Behavioral discrimination between circumgenital odor from peri-ovulatory dominant and anovulatory female common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus)

Social peer groups of callitrichid monkeys [marmosets and tamarins] exhibit intrasexual dominance hierarchies in captivity. This laboratory study employed two-choice behavioral discrimination bioassys to test the hypothesis that scent from female common marmosets contains chemical cues that permit discrimination between dominant females in the periovulatory versus luteal phase of the ovarian cycle and females holding dominant versus subordinate status. When scent from only dominant females was presented, marmosets directed significantly greater amounts of investigatory behavior toward peri-ovulatory scent versus scent collected during the luteal phase of the ovarian cycle. Animals of both sexes demonstrated significant discriminatory behavior between scent deposited by dominant versus subordinate females, but only when the dominant female was in the peri-ovulatory phase of the ovarian cycle. Test animals directed equal amounts of investigative behavior toward scent from luteal-phase dominant females and subordinate females. Female test subjects deposited significantly more scent marks over presented scents than did male subjects, particularly when the scent had been donated by a peri-ovulatory female. Chemical odors specific to the periovulatory and luteal phases of the ovarian cycle may play a role in mediating behavioral interactions among marmosets.     

Multiple target tracking with lazy background subtraction and connected components analysis

Background subtraction, binary morphology, and connected components analysis are the first processing steps in many vision-based tracking applications. Although background subtraction has been the subject of much research, it is typically treated as a stand-alone process, dissociated from the subsequent phases of object recognition and tracking. This paper presents a method for decreasing computational cost in visual tracking systems by using track state estimates to direct and constrain image segmentation via background subtraction and connected components analysis. We also present a multiple target tracking application that uses the technique to achieve a large reduction in computation costs.     

Model Induction with Support Vector Machines: Introduction and Applications

The rapid advance in information processing systems in recent decades had directed engineering research towards the development of intelligent systems that can evolve models of natural phenomena automatically—“by themselves,” so to speak. In this respect, a wide range of machine learning techniques like decision trees, artificial neural networks (ANNs), Bayesian methods, fuzzy-rule based systems, and evolutionary algorithms have been successfully applied to model different civil engineering systems. In this study, the possibility of using yet another machine learning paradigm that is firmly based on the theory of statistical learning, namely that of the support vector machine (SVM), is investigated. An interesting property of this approach is that it is an approximate implementation of a structural risk minimization (SRM) induction principle that aims at minimizing a bound on the generalization error of a model, rather than minimizing only the mean square error over the data set. In this paper, the basic ideas underlying statistical learning theory and SVM are reviewed, and the potential of the SVM for feature classification and multiple regression (modeling) problems is demonstrated by applying the method to two different cases of model induction from empirical data. The relative performance of the SVM is then analyzed by comparing its results with that of ANNs on the same data sets.     

Wrapped-yarn reinforced composites: Part II—composite properties

The flexural properties of composites fabricated from yarns formed by twisting paper tapes around mono- or multifilament cores and embedded in a polyester resin matrix have been examined in standard four-point bend, notched three-point bend and Charpy impact tests. It was found that the ease of core slippage, and therefore the composite properties, depended on the yarn packing density and the resin curing conditions. The wrapped-yarn composites bent in a ductile manner with a specific bending stiffness comparable to those of steel and aluminum but showed better recovery behaviour and less notch sensitivity than these two metals. The specific impact toughness of the wrapped-yarn composite increased with sample length and compared favourably with that of a commercial pultruded glass/polyester (GRP) composite containing a much higher proportion of glass fibres.     

The stress of incipient homelessness

This paper describes a longitudinal study of dwelling‐related stress among a sample of inadequately housed urban New Zealanders. At the time of the first interview, the respondents were asked to describe the housing problems they were encountering and to list some of the coping strategies they were planning. From an analysis of the survey data we conclude that housing stress has a significant negative effect on the well being of the respondents, particularly in the area of mental health. In the second interview, conducted six months later, we were able to determine which of the households had moved. Our analysis suggested that individuals in households that were rehoused by New Zealand's public housing agency (the Housing Corporation of New Zealand) reported significantly improved mental health after the move, largely as a result, we hypothesise, of living in dwellings that were less stressful. These findings are discussed in light of the diminishing state presence in the provision of public housing, both in New Zealand and elsewhere.     

2-D Wavelet Segmentation in 3-D T-Ray Tomography

In this letter, segmentation techniques for terahertz (T-ray) computed tomographic (CT) imaging are investigated. A set of linear image fusion and novel wavelet scale correlation segmentation techniques is adopted to achieve material discrimination within a 3-D object. The methods are applied to a T-ray CT image dataset taken from a plastic vial containing a plastic tube. This setup simulates the imaging of a simple nested organic structure, which provides an indication of the potential for using T-ray CT imaging to achieve T-ray pulsed signal classification of heterogeneous layers     

The long-term reform of the water and wastewater industry: The case of Melbourne in Australia

Since the 1980s, one of the most important parts of Australian microeconomic reform has been the restructuring of the country’s government owned utilities - including water supply and wastewater disposal. This process was encouraged by the perception that the state owned authorities performed poorly in the 1970s and 1980s. This paper analyses economic performance of the Melbourne water and wastewater industry from the early 1970s. Over the longer term, the industry has improved its economic performance in terms of productivity and returns to the shareholder, however, consumers have not substantially benefited from this process in terms of lower prices.