Model-based vehicle detection and classification using orthographic approximations

This paper reports the current state of work to simplify our previous model-based methods for visual tracking of vehicles for use in a real-time system intended to provide continuous monitoring and classification of traffic from a fixed camera on a busy multi-lane motorway. The main constraints of the system design were: (i) all low level processing to be carried out by low-cost auxiliary hardware, (ii) all 3-D reasoning to be carried out automatically off-line, at set-up time. The system developed uses three main stages: (i) pose and model hypothesis using 1-D templates, (ii) hypothesis tracking, and (iii) hypothesis verification, using 2-D templates. Stages (i) & (iii) have radically different computing performance and computational costs, and need to be carefully balanced for efficiency. Together, they provide an effective way to locate, track and classify vehicles.

Uses of airborne scanning laser altimetry for river flood modelling and coastal geomorphology

Two ongoing projects at ESSC that involve the development of new techniques for extracting information from airborne LiDAR data and combining this information with environmental models will be discussed. The first project in conjunction with Bristol University is aiming to improve 2-D river flood flow models by using remote sensing to provide distributed data for model calibration and validation. Airborne LiDAR can provide such models with a dense and accurate floodplain topography together with vegetation heights for parameterisation of model friction. The vegetation height data can be used to specify a friction factor at each node of a model’s finite element mesh. A LiDAR range image segmenter has been developed which converts a LiDAR image into separate raster maps of surface topography and vegetation height for use in the model. Satellite and airborne SAR data have been used to measure flood extent remotely in order to validate the modelled flood extent. Methods have also been developed for improving the models by decomposing the model’s finite element mesh to reflect floodplain features such as hedges and trees having different frictional properties to their surroundings. Originally developed for rural floodplains, the segmenter is currently being extended to provide DEMs and friction parameter maps for urban floods, by fusing the LiDAR data with digital map data. The second project is concerned with the extraction of tidal channel networks from LiDAR. These networks are important features of the inter-tidal zone, and play a key role in tidal propagation and in the evolution of salt-marshes and tidal flats. The study of their morphology is currently an active area of research, and a number of theories related to networks have been developed which require validation using dense and extensive observations of network forms and cross-sections. The conventional method of measuring networks is cumbersome and subjective, involving manual digitisation of aerial photographs in conjunction with field measurement of channel depths and widths for selected parts of the network. A semi-automatic technique has been developed to extract networks from LiDAR data of the inter-tidal zone. A multi-level knowledge-based approach has been implemented, whereby low level algorithms first extract channel fragments based mainly on image properties then a high level processing stage improves the network using domain knowledge. The approach adopted at low level uses multi-scale edge detection to detect channel edges, then associates adjacent anti-parallel edges together to form channels. The higher level processing includes a channel repair mechanism.

In vitro evaluation of fibrolytic enzymes as additives for maize (Zea mays L.) silage - I. Effects of ensiling temperature, enzyme source and addition level

A series of experiments was completed to investigate the impact of addition of enzymes at ensiling on in vitro rumen degradation of maize silage. Two commercial products, Depot 40 (D, Biocatalysts Ltd., Pontypridd, UK) and Liquicell 2500 (L, Specialty Enzymes and Biochemicals, Fresno, CA, USA), were used. In experiment 1, the pH optima over a pH range 4.0-6.8 and the stability of D and L under changing pH (4.0, 5.6, 6.8) and temperature (15 and 39 degreesC) conditions were determined. In experiment 2, D and L were applied at three levels to whole crop maize at ensiling, using triplicate 0.5 kg capacity laboratory minisilos. A completely randomized design with a factorial arrangement of treatments was used. One set of treatments was stored at room temperature, whereas another set was stored at 40 degreesC during the first 3 weeks of fermentation, and then stored at room temperature. Silages were opened after 120 days. Results from experiment I indicated that the xylanase activity of both products showed an optimal pH of about 5.6, but the response differed according to the enzyme, whereas the endoglucanase activity was inversely related to pH. Both products retained at least 70% of their xylanase activity after 48 h incubation at 15 or 39 degreesC. In experiment 2, enzymes reduced (P < 0.05) silage pH, regardless of storage temperature and enzyme level. Depol 40 reduced (P < 0.05) the starch contents of the silages, due to its high alpha-amylase activity. This effect was more noticeable in the silages stored at room temperature. Addition of L reduced (P < 0.05) neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) contents. In vitro rumen degradation, assessed using the Reading Pressure Technique (RPT), showed that L increased (P < 0.05) the initial 6 h gas production (GP) and organic matter degradability (OMD), but did not affect (P > 0.05) the final extent of OMD, indicating that this preparation acted on the rumen degradable material. In contrast, silages treated with D had reduced (P < 0.05) rates of gas production and OMD. These enzymes, regardless of ensiling temperature, can be effective in improving the nutritive quality of maize silage when applied at ensiling. However, the biochemical properties of enzymes (i.e., enzymic activities, optimum pH) may have a crucial role in dictating the nature of the responses. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The tagged microarray marker (TAM) method for high-throughput detection of single nucleotide and indel polymorphisms

