An Approach to Detect the Region of Interest of Expressive Face Images

AbstractOn human face, non-rigid facial movements due to facial expressions cause noticeable alterations in their usual shapes, which sometimes create occlusions in facial feature areas making face recognition as a difficult problem. The paper presents an automatic Region of Interest (ROI) detection technique of six universal expressive face images. The proposed technique is a facial geometric based hybrid approach. The localization accuracy was evaluated by rectangular error measure and was tested on Japanese Female Facial Expression (JAFFE) database. The average localization accuracy of all detected facial regions is 94%

A systematic investigation of the performance of copper-, cobalt-, iron-, manganese-, and nickel-based oxygen carriers for chemical looping combustion technology through simulation studies

The Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle coupled with chemical looping combustion (IGCC-CLC) is one of the most promising technologies that allow generation of cleaner energy from coal by capturing carbon dioxide (CO2). It is essential to compare and evaluate the performances of various oxygen carriers (OC), used in the CLC system; these are crucial for the success of IGCC-CLC technology. Research on OCs has hitherto been restricted to small laboratory and pilot scale experiments. It is therefore necessary to examine the performance of OCs in large-scale systems with more extensive analysis. This study compares the performance of five different OCs – copper, cobalt, iron, manganese and nickel oxides – for large-scale (350–400 MW) IGCC-CLC processes through simulation studies. Further, the effect of three different process configurations: (i) water-cooling, (ii) air-cooling and (iii) air-cooling along with air separation unit (ASU) integration of the CLC air reactor, on the power output of IGCC-CLC processes – are also investigated. The simulation results suggest that iron-based OCs, with 34.3% net electrical efficiency and ~100% CO2 capture rate lead to the most efficient process among all the five studied OCs. A net electrical efficiency penalty of 7.1–8.1% points leads to the IGCC-CLC process being more efficient than amine based post-combustion capture technology and equally efficient to the solvent based pre-combustion capture technology. The net electrical efficiency of the IGCC-CLC process increased by 0.6–2.1% with the use of air-cooling and ASU integration, compared with the water- and air-cooling cases. This work successfully demonstrates a correlation between the reaction enthalpies of different OCs and power output, which suggests that the OCs with higher values of reaction enthalpy for oxidation (ΔHr, oxidation) with air-cooling are more valuable for the IGCC-CLC

Assessing corporate social responsibility concepts used by a Brazilian manufacturer of airplanes: A case study at Embraer

There are many definitions for the term Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), but it can broadly be understood as a commitment that an organization must have towards society, expressed through actions and attitudes that affect it positively. In Latin America, in particular, this field is still at an initial stage, and few companies have actually developed and integrated CSR practices as part of their management system. This paper aims to present a set of CSR initiatives and projects developed by a Brazilian aircraft manufacturer, Embraer, considered an example of best practice in sustainable management practices. The paper also verifies if these activities are integrated into the company's management model in a mature way, as proposed by the literature. The research method used here was a case study with semi-structured interviews with a set of employees responsible for CSR at the company. The results gathered allow the projects developed at the company to be clustered around six main areas: excellence in education, social partnership programmes, entrepreneurship, corporate social responsibility, volunteering and preservation of the history of the Brazilian aeronautics industry. All these projects are exemplary managed and critically analyzed in relation to aggregation of value they provide to society, thus ensuring suitable results. As a conclusion of the survey, it was observed that Embraer has integrated the CSR practices with other existing management systems in a harmonious and mature form. The scientific value of this research lies in the presentation of CSR practices developed by one of the most important companies in Brazil, with a management system directed to excellence. Other companies and researchers can use these practices as a benchmark, or as examples of good CSR practice leading to tangible results

Effects of geomagnetic storm on low latitude ionospheric total electron content: A case study from Indian sector

The effect of geomagnetic storms on low latitude ionosphere has been investigated with the help of Global Positioning System Total Electron Content (GPS-TEC) data. The investigation has been done with the aid of TEC data from the Indian equatorial region, Port Blair (PBR) and equatorial ionization anomaly region, Agartala (AGR). During the geomagnetic storms on 24th April and 15th July 2012, significant enhancement up to 150% and depression up to 72% in VTEC is observed in comparison to the normal day variation. The variations in VTEC observed from equatorial to EIA latitudes during the storm period have been explained with the help of electro-dynamic effects (prompt penetration electric field (PPEF) and disturbance dynamo electric field (DDEF)) as well as mechanical effects (storm-induced equatorward neutral wind effect and thermospheric composition changes). The current study points to the fact that the electro-dynamic effect of geomagnetic storms around EIA region is more effective than at the lower latitude region. Drastic difference has been observed over equatorial region (positive storm impact) and EIA region (negative storm impact) around same longitude sector, during storm period on 24th April. This drastic change as observed in GPS-TEC on 24th April has been further confirmed by using the O/N2 ratio data from GUVI (Global Ultraviolet Imager) as well as VTEC map constructed from IGS data. The results presented in the paper are important for the application of satellite-based communication and navigational system.Published versio

