ACTIVITY ANALYSIS OF SPECTATOR PERFORMER VIDEOS USING MOTION TRAJECTORIES

Spectator Performer Space (SPS) is a frequently occurring crowd dynamics, composed of one or more central performers, and a peripheral crowd of spectators. Analysis of videos in this space is often complicated due to occlusion and high density of people. Although there are many video analysis approaches, they are targeted for individual actors or low-density crowd and hence are not suitable for SPS videos. In this work, we present two trajectory-based features: Histogram of Trajectories (HoT) and Histogram of Trajectory Clusters (HoTC) to analyze SPS videos. HoT is calculated from the distribution of length and orientation of motion trajectories in a video. For HoTC, we compute the features derived from the motion trajectory clusters in the videos. So, HoTC characterizes different spatial region which may contain different action categories, inside a video. We have extended DBSCAN, a well-known clustering algorithm, to cluster short trajectories, common in SPS videos. The derived features are then used to classify the SPS videos based on their activities. In addition to using NaïveBayes and support vector machines (SVM), we have experimented with ensemble based classifiers and a deep learning approach using the videos directly for training. The efficacy of our algorithms is demonstrated using a dataset consisting of 4000 real life videos each from spectator and performer spaces. The classification accuracies for spectator videos (HoT: 87%; HoTC: 92%) and performer videos (HoT: 91%; HoTC: 90%) show that our approach out-performs t­­he state of the art techniques based on deep learning. Advisor: Ashok Sama

Optically Transparent Antennas and Filters

As society continues to increase its demand for wireless network access, more antennas, base stations, and network access points is a must. By integrating these antennas into existing infrastructure, such as buildings, cars, and street lights, network engineers can begin to meet these demands. In order to integrate antennas into windows, optical transparency is paramount. Optically transparent antennas are currently created through materials known as Transparent Conductive Oxides (TCOs). TCOs are doped metal oxides that have high optical transmittance and low electrical resistivity. TCOs are employed in flat panel displays, touch sensitive control panels, and electromagnetic shielding windows. The most popular material in use, is called Indium Tin Oxide (ITO). ITO however, is becoming expensive to extract, and from mass production, it is becoming scarce. Therefore, an alternative to ITO is needed. Gallium Zinc Oxide (GZO) is an optimal substitute for ITO because it is in the same element group and has comparable conductivity/resistivity values. We have successfully fabricated an optically transparent antenna resonating at 2.4 GHz (Wi-Fi) and two transparent frequency selective surfaces at 27.5 GHz (proposed 5G). Optically transparent antennas allows a promising future in wireless technology such as smart windows, eyeglass telemetry, and even transparent RFID tags.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/capstone/1182/thumbnail.jp

Heel Down and Toe-off time measured with Ultrasonic Doppler System and Force Plate Sensor

Collie Box is a medical device that measures the gait parameters of the person walk- ing in front of it. This device uses the Ultrasonic Doppler system to extract the heel-contact and toe-off times of a person walking within the range of 2-10 meters. These times are used to determine the leg’s swing phase and double stance times. The ultrasonic transducer of 10mm diameter is driven at 40kHz. At the time of the heel-contact and toe-off, foot velocity is zero while the torso part of the human body is still in motion. The wide directivity of 10mm diameter ultrasonic transducer cre- ates problems in reading the times at which the foot velocity is zero. For processing the received signal, we use Matlab algorithm to fit the measured foot velocity to a model in order to estimate these times. To narrow the directivity of the ultrasonic transducer, different sizes and arrangements of the ultrasonic transducer are com- pared. The linear array of ten 3.7mm diameter transducer is observed to have narrow directivity. Further, the comparison of the heel-contact and toe-off times is made be- tween force sensor and beamed 3.7mm diameter transducer arrays and single 10mm diameter ultrasonic transducer. As a result, the spectrogram view of unprocessed signal of a person walking in front of the beamed 3.7mm diameter transducer seems to have reduced torso velocity as compared to 10mm diameter ultrasonic transducer. However, when heel-contact and toe-off times of processed signal of a person walk- ing in front of beamed 3.7mm diameter transducer doesn’t seem to improve when compared with the force plate sensor

Comparative analysis of machine learning algorithms\u27 ability to predict in-hospital mortality in Myocardial Infarction patients

Objective: This paper presents the result from performance evaluation of various machine learning algorithms in mortality prediction in case myocardial infarction patients. Avaiability of such information can be a useful tool to clinicians as well as patient in making informed decisions. Materials and Method: The data were taken from electronic health records available through MIMIC III v1.4 database. Prediction ability was tested for Logistic Regression, Decision Tree, Random Forest and Support Vector Machine using R statistical software. Result: Logistic Regression and Random Forest had similar accuracy of about 74%, which was the highest among all the algorithm tested. Decision Tree was found to have the worst performance with accuracy measure of around 66%. Conclusion: Predictive analysis can be a great asset in clinical settings. Though the findings of this project could have been better, it can still be viewed as a guide for future works considering the fact that these algorithms did have a fair performance despite several limitations of this project

