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Volume 9, Issue 13
Research Article | December 2009
Edge detection and texture classification by cuttlefish
Sarah Zylinski; Daniel Osorio; Adam J. Shohet
Sarah Zylinski
School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, NC, USAhttp://www.sussex.ac.uk/biology/profile193224.htmls.zylinski@duke.edu
Daniel Osorio
School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, UKhttp://www.sussex.ac.uk/biology/profile531.htmld.osorio@sussex.ac.uk
Adam J. Shohet
Stealth Materials Group, QinetiQ, Cody Technology Park, Farnborough, UKhttp://www.qinetiq.comAJSHOHET@qinetiq.com
Journal of Vision December 2009, Vol.9, 13. doi:https://doi.org/10.1167/9.13.13
Sarah Zylinski, Daniel Osorio, Adam J. Shohet; Edge detection and texture classification by cuttlefish. Journal of Vision 2009;9(13):13. doi: https://doi.org/10.1167/9.13.13.
Cephalopod mollusks including octopus and cuttlefish are adept at adaptive camouflage, varying their appearance to suit the surroundings. This behavior allows unique access into the vision of a non-human species because one can ask how these animals use spatial information to control their coloration pattern. There is particular interest in factors that affect the relative levels of expression of the Mottle and the Disruptive body patterns. Broadly speaking, the Mottle is displayed on continuous patterned surfaces whereas the Disruptive is used on discrete objects such as pebbles. Recent evidence from common cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis, suggests that multiple cues are relevant, including spatial scale, contrast, and depth. We analyze the body pattern responses of juvenile cuttlefish to a range of checkerboard stimuli. Our results suggest that the choice of camouflage pattern is consistent with a simple model of how cuttlefish classify visual textures, according to whether they are Uniform or patterned, and whether the pattern includes visual edges. In particular, cuttlefish appear to detect edges by sensing the relative spatial phases of two spatial frequency components (e.g., fundamental and the third harmonic Fourier component in a square wave). We discuss the relevance of these findings to vision and camouflage in aquatic environments.
The common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) camouflages itself in on the seafloor by the varying the expression of some 40 "chromatic components" on the upper body-surface (Hanlon & Messenger, 1988). These components include local patches of color and visual textures that cover the body (Figure 1). The selection of the coloration pattern, which is under neuromuscular control and visually driven, demonstrates enormous versatility. Cuttlefish vary their appearance with at least six degrees of freedom (Kelman, Osorio, & Baddeley, 2008) by comparison flatfish species mix one to three basic patterns to produce camouflage (Kelman, Tiptus, & Osorio, 2006; Ramachandran et al., 1996). By allowing us to test the image parameters or features that control the expression of the cuttlefishes' coloration pattern, this remarkable visual behavior offers a unique way to study both camouflage design and vision of a non-human species (Chiao, Chubb, & Hanlon, 2007; Kelman et al., 2008; Zylinski, Osorio, & Shohet, 2009).
Cuttlefish body pattern camouflage can be placed in three broad categories, described by Hanlon and Messenger (1988): (a) Uniform, with few or no chromatic components expressed, is used in on visually homogeneous substrates such as fine sand; (b) Mottle, with "small to moderate light and dark" patches of chromatophores, is used on more complex backgrounds including artificial backgrounds with fine checks (Kelman et al., 2007; Zylinski et al., 2009). The details of natural background that elicit Mottle patterns are incompletely understood (Mäthger et al., 2007) but in captivity Mottle is used on coarse textured substrates such as gravel; (c) Disruptive, where "large scale" or coarse light and dark components are used in response to perceived light-colored objects of an area 70–120% of the "white square" component on the animal's mantle (Barbosa et al., 2007; Barbosa, Mäthger, et al., 2008). These patterns are varied and mixed with great versatility (Hanlon et al., 2009; Zylinski et al., 2009). Body patterns are constrained by the position of the chromatic components on the body, which are fixed.
Notwithstanding its flexibility, cuttlefish camouflage has been classified into three main classes of "body pattern," known as Uniform, Mottle, and Disruptive ( Figure 1; Hanlon, 2007; Hanlon & Messenger, 1988). The Disruptive pattern, which contains large visual features with clear borders (Figure 1c), is typically used on backgrounds that include discrete objects—such as pebbles. The Mottle is a more "blurred" pattern, which in nature is probably used on continuous patterned surfaces (Figure 1b). The Mottle and Disruptive patterns are expressed at varying levels and can be mixed (Hanlon et al., 2009). Recent experiments show that several different types of visual information affect expression of the Disruptive pattern, probably because they are associated with the presence of discrete objects. They include light features, visual depth, and texture boundaries (Barbosa et al., 2007; Kelman et al., 2008). Unsurprisingly, visual edges in the background promote the expression of Disruptive patterns (Barbosa, Litman, & Hanlon, 2008; Kelman, Baddeley, Shohet, & Osorio, 2007; Mäthger et al., 2007; Zylinski et al., 2009). There is good evidence that, like humans (Georgeson, May, Freeman, & Hesse, 2007; Morrone & Burr, 1988), cuttlefish edge detectors are sensitive to spatial phase; disruption (i.e., randomization) of phase suppresses the expression of Disruptive pattern on both periodic (checkerboard) and aperiodic (randomly placed circles) backgrounds (Kelman et al., 2007; Zylinski et al., 2009).
Here we test a simple model of how cuttlefish classify textures and detect edges. This proposes that visual thresholds are set by a single modulation transfer function (MTF), which is determined by optical and/or neural factors (Campbell & Robson, 1968). Discrimination of a pattern from a Uniform surface requires a single spatial frequency component, whereas detection of edges (e.g., in a square wave) requires two detectable spatial frequency components (e.g., the fundamental and the third harmonic). A simple phase based edge detector such as this (Georgeson et al., 2007; Kovesi, 2000, 2002; Morrone & Burr, 1988) can be contrasted with other possible models that are proposed for humans and animals and which are used in machine vision (Marr & Hildreth, 1980; Mäthger et al., 2007; Stevens & Cuthill, 2006; Torre & Poggio, 1986). The analysis presented here of the coloration patterns expressed by cuttlefish on checkerboard backgrounds suggests that the simple model (MTF + minimum edge detection) accounts well for the way that cuttlefish classify the background texture to select Uniform, Mottle and Disruptive body patterns for camouflage.
The experimental design resembles that used recently by Barbosa, Mäthger, et al. (2008). Test stimuli were gray-scale checkerboards of seven sizes (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 10 mm), plus a homogeneous gray. These stimuli gave a continuum between Uniform, Mottle, and Disruptive body patterns. Each checkerboard size class was tested at Michelson Contrasts 0.25, 0.45, 0.63, 0.74, and 0.80 (measured with a spectrophotometer; Ocean Optics S-2000).
Animals and filming tank
Cuttlefish were hatched from eggs collected from the south coast of England and housed in purpose built facilities at the SeaLife center, Brighton, UK. They were fed ad libitum on mysids and natantids and maintained under 12:12-hour light–dark lighting. Subjects were aged approximately 5 months at the start of experiments, with mantle lengths 50–60 mm. The animals' body patterns, produced in response to test stimuli, were photographed in an enclosed tank that minimized disturbance (Kelman et al., 2007). Test stimuli were placed under and around the edges of a test arena of 250-mm diameter, 100 mm deep in seawater. Images were recorded after the animals had settled and the body pattern expressed had remained stable for at least ten minutes. Stimuli were randomly presented, with ten animals tested on each stimulus on a single occasion, giving 360 images in total.
Image processing and data analysis
The images of the cuttlefish were cut from the background and randomized to ensure that the subsequent analysis was blind to both animal and treatment. The images were graded by eye for the expression of 32 relevant chromatic, textural, and postural components (Hanlon & Messenger, 1988) by a single experienced observer (S.Z.). The expression of each component was scored on a four point scale, from 0 (not expressed) to 3 (strongly expressed). The resulting data set was reduced using principal component analysis (PCA; Kelman et al., 2007; Zylinski et al., 2009). PC coefficients were rescaled between zero and one for ease of interpretation. MANOVA was used to test for differences between stimuli responses on PCs 1 and 2. Kruskal–Wallis one-way ANOVA was used to test for within-treatment differences. Linear regression was used to test for linearity of responses to contrast modulation at specific check sizes.
