WorldWideScience

Sample records for multi-resolution phylogenetic shadowing

  1. Orthology prediction at scalable resolution by phylogenetic tree analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huynen Martijn A

    2007-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Orthology is one of the cornerstones of gene function prediction. Dividing the phylogenetic relations between genes into either orthologs or paralogs is however an oversimplification. Already in two-species gene-phylogenies, the complicated, non-transitive nature of phylogenetic relations results in inparalogs and outparalogs. For situations with more than two species we lack semantics to specifically describe the phylogenetic relations, let alone to exploit them. Published procedures to extract orthologous groups from phylogenetic trees do not allow identification of orthology at various levels of resolution, nor do they document the relations between the orthologous groups. Results We introduce "levels of orthology" to describe the multi-level nature of gene relations. This is implemented in a program LOFT (Levels of Orthology From Trees that assigns hierarchical orthology numbers to genes based on a phylogenetic tree. To decide upon speciation and gene duplication events in a tree LOFT can be instructed either to perform classical species-tree reconciliation or to use the species overlap between partitions in the tree. The hierarchical orthology numbers assigned by LOFT effectively summarize the phylogenetic relations between genes. The resulting high-resolution orthologous groups are depicted in colour, facilitating visual inspection of (large trees. A benchmark for orthology prediction, that takes into account the varying levels of orthology between genes, shows that the phylogeny-based high-resolution orthology assignments made by LOFT are reliable. Conclusion The "levels of orthology" concept offers high resolution, reliable orthology, while preserving the relations between orthologous groups. A Windows as well as a preliminary Java version of LOFT is available from the LOFT website http://www.cmbi.ru.nl/LOFT.

  2. ANALYZING SPECTRAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SHADOW AREA FROM ADS-40 HIGH RADIOMETRIC RESOLUTION AERIAL IMAGES

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    Y.-T. Hsieh

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The shadows in optical remote sensing images are regarded as image nuisances in numerous applications. The classification and interpretation of shadow area in a remote sensing image are a challenge, because of the reduction or total loss of spectral information in those areas. In recent years, airborne multispectral aerial image devices have been developed 12-bit or higher radiometric resolution data, including Leica ADS-40, Intergraph DMC. The increased radiometric resolution of digital imagery provides more radiometric details of potential use in classification or interpretation of land cover of shadow areas. Therefore, the objectives of this study are to analyze the spectral properties of the land cover in the shadow areas by ADS-40 high radiometric resolution aerial images, and to investigate the spectral and vegetation index differences between the various shadow and non-shadow land covers. According to research findings of spectral analysis of ADS-40 image: (i The DN values in shadow area are much lower than in nonshadow area; (ii DN values received from shadowed areas that will also be affected by different land cover, and it shows the possibility of land cover property retrieval as in nonshadow area; (iii The DN values received from shadowed regions decrease in the visible band from short to long wavelengths due to scattering; (iv The shadow area NIR of vegetation category also shows a strong reflection; (v Generally, vegetation indexes (NDVI still have utility to classify the vegetation and non-vegetation in shadow area. The spectral data of high radiometric resolution images (ADS-40 is potential for the extract land cover information of shadow areas.

  3. Interprofessional education through shadowing experiences in multi-disciplinary clinical settings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Moore Ainsley E

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The World Health Organization has recently added Interprofessional Education (IPE to its global health agenda recognizing it as a necessary component of all health professionals' education. We suggest mandatory interprofessional shadowing experiences as a mechanism to be used by chiropractic institutions to address this agenda. IPE initiatives of other professions (pharmacy and medicine are described along with chiropractic. This relative comparison of professions local to our jurisdiction in Ontario, Canada is made so that the chiropractic profession may take note that they are behind other health care providers in implementing IPE. Interprofessional shadowing experiences would likely take place in a multi-disciplinary clinical setting. We offer an example of how two separate professions within a Family Health Team (FHT can work together in such a setting to enhance both student learning and patient care. For adult learners, using interprofessional shadowing experiences with learner-derived and active objectives across diverse health professional groups may help to improve the educational experience. Mandatory interprofessional shadowing experiences for chiropractors during their training can enhance future collaborative practice and provide success in reaching a goal common to each profession - improved patient care.

  4. Regulatory elements of the floral homeotic gene AGAMOUS identified by phylogenetic footprinting and shadowing.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hong, R. L., Hamaguchi, L., Busch, M. A., and Weigel, D.

    2003-06-01

    OAK-B135 In Arabidopsis thaliana, cis-regulatory sequences of the floral homeotic gene AGAMOUS (AG) are located in the second intron. This 3 kb intron contains binding sites for two direct activators of AG, LEAFY (LFY) and WUSCHEL (WUS), along with other putative regulatory elements. We have used phylogenetic footprinting and the related technique of phylogenetic shadowing to identify putative cis-regulatory elements in this intron. Among 29 Brassicaceae, several other motifs, but not the LFY and WUS binding sites previously identified, are largely invariant. Using reporter gene analyses, we tested six of these motifs and found that they are all functionally important for activity of AG regulatory sequences in A. thaliana. Although there is little obvious sequence similarity outside the Brassicaceae, the intron from cucumber AG has at least partial activity in A. thaliana. Our studies underscore the value of the comparative approach as a tool that complements gene-by-gene promoter dissection, but also highlight that sequence-based studies alone are insufficient for a complete identification of cis-regulatory sites.

  5. A robust object-based shadow detection method for cloud-free high resolution satellite images over urban areas and water bodies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tatar, Nurollah; Saadatseresht, Mohammad; Arefi, Hossein; Hadavand, Ahmad

    2018-06-01

    Unwanted contrast in high resolution satellite images such as shadow areas directly affects the result of further processing in urban remote sensing images. Detecting and finding the precise position of shadows is critical in different remote sensing processing chains such as change detection, image classification and digital elevation model generation from stereo images. The spectral similarity between shadow areas, water bodies, and some dark asphalt roads makes the development of robust shadow detection algorithms challenging. In addition, most of the existing methods work on pixel-level and neglect the contextual information contained in neighboring pixels. In this paper, a new object-based shadow detection framework is introduced. In the proposed method a pixel-level shadow mask is built by extending established thresholding methods with a new C4 index which enables to solve the ambiguity of shadow and water bodies. Then the pixel-based results are further processed in an object-based majority analysis to detect the final shadow objects. Four different high resolution satellite images are used to validate this new approach. The result shows the superiority of the proposed method over some state-of-the-art shadow detection method with an average of 96% in F-measure.

  6. High resolution shadow mask patterning in deep holes and its application to an electrical wafer feed-through

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Burger, G.J.; Burger, G.J.; Smulders, E.J.T.; Berenschot, Johan W.; Lammerink, Theodorus S.J.; Fluitman, J.H.J.; Imai, S.

    1995-01-01

    This paper presents a technique to pattern materials in deep holes and/or on non-planar substrate surfaces. A rather old technique, E-beam evaporation of metals through a shadow mask, is used [1]. The realisation of high resolution shadow masks using micromachining techniques is described. Further,

  7. Evaluation of different shadow detection and restoration methods and their impact on vegetation indices using UAV high-resolution imageries over vineyards

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    Aboutalebi, M.; Torres-Rua, A. F.; McKee, M.; Kustas, W. P.; Nieto, H.

    2017-12-01

    Shadows are an unavoidable component of high-resolution imagery. Although shadows can be a useful source of information about terrestrial features, they are a hindrance for image processing and lead to misclassification errors and increased uncertainty in defining surface reflectance properties. In precision agriculture activities, shadows may affect the performance of vegetation indices at pixel and plant scales. Thus, it becomes necessary to evaluate existing shadow detection and restoration methods, especially for applications that makes direct use of pixel information to estimate vegetation biomass, leaf area index (LAI), plant water use and stress, chlorophyll content, just to name a few. In this study, four high-resolution imageries captured by the Utah State University - AggieAir Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) system flown in 2014, 2015, and 2016 over a commercial vineyard located in the California for the USDA-Agricultural Research Service Grape Remote sensing Atmospheric Profile and Evapotranspiration Experiment (GRAPEX) Program are used for shadow detection and restoration. Four different methods for shadow detection are compared: (1) unsupervised classification, (2) supervised classification, (3) index-based method, and (4) physically-based method. Also, two different shadow restoration methods are evaluated: (1) linear correlation correction, and (2) gamma correction. The models' performance is evaluated over two vegetation indices: normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and LAI for both sunlit and shadowed pixels. Histogram and analysis of variance (ANOVA) are used as performance indicators. Results indicated that the performance of the supervised classification and the index-based method are better than other methods. In addition, there is a statistical difference between the average of NDVI and LAI on the sunlit and shadowed pixels. Among the shadow restoration methods, gamma correction visually works better than the linear correlation

  8. High-resolution phylogenetic microbial community profiling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Singer, Esther; Coleman-Derr, Devin; Bowman, Brett; Schwientek, Patrick; Clum, Alicia; Copeland, Alex; Ciobanu, Doina; Cheng, Jan-Fang; Gies, Esther; Hallam, Steve; Tringe, Susannah; Woyke, Tanja

    2014-03-17

    The representation of bacterial and archaeal genome sequences is strongly biased towards cultivated organisms, which belong to merely four phylogenetic groups. Functional information and inter-phylum level relationships are still largely underexplored for candidate phyla, which are often referred to as microbial dark matter. Furthermore, a large portion of the 16S rRNA gene records in the GenBank database are labeled as environmental samples and unclassified, which is in part due to low read accuracy, potential chimeric sequences produced during PCR amplifications and the low resolution of short amplicons. In order to improve the phylogenetic classification of novel species and advance our knowledge of the ecosystem function of uncultivated microorganisms, high-throughput full length 16S rRNA gene sequencing methodologies with reduced biases are needed. We evaluated the performance of PacBio single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing in high-resolution phylogenetic microbial community profiling. For this purpose, we compared PacBio and Illumina metagenomic shotgun and 16S rRNA gene sequencing of a mock community as well as of an environmental sample from Sakinaw Lake, British Columbia. Sakinaw Lake is known to contain a large age of microbial species from candidate phyla. Sequencing results show that community structure based on PacBio shotgun and 16S rRNA gene sequences is highly similar in both the mock and the environmental communities. Resolution power and community representation accuracy from SMRT sequencing data appeared to be independent of GC content of microbial genomes and was higher when compared to Illumina-based metagenome shotgun and 16S rRNA gene (iTag) sequences, e.g. full-length sequencing resolved all 23 OTUs in the mock community, while iTags did not resolve closely related species. SMRT sequencing hence offers various potential benefits when characterizing uncharted microbial communities.

  9. Physics of nuclear anti-shadowing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schmidt, I. [Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria, Dept. de Fisica, Valparaiso (Chile)

    2005-07-01

    Shadowing and anti-shadowing of the electromagnetic nuclear structure functions are produced by the coherence of multi-scattering quark nuclear processes. This picture leads to substantially different anti-shadowing for charged and neutral current processes, particularly in neutrino reactions, thus affecting the extraction of the weak-mixing angle sin{sup 2}({theta}{sub W}). We have found that the shadowing/anti-shadowing effect on the weak-mixing angle is approximately: {delta}sin{sup 2}({theta}{sub W}) = 0.001.

  10. Shadow Analysis Technique for Extraction of Building Height using High Resolution Satellite Single Image and Accuracy Assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raju, P. L. N.; Chaudhary, H.; Jha, A. K.

    2014-11-01

    These High resolution satellite data with metadata information is used to extract the height of the building using shadow. Proposed approach divides into two phases 1) rooftop and shadow extraction and 2) height estimation. Firstly the rooftop and shadow region were extracted by manual/ automatic methods using Example - Based and Rule - Based approaches. After feature extraction next step is estimating height of the building by taking rooftop in association with shadow using Ratio Method and by using the relation between sun-satellite geometry. The performance analysis shows the total mean error of height is 0.67 m from ratio method, 1.51 m from Example - Based Approach and 0.96 m from Rule - Based Approach. Analysis concluded that Ratio Method i.e. manual method is best for height estimation but it is time consuming so the automatic Rule Based approach is best for height estimation in comparison to Example Based Approach because it require more knowledge and selection of more training samples as well as slows the processing rate of the method.

  11. Metal shadowing for electron microscopy.

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    Hendricks, Gregory M

    2014-01-01

    Metal shadowing of bacteria, viruses, isolated molecules, and macromolecular assemblies is another high-resolution method for observing the ultrastructure of biological specimens. The actual procedure for producing a metal shadow is relatively simple; a heavy metal is evaporated from a source at an oblique angle to the specimen. The metal atoms pile up on the surfaces that face the source, but the surfaces away from the source are shielded and receive little metal deposit, creating a "shadow." However, the process of producing biological specimens that are suitable for metal shadowing can be very complex. There are a whole host of specimen preparation techniques that can precede metal shadowing, and all provide superior preservation in comparison to air drying, a required step in negative staining procedures. The physical forces present during air drying (i.e., surface tension of the water-air interface) will literally crush most biological specimens as they dry. In this chapter I explain the development of and procedures for the production of biological specimens from macromolecular assemblies (e.g., DNA and RNA), purified isolated molecules (e.g., proteins), and isolated viruses and bacteria preparations suitable for metal shadowing. A variation on this basic technique is to rotate the specimen during the metal deposition to produce a high-resolution three-dimensional rendering of the specimen.

  12. A multi-locus phylogenetic evaluation of Diaporthe (Phomopsis)

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    Udayanga, D.; Liu, X.; Crous, P.W.; McKenzie, E.H.C.; Chukeatirote, E.; Hyde, K.D.

    2012-01-01

    The genus Diaporthe (Phomopsis) includes important plant pathogenic fungi with wide host ranges and geographic distributions. In the present study, phylogenetic species recognition in Diaporthe is re-evaluated using a multi-locus phylogeny based on a combined data matrix of rDNA ITS, and partial

  13. Calibration of UAS imagery inside and outside of shadows for improved vegetation index computation

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    Bondi, Elizabeth; Salvaggio, Carl; Montanaro, Matthew; Gerace, Aaron D.

    2016-05-01

    Vegetation health and vigor can be assessed with data from multi- and hyperspectral airborne and satellite- borne sensors using index products such as the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). Recent advances in unmanned aerial systems (UAS) technology have created the opportunity to access these same image data sets in a more cost effective manner with higher temporal and spatial resolution. Another advantage of these systems includes the ability to gather data in almost any weather condition, including complete cloud cover, when data has not been available before from traditional platforms. The ability to collect in these varied conditions, meteorological and temporal, will present researchers and producers with many new challenges. Particularly, cloud shadows and self-shadowing by vegetation must be taken into consideration in imagery collected from UAS platforms to avoid variation in NDVI due to changes in illumination within a single scene, and between collection flights. A workflow is presented to compensate for variations in vegetation indices due to shadows and variation in illumination levels in high resolution imagery collected from UAS platforms. Other calibration methods that producers may currently be utilizing produce NDVI products that still contain shadow boundaries and variations due to illumination, whereas the final NDVI mosaic from this workflow does not.

  14. Study of African Dust with Multi-Wavelength Raman Lidar During "Shadow" Campaign in Senegal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Veselovskii, Igor; Goloub, Philippe; Podvin, Thierry; Bovchaliuk, Valentyn; Tanre, Didier; Derimian, Yevgeny; Korenskiy, Mikhail; Dubovik, Oleg

    2016-06-01

    West Africa and the adjacent oceanic regions are very important locations for studying dust properties and their influence on weather and climate. The SHADOW (Study of SaHAran Dust Over West Africa) campaign is performing a multi-scale and multi-laboratory study of aerosol properties and dynamics using a set of in situ and remote sensing instruments at an observation site located at IRD (Institute for Research and Development) Center, Mbour, Senegal (14°N, 17°W). In this paper, we present the results of lidar measurements performed during the first phase of SHADOW which occurred in March-April, 2015. The multiwavelength Mie-Raman lidar acquired 3β+2α+1δ measurements during this period. This set of measurements has permitted particle intensive properties such as extinction and backscattering Ångström exponents (BAE) for 355/532 nm wavelengths corresponding lidar ratios and depolarization ratio at 532 nm to be determined. The backscattering Ångström exponent during the dust episodes decreased to ~-0.7, while the extinction Ångström exponent though being negative, was greater than -0.2. Low values of BAE can likely be explained by an increase in the imaginary part of the dust refractive index at 355 nm compared to 532 nm.

  15. Shadow imaging of geosynchronous satellites

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    Douglas, Dennis Michael

    Geosynchronous (GEO) satellites are essential for modern communication networks. If communication to a GEO satellite is lost and a malfunction occurs upon orbit insertion such as a solar panel not deploying there is no direct way to observe it from Earth. Due to the GEO orbit distance of ~36,000 km from Earth's surface, the Rayleigh criteria dictates that a 14 m telescope is required to conventionally image a satellite with spatial resolution down to 1 m using visible light. Furthermore, a telescope larger than 30 m is required under ideal conditions to obtain spatial resolution down to 0.4 m. This dissertation evaluates a method for obtaining high spatial resolution images of GEO satellites from an Earth based system by measuring the irradiance distribution on the ground resulting from the occultation of the satellite passing in front of a star. The representative size of a GEO satellite combined with the orbital distance results in the ground shadow being consistent with a Fresnel diffraction pattern when observed at visible wavelengths. A measurement of the ground shadow irradiance is used as an amplitude constraint in a Gerchberg-Saxton phase retrieval algorithm that produces a reconstruction of the satellite's 2D transmission function which is analogous to a reverse contrast image of the satellite. The advantage of shadow imaging is that a terrestrial based redundant set of linearly distributed inexpensive small telescopes, each coupled to high speed detectors, is a more effective resolved imaging system for GEO satellites than a very large telescope under ideal conditions. Modeling and simulation efforts indicate sub-meter spatial resolution can be readily achieved using collection apertures of less than 1 meter in diameter. A mathematical basis is established for the treatment of the physical phenomena involved in the shadow imaging process. This includes the source star brightness and angular extent, and the diffraction of starlight from the satellite

  16. eShadow: A tool for comparing closely related sequences

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ovcharenko, Ivan; Boffelli, Dario; Loots, Gabriela G.

    2004-01-15

    Primate sequence comparisons are difficult to interpret due to the high degree of sequence similarity shared between such closely related species. Recently, a novel method, phylogenetic shadowing, has been pioneered for predicting functional elements in the human genome through the analysis of multiple primate sequence alignments. We have expanded this theoretical approach to create a computational tool, eShadow, for the identification of elements under selective pressure in multiple sequence alignments of closely related genomes, such as in comparisons of human to primate or mouse to rat DNA. This tool integrates two different statistical methods and allows for the dynamic visualization of the resulting conservation profile. eShadow also includes a versatile optimization module capable of training the underlying Hidden Markov Model to differentially predict functional sequences. This module grants the tool high flexibility in the analysis of multiple sequence alignments and in comparing sequences with different divergence rates. Here, we describe the eShadow comparative tool and its potential uses for analyzing both multiple nucleotide and protein alignments to predict putative functional elements. The eShadow tool is publicly available at http://eshadow.dcode.org/

  17. Low Frequency Shadowing of the Parkes Superb Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhat, N. D. R.; Kaplan, D. L.; Williams, A.; Wayth, R.

    2017-01-01

    The field of Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) is rapidly gaining momentum. Since their discovery in the Parkes high time resolution survey (Thornton et al. 2013), the number of reported FRB detections has more than tripled, and measurements have been made of their scattering, scintillation, polarisation and Faraday rotation properties, all of which helped to establish their astrophysical nature. Obser- vational evidence continues to mount in support of their extragalactic origin, and the world-wide competitive race is ramping up as a suite of new and existing instruments are gearing up to find them in large numbers. The SUPERB survey at Parkes has been conceived to realise the important goal of understanding the origin and progenitors of FRBs. An integral part of this survey is co-ordinated multi-wavelength follow-ups and shadowing. Our MWA-based shadowing efforts last year resulted in the first simultaneous multi-frequency observation of an FRB (albeit a non-detection at the MWA), and hence the first broadband limit on the spectral index, as reported in our Nature publication (Keane at al. 2016). After an year-long hiatus the SUPERB survey is scheduled to resume in December 2016. We propose to resume our MWA-based efforts by undertaking effective low-frequency shadowing that is uniquely possible with the MWA. Simultaneous detection of even a single a self-same FRB would bring in a huge science payoff and will yield the first unambiguous constraints on the spectral and scattering properties of FRBs, besides the prospects of sub-arc minute localisation that will be possible with the long baseline array of Phase 2 MWA. We propose to make use of unallocated blocks of time within the schedule, available outside the approved programs and the planned commissioning activities relating to Phase 2. This proposal will thus make excellent use of idle time for an exciting and very important science goal in the nascent field of FRB science.

  18. Angular difference feature extraction for urban scene classification using ZY-3 multi-angle high-resolution satellite imagery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Xin; Chen, Huijun; Gong, Jianya

    2018-01-01

    Spaceborne multi-angle images with a high-resolution are capable of simultaneously providing spatial details and three-dimensional (3D) information to support detailed and accurate classification of complex urban scenes. In recent years, satellite-derived digital surface models (DSMs) have been increasingly utilized to provide height information to complement spectral properties for urban classification. However, in such a way, the multi-angle information is not effectively exploited, which is mainly due to the errors and difficulties of the multi-view image matching and the inaccuracy of the generated DSM over complex and dense urban scenes. Therefore, it is still a challenging task to effectively exploit the available angular information from high-resolution multi-angle images. In this paper, we investigate the potential for classifying urban scenes based on local angular properties characterized from high-resolution ZY-3 multi-view images. Specifically, three categories of angular difference features (ADFs) are proposed to describe the angular information at three levels (i.e., pixel, feature, and label levels): (1) ADF-pixel: the angular information is directly extrapolated by pixel comparison between the multi-angle images; (2) ADF-feature: the angular differences are described in the feature domains by comparing the differences between the multi-angle spatial features (e.g., morphological attribute profiles (APs)). (3) ADF-label: label-level angular features are proposed based on a group of urban primitives (e.g., buildings and shadows), in order to describe the specific angular information related to the types of primitive classes. In addition, we utilize spatial-contextual information to refine the multi-level ADF features using superpixel segmentation, for the purpose of alleviating the effects of salt-and-pepper noise and representing the main angular characteristics within a local area. The experiments on ZY-3 multi-angle images confirm that the proposed

  19. Automatic Detection of Clouds and Shadows Using High Resolution Satellite Image Time Series

    Science.gov (United States)

    Champion, Nicolas

    2016-06-01

    Detecting clouds and their shadows is one of the primaries steps to perform when processing satellite images because they may alter the quality of some products such as large-area orthomosaics. The main goal of this paper is to present the automatic method developed at IGN-France for detecting clouds and shadows in a sequence of satellite images. In our work, surface reflectance orthoimages are used. They were processed from initial satellite images using a dedicated software. The cloud detection step consists of a region-growing algorithm. Seeds are firstly extracted. For that purpose and for each input ortho-image to process, we select the other ortho-images of the sequence that intersect it. The pixels of the input ortho-image are secondly labelled seeds if the difference of reflectance (in the blue channel) with overlapping ortho-images is bigger than a given threshold. Clouds are eventually delineated using a region-growing method based on a radiometric and homogeneity criterion. Regarding the shadow detection, our method is based on the idea that a shadow pixel is darker when comparing to the other images of the time series. The detection is basically composed of three steps. Firstly, we compute a synthetic ortho-image covering the whole study area. Its pixels have a value corresponding to the median value of all input reflectance ortho-images intersecting at that pixel location. Secondly, for each input ortho-image, a pixel is labelled shadows if the difference of reflectance (in the NIR channel) with the synthetic ortho-image is below a given threshold. Eventually, an optional region-growing step may be used to refine the results. Note that pixels labelled clouds during the cloud detection are not used for computing the median value in the first step; additionally, the NIR input data channel is used to perform the shadow detection, because it appeared to better discriminate shadow pixels. The method was tested on times series of Landsat 8 and Pl

  20. AUTOMATIC DETECTION OF CLOUDS AND SHADOWS USING HIGH RESOLUTION SATELLITE IMAGE TIME SERIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. Champion

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Detecting clouds and their shadows is one of the primaries steps to perform when processing satellite images because they may alter the quality of some products such as large-area orthomosaics. The main goal of this paper is to present the automatic method developed at IGN-France for detecting clouds and shadows in a sequence of satellite images. In our work, surface reflectance orthoimages are used. They were processed from initial satellite images using a dedicated software. The cloud detection step consists of a region-growing algorithm. Seeds are firstly extracted. For that purpose and for each input ortho-image to process, we select the other ortho-images of the sequence that intersect it. The pixels of the input ortho-image are secondly labelled seeds if the difference of reflectance (in the blue channel with overlapping ortho-images is bigger than a given threshold. Clouds are eventually delineated using a region-growing method based on a radiometric and homogeneity criterion. Regarding the shadow detection, our method is based on the idea that a shadow pixel is darker when comparing to the other images of the time series. The detection is basically composed of three steps. Firstly, we compute a synthetic ortho-image covering the whole study area. Its pixels have a value corresponding to the median value of all input reflectance ortho-images intersecting at that pixel location. Secondly, for each input ortho-image, a pixel is labelled shadows if the difference of reflectance (in the NIR channel with the synthetic ortho-image is below a given threshold. Eventually, an optional region-growing step may be used to refine the results. Note that pixels labelled clouds during the cloud detection are not used for computing the median value in the first step; additionally, the NIR input data channel is used to perform the shadow detection, because it appeared to better discriminate shadow pixels. The method was tested on times series of Landsat 8

  1. Shadow art

    KAUST Repository

    Mitra, Niloy J.

    2009-01-01

    "To them, I said, the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the images." - Plato, The Republic Shadow art is a unique form of sculptural art where the 2D shadows cast by a 3D sculpture are essential for the artistic effect. We introduce computational tools for the creation of shadow art and propose a design process where the user can directly specify the desired shadows by providing a set of binary images and corresponding projection information. Since multiple shadow images often contradict each other, we present a geometric optimization that computes a 3D shadow volume whose shadows best approximate the provided input images. Our analysis shows that this optimization is essential for obtaining physically realizable 3D sculptures. The resulting shadow volume can then be modified with a set of interactive editing tools that automatically respect the often intricate shadow constraints. We demonstrate the potential of our system with a number of complex 3D shadow art sculptures that go beyond what is seen in contemporary art pieces. © 2009 ACM.

  2. Fast and accurate phylogenetic reconstruction from high-resolution whole-genome data and a novel robustness estimator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Y; Rajan, V; Moret, B M E

    2011-09-01

    The rapid accumulation of whole-genome data has renewed interest in the study of genomic rearrangements. Comparative genomics, evolutionary biology, and cancer research all require models and algorithms to elucidate the mechanisms, history, and consequences of these rearrangements. However, even simple models lead to NP-hard problems, particularly in the area of phylogenetic analysis. Current approaches are limited to small collections of genomes and low-resolution data (typically a few hundred syntenic blocks). Moreover, whereas phylogenetic analyses from sequence data are deemed incomplete unless bootstrapping scores (a measure of confidence) are given for each tree edge, no equivalent to bootstrapping exists for rearrangement-based phylogenetic analysis. We describe a fast and accurate algorithm for rearrangement analysis that scales up, in both time and accuracy, to modern high-resolution genomic data. We also describe a novel approach to estimate the robustness of results-an equivalent to the bootstrapping analysis used in sequence-based phylogenetic reconstruction. We present the results of extensive testing on both simulated and real data showing that our algorithm returns very accurate results, while scaling linearly with the size of the genomes and cubically with their number. We also present extensive experimental results showing that our approach to robustness testing provides excellent estimates of confidence, which, moreover, can be tuned to trade off thresholds between false positives and false negatives. Together, these two novel approaches enable us to attack heretofore intractable problems, such as phylogenetic inference for high-resolution vertebrate genomes, as we demonstrate on a set of six vertebrate genomes with 8,380 syntenic blocks. A copy of the software is available on demand.

  3. Tuneable resolution as a systems biology approach for multi-scale, multi-compartment computational models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirschner, Denise E; Hunt, C Anthony; Marino, Simeone; Fallahi-Sichani, Mohammad; Linderman, Jennifer J

    2014-01-01

    The use of multi-scale mathematical and computational models to study complex biological processes is becoming increasingly productive. Multi-scale models span a range of spatial and/or temporal scales and can encompass multi-compartment (e.g., multi-organ) models. Modeling advances are enabling virtual experiments to explore and answer questions that are problematic to address in the wet-lab. Wet-lab experimental technologies now allow scientists to observe, measure, record, and analyze experiments focusing on different system aspects at a variety of biological scales. We need the technical ability to mirror that same flexibility in virtual experiments using multi-scale models. Here we present a new approach, tuneable resolution, which can begin providing that flexibility. Tuneable resolution involves fine- or coarse-graining existing multi-scale models at the user's discretion, allowing adjustment of the level of resolution specific to a question, an experiment, or a scale of interest. Tuneable resolution expands options for revising and validating mechanistic multi-scale models, can extend the longevity of multi-scale models, and may increase computational efficiency. The tuneable resolution approach can be applied to many model types, including differential equation, agent-based, and hybrid models. We demonstrate our tuneable resolution ideas with examples relevant to infectious disease modeling, illustrating key principles at work. © 2014 The Authors. WIREs Systems Biology and Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. Increasing phylogenetic resolution at low taxonomic levels using massively parallel sequencing of chloroplast genomes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cronn Richard

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Molecular evolutionary studies share the common goal of elucidating historical relationships, and the common challenge of adequately sampling taxa and characters. Particularly at low taxonomic levels, recent divergence, rapid radiations, and conservative genome evolution yield limited sequence variation, and dense taxon sampling is often desirable. Recent advances in massively parallel sequencing make it possible to rapidly obtain large amounts of sequence data, and multiplexing makes extensive sampling of megabase sequences feasible. Is it possible to efficiently apply massively parallel sequencing to increase phylogenetic resolution at low taxonomic levels? Results We reconstruct the infrageneric phylogeny of Pinus from 37 nearly-complete chloroplast genomes (average 109 kilobases each of an approximately 120 kilobase genome generated using multiplexed massively parallel sequencing. 30/33 ingroup nodes resolved with ≥ 95% bootstrap support; this is a substantial improvement relative to prior studies, and shows massively parallel sequencing-based strategies can produce sufficient high quality sequence to reach support levels originally proposed for the phylogenetic bootstrap. Resampling simulations show that at least the entire plastome is necessary to fully resolve Pinus, particularly in rapidly radiating clades. Meta-analysis of 99 published infrageneric phylogenies shows that whole plastome analysis should provide similar gains across a range of plant genera. A disproportionate amount of phylogenetic information resides in two loci (ycf1, ycf2, highlighting their unusual evolutionary properties. Conclusion Plastome sequencing is now an efficient option for increasing phylogenetic resolution at lower taxonomic levels in plant phylogenetic and population genetic analyses. With continuing improvements in sequencing capacity, the strategies herein should revolutionize efforts requiring dense taxon and character sampling

  5. Fully Convolutional Network Based Shadow Extraction from GF-2 Imagery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Z.; Cai, G.; Ren, H.

    2018-04-01

    There are many shadows on the high spatial resolution satellite images, especially in the urban areas. Although shadows on imagery severely affect the information extraction of land cover or land use, they provide auxiliary information for building extraction which is hard to achieve a satisfactory accuracy through image classification itself. This paper focused on the method of building shadow extraction by designing a fully convolutional network and training samples collected from GF-2 satellite imagery in the urban region of Changchun city. By means of spatial filtering and calculation of adjacent relationship along the sunlight direction, the small patches from vegetation or bridges have been eliminated from the preliminary extracted shadows. Finally, the building shadows were separated. The extracted building shadow information from the proposed method in this paper was compared with the results from the traditional object-oriented supervised classification algorihtms. It showed that the deep learning network approach can improve the accuracy to a large extent.

  6. Soft bilateral filtering volumetric shadows using cube shadow maps.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hatam H Ali

    Full Text Available Volumetric shadows often increase the realism of rendered scenes in computer graphics. Typical volumetric shadows techniques do not provide a smooth transition effect in real-time with conservation on crispness of boundaries. This research presents a new technique for generating high quality volumetric shadows by sampling and interpolation. Contrary to conventional ray marching method, which requires extensive time, this proposed technique adopts downsampling in calculating ray marching. Furthermore, light scattering is computed in High Dynamic Range buffer to generate tone mapping. The bilateral interpolation is used along a view rays to smooth transition of volumetric shadows with respect to preserving-edges. In addition, this technique applied a cube shadow map to create multiple shadows. The contribution of this technique isreducing the number of sample points in evaluating light scattering and then introducing bilateral interpolation to improve volumetric shadows. This contribution is done by removing the inherent deficiencies significantly in shadow maps. This technique allows obtaining soft marvelous volumetric shadows, having a good performance and high quality, which show its potential for interactive applications.

  7. Electric moving shadow garden

    OpenAIRE

    Bracey, Andrew

    2010-01-01

    Electric Moving Shadow Garden is a multi-directional exploration of the links between artists and cinema, with multiple reference and contextual points. it accompanied the exhibition, UnSpooling: Artists & Cinema, curated by Bracey and Dave Griffiths at Corernhouse, Manchester, who also edited the publication. Published to accompany the Cornerhouse exhibition, UnSpooling: Artists & Cinema, curated by artists Andrew Bracey and Dave Griffiths. This illustrated catalogue explores how internat...

  8. Medium Access Control for Opportunistic Concurrent Transmissions under Shadowing Channels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Son, In Keun; Mao, Shiwen; Hur, Seung Min

    2009-01-01

    We study the problem of how to alleviate the exposed terminal effect in multi-hop wireless networks in the presence of log-normal shadowing channels. Assuming node location information, we propose an extension of the IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol that sched-ules concurrent transmissions in the presence of log-normal shadowing, thus mitigating the exposed terminal problem and improving network throughput and delay performance. We observe considerable improvements in throughput and delay achieved over the IEEE 802.11 MAC under various network topologies and channel conditions in ns-2 simulations, which justify the importance of considering channel randomness in MAC protocol design for multi-hop wireless networks.

  9. Sparse PDF Volumes for Consistent Multi-Resolution Volume Rendering

    KAUST Repository

    Sicat, Ronell Barrera; Kruger, Jens; Moller, Torsten; Hadwiger, Markus

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents a new multi-resolution volume representation called sparse pdf volumes, which enables consistent multi-resolution volume rendering based on probability density functions (pdfs) of voxel neighborhoods. These pdfs are defined

  10. Simple Impact Crater Shapes From Shadows - The Sequel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chappelow, J. E.

    2008-12-01

    At the last LPSC meeting I presented the outline of a method for determining simple impact crater shapes from shadows. In theory the shadow cast within a simple crater provides enough information to derive its cross-sectional shape from shadow measurements, at least to the maximum depth to which the shadow extends. Under certain simple assumptions, this can be done analytically. If the crater is conic-section - shaped, then it can be shown that the down-sun bound of any shadow cast within it is elliptical, with one axis along the direction of illumination and the other (perpendicular to it) of semi-length D/2 (where D is diameter). The properties of this shadow-ellipse can be related to the parameters of the crater shape conic-section, thus measurements of the shadow-ellipse yield not only crater depth and diameter but also the approximate crater shape, in terms of conic sections. The method also does not depend upon the shadow crossing near the crater center, which avoids a pitfall of older shadow measurement methods. The technique is also amenable to computer implementation, which has already been largely completed. Once computerized, crater measurements can be made rapidly and repeatably. The program reads in an image, its resolution, and the solar elevation and azimuth. The user then defines the crater rim by 'clicking' on three points, and the shadow ellipse by clicking on two more. The program calculates and outputs the diameter, the depth, and parameters describing the crater's approximating conic-section. It is highly applicable to situations where only single-image photography is available, for example MESSENGER flybys of Mercury. At the meeting I will present the finished math for this method and give some examples of its use.

  11. Maximum likelihood phylogenetic reconstruction from high-resolution whole-genome data and a tree of 68 eukaryotes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Yu; Hu, Fei; Tang, Jijun; Moret, Bernard M E

    2013-01-01

    The rapid accumulation of whole-genome data has renewed interest in the study of the evolution of genomic architecture, under such events as rearrangements, duplications, losses. Comparative genomics, evolutionary biology, and cancer research all require tools to elucidate the mechanisms, history, and consequences of those evolutionary events, while phylogenetics could use whole-genome data to enhance its picture of the Tree of Life. Current approaches in the area of phylogenetic analysis are limited to very small collections of closely related genomes using low-resolution data (typically a few hundred syntenic blocks); moreover, these approaches typically do not include duplication and loss events. We describe a maximum likelihood (ML) approach for phylogenetic analysis that takes into account genome rearrangements as well as duplications, insertions, and losses. Our approach can handle high-resolution genomes (with 40,000 or more markers) and can use in the same analysis genomes with very different numbers of markers. Because our approach uses a standard ML reconstruction program (RAxML), it scales up to large trees. We present the results of extensive testing on both simulated and real data showing that our approach returns very accurate results very quickly. In particular, we analyze a dataset of 68 high-resolution eukaryotic genomes, with from 3,000 to 42,000 genes, from the eGOB database; the analysis, including bootstrapping, takes just 3 hours on a desktop system and returns a tree in agreement with all well supported branches, while also suggesting resolutions for some disputed placements.

  12. Moon and Sun shadow observation with IceCube

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bos, Fabian; Tenholt, Frederik; Becker-Tjus, Julia [Theoretische Physik, Ruhr-Universitaet, Bochum (Germany); Westerhoff, Stefan [University of Wisconsin, Madison (United States); Collaboration: IceCube-Collaboration

    2015-07-01

    The analysis of the Moon shadow is a standard method in IceCube to determine the angular resolution and absolute pointing capabilities of the IceCube detector at the geographic South Pole. The Sun has not been used as a calibrator thus far, as its shadow is expected to be influenced by the solar magnetic field, which deflects the cosmic rays near the solar surface. This, on the other hand, provides indirect pieces of information on the magnetic field structure of the Sun. This talk shows a first analysis of the Sun shadow with IceCube data. The analysis is based on the data of the detector configurations with 79 (IC79) and 86 strings (IC86) from 2010 through 2012. To examine the shadows, a binned method is used to compare all events from one on-source with two off-source windows. For the IC40 and IC59 configuration a deficit with a statistical significance of more than 6σ was observed.

  13. Shadow art

    KAUST Repository

    Mitra, Niloy J.; Pauly, Mark

    2009-01-01

    "To them, I said, the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the images." - Plato, The Republic Shadow art is a unique form of sculptural art where the 2D shadows cast by a 3D sculpture are essential for the artistic effect. We

  14. SHADOW DETECTION FROM VERY HIGH RESOLUTON SATELLITE IMAGE USING GRABCUT SEGMENTATION AND RATIO-BAND ALGORITHMS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. M. S. M. Kadhim

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Very-High-Resolution (VHR satellite imagery is a powerful source of data for detecting and extracting information about urban constructions. Shadow in the VHR satellite imageries provides vital information on urban construction forms, illumination direction, and the spatial distribution of the objects that can help to further understanding of the built environment. However, to extract shadows, the automated detection of shadows from images must be accurate. This paper reviews current automatic approaches that have been used for shadow detection from VHR satellite images and comprises two main parts. In the first part, shadow concepts are presented in terms of shadow appearance in the VHR satellite imageries, current shadow detection methods, and the usefulness of shadow detection in urban environments. In the second part, we adopted two approaches which are considered current state-of-the-art shadow detection, and segmentation algorithms using WorldView-3 and Quickbird images. In the first approach, the ratios between the NIR and visible bands were computed on a pixel-by-pixel basis, which allows for disambiguation between shadows and dark objects. To obtain an accurate shadow candidate map, we further refine the shadow map after applying the ratio algorithm on the Quickbird image. The second selected approach is the GrabCut segmentation approach for examining its performance in detecting the shadow regions of urban objects using the true colour image from WorldView-3. Further refinement was applied to attain a segmented shadow map. Although the detection of shadow regions is a very difficult task when they are derived from a VHR satellite image that comprises a visible spectrum range (RGB true colour, the results demonstrate that the detection of shadow regions in the WorldView-3 image is a reasonable separation from other objects by applying the GrabCut algorithm. In addition, the derived shadow map from the Quickbird image indicates

  15. Shadow Detection from Very High Resoluton Satellite Image Using Grabcut Segmentation and Ratio-Band Algorithms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kadhim, N. M. S. M.; Mourshed, M.; Bray, M. T.

    2015-03-01

    Very-High-Resolution (VHR) satellite imagery is a powerful source of data for detecting and extracting information about urban constructions. Shadow in the VHR satellite imageries provides vital information on urban construction forms, illumination direction, and the spatial distribution of the objects that can help to further understanding of the built environment. However, to extract shadows, the automated detection of shadows from images must be accurate. This paper reviews current automatic approaches that have been used for shadow detection from VHR satellite images and comprises two main parts. In the first part, shadow concepts are presented in terms of shadow appearance in the VHR satellite imageries, current shadow detection methods, and the usefulness of shadow detection in urban environments. In the second part, we adopted two approaches which are considered current state-of-the-art shadow detection, and segmentation algorithms using WorldView-3 and Quickbird images. In the first approach, the ratios between the NIR and visible bands were computed on a pixel-by-pixel basis, which allows for disambiguation between shadows and dark objects. To obtain an accurate shadow candidate map, we further refine the shadow map after applying the ratio algorithm on the Quickbird image. The second selected approach is the GrabCut segmentation approach for examining its performance in detecting the shadow regions of urban objects using the true colour image from WorldView-3. Further refinement was applied to attain a segmented shadow map. Although the detection of shadow regions is a very difficult task when they are derived from a VHR satellite image that comprises a visible spectrum range (RGB true colour), the results demonstrate that the detection of shadow regions in the WorldView-3 image is a reasonable separation from other objects by applying the GrabCut algorithm. In addition, the derived shadow map from the Quickbird image indicates significant performance of

  16. Phylogenetic resolution and habitat specificity of members of the Photobacterium phosphoreum species group.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ast, Jennifer C; Dunlap, Paul V

    2005-10-01

    Substantial ambiguity exists regarding the phylogenetic status of facultatively psychrophilic luminous bacteria identified as Photobacterium phosphoreum, a species thought to be widely distributed in the world's oceans and believed to be the specific bioluminescent light-organ symbiont of several deep-sea fishes. Members of the P. phosphoreum species group include luminous and non-luminous strains identified phenotypically from a variety of different habitats as well as phylogenetically defined lineages that appear to be evolutionarily distinct. To resolve this ambiguity and to begin developing a meaningful knowledge of the geographic distributions, habitats and symbiotic relationships of bacteria in the P. phosphoreum species group, we carried out a multilocus, fine-scale phylogenetic analysis based on sequences of the 16S rRNA, gyrB and luxABFE genes of many newly isolated luminous strains from symbiotic and saprophytic habitats, together with previously isolated luminous and non-luminous strains identified as P. phosphoreum from these and other habitats. Parsimony analysis unambiguously resolved three evolutionarily distinct clades, phosphoreum, iliopiscarium and kishitanii. The tight phylogenetic clustering within these clades and the distinct separation between them indicates they are different species, P. phosphoreum, Photobacterium iliopiscarium and the newly recognized 'Photobacterium kishitanii'. Previously reported non-luminous strains, which had been identified phenotypically as P. phosphoreum, resolved unambiguously as P. iliopiscarium, and all examined deep-sea fishes (specimens of families Chlorophthalmidae, Macrouridae, Moridae, Trachichthyidae and Acropomatidae) were found to harbour 'P. kishitanii', not P. phosphoreum, in their light organs. This resolution revealed also that 'P. kishitanii' is cosmopolitan in its geographic distribution. Furthermore, the lack of phylogenetic variation within 'P. kishitanii' indicates that this facultatively

  17. Sparse PDF Volumes for Consistent Multi-Resolution Volume Rendering

    KAUST Repository

    Sicat, Ronell Barrera

    2014-12-31

    This paper presents a new multi-resolution volume representation called sparse pdf volumes, which enables consistent multi-resolution volume rendering based on probability density functions (pdfs) of voxel neighborhoods. These pdfs are defined in the 4D domain jointly comprising the 3D volume and its 1D intensity range. Crucially, the computation of sparse pdf volumes exploits data coherence in 4D, resulting in a sparse representation with surprisingly low storage requirements. At run time, we dynamically apply transfer functions to the pdfs using simple and fast convolutions. Whereas standard low-pass filtering and down-sampling incur visible differences between resolution levels, the use of pdfs facilitates consistent results independent of the resolution level used. We describe the efficient out-of-core computation of large-scale sparse pdf volumes, using a novel iterative simplification procedure of a mixture of 4D Gaussians. Finally, our data structure is optimized to facilitate interactive multi-resolution volume rendering on GPUs.

  18. Adaptive multi-resolution Modularity for detecting communities in networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Shi; Wang, Zhi-Zhong; Bao, Mei-Hua; Tang, Liang; Zhou, Ji; Xiang, Ju; Li, Jian-Ming; Yi, Chen-He

    2018-02-01

    Community structure is a common topological property of complex networks, which attracted much attention from various fields. Optimizing quality functions for community structures is a kind of popular strategy for community detection, such as Modularity optimization. Here, we introduce a general definition of Modularity, by which several classical (multi-resolution) Modularity can be derived, and then propose a kind of adaptive (multi-resolution) Modularity that can combine the advantages of different Modularity. By applying the Modularity to various synthetic and real-world networks, we study the behaviors of the methods, showing the validity and advantages of the multi-resolution Modularity in community detection. The adaptive Modularity, as a kind of multi-resolution method, can naturally solve the first-type limit of Modularity and detect communities at different scales; it can quicken the disconnecting of communities and delay the breakup of communities in heterogeneous networks; and thus it is expected to generate the stable community structures in networks more effectively and have stronger tolerance against the second-type limit of Modularity.

  19. Real-time shadows

    CERN Document Server

    Eisemann, Elmar; Assarsson, Ulf; Wimmer, Michael

    2011-01-01

    Important elements of games, movies, and other computer-generated content, shadows are crucial for enhancing realism and providing important visual cues. In recent years, there have been notable improvements in visual quality and speed, making high-quality realistic real-time shadows a reachable goal. Real-Time Shadows is a comprehensive guide to the theory and practice of real-time shadow techniques. It covers a large variety of different effects, including hard, soft, volumetric, and semi-transparent shadows.The book explains the basics as well as many advanced aspects related to the domain

  20. Observation of the moon shadow in deep underground muon flux

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Allison, W. W. M.; Alner, G. J.; Ayres, D. S.; Cobb, J. H.; Fields, T. H.; Goodman, M. C.; Joffe-Minor, T.; Marshak, M. L.; Price, L. E.; Seidlein, R.; Thron, J. L.

    1999-01-01

    A shadow of the moon, with a statistical significance of 5σ, has been observed in the underground muon flux at a depth of 2090 mwe using the Soudan 2 detector. The angular resolution of the detector is well described by a Gaussian with σ le0.3degree. The position of the shadow confirms the alignment of the detector to better than 0.15degree. This alignment has remained stable during 10 years of data taking from 1989 through 1998

  1. Analysis of complete mitochondrial genomes from extinct and extant rhinoceroses reveals lack of phylogenetic resolution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Willerslev, Eske; Gilbert, M Thomas P; Binladen, Jonas; Ho, Simon YW; Campos, Paula F; Ratan, Aakrosh; Tomsho, Lynn P; da Fonseca, Rute R; Sher, Andrei; Kuznetsova, Tatanya V; Nowak-Kemp, Malgosia; Roth, Terri L; Miller, Webb; Schuster, Stephan C

    2009-01-01

    Background The scientific literature contains many examples where DNA sequence analyses have been used to provide definitive answers to phylogenetic problems that traditional (non-DNA based) approaches alone have failed to resolve. One notable example concerns the rhinoceroses, a group for which several contradictory phylogenies were proposed on the basis of morphology, then apparently resolved using mitochondrial DNA fragments. Results In this study we report the first complete mitochondrial genome sequences of the extinct ice-age woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis), and the threatened Javan (Rhinoceros sondaicus), Sumatran (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis), and black (Diceros bicornis) rhinoceroses. In combination with the previously published mitochondrial genomes of the white (Ceratotherium simum) and Indian (Rhinoceros unicornis) rhinoceroses, this data set putatively enables reconstruction of the rhinoceros phylogeny. While the six species cluster into three strongly supported sister-pairings: (i) The black/white, (ii) the woolly/Sumatran, and (iii) the Javan/Indian, resolution of the higher-level relationships has no statistical support. The phylogenetic signal from individual genes is highly diffuse, with mixed topological support from different genes. Furthermore, the choice of outgroup (horse vs tapir) has considerable effect on reconstruction of the phylogeny. The lack of resolution is suggestive of a hard polytomy at the base of crown-group Rhinocerotidae, and this is supported by an investigation of the relative branch lengths. Conclusion Satisfactory resolution of the rhinoceros phylogeny may not be achievable without additional analyses of substantial amounts of nuclear DNA. This study provides a compelling demonstration that, in spite of substantial sequence length, there are significant limitations with single-locus phylogenetics. We expect further examples of this to appear as next-generation, large-scale sequencing of complete mitochondrial

  2. Analysis of complete mitochondrial genomes from extinct and extant rhinoceroses reveals lack of phylogenetic resolution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nowak-Kemp Malgosia

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The scientific literature contains many examples where DNA sequence analyses have been used to provide definitive answers to phylogenetic problems that traditional (non-DNA based approaches alone have failed to resolve. One notable example concerns the rhinoceroses, a group for which several contradictory phylogenies were proposed on the basis of morphology, then apparently resolved using mitochondrial DNA fragments. Results In this study we report the first complete mitochondrial genome sequences of the extinct ice-age woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis, and the threatened Javan (Rhinoceros sondaicus, Sumatran (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis, and black (Diceros bicornis rhinoceroses. In combination with the previously published mitochondrial genomes of the white (Ceratotherium simum and Indian (Rhinoceros unicornis rhinoceroses, this data set putatively enables reconstruction of the rhinoceros phylogeny. While the six species cluster into three strongly supported sister-pairings: (i The black/white, (ii the woolly/Sumatran, and (iii the Javan/Indian, resolution of the higher-level relationships has no statistical support. The phylogenetic signal from individual genes is highly diffuse, with mixed topological support from different genes. Furthermore, the choice of outgroup (horse vs tapir has considerable effect on reconstruction of the phylogeny. The lack of resolution is suggestive of a hard polytomy at the base of crown-group Rhinocerotidae, and this is supported by an investigation of the relative branch lengths. Conclusion Satisfactory resolution of the rhinoceros phylogeny may not be achievable without additional analyses of substantial amounts of nuclear DNA. This study provides a compelling demonstration that, in spite of substantial sequence length, there are significant limitations with single-locus phylogenetics. We expect further examples of this to appear as next-generation, large-scale sequencing of complete

  3. Phylogenetic diversity and biodiversity indices on phylogenetic networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wicke, Kristina; Fischer, Mareike

    2018-04-01

    In biodiversity conservation it is often necessary to prioritize the species to conserve. Existing approaches to prioritization, e.g. the Fair Proportion Index and the Shapley Value, are based on phylogenetic trees and rank species according to their contribution to overall phylogenetic diversity. However, in many cases evolution is not treelike and thus, phylogenetic networks have been developed as a generalization of phylogenetic trees, allowing for the representation of non-treelike evolutionary events, such as hybridization. Here, we extend the concepts of phylogenetic diversity and phylogenetic diversity indices from phylogenetic trees to phylogenetic networks. On the one hand, we consider the treelike content of a phylogenetic network, e.g. the (multi)set of phylogenetic trees displayed by a network and the so-called lowest stable ancestor tree associated with it. On the other hand, we derive the phylogenetic diversity of subsets of taxa and biodiversity indices directly from the internal structure of the network. We consider both approaches that are independent of so-called inheritance probabilities as well as approaches that explicitly incorporate these probabilities. Furthermore, we introduce our software package NetDiversity, which is implemented in Perl and allows for the calculation of all generalized measures of phylogenetic diversity and generalized phylogenetic diversity indices established in this note that are independent of inheritance probabilities. We apply our methods to a phylogenetic network representing the evolutionary relationships among swordtails and platyfishes (Xiphophorus: Poeciliidae), a group of species characterized by widespread hybridization. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. MulRF: a software package for phylogenetic analysis using multi-copy gene trees.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaudhary, Ruchi; Fernández-Baca, David; Burleigh, John Gordon

    2015-02-01

    MulRF is a platform-independent software package for phylogenetic analysis using multi-copy gene trees. It seeks the species tree that minimizes the Robinson-Foulds (RF) distance to the input trees using a generalization of the RF distance to multi-labeled trees. The underlying generic tree distance measure and fast running time make MulRF useful for inferring phylogenies from large collections of gene trees, in which multiple evolutionary processes as well as phylogenetic error may contribute to gene tree discord. MulRF implements several features for customizing the species tree search and assessing the results, and it provides a user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI) with tree visualization. The species tree search is implemented in C++ and the GUI in Java Swing. MulRF's executable as well as sample datasets and manual are available at http://genome.cs.iastate.edu/CBL/MulRF/, and the source code is available at https://github.com/ruchiherself/MulRFRepo. ruchic@ufl.edu Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  5. STUDY ON SHADOW EFFECTS OF VARIOUS FEATURES ON CLOSE RANGE THERMAL IMAGES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. L. Liao

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Thermal infrared data become more popular in remote sensing investigation, for it could be acquired both in day and night. The change of temperature has special characteristic in natural environment, so the thermal infrared images could be used in monitoring volcanic landform, the urban development, and disaster prevention. Heat shadow is formed by reflecting radiating capacity which followed the objects. Because of poor spatial resolution of thermal infrared images in satellite sensor, shadow effects were usually ignored. This research focus on discussing the shadow effects of various features, which include metals and nonmetallic materials. An area-based thermal sensor, FLIR-T360 was selected to acquire thermal images. Various features with different emissivity were chosen as reflective surface to obtain thermal shadow in normal atmospheric temperature. Experiments found that the shadow effects depend on the distance between sensors and features, depression angle, object temperature and emissivity of reflective surface. The causes of shadow effects have been altered in the experiment for analyzing the variance in thermal infrared images. The result shows that there were quite different impacts by shadow effects between metals and nonmetallic materials. The further research would be produced a math model to describe the shadow effects of different features in the future work.

  6. Statistical Projections for Multi-resolution, Multi-dimensional Visual Data Exploration and Analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nguyen, Hoa T. [Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Stone, Daithi [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Bethel, E. Wes [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

    2016-01-01

    An ongoing challenge in visual exploration and analysis of large, multi-dimensional datasets is how to present useful, concise information to a user for some specific visualization tasks. Typical approaches to this problem have proposed either reduced-resolution versions of data, or projections of data, or both. These approaches still have some limitations such as consuming high computation or suffering from errors. In this work, we explore the use of a statistical metric as the basis for both projections and reduced-resolution versions of data, with a particular focus on preserving one key trait in data, namely variation. We use two different case studies to explore this idea, one that uses a synthetic dataset, and another that uses a large ensemble collection produced by an atmospheric modeling code to study long-term changes in global precipitation. The primary findings of our work are that in terms of preserving the variation signal inherent in data, that using a statistical measure more faithfully preserves this key characteristic across both multi-dimensional projections and multi-resolution representations than a methodology based upon averaging.

  7. A hardware architecture for real-time shadow removal in high-contrast video

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verdugo, Pablo; Pezoa, Jorge E.; Figueroa, Miguel

    2017-09-01

    Broadcasting an outdoor sports event at daytime is a challenging task due to the high contrast that exists between areas in the shadow and light conditions within the same scene. Commercial cameras typically do not handle the high dynamic range of such scenes in a proper manner, resulting in broadcast streams with very little shadow detail. We propose a hardware architecture for real-time shadow removal in high-resolution video, which reduces the shadow effect and simultaneously improves shadow details. The algorithm operates only on the shadow portions of each video frame, thus improving the results and producing more realistic images than algorithms that operate on the entire frame, such as simplified Retinex and histogram shifting. The architecture receives an input in the RGB color space, transforms it into the YIQ space, and uses color information from both spaces to produce a mask of the shadow areas present in the image. The mask is then filtered using a connected components algorithm to eliminate false positives and negatives. The hardware uses pixel information at the edges of the mask to estimate the illumination ratio between light and shadow in the image, which is then used to correct the shadow area. Our prototype implementation simultaneously processes up to 7 video streams of 1920×1080 pixels at 60 frames per second on a Xilinx Kintex-7 XC7K325T FPGA.

  8. Fast Occlusion and Shadow Detection for High Resolution Remote Sensing Image Combined with LIDAR Point Cloud

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, X.; Li, X.

    2012-08-01

    The orthophoto is an important component of GIS database and has been applied in many fields. But occlusion and shadow causes the loss of feature information which has a great effect on the quality of images. One of the critical steps in true orthophoto generation is the detection of occlusion and shadow. Nowadays LiDAR can obtain the digital surface model (DSM) directly. Combined with this technology, image occlusion and shadow can be detected automatically. In this paper, the Z-Buffer is applied for occlusion detection. The shadow detection can be regarded as a same problem with occlusion detection considering the angle between the sun and the camera. However, the Z-Buffer algorithm is computationally expensive. And the volume of scanned data and remote sensing images is very large. Efficient algorithm is another challenge. Modern graphics processing unit (GPU) is much more powerful than central processing unit (CPU). We introduce this technology to speed up the Z-Buffer algorithm and get 7 times increase in speed compared with CPU. The results of experiments demonstrate that Z-Buffer algorithm plays well in occlusion and shadow detection combined with high density of point cloud and GPU can speed up the computation significantly.

  9. FAST OCCLUSION AND SHADOW DETECTION FOR HIGH RESOLUTION REMOTE SENSING IMAGE COMBINED WITH LIDAR POINT CLOUD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    X. Hu

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available The orthophoto is an important component of GIS database and has been applied in many fields. But occlusion and shadow causes the loss of feature information which has a great effect on the quality of images. One of the critical steps in true orthophoto generation is the detection of occlusion and shadow. Nowadays LiDAR can obtain the digital surface model (DSM directly. Combined with this technology, image occlusion and shadow can be detected automatically. In this paper, the Z-Buffer is applied for occlusion detection. The shadow detection can be regarded as a same problem with occlusion detection considering the angle between the sun and the camera. However, the Z-Buffer algorithm is computationally expensive. And the volume of scanned data and remote sensing images is very large. Efficient algorithm is another challenge. Modern graphics processing unit (GPU is much more powerful than central processing unit (CPU. We introduce this technology to speed up the Z-Buffer algorithm and get 7 times increase in speed compared with CPU. The results of experiments demonstrate that Z-Buffer algorithm plays well in occlusion and shadow detection combined with high density of point cloud and GPU can speed up the computation significantly.

  10. MR-CDF: Managing multi-resolution scientific data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salem, Kenneth

    1993-01-01

    MR-CDF is a system for managing multi-resolution scientific data sets. It is an extension of the popular CDF (Common Data Format) system. MR-CDF provides a simple functional interface to client programs for storage and retrieval of data. Data is stored so that low resolution versions of the data can be provided quickly. Higher resolutions are also available, but not as quickly. By managing data with MR-CDF, an application can be relieved of the low-level details of data management, and can easily trade data resolution for improved access time.

  11. Coupled orbit-attitude motion of high area-to-mass ratio (HAMR) objects including efficient self-shadowing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Früh, Carolin; Jah, Moriba K.

    2014-02-01

    This paper shows the effect of self-shadowing on the coupled attitude-orbit dynamics of objects with high area-to-mass ratios (HAMR) in simulating standard multi layer insulation materials (MLI) as tilted single rigid sheets. Efficient and computationally fast self-shadowing methods have been developed. This includes an approximate self-shadowing method and a rapid exact self-shadowing method. Accuracy considerations are made and the effect of a chosen tessellation is shown. The coupled orbit-attitude perturbations of solar radiation pressure and Earth gravity field are taken into account. The results are compared to the attitude-orbit dynamics, when neglecting self-shadowing effects. An averaged physical shadow-map model is developed and compared to the full self-shadowing simulation. The combined effect of solar radiation pressure and self-shadowing leads to a rapid spin-up of the objects, even though they have uniform reflection properties. As a result, the observed brightness of these objects is subject to rapid changes.

  12. Increased phylogenetic resolution using target enrichment in Rubus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phylogenetic analyses in Rubus L. have been challenging due to polyploidy, hybridization, and apomixis within the genus. Wide morphological diversity occurs within and between species, contributing to challenges at lower and higher systematic levels. Phylogenetic inferences to date have been based o...

  13. High-resolution multi-slice PET

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yasillo, N.J.; Chintu Chen; Ordonez, C.E.; Kapp, O.H.; Sosnowski, J.; Beck, R.N.

    1992-01-01

    This report evaluates the progress to test the feasibility and to initiate the design of a high resolution multi-slice PET system. The following specific areas were evaluated: detector development and testing; electronics configuration and design; mechanical design; and system simulation. The design and construction of a multiple-slice, high-resolution positron tomograph will provide substantial improvements in the accuracy and reproducibility of measurements of the distribution of activity concentrations in the brain. The range of functional brain research and our understanding of local brain function will be greatly extended when the development of this instrumentation is completed

  14. Sampling strategies for improving tree accuracy and phylogenetic analyses: a case study in ciliate protists, with notes on the genus Paramecium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yi, Zhenzhen; Strüder-Kypke, Michaela; Hu, Xiaozhong; Lin, Xiaofeng; Song, Weibo

    2014-02-01

    In order to assess how dataset-selection for multi-gene analyses affects the accuracy of inferred phylogenetic trees in ciliates, we chose five genes and the genus Paramecium, one of the most widely used model protist genera, and compared tree topologies of the single- and multi-gene analyses. Our empirical study shows that: (1) Using multiple genes improves phylogenetic accuracy, even when their one-gene topologies are in conflict with each other. (2) The impact of missing data on phylogenetic accuracy is ambiguous: resolution power and topological similarity, but not number of represented taxa, are the most important criteria of a dataset for inclusion in concatenated analyses. (3) As an example, we tested the three classification models of the genus Paramecium with a multi-gene based approach, and only the monophyly of the subgenus Paramecium is supported. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Shadowing and hyperbolicity

    CERN Document Server

    Pilyugin, Sergei Yu

    2017-01-01

    Focusing on the theory of shadowing of approximate trajectories (pseudotrajectories) of dynamical systems, this book surveys recent progress in establishing relations between shadowing and such basic notions from the classical theory of structural stability as hyperbolicity and transversality. Special attention is given to the study of "quantitative" shadowing properties, such as Lipschitz shadowing (it is shown that this property is equivalent to structural stability both for diffeomorphisms and smooth flows), and to the passage to robust shadowing (which is also equivalent to structural stability in the case of diffeomorphisms, while the situation becomes more complicated in the case of flows). Relations between the shadowing property of diffeomorphisms on their chain transitive sets and the hyperbolicity of such sets are also described. The book will allow young researchers in the field of dynamical systems to gain a better understanding of new ideas in the global qualitative theory. It will also be of int...

  16. An ROI multi-resolution compression method for 3D-HEVC

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ti, Chunli; Guan, Yudong; Xu, Guodong; Teng, Yidan; Miao, Xinyuan

    2017-09-01

    3D High Efficiency Video Coding (3D-HEVC) provides a significant potential on increasing the compression ratio of multi-view RGB-D videos. However, the bit rate still rises dramatically with the improvement of the video resolution, which will bring challenges to the transmission network, especially the mobile network. This paper propose an ROI multi-resolution compression method for 3D-HEVC to better preserve the information in ROI on condition of limited bandwidth. This is realized primarily through ROI extraction and compression multi-resolution preprocessed video as alternative data according to the network conditions. At first, the semantic contours are detected by the modified structured forests to restrain the color textures inside objects. The ROI is then determined utilizing the contour neighborhood along with the face region and foreground area of the scene. Secondly, the RGB-D videos are divided into slices and compressed via 3D-HEVC under different resolutions for selection by the audiences and applications. Afterwards, the reconstructed low-resolution videos from 3D-HEVC encoder are directly up-sampled via Laplace transformation and used to replace the non-ROI areas of the high-resolution videos. Finally, the ROI multi-resolution compressed slices are obtained by compressing the ROI preprocessed videos with 3D-HEVC. The temporal and special details of non-ROI are reduced in the low-resolution videos, so the ROI will be better preserved by the encoder automatically. Experiments indicate that the proposed method can keep the key high-frequency information with subjective significance while the bit rate is reduced.

