Capturing natural-colour 3D models of insects for species discovery and diagnostics

Collections of biological specimens are fundamental to scientific understanding and characterization of natural diversity - past, present and future. This paper presents a system for liberating useful information from physical collections by bringing specimens into the digital domain so they can be more readily shared, analyzed, annotated and compared. It focuses on insects and is strongly motivated by the desire to accelerate and augment current practices in insect taxonomy which predominantly use text, 2D diagrams and images to describe and characterize species. While these traditional kinds of descriptions are informative and useful, they cannot cover insect specimens "from all angles" and precious specimens are still exchanged between researchers and collections for this reason. Furthermore, insects can be complex in structure and pose many challenges to computer vision systems. We present a new prototype for a practical, cost-effective system of off-the-shelf components to acquire natural-colour 3D models of insects from around 3 mm to 30 mm in length. ("Natural-colour" is used to contrast with "false-colour", i.e., colour generated from, or applied to, gray-scale data post-acquisition.) Colour images are captured from different angles and focal depths using a digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera rig and two-axis turntable. These 2D images are processed into 3D reconstructions using software based on a visual hull algorithm. The resulting models are compact (around 10 megabytes), afford excellent optical resolution, and can be readily embedded into documents and web pages, as well as viewed on mobile devices. The system is portable, safe, relatively affordable, and complements the sort of volumetric data that can be acquired by computed tomography. This system provides a new way to augment the description and documentation of insect species holotypes, reducing the need to handle or ship specimens. It opens up new opportunities to collect data for research, education, art, entertainment, biodiversity assessment and biosecurity control. © 2014 Nguyen et al.

#auspol: The hashtag as community, event, and material object for engaging with Australian politics

Critical, loud, highly discursive and polarised; the #auspol hashtag represents a space, an event and a network for politically involved individuals to engage in and with Australian politics and speak to, at and about a variety of involved stakeholders. Contributors declare, debate and often berate each other’s opinions about current Australian politics. The hashtag itself is an important material object and engagement event involved within this performance of political participation. As a long-standing institution in the Twittersphere, and one studied by the authors and their colleagues since its early beginnings (Bruns and Burgess, 2011; Bruns and Stieglitz, 2012; 2013), the #auspol hashtag provides a potent case study through which to explore the discursive and affective dimensions of a hashtag public. This chapter that engages both empirically and theoretically with the use of this particular hashtag on Twitter to provide a qualitatively illustrated case in point for thinking about the long-term use of political hashtags as engagement events.

Hugo Rothenberg Collection 1919-1944

Photocopies of correspondence between Hugo Rothenberg and Hermann Goering (1919 and 1938-1944) relating to emigration of Jews from Nazi Germany. Report by Helle Rothenberg on situation of Jews in Germany under Nazi regime. Swedish letters + German translation of letters by Thomas Kantzow to Hugo Rothenberg.

Jules Wertheimer family collection.

Family trees listing; newspaper clippings on Nazi period in Wertheim; inscriptions from Jewish cemetery in Schmieheim.

Seasonal variability in penaeid prawn larval abundance in the Mandovi and Zuari estuaries, Goa

Seasonal variations in the occurrence and abundance of penaeid prawn larvae in the Mandovi and Zuari estuaries of Goa were studied. Larvae and post-larvae of commercially important species viz. Metapenaeus dobsoni (Miers), M.affinis (H. Milne Edwards). M. Monoceros (Fabricius), Penaeus merguiensis de Man and Parapenaeopsis stylifera (H. Milne Edwards) were recorded in that order of abundance. Protozoea and mysis stages were dominant in surface zooplankton collections while the post-larvae were more in the bottom samples. Based on larval density, M. dobsoni appeared to be a continuous breeder. The active spawning periods in other species were during the late post-monsoon and pre-monsoon seasons varying with the species. Peak recruitment of post-larvae in the estuaries was observed mostly during southwest monsoon months (June to September). Penaeid prawn larval ingression was more in the Zuari estuary compared to the Mandovi estuary. Their numerical abundance gradually decreased towards the upstream areas. The feasibility of large scale collection of penaeid prawn larvae for aquaculture is indicated.

