Learning a color distance metric for region-based image segmentation

In this paper we describe an experiment where we studied empirically the application of a learned distance metric to be used as discrimination function for an established color image segmentation algorithm. For this purpose we chose the Mumford–Shah energy functional and the Mahalanobis distance metric. The objective was to test our approach in an objective and quantifiable way on this specific algorithm employing this particular distance model, without making generalization claims. The empirical validation of the results was performed in two experiments: one applying the resulting segmentation method on a subset of the Berkeley Image Database, an exemplar image set possessing ground-truths and validating the results against the ground-truths using two well-known inter-cluster validation methods, namely, the Rand and BGM indexes, and another experiment using images of the same context divided into training and testing set, where the distance metric is learned from the training set and then applied to segment all the images. The obtained results suggest that the use of the specified learned distance metric provides better and more robust segmentations, even if no other modification of the segmentation algorithm is performed.     

Psychophysiological studies in the pre-school children

The behavior of 24 children, aged 3-6 years, was recorded on video-tape. Simultaneously the ECG was recorded telemetrically. These observations were made during two pre-school educational programs lasting 90 minutes each: "Didactic games" and "Elementary music and movement program". For each child a scale was developed to show the correlation of mean heart-rate and well defined motor-activity. It was evident that the mean heart-rate was higher during the music program than during the didactic program, corresponding to the higher motor-activity. But it was found that in the didactic program the variation of the heart-rate within short intervals was higher due to the more frequent occurrence of respiratory arrhythmias. It was also seen that during the music program the children showed no signs of exertion as they did towards the end of the didactic program. Respiratory arrhythmias were not seen in children who according to the Schellong-test were classified as stable in their cardiovascular system. The arrhythmias occurred mainly when the children showed signs of fatigue.     

Spin Electronics: From Concentrated to Diluted Magnetic Semiconductors and Beyond

This presentation will review physical properties, relevant to spintronics, of concentrated magnetic semiconductors. Examples from the open literature and current research utilizing thin film EuS will be used as illustrations. New research on potential spin injection materials and spin detection will also be described. This latter work, carried out at MARTECH, the Center for Materials Research and Technology, demonstrates that carriers from the half-metal CrO₂ may be injected across an insulator without loss of (100%) spin polarization. It also features the development of a Hall gradiometer capable of detecting as few as 10⁵ spins.     

Preface: Volume 70, Issue 3

This volume contains the Proceedings of the REFINE 2002 workshop. The Workshop was held in Copenhagen, Denmark on July 20 and 21, 2002, as a satellite event to FLoC'02 as an FME-affiliated workshop.Refinement is one of the cornerstones of a formal approach to software engineering. Refinement is the process of developing a more detailed design or implementation from an abstract specification through a sequence of mathematically-based steps that maintain correctness with respect to the original specification.The aim of this BCS FACS refinement workshop was to bring together people who are interested in the development of more concrete designs or executable programs from abstract specifications using formal notations, tool support for formal software development, and practical experience with formal refinement methodologies.The purpose of the workshop was to provide a forum for discussion of common ground and key differences. Topics of interest included:

• Simulation techniques

• Foundations and semantics

• Case studies (specification and verification)

• Compositional and modular reasoning

• Object-orientation

• Time

• Specification notations

• Programming models

• Verification and tool support

The workshop continued a long tradition of refinement workshops run under the auspices of the British Computer Society (BCS) FACS special interest group. Running since 1988, previous refinement workshops have been held at Cambridge, London, Bath etc.In 1998 the BCS refinement workshop was combined with the Australasian Refinement Workshop to form the International Refinement Workshop, hosted at alongside Formal Methods Pacific 1998 at The Australian National University.The papers in this volume were reviewed by a small program committee consisting of

•

John Derrick<

jd1@ukc.ac.uk

, University of Kent, UK.

•

Eerke Boiten<

eab2@ukc.ac.uk

, University of Kent, UK.

