46 research outputs found
1. Darrell D. Sully (1845 – 1931) - Husband Kate C. Halladay Sully (1855-1920) - Wife
No full textReport prepared as part of the coursework required for REL 167, Speaking Stones.Description and interpretation of the monument to Darrell Denman Sully (1845-1931) and Katherine Clark Halladay (1855-1920) with details about their lives in Rochester. Includes information about their servants
The Effects of Genetic-based and Swarm Intelligence-based Feature Selection on Adversarial Author Identification
No full textWithin the realm of author identification, where researchers work to classify writing samples by author, researchers are using more and diverse feature sets to try to improve classification accuracy. From a computational cost perspective, these additional feature sets become problematic. Further, adding more feature sets may inadvertently decrease classification accuracy. Therefore, selecting the appropriate subset of features is an important challenge for researchers.
However, the feature subset selection concern becomes even more challenging due to a couple of complexities. The first complexity is that different datasets require different feature sets for good identification performance. A feature set that performs well with one dataset may not perform well with another. So, it is important to customize the feature set to the characteristics of the dataset. The second complexity is that it appears that feature selection makes author identification systems more susceptible to adversarial attacks. These attacks occur when authors attempt to obfuscate their writing style or impersonate another author’s writing style.
The focus of the research in this work is in this second area of complexity, namely, understanding the susceptibility of adversarial attacks on author identification systems due to feature selection. Specifically, this research investigates the susceptibility of adversarial attacks on author identification systems that use genetic-based and swarm intelligence-based feature selection. The intent of this research is to observe and characterize the factors affecting adversarial susceptibility by considering several parameters, including dataset content, dataset size and feature selection algorithm.
This work employs two datasets: the CASIS dataset, which is a collection of blog posts, and the PAN19 dataset, which is a collection of extracts from Twitter feeds and includes bot- generated writing samples. We vary the dataset sizes to ascertain the effects of a larger author pool. We also vary the bias towards minimizing the feature set. Then, we analyze the data to determine those factors that correlate with successful adversarial attacks on author identification systems both with and without feature selection
Cloud characteristics of the Andes/Amazon transition zone
No full textThis research is motivated by the need to conserve tropical montane cloud forests (TMCFs) as a biodiversity hotspot threatened by environmental change. A defining feature ofTMCFs is frequent cloud immersion, which also provides moisture to the ecosystem in the dry season. Therefore, TMCFs may be sensitive to any changes in the height or frequency of cloud. The thesis consists of four papers using a combination of field and satellite-based estimations of cloud heights and frequencies with reanalysis data to investigate cloud climatology, trends and variability for a TMCF in SE Peru. The first paper uses satellite-based cloud observations from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) (1983 to 2008), MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) (2000 to 2009) and ground-based o~i'rvations to characterise cloud frequency at local and regional scales. The study area is divided into highlands (or puna), eastern slope and lowland zones to investigate spatial variability in the seasonal/diurnal cycles. Greater amplitude annual cycles and an early dry season minimum were found for the puna. For the lowlands, the minimum occurred in the late dry season except in the early morning. The second paper examines differences in interannual variability of cloud frequency between the three zones and its relationship with SSTs. Cloud frequencies are correlated with SSTs areas in the Pacific, Indian Ocean and tropical Atlantic, revealing differences between zones in the SST region of highest correlation, which also varies with season. Composites of cloud frequency, circulation and moisture flux for four combinations of high and low SSTs in the tropical North Atlantic and tropical Pacific suggest that high(low) SST anomalies in these regions are associated with reduced(increased) cloud frequency in all zones in both MAM and SON. Significant decreasing trends are found for the lowlands in January, March and September and in March on the eastern slope. The third uses radiosonde observations from the field site with station data from four elevations and cloud top heights from MODIS to investigate seasonal, diurnal and intra-seasonal variability of atmospheric structure and its relationship with cloud height and frequency. On a seasonal basis the cloud base height varies by approximately 400 m and top height by approximately 4000 m resulting in a minimum relative humidity in September at lower elevations but in June at higher elevations on the slope. Diurnal variability is dominated by daytime upslope and night-time downslope flows. The direction of mid to upper level winds are a dominant feature of intra-seasonal variability and influence inversion frequency, cloud height and frequency in all zones. The final paper compares direct observational methods (photographs, infrared thermometer and disappearance time of the radiosonde), with profile-based methods using relative humidity or temperature thresholds or gradients to estimate the positions of cloud boundaries. Methods to estimate cloud base height using the MODIS Cloud Product were also tested but potential applications were found to be limited. A method is proposed for cloud base height estimation involving consensus estimates from three methods that could be applied on long time scales. 11EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo
Practical Shader Development [electronic resource] : Vertex and Fragment Shaders for Game Developers /
