Stable Descriptors Research Articles

Genome-wide analysis-based single nucleotide polymorphism marker sets to identify diverse genotypes in cabbage cultivars (Brassica oleracea var. capitata)

Plant variety protection is essential for breeders’ rights granted by the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants. Distinctness, uniformity, and stability (DUS) are necessary for new variety registration; to this end, currently, morphological traits are examined, which is time-consuming and laborious. Molecular markers are more effective, accurate, and stable descriptors of DUS. Advancements in next-generation sequencing technology have facilitated genome-wide identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms. Here, we developed a core set of single nucleotide polymorphism markers to identify cabbage varieties and traits of test guidance through clustering using the Fluidigm assay, a high-throughput genotyping system. Core sets of 87, 24, and 10 markers are selected based on a genome-wide association-based approach. All core markers could identify 94 cabbage varieties and determine 17 DUS traits. A genotypes database was validated using the Fluidigm platform for variety identification, population structure analysis, cabbage breeding, and DUS testing for plant cultivar protection.

A Fast and Efficient Shape Blending by Stable and Analytically Invertible Finite Descriptors.

In a previous work, we have proposed a morphing method based on invertible and stable descriptors that are invariant to Euclidean transformations and to the starting point. The stability guarantees the closeness in the shape sense of the reconstructed intermediate contours. However, this set of descriptors is not defined by a general expression. Here, we propose several sets of stable and invertible finite descriptors expressed by the same formula. Its stability is proven for a subset of this family thanks to the finite-dimension of the invariant space. Such finite dimension results from the Discrete Fourier Transform model that is used instead of Fourier coefficients. Moreover, an analytical general inverse formula is established. The use of the inverse analytical formula and the double utilization of the Fast Fourier Transform ensure an effective blending while being computationally efficient. Finally, we propose a new quantitative criterion for shape morphing. The latter is based on the Euclidean distances between successive curves in a morphing sequence after applying a given registration. Therefore, it allows us to compare the blending results of each set of descriptors. Several experiments are conducted on KIMIA'99 and MPEG-7 datasets. The results highlight the concordance of this criterion with the morphing visual quality and indicate which set of descriptors generates the most appropriate blending.

Stable descriptors in image recognition tasks

Objective. The objective of the study is to determine various stable characteristics of images (semi-invariants and invariants) as descriptors necessary for the formation of a feature space of standards intended for recognizing images of different nature belonging to different classes of objects. Methods. The authors propose metrics for evaluating the proximity of the recognized image to a given standard in the space of covariance matrices, based on the obtained descriptors as a methodological basis for constructing image recognition methods. Results. The content of the main stages of selecting descriptors for a given class of objects is developed, taking into account the different illumination of the recognized images. The effectiveness of the results obtained is confirmed by experimental studies related to the solution of the problem of recognition of special images - facies. Conclusions. The definition of stable image descriptors as invariants or semi-invariants to zoom and brightness transformations allows solving the problems of facies classification in conditions of the unstable shooting of recognized images. The images can be rotated and shifted in any way. In general, the proposed approach allows developing an effective image recognition system in the presence of various types of interference on the recognized images.

Impact of the harvest year of three cultivars of Japanese quince (Chaenomeles japonica) on the oil content and its composition

The impact of the harvest year of three cultivars (‘Rondo’, ‘Darius’ and ‘Rasa’) of Japanese quince (Chaenomeles japonica) on the seed oil content and its composition (fatty acids, tocopherols, sterols and squalene) were studied. All three tested cultivars responded similarly to variable abiotic factors in different years. In most cases, the harvest year and cultivar had a significant impact (p < 0.05) on the obtained oil content from the Japanese quince seed, as well as its chemical composition. The levels of two main fatty acids (C18:1 and C18:2) can be strongly associated with the temperature during August. While the concentration of squalene and phytosterols seems to be strongly related to each other in subsequent harvest years for each cultivar, most probably due to the biosynthesis pathway of both compounds. Despite the influence of both factors (harvest year and cultivar), the observed differences in levels of oil and its composition were within 10–50 %; such information that may be used as stable descriptors of product quality to guide decisions on potential industrial applications.

