The use of homomorphic image processing to analyze coke grading

The estimation of the geometrical sizes of particles of crushed solid fuel (coke), moving on the conveyor belt, is associated with a number of technical difficulties. One of the problems is the need for a non-invasive way of determining particle geometry. A promising way to solve it is to use devices based on machine vision systems. This paper describes the algorithmic part of the prototype of such a device. It is proposed to improve the quality of boundary detection between fragments of coke particles to perform homomorphic processing of the initial low-contrast video images. The algorithm for calculating the Fourier spectrum has been optimized based on the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) with the mixed base. As a result, it becomes possible to reduce the computational cost for calculating two-dimensional Fourier spectra for complex multiplication operations by 1.33 times, and the number of complex addition operations by 1.67 times. The software of the prototype, built using the proposed methods, made it possible to obtain good convergence of the results for assessing the particle size distribution of samples of crushed coke with laboratory estimates. Thus, the maximum absolute average error of the machine vision system in assessing the size of crushed coke is only 3.37%, and the maximum error for all measurement classes do not exceed 6.9%. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd

LED Projector of Pulse Backlight for Machine Vision System

The paper presents technical description of pulse LED backlight. This system is implemented in machine vision systems designed for high-speed processes control. Pulse projectors managed on the basis of starting time and duration of the pulse. The system provides control of electrical parameters of projectors, such as input voltage and current of the LED array, which are measured during backlight pulse operate time. This information gives an indirect measurement of the LED arrays' state. The design of the system and implementation example are given. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.Incheon Disaster Prevention Research Center (IDPRC);Incheon National Universit

Mechanisms of mesenchymal stem/stromal cell function

The past decade has seen an explosion of research directed toward better understanding of the mechanisms of mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (MSC) function during rescue and repair of injured organs and tissues. In addition to delineating cell–cell signaling and molecular controls for MSC differentiation, the field has made particular progress in defining several other mechanisms through which administered MSCs can promote tissue rescue/repair. These include: 1) paracrine activity that involves secretion of proteins/peptides and hormones; 2) transfer of mitochondria by way of tunneling nanotubes or microvesicles; and 3) transfer of exosomes or microvesicles containing RNA and other molecules. Improved understanding of MSC function holds great promise for the application of cell therapy and also for the development of powerful cell-derived therapeutics for regenerative medicine. Focusing on these three mechanisms, we discuss MSC-mediated effects on immune cell responses, cell survival, and fibrosis and review recent progress with MSC-based or MSC-derived therapeutics