High-level feature detection from video in TRECVid: a 5-year retrospective of achievements

Successful and effective content-based access to digital video requires fast, accurate and scalable methods to determine the video content automatically. A variety of contemporary approaches to this rely on text taken from speech within the video, or on matching one video frame against others using low-level characteristics like colour, texture, or shapes, or on determining and matching objects appearing within the video. Possibly the most important technique, however, is one which determines the presence or absence of a high-level or semantic feature, within a video clip or shot. By utilizing dozens, hundreds or even thousands of such semantic features we can support many kinds of content-based video navigation. Critically however, this depends on being able to determine whether each feature is or is not present in a video clip. The last 5 years have seen much progress in the development of techniques to determine the presence of semantic features within video. This progress can be tracked in the annual TRECVid benchmarking activity where dozens of research groups measure the effectiveness of their techniques on common data and using an open, metrics-based approach. In this chapter we summarise the work done on the TRECVid high-level feature task, showing the progress made year-on-year. This provides a fairly comprehensive statement on where the state-of-the-art is regarding this important task, not just for one research group or for one approach, but across the spectrum. We then use this past and on-going work as a basis for highlighting the trends that are emerging in this area, and the questions which remain to be addressed before we can achieve large-scale, fast and reliable high-level feature detection on video

A high-quality annually laminated sequence from Lake Belau, Northern Germany: Revised chronology and its implications for palynological and tephrochronological studies

The annually laminated record of Lake Belau offers an exceptional opportunity to investigate with high temporal resolution Holocene environmental change, aspects of climate history and human impact on the landscape. A new chronology based on varve counts, 14C-datings and heavy metal history has been established, covering the last 9400 years. Based on multiple varve counting on two core sequences, the easily countable laminated section spans about 7850 varve years (modelled age range c. 9430 to 1630 cal. BP). Not all of the record is of the same quality but approximately 69% of the varves sequence is classified to be of high quality and only c. 5% of low quality. The new chronology suggests dates generally c. 260 years older than previously assumed for the laminated section of the record. The implications for the vegetation and land-use history of the region as well as revised datings for pollen stratigraphical events are discussed. Tephra analysis allowed the identification of several cryptotephra layers. New dates for volcanic eruptions are presented for the Lairg B event (c. 6848 cal. BP, 2s range 6930–6713 cal. BP), the Hekla 4 event (c. 4396 cal. BP, 2s range 4417–4266 cal. BP), and Hekla 3 eruption (c. 3095 cal. BP, 2s range 3120–3068 cal. BP)

Determination of rivaroxaban by different factor Xa specific chromogenic substrate assays: reduction of interassay variability

Rivaroxaban and other oral direct factor Xa inhibitors (ODiXa) are currently developed for prophylaxis and treatment of thromboembolic diseases using fixed doses. Although routine monitoring is not required, assessing the intensity of anticoagulation may be useful under certain clinical conditions. ODiXa prolong coagulation times of several clotting assays and, thus, their concentration may be determined in factor Xa specific chromogenic substrate assays. So far, no standardized and validated assay is commercially available. Here, five methods (A through E) are studied and optimized to reduce interassay variability. Human pooled plasma was spiked by a serial dilution of rivaroxaban (25–900 ng/ml). The release of para-nitroaniline from the chromogenic substrates was measured by the optical density (OD) at 405 nm. Method B was identified to yield the lowest sum of deviations from the mean value of the OD concentration curve calculated from all assays. Spline functions were developed for OD versus concentration curves for all methods. The calculated OD versus concentration curves overlapped for all methods. The coefficient of variation for all assays and concentrations of rivaroxaban decreased from 25.3 ± 11.4% using the original data to 3.8 ± 2.2% using the calculated data (P < 0.0001). The robustness of the chromogenic assay (method B) remains to be corroborated in interlaboratory comparisons

Assessment of bidirectional relationships between physical activity and depression among adults a 2-sample Mendelian randomization study

IMPORTANCE Increasing evidence shows that physical activity is associated with reduced risk for depression, pointing to a potential modifiable target for prevention. However, the causality and direction of this association are not clear; physical activity may protect against depression, and/or depression may result in decreased physical activity. OBJECTIVE To examine bidirectional relationships between physical activity and depression using a genetically informed method for assessing potential causal inference. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This 2-sample mendelian randomization (MR) used independent top genetic variants associated with 2 physical activity phenotypes-self-reported (n = 377 234) and objective accelerometer-based (n = 91 084)-and with major depressive disorder (MDD) (n = 143 265) as genetic instruments from the largest available, nonoverlapping genome-wide association studies (GWAS). GWAS were previously conducted in diverse observational cohorts, including the UK Biobank (for physical activity) and participating studies in the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (for MDD) among adults of European ancestry. Mendelian randomization estimates from each genetic instrument were combined using inverse variance weighted meta-analysis, with alternate methods (eg, weighted median, MR Egger, MR-Pleiotropy Residual Sum and Outlier [PRESSO]) and multiple sensitivity analyses to assess horizontal pleiotropy and remove outliers. Data were analyzed from May 10 through July 31, 2018. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES MDD and physical activity. RESULTS GWAS summary data were available for a combined sample size of 611 583 adult participants. Mendelian randomization evidence suggested a protective relationship between accelerometer-based activity and MDD (odds ratio [OR], 0.74 for MDD per 1-SD increase in mean acceleration; 95% CI, 0.59-0.92; P =.006). In contrast, there was no statistically significant relationship between MDD and accelerometer-based activity (β = −0.08 in mean acceleration per MDD vs control status; 95% CI, −0.47 to 0.32; P =.70). Furthermore, there was no significant relationship between self-reported activity and MDD (OR, 1.28 for MDD per 1-SD increase in metabolic-equivalent minutes of reported moderate-to-vigorous activity; 95% CI, 0.57-3.37; P =.48), or between MDD and self-reported activity (β = 0.02 per MDD in standardized metabolic-equivalent minutes of reported moderate-to-vigorous activity per MDD vs control status; 95% CI, −0.008 to 0.05; P =.15). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Using genetic instruments identified from large-scale GWAS, robust evidence supports a protective relationship between objectively assessed-but not self-reported-physical activity and the risk for MDD. Findings point to the importance of objective measurement of physical activity in epidemiologic studies of mental health and support the hypothesis that enhancing physical activity may be an effective prevention strategy for depression