Ten cuttlefish were tested on checkerboard backgrounds of the seven different check sizes, each at five contrast levels, on a single occasion. Animals were also tested once on a Uniform gray background giving a total of 360 images. Images were each graded for levels of expression of 32 body pattern components, and these grading scores used in a PCA. Consistent with the two degrees of freedom in the stimuli (check size and contrast), the first two principal components (PCs) were retained using the Kaiser criterion (retaining PCs with a variance >1) and judged as relevant from assessing a scree plot of the variance subsumed by each PC ( Figure 2a). PC1 and PC2 accounted for 30% and 26% of the variance in the data. The proportion of the variance represented rapidly dropped off after PC2, with PCs 3 and 4 each subsuming 5%. The remaining PCs (5–32) each accounted for <3% and tended to be represented by a single body pattern component.
(a) Scree plot showing that PCs 1 and 2 account for a vast majority of the variance in the original data relative to the remaining PCs. (b) The contribution of 32 graded body pattern components (Hanlon & Messenger, 1988) to PC1 and PC2 (loadings are thresholded at 0.4 to allow components making a strong positive or negative contribution to be readily identified), showing that the two principal components generally account for very different characteristics. Numbers in brackets are the chromatic component numbers given by Hanlon and Messenger (1988) where appropriate. (c) Examples of body patterns typifying PC1 and PC2, respectively. PC1 is primarily characterized Disruptive components and PC2 by Mottle components.
There is a straightforward relationship between the cuttlefish body patterns identified by Hanlon and Messenger (1988) and the principal components we found. Body pattern components contributing positively to PC1 are associated with the Disruptive pattern (Hanlon & Messenger, 1988), such as white head bar, white square, and white posterior triangle (Figures 2b and 2c). Body pattern components contributing highly to PC2 are those associated with the Mottle or strong stipple patterns (Hanlon & Messenger, 1988), such as landmark spots, paired mantle spots, mantle margin scalloping, and coarse skin texture (Figures 2b and 2c). Of interest, yet with a variance of <1 and so not retained using the Kaiser criterion, PC3 coefficients correspond to a high contrast body pattern that may be classed as a distinctive type of Disruptive pattern. This "PC3" pattern was sometimes shown in response to larger check sizes at intermediate contrasts. It is primarily characterized by a light overall color with a conspicuous posterior transverse mantle bar and is often expressed by cuttlefish on natural backgrounds (see Kelman et al., 2008; Figure 1a).
Animal responses
Figure 3a shows the responses of an individual animal to all stimuli and illustrates the overall results. There is a clear correlation between the body pattern responses expressed and mean PC1 and 2 amplitudes ( Figure 3). High PC1 amplitudes are associated with large check sizes at high contrast. PC1 expression decreases with decreasing check size and/or contrast. PC2 amplitude (i.e., Mottle pattern) is largest at intermediate contrast values and check sizes ( Figure 3b).
(a) The body patterns of a single animal expressed on all checkerboard sizes at all contrasts showing a typical set of observed responses. (b) Plots show the amplitude of mean PC coefficient scores for all animals as a color map for PC1 (left) and PC2 (right) across all checkerboard sizes and contrast. Red indicates a high (∼1) coefficient; blue indicates a low (∼0) coefficient.
MANOVA of PC scores between treatments reveal significant interactions within PC1 and PC2 (Hotelling's T-square, F(70,644) 23, P ≪ 0.001). There are three main divisions, which are identified by statistical relationships by Mahalanobis distance on both PC1 and PC2 as groups with homogeneous responses ( Figure 3a). Responses to stimuli between 4 and 10 mm at higher contrasts form a distinct group that is characterized by high PC1 scores (i.e., Disruptive pattern). The relationships within this group are dependent on both spatial scale and contrast, with the contrast threshold increasing with decreasing check size ( Figure 4). The center group includes responses characterized by a high PC2 (i.e., strong Mottle patterns). This includes low-frequency patterns at intermediate contrasts and intermediate frequencies at high contrasts. A final group contains large check sizes (10 and 8 mm) at low contrast, small check sizes (1 mm) at all contrasts, and 2 mm checks at the lowest contrast (0.25); this shows that low contrasts in large-scale features gives a response more similar to a Uniform than either a Mottle or Disruptive body pattern.
Mean PC1 (solid line) and PC2 (dashed line) scores rescaled to a 0–1 range for all 10 animals across all contrast values for each checkerboard size ± SEM. All origins are taken from the mean PC1 and PC2 response scores for the Uniform gray stimulus (0.09 and 0.05, respectively). ANOVA shows PC1 amplitude for 4 mm at a contrast of 0.8 to be significantly higher than at a contrast of 0.74 ( p = 0.003). It also shows PC2 amplitude for 4 mm at a contrast of 0.63 to be significantly higher than that of a contrast of either 0.45 ( p = 0.007) or 0.74 ( p = 0.023). See text for further interpretation.
Plotting the mean amplitudes ± SE of PC1 and PC2 in response to each check size against contrast enables us to visualize the interaction between Mottle- and Disruptive-type components ( Figure 4). It is clear that area is an important cue for the high expression of PC1 attributes (Barbosa, Mäthger, et al., 2008; Chiao et al., 2007; Chiao & Hanlon, 2001a, 2001b). Check sizes <4 mm consistently give a low PC1 score at all contrasts, while those of 4 mm and above score highly on PC1 at high contrasts. In other words, increasing check size above the threshold level of 4 mm (i.e., reducing pattern spatial frequency) increases the expression of PC1. For checks smaller than 4 mm, and Uniform gray, PC1 remains at a base-level value of 0.1 (K-W ANOVA, p > 0.1; Figure 3). The baseline score >0 is probably because PC1 is correlated with body components such as smooth skin that are also part of the Uniform pattern. Linear regression shows a strong positive correlation between PC1 attributes and contrast for size classes >4 mm (linear regression: 6, 8, and 10 mm: r2 = 0.73, 0.75, and 0.70, respectively; p ≪ 0.05 for all; 4 mm: r2 = 0.44, p ≪ 0.05; 3, 2, and 1 mm: r2 < 0.05, p > 0.05).
PC2 amplitudes have a very different trend with contrast modulation ( Figure 4). PC2 amplitude peaks at intermediate contrasts for several check sizes (e.g., for 4 mm at a contrast of 0.63 the PC2 response is significantly higher than for contrasts of 0.45 or 0.74; K-W ANOVA, p = 0.007 and 0.023, respectively). Animals did not exhibit high PC1 and PC2 characteristics simultaneously. Four-millimeter checks at contrast 0.80 elicit a high PC1 response that rapidly falls with reduction in contrast to be replaced by a high PC2 response. There is no clear linear relationship between contrast and PC2, although a weak correlation is apparent at 2 and 3 mm ( r 2 = 0.50 and 0.39, respectively; p < 0.05 in both cases). As with PC1, the lower contrast stimuli correspond to lower expression of PC2. However, even at the lowest contrast value (contrast 0.25) the PC2 response significantly exceeds that for Uniform gray stimulus at all check sizes above 1 mm (K-W ANOVA, p < 0.005 for 2–10 mm; p = 0.25 for 1 mm). In other words, animals respond to texture even at the lowest contrast value for small check sizes. Low amplitudes of PC1 and PC2, which correspond to stipple or Uniform body patterns, occur for both the smallest and the largest check sizes (1 and 10 mm) at the lowest contrast value (contrast 0.25) and for the Uniform gray control stimulus ( Figures 3 and 4).
In summary our observations confirm that, on a high-contrast periodic stimulus, spatial scale (i.e., check size) determines whether the animals display Uniform, Mottle (high-PC2), or Disruptive (high-PC1) body patterns ( Figures 1– 4). At intermediate check sizes (4–8 mm), there are contrast-dependent interactions between PC1 and PC2 attributes.
For a series of checkerboard patterns with varying spatial scale and contrast, much of the variation in the coloration patterns displayed by juvenile cuttlefish are described by two principal components, which (approximately) correspond to the Disruptive and Mottle body patterns (Hanlon & Messenger, 1988; Hanlon et al., 2007). We know that cuttlefish use multiple cues to select camouflage, including visual depth, spatial scale, and the presence of light objects and edges (Barbosa et al., 2007; Barbosa, Mäthger, et al., 2008; Chiao & Hanlon, 2001a, 2001b; Chiao et al., 2007; Kelman et al., 2008). Contrast within the visual background also has a strong effect on the contrast of the pattern, as might be expected for cryptic camouflage. In particular, Barbosa, Mäthger, et al. (2008) found that body patterning was check-size dependent at high contrast but not at low contrast and that small changes in contrast resulted in the "fine-tuning" of body pattern contrast and fine structure.
