Minimalist AdaBoost for blemish identification in potatoes

We present a multi-class solution based on minimalist Ad- aBoost for identifying blemishes present in visual images of potatoes. Using training examples we use Real AdaBoost to rst reduce the fea- ture set by selecting ve features for each class, then train binary clas- siers for each class, classifying each testing example according to the binary classier with the highest certainty. Against hand-drawn ground truth data we achieve a pixel match of 83% accuracy in white potatoes and 82% in red potatoes. For the task of identifying which blemishes are present in each potato within typical industry dened criteria (10% coverage) we achieve accuracy rates of 93% and 94%, respectively

Переходная зона между шельфом и континентальным склоном северной части Чёрного моря. Ландшафтный подход

На основе данных, полученных с применением обитаемых подводных аппаратов, рассмотрена проблема положения бровки шельфа как важной структурно фациальной границы морского бассейна. Описана ландшафтная фациальная зональность в диапазоне глубин 70–220 м в северной части Черного моря. Выявлено, что смена фаций в переходной зоне между шельфом и материковым склоном от бровки шельфа до глубины около 200 м находится в тесной связи с усилением гипоксии до полной аноксии.На основі даних, отриманих із застосуванням підводних апаратів, розглянуто проблему положення бровки шельфу як важливої структурно фаціальної межі морського басейну. Описано ландшафтну фаціальну зональність в діапазоні глибин 70–20 м у північній частині Чорного моря. Виявлено, що зміна фацій у перехідній зоні між шельфом і материковим схилом від бровки шельфу до глибини близько 200 м тісно пов’язана із збільшенням гіпоксії до повної аноксії.The problem of continental shelf break position as an important structural – facial marine basin boundary discussed on the basis of manned submersibles’ data. The range and setting of Northern Black Sea facial zones in the depths interval 70 220m are described. It’s found that the facial changes are related closely with hypoxia increasing to complete anoxia from the shelf break to the depth of about 200 m

The Dutch Contribution to PLACES (the plaice and cod egg survey of the North Sea in 2004)

Nederland neemt deel aan de ICES Planning Group on North Sea Cod and Plaice Egg Surveys (PGEGGS) en heeft een belangrijke bijdrage geleverd aan de internationale schol en kabeljauw eisurvey van 2004 (PLACES). De belangrijkste doelstellingen van deze survey waren het in kaart brengen van de paaigronden van schol en kabeljauw. Genetische technieken zijn gebruikt om onderscheid te maken tussen de eieren van kabeljauw, schelvis, wijting en koolvis, die overlappende eidiameter-verdelingen hebben. Schol paait in dezelfde gebieden als in het verleden gerapporteerd, maar de paaiactiviteit in de Duitse Bocht lijkt relatief te zijn toegenomen. Kabeljauw paait ook in de gebieden die voorheen bekend stonden als paaigronden, maar met een relatieve afname van de paaiactiviteit in de Zuidelijke Bocht. Er is geen toename in paaiactiviteit waargenomen in de noordelijke Noordzee, hetgeen in strijd is met de verwachting op grond van de verspreiding van volwassen vis zoals waargenomen in onderzoeksreizen

Brucella melitensis MucR, an orthologue of Sinorhizobium meliloti MucR, is involved in resistance to oxidative, detergent, and saline stresses and cell envelope modifications

Brucella spp. and Sinorhizobium meliloti are alphaproteobacteria that share not only an intracellular lifestyle in their respective hosts, but also a crucial requirement for cell envelope components and their timely regulation for a successful infectious cycle. Here, we report the characterization of Brucella melitensis mucR, which encodes a zinc finger transcriptional regulator that has previously been shown to be involved in cellular and mouse infections at early time points. MucR modulates the surface properties of the bacteria and their resistance to environmental stresses (i.e., oxidative stress, cationic peptide, and detergents). We show that B. melitensis mucR is a functional orthologue of S. meliloti mucR, because it was able to restore the production of succinoglycan in an S. meliloti mucR mutant, as detected by calcofluor staining. Similar to S. meliloti MucR, B. melitensis MucR also represses its own transcription and flagellar gene expression via the flagellar master regulator ftcR. More surprisingly, we demonstrate that MucR regulates a lipid A core modification in B. melitensis. These changes could account for the attenuated virulence of a mucR mutant. These data reinforce the idea that there is a common conserved circuitry between plant symbionts and animal pathogens that regulates the relationship they have with their hosts

Shortlist Masterplan Wind. Effect of pilling noise on the survival of fish larvae( pilot study) progress report