No full textIt’s time to stop thinking that shaders are magical. You can use shaders to turn data into stunning visual effects, and get your hands dirty by building your own shader with this step-by-step introduction to shader development for game and graphics developers. Learn how to make shaders that move, tint, light up, and look awesome, all without cracking open a math textbook. Practical Shader Development teaches the theory behind how shaders work. The book also shows you how to apply that theory to create eye-popping visual effects. You’ll learn to profile and optimize those effects to make sure your projects keep running quickly with all their new visuals. You’ll learn good theory, good practices, and without getting bogged down in the math. Author Kyle Halladay explains the fundamentals of shader development through simple examples and hands-on experiments. He teaches you how to find performance issues in shaders you are using and then how to fix them. Kyle explains (and contrasts) how to use the knowledge learned from this book in three of the most popular game engines today. What You'll Learn: Understand what shaders are and how they work Get up to speed on the nuts and bolts of writing vertex and fragment shaders Utilize color blending and know how blend equations work Know the coordinate spaces used when rendering real-time computer graphics Use simple math to animate characters, simulate lights, and create a wide variety of visual effects Find and fix performance problems in shaders See how three popular game engines (Unity, UE4, Godot) handle shaders.1. Hello, Game Graphics -- 2. Your First Shaders -- 3. Using Textures -- 4. Translucency and Depth -- 5. Making Things Move -- 6. Cameras and Coordinates -- 7. Your First 3D Project -- 8. Diffuse Lighting -- 9. Your First Lighting Model -- 10. Normal Mapping -- 11. Cubemaps and Skyboxes -- 12. Lighting In Depth -- 13. Profiling Shaders -- 14. Optimizing Shaders -- 15. Precision -- 16. Writing Shaders in Unity -- 17. Writing Shaders in UE4 -- 18. Writing Shaders in Godot -- 19. Appendix A. Important Code Snippets.It’s time to stop thinking that shaders are magical. You can use shaders to turn data into stunning visual effects, and get your hands dirty by building your own shader with this step-by-step introduction to shader development for game and graphics developers. Learn how to make shaders that move, tint, light up, and look awesome, all without cracking open a math textbook. Practical Shader Development teaches the theory behind how shaders work. The book also shows you how to apply that theory to create eye-popping visual effects. You’ll learn to profile and optimize those effects to make sure your projects keep running quickly with all their new visuals. You’ll learn good theory, good practices, and without getting bogged down in the math. Author Kyle Halladay explains the fundamentals of shader development through simple examples and hands-on experiments. He teaches you how to find performance issues in shaders you are using and then how to fix them. Kyle explains (and contrasts) how to use the knowledge learned from this book in three of the most popular game engines today. What You'll Learn: Understand what shaders are and how they work Get up to speed on the nuts and bolts of writing vertex and fragment shaders Utilize color blending and know how blend equations work Know the coordinate spaces used when rendering real-time computer graphics Use simple math to animate characters, simulate lights, and create a wide variety of visual effects Find and fix performance problems in shaders See how three popular game engines (Unity, UE4, Godot) handle shaders
Recent progress in understanding climate thresholds: ice sheets, the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, tropical forests and responses to ocean acidification
No full textThis article reviews recent scientific progress, relating to four major systems that could exhibit threshold behaviour: ice sheets, the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC), tropical forests and ecosystem responses to ocean acidification. The focus is on advances since the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment Report (IPCC AR5). The most significant developments in each component are identified by synthesizing input from multiple experts from each field. For ice sheets, some degree of irreversible loss (timescales of millennia) of part of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) may have already begun, but the rate and eventual magnitude of this irreversible loss is uncertain. The observed AMOC overturning has decreased from 2004–2014, but it is unclear at this stage whether this is forced or is internal variability. New evidence from experimental and natural droughts has given greater confidence that tropical forests are adversely affected by drought. The ecological and socio-economic impacts of ocean acidification are expected to greatly increase over the range from today’s annual value of around 400, up to 650 ppm CO2 in the atmosphere (reached around 2070 under RCP8.5), with the rapid development of aragonite undersaturation at high latitudes affecting calcifying organisms. Tropical coral reefs are vulnerable to the interaction of ocean acidification and temperature rise, and the rapidity of those changes, with severe losses and risks to survival at 2 °C warming above pre-industrial levels. Across the four systems studied, however, quantitative evidence for a difference in risk between 1.5 and 2 °C warming above pre-industrial levels is limited
Cloud frequency climatology at the Andes/Amazon transition: 1. Seasonal and diurnal cycles