Characterization, Evaluation of juvenile leaves diversity and Clustering of Eucalyptus clones using multivariate analysis

Juvenile leaves of twenty-five clones of Eucalyptus camaldulensis, E. tereticornis and their hybrids were analysed for morphologically distinct, uniform and stable quantitative descriptors using an Image analyser and discriminated for the purpose of Individual clonal identity using multivariate analysis such as Canonical Discriminant analysis, Principal Component analysis and Cluster analysis.

Suitability of existing Musa morphological descriptors to characterize East African highland \u2018matooke\u2019 bananas

Morphological traits are commonly used for characterizing plant genetic resources. Germplasm characterization should be based on distinctly identifiable, stable and heritable traits that are expressed consistently and are easy to distinguish by the human eye. Characterization and documentation of a representative sample of East African highland bananas (Lujugira–Mutika subgroup) was carried out following an internationally accepted standard protocol for bananas. Eleven cultivars were characterized using an existing set of minimum descriptors (31 qualitative and quantitative traits) with the aim of determining stable descriptors and the ability of these descriptors to distinguish among East African highland banana cultivars. There was variation in stability of these descriptors within cultivars and across the 11 cultivars. Only 10 (32%) out of 31 descriptors studied were stable in the 11 cultivars. However, they had similar scores and therefore are not suitable to distinguish between cultivars within this group. Nonetheless, these 10 descriptors may be useful for distinguishing the East African highland bananas as a group from other groups of bananas. A few descriptors were unique to the cultivar ‘Tereza’ and may be used to distinguish this cultivar from other ‘matooke’ cultivars. None of the quantitative descriptors were stable.

SGDB: A Sugarcane Germplasm Database

Collection, conservation, characterization, maintenance and utilization of plant genetic resources are essential components of crop improvement programs. Sugarcane Germplasm Database was developed for 45 descriptors on 131 germplasm accessions using MySQL 5.6 server, Dreamweaver web design tool, JAVA programming language and Apache Tomcat server to rationalize storage, retrieve, update, query and report data for multiuser environment. The information included data on 27 distinct, uniform and stable descriptors as described in PPV & FRA, India, 18 agronomic and quality descriptors and pictures in JPEG format on the most distinctive features. The database will be useful to sugarcane breeders to identify the accessions and in selecting parents for targeted traits in hybridization and crop improvement in sugarcane.

Synthesis and assessment of date palm genetic diversity studies

A thorough assessment of genetic diversity and population differentiation of Phoenix dactylifera are critical for its dynamic conservation and sustainable utilization of its genetic diversity. Estimates of genetic diversity based on phenotypic, biochemical and molecular markers; and fruit quality traits were utilized in assessing the population differentiation of date palm populations throughout its center of diversity. Some phenotypic traits may not exhibit variation in response to environmental or management factors and can be used as stable descriptors of date palm cultivars and for cultivar identification. The majority of analyzed studies based on isozyme and microsatellite markers, reported larger within-population than among-population genetic diversity levels. Most variation estimated for fruit quality traits was found among populations; however, substantial differences in genetic diversity components were found among and within populations. The overall partitioning of genetic diversity, based on phenotypic, biochemical, molecular, and fruit quality traits suggested that date palm cultivars represent a complex gene pool within which historical movement of germplasm, recent introductions and human selection are shaping their genetic structure. The empirical evidence derived from this assessment suggested that the genetic structure of date palm populations is controlled by the environment, isolation by distance, and the biological characteristics of the tree.

Persistent Betti numbers for a noise tolerant shape-based approach to image retrieval

In content-based image retrieval a major problem is the presence of noisy shapes. Noise can present itself not only in the form of continuous deformations, but also as topological changes. It is well known that persistent Betti numbers are a shape descriptor that admits dissimilarity distances stable under continuous shape deformations. In this paper we focus on the problem of dealing with noise that alters the topology of the studied objects. We present a general method to turn persistent Betti numbers into stable descriptors also in the presence of topological changes. Retrieval tests on the Kimia-99 database show the effectiveness of the method.