Fish can suffer lethal damage to swimming bladder or other organs due to extreme loud impulse sounds caused by e.g. pile driving (Popper & Hastings 2009). Juvenile and adult fish can actively swim away from a sound source, but planktonic larvae are not able to do this. As a result, fish larvae may suffer more from underwater noise than the older life stages. Despite the many indications for adverse effects, detailed information on the effect of different sound levels on fish is still scarce, especially for the early life stages. Within the framework of the Appropriate Assessment of Dutch offshore wind farms, the effect of piling noise on the southern North Sea population of herring, sole, and plaice larvae was simulated (Prins et al. 2009). For this, an existing larval transport model (Bolle et al. 2005, 2009, Dickey-Collas et al. 2009, Erftemeijer et al. 2009) was expanded with crude assumptions on larval mortality caused by pile driving. The model results were extrapolated to other fish species and older life stages, based on “expertjudgment", in an attempt to assess the effect of offshore piling on the prey availability for birds and marine mammals in Natura 2000 areas (Bos et al. 2009). This assessment involved a large number of uncertainties. The first and most important uncertainty was the range around a piling site in which larval mortality occurs. It was assumed that 100% mortality occurs up to a distance of 1 km from the piling site. However, little is known about larval mortality rates in relation to the level of exposure to piling noise. In general, there is an urgent need to obtain more knowledge on the effect of sound on fish (survival, distribution, and behaviour) during different life stages. More particularly, in view of the rapid extension of offshore wind farms, there is an urgent need to fill the knowledge gap on lethal effects of loud impulse noises caused by pile driving. The broader aim of the current project is to examine the effect of piling noise on the survival of fish larvae. However, within the limited resources and time frame of the Shortlist research programme it is not possible to carry out field experiments, nor is it possible to execute elaborate series of experiments. The first goal within the Shortlist programme is to examine the feasibility of laboratory experiments with pile driving noise and fish larvae. The second goal is to use the laboratory set-up in a pilot study aiming at determining the threshold at which mortality of fish larvae occurs. This shortlist study is limited to laboratory experiments, lethal effects, larvae of 1 species (sole, Solea solea) and 3 series of experiments (trials). The study consists of exposure-effect experiments only; the effects of pile driving at the population level will not be modelled, nor will the results be extrapolated to other species or life stages. The progress to date has been documented in a series of memo’s. These memos are included in this report as Appendices and are summarised in the sections of the report

Test of Replica Theory: Thermodynamics of 2D Model Systems with Quenched Disorder

We study the statistics of thermodynamic quantities in two related systems with quenched disorder: A (1+1)-dimensional planar lattice of elastic lines in a random potential and the 2-dimensional random bond dimer model. The first system is examined by a replica-symmetric Bethe ansatz (RBA) while the latter is studied numerically by a polynomial algorithm which circumvents slow glassy dynamics. We establish a mapping of the two models which allows for a detailed comparison of RBA predictions and simulations. Over a wide range of disorder strength, the effective lattice stiffness and cumulants of various thermodynamic quantities in both approaches are found to agree excellently. Our comparison provides, for the first time, a detailed quantitative confirmation of the replica approach and renders the planar line lattice a unique testing ground for concepts in random systems.Comment: 16 pages, 14 figure

Direct Repeat 6 from Human Herpesvirus-6B Encodes a Nuclear Protein that Forms a Complex with the Viral DNA Processivity Factor p41

The SalI-L fragment from human herpesvirus 6A (HHV-6A) encodes a protein DR7 that has been reported to produce fibrosarcomas when injected into nude mice, to transform NIH3T3 cells, and to interact with and inhibit the function of p53. The homologous gene in HHV-6B is dr6. Since p53 is deregulated in both HHV-6A and -6B, we characterized the expression of dr6 mRNA and the localization of the translated protein during HHV-6B infection of HCT116 cells. Expression of mRNA from dr6 was inhibited by cycloheximide and partly by phosphonoacetic acid, a known characteristic of herpesvirus early/late genes. DR6 could be detected as a nuclear protein at 24 hpi and accumulated to high levels at 48 and 72 hpi. DR6 located in dots resembling viral replication compartments. Furthermore, a novel interaction between DR6 and the viral DNA processivity factor, p41, could be detected by confocal microscopy and by co-immunoprecipitation analysis. In contrast, DR6 and p53 were found at distinct subcellular locations. Together, our data imply a novel function of DR6 during HHV-6B replication