MEASUREMENTS OF THE BINDING ENERGIES OF IONS ON PLASTIC SURFACES IN LIQUID NITROGEN

To improve the present limit of the neutron electric dipole moment (nEDM) from 1.8*10-26 e. cm to ~ 3*10-28 e. cm, the nEDM@SNS experiment plans to increase neutron density by storing ultracold neutrons in superfluid helium-4. In this experiment, the central part of the apparatus consists of two deuterated tetraphenyl butadiene (dTPB) coated poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) cells, which are sandwiched between grounded and high-voltage electrodes. To achieve such precision, the externally applied electric field has to be stable at the 1% level over a time period of about 1000 s. Several sources of ambient ionizing radiation generate charged particles in the cryogenic liquid. These ions and the associated electrons are adsorbed on the cell walls. Consequently, an opposing static electric field is generated, which will impact the stability of the electric field. At the University of Kentucky, we have devised a compact test setup to study the behavior of ions inside cryogenic liquids using a scaled-down version of the nEDM cell and the electrodes. In our setup, ion-electron pairs are generated by irradiating liquid nitrogen (helium) with a Cesium γ-source, and the electro-optic Kerr effect is utilized to understand the cell charging effects in the dummy measurement cell. We developed a new method to measure the binding energy of the ions or electrons bonded on insulating surfaces. Determining the binding energy can potentially reduce the data-taking time of the nEDM@SNS experiment if partial field reversal is sufficient. This dissertation presents studies of the binding energies of ions and/or electrons on dTPB-coated and uncoated PMMA surfaces in cryogenic liquid nitrogen

Temperature profile control of a multiple hearth furnace for kaolin calcination

The main aim of this thesis is to develop a new temperature profile control strategy for kaolin calcination in the multiple hearth furnace (MHF) in order to improve the quality of the product. The overall control strategy for the MHF is developed as a three level control hierarchy: optimizing level, stabilizing level, and basic level. In the literature part of the thesis, first, the kaolin and its formation process is discussed. Next, the general information about calcination process is provided and the calcination of kaolin is discussed. Finally, few past researches having similar objective to this study are reviewed to study the various different control approaches developed so far and the possibility to implement them in our study. In the experimental part, analysis of the process is carried using the experimental data. During the data analysis, activation/ deactivation of the exothermic reaction in the hearth 4 is seen, which is crucial in determining the temperature profile of the furnace. Hence, the soft sensor based on the energy balance to estimate the intensity of the exothermic reaction, which plays a key role in developing the control strategy for the MHF, is developed. Both the static and dynamic energy balance equations are presented, calculated and compared in order to study the dynamic behaviour in the process. It is seen that the dynamic energy balance provides more accurate results than the static energy balance due to the consideration of the transition period

ACTIVITY ANALYSIS OF SPECTATOR PERFORMER VIDEOS USING MOTION TRAJECTORIES

Spectator Performer Space (SPS) is a frequently occurring crowd dynamics, composed of one or more central performers, and a peripheral crowd of spectators. Analysis of videos in this space is often complicated due to occlusion and high density of people. Although there are many video analysis approaches, they are targeted for individual actors or low-density crowd and hence are not suitable for SPS videos. In this work, we present two trajectory-based features: Histogram of Trajectories (HoT) and Histogram of Trajectory Clusters (HoTC) to analyze SPS videos. HoT is calculated from the distribution of length and orientation of motion trajectories in a video. For HoTC, we compute the features derived from the motion trajectory clusters in the videos. So, HoTC characterizes different spatial region which may contain different action categories, inside a video. We have extended DBSCAN, a well-known clustering algorithm, to cluster short trajectories, common in SPS videos. The derived features are then used to classify the SPS videos based on their activities. In addition to using NaïveBayes and support vector machines (SVM), we have experimented with ensemble based classifiers and a deep learning approach using the videos directly for training. The efficacy of our algorithms is demonstrated using a dataset consisting of 4000 real life videos each from spectator and performer spaces. The classification accuracies for spectator videos (HoT: 87%; HoTC: 92%) and performer videos (HoT: 91%; HoTC: 90%) show that our approach out-performs t­­he state of the art techniques based on deep learning. Advisor: Ashok Sama

Fertilizer Application on Crop Yield

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue Fertilizer Application on Crop Yield that was published in Agronom

EXAMINING THE ACTIVITIES, EFFECTIVENESS, AND CONTRIBUTION OF LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS USING A NATIONAL LONGITUDINAL SURVEY OF PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEMS

Health services research and public health services and systems research in the past have contributed to a strong foundation of evidence-based progress in organizing, financing, and delivering medical care and public health strategies across the United States. The purpose of this dissertation was to examine disparities in public health systems and in the delivery of population health services in communities served by these systems using nationally representative data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Local Public Health Systems (1998, 2006, 2012, and 2014). Data from the 1998 cohort of 497 local health jurisdictions serving at least 100,000 residents, and from the 2014 expanded cohort of 546 local health jurisdictions serving less than 100,000 residents were used to conduct three studies. The first study “Local Public Health Systems and the burden of major heart diseases: A longitudinal analysis using National Longitudinal Survey of Local Public Health System” shows that stroke related mortality rate decreases over time in communities with increasing number of recommended population health activities. The second study “Rural Urban Differences in Recommended Population Health Activities and Organization of Public Health Delivery System Capital” shows that the urban communities with a centralized jurisdiction enjoy a greater availability of population health activities and a greater likelihood of being in a comprehensive population health system capital than rural non-centralized communities. The third study “Can comprehensive public health system determine the overall perceived effectiveness of public health activities and health status of a community?” shows a gradient relationship between public health systems composition and the ratings of perceived overall community health status and perceived effectiveness of the population health activities in communities where the most favorable ratings were observed in communities with comprehensive public health systems in comparison to conventional and limited public health systems