Monthly Archives: June 2017

Neurotechnology Wins Fisheries-Focused Computer Vision … – findBIOMETRICS

Posted: June 15, 2017 at 7:26 am

Posted on June 14, 2017

Neurotechnology researchers have won first place in a competition designed to find AI solutions for fisheries monitoring.

The competition was organized by Kaggle, an online crowdsourcing platform aimed at the tech and research communities. Organized by The Nature Conservancy and aimed ultimately at applying sophisticated computer vision technology to the fight to protect global fisheries from overfishing and other threats, the Nature Conservancy Fisheries Monitoring competition essentially asked participants to develop algorithms that could automatically detect and identify different species of fish and other marine life.

A group composed entirely of members of Neurotechnologys AI development team, working under the team name TROLL (Towards Robust Optimal Learning of Learning), beat 2,292 other teams to take the companys $50,000 first prize with their algorithm solution.

Its extracurricular as far as Neurotechnologys business goes, but the Kaggle win highlights the talent at work in the company, which recently announced a new version of its MegaMatcher Accelerator platform, which Neurotechnology says is now the fastest biometric engine in the world.

June 14, 2017 by Alex Perala

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Neurotechnology Researchers Win Kaggle Competition with Deep Neural Network Solution for The Nature … – PR Newswire (press release)

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The Fisheries Monitoring competition was one of the biggest Kaggle competitions. According to The Nature Conservancy, which initiated this competition, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing practices are threatening marine ecosystems, global seafood supplies and local livelihoods. By using computer technology to aid in monitoring fisheries, human capital can be re-allocated to management and enforcement, helping local, regional and global partners preserve the integrity and viability of these fisheries today and into the future.

2,293 teams submitted algorithms for the identification of fish and other marine species from video streams. Competing solutions were evaluated based on an unseen test set that resembles a real-life scenario.

The Neurotechnology employees, who entered the competition independently under the team name "Towards Robust-Optimal Learning of Learning," used state-of-the-art deep neural networks to solve the problem and provide the best overall solution in the competition. The winning team is comprised of Gediminas Peksys, Ignas Namajunas and Jonas Bialopetravicius, all of whom work on Neurotechnology's AI development team, which designs and delivers a range of products and services based on deep neural networks, including computer vision and object recognition.

"This was one of the first Kaggle competitions that was comprised of two stages, which means that models developed during the first stage were frozen and evaluated on unseen data that was made available during the second stage," said Gediminas Peksys from the Towards Robust Optimal Learning of Learning team. "In such a setting, it is very easy for a team's models to overfit the data by using too many trainable parameters. We were able to utilize our team's experience using deep neural networks to come up with a robust model that performed a lot closer to the original estimate from stage one and generalized in a predictable manner on unseen data."

"We congratulate our employees who won this difficult competition," said Dr. Algimantas Malickas, owner of Neurotechnology. "These individuals along with many other excellent employees working on our client projects demonstrate the qualifications of our Neurotechnology staff and their ability to solve the most complex pattern recognition and neural network training problems."

About Neurotechnology

Neurotechnology is a developer of high-precision algorithms and software based on deep neural network (DNN) and other AI-related technologies. The company offers a range of products for biometric fingerprint, face, iris, palmprint and voice identification as well as AI, computer vision, object recognition and robotics. Drawing from years of academic research in the fields of neuroinformatics, image processing and pattern recognition, Neurotechnology was founded in 1990 in Vilnius, Lithuania and released its first fingerprint identification system in 1991. Since that time the company has released more than 130 products and version upgrades. More than 3000 system integrators, security companies and hardware providers integrate Neurotechnology's algorithms into their products, with millions of customer installations worldwide. Neurotechnology's algorithms also achieved top results in independent technology evaluations including NIST MINEX and IREX.

Media ContactJennifer Allen Newton Bluehouse Consulting Group, Inc. +1-503-805-7540 jennifer (at) bluehousecg (dot) com

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A Hardware Update for the Human Brain – HardOCP

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A Hardware Update for the Human Brain

The Wall Street Journal wrote an interesting article about upcoming business ventures in neurotechnology. Neurotechnology as some of you may know is the merging of technology, neuroscience, and neurology. Quite a few techies have a more vested interest in the field including the likes of Elon Musk and Bryan Johnson, not the former singer of AC/DC. As of now most neurotech companies are spending a majority of the research in medical applications and are hoping to chase the potential multi-billion dollar market. With my own hearing seemingly on the decline, I can sleep soundly knowing that potentially I won't have to have some hulking piece of equipment on my hear, but inside my skin.

