Automatic Multilevel Feature Abstraction in Adaptable Machine Vision Systems

Vision is a complex task which can be accomplished with apparent ease by biological systems, but for which the design of artificial systems is difficult. Although machine vision systems can be successfully designed for a specific task, under certain conditions, they are likely to fail if circumstances change. This was the motivation for the research into ways in which systems can be self-designing and adaptable to new visual tasks. The research was conducted in three vital areas of concern for machine vision systems. The first area is finding a suitable architecture for forming an appropriate representation for the current task. The research investigated the application of Hypernetworks theory to building a multilevel, generally-applicable representation, through repeated application of a fundamental 'self-similarity' principle, that parts of objects assembled under a particular relation at one level, form whole objects at the next. Results show that this is potentially a powerful approach for autonomously generating an adaptable system-architecture suitable for multiple visual tasks. The second area is the autonomous extraction of suitable low-level features, which the research investigated through random generation of minimally-constrained pixel-configurations and algorithmic generation of homogeneous and heterogeneous polygons. The results suggest that, despite the simplicity of the features making them vulnerable to image transformations, these are promising approaches worth developing further. The third area is automatic feature selection. The research explored management of 'dimensionality' and of 'combinatorial explosion', as well as how to locate relevant features at multiple representation levels, in the context of 'emergence' of structure. Results indicate that this approach can find useful 'intermediate-level' constructs through analysis of the connectivity of the simplices representing objects at higher levels. The research concludes that the proposed novel approaches to tackling the above issues, in particular the application of hypernetworks to the formation of multilevel representations and the resulting emergence of higher-level structure, is fruitful

Conspiracy culture in America after World War II

Feminism has all too often been reified as a theoretical category. Specifically, Marxist critical categories fail to account for the integral importance of gender in any sociopolitical critique. This dissertation attempts to dereify gender and demonstrate a theoretical model that seamlessly integrates psychoanalysis, Marxism, and feminism. Conspiracy culture in America since World War II is an ideal aperture through which we may envision such a theoretical approach, and indeed see the critical need for such an approach. This dissertation looks at several post-war American conspiracy narratives, including Oliver Stone’s JFK and Nixon, Don DeLillo’s Libra, Sidney Lumet’s Fail Safe, John Frankenheimer’s The Manchurian Candidate, several novels by Philip K. Dick, and Fox Broadcast Network’s The X Files. Through this study of conspiracy culture we see the post-war construction of masculinity and its connections to economic structures

DNA repair in Bacteroides fragilis Bf-2

Bibliography:pages 157-175.Repair deficient mutants of Bacteroides fragilis have been isolated in order to study the responses of this organism to various DNA damaging agents at the physiological and molecular levels. Two types of mutants were isolated by ethyl methane sulphonate mutagenesis of B.fragilis followed by selection for sensitivity to mitomycin C. One mutant (UVS9) showed sensitivity to both mitomycin C and far-UV irradiation. The other (MTC25) was more sensitive to mitomycin C than UVS9, but showed wild-type resistance to UV radiation. Both mutant strains had wild-type resistance to methyl methane sulphonate

Canadian Municipalities and Services for Immigrants: A Toronto Case Study

The formal role of municipal governments in decision-making about immigration and settlement policies is limited. The Canada Ontario Immigration Agreement (COIA) represented an important step toward more effective collaboration between federal, municipal and provincial governments in this policy area. We investigate the circumstances that led to the inclusion of the City of Toronto as a signatory to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in COIA as well as how this tripartite agreement affected intergovernmental and multi-stakeholder partnerships. Although the MOU encouraged interaction between federal, provincial and municipal governments; the municipal role remained consultative. Our analysis suggests that the incorporation of municipalities in decision-making about settlement policies is limited by the practices of Canadian federalism and planning ideologies that emphasize municipal responsibility for an undifferentiated public

The Changing Role of Soft Money on Campaign Finance Reform.The Birth of the 527 and its Consequences.

In a time when record numbers of dollars are being spent on campaigns the unregulated dollars are flowing faster than ever. Hundreds of millions of dollars in independent expenditures are being used for “issue advocacy”, print and broadcast advertising, which does not expressly endorse or oppose a candidate for office. The one-time campaign finance ceiling has become the campaign finance basement. Individuals are able to give unlimited dollars to 527 organizations, which function outside of all campaign finance regulation and provide a new path for the flow of political dollars. Since the passage of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, commonly known as the McCain-Feingold Act, federally regulated lobbyists and PACS are being edged out of the political dollar due to contribution limits. It is in 1996 that we witness the birth of 527 organizations and the flourishing growth of soft money spending in the campaign process

Impact to alternative contracting methods using multivariate analysis in the regulatory environment

This research addresses legislative impediments inherent to working in the government construction industry by investigating whether benefits exist when using alternative project delivery methods, and whether legislative limitations allowing the use of alternative project delivery methods impede any such benefits from being realized. The research begins by defining the project delivery method process, and explains in detail the four primary types and how they function. The research then provides a qualitative study that presents the perceived advantages and disadvantages of each method. Then, a second literature review provides an overview of previously published research in project delivery method selection, and examines federal and state legislative trends to establish the growing debate associated with alternative project delivery methods, focusing on the design-build method of project delivery. Finally, a quantitative analysis is presented to test whether federal and state legislative limitations influence the realization of any benefits of alternative project delivery methods, and specifically design-build, for federal projects. Project characteristics from the U.S. General Services Administration Capital Construction Project database are tested. The research suggests that when an alternative project delivery method, specifically design-build, is chosen, there are benefits in time and cost savings, and the ability to use the alternative project delivery method is affected by the removal of federal and state legislative impediments.Ph.D.Committee Chair: Oberle, Rita A.; Committee Co-Chair: Castro-Lacouture, Daniel; Committee Member: Bluestein, Fradya; Committee Member: Dobbins, Michael; Committee Member: Roper, Kath

Conducting HIV Prevention Programs for the Severely Mentally Ill: An Assessment of Capacity Among HIV Prevention Programs Providers in the City and County of San Francisco

Recent studies have shown that the severely mentally ill (SMI) are at higher risk for HIV infection than the general population. At the same time, the number of HIV prevention programs available for this priority population is extremely low. The purpose of this study was to identify the extent to which community-based organizations conduct HIV prevention for severely mentally ill people. Telephone interviews with HIV prevention program managers in San Francisco were conducted over two weeks in 2003. Of the 21 agencies funded by the San Francisco Department of Public Health, only three agencies included severely mentally ill people as a priority population for their prevention efforts. However, 16 agencies reported that they provided prevention services to the SMI, even though they were not considered a priority risk population. Three providers reported no SMI among the population they served. Additional studies are also needed to examine the capacity building elements that are necessary for HIV prevention program providers to plan, design, and implement prevention programs tailored for SMI individuals

Design of a Conceptual Model for the Study of Education, Health, and Communication: Professional Preparation Issues

The purpose of our paper is to focus on the role of communication in health education, including the ways the three concepts of education, health, and communication are related. A traditional approach would be to study the integration of health and education leading to health education. However, a more progressive approach is to study communication in the context of health education in order to investigate the interdisciplinary nature of these triadic concepts. After naming three professional standards documents in preK-16 health education which highlight communication as both a concept and a skill, we will offer our schematic for how education, health, and communication interact to form the potential transdisciplinary concept of health literacy. We believe that health literacy can be explored as an integrative study of language patterns and information formats that is broader than the printed and spoken word. We conclude our paper with a review of current definitions for health literacy, and then share a description and outline of our graduate course called Health Communication and Education

An Education Programme to Encourage the Early Diagnosis of Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma

Cutaneous malignant melanoma is the third most common variety of skin cancer. Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma take first and second places respectively. Like the other two types of tumour, malignant melanoma occurs more commonly in sunny areas and the highest incidence rates are reported in countries near the equator. Basal and squamous carcinomas show a clear-cut relationship with chronic sun exposure occurring mainly in older age groups and on habitually exposed sites. Malignant melanomas, however, present in individuals with a mean age of only 48 years and may occur in both exposed and unexposed sites