Construction Worker Detection in Video Frames for Initializing Vision Trackers

Monitoring the location of resources on large scale, congested, outdoor sites can be performed more efficiently with vision tracking, as this approach does not require any pre-tagging of resources. However, the greatest impediment to the use of vision tracking in this case is the lack of detection methods that are needed to automatically mark the resources of interest and initiate the tracking. This paper presents such a novel method for construction worker detection that localizes construction workers in video frames. The proposed method exploits motion, shape, and color cues to narrow down the detection regions to moving objects, people, and finally construction workers, respectively. The three cues are characterized by using background subtraction, the histogram of oriented gradients (HOG), and the HSV color histogram. The method has been tested on videos taken in various environments. The results demonstrate its suitability for automatic initialization of vision trackers.

UK-NEES - Distributed hybrid testing between Bristol, Cambridge and Oxford Universities: Connecting structural dynamics labs to a geotechnical centrifuge

Distributed hybrid testing is a natural extension to and builds upon the local hybrid testing technique. Taking advantage of the hybrid nature of the test, it allows a sharing of resources and expertise between researchers from different disciplines by connecting multiple geographically distributed sites for joint testing. As part of the UK-NEES project, a successful series of three-site distributed hybrid tests have been carried out between Bristol, Cambridge and Oxford Universities. The first known multi-site distributed hybrid tests in the UK, they connected via a dedicated fibre network, using custom software, the geotechnical centrifuge at Cambridge to structural components at Bristol and Oxford. These experiments were to prove the connection and useful insights were gained into the issues involved with this distributed environment. A wider aim is towards providing a flexible testing framework to facilitate multi-disciplinary experiments such as the accurate investigation of the influence of foundations on structural systems under seismic and other loading. Time scaling incompatibilities mean true seismic soil structure interaction using a centrifuge at g is not possible, though it is clear that distributed centrifuge testing can be valuable in other problems. Development is continuing to overcome the issues encountered, in order to improve future distributed tests in the UK and beyond.

Stakeholder challenges in purchasing medical devices for patient safety.

OBJECTIVE: This study identifies the stakeholders who have a role in medical device purchasing within the wider system of health-care delivery and reports on their particular challenges to promote patient safety during purchasing decisions. METHODS: Data was collected through observational work, participatory workshops, and semi-structured qualitative interviews, which were analyzed and coded. The study takes a systems-based and engineering design approach to the study. Five hospitals took part in this study, and the participants included maintenance, training, clinical end-users, finance, and risk departments. RESULTS: The main stakeholders for purchasing were identified to be staff from clinical engineering (Maintenance), device users (Clinical), device trainers (Training), and clinical governance for analyzing incidents involving devices (Risk). These stakeholders display varied characteristics in terms of interpretation of their own roles, competencies for selecting devices, awareness and use of resources for purchasing devices, and attitudes toward the purchasing process. The role of "clinical engineering" is seen by these stakeholders to be critical in mediating between training, technical, and financial stakeholders but not always recognized in practice. CONCLUSIONS: The findings show that many device purchasing decisions are tackled in isolation, which is not optimal for decisions requiring knowledge that is currently distributed among different people within different departments. The challenges expressed relate to the wider system of care and equipment management, calling for a more systemic view of purchasing for medical devices.

辽东湾湿地环境保护与资源持续利用对策

Current situation of wetland resources in Liaodong bay area are investigated. Main environmental elements are monitored and evaluated. Based on the research, the influences of resources utilization on environment are predicted, and the strategies for protecting environment and sustainable utilization of wetland resources are put forward.

