Recovering historical film footage by processing microtomographic images

1960s film was typically printed on tri-acetate film base. If not preserved properly, such material breaks down at a chemical level, which is a non-stoppable process that permanently fuses the film so that it essentially becomes a lump of solid plastic. Recently, some precious films, such as the only known copy of the earliest surviving episode of ‘The Morecambe and Wise Show’ have been discovered, but they are in poor condition. They will eventually turn into a pool of sticky liquid and be gone forever. In this paper, as proof of concept, we use X-ray microtomography to provide 3D imaging of a test film of similar vintage, and propose an automatic method to extract footage from it

Red and near-infrared spectral reflectance of snow

The spectral reflectance of snow in the range of 0.60 to 2.50 microns wavelengths was studied in a cold laboratory using natural snow and simulated preparations of snow. A white barium sulfate powder was used as the standard for comparison. The high reflectance (usually nearly 100%) of fresh natural snow in visible wavelengths declines rapidly at wavelengths longer than the visible, as the spectral absorption coefficients of ice increase. Aging snow becomes only somewhat less reflective than fresh snow in the visible region and usually retains a reflectance greater than 80%. In the near infrared, aging snow tends to become considerably less reflective than fresh snow

The Cognitive Representation of Fantasy Versus Pretense

Do our minds process fantasy, pretense, and reality differently? Participants read fantastical (Snow White eating an apple), pretend (a girl pretending to be Snow White), or realistic (a girl eating an apple) vignettes. Participants’ reaction to a property of each vignette’s realistic context (apple as ‘delicious’) or its unrealistic context (apple as ‘poisonous’) was measured by a computer program. Differences in study 1 reaction time indicate that fantasy may require different mental representation than pretense and reality. Differences in study 2 fail to duplicate results from the fantasy condition in study 1, instead finding differences in mental representation after reading pretend vignettes. Trends in both study 1 and 2 indicate possible influences of fantasy and pretense on realistic thought

Snow White in 1930s Britain

This is the definitive version of the article as published by Edinburgh University Press in Journal of British Cinema and Television. Volume 7, Page 183-199 DOI 10.3366/jbctv.2010.0001 http://www.euppublishing.com/doi/abs/10.3366/jbctv.2010.000

The Snow White problem

The SnowWhite problem is introduced to demonstrate how learning something of which one could not have learnt the opposite (due to observer selection bias) can change an agent’s probability assignment. This helps us to analyse the Sleeping Beauty problem, which is deconstructed as a combinatorial engine and a subjective wrapper. The combinatorial engine of the problem is analogous to Bertrand’s boxes paradox and can be solved with standard probability theory. The subjective wrapper is clarified using the Snow White problem. Sample spaces for all three problems are presented. The conclusion is that subjectivity plays no irreducible role in solving the Sleeping Beauty problem and that no reference to centered worlds is required to provide the answer

Decline of the boreal willow grouse (Lagopus lagopus) has been accelerated by more frequent snow-free springs

Climate change has influenced a range of species across the globe. Yet, to state a noted decline in the abundance of a given species as a consequence of a specific environmental change, for instance, spatially explicit long-term data are a prerequisite. This study assessed the extent to which prolonged snow-free periods in autumn and spring have contributed to the decline of the willow grouse, the only forest grouse changing into a white winter plumage. Time-series data of willow grouse numbers from summer surveys across the study area were integrated with local data on weather (snow cover), mammalian predator abundance and hunting intensity. Modelling was conducted with a hierarchical Bayesian Poisson model, acknowledging year-, area- and location-specific variability. The results show that while willow grouse numbers had decreased continuously across the study landscapes, the decrease was accelerated at the sites where, and during the years when the preceding April was the most snow-free. This indicates a mismatch between the change into a white winter plumage and the presence of snow, turning the bird into an ill-camouflaged prey. The results thus also confirm past hypotheses where local declines of the species have been attributed to prolonged snow-free periods. Across our study area, autumns and springs have become more snow-free, and the trend has been predicted to continue. Thus, in addition to conservation actions, the future of a species such as the willow grouse is also dependent on its ability to adapt to the changed environmental conditions.202

Letter Written by Katherine Trickey to Her Folks Dated November 16, 1943

[Transcription begins] Written on letterhead paper from The Falmouth Hotel, Portland, Maine 8.50 PM Nov. 16, 1943 Dear Mother, I hated to say goodbye, but don’t let yourself feel too badly because I shall be doing what I want to do. I’ll be seeing new places & doing different things. The ride down was glorious. In the light from the bus, the trees on the edge of the road shone bright & glistening. The evergreens were loaded with snow and even the deciduous trees were coated on the bare branches. The fields were white and often I could catch a glimpse up a snow covered country road. The lights in the houses shining out on the snow covered lawns made cheerful spots in the dark landscape. There was snow even (in) the Deering Park. There couldn’t have been a nicer farewell ride between Lewiston & Portland unless it had been in the summer. I was glad it was snowy before I left. I have room 104 with 5 other girls none of whom have arrived yet.-----------2 single beds & 4 cots. I’m going to try a cot tonight in hopes I’ll like it better than the Falmouth beds. Tell Dot that the Woolworth store near the Lewiston-Auburn bridge had a big selection of toys in the window tonight. I am going to mail this tonight in hopes you will get (it) tomorrow afternoon. Much, much love Kay [Transcription ends

