2,389 research outputs found
A Study of Actor and Action Semantic Retention in Video Supervoxel Segmentation
Existing methods in the semantic computer vision community seem unable to
deal with the explosion and richness of modern, open-source and social video
content. Although sophisticated methods such as object detection or
bag-of-words models have been well studied, they typically operate on low level
features and ultimately suffer from either scalability issues or a lack of
semantic meaning. On the other hand, video supervoxel segmentation has recently
been established and applied to large scale data processing, which potentially
serves as an intermediate representation to high level video semantic
extraction. The supervoxels are rich decompositions of the video content: they
capture object shape and motion well. However, it is not yet known if the
supervoxel segmentation retains the semantics of the underlying video content.
In this paper, we conduct a systematic study of how well the actor and action
semantics are retained in video supervoxel segmentation. Our study has human
observers watching supervoxel segmentation videos and trying to discriminate
both actor (human or animal) and action (one of eight everyday actions). We
gather and analyze a large set of 640 human perceptions over 96 videos in 3
different supervoxel scales. Furthermore, we conduct machine recognition
experiments on a feature defined on supervoxel segmentation, called supervoxel
shape context, which is inspired by the higher order processes in human
perception. Our ultimate findings suggest that a significant amount of
semantics have been well retained in the video supervoxel segmentation and can
be used for further video analysis.Comment: This article is in review at the International Journal of Semantic
Computin
Viral Diseases of Tomato. Origins, Impact, and Future Prospects with a Focus on Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus and Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus
Tomatoes are affected by a number of viruses, with tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) and tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) being two of the most damaging. TSWV and TYLCV have severely impacted tomato production worldwide for the past several decades at levels that led to both of these viruses being included in the list of top ten most important plant viruses. While they were first described in the early 1900s, both of these viruses emerged in the 1980s to become the severe and persistent problems they are today. The emergence of both viruses was facilitated in part by the emergence and expansion of more efficient insect vectors. Natural sources of resistance, especially from wild relatives of tomato, have provided some measure of control for both viruses to date. This chapter summarizes the origins, emergence, and impacts of these viruses, along with current approaches and future prospects for control, including both natural and engineered resistance
National policies and care provision in pregnancy and childbirth for twins in Eastern and Southern Africa: A mixed-methods multi-country study
Background: High-risk pregnancies, such as twin pregnancies, deserve particular attention as mortality is very high in this group. With a view to inform policy and national guidelines development for the Sustainable Development Goals, we reviewed national training materials, guidelines, and policies underpinning the provision of care in relation to twin pregnancies and assessed care provided to twins in 8 Eastern and Southern African countries: Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Methods and findings: We located policies and guidelines by reviewing national repositories and by contacting experts to systematically map country-level maternal and newborn training materials, guidelines, and policies. We extracted recommendations for care for twins spanning ante-, intra-, and postpartum care that typically should be offered during twin pregnancies and childbirth. We compared care provided for mothers of twins to that provided for mothers of singletons during the ante-, intra-, and postpartum period and computed neonatal mortality rates using the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) data for each country. There was a paucity of guidance on care specifically for twin or multiple pregnancies: None of the countries provided clear guidance on additional number of antenatal care visits or specific antenatal content, while 7 of the 8 countries recommended twins to be delivered in a comprehensive emergency obstetric and neonatal care facility. These results were mirrored by DHS results of 73,462 live births (of which 1,360 were twin) indicating that twin pregnancies did not receive more frequent or intensified antenatal care. The percentage of twin deliveries in hospitals varied from 25.3% in Mozambique to 63.0% in Kenya, and women with twin deliveries were between 5 and 27 percentage points more likely to deliver in hospitals compared to women with singleton live births; this difference was significant in 5 of the 8 countries (t test p \u3c 0.05). The percentage of twin deliveries by cesarean section varied from 9% in Mozambique to 36% in Rwanda. The newborn mortality rate among twins, adjusted for maternal age and parity, was 4.6 to 7.2 times higher for twins compared to singletons in all 8 countries.