THE APPLICATION OF ULTRAMICROELECTRODE IN HOMOGENEOUS CATALYTIC REACTION .5. ELECTROCHEMICAL-BEHAVIOR OF MACRO-MICRO-MACRO TRIPLE AND MICRO-MICRO TWIN ELECTRODES AND THE QUASI-FIRST-ORDER HOMOGENEOUS CATALYTIC REACTION (EC') AT GENERATION/COLLECTION ELECT

A new type of macro-micro-macro triple electrode has been fabricated, the steady-state currents of solution redox species have been observed at an ultramicroband electrode by linear potential scan voltammetry, and generation/collection experiments have al

Land Use and Military Supply in the Highland Zone of Roman Britain

Davies, Jeffrey. 'Land Use and Military Supply in the Highland Zone of Roman Britain', In: Artefacts and Archaeology. Aspects of the Celtic and Roman World (University of Wales Press, 2002), pp.44-61 RAE2008

Collection Development and the Value of the Library

This is a draft 2 of a discussion paper written for Boston University Libraries

Cortical Dynamics of Contextually-Cued Attentive Visual Learning and Search: Spatial and Object Evidence Accumulation

How do humans use predictive contextual information to facilitate visual search? How are consistently paired scenic objects and positions learned and used to more efficiently guide search in familiar scenes? For example, a certain combination of objects can define a context for a kitchen and trigger a more efficient search for a typical object, such as a sink, in that context. A neural model, ARTSCENE Search, is developed to illustrate the neural mechanisms of such memory-based contextual learning and guidance, and to explain challenging behavioral data on positive/negative, spatial/object, and local/distant global cueing effects during visual search. The model proposes how global scene layout at a first glance rapidly forms a hypothesis about the target location. This hypothesis is then incrementally refined by enhancing target-like objects in space as a scene is scanned with saccadic eye movements. The model clarifies the functional roles of neuroanatomical, neurophysiological, and neuroimaging data in visual search for a desired goal object. In particular, the model simulates the interactive dynamics of spatial and object contextual cueing in the cortical What and Where streams starting from early visual areas through medial temporal lobe to prefrontal cortex. After learning, model dorsolateral prefrontal cortical cells (area 46) prime possible target locations in posterior parietal cortex based on goalmodulated percepts of spatial scene gist represented in parahippocampal cortex, whereas model ventral prefrontal cortical cells (area 47/12) prime possible target object representations in inferior temporal cortex based on the history of viewed objects represented in perirhinal cortex. The model hereby predicts how the cortical What and Where streams cooperate during scene perception, learning, and memory to accumulate evidence over time to drive efficient visual search of familiar scenes.

Impact of operator experience on information feedback and reusability

Keeping a record of operator experience remains a challenge to operation management and a major source of inefficiency in information management. The objective is to develop a framework that enables an explicit presentation of experience based on information use. A purposive sampling method is used to select four small and medium-sized enterprises as case studies. The unit of analysis is the production process in the machine shop. Data collection is by structured interview, observation and documentation. A comparative case analysis is applied. The findings suggest experience is an accumulation of tacit information feedback, which can be made explicit in information use interoperatability matrix. The matrix is conditioned upon information use typology, which is strategic in waste reduction. The limitations include difficulty of participant anonymity where the organisation nominates a participant. Areas for further research include application of the concepts to knowledge management and shop floor resource management.

Post-slaughter changes in ATP metabolites, Reducing and phosphorylated sugars in chicken meat

The formation of ATP breakdown products in chicken M. pectoralis major post-slaughter is reported. The concentrations of metabolites were followed in chicken breast throughout the carcass processing post-slaughter and during chilled storage. The concentration of glucose remains similar throughout the period whilst that of glucose-6-phosphate decreases linearly. Glucose and glucose-6-phosphate concentrations were inversely related to the pHu of the breast meat throughout chilled storage. Rapid post-mortem glycolysis and high pHu values suggest the occurrence of stress at and pre-slaughter. Whilst ATP, ADP and AMP were rapidly broken down, the concentration of IMP rose rapidly and remained high. Concentrations of inosine, ribose and hypoxanthine increased gradually post-slaughter but an initial increase in ribose phosphate was not sustained. Most of the potential ribose present in chicken meat, believed to be important for flavor formation, remains bound in the form of inosine and IMP. There is evidence that additional breakdown pathways for ribose and ribose-5-phosphate may deplete the concentrations of these precursors.

Post-conflict Belfast sliced and diced:the case of the Gaeltacht Quarter

This paper considers the recent proliferation of Belfast‘s =Quarters‘ as part of global trends towards the theming of city space, and as a response to the particular situation of Belfast at the beginning of the twenty-first century. It focuses on the Gaeltacht Quarter, a site that exemplifies the difficulty of applying the internationally popular model of cultural difference as a resource for the production of tourist revenue to the context of contested cities. The =quartering‘ of Belfast is represented as a response to post-industrial and post-conflict predicaments this city shares with many others. I consider how the urban context is sometimes exploited, as in exhortations to investors and tourists to contribute to Belfast‘s transformation from =a city of two halves‘ to =a city of seven quarters‘, and sometimes obscured, as in the recent re-invention of the Quarters as remnants of the city‘s distant past.

