bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bioremediation and Phytoremediation
Authors: Kasemsap Kijpokin
Published: January 2018

This chapter explains the overview of bioremediation; soil remediation and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH); bioremediation and ecosystem services; oil-contaminated soil, motor oil-contaminated soil, and petroleum-contaminated soil during bioremediation process; the overview of phytoremediation; the strategies and issues of phytoremediation; and phytoremediation and Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria (PGPB). Bioremediation is one of the safest methods to effectively manage contaminated waste. Without chemicals, bioremediation allows the contaminated waste to be recycled in environmental settings. Phytoremediation applies many types of plants to remove, stabilize, and destroy the contaminants in the soil and groundwater. The chapter argues that bioremediation and phytoremediation are the green technologies that can help remove contaminants from natural resources and are effective on the remediation of contaminated sites.
Preservation and Access to Digital Materials
Authors: Kalusopa Trywell
Published: January 2018

As the digital world unfolds, Africa continues to grapple with the issues of preservation and access of digital materials. This chapter demonstrates through a systematic literature review how Africa could learn from other efforts in the world to develop and guide their own strategic and policy options to deal with issues of preservation and access of digital materials. The chapter reviews literature on global or universal collaborative strategies and efforts on digital preservation initiated in the developed world as a learning curve for Africa. The current challenges of national and institutional capacities regarding the preservation of digital materials in selected African countries that have made some visible efforts and impact are also discussed. The chapter then makes several recommendations on the strategic and policy options for improving the state of material preservation, human and material requirements in order to improve the long-term preservation, and standards for the longer-term usability and interoperability of digital materials in Africa.
A Framework for a Good Recordkeeping System
Authors: Kenosi Lekoko Sylvester , Mosweu Olefhile
Published: January 2018

A good record keeping system has a number of components that should be in place for the record keeping system to work optimally for the proper management of records in an organisation. This chapter presents and discusses the components of a recordkeeping system that include a records policy, people or staff, classification system, tracking, capturing business processes and controls, physical handling and storage, preservation, retention and disposition, Compliance monitoring and auditing, vital records protection and disaster preparedness, access, and training.
Management of Records and Archives in Uganda's Public Sector
Authors: Luyombya David
Published: January 2018

This chapter discusses the role of the archives legislation, the national archives, and the records and archives management (RAM) training institutions in nurturing public records and archives management in Uganda's public sector (UPS). Specific areas addressed include the legal framework and regulations related to recordkeeping, the role of the Uganda National Archives (UNA) and RAM education and training institutions that train records and archives managers in the delivery of their services. It also reports findings of a study that investigated issues, controversies, and constraints bearing on the management of public sector records and archives in government of Uganda ministries.
The Nature and Scope of Cultural Heritage Resources Management in South Africa
Authors: van Vollenhoven Anton C.
Published: January 2018

The main aim of this chapter is to provide assistance to institutions and individuals involved in cultural heritage management (for example, contract work), especially entry level. An overview of important aspects to take note of are given and some are discussed in detail. The concept of protection as indicated in the National Heritage Resources Act, the methodology of heritage resources management (also known as CRM), the concept of cultural significance, and the way of dealing with graves are all defined. This is placed in a global perspective by including applicable international conventions related to the protection of heritage. Information on the cultural context within South Africa is given to provide an understanding of possible issues to be dealt with. The result is a reference guide for the management of the cultural heritage of South Africa.
Coverage of Cultural Heritage in Mass Media Publications in Zimbabwe
Authors: Mabgwe Marlvern , Katekwe Petronella
Published: January 2018

