The systematic profiling of false identity documents: method validation and performance evaluation using seizures known to originate from common and different sources

False identity documents constitute a potential powerful source of forensic intelligence because they are essential elements of transnational crime and provide cover for organized crime. In previous work, a systematic profiling method using false documents' visual features has been built within a forensic intelligence model. In the current study, the comparison process and metrics lying at the heart of this profiling method are described and evaluated. This evaluation takes advantage of 347 false identity documents of four different types seized in two countries whose sources were known to be common or different (following police investigations and dismantling of counterfeit factories). Intra-source and inter-sources variations were evaluated through the computation of more than 7500 similarity scores. The profiling method could thus be validated and its performance assessed using two complementary approaches to measuring type I and type II error rates: a binary classification and the computation of likelihood ratios. Very low error rates were measured across the four document types, demonstrating the validity and robustness of the method to link documents to a common source or to differentiate them. These results pave the way for an operational implementation of a systematic profiling process integrated in a developed forensic intelligence model.

Debris flow modeling for susceptibility mapping at regional to national scale in Norway

Debris flows and related landslide processes occur in many regions all over Norway and pose a significant hazard to inhabited areas. Within the framework of the development of a national debris flows susceptibility map, we are working on a modeling approach suitable for Norway with a nationwide coverage. The discrimination of source areas is based on an index approach, which includes topographic parameters and hydrological settings. For the runout modeling, we use the Flow-R model (IGAR, University of Lausanne), which is based on combined probabilistic and energetic algorithms for the assessment of the spreading of the flow and maximum runout distances. First results for different test areas have shown that runout distances can be modeled reliably. For the selection of source areas, however, additional factors have to be considered, such as the lithological and quaternary geological setting, in order to accommodate the strong variation in debris flow activity in the different geological, geomorphological and climate regions of Norway.

Source-wavelet estimation during full-waveform inversion of ground-penetrating radar data

A major issue in the application of waveform inversion methods to crosshole ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data is the accurate estimation of the source wavelet. Here, we explore the viability and robustness of incorporating this step into a recently published time-domain inversion procedure through an iterative deconvolution approach. Our results indicate that, at least in non-dispersive electrical environments, such an approach provides remarkably accurate and robust estimates of the source wavelet even in the presence of strong heterogeneity of both the dielectric permittivity and electrical conductivity. Our results also indicate that the proposed source wavelet estimation approach is relatively insensitive to ambient noise and to the phase characteristics of the starting wavelet. Finally, there appears to be little to no trade-off between the wavelet estimation and the tomographic imaging procedures.

The Upper Oligocene of Montgat (Catalan Coastal Ranges, Spain): new age constraints to the western Mediterranean Basin opening

The Oligocene deposits of Montgat are integrated in a small outcrop made up of Cenozoic and Mesozoic rocks located in the Garraf-Montnegre horst, close to the major Barcelona fault. The Oligocene of Montgat consists of detrital sediments of continental origin mainly deposited in alluvial fan environments; these deposits are folded and affected by thrusts and strike-slip faults. They can be divided in two lithostratigraphic units separated by a minor southwest-directed thrust: (i) the Turó de Montgat Unit composed of litharenites and lithorudites with high contents of quartz, feldspar, plutonic and limestone rock fragments; and (ii) the Pla de la Concòrdia Unit composed of calcilitharenites and calcilithorudites with high contents of dolosparite and dolomicrite rock fragments. The petrological composition of both units indicates that sediments were derived from the erosion of Triassic (Buntsandstein, Muschelkalk and Keuper facies), Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous rocks (Barremian to Aptian in age). Stratigraphic and petrological data suggest that these units correspond to two coalescent alluvial fans with a source area located northwestwards in the adjoining Collserola and Montnegre inner areas. Micromammal fossils (Archaeomys sp.) found in a mudstone layer of the Pla de la Concòrdia Unit assign a Chattian age (Late Oligocene) to the studied materials. Thus, the Montgat deposits are the youngest dated deposits affected by the contractional deformation that led to the development of the Catalan Intraplate Chain. Taking into account that the oldest syn-rift deposits in the Catalan Coastal Ranges are Aquitanian in age, this allows to precise that the change from a compressive to an extensional regime in this area took place during latest Oligocene-earliest Aquitanian times. This age indicates that the onset of crustal extension related to the opening of the western Mediterranean Basin started in southern France during latest Eocene-early Oligocene and propagated southwestward, affecting the Catalan Coastal Ranges and the northeastern part of the Valencia trough during the latest Chattian-earliest Aquitanian times.

