Quantifying appearance retention in carpets using geometrical local binary patterns

Quality assessment in carpet manufacturing is performed by humans who evaluate the appearance retention (AR) grade on carpet samples. To quantify the AR grades objectively, different research based on computer vision have been developed. Among them Local Binary Pattern (LBP) and its variations has shown promising results. Nevertheless, the requirements of quality assessment on a wide range of carpets have not been met yet. One of the difficulties is to distinguish between consecutive AR grades in carpets. For this, we adopt an extension of LBP called Geometrical Local Binary Patterns (GLBP) that we recently proposed. The basis of GLBP is to evaluate the grey scale differences between adjacent points defined on a path in a neighbourhood. Symmetries of the paths in the GLBPs are evaluated. The proposed technique is compared with an invariant rotational mirror based LBP technique. The results show that the GLBP technique performs better to distinguish consecutive AR grades in carpets

Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus-induced endothelial cell reprogramming supports viral persistence and contributes to Kaposi's sarcoma tumorigenesis

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is an endothelial tumor causally linked to Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV) infection. At early stages of KS, inflammation and aberrant neoangiogenesis are predominant, while at late stages the disease is characterized by the proliferation of KSHV-infected spindle cells (SC). Since KSHV infection modifies the endothelial cell (EC) identity, the origin of SCs remains elusive. Yet, pieces of evidence indicate the lymphatic origin. KSHV-infected ECs display increased proliferative, angiogenic and migratory capacities which account for KS oncogenesis. Here we propose a model in which KSHV reprograms the EC identity, induces DNA damage and establishes a dysregulated gene expression program involving interplay of latent and lytic genes allowing continuous. reinfection of ECs attracted to the tumor by the secretion of virus-induced cellular factors.Peer reviewe

An Approach to Study Melanoma Invasion and Crosstalk with Lymphatic Endothelial Cell Spheroids in 3D Using Immunofluorescence

Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture has allowed a deeper understanding of complex pathological and physiological processes, overcoming some of the limitations of 2D cell culture on plastic and avoiding the costs and ethical issues related to experiments involving animals. Here we describe a protocol to embed single melanoma cells alone or together with primary human lymphatic endothelial cells in a 3D crosslinked matrix, to investigate the invasion and molecular crosstalk between these two cell types, respectively. After fixation and staining with antibodies and fluorescent conjugates, phenotypic changes in both cell types can be specifically analyzed by confocal microscopy.Peer reviewe

MEASURES OF RACETRACK PERFORMANCE WITH REGARD TO BREEDING EVALUATION OF TROTTERS

Trotting records on the Finnish Horse were divided into two subsets: the total data set, with 13,000 race records on 554 horses by 206 sires, and the summary data set, with 1,378 records summarized annually for each horse. The purpose of the study was to determine whether these data could be utilized in a simple, yet useful way for the assessment of breeding value. A total of 24 measures of performance based on time at finish, money won and rank at finish were studied in the summary data set. The total data set included four traits compiled from records made at ages of 3 through 6 years. The proportion of horses that started races and at the end of a race year had records different from those of unraced horses, i.e., different from zero, was 95, 82 and 40 through 77% for measures of performance based on time, money and rank, respectively. Simple correlations between best and average time for a year were in excess of .90. Repeatabilities for time at finish during a year were about .70. Both estimates imply that time records are relatively consistent over an entire year. Estimates of heritability for best time were about .30, whereas those for money and rank traits were small or even negative. The results from this study support the concept that best time in a year is the most useful measure for assessing sire breeding values based on progeny records

Male brain type women and female brain type men : Gender atypical cognitive profiles and their correlates

Gender differences exist in abilities, interests, and occupations. According to the Empathizing-Systemizing theory, the reason for all gender differences lies in the relative weights of two cognitive processes: women empathize more, which is useful in understanding people, while men systemize more, which means interpreting phenomena as rule-based systems. The terms "male and female brain type" refer to a heightened preference for one process over the other. We aimed to find out whether the gender atypical groups of male brain type women and female brain type men are more similar to the opposite sex than to their own in terms of a range of social, cognitive and personality variables. Female and male brain type groups were identified and compared within both genders in an online study (N = 2983). The results show there are female brain type men and male brain type women, who are characterized by qualities more often associated with the opposite sex, and who have not been reached by prior research. Thus, these findings demonstrate that cognitive type is a more powerful predictor of certain characteristics than is biological sex.Peer reviewe

