case studies, we illustrate how PyMercury improves usability and simplifies testing and validation in a Monte Carlo application. In short, PyMercury demonstrates the value of interactive Python for Monte Carlo particle transport applications. In the future, we expect interactive Python to play an increasingly significant role in Monte Carlo usage and testing.

  5. Completion of the Southern African Large Telescope

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buckley, D. A. H.; Charles, P. A.; O'Donoghue, D.; Nordsieck, K. H.

    2006-08-01

    The Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) is a low cost (19.7M), innovative, 10-m class optical telescope, which was inaugurated on 10 November 2005, just 5 years after ground-breaking. SALT and its first-light instruments are currently being commissioned, and full science operations are expected to begin later this year. This paper describes the design and construction of SALT, including the first-light instruments, SALTICAM and the Robert Stobie Spectrograph (RSS). A rigorous Systems Engineering approach was adopted to ensure that SALT was built to specification, on budget, close to the original schedule and using a relatively small project team. The design trade-offs, which include an active spherical primary mirror array in a fixed altitude telescope with a prime focus tracker, although restrictive in comparison to conventional telescopes, have resulted in an affordable and capable 10-m class telescope for South Africa and its ten partners. Coupled with an initial set of two seeing-limited instruments that concentrate on the UV-visible region (320 - 900nm) and featuring some unique observational capabilities, SALT will have an ability to conduct a wide range of science programs. These will include high time resolution studies, for which some initial results have already been obtained and are presented here. Many of the versatile modes available with the RSS will provide unparalleled opportunities for imaging polarimetry and spectropolarimetry. Likewise, Multi-Object Spectroscopy (using laser cut graphite slit masks) and imaging spectroscopy with the RSS, the latter using Fabry-Perot etalons and interference filters, will extend the multiplex advantage over resolutions from R = 300 to 9000 over fields of view of 2 to 8 arcminutes. Future instrumentation plans include an extremely stable, fibre-fed, high resolution échelle spectrograph and a near-IR (possibly to 1.7 μm) extension to the RSS. Future development possibilities include phasing the primary mirror

  6. On the Performance of the Python Programming Language for Serial and Parallel Scientific Computations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xing Cai

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available This article addresses the performance of scientific applications that use the Python programming language. First, we investigate several techniques for improving the computational efficiency of serial Python codes. Then, we discuss the basic programming techniques in Python for parallelizing serial scientific applications. It is shown that an efficient implementation of the array-related operations is essential for achieving good parallel performance, as for the serial case. Once the array-related operations are efficiently implemented, probably using a mixed-language implementation, good serial and parallel performance become achievable. This is confirmed by a set of numerical experiments. Python is also shown to be well suited for writing high-level parallel programs.

  7. Challenges of transfrontier conservation areas: Natural resources nationalism, security and regionalism in the southern African development community region

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oswell Rusinga

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs initiatives in the Southern African Development Community (SADC region offer hope for providing a mechanism for resolving political tensions and conflicts which are not only related to environmental issues but to security concerns as well. The geopolitical implications of TFCAs in the SADC region cannot be overemphasised with regard to international relations and regional integration. The SADS region is characterised by histories of contested military balance of power and geopolitical rivalries which have a potential to degenerate into military confrontation. Although there is a strong belief in multilateral co-operation among SADC member countries, most of them often engage the international community at the bilateral level. Moreover, there is disharmony in constitutional applications of the rule of law, respect of human rights and good governance. However, TFCAs initiatives in Southern Africa have been seen as offering an opportunity to heal the wounds of pre- and post-independence wars of destabilisation through the encouragement of inter-state collaboration and co-operation by giving governments an opportunity for mutual action on issues of common interest.

  8. African Journals Online (AJOL)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Ethiopian Journal of Education and Sciences; The competitive advantage of nations: is Porter's Diamond Framework a new theory that explains the international competitiveness of countries? Southern African Business Review; Income Tax Assignment under the Ethiopian Constitution: Issues to Worry About Mizan Law ...

  9. Short telomeres in hatchling snakes: erythrocyte telomere dynamics and longevity in tropical pythons.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Beata Ujvari

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Telomere length (TL has been found to be associated with life span in birds and humans. However, other studies have demonstrated that TL does not affect survival among old humans. Furthermore, replicative senescence has been shown to be induced by changes in the protected status of the telomeres rather than the loss of TL. In the present study we explore whether age- and sex-specific telomere dynamics affect life span in a long-lived snake, the water python (Liasis fuscus. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Erythrocyte TL was measured using the Telo TAGGG TL Assay Kit (Roche. In contrast to other vertebrates, TL of hatchling pythons was significantly shorter than that of older snakes. However, during their first year of life hatchling TL increased substantially. While TL of older snakes decreased with age, we did not observe any correlation between TL and age in cross-sectional sampling. In older snakes, female TL was longer than that of males. When using recapture as a proxy for survival, our results do not support that longer telomeres resulted in an increased water python survival/longevity. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: In fish high telomerase activity has been observed in somatic cells exhibiting high proliferation rates. Hatchling pythons show similar high somatic cell proliferation rates. Thus, the increase in TL of this group may have been caused by increased telomerase activity. In older humans female TL is longer than that of males. This has been suggested to be caused by high estrogen levels that stimulate increased telomerase activity. Thus, high estrogen levels may also have caused the longer telomeres in female pythons. The lack of correlation between TL and age among old snakes and the fact that longer telomeres did not appear to affect python survival do not support that erythrocyte telomere dynamics has a major impact on water python longevity.

  10. Short telomeres in hatchling snakes: erythrocyte telomere dynamics and longevity in tropical pythons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ujvari, Beata; Madsen, Thomas

    2009-10-16

    Telomere length (TL) has been found to be associated with life span in birds and humans. However, other studies have demonstrated that TL does not affect survival among old humans. Furthermore, replicative senescence has been shown to be induced by changes in the protected status of the telomeres rather than the loss of TL. In the present study we explore whether age- and sex-specific telomere dynamics affect life span in a long-lived snake, the water python (Liasis fuscus). Erythrocyte TL was measured using the Telo TAGGG TL Assay Kit (Roche). In contrast to other vertebrates, TL of hatchling pythons was significantly shorter than that of older snakes. However, during their first year of life hatchling TL increased substantially. While TL of older snakes decreased with age, we did not observe any correlation between TL and age in cross-sectional sampling. In older snakes, female TL was longer than that of males. When using recapture as a proxy for survival, our results do not support that longer telomeres resulted in an increased water python survival/longevity. In fish high telomerase activity has been observed in somatic cells exhibiting high proliferation rates. Hatchling pythons show similar high somatic cell proliferation rates. Thus, the increase in TL of this group may have been caused by increased telomerase activity. In older humans female TL is longer than that of males. This has been suggested to be caused by high estrogen levels that stimulate increased telomerase activity. Thus, high estrogen levels may also have caused the longer telomeres in female pythons. The lack of correlation between TL and age among old snakes and the fact that longer telomeres did not appear to affect python survival do not support that erythrocyte telomere dynamics has a major impact on water python longevity.

