Camera calibration is critical in computer vision measurement system, affecting the accuracy of the whole system. Many camera calibration methods have been proposed, but they cannot consider precision and operation co...Camera calibration is critical in computer vision measurement system, affecting the accuracy of the whole system. Many camera calibration methods have been proposed, but they cannot consider precision and operation complexity at the same time. In this paper, a new technique is proposed to calibrate camera. Firstly, the global calibration method is described in de-tail. It requires the camera to observe a checkerboard pattern shown at a few different orientations. The checkerboard corners are obtained by Harris algorithm. With direct linear transformation and non-linear optimal algorithm, the global calibration pa-rameters are obtained. Then, a sub-regional method is proposed. Those corners are divided into two groups, middle corners and edge corners, which are used to calibrate the corresponding area to get two sets of calibration parameters. Finally, some experimental images are used to test the proposed method. Experimental results demonstrate that the average projection error of sub-region method is decreased at least 16% compared with the global calibration method. The proposed technique is simple and accurate. It is suitable for the industrial computer vision measurement.展开更多
Based on the sub-region generalized variationM principle, a sub-region mixed version of the newly-developed semi-analytical ＇finite element method of lines＇ （FEMOL） is proposed in this paper for accurate and effic...Based on the sub-region generalized variationM principle, a sub-region mixed version of the newly-developed semi-analytical ＇finite element method of lines＇ （FEMOL） is proposed in this paper for accurate and efficient computation of stress intensity factors （SIFs） of two-dimensional notches/cracks. The circular regions surrounding notch/crack tips are taken as the complementary energy region in which a number of leading terms of singular solutions for stresses are used, with the sought SIFs being among the unknown coefficients. The rest of the arbitrary domain is taken as the potential energy region in which FEMOL is applied to obtain approximate displacements. A mixed system of ordinary differential equations （ODEs） and algebraic equations is derived via the sub-region generalized variational principle. A singularity removal technique that eliminates the stress parameters from the mixed equation system eventually yields a standard FEMOL ODE system, the solution of which is no longer singular and is simply and efficiently obtained using a standard general-purpose ODE solver. A number of numerical examples, including bi-material notches/cracks in anti-plane and plane elasticity, are given to show the generally excellent performance of the proposed method.展开更多
This study evaluated the trend of diarrheal diseases managed with zinc supplementation by comparing it with diarrheal diseases managed without zinc supplementation at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching hospital ...This study evaluated the trend of diarrheal diseases managed with zinc supplementation by comparing it with diarrheal diseases managed without zinc supplementation at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching hospital (UPTH), Nigeria. The study was a descriptive retrospective study done at the Diarrhea Training Unit (DTU) of UPTH to determine the effect of zinc supplementation in the management of diarrhea in children under 5 years. Out of the 134 case records studied, of children aged 0 to 59 months who presented with diarrhea at the DTU, 57 children did not receive zinc supplementation between October and December, 2007 and 77 children received zinc supplementation between October and December 2009. The results showed that (74) 96.1% of patients who received zinc supplementation, and (48) 84.2% of those who did not, had no repeat diarrheal episodes when seen at the follow up clinic. On the other hand, 1.3% of those who received zinc supplementation and 1.8% of those who did not, had increased episodes of diarrhea when seen at the follow up clinic. Of those who received, and those who did not receive zinc supplementation, 2.6% and 14% respectively, had reduced episodes of diarrhea. These findings clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of zinc supplementation in halting the course of diarrheal diseases in children aged 0 to 59 months. We therefore advocate for the use of zinc supplementation in the management of diarrhea in展开更多
As a result of the high economic growth in GMS （Greater Mekong Sub-region） countries, bank branches have now expanded at high rate. The expansion of new buildings, however, has not considered energy, especially ligh...As a result of the high economic growth in GMS （Greater Mekong Sub-region） countries, bank branches have now expanded at high rate. The expansion of new buildings, however, has not considered energy, especially lighting system, in the design stage. This paper presents the optimal energy management design of lighting system for the bank buildings in the countries along Mekong River, namely China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand. The lighting system is considered in the study as most of the countries use T8 fluorescent luminaires. The LCC （life cycle cost） method has been considered for the installation and operational cost. The assumed benefit-cost ratio analysis comprises of the lifetime cycle, price of fluorescent lamps, electricity unit price, operating times and hours of lighting bulb. The T8 fluorescent luminaires with low watt loss ballast are compared with T5 fluorescent luminaires and LED lamps. Electricity rates and the cost of the investment are considered to determine the suitable selection of the lighting system in each GMS country.展开更多
