pROST: a smoothed \ell _p-norm robust online subspace tracking method for background subtraction in video

An increasing number of methods for background subtraction use Robust PCA to identify sparse foreground objects. While many algorithms use the \(\ell _1\) -norm as a convex relaxation of the ideal sparsifying function, we approach the problem with a smoothed \(\ell _p\) -quasi-norm and present pROST, a method for robust online subspace tracking. The algorithm is based on alternating minimization on manifolds. Implemented on a graphics processing unit, it achieves realtime performance at a resolution of \(160 \times 120\) . Experimental results on a state-of-the-art benchmark for background subtraction on real-world video data indicate that the method succeeds at a broad variety of background subtraction scenarios, and it outperforms competing approaches when video quality is deteriorated by camera jitter.     

An exploratory study on ontology engineering for software architecture documentation

The usefulness of Software Architecture (SA) documentation depends on how well its Architectural Knowledge (AK) can be retrieved by the stakeholders in a software project. Recent findings show that the use of ontology-based SA documentation is promising. However, different roles in software development have different needs for AK, and building an ontology to suit these needs is challenging. In this paper we describe an approach to build an ontology for SA documentation. This approach involves the use of typical questions for eliciting and constructing an ontology. We outline eight contextual factors, which influence the successful construction of an ontology, especially in complex software projects with diverse AK users. We tested our ‘typical question’ approach in a case study and report how it can be used for acquiring and modeling AK needs.     

Collaborative Localization for Multi-Robot System with Fault Detection and Exclusion Based on the Kullback-Leibler Divergence

Multi-robot system attracted attention in various applications in order to replace the human operators. To achieve the intended goal, one of the main challenges of this system is to ensure the integrity of localization by adding a sensor fault diagnosis step to the localization task. In this paper, we present a framework able, in addition of localizing a group of robots, to detect and exclude the faulty sensors from the group with an optimized thresholding method. The estimator has the informational form of the Kalman Filter (KF) namely Information Filter (IF). A residual test based on the Kullback-Leibler divergence (KLD) between the predicted and the corrected distributions of the IF is developed. It is generated from two tests: the first acts on the means and the second deals with the covariance matrices. Thresholding using entropy based criterion and Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve are discussed. Finally, the validation of this framework is studied on real experimental data from a group of robots.     

Scherfließen und Wandgleiten von Massen für den Pulverspritzguss

This contribution presents coupling of laws for shear flow and wall slipping by the shear stress at the slipping interface. It includes the special case of Coulombian friction postulated by Uhland as well as the assumption of a constant sliding velocity along the flow channel according to Mooney. As an example, Ostwald and de Waele's law of shear thinning flow is combined with a shear stress of sliding depending on internal pressure by a power law. Examined feedstocks for metal injection molding showed a rheological behavior according to the model presented.     

Adaptive finite elements for a certain class of variational inequalities of second kind

In this note, we extend our studies on finite element Galerkin schemes for elliptic variational inequalities of first to the one of second kind. Especially we perform the corresponding a posteriori error analysis for a simple friction problem and a model flow of a Bingham fluid.     

Tissue-Specific Fatty Acid Composition of Glandular Trichomes of Mite-Resistant and -Susceptible Pelargonium xhortorum

Anacardic acids, alkyl phenolic acids excreted by tall glandular trichomes of the garden geranium, Pelargonium xhortorum, confer small-pest resistance. Up to 90% of the trichome exudate from mite-resistant P. xhortorum inbreds consists of an unusual anacardic acid with an unsaturated omega-5 (⁵) alkyl chain. As fatty acids are biochemical precursors to anacardic acids, we examined by GC the fatty acid composition of leaves, pedicels, petals, sepals, mature seeds, and glandular trichomes from pest-resistant and pest-susceptible Pelargonium inbred lines to determine the localization of ⁵-fatty acids within plant tissues. The fatty acid composition of lipid classes (galactolipids, phospholipids, and neutral lipids) extracted from glandular trichomes from mite-resistant pedicels were also examined. ⁵-Fatty acids (16:111 and 18:113) were found only in the glandular trichomes from pest-resistant geraniums (27.2% in trichomes of pedicels) and were localized predominantly in the phospho- and galactolipids (phosphatidylinositol, 25.9%; phosphatidylcholine, 18.2%; monogalactosyldiglyceride, 15.5%; and diglactosyldiglyceride, 14.0%).     

