Reliability analysis of the rank transform for stereo matching

The rank transform is a nonparametric technique which has been recently proposed for the stereo matching problem. The motivation behind its application to this problem is its invariance to certain types of image distortion and noise, as well as its amenability to real-time implementation. This paper derives one constraint which must be satisfied for a correct match. This has been termed the rank constraint. Experimental work has shown that this constraint is capable of resolving ambiguous matches, thereby improving matching reliability. A novel matching algorithm incorporating the rank constraint has also been proposed. This modified algorithm consistently resulted in an increased percentage of correct matches, for all test imagery used. Furthermore, the rank constraint has been used to devise a method of identifying regions of an image where the rank transform, and hence matching outcome, is more susceptible to noise. Experimental results have shown that the errors predicted using this technique are consistent with the actual errors which result when images are corrupted with noise. Such a method could be used to identify matches which are likely to be incorrect and/or provide a measure of confidence in a match.     

Experimental Investigation of Louver Cooling Scheme on Gas Turbine Stator

An experimental investigation has been conducted to investigate the film cooling performance of the louver scheme over the surface of a gas turbine stator using a transient thermochromic liquid crystal technique. A two-dimensional airfoil cascade has been employed during the study. The exit Reynolds number based on the true chord length is 1.5E5 and the exit Mach number is 0.23. Two rows of an axially oriented louver scheme are distributed on both suction and pressure sides in a staggered arrangement. The effect of hole location on the cooling performance is investigated for each row individually; then row interaction is investigated at four different blowing ratios ranging from 1 to 2 and a 0.9 density ratio. The detailed local performance distribution and the lateral-averaged normalized performance are presented over both sides of the vane in terms of heat transfer coefficient and cooling effectiveness. The louver scheme provides a better cooling performance compared with the similar cylindrical scheme of the same base diameter at the same cooling amount. The blowing ratio does not influence significantly the performance for the louver scheme due to the considerable decrease in the jet momentum that impedes the jet lift-off at exit. The location of the scheme exit has a high impact on the cooling performance as it affects the development of the boundary layer. The double injection on the pressure side provides a superior effectiveness due to the blockage of the mainstream by the coolant injected from the first row. The louver scheme provides higher net heat flux reduction, which suits the cooling capacity needed for the next generation of gas turbines.     

Coating carbon nanotubes with a polystyrene-based polymer protects against pulmonary toxicity

Background

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are widely used in many disciplines due to their unique physical and chemical properties. Therefore, some concerns about the possible human health and environmental impacts of manufactured MWCNTs are rising. We hypothesized that instillation of MWCNTs impairs pulmonary function in C57BL/6 mice due to development of lung inflammation and fibrosis.

Methods

MWCNTs were administered to C57BL/6 mice by oropharyngeal aspiration (1, 2, and 4 mg/kg) and we assessed lung inflammation and fibrosis by inflammatory cell infiltration, collagen content, and histological assessment. Pulmonary function was assessed using a FlexiVent system and levels of Ccl3, Ccl11, Mmp13 and IL-33 were measured by RT-PCR and ELISA.

Results

Mice administered MWCNTs exhibited increased inflammatory cell infiltration, collagen deposition and granuloma formation in lung tissue, which correlated with impaired pulmonary function as assessed by increased resistance, tissue damping, and decreased lung compliance. Pulmonary exposure to MWCNTs induced an inflammatory signature marked by cytokine (IL-33), chemokine (Ccl3 and Ccl11), and protease production (Mmp13) that promoted the inflammatory and fibrotic changes observed within the lung.

Conclusions

These results further highlight the potential adverse health effects that may occur following MWCNT exposure and therefore we suggest these materials may pose a significant risk leading to impaired lung function following environmental and occupational exposures.     

Hopfield Neural Network Based Stereo Matching Algorithm

In this paper, a neural network based optimization method is described in order to solve the problem of stereo matching for a set of primitives extracted from a stereoscopic pair of images. The neural network used is the 2D Hopfield network. The matching problem amounts to the minimization of an energy function involving specified stereoscopic constraints. This function reaches its minimum when these constraints are satisfied. The network converges to its stable state when the minimum is reached. In the initial step, the primitives to match are extracted from the stereoscopic pair of images. The primitives we use are specific points of interest. The feature extraction technique is the one developed by Moravec, and called the interest operator. Its output comprises mostly corners or feature points with high variance. The Hopfield network is represented as a N _l × N _r matrix of neurons, where N _l is the number of features in the left image and N _r the number of features in the right one. An update of the state of each neuron is done in order to perform the network evolution and then allowing it to settle down into a stable state. In the stable state, each neuron represents a possible match between a left candidate and a right one.     

Drift-correcting template update strategy for precision feature point tracking

In this paper we present a drift-correcting template update strategy for precisely tracking a feature point in 2D image sequences. The proposed strategy greatly complements one of the latest published template update strategies by incorporating a robust non-rigid image registration step. Previous strategies use the first template to correct drifts in the current template; however, the drift still builds up when the first template becomes different from the current one particularly in a long image sequence. In our strategy the first template is updated timely when it is revealed to be quite different from the current template and henceforth the updated first template is used to correct template drifts in subsequent frames. Our method runs fast on a 3.0 GHz desktop PC, using about 0.03 s on average to track a feature point in a frame (under the assumption of a general affine transformation model, 61 × 61 pixels in template size) and less than 0.1 s to update the first template. The proposed template update strategy can be implemented either serially or in parallel. Quantitative evaluation results show the proposed method in precision tracking of a distinctive feature point whose appearance is constantly changing. Qualitative evaluation results show that the proposed method has a more sustained ability to track a feature point than two previous template update strategies. We also revealed the limitations of the proposed template update strategy by tracking feature points on a human’s face.     

PRODUCTION SYSTEM MODELLING,CALIBRATION AND OPTIMIZATION IN PRACTICE

ABSTRACT

The present work reports on the application and development of a field planning methodology for an oil production station. NETOPT, which is a network optimizer based on a non-linear sequential quadratic programming, is used in this study. The report discusses this novel approach that considers the simultaneous hydraulic interaction of all individual wells and addresses the methodology used to implement a production system-modeling tool. Factors influencing network behavior are identified and discussed. Constrained and unconstrained optimization of oil/gross liquid production is conducted with decision variables based on gas-lift allocation and chokes openings. It was observed that the unconstrained model using injected gas rates to gas-lifted wells as decision variables improves the net oil production by approximately 6406 bbl/day, which represents an increase of 1.57% over the base case results. Specific problems were encountered during calibration of the production model and these are discussed with the lessons learned.     

Nestedness pattern and the influence of geographical factors on Algerian island breeding birds

ABSTRACT

The relationship between the abundance of breeding birds on the studied islands and the topographic variables (surface and distance from the continent) was tested via data on the breeding birds of 11 islands in Algeria. A nestedness calculator program was used to study the nestedness of breeding birds. Islands’ surface conditions and their isolation explain clearly the richness of breeding birds. The distribution of island breeding birds showed a strong nested structure that differs significantly from the distribution of the random model.