1,671 research outputs found
A robust nonlinear scale space change detection approach for SAR images
In this paper, we propose a change detection approach based on nonlinear scale space analysis of change images for robust detection of various changes incurred by natural phenomena and/or human activities in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images using Maximally Stable Extremal Regions (MSERs). To achieve this, a variant of the log-ratio image of multitemporal images is calculated which is followed by Feature Preserving Despeckling (FPD) to generate nonlinear scale space images exhibiting different trade-offs in terms of speckle reduction and shape detail preservation. MSERs of each scale space image are found and then combined through a decision level fusion strategy, namely "selective scale fusion" (SSF), where contrast and boundary curvature of each MSER are considered. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated using real multitemporal high resolution TerraSAR-X images and synthetically generated multitemporal images composed of shapes with several orientations, sizes, and backscatter amplitude levels representing a variety of possible signatures of change. One of the main outcomes of this approach is that different objects having different sizes and levels of contrast with their surroundings appear as stable regions at different scale space images thus the fusion of results from scale space images yields a good overall performance
The variations of temperature, pressure and wind speedvalues: Effects on gravity waves
According to the theoretical studies, gravity waves, which are excited in the lower atmosphere, can transport momentum and energy on to the upper levels. Gravity waves are attenuated by interacting with the large-scale wind motions in the upper part of the middle atmosphere. Different meteorological parameters and atmospheric circulations are known as one of the sources of excitement of gravity
waves. The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the onset of some gravity waves (GWs), and seasonal variations of gravity waves over Istanbul. Radiosonda data of
Istanbul in troposphere and lower stratosphere (1000 hPaâ30 hPa) between 1993 and 1997 is analyzed. Daily, monthly and annual variation of pressure heights, air temperature, horizontal wind speed and deviations from mean values are interpreted. Zonal and meridional wind speed variations show the effects of gravity waves for different pressure levels in the troposphere. These waves lead the meso-scale wave form structures in spring, autumn and winter
Effects of Catalyst Precursor Type and Preparation Conditions, and Solvent Type on Activity and Selectivity of Pt/SiO2 Catalyst in Citral Hydrogenation
Instability and Periodic Deformation in Bilayer Membranes Induced by Freezing
The instability and periodic deformation of bilayer membranes during freezing
processes are studied as a function of the difference of the shape energy
between the high and the low temperature membrane states. It is shown that
there exists a threshold stability condition, bellow which a planar
configuration will be deformed. Among the deformed shapes, the periodic curved
square textures are shown being one kind of the solutions of the associated
shape equation. In consistency with recent expe rimental observations, the
optimal ratio of period and amplitude for such a texture is found to be
approximately equal to (2)^{1/2}\pi.Comment: 8 pages in Latex form, 1 Postscript figure. To be appear in Mod.
Phys. Lett. B. 199
Wavelet transforms of meteorological parameters and gravity waves
The main purpose of this paper is to analyze some characteristics of gravity waves (GWs), and seasonal variations of atmospheric waves over Istanbul by using wavelet techniques. Daily radiosonda data of Istanbul in the troposphere and lower stratosphere (1000hPa-30hPa) between 1993 and 1997 have been considered. Wavelet analysis based on a computer simulation of data is generally close to the real data when Daubechies wavelet series are used. Daily, monthly, seasonal and annual variations of pressure heights, air temperature and deviations from mean values have been analyzed. Variations show the effects of gravity waves for different pressure levels in the troposphere. These waves lead to the meso-scale wave-form structures in spring, autumn and winter. As a result of this study, wavelet series and transforms for data construction, definition of some discontinuities and the local effects on the signal have been compared with the results of previous studies. The most similar structure between temperature, turbulence parameters and geo-potential height deviations has been defined at the 500-hPa pressure level
Embedding Sustainability in Lean Six Sigma Efforts
