Graph Regularized Tensor Sparse Coding for Image Representation

Sparse coding (SC) is an unsupervised learning scheme that has received an increasing amount of interests in recent years. However, conventional SC vectorizes the input images, which destructs the intrinsic spatial structures of the images. In this paper, we propose a novel graph regularized tensor sparse coding (GTSC) for image representation. GTSC preserves the local proximity of elementary structures in the image by adopting the newly proposed tubal-tensor representation. Simultaneously, it considers the intrinsic geometric properties by imposing graph regularization that has been successfully applied to uncover the geometric distribution for the image data. Moreover, the returned sparse representations by GTSC have better physical explanations as the key operation (i.e., circular convolution) in the tubal-tensor model preserves the shifting invariance property. Experimental results on image clustering demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme

An agent-based service-oriented approach to evolving legacy software systems into a pervasive computing environment.

This thesis focuses on an Agent-Based Service-Oriented approach to evolving legacy system into a Pervasive Computing environment. The methodology consists of multiple phases: using reverse engineering techniques to comprehend and decompose legacy systems, employing XML and Web Services to transform and represent a legacy system as pervasive services, and integrating these pervasive services into pervasive computing environments with agent based integration technology. A legacy intelligent building system is used as a case study for experiments with the approach, which demonstrates that the proposed approach has the ability to evolve legacy systems into pervasive service environments seamlessly. Conclusion is drawn based on analysis and further research directions are also discussed

A Novel Microwave Tunable Band-Pass Filter Integrated Power Divider Based on Liquid Crystal

This paper proposes a novel microwave continuous adjustable band-pass filter integrated power divider based on nematic liquid crystals (LCs). The proposed power divider uses liquid crystal (LC) as the dielectric material. It can realize phase shift by changing the dielectric anisotropy, when biasing the high anisotropy nematic liquid crystal. It is mainly used in microwave frequencies. It has a large number of advantages compared to conventional filter integrated power divider, such as low loss, multifunction integration, continuous adjustable, miniaturization, low processing costs, low operating voltage, high phase shift, and convenient manufacture. Therefore, it has shown great potential for application

Data-driven prognosis of failure detection and prediction of lithium-ion batteries

Battery prognostics and health management predictive models are essential components of safety and reliability protocols in battery management system frameworks. Overall, developing a robust and efficient fault diagnostic battery model that aligns with the current literature is an essential step in ensuring the safety of battery function. For this purpose, a multi-physics, multi-scale deterministic data-driven prognosis (DDP) is proposed that only relies on in situ measurements of data and estimates the failure based on the curvature information extracted from the system. Unlike traditional applications that require explicit expression of conservation principle to represent the system's behavior, the proposed method devices a local conservation functional in the neighborhood of each data point which is represented as the minimization of curvature in the system. Pursuing such a deterministic approach, DDP eliminates the need for offline training regimen by considering only two consecutive time instances to make the prognostication that are sufficient to extract the behavioral pattern of the system. The developed framework is then employed to analyze the health of lithium ion batteries by monitoring the performance and detecting faults within the system's behavior. Based on the outcomes, the DDP exhibits promising results in detection of anomaly and prognostication of batteries' failure

Field test on the biodegradation of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) based mulch films in soil

The use of plastic much films has been fundamental to promoting food production in many regions of the world. However, concern is growing about the progressive accumulation of plastic residues in soil after crop harvest and its subsequent impact on soil health and potential to enter the food chain. Although biodegradable films have been developed to prevent these problems, it is still unclear whether they are environmentally benign. Here we evaluated the physical and chemical breakdown of four commercial poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) based biodegradable mulch films (BMF1, BMF2, BMF3 and BMF4) in an agricultural soil over a 26-month period. Based on visual examination, degradation followed the series BMF4 > BMF1, BMF2 > BMF3. Importantly, microplastic residues (fragments <5 mm) still remained in the soil of all 4 plastic types after 2 years, suggesting that they are likely to accumulate over time if used on an annual basis. Viscosimetry, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) were used to characterise the breakdown process. Our results indicated that the degradation of the mulch film after burial in agricultural soil may be linked to the nature of the polymer but also to its manufacturing formulation. Although the peak changes of polyester in the infrared spectrum were not distinct, the plastic films showed other signs of degradation including a reduction in intrinsic viscosity after burial in soil. The different degradation rates of BMF1 and BMF2 at the molecular level may be due to the different CaCO3 contents. In conclusion, under field conditions, we show that slight variations in the formulations of commercial biodegradable mulch films leads to very different persistence rates in soil. Further, we conclude that their slow rate of degradation will ultimately lead to their progressive accumulation in soil if used repeatedly