This chapter evaluates the pattern and trend of mass media coverage of Zimbabwe's cultural heritage, with a focus on the newspaper publications produced between the years 2010 and 2015. The working hypothesis is that the level and nature of mass media coverage of cultural heritage is directly proportional to the nature of public opinion and attitude towards their own cultural heritage. As such, in order for cultural heritage to make a meaningful contribution to socio-economic and political developmental in Zimbabwe, there is a need for cultural heritage to be visible in all mass media productions. Using document analysis, questionnaires, and interviews, the research identified that the coverage of cultural heritage in mass media in Zimbabwe is alarmingly low. That jeopardizes the regard of cultural heritage as a driver for socio-economic and political development amongst the public. However, through reprioritization of media agenda-setting, media policy, and fostering of a closer collaboration between heritage managers and media professionals, the situation can be salvaged in Zimbabwe.
A Conceptual Analysis on the Different Approaches to New Product Development and the Variables Associated With Modelling the Process
Authors: Owens Jonathan D. , Atherton Andrew M.
Published: January 2018

Globally, new products are launched daily. They provide answers to common or specialised problems, enrich lifestyles, provide alternatives to old solutions, amuse us etc. Companies that develop, design, manufacture, market and sell these products seek commercial compensation in the short, medium or long term “success”, however you measure it. Subsequently, New Product Development is a major issue for most companies as they seek to reduce time to market, reduce the development cycle, access new technologies and develop more and better products and services. New products that can successfully compete in local, national and global markets are a key concern for the majority of companies, so successful NPD is fundamental to both stimulating and supporting economic growth. It is a subject, which has received and continues to receive much attention, particularly in seeking to improve its effectiveness and efficiency. This chapter reviews the NPD process and considers the variables associated with the different approaches, which may be needed when developing a new product.
Design of Base Isolation System for Buildings
Authors: Bhatt Govardhan , Paul D. K. , Bhowmick Shubhankar
Published: January 2018

Seismic base isolation is one of the most widely implemented and accepted seismic protection systems and is a relatively recent and evolving technology. The most common isolation system used is Laminated Lead Rubber Bearings (LLRB). They combine the function of isolation and energy dissipation in a single compact unit, giving structural support, horizontal flexibility, damping, and a re-centering force in a single unit. The force deformation behavior of LLRB is modeled as bilinear system with viscous damping. In this paper, a comprehensive design of LLRB is presented. Accurate evaluation of the structural properties and precise modeling of isolation devices are of utmost importance in predicting the response of the structure during the earthquakes. Base isolation has now been used in numerous buildings in countries like Italy, Japan, New Zealand, and USA. Base isolation is also useful for retrofitting of important buildings (like hospitals and historic buildings).
Multi-Characteristic Optimization in Wire Electrical Discharge Machining of Inconel-625 by Using Taguchi-Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) Approach
Authors: Karsh Pradeep Kumar , Singh Hari
Published: January 2018

Inconel 625 is a nickel-chromium based super-alloy which is mostly used in high end applications due to its excellent chemical and fabrication properties combined with high strength and outstanding corrosion resistance. Wire EDM is most commonly the used process for machining this material and gives high accuracy and precision in the machined parts. In this paper, an attempt is made to undertake an experimental investigation to optimize the input variables like pulse on time, pulse off time, peak current, and servo voltage in Wire EDM for achieving simultaneous optimization of cutting rate, surface roughness, dimensional deviation, and wire wear ratio. Taguchi's L9 orthogonal array with one replication has been used as an experimental design and then analysis of variance (ANOVA) has been applied to determine the significant parameters and their contributions on response variables. Taguchi method has been combined with grey relational analysis for multi-characteristic optimization. Finally, results are validated with the help of confirmation experiments.
A Review of America's Religious Institutions' Utilization of Information Communication Technologies in Shaping Social Policy and Governance
Authors: Adedoyin Christson , Jackson Mary S.
Published: January 2018

