Sensor specific distributions for improved tracking of people

In this paper, we examine sensor specific distributions of local image operators (edge and line detectors), which describe the appearance of people in video sequences. The distributions are used to describe a probabilistic articulated motion model to track the gestures of a person in terms of arms and body movement. The distributions are based on work of Sidenbladh where general distributions are examined, collected over images found on the internet. In our work, we focus on the statistics of one sensor, in our case a standard webcam, and examine the influence of image noise and scale. We show that although the general shape of the distributions published by Sidenbladh are found, important anomalies occur which are due to image noise and reduced resolution. Taking into account the effects of noise and blurring on the scale space response of edge and line detectors improves the overall performance of the model. The original distributions introduced a bias towards small sharp boundaries over large blurred boundaries. In the case of arms and legs which often appear blurred in the image, this bias is unwanted. Incorporating our modifications in the distributions removes the bias and makes the tracking more robust

Optimizing performance of liquid-liquid extraction in stratified flow in micro-channels

Several applications such as liquid-liquid extraction in micro-fluidic devices are concerned with the flow of two immiscible liquid phases. Two characteristic flow regimes are observed in these systems: the stratified flow and the slug flow. In this work, two phase (liquid-liquid) stratified flows in a rectangular geometry are first analyzed. The influence of physical properties, in particular the viscosity of the two liquids, on the velocity profiles is determined analytically. The flow profiles are classified in the parameter space of physical properties (viscosity ratio) and operating conditions (flow-rate ratio). Viscosity affects the shapes of the velocity profile and the dispersion of a solute in each phase. The question addressed is: can the viscosity of a fluid be exploited to improve extraction efficiency? This would then give us an extra degree of freedom to control and improve extraction efficiency when there can be more than one possible candidate for extractant. The mass transfer behavior in the liquid-liquid system is numerically simulated using both a finite-difference and a finite-volume method. This helps understanding of the role of various operating conditions as pressure drop, flow rate, etc on the behavior of the system. Our analysis can be used to establish guidelines for carrying out experiments. It is found that the effect of the difference in the shape of the flow profiles on mass transfer is not very significant for some modes of operation. The predictions of our model are compared with experimental results from the literature

Dynamic lot-sizing models with limited resources.

Model; Models;

Genome-editing based engineering of CESA3 dual cellulose-inhibitor resistant plants

The rapid appearance of herbicide-resistant weeds combined with a lack of novel herbicides being brought to market reduces crop production, thereby threatening food security worldwide. Here, we report on the use of the previously identified cellulose biosynthesis-inhibiting chemical compound C17 as a potential herbicide. Toxicity tests showed that C17 efficiently inhibits the growth of various weeds and widely cultivated dicotyledonous crops, whereas only slight or no growth inhibition was observed for monocotyledonous crops. Surprisingly, when exposed to a mixture of C17 and two well-known cellulose biosynthesis inhibitors (CBIs), isoxaben and indaziflam, an additive growth inhibition was observed, demonstrating that C17 has a different mode of action that can be used to sensitize plants towards known CBIs. Moreover, we demonstrate that a C17-resistant CESA3 allele can be used as a positive transformation selection marker and that C17 resistance can be obtained through genome engineering of the wild-type CESA3 allele using CRISPR-mediated base editing. This editing system allowed us to engineer C17 tolerance in an isoxaben-resistant line, resulting in double herbicide-resistant plants

Conceptualisation et mesure du soutien parental

L’arrivée d’un enfant provoque généralement de grands bouleversements et nécessite de multiples adaptations de la part des partenaires conjugaux. De ce fait, de nombreuses recherches ont permis de mettre en évidence le rôle du/de la partenaire lors de ces périodes de transition et, plus particulièrement, d’indiquer l’importance du soutien du/de la conjoint(e) durant ces périodes de stress accru. Néanmoins, rares sont les études qui ont considéré le soutien du/de la partenaire exclusivement sur le plan parental. En effet, le soutien parental est un concept qui est récemment apparu au sein de la littérature et qui a suscité un nombre limité d’études jusqu’à présent. Ainsi, ce mémoire a pour objectif d’apporter une conceptualisation du soutien parental ainsi que de créer un instrument de mesure permettant d’évaluer ce concept auprès des familles biparentales. Il tentera d’explorer la structure interne de ce questionnaire afin d’analyser si les items possèdent de bonnes propriétés psychométriques. Le soutien parental sera également mis en relation avec la satisfaction conjugale et le sentiment de compétence parentale dans le but de s’assurer de la validité externe du questionnaire. Ce dernier, sous sa version finale, sera nommé Questionnaire de Soutien Parental (QSP).Master [120] en sciences psychologiques, Université catholique de Louvain, 201