Here we account for the transitions between Uniform, Mottle, and Disruptive patterns by a simple model ( Figures 1, 3, and 5). This proposes that when at least one spatial frequency (in a periodic pattern) is visible (i.e., passes the animal's MTF), the stimulus is classed as non-Uniform, and when two spatial frequencies (e.g., fundamental and third harmonics in a square wave) are detectable, the animal can recognize edges. Specifically, on high-contrast checkerboard backgrounds, the Mottle (PC2) is expressed on check sizes of 1–3 mm and the Disruptive pattern (PC1) when the checks are larger (up to 10 mm; Figures 3 and 4). These values are consistent with behavioral/psychophysical MTF with a cut-off at about 0.35 cycles per millimeter. At intermediate check sizes, there are contrast-dependent interactions between PC1 and PC2 attributes. These interactions are consistent with a contrast dependent cut-off—as expected for both optical and neural MTFs (Figure 5; Campbell & Robson, 1968). It is known that expression of the Disruptive pattern (and presumably edge detection) is sensitive to spatial phase (Kelman et al., 2007; Zylinski et al., 2009), and there is no evidence here that this phase sensitivity requires suprathreshold contrasts. Further corroboration of the model presented here might be provided by the response of S. officinalis to a two-dimensional plaid pattern. We would predict that animals would not express Disruptive (PC1) body patterns in response to such stimuli, irrespective of the plaid coarseness. However, we might expect to find certain Disruptive components expressed (potentially forming a separate PC), which might enable us to identify which body pattern components are expressed in response to edginess and which are expressed in response to large-scale high contrast patches.
(a) A simple model of cuttlefish edge detection. When the animal views a visual environment containing structure it either detects the fundamental alone (e.g. other harmonics are lost in noise), leading to the interpretation of a non-edgy background and resulting in a Mottle-type response, or detects the fundamental wave and (at least) the third harmonic, leading to the perception of an edgy object and resulting in a Disruptive-type response. (b) Model modulation transfer function as determined from our results, showing estimated spatial frequency of checkerboard stimuli in cycles per degree (cpd) of visual angle. Visual angle (v) for a cycle of check size (s) at a viewing distance (d) of 100 mm (taken as approximately the arena center-to-wall distance) determined by v = 2 arctan (s/2d). The highest spatial frequency to elicit a response lies in the region of 1.3 cpd (extrapolated for a check size of 1.3 mm). According to our model this will be where the fundamental frequency (f) alone is detectable, resulting in the use of Mottle body patterns. As the third harmonic is 3f, we would predict from the behavioral MTF that Disruptive components will be used at a check size three times higher than the MTF, and indeed the threshold check size at which Disruptive components are used is 4 mm (0.44 cpd). Responses at 0.80 MC show that at the threshold check size of 4 mm, the main Disruptive components such as the white square and the white head bar are "switched on" (Figure 3). Reducing the stimulus to 0.74 MC "switches off" these components.
These observations raise the question of what mechanism determines the cuttlefishes' behavioral/psychophysical MTF. From an evolutionary point of view, camouflage may be influenced by two factors, first the animals' own visual thresholds and second the choice of pattern that minimizes detection by potential predators such as fish (Langridge, Broom, & Osorio, 2007). Unfortunately the stimulus presentation, where animals are settled on a background, makes it impossible to specify the (angular) spatial frequency of the stimuli. Cephalopods are thought to have good visual acuity (Sweeney, Haddock, & Johnsen, 2007); thus, we tentatively favor the view that neural mechanisms rather than optical limits underlie the MTF (Figures 3 and 5).
Edge detection and camouflage in the aquatic environment
The great range of camouflage patterns used by cephalopods poses fascinating questions about their own vision, and that of potential predators—such as teleost fish—who have driven their evolution (Hanlon & Messenger, 1996; Langridge et al., 2007; Packard, 1972). Superficially, the choice of body pattern seems like a problem of texture matching (Julesz, 1981; Portilla & Simoncelli, 2000). A set of image parameters (e.g., power at specific spatial frequency bands; phase coherence) could characterize the visual environment and hence drive the choice of pattern. This would be a straightforward way to "match" the background. In practice, we know that the animal uses multiple signals to control the relative strengths of Disruptive and Mottle body patterns (PCs 1 and 2, respectively, here; Figures 2–4). We propose that these signals inform the animal whether the background is made of discrete objects or is a continuous surface (e.g., Barbosa et al., 2007; Chiao et al., 2007; Chiao, Kelman, & Hanlon, 2005; Kelman et al., 2008). These cues include visual depth, object size, and texture boundaries as well as edges (Zylinski et al., 2009). This strategy is reminiscent of the way in which humans use multiple cues for image segregation.
The use of multiple cues to classify the visual environment may be a consequence of the often turbid and visually complex shallow marine habitat where cuttlefish live (see Zylinski et al., 2009, and discussion below). We would expect the coloration system of cuttlefish (from visual input to body pattern output) to maximize the defensive qualities of the patterns expressed and hence be matched to the visual capabilities of predators within their environment (Portilla & Simoncelli, 2000; Shohet, Baddeley, Anderson, & Osorio, 2007; Stuart-Fox, Whiting, & Moussalli, 2006; Zeil & Hemmi, 2006).
Most natural scenes contain features that have complex intensity profiles (e.g., steps, roofs, and ramps) to which "traditional" edge detectors (e.g., the Sobel operator) are insensitive or give spurious responses (Kovesi, 2002; Perona & Malik, 1990), and this may be more true in underwater environments than on land. S. officinalis lives in fairly turbid coastal waters where contrast is rapidly degraded; light absorption by water and scatter by suspended materials attenuates the image forming light and decreases the difference between object and background radiance resulting in a low-frequency and low-contrast world (Douglas & Hawryshyn, 1990; Lythgoe, 1979). The low-level invariance of phase congruency to illumination, scale, and contrast (Kovesi, 1999, 2000) would make local energy a powerful means of detecting features in unstable optical environment where reliable step edges might be rare (Zylinski et al., 2009). We speculate that, given the optical conditions typical of the aquatic environment, such an invariant means of edge detection may be of greater use in water than on land.
We know that multiple visual cues control the cuttlefishes choice of body patterns. Here we have demonstrated that edge detection in cuttlefish is consistent with a minimal model, whereby edginess is defined by fundamental and third harmonic detectability, which shows strong parallels with human visual processing. Edge detection is important for determining when Mottle and Disruptive chromatic components are used, and this simple mechanism may be especially well suited to the complex and capricious optical conditions of the aquatic environment, where an especially robust mechanism that is invariant to factors such as contrast and intensity would be favored.
We thank Patrick Green and two anonymous referees for comments on earlier versions of the manuscript and the staff at SeaLife Brighton for help with animal care. This work was supported by a CASE award to S.Z funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and QinetiQ.
Corresponding author: Sarah Zylinski.
Email: s.zylinski@duke.edu.
Address: Biology Department, Box 90338, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
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Stevens, M. Cuthill, I. C. (2006). Disruptive coloration, crypsis and edge detection in early visual processing. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, Biological Sciences, 273, 2141–2147. [PubMed] [Article] [CrossRef]
Stuart-Fox, D. Whiting, M. J. Moussalli, A. (2006). Camouflage and colour change: Antipredator responses to bird and snake predators across multiple populations in a dwarf chameleon. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 88, 437–446. [CrossRef]
Sweeney, A. M. Haddock, S. H. D. Johnsen, S. (2007). Comparative visual acuity of coleoid cephalopods. Integrative and Comparative Biology, 47, 808–814. [Article] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
Torre, V. Poggio, T. A. (1986). On edge detection. IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, 8, 147–163. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
Zeil, J. Hemmi, J. M. (2006). The visual ecology of fiddler crabs. Journal of Comparative Physiology A, Neuroethology, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology, 192, 1–25. [PubMed] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
Zylinski, S. Osorio, D. & Shohet, A. (2009). Perception of edges and visual texture in the camouflage of the common cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B, Biological Sciences, 364, 439–448. [PubMed]
Evidence that global processing does not limit thresholds for RF shape discrimination
A detection theory account of change detection
Color appearance: The limited role of chromatic surround variance in the "gamut expansion effect"
Three-dimensional shape from non-homogeneous textures: Carved and stretched surfaces
Visual discomfort and blur
Object Localization in Blurred and Jumbled Scenes: Differences between Myopic and Emmetropic Observers
Postblink Changes in the Ocular Modulation Transfer Function Measured by a Double-Pass Method
Selective broad-band spatial frequency loss in contrast sensitivity functions. Comparison with a model based on optical transfer functions.
Spatial integration of compound gratings with various numbers of orientation components.
Global Motion Perception in 2-Year-Old Children: A Method for Psychophysical Assessment and Relationships With Clinical Measures of Visual Function


