Multigrid Convergence of Calculated Features in Image Analysis

This paper informs about number-theoretical and geometrical estimates of worst-case bounds for quantization errors in calculating features such as moments, moment based features, or perimeters in image analysis, and about probability-theoretical estimates of error bounds (e.g. standard deviations) for such digital approximations. New estimates (with proofs) and a review of previously known results are provided.     

Untersuchungen zur Wirksamkeit von Benzyl-n-propyl-sulfid als Korrosionsinhibitor in sauren Lösungen

Investigations into the efficiency of benzyl-n-propyl sulfide as a corrosion inhibitor in acid solutions Investigations made so far into thioethers have shown that benzyl and phenyl sulfides, though being comparable from a structural point of views, may have very different inhibiting effects in the system iron-mineral acid. An attempt has therefore been undertaken to obtain further information about sorption and inhibition processes by using benzyl-n-propyl sulfide labelled with 35S. The protective effect of benzyl-n-propyl sulfide has been determined in sulfuric and hydrochloric acids under varying conditions of concentration, time, temperature and anions present, and the amount of inhibitor adsorbed to the metal surface was simultaneously measured. Other measurements were concerned with the adsorption of labelled anions from pickling acids with and without inhibitor.     

Studies on the structure and behaviour of reactively sputtered iron oxide layers on steel surfaces

In a simple diode system for asymmetric radio frequency sputtering, steel specimens were covered with iron oxide and the corrosion behaviour was studied by electrochemical methods. The specimens, which were covered with a compact layer of Fe₂O₃, had film resistances of 10⁸–10¹⁵ Ω cm, due to the conditions of production and the purity of the target material. Potentiometric measurements on steel electrodes covered with quasi-crystalline α-Fe₂O₃ showed a distinct passivation of the basic material in neutral and slightly acid media. An outlook is given concerning future fundamental studies on this problem.     

Cost accounting for shared IT infrastructures

IT infrastructure, such as servers and networking equipment, accounts for a large proportion of the IT costs in modern organizations. Typically, this IT infrastructure is shared among multiple applications and customers. Cost allocation of shared IT infrastructure is difficult and regularly based on biased cost allocation keys, which often causes free-rider problems. Measuring usage is technically difficult and incurs high costs. In this paper we propose a method to derive adequate estimators for the resource consumption of a customer-oriented service. These so-called resource profiles can then provide a basis for cost allocation keys. The estimators are derived from a series of load tests, as they are typically done before an application is launched in larger organizations. Such profiles need to be unbiased and precise even in cases of varying workloads and in rather heterogeneous environments. We describe the results of a set of experiments in an infrastructure provided by the BMW Group, and illustrate how the estimation can be integrated into existing IT service management processes. In our experiments we use Queuing Networks to validate the estimated resource profiles under different workloads.     

Level‐of‐Detail Streaming and Rendering using Bidirectional Sparse Virtual Texture Functions

Bidirectional Texture Functions (BTFs) are among the highest quality material representations available today and thus well suited whenever an exact reproduction of the appearance of a material or complete object is required. In recent years, BTFs have started to find application in various industrial settings and there is also a growing interest in the cultural heritage domain. BTFs are usually measured from real‐world samples and easily consist of tens or hundreds of gigabytes. By using data‐driven compression schemes, such as matrix or tensor factorization, a more compact but still faithful representation can be derived. This way, BTFs can be employed for real‐time rendering of photo‐realistic materials on the GPU. However, scenes containing multiple BTFs or even single objects with high‐resolution BTFs easily exceed available GPU memory on today's consumer graphics cards unless quality is drastically reduced by the compression. In this paper, we propose the Bidirectional Sparse Virtual Texture Function, a hierarchical level‐of‐detail approach for the real‐time rendering of large BTFs that requires only a small amount of GPU memory. More importantly, for larger numbers or higher resolutions, the GPU and CPU memory demand grows only marginally and the GPU workload remains constant. For this, we extend the concept of sparse virtual textures by choosing an appropriate prioritization, finding a trade off between factorization components and spatial resolution. Besides GPU memory, the high demand on bandwidth poses a serious limitation for the deployment of conventional BTFs. We show that our proposed representation can be combined with an additional transmission compression and then be employed for streaming the BTF data to the GPU from from local storage media or over the Internet. In combination with the introduced prioritization this allows for the fast visualization of relevant content in the users field of view and a consecutive progressive refinement.     

The organization of Patent databanks at the Ilmenau Institute of Technology

With the establishment of the Polytechnical Patent Library at the Ilmenau Institute of Technology in April 1981, an efficient patent information centre was set up for the southern districts of the German Democratic Republic (Suhl, Gera, Erfurt). First, the manual methods of search were complemented by two subsystems of the automized patent pre-search system, namely the selective dissemination of information and the field-oriented patent family service. In 1985, the set-up of patent databanks was begun. The present paper explains their specific features, thus complementing the conception of the patent pre-search system presented in previous papers.^(1,2) The information services are rendered by order of the Inventions and Patent Office.     

SOCIO-ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF THE AUSTRIAN 200 kWp-PHOTOVOLTAIC-ROOFTOP PROGRAMME

Between 1992 and 1994 a 200 kWp-rooftop programme to promote small grid-connected Photovoltaic (PV) systems was conducted in Austria. Within this programme about 100 PV systems with an average capacity of 2.28 kWp were installed. This paper investigates the socio-economic aspects of this programme and the prospects for a further dissemination of this technology. The major conclusions of this investigation are as follows: (1) The motives to invest in a PV system are: (i) environmental protection; (ii) an alternative to nuclear power; (iii) technical interest. Yet, it is also important that the public supports this purchase by means providing subsidies. (2) The purchase of a PV system leads to different changes in consumer behaviour. Consumers with low initial consumption increased their electricity demand slightly, while the majority of consumers with high initial electricity demand saved electricity. (3) The financial incentives in the programme were not optimally designed. With the same amount of total subsidies it would have been possible to promote more PV systems. (4) The key factors for a further dissemination of PV systems are: (i) financial incentives; (ii) a reduction of the investment costs; (iii) increase in reliability; (iv) distribution of information; (v) enhancement of environmental awareness.     

Composition and quality attributes of conventionally and organically farmed Pangasius fillets (Pangasius hypophthalmus) on the German market

A range of conventionally and organically farmed Pangasius or sutchi catfish fillets available on the German market were analysed to compare both composition and quality. Differentiation of Pangasius hypophthalmus from Pangasius bocourti was achieved by RFLP-SSCP analysis. The protein content of conventionally farmed fillets ranged between 13.3 and 15.7%, whereas organically produced fillets had significantly higher protein contents of between 17.0 and 17.4%. No difference in the fat content between farming methods was observed, which varied between 1.4 and 3.2%. Polyunsaturated fatty acids represented about 24% of the total fatty acids with a high level of linoleic acid. The comparison of the proximate composition indicated that water was added to most of the conventionally farmed products, in different amounts, as well as water-binding capacity enhancing additives. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to demonstrate the presence of polyphosphate on muscle proteins. Differences in texture, water-binding capacity and colour are discussed.