Automated Quantitative Description of Spiral Galaxy Arm-Segment Structure

We describe a system for the automatic quantification of structure in spiral galaxies. This enables translation of sky survey images into data needed to help address fundamental astrophysical questions such as the origin of spiral structure---a phenomenon that has eluded theoretical description despite 150 years of study (Sellwood 2010). The difficulty of automated measurement is underscored by the fact that, to date, only manual efforts (such as the citizen science project Galaxy Zoo) have been able to extract information about large samples of spiral galaxies. An automated approach will be needed to eliminate measurement subjectivity and handle the otherwise-overwhelming image quantities (up to billions of images) from near-future surveys. Our approach automatically describes spiral galaxy structure as a set of arcs, precisely describing spiral arm segment arrangement while retaining the flexibility needed to accommodate the observed wide variety of spiral galaxy structure. The largest existing quantitative measurements were manually-guided and encompassed fewer than 100 galaxies, while we have already applied our method to more than 29,000 galaxies. Our output matches previous information, both quantitatively over small existing samples, and qualitatively against human classifications from Galaxy Zoo.Comment: 9 pages;4 figures; 2 tables; accepted to CVPR (Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition), June 2012, Providence, Rhode Island, June 16-21, 201

Scalable Automated Detection of Spiral Galaxy Arm Segments

Given an approximately centered image of a spiral galaxy, we describe an entirely automated method that finds, centers, and sizes the galaxy and then automatically extracts structural information about the spiral arms. For each arm segment found, we list the pixels in that segment and perform a least-squares fit of a logarithmic spiral arc to the pixels in the segment. The algorithm takes about 1 minute per galaxy, and can easily be scaled using parallelism. We have run it on all ~644,000 Sloan objects classified as "galaxy" and large enough to observe some structure. Our algorithm is stable in the sense that the statistics across a large sample of galaxies vary smoothly based on algorithmic parameters, although results for individual galaxies can sometimes vary in a non-smooth but easily understood manner. We find a very good correlation between our quantitative description of spiral structure and the qualitative description provided by humans via Galaxy Zoo. In addition, we find that pitch angle often varies significantly segment-to-segment in a single spiral galaxy, making it difficult to define "the" pitch angle for a single galaxy. Finally, we point out how complex arm structure (even of long arms) can lead to ambiguity in defining what an "arm" is, leading us to prefer the term "arm segments".Comment: 4 pages (twocolumn),5 figures, 2 tables. Submitted to ApJ. Letter

Project based learning in an applied construction curriculum

This project addresses the integration of a career and technical (vocational) construction curriculum with academic curriculum. Career and technical (vocational) curriculum in the past has been developed to address specific content. This construction curriculum inegrates inherent academic aspects

Propagation of the Native North American Shrub Lonicera Villosa and Trait Comparisons with Nonnative Congeneric Taxa

The honeysuckles, or Lonicera, represent a circumboreally-distributed genus in the Caprifoliaceae family. A diverse assortment of vines, lianas, and shrubs comprise the genus, and honeysuckles have long been a staple of the horticultural industry, prized for their robustness as much as their sweet-scented flowers and colorful fruits. However, many cultivated honeysuckles of Eurasian origin have proven invasive outside of their native range, displacing native species and reducing overall diversity and ecosystem health. Planting of Eurasian Lonicera taxa is now often discouraged or banned throughout much of North America. Conversely, native North American Lonicera species are often sparsely distributed and of conservation concern throughout their native range. Given the historic popularity of Eurasian honeysuckles in cultivation in North America, their tendency to become invasive pests, and the sparse populations of native Lonicera, we identified two avenues of inquiry: 1) to identify means of efficiently propagating native Lonicera species, for potential conservation or industry application, and 2) to screen Eurasian honeysuckle species and cultivars for invasiveness. First, we conducted parallel studies evaluating the feasibility of propagating the North-American native wetland shrub Lonicera villosa, found throughout much of Canada and sparsely in New England and the Great Lakes regions of the United States, by stem cuttings. In 2017, we collected softwood cuttings from a native population in Maine, wounded them on one side, treated them with 0, 4000, 8000, or 12000 mg·L1 of K-IBA in water, and stuck the cuttings in rooting media composed of 1:1, 1:3, or 0:1 peat:perlite by volume. In one study, cuttings were irrigated by overhead mist, while the other utilized a simple subirrigation system. Rooting percentages were high in both systems and were not found to vary significantly with treatments. Root quality significantly improved with the addition of K-IBA and with increasing proportions of perlite in the media but did not improve significantly with increasing K-IBA application rates. These findings indicate that L. villosa can be propagated to the high standards necessary for commercial production or conservation purposes. Second, we conducted two comparative studies contrasting the growth of Lonicera caerulea cultivars, bred from Eurasian genotypes and marketed as an agricultural crop in North America, with the regionally invasive congeners L. tatarica and L. xylosteum, and the regionally native L. villosa. The first study evaluated the comparative growth of these honeysuckles (sans L. xylosteum) across five levels of applied slow-release fertilizer. Lonicera caerulea produced significantly more dried biomass than L. villosa at all but the highest rates of fertilizer application, and less dried biomass than L. tatarica, yet resembled L. tatarica more strongly in height and leaf area. In a second study, the four honeysuckle taxa were co-planted in large 20-gallon pots and subjected to either flooded, container capacity, or drought moisture treatment regimes. Lonicera caerulea significantly outperformed L. villosa and compared favorably with its invasive congeners in terms of dried biomass, height, and leaf area. Taken together, these studies suggest that the non-native Lonicera caerulea cultivars are not functionally equivalent to their related native taxa and we advise caution and further screening for invasiveness prior to their widespread release

