Hybrid Background Subtraction in Video using Bi-level CodeBook Model

Detection of Objects in Video is a highly demanding area of research. The Background Subtraction Algorithms can yield better results in Foreground Object Detection. This work presents a Hybrid CodeBook based Background Subtraction to extract the foreground ROI from the background. Codebooks are used to store compressed information by demanding lesser memory usage and high speedy processing. This Hybrid method which uses Block-Based and Pixel-Based Codebooks provide efficient detection results; the high speed processing capability of block based background subtraction as well as high Precision Rate of pixel based background subtraction are exploited to yield an efficient Background Subtraction System. The Block stage produces a coarse foreground area, which is then refined by the Pixel stage. The system’s performance is evaluated with different block sizes and with different block descriptors like 2D-DCT, FFT etc. The Experimental analysis based on statistical measurements yields precision, recall, similarity and F measure of the hybrid system as 88.74%, 91.09%, 81.66% and 89.90% respectively, and thus proves the efficiency of the novel system.

Multifinger Feature Level Fusion Based Fingerprint Identification

Fingerprint based authentication systems are one of the cost-effective biometric authentication techniques employed for personal identification. As the data base population increases, fast identification/recognition algorithms are required with high accuracy. Accuracy can be increased using multimodal evidences collected by multiple biometric traits. In this work, consecutive fingerprint images are taken, global singularities are located using directional field strength and their local orientation vector is formulated with respect to the base line of the finger. Feature level fusion is carried out and a 32 element feature template is obtained. A matching score is formulated for the identification and 100% accuracy was obtained for a database of 300 persons. The polygonal feature vector helps to reduce the size of the feature database from the present 70-100 minutiae features to just 32 features and also a lower matching threshold can be fixed compared to single finger based identification

Studies on the interaction of two level atoms with quantized electromagnetic field

The present study described about the interaction of a two level atom and squeezed field with time varying frequency. By applying a sinusoidal variation in the frequency of the field, the randomness in population inversion is reduced and the collapses and periodic revivals are regained. Quantum optics is an emerging field in physics which mainly deals with the interaction of atoms with quantised electromagnetic fields. Jaynes-Cummings Model (JCM) is a key model among them, which describes the interaction between a two level atom and a single mode radiation field. Here the study begins with a brief history of light, atom and their interactions. Also discussed the interaction between atoms and electromagnetic fields. The study suggest a method to manipulate the population inversion due to interaction and control the randomness in it, by applying a time dependence on the frequency of the interacting squeezed field.The change in behaviour of the population inversion due to the presence of a phase factor in the applied frequency variation is explained here.This study also describes the interaction between two level atom and electromagnetic field in nonlinear Kerr medium. It deals with atomic and field state evolution in a coupled cavity system. Our results suggest a new method to control and manipulate the population of states in two level atom radiation interaction,which is very essential for quantum information processing.We have also studied the variation of atomic population inversion with time, when a two level atom interacts with light field, where the light field has a sinusoidal frequency variation with a constant phase. In both coherent field and squeezed field cases, the population inversion variation is completely different from the phase zero frequency modulation case. It is observed that in the presence of a non zero phase φ, the population inversion oscillates sinusoidally.Also the collapses and revivals gradually disappears when φ increases from 0 to π/2. When φ = π/2 the evolution of population inversion is identical to the case when a two level atom interacts with a Fock state. Thus, by applying a phase shifted frequency modulation one can induce sinusoidal oscillations of atomic inversion in linear medium, those normally observed in Kerr medium. We noticed that the entanglement between the atom and field can be controlled by varying the period of the field frequency fluctuations. The system has been solved numerically and the behaviour of it for different initial conditions and different susceptibility values are analysed. It is observed that, for weak cavity coupling the effect of susceptibility is minimal. In cases of strong cavity coupling, susceptibility factor modifies the nature in which the probability oscillates with time. Effect of susceptibility on probability of states is closely related to the initial state of the system.

Modellbasiertes Service Level Management verteilter Anwendungssysteme

Zur Senkung von Kosten werden in vielen Unternehmen Dienstleistungen, die nicht zur Kernkompetenz gehören, an externe Dienstleister ausgelagert. Dieser Prozess wird auch als Outsourcing bezeichnet. Die dadurch entstehenden Abhängigkeiten zu den externen Dienstleistern werden mit Hilfe von Service Level Agreements (SLAs) vertraglich geregelt. Die Aufgabe des Service Level Managements (SLM) ist es, die Einhaltung der vertraglich fixierten Dienstgüteparameter zu überwachen bzw. sicherzustellen. Für eine automatische Bearbeitung ist daher eine formale Spezifikation von SLAs notwendig. Da der Markt eine Vielzahl von unterschiedlichen SLM-Werkzeugen hervorgebracht hat, entstehen in der Praxis Probleme durch proprietäre SLA-Formate und fehlende Spezifikationsmethoden. Daraus resultiert eine Werkzeugabhängigkeit und eine limitierte Wiederverwendbarkeit bereits spezifizierter SLAs. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird ein Ansatz für ein plattformunabhängiges Service Level Management entwickelt. Ziel ist eine Vereinheitlichung der Modellierung, so dass unterschiedliche Managementansätze integriert und eine Trennung zwischen Problem- und Technologiedomäne erreicht wird. Zudem wird durch die Plattformunabhängigkeit eine hohe zeitliche Stabilität erstellter Modelle erreicht. Weiteres Ziel der Arbeit ist, die Wiederverwendbarkeit modellierter SLAs zu gewährleisten und eine prozessorientierte Modellierungsmethodik bereitzustellen. Eine automatisierte Etablierung modellierter SLAs ist für eine praktische Nutzung von entscheidender Relevanz. Zur Erreichung dieser Ziele werden die Prinzipien der Model Driven Architecture (MDA) auf die Problemdomäne des Service Level Managements angewandt. Zentrale Idee der Arbeit ist die Definition von SLA-Mustern, die konfigurationsunabhängige Abstraktionen von Service Level Agreements darstellen. Diese SLA-Muster entsprechen dem Plattformunabhängigen Modell (PIM) der MDA. Durch eine geeignete Modelltransformation wird aus einem SLA-Muster eine SLA-Instanz generiert, die alle notwendigen Konfigurationsinformationen beinhaltet und bereits im Format der Zielplattform vorliegt. Eine SLA-Instanz entspricht damit dem Plattformspezifischen Modell (PSM) der MDA. Die Etablierung der SLA-Instanzen und die daraus resultierende Konfiguration des Managementsystems entspricht dem Plattformspezifischen Code (PSC) der MDA. Nach diesem Schritt ist das Managementsystem in der Lage, die im SLA vereinbarten Dienstgüteparameter eigenständig zu überwachen. Im Rahmen der Arbeit wurde eine UML-Erweiterung definiert, die eine Modellierung von SLA-Mustern mit Hilfe eines UML-Werkzeugs ermöglicht. Hierbei kann die Modellierung rein graphisch als auch unter Einbeziehung der Object Constraint Language (OCL) erfolgen. Für die praktische Realisierung des Ansatzes wurde eine Managementarchitektur entwickelt, die im Rahmen eines Prototypen realisiert wurde. Der Gesamtansatz wurde anhand einer Fallstudie evaluiert.

{2p_\pi}-{2p_\sigma} crossing in heavy symmetric ion-atom collisions: I. Level structure

Ab initio self-consistent DFS calculations are performed for five different symmetric atomic systems from Ar-Ar to Pb-Pb. The level structure for the {2p_\pi}-{2p_\sigma} crossing as function of the united atomic charge Z_u is studied and interpreted. Manybody effects, spin-orbit splitting, direct relativistic effects as well as indirect relativistic effects are differently important for different Z_u. For the I-I system a comparison with other calculations is given.

Reduced L_1 level width and Coster-Kronig yields by relaxation and continuum interactions in atomic zinc

Calculations of the level width \gamma( L_1) and the f_12 and f_13 Coster-Kronig yields for atomic zinc have been performed with Dirac-Fock wave functions. For \gamma(L_1), a large deviation between theory and evaluated data exists. We include the incomplete orthogonality of the electron orbitals as well as the interchannel interaction of the decaying states. Orbital relaxation reduces the total rates in all groups of the electron-emission spectrum by about 10-20 %. Different, however, is the effect of the continuum interaction. The L_1-L_23X Coster-Kronig part of the spectrum is definitely reduced in its intensity, whereas the MM and MN spectra are slightly enhanced. This results in a reduction of Coster-Kronig yields, where for medium and heavy elements considerable discrepancies have been found in comparison to relativistic theory. Briefly, we discuss the consequences of our calculations for heavier elements.

