Deformation models for image recognition

We present the application of different nonlinear image deformation models to the task of image recognition. The deformation models are especially suited for local changes as they often occur in the presence of image object variability. We show that, among the discussed models, there is one approach that combines simplicity of implementation, low-computational complexity, and highly competitive performance across various real-world image recognition tasks. We show experimentally that the model performs very well for four different handwritten digit recognition tasks and for the classification of medical images, thus showing high generalization capacity. In particular, an error rate of 0.54 percent on the MNIST benchmark is achieved, as well as the lowest reported error rate, specifically 12.6 percent, in the 2005 international ImageCLEF evaluation of medical image specifically categorization.     

Trennung von Muskelprotein, Kollagen und Elastin durch fraktionierte Extraktion mit Na-dodecylsulfat(SDS)-L?sungen

Zusammenfassung Die fraktionierte Extraktion mit Na-dodecylsulfat(SDS)-Lösungen ermöglicht die Trennung von Muskel- und Bindegewebs-Protein. In einem zweiten Schritt kann auch Kollagen von Elastin getrennt werden. Muskelprotein löst sich unter Schütteln bei Zimmertemperatur in einer SDS(2%)-ME(1%)-Lösung in einem Boratpuffer pH 9. Zur Lösung des Kollagens sind 100°C, intensives Rühren und eine SDS(8%)-ME(1%)-Lösung in einem Citratpuffer pH 5 notwendig. Das Verfahren wurde an nativem und hitzedenaturiertem Material angewendet. Die Möglichkeit zur Bestimmung des BEFFE-Wertes in Brühwürsten mit dieser Methode wird untersucht und die Anwendung auf andere Fleischprodukte diskutiert.

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Fractionation of muscle protein, collagen and elastin by extraction with buffers containing dodecylsulfat (SDS)

Summary Dodecylsulfate (SDS) containing buffers were used for stepwise extraction of proteins from muscle and connective tissue. The first step was done at room temperature with borate buffer pH 9 and the muscle proteins were extracted. The second treatment (citrate buffer pH 5 at 100°C) dissolved collagen and left elastin as residue. All extracts were analysed by electrophoresis to identify the proteins and evaluated by a biuret method insensitive to SDS and ME. This method was applied to native and heatdenatured proteins and to Brühwdrste. The possibility of applying this method to the determination of the BEFFE-content is discussed.

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Benutzte Abkürzungen NPN Nichteiweißstickstoffverbindungen - ATM Acetontrockenmasse - BEFFE bindegewebseiweißfreies Fleischeiweiß - OH-Pro Hydroxyprolin - SDS Natrium(Sodium)-dodecylsulfat - ME 2-Mercapto-äthanol - Tris Tris-(hydroxymethyl)aminomethan - PAGE Polyacrylamid-Gelelektrophorese - Vk Variationskoeffizient - S Standardabweichung - Mittelwert Die Arbeit ist Teil der Dissertation von I. de WreedeWir danken der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft für ihre finanzielle Unterstützung und Herrn Dr. H. H. Heinert, Leiter des Staatl. Veterinär-Untersuchungsamtes Braunschweig, der freundlicherweise die Brühwurstproben zur Verfügung gestellt hat     

A proximate-time-optimal-control design and its application to a hard disk drive dual-stage actuator system

We propose a compensator-based strategy for design of a track-seeking and track-following control system for a dual-stage servo actuator in hard disk drives. A well-known decoupling structure is employed to disconnect the control of the primary voice coil motor (VCM) actuator from the loop for a secondary high-bandwidth actuator. The compensator is placed in the secondary loop and suitably combined with a saturation nonlinearity in order to obtain actuator signal boundedness. The design procedure consists of four steps: 1) design of an established nonlinear seek-settle-track following controller for the VCM; 2) design of a linear track following controller for the secondary actuator; 3) observer design; and 4) design of a compensator to retain global stability and to improve performance. The proposed control system improves performance of both long-span seeking (proximate-time-optimal controller) and short-span seeking. In addition, it achieves high-bandwidth track following performance. The experimental results show good track-following performance, and short-span/long-span-seeking performance with fast settling time. The overshoot during track seeking can be made negligible for a suitably tuned VCM-actuator control loop.     

