On the relationship between hidden Markov Models and convex functional transforms for simulating scanning probe Microscopy

Models for simulating Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) may serve as a reference point for validating experimental data and practice. Generally, simulations use a microscopic model of the sample-probe interaction based on a first-principles approach, or a geometric model of macroscopic distortions due to the probe geometry. Examples of the latter include use of neural networks, the Legendre Transform, and dilation/erosion transforms from mathematical morphology. Dilation and the Legendre Transform fall within a general family of functional transforms, which distort a function by imposing a convex solution.In earlier work, the authors proposed a generalized approach to modeling SPM using a hidden Markov model, wherein both the sample-probe interaction and probe geometry may be taken into account. We present a discussion of the hidden Markov model and its relationship to these convex functional transforms for simulating and restoring SPM images.©2009 SPIE.

Constrained discriminative mapping transforms for unsupervised speaker adaptation

Discriminative mapping transforms (DMTs) is an approach to robustly adding discriminative training to unsupervised linear adaptation transforms. In unsupervised adaptation DMTs are more robust to unreliable transcriptions than directly estimating adaptation transforms in a discriminative fashion. They were previously proposed for use with MLLR transforms with the associated need to explicitly transform the model parameters. In this work the DMT is extended to CMLLR transforms. As these operate in the feature space, it is only necessary to apply a different linear transform at the front-end rather than modifying the model parameters. This is useful for rapidly changing speakers/environments. The performance of DMTs with CMLLR was evaluated on the WSJ 20k task. Experimental results show that DMTs based on constrained linear transforms yield 3% to 6% relative gain over MLE transforms in unsupervised speaker adaptation. © 2011 IEEE.

On farm trial of Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI) evolved two aquaculture technologies

Two BFRI evolved aquaculture technologies - integrated rice fish farming and carp polyculture with over-wintered fingerlings under different stocking densities were tested during 2003-04. The study was coordinated with two local NGOs namely NICHAITA and JNDP, Muktagacha, Mymensingh. Integrated rice fish farming technology was demonstrated in 9 plots each having an area between 60-100 dec. during boro season. Fifteen days after transplantation of rice seedlings, fingerlings of rajpunti (Barbodes gonionotus) of 7-10 g of individual weight were stocked in the rice fields at the density of 3,000 (T1), 3,750 (T2) and 4,500/ha (T3). The corresponding final weight of fish after three and half months in treatments 1, 2 and 3 were 110±14.21, 101±16.55 and 86±22.28 g, respectively. The mean weight of fish in treatments 1 and 2 was significantly higher than treatment 3. Fish production obtained from treatments 1, 2 and 3 were 218.16±18.29, 239.70±25.11 and 236±24.66 kg/ha, respectively. On-farm demonstrations of carp polyculture using over-wintered fingerlings rohu (25-28 g), catla (24-26 g), mrigal (21-26 g) and grass carp (20-24 g) under different stocking densities were undertaken in nine earthen ponds (1,200-1,600 square meters) for a period of six months at three different stocking densities. The stocking densities of treatment 1 (T1), treatment 2 (T2) and treatment 3 (T3) were 2,000, 3,000 and 4,000/ha, respectively. Fish were fed with rice bran and mustard oil cake (3:1). Soft green grass and banana leaves were provided mainly for grass carp. At harvest, the production obtained in treatments 1, 2 and 3 were 2,325±74.75, 2,620±49.66 and 2,982± 171.52 kg/ha, respectively. The results demonstrated higher growth of fish in treatment 1 than those of treatments 2 and 3. However, treatment 3 contributed relatively higher production than those of treatments 1 and 2, whereas, highest net benefit was received from treatment 2.

Tandem system adaptation using multiple linear feature transforms

Adaptation to speaker and environment changes is an essential part of current automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems. In recent years the use of multi-layer percpetrons (MLPs) has become increasingly common in ASR systems. A standard approach to handling speaker differences when using MLPs is to apply a global speaker-specific constrained MLLR (CMLLR) transform to the features prior to training or using the MLP. This paper considers the situation when there are both speaker and channel, communication link, differences in the data. A more powerful transform, front-end CMLLR (FE-CMLLR), is applied to the inputs to the MLP to represent the channel differences. Though global, these FE-CMLLR transforms vary from time-instance to time-instance. Experiments on a channel distorted dialect Arabic conversational speech recognition task indicates the usefulness of adapting MLP features using both CMLLR and FE-CMLLR transforms. © 2013 IEEE.