Malignant Catarrhal Fever Induced by Alcelaphine herpesvirus 1 Is Associated with Proliferation of CD8+ T Cells Supporting a Latent Infection

Alcelaphine herpesvirus 1 (AlHV-1), carried by wildebeest asymptomatically, causes malignant catarrhal fever (WD-MCF) when cross-species transmitted to a variety of susceptible species of the Artiodactyla order. Experimentally, WD-MCF can be induced in rabbits. The lesions observed are very similar to those described in natural host species. Here, we used the rabbit model and in vivo 5-Bromo-2′-Deoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation to study WD-MCF pathogenesis. The results obtained can be summarized as follows. (i) AlHV-1 infection induces CD8+ T cell proliferation detectable as early as 15 days post-inoculation. (ii) While the viral load in peripheral blood mononuclear cells remains below the detection level during most of the incubation period, it increases drastically few days before death. At that time, at least 10% of CD8+ cells carry the viral genome; while CD11b+, IgM+ and CD4+ cells do not. (iii) RT-PCR analyses of mononuclear cells isolated from the spleen and the popliteal lymph node of infected rabbits revealed no expression of ORF25 and ORF9, low or no expression of ORF50, and high or no expression of ORF73. Based on these data, we propose a new model for the pathogenesis of WD-MCF. This model relies on proliferation of infected CD8+ cells supporting a predominantly latent infection

Characteristics of Family Dynamics among Japanese Families in Japan

The purpose of this study is to identify family dynamics and their relationships to selected socio-demographic characteristics and mental status among Japanese families in Japan. The Family Dynamics Measure II (FDM II) and a socio-demographic questionnaire were used to obtain data. Participants (n=195; male n=62, female n=129, gender unknown n=4) were obtained from a city, western outskirts of Tokyo. Majority of respondents were married (n=165, 84.6%) and with children (n=128, 65.6%). Family size ranged from 2 to 9 persons (mean= 3.66, SD=1.42). Three-generation families, I.e. presences of grandparent(s), daughter(s)-in-law, and parent(s)-in-law (n=25, 12.8%) were small in numbers. When there were family members ages over 70, female respondents showed negative relations to 4 of 6 dimensions of FDM II. Further, when there were family members ages between 12-17, both male and female respondents showed negative relationships to 3 of 6 dimensions of FDM II. Mental status showed a positive relationship to age of male respondents. Nurses should be aware of relationships between affecting factors and dimensions of family dynamics. The understanding of these gender differences among males and females and the conditions of the family could be quite helpful when advising or counseling family members for betterment of family health

Damage buildup in GaN under ion bombardment

The damage buildup until amorphization in wurtzite GaN films under keV Light(C-12) and heavy (Au-197) ion bombardment at room and liquid nitrogen (LN2) temperatures is studied by Rutherford backscattering/channeling (RBS/C) spectrometry and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The effect of beam flux on implantation damage in GaN is reported. A marked similarity between damage buildup for Light and heavy ion bombardment regimes is observed. The results point to substantial dynamic annealing of irradiation defects even during heavy ion bombardment at LN2 temperature. Amorphization starts from the GaN surface with increasing ion dose for both LN2 and room-temperature bombardment with light or heavy ions. A strong surface defect peak, seen by RBS/C, arises from an amorphous layer at the GaN surface, as indicated by TEM. The origin of such an amorphous layer is attributed to the trapping of mobile point defects by the GaN surface, as suggested by the flux behavior. However, in the samples implanted with light ions to low doses (1 X 10(15) cm(-2)), no amorphous layer on the GaN surface is revealed by TEM. Damage buildup is highly sig-modal for LN: temperature irradiation with light or heavy ions. Formation of planar defects in the crystal bulk is assumed to provide a "nucleation site" for amorphization with increasing ion dose during irradiation at LN2 temperature. For room-temperature bombardment with heavy ions. the damage in the GaN bulk region saturates at a level lower than that of the amorphous phase, as measured by RBS/C, and amorphization proceeds From the GaN surface with increasing ion dose. For such a saturation regime at room temperature, implantation damage in the bulk consists of point-defect clusters and planar defects which are parallel to the basal plane of the GaN film. Various defect interaction processes in GaN during ion bombardment are proposed to explain the observed somewhat unexpected behavior of disorder buildup