Nonmonotonic reasoning with multiple belief sets

In complex reasoning tasks it is often the case that there is no single, correct set of conclusions given some initial information. Instead, there may be several such conclusion sets, which we will call belief sets. In the present paper we introduce nonmonotonic belief set operators and selection operators to formalize and to analyze structural aspects of reasoning with multiple belief sets. We define and investigate formal properties of belief set operators as absorption, congruence, supradeductivity and weak belief monotony. Furthermore, it is shown that for each belief set operator satisfying strong belief cumulativity there exists a largest monotonic logic underlying it, thus generalizing a result for nonmonotonic inference operations. Finally, we study abstract properties of selection operators connected to belief set operators, which are used to choose some of the possible belief sets. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Stress transmission through three-dimensional granular crystals with stacking faults

We explore the effect of stacking fault defects on the transmission of forces in three-dimensional face-centered-cubic granular crystals. An external force is applied to a small area at the top surface of a crystalline packing of granular beads containing one or two stacking faults at various depths. The response forces at the bottom surface are measured and found to correspond to predictions based on vector force balance within the geometry of the defects. We identify the elementary stacking fault as a boundary between two pure face-centered-cubic crystals with different stacking orders. Other stacking faults produce response force patterns that can be viewed as resulting from repetitions of this basic defect. As the number of stacking faults increases, the intensity pattern evolves toward that of an hexagonal-close-packed crystal. This leads to the conclusion that the force pattern of that crystal structure can be viewed as the extreme limit of a face-centered-cubic crystal with a stacking fault at every layer.This work was supported by NSF-CTS 0090490 and by the NSF MRSEC Program under DMR-0213745. MJS acknowledges support by the University of Chicago MRSEC Summer 2002 REU program.     

Print your atomic force microscope

Progress in scanning probe microscopy profited from a flourishing multitude of new instrument designs, which lead to novel imaging modes and as a consequence to innovative microscopes. Often these designs were hampered by the restrictions, which conventional milling techniques impose. Modern rapid prototyping techniques, where layer by layer is added to the growing piece either by light driven polymerization or by three-dimensional printing techniques, overcome this constraint, allowing highly concave or even embedded and entangled structures. We have employed such a technique to manufacture an atomic force microscopy (AFM) head, and we compared its performance with a copy milled from aluminum. We tested both AFM heads for single molecule force spectroscopy applications and found little to no difference in the signal-to-noise ratio as well as in the thermal drift. The lower E modulus seems to be compensated by higher damping making this material well suited for low noise and low drift applications. Printing an AFM thus offers unparalleled freedom in the design and the rapid production of application-tailored custom instruments.     

OLN-93: a new permanent oligodendroglia cell line derived from primary rat brain glial cultures

We have established a new permanent cell line (OLN-93), derived from spontaneously transformed cells in primary rat brain glial cultures. In growth medium supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum a doubling time of 16-18 hr was determined. OLN-93 cells in their antigenic properties resemble primary oligodendrocytes in culture. As analyzed by indirect immunofluorescence, the A2B5 surface marker is absent, they express galactocerebroside and myelin-specific proteins, such as myelin basic protein (MBP), myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG), proteolipidprotein (PLP), and Wolfgram protein (WP), but do not exhibit astrocytic properties, such as the expression of vimentin or the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). In their morphological features they resemble bipolar O-2A-progenitor cells and, when grown at low density or on poly-L-lysine-coated culture dishes under low serum conditions, immature oligodendrocytes with a more arborized cell morphology. The cellular processes contain microfilaments, while N-CAM/D2 immunoreactivity is localized on the cell surface of the somata and processes. Immunoblot analysis further confirmed the presence of MAG, WP and MBP immunoreactivity, and the absence of vimentin and GFAP. Only a single MBP isoform (approximately 14 kDa) was detectable in the cellular extracts. PLP mRNA expression was studied by RT-PCR. The two proteolipid-specific mRNAs, DM20 and PLP, were present in OLN-93 cell extracts. Comparisons with embryonic rat cerebral cells in culture and primary oligodendrocytes suggest that OLN-93 cells in their morphological features and their antigenic properties resemble 5- to 10-day-old (postnatal time) cultured rat brain oligodendrocytes. Thus, the new cell line described in this study should provide a useful model system to investigate the specific mechanisms regulating the proliferation and differentiation of oligodendrocytes in vitro, and the molecular interactions with other cells of the nervous system.