Sequence analysis of cytochrome b gene indicates that East Asian group of cyprinid subfamily Leuciscinae (Teleostei : Cyprinidae) evolved independently

The sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome b gene of cyprinid subfamily Leuciscinae are analyzed. Phylogenetic trees generated with methods of neighbor-joining, maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony with Phenacogrammus as an outgroup indicate that Leuciscinae is not a monophyletic group but includes two discrete subgroups. The East Asian group of the subfamily Leuciscinae, including the genera Ctenopharyngodon, Elopichthys, Luciobrama, Mylopharyngodon, Ochetobius, and Squaliobarbus, is close to Aristichthys and Hypophthalmichthys, and they form a monophyletic group which is distant from the leuciscine genera in Europe, Siberia and North America, such as Phoxinus, Leuciscus, Abramis, Rutilus, Chondrostoma, Alburnus, Opsopoedus, Lythrurus, and Pimephales. Our study suggests that the diversified East Asian group of the subfamily Leuciscinae should have an independent origination.

The unique skeleton of siliceous sponges (Porifera; Hexactinellida and Demospongiae) that evolved first from the Urmetazoa during the Proterozoic: a review

Sponges (phylum Porifera) had been considered as an enigmatic phylum, prior to the analysis of their genetic repertoire/tool kit. Already with the isolation of the first adhesion molecule, galectin, it became clear that the sequences of sponge cell surface receptors and of molecules forming the intracellular signal transduction pathways triggered by them, share high similarity with those identified in other metazoan phyla. These studies demonstrated that all metazoan phyla, including Porifera, originate from one common ancestor, the Urmetazoa. The sponges evolved prior to the Ediacaran-Cambrian boundary (542 million years ago [myr]) during two major "snowball earth events", the Sturtian glaciation (710 to 680 myr) and the Varanger-Marinoan ice ages (605 to 585 myr). During this period the ocean was richer in silica due to the silicate weathering. The oldest sponge fossils (Hexactinellida) have been described from Australia, China and Mongolia and are thought to have existed coeval with the diverse Ediacara fauna. Only little younger are the fossils discovered in the Sansha section in Hunan (Early Cambrian; China). It has been proposed that only the sponges possessed the genetic repertoire to cope with the adverse conditions, e.g. temperature-protection molecules or proteins protecting them against ultraviolet radiation. The skeletal elements of the Hexactinellida (model organisms Monorhaphis chuni and Monorhaphis intermedia or Hyalonema sieboldi) and Demospongiae (models Suberites domuncula and Geodia cydonium), the spicules, are formed enzymatically by the anabolic enzyme silicatein and the catabolic enzyme silicase. Both, the spicules of Hexactinellida and of Demospongiae, comprise a central axial canal and an axial filament which harbors the silicatein. After intracellular formation of the first lamella around the channel and the subsequent extracellular apposition of further lamellae the spicules are completed in a net formed of collagen fibers. The data summarized here substantiate that with the finding of silicatein a new aera in the field of bio/inorganic chemistry started. For the first time strategies could be formulated and experimentally proven that allow the formation/synthesis of inorganic structures by organic molecules. These findings are not only of importance for the further understanding of basic pathways in the body plan formation of sponges but also of eminent importance for applied/commercial processes in a sustainable use of biomolecules for novel bio/inorganic materials.

A Robot that Walks: Emergent Behaviors from a Carefully Evolved Network

Most animals have significant behavioral expertise built in without having to explicitly learn it all from scratch. This expertise is a product of evolution of the organism; it can be viewed as a very long term form of learning which provides a structured system within which individuals might learn more specialized skills or abilities. This paper suggests one possible mechanism for analagous robot evolution by describing a carefully designed series of networks, each one being a strict augmentation of the previous one, which control a six legged walking machine capable of walking over rough terrain and following a person passively sensed in the infrared spectrum. As the completely decentralized networks are augmented, the robot's performance and behavior repertoire demonstrably improve. The rationale for such demonstrations is that they may provide a hint as to the requirements for automatically building massive networks to carry out complex sensory-motor tasks. The experiments with an actual robot ensure that an essence of reality is maintained and that no critical problems have been ignored.

Dynamical Systems in the Sensorimotor Loop: On the Interrelation Between Internal and External Mechanisms of Evolved Robot Behavior

Huelse, M., Wischmann, S., Manoonpong, P., Twickel, A.v., Pasemann, F.: Dynamical Systems in the Sensorimotor Loop: On the Interrelation Between Internal and External Mechanisms of Evolved Robot Behavior. In: M. Lungarella, F. Iida, J. Bongard, R. Pfeifer (Eds.) 50 Years of Artificial Intelligence, LNCS 4850, Springer, 186 - 195, 2007.

Optical determination of fractal dimensions using Fourier transforms

R. Zwiggelaar and C.R. Bull, 'Optical determination of fractal dimensions using Fourier transforms', Optical Engineering 34 (5), 1325-1332 (1995)