  17. Phylogenetic inferences of Atelinae (Platyrrhini) based on multi-directional chromosome painting in Brachyteles arachnoides, Ateles paniscus paniscus and Ateles b. marginatus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Oliveira, E H C; Neusser, M; Pieczarka, J C; Nagamachi, C; Sbalqueiro, I J; Müller, S

    2005-01-01

    We performed multi-directional chromosome painting in a comparative cytogenetic study of the three Atelinae species Brachyteles arachnoides, Ateles paniscus paniscus and Ateles belzebuth marginatus, in order to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships within this Platyrrhini subfamily. Comparative chromosome maps between these species were established by multi-color fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) employing human, Saguinus oedipus and Lagothrix lagothricha chromosome-specific probes. The three species included in this study and four previously analyzed species from all four Atelinae genera were subjected to a phylogenetic analysis on the basis of a data matrix comprised of 82 discrete chromosome characters. The results confirmed that Atelinae represent a monophyletic clade with a putative ancestral karyotype of 2n = 62 chromosomes. Phylogenetic analysis revealed an evolutionary branching sequence [Alouatta [Brachyteles [Lagothrix and Ateles

  18. Shadow algorithms data miner

    CERN Document Server

    Woo, Andrew

    2012-01-01

    Digital shadow generation continues to be an important aspect of visualization and visual effects in film, games, simulations, and scientific applications. This resource offers a thorough picture of the motivations, complexities, and categorized algorithms available to generate digital shadows. From general fundamentals to specific applications, it addresses shadow algorithms and how to manage huge data sets from a shadow perspective. The book also examines the use of shadow algorithms in industrial applications, in terms of what algorithms are used and what software is applicable.

  19. Large-Scale Multi-Resolution Representations for Accurate Interactive Image and Volume Operations

    KAUST Repository

    Sicat, Ronell B.

    2015-11-25

    The resolutions of acquired image and volume data are ever increasing. However, the resolutions of commodity display devices remain limited. This leads to an increasing gap between data and display resolutions. To bridge this gap, the standard approach is to employ output-sensitive operations on multi-resolution data representations. Output-sensitive operations facilitate interactive applications since their required computations are proportional only to the size of the data that is visible, i.e., the output, and not the full size of the input. Multi-resolution representations, such as image mipmaps, and volume octrees, are crucial in providing these operations direct access to any subset of the data at any resolution corresponding to the output. Despite its widespread use, this standard approach has some shortcomings in three important application areas, namely non-linear image operations, multi-resolution volume rendering, and large-scale image exploration. This dissertation presents new multi-resolution representations for large-scale images and volumes that address these shortcomings. Standard multi-resolution representations require low-pass pre-filtering for anti- aliasing. However, linear pre-filters do not commute with non-linear operations. This becomes problematic when applying non-linear operations directly to any coarse resolution levels in standard representations. Particularly, this leads to inaccurate output when applying non-linear image operations, e.g., color mapping and detail-aware filters, to multi-resolution images. Similarly, in multi-resolution volume rendering, this leads to inconsistency artifacts which manifest as erroneous differences in rendering outputs across resolution levels. To address these issues, we introduce the sparse pdf maps and sparse pdf volumes representations for large-scale images and volumes, respectively. These representations sparsely encode continuous probability density functions (pdfs) of multi-resolution pixel

  20. 3D Spatial and Spectral Fusion of Terrestrial Hyperspectral Imagery and Lidar for Hyperspectral Image Shadow Restoration Applied to a Geologic Outcrop

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hartzell, P. J.; Glennie, C. L.; Hauser, D. L.; Okyay, U.; Khan, S.; Finnegan, D. C.

    2016-12-01

    Recent advances in remote sensing technology have expanded the acquisition and fusion of active lidar and passive hyperspectral imagery (HSI) from an exclusively airborne technique to terrestrial modalities. This enables high resolution 3D spatial and spectral quantification of vertical geologic structures for applications such as virtual 3D rock outcrop models for hydrocarbon reservoir analog analysis and mineral quantification in open pit mining environments. In contrast to airborne observation geometry, the vertical surfaces observed by horizontal-viewing terrestrial HSI sensors are prone to extensive topography-induced solar shadowing, which leads to reduced pixel classification accuracy or outright removal of shadowed pixels from analysis tasks. Using a precisely calibrated and registered offset cylindrical linear array camera model, we demonstrate the use of 3D lidar data for sub-pixel HSI shadow detection and the restoration of the shadowed pixel spectra via empirical methods that utilize illuminated and shadowed pixels of similar material composition. We further introduce a new HSI shadow restoration technique that leverages collocated backscattered lidar intensity, which is resistant to solar conditions, obtained by projecting the 3D lidar points through the HSI camera model into HSI pixel space. Using ratios derived from the overlapping lidar laser and HSI wavelengths, restored shadow pixel spectra are approximated using a simple scale factor. Simulations of multiple lidar wavelengths, i.e., multi-spectral lidar, indicate the potential for robust HSI spectral restoration that is independent of the complexity and costs associated with rigorous radiometric transfer models, which have yet to be developed for horizontal-viewing terrestrial HSI sensors. The spectral restoration performance is quantified through HSI pixel classification consistency between full sun and partial sun exposures of a single geologic outcrop.

  1. Super-resolution mapping using multi-viewing CHRIS/PROBA data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dwivedi, Manish; Kumar, Vinay

    2016-04-01

    High-spatial resolution Remote Sensing (RS) data provides detailed information which ensures high-definition visual image analysis of earth surface features. These data sets also support improved information extraction capabilities at a fine scale. In order to improve the spatial resolution of coarser resolution RS data, the Super Resolution Reconstruction (SRR) technique has become widely acknowledged which focused on multi-angular image sequences. In this study multi-angle CHRIS/PROBA data of Kutch area is used for SR image reconstruction to enhance the spatial resolution from 18 m to 6m in the hope to obtain a better land cover classification. Various SR approaches like Projection onto Convex Sets (POCS), Robust, Iterative Back Projection (IBP), Non-Uniform Interpolation and Structure-Adaptive Normalized Convolution (SANC) chosen for this study. Subjective assessment through visual interpretation shows substantial improvement in land cover details. Quantitative measures including peak signal to noise ratio and structural similarity are used for the evaluation of the image quality. It was observed that SANC SR technique using Vandewalle algorithm for the low resolution image registration outperformed the other techniques. After that SVM based classifier is used for the classification of SRR and data resampled to 6m spatial resolution using bi-cubic interpolation. A comparative analysis is carried out between classified data of bicubic interpolated and SR derived images of CHRIS/PROBA and SR derived classified data have shown a significant improvement of 10-12% in the overall accuracy. The results demonstrated that SR methods is able to improve spatial detail of multi-angle images as well as the classification accuracy.

  2. Using targeted enrichment of nuclear genes to increase phylogenetic resolution in the neotropical rain forest genus Inga (Leguminosae: Mimosoideae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    James A Nicholls

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Evolutionary radiations are prominent and pervasive across many plant lineages in diverse geographical and ecological settings; in neotropical rainforests there is growing evidence suggesting that a significant fraction of species richness is the result of recent radiations. Understanding the evolutionary trajectories and mechanisms underlying these radiations demands much greater phylogenetic resolution than is currently available for these groups. The neotropical tree genus Inga (Leguminosae is a good example, with ~300 extant species and a crown age of 2-10 MY, yet over 6kb of plastid and nuclear DNA sequence data gives only poor phylogenetic resolution among species. Here we explore the use of larger-scale nuclear gene data obtained though targeted enrichment to increase phylogenetic resolution within Inga. Transcriptome data from three Inga species were used to select 264 nuclear loci for targeted enrichment and sequencing. Following quality control to remove probable paralogs from these sequence data, the final dataset comprised 259,313 bases from 194 loci for 24 accessions representing 22 Inga species and an outgroup (Zygia. Bayesian phylogenies reconstructed using either all loci concatenated or a subset of 60 loci in a gene-tree/species-tree approach yielded highly resolved phylogenies. We used coalescent approaches to show that the same targeted enrichment data also have significant power to discriminate among alternative within-species population histories in the widespread species I. umbellifera. In either application, targeted enrichment simplifies the informatics challenge of identifying orthologous loci associated with de novo genome sequencing. We conclude that targeted enrichment provides the large volumes of phylogenetically-informative sequence data required to resolve relationships within recent plant species radiations, both at the species level and for within-species phylogeographic studies.

  3. Orthology prediction at scalable resolution by phylogenetic tree analysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Heijden, R.T.J.M. van der; Snel, B.; Noort, V. van; Huynen, M.A.

    2007-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Orthology is one of the cornerstones of gene function prediction. Dividing the phylogenetic relations between genes into either orthologs or paralogs is however an oversimplification. Already in two-species gene-phylogenies, the complicated, non-transitive nature of phylogenetic

  4. Single Image Super-Resolution Based on Multi-Scale Competitive Convolutional Neural Network.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Du, Xiaofeng; Qu, Xiaobo; He, Yifan; Guo, Di

    2018-03-06

    Deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are successful in single-image super-resolution. Traditional CNNs are limited to exploit multi-scale contextual information for image reconstruction due to the fixed convolutional kernel in their building modules. To restore various scales of image details, we enhance the multi-scale inference capability of CNNs by introducing competition among multi-scale convolutional filters, and build up a shallow network under limited computational resources. The proposed network has the following two advantages: (1) the multi-scale convolutional kernel provides the multi-context for image super-resolution, and (2) the maximum competitive strategy adaptively chooses the optimal scale of information for image reconstruction. Our experimental results on image super-resolution show that the performance of the proposed network outperforms the state-of-the-art methods.

  5. Assessment of multipath and shadowing effects on UHF band in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In this work, the multi-path and shadowing effects on signal impairment were investigated through the use of empirical and semi-empirical path loss models analysis in built-up environments. Electromagnetic field strength measurements were conducted using four television transmitters at UHF bands along four major routes ...

  6. What is shadow banking?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Claessens, S.; Ratnovski, L.

    2014-01-01

    There is much confusion about what shadow banking is. Some equate it with securitization, others with non-traditional bank activities, and yet others with non-bank lending. Regardless, most think of shadow banking as activities that can create systemic risk. This paper proposes to describe shadow

  7. MISLEADING SHADOW

    OpenAIRE

    Sreenivas; Chandrasekhar

    2015-01-01

    In a suspected foreign body of bronchus or esophagus a radiograph of chest is essential and sometimes artifacts on radiographs mislead the treating doctor. A round radio opaque shadow on a radiograph of chest in a child who was operated for atrial septal defect mislead for a coin in esophagus and knowledge of the shadow avoided major surgical intervention .

  8. Radioisotope imaging using gamma-ray shadow hologram

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kojima, Kazuhiko; Itaya, Gensei; Hisada, Kin-ichi.

    1975-01-01

    Use of holography for the imaging of radioisotope distribution, reported by Barrett, H.H. in 1972, has been marked as a new γ-ray imaging. Generally, in optical fields, holography was often used for recording and processing three dimensional images by coherent waves such as laser beams. However, γ-rays are incoherent and are not condensed by optical lenses. So it was necessary that the holograms of incoherent sources were formed without optical lenses. A method which records the shadows of on axis zone plate with a Fresnnel diffraction pattern was used for obtaining an incoherent hologram. This method has the advantages of improved resolution and γ-ray detection efficiency, and also has a constitution of this system which is simple and economical. But, the disadvantage is, that the process consists of two steps, forming holograms and reconstructing images. The fundamental problems of γ-ray holograms and the practicabilities of γ-ray imaging of this method were discussed. In this system medical x-ray films combined with industrial intensifying screens were used as detectors, and γ-ray shadow holograms were obtained for about 3 minutes. From the shadow holograms, images were reconstructed, using a parallel laser beams, (He-Ne laser, single mode, 6328 A, 1mW). The zone plate consisted of coaxial lead rings with 10 open zones. The aperture area of this zone plate collimator was several hundreds times larger than the pinhole, so the detection efficiency, of γ-rays was improved. Using sup(99m)Tc 10 mCi as a γ-ray source, an attempt was made to image points, English characters and thyroid phantoms, and these reconstructed images were shown. An image resolution of 3-5 mm was obtained in the reconstructed image of an object at a distance of 10 cm from the collimator. (auth.)

  9. Application of multi-scale wavelet entropy and multi-resolution Volterra models for climatic downscaling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sehgal, V.; Lakhanpal, A.; Maheswaran, R.; Khosa, R.; Sridhar, Venkataramana

    2018-01-01

    This study proposes a wavelet-based multi-resolution modeling approach for statistical downscaling of GCM variables to mean monthly precipitation for five locations at Krishna Basin, India. Climatic dataset from NCEP is used for training the proposed models (Jan.'69 to Dec.'94) and are applied to corresponding CanCM4 GCM variables to simulate precipitation for the validation (Jan.'95-Dec.'05) and forecast (Jan.'06-Dec.'35) periods. The observed precipitation data is obtained from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) gridded precipitation product at 0.25 degree spatial resolution. This paper proposes a novel Multi-Scale Wavelet Entropy (MWE) based approach for clustering climatic variables into suitable clusters using k-means methodology. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is used to obtain the representative Principal Components (PC) explaining 90-95% variance for each cluster. A multi-resolution non-linear approach combining Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) and Second Order Volterra (SoV) is used to model the representative PCs to obtain the downscaled precipitation for each downscaling location (W-P-SoV model). The results establish that wavelet-based multi-resolution SoV models perform significantly better compared to the traditional Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) based frameworks. It is observed that the proposed MWE-based clustering and subsequent PCA, helps reduce the dimensionality of the input climatic variables, while capturing more variability compared to stand-alone k-means (no MWE). The proposed models perform better in estimating the number of precipitation events during the non-monsoon periods whereas the models with clustering without MWE over-estimate the rainfall during the dry season.

  10. Shadowing in dynamical systems

    CERN Document Server

    Pilyugin, Sergei Yu

    1999-01-01

    This book is an introduction to the theory of shadowing of approximate trajectories in dynamical systems by exact ones. This is the first book completely devoted to the theory of shadowing. It shows the importance of shadowing theory for both the qualitative theory of dynamical systems and the theory of numerical methods. Shadowing Methods allow us to estimate differences between exact and approximate solutions on infinite time intervals and to understand the influence of error terms. The book is intended for specialists in dynamical systems, for researchers and graduate students in the theory of numerical methods.

  11. Innocent Body-Shadow Mimics Physical Body

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kenri Kodaka

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available The paradigm of the rubber hand illusion was applied to a shadow to determine whether the body-shadow is a good candidate for the alternative belonging to our body. Three kinds of shadows, a physical hand, a hand-shaped cloth, and a rectangle cloth, were tested for this purpose. The questionnaire results showed that both anatomical similarity and visuo-proprioception correlation were effective in enhancing illusory ownership of the shadow. According to the proprioceptive drift measurement, whether the shadow purely originated from the physical body was a critical factor in yielding the significantly positive drift. Thus, results demonstrated that the shadow can distort illusory ownership with the rubber hand illusion paradigm, but the proprioception was clearly distorted only when the body-shadow was purely applied. This implies the presence of special cognitive processing to discriminate the self-body shadow from the others.

  12. A multi-resolution approach to heat kernels on discrete surfaces

    KAUST Repository

    Vaxman, Amir; Ben-Chen, Mirela; Gotsman, Craig

    2010-01-01

    process - limits this type of analysis to 3D models of modest resolution. We show how to use the unique properties of the heat kernel of a discrete two dimensional manifold to overcome these limitations. Combining a multi-resolution approach with a novel

  13. Shadow Corrosion Mechanism of Zircaloy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ullberg, Mats; Lysell, Gunnar; Nystrand, Ann-Charlotte

    2004-02-01

    Local corrosion enhancement appears on zirconium-base alloys in-core in boiling water reactors when the zirconium alloy is in close proximity to another metal. The visual appearance often resembles a shadow of the other component. The phenomenon is therefore referred to as 'shadow corrosion'. Shadow corrosion has been known for more than 25 years. Mechanisms based on either galvanic corrosion or local radiolysis effects have been proposed as explanations. Both types of mechanism have seemed to explain some facets of the phenomenon. Normally, shadow corrosion is of no practical significance. However, an enhanced and potentially serious form of shadow corrosion was discovered in 1996. This discovery stimulated new experiments that fully supported neither of the longstanding theories. Thus, there is till now no generally accepted understanding of the shadow corrosion phenomenon. The aim of the present investigation was to analyse the available data and to identify, if possible, a plausible mechanism of shadow corrosion. It was found that the experimental evidence is, with a few exceptions, remarkably consistent with a galvanic mechanism. The main exception is that shadow corrosion may occur also when the two metals are nominally electrically insulated. One way to account for the main exception could be to invoke the effect of photoconductivity. Photoconductivity results when a semiconductor or an insulator is irradiated with photons of UV or higher energy. The photons elevate electrons from the valence band to the conduction band, thereby raising the electron conductivity of the solid. In particular, photoconductivity lowers the electrical resistance of the normally insulating oxide on zirconium base alloys. Photoconductivity therefore also has the potential to explain why shadow corrosion is only seen in, or in proximity to, a nuclear reactor core. The suggested mechanism of shadow corrosion can be tested in a reasonably simple experiment in a research reactor

  14. EFFECTIVE MULTI-RESOLUTION TRANSFORM IDENTIFICATION FOR CHARACTERIZATION AND CLASSIFICATION OF TEXTURE GROUPS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Arivazhagan

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Texture classification is important in applications of computer image analysis for characterization or classification of images based on local spatial variations of intensity or color. Texture can be defined as consisting of mutually related elements. This paper proposes an experimental approach for identification of suitable multi-resolution transform for characterization and classification of different texture groups based on statistical and co-occurrence features derived from multi-resolution transformed sub bands. The statistical and co-occurrence feature sets are extracted for various multi-resolution transforms such as Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT, Stationary Wavelet Transform (SWT, Double Density Wavelet Transform (DDWT and Dual Tree Complex Wavelet Transform (DTCWT and then, the transform that maximizes the texture classification performance for the particular texture group is identified.

  15. Phylogenetic inferences of Atelinae (Platyrrhini) based on multi-directional chromosome painting in Brachyteles arachnoides, Ateles paniscus paniscus and Ateles b. marginatus

    OpenAIRE

    de Oliveira, EHC; Neusser, M.; Pieczarka, J. C.; Nagamachi, C.; Sbalqueiro, I. J.; Müller, Stefan

    2005-01-01

    We performed multi-directional chromosome painting in a comparative cytogenetic study of the three Atelinae species Brachyteles arachnoides, Ateles paniscus paniscus and Ateles belzebuth marginatus, in order to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships within this Platyrrhini subfamily. Comparative chromosome maps between these species were established by multi-color fluorescence in situ hybridization ( FISH) employing human, Saguinus oedipus and Lagothrix lagothricha chromosome-specific probes....

  16. CGLXTouch: A multi-user multi-touch approach for ultra-high-resolution collaborative workspaces

    KAUST Repository

    Ponto, Kevin

    2011-06-01

    This paper presents an approach for empowering collaborative workspaces through ultra-high resolution tiled display environments concurrently interfaced with multiple multi-touch devices. Multi-touch table devices are supported along with portable multi-touch tablet and phone devices, which can be added to and removed from the system on the fly. Events from these devices are tagged with a device identifier and are synchronized with the distributed display environment, enabling multi-user support. As many portable devices are not equipped to render content directly, a remotely scene is streamed in. The presented approach scales for large numbers of devices, providing access to a multitude of hands-on techniques for collaborative data analysis. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Molecular evolution of ependymin and the phylogenetic resolution of early divergences among euteleost fishes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ortí, G; Meyer, A

    1996-04-01

    this pattern should also be observed using other phylogenetic markers. Poor conservation of ependymin's primary structure hinders the design of efficient primers for PCR that could be used in wide-ranging fish systematic studies. However, alternative methods like PCR amplification from cDNA used here should provide promising comparative sequence data for the resolution of phylogenetic relationships among other basal lineages of teleost fishes.

  18. Comparative evolutionary diversity and phylogenetic structure across multiple forest dynamics plots: a mega-phylogeny approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Lee Erickson

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Forest dynamics plots, which now span longitudes, latitudes, and habitat types across the globe, offer unparalleled insights into the ecological and evolutionary processes that determine how species are assembled into communities. Understanding phylogenetic relationships among species in a community has become an important component of assessing assembly processes. However, the application of evolutionary information to questions in community ecology has been limited in large part by the lack of accurate estimates of phylogenetic relationships among individual species found within communities, and is particularly limiting in comparisons between communities. Therefore, streamlining and maximizing the information content of these community phylogenies is a priority. To test the viability and advantage of a multi-community phylogeny, we constructed a multi-plot mega-phylogeny of 1,347 species of trees across 15 forest dynamics plots in the ForestGEO network using DNA barcode sequence data (rbcL, matK and psbA-trnH and compared community phylogenies for each individual plot with respect to support for topology and branch lengths, which affect evolutionary inference of community processes. The levels of taxonomic differentiation across the phylogeny were examined by quantifying the frequency of resolved nodes throughout. In addition, three phylogenetic distance metrics that are commonly used to infer assembly processes were estimated for each plot (Phylogenetic Distance [PD], Mean Phylogenetic Distance [MPD], and Mean Nearest Taxon Distance [MNTD]. Lastly, we examine the partitioning of phylogenetic diversity among community plots through quantification of inter-community MPD and MNTD. Overall, evolutionary relationships were highly resolved across the DNA barcode-based mega-phylogeny, and phylogenetic resolution for each community plot was improved when estimated within the context of the mega-phylogeny. Likewise, when compared with phylogenies for

  19. Cryptography with chaos and shadowing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smaoui, Nejib; Kanso, Ali

    2009-01-01

    In this paper, we present a novel approach to encrypt a message (a text composed by some alphabets) using chaos and shadowing. First, we generate a numerical chaotic orbit based on the logistic map, and use the shadowing algorithm of Smaoui and Kostelich [Smaoui N, Kostelich E. Using chaos to shadow the quadratic map for all time. Int J Comput Math 1998;70:117-29] to show that there exists a finite number of true orbits that shadow the numerical orbit. Then, the finite number of maps generated is used in Baptista's algorithm [Baptista MS. Cryptography with chaos. Phys Lett A 1998;240:50-4] to encrypt each character of the message. It is shown that the use of chaos and shadowing in the encryption process enhances the security level.

  20. Cryptography with chaos and shadowing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Smaoui, Nejib [Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 5969, Safat 13060 (Kuwait)], E-mail: nsmaoui64@yahoo.com; Kanso, Ali [Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 5969, Safat 13060 (Kuwait)], E-mail: akanso@hotmail.com

    2009-11-30

    In this paper, we present a novel approach to encrypt a message (a text composed by some alphabets) using chaos and shadowing. First, we generate a numerical chaotic orbit based on the logistic map, and use the shadowing algorithm of Smaoui and Kostelich [Smaoui N, Kostelich E. Using chaos to shadow the quadratic map for all time. Int J Comput Math 1998;70:117-29] to show that there exists a finite number of true orbits that shadow the numerical orbit. Then, the finite number of maps generated is used in Baptista's algorithm [Baptista MS. Cryptography with chaos. Phys Lett A 1998;240:50-4] to encrypt each character of the message. It is shown that the use of chaos and shadowing in the encryption process enhances the security level.

  1. Building Shadow Detection from Ghost Imagery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, G.; Sha, J.; Yue, T.; Wang, Q.; Liu, X.; Huang, S.; Pan, Q.; Wei, J.

    2018-05-01

    Shadow is one of the basic features of remote sensing image, it expresses a lot of information of the object which is loss or interference, and the removal of shadow is always a difficult problem to remote sensing image processing. In this paper, it is mainly analyzes the characteristics and properties of shadows from the ghost image (traditional orthorectification). The DBM and the interior and exterior orientation elements of the image are used to calculate the zenith angle of sun. Then this paper combines the scope of the architectural shadows which has be determined by the zenith angle of sun with the region growing method to make the detection of architectural shadow areas. This method lays a solid foundation for the shadow of the repair from the ghost image later. It will greatly improve the accuracy of shadow detection from buildings and make it more conducive to solve the problem of urban large-scale aerial imagines.

  2. BUILDING SHADOW DETECTION FROM GHOST IMAGERY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Zhou

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Shadow is one of the basic features of remote sensing image, it expresses a lot of information of the object which is loss or interference, and the removal of shadow is always a difficult problem to remote sensing image processing. In this paper, it is mainly analyzes the characteristics and properties of shadows from the ghost image (traditional orthorectification. The DBM and the interior and exterior orientation elements of the image are used to calculate the zenith angle of sun. Then this paper combines the scope of the architectural shadows which has be determined by the zenith angle of sun with the region growing method to make the detection of architectural shadow areas. This method lays a solid foundation for the shadow of the repair from the ghost image later. It will greatly improve the accuracy of shadow detection from buildings and make it more conducive to solve the problem of urban large-scale aerial imagines.

  3. Reference resolution in multi-modal interaction: Preliminary observations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    González González, G.R.; Nijholt, Antinus

    2002-01-01

    In this paper we present our research on multimodal interaction in and with virtual environments. The aim of this presentation is to emphasize the necessity to spend more research on reference resolution in multimodal contexts. In multi-modal interaction the human conversational partner can apply

  4. Reference Resolution in Multi-modal Interaction: Position paper

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fernando, T.; Nijholt, Antinus

    2002-01-01

    In this position paper we present our research on multimodal interaction in and with virtual environments. The aim of this presentation is to emphasize the necessity to spend more research on reference resolution in multimodal contexts. In multi-modal interaction the human conversational partner can

  5. Underwater video enhancement using multi-camera super-resolution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quevedo, E.; Delory, E.; Callicó, G. M.; Tobajas, F.; Sarmiento, R.

    2017-12-01

    Image spatial resolution is critical in several fields such as medicine, communications or satellite, and underwater applications. While a large variety of techniques for image restoration and enhancement has been proposed in the literature, this paper focuses on a novel Super-Resolution fusion algorithm based on a Multi-Camera environment that permits to enhance the quality of underwater video sequences without significantly increasing computation. In order to compare the quality enhancement, two objective quality metrics have been used: PSNR (Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio) and the SSIM (Structural SIMilarity) index. Results have shown that the proposed method enhances the objective quality of several underwater sequences, avoiding the appearance of undesirable artifacts, with respect to basic fusion Super-Resolution algorithms.

  6. Dostoevsky's Shadows

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ioana Cristina Nicolae

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, I bring to light Jung’s Shadow archetype in Dostoevsky’s works and also analyzes their implications in the structure of his characters. Taking into account that the Russian writer’s creation is vast, I shall select a limited number of his works, namely ‘The Possessed’; ‘Crime and Punishment’; ‘The Brothers Karamazov’; ‘Notes from Underground’ and ‘The Double’. We are all burdened with our Shadow and must strive to overcome it, but what happens if we fail or never even try to master it? Raskolnikov’s attempt to free himself from the chains of his Shadow was too late, he had already committed the murder, but not in vain, he succeeded in redeeming himself, and so his effort must be taken into account. This does not help him to avoid the punishment, but offers him a chance after serving it. On the other hand, Smerdyakov’s case is different: he made no attempt to overcome his Shadow, the only argument that he brought in his favor being that he acted fuelled by the desire of fulfilling his brother’s wish. It is clear that, he has no chance for a better future and the fault lies with him because he did not create that chance. Dostoevsky’s characters always seem to be ruled by a tragic destiny, an unlucky fate from which they cannot escape.

  7. Preliminary results of the Moon shadow using ARGO-YBJ detector

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang Yungang [Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences 19B Yuquan Lu, Shijingshan, Beijing, 100049 (China)], E-mail: wangyg@mail.ihep.ac.cn

    2008-01-15

    ARGO-YBJ is a 'full coverage' air shower detector consisting of Resistive Plate Chambers(RPCs) at the Yangbajing High Altitude Cosmic Ray Laboratory (Tibet, China) at 4300 m a.s.l. (lat=30.11{sup o} N, long=90.53{sup o} E). Using the data collected with a carpet of RPCs (1900 m{sup 2}, about 1/3 of the whole ARGO-YBJ detector), the cosmic ray shadowing effect due to the Moon was studied. The 50% angular resolution is found to be {approx}1.2{sup o} with the Chess-board method and the Moon shadow with a significance of 4.9 {sigma} is found displaced by 0.7{sup o} westward and 0.5{sup o} northward with respect to the expected position by the equi-zenith angle Method.

  8. Multi-Resolution Multimedia QoE Models for IPTV Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Prasad Calyam

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Internet television (IPTV is rapidly gaining popularity and is being widely deployed in content delivery networks on the Internet. In order to proactively deliver optimum user quality of experience (QoE for IPTV, service providers need to identify network bottlenecks in real time. In this paper, we develop psycho-acoustic-visual models that can predict user QoE of multimedia applications in real time based on online network status measurements. Our models are neural network based and cater to multi-resolution IPTV applications that include QCIF, QVGA, SD, and HD resolutions encoded using popular audio and video codec combinations. On the network side, our models account for jitter and loss levels, as well as router queuing disciplines: packet-ordered and time-ordered FIFO. We evaluate the performance of our multi-resolution multimedia QoE models in terms of prediction characteristics, accuracy, speed, and consistency. Our evaluation results demonstrate that the models are pertinent for real-time QoE monitoring and resource adaptation in IPTV content delivery networks.

  9. What Colour Is a Shadow?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hughes, S. W.

    2009-01-01

    What colour is a shadow? Black, grey, or some other colour? This article describes how to use a digital camera to test the hypothesis that a shadow under a clear blue sky has a blue tint. A white sheet of A4 paper was photographed in full sunlight and in shadow under a clear blue sky. The images were analysed using a shareware program called…

  10. Shadow detection and removal in RGB VHR images for land use unsupervised classification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Movia, A.; Beinat, A.; Crosilla, F.

    2016-09-01

    Nowadays, high resolution aerial images are widely available thanks to the diffusion of advanced technologies such as UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) and new satellite missions. Although these developments offer new opportunities for accurate land use analysis and change detection, cloud and terrain shadows actually limit benefits and possibilities of modern sensors. Focusing on the problem of shadow detection and removal in VHR color images, the paper proposes new solutions and analyses how they can enhance common unsupervised classification procedures for identifying land use classes related to the CO2 absorption. To this aim, an improved fully automatic procedure has been developed for detecting image shadows using exclusively RGB color information, and avoiding user interaction. Results show a significant accuracy enhancement with respect to similar methods using RGB based indexes. Furthermore, novel solutions derived from Procrustes analysis have been applied to remove shadows and restore brightness in the images. In particular, two methods implementing the so called "anisotropic Procrustes" and the "not-centered oblique Procrustes" algorithms have been developed and compared with the linear correlation correction method based on the Cholesky decomposition. To assess how shadow removal can enhance unsupervised classifications, results obtained with classical methods such as k-means, maximum likelihood, and self-organizing maps, have been compared to each other and with a supervised clustering procedure.

  11. From learning taxonomies to phylogenetic learning: Integration of 16S rRNA gene data into FAME-based bacterial classification

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    Background Machine learning techniques have shown to improve bacterial species classification based on fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) data. Nonetheless, FAME analysis has a limited resolution for discrimination of bacteria at the species level. In this paper, we approach the species classification problem from a taxonomic point of view. Such a taxonomy or tree is typically obtained by applying clustering algorithms on FAME data or on 16S rRNA gene data. The knowledge gained from the tree can then be used to evaluate FAME-based classifiers, resulting in a novel framework for bacterial species classification. Results In view of learning in a taxonomic framework, we consider two types of trees. First, a FAME tree is constructed with a supervised divisive clustering algorithm. Subsequently, based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, phylogenetic trees are inferred by the NJ and UPGMA methods. In this second approach, the species classification problem is based on the combination of two different types of data. Herein, 16S rRNA gene sequence data is used for phylogenetic tree inference and the corresponding binary tree splits are learned based on FAME data. We call this learning approach 'phylogenetic learning'. Supervised Random Forest models are developed to train the classification tasks in a stratified cross-validation setting. In this way, better classification results are obtained for species that are typically hard to distinguish by a single or flat multi-class classification model. Conclusions FAME-based bacterial species classification is successfully evaluated in a taxonomic framework. Although the proposed approach does not improve the overall accuracy compared to flat multi-class classification, it has some distinct advantages. First, it has better capabilities for distinguishing species on which flat multi-class classification fails. Secondly, the hierarchical classification structure allows to easily evaluate and visualize the resolution of FAME data for

  12. From learning taxonomies to phylogenetic learning: Integration of 16S rRNA gene data into FAME-based bacterial classification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dawyndt Peter

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Machine learning techniques have shown to improve bacterial species classification based on fatty acid methyl ester (FAME data. Nonetheless, FAME analysis has a limited resolution for discrimination of bacteria at the species level. In this paper, we approach the species classification problem from a taxonomic point of view. Such a taxonomy or tree is typically obtained by applying clustering algorithms on FAME data or on 16S rRNA gene data. The knowledge gained from the tree can then be used to evaluate FAME-based classifiers, resulting in a novel framework for bacterial species classification. Results In view of learning in a taxonomic framework, we consider two types of trees. First, a FAME tree is constructed with a supervised divisive clustering algorithm. Subsequently, based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, phylogenetic trees are inferred by the NJ and UPGMA methods. In this second approach, the species classification problem is based on the combination of two different types of data. Herein, 16S rRNA gene sequence data is used for phylogenetic tree inference and the corresponding binary tree splits are learned based on FAME data. We call this learning approach 'phylogenetic learning'. Supervised Random Forest models are developed to train the classification tasks in a stratified cross-validation setting. In this way, better classification results are obtained for species that are typically hard to distinguish by a single or flat multi-class classification model. Conclusions FAME-based bacterial species classification is successfully evaluated in a taxonomic framework. Although the proposed approach does not improve the overall accuracy compared to flat multi-class classification, it has some distinct advantages. First, it has better capabilities for distinguishing species on which flat multi-class classification fails. Secondly, the hierarchical classification structure allows to easily evaluate and visualize the

  13. From learning taxonomies to phylogenetic learning: integration of 16S rRNA gene data into FAME-based bacterial classification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slabbinck, Bram; Waegeman, Willem; Dawyndt, Peter; De Vos, Paul; De Baets, Bernard

    2010-01-30

    Machine learning techniques have shown to improve bacterial species classification based on fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) data. Nonetheless, FAME analysis has a limited resolution for discrimination of bacteria at the species level. In this paper, we approach the species classification problem from a taxonomic point of view. Such a taxonomy or tree is typically obtained by applying clustering algorithms on FAME data or on 16S rRNA gene data. The knowledge gained from the tree can then be used to evaluate FAME-based classifiers, resulting in a novel framework for bacterial species classification. In view of learning in a taxonomic framework, we consider two types of trees. First, a FAME tree is constructed with a supervised divisive clustering algorithm. Subsequently, based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, phylogenetic trees are inferred by the NJ and UPGMA methods. In this second approach, the species classification problem is based on the combination of two different types of data. Herein, 16S rRNA gene sequence data is used for phylogenetic tree inference and the corresponding binary tree splits are learned based on FAME data. We call this learning approach 'phylogenetic learning'. Supervised Random Forest models are developed to train the classification tasks in a stratified cross-validation setting. In this way, better classification results are obtained for species that are typically hard to distinguish by a single or flat multi-class classification model. FAME-based bacterial species classification is successfully evaluated in a taxonomic framework. Although the proposed approach does not improve the overall accuracy compared to flat multi-class classification, it has some distinct advantages. First, it has better capabilities for distinguishing species on which flat multi-class classification fails. Secondly, the hierarchical classification structure allows to easily evaluate and visualize the resolution of FAME data for the discrimination of bacterial

  14. Shadows behind the computers

    CERN Document Server

    2007-01-01

    EGEE organized a shadowing day to spur female students to take up careers in the IT field. Eleven female staff from CERN’s IT Department were kept under close surveillance last week, shadowed by female students from the Collège du Léman International School as part of the Enabling Grids for E-sciencE project Gender Action Plan. The shadowing day was aimed at inspiring young women to think of careers in information technology, by passing on the message that careers in science are open to both men and women and can be rewarding and fun. The students were given a tour of the ATLAS physics experiment and the CERN Computer Centre, as well as the opportunity for one-to-one interaction with CERN IT staff. Traditionally, fewer women work in the IT sector; women currently represent 21% of EGEE staff. The shadowing day was held as part of the EGEE Gender Action Plan, reflecting a commitment to reducing this gender gap. Other initiatives in...

  15. Visualizing phylogenetic tree landscapes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilgenbusch, James C; Huang, Wen; Gallivan, Kyle A

    2017-02-02

    Genomic-scale sequence alignments are increasingly used to infer phylogenies in order to better understand the processes and patterns of evolution. Different partitions within these new alignments (e.g., genes, codon positions, and structural features) often favor hundreds if not thousands of competing phylogenies. Summarizing and comparing phylogenies obtained from multi-source data sets using current consensus tree methods discards valuable information and can disguise potential methodological problems. Discovery of efficient and accurate dimensionality reduction methods used to display at once in 2- or 3- dimensions the relationship among these competing phylogenies will help practitioners diagnose the limits of current evolutionary models and potential problems with phylogenetic reconstruction methods when analyzing large multi-source data sets. We introduce several dimensionality reduction methods to visualize in 2- and 3-dimensions the relationship among competing phylogenies obtained from gene partitions found in three mid- to large-size mitochondrial genome alignments. We test the performance of these dimensionality reduction methods by applying several goodness-of-fit measures. The intrinsic dimensionality of each data set is also estimated to determine whether projections in 2- and 3-dimensions can be expected to reveal meaningful relationships among trees from different data partitions. Several new approaches to aid in the comparison of different phylogenetic landscapes are presented. Curvilinear Components Analysis (CCA) and a stochastic gradient decent (SGD) optimization method give the best representation of the original tree-to-tree distance matrix for each of the three- mitochondrial genome alignments and greatly outperformed the method currently used to visualize tree landscapes. The CCA + SGD method converged at least as fast as previously applied methods for visualizing tree landscapes. We demonstrate for all three mtDNA alignments that 3D

  16. High-Resolution Mapping of Urban Surface Water Using ZY-3 Multi-Spectral Imagery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fangfang Yao

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Accurate information of urban surface water is important for assessing the role it plays in urban ecosystem services under the content of urbanization and climate change. However, high-resolution monitoring of urban water bodies using remote sensing remains a challenge because of the limitation of previous water indices and the dark building shadow effect. To address this problem, we proposed an automated urban water extraction method (UWEM which combines a new water index, together with a building shadow detection method. Firstly, we trained the parameters of UWEM using ZY-3 imagery of Qingdao, China. Then we verified the algorithm using five other sub-scenes (Aksu, Fuzhou, Hanyang, Huangpo and Huainan ZY-3 imagery. The performance was compared with that of the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI. Results indicated that UWEM performed significantly better at the sub-scenes with kappa coefficients improved by 7.87%, 32.35%, 12.64%, 29.72%, 14.29%, respectively, and total omission and commission error reduced by 61.53%, 65.74%, 83.51%, 82.44%, and 74.40%, respectively. Furthermore, UWEM has more stable performances than NDWI’s in a range of thresholds near zero. It reduces the over- and under-estimation issues which often accompany previous water indices when mapping urban surface water under complex environmental conditions.

  17. Phylogenetic Structure of Foliar Spectral Traits in Tropical Forest Canopies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kelly M. McManus

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available The Spectranomics approach to tropical forest remote sensing has established a link between foliar reflectance spectra and the phylogenetic composition of tropical canopy tree communities vis-à-vis the taxonomic organization of biochemical trait variation. However, a direct relationship between phylogenetic affiliation and foliar reflectance spectra of species has not been established. We sought to develop this relationship by quantifying the extent to which underlying patterns of phylogenetic structure drive interspecific variation among foliar reflectance spectra within three Neotropical canopy tree communities with varying levels of soil fertility. We interpreted the resulting spectral patterns of phylogenetic signal in the context of foliar biochemical traits that may contribute to the spectral-phylogenetic link. We utilized a multi-model ensemble to elucidate trait-spectral relationships, and quantified phylogenetic signal for spectral wavelengths and traits using Pagel’s lambda statistic. Foliar reflectance spectra showed evidence of phylogenetic influence primarily within the visible and shortwave infrared spectral regions. These regions were also selected by the multi-model ensemble as those most important to the quantitative prediction of several foliar biochemical traits. Patterns of phylogenetic organization of spectra and traits varied across sites and with soil fertility, indicative of the complex interactions between the environmental and phylogenetic controls underlying patterns of biodiversity.

  18. 47 CFR 80.769 - Shadow loss.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Shadow loss. 80.769 Section 80.769... MARITIME SERVICES Standards for Computing Public Coast Station VHF Coverage § 80.769 Shadow loss. Where the transmission path is obstructed the received signal must be adjusted to include shadow loss. Attenuation due to...

  19. Construction of Discrete Time Shadow Price

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rogala, Tomasz; Stettner, Lukasz

    2015-01-01

    In the paper expected utility from consumption over finite time horizon for discrete time markets with bid and ask prices and strictly concave utility function is considered. The notion of weak shadow price, i.e. an illiquid price, depending on the portfolio, under which the model without bid and ask price is equivalent to the model with bid and ask price is introduced. Existence and the form of weak shadow price is shown. Using weak shadow price usual (called in the paper strong) shadow price is then constructed

  20. METHOD FOR OPTIMAL RESOLUTION OF MULTI-AIRCRAFT CONFLICTS IN THREE-DIMENSIONAL SPACE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Denys Vasyliev

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: The risk of critical proximities of several aircraft and appearance of multi-aircraft conflicts increases under current conditions of high dynamics and density of air traffic. The actual problem is a development of methods for optimal multi-aircraft conflicts resolution that should provide the synthesis of conflict-free trajectories in three-dimensional space. Methods: The method for optimal resolution of multi-aircraft conflicts using heading, speed and altitude change maneuvers has been developed. Optimality criteria are flight regularity, flight economy and the complexity of maneuvering. Method provides the sequential synthesis of the Pareto-optimal set of combinations of conflict-free flight trajectories using multi-objective dynamic programming and selection of optimal combination using the convolution of optimality criteria. Within described method the following are defined: the procedure for determination of combinations of aircraft conflict-free states that define the combinations of Pareto-optimal trajectories; the limitations on discretization of conflict resolution process for ensuring the absence of unobservable separation violations. Results: The analysis of the proposed method is performed using computer simulation which results show that synthesized combination of conflict-free trajectories ensures the multi-aircraft conflict avoidance and complies with defined optimality criteria. Discussion: Proposed method can be used for development of new automated air traffic control systems, airborne collision avoidance systems, intelligent air traffic control simulators and for research activities.

  1. A multi-resolution HEALPix data structure for spherically mapped point data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert W. Youngren

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Data describing entities with locations that are points on a sphere are described as spherically mapped. Several data structures designed for spherically mapped data have been developed. One of them, known as Hierarchical Equal Area iso-Latitude Pixelization (HEALPix, partitions the sphere into twelve diamond-shaped equal-area base cells and then recursively subdivides each cell into four diamond-shaped subcells, continuing to the desired level of resolution. Twelve quadtrees, one associated with each base cell, store the data records associated with that cell and its subcells.HEALPix has been used successfully for numerous applications, notably including cosmic microwave background data analysis. However, for applications involving sparse point data HEALPix has possible drawbacks, including inefficient memory utilization, overwriting of proximate points, and return of spurious points for certain queries.A multi-resolution variant of HEALPix specifically optimized for sparse point data was developed. The new data structure allows different areas of the sphere to be subdivided at different levels of resolution. It combines HEALPix positive features with the advantages of multi-resolution, including reduced memory requirements and improved query performance.An implementation of the new Multi-Resolution HEALPix (MRH data structure was tested using spherically mapped data from four different scientific applications (warhead fragmentation trajectories, weather station locations, galaxy locations, and synthetic locations. Four types of range queries were applied to each data structure for each dataset. Compared to HEALPix, MRH used two to four orders of magnitude less memory for the same data, and on average its queries executed 72% faster. Keywords: Computer science

  2. Study on Processing Method of Image Shadow

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wang Bo

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available In order to effectively remove disturbance of shadow and enhance robustness of information processing of computer visual image, this paper makes study on inspection and removal of image shadow. It makes study the continual removal algorithm of shadow based on integration, the illumination surface and texture, it respectively introduces their work principles and realization method, it can effectively carrying processing for shadow by test.

  3. A multi-channel high-resolution time recorder system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Lingyun; Yang Xiaojun; Song Kezhu; Wang Yanfang

    2004-01-01

    This paper introduces a multi-channel and high-speed time recorder system, which was originally designed to work in the experiments of quantum cryptography research. The novelty of the system is that all the hardware logic is performed by only one FPGA. The system can achieve several desirable features, such as simplicity, high resolution and high processing speed. (authors)

  4. A Multi-Criterion Evolutionary Approach Applied to Phylogenetic Reconstruction

    OpenAIRE

    Cancino, W.; Delbem, A.C.B.

    2010-01-01

    In this paper, we proposed an MOEA approach, called PhyloMOEA which solves the phylogenetic inference problem using maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood criteria. The PhyloMOEA's development was motivated by several studies in the literature (Huelsenbeck, 1995; Jin & Nei, 1990; Kuhner & Felsenstein, 1994; Tateno et al., 1994), which point out that various phylogenetic inference methods lead to inconsistent solutions. Techniques using parsimony and likelihood criteria yield to different tr...

  5. MULTI-SCALE SEGMENTATION OF HIGH RESOLUTION REMOTE SENSING IMAGES BY INTEGRATING MULTIPLE FEATURES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Y. Di

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Most of multi-scale segmentation algorithms are not aiming at high resolution remote sensing images and have difficulty to communicate and use layers’ information. In view of them, we proposes a method of multi-scale segmentation of high resolution remote sensing images by integrating multiple features. First, Canny operator is used to extract edge information, and then band weighted distance function is built to obtain the edge weight. According to the criterion, the initial segmentation objects of color images can be gained by Kruskal minimum spanning tree algorithm. Finally segmentation images are got by the adaptive rule of Mumford–Shah region merging combination with spectral and texture information. The proposed method is evaluated precisely using analog images and ZY-3 satellite images through quantitative and qualitative analysis. The experimental results show that the multi-scale segmentation of high resolution remote sensing images by integrating multiple features outperformed the software eCognition fractal network evolution algorithm (highest-resolution network evolution that FNEA on the accuracy and slightly inferior to FNEA on the efficiency.

  6. Shadowing in inelastic lepton-deuteron scattering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Badelek, B.

    1992-01-01

    Shadowing in inelastic lepton-deuteron scattering is analysed using the double interaction formalism where we relate shadowing to inclusive diffractive processes. Both the vector meson and parton contributions are considered for low and high Q 2 values including QCD corrections with parton recombination for high Q 2 . These Q 2 values were chosen to correspond to existing experimental data and to the possible HERA measurements. Detailed discussion of various shadowing mechanisms is given. As expected the shadowing effects are found to be very small, less then 2% or so, in agreement with the recent precise measurements performed by the New Muon Collaboration. The contribution of shadowing term to the Gottfried sum the region x > 0.004 and for Q 2 = 4 GeV 2 is estimated to be equal to -0.025. (author). 10 refs, 4 figs

  7. XMM-NEWTON MEASUREMENT OF THE GALACTIC HALO X-RAY EMISSION USING A COMPACT SHADOWING CLOUD

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Henley, David B.; Shelton, Robin L.; Cumbee, Renata S.; Stancil, Phillip C.

    2015-01-01

    Observations of interstellar clouds that cast shadows in the soft X-ray background can be used to separate the background Galactic halo emission from the local emission due to solar wind charge exchange (SWCX) and/or the Local Bubble (LB). We present an XMM-Newton observation of a shadowing cloud, G225.60–66.40, that is sufficiently compact that the on- and off-shadow spectra can be extracted from a single field of view (unlike previous shadowing observations of the halo with CCD-resolution spectrometers, which consisted of separate on- and off-shadow pointings). We analyzed the spectra using a variety of foreground models: one representing LB emission, and two representing SWCX emission. We found that the resulting halo model parameters (temperature T h ≈ 2 × 10 6 K, emission measure E h ≈4×10 −3  cm −6  pc) were not sensitive to the foreground model used. This is likely due to the relative faintness of the foreground emission in this observation. However, the data do favor the existence of a foreground. The halo parameters derived from this observation are in good agreement with those from previous shadowing observations, and from an XMM-Newton survey of the Galactic halo emission. This supports the conclusion that the latter results are not subject to systematic errors, and can confidently be used to test models of the halo emission

  8. Multi-resolution voxel phantom modeling: a high-resolution eye model for computational dosimetry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caracappa, Peter F; Rhodes, Ashley; Fiedler, Derek

    2014-09-21

    Voxel models of the human body are commonly used for simulating radiation dose with a Monte Carlo radiation transport code. Due to memory limitations, the voxel resolution of these computational phantoms is typically too large to accurately represent the dimensions of small features such as the eye. Recently reduced recommended dose limits to the lens of the eye, which is a radiosensitive tissue with a significant concern for cataract formation, has lent increased importance to understanding the dose to this tissue. A high-resolution eye model is constructed using physiological data for the dimensions of radiosensitive tissues, and combined with an existing set of whole-body models to form a multi-resolution voxel phantom, which is used with the MCNPX code to calculate radiation dose from various exposure types. This phantom provides an accurate representation of the radiation transport through the structures of the eye. Two alternate methods of including a high-resolution eye model within an existing whole-body model are developed. The accuracy and performance of each method is compared against existing computational phantoms.

  9. A multi-resolution envelope-power based model for speech intelligibility

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Søren; Ewert, Stephan D.; Dau, Torsten

    2013-01-01

    The speech-based envelope power spectrum model (sEPSM) presented by Jørgensen and Dau [(2011). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 130, 1475-1487] estimates the envelope power signal-to-noise ratio (SNRenv) after modulation-frequency selective processing. Changes in this metric were shown to account well...... to conditions with stationary interferers, due to the long-term integration of the envelope power, and cannot account for increased intelligibility typically obtained with fluctuating maskers. Here, a multi-resolution version of the sEPSM is presented where the SNRenv is estimated in temporal segments...... with a modulation-filter dependent duration. The multi-resolution sEPSM is demonstrated to account for intelligibility obtained in conditions with stationary and fluctuating interferers, and noisy speech distorted by reverberation or spectral subtraction. The results support the hypothesis that the SNRenv...

  10. Phylogenetic classification of bony fishes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Betancur-R, Ricardo; Wiley, Edward O; Arratia, Gloria; Acero, Arturo; Bailly, Nicolas; Miya, Masaki; Lecointre, Guillaume; Ortí, Guillermo

    2017-07-06

    Fish classifications, as those of most other taxonomic groups, are being transformed drastically as new molecular phylogenies provide support for natural groups that were unanticipated by previous studies. A brief review of the main criteria used by ichthyologists to define their classifications during the last 50 years, however, reveals slow progress towards using an explicit phylogenetic framework. Instead, the trend has been to rely, in varying degrees, on deep-rooted anatomical concepts and authority, often mixing taxa with explicit phylogenetic support with arbitrary groupings. Two leading sources in ichthyology frequently used for fish classifications (JS Nelson's volumes of Fishes of the World and W. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes) fail to adopt a global phylogenetic framework despite much recent progress made towards the resolution of the fish Tree of Life. The first explicit phylogenetic classification of bony fishes was published in 2013, based on a comprehensive molecular phylogeny ( www.deepfin.org ). We here update the first version of that classification by incorporating the most recent phylogenetic results. The updated classification presented here is based on phylogenies inferred using molecular and genomic data for nearly 2000 fishes. A total of 72 orders (and 79 suborders) are recognized in this version, compared with 66 orders in version 1. The phylogeny resolves placement of 410 families, or ~80% of the total of 514 families of bony fishes currently recognized. The ordinal status of 30 percomorph families included in this study, however, remains uncertain (incertae sedis in the series Carangaria, Ovalentaria, or Eupercaria). Comments to support taxonomic decisions and comparisons with conflicting taxonomic groups proposed by others are presented. We also highlight cases were morphological support exist for the groups being classified. This version of the phylogenetic classification of bony fishes is substantially improved, providing resolution

  11. Interdisciplinary Approach to the Study of Shadow Economy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elena Aleksandrovna Orekhova

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Currently the institutional factors of economic development are updated. The problem of neutralizing the impact of informal institutions is becoming paramount. In order to develop adequate measures to influence the shadow economy and the development of the concept of anti-shadow policies requires a deep and comprehensive study of the shadow socio-economic processes in Russia. It is necessary to recognize the fact that the methods of struggle against the shadow economy have not yet had the desired effect, that implies the conclusion – the causes of the shadow economy have deep roots and are out of the sphere of economic relations. Shadow economic processes are the result of the behavioral characteristics of people, socio-psychological reasons as a consequence of the low cultural level, marginality, inefficient conjugation of institutions and culture, lack of confidence in the society, the specific characteristics of economic mentality, etc. Therefore, if the causes of the shadow relations are rooted in completely different spheres, then the methods of research should also belong to different sciences. The article considers the methodological possibilities in the study of the Russian shadow economy. The logical sequence of the shadow economy research includes empirical and theoretical stages. The level of the empirical phase of gathering facts about the shadow economy has a number of complexities and peculiarities. On a theoretical level there is necessity of multimethodological approach. The authors proved the usefulness of the methodological system and the results of research in the fields of sociology, psychology, criminology, statistics and mathematics, as well as related to the economy of sciences – economic psychology, behavioral economics, economic teratology, and others. The article proposes to carry out studies of the shadow economy at the different levels of architectonics of the institutional structure of shadow economy: the nano

  12. Is shadow banking really banking?

    OpenAIRE

    Bryan J. Noeth; Rajdeep Sengupta

    2011-01-01

    To those who don't know, the term "shadow banking" probably has a negative connotation. This primer draws parallels between what has been termed the shadow banking sector and the traditional banking sector—showing that they are similar in many ways.

  13. Forming Spirals From Shadows

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kohler, Susanna

    2016-07-01

    What causes the large-scale spiral structures found in some protoplanetary disks? Most models assume theyre created by newly-forming planets, but a new study suggests that planets might have nothing to do with it.Perturbations from Planets?In some transition disks protoplanetary disks with gaps in their inner regions weve directly imaged large-scale spiral arms. Many theories currently attribute the formation of these structures to young planets: either the direct perturbations of a planet embedded in the disk cause the spirals, or theyre indirectly caused by the orbit of a planetary body outside of the arms.Another example of spiral arms detected in a protoplanetary disk, MWC 758. [NASA/ESA/ESO/M. Benisty et al.]But what if you could get spirals without any planets? A team of scientists led by Matas Montesinos (University of Chile) have recently published a study in which they examine what happens to a shadowed protoplanetary disk.Casting Shadows with WarpsIn the teams setup, they envision a protoplanetary disk that is warped: the inner region is slightly tilted relative to the outer region. As the central star casts light out over its protoplanetary disk, this disk warping would cause some regions of the disk to be shaded in a way that isnt axially symmetric with potentially interesting implications.Montesinos and collaborators ran 2D hydrodynamics simulations to determine what happens to the motion of particles within the disk when they pass in and out of the shadowed regions. Since the shadowed regions are significantly colder than the illuminated disk, the pressure in these regions is much lower. Particles are therefore accelerated and decelerated as they pass through these regions, and the lack of axial symmetry causes spiral density waves to form in the disk as a result.Initial profile for the stellar heating rate per unit area for one of the authors simulations. The regions shadowed as a result of the disk warp subtend 0.5 radians each (shown on the left

  14. High-Resolution Remote Sensing Image Building Extraction Based on Markov Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, W.; Yan, L.; Chang, Y.; Gong, L.

    2018-04-01

    With the increase of resolution, remote sensing images have the characteristics of increased information load, increased noise, more complex feature geometry and texture information, which makes the extraction of building information more difficult. To solve this problem, this paper designs a high resolution remote sensing image building extraction method based on Markov model. This method introduces Contourlet domain map clustering and Markov model, captures and enhances the contour and texture information of high-resolution remote sensing image features in multiple directions, and further designs the spectral feature index that can characterize "pseudo-buildings" in the building area. Through the multi-scale segmentation and extraction of image features, the fine extraction from the building area to the building is realized. Experiments show that this method can restrain the noise of high-resolution remote sensing images, reduce the interference of non-target ground texture information, and remove the shadow, vegetation and other pseudo-building information, compared with the traditional pixel-level image information extraction, better performance in building extraction precision, accuracy and completeness.

  15. Perception of shadows in children with autism spectrum disorders.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cristina Becchio

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Cast shadows in visual scenes can have profound effects on visual perception. Much as they are informative, they also constitute noise as they are salient features of the visual scene potentially interfering with the processing of other features. Here we asked i whether individuals with autism can exploit the information conveyed by cast shadows; ii whether they are especially sensitive to noise aspects of shadows. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Twenty high-functioning children with autism and twenty typically developing children were asked to recognize familiar objects while the presence, position, and shape of the cast shadow were systematically manipulated. Analysis of vocal reaction time revealed that whereas typically developing children used information from cast shadows to improve object recognition, in autistic children the presence of cast shadows--either congruent or incongruent--interfered with object recognition. Critically, vocal reaction times were faster when the object was presented without a cast shadow. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We conclude that shadow-processing mechanisms are abnormal in autism. As a result, processing shadows becomes costly and cast shadows interfere rather than help object recognition.

  16. Comparison of Unsupervised Vegetation Classification Methods from Vhr Images after Shadows Removal by Innovative Algorithms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Movia, A.; Beinat, A.; Crosilla, F.

    2015-04-01

    The recognition of vegetation by the analysis of very high resolution (VHR) aerial images provides meaningful information about environmental features; nevertheless, VHR images frequently contain shadows that generate significant problems for the classification of the image components and for the extraction of the needed information. The aim of this research is to classify, from VHR aerial images, vegetation involved in the balance process of the environmental biochemical cycle, and to discriminate it with respect to urban and agricultural features. Three classification algorithms have been experimented in order to better recognize vegetation, and compared to NDVI index; unfortunately all these methods are conditioned by the presence of shadows on the images. Literature presents several algorithms to detect and remove shadows in the scene: most of them are based on the RGB to HSI transformations. In this work some of them have been implemented and compared with one based on RGB bands. Successively, in order to remove shadows and restore brightness on the images, some innovative algorithms, based on Procrustes theory, have been implemented and applied. Among these, we evaluate the capability of the so called "not-centered oblique Procrustes" and "anisotropic Procrustes" methods to efficiently restore brightness with respect to a linear correlation correction based on the Cholesky decomposition. Some experimental results obtained by different classification methods after shadows removal carried out with the innovative algorithms are presented and discussed.

  17. Testing the stress shadow hypothesis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Felzer, Karen R.; Brodsky, Emily E.

    2005-05-01

    A fundamental question in earthquake physics is whether aftershocks are predominantly triggered by static stress changes (permanent stress changes associated with fault displacement) or dynamic stresses (temporary stress changes associated with earthquake shaking). Both classes of models provide plausible explanations for earthquake triggering of aftershocks, but only the static stress model predicts stress shadows, or regions in which activity is decreased by a nearby earthquake. To test for whether a main shock has produced a stress shadow, we calculate time ratios, defined as the ratio of the time between the main shock and the first earthquake to follow it and the time between the last earthquake to precede the main shock and the first earthquake to follow it. A single value of the time ratio is calculated for each 10 × 10 km bin within 1.5 fault lengths of the main shock epicenter. Large values of the time ratio indicate a long wait for the first earthquake to follow the main shock and thus a potential stress shadow, whereas small values indicate the presence of aftershocks. Simulations indicate that the time ratio test should have sufficient sensitivity to detect stress shadows if they are produced in accordance with the rate and state friction model. We evaluate the 1989 MW 7.0 Loma Prieta, 1992 MW 7.3 Landers, 1994 MW 6.7 Northridge, and 1999 MW 7.1 Hector Mine main shocks. For each main shock, there is a pronounced concentration of small time ratios, indicating the presence of aftershocks, but the number of large time ratios is less than at other times in the catalog. This suggests that stress shadows are not present. By comparing our results to simulations we estimate that we can be at least 98% confident that the Loma Prieta and Landers main shocks did not produce stress shadows and 91% and 84% confident that stress shadows were not generated by the Hector Mine and Northridge main shocks, respectively. We also investigate the long hypothesized existence

  18. Multi-scale climate modelling over Southern Africa using a variable-resolution global model

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Engelbrecht, FA

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available -mail: fengelbrecht@csir.co.za Multi-scale climate modelling over Southern Africa using a variable-resolution global model FA Engelbrecht1, 2*, WA Landman1, 3, CJ Engelbrecht4, S Landman5, MM Bopape1, B Roux6, JL McGregor7 and M Thatcher7 1 CSIR Natural... improvement. Keywords: multi-scale climate modelling, variable-resolution atmospheric model Introduction Dynamic climate models have become the primary tools for the projection of future climate change, at both the global and regional scales. Dynamic...

  19. The thoracic paraspinal shadow: normal appearances.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lien, H H; Kolbenstvedt, A

    1982-01-01

    The width of the right and left thoracic paraspinal shadows were measured at all levels in 200 presumably normal individuals. The paraspinal shadow could be identified in nearly all cases on the left side and in approximately one-third on the right. The range of variation was greater on the left side than one the right. The left paraspinal shadow was wider at the upper levels and in individuals above 40 years of age.

  20. SmartShadow models and methods for pervasive computing

    CERN Document Server

    Wu, Zhaohui

    2013-01-01

    SmartShadow: Models and Methods for Pervasive Computing offers a new perspective on pervasive computing with SmartShadow, which is designed to model a user as a personality ""shadow"" and to model pervasive computing environments as user-centric dynamic virtual personal spaces. Just like human beings' shadows in the physical world, it follows people wherever they go, providing them with pervasive services. The model, methods, and software infrastructure for SmartShadow are presented and an application for smart cars is also introduced.  The book can serve as a valuable reference work for resea

  1. Shadow Toll in Colombia

    OpenAIRE

    González Ruiz, Juan David; Botero Botero, Sergio; Arboleda, Carlos Alejandro; Duque Grisales, Eduardo Alexander

    2015-01-01

    The growing development in infrastructure projects in Colombia has been linked to legal adjustments and capital markets. These two last factors have provided important elements for project developers to design funding strategies. Based on the shadow toll scheme, this paper proposes a new financing strategy for funding highway projects. This strategy may be implemented in Colombia. Finally, the paper proposes future research on shadow toll schemes as a financial mechanism.

  2. Multi-example feature-constrained back-projection method for image super-resolution

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Junlei Zhang; Dianguang Gai; Xin Zhang; Xuemei Li

    2017-01-01

    Example-based super-resolution algorithms,which predict unknown high-resolution image information using a relationship model learnt from known high- and low-resolution image pairs, have attracted considerable interest in the field of image processing. In this paper, we propose a multi-example feature-constrained back-projection method for image super-resolution. Firstly, we take advantage of a feature-constrained polynomial interpolation method to enlarge the low-resolution image. Next, we consider low-frequency images of different resolutions to provide an example pair. Then, we use adaptive k NN search to find similar patches in the low-resolution image for every image patch in the high-resolution low-frequency image, leading to a regression model between similar patches to be learnt. The learnt model is applied to the low-resolution high-frequency image to produce high-resolution high-frequency information. An iterative back-projection algorithm is used as the final step to determine the final high-resolution image.Experimental results demonstrate that our method improves the visual quality of the high-resolution image.

  3. A taxonomic and phylogenetic re-appraisal of the genus Curvularia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Species of Curvularia are important plant and human pathogens worldwide. In this study, the genus Curvularia is re-assessed based on molecular phylogenetic analysis and morphological observations of available isolates and specimens. A multi-gene phylogenetic tree inferred from ITS, TEF and GPDH gene...