GIS-based debris flow source and runout susceptibility assessment from DEM data - a case study in NW Nicaragua

In October 1998, Hurricane Mitch triggered numerous landslides (mainly debris flows) in Honduras and Nicaragua, resulting in a high death toll and in considerable damage to property. The potential application of relatively simple and affordable spatial prediction models for landslide hazard mapping in developing countries was studied. Our attention was focused on a region in NW Nicaragua, one of the most severely hit places during the Mitch event. A landslide map was obtained at 1:10 000 scale in a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment from the interpretation of aerial photographs and detailed field work. In this map the terrain failure zones were distinguished from the areas within the reach of the mobilized materials. A Digital Elevation Model (DEM) with 20 m×20 m of pixel size was also employed in the study area. A comparative analysis of the terrain failures caused by Hurricane Mitch and a selection of 4 terrain factors extracted from the DEM which, contributed to the terrain instability, was carried out. Land propensity to failure was determined with the aid of a bivariate analysis and GIS tools in a terrain failure susceptibility map. In order to estimate the areas that could be affected by the path or deposition of the mobilized materials, we considered the fact that under intense rainfall events debris flows tend to travel long distances following the maximum slope and merging with the drainage network. Using the TauDEM extension for ArcGIS software we generated automatically flow lines following the maximum slope in the DEM starting from the areas prone to failure in the terrain failure susceptibility map. The areas crossed by the flow lines from each terrain failure susceptibility class correspond to the runout susceptibility classes represented in a runout susceptibility map. The study of terrain failure and runout susceptibility enabled us to obtain a spatial prediction for landslides, which could contribute to landslide risk mitigation.

Some of the early events underlying Th2 cell maturation and susceptibility to Leishmania major infection in BALB/c mice.

The first experimental evidence for the development of polarized CD4+ Th1 and Th2 responses in vivo has been obtained using the murine model of infection with Leishmania major, an intracellular parasite of macrophages in their vertebrate host. Genetically determined resistance and susceptibility to infection with this parasite have been clearly demonstrated to result from the development of polarized Th1 and Th2 responses, respectively. Using this model system, the dominant role of cytokines in the induction of polarized CD4+ responses has been validated in vivo. The requisite role of IL-4 in mediating both Th2 differentiation and susceptibility to infection in BALB/c mice has directed interest towards the search for evidence of IL-4 production early after infection and identification of its cellular source. We have been able to demonstrate a burst of IL-4 production in susceptible BALB/c mice within the first day of infection with L. major and could establish that this rapidly produced IL-4 instructed Th2 lineage commitment of subsequently activated CD4+ T cells and stabilized this commitment by downregulating IL-12 Rbeta2 chain expression, resulting in susceptibility to infection. Strikingly, this early IL-4 response to infection resulted from the cognate recognition of a single epitope in a distinctive antigen, LACK, from this complex microorganism by a restricted population of CD4+ T cells that express Vbeta4-Valpha8 T cell receptors.