The tagged microarray marker (TAM) method allows high-throughput differentiation between predicted alternative PCR products. Typically, the method is used as a molecular marker approach to determining the allelic states of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) or insertion-deletion (indel) alleles at genomic loci in multiple individuals. Biotin-labeled PCR products are spotted, unpurified, onto a streptavidin-coated glass slide and the alternative products are differentiated by hybridization to fluorescent detector oligonucleotides that recognize corresponding allele-specific tags on the PCR primers. The main attractions of this method are its high throughput (thousands of PCRs are analyzed per slide), flexibility of scoring (any combination, from a single marker in thousands of samples to thousands of markers in a single sample, can be analyzed) and flexibility of scale (any experimental scale, from a small lab setting up to a large project). This protocol describes an experiment involving 3,072 PCRs scored on a slide. The whole process from the start of PCR setup to receiving the data spreadsheet takes 2 d.

Segregated self-assembly and pillaring action of aliphatic dicarboxylic acids in the super structure of Cu-picolinate complexes

Three new supramolecular assemblies of co-crystallized metal complexes and aliphatic dicarboxylic acids, {[Cu(pic)(2)(H2O)(2)](H(2)mal)}(n) (1), {[Cu(pic)(2)(H2O)(2)](H(2)mal)(2)(H2O)(2)}(n) (2) and {[Cu(pic)(2)(MeOH)](H(2)succ)}(n) (3) {Hpic = 2-picolinic acid, H(2)mal = malonic acid and H(2)succ = succinic acid} have been synthesized and characterized by X-ray single-crystal structure determination. The crystal packings of the complexes reveal that supramolecular associations of the monomeric complex units lead to the formation of layers through hydrogen bonding. In all the complexes, the dicarboxylic acid units connect the 2-D layers to act as pillars. The interaction between water molecules and the dicarboxylic acid plays an important role in the overall supramolecular assembly. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Synthesis of FimH receptor-active manno-oligosaccharides by reverse hydrolysis using alpha-mannosidases from Penicillium citrinum, Aspergillus phoenicis and almond

Recombinant Penicillium citrinum alpha-1,2-mannosidase, expressed in Aspergillus oryzae, was employed to carry out regioselective synthesis of alpha-D-mannopyranosyl-(1-->2)-D-mannose. Yields (w/w) of 16.68% disaccharide, 3.07% trisaccharide and 0.48% tetrasaccharide were obtained, with alpha1-->2 linkages present at 98.5% of the total linkages formed. Non-specific alpha-mannosidase from almond was highly efficient in reverse hydrolysis and oligosaccharide yields of 45-50% were achieved. The products of the almond mannosidase were a mixture of disaccharides (30.75%, w/w), trisaccharides (12.26%, w/w) and tetrasaccharides (1.89%, w/w) with 1-->2, 1-->3 and 1-->6 isomers. alpha-1,2-linkage specific mannosidase from P. citrinum and alpha-1,6-linkage-specific mannosidase from Aspergillus phoenicis were used in combination to hydrolyse the respective linkages from the mixture of isomers, resulting in alpha-D-mannopyranosyl-(1-->3)-D-mannose in 86.4% purity. The synthesised oligosaccharides can potentially inhibit the adhesion of pathogens by acting as 'decoys' of receptors of type-1 fimbriae carried by enterobacteria.

Vitamin E supplementation, cereal feed type and consumer sensory perceptions of poultry meat quality

Lipid oxidation leads to meat spoilage and has been reported to cause adverse changes in the flavour and texture of poultry meat. Vitamin E has been found to be effective in delaying lipid oxidation. The aim of this study was to determine whether the vitamin E supplementation of chicken feed influences the consumers' perception of the quality of chicken meat under normal display and storage conditions. Untrained consumers (n 32) evaluated cooked breast meat from chickens (both corn fed and wheat fed) supplemented with 75 250 or 500 mg/kg vitamin E and after storage at 4&DEG; C for 4 and 7 d. Factorial analysis found an interaction between vitamin E treatment and storage day upon the perceived juiciness (P = 0.023) and tenderness (P = 0.041) of the chicken meat. Perceptions of quality relative to vitamin E level were more evident on day 4 than day 7. When the two cereal types were compared, the time-related subgroup effects were observed only in meat from corn-fed chickens supplemented with either 75 or 250 mg/kg, which was perceived to be juicier (P = 0.018) and more tender (P = 0.020) than that supplemented at the 500 mg/kg level. These results imply that the two lower concentrations of vitamin E have some advantages over 500 mg/kg, but for optimal consumer acceptance of corn-fed chicken meat, we suggest that 250 mg/kg vitamin E should be added to corn-fed poultry feed. There was no evidence to suggest any advantages in changing the current amount of vitamin E (75 mg/kg) used to rear wheat-fed birds.

