A Novel Geometric Algorithm for Blind Image Restoration Based on High-Dimensional Space

A novel geometric algorithm for blind image restoration is proposed in this paper, based on High-Dimensional Space Geometrical Informatics (HDSGI) theory. In this algorithm every image is considered as a point, and the location relationship of the points in high-dimensional space, i.e. the intrinsic relationship of images is analyzed. Then geometric technique of "blurring-blurring-deblurring" is adopted to get the deblurring images. Comparing with other existing algorithms like Wiener filter, super resolution image restoration etc., the experimental results show that the proposed algorithm could not only obtain better details of images but also reduces the computational complexity with less computing time. The novel algorithm probably shows a new direction for blind image restoration with promising perspective of applications.

Channel blurring and consumer expectations : evidence in Chile

An important trend in Chilean retailing industry is the increase in channel blurring. This investigation attempts to identify the relevant store attributes for different retail formats (grocery, department store, drug store, and home improvement). Do consumer store attribute saliency vary for different retail formats? Interviews identified twelve salient store attributes for the different retail formats. Survey results showed differences in store attribute saliencies for consumers when shopping at different formats. Seven of the twelve variables showed significant differences across formats. However, two attributes were relatively important for all four retail formats: product quality and responsiveness of employees.

Bending and blurring blended learning boundaries [Extended Abstract]

This presentation presents a blended learning model that provides greater opportunity for learning to be self-managed and personalized.

Hybrid place : blurring the edge between the digital and physical layers of urban environments

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the edge condition between the digital layers and the physical layers of the city and how tangible expressions of the interrelationships between them to create and define new experiences of place, creating hybrid place. To date there has been discussion and investigation into understanding the importance of place, similarly into defining hybrid space. This paper explores principles of place and space to question how they can be applied into defining and proposing the notion of hybrid place in urban environments. The integration of media spaces into architecture provide infrastructure for the development of hybrid place. The physical boundaries of urban spaces become blurred through the integration of media such as computer technologies connecting the physical environment with the digital. Literature and case studies that reflect the current trends of use of technology by people in space and place within urban environments are examined.

"But we’re already doing it!" Examining conceptual blurring between health promotion and palliative care

Over the past decade, an increasing number of palliative care service providers have attempted to integrate health promotion into their organisational practice. A key factor in the success of this endeavour has been the recognition by these providers of the conceptual ‘fit’ between two seemingly disparate approaches to health care. When informed of the elements of health promotion, palliative care professionals have expressed their recognition in their declaration: ‘But we’re already doing it!’ (Rosenberg 2007). Yet it appears that this association between the two suggests that health promotion in palliative care organisations is being understood in poorly defined ways. ‘Health promotion’ can be incorrectly assumed to be synonymous with ‘health education’; ‘death education’ can be understood to be synonymous with providing information about palliative care resources. Whilst these activities may be worthwhile within themselves, their presence in the activities of an organisation does not constitute the practice of health promoting palliative care (HPPC) (Kellehear 1999)...

Designing experiences with wearables : A case study exploring the blurring boundaries of art, design, technology, culture and distance

This paper details a workshop aimed at exploring opportunities for experience design through wearable art and design concepts. Specifically it explores the structure of the workshop with respect to facilitating learning through technology in the development of experiential wearable art and design. A case study titled Cloud Workshop: Wearables and Wellbeing; Enriching connections between citizens in the Asia-Pacific region was initiated through a cooperative partnership between Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and Griffith University (GU). Digital technologies facilitated collaboration through an inter-disciplinary, inter-national and inter- cultural approach (Facer & Sandford, 2010) between Australia and Hong Kong. Students cooperated throughout a two-week period to develop innovative wearable concepts blending art, design and technology. An unpacking of the approach, pedagogical underpinning and final outcomes revealed distinct educational benefits as well as certain learning and technological challenges of the program. Qualitative feedback uncovered additional successes with respect to student engagement and enthusiasm, while uncovering shortcomings in the delivery and management of information and difficulties with cultural interactions. Potential future versions of the program aim to take advantage of the positives and overcome the limitations of the current pedagogical approach. It is hoped the case study will become a catalyst for future workshops that blur the boundaries of art, design and technology to uncover further benefits and potentials for new outcomes in experience design.

Blurring the physical boundaries of the city: Media architecture and urban informatics for community engagement

Architecture focuses on designing built environments in response to society’s needs, reflecting culture through materials and forms. The physical boundaries of the city have become blurred through the integration of digital media, connecting the physical environment with the digital. In the recent past the future was imagined as highly technological; 1982 Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner is set in 2019 and introduces a world where supersized screens inject advertisements in the cluttered urban space. Now, in 2015 screens are central to everyday life, but in a completely different way in respect to what had been imagined. Through ubiquitous computing and social media, information is abundant. Digital technologies have changed the way people relate to cities supporting discussion on multiple levels, allowing citizens to be more vocal than ever before. We question how architects can use the affordances of urban informatics to obtain and navigate useful social information to inform design. This chapter investigates different approaches to engage communities in the debate on cities, in particular it aims to capture citizens’ opinions on the use and design of public places. Physical and digital discussions have been initiated to capture citizens’ opinions on the use and design of public places. In addition to traditional consultation methods, Web 2.0 platforms, urban screens, and mobile apps are used in the context of Brisbane, Australia to explore contemporary strategies of engagement (Gray 2014).

