Efficient MRF Energy Propagation for Video Segmentation via Bilateral Filters

Segmentation of an object from a video is a challenging task in multimedia applications. Depending on the application, automatic or interactive methods are desired; however, regardless of the application type, efficient computation of video object segmentation is crucial for time-critical applications; specifically, mobile and interactive applications require near real-time efficiencies. In this paper, we address the problem of video segmentation from the perspective of efficiency. We initially redefine the problem of video object segmentation as the propagation of MRF energies along the temporal domain. For this purpose, a novel and efficient method is proposed to propagate MRF energies throughout the frames via bilateral filters without using any global texture, color or shape model. Recently presented bi-exponential filter is utilized for efficiency, whereas a novel technique is also developed to dynamically solve graph-cuts for varying, non-lattice graphs in general linear filtering scenario. These improvements are experimented for both automatic and interactive video segmentation scenarios. Moreover, in addition to the efficiency, segmentation quality is also tested both quantitatively and qualitatively. Indeed, for some challenging examples, significant time efficiency is observed without loss of segmentation quality.Comment: Multimedia, IEEE Transactions on (Volume:16, Issue: 5, Aug. 2014

Verification of electric steel punching simulation results using microhardness

One of the most dominant manufacturing methods in the production of electromechanical devices from sheet metal is punching. In punching, the material undergoes plastic deformation and finally fracture. Punching of an electrical steel sheet causes plastic deformation on the edges of the part, which affects the magnetic properties of the material, i.e., increases iron losses in the material, which in turn has a negative effect on the performance of the electromagnetic devices in the final product. Therefore, punching-induced iron losses decrease the energy efficiency of the device. FEM simulations of punching have shown significantly increased plastic deformation on the workpiece edges with increasing tool wear. In order to identify the critical tool wear, after which the iron losses have increased beyond acceptable limits, the simulation results must be verified with experimental methods. The acceptable limits are pushed further in the standards by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The new standard (IEC TS 60034-30-2:2016) has much stricter limits regarding the energy efficiency of electromechanical machines, with an IE5 class efficiency that exceeds the previous IE4 class (IEC 60034-30-1:2014) requirements by 30%. The simulations are done using Scientific Forming Technologies Corporation Deform, a finite element software for material processing simulations. The electrical steel used is M400-50A, and the tool material is Vanadis 23, a powder-based high-speed steel. Vanadis 23 is a high alloyed powder metallurgical high-speed steel with a high abrasive wear resistance and a high compressive strength. It is suitable for cold work processing like punching. In the existing literature, FEM simulations and experimental methods have been incorporated for investigating the edge deformation properties of sheared surfaces, but there is a research gap in verifying the simulation results with the experimental methods. In this paper, FEM simulation of the punching process is verified using an electrical steel sheet from real production environment and measuring the deformation of the edges using microhardness measurements. The simulations show high plastic deformation 50\ua0μm into the workpiece edge, a result that is shown to be in good agreement with the experimental results

Comparison of thermal performances of plywood shear walls produced with different thermal insulation materials

Shear walls are one of the envelopes of light-frame wooden buildings where thermal insulation is most required. The thermal performance of shear walls can vary according to the type, properties and thickness of the wood and insulation materials used in their production. In this study, it was aimed to compare the thermal performances of plywood shear walls produced with different thermal insulation materials. For this aim, the archetype walls with properties similar to commonly used plywood shear walls were designed and produced for each thermal insulation material type and wood specie. The shear wall groups were formed by using Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), black pine (Pinus nigra) and spruce (Picea orientalis) as wood species and cellulose, flax, felt, XPS, EPS, sheep’s, rock and glass wool as thermal insulation materials. Thermal conductivity of the shear wall groups was determined according to the ASTM C518-04 standard. Thermal resistance and other thermal performance parameters were calculated using the thermal conductivity values. As a result of the study, rock wool was the best thermal insulation material among the Scots pine shear wall groups while glass wool was the best thermal insulation material among the black pine and spruce shear wall groups. The shear walls produced with EPS foam boards indicated the worst thermal performance among all group

Numerical Study of Influence of Infill Walls on the Vertical Irregularity Limit of Turkish Seismic Code

Abstract -Weak/soft story irregularities are resulted from sudden changes of stiffness, strength and/or mass between adjacent stories. These irregularities introduce a soft zone into a structure where the damage initiates and concentrates, often leading to complete collapse. It is argued that masonry infill walls not constructed at ground floors of some commercial building create such a zone. To examine this phenomenon along stiffness irregularity conditions described in Turkish Seismic Cod

Coupled Magneto-Mechanical Analysis of Iron Sheets Under Biaxial Stress

A novel single sheet tester design is proposed and a directly coupled magneto-mechanical model is used to numerically analyze the behavior of iron sheets under biaxial magneto-mechanical loading applied by the tester device. magneto-mechanically coupled constitutive equations of the material derived using an energy-based approach are integrated into a finite element model of the single sheet tester device, and simulations are performed to solve for the displacement field and the magnetic vector potential in the sample. The obtained numerical results of magnetostriction evolution due to uniaxial stress and stress-induced anisotropies due to permeability variation under different magneto-mechanical loadings are presented. The simulation results are compared with the results published in the literature for the purpose of validation.Peer reviewe

Modeling of Hysteresis Losses in Ferromagnetic Laminations under Mechanical Stress

A novel approach for predicting magnetic hysteresis loops and losses in ferromagnetic laminations under mechanical stress is presented. The model is based on combining a Helmholtz free energy -based anhysteretic magnetoelastic constitutive law to a vector Jiles-Atherton hysteresis model. This paper focuses only on unidirectional and parallel magnetic fields and stresses, albeit the model is developed in full 3-D configuration in order to account also for strains perpendicular to the loading direction. The model parameters are fitted to magnetization curve measurements under compressive and tensile stresses. Both the hysteresis loops and losses are modeled accurately for stresses ranging from –50 to 80 MPa.Peer reviewe

MDP based Decision Support for Earthquake Damaged Distribution System Restoration

As the society becomes more dependent on the presence of electricity, the resilience of the power systems gains more importance. This paper develops a decision support method for distribution system operators to restore electricity after an earthquake to the maximum number of customers in the minimum expected duration. The proposed method employs Markov Decision Process (MDP) to determine the optimal restoration scheme. In order to determine the probability of the field component damage due to the earthquake, the Probability of Failure ($P_f$) of structures are calculated using the Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) values recorded by observatories and earthquake research centers during the earthquake