The emphasis on the concept of sustainability in businesses and operations is growing either due to increasing public interest, regulatory pressures, or corporate social responsibility. However, where and how to integrate sustainability needs further development for broadening its applications. Using Lean and Six Sigma (LSS) principles in sustainability studies is becoming popular in research and practice. The common approach in these studies is to identify a sustainability project followed by current state sustainability performance assessment, and then work towards improving sustainability performance using LSS tools. The goal of this study was to develop a model framework to fully embed sustainability into any LSS project building on current practices. The wide coverage of LSS, its effectiveness record, and its overlap with sustainability goals establish the foundation for expanding LSS methodology to include sustainability concepts. The proposed framework is not specific to an industry, but is intended to be applicable to the wide spectrum of projects where LSS can be applied. Examples were provided from manufacturing and construction industries in the study. The existing methodologies are framed to target only sustainability initiatives while the presented framework aims to integrate sustainability into any type of improvement initiative. Furthermore, existing methodologies focus almost solely on environmental and economic sustainability, whereas the presented study includes social dimension too. Both academicians and professionals will benefit from the presented framework as it provides a different perspective than what is found in literature enabling broader applications, together with concrete steps and examples demonstrating its implementation, use, and potential benefits
FABRIC: A Framework for the Design and Evaluation of Collaborative Robots with Extended Human Adaptation
A limitation for collaborative robots (cobots) is their lack of ability to
adapt to human partners, who typically exhibit an immense diversity of
behaviors. We present an autonomous framework as a cobot's real-time
decision-making mechanism to anticipate a variety of human characteristics and
behaviors, including human errors, toward a personalized collaboration. Our
framework handles such behaviors in two levels: 1) short-term human behaviors
are adapted through our novel Anticipatory Partially Observable Markov Decision
Process (A-POMDP) models, covering a human's changing intent (motivation),
availability, and capability; 2) long-term changing human characteristics are
adapted by our novel Adaptive Bayesian Policy Selection (ABPS) mechanism that
selects a short-term decision model, e.g., an A-POMDP, according to an estimate
of a human's workplace characteristics, such as her expertise and collaboration
preferences. To design and evaluate our framework over a diversity of human
behaviors, we propose a pipeline where we first train and rigorously test the
framework in simulation over novel human models. Then, we deploy and evaluate
it on our novel physical experiment setup that induces cognitive load on humans
to observe their dynamic behaviors, including their mistakes, and their
changing characteristics such as their expertise. We conduct user studies and
show that our framework effectively collaborates non-stop for hours and adapts
to various changing human behaviors and characteristics in real-time. That
increases the efficiency and naturalness of the collaboration with a higher
perceived collaboration, positive teammate traits, and human trust. We believe
that such an extended human adaptation is key to the long-term use of cobots.Comment: The article is in review for publication in International Journal of
Robotics Researc
Kombinierte dorsale und palmare Plattenosteosynthese bei distalen intraartikulÀren Radiusfrakturen
Zusammenfassung: Hintergrund: Behandlungsziel bei komplexen distalen intraartikulĂ€ren Radiusfrakturen ist die anatomische Gelenkrekonstruktion. In seltenen FĂ€llen kann dies nur mit einer kombinierten, dorsalen und palmaren AbstĂŒtzung erreicht werden, trotz der zunehmenden Erfahrung mit winkelstabilen palmaren Implantaten. Diese retrospektive QualitĂ€tskontrollstudie untersucht das funktionelle, radiologische und subjektive Outcome der mit dieser Technik operierten Patienten. Patienten und Methoden : An der Klinik fĂŒr Unfallchirurgie des UniversitĂ€tsspital ZĂŒrich wurden zwischen MĂ€rz 1999 und Januar 2003 von 360 Patienten mit instabiler distaler Radiusfraktur 30 Patienten mit komplexer C2-/C3-Fraktur ĂŒber einen kombinierten dorsopalmaren Zugang mit einer 3,5-mm-T-Platte und dorsal mit zwei 1/4-Rohr-Platten behandelt und in die Studie eingeschlossen (9 Frauen, 21MĂ€nner, Mittelwert des Alters 52). Nachkontrolliert werden konnten 25 der 30 Patienten im Mittel 29 Monate nach Unfall. Ergebnisse: Die angestrebte anatomische Rekonstruktion gelang nicht bei allen Patienten: 56% zeigten leichte, 28% schwere Zeichen der Arthrose. Die Flexion erreichte 66%, die Extension 75% der gesunden Seite, Pronation und Supination sogar 98 bzw. 91%. Die Kraft beim Faustschluss betrug 75% der kontralateralen Seite. Zehn Patienten (40%) entwickelten im Verlauf ein komplexes regionales Schmerzsyndrom (CRPS). Die RĂŒckkehr zur Arbeit war nach 120 Tagen möglich. Schlussfolgerung: Die dorsopalmare Plattenosteosynthese komplexer, distaler intraartikulĂ€rer Radiusfrakturen erlaubt eine Gelenkrekonstruktion mit gutem subjektivem, funktionellem und radiologischem Resultat, dies trotz des durch den beidseitigen Zugang verursachten zusĂ€tzlichen Weichteilschaden. Das hohe CRPS-Risiko, aber auch der lange Arbeitsausfall mĂŒssen bei der PatientenaufklĂ€rung berĂŒcksichtigt werde
Current Discussions in the German Integration Debate
