Abstract: In this paper the problem of face recognition under variable illumination conditions is considered. Most of the works in the literature exhibit good performance under strictly controlled acquisition conditions, but the performance drastically drop when changes in pose and illumination occur, so that recently number of approaches have been proposed to deal with such variability. The aim of this work is to introduce an efficient local appearance feature extraction method based steerable pyramid (SP) for face recognition. Local information is extracted from SP sub-bands using LBP(Local binary Pattern). The underlying statistics allow us to reduce the required amount of data to be stored. The experiments carried out on different face databases confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Abstract: To overcome the product overload of Internet
shoppers, we introduce a semantic recommendation procedure which
is more efficient when applied to Internet shopping malls. The
suggested procedure recommends the semantic products to the
customers and is originally based on Web usage mining, product
classification, association rule mining, and frequently purchasing.
We applied the procedure to the data set of MovieLens Company for
performance evaluation, and some experimental results are provided.
The experimental results have shown superior performance in
terms of coverage and precision.
Abstract: Implicit equations play a crucial role in Engineering.
Based on this importance, several techniques have been applied to
solve this particular class of equations. When it comes to practical
applications, in general, iterative procedures are taken into account.
On the other hand, with the improvement of computers, other
numerical methods have been developed to provide a more
straightforward methodology of solution. Analytical exact approaches
seem to have been continuously neglected due to the difficulty
inherent in their application; notwithstanding, they are indispensable
to validate numerical routines. Lagrange-s Inversion Theorem is a
simple mathematical tool which has proved to be widely applicable to
engineering problems. In short, it provides the solution to implicit
equations by means of an infinite series. To show the validity of this
method, the tree-parameter infiltration equation is, for the first time,
analytically and exactly solved. After manipulating these series,
closed-form solutions are presented as H-functions.
Abstract: Typhoon Morakot hit Taiwan in 2009 and caused
severe damages. The government employs a compulsory relocation
strategy for post-disaster reconstruction. This study analyzes the
impact of this strategy on community solidarity. It employs a multiple
approach for data collection, including semi-structural interview,
secondary data, and documentation. The results indicate that the
government-s strategy for distributing housing has led to conflicts
within the communities. In addition, the relocating process has
stimulated tensions between victims of the disaster and those residents
whose lands were chosen to be new sites for relocation. The
government-s strategy of “collective relocation" also worsened
community integration. In addition, the fact that a permanent housing
community may accommodate people from different places also posts
challenge for the development of new inter-personal relations in the
communities. This study concludes by emphasizing the importance of
bringing social, economic and cultural aspects into consideration for
post-disaster relocation..
Abstract: This paper presents the vibrations suppression of a thermoelastic beam subject to sudden heat input by a distributed piezoelectric actuators. An optimization problem is formulated as the minimization of a quadratic functional in terms of displacement and velocity at a given time and with the least control effort. The solution method is based on a combination of modal expansion and variational approaches. The modal expansion approach is used to convert the optimal control of distributed parameter system into the optimal control of lumped parameter system. By utilizing the variational approach, an explicit optimal control law is derived and the determination of the corresponding displacement and velocity is reduced to solving a set of ordinary differential equations.
Abstract: We developed an effective microfluidic device for photoreactions with low reflectance and good heat conductance. The performance of this microfluidic device was tested by carrying out a photoreactive synthesis of benzopinacol and acetone from benzophenone and 2-propanol. The yield reached 36% with an irradiation time of 469.2 s and was improved by more than 30% when compared to the values obtained by the batch method. Therefore, the microfluidic device was found to be effective for improving the yields of photoreactions.
Abstract: The innovation performance of nations has been
repeatedly measured in the literature. We argue that while the
literature offers many suggestions, their theoretical foundation is
often weak and the underlying assumptions are rarely discussed. In
this paper, we systematize various mechanisms by which spatial units
influence nation and firms' innovation activities. On the basis of this,
common innovation performance measures and analyses are
discussed and evaluated. It is concluded that there is no general best
way of measuring the innovation performance of spatial units. In
fact, the most interesting insights can be obtained using a multitude
of different approaches at the same time.