New Name, Same Team: The Intellectual Property Realities of Changing a Professional Sports Team Name

In light of recent social justice movements, sports team nicknames have been placed under a larger microscope than possibly any time before now. Discussions surrounding team names have recently prompted at least two professional organizations—the Washington Football Team and Cleveland Guardians—to move away from racially-insensitive names. These franchises were not the first sports entities to change their name and they will certainly not be the last. This Essay seeks to provide a short guide of the legal considerations for changing a team’s name. Part I of this Essay discusses past and ongoing franchise name changes in professional sports. Part II addresses the intellectual property considerations franchises must consider when changing their name, and Part III explains how a franchise can make the appropriate corporate changes to finalize name changes with its Secretary of State (or other applicable body)

Motivations to deposit:two approaches to Open Educational Resources (OER) within Languages and Social Sciences (LSS) at Aston University

In Spring 2009, the School of Languages and Social Sciences (LSS) at Aston University responded to a JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee) and Higher Education Academy (HEA) call for partners in Open Educational Resources (OER) projects. This led to participation in not one, but two different OER projects from within one small School of the University. This paper will share, from this unusual position, the experience of our English tutors, who participated in the HumBox Project, led by Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies (LLAS) and will compare the approach taken with the Sociology partnership in the C-SAP OER Project , led by the Centre for Sociology, Anthropology and Politics (C-SAP). These two HEA Subject Centre-led projects have taken different approaches to the challenges of encouraging tutors to deposit teaching resources, as on ongoing process, for others to openly access, download and re-purpose. As the projects draw to a close, findings will be discussed, in relation to the JISC OER call, with an emphasis on examining the language and discourses from the two collaborations to see where there are shared issues and outcomes, or different subject specific concerns to consider

Maternal iron status in early pregnancy and birth outcomes : insights from the Baby's Vascular health and Iron in Pregnancy study

Date of Acceptance: 16/03/2015 Acknowledgements N. A. A. was funded by a Wellcome Trust Research Training Fellowship (WT87789). H. J. M. and H. E. H. are supported by the Scottish Government’s Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services. N. A. B. S. is supported by Cerebra. The authors’ contributions are as follows: N. A. A. was responsible for organising the study conduct, data collection and database management, performed the statistical analysis, interpreted the results and drafted the paper. N. A. A., N. A. B. S., J. E. C., H. J. M. and D. C. G. contributed to the study concept and design, and interpretation of results. H. J. M. and H. E. H. analysed the laboratory samples. J. E. C. and D. C. G. provided advice on statistical strategy and analysis. All authors have fully participated in the reporting stage and have critically reviewed and approved the final draft of the paper. The authors declare no conflict of interestPeer reviewedPublisher PD

Sustaining mental health and wellbeing programmes in schools: recommendations from an online roundtable

Despite recent investments in school-based mental health and wellbeing promotion in England, the sustainability of mental health interventions remains a substantial challenge. This article brings together potential solutions to sustaining interventions in schools, drawing on insights from an online roundtable discussion held in July 2022. Facilitated by researchers and informed by recent research on barriers and facilitators to sustaining school-based mental health interventions, 16 participants came together to discuss challenges and solutions. Participants included school staff, policy makers, educational psychologists, researchers and mental health intervention developers. The discussion explored the need for accountability at all levels (e.g., from school leaders to policy makers and Ofsted) and the potential value of engaging schools more consistently with academic evidence. Participants also discussed the importance of creating a healthy and sustainable ecosystem for interventions (underscoring the significance of staff wellbeing, adequate resourcing, and longer-term funding commitments), and moving beyond separate, isolated interventions. The findings offer a range of recommendations for school decision makers, mental health researchers, intervention developers, and those working in the wider system around schools