OBJCUT: Efficient Segmentation Using Top-Down and Bottom-Up Cues

We present a probabilistic method for segmenting instances of a particular object category within an image. Our approach overcomes the deficiencies of previous segmentation techniques based on traditional grid conditional random fields (CRF), namely that 1) they require the user to provide seed pixels for the foreground and the background and 2) they provide a poor prior for specific shapes due to the small neighborhood size of grid CRF. Specifically, we automatically obtain the pose of the object in a given image instead of relying on manual interaction. Furthermore, we employ a probabilistic model which includes shape potentials for the object to incorporate top-down information that is global across the image, in addition to the grid clique potentials which provide the bottom-up information used in previous approaches. The shape potentials are provided by the pose of the object obtained using an object category model. We represent articulated object categories using a novel layered pictorial structures model. Nonarticulated object categories are modeled using a set of exemplars. These object category models have the advantage that they can handle large intraclass shape, appearance, and spatial variation. We develop an efficient method, OBJCUT, to obtain segmentations using our probabilistic framework. Novel aspects of this method include: 1) efficient algorithms for sampling the object category models of our choice and 2) the observation that a sampling-based approximation of the expected log-likelihood of the model can be increased by a single graph cut. Results are presented on several articulated (e.g., animals) and nonarticulated (e.g., fruits) object categories. We provide a favorable comparison of our method with the state of the art in object category specific image segmentation, specifically the methods of Leibe and Schiele and Schoenemann and Cremers.     

Lab scale study on electrocoagulation defluoridation process optimization along with aluminium leaching in the process and comparison with full scale plant operation

An excess or lack of fluoride in drinking water is harmful to human health. Desirable and permissible standards of fluoride in drinking water are 1.0 and 1.5 mg/L, respectively, as per Indian drinking water quality standards i.e., BIS 10500, 1991. In this paper, the performance of an electro-coagulation defluoridation batch process with aluminium electrodes was investigated. Different operational conditions such as fluoride concentration in water, pH and current density were varied and performance of the process was examined. Influence of operational conditions on (i) electrode polarization phenomena, (ii) pH evolution during electrolysis and (iii) the amount of aluminium released (coagulant) was investigated. Removal by electrodes is primarily responsible for the high defluoridation efficiency and the adsorption by hydroxide aluminium floc provides secondary effect. Experimental data obtained at optimum conditions that favored simultaneous mixing and flotation confirmed that concentrations lower than 1 mg/L could be achieved when initial concentrations were between 2 and 20 mg/L. pH value was found to be an important parameter that affected fluoride removal significantly. The optimal initial pH range is between 6 and 7 at which effective defluoridation and removal efficiencies over 98% were achieved. Furthermore, experimental results prominently displayed that an increase in current density substantially reduces the treatment duration, but with increased residual aluminium level. The paper focuses on pilot scale defluoridation process optimization along with aluminium leaching and experimental results were compared with a full-scale plant having capacity of 600 liter per batch.     

A New Three-Phase Static Variable Frequency Changer

A new three-phase ac to ac static frequency changer is described. It accepts power from a conventional three-phase constant frequency (e.g., 60 Hz) source, and control signals from an auxiliary circuit, also three phase. The converter output may be represented by positive, negative, and zero sequence voltage systems, each system characterized by a particular frequency. By appropriate control, the lowest (fundamental) output frequency becomes fc -fs Hz, where fc is continuously controlled and fs is the constant supply frequency. Fundamental output frequency is associated with positive and zero sequence voltages. The process of conversion involves both free and forced commutation. It may be accomplished by four thyristors per phase, triggered by the square-wave control signals.     

Mechanical and Barrier Properties of Bromo–Butyl Elastomers Filled with Electrochemically Exfoliated Graphene

In this paper, the effects of graphene loading and processing technique on the morphological, mechanical, thermal, rheological, and barrier properties of bromo–butyl rubber, are explored. Bromo–butyl rubber composites with electrochemically exfoliated graphene (EEG) nanosheet filler are prepared via solvent casting and/or melt blending techniques, and their properties are compared against a carbon black control sample. Even though analysis of the EEG composites via microscopy reveals agglomeration problems not present in the carbon black controls, EEG composite samples are observed to have improved barrier properties over carbon black samples in exchange for slightly reduced stress and strain at break. Extensional rheological analysis of the bromo–butyl rubber composites reveals strain hardening phenomena in all the samples and higher extensional modulus in solvent casted-melt blended (SCM) samples. As a result of better dispersion over the solely melt-blended samples, the SCM rubber composites exhibit superior tensile modulus and extensional modulus compared to the samples that are solely melt-blended.     

