Evaluation Method,Dataset Size or Dataset Content: How to Evaluate Algorithms for Image Matching?

Flutter shutter (coded exposure) cameras allow to extend indefinitely the exposure time for uniform motion blurs. Recently, Tendero et al. (SIAM J Imaging Sci 6(2):813–847, 2013) proved that for a fixed known velocity v the gain of a flutter shutter in terms of root means square error (RMSE) cannot exceeds a 1.1717 factor compared to an optimal snapshot. The aforementioned bound is optimal in the sense that this 1.1717 factor can be attained. However, this disheartening bound is in direct contradiction with the recent results by Cossairt et al. (IEEE Trans Image Process 22(2), 447–458, 2013). Our first goal in this paper is to resolve mathematically this discrepancy. An interesting question was raised by the authors of reference (IEEE Trans Image Process 22(2), 447–458, 2013). They state that the “gain for computational imaging is significant only when the average signal level J is considerably smaller than the read noise variance \(\sigma _r^2\)” (Cossairt et al., IEEE Trans Image Process 22(2), 447–458, 2013, p. 5). In other words, according to Cossairt et al. (IEEE Trans Image Process 22(2), 447–458, 2013) a flutter shutter would be more efficient when used in low light conditions e.g., indoor scenes or at night. Our second goal is to prove that this statement is based on an incomplete camera model and that a complete mathematical model disproves it. To do so we propose a general flutter shutter camera model that includes photonic, thermal (The amplifier noise may also be mentioned as another source of background noise, which can be included w.l.o.g. in the thermal noise) and additive [The additive (sensor readout) noise may contain other components such as reset noise and quantization noise. We include them w.l.o.g. in the readout.] (sensor readout, quantification) noises of finite variances. Our analysis provides exact formulae for the mean square error of the final deconvolved image. It also allows us to confirm that the gain in terms of RMSE of any flutter shutter camera is bounded from above by 1.1776 when compared to an optimal snapshot. The bound is uniform with respect to the observation conditions and applies for any fixed known velocity. Incidentally, the proposed formalism and its consequences also apply to e.g., the Levin et al. motion-invariant photography (ACM Trans Graphics (TOG), 27(3):71:1–71:9, 2008; Method and apparatus for motion invariant imag- ing, October 1 2009. US Patent 20,090,244,300, 2009) and variant (Cho et al. Motion blur removal with orthogonal parabolic exposures, 2010). In short, we bring mathematical proofs to the effect of contradicting the claims of Cossairt et al. (IEEE Trans Image Process 22(2), 447–458, 2013). Lastly, this paper permits to point out the kind of optimization needed if one wants to turn the flutter shutter into a useful imaging tool.     

What Math Matters? Types of Mathematics Knowledge and Relationships to Methods Course Performance

This study investigated the effect of a departmental focus on enhanced mathematics knowledge for teaching on overall performance in upper elementary mathematics methods courses. The study examined the effect of performance on a new course in mathematics for teaching on performance at the methods course level. In addition, the effect of performance on a high-stakes test of general elementary-level mathematics content knowledge was explored. Mathematics knowledge for teaching was found to be a highly significant predictor of first semester methods course performance, arguably pedagogical content knowledge, whereas knowledge of the general elementary mathematics content appeared less related.     

Does Organizing for Creativity Really Lead to Innovation?

Stimulation of creativity has long been assumed to enhance innovation. Accordingly, organizing the work environment to unleash the creative potential of employees has been studied extensively. However, the present creativity literature has yet to produce sufficient empirical evidence to confirm this assumption, and therefore the generalizability of the relationship between organizational creativity and innovation remains indeterminate. This paper adopts the leading creativity and innovation models to identify the work environment characteristics stimulating creativity, and subsequently analyses whether this environment leads to product and process innovation in small and medium sized firms. The findings demonstrate that this environment does not yield the same results for product and process innovation, and particular factors of the work environment do not behave according to the expectations to enhance the likelihood of doing innovation. The study discusses these findings and advances the literature by showing that the relationship between organizational creativity and innovation is not generalizable, but is contingent upon the innovation type and, as the discussion will show, particular characteristics related to the firm. Accordingly, the paper suggests new research opportunities to further explore organizational creativity and innovation.     

Networks for Innovation – But What Networks and What Innovation?

Innovation is a social and interactive process in which collaboration and exchange of knowledge and information play crucial roles. Two conflicting hypotheses have been raised in previous research: Burt's structural hole hypothesis and the density hypothesis. In brief, the former of these hypotheses builds upon arguments for open network structures in the acquisition of innovation; the latter one builds upon arguments for closed network structures for innovation. To shed some light on this state of confusion, this paper tests these two conflicting hypotheses on two separate measures of innovation in a service industry setting. One innovation measure is more incremental in nature and regards the implementation of employees' ideas. The other innovation measure is more radical in nature and regards new services. Findings suggest that social network measures are, indeed, powerful predictors of innovation and, further, that the impact of these are likely to be radically different depending upon the type and measure of innovation. Consequently, this paper recommends caution when studying the impact of social network measures upon innovation, and that more fine‐grained measurements in particular are needed rather than focusing upon inter‐relationships of an overly general and superficial nature.     

