London : H.K. Lewis, 1885.

London (No. 4, Hanover Street) : Published ... for the proprietor by T.G. March ; [London] (Threadneedle Street) : Sold also by F. G. Moon ; [London] (Strand) : [Sold also by] Ackermann & Co., April 10, 1842 ([London?] : Printed by R. Lloyd)

(Edin.r [Edinburgh] : Printed by A. Mc.Glashon), [1842]

Rockville, Maryland : National Institute on Drug Abuse, 1979.

[Manchester] : School of Nursing Studies, University of Manchester, [1995?]

François Bachoc, Baptiste Broto, Fabrice Gamboa, Jean-Michel Loubes.

Source: Electronic Journal of Statistics, Volume 14, Number 1, 503--546.

Abstract:
In the framework of the supervised learning of a real function defined on an abstract space $mathcal{X}$, Gaussian processes are widely used. The Euclidean case for $mathcal{X}$ is well known and has been widely studied. In this paper, we explore the less classical case where $mathcal{X}$ is the non commutative finite group of permutations (namely the so-called symmetric group $S_{N}$). We provide an application to Gaussian process based optimization of Latin Hypercube Designs. We also extend our results to the case of partial rankings.

Nicola Kistler, Adrien Schertzer, Marius A. Schmidt.

Source: Brazilian Journal of Probability and Statistics, Volume 34, Number 2, 414--425.

Abstract:
The Poisson clumping heuristic has lead Aldous to conjecture the value of the oriented first passage percolation on the hypercube in the limit of large dimensions. Aldous’ conjecture has been rigorously confirmed by Fill and Pemantle ( Ann. Appl. Probab. 3 (1993) 593–629) by means of a variance reduction trick. We present here a streamlined and, we believe, more natural proof based on ideas emerged in the study of Derrida’s random energy models.

Salem M. Al-Gezeri, Robert G. Aykroyd.

Source: Brazilian Journal of Probability and Statistics, Volume 33, Number 3, 498--519.

Abstract:
The use of Markov random field (MRF) models has proven to be a fruitful approach in a wide range of image processing applications. It allows local texture information to be incorporated in a systematic and unified way and allows statistical inference theory to be applied giving rise to novel output summaries and enhanced image interpretation. A great advantage of such low-level approaches is that they lead to flexible models, which can be applied to a wide range of imaging problems without the need for significant modification. This paper proposes and explores the use of conditional MRF models for situations where multiple images are to be processed simultaneously, or where only a single image is to be reconstructed and a sequential approach is taken. Although the coupling of image intensity values is a special case of our approach, the main extension over previous proposals is to allow the direct coupling of other properties, such as smoothness or texture. This is achieved using a local modulating function which adjusts the influence of global smoothing without the need for a fully inhomogeneous prior model. Several modulating functions are considered and a detailed simulation study, motivated by remote sensing applications in archaeological geophysics, of conditional reconstruction is presented. The results demonstrate that a substantial improvement in the quality of the image reconstruction, in terms of errors and residuals, can be achieved using this approach, especially at locations with rapid changes in the underlying intensity.

Web and mobile applications enhance efficiency and data accuracy using satellite maps and offline capabilities.

(PRWeb April 23, 2020)

Read the full story at https://www.prweb.com/releases/agileassets_v7_5_improves_flexibility_field_productivity_for_tunnel_inspections_asset_maintenance/prweb17071093.htm

Stephen Berg, Jun Zhu, Murray K. Clayton, Monika E. Shea, David J. Mladenoff.

Source: The Annals of Applied Statistics, Volume 13, Number 4, 2312--2340.

Abstract:
The Wisconsin Public Land Survey database describes historical forest composition at high spatial resolution and is of interest in ecological studies of forest composition in Wisconsin just prior to significant Euro-American settlement. For such studies it is useful to identify recurring subpopulations of tree species known as communities, but standard clustering approaches for subpopulation identification do not account for dependence between spatially nearby observations. Here, we develop and fit a latent discrete Markov random field model for the purpose of identifying and classifying historical forest communities based on spatially referenced multivariate tree species counts across Wisconsin. We show empirically for the actual dataset and through simulation that our latent Markov random field modeling approach improves prediction and parameter estimation performance. For model fitting we introduce a new stochastic approximation algorithm which enables computationally efficient estimation and classification of large amounts of spatial multivariate count data.

