147 research outputs found

    Introduction to Facial Micro Expressions Analysis Using Color and Depth Images: A Matlab Coding Approach (Second Edition, 2023)

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    The book attempts to introduce a gentle introduction to the field of Facial Micro Expressions Recognition (FMER) using Color and Depth images, with the aid of MATLAB programming environment. FMER is a subset of image processing and it is a multidisciplinary topic to analysis. So, it requires familiarity with other topics of Artifactual Intelligence (AI) such as machine learning, digital image processing, psychology and more. So, it is a great opportunity to write a book which covers all of these topics for beginner to professional readers in the field of AI and even without having background of AI. Our goal is to provide a standalone introduction in the field of MFER analysis in the form of theorical descriptions for readers with no background in image processing with reproducible Matlab practical examples. Also, we describe any basic definitions for FMER analysis and MATLAB library which is used in the text, that helps final reader to apply the experiments in the real-world applications. We believe that this book is suitable for students, researchers, and professionals alike, who need to develop practical skills, along with a basic understanding of the field. We expect that, after reading this book, the reader feels comfortable with different key stages such as color and depth image processing, color and depth image representation, classification, machine learning, facial micro-expressions recognition, feature extraction and dimensionality reduction. The book attempts to introduce a gentle introduction to the field of Facial Micro Expressions Recognition (FMER) using Color and Depth images, with the aid of MATLAB programming environment.Comment: This is the second edition of the boo

    Valorisation of rice straw by obtaining active compounds and cellulosic materials for the development of biodegradable food packaging systems

