Identification of a putative man-made object from an underwater crash site using CAD model superimposition

In order to identify an object in video, a comparison with an exemplar object is typically needed. In this paper, we discuss the methodology used to identify an object detected in underwater video that was recorded during an investigation into Amelia Earhart\u27s purported crash site. A computer aided design (CAD) model of the suspected aircraft component was created based on measurements made from orthogonally rectified images of a reference aircraft, and validated against historical photographs of the subject aircraft prior to the crash. The CAD model was then superimposed on the underwater video, and specific features on the object were geometrically compared between the CAD model and the video. This geometrical comparison was used to assess the goodness of fit between the purported object and the object identified in the underwater video

Characterizing a debris field using digital mosaicking and CAD model superimposition from underwater video

Identifying submerged objects is critical for several disciplines such as marine archaeology and search and rescue. However, identifying objects in underwater searches presents many challenges, particularly if the only data available to analyze is poorquality video where the videographer did not plan for photogrammetric techniques to be utilized. In this paper, we discuss the use of adaptive sampling of the underwater video to extract sharp still images for stitching and analysis, and creating mosaicked images by identifying and matching local scale-invariant feature transform features using computationally efficient algorithms. Computer aided design models of suspected aircraft components were superimposed, and a feature common in multiple mosaicked images was used to identify a common feature between purported objects to assess goodness of fit. The superimposition method was replicated using landing gear from a reference aircraft and a rope of known dimensions, and favorably compared against the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) analysis results

Human Gut Microbiota: Toward an Ecology of Disease

Composed of trillions of individual microbes, the human gut microbiota has adapted to the uniquely diverse environments found in the human intestine. Quickly responding to the variances in the ingested food, the microbiota interacts with the host via reciprocal biochemical signaling to coordinate the exchange of nutrients and proper immune function. Host and microbiota function as a unit which guards its balance against invasion by potential pathogens and which undergoes natural selection. Disturbance of the microbiota composition, or dysbiosis, is often associated with human disease, indicating that, while there seems to be no unique optimal composition of the gut microbiota, a balanced community is crucial for human health. Emerging knowledge of the ecology of the microbiota-host synergy will have an impact on how we implement antibiotic treatment in therapeutics and prophylaxis and how we will consider alternative strategies of global remodeling of the microbiota such as fecal transplants. Here we examine the microbiota-human host relationship from the perspective of the microbial community dynamics