Using Decoupled Features for Photo-realistic Style Transfer

In this work we propose a photorealistic style transfer method for image and video that is based on vision science principles and on a recent mathematical formulation for the deterministic decoupling of sample statistics. The novel aspects of our approach include matching decoupled moments of higher order than in common style transfer approaches, and matching a descriptor of the power spectrum so as to characterize and transfer diffusion effects between source and target, which is something that has not been considered before in the literature. The results are of high visual quality, without spatio-temporal artifacts, and validation tests in the form of observer preference experiments show that our method compares very well with the state-of-the-art. The computational complexity of the algorithm is low, and we propose a numerical implementation that is amenable for real-time video application. Finally, another contribution of our work is to point out that current deep learning approaches for photorealistic style transfer don't really achieve photorealistic quality outside of limited examples, because the results too often show unacceptable visual artifacts

Design of a movil manipulator with optimum mechanical energy using differential evolution

En este trabajo se establece el problema de diseño cinemático y dinámico de los eslabones de un manipulador móvil como un problema de optimización numérica, con el objetivo de minimizar la energía mecánica del sistema en las posiciones críticas de un espacio de trabajo pre-establecido. Al cumplir con el objetivo propuesto se disminuye consecuentemente el consumo de energía que necesita el sistema de control durante su operación dentro del espacio de trabajo pre-establecido. Para dar solución al problema de optimización, se incorpora un mecanismo de explotación exhaustiva en el algoritmo tradicional de evolución diferencial, permitiendo mejorar la búsqueda dentro de una vecindad del espacio de diseño. Resultados en simulación muestran el desempeño del algoritmo. A su vez se muestra un menor consumo de energía del diseño resultante comparado con otros 3 diseños.In this work, the design of kinematic and dynamic parameters of links of a mobile manipulator is stated as a numerical optimization problem (NOP). The NOP aims to minimize the mechanical energy of the system in critical positions given by the vertices of a workspace and consequently reduce the energy consumption of the control system during its operation in the workspace. An exhaustive exploitation mechanism is included in the traditional differential evolution algorithm to improve the search into a neighborhood in the design space. Simulation results show the performance of the algorithm. The resulting design shows less energy consumption than other three designs.Peer Reviewe

When the Earth trembles in the americas: the experience of haiti and chile 2010.

The response of the nephrological community to the Haiti and Chile earthquakes which occurred in the first months of 2010 is described. In Haiti, renal support was organized by the Renal Disaster Relief Task Force (RDRTF) of the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) in close collaboration with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), and covered both patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) and patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The majority of AKI patients (19/27) suffered from crush syndrome and recovered their kidney function. The remaining 8 patients with AKI showed acute-to-chronic renal failure with very low recovery rates. The intervention of the RDRTF-ISN involved 25 volunteers of 9 nationalities, lasted exactly 2 months, and was characterized by major organizational difficulties and problems to create awareness among other rescue teams regarding the availability of dialysis possibilities. Part of the Haitian patients with AKI reached the Dominican Republic (DR) and received their therapy there. The nephrological community in the DR was able to cope with this extra patient load. In both Haiti and the DR, dialysis treatment was able to be prevented in at least 40 patients by screening and adequate fluid administration. Since laboratory facilities were destroyed in Port-au-Prince and were thus lacking during the first weeks of the intervention, the use from the very beginning on of a point-of-care device (i-STAT®) was very efficient for the detection of aberrant kidney function and electrolyte parameters. In Chile, nephrological problems were essentially related to difficulties delivering dialysis treatment to CKD patients, due to the damage to several units. This necessitated the reallocation of patients and the adaptation of their schedules. The problems could be handled by the local nephrologists. These observations illustrate that local and international preparedness might be life-saving if renal problems occur in earthquake circumstances

