307 research outputs found
Fire detection and 3D fire propagation estimation for the protection of cultural heritage areas
Beyond taking precautionary measures to avoid a forest fire, early warning and immediate response to a fire breakout are the only ways to avoid great losses and environmental and cultural heritage damages. To this end, this paper aims to present a computer vision based algorithm for wildfire detection and a 3D fire propagation estimation system. The main detection algorithm is composed of four sub-algorithms detecting (i) slow moving objects, (ii) smoke-coloured regions, (iii) rising regions, and (iv) shadow regions. After detecting a wildfire, the main focus should be the estimation of its propagation direction and speed. If the model of the vegetation and other important parameters like wind speed, slope, aspect of the ground surface, etc. are known; the propagation of fire can be estimated. This propagation can then be visualized in any 3D-GIS environment that supports KML files
Nonrectangular wavelets for multiresolution mesh analysis and compression
We propose a new Set Partitioning In Hierarchical Trees (SPIHT) based mesh compression framework. The 3D mesh is first transformed to 2D images on a regular grid structure. Then, this image-like representation is wavelet transformed and SPIHT is applied on the wavelet domain data. The method is progressive because the resolution of the reconstructed mesh can be changed by varying the length of the ID data stream created by SPIHT algorithm. Nearly perfect reconstruction is possible if full length of 1D data is received
Connectivity-guided adaptive lifting transform for image like compression of meshes
We propose a new connectivity-guided adaptive wavelet transform based mesh compression framework. The 3D mesh is first transformed to 2D images on a regular grid structure by performing orthogonal projections onto the image plane. Then, this image-like representation is wavelet transformed using a lifting structure employing an adaptive predictor that takes advantage of the connectivity information of mesh vertices. Then the wavelet domain data is encoded using "Set Partitioning In Hierarchical Trees" (SPIHT) method or JPEG2000. The SPIHT approach is progressive because the resolution of the reconstructed mesh can be changed by varying the length of the 1D data stream created by the algorithm. In JPEG2000 based approach, quantization of the coefficients determines the quality of the reconstruction. The results of the SPIHT based algorithm is observed to be superior to JPEG200 based mesh coder and MPEG-3DGC in rate-distortion
Phase and TV Based Convex Sets for Blind Deconvolution of Microscopic Images
In this paper, two closed and convex sets for blind deconvolution problem are proposed. Most blurring functions in microscopy are symmetric with respect to the origin. Therefore, they do not modify the phase of the Fourier transform (FT) of the original image. As a result blurred image and the original image have the same FT phase. Therefore, the set of images with a prescribed FT phase can be used as a constraint set in blind deconvolution problems. Another convex set that can be used during the image reconstruction process is the Epigraph Set of Total Variation (ESTV) function. This set does not need a prescribed upper bound on the Total Variation (TV) of the image. The upper bound is automatically adjusted according to the current image of the restoration process. Both the TV of the image and the blurring filter are regularized using the ESTV set. Both the phase information set and the ESTV are closed and convex sets. Therefore they can be used as a part of any blind deconvolution algorithm. Simulation examples are presented. © 2015 IEEE
Egypt’s 2011–2012 parliamentary elections: Voting for religious vs. secular democracy?
This study investigates whether individuals’ attitudes towards democracy and
secular politics have any influence on voting behavior in Egypt. Based on data
from a survey conducted immediately after the Egyptian parliamentary elections
in January 2012, this study finds that Egyptians’ attitudes towards democratic
governance were quite negative around the parliamentary elections, yet Egyptians
still endorsed democracy as the ideal political system for their country. However,
empirical findings suggest that support for democracy has a limited impact on
electoral results. On the other hand, the main division in Egyptian society around
the first free and fair parliamentary elections was the religious-secular cleavage. As
people support secular politics more, they become significantly less likely to vote
for Islamist parties. These results illustrate that preferences in regard to the type
of democracy – either a liberal and secular or a religious democracy – were
the main determinant of the historic 2012 elections in Egypt
Leading order analysis of neutrino induced dimuon events in the CHORUS experiment
We present a leading order QCD analysis of a sample of neutrino induced
charged-current events with two muons in the final state originating in the
lead-scintillating fibre calorimeter of the CHORUS detector. The results are
based on a sample of 8910 neutrino and 430 antineutrino induced opposite-sign
dimuon events collected during the exposure of the detector to the CERN Wide
Band Neutrino Beam between 1995 and 1998. % with GeV
and GeV collected %between 1995 and 1998. The analysis yields a
value of the charm quark mass of \mc = (1.26\pm 0.16 \pm 0.09) \GeVcc and a
value of the ratio of the strange to non-strange sea in the nucleon of , improving the results obtained in similar analyses
by previous experiments.Comment: Submitted to Nuclear Physics
Charged-Particle Multiplicities in Charged-Current Neutrino-- and Anti-Neutrino--Nucleus Interactions
The CHORUS experiment, designed to search for
oscillations, consists of a nuclear emulsion target and electronic detectors.
In this paper, results on the production of charged particles in a small sample
of charged-current neutrino-- and anti-neutrino--nucleus interactions at high
energy are presented. For each event, the emission angle and the ionization
features of the charged particles produced in the interaction are recorded,
while the standard kinematic variables are reconstructed using the electronic
detectors. The average multiplicities for charged tracks, the pseudo-rapidity
distributions, the dispersion in the multiplicity of charged particles and the
KNO scaling are studied in different kinematical regions. A study of
quasi-elastic topologies performed for the first time in nuclear emulsions is
also reported. The results are presented in a form suitable for use in the
validation of Monte Carlo generators of neutrino--nucleus interactions.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figure
The cientificWorldJOURNAL Clinical Study Fasting Blood Glucose and Lipid Profile Alterations following Twelve-Month Androgen Deprivation Therapy in Men with Prostate Cancer
properly cited. Purpose. In this retrospective study, we aimed to investigate the effects of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) on blood glucose and blood cholesterol levels over a 12-month period. Materials and Methods. Between January 2010 and June 2012, the data of 44 patients with prostate cancer who were receiving ADT were collected from a hospital database. Patients with additional malignancy or diabetes and those who had been prescribed and were currently taking cholesterol-lowering medication were excluded from the study. Data (including fasting blood glucose levels and a cholesterol profile) were collected and analysed statistically. A P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results. Twelve months after the initiation of ADT, fasting blood glucose (FBG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and triglyceride (TG) levels changed. FBG, TC, LDL cholesterol, and TG increased significantly (P = 0.009, 0.000, 0.000, and 0.000, resp.), while HDL cholesterol decreased (P = 0.000). Conclusion. ADT may increase FBG, TC, LDL cholesterol, and TG but decrease HDL cholesterol by the end of a year of treatment. Therefore, close followup may be needed as a consequence of one-year ADT regarding metabolic alterations
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