Detection of diffuse and specular interface reflections and inter-reflections by color image segmentation

We present a computational model and algorithm for detecting diffuse and specular interface reflections and some inter-reflections. Our color reflection model is based on the dichromatic model for dielectric materials and on a color space, called S space, formed with three orthogonal basis functions. We transform color pixels measured in RGB into the S space and analyze color variations on objects in terms of brightness, hue and saturation which are defined in the S space. When transforming the original RGB data into the S space, we discount the scene illumination color that is estimated using a white reference plate as an active probe. As a result, the color image appears as if the scene illumination is white. Under the whitened illumination, the interface reflection clusters in the S space are all aligned with the brightness direction. The brightness, hue and saturation values exhibit a more direct correspondence to body colors and to diffuse and specular interface reflections, shading, shadows and inter-reflections than the RGB coordinates. We exploit these relationships to segment the color image, and to separate specular and diffuse interface reflections and some inter-reflections from body reflections. The proposed algorithm is effications for uniformly colored dielectric surfaces under singly colored scene illumination. Experimental results conform to our model and algorithm within the liminations discussed.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/41303/1/11263_2004_Article_BF00128233.pd

Characterization of SHOX deletions in Leri-Weill dyschondrosteosis (LWD) reveals genetic heterogeneity and no recombination hotspots

In the July 2005 and March 2006 issues of the Journal, Schneider et al.1 and Zinn et al.,2 respectively, reported mapping studies of SHOX (MIM 312865) deletions in patients with Léri-Weill dyschondrosteosis (LWD [MIM 127300]). In their study, Schneider et al.1 reported that the majority (73%) of patients with LWD who had SHOX deletions shared a 3? deletion breakpoint hotspot located downstream of SHOX. Zinn et al.2 identified a different 3? breakpoint hotspot located several hundred kilobases farther downstream in 86% of Hispanic patients, whereas the recombination hotspot described by Schneider et al.1 was not observed.We characterized the SHOX deletion limits in a cohort of 48 European patients with LWD (n=47) and Langer mesomelic dysplasia (LMD [MIM 249700]) (n=1). SHOX deletions were originally detected by multiplex ligation probe amplification (MLPA) (MRC Holland) or microsatellite analysis (DXYS10092, DXYS201, DYS290, DXYS10093, DXYS233, and DXYS234) and subsequently were finely mapped using a dense panel of microsatellites and SNPs.3 Four newly identified microsatellites (Tandem Repeat Finder), located 133, 54, 31, and 19 kb 5? of SHOX (table 1), and 59 SNPs, 12 of which were previously unreported (table 2), were analyzed

Discovery of a multiply lensed submillimeter galaxy in early HerMES Herschel/SPIRE data

‘In these times, during the rise in the popularity of institutional repositories, the Society does not forbid authors from depositing their work in such repositories. However, the AAS regards the deposit of scholarly work in such repositories to be a decision of the individual scholar, as long as the individual's actions respect the diligence of the journals and their reviewers.’ Original article can be found at: http://iopscience.iop.org/ Copyright American Astronomical SocietyWe report the discovery of a bright (f (250 μm)>400 mJy), multiply lensed submillimeter galaxy HERMES J105751.1+573027 in Herschel/SPIRE Science Demonstration Phase data from the HerMES project. Interferometric 880 μm Submillimeter Array observations resolve at least four images with a large separation of ∼9″. A high-resolution adaptive optics Kp image with Keck/NIRC2 clearly shows strong lensing arcs. Follow-up spectroscopy gives a redshift of z = 2.9575, and the lensing model gives a total magnification of μ ∼ 11 ± 1. The large image separation allows us to study the multi-wavelength spectral energy distribution (SED) of the lensed source unobscured by the central lensing mass. The far-IR/millimeter-wave SED is well described by a modified blackbody fit with an unusually warm dust temperature, 88 ± 3 K. We derive a lensing-corrected total IR luminosity of (1.43 ± 0.09) × 1013 L⊙, implying a star formation rate of ∼2500 M⊙ yr-1. However, models primarily developed from brighter galaxies selected at longer wavelengths are a poor fit to the full optical-to-millimeter SED. A number of other strongly lensed systems have already been discovered in early Herschel data, and many more are expected as additional data are collected.Peer reviewe