Abstract: This paper proposes view-point insensitive human
pose recognition system using neural network. Recognition system
consists of silhouette image capturing module, data driven database,
and neural network. The advantages of our system are first, it is
possible to capture multiple view-point silhouette images of 3D human
model automatically. This automatic capture module is helpful to
reduce time consuming task of database construction. Second, we
develop huge feature database to offer view-point insensitivity at pose
recognition. Third, we use neural network to recognize human pose
from multiple-view because every pose from each model have similar
feature patterns, even though each model has different appearance and
view-point. To construct database, we need to create 3D human model
using 3D manipulate tools. Contour shape is used to convert silhouette
image to feature vector of 12 degree. This extraction task is processed
semi-automatically, which benefits in that capturing images and
converting to silhouette images from the real capturing environment is
needless. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach with
experiments on virtual environment.
Abstract: An adaptive Helmholtz resonator was designed and
adapted to hydraulics. The resonator was controlled by open- and
closed-loop controls so that 20 dB attenuation of the peak-to-peak
value of the pulsating pressure was maintained. The closed-loop
control was noted to be better, albeit it was slower because of its low
pressure and temperature variation, which caused variation in the
effective bulk modulus of the hydraulic system. Low-pressure
hydraulics contains air, which affects the stiffness of the hydraulics,
and temperature variation changes the viscosity of the oil. Thus, an
open-loop control loses its efficiency if a condition such as
temperature or the amount of air changes after calibration. The
instability of the low-pressure hydraulic system reduced the
operational frequency range of the Helmholtz resonator when
compared with the results of an analytical model.
Different dampers for hydraulics are presented. Then analytical
models of a hydraulic pipe and a hydraulic pipe with a Helmholtz
resonator are presented. The analytical models are based on the wave
equation of sound pressure. Finally, control methods and the results
of experiments are presented.
Abstract: Web 2.0 (social networking, blogging and online
forums) can serve as a data source for social science research because
it contains vast amount of information from many different users.
The volume of that information has been growing at a very high rate
and becoming a network of heterogeneous data; this makes things
difficult to find and is therefore not almost useful. We have proposed
a novel theoretical model for gathering and processing data from
Web 2.0, which would reflect semantic content of web pages in
better way. This article deals with the analysis part of the model and
its usage for content analysis of blogs. The introductory part of the
article describes methodology for the gathering and processing data
from blogs. The next part of the article is focused on the evaluation
and content analysis of blogs, which write about specific trend.
Abstract: In this paper, we apply the FM methodology to the
cross-section of Romanian-listed common stocks and investigate the
explanatory power of market beta on the cross-section of commons
stock returns from Bucharest Stock Exchange. Various assumptions
are empirically tested, such us linearity, market efficiency, the “no
systematic effect of non-beta risk" hypothesis or the positive
expected risk-return trade-off hypothesis. We find that the Romanian
stock market shows the same properties as the other emerging
markets in terms of efficiency and significance of the linear riskreturn
models. Our analysis included weekly returns from January
2002 until May 2010 and the portfolio formation, estimation and
testing was performed in a rolling manner using 51 observations (one
year) for each stage of the analysis.
Abstract: Electrical resistivity is a fundamental parameter of metals or electrical conductors. Since resistivity is a function of temperature, in order to completely understand the behavior of metals, a temperature dependent theoretical model is needed. A model based on physics principles has recently been developed to obtain an equation that relates electrical resistivity to temperature. This equation is dependent upon a parameter associated with the electron travel time before being scattered, and a parameter that relates the energy of the atoms and their separation distance. Analysis of the energy parameter reveals that the equation is optimized if the proportionality term in the equation is not constant but varies over the temperature range. Additional analysis reveals that the theoretical equation can be used to determine the mean free path of conduction electrons, the number of defects in the atomic lattice, and the ‘equivalent’ charge associated with the metallic bonding of the atoms. All of this analysis provides validation for the theoretical model and provides insight into the behavior of metals where performance is affected by temperatures (e.g., integrated circuits and temperature sensors).
Abstract: The Beijing road traffic system, as a typical huge
urban traffic system, provides a platform for analyzing the complex
characteristics and the evolving mechanisms of urban traffic systems.