Abstract: The most planted cover crops in the Czech Republic
are mustard (Sinapis alba) and phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia
Benth.). A field trial was executed to evaluate root system size (RSS)
in eight varieties of mustard and five varieties of phacelia on two
locations, in three BBCH phases and in two years. The relationship
between RSS and aboveground biomass was inquired. The root
system was assessed by measuring its electric capacity. Aboveground
mass and root samples to be evaluated by means of a digital image
analysis were recovered in the BBCH phase 70. The yield of
aboveground biomass of mustard was always statistically
significantly higher than that of phacelia. Mustard showed a
statistically significant negative correlation between root length
density (RLD) within 10 cm and aboveground biomass weight (r = -
0.46*). Phacelia featured a statistically significant correlation
between aboveground biomass production and nitrate nitrogen
content in soil (r=0.782**).
Abstract: Facial recognition and expression analysis is rapidly
becoming an area of intense interest in computer science and humancomputer
interaction design communities. The most expressive way
humans display emotions is through facial expressions. In this paper
skin and non-skin pixels were separated. Face regions were extracted
from the detected skin regions. Facial expressions are analyzed from
facial images by applying Gabor wavelet transform (GWT) and
Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) on face images. Radial Basis
Function (RBF) Network is used to identify the person and to classify
the facial expressions. Our method reliably works even with faces,
which carry heavy expressions.
Abstract: The aim of this paper is to rank the impact of Object
Oriented(OO) metrics in fault prediction modeling using Artificial
Neural Networks(ANNs). Past studies on empirical validation of
object oriented metrics as fault predictors using ANNs have focused
on the predictive quality of neural networks versus standard
statistical techniques. In this empirical study we turn our attention to
the capability of ANNs in ranking the impact of these explanatory
metrics on fault proneness. In ANNs data analysis approach, there is
no clear method of ranking the impact of individual metrics. Five
ANN based techniques are studied which rank object oriented
metrics in predicting fault proneness of classes. These techniques are
i) overall connection weights method ii) Garson-s method iii) The
partial derivatives methods iv) The Input Perturb method v) the
classical stepwise methods. We develop and evaluate different
prediction models based on the ranking of the metrics by the
individual techniques. The models based on overall connection
weights and partial derivatives methods have been found to be most
accurate.
Abstract: We demonstrate a nonfaradaic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurement of biochemically modified gold plated electrodes using a two-electrode system. The absence of any redox indicator in the impedance measurements provide more precise and accurate characterization of the measured bioanalyte at molecular resolution. An equivalent electrical circuit of the electrodeelectrolyte interface was deduced from the observed impedance data of saline solution at low and high concentrations. The detection of biomolecular interactions was fundamentally correlated to electrical double-layer variation at modified interface. The investigations were done using 20mer deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) strands without any label. Surface modification was performed by creating mixed monolayer of the thiol-modified single-stranded DNA and a spacer thiol (mercaptohexanol) by a two-step self-assembly method. The results clearly distinguish between the noncomplementary and complementary hybridization of DNA, at low frequency region below several hundreds Hertz.
Abstract: The class of geometric deformable models, so-called
level sets, has brought tremendous impact to medical imagery. In
this paper we present yet another application of level sets to medical
imaging. The method we give here will in a way modify the speed
term in the standard level sets equation of motion. To do so we
build a potential based on the distance and the gradient of the
image we study. In turn the potential gives rise to the force field:
F~F(x, y) = P
∀(p,q)∈I
((x, y) - (p, q)) |ÔêçI(p,q)|
|(x,y)-(p,q)|
2 . The direction
and intensity of the force field at each point will determine the
direction of the contour-s evolution. The images we used to test
our method were produced by the Univesit'e de Sherbrooke-s PET
scanners.
Abstract: In this work, we study the impact of dynamically
changing link slowdowns on the stability properties of packetswitched
networks under the Adversarial Queueing Theory
framework. Especially, we consider the Adversarial, Quasi-Static
Slowdown Queueing Theory model, where each link slowdown may
take on values in the two-valued set of integers {1, D} with D > 1
which remain fixed for a long time, under a (w, ¤ü)-adversary. In this
framework, we present an innovative systematic construction for the
estimation of adversarial injection rate lower bounds, which, if
exceeded, cause instability in networks that use the LIS (Longest-in-
System) protocol for contention-resolution. In addition, we show that
a network that uses the LIS protocol for contention-resolution may
result in dropping its instability bound at injection rates ¤ü > 0 when
the network size and the high slowdown D take large values. This is
the best ever known instability lower bound for LIS networks.