Carbon dynamics in a Boreal land-stream-lake continuum during the spring freshet of two hydrologically contrasting years

We studied in 2013 and 2014 the spring carbon dynamics in a Boreal landscape consisting of a lake and 15 inflowing streams and an outlet. The first year had weather and a hydrological regime typical of past years with a distinct spring freshet connected with the thaw of the average snowpack. The latter year had higher air temperatures which did not permit snow accumulation, despite similar winter precipitation. As such, there was hardly any spring freshet in 2014, and stream discharge peaked in January, i.e., the conditions resembled those predicted in the future climate. Despite the hydrological differences between the years, there were only small interannual differences in the stream CO2 and DOC concentrations. The relationship between the concentrations and discharge was stronger in the typical year. CO2 concentrations in medium-sized streams correlated negatively with the discharge, indicating dilution effect of melting snowpacks, while in large-sized streams the correlation was positive, suggesting stronger groundwater influence. The DOC pathway to these streams was through the subsurface soil layers, not the groundwater. The total amount of carbon transported into the lake was ca. 1.5-fold higher in the typical year than in the year with warm winter. In 2013, most of the lateral inputs took place during spring freshet. In 2014, the majority of inputs occurred earlier, during the winter months. The lateral CO2 signal was visible in the lake at 1.5 m depth. DOC dominated the carbon transport, and in both years, 12% of the input C was in inorganic form.Peer reviewe

FACTORS INFLUENCING BEST ANNUAL RACING TIME IN FINNISH HORSES

The fixed effects of year of race, season of race, sex, method of start, annual number of starts, length of race and racetrack were evaluated on best annual racing time in Finnish Horses. Data included 1,378 records for 554 horses by 206 sires. Five models were assumed within the age groups from 3 to 6 yr. The annual number of starts, method of start and season of race effects were interrelated. An increase in number of starts was associated with considerable improvement in a horse\u27s best annual racing time. Records should not, however, be adjusted for effect of annual number of starts because it would simultaneously account for part of genetic differences among horses. The largest estimates of heritability were obtained for best annual racing time when the model included the fixed year-season and sex effects. Corresponding to this model, the estimate of repeatability for best annual racing time over the four age groups was .60 ± .03. An example of best linear unbiased predictions of sires\u27 breeding values based on progeny records in one or several ages is presented

A good balance of costs and benefits: convincing a university administration to support the installation of an interactive multi-application display system on campus

Interactive digital signage systems allow passers-by to take (temporary) control of a public display in order to select content and applications of interest, or even upload content of their own. Not surprisingly, display owners are hesitant to embrace such interactivity, given the uncertainty of what will be shown on their displays. In this paper we summarize our experience of deploying an interactive multi-application display system in the context of a university environment, and in particular our engagements with display owners (i.e., university administration) in order to convince them and get their support for the installation and deployment of such a system. We present the results of semi-structured interviews with display owners regarding their motivations, needs, and concerns with respect to the deployment of such a system at our university. While one cannot generalize from our results, we nevertheless believe that our experiences offer helpful advice to developers of such systems (and/or researchers interested in designing and studying them) in order to aid them in successfully gathering the support of these important stakeholders