text:
Die If Stockholm Open 2015 waren ein Tennisturnier, das vom 19. bis 25. Oktober 2015 in Stockholm stattfand. Es war Teil der ATP World Tour 2015 und wurde in der Halle auf Hartplatz ausgetragen. In derselben Woche wurden in Moskau der Kremlin Cup, sowie in Wien die Erste Bank Open gespielt. Die If Stockholm Open zählten zur Kategorie ATP World Tour 250.

Titelverteidiger im Einzel war Tomáš Berdych, im Doppel die Paarung Eric Butorac und Raven Klaasen.

Das Teilnehmerfeld der Einzelkonkurrenz bestand aus 28 Spielern, jenes der Doppelkonkurrenz aus 16 Paaren. Die vier topgesetzten Spieler im Einzel erhielten jeweils ein Freilos in die zweite Runde.

Qualifikation
Die Qualifikation für die If Stockholm Open 2015 fand vom 18. bis 19. Oktober 2015 statt. Ausgespielt wurden vier Qualifikantenplätze, die zur Teilnahme am Hauptfeld des Turniers berechtigten.

Folgende Spieler hatten die Qualifikation überstanden und spielten im Hauptfeld des Turniers:

Preisgelder und Weltranglistenpunkte
Bei den If Stockholm Open 2015 wurden die folgenden Preisgelder und Weltranglistenpunkte für das Erreichen der jeweiligen Runde ausgezahlt bzw. gutgeschrieben. Spieler, die aus der Qualifikation in das Hauptfeld eintraten, erhielten die angegebenen Qualifikationspunkte zusätzlich zu denen für das Erreichen der jeweiligen Runde. Ansonsten sind die Beträge nicht kumulativ zu verstehen. Die Beträge für den Doppelbewerb gelten je Spieler.

Einzel

Setzliste

Ergebnisse

Doppel

Setzliste

Ergebnisse

Weblinks und Quellen
 Offizielle Homepage des Turniers
 Turnierplan Einzel auf der ATP Homepage (PDF; 104 kB)
 Turnierplan Doppel auf der ATP Homepage (PDF; 100 kB)
 Turnierplan Einzel-Qualifikation auf der ATP Homepage (PDF; 102 kB)

ATP World Tour 2015
Tennisturnier in Stockholm

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Using the HVAC System Type 7 Template fairly unaltered except for the addition of a return plenum.
** Severe ** [Coil:Heating:Water][Coil Heating Water 56] - Missing required property 'water_inlet_node_name'.
** Severe ** [Coil:Heating:Water][Coil Heating Water 56] - Missing required property 'water_outlet_node_name'.
** Fatal ** Errors occurred on processing input file. Preceding condition(s) cause termination.
… Last severe error=[Coil:Heating:Water][Coil Heating Water 56] - Missing required property 'water_outlet_node_name'.
************* Fatal error – final processing. Program exited before simulations began. See previous error messages.
Any idea why the coils are not translating to all but one of the air loops?
Since you need 12 airloops, and I think you only have one CoilHeatingWater on the supply side, this is the issue.
You can Duplicate the same amount of CoilHeatingWater on the supply side and match the data structure as same as the demand side.


"With someone like Starbucks doing this, it gets their attention because they know it's something they will have to respond to".
It's a plastic strawless lid that will come to replace single-use plastic straws that now inundate its coffee shops.
Starbucks will make a strawless lid or straws made from alternative materials, like paper of compostable plastic, available at its more than 28,000 stores worldwide by 2020.
The coffee chain is the latest big company to acknowledge the environmental threat plastic straws pose and promise to implement an alternative in the face of mounting public pressure. Its straws will be replaced by sippy cup-like lids that are also plastic, but more recyclable. Customers who prefer a straw with their drink can ask for one. The new lids are already being used in more than 8,000 stores in North America for beverages such as draft nitro.
It is no surprise that they are jumping on this opportunity, when earlier this year, Starbucks committed $10 million to help develop recyclable, compostable cups for hot drinks.
And therefore, in one of the company's first moves towards this goal, they have introduced a new cup for their cold brews. The transition will be complete in 2019, the company said. San Fransisco and NY are eyeing similar proposals and even the United Kingdom announced plans to pass legislation to reduce plastic waste.
Reports suggest that this will be quite a low budget movie too, with a price around the $50-60m mark. According to The Hollywood Reporter , Joaquin will begin shooting the movie in NY in September.
Thyme & Again Creative Catering got rid of plastic straws nearly ten years ago, after the owner felt concerned about plastic pollution on land and in the ocean.
The no-plastic movement has been gaining momentum in recent months amid pressure from environmentalist calling for restaurants and food chain stores to ditch the plastic straws.
Waste generation is a major global concern as several hundred million tons of plastic is generated every year and a major chunk of it is not recycled.
Seattle and Vancouver will be the first cities to see the permanent change this fall, with the rest of the USA and Canada, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom to follow.
I felt something unusual in my knee and after talking with the doctor on the sideline we decided I should come off. In the semifinals, we are representing our homeland and we going for what we are dreaming of, "explained Vrsaljko".


GreenBook is thrilled to announce that the beta phase of Savio has begun! Now is the time to create your account and start having a look around. With any Savio account, you have the ability to find market research experts or offer your services as an expert.


Vertical hydroponics systems can produce 4 to 5 times the yield of conventional systems and they use less light to do it too.
The SuperCloset Big Buddha Box is a ready to go system. This is a massive system that weighs 450 pounds. You can run 1 or 2 cool tubes inside and they can be 600 or 1000 watt.
The Big Buddha measures 84 x 84 x 84 so it is a 7 foot square cube. You could set this up inside a room and have an instant grow room or put it inside an 8×8 grow tent.
The Buddha Box comes with a 70 gallon reservoir that feeds up to 78 plant sites. You can grow in all 78 plant sites or use fewer plants, it's all up to you.
The heart of these vertical hydroponic systems is a hybrid aeroponic and ebb and flow system that it uses. You will get beautiful white roots and your plants will mature faster. The ebb and flow system can grow 3 to 5 times faster than soil and even 2x faster than other hydroponic systems.
Once set up it can be left to run automatically for days at a time giving you the freedom to do other things like take a weekend off.
You can see from the image above that by using the vertical walls rather than growing horizontally vertical hydroponic systems greatly increase your growing area. More importantly you can use less light because a vertical grow uses 100% of the light while a standard grow uses less than half and even most of that never makes it to the bottom of the plant.
Your plants will grow towards the center at a 45 degree angle rather than straight up.
By using reflective covering on the inside walls of your room or tent you will be able to get reflected light to the back of the plants.
You will not only get more quantity but your flowers will be higher quality because of superior light distribution from top to bottom.
Big Buddha Box 600 Watt Vertical Hydroponic Systems are built from the highest quality components to satisfy serious growers and come with an easy to follow instructional DVD and SuperCloset provides unparalleled lifetime customer, technical, and grow support. Get expert answers to all of your growing questions 7 days/week.


Correct packing is a crucial aspect of all London removals. Getting it wrong can be costly and upsetting.
Most of our customers choose our complete packing service. All glass, china and other breakables will be professionally wrapped by our specialist packing teams. We can use picture cartons for pictures and paintings, wine cartons for transporting wine, hanging wardrobe cartons for moving clothes and all mattresses and sofas/armchairs will be protected by specialist bags.
Any antiques, highly polished furniture or special/delicate items can be Export Wrapped as an extra precaution.
Big Red Removals & Storage are also able to supply custom made timber crates for safe moving of artwork, large mirrors or furniture.
On fixed price quotes packaging materials will be included in the quoted price, if you are self packing we can drop these up to 4 weeks before your move date. If you have selected our professional packing service, the packing crew will bring all the necessary materials with them.
If you wish to pack yourselves, then we are able to supply a packing tips document. Please see our Boxes and Bubble Wrap page for the full list of the materials that we use.
Alternatively you can use our expert packers to pack valuable individual items or all of your goods. We can also assist with unpacking on delivery if required.
On completion of the job before departure we can remove unwanted packing materials from site or if you unpack we offer debris collection service within the M25 at our convenience so we can re-use/recycle the materials.


This thesis aims to study the impact of mineral resource development on the indigenous peoples in the Philippines, focussing primarily on the consequential effect of the destruction of their ancestral domains and loss of access to their sacred spaces as it relates to their survival. Further, it seeks to bring to the widest attention possible their little known struggles against the invading and destructive forces of development, particularly large-scale mining, in their traditional areas. Most of all, this research ambitions to (1) debunk the prevailing research trend of dismissing emotions as irrational, illogical and useless in research because it is unquantifiable, and therefore, unscientific; and (2) critique Western-influenced paradigms on development by shedding light on the limitations of Eurocentric commitment to orthodox discourses that valorise resource development as supreme over cultural meanings and view environment as something completely detached from humans. In this study is presented the conflicting sides found at the heart of this age-old problem: the opposing views of government/mining companies on one hand, and those of the indigenous peoples on the other, their differing perceptions and stance on the issue of exploitation and control of natural resources found in ancestral domains. This research explored the deep emotional connections of indigenous peoples to their ancestral domains and how these are inexorably linked to their cultural identity. The data illustrate their profound sufferings in the hands of development agents and, paradoxically, the Philippine government itself through its open-arms policy on foreign investments and liberalised mining laws, heavily compounded by the unwarranted deployment of the military to ensure a smooth transition in approved mining areas. Using de-colonising methodologies and research approaches to tackle the issue, empirical data gathered are drawn from participant observation, semi-structured interviews and informal indigenous communities, and later organised according to themes evident upon collation of data. The findings are linked to a wider theoretical context and complemented with analyses of academic literature orientated to post-structural political ecology, emotional geographies and indigenous geographies that support the arguments in this study. As well as highlighting potential areas for future studies on indigenous peoples, this research points to the root cause of the problem to a people's fundamental loss of power that denies them their control over their emotional spaces, resources and destiny. Accordingly, this fundamental relation needs to be given greater consideration in policy formulation and implementation of regulations that govern environment, natural resources and ancestral domains.


