Robust facial landmarking for registration

Finding landmark positions on facial images is an important step in face registration and normalization, for both 2D and 3D face recognition. In this paper, we inspect shortcomings of existing approaches in the literature and compare several methods for performing automatic landmarking on near-frontal faces in different scales. Two novel methods have been employed to analyze facial features in coarse and fine scales successively. The first method uses a mixture of factor analyzers to learn Gabor filter outputs on a coarse scale. The second method is a template matching of block-based Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) features. In addition, a structural analysis subsystem is proposed that can determine false matches, and correct their positions.     

Inspection of an underwater structure using point‐cloud SLAM with an AUV and a laser scanner

This paper presents experimental results using a newly developed 3D underwater laser scanner mounted on an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) for real‐time simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM). The algorithm consists of registering point clouds using a dual step procedure. First, a feature‐based coarse alignment is performed, which is then refined using iterative closest point. The robot position is estimated using an extended Kalman filter (EKF) that fuses the data coming from navigation sensors of the AUV. Moreover, the pose from where each point cloud was collected is also stored in the pose‐based EKF‐SLAM state vector. The results of the registration algorithm are used as constraint observations among the different poses within the state vector, solving the full‐SLAM problem. The method is demonstrated using the Girona 500 AUV, equipped with a laser scanner and inspecting a 3D sub‐sea infrastructure inside a water tank. Our results prove that it is possible to limit the navigation drift and deliver a consistent high‐accuracy 3D map of the inspected object.     

Geometry of the Icosikaidigon in Orvieto Cathedral

The rose window on the main façade of Orvieto cathedral is unique because its design is based on a 22-sided polygon. It is well known that the icosikaidigon cannot be constructed using only a compass and a straightedge. Therefore, using a geometric/statistical approach, we intend to unveil which approximate construction method was used by the sculptor to draw this unique rose window.     

Factors Affecting the Success of a Construction Project

Different researchers have tried to determine the factors for a successful project for a long time. Lists of variables have been abounded in the literature, however, no general agreement can be made. The aim of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework on critical success factors (CSFs). Seven major journals in the construction field are chosen to review the previous works on project success. Five major groups of independent variables, namely project-related factors, project procedures, project management actions, human-related factors, and external environment are identified as crucial to project success. Further study on the key performance indicators (KPIs) is needed to identify the causal relationships between CSFs and KPIs. The causal relationships, once identified, will be a useful piece of information to implement a project successfully.     

C- and C-continuous spline-interpolation of a regular triangular net of points

The investigations focus on the construction of a C^k-continuous (k=0,1,2) interpolating spline-surface for a given data set consisting of points P_ijk arranged in a regular triangular net and corresponding barycentric parameter triples (u_i,v_j,w_k). We try to generalize an algorithm by A.W. Overhauser who solved the analogous problem for the case of a univariate data set. As a straightforward generalization does not work out we adapt the Overhauser-construction. We use some blending of basic surfaces with uniquely determined basic functions. This yields a spline-surface with a polynomial parametric representation which display C¹- or C²-continuity along the common curve of two adjacent sub-patches. Local control of the emerging spline surface is provided which means moving one data point P changes only some of the sub-patches around P and does not affect regions lying far away.     

Die physikalischen Grundlagen der Siedekühlung und ihre Anwendung beim Bau einer Kühlvorrichtung für Werkstoffprüfmaschinen

Physikalische Vorgänge beim Wärmeaustausch zwischen einem festen Körper und einer Kühlflüssigkeit bei der Siedekühlung. Behinderung des Wärmeaustausches bei Entstehung eines Dampffilmes auf der Grenzfläche. Abhängigkeit der Dampffilmbildung von der Oberflächenbeschaffenheit des Körpers und Einfluß schlecht wärmeleitender Deckschichten. Wärmeflußmessungen bei Deckschichten unterschiedlicher Art. Kühlvorrichtung zur stufenlosen Einstellung von Temperaturen zwischen 77 und 320 K für Werkstoffuntersuchungen in Zug und Biegeversuchen.     