Consumers' Creative Talent: Which Characteristics Qualify Consumers for Open Innovation Projects? An Exploration of Asymmetrical Effects

Virtual customer integration and open innovation are considered as appropriate means to improve the success of new product development. However, only when consumers are qualified and motivated to contribute promising ideas and relevant know‐how they are able to add value to a producer's innovation process. In this study, we explore the symmetric and asymmetric impact of various creativity components on consumers' idea generation, concept development, or prototype building abilities as well as interest in co‐creation projects. Our results show that creativity components are of different importance. While some characteristics are needed above certain thresholds to successfully accomplish a certain development task, exceeding those does not necessarily lead to better outputs. Other characteristics improve the creative output only if they exceed specific levels.     

Social Media Technologies’ Use for the Competitive Information and Knowledge Sharing,and Its Effects on Industrial SMEs’ Innovation

ABSTRACT

The effective use of technologies supporting decision making is essential to companies’ survival. Recent studies analyzed social media technologies (SMT) in the context of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), contributing to the discussion on SMT benefits from the marketing perspective. This article focuses on the effects of SMT use on innovation. Our findings provide empirical evidence on the positive effects of SMT use for acquiring external information and for sharing knowledge and innovation performance.     

Knowledge specification and representation for an “intelligent” interface devoted to process monitoring and supervision

This paper presents our approach of cooperation between a human operator and a decision aid tool by means of an “intelligent” interface manager: the Decisional Module of Imagery (D.M.I.). The “heart” of the D.M.I. is an expert system which manipulates three main objects (the WHAT, WHEN and HOW objects) described next. Knowledge specification and representation for the expert system, and the way we chose to implement it, are then explained.     

Content delivery network using edge-of-network servers for providing content delivery to a set of participating content providers

The present invention is a network architecture or framework that supports hosting and content distribution on a truly global scale. The inventive framework allows a Content Provider to rephcate and serve its most popular content at an unlimited number of points throughout the world The inventive framework comprises a set of servers operating in a distributed manner The actual content to be served is preferably supported on a set of hosting servers (sometimes referred to as ghost servers) This content comprises HTML page objects that, conventionally, are served from a Content Provider site In accordance with the invention, however, a base HTML document portion of a Web page is served from the Content Provider's site while one or more embedded objects for the page are served from the hosting servers, preferably, those hosting servers near the client machine By serving the base HTML document from the Content Provider's site, the Content Provider maintains control over the content     

Resilience,Performance and Strategies in Firms’ Reactions to the Direct and Indirect Effects of a Natural Disaster

Networks and Spatial Economics - This work investigates the impacts of the 2012 Emilia-Romagna earthquake and looks at the capacity of the regional economic system to adapt to the shock generated...     

Energy and nutrient recovery for municipal wastewater treatment: How to design a feasible plant layout?

Activated sludge systems are commonly used for robust and efficient treatment of municipal wastewater. However, these systems cannot achieve their maximum potential to recover valuable resources from wastewater. This study demonstrates a procedure to design a feasible novel configuration for maximizing energy and nutrient recovery. A simulation model was developed based on literature data and recent experimental research using steady-state energy and mass balances with conversions. The analysis showed that in the Netherlands, proposed configuration consists of four technologies: bioflocculation, cold partial nitritation/Anammox, P recovery, and anaerobic digestion. Results indicate the possibility to increase net energy yield up to 0.24 kWh/m³ of wastewater, while reducing carbon emissions by 35%. Moreover, sensitivity analysis points out the dominant influence of wastewater organic matter on energy production and consumption. This study provides a good starting point for the design of promising layouts that will improve sustainability of municipal wastewater management in the future.     

Adaptivity and a Posteriori Error Control for Bifurcation Problems?II: Incompressible Fluid Flow in Open Systems with Z 2 Symmetry

In this article we consider the a posteriori error estimation and adaptive mesh refinement of discontinuous Galerkin finite element approximations of the bifurcation problem associated with the steady incompressible Navier?CStokes equations. Particular attention is given to the reliable error estimation of the critical Reynolds number at which a steady pitchfork or Hopf bifurcation occurs when the underlying physical system possesses reflectional or Z ₂ symmetry. Here, computable a posteriori error bounds are derived based on employing the generalization of the standard Dual?CWeighted?CResidual approach, originally developed for the estimation of target functionals of the solution, to bifurcation problems. Numerical experiments highlighting the practical performance of the proposed a posteriori error indicator on adaptively refined computational meshes are presented.     

Short and Sweet? Length and Informative Content of Open‐Ended Responses Using SMS as a Research Mode

Short Message Service (SMS) is one of the most widely used data services worldwide. This paper examines the assumption that the 160‐character limit would force brief and thus comparatively uninformative responses in psychological research compared to other data collection modes. In laboratory classes, 463 psychology undergraduate students were randomly assigned to complete a 2‐item questionnaire by SMS, e‐mail, online survey, or paper survey. 2 weeks later, participants completed a multiple‐choice self‐report risk taking questionnaire on paper. While SMS response lengths were statistically significantly shorter than those yielded in other modes, they did not contain less information.     

