A wavelet transform based POCS Superresolution algorithm

Research interest in multi-frame Superresolution has risen substantially in recent years.This paper presents a modified Projection Onto Convex Set (POCS) superresolution method based on wavelet transform.The method analyzes the image formation model from wavelet multiresolution analysis point of view and defines an closed convex set and its corresponding projection based on wavelet transform.An iterative procedure is utilized to reduce the estimated errors of the result image,and this guarantees the estimated image to lay in the intersection of different convex sets,thus produces a high resolution image with a reduced error.The effectiveness of the algorithm is demonstrated by experimental results.     

Evaluation of incremental learning algorithms for HMM in the recognition of alphanumeric characters

We present an evaluation of incremental learning algorithms for the estimation of hidden Markov model (HMM) parameters. The main goal is to investigate incremental learning algorithms that can provide as good performances as traditional batch learning techniques, but incorporating the advantages of incremental learning for designing complex pattern recognition systems. Experiments on handwritten characters have shown that a proposed variant of the ensemble training algorithm, employing ensembles of HMMs, can lead to very promising performances. Furthermore, the use of a validation dataset demonstrated that it is possible to reach better performances than the ones presented by batch learning.     

A graphical approach for confidence limits of optimal preventive maintenance cycles

Facilities management (FM) is the management of infrastructure resources and services to support and sustain the operational strategy of an organization over time. Maintenance is often the business process that has not been optimized and is considered as a liability of business operations. Therefore, extensive studies have been done to determine the optimal replacement interval for irreparable parts of repairable systems where typically the time between failures is characterized by lifetime distribution in which the parameters are estimated from failure data. As a result, the optimal preventive maintenance (PM) interval computed is exposed to sampling risk as the repair cost and failure data used for estimation are typically highly censored due to issues related to data collection and unobserved failures. In this paper, we present a graphical approach to obtain the confidence interval for the optimal PM interval that resulted from sampling variations parameter estimates. The proposed methodology is applied in the context of FM as a strategy for opportunistic replacement and for the purpose of validating the cost components in maintenance. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Bipolar Host Material Containing Triphenylamine and Diphenylphosphoryl‐Substituted Fluorene Units for Highly Efficient Blue Electrophosphorescence

Highly efficient blue electrophosphorescent organic light‐emitting diodes incorporating a bipolar host, 2,7‐bis(diphenylphosphoryl)‐9‐[4‐(N,N‐diphenylamino)phenyl]‐9‐phenylfluorene (POAPF), doped with a conventional blue triplet emitter, iridium(III) bis[(4,6‐difluoro‐phenyl)pyridinato‐N,C^2´]picolinate (FIrpic) are fabricated. The molecular architecture of POAPF features an electron‐donating (p‐type) triphenylamine group and an electron‐accepting (n‐type) 2,7‐bis(diphenyl‐phosphoryl)fluorene segment linked through the sp³‐hybridized C9 position of the fluorene unit. The lack of conjugation between these p‐ and n‐type groups endows POAPF with a triplet energy gap (E_T) of 2.75 eV, which is sufficiently high to confine the triplet excitons on the blue‐emitting guest. In addition, the built‐in bipolar functionality facilitates both electron and hole injection. As a result, a POAPF‐based device doped with 7 wt% FIrpic exhibits a very low turn‐on voltage (2.5 V) and high electroluminescence efficiencies (20.6% and 36.7 lm W^?1). Even at the practical brightnesses of 100 and 1000 cd m^?2, the efficiencies remain high (20.2%/33.8 lm W^?1 and 18.8%/24.3 lm W^?1, respectively), making POAPF a promising material for use in low‐power‐consumption devices for next‐generation flat‐panel displays and light sources.     

A neural networks approach for forecasting the supplier’s bid prices in supplier selection negotiation process

Supplier selection negotiation is a sophisticated and challenged job due to the diversity of intellectual backgrounds of the negotiating parties, the many variables involved in supply–demand relationship, the complex interactions and the inadequate negotiation knowledge of project participants. To do the job well, it is necessary to develop an intelligent system for negotiation support in supplier selection process. Therefore, an artificial neural network-based predictive model with application for forecasting the supplier’s bid prices in supplier selection negotiation process (SSNP) is developed in this paper. By means of the model, demander can foresee the relationship between its alternative bids and corresponding supplier’s next bid prices in advance. The purpose of this paper is applying the model’s forecast ability to provide negotiation supports or recommendations for demander in deciding the better current bid price to decrease meaningless negotiation times, reduce procurement cost, improve negotiation efficiency or shorten supplier selection lead-time in SSNP.     

Root Locus for Random Reference Tracking in Systems With Saturating Actuators

This paper develops a root locus technique for random reference tracking in systems with saturating actuators. This is accomplished by introducing the notion of S-poles, which are the poles of the quasilinear system obtained by applying the method of stochastic linearization to the original system with saturation. The path traced by the S-poles on the complex plane when the gain of the controller changes from 0 to infin is the S-root locus. We show that the S-root locus is a subset of the standard root locus, which may terminate prematurely in the so-called termination points. A method for calculating these points is presented and a number of other, more subtle, differences between the usual and the S-root loci are described. In addition, the issue of amplitude truncation in terms of the S-root locus is investigated. Finally, an application of the S-root locus to hard disk drive controller design is presented.     

Miscibility of poly (etherimide) and poly (butylene naphthalate) blends

Summary Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were performed to characterize the miscibility of a blend system comprising poly (butylene naphthalate) (PBN) and poly (ether imide) (PEI). DSC scans showed there was only one single Tg for each blend and the glass transitions increase monotonously with the increase of PEI content. The glass transition temperatures of the blends fitted the Fox equation well implying that the blends exhibited fine segmental scale of mixing. No lower critical solution temperature (LCST) was observed by OM for the blends. SEM micrographs showed the fracture surface of quenched sample exhibited a homogeneous structure. No obvious IR peak shift of C=O absorption at 1780 cm⁻¹ was observed suggesting a relatively low level of specific interaction between two molecules. It was concluded that these blends were miscible with non-specific intermolecular interactions. Received: 5 January 2001/Accepted: 27 February 2001     

Water–alcohol separation by pervaporation through zeolite‐modified poly(amidesulfonamide)

Pervaporation membranes were fabricated by blending different amount of zeolite NaA or NaX with three types of poly(amidesulfonamide) (PASA). The zeolite‐filled membranes were characterized by IR spectroscopy, SEM, sorption measurements, and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction. By adding the proper amount of NaA into the polymer casting solutions, the resultant zeolite‐filled membranes exhibited improvement in both selectivity and permeability in the separation of 10% aqueous solutions of ethanol and propan‐1‐ol, as compared with the zeolite free membrane. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 82: 1323–1329, 2001