344 research outputs found
Constitution of the European Union: Content, Prospects and Comparisons to the U.S. Constitution, The
Constitution of the European Union: Content, Prospects and Comparisons to the U.S. Constitution, The
Image Compression for Geological Mapping and Novelty Detection
We describe an image-comparison technique of Heidemann and Ritter [4,5] that
uses image compression, and is capable of: (i) detecting novel textures in a
series of images, as well as of: (ii) alerting the user to the similarity of a
new image to a previously-observed texture. This image-comparison technique
has been implemented and tested using our Astrobiology Phone-cam system, which
employs Bluetooth communication to send images to a local laptop server in the
field for the image-compression analysis. We tested the system in a field site
displaying a heterogeneous suite of sandstones, limestones, mudstones and
coalbeds. Some of the rocks are partly covered with lichen. The imagematching
procedure of this system performed very well with data obtained through our
field test, grouping all images of yellow lichens together and grouping all
images of a coal bed together, and giving a 91% accuracy for similarity
detection. Such similarity detection could be employed to make maps of
different geological units. The novelty-detection performance of our system
was also rather good (a 64% accuracy). Such novelty detection may become
valuable in searching for new geological units, which could be of
astrobiological interest. By providing more advanced capabilities for
similarity detection and novelty detection, this image-compression technique
could be useful in giving more scientific autonomy to robotic planetary
rovers, and in assisting human astronauts in their geological exploration
matching of prior textures by image compression for geological mapping and novelty detection
We describe an image-comparison technique of Heidemann and Ritter (2008a, b),
which uses image compression, and is capable of: (i) detecting novel textures
in a series of images, as well as of: (ii) alerting the user to the similarity
of a new image to a previously observed texture. This image-comparison
technique has been implemented and tested using our Astrobiology Phone-cam
system, which employs Bluetooth communication to send images to a local laptop
server in the field for the image-compression analysis. We tested the system
in a field site displaying a heterogeneous suite of sandstones, limestones,
mudstones and coal beds. Some of the rocks are partly covered with lichen. The
image-matching procedure of this system performed very well with data obtained
through our field test, grouping all images of yellow lichens together and
grouping all images of a coal bed together, and giving 91% accuracy for
similarity detection. Such similarity detection could be employed to make maps
of different geological units. The novelty-detection performance of our system
was also rather good (64% accuracy). Such novelty detection may become
valuable in searching for new geological units, which could be of
astrobiological interest. The current system is not directly intended for
mapping and novelty detection of a second field site based on image-
compression analysis of an image database from a first field site, although
our current system could be further developed towards this end. Furthermore,
the image-comparison technique is an unsupervised technique that is not
capable of directly classifying an image as containing a particular geological
feature; labelling of such geological features is done post facto by human
geologists associated with this study, for the purpose of analysing the
system's performance. By providing more advanced capabilities for similarity
detection and novelty detection, this image-compression technique could be
useful in giving more scientific autonomy to robotic planetary rovers, and in
assisting human astronauts in their geological exploration and assessment
Maternal Humoral Immune Correlates of Peripartum Transmission of Clade C HIV-1 in the Setting of Peripartum Antiretrovirals
ABSTRACT Despite the widespread use of antiretrovirals (ARV), more than 150,000 pediatric HIV-1 infections continue to occur annually. Supplemental strategies are necessary to eliminate pediatric HIV infections. We previously reported that maternal HIV envelope-specific anti-V3 IgG and CD4 binding site-directed antibodies, as well as tier 1 virus neutralization, predicted a reduced risk of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV-1 in the pre-ARV era U.S.-based Women and Infants Transmission Study (WITS) cohort. As the majority of ongoing pediatric HIV infections occur in sub-Saharan Africa, we sought to determine if the same maternal humoral immune correlates predicted MTCT in a subset of the Malawian Breastfeeding, Antiretrovirals, and Nutrition (BAN) cohort of HIV-infected mothers ( n = 88, with 45 transmitting and 43 nontransmitting). Women and infants received ARV at delivery; thus, the majority of MTCT was in utero (91%). In a multivariable logistic regression model, neither maternal anti-V3 IgG nor clade C tier 1 virus neutralization was associated with MTCT. Unexpectedly, maternal CD4 binding-site antibodies and anti-variable loop 1 and 2 (V1V2) IgG were associated with increased MTCT, independent of maternal viral load. Neither infant envelope (Env)-specific IgG levels nor maternal IgG transplacental transfer efficiency was associated with transmission. Distinct humoral immune correlates of MTCT in the BAN and WITS cohorts could be due to differences between transmission modes, virus clades, or maternal antiretroviral use. The association between specific maternal antibody responses and in utero transmission, which is distinct from potentially protective maternal antibodies in the WITS cohort, underlines the importance of investigating additional cohorts with well-defined transmission modes to understand the role of antibodies during HIV-1 MTCT
The Pentagram, No. 2
With the second issue, the editors with to thank all of those who have contributed to the Pentagram. Students and faculty interest has made this issue possible. Your interest and contributions will make future issues possible.https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/pentagram/1001/thumbnail.jp
Reflections on the labyrinth: Investigating Black and Minority Ethnic leadersâ career experiences
Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) employees appear to experience more difficulty reaching senior leadership positions than their white counterparts. Using Eagly and Carliâs (2007) metaphor of the labyrinth our aim was to give voice to black and minority ethnic managers who have successfully achieved senior management roles, and compare their leadership journeys with those of matched white managers. This paper used semi-structured interviews and attribution theory to examine how 20 black and minority ethnic and 20 white senior managers, from a UK government department made sense of significant career incidents in their leadership journeys. Template analysis was used to identify facilitators and barriers of career progression from causal explanations of these incidents. Although BME and white managers identified four common themes (visibility, networks, development, and line manager support), they differed in how they made sense of formal and informal organisational processes to achieve career progression. The findings are used to theorise about the individual and organisational factors that contribute to the leadership journeys of minority ethnic employees
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