Conclusions: Despite the limited sample size and the limited number of clinically relevant services evaluated, our study provided evidence that mothers of twins receive insufficient care and that mortality in twin newborns is very high in Eastern and Southern Africa. Most countries have insufficient guidelines for the care of twins. While our data do not allow us to make a causal link between insufficient guidelines and insufficient care, they call for an assessment and reconceptualisation of policies to reduce the unacceptably high mortality in twins in Eastern and Southern Africa
Characterization of physicochemical and microbial quality, functional properties, and shelf stability of fermented tigernut-based probiotic beverages
Tigernuts and millet are indigenous underutilized crops in West Africa that have versatile applications in food processing. These crops are rich in fermentable carbohydrates, resistant starch, fiber, and micronutrients, making them ideal candidates for pre- and probiotic (synbiotic) foods. This study utilized whole tigernuts in a dairy–millet-based fermented beverage called brukina, turned it to a synbiotic, and assessed the functional and physicochemical profiles, microbial quality, and shelf stability of the beverage. The tigernut–millet agglomerate was prepared by incorporating cellulose-hydrolyzed tigernut fibrous (TNF) cake and non-hydrolyzed TNF (10% and 15%, respectively) into millet and allowing to ferment for 12 and 24 h. Brukina produced from composite tigernut milk: dairy in a ratio of 40%:60% was inoculated with the probiotic Lacticaseibacillus casei after pasteurization. The beverage was analyzed for physicochemical, proximate, and functional properties and microbiological stability at 5°C and 25°C. The obtained data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) in Minitab version 17 using a general linear model to determine the variability, interactions, and significance of the measured product characteristics. The agglomerate water absorption capacity (l/g) ranged from 0.70 ± 0.17 to 0.89 ± 0.17, bulk density (g/l) from 0.55 ± 0.04 to 0.63 ± 0.00, and swell index (%) from 1.62 ± 0.08 to 1.80 ± 0.06. The agglomerate prepared from dough and fermented for 12 h had excellent functional characteristics and was selected for synbiotic brukina production. Moisture content of the product decreased (p < 0.001) with tigernut incorporation ranging from 78.85% to 70.45%, while sodium, phosphorus, protein, total carbohydrate, and crude fiber increased with tigernut incorporation (p < 0.05). Synbiotic brukina supported the growth of L. casei attaining 11 log CFU/mL with a corresponding increase in lactic acid production and was microbiologically safe at 5°C and 25°C for 5 days compared to unpasteurized and uninoculated probiotic control (p < 0.05). The addition of whole tigernuts and L. casei to brukina enhanced its nutritional content with a shelf stability of 3 days
Recommended from our members
A nipple shield delivery system for oral drug delivery to breastfeeding infants : Microbicide delivery to inactivate HIV
A new drug delivery method for infants is presented which incorporates an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API)-loaded insert into a nipple shield delivery system (NSDS). The API is released directly into milk during breastfeeding. This study investigates the feasibility of using the NSDS to deliver the microbicide sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), with the goal of preventing mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV during breastfeeding in low-resource settings, when there is no safer alternative for the infant but to breastfeed. SDS has been previously shown to effectively inactivate HIV in human milk. An apparatus was developed to simulate milk flow through and drug release from a NSDS. Using this apparatus milk was pulsed through a prototype device containing a non-woven fiber insert impregnated with SDS and the microbicide was rapidly released. The total SDS release from inserts ranged from 70 to 100% of the average 0.07 g load within 50 ml (the volume of a typical breastfeed). Human milk spiked with H9/HIVIIIB cells was also passed through the same set-up. Greater than 99% reduction of cell-associated HIV infectivity was achieved in the first 10 ml of milk. This proof of concept study demonstrates efficient drug delivery to breastfeeding infants is achievable using the NSDS
La organización y función del genoma del virus del mosaico dorado del frijol
Programa Cooperativo Regional de Frijol para Centroamérica, México y el Caribe (PROFRIJOL)Cooperación Suiza para el Desarrollo (COSUDE)Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT)UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Agroalimentarias::Estación Experimental Agrícola Fabio Baudrit Moreno (EEAFBM
Multi-wavelength observations of Galactic hard X-ray sources discovered by INTEGRAL. I. The nature of the companion star
Context: The INTEGRAL hard X-ray observatory has revealed an emerging
population of highly obscured X-ray binary systems through multi-wavelength
observations. Previous studies have shown that many of these sources are
high-mass X-ray binaries hosting neutron stars orbiting around luminous and
evolved companion stars. Aims: To better understand this newly-discovered
population, we have selected a sample of sources for which an accurate
localisation is available to identify the stellar counterpart and reveal the
nature of the companion star and of the binary system. Methods: We performed an
intensive study of a sample of thirteen INTEGRAL sources, through
multi-wavelength optical to NIR photometric and spectroscopic observations,
using EMMI and SofI instruments at the ESO NTT telescope. We performed accurate
astrometry and identified candidate counterparts for which we give the optical
and NIR magnitudes. We detected many spectral lines allowing us to determine
the spectral type of the companion star. We fitted with stellar black bodies
the mid-infrared to optical spectral energy distributions of these sources.
