Automatic Recognition of Light Microscope Pollen Images

This paper is a progress report on a project aimed at the realization of a low-cost, automatic, trainable system "AutoStage" for recognition and counting of pollen. Previous work on image feature selection and classification has been extended by design and integration of an XY stage to allow slides to be scanned, an auto focus system, and segmentation software. The results of a series of classification tests are reported, and verified by comparison with classification performance by expert palynologists. A number of technical issues are addressed, including pollen slide preparation and slide sampling protocols

Patient ECG recording control for an automatic implantable defibrillator

An implantable automatic defibrillator includes sensors which are placed on or near the patient's heart to detect electrical signals indicative of the physiology of the heart. The signals are digitally converted and stored into a FIFO region of a RAM by operation of a direct memory access (DMA) controller. The DMA controller operates transparently with respect to the microprocessor which is part of the defibrillator. The implantable defibrillator includes a telemetry communications circuit for sending data outbound from the defibrillator to an external device (either a patient controller or a physician's console or other) and a receiver for sensing at least an externally generated patient ECG recording command signal. The patient recording command signal is generated by the hand held patient controller. Upon detection of the patient ECG recording command, DMA copies the contents of the FIFO into a specific region of the RAM

Comparison of Planted Loblolly and Slash Pine Performance in Southeast Texas

The performance of young (less than 10 yr) loblolly (Pinus taeda L.) and slash (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) pine trees was compared on planted sites in southeast Texas. Performance was compared for: total tree height; tree diameter; heigh to live tree crown; tree volume index,; incidence of fusiform rust (Cronartium quercuum [Berk.] Miyabe ex Shira if. sp. fusiforme); crookedness of stems; and survival rates. For these young trees, slash pine tended to perform better in southeast Texas than loblolly pine in total tree height, tree diameter, stem size, height to first live branch and stem straightness. However, loblolly pine was less susceptible to fusiform rust than slash pine, and its mortality rate was lower than slash pine. However, based on the performance of these young plantations, a recommendation the preferred pine species to plant in southeast Texas might be premature. South. J. Appl. For. 17(1): 26-31

Place-based marketing and wine tourism: creating a point of difference and economic sustainability for small wineries

The purpose of this paper is to explore how small-scale wineries and wine regions create a point of difference and economic sustainability in a competitive marketplace through utilizing regional place branding and cellar door visitation. This research is based on qualitative, semi-structured, in-depth interviews with winery owners/managers and additional wine and tourism stakeholders in a single case study: The Central Otago wine region in the South Island of New Zealand. In total, 39 interviews were conducted in 2007 and 2010. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, coded and categorized for analysis. Place marketing is a significant factor in the success of both regional and individual wine marketing initiatives, as it serves as a strategy of differentiation. Desirable regional attributes, as well as emotionally-appealing stories of the people and processes behind wine production, have been used deliberately by respondents in the marketing of Central Otago wine products and experiences. Respondents suggest that one of the most effective ways to facilitate a positive association between place and their product in the minds of consumers is through winery visitation, whereby visitors come to associate the region’s wines with the landscape and beauty of the area that they experience. Visitors also have the opportunity to experience the stories behind the wine, building emotional connections with the winery, and the region, which may ultimately lead to brand loyalty

Inhibitors of diacylglycerol metabolism suppress CCR2 receptor signalling in human monocytes

Background and purpose CCL2 is an inflammatory chemokine that stimulates the recruitment of monocytes into tissue via activation of the GPCR CCR2. Experimental approach Freshly isolated human monocytes and THP‐1 cells are used; Fura‐2 loaded cells used to measure intracellular Ca2+ responses; transwell migration; siRNA‐mediated gene knockdown. Key results We observed that CCL2 evokes intracellular Ca2+ signals and stimulates migration in THP‐1 monocytic cells and human CD14+ monocytes in a CCR2‐dependent fashion. Attenuation of diacylglycerol (DAG) catabolism in monocytes by inhibiting DAG kinase (R59949) or DAG lipase (RHC80267) activity suppresses CCL2‐evoked Ca2+ signalling and transwell migration in monocytes. These effects were not due to a reduction in the number of cell surface CCR2 receptors. The effect of DAG kinase or DAG lipase inhibition could be mimicked by the addition of the DAG analogue 1‐oleoyl‐2‐acetyl‐glycerol (OAG) but was not rescued by application of exogenous phosphatidylinositol 4,5‐bisphosphate. Suppressive effects of R59949, RHC80267 and OAG could be partially or fully reversed by the Gö6983 (pan PKC isoenzyme inhibitor) but not by Gö6976 (PKCα and PKCβ inhibitor). RNAi‐mediated knock‐down of DAG kinase α isoenzyme modulated CCL2‐evoked Ca2+ responses in THP‐1 cells. Conclusions & Implications Taken together, these data suggest that DAG production resulting from CCR2 activation is metabolised by both DAG kinase and DAG lipase pathways in monocytes, and that pharmacological inhibition of DAG catabolism or application suppresses signalling on the CCL2‐CCR2 axis via a mechanism dependent upon a PKC isoenzymes(s) that are sensitive to Gö6983 but not Gö6976