The Upper Oligocene of Montgat (Catalan Coastal Ranges, Spain): new age constraints to the western Mediterranean Basin opening

The Oligocene deposits of Montgat are integrated in a small outcrop made up of Cenozoic and Mesozoic rocks located in the Garraf-Montnegre horst, close to the major Barcelona fault. The Oligocene of Montgat consists of detrital sediments of continental origin mainly deposited in alluvial fan environments; these deposits are folded and affected by thrusts and strike-slip faults. They can be divided in two lithostratigraphic units separated by a minor southwest-directed thrust: (i) the Turó de Montgat Unit composed of litharenites and lithorudites with high contents of quartz, feldspar, plutonic and limestone rock fragments; and (ii) the Pla de la Concòrdia Unit composed of calcilitharenites and calcilithorudites with high contents of dolosparite and dolomicrite rock fragments. The petrological composition of both units indicates that sediments were derived from the erosion of Triassic (Buntsandstein, Muschelkalk and Keuper facies), Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous rocks (Barremian to Aptian in age). Stratigraphic and petrological data suggest that these units correspond to two coalescent alluvial fans with a source area located northwestwards in the adjoining Collserola and Montnegre inner areas. Micromammal fossils (Archaeomys sp.) found in a mudstone layer of the Pla de la Concòrdia Unit assign a Chattian age (Late Oligocene) to the studied materials. Thus, the Montgat deposits are the youngest dated deposits affected by the contractional deformation that led to the development of the Catalan Intraplate Chain. Taking into account that the oldest syn-rift deposits in the Catalan Coastal Ranges are Aquitanian in age, this allows to precise that the change from a compressive to an extensional regime in this area took place during latest Oligocene-earliest Aquitanian times. This age indicates that the onset of crustal extension related to the opening of the western Mediterranean Basin started in southern France during latest Eocene-early Oligocene and propagated southwestward, affecting the Catalan Coastal Ranges and the northeastern part of the Valencia trough during the latest Chattian-earliest Aquitanian times.

Evidence for an overestimated vulnerability of adolescent rats to develop signs of drug addiction

