Fovea center detection based on the retina anatomy and mathematical morphology

In this work, we present a new fovea center detection method for color eye fundus images. This method is based on known anatomical constraints on the relative locations of retina structures, and mathematical morphology. The detection of this anatomical feature is a prerequisite for the computer aided diagnosis of several retinal diseases, such as Diabetic Macular Edema. The proposed method is adaptive to local illumination changes, and it is robust to local disturbances introduced by pathologies in digital color eye fundus images (e.g. exudates). Our experimental results using the DRIVE image database indicate that our method is able to detect the fovea center in 37 out of 37 images (i.e. with a success rate of 100%). Using the DIARETDB1 database, our method was able to detect the fovea center in 92.13% of all tested cases (i.e. in 82 out of 89 images). These results indicate that our approach potentially can achieve a better performance than comparable methods proposed in the literature.     

Behavioral detection of malware: from a survey towards an established taxonomy

Behavioral detection differs from appearance detection in that it identifies the actions performed by the malware rather than syntactic markers. Identifying these malicious actions and interpreting their final purpose is a complex reasoning process. This paper draws up a survey of the different reasoning techniques deployed among the behavioral detectors. These detectors have been classified according to a new taxonomy introduced inside the paper. Strongly inspired from the domain of program testing, this taxonomy divides the behavioral detectors into two main families: simulation-based and formal detectors. Inside these families, ramifications are then derived according to the data collection mechanisms the data interpretation, the adopted model and its generation, and the decision support.     

Scarecrow: If I only had AI

At the 1992 AAAI robot contest one of the top finishers was Scarecrow—a robot that had no computer in the traditional sense, was built out of less than $200 of parts, and was explained and operated by a five year old. The designers sought to demonstrate the capabilities and competence that can be accomplished by using a strictly reactive architecture for well defined tasks such as that contest. This paper reexamines the Scarecrow robot and puts it into historical context. With fifteen years of perspective, we can also see what Scarecrow has to say about the perception of intelligence.

Mixture model for face-color modeling and segmentation

In this paper, we propose a general methodology for face-color modeling and segmentation. One of the major difficulties in face detection and retrieval is partial face extraction due to highlights, shadows and lighting variations. We show that a mixture-of-Gaussians modeling of the color space, provides a robust representation that can accommodate large color variations, as well as highlights and shadows. Our method enables to segment within-face regions, and associate semantic meaning to them, and provides statistical analysis and evaluation of the dominant variability within a given archive.     

Phase relationships in the system Cr-W-O and thermodynamic properties of CrWO4 and Cr2WO6

The phase diagram of the Cr-W-O system at 1000° C was established by metallographic and X-ray identification of the phases present after equilibration in evacuated silica capsules. Two ternary oxide phases, CrWO₄ and Cr₂WO₆ were detected. The oxygen potential over the three-phase mixtures, W+Cr₂O₃ s+CrWO₄, WO_2.90+CrWO₄+Cr₂WO₆ and Cr₂O₃+CrWO₄+Cr₂WO₆, were measured by solid state cells incorporating Y₂O₃ stabilized ZrO₂ electrolyte and Ni+NiO reference electrode. The Gibbs' energies of formation of the two ternary phases can be represented by the following equations $$\begin{gathered} W(s) + \tfrac{1}{2} Cr_2 O_3 (s) + \tfrac{5}{4} O_2 (g) \to CrWO_4 (s) \hfill \\ \Delta G^0 = - 172 047 + 48.725T ( \pm 230) cal mol^{ - 1} \hfill \\ Cr_2 O_3 (s) + WO_3 (s) \to Cr_2 WO_6 (s) \hfill \\ \Delta G^0 = - 3 835 + 0.235{\rm T} ( \pm 500) cal mol^{ - 1} \hfill \\ \end{gathered}$$      

Diversity and distribution of free-living and particle-associated bacterioplankton in Sandusky Bay and adjacent waters of Lake Erie Western Basin

Studies on the bacterial communities in Lake Erie have been largely focused on cyanobacteria. To characterize the community structure of the other bacteria, we examined the 16S rRNA gene content of free-living (FL) and particle-associated (PA) bacterioplankton populations in Sandusky Bay (SD) and adjacent waters in the Western Basin (WB) of Lake Erie. A comprehensive survey of nutrients and other limnological variables was also performed in parallel. A total of 18,569 of 16S rRNA V6 pyrotag sequences were recovered, which were affiliated with 64 unique bacterial orders within 14 phyla. FL bacteria were composed differently from PA ones and contained significantly more Actinomycetales. In addition, FL bacteria were taxonomically more diverse. Despite the distinct environmental conditions, compositional variation was insignificant between bacteria in the SD and WB samples.     

A single-solenoid pulsed-magnet system for single-crystal scattering studies

We present a pulsed-magnet system that enables x-ray single-crystal diffraction in addition to powder and spectroscopic studies with the magnetic field applied on or close to the scattering plane. The apparatus consists of a single large-bore solenoid, cooled by liquid nitrogen. A second independent closed-cycle cryostat is used for cooling samples near liquid helium temperatures. Pulsed magnetic fields close to ~30 T with a zero-to-peak-field rise time of ~2.9 ms are generated by discharging a 40 kJ capacitor bank into the magnet coil. The unique characteristic of this instrument is the preservation of maximum scattering angle (~23.6°) on the entrance and exit sides of the magnet bore by virtue of a novel double-funnel insert. This instrument will facilitate x-ray diffraction and spectroscopic studies that are impractical, if not impossible, to perform using split-pair and narrow-opening solenoid magnets. Furthermore, it offers a practical solution for preserving optical access in future higher-field pulsed magnets.     

An unsupervised data projection that preserves the cluster structure

In this paper we propose a new unsupervised dimensionality reduction algorithm that looks for a projection that optimally preserves the clustering data structure of the original space. Formally we attempt to find a projection that maximizes the mutual information between data points and clusters in the projected space. In order to compute the mutual information, we neither assume the data are given in terms of distributions nor impose any parametric model on the within-cluster distribution. Instead, we utilize a non-parametric estimation of the average cluster entropies and search for a linear projection and a clustering that maximizes the estimated mutual information between the projected data points and the clusters. The improved performance is demonstrated on both synthetic and real world examples.     

Social class, child age, and parental socialization values.

Upper-, middle-, and lower-class parents were asked to explain a proverb which had both "growth" and "stability" interpretations to their 11- and 16-yr-old sons. The growth interpretation was overwhelmingly endorsed by most parents. With 16-yr-olds, lower-middle-class parents continued to endorse the growth interpretation; most upper-class parents endorsed the stability interpretation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)