Future bathroom: A study of user-centred design principles affecting usability, safety and satisfaction in bathrooms for people living with disabilities

Research and development work relating to assistive technology 2010-11 (Department of Health) Presented to Parliament pursuant to Section 22 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 197

On-belt Tomosynthesis: 3D Imaging of Baggage for Security Inspection

This thesis describes the design, testing and evaluation of `On-belt Tomosynthesis' (ObT): a cost-e ective baggage screening system based on limited angle digital x-ray tomosynthesis and close-range photogrammetry. It is designed to be retro tted to existing airport conveyor-belt systems and to overcome the limitations of current systems creating a pseudo-3D imaging system by combining x-ray and optical imaging to form digital tomograms. The ObT design and set-up consists of a con guration of two x-ray sources illuminating 12 strip detectors around a conveyor belt curve forming an 180 arc. Investigating the acquired ObT x-ray images' noise sources and distortions, improvements were demonstrated using developed image correction methods. An increase of 45% in image uniformity was shown as a result, in the postcorrection images. Simulation image reconstruction of objects with lower attenuation coe cients showed the potential of ObT to clearly distinguish between them. Reconstruction of real data showed that objects of bigger attenuation di erences (copper versus perspex, rather than air versus perspex) could be observed better. The main conclusion from the reconstruction results was that the current imaging method needed further re nements, regarding the geometry registration and the image reconstruction. The simulation results con rmed that advancing the experimental method could produce better results than the ones which can currently be achieved. For the current state of ObT, a standard deviation of 2 mm in (a) the source coordinates, and 2 in (b) the detector angles does not a ect the image reconstruction results. Therefore, a low-cost single camera coordination and tracking solution was developed to replace the previously used manual measurements. Results obtained by the developed solution showed that the necessary prerequisites for the ObT image reconstruction could be addressed. The resulting standard deviation was of an average of 0.4 mm and 1 degree for (a) and (b) respectively

VGC 2023 - Unveiling the dynamic Earth with digital methods: 5th Virtual Geoscience Conference: Book of Abstracts

Conference proceedings of the 5th Virtual Geoscience Conference, 21-22 September 2023, held in Dresden. The VGC is a multidisciplinary forum for researchers in geoscience, geomatics and related disciplines to share their latest developments and applications.:Short Courses 9 Workshops Stream 1 10 Workshop Stream 2 11 Workshop Stream 3 12 Session 1 – Point Cloud Processing: Workflows, Geometry & Semantics 14 Session 2 – Visualisation, communication & Teaching 27 Session 3 – Applying Machine Learning in Geosciences 36 Session 4 – Digital Outcrop Characterisation & Analysis 49 Session 5 – Airborne & Remote Mapping 58 Session 6 – Recent Developments in Geomorphic Process and Hazard Monitoring 69 Session 7 – Applications in Hydrology & Ecology 82 Poster Contributions 9

The interface of wildlife and nature tourism

Doctor of PhilosophyDepartment of Horticulture and Natural ResourcesRyan L SharpThe relationship between tourism and wildlife is complex and multifaceted, with impacts on both the environment and human well-being. This dissertation will investigate the intersection of tourism and wildlife, focusing on three main aspects: the impact of outdoor recreation on wildlife, the potential of virtual nature tourism to decrease impacts on wildlife while still providing health benefits to participants, and the balance between access and protection for both humans and wildlife. This dissertation focuses on the relationship between wildlife tourism and its impact on both participants and wildlife. The author examines several factors that can shape the development of wildlife tourism, such as the format of the tourism, the beliefs and motivations of the participants, and the effects on both wildlife and participants. Virtual nature tourism will be explored as a potential solution to decrease the impact on sensitive wildlife while increasing access to learn about and observe wildlife in their natural habitat. This can include wildlife webcams and guided tours that can be viewed remotely, such as WildEarth safaris. Virtual nature tourism can be beneficial for people who cannot travel to experience nature in person due to time, financial, or health limitations, while still providing health benefits. The author notes that outdoor recreation tourism can have both health benefits for participants and negative impacts on wildlife. In order to balance these factors, the author suggests that understanding the patterns of wildlife behavior and human recreation is crucial in developing regulations and educational programs that ensure both wildlife and tourism can thrive. The author also explores the dynamics between wildlife and protected area tourists and how decisions made by park managers affect the balance between conservation and recreation. The author suggests that protected areas can benefit from a zoning approach that caters to different types of tourists and their preferences. Overall, the author argues that a better understanding of the relationship between wildlife tourism and its impact on both participants and wildlife is crucial for informed management decisions that benefit both. Documenting the variations in benefits and impacts on humans and wildlife will inform management decisions that will allow for a range of access and protection. This dissertation aims to contribute to the larger debate and ongoing efforts towards a sustainable balance between tourism and wildlife conservation

Modeling and applications of the focus cue in conventional digital cameras

El enfoque en cámaras digitales juega un papel fundamental tanto en la calidad de la imagen como en la percepción del entorno. Esta tesis estudia el enfoque en cámaras digitales convencionales, tales como cámaras de móviles, fotográficas, webcams y similares. Una revisión rigurosa de los conceptos teóricos detras del enfoque en cámaras convencionales muestra que, a pasar de su utilidad, el modelo clásico del thin lens presenta muchas limitaciones para aplicación en diferentes problemas relacionados con el foco. En esta tesis, el focus profile es propuesto como una alternativa a conceptos clásicos como la profundidad de campo. Los nuevos conceptos introducidos en esta tesis son aplicados a diferentes problemas relacionados con el foco, tales como la adquisición eficiente de imágenes, estimación de profundidad, integración de elementos perceptuales y fusión de imágenes. Los resultados experimentales muestran la aplicación exitosa de los modelos propuestos.The focus of digital cameras plays a fundamental role in both the quality of the acquired images and the perception of the imaged scene. This thesis studies the focus cue in conventional cameras with focus control, such as cellphone cameras, photography cameras, webcams and the like. A deep review of the theoretical concepts behind focus in conventional cameras reveals that, despite its usefulness, the widely known thin lens model has several limitations for solving different focus-related problems in computer vision. In order to overcome these limitations, the focus profile model is introduced as an alternative to classic concepts, such as the near and far limits of the depth-of-field. The new concepts introduced in this dissertation are exploited for solving diverse focus-related problems, such as efficient image capture, depth estimation, visual cue integration and image fusion. The results obtained through an exhaustive experimental validation demonstrate the applicability of the proposed models