Deconvolution-based deblurring of reconstructed images in photoacoustic/thermoacoustic tomography

Photoacoustic/thermoacoustic tomography is an emerging hybrid imaging modality combining optical/microwave imaging with ultrasound imaging. Here, a k-wave MATLAB toolbox was used to simulate various configurations of excitation pulse shape, width, transducer types, and target object sizes to see their effect on the photoacoustic/thermoacoustic signals. A numerical blood vessel phantom was also used to demonstrate the effect of various excitation pulse waveforms and pulse widths on the reconstructed images. Reconstructed images were blurred due to the broadening of the pressure waves by the excitation pulse width as well as by the limited transducer bandwidth. The blurring increases with increase in pulse width. A deconvolution approach is presented here with Tikhonov regularization to correct the photoacoustic/thermoacoustic signals, which resulted in improved reconstructed images by reducing the blurring effect. It is observed that the reconstructed images remain unaffected by change in pulse widths or pulse shapes, as well as by the limited bandwidth of the ultrasound detectors after the use of the deconvolution technique. (C) 2013 Optical Society of America

Is participation prevention? A blurring of discourses in children's preventative initiatives in the UK

This article explores the relationships between two key concepts that have defined recent social policy initiatives for children in the UK: participation and prevention from social exclusion. Drawing on the Children's Fund initiative as an example, the article traces the diverse and sometimes contradictory discourses of childhood and social inclusion/ exclusion in stakeholders' differing rationales for supporting children's participation and prevention. The authors argue that the blurring of the rationales for participation and prevention has implications for the strategies and practices that agencies adopt and raises questions about which groups benefit and whose agendas are served by participation and prevention activities.

Reducing implicit prejudice by blurring intergroup boundaries

In two experiments we examined whether and when blurring intergroup boundaries reduces implicit prejudice. In Experiment 1 we observed that when participants first completed a task in which they generated characteristics that overlapped between an ingroup and an outgroup they showed less implicit bias as measured by an Implicit Association Test. In Experiment 2 we found that the effectiveness of blurring intergroup boundaries for reducing implicit bias was moderated by pretask levels of ingroup identification. We discuss these findings in the context of extending differentiation-based interventions for reducing explicit bias to the domain of implicit attitudes.

Quasi-Convolution Pyramidal Blurring

Efficient image blurring techniques based on the pyramid algorithm can be implemented on modern graphics hardware; thus, image blurring with arbitrary blur width is possible in real time even for large images. However, pyramidal blurring methods do not achieve the image quality provided by convolution filters; in particular, the shape of the corresponding filter kernel varies locally, which potentially results in objectionable rendering artifacts. In this work, a new analysis filter is designed that significantly reduces this variation for a particular pyramidal blurring technique. Moreover, the pyramidal blur algorithm is generalized to allow for a continuous variation of the blur width. Furthermore, an efficient implementation for programmable graphics hardware is presented. The proposed method is named “quasi-convolution pyramidal blurring” since the resulting effect is very close to image blurring based on a convolution filter for many applications.

Blurring the lines : how Japanese American internment camps re-defined art and religion's relationship

After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor during WWII, anyone of Japanese descent living on the West Coast was placed in internment camps scattered throughout the country. Life inside the camps included many different activities to make life as normal as possible. This study will focus on two intersecting day-to-day activities in particular, the practice of religion within the camps, as well as the creation of art. Art created in the camps was influenced by multiple religious traditions. An analysis of artworks created by professional and amateur artists, interviews and an examination of existing scholarship demonstrates that internment camps created a unique environment for the creation of art. The values of internees reflected the seamless coexistence of Christianity, Buddhism and Shinto in internment camp art.

The blurring boundaries between synchronicity and asynchronicity:new communicative situations in work-related Instant Messaging

Instant messaging is one of the most popular communication technologies in virtual teams, enabling interactions to intertwine whole working days, thus creating the sense of copresence for team members who are geographically dispersed. Through close linguistic analyses of naturally occurring data from a virtual team, this article discusses the implications of two novel communicative situations enabled by instant messaging: presence information and the persistence of transcript. The preliminary findings of this study indicate that these new communicative situations require the flouting or rethinking of previously existing interactional norms and that communicative practices employed by the team members are not yet conventionalized/normalized, the expectations and interpretations of interactional rituals and timing vary highly, even within the same virtual team.