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At least 631 records · Page 35

Sol-gel synthesis of Mn1.5Co1.5O4 spinel nano powders for coating applications

Highlights: • Nano powder of Mn/Co spinel, applicable to solid oxide fuel cell, is synthesized. • The sol-gel synthesis of nanocrystalline Mn{sub 1.5}Co{sub 1.5}O{sub 4} spinel is investigated. • Sol-gel annealing temperature, time, and metal-to-citrate ratio are evaluated. • The optimum conditions for producing dual phase of Mn{sub 1.5}Co{sub 1.5}O{sub 4} are achieved. - Abstract: Mn{sub 1.5}Co{sub 1.5}O{sub 4} oxide spinels are widely used as protective coatings for stainless steel interconnects within planar solid oxide fuel cell stacks. Containing both cubic and tetragonal crystalline phases, these Mn/Co oxide spinels exhibit favorable thermal stability and electronic conductivity for the SOFC interconnect application. Slurry-based coating applications of Mn/Co oxides require precursor powders, which can benefit from being nano-structured. In this study, the sol-gel synthesis of nanocrystalline Mn{sub 1.5}Co{sub 1.5}O{sub 4} spinel is investigated. The decomposition of sol-gel precursors, as well as the crystalline phase structures and microstructures of the product Mn{sub 1.5}Co{sub 1.5}O{sub 4} are characterized by differential thermal and thermogravimetric (DTA/TG) analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The effects of various sol-gel annealing temperatures (T), treatment times (t), and citrate-to-metal ratios (Rc) are evaluated. Results suggest that nanocrystalline Mn{sub 1.5}Co{sub 1.5}O{sub 4} spinel can be synthesized around 1050 °C, and that T = 1050 °C, t = 6 h and Rc = 2 are optimum conditions for producing the smallest grain size. Image analysis of TEM results shows that the size of Mn{sub 1.5}Co{sub 1.5}O{sub 4} crystallites increases with increasing temperature, with average particle sizes ranging from ∼70 nm to ∼1 μm. Selected area diffraction pattern (SADP) of Mn{sub 1.5}Co{sub 1.5}O{sub 4} spinel synthesized at 800 °C confirms the dual (cubic/tetragonal) structure of Mn{sub 1.5}Co{sub 1.5}O{sub 4}.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Analysis of Radar Images of Angkor, Cambodia

This paper will focus on our analysis of the imaging radar data in support of archaeological studies and subsequent ground verification of some of the features visible in the radar data.

AirSAR↗

Fast GPU 3D diffeomorphic image registration

3D image registration is one of the most fundamental and computationally expensive operations in medical image analysis. Here, we present a mixed-precision, Gauss–Newton–Krylov solver for diffeomorphic registration of two images. Our work extends the publicly available CLAIRE library to GPU architectures. Despite the importance of image registration, only a few implementations of large deformation diffeomorphic registration packages support GPUs. Our contributions are new algorithms to significantly reduce the run time of the two main computational kernels in CLAIRE: calculation of derivatives and scattered-data interpolation. Additionally, we deploy (i) highly-optimized, mixed-precision GPU-kernels for the evaluation of scattered-data interpolation, (ii) replace Fast-Fourier-Transform (FFT)-based first-order derivatives with optimized 8th-order finite differences, and (iii) compare with state-of-the-art CPU and GPU implementations. As a highlight, we demonstrate that we can register clinical images in less than 6 s on a single NVIDIA Tesla V100. This amounts to over 20 speed-up over the current version of CLAIRE and over 30 speed-up over existing GPU implementations.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Display management subsystem, version 1: A user's eye view

The structure and application functions of the Display Management Subsystem (DMS) are described. The DMS, a subsystem of the Transportable Applications Executive (TAE), was designed to provide a device-independent interface for an image processing and display environment. The system is callable by C and FORTRAN applications, portable to accommodate different image analysis terminals, and easily expandable to meet local needs. Generic applications are also available for performing many image processing tasks.