Relativistic atomic level calculations with nuclei carrying additional fractional charges

One-electron energy levels and wavelengths have been calculated for Na-like ions whose nuclei carry quarks with additional charges ±e/3, ±2e/3. The calculations are based on relativistic self-consistent field procedures. The deviations from experimental values exhibit regularities which allow an extrapolation for the wavelengths of 3s - 3p, 3s - 4p, 3p - 3d, and 3p - 4s transitions for the nuclear charge Z = 11± 1/3, ±2/3. A number of transitions are found in the region of visible light which could be used in an optical search for quark atoms.

Employment and Income of Workers on Indonesian Oil Palm Plantations: Food Crisis at the Micro Level

The importance of oil palm sector for Indonesia is inevitable as the country currently serves as the world’s largest producer of crude palm oil. This paper focuses on the situation of workers on Indonesian oil palm plantations. It attempts to investigate whether the remarkable development of the sector is followed by employment opportunities and income generation for workers. This question is posed within the theoretical framework on the link between trade liberalisation and labour rights, particularly in a labour-intensive and low-skilled sector. Based on extensive field research in Riau, this paper confirms that despite the rapid development of the oil palm plantation sector in Indonesia, the situations of workers in the sector remain deplorable, particularly their employment status and income. This also attests that trade liberalisation in the sector adversely affects labour rights. The poor working conditions also have ramifications for food security at the micro level.

Influence of farmers educational level on comprehending, acting-upon and sharing of agro advisories

Although short messaging service (SMS) through mobile phones has quickly gained popularity among most other sectors in India, its potential is not fully realised in the agriculture sector as a cost effective service to reach farmers and elicit desirable action. Despite the cost effectiveness, mobile messaging has remained a challenge in the farming sector in terms of its end use and action as far as extension systems are concerned. While there could be many influencing factors affecting the utility of mobile messages, this study assumed that educational level of farmers could be a major factor. A telephone survey was conducted to ascertain the influence of farmers’ education on the level of utilisation of mobile-based advisories. Farmers with higher education level showed better comprehension of advisories, actedupon the advisories more promptly and shared the information with fellow farmers more often than those with lower education level. There was a significant association between comprehending, sharing and acting upon advisories. This has implications to achieve enhanced extension reach with higher efficiency in terms of cost and time.

Atomistic-continuum modeling of ultrafast laser-induced melting of silicon targets

In this work, we present an atomistic-continuum model for simulations of ultrafast laser-induced melting processes in semiconductors on the example of silicon. The kinetics of transient non-equilibrium phase transition mechanisms is addressed with MD method on the atomic level, whereas the laser light absorption, strong generated electron-phonon nonequilibrium, fast heat conduction, and photo-excited free carrier diffusion are accounted for with a continuum TTM-like model (called nTTM). First, we independently consider the applications of nTTM and MD for the description of silicon, and then construct the combined MD-nTTM model. Its development and thorough testing is followed by a comprehensive computational study of fast nonequilibrium processes induced in silicon by an ultrashort laser irradiation. The new model allowed to investigate the effect of laser-induced pressure and temperature of the lattice on the melting kinetics. Two competing melting mechanisms, heterogeneous and homogeneous, were identified in our big-scale simulations. Apart from the classical heterogeneous melting mechanism, the nucleation of the liquid phase homogeneously inside the material significantly contributes to the melting process. The simulations showed, that due to the open diamond structure of the crystal, the laser-generated internal compressive stresses reduce the crystal stability against the homogeneous melting. Consequently, the latter can take a massive character within several picoseconds upon the laser heating. Due to the large negative volume of melting of silicon, the material contracts upon the phase transition, relaxes the compressive stresses, and the subsequent melting proceeds heterogeneously until the excess of thermal energy is consumed. A series of simulations for a range of absorbed fluences allowed us to find the threshold fluence value at which homogeneous liquid nucleation starts contributing to the classical heterogeneous propagation of the solid-liquid interface. A series of simulations for a range of the material thicknesses showed that the sample width we chosen in our simulations (800 nm) corresponds to a thick sample. Additionally, in order to support the main conclusions, the results were verified for a different interatomic potential. Possible improvements of the model to account for nonthermal effects are discussed and certain restrictions on the suitable interatomic potentials are found. As a first step towards the inclusion of these effects into MD-nTTM, we performed nanometer-scale MD simulations with a new interatomic potential, designed to reproduce ab initio calculations at the laser-induced electronic temperature of 18946 K. The simulations demonstrated that, similarly to thermal melting, nonthermal phase transition occurs through nucleation. A series of simulations showed that higher (lower) initial pressure reinforces (hinders) the creation and the growth of nonthermal liquid nuclei. For the example of Si, the laser melting kinetics of semiconductors was found to be noticeably different from that of metals with a face-centered cubic crystal structure. The results of this study, therefore, have important implications for interpretation of experimental data on the kinetics of melting process of semiconductors.