Variabilidade genética e ecológica de Stylosanthes macrocephala determinadas por RAPD e SIG

Stylosanthes macrocephala M. B. Ferr. et S. Costa é uma leguminosa utilizada sob consorciação em pastagens, adubação e recuperação de áreas degradadas. A falta de características morfológicas e agronômicas estáveis e de informações ecogeográficas dos locais de coleta dos acessos tem dificultado o melhoramento genético da espécie. A fim de obter descritores ecológicos, moleculares e avaliar a variabilidade genética da coleção de S. macrocephala, 87 acessos foram analisados com o auxílio do Sistema de Informações Geográficas (SIG) e de marcadores moleculares RAPD. Os acessos provieram de sete Estados, cinco bacias hidrográficas, sete tipos de vegetação e sete tipos de solos. As altitudes dos locais de coleta variaram de 1 a 1.298 m e a pluviometria anual média de 550 a 2.870 mm. A variabilidade de descritores ecológicos sugeriu diversidade adaptativa na coleção. Com base em 161 marcadores RAPD, verificou-se que as distâncias genéticas entre os acessos de S. macrocephala variaram entre 0,02 e 0,42. Com base nessas distâncias, dez grupos de similaridade genética foram estabelecidos. Observou-se tendência de separação por bacias hidrográficas e elevada variabilidade genética entre os acessos coletados nos estados da Bahia e de Minas Gerais. A alta variabilidade genética da coleção de S. macrocephala evidencia a importância desses acessos para futuros trabalhos de melhoramento genético.

EEmpires

I really want it to be called "UntoCaesar.com." —Kaleil Isaza Tuzman, Startup.com It is the flow of money, moving quickly and silently to those who are sufficiently wise and creative to establish themselves as players in this new arena. —Steffano Korper and Juanita Ellis, The E-Commerce Book: Building the E-Empire e=M-C-M The eEmpire has definitively entered our lexicon, both as concept and as semantic construction, with "e" continuing to operate as the value-added, universal signifier of the brave new wired world. The signifier "e," as this essay will demonstrate, cannot be located under one set of stable descriptors. Rather, it must be understood as a fluid and intersecting set of forces, practices, technologies, and events. It is not a singular entity, but comprises communicative networks, electronic commerce, modes of production, and global financial markets. With numerous precursors, most notably associated with Microsoft, the Electronic Empire suggests a triumphant narrative of technology and capitalism.1 However, it goes beyond that to suggest a speculative departure from the material conditions of production and circulation and toward informationalism. Such a speculative departure constitutes the now-dominant mode and stage of capital—a philosophical appraisal anticipated by Marx2 and reanimated by Giovanni Arrighi and Fredric Jameson. The Electronic Empire has different rhetorical registers, ranging from cultural studies to ordinary advertisements. A [End Page 111] visual analysis of a recent commercial will outline my critical treatment of the electronic empire and the thematic terrain of this essay. Beginning in April 2001, the eBusiness software company Computer Associates repeatedly ran a thirty-second advertisement entitled "Empire" on the Rupert Murdoch-owned Fox network, self-consciously combining a cyberpunk aesthetic with the elements of a sword-and-sandal picture and formally resembling both an inspirational corporate video and a promotional QuickTime movie.3 The commercial is made all the more remarkable by the visual absence of the computer as fetish object, yet the mechanism is message via its operation as interface and substrate. The verbal script illustrates what initially appears to be a morphological shift from classical Rome to the global electronic empire, which is communicated with even greater complexity by the visual iconography. Both in its audio and visual tracks, it establishes a direct, continuous, and naturalized link connecting the Roman empire, the British empire, and the contemporary eBusiness at the center of Wall Street: the shared governing idea, after all, is the controlling of new domains through new technologies. Concluding with a voice-over whose celebratory and pedagogic intonations are replicated throughout the commercial tech sector, the script runs as follows: Roar of the crowd: "Caesar, Caesar, Caesar." Caesar: "Hail, Romans! Today our nation is great, far greater than it has ever been." [punctuated by camera shutters and flashes] Voice-over: "If you manage it correctly, even the largest empire will adapt and continue to thrive. Our software has helped more companies evolve their infrastructure than anyone else on earth. Hello, tomorrow. We are Computer Associates, the software that manages eBusiness." The sense of continuity, inheritance, and an evolution from the historical empire to the contemporary American electronic empire is further facilitated by the visual trajectory of the commercial. Marked by all of the signifiers of imperial Rome, it begins with Caesar's march through a palatial stateroom and out through majestic curtains onto a balcony to address the multitudes below. That address and the unfolding narrative are equally marked by all of the signifiers of digital culture: the address is simultaneously [End Page 112] Click for larger view "Empire." Courtesy of Young & Rubicam Advertising, New York: Ann Hayden, managing partner, creative; Rachel Howald, copywriter; Ahmer Kalam, art director; Rich Rosenthal, producer. projected onto a giant high-resolution screen, while the production cameras pan quickly to show that those in the audience not cheering are equipped with their own high-tech camera equipment. A helicopter descends as if from the outtakes of The Matrix, and the urban landscape picked up by the rapid cuts and sweeping cameras includes London city buses, taxis, bobbies, and...