Parker, Dolores↗

General-purpose interface bus for multiuser, multitasking computer system

The architecture of a multiuser, multitasking, virtual-memory computer system intended for the use by a medium-size research group is described. There are three central processing units (CPU) in the configuration, each with 16 MB memory, and two 474 MB hard disks attached. CPU 1 is designed for data analysis and contains an array processor for fast-Fourier transformations. In addition, CPU 1 shares display images viewed with the image processor. CPU 2 is designed for image analysis and display. CPU 3 is designed for data acquisition and contains 8 GPIB channels and an analog-to-digital conversion input/output interface with 16 channels. Up to 9 users can access the third CPU simultaneously for data acquisition. Focus is placed on the optimization of hardware interfaces and software, facilitating instrument control, data acquisition, and processing.

Generazio, Edward R.↗

The interpretation of simultaneous soft X-ray spectroscopic and imaging observations of an active region

Simultaneous soft X-ray spectroscopic and broad-band imaging observations of an active region have been analyzed together to determine the parameters which describe the coronal plasma. From the spectroscopic data, models of temperature-emission measure-elemental abundance have been constructed which provide acceptable statistical fits. By folding these possible models through the imaging analysis, models which are not self-consistent can be rejected. In this way, only the oxygen, neon, and iron abundances of Pottasch (1967), combined with either an isothermal or exponential temperature-emission-measure model, are consistent with both sets of data. Contour maps of electron temperature and density for the active region have been constructed from the imaging data. The implications of the analysis for the determination of coronal abundances and for future satellite experiments are discussed.

Davis, J. M.↗

Image 100 procedures manual development: Applications system library definition and Image 100 software definition

An outline for an Image 100 procedures manual for Earth Resources Program image analysis was developed which sets forth guidelines that provide a basis for the preparation and updating of an Image 100 Procedures Manual. The scope of the outline was limited to definition of general features of a procedures manual together with special features of an interactive system. Computer programs were identified which should be implemented as part of an applications oriented library for the system.

Guseman, L. F., Jr.↗

The LANDSAT Tutorial Workbook: Basics of Satellite Remote Sensing

Most of the subject matter of a full training course in applying remote sensing is presented in a self-teaching mode in this how-to manual which combines a review of basics, a survey of systems, and a treatment of the principles and mechanics of image analysis by computers, with a laboratory approach for learning to utilize the data through practical experiences. All relevant image products are included.

Short, Nicholas M.↗

Sensor fusion II: Human and machine strategies; Proceedings of the Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, Nov. 6-9, 1989

Various papers on human and machine strategies in sensor fusion are presented. The general topics addressed include: active vision, measurement and analysis of visual motion, decision models for sensor fusion, implementation of sensor fusion algorithms, applying sensor fusion to image analysis, perceptual modules and their fusion, perceptual organization and object recognition, planning and the integration of high-level knowledge with perception, using prior knowledge and context in sensor fusion.

Schenker, Paul S.↗

WELDSMART: A vision-based expert system for quality control

This work was aimed at exploring means for utilizing computer technology in quality inspection and evaluation. Inspection of metallic welds was selected as the main application for this development and primary emphasis was placed on visual inspection, as opposed to other inspection methods, such as radiographic techniques. Emphasis was placed on methodologies with the potential for use in real-time quality control systems. Because quality evaluation is somewhat subjective, despite various efforts to classify discontinuities and standardize inspection methods, the task of using a computer for both inspection and evaluation was not trivial. The work started out with a review of the various inspection techniques that are used for quality control in welding. Among other observations from this review was the finding that most weld defects result in abnormalities that may be seen by visual inspection. This supports the approach of emphasizing visual inspection for this work. Quality control consists of two phases: (1) identification of weld discontinuities (some of which may be severe enough to be classified as defects), and (2) assessment or evaluation of the weld based on the observed discontinuities. Usually the latter phase results in a pass/fail judgement for the inspected piece. It is the conclusion of this work that the first of the above tasks, identification of discontinuities, is the most challenging one. It calls for sophisticated image processing and image analysis techniques, and frequently ad hoc methods have to be developed to identify specific features in the weld image. The difficulty of this task is generally not due to limited computing power. In most cases it was found that a modest personal computer or workstation could carry out most computations in a reasonably short time period. Rather, the algorithms and methods necessary for identifying weld discontinuities were in some cases limited. The fact that specific techniques were finally developed and successfully demosntrated to work illustrates that the general approach taken here appears to be promising for commercial development of computerized quality inspection systems. Inspection based on these techniques may be used to supplement or substitute more elaborate inspection methods, such as x-ray inspections.