  4. Automatic Shadow Detection and Removal from a Single Image.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Salman H; Bennamoun, Mohammed; Sohel, Ferdous; Togneri, Roberto

    2016-03-01

    We present a framework to automatically detect and remove shadows in real world scenes from a single image. Previous works on shadow detection put a lot of effort in designing shadow variant and invariant hand-crafted features. In contrast, our framework automatically learns the most relevant features in a supervised manner using multiple convolutional deep neural networks (ConvNets). The features are learned at the super-pixel level and along the dominant boundaries in the image. The predicted posteriors based on the learned features are fed to a conditional random field model to generate smooth shadow masks. Using the detected shadow masks, we propose a Bayesian formulation to accurately extract shadow matte and subsequently remove shadows. The Bayesian formulation is based on a novel model which accurately models the shadow generation process in the umbra and penumbra regions. The model parameters are efficiently estimated using an iterative optimization procedure. Our proposed framework consistently performed better than the state-of-the-art on all major shadow databases collected under a variety of conditions.

  5. Shadow Economy and Poverty

    OpenAIRE

    Nikopour, Hesam; Shah Habibullah, Muzafar

    2010-01-01

    This study attempts to investigate the relationship between shadow economy and poverty by explaining the mechanism through which shadow economy affects poverty via its impact on government size and economic growth, and using the human poverty index (HPI) for developing and developed countries. In order to achieve this objective, the three-way interaction model is utilized using data of 139 developing and 23 developed countries separately during 1999-2007. For developing countries the dynamic ...

  6. Titan Casts Revealing Shadow

    Science.gov (United States)

    2004-05-01

    A rare celestial event was captured by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory as Titan -- Saturn's largest moon and the only moon in the Solar System with a thick atmosphere -- crossed in front of the X-ray bright Crab Nebula. The X-ray shadow cast by Titan allowed astronomers to make the first X-ray measurement of the extent of its atmosphere. On January 5, 2003, Titan transited the Crab Nebula, the remnant of a supernova explosion that was observed to occur in the year 1054. Although Saturn and Titan pass within a few degrees of the Crab Nebula every 30 years, they rarely pass directly in front of it. "This may have been the first transit of the Crab Nebula by Titan since the birth of the Crab Nebula," said Koji Mori of Pennsylvania State University in University Park, and lead author on an Astrophysical Journal paper describing these results. "The next similar conjunction will take place in the year 2267, so this was truly a once in a lifetime event." Animation of Titan's Shadow on Crab Nebula Animation of Titan's Shadow on Crab Nebula Chandra's observation revealed that the diameter of the X-ray shadow cast by Titan was larger than the diameter of its solid surface. The difference in diameters gives a measurement of about 550 miles (880 kilometers) for the height of the X-ray absorbing region of Titan's atmosphere. The extent of the upper atmosphere is consistent with, or slightly (10-15%) larger, than that implied by Voyager I observations made at radio, infrared, and ultraviolet wavelengths in 1980. "Saturn was about 5% closer to the Sun in 2003, so increased solar heating of Titan may account for some of this atmospheric expansion," said Hiroshi Tsunemi of Osaka University in Japan, one of the coauthors on the paper. The X-ray brightness and extent of the Crab Nebula made it possible to study the tiny X-ray shadow cast by Titan during its transit. By using Chandra to precisely track Titan's position, astronomers were able to measure a shadow one arcsecond in

  7. The shadow economy in industrial countries

    OpenAIRE

    Dominik H. Enste

    2015-01-01

    The shadow (underground) economy plays a major role in many countries. People evade taxes and regulations by working in the shadow economy or by employing people illegally. On the one hand, this unregulated economic activity can result in reduced tax revenue and public goods and services, lower tax morale and less tax compliance, higher control costs, and lower economic growth rates. But on the other hand, the shadow economy can be a powerful force for advancing institutional change and can b...

  8. Automatic Cloud and Shadow Detection in Optical Satellite Imagery Without Using Thermal Bands—Application to Suomi NPP VIIRS Images over Fennoscandia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eija Parmes

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available In land monitoring applications, clouds and shadows are considered noise that should be removed as automatically and quickly as possible, before further analysis. This paper presents a method to detect clouds and shadows in Suomi NPP satellite’s VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite satellite images. The proposed cloud and shadow detection method has two distinct features when compared to many other methods. First, the method does not use the thermal bands and can thus be applied to other sensors which do not contain thermal channels, such as Sentinel-2 data. Secondly, the method uses the ratio between blue and green reflectance to detect shadows. Seven hundred and forty-seven VIIRS images over Fennoscandia from August 2014 to April 2016 were processed to train and develop the method. Twenty four points from every tenth of the images were used in accuracy assessment. These 1752 points were interpreted visually to cloud, cloud shadow and clear classes, then compared to the output of the cloud and shadow detection. The comparison on VIIRS images showed 94.2% correct detection rates and 11.1% false alarms for clouds, and respectively 36.1% and 82.7% for shadows. The results on cloud detection were similar to state-of-the-art methods. Shadows showed correctly on the northern edge of the clouds, but many shadows were wrongly assigned to other classes in some cases (e.g., to water class on lake and forest boundary, or with shadows over cloud. This may be due to the low spatial resolution of VIIRS images, where shadows are only a few pixels wide and contain lots of mixed pixels.

  9. Moving Shadow Detection in Video Using Cepstrum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fuat Cogun

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Moving shadows constitute problems in various applications such as image segmentation and object tracking. The main cause of these problems is the misclassification of the shadow pixels as target pixels. Therefore, the use of an accurate and reliable shadow detection method is essential to realize intelligent video processing applications. In this paper, a cepstrum-based method for moving shadow detection is presented. The proposed method is tested on outdoor and indoor video sequences using well-known benchmark test sets. To show the improvements over previous approaches, quantitative metrics are introduced and comparisons based on these metrics are made.

  10. Multi-locus analyses of an Antarctic fish species flock (Teleostei, Notothenioidei, Trematominae): Phylogenetic approach and test of the early-radiation event

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Janko, K.; Musilova, Z.; Marshall, C.; Van Houdt, J.; Couloux, A.; Cruaud, C.; Lecointre, G.

    2011-01-01

    Clades that have undergone episodes of rapid cladogenesis are challenging from a phylogenetic point of view. They are generally characterised by short or missing internal branches in phylogenetic trees and by conflicting topologies among individual gene trees. This may be the case of the subfamily Trematominae, a group of marine teleosts of coastal Antarctic waters, which is considered to have passed through a period of rapid diversification. Despite much phylogenetic attention, the relationships among Trematominae species remain unclear. In contrast to previous studies that were mostly based on concatenated datasets of mitochondrial and/or single nuclear loci, we applied various single-locus and multi-locus phylogenetic approaches to sequences from 11 loci (eight nuclear) and we also used several methods to assess the hypothesis of a radiation event in Trematominae evolution. Diversification rate analyses support the hypothesis of a period of rapid diversification during Trematominae history and only a few nodes in the hypothetical species tree were consistently resolved with various phylogenetic methods. We detected significant discrepancies among trees from individual genes of these species, most probably resulting from incomplete lineage sorting, suggesting that concatenation of loci is not the most appropriate way to investigate Trematominae species interrelationships. These data also provide information about the possible effects of historic climate changes on the diversification rate of this group of fish. (authors)

  11. Shadows of Einstein–dilaton–Gauss–Bonnet black holes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cunha, Pedro V.P., E-mail: pintodacunha@tecnico.ulisboa.pt [Departamento de Física da Universidade de Aveiro and Centre for Research and Development in Mathematics and Applications (CIDMA), Campus de Santiago, 3810-183 Aveiro (Portugal); CENTRA, Departamento de Física, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Rovisco Pais 1, 1049, Lisboa (Portugal); Herdeiro, Carlos A.R., E-mail: herdeiro@ua.pt [Departamento de Física da Universidade de Aveiro and Centre for Research and Development in Mathematics and Applications (CIDMA), Campus de Santiago, 3810-183 Aveiro (Portugal); Kleihaus, Burkhard, E-mail: b.kleihaus@uni-oldenburg.de [Institute of Physics, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, 26111 (Germany); Kunz, Jutta, E-mail: jutta.kunz@uni-oldenburg.de [Institute of Physics, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, 26111 (Germany); Radu, Eugen, E-mail: eugen.radu@ua.pt [Departamento de Física da Universidade de Aveiro and Centre for Research and Development in Mathematics and Applications (CIDMA), Campus de Santiago, 3810-183 Aveiro (Portugal)

    2017-05-10

    We study the shadows of the fully non-linear, asymptotically flat Einstein–dilaton–Gauss–Bonnet (EdGB) black holes (BHs), for both static and rotating solutions. We find that, in all cases, these shadows are smaller than for comparable Kerr BHs, i.e. with the same total mass and angular momentum under similar observation conditions. In order to compare both cases we provide quantitative shadow parameters, observing in particular that the differences in the shadows mean radii are never larger than the percent level. Therefore, generically, EdGB BHs cannot be excluded by (near future) shadow observations alone. On the theoretical side, we find no clear signature of some exotic features of EdGB BHs on the corresponding shadows, such as the regions of negative (Komar, say) energy density outside the horizon. We speculate that this is due to the fact that the Komar energy interior to the light rings (or more precisely, the surfaces of constant radial coordinate that intersect the light rings in the equatorial plane) is always smaller than the ADM mass, and consequently the corresponding shadows are smaller than those of comparable Kerr BHs. The analysis herein provides a clear example that it is the light ring impact parameter, rather than its “size”, that determines a BH shadow.

  12. MPPT-Based Control Algorithm for PV System Using iteration-PSO under Irregular shadow Conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Abdulkadir

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available The conventional maximum power point tracking (MPPT techniques can hardly track the global maximum power point (GMPP because the power-voltage characteristics of photovoltaic (PV exhibit multiple local peaks in irregular shadow, and therefore easily fall into the local maximum power point. These conditions make it very challenging, and to tackle this deficiency, an efficient Iteration Particle Swarm Optimization (IPSO has been developed to improve the quality of solution and convergence speed of the traditional PSO, so that it can effectively track the GMPP under irregular shadow conditions. This proposed technique has such advantages as simple structure, fast response and strong robustness, and convenient implementation. It is applied to MPPT control of PV system in irregular shadow to solve the problem of multi-peak optimization in partial shadow. In order to verify the rationality of the proposed algorithm, however, recently the dynamic MPPT performance under varying irradiance conditions has been given utmost attention to the PV society. As the European standard EN 50530 which defines the recommended varying irradiance profiles, was released lately, the corresponding researchers have been required to improve the dynamic MPPT performance. This paper tried to evaluate the dynamic MPPT performance using EN 50530 standard. The simulation results show that iterative-PSO method can fast track the global MPP, increase tracking speed and higher dynamic MPPT efficiency under EN 50530 than the conventional PSO.

  13. The Partition of Multi-Resolution LOD Based on Qtm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hou, M.-L.; Xing, H.-Q.; Zhao, X.-S.; Chen, J.

    2011-08-01

    The partition hierarch of Quaternary Triangular Mesh (QTM) determine the accuracy of spatial analysis and application based on QTM. In order to resolve the problem that the partition hierarch of QTM is limited by the level of the computer hardware, the new method that Multi- Resolution LOD (Level of Details) based on QTM will be discussed in this paper. This method can make the resolution of the cells varying with the viewpoint position by partitioning the cells of QTM, selecting the particular area according to the viewpoint; dealing with the cracks caused by different subdivisions, it satisfies the request of unlimited partition in part.

  14. THE PARTITION OF MULTI-RESOLUTION LOD BASED ON QTM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.-L. Hou

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available The partition hierarch of Quaternary Triangular Mesh (QTM determine the accuracy of spatial analysis and application based on QTM. In order to resolve the problem that the partition hierarch of QTM is limited by the level of the computer hardware, the new method that Multi- Resolution LOD (Level of Details based on QTM will be discussed in this paper. This method can make the resolution of the cells varying with the viewpoint position by partitioning the cells of QTM, selecting the particular area according to the viewpoint; dealing with the cracks caused by different subdivisions, it satisfies the request of unlimited partition in part.

  15. The shadow of black holes an analytic description

    CERN Document Server

    Grenzebach, Arne

    2016-01-01

    This book introduces an analytic method to describe the shadow of black holes. As an introduction, it presents a survey of the attempts to observe the shadow of galactic black holes. Based on a detailed discussion of the Plebański–Demiański class of space-times, the book derives analytical formulas for the photon regions and for the boundary curve of the shadow as seen by an observer in the domain of outer communication. It also analyzes how the shadow depends on the motion of the observer. For all cases, the photon regions and shadows are visualized for various values of the parameters. Finally, it considers how the analytical formulas can be used for calculating the horizontal and vertical angular diameters of the shadow, and estimates values for the black holes at the centers of our Galaxy near Sgr A* and of the neighboring galaxy M87.

  16. Syndrome of round shadow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ginzburg, M.A.; Kinoshenko, Yu.T.

    1987-01-01

    Syndrome of round shadow is a traditional determination for a group of spherical, ovoid and similar volumetric formations of more than 1 cm. Differential roentgenodiagnosis of most typical diseases presented by a round shadow as well as dynamics of X-ray pattern of some round formations are presented. Radiological signs of the lung formations and similar ones in diaphragm and mediastinum thoracic wall are given. Ethiology, pathogenesis and pathomorphology of round formations, their clinical picture and investigation methods are discussed

  17. Mathematical modelling and numerical resolution of multi-phase compressible fluid flows problems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lagoutiere, Frederic

    2000-01-01

    This work deals with Eulerian compressible multi-species fluid dynamics, the species being either mixed or separated (with interfaces). The document is composed of three parts. The first parts devoted to the numerical resolution of model problems: advection equation, Burgers equation, and Euler equations, in dimensions one and two. The goal is to find a precise method, especially for discontinuous initial conditions, and we develop non dissipative algorithms. They are based on a downwind finite-volume discretization under some stability constraints. The second part treats of the mathematical modelling of fluids mixtures. We construct and analyse a set of multi-temperature and multi-pressure models that are entropy, symmetrizable, hyperbolic, not ever conservative. In the third part, we apply the ideas developed in the first part (downwind discretization) to the numerical resolution of the partial differential problems we have constructed for fluids mixtures in the second part. We present some numerical results in dimensions one and two. (author) [fr

  18. Fading and shadowing in wireless systems

    CERN Document Server

    Shankar, P Mohana

    2017-01-01

    This book offers a comprehensive overview of fading and shadowing in wireless channels. A number of statistical models including simple, hybrid, compound and cascaded ones are presented along with a detailed discussion of diversity techniques employed to mitigate the effects of fading and shadowing. The effects of co-channel interference before and after the implementation of diversity are also analyzed. To facilitate easy understanding of the models and the analysis, the background on probability and random variables is presented with relevant derivations of densities of the sums, products, ratios as well as order statistics of random variables. The book also provides material on digital modems of interest in wireless systems. The updated edition expands the background materials on probability by offering sections on Laplace and Mellin transforms, parameter estimation, statistical testing and receiver operating characteristics. Newer models for fading, shadowing and shadowed fading are included along with th...

  19. Multi-resolution simulation of focused ultrasound propagation through ovine skull from a single-element transducer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoon, Kyungho; Lee, Wonhye; Croce, Phillip; Cammalleri, Amanda; Yoo, Seung-Schik

    2018-05-01

    Transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) is emerging as a non-invasive brain stimulation modality. Complicated interactions between acoustic pressure waves and osseous tissue introduce many challenges in the accurate targeting of an acoustic focus through the cranium. Image-guidance accompanied by a numerical simulation is desired to predict the intracranial acoustic propagation through the skull; however, such simulations typically demand heavy computation, which warrants an expedited processing method to provide on-site feedback for the user in guiding the acoustic focus to a particular brain region. In this paper, we present a multi-resolution simulation method based on the finite-difference time-domain formulation to model the transcranial propagation of acoustic waves from a single-element transducer (250 kHz). The multi-resolution approach improved computational efficiency by providing the flexibility in adjusting the spatial resolution. The simulation was also accelerated by utilizing parallelized computation through the graphic processing unit. To evaluate the accuracy of the method, we measured the actual acoustic fields through ex vivo sheep skulls with different sonication incident angles. The measured acoustic fields were compared to the simulation results in terms of focal location, dimensions, and pressure levels. The computational efficiency of the presented method was also assessed by comparing simulation speeds at various combinations of resolution grid settings. The multi-resolution grids consisting of 0.5 and 1.0 mm resolutions gave acceptable accuracy (under 3 mm in terms of focal position and dimension, less than 5% difference in peak pressure ratio) with a speed compatible with semi real-time user feedback (within 30 s). The proposed multi-resolution approach may serve as a novel tool for simulation-based guidance for tFUS applications.

  20. Comparative evolutionary diversity and phylogenetic structure across multiple forest dynamics plots: a mega-phylogeny approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erickson, David L.; Jones, Frank A.; Swenson, Nathan G.; Pei, Nancai; Bourg, Norman A.; Chen, Wenna; Davies, Stuart J.; Ge, Xue-jun; Hao, Zhanqing; Howe, Robert W.; Huang, Chun-Lin; Larson, Andrew J.; Lum, Shawn K. Y.; Lutz, James A.; Ma, Keping; Meegaskumbura, Madhava; Mi, Xiangcheng; Parker, John D.; Fang-Sun, I.; Wright, S. Joseph; Wolf, Amy T.; Ye, W.; Xing, Dingliang; Zimmerman, Jess K.; Kress, W. John

    2014-01-01

    Forest dynamics plots, which now span longitudes, latitudes, and habitat types across the globe, offer unparalleled insights into the ecological and evolutionary processes that determine how species are assembled into communities. Understanding phylogenetic relationships among species in a community has become an important component of assessing assembly processes. However, the application of evolutionary information to questions in community ecology has been limited in large part by the lack of accurate estimates of phylogenetic relationships among individual species found within communities, and is particularly limiting in comparisons between communities. Therefore, streamlining and maximizing the information content of these community phylogenies is a priority. To test the viability and advantage of a multi-community phylogeny, we constructed a multi-plot mega-phylogeny of 1347 species of trees across 15 forest dynamics plots in the ForestGEO network using DNA barcode sequence data (rbcL, matK, and psbA-trnH) and compared community phylogenies for each individual plot with respect to support for topology and branch lengths, which affect evolutionary inference of community processes. The levels of taxonomic differentiation across the phylogeny were examined by quantifying the frequency of resolved nodes throughout. In addition, three phylogenetic distance (PD) metrics that are commonly used to infer assembly processes were estimated for each plot [PD, Mean Phylogenetic Distance (MPD), and Mean Nearest Taxon Distance (MNTD)]. Lastly, we examine the partitioning of phylogenetic diversity among community plots through quantification of inter-community MPD and MNTD. Overall, evolutionary relationships were highly resolved across the DNA barcode-based mega-phylogeny, and phylogenetic resolution for each community plot was improved when estimated within the context of the mega-phylogeny. Likewise, when compared with phylogenies for individual plots, estimates of

  1. A method of shadow puppet figure modeling and animation

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Xiao-fang HUANG; Shou-qian SUN; Ke-jun ZHANG; Tian-ning XU; Jian-feng WU; Bin ZHU

    2015-01-01

    To promote the development of the intangible cultural heritage of the world, shadow play, many studies have focused on shadow puppet modeling and interaction. Most of the shadow puppet figures are still imaginary, spread by ancients, or carved and painted by shadow puppet artists, without consideration of real dimensions or the appearance of human bodies. This study proposes an algorithm to transform 3D human models to 2D puppet figures for shadow puppets, including automatic location of feature points, automatic segmentation of 3D models, automatic extraction of 2D contours, automatic clothes matching, and animation. Experiment proves that more realistic and attractive figures and animations of the shadow puppet can be generated in real time with this algorithm.

  2. Accuracy assessment of tree crown detection using local maxima and multi-resolution segmentation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khalid, N; Hamid, J R A; Latif, Z A

    2014-01-01

    Diversity of trees forms an important component in the forest ecosystems and needs proper inventories to assist the forest personnel in their daily activities. However, tree parameter measurements are often constrained by physical inaccessibility to site locations, high costs, and time. With the advancement in remote sensing technology, such as the provision of higher spatial and spectral resolution of imagery, a number of developed algorithms fulfil the needs of accurate tree inventories information in a cost effective and timely manner over larger forest areas. This study intends to generate tree distribution map in Ampang Forest Reserve using the Local Maxima and Multi-Resolution image segmentation algorithm. The utilization of recent worldview-2 imagery with Local Maxima and Multi-Resolution image segmentation proves to be capable of detecting and delineating the tree crown in its accurate standing position

  3. Information Subsystem of Shadow Economy Deactivation

    OpenAIRE

    Filippova, Tatyana V.

    2015-01-01

    The article presents information subsystem of shadow economy deactivation aimed at minimizing negative effects caused by its reproduction. In Russia, as well as in other countries, efficient implementation of the suggested system of shadow economy deactivation can be ensured by the developed information subsystem.

  4. An Overview on Base Real-Time Hard Shadow Techniques in Virtual Environments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohd Shahrizal Sunar

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Shadows are elegant to create a realistic scene in virtual environments variety type of shadow techniques encourage us to prepare an overview on all base shadow techniques. Non real-time and real-time techniques are big subdivision of shadow generation. In non real-time techniques ray tracing, ray casting and radiosity are well known and are described deeply. Radiosity is implemented to create very realistic shadow on non real-time scene. Although traditional radiosity algorithm is difficult to implement, we have proposed a simple one. The proposed pseudo code is easier to understand and implement. Ray tracing is used to prevent of collision of movement objects. Projection shadow, shadow volume and shadow mapping are used to create real-time shadow in virtual environments. We have used projection shadow for some objects are static and have shadow on flat surface. Shadow volume is used to create accurate shadow with sharp outline. Shadow mapping that is the base of most recently techniques is reconstructed. The reconstruct algorithm gives some new idea to propose another algorithm based on shadow mapping.

  5. Multi-group transport methods for high-resolution neutron activation analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burns, K. A.; Smith, L. E.; Gesh, C. J.; Shaver, M. W.

    2009-01-01

    The accurate and efficient simulation of coupled neutron-photon problems is necessary for several important radiation detection applications. Examples include the detection of nuclear threats concealed in cargo containers and prompt gamma neutron activation analysis for nondestructive determination of elemental composition of unknown samples. In these applications, high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometers are used to preserve as much information as possible about the emitted photon flux, which consists of both continuum and characteristic gamma rays with discrete energies. Monte Carlo transport is the most commonly used modeling tool for this type of problem, but computational times for many problems can be prohibitive. This work explores the use of multi-group deterministic methods for the simulation of neutron activation problems. Central to this work is the development of a method for generating multi-group neutron-photon cross-sections in a way that separates the discrete and continuum photon emissions so that the key signatures in neutron activation analysis (i.e., the characteristic line energies) are preserved. The mechanics of the cross-section preparation method are described and contrasted with standard neutron-gamma cross-section sets. These custom cross-sections are then applied to several benchmark problems. Multi-group results for neutron and photon flux are compared to MCNP results. Finally, calculated responses of high-resolution spectrometers are compared. Preliminary findings show promising results when compared to MCNP. A detailed discussion of the potential benefits and shortcomings of the multi-group-based approach, in terms of accuracy, and computational efficiency, is provided. (authors)

  6. Mapping Phylogenetic Trees to Reveal Distinct Patterns of Evolution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kendall, Michelle; Colijn, Caroline

    2016-10-01

    Evolutionary relationships are frequently described by phylogenetic trees, but a central barrier in many fields is the difficulty of interpreting data containing conflicting phylogenetic signals. We present a metric-based method for comparing trees which extracts distinct alternative evolutionary relationships embedded in data. We demonstrate detection and resolution of phylogenetic uncertainty in a recent study of anole lizards, leading to alternate hypotheses about their evolutionary relationships. We use our approach to compare trees derived from different genes of Ebolavirus and find that the VP30 gene has a distinct phylogenetic signature composed of three alternatives that differ in the deep branching structure. phylogenetics, evolution, tree metrics, genetics, sequencing. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.

  7. Do Elementary Science Methods Textbooks Promote Understanding of Shadows?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lloyd H. Barrow

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Elementary science methods textbooks can be an important resource for future elementary teachers of science. Since shadows are a common topic in elementary school and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States, 2013. A series of ten shadows concepts were formed into a learning progression by Wizman and Fortus (2007. For this research, ten science methods textbook were read and analyzed about how each of the shadow concepts were addressed. These methods textbooks focused on a limited number of shadow concepts. Consequently, as a future reference, they are very limited in addressing all ten shadow concepts.

  8. Shadowing of gluons in perturbative QCD: A comparison of different models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jalilian-Marian, Jamal; Wang, Xin-Nian

    2001-01-01

    We investigate the different perturbative QCD-based models for nuclear shadowing of gluons. We show that, in the kinematic region appropriate to the BNL relativistic heavy ion collider experiment, all models give similar estimates for the magnitude of gluon shadowing. At scales relevant to CERN large hadron collider (LHC), there is a sizable difference between the predictions of the different models. However, the uncertainties in gluon shadowing coming from a different parametrization of the gluon distribution in nucleons, are larger than those due to different perturbative QCD models of gluon shadowing. We also investigate the effect of initial nonperturbative shadowing on the magnitude of perturbative shadowing and show that the magnitudes of perturbative and nonperturbative shadowing are comparable at RHIC but perturbative shadowing dominates over nonperturbative shadowing at smaller values of x reached at LHC

  9. Multi-dimensional analysis of high resolution γ-ray data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Flibotte, S.; Huttmeier, U.J.; France, G. de; Haas, B.; Romain, P.; Theisen, Ch.; Vivien, J.P.; Zen, J.; Bednarczyk, P.

    1992-01-01

    High resolution γ-ray multi-detectors capable of measuring high-fold coincidences with a large efficiency are presently under construction (EUROGAM, GASP, GAMMASPHERE). The future experimental progress in our understanding of nuclear structure at high spin critically depends on our ability to analyze the data in a multi-dimensional space and to resolve small photopeaks of interest from the generally large background. Development of programs to process such high-fold events is still in its infancy and only the 3-fold case has been treated so far. As a contribution to the software development associated with the EUROGAM spectrometer, we have written and tested the performances of computer codes designed to select multi-dimensional gates from 3-, 4- and 5-fold coincidence databases. The tests were performed on events generated with a Monte Carlo simulation and also on experimental data (triples) recorded with the 8π spectrometer and with a preliminary version of the EUROGAM array. (author). 7 refs., 3 tabs., 1 fig

  10. Multi-dimensional analysis of high resolution {gamma}-ray data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Flibotte, S; Huttmeier, U J; France, G de; Haas, B; Romain, P; Theisen, Ch; Vivien, J P; Zen, J [Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), 67 - Strasbourg (France); Bednarczyk, P [Institute of Nuclear Physics, Cracow (Poland)

    1992-08-01

    High resolution {gamma}-ray multi-detectors capable of measuring high-fold coincidences with a large efficiency are presently under construction (EUROGAM, GASP, GAMMASPHERE). The future experimental progress in our understanding of nuclear structure at high spin critically depends on our ability to analyze the data in a multi-dimensional space and to resolve small photopeaks of interest from the generally large background. Development of programs to process such high-fold events is still in its infancy and only the 3-fold case has been treated so far. As a contribution to the software development associated with the EUROGAM spectrometer, we have written and tested the performances of computer codes designed to select multi-dimensional gates from 3-, 4- and 5-fold coincidence databases. The tests were performed on events generated with a Monte Carlo simulation and also on experimental data (triples) recorded with the 8{pi} spectrometer and with a preliminary version of the EUROGAM array. (author). 7 refs., 3 tabs., 1 fig.

  11. Network coding for multi-resolution multicast

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2013-01-01

    A method, apparatus and computer program product for utilizing network coding for multi-resolution multicast is presented. A network source partitions source content into a base layer and one or more refinement layers. The network source receives a respective one or more push-back messages from one...... or more network destination receivers, the push-back messages identifying the one or more refinement layers suited for each one of the one or more network destination receivers. The network source computes a network code involving the base layer and the one or more refinement layers for at least one...... of the one or more network destination receivers, and transmits the network code to the one or more network destination receivers in accordance with the push-back messages....

  12. Control rod shadowing and anti-shadowing effects in a large gas-cooled fast reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Girardin, G.; Chawla, R.; Rimpault, G.; Coddington, P.

    2007-01-01

    An investigation of control rod shadowing and anti-shadowing (interaction) effects has been carried out in the context of a design study of the control rod pattern for the large 2400 MWth Generation IV Gas-cooled Fast Reactor (GFR). For the calculations, the deterministic code system ERANOS-2.0 has been used, in association with a full core model including a European Fast Reactor (EFR)-type pattern for the control rods. More specifically, the core contains a total of 33 control (CSD) and safety (DSD) rods implemented in three banks: -1) a first bank of 6 CSD rods, placed at 64 cm from core centre in the inner fuel zone (Pu content 16.3 % vol.), -2) a safety bank consisting of 9 DSD rods, at an average distance of 118 cm, and -3) a third bank with 18 CSD rods, placed at 171 cm, i.e. at the interface between the inner and outer (Pu content 19.2 % vol.) core regions. Each control rod has been modelled as a homogeneous material containing 90%-enriched B 4 C, steel and helium. Considerable shadowing effects have been observed between the first bank and the safety bank, as also between individual rods within the first bank. Large anti-shadowing effects take place in an even greater number of the studied rod configurations. The largest interaction is between the two CSD banks, the anti-shadowing value being 46% in this case, implying that the total rod worth is increased by a factor of almost 2 when compared to the sum of the individual bank values. Additional investigations have been performed, in particular the computation of the first order eigenvalue and the eigenvalue separation. The main finding is that the interactions are lower when one of the control rod banks is located at a radial position corresponding to half the core radius. (authors)

  13. Reusable High Aspect Ratio 3-D Nickel Shadow Mask

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shandhi, M.M.H.; Leber, M.; Hogan, A.; Warren, D.J.; Bhandari, R.; Negi, S.

    2017-01-01

    Shadow Mask technology has been used over the years for resistless patterning and to pattern on unconventional surfaces, fragile substrate and biomaterial. In this work, we are presenting a novel method to fabricate high aspect ratio (15:1) three-dimensional (3D) Nickel (Ni) shadow mask with vertical pattern length and width of 1.2 mm and 40 μm respectively. The Ni shadow mask is 1.5 mm tall and 100 μm wide at the base. The aspect ratio of the shadow mask is 15. Ni shadow mask is mechanically robust and hence easy to handle. It is also reusable and used to pattern the sidewalls of unconventional and complex 3D geometries such as microneedles or neural electrodes (such as the Utah array). The standard Utah array has 100 active sites at the tip of the shaft. Using the proposed high aspect ratio Ni shadow mask, the Utah array can accommodate 300 active sites, 200 of which will be along and around the shaft. The robust Ni shadow mask is fabricated using laser patterning and electroplating techniques. The use of Ni 3D shadow mask will lower the fabrication cost, complexity and time for patterning out-of-plane structures. PMID:29056835

  14. An efficient multi-resolution GA approach to dental image alignment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nassar, Diaa Eldin; Ogirala, Mythili; Adjeroh, Donald; Ammar, Hany

    2006-02-01

    Automating the process of postmortem identification of individuals using dental records is receiving an increased attention in forensic science, especially with the large volume of victims encountered in mass disasters. Dental radiograph alignment is a key step required for automating the dental identification process. In this paper, we address the problem of dental radiograph alignment using a Multi-Resolution Genetic Algorithm (MR-GA) approach. We use location and orientation information of edge points as features; we assume that affine transformations suffice to restore geometric discrepancies between two images of a tooth, we efficiently search the 6D space of affine parameters using GA progressively across multi-resolution image versions, and we use a Hausdorff distance measure to compute the similarity between a reference tooth and a query tooth subject to a possible alignment transform. Testing results based on 52 teeth-pair images suggest that our algorithm converges to reasonable solutions in more than 85% of the test cases, with most of the error in the remaining cases due to excessive misalignments.

  15. Sparse PDF maps for non-linear multi-resolution image operations

    KAUST Repository

    Hadwiger, Markus

    2012-11-01

    We introduce a new type of multi-resolution image pyramid for high-resolution images called sparse pdf maps (sPDF-maps). Each pyramid level consists of a sparse encoding of continuous probability density functions (pdfs) of pixel neighborhoods in the original image. The encoded pdfs enable the accurate computation of non-linear image operations directly in any pyramid level with proper pre-filtering for anti-aliasing, without accessing higher or lower resolutions. The sparsity of sPDF-maps makes them feasible for gigapixel images, while enabling direct evaluation of a variety of non-linear operators from the same representation. We illustrate this versatility for antialiased color mapping, O(n) local Laplacian filters, smoothed local histogram filters (e.g., median or mode filters), and bilateral filters. © 2012 ACM.

  16. Global Multi-Resolution Topography (GMRT) Synthesis - Recent Updates and Developments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferrini, V. L.; Morton, J. J.; Celnick, M.; McLain, K.; Nitsche, F. O.; Carbotte, S. M.; O'hara, S. H.

    2017-12-01

    The Global Multi-Resolution Topography (GMRT, http://gmrt.marine-geo.org) synthesis is a multi-resolution compilation of elevation data that is maintained in Mercator, South Polar, and North Polar Projections. GMRT consists of four independently curated elevation components: (1) quality controlled multibeam data ( 100m res.), (2) contributed high-resolution gridded bathymetric data (0.5-200 m res.), (3) ocean basemap data ( 500 m res.), and (4) variable resolution land elevation data (to 10-30 m res. in places). Each component is managed and updated as new content becomes available, with two scheduled releases each year. The ocean basemap content for GMRT includes the International Bathymetric Chart of the Arctic Ocean (IBCAO), the International Bathymetric Chart of the Southern Ocean (IBCSO), and the GEBCO 2014. Most curatorial effort for GMRT is focused on the swath bathymetry component, with an emphasis on data from the US Academic Research Fleet. As of July 2017, GMRT includes data processed and curated by the GMRT Team from 974 research cruises, covering over 29 million square kilometers ( 8%) of the seafloor at 100m resolution. The curated swath bathymetry data from GMRT is routinely contributed to international data synthesis efforts including GEBCO and IBCSO. Additional curatorial effort is associated with gridded data contributions from the international community and ensures that these data are well blended in the synthesis. Significant new additions to the gridded data component this year include the recently released data from the search for MH370 (Geoscience Australia) as well as a large high-resolution grid from the Gulf of Mexico derived from 3D seismic data (US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management). Recent developments in functionality include the deployment of a new Polar GMRT MapTool which enables users to export custom grids and map images in polar projection for their selected area of interest at the resolution of their choosing. Available for both

  17. Near real-time shadow detection and removal in aerial motion imagery application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silva, Guilherme F.; Carneiro, Grace B.; Doth, Ricardo; Amaral, Leonardo A.; Azevedo, Dario F. G. de

    2018-06-01

    This work presents a method to automatically detect and remove shadows in urban aerial images and its application in an aerospace remote monitoring system requiring near real-time processing. Our detection method generates shadow masks and is accelerated by GPU programming. To obtain the shadow masks, we converted images from RGB to CIELCh model, calculated a modified Specthem ratio, and applied multilevel thresholding. Morphological operations were used to reduce shadow mask noise. The shadow masks are used in the process of removing shadows from the original images using the illumination ratio of the shadow/non-shadow regions. We obtained shadow detection accuracy of around 93% and shadow removal results comparable to the state-of-the-art while maintaining execution time under real-time constraints.

  18. What do the shadow rates tell us about future inflation?

    OpenAIRE

    Kuusela, Annika; Hännikäinen, Jari

    2017-01-01

    This paper investigates whether shadow interest rates contain predictive power for U.S. inflation in a data-rich environment. We find that shadow rates are useful leading indicators of inflation. Shadow rates contain substantial in-sample and out-of-sample predictive power for inflation in both the zero lower bound (ZLB) and non-ZLB periods. We find that the shadow rate suggested by Wu and Xia (2016) contains more information about future inflation than the shadow rate suggested by Krippner (...

  19. Large-Scale Multi-Resolution Representations for Accurate Interactive Image and Volume Operations

    KAUST Repository

    Sicat, Ronell Barrera

    2015-01-01

    approach is to employ output-sensitive operations on multi-resolution data representations. Output-sensitive operations facilitate interactive applications since their required computations are proportional only to the size of the data that is visible, i

  20. Ground-glass opacity: High-resolution computed tomography and 64-multi-slice computed tomography findings comparison

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sergiacomi, Gianluigi; Ciccio, Carmelo; Boi, Luca; Velari, Luca; Crusco, Sonia; Orlacchio, Antonio; Simonetti, Giovanni

    2010-01-01

    Objective: Comparative evaluation of ground-glass opacity using conventional high-resolution computed tomography technique and volumetric computed tomography by 64-row multi-slice scanner, verifying advantage of volumetric acquisition and post-processing technique allowed by 64-row CT scanner. Methods: Thirty-four patients, in which was assessed ground-glass opacity pattern by previous high-resolution computed tomography during a clinical-radiological follow-up for their lung disease, were studied by means of 64-row multi-slice computed tomography. Comparative evaluation of image quality was done by both CT modalities. Results: It was reported good inter-observer agreement (k value 0.78-0.90) in detection of ground-glass opacity with high-resolution computed tomography technique and volumetric Computed Tomography acquisition with moderate increasing of intra-observer agreement (k value 0.46) using volumetric computed tomography than high-resolution computed tomography. Conclusions: In our experience, volumetric computed tomography with 64-row scanner shows good accuracy in detection of ground-glass opacity, providing a better spatial and temporal resolution and advanced post-processing technique than high-resolution computed tomography.

  1. Shadows of Kerr Black Holes with Scalar Hair.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cunha, Pedro V P; Herdeiro, Carlos A R; Radu, Eugen; Rúnarsson, Helgi F

    2015-11-20

    Using backwards ray tracing, we study the shadows of Kerr black holes with scalar hair (KBHSH). KBHSH interpolate continuously between Kerr BHs and boson stars (BSs), so we start by investigating the lensing of light due to BSs. Moving from the weak to the strong gravity region, BSs-which by themselves have no shadows-are classified, according to the lensing produced, as (i) noncompact, which yield not multiple images, (ii) compact, which produce an increasing number of Einstein rings and multiple images of the whole celestial sphere, and (iii) ultracompact, which possess light rings, yielding an infinite number of images with (we conjecture) a self-similar structure. The shadows of KBHSH, for Kerr-like horizons and noncompact BS-like hair, are analogous to, but distinguishable from, those of comparable Kerr BHs. But for non-Kerr-like horizons and ultracompact BS-like hair, the shadows of KBHSH are drastically different: novel shapes arise, sizes are considerably smaller, and multiple shadows of a single BH become possible. Thus, KBHSH provide quantitatively and qualitatively new templates for ongoing (and future) very large baseline interferometry observations of BH shadows, such as those of the Event Horizon Telescope.

  2. BioMatriX: Sequence analysis, structure visualization, phylogenetics ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    bmx-biomatrix.blogspot.com) developed for biological science community to augment scientific research regarding genomics, proteomics, phylogenetics and linkage analysis in one platform. BioMatriX offers multi-functional services to perform ...

  3. PRECONDITIONS AND DETERMINING CAUSES OF THE SHADOW ECONOMY IN UKRAINE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Z. Varnalii

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available The article analyzes the main processes that led to the high level of the economy shadowing. The historical aspects of the formation of the shadow economy in Ukraine are highlighted. The socio-economic aspects of the shadow economy of Ukraine causality are discussed. The theoretical contribution of foreign and domestic researchers on the preconditions of formation of the shadow economy in transition economies is studied. Theoretical perspective on the factors of the shadowing processes in the economy of Ukraine from the standpoint of modern scientific researches is analyzed. The paper also provides scientific vectors for further development of researches aimed at studying the causes and preconditions of the shadow economy.

  4. Various appearances of rib companion shadow mimicking a pathologic condition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Yo Won; Yoo, Shi Joon; Im, Jung Gil

    1992-01-01

    We have observed that the companion shadow of the upper rib may be misinterpreted as a small pneumothorax or pleural plaque associated with asbestosis. To observe the radiographic characteristics of the normal companion shadow, we analyzed, on the posteroanterior(PA) chest radiographs, the companion shadow of 50 normal cases. Factors such as occurrence on each rib, the sharpness of the margin, the relative position to the rib, the shape and the thickness were observed. Also, we analyzed the displaced pleura of 4 pneumothorax cases to differentiate their findings from the findings of normal companion shadows. On 50 normal chest radiographs, 192 companion shadows were observed on the first to fourth ribs. In 173 of those shadows, the visceral margin of the companion shadow on the second rib simulated pneumothorax more closely than those on any other ribs due to its apical location and thinness. In six of 50 normal cases, the companion shadow in the first or second rib showed an inwardly convex lower margin, mimicking pleural plaque. The companion shadow was suggested on the plain chest radiograph by the following characteristics imultiplicity (47/50), thicker than normal pleura (3/4), persistent on serial films with the same shape and specific location(4/4)

  5. Moon and sun shadowing effect measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Medeiros, Michelle Mesquita de; Gomes, Ricardo Avelino

    2011-01-01

    Full text: The deficit due to the absorption of cosmic rays by the Moon and the Sun can be observed detecting the muon flux generated in extensive air showers. This phenomenon, known as cosmic ray shadow, can be used to study the behaviour of the geomagnetic, solar and interplanetary magnetic fields, to measure the antiproton-proton ratio and to determine the angular resolution and alignment of the detectors to confirm its accuracy and precision. Many experiments using surface or underground detectors have measured the Moon and Sun shadow: MINOS, CYGNUS, CASA, Tibet, MACRO, Soudan2, L3+C, Milagro, BUST, GRAPE and HEGRA. The MINOS experiment (Main Injector Neutrino Oscillation Search) uses two layered steel and plastic scintillator detectors (Near Detector and Far Detector) along with a muon neutrino beam (NuMI - Neutrinos at the Main Injector) to search for ν μ disappearance, and thus neutrino oscillations. However the magnetic field and the fiducial volume of the underground Far Detector at Soudan Underground Mine State Park (Minnesota, USA) allow a great opportunity to investigate cosmic rays at TeV surface energy. The deficit caused by the Moon and the Sun was detected by the MINOS Far Detector and this could also be done using the Near Detector. In this report we describe the motivation of measuring this effect. We present the recent results from MINOS along with its experimental apparatus and, in addition, the main results from the various experiments. We also make considerations about the possibility of doing such a measurement with the MINOS Near Detector. (author)

  6. Multiple shadows from distorted static black holes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grover, Jai; Kunz, Jutta; Nedkova, Petya; Wittig, Alexander; Yazadjiev, Stoytcho

    2018-04-01

    We study the local shadow of the Schwarzschild black hole with a quadrupole distortion and the influence of the external gravitational field on the photon dynamics. The external matter sources modify the light ring structure and lead to the appearance of multiple shadow images. In the case of negative quadrupole moments we identify the most prominent mechanism causing multiple shadow formation. Furthermore, we obtain a condition under which this mechanism can be realized. This condition depends on the quadrupole moment, but also on the position of the observer and the celestial sphere.

  7. SHADOW BANKING - A Geographical Interpretation

    OpenAIRE

    Gianfranco Battisti

    2014-01-01

    Basically, shadow banking is an original kind of business organization, or better a set of institutions and markets, finalized to disinvest fixed assets and convey them to the financial markets. Nowadays, tackling the subject means penetrating the hard core of financialization. Shadow banking manifests itself through a variety of activities carried out since time immemorial. Some authors go back to the 17th century, but certain procedures and entire phases were established well before the ins...

  8. A Multi-Modality CMOS Sensor Array for Cell-Based Assay and Drug Screening.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chi, Taiyun; Park, Jong Seok; Butts, Jessica C; Hookway, Tracy A; Su, Amy; Zhu, Chengjie; Styczynski, Mark P; McDevitt, Todd C; Wang, Hua

    2015-12-01

    In this paper, we present a fully integrated multi-modality CMOS cellular sensor array with four sensing modalities to characterize different cell physiological responses, including extracellular voltage recording, cellular impedance mapping, optical detection with shadow imaging and bioluminescence sensing, and thermal monitoring. The sensor array consists of nine parallel pixel groups and nine corresponding signal conditioning blocks. Each pixel group comprises one temperature sensor and 16 tri-modality sensor pixels, while each tri-modality sensor pixel can be independently configured for extracellular voltage recording, cellular impedance measurement (voltage excitation/current sensing), and optical detection. This sensor array supports multi-modality cellular sensing at the pixel level, which enables holistic cell characterization and joint-modality physiological monitoring on the same cellular sample with a pixel resolution of 80 μm × 100 μm. Comprehensive biological experiments with different living cell samples demonstrate the functionality and benefit of the proposed multi-modality sensing in cell-based assay and drug screening.

  9. Metagenomic species profiling using universal phylogenetic marker genes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sunagawa, Shinichi; Mende, Daniel R; Zeller, Georg

    2013-01-01

    To quantify known and unknown microorganisms at species-level resolution using shotgun sequencing data, we developed a method that establishes metagenomic operational taxonomic units (mOTUs) based on single-copy phylogenetic marker genes. Applied to 252 human fecal samples, the method revealed th...... that on average 43% of the species abundance and 58% of the richness cannot be captured by current reference genome-based methods. An implementation of the method is available at http://www.bork.embl.de/software/mOTU/.......To quantify known and unknown microorganisms at species-level resolution using shotgun sequencing data, we developed a method that establishes metagenomic operational taxonomic units (mOTUs) based on single-copy phylogenetic marker genes. Applied to 252 human fecal samples, the method revealed...

  10. The Effect of Topographic Shadowing by Ice on Irradiance in the Greenland Ice Sheet Ablation Zone

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leidman, S. Z.; Rennermalm, A. K.; Ryan, J.; Cooper, M. G.; Smith, L. C.

    2017-12-01

    Accurately predicting runoff contributions to global sea level rise requires more refined surface mass balance (SMB) models of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS). Topographic shadowing has shown to be important in the SMB of snow-covered regions, yet SMB models for the GrIS generally ignore how surface topography affects spatial variability of incoming solar radiation on a surface. In the ablation zone of Southwest Greenland, deeply incised supraglacial drainage features, fracturing, and large-scale bed deformation result in extensive areas of rough surface topography. This topography blocks direct radiation such that shadowed areas receive less energy for melting while other topographic features such as peaks recieve more energy. In this study, we quantify how shadowing from local topography features changes incoming solar radiation. We apply the ArcGIS Pro Solar Radiation Toolset to calculate the direct and diffuse irradiance in sunlit and shadowed areas by determining the sun's movement for every half hour increment of 2016. Multiple digital elevation models (DEMs) with spatial resolutions ranging from 0.06 to 5m were derived from fixed wing and quadcopter UAV imagery collected in summer 2016 and the ArcticDEM dataset. Our findings show that shadowing significantly decreases irradiance compared to smoothed surfaces where local topography is removed. This decrease is exponentially proportional to the DEM pixel sized with 5m DEMs only able to capture a small percentage of the effect. Applying these calculations to the ArcticDEM to cover a larger study area indicates that decreases in irradiance are nonlinearly proportional to elevation with highly crevassed areas showing a larger effect from shadowing. Even so, shading at higher elevations reduces irradiance enough to result in several centimeters snow water equivalence (SWE) per year of over-prediction of runoff in SMB models. Furthermore, analysis of solar radiation products shows that shadowing predicts albedo

  11. Devaney chaos plus shadowing implies distributional chaos.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jian; Li, Jie; Tu, Siming

    2016-09-01

    We explore connections among the regional proximal relation, the asymptotic relation, and the distal relation for a topological dynamical system with the shadowing property and show that if a Devaney chaotic system has the shadowing property then it is distributionally chaotic.

  12. A general CFD framework for fault-resilient simulations based on multi-resolution information fusion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Seungjoon; Kevrekidis, Ioannis G.; Karniadakis, George Em

    2017-10-01

    We develop a general CFD framework for multi-resolution simulations to target multiscale problems but also resilience in exascale simulations, where faulty processors may lead to gappy, in space-time, simulated fields. We combine approximation theory and domain decomposition together with statistical learning techniques, e.g. coKriging, to estimate boundary conditions and minimize communications by performing independent parallel runs. To demonstrate this new simulation approach, we consider two benchmark problems. First, we solve the heat equation (a) on a small number of spatial "patches" distributed across the domain, simulated by finite differences at fine resolution and (b) on the entire domain simulated at very low resolution, thus fusing multi-resolution models to obtain the final answer. Second, we simulate the flow in a lid-driven cavity in an analogous fashion, by fusing finite difference solutions obtained with fine and low resolution assuming gappy data sets. We investigate the influence of various parameters for this framework, including the correlation kernel, the size of a buffer employed in estimating boundary conditions, the coarseness of the resolution of auxiliary data, and the communication frequency across different patches in fusing the information at different resolution levels. In addition to its robustness and resilience, the new framework can be employed to generalize previous multiscale approaches involving heterogeneous discretizations or even fundamentally different flow descriptions, e.g. in continuum-atomistic simulations.

  13. Resolution improvement and noise reduction in human pinhole SPECT using a multi-ray approach and the SHINE method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seret, A.; Vanhove, C.; Defrise, M.

    2009-01-01

    Purpose: This work aimed at quantifying the gains in spatial resolution and noise that could be achieved when using resolution modelling based on a multi-ray approach and additionally the Statistical and Heuristic Noise Extraction (SHINE) method in human pinhole single photon emission tomography (PH-SPECT). Methods: PH-SPECT of two line phantoms and one homogeneous cylinder were recorded using parameters suited for studies of the human neck area. They were reconstructed using pinhole dedicated ordered subsets expectation maximisation algorithm including a resolution recovery technique based on 7 or 21 rays. Optionally, the SPECT data were SHINE pre-processed. Transverse and axial full widths at half-maximum (FWHM) were obtained from the line phantoms. The noise was quantified using the coefficient of variation (COV) derived from the uniform phantom. Two human PH-SPECT studies of the thyroid (a hot nodule and a very low uptake) were processed with the same algorithms. Results: Depending on the number of iterations, FWHM decreased by 30 to 50% when using the multi-ray approach in the reconstruction process. The SHINE method did not affect the resolution but decreased the COV by at least 20% and by 45% when combined with the multi-ray method. The two human studies illustrated the gain in spatial resolution and the decrease in noise afforded both by the multi-ray reconstruction and the SHINE method. Conclusion: Iterative reconstruction with resolution modelling allows to obtain high resolution human PH-SPECT studies with reduced noise content. The SHINE method affords an additional noise reduction without compromising the resolution. (orig.)

  14. Terascale Visualization: Multi-resolution Aspirin for Big-Data Headaches

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duchaineau, Mark

    2001-06-01

    Recent experience on the Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative (ASCI) computers shows that computational physicists are successfully producing a prodigious collection of numbers on several thousand processors. But with this wealth of numbers comes an unprecedented difficulty in processing and moving them to provide useful insight and analysis. In this talk, a few simulations are highlighted where recent advancements in multiple-resolution mathematical representations and algorithms have provided some hope of seeing most of the physics of interest while keeping within the practical limits of the post-simulation storage and interactive data-exploration resources. A whole host of visualization research activities was spawned by the 1999 Gordon Bell Prize-winning computation of a shock-tube experiment showing Richtmyer-Meshkov turbulent instabilities. This includes efforts for the entire data pipeline from running simulation to interactive display: wavelet compression of field data, multi-resolution volume rendering and slice planes, out-of-core extraction and simplification of mixing-interface surfaces, shrink-wrapping to semi-regularize the surfaces, semi-structured surface wavelet compression, and view-dependent display-mesh optimization. More recently on the 12 TeraOps ASCI platform, initial results from a 5120-processor, billion-atom molecular dynamics simulation showed that 30-to-1 reductions in storage size can be achieved with no human-observable errors for the analysis required in simulations of supersonic crack propagation. This made it possible to store the 25 trillion bytes worth of simulation numbers in the available storage, which was under 1 trillion bytes. While multi-resolution methods and related systems are still in their infancy, for the largest-scale simulations there is often no other choice should the science require detailed exploration of the results.

  15. Detection of Cast Shadows in Surveillance Applications

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Erbou, Søren G.; Sørensen, Helge Bjarne Dissing; Stage, Bjarne

    2005-01-01

    Cast shadows from moving objects reduce the general ability of robust classification and tracking of these objects, in outdoor surveillance applications. A method for segmentation of cast shadows is proposed, combining statistical features with a new similarity feature, derived from a physics...

  16. The multisensory body revealed through its cast shadows.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pavani, Francesco; Galfano, Giovanni

    2015-01-01

    One key issue when conceiving the body as a multisensory object is how the cognitive system integrates visible instances of the self and other bodies with one's own somatosensory processing, to achieve self-recognition and body ownership. Recent research has strongly suggested that shadows cast by our own body have a special status for cognitive processing, directing attention to the body in a fast and highly specific manner. The aim of the present article is to review the most recent scientific contributions addressing how body shadows affect both sensory/perceptual and attentional processes. The review examines three main points: (1) body shadows as a special window to investigate the construction of multisensory body perception; (2) experimental paradigms and related findings; (3) open questions and future trajectories. The reviewed literature suggests that shadows cast by one's own body promote binding between personal and extrapersonal space and elicit automatic orienting of attention toward the body-part casting the shadow. Future research should address whether the effects exerted by body shadows are similar to those observed when observers are exposed to other visual instances of their body. The results will further clarify the processes underlying the merging of vision and somatosensation when creating body representations.

  17. The multisensory body revealed through its cast shadows

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francesco ePavani

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available One key issue when conceiving the body as a multisensory object is how the cognitive system integrates visible instances of the self and other bodies with one’s own somatosensory processing, to achieve self-recognition and body ownership. Recent research has strongly suggested that shadows cast by our own body have a special status for cognitive processing, directing attention to the body in a fast and highly specific manner. The aim of the present article is to review the most recent scientific contributions addressing how body shadows affect both sensory/perceptual and attentional processes. The review examines three main points: (1 body shadows as a special window to investigate the construction of multisensory body perception; (2 experimental paradigms and related findings; (3 open questions and future trajectories. The reviewed literature suggests that shadows cast by one’s own body promote binding between personal and extrapersonal space and elicit automatic orienting of attention toward the body-part casting the shadow. Future research should address whether the effects exerted by body shadows are similar to those observed when observers are exposed to other visual instances of their body. The results will further clarify the processes underlying the merging of vision and somatosensation when creating body representations.

  18. Knowledge Guided Disambiguation for Large-Scale Scene Classification With Multi-Resolution CNNs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Limin; Guo, Sheng; Huang, Weilin; Xiong, Yuanjun; Qiao, Yu

    2017-04-01

    Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have made remarkable progress on scene recognition, partially due to these recent large-scale scene datasets, such as the Places and Places2. Scene categories are often defined by multi-level information, including local objects, global layout, and background environment, thus leading to large intra-class variations. In addition, with the increasing number of scene categories, label ambiguity has become another crucial issue in large-scale classification. This paper focuses on large-scale scene recognition and makes two major contributions to tackle these issues. First, we propose a multi-resolution CNN architecture that captures visual content and structure at multiple levels. The multi-resolution CNNs are composed of coarse resolution CNNs and fine resolution CNNs, which are complementary to each other. Second, we design two knowledge guided disambiguation techniques to deal with the problem of label ambiguity. (i) We exploit the knowledge from the confusion matrix computed on validation data to merge ambiguous classes into a super category. (ii) We utilize the knowledge of extra networks to produce a soft label for each image. Then the super categories or soft labels are employed to guide CNN training on the Places2. We conduct extensive experiments on three large-scale image datasets (ImageNet, Places, and Places2), demonstrating the effectiveness of our approach. Furthermore, our method takes part in two major scene recognition challenges, and achieves the second place at the Places2 challenge in ILSVRC 2015, and the first place at the LSUN challenge in CVPR 2016. Finally, we directly test the learned representations on other scene benchmarks, and obtain the new state-of-the-art results on the MIT Indoor67 (86.7\\%) and SUN397 (72.0\\%). We release the code and models at~\\url{https://github.com/wanglimin/MRCNN-Scene-Recognition}.

  19. Joint Multi-scale Convolution Neural Network for Scene Classification of High Resolution Remote Sensing Imagery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ZHENG Zhuo

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available High resolution remote sensing imagery scene classification is important for automatic complex scene recognition, which is the key technology for military and disaster relief, etc. In this paper, we propose a novel joint multi-scale convolution neural network (JMCNN method using a limited amount of image data for high resolution remote sensing imagery scene classification. Different from traditional convolutional neural network, the proposed JMCNN is an end-to-end training model with joint enhanced high-level feature representation, which includes multi-channel feature extractor, joint multi-scale feature fusion and Softmax classifier. Multi-channel and scale convolutional extractors are used to extract scene middle features, firstly. Then, in order to achieve enhanced high-level feature representation in a limit dataset, joint multi-scale feature fusion is proposed to combine multi-channel and scale features using two feature fusions. Finally, enhanced high-level feature representation can be used for classification by Softmax. Experiments were conducted using two limit public UCM and SIRI datasets. Compared to state-of-the-art methods, the JMCNN achieved improved performance and great robustness with average accuracies of 89.3% and 88.3% on the two datasets.

  20. Error analysis of the phase-shifting technique when applied to shadow moire

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han, Changwoon; Han Bongtae

    2006-01-01

    An exact solution for the intensity distribution of shadow moire fringes produced by a broad spectrum light is presented. A mathematical study quantifies errors in fractional fringe orders determined by the phase-shifting technique, and its validity is corroborated experimentally. The errors vary cyclically as the distance between the reference grating and the specimen increases. The amplitude of the maximum error is approximately 0.017 fringe, which defines the theoretical limit of resolution enhancement offered by the phase-shifting technique

  1. Applications of a shadow camera system for energy meteorology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuhn, Pascal; Wilbert, Stefan; Prahl, Christoph; Garsche, Dominik; Schüler, David; Haase, Thomas; Ramirez, Lourdes; Zarzalejo, Luis; Meyer, Angela; Blanc, Philippe; Pitz-Paal, Robert

    2018-02-01

    Downward-facing shadow cameras might play a major role in future energy meteorology. Shadow cameras directly image shadows on the ground from an elevated position. They are used to validate other systems (e.g. all-sky imager based nowcasting systems, cloud speed sensors or satellite forecasts) and can potentially provide short term forecasts for solar power plants. Such forecasts are needed for electricity grids with high penetrations of renewable energy and can help to optimize plant operations. In this publication, two key applications of shadow cameras are briefly presented.

  2. Intelligent Multi-Resolution 3D Modeling, Compression, Registration, Fusion and Recognition, Phase II

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — NASA missions are being designed for multi-sensor data collection and synthesis using diverse temporal, spatial and spectral resolutions for use by multiple teams of...

  3. A high resolution 16 k multi-channel analyzer PC add-on card

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kulkarni, C.P.; Paulson, Molly; Vaidya, P.P.

    2001-01-01

    This paper describes the system details of a 16 K channel resolution Multi-Channel Analyzer (MCA) developed at Electronics Division, BARC, which is used in high resolution nuclear spectroscopy systems for pulse height analysis. The high resolution data acquisition PC add-on card is architectured using a state of the art digital circuit design technology which makes use of a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), and some of the most modern and advanced analog counterparts like low power, high speed and high precision comparators, Op-amps, ADCs and DACs etc. The 16 K MCA card gives an economic, compact, and low power alternative for nuclear pulse spectroscopy use. (author)

  4. Folding and unfolding phylogenetic trees and networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huber, Katharina T; Moulton, Vincent; Steel, Mike; Wu, Taoyang

    2016-12-01

    Phylogenetic networks are rooted, labelled directed acyclic graphswhich are commonly used to represent reticulate evolution. There is a close relationship between phylogenetic networks and multi-labelled trees (MUL-trees). Indeed, any phylogenetic network N can be "unfolded" to obtain a MUL-tree U(N) and, conversely, a MUL-tree T can in certain circumstances be "folded" to obtain aphylogenetic network F(T) that exhibits T. In this paper, we study properties of the operations U and F in more detail. In particular, we introduce the class of stable networks, phylogenetic networks N for which F(U(N)) is isomorphic to N, characterise such networks, and show that they are related to the well-known class of tree-sibling networks. We also explore how the concept of displaying a tree in a network N can be related to displaying the tree in the MUL-tree U(N). To do this, we develop aphylogenetic analogue of graph fibrations. This allows us to view U(N) as the analogue of the universal cover of a digraph, and to establish a close connection between displaying trees in U(N) and reconciling phylogenetic trees with networks.

  5. A 4.5 km resolution Arctic Ocean simulation with the global multi-resolution model FESOM 1.4

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Qiang; Wekerle, Claudia; Danilov, Sergey; Wang, Xuezhu; Jung, Thomas

    2018-04-01

    In the framework of developing a global modeling system which can facilitate modeling studies on Arctic Ocean and high- to midlatitude linkage, we evaluate the Arctic Ocean simulated by the multi-resolution Finite Element Sea ice-Ocean Model (FESOM). To explore the value of using high horizontal resolution for Arctic Ocean modeling, we use two global meshes differing in the horizontal resolution only in the Arctic Ocean (24 km vs. 4.5 km). The high resolution significantly improves the model's representation of the Arctic Ocean. The most pronounced improvement is in the Arctic intermediate layer, in terms of both Atlantic Water (AW) mean state and variability. The deepening and thickening bias of the AW layer, a common issue found in coarse-resolution simulations, is significantly alleviated by using higher resolution. The topographic steering of the AW is stronger and the seasonal and interannual temperature variability along the ocean bottom topography is enhanced in the high-resolution simulation. The high resolution also improves the ocean surface circulation, mainly through a better representation of the narrow straits in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA). The representation of CAA throughflow not only influences the release of water masses through the other gateways but also the circulation pathways inside the Arctic Ocean. However, the mean state and variability of Arctic freshwater content and the variability of freshwater transport through the Arctic gateways appear not to be very sensitive to the increase in resolution employed here. By highlighting the issues that are independent of model resolution, we address that other efforts including the improvement of parameterizations are still required.

  6. Automatic shadowing device for electron microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bishop, F W; Bogitch, S

    1960-01-01

    For the past ten years in the laboratory of the Department of Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Biology at the University of California, and before that at Rochester, New York, every evaporation was done with the aid of an automatic shadowing device. For several months the automatic shadowing device has been available at the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC) Hiroshima, Japan with the modifications described. 1 reference.

  7. Shadow-Based Vehicle Detection in Urban Traffic

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manuel Ibarra-Arenado

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Vehicle detection is a fundamental task in Forward Collision Avoiding Systems (FACS. Generally, vision-based vehicle detection methods consist of two stages: hypotheses generation and hypotheses verification. In this paper, we focus on the former, presenting a feature-based method for on-road vehicle detection in urban traffic. Hypotheses for vehicle candidates are generated according to the shadow under the vehicles by comparing pixel properties across the vertical intensity gradients caused by shadows on the road, and followed by intensity thresholding and morphological discrimination. Unlike methods that identify the shadow under a vehicle as a road region with intensity smaller than a coarse lower bound of the intensity for road, the thresholding strategy we propose determines a coarse upper bound of the intensity for shadow which reduces false positives rates. The experimental results are promising in terms of detection performance and robustness in day time under different weather conditions and cluttered scenarios to enable validation for the first stage of a complete FACS.

  8. Novel Super-Resolution Approach to Time-Resolved Volumetric 4-Dimensional Magnetic Resonance Imaging With High Spatiotemporal Resolution for Multi-Breathing Cycle Motion Assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Guang; Wei, Jie; Kadbi, Mo; Moody, Jason; Sun, August; Zhang, Shirong; Markova, Svetlana; Zakian, Kristen; Hunt, Margie; Deasy, Joseph O.