To see how far we have to go, you need only look at attempts to use a wireless implant to reconnect a monkey's brain and limb after the animal's spinal cord has been severed. In an experiment conducted at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, scientists used an implant to create a wireless connection between a monkey's brain and a battery-powered stimulator in its paralyzed leg, allowing the monkey to walk again.

"I consider this to be the most important thing we could be working on in the human race,"Johnson says. He's convinced that cognitive enhancement from neurotech will unlock radical progress in every conceivable field. "The brain is the master tool," he says. "Everything else is downstream: health, climate science, governance, education, love-everything."

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Analyst’s Predictions on CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF), Plains All American Pipeline, LP (PAA) – StockNewsJournal

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Analyst's Predictions on CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF), Plains All American Pipeline, LP (PAA)
StockNewsJournal
CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF) have shown a high EPS growth of -17.80% in the last 5 years and has earnings decline of -140.10% yoy. Analysts have a mean recommendation of 2.50 on this stock (A rating of less than 2 means buy, hold within the 3 ...

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Analyst's Predictions on CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF), Plains All American Pipeline, LP (PAA) - StockNewsJournal

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What’s Driving CF Industries’ Sales Growth? – Market Realist

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Your CF Industries Update: Fertilizer Prices Remain an Issue PART 2 OF 10

CF Industries (CF) overall sales come from nitrogen fertilizers. The company reports its sales in five segments: UAN (urea ammonium nitrate), Granular Urea, Ammonia, AN (ammonium nitrate), and Other Nitrogen Products.

In 1Q17, more than 80% of the companys sales came from the first three segments listed.

Agricultural fertilizer companies (MOO) sales growths in the last 12 months took hits across the board. CF Industries salesfell 14.7% year-over-year (or YoY) in the last four quarters.However, more recently, its sales have recovered. In 1Q17, CF Industries overall sales rose 3% YoY.

CVR Partners (UAN), which also produces nitrogen fertilizer, saw an impressive17% rise YoY in 1Q17, while Terra Nitrogens (TNH) sales rose 10% YoY. These three companies exclusively produce nitrogen fertilizers. PotashCorp (POT), which produces all three NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) fertilizers, saw its sales rise 8% over the same period.

A change in global trends primarily affects the sales of agricultural fertilizer companies due to the commodity-based nature of their businesses. If a change in global trends affects one company, it may also affect another. Therefore, its better for an investor to compare performances among peers. For one report that you can use to make such a comparison, readMajor Fertilizer Companies Had Mixed Performances in 1Q17.

Next, well discuss two key global trends that affect CF Industries in more detail.

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What's Driving CF Industries' Sales Growth? - Market Realist

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White Sox draft CF Luis Gonzalez in the 3rd round | FutureSox – ChicagoNow (blog)

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Luis Gonzalez (New Mexico athletics)

The White Sox continue the theme of advanced college bats by selecting New Mexico's Luis Gonzalez in the third round.

School:New Mexico Position:Centerfielder Height/Weight:6-0, 185 lbs B/T:L/L D.O.B: 9/10/1995

2017 Stats:.361/.500/.589, 22 2B, 2 3B, 8 HR, 42 RBI, 58 BB, 32 K in 219 AB

Gonzalez, a native of Senora, Mexico, is a junior from University of New Mexico who played his prep ball in Tucson, Arizona. Gonzalez was a two-way player at UNM, but his future is undoubtedly in the outfield.

He plays an above-average center field with good instincts, and above-average to plus speed, arm, and range on defense. Gonzalez pitched all three years for the Lobos and reportedly bumps 90 mph, but was not draft worthy as a hurler, compiling a 6.13 ERA.

At the plate Gonzalez shows fantastic discipline and control of the zone, as evidenced by his absurd walk-to-strikeout rate. Gonzalez finished sixth in NCAA D-I in walks this season with 58 free passes. He consistently gets himself into favorable hitters' counts and makes loud contact to all fields, smacking 32 extra base hits in 2017, good for 40.5% of his total hits. Gonzalez's home run total has grown every year and in 2017 he hit eight long balls, but with a wood bat he will most likely settle in as a gap-to-gap power hitter.