Drug addiction is a multi-etiological disorder to which some individuals are more vulnerable an others. Whereas converging clinical and epidemiological studies report a peak of drug use ring adolescence, many behavioral traits characterizing teenagers have been proposed to contribute to this vulnerability, including a heightened sensation-seeking, an enhanced impulsivity d a larger influence exerted by peers. By many aspects, juvenile rodents display behavioral traits at resemble those of teenagers. However, the concept of increased vulnerability to drug addiction juvenile rats remains in debate. Indeed, only a few studies directly compared juvenile and adult fdents regarding behavioral predictors of drug abuse. Moreover, some key features of drug diction have never been investigated in juvenile rats yet. For this very reason, we conducted a arge-scale behavioral comparison of adult and adolescent rats with the aim of dissecting their espective behavioral traits and vulnerabilities to drug addiction. We first have shown that juvenile rats exhibited an enhanced motor impulsivity, and a loss of control over reward seeking assessed by a persistent reward taking despite adverse consequences mild electric footshocks]. We also report that juvenile rats displayed a higher anxiety profile, ind we discuss why these behaviors might represent key underpinning mechanisms leading to an enhanced vulnerability to drug abuse. Meanwhile, we collected clear cut observations that do not support such an interpretation. In Articular, juvenile and adult rats displayed identical novelty-induced habituation and preference at are considered to represent two potent predictors of cocaine initiation and compulsive intake, "pre strikingly, juvenile rats were less attracted by cues predicting reward in a Pavlovian utoshaping task, suggesting a lower propensity for cues or context to trigger the reinstatement of a^previously extinguished reward seeking behavior. Finally, using a paradigm assessing schedule- ciuced polydipsia, juvenile and adult rats exhibited similar compulsive drinking, under control conditions and following a chronic cocaine treatment as well. Hence, these observations call for a cautious interpretation of adolescent vulnerability to drug use. In particular, we underlined that even the most compulsive young rats did not consume ärger amounts of cocaine than adults, nor exhibited larger efforts in a cue-induced relapse aradigm, despite a transient increased motivation for lever-pressing. And further, despite a higher ensitivity to the behavioral effects of cocaine, juvenile rats did not differ from adults in their ropensity to constantly prefer saccharin over cocaine in a discrete-choice procedure, even after a ?'Id chronic stress procedure. Altogether, our results shape an objective overview of the juvenile rats' behavior in relation to oth drug and non-drug rewards, suggesting a heterogeneous and task-specific profile. Despite elements potentially underlying a real risk for substance use, adolescent rats do not exhibit a ehavioral repertoire suggesting increased vulnerability for compulsive drug abuse. Our conclusions strongly encourage deeper neurobiological investigations of the developing brain, and also open a debate on a possible overestimation of juvenile rats' and teenager's risk to develop aladaptive behaviors and drug addiction. - L'addiction aux drogues est une pathologie d'origine multifactorielle, à laquelle certains individus sont plus vulnérables que d'autres. De nombreuses études cliniques et épidémiologiques suggèrent une consommation excessive de drogues pendant l'adolescence, et plusieurs explications ont été avancées pour justifier cette tendance, parmi lesquelles on note une augmentation de la recherche de sensation, une impulsivité plus marquée et une plus forte influence de l'entourage. Le rat juvénile présente de nombreuses caractéristiques développementales similaires à l'adolescence humaine. En revanche, la vulnérabilité des rats juvéniles à l'abus de drogue est encore sujette à caution. En effet, peu d'études ont directement comparé des traits de comportements pouvant refléter un accroissement du risque d'abus chez les rats juvéniles par comparaison aux rats adultes. En outre, certaines caractéristiques fondamentales de l'addiction chez l'homme n'ont pas encore été étudiées chez le rat adolescent. Ce travail de thèse s'est donc donné pour objectif de comparer le comportement de rats adultes vis-à-vis de celui de rats adolescents, afin d'évaluer dans quelle mesure ces derniers seraient plus vulnérables à l'abus de drogues. Nos résultats indiquent que les rats juvéniles présentent une augmentation des comportements impulsifs, ainsi qu'une plus grande persistance à rechercher de manière compulsive une récompense en dépit de légers chocs électriques. Les rats juvéniles présentent également un profil anxieux plus élevé, ce qui peut constituer une autre source de vulnérabilité. Cependant, certaines caractéristiques comportementales ne suggèrent pas de vulnérabilité chez les rats juvéniles. Aucune différence entre rats adultes et adolescents n'a été trouvée pour l'habituation et la préférence pour la nouveauté, deux traits prédisant l'initiation et la prise compulsive de drogue. De plus, nous avons montré que les rats adolescents attribuent moins d'intérêt à des stimuli prédisant la disponibilité d'une récompense, suggérant une vulnérabilité plus faible à la rechute induite par les stimuli associés à la prise de drogue. Une étude complémentaire des comportements compulsifs indique une absence de différence entre rats adultes et adolescents, à la fois en condition basale ou après un traitement chronique à la cocaïne. L'étude des comportements de prise de drogue ne va pas non plus dans le sens d'une vulnérabilité des rats adolescents. Bien que les rats compulsifs sélectionnés pendant la période juvénile présentent une plus grande motivation à prendre de la cocaïne, ils ne diffèrent ni dans la quantité de cocaïne consommée, ni dans la rechute induite par les stimuli environnementaux. En dépit d'une sensibilisation comportementale plus importante, les rats adolescents présentent la même préférence que les adultes face à un choix entre une drogue et une récompense alternative, suggérant une résilience à la cocaïne comparable à celle des adultes. Enfin, cette résilience pour la cocaïne n'est pas affectée par un stress chronique lors de l'adolescence. En résumé, cette étude dresse un regard objectif sur les comportements en lien avec une vulnérabilité à l'abus de drogues chez le rat juvénile, suggérant que celle-ci est hétérogène et spécifique au protocole utilisé. En dépit de certains éléments de vulnérabilité, les rats adolescents ne présentent pas d'attirance excessive pour la cocaïne, ni de prédisposition à la consommation compulsive de cette drogue. L'ensemble de ces éléments pourra constituer une base solide pour l'investigation neurobiologique du cerveau en développement, et ouvre un débat sur une possible surestimation de la vulnérabilité des rats juvéniles et de leurs homologues humains aux pathologies psychiatriques telles que l'addiction aux drogues.

