Towards a super-resolution based approach for improved face recognition in low resolution environment

Multimedia Tools and Applications - The video surveillance activity generates a vast amount of data, which can be processed to detect miscreants. The task of identifying and recognizing an object...     

QoS-Aware Optical Fog-Assisted Cyber-Physical System in the 5G Ready Heterogeneous Network

Wireless Personal Communications - In recent years, the emergence of Internet of things and cyber-physical system provide a proactive and efficacious solution to enable remote monitoring, machine...     

Spray dryer processed graphene oxide/reduced graphene oxide for high-performance supercapacitor

This study deals with the utility of mini spray dryer process to improve the dispersibility, of graphene oxide(GO) and its application for high-performance supercapacitor. Initially, the neutral solution of GO was obtained using the modified Hummer's method. After this, the prepared GO solution was processed by mini spray dryer to obtain a more purified, lighter, and dispersed form of GO which is named as spray dryer processed GO (SPGO). The SPGO thus obtained showed excellent dispersibility behavior with various solvents, which is not found in case of conventional oven drying. Furthermore, utility of SPGO and its reduced form (r-SPGO) for supercapacitor applications have been investigated. Results obtained from the cyclic voltammetry(CV) analysis, impedance, and charge-discharge behavior of supercapacitor fabricated using r-SPGO shows enhanced features. Therefore, the simple spray dried GO and its reduced form, that is, r-SPGO can be utilized as a potential candidate for the supercapacitor application. Herein, as synthesized SPGO exhibited the specific capacitance of 12.07 and 37.6 F/g with PVA-H₃PO₄ and 1 mol/L H₃PO₄, respectively, at a scan rate of 5 mV/s. On the other hand, reduced form of SPGO, that is, r-SPGO showed the specific capacitance of 27.16 and 230 F/g with PVA-H₃PO₄ and 1 mol/L H₃PO₄, respectively.     

Synthesis and characterization of poly(ethylene aspartate)-metal complexes

Poly(ethylene aspartate) [PEA] was synthesized by the melt condensation of D,L-aspartic acid and ethylene glycol. PEA containing pendent amino and carbonyl groups in its repeating chain was used as the polymeric ligand for complexation with transition metal ions, viz. Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Mn(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), Ca(II), Mg(II), Pb(II) and Hg(II). Complexation was found to be most effective in DMSO. The resulting polyester-metal complexes were solid coloured materials which have been characterized by IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis and magnetic susceptibility measurements. The thermal stability of the polyester-metal complexes was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). On the basis of the physico-chemical studies, an oxygen and nitrogen coordinated structure for the polyester-metal complexes is proposed.     

Test Generation for Crosstalk-Induced Faults: Framework and Computational Results

Due to technology scaling and increasing clock frequency, problems due to noise effects lead to an increase in design/debugging efforts and a decrease in circuit performance. This paper addresses the problem of efficiently and accurately generating two-vector tests for crosstalk induced effects, such as pulses, signal speedup and slowdown, in digital combinational circuits. These noise effects can propagate through a circuit and create a logic error in a latch or at a primary output. We have developed a mixed-signal test generator, called XGEN, that incorporates classical static values as well as dynamic signals such as transitions and pulses, and timing information such as signal arrival times, rise/fall times, and gate delay. In this paper we first discuss the general framework of the test generation algorithm followed by computational results. Comparison of results with SPICE simulations confirms the accuracy of this approach.     

Wind flow patterns about buildings

A knowledge of building wake characteristics is useful in a variety of applications including dispersion of pollutants downwind of conventional or nuclear power plants, airport runway interference effect, take-off/landing limitations at heliports, pedestrian wind comfort, and wind loads on structures. Recent investigations have advanced both understanding of physical flow processes occurring in the near and far wake regions and theoretical predictive capability for flow and diffusion in the far wake region. These studies have shown, for example, that separation cavities immediately downwind are not enclosed by free streamlines as in two-dimensional separation/reattachment, that organized vortices can play an important role in wake development, and that theoretical solutions for some wake regions are possible.     

Patients' awareness of stroke signs, symptoms, and risk factors

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We sought to determine knowledge at the time of symptom onset regarding the signs, symptoms, and risk factors of stroke in patients presenting to the emergency department with potential stroke. METHODS: Patients admitted from the emergency department with possible stroke were identified prospectively. A standardized, structured interview with open-ended questions was performed within 48 hours of symptom onset to assess patients' knowledge base concerning stroke signs, symptoms, and risk factors. RESULTS: Of the 174 eligible patients, 163 patients were able to respond to the interview questions. Of these 163 patients, 39% (63) did not know a single sign or symptom of stroke. Unilateral weakness (26%) and numbness (22%) were the most frequently noted symptoms. Patients aged > or = 65 years were less likely to know a sign or symptom of stroke than those aged < 65 years (percentage not knowing a single sign or symptom, 47% versus 28%, P = .016). Similarly, 43% of patients did not know a single risk factor for stroke. The elderly were less likely to know a risk factor than their younger counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: Almost 40% of patients admitted with a possible stroke did not know the signs, symptoms, or risk factor of a stroke. Further public education is needed to increase awareness of the warning signs and risk factors of stroke.     

Polymer-Based Ion Trap Chemical Sensor

Ion traps are widely used in chemical analysis, and they are especially important in current attempts to miniaturize mass spectrometers to create portable instruments. The ultimate aim is to build a handheld device that would require a smaller mass analyzer. To accomplish this task, a robust precision fabrication procedure is desired. In this paper, the authors report a new approach to fabricating ion traps using stereolithography apparatus (SLA), which provides precision monolithic fabrication. An SLA-fabricated rectilinear ion trap, which employs a very simple electrode geometry, is shown to provide detection capabilities within a useful mass range encompassing that of interest in the detection of numerous volatile organic compounds, including those relevant to homeland security applications. Single small ion traps and integrated trap arrays can be made through this approach, which allows higher operating pressures and reduced power requirements     

Space and time efficient parallel algorithms and software for EST clustering

Expressed sequence tags, abbreviated as ESTs, are DNA molecules experimentally derived from expressed portions of genes. Clustering of ESTs is essential for gene recognition and for understanding important genetic variations such as those resulting in diseases. We present the algorithmic foundations and implementation of PaCE, a parallel software system we developed for large-scale EST clustering. The novel features of our approach include 1) design of space-efficient algorithms to limit the space required to linear in the size of the input data set, 2) a combination of algorithmic techniques to reduce the total work without sacrificing the quality of EST clustering, and 3) use of parallel processing to reduce runtime and facilitate clustering of large data sets. Using a combination of these techniques, we report the clustering of 327,632 rat ESTs in 47 minutes, and 420,694 Triticum aestivum ESTs in 3 hours and 15 minutes, using a 60-processor IBM xSeries cluster. These problems are well beyond the capabilities of state-of-the-art sequential software. We also present thorough experimental evaluation of our software including quality assessment using benchmark Arabidopsis EST data.     

沉默的文化——妇女的住房和土地权利

我们即将对第四届妇女大会（北京）召开十年以来的妇女发展状况进行回顾，并且要对千年发展目标的执行情况进行中期评估。因此，我们有必要对那些影响妇女日常生活的关键问题进行审视并采取相应的行动，这些问题一直被各国政府和国际社会所忽视。