As a total package, Gonzalez is a polished college player who possesses all five tools and will contribute in multiple ways. He is a safe bet to stick in center, and unlike previously drafted toolsy outfielders, Gonzalez has very little swing-and-miss in his game. MLB Pipelineput aEnder Inciarte comparison on him, which sounds about right for his ceiling. He has received high marks for his makeup, competitiveness, and baseball acumen.

Video below, courtesy of MLB Pipeline:

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What Are Investors Paying for CF Industries? – Market Realist – Market Realist

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Your CF Industries Update: Fertilizer Prices Remain an Issue PART 9 OF 10

Earlier in this series, we learned that CF Industries (CF) earnings growth hasnt been stable and that it had negative adjusted EPS (earnings per share) in 4Q16, rendering the use of PE (price-to-earnings) ineffective in comparing its valuation.

In place of a PE multiple, well use the EV-to-EBITDA (enterprise value to earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization) multiple for CF Industries and compare it with its peers valuations.

In the chart above, we compare CF Industries valuation multiple with its historical levels as well as with the peer (MOO) median. CFs peers include Agrium (AGU), PotashCorp (POT), and The Mosaic Company (MOS).

On June 13, 2017, CF Industries was trading at a forward EV-to-EBITDA multiple of 12.4x, close to itsYTD (year-to-date) median of 12.3x.The companys valuation reached a peak of 16.5xin January 2017. Its peers median forward EV-to-EBITDA stood at11.3x

Recently, CF Industries valuation multiples have been trending higher, indicating that the market is becoming optimistic about the stock for the coming 12 months. CF Industriesis strategically located in the United States, which remains a net importer of nitrogen fertilizers.

In the next article, well conclude this series with analysts recommendations on CF Industries.

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Cloning to the rescue – New Scientist

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Having cloned sheep and who knows what else, wouldnt it be a good idea for scientists to begin cloning the worlds endangered species? Is there any reason not to?

Cloning technology has improved dramatically since 1996 when Dolly the sheep became the first mammal to originate from a somatic cell (any cell of a living organism other than the reproductive cells). We now have a better understanding of nuclear reprogramming, a process that gives a cell the capacity to generate all the different types of cells that make up the organism called totipotency. As a result, many species have been successfully cloned, including those of amphibians, fish, insects and mammals. But cloning is still inefficient, with a maximum of 5 per cent of cloned embryos developing into healthy offspring.

There have been several attempts at cloning endangered or even extinct species, such as the gaur and the Pyrenean ibex. These have been largely unsuccessful. Generally, hundreds of embryos have to be created, of which only a handful can be implanted. And of those, only a couple are born, but these often die soon after birth.

The problem in most cases is sexual isolation, which is part of the speciation process, in which one species eventually evolves into two separate ones. These become incapable of reproducing with each other because their reproductive cells are no longer compatible or the embryo of one species cannot be carried by a mother of the other. Both issues affect cloning.

One species where cloning has been successful is the African wildcat. Although wild, this species is still genetically close enough to the domestic tabby for interspecies embryo transfer to be slightly more efficient. More importantly, cloned animals were then able to mate and reproduce among themselves.

But the main problem with cloning remains: it eliminates genetic diversity. The whole point is to reproduce an exact copy of an individual, such as a champion racehorse. Most higher organisms, however, reproduce sexually, which leads to the offspring bearing a combination of characteristics from both parents. This genetic mix and match allows species to adapt to their environment and reduces negative traits or diseases within the population. A diverse genetic pool is essential for a species to survive in the wild.

So although cloning might help preserve some species in critical times, the best way to avoid their extinction is to protect their environment and stop senseless poaching of wild animals.

Alena Pance, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK

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Cloning To Revive Abaco Wild Horses – Bahamas Tribune

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Some of the wild horses in Abaco.

ON April 4, the government approved a proposal to restore life to an extinct sub-breed of Spanish horses through cloning, according to a press release from the Wild Horses of Abaco Preservation Society (WHOA).

The WHOA said government approval of the proposal to initiate the cloning process and to bring the horses back to Abaco enables it and another group, Arkwild Inc -- a charity in the US -- to begin major fundraising to make the restoration a reality by restoring the horses' preserve to excellent condition prior to the arrival of the clones.

"The Abaco island horses thrived on the island of Abaco...when they were imported in the late 1800s," the press release noted. "Human intrusions and an increasingly toxic environment led to a decline. A 25-year effort to save the horses ended on July 23, 2015 when the last mare died.

