Blind image quality evaluation using perception based features

This paper proposes a novel no-reference Perception-based Image Quality Evaluator (PIQUE) for real-world imagery. A majority of the existing methods for blind image quality assessment rely on opinion-based supervised learning for quality score prediction. Unlike these methods, we propose an opinion unaware methodology that attempts to quantify distortion without the need for any training data. Our method relies on extracting local features for predicting quality. Additionally, to mimic human behavior, we estimate quality only from perceptually significant spatial regions. Further, the choice of our features enables us to generate a fine-grained block level distortion map. Our algorithm is competitive with the state-of-the-art based on evaluation over several popular datasets including LIVE IQA, TID & CSIQ. Finally, our algorithm has low computational complexity despite working at the block-level

A Makeover for the Habitat for Humanity MetroWest/Greater Worcester ReStore Website

Habitat for Humanity MetroWest/Greater Worcester (MW/GW) ReStore works in collaboration with the Habitat for Humanity MW/GW affiliate to fund their mission to eliminate substandard housing. The goal of our project was to help update the Habitat for Humanity MW/GW ReStore website and market it to help attract new members to shop, donate and volunteer at ReStore. By instituting multiple data collection techniques on the former ReStore website along with other successful websites, we identified the key attributes that make a website successful. We used the data to develop findings that influenced our design of the new ReStore website. By identifying the Restore’s target audience, we were able to create various marketing strategies to develop a marketing plan as well as implement some of them

Dissecting Malicious Word, PDF Documents

Internet and computers are now a part of our daily routine life. With the development of network and information technology, E-mail has became increasingly popular and the society’s indispensable need. However, virus spreading via the E-mail is also increasing at an enormous rate. The E-mail attachment such as PDF Document, Microsoft Word Document, EXE program can spread viruses from one computer to another computer. This paper describes and analyses the various forms of the E-mail viruses via the Microsoft Word Documents and the PDF Documents. We describe the methodology to detect such E-mail viruses using tools such as OfficeMalscanner for Word Documents and PDF stream Dumper for PDF Documents

EFFECTS ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR AFTER THE POPULARISATION OF THE INTERNET

Internet technology has prompted significant changes in many aspects of human life and society as well as in shopping culture. An important phenomenon, surrounding the human life as a continuum, is shopping through the Internet or e-commerce. Shopping through the Internet has interconnections with many disciplines such as law, economics, psychology, and marketing. Many academicians, researching in various disciplines, studied this issue, which is a dynamic field of study. However, the case is this, we can say that the studies about the reasons for shopping through Internet by the consumers are very new and few in number. Shopping through the Internet involves social, technological, economical, behavioural, and educational dimensions. There are many prior factors behind shopping through the Internet by the consumers. This study presents a theoretical explanation for online consumer behaviour

Metalloporphyrin intercalation in liposome membranes: ESR study

Liposomes characterized by membranes featuring diverse fluidity (liquid-crystalline and/or gel phase), prepared from egg yolk lecithin (EYL) and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), were doped with selected metalloporphyrins and the time-related structural and dynamic changes within the lipid double layer were investigated. Porphyrin complexes of Mg(II), Mn(III), Fe(III), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), and the metal-free base were embedded into the particular liposome systems and tested for 350 h at 24°C using the electron spin resonance (ESR) spin probe technique. 5-DOXYL, 12-DOXYL, and 16-DOXYL stearic acid methyl ester spin labels were applied to explore the interior of the lipid bilayer. Only the 16-DOXYL spin probe detected evident structural changes inside the lipid system due to porphyrin intercalation. Fluidity of the lipid system and the type of the porphyrin complex introduced significantly affected the intermolecular interactions, which in certain cases may result in self-assembly of metalloporphyrin molecules within the liposome membrane, reflected in the presence of new lines in the relevant ESR spectra. The most pronounced time-related effects were demonstrated by the EYL liposomes (liquid-crystalline phase) when doped with Mg and Co porphyrins, whereas practically no spectral changes were revealed for the metal-free base and both the Ni and Zn dopants. ESR spectra of the porphyrin-doped gel phase of DPPC liposomes did not show any extra lines; however, they indicated the formation of a more rigid lipid medium. Electronic configuration of the porphyrin’s metal center appeared crucial to the degree of molecular reorganization within the phospholipid bilayer system

Amygdala inputs to prefrontal cortex guide behavior amid conflicting cues of reward and punishment

Orchestrating appropriate behavioral responses in the face of competing signals that predict either rewards or threats in the environment is crucial for survival. The basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA) and prelimbic (PL) medial prefrontal cortex have been implicated in reward-seeking and fear-related responses, but how information flows between these reciprocally connected structures to coordinate behavior is unknown. We recorded neuronal activity from the BLA and PL while rats performed a task wherein competing shock- and sucrose-predictive cues were simultaneously presented. The correlated firing primarily displayed a BLA→PL directionality during the shock-associated cue. Furthermore, BLA neurons optogenetically identified as projecting to PL more accurately predicted behavioral responses during competition than unidentified BLA neurons. Finally photostimulation of the BLA→PL projection increased freezing, whereas both chemogenetic and optogenetic inhibition reduced freezing. Therefore, the BLA→PL circuit is critical in governing the selection of behavioral responses in the face of competing signals.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Award 1R25-MH092912-01)National Institute of Mental Health (U.S.) (Grant R01- MH102441-01)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Award DP2- DK-102256-01

Economical treatment of reverse osmosis reject of textile industry effluent by electrodialysis-evaporation integrated process

Membrane separation methods such as electrodialysis (ED) can reduce the volume load on evaporators by facilitating further concentration of rejects from reverse osmosis (RO) plants. ED studies were carried out on a bench-scale system using five membrane cell pairs to obtain a textile effluent concentrate containing approximately 6 times the quantity of salts present in the RO reject. The limiting current densities were determined to be in the range 2.15-3.35amp/m2 for feed flow rates varying from 18 to 108L/h. Apart from feed rate, the influence of volume of concentrate and current on membrane performance was evaluated to optimize current utilization. An estimation of energy requirement of an integrated process constituting ED and evaporation for concentration of inorganics present in textile effluent from 4.35% to 24% was made and found to be approximately one eighth of the operating cost incurred by evaporation alone. Detailed design of a commercial ED system revealed that a membrane area of 13.1m2 was required to treat a feed rate of 1500L/h. The payback period to recover capital investment was found to be 110 days