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    Tesis por compendio[ES] En esta tesis se obtuvieron fracciones celulósicas y extractos activos de paja de arroz mediante diferentes técnicas de extracción y purificación, utilizando agua como disolvente. Estas fracciones se incorporaron en películas de almidón y PLA, y en bicapas de almidón-PLA, para obtener materiales de envasado activos para extender la vida útil de diferentes alimentos. Los extractos obtenidos por combinación de ultrasonidos y calentamiento a reflujo (USHT) y con agua subcrítica (SWE) (a 160 °C (SWE-160) y 180 °C (SWE-180)) presentaron un alto contenido fenólico (37, 51 y 83 mg GAE.g-1 de extracto seco, respectivamente) y actividad antioxidante (6,3, 2,0 y 1,2 mg de extracto seco.mg-1 DPPH, respectivamente). Los extractos SWE fueron activos contra L. innocua y E. coli. Se aislaron fibras de celulosa (FC) del residuo insoluble de las diferentes extracciones. A pesar de las ligeras diferencias en el grado de purificación, los nuevos métodos dieron lugar a FCs con rendimientos más elevados que el método alcalino (35-39 % frente al 29 %), con cristalinidad (60-69 %), comportamiento térmico y relación de aspecto (20-60) similares. Se incorporaron fibras USHT al 1, 3 y 5 % (p/p) en películas termoprocesadas de almidón de maíz, y de almidón de maíz modificado térmicamente. La incorporación al 3 % dio lugar a películas con mejores propiedades funcionales. Los extractos activos (al 4, 6 y 8 % en peso) en la matriz de almidón, con o sin CF (3 %), dieron lugar a películas más extensibles y menos resistentes, con mayor capacidad de barrera al oxígeno. Las bolsas monodosis de aceite de girasol con estas películas activas y reforzadas redujeron eficazmente la oxidación. Las películas activas de PLA termoprocesado, con diferentes proporciones (2, 4 y 6 % p/p) del extracto USHT, presentaron color y propiedades mecánicas ligeramente peores, pero con mayor barrera al oxígeno. La cinética de liberación de los antioxidantes incorporados en simulantes alimentarios de diferente polaridad (A: productos acuosos; y D1: sistemas de aceite en agua), mostró que las películas con un 6% de extracto, tuvieron una capacidad antioxidante similar en simulantes con distinta polaridad. Se obtuvieron bicapas biodegradables laminando PLA, con y sin extracto USHT (6 %), y almidón termoplástico, con o sin FC USHT (3 %). Las bicapas mostraron mejor capacidad de barrera global que las monocapas. Sin embargo, la migración de compuestos entre capas dio lugar a películas menos rígidas y resistentes de lo esperado de la contribución del film de PLA. Las bicapas activas y reforzadas alargaron la vida útil de carne de cerdo refrigerada. Las películas de PLA con un 6 % (p/p) de los diferentes extractos (USHT, SWE-160 y SWE-180) presentaron menor resistencia mecánica y capacidad de barrera al vapor de agua, pero una mayor capacidad de barrera al oxígeno y a la luz UV. Además, estas películas, especialmente con el extracto SWE-180, alargaron la vida útil de la carne de cerdo refrigerada. Las FCs obtenidas con los diferentes métodos de purificación también se utilizaron para producir aerogeles de celulosa. Las diferencias composicionales afectaron a la microestructura de los aerogeles. La capacidad de absorción y de retención de agua de los aerogeles estuvo dentro de los rangos descritos para este tipo de materiales. Por tanto, fue posible obtener fracciones valorizadas de la paja de arroz, extractos activos y fibras celulósicas, útiles en el desarrollo de materiales biodegradables activos a base de almidón y PLA. Son necesarios más estudios para validar la seguridad alimentaria de los materiales, así como para el desarrollo de otras aplicaciones en el campo de la industria alimentaria o farmacéutica.[CA] En aquesta tesi doctoral es van obtenir fraccions cel·lulòsiques i extractes actius de palla d' arròs mitjançant l'aplicació de diferents tècniques d'extracció i purificació, utilitzant aigua com a dissolvent. Aquestes fraccions es van incorporar a pel·lícules de midó i PLA, i bicapes de midó-PLA, per obtenir materials d'envasament actius útils per allargar la vida útil de diferents aliments. Els extractes combinant ultrasons i escalfament a reflux (USHT) i amb aigua subcrítica (SWE) (a 160 °C (SWE-160) i 180 °C (SWE-180)) van mostrar un alt contingut fenòlic (37, 51 i 83 mg GAE.g-1 d'extracte sec, respectivament) i activitat antioxidant (6,3, 2,0 i 1,2 mg d'extracte sec.mg-1 DPPH, respectivament). Els extractes SWE van mostrar activitat antibacteriana contra L. innocua i E. coli. Es van aïllar fibres de cel·lulosa (FC) de les fraccions insolubles de l'extracció. Malgrat les lleugeres diferències en el grau de purificació, els nous mètodes van donar lloc a FCs amb rendiments més elevats que el mètode alcalí (35-39 % enfront del 29 %), amb cristal·linitat (60-69 %), comportament tèrmic i relació d'aspecte (20-60) similars. Es van incorporar fibres USHT a l'1, 3 i 5 % (p/p) en pel·lícules de midó de dacsa, i de midó de dacsa modificat per tractament tèrmic. La incorporació al 3 % va donar lloc a pel·lícules amb les millors propietats funcionals. Els extractes actius (al 4, 6 i 8 % en pes) a la matriu de midó, amb o sense CF (3 %), proporcionaren pel·lícules més extensibles i menys resistents, però amb més capacitat de barrera a l'oxigen. Les bosses monodosi de l'oli de gira-sol amb aquestes pel·lícules actives i reforçades van reduir eficaçment l'oxidació. Les pel·lícules actives de PLA amb diferents proporcions (2, 4 i 6 % p/p) de l'extracte USHT, presentaren color i propietats mecániques lleugerament pitjors, però amb major capacitat de barrera a l'oxigen. La cinètica d'alliberament dels antioxidants incorporats, en simulants alimentaris de diferent polaritat (A: productes aquosos; i D1: sistemes d'oli en aigua), va mostrar que les pel·lícules amb un 6% d'extracte, tenien una capacitat