Kamran Kalbasi, Thomas Mountford.

Source: Bernoulli, Volume 26, Number 2, 1504--1534.

Abstract:
In this paper, we study the local times of vector-valued Gaussian fields that are ‘diagonally operator-self-similar’ and whose increments are stationary. Denoting the local time of such a Gaussian field around the spatial origin and over the temporal unit hypercube by $Z$, we show that there exists $lambdain(0,1)$ such that under some quite weak conditions, $lim_{n ightarrow+infty}frac{sqrt[n]{mathbb{E}(Z^{n})}}{n^{lambda}}$ and $lim_{x ightarrow+infty}frac{-logmathbb{P}(Z>x)}{x^{frac{1}{lambda}}}$ both exist and are strictly positive (possibly $+infty$). Moreover, we show that if the underlying Gaussian field is ‘strongly locally nondeterministic’, the above limits will be finite as well. These results are then applied to establish similar statements for the intersection local times of diagonally operator-self-similar Gaussian fields with stationary increments.

Wensheng Wang, Zhonggen Su, Yimin Xiao.

Source: Bernoulli, Volume 26, Number 2, 1410--1430.

Abstract:
We establish the exact moduli of non-differentiability of Gaussian random fields with stationary increments. As an application of the result, we prove that the uniform Hölder condition for the maximum local times of Gaussian random fields with stationary increments obtained in Xiao (1997) is optimal. These results are applicable to fractional Riesz–Bessel processes and stationary Gaussian random fields in the Matérn and Cauchy classes.

Yi Shen, Yizao Wang.

Source: Bernoulli, Volume 26, Number 1, 500--530.

Abstract:
We propose an aggregated random-field model, and investigate the scaling limits of the aggregated partial-sum random fields. In this model, each copy in the aggregation is a $pm 1$-valued random field built from two correlated one-dimensional random walks, the law of each determined by a random persistence parameter. A flexible joint distribution of the two parameters is introduced, and given the parameters the two correlated random walks are conditionally independent. For the aggregated random field, when the persistence parameters are independent, the scaling limit is a fractional Brownian sheet. When the persistence parameters are tail-dependent, characterized in the framework of multivariate regular variation, the scaling limit is more delicate, and in particular depends on the growth rates of the underlying rectangular region along two directions: at different rates different operator-scaling Gaussian random fields appear as the region area tends to infinity. In particular, at the so-called critical speed, a large family of Gaussian random fields with long-range dependence arise in the limit. We also identify four different regimes at non-critical speed where fractional Brownian sheets arise in the limit.

Hewish Henry -- Family.

Daniele Durante, Tommaso Rigon.

Source: Statistical Science, Volume 34, Number 3, 472--485.

Abstract:
Variational Bayes (VB) is a common strategy for approximate Bayesian inference, but simple methods are only available for specific classes of models including, in particular, representations having conditionally conjugate constructions within an exponential family. Models with logit components are an apparently notable exception to this class, due to the absence of conjugacy among the logistic likelihood and the Gaussian priors for the coefficients in the linear predictor. To facilitate approximate inference within this widely used class of models, Jaakkola and Jordan ( Stat. Comput. 10 (2000) 25–37) proposed a simple variational approach which relies on a family of tangent quadratic lower bounds of the logistic log-likelihood, thus restoring conjugacy between these approximate bounds and the Gaussian priors. This strategy is still implemented successfully, but few attempts have been made to formally understand the reasons underlying its excellent performance. Following a review on VB for logistic models, we cover this gap by providing a formal connection between the above bound and a recent Pólya-gamma data augmentation for logistic regression. Such a result places the computational methods associated with the aforementioned bounds within the framework of variational inference for conditionally conjugate exponential family models, thereby allowing recent advances for this class to be inherited also by the methods relying on Jaakkola and Jordan ( Stat. Comput. 10 (2000) 25–37).