  11. Invasive, naturalized and casual alien plants in southern Africa: a sum­mary based on the Southern African Plant Invaders Atlas (SAPIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. Henderson

    2007-08-01

    Full Text Available The primary objective of this publication is to provide an overview of the species identity, invasion status, geographical extent, and abundance of alien plants in South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho, based on field records from 1979 to the end of 2000. The dataset is all the species records for the study area in the Southern African Plant Invaders Atlas (SAPIA database during this time period. A total of 548 naturalized and casual alien plant species were catalogued and invasion was recorded almost throughout the study area. Most invasion, in terms of both species numbers and total species abundance, was recorded along the southern, southwestern and eastern coastal belts and in the adjacent interior. This area includes the whole of the Fynbos and Forest Biomes, and the moister eastern parts of the Grassland and Savanna Biomes. This study reinforces previous studies that the Fynbos Biome is the most extensively invaded vegetation type in South Africa but it also shows that parts of Savanna and Grassland are as heavily invaded as parts of the Fynbos. The Fabaceae is prominent in all biomes and Acacia with 17 listed species, accounts for a very large proportion of all invasion. Acacia mearmii was by far the most prominent invasive species in the study area, followed by A. saligna, Lantana camara, A. cyclops, Opuntia ficus-indica. Solarium mauritianum, Populus alba/xcanescens, Melia azedarach, A. dealbata and species of Prosopis.

  12. TensorLy: Tensor Learning in Python

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kossaifi, Jean; Panagakis, Yannis; Pantic, Maja

    2016-01-01

    Tensor methods are gaining increasing traction in machine learning. However, there are scant to no resources available to perform tensor learning and decomposition in Python. To answer this need we developed TensorLy. TensorLy is a state of the art general purpose library for tensor learning.

  13. IDESSA: An Integrative Decision Support System for Sustainable Rangeland Management in Southern African Savannas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meyer, Hanna; Authmann, Christian; Dreber, Niels; Hess, Bastian; Kellner, Klaus; Morgenthal, Theunis; Nauss, Thomas; Seeger, Bernhard; Tsvuura, Zivanai; Wiegand, Kerstin

    2017-04-01

    Bush encroachment is a syndrome of land degradation that occurs in many savannas including those of southern Africa. The increase in density, cover or biomass of woody vegetation often has negative effects on a range of ecosystem functions and services, which are hardly reversible. However, despite its importance, neither the causes of bush encroachment, nor the consequences of different resource management strategies to combat or mitigate related shifts in savanna states are fully understood. The project "IDESSA" (An Integrative Decision Support System for Sustainable Rangeland Management in Southern African Savannas) aims to improve the understanding of the complex interplays between land use, climate patterns and vegetation dynamics and to implement an integrative monitoring and decision-support system for the sustainable management of different savanna types. For this purpose, IDESSA follows an innovative approach that integrates local knowledge, botanical surveys, remote-sensing and machine-learning based time-series of atmospheric and land-cover dynamics, spatially explicit simulation modeling and analytical database management. The integration of the heterogeneous data will be implemented in a user oriented database infrastructure and scientific workflow system. Accessible via web-based interfaces, this database and analysis system will allow scientists to manage and analyze monitoring data and scenario computations, as well as allow stakeholders (e. g. land users, policy makers) to retrieve current ecosystem information and seasonal outlooks. We present the concept of the project and show preliminary results of the realization steps towards the integrative savanna management and decision-support system.

  14. Stimfit: quantifying electrophysiological data with Python

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Segundo Jose Guzman

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available Intracellular electrophysiological recordings provide crucial insights into elementary neuronal signals such as action potentials and synaptic currents. Analyzing and interpreting these signals is essential for a quantitative understanding of neuronal information processing, and requires both fast data visualization and ready access to complex analysis routines. To achieve this goal, we have developed Stimfit, a free software package for cellular neurophysiology with a Python scripting interface and a built-in Python shell. The program supports most standard file formats for cellular neurophysiology and other biomedical signals through the Biosig library. To quantify and interpret the activity of single neurons and communication between neurons, the program includes algorithms to characterize the kinetics of presynaptic action potentials and postsynaptic currents, estimate latencies between pre- and postsynaptic events, and detect spontaneously occurring events. We validate and benchmark these algorithms, give estimation errors, and provide sample use cases, showing that Stimfit represents an efficient, accessible and extensible way to accurately analyze and interpret neuronal signals.

  15. Writing analytic element programs in Python.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bakker, Mark; Kelson, Victor A

    2009-01-01

    The analytic element method is a mesh-free approach for modeling ground water flow at both the local and the regional scale. With the advent of the Python object-oriented programming language, it has become relatively easy to write analytic element programs. In this article, an introduction is given of the basic principles of the analytic element method and of the Python programming language. A simple, yet flexible, object-oriented design is presented for analytic element codes using multiple inheritance. New types of analytic elements may be added without the need for any changes in the existing part of the code. The presented code may be used to model flow to wells (with either a specified discharge or drawdown) and streams (with a specified head). The code may be extended by any hydrogeologist with a healthy appetite for writing computer code to solve more complicated ground water flow problems. Copyright © 2009 The Author(s). Journal Compilation © 2009 National Ground Water Association.

  16. Analyzing rasters, vectors and time series using new Python interfaces in GRASS GIS 7

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petras, Vaclav; Petrasova, Anna; Chemin, Yann; Zambelli, Pietro; Landa, Martin; Gebbert, Sören; Neteler, Markus; Löwe, Peter

    2015-04-01

    GRASS GIS 7 is a free and open source GIS software developed and used by many scientists (Neteler et al., 2012). While some users of GRASS GIS prefer its graphical user interface, significant part of the scientific community takes advantage of various scripting and programing interfaces offered by GRASS GIS to develop new models and algorithms. Here we will present different interfaces added to GRASS GIS 7 and available in Python, a popular programming language and environment in geosciences. These Python interfaces are designed to satisfy the needs of scientists and programmers under various circumstances. PyGRASS (Zambelli et al., 2013) is a new object-oriented interface to GRASS GIS modules and libraries. The GRASS GIS libraries are implemented in C to ensure maximum performance and the PyGRASS interface provides an intuitive, pythonic access to their functionality. GRASS GIS Python scripting library is another way of accessing GRASS GIS modules. It combines the simplicity of Bash and the efficiency of the Python syntax. When full access to all low-level and advanced functions and structures from GRASS GIS library is required, Python programmers can use an interface based on the Python ctypes package. Ctypes interface provides complete, direct access to all functionality as it would be available to C programmers. GRASS GIS provides specialized Python library for managing and analyzing spatio-temporal data (Gebbert and Pebesma, 2014). The temporal library introduces space time datasets representing time series of raster, 3D raster or vector maps and allows users to combine various spatio-temporal operations including queries, aggregation, sampling or the analysis of spatio-temporal topology. We will also discuss the advantages of implementing scientific algorithm as a GRASS GIS module and we will show how to write such module in Python. To facilitate the development of the module, GRASS GIS provides a Python library for testing (Petras and Gebbert, 2014) which

