Abstract: In some embodiments, a method for controlling a learning machine used in a drilling operation to drill a well into a subsurface formation includes receiving, via a video stream, an image of debris including cuttings from the drilling operation. The method may further include generating a first mask on the image to identify the cuttings in the debris, generating, via instance segmentation, a second mask for each of the identified cuttings, determining, based on the second masks, one or more properties of each of the cuttings, and associating each of the identified cuttings to a depth interval of the subsurface formation based, at least in part, on the properties of each of the identified cuttings and at least one property of the drilling operation.

Abstract: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of visual impairment and blindness in the elderly whose etiology remains largely unknown. Previous studies identified chromosome 1q32 as harboring a susceptibility locus for AMD, but it was not identified. We identified a strongly associated haplotype in two independent data sets. DNA sequencing of the complement factor II gene (CFII) within this haplotype revealed a coding variant, Y402II, that significantly increases the risk for AMD with odds ratios between 2.45 and 5.57. This identifies Complement factor II as involved in pathogenesis of AMD. This single variant alone is so common that it likely explains 43 percent of AMD in older adults. In addition, we have replicated and refined previous reports implicating a coding change in LOC387715 as the second major AMD susceptibility allele. The effect of rs10490924 appears to be completely independent of the Y402H variant in the CFH gene.

Abstract: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of visual impairment and blindness in the elderly whose etiology remains largely unknown. Previous studies identified chromosome 1q32 as harboring a susceptibility locus for AMD, but it was not identified. We identified a strongly associated haplotype in two independent data sets. DNA sequencing of the complement factor II gene (CHI) within this haplotype revealed a coding variant, Y402II, that significantly increases the risk for AMD with odds ratios between 2.45 and 5.57. This identifies Complement factor II as involved in pathogenesis of AMD. This single variant alone is so common that it likely explains 43 percent of AMD in older adults. In addition, we have replicated and refined previous reports implicating a coding change in LOC387715 as the second major AMD susceptibility allele. The effect of rs10490924 appears to be completely independent of the Y402II variant in the CFH gene.

Abstract: A method is provided for treating diseases and conditions of the eye which include scarring and proliferation of fibroblasts. The invention includes a method for treating proliferative vitreoretinopathy. The invention also includes a method for treating glaucoma. One embodiment of the method includes administering to the eye an amount effective for treating such a condition of a polypeptide. The polypeptide includes a sequence of at least about 5 amino acids corresponding substantially to an amino acid sequence from within the 33 kD fragment of the A chain of fibronectin, within the G domain of the A chain of laminin, or within the NC1 domain of the .alpha.2 chain of type IV collagen. Another embodiment of the method, which includes administering to the eye an amount of conjugate including the polypeptide and a carrier molecule conjugate, is also disclosed.