Analysis of clinical and environmental strains of nontoxigenic Vibrio cholerae for susceptibility to CTXPhi: molecular basis for origination of new strains with epidemic potential

Toxigenic Vibrio cholerae strains are lysogens of CTXPhi, a filamentous phage which encodes cholera toxin. The receptor for CTXPhi for invading V. cholerae cells is the toxin-coregulated pilus (TCP), the genes for which reside in a larger genetic element, the TCP pathogenicity island. We analyzed 146 CTX-negative strains of V. cholerae O1 or non-O1 isolated from patients or surface waters in five different countries for the presence of the TCP pathogenicity island, the regulatory gene toxR, and the CTXPhi attachment sequence attRS, as well as for susceptibility of the strains to CTXPhi, to investigate the molecular basis for the emergence of new clones of toxigenic V. cholerae. DNA probe or PCR assays for tcpA, tcpI, acfB, toxR, and attRS revealed that 6.85% of the strains, all of which belonged to the O1 serogroup, carried the TCP pathogenicity island, toxR, and multiple copies of attRS, whereas the remaining 93.15% of the strains were negative for TCP but positive for either one or both or neither of toxR and attRS. An analysis of the strains for susceptibility to CTXPhi, using a genetically marked derivative of the phage CTX-KmPhi, showed that all TCP-positive CTX-negative strains and 1 of 136 TCP-negative strains were infected by the phage either in vitro or in the intestines of infant mice. The phage genome integrated into the chromosome of infected V. cholerae O1 cells forming stable lysogens. Comparative analysis of rRNA gene restriction patterns revealed that the lysogens derived from nontoxigenic progenitors were either closely related to or distinctly different from previously described clones of toxigenic V. cholerae. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of lysogenic conversion of naturally occurring nontoxigenic V. cholerae strains by CTXPhi. The results of this study further indicated that strains belonging to the O1 serogroup of V. cholerae are more likely to possess the TCP pathogenicity island and hence to be infected by CTXPhi, leading to the origination of potential new epidemic clones.     

Trauma-induced weight loss and cognitive deficits among former prisoners of war.

Former prisoners of war (POWs) from the Korean Conflict and WWII reporting confinement weight losses of >35% (n?=?60) and ≤35% (n?=?113) and non-POW combat veterans (n?=?50) were compared on Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised (WAIS—R) and Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS) Logical Memory indices. High weight-loss POWs performed more poorly than combat veterans on Performance IQ, Arithmetic, Similarities, and Picture Completion subtests, Witkin-Goodenough Attention–Concentration Factor, and WMS Immediate and Delayed Recall and more poorly than low weight-loss POWs on Arithmetic, Attention–Concentration Factor, and the WMS immediate memory measure. Low weight-loss POWs and combat veterans differed only on WMS immediate memory. Findings support the hypothesis of P. Thygesen et al (1970) that severity of POW confinement stress reflected by trauma-induced weight-loss is predictive of long-term compromise in cognitive performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

In-Situ Annealing Study of Transformation of α and γ Texture of Interstitial-Free Steel Sheet by High-Energy X-Ray Diffraction

 High-energy synchrotron diffraction offers great potential for experimental study of recrystallization kinetics. An experimental design to study the recrystallization mechanism of interstitial-free (IF) steel was implemented. The whole annealing process of cold-rolled IF steel with 80% reduction was observed in situ using high-energy X-ray diffraction (HEXRD). The results show how the main texture component of IF steel change, i. e. the α ［<110>∥rolling direction (RD)］ fiber texture decreases and the γ ［<111>∥normal direction (ND)］ fiber texture increases. The important part of the α fiber texture is that both the {100}<011> and {112}<011> texture decrease at the beginning of recrystallization. The γ fiber texture increases at the early stage of recrystallization which stems from the increase of {111}<112>. Nevertheless, the {111}<110> does not change after recrystallization. The dynamic evolution of the main texture components {100}<011>, {112}<011>, {111}<112> and {111}<110> is given by in-situ HEXRD.