Serial chimerism analyses indicate that mixed haemopoietic chimerism influences the probability of graft rejection and disease recurrence following allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) for severe aplastic anaemia (SAA): indication for routine assessment of chimerism post SCT for SAA

Ninety-one patients were studied serially for chimeric status following allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) for severe aplastic anaemia (SAA) or Fanconi Anaemia (FA). Short tandem repeat polymerase chain reaction (STR-PCR) was used to stratify patients into five groups: (A) complete donor chimeras (n = 39), (B) transient mixed chimeras (n = 15) (C) stable mixed chimeras (n = 18), (D) progressive mixed chimeras (n = 14) (E) recipient chimeras with early graft rejection (n = 5). As serial sampling was not possible in Group E, serial chimerism results for 86 patients were available for analysis. The following factors were analysed for association with chimeric status: age, sex match, donor type, aetiology of aplasia, source of stem cells, number of cells engrafted, conditioning regimen, graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) prophylaxis, occurrence of acute and chronic GvHD and survival. Progressive mixed chimeras (PMCs) were at high risk of late graft rejection (n = 10, P <0.0001). Seven of these patients lost their graft during withdrawal of immunosuppressive therapy. STR-PCR indicated an inverse correlation between detection of recipient cells post-SCT and occurrence of acute GvHD (P = 0.008). PMC was a bad prognostic indicator of survival (P = 0.003). Monitoring of chimeric status during cyclosporin withdrawal may facilitate therapeutic intervention to prevent late graft rejection in patients transplanted for SAA.

Exendin-4 protects against post-myocardial infarction remodelling via specific actions on inflammation and the extracellular matrix

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is an insulin-releasing hormone clinically exploited for glycaemic control in diabetes, which also confers acute cardioprotection and benefits in experimental/clinical heart failure. We specifically investigated the role of the GLP-1 mimetic, exendin-4, in post-myocardial infarction (MI) remodelling, which is a key contributor to heart failure. Adult female normoglycaemic mice underwent coronary artery ligation/sham surgery prior to infusion with exendin-4/vehicle for 4 weeks. Metabolic parameters and infarct sizes were comparable between groups. Exendin-4 protected against cardiac dysfunction and chamber dilatation post-MI and improved survival. Furthermore, exendin-4 modestly decreased cardiomyocyte hypertrophy/apoptosis but markedly attenuated interstitial fibrosis and myocardial inflammation post-MI. This was associated with altered extracellular matrix (procollagen IαI/IIIαI, connective tissue growth factor, fibronectin, TGF-β3) and inflammatory (IL-10, IL-1β, IL-6) gene expression in exendin-4-treated mice, together with modulation of both Akt/GSK-3β and Smad2/3 signalling. Exendin-4 also altered macrophage response gene expression in the absence of direct actions on cardiac fibroblast differentiation, suggesting cardioprotective effects occurring secondary to modulation of inflammation. Our findings indicate that exendin-4 protects against post-MI remodelling via preferential actions on inflammation and the extracellular matrix independently of its established actions on glycaemic control, thereby suggesting that selective targeting of GLP-1 signalling may be required to realise its clear therapeutic potential for post-MI heart failure.

THE SAAF STUDY: evaluation of the Safeguarding Children Assessment and Analysis Framework (SAAF), compared with management as usual, for improving outcomes for children and young people who have experienced, or are at risk of, maltreatment: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Background: Serious case reviews and research studies have indicated weaknesses in risk assessments conducted by child protection social workers. Social workers are adept at gathering information but struggle with analysis and assessment of risk. The Department for Education wants to know if the use of a structured decision-making tool can improve child protection assessments of risk.

Methods/design: This multi-site, cluster-randomised trial will assess the effectiveness of the Safeguarding Children Assessment and Analysis Framework (SAAF). This structured decision-making tool aims to improve social workers' assessments of harm, of future risk and parents' capacity to change. The comparison is management as usual.

Inclusion criteria: Children's Services Departments (CSDs) in England willing to make relevant teams available to be randomised, and willing to meet the trial's training and data collection requirements.

Exclusion criteria: CSDs where there were concerns about performance; where a major organisational restructuring was planned or under way; or where other risk assessment tools were in use.

Six CSDs are participating in this study. Social workers in the experimental arm will receive 2 days training in SAAF together with a range of support materials, and access to limited telephone consultation post-training. The primary outcome is child maltreatment. This will be assessed using data collected nationally on two key performance indicators: the first is the number of children in a year who have been subject to a second Child Protection Plan (CPP); the second is the number of re-referrals of children because of related concerns about maltreatment. Secondary outcomes are: i) the quality of assessments judged against a schedule of quality criteria and ii) the relationship between the three assessments required by the structured decision-making tool (level of harm, risk of (re) abuse and prospects for successful intervention).

Discussion: This is the first study to examine the effectiveness of SAAF. It will contribute to a very limited literature on the contribution that structured decision-making tools can make to improving risk assessment and case planning in child protection and on what is involved in their effective implementation.