•

Jim Woodcock<

jcpw@ukc.ac.uk

, University of Kent, UK.

•

Joakim von Wright<

jockum.wright@abo.fi

, Åbo Akademi University, Finland

Additional information about the Workshop can be found at: http://www.cs.ukc.ac.uk/people/staff/eab2/refine/floc.htmlThis volume will be published as volume 70 issue 3 in the series Electronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science (ENTCS). This series is published electronically through the facilities of Elsevier Science B.V. and its auspices. The volumes in the ENTCS series can be accessed at the URLhttp://www.elsevier.nl/locate/entcsA printed version of the current volume was distributed to the participants at the workshop in Denmark.We are very grateful to the following persons, whose help has been crucial for the success of REFINE 2002: Lars-Henrik Eriksson and Peter Lindsay of FME for their help with the organization of the Workshop as satellite event of FLoC'02 and an FME affiliated workshop; Mike Mislove, one of the Managing Editors of the ENTCS series, for his assistance with the use of the ENTCS style files. Thanks are also due to the Computing Laboratory of the University of Kent, which supplied financial support to cover the printing costs.July 24, 2002John Derrick     

Stärkebestimmung in Kindermehl

European Food Research and Technology -     

Insight into the Impact of Oxidative Stress on the Barrier Properties of Lipid Bilayer Models

As a new field of oxidative stress-based therapy, cold physical plasma is a promising tool for several biomedical applications due to its potential to create a broad diversity of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS). Although proposed, the impact of plasma-derived RONS on the cell membrane lipids and properties is not fully understood. For this purpose, the changes in the lipid bilayer functionality under oxidative stress generated by an argon plasma jet (kINPen) were investigated by electrochemical techniques. In addition, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was employed to analyze the plasma-induced modifications on the model lipids. Various asymmetric bilayers mimicking the structure and properties of the erythrocyte cell membrane were transferred onto a gold electrode surface by Langmuir-Blodgett/Langmuir-Schaefer deposition techniques. A strong impact of cholesterol on membrane permeabilization by plasma-derived species was revealed. Moreover, the maintenance of the barrier properties is influenced by the chemical composition of the head group. Mainly the head group size and its hydrogen bonding capacities are relevant, and phosphatidylcholines are significantly more susceptible than phosphatidylserines and other lipid classes, underlining the high relevance of this lipid class in membrane dynamics and cell physiology.     

One‐Step Formulation of Protein Microparticles with Tailored Properties: Hard Templating at Soft Conditions

Formulation of therapeutic proteins into particulate forms is a main strategy for site‐specific and prolonged protein delivery as well as for protection against degradation. Precise control over protein particle size, dispersity, purity, as well as mild preparation conditions and minimal processing steps are highly desirable. It is, however, hard to fit all these criteria with conventional preparation techniques. Here a one‐step hard‐templating synthesis of microparticles composed of functional, non‐denatured protein is reported. The method is based on filling porous CaCO₃ microtemplates with the protein near to its isoelectric point (pI) followed by pH‐ or EDTA‐mediated dissolution of the tempplates. In principle, a wide variety of proteins can be converted into microparticles using this approach. The main requirement is an overlap of the protein insolubility and a template solubility for a certain parameter (here pH or EDTA). Here the formulation of insulin particles is studied in detail and it is shown that particles consisting of high molecular weight protein (catalase) can also be prepared. In this context, the synthesis of CaCO₃ templates with controlled size, the mechanism of the protein microparticle formation and mechanical properties of the microparticles are discussed. For the first time, the fabrication of mesoporous monodispersed CaCO₃ microtemplates with identical porocity but tuned diameter from 3 to 20 μm is demonstrated. The protein particle diameter can be adjusted by choosing the appropriate template size that is critical for successful pulmonary delivery of insulin. As a first step towards insulin delivery, the in vitro release of insulin at physiological conditions is studied.