No full textTropical montane regions present a complex local climate but one that may be very sensitive to local and global change. Therefore, it is important to assess their current climatological state, and to understand how the large-scale circulation may affect local-scale cloud patterns. We examine the cloud climatology of a tropical Andean montane region in the context of tropical South American climate in terms of seasonal/diurnal cycles using a corrected ISCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project) DX cloud product (1983-2008), MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) MOD35 visible cloud flags (2000-2008) and ground-based cloud observations. Cloud climatologies were compared for three elevation zones: highlands (puna grassland), eastern slope (the montane forest) and lowlands. We found that in the dry season (JJA) the study area is part of a localized region of higher cloud frequency relative to other parts the eastern slope, and also relative to the adjacent highlands and lowlands. The highlands exhibited the greatest amplitude mean annual cycle of cloud frequency, with a minimum in June for all times of day. There were contrasts between the three zones with regard to the month in which the minimum cloud frequency occurs between different times of day. Higher lowland and eastern slope cloud frequencies compared with those on the puna in the early hours in the wet season suggest low-level convergence at lower elevations. Comparisons between satellite products show that ISCCP and MODIS produce very similar annual cycles although the absolute cloud frequencies are higher in ISCCP data
Cloud frequency climatology at the Andes/Amazon transition: 2. Trends and variability
No full textThe climate and ecology of tropical montane systems is intimately connected with the complex spatial dynamics of cloud occurrence, but there have been few studies of the patterns and trends of cloud occurrence in tropical montane regions. We examine trends and variability in the cloud climatology of the Andes/Amazon transition in SW Amazonia using satellite data and ground-based observations. Results were compared for three zones within the study area: highlands (puna grassland), eastern slope (Tropical Montane Cloud Forest or TMCF) and lowlands. Time series of cloud frequency from ISCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project) were correlated with sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies from the HadISST data set for 5 regions including the tropical North Atlantic and the tropical Pacific. Detrended lowland cloud frequencies were significantly correlated with detrended tropical North Atlantic SSTs in the late dry season (August/September), whereas the eastern slope and the highlands were not significantly correlated with tropical North Atlantic SSTs. Pacific SST correlations were highest for eastern slope and highlands from March to May. Indian Ocean SST anomalies were significantly correlated with dry season cloud frequency for the lowlands and highlands. There are significant decreasing trends in cloud frequency on the lowlands in January, March and September and in March on the eastern slope. Trends in sunshine duration, 850 hPa zonal winds over the central Amazon, increases in diurnal temperature range, and comparisons with MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) and observational data support the existence of these trends, and a link with the increasing trend in tropical North Atlantic SSTs. We suggest that continued increases in tropical North Atlantic SSTs will further reduce cloud frequency in the lowlands adjacent to the TMCF in the late dry season at least. In addition, a future increase in the occurrence of El Nino events would lead to decreased cloud frequency on the eastern slope and highlands
Considerations for domestic law enforcement implementation of a UAS program in the proposed FAA regulatory environment of integration into the national airspace system
No full textThis thesis identifies the potential future mission profile of an unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) program within a domestic law enforcement agency after implementation of UAS regulations, a task currently in progress by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). First, the author reviews current academic literature and provides analysis on key policy issues of safety, the transfer of risk, and constitutional rights. Then, the author consults the knowledge and experience of individuals responsible for the integration architecture of UAS through an IRB-approved online survey. The survey of these subject matter experts using the Delphi method resulted in the following recommendations: early public engagement and transparency for intended UAS use by law enforcement a policy framework that addresses safe operation and privacy further investment in sense and avoid technology the development of a comprehensive UAS training program This academically rigorous consultation provides law enforcement executives and elected officials the policy implications of initiating a new UAS program and the groundwork to assess existing UAS programs.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.Lieutenant Commander, Helicopter Field Operations, Maryland State Police Aviation Command, Baltimore, Marylandhttp://archive.org/details/considerationsfo109454781
CIVIL RIGHTS AUDITORS: DEFINING REASONABLE TIME, PLACE, AND MANNER RESTRICTIONS ON FIRST AMENDMENT ACTIVITIES
No full textPolice increasingly encounter citizens who challenge constitutional boundaries between civil rights and police power. These so-called “civil rights auditors” and “copwatchers” record government officials with cell phones or body cameras, while baiting or challenging them to cross constitutional lines established by the First Amendment. An officer reacting incorrectly in these encounters can—through action or inaction—create conflict, loss of police legitimacy, or liability for the officers or their agencies. Preliminary examination of auditor activities and current legal and scholarly works leads to the thesis question: What are reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions to civil liberties with regard to recording police, government property, and the public? The author conducts a qualitative analysis of 59 auditor videos representing audits around the nation and identifies common tactics and targets among auditors, which provides scenarios for legal analysis and a policy review. This thesis reveals two things. First, auditors are not part of the legal, scholarly, and policy discussions and decision making; and second, through other areas of First Amendment case law, the Supreme Court has developed a framework for First Amendment challenges that directly applies to auditors. The author applies this framework to the 10 locations commonly targeted by auditors.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.Outstanding ThesisCivilian, Garland Police Departmenthttp://archive.org/details/civilrightsaudit109456412