[Review of] Jade Snow Wong. Fifth Chinese Daughter

I am personally delighted to see the re-issue of Jade Snow Wong\u27s autobiographical novel, Fifth Chinese Daughter. Shortly after I arrived in the U.S. in 1959 as a rather bewildered young girl immigrant of twelve, it was my good fortune to have stumbled onto -- in the local public library -- Jade Snow Wong\u27s wonderful story of growing up Chinese and female in America, in both the ethnic enclave of Chinatown and the San Francisco Bay Area\u27s white college and working worlds. It helped me better understand the experience of being an American-Chinese, the term used in those days. The re-issue has allowed me to introduce the book to my American-born daughters, 15 and 12, who not only enjoyed immensely the story itself, but have gained invaluable insights into their Chinese and Chinese American heritage

CHILDREN’S RESPONSES TO CINDERELLA AND SNOW WHITE: Respon Anak-Anak Terhadap Cinderella Dan Snow White

This research is entitled Children’s Responses to Cinderella and Snow White. The aim of the research is to investigate how children readers respond to the two fairy tales. This research involved five eight-year-old children as a source of data. The data were taken from the transcription of children responses to five read aloud sessions, questionnaire and interview. The framework of the research is qualitative descriptive approach. The data were analyzed using five basic types of children responses proposed by Sipe (2008). The results show that the children has different intensity in responding to the fairy tales. This leads the writer to categorize children into two types of children. First, active children who is defined as the children who can derive meaning from the stories and share it to other well. Second, passive children who is defined as the reader who has difficulties in sharing their ideas to other. Based on the result of study, both teachers and parents are suggested to introduce children to wide variety of books, so that children develop a better interest in reading.Penelitian ini berjudul Respon Anak-Anak terhadap Cinderella dan Snow White. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mencari tahu bagaimana anak-anak sebagai pembaca memberikan respon pada kedua cerita tersebut. Penelitian ini melibatkan lima anak berumur delapan tahun sebagai sumber data. Data penelitian ini diambil dari hasil transkrip respon anak-anak saat sesi membaca cerita sebanyak lima kali, angket dan wawancara. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode deskriptif kualitatif. Data yang sudah diambil kemudian dianalisis dengan menggunakan teori tentang lima jenis respon anak dari Sipe (2008). Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa ketika anak-anak merespon sebuah cerita, mereka memiliki frekuensi yang berbeda saat merespon. Hasil dari penelitian ini juga mengarah pada dua jenis anak. Pertama, anak yang aktif, adalah anak yang dapat menyerap makna dari cerita yang dibacakan dan kemudian dapat menyampaikannya dalam diskusi dengan baik. Kedua, anak yang pasif, adalah anak yang memiliki kesulitan dalam menyerap makna dan menyampaikannya dalam diskusi. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian, para guru dan orang tua disarankan untuk mengenalkan anak-anak terhadap berbagai jenis bacaan, sehingga ketertarikan anak-anak akan membaca berkembang lebih baik

Quantifying the legacy of snowmelt timing on soil greenhouse gas emissions in a seasonally dry montane forest.

The release of water during snowmelt orchestrates a variety of important belowground biogeochemical processes in seasonally snow-covered ecosystems, including the production and consumption of greenhouse gases (GHGs) by soil microorganisms. Snowmelt timing is advancing rapidly in these ecosystems, but there is still a need to isolate the effects of earlier snowmelt on soil GHG fluxes. For an improved mechanistic understanding of the biogeochemical effects of snowmelt timing during the snow-free period, we manipulated a high-elevation forest that typically receives over two meters of snowfall but little summer precipitation to influence legacy effects of snowmelt timing. We altered snowmelt rates for two years using black sand to accelerate snowmelt and white fabric to postpone snowmelt, thus creating a two- to three-week disparity in snowmelt timing. Soil microclimate and fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2 ), methane (CH4 ), and nitrous oxide (N2 O) were monitored weekly to monthly during the snow-free period. Microbial abundances were estimated by potential assays near the end of each snow-free period. Although earlier snowmelt caused soil drying, we found no statistically significant effects (p < 0.05) of altered snowmelt timing on fluxes of CO2 or N2 O, or soil microbial abundances. Soil CH4 fluxes, however, did respond to snowmelt timing, with 18% lower rates of CH4 uptake in the earlier snowmelt treatment, but only after a dry winter. Cumulative CO2 emission and CH4 uptake were 43% and 88% greater, respectively, after the dry winter. We conclude that soil GHG fluxes can be surprisingly resistant to hydrological changes associated with earlier snowmelt, likely because of persistent moisture and microbial activities in deeper mineral soils. As a result, a drier California in the future may cause seasonally snow-covered soils in the Sierra Nevada to emit more GHGs, not less