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: To develop and evaluate a super-resolution approach to reconstruct time-resolved 4-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (TR-4DMRI) with a high spatiotemporal resolution for multi-breathing cycle motion assessment. Methods and Materials: A super-resolution approach was developed to combine fast 3-dimensional (3D) cine MRI with low resolution during free breathing (FB) and high-resolution 3D static MRI during breath hold (BH) using deformable image registration. A T1-weighted, turbo field echo sequence, coronal 3D cine acquisition, partial Fourier approximation, and SENSitivity Encoding parallel acceleration were used. The same MRI pulse sequence, field of view, and acceleration techniques were applied in both FB and BH acquisitions; the intensity-based Demons deformable image registration method was used. Under an institutional review board–approved protocol, 7 volunteers were studied with 3D cine FB scan (voxel size: 5 × 5 × 5 mm"3) at 2 Hz for 40 seconds and a 3D static BH scan (2 × 2 × 2 mm"3). To examine the image fidelity of 3D cine and super-resolution TR-4DMRI, a mobile gel phantom with multi-internal targets was scanned at 3 speeds and compared with the 3D static image. Image similarity among 3D cine, 4DMRI, and 3D static was evaluated visually using difference image and quantitatively using voxel intensity correlation and Dice index (phantom only). Multi-breathing-cycle waveforms were extracted and compared in both phantom and volunteer images using the 3D cine as the references. Results: Mild imaging artifacts were found in the 3D cine and TR-4DMRI of the mobile gel phantom with a Dice index of >0.95. Among 7 volunteers, the super-resolution TR-4DMRI yielded high voxel-intensity correlation (0.92 ± 0.05) and low voxel-intensity difference (<0.05). The detected motion differences between TR-4DMRI and 3D cine were −0.2 ± 0.5 mm (phantom) and −0.2 ± 1.9 mm (diaphragms). Conclusion: Super-resolution TR-4DMRI has been

  9. Novel Super-Resolution Approach to Time-Resolved Volumetric 4-Dimensional Magnetic Resonance Imaging With High Spatiotemporal Resolution for Multi-Breathing Cycle Motion Assessment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Guang, E-mail: lig2@mskcc.org [Department of Medical Physics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York (United States); Wei, Jie [Department of Computer Science, City College of New York, New York, New York (United States); Kadbi, Mo [Philips Healthcare, MR Therapy Cleveland, Ohio (United States); Moody, Jason; Sun, August; Zhang, Shirong; Markova, Svetlana; Zakian, Kristen; Hunt, Margie; Deasy, Joseph O. [Department of Medical Physics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York (United States)

    2017-06-01

    Purpose: To develop and evaluate a super-resolution approach to reconstruct time-resolved 4-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (TR-4DMRI) with a high spatiotemporal resolution for multi-breathing cycle motion assessment. Methods and Materials: A super-resolution approach was developed to combine fast 3-dimensional (3D) cine MRI with low resolution during free breathing (FB) and high-resolution 3D static MRI during breath hold (BH) using deformable image registration. A T1-weighted, turbo field echo sequence, coronal 3D cine acquisition, partial Fourier approximation, and SENSitivity Encoding parallel acceleration were used. The same MRI pulse sequence, field of view, and acceleration techniques were applied in both FB and BH acquisitions; the intensity-based Demons deformable image registration method was used. Under an institutional review board–approved protocol, 7 volunteers were studied with 3D cine FB scan (voxel size: 5 × 5 × 5 mm{sup 3}) at 2 Hz for 40 seconds and a 3D static BH scan (2 × 2 × 2 mm{sup 3}). To examine the image fidelity of 3D cine and super-resolution TR-4DMRI, a mobile gel phantom with multi-internal targets was scanned at 3 speeds and compared with the 3D static image. Image similarity among 3D cine, 4DMRI, and 3D static was evaluated visually using difference image and quantitatively using voxel intensity correlation and Dice index (phantom only). Multi-breathing-cycle waveforms were extracted and compared in both phantom and volunteer images using the 3D cine as the references. Results: Mild imaging artifacts were found in the 3D cine and TR-4DMRI of the mobile gel phantom with a Dice index of >0.95. Among 7 volunteers, the super-resolution TR-4DMRI yielded high voxel-intensity correlation (0.92 ± 0.05) and low voxel-intensity difference (<0.05). The detected motion differences between TR-4DMRI and 3D cine were −0.2 ± 0.5 mm (phantom) and −0.2 ± 1.9 mm (diaphragms). Conclusion: Super-resolution TR-4

  10. Shadow Segmentation and Augmentation Using á-overlay Models that Account for Penumbra

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Michael; Madsen, Claus B.

    2006-01-01

    that an augmented virtual object can cast an exact shadow. The penumbras (half-shadows) must be taken into account so that we can model the soft shadows.We hope to achieve this by modelling the shadow regions (umbra and penumbra alike) with a transparent overlay. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art shadow...

  11. Conservation threats and the phylogenetic utility of IUCN Red List rankings in Incilius toads.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schachat, Sandra R; Mulcahy, Daniel G; Mendelson, Joseph R

    2016-02-01

    Phylogenetic analysis of extinction threat is an emerging tool in the field of conservation. However, there are problems with the methods and data as commonly used. Phylogenetic sampling usually extends to the level of family or genus, but International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) rankings are available only for individual species, and, although different species within a taxonomic group may have the same IUCN rank, the species may have been ranked as such for different reasons. Therefore, IUCN rank may not reflect evolutionary history and thus may not be appropriate for use in a phylogenetic context. To be used appropriately, threat-risk data should reflect the cause of extinction threat rather than the IUCN threat ranking. In a case study of the toad genus Incilius, with phylogenetic sampling at the species level (so that the resolution of the phylogeny matches character data from the IUCN Red List), we analyzed causes of decline and IUCN threat rankings by calculating metrics of phylogenetic signal (such as Fritz and Purvis' D). We also analyzed the extent to which cause of decline and threat ranking overlap by calculating phylogenetic correlation between these 2 types of character data. Incilius species varied greatly in both threat ranking and cause of decline; this variability would be lost at a coarser taxonomic resolution. We found far more phylogenetic signal, likely correlated with evolutionary history, for causes of decline than for IUCN threat ranking. Individual causes of decline and IUCN threat rankings were largely uncorrelated on the phylogeny. Our results demonstrate the importance of character selection and taxonomic resolution when extinction threat is analyzed in a phylogenetic context. © 2015 Society for Conservation Biology.

  12. DEEP SPACE: High Resolution VR Platform for Multi-user Interactive Narratives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuka, Daniela; Elias, Oliver; Martins, Ronald; Lindinger, Christopher; Pramböck, Andreas; Jalsovec, Andreas; Maresch, Pascal; Hörtner, Horst; Brandl, Peter

    DEEP SPACE is a large-scale platform for interactive, stereoscopic and high resolution content. The spatial and the system design of DEEP SPACE are facing constraints of CAVETM-like systems in respect to multi-user interactive storytelling. To be used as research platform and as public exhibition space for many people, DEEP SPACE is capable to process interactive, stereoscopic applications on two projection walls with a size of 16 by 9 meters and a resolution of four times 1080p (4K) each. The processed applications are ranging from Virtual Reality (VR)-environments to 3D-movies to computationally intensive 2D-productions. In this paper, we are describing DEEP SPACE as an experimental VR platform for multi-user interactive storytelling. We are focusing on the system design relevant for the platform, including the integration of the Apple iPod Touch technology as VR control, and a special case study that is demonstrating the research efforts in the field of multi-user interactive storytelling. The described case study, entitled "Papyrate's Island", provides a prototypical scenario of how physical drawings may impact on digital narratives. In this special case, DEEP SPACE helps us to explore the hypothesis that drawing, a primordial human creative skill, gives us access to entirely new creative possibilities in the domain of interactive storytelling.

  13. Multi-resolution analysis for region of interest extraction in thermographic nondestructive evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ortiz-Jaramillo, B.; Fandiño Toro, H. A.; Benitez-Restrepo, H. D.; Orjuela-Vargas, S. A.; Castellanos-Domínguez, G.; Philips, W.

    2012-03-01

    Infrared Non-Destructive Testing (INDT) is known as an effective and rapid method for nondestructive inspection. It can detect a broad range of near-surface structuring flaws in metallic and composite components. Those flaws are modeled as a smooth contour centered at peaks of stored thermal energy, termed Regions of Interest (ROI). Dedicated methodologies must detect the presence of those ROIs. In this paper, we present a methodology for ROI extraction in INDT tasks. The methodology deals with the difficulties due to the non-uniform heating. The non-uniform heating affects low spatial/frequencies and hinders the detection of relevant points in the image. In this paper, a methodology for ROI extraction in INDT using multi-resolution analysis is proposed, which is robust to ROI low contrast and non-uniform heating. The former methodology includes local correlation, Gaussian scale analysis and local edge detection. In this methodology local correlation between image and Gaussian window provides interest points related to ROIs. We use a Gaussian window because thermal behavior is well modeled by Gaussian smooth contours. Also, the Gaussian scale is used to analyze details in the image using multi-resolution analysis avoiding low contrast, non-uniform heating and selection of the Gaussian window size. Finally, local edge detection is used to provide a good estimation of the boundaries in the ROI. Thus, we provide a methodology for ROI extraction based on multi-resolution analysis that is better or equal compared with the other dedicate algorithms proposed in the state of art.

  14. Shadow casted by a Konoplya-Zhidenko rotating non-Kerr black hole

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Mingzhi; Chen, Songbai; Jing, Jiliang, E-mail: wmz9085@126.com, E-mail: csb3752@hunnu.edu.cn, E-mail: jljing@hunnu.edu.cn [Institute of Physics and Department of Physics, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081 (China)

    2017-10-01

    We have investigated the shadow of a Konoplya-Zhidenko rotating non-Kerr black hole with an extra deformation parameter. The spacetime structure arising from the deformed parameter affects sharply the black hole shadow. With the increase of the deformation parameter, the size of the shadow of black hole increase and its shape becomes more rounded for arbitrary rotation parameter. The D-shape shadow of black hole emerges only in the case a <2√3/3\\, M with the proper deformation parameter. Especially, the black hole shadow possesses a cusp shape with small eye lashes in the cases with a >M, and the shadow becomes less cuspidal with the increase of the deformation parameter. Our result show that the presence of the deformation parameter yields a series of significant patterns for the shadow casted by a Konoplya-Zhidenko rotating non-Kerr black hole.

  15. Telescopic multi-resolution augmented reality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jenkins, Jeffrey; Frenchi, Christopher; Szu, Harold

    2014-05-01

    To ensure a self-consistent scaling approximation, the underlying microscopic fluctuation components can naturally influence macroscopic means, which may give rise to emergent observable phenomena. In this paper, we describe a consistent macroscopic (cm-scale), mesoscopic (micron-scale), and microscopic (nano-scale) approach to introduce Telescopic Multi-Resolution (TMR) into current Augmented Reality (AR) visualization technology. We propose to couple TMR-AR by introducing an energy-matter interaction engine framework that is based on known Physics, Biology, Chemistry principles. An immediate payoff of TMR-AR is a self-consistent approximation of the interaction between microscopic observables and their direct effect on the macroscopic system that is driven by real-world measurements. Such an interdisciplinary approach enables us to achieve more than multiple scale, telescopic visualization of real and virtual information but also conducting thought experiments through AR. As a result of the consistency, this framework allows us to explore a large dimensionality parameter space of measured and unmeasured regions. Towards this direction, we explore how to build learnable libraries of biological, physical, and chemical mechanisms. Fusing analytical sensors with TMR-AR libraries provides a robust framework to optimize testing and evaluation through data-driven or virtual synthetic simulations. Visualizing mechanisms of interactions requires identification of observable image features that can indicate the presence of information in multiple spatial and temporal scales of analog data. The AR methodology was originally developed to enhance pilot-training as well as `make believe' entertainment industries in a user-friendly digital environment We believe TMR-AR can someday help us conduct thought experiments scientifically, to be pedagogically visualized in a zoom-in-and-out, consistent, multi-scale approximations.

  16. Shadowing in the scaling region

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shaw, G.

    1989-01-01

    The approximate scaling behaviour of the shadowing effect at small χ, recently observed in deep inelastic muon scattering experiments on nuclei, is shown to arise naturally at very large ν in those hadron dominance models, formulated many years ago, which are dual to the parton model. At smaller ν small scale breaking effects are expected, which sould die away as ν increases. The predicted shadowing decreases rapidly with increasing χ, at a rate which is only weakly dependent on the atomic number A for reasonably large A. (orig.)

  17. Multi-scale method for the resolution of the neutronic kinetics equations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chauvet, St.

    2008-10-01

    In this PhD thesis and in order to improve the time/precision ratio of the numerical simulation calculations, we investigate multi-scale techniques for the resolution of the reactor kinetics equations. We choose to focus on the mixed dual diffusion approximation and the quasi-static methods. We introduce a space dependency for the amplitude function which only depends on the time variable in the standard quasi-static context. With this new factorization, we develop two mixed dual problems which can be solved with Cea's solver MINOS. An algorithm is implemented, performing the resolution of these problems defined on different scales (for time and space). We name this approach: the Local Quasi-Static method. We present here this new multi-scale approach and its implementation. The inherent details of amplitude and shape treatments are discussed and justified. Results and performances, compared to MINOS, are studied. They illustrate the improvement on the time/precision ratio for kinetics calculations. Furthermore, we open some new possibilities to parallelize computations with MINOS. For the future, we also introduce some improvement tracks with adaptive scales. (author)

  18. A multi-channel data acquisition system with high resolution based on microcomputer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    An Qi; Wang Yanfang; Xing Tao

    1995-01-01

    The paper introduces the principle of a multi-channel data acquisition system with high resolution based on the microcomputer.The system consists of five parts.They are analog-to-digital converter, data buffer area, trigger logic circuit, control circuit, and digital-to-analog converter

  19. Clustered deep shadow maps for integrated polyhedral and volume rendering

    KAUST Repository

    Bornik, Alexander

    2012-01-01

    This paper presents a hardware-accelerated approach for shadow computation in scenes containing both complex volumetric objects and polyhedral models. Our system is the first hardware accelerated complete implementation of deep shadow maps, which unifies the computation of volumetric and geometric shadows. Up to now such unified computation was limited to software-only rendering . Previous hardware accelerated techniques can handle only geometric or only volumetric scenes - both resulting in the loss of important properties of the original concept. Our approach supports interactive rendering of polyhedrally bounded volumetric objects on the GPU based on ray casting. The ray casting can be conveniently used for both the shadow map computation and the rendering. We show how anti-aliased high-quality shadows are feasible in scenes composed of multiple overlapping translucent objects, and how sparse scenes can be handled efficiently using clustered deep shadow maps. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.

  20. An image-space parallel convolution filtering algorithm based on shadow map

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Hua; Yang, Huamin; Zhao, Jianping

    2017-07-01

    Shadow mapping is commonly used in real-time rendering. In this paper, we presented an accurate and efficient method of soft shadows generation from planar area lights. First this method generated a depth map from light's view, and analyzed the depth-discontinuities areas as well as shadow boundaries. Then these areas were described as binary values in the texture map called binary light-visibility map, and a parallel convolution filtering algorithm based on GPU was enforced to smooth out the boundaries with a box filter. Experiments show that our algorithm is an effective shadow map based method that produces perceptually accurate soft shadows in real time with more details of shadow boundaries compared with the previous works.

  1. Adaptive multi-resolution 3D Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov solver for nuclear structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pei, J. C.; Fann, G. I.; Harrison, R. J.; Nazarewicz, W.; Shi, Yue; Thornton, S.

    2014-08-01

    Background: Complex many-body systems, such as triaxial and reflection-asymmetric nuclei, weakly bound halo states, cluster configurations, nuclear fragments produced in heavy-ion fusion reactions, cold Fermi gases, and pasta phases in neutron star crust, are all characterized by large sizes and complex topologies in which many geometrical symmetries characteristic of ground-state configurations are broken. A tool of choice to study such complex forms of matter is an adaptive multi-resolution wavelet analysis. This method has generated much excitement since it provides a common framework linking many diversified methodologies across different fields, including signal processing, data compression, harmonic analysis and operator theory, fractals, and quantum field theory. Purpose: To describe complex superfluid many-fermion systems, we introduce an adaptive pseudospectral method for solving self-consistent equations of nuclear density functional theory in three dimensions, without symmetry restrictions. Methods: The numerical method is based on the multi-resolution and computational harmonic analysis techniques with a multi-wavelet basis. The application of state-of-the-art parallel programming techniques include sophisticated object-oriented templates which parse the high-level code into distributed parallel tasks with a multi-thread task queue scheduler for each multi-core node. The internode communications are asynchronous. The algorithm is variational and is capable of solving coupled complex-geometric systems of equations adaptively, with functional and boundary constraints, in a finite spatial domain of very large size, limited by existing parallel computer memory. For smooth functions, user-defined finite precision is guaranteed. Results: The new adaptive multi-resolution Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (HFB) solver madness-hfb is benchmarked against a two-dimensional coordinate-space solver hfb-ax that is based on the B-spline technique and a three-dimensional solver

  2. Identification of Methodology of Indirect Assessment of Economy Shadowing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Avhustyn Ruslan R.

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available The article explains the essence of the shadow economy as an objective phenomenon of socio-economic relations and its influence upon national economy security through instruments of pricing, fiscal restrictions, tax control, and banking and insurance regulation. It proves the necessity of use of the indirect method of assessment of the level of economy shadowing along with methods of direct control over the growth of shadowed economic relations, since such an approach would allow rational approach to identification of volumes and level of shadow activity. In the result of the study the article marks out varieties of indirect assessment of economy shadowing (methods of document, accounting and economic analysis, their specific features, advantages and shortcomings and results of practical use. The article reveals approaches and indicators of economic analysis that allow identification of reasons of deviations from the normal economic activity of economic subjects. It provides examples of the indirect method of assessment of the volume of shadowed economy that deal with analysis of demand on money and comparison of rates of the growth of the money supply with the volume of sight drafts with GDP.

  3. Correcting the relationship between PRI and shadow fraction for the blue sky effect

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mõttus, Matti

    2016-04-01

    The Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI) is defined as the normalized difference ratio of leaf reflectance at two specific wavelengths in the green spectral region. Its value depends on the status of leaf carotenoid content, and especially that of the xanthophyll cycle pigments. Due to the dependence on the xanthophyll cycle, when the photosynthetic apparatus of green leaves is close to the saturation limit, their PRI becomes dependent on light conditions. Therefore, by measuring the PRI of leaves in the same canopy under different local irradiance conditions on a sunny day, it should be possible to determine the saturation level of the leaves. In turn, this gives information on the light use efficiency (LUE) of the vegetation canopy. The average light conditions of visible foliage elements are often quantified with the shadow fraction -- the fraction of visible foliage not lit by direct sunlight. The dependence of PRI on the shadow fraction has been used to remotely measure canopy LUE on clear days. Variations in shadow fraction have been achieved with multiangular measurement. However, besides photosynthetic downregulation, the dependence of canopy PRI on shadow fraction is affected by the blue sky radiation caused by scattering in the atmosphere. To quantify this effect on remotely sensed PRI, we present the underlying definitions relating leaf and canopy PRI and perform the required calculations for typical midsummer conditions in Central Finland. We demonstrate that the effect of blue sky radiation on the variation of PRI with canopy shadow fraction is similar in shape and magnitude to that of LUE variations reported in literature. Next, we propose a new method to assess these PRI variations in structured vegetation. We investiagate this blue sky effect on the PRI -- shadow fraction relationship with high spatial (60 cm) and spectral (9.8 nm) resolution airborne imaging spectroscopy data from Hyytiälä, Finland. We evaluate the spectral irradiance in

  4. Shadow edge lithography for nanoscale patterning and manufacturing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bai, John G; Chang, C-L; Chung, Jae-Hyun; Lee, Kyong-Hoon

    2007-01-01

    We demonstrate a wafer-scale nanofabrication method using the shadow effect in physical vapor deposition. An analytical model is presented to predict the formation of nanoscale gaps created by the shadow effect of a prepatterned edge on a deposition plane. The theoretical prediction agrees quantitatively with the widths of the fabricated nanogaps and nanochannels. In the diffusion experiments, both λ-DNA and fluorescein molecules were successfully introduced into the nanochannels. The proposed shadow edge lithography has potential to be a candidate for mass-producing nanostructures

  5. Doctoring Undercover: updating the educational tradition of shadowing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clark, Claire D

    2017-01-01

    Premedical students are educated in basic biological and health sciences. As a complement to traditional premedical coursework, medical school applicants are encouraged to shadow practitioners, with the hope that observation will introduce students to the culture and practice of healthcare. Yet the shadowing experience varies widely across practitioners and institutions; resources that guide students' critical reflection and structure the experience are scarce. A pilot experiential learning course, Doctoring Undercover: Shadowing and the Culture of Medicine, was developed to fill this gap. The course consisted of three parts: an introduction to medical culture through the disciplines of medical sociology, history, anthropology, and bioethics; a site placement in which students applied these fields' analytical techniques to the study of medical culture and practice; and the development of an online activity guide that other premedical students may adapt to their shadowing circumstances. Students reported that they were exposed to new disciplinary perspectives and interprofessional environments that they would not traditionally encounter. Students' contributions to the shadowing guide encouraged active learning and reflection on the dynamics of effective patient-provider relationships and shadowing experiences. Locally, the class may be scaled for a larger group of premedical students and incorporated into a formal pathway program for premedical students; the content will also be integrated into the clinical medicine course for first-year medical students. Online, the guide will be promoted for use by other institutions and by individuals planning extracurricular shadowing experiences; feedback will be solicited. Tools for evaluating the short- and long-term impact of the course and guide will be developed and validated. Observational and experimental studies of the course's impact should be conducted. ICM: Introduction to Clinical Medicine; SCE: Selective Clinical

  6. Light-cone gauge approach to arbitrary spin fields, currents and shadows

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Metsaev, R R

    2014-01-01

    Totally symmetric arbitrary spin fields in AdS space, conformal fields, conformal currents, and shadow fields in flat space are studied. Light-cone gauge formulations for such fields, currents and shadows are obtained. Use of the Poincaré parametrization of AdS space and ladder operators allows us to treat fields in flat and AdS spaces on an equal footing. Light-cone gauge realization of relativistic symmetries for fields, currents and shadows is also obtained. The light-cone gauge formulation for fields is obtained by using the gauge invariant Lagrangian which is presented in terms of modified de Donder divergence, while the light-cone gauge formulation for currents and shadows is obtained by using the gauge invariant approach to currents and shadows. This allows us to demonstrate explicitly how the ladder operators entering the gauge invariant formulation of fields, currents and shadows manifest themselves in the light-cone gauge formulation for fields, currents and shadows. (paper)

  7. Resolution of the enigmatic phylogenetic relationship of the critically endangered Western Swamp Tortoise Pseudemydura umbrina (Pleurodira: Chelidae) using a complete mitochondrial genome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Xiuwen; Unmack, Peter J; Kuchling, Gerald; Wang, Yinan; Georges, Arthur

    2017-10-01

    Pseudemydura umbrina is one of the most endangered turtle species in the world, and the imperative for its conservation is its distinctive morphology and relict status among the Chelidae. We use Illumina sequencing to obtain the complete mitogenome for resolving its uncertain phylogenetic position. A novel nuclear paralogue confounded the assembly, and resolution of the authentic mitogenome required further Sanger sequencing. The P. umbrina mitogenome is 16,414bp comprising 37 genes organized in a conserved pattern for other vertebrates. The nuclear paralogue is 547bp, 97.8% identity to the corresponding mitochondrial sequence. Particular features of the mitogenome include an nd3 174+1A frameshift, loss of DHC loop in tRNA Ser (AGN), and a light-strand replication initiation site in Wancy region that extends into an adjacent tRNA gene. Phylogenetic analysis showed that P. umbrina is the monotypic sister lineage to the remaining Australasian Chelidae, a lineage probably dating back to the Cretaceous. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. How do Institutions Affect Corruption and the Shadow Economy?

    OpenAIRE

    Axel Dreher; Christos Kotsogiannis; Steve McCorriston

    2005-01-01

    This paper analyzes a simple model that captures the relationship between institutional quality, the shadow economy and corruption. It shows that an improvement in institutional quality reduces the shadow economy and affects the corruption market. The exact relationship between corruption and institutional quality is, however, ambiguous and depends on the relative effectiveness of the institutional quality in the shadow and corruption markets. The predictions of the model are empirically test...

  9. Does the black hole shadow probe the event horizon geometry?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cunha, Pedro V. P.; Herdeiro, Carlos A. R.; Rodriguez, Maria J.

    2018-04-01

    There is an exciting prospect of obtaining the shadow of astrophysical black holes (BHs) in the near future with the Event Horizon Telescope. As a matter of principle, this justifies asking how much one can learn about the BH horizon itself from such a measurement. Since the shadow is determined by a set of special photon orbits, rather than horizon properties, it is possible that different horizon geometries yield similar shadows. One may then ask how sensitive is the shadow to details of the horizon geometry? As a case study, we consider the double Schwarzschild BH and analyze the impact on the lensing and shadows of the conical singularity that holds the two BHs in equilibrium—herein taken to be a strut along the symmetry axis in between the two BHs. Whereas the conical singularity induces a discontinuity of the scattering angle of photons, clearly visible in the lensing patterns along the direction of the strut's location, it produces no observable effect on the shadows, whose edges remain everywhere smooth. The latter feature is illustrated by examples including both equal and unequal mass BHs. This smoothness contrasts with the intrinsic geometry of the (spatial sections of the) horizon of these BHs, which is not smooth, and provides a sharp example on how BH shadows are insensitive to some horizon geometry details. This observation, moreover, suggests that for the study of their shadows, this static double BH system may be an informative proxy for a dynamical binary.

  10. Crack Identification in CFRP Laminated Beams Using Multi-Resolution Modal Teager–Kaiser Energy under Noisy Environments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Wei; Cao, Maosen; Ding, Keqin; Radzieński, Maciej; Ostachowicz, Wiesław

    2017-01-01

    Carbon fiber reinforced polymer laminates are increasingly used in the aerospace and civil engineering fields. Identifying cracks in carbon fiber reinforced polymer laminated beam components is of considerable significance for ensuring the integrity and safety of the whole structures. With the development of high-resolution measurement technologies, mode-shape-based crack identification in such laminated beam components has become an active research focus. Despite its sensitivity to cracks, however, this method is susceptible to noise. To address this deficiency, this study proposes a new concept of multi-resolution modal Teager–Kaiser energy, which is the Teager–Kaiser energy of a mode shape represented in multi-resolution, for identifying cracks in carbon fiber reinforced polymer laminated beams. The efficacy of this concept is analytically demonstrated by identifying cracks in Timoshenko beams with general boundary conditions; and its applicability is validated by diagnosing cracks in a carbon fiber reinforced polymer laminated beam, whose mode shapes are precisely acquired via non-contact measurement using a scanning laser vibrometer. The analytical and experimental results show that multi-resolution modal Teager–Kaiser energy is capable of designating the presence and location of cracks in these beams under noisy environments. This proposed method holds promise for developing crack identification systems for carbon fiber reinforced polymer laminates. PMID:28773016

  11. FIELD INVESTIGATION OF THE DRIFT SHADOW

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    G.W. Su; T.J. Kneafsey

    2006-01-01

    A drift shadow is an area immediately beneath an underground void that, in theory, will be relatively drier than the surrounding rock mass. Numerical and analytical models of water flow through unsaturated rock predict the existence of a drift shadow, but field tests confirming the existence of the drift shadow have yet to be performed. Proving the existence of drift shadows and understanding their hydrologic and transport characteristics could provide a better understanding of how contaminants move in the subsurface if released from waste emplacement drifts such as the proposed nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. We describe the field program that will be used to investigate the existence of a drift shadow--and the corresponding hydrological process at the Hazel-Atlas silica-sand mine located at the Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve in Antioch, California. The location and configuration of this mine makes it an excellent site to observe and measure drift shadow characteristics. The mine is located in a porous sandstone unit of the Domengine formation, an approximately 230 meter thick series of interbedded Eocene-age shales, coals, and massive-bedded sandstones. The mining method used at the mine required the development of two parallel drifts, one above the other, driven along the strike of the mined sandstone stratum. This configuration provides the opportunity to introduce water into the rock mass in the upper drift and to observe and measure its flow around the underlying drift. The passive and active hydrologic tests to be performed are described. In the passive method, cores will be obtained in a radial pattern around a drift and will be sectioned and analyzed for in-situ water content using a gravimetric technique, as well as analyzed for chemistry. With the active hydrologic test, water will be introduced into the upper drift of the two parallel drifts and the flow of the water will be tracked as it passes near the bottom drift

  12. An example of a vector field with the oriented shadowing property

    OpenAIRE

    Tikhomirov, Sergey

    2014-01-01

    We consider shadowing properties for vector fields corresponding to different type of reparametrisations. We give an example of a vector field which has the oriented shadowing properties, but does not have the standard shadowing property.

  13. Deep learning for classification of islanding and grid disturbance based on multi-resolution singular spectrum entropy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Tie; He, Xiaoyang; Tang, Junci; Zeng, Hui; Zhou, Chunying; Zhang, Nan; Liu, Hui; Lu, Zhuoxin; Kong, Xiangrui; Yan, Zheng

    2018-02-01

    Forasmuch as the distinguishment of islanding is easy to be interfered by grid disturbance, island detection device may make misjudgment thus causing the consequence of photovoltaic out of service. The detection device must provide with the ability to differ islanding from grid disturbance. In this paper, the concept of deep learning is introduced into classification of islanding and grid disturbance for the first time. A novel deep learning framework is proposed to detect and classify islanding or grid disturbance. The framework is a hybrid of wavelet transformation, multi-resolution singular spectrum entropy, and deep learning architecture. As a signal processing method after wavelet transformation, multi-resolution singular spectrum entropy combines multi-resolution analysis and spectrum analysis with entropy as output, from which we can extract the intrinsic different features between islanding and grid disturbance. With the features extracted, deep learning is utilized to classify islanding and grid disturbance. Simulation results indicate that the method can achieve its goal while being highly accurate, so the photovoltaic system mistakenly withdrawing from power grids can be avoided.

  14. Shadows alter facial expressions of Noh masks.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nobuyuki Kawai

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: A Noh mask, worn by expert actors during performance on the Japanese traditional Noh drama, conveys various emotional expressions despite its fixed physical properties. How does the mask change its expressions? Shadows change subtly during the actual Noh drama, which plays a key role in creating elusive artistic enchantment. We here describe evidence from two experiments regarding how attached shadows of the Noh masks influence the observers' recognition of the emotional expressions. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In Experiment 1, neutral-faced Noh masks having the attached shadows of the happy/sad masks were recognized as bearing happy/sad expressions, respectively. This was true for all four types of masks each of which represented a character differing in sex and age, even though the original characteristics of the masks also greatly influenced the evaluation of emotions. Experiment 2 further revealed that frontal Noh mask images having shadows of upward/downward tilted masks were evaluated as sad/happy, respectively. This was consistent with outcomes from preceding studies using actually tilted Noh mask images. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Results from the two experiments concur that purely manipulating attached shadows of the different types of Noh masks significantly alters the emotion recognition. These findings go in line with the mysterious facial expressions observed in Western paintings, such as the elusive qualities of Mona Lisa's smile. They also agree with the aesthetic principle of Japanese traditional art "yugen (profound grace and subtlety", which highly appreciates subtle emotional expressions in the darkness.

  15. Targeted Enrichment of Large Gene Families for Phylogenetic Inference: Phylogeny and Molecular Evolution of Photosynthesis Genes in the Portullugo Clade (Caryophyllales).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, Abigail J; Vos, Jurriaan M De; Hancock, Lillian P; Goolsby, Eric; Edwards, Erika J

    2018-05-01

    Hybrid enrichment is an increasingly popular approach for obtaining hundreds of loci for phylogenetic analysis across many taxa quickly and cheaply. The genes targeted for sequencing are typically single-copy loci, which facilitate a more straightforward sequence assembly and homology assignment process. However, this approach limits the inclusion of most genes of functional interest, which often belong to multi-gene families. Here, we demonstrate the feasibility of including large gene families in hybrid enrichment protocols for phylogeny reconstruction and subsequent analyses of molecular evolution, using a new set of bait sequences designed for the "portullugo" (Caryophyllales), a moderately sized lineage of flowering plants (~ 2200 species) that includes the cacti and harbors many evolutionary transitions to C$_{\\mathrm{4}}$ and CAM photosynthesis. Including multi-gene families allowed us to simultaneously infer a robust phylogeny and construct a dense sampling of sequences for a major enzyme of C$_{\\mathrm{4}}$ and CAM photosynthesis, which revealed the accumulation of adaptive amino acid substitutions associated with C$_{\\mathrm{4}}$ and CAM origins in particular paralogs. Our final set of matrices for phylogenetic analyses included 75-218 loci across 74 taxa, with ~ 50% matrix completeness across data sets. Phylogenetic resolution was greatly improved across the tree, at both shallow and deep levels. Concatenation and coalescent-based approaches both resolve the sister lineage of the cacti with strong support: Anacampserotaceae $+$ Portulacaceae, two lineages of mostly diminutive succulent herbs of warm, arid regions. In spite of this congruence, BUCKy concordance analyses demonstrated strong and conflicting signals across gene trees. Our results add to the growing number of examples illustrating the complexity of phylogenetic signals in genomic-scale data.

  16. Measuring the residual stress of transparent conductive oxide films on PET by the double-beam shadow Moiré interferometer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Hsi-Chao; Huang, Kuo-Ting; Lo, Yen-Ming; Chiu, Hsuan-Yi; Chen, Guan-Jhen

    2011-09-01

    The purpose of this research was to construct a measurement system which can fast and accurately analyze the residual stress of the flexible electronics. The transparent conductive oxide (TCO) films, tin-doped indium oxide (ITO), were deposited by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering using corresponding oxide targets on PET substrate. As we know that the shadow Moiré interferometry is a useable way to measure the large deformation. So we set up a double beam shadow Moiré interferometer to measure and analyze the residual stress of TCO films on PET. The feature was to develop a mathematical model and combine the image processing software. By the LabVIEW graphical software, we could measure the distance which is between the left and right fringe on the pattern to solve the curvature of deformed surface. Hence, the residual stress could calculate by the Stoney correction formula for the flexible electronics. By combining phase shifting method with shadow Moiré, the measurement resolution and accuracy have been greatly improved. We also had done the error analysis for the system whose relative error could be about 2%. Therefore, shadow Moiré interferometer is a non-destructive, fast, and simple system for the residual stress on TCO/PET films.

  17. Shadowing in electroproduction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vilela Mendes, R; Leao, J P [Instituto de Fisica e Matematica, Av. Gama Pinto 2, Lisbon 4 (Portugal)

    1977-09-01

    The notorious absence of shadowing effects in electroproduction may have either a deep dynamical origin or a very simple geometrical one. We argue in favour of a simple origin for this effect, having to do with the geometrical nature of the source that generates the virtual photons in electroproduction.

  18. Engineering shadows to fabricate optical metasurfaces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nemiroski, Alex; Gonidec, Mathieu; Fox, Jerome M; Jean-Remy, Philip; Turnage, Evan; Whitesides, George M

    2014-11-25

    Optical metasurfaces-patterned arrays of plasmonic nanoantennas that enable the precise manipulation of light-matter interactions-are emerging as critical components in many nanophotonic materials, including planar metamaterials, chemical and biological sensors, and photovoltaics. The development of these materials has been slowed by the difficulty of efficiently fabricating patterns with the required combinations of intricate nanoscale structure, high areal density, and/or heterogeneous composition. One convenient strategy that enables parallel fabrication of periodic nanopatterns uses self-assembled colloidal monolayers as shadow masks; this method has, however, not been extended beyond a small set of simple patterns and, thus, has remained incompatible with the broad design requirements of metasurfaces. This paper demonstrates a technique-shadow-sphere lithography (SSL)-that uses sequential deposition from multiple angles through plasma-etched microspheres to expand the variety and complexity of structures accessible by colloidal masks. SSL harnesses the entire, relatively unexplored, space of shadow-derived shapes and-with custom software to guide multiangled deposition-contains sufficient degrees of freedom to (i) design and fabricate a wide variety of metasurfaces that incorporate complex structures with small feature sizes and multiple materials and (ii) generate, in parallel, thousands of variations of structures for high-throughput screening of new patterns that may yield unexpected optical spectra. This generalized approach to engineering shadows of spheres provides a new strategy for efficient prototyping and discovery of periodic metasurfaces.

  19. Transmit antenna selection based on shadowing side information

    KAUST Repository

    Yilmaz, Ferkan

    2011-05-01

    In this paper, we propose a new transmit antenna selection scheme based on shadowing side information. In the proposed scheme, single transmit antenna which has the highest shadowing coefficient is selected. By the proposed technique, usage of the feedback channel and channel estimation complexity at the receiver can be reduced. We consider independent but not identically distributed Generalized-K composite fading model, which is a general composite fading & shadowing channel model for wireless environments. Exact closed-form outage probability, moment generating function and symbol error probability expressions are derived. In addition, theoretical performance results are validated by Monte Carlo simulations. © 2011 IEEE.

  20. Transmit antenna selection based on shadowing side information

    KAUST Repository

    Yilmaz, Ferkan; Yilmaz, Ahmet Oǧuz; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Kucur, Oǧuz

    2011-01-01

    In this paper, we propose a new transmit antenna selection scheme based on shadowing side information. In the proposed scheme, single transmit antenna which has the highest shadowing coefficient is selected. By the proposed technique, usage of the feedback channel and channel estimation complexity at the receiver can be reduced. We consider independent but not identically distributed Generalized-K composite fading model, which is a general composite fading & shadowing channel model for wireless environments. Exact closed-form outage probability, moment generating function and symbol error probability expressions are derived. In addition, theoretical performance results are validated by Monte Carlo simulations. © 2011 IEEE.

  1. Boundary Correct Real-Time Soft Shadows

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jacobsen, Bjarke; Christensen, Niels Jørgen; Larsen, Bent Dalgaard

    2004-01-01

    This paper describes a method to determine correct shadow boundaries from an area light source using umbra and penumbra volumes. The light source is approximated by a circular disk as this gives a fast way to extrude the volumes. The method also gives a crude estimate of the visibility of the are...... for implementation on most programmable hardware. Though some crude approximations are used in the visibility function, the method can be used to produce soft shadows with correct boundaries in real time....

  2. Evaluating Climate Causation of Conflict in Darfur Using Multi-temporal, Multi-resolution Satellite Image Datasets With Novel Analyses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, I.; Wennbom, M.

    2013-12-01

    Climate change, population growth and changes in traditional lifestyles have led to instabilities in traditional demarcations between neighboring ethic and religious groups in the Sahel region. This has resulted in a number of conflicts as groups resort to arms to settle disputes. Such disputes often centre on or are justified by competition for resources. The conflict in Darfur has been controversially explained by resource scarcity resulting from climate change. Here we analyse established methods of using satellite imagery to assess vegetation health in Darfur. Multi-decadal time series of observations are available using low spatial resolution visible-near infrared imagery. Typically normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) analyses are produced to describe changes in vegetation ';greenness' or ';health'. Such approaches have been widely used to evaluate the long term development of vegetation in relation to climate variations across a wide range of environments from the Arctic to the Sahel. These datasets typically measure peak NDVI observed over a given interval and may introduce bias. It is furthermore unclear how the spatial organization of sparse vegetation may affect low resolution NDVI products. We develop and assess alternative measures of vegetation including descriptors of the growing season, wetness and resource availability. Expanding the range of parameters used in the analysis reduces our dependence on peak NDVI. Furthermore, these descriptors provide a better characterization of the growing season than the single NDVI measure. Using multi-sensor data we combine high temporal/moderate spatial resolution data with low temporal/high spatial resolution data to improve the spatial representativity of the observations and to provide improved spatial analysis of vegetation patterns. The approach places the high resolution observations in the NDVI context space using a longer time series of lower resolution imagery. The vegetation descriptors

  3. Applying multi-resolution numerical methods to geodynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davies, David Rhodri

    Computational models yield inaccurate results if the underlying numerical grid fails to provide the necessary resolution to capture a simulation's important features. For the large-scale problems regularly encountered in geodynamics, inadequate grid resolution is a major concern. The majority of models involve multi-scale dynamics, being characterized by fine-scale upwelling and downwelling activity in a more passive, large-scale background flow. Such configurations, when coupled to the complex geometries involved, present a serious challenge for computational methods. Current techniques are unable to resolve localized features and, hence, such models cannot be solved efficiently. This thesis demonstrates, through a series of papers and closely-coupled appendices, how multi-resolution finite-element methods from the forefront of computational engineering can provide a means to address these issues. The problems examined achieve multi-resolution through one of two methods. In two-dimensions (2-D), automatic, unstructured mesh refinement procedures are utilized. Such methods improve the solution quality of convection dominated problems by adapting the grid automatically around regions of high solution gradient, yielding enhanced resolution of the associated flow features. Thermal and thermo-chemical validation tests illustrate that the technique is robust and highly successful, improving solution accuracy whilst increasing computational efficiency. These points are reinforced when the technique is applied to geophysical simulations of mid-ocean ridge and subduction zone magmatism. To date, successful goal-orientated/error-guided grid adaptation techniques have not been utilized within the field of geodynamics. The work included herein is therefore the first geodynamical application of such methods. In view of the existing three-dimensional (3-D) spherical mantle dynamics codes, which are built upon a quasi-uniform discretization of the sphere and closely coupled

  4. Using shadow page cache to improve isolated drivers performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Hao; Dong, Xiaoshe; Wang, Endong; Chen, Baoke; Zhu, Zhengdong; Liu, Chengzhe

    2015-01-01

    With the advantage of the reusability property of the virtualization technology, users can reuse various types and versions of existing operating systems and drivers in a virtual machine, so as to customize their application environment. In order to prevent users' virtualization environments being impacted by driver faults in virtual machine, Chariot examines the correctness of driver's write operations by the method of combining a driver's write operation capture and a driver's private access control table. However, this method needs to keep the write permission of shadow page table as read-only, so as to capture isolated driver's write operations through page faults, which adversely affect the performance of the driver. Based on delaying setting frequently used shadow pages' write permissions to read-only, this paper proposes an algorithm using shadow page cache to improve the performance of isolated drivers and carefully study the relationship between the performance of drivers and the size of shadow page cache. Experimental results show that, through the shadow page cache, the performance of isolated drivers can be greatly improved without impacting Chariot's reliability too much.

  5. Theory of Jovian shadow bursts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gopalswamy, N

    1986-06-01

    The shadow events in the dynamic spectra of Jovian decametric emission are explained as the result of interaction between electron bunches responsible for S and L emissions. The relevant dispersion relation is derived for the fast extraordinary mode in the cold magnetospheric plasma in the presence of S and L electron bunches. The growth rate of the synchrotron maser instability is studied in the presence and absence of S-electrons. It is shown that the synchrotron maser instability responsible for L-emission can be temporarily quenched by the invasion of S-electrons, thereby stopping the L-emission. The theory accounts for various observed features of the shadow events. (Auth.).

  6. Monitoring of Shadow Cash Flows Using Computer Modelling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Evgeniya Vladimirovna Baturina

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The computer simulation of economic systems is a promising tool in the development of the theory of the country’s economic security. We have examined the Russian banking legislation and synthesized judicial economic expertise. This has allowed to develop an algorithm for the investigation of the marker pattern of shadow cash flows. The authors’ algorithm of marker monitoring of cash flow consists of the following sequences. Firstly, we set the time of the first receipt of money and the first withdrawals. Secondly, we compare cash balance of an organization at the beginning of the period with the first withdrawals. Thirdly, under the given condition, the minimum value of interested money flow in these withdrawals is calculated. This value is characterized by the marker parameters and forms a table containing data on the cash flow, recipients and payers, spheres of their activity. And last, on the basis of this table, we build a graph of relationships between the subjects of the shadow economy. The graph’s vertices represent these subjects. The visual representation of the graph is a marker pattern of shadow cash flow. The practical importance of this algorithm is due to its applicability in the investigation of economic crimes both at the stage of intelligence operations, and when obtaining proofs of the brought criminal cases in the form of the conclusions of expertseconomists. In addition, marker patterns of shadow cash flows can describe the state of the shadow economy of a region as a whole including its dynamics. This expands its parameterization. The created database of the shadow flows of the economy can be also useful for the scientific community. On the basis of the received results, we have developed management decisions to create and administer the information resource of the Bank of Russia “Shadow economy of a region”. This information resource ensures tracking the marker trace of cash flow in the bank environment by the

  7. Shadows Alter Facial Expressions of Noh Masks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kawai, Nobuyuki; Miyata, Hiromitsu; Nishimura, Ritsuko; Okanoya, Kazuo

    2013-01-01

    Background A Noh mask, worn by expert actors during performance on the Japanese traditional Noh drama, conveys various emotional expressions despite its fixed physical properties. How does the mask change its expressions? Shadows change subtly during the actual Noh drama, which plays a key role in creating elusive artistic enchantment. We here describe evidence from two experiments regarding how attached shadows of the Noh masks influence the observers’ recognition of the emotional expressions. Methodology/Principal Findings In Experiment 1, neutral-faced Noh masks having the attached shadows of the happy/sad masks were recognized as bearing happy/sad expressions, respectively. This was true for all four types of masks each of which represented a character differing in sex and age, even though the original characteristics of the masks also greatly influenced the evaluation of emotions. Experiment 2 further revealed that frontal Noh mask images having shadows of upward/downward tilted masks were evaluated as sad/happy, respectively. This was consistent with outcomes from preceding studies using actually tilted Noh mask images. Conclusions/Significance Results from the two experiments concur that purely manipulating attached shadows of the different types of Noh masks significantly alters the emotion recognition. These findings go in line with the mysterious facial expressions observed in Western paintings, such as the elusive qualities of Mona Lisa’s smile. They also agree with the aesthetic principle of Japanese traditional art “yugen (profound grace and subtlety)”, which highly appreciates subtle emotional expressions in the darkness. PMID:23940748

  8. The stress shadow induced by the 1975-1984 Krafla rifting episode

    KAUST Repository

    Maccaferri, F.; Rivalta, E.; Passarelli, L.; Jonsson, Sigurjon

    2013-01-01

    of several magnitude 6–7 earthquakes. This compelling case of the existence of a stress shadow has never been studied in detail, and the implications of such a stress shadow remain an open question. According to rate-state models, intense stress shadows cause

  9. Novel ultrahigh resolution data acquisition and image reconstruction for multi-detector row CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Flohr, T. G.; Stierstorfer, K.; Suess, C.; Schmidt, B.; Primak, A. N.; McCollough, C. H.

    2007-01-01

    We present and evaluate a special ultrahigh resolution mode providing considerably enhanced spatial resolution both in the scan plane and in the z-axis direction for a routine medical multi-detector row computed tomography (CT) system. Data acquisition is performed by using a flying focal spot both in the scan plane and in the z-axis direction in combination with tantalum grids that are inserted in front of the multi-row detector to reduce the aperture of the detector elements both in-plane and in the z-axis direction. The dose utilization of the system for standard applications is not affected, since the grids are moved into place only when needed and are removed for standard scanning. By means of this technique, image slices with a nominal section width of 0.4 mm (measured full width at half maximum=0.45 mm) can be reconstructed in spiral mode on a CT system with a detector configuration of 32x0.6 mm. The measured 2% value of the in-plane modulation transfer function (MTF) is 20.4 lp/cm, the measured 2% value of the longitudinal (z axis) MTF is 21.5 lp/cm. In a resolution phantom with metal line pair test patterns, spatial resolution of 20 lp/cm can be demonstrated both in the scan plane and along the z axis. This corresponds to an object size of 0.25 mm that can be resolved. The new mode is intended for ultrahigh resolution bone imaging, in particular for wrists, joints, and inner ear studies, where a higher level of image noise due to the reduced aperture is an acceptable trade-off for the clinical benefit brought about by the improved spatial resolution

  10. A 30 ps Timing Resolution for Single Photons with Multi-pixel Burle MCP-PMT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Va' vra, J.; Benitez, J.; Coleman, J.; Leith, D.W.G.S.; Mazaheri, G.; Ratcliff, B.; Schwiening, J.; /SLAC

    2006-07-05

    We have achieved {approx}30 psec single-photoelectron and {approx}12ps for multi-photoelectron timing resolution with a new 64 pixel Burle MCP-PMT with 10 micron microchannel holes. We have also demonstrated that this detector works in a magnetic field of 15kG, and achieved a single-photoelectron timing resolution of better than 60 psec. The study is relevant for a new focusing DIRC RICH detector for particle identification at future Colliders such as the super B-factory or ILC, and for future TOF techniques. This study shows that a highly pixilated MCP-PMT can deliver excellent timing resolution.

  11. Experimental test of the shadowing effect in Smith-Purcell radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Naumenko, G.A.; Potylitsyn, A.P.; Popov, Yu.A.; Shevelev, M.V

    2011-01-01

    The observation of a shadowing effect of a relativistic electron Coulomb field for the Smith-Purcell radiation generation is presented in this paper. For this purpose the surface current from the closest surface of grating element to the electron beam was measured for a downstream one shadowed by upstream element. The experimental results showed that shadowing effect for Smith-Purcell radiation depends on grating geometry.

  12. Dimensional Reduction for the General Markov Model on Phylogenetic Trees.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sumner, Jeremy G

    2017-03-01

    We present a method of dimensional reduction for the general Markov model of sequence evolution on a phylogenetic tree. We show that taking certain linear combinations of the associated random variables (site pattern counts) reduces the dimensionality of the model from exponential in the number of extant taxa, to quadratic in the number of taxa, while retaining the ability to statistically identify phylogenetic divergence events. A key feature is the identification of an invariant subspace which depends only bilinearly on the model parameters, in contrast to the usual multi-linear dependence in the full space. We discuss potential applications including the computation of split (edge) weights on phylogenetic trees from observed sequence data.

  13. Statistical Removal of Shadow for Applications to Gait Recognition

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Hockersmith, Brian

    2008-01-01

    .... The thesis begins with the analysis of videos of solid colored backgrounds. A formulation of the effect of shadow on specified colors will aid in the derivation of a hypothesis test to remove an individual's shadow...

  14. Community Phylogenetics: Assessing Tree Reconstruction Methods and the Utility of DNA Barcodes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boyle, Elizabeth E.; Adamowicz, Sarah J.

    2015-01-01

    Studies examining phylogenetic community structure have become increasingly prevalent, yet little attention has been given to the influence of the input phylogeny on metrics that describe phylogenetic patterns of co-occurrence. Here, we examine the influence of branch length, tree reconstruction method, and amount of sequence data on measures of phylogenetic community structure, as well as the phylogenetic signal (Pagel’s λ) in morphological traits, using Trichoptera larval communities from Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. We find that model-based tree reconstruction methods and the use of a backbone family-level phylogeny improve estimations of phylogenetic community structure. In addition, trees built using the barcode region of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) alone accurately predict metrics of phylogenetic community structure obtained from a multi-gene phylogeny. Input tree did not alter overall conclusions drawn for phylogenetic signal, as significant phylogenetic structure was detected in two body size traits across input trees. As the discipline of community phylogenetics continues to expand, it is important to investigate the best approaches to accurately estimate patterns. Our results suggest that emerging large datasets of DNA barcode sequences provide a vast resource for studying the structure of biological communities. PMID:26110886

  15. SOCIO-ECONOMIC NATURE OF SHADOW ECONOMY AND CAUSES OF ITS DEVELOPMENT IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I. Mazur

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The socio-economic nature of the shadow economy is revealed. The shadow economy has both positive and negative signs for the society; the possibility for the population to survive in conditions of economic crisis, reducing transaction costs authors refer to positive signs, and the destructive economic development to negative. The common (prohibitions and restrictions and partial (high tax burden and inefficient system of its administration; numerous bureaucratic procedures; mistrust to the government institutions and the judiciary; corruption in all levels of the governance, etc. causes of the shadow economy in entrepreneurship are disclosed. It is argued that the shadow economy is neither a sector nor a certain part of the legal economy, it can be in any sector of the legal economy closely interlaced with it, and therefore its limits cannot be clearly identified (determine in the formal economy. The shadow economy is not possible to determine especially in the information society. The categories of the shadow economy and its structuring are suggested. It has been researched the historical roots of the shadow economy spread in entrepreneurship, and lie in the shadow of public-private partnership which carries interests of "civil servant-entrepreneurs" and allows to manage state resources and control market. Therefore, the shadow policy creates favorable conditions for the entrepreneurs to work in the shadow. At the same time, access to the shadow entails stricter regulation by the state. It is proved that corruption is a part of the shadow economy, not an independent phenomenon, so they should be research comprehensively and systematically. Instead of overcoming the shadow economy and its component - corruption has been suggested to establish favorable business environment for their unfavorable existence, that is to carry out deshadowing of the economy.

  16. Partial shadowing detection based on equivalent thermal voltage monitoring for PV module diagnostics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sera, Dezso; Teodorescu, Remus; Rodriguez, Pedro

    2009-01-01

    Partial shadowing of photovoltaic systems can overproportionally reduce the energy yield and lead to early ageing and failure of the shadowed cells. Large area shadows are relatively easy to detect due to the eminent power reduction and decrease of fill factor. However, small area partial shadows...

  17. Using Shadow Page Cache to Improve Isolated Drivers Performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hao Zheng

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available With the advantage of the reusability property of the virtualization technology, users can reuse various types and versions of existing operating systems and drivers in a virtual machine, so as to customize their application environment. In order to prevent users’ virtualization environments being impacted by driver faults in virtual machine, Chariot examines the correctness of driver’s write operations by the method of combining a driver’s write operation capture and a driver’s private access control table. However, this method needs to keep the write permission of shadow page table as read-only, so as to capture isolated driver’s write operations through page faults, which adversely affect the performance of the driver. Based on delaying setting frequently used shadow pages’ write permissions to read-only, this paper proposes an algorithm using shadow page cache to improve the performance of isolated drivers and carefully study the relationship between the performance of drivers and the size of shadow page cache. Experimental results show that, through the shadow page cache, the performance of isolated drivers can be greatly improved without impacting Chariot’s reliability too much.

  18. Analysis of complete mitochondrial genome sequences increases phylogenetic resolution of bears (Ursidae, a mammalian family that experienced rapid speciation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ryder Oliver A

    2007-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Despite the small number of ursid species, bear phylogeny has long been a focus of study due to their conservation value, as all bear genera have been classified as endangered at either the species or subspecies level. The Ursidae family represents a typical example of rapid evolutionary radiation. Previous analyses with a single mitochondrial (mt gene or a small number of mt genes either provide weak support or a large unresolved polytomy for ursids. We revisit the contentious relationships within Ursidae by analyzing complete mt genome sequences and evaluating the performance of both entire mt genomes and constituent mtDNA genes in recovering a phylogeny of extremely recent speciation events. Results This mitochondrial genome-based phylogeny provides strong evidence that the spectacled bear diverged first, while within the genus Ursus, the sloth bear is the sister taxon of all the other five ursines. The latter group is divided into the brown bear/polar bear and the two black bears/sun bear assemblages. These findings resolve the previous conflicts between trees using partial mt genes. The ability of different categories of mt protein coding genes to recover the correct phylogeny is concordant with previous analyses for taxa with deep divergence times. This study provides a robust Ursidae phylogenetic framework for future validation by additional independent evidence, and also has significant implications for assisting in the resolution of other similarly difficult phylogenetic investigations. Conclusion Identification of base composition bias and utilization of the combined data of whole mitochondrial genome sequences has allowed recovery of a strongly supported phylogeny that is upheld when using multiple alternative outgroups for the Ursidae, a mammalian family that underwent a rapid radiation since the mid- to late Pliocene. It remains to be seen if the reliability of mt genome analysis will hold up in studies of other

  19. Field investigation of the drift shadow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Su, Grace W.; Kneafsey, Timothy J.; Ghezzehei, Teamrat A.; Marshall, Brian D.; Cook, Paul J.

    2005-01-01

    A drift shadow is an area immediately beneath an underground void that, in theory, will be relatively drier than the surrounding rockmass. Numerical and analytical models of water flow through unsaturated rock predict the existence of a drift shadow, but field tests confirming its existence have yet to be performed. Proving the existence of drift shadows and understanding their hydrologic and transport characteristics could provide a better understanding of how contaminants move in the subsurface if released from waste emplacement drifts such as the proposed nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. We describe the field program that will be used to investigate the existence of a drift shadow and the corresponding hydrological process at the Hazel-Atlas silica-sandmine located at the Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve in Antioch, California. The location and configuration of this mine makes it an excellent site to observe and measure drift shadow characteristics. The mine is located in a porous sandstone unit of the Domengine Formation, an approximately 230 meter thick series of interbedded Eocene-age shales, coals, and massive-bedded sandstones. The mining method used at the mine required the development of two parallel drifts, one above the other, driven along the strike of the mined sandstone stratum. This configuration provides the opportunity to introduce water into the rockmass in the upper drift and to observe and measure its flow around the underlying drift. The passive and active hydrologic tests to be performed are described. In the passive method, cores will be obtained in a radial pattern around a drift and will be sectioned and analyzed for in-situ water content and chemical constituents. With the active hydrologic test, water will be introduced into the upper drift of the two parallel drifts and the flow of the water will be tracked as it passes near the bottom drift. Tensiometers, electrical resistance probes, neutron probes, and ground

  20. Chromatic Shadow Detection and Tracking for Moving Foreground Segmentation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Huerta, Ivan; Holte, Michael Boelstoft; Moeslund, Thomas B.

    2015-01-01

    are usually detected as part of moving objects, thus affecting the performance of the final detection. In this paper we address the detection of both penumbra and umbra shadow regions. First, a novel bottom-up approach is presented based on gradient and colour models, which successfully discriminates between...... chromatic moving cast shadow regions and those regions detected as moving objects. In essence, those regions corresponding to potential shadows are detected based on edge partitioning and colour statistics. Subsequently (i) temporal similarities between textures and (ii) spatial similarities between...

  1. Finding the best resolution for the Kingman-Tajima coalescent: theory and applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sainudiin, Raazesh; Stadler, Tanja; Véber, Amandine

    2015-05-01

    Many summary statistics currently used in population genetics and in phylogenetics depend only on a rather coarse resolution of the underlying tree (the number of extant lineages, for example). Hence, for computational purposes, working directly on these resolutions appears to be much more efficient. However, this approach seems to have been overlooked in the past. In this paper, we describe six different resolutions of the Kingman-Tajima coalescent together with the corresponding Markov chains, which are essential for inference methods. Two of the resolutions are the well-known n-coalescent and the lineage death process due to Kingman. Two other resolutions were mentioned by Kingman and Tajima, but never explicitly formalized. Another two resolutions are novel, and complete the picture of a multi-resolution coalescent. For all of them, we provide the forward and backward transition probabilities, the probability of visiting a given state as well as the probability of a given realization of the full Markov chain. We also provide a description of the state-space that highlights the computational gain obtained by working with lower-resolution objects. Finally, we give several examples of summary statistics that depend on a coarser resolution of Kingman's coalescent, on which simulations are usually based.

  2. Mutual information registration of multi-spectral and multi-resolution images of DigitalGlobe's WorldView-3 imaging satellite

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miecznik, Grzegorz; Shafer, Jeff; Baugh, William M.; Bader, Brett; Karspeck, Milan; Pacifici, Fabio

    2017-05-01

    WorldView-3 (WV-3) is a DigitalGlobe commercial, high resolution, push-broom imaging satellite with three instruments: visible and near-infrared VNIR consisting of panchromatic (0.3m nadir GSD) plus multi-spectral (1.2m), short-wave infrared SWIR (3.7m), and multi-spectral CAVIS (30m). Nine VNIR bands, which are on one instrument, are nearly perfectly registered to each other, whereas eight SWIR bands, belonging to the second instrument, are misaligned with respect to VNIR and to each other. Geometric calibration and ortho-rectification results in a VNIR/SWIR alignment which is accurate to approximately 0.75 SWIR pixel at 3.7m GSD, whereas inter-SWIR, band to band registration is 0.3 SWIR pixel. Numerous high resolution, spectral applications, such as object classification and material identification, require more accurate registration, which can be achieved by utilizing image processing algorithms, for example Mutual Information (MI). Although MI-based co-registration algorithms are highly accurate, implementation details for automated processing can be challenging. One particular challenge is how to compute bin widths of intensity histograms, which are fundamental building blocks of MI. We solve this problem by making the bin widths proportional to instrument shot noise. Next, we show how to take advantage of multiple VNIR bands, and improve registration sensitivity to image alignment. To meet this goal, we employ Canonical Correlation Analysis, which maximizes VNIR/SWIR correlation through an optimal linear combination of VNIR bands. Finally we explore how to register images corresponding to different spatial resolutions. We show that MI computed at a low-resolution grid is more sensitive to alignment parameters than MI computed at a high-resolution grid. The proposed modifications allow us to improve VNIR/SWIR registration to better than ¼ of a SWIR pixel, as long as terrain elevation is properly accounted for, and clouds and water are masked out.

  3. Time-Frequency Feature Representation Using Multi-Resolution Texture Analysis and Acoustic Activity Detector for Real-Life Speech Emotion Recognition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kun-Ching Wang

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The classification of emotional speech is mostly considered in speech-related research on human-computer interaction (HCI. In this paper, the purpose is to present a novel feature extraction based on multi-resolutions texture image information (MRTII. The MRTII feature set is derived from multi-resolution texture analysis for characterization and classification of different emotions in a speech signal. The motivation is that we have to consider emotions have different intensity values in different frequency bands. In terms of human visual perceptual, the texture property on multi-resolution of emotional speech spectrogram should be a good feature set for emotion classification in speech. Furthermore, the multi-resolution analysis on texture can give a clearer discrimination between each emotion than uniform-resolution analysis on texture. In order to provide high accuracy of emotional discrimination especially in real-life, an acoustic activity detection (AAD algorithm must be applied into the MRTII-based feature extraction. Considering the presence of many blended emotions in real life, in this paper make use of two corpora of naturally-occurring dialogs recorded in real-life call centers. Compared with the traditional Mel-scale Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC and the state-of-the-art features, the MRTII features also can improve the correct classification rates of proposed systems among different language databases. Experimental results show that the proposed MRTII-based feature information inspired by human visual perception of the spectrogram image can provide significant classification for real-life emotional recognition in speech.

  4. Investigation of the Stability via Shadowing Property

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Koh Heejeong

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available The shadowing property is to find an exact solution to an iterated map that remains close to an approximate solution. In this article, using shadowing property, we show the stability of the following equation in normed group: , where , and is a mapping. And we prove that the even mapping which satisfies the above equation is quadratic and also the Hyers-Ulam stability of the functional equation in Banach spaces.

  5. Automated road network extraction from high spatial resolution multi-spectral imagery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Qiaoping

    For the last three decades, the Geomatics Engineering and Computer Science communities have considered automated road network extraction from remotely-sensed imagery to be a challenging and important research topic. The main objective of this research is to investigate the theory and methodology of automated feature extraction for image-based road database creation, refinement or updating, and to develop a series of algorithms for road network extraction from high resolution multi-spectral imagery. The proposed framework for road network extraction from multi-spectral imagery begins with an image segmentation using the k-means algorithm. This step mainly concerns the exploitation of the spectral information for feature extraction. The road cluster is automatically identified using a fuzzy classifier based on a set of predefined road surface membership functions. These membership functions are established based on the general spectral signature of road pavement materials and the corresponding normalized digital numbers on each multi-spectral band. Shape descriptors of the Angular Texture Signature are defined and used to reduce the misclassifications between roads and other spectrally similar objects (e.g., crop fields, parking lots, and buildings). An iterative and localized Radon transform is developed for the extraction of road centerlines from the classified images. The purpose of the transform is to accurately and completely detect the road centerlines. It is able to find short, long, and even curvilinear lines. The input image is partitioned into a set of subset images called road component images. An iterative Radon transform is locally applied to each road component image. At each iteration, road centerline segments are detected based on an accurate estimation of the line parameters and line widths. Three localization approaches are implemented and compared using qualitative and quantitative methods. Finally, the road centerline segments are grouped into a

  6. Out of shadow / Peeter Linnap

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Linnap, Peeter, 1960-

    2007-01-01

    "Out of shadow" oli näitus Baltimaade 1990. aastate kunstist Ameerika publikule - sõnumiks iseseisvumisjärgsete aastate materiaalse, sotsiaalse ning vaimuelu peegeldused/tõlgendused visuaalses kunstis

  7. Space-based Coronagraphic Imaging Polarimetry of the TW Hydrae Disk: Shedding New Light on Self-shadowing Effects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poteet, Charles A.; Chen, Christine H.; Hines, Dean C.; Perrin, Marshall D.; Debes, John H.; Pueyo, Laurent; Schneider, Glenn; Mazoyer, Johan; Kolokolova, Ludmilla

    2018-06-01

    We present Hubble Space Telescope Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer coronagraphic imaging polarimetry of the TW Hydrae protoplanetary disk. These observations simultaneously measure the total and polarized intensity, allowing direct measurement of the polarization fraction across the disk. In accord with the self-shadowing hypothesis recently proposed by Debes et al., we find that the total and polarized intensity of the disk exhibits strong azimuthal asymmetries at projected distances consistent with the previously reported bright and dark ring-shaped structures (∼45–99 au). The sinusoidal-like variations possess a maximum brightness at position angles near ∼268°–300° and are up to ∼28% stronger in total intensity. Furthermore, significant radial and azimuthal variations are also detected in the polarization fraction of the disk. In particular, we find that regions of lower polarization fraction are associated with annuli of increased surface brightness, suggesting that the relative proportion of multiple-to-single scattering is greater along the ring and gap structures. Moreover, we find strong (∼20%) azimuthal variation in the polarization fraction along the shadowed region of the disk. Further investigation reveals that the azimuthal variation is not the result of disk flaring effects, but is instead from a decrease in the relative contribution of multiple-to-single scattering within the shadowed region. Employing a two-layer scattering surface, we hypothesize that the diminished contribution in multiple scattering may result from shadowing by an inclined inner disk, which prevents direct stellar light from reaching the optically thick underlying surface component.