Information Communication and Technologies (ICTs) are vital tools that religious organizations pervasively utilize in the United States of America (USA) to shape social issues, influence social policy and participate in governance. This paper articulates the different methods of deploying ICTs by religious organizations toward social justice and human development in the USA from historical to contemporary times. Furthermore, the article highlights the nexus of intervention strategies and ICTs to address social problems such as poverty, unemployment, child abuse, human trafficking, and environmental issues. Contemporary ICTs applications such as twitter, Facebook, blogs, online communities and classical media outlets such as television, satellite communications and radios used by religious organization in influencing governance will be examined. Implications for teaching, practice and future research are delineated.
Readiness as a Novel Construct of Readiness Acceptance Model (RAM) for the Wireless Handheld Technology
Authors: Hafeez-Baig Abdul , Gururajan Raj , Wickramasinghe Nilmini
Published: January 2018

In this conceptual chapter we have reviewed prominent theories or models in relation to the adoption of technology for wired devices. We have identified shortcomings in these leading models in predicting adoption behaviour associated with the wireless technology. The shortcomings are particularly acute in wireless handheld technology by comparison with desk top technology in which the adoption models have been extensively studied. Here we propose “Readiness Acceptance Model” (RAM) as new conceptual model for the adoption of ICT in conjunction with wireless handheld technology. Readiness is defined as user's ability to perceived readiness of the business in the context of organizational, technological, perceptional, behavioural, and environmental attributes for the acceptance of wireless handheld devices. In formulating the conceptual framework for RAM we incorporated variable characteristics from the nine prominent models reviewed here. We believe these considerations would allow RAM to be useful in wireless handheld technology ICT domains.
A Unified Framework for Internet Banking Adoption
Authors: Safeena Rahmath , Kammani Abdullah
Published: January 2018

Technology adoption study has become a crucial or significant measure for understanding success or effectiveness of evolving technologies. Adoption of technology in general and Internet Banking Technology (IBT) in particular leads to decrease in coordination cost and increase in efficiency of banking process. Indian economy has experienced rapid growth over the last decade, developing Internet Banking Technology (IBT) for transforming the traditional lines of banking products and services. This shift has brought profound challenges and opportunities to both bank and its customers. The banks have utilized the potential of technology to provide new proficiencies in banking. Customers have found in IBT a new ease to do the financial transaction. However, it was observed from various literatures that there are high levels of uncertainties related to IBT adoption. This research attempts to formulate an integrated framework to investigate the factors of IBT adoption in India.
A Qualitative Case Study for Technology Acceptance Using TAM and the Kübler-Ross Models
Authors: Sotelo Benjamin , Livingood Richard Alan
Published: January 2018

This study was an investigation of interactions based on the existing research, including the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) (Davis, 1986) and The Kübler-Ross model for grieving and acceptance of dying that addresses emotional transitions of terminally ill patients. As obvious as this connection may be, there is little research that has been presented to analyze the human acceptance process related to other models of acceptance. Nor has there been an analysis of the technology acceptance experience from an emotional, cognitive perspective. This study produced themes that address the process for acceptance at an individual level. Themes associated with technology acceptance included force, emotions triggered by interaction with technology, how technology was introduced and relationships with those that introduced it, organic acceptance, cost associated with use, small wins learning to use the technology, societal perspectives, avoidability behaviors, social adoption, supported infrastructure, loss of freedom, finality and rejection, dependency, euphoria, and anxiety with use.
Adoption of Social Media as Communication Channels in Government Agencies
Authors: Alotaibi Reemiah , Ramachandran Muthu , Kor Ah-Lian , Hosseinian-Far Amin
Published: January 2018

Social media has become an integral part of many people's lives around the world. The main use of this communication channel is to connect with social circles. It is also widely used for commercial and business purposes. Governments are also keen to use social media as an alternative to the traditional communication channels. Nonetheless, when the level of use of social media in the government is compared to other fields, a clear gap becomes apparent. This chapter investigates the adoption of social media as a communication channel between citizens, public agencies and government departments; and considers a wide range of factors that affect the issue from the perspective of public agencies. This chapter presents an extensive literature review and proposes a framework that organises the critical factors that affect public agencies' efforts while implementing social media. We also provide a list of hypotheses to validate and evaluate the significance of these factors.
Technology Innovation Adoption Theories
Authors: Ali Omar , Soar Jeffrey
Published: January 2018

Increasing the adoption of Information Technology (IT) is one potential means for strengthening national economies through enhancing productivity; there is a need for theoretical models to assist the development of national strategies to achieve this end. Theories for adoption models at the entity and the firm level used in Information Systems (IS) literature are discussed in this chapter. A detailed study of the major theories was undertaken along with reviews that compare more than one theory. Independent and dependent variables and the empirical literature are considered in this analysis.
The Impact of Information Technology (IT) Adoption on the Quality of Construction Projects
Authors: Sweis Ghaleb J. , Sweis Rateb J. , Al-Shboul Muhannad A. , Al-Dweik Ghadeer A.
Published: January 2018

Despite the advances and the developments of technology, research investigating the impact of Information Technology adoption on the quality of construction projects has been limited. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the impact of Information Technology adoption on the quality of Jordanian construction projects. Measures and analysis procedures were survey based. Ninety questionnaires were distributed among different construction companies to study the impact of (IT) adoption on the quality of the project during the four phases of construction. Descriptive statistics were obtained and regression test was applied. Results indicate that more investment and encouragement of the use of (IT) in the construction sector essentially increase the quality of the project in the construction throughout its four phases (Planning, Design, Construction and Finishing). The main limitation of this study is that it is conducted with a convenience sample. The academic and managerial implications of the findings are discussed and further research directions are offered.
Faculty Adoption of 3D Avatar-Based Virtual World Learning Environments
Authors: Dass Susan , Dabbagh Nada
Published: January 2018

An exploratory, mixed methods case study was conducted within a design-based research approach to explore nursing faculty (n = 8) consideration of adopting virtual worlds as a learning environment before and after a three session Professional Development Intervention (PDI). Surveys, interviews, and session transcripts revealed the PDI did improve faculty consideration of virtual worlds but only three participants would likely pursue virtual worlds as a learning environment. Multiple adoption model constructs such as perceived ease of use were explored but no one construct was found to be an indicator of adoption intentions. However, personal innovativeness was considered a demographic likely to influence adoption. Additionally, those participants that self-identified concrete, perceivably doable learning activities for a virtual world that offered a relative advantage over current practice may be key to discerning those who may adopt a virtual world.
“E-Culture System”
Authors: Clusella María Mercedes , Mitre María Gabriela
Published: January 2018

This chapter presents the results obtained by the International Institute Galileo Galilei (IIGG), a research unit of Fundaringenio, within the framework of the research project developed in 2009 that consists of the design of a basic model of “e-culture system” that can promote and disseminate world cultures, including Santiago del Esteros`s culture (the culture of a northwestern region of Argentina). Culture as a complex phenomenon is studied from the Systemic Paradigm, which is optimized by the transdisciplinary features that allow the concurrence of other complementary perspectives. The methodic process consists of the systemic modelling process and the retroprospective methodology. This process begins with the conception of the Meta Model to be achieved; the Existed Model is built in relation to its past and history. After that, the Existing Model is developed in relation to its present. Each one corresponding to the different scenarios of the events, and they are the basis of the features of “santiagueñidad.” From these, an Operative Model is designed and adapted. The authors present the validation of an operative model, through analogy simulation using the technique of syntegration for the processing of empirical evidence, collected from a statistical sample selected for this purpose. The results confirm the selected features of “santiagueña” culture and the generation of a more general and comprehensive model that could be of value to other cultures and instrumental applications such as in large organizations or companies.
An Integral Analysis of Teachers' Attitudes and Perspectives on the Integration of Technology in Teaching
Authors: Ikenouye David , Clarke Veronika Bohac
Published: January 2018