Latitudinal characteristics of GPS derived ionospheric TEC: a comparative study with IRI 2012 model

The present study investigates the variation of Total Electron Content (TEC) using Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites from four equatorial to mid-latitudes stations over a period of one year. The stations are Port Blair (11.63°N, 92.70°E), Agartala (23.75°N, 91.25°E), Lhasa (29.65°N, 91.10°E) and Urumqi (43.46°N, 87.16°E). The diurnal, monthly and seasonal variations of TEC have been explored to study its latitudinal characteristics. Analysis of TEC data from these stations reveals the characteristics of latitudinal variation of Equatorial Ionospheric Anomaly (EIA). To validate the latest IRI 2012 model, the monthly and seasonal variations of GPS-TEC at all the four stations have been compared with the model for three different topside options of electron density, namely, NeQuick, IRI-01-corr and IRI-2001. TEC predictions from IRI-2001 top side electron density option using IRI 2012 model overestimates the observed TEC especially at the low latitudes. TEC from IRI- NeQuick and IRI-01-corr options shows a tendency to underestimate the observed TEC during the day time particularly in low latitude region in the high solar activity period. The agreement between the model and observed values are reasonable in mid latitude regions. However, a discrepancy between IRI 2012 derived TEC with the ground based observations at low latitude regions is found. The discrepancy appears to be higher in low-latitude regions in comparison to mid latitude regions. It is concluded that largest discrepancy in TEC occur as a result of poor estimation of the hmF2 and foF2 from the coefficients

A statistical study on precursory effects of earthquakes observed through the atmospheric vertical electric field in northeast India

The study of anomalous variations in the near-surface atmospheric vertical electric field (VEF) that have the form of bay-like depressions in strength have been used as precursors of earthquakes in various studies. We present here the first statistical report from an earthquake-prone zone in northeast India from July 2009 to July 2012. The 10 days that were meteorologically fair and with earthquake occurrences were selected for the present analysis. The average VEF bay durations and depths were ca. 50 min to 70 min, with the corresponding magnitudes of 500 Vm-1 to 800 Vm-1. Anomalous variation in VEF before 7 to 12 hour of the impending earthquake has been observed. There was a 31% probability that a VEF bay would show as an earthquake precursor. The positive correlation coefficient was 0.72 between the VEF bay depth and the ratio of earthquake magnitude to depth, while the negative correlation coefficient of 0.82 was calculated between VEF bay duration and the ratio of earthquake magnitude to depth. There was moderate correlation for distance of the earthquake epicenter to the observation point with both VEF bay depth and VEF bay duration. The correlation of the time difference of VEF variations and earthquakes with VEF bay depth was good, whereas the correlation of the time difference of VEF variations and earthquakes with VEF bay duration was too low to be considered

Effects of the India–Pakistan border earthquake on the atmospherics at 6 kHz and 9 kHz recorded at Tripura

<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables /> <w:SnapToGridInCell /> <w:WrapTextWithPunct /> <w:UseAsianBreakRules /> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id=ieooui></object> <mce:style><! st1:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } --> <!--[endif] --> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <mce:style><! /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} --> <!--[endif] -->The unusual variations observed in the records of the integrated field intensity of the atmospherics (IFIA) at 6 kHz and 9 kHz at Agartala, Tripura, in the north-eastern state of India (latitude, 23˚ N; longitude, 91.4˚ E) during the large earthquake on October 8, 2005 at Muzaffarabad (latitude, 34.53˚ N; longitude, 73.58˚ E) in Kashmir in Pakistan are here analyzed. Spiky variations in the IFIA at 6 kHz and 9 kHz were observed several days previous to the day of the earthquake (from midnight, September 28, 2005). The effects persisted for some days, decayed gradually, and eventually ceased on October 31, 2005. The spikes are distinctly superimposed on the ambient level, with mutual separation of 2–5 mins. The number of spikes per day and the total duration of their occurrence were particularly high on the day of the earthquake. The spike heights are higher at 6 kHz than at 9 kHz. The results are discussed here. The generation of electromagnetic radiation associated with the fracture of rocks, the subsequent penetration of this radiation into the Earth atmosphere, and finally its propagation through the Earth–ionosphere waveguide may be responsible for these observed spikes. The present observations show that the very low frequency anomaly dominates between 6 kHz and 9 kHz. The nature of the spikes presented here is a characteristic feature of the IFIA during the period of the earthquake. This has been established on the basis of time-series analyses over a period of one year.<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span&gt