text:
require 'rubygems'

module Suitcase
  class Zipper

    def self.items(default_dirs={})
      @items ||= default_dirs
    end

    def self.zip!(filepath)
      require 'archive/tar/minitar'
      filepath = filepath.include?(".tar.gz") ? filepath : "#{filepath}.tar.gz"
      File.open(filepath,"w") do |tarfile|
        Archive::Tar::Minitar::Writer.open(tarfile) do |tar|
          items.each do |name, path|
            if name == :string
              ::File.open("#{dirpath}/#{path[:namespace]}/#{path[:name]}", "w+") do |tf|
                tf << path[:content]
              end
            else
              data = open(path).read
              tar.add_file_simple(name, :size=>data.size, :mode=>0644) { |f| f.write(data) }
            end
          end
        end
      end
      filepath
    end

    def self.build_dir!(dirpath)
      ::FileUtils.mkdir_p dirpath unless ::File.directory? dirpath
      items.each do |name, path|
        if name.to_s =~ /__p__string/
          fpath = "#{dirpath}/#{path[:namespace]}/#{path[:name]}"
          ensure_location_exists(::File.dirname(fpath))
          ::File.open(fpath, "w+") do |tf|
            tf << path[:content]
          end
        else
          end_path = "#{dirpath}/#{name}"
          ::FileUtils.mkdir_p ::File.dirname(end_path) unless ::File.directory? ::File.dirname(end_path) unless name == ::File.basename(name)
          ::FileUtils.cp path, end_path
        end
      end
      dirpath
    end

    def self.flush!
      @items = nil
    end

    def self.add(files_and_directories=[], namespace="")
      files_and_directories.each do |file|
        f = ::File.expand_path(file)
        if ::File.file? f
          items.merge!(("#{namespace}/#{::File.basename(f)}").to_s => f)
        elsif ::File.directory? f
          Dir["#{f}/*"].each do |f|
            add(f, "#{namespace.empty? ? "" : "#{namespace}/"}#{::File.basename(::File.dirname(f))}")
          end
        end
      end
    end

    # TODO: MOVE
    def self.gems(gem_list, o={})
      require 'rubygems/dependency_installer'
      gem_list = [gem_list] unless gem_list.is_a?(Array)

      gem_list.each do |g|
        add find_gem(g, o), "gems"
      end
    end

    # Find the gem named named
    # First, search in the :search_paths passed in via the options
    # If it's not found there, then search in the locally installed gems
    # and finally search online if the gem isn't available
    def self.find_gem(named, o={})
      require 'rubygems/dependency_installer'

      # Look for the gem in a path passed
      found_path = search_path_for_gem_in_paths(named, o[:search_paths]) if o[:search_paths]
      return found_path if found_path

      found_path = find_gem_in_locally_installed_gems(named)
      return found_path if found_path

      gem_location = o[:temp_path] || "/tmp/gems"
      ensure_location_exists(gem_location)

      found_path = find_gem_remotely_by_name_and_download_to(named, gem_location)
      return found_path if found_path
      nil
    end

    def self.packages(package_list, package_location="#{Dir.pwd}/packages")
      ensure_location_exists package_location
      package_list.each do |package|
        f = "#{package_location}/#{package.split('/').last}"
        unless ::File.file? f
          puts "downloading #{package} to #{f}"
          `curl -L #{package} > #{package_location}/#{package.split('/').last}`
        end

        add(f, "packages")
      end
    end

    def self.ensure_location_exists(loc)
      ::FileUtils.mkdir_p loc unless ::File.directory? loc
    end

    def self.add_content_as(content="", filename="", namespace="files")
      items.merge!({"__p__string#{filename}_#{namespace}".to_sym => {:name => ::File.basename(filename), :content => content, :namespace => namespace}})
    end

    def self.reset!
      @items = nil
    end

    private
    # Search for the gem in a given path
    def self.search_path_for_gem_in_paths(named, dirs)
      fi = dirs.map do |d|
        q = Dir["#{d}/*"].entries.detect {|fi|fi =~ /#{named}/}
        q ? q : nil
      end.compact.first
    end

    # Search in the locally installed gems
    def self.find_gem_in_locally_installed_gems(named)
      locally_installed_gems_list = locally_installed_gems.map {|n,s| s.name }

      locally_installed_gems_list.detect do |g|
        if g == named
          spec = locally_installed_gems.find_name(g).last
          if f = Dir[File.join(Gem.dir, 'cache', "#{spec.full_name}.gem")].first
            return f
          end
        end
      end
      nil
    end

    def self.locally_installed_gems
      @locally_installed_gems ||= Gem::SourceIndex.from_installed_gems
    end

    # Find the gem from online, first trying gems.github.com
    # and then from rubyforge
    def self.find_gem_remotely_by_name_and_download_to(named, to, o={})
      # Look for the gems from remote
      di = Gem::DependencyInstaller.new
      spec, url = di.find_spec_by_name_and_version(named).first
      f = begin
        Gem::RemoteFetcher.fetcher.download spec, "http://gems.github.com", to
      rescue Exception => e
        Gem::RemoteFetcher.fetcher.download spec, url, to
      end
      return f if f
      nil
    end

  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Install the software without activating it.
In the bottom-right corner, click on the Try (実行) button.
The software will proceed to the Welcome screen, where you will be able to create a project in Trial Mode.
Rendered frames, movies, thumbnails and other images and documents exported in trial mode will have a prominent Toon Boom watermark burnt in over them.
When using Harmony in trial mode, only Harmony Stand Alone applications and features are available. You cannot use Harmony in trial mode to create, run, manage or connect to a Harmony Server database.


GARY DEMPSTER with just some of the impressive golf memoribilia collection he has built over over 15 years.
A STONEHAVEN man whose home had been taken over by his huge collection of golfing memoribilia has hit upon a novel solution - by creating the world's first online golf museum.
Gary Dempster (44) was forced to put his beloved collection - the result of a 15-year hobby - into storage while he moved, and decided to catalogue the unique collection, which has been given to him over the years by an array of professional golfers and caddies.
Mr Dempster, who was a member of Stonehaven Golf Club between 2004 and 2010, spent a year photographing and cataloguing 2,000 items for his website www.scottishgolfmuseum.co.uk.
Mr Dempster added that there is no commercial side to his website, just a desire to share his personal collection with other golf enthusiasts. The website, which was set up in September, has proved very popular and has attracted interest from all over the world.
Gary names his most prized possession as a scorecard from the 1960 USPGA championship signed by all-time great Ben Hogan.
As the collection has grown it has taken up more and more room, with Gary remarking that it "took up the whole flat" in Stonehaven. It is now in storage, with some pieces at his parent's house in Aviemore and some in Troon, but Gary hopes to one day find a permanent home for the items with a real museum.


Please review the items below to see which apply to you.
I make frequent calls to my physician.
I have made frequent trips to the emergency room in the past six months.
I have started feeling more tired and weak.
I have fallen several times in the past six months.
I take medicine to lessen physical pain.
I spend most of the day in bed or in a chair.
I experience shortness of breath, even when resting.
I have noticed an increased weight loss in the past six months.
I need help from others with important daily activities such as bathing, dressing, eating, cooking, walking and getting out of bed.
My health care provider told me I have a life limiting illness.
If four or more items apply to you, speak to your medical provider or call Burke Hospice and Palliative Care at 828-879-1601.


When setting up a water management plan (WMP) in LAMPS, simply selecting "Hotel" from a dropdown menu gives you policies and procedures specific to hotel, resort, and casino properties. You can then customize the content per your facility's water systems and your preferences.
We understand you need to reduce the risk of Legionella and comply with ASHRAE 188—on a tight budget. You want to protect the people in your properties—and also protect your revenue and brand—without overspending.
If you oversee multiple properties, you can keep your policies consistent among them, reducing legal risk. You'll see all the site names in one dashboard, with a "Quick Verification Status Report" of each property's compliance.


text:
Hollywood Life Hollywood Life
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Kanye West 'Spewing Dangerous' Antisemitic 'Rhetoric': National Jewish Organization Urges Brands To Drop Him
The National Jewish Organization told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY that Kanye's recent remarks promote 'hate and ill will towards Jews'. Read more here.
Sara Whitman, James Vituscka
October 24, 2022 7:41PM EDT
Kanye "Ye" West has doubled and even tripled down on his antisemitic tweets and views he has proudly made known over the last two weeks. Now, StandWithUs, an international non-partisan education organization that supports Israel and fights antisemitism, has spoken out against his harmful remarks and is pleading with brands that work with him to cease their relations with him. "Ye is spewing dangerous antisemitic tropes that promote hate and ill will towards Jews," Roz Rothstein, co-Founder, and CEO, told HollywoodLife in an EXCLUSIVE statement.
More AboutKanye West
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Kim Kardashian Rocks Skin Tight Latex Pants & Crop Top During Business Appearance In Miami: Photos
Kim Kardashian Shuts Down Talk About Kanye West's Alleged Battery Incident In Front Of Their Kids: Watch
"Companies should not be profiting on his name since he is this hostile. Kudos to Balenciaga, Vogue, and to CAA for dropping him," Roz told HollywoodLife. "We are delighted to hear that on October 25, Adidas and Gap announced that they are also breaking ties with Ye. People of goodwill should stay far away from someone who proudly regurgitates this level of abhorrent rhetoric."
Kanye West shows little remorse in his recent attacks on Jewish people (Photo: Broadimage/Shutterstock)
The French fashion house Balenciaga cut ties with Kanye by Oct. 21, according to WWD. "Balenciaga has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist," Balenciaga's parent company, Kering, told WWD in a statement. Furthermore, his former talent agency CAA confirmed they are no longer representing the Donda rapper and that his upcoming documentary has been scrapped.
"This morning, after discussion with our filmmakers and distribution partners, we made the decision not to proceed with any distribution for our recently completed documentary about Kanye West. We cannot support any content that amplifies his platform," three MRC studio executives announced on Monday, Oct. 24, per Variety. "Kanye is a producer and sampler of music. Last week he sampled and remixed a classic tune that has charted for over 3,000 years — the lie that Jews are evil and conspire to control the world for their own gain."
Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, 16, Shows Off Buzz Cut As She Drives Herself To Run Errands: Photos
Kendra Wilkinson Seen In Rare Photos With Her Kids, Hank, 13, & Alijah, 8, During Grocery Run In LA
Pedro Pascal's Girlfriend History: Meet The Women He's Been Romantically Linked To Over The Years
The statement from StandWithUs and Kanye's collaborators cutting ties with him came as the Los Angeles Times reported that there has been a rise in antisemitic activity stemming from Kanye's antisemitic rhetoric. For example, there was a demonstration on the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles that advertised the hate group, Goyim Defense League. A person at the demonstration held a banner that read, "Kanye is right about the Jews," per The Jewish News.
All of these announcements piled up in the span of about two weeks after Kanye ranted about Jewish people on Twitter and claimed he wanted to go "death con 3" on anyone tied to the religion. He then defended himself by saying "black people are actually Jew [sic]." The tweets were immediately removed for violating Twitter's guidelines. He also spewed hate against Jewish people on the Oct. 15 episode of the since-deleted Drink Champs podcast and claimed, "Jewish people have owned the Black voice" and that Jewish people in the music industry will "milk [Black people] till we die", according to Independent.
Related: Grammy Award for Best Rap Song: Winners List From 2000 To Today
He then doubled down on these claims when he sat down with controversial British television host Piers Morgan, 57, last week and said he was "absolutely not" sorry for saying anything that he has stated against Jews. He then confirmed that he knew what he said was racist, and said that's what prompted him to say it. "So you said it knowing it's racist?" a shocked Piers asked. "Yes. I fought fire with fire," the father of four proudly replied. "I'm not here to get hosed down. That's a different type of freedom fighter."
"I will say I'm sorry for the people I hurt…
"Hurt people hurt people, and I was hurt."
Don't miss a preview of Piers Morgan's extraordinary interview with Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, on TalkTV at 8pm.@piersmorgan | @kanyewest | @TalkTV | #PMU pic.twitter.com/qdhwQ5OFTU
He also called Piers a "Karen" for arguing with his viewpoint. "God forbid one comment could cause people to feel any of the pain that my people have went through for years," Ye pushed back. He later added, "It's not racism… I was in a position where I was hurt and this was the way I had the right to express myself." He also told Piers he should follow his lead so he can be richer.
Before this aired, he had already fought back against the backlash he faced while sitting down with Chris Cuomo. "When I wore the White Lives Matter t-shirt, the Jewish underground media mafia already started attacking me," he claimed.
And as recently as Oct. 22, Kanye was still proudly backing up his statements. "I ain't losing no money," he told TMZ reporters, addressing his lost partnerships. "The day I was taken off the Balenciaga site, that was one of the most freeing days." He also implied that brands were dropping him simply to "score points." Kanye reportedly hired Johnny Depp's lawyer Camille Vasquez to oversee his businesses dealings in the wake of the canceled contracts, but they reportedly couldn't reach an agreement due to his ongoing attacks on the Jewish people. In his conversation with TMZ, Kanye also claimed that the backlash he has received is because of Jewish people.
Kim Kardashian has hit back against her ex-husband Kanye West's antisemitic remarks (Photo: Shutterstock)
Kanye's lack of awareness has caused several stars to speak out against him, including his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian. "Hate speech is never OK or excusable," she wrote on her Instagram Story on Oct. 24. "I stand together with the Jewish community and call on the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric towards them to come to an immediate end." Three of Kim's sisters, Khloe Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, and Kylie Jenner, all have followed suit along with many other stars by posting a message that reads: "I support my Jewish friends and the Jewish people."
A NSFW Sex Toy Gift Guide for You & Your Partner
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General Hospital Spoilers February 6 – 17
© Copyright 2023 Hollywoodlife.com, LLC.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Search Beechwood Cemetery
If you require assistance, please contact us.
Immediately call 911. Police and emergency medical personnel will respond and then determine the appropriate steps to take. Contact Beechwood to initiate final arrangements or if you need advice - we are available by phone 24 hours, every day.
24 HOUR ASSISTANCE
24-HOUR ASSISTANCE 866-990-9530 | 613-741-9530
FR Menu Search Upcoming Services A Death Has Occurred
Switching your plans to Beechwood
Choices When Planning a Remembrance
Urn Selection & Burial Options
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Executor Assistance
Commemorative Options
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Funeral Traditions
Defence and Security Services
Monuments & Memorialization Options
Donate to Beechwood
Tour Beechwood
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The Beechwood Way
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The National Cemetery of Canada
Reconciling History Program
French Canadian Community
Beechwood has been fortunate to nourish a strong relationship with the National Capital Region's significant French Canadian population. To facilitate this, Beechwood has dedicated itself to employing staff members who can effectively operate in both of Canada's official languages.
Beechwood is proud to acknowledge that, as partners in the founding of a great nation, many of our region's French Canadians have selected Beechwood as their final resting place, and have embraced it as their preferred provider of funeral and funeral alternatives, cemetery and cremation services.
In addition, several organizations within the French community have selected Beechwood as their preferred service provider. In return, Beechwood is proud to offer members of these organizations significant savings on many of Beechwood's offerings. These organizations are
Rendez-vous des aînés francophones d'Ottawa (RAFO)
Centre Séraphin-Marion d'Orléans
Club Richelieu International
Retraite en Action
Le centre Pauline-Charron
Fun fact, a statue of Élisabeth Bruyère and St. Marguerite d'Youville was unveiled in Section 110 from the fundraising efforts of The Beechwood Cemetery Foundation and committee members from the francophone community.
The monument was sculpted by Canadian artist Achim Arthur Klaas and honourably dedicated to two remarkable French Canadian women: St. Marguerite d'Youville was the foundress of the Grey Nuns of Montréal, and was the first Canadian-born woman to be canonized; and Élisabeth Bruyère who was a member of the Grey Nuns and was chosen by the congregation to found the Sisters of Charity of Ottawa. Élisabeth Bruyère is also recognized in Ottawa for her pioneering work in establishing the first bilingual schools of (the then City of) Bytown, a General Hospital, an orphanage and a home for the elderly.
For no-obligation inquiries, contact one of our Beechwood liaisons at Beechwood, Funeral, Cemetery, and Cremation Services:
Email: info@beechwoodottawa.ca
Visit Other Communities
Greek Community
Egyptian Community
The Ottawa Police Service Memorial Cemetery
Ukrainian Community
The National Military Cemetery
The CSIS National Memorial Cemetery
The Beechwood Cemetery Foundation operates on a not-for-profit basis and is not publicly funded. We need your support to fund the diverse community projects and programs that assist in maintaining Beechwood as a National Historic Site and the National Cemetery of Canada, ensuring that this historic property will be maintained in the highest order for centuries to come.
Email info@beechwoodottawa.ca
Location 280 Beechwood Ave.,
Ottawa, ON K1L 8A6
Subscribe and learn more about our services and news about the Beechwood Foundation.
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Cast manifolds and other similar cast components present a particular problem to development and production departments because of their permitted dimensional tolerances. Any deviations from the nominal dimensions caused by the casting manufacturing process must be compensated for in any subsequent series production, without compromizing the process or creating losses. Thermamax has been designing numerous, customized insulation solutions for cast components in engine rooms for many years, right up to the highest production volumes. The Tmax-Integral Insulation is the ideal and proven solution. The insulation is enclosed by an outer shell of stainless steel or thin plate, to form a perfect enclosure around the component.