NIR camera for early detection of diabetic ulcers

The purpose of this Creative Inquiry is to test whether near-infrared (NIR) imaging devices can detect areas of skin at risk for ulceration in diabetic patients. Venous blood accumulation, or high levels of deoxygenated blood within a tissue, can indicate poor blood circulation and increased risk of ulceration. Here we propose to detect venous blood in tissues using differences in optical spectra of oxygenated vs. deoxygenated blood in NIR region. We previously designed and built a prototype scanner with three integrated NIR light sources that is being tested at MUSC. Our current work is focused on testing of improved NIR illumination systems and improved NIR imaging device, and our second prototype that uses a more sensitive Raspberry Pi-controlled camera and advanced NIR light sources will provide significantly improved image quality. Upon success, the ultimate goal of this project is to manufacture a cheap, portable NIR camera for skin self-monitoring by diabetic patients

Macro-AFM model

An Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) is an important tool in modern nanoscience, capable of producing surface maps at resolutions below 1 nanometer, which is impossible for other methods. Despite AFM\u27s often use, it is often difficult for students to understand their work because all measurement processes take place at micro- and nano-scale. The goal of this project is to create a macro scale model, which will serve as an educational tool to introduce the principles behind AFM to undergraduate and high school students. Currently, a fully automatic microprocessor-controlled surface scanning block has been built and successfully tested with a scan area of ca. one square foot. Continued work includes designing and building of a topography measurement block that will work on the same principle as a real AFM does at nano-level. We expect that macro AFM building an image using AFM techniques will empower instructors to show the concepts, and to spark interest of potential students in Bioengineering

Modelling the effects of sand extraction, on sediment transport due to tides, on the Kwinte Bank

In recent years, the exploitation of marine aggregates is increasing. As an example, on the Belgian continental shelf, one particular sandbank (the Kwinte Bank) is exploited extensively; this has led to the creation of a 5 m deep depression along its central part. In the present contribution, the influence of these bathymetric changes, on erosion and sedimentation patterns are studied, using numerical modelling, in order to obtain an initial impression of the effect of such intense sand extraction on the stability of the sandbank. Different numerical models are utilised. Twodimensional and three-dimensional hydrodynamic models have been used to derive currents, whilst third generation wave models have been used to simulate the waves. Two different models are presented, which calculate the total load sediment transport as a function of the local currents and waves. These models have been used to investigate the erosional and depositional patterns. The use of two different sediment transport models has some advantages, since the results of sediment transport models are still subject to some important uncertainties. The hydrodynamic model results are validated using ADCP current data, confirming the good performance of the models. Likewise the wave models provide good results, comparing their results with data from a buoy. The sediment transport model results were compared to the residual transport patterns, derived from the asymmetry of dunes. The results obtained seem to be in general agreement with these observations. The numerical models are used to simulate the response of the sediment transport to extensive sand extraction from the sandbank. One ‘worst-case’ scenario and two more realistic scenarios were simulated, whilst the effect of these bathymetric changes on sediment transport was studied. The results show that the intense sand extraction does not seem to influence extensively the stability of the sandbank, but that, as a consequence, there is less erosion and deposition. The model results show, for all of the scenarios, a small amount of deposition on the top of the sandbank; this could be an indication of a regeneration mechanism. A trench, created perpendicular to the crest of the sandbank, could be slowly refilled again. The time-scale of this regeneration and the influence of storms remain uncertain. Although the main emphasis of the paper relates to tidal forcing, a brief discussion is included on the influence of wave action, on sediment transport

A high-quality video denoising algorithm based on reliable motion estimation

11th European Conference on Computer Vision, Heraklion, Crete, Greece, September 5-11, 2010, Proceedings, Part IIIAlthough the recent advances in the sparse representations of images have achieved outstanding denosing results, removing real, structured noise in digital videos remains a challenging problem. We show the utility of reliable motion estimation to establish temporal correspondence across frames in order to achieve high-quality video denoising. In this paper, we propose an adaptive video denosing framework that integrates robust optical flow into a non-local means (NLM) framework with noise level estimation. The spatial regularization in optical flow is the key to ensure temporal coherence in removing structured noise. Furthermore, we introduce approximate K-nearest neighbor matching to significantly reduce the complexity of classical NLM methods. Experimental results show that our system is comparable with the state of the art in removing AWGN, and significantly outperforms the state of the art in removing real, structured noise

