The problem of partitioning a partially ordered set into a minimum number of chains is a well-known problem. In this paper we study a generalization of this problem, where we not only assume that the chains have bounded size, but also that a weight wi is given for each element i in the partial order such that wi ≤ wj if i ≺ j. The problem is then to partition the partial order into a minimum-we...

We consider complexity issues and upper bounds for defensive alliances and strong global offensive alliances in graphs. We prove that it is NP-complete to decide for a given 6-regular graph G and a given integer a, whether G contains a defensive alliance of order at most a. Furthermore, we prove that determining the strong global offensive alliance number γô(G) of a graph G is APX-hard for cubi...

Changes in the activities of four enzymes involved in antioxidative plant defence against low temperature treatment were studied in winter wheat plants (Triticum aestivum L cv. Sadovo 1) grown on acid soil (pH 4.2, KCl) under controlled environmental conditions. To investigate the effect of molybdenum (Mo) deficiency on antioxidative defence of these plants, Mo was added to part of the plants a...

Biochemical changes in the plants of Pistia stratiotes L., a free floating macrophyte exposed to different concentrations of hexavalent chromium (0, 10, 40, 60, 80 and 160 microM) for 48, 96 and 144 h were studied. Chromium-induced oxidative stress in macrophyte was investigated using the multivariate modeling approaches. Cluster analysis rendered two fairly distinct clusters (roots and shoots)...

This study examined the effect of increasing chloroplastic superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), or glutathione reductase (GR) activity via plant transformation of cotton on the initial recovery of photosynthesis following exposures to 10 degrees C and high photon flux density (PFD). Growing wild-type or non-expressing segregate plants (controls) and transformants at two PFDs ...

Discrete energy minimization is widely-used in computer vision and machine learning for problems such as MAP inference in graphical models. The problem, in general, is notoriously intractable, and finding the global optimal solution is known to be NP-hard. However, is it possible to approximate this problem with a reasonable ratio bound on the solution quality in polynomial time? We show in thi...

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are harmful to living organisms due to the potential oxidation of membranes, DNA, proteins, and carbohydrates. Freezing injury has been shown to involve the attack of ROS. Antioxidant enzymes can protect plant cells from oxidative stress imposed by freezing injury, therefore, cold acclimation may involve an increase in the expression of antioxidant enzymes. In this...

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of priming on seed germination under salt stress and gene expression in seeds and seedlings of P. angulata L. After priming for 10 days, seed germination was tested in plastic trays containing 15 ml of water (0 dS m-1 - control) or 15 ml of NaCl solution (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 dS m-1). Fresh and dry weight of shoots and roots of seedlings were ev...