A comparative study of numerical integration based on Haar wavelets and hybrid functions

A quadrature rule based on uniform Haar wavelets and hybrid functions is proposed to find approximate values of definite integrals. The wavelet-based algorithm can be easily extended to find numerical approximations for double, triple and improper integrals. The main advantage of this method is its efficiency and simple applicability. Error estimates of the proposed method alongside numerical examples are given to test the convergence and accuracy of the method.     

Automatic gait recognition based on probabilistic approach

A simple probabilistic method for online video based human identification is introduced in this article. The proposed method is based on a modified version of Motion Silhouette images (MSI) and recursive probability accumulation. The modified version of MSI is named the Moving Motion Silhouette Image (MMSI). Identification probability is accumulated recursively in a Bayesian framework to draw a single conclusion from the whole gait sequence. The probability is named the accumulated posterior probability (APP) and denotes the probability based on all the information available up to now. The proposed method is tested on the well‐known publicly available NLPR and SOTON gait databases. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm and indicate the fact that using MMSI and APP for information fusion yields higher recognition rates as compared to previous gait recognition systems. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 20, 400–408, 2010     

Sustainable Urban Transport in Pakistan: An Institutional Analysis

The study of transport institutions in Pakistan indicates that transport solutions are primarily a matter of the export of knowledge from the developed to the developing world, mainly driven by international development institutions. This transfer results in a mismatch of transport policy with local needs. The aim of this article is to explain this mismatch in urban transport capacity in Pakistan. By applying the theoretical framework of path dependence, the article explores how urban transport solutions in Lahore become locked-in over time as a result of weak institutional capacities in local institutions. The article concludes that the institutional field in path dependence requires full treatment for institutional change to occur in order to develop sustainable urban transport policies in Pakistan.     

Compositional analysis and antimicrobial activity of various honey types of Pakistan

Antibacterial activities of various honey samples were assessed by using clinical isolates like S. aureus (Gram‐positive), E. coli, P. aeruginosa and K. pneumonia (Gram‐negative). It was observed that acacia and citrus honey has inhibited growth of all bacterial strains as compared to standard antibiotics (Gentamicine). Inhibition zones for S. aureus (27.4 ± 0.5 mm), E. coli (26.5 ± 0.7 mm), K. pneumonia (24.4 ± 0.5 mm) and P. aeruginosa (22.4 ± 0.2 were observed. Minimum inhibitory concentration of S. aureu (0.068 mg mL^?1), E. coli (0.072 mg mL^?1), P. aeruginosa (0.084 mg mL^?1) and K. pneumonia (0.085 mg mL^?1) was obtained for various types of honey samples. Pronounced antibacterial activities as well as standard values of various quality parameters of honey samples are scientifically proven for its use in traditional medicine since ancient time throughout the world.     

Change impact on a product and its redesign process: a tool for knowledge capture and reuse

Change propagates, potentially affecting many aspects of a design and requiring much rework to implement. This article introduces a cross-domain approach to decompose a design and identify possible change propagation linkages, complemented by an interactive tool that generates dynamic checklists to assess change impact. The approach considers the information domains of requirements, functions, components, and the detail design process. Laboratory experiments using a vacuum cleaner suggest that cross-domain modelling helps analyse a design to create and capture the information required for change prediction. Further experiments using an electronic product show that this information, coupled with the interactive tool, helps to quickly and consistently assess the impact of a proposed change.     

Defluoridation of wastewaters using waste carbon slurry

Adsorption of fluoride on waste carbon slurry was investigated. Waste carbon slurry was obtained from fuel oil based generators of a fertilizer industry. The work involves batch experiments to investigate the effects of contact time, pH, temperature and adsorbent dose on the extent of adsorption by carbon slurry. The contact time and pH for maximum fluoride uptake were found 1h and 7.58, respectively. Maximum adsorption capacity (4.861 mg g(-1)) of fluoride on carbon slurry was observed at 15.00 mg L(-1) initial fluoride concentration using 1.0 g L(-1) adsorbent dose. Among four applied models, the experimental isotherm data were found to follow Langmuir equation more closely. Thermodynamically, adsorption was found endothermic with values 7.348 kJ mol(-1), -25.410 kJ mol(-1) and 0.109 kJ mol(-1)K(-1) for enthalpy, free energy and entropy, respectively showing the feasibility of adsorption process. From kinetic analysis, the adsorption was found to follow second-order mechanism with rate constant 49.637 gm g(-1)min(-1). The rate-controlling step of the adsorption was found pore diffusion controlled. In order to investigate the potential of this adsorbent on industrial scale, column and desorption experiments were carried out. The breakthrough capacity of column was calculated 4.155 mg g(-1) with at a flow rate of 1.5 mL min(-1). The proposed adsorbent has been used to remove fluoride from groundwater and wastewater. Desorption has been achieved under alkaline conditions (pH 11.6) from exhausted carbon slurry. The performance of carbon slurry was compared with many other reported adsorbent for fluoride removal and it was observed that proposed adsorbent is effective in terms of performance and cost especially.     