  17. A high level interface to SCOP and ASTRAL implemented in Python

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saqi Mansoor AS

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Benchmarking algorithms in structural bioinformatics often involves the construction of datasets of proteins with given sequence and structural properties. The SCOP database is a manually curated structural classification which groups together proteins on the basis of structural similarity. The ASTRAL compendium provides non redundant subsets of SCOP domains on the basis of sequence similarity such that no two domains in a given subset share more than a defined degree of sequence similarity. Taken together these two resources provide a 'ground truth' for assessing structural bioinformatics algorithms. We present a small and easy to use API written in python to enable construction of datasets from these resources. Results We have designed a set of python modules to provide an abstraction of the SCOP and ASTRAL databases. The modules are designed to work as part of the Biopython distribution. Python users can now manipulate and use the SCOP hierarchy from within python programs, and use ASTRAL to return sequences of domains in SCOP, as well as clustered representations of SCOP from ASTRAL. Conclusion The modules make the analysis and generation of datasets for use in structural genomics easier and more principled.

  18. Geographers and ecosystems: a point of view | Gamble | Southern ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A short note pertaining to the new ecosystems section of the South African Standard 10 core Syllabus in Geography. The ideas were presented at a workshop for teachers held in tile Southern Transvnal region by the South African geographical Society. They are intended only to provide a perspective on thegeographical ...

  19. Climate and southern Africa's water-energy-food nexus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conway, Declan; van Garderen, Emma Archer; Deryng, Delphine; Dorling, Steve; Krueger, Tobias; Landman, Willem; Lankford, Bruce; Lebek, Karen; Osborn, Tim; Ringler, Claudia; Thurlow, James; Zhu, Tingju; Dalin, Carole

    2015-09-01

    In southern Africa, the connections between climate and the water-energy-food nexus are strong. Physical and socioeconomic exposure to climate is high in many areas and in crucial economic sectors. Spatial interdependence is also high, driven, for example, by the regional extent of many climate anomalies and river basins and aquifers that span national boundaries. There is now strong evidence of the effects of individual climate anomalies, but associations between national rainfall and gross domestic product and crop production remain relatively weak. The majority of climate models project decreases in annual precipitation for southern Africa, typically by as much as 20% by the 2080s. Impact models suggest these changes would propagate into reduced water availability and crop yields. Recognition of spatial and sectoral interdependencies should inform policies, institutions and investments for enhancing water, energy and food security. Three key political and economic instruments could be strengthened for this purpose: the Southern African Development Community, the Southern African Power Pool and trade of agricultural products amounting to significant transfers of embedded water.

  20. A Python library for FAIRer access and deposition to the Metabolomics Workbench Data Repository.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smelter, Andrey; Moseley, Hunter N B

    2018-01-01

    The Metabolomics Workbench Data Repository is a public repository of mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance data and metadata derived from a wide variety of metabolomics studies. The data and metadata for each study is deposited, stored, and accessed via files in the domain-specific 'mwTab' flat file format. In order to improve the accessibility, reusability, and interoperability of the data and metadata stored in 'mwTab' formatted files, we implemented a Python library and package. This Python package, named 'mwtab', is a parser for the domain-specific 'mwTab' flat file format, which provides facilities for reading, accessing, and writing 'mwTab' formatted files. Furthermore, the package provides facilities to validate both the format and required metadata elements of a given 'mwTab' formatted file. In order to develop the 'mwtab' package we used the official 'mwTab' format specification. We used Git version control along with Python unit-testing framework as well as continuous integration service to run those tests on multiple versions of Python. Package documentation was developed using sphinx documentation generator. The 'mwtab' package provides both Python programmatic library interfaces and command-line interfaces for reading, writing, and validating 'mwTab' formatted files. Data and associated metadata are stored within Python dictionary- and list-based data structures, enabling straightforward, 'pythonic' access and manipulation of data and metadata. Also, the package provides facilities to convert 'mwTab' files into a JSON formatted equivalent, enabling easy reusability of the data by all modern programming languages that implement JSON parsers. The 'mwtab' package implements its metadata validation functionality based on a pre-defined JSON schema that can be easily specialized for specific types of metabolomics studies. The library also provides a command-line interface for interconversion between 'mwTab' and JSONized formats in raw text and a

  1. African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development - Vol ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development. ... Determinants of individual dietary diversity score of children less than five years old in the southern zone of Tigray, ... Value chain and marketing margins of cassava: An assessment of cassava marketing in northern Uganda ... AJOL African Journals Online.

  2. African Journals Online (AJOL)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Southern African Business Review; Effect of Globalization on Sovereignty of States Nnamdi Azikiwe University Journal of International Law and Jurisprudence; The Influence of Motivation on Employees' Performance: A Study of Some Selected Firms in Anambra State AFRREV IJAH: An International Journal of Arts and ...

  3. Ethical quandaries in spiritual healing and herbal medicine: A critical analysis of the morality of traditional medicine advertising in southern African urban societies

    OpenAIRE

    Mawere Munyaradzi

    2011-01-01

    This paper critically examines the morality of advertising by practitioners in spiritual healing and herbal medicine heretofore referred to as traditional medicine, in southern African urban societies. While the subject of traditional medicine has been heavily contested in medical studies in the last few decades, the monumental studies on the subject have emphasised the place of traditional medicine in basic health services. Insignificant attention has been devoted to examine the ethical prob...

  4. My Journey from Python to R

    OpenAIRE

    Lorgat, Mohamed Wasim

    2018-01-01

    A lightning talk of my personal experiences in programming, from childhood with languages including Game Maker and DarkBASIC, to now with Python and R. I highlight the underlying principle which, I argue, separates the R community from others.See the reference for further reading material along this line.