WITTEX: A Constellation of Three Small Satellite Radar Altimeters

WITTEX, named in honor of E. Witte, who in 1878 first discovered the geostrophic current equation, is an acronym for Water Inclination Topography and Technology Experiment. WITTEX consists of three co-planar small satellite radar altimeters launched on the same vehicle into a GEOSAT -class orbit. The proposed satellite constellation would support measurement for the first time of both orthogonal components of the ocean\u27s surface slope, rather than the single component seen by conventional instruments. The satellites are spaced by several kilometers along their orbit; Earth rotation causes their sub-satellite tracks to be laterally separated. Track separation can be readily adjusted by selection and autonomous control of inter-satellite spacing. If the satellite spacing were about 900 km, then the sub-satellite orbit tracks would fall approximately uniformly 53 km apart at the equator. This spacing is nearly optimal for observing oceanic eddy fields and surface energy transport. The enabling conceptual innovation is the delay-Doppler radar altimeter (DDA). Studies have shown that this technique yields more precise measurements than a conventional radar altimeter, yet it requires much less transmitted power. The notional instrument has two frequencies and an onboard water vapor radiometer, similar to TOPEX. The DDA approach, combined with recent advances in spacecraft technology, leads to substantial miniaturization; the goal is to use Pegasus as the launch vehicle. The enabling technologies include the Integrated Electronics Module (IEM), chip-on-board (COB), and the Command and Data Handling In-YourPalm (CDHIYP), all developed at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL). The WITTEX concept is a flexible, capable, unique, and cost-effective approach that will significantly advance the state of the art in both technical and scientific arenas

Assisting After Disaster: A Volunteer Management and Donations Management Training

Stakeholders in Mississippi perceived that Extension could lead volunteer management and donations management after a natural disaster. In response, Mississippi State University Extension professionals developed a training on volunteer management and donations management to supplement the existing Incident Management System/Incident Command System (ICS) curriculum. The training includes education on connecting volunteer management and donations management to local emergency planning, managing volunteers, managing goods and monetary donations, operating within ICS, and developing relationships between volunteer organizations and partners. The training has been pilot tested in Mississippi with promising preliminary results. Extension professionals elsewhere may benefit from similar trainings

Repetitive concussive and subconcussive injury in a human tau mouse model results in chronic cognitive dysfunction and disruption of white matter tracts, but not tau pathology

Due to the unmet need for a means to study chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in vivo, there have been numerous efforts to develop an animal model of this progressive tauopathy. However, there is currently no consensus in the field on an injury model that consistently reproduces the neuropathological and behavioral features of CTE. We have implemented a repetitive Closed-Head Impact Model of Engineered Rotational Acceleration (CHIMERA) injury paradigm in human transgenic (hTau) mice. Animals were subjected to daily subconcussive or concussive injuries for 20 days and tested acutely, 3 months, and 12 months post-injury for deficits in social behavior, anxiety, spatial learning and memory, and depressive behavior. Animals also were assessed for chronic tau pathology, astrogliosis, and white matter degeneration. Repetitive concussive injury caused acute deficits in Morris water maze performance, including reduced swimming speed and increased distance to the platform during visible and hidden platform phases that persisted during the subacute and chronic time-points following injury. We found evidence of white matter disruption in animals injured with subconcussive and concussive injuries, with the most severe disruption occurring in the repetitive concussive injury group. Severity of white matter disruption in the corpus callosum was moderately correlated with swimming speed, while white matter disruption in the fimbria showed weak but significant correlation with worse performance during probe trial. There was no evidence of tau pathology or astrogliosis in sham or injured animals. In summary, we show that repetitive brain injury produces persistent behavioral abnormalities as late as 1 year post-injury that may be related to chronic white matter disruption, although the relationship with CTE remains to be determined