Semantic Visual Localization

Robust visual localization under a wide range of viewing conditions is a fundamental problem in computer vision. Handling the difficult cases of this problem is not only very challenging but also of high practical relevance, e.g., in the context of life-long localization for augmented reality or autonomous robots. In this paper, we propose a novel approach based on a joint 3D geometric and semantic understanding of the world, enabling it to succeed under conditions where previous approaches failed. Our method leverages a novel generative model for descriptor learning, trained on semantic scene completion as an auxiliary task. The resulting 3D descriptors are robust to missing observations by encoding high-level 3D geometric and semantic information. Experiments on several challenging large-scale localization datasets demonstrate reliable localization under extreme viewpoint, illumination, and geometry changes

Energy for Sustainable Development: The Energy–Poverty–Climate Nexus

Worldwide, 1.4 billion people lack access to electricity, and 2.7 billion people rely on traditional biomass for cooking. Most people living in energy poverty—without electricity access and/or using traditional biomass for cooking—are from rural areas of Sub-Saharan Africa, India, and other developing Asian countries (excluding China). At the same time, the poorest people are the most likely to suffer from the impacts of climate change

Boosting landfill gas production from lignin-containing wastes via termite hindgut microorganism.

Lignocellulose comprises a significant portion of municipal solid waste (MSW) - 40-70% in developed countries, including paper, wood, and yard waste. Cellulose and hemicellulose are often shielded by lignin, posing a barrier to waste decomposition and landfill gas generation. Unfortunately, lignin is resistant to microbial degradation under low-oxygen conditions that normally occur in MSW landfills. The bacterium strain TAV5, microaerophilic and member of phylum Verrucomicrobia, isolated from the hindgut of the Reticulitermes flavipes termite, the most widely distributed subterranean termite in North America. Its genome contains genes associated with methylotrophic competency which code for enzymes that structurally modify lignin. The overall goal of this research was to use TAV5 to modify lignin and boost methane production from MSW. Batch-scale reactors (125 mL) were filled with paper, yard, or wood waste, and four ratios of mixed of waste. Reactors were seeded with different ratios of TAV5 to anaerobic digester (AD) microorganisms (representing landfill anaerobic microorganisms). Based on batch tests, optimal ratios of TAV5 to AD microorganisms were used to seed wastes (mixed, yard, and wood) in 6-gallon reactors. Addition of TAV5 increased methane production from mixed waste, yard waste, and wood, by 49%, 34%, and 297%, respectively. TAV5 decreased acid soluble lignin by 7-39%, depending on waste type. TAV5 grown under aerobic conditions and room temperature (not requiring a heated anaerobic chamber) was found to remain viable and increase methane production under low-level oxygen conditions (1-2%). This finding will potentially lessen costs for growing large volumes of it for seeding landfills

Automação da semeadura de séries diferenciais no processo de identificação de raças de ferrugem da folha do trigo.

bitstream/CNPT-2010/40484/1/p-co119.pd

Food Insecurity and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in U.S. Adolescents

Introduction: Disparities in cardiovascular diseases are one of today’s most important public health challenges. Pathological processes related to modifiable cardiovascular risk factors have shown to begin in childhood and disparities in these risk factors have been reported in adolescence. Food insecurity is significantly associated with cardiovascular risk factors in adults; however, little is known about cardiovascular risk in food insecure adolescents. Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between food insecurity and cardiovascular risk factors in U.S. adolescents aged 12-17 years. Methods: Using cross-sectional data on 1,853 adolescents aged 12-17 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2012, we examined the association between food insecurity and cardiovascular risk factors. Food security status was measured using the validated 18-item Household Food Security Survey Module. Cardiovascular risk was measured based on American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7 factors (LS7; tobacco smoke exposure, diet quality, physical activity, body mass index, blood pressure, total cholesterol, blood glucose levels). Results: Nearly 10.0% of U.S. adolescents were food insecure. A total of 26.1% of adolescents failed to attain ideal scores on more than 5 LS7 components. In bivariate analyses, food secure, in comparison to food insecure adolescents, were more likely to have ideal scores on 5-7 LS7 components (75.1% vs. 63.0%, p = 0.0089). In multivariate models adjusted for demographic, socioeconomic, health, and health care access factors, food insecurity was not significantly associated with cardiovascular risk in adolescents. However, food insecure adolescents had significantly lower odds of attaining ideal levels of tobacco smoke exposure ([OR] = 0.54 [95% CI 0.31, 0. 94]) than food secure adolescents. Adolescents living in families with incomes below the Federal Poverty Level (Odds Ratio [OR] = 0.59 [95% CI 0.40,0.86]) had significantly lower odds of having ideal LS7 scores and lower odds of attaining ideal scores on tobacco smoke exposure ([OR] = 0.25 [95% CI 0.13, 0.49]) and physical activity ([OR] = 0.60 [95% CI 0.38, 0.95]). Conclusion: Although cardiovascular risk is not more pronounced in food insecure adolescents than their counterparts, adolescents from low SES households may be at particular risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Multifaceted and tailored strategies inclusive of nutrition assistance are needed to facilitate effective cardiovascular risk prevention as these vulnerable populations transition into early adulthood