Purpose-Over the last decade,African rail sectors have applied hybrid reform models to catch up with the subregion’s lagging rail performance compared to other regions.With this in mind,this paper aims to study the e...Purpose-Over the last decade,African rail sectors have applied hybrid reform models to catch up with the subregion’s lagging rail performance compared to other regions.With this in mind,this paper aims to study the effect of deregulation on rail transport demand.Following an abundant literature on deregulation in Europe and Asia,this study focuses on structural and regulatory reforms.Design/methodology/approach-The investigation methodology is in line with the investigations of Mizutani(2019)and Smith,Benedetto,and Nash(2018).This paper uses a seemingly unrelated model(SURE)for general estimation and a random effect least square model for regional block estimation on a panel of 26 countries for 15 years between 2000 and 2015.Findings-The main results show that structural reforms positively affect passenger transport demand,but negatively affect freight transport demand.The level of competition stimulates demand for freight transport.Privatization of operators positively affects freight transport demand,but has no significant effect on passenger transport demand.The introduction of a regulatory authority has a positive effect on demand for passenger transport,and in certain regional blocs,it affects demand for freight transport,with the existence of corridors shared between several countries.Originality/value-This study is carried out in the sub-Saharan African sub-region.Indeed,the importance of the rail sector and the dilapidated state of many of its infrastructures should prompt a more abundant literature on the subject of the effectiveness of deregulation movements.We also evaluate the effect of vertical or horizontal separation and the introduction of an independent regulator in the rail sector on overall demand for transport service.展开更多
The Middle East has been a region involved with various problems for many years.Recently the Iranian nuclear issue is bringing the attention of the international society to the security situation in the Persian Gulf r...The Middle East has been a region involved with various problems for many years.Recently the Iranian nuclear issue is bringing the attention of the international society to the security situation in the Persian Gulf region.With the rising of Iran after the Iraq War,Iran is willing to cooperate with the other Persian Gulf states to establish a sub-regional security order.According to the regionalism theory,the establishment of the security region means a kind of effort to transfer a certain geographic region suffering from clashes among nations and domestic conflicts into a security community that will commit itself to the cooperation with the outside world and keeping peace inside.For this purpose,Iran is now improving its relation with Iraq,opening dialogue with GCC states,and pledging its neighbor states that its nuclear program is only for the peace purpose.With its advantageous conditions,strong will and active preparation,it is highly possible for Iran to establish a sub-regional stability and order in the Persian Gulf region in the future.展开更多
Background Antibiotic therapy in infertility management is one of the most frequent and useful practices in sub-Saharan setting. Infertility of tubal origin and secondary to infections are the most prevalent. The curr...Background Antibiotic therapy in infertility management is one of the most frequent and useful practices in sub-Saharan setting. Infertility of tubal origin and secondary to infections are the most prevalent. The current study aimed to take stock of antibiotic therapy in infertility management without in Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Material and Methods A cross-sectional analytical study undertaken in University Clinics of Kinshasa and the Edith Medical Center, from January 2001 to December 2021. It involved 3754 patients who sought care for infertility and received antibiotics during the treatment. Results The mean age of the patients was 33.3 ± 5.7 years and ranged from 16 to 49 years. Most of them were nulliparous with secondary infertility. The average duration of infertility was 4.5 ± 3.6 years and ranged from 1 to 20 years. Most had a history of unsafe abortion and tubal obstruction. The pelvic infections were the main diagnosis. After antibiotic therapy, especially made of Doxycycline alone or in association 442 (8.8%) patients conceived. Conclusion In the low-income sub-Saharan setting, infection remained the common cause of infertility and doxycycline was found to be the most used and efficient antibiotics.展开更多