Jeremy R. Manning
Oct 28, 2009; 29:13613-13620
BehavioralSystemsCognitive

Cristopher M. Niell
Jul 23, 2008; 28:7520-7536
BehavioralSystemsCognitive

The detection and segmentation of meaningful figures from their background is one of the primary functions of vision. While work in nonhuman primates has implicated early visual mechanisms in this figure–ground modulation, neuroimaging in humans has instead largely ascribed the processing of figures and objects to higher stages of the visual hierarchy. Here, we used high-field fMRI at 7 Tesla to measure BOLD responses to task-irrelevant orientation-defined figures in human early visual cortex (N = 6, four females). We used a novel population receptive field mapping-based approach to resolve the spatial profiles of two constituent mechanisms of figure–ground modulation: a local boundary response, and a further enhancement spanning the full extent of the figure region that is driven by global differences in features. Reconstructing the distinct spatial profiles of these effects reveals that figure enhancement modulates responses in human early visual cortex in a manner consistent with a mechanism of automatic, contextually driven feedback from higher visual areas.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT A core function of the visual system is to parse complex 2D input into meaningful figures. We do so constantly and seamlessly, both by processing information about visible edges and by analyzing large-scale differences between figure and background. While influential neurophysiology work has characterized an intriguing mechanism that enhances V1 responses to perceptual figures, we have a poor understanding of how the early visual system contributes to figure–ground processing in humans. Here, we use advanced computational analysis methods and high-field human fMRI data to resolve the distinct spatial profiles of local edge and global figure enhancement in the early visual system (V1 and LGN); the latter is distinct and consistent with a mechanism of automatic, stimulus-driven feedback from higher-level visual areas.

Statistical regularities in natural sounds facilitate the perceptual segregation of auditory sources, or streams. Repetition is one cue that drives stream segregation in humans, but the neural basis of this perceptual phenomenon remains unknown. We demonstrated a similar perceptual ability in animals by training ferrets of both sexes to detect a stream of repeating noise samples (foreground) embedded in a stream of random samples (background). During passive listening, we recorded neural activity in primary auditory cortex (A1) and secondary auditory cortex (posterior ectosylvian gyrus, PEG). We used two context-dependent encoding models to test for evidence of streaming of the repeating stimulus. The first was based on average evoked activity per noise sample and the second on the spectro-temporal receptive field. Both approaches tested whether differences in neural responses to repeating versus random stimuli were better modeled by scaling the response to both streams equally (global gain) or by separately scaling the response to the foreground versus background stream (stream-specific gain). Consistent with previous observations of adaptation, we found an overall reduction in global gain when the stimulus began to repeat. However, when we measured stream-specific changes in gain, responses to the foreground were enhanced relative to the background. This enhancement was stronger in PEG than A1. In A1, enhancement was strongest in units with low sparseness (i.e., broad sensory tuning) and with tuning selective for the repeated sample. Enhancement of responses to the foreground relative to the background provides evidence for stream segregation that emerges in A1 and is refined in PEG.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT To interact with the world successfully, the brain must parse behaviorally important information from a complex sensory environment. Complex mixtures of sounds often arrive at the ears simultaneously or in close succession, yet they are effortlessly segregated into distinct perceptual sources. This process breaks down in hearing-impaired individuals and speech recognition devices. By identifying the underlying neural mechanisms that facilitate perceptual segregation, we can develop strategies for ameliorating hearing loss and improving speech recognition technology in the presence of background noise. Here, we present evidence to support a hierarchical process, present in primary auditory cortex and refined in secondary auditory cortex, in which sound repetition facilitates segregation.

FAO has begun field tests for a new approach to measuring hunger and food insecurity – part of a collaboration with polling specialists Gallup, Inc. The project – known as Voices of the Hungry – is based on a “food insecurity experience scale,” with annual data collected using eight interview questions about people’s experiences of food insecurity over the preceding [...]

Farmer field schools (FFS) are essentially schools without walls that introduce new technological innovations while building on indigenous knowledge. In FFS, farmers are the experts. Key features and principles of the FFS approach – TRUE or FALSE? The FFS approach allows farmers to learn through testing changes in a controlled, group-based environment TRUE:  Discovery-based learning is an essential part of the FFS as [...]