Abstract: In this document, we have proposed a robust
conceptual strategy, in order to improve the robustness against the manufacturing defects and thus the reliability of logic CMOS circuits. However, in order to enable the use of future CMOS
technology nodes this strategy combines various types of design:
DFR (Design for Reliability), techniques of tolerance: hardware
redundancy TMR (Triple Modular Redundancy) for hard error
tolerance, the DFT (Design for Testability. The Results on largest ISCAS and ITC benchmark circuits show that our approach improves
considerably the reliability, by reducing the key factors, the area costs and fault tolerance probability.
Abstract: One of the ubiquitous routines in medical practice is searching through voluminous piles of clinical documents. In this paper we introduce a distributed system to search and exchange clinical documents. Clinical documents are distributed peer-to-peer. Relevant information is found in multiple iterations of cross-searches between the clinical text and its domain encyclopedia.
Abstract: The impact of OO design on software quality
characteristics such as defect density and rework by mean of
experimental validation. Encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism,
reusability, Data hiding and message-passing are the major attribute
of an Object Oriented system. In order to evaluate the quality of an
Object oriented system the above said attributes can act as indicators.
The metrics are the well known quantifiable approach to express any
attribute. Hence, in this paper we tried to formulate a framework of
metrics representing the attributes of object oriented system.
Empirical Data is collected from three different projects based on
object oriented paradigms to calculate the metrics.
Abstract: Computer aided design accounts with the support of
parametric software in the design of machine components as well as
of any other pieces of interest. The complexities of the element under
study sometimes offer certain difficulties to computer design, or ever
might generate mistakes in the final body conception. Reverse
engineering techniques are based on the transformation of already
conceived body images into a matrix of points which can be
visualized by the design software. The literature exhibits several
techniques to obtain machine components dimensional fields, as
contact instrument (MMC), calipers and optical methods as laser
scanner, holograms as well as moiré methods. The objective of this
research work was to analyze the moiré technique as instrument of
reverse engineering, applied to bodies of nom complex geometry as
simple solid figures, creating matrices of points. These matrices were
forwarded to a parametric software named SolidWorks to generate
the virtual object. Volume data obtained by mechanical means, i.e.,
by caliper, the volume obtained through the moiré method and the
volume generated by the SolidWorks software were compared and
found to be in close agreement. This research work suggests the
application of phase shifting moiré methods as instrument of reverse
engineering, serving also to support farm machinery element designs.
Abstract: The paper reports on the results of experimental and
numerical study of nonstationary swirling flow in an isothermal
model of vortex burner. It has been identified that main source of the
instability is related to a precessing vortex core (PVC) phenomenon.
The PVC induced flow pulsation characteristics such as precession
frequency and its variation as a function of flowrate and swirl number
have been explored making use of acoustic probes. Additionally
pressure transducers were used to measure the pressure drops on the
working chamber and across the vortex flow. The experiments have
been included also the mean velocity measurements making use of a
laser-Doppler anemometry. The features of instantaneous flowfield
generated by the PVC were analyzed employing a commercial CFD
code (Star-CCM+) based on Detached Eddy Simulation (DES)
approach. Validity of the numerical code has been checked by
comparison calculated flowfield data with the obtained experimental
results. It has been confirmed particularly that the CFD code applied
correctly reproduces the flow features.
Abstract: Travelling salesman problem (TSP) is a combinational
optimization problem and solution approaches have been applied
many real world problems. Pure TSP assumes the cities to visit are
fixed in time and thus solutions are created to find shortest path
according to these point. But some of the points are canceled to visit
in time. If the problem is not time crucial it is not important to
determine new routing plan but if the points are changing rapidly and
time is necessary do decide a new route plan a new approach should
be applied in such cases. We developed a route plan transfer method
based on transfer learning and we achieved high performance against
determining a new model from scratch in every change.
Abstract: The seismic rehabilitation designs of two reinforced
concrete school buildings, representative of a wide stock of similar
edifices designed under earlier editions of the Italian Technical
Standards, are presented in this paper. The mutual retrofit solution
elaborated for the two buildings consists in the incorporation of a
dissipative bracing system including pressurized fluid viscous springdampers
as passive protective devices. The mechanical parameters,
layouts and locations selected for the constituting elements of the
system; the architectural renovation projects developed to properly
incorporate the structural interventions and improve the appearance
of the buildings; highlights of the installation works already
completed in one of the two structures; and a synthesis of the
performance assessment analyses carried out in original and
rehabilitated conditions, are illustrated. The results of the analyses
show a remarkable enhancement of the seismic response capacities of
both structures. This allows reaching the high performance objectives
postulated in the retrofit designs with much lower costs and
architectural intrusion as compared to traditional rehabilitation
interventions designed for the same objectives.