Gaining insight for the design,development, deployment and distribution of assistive navigation systems for blind and visually impaired people through a detailed user requirements elicitation

Universal Access in the Information Society - The autonomy, independence, productivity and, in general, quality of life of people with visual impairments often rely significantly on their ability...     

A holistic approach for personalization,relevance feedback & recommendation in enriched multimedia content

As the prerequisites of production houses, broadcasters, advertising agencies and online publishing companies for enriched multimedia content increase rapidly, the need of innovative methods for the effective creation of enriched multimedia content is undeniable. Stemming from this need, in this paper we focus on the design, development and evaluation of a framework consisting of personalization, relevance feedback and recommendation mechanisms, as a principal method for the creation of enriched multimedia content targeted to each user’s needs, preferences and interests. As the multimedia content proliferates along with its consumption by the users, more effective ways of presenting it to the viewers are demanded in order to facilitate them with the multimedia content search and selection and improve their Quality of Experience (QoE). The main contribution of the paper is the introduction of a holistic framework that offers personalized enriched multimedia content, by extending the recommendation process to the set of enrichments that accompany the video except from the video itself and by collecting explicit and implicit relevance feedback from the interactions of the user with both the video and its enrichments. We evaluate the proposed framework following a two-step approach. Firstly, we perform extended experiments by applying reasonably simulated user interactions, in order to calibrate its parameters that refer to multiple aspects of the enriched multimedia content, aiming at high performance in terms of QoE. Here, most importantly, we have shown that appropriately designing the enrichments and considering users’ interactions with them allows for achieving a better quality in inferring users’ profiles in many realistic cases. Secondly, we integrated our proposed recommender framework within the MECANEX streaming platform in order to perform user studies about its usability within a realistic environment of use.     

Hybrid-SBST Methodology for Efficient Testing of Processor Cores

In this article, we introduce a hybrid-SBST methodology for efficient testing of commercial processor cores that effectively uses the advantages of various SBST methodologies. Self-test programs based on deterministic structural SBST methodologies combined with verification-based self-test code development and directed RTPG constitute a very effective H-SBST test strategy. The proposed methodology applies directed RTPG as a supplement to improve overall fault coverage results after component-based self-test code development has been performed.     

A general factorization method for multivariable polynomials

The problem of factorizing a multivariable or multidimensional (m-D) polynomialf (z ₁,z ₂, ...,z _m ), with real or complex coefficients and independent variables, into a number of m-D polynomial factors that may involve any independent variable or combination of them is considered. The only restriction imposed is that all factors should be linear in one and the same variable (sayz ₁). This type of factorization is very near to the most general type: $$\begin{gathered} f(z_1 ,z_2 , \ldots ,z_m ) = \prod\limits_{i = 1}^{N_1 } {\lbrack {\mathop \sum \limits_{\epsilon _1 = 0}^{\epsilon _{i,1} } \cdots \mathop \sum \limits_{\epsilon _m = 0}^{\epsilon _{i,m} } a_{i;\epsilon _1 ,\epsilon _2 , \ldots ,\epsilon _m } z_1^{\epsilon _1 } \cdots z_m^{\epsilon _m } + c_i } \rbrack} \hfill \\ (\epsilon _1 , \ldots ,\epsilon _m ) \neq (0, \ldots ,0) \hfill \\ \end{gathered}$$ and appears to be the most general type available. The method is first briefly sketched for the convenience of the reader, and then is presented in detailed form through a number of theorems. These theorems provide a clear algorithmic way for the factorization, which may be automated via a suitable computer code. The factorization of m-D polynomials simplifies the stability analysis and the realization of m-D systems, as well as the solution of distributed parameters systems.     