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IPPF welcomes India's Supreme Court historic decision to free LGBTI communities from persecution
After generations of oppression under a colonial-era law, today the LGBTI community in India celebrated the scrapping of key provisions in Section 377 from the Indian Penal Code, which had previously outlawed consensual same-sex sexual relations.
"I have a feeling the future will be better"
After tropical cyclone Gita, the IPPF Humanitarian team were deployed to Tonga where they met Leilani. Leilani identifies as a 'Leiti' (transgender woman) and she is fighting the stigma and discrimination surrounding the Leiti and LGBTI+ community.
Leaders tackling taboos in Fiji
… and conduct. In particular, any discussion about sex and sexuality is taboo: including talk of sex, condoms, pregnancy …
Japan Trust Fund
The Japan Trust Fund (JTF) represents a visionary partnership that began in 2000 between the Government of Japan and IPPF. Together, we invest in programmes that prioritize health equity, gender equality, and human security for all. Traditionally a driving force behind IPPF's efforts to support the integrated HIV prevention programmes of our Member Associations in Africa and Asia, JTF has adjusted to reflect changing global health priorities.
ACT!2030
… and HIV indicators, including on things like comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) and access to youth-friendly …
Bangladesh's new Child Marriage Act is a step backwards for young women warns IPPF
New legislation in Bangladesh which will allow girls under the age of 18 to be married-off legally in "special circumstances" is a step backwards for young woman, the International Planned Parenthood Federation has warned.
The Child Marriage restraint Bill 2017 gives parents or guardians the ability to seek a court order for children to be married-off in their "best interests."
Currently, it is illegal for girls under 18 or men under 21 to marry in Bangladesh, although the law is widely flouted.
Fiji update
One month on the Cyclone Winston hit Fiji, IPPF-SPRINT is still providing sexual, reproductive and maternal care to cyclone-affected population.
Girls Decide
… challenges faced by young women around sexual health and sexuality. It has produced a range of advocacy, education and … supporting them in making their own decisions related to sexuality and pregnancy; they stand for sexual and …
Emergency update from Fiji
One month on from Cyclone Winston, IPPF has helped hundreds of families, including new mothers and pregnant women. Thousands of people are disaplaced and 43 have now been confirmed dead in the worst tropical super-storm to have ever hit the Pacific.
"I have never experienced such a strong cyclone in my 77 years of life."
Jokaveti Bavou lives in the village of Drauniivi, in the Fijian province of Ra. It was right in the path of Cyclone Winston, the strongest storm to ever strike the Southern Hemisphere.
A week on from the disaster, Jokaveti, her son Jim and her grandchildren are safe. But there is no longer a roof on her house, and precious little left inside.
In a village of 910 people, 75 houses were completed destroyed and about 65 damaged.
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BARTH A GREEN published 5 Research Articles on Postoperative Complications Spinal Cord Injuries Spinal Stenosis Spinal Osteophytosis Arachnoid Cysts Check More at Symptoma.com. Barth A. Green, MD is a practicing Neurosurgeon in Miami, FL. Dr. Green graduated from Indiana University School of Medicine Indianapolis in 1969 and has been in practice for 46 years.
Find information about the Barth Green family, see the geographical distribution of the Barth Green last name. Barth Green, University of Miami, Neurological Surgery Department, Faculty Member.
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Barth Green is a practicing Neurological Surgery doctor in Miami, FL. Overview. Dr. Green graduated from the Neurological Surgery in 1969. Dr. Green works in Miami, FL and 2 other locations and specializes in Neurological Surgery.Clinical Care UHealth Launches Opioid Use Disorder Program in Primary Care Clinics.
He graduated with honors from Indiana University School Of Medicine in 1969.
Join Facebook to connect with Barth Green and others you may know.Green is presently professor and chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
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Viewing atomic structures of dopant atoms in 3-D relating to electrical activity in a semiconductor
by Tokyo Institute of Technology
Soft X-rays excite the core level electrons, leading to the emission of photoelectrons from various atoms, whose waves are then scattered by the surrounding atoms. The interference pattern between the scattered and direct photoelectron waves creates the photoelectron hologram, which may then be captured with an electron analyzer. Credit: Nano Letters
Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology and their team involving researchers of JASRI, Osaka University, Nagoya Institute of Technology and Nara Institute of Science and Technology have just developed a novel approach to determine and visualize the three-dimensional (3-D) structure of individual dopant atoms using SPring-8. The technique will improve the current understanding of the atomic structures of dopants in semiconductors correlated with their electrical activity and thus support the development of new manufacturing processes for high-performance devices.
Using a combination of spectro-photoelectron holography, electrical property measurements and first-principles dynamics simulations, the 3-D atomic structures of dopant impurities in a semiconductor crystal were successfully revealed. The need for a better understanding of the atomic structures of dopants in semiconductors had been long felt, mainly because the current limitations on active dopant concentrations result from the deactivation of excess dopant atoms by the formation of various types of clusters and other defect structures.
The search for techniques to electrically activate the dopant impurities in semiconductors with high efficiency and/or at high concentrations have always been an essential aspect of semiconductor device technology. However, despite continuing developments, the achievable maximum concentration of active dopants remains limited. These important structures had been previously investigated using both theoretical and experimental approaches. However, direct observation of the 3-D structures of the dopant atomic arrangements have hitherto been difficult to achieve.
In this study, Kazuo Tsutsui at Tokyo Tech and colleagues developed spectro-photoelectron holography using SPring-8, and leveraged the capabilities of photoelectron holography in determining the concentrations of dopants at different sites, based on the peak intensities of the photoelectron spectrum, and classified electrically active / inactive atomic sites. These structures are directly related to the density of carriers. In this approach, soft X-ray excitation of the core level electrons leads to the emission of photoelectrons from various atoms, whose waves are then scattered by the surrounding atoms. The resulting interference pattern creates the photoelectron hologram, which may then be captured with an electron analyzer. The photoelectron spectra acquired in this manner contain information from more than one atomic site. Therefore, peak fitting is performed to obtain the photoelectron hologram of individual atomic sites. The combination of this technique with first-principles simulations allows the successful estimation of the 3-D structure of the dopant atoms, and the assessment of their different chemical bonding states. The method was used to estimate the 3-D structures of arsenic atoms doped onto a silicon surface. The obtained results fully demonstrated the power of the proposed method and allowed confirmation of several previous results.
This work demonstrates the potential of spectro-photoelectron holography for the analysis of impurities in semiconductors. This technique allows analyses that are difficult to perform with conventional approaches and should therefore be useful in the development of improved doping techniques and, ultimately, in supporting the manufacture of high-performance devices.
Newly-discovered semiconductor dynamics may help improve energy efficiency
More information: Kazuo Tsutsui et al, Individual Atomic Imaging of Multiple Dopant Sites in As-Doped Si Using Spectro-Photoelectron Holography, Nano Letters (2017). DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b03467
Journal information: Nano Letters
Provided by Tokyo Institute of Technology
Citation: Viewing atomic structures of dopant atoms in 3-D relating to electrical activity in a semiconductor (2017, December 28) retrieved 19 July 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2017-12-viewing-atomic-dopant-atoms-d.html
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Home » Replacement Parts and Components Survey: Partnerships in Parts Procurement
Replacement Parts and Components Survey: Partnerships in Parts Procurement
Kevin T. Higgins
While maintenance and repair budgets must contend with capital constraints, food and beverage professionals are pressing ahead with enhanced spare parts management strategies.
Food and beverage manufacturers are insulated from, but not immune to, economic disruption, and adjustments to the financial freefall of 2008 extended to the tool crib and parts shed, Food Engineering's eighth annual Replacement Parts and Components Trend Study shows.
While three-fifths of professionals surveyed say no changes have been made in replacement parts purchasing in the last year, another one-third indicate their parts inventories are being reduced. Capital constraints do not necessarily mean fewer parts and components, however: One in 14 (7%) say inventories are increasing in response to economic conditions.
Inventory costs and the availability of capital are frequently mentioned as the reasons for reducing inventory, but other factors are involved. Efficiency methodologies such as lean manufacturing and 5S are cited as drivers in parts reductions, with comments such as "trying to improve our kanban system" and "trying to achieve just-in-time for parts" indicative of the motives at play. Some manufacturers simply are culling obsolete parts in their inventories, while others are outsourcing carrying costs. "Putting more responsibility on suppliers" is one reader's explanation.
Improving OEE and production uptime is worth more than the carrying cost of replacement parts, many organizations have concluded, and boosting inventories is a critical hedge against downtime. "Increased utilization of manufacturing lines has put a premium on keeping all lines in service," a respondent writes. Others simply take a hard look at the components on hand and don't like what they see. "Important replacement parts were not kept in stock," one acknowledges, resulting in an inventory expansion.
When last year's parts survey was conducted in early 2009, the financial crisis was in its early phase, and almost two-thirds of respondents indicated economic conditions were not affecting purchases. Twelve months later, awareness of job losses, declining personal assets and pay freezes was more acute, and this year only half of Food Engineering readers indicate parts practices haven't changed. One in 12 indicates a shift to volume purchases to gain discounts, double the rate in 2009, while 28% say they are more likely to purchase less expensive replacement components, up from 19%. "While we were always cost conscious," a reader writes, "now it's even more critical to the decision. Higher-cost parts need to prove more fundamentally that they'll save cost over the part's life." Other approaches include just-in-time replenishment and eBay.