  5. Peace parks in Southern Africa: bringers of an African Renaissance?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    H.C. Buscher

    2005-01-01

    textabstractThe pursuit of an African Renaissance has become an important aspect of regional cooperation between South Africa and its neighbours. Transfrontier conservation areas, or ‘Peace Parks’ as they are popularly called, have been identified as key instruments to promote the African

  6. The atomic simulation environment-a Python library for working with atoms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hjorth Larsen, Ask; Jørgen Mortensen, Jens; Blomqvist, Jakob; Castelli, Ivano E; Christensen, Rune; Dułak, Marcin; Friis, Jesper; Groves, Michael N; Hammer, Bjørk; Hargus, Cory; Hermes, Eric D; Jennings, Paul C; Bjerre Jensen, Peter; Kermode, James; Kitchin, John R; Leonhard Kolsbjerg, Esben; Kubal, Joseph; Kaasbjerg, Kristen; Lysgaard, Steen; Bergmann Maronsson, Jón; Maxson, Tristan; Olsen, Thomas; Pastewka, Lars; Peterson, Andrew; Rostgaard, Carsten; Schiøtz, Jakob; Schütt, Ole; Strange, Mikkel; Thygesen, Kristian S; Vegge, Tejs; Vilhelmsen, Lasse; Walter, Michael; Zeng, Zhenhua; Jacobsen, Karsten W

    2017-07-12

    The atomic simulation environment (ASE) is a software package written in the Python programming language with the aim of setting up, steering, and analyzing atomistic simulations. In ASE, tasks are fully scripted in Python. The powerful syntax of Python combined with the NumPy array library make it possible to perform very complex simulation tasks. For example, a sequence of calculations may be performed with the use of a simple 'for-loop' construction. Calculations of energy, forces, stresses and other quantities are performed through interfaces to many external electronic structure codes or force fields using a uniform interface. On top of this calculator interface, ASE provides modules for performing many standard simulation tasks such as structure optimization, molecular dynamics, handling of constraints and performing nudged elastic band calculations.

  7. A spent fuel assemblies monitoring device by nondestructive analysis 'PYTHON'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saad, M.; Broeskamp, M.; Hahn, H.; Bignan, G.; Boisset, M.; Silie, P.

    1995-01-01

    The monitoring of spent fuel assemblies (16 x 16 UOX) in KWG-reactor pool with the use of non-destructive methods (total Gamma and neutron counting) allow the control of average burn-up and the extremity burn-up. The measurements allow a safety-criticality control before loading the fuel assemblies into the transport casks. A device called PYTHON has been tested and qualified in France. This paper presents a description of the industrial PYTHON device and the results of the measurements. (orig.)

  8. Obtaining and processing Daymet data using Python and ArcGIS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bohms, Stefanie

    2013-01-01

    This set of scripts was developed to automate the process of downloading and mosaicking daily Daymet data to a user defined extent using ArcGIS and Python programming language. The three steps are downloading the needed Daymet tiles for the study area extent, converting the netcdf file to a tif raster format, and mosaicking those rasters to one file. The set of scripts is intended for all levels of experience with Python programming language and requires no scripting by the user.

  9. Peace parks in Southern Africa: bringers of an African renaissance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Buscher, B.E.; van Amerom, M.

    2005-01-01

    The pursuit of an African Renaissance has become an important aspect of regional cooperation between South Africa and its neighbours. Transfrontier conservation areas, or 'Peace Parks' as they are popularly called, have been identified as key instruments to promote the African Renaissance dream, and

  10. Assessment of the potential of state-of-the-art biomass technologies in contributing to a sustainable SADC regional mitigation energy scenario[Southern African Development Community

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yamba, F.D.; Matsika, E. [Centre for Energy, Environment and Engineering Zambia, Lusaka (Zambia)

    2003-09-01

    Southern Africa's energy supply is based on power sector collaboration - the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP). SAPP was created in 1995 through an inter-utility memorandum of understanding among 12 of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) utilities including Congo DR. The aims of SAPP are: To increase regional security of supply; To smoothen load curves; To engender economies of scale in the supply base; To increase revenue for exporting countries by opening up a ready market; To share power to meet national shortfalls and to off set temporary deficits in the medium term, and in the long term to adopt and implement power sharing as an operational strategy aimed at maximising financial and environmental benefits. Currently, SAPP has an operational installed capacity of 45.000 MW, of which 84% is thermal, predominantly coal based, which represents 79% of the total supply. 16% of the total SAPP interconnected supply is hydro, while the contribution from biomass is currently non-existent. The sugar industry in Southern Africa can significantly alter this picture. Increased competitive pressures serve as economic incentives for the sugar industry to diversify their product portfolio by investing in renewable energy applications. Of the new state-of-the-art biomass based technologies available Condensing Extraction Steam Turbine (CEST) is the most promising. Application of CEST technologies in Southern Africa will modestly contribute towards a sustainable energy supply mitigation scenario. If implemented, the contribution of bioenergy will increase from 0.5% for the baseline situation, to 2.5% in 2030 and 3.0% in 2050. This scenario will also yield global environmental benefits potential through saving of GHG reductions to 14 million tonnes CO{sub 2} in 2030 and 20 million tonnes CO{sub 2} in 2050. Furthermore, this paper produces a monogram which will assist investors in making decisions whether to invest in the Kyoto Protocols Clean Development

  11. Predicting size limit of wild blood python (python brongersmai stull, 1938) harvesting in north sumatera

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mangantar Pardamean Sianturi, Markus; Jumilawaty, Erni; Delvian; Hartanto, Adrian

    2018-03-01

    Blood python (Python brongersmai Stull, 1938) is one of heavily exploited wildlife in Indonesia. The high demands on its skin trade have made its harvesting regulated under quota-based setting by the government to prevent over-harvesting. To gain understanding on the sustainability of P. brongersmai in the wild, biological characters of wild-caught specimens were studied. Samples were collected from two slaughterhouses from Rantau Prapat and Langkat. Parameters measured were morphological (Snout-vent length (SVL), body mass, abdomen width) and anatomical characters (Fat classes). Total samples of P. brongersmai in this research were 541 with 269 male and 272 female snakes. Female snakes had the highest proportion of individuals with the best quality of abdominal fat reserves (Class 3). Linear models are built and tested for its significance in relation between fat classes as anatomical characters and morphological characters. All tested morphological characters were significant in female snakes. By using linear equation models, we generate size limit to prioritize harvesting in the future. We suggest the use of SVL and stomach width ranging between 139,7 – 141,5 cm and 24,72 – 25,71 cm respectively to achieve sustainability of P. brongersmai in the wild.

  12. African Journals Online: Swaziland

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The journal publishes research papers, case studies, essays and review articles as well as first hand experiences in soil, plant, water and animal sciences, natural resources management, home economics and nutrition, and other related areas of relevance to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region in ...