Andersen, Kristinn↗

Exploring Object Detection and Image Classification Tasks for Niche Use Case in Naturalistic Driving Studies

Naturalistic driving studies consist of drivers using their personal vehicles and provide valuable real-world data, but privacy issues must be handled very carefully. Drivers sign a consent form when they elect to participate, but passengers do not for a variety of practical reasons. However, their privacy must still be protected. One large study includes a blurred image of the entire cabin which allows reviewers to find passengers in the vehicle; this protects the privacy but still allows a means of answering questions regarding the impact of passengers on driver behavior. A method for automatically counting the passengers would have scientific value for transportation researchers. We investigated different image analysis methods for automatically locating and counting the non-drivers including simple face detection and fine-tuned methods for image classification and a published object detection method. We also compared the image classification using convolutional neural network and vision transformer backbones. Our studies show the image classification method appears to work the best in terms of absolute performance, although we note the closed nature of our dataset and nature of the imagery makes the application somewhat niche and object detection methods also have advantages. We perform some analysis to support our conclusion.

Peruski, Ryan↗

Point spread function deconvolution using a convolutional autoencoder

A major issue in optical astronomical image analysis is the combined effect of the instrument’s point spread function (PSF) and the atmospheric seeing that blurs images and changes their shape in a way that is band and time-of-observation dependent. In this work we present a very simple neural network based approach to nonblind image deconvolution that relies on feeding a convolutional autoencoder (CAE) input images that have been preprocessed by convolution with the corresponding PSF and its regularized inverse, a method which is both conceptually simple and computationally less intensive. We also present here, a new approach for dealing with limited input dynamic range of neural networks compared to the dynamic range present in astronomical images.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Biases associated with a particular image volume metric

Image analysis area and volume metrics A 80 and V 80 , used by others, are studied as a function of image morphology, a 3D feature, and Monte Carlo noise in simulated images. The A 80 area metric is found to be stable, with consistent results (and meaning) obtainable without a detailed understanding of 3D features and/or simulation noise levels. However, the V 80 volume metric varies significantly with image morphology, 3D features, and simulation noise. If an experimental image set gives A 80 area inferences that are consistent with 2D image simulations, but V 80 volume inferences that are significantly larger than those corresponding to simulated images, then issues related to 3D features and simulation noise should be explored before conclusions are drawn related to a possible mismatch in the real physical size of experimental and simulated source volumes.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

An efficient microcomputer system for the analysis of particle image velocimetry specklegrams

An efficient image processing system is described for the automatic analysis of particle image velocimetry (PIV) fringe patterns. Each interrogation point takes 1 second to analyze; a complete specklegram can be interrogated at 1000 points in approximately 15 minutes. Incorporated in the analysis is a means for automatic replacement of spurious velocity vectors without either re-interrogation of the specklegram or interpolation between neighboring data points. The sucess of the above system is demonstrated by application of the PIV technique to the study of the sink-driven cavity flow. This flow is studied as part of a larger program to investigate trapped vortex flows as a means of lift enhancement on swept wings.