"Living tissue was saved from that last mare and in a dramatic series of events --worthy of an international suspense thriller -- the tissue was airlifted to the US where ViaGen, a Texas firm engaged in cloning, found the cells viable and nurtured enough to clone two mares.

"Pro bono services valued at close to $2m have been pledged to the cloning effort by companies and individuals in the US."

The group also explained its plans for the horses' preserve.

"Along with the dramatic restoration of the herd, the horses' preserve will become a showcase for equine assisted therapy, alternative energy systems, ecotourism and many related activities consistent with UN (United Nations) sustainable development goals.

"In an environment that is unique in the world, a unique horse once again will roam the pine forests of Abaco, 200 miles out at sea.

"Genetically unique after over a hundred years of isolation on Abaco, the Abaco horses were direct descendants of the distinctive horses of the Conquistadores who led the first major forays into the 'New World.' Those June 12, 2017 horses could best be described as 'Jeeps,' being tough, steady, sturdy and needing far less water and feed than standard domestic horses," the preservation society noted.

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The Thorny Truth About Spine Evolution – Quanta Magazine

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Nevertheless, the team does not insist that their results prove insects were the primary reason that plants developed spines, prickles and thorns. To the contrary, Kariyat said, We think that spines evolved against mammalian herbivores. But they suspect that at some point in history, the horsenettles and other plants found an even more effective weapon toxic alkaloids in their tissues and mammals stopped eating them regularly. The caterpillars, which were largely unaffected by the alkaloids, became specialists at preying on the plants. Evolution may then have co-opted the plants spines for a new defensive purpose, a phenomenon known as exaptation. So over time, these spines have started to have an additional benefit, helping the plant win the arms race against the insects, he said.

The unexpected results were a bit hard for others in the field to swallow. When I first read this paper, my overwhelming response was: Oh, thats just [nonsense] there are so many problems! said Angela Moles, a research professor at the University of New South Wales in Australia, who studies the ecological strategies of plants. Then the more I read it, the more I was, like, Actually, its right. Her sentiments were echoed by Mick Hanley, an associate professor at Plymouth University in the United Kingdom, who was lead author on a 2007 review paper about plants structural defenses. I looked at it atfirstand Ithought,hmm. Then I read it again, and I saw that it all sort of hangs together, he said.

Others are less convinced. Im not sure that we can conclude from their results that spinescenceis an adaptation against insect herbivory, said Tristan Charles-Dominique, a plant-evolution specialist at the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden in China. He and William Bond, emeritus professor at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, used phylogenetic methods to show in 2016 that the diversity of spiny plants in Africa coincided with an uptick in bovid mammals, such as wildebeests and gazelles. That finding supports the traditional view that spines defend against large mammals.

I think they did a good job at showing that the feeding rate of caterpillars is indeed slowed down as their movement is disrupted, said Charles-Dominique, but I think that there is quite a lot of information to be gathered before being able to test the potential coevolution between spiny plants and insects.

Kariyat does not disagree. One of the things we want to see is whether this effect is just on the caterpillars, he said. He explained that they also want to better quantify how insects are affected by impaired movement: How much does it affect their growth and development and pupation, and how does that affect them long term?

But Kariyat and Meschers findings arent the first to suggest a potential role for spinescence in deterring insects. Moles noted that the results are consistent with paleontological evidence that spines evolved before large herbivores. She pointed to a 1970 review paper by the late British paleobotanist William Gilbert Chaloner, in which he noted that a number of plants from more than 400 million years ago showed small apparently non-vascularized appendages on the stem, distributed more or less randomly and variously termed spines, emergences, teeth or enations.

So weve got a lot of species with these funny prickles that we dont know what they do, Moles explained, and its, I dont know, at least 10 or 20 million years before the first terrestrial vertebrate herbivores start appearing.

The results highlight a tricky issue in the study of evolution and adaptation: Because of exaptation, understanding the current function of a trait is very different from inferring the evolutionary pressures under which it initially evolved. Its impossible to track why a defense that works now might have evolved millions of years ago, Hanley said. Those spines could have evolved for a completely different reason that has nothing to do with herbivory.

Indeed, hypotheses about the original purpose of plant spines range far beyond the deterrence of herbivores of various sizes. Its been theorized that the spines might have boosted plants surface area to enhance photosynthesis, or that they helped to direct water to the plants roots. Or that they first helped plants to sprawl and climb. Other than being able to replay the evolutionary tape over millions of years, Hanley said, weve got no real way of knowing.

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