  13. African Journals Online (AJOL)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    More about AJOL and the challenges we work to address. AJOL hosts ... Southern African Business Review; Income Tax Assignment under the Ethiopian Constitution: Issues to Worry About Mizan Law ... AFRREV IJAH: An International Journal of Arts and Humanities; Effect of Globalization on Sovereignty of States Nnamdi ...

  14. New insights into the history of the C-14010 lactase persistence variant in Eastern and Southern Africa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Macholdt, Enrico; Slatkin, Montgomery; Pakendorf, Brigitte; Stoneking, Mark

    2015-04-01

    Lactase persistence (LP), the ability to digest lactose into adulthood, is strongly associated with the cultural traits of pastoralism and milk-drinking among human populations, and several different genetic variants are known that confer LP. Recent studies of LP variants in Southern African populations, with a focus on Khoisan-speaking groups, found high frequencies of an LP variant (the C-14010 allele) that also occurs in Eastern Africa, and concluded that the C-14010 allele was brought to Southern Africa via a migration of pastoralists from Eastern Africa. However, this conclusion was based on indirect evidence; to date no study has jointly analyzed data on the C-14010 allele from both Southern African Khoisan-speaking groups and Eastern Africa. Here, we combine and analyze published data on the C-14010 allele in Southern and Eastern African populations, consisting of haplotypes with the C-14010 allele and four closely-linked short tandem repeat loci. Our results provide direct evidence for the previously-hypothesized Eastern African origin of the C-14010 allele in Southern African Khoisan-speaking groups. In addition, we find evidence for a separate introduction of the C-14010 allele into the Bantu-speaking Xhosa. The estimated selection intensity on the C-14010 allele in Eastern Africa is lower than that in Southern Africa, which suggests that in Eastern Africa the dietary changes conferring the fitness advantage associated with LP occurred some time after the origin of the C-14010 allele. Conversely, in Southern Africa the fitness advantage was present when the allele was introduced, as would be expected if pastoralism was introduced concomitantly. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  15. A novel protein from the serum of Python sebae, structurally homologous with type-γ phospholipase A(2) inhibitor, displays antitumour activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Donnini, Sandra; Finetti, Federica; Francese, Simona; Boscaro, Francesca; Dani, Francesca R; Maset, Fabio; Frasson, Roberta; Palmieri, Michele; Pazzagli, Mario; De Filippis, Vincenzo; Garaci, Enrico; Ziche, Marina

    2011-12-01

    Cytotoxic and antitumour factors have been documented in the venom of snakes, although little information is available on the identification of cytotoxic products in snake serum. In the present study, we purified and characterized a new cytotoxic factor from serum of the non-venomous African rock python (Python sebae), endowed with antitumour activity. PSS (P. sebae serum) exerted a cytotoxic activity and reduced dose-dependently the viability of several different tumour cell lines. In a model of human squamous cell carcinoma xenograft (A431), subcutaneous injection of PSS in proximity of the tumour mass reduced the tumour volume by 20%. Fractionation of PSS by ion-exchange chromatography yielded an active protein fraction, F5, which significantly reduced tumour cell viability in vitro and, strikingly, tumour growth in vivo. F5 is composed of P1 (peak 1) and P2 subunits interacting in a 1:1 stoichiometric ratio to form a heterotetramer in equilibrium with a hexameric form, which retained biological activity only when assembled. The two peptides share sequence similarity with PIP {PLI-γ [type-γ PLA(2) (phospholipase A(2)) inhibitor] from Python reticulatus}, existing as a homohexamer. More importantly, although PIP inhibits the hydrolytic activity of PLA(2), the anti-PLA(2) function of F5 is negligible. Using high-resolution MS, we covered 87 and 97% of the sequences of P1 and P2 respectively. In conclusion, in the present study we have identified and thoroughly characterized a novel protein displaying high sequence similarity to PLI-γ and possessing remarkable cytotoxic and antitumour effects that can be exploited for potential pharmacological applications.

  16. Southern African advanced fire information system

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    McFerren, G

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available of ecosystems, yet fires threaten natural systems, infrastructure and life. Spatio-temporal awareness of fire likelihood, occurrence and behaviour is key to appropriate prevention, response and management. This paper focuses on wildfire risk to infrastructure... to pinpoint the location and possibly information on fire temperature and size. Previously, Eskom line managers depended on local residents for necessary information about fire occurrences and locations. Eskom and CSIR, a South African research institute...

  17. Competency development of southern African housing officers ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Abstract. The Report on the Ministerial Committee for the Review of the Provision of Student Housing at South African Universities (Department of Higher Education and Training, 2011) has provided a comprehensive review of residences across several housing functional areas. In one of the residence management and ...

  18. Fossil imprints of the Pan-African collision process revealed by seismic anisotropy in southern Madagasca

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tilmann, F. J.; Rindraharisaona, E. J.; Reiss, M. C.; Dreiling, J.; Rumpker, G.; Yuan, X.; Giese, J.; Priestley, K. F.; Wysession, M. E.; Barruol, G.; Rambolamanana, G.

    2017-12-01

    In the assembly of Pangaea during the Proterozoic Pan-African Orogeny and later rifting and break-up of Gondwanaland, Madagascar occupied a central position, sandwiched between East Africa and India-Seychelles. Today, its metamorphic terranes still bear witness to the collision process. In the SELASOMA project we have deployed a seismic array in southern Madagascar in order to determine the imprint of these events onto the present day-crustal structure. 25 broadband and 23 SP stations were deployed for a period of 1-2 years. We present an overview of the results of several studies (receiver functions, ambient noise surface wave analysis, SKS splitting) constraining the isotropic and anisotropic crustal structure of southern Madagascar based on this deployment, supplemented by permanent stations and the contemporaneous MACOMO and RHUM-RUM deployments. The upper and middle crust of the Archean and Proterozoic provinces is overall quite similar, but a remarkable difference is that the Archean crust shows clear signs of underplating; we surmise that the Proterozoic crust was lost in the Pan-African collision. Both horizontal (from shear-wave splitting) and radial (SH/SV from Love and Rayleigh discrepancy) anisotropy shows evidence of collisional processes. A 150 km-wide zone of anomalous splitting measurements (deviating from the APM-parallel fast directions in most of Madagascar) in the region, where several major fossil shear zones have been mapped, can be explained as a zone of extensive coherent deformation within the crust; fast directions here align with the dominant strike of the major fossil shear zones. Negative radial anisotropy (i.e., SV faster than SH) in the mid-crust, likewise interpreted to have been formed by the collision, highlights the likely role of vertical shearing, presumably caused by extensive folding. In the lower crust, however, positive radial anisotropy is found in most of the Proterozoic and Archean terranes, which, analogous to the

  19. Engaging African American landowners in sustainable forest management

    Science.gov (United States)

    John Schelhas; Sarah Hitchner; Cassandra Johnson Gaither; Rory Fraser; Viniece Jennings; Amadou Diop

    2016-01-01

    The Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention Program is a comprehensive effort to address the long-standing problem of underparticipation of African Americans in forest management. We conducted rapid appraisal baseline research for pilot projects in this program in three Southern states using a carefully selected purposive sample to enhance our...