Wadcock, Alan J.↗

Radiation-induced alteration of sandstone concrete aggregate

This study investigates the alteration of felsic sandstone-type rock, which is used as a coarse aggregate in concrete, subject to the effects of gamma-ray and neutron irradiation. The effects of three gamma-ray doses (27, 55, and 108 MGy) and four neutron fluence levels (1.22, 2.19, 6.99, and 14.30 × 10 19 n/cm 2 , $E$ ≥ 0.01 MeV) were investigated. Quartz and albite were found to be the major rock-forming minerals, with microcline intermediates, chlorite, and muscovite as the minors. Gamma rays caused no significant changes to the physical properties of the sandstone aggregates, even at high doses (108 MGy). In contrast, neutron irradiation caused alterations that became more pronounced at higher neutron fluences. The solid was confirmed to expand through metamictization of the rock-forming minerals. Quartz and muscovite were the most affected phases, whereas albite and microcline intermediates were only slightly affected, and chlorite was almost unaffected. The decrease in density was measured by He and water pycnometry, and this value was almost reproduced by calculations using the rock-forming mineral composition of the pristine sample measured using X-ray powder diffraction/Rietveld analysis and the cell volume change of the major forming minerals. In addition, light optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy images confirmed the presence of intergranular and intragranular cracks. Intergranular cracks appeared to have initiated from the quartz grains, which expanded significantly. The intragranular cracks were frequently observed in the albite and microcline intermediates. These cracks can be described as radial cracks starting from the expanding quartz, caused by enforced displacement for deformation consistency with quartz expansion. The crack area ratio quantified by SEM image analysis corresponds to the discrepancy of the volume expansion difference calculated by He or water pycnometry and dimensional change measurements. In conclusion, an evaluation of solid expansion and crack openings in aggregates is important to estimate concrete degradation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Automatic rule generation for high-level vision

A new fuzzy set based technique that was developed for decision making is discussed. It is a method to generate fuzzy decision rules automatically for image analysis. This paper proposes a method to generate rule-based approaches to solve problems such as autonomous navigation and image understanding automatically from training data. The proposed method is also capable of filtering out irrelevant features and criteria from the rules.

Rhee, Frank Chung-Hoon↗

Street context of various demographic groups in their daily mobility

Abstract We present an urban science framework to characterize phone users’ exposure to different street context types based on network science, geographical information systems (GIS), daily individual trajectories, and street imagery. We consider street context as the inferred usage of the street, based on its buildings and construction, categorized in nine possible labels. The labels define whether the street is residential, commercial or downtown, throughway or not, and other special categories. We apply the analysis to the City of Boston, considering daily trajectories synthetically generated with a model based on call detail records (CDR) and images from Google Street View. Images are categorized both manually and using artificial intelligence (AI). We focus on the city’s four main racial/ethnic demographic groups (White, Black, Hispanic and Asian), aiming to characterize the differences in what these groups of people see during their daily activities. Based on daily trajectories, we reconstruct most common paths over the street network. We use street demand (number of times a street is included in a trajectory) to detect each group’s most relevant streets and regions. Based on their street demand, we measure the street context distribution for each group. The inclusion of images allows us to quantitatively measure the prevalence of each context and points to qualitative differences on where that context takes place. Other AI methodologies can further exploit these differences. This approach presents the building blocks to further studies that relate mobile devices’ dynamic records with the differences in urban exposure by demographic groups. The addition of AI-based image analysis to street demand can power up the capabilities of urban planning methodologies, compare multiple cities under a unified framework, and reduce the crudeness of GIS-only mobility analysis. Shortening the gap between big data-driven analysis and traditional human classification analysis can help build smarter and more equal cities while reducing the efforts necessary to study a city’s characteristics.

Salgado, Ariel (ORCID:0000000177015372)↗

Colorimetric-Luminance Readout for Quantitative Analysis of Fluorescence Signals with a Smartphone CMOS Sensor

Smartphones have shown promise as an enabling technology for portable and distributed point-of-care diagnostic tests. The CMOS camera sensor can be used for detecting optical signals, including fluorescence for applications such as isothermal nucleic acid amplification tests. However, such analysis is typically limited mostly to end point detection of single targets. In this paper, we present a smartphone-based image analysis pipeline that utilizes the CIE xyY (chromaticity-luminance) color space to measure the luminance (in lieu of RGB intensities) of fluorescent signals arising from nucleic acid amplification targets, with a discrimination sensitivity (ratio between the positive to negative signals), which is an order of magnitude more than traditional RGB intensity based analysis. Furthermore, the chromaticity part of the analysis enables reliable multiplexed detection of different targets labeled with spectrally separated fluorophores. We apply this chromaticity-luminance formulation to simultaneously detect Zika and chikungunya viral RNA via end point RT-LAMP (Reverse transcription Loop-Mediated isothermal amplification). We also show real time LAMP detection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae samples down to a copy number of 3.5 copies per 10 μL of reaction volume in our smartphone-operated portable LAMP box. Finally, our chromaticity-luminance analysis is readily adaptable to other types of multiplexed fluorescence measurements using a smartphone camera.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