Current integration discussion about the Turkish population in Germany is influenced by cultural essentialism. The political and social components of integration are by and large being neglected. The incorporation of migrants of Turkish origin into the society is praised as a superior target for the cohesion of the whole societyâ whilst cultural â national and religious â identities of Turkish migrants are comprehended as the real hurdles for the achievement of it. The scene is generally dominated by popular culturalist views of different authorsâ who blame the Turks of allegedly homogeneous Turkish group being incapable to be decent members of the society due to their cultural identity. In contrast to these mostly normative and emotional approaches to the issueâ empirical evidence reveals a different picture : Shortcomings in the overall education systemâ delayed integration policies and structural national â and global â problems in the labour market seem to be the genuine reasons of failures. The migrant integration could be enhanced by creating equal opportunities for all members of the society in all societal levels. To challenge the existent and emerging future problems of migrant incorporation and diversity managementâ which should be free of emotional cultural essentialist viewsâ the focus should be placed on the novel opportunities of inner and inter â state partnershipsâ using governance options in trans â national social spacesâ so to achieve a higher level of social equity and reconciliation within a pluralistic societyâ hence a societyâ which should consist of members with equal rights and duties.Les dĂ©bats en cours sur lâintĂ©gration en Allemagne : Approche culturaliste ou Ă©quitĂ© sociale ? Ă lâheure actuelle, les discussions sur la population turque en Allemagne sont sous lâinfluence dâun essentialisme culturel. Les composantes politiques et sociales de lâintĂ©gration sont largement nĂ©gligĂ©es. LâintĂ©gration des migrants dâorigine turque dans la sociĂ©tĂ© est valorisĂ©e en tant quâobjectif suprĂȘme de cohĂ©sion pour la sociĂ©tĂ© tout entiĂšre, alors que les identitĂ©s culturelles â nationales et religieuses â des migrants turcs sont considĂ©rĂ©es comme les vĂ©ritables obstacles Ă la mise en Ćuvre de cette cohĂ©sion. Dâune façon gĂ©nĂ©rale, la scĂšne est dominĂ©e par les vues culturalistes frĂ©quemment Ă©mises par certains auteurs, qui reprochent aux Turcs supposĂ©s appartenir Ă un groupe homogĂšne dâĂȘtre incapables de devenir des membres convenables de la sociĂ©tĂ©, en raison de leur identitĂ© culturelle. Ă lâopposĂ© de ces approches du problĂšme, essentiellement normatives et Ă©motionnelles, des donnĂ©es empiriques font apparaĂźtre une image diffĂ©rente : les insuffisances du systĂšme Ă©ducatif en gĂ©nĂ©ral, les retards dans les politiques dâintĂ©gration, ainsi que des problĂšmes structurels nationaux â et gĂ©nĂ©raux â sur le marchĂ© du travail semblent ĂȘtre les vraies raisons de ces Ă©checs. LâintĂ©gration des immigrants pourrait ĂȘtre amĂ©liorĂ©e par la crĂ©ation dâune Ă©galitĂ© des chances pour tous les membres de la sociĂ©tĂ©, Ă tous les niveaux. Le traitement des problĂšmes, actuels et Ă©mergents pour lâavenir, de lâintĂ©gration des immigrants et celui de la diversitĂ©, devraient ĂȘtre dĂ©pourvus de visions culturelles Ă©motionnellement essentialistes afin de se concentrer sur les nouvelles opportunitĂ©s de partenariats dans les LĂ€nder et entre LĂ€nder, en se servant des principes de gouvernance des espaces sociaux transnationaux, afin de parvenir Ă un degrĂ© supĂ©rieur dâĂ©quitĂ© sociale et de rĂ©conciliation dans une sociĂ©tĂ© pluraliste, câest-Ă -dire une sociĂ©tĂ© qui serait composĂ©e de membres ayant des droits et devoirs Ă©gaux.Debates actuales sobre la integraciĂłn en Alemania: ÂżPerspectiva culturalista o equidad social? Hoy en dĂa, el âesencialismoâ cultural influye en los debates sobre la poblaciĂłn turca en Alemania, desestimando ampliamente los componentes polĂticos y sociales de la integraciĂłn. La integraciĂłn de los emigrantes de origen turco en la sociedad es valorizada en calidad de objetivo supremo de cohesiĂłn de la sociedad en su totalidad. Las identidades culturales (nacionales y religiosas) de los inmigrantes turcos son consideradas, por su parte, como los verdaderos obstĂĄculos para el logro de dicha cohesiĂłn. De manera general, la escena estĂĄ dominada por los puntos de vista culturalistas de ciertos autores que reprochan a los turcos, que se supone pertenecen a un grupo homogĂ©neo, de ser incapaces, a causa de su identidad cultural, de convertirse en miembros convenientes de la sociedad. En oposiciĂłn a estas perspectivas del problema, esencialmente normativas y emocionales, datos empĂricos revelan una imagen diferente: las verdaderas razones de estos fracasos parecen ser las insuficiencias del sistema educativo en general, los retrasos en las polĂticas de integraciĂłn asĂ como los problemas estructurales nacionales (y generales) del mercado laboral. La integraciĂłn de los inmigrantes podrĂa ser mejorada a travĂ©s de la creaciĂłn de una igualdad de oportunidades para todos los miembros de la sociedad y a todos los niveles. El tratamiento de los problemas (actuales y emergentes) de integraciĂłn de los inmigrantes y de diversidad deberĂa ser despojado de visiones culturales emocionalmente esencialitas para concentrarse en nuevas oportunidades de partenariado dentro y entre LĂ€nders. Para ello, se podrĂa recurrir a principios de gobernanza de espacios sociales transnacionales con el objetivo de alcanzar un grado superior de equidad social y de reconciliaciĂłn en una sociedad pluralista ; es decir, una sociedad que seria compuesta por miembros que gozan de iguales derechos y deberes
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