  20. Molecular identification of python species: development and validation of a novel assay for forensic investigations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ciavaglia, Sherryn A; Tobe, Shanan S; Donnellan, Stephen C; Henry, Julianne M; Linacre, Adrian M T

    2015-05-01

    Python snake species are often encountered in illegal activities and the question of species identity can be pertinent to such criminal investigations. Morphological identification of species of pythons can be confounded by many issues and molecular examination by DNA analysis can provide an alternative and objective means of identification. Our paper reports on the development and validation of a PCR primer pair that amplifies a segment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene that has been suggested previously as a good candidate locus for differentiating python species. We used this DNA region to perform species identification of pythons, even when the template DNA was of poor quality, as might be the case with forensic evidentiary items. Validation tests are presented to demonstrate the characteristics of the assay. Tests involved the cross-species amplification of this marker in non-target species, minimum amount of DNA template required, effects of degradation on product amplification and a blind trial to simulate a casework scenario that provided 100% correct identity. Our results demonstrate that this assay performs reliably and robustly on pythons and can be applied directly to forensic investigations where the presence of a species of python is in question. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Isotopic signature of Pan-African rejuvenation in the Kerala Khondalite belt, southern India: implications for east Gondwana reassembly

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Unnikrishnan Warrier, C.

    1997-01-01

    Sm-Nd isotope systematics on mineral separates from sillimanite-and cordierite-bearing metapelite (khondalite), and garnet-and biotite-bearing gneiss (leptynite) from the Kerala Khondalite Belt (KKB), southern India, yielded mineral isochron ages (wr-feld-bio-gar) of 537±27 Ma (MSWD=0.9) and 534±26 Ma (MSWD=1.23) respectively. Rb-Sr systematics in the same samples gave wr-feld-bio mineral isochron ages of 437±9 Ma (MSWD=0.67) and 467±9 Ma (MSWD=0.76). These results provide the first mineral isochron ages for the regional metasedimentaries in the KKB. The ε (Nd T) values at 550 Ma for khondalite and leptynite are -22.7 and -21.8 respectively. These results demonstrate a complete rejuvenation of the crust during Pan-African times. Coeval alkaline plutons emplaced along fault-lineaments in this area suggest an extensional tectonic regime. Geochronologic correlations with the Lutzow-Holm bay complexes in east Antarctica, and the highland and southwestern complex of Sri Lanka show that a similar Pan-African tectono-thermal event manifested in all the east Gondwana crustal fragments. (author)

  2. Book Review: Multilingualism online | Roux | Southern African ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Book Title: Multilingualism online. Book Author: Carmen Lee. 2017. London and New York: Routledge. ISBN 9781138900493. 170 pages. Full Text: EMAIL FULL TEXT EMAIL FULL TEXT · DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT · http://dx.doi.org/10.2989/16073614.2017.1373369 · AJOL African Journals Online.

  3. Possible zircon U-Pb evidence for Pan-African granulite-facies metamorphism in the Mozambique belt of southern Tanzania

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coolen, J.J.M.M.M.

    1982-01-01

    Four zircon fractions of garnet-bearing two-pyroxene granulite, from the Furua granulite complex of southern Tanzania, plot very close to concordia. A discordia yields a lower intercept at 652 +- 10 Ma, an age slightly higher than the Rb-Sr whole-rock and mineral ages reported from the surrounding amphibolite-facies rocks. The U-Pb systematics indicate the presence of a very small amount of older (2-3 Ga) radiogenic lead. The zircon data may be interpreted as indicating an event of granulite-facies metamorphism during the Pan-African thermotectonic episode. This interpretation is at variance with current models postulating that the granulite complexes in the Mozambique belt are relicts of older, possibly Archaean events of metamorphism. (Auth.)

  4. Sequencing the genome of the Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) as a model for studying extreme adaptations in snakes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castoe, Todd A; de Koning, Jason A P; Hall, Kathryn T; Yokoyama, Ken D; Gu, Wanjun; Smith, Eric N; Feschotte, Cédric; Uetz, Peter; Ray, David A; Dobry, Jason; Bogden, Robert; Mackessy, Stephen P; Bronikowski, Anne M; Warren, Wesley C; Secor, Stephen M; Pollock, David D

    2011-07-28

    The Consortium for Snake Genomics is in the process of sequencing the genome and creating transcriptomic resources for the Burmese python. Here, we describe how this will be done, what analyses this work will include, and provide a timeline.

  5. Python Introduction and Installation

    OpenAIRE

    William J. Turkel; Adam Crymble

    2012-01-01

    This first lesson in our section on dealing with Online Sources is designed to get you and your computer set up to start programming. We will focus on installing the relevant software – all free and reputable – and finally we will help you to get your toes wet with some simple programming that provides immediate results. In this opening module you will install the Python programming language, the Beautiful Soup HTML/XML parser, and a text editor. Screencaps provided here come from Komodo ...

  6. HyDe: a Python Package for Genome-Scale Hybridization Detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blischak, Paul D; Chifman, Julia; Wolfe, Andrea D; Kubatko, Laura S

    2018-03-19

    The analysis of hybridization and gene flow among closely related taxa is a common goal for researchers studying speciation and phylogeography. Many methods for hybridization detection use simple site pattern frequencies from observed genomic data and compare them to null models that predict an absence of gene flow. The theory underlying the detection of hybridization using these site pattern probabilities exploits the relationship between the coalescent process for gene trees within population trees and the process of mutation along the branches of the gene trees. For certain models, site patterns are predicted to occur in equal frequency (i.e., their difference is 0), producing a set of functions called phylogenetic invariants. In this paper we introduce HyDe, a software package for detecting hybridization using phylogenetic invariants arising under the coalescent model with hybridization. HyDe is written in Python, and can be used interactively or through the command line using pre-packaged scripts. We demonstrate the use of HyDe on simulated data, as well as on two empirical data sets from the literature. We focus in particular on identifying individual hybrids within population samples and on distinguishing between hybrid speciation and gene flow. HyDe is freely available as an open source Python package under the GNU GPL v3 on both GitHub (https://github.com/pblischak/HyDe) and the Python Package Index (PyPI: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/phyde).

  7. Counting Word Frequencies with Python

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    William J. Turkel

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Your list is now clean enough that you can begin analyzing its contents in meaningful ways. Counting the frequency of specific words in the list can provide illustrative data. Python has an easy way to count frequencies, but it requires the use of a new type of variable: the dictionary. Before you begin working with a dictionary, consider the processes used to calculate frequencies in a list.

