IS-CORDIC: a fixed-point inverse recoded single iteration CORDIC architecture

This paper presents a novel modified Coordinate Rotation Digital Computer (CORDIC) architecture that computes values of sine and cosine in a single cycle. The proposed method utilises angle-recoding technique to design a modified CORDIC algorithm. Multiple iterations are merged in the modified algorithm using memory storage for initial iterations and employing inverse recoding to generate constant multiplication factors for the remaining iterations. Scale factor of the algorithm remains constant, as these factors are independent of intermediate directions of rotation. In addition, the architecture is mapped onto a single CORDIC computation element that requires only a single cycle to compute the result. These multiplications are implemented using dedicated hardware multipliers in Field Programmable Gate Arrays and customised fixed-point multiplication techniques for Application Specific Integrated Circuits. Implementation results show that the proposed IS-CORDIC architecture is 7.9 times more efficient than basic CORDIC and has reduced area-delay product than current state of the art implementations.     

Physical device modelling of emitter–base junction of In0.52Al0.48As/In0.53Ga0.47As-based SHBTs

This paper aims to evaluate the base–emitter forward characteristics of In_0.52Al_0.48As/In_0.53Ga_0.47As heterojunction bipolar transistors using numerical simulations in Silvaco while comparing results with fabricated devices. Analysis drawn from simulations reveals that in addition to doping, thickness of emitter and spacer region also plays an important role in determining the operational behaviour of device. The thickness of spacer region strongly influences the nature of heterojunction barrier formed that in turn controls the injection efficiency and dictates various recombination mechanisms. Even a few angstroms added to a spacer layer can cause considerable shift in DC characteristics. Methodology of device modelling is first validated by matching simulated results with the experimental measurements of two different structures. Spacer thickness and emitter doping is then varied in each of the structures to comprehensively study the effect of these variations onto important DC figures of merit.     

Efficient visual attention based framework for extracting key frames from videos

The huge amount of video data on the internet requires efficient video browsing and retrieval strategies. One of the viable solutions is to provide summaries of the videos in the form of key frames. The video summarization using visual attention modeling has been used of late. In such schemes, the visually salient frames are extracted as key frames on the basis of theories of human attention modeling. The visual attention modeling schemes have proved to be effective in video summarization. However, the high computational costs incurred by these techniques limit their applicability in practical scenarios. In this context, this paper proposes an efficient visual attention model based key frame extraction method. The computational cost is reduced by using the temporal gradient based dynamic visual saliency detection instead of the traditional optical flow methods. Moreover, for static visual saliency, an effective method employing discrete cosine transform has been used. The static and dynamic visual attention measures are fused by using a non-linear weighted fusion method. The experimental results indicate that the proposed method is not only efficient, but also yields high quality video summaries.     

MRT letter: Visual attention driven framework for hysteroscopy video abstraction

Diagnostic hysteroscopy is a popular method for investigating the regions in the female reproductive system. The videos generated by hysteroscopy sessions of patients are recurrently archived in medical libraries. Gynecologists often need to browse these libraries in search of similar cases or for reviewing old videos of a patient. Diagnostic hysteroscopy videos contain a lot of information with abundant redundancy. Key frame extraction‐based video summarization can be used to reduce this huge amount of data. Moreover, key frames can be used for browsing and indexing of hysteroscopy videos. In this article, a domain specific visual attention driven framework for summarization of hysteroscopy videos is proposed. The visual attention model is materialized by computing saliency based on color, texture, and motion. The experimental results, in comparison with other techniques, demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed framework. Microsc. Res. Tech. 76:559–563, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Effect of arc current on microstructure,texturing and wear behavior of plasma sprayed CaZrO3 coatings

In order to enhance the biocompatibility of metallic implants, various ceramic coatings are currently in vogue. CaZrO₃, a promising candidate material, was deposited through plasma spraying on stainless steel (316L) substrates at arc currents of 400, 500 and 600 A. The coatings were characterized using a SEM, XRD, surface profilometers and a tribometer. It was found that the arc current had profound effects on the thickness, microstructure, phase evolution, crystallinity and wear behavior of the coatings. The cross-sectional images and fractographic analysis showed that a denser coating with better inter-splat fusion was produced at arc current of 600 A. The average roughness (Ra) of the coatings increased from 3.62 to 6.68 μm as the arc current was increased from 400 to 600 A. The feedstock (powder) and the coatings were predominantly composed of CaZrO₃ along with a minor amount of CaZr₄O₉ phase. The rise in the arc current resulted in a slight increase in the relative proportion of the CaZrO₃ phase. Also, the coating produced at arc current of 600 A exhibited highest crystallinity. The detailed XRD analysis of (002) and (200) reflections of the ferroelectric CaZrO₃ revealed the preferred orientation of crystals in the coatings. The presence of this texture is explained on the basis of shifting the unstable Zr⁴⁺ ion in oxygen octahedral cage preferably in one direction. The increase in the arc current decreased the coefficient of friction and, as a result, relatively better wear resistance was observed for the coating produced using higher arc current. Moreover, the coating fabricated using arc current of 600 A reduced the volumetric weight loss by 13 times during the wear test as compared to the substrate. Plasma sprayed CaZrO₃ coating not only enhanced the wear resistance of the stainless steel but also showed the potential to furnish a bioactive surface.     