From the spectral analysis and SED fitting we identified the nature of the
companion stars and of the binary systems. (abridged).Comment: A&A in press; The official date of acceptance is 15/12/2007; 25
pages, 6 figures, 8 tables. New version with language editing required by
edito
Towards Solving QCD - The Transverse Zero Modes in Light-Cone Quantization
We formulate QCD in (d+1) dimensions using Dirac's front form with periodic
boundary conditions, that is, within Discretized Light-Cone Quantization. The
formalism is worked out in detail for SU(2) pure glue theory in (2+1)
dimensions which is approximated by restriction to the lowest {\it transverse}
momentum gluons. The dimensionally-reduced theory turns out to be SU(2) gauge
theory coupled to adjoint scalar matter in (1+1) dimensions. The scalar field
is the remnant of the transverse gluon. This field has modes of both non-zero
and zero {\it longitudinal} momentum. We categorize the types of zero modes
that occur into three classes, dynamical, topological, and constrained, each
well known in separate contexts. The equation for the constrained mode is
explicitly worked out. The Gauss law is rather simply resolved to extract
physical, namely color singlet states. The topological gauge mode is treated
according to two alternative scenarios related to the In the one, a spectrum is
found consistent with pure SU(2) gluons in (1+1) dimensions. In the other, the
gauge mode excitations are estimated and their role in the spectrum with
genuine Fock excitations is explored. A color singlet state is given which
satisfies Gauss' law. Its invariant mass is estimated and discussed in the
physical limit.Comment: LaTex document, 26 pages, one figure (obtainable by contacting
authors). To appear in Physical. Review
Scope for Credit Risk Diversification
This paper considers a simple model of credit risk and derives the limit distribution of losses under different assumptions regarding the structure of systematic risk and the nature of exposure or firm heterogeneity. We derive fat-tailed correlated loss distributions arising from Gaussian risk factors and explore the potential for risk diversification. Where possible the results are generalised to non-Gaussian distributions. The theoretical results indicate that if the firm parameters are heterogeneous but come from a common distribution, for sufficiently large portfolios there is no scope for further risk reduction through active portfolio management. However, if the firm parameters come from different distributions, then further risk reduction is possible by changing the portfolio weights. In either case, neglecting parameter heterogeneity can lead to underestimation of expected losses. But, once expected losses are controlled for, neglecting parameter heterogeneity can lead to overestimation of risk, whether measured by unexpected loss or value-at-risk
X-ray absorption spectroscopy systematics at the tungsten L-edge
A series of mononuclear six-coordinate tungsten compounds spanning formal oxidation states from 0 to +VI, largely in a ligand environment of inert chloride and/or phosphine, has been interrogated by tungsten L-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The L-edge spectra of this compound set, comprised of [W<sup>0</sup>(PMe<sub>3</sub>)<sub>6</sub>], [W<sup>II</sup>Cl<sub>2</sub>(PMePh<sub>2</sub>)<sub>4</sub>], [W<sup>III</sup>Cl<sub>2</sub>(dppe)<sub>2</sub>][PF<sub>6</sub>] (dppe = 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane), [W<sup>IV</sup>Cl<sub>4</sub>(PMePh<sub>2</sub>)<sub>2</sub>], [W<sup>V</sup>(NPh)Cl<sub>3</sub>(PMe<sub>3</sub>)<sub>2</sub>], and [W<sup>VI</sup>Cl<sub>6</sub>] correlate with formal oxidation state and have usefulness as references for the interpretation of the L-edge spectra of tungsten compounds with redox-active ligands and ambiguous electronic structure descriptions. The utility of these spectra arises from the combined correlation of the estimated branching ratio (EBR) of the L<sub>3,2</sub>-edges and the L<sub>1</sub> rising-edge energy with metal Z<sub>eff</sub>, thereby permitting an assessment of effective metal oxidation state. An application of these reference spectra is illustrated by their use as backdrop for the L-edge X-ray absorption spectra of [W<sup>IV</sup>(mdt)<sub>2</sub>(CO)<sub>2</sub>] and [W<sup>IV</sup>(mdt)<sub>2</sub>(CN)<sub>2</sub>]<sup>2–</sup> (mdt<sup>2–</sup> = 1,2-dimethylethene-1,2-dithiolate), which shows that both compounds are effectively W<sup>IV</sup> species. Use of metal L-edge XAS to assess a compound of uncertain formulation requires: 1) Placement of that data within the context of spectra offered by unambiguous calibrant compounds, preferably with the same coordination number and similar metal ligand distances. Such spectra assist in defining upper and/or lower limits for metal Z<sub>eff</sub> in the species of interest; 2) Evaluation of that data in conjunction with information from other physical methods, especially ligand K-edge XAS; 3) Increased care in interpretation if strong π-acceptor ligands, particularly CO, or π-donor ligands are present. The electron-withdrawing/donating nature of these ligand types, combined with relatively short metal-ligand distances, exaggerate the difference between formal oxidation state and metal Z<sub>eff</sub> or, as in the case of [W<sup>IV</sup>(mdt)<sub>2</sub>(CO)<sub>2</sub>], add other subtlety by modulating the redox level of other ligands in the coordination sphere
- …