  8. Solving PDEs in Python the FEniCS tutorial I

    CERN Document Server

    Langtangen, Hans Petter

    2016-01-01

    This book offers a concise and gentle introduction to finite element programming in Python based on the popular FEniCS software library. Using a series of examples, including the Poisson equation, the equations of linear elasticity, the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations, and systems of nonlinear advection–diffusion–reaction equations, it guides readers through the essential steps to quickly solving a PDE in FEniCS, such as how to define a finite variational problem, how to set boundary conditions, how to solve linear and nonlinear systems, and how to visualize solutions and structure finite element Python programs. This book is open access under a CC BY license.

  9. VPython: Python plus Animations in Stereo 3D

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sherwood, Bruce

    2004-03-01

    Python is a modern object-oriented programming language. VPython (http://vpython.org) is a combination of Python (http://python.org), the Numeric module from LLNL (http://www.pfdubois.com/numpy), and the Visual module created by David Scherer, all of which have been under continuous development as open source projects. VPython makes it easy to write programs that generate real-time, navigable 3D animations. The Visual module includes a set of 3D objects (sphere, cylinder, arrow, etc.), tools for creating other shapes, and support for vector algebra. The 3D renderer runs in a parallel thread, and animations are produced as a side effect of computations, freeing the programmer to concentrate on the physics. Applications include educational and research visualization. In the Fall of 2003 Hugh Fisher at the Australian National University, John Zelle at Wartburg College, and I contributed to a new stereo capability of VPython. By adding a single statement to an existing VPython program, animations can be viewed in true stereo 3D. One can choose several modes: active shutter glasses, passive polarized glasses, or colored glasses (e.g. red-cyan). The talk will demonstrate the new stereo capability and discuss the pros and cons of various schemes for display of stereo 3D for a large audience. Supported in part by NSF grant DUE-0237132.

  10. Optics simulations: a Python workshop

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghalila, H.; Ammar, A.; Varadharajan, S.; Majdi, Y.; Zghal, M.; Lahmar, S.; Lakshminarayanan, V.

    2017-08-01

    Numerical simulations allow teachers and students to indirectly perform sophisticated experiments that cannot be realizable otherwise due to cost and other constraints. During the past few decades there has been an explosion in the development of numerical tools concurrently with open source environments such as Python software. This availability of open source software offers an incredible opportunity for advancing teaching methodologies as well as in research. More specifically it is possible to correlate theoretical knowledge with experimental measurements using "virtual" experiments. We have been working on the development of numerical simulation tools using the Python program package and we have concentrated on geometric and physical optics simulations. The advantage of doing hands-on numerical experiments is that it allows the student learner to be an active participant in the pedagogical/learning process rather than playing a passive role as in the traditional lecture format. Even in laboratory classes because of constraints of space, lack of equipment and often-large numbers of students, many students play a passive role since they work in groups of 3 or more students. Furthermore these new tools help students get a handle on numerical methods as well simulations and impart a "feel" for the physics under investigation.

  11. Matrilineal Heritage in Southern Iberia Reveals Deep Genetic Links between Continents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernández, Candela L; Calderón, Rosario

    2017-03-01

    Within the Mediterranean Basin, the Iberian Peninsula has been a focus of attraction for several cultures and civilizations from its prehistory and history, making it a target territory for studying human migration patterns and peopling processes using a wide and heterogeneous spectrum of genomic markers. While its Cantabrian fringe represents the most regularly analysed area in terms of its mitochondrial diversity, the absence of monographic surveys on the maternal genetic composition of southern Iberians (i.e., Andalusians) is striking. In this work, we present a comprehensive view of various aspects of the human maternal heritage of the autochthonous Andalusian population regarding specific mitochondrial haplogroups considered key candidates to determine the genetic relationship between Europe and Africa. Data reveal that southern Iberian populations do not have genetically homogeneous mitochondrial DNA profiles, and their observed genetic affinity with north-western African populations represents strong signals of old, sustained and bidirectional human movements between the northern and southern shores of the western Mediterranean. Thorough analyses of African mtDNA haplogroups have shown that the most relevant African contribution within Iberian Peninsula could be explained as a consequence of prehistoric events. The subsequent historic episodes helped to strengthen the ties between both shores. In southern Iberia, mitochondrial and other genetic markers show that the Strait of Gibraltar together with its surrounding maritime areas should be considered a bridge between continents. More broadly, the Mediterranean Sea has acted as a transport surface, that is, as a permeable barrier to human migrations from prehistoric and historic times. In conclusion, this research contributes to our knowledge of processes that have shaped the recent human genetic history in the Mediterranean and, more specifically, of the population dynamics that the inhabitants of southern

  12. PyPathway: Python Package for Biological Network Analysis and Visualization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Yang; Luo, Xiao-Chun

    2018-05-01

    Life science studies represent one of the biggest generators of large data sets, mainly because of rapid sequencing technological advances. Biological networks including interactive networks and human curated pathways are essential to understand these high-throughput data sets. Biological network analysis offers a method to explore systematically not only the molecular complexity of a particular disease but also the molecular relationships among apparently distinct phenotypes. Currently, several packages for Python community have been developed, such as BioPython and Goatools. However, tools to perform comprehensive network analysis and visualization are still needed. Here, we have developed PyPathway, an extensible free and open source Python package for functional enrichment analysis, network modeling, and network visualization. The network process module supports various interaction network and pathway databases such as Reactome, WikiPathway, STRING, and BioGRID. The network analysis module implements overrepresentation analysis, gene set enrichment analysis, network-based enrichment, and de novo network modeling. Finally, the visualization and data publishing modules enable users to share their analysis by using an easy web application. For package availability, see the first Reference.