各向同性与各向异性介质中地震波旅行时正演模拟与反演成像

By seismic tomography, interesting results have been achieved not only in the research of the geosphere with a large scale but also in the exploration of resources and projects with a small scale since 80'. Compared with traditional inversion methods, seismic tomography can offer more and detailed information about subsurface and has been being paid attention by more and more geophysicists. Since inversion based on forward modeling, we have studied and improved the methods to calculate seismic traveltimes and raypaths in isotropic and anisotropic media, and applied the improved forward methods to traveltime tomography. There are three main kinds of methods to calculate seismic traveltime field and its ray path distribution, which are ray-tracing theory, eikonal equation by the finite-difference and minimum traveltime tree algorithm. In ray tracing, five methods are introduced in the paper, including analytic ray tracing, ray shooting, ray bending, grid ray tracing and rectangle grid ray perturbation with three points. Finite-difference solution of eikonal equation is very efficient in calculation of seismic first-break, but is awkward in calculation of reflection traveltimes. We have put forward a idea to calculate traveltimes of reflected waves using a combining way of eikonal equation method and other one in order to improve its capability of dealing with reflection waves. The minimum traveltime tree algorithm has been studied with emphases. Three improved algorithms are put forward on the basis of basic algorithm of the minimum traveltime tree. The first improved algorithm is called raypath tracing backward minimum traveltime algorithm, in which not only wavelets from the current source but also wavelets from upper source points are all calculated. The algorithm can obviously improve the speed of calculating traveltimes and raypaths in layered or blocked homogeneous media and keep good accuracy. The second improved algorithm is raypath key point minimum traveltime algorithm in which traveltimes and raypaths are calculated with a view of key points of raypaths (key points of raypths mean the pivotal points which determine raypaths). The raypath key point method is developed on the basis of the first improved algorithm, and has better applicability. For example, it is very efficient even for inhomogeneous media. Another improved algorithm, double grid minimum traveltime tree algorithm, bases upon raypath key point scheme, in which a model is divided with two kinds of grids so that the unnecessary calculation can be left out. Violent undulation of curved interface often results in the phenomenon that there are no reflection points on some parts of interfaces where there should be. One efficacious scheme that curved interfaces are divided into segments, and these segments are treated respectively is presented to solve the problem. In addition, the approximation to interfaces with discrete grids leads to large errors in calculation of traveltimes and raypaths. Noting the point, we have thought a new method to remove the negative effect of mesh and to improve calculation accuracy by correcting the traveltimes with a little of additional calculation, and obtained better results.

制造业技术工人工作-家庭关系的影响因素及其作用机制

The work-family relations included positive relationship (work-family enrichment) and negative relationship (work-family conflict). Along with the development of positive psychology, the researchers turned their focus from work-family conflict to work-family enrichment. On the other hand, the research between work and family had just started and most attention was fix on work-family conflict. This research based on the skilled workers in manufacturing, and tried to discuss antecedents and the machanism of work-family relations through a series research which include action relation among job characteristics, work-family relations and outcomes of work, and the action relation among job resource、work-family relations、marital adjustment、work outcomes and role salience. This subject made the investigation to the workers who are working in manufacturing through literature research, questionnaire surveys and other methods. In this subject, several statistical techniques such as Explore Factor Analysis（CFA）,Structural Equation Modeling（SEM）, multiple-group Analysis were used to get the following conclusion: Firstly, work-family enrichment was an independent variable in work-family conflict, which had more extensively influence. Work-family conflict would increase accompany with the increasing of job demand, and it also would enhance negative work outcomes; work-family enrichment was effected by both job demand and job resource, and it made positive influence to positive and negative work outcomes. Secondly, marital adjustment penetrated into work domain through work-family enrichment inner effect mechanism, and influenced the work outcomes. The work→family enrichment and family→work enrichment could facilitate mutually, marital adjustment influenced the work outcome by the reciprocal relationship of work→family enrichment ↔ family→work enrichment. Finally, the family-role salience had directed loop-enhanced effect to organizational commitment and the importance could also enhance the positive function of work→family enrichment to organizational commitment.

Using an Outdoor Learning Space to Teach Sustainability and Material Processes in HE product Design.

The world is facing environmental changes that are increasingly affecting how we think about manufacturing, the consumption of products and use of resources. Within the HE product design community, thinking and designing sustainability’ has evolved to become a natural part of the curriculum. Paradoxical as the rise in awareness of sustainability increases there is growing concern within HE product design of the loss of workshop facilities and as a consequence a demise in teaching traditional object-making skills and material experimentation. We suggest the loss of workshops and tangible ‘learning by making skills’ also creates a lost opportunity for a rich learning resource to address sustainable thinking, design and manufacture ‘praxis’ within HE design education. Furthermore, as learning spaces are frequently discussed in design research, there seems to be little focus on how the use of an outdoor environment might influence learning outcomes particularly with regard to material teaching and sustainability. This 'case study' of two jewellery workshops, used outdoor learning spaces to explore both its impact on learning outcomes and to introduce some key principles of sustainable working methodologies and practices. Academics and students mainly from Norway and Scotland collaborated on this international research project. Participants made models from disposable packaging materials, which were cast in tin, in the sand on a local beach, using found timber to create a heat source for melting the metal. This approach of using traditional making skills, materials and nature was found to be a relevant contribution to a sustainable discourse.