Accelerating BPC-PaCo through Visually Lossless Techniques

Fast image codecs are a current need in applications that deal with large amounts of images. Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) are suitable processors to speed up most kinds of algorithms, especially when they allow fine-grain parallelism. Bitplane Coding with Parallel Coefficient processing (BPC-PaCo) is a recently proposed algorithm for the core stage of wavelet-based image codecs tailored for the highly parallel architectures of GPUs. This algorithm provides complexity scalability to allow faster execution at the expense of coding efficiency. Its main drawback is that the speedup and loss in image quality is controlled only roughly, resulting in visible distortion at low and medium rates. This paper addresses this issue by integrating techniques of visually lossless coding into BPC-PaCo. The resulting method minimizes the visual distortion introduced in the compressed file, obtaining higher-quality images to a human observer. Experimental results also indicate 12% speedups with respect to BPC-PaCo.     

基于机器视觉的轮胎表面缺陷检测系统的研究与应用

在传统的轮胎表面缺陷依靠人工检测,存在劳动强度高、受人的主观影响大以及效率低下的问题。针对这一现象,研究了一种基于机器视觉的轮胎表面缺陷3D检测系统。该系统依靠机器视觉系统获取检测轮胎的表面图像,然后创建3D模型、判定缺陷类型,最终实现实时自动预警,为轮胎生产商提供一种自动化检测方案。系统集成了先进的技术、软件和工具,配套的信息管控系统可以对轮胎型号和生产数据进行采集、存储、分析,以便在生产过程中实现更高效、更可靠的质量控制,具有较高的实际应用推广价值。     

Research and development of liquid hydrogen (LH2) temperature monitoring system for marine applications

Monitoring the temperature in liquid hydrogen (LH₂) storage tanks on ships is important for the safety of maritime navigation. In addition, accurate temperature measurement is also required for commercial transactions. Temperature and pressure define the density of liquid hydrogen, which is directly linked to trading interests. In this study, we developed and tested a liquid hydrogen temperature monitoring system that uses platinum resistance sensors with a nominal electrical resistance of approximately 1000 Ω at room temperature, PT-1000, for marine applications. The temperature measurements were carried out using a newly developed temperature monitoring system under different pressure conditions. The measured values are compared with a calibrated reference PT-1000 resistance thermometer. We confirm a measurement accuracy of ±50 mK in a pressure range of 0.1 MPa–0.5 MPa.     

Stem Photosynthesis—A Key Element of Grass Pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) Acclimatisation to Salinity

Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus) is a leguminous plant of outstanding tolerance to abiotic stress. The aim of the presented study was to describe the mechanism of grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) photosynthetic apparatus acclimatisation strategies to salinity stress. The seedlings were cultivated in a hydroponic system in media containing various concentrations of NaCl (0, 50, and 100 mM), imitating none, moderate, and severe salinity, respectively, for three weeks. In order to characterise the function and structure of the photosynthetic apparatus, Chl a fluorescence, gas exchange measurements, proteome analysis, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis were done inter alia. Significant differences in the response of the leaf and stem photosynthetic apparatus to severe salt stress were observed. Leaves became the place of harmful ion (Na⁺) accumulation, and the efficiency of their carboxylation decreased sharply. In turn, in stems, the reconstruction of the photosynthetic apparatus (antenna and photosystem complexes) activated alternative electron transport pathways, leading to effective ATP synthesis, which is required for the efficient translocation of Na⁺ to leaves. These changes enabled efficient stem carboxylation and made them the main source of assimilates. The observed changes indicate the high plasticity of grass pea photosynthetic apparatus, providing an effective mechanism of tolerance to salinity stress.     

Effect of heat treatment on structural,morphological, dielectric and magnetic properties of Mg–Zn ferrite nanoparticles

Green combustion was used to prepare a ferrite composition of Mg_0.4Zn_0.6Fe₂O₄ using a blend of fresh lemon juice as a natural fuel-reductant. Effect of heat treatment on phase, morphological, dielectric, and humidity sensor properties is discussed. The formation of a cubic spinel ferrite has been established by XRD-diffraction and vibrational spectroscopic studies. The experimental lattice parameter ranges from 8.3721 to 8.3631 Å. The broadening of octahedral band (υ₂) in the vibrational spectra is an identification for the existence of ferrite nanoparticles in various sizes. The typical crystallite size ranges from 10.2 to 36.9 nm. Using micrographs obtained from field-effect scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), researchers observed a spherical-shaped microstructure with agglomerated nanoparticles. Dielectric investigations have shown that the current ferrite composition has typical dielectric dispersion. The highest reported value for saturation magnetization (M_s) in the present study is 33 emu/g. Magnetic behaviour is primarily influenced by magnetocrystalline anisotropy, cation distribution, and crystallite size. The existence of void spaces in the sintered samples, as well as their porous nature, rendered them suitable for humidity sensor applications. Sintered samples have good sensing capability at 900 °C. The current findings are integrated in terms of cation distribution and magnetocrystalline anisotropy, assuming fine size effects of ferrite nanoparticles.     