Registration of N614, A3N615, N616, and N617 Shattercane Genetic Stocks with Cytoplasmic or Nuclear Male Sterility and Juicy or Dry Midribs

Four shattercane [Sorghum bicolor subsp. drummondii (Nees ex Steud.) de Wet ex Davidse] genetic stocks—N614 (Reg. No. GS-652, PI 665684), A3N615 (Reg. No. GS-651, PI 665683), N616 (Reg. No. GS-653, PI 665685), and N617 (Reg. No. GS-654, PI 665686)—with A3 cytoplasmic male sterility or the nuclear male sterility gene ms3 containing either juicy (dd) or dry (DD) culms were developed jointly by the USDA-ARS; the Iowa Agricultural and Home Economics Experiment Station, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Iowa State University; and the Agricultural Research Division, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Nebraska. The stocks were released in July 2011. The source material for these genetic stocks was isolated from an archetypical shattercane population found near Lincoln, NE. Release of these genetic stocks makes available shattercane lines with both A3 cytoplasmic male sterility, and ms3 genetic (nuclear) male sterility to facilitate crossing. These genetic stocks also contain juicy (dd) or dry (DD) culms, a visible genetic marker to facilitate screening progeny resulting from crosses. The genetic stocks have immediate application for basic research involving gene flow from cultivated sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] to shattercane and on the fitness of offspring resulting from such crosses

DARSTELLUNG UND NMR-SPEKTROSKOPISCHE UNTERSUCHUNGEN VON N‚N'-DIPHENYL-CYCLODISILAZANEN

Several N,N'-diphenylcyclodisilazanes substituted by methyl and phenyl groups at the silicon atoms were synthesized by pyrolysis or via the appropriate lithium-organic compounds. The structures were corroborated by 1H-, 13C-and 29Si-NMR spectroscopy. The assignments of the 13C-NMR spectra were completed and the effect of the change of the substituents on the silyl-methyl 1H-NMR chemical shifts as well as on the 29Si chemical shifts was investigated

Modeling Micro-Porous Surfaces for Secondary Electron Emission Control to Suppress Multipactor

This work seeks to understand how the topography of a surface can be engineered to control secondary electron emission (SEE) for multipactor suppression. Two unique, semi-empirical models for the secondary electron yield (SEY) of a micro-porous surface are derived and compared. The first model is based on a two-dimensional (2D) pore geometry. The second model is based on a three-dimensional (3D) pore geometry. The SEY of both models is shown to depend on two categories of surface parameters: chemistry and topography. An important parameter in these models is the probability of electron emissions to escape the surface pores. This probability is shown by both models to depend exclusively on the aspect ratio of the pore (the ratio of the pore height to the pore diameter). The increased accuracy of the 3D model (compared to the 2D model) results in lower electron escape probabilities with the greatest reductions occurring for aspect ratios less than two. In order to validate these models, a variety of micro-porous gold surfaces were designed and fabricated using photolithography and electroplating processes. The use of an additive metal-deposition process (instead of the more commonly used subtractive metal-etch process) provided geometrically ideal pores which were necessary to accurately assess the 2D and 3D models. Comparison of the experimentally measured SEY data with model predictions from both the 2D and 3D models illustrates the improved accuracy of the 3D model. For a micro-porous gold surface consisting of pores with aspect ratios of two and a 50% pore density, the 3D model predicts that the maximum total SEY will be one. This provides optimal engineered surface design objectives to pursue for multipactor suppression using gold surfaces