基金Tianjin Research Program of Application Foundation and Advanced Technology(No.14JCYBJC18600,No.14JCZDJC39700)the National Key Scientific Instrument and Equipment Development Project(No.2013YQ17053903)
文摘Camera calibration is critical in computer vision measurement system, affecting the accuracy of the whole system. Many camera calibration methods have been proposed, but they cannot consider precision and operation complexity at the same time. In this paper, a new technique is proposed to calibrate camera. Firstly, the global calibration method is described in de-tail. It requires the camera to observe a checkerboard pattern shown at a few different orientations. The checkerboard corners are obtained by Harris algorithm. With direct linear transformation and non-linear optimal algorithm, the global calibration pa-rameters are obtained. Then, a sub-regional method is proposed. Those corners are divided into two groups, middle corners and edge corners, which are used to calibrate the corresponding area to get two sets of calibration parameters. Finally, some experimental images are used to test the proposed method. Experimental results demonstrate that the average projection error of sub-region method is decreased at least 16% compared with the global calibration method. The proposed technique is simple and accurate. It is suitable for the industrial computer vision measurement.
基金Project supported by the National Natural Sciences Foundation of China(Nos.59525813 and 19872066)the Cardiff Advanced Chinese Engineering Centre of Cardiff University.
文摘Based on the sub-region generalized variationM principle, a sub-region mixed version of the newly-developed semi-analytical ＇finite element method of lines＇ （FEMOL） is proposed in this paper for accurate and efficient computation of stress intensity factors （SIFs） of two-dimensional notches/cracks. The circular regions surrounding notch/crack tips are taken as the complementary energy region in which a number of leading terms of singular solutions for stresses are used, with the sought SIFs being among the unknown coefficients. The rest of the arbitrary domain is taken as the potential energy region in which FEMOL is applied to obtain approximate displacements. A mixed system of ordinary differential equations （ODEs） and algebraic equations is derived via the sub-region generalized variational principle. A singularity removal technique that eliminates the stress parameters from the mixed equation system eventually yields a standard FEMOL ODE system, the solution of which is no longer singular and is simply and efficiently obtained using a standard general-purpose ODE solver. A number of numerical examples, including bi-material notches/cracks in anti-plane and plane elasticity, are given to show the generally excellent performance of the proposed method.
文摘This study evaluated the trend of diarrheal diseases managed with zinc supplementation by comparing it with diarrheal diseases managed without zinc supplementation at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching hospital (UPTH), Nigeria. The study was a descriptive retrospective study done at the Diarrhea Training Unit (DTU) of UPTH to determine the effect of zinc supplementation in the management of diarrhea in children under 5 years. Out of the 134 case records studied, of children aged 0 to 59 months who presented with diarrhea at the DTU, 57 children did not receive zinc supplementation between October and December, 2007 and 77 children received zinc supplementation between October and December 2009. The results showed that (74) 96.1% of patients who received zinc supplementation, and (48) 84.2% of those who did not, had no repeat diarrheal episodes when seen at the follow up clinic. On the other hand, 1.3% of those who received zinc supplementation and 1.8% of those who did not, had increased episodes of diarrhea when seen at the follow up clinic. Of those who received, and those who did not receive zinc supplementation, 2.6% and 14% respectively, had reduced episodes of diarrhea. These findings clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of zinc supplementation in halting the course of diarrheal diseases in children aged 0 to 59 months. We therefore advocate for the use of zinc supplementation in the management of diarrhea in
文摘As a result of the high economic growth in GMS （Greater Mekong Sub-region） countries, bank branches have now expanded at high rate. The expansion of new buildings, however, has not considered energy, especially lighting system, in the design stage. This paper presents the optimal energy management design of lighting system for the bank buildings in the countries along Mekong River, namely China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand. The lighting system is considered in the study as most of the countries use T8 fluorescent luminaires. The LCC （life cycle cost） method has been considered for the installation and operational cost. The assumed benefit-cost ratio analysis comprises of the lifetime cycle, price of fluorescent lamps, electricity unit price, operating times and hours of lighting bulb. The T8 fluorescent luminaires with low watt loss ballast are compared with T5 fluorescent luminaires and LED lamps. Electricity rates and the cost of the investment are considered to determine the suitable selection of the lighting system in each GMS country.