antioxidant similar en simulants amb diferent polaritat. Es van obtenir bicapes biodegradables laminant PLA, amb i sense extracte USHT (6 %), i midó termoplàstic, amb o sense FC USHT (3 %). Les bicapes van mostrar millor capacitat de barrera global que les monocapes. No obstant això, la migració de compostos entre capes va donar lloc a pel·lícules menys rígides i resistents respecte a l'esperat de la contribució de la pel·lícula de PLA. Les bicapes actives i reforçades van allargar la vida útil de carn de porc refrigerada. Les pel·lícules de PLA amb un 6 % (p/p) dels diferents extractes (USHT, SWE-160 i SWE-180) van presentar menor resistència mecànica i capacitat de barrera al vapor d'aigua, però una major capacitat de barrera a l'oxigen i a la llum UV. A més, aquestes pel·lícules, especialment amb l'extracte SWE-180, van allargar la vida útil de la carn de porc refrigerada. Les FCs obtingudes amb els diferents mètodes de purificació també es van utilitzar per produir aerogels de cel·lulosa. Les diferències composicionals van afectar la microestructura dels aerogels. La capacitat d' absorció i de retenció d'aigua dels aerogels va estar dins dels rangs descrits per a aquest tipus de materials. Per tant, va ser possible obtenir fraccions valoritzades de la palla d' arròs, extractes actius i fibres cel·lulòsiques, útils en el desenvolupament de materials biodegradables actius a base de midó i PLA. Són necessaris més estudis per validar la seguretat alimentària dels materials, així com per al desenvolupament d' altres aplicacions en el camp de la indústria alimentària o farmacèutica.[EN] This Doctoral thesis focused on obtaining cellulosic fractions and bioactive extracts from rice straw (RS) by applying different extraction and purification techniques, using water as a green solvent. These fractions were incorporated into starch and poly (lactic acid) (PLA)-based films, as well as into starch-PLA bilayers, to obtain active packaging materials useful for extending the shelf life of different food matrices. The extracts obtained by applying a combined ultrasound-reflux heating method (USHT) and subcritical water extraction (SWE) (at 160 °C (SWE-160) and 180 °C (SWE-180)) exhibited high phenolic content (37, 51, 83 mg GAE.g-1 dry extract, respectively) and antioxidant activity (6.3, 2.0, and 1.2 mg dry extract.mg-1 DPPH, respectively). The SWE extracts showed antibacterial activity against L. innocua and E. coli. Cellulose fibres (CF) were isolated from the extraction insoluble fractions and compared with those obtained from the traditional alkaline method. Despite slight differences in the degree of purification, the new methods gave rise to CFs with higher yields than the alkaline method (35-39% vs. 29%), with similar crystallinity (60-69%), thermal behaviour, and aspect ratios. USHT fibres were incorporated into corn starch (1, 3, and 5% wt.), and corn starch-modified by heat treatment, obtained by thermoprocessing. The incorporation of CF at 3% gave rise to films with the best functional properties. When active extracts were incorporated at different ratios (4, 6, and 8% wt.) into the starch matrix, with or without CF (3%), the films were more stretchable and less resistant, but with higher oxygen barrier capacity. Likewise, mono-dose bags of these active and reinforced films effectively reduced the oxidation of packed sunflower oil. Active, plasticised PLA films were produced, incorporating USHT extract (2, 4, and 6% wt.) by thermoprocessing, which exhibited colour and slightly worsened tensile behaviour, but with higher oxygen barrier capacity. The release kinetics of the incorporated antioxidant compounds in food simulants of different polarity (A: aqueous products; and D1: oil-in-water systems) showed that films containing 6% of extract delivered similar antioxidant capacity regardless of the food simulant polarity. Biodegradable bilayers were obtained by laminating plasticised PLA, with and without USHT extract (6%), and thermoplastic starch, with or without USHT CFs (3%). The bilayers exhibited improved overall barrier capacity with respect to the monolayers. However, the interlayer compound migration led to less stiff and resistant films with respect to that expected from the PLA film contribution. The active and reinforced bilayers were able to extend the shelf life of the packed pork meat during cold storage. PLA films with 6% wt. of the different extracts (USHT, SWE-160, and SWE-180) were produced, which exhibited lower mechanical resistance and water vapour barrier capacity, but improved oxygen barrier capacity and intense UV light-blocking effect. Furthermore, the active PLA films, especially with SWE-180 extract, extended the shelf life of cold storage pork meat. The CFs obtained with the different purification methods were also used to produce cellulose aerogels. The differences in the chemical composition of the CFs affected the aerogels' microstructure. The water absorption and retention capacity of the aerogels were within the previously reported ranges for this type of material. Thus, it was possible to obtain valorised fractions of rice straw, active extracts and cellulosic fibres, useful in developing active biodegradable materials based on starch and PLA. Further studies are needed to validate the food safety of the materials, as well as for developing other applications in the food or pharmaceutical industry.The authors thank the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (Spain) for the financial support through projects PID2019-105207RB-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and Generalitat Valenciana [grant number GrisoliaP/2019/115].Vieira De Freitas, PA. (2022). Valorisation of rice straw by obtaining active compounds and cellulosic materials for the development of biodegradable food packaging systems [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/191380Compendi

