A hybrid feature extraction method for SAR image registration

Extracting and matching correct correspondence between two images are significant stages for feature-based synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image registration. Two methods of feature extraction were employed in this study. Blob features were obtained by combining a Gaussian-guided filter (GGF) with a scale invariant feature transform, and corner features were obtained from the GGF. A GGF can store edge information and operate more effectively than a Gaussian filter. The ratio of average was used to compute gradients in order to reduce the speckle effect. Fast sample consensus (FSC) algorithm was combined with complete graph method for feature correspondence matching. Although FSC algorithm can extract valid correspondence, it may not be efficient enough to deal with SAR images due to its random nature and the large number of outliers in the data. Therefore, a graph-based algorithm was employed to solve the problem by eliminating outliers. The proposed hybrid method was tested on several real SAR images having different properties. The results showed that the proposed method performed the automated registration of SAR images more accurately and efficiently.     

Efficient binary to quaternary and vice versa converters: embedding in quaternary arithmetic circuits

The Journal of Supercomputing - Reversible logic is a nowadays promising choice for circuit design technologies since it is having diversified applications in the fields of digital signal...     

Optimal thermodynamic and economic volume of a heat recovery steam generator by constructal design

The ratios of gas flow to steam flow are huge in heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs) compared to other steam generators. So the volume which is occupied by components of the HRSG such as economizer, evaporator and superheater is important factor when the HRSG is applied in structures including buildings and ships. The optimum volume of a HRSG is deduced through optimization of entropy generation and cost evaluation. By increasing volume, second law of thermodynamics is improved, but this improvement may not be economical. In this work, the best dimensions and arrangements of flows in HRSG are obtained by constructal design and the optimization method is algorithm genetic. In this case, super heater temperature, pinch point, water/steam flow rate and gas pressure drop are derived from configuration which designed by constructal theory for HRSG. The effects of gas flow rate and inlet gas temperature are examined on the values of optimum volume.     

GAPSO-SVM: An IDSS-based Energy-Aware Clustering Routing Algorithm for IoT Perception Layer

Wireless Personal Communications - With the emergence of Internet of Things (IoT) having large scale and generating huge amount of data, Intelligent Decision Support Systems (IDSSs) have attracted...     

Planning Stable and Efficient Paths for Reconfigurable Robots On Uneven Terrain

This paper proposes a novel path planning method for improving the feasibility of a forced landing. When an aircraft completely loses its thrust, the only measure it can take is to make a forced landing at an adjacent airport as soon as possible. In such a situation, the flight path to the landing point must be safe and viable. This paper details a method which enables safer and easier landing by transferring the benefits of excess altitude to the final approach length. Moreover, by planning the descent angle of final approach to be in the middle of a non-spoiler and a full-spoiler glide angle, this method enables a change in descent angle to correct any tracking errors, without using thrust. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, six degrees-of-freedom nonlinear simulations were performed and the results are compared with comparable methods. From the simulation results, it was confirmed that the proposed method could plan a safe path in a sufficiently short time and the aircraft could reach the landing point safely.     

Mechanistic evaluation of fatigue cracking in asphalt pavements

Over the last several decades, significant research has been conducted to predict the fatigue cracking performance of asphalt pavements. Recently, the simplified viscoelastic continuum damage (S-VECD) model was developed as an efficient method of characterising the fatigue performance of asphalt mixtures under a wide range of loading conditions. Two important material properties that can be determined from the S-VECD model are the damage characteristic curve that defines how damage evolves in a specimen and the energy-based failure criterion that defines when the specimen fails. These two material functions are unique for a given mixture regardless of temperature, mode of loading, stress/strain amplitude and loading history. This study presents the application of the Layered Viscoelastic Crirtical Distresses (LVECD) programme to predict the fatigue performance of 18 pavement sections from different locations in the United States and Canada. The capability of the LVECD programme to capture crack initiation, crack propagation and damage in the pavement sections is investigated by comparing the simulation results with field observations. This study found reasonable agreement in trends between the damage growth throughout the pavement cross sections as predicted by the LVECD programme and the surface crack growth as evidenced by field observations.     

Corrosion protection by zirconia-based thin films deposited by a sol–gel spin coating method

This paper focuses on the structure and corrosion behavior of 316L stainless steel coated by inorganic ZrO₂, hybrid ZrO₂–PMMA, and combined inorganic–hybrid films. The coatings were deposited by a particulate sol–gel spin-coating route, using carboxymethyl cellulose as a nanoparticle dispersant. The electrochemical evaluations were conducted in a simulated body fluid, via potentiodynamic polarization and impedance spectroscopic experiments. According to the results, the hybrid coating presented a better corrosion protection compared to the inorganic coating, due to a lesser density of structural defects. However, the best corrosion resistance was found for a combined coating which consists of an inorganic bottom layer and a hybrid top layer, due to a desirable compromise of good adhesion and low defect density.     

Non-coherent radar CFAR detection based on goodness-of-fit tests

This paper considers the problem of constant false alarm rate (CFAR) detection of radar targets using multiple observations. In the Gaussian clutter scenario, the structure of the optimum (uniformly most powerful) CFAR detector is rather simple, but when the clutter is heavy-tailed, that is non-Gaussian distributed, the derivation of the optimal detector becomes infeasible. For this latter relevant case, a new CFAR algorithm is porposed based on goodness-of-fit (GoF) tests. The performance of the proposed detector is numerically investigated through Monte Carlo simulations assuming heavy-tailed Weibull and Lognormal distributed clutter. Numerical results shown that, in heavy-tailed clutter and also when several interfering targets exist, the proposed detector outperforms the conventional CFAR detector based on binary integration. Performance is also tested processing real sea clutter data collected by a non-coherent navigation radar     

Mechanical properties of as-cast microalloyed steels produced via investment casting

Tensile and room temperature Charpy V-notch impact tests were used to evaluate the variations in the as-cast mechanical properties of a low-carbon steel produced via shell mould investment casting and containing combinations of vanadium, niobium and titanium. Tensile results indicate that the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) have increased up to respectively 615 MPa and 770 MPa due to the fine-scale microalloy precipitates in the microalloyed samples. Room temperature impact test results show that while addition of vanadium individually has not changed the impact energy, Nb has decreased it considerably. However, examination of fracture surfaces reveals that all microalloyed samples have failed by transgranular cleavage. Based on the transmission electron microscope (TEM) studies, it seems that carbonitrides being greater than 50 nm in size and formed along prior austenite grain boundaries before γ transformation are responsible for the observed reduction in impact energies and brittle fracture. In comparison to sand mould casting, the yield and UTS obtained from investment casting are superior. Furthermore, although the impact energies of Nb-containing alloys are approximately the same as those obtained from sand moulds, the impact energy of the alloy containing only vanadium has improved considerably.