Studies of protein binding to nonpolar solutes by using zonal elution and high-performance affinity chromatography: interactions of cis- and trans-clomiphene with human serum albumin in the presence of beta-cyclodextrin

High-performance affinity chromatography and zonal elution studies were used to examine the binding that takes place between the drug clomiphene and the protein human serum albumin (HSA). Equations were derived to describe the behavior of zonal elution experiments in which a solubilizing agent is present in the mobile phase to aid in the dissolution of a competing agent or injected analyte. These equations were then used to determine the association equilibrium constants for the clomiphene/HSA system, with beta-cyclodextrin being used as a complexation agent to improve the water solubility of cis- and trans-clomiphene without affecting the nature of their binding to HSA. It was found in these studies that both cis- and trans-clomiphene have 1:1 interactions at a common binding region on HSA (association constants at pH 7.4 and 37 degrees C: cis, 7.5 x 10(6) M-1; trans, 1.3 x 10(6) M-1). Further competition experiments between cis- or trans-clomiphene and various site-selective probes indicated that the clomiphene-binding region is the same as the proposed tamoxifen site of HSA. The approach and equations used within this report are general ones that can be applied to zonal elution studies of other solute-ligand systems in which one or more of the test components have limited solubility in the desired mobile phase.     

Influence of the process parameters of an intermeshing co‐rotating twin screw extruder on the morphology and notched Izod impact strength of PBT/ABS/MGE blends

In this research, it was studied the effects of the processing parameters applied to a twin screw extruder on the morphology and impact strength of poly(butylene terephthalate)/acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene blends with and without a reactive compatibilizer. It was found that the increase of the feed rate highly decreased the ductile brittle transition temperature (DBTT) and slightly increased the room temperature impact strength (RTIS) of the compatibilized blends. Besides the influence of the feed rate, it was also found that the compatibilized blends could reach high RTIS and low DBTT values by an appropriate combination of the compatibilizer feeding position in the extruder, the screw rotation speed and the width of the kneading discs of the screw. The DBTT was found to be at least partially controlled by the spatial distribution of the rubbery particles, which was quantified by finite body tessellation, a method applied for the first time in polymer blends. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2010. © 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Modeling the effect of an outbreak of bovine herpesvirus type 1 on herd-level milk production of Dutch dairy farms.

One of the impacts of disease is its effect on milk production. In the present study the effect of an outbreak of bovine herpesvirus type 1 on milk production at the herd level of certified bovine herpesvirus type 1-free dairy farms was modeled. The objective was to study several linear models to quantify the effects of a bovine herpesvirus type 1 outbreak on milk production accounting for the repeated measurements and incorporating our assumptions about the most likely duration of effects of this virus. Because milk production is measured at regular intervals, the data consisted of repeated measurements at the herd and cow levels. A marginal model, a subject-specific random-effect model, and a transition model were developed. The effect of a bovine herpesvirus type 1 outbreak was statistically significant in the random-effect model, and this model fitted the investigated farms best. However, a transition model might be a better model for generalizing the results to the whole population of Dutch dairy farms. The effect of a bovine herpesvirus type 1 outbreak on milk production derived from the random-effect model amounted to, on average, a loss of 0.92 kg of milk per cow per day during a period of 9 wk. The milk production loss varied from almost none to 2 kg of milk per cow per day. This reduction resulted in an average loss of Dfl 372 (Dfl1 = $US $0.50) with lower and upper confidence limits of, respectively, Dfl 12 and Dfl 730 per bovine herpesvirus type 1 outbreak.