  8. Determinants of the Shadow Economy in the Czech Regions: A Region-Level Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Buček Jakub

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper investigates the size and development of the shadow economy in the Czech Republic on the state-level base over the 2005-2014 period. The multiple indicators multiple causes (MIMIC model is used to assess the estimation of the shadow economy size. I investigate how labour market, number of people with at least one distraint, and the burden of taxation might contribute to the existence of the shadow economy. While the former two are important determinants of the shadow economy, I find no evidence to prove any significant impact of distraints on the shadow economy size. As for the country’s particular regions, I find that those surrounding big cities, especially Prague, have, on average, a smaller shadow economy size, whereas regions in the borderlands (former Sudetenland suffer from a larger shadow economy.

  9. Abnormal chest shadow on CT in immunosuppressed patients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanaka, Nobuyuki; Matsumoto, Tsuneo; Nakamura, Hiroshi

    1992-01-01

    An abnormal chest shadow was observed on CT scans in 25 cases of 23 immunosuppressed patients. Pulmonary disease was pathologically confirmed to be pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PC pneumonia) in four patients, cytomegalovirus pneumonia (CMV pneumonia) in one, bacterial pneumonia in seven, fungal infection in three, miliary tuberculosis in one, leukemic infiltration in two, lymphangitis carcinomatosa in three, drug-induced pneumonitis in three, and ARDS in one. In almost all patients, especially those with infectious diseases such as PC pneumonia, CMV pneumonia, and bacterial pneumonia, the abnormal shadow was wide and visible in the bilateral lung fields. We presumed that such findings as lobular shadow, centrilobular shadow, and mosaic pattern reflected the extension of disease via the respiratory tract, and that those findings are typical of infectious diseases. Because such findings as abnormal linear shadow and swelling of a broncho-vascular bundle were very frequently recognized in patients with lymphangitis carcinomatosa and frequently recognized in those with drug-induced pneumonitis, these diseases may be distinguished from other diseases. An area of slightly increased density was frequently recognized in patients with PC pneumonia, bacterial pneumonia, and drug-induced pneumonitis. Such lesions were pathologically confirmed to be located in the interstitium and/or alveolus. CT was extremely useful in comprehending the character and extension of particular diseases among various diseases. As the number of patients studied was small, the utility of CT in immunosuppressed patients requires further investigation in a larger number of patients. (author)

  10. Rating of roofs’ surfaces regarding their solar potential and suitability for PV systems, based on LiDAR data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lukač, Niko; Žlaus, Danijel; Seme, Sebastijan; Žalik, Borut; Štumberger, Gorazd

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► A new method for estimating and rating buildings roofs’ solar potential is presented. ► Considering LiDAR geospatial data together with pyranometer measurements. ► Use of multi-resolution shadowing model with new heuristic vegetation shadowing. ► High correlation between estimated solar potential and onsite measurements. -- Abstract: The roof surfaces within urban areas are constantly attracting interest regarding the installation of photovoltaic systems. These systems can improve self-sufficiency of electricity supply, and can help to decrease the emissions of greenhouse gases throughout urban areas. Unfortunately, some roof surfaces are unsuitable for installing photovoltaic systems. This presented work deals with the rating of roof surfaces within urban areas regarding their solar potential and suitability for the installation of photovoltaic systems. The solar potential of a roof’s surface is determined by a new method that combines extracted urban topography from LiDAR data with the pyranometer measurements of global and diffuse solar irradiances. Heuristic annual vegetation shadowing and a multi-resolution shadowing model, complete the proposed method. The significance of different influential factors (e.g. shadowing) was analysed extensively. A comparison between the results obtained by the proposed method and measurements performed on an actual PV power plant showed a correlation agreement of 97.4%.

  11. Shadow photography method for beam emittance measurement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kashkovskij, V.V.; Lisin, V.A.

    1988-01-01

    Improved technique of shadow photography which allows to measure rather simply and accurately the angular distribution of electrons extracted from betatron is described. Measurement accuracy of particle flight angles is determined by setting of rods relatively to the plane of photographic paper sheet, their diameter and shadow trace length. Incidental angle deviation of rod axes contributes mainly into the error. Mean root-square error constituted 2-3% according to the results of several measurements of angles

  12. Shadow Soldiering

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mynster Christensen, Maya

    The thesis is an inquiry into what is at stake for a surplus population of militia soldiers in the aftermaths of the civil war in Sierra Leone. The analysis takes its point of departure in how militarised networks are transformed and gradualy morph into new constellations of soldiering. The central......, or in the margins of official political economies. Rather, shadow soldiering is a phenomenon that is becoming increasingly central in the context of security outsourcing and militarisation in a global economy....

  13. A multi-resolution approach to heat kernels on discrete surfaces

    KAUST Repository

    Vaxman, Amir

    2010-07-26

    Studying the behavior of the heat diffusion process on a manifold is emerging as an important tool for analyzing the geometry of the manifold. Unfortunately, the high complexity of the computation of the heat kernel - the key to the diffusion process - limits this type of analysis to 3D models of modest resolution. We show how to use the unique properties of the heat kernel of a discrete two dimensional manifold to overcome these limitations. Combining a multi-resolution approach with a novel approximation method for the heat kernel at short times results in an efficient and robust algorithm for computing the heat kernels of detailed models. We show experimentally that our method can achieve good approximations in a fraction of the time required by traditional algorithms. Finally, we demonstrate how these heat kernels can be used to improve a diffusion-based feature extraction algorithm. © 2010 ACM.

  14. High resolution multi-scalar drought indices for Iberia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Russo, Ana; Gouveia, Célia; Trigo, Ricardo; Jerez, Sonia

    2014-05-01

    The Iberian Peninsula has been recurrently affected by drought episodes and by adverse associated effects (Gouveia et al., 2009), ranging from severe water shortages to losses of hydroelectricity production, increasing risk of forest fires, forest decline and triggering processes of land degradation and desertification. Moreover, Iberia corresponds to one of the most sensitive areas to current and future climate change and is nowadays considered a hot spot of climate change with high probability for the increase of extreme events (Giorgi and Lionello, 2008). The spatial and temporal behavior of climatic droughts at different time scales was analyzed using spatially distributed time series of multi-scalar drought indicators, such as the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) (Vicente-Serrano et al., 2010). This new climatic drought index is based on the simultaneous use of precipitation and temperature fields with the advantage of combining a multi-scalar character with the capacity to include the effects of temperature variability on drought assessment. Moreover, reanalysis data and the higher resolution hindcasted databases obtained from them are valuable surrogates of the sparse observations and widely used for in-depth characterizations of the present-day climate. Accordingly, this work aims to enhance the knowledge on high resolution drought patterns in Iberian Peninsula, taking advantage of high-resolution (10km) regional MM5 simulations of the recent past (1959-2007) over Iberia. It should be stressed that these high resolution meteorological fields (e.g. temperature, precipitation) have been validated for various purposes (Jerez et al., 2013). A detailed characterization of droughts since the 1960s using the 10 km resolution hidncasted simulation was performed with the aim to explore the conditions favoring drought onset, duration and ending, as well as the subsequent short, medium and long-term impacts affecting the environment and the

  15. Accurate and precise 40Ar/39Ar dating by high-resolution, multi-collection, mass spectrometry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Storey, Michael; Rivera, Tiffany; Flude, Stephanie

    New generation, high resolution, multi-collector noble gas mass spectrometers equipped with ion-counting electron multipliers provide opportunities for improved accuracy and precision in 40Ar/39Ar dating. Here we report analytical protocols and age cross-calibration studies using a NU-Instruments......New generation, high resolution, multi-collector noble gas mass spectrometers equipped with ion-counting electron multipliers provide opportunities for improved accuracy and precision in 40Ar/39Ar dating. Here we report analytical protocols and age cross-calibration studies using a NU......-Instruments multi-collector Noblesse noble gas mass spectrometer configured with a faraday detector and three ion-counting electron multipliers. The instrument has the capability to measure several noble gas isotopes simultaneously and to change measurement configurations instantaneously by the use of QUAD lenses...... (zoom optics). The Noblesse offer several advantages over previous generation noble gas mass spectrometers and is particularly suited for single crystal 40Ar/39Ar dating because of: (i) improved source sensitivity (ii) ion-counting electron multipliers, which have much lower signal to noise ratios than...

  16. Phylogenetic convolutional neural networks in metagenomics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fioravanti, Diego; Giarratano, Ylenia; Maggio, Valerio; Agostinelli, Claudio; Chierici, Marco; Jurman, Giuseppe; Furlanello, Cesare

    2018-03-08

    Convolutional Neural Networks can be effectively used only when data are endowed with an intrinsic concept of neighbourhood in the input space, as is the case of pixels in images. We introduce here Ph-CNN, a novel deep learning architecture for the classification of metagenomics data based on the Convolutional Neural Networks, with the patristic distance defined on the phylogenetic tree being used as the proximity measure. The patristic distance between variables is used together with a sparsified version of MultiDimensional Scaling to embed the phylogenetic tree in a Euclidean space. Ph-CNN is tested with a domain adaptation approach on synthetic data and on a metagenomics collection of gut microbiota of 38 healthy subjects and 222 Inflammatory Bowel Disease patients, divided in 6 subclasses. Classification performance is promising when compared to classical algorithms like Support Vector Machines and Random Forest and a baseline fully connected neural network, e.g. the Multi-Layer Perceptron. Ph-CNN represents a novel deep learning approach for the classification of metagenomics data. Operatively, the algorithm has been implemented as a custom Keras layer taking care of passing to the following convolutional layer not only the data but also the ranked list of neighbourhood of each sample, thus mimicking the case of image data, transparently to the user.

  17. Multi-pinhole collimator design for small-object imaging with SiliSPECT: a high-resolution SPECT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shokouhi, S; Peterson, T E; Metzler, S D; Wilson, D W

    2009-01-01

    We have designed a multi-pinhole collimator for a dual-headed, stationary SPECT system that incorporates high-resolution silicon double-sided strip detectors. The compact camera design of our system enables imaging at source-collimator distances between 20 and 30 mm. Our analytical calculations show that using knife-edge pinholes with small-opening angles or cylindrically shaped pinholes in a focused, multi-pinhole configuration in combination with this camera geometry can generate narrow sensitivity profiles across the field of view that can be useful for imaging small objects at high sensitivity and resolution. The current prototype system uses two collimators each containing 127 cylindrically shaped pinholes that are focused toward a target volume. Our goal is imaging objects such as a mouse brain, which could find potential applications in molecular imaging.

  18. Marine turtle mitogenome phylogenetics and evolution

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Duchene, Sebastián; Frey, Amy; Alfaro-Núñez, Luis Alonso

    2012-01-01

    The sea turtles are a group of cretaceous origin containing seven recognized living species: leatherback, hawksbill, Kemp's ridley, olive ridley, loggerhead, green, and flatback. The leatherback is the single member of the Dermochelidae family, whereas all other sea turtles belong in Cheloniidae...... distributions, shedding light on complex migration patterns and possible geographic or climatic events as driving forces of sea-turtle distribution. We have sequenced complete mitogenomes for all sea-turtle species, including samples from their geographic range extremes, and performed phylogenetic analyses...... to assess sea-turtle evolution with a large molecular dataset. We found variation in the length of the ATP8 gene and a highly variable site in ND4 near a proton translocation channel in the resulting protein. Complete mitogenomes show strong support and resolution for phylogenetic relationships among all...

  19. Phylogenetic congruence and ecological coherence in terrestrial Thaumarchaeota.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oton, Eduard Vico; Quince, Christopher; Nicol, Graeme W; Prosser, James I; Gubry-Rangin, Cécile

    2016-01-01

    Thaumarchaeota form a ubiquitously distributed archaeal phylum, comprising both the ammonia-oxidising archaea (AOA) and other archaeal groups in which ammonia oxidation has not been demonstrated (including Group 1.1c and Group 1.3). The ecology of AOA in terrestrial environments has been extensively studied using either a functional gene, encoding ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA) or 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, which show phylogenetic coherence with respect to soil pH. To test phylogenetic congruence between these two markers and to determine ecological coherence in all Thaumarchaeota, we performed high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA and amoA genes in 46 UK soils presenting 29 available contextual soil characteristics. Adaptation to pH and organic matter content reflected strong ecological coherence at various levels of taxonomic resolution for Thaumarchaeota (AOA and non-AOA), whereas nitrogen, total mineralisable nitrogen and zinc concentration were also important factors associated with AOA thaumarchaeotal community distribution. Other significant associations with environmental factors were also detected for amoA and 16S rRNA genes, reflecting different diversity characteristics between these two markers. Nonetheless, there was significant statistical congruence between the markers at fine phylogenetic resolution, supporting the hypothesis of low horizontal gene transfer between Thaumarchaeota. Group 1.1c Thaumarchaeota were also widely distributed, with two clusters predominating, particularly in environments with higher moisture content and organic matter, whereas a similar ecological pattern was observed for Group 1.3 Thaumarchaeota. The ecological and phylogenetic congruence identified is fundamental to understand better the life strategies, evolutionary history and ecosystem function of the Thaumarchaeota.

  20. Multi-dimensional analysis of high resolution {gamma}-ray data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Flibotte, S.; Huettmeier, U.J.; France, G. de; Haas, B.; Romain, P.; Theisen, Ch.; Vivien, J.P.; Zen, J. [Strasbourg-1 Univ., 67 (France). Centre de Recherches Nucleaires

    1992-12-31

    A new generation of high resolution {gamma}-ray spectrometers capable of recording high-fold coincidence events with a large efficiency will soon be available. Algorithms are developed to analyze high-fold {gamma}-ray coincidences. As a contribution to the software development associated with the EUROGAM spectrometer, the performances of computer codes designed to select multi-dimensional gates from 3-, 4- and 5-fold coincidence databases were tested. The tests were performed on events generated with a Monte Carlo simulation and also on real experimental triple data recorded with the 8{pi} spectrometer and with a preliminary version of the EUROGAM array. (R.P.) 14 refs.; 3 figs.; 3 tabs.

  1. Multi-dimensional analysis of high resolution γ-ray data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Flibotte, S.; Huettmeier, U.J.; France, G. de; Haas, B.; Romain, P.; Theisen, Ch.; Vivien, J.P.; Zen, J.

    1992-01-01

    A new generation of high resolution γ-ray spectrometers capable of recording high-fold coincidence events with a large efficiency will soon be available. Algorithms are developed to analyze high-fold γ-ray coincidences. As a contribution to the software development associated with the EUROGAM spectrometer, the performances of computer codes designed to select multi-dimensional gates from 3-, 4- and 5-fold coincidence databases were tested. The tests were performed on events generated with a Monte Carlo simulation and also on real experimental triple data recorded with the 8π spectrometer and with a preliminary version of the EUROGAM array. (R.P.) 14 refs.; 3 figs.; 3 tabs

  2. A morphologically preserved multi-resolution TIN surface modeling and visualization method for virtual globes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Xianwei; Xiong, Hanjiang; Gong, Jianya; Yue, Linwei

    2017-07-01

    Virtual globes play an important role in representing three-dimensional models of the Earth. To extend the functioning of a virtual globe beyond that of a "geobrowser", the accuracy of the geospatial data in the processing and representation should be of special concern for the scientific analysis and evaluation. In this study, we propose a method for the processing of large-scale terrain data for virtual globe visualization and analysis. The proposed method aims to construct a morphologically preserved multi-resolution triangulated irregular network (TIN) pyramid for virtual globes to accurately represent the landscape surface and simultaneously satisfy the demands of applications at different scales. By introducing cartographic principles, the TIN model in each layer is controlled with a data quality standard to formulize its level of detail generation. A point-additive algorithm is used to iteratively construct the multi-resolution TIN pyramid. The extracted landscape features are also incorporated to constrain the TIN structure, thus preserving the basic morphological shapes of the terrain surface at different levels. During the iterative construction process, the TIN in each layer is seamlessly partitioned based on a virtual node structure, and tiled with a global quadtree structure. Finally, an adaptive tessellation approach is adopted to eliminate terrain cracks in the real-time out-of-core spherical terrain rendering. The experiments undertaken in this study confirmed that the proposed method performs well in multi-resolution terrain representation, and produces high-quality underlying data that satisfy the demands of scientific analysis and evaluation.

  3. A novel micromachined shadow mask system with self-alignment and gap control capability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hong, Jung Moo; Zou Jun

    2008-01-01

    We present a novel micromachined shadow mask system, which is capable of accurate self-alignment and mask-substrate gap control. The shadow mask system consists of a silicon shadow mask and a silicon carrier wafer with pyramidal cavities fabricated with bulk micromachining. Self-alignment and gap control of the shadow mask and the fabrication substrate can readily be achieved by using matching pairs of pyramidal cavities and steel spheres placed between. The layer-to-layer alignment accuracy of the new shadow mask system has been experimentally characterized and verified using both optical and atomic force microscopic measurements. As an application of this new shadow mask system, an organic thin-film transistor (OTFT) using pentacene as the semiconductor layer has been successfully fabricated and tested

  4. Multi-granularity synthesis segmentation for high spatial resolution Remote sensing images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yi, Lina; Liu, Pengfei; Qiao, Xiaojun; Zhang, Xiaoning; Gao, Yuan; Feng, Boyan

    2014-01-01

    Traditional segmentation method can only partition an image in a single granularity space, with segmentation accuracy limited to the single granularity space. This paper proposes a multi-granularity synthesis segmentation method for high spatial resolution remote sensing images based on a quotient space model. Firstly, we divide the whole image area into multiple granules (regions), each region is consisted of ground objects that have similar optimal segmentation scale, and then select and synthesize the sub-optimal segmentations of each region to get the final segmentation result. To validate this method, the land cover category map is used to guide the scale synthesis of multi-scale image segmentations for Quickbird image land use classification. Firstly, the image is coarsely divided into multiple regions, each region belongs to a certain land cover category. Then multi-scale segmentation results are generated by the Mumford-Shah function based region merging method. For each land cover category, the optimal segmentation scale is selected by the supervised segmentation accuracy assessment method. Finally, the optimal scales of segmentation results are synthesized under the guide of land cover category. Experiments show that the multi-granularity synthesis segmentation can produce more accurate segmentation than that of a single granularity space and benefit the classification

  5. Event horizon image within black hole shadow

    OpenAIRE

    Dokuchaev, V. I.; Nazarova, N. O.

    2018-01-01

    The external border of the black hole shadow is washed out by radiation from matter plunging into black hole and approaching the event horizon. This effect will crucially influence the results of future observations by the Event Horizon Telescope. We show that gravitational lensing of the luminous matter plunging into black hole provides the event horizon visualization within black hole shadow. The lensed image of the event horizon is formed by the last highly red-shifted photons emitted by t...

  6. Effect of shadow economy - country's tax losses

    OpenAIRE

    Krumplytė, Jolita

    2009-01-01

    The article analyzes the content of shadow economy through the prism of the tax administration. The author provides the limitations of the study and methodologically based relationship between the shadow economy and the tax revenue not to be received to the national consolidate budget. Country's tax losses (tax gap) is the amount of the tax revenue that is not received to the country's consolidated budget in the tax non-payment effects: tax avoidance and tax evasion. Tax losses (tax gap) is t...

  7. Unrealistic phylogenetic trees may improve phylogenetic footprinting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nettling, Martin; Treutler, Hendrik; Cerquides, Jesus; Grosse, Ivo

    2017-06-01

    The computational investigation of DNA binding motifs from binding sites is one of the classic tasks in bioinformatics and a prerequisite for understanding gene regulation as a whole. Due to the development of sequencing technologies and the increasing number of available genomes, approaches based on phylogenetic footprinting become increasingly attractive. Phylogenetic footprinting requires phylogenetic trees with attached substitution probabilities for quantifying the evolution of binding sites, but these trees and substitution probabilities are typically not known and cannot be estimated easily. Here, we investigate the influence of phylogenetic trees with different substitution probabilities on the classification performance of phylogenetic footprinting using synthetic and real data. For synthetic data we find that the classification performance is highest when the substitution probability used for phylogenetic footprinting is similar to that used for data generation. For real data, however, we typically find that the classification performance of phylogenetic footprinting surprisingly increases with increasing substitution probabilities and is often highest for unrealistically high substitution probabilities close to one. This finding suggests that choosing realistic model assumptions might not always yield optimal predictions in general and that choosing unrealistically high substitution probabilities close to one might actually improve the classification performance of phylogenetic footprinting. The proposed PF is implemented in JAVA and can be downloaded from https://github.com/mgledi/PhyFoo. : martin.nettling@informatik.uni-halle.de. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

  8. Clustered deep shadow maps for integrated polyhedral and volume rendering

    KAUST Repository

    Bornik, Alexander; Knecht, Wolfgang; Hadwiger, Markus; Schmalstieg, Dieter

    2012-01-01

    This paper presents a hardware-accelerated approach for shadow computation in scenes containing both complex volumetric objects and polyhedral models. Our system is the first hardware accelerated complete implementation of deep shadow maps, which

  9. The power and pitfalls of HIV phylogenetics in public health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brooks, James I; Sandstrom, Paul A

    2013-07-25

    Phylogenetics is the application of comparative studies of genetic sequences in order to infer evolutionary relationships among organisms. This tool can be used as a form of molecular epidemiology to enhance traditional population-level communicable disease surveillance. Phylogenetic study has resulted in new paradigms being created in the field of communicable diseases and this commentary aims to provide the reader with an explanation of how phylogenetics can be used in tracking infectious diseases. Special emphasis will be placed upon the application of phylogenetics as a tool to help elucidate HIV transmission patterns and the limitations to these methods when applied to forensic analysis. Understanding infectious disease epidemiology in order to prevent new transmissions is the sine qua non of public health. However, with increasing epidemiological resolution, there may be an associated potential loss of privacy to the individual. It is within this context that we aim to promote the discussion on how to use phylogenetics to achieve important public health goals, while at the same time protecting the rights of the individual.

  10. Analysis of tumor-like shadows on abdominal plain x-ray film

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hayashi, Hidehiro; Hiraki, Yoshio; Hashimoto, Keizi

    1986-01-01

    We found tumor-like shadows in the upper abdomen in 93 cases out of 400 abdominal plain films, although none of these 93 cases actually had a tumor. We analyzed these tumor-like shadows by computed tomography. For each of the 400 cases we measured the width of flank stripe on the abdominal plain film. Most of the tumor-like shadows in the left upper abdomen were gastric fundus, but it was significant for evaluating plain abdominal film that other organs such as a part of the left lobe of the liver, the upper pole of the left kidney, and a part of the spleen formed tumor-like shadows. The most important factors forming tumor-like shadows on plain abdominal film are the fat volume of the abdominal cauity as well as the fraciform ligament and alterations in the shape and volume of organs such as occur in liver cirrhosis. (author)

  11. How to use 3D shadows for simple microscopy and vibrometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parikesit, Gea O. F.; Kusumaningtyas, Indraswari

    2017-07-01

    In 2014, we reported that shadows can be displayed in 3D using a stereoscopic setup. We now report that the 3D shadows can also be used to perform simple measurements, which are suitable for physics education in schools and colleges. Two different types of measurements are demonstrated, i.e. microscopy and vibrometry. Both types of measurements take advantage of the geometrical optics of the 3D shadows, where the 3D position of an object can be estimated using the coordinates of the colored light sources and the coordinates of the colored shadow images. We also include several student activities that can raise the students’ curiosity and capability.

  12. Improving lateral resolution and image quality of optical coherence tomography by the multi-frame superresolution technique for 3D tissue imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Kai; Lu, Hui; Baig, Sarfaraz; Wang, Michael R

    2017-11-01

    The multi-frame superresolution technique is introduced to significantly improve the lateral resolution and image quality of spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Using several sets of low resolution C-scan 3D images with lateral sub-spot-spacing shifts on different sets, the multi-frame superresolution processing of these sets at each depth layer reconstructs a higher resolution and quality lateral image. Layer by layer processing yields an overall high lateral resolution and quality 3D image. In theory, the superresolution processing including deconvolution can solve the diffraction limit, lateral scan density and background noise problems together. In experiment, the improved lateral resolution by ~3 times reaching 7.81 µm and 2.19 µm using sample arm optics of 0.015 and 0.05 numerical aperture respectively as well as doubling the image quality has been confirmed by imaging a known resolution test target. Improved lateral resolution on in vitro skin C-scan images has been demonstrated. For in vivo 3D SD-OCT imaging of human skin, fingerprint and retina layer, we used the multi-modal volume registration method to effectively estimate the lateral image shifts among different C-scans due to random minor unintended live body motion. Further processing of these images generated high lateral resolution 3D images as well as high quality B-scan images of these in vivo tissues.

  13. High-resolution time-frequency representation of EEG data using multi-scale wavelets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yang; Cui, Wei-Gang; Luo, Mei-Lin; Li, Ke; Wang, Lina

    2017-09-01

    An efficient time-varying autoregressive (TVAR) modelling scheme that expands the time-varying parameters onto the multi-scale wavelet basis functions is presented for modelling nonstationary signals and with applications to time-frequency analysis (TFA) of electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. In the new parametric modelling framework, the time-dependent parameters of the TVAR model are locally represented by using a novel multi-scale wavelet decomposition scheme, which can allow the capability to capture the smooth trends as well as track the abrupt changes of time-varying parameters simultaneously. A forward orthogonal least square (FOLS) algorithm aided by mutual information criteria are then applied for sparse model term selection and parameter estimation. Two simulation examples illustrate that the performance of the proposed multi-scale wavelet basis functions outperforms the only single-scale wavelet basis functions or Kalman filter algorithm for many nonstationary processes. Furthermore, an application of the proposed method to a real EEG signal demonstrates the new approach can provide highly time-dependent spectral resolution capability.

  14. Phylogenetic trees

    OpenAIRE

    Baños, Hector; Bushek, Nathaniel; Davidson, Ruth; Gross, Elizabeth; Harris, Pamela E.; Krone, Robert; Long, Colby; Stewart, Allen; Walker, Robert

    2016-01-01

    We introduce the package PhylogeneticTrees for Macaulay2 which allows users to compute phylogenetic invariants for group-based tree models. We provide some background information on phylogenetic algebraic geometry and show how the package PhylogeneticTrees can be used to calculate a generating set for a phylogenetic ideal as well as a lower bound for its dimension. Finally, we show how methods within the package can be used to compute a generating set for the join of any two ideals.

  15. Resolution Enhancement of Multilook Imagery

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Galbraith, Amy E. [Univ. of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (United States)

    2004-07-01

    This dissertation studies the feasibility of enhancing the spatial resolution of multi-look remotely-sensed imagery using an iterative resolution enhancement algorithm known as Projection Onto Convex Sets (POCS). A multi-angle satellite image modeling tool is implemented, and simulated multi-look imagery is formed to test the resolution enhancement algorithm. Experiments are done to determine the optimal con guration and number of multi-angle low-resolution images needed for a quantitative improvement in the spatial resolution of the high-resolution estimate. The important topic of aliasing is examined in the context of the POCS resolution enhancement algorithm performance. In addition, the extension of the method to multispectral sensor images is discussed and an example is shown using multispectral confocal fluorescence imaging microscope data. Finally, the remote sensing issues of atmospheric path radiance and directional reflectance variations are explored to determine their effect on the resolution enhancement performance.

  16. On Risk Charges and Shadow Account Options in Pension Funds

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Peter Løchte; Gatzert, Nadine

    to equityholders and our paper develops a model in which the influence of risk charges and shadow account options on stakeholders' value can be quantified and studied. Our numerical results show that the value of shadow account options can be significant and thus come at the risk of expropriating policyholder......This paper studies the economic implications of regulatory systems which allow equityholders of pension companies to not only charge a specific premium to compensate them for their higher risk (compared to policyholders), but also to accumulate these risk charges in a so-called shadow account...

  17. Fallspeed measurement and high-resolution multi-angle photography of hydrometeors in freefall

    OpenAIRE

    T. J. Garrett; C. Fallgatter; K. Shkurko; D. Howlett

    2012-01-01

    We describe here a new instrument for imaging hydrometeors in freefall. The Multi-Angle Snowflake Camera (MASC) captures high resolution photographs of hydrometeors from three angles while simultaneously measuring their fallspeed. Based on the stereoscopic photographs captured over the two months of continuous measurements obtained at a high altitude location within the Wasatch Front in Utah, we derive statistics for fallspeed, hydrometeor size, shape, orientation and aspect ratio. From a sel...

  18. A High-resolution Multi-wavelength Simultaneous Imaging System with Solar Adaptive Optics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rao, Changhui; Zhu, Lei; Gu, Naiting; Rao, Xuejun; Zhang, Lanqiang; Bao, Hua; Kong, Lin; Guo, Youming; Zhong, Libo; Ma, Xue’an; Li, Mei; Wang, Cheng; Zhang, Xiaojun; Fan, Xinlong; Chen, Donghong; Feng, Zhongyi; Wang, Xiaoyun; Wang, Zhiyong, E-mail: gunaiting@ioe.ac.cn [The Key Laboratory on Adaptive Optics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 350, Shuangliu, Chengdu 610209, Sichuan (China)

    2017-10-01

    A high-resolution multi-wavelength simultaneous imaging system from visible to near-infrared bands with a solar adaptive optics system, in which seven imaging channels, including the G band (430.5 nm), the Na i line (589 nm), the H α line (656.3 nm), the TiO band (705.7 nm), the Ca ii IR line (854.2 nm), the He i line (1083 nm), and the Fe i line (1565.3 nm), are chosen, is developed to image the solar atmosphere from the photosphere layer to the chromosphere layer. To our knowledge, this is the solar high-resolution imaging system with the widest spectral coverage. This system was demonstrated at the 1 m New Vaccum Solar Telescope and the on-sky high-resolution observational results were acquired. In this paper, we will illustrate the design and performance of the imaging system. The calibration and the data reduction of the system are also presented.

  19. The impact of economic globalization on the shadow economy in Egypt

    OpenAIRE

    Farzanegan, Mohammad Reza; Hassan, Mai

    2017-01-01

    This study examines the economic globalization and the shadow economy nexus in Egypt. Using time series data from 1976 to 2013, the impulse response analysis shows that the response of the shadow economy in Egypt to positive shocks in economic globalization is negative and statistically significant for the first three years following the shock. This finding is obtained by controlling for several intermediary channels in globalization-shadow economy nexus such as education, government spending...

  20. SHADOW EFFECT ON PHOTOVOLTAIC POTENTIALITY ANALYSIS USING 3D CITY MODELS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. Alam

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Due to global warming, green-house effect and various other drawbacks of existing energy sources, renewable energy like Photovoltaic system is being popular for energy production. The result of photovoltaic potentiality analysis depends on data quality and parameters. Shadow rapidly decreases performance of the Photovoltaic system and it always changes due to the movement of the sun. Solar radiation incident on earth's atmosphere is relatively constant but the radiation at earth's surface varies due to absorption, scattering, reflection, change in spectral content, diffuse component, water vapor, clouds and pollution etc. In this research, it is being investigated that how efficiently real-time shadow can be detected for both direct and diffuse radiation considering reflection and other factors in contrast with the existing shadow detection methods using latest technologies and what is the minimum quality of data required for this purpose. Of course, geometric details of the building geometry and surroundings directly affect the calculation of shadows. In principle, 3D city models or point clouds, which contain roof structure, vegetation, thematically differentiated surface and texture, are suitable to simulate exact real-time shadow. This research would develop an automated procedure to measure exact shadow effect from the 3D city models and a long-term simulation model to determine the produced energy from the photovoltaic system. In this paper, a developed method for detecting shadow for direct radiation has been discussed with its result using a 3D city model to perform a solar energy potentiality analysis.

  1. High-resolution wave number spectrum using multi-point measurements in space – the Multi-point Signal Resonator (MSR technique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Y. Narita

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available A new analysis method is presented that provides a high-resolution power spectrum in a broad wave number domain based on multi-point measurements. The analysis technique is referred to as the Multi-point Signal Resonator (MSR and it benefits from Capon's minimum variance method for obtaining the proper power spectral density of the signal as well as the MUSIC algorithm (Multiple Signal Classification for considerably reducing the noise part in the spectrum. The mathematical foundation of the analysis method is presented and it is applied to synthetic data as well as Cluster observations of the interplanetary magnetic field. Using the MSR technique for Cluster data we find a wave in the solar wind propagating parallel to the mean magnetic field with relatively small amplitude, which is not identified by the Capon spectrum. The Cluster data analysis shows the potential of the MSR technique for studying waves and turbulence using multi-point measurements.

  2. Fast Conflict Resolution Based on Reinforcement Learning in Multi-agent System

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    PIAOSonghao; HONGBingrong; CHUHaitao

    2004-01-01

    In multi-agent system where each agen thas a different goal (even the team of agents has the same goal), agents must be able to resolve conflicts arising in the process of achieving their goal. Many researchers presented methods for conflict resolution, e.g., Reinforcement learning (RL), but the conventional RL requires a large computation cost because every agent must learn, at the same time the overlap of actions selected by each agent results in local conflict. Therefore in this paper, we propose a novel method to solve these problems. In order to deal with the conflict within the multi-agent system, the concept of potential field function based Action selection priority level (ASPL) is brought forward. In this method, all kinds of environment factor that may have influence on the priority are effectively computed with the potential field function. So the priority to access the local resource can be decided rapidly. By avoiding the complex coordination mechanism used in general multi-agent system, the conflict in multi-agent system is settled more efficiently. Our system consists of RL with ASPL module and generalized rules module. Using ASPL, RL module chooses a proper cooperative behavior, and generalized rule module can accelerate the learning process. By applying the proposed method to Robot Soccer, the learning process can be accelerated. The results of simulation and real experiments indicate the effectiveness of the method.

  3. Testing General Relativity with the Shadow Size of Sgr A(*).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johannsen, Tim; Broderick, Avery E; Plewa, Philipp M; Chatzopoulos, Sotiris; Doeleman, Sheperd S; Eisenhauer, Frank; Fish, Vincent L; Genzel, Reinhard; Gerhard, Ortwin; Johnson, Michael D

    2016-01-22

    In general relativity, the angular radius of the shadow of a black hole is primarily determined by its mass-to-distance ratio and depends only weakly on its spin and inclination. If general relativity is violated, however, the shadow size may also depend strongly on parametric deviations from the Kerr metric. Based on a reconstructed image of Sagittarius A^{*} (Sgr A^{*}) from a simulated one-day observing run of a seven-station Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) array, we employ a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm to demonstrate that such an observation can measure the angular radius of the shadow of Sgr A^{*} with an uncertainty of ∼1.5  μas (6%). We show that existing mass and distance measurements can be improved significantly when combined with upcoming EHT measurements of the shadow size and that tight constraints on potential deviations from the Kerr metric can be obtained.

  4. An IMU-Aided Body-Shadowing Error Compensation Method for Indoor Bluetooth Positioning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deng, Zhongliang; Fu, Xiao; Wang, Hanhua

    2018-01-20

    Research on indoor positioning technologies has recently become a hotspot because of the huge social and economic potential of indoor location-based services (ILBS). Wireless positioning signals have a considerable attenuation in received signal strength (RSS) when transmitting through human bodies, which would cause significant ranging and positioning errors in RSS-based systems. This paper mainly focuses on the body-shadowing impairment of RSS-based ranging and positioning, and derives a mathematical expression of the relation between the body-shadowing effect and the positioning error. In addition, an inertial measurement unit-aided (IMU-aided) body-shadowing detection strategy is designed, and an error compensation model is established to mitigate the effect of body-shadowing. A Bluetooth positioning algorithm with body-shadowing error compensation (BP-BEC) is then proposed to improve both the positioning accuracy and the robustness in indoor body-shadowing environments. Experiments are conducted in two indoor test beds, and the performance of both the BP-BEC algorithm and the algorithms without body-shadowing error compensation (named no-BEC) is evaluated. The results show that the BP-BEC outperforms the no-BEC by about 60.1% and 73.6% in terms of positioning accuracy and robustness, respectively. Moreover, the execution time of the BP-BEC algorithm is also evaluated, and results show that the convergence speed of the proposed algorithm has an insignificant effect on real-time localization.

  5. High-resolution multi-MeV x-ray radiography using relativistic laser-solid interaction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Courtois, C.; Compant La Fontaine, A.; Barbotin, M.; Bazzoli, S.; Brebion, D.; Bourgade, J. L.; Gazave, J.; Lagrange, J. M.; Landoas, O.; Le Dain, L.; Lefebvre, E.; Pichoff, N.; Edwards, R.; Aedy, C.; Biddle, L.; Drew, D.; Gardner, M.; Ramsay, M.; Simons, A.; Sircombe, N.

    2011-01-01

    When high intensity (≥10 19 W cm -2 ) laser light interacts with matter, multi-MeV electrons are produced. These electrons can be utilized to generate a MeV bremsstrahlung x-ray emission spectrum as they propagate into a high-Z solid target positioned behind the interaction area. The short duration ( 2 ) object is then performed with few hundred microns spatial resolution.

  6. Image Fusion-Based Land Cover Change Detection Using Multi-Temporal High-Resolution Satellite Images

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Biao Wang

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Change detection is usually treated as a problem of explicitly detecting land cover transitions in satellite images obtained at different times, and helps with emergency response and government management. This study presents an unsupervised change detection method based on the image fusion of multi-temporal images. The main objective of this study is to improve the accuracy of unsupervised change detection from high-resolution multi-temporal images. Our method effectively reduces change detection errors, since spatial displacement and spectral differences between multi-temporal images are evaluated. To this end, a total of four cross-fused images are generated with multi-temporal images, and the iteratively reweighted multivariate alteration detection (IR-MAD method—a measure for the spectral distortion of change information—is applied to the fused images. In this experiment, the land cover change maps were extracted using multi-temporal IKONOS-2, WorldView-3, and GF-1 satellite images. The effectiveness of the proposed method compared with other unsupervised change detection methods is demonstrated through experimentation. The proposed method achieved an overall accuracy of 80.51% and 97.87% for cases 1 and 2, respectively. Moreover, the proposed method performed better when differentiating the water area from the vegetation area compared to the existing change detection methods. Although the water area beneath moderate and sparse vegetation canopy was captured, vegetation cover and paved regions of the water body were the main sources of omission error, and commission errors occurred primarily in pixels of mixed land use and along the water body edge. Nevertheless, the proposed method, in conjunction with high-resolution satellite imagery, offers a robust and flexible approach to land cover change mapping that requires no ancillary data for rapid implementation.

  7. Shadow Detection Based on Regions of Light Sources for Object Extraction in Nighttime Video

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gil-beom Lee

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Intelligent video surveillance systems detect pre-configured surveillance events through background modeling, foreground and object extraction, object tracking, and event detection. Shadow regions inside video frames sometimes appear as foreground objects, interfere with ensuing processes, and finally degrade the event detection performance of the systems. Conventional studies have mostly used intensity, color, texture, and geometric information to perform shadow detection in daytime video, but these methods lack the capability of removing shadows in nighttime video. In this paper, a novel shadow detection algorithm for nighttime video is proposed; this algorithm partitions each foreground object based on the object’s vertical histogram and screens out shadow objects by validating their orientations heading toward regions of light sources. From the experimental results, it can be seen that the proposed algorithm shows more than 93.8% shadow removal and 89.9% object extraction rates for nighttime video sequences, and the algorithm outperforms conventional shadow removal algorithms designed for daytime videos.

  8. Spatio-Temporal Super-Resolution Reconstruction of Remote-Sensing Images Based on Adaptive Multi-Scale Detail Enhancement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Hong; Tang, Xinming; Xie, Junfeng; Song, Weidong; Mo, Fan; Gao, Xiaoming

    2018-02-07

    There are many problems in existing reconstruction-based super-resolution algorithms, such as the lack of texture-feature representation and of high-frequency details. Multi-scale detail enhancement can produce more texture information and high-frequency information. Therefore, super-resolution reconstruction of remote-sensing images based on adaptive multi-scale detail enhancement (AMDE-SR) is proposed in this paper. First, the information entropy of each remote-sensing image is calculated, and the image with the maximum entropy value is regarded as the reference image. Subsequently, spatio-temporal remote-sensing images are processed using phase normalization, which is to reduce the time phase difference of image data and enhance the complementarity of information. The multi-scale image information is then decomposed using the L ₀ gradient minimization model, and the non-redundant information is processed by difference calculation and expanding non-redundant layers and the redundant layer by the iterative back-projection (IBP) technique. The different-scale non-redundant information is adaptive-weighted and fused using cross-entropy. Finally, a nonlinear texture-detail-enhancement function is built to improve the scope of small details, and the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) is used as an iterative constraint. Ultimately, high-resolution remote-sensing images with abundant texture information are obtained by iterative optimization. Real results show an average gain in entropy of up to 0.42 dB for an up-scaling of 2 and a significant promotion gain in enhancement measure evaluation for an up-scaling of 2. The experimental results show that the performance of the AMED-SR method is better than existing super-resolution reconstruction methods in terms of visual and accuracy improvements.

  9. Spatio-Temporal Super-Resolution Reconstruction of Remote-Sensing Images Based on Adaptive Multi-Scale Detail Enhancement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Hong; Tang, Xinming; Xie, Junfeng; Song, Weidong; Mo, Fan; Gao, Xiaoming

    2018-01-01

    There are many problems in existing reconstruction-based super-resolution algorithms, such as the lack of texture-feature representation and of high-frequency details. Multi-scale detail enhancement can produce more texture information and high-frequency information. Therefore, super-resolution reconstruction of remote-sensing images based on adaptive multi-scale detail enhancement (AMDE-SR) is proposed in this paper. First, the information entropy of each remote-sensing image is calculated, and the image with the maximum entropy value is regarded as the reference image. Subsequently, spatio-temporal remote-sensing images are processed using phase normalization, which is to reduce the time phase difference of image data and enhance the complementarity of information. The multi-scale image information is then decomposed using the L0 gradient minimization model, and the non-redundant information is processed by difference calculation and expanding non-redundant layers and the redundant layer by the iterative back-projection (IBP) technique. The different-scale non-redundant information is adaptive-weighted and fused using cross-entropy. Finally, a nonlinear texture-detail-enhancement function is built to improve the scope of small details, and the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) is used as an iterative constraint. Ultimately, high-resolution remote-sensing images with abundant texture information are obtained by iterative optimization. Real results show an average gain in entropy of up to 0.42 dB for an up-scaling of 2 and a significant promotion gain in enhancement measure evaluation for an up-scaling of 2. The experimental results show that the performance of the AMED-SR method is better than existing super-resolution reconstruction methods in terms of visual and accuracy improvements. PMID:29414893

  10. Nuclear shadowing and the optics of hadronic fluctuations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mankiewicz, L. E-mail: lech_mankiewicz@camk.edu.pl; Piller, G.; Vaenttinen, M.; Weise, W

    2001-06-04

    A coordinate-space description of shadowing in deep-inelastic lepton-nucleus scattering is presented. The picture in the laboratory frame is that of quark-gluon fluctuations of the high-energy virtual photon, propagating coherently over large light-cone distances in the nuclear medium. We discuss the detailed dependence of the coherence effects on the invariant mass of the fluctuation. We comment on the issue of possible saturation in the shadowing effects at very small Bjorken-x.

  11. Shadow Cost of Public Funds and Privatization Policies

    OpenAIRE

    Sato, Susumu; Matsumura, Toshihiro

    2017-01-01

    We investigate the optimal privatization policy in mixed oligopolies with shadow cost of public funds (excess burden of taxation). The government is concerned with both the total social surplus and the revenue obtained by the privatization of a public firm. We find that the relationship between the shadow cost of public funds and the optimal privatization policy is non-monotone. When the cost is moderate, then higher the cost is, the lower is the optimal degree of privatization. ...

  12. Evaluation of Medium Spatial Resolution BRDF-Adjustment Techniques Using Multi-Angular SPOT4 (Take5) Acquisitions

    OpenAIRE

    Claverie, Martin; Vermote, Eric; Franch, Belen; He, Tao; Hagolle, Olivier; Kadiri, Mohamed; Masek, Jeff

    2015-01-01

    High-resolution sensor Surface Reflectance (SR) data are affected by surface anisotropy but are difficult to adjust because of the low temporal frequency of the acquisitions and the low angular sampling. This paper evaluates five high spatial resolution Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) adjustment techniques. The evaluation is based on the noise level of the SR Time Series (TS) corrected to a normalized geometry (nadir view, 45° sun zenith angle) extracted from the multi-...

  13. Shadow detection of moving objects based on multisource information in Internet of things

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Zhen; Zhang, De-gan; Chen, Jie; Hou, Yue-xian

    2017-05-01

    Moving object detection is an important part in intelligent video surveillance under the banner of Internet of things. The detection of moving target's shadow is also an important step in moving object detection. On the accuracy of shadow detection will affect the detection results of the object directly. Based on the variety of shadow detection method, we find that only using one feature can't make the result of detection accurately. Then we present a new method for shadow detection which contains colour information, the invariance of optical and texture feature. Through the comprehensive analysis of the detecting results of three kinds of information, the shadow was effectively determined. It gets ideal effect in the experiment when combining advantages of various methods.

  14. Gaining Control of Iraq's Shadow Economy

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Ramirez, David S

    2007-01-01

    .... These conditions fuel a sprawling, decades-old shadow economy manipulated by elements of organized crime, militias, and insurgents to fund attacks on Coalition forces, infrastructure and innocent Iraqi civilians...

  15. Combined multi-plane phase retrieval and super-resolution optical fluctuation imaging for 4D cell microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Descloux, A.; Grußmayer, K. S.; Bostan, E.; Lukes, T.; Bouwens, A.; Sharipov, A.; Geissbuehler, S.; Mahul-Mellier, A.-L.; Lashuel, H. A.; Leutenegger, M.; Lasser, T.

    2018-03-01

    Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy provides unprecedented insight into cellular and subcellular structures. However, going `beyond the diffraction barrier' comes at a price, since most far-field super-resolution imaging techniques trade temporal for spatial super-resolution. We propose the combination of a novel label-free white light quantitative phase imaging with fluorescence to provide high-speed imaging and spatial super-resolution. The non-iterative phase retrieval relies on the acquisition of single images at each z-location and thus enables straightforward 3D phase imaging using a classical microscope. We realized multi-plane imaging using a customized prism for the simultaneous acquisition of eight planes. This allowed us to not only image live cells in 3D at up to 200 Hz, but also to integrate fluorescence super-resolution optical fluctuation imaging within the same optical instrument. The 4D microscope platform unifies the sensitivity and high temporal resolution of phase imaging with the specificity and high spatial resolution of fluorescence microscopy.

  16. An IMU-Aided Body-Shadowing Error Compensation Method for Indoor Bluetooth Positioning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhongliang Deng

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Research on indoor positioning technologies has recently become a hotspot because of the huge social and economic potential of indoor location-based services (ILBS. Wireless positioning signals have a considerable attenuation in received signal strength (RSS when transmitting through human bodies, which would cause significant ranging and positioning errors in RSS-based systems. This paper mainly focuses on the body-shadowing impairment of RSS-based ranging and positioning, and derives a mathematical expression of the relation between the body-shadowing effect and the positioning error. In addition, an inertial measurement unit-aided (IMU-aided body-shadowing detection strategy is designed, and an error compensation model is established to mitigate the effect of body-shadowing. A Bluetooth positioning algorithm with body-shadowing error compensation (BP-BEC is then proposed to improve both the positioning accuracy and the robustness in indoor body-shadowing environments. Experiments are conducted in two indoor test beds, and the performance of both the BP-BEC algorithm and the algorithms without body-shadowing error compensation (named no-BEC is evaluated. The results show that the BP-BEC outperforms the no-BEC by about 60.1% and 73.6% in terms of positioning accuracy and robustness, respectively. Moreover, the execution time of the BP-BEC algorithm is also evaluated, and results show that the convergence speed of the proposed algorithm has an insignificant effect on real-time localization.

  17. Incompletely resolved phylogenetic trees inflate estimates of phylogenetic conservatism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davies, T Jonathan; Kraft, Nathan J B; Salamin, Nicolas; Wolkovich, Elizabeth M

    2012-02-01

    The tendency for more closely related species to share similar traits and ecological strategies can be explained by their longer shared evolutionary histories and represents phylogenetic conservatism. How strongly species traits co-vary with phylogeny can significantly impact how we analyze cross-species data and can influence our interpretation of assembly rules in the rapidly expanding field of community phylogenetics. Phylogenetic conservatism is typically quantified by analyzing the distribution of species values on the phylogenetic tree that connects them. Many phylogenetic approaches, however, assume a completely sampled phylogeny: while we have good estimates of deeper phylogenetic relationships for many species-rich groups, such as birds and flowering plants, we often lack information on more recent interspecific relationships (i.e., within a genus). A common solution has been to represent these relationships as polytomies on trees using taxonomy as a guide. Here we show that such trees can dramatically inflate estimates of phylogenetic conservatism quantified using S. P. Blomberg et al.'s K statistic. Using simulations, we show that even randomly generated traits can appear to be phylogenetically conserved on poorly resolved trees. We provide a simple rarefaction-based solution that can reliably retrieve unbiased estimates of K, and we illustrate our method using data on first flowering times from Thoreau's woods (Concord, Massachusetts, USA).

  18. Use of Shadowing-Based Learning in an Allied Health Microbiology Course

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alex A. Lowrey

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Students in an undergraduate microbiology course for health professions majors perform a shadowing-based learning exercise for their course project. Students accomplish this by shadowing a health care professional of their choice, specifically incorporating basic microbiological concept themes into their observations. These concept themes include the biological nature, health effects, detection, and control of microorganisms. Upon completion of the shadowing experience, students present a concise report, which is graded on how well the students connect course scientific concepts with actual clinical practice.

  19. Fabrication of high-aspect-ratio nano structures using a nano x-ray shadow mask

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Yong Chul; Lee, Seung S

    2008-01-01

    This paper describes a novel method for the fabrication of high-aspect-ratio nano structures (HAR-nano structures) using a nano x-ray shadow mask and deep x-ray lithography (DXRL). The nano x-ray shadow mask is fabricated by depositing an x-ray absorber layer (Au, 3 µm) onto the back side of a nano shadow mask. The nano shadow mask is produced with nano-sized apertures whose dimensions are reduced to several tens of nanometers by the accumulation of low-stress silicon nitride (Si x N y ) using the LPCVD process on the shadow mask. A shadow mask containing apertures with a size of 1 µm is fabricated on a bulk micromachined Si x N y membrane. The thickness of an absorber layer must be in the range of several tens of micrometers in order to obtain a contrast of more than 100 for the conventional DXRL process at the Pohang Light Source (PLS). However, a 3 µm thick absorber layer can provide a sufficient contrast if the modified DXRL of the central beam-stop method is used, which blocks high-energy x-rays. A nano shadow mask with 30 nm sized apertures is fabricated and a nano x-ray shadow mask with 250 nm sized apertures is fabricated by depositing a 3 µm thick absorber layer on a nano shadow mask with 500 nm sized apertures. HAR-nano structures (circles with a diameter of 420 nm and lines with a width of 274 nm) with aspect ratios of over 10:1 on a 3.2 µm SU-8 are successfully fabricated by using the nano x-ray shadow mask and the central beam-stop method

  20. Measuring the CO2 shadow price for wastewater treatment: A directional distance function approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Molinos-Senante, María; Hanley, Nick; Sala-Garrido, Ramón

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • The shadow price of CO 2 informs about the marginal abatement cost of this pollutant. • It is estimated the shadow price of CO 2 for wastewater treatment plants. • The shadow prices depend on the setting of the directional vectors of the distance function. • Sewage sludge treatment technology affects the CO 2 shadow price. - Abstract: The estimation of the value of carbon emissions has become a major research and policy topic since the establishment of the Kyoto Protocol. The shadow price of CO 2 provides information about the marginal abatement cost of this pollutant. It is an essential element in guiding environmental policy issues, since the CO 2 shadow price can be used when fixing carbon tax rates, in environmental cost-benefit analysis and in ascertaining an initial market price for a trading system. The water industry could play an important role in the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This paper estimates the shadow price of CO 2 for a sample of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), using a parametric quadratic directional distance function. Following this, in a sensitivity analysis, the paper evaluates the impact of different settings of directional vectors on the shadow prices. Applying the Mann–Whitney and Kruskal–Wallis non-parametric tests, factors affecting CO 2 prices are investigated. The variation of CO 2 shadow prices across the WWTPs evaluated argues in favour of a market-based approach to CO 2 mitigation as opposed to command-and-control regulation. The paper argues that the estimation of the shadow price of CO 2 for non-power enterprises can provide incentives for reducing GHG emissions

  1. Identifying Spatial Units of Human Occupation in the Brazilian Amazon Using Landsat and CBERS Multi-Resolution Imagery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Isabel Sobral Escada

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Every spatial unit of human occupation is part of a network structuring an extensive process of urbanization in the Amazon territory. Multi-resolution remote sensing data were used to identify and map human presence and activities in the Sustainable Forest District of Cuiabá-Santarém highway (BR-163, west of Pará, Brazil. The limits of spatial units of human occupation were mapped based on digital classification of Landsat-TM5 (Thematic Mapper 5 image (30m spatial resolution. High-spatial-resolution CBERS-HRC (China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite-High-Resolution Camera images (5 m merged with CBERS-CCD (Charge Coupled Device images (20 m were used to map spatial arrangements inside each populated unit, describing intra-urban characteristics. Fieldwork data validated and refined the classification maps that supported the categorization of the units. A total of 133 spatial units were individualized, comprising population centers as municipal seats, villages and communities, and units of human activities, such as sawmills, farmhouses, landing strips, etc. From the high-resolution analysis, 32 population centers were grouped in four categories, described according to their level of urbanization and spatial organization as: structured, recent, established and dependent on connectivity. This multi-resolution approach provided spatial information about the urbanization process and organization of the territory. It may be extended into other areas or be further used to devise a monitoring system, contributing to the discussion of public policy priorities for sustainable development in the Amazon.

  2. On the MIMO Capacity for Distributed System under Composite Rayleigh/Rician Fading and Shadowing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Santiago González-Aurioles

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Wireless channels are commonly affected by short-term fading and long-term fading (shadowing. The shadowing effects must be taken into account also when mobility is present in the wireless scenario. Using a composite fading model, the total channel capacity can be studied for a scenario with short-term Rayleigh fading along with shadowing. This work provides quantitative results for these kinds of scenarios with Rayleigh fading and shadowing, considering also multiple-input and multiple-output systems, which have not been previously reported. In addition, the channel capacity has been studied in depth in its relation with the shadowing level, signal to noise ratio, and the number of elements in the multiple-input and multiple-output system. Moreover, the channel performance with shadowing has been compared to the one without it. Furthermore, Rician model with shadowing is studied and its results are reported. In addition, correlated and experimental results are provided. It is identified that the distributed MIMO systems can benefit from shadowing in Rician channels. This advantage has not been reported previously. This type of fading is proposed for massive MIMO by others and our results open the door to emulate massive MIMO on a reverberation chamber.

  3. Depth perception from moving cast shadow in macaque monkey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mizutani, Saneyuki; Usui, Nobuo; Yokota, Takanori; Mizusawa, Hidehiro; Taira, Masato; Katsuyama, Narumi

    2015-07-15

    In the present study, we investigate whether the macaque monkey can perceive motion in depth using a moving cast shadow. To accomplish this, we conducted two experiments. In the first experiment, an adult Japanese monkey was trained in a motion discrimination task in depth by binocular disparity. A square was presented on the display so that it appeared with a binocular disparity of 0.12 degrees (initial position), and moved toward (approaching) or away from (receding) the monkey for 1s. The monkey was trained to discriminate the approaching and receding motion of the square by GO/delayed GO-type responses. The monkey showed a significantly high accuracy rate in the task, and the performance was maintained when the position, color, and shape of the moving object were changed. In the next experiment, the change in the disparity was gradually decreased in the motion discrimination task. The results showed that the performance of the monkey declined as the distance of the approaching and receding motion of the square decreased from the initial position. However, when a moving cast shadow was added to the stimulus, the monkey responded to the motion in depth induced by the cast shadow in the same way as by binocular disparity; the reward was delivered randomly or given in all trials to prevent the learning of the 2D motion of the shadow in the frontal plane. These results suggest that the macaque monkey can perceive motion in depth using a moving cast shadow as well as using binocular disparity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Thin-slice high-resolution CT study of pulmonary asbestosis and idiopathic interstitial pneumonia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hatakeyama, Masayuki; Maeda, Munehiro; Ohmura, Takuya

    1987-01-01

    Thin-slice high-resolution CT findings were compared between 36 patients with pulmonary asbestos exposure (AS) and 33 patients with idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP). The CT scans of these patients were classified into 5 types (0-IV) by the subpleural curvilinear shadow (SCLS) and honey-comb shadow (HS). SCLS was detected in 22 (62 %) patients with AS and 7 (21 %) with IIP. HS was detected in 14 (39 %) patients with AS and 33 (100 %) with IIP. In both the diseases, SCLS was distributed mainly in the lower lobe in CT types I and II, and in mildly fibrotic segments in types III and IV. In CT types II, III and IV, SCLS was always communicated with HS. Thin-slice high-resolution CT is considered very helpful in diagnosis and staging of not only AS and IIP but also pulmonary fibrosis. (author)

  5. A locally adaptive algorithm for shadow correction in color images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karnaukhov, Victor; Kober, Vitaly

    2017-09-01

    The paper deals with correction of color images distorted by spatially nonuniform illumination. A serious distortion occurs in real conditions when a part of the scene containing 3D objects close to a directed light source is illuminated much brighter than the rest of the scene. A locally-adaptive algorithm for correction of shadow regions in color images is proposed. The algorithm consists of segmentation of shadow areas with rank-order statistics followed by correction of nonuniform illumination with human visual perception approach. The performance of the proposed algorithm is compared to that of common algorithms for correction of color images containing shadow regions.

  6. Theory and empiricism of shadow economy - an economic analysis example for Austria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuntzer, H.-P.

    2000-09-01

    Illegally circulating streams of net output will exist as long as economic events are registered and taxed by state authorities. Since the beginning of the eighties this part of the economic process has been more and more involved in scientific and political discussions not least because of the stagnating officially registered domestic content (as a result of two oil crisis) which lead to a continually financial crisis of all social security systems in Europe. Even if the shadow economic domestic content of GDP in Austria can be seen as relatively low in comparison to international figures, the steady increase of this sector during the last few years gives rise to concerns. In order to approach the phenomenon of shadow economy and especially illegal activities in the Alpine republic this treatise gives an abstract on the state of affairs as far as theoretical researches on the shadow economy is concerned. In this connection the following influencing factors are seen as important. On the one hand the variety of costs that go with the factor work (direct and indirect taxes, social security contributions and regulating costs) and on the other hand the steadily rising offers of illegal activities as a result of decreasing working hours and increasing unemployment. Moreover this development is supported by the growing sullenness towards state authorities (hypotheses of changing values). The interplay of all these factors ends up in an increasing share value of shadow economic activities in the OECD. The effects of this circumstance are evaluated ambivalently by theory because there are negative effects (growing unemployment, low tax receipts) as well as positive effects (induced costs, better supply of consumer demands). Punitive measures to control these activities are also regarded as ineffective. In order to approach the shadow economy - especially in Austria - this treatise first deals with the different methods to measure shadow economic activities, which are all

  7. SHADOW3: a new version of the synchrotron X-ray optics modelling package

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanchez del Rio, Manuel; Canestrari, Niccolo; Jiang, Fan; Cerrina, Franco

    2011-01-01

    SHADOW3, a new version of the X-ray tracing code SHADOW, is introduced. A new version of the popular X-ray tracing code SHADOW is presented. An important step has been made in restructuring the code following new computer engineering standards, ending with a modular Fortran 2003 structure and an application programming interface (API). The new code has been designed to be compatible with the original file-oriented SHADOW philosophy, but simplifying the compilation, installation and use. In addition, users can now become programmers using the newly designed SHADOW3 API for creating scripts, macros and programs; being able to deal with optical system optimization, image simulation, and also low transmission calculations requiring a large number of rays (>10 6 ). Plans for future development and questions on how to accomplish them are also discussed

  8. Towards multi-resolution global climate modeling with ECHAM6-FESOM. Part II: climate variability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rackow, T.; Goessling, H. F.; Jung, T.; Sidorenko, D.; Semmler, T.; Barbi, D.; Handorf, D.

    2018-04-01

    This study forms part II of two papers describing ECHAM6-FESOM, a newly established global climate model with a unique multi-resolution sea ice-ocean component. While part I deals with the model description and the mean climate state, here we examine the internal climate variability of the model under constant present-day (1990) conditions. We (1) assess the internal variations in the model in terms of objective variability performance indices, (2) analyze variations in global mean surface temperature and put them in context to variations in the observed record, with particular emphasis on the recent warming slowdown, (3) analyze and validate the most common atmospheric and oceanic variability patterns, (4) diagnose the potential predictability of various climate indices, and (5) put the multi-resolution approach to the test by comparing two setups that differ only in oceanic resolution in the equatorial belt, where one ocean mesh keeps the coarse 1° resolution applied in the adjacent open-ocean regions and the other mesh is gradually refined to 0.25°. Objective variability performance indices show that, in the considered setups, ECHAM6-FESOM performs overall favourably compared to five well-established climate models. Internal variations of the global mean surface temperature in the model are consistent with observed fluctuations and suggest that the recent warming slowdown can be explained as a once-in-one-hundred-years event caused by internal climate variability; periods of strong cooling in the model (`hiatus' analogs) are mainly associated with ENSO-related variability and to a lesser degree also to PDO shifts, with the AMO playing a minor role. Common atmospheric and oceanic variability patterns are simulated largely consistent with their real counterparts. Typical deficits also found in other models at similar resolutions remain, in particular too weak non-seasonal variability of SSTs over large parts of the ocean and episodic periods of almost absent

  9. The interrupted power law and the size of shadow banking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fiaschi, Davide; Kondor, Imre; Marsili, Matteo; Volpati, Valerio

    2014-01-01

    Using public data (Forbes Global 2000) we show that the asset sizes for the largest global firms follow a Pareto distribution in an intermediate range, that is "interrupted" by a sharp cut-off in its upper tail, where it is totally dominated by financial firms. This flattening of the distribution contrasts with a large body of empirical literature which finds a Pareto distribution for firm sizes both across countries and over time. Pareto distributions are generally traced back to a mechanism of proportional random growth, based on a regime of constant returns to scale. This makes our findings of an "interrupted" Pareto distribution all the more puzzling, because we provide evidence that financial firms in our sample should operate in such a regime. We claim that the missing mass from the upper tail of the asset size distribution is a consequence of shadow banking activity and that it provides an (upper) estimate of the size of the shadow banking system. This estimate-which we propose as a shadow banking index-compares well with estimates of the Financial Stability Board until 2009, but it shows a sharper rise in shadow banking activity after 2010. Finally, we propose a proportional random growth model that reproduces the observed distribution, thereby providing a quantitative estimate of the intensity of shadow banking activity.

  10. High resolution color raster computer animation of space filling molecular models

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Max, N.L.

    1981-01-01

    The ATOMLLL system efficiently produces realistic photographs of ball-and-stick or space-filling molecular models, with color shading, highlights, shadows, and transparency. The hidden surface problem for a scene composed of intersecting spheres and cylinders is solved on a CDC-7600, which outputs onto magnetic tape the outlines of the visible parts of each object. The outlines are then rendered, at up to 4096 x 4096 resolution, by a Dicomed D-48 color film recorder, controlled by a Varian V-75 minicomputer. The Varian computes the shading and highlights for each pixel in a fast microcoded loop. Recent modifications to give shadows and transparency are described.

  11. High resolution color raster computer animation of space filling molecular models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Max, N.L.