Performance on a simple response time task: Is sleep or work more important for miners?

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the impact of work- and sleep-related factors on an objective measure of response time in a field setting. Thirty-five mining operators working 12-h shift patterns completed daily sleep and work diaries, wore activity monitors continuously and completed palm-based psychomotor vigilance tests (palmPVT) at the start and end of each shift. Linear mixed models were used to test the main effects on response time of roster, timing of test, sleep history and prior wake. The time at which the test occurred was a significant predictor of response time (F_3,403.4 = 6.72, p < .01) with the end of night shifts being associated with significantly slower response times than the start of night shifts, and the start or end of day shifts. Further, the amount of sleep obtained in the 24 h prior to the test was also a significant predictor of response time (F_3,407.0 = 3.05, p < .01). The results suggest that, as expected, the end of night shift is associated with changes in response time indicative of performance impairments. Of more interest however is that immediate sleep history was also predictive of changes in response time with lower amounts of prior sleep related to slower response times. The current data provides further evidence that sleep is a primary mediator of performance, independent of roster pattern.     

Willing to pay for quality personalization? Trade-off between quality and privacy

Online personalization presents recommendations of products and services based on customers’ past online purchases or browsing behavior. Personalization applications reduce information overload and provide value-added services. However, their adoption is hindered by customers’ concerns about information privacy. This paper reports on research undertaken to determine whether a high-quality recommendation service will encourage customers to use online personalization. We collected data through a series of online experiments to examine the impacts of privacy and quality on personalization usage and on users’ willingness to pay and to disclose information when using news and financial services. Our findings suggest that under certain circumstances, perceived personalization quality can outweigh the impact of privacy concerns. This implies that service providers can improve the perceived quality of personalization services being offered in order to offset customer privacy concerns. Nevertheless, the impact of perceived quality on personalization usage is weaker for customers who have experienced privacy invasion in the past. The results show that customers who are likely to use online personalization are also likely to pay for the service. This finding suggests that, despite privacy concerns, there is an opportunity for businesses to monetize high-quality personalization.     

Windows 2000: a threat to Internet diversity and open standards?

Microsoft conceived Windows 2000 as the operating system for the Internet. This gave many people pause for thought, what with Microsoft's less-than-sterling reputation regarding cohabitation of competitors' software on their operating system. The Internet is based on open standards and interworking between different systems from different suppliers. If Windows 2000 compromises the Internet's integrity and ubiquity-two of its primary hallmarks-will it really be the best operating system to base your Internet services on? Some of the new additions to Windows 2000 show that, although Microsoft pays lip-service to the Internet's sacred tenets of openness and support for standards, it has actually (and sometimes only subtly) removed or subverted these tenets. The Windows 2000 changes appear to subtly exclude technologies from other vendors and make interworking more difficult     

What to do after a data breach? Examining apology and compensation as response strategies for health service providers

Innovative IT-enabled health services promise tremendous benefits for customers and service providers alike. Simultaneously, health services by nature process sensitive customer information, and data breaches have become an everyday phenomenon. The challenge that health service providers face is to find effective recovery strategies after data breaches to retain customer trust and loyalty. We theorize and investigate how two widely applied recovery actions (namely apology and compensation) affect customer reactions after a data breach in the specific context of fitness trackers. Drawing on expectation confirmation theory, we argue that the recovery actions derived from practice, apology, and compensation address the assimilation-contrast model’s tolerance range and, thus, always lead to satisfaction with the recovery strategy, which positively influences customers’ behavior. We employ an experimental investigation and collect data from fitness tracker users during a running event. In the end, we found substantial support for our research model. Health service providers should determine specific customer expectations and align their data breach recovery strategies accordingly.

     

Simulation as a Tool for Optimizing Automated Laboratory Equipment and Processes?

In the design of complex automated manufacturing equipment simulation technology has increasingly developed into an essential planning tool which is highly used in the field of semiconductor industry. In the field of laboratory technology a similar trend towards automated systems or automated sequencing of systems can be found. This results in the question if the use of simulation can help detecting optimization potentials in the design of laboratory equipment as well as in laboratory processes. By means of a case study out of the field of clean production the elaborated results help to show the benefits of simulation as a planning tool.With the help of simulation a material flow- and throughput optimized equipment design and therefore required equipment control strategies were ascertained in several iterative runs. The system installation, being in its development stage, was represented realistically in a detailed simulation model. The performance of the system in operation was visualized and then analyzed. Thus, bottlenecks could be localized easily and the equipment design and dimensioning could be reviewed.With the selective simulative examination of different optimization approaches the equipment manufacturer was provided with important data for economical- and investment decisions. The use of simulation technology provides a high planning reliability and helps to avoid planning mistakes already in the stage of system development.This advantages could also be used in future developments in the field of laboratory automation.     

Codes of conduct in Open Source Software—for warm and fuzzy feelings or equality in community?

Software Quality Journal - This paper focuses on codes of conduct (CoC) of Free and Open Source Software (F/OSS) and their role in improving women’s participation in online communities of...