With many zoos and aquariums closed to the public, keepers let animals roam empty hallways to meet their neighbors

Two years before the Carthaginian general crossed the Alps, he won a decisive victory at the Battle of the Tagus

Mathias Colomb Cree Nation is wondering why the federal government ignored their community's proposal for an emergency COVID-19 response space in favour of a Calgary company's. 

Of the 58 people who have died due to COVID-19 in Windsor-Essex, 14 of them were patients at Windsor Regional Hospital's field hospital.

The post Mastering SOLIDWORKS Visualize and Creating the FIRST Global Challenge Field appeared first on SOLIDWORKS Education Blog.

OM Hungary’s baseball ministry celebrates brothers in Christ and starts new family outreach.

We visit the world's biggest grassroots tournament.

IT is good to see that one of your readers, R Russell Smith, has been enjoying our wildlife and fresh air, having “walked over fields and alongside the burn close to home, enjoying the sunshine and company of lambs gambolling” (Herald letters, May 5).

Recent systematic reviews revealed that educational dietary interventions were effective in improving nutritional status and food consumption in the first year after birth. We are not aware, however, of studies in developing countries that have evaluated their long-term effectiveness.

This randomized trial revealed that, in a low-income population, the delivery of home-based maternal counseling focusing on breastfeeding and complementary feeding during the first year of children’s lives significantly improved the lipid profile at 7 to 8 years old. (Read the full article)

Data from several states that have implemented protective eyewear mandates at the scholastic level have shown a substantial reduction in eye injuries. However, there are no studies that critically evaluate the effectiveness of protective eyewear in girls’ field hockey.

Data collected from regional/national high school sports injury surveillance databases by certified athletic trainers has resulted in the largest prospective national study examining the effectiveness of mandated protective eyewear in reducing head, eye/orbital, concussive, and facial injuries performed to date. (Read the full article)

A previous national study conducted over 2 seasons by this group of authors demonstrated the effectiveness of mandated protective eyewear in reducing eye/orbital, concussive, and head/facial injuries in high school girls' field hockey.

Data collected from regional/national high school sports injury surveillance databases by certified athletic trainers over 4 seasons has shown that nationally mandated protective eyewear results in a greater than 3-fold reduced risk of eye/orbital injuries in girls playing high school field hockey. (Read the full article)

Unless the government revives land governance reform in Burundi, long-term peacebuilding efforts will remain compromised.

To avoid a revival of past ethnic tensions between Hutu and Tutsi, Burundi needs to find the right balance between land restitution and national reconciliation.

Key differentials were once again to the fore in the round of 16 first legs, although Serge Gnabry took the headlines again.

A district in Washington state has halted all international field trips over concerns students in the country illegally wouldn't be able to get back in.

Attorney General Kathy Jennings on Tuesday released the following statement regarding Kili Mayfield’s conviction in Superior Court: Justice was served today. A man who raped three women, including beating and strangling one victim until she lost consciousness, has been convicted of his crimes. I am proud of the work of our prosecutors, paralegals, and social […]

Dover-area poultry farmer Georgie Cartanza is the first American to receive a Nuffield International Scholarship, one of 90 farmers from around the world to participate in the global agricultural scholarship program.

Royal Enfield Konkan Chase 2020 was a 1200 km ride across the Indian coastline in which over 15 riders rode through the states of Maharashtra, Goa, and Karnataka. We bring you our experience of this epic ride in the first episode in which we show you what all the first 4 days were all about.

Royal Enfield Konkan Chase Ep 02 tells you how our journey of riding along the great Indian coastline continued after Day 4. The last three days of the ride were quite interesting as we visited the Royal Enfield Garage Cafe in Goa and also rode the Interceptor 650 on a beach. Here’s our experience and […]

For the April-July 2019 period, domestic sales declined by 22% to 2,23,612 units (as compared to 2,86,726 units sold in the same period last fiscal).

According to the project details, the state government is proposing to develop this non-major port to meet the increasing cargo demand in the state. It is expected to be an all-weather port with world-class terminal facilities, well suited to meet the present and future needs of the trades and also suitable to develop as a major port.