    1981-01-01

    The ATOMLLL system efficiently produces realistic photographs of ball-and-stick or space-filling molecular models, with color shading, highlights, shadows, and transparency. The hidden surface problem for a scene composed of intersecting spheres and cylinders is solved on a CDC-7600, which outputs onto magnetic tape the outlines of the visible parts of each object. The outlines are then rendered, at up to 4096 x 4096 resolution, by a Dicomed D-48 color film recorder, controlled by a Varian V-75 minicomputer. The Varian computes the shading and highlights for each pixel in a fast microcoded loop. Recent modifications to give shadows and transparency are described

  12. Water Extraction in High Resolution Remote Sensing Image Based on Hierarchical Spectrum and Shape Features

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Bangyu; Zhang, Hui; Xu, Fanjiang

    2014-01-01

    This paper addresses the problem of water extraction from high resolution remote sensing images (including R, G, B, and NIR channels), which draws considerable attention in recent years. Previous work on water extraction mainly faced two difficulties. 1) It is difficult to obtain accurate position of water boundary because of using low resolution images. 2) Like all other image based object classification problems, the phenomena of ''different objects same image'' or ''different images same object'' affects the water extraction. Shadow of elevated objects (e.g. buildings, bridges, towers and trees) scattered in the remote sensing image is a typical noise objects for water extraction. In many cases, it is difficult to discriminate between water and shadow in a remote sensing image, especially in the urban region. We propose a water extraction method with two hierarchies: the statistical feature of spectral characteristic based on image segmentation and the shape feature based on shadow removing. In the first hierarchy, the Statistical Region Merging (SRM) algorithm is adopted for image segmentation. The SRM includes two key steps: one is sorting adjacent regions according to a pre-ascertained sort function, and the other one is merging adjacent regions based on a pre-ascertained merging predicate. The sort step is done one time during the whole processing without considering changes caused by merging which may cause imprecise results. Therefore, we modify the SRM with dynamic sort processing, which conducts sorting step repetitively when there is large adjacent region changes after doing merging. To achieve robust segmentation, we apply the merging region with six features (four remote sensing image bands, Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), and Normalized Saturation-value Difference Index (NSVDI)). All these features contribute to segment image into region of object. NDWI and NSVDI are discriminate between water and

  13. FACET, Radiation View Factor with Shadowing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shapiro, A.B.

    1988-01-01

    1 - Description of program or function: FACET calculates the radiation geometric view factor (alternatively called shape factor, angle factor, or configuration factor) between surfaces for axisymmetric, two-dimensional planar and three-dimensional geometries with interposed third surface obstructions. FACET was developed to calculate view factors as input data to finite element heat transfer analysis codes. 2 - Method of solution: Three algorithms are incorporated to integrate the view factor equation for three dimensional geometries. The algorithm used for any two surfaces depends on their geometric relationship and whether third surface obstructions exist. The three algorithms are the area integration (AI) method, the line integration method (LI), and the Mitalas and Stephenson (MS) method. The LI method is used to calculate the view factor between two disjoint surfaces. If the two surfaces have an adjoint edge, the MS method is used. The AI method is used if there is self or third surface shadowing. In two-dimensional planar geometries, the view factor between two surfaces is calculated using Hottel's cross string method. For axisymmetric geometries in the absence of shadowing, the view factor between two surfaces is calculated by view factor algebra using the view factors between parallel coaxial discs. In the presence of self or third surface shadowing, the geometry is represented in three dimensions before calculating the view factors

  14. A VIRTUAL GLOBE-BASED MULTI-RESOLUTION TIN SURFACE MODELING AND VISUALIZETION METHOD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    X. Zheng

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The integration and visualization of geospatial data on a virtual globe play an significant role in understanding and analysis of the Earth surface processes. However, the current virtual globes always sacrifice the accuracy to ensure the efficiency for global data processing and visualization, which devalue their functionality for scientific applications. In this article, we propose a high-accuracy multi-resolution TIN pyramid construction and visualization method for virtual globe. Firstly, we introduce the cartographic principles to formulize the level of detail (LOD generation so that the TIN model in each layer is controlled with a data quality standard. A maximum z-tolerance algorithm is then used to iteratively construct the multi-resolution TIN pyramid. Moreover, the extracted landscape features are incorporated into each-layer TIN, thus preserving the topological structure of terrain surface at different levels. In the proposed framework, a virtual node (VN-based approach is developed to seamlessly partition and discretize each triangulation layer into tiles, which can be organized and stored with a global quad-tree index. Finally, the real time out-of-core spherical terrain rendering is realized on a virtual globe system VirtualWorld1.0. The experimental results showed that the proposed method can achieve an high-fidelity terrain representation, while produce a high quality underlying data that satisfies the demand for scientific analysis.

  15. Shadow Economy in the Context of Economic Crisis: Circumstance Analysis and the Forecasting of Consequences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexey Sergeyevich Naidenov

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available The article is devoted to the problem of estimating dynamic of shadow economy in the context of socio-economic crisis negative influence. Factors and threats supporting the increase of shadow economy during the economic crisis were studied. Current situation in the Ural Federal District with regard to shadow economic activity for the period from 2006 to 2012 was represented. The results of forecasting shadow activity were given in the article on the example of Ural Federal District regions. Data obtained was used for developing target program activities, aimed at minimization of negative influence of shadow economy during the economic crisis. Special attention was given to the problem of improving the effectiveness of international cooperation concerning counteraction of shadow economic activity

  16. SHADOW3: a new version of the synchrotron X-ray optics modelling package

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sanchez del Rio, Manuel, E-mail: srio@esrf.eu [European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 6 Jules Horowitz, 38000 Grenoble (France); Canestrari, Niccolo [CNRS, Grenoble (France); European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 6 Jules Horowitz, 38000 Grenoble (France); Jiang, Fan; Cerrina, Franco [Boston University, 8 St Mary’s Street, Boston, MA 02215 (United States)

    2011-09-01

    SHADOW3, a new version of the X-ray tracing code SHADOW, is introduced. A new version of the popular X-ray tracing code SHADOW is presented. An important step has been made in restructuring the code following new computer engineering standards, ending with a modular Fortran 2003 structure and an application programming interface (API). The new code has been designed to be compatible with the original file-oriented SHADOW philosophy, but simplifying the compilation, installation and use. In addition, users can now become programmers using the newly designed SHADOW3 API for creating scripts, macros and programs; being able to deal with optical system optimization, image simulation, and also low transmission calculations requiring a large number of rays (>10{sup 6}). Plans for future development and questions on how to accomplish them are also discussed.

  17. Detection of pulmonary nodules on lung X-ray images. Studies on multi-resolutional filter and energy subtraction images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sawada, Akira; Sato, Yoshinobu; Kido, Shoji; Tamura, Shinichi

    1999-01-01

    The purpose of this work is to prove the effectiveness of an energy subtraction image for the detection of pulmonary nodules and the effectiveness of multi-resolutional filter on an energy subtraction image to detect pulmonary nodules. Also we study influential factors to the accuracy of detection of pulmonary nodules from viewpoints of types of images, types of digital filters and types of evaluation methods. As one type of images, we select an energy subtraction image, which removes bones such as ribs from the conventional X-ray image by utilizing the difference of X-ray absorption ratios at different energy between bones and soft tissue. Ribs and vessels are major causes of CAD errors in detection of pulmonary nodules and many researches have tried to solve this problem. So we select conventional X-ray images and energy subtraction X-ray images as types of images, and at the same time select ∇ 2 G (Laplacian of Guassian) filter, Min-DD (Minimum Directional Difference) filter and our multi-resolutional filter as types of digital filters. Also we select two evaluation methods and prove the effectiveness of an energy subtraction image, the effectiveness of Min-DD filter on a conventional X-ray image and the effectiveness of multi-resolutional filter on an energy subtraction image. (author)

  18. Image research on acetabular teardrop shadow by X-ray plain-film and CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Xiaoxuan; Zhai Yuejie; Yu Hongguang; Yang Yijun; Zhang Daiwei; Chen Aili; Song Quanjun

    2001-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the anatomical structure of bone in the formation of acetabular teardrop shadow. Methods: The acetabular teardrop shadow of the X-ray plain-film in 100 children and 300 adults, and of CT in 43 cases were analysed, measured and compared. Results: In children, teardrop shadow appeared 'U' in 80.00%, 14.00% in teardrop, 6.00% in line. In adult teardrop shadow appeared 'U' in 41.33%, 53.33% in teardrop, 5.34% in line. There were significant differences between children and adult in the frequency of 'U' and teardrop (x 2 = 43.34, P 2 = 45.62, P < 0.01). In children, inpeduncle of teardrop shadow was formed of middle 1/3 substantia-line of acetabular concavity inside of pelvis; outpeduncle was formed of middle 1/3 substantia-line of bottom of acetabular. In adult, inpeduncle was formed of middle 1/3 or back 1/3 substantia line of acetabular concavity inside of pelvis; outpeduncle was formed of middle 1/3 or back 1/3 substantia-line of bottom of acetabular. Conclusion: In children, acetabular teardrop shadow was mainly formed of middle 1/3 bone of acetabular concavity. In adult, middle 1/3 or back 1/3 bone of acetabular concavity contribute to the shadow. The ahead 1/3 bone of acetabular concavity is not involved

  19. Three-Dimensional Reconstruction Optical System Using Shadows Triangulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barba, J. Leiner; Vargas, Q. Lorena; Torres, M. Cesar; Mattos, V. Lorenzo

    2008-04-01

    In this work is developed a three-dimensional reconstruction system using the Shades3D tool of the Matlab® Programming Language and materials of low cost, such as webcam camera, a stick, a weak structured lighting system composed by a desk lamp, and observation plane in which the object is located. The reconstruction is obtained through a triangulation process that is executed after acquiring a sequence of images of the scene with a shadow projected on the object; additionally an image filtering process is done for obtaining only the part of the scene that will be reconstructed. Previously, it is necessary to develop a calibration process for determining the internal camera geometric and optical characteristics (intrinsic parameters), and the 3D position and orientation of the camera frame relative to a certain world coordinate system (extrinsic parameters). The lamp and the stick are used to produce a shadow which scans the object; in this technique, it is not necessary to know the position of the light source, instead the triangulation is obtained using shadow plane produced by intersection between the stick and the illumination pattern. The webcam camera captures all images with the shadow scanning the object, and Shades3D tool processes all information taking into account captured images and calibration parameters. Likewise, this technique is evaluated in the reconstruction of parts of the human body and its application in the detection of external abnormalities and elaboration of prosthesis or implant.

  20. Mom's shadow: structure-from-motion in newly hatched chicks as revealed by an imprinting procedure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mascalzoni, Elena; Regolin, Lucia; Vallortigara, Giorgio

    2009-03-01

    The ability to recognize three-dimensional objects from two-dimensional (2-D) displays was investigated in domestic chicks, focusing on the role of the object's motion. In Experiment 1 newly hatched chicks, imprinted on a three-dimensional (3-D) object, were allowed to choose between the shadows of the familiar object and of an object never seen before. In Experiments 2 and 3 random-dot displays were used to produce the perception of a solid shape only when set in motion. Overall, the results showed that domestic chicks were able to recognize familiar shapes from 2-D motion stimuli. It is likely that similar general mechanisms underlying the perception of structure-from-motion and the extraction of 3-D information are shared by humans and animals. The present data shows that they occur similarly in birds as known for mammals, two separate vertebrate classes; this possibly indicates a common phylogenetic origin of these processes.

  1. Basic examination of in-plane spatial resolution in multi-slice CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hara, Takanori; Kato, Hideki; Akiyama, Mitsutoshi; Murata, Katsutoshi

    2002-01-01

    In computed tomography (single-slice spiral CT, conventional CT), in-plane (x-y plane) spatial resolution is consistently identified as depending on the detector density of the in-plane (x-y plane). However, we considered that the in-plane (x-y plane) spatial resolution of multi-slice CT (MSCT) was influenced by an error in the detector's sensitivity to the Z-axis and by the frequency of use of direct row data and complementary row data when the image of spiral pitches (SP) was reconstructed. Our goal in this experiment was to analyze the relationship of the in-plane (x-y plane) spatial resolution of an asymmetric-type detector in MSCT to SP, tube current, and rotation time. By employing a tungsten wire phantom of 0.2 mm in diameter, we examined modulation transfer functions (MTF) by point-spread functions (PSF) of CT-images. Next, using the mean-square-root bandwidth theory, we analyzed the MTF of wire phantoms. The analysis of in-plane (x-y plane) spatial resolution revealed that various tube currents had no effect on the value of the mean-square-root bandwidth. However, rotation time and high spiral pitch did have an effect on mean-square-root bandwidth. Considering the results mentioned above, spiral pitch (z-axis reconstruction algorithm) had a slight effect on in-plane (x-y plane) spatial resolution of asymmetric-type detectors in MSCT. Accordingly, we proposed a new general view of VDDz (view/mm) in MSCT that considered view data density on the Z-axis according to spiral pitch (mm/rotation), rotation time (view/rotation), and slice collimation. (author)

  2. A circuit-based photovoltaic module simulator with shadow and fault settings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chao, Kuei-Hsiang; Chao, Yuan-Wei; Chen, Jyun-Ping

    2016-03-01

    The main purpose of this study was to develop a photovoltaic (PV) module simulator. The proposed simulator, using electrical parameters from solar cells, could simulate output characteristics not only during normal operational conditions, but also during conditions of partial shadow and fault conditions. Such a simulator should possess the advantages of low cost, small size and being easily realizable. Experiments have shown that results from a proposed PV simulator of this kind are very close to that from simulation software during partial shadow conditions, and with negligible differences during fault occurrence. Meanwhile, the PV module simulator, as developed, could be used on various types of series-parallel connections to form PV arrays, to conduct experiments on partial shadow and fault events occurring in some of the modules. Such experiments are designed to explore the impact of shadow and fault conditions on the output characteristics of the system as a whole.

  3. Shadowing: Who Benefits and How? Uncovering a Booming EFL Teaching Technique for Listening Comprehension

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamada, Yo

    2016-01-01

    This study examines common claims associated with shadowing. Studies in Japan conclude that shadowing is effective for improving learners' listening skills. Two common claims are that shadowing is effective for lower-proficiency learners and that it enhances learners' phoneme perception, thus improving listening comprehension skills. The former…

  4. Shadow Formation at Preschool from a Socio-materiality Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Impedovo, Maria Antonietta; Delserieys-Pedregosa, Alice; Jégou, Corinne; Ravanis, Konstantinos

    2017-06-01

    The paper is set in socio-material farming to offer a way of conceptualising actions and interactions of children in preschool involved in the understanding of scientific concepts. A model of early science education about the physical phenomena of shadow formation is implemented in group work in a French context. The research involved 44 children (13 females and 31 males) of 5-6 years old. The research design was organised in three video recording steps: pre-test, teaching session and post-test. We focus on the analysis of nine teaching sessions to investigate children's `understanding' of shadow formation. A descriptive and qualitative approach was used. In particular, we have identified three main categories (the interaction of the children with the tools, the embodiment and verbal dimension)—with respective indicators—to perform the analysis. From the results, all the categories explored seem to influence each other: all material, human and social dimensions contribute to the children's understanding of shadow formation. Also we have identified some elements that can serve as a potential source of improvement of the teaching session on shadow formation. Finally, the research provides insights on how to improve science activities in preschool with the aim of supporting early understanding of physical phenomena.

  5. Mapping the ultrasonic defect shadow in a pitch-catch mode

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Licht, H.; Hallet, J.B.

    1981-06-01

    In ultrasonic testing of metallic structures, the sound reflected from a discontinuity is usually used to determine its location and size. Here is described a technique for locating and sizing a discontinuity by mapping the shadow(s) it casts. A brief description of the technique is given. Results obtained from artificial notches and fatigue cracks are outlined and discussed

  6. Shadow corrosion evaluation in the Studsvik R2 reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanders, Ch.; Lysell, G.

    2000-01-01

    Post-irradiation examination has shown that increased corrosion occurs when zirconium alloys are in contact with or in proximity to other metallic objects. The observations indicate an influence of irradiation from the adjacent component as the enhanced corrosion occurs as a 'shadow' of the metallic object on the zirconium surface. This phenomenon could ultimately limit the lifetime of certain zirconium alloy components in the reactor. The Studsvik R2 materials test reactor has an In-Core Autoclave (INCA) test facility especially designed for water chemistry and materials research. The INCA facility has been evaluated and found suitable for shadow corrosion studies. The R2 reactor core containing the INCA facility was modeled with the Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) code in order to evaluate the electron deposition in various materials and to develop a hypothesis of the shadow corrosion mechanism. (authors)

  7. Gaining Control of Iraq's Shadow Economy

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Ramirez, David S

    2007-01-01

    .... The shadow economy is also used extensively by the poor and women for subsistence living. The combined effect for Iraqi citizens is they have to survive in a country without adequate institutions and poor governance...

  8. Ghost-tree: creating hybrid-gene phylogenetic trees for diversity analyses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fouquier, Jennifer; Rideout, Jai Ram; Bolyen, Evan; Chase, John; Shiffer, Arron; McDonald, Daniel; Knight, Rob; Caporaso, J Gregory; Kelley, Scott T

    2016-02-24

    methods for larger effect sizes. The Silva/UNITE-based ghost tree presented here can be easily integrated into existing fungal analysis pipelines to enhance the resolution of fungal community differences and improve understanding of these communities in built environments. The ghost-tree software package can also be used to develop phylogenetic trees for other marker gene sets that afford different taxonomic resolution, or for bridging genome trees with amplicon trees. ghost-tree is pip-installable. All source code, documentation, and test code are available under the BSD license at https://github.com/JTFouquier/ghost-tree .

  9. Shadows on the wall

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Swift, Diana.

    1984-01-01

    Canadian antinuclear groups, because of their shifting stances and fluid overlapping membership, are compared with shadows on a wall. They can be roughly classified as environmental, pacifist, concerned with energy, religious, or dedicated to nuclear responsibility. The author considers that such groups, despite their arguably unrealistic attitudes, have raised public awareness of the ethical, practical and financial aspects of power development in Canada and the world

  10. Shadow analysis via the C+K Visioline: A technical note.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Houser, T; Zerweck, C; Grove, G; Wickett, R

    2017-11-01

    This research investigated the ability of shadow analysis (via the Courage + Khazaka Visioline and Image Pro Premiere 9.0 software) to accurately assess the differences in skin topography associated with photo aging. Analyses were performed on impressions collected from a microfinish comparator scale (GAR Electroforming) as well a series of impressions collected from the crow's feet region of 9 women who represent each point on the Zerweck Crow's Feet classification scale. Analyses were performed using a Courage + Khazaka Visioline VL 650 as well as Image Pro Premiere 9.0 software. Shadow analysis showed an ability to accurately measure the groove depth when measuring impressions collected from grooves of known depth. Several shadow analysis parameters showed a correlation with the expert grader ratings of crow's feet when averaging measurements taken from the North and South directions. The Max Depth parameter in particular showed a strong correlation with the expert grader's ratings which improved when a more sophisticated analysis was performed using Image Pro Premiere. When used properly, shadow analysis is effective at accurately measuring skin surface impressions for differences in skin topography. Shadow analysis is shown to accurately assess the differences across a range of crow's feet severity correlating to a 0-8 grader scale. The Visioline VL 650 is a good tool for this measurement, with room for improvement in analysis which can be achieved through third party image analysis software. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  11. Solving the problem of imaging resolution: stochastic multi-scale image fusion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karsanina, Marina; Mallants, Dirk; Gilyazetdinova, Dina; Gerke, Kiril

    2016-04-01

    Structural features of porous materials define the majority of its physical properties, including water infiltration and redistribution, multi-phase flow (e.g. simultaneous water/air flow, gas exchange between biologically active soil root zone and atmosphere, etc.) and solute transport. To characterize soil and rock microstructure X-ray microtomography is extremely useful. However, as any other imaging technique, this one also has a significant drawback - a trade-off between sample size and resolution. The latter is a significant problem for multi-scale complex structures, especially such as soils and carbonates. Other imaging techniques, for example, SEM/FIB-SEM or X-ray macrotomography can be helpful in obtaining higher resolution or wider field of view. The ultimate goal is to create a single dataset containing information from all scales or to characterize such multi-scale structure. In this contribution we demonstrate a general solution for merging multiscale categorical spatial data into a single dataset using stochastic reconstructions with rescaled correlation functions. The versatility of the method is demonstrated by merging three images representing macro, micro and nanoscale spatial information on porous media structure. Images obtained by X-ray microtomography and scanning electron microscopy were fused into a single image with predefined resolution. The methodology is sufficiently generic for implementation of other stochastic reconstruction techniques, any number of scales, any number of material phases, and any number of images for a given scale. The methodology can be further used to assess effective properties of fused porous media images or to compress voluminous spatial datasets for efficient data storage. Potential practical applications of this method are abundant in soil science, hydrology and petroleum engineering, as well as other geosciences. This work was partially supported by RSF grant 14-17-00658 (X-ray microtomography study of shale

  12. Wave Height Estimation from Shadowing Based on the Acquired X-Band Marine Radar Images in Coastal Area

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yanbo Wei

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, the retrieving significant wave height from X-band marine radar images based on shadow statistics is investigated, since the retrieving accuracy can not be seriously affected by environmental factors and the method has the advantage of without any external reference to calibrate. However, the accuracy of the significant wave height estimated from the radar image acquired at the near-shore area is not ideal. To solve this problem, the effect of water depth is considered in the theoretical derivation of estimated wave height based on the sea surface slope. And then, an improved retrieving algorithm which is suitable for both in deep water area and shallow water area is developed. In addition, the radar data are sparsely processed in advance in order to achieve high quality edge image for the requirement of shadow statistic algorithm, since the high resolution radar images will lead to angle-blurred for the image edge detection and time-consuming in the estimation of sea surface slope. The data acquired from Pingtan Test Base in Fujian Province were used to verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. The experimental results demonstrate that the improved method which takes into account the water depth is more efficient and effective and has better performance for retrieving significant wave height in the shallow water area, compared to the in situ buoy data as the ground truth and that of the existing shadow statistic method.

  13. Detection and Removal of Chromatic Moving Shadows in Surveillance Scenarios

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Casado, Ivan Huerta; Holte, Michael Boelstoft; Moeslund, Thomas B.

    2009-01-01

    . Consequently, umbra shadows are usually detected as part of moving objects. In this paper we present a novel technique based on gradient and colour models for separating chromatic moving cast shadows from detected moving objects. Firstly, both a chromatic invariant colour cone model and an invariant gradient...

  14. Classification and Compression of Multi-Resolution Vectors: A Tree Structured Vector Quantizer Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    2002-01-01

    their expression profile and for classification of cells into tumerous and non- tumerous classes. Then we will present a parallel tree method for... cancerous cells. We will use the same dataset and use tree structured classifiers with multi-resolution analysis for classifying cancerous from non- cancerous ...cells. We have the expressions of 4096 genes from 98 different cell types. Of these 98, 72 are cancerous while 26 are non- cancerous . We are interested

  15. Reduction of implantation shadowing effect by dual-wavelength exposure photo process

    CERN Document Server

    Gu, Yiming; Lee Sang Yun; Roche, William; Sturtevant, John

    2003-01-01

    As transistor engineering continues to well below 100 nm length devices, ion implantation process tolerances are making these formerly "non-critical" lithography levels more and more difficult. In order to minimize the channeling effect and to obtain a controllable profile of dopant, an angle implantation is often required. However, a shadow area of resist pattern is always accompanied with an angle implantation. This shadowing effect consumes silicon real estate, and reduces the line edge placement (LEP) tolerances. Therefore, methodologies to reduce the shadowing effect in angled implantation become a critical consideration not only for device engineering but also for photolithography. Based on the model analysis, simulation and experiments, this paper presents an effective novel process utilizing dual-wavelength exposure (DWE) to reduce the shadowing effect. The DWE process is realized by two consecutive exposures for an I-line resist with a DUV stepper/scanner and an I-line stepper. The process leverages ...

  16. A historical note on illusory contours in shadow writing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vezzani, Stefano; Marino, Barbara F M

    2009-01-01

    It is widely accepted that illusory contours have been first displayed and discussed by Schumann (1900, Zeitschrift für Psychologie und Physiologie der Sinnesorgane 23 1-32). Here we show that, before him, Jastrow (1899, Popular Science Monthly 54 299-312) produced illusory contours consisting of a shadow word. A brief history of shadow writing in psychological literature from Jastrow to Brunswik is presented, in which the contributions of Pillsbury, Warren, Koffka, and Benussi are examined.

  17. Cloud detection method for Chinese moderate high resolution satellite imagery (Conference Presentation)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhong, Bo; Chen, Wuhan; Wu, Shanlong; Liu, Qinhuo

    2016-10-01

    Cloud detection of satellite imagery is very important for quantitative remote sensing research and remote sensing applications. However, many satellite sensors don't have enough bands for a quick, accurate, and simple detection of clouds. Particularly, the newly launched moderate to high spatial resolution satellite sensors of China, such as the charge-coupled device on-board the Chinese Huan Jing 1 (HJ-1/CCD) and the wide field of view (WFV) sensor on-board the Gao Fen 1 (GF-1), only have four available bands including blue, green, red, and near infrared bands, which are far from the requirements of most could detection methods. In order to solve this problem, an improved and automated cloud detection method for Chinese satellite sensors called OCM (Object oriented Cloud and cloud-shadow Matching method) is presented in this paper. It firstly modified the Automatic Cloud Cover Assessment (ACCA) method, which was developed for Landsat-7 data, to get an initial cloud map. The modified ACCA method is mainly based on threshold and different threshold setting produces different cloud map. Subsequently, a strict threshold is used to produce a cloud map with high confidence and large amount of cloud omission and a loose threshold is used to produce a cloud map with low confidence and large amount of commission. Secondly, a corresponding cloud-shadow map is also produced using the threshold of near-infrared band. Thirdly, the cloud maps and cloud-shadow map are transferred to cloud objects and cloud-shadow objects. Cloud and cloud-shadow are usually in pairs; consequently, the final cloud and cloud-shadow maps are made based on the relationship between cloud and cloud-shadow objects. OCM method was tested using almost 200 HJ-1/CCD images across China and the overall accuracy of cloud detection is close to 90%.

  18. Labor Market Institutions and Their Impact on Shadow Economies in Europe

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Fialová, Kamila; Schneider, O.

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 5, č. 1 (2014), s. 1-40 ISSN 2038-1379 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA14-15008S Institutional support: RVO:68378025 Keywords : labour market institutions * shadow economy * shadow employment Subject RIV: AH - Economics http://www.rei.unipg.it/rei/article/view/146/137

  19. Hierarchical graphical-based human pose estimation via local multi-resolution convolutional neural network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Aichun; Wang, Tian; Snoussi, Hichem

    2018-03-01

    This paper addresses the problems of the graphical-based human pose estimation in still images, including the diversity of appearances and confounding background clutter. We present a new architecture for estimating human pose using a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). Firstly, a Relative Mixture Deformable Model (RMDM) is defined by each pair of connected parts to compute the relative spatial information in the graphical model. Secondly, a Local Multi-Resolution Convolutional Neural Network (LMR-CNN) is proposed to train and learn the multi-scale representation of each body parts by combining different levels of part context. Thirdly, a LMR-CNN based hierarchical model is defined to explore the context information of limb parts. Finally, the experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed deep learning approach for human pose estimation.

  20. Hierarchical graphical-based human pose estimation via local multi-resolution convolutional neural network

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aichun Zhu

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper addresses the problems of the graphical-based human pose estimation in still images, including the diversity of appearances and confounding background clutter. We present a new architecture for estimating human pose using a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN. Firstly, a Relative Mixture Deformable Model (RMDM is defined by each pair of connected parts to compute the relative spatial information in the graphical model. Secondly, a Local Multi-Resolution Convolutional Neural Network (LMR-CNN is proposed to train and learn the multi-scale representation of each body parts by combining different levels of part context. Thirdly, a LMR-CNN based hierarchical model is defined to explore the context information of limb parts. Finally, the experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed deep learning approach for human pose estimation.

  1. Phylogenetic comparative methods on phylogenetic networks with reticulations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bastide, Paul; Solís-Lemus, Claudia; Kriebel, Ricardo; Sparks, K William; Ané, Cécile

    2018-04-25

    The goal of Phylogenetic Comparative Methods (PCMs) is to study the distribution of quantitative traits among related species. The observed traits are often seen as the result of a Brownian Motion (BM) along the branches of a phylogenetic tree. Reticulation events such as hybridization, gene flow or horizontal gene transfer, can substantially affect a species' traits, but are not modeled by a tree. Phylogenetic networks have been designed to represent reticulate evolution. As they become available for downstream analyses, new models of trait evolution are needed, applicable to networks. One natural extension of the BM is to use a weighted average model for the trait of a hybrid, at a reticulation point. We develop here an efficient recursive algorithm to compute the phylogenetic variance matrix of a trait on a network, in only one preorder traversal of the network. We then extend the standard PCM tools to this new framework, including phylogenetic regression with covariates (or phylogenetic ANOVA), ancestral trait reconstruction, and Pagel's λ test of phylogenetic signal. The trait of a hybrid is sometimes outside of the range of its two parents, for instance because of hybrid vigor or hybrid depression. These two phenomena are rather commonly observed in present-day hybrids. Transgressive evolution can be modeled as a shift in the trait value following a reticulation point. We develop a general framework to handle such shifts, and take advantage of the phylogenetic regression view of the problem to design statistical tests for ancestral transgressive evolution in the evolutionary history of a group of species. We study the power of these tests in several scenarios, and show that recent events have indeed the strongest impact on the trait distribution of present-day taxa. We apply those methods to a dataset of Xiphophorus fishes, to confirm and complete previous analysis in this group. All the methods developed here are available in the Julia package PhyloNetworks.

  2. The effects of shadow banking on the traditional banking system in Zimbabwe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Virimai Mugobo

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available The growth of shadow banks changed the face of banking in Zimbabwe. Their inconsistent product nature and complexity of form has been a cause for concern to regulatory authorities. The interrelationship between their financial intermediary role and that of formal banks has made them good substitutes to formal banking. This study conducts a statistical analysis of the country’s monetary aggregates and the total formal bank loan-to-deposits balances. The findings of this analysis show that the shadow banking system has always been a critical element of the formal banking sector which resulted from market needs and it completes the banking system. The shadow banking system does not pose direct threat to the formal banking system but it was a result of failure to attract savers who found shadow banks as a good alternative.

  3. Shedding Light on Shadow Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kobakhidze, Magda Nutsa

    2015-01-01

    This essay review examines four different movies that directly or indirectly refer to the theme of private tutoring or, as it is widely called, shadow education. The movies, directed in locations as diverse as India, Turkey, and Cambodia, are all made from a critical perspective. The directors demonstrate challenges in public education systems and…

  4. Phylogenetic turnover during subtropical forest succession across environmental and phylogenetic scales.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Purschke, Oliver; Michalski, Stefan G; Bruelheide, Helge; Durka, Walter

    2017-12-01

    Although spatial and temporal patterns of phylogenetic community structure during succession are inherently interlinked and assembly processes vary with environmental and phylogenetic scales, successional studies of community assembly have yet to integrate spatial and temporal components of community structure, while accounting for scaling issues. To gain insight into the processes that generate biodiversity after disturbance, we combine analyses of spatial and temporal phylogenetic turnover across phylogenetic scales, accounting for covariation with environmental differences. We compared phylogenetic turnover, at the species- and individual-level, within and between five successional stages, representing woody plant communities in a subtropical forest chronosequence. We decomposed turnover at different phylogenetic depths and assessed its covariation with between-plot abiotic differences. Phylogenetic turnover between stages was low relative to species turnover and was not explained by abiotic differences. However, within the late-successional stages, there was high presence-/absence-based turnover (clustering) that occurred deep in the phylogeny and covaried with environmental differentiation. Our results support a deterministic model of community assembly where (i) phylogenetic composition is constrained through successional time, but (ii) toward late succession, species sorting into preferred habitats according to niche traits that are conserved deep in phylogeny, becomes increasingly important.

  5. Heliostat blocking and shadowing efficiency in the video-game era

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramos, Alberto [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Zeuthen (Germany). John von Neumann-Inst. fuer Computing NIC; Ramos, Francisco [Nevada Software Informatica S.L., Madrid (Spain)

    2014-02-15

    Blocking and shadowing is one of the key effects in designing and evaluating a thermal central receiver solar tower plant. Therefore it is convenient to develop efficient algorithms to compute the area of an heliostat blocked or shadowed by the rest of the field. In this paper we explore the possibility of using very efficient clipping algorithms developed for the video game and imaging industry to compute the blocking and shadowing efficiency of a solar thermal plant layout. We propose an algorithm valid for arbitrary position, orientation and size of the heliostats. This algorithm turns out to be very accurate, free of assumptions and fast. We show the feasibility of the use of this algorithm to the optimization of a solar plant by studying a couple of examples in detail.

  6. On Risk Charges and Shadow Account Options in Pension Funds

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Peter Løchte; Gatzert, Nadine

    2015-01-01

    to equityholders and our paper develops a model in which the influence of risk charges and shadow account options on stakeholders’ value can be quantified and studied. Our numerical results show that the value of shadow account options can be significant and thus come at the risk of expropriating policyholder......This paper studies the economic implications of regulatory systems which allow equityholders of pension companies to not only charge a specific premium to compensate them for their higher risk (compared to policyholders), but also to accumulate these risk charges in a so-called shadow account...... wealth. However, our analysis also shows that this risk can be remedied if proper attention is given to the specific contract design and to the fixing of fair contract parameters at the outset....

  7. Heliostat blocking and shadowing efficiency in the video-game era

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramos, Alberto

    2014-02-01

    Blocking and shadowing is one of the key effects in designing and evaluating a thermal central receiver solar tower plant. Therefore it is convenient to develop efficient algorithms to compute the area of an heliostat blocked or shadowed by the rest of the field. In this paper we explore the possibility of using very efficient clipping algorithms developed for the video game and imaging industry to compute the blocking and shadowing efficiency of a solar thermal plant layout. We propose an algorithm valid for arbitrary position, orientation and size of the heliostats. This algorithm turns out to be very accurate, free of assumptions and fast. We show the feasibility of the use of this algorithm to the optimization of a solar plant by studying a couple of examples in detail.

  8. A cloud shadow detection method combined with cloud height iteration and spectral analysis for Landsat 8 OLI data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Lin; Liu, Xinyan; Yang, Yikun; Chen, TingTing; Wang, Quan; Zhou, Xueying

    2018-04-01

    Although enhanced over prior Landsat instruments, Landsat 8 OLI can obtain very high cloud detection precisions, but for the detection of cloud shadows, it still faces great challenges. Geometry-based cloud shadow detection methods are considered the most effective and are being improved constantly. The Function of Mask (Fmask) cloud shadow detection method is one of the most representative geometry-based methods that has been used for cloud shadow detection with Landsat 8 OLI. However, the Fmask method estimates cloud height employing fixed temperature rates, which are highly uncertain, and errors of large area cloud shadow detection can be caused by errors in estimations of cloud height. This article improves the geometry-based cloud shadow detection method for Landsat OLI from the following two aspects. (1) Cloud height no longer depends on the brightness temperature of the thermal infrared band but uses a possible dynamic range from 200 m to 12,000 m. In this case, cloud shadow is not a specific location but a possible range. Further analysis was carried out in the possible range based on the spectrum to determine cloud shadow location. This effectively avoids the cloud shadow leakage caused by the error in the height determination of a cloud. (2) Object-based and pixel spectral analyses are combined to detect cloud shadows, which can realize cloud shadow detection from two aspects of target scale and pixel scale. Based on the analysis of the spectral differences between the cloud shadow and typical ground objects, the best cloud shadow detection bands of Landsat 8 OLI were determined. The combined use of spectrum and shape can effectively improve the detection precision of cloud shadows produced by thin clouds. Several cloud shadow detection experiments were carried out, and the results were verified by the results of artificial recognition. The results of these experiments indicated that this method can identify cloud shadows in different regions with correct

  9. Double shadow of a regular phantom black hole as photons couple to the Weyl tensor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Huang, Yang; Chen, Songbai; Jing, Jiliang [Hunan Normal University, Institute of Physics and Department of Physics, Changsha, Hunan (China); Hunan Normal University, Key Laboratory of Low Dimensional Quantum Structures and Quantum Control of Ministry of Education, Changsha, Hunan (China); Hunan Normal University, Synergetic Innovation Center for Quantum Effects and Applications, Changsha, Hunan (China)

    2016-11-15

    We have studied the shadow of a regular phantom black hole as photons couple to the Weyl tensor. We find that due to the coupling photons with different polarization directions propagate along different paths in the spacetime so that there exists a double shadow for a black hole, which is quite different from that in the non-coupling case where only a single shadow emerges. The overlap region of the double shadow, the umbra, of the black hole increases with the phantom charge and decreases with the coupling strength. The dependence of the penumbra on the phantom charge and the coupling strength is converse to that of the umbra. Combining with the supermassive central object in our Galaxy, we estimated the shadow of the black hole as the photons couple to the Weyl tensor. Our results show that the coupling brings about richer behaviors of the propagation of coupled photon and the shadow of the black hole in the regular phantom black hole spacetime. (orig.)

  10. Coreference analysis in clinical notes: a multi-pass sieve with alternate anaphora resolution modules.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jonnalagadda, Siddhartha Reddy; Li, Dingcheng; Sohn, Sunghwan; Wu, Stephen Tze-Inn; Wagholikar, Kavishwar; Torii, Manabu; Liu, Hongfang

    2012-01-01

    This paper describes the coreference resolution system submitted by Mayo Clinic for the 2011 i2b2/VA/Cincinnati shared task Track 1C. The goal of the task was to construct a system that links the markables corresponding to the same entity. The task organizers provided progress notes and discharge summaries that were annotated with the markables of treatment, problem, test, person, and pronoun. We used a multi-pass sieve algorithm that applies deterministic rules in the order of preciseness and simultaneously gathers information about the entities in the documents. Our system, MedCoref, also uses a state-of-the-art machine learning framework as an alternative to the final, rule-based pronoun resolution sieve. The best system that uses a multi-pass sieve has an overall score of 0.836 (average of B(3), MUC, Blanc, and CEAF F score) for the training set and 0.843 for the test set. A supervised machine learning system that typically uses a single function to find coreferents cannot accommodate irregularities encountered in data especially given the insufficient number of examples. On the other hand, a completely deterministic system could lead to a decrease in recall (sensitivity) when the rules are not exhaustive. The sieve-based framework allows one to combine reliable machine learning components with rules designed by experts. Using relatively simple rules, part-of-speech information, and semantic type properties, an effective coreference resolution system could be designed. The source code of the system described is available at https://sourceforge.net/projects/ohnlp/files/MedCoref.

  11. Simulating the Agulhas system in global ocean models - nesting vs. multi-resolution unstructured meshes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biastoch, Arne; Sein, Dmitry; Durgadoo, Jonathan V.; Wang, Qiang; Danilov, Sergey

    2018-01-01

    Many questions in ocean and climate modelling require the combined use of high resolution, global coverage and multi-decadal integration length. For this combination, even modern resources limit the use of traditional structured-mesh grids. Here we compare two approaches: A high-resolution grid nested into a global model at coarser resolution (NEMO with AGRIF) and an unstructured-mesh grid (FESOM) which allows to variably enhance resolution where desired. The Agulhas system around South Africa is used as a testcase, providing an energetic interplay of a strong western boundary current and mesoscale dynamics. Its open setting into the horizontal and global overturning circulations also requires global coverage. Both model configurations simulate a reasonable large-scale circulation. Distribution and temporal variability of the wind-driven circulation are quite comparable due to the same atmospheric forcing. However, the overturning circulation differs, owing each model's ability to represent formation and spreading of deep water masses. In terms of regional, high-resolution dynamics, all elements of the Agulhas system are well represented. Owing to the strong nonlinearity in the system, Agulhas Current transports of both configurations and in comparison with observations differ in strength and temporal variability. Similar decadal trends in Agulhas Current transport and Agulhas leakage are linked to the trends in wind forcing.

  12. A Multi-stage Method to Extract Road from High Resolution Satellite Image

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhijian, Huang; Zhang, Jinfang; Xu, Fanjiang

    2014-01-01

    Extracting road information from high-resolution satellite images is complex and hardly achieves by exploiting only one or two modules. This paper presents a multi-stage method, consisting of automatic information extraction and semi-automatic post-processing. The Multi-scale Enhancement algorithm enlarges the contrast of human-made structures with the background. The Statistical Region Merging segments images into regions, whose skeletons are extracted and pruned according to geometry shape information. Setting the start and the end skeleton points, the shortest skeleton path is constructed as a road centre line. The Bidirectional Adaptive Smoothing technique smoothens the road centre line and adjusts it to right position. With the smoothed line and its average width, a Buffer algorithm reconstructs the road region easily. Seen from the last results, the proposed method eliminates redundant non-road regions, repairs incomplete occlusions, jumps over complete occlusions, and reserves accurate road centre lines and neat road regions. During the whole process, only a few interactions are needed

  13. Identifying Spatial Units of Human Occupation in the Brazilian Amazon Using Landsat and CBERS Multi-Resolution Imagery

    OpenAIRE

    Dal’Asta, Ana Paula; Brigatti, Newton; Amaral, Silvana; Escada, Maria Isabel Sobral; Monteiro, Antonio Miguel Vieira

    2012-01-01

    Every spatial unit of human occupation is part of a network structuring an extensive process of urbanization in the Amazon territory. Multi-resolution remote sensing data were used to identify and map human presence and activities in the Sustainable Forest District of Cuiabá-Santarém highway (BR-163), west of Pará, Brazil. The limits of spatial units of human occupation were mapped based on digital classification of Landsat-TM5 (Thematic Mapper 5) image (30m spatial resolution). High-spatial-...

  14. The little book of light and shadow

    CERN Document Server

    Thornton, Linda

    2013-01-01

    Encourage your Early Learners to becom investigators by exploring the concept of light and shadow. These simple and effective activities can be carried out independently with the focus on natural resources.

  15. Suitability of an MRMCE (multi-resolution minimum cross entropy) algorithm for online monitoring of a two-phase flow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Qi; Wang, Huaxiang; Xin, Shan

    2011-01-01

    The flow regimes are important characteristics to describe two-phase flows, and measurement of two-phase flow parameters is becoming increasingly important in many industrial processes. Computerized tomography (CT) has been applied to two-phase/multi-phase flow measurement in recent years. Image reconstruction of CT often involves repeatedly solving large-dimensional matrix equations, which are computationally expensive, especially for the case of online flow regime identification. In this paper, minimum cross entropy reconstruction based on multi-resolution processing (MRMCE) is presented for oil–gas two-phase flow regime identification. A regularized MCE solution is obtained using the simultaneous multiplicative algebraic reconstruction technique (SMART) at a coarse resolution level, where important information on the reconstructed image is contained. Then, the solution in the finest resolution is obtained by inverse fast wavelet transformation. Both computer simulation and static/dynamic experiments were carried out for typical flow regimes. Results obtained indicate that the proposed method can dramatically reduce the computational time and improve the quality of the reconstructed image with suitable decomposition levels compared with the single-resolution maximum likelihood expectation maximization (MLEM), alternating minimization (AM), Landweber, iterative least square technique (ILST) and minimum cross entropy (MCE) methods. Therefore, the MRMCE method is suitable for identification of dynamic two-phase flow regimes

  16. Fall speed measurement and high-resolution multi-angle photography of hydrometeors in free fall

    OpenAIRE

    T. J. Garrett; C. Fallgatter; K. Shkurko; D. Howlett

    2012-01-01

    We describe here a new instrument for imaging hydrometeors in free fall. The Multi-Angle Snowflake Camera (MASC) captures high-resolution photographs of hydrometeors from three angles while simultaneously measuring their fall speed. Based on the stereoscopic photographs captured over the two months of continuous measurements obtained at a high altitude location within the Wasatch Front in Utah, we derive statistics for fall speed, hydrometeor size, shape, orientation and asp...

  17. TreeCluster: Massively scalable transmission clustering using phylogenetic trees

    OpenAIRE

    Moshiri, Alexander

    2018-01-01

    Background: The ability to infer transmission clusters from molecular data is critical to designing and evaluating viral control strategies. Viral sequencing datasets are growing rapidly, but standard methods of transmission cluster inference do not scale well beyond thousands of sequences. Results: I present TreeCluster, a cross-platform tool that performs transmission cluster inference on a given phylogenetic tree orders of magnitude faster than existing inference methods and supports multi...

  18. The effect of shadow lines on a low concentrating photovoltaic system

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Janssen, H.J.J.; Sonneveld, P.J.; Swinkels, G.L.A.M.; Tuijl, van B.A.J.; Zwart, de H.F.

    2011-01-01

    In order to reduce the energy losses caused by shadow lines, three options are investigated. These are: 1. the use of two types of diodes; 2. the use of an ”ideal” diode based an active bypass by using MOS-FET’s [4] and 3. parallel switching of a number of cells between two shadow lines. The first

  19. Phytoplasma phylogenetics based on analysis of secA and 23S rRNA gene sequences for improved resolution of candidate species of 'Candidatus Phytoplasma'.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hodgetts, Jennifer; Boonham, Neil; Mumford, Rick; Harrison, Nigel; Dickinson, Matthew

    2008-08-01

    Phytoplasma phylogenetics has focused primarily on sequences of the non-coding 16S rRNA gene and the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer region (16-23S ISR), and primers that enable amplification of these regions from all phytoplasmas by PCR are well established. In this study, primers based on the secA gene have been developed into a semi-nested PCR assay that results in a sequence of the expected size (about 480 bp) from all 34 phytoplasmas examined, including strains representative of 12 16Sr groups. Phylogenetic analysis of secA gene sequences showed similar clustering of phytoplasmas when compared with clusters resolved by similar sequence analyses of a 16-23S ISR-23S rRNA gene contig or of the 16S rRNA gene alone. The main differences between trees were in the branch lengths, which were elongated in the 16-23S ISR-23S rRNA gene tree when compared with the 16S rRNA gene tree and elongated still further in the secA gene tree, despite this being a shorter sequence. The improved resolution in the secA gene-derived phylogenetic tree resulted in the 16SrII group splitting into two distinct clusters, while phytoplasmas associated with coconut lethal yellowing-type diseases split into three distinct groups, thereby supporting past proposals that they represent different candidate species within 'Candidatus Phytoplasma'. The ability to differentiate 16Sr groups and subgroups by virtual RFLP analysis of secA gene sequences suggests that this gene may provide an informative alternative molecular marker for pathogen identification and diagnosis of phytoplasma diseases.

  20. Phylogenetic mixtures and linear invariants for equal input models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Casanellas, Marta; Steel, Mike

    2017-04-01

    The reconstruction of phylogenetic trees from molecular sequence data relies on modelling site substitutions by a Markov process, or a mixture of such processes. In general, allowing mixed processes can result in different tree topologies becoming indistinguishable from the data, even for infinitely long sequences. However, when the underlying Markov process supports linear phylogenetic invariants, then provided these are sufficiently informative, the identifiability of the tree topology can be restored. In this paper, we investigate a class of processes that support linear invariants once the stationary distribution is fixed, the 'equal input model'. This model generalizes the 'Felsenstein 1981' model (and thereby the Jukes-Cantor model) from four states to an arbitrary number of states (finite or infinite), and it can also be described by a 'random cluster' process. We describe the structure and dimension of the vector spaces of phylogenetic mixtures and of linear invariants for any fixed phylogenetic tree (and for all trees-the so called 'model invariants'), on any number n of leaves. We also provide a precise description of the space of mixtures and linear invariants for the special case of [Formula: see text] leaves. By combining techniques from discrete random processes and (multi-) linear algebra, our results build on a classic result that was first established by James Lake (Mol Biol Evol 4:167-191, 1987).

  1. Deposition and erosion in local shadow regions of TEXTOR-94

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wienhold, P.; Mayer, M.; Kirschner, A.; Rubel, M.; Hildebrandt, D.; Schneider, W.

    2001-01-01

    Carbon erosion and deposition were investigated on the surface of a flat target covered with an a-C:H film and exposed for 197 s in the SOL of TEXTOR-94. The target was declined by 20 with respect to the toroidal direction and partly protected by an aluminum (3 mm) plate which created an 8 mm wide local shadow. Thickness changes were measured by colorimetry after each plasma discharge. Carbon is eroded from surface areas near the plasma edge (LCFS +1 cm) and transported into the local shadow regions. Accumulation rates up to ∼7 nm/s were found. The erosion in the local shadow regions (about -0.1 nm/s) is due to charge exchange neutrals. The observations are confirmed by ion beam analyses and by preliminary calculations with the B2-EIRENE and ERO-TEXTOR code. (orig.)

  2. Phylogenetic reconstruction prompts taxonomic changes in Sauropus, Synostemon and Breynia (Phyllanthaceae tribe Phyllantheae)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Welzen, van P.C.; Pruesapan, K.; Telford, I.R.H.; Esser, H.-J.; Bruhl, J.J.

    2014-01-01

    Previous molecular phylogenetic studies indicated expansion of Breynia with inclusion of Sauropus s.str. (excluding Synostemon). The present study adds qualitative and quantitative morphological characters to molecular data to find more resolution and/or higher support for the subgroups within

  3. NEULAND at R{sup 3}B: Multi-neutron response and resolution of the novel neutron detector

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kresan, Dmytro; Aumann, Thomas [Technische Universitaet Darmstadt, Darmstadt (Germany); Boretzky, Konstanze; Bertini, Denis; Heil, Michael; Rossi, Dominic; Simon, Haik [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fuer Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt (Germany)

    2012-07-01

    NEULAND (New Large Area Neutron Detector) will serve for the detection of fast neutrons (200 - 1000 MeV) in the R3B experiment at the future FAIR. A high detection efficiency (> 90%), a high resolution (down to 20 keV) and a large multi-neutron-hit resolving power ({>=}5 neutrons) are demanded. The detector concept foresees a fully active and highly granular design of plastic scintillators. We present the detector capabilities, based on simulations performed within the FairRoot framework. The relevance of calorimetric properties for the multi-hit recognition is discussed, and exemplarily the performance for specific physics cases is presented.

  4. Fading and Shadowing in Wireless Systems

    CERN Document Server

    Shankar, P Mohana

    2012-01-01

    In recent decades, growth in the field of wireless communications has led to an exponential rise in the number of journals catering to the research community. Still unmet, however, is the need to fully and comprehensively understand the effects of channel degradation brought on by the statistical fluctuations in the channel. These fluctuations mainly manifest as variations in signal power observed in the channel generally modeled using a variety of probability distributions, both in straight forms as well as in compound forms. While the former might explain some of the effects, it is the latter, namely, the compound models, which incorporate both short term and long term power fluctuations in the channel, explain the much more complex nature of the signals in these channels. Fading and Shadowing in Wireless Systems offers a pedagogical approach to the topic, with insight into the modeling and analysis of fading and shadowing. Beginning with statistical background and digital communications, the book is formul...

  5. Phylogenetic stratigraphy in the Guerrero Negro hypersaline microbial mat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, J Kirk; Caporaso, J Gregory; Walker, Jeffrey J; Spear, John R; Gold, Nicholas J; Robertson, Charles E; Hugenholtz, Philip; Goodrich, Julia; McDonald, Daniel; Knights, Dan; Marshall, Paul; Tufo, Henry; Knight, Rob; Pace, Norman R

    2013-01-01

    The microbial mats of Guerrero Negro (GN), Baja California Sur, Mexico historically were considered a simple environment, dominated by cyanobacteria and sulfate-reducing bacteria. Culture-independent rRNA community profiling instead revealed these microbial mats as among the most phylogenetically diverse environments known. A preliminary molecular survey of the GN mat based on only ∼1500 small subunit rRNA gene sequences discovered several new phylum-level groups in the bacterial phylogenetic domain and many previously undetected lower-level taxa. We determined an additional ∼119,000 nearly full-length sequences and 28,000 >200 nucleotide 454 reads from a 10-layer depth profile of the GN mat. With this unprecedented coverage of long sequences from one environment, we confirm the mat is phylogenetically stratified, presumably corresponding to light and geochemical gradients throughout the depth of the mat. Previous shotgun metagenomic data from the same depth profile show the same stratified pattern and suggest that metagenome properties may be predictable from rRNA gene sequences. We verify previously identified novel lineages and identify new phylogenetic diversity at lower taxonomic levels, for example, thousands of operational taxonomic units at the family-genus levels differ considerably from known sequences. The new sequences populate parts of the bacterial phylogenetic tree that previously were poorly described, but indicate that any comprehensive survey of GN diversity has only begun. Finally, we show that taxonomic conclusions are generally congruent between Sanger and 454 sequencing technologies, with the taxonomic resolution achieved dependent on the abundance of reference sequences in the relevant region of the rRNA tree of life.

  6. A trial of selective imaging for the breast mass shadow by computed radiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Muramatsu, Yukio; Anan, Mitsuhiro; Tanaka, Takashi; Matsue, Hiroto; Yamada, Tatsuya

    1990-01-01

    CR has ability to make many kinds of images by several imaging processings. Especially, gradation processing is more important than frequency processing to make images in CR mammography. We developed new method to image breast masses selectively with new gradation processing and tried it for 18 patients over sixty years old with breast cancer. All of breast mass shadows were separated selectively from other parencymal shadow. So, we conclude that the auto-recognition of breast mass shadow can be possible in near future in CR system. (author)

  7. Cold Nuclear Matter effects on J/psi production at RHIC: comparing shadowing models

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ferreiro, E.G.; /Santiago de Compostela U.; Fleuret, F.; /Ecole Polytechnique; Lansberg, J.P.; /SLAC; Rakotozafindrabe, A.; /SPhN, DAPNIA, Saclay

    2009-06-19

    We present a wide study on the comparison of different shadowing models and their influence on J/{psi} production. We have taken into account the possibility of different partonic processes for the c{bar c}-pair production. We notice that the effect of shadowing corrections on J/{psi} production clearly depends on the partonic process considered. Our results are compared to the available data on dAu collisions at RHIC energies. We try different break up cross section for each of the studied shadowing models.

  8. High Resolution Depth-Resolved Imaging From Multi-Focal Images for Medical Ultrasound

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Diamantis, Konstantinos; Dalgarno, Paul A.; Greenaway, Alan H.

    2015-01-01

    An ultrasound imaging technique providing subdiffraction limit axial resolution for point sources is proposed. It is based on simultaneously acquired multi-focal images of the same object, and on the image metric of sharpness. The sharpness is extracted by image data and presents higher values...... calibration curves combined with the use of a maximum-likelihood algorithm is then able to estimate, with high precision, the depth location of any emitter fron each single image. Estimated values are compared with the ground truth demonstrating that an accuracy of 28.6 µm (0.13λ) is achieved for a 4 mm depth...

  9. The Relation of Shadow Systems and ERP Systems—Insights from a Multiple-Case Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melanie Huber

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available ERP systems integrate a major part of all business processes and organizations include them in their IT service management. Besides these formal systems, there are additional systems that are rather stand-alone and not included in the IT management tasks. These so-called ‘shadow systems’ also support business processes but hinder a high enterprise integration. Shadow systems appear during their explicit detection or during software maintenance projects such as enhancements or release changes of enterprise systems. Organizations then have to decide if and to what extent they integrate the identified shadow systems into their ERP systems. For this decision, organizations have to compare the capabilities of each identified shadow system with their ERP systems. Based on multiple-case studies, we provide a dependency approach to enable their comparison. We derive categories for different stages of the dependency and base insights into integration possibilities on these stages. Our results show that 64% of the shadow systems in our case studies are related to ERP systems. This means that they share parts or all of their data and/or functionality with the ERP system. Our research contributes to the field of integration as well as to the discussion about shadow systems.

  10. Geo-Parcel Based Crop Identification by Integrating High Spatial-Temporal Resolution Imagery from Multi-Source Satellite Data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yingpin Yang

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Geo-parcel based crop identification plays an important role in precision agriculture. It meets the needs of refined farmland management. This study presents an improved identification procedure for geo-parcel based crop identification by combining fine-resolution images and multi-source medium-resolution images. GF-2 images with fine spatial resolution of 0.8 m provided agricultural farming plot boundaries, and GF-1 (16 m and Landsat 8 OLI data were used to transform the geo-parcel based enhanced vegetation index (EVI time-series. In this study, we propose a piecewise EVI time-series smoothing method to fit irregular time profiles, especially for crop rotation situations. Global EVI time-series were divided into several temporal segments, from which phenological metrics could be derived. This method was applied to Lixian, where crop rotation was the common practice of growing different types of crops, in the same plot, in sequenced seasons. After collection of phenological features and multi-temporal spectral information, Random Forest (RF was performed to classify crop types, and the overall accuracy was 93.27%. Moreover, an analysis of feature significance showed that phenological features were of greater importance for distinguishing agricultural land cover compared to temporal spectral information. The identification results indicated that the integration of high spatial-temporal resolution imagery is promising for geo-parcel based crop identification and that the newly proposed smoothing method is effective.

  11. Hunting the Shadow, Catching the Light

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Toft, Anne Elisabeth; Nielsen, Torben

    2009-01-01

    From 28 October to 6 November 2009 twenty-one 3rd year students in interior design from Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), School of Architecture, Beijing participated in the workshop Hunting the Shadow - Catching the Light. The workshop was conceived and led by the Danish architects Torben Nie...

  12. Shadow corrosion testing in the INCA facility in the Studsvik R2 reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nystrand, A.C.; Lassing, A.

    1999-01-01

    Shadow corrosion is a phenomenon which occurs when zirconium alloys are in contact with or in proximity to other metallic objects in a boiling water reactor environment (BWR, RBMK, SGHWR etc.). An enhanced corrosion occurs on the zirconium alloy with the appearance of a 'shadow' of the metallic object. The magnitude of the shadow corrosion can be significant, and is potentially limiting for the lifetime of certain zirconium alloy components in BWRs and other reactors with a similar water chemistry. In order to evaluate the suitability of the In-Core Autoclave (INCA) in the Studsvik R2 materials testing reactor as an experimental facility for studying shadow corrosion, a demonstration test has been performed. A number of test specimens consisting of Zircaloy-2 tubing in contact with Inconel were exposed in an oxidising water chemistry. Some of the specimens were placed within the reactor core and some above the core. The conclusion of this experiment after post irradiation examination is that it is possible to use the INCA facility in the Studsvik R2 reactor to develop a significant level of shadow corrosion after only 800 hours of irradiation. (author)

  13. The Shadow Economy of Czech Republic and Tax Evasion: The Currency Demand Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dennis Nchor

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This study investigates the shadow economy of Czech Republic and the associated losses in tax revenue. The presence of a shadow economy may not necessarily be bad for the economies in which they prevail but they could cause huge losses to government revenue and could also constitute serious violation of labour regulations. The study uses the Currency Demand Approach. It measures the size of the shadow economy in two stages: a the econometric estimation of an aggregate money demand equation b the calculation of the value of the shadow economy through the quantity theory of money. The key variables in the study include: the total currency held outside the banking system, the number of automatic teller machines, the deposit interest rate, GDP deflator, the average tax, velocity of money, nominal GDP and nominal money supply. The results from the study show that the shadow economy of Czech Republic on the average is about 20.9 % as at the end of 2013 and the country loses an average tax revenue of about 7.2 % of GDP yearly. The data was obtained from the World Bank country indicators and the International Financial Statistics.

  14. Interconnectedness between shadow and traditional banking systems in Europe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Popović Svetlana

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The financial crisis that emerged in the US quickly spread across Europe, causing a severe banking and sovereign debt crisis. That revealed the importance of short-term financing for traditional banks, which increased their exposure to the financial conditions on the interbank market. Financial innovations, especially the securitization process led to the growing importance of different institutions within the shadow banking system - which undergo a credit, liquidity and maturity transformation, without accessing the central bank liquidity or other forms of guarantees. The European banks had an active role in the US securitization process, but also securitized the products from the European market. The authors used the available data from the ECB statistics on shadow bank entities, broadly and narrowly defined, in order to analyze the various measures of interconnectedness between the shadow and traditional banking systems. The analysis showed that non-regulated financial institutions pose severe systemic risks, not just because of their size, but also due to the strong web of interconnectedness with the regulated banking sector.

  15. Shadow Prices for Undesirables in Swedish Industry: Indication of Environmental Kuznets Curves

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ankarhem, Mattias (e-mail: mattias.ankarhem@econ.umu.se)

    2005-04-15

    In this note, we estimate time series of shadow prices for Swedish emissions of CO{sub 2}, SO{sub 2} , and VOC for the period 1918 - 1994. The shadow prices are in the second step related to income to explain the environmental Kuznets curves previously found for Swedish data on the three emissions. A Shephard distance function approach is used to estimate a structural model of the industry's production process in order to calculate the opportunity costs of a reduction in the emissions. We conclude that the times series of the shadow prices obtained using this approach do not show support for EKCs for Swedish industry.

  16. Analytical estimation of control rod shadowing effect for excess reactivity measurement of HTTR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakano, Masaaki; Fujimoto, Nozomu; Yamashita, Kiyonobu

    1999-01-01

    The fuel addition method is generally used for the excess reactivity measurement of the initial core. The control rod shadowing effect for the excess reactivity measurement has been estimated analytically for High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR). 3-dimensional whole core analyses were carried out. The movements of control rods in measurements were simulated in the calculation. It was made clear that the value of excess reactivity strongly depend on combinations of measuring control rods and compensating control rods. The differences in excess reactivity between combinations come from the control rod shadowing effect. The shadowing effect is reduced by the use of plural number of measuring and compensating control rods to prevent deep insertion of them into the core. The measured excess reactivity in the experiments is, however, smaller than the estimated value with shadowing effect. (author)

  17. Multi-GPU Accelerated Admittance Method for High-Resolution Human Exposure Evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiong, Zubiao; Feng, Shi; Kautz, Richard; Chandra, Sandeep; Altunyurt, Nevin; Chen, Ji

    2015-12-01

    A multi-graphics processing unit (GPU) accelerated admittance method solver is presented for solving the induced electric field in high-resolution anatomical models of human body when exposed to external low-frequency magnetic fields. In the solver, the anatomical model is discretized as a three-dimensional network of admittances. The conjugate orthogonal conjugate gradient (COCG) iterative algorithm is employed to take advantage of the symmetric property of the complex-valued linear system of equations. Compared against the widely used biconjugate gradient stabilized method, the COCG algorithm can reduce the solving time by 3.5 times and reduce the storage requirement by about 40%. The iterative algorithm is then accelerated further by using multiple NVIDIA GPUs. The computations and data transfers between GPUs are overlapped in time by using asynchronous concurrent execution design. The communication overhead is well hidden so that the acceleration is nearly linear with the number of GPU cards. Numerical examples show that our GPU implementation running on four NVIDIA Tesla K20c cards can reach 90 times faster than the CPU implementation running on eight CPU cores (two Intel Xeon E5-2603 processors). The implemented solver is able to solve large dimensional problems efficiently. A whole adult body discretized in 1-mm resolution can be solved in just several minutes. The high efficiency achieved makes it practical to investigate human exposure involving a large number of cases with a high resolution that meets the requirements of international dosimetry guidelines.

  18. Performance Evaluation of Localization Accuracy for a Log-Normal Shadow Fading Wireless Sensor Network under Physical Barrier Attacks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hussein, Ahmed Abdulqader; Rahman, Tharek A; Leow, Chee Yen

    2015-12-04

    Localization is an apparent aspect of a wireless sensor network, which is the focus of much interesting research. One of the severe conditions that needs to be taken into consideration is localizing a mobile target through a dispersed sensor network in the presence of physical barrier attacks. These attacks confuse the localization process and cause location estimation errors. Range-based methods, like the received signal strength indication (RSSI), face the major influence of this kind of attack. This paper proposes a solution based on a combination of multi-frequency multi-power localization (C-MFMPL) and step function multi-frequency multi-power localization (SF-MFMPL), including the fingerprint matching technique and lateration, to provide a robust and accurate localization technique. In addition, this paper proposes a grid coloring algorithm to detect the signal hole map in the network, which refers to the attack-prone regions, in order to carry out corrective actions. The simulation results show the enhancement and robustness of RSS localization performance in the face of log normal shadow fading effects, besides the presence of physical barrier attacks, through detecting, filtering and eliminating the effect of these attacks.