Multifunctional van der Waals Broken‐Gap Heterojunction

The finite energy band‐offset that appears between band structures of employed materials in a broken‐gap heterojunction exhibits several interesting phenomena. Here, by employing a black phosphorus (BP)/rhenium disulfide (ReS₂) heterojunction, the tunability of the BP work function (Φ _BP) with variation in flake thickness is exploited in order to demonstrate that a BP‐based broken‐gap heterojunction can manifest diverse current‐transport characteristics such as gate tunable rectifying p–n junction diodes, Esaki diodes, backward‐rectifying diodes, and nonrectifying devices as a consequence of diverse band‐bending at the heterojunction. Diversity in band‐bending near heterojunction is attributed to change in the Fermi level difference (Δ) between BP and ReS₂ sides as a consequence of Φ _BP modulation. No change in the current transport characteristics in several devices with fixed Δ also provides further evidence that current‐transport is substantially impacted by band‐bending at the heterojunction. Optoelectronic experiments on the Esaki diode and the p–n junction diode provide experimental evidence of band‐bending diversity. Additionally, the p⁺–n–p junction comprising BP (38 nm)/ReS₂/BP(5.8 nm) demonstrates multifunctionality of binary and ternary inverters as well as exhibiting the behavior of a bipolar junction transistor with common‐emitter current gain up to 50.     

Correlation-based interferometric method of evaluating the beat length

A new, to our knowledge, interferometric method of measuring beatlengths in polarization-maintaining fibers that is based on correlationmeasurements is presented.     

Benchmark databases of handwritten Bangla-Roman and Devanagari-Roman mixed-script document images

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Handwritten document image dataset is one of the basic necessities to conduct research on developing Optical Character Recognition (OCR) systems. In a...     

Synthesis and modulation of the optical properties of carbon quantum dots using microwave radiation

Abstract

Carbon quantum dots have exhibited highly fluorescent characteristics as nanomaterials. Soluble in water and easily synthesized by multiple simple techniques, there are immense fabrication possibilities by permuting their properties via changing precursors, synthesis route, reaction parameters, etc. As economic and environment-friendly seed material, they are being viewed as an alternative to conventional fluorescent materials in myriad of applications including displays, cancer detection, drug delivery carriers in biomedicine, absorbing material in photovoltaics, etc. In this work, the hydrophilic carbon quantum dots were synthesized from the aqueous solution of citric acid and urea through microwave radiation for varying heat durations. The method is facile, faster and friendly to the environment without any need for high temperature and complicated chemical techniques. It was observed that the bandgap of the fabricated carbon quantum dots and its optical properties namely absorbance, photoluminescence enhanced with an increase in exposure of samples to heat up to an optimum limit, owing to the increase in density of states. However, further exposure to heat for longer duration degraded the absorbance and bandgap while photoluminescence gets saturated. Stokes’ shift revealed that all the synthesized carbon quantum dots possess stable emission. This was reconfirmed from consistent emission peak positions under varying excitation in the samples. The absorbance and PL spectrum exhibited by the synthesized dots makes it a suitable material for boosting the performance of organic solar cell.     

Viscosity,modulus, and die swell of glass bead filled polystyrene-acrylonitrile copolymer

Flow curves were obtained at 190°C over the shear rate range 0.1 to 100 sec^?1 for polystyrene-acrylonitrile copolymer containing up to 36 percent by volume glass beads, using a capillary extrusion rheometer. The addition of glass beads always increased shear stress and viscosity at a given shear rate, with the increase being more pronounced at low shear rates. The addition of glass beads decreased die swell, which also depended on shear-stress and capillary length-to-radius ratio. At low shear rates a lower limiting value of die swell ratio of about 1.1 was achieved. Values of recoverable shear derived from end correction data by the technique of Philippoff and Gaskins and from die-swell data by the method of Bagley and Duffey are compared. A fairly good agreement was found for low concentration blends at low shear, However, the values differed by a factor of up to 3 at higher shear stresses. In all cases, recoverable shear was found to increase with shear stress at a fixed filler loading and to decrease with increased filler loading at a fixed shear stress. Values of shear modulus calculated from the recoverable shear measurements decreased rapidly with increasing shear stress.     

Etched multimode microfiber knot-type loop interferometer refractive index sensor

We propose a novel refractive index sensor based on multimode microfiber knot-type loop (NL) interferometer. The middle portion (~5 cm) of a 15 cm long multimode fiber is etched in 48% hydrofluoric acid to reduce its diameter to ~12 μm. A NL of diameter <1 mm is made from the etched fiber. The ends of etched fiber are spliced with single-mode fibers for launching and detecting light from the NL interferometer. The NL introduces path differences to produce interferometric spectra with free spectral range ~16 nm. The spectrum shifts as the surrounding refractive index of the loop is changed by adding chemicals. We observe the highest sensitivity of the NL interferometer ~172 nm/RIU (refractive index unit) at a refractive index value 1.370 as obtained experimentally using commonly available chemicals. The design could be used as simple, low cost, and highly sensitive biological and chemical sensor.