  13. The role of python eggshell permeability dynamics in a respiration-hydration trade-off.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stahlschmidt, Zachary R; Heulin, Benoit; DeNardo, Dale F

    2010-01-01

    Parental care is taxonomically widespread because it improves developmental conditions and thus fitness of offspring. Although relatively simplistic compared with parental behaviors of other taxa, python egg-brooding behavior exemplifies parental care because it mediates a trade-off between embryonic respiration and hydration. However, because egg brooding increases gas-exchange resistance between embryonic and nest environments and because female pythons do not adjust their brooding behavior in response to the increasing metabolic requirements of developing offspring, python egg brooding imposes hypoxic costs on embryos during the late stages of incubation. We conducted a series of experiments to determine whether eggshells coadapted with brooding behavior to minimize the negative effects of developmental hypoxia. We tested the hypotheses that python eggshells (1) increase permeability over time to accommodate increasing embryonic respiration and (2) exhibit permeability plasticity in response to chronic hypoxia. Over incubation, we serially measured the atomic and structural components of Children's python (Antaresia childreni) eggshells as well as in vivo and in vitro gas exchange across eggshells. In support of our first hypothesis, A. childreni eggshells exhibited a reduced fibrous layer, became more permeable, and facilitated greater gas exchange as incubation progressed. Our second hypothesis was not supported, as incubation O(2) concentration did not affect the shells' permeabilities to O(2) and H(2)O vapor. Our results suggest that python eggshell permeability changes during incubation but that the alterations over time are fixed and independent of environmental conditions. These findings are of broad evolutionary interest because they demonstrate that, even in relatively simple parental-care models, successful parent-offspring relationships depend on adjustments made by both the parent (i.e., egg-brooding behavioral shifts) and the offspring (i

  14. Probabilistic programming in Python using PyMC3

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John Salvatier

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Probabilistic programming allows for automatic Bayesian inference on user-defined probabilistic models. Recent advances in Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC sampling allow inference on increasingly complex models. This class of MCMC, known as Hamiltonian Monte Carlo, requires gradient information which is often not readily available. PyMC3 is a new open source probabilistic programming framework written in Python that uses Theano to compute gradients via automatic differentiation as well as compile probabilistic programs on-the-fly to C for increased speed. Contrary to other probabilistic programming languages, PyMC3 allows model specification directly in Python code. The lack of a domain specific language allows for great flexibility and direct interaction with the model. This paper is a tutorial-style introduction to this software package.

  15. Approaching the largest ‘API’: extracting information from the Internet with Python

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jonathan E. Germann

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available This article explores the need for libraries to algorithmically access and manipulate the world’s largest API: the Internet. The billions of pages on the ‘Internet API’ (HTTP, HTML, CSS, XPath, DOM, etc. are easily accessible and manipulable. Libraries can assist in creating meaning through the datafication of information on the world wide web. Because most information is created for human consumption, some programming is required for automated extraction. Python is an easy-to-learn programming language with extensive packages and community support for web page automation. Four packages (Urllib, Selenium, BeautifulSoup, Scrapy in Python can automate almost any web page for all sized projects. An example warrant data project is explained to illustrate how well Python packages can manipulate web pages to create meaning through assembling custom datasets.

  16. Testing times for Southern African exports

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2010-07-15

    With South African coal exports projected to increase by more than 35% over the next decade, will the development of the country's infrastructure be ready? A combination of derailments, bad weather and a lack of capacity on the Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) rail network seriously curtailed shipments in 2008 and 2009. It had been hoped that Richards Bay Coal Terminal(RPCT) would now be able to make use of its expanded capacity but a serious transport strike may encourage traders to switch to Mozambican ports.

  17. Pan-African deformations in the basement of the Negele area, southern Ethiopia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yihunie, Tadesse

    2002-03-01

    Polydeformed and metamorphosed Neoproterozoic rocks of the East African Orogen in the Negele area constituted three lithostructurally distinct and thrust-bounded terranes. These are, from west to east, the Kenticha, Alghe and Bulbul terranes. The Kenticha and Bulbul terranes are metavolcano-sedimentary and ultramafic sequences, representing parts of the Arabian-Nubian Shield (ANS), which are welded to the central Alghe gneissic terrane of the Mozambique Belt affinity along N-S-trending sheared thrust contacts. Structural data suggest that the Negele basement had evolved through three phases of deformation. During D1 (folding) deformation, north-south upright and inclined folds with north-trending axes were developed. East and west-verging thrusts, right-lateral shearing along the north-oriented Kenticha and Bulbul thrust contacts and related structural elements were developed during D2 (thrusting) deformation. The pervasive D1 event is interpreted to have occurred at 620-610 Ma and the D2 event ended prior to 554 Ma. Right-lateral strike-slips along thrust contacts are interpreted to have been initiated during late D2. During D3, left-lateral strike-slip along the Wadera Shear Zone and respective strike-slip movements along conjugate set of shear zones were developed in the Alghe terrane, and are interpreted to have occurred later than 557 Ma. The structural data suggest that eastward thrusting of the Kenticha and westward tectonic transport of the Bulbul sequences over the Alghe gneissic terrane of the Mozambique Belt, during D2, were accompanied by right-lateral strike-slip displacements along thrust contacts. Right-lateral strike-slip movements along the Kenticha thrust contact, further suggest northward movement of the Kenticha sequence during the Pan-African orogeny in the Neoproterozoic. Left-lateral strike-slip along the orogen-parallel NNE-SSW Wadera Shear Zone and strike-slip movements along a conjugate set of shear zones completed final terrane

  18. Access to Knowledge Southern Africa : Universities, Open Research ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    Journal articles. Research productivity-visibility-accessibility and scholarly communication in Southern African universities. Download PDF ... Call for new OWSD Fellowships for Early Career Women Scientists now open. In partnership with ...

  19. Implementing a Multi-Agent System in Python

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ettienne, Mikko Berggren; Vester, Steen; Villadsen, Jørgen

    2012-01-01

    We describe the solution used by the Python-DTU team in the Multi-Agent Programming Contest 2011, where the scenario was called Agents on Mars. We present our auction-based agreement, area controlling and pathfinding algorithms and discuss our chosen strategy and our choice of technology used...

  20. Psyplot: Visualizing rectangular and triangular Climate Model Data with Python

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sommer, Philipp

    2016-04-01

    The development and use of climate models often requires the visualization of geo-referenced data. Creating visualizations should be fast, attractive, flexible, easily applicable and easily reproducible. There is a wide range of software tools available for visualizing raster data, but they often are inaccessible to many users (e.g. because they are difficult to use in a script or have low flexibility). In order to facilitate easy visualization of geo-referenced data, we developed a new framework called "psyplot," which can aid earth system scientists with their daily work. It is purely written in the programming language Python and primarily built upon the python packages matplotlib, cartopy and xray. The package can visualize data stored on the hard disk (e.g. NetCDF, GeoTIFF, any other file format supported by the xray package), or directly from the memory or Climate Data Operators (CDOs). Furthermore, data can be visualized on a rectangular grid (following or not following the CF Conventions) and on a triangular grid (following the CF or UGRID Conventions). Psyplot visualizes 2D scalar and vector fields, enabling the user to easily manage and format multiple plots at the same time, and to export the plots into all common picture formats and movies covered by the matplotlib package. The package can currently be used in an interactive python session or in python scripts, and will soon be developed for use with a graphical user interface (GUI). Finally, the psyplot framework enables flexible configuration, allows easy integration into other scripts that uses matplotlib, and provides a flexible foundation for further development.

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