文摘Purpose-Over the last decade,African rail sectors have applied hybrid reform models to catch up with the subregion’s lagging rail performance compared to other regions.With this in mind,this paper aims to study the effect of deregulation on rail transport demand.Following an abundant literature on deregulation in Europe and Asia,this study focuses on structural and regulatory reforms.Design/methodology/approach-The investigation methodology is in line with the investigations of Mizutani(2019)and Smith,Benedetto,and Nash(2018).This paper uses a seemingly unrelated model(SURE)for general estimation and a random effect least square model for regional block estimation on a panel of 26 countries for 15 years between 2000 and 2015.Findings-The main results show that structural reforms positively affect passenger transport demand,but negatively affect freight transport demand.The level of competition stimulates demand for freight transport.Privatization of operators positively affects freight transport demand,but has no significant effect on passenger transport demand.The introduction of a regulatory authority has a positive effect on demand for passenger transport,and in certain regional blocs,it affects demand for freight transport,with the existence of corridors shared between several countries.Originality/value-This study is carried out in the sub-Saharan African sub-region.Indeed,the importance of the rail sector and the dilapidated state of many of its infrastructures should prompt a more abundant literature on the subject of the effectiveness of deregulation movements.We also evaluate the effect of vertical or horizontal separation and the introduction of an independent regulator in the rail sector on overall demand for transport service.
基金The research is the product of Chinese Educational Ministry program“EU’sMiddle East Strategy in 21st Century Studies”(05JJDGJW045)it is also supported by the funding of B702 of Shanghai’s Key Disciplines Development Program.
文摘The Middle East has been a region involved with various problems for many years.Recently the Iranian nuclear issue is bringing the attention of the international society to the security situation in the Persian Gulf region.With the rising of Iran after the Iraq War,Iran is willing to cooperate with the other Persian Gulf states to establish a sub-regional security order.According to the regionalism theory,the establishment of the security region means a kind of effort to transfer a certain geographic region suffering from clashes among nations and domestic conflicts into a security community that will commit itself to the cooperation with the outside world and keeping peace inside.For this purpose,Iran is now improving its relation with Iraq,opening dialogue with GCC states,and pledging its neighbor states that its nuclear program is only for the peace purpose.With its advantageous conditions,strong will and active preparation,it is highly possible for Iran to establish a sub-regional stability and order in the Persian Gulf region in the future.
文摘Background Antibiotic therapy in infertility management is one of the most frequent and useful practices in sub-Saharan setting. Infertility of tubal origin and secondary to infections are the most prevalent. The current study aimed to take stock of antibiotic therapy in infertility management without in Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Material and Methods A cross-sectional analytical study undertaken in University Clinics of Kinshasa and the Edith Medical Center, from January 2001 to December 2021. It involved 3754 patients who sought care for infertility and received antibiotics during the treatment. Results The mean age of the patients was 33.3 ± 5.7 years and ranged from 16 to 49 years. Most of them were nulliparous with secondary infertility. The average duration of infertility was 4.5 ± 3.6 years and ranged from 1 to 20 years. Most had a history of unsafe abortion and tubal obstruction. The pelvic infections were the main diagnosis. After antibiotic therapy, especially made of Doxycycline alone or in association 442 (8.8%) patients conceived. Conclusion In the low-income sub-Saharan setting, infection remained the common cause of infertility and doxycycline was found to be the most used and efficient antibiotics.
