Rendering Light and Shadows for Transparent Objects

This masters thesis presents a new approach to enable complex illuminationand shadowing for transparent objects such as glass or smoke. This is achievedby combining two algorithms which are intended to run in a real-time environment commonly found in modern computer games. The first algorithm is called "Light Linked List", it solves the problem of illuminating transparent objects and was recently presented at the SIGGRAPH2014 conference. The second algorithm is used for shadow calculations and is a new take on the "Deep Shadow Maps" technique. Both algorithms use linked lists to a high degree. The lists are constructed on the GPU by taking advantage of recent hardware improvements and updates to the OpenGL API. By using these two algorithms together, we enable illumination and shadow casting of transparent object with a performance that allows for real-time frame rates.A big challenge in computer graphics is calculating light and shadows. Common methods today do not produce these correctly for transparent objects. The objective of this master thesis is to solve that

Kuntokeskus Otteen brändi-identiteetti ja brändi-imago

Opinnäytetyömme tavoitteena oli selvittää Kuntokeskus Otteen brändi-identiteetti ja brändi-imago sekä se, kuinka hyvin ne kohtaavat toisensa. Brändi-identiteetillä tarkoitetaan yrityksen tavoiteltua mielikuvaa siitä, millaisena yritys haluaa näkyä. Brändi-imago vastaavasti on toteutunut mielikuva, joka kuluttajalle on syntynyt yrityksestä. Opinnäytetyömme tarkoituksena oli myös esittää johtopäätöksiä sekä mahdollisia kehittämisehdotuksia siitä, miten Kuntokeskus Otteen brändi-imago voisi vastata yhä paremmin Kuntokeskus Otteen brändi-identiteettiä. Käsiteperustamme koostui brändin, brändi-identiteetin sekä brändi-imagon käsitteistä. Tarkastelimme myös palvelubrändin ja yritysbrändin erityispiirteitä, sillä toimeksiantajamme oli hyvinvointipalveluja tarjoava yritys. Käsiteperustan tarkoituksena oli avustaa meitä tutkimuksien laadinnassa sekä ymmärtämään tutkimuksissa saatuja tuloksia. Tutkimuksissamme käytimme sekä laadullisia että määrällisiä tutkimusmenetelmiä. Kuntokeskus Otteen brändi-identiteettiä tutkimme haastatteluilla. Haastattelimme Kuntokeskus Otteen yrittäjiä, vastaanotontyöntekijöitä, ryhmäliikuntaohjaajia sekä Otteen visuaalisen ilmeen luonutta henkilöä. Brändi-imagoa selvitimme kyselylomakkeella ja kohderyhmänämme olivat liikunnasta kiinnostuneet Mikkelin ja sen lähialueiden asukkaat. Molemmissa tutkimuksissa oli tavoitteena saada mahdollisimman kattava aineisto, jotta tutkimus olisi mahdollisimman luotettava. Vertaamalla kyselytutkimuksen tuloksia haastattelututkimuksien tuloksiin, saimme selville miten hyvin Kuntokeskus Otteen brändi-identiteetti ja – imago kohtaavat toisensa. Tutkimuksiemme tulokset osoittivat, että Kuntokeskus Otteen brändi-imago vastaa hyvin brändi-identiteettiä. Tuloksista nostimme esille muutamia kehityskohteita, joita parantamalla brändi-identiteetin ja brändi-imagon väliä voidaan yhä pienentää.The aim of our Bachelor’s thesis was to examine the brand identity and brand image of Kuntokeskus Ote and we also examined how well these two correspond to each other. Brand identity means the targeted mental image of how the company wants to be perceived. Brand image in turn is the actual mental image that consumers have in their mind. We also draw conclusions and make possible development propositions how the brand image and brand identity of Kuntokeskus Ote could be as close as possible. Our theoretical framework was based on the concept of a brand, brand identity and brand image. We also examined special features of service brand and corporate brand, because our client was a company which offers well-being services to customers. The purpose of the theoretical framework was to guide us to conduct our research and also help us to better understand the results that we collected. In our research we used both qualitative and quantitative research methods. We studied the brand identity of Kuntokeskus Ote by means of interviews. We interviewed the entrepreneurs, receptionists, group exercise instructors and the person who created the visual image of Kuntokeskus Ote. We studied the brand image using questionnaires and our target group was people who were interested in exercising and lived in Mikkeli or nearby. In both cases the aim was to collect as comprehensive material as possible, so that our research would be reliable. We compared the results of our studies and found out how well the brand identity and brand image of Kuntokeskus Ote corresponded to each other. The results of our studies showed that the brand identity and brand image of Kuntokeskus Ote corresponded well. We also gave a few development ideas how the gap between brand identity and brand image could be even smaller