Alustapohjainen liiketoimintamalli tavarakaupassa vähittäismyyjän näkökulmasta

Tiivistelmä. Tämän pro gradu -tutkielman tavoitteena on selvittää alustapohjaisten liiketoimintamallien vaikutusta alustalla toimivan vähittäismyyjän toimintaan. Tutkimuksessa halutaan avata monelle kauppiaalle tuntematonta liiketoimintamallia ja selventää vähittäismyyntialustojen tärkeimpiä piirteitä kauppiaan näkökulmasta. Tavoitteena on lisäksi lähestyä liiketoimintamallia verkostona ja selvittää näiden verkostojen vaikutuksia yrityksen markkinointimahdollisuuksiin. Tutkimusongelmaa lähestyttiin alustapohjaisiin liiketoimintamalleihin, vähittäismyynnin alustapohjaisiin liiketoimintamalleihin ja digitaalisiin vähittäismyyntikanaviin perustuvaan kirjallisuuteen tutustumalla. Aikaisemmasta kirjallisuudesta pyrittiin ensin keräämään laajasti tietoa vähittäismyynnin alustapohjaisiin liiketoimintamalleihin liittyen, jonka jälkeen teoriaa alettiin hahmotella käsitteen ympärille laajemmin ottamalla mukaan kirjallisuutta sekä pelkästään alustapohjaisiin liiketoimintamalleihin että digitaalisiin markkinoihin liittyen. Tutkimuksen teoreettinen viitekehys luotiin myös tämän materiaalin pohjalta. Tutkimuksen empiirinen aineisto on koottu kvalitatiivisen tutkimuksen keinoin. Aineisto tutkimukseen hankittiin puolistrukturoidun teemahaastattelun avulla, jossa haastateltuna toimi neljä suomalaista digitaalisen markkinoinnin ja alustapohjaisten liiketoimintamallien asiantuntijaa sekä yksi verkkokauppa-alustan tarjoaja. Aineisto analysoitiin aineistolähtöisen analysointitavan mukaisesti. Tutkimuksen tuloksena huomattiin, kuinka suuressa merkityksessä yrityksen asiantuntevuus on liiketoimintamallin menestykseen. Tutkimuksessa havaittiin liiketoimintamallin mukana tulevat henkilöstötarpeet, sekä liiketoimintamallin hyvät mahdollisuudet pienille ja kansainvälistyville yrityksille. Tuloksista nostettiin esiin alustaekosysteemin olematon merkitys yrityksen toiminnalle sekä kauppiaan osittainen kontrollin menettäminen omasta toiminnastaan. Tutkimustuloksista voi olla hyötyä vähittäismyyntiä harjoittaville yrityksille, jotka suunnittelevat vähittäismyyntialustojen hyödyntämistä tai viennin aloittamista. Tutkimustulokset on johdettu suomalaisille asiantuntijoille tehdyistä haastatteluista, jonka takia tutkimus oli maantieteellisesti rajattu. Tämän lisäksi tutkimuksen otoskoko vaikuttaa tutkimuksen yleistettävyyteen. Tutkimusta voidaan kuitenkin hyödyntää liiketoiminnallisessa suunnittelussa ja toteutuksessa varovaisuutta hyödyntäen

Genetic variances, trends and mode of inheritance for hip and elbow dysplasia in Finnish dog populations

The aims of this study were to assess genetic variances, trends and mode of inheritance for hip and elbow dysplasia in Finnish dog populations. The influence of time-dependent fixed effects in the model when estimating the genetic trends was also studied. Official hip and elbow dysplasia screening records of 42 421 dogs from seven breeds were analysed with REML. To investigate the mode of inheritance of hip and elbow dysplasia, trait distributions, genetic variances and regressions of offspring phenotypes on parental predicted breeding values were studied separately in males and in females. Genetic trends for hip dysplasia between the years 1983 and 1998 were favourable only in the Rottweiler. In elbow dysplasia, the trends were favourable after the year 1992 in all the four breeds studied but the overall changes were small. The reason for this seemed to be negligible selection pressure against these traits. Time-dependent fixed effects in the model had an influence on the estimated genetic trends, resulting either in a more negative or more positive genetic trend compared with the model from which the time-dependent effects were removed. Mitochondrial or sex-linked inheritance did not seem likely in the expression of hip and elbow dysplasia in the populations studied. Regression coefficients of offspring phenotypes on estimated parental breeding values were approximately equal to their expected value in a situation with equal parental contribution. Furthermore, the phenotypic frequency distributions of hip and elbow dysplasia grades were similar among males and females in each breed studied. No indication of major genes was found in the offspring frequency distributions within individual sires. According to these Finnish data, mode of inheritance for both hip and elbow dysplasia is polygenic (quantitative) with equal expression of the genes from both parents, although the estimates of heritability for hip dysplasia in the Rough Collie and for elbow dysplasia in the German Shepherd and the Golden Retriever were somewhat different in males compared with females