An ensemble classification of exudates in color fundus images using an evolutionary algorithm based optimal features selection

Atomic recognition of the Exudates (EXs), the major symbol of diabetic retinopathy is essential for automated retinal images analysis. In this article, we proposed a novel machine learning technique for early detection and classification of EXs in color fundus images. The major challenge observed in the classification technique is the selection of optimal features to reduce computational time and space complexity and to provide a high degree of classification accuracy. To address these challenges, this article proposed an evolutionary algorithm based solution for optimal feature selection, which accelerates the classification process and reduces computational complexity. Similarly, three well‐known classifiers that is, Naïve Bayes classifier, Support Vector Machine, and Artificial Neural Network are used for the classification of EXs. Moreover, an ensemble‐based classifier is used for the selection of best classifier on the basis of majority voting technique. Experiments are performed on three well‐known benchmark datasets and a real dataset developed at local Hospital. It has been observed that the proposed technique achieved an accuracy of 98% in the detection and classification of EXs in color fundus images.     

Feature enhancement framework for brain tumor segmentation and classification

Automatic medical image analysis is one of the key tasks being used by the medical community for disease diagnosis and treatment planning. Statistical methods are the major algorithms used and consist of few steps including preprocessing, feature extraction, segmentation, and classification. Performance of such statistical methods is an important factor for their successful adaptation. The results of these algorithms depend on the quality of images fed to the processing pipeline: better the images, higher the results. Preprocessing is the pipeline phase that attempts to improve the quality of images before applying the chosen statistical method. In this work, popular preprocessing techniques are investigated from different perspectives where these preprocessing techniques are grouped into three main categories: noise removal, contrast enhancement, and edge detection. All possible combinations of these techniques are formed and applied on different image sets which are then passed to a predefined pipeline of feature extraction, segmentation, and classification. Classification results are calculated using three different measures: accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity while segmentation results are calculated using dice similarity score. Statistics of five high scoring combinations are reported for each data set. Experimental results show that application of proper preprocessing techniques could improve the classification and segmentation results to a greater extent. However, the combinations of these techniques depend on the characteristics and type of data set used.     

Microstructural Evolution,Powder Characteristics,Compaction Behavior and Sinterability of Al 6061–B<Subscript>4</Subscript>C Composites as a Function of Reinforcement Content and Milling Times

Al 6061_100–x–x wt % B₄C (x = 0, 5, 10, 20, 30 and 40) composites, prepared by mechanical alloying and compacted at room temperature, have been used for the present investigation. The effects of B₄C content and milling time on the powder morphology, powder particle size, and other powder characteristics such as the apparent density, tap density, flow rate, cohesiveness, and hausner ratio are systematically investigated. The steady state of milling process is determined by observing the correlation between apparent densities and milling time explained by the morphological evolution of the powder particles during the milling process. The Hausner ratio (HR), estimated to evaluate friction between the particles, decreases with an increase in milling duration and B₄C content due to the changes in morphology and hardness of the powders. The compressibility behavior of post-compacts as a function of compaction pressure and the B₄C content was analyzed by using several linear and non-linear powder compaction equations. The linear Panelli and Ambrozio Filho, and non-linear Van Der Zwan and Siskens equations give the highest regression coefficients. The results are explained in terms of the plastic deformation capacity and plastic deformation coefficient of the powders, which are influenced by the hardness and the morphology of the powder. After compaction, the supersolidus liquid phase sintering was performed at various temperatures (585, 610 and 630°C) under high purity nitrogen atmosphere. The results revealed that the sinterability was degraded by increasing the reinforcement content, particularly above 10 wt % B₄C. Neutron radiography measurements conducted on the rolled composite sheet have revealed the uniform distribution of B₄C particles in the composite.     

Sulfate-vanadate hot corrosion of neodymium cerate/yttria stabilized zirconia composite coating

Neodymium cerate (Nd₂Ce₂O₇) was laboratory synthesized by solid-state reactions of neodymia and ceria and spray dried to get the feedstock for plasma spraying. Hot corrosion behavior of air plasma sprayed 10% Nd₂Ce₂O₇/yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) topcoat was studied in the presence of V₂O₅ and Na₂SO₄ salts at 950°C for 10-60 hours. It was observed that due to the presence of relatively higher basic compounds Nd₂O₃ and CeO₂ (form Nd₂Ce₂O₇) than Y₂O₃ in YSZ changed the reaction dynamics during hot corrosion and the major part of corrosive (NaVO₃) was consumed by Nd of Nd₂Ce₂O₇, making NdVO₄. The Y₂O₃ of YSZ contributed in the corrosive reaction partially, relieving majority tetragonal zirconia (t-ZrO₂) in topcoat (YSZ). No remarkable cracking was developed in the topcoat even after 60 hours of accelerated hot corrosion, which was attributed to the retention of in-relief t-ZrO₂ in YSZ.     

Management of hyperuricemia through dietary polyphenols as a natural medicament: A comprehensive review

Hyperuricemia, a condition due to high serum uric acid level and is notorious to health. It is considered to be a potent risk factor for gout and dramatically associated in the development of many chronic diseases such as malignant tumor, cardiovascular disorders and renal failure. Modern innovative medicinal and therapeutic interventions are underlying these days to combat hyperuricemia. Previously reported studies revealed the significant impact of dietary polyphenols (e.g. anthocyanins, phenolic acids, flavonoids etc.) against hyperurecemia disorder. Dietary plant polyphenols, unlike anti- hyperuricemic agents, are not reported to have any side effects in curing hyperuricemia. The current comprehensive review figure outs the use of dietary polyphenols as a natural remedy for the management of hyperuricemia. The sources, affiliated pathways, mode of actions and factors affecting their efficiency to prevent hyperuricemia are deeply discussed in this article. Additionally, limitations and suggestions regarding previously reported studies are also highlighted.