Sampling and dilution of nanoparticles at high temperature

Sampling and dilution of flame-generated, fractal-like ZrO₂ aerosols is investigated by aerosol mass/mobility measurements and microscopy. Two broadly used sampler configurations, a straight-tube (ST) and a hole-in-a-tube (HiaT), at three different in-flow orientations and hole diameters are evaluated. The mobility size distributions, mass-mobility exponent, D_fm, prefactor, k_fm, and average primary particle diameter are obtained at 10–60 cm height above the burner (HAB) of fuel-rich (hot) and fuel-lean (cold) spray flames by differential mobility analyzer (DMA) and aerosol particle mass (APM) measurements using a recent power law for fractal-like particles. The primary particle diameter, agglomerate size distributions, and corresponding standard deviations from aerosol measurements are compared to those by counting images of particles collected by thermophoretic sampling along the flame centerline. Once new particle formation is completed in the flame, both sampler configurations result in nearly identical particle size distributions. Furthermore, all HiaT samplers result in similar mobility size distributions at all orientations, regardless of hole size. Sampling using a downstream in-flow hole orientation results in slightly larger Sauter mean diameters than those obtained by upstream or sidestream ones, especially for the cold flame. Additionally, a correlation is developed by Discrete Element Modeling (DEM) for the agglomerate D_fm evolution to its asymptotic value of 2.2 as function of the average number of primary particles per agglomerate, n_va, or the relative particle density with pre-exponential constant k_fm = 1.18, regardless of primary particle size. This is in good agreement with an experimentally obtained correlation in terms of relative particle density as well as with experimental data for ZrO₂, Ag, and Cu nanoparticles.

© 2016 American Association for Aerosol Research     

久旱不雨,天降甘霖

评委评语里伯斯金：该作品不同于传统设计,它试图解决很多城市问题,而不仅仅是设计一个漂亮的房子或漂亮的城市。设计者基于一个国家为背景,试图以积极的方式,如新型的水系统,超前的城市设计以及连接旧城市结构的方式,重新将分裂的民族和历史联系起来,超乎寻常的设计理念超岀了我们每一个人的想象,。     

Shelf life extension of ground meat stored at 4 °C using chitosan and an oxygen absorber

The combined effect of chitosan (1%) and an oxygen absorber on shelf life extension of fresh ground meat stored at 4 °C was investigated. Parameters monitored over a 10‐day storage period were Total Viable Count (TVC), Pseudomonas spp., Brochothrix thermosphacta, lactic acid bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, pH, thiobarbituric acid (TBA), colour, odour and taste. Microbial populations were reduced by 0.4–2.0 log CFU g^?1 for a given sampling day using either chitosan or the oxygen absorber, with the more pronounced effect being achieved by the combination of two. Thiobarbituric acid values for all samples increased during storage with the exception of samples treated with both chitosan and the oxygen absorber in which Thiobarbituric acid values decreased. Changes in pH values with time/different treatments were statistically insignificant. Colour parameters were affected by most treatments. On the basis of microbiological and sensory evaluation, a shelf life extension of 5–6 days was obtained for samples treated with the chitosan and the oxygen absorber combination.     

The Public Image(s) of Science and Technology in the Greek Daily Press, 1908-1910

Abstract.   This paper discusses the results of our analysis of over 2,500 articles related to science and technology found in the daily newspapers Embros and Skrip , between 1908 and 1910. In view of the importance of this historical period for Greece, we examine the public images(s) of science and technology and interpret the multifaceted discourse used by journalists when accounting for science and technology in their articles. From the wide range of articles studied, we have discerned four broad themes: the introduction and cultural appropriation of new technologies in Greek cities, the concern with public hygiene and general health issues, attempts to control Nature, and lastly the presentation of the scientific and technological advances taking place abroad. Our empirical study has shown that (1) all scientific and technical fields were covered in both newspapers, (2) science and technology were not only addressed in special columns dealing with science popularization, but permeated the entire newspaper, (3) the term 'science', with all its derivatives, was used for science proper, but also in expressions employed in order to write about the advanced technology of the period, (4) the concept of science was associated with the notion of modernity and that of progress.