  19. Performance Evaluation of Localization Accuracy for a Log-Normal Shadow Fading Wireless Sensor Network under Physical Barrier Attacks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdulqader Hussein, Ahmed; Rahman, Tharek A.; Leow, Chee Yen

    2015-01-01

    Localization is an apparent aspect of a wireless sensor network, which is the focus of much interesting research. One of the severe conditions that needs to be taken into consideration is localizing a mobile target through a dispersed sensor network in the presence of physical barrier attacks. These attacks confuse the localization process and cause location estimation errors. Range-based methods, like the received signal strength indication (RSSI), face the major influence of this kind of attack. This paper proposes a solution based on a combination of multi-frequency multi-power localization (C-MFMPL) and step function multi-frequency multi-power localization (SF-MFMPL), including the fingerprint matching technique and lateration, to provide a robust and accurate localization technique. In addition, this paper proposes a grid coloring algorithm to detect the signal hole map in the network, which refers to the attack-prone regions, in order to carry out corrective actions. The simulation results show the enhancement and robustness of RSS localization performance in the face of log normal shadow fading effects, besides the presence of physical barrier attacks, through detecting, filtering and eliminating the effect of these attacks. PMID:26690159

  20. A sun-crown-sensor model and adapted C-correction logic for topographic correction of high resolution forest imagery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Yuanchao; Koukal, Tatjana; Weisberg, Peter J.

    2014-10-01

    Canopy shadowing mediated by topography is an important source of radiometric distortion on remote sensing images of rugged terrain. Topographic correction based on the sun-canopy-sensor (SCS) model significantly improved over those based on the sun-terrain-sensor (STS) model for surfaces with high forest canopy cover, because the SCS model considers and preserves the geotropic nature of trees. The SCS model accounts for sub-pixel canopy shadowing effects and normalizes the sunlit canopy area within a pixel. However, it does not account for mutual shadowing between neighboring pixels. Pixel-to-pixel shadowing is especially apparent for fine resolution satellite images in which individual tree crowns are resolved. This paper proposes a new topographic correction model: the sun-crown-sensor (SCnS) model based on high-resolution satellite imagery (IKONOS) and high-precision LiDAR digital elevation model. An improvement on the C-correction logic with a radiance partitioning method to address the effects of diffuse irradiance is also introduced (SCnS + C). In addition, we incorporate a weighting variable, based on pixel shadow fraction, on the direct and diffuse radiance portions to enhance the retrieval of at-sensor radiance and reflectance of highly shadowed tree pixels and form another variety of SCnS model (SCnS + W). Model evaluation with IKONOS test data showed that the new SCnS model outperformed the STS and SCS models in quantifying the correlation between terrain-regulated illumination factor and at-sensor radiance. Our adapted C-correction logic based on the sun-crown-sensor geometry and radiance partitioning better represented the general additive effects of diffuse radiation than C parameters derived from the STS or SCS models. The weighting factor Wt also significantly enhanced correction results by reducing within-class standard deviation and balancing the mean pixel radiance between sunlit and shaded slopes. We analyzed these improvements with model

  1. Analysis of shadowing effects on MIR photovoltaic and solar dynamic power systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fincannon, James

    1995-01-01

    The NASA Lewis Research Center is currently working with RSC-Energia, the Russian Space Agency, and Allied Signal in developing a flight demonstration solar dynamic power system. This type of power system is dependent upon solar flux that is reflected and concentrated into a thermal storage system to provide the thermal energy input to a closed-cycle Brayton heat engine. The solar dynamic unit will be flown on the Russian Mir space station in anticipation of use on the International Space Station Alpha. By the time the power system is launched, the Mir will be a spatially complex configuration which will have, in addition to the three-gimbaled solar dynamic unit, eleven solar array wings that are either fixed or track the Sun along one axis and a variety or repositionable habitation and experiment modules. The proximity of arrays to modules creates a situation which makes it highly probable that there will be varying solar flux due to shadowing on the solar dynamic unit and some of the arrays throughout the orbit. Shadowing causes fluctuations in the power output from the arrays and the solar dynamic power system, thus reducing the energy capabilities of the spacecraft. An assessment of the capabilities of the power system under these conditions is an important part in influencing the design and operations of the spacecraft and predicting its energy performance. This paper describes the results obtained from using the Orbiting Spacecraft Shadowing Analysis Station program that was integrated into the Station Power Analysis for Capability Evaluation (SPACE) electrical power system computer program. OSSA allows one to consider the numerous complex factors for analyzing the shadowing effects on the electrical power system including the variety of spacecraft hardware geometric configurations, yearly and daily orbital variations in the vehicle attitude and orbital maneuvers (for communications coverage, payload pointing requirements and rendezvous/docking with other

  2. Large-Area, High-Resolution Tree Cover Mapping with Multi-Temporal SPOT5 Imagery, New South Wales, Australia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adrian Fisher

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Tree cover maps are used for many purposes, such as vegetation mapping, habitat connectivity and fragmentation studies. Small remnant patches of native vegetation are recognised as ecologically important, yet they are underestimated in remote sensing products derived from Landsat. High spatial resolution sensors are capable of mapping small patches of trees, but their use in large-area mapping has been limited. In this study, multi-temporal Satellite pour l’Observation de la Terre 5 (SPOT5 High Resolution Geometrical data was pan-sharpened to 5 m resolution and used to map tree cover for the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW, an area of over 800,000 km2. Complete coverages of SPOT5 panchromatic and multispectral data over NSW were acquired during four consecutive summers (2008–2011 for a total of 1256 images. After pre-processing, the imagery was used to model foliage projective cover (FPC, a measure of tree canopy density commonly used in Australia. The multi-temporal imagery, FPC models and 26,579 training pixels were used in a binomial logistic regression model to estimate the probability of each pixel containing trees. The probability images were classified into a binary map of tree cover using local thresholds, and then visually edited to reduce errors. The final tree map was then attributed with the mean FPC value from the multi-temporal imagery. Validation of the binary map based on visually assessed high resolution reference imagery revealed an overall accuracy of 88% (±0.51% standard error, while comparison against airborne lidar derived data also resulted in an overall accuracy of 88%. A preliminary assessment of the FPC map by comparing against 76 field measurements showed a very good agreement (r2 = 0.90 with a root mean square error of 8.57%, although this may not be representative due to the opportunistic sampling design. The map represents a regionally consistent and locally relevant record of tree cover for NSW, and

  3. Ferromagnetic shadow mask for spray coating of polymer patterns

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Keller, Stephan Sylvest; Bosco, Filippo; Boisen, Anja

    2013-01-01

    We present the fabrication of a wafer-scale shadow mask with arrays of circular holes with diameters of 150–400 μm. Standard UV photolithography is used to define 700 μm thick SU-8 structures followed by electroplating of nickel and etching of the template. The ferromagnetic properties of the sha......We present the fabrication of a wafer-scale shadow mask with arrays of circular holes with diameters of 150–400 μm. Standard UV photolithography is used to define 700 μm thick SU-8 structures followed by electroplating of nickel and etching of the template. The ferromagnetic properties...

  4. BIMLR: a method for constructing rooted phylogenetic networks from rooted phylogenetic trees.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Juan; Guo, Maozu; Xing, Linlin; Che, Kai; Liu, Xiaoyan; Wang, Chunyu

    2013-09-15

    Rooted phylogenetic trees constructed from different datasets (e.g. from different genes) are often conflicting with one another, i.e. they cannot be integrated into a single phylogenetic tree. Phylogenetic networks have become an important tool in molecular evolution, and rooted phylogenetic networks are able to represent conflicting rooted phylogenetic trees. Hence, the development of appropriate methods to compute rooted phylogenetic networks from rooted phylogenetic trees has attracted considerable research interest of late. The CASS algorithm proposed by van Iersel et al. is able to construct much simpler networks than other available methods, but it is extremely slow, and the networks it constructs are dependent on the order of the input data. Here, we introduce an improved CASS algorithm, BIMLR. We show that BIMLR is faster than CASS and less dependent on the input data order. Moreover, BIMLR is able to construct much simpler networks than almost all other methods. BIMLR is available at http://nclab.hit.edu.cn/wangjuan/BIMLR/. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Automatic Segmentation of Fluorescence Lifetime Microscopy Images of Cells Using Multi-Resolution Community Detection -A First Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Dandan; Sarder, Pinaki; Ronhovde, Peter; Orthaus, Sandra; Achilefu, Samuel; Nussinov, Zohar

    2014-01-01

    Inspired by a multi-resolution community detection (MCD) based network segmentation method, we suggest an automatic method for segmenting fluorescence lifetime (FLT) imaging microscopy (FLIM) images of cells in a first pilot investigation on two selected images. The image processing problem is framed as identifying segments with respective average FLTs against the background in FLIM images. The proposed method segments a FLIM image for a given resolution of the network defined using image pixels as the nodes and similarity between the FLTs of the pixels as the edges. In the resulting segmentation, low network resolution leads to larger segments, and high network resolution leads to smaller segments. Further, using the proposed method, the mean-square error (MSE) in estimating the FLT segments in a FLIM image was found to consistently decrease with increasing resolution of the corresponding network. The MCD method appeared to perform better than a popular spectral clustering based method in performing FLIM image segmentation. At high resolution, the spectral segmentation method introduced noisy segments in its output, and it was unable to achieve a consistent decrease in MSE with increasing resolution. PMID:24251410

  6. Illumination robust face recognition using spatial adaptive shadow compensation based on face intensity prior

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsieh, Cheng-Ta; Huang, Kae-Horng; Lee, Chang-Hsing; Han, Chin-Chuan; Fan, Kuo-Chin

    2017-12-01

    Robust face recognition under illumination variations is an important and challenging task in a face recognition system, particularly for face recognition in the wild. In this paper, a face image preprocessing approach, called spatial adaptive shadow compensation (SASC), is proposed to eliminate shadows in the face image due to different lighting directions. First, spatial adaptive histogram equalization (SAHE), which uses face intensity prior model, is proposed to enhance the contrast of each local face region without generating visible noises in smooth face areas. Adaptive shadow compensation (ASC), which performs shadow compensation in each local image block, is then used to produce a wellcompensated face image appropriate for face feature extraction and recognition. Finally, null-space linear discriminant analysis (NLDA) is employed to extract discriminant features from SASC compensated images. Experiments performed on the Yale B, Yale B extended, and CMU PIE face databases have shown that the proposed SASC always yields the best face recognition accuracy. That is, SASC is more robust to face recognition under illumination variations than other shadow compensation approaches.

  7. Multi-locus phylogeny reveals instances of mitochondrial introgression and unrecognized diversity in Kenyan barbs (Cyprininae: Smiliogastrini).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmidt, Ray C; Bart, Henry L; Nyingi, Wanja Dorothy

    2017-06-01

    The phylogenetics and taxonomic status of small African barbs (Cyprininae: Smiliogastrini) remains unresolved despite the recent decision to elevate the genus name Enteromius for the group. The main barrier to understanding the origin of African small barbs and evolutionary relationships within the group is the poor resolution of phylogenies published to date. These phylogenies usually rely on mitochondrial markers and have limited taxon sampling. Here we investigate the phylogenetic relationships of small barbs of Kenya utilizing cytochrome b, Growth Hormone (GH) intron 2, and RAG1 markers from multiple populations of many species in the region. This multi-locus study produced well-supported phylogenies and revealed additional issues that complicate understanding the relationships among East African barbs. We observed widespread mtDNA introgression within the Kenyan barbs, highlighting the need to include nuclear markers in phylogenetic studies of the group. The GH intron 2 resolved heterospecific individuals and aided in inferring the species level phylogeny. The study reveals unrecognized diversity within the group, including within species reported to occur throughout East Africa, and it provides the groundwork for future taxonomic work in the region and across Africa. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Observation in the MINOS far detector of the shadowing of cosmic rays by the sun and moon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2010-01-01

    The shadowing of cosmic ray primaries by the the moon and sun was observed by the MINOS far detector at a depth of 2070 mwe using 83.54 million cosmic ray muons accumulated over 1857.91 live-days. The shadow of the moon was detected at the 5.6 σ level and the shadow of the sun at the 3.8 σ level using a log-likelihood search in celestial coordinates. The moon shadow was used to quantify the absolute astrophysical pointing of the detector to be 0.17 ± 0.12 o . Hints of Interplanetary Magnetic Field effects were observed in both the sun and moon shadow.

  9. Phylogenomic Resolution of the Phylogeny of Laurasiatherian Mammals: Exploring Phylogenetic Signals within Coding and Noncoding Sequences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Meng-Yun; Liang, Dan; Zhang, Peng

    2017-08-01

    The interordinal relationships of Laurasiatherian mammals are currently one of the most controversial questions in mammalian phylogenetics. Previous studies mainly relied on coding sequences (CDS) and seldom used noncoding sequences. Here, by data mining public genome data, we compiled an intron data set of 3,638 genes (all introns from a protein-coding gene are considered as a gene) (19,055,073 bp) and a CDS data set of 10,259 genes (20,994,285 bp), covering all major lineages of Laurasiatheria (except Pholidota). We found that the intron data contained stronger and more congruent phylogenetic signals than the CDS data. In agreement with this observation, concatenation and species-tree analyses of the intron data set yielded well-resolved and identical phylogenies, whereas the CDS data set produced weakly supported and incongruent results. Further analyses showed that the phylogeny inferred from the intron data is highly robust to data subsampling and change in outgroup, but the CDS data produced unstable results under the same conditions. Interestingly, gene tree statistical results showed that the most frequently observed gene tree topologies for the CDS and intron data are identical, suggesting that the major phylogenetic signal within the CDS data is actually congruent with that within the intron data. Our final result of Laurasiatheria phylogeny is (Eulipotyphla,((Chiroptera, Perissodactyla),(Carnivora, Cetartiodactyla))), favoring a close relationship between Chiroptera and Perissodactyla. Our study 1) provides a well-supported phylogenetic framework for Laurasiatheria, representing a step towards ending the long-standing "hard" polytomy and 2) argues that intron within genome data is a promising data resource for resolving rapid radiation events across the tree of life. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.

  10. High spatial resolution distributed fiber system for multi-parameter sensing based on modulated pulses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Jingdong; Zhu, Tao; Zhou, Huan; Huang, Shihong; Liu, Min; Huang, Wei

    2016-11-28

    We demonstrate a cost-effective distributed fiber sensing system for the multi-parameter detection of the vibration, the temperature, and the strain by integrating phase-sensitive optical time domain reflectometry (φ-OTDR) and Brillouin optical time domain reflectometry (B-OTDR). Taking advantage of the fast changing property of the vibration and the static properties of the temperature and the strain, both the width and intensity of the laser pulses are modulated and injected into the single-mode sensing fiber proportionally, so that three concerned parameters can be extracted simultaneously by only one photo-detector and one data acquisition channel. A data processing method based on Gaussian window short time Fourier transform (G-STFT) is capable of achieving high spatial resolution in B-OTDR. The experimental results show that up to 4.8kHz vibration sensing with 3m spatial resolution at 10km standard single-mode fiber can be realized, as well as the distributed temperature and stress profiles along the same fiber with 80cm spatial resolution.

  11. Keeping All the PIECES: Phylogenetically Informed Ex Situ Conservation of Endangered Species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larkin, Daniel J; Jacobi, Sarah K; Hipp, Andrew L; Kramer, Andrea T

    2016-01-01

    Ex situ conservation in germplasm and living collections is a major focus of global plant conservation strategies. Prioritizing species for ex situ collection is a necessary component of this effort for which sound strategies are needed. Phylogenetic considerations can play an important role in prioritization. Collections that are more phylogenetically diverse are likely to encompass more ecological and trait variation, and thus provide stronger conservation insurance and richer resources for future restoration efforts. However, phylogenetic criteria need to be weighed against other, potentially competing objectives. We used ex situ collection and threat rank data for North American angiosperms to investigate gaps in ex situ coverage and phylogenetic diversity of collections and to develop a flexible framework for prioritizing species across multiple objectives. We found that ex situ coverage of 18,766 North American angiosperm taxa was low with respect to the most vulnerable taxa: just 43% of vulnerable to critically imperiled taxa were in ex situ collections, far short of a year-2020 goal of 75%. In addition, species held in ex situ collections were phylogenetically clustered (P species been drawn at random. These patterns support incorporating phylogenetic considerations into ex situ prioritization in a manner balanced with other criteria, such as vulnerability. To meet this need, we present the 'PIECES' index (Phylogenetically Informed Ex situ Conservation of Endangered Species). PIECES integrates phylogenetic considerations into a flexible framework for prioritizing species across competing objectives using multi-criteria decision analysis. Applying PIECES to prioritizing ex situ conservation of North American angiosperms, we show strong return on investment across multiple objectives, some of which are negatively correlated with each other. A spreadsheet-based decision support tool for North American angiosperms is provided; this tool can be customized to

  12. Exploiting High Resolution Multi-Seasonal Textural Measures and Spectral Information for Reedbed Mapping

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alex Okiemute Onojeghuo

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Reedbeds across the UK are amongst the most important habitats for rare and endangered birds, wildlife and organisms. However, over the past century, this valued wetland habitat has experienced a drastic reduction in quality and spatial coverage due to pressures from human related activities. To this end, conservation organisations across the UK have been charged with the task of conserving and expanding this threatened habitat. With this backdrop, the study aimed to develop a methodology for accurate reedbed mapping through the combined use of multi-seasonal texture measures and spectral information contained in high resolution QuickBird satellite imagery. The key objectives were to determine the most effective single-date (autumn or summer and multi-seasonal QuickBird imagery suitable for reedbed mapping over the study area; to evaluate the effectiveness of combining multi-seasonal texture measures and spectral information for reedbed mapping using a variety of combinations; and to evaluate the most suitable classification technique for reedbed mapping from three selected classification techniques, namely maximum likelihood classifier, spectral angular mapper and artificial neural network. Using two selected grey-level co-occurrence textural measures (entropy and angular second moment, a series of experiments were conducted using varied combinations of single-date and multi-seasonal QuickBird imagery. Overall, the results indicate the multi-seasonal pansharpened multispectral bands (eight layers combined with all eight grey level co-occurrence matrix texture measures (entropy and angular second moment computed using windows 3 × 3 and 7 × 7 produced the optimal reedbed (76.5% and overall classification (78.1% accuracies using the maximum likelihood classifier technique. Using the optimal 16 layer multi-seasonal pansharpened multispectral and texture combined image dataset, a total reedbed area of 9.8 hectares was successfully mapped over the

  13. Segmentation of Shadowed Buildings in Dense Urban Areas from Aerial Photographs

    OpenAIRE

    Susaki, Junichi

    2012-01-01

    Segmentation of buildings in urban areas, especially dense urban areas, by using remotely sensed images is highly desirable. However, segmentation results obtained by using existing algorithms are unsatisfactory because of the unclear boundaries between buildings and the shadows cast by neighboring buildings. In this paper, an algorithm is proposed that successfully segments buildings from aerial photographs, including shadowed buildings in dense urban areas. To handle roofs having rough text...

  14. Qualitative Shadowing as a Research Methodology for Exploring Early Childhood Leadership in Practice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bøe, Marit; Hognestad, Karin; Waniganayake, Manjula

    2017-01-01

    This article explores qualitative shadowing as an interpretivist methodology, and explains how two researchers participating simultaneously in data collection using a video recorder, contextual interviews and video-stimulated recall interviews, conducted a qualitative shadowing study at six early childhood centres in Norway. This paper emerged…

  15. Implementing content constraints in alpha-stratified adaptive testing using a shadow test approach

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Linden, Willem J.; Chang, Hua-Hua

    2001-01-01

    The methods of alpha-stratified adaptive testing and constrained adaptive testing with shadow tests are combined in this study. The advantages are twofold. First, application of the shadow test allows the researcher to implement any type of constraint on item selection in alpha-stratified adaptive

  16. An Efficient and Robust Moving Shadow Removal Algorithm and Its Applications in ITS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shou Yu-Wen

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available We propose an efficient algorithm for removing shadows of moving vehicles caused by non-uniform distributions of light reflections in the daytime. This paper presents a brand-new and complete structure in feature combination as well as analysis for orientating and labeling moving shadows so as to extract the defined objects in foregrounds more easily in each snapshot of the original files of videos which are acquired in the real traffic situations. Moreover, we make use of Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM for background removal and detection of moving shadows in our tested images, and define two indices for characterizing non-shadowed regions where one indicates the characteristics of lines and the other index can be characterized by the information in gray scales of images which helps us to build a newly defined set of darkening ratios (modified darkening factors based on Gaussian models. To prove the effectiveness of our moving shadow algorithm, we carry it out with a practical application of traffic flow detection in ITS (Intelligent Transportation System—vehicle counting. Our algorithm shows the faster processing speed, 13.84 ms/frame, and can improve the accuracy rate in 4%~10% for our three tested videos in the experimental results of vehicle counting.

  17. Resource-Aware Navigation for Shadowed and Uncertain Environments

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Discovery of off-Earth ice will transform space exploration. Volatiles that exist primarily in shadowed polar latitudes of planetary bodes could be harvested to...

  18. Horizon structure of rotating Einstein-Born-Infeld black holes and shadow

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Atamurotov, Farruh [Institute of Nuclear Physics, Tashkent (Uzbekistan); Inha University in Tashkent, Tashkent (Uzbekistan); Ulugh Beg Astronomical Institute, Tashkent (Uzbekistan); National University of Uzbekistan, Tashkent (Uzbekistan); Ghosh, Sushant G. [Jamia Millia Islamia, Centre for Theoretical Physics, New Delhi (India); University of Kwa-Zulu-Natal, Astrophysics and Cosmology Research Unit, School of Mathematical Sciences, Private Bag 54001, Durban (South Africa); Ahmedov, Bobomurat [Institute of Nuclear Physics, Tashkent (Uzbekistan); Ulugh Beg Astronomical Institute, Tashkent (Uzbekistan); National University of Uzbekistan, Tashkent (Uzbekistan)

    2016-05-15

    We investigate the horizon structure of the rotating Einstein-Born-Infeld solution which goes over to the Einstein-Maxwell's Kerr-Newman solution as the Born-Infeld parameter goes to infinity (β → ∞). We find that for a given β, mass M, and charge Q, there exist a critical spinning parameter a{sub E} and r{sub H}{sup E}, which corresponds to an extremal Einstein-Born-Infeld black hole with degenerate horizons, and a{sub E} decreases and r{sub H}{sup E} increases with increase of the Born-Infeld parameter β, while a < a{sub E} describes a non-extremal Einstein-Born-Infeld black hole with outer and inner horizons. Similarly, the effect of β on the infinite redshift surface and in turn on the ergo-region is also included. It is well known that a black hole can cast a shadow as an optical appearance due to its strong gravitational field. We also investigate the shadow cast by the both static and rotating Einstein-Born-Infeld black hole and demonstrate that the null geodesic equations can be integrated, which allows us to investigate the shadow cast by a black hole which is found to be a dark zone covered by a circle. Interestingly, the shadow of an Einstein-Born-Infeld black hole is slightly smaller than for the Reissner-Nordstrom black hole, which consists of concentric circles, for different values of the Born-Infeld parameter β, whose radius decreases with increase of the value of the parameter β. Finally, we have studied observable distortion parameter for shadow of the rotating Einstein-Born-Infeld black hole. (orig.)

  19. Horizon structure of rotating Einstein-Born-Infeld black holes and shadow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Atamurotov, Farruh; Ghosh, Sushant G.; Ahmedov, Bobomurat

    2016-01-01

    We investigate the horizon structure of the rotating Einstein-Born-Infeld solution which goes over to the Einstein-Maxwell's Kerr-Newman solution as the Born-Infeld parameter goes to infinity (β → ∞). We find that for a given β, mass M, and charge Q, there exist a critical spinning parameter a E and r H E , which corresponds to an extremal Einstein-Born-Infeld black hole with degenerate horizons, and a E decreases and r H E increases with increase of the Born-Infeld parameter β, while a < a E describes a non-extremal Einstein-Born-Infeld black hole with outer and inner horizons. Similarly, the effect of β on the infinite redshift surface and in turn on the ergo-region is also included. It is well known that a black hole can cast a shadow as an optical appearance due to its strong gravitational field. We also investigate the shadow cast by the both static and rotating Einstein-Born-Infeld black hole and demonstrate that the null geodesic equations can be integrated, which allows us to investigate the shadow cast by a black hole which is found to be a dark zone covered by a circle. Interestingly, the shadow of an Einstein-Born-Infeld black hole is slightly smaller than for the Reissner-Nordstrom black hole, which consists of concentric circles, for different values of the Born-Infeld parameter β, whose radius decreases with increase of the value of the parameter β. Finally, we have studied observable distortion parameter for shadow of the rotating Einstein-Born-Infeld black hole. (orig.)

  20. Optimizing Energy and Modulation Selection in Multi-Resolution Modulation For Wireless Video Broadcast/Multicast

    KAUST Repository

    She, James

    2009-11-01

    Emerging technologies in Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) networks and video coding have enabled high-quality wireless video broadcast/multicast services in metropolitan areas. Joint source-channel coded wireless transmission, especially using hierarchical/superposition coded modulation at the channel, is recognized as an effective and scalable approach to increase the system scalability while tackling the multi-user channel diversity problem. The power allocation and modulation selection problem, however, is subject to a high computational complexity due to the nonlinear formulation and huge solution space. This paper introduces a dynamic programming framework with conditioned parsing, which significantly reduces the search space. The optimized result is further verified with experiments using real video content. The proposed approach effectively serves as a generalized and practical optimization framework that can gauge and optimize a scalable wireless video broadcast/multicast based on multi-resolution modulation in any BWA network.

  1. Optimizing Energy and Modulation Selection in Multi-Resolution Modulation For Wireless Video Broadcast/Multicast

    KAUST Repository

    She, James; Ho, Pin-Han; Shihada, Basem

    2009-01-01

    Emerging technologies in Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) networks and video coding have enabled high-quality wireless video broadcast/multicast services in metropolitan areas. Joint source-channel coded wireless transmission, especially using hierarchical/superposition coded modulation at the channel, is recognized as an effective and scalable approach to increase the system scalability while tackling the multi-user channel diversity problem. The power allocation and modulation selection problem, however, is subject to a high computational complexity due to the nonlinear formulation and huge solution space. This paper introduces a dynamic programming framework with conditioned parsing, which significantly reduces the search space. The optimized result is further verified with experiments using real video content. The proposed approach effectively serves as a generalized and practical optimization framework that can gauge and optimize a scalable wireless video broadcast/multicast based on multi-resolution modulation in any BWA network.

  2. Enhancement of bone shadow region using local phase-based ultrasound transmission maps.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hacihaliloglu, Ilker

    2017-06-01

    Ultrasound is increasingly being employed in different orthopedic procedures as an imaging modality for real-time guidance. Nevertheless, low signal-to-noise-ratio and different imaging artifacts continue to hamper the success of ultrasound-based procedures. Bone shadow region is an important feature indicating the presence of bone/tissue interface in the acquired ultrasound data. Enhancement and automatic detection of this region could improve the sensitivity of ultrasound for imaging bone and result in improved guidance for various orthopedic procedures. In this work, a method is introduced for the enhancement of bone shadow regions from B-mode ultrasound data. The method is based on the combination of three different image phase features: local phase tensor, local weighted mean phase angle, and local phase energy. The combined local phase image features are used as an input to an [Formula: see text] norm-based contextual regularization method which emphasizes uncertainty in the shadow regions. The enhanced bone shadow images are automatically segmented and compared against expert segmentation. Qualitative and quantitative validation was performed on 100 in vivo US scans obtained from five subjects by scanning femur and vertebrae bones. Validation against expert segmentation achieved a mean dice similarity coefficient of 0.88. The encouraging results obtained in this initial study suggest that the proposed method is promising enough for further evaluation. The calculated bone shadow maps could be incorporated into different ultrasound bone segmentation and registration approaches as an additional feature.

  3. Stain Deconvolution Using Statistical Analysis of Multi-Resolution Stain Colour Representation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Najah Alsubaie

    Full Text Available Stain colour estimation is a prominent factor of the analysis pipeline in most of histology image processing algorithms. Providing a reliable and efficient stain colour deconvolution approach is fundamental for robust algorithm. In this paper, we propose a novel method for stain colour deconvolution of histology images. This approach statistically analyses the multi-resolutional representation of the image to separate the independent observations out of the correlated ones. We then estimate the stain mixing matrix using filtered uncorrelated data. We conducted an extensive set of experiments to compare the proposed method to the recent state of the art methods and demonstrate the robustness of this approach using three different datasets of scanned slides, prepared in different labs using different scanners.

  4. Convolutional Neural Network-Based Shadow Detection in Images Using Visible Light Camera Sensor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dong Seop Kim

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Recent developments in intelligence surveillance camera systems have enabled more research on the detection, tracking, and recognition of humans. Such systems typically use visible light cameras and images, in which shadows make it difficult to detect and recognize the exact human area. Near-infrared (NIR light cameras and thermal cameras are used to mitigate this problem. However, such instruments require a separate NIR illuminator, or are prohibitively expensive. Existing research on shadow detection in images captured by visible light cameras have utilized object and shadow color features for detection. Unfortunately, various environmental factors such as illumination change and brightness of background cause detection to be a difficult task. To overcome this problem, we propose a convolutional neural network-based shadow detection method. Experimental results with a database built from various outdoor surveillance camera environments, and from the context-aware vision using image-based active recognition (CAVIAR open database, show that our method outperforms previous works.

  5. The edge-preservation multi-classifier relearning framework for the classification of high-resolution remotely sensed imagery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Xiaopeng; Huang, Xin; Li, Jiayi; Li, Yansheng; Yang, Michael Ying; Gong, Jianya

    2018-04-01

    In recent years, the availability of high-resolution imagery has enabled more detailed observation of the Earth. However, it is imperative to simultaneously achieve accurate interpretation and preserve the spatial details for the classification of such high-resolution data. To this aim, we propose the edge-preservation multi-classifier relearning framework (EMRF). This multi-classifier framework is made up of support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), and sparse multinomial logistic regression via variable splitting and augmented Lagrangian (LORSAL) classifiers, considering their complementary characteristics. To better characterize complex scenes of remote sensing images, relearning based on landscape metrics is proposed, which iteratively quantizes both the landscape composition and spatial configuration by the use of the initial classification results. In addition, a novel tri-training strategy is proposed to solve the over-smoothing effect of relearning by means of automatic selection of training samples with low classification certainties, which always distribute in or near the edge areas. Finally, EMRF flexibly combines the strengths of relearning and tri-training via the classification certainties calculated by the probabilistic output of the respective classifiers. It should be noted that, in order to achieve an unbiased evaluation, we assessed the classification accuracy of the proposed framework using both edge and non-edge test samples. The experimental results obtained with four multispectral high-resolution images confirm the efficacy of the proposed framework, in terms of both edge and non-edge accuracy.

  6. Shoreline change after 12 years of tsunami in Banda Aceh, Indonesia: a multi-resolution, multi-temporal satellite data and GIS approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sugianto, S.; Heriansyah; Darusman; Rusdi, M.; Karim, A.

    2018-04-01

    The Indian Ocean Tsunami event on the 26 December 2004 has caused severe damage of some shorelines in Banda Aceh City, Indonesia. Tracing back the impact can be seen using remote sensing data combined with GIS. The approach is incorporated with image processing to analyze the extent of shoreline changes with multi-temporal data after 12 years of tsunami. This study demonstrates multi-resolution and multi-temporal satellite images of QuickBird and IKONOS to demarcate the shoreline of Banda Aceh shoreline from before and after tsunami. The research has demonstrated a significant change to the shoreline in the form of abrasion between 2004 and 2005 from few meters to hundred meters’ change. The change between 2004 and 2011 has not returned to the previous stage of shoreline before the tsunami, considered post tsunami impact. The abrasion occurs between 18.3 to 194.93 meters. Further, the change in 2009-2011 shows slowly change of shoreline of Banda Aceh, considered without impact of tsunami e.g. abrasion caused by ocean waves that erode the coast and on specific areas accretion occurs caused by sediment carried by the river flow into the sea near the shoreline of the study area.

  7. Analysis of complete mitochondrial genomes from extinct and extant rhinoceroses reveals lack of phylogenetic resolution

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Willerslev, Eske; Gilbert, Tom; Binladen, Jonas

    2009-01-01

    BACKGROUND: The scientific literature contains many examples where DNA sequence analyses have been used to provide definitive answers to phylogenetic problems that traditional (non-DNA based) approaches alone have failed to resolve. One notable example concerns the rhinoceroses, a group for which...

  8. COMPUTER-AIDED DETECTION OF ACINAR SHADOWS IN CHEST RADIOGRAPHS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tao Xu

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Despite the technological advances in medical diagnosis, accurate detection of infectious tuberculosis (TB still poses challenges due to complex image features and thus infectious TB continues to be a public health problem of global proportions. Currently, the detection of TB is mainly conducted visually by radiologists examining chest radiographs (CXRs. To reduce the backlog of CXR examination and provide more precise quantitative assessment, computer-aided detection (CAD systems for potential lung lesions have been increasingly adopted and commercialized for clinical practice. CADs work as supporting tools to alert radiologists on suspected features that could have easily been neglected. In this paper, an effective CAD system aimed for acinar shadow regions detection in CXRs is proposed. This system exploits textural and photometric features analysis techniques which include local binary pattern (LBP, grey level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM and histogram of oriented gradients (HOG to analyze target regions in CXRs. Classification of acinar shadows using Adaboost is then deployed to verify the performance of a combination of these techniques. Comparative study in different image databases shows that the proposed CAD system delivers consistent high accuracy in detecting acinar shadows.

  9. Automated Generation of the Alaska Coastline Using High-Resolution Satellite Imagery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roth, G.; Porter, C. C.; Cloutier, M. D.; Clementz, M. E.; Reim, C.; Morin, P. J.

    2015-12-01

    Previous campaigns to map Alaska's coast at high resolution have relied on airborne, marine, or ground-based surveying and manual digitization. The coarse temporal resolution, inability to scale geographically, and high cost of field data acquisition in these campaigns is inadequate for the scale and speed of recent coastal change in Alaska. Here, we leverage the Polar Geospatial Center (PGC) archive of DigitalGlobe, Inc. satellite imagery to produce a state-wide coastline at 2 meter resolution. We first select multispectral imagery based on time and quality criteria. We then extract the near-infrared (NIR) band from each processed image, and classify each pixel as water or land with a pre-determined NIR threshold value. Processing continues with vectorizing the water-land boundary, removing extraneous data, and attaching metadata. Final coastline raster and vector products maintain the original accuracy of the orthorectified satellite data, which is often within the local tidal range. The repeat frequency of coastline production can range from 1 month to 3 years, depending on factors such as satellite capacity, cloud cover, and floating ice. Shadows from trees or structures complicate the output and merit further data cleaning. The PGC's imagery archive, unique expertise, and computing resources enabled us to map the Alaskan coastline in a few months. The DigitalGlobe archive allows us to update this coastline as new imagery is acquired, and facilitates baseline data for studies of coastal change and improvement of topographic datasets. Our results are not simply a one-time coastline, but rather a system for producing multi-temporal, automated coastlines. Workflows and tools produced with this project can be freely distributed and utilized globally. Researchers and government agencies must now consider how they can incorporate and quality-control this high-frequency, high-resolution data to meet their mapping standards and research objectives.

  10. Implementing a cumulative supermatrix approach for a comprehensive phylogenetic study of the Teloschistales (Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gaya, Ester; Högnabba, Filip; Holguin, Ángela

    2012-01-01

    The resolution of the phylogenetic relationships within the order Teloschistales (Ascomycota, lichen-forming-fungi), with nearly 2000 known species and outstanding phenotypic diversity, has been hindered by the limitation in the resolving power that single-locus or two-locus phylogenetic studies...... – the Megalosporaceae – which is sister to the mainly rock-inhabiting, cosmopolitan, and species rich Teloschistaceae, with a diversity of growth habits ranging from crustose to fruticose. Our results confirm the use of a cumulative supermatrix approach as a viable method to generate comprehensive phylogenies...

  11. Simplified Least Squares Shadowing sensitivity analysis for chaotic ODEs and PDEs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chater, Mario, E-mail: chaterm@mit.edu; Ni, Angxiu, E-mail: niangxiu@mit.edu; Wang, Qiqi, E-mail: qiqi@mit.edu

    2017-01-15

    This paper develops a variant of the Least Squares Shadowing (LSS) method, which has successfully computed the derivative for several chaotic ODEs and PDEs. The development in this paper aims to simplify Least Squares Shadowing method by improving how time dilation is treated. Instead of adding an explicit time dilation term as in the original method, the new variant uses windowing, which can be more efficient and simpler to implement, especially for PDEs.

  12. Phylogenetic turnover during subtropical forest succession across environmental and phylogenetic scales

    OpenAIRE

    Purschke, Oliver; Michalski, Stefan G.; Bruelheide, Helge; Durka, Walter

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Although spatial and temporal patterns of phylogenetic community structure during succession are inherently interlinked and assembly processes vary with environmental and phylogenetic scales, successional studies of community assembly have yet to integrate spatial and temporal components of community structure, while accounting for scaling issues. To gain insight into the processes that generate biodiversity after disturbance, we combine analyses of spatial and temporal phylogenetic ...

  13. Accurate convolution/superposition for multi-resolution dose calculation using cumulative tabulated kernels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu Weiguo; Olivera, Gustavo H; Chen Mingli; Reckwerdt, Paul J; Mackie, Thomas R

    2005-01-01

    Convolution/superposition (C/S) is regarded as the standard dose calculation method in most modern radiotherapy treatment planning systems. Different implementations of C/S could result in significantly different dose distributions. This paper addresses two major implementation issues associated with collapsed cone C/S: one is how to utilize the tabulated kernels instead of analytical parametrizations and the other is how to deal with voxel size effects. Three methods that utilize the tabulated kernels are presented in this paper. These methods differ in the effective kernels used: the differential kernel (DK), the cumulative kernel (CK) or the cumulative-cumulative kernel (CCK). They result in slightly different computation times but significantly different voxel size effects. Both simulated and real multi-resolution dose calculations are presented. For simulation tests, we use arbitrary kernels and various voxel sizes with a homogeneous phantom, and assume forward energy transportation only. Simulations with voxel size up to 1 cm show that the CCK algorithm has errors within 0.1% of the maximum gold standard dose. Real dose calculations use a heterogeneous slab phantom, both the 'broad' (5 x 5 cm 2 ) and the 'narrow' (1.2 x 1.2 cm 2 ) tomotherapy beams. Various voxel sizes (0.5 mm, 1 mm, 2 mm, 4 mm and 8 mm) are used for dose calculations. The results show that all three algorithms have negligible difference (0.1%) for the dose calculation in the fine resolution (0.5 mm voxels). But differences become significant when the voxel size increases. As for the DK or CK algorithm in the broad (narrow) beam dose calculation, the dose differences between the 0.5 mm voxels and the voxels up to 8 mm (4 mm) are around 10% (7%) of the maximum dose. As for the broad (narrow) beam dose calculation using the CCK algorithm, the dose differences between the 0.5 mm voxels and the voxels up to 8 mm (4 mm) are around 1% of the maximum dose. Among all three methods, the CCK algorithm

  14. Non Invasive 3D Characterization of Materials at Multi scale Resolution in Correlative and 4D microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lau, S.H.

    2011-01-01

    We describe a suite of novel lab-based X-ray computed tomography (CT) systems for high contrast 3D characterization of hard to soft materials with resolution across length scales. The system has similar resolution and contrast range obtained from x-ray micro and nano tomography systems in synchrotron radiation facilities, except it makes use of conventional lab sources. Samples with dimensions from several cm to several microns may be imaged non invasively at varying resolution from tens of microns to 20 nm voxel. The novel multi scale CT helps bridge the resolution, scaling and 3D visualization gap in the traditional destructive 2D imaging modalities such as optical microscopes, AFM, SEM, SEM-FIB and TEM. It provides a direct non-invasive volumetric imaging technique at the macro to nano scale, making it ideal for accurate prediction and modeling of whole systems and components. For example, using 3D visualization, segmentation and computational analysis tools, pore networks, FEA, fluid, thermal and ionic transport in various systems and materials from ceramics, geo materials, composites, metals, and coatings may be characterized and modeled. The high resolution and unique phase contrast features of the novel CTs also lend themselves very well to characterize inherently low contrast soft materials such as polymers; membranes and biological tissue or to differentiate small differences in material and mineral phases in geo material and composites. Tomography of samples may be acquired at different volume vs resolution using local tomography technique, often without sample destruction. In the emerging field of 3D correlative microscopy, these larger CT volumetric data sets can be correlated at the different length scales with conventional 2D imaging modalities. For example, after a CT scan, specimen may undergo destructive sample sectioning at specific region of interest, to obtain the corresponding 2D slices with SEM and TEM or with X-ray microanalysis derive its

  15. Discursive Shadowing in Linguistic Ethnography. Situated Practices and Circulating Discourses in Multilingual Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dewilde, Joke; Creese, Angela

    2016-01-01

    We consider discursive shadowing as methodology in linguistic ethnography and how it refines our analyses of participants' situated practices. In addition to the constant and extended company the researcher and key participant keep with one another in the field, shadowing in a linguistic ethnographic approach includes the ubiquitous…

  16. Art Therapy and Its Shadow: A Jungian Perspective on Professional Identity and Community.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bouchard, Rene R.

    1998-01-01

    Through the lens of Jungian theory of the shadow, this article identifies ways in which its dynamics and manifestations occur in the field of art therapy. Introduces experiential exercises for discovering and working with the shadow and concludes with recommendations for transforming negative dynamics into creative solutions. (Author/MKA)

  17. Automated vessel shadow segmentation of fovea-centered spectral-domain images from multiple OCT devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Jing; Gerendas, Bianca S.; Waldstein, Sebastian M.; Simader, Christian; Schmidt-Erfurth, Ursula

    2014-03-01

    Spectral-domain Optical Coherence Tomography (SD-OCT) is a non-invasive modality for acquiring high reso- lution, three-dimensional (3D) cross sectional volumetric images of the retina and the subretinal layers. SD-OCT also allows the detailed imaging of retinal pathology, aiding clinicians in the diagnosis of sight degrading diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and glaucoma.1 Disease diagnosis, assessment, and treatment requires a patient to undergo multiple OCT scans, possibly using different scanning devices, to accurately and precisely gauge disease activity, progression and treatment success. However, the use of OCT imaging devices from different vendors, combined with patient movement may result in poor scan spatial correlation, potentially leading to incorrect patient diagnosis or treatment analysis. Image registration can be used to precisely compare disease states by registering differing 3D scans to one another. In order to align 3D scans from different time- points and vendors using registration, landmarks are required, the most obvious being the retinal vasculature. Presented here is a fully automated cross-vendor method to acquire retina vessel locations for OCT registration from fovea centred 3D SD-OCT scans based on vessel shadows. Noise filtered OCT scans are flattened based on vendor retinal layer segmentation, to extract the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) layer of the retina. Voxel based layer profile analysis and k-means clustering is used to extract candidate vessel shadow regions from the RPE layer. In conjunction, the extracted RPE layers are combined to generate a projection image featuring all candidate vessel shadows. Image processing methods for vessel segmentation of the OCT constructed projection image are then applied to optimize the accuracy of OCT vessel shadow segmentation through the removal of false positive shadow regions such as those caused by exudates and cysts. Validation of segmented vessel shadows uses

  18. Estimating Outdoor Illumination Conditions Based on Detection of Dynamic Shadows

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Madsen, Claus B.; Lal, Brajesh Behari

    2013-01-01

    into the image stream to achieve realistic Augmented Reality where the shading and the shadowing of virtual objects is consistent with the real scene. Other techniques require the presence of a known object, a light probe, in the scene for estimating illumination. The technique proposed here works in general......The paper proposes a technique for estimation outdoor illumination conditions in terms of sun and sky radiances directly from pixel values of dynamic shadows detected in video sequences produved by a commercial stereo camera. The technique is applied to the rendering of virtual object...

  19. A-dependence of shadowing and the small-x EMC data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Close, F.E.; Roberts, R.G.

    1988-06-01

    We examine the gluon-interaction model for shadowing in the light of the new EMC data on nuclear structure functions. In the model, xsub(n) and xsub(A) characterise the points where shadowing begins and becomes total. Good agreement with the data occurs when xsub(n) varies with A but xsub(A) does not -conversely to the original formulation of the model. The A-dependence of xsub(n) can be described by the same dynamics that generates the A-dependence of the EMC effect at large x. (author)

  20. Method and apparatus for shadow aperture backscatter radiography (SABR) system and protocol

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shedlock, Daniel (Inventor); Jacobs, Alan M. (Inventor); Jacobs, Sharon Auerback (Inventor); Dugan, Edward (Inventor)

    2010-01-01

    A shadow aperture backscatter radiography (SABR) system includes at least one penetrating radiation source for providing a penetrating radiation field, and at least one partially transmissive radiation detector, wherein the partially transmissive radiation detector is interposed between an object region to be interrogated and the radiation source. The partially transmissive radiation detector transmits a portion of the illumination radiation field. A shadow aperture having a plurality of radiation attenuating regions having apertures therebetween is disposed between the radiation source and the detector. The apertures provide illumination regions for the illumination radiation field to reach the object region, wherein backscattered radiation from the object is detected and generates an image by the detector in regions of the detector that are shadowed by the radiation attenuation regions.

  1. Global multi-resolution terrain elevation data 2010 (GMTED2010)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Danielson, Jeffrey J.; Gesch, Dean B.

    2011-01-01

    -second DTEDRegistered level 0, the USGS and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) have collaborated to produce an enhanced replacement for GTOPO30, the Global Land One-km Base Elevation (GLOBE) model and other comparable 30-arc-second-resolution global models, using the best available data. The new model is called the Global Multi-resolution Terrain Elevation Data 2010, or GMTED2010 for short. This suite of products at three different resolutions (approximately 1,000, 500, and 250 meters) is designed to support many applications directly by providing users with generic products (for example, maximum, minimum, and median elevations) that have been derived directly from the raw input data that would not be available to the general user or would be very costly and time-consuming to produce for individual applications. The source of all the elevation data is captured in metadata for reference purposes. It is also hoped that as better data become available in the future, the GMTED2010 model will be updated.

  2. Progress in high-resolution x-ray holographic microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jacobsen, C.; Kirz, J.; Howells, M.; McQuaid, K.; Rothman, S.; Feder, R.; Sayre, D.

    1987-07-01

    Among the various types of x-ray microscopes that have been demonstrated, the holographic microscope has had the largest gap between promise and performance. The difficulties of fabricating x-ray optical elements have led some to view holography as the most attractive method for obtaining the ultimate in high resolution x-ray micrographs; however, we know of no investigations prior to 1987 that clearly demonstrated submicron resolution in reconstructed images. Previous efforts suffered from problems such as limited resolution and dynamic range in the recording media, low coherent x-ray flux, and aberrations and diffraction limits in visible light reconstruction. We have addressed the recording limitations through the use of an undulator x-ray source and high-resolution photoresist recording media. For improved results in the readout and reconstruction steps, we have employed metal shadowing and transmission electron microscopy, along with numerical reconstruction techniques. We believe that this approach will allow holography to emerge as a practical method of high-resolution x-ray microscopy. 30 refs., 4 figs

  3. Progress in high-resolution x-ray holographic microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jacobsen, C.; Kirz, J.; Howells, M.; McQuaid, K.; Rothman, S.; Feder, R.; Sayre, D.

    1987-07-01

    Among the various types of x-ray microscopes that have been demonstrated, the holographic microscope has had the largest gap between promise and performance. The difficulties of fabricating x-ray optical elements have led some to view holography as the most attractive method for obtaining the ultimate in high resolution x-ray micrographs; however, we know of no investigations prior to 1987 that clearly demonstrated submicron resolution in reconstructed images. Previous efforts suffered from problems such as limited resolution and dynamic range in the recording media, low coherent x-ray flux, and aberrations and diffraction limits in visible light reconstruction. We have addressed the recording limitations through the use of an undulator x-ray source and high-resolution photoresist recording media. For improved results in the readout and reconstruction steps, we have employed metal shadowing and transmission electron microscopy, along with numerical reconstruction techniques. We believe that this approach will allow holography to emerge as a practical method of high-resolution x-ray microscopy. 30 refs., 4 figs.

  4. Sovereign ratings in the post-crisis world : an analysis of actual, shadow and relative risk ratings

    OpenAIRE

    Basu, Kaushik; De, Supriyo; Ratha, Dilip; Timmer, Hans

    2013-01-01

    This paper analyzes the evolution of sovereign credit ratings in the wake of the global financial crisis by studying changes in actual, shadow, and relative ratings between 2008 and 2012. For countries that do not have a rating from the major rating agencies, shadow ratings are estimated as a function of macroeconomic, structural, and governance variables. The shadow rating exercise confir...

  5. Shadow mask evaporation through monolayer modified nanostencils

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kolbel, M.; Tjerkstra, R.W.; Brugger, J.P.; van Rijn, C.J.M.; Nijdam, W.; Huskens, Jurriaan; Reinhoudt, David

    2002-01-01

    Gradual clogging of the apertures of nanostencils used as miniature shadow masks in metal evaporations can be reduced by coating the stencil with self-assembled monolayers (SAM). This is quantified by the dimensions (height and volume) of gold features obtained by nanostencil evaporation as measured

  6. A novel algorithm of super-resolution image reconstruction based on multi-class dictionaries for natural scene

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Wei; Zhao, Dewei; Zhang, Huan

    2015-12-01

    Super-resolution image reconstruction is an effective method to improve the image quality. It has important research significance in the field of image processing. However, the choice of the dictionary directly affects the efficiency of image reconstruction. A sparse representation theory is introduced into the problem of the nearest neighbor selection. Based on the sparse representation of super-resolution image reconstruction method, a super-resolution image reconstruction algorithm based on multi-class dictionary is analyzed. This method avoids the redundancy problem of only training a hyper complete dictionary, and makes the sub-dictionary more representatives, and then replaces the traditional Euclidean distance computing method to improve the quality of the whole image reconstruction. In addition, the ill-posed problem is introduced into non-local self-similarity regularization. Experimental results show that the algorithm is much better results than state-of-the-art algorithm in terms of both PSNR and visual perception.

  7. Evaluation of pneumoconiosis by high-resolution CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Egashira, Kanji

    1991-01-01

    Forty-eight patients with pneumoconiosis (47 males and one female) were evaluated by high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT), which was compared with chest radiography and pulmonary function studies. HRCT was superior to chest radiography in detecting small nodular shadows. There was a good correlation between HRCT and chest radiography in evaluating nodule quantity and size. HRCT was superior to chest radiography in detecting emphysematous changes, and the difference was significant. HRCT and chest radiography were closely correlated in their evaluation of the grade of emphysema. The grade of emphysema on HRCT was negatively correlated with the number of nodules. Subpleural curvilinear shadow (SCLS) on HRCT was correlated with the grade of emphysema, but not with the number of nodules. The comparison with pulmonary function studies showed that the emphysematous change on HRCT alone was correlated with %DLCO, while SCLS was correlated with FEV 1.0 %, RV/TLC and %DLCO. HRCT of the lung is useful for complementing chest radiography and pulmonary function studies in the evaluation of pneumoconiosis. (author)

  8. The 5S rRNA loop E: chemical probing and phylogenetic data versus crystal structure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leontis, N B; Westhof, E

    1998-09-01

    A significant fraction of the bases in a folded, structured RNA molecule participate in noncanonical base pairing interactions, often in the context of internal loops or multi-helix junction loops. The appearance of each new high-resolution RNA structure provides welcome data to guide efforts to understand and predict RNA 3D structure, especially when the RNA in question is a functionally conserved molecule. The recent publication of the crystal structure of the "Loop E" region of bacterial 5S ribosomal RNA is such an event [Correll CC, Freeborn B, Moore PB, Steitz TA, 1997, Cell 91:705-712]. In addition to providing more examples of already established noncanonical base pairs, such as purine-purine sheared pairings, trans-Hoogsteen UA, and GU wobble pairs, the structure provides the first high-resolution views of two new purine-purine pairings and a new GU pairing. The goal of the present analysis is to expand the capabilities of both chemical probing and phylogenetic analysis to predict with greater accuracy the structures of RNA molecules. First, in light of existing chemical probing data, we investigate what lessons could be learned regarding the interpretation of this widely used method of RNA structure probing. Then we analyze the 3D structure with reference to molecular phylogeny data (assuming conservation of function) to discover what alternative base pairings are geometrically compatible with the structure. The comparisons between previous modeling efforts and crystal structures show that the intricate involvements of ions and water molecules in the maintenance of non-Watson-Crick pairs render the process of correctly identifying the interacting sites in such pairs treacherous, except in cases of trans-Hoogsteen A/U or sheared A/G pairs for the adenine N1 site. The phylogenetic analysis identifies A/A, A/C, A/U and C/A, C/C, and C/U pairings isosteric with sheared A/G, as well as A/A and A/C pairings isosteric with both G/U and G/G bifurcated pairings

  9. Multi-pulse shadowgraphic RGB illumination and detection for flow tracking

    Science.gov (United States)

    Menser, Jan; Schneider, Florian; Dreier, Thomas; Kaiser, Sebastian A.

    2018-06-01

    This work demonstrates the application of a multi-color LED and a consumer color camera for visualizing phase boundaries in two-phase flows, in particular for particle tracking velocimetry. The LED emits a sequence of short light pulses, red, green, then blue (RGB), and through its color-filter array, the camera captures all three pulses on a single RGB frame. In a backlit configuration, liquid droplets appear as shadows in each color channel. Color reversal and color cross-talk correction yield a series of three frozen-flow images that can be used for further analysis, e.g., determining the droplet velocity by particle tracking. Three example flows are presented, solid particles suspended in water, the penetrating front of a gasoline direct-injection spray, and the liquid break-up region of an "air-assisted" nozzle. Because of the shadowgraphic arrangement, long path lengths through scattering media lower image contrast, while visualization of phase boundaries with high resolution is a strength of this method. Apart from a pulse-and-delay generator, the overall system cost is very low.

  10. The stress shadow induced by the 1975-1984 Krafla rifting episode

    KAUST Repository

    Maccaferri, F.

    2013-03-01

    It has been posited that the 1975–1984 Krafla rifting episode in northern Iceland was responsible for a significant drop in the rate of earthquakes along the Húsavík-Flatey Fault (HFF), a transform fault that had previously been the source of several magnitude 6–7 earthquakes. This compelling case of the existence of a stress shadow has never been studied in detail, and the implications of such a stress shadow remain an open question. According to rate-state models, intense stress shadows cause tens of years of low seismicity rate followed by a faster recovery phase of rate increase. Here, we compare the long-term predictions from a Coulomb stress model of the rifting episode with seismological observations from the SIL catalog (1995–2011) in northern Iceland. In the analyzed time frame, we find that the rift-induced stress shadow coincides with the eastern half of the fault where the observed seismicity rates are found to be significantly lower than expected, given the historical earthquake activity there. We also find that the seismicity rates on the central part of the HFF increased significantly in the last 17 years, with the seismicity progressively recovering from west to east. Our observations confirm that rate-state theory successfully describes the long-term seismic rate variation during the reloading phase of a fault invested by a negative Coulomb stress. Coincident with this recovery, we find that the b-value of the frequency-magnitude distribution changed significantly over time. We conclude that the rift-induced stress shadow not only decreased the seismic rate on the eastern part of the HFF but also temporarily modified how the system releases seismic energy, with more large magnitude events in proportion to small ones. This behavior is currently being overturned, as rift-induced locking is now being compensated by tectonic forcing.

  11. The stress shadow induced by the 1975-1984 Krafla rifting episode

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maccaferri, F.; Rivalta, E.; Passarelli, L.; Jónsson, S.

    2013-03-01

    It has been posited that the 1975-1984 Krafla rifting episode in northern Iceland was responsible for a significant drop in the rate of earthquakes along the Húsavík-Flatey Fault (HFF), a transform fault that had previously been the source of several magnitude 6-7 earthquakes. This compelling case of the existence of a stress shadow has never been studied in detail, and the implications of such a stress shadow remain an open question. According to rate-state models, intense stress shadows cause tens of years of low seismicity rate followed by a faster recovery phase of rate increase. Here, we compare the long-term predictions from a Coulomb stress model of the rifting episode with seismological observations from the SIL catalog (1995-2011) in northern Iceland. In the analyzed time frame, we find that the rift-induced stress shadow coincides with the eastern half of the fault where the observed seismicity rates are found to be significantly lower than expected, given the historical earthquake activity there. We also find that the seismicity rates on the central part of the HFF increased significantly in the last 17 years, with the seismicity progressively recovering from west to east. Our observations confirm that rate-state theory successfully describes the long-term seismic rate variation during the reloading phase of a fault invested by a negative Coulomb stress. Coincident with this recovery, we find that the b-value of the frequency-magnitude distribution changed significantly over time. We conclude that the rift-induced stress shadow not only decreased the seismic rate on the eastern part of the HFF but also temporarily modified how the system releases seismic energy, with more large magnitude events in proportion to small ones. This behavior is currently being overturned, as rift-induced locking is now being compensated by tectonic forcing.

  12. Wake models developed during the Wind Shadow project

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Larsen, S.; Ott, S.; Pena, A.; Berg, J.; Nielsen, M.; Rathmann, O.; Joergensen, H.

    2011-11-15

    The Wind Shadow project has developed and validated improved models for determining the wakes losses, and thereby the array efficiency of very large, closely packed wind farms. The rationale behind the project has been that the existing software has been covering these types of wind farms poorly, both with respect to the densely packed turbines and the large fetches needed to describe the collective shadow effects of one farm to the next. Further the project has developed the necessary software for the use of the models. Guidelines with recommendations for the use of the models are included in the model deliverables. The project has been carried out as a collaborative project between Risoe DTU, DONG, Vattenfall, DNV and VESTAS, and it has been financed by energinet.dk grant no. 10086. (Author)

  13. Long-term nitrogen addition affects the phylogenetic turnover of soil microbial community responding to moisture pulse.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Chi; Yao, Minjie; Stegen, James C; Rui, Junpeng; Li, Jiabao; Li, Xiangzhen

    2017-12-13

    How press disturbance (long-term) influences the phylogenetic turnover of soil microbial communities responding to pulse disturbances (short-term) is not fully known. Understanding the complex connections between the history of environmental conditions, assembly processes and microbial community dynamics is necessary to predict microbial response to perturbation. We started by investigating phylogenetic spatial turnover (based on DNA) of soil prokaryotic communities after long-term nitrogen (N) deposition and temporal turnover (based on RNA) of communities responding to pulse by conducting short-term rewetting experiments. The results showed that moderate N addition increased ecological stochasticity and phylogenetic diversity. In contrast, high N addition slightly increased homogeneous selection and decreased phylogenetic diversity. Examining the system with higher phylogenetic resolution revealed a moderate contribution of variable selection across the whole N gradient. The moisture pulse experiment showed that high N soils had higher rates of phylogenetic turnover across short phylogenetic distances and significant changes in community compositions through time. Long-term N input history influenced spatial turnover of microbial communities, but the dominant community assembly mechanisms differed across different N deposition gradients. We further revealed an interaction between press and pulse disturbances whereby deterministic processes were particularly important following pulse disturbances in high N soils.

  14. An Attempt to Measure the Trends in Shadow Employment in Poland : The Transition Probabilities out and into Shadow Employment Using the LFS Data Augmented by the Results of a Dedicated Survey Performed by CASE in 2007

    OpenAIRE

    Walewski, Mateusz

    2011-01-01

    This paper presents the results of an attempt to use the combined results of the dedicated survey performed by CASE in 2007 and Polish LFS data in order to: (a) analyze the development of the shadow employment in Poland in years 2003-2008 and, (b) analyze the transition probabilities in and out of shadow employment. The estimated share of shadow workers in total employment in Poland in yea...

  15. Spatial resolution recovery utilizing multi-ray tracing and graphic processing unit in PET image reconstruction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liang, Yicheng; Peng, Hao

    2015-01-01

    Depth-of-interaction (DOI) poses a major challenge for a PET system to achieve uniform spatial resolution across the field-of-view, particularly for small animal and organ-dedicated PET systems. In this work, we implemented an analytical method to model system matrix for resolution recovery, which was then incorporated in PET image reconstruction on a graphical processing unit platform, due to its parallel processing capacity. The method utilizes the concepts of virtual DOI layers and multi-ray tracing to calculate the coincidence detection response function for a given line-of-response. The accuracy of the proposed method was validated for a small-bore PET insert to be used for simultaneous PET/MR breast imaging. In addition, the performance comparisons were studied among the following three cases: 1) no physical DOI and no resolution modeling; 2) two physical DOI layers and no resolution modeling; and 3) no physical DOI design but with a different number of virtual DOI layers. The image quality was quantitatively evaluated in terms of spatial resolution (full-width-half-maximum and position offset), contrast recovery coefficient and noise. The results indicate that the proposed method has the potential to be used as an alternative to other physical DOI designs and achieve comparable imaging performances, while reducing detector/system design cost and complexity. (paper)

  16. Orientation with a Viking sun-compass, a shadow-stick, and two calcite sunstones under various weather conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bernáth, Balázs; Blahó, Miklós; Egri, Adám; Barta, András; Kriska, György; Horváth, Gábor

    2013-09-01

    It is widely accepted that Vikings used sun-compasses to derive true directions from the cast shadow of a gnomon. It has been hypothesized that when a cast shadow was not formed, Viking navigators relied on crude skylight polarimetry with the aid of dichroic or birefringent crystals, called "sunstones." We demonstrate here that a simple tool, that we call "shadow-stick," could have allowed orientation by a sun-compass with satisfying accuracy when shadows were not formed, but the sun position could have reliably been estimated. In field tests, we performed orientation trials with a set composed of a sun-compass, two calcite sunstones, and a shadow-stick. We show here that such a set could have been an effective orientation tool for Vikings only when clear, blue patches of the sky were visible.

  17. Bamboo mapping of Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda for the year 2016 using multi-temporal Landsat imagery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Yuanyuan; Feng, Duole; Jayaraman, Durai; Belay, Daniel; Sebrala, Heiru; Ngugi, John; Maina, Eunice; Akombo, Rose; Otuoma, John; Mutyaba, Joseph; Kissa, Sam; Qi, Shuhua; Assefa, Fiker; Oduor, Nellie Mugure; Ndawula, Andrew Kalema; Li, Yanxia; Gong, Peng

    2018-04-01

    Mapping the spatial distribution of bamboo in East Africa is necessary for biodiversity conservation, resource management and policy making for rural poverty reduction. In this study, we produced a contemporary bamboo cover map of Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda for the year 2016 using multi-temporal Landsat imagery series at 30 m spatial resolution. This is the first bamboo map generated using remotely sensed data for these three East African countries that possess most of the African bamboo resource. The producer's and user's accuracies of bamboos are 79.2% and 84.0%, respectively. The hotspots with large amounts of bamboo were identified and the area of bamboo coverage for each region was estimated according to the map. The seasonal growth status of two typical bamboo zones (one highland bamboo and one lowland bamboo) were analyzed and the multi-temporal imagery proved to be useful in differentiating bamboo from other vegetation classes. The images acquired in September to February are less contaminated by clouds and shadows, and the image series cover the dying back process of lowland bamboo, which were helpful for bamboo identification in East Africa.

  18. Intuitive optics: what great apes infer from mirrors and shadows.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Völter, Christoph J; Call, Josep

    2018-05-02

    There is ongoing debate about the extent to which nonhuman animals, like humans, can go beyond first-order perceptual information to abstract structural information from their environment. To provide more empirical evidence regarding this question, we examined what type of information great apes (chimpanzees, bonobos, and orangutans) gain from optical effects such as shadows and mirror images. In an initial experiment, we investigated whether apes would use mirror images and shadows to locate hidden food. We found that all examined ape species used these cues to find the food. Follow-up experiments showed that apes neither confused these optical effects with the food rewards nor did they merely associate cues with food. First, naïve chimpanzees used the shadow of the hidden food to locate it but they did not learn within the same number of trials to use a perceptually similar rubber patch as indicator of the hidden food reward. Second, apes made use of the mirror images to estimate the distance of the hidden food from their own body. Depending on the distance, apes either pointed into the direction of the food or tried to access the hidden food directly. Third, apes showed some sensitivity to the geometrical relation between mirror orientation and mirrored objects when searching hidden food. Fourth, apes tended to interpret mirror images and pictures of these mirror images differently depending on their prior knowledge. Together, these findings suggest that apes are sensitive to the optical relation between mirror images and shadows and their physical referents.