    ATHENA Research Book, Volume 2

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    ATHENA European University is an association of nine higher education institutions with the mission of promoting excellence in research and innovation by enabling international cooperation. The acronym ATHENA stands for Association of Advanced Technologies in Higher Education. Partner institutions are from France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal and Slovenia: University of Orléans, University of Siegen, Hellenic Mediterranean University, Niccolò Cusano University, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Polytechnic Institute of Porto and University of Maribor. In 2022, two institutions joined the alliance: the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University from Poland and the University of Vigo from Spain. Also in 2022, an institution from Austria joined the alliance as an associate member: Carinthia University of Applied Sciences. This research book presents a selection of the research activities of ATHENA University's partners. It contains an overview of the research activities of individual members, a selection of the most important bibliographic works of members, peer-reviewed student theses, a descriptive list of ATHENA lectures and reports from individual working sections of the ATHENA project. The ATHENA Research Book provides a platform that encourages collaborative and interdisciplinary research projects by advanced and early career researchers

    Experimental Investigation and Modeling of PolyJet and Binder Jetting Additive Manufacturing Processes

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    The dissertation has two aspects. The first aspect is to investigate the relationships between process parameters and responses of interest in two types of additive manufacturing processes: PolyJet and Binder Jetting. The second aspect is to compensate color deviations of printed samples from color specifications entered in the printer software using a data-driven approach. In the first two chapters of the dissertation, the effects of PolyJet process parameters (such as surface finish type, print orientation, and layer thickness) on mechanical properties, surface roughness, and dimensional accuracy of printed samples are investigated by designed experiments. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) is used to determine whether these process parameters are statistically significant. Some process parameters are found to have significant main effects as well as interaction effects on the responses. From chapter three to chapter five, color inaccuracy issue of the PolyJet process is addressed in three steps. First, the effects of surface finish type on the measured color of printed samples are investigated. Then, a machine learning algorithm, i.e., multilayer perceptron neural network, is utilized to model the relationship between color specification and measured color. The established model results in a high prediction accuracy. Lastly, a compensation methodology, which combines design of experiments, predictive modeling, and multi-response optimization, is proposed to find the optimal color specifications for the printer software to result in a color on the printed sample that has the smallest deviation from the target color. Case studies validate that the proposed methodology reduces color deviations. In the last part of the dissertation, powder dispense rate of ultrasonic hopper dispensing system equipped on a Binder Jetting 3D printer is investigated. The effects of initial powder amount, ultrasonic intensity, ultrasonic frequency, and cumulative number of dispensing cycles on powder dispense rate are evaluated experimentally. It is found that powder dispense rate can be controlled by altering process parameters, but it decreases as the powder dispensing process continues, even with fixed process parameters

    Advances in Hydrogels

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    Hydrogels are a class of soft materials with crosslinked network structures. They show good biocompatibility, biodegradability, hydrophilicity, and mechanical properties similar to those of tissue, so they have a wide range of applications. In recent years, a variety of multifunctional hydrogels with excellent performance have been developed, greatly expanding the depth and breadth of their applications. This book is the reprint of the Special Issue “Advances in Hydrogels”, which focused on the recent advances regarding hydrogels, aiming to provide reference for researchers in related fields. This book included one editorial, thirteen original research articles, and three valuable reviews from thirteen different countries including Canada, China, Thailand, Mexico, India, Saudi Arabia, Chile, Germany, the Czech Republic, Colombia, Romania, Israel, and the USA

    Image and Video Forensics

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    Nowadays, images and videos have become the main modalities of information being exchanged in everyday life, and their pervasiveness has led the image forensics community to question their reliability, integrity, confidentiality, and security. Multimedia contents are generated in many different ways through the use of consumer electronics and high-quality digital imaging devices, such as smartphones, digital cameras, tablets, and wearable and IoT devices. The ever-increasing convenience of image acquisition has facilitated instant distribution and sharing of digital images on digital social platforms, determining a great amount of exchange data. Moreover, the pervasiveness of powerful image editing tools has allowed the manipulation of digital images for malicious or criminal ends, up to the creation of synthesized images and videos with the use of deep learning techniques. In response to these threats, the multimedia forensics community has produced major research efforts regarding the identification of the source and the detection of manipulation. In all cases (e.g., forensic investigations, fake news debunking, information warfare, and cyberattacks) where images and videos serve as critical evidence, forensic technologies that help to determine the origin, authenticity, and integrity of multimedia content can become essential tools. This book aims to collect a diverse and complementary set of articles that demonstrate new developments and applications in image and video forensics to tackle new and serious challenges to ensure media authenticity