Different colors of light lead to different adaptation and activation as determined by high-density EEG.

Light adaptation is crucial for coping with the varying levels of ambient light. Using high-density electroencephalography (EEG), we investigated how adaptation to light of different colors affects brain responsiveness. In a within-subject design, sixteen young participants were adapted first to dim white light and then to blue, green, red, or white bright light (one color per session in a randomized order). Immediately after both dim and bright light adaptation, we presented brief light pulses and recorded event-related potentials (ERPs). We analyzed ERP response strengths and brain topographies and determined the underlying sources using electrical source imaging. Between 150 and 261ms after stimulus onset, the global field power (GFP) was higher after dim than bright light adaptation. This effect was most pronounced with red light and localized in the frontal lobe, the fusiform gyrus, the occipital lobe and the cerebellum. After bright light adaptation, within the first 100ms after light onset, stronger responses were found than after dim light adaptation for all colors except for red light. Differences between conditions were localized in the frontal lobe, the cingulate gyrus, and the cerebellum. These results indicate that very short-term EEG brain responses are influenced by prior light adaptation and the spectral quality of the light stimulus. We show that the early EEG responses are differently affected by adaptation to different colors of light which may contribute to known differences in performance and reaction times in cognitive tests.

Contributions of pitch and bandwidth to sound-induced enhancement of visual cortex excitability in humans.

Multisensory interactions have been documented within low-level, even primary, cortices and at early post-stimulus latencies. These effects are in turn linked to behavioral and perceptual modulations. In humans, visual cortex excitability, as measured by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) induced phosphenes, can be reliably enhanced by the co-presentation of sounds. This enhancement occurs at pre-perceptual stages and is selective for different types of complex sounds. However, the source(s) of auditory inputs effectuating these excitability changes in primary visual cortex remain disputed. The present study sought to determine if direct connections between low-level auditory cortices and primary visual cortex are mediating these kinds of effects by varying the pitch and bandwidth of the sounds co-presented with single-pulse TMS over the occipital pole. Our results from 10 healthy young adults indicate that both the central frequency and bandwidth of a sound independently affect the excitability of visual cortex during processing stages as early as 30 msec post-sound onset. Such findings are consistent with direct connections mediating early-latency, low-level multisensory interactions within visual cortices.

Remsen source water protection project : agreement no. 8025-015 between the Iowa Watershed Improvement Review Board and the City of Remsen final report.

This final report to the Iowa Watershed Improvement Review Board by the City of Remsen Utilities consists of accomplishments made by the Remsen Utilities as per this agreement. The City of Remsen Utilities did in fact purchase approximately 27 acres of land lying upstream of the city’s water well field. The land was purchased from Mr. Larry Rodesch and Mr. Rich Harpenau for the purpose of removing nitrates from Remsen’s water source and establishing native prairie grasses to assist in this removal.

Reconfigurable Architecture To Estimate The Motion Of An Underwater Vehicle

This work proposes a parallel architecture for a motion estimation algorithm. It is well known that image processing requires a huge amount of computation, mainly at low level processing where the algorithms are dealing with a great numbers of data-pixel. One of the solutions to estimate motions involves detection of the correspondences between two images. Due to its regular processing scheme, parallel implementation of correspondence problem can be an adequate approach to reduce the computation time. This work introduces parallel and real-time implementation of such low-level tasks to be carried out from the moment that the current image is acquired by the camera until the pairs of point-matchings are detected

Owl pellets as a source of DNA for genetic studies of small mammals.