Complex Formation between NheB and NheC Is Necessary to Induce Cytotoxic Activity by the Three-Component Bacillus cereus Nhe Enterotoxin.

The nonhemolytic enterotoxin (Nhe) is known as a major pathogenicity factor for the diarrheal type of food poisoning caused by Bacillus cereus. The Nhe complex consists of NheA, NheB and NheC, all of them required to reach maximum cytotoxicity following a specific binding order on cell membranes. Here we show that complexes, formed between NheB and NheC under natural conditions before targeting the host cells, are essential for toxicity in Vero cells. To enable detection of NheC and its interaction with NheB, monoclonal antibodies against NheC were established and characterized. The antibodies allowed detection of recombinant NheC in a sandwich immunoassay at levels below 10 ng ml(-1), but no or only minor amounts of NheC were detectable in natural culture supernatants of B. cereus strains. When NheB- and NheC-specific monoclonal antibodies were combined in a sandwich immunoassay, complexes between NheB and NheC could be demonstrated. The level of these complexes was directly correlated with the relative concentrations of NheB and NheC. Toxicity, however, showed a bell-shaped dose-response curve with a plateau at ratios of NheB and NheC between 50:1 and 5:1. Both lower and higher ratios between NheB and NheC strongly reduced cytotoxicity. When the ratio approached an equimolar ratio, complex formation reached its maximum resulting in decreased binding of NheB to Vero cells. These data indicate that a defined level of NheB-NheC complexes as well as a sufficient amount of free NheB is necessary for efficient cell binding and toxicity. Altogether, the results of this study provide evidence that the interaction of NheB and NheC is a balanced process, necessary to induce, but also able to limit the toxic action of Nhe

Bringing regularized optimal transport to lightspeed: a splitting method adapted for GPUs

We present an efficient algorithm for regularized optimal transport. In contrast to previous methods, we use the Douglas-Rachford splitting technique to develop an efficient solver that can handle a broad class of regularizers. The algorithm has strong global convergence guarantees, low per-iteration cost, and can exploit GPU parallelization, making it considerably faster than the state-of-the-art for many problems. We illustrate its competitiveness in several applications, including domain adaptation and learning of generative models.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure

Ättider i olika system att tillföra hästar grovfoder

Dagens domesticerade hästar erbjuds ofta en energirik foderstat, som till stor del består av kraftfoder. Trots att hästens näringsbehov är täckt, uppfylls inte den naturliga ättiden eftersom kraftfoder konsumeras fort. Även om hästen endast utfodras med grovfoder, som den naturligt är gjort för att äta, kan den drabbas av övervikt. Det beror på att vi idag har förbättrade metoder vid skörd och lagring av grovfoder. Resultatet blir ett grovfoder som är mycket näringsrikt. Utfodring med ett sådant grovfoder till hästar som inte producerar eller arbetar hårt, gör att näringsbehovet täcks av en mindre mängd av detta grovfoder. Den mindre mängden gör att ättiden blir kort, vilket kan resultera i att hästen utvecklar beteendestörningar. Syftet med studien var att undersöka om ättiden för grovfoder kan förlängas genom att göra det svårare för hästen att komma åt det. Dessutom genomfördes en sorteringsstudie med hackad lusern för att se om hästen sorterar ut vissa beståndsdelar i fodret. I studien ingick nio ridhästar av olika ålder och ras uppstallade i ett kollektivstall i mellansverige. Hästarna tilldelades hösilage på tre olika sätt, på golvet, i hönät eller i höpåse. Vid varje tillfälle fick hästarna 40 minuters ättid. Studien genomfördes som ett change-over försök, där varje försöksled pågick under tre dagar i följd med tre dagars uppehåll mellan varje. Mellan perioderna utfodrades de med hösilage och eventuellt kraftfoder i mängd som hästägaren bestämt. Under försöket registrerades olika beteenden bl.a. ”tuggar med kontakt”, ”tuggar utan kontakt”, ”rörelse” och ”kontakt med vattenhink”. I sorteringsstudien tilldelades sju av de nio hästarna lusern hackad strå vid ett tillfälle under 20 minuter. Prover på det ännu inte konsumerade fodret togs ut efter 10 och 20 minuter och analyserades på torrsubstans, aska och VOS (Våmvätskelöslig Organisk Substans). Det var stora individuella skillnader i ätbeteende mellan hästarna. Om grovfodret tilldelades i hönät blev ättiden längre jämfört med om det tilldelades på golvet. I hönät äter dock hästen i en onaturlig ställning jämfört med om den äter från marken. Under de första 10 minuterna av sorteringsstudien sjönk ask- och VOS-innehållet i det lämnade fodret, vilket tyder på att de valde att konsumera foderdelar med högre ask- och VOS-innehåll först. Efter 20 minuter var dock värdena jämförbara med ursprungliga foderprovet. Slutsatsen är att både hönät och höpåse förlänger ättiden i jämförelse med utfodring på golvet, men hönät var mer effektivt i detta avseende. Hästarna i studien verkade också sortera ut och konsumera det mest smältbara och energirika delarna av fodret först.Today's domesticated horses are often offered a high energy diet, which consists largely of concentrates. Even if the horse's nutritional needs are covered, the natural eating time is not satisfied because the concentrates are consumed quickly. Even if the horse only fed on roughage, as it naturally is made for eating, it can become overweight. It is because we now have improved methods of harvesting and storage of forage. The result is forage that is highly nutritious. The feeding of such forage for horses that do not produce or work hard, results in nutritional needs are covered by a small amount of this forage. The small amount results in a short eating time, resulting in the horse to develop behavioral problems. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the eating time of forage can be extended by making it more difficult for the horse to get to it. In addition, a sorting study with chopped alfalfa was performed to see if the horse sort out some feed components. The study included nine horses of different age and breeds stabled in a public stable in middle of Sweden. The horses were offered silage in three different ways, on the floor, in a hay-net or in a hay-bag. In each case the horses got 40 minutes eating time. The study was conducted as a change-over experiment, where each experimental period lasted for three consecutive days with three day´s break between each. Between periods they were fed with silage and concentrate in any amount that the horse owner decided. During the experiment data of behaviors including "chew with contact", "chew without contact", “movement” and “contact with water bucket” was recorded. In the sorting study seven of the nine horses was offered lucerne chopped straw on one occasion in 20 minutes. Samples of the not yet consumed feed were taken out after 10 and 20 minutes and were analyzed for dry matter, ash and VOS (Rumen digestible organic matter). There were large individual differences in eating behavior between the horses. If the roughage was offered in a hay-net the eating time get longer than if it were offered on the floor. However, in a hay-net the horse eats in an unnatural position compare if the horse eat from the floor. During the first 10 minutes the ash- and VOS-content fell in the left feed sample, suggesting that they chose the parts with higher ash and- VOS-content. After 20 minutes, however, the values were comparable to the original feed sample. The conclusion is that both hay-net and hay-bag extend the eating time compare to feeding on the floor, but the hay-net was more effective in this regard. The horses also appeared to consume the most digestible parts of the feed firs

Rahapolitiikan aikaepäjohdonmukaisuus - ratkaisuja rahapolitiikan aikakonsistenssiongelmaan