    Multimedia Forensics

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    This book is open access. Media forensics has never been more relevant to societal life. Not only media content represents an ever-increasing share of the data traveling on the net and the preferred communications means for most users, it has also become integral part of most innovative applications in the digital information ecosystem that serves various sectors of society, from the entertainment, to journalism, to politics. Undoubtedly, the advances in deep learning and computational imaging contributed significantly to this outcome. The underlying technologies that drive this trend, however, also pose a profound challenge in establishing trust in what we see, hear, and read, and make media content the preferred target of malicious attacks. In this new threat landscape powered by innovative imaging technologies and sophisticated tools, based on autoencoders and generative adversarial networks, this book fills an important gap. It presents a comprehensive review of state-of-the-art forensics capabilities that relate to media attribution, integrity and authenticity verification, and counter forensics. Its content is developed to provide practitioners, researchers, photo and video enthusiasts, and students a holistic view of the field

    Advances in Food, Bioproducts and Natural Byproducts for a Sustainable Future: From Conventional to Innovative Processes

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    The world population is expected to reach almost 10,000 million in 2050, which entails the need to focus on sustainability and its three pillars: the economy, the environment, and society. Within this context, it is necessary to use our resources efficiently; for instance, we will need to produce much more food using less land and while polluting less to optimize the production of biomass from diversified resources, along with its subsequent conversion, fractionation, and processing. To achieve this, new approaches and processes, with special emphasis from a biotechnological perspective, may need to be implemented to move towards a circular model that will confer environmental sustainability. Global projections of food losses constitute an abundant pool of complex carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and functional compounds. Hence, the deployment of food waste streams as raw materials will encompass the formulation of added-value products that will be ideally reintroduced in the food supply chain to close the loop. Therefore, the analysis and optimization of any food and bioproduct process, as well as the development of innovative and emerging food and by-product processing methods, are important as a necessity for the sustainable transition to a bioeconomy era. The valorization, bioprocessing, and biorefining of food-industry-based streams, the role of industrial microorganisms, the isolation of high-added-value compounds, applications of the resulting bio-based chemicals in food manufacturing, novel food formulations, economic policies for food waste management, along with sustainability or techno-economic assessment of processing methods constitute subject areas that need to be addressed. More specifically, bioprocess design to valorize food-industry waste and by-product streams should be initiated by characterizing the composition of the onset raw material with the aim of identifying the target end-products, whereas the generation of multiple high-added-value products is a prerequisite for cost-effective processes to establish economic sustainability. On top of that, the feasibility of innovative processes could be sustained by encompassing food applications, driven by the constantly emerging consumers’ demand for functional foods and beverages with enhanced nutritional value. Equally, a growing awareness for bio-based and natural food components is being developed, thereby imposing challenges on the substitution of chemically derived ingredients with their natural counterparts

    Examining the Potential for Isotope Analyses of Carbon, Nitrogen, and Sulphur in Burned Bone from Experimental and Archaeological Contexts.

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    The aim of this project was to determine whether isotope analyses of carbon, nitrogen and sulphur can be conducted on collagen extracted from burned bone. This project was conducted in two phases: a controlled heating experiment and an archaeological application. The controlled heating experiment used cow (Bos taurus) bone to test the temperature thresholds for the conservation of δ13C, δ15N, and δ34S values. These samples were also used to test the efficacy of Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and colour analysis, for determining the burning intensities experienced by bone burned in unknown conditions. The experiment showed that δ13C values were relatively unchanged up to 400°C (<2‰ variation), while δ15N values were relatively stable up to 200°C (0.5‰ variation). Values of δ34S were also relatively stable up to 200°C (1.4‰ variation). Colour change and FTIR data were well correlated with the change in isotope ratios. Models estimating burning intensities were created from the FTIR data. For the archaeological application, samples were selected from two early Anglo-Saxon cemetery sites: Elsham and Cleatham. Samples were selected from both inhumed and cremated individuals. Among the inhumed individuals δ13C values suggested a C3 terrestrial diet and δ15N values suggested protein derived largely from terrestrial herbivores, as expected for the early Anglo-Saxon period. However, δ34S values suggested the consumption of freshwater resources and that this consumption was related to both the age and sex of the individual. The experimental data shows that there is potential for isotope analyses of cremated remains, as during the cremation process heat exposures are not uniform across the body. The samples selected for the archaeological application, however, were not successful. Bone samples heated in controlled conditions produced viable collagen for isotope analysis; however, there are several differences between experiments conducted in a muffle furnace and open-air pyre cremation that need to be investigated further. Additionally, the influence of taphonomy on collagen survival in burned bone needs to be quantified. Finally, methods of sample selection need to be improved to find bone samples from archaeologically cremated remains that are most likely to retain viable collagen. While there is significant research that must be conducted before this research can be widely applied there are a multitude of cultures that practised cremation throughout history and around the world that could be investigated through the analyses proposed in this project
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