Antipsychotic drug action: antagonism, inverse agonism or partial agonism

The positive, psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia can be treated by antipsychotic drugs and it has been assumed that these are antagonists at the D-2 and D-3 dopamine receptors in the brain. Recently, the D-2/D-3 partial agonist aripiprazole has been introduced as an antipsychotic drug. It has also been realized that, using in vitro assays, the other antipsychotic drugs are in fact inverse agonists at D-2/D-3 dopamine receptors. This raises questions about how these disparate drugs can achieve a similar clinical outcome. In this review, I shall consider the efficacies of these drugs in signalling assays and how these efficacies might affect treatment outcomes. It seems that the treatment outcome might depend on the overall level of cell stimulation, which is in turn dependent on the level of residual dopamine and the efficacy of the drug in signalling assays.

Global asymptotic stability in a rational recursive sequence

In this paper, we study the global stability of the difference equation x(n) = a + bx(n-1) + cx(n-1)(2)/d - x(n-2), n = 1,2,....., where a, b greater than or equal to 0 and c, d > 0. We show that one nonnegative equilibrium point of the equation is a global attractor with a basin that is determined by the parameters, and every positive Solution of the equation in the basin exponentially converges to the attractor. (C) 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Compositional technique for synthesising multi-phase regular arrays

We describe a high-level design method to synthesize multi-phase regular arrays. The method is based on deriving component designs using classical regular (or systolic) array synthesis techniques and composing these separately evolved component design into a unified global design. Similarity transformations ar e applied to component designs in the composition stage in order to align data ow between the phases of the computations. Three transformations are considered: rotation, re ection and translation. The technique is aimed at the design of hardware components for high-throughput embedded systems applications and we demonstrate this by deriving a multi-phase regular array for the 2-D DCT algorithm which is widely used in many vide ocommunications applications.

Long-lived halocarbon trends and budgets from atmospheric chemistry modelling constrained with measurements in polar firn

The budgets of seven halogenated gases (CFC-11, CFC-12, CFC-113, CFC-114, CFC-115, CCl4 and SF6) are studied by comparing measurements in polar firn air from two Arctic and three Antarctic sites, and simulation results of two numerical models: a 2-D atmospheric chemistry model and a 1-D firn diffusion model. The first one is used to calculate atmospheric concentrations from emission trends based on industrial inventories; the calculated concentration trends are used by the second one to produce depth concentration profiles in the firn. The 2-D atmospheric model is validated in the boundary layer by comparison with atmospheric station measurements, and vertically for CFC-12 by comparison with balloon and FTIR measurements. Firn air measurements provide constraints on historical atmospheric concentrations over the last century. Age distributions in the firn are discussed using a Green function approach. Finally, our results are used as input to a radiative model in order to evaluate the radiative forcing of our target gases. Multi-species and multi-site firn air studies allow to better constrain atmospheric trends. The low concentrations of all studied gases at the bottom of the firn, and their consistency with our model results confirm that their natural sources are small. Our results indicate that the emissions, sinks and trends of CFC-11, CFC-12, CFC-113, CFC-115 and SF6 are well constrained, whereas it is not the case for CFC-114 and CCl4. Significant emission-dependent changes in the lifetimes of halocarbons destroyed in the stratosphere were obtained. Those result from the time needed for their transport from the surface where they are emitted to the stratosphere where they are destroyed. Efforts should be made to update and reduce the large uncertainties on CFC lifetimes.