Based on dynamic network theory, we construct the dynamic model
of the Beijing road traffic system in which the dynamical properties
are described completely. Furthermore, we come into the conclusion
that urban traffic systems can be viewed as static networks, stochastic
networks and complex networks at different system phases by
analyzing the structural randomness. As well as, we demonstrate the
evolving process of the Beijing road traffic network based on real
traffic data, validate the stochastic characteristics and the scale-free
property of the network at different phases
Abstract: User interaction components of Augmented Reality (AR) systems have to be tested with users in order to find and fix usability problems as early as possible. In this paper we will report on a user-centered design approach for AR systems following the experience acquired during the design and evaluation of a software prototype for an AR-based educational platform. In this respect we will focus on the re-design of the user task based on the results from a formative usability evaluation. The basic idea of our approach is to describe task scenarios in a tabular format, to develop a task model in a task modeling environment and then to simulate the execution.
Abstract: We propose a multi-agent based utilitarian approach
to model and understand information flows in social networks that
lead to Pareto optimal informational exchanges. We model the
individual expected utility function of the agents to reflect the net
value of information received. We show how this model, adapted
from a theorem by Karl Borch dealing with an actuarial Risk
Exchange concept in the Insurance industry, can be used for social
network analysis. We develop a utilitarian framework that allows us
to interpret Pareto optimal exchanges of value as potential
information flows, while achieving a maximization of a sum of
expected utilities of information of the group of agents. We examine
some interesting conditions on the utility function under which the
flows are optimal. We illustrate the promise of this new approach to
attach economic value to information in networks with a synthetic
example.
Abstract: CFD simulations are carried out in arterial stenoses
with 48 % areal occlusion. Non-newtonian fluid model is selected for
the blood flow as the same problem has been solved before with
Newtonian fluid model. Studies on flow resistance with the presence
of surface irregularities are carried out. Investigations are also
performed on the pressure drop at various Reynolds numbers. The
present study revealed that the pressure drop across a stenosed artery
is practically unaffected by surface irregularities at low Reynolds
numbers, while flow features are observed and discussed at higher
Reynolds numbers.
Abstract: The peng-Robinson (PR), a cubic equation of state (EoS), is extended to polymers by using a single set of energy (A1, A2, A3) and co-volume (b) parameters per polymer fitted to experimental volume data. Excellent results for the volumetric behavior of the 11 polymer up to 2000 bar pressure are obtained. The EoS is applied to the correlation and prediction of Henry constants in polymer solutions comprising three polymer and many nonpolar and polar solvents, including supercritical gases. The correlation achieved with two adjustable parameter is satisfactory compared with the experimental data. As a result, the present work provides a simple and useful model for the prediction of Henry's constant for polymer containing systems including those containing polar, nonpolar and supercritical fluids.
Abstract: The problem of updating damped gyroscopic systems using measured modal data can be mathematically formulated as following two problems. Problem I: Given Ma ∈ Rn×n, Λ = diag{λ1, ··· , λp} ∈ Cp×p, X = [x1, ··· , xp] ∈ Cn×p, where p
Abstract: When programming in languages such as C, Java, etc.,
it is difficult to reconstruct the programmer's ideas only from the
program code. This occurs mainly because, much of the programmer's
ideas behind the implementation are not recorded in the code during
implementation. For example, physical aspects of computation such as
spatial structures, activities, and meaning of variables are not required
as instructions to the computer and are often excluded. This makes the
future reconstruction of the original ideas difficult. AIDA, which is a
multimedia programming language based on the cyberFilm model, can
solve these problems allowing to describe ideas behind programs
using advanced annotation methods as a natural extension to
programming. In this paper, a development environment that
implements the AIDA language is presented with a focus on the
annotation methods. In particular, an actual scientific numerical
computation code is created and the effects of the annotation methods
are analyzed.
Abstract: With the increasing complexity of engineering
problems, the traditional, single-objective and deterministic
optimization method can not meet people-s requirements. A
multi-objective fuzzy optimization model of resource input is built for
M chlor-alkali chemical eco-industrial park in this paper. First, the
model is changed into the form that can be solved by genetic algorithm
using fuzzy theory. And then, a fitness function is constructed for
genetic algorithm. Finally, a numerical example is presented to show
that the method compared with traditional single-objective
optimization method is more practical and efficient.