Discovery of an extended G giant chromosphere in the 2019 eclipse of γ Per

The November 2019 eclipse of γ Per was a rare opportunity to seek evidence for a chromosphere of the G8 giant, hitherto suspected but not detected. Twenty-nine years after the only other observed eclipse, we aim to find chromospheric absorption in the strong Caa II H&K lines, and to determine its column densities and scale height. Using the Telescopio Internacional de Guanajuato Rob\uf3tico-Espectrosc\uf3pico (TIGRE) in Guanajuato (central Mexico) before, during and after the 8 days of total eclipse, we obtained good S/N spectra of the G8 giant alone and composite spectra of the partial phases, near eclipse and far from eclipse. In the near UV of the Caa II H&K and H\ucfμ lines, the G giant spectrum that was adequately scaled was subtracted from the composite spectra in partial phases, near and far from eclipse, to obtain the A3 companion spectra with and without traces of chromospheric absorption. In addition, we used PHOENIX full non-local thermodynamic equilibrium model atmospheres on the blue A star spectrum, iSpec spectral analysis of the red G giant spectrum, and evolution tracks to study both components of γ Per. For the first time, we present evidence for this rare type of a not very extended G giant chromosphere, reaching out about half of an A-star radius (~1.5 Gm) with a scale height of only 0.17 Gm. By its location in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, the γ Per G8 giant is very close to the onset of more extended chromospheres. Furthermore, we show that this giant has a rather inactive chromosphere, and a recent 5 ksec XMM pointing reveals only a very faint, low-energy corona. While the γ Per primary has a mass of ~3.6 M\u27, and its A3 companion has one of ~2.4 M\u27, the latter is too cool (8400 \ub1 300 K), which is too evolved on the main sequence to be the same age as the primary. The high eccentricity of the 5329.08 days long-period orbit may therefore be reminiscent of a rare capture event. Using the eclipse method, we resolve a pivotal case of a G giant chromosphere, which seems to represent a low-gravity analogue of the inactive Sun. A systematic change of giant chromospheric extent by Hertzsprung-Russell diagram position is confirmed. Compared to the solar chromosphere, the density scale height increases with gravity by \uc9\ua1\u271.5

Thermal oxidative decomposition estimation combining TGA and DSC as optimization targets for PMMA

Thermal analysis techniques play a key role to determine and characterize solid phase thermal decomposition. In this sense, Simultaneous Thermal Analysis (STA, i.e. TGA and DSC tests carried out simultaneously) are widely employed, since it provides information about how mass is lost and energy released while the temperature of the sample increases. Fire computer models combined with methods numerical methods are widely used to represent the results from tests and to achieve the values of the kinetic and thermal parameters. Previous works looked forward achieving those parameters using, as unique optimization target, the mass loss curve (TGA) or its derivative (DTGA). As the study of heat release rate is a decisive element to characterize the material properly, most recent works were adding additional measures. These extra measurements concern the heat transfer and the energy required or released during temperature programmed heating, such as heat rate release, heat of gasification, or the surface temperatures of the samples. The information about the energy is provided by the Differential Scanning Calorimetry curve (DSC). Despite of the employment of the information provided by the DSC, this information usually is not used as a target to approach the DSC simulated curve to the experimental one as TGA does. Based on the lack of use of the DSC curve as numerical approaching process to set the kinetic properties, we decide to explore the possibility of adding this as a new target in the process. Therefore, kinetic and thermal properties might be achieved fitting experimental and simulated curves simultaneously, which should allow us to take into account the decomposition process and their energy released. Results obtained in the present work reveal the major challenge of getting a set of parameters, which can fit DSC curve. The level of accuracy reached when only TGA is utilized as target to approach is higher than the level of accuracy of DSC curve. This fact makes increase the value of the errors when both curves are used as targets to approach. In other words, an approach to both curves simultaneously cannot be directly made. With this consideration in mind, this paper proposes an alternative methodology in order to fit TGA curve considering the optimization of the DSC curve. The methodology proposed in the present work is applied to the analysis of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA).The authors would like to express their thanks to the Nuclear Safety Council for the cooperation and cofinancing of the project "Simulation of fires in nuclear power plants" and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness for the PYRODESIGN Project grant, Ref.: BIA2012-37890, financed jointly by ERDF