Task-Level Robot Learning

We are investigating how to program robots so that they learn from experience. Our goal is to develop principled methods of learning that can improve a robot's performance of a wide range of dynamic tasks. We have developed task-level learning that successfully improves a robot's performance of two complex tasks, ball-throwing and juggling. With task- level learning, a robot practices a task, monitors its own performance, and uses that experience to adjust its task-level commands. This learning method serves to complement other approaches, such as model calibration, for improving robot performance.

Asymptotically Zero Energy Computing Using Split-Level Charge Recovery Logic

The dynamic power requirement of CMOS circuits is rapidly becoming a major concern in the design of personal information systems and large computers. In this work we present a number of new CMOS logic families, Charge Recovery Logic (CRL) as well as the much improved Split-Level Charge Recovery Logic (SCRL), within which the transfer of charge between the nodes occurs quasistatically. Operating quasistatically, these logic families have an energy dissipation that drops linearly with operating frequency, i.e., their power consumption drops quadratically with operating frequency as opposed to the linear drop of conventional CMOS. The circuit techniques in these new families rely on constructing an explicitly reversible pipelined logic gate, where the information necessary to recover the energy used to compute a value is provided by computing its logical inverse. Information necessary to uncompute the inverse is available from the subsequent inverse logic stage. We demonstrate the low energy operation of SCRL by presenting the results from the testing of the first fully quasistatic 8 x 8 multiplier chip (SCRL-1) employing SCRL circuit techniques.

Role of Low-level Mechanisms in Brightness Perception

Brightness judgments are a key part of the primate brain's visual analysis of the environment. There is general consensus that the perceived brightness of an image region is based not only on its actual luminance, but also on the photometric structure of its neighborhood. However, it is unclear precisely how a region's context influences its perceived brightness. Recent research has suggested that brightness estimation may be based on a sophisticated analysis of scene layout in terms of transparency, illumination and shadows. This work has called into question the role of low-level mechanisms, such as lateral inhibition, as explanations for brightness phenomena. Here we describe experiments with displays for which low-level and high-level analyses make qualitatively different predictions, and with which we can quantitatively assess the trade-offs between low-level and high-level factors. We find that brightness percepts in these displays are governed by low-level stimulus properties, even when these percepts are inconsistent with higher-level interpretations of scene layout. These results point to the important role of low-level mechanisms in determining brightness percepts.

Predicting random level and seasonality of hotel prices. A structural equation growth curve approach

This article examines the effect on price of different characteristics of holiday hotels in the sun-and-beach segment, under the hedonic function perspective. Monthly prices of the majority of hotels in the Spanish continental Mediterranean coast are gathered from May to October 1999 from the tour operator catalogues. Hedonic functions are specified as random-effect models and parametrized as structural equation models with two latent variables, a random peak season price and a random width of seasonal fluctuations. Characteristics of the hotel and the region where they are located are used as predictors of both latent variables. Besides hotel category, region, distance to the beach, availability of parking place and room equipment have an effect on peak price and also on seasonality. 3- star hotels have the highest seasonality and hotels located in the southern regions the lowest, which could be explained by a warmer climate in autumn

A Two-level Prediction Model for Deep Reactive Ion Etch (DRIE)

We contribute a quantitative and systematic model to capture etch non-uniformity in deep reactive ion etch of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices. Deep reactive ion etch is commonly used in MEMS fabrication where high-aspect ratio features are to be produced in silicon. It is typical for many supposedly identical devices, perhaps of diameter 10 mm, to be etched simultaneously into one silicon wafer of diameter 150 mm. Etch non-uniformity depends on uneven distributions of ion and neutral species at the wafer level, and on local consumption of those species at the device, or die, level. An ion–neutral synergism model is constructed from data obtained from etching several layouts of differing pattern opening densities. Such a model is used to predict wafer-level variation with an r.m.s. error below 3%. This model is combined with a die-level model, which we have reported previously, on a MEMS layout. The two-level model is shown to enable prediction of both within-die and wafer-scale etch rate variation for arbitrary wafer loadings.