Early identification of stimulant treatment responders, partial responders and non-responders using objective measures in children and adolescents with hyperkinetic disorder

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate stimulant medication response following a single dose of methylphenidate (MPH) in children and young people with hyperkinetic disorder using infrared motion analysis combined with a continuous performance task (QbTest system) as objective measures. The hypothesis was put forward that a moderate testdose of stimulant medication could determine a robust treatment response, partial response and non-response in relation to activity, attention and impulse control measures. Methods: The study included 44 children and young people between the ages of 7-18 years with a diagnosis of hyperkinetic disorder (F90 & F90.1). A single dose-protocol incorporated the time course effects of both immediate release MPH and extended release MPH (Concerta XL, Equasym XL) to determine comparable peak efficacy periods post intake. Results: A robust treatment response with objective measures reverting to the population mean was found in 37 participants (84%). Three participants (7%) demonstrated a partial response to MPH and four participants (9%) were determined as non-responders due to deteriorating activity measures together with no improvements in attention and impulse control measures. Conclusion: Objective measures provide early into prescribing the opportunity to measure treatment response and monitor adverse reactions to stimulant medication. Most treatment responders demonstrated an effective response to MPH on a moderate testdose facilitating a swift and more optimal titration process.

Effluent quality and ammonia emissions from out-wintering pads in England, Wales and Ireland

Out-wintering pads offer a reduced cost system for wintering cattle, minimising damage to pasture, providing animal welfare and production benefits, and generate, potentially, a more manageable effluent and lower ammonia emissions. The objectives of the present study were (i) to contribute to improved understanding of the factors impacting on effluent quality, ammonia emissions and animal welfare via observations on four farm-based out-wintering pads (ComOWPs) in England, Wales and Ireland and more detailed studies undertaken on four experimental OWPs (ExpOWPs) constructed at Rothamsted Research North Wyke, Devon, England and (ii) to corroborate the effluent quality data from both the ComOWPs and the ExpOWPs, with findings in the literature. Woodchip size, feeding management and area allowance were the treatment factors applied on the ExpOWPs. These three factors were randomised across the four ExpOWPs, over four 6–7 week periods. Effluent quality from the ExpOWPs was sampled frequently in a flow proportional way and analysed for total N (TN); total P (TP); total solids (TS); ammonium-N (NH4+-N); nitrate-N (NO3−-N). Beef cattle were periodically weighed for determination of live weight gain (LWG). An approximate nitrogen balance was calculated as a means of understanding its partitioning and fate during and after the ExpOWPs use. Effluent quality from the ComOWPs was sampled frequently, also in a flow-proportional way, and analysed for TN, TP, TS, NH4+-N, NO3−-N, total K and COD. Effluent quality data from the ExpOWPs showed no significant differences (P > 0.05) between treatments, with average concentrations of 1095 mg l−1, and 806 mg l−1, for TN and NH4+-N, respectively. Average effluent concentrations from the ComOWPs were 356 mg l−1 TN and 124 mg l−1 NH4+-N. Ammonia emissions from the ExpOWPs showed no significant differences (P > 0.05) between the treatments, with average mean emission rates of 2.5 g m−2 d−1 NH3-N, respectively. A positive correlation was established between NH3-N emission rate and wind speed. Emission rates from the ComOWPs ranged from 0.7 to 1.6 g m−2 d−1 NH3-N. Average daily LWG on the ExpOWPs was 1.33 kg steer−1 d−1. The effluent from both the ComOWPs and ExpOWPs were more similar with dirty water and of consistently lower strength than beef cattle slurry, as supported by findings in the literature, and therefore, it is suggested to be subject to the regulatory requirements of dirty water rather than slurry.

An ‘ideal’ form of decaying two-dimensional turbulence

In decaying two-dimensional Navier-Stokes turbulence, Batchelor's similarity hypothesis fails due to the existence of coherent vortices. However, it is shown that decaying two-dimensional turbulence governed by the Harney-Hasegawa-Mima (CHM) equation ∂/∂t (V^2 φ-λ^2 φ)+J(φ,∇^2 φ)=D where D is a damping, is described well by Batchelor's similarity hypothesis for wave numbers k ≪ λ (the so-called AM regime). It is argued that CHM turbulence in the AM regime is a more `ideal' form of two-dimensional turbulence than is Navier-Stokes turbulence itself.

Inhomogeneous two-dimensional turbulence in the atmosphere

Faced with the strongly nonlinear and apparently random behaviour of the energy-containing scales in the atmosphere, geophysical fluid dynamicists have attempted to understand the synoptic-scale atmospheric flow within the context of two-dimensional homogeneous turbulence theory (e.g. FJØRTOFT [1]; LEITH [2]). However atmospheric observations (BOER and SHEPHERD [3] and Fig.1) show that the synoptic-scale transient flow evolves in the presence of a planetary-scale, quasi-stationary background flow which is approximately zonal (east-west). Classical homogeneous 2-D turbulence theory is therefore not strictly applicable to the transient flow. One is led instead to study 2-D turbulence in the presence of a large-scale (barotropically stable) zonal jet inhomogeneity.