614 research outputs found
Challenges in video based object detection in maritime scenario using computer vision
This paper discusses the technical challenges in maritime image processing
and machine vision problems for video streams generated by cameras. Even well
documented problems of horizon detection and registration of frames in a video
are very challenging in maritime scenarios. More advanced problems of
background subtraction and object detection in video streams are very
challenging. Challenges arising from the dynamic nature of the background,
unavailability of static cues, presence of small objects at distant
backgrounds, illumination effects, all contribute to the challenges as
discussed here
A Case Report of Puffer Fish Poisoning in Singapore
Although many Asians regard puffer fish as a delicacy since ancient times, puffer fish (Lageocephalus scitalleratus) is also a well-known source of possibly lethal food poisoning. The fish is gaining popularity in Singapore and can be found in quite a few restaurants now. Puffer fish contains tetrodotoxin (TTX), a potent poison affecting the neural pathway. Puffer fish poisoning may cause a constellation of symptoms, such as giddiness, numbness and tingling sensation of the mouth, paresthesia, and muscle weakness. Severe cases may present with respiratory depression, circulatory failure, and death. TTX poisonings have been reported in Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Bangladesh, and the United States (Haque et al. 2008). We report a case of mild poisoning and suggest observation for such cases
An objective based classification of aggregation techniques for wireless sensor networks
Wireless Sensor Networks have gained immense popularity in recent years due to their ever increasing capabilities and wide range of critical applications. A huge body of research efforts has been dedicated to find ways to utilize limited resources of these sensor nodes in an efficient manner. One of the common ways to minimize energy consumption has been aggregation of input data. We note that every aggregation technique has an improvement objective to achieve with respect to the output it produces. Each technique is designed to achieve some target e.g. reduce data size, minimize transmission energy, enhance accuracy etc. This paper presents a comprehensive survey of aggregation techniques that can be used in distributed manner to improve lifetime and energy conservation of wireless sensor networks. Main contribution of this work is proposal of a novel classification of such techniques based on the type of improvement they offer when applied to WSNs. Due to the existence of a myriad of definitions of aggregation, we first review the meaning of term aggregation that can be applied to WSN. The concept is then associated with the proposed classes. Each class of techniques is divided into a number of subclasses and a brief literature review of related work in WSN for each of these is also presented
Strong polarization-induced reduction of addition energies in single-molecule nanojunctions
We address polarization-induced renormalization of molecular levels in
solid-state based single-molecule transistors and focus on an organic conjugate
molecule where a surprisingly large reduction of the addition energy has been
observed. We have developed a scheme that combines a self-consistent solution
of a quantum chemical calculation with a realistic description of the screening
environment. Our results indeed show a large reduction, and we explain this to
be a consequence of both (a) a reduction of the electrostatic molecular
charging energy and (b) polarization induced level shifts of the HOMO and LUMO
levels. Finally, we calculate the charge stability diagram and explain at a
qualitative level general features observed experimentally.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure
Bayesian inverse problems for recovering coefficients of two scale elliptic equations
We consider the Bayesian inverse homogenization problem of recovering the
locally periodic two scale coefficient of a two scale elliptic equation, given
limited noisy information on the solution. We consider both the uniform and the
Gaussian prior probability measures. We use the two scale homogenized equation
whose solution contains the solution of the homogenized equation which
describes the macroscopic behaviour, and the corrector which encodes the
microscopic behaviour. We approximate the posterior probability by a
probability measure determined by the solution of the two scale homogenized
equation. We show that the Hellinger distance of these measures converges to
zero when the microscale converges to zero, and establish an explicit
convergence rate when the solution of the two scale homogenized equation is
sufficiently regular. Sampling the posterior measure by Markov Chain Monte
Carlo (MCMC) method, instead of solving the two scale equation using fine mesh
for each proposal with extremely high cost, we can solve the macroscopic two
scale homogenized equation. Although this equation is posed in a high
dimensional tensorized domain, it can be solved with essentially optimal
complexity by the sparse tensor product finite element method, which reduces
the computational complexity of the MCMC sampling method substantially. We show
numerically that observations on the macrosopic behaviour alone are not
sufficient to infer the microstructure. We need also observations on the
corrector. Solving the two scale homogenized equation, we get both the solution
to the homogenized equation and the corrector. Thus our method is particularly
suitable for sampling the posterior measure of two scale coefficients
Genomic catastrophes frequently arise in esophageal adenocarcinoma and drive tumorigenesis
Oesophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) incidence is rapidly increasing in Western countries. A better understanding of EAC underpins efforts to improve early detection and treatment outcomes. While large EAC exome sequencing efforts to date have found recurrent loss-offunction mutations, oncogenic driving events have been underrepresented. Here we use a combination of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and single-nucleotide polymorphism-array profiling to show that genomic catastrophes are frequent in EAC, with almost a third (32%, nÂĽ40/123) undergoing chromothriptic events. WGS of 22 EAC cases show that catastrophes may lead to oncogene amplification through chromothripsis-derived double-minute chromosome formation (MYC and MDM2) or breakage-fusion-bridge (KRAS, MDM2 and RFC3). Telomere shortening is more prominent in EACs bearing localized complex rearrangements. Mutational signature analysis also confirms that extreme genomic instability in EAC can be driven by somatic BRCA2 mutations. These findings suggest that genomic catastrophes have a significant role in the malignant transformation of EAC
Markers of Oxidative Damage Are Not Elevated in Otherwise Healthy Individuals With the Metabolic Syndrome
OBJECTIVE- The role of oxidative damage in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome is poorly understood. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS- A detailed cross-sectional study was performed to assess the relationship between lipid oxidation products, γ-glutamyltransferase, highsensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and phospholipase activities with respect to the metabolic status in a cohort of otherwise healthy individuals. RESULTS- A total of 179 individuals (87 men and 92 women) aged 43 ± 14 years (mean ± SD) participated in this study. There were no differences in the levels of plasma F 2-isoprostanes, hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids, cholesterol oxidation products, and phospholipase activities in individuals with features of metabolic syndrome. In multivariate analyses, serum hs-CRP was a consistent independent predictor of metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSIONS- Minimal changes were observed in multiple markers of oxidative damage in a well-characterized cohort of individuals with features of metabolic syndrome. © 2010 by the American Diabetes Association.link_to_subscribed_fulltex
A new computational method to split large biochemical networks into coherent subnets
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Compared to more general networks, biochemical networks have some special features: while generally sparse, there are a small number of highly connected metabolite nodes; and metabolite nodes can also be divided into two classes: internal nodes with associated mass balance constraints and external ones without. Based on these features, reclassifying selected internal nodes (separators) to external ones can be used to divide a large complex metabolic network into simpler subnetworks. Selection of separators based on node connectivity is commonly used but affords little detailed control and tends to produce excessive fragmentation.</p> <p>The method proposed here (Netsplitter) allows the user to control separator selection. It combines local connection degree partitioning with global connectivity derived from random walks on the network, to produce a more even distribution of subnetwork sizes. Partitioning is performed progressively and the interactive visual matrix presentation used allows the user considerable control over the process, while incorporating special strategies to maintain the network integrity and minimise the information loss due to partitioning.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Partitioning of a genome scale network of 1348 metabolites and 1468 reactions for <it>Arabidopsis thaliana </it>encapsulates 66% of the network into 10 medium sized subnets. Applied to the flavonoid subnetwork extracted in this way, it is shown that Netsplitter separates this naturally into four subnets with recognisable functionality, namely synthesis of lignin precursors, flavonoids, coumarin and benzenoids. A quantitative quality measure called <it>efficacy </it>is constructed and shows that the new method gives improved partitioning for several metabolic networks, including bacterial, plant and mammal species.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>For the examples studied the Netsplitter method is a considerable improvement on the performance of connection degree partitioning, giving a better balance of subnet sizes with the removal of fewer mass balance constraints. In addition, the user can interactively control which metabolite nodes are selected for cutting and when to stop further partitioning as the desired granularity has been reached. Finally, the blocking transformation at the heart of the procedure provides a powerful visual display of network structure that may be useful for its exploration independent of whether partitioning is required.</p
Quantum Smoluchowski equation: Escape from a metastable state
We develop a quantum Smoluchowski equation in terms of a true probability
distribution function to describe quantum Brownian motion in configuration
space in large friction limit at arbitrary temperature and derive the rate of
barrier crossing and tunneling within an unified scheme. The present treatment
is independent of path integral formalism and is based on canonical
quantization procedure.Comment: 10 pages, To appear in the Proceedings of Statphys - Kolkata I
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