Abstract: The current study describes a multi-objective optimization technique for positioning of houses in a residential neighborhood. The main task is the placement of residential houses in a favorable configuration satisfying a number of objectives. Solving the house layout problem is a challenging task. It requires an iterative approach to satisfy design requirements (e.g. energy efficiency, skyview, daylight, roads network, visual privacy, and clear access to favorite views). These design requirements vary from one project to another based on location and client preferences. In the Gulf region, the most important socio-cultural factor is the visual privacy in indoor space. Hence, most of the residential houses in this region are surrounded by high fences to provide privacy, which has a direct impact on other requirements (e.g. daylight and direction to favorite views). This investigation introduces a novel technique to optimally locate and orient residential buildings to satisfy a set of design requirements. The developed technique explores the search space for possible solutions. This study considers two dimensional house planning problems. However, it can be extended to solve three dimensional cases.
Abstract: Company strategy expresses a basic idea of how to reach company objectives. A whole range of models of strategic management are used in practice. The concept of strategic management should fulfill some basic requirements to make it applicable for both the typical, but also more specific company environment. The financial strategy plays an important role in corporate strategy. The paper develops a methodology of strategic model implementing into the category of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Furthermore, the methodology recommends procedures while solving an up-to-date worldwide task of the definition of the company strategy and its financial strategy.
Abstract: Localization is one of the critical issues in the field of
robot navigation. With an accurate estimate of the robot pose, robots will be capable of navigating in the environment autonomously and efficiently. In this paper, a hybrid Distributed Vision System (DVS)
for robot localization is presented. The presented approach integrates
odometry data from robot and images captured from overhead cameras
installed in the environment to help reduce possibilities of fail
localization due to effects of illumination, encoder accumulated errors,
and low quality range data. An odometry-based motion model is applied to predict robot poses, and robot images captured by overhead
cameras are then used to update pose estimates with HSV histogram-based measurement model. Experiment results show the
presented approach could localize robots in a global world coordinate system with localization errors within 100mm.
Abstract: In the paper we submit the non-local modification of
kinetic Smoluchowski equation for binary aggregation applying to
dispersed media having memory. Our supposition consists in that that
intensity of evolution of clusters is supposed to be a function of the
product of concentrations of the lowest orders clusters at different
moments. The new form of kinetic equation for aggregation is
derived on the base of the transfer kernels approach. This approach
allows considering the influence of relaxation times hierarchy on
kinetics of aggregation process in media with memory.
Abstract: The knowledge of the nature of loading is very
important in order to hold account on the total behavior such as
vibration, shock, fatigue, etc. Fatigue present 90% of failure when
loadings fatigues are very complex. In this paper a study of double
through crack at hole for plate subjected to fatigue loading is
presented. Various modes loading are studied where the applied load
is the same one. The fatigue life is given where the effect of stress
ratio is highlighted. This work is conducted on aluminum alloy 2024
T351 used for much aerospace and aeronautics applications. The
fatigue crack growth behavior with constant amplitude is studied
using the AFGROW code when Forman model is applied. The
fatigue crack growth rate and fatigue life for different loading modes
are compared with variation of others geometrical parameter such as
thickness and dimensions of notch hole.
Abstract: In this paper, periodic force operation of a wastewater treatment process has been studied for the improved process performance. A previously developed dynamic model for the process is used to conduct the performance analysis. The static version of the model was utilized first to determine the optimal productivity conditions for the process. Then, feed flow rate in terms of dilution rate i.e. (D) is transformed into sinusoidal function. Nonlinear model predictive control algorithm is utilized to regulate the amplitude and period of the sinusoidal function. The parameters of the feed cyclic functions are determined which resulted in improved productivity than the optimal productivity under steady state conditions. The improvement in productivity is found to be marginal and is satisfactory in substrate conversion compared to that of the optimal condition and to the steady state condition, which corresponds to the average value of the periodic function. Successful results were also obtained in the presence of modeling errors and external disturbances.
Abstract: It is known that the heart interacts with and adapts to its venous and arterial loading conditions. Various experimental studies and modeling approaches have been developed to investigate the underlying mechanisms. This paper presents a model of the left ventricle derived based on nonlinear stress-length myocardial characteristics integrated over truncated ellipsoidal geometry, and second-order dynamic mechanism for the excitation-contraction coupling system. The results of the model presented here describe the effects of the viscoelastic damping element of the electromechanical coupling system on the hemodynamic response. Different heart rates are considered to study the pacing effects on the performance of the left-ventricle against constant preload and afterload conditions under various damping conditions. The results indicate that the pacing process of the left ventricle has to take into account, among other things, the viscoelastic damping conditions of the myofilament excitation-contraction process. The effects of left ventricular dimensions on the hemdynamic response have been examined. These effects are found to be different at different viscoelastic and pacing conditions.