Classification of heterogeneous seafloor topography through surface slope distributions.

Seafloor topography is neither spatially homogeneous, nor does it obey Gaussian statistics; deviations from both of these assumptions are important from a geological and acoustic point of view. It has been found that the distribution of topographic slopes can be used as a primary tool for understanding the sources and extent of spatial heterogeneities and patterns on the seafloor. The covariance function has been widely used to characterize seafloor topography, but requires the assumption of Gaussian joint probability statistics to be valid. For heterogeneous topography characterized by large transient signals such as steep scarps and volcanoes, the covariance becomes dominated by the transients; in contrast the family slope distributions can still be used to derive stable descriptors for regions with large transient signals, as well as regions containing asymmetric features, and regions with only limited sampling. Knowledge of slopes is useful because a direct relation exists between the covariance and the slope distributions at different spatial scales. Studies of the slope distribution provide a means of identifying the presence of the non-Gaussian elements in the topography, and flagging their spatial locations. The methods used here are demonstrated by applying them to three small patches of topography located within 20 km of each other in the Eastern Pacific. It is found that dominant azimuthal directions and dip angles differ widely between the patches. In addition, asymmetries in the cross-sectional shapes of faulted abyssal hills are documented. [Work supported by ONR.]

Robust description of statistically heterogeneous seafloor topography through its slope distribution

Statistical heterogeneity of abyssal hill properties is often evident in seafloor topography, even under periods of relatively constant spreading direction and rate. In this paper we relate the statistics of topographic slopes computed on finite spatial scales to the autocovariance function and investigate the practicality of using these functions in describing such heterogeneous abyssal hill terrains. For a two‐dimensional homogeneous surface, a direct relation exists between the sample autocovariance and the slope distributions at different spatial scales. However, for a heterogeneous field characterized by large transient signals, the computed autocovariance estimate no longer has a clear statistical interpretation and becomes dominated by the transients. In contrast, the family of slope distributions can still be used to derive stable descriptors of the field. Slope statistics are thus useful in deriving a more robust estimate of the autocovariance than the usual sample autocovariance. Moreover, slope statistics may also be used to derive stable estimates of quantities not measurable with the autocovariance function or power spectra, such as the statistical asymmetry of features. Examples of the use of slope statistics and a comparison with autocovariance methods are presented. We document and quantify evidence of statistical asymmetry in a region of abyssal hills in the northeast Pacific and, in a second example, the presence of multiple lineations in a region where a fracture zone cuts through abyssal hill terrain.