A new real-time retinal tracking system for image-guided laser treatment

A new system is proposed for tracking sensitive areas in the retina for computer-assisted laser treatment of choroidal neovascularization (CNV). The system consists of a fundus camera using red-free illumination mode interfaced to a computer that allows real-time capturing of video input. The first image acquired is used as the reference image and utilized by the treatment physician for treatment planning. A grid of seed contours over the whole image is initiated and allowed to deform by splitting and/or merging according to preset criteria until the whole vessel tree is demarcated. Then, the image is filtered using a one-dimensional Gaussian filter in two perpendicular directions to extract the core areas of such vessels. Faster segmentation can be obtained for subsequent images by automatic registration to compensate for eye movement and saccades. An efficient registration technique is developed whereby some landmarks are detected in the reference frame then tracked in the subsequent frames. Using the relation between these two sets of corresponding points, an optimal transformation can be obtained. The implementation details of proposed strategy are presented and the obtained results indicate that it is suitable for real-time location determination and tracking of treatment positions.     

Air cargo pickup schedule for single delivery location

In this paper, various deterministic models for determining optimal pickup times for air cargo from an airport and delivering it to a local distribution center for a global manufacturer are presented. The arrival times of the flights that can potentially bring air cargo are assumed to be deterministic and known. In addition, the custom clearance time for the air cargo and the traveling time from the airport to the local distribution center are assumed to be deterministic and known. These models are formulated mathematically as linear binary integer programming models without air cargo weight considerations. Deterministic formulations without air cargo weight information are shown to be related to the p-Median problem. The deterministic formulation of air cargo pickup times with air cargo weight consideration is shown to be a nonlinear binary integer programming model. The solutions of these models serve as an initial starting point to solve the stochastic problem with random arrival times of the flights and random custom clearance times and travel times.     

Distributed Video Production: Tasks,Architecture and QoS Provisioning

In this paper, we apply a top-down approach to describe the architecture components of Distributed video production (DVP) systems. We first introduce the concept of a Distributed video production environment and describe typical DVP tasks involved. We then propose a generic layered functional model that captures the characteristics of the DVP architecture. Subsequently, we identify system and network performance parameters and discuss possible network protocol stack realizations for the transport of DVP traffic. Finally, we propose a quality of service-sensitive model for resource allocation and optimization.     

A study of the evolution of the constituent phases and magnetic properties of hydrogen-treated Sr-hexaferrite during calcination

A hydrogen treatment followed by calcination, has been developed in order to enhance the intrinsic coercivity of Sr-hexaferrite (SrFe₁₂O₁₉). Fully hydrogen-treated Sr-hexaferrite consists of a mixture of 73%, by weight, of Fe and 27% of Sr₇Fe₁₀O₂₂ phases. Calcination of this material to reform the SrFe₁₂O₁₉ phase occurs in two stages. Between room temperature and 600°C, oxygen was absorbed resulting in a large increase in weight with the formation of a mixture of SrFeO_3–x and Fe₂O₃( and ). During the second stage, the intermediate phases reacted to form SrFe₁₂O₁₉ at a temperature of between 700 and 800°C. A partial desorption of oxygen occurred until calcination reached completion at 1000°C. The magnetization at 1100 kA m^–1 and the remanence were similar to those of the untreated material, but, because of a much refined grain size, the intrinsic coercivity was considerably larger, with values around 400 kA m^–1. Grain growth occurs at temperatures > 1000°C, resulting in a decrease in the intrinsic coercivity.     

Speech synthesizers-talking computers: development and impact on industrial engineering

The paper includes a brief explanation of the speech production process in man, a historical view of speech synthesis, and four types of electronic synthesizers in use today. Also included is a brief presentration on phonetics, the study of speech sounds. Possible applications of speech synthesizers in industrial engineering practice and in engineering jobs for the visually handicapped are presented.     

Determination of the optical properties of a two-layer tissue model by detecting photons migrating at progressively increasing depths

We have investigated a method for solving the inverse problem of determining the optical properties of a two-layer turbid model. The method is based on deducing the optical properties (OPs) of the top layer from the absolute spatially resolved reflectance that results from photon migration within only the top layer by use of a multivariate calibration model. Then the OPs of the bottom layer are deduced from relative frequency-domain (FD) reflectance measurements by use of the two-layer FD diffusion model. The method was validated with Monte Carlo FD reflectance profiles and experimental measurements of two-layer phantoms. The results showed that the method is useful for two-layer models with interface depths of >5 mm; the OPs were estimated, within a relatively short time (<1 min), with a mean error of <10% for the Monte Carlo reflectance profiles and with errors of <25% for the phantom measurements.     

Active vibration control of an arbitrary thick smart cylindrical panel with optimally placed piezoelectric sensor/actuator pairs

Active vibration suppression of a simply supported, arbitrarily thick, transversely isotropic circular cylindrical host panel, integrated with spatially distributed piezoelectric actuator and sensor layers, is investigated based on the linear three dimensional exact piezo-elasticity theory. To assist control system design, system identification is conducted by applying a frequency domain subspace approximation method based on N4SID algorithm using the first few structural modes of the system. The state space model is constructed from system identification and used for state estimation and development of control algorithm. The optimal electrode configuration for the collocated piezoelectric actuator–sensor pair is found by applying a genetic optimization procedure based on maximization of a quantifiable objective function considering the controllability, observability and spillover prevention of the identified system. A linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) optimal controller is subsequently designed and simulated based on the identified model of optimally configured smart structure in order to actively control the system response in both frequency and time domains. The dynamic performance and effectiveness of the optimized vibration control system is demonstrated for two different types of external mechanical excitations (i.e., impulsive load and white noise disturbance). The accuracy of dynamic analysis is established with the aid of a commercial finite element package and the data available in the literature.     

Trust estimation of the semantic web using semantic web clustering

Abstract

Development of semantic web and social network is undeniable in the Internet world these days. Widespread nature of semantic web has been very challenging to assess the trust in this field. In recent years, extensive researches have been done to estimate the trust of semantic web. Since trust of semantic web is a multidimensional problem, in this paper, we used parameters of social network authority, the value of pages links authority and semantic authority to assess the trust. Due to the large space of semantic network, we considered the problem scope to the clusters of semantic subnetworks and obtained the trust of each cluster elements as local and calculated the trust of outside resources according to their local trusts and trust of clusters to each other. According to the experimental result, the proposed method shows more than 79% Fscore that is about 11.9% in average more than Eigen, Tidal and centralised trust methods. Mean of error in this proposed method is 12.936, that is 9.75% in average less than Eigen and Tidal trust methods.     

Using class-based feature selection for the classification of hyperspectral data

The rapid advances in hyperspectral sensing technology have made it possible to collect remote-sensing data in hundreds of bands. However, the data-analysis methods that have been successfully applied to multispectral data are often limited in achieving satisfactory results for hyperspectral data. The major problem is the high dimensionality, which deteriorates the classification due to the Hughes Phenomenon. In order to avoid this problem, a large number of algorithms have been proposed, so far, for feature reduction. Based on the concept of multiple classifiers, we propose a new schema for the feature selection procedure. In this framework, instead of using feature selection for whole classes, we adopt feature selection for each class separately. Thus different subsets of features are selected at the first step. Once the feature subsets are selected, a Bayesian classifier is trained on each of these feature subsets. Finally, a combination mechanism is used to combine the outputs of these classifiers. Experiments are carried out on an Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectroradiometer (AVIRIS) data set. Encouraging results have been obtained in terms of classification accuracy, suggesting the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms.