On Projection Matrices $$\mathcal{P}^k \to \mathcal{P}^2 ,k = 3,...,6, $$ and their Applications in Computer Vision

Projection matrices from projective spaces have long been used in multiple-view geometry to model the perspective projection created by the pin-hole camera. In this work we introduce higher-dimensional mappings for the representation of various applications in which the world we view is no longer rigid. We also describe the multi-view constraints from these new projection matrices (where k > 3) and methods for extracting the (non-rigid) structure and motion for each application.     

Generalized Multiple Baseline Stereo and Direct Virtual View Synthesis Using Range-Space Search, Match, and Render

A new range-space approach is described for synergistic resolution of both stereovision and reflectance (visual) modeling problems simultaneously. This synergistic approach can be applied to arbitrary camera arrangements with different intrinsic and extrinsic parameters, image types, image resolutions, and image number. These images are analyzed in a step-wise manner to extract 3-D range measurements and also to render a customized perspective view. The entire process is fully automatic. An extensive and detailed experimental validation phase supports the basic feasibility and generality of the Range-Space Approach.     

Reconstructing Open Surfaces from Image Data

In this paper a method for fitting open surfaces to data obtained from images is presented using a level set representation of the surface. This is done by tracking a curve, representing the boundary, on the implicitly defined surface. This curve is given as the intersection of the level set describing the surface and an auxiliary level set. These two level sets are propagated using the same motion vector field. Special care has to be taken in order for the surfaces not to intersect at other places than at the desired boundary. Methods for accomplishing this are presented and a fast scheme for finding initial values is proposed. This method gives a piecewise linear approximation of the initial surface boundary using a partition of the convex hull of the recovered 3D data. With the approach described in this paper, open surfaces can be fitted to e.g. point clouds obtained using structure from motion techniques. This paper solves an important practical problem since in many cases the surfaces in the scene are open or can only be viewed from certain directions. Experiments on several data sets support the method.     

Canada's Medicare--At the crossroads?

Canadians' support for the underlying values and structures of medicare still remains extremely high, according to all recent public opinion studies. However, their confidence is being tested by the persistent advocacy that increased private-for-profit payment and delivery be introduced in order to guarantee medicare's future sustainability. Patience is further being challenged as the public eagerly awaits (but does not yet sees) productive reforms actually being implemented into the system. Delay erodes public support. Alternative "solutions" gain currency. Thus, the public-private debate must be engaged fully and emerge from the shadows of public policy so that Canadians can determine its efficacy and its compatibility with our society's values. Therefore, the long overdue reforms also need to be advanced. One of the most urgent reforms to medicare should address mental health needs and concerns, which I have described as being "an orphan of medicare." An essential first step would be to construct a basic platform of care and research on issues of mental health. This platform would provide necessary, immediate services for those in need and, at another level, would provide the impetus for further solutions to the wide-ranging needs in this field. Overall, the snail's pace of reforms has caused many Canadians to speculate that the future of medicare is at the crossroads on mental health policies and other issues, like accountability, quality, adequate reporting and health outcomes. The time to act is now. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Analytic complexities associated with group therapy in substance abuse treatment research: Problems, recommendations, and future directions.

In community-based alcoholism and drug abuse treatment programs, the vast majority of interventions are delivered in a group therapy context. In turn, treatment providers and funding agencies have called for more research on interventions delivered in groups in an effort to make the emerging empirical literature on the treatment of substance abuse more ecologically valid. Unfortunately, the complexity of data structures derived from therapy groups (because of member interdependence and changing membership over time) and the present lack of statistically valid and generally accepted approaches to analyzing these data have had a significant stifling effect on group therapy research. This article (a) describes the analytic challenges inherent in data generated from therapy groups, (b) outlines common (but flawed) analytic and design approaches investigators often use to address these issues (e.g., ignoring group-level nesting, treating data from therapy groups with changing membership as fully hierarchical), and (c) provides recommendations for handling data from therapy groups using presently available methods. In addition, promising data-analytic frameworks that may eventually serve as foundations for the development of more appropriate analytic methods for data from group therapy research (i.e., nonhierarchical data modeling, pattern-mixture approaches) are also briefly described. Although there are other substantial obstacles that impede rigorous research on therapy groups (e.g., evaluation and measurement of group process, limited control over treatment delivery ingredients), addressing data-analytic problems is critical for improving the accuracy of statistical inferences made from research on ecologically valid group-based substance abuse interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Group psychotherapy focusing on self-concept change following acquired brain injury: A pilot investigation.

Objective: The current study explored the effectiveness of a group therapy intervention that was focused specifically on self-concept changes following acquired brain injury (ABI). Method: Eighteen individuals in the postacute phase of recovery underwent a 6-week group therapy intervention and were administered a self-concept measure before and after the intervention. Results: Group members showed a significant increase (improvement) in self-concept ratings at the end of the group intervention. Conclusions: Although the results of this study suggest that this intervention may be helpful in improving self-concept following ABI, further exploration is clearly warranted. Future research is needed to investigate the impact of self-concept on emotional adjustment, participation in rehabilitation activities, and functional outcome. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

基于光纤传感器的多通道油位测量系统

本文介绍一种利用光纤传感器组成的多罐体油位测量系统，它利用油面对光纤入射光的反射原理实现对油位的测量，并使用频分复用技术分别取出多个传感器的输出信号，并同时可以增大测量的安全区域。文中详细论述了油位信息检测、处理电路的原理，给出了整体电路设计框图和软件流程。实验结果表明，系统油位测量范围为20cm～200cm，测量精度可达1％。     

一种适合3G网络传输的H.264 实时视频容错编码

为了在3G网络上传输H.264实时视频流,提出了一种鲁棒性容错编码策略.该系统首先将视频序列分成两个子序列分别进行编码,并在不同路径中传输,以降低因信道突发错误而造成连续丢包的概率,对丢失的数据则采用高精度的双向加权运动补偿进行预测.为了使出错子流快速恢复正常解码状态,采用多参考帧策略,使用正确解码子流的参考帧作为出错子流的参考帧来进行预测编码,以消除误差扩散.实验结果表明,该方法在无线网络环境中不仅能有效地抵抗误码和丢包对传输图像质量的影响,而且能保证视频流的正常播放和改善图像质量.与相关方法比较,该方法提高重建图像质量超过0.6dB.     

基于整车配送的多仓库开路VRPTW问题的研究与实现

以整车销售物流为背景，探讨多仓库带时窗约束的车辆路线安排问题的解决方法．提出了更为复杂的基于现实的细节性要求的多配送中心开路VRPTW问题模型，并将遗传算法产生部分解和评估完整解的优化解决方法和涌现交叉算子MX1引入到带时窗的多仓库VRP问题优化中，实现了快速全局优化．提出的开路混合配送方法有利于提高车辆满载率，降低回程空载率．同时实现了运输资源的优化配置，提高车辆利用率．计算机仿真实验证明了算法的可行性．     

一种大容量的串联型有源电力滤波器

为了能制造出大容量的串联型有源电力滤波器,提出了在串联变压器二次侧设计有多个绕组,每个绕组配置一个逆变器单元。该单元向相应的二次侧注入幅值相同、相位相反的基波电流,在补偿系数等于1或略大于1时,在串联变压器一次侧对基波呈近似为0的阻抗,而对谐波呈现高阻抗,从而迫使谐波流入无源支路。实验结果证明了原理分析的正确性。