  19. Geo-oculus: high resolution multi-spectral earth imaging mission from geostationary orbit

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vaillon, L.; Schull, U.; Knigge, T.; Bevillon, C.

    2017-11-01

    Geo-Oculus is a GEO-based Earth observation mission studied by Astrium for ESA in 2008-2009 to complement the Sentinel missions, the space component of the GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment & Security). Indeed Earth imaging from geostationary orbit offers new functionalities not covered by existing LEO observation missions, like real-time monitoring and fast revisit capability of any location within the huge area in visibility of the satellite. This high revisit capability is exploited by the Meteosat meteorogical satellites, but with a spatial resolution (500 m nadir for the third generation) far from most of GMES needs (10 to 100 m). To reach such ground resolution from GEO orbit with adequate image quality, large aperture instruments (> 1 m) and high pointing stability (challenges of such missions. To address the requirements from the GMES user community, the Geo-Oculus mission is a combination of routine observations (daily systematic coverage of European coastal waters) with "on-demand" observation for event monitoring (e.g. disasters, fires and oil slicks). The instrument is a large aperture imaging telescope (1.5 m diameter) offering a nadir spatial sampling of 10.5 m (21 m worst case over Europe, below 52.5°N) in a PAN visible channel used for disaster monitoring. The 22 multi-spectral channels have resolutions over Europe ranging from 40 m in UV/VNIR (0.3 to 1 μm) to 750 m in TIR (10-12 μm).

  20. Degree counting and Shadow system for Toda system of rank two: One bubbling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Youngae; Lin, Chang-Shou; Wei, Juncheng; Yang, Wen

    2018-04-01

    We initiate the program for computing the Leray-Schauder topological degree for Toda systems of rank two. This program still contains a lot of challenging problems for analysts. As the first step, we prove that if a sequence of solutions (u1k ,u2k) blows up, then one of hje ujk/∫Mhje ujk dvg, j = 1 , 2 tends to a sum of Dirac measures. This is so-called the phenomena of weak concentration. Our purposes in this article are (i) to introduce the shadow system due to the bubbling phenomena when one of parameters ρi crosses 4π and ρj ∉ 4 πN where 1 ≤ i ≠ j ≤ 2; (ii) to show how to calculate the topological degree of Toda systems by computing the topological degree of the general shadow systems; (iii) to calculate the topological degree of the shadow system for one point blow up. We believe that the degree counting formula for the shadow system would be useful in other problems.

  1. Least Squares Shadowing Sensitivity Analysis of Chaotic Flow Around a Two-Dimensional Airfoil

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blonigan, Patrick J.; Wang, Qiqi; Nielsen, Eric J.; Diskin, Boris

    2016-01-01

    Gradient-based sensitivity analysis has proven to be an enabling technology for many applications, including design of aerospace vehicles. However, conventional sensitivity analysis methods break down when applied to long-time averages of chaotic systems. This breakdown is a serious limitation because many aerospace applications involve physical phenomena that exhibit chaotic dynamics, most notably high-resolution large-eddy and direct numerical simulations of turbulent aerodynamic flows. A recently proposed methodology, Least Squares Shadowing (LSS), avoids this breakdown and advances the state of the art in sensitivity analysis for chaotic flows. The first application of LSS to a chaotic flow simulated with a large-scale computational fluid dynamics solver is presented. The LSS sensitivity computed for this chaotic flow is verified and shown to be accurate, but the computational cost of the current LSS implementation is high.

  2. USING A MICRO-UAV FOR ULTRA-HIGH RESOLUTION MULTI-SENSOR OBSERVATIONS OF ANTARCTIC MOSS BEDS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Lucieer

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available This study is the first to use an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV for mapping moss beds in Antarctica. Mosses can be used as indicators for the regional effects of climate change. Mapping and monitoring their extent and health is therefore important. UAV aerial photography provides ultra-high resolution spatial data for this purpose. We developed a technique to extract an extremely dense 3D point cloud from overlapping UAV aerial photography based on structure from motion (SfM algorithms. The combination of SfM and patch-based multi-view stereo image vision algorithms resulted in a 2 cm resolution digital terrain model (DTM. This detailed topographic information combined with vegetation indices derived from a 6-band multispectral sensor enabled the assessment of moss bed health. This novel UAV system has allowed us to map different environmental characteristics of the moss beds at ultra-high resolution providing us with a better understanding of these fragile Antarctic ecosystems. The paper provides details on the different UAV instruments and the image processing framework resulting in DEMs, vegetation indices, and terrain derivatives.

  3. SHADOWS CAST BY A WARP IN THE HD 142527 PROTOPLANETARY DISK

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Marino, S.; Perez, S.; Casassus, S., E-mail: smarino@das.uchile.cl [Departamento de Astronomía, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 36-D Santiago (Chile)

    2015-01-10

    Detailed observations of gaps in protoplanetary disks have revealed structures that drive current research on circumstellar disks. One such feature is the two intensity nulls seen along the outer disk of the HD 142527 system, which are particularly well traced in polarized differential imaging. Here we propose that these are shadows cast by the inner disk. The inner and outer disk are thick, in terms of the unit-opacity surface in the H band, so that the shape and orientation of the shadows inform on the three-dimensional structure of the system. Radiative transfer predictions on a parametric disk model allow us to conclude that the relative inclination between the inner and outer disks is 70° ± 5°. This finding taps the potential of high-contrast imaging of circumstellar disks, and bears consequences on the gas dynamics of gapped disks, as well as on the physical conditions in the shadowed regions.

  4. Precise Multi-Spectral Dermatological Imaging

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gomez, David Delgado; Carstensen, Jens Michael; Ersbøll, Bjarne Kjær

    2004-01-01

    In this work, an integrated imaging system to obtain accurate and reproducible multi-spectral dermatological images is proposed. The system is made up of an integrating sphere, light emitting diodes and a generic monochromatic camera. The system can collect up to 10 different spectral bands....... These spectral bands vary from ultraviolet to near infrared. The welldefined and diffuse illumination of the optically closed scene aims to avoid shadows and specular reflections. Furthermore, the system has been developed to guarantee the reproducibility of the collected images. This allows for comparative...

  5. Untangling hybrid phylogenetic signals: horizontal gene transfer and artifacts of phylogenetic reconstruction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beiko, Robert G; Ragan, Mark A

    2009-01-01

    Phylogenomic methods can be used to investigate the tangled evolutionary relationships among genomes. Building 'all the trees of all the genes' can potentially identify common pathways of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) among taxa at varying levels of phylogenetic depth. Phylogenetic affinities can be aggregated and merged with the information about genetic linkage and biochemical function to examine hypotheses of adaptive evolution via HGT. Additionally, the use of many genetic data sets increases the power of statistical tests for phylogenetic artifacts. However, large-scale phylogenetic analyses pose several challenges, including the necessary abandonment of manual validation techniques, the need to translate inferred phylogenetic discordance into inferred HGT events, and the challenges involved in aggregating results from search-based inference methods. In this chapter we describe a tree search procedure to recover the most parsimonious pathways of HGT, and examine some of the assumptions that are made by this method.

  6. The shadow price of CO2 emissions in China's iron and steel industry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Ke; Che, Linan; Ma, Chunbo; Wei, Yi-Ming

    2017-11-15

    As China becomes the world's largest energy consumer and CO 2 emitter, there has been a rapidly emerging literature on estimating China's abatement cost for CO 2 using a distance function approach. However, the existing studies have mostly focused on the cost estimates at macro levels (provinces or industries) with few examining firm-level abatement costs. No work has attempted to estimate the abatement cost of CO 2 emissions in the iron and steel industry. Although some have argued that the directional distance function (DDF) is more appropriate in the presence of bad output under regulation, the choice of directions is largely arbitrary. This study provides the most up-to-date estimate of the shadow price of CO 2 using a unique dataset of China's major iron and steel enterprises in 2014. The paper uses output quadratic DDF and investigates the impact of using different directional vectors representing different carbon mitigation strategies. The results show that the mean CO 2 shadow price of China's iron and steel enterprises is very sensitive to the choice of direction vectors. The average shadow prices of CO 2 are 407, 1226 and 6058Yuan/tonne respectively for the three different direction vectors. We also find substantial heterogeneity in the shadow prices of CO 2 emissions among China's major iron and steel enterprises. Larger, listed enterprises are found to be associated lower CO 2 shadow prices than smaller, unlisted enterprises. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Leading twist nuclear shadowing, nuclear generalized parton distributions and nuclear DVCS at small x

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Guzey, Vadim; Goeke, Klaus; Siddikov, Marat

    2009-01-01

    We generalize the leading twist theory of nuclear shadowing and calculate quark and gluon generalized parton distributions (GPDs) of spinless nuclei. We predict very large nuclear shadowing for nuclear GPDs. In the limit of the purely transverse momentum transfer, our nuclear GPDs become impact parameter dependent nuclear parton distributions (PDFs). Nuclear shadowing induces non-trivial correlations between the impact parameter $b$ and the light-cone fraction $x$. We make predictions for the deeply virtual Compton scattering (DVCS) amplitude and the DVCS cross section on $^{208}$Pb at high energies. We calculate the cross section of the Bethe-Heitler (BH) process and address the issue of the extraction of the DVCS signal from the $e A \\to e \\gamma A$ cross section. We find that the $e A \\to e \\gamma A$ differential cross section is dominated by DVCS at the momentum transfer $t$ near the minima of the nuclear form factor. We also find that nuclear shadowing leads

  8. Shadow corrosion phenomenon. An out-of-pile study on electrochemical effects

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Weber, Nadine

    2017-04-28

    The focus of the present thesis was the study of the enhanced corrosion phenomenon named ''Shadow Corrosion''. Within the context of researching based on the corrosion mechanism as well as the influencing parameters and driving forces, which cause or even intensify the corrosion, a variety of electrochemical characterization and surface analysis techniques were used. The first part of this thesis gives a short introduction with the definition of the term Shadow Corrosion and of the specific type called ''Enhanced Spacer Shadow Corrosion'' (ESSC). This is followed by a description of the involved materials being Zircaloy and Inconel 718. Chapter 2 introduces the background knowledge including fundamentals about environ-mental conditions under which Shadow Corrosion occurs as well as the oxidation behavior of Zircaloy and Inconel 718. Furthermore, the state of the art about the Shadow Corrosion mechanism is presented and a description of the influencing effects on the enhanced corrosion phenomenon, like galvanic corrosion, water radiolysis, and photo-effect, is given. Further information and parameters on the part of AREVA GmbH concerning water impurities and a used coating layer on Inconel 718 are listed, which are of interest for the issue concerning the phenomenon Shadow Corrosion. The last part of this chapter contains the experimental conditions and parameters for the laboratory experiments with focus on water chemistry, specimen geometry, and UV-light exposure for photoexcitation and water radiolysis. Three different working hypotheses of this thesis are described in chapter 3. One hypothesis regarding the Shadow Corrosion Phenomenon is based on a galvanic corrosion mechanism between Zircaloy and Inconel 718. In addition, it is supposed that the galvanic corrosion could be influenced by the deposition of silver on Zircaloy and Inconel 718 in the form of an increased galvanic current. A further assumption is that the

  9. Shadow corrosion phenomenon. An out-of-pile study on electrochemical effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weber, Nadine

    2017-01-01

    The focus of the present thesis was the study of the enhanced corrosion phenomenon named ''Shadow Corrosion''. Within the context of researching based on the corrosion mechanism as well as the influencing parameters and driving forces, which cause or even intensify the corrosion, a variety of electrochemical characterization and surface analysis techniques were used. The first part of this thesis gives a short introduction with the definition of the term Shadow Corrosion and of the specific type called ''Enhanced Spacer Shadow Corrosion'' (ESSC). This is followed by a description of the involved materials being Zircaloy and Inconel 718. Chapter 2 introduces the background knowledge including fundamentals about environ-mental conditions under which Shadow Corrosion occurs as well as the oxidation behavior of Zircaloy and Inconel 718. Furthermore, the state of the art about the Shadow Corrosion mechanism is presented and a description of the influencing effects on the enhanced corrosion phenomenon, like galvanic corrosion, water radiolysis, and photo-effect, is given. Further information and parameters on the part of AREVA GmbH concerning water impurities and a used coating layer on Inconel 718 are listed, which are of interest for the issue concerning the phenomenon Shadow Corrosion. The last part of this chapter contains the experimental conditions and parameters for the laboratory experiments with focus on water chemistry, specimen geometry, and UV-light exposure for photoexcitation and water radiolysis. Three different working hypotheses of this thesis are described in chapter 3. One hypothesis regarding the Shadow Corrosion Phenomenon is based on a galvanic corrosion mechanism between Zircaloy and Inconel 718. In addition, it is supposed that the galvanic corrosion could be influenced by the deposition of silver on Zircaloy and Inconel 718 in the form of an increased galvanic current. A further assumption is that the galvanic current could be decreased by a Cr

  10. Advanced dexterous manipulation for IED defeat : report on the feasibility of using the ShadowHand for remote operations.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Anderson, Robert J.

    2011-01-01

    Improvised Explosive Device (IED) defeat (IEDD) operations can involve intricate operations that exceed the current capabilities of the grippers on board current bombsquad robots. The Shadow Dexterous Hand from the Shadow Robot Company or 'ShadowHand' for short (www.shadowrobot.com) is the first commercially available robot hand that realistically replicates the motion, degrees-of-freedom and dimensions of a human hand (Figure 1). In this study we evaluate the potential for the ShadowHand to perform potential IED defeat tasks on a mobile platform.

  11. Shadow fields and local supersymmetric gauges

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baulieu, L.; Bossard, G.; Sorella, S.P.

    2006-01-01

    To control supersymmetry and gauge invariance in super-Yang-Mills theories we introduce new fields, called shadow fields, which enable us to enlarge the conventional Faddeev-Popov framework and write down a set of useful Slavnov-Taylor identities. These identities allow us to address and answer the issue of the supersymmetric Yang-Mills anomalies, and to perform the conventional renormalization programme in a fully regularization-independent way

  12. A comparison of multi-spectral, multi-angular, and multi-temporal remote sensing datasets for fractional shrub canopy mapping in Arctic Alaska

    Science.gov (United States)

    Selkowitz, D.J.

    2010-01-01

    Shrub cover appears to be increasing across many areas of the Arctic tundra biome, and increasing shrub cover in the Arctic has the potential to significantly impact global carbon budgets and the global climate system. For most of the Arctic, however, there is no existing baseline inventory of shrub canopy cover, as existing maps of Arctic vegetation provide little information about the density of shrub cover at a moderate spatial resolution across the region. Remotely-sensed fractional shrub canopy maps can provide this necessary baseline inventory of shrub cover. In this study, we compare the accuracy of fractional shrub canopy (> 0.5 m tall) maps derived from multi-spectral, multi-angular, and multi-temporal datasets from Landsat imagery at 30 m spatial resolution, Moderate Resolution Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MODIS) imagery at 250 m and 500 m spatial resolution, and MultiAngle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) imagery at 275 m spatial resolution for a 1067 km2 study area in Arctic Alaska. The study area is centered at 69 ??N, ranges in elevation from 130 to 770 m, is composed primarily of rolling topography with gentle slopes less than 10??, and is free of glaciers and perennial snow cover. Shrubs > 0.5 m in height cover 2.9% of the study area and are primarily confined to patches associated with specific landscape features. Reference fractional shrub canopy is determined from in situ shrub canopy measurements and a high spatial resolution IKONOS image swath. Regression tree models are constructed to estimate fractional canopy cover at 250 m using different combinations of input data from Landsat, MODIS, and MISR. Results indicate that multi-spectral data provide substantially more accurate estimates of fractional shrub canopy cover than multi-angular or multi-temporal data. Higher spatial resolution datasets also provide more accurate estimates of fractional shrub canopy cover (aggregated to moderate spatial resolutions) than lower spatial resolution datasets

  13. A Concept of Multi-Mode High Spectral Resolution Lidar Using Mach-Zehnder Interferometer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jin Yoshitaka

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we present the design of a High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL using a laser that oscillates in a multi-longitudinal mode. Rayleigh and Mie scattering components are separated using a Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI with the same free spectral range (FSR as the transmitted laser. The transmitted laser light is measured as a reference signal with the same MZI. By scanning the MZI periodically with a scanning range equal to the mode spacing, we can identify the maximum Mie and the maximum Rayleigh signals using the reference signal. The cross talk due to the spectral width of each laser mode can also be estimated.

  14. Decompositions of bubbly flow PIV velocity fields using discrete wavelets multi-resolution and multi-section image method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Je-Eun; Takei, Masahiro; Doh, Deog-Hee; Jo, Hyo-Jae; Hassan, Yassin A.; Ortiz-Villafuerte, Javier

    2008-01-01

    Currently, wavelet transforms are widely used for the analyses of particle image velocimetry (PIV) velocity vector fields. This is because the wavelet provides not only spatial information of the velocity vectors, but also of the time and frequency domains. In this study, a discrete wavelet transform is applied to real PIV images of bubbly flows. The vector fields obtained by a self-made cross-correlation PIV algorithm were used for the discrete wavelet transform. The performances of the discrete wavelet transforms were investigated by changing the level of power of discretization. The images decomposed by wavelet multi-resolution showed conspicuous characteristics of the bubbly flows for the different levels. A high spatial bubble concentrated area could be evaluated by the constructed discrete wavelet transform algorithm, in which high-leveled wavelets play dominant roles in revealing the flow characteristics

  15. The Effect of Shadow Economy – Country'S Tax Losses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jolita Krumplytė

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available The article analyzes the content of shadow economy through the prism of the tax administration. The author provides the limitations of the study and methodologically based relationship between the shadow economy and the tax revenue not to be received to the national consolidate budget. Country’s tax losses (tax gap is the amount of the tax revenue that is not received to the country's consolidated budget in the tax non-payment effects: tax avoidance and tax evasion. Tax losses (tax gap is treated as the difference between the amount of potential taxes and contributions that could be collected if the taxpayers correctly calculated and paid on time in accordance with the provisions of the legislation and actually paid taxes and contributions.Article in Lithuanian

  16. Policy measure for creating an integrated and brand-focused regional innovation system in tourism in a shadow destination:

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brambini, Annalisa; Vang, Jan

    2013-01-01

    -located places. Based on regional innovation systems and place branding research the paper develops policy measures adapted to the specific challenges a shadow destination faces. Empirically, the appropriateness of the policy measures is demonstrated through applying it to a paradigmatic shadow destination......Tourism has often been hyped as an engine of regional growth and development but often failed to deliver the expected results. This is especially the case in shadow destinations. The concept of a shadow destination refers to a region whose relative attractioness is significantly lower than co...

  17. A Multi-Resolution Spatial Model for Large Datasets Based on the Skew-t Distribution

    KAUST Repository

    Tagle, Felipe

    2017-12-06

    Large, non-Gaussian spatial datasets pose a considerable modeling challenge as the dependence structure implied by the model needs to be captured at different scales, while retaining feasible inference. Skew-normal and skew-t distributions have only recently begun to appear in the spatial statistics literature, without much consideration, however, for the ability to capture dependence at multiple resolutions, and simultaneously achieve feasible inference for increasingly large data sets. This article presents the first multi-resolution spatial model inspired by the skew-t distribution, where a large-scale effect follows a multivariate normal distribution and the fine-scale effects follow a multivariate skew-normal distributions. The resulting marginal distribution for each region is skew-t, thereby allowing for greater flexibility in capturing skewness and heavy tails characterizing many environmental datasets. Likelihood-based inference is performed using a Monte Carlo EM algorithm. The model is applied as a stochastic generator of daily wind speeds over Saudi Arabia.

  18. Urban Area Extent Extraction in Spaceborne HR and VHR Data Using Multi-Resolution Features

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gianni Cristian Iannelli

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Detection of urban area extents by means of remotely sensed data is a difficult task, especially because of the multiple, diverse definitions of what an “urban area” is. The models of urban areas listed in technical literature are based on the combination of spectral information with spatial patterns, possibly at different spatial resolutions. Starting from the same data set, “urban area” extraction may thus lead to multiple outputs. If this is done in a well-structured framework, however, this may be considered as an advantage rather than an issue. This paper proposes a novel framework for urban area extent extraction from multispectral Earth Observation (EO data. The key is to compute and combine spectral and multi-scale spatial features. By selecting the most adequate features, and combining them with proper logical rules, the approach allows matching multiple urban area models. Experimental results for different locations in Brazil and Kenya using High-Resolution (HR data prove the usefulness and flexibility of the framework.

  19. Further explorations of cosmogonic shadow effects in the Saturnian rings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alfven, H.; Axnaes, I.; Brenning, N.; Lindqvist, P.A.

    1985-01-01

    The mass distribution in the Saturnian ring system is investigated and compared with predictions from the cosmogonic theory by Alfven and Arrhenius. According to this theory, the matter in the rings has once been in the form of a magnetized plasma, in which the gravitation is balanced partly by the centrifugal force and partly by the magnetic field. As the plasma is neutralized, the magnetic force disappears and the matter can be shown to fall in to a distance 2/3 of the original. This gives cause to the so called 'cosmogonic shadow effect', which has been demonstrated earlier for the astroidal belt and in the large scale structure of the Saturnian ring system. The relevance of the cosmogonic shadow effect is investigated for parts of the finer structures of the Saturnian ring system. It is shown that many structures of the present ring system can be understood as shadows and antishadows of cosmogonic origin. These appear in the form of double rings centered around a position a factor 0.64 (slightly less than 2/3) closer to Saturn than the causing feature. (author)

  20. Nonbinary Tree-Based Phylogenetic Networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jetten, Laura; van Iersel, Leo

    2018-01-01

    Rooted phylogenetic networks are used to describe evolutionary histories that contain non-treelike evolutionary events such as hybridization and horizontal gene transfer. In some cases, such histories can be described by a phylogenetic base-tree with additional linking arcs, which can, for example, represent gene transfer events. Such phylogenetic networks are called tree-based. Here, we consider two possible generalizations of this concept to nonbinary networks, which we call tree-based and strictly-tree-based nonbinary phylogenetic networks. We give simple graph-theoretic characterizations of tree-based and strictly-tree-based nonbinary phylogenetic networks. Moreover, we show for each of these two classes that it can be decided in polynomial time whether a given network is contained in the class. Our approach also provides a new view on tree-based binary phylogenetic networks. Finally, we discuss two examples of nonbinary phylogenetic networks in biology and show how our results can be applied to them.

  1. Quasielastic high-resolution time-of-flight spectrometers employing multi-disk chopper cascades for spallation sources

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lechner, R.E.

    2001-01-01

    The design of multi-disk chopper time-of-flight (MTOF) spectrometers for high-resolution quasielastic and low-energy inelastic neutron scattering at spallation sources is discussed in some detail. A continuously variable energy resolution (1 μeV to 10 meV), and a large dynamic range (1 μeV to 100 meV), are outstanding features of this type of instrument, which are easily achieved also at a pulsed source using state-of-the-art technology. The method of intensity-resolution optimization of MTOF spectrometers at spallation sources is treated on the basis of the requirement of using (almost) 'all the neutrons of the pulse', taking into account the constant, but wavelength-dependent duration of the source pulse. It follows, that the optimization procedure (which is slightly different from that employed in the steady-state source case) should give priority to the highest resolution, whenever such a choice becomes necessary. This leads to long monochromator distances (L l2 ) of the order of 50 m, for achieving resolutions now available at reactor sources. A few examples of spectrometer layout and corresponding design parameters for large-angle and for small-angle quasielastic scattering instruments are given. In the latter case higher energy resolution than for large-angle scattering is required and achieved. The use of phase-space transformers, neutron wavelength band-pass filters and multichromatic operation for the purpose of intensity-resolution optimization are discussed. This spectrometer can be designed to make full use of the pulsed source peak flux. Therefore, and because of a number of improvements, high resolution will be available at high intensity: for any given resolution the total intensity at the detectors, when placed at one of the planned new spallation sources (SNS, JSNS, ESS, AUSTRON) will be larger by at least three orders of magnitude than the total intensity of any of the presently existing instruments of this type in routine operation at steady

  2. Medium Access Control for Opportunistic Concurrent Transmissions under Shadowing Channels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seung Min Hur

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available We study the problem of how to alleviate the exposed terminal effect in multihop wireless networks in the presence of log-normal shadowing channels. Assuming node location information, we propose an extension of the IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol that schedules concurrent transmissions in the presence of log-normal shadowing, thus mitigating the exposed terminal problem and improving network throughput and delay performance. We observe considerable improvements in throughput and delay achieved over the IEEE 802.11 MAC under various network topologies and channel conditions in ns-2 simulations, which justify the importance of considering channel randomness in MAC protocol design for multihop wireless networks.

  3. Cracking ShadowCrypt: Exploring the Limitations of Secure I/O Systems in Internet Browsers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Freyberger Michael

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available An important line of privacy research is investigating the design of systems for secure input and output (I/O within Internet browsers. These systems would allow for users’ information to be encrypted and decrypted by the browser, and the specific web applications will only have access to the users’ information in encrypted form. The state-of-the-art approach for a secure I/O system within Internet browsers is a system called ShadowCrypt created by UC Berkeley researchers [23]. This paper will explore the limitations of ShadowCrypt in order to provide a foundation for the general principles that must be followed when designing a secure I/O system within Internet browsers. First, we developed a comprehensive UI attack that cannot be mitigated with popular UI defenses, and tested the efficacy of the attack through a user study administered on Amazon Mechanical Turk. Only 1 of the 59 participants who were under attack successfully noticed the UI attack, which validates the stealthiness of the attack. Second, we present multiple attack vectors against Shadow-Crypt that do not rely upon UI deception. These attack vectors expose the privacy weaknesses of Shadow DOM—the key browser primitive leveraged by ShadowCrypt. Finally, we present a sketch of potential countermeasures that can enable the design of future secure I/O systems within Internet browsers.

  4. Phylogenetic analyses of Vitis (Vitaceae) based on complete chloroplast genome sequences: effects of taxon sampling and phylogenetic methods on resolving relationships among rosids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jansen, Robert K; Kaittanis, Charalambos; Saski, Christopher; Lee, Seung-Bum; Tomkins, Jeffrey; Alverson, Andrew J; Daniell, Henry

    2006-04-09

    Cucumis as sister to the Myrtales and therefore do not support the monophyly of the eurosid I clade. Phylogenies based on DNA sequences from complete chloroplast genome sequences provide strong support for the position of the Vitaceae as the earliest diverging lineage of rosids. Our phylogenetic analyses support recent assertions that inadequate taxon sampling and incorrect model specification for concatenated multi-gene data sets can mislead phylogenetic inferences when using whole chloroplast genomes for phylogeny reconstruction.

  5. Phylogenetic analyses of Vitis (Vitaceae based on complete chloroplast genome sequences: effects of taxon sampling and phylogenetic methods on resolving relationships among rosids

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alverson Andrew J

    2006-04-01

    . However, maximum likelihood analyses place Cucumis as sister to the Myrtales and therefore do not support the monophyly of the eurosid I clade. Conclusion Phylogenies based on DNA sequences from complete chloroplast genome sequences provide strong support for the position of the Vitaceae as the earliest diverging lineage of rosids. Our phylogenetic analyses support recent assertions that inadequate taxon sampling and incorrect model specification for concatenated multi-gene data sets can mislead phylogenetic inferences when using whole chloroplast genomes for phylogeny reconstruction.

  6. Unveiling multiple solid-state transitions in pharmaceutical solid dosage forms using multi-series hyperspectral imaging and different curve resolution approaches

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Alexandrino, Guilherme L; Amigo Rubio, Jose Manuel; Khorasani, Milad Rouhi

    2017-01-01

    Solid-state transitions at the surface of pharmaceutical solid dosage forms (SDF) were monitored using multi-series hyperspectral imaging (HSI) along with Multivariate Curve Resolution – Alternating Least Squares (MCR-ALS) and Parallel Factor Analysis (PARAFAC and PARAFAC2). First, the solid-stat...

  7. Black hole shadow in an asymptotically flat, stationary, and axisymmetric spacetime: The Kerr-Newman and rotating regular black holes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsukamoto, Naoki

    2018-03-01

    The shadow of a black hole can be one of the strong observational evidences for stationary black holes. If we see shadows at the center of galaxies, we would say whether the observed compact objects are black holes. In this paper, we consider a formula for the contour of a shadow in an asymptotically-flat, stationary, and axisymmetric black hole spacetime. We show that the formula is useful for obtaining the contour of the shadow of several black holes such as the Kerr-Newman black hole and rotating regular black holes. Using the formula, we can obtain new examples of the contour of the shadow of rotating black holes if assumptions are satisfied.

  8. A Study on Building an Efficient Job Shadowing Management Methodology for the Undergraduate Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakoda, Koichi; Takahashi, Masakazu

    2014-01-01

    This paper describes heuristic knowledge through the job-shadowing project at the International University of Kagoshima, Japan. Job shadowing is one of the conventional in-house trainings given to the executive trainee cadets in North America and proved the effect of training in Leonard's paper for the conventional target such as the executive…

  9. Integral transport multiregion geometrical shadowing factor for the approximate collision probability matrix calculation of infinite closely packed lattices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jowzani-Moghaddam, A.

    1981-01-01

    An integral transport method of calculating the geometrical shadowing factor in multiregion annular cells for infinite closely packed lattices in cylindrical geometry is developed. This analytical method has been programmed in the TPGS code. This method is based upon a consideration of the properties of the integral transport method for a nonuniform body, which together with Bonalumi's approximations allows the determination of the approximate multiregion collision probability matrix for infinite closely packed lattices with sufficient accuracy. The multiregion geometrical shadowing factors have been calculated for variations in fuel pin annular segment rings in a geometry of annular cells. These shadowing factors can then be used in the calculation of neutron transport from one annulus to another in an infinite lattice. The result of this new geometrical shadowing and collision probability matrix are compared with the Dancoff-Ginsburg correction and the probability matrix using constant shadowing on Yankee fuel elements in an infinite lattice. In these cases the Dancoff-Ginsburg correction factor and collision probability matrix using constant shadowing are in difference by at most 6.2% and 6%, respectively

  10. Giant atoms cast long shadow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amato, I.

    1996-01-01

    Atoms swollen with energy can serve as supersensitive detectors. They also probe the shadow realm where the quantum world of the atom gives way to the familiar classical world. Created in the laboratory, where they live for a few milliseconds inside vacuum chambers, Rydberg atoms acquire their girth when one or sometimes two of their electrons are excited to very high energy levels, displacing them far from the nuclear core. This article describes the atoms, the history of their identification, and future possibilities. 2 figs

  11. Bias in phylogenetic reconstruction of vertebrate rhodopsin sequences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, B S; Campbell, D L

    2000-08-01

    Two spurious nodes were found in phylogenetic analyses of vertebrate rhodopsin sequences in comparison with well-established vertebrate relationships. These spurious reconstructions were well supported in bootstrap analyses and occurred independently of the method of phylogenetic analysis used (parsimony, distance, or likelihood). Use of this data set of vertebrate rhodopsin sequences allowed us to exploit established vertebrate relationships, as well as the considerable amount known about the molecular evolution of this gene, in order to identify important factors contributing to the spurious reconstructions. Simulation studies using parametric bootstrapping indicate that it is unlikely that the spurious nodes in the parsimony analyses are due to long branches or other topological effects. Rather, they appear to be due to base compositional bias at third positions, codon bias, and convergent evolution at nucleotide positions encoding the hydrophobic residues isoleucine, leucine, and valine. LogDet distance methods, as well as maximum-likelihood methods which allow for nonstationary changes in base composition, reduce but do not entirely eliminate support for the spurious resolutions. Inclusion of five additional rhodopsin sequences in the phylogenetic analyses largely corrected one of the spurious reconstructions while leaving the other unaffected. The additional sequences not only were more proximal to the corrected node, but were also found to have intermediate levels of base composition and codon bias as compared with neighboring sequences on the tree. This study shows that the spurious reconstructions can be corrected either by excluding third positions, as well as those encoding the amino acids Ile, Val, and Leu (which may not be ideal, as these sites can contain useful phylogenetic signal for other parts of the tree), or by the addition of sequences that reduce problems associated with convergent evolution.

  12. The Permanently Shadowed Regions of Dwarf Planet Ceres

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schorghofer, Norbert; Mazarico, Erwan; Platz, Thomas; Preusker, Frank; Schroeder, Stefan E.; Raymond, Carol A.; Russell, Christopher T.

    2016-01-01

    Ceres has only a small spin axis tilt (4 deg), and craters near its rotational poles can experience permanent shadow and trap volatiles, as is the case on Mercury and on Earth's Moon. Topography derived from stereo imaging by the Dawn spacecraft is used to calculate direct solar irradiance that defines the extent of the permanently shadowed regions (PSRs). In the northern polar region, PSRs cover approximately 1800 sq km or 0.13% of the hemisphere, and most of the PSRs are cold enough to trap water ice over geological time periods. Based on modeling of the water exosphere, water molecules seasonally reside around the winter pole and ultimately an estimated 0.14% of molecules get trapped. Even for the lowest estimates of the amount of available water, this predicts accumulation rates in excess of loss rates, and hence, there should be fresh ice deposits in the cold traps.

  13. Market Pressure on Currencies in Crises. Shadow Exchange Rate Experience of Argentina and Switzerland 2011-2015

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcin Gruszczyński

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Aim/purpose - The aim of this article is to present two cases of exchange rate controls in Switzerland and Argentina. The paper also examines the problem of presence and evaluation of shadow exchange rate in both countries. Design/methodology/approach - The shadow exchange rates are estimated using speculative pressure index concept that emphasizes the importance of not only exchange rate movements but also changes in foreign exchange reserves as well as interest rate differentials. The research sample covers Switzerland 2001-2016 and Argentina 2006-2016 (for shadow exchange rate simulation: 2011-2014 and 2011-2015, respectively. Findings - The conclusions drawn from international experience and conducted empirical analysis are positive. In both cases, shadow exchange rates were close to market rates after the removal of controls. During the restrictions periods shadow rates followed the intuition given by speculative pressure index concept (and by monetary approach, simultaneously. Research implications/limitations - The research suggests that market forces in both countries were still able to restore exchange rates to market values after the period of control. However, it is obvious that it is very difficult to prove that shadow rates were always determined by economical forces and close to their long-term equilibrium values. Originality/value/contribution - The original approach combines two important economic concepts - the idea of shadow exchange rate and the methodology of index of speculative pressure. Combined together they can help to analyze two interesting and relatively new cases of foreign exchange controls in Switzerland and Argentina. The results can be valuable for economists, researchers and politicians who support or reject the idea of controlling macroeconomic parameters in modern, open economy.

  14. High-energy shadowing effect and its application to atomic and solid state physics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kudo, Hiroshi; Shima, Kunihiro; Ishihara, Toyoyuki; Takeshita, Hidefumi; Aoki, Yasushi; Yamamoto, Shunya; Naramoto, Hiroshi

    1994-01-01

    Ion-beam shadowing effects for projectiles in the MeV/u energy range have been studied with high-energy (keV) secondary electrons emitted from the surface of a target crystal. This article reviews and discusses applications of the high-energy shadowing effect to atomic and solid state physics, as well as physical and technical aspects of the electron spectroscopy under channeling incidence conditions. (orig.)

  15. Evaluation of TSE- and T1-3D-GRE-sequences for focal cartilage lesions in vitro in comparison to ultrahigh resolution multi-slice CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stork, A.; Schulze, D.; Koops, A.; Kemper, J.; Adam, G.

    2002-01-01

    Purpose: Evaluation of TSE- and T 1 -3D-GRE-sequences for focal cartilage lesions in vitro in comparison to ultrahigh resolution multi-slice CT. Materials and methods: Forty artificial cartilage lesions in ten bovine patellae were immersed in a solution of iodinated contrast medium and assessed with ultrahigh resolution multi-slice CT. Fat-suppressed TSE images with intermediate- and T 2 -weighting at a slice thickness of 2, 3 and 4 mm as well as fat-suppressed T 1 -weighted 3D-FLASH images with an effective slice thickness of 1, 2 and 3 mm were acquired at 1.5 T. After adding Gd-DTPA to the saline solution containing the patellae, the T 1 -weighted 3D-FLASH imaging was repeated. Results: All cartilage lesions were visualised and graded with ultrahigh resolution multi-slice CT. The TSE images had a higher sensitivity and a higher inter- and intraobserver kappa compared to the FLASH-sequences (TSE: 70-95%; 0.82-0.83; 0.85-0.9; FLASH: 57.5-85%; 0.53-0.72; 0.73-0.82, respectively). An increase in slice thickness decreased the sensitivity, whereby deep lesions were even reliably depicted on TSE images at a slice thickness of 3 and 4 mm. Adding Gd-DTPA to the saline solution increased the sensitivity by 10% with no detectable advantage over the T 2 -weighted TSE images. Conclusion: TSE sequences and application of Gd-DTPA seemed to be superior to T 1 -weighted 3D-FLASH sequences without Gd-DTPA in the detection of focal cartilage lesions. The ultrahigh resolution multi-slice CT can serve as in vitro reference standard for focal cartilage lesions. (orig.) [de

  16. Shadow Libraries: Access to Knowledge in Global Higher Education ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    2018-05-04

    May 4, 2018 ... Shadow Libraries: Access to Knowledge in Global Higher Education ... that are emerging in middle- and low-income countries as opportunities for higher education expand but funding for materials shrinks. ... Innovation.

  17. Molecular evolution of Adh and LEAFY and the phylogenetic utility of their introns in Pyrus (Rosaceae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Xiaoyan; Hu, Chunyun; Spooner, David; Liu, Jing; Cao, Jiashu; Teng, Yuanwen

    2011-09-14

    The genus Pyrus belongs to the tribe Pyreae (the former subfamily Maloideae) of the family Rosaceae, and includes one of the most important commercial fruit crops, pear. The phylogeny of Pyrus has not been definitively reconstructed. In our previous efforts, the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) revealed a poorly resolved phylogeny due to non-concerted evolution of nrDNA arrays. Therefore, introns of low copy nuclear genes (LCNG) are explored here for improved resolution. However, paralogs and lineage sorting are still two challenges for applying LCNGs in phylogenetic studies, and at least two independent nuclear loci should be compared. In this work the second intron of LEAFY and the alcohol dehydrogenase gene (Adh) were selected to investigate their molecular evolution and phylogenetic utility. DNA sequence analyses revealed a complex ortholog and paralog structure of Adh genes in Pyrus and Malus, the pears and apples. Comparisons between sequences from RT-PCR and genomic PCR indicate that some Adh homologs are putatively nonfunctional. A partial region of Adh1 was sequenced for 18 Pyrus species and three subparalogs representing Adh1-1 were identified. These led to poorly resolved phylogenies due to low sequence divergence and the inclusion of putative recombinants. For the second intron of LEAFY, multiple inparalogs were discovered for both LFY1int2 and LFY2int2. LFY1int2 is inadequate for phylogenetic analysis due to lineage sorting of two inparalogs. LFY2int2-N, however, showed a relatively high sequence divergence and led to the best-resolved phylogeny. This study documents the coexistence of outparalogs and inparalogs, and lineage sorting of these paralogs and orthologous copies. It reveals putative recombinants that can lead to incorrect phylogenetic inferences, and presents an improved phylogenetic resolution of Pyrus using LFY2int2-N. Our study represents the first phylogenetic analyses based on LCNGs in Pyrus. Ancient and recent duplications lead

  18. Molecular evolution of Adh and LEAFY and the phylogenetic utility of their introns in Pyrus (Rosaceae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cao Jiashu

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The genus Pyrus belongs to the tribe Pyreae (the former subfamily Maloideae of the family Rosaceae, and includes one of the most important commercial fruit crops, pear. The phylogeny of Pyrus has not been definitively reconstructed. In our previous efforts, the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS revealed a poorly resolved phylogeny due to non-concerted evolution of nrDNA arrays. Therefore, introns of low copy nuclear genes (LCNG are explored here for improved resolution. However, paralogs and lineage sorting are still two challenges for applying LCNGs in phylogenetic studies, and at least two independent nuclear loci should be compared. In this work the second intron of LEAFY and the alcohol dehydrogenase gene (Adh were selected to investigate their molecular evolution and phylogenetic utility. Results DNA sequence analyses revealed a complex ortholog and paralog structure of Adh genes in Pyrus and Malus, the pears and apples. Comparisons between sequences from RT-PCR and genomic PCR indicate that some Adh homologs are putatively nonfunctional. A partial region of Adh1 was sequenced for 18 Pyrus species and three subparalogs representing Adh1-1 were identified. These led to poorly resolved phylogenies due to low sequence divergence and the inclusion of putative recombinants. For the second intron of LEAFY, multiple inparalogs were discovered for both LFY1int2 and LFY2int2. LFY1int2 is inadequate for phylogenetic analysis due to lineage sorting of two inparalogs. LFY2int2-N, however, showed a relatively high sequence divergence and led to the best-resolved phylogeny. This study documents the coexistence of outparalogs and inparalogs, and lineage sorting of these paralogs and orthologous copies. It reveals putative recombinants that can lead to incorrect phylogenetic inferences, and presents an improved phylogenetic resolution of Pyrus using LFY2int2-N. Conclusions Our study represents the first phylogenetic analyses based

  19. Limitations of patterning thin films by shadow mask high vacuum chemical vapor deposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reinke, Michael; Kuzminykh, Yury; Hoffmann, Patrik

    2014-01-01

    A key factor in engineering integrated devices such as electro-optic switches or waveguides is the patterning of high quality crystalline thin films into specific geometries. In this contribution high vacuum chemical vapor deposition (HV-CVD) was employed to grow titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) patterns onto silicon. The directed nature of precursor transport – which originates from the high vacuum environment during the process – allows shading certain regions on the substrate by shadow masks and thus depositing patterned thin films. While the use of such masks is an emerging field in stencil or shadow mask lithography, their use for structuring thin films within HV-CVD has not been reported so far. The advantage of the employed technique is the precise control of lateral spacing and of the distance between shading mask and substrate surface which is achieved by manufacturing them directly on the substrate. As precursor transport takes place in the molecular flow regime, the precursor impinging rates (and therefore the film growth rates) on the surface can be simulated as function of the reactor and shading mask geometry using a comparatively simple mathematical model. In the current contribution such a mathematical model, which predicts impinging rates on plain or shadow mask structured substrates, is presented. Its validity is confirmed by TiO 2 -deposition on plain silicon substrates (450 °C) using titanium tetra isopropoxide as precursor. Limitations of the patterning process are investigated by the deposition of TiO 2 on structured substrates and subsequent shadow mask lift-off. The geometry of the deposits is according to the mathematical model. Shading effects due to the growing film enables to fabricate deposits with predetermined variations in topography and non-flat top deposits which are complicated to obtain by classical clean room processes. As a result of the enhanced residual pressure of decomposition products and titanium precursors and the

  20. Extended shadow test approach for constrained adaptive testing

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Veldkamp, Bernard P.; Ariel, A.

    2002-01-01

    Several methods have been developed for use on constrained adaptive testing. Item pool partitioning, multistage testing, and testlet-based adaptive testing are methods that perform well for specific cases of adaptive testing. The weighted deviation model and the Shadow Test approach can be more

  1. The Relationship between Shadow Economy and Unemployment Rate. A Ardl Causality Analysis for the Case Of Romania

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adriana AnaMaria DAVIDESCU

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The paper aims to investigate the nature of the relationship between the shadow economy (SE and unemployment rates (both registered and ILO for the case of Romania using Pesaran et al.(2001 bounds tests approach for cointegration. The study uses quarterly data covering the period 2000-2010. The size of Romanian shadow economy is estimated using the currency demand approach based on VECM models, stating that its size is decreasing over the analyzed period, from 36.5% at the end of 2000 to about 31.5% of real GDP at the middle of 2010. To investigate the long-run causal linkages and short-run dynamics between shadow economy and unemployment rate, ARDL cointegration approach is applied. Cointegration test results shows that in short-run both ILO and registered unemployment rate has a negative and statistically significant effect on the size of the shadow economy, while in the long-run the unemployment rates have a positive effect on shadow economy. The ARDL causality results revealed the existence of a long-run unidirectional causality that runs from unemployment rates (registered or ILO to shadow economy. In addition, the CUSUM and CUSUMSQ tests confirm the stability of the both causal relationships.

  2. The fusion protein signal-peptide-coding region of canine distemper virus: a useful tool for phylogenetic reconstruction and lineage identification.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicolás Sarute

    Full Text Available Canine distemper virus (CDV; Paramyxoviridae, Morbillivirus is the etiologic agent of a multisystemic infectious disease affecting all terrestrial carnivore families with high incidence and mortality in domestic dogs. Sequence analysis of the hemagglutinin (H gene has been widely employed to characterize field strains, permitting the identification of nine CDV lineages worldwide. Recently, it has been established that the sequences of the fusion protein signal-peptide (Fsp coding region are extremely variable, suggesting that analysis of its sequence might be useful for strain characterization studies. However, the divergence of Fsp sequences among worldwide strains and its phylogenetic resolution has not yet been evaluated. We constructed datasets containing the Fsp-coding region and H gene sequences of the same strains belonging to eight CDV lineages. Both datasets were used to evaluate their phylogenetic resolution. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that both datasets clustered the same strains into eight different branches, corresponding to CDV lineages. The inter-lineage amino acid divergence was fourfold greater for the Fsp peptide than for the H protein. The likelihood mapping revealed that both datasets display strong phylogenetic signals in the region of well-resolved topologies. These features indicate that Fsp-coding region sequence analysis is suitable for evolutionary studies as it allows for straightforward identification of CDV lineages.

  3. The fusion protein signal-peptide-coding region of canine distemper virus: a useful tool for phylogenetic reconstruction and lineage identification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarute, Nicolás; Calderón, Marina Gallo; Pérez, Ruben; La Torre, José; Hernández, Martín; Francia, Lourdes; Panzera, Yanina

    2013-01-01

    Canine distemper virus (CDV; Paramyxoviridae, Morbillivirus) is the etiologic agent of a multisystemic infectious disease affecting all terrestrial carnivore families with high incidence and mortality in domestic dogs. Sequence analysis of the hemagglutinin (H) gene has been widely employed to characterize field strains, permitting the identification of nine CDV lineages worldwide. Recently, it has been established that the sequences of the fusion protein signal-peptide (Fsp) coding region are extremely variable, suggesting that analysis of its sequence might be useful for strain characterization studies. However, the divergence of Fsp sequences among worldwide strains and its phylogenetic resolution has not yet been evaluated. We constructed datasets containing the Fsp-coding region and H gene sequences of the same strains belonging to eight CDV lineages. Both datasets were used to evaluate their phylogenetic resolution. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that both datasets clustered the same strains into eight different branches, corresponding to CDV lineages. The inter-lineage amino acid divergence was fourfold greater for the Fsp peptide than for the H protein. The likelihood mapping revealed that both datasets display strong phylogenetic signals in the region of well-resolved topologies. These features indicate that Fsp-coding region sequence analysis is suitable for evolutionary studies as it allows for straightforward identification of CDV lineages.

  4. Method of Obtaining High Resolution Intrinsic Wire Boom Damping Parameters for Multi-Body Dynamics Simulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yew, Alvin G.; Chai, Dean J.; Olney, David J.

    2010-01-01

    The goal of NASA's Magnetospheric MultiScale (MMS) mission is to understand magnetic reconnection with sensor measurements from four spinning satellites flown in a tight tetrahedron formation. Four of the six electric field sensors on each satellite are located at the end of 60- meter wire booms to increase measurement sensitivity in the spin plane and to minimize motion coupling from perturbations on the main body. A propulsion burn however, might induce boom oscillations that could impact science measurements if oscillations do not damp to values on the order of 0.1 degree in a timely fashion. Large damping time constants could also adversely affect flight dynamics and attitude control performance. In this paper, we will discuss the implementation of a high resolution method for calculating the boom's intrinsic damping, which was used in multi-body dynamics simulations. In summary, experimental data was obtained with a scaled-down boom, which was suspended as a pendulum in vacuum. Optical techniques were designed to accurately measure the natural decay of angular position and subsequently, data processing algorithms resulted in excellent spatial and temporal resolutions. This method was repeated in a parametric study for various lengths, root tensions and vacuum levels. For all data sets, regression models for damping were applied, including: nonlinear viscous, frequency-independent hysteretic, coulomb and some combination of them. Our data analysis and dynamics models have shown that the intrinsic damping for the baseline boom is insufficient, thereby forcing project management to explore mitigation strategies.

  5. Transforming phylogenetic networks: Moving beyond tree space

    OpenAIRE

    Huber, Katharina T.; Moulton, Vincent; Wu, Taoyang

    2016-01-01

    Phylogenetic networks are a generalization of phylogenetic trees that are used to represent reticulate evolution. Unrooted phylogenetic networks form a special class of such networks, which naturally generalize unrooted phylogenetic trees. In this paper we define two operations on unrooted phylogenetic networks, one of which is a generalization of the well-known nearest-neighbor interchange (NNI) operation on phylogenetic trees. We show that any unrooted phylogenetic network can be transforme...

  6. Quasi-static displacement calibration system for a "Violin-Mode" shadow-sensor intended for Gravitational Wave detector suspensions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lockerbie, N. A.; Tokmakov, K. V.

    2014-10-01

    This paper describes the design of, and results from, a calibration system for optical linear displacement (shadow) sensors. The shadow sensors were designed to detect "Violin-Mode" (VM) resonances in the 0.4 mm diameter silica fibre suspensions of the test masses/mirrors of Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory gravitational wave interferometers. Each sensor illuminated the fibre under test, so as to cast its narrow shadow onto a "synthesized split photodiode" detector, the shadow falling over adjacent edges of the paired photodiodes. The apparatus described here translated a vertically orientated silica test fibre horizontally through a collimated Near InfraRed illuminating beam, whilst simultaneously capturing the separate DC "shadow notch" outputs from each of the paired split photodiode detectors. As the ratio of AC to DC photocurrent sensitivities to displacement was known, a calibration of the DC response to quasi-static shadow displacement allowed the required AC sensitivity to vibrational displacement to be found. Special techniques are described for generating the required constant scan rate for the test fibre using a DC motor-driven stage, for removing "jitter" at such low translation rates from a linear magnetic encoder, and so for capturing the two shadow-notch signals at each micrometre of the test fibre's travel. Calibration, across the four detectors of this work, gave a vibrational responsivity in voltage terms of (9.45 ± 1.20) MV (rms)/m, yielding a VM displacement sensitivity of (69 ± 13) pm (rms)/√Hz, at 500 Hz, over the required measuring span of ±0.1 mm.

  7. Investigating Mercury's South Polar Deposits: Arecibo Radar Observations and High-Resolution Determination of Illumination Conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chabot, Nancy L.; Shread, Evangela E.; Harmon, John K.

    2018-02-01

    There is strong evidence that Mercury's polar deposits are water ice hosted in permanently shadowed regions. In this study, we present new Arecibo radar observations of Mercury's south pole, which reveal numerous radar-bright deposits and substantially increase the radar imaging coverage. We also use images from MESSENGER's full mission to determine the illumination conditions of Mercury's south polar region at the same spatial resolution as the north polar region, enabling comparisons between the two poles. The area of radar-bright deposits in Mercury's south is roughly double that found in the north, consistent with the larger permanently shadowed area in the older, cratered terrain at the south relative to the younger smooth plains at the north. Radar-bright features are strongly associated with regions of permanent shadow at both poles, consistent with water ice being the dominant component of the deposits. However, both of Mercury's polar regions show that roughly 50% of permanently shadowed regions lack radar-bright deposits, despite some of these locations having thermal environments that are conducive to the presence of water ice. The observed uneven distribution of water ice among Mercury's polar cold traps may suggest that the source of Mercury's water ice was not a steady, regular process but rather that the source was an episodic event, such as a recent, large impact on the innermost planet.

  8. Single Image Super Resolution via Sparse Reconstruction

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kruithof, M.C.; Eekeren, A.W.M. van; Dijk, J.; Schutte, K.

    2012-01-01

    High resolution sensors are required for recognition purposes. Low resolution sensors, however, are still widely used. Software can be used to increase the resolution of such sensors. One way of increasing the resolution of the images produced is using multi-frame super resolution algorithms.

  9. Politics, Time and Space in the Era of Shadow Banking

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bryan, Dick; Rafferty, Michael; Wigan, Duncan

    2016-01-01

    the transformation of assets and financial claims. It has also been established that fiscal and regulatory arbitrage occurs through shadow banking, and associated offshore financial activities. The article develops the argument that together these are transforming the times and spaces of modern finance, and directly...... challenging earlier spatio-temporal concepts of finance, and the regulatory/jurisdictional order built on them. The article suggests that the longer term significance of shadow banking may not just be its role in financial crisis, or even tax and regulatory arbitrage, but that it was here that innovative...... forms of capital were produced and generalised which transcended the spaces and times of earlier institutional, transactional and jurisdictional concepts of capital and wealth....

  10. Shadow Capital: The Democratization of College Preparatory Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cipollone, Kristin; Stich, Amy E.

    2017-01-01

    In this article, we examine the manifestation and consequences of shadow capital within two public, urban, nonselective, college preparatory-designated high schools serving exclusively nondominant students. Informed by three years of ethnographic data, we argue that the transference of a historically elite college preparatory education from…

  11. Exploring the determinants of phylogenetic diversity and assemblage structure in conifers across temporal, spatial, and taxonomic scales

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Eiserhardt, Wolf L.; Borchsenius, Finn; Sandel, Brody Steven

    -environmental models are important elements in this framework. Here, we integrate both types of data in order to explore the determinants of forest tree diversity using the conifers as a model group. Conifers are an old, diverse (ca. 650 spp. in 6 families) and widespread group of woody plants of high ecological...... and economic importance. They are better studied than most other globally distributed groups of forest trees, allowing integrative studies with high phylogenetic and spatial resolution. We analyse phylogenetic diversity, assemblage structure, and diversification rates for regional conifer assemblages...

  12. A DYNAMIC APPROACH TO CALCULATE SHADOW PRICES OF WATER RESOURCES FOR NINE MAJOR RIVERS IN CHINA

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Jing HE; Xikang CHEN; Yong SHI

    2006-01-01

    China is experiencing from serious water issues. There are many differences among the Nine Major Rivers basins of China in the construction of dikes, reservoirs, floodgates, flood discharge projects, flood diversion projects, water ecological construction, water conservancy management, etc.The shadow prices of water resources for Nine Major Rivers can provide suggestions to the Chinese government. This article develops a dynamic shadow prices approach based on a multiperiod input-output optimizing model. Unlike previous approaches, the new model is based on the dynamic computable general equilibrium (DCGE) model to solve the problem of marginal long-term prices of water resources.First, definitions and algorithms of DCGE are elaborated. Second, the results of shadow prices of water resources for Nine Major Rivers in 1949-2050 in China using the National Water Conservancy input-holding-output table for Nine Major Rivers in 1999 are listed. A conclusion of this article is that the shadow prices of water resources for Nine Major Rivers are largely based on the extent of scarcity.Selling prices of water resources should be revised via the usage of parameters representing shadow prices.

  13. Study on a resource allocation scheme in multi-hop MIMO-OFDM systems over lognormal-rayleigh compound channels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    LIU Jun

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available For new generation wireless communication networks,this paper studies the optimization of the capacity and end-to-end throughput of the MIMO-OFDM based multi-hop relay systems.A water-filling power allocation method is proposed to improve the channel capacity and the throughput of the MIMO-OFDM system based multi-hop relay system in the Lognormal-Rayleigh shadowing compound channels.Simulations on the capacity and throughput show that the water-filling algorithm can improve the system throughput effectively in the MIMO-OFDM multi-hop relay system.

  14. Shadow Replication: An Energy-Aware, Fault-Tolerant Computational Model for Green Cloud Computing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaolong Cui

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available As the demand for cloud computing continues to increase, cloud service providers face the daunting challenge to meet the negotiated SLA agreement, in terms of reliability and timely performance, while achieving cost-effectiveness. This challenge is increasingly compounded by the increasing likelihood of failure in large-scale clouds and the rising impact of energy consumption and CO2 emission on the environment. This paper proposes Shadow Replication, a novel fault-tolerance model for cloud computing, which seamlessly addresses failure at scale, while minimizing energy consumption and reducing its impact on the environment. The basic tenet of the model is to associate a suite of shadow processes to execute concurrently with the main process, but initially at a much reduced execution speed, to overcome failures as they occur. Two computationally-feasible schemes are proposed to achieve Shadow Replication. A performance evaluation framework is developed to analyze these schemes and compare their performance to traditional replication-based fault tolerance methods, focusing on the inherent tradeoff between fault tolerance, the specified SLA and profit maximization. The results show that Shadow Replication leads to significant energy reduction, and is better suited for compute-intensive execution models, where up to 30% more profit increase can be achieved due to reduced energy consumption.

  15. Power fluctuation and power loss of wind turbines due to wind shear and tower shadow

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Binrong WEN; Sha WEI; Kexiang WEI; Wenxian YANG; Zhike PENG; Fulei CHU

    2017-01-01

    The magnitude and stability of power output are two key indices of wind turbines.This study investigates the effects of wind shear and tower shadow on power output in terms of power fluctuation and power loss to estimate the capacity and quality of the power generated by a wind turbine.First,wind speed models,particularly the wind shear model and the tower shadow model,are described in detail.The widely accepted tower shadow model is modified in view of the cone-shaped towers of modem large-scale wind turbines.Power fluctuation and power loss due to wind shear and tower shadow are analyzed by performing theoretical calculations and case analysis within the framework of a modified version of blade element momentum theory.Results indicate that power fluctuation is mainly caused by tower shadow,whereas power loss is primarily induced by wind shear.Under steady wind conditions,power loss can be divided into wind farm loss and rotor loss.Wind farm loss is constant at 3α(3α-1)R2/(8H2).By contrast,rotor loss is strongly influenced by the wind turbine control strategies and wind speed.That is,when the wind speed is measured in a region where a variable-speed controller works,the rotor loss stabilizes around zero,but when the wind speed is measured in a region where the blade pitch controller works,the rotor loss increases as the wind speed intensifies.The results of this study can serve as a reference for accurate power estimation and strategy development to mitigate the fluctuations in aerodynamic loads and power output due to wind shear and tower shadow.

  16. Multi-resolution Shape Analysis via Non-Euclidean Wavelets: Applications to Mesh Segmentation and Surface Alignment Problems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Won Hwa; Chung, Moo K; Singh, Vikas

    2013-01-01

    The analysis of 3-D shape meshes is a fundamental problem in computer vision, graphics, and medical imaging. Frequently, the needs of the application require that our analysis take a multi-resolution view of the shape's local and global topology, and that the solution is consistent across multiple scales. Unfortunately, the preferred mathematical construct which offers this behavior in classical image/signal processing, Wavelets, is no longer applicable in this general setting (data with non-uniform topology). In particular, the traditional definition does not allow writing out an expansion for graphs that do not correspond to the uniformly sampled lattice (e.g., images). In this paper, we adapt recent results in harmonic analysis, to derive Non-Euclidean Wavelets based algorithms for a range of shape analysis problems in vision and medical imaging. We show how descriptors derived from the dual domain representation offer native multi-resolution behavior for characterizing local/global topology around vertices. With only minor modifications, the framework yields a method for extracting interest/key points from shapes, a surprisingly simple algorithm for 3-D shape segmentation (competitive with state of the art), and a method for surface alignment (without landmarks). We give an extensive set of comparison results on a large shape segmentation benchmark and derive a uniqueness theorem for the surface alignment problem.

  17. Perspective: Dynamic Shadowing Growth and its Energy Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yiping eZhao

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available The unique features of dynamic shadowing growth (DSG in structural and compositional design of nanomaterials are discussed. Their recent applications in energy storage, fuel cell, and solar energy conversion have been reviewed briefly. Future directions for applying DSG nanostructures in renewable energy applications are presented.

  18. Interstitial shadow on chest CT is associated with the onset of interstitial lung disease caused by chemotherapeutic drugs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Niho, Seiji; Goto, Koichi; Yoh, Kiyotaka; Kim, Y.H.; Ohmatsu, Hironobu; Kubota, Kaoru; Saijo, Nagahiro; Nishiwaki, Yutaka

    2006-01-01

    Pretreatment computerized tomography (CT) films of the chest was studied to clarify the influence of interstitial shadow on developing interstitial lung disease (ILD). Eligible patients were those lung cancer patients who started to receive first-line chemotherapy between October 2001 and March 2004. Patients who received thoracic radiotherapy to the primary lesion, mediastinum, spinal or rib metastases were excluded. We reviewed pretreatment conventional CT and plain X-ray films of the chest. Ground-glass opacity, consolidation or reticular shadow without segmental distribution was defined as interstitial shadow, with this event being graded as mild, moderate or severe. If interstitial shadow was detected on CT films of the chest, but not via plain chest X-ray, it was graded as mild. Patients developing ILD were identified from medial records. A total of 502 patients were eligible. Mild, moderate and severe interstitial shadow was identified in 7, 8 and 5% of patients, respectively. A total of 188 patients (37%) received tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment, namely gefitinib or erlotinib. Twenty-six patients (5.2%) developed ILD either during or after chemotherapy. Multivariate analyses revealed that interstitial shadow on CT films of the chest and treatment history with TKI were associated with the onset of ILD. It is recommended that patients with interstitial shadow on chest CT are excluded from future clinical trials until this issue is further clarified, as it is anticipated that use of chemotherapeutic agents frequently mediate onset of ILD in this context. (author)

  19. Wavefront correction and high-resolution in vivo OCT imaging with an objective integrated multi-actuator adaptive lens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonora, Stefano; Jian, Yifan; Zhang, Pengfei; Zam, Azhar; Pugh, Edward N; Zawadzki, Robert J; Sarunic, Marinko V

    2015-08-24

    Adaptive optics is rapidly transforming microscopy and high-resolution ophthalmic imaging. The adaptive elements commonly used to control optical wavefronts are liquid crystal spatial light modulators and deformable mirrors. We introduce a novel Multi-actuator Adaptive Lens that can correct aberrations to high order, and which has the potential to increase the spread of adaptive optics to many new applications by simplifying its integration with existing systems. Our method combines an adaptive lens with an imaged-based optimization control that allows the correction of images to the diffraction limit, and provides a reduction of hardware complexity with respect to existing state-of-the-art adaptive optics systems. The Multi-actuator Adaptive Lens design that we present can correct wavefront aberrations up to the 4th order of the Zernike polynomial characterization. The performance of the Multi-actuator Adaptive Lens is demonstrated in a wide field microscope, using a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor for closed loop control. The Multi-actuator Adaptive Lens and image-based wavefront-sensorless control were also integrated into the objective of a Fourier Domain Optical Coherence Tomography system for in vivo imaging of mouse retinal structures. The experimental results demonstrate that the insertion of the Multi-actuator Objective Lens can generate arbitrary wavefronts to correct aberrations down to the diffraction limit, and can be easily integrated into optical systems to improve the quality of aberrated images.

  20. Short linear shadows connecting pulmonary segmental arteries to oblique fissures in volumetric thin-section CT images: comparing CT, micro-CT and histopathology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guan, Chun-Shuang; Ma, Da-Qing; Chen, Jiang-Hong; Chen, Bu-Dong; Cui, Dun; Zhang, Yan-Song; Liu, Wei-Hua

    2016-01-01

    To retrospectively evaluate short linear shadows connecting pulmonary segmental arteries to oblique fissures in thin-section CT images and determine their anatomical basis. CT scanning was performed on 108 patients and 11 lung specimens with no lung diseases around the oblique fissures or hilar. Two radiologists evaluated the imaging. The parameters included length, thickness of short linear shadows, pulmonary segmental artery variations, and traction interlobar fissures, etc. The short linear shadows were not related to sex, age, or smoking history. The lengths of the short linear shadows were generally within 10 mm. The thicknesses of the short linear shadows ranged from 1 to 2 mm. Of the patients, 26.9 % showed pulmonary segmental artery variations; 66.7 % of short linear shadows pulled oblique fissures. In three-dimensional images, the short linear shadows appeared as arc planes, with one side edge connected to the oblique fissure, one side edge connected to a pulmonary segmental artery. On the tissue slices, the short linear shadow exhibited a band structure composed of connective tissues, small blood vessels, and small lymphatic vessels. Short linear shadows are a type of normal intrapulmonary membranes and can maintain the integrity of the oblique fissures and hilar structure. (orig.)