Owl pellets contain a good skeletal record of the small mammals consumed, and correspond to the undigested portions of prey which are regurgitated. These pellets are easy to find at the roosting site of owls. As it has been demonstrated that amplifiable DNA can be isolated from ancient bone remains, the possibility of using owl pellets as a source of DNA for small mammal genetics studies via the polymerase chain reaction has been investigated. The main uncertainties when isolating DNA from such a material are firstly the possibility that the extracted DNA would be too degraded during the digestion in the stomach of the owl, and secondly that extensive cross-contaminations could occur among the different prey consumed. The results obtained clearly demonstrate that cross-contamination does not occur, and that mitochondrial and nuclear DNA can be amplified using skulls of small mammals found in owl pellets as a source of DNA. The relative efficiency of two methods of DNA extraction is estimated and discussed. Thus, owl pellets represent a non-invasive sampling technique which provides a valuable source of DNA for studying population genetics of small mammals.

Thermogenesis in men and women induced by fructose vs glucose added to a meal.

Energy expenditure (EE) was measured by indirect calorimetry in 20 subjects (10 men and 10 women) for 30 min before and 6 h after the ingestion of a mixed meal containing 20% protein, 33% fat, and either 75 g glucose or 75 g fructose as carbohydrate source (47%). Diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT) and the rate of carbohydrate oxidation were significantly greater with fructose (12.4 +/- 0.6% and 54.8 +/- 2.1 g/6 h, respectively) than with glucose (10.7 +/- 0.7%, p less than 0.01, and 48.3 +/- 2.4 g/6 h, p less than 0.01, respectively). The DIT of male (12.1 +/- 1% and 13.9 +/- 0.8% with glucose and fructose, respectively) was greater than that of female subjects (9.2 +/- 0.7%, p less than 0.05, and 11.0 +/- 0.7%, p less than 0.05, respectively). In contrast to the glucose meal, negligible changes in plasma levels of glucose and insulin were observed with the fructose meal but plasma levels of lactate increased more with fructose than with glucose (peak values: 3.3 +/- 0.6 vs 1.5 +/- 0.1 mmol/L, respectively). When fructose provides the only carbohydrate source of a mixed meal, it induces a larger increase in carbohydrate oxidation and thermogenesis than when glucose is the carbohydrate source.

Contribution of fine particulate matter sources to indoor exposure in bars, restaurants, and cafes

This study investigated the contribution of sources and establishment characteristics, on the exposure to fine particulate matter (PM(2.5)) in the non-smoking sections of bars, cafes, and restaurants in central Zurich. PM(2.5)-exposure was determined with a nephelometer. A random sample of hospitality establishments was investigated on all weekdays, from morning until midnight. Each visit lasted 30 min. Numbers of smokers and other sources, such as candles and cooking processes, were recorded, as were seats, open windows, and open doors. Ambient air pollution data were obtained from public authorities. Data were analysed using robust MM regression. Over 14 warm, sunny days, 102 establishments were measured. Average establishment PM(2.5) concentrations were 64.7 microg/m(3) (s.d. = 73.2 microg/m(3), 30-min maximum 452.2 microg/m(3)). PM(2.5) was significantly associated with the number of smokers, percentage of seats occupied by smokers, and outdoor PM. Each smoker increased PM(2.5) on average by 15 microg/m(3). No associations were found with other sources, open doors or open windows. Bars had more smoking guests and showed significantly higher concentrations than restaurants and cafes. Smokers were the most important PM(2.5)-source in hospitality establishments, while outdoor PM defined the baseline. Concentrations are expected to be even higher during colder, unpleasant times of the year. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Smokers and ambient air pollution are the most important sources of fine airborne particulate matter (PM(2.5)) in the non-smoking sections of bars, restaurants, and cafes. Other sources do not significantly contribute to PM(2.5)-levels, while opening doors and windows is not an efficient means of removing pollutants. First, this demonstrates the impact that even a few smokers can have in affecting particle levels. Second, it implies that creating non-smoking sections, and using natural ventilation, is not sufficient to bring PM(2.5) to levels that imply no harm for employees and non-smoking clients. [Authors]