Semantic photo synthesis

Composite images are synthesized from existing photographs by artists who make concept art, e.g., storyboards for movies or architectural planning. Current techniques allow an artist to fabricate such an image by digitally splicing parts of stock photographs. While these images serve mainly to “quickly”convey how a scene should look, their production is laborious. We propose a technique that allows a person to design a new photograph with substantially less effort. This paper presents a method that generates a composite image when a user types in nouns, such as “boat”and “sand.”The artist can optionally design an intended image by specifying other constraints. Our algorithm formulates the constraints as queries to search an automatically annotated image database. The desired photograph, not a collage, is then synthesized using graph-cut optimization, optionally allowing for further user interaction to edit or choose among alternative generated photos. An implementation of our approach, shown in the associated video, demonstrates our contributions of (1) a method for creating specific images with minimal human effort, and (2) a combined algorithm for automatically building an image library with semantic annotations from any photo collection.

Exploring alternative approaches

This chapter describes a number of alternative approaches to teaching and learning science in secondary schools. The approaches have been trialled in a number of places, but no one approach has been sufficient to capture the needs of the students’ learning or the development of scientific literacy.

Screening for resistance to potato cyst nematode in Australian potato cultivars and alternative solanaceous hosts

The potato cyst nematodes (PCN), Globodera rostochiensis (Woll.) and G. pallida (Stone), are major pests of ware and seed potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) crops worldwide and severely impact the movement of potatoes around the globe through quarantine restrictions. In Australia, only G. rostochiensis has been discovered, on four separate occasions between 1986 and 2008. The infested areas are the subject of strict regulation and quarantine procedures and while they are considered to be contained, managing nematode populations remains a priority. This study has identified the G. rostochiensis Ro1 resistance-status of potato cultivars currently grown by Australian potato growers, and new cultivars emerging from the Australian Potato Breeding Program. Resistance was assessed by a simple and robust procedure carried out in a purpose-built quarantine facility. Of the 24 potato cultivars grown in the affected Koo Wee Rup district in 2004, 10 were resistant to nematode infestation, including the locally important cultivar Atlantic. Other cultivars important to the Victorian and Australian potato industry, such as Kennebec, Desiree, Sebago and Coliban, were classified as susceptible. Importantly, this study provided evidence that the Koo Wee Rup PCN population was able to complete its lifecycle on the native plant species, S. aviculare (kangaroo apple), potentially acting as an alternate host and spreading PCN among potato crops.