印刷电路板缺陷检测的实际应用

电路板在我们的日常生活中非常常见,这就使得印刷电路板的缺陷检测显得尤为重要。AOI作为新兴的检测PCB板缺陷的系统,在生产实际中正在被大家熟知并且应用。相较于传统的检测方式,AOI系统比较灵活,无论是在检测时间还是系统运算上,或者是对相关技术人员的要求相较于传统方式都比较有优势,本文就AOI系统在实际中的应用展开讨论,分析并且介绍了在实际应用中的具体细则。     

Ammonia gas sensing and magnetic permeability of enhanced surface area and high porosity lanthanum substituted Co–Zn nano ferrites

This work reports magnetic permeability and ammonia gas sensing characteristics of La³⁺ substituted Co–Zn nano ferrites possessing chemical formula Co_0.7Zn_0.3La_xFe_2-2xO₄ (x = 0–0.1) synthesized by a sol-gel route. Refinement of X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of the ferrite powders by the Rietveld technique has revealed the creation of single-phase spinel structure. The tenancy of constituent cations at tetrahedral/octahedral sites was obtained from the refinement of XRD. The crystallite sizes calculated from the W–H method vary from 20 to 24 nm. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) profiles of the ferrite samples were analyzed for the morphological details. The energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) patterns of the samples were obtained to test the elemental purity of the ferrites within their stoichiometry. The transmission electron microscope (TEM) image of the ferrite (x = 0.1) exhibits the spherical and oval shaped particles with a mean size of 20 nm. Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectra were analyzed to confirm the superseding of La³⁺ cations at octahedral sites. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis of nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms of the ferrites was performed to investigate the porous structure and to determine the surface area of the nanocrystalline ferrites. The oxidation states of the constituent ions were confirmed by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The complex permeability as a function of frequency was studied to explore the effects of structural parameters on the magnetic behaviour of the ferrites. Analysis of gas sensing properties of the ferrites have proved that the Co–Zn–La ferrite with controlled La composition can be utilized as an effective ammonia gas sensing material in commercial gas sensors.     

A novel fusion paradigm for multi-channel image denoising

Multi-channel and single-channel image denoising are on two important development fronts. Integrating multi-channel and single-channel image denoisers for further improvement is a valuable research direction. A natural assumption is that using more useful information is helpful to the output results. In this paper, a novel multi-channel and single-channel fusion paradigm (MSF) is proposed. The proposed MSF works by fusing the estimates of a multi-channel image denoiser and a single-channel image denoiser. The performance of recent multi-channel image denoising methods involved in the proposed MSF can be further improved at low additional time-consuming cost. Specifically, the validity principle of the proposed MSF is that the fused single-channel image denoiser can produce auxiliary estimate for the involved multi-channel image denoiser in a designed underdetermined transform domain. Based on the underdetermined transformation, we create a corresponding orthogonal transformation for fusion and better restore the multi-channel images. The quantitative and visual comparison results demonstrate that the proposed MSF can be effectively applied to several state-of-the-art multi-channel image denoising methods.     

Potential influence of microorganisms on the corrosion of carbon steel in the French high- and intermediate-level long-lived radioactive waste disposal context

In the context of the high-level radioactive waste disposal CIGEO, the corrosion rate due to microbially influenced corrosion (MIC) has to be evaluated. In France, it is envisaged to dispose of high- and intermediate-level long-lived radioactive waste at a depth of 500 m in a deep geological disposal, drilled in the Callovo-Oxfordian claystone (Cox) formation. To do so, a carbon steel casing will be inserted inside disposal cells, which are horizontal tunnels drilled in the Cox. A specific cement grout will be injected between the carbon steel casing and the claystone. A study was conducted to evaluate the possibility of MIC on carbon steel in the foreseeable high radioactive waste disposal. The corrosiveness of various environments was investigated at 50°C and 80°C with or without microorganisms enriched from samples of Andra's underground research laboratory. The monitoring of corrosion during the experiments was ensured using gravimetric method and real-time corrosion monitoring using sensors based on the measurements of the electrical resistance. The corrosion data were completed with microbiological analyses including cultural and molecular characterizations.     

Off‐grid DoA estimation method of wideband signals

In this paper, an off‐grid direction of arrival (DoA) estimation method is proposed for wideband signals. This method is based on the sparse representation (SR) of the array covariance matrix. Similar to the time domain DoA estimation methods, the correlation function of the sources was assumed to be the same and known. A new measurement vector is obtained using the lower‐left triangular elements of the covariance matrix. The DoAs are estimated by quantizing the entire range of continuous angle space into discrete grid points. However, the exact DoAs may be located between two grid points; therefore, this estimation has errors. The accuracy of DoA estimation is improved by the minimization of the difference between the new measurement vector and its estimated values. Simulation results revealed that the proposed method can enhance the DoA estimation accuracy of wideband signals.