Tutkielmani tarkoituksena on tarkastella aikaepäjohdonmukaisuutta rahapolitiikassa. Syvennyn tutkimaan etenkin sen määritelmää, syitä ja seurauksia, minkä lisäksi esittelen vaihtoehtoisia tapoja välttää aikaepäjohdonmukaisuuden syntyminen sekä sen seuraukset rahapolitiikassa. Tutkielmani on kirjallisuuskatsaus aiempiin aiheesta tehtyihin tutkimuksiin, joista työni kannalta tärkeimpiä ovat Kyddlandin & Prescottin (1977), Barron & Gordonin (1983), Walshin (1995), Svenssonin (1995) ja Rogoffin (1985) uraauurtavat tutkimukset. Näiden lisäksi olen hyödyntänyt erityisesti myös Kuperbergin (2013) ja Reľovskýn (2004) myöhäisempiä, jo mainitsemiini tutkimuksiin pohjautuvia tutkimuksia, jotka ovat laajentaneet etenkin Kyddlandin & Prescottin (1977) sekä Barron & Gordonin (1983) näkemyksiä aikaepäjohdonmukaisuuden syistä rahapolitiikassa. Tutkielmani perusteella rahapolitiikan aikaepäjohdonmukaisuuden syntyminen on seurausta etenkin rahapolitiikan lyhytnäköisestä ja yhteiskunnallisten preferenssien mukaisesta optimoinnista, minkä aiheuttamat ongelmat näkyvät liiallisena inflaationa, kun rationaaliset kuluttajat oppivat odottamaan jo etukäteen inflaatiotavoitetta korkeampaa inflaatiota. Ilmiön aiheuttamaa liiallista inflaatiota voidaan välttää delegoinnilla sekä optimaalisilla sopimuksilla, mutta myös keskuspankin pelko maineen menettämisestä voi estää ilmiötä tapahtumasta, kunhan inflaatiotavoite on asetettu siten, että tulevaisuuden kustannukset korkeasta inflaatiosta ylittävät pettämisen houkutuksen hyödyt.Tutkielman nimiössä näkyy kaksi vuosi-merkintää, 2018 ja 2019.There are two year entries showing in the title page of the thesis, that is, 2018 and 2019

Equine metabolic syndrome

Obese horses with insulin resistance are often also afflicted with laminitis. Horses with these symptoms are given the diagnosis equine metabolic syndrome (EMS). Signs of insulin resistance are excessive accumulation of adipose tissue on the neck, around the withers and on the dorsal area of the hindquarters. Insulin resistance means that the function of insulin is defective and does not stimulate glucose uptake by the cells in the body in the correct way. This will result in an increased insulin release. Obese horses with a reduced sensitivity of the target cells of insulin have high concentrations of insulin and triglycerides in the blood. Much indicates that a high insulin concentration in the blood is a contributive factor for the development of laminitis. Injections of insulin in the blood have triggered laminitis in healthy horses. There are different methods to measure insulin sensitivity and effectiveness of glucose uptake in the cells. The "Minimal model" is a unique method that gives the most detailed assessment of glucose and insulin dynamics. Horses with EMS should have a feed ration with a low content of non-structural carbohydrates. This results in a lower glucose intake and insulin release, which prevents further loss of insulin sensitivity

The ability to enter into an avirulent viable but non-culturable (VBNC) form is widespread among Listeria monocytogenes isolates from salmon, patients and environment

Media-based bacteriological testing will fail to detect non-culturable organisms and the risk of consuming viable but non-culturable (VBNC) Listeria monocytogenes is unknown. We have here studied whether L. monocytogenes obtained from seafoods, processing environment and clinical cases enter the VBNC state and assessed the virulence of the non-culturable forms of the bacteria. A number of 16 L. monocytogenes strains were starved in microcosm water at 4 °C until loss of culturability. Metabolic activity in the VBNC form was measured as ATP generation using a luciferase assay and membrane integrity was examined using the LIVE/DEAD BacLight assay. All tested L. monocytogenes strains entered the VBNC state after starvation in microcosm water. Ongoing mRNA synthesis of hly in VBNC L. monocytogenes cells re-incubated in culture medium indicated a potential virulence of these forms. Sodium pyruvate and replenishment of nutrient were used in attempts to resuscitate VBNC cells. However, VBNC L. monocytogenes were not resuscitated under these conditions. VBNC L. monocytogenes were tested for virulence in a cell plaque assay and by intraperitoneally inoculation in immunodeficient RAG1−/− mice. Inoculation of VBNC L. monocytogenes in immunodeficient mice did not cause morbidity, and plaque assay on HT-29 cells in culture indicated that the VBNC cells were avirulent. The results indicate that the risk of non-culturable L. monocytogenes in foods, when the VBNC state is induced by starvation, is negligible