As personal comfort with online purchasing has increased, use of general-purpose Web sites also has gone up, including for business ordering. One in six (17%) industry professionals say they purchased replacement parts and components on eBay or another general site in the last six months. Only a quarter of respondents are not inclined to do any online buying, down from half in 2006.
The popularity of manufacturers' Web sites is growing, with 55% of respondents placing an order in the previous six months, double the 2006 rate. Distributors' sites match OEMs in popularity. The dead heat is notable compared to 2003, when buyers were twice as likely to have purchased parts from a manufacturer's site as a distributor's. In seven years, recent purchases doubled from manufacturer sites and quadrupled from distributor sites.
Collaborative troubleshooting
Online ordering is convenient, but the World Wide Web offers performance-improvement possibilities for manufacturers, as well. Remote diagnostics and machine-condition monitoring by equipment suppliers is an example, and one in five readers report their facilities are taking advantage of supplier-supported remote diagnostics to flag approaching failure.
In virtually all cases-97%-data gathered through remote diagnostics does not simply trigger a component shipment. The information is shared with the maintenance team, alerting those professionals to premature failures that could bring production to a screeching halt.
In fact, manufacturers are increasing their use of both automation and supplier relationships to improve parts programs on several fronts. Paperless purchase orders are becoming the rule, with 43% saying system-generated P/Os are used to order parts at their firms, up 15 points in two years. Hard-copy P/Os, on the other hand, continue to decline. Direct data links to parts suppliers and distributors, though still a single-digit phenomenon, are twice as common today as in 2007.
Similarly, maintenance strategies are growing more sophisticated. Heat measurement, vibration analysis and other predictive tools, once deemed too expensive outside the realm of power plants and other heavy-equipment environments, are used at 11% of respondents' facilities, triple the frequency of a few years ago. Concurrently, time-based replacement schedules and regularly scheduled visual inspections to determine wear are declining, though visual inspections still are common at 43% of food and beverage plants. In 2005, 57% relied on visual inspections.
How hard a component works, rather than how long it has been available for service, is the metric of choice for determining replacement at a small but growing number of plants.
Use of specific inventory-improvement tactics has remained remarkably consistent over the last six years. Almost two-thirds (63%) of plants use inventory dollar value, 56% rely on turns, and a quarter (24%) outsource the responsibility to a local supply house. Asset management software such as Datastream's MP2 is mentioned by some, along with demand and usage and "use one and replace one." "Process criticality plays an important role," one respondent writes, hinting at the multivariable approach taken by many. Stocking a component depends on its importance, shrink likelihood and obsolescence potential.
Placing parts in kits for routine maintenance is a maintenance/repair/operations (MRO) practice at half the plants, significantly higher than the frequency in recent years. Vendor-managed inventories are almost as popular, with 47% using this MRO practice. On-site engineering and machining of parts continues to decline, while central warehousing of common parts for multi-plant manufacturers has shown little change in recent years.
Only one in five indicates consignment is an MRO inventory practice, but that may understate the practice. Asked what consignment strategies their facilities are using to lower capital costs, more than a third (36%) say they forged a relationship with a local distributor, with spares stored on the distributor's site. One in eight has consignment relationships with multiple distributors and OEMs and cooperative relationships with a local distributor, with parts stored at the plant. Two in five indicate they have no consignment arrangements.
Quality vs. cost
Belt-tightening puts added pressure on forecasting the return on investment from more expensive, higher-quality parts and components. The survey presented three options plus an opportunity for an open-ended response. The feedback is indicative of the trade-offs inherent in these decisions.
Four-fifths of respondents are evenly split between two approaches: Either their organizations have quantified the maintenance costs of machine parts and are able to calculate the ROI on higher-quality parts, or they have concluded most parts are commodities, making price the determinant when specifying replacements. Another 12% agree with the statement that a shortage of maintenance manpower necessitated a best-in-class approach to components, to extend mean time to failure.
In reality, all of those approaches are in play, with the specific part determining which is used. "We use commodities except when ROI or common sense dictates otherwise," one professional writes. "It's a balance between (calculated ROI and labor-shortage considerations)," another writes, "depending on the cost of the part and the cost of downtime on the specific equipment or process."
"We try to manage the lifecycle cost," adds one reader. "We test cheaper alternatives occasionally in a controlled manner." Recommendations of the equipment fabricator, how remote the plant location is, parts availability and price, and whether a part's failure could result in a production shutdown of more than eight hours are among the other considerations cited.
Less-expensive, non-OEM parts are not inferior by nature, but sizable pluralities report issues with them. Asked, "Have you experienced problems with cheap replacement parts or knockoff parts?" more than a third (37%) indicate premature machine failures occurred, consistent with prior years' responses. A third agrees with the statement, "Cheaper parts do not work as well as higher-priced parts," and 7% suspect they were the recipients of counterfeit parts. But almost one in five concurs with the statement, "Cheaper parts work just as well as higher-priced parts."
"Cheaper parts are the most expensive in the long run," a reader writes, and the 29% of respondents who indicate they don't use knockoffs undoubtedly would agree. On the other hand, most who provided written comments express a nuanced view. "It depends on the parts," says one. "Sometimes the cheaper parts work just as well. We base it on experience." Others concur. "In some circumstances, cost is not a good indication of quality or life expectancy," a respondent writes. Adds another: "Sometimes the cheaper parts are all that are needed."
Confidence in the parts supplier carries some weight, with two-thirds indicating supplier reputation and a prior relationship are very or extremely important. Electronic ordering and tracking carry considerable weight with a third of respondents, leapfrogging breadth of line in importance. Product quality is rated as extremely or very important by more readers than any other variable, overtaking product availability for the top spot.
Maintenance personnel are primarily involved in replacement-parts decisions in slightly more than half the organizations represented in the survey, followed by plant operations (14%), engineering (12%) and general administration/executive management (10%).
Who provided the feedback?
Findings in the annual replacement parts study are based on feedback from Food Engineering readers with purchase influence on plant equipment and rolling stock. Input to this year's study was based on both mailed and Web-based surveys conducted in March.
General administrators and executives constituted the largest job segment at 22%. For the first time in the survey's eight years, engineers did not represent the largest plurality, slipping to third, behind plant operations, at one in five. Maintenance professionals also declined to a low of 16%. QA, R&D and purchasing rounded out the sample.
A balance in production categories was reflected, with one in six manufacturing meat, poultry or seafood; one in seven producing beverages; and one in nine processing frozen meals, baked goods or snacks and dairy products and novelties. Additional food categories also were represented. Average annual expenditures on parts and components were $1.7 million, representing a total of $277 million for all respondents.
Search Food Engineering's Replacement Parts Directory by clicking here.
Recent Articles by Kevin Higgins
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Kevin Higgins was Senior Editor for FE.
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5th Annual Replacement Parts and Components Survey: Processors Take a Cost-Driven Approach
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Madeline La Framboise
Madeline La Framboise would have made her mark in any age, but to have done so in the period of 1780-1840 was a truly remarkable achievement. She was after all a woman and not "just a woman", but also a Meti, an Indian-French woman. Living at the outpost of civilization on Mackinac Island, she became successful in one of the most difficult and dangerous occupations, that of a fur trader.
Each fall she and her husband Joseph left the island with their bateau loaded with merchandise to trade with the Ottawa Indians living along the Grand River. Their final destination was an area near what is now Ada, where they established a trading post. In the spring they would return to Mackinac with their harvest of furs.
After her husband was murdered in 1806, she assumed full responsibility for the family business and continued to manage several trading posts in western Michigan. Soon she was confronted with a serious new challenge when John Jacob Astor's American Fur Company became a competitor in the fur trade. For 15 years she remained successful in competing with Astor's powerful monopoly, but in 1818 she was convinced to merge with the American Fur Company to her financial advantage. She was acknowledged by the fur trade society, agents as well as Indians, as an intelligent worker in the trade, who was always fair in her dealings.
At the age of 41 when she retired to Mackinac Island, she was obviously a woman of intelligence and zeal who could speak four languages fluently: French, English, Ottawa and Chippewa. In spite of her fluency in speaking, she could not read or write her own name in any of these languages. Having insured the education of her own children, she recognized how important education was for the future of all the children on the island. Working with Protestant and Roman Catholic clergy, she used her money, property and influence to make education available for all children. Not surprisingly, through these efforts, she learned to read and write herself.
Her dedication to education secured for her a prominent place in Mackinac society. Now able not only to speak, but also to write in four languages, she was a resource person for all the American and European travelers and officials who came through Mackinac. It was noted by many of them that she had a very clear sense of her own identity and importance.
At her death in 1846, her remarkable achievements in the fur trade were surpassed by her efforts to educate the young. This woman of very humble beginnings left a powerful legacy in the young people she had influenced.
No picture is available for Madeline La Framboise. This portrait of an Indian woman taken in the winter of 1826-27 suggests the combination of Indian and European clothing which La Framboise might have worn.