A Reverse k -Nearest-Neighbor (RkNN) query finds the objects that take the query object as one of their k nearest neighbors. In this paper we propose new solutions for evaluating RkNN queries and its variant bichromatic RkNN queries on 2-dimensional location data. We present an algorithm named INCH that can compute a RkNN query’s search region (from which the query result candidates are drawn)....

Our work supplements [3] very closely, even down to the level of notation. The setting is three-dimensional xyz-space. 0.1. Six Edges of a Cube. Consider a polygonal wire loop with six line segments: (0, 0, 0)→ (1, 0, 0)→ (1, 0, 1)→ (1, 1, 1)→ (0, 1, 1)→ (0, 1, 0)→ (0, 0, 0). What is the minimal area for any surface spanning this fixed boundary? Equivalently, what is the outcome of dipping the ...

Learned bird songs are often characterized by a high degree of variation between individuals and sometimes between populations, while at the same time maintaining species specificity. The evolution of such songs depends on the balance between plasticity and constraints. Captive populations provide an opportunity to examine signal variation and differentiation in detail, so we analyzed adult mal...

Assessment of genetic diversity and connectivity between regions can inform conservation managers about risk of inbreeding, potential for adaptation and where population boundaries lie. The Gouldian finch (Erythrura gouldiae) is a threatened species in northern Australia, occupying the savannah woodlands of the biogeographically complex monsoon tropics. We present the most comprehensive populat...

Distantly related clades that occupy similar environments may differ due to the lasting imprint of their ancestors-historical contingency. The New World warblers (Parulidae) and Old World warblers (Phylloscopidae) are ecologically similar clades that differ strikingly in plumage coloration. We studied genetic and functional evolution of the short-wavelength-sensitive visual pigments (SWS2 and S...

Fire is an integral part of savanna ecology and changes in fire patterns are linked to biodiversity loss in savannas worldwide. In Australia, changed fire regimes are implicated in the contemporary declines of small mammals, riparian species, obligate-seeding plants and grass seed-eating birds. Translating this knowledge into management to recover threatened species has proved elusive. We repor...

Fresnel Incoherent Correlation Holography (FINCH) enables holograms and 3D images to be created from incoherent light with just a camera and spatial light modulator (SLM). We previously described its application to microscopic incoherent fluorescence wherein one complex hologram contains all the 3D information in the microscope field, obviating the need for scanning or serial sectioning. We now...

We enthusiastically advocate the zebra finch, a songbird, as a target of highest priority for whole genome sequencing. The zebra finch is an established research organism with particular relevance to human neuroscience and a proven track record of influential ground breaking discoveries that have informed human biology. Evolutionary considerations, such as distance from other sequenced genomes,...

In the winter of 1993-94, house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) with severe conjunctivitis (later shown to be caused by Mycoplasma gallisepticum) were first observed in sub-urban Washington D.C. (USA) and adjacent states. Using a large network of volunteer observers in eastern North America, we were able to track the monthly prevalence of the disease between November 1994 and March 1997. Using t...