Effect of silica on viscosity,tack, and shear strength of epoxidized natural rubber‐based pressure‐sensitive adhesives in the presence of coumarone‐indene resin

The viscosity, loop tack, and shear strength of silica‐filled epoxidized natural rubber (ENR 25 and ENR 50 grade) adhesive were investigated using coumarone‐indene as the tackifying resin. Silica loading was varied from 10–50 parts per hundred parts of rubber (phr), whereas the coumarone‐indene concentration was fixed at 40 phr. Toluene was used as the solvent throughout the study. Polyethylene terephthalate substrate was coated at various adhesive coating thicknesses, i.e., 30, 60, 90, and 120 μm using a SHEEN Hand Coater. Viscosity of the adhesive was determined by a HAAKE Rotary Viscometer whereas loop tack and shear strength were measured by a Llyod Adhesion Tester operating at 30 cm/min. Result shows that viscosity of the adhesive increases gradually with increase of silica loading due to the concentration effect of the filler. Both loop tack and shear strength show maximum value at 40 phr silica for ENR 25. However, the respective values for ENR 50 are 20 and 40 phr of filler. This observation is attributed to the maximum wettability and compatibility of adhesive on the substrate at the respective silica loadings. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Influence of polydispersity of poly(lactic acid) on particle formation by rapid expansion of supercritical CO2 solutions

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) particles were generated by rapid expansion of supercritical PLA/CO₂ solutions (RESS). Two different PLA samples, one with high (PDI = 2.4) and the other one with low (PDI = 1.4) polydispersity but similar number average molecular weight, were compared. After micronization, the polymers were analysed by rapid-scan infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, size-exclusion chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry, and NMR spectroscopy. Our investigation reveals that the polydispersity of the polymers strongly affects the size but not the shape of the particles. We found larger particles (∼730 nm) for the PLA with high polydispersity than for the PLA with low polydispersity (∼270 nm). In both cases, spherical particles were formed. Moreover, our results clearly show that PLA with high polydispersity is less suitable for RESS processing because the low-molecular weight chains are depleted over time and process conditions are thus not constant.     

An efficient signature representation for retrieval of spatially similar images

Multimedia applications involving image retrieval demand fast and efficient response. Efficiency of search and retrieval of information in a database system is index dependent. Generally, a two-level indexing scheme in an image database can help to reduce the search space against a given query image. In such type of indexing scheme, the first level is required to significantly reduce the search space for second stage of comparisons and must be computationally efficient. It is also required to guarantee that no false negatives may result. The second level of indexing involves more detailed analysis and comparison of potentially relevant images. In this paper, we present an efficient signature representation scheme for first level of a two-level image indexing scheme that is based on hierarchical decomposition of image space into spatial arrangement of image features. Experimental results demonstrate that our signature representation scheme results in fewer number of matching signatures in the first level and significantly improves the overall computational time. As this scheme relies on corner points as the salient feature points in an image to describe its contents, we also compare results using several different contemporary corner detection methods. Further, we formally prove that the proposed signature representation scheme not only results in fewer number of signatures but also does not result in any false negative.     

Adaptive key frame extraction for video summarization using an aggregation mechanism

Video summarization is a method to reduce redundancy and generate succinct representation of the video data. One of the mechanisms to generate video summaries is to extract key frames which represent the most important content of the video. In this paper, a new technique for key frame extraction is presented. The scheme uses an aggregation mechanism to combine the visual features extracted from the correlation of RGB color channels, color histogram, and moments of inertia to extract key frames from the video. An adaptive formula is then used to combine the results of the current iteration with those from the previous. The use of the adaptive formula generates a smooth output function and also reduces redundancy. The results are compared to some of the other techniques based on objective criteria. The experimental results show that the proposed technique generates summaries that are closer to the summaries created by humans.