RLFC: Random Access Light Field Compression using Key Views and Bounded Integer Encoding

We present a new hierarchical compression scheme for encoding light field images (LFI) that is suitable for interactive rendering. Our method (RLFC) exploits redundancies in the light field images by constructing a tree structure. The top level (root) of the tree captures the common high-level details across the LFI, and other levels (children) of the tree capture specific low-level details of the LFI. Our decompressing algorithm corresponds to tree traversal operations and gathers the values stored at different levels of the tree. Furthermore, we use bounded integer sequence encoding which provides random access and fast hardware decoding for compressing the blocks of children of the tree. We have evaluated our method for 4D two-plane parameterized light fields. The compression rates vary from 0.08 - 2.5 bits per pixel (bpp), resulting in compression ratios of around 200:1 to 20:1 for a PSNR quality of 40 to 50 dB. The decompression times for decoding the blocks of LFI are 1 - 3 microseconds per channel on an NVIDIA GTX-960 and we can render new views with a resolution of 512X512 at 200 fps. Our overall scheme is simple to implement and involves only bit manipulations and integer arithmetic operations.Comment: Accepted for publication at Symposium on Interactive 3D Graphics and Games (I3D '19

Zinc recovery from bioleachate using a microbial electrolysis cell and comparison with selective precipitation

Metal recycling is essential for strengthening a circular economy. Microbial leaching (bioleaching) is an economical and environmentally friendly technology widely used to extract metals from insoluble ores or secondary resources such as dust, ashes, and slags. On the other hand, microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) would offer an energy-efficient application for recovering valuable metals from an aqueous solution. In this study, we investigated a MEC for Zn recovery from metal-laden bioleachate for the first time by applying a constant potential of −100 mV vs. Ag/AgCl (3 M NaCl) on a synthetic wastewater-treating bioanode. Zn was deposited onto the cathode surface with a recovery efficiency of 41 ± 13% and an energy consumption of 2.55 kWh kg−1. For comparison, Zn recovery from zinc sulfate solution resulted in a Zn recovery efficiency of 100 ± 0% and an energy consumption of 0.70 kWh kg−1. Furthermore, selective metal precipitation of the bioleachate was performed. Individual metals were almost completely precipitated from the bioleachate at pH 5 (Al), pH 7 (Zn and Fe), and pH 9 (Mg and Mn)

How to Design Infrastructure Contracts in a Warming World? A Critical Appraisal of Public-Private Partnerships

We analyze how uncertainty regarding future climate conditions affects the design of concession contracts, organizational forms and technological choices in a principal-agent context with dynamic moral hazard, limited liability and irreversibility constraints. The prospect of future, uncertain productivity shocks on the returns on the firm’s effort creates an option value of delaying efforts which exacerbates agency costs. Contracts and organizational forms are drafted to control this cost of delegated flexibility. Our analysis is relevant for infrastructure sectors that are sensitive to changing weather conditions and sheds a pessimistic light on the relevance of Public-Private Partnerships in this context

Media 4: A transparent thin-film sensor for multi-focal image reconstruction and depth estimation

Originally published in Optics Express on 21 April 2014 (oe-22-8-8928

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Media 9: Enhanced learning-based imaging with thin-film luminescent concentrators

Originally published in Optics Express on 01 December 2014 (oe-22-24-29531

Media 6: Enhanced learning-based imaging with thin-film luminescent concentrators

Originally published in Optics Express on 01 December 2014 (oe-22-24-29531

Media 1: Enhanced learning-based imaging with thin-film luminescent concentrators

Originally published in Optics Express on 01 December 2014 (oe-22-24-29531

Table_1_Zinc recovery from bioleachate using a microbial electrolysis cell and comparison with selective precipitation.xlsx

Metal recycling is essential for strengthening a circular economy. Microbial leaching (bioleaching) is an economical and environmentally friendly technology widely used to extract metals from insoluble ores or secondary resources such as dust, ashes, and slags. On the other hand, microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) would offer an energy-efficient application for recovering valuable metals from an aqueous solution. In this study, we investigated a MEC for Zn recovery from metal-laden bioleachate for the first time by applying a constant potential of −100 mV vs. Ag/AgCl (3 M NaCl) on a synthetic wastewater-treating bioanode. Zn was deposited onto the cathode surface with a recovery efficiency of 41 ± 13% and an energy consumption of 2.55 kWh kg−1. For comparison, Zn recovery from zinc sulfate solution resulted in a Zn recovery efficiency of 100 ± 0% and an energy consumption of 0.70 kWh kg−1. Furthermore, selective metal precipitation of the bioleachate was performed. Individual metals were almost completely precipitated from the bioleachate at pH 5 (Al), pH 7 (Zn and Fe), and pH 9 (Mg and Mn).</p