This chapters explores teachers' attitudes toward, and integration of, technology from multiple perspectives. In order to gain a rich and contextualized understanding of how teachers genuinely use technology in the classroom, Wilber's (2006) Integral methodological pluralism was used as a framework to orient the study, to organize the research questions and to provide the conceptual framework for the research methodology. Four research questions were addressed in this study: (1) What is the influence of policies on teachers' use of technology? (2) What influence does the technology infrastructure have on teachers using technology? (3) What do teachers believe and think about technology? (4) What is the technological culture that teachers' experience? This chapter is an overview of the analysis of the differing and sometimes conflicting practices, beliefs and views on the adoption of technology in the classroom, from the four quadrant perspectives of the Integral Model.
User Acceptance of IoT Applications in Retail Industry
Authors: Balaji M. S. , Roy Sanjit Kumar , Sengupta Aditi , Chong Alain
Published: January 2018

With the rapid advancements in the internet technology, many retailers are embracing internet of things technology to enhance customer experience and improve efficiency. Specifically, many customer-facing IoT technologies such as augmented reality, smart shopping carts, smart displays, and RFID tags are expected to change the way customers experience retailing shopping. Drawing on the technology acceptance model, trust perspective, task-technology fit, and organizational reputation perspective, this study examines the customer adoption of IoT applications in retail setting. Responses collected from 289 actual retail shoppers were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results reveal that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, task-technology fit, retailer reputation, and initial trust are significant predictors of customer attitude and intentions to use IoT in retail stores. The study findings have key implications for academicians and retailers in improving customer acceptance and in delivering superior customer experience.
The Promise of Information and Communication Technology in Volunteer Administration
Authors: Proulx Kelly E. , Hager Mark A. , Wittstock Denise A.
Published: January 2018

Traditional volunteer management is a bureaucratic process involving recruitment, screening, training, assignment, scheduling, recognition, retention, and reporting on volunteers. New workplace technologies provide ways to conduct these tasks with greater efficiency and increased accuracy, thereby enhancing both the volunteer experience and the impact of volunteers on organizational operations. This chapter reviews the literature regarding theories of technology acceptance and use, technology use in nonprofit organizations, and technology in volunteer programs. Three organizational case studies provide insights into both the promise and limitations of the adoption and use of Volgistics, a commonly used Web-based software designed for volunteer management in nonprofit organizations. The authors conclude by discussing what these cases suggest for the challenges and promise of adoption of new technology in the management of volunteers.
Policy Making
Authors: Gholipour Rahmatollah
Published: January 2018

Policy making is a tool for modern societies to manage an array of public issues including health. At first, the concept and content of policy making will be described in this chapter. In order to do so, first the science of policy making and its history and objectives have been expressed and it is concluded that this science as a branch of political and administrative sciences considers the study of policies and certain functions of government in different fields. Then the concept of policy making and public policy are discussed. Since the current economic, social conditions and political values, government structure and cultural norms affect public policy making, the contexts of public policy making have been reviewed briefly. After that a variety of public policy, qualities of a good policy and the key factors in public policy making and rationality has been reviewed. In this chapter, in fact, the health policy will be studied as one of the crucial issues in this era and its dimensions will be discussed.
Factors Affecting Health Information Technology Expenditure in California Hospitals
Authors: Lee Jinhyung
Published: January 2018

This paper investigates the factors affecting health information technology (IT) investment. Different from previous studies, health IT was measured as the dollar amount of hardware, software and labor related health IT. This study employed Hospital and Patient level data of the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) from 2000 to 2006. The generalized linear model (GLM) was employed with log link and normal distribution and controlled for clustering error. This study found that not-for-profit and government hospital, teaching hospitals, competition, health IT expenditure of neighborhood hospitals were positively associated with health IT expenditure. However, rural hospitals were negatively associated with health IT expenditure. Moreover, this study found a significant increase in health IT investment over seven years resulted from increased clinical IT adoption.
Measuring Mobile Phone Technology Adoption in SMEs
Authors: Mushi Renatus , Jafari Said , Ennis Almar
Published: January 2018

Mobile technology has experienced a huge acceptance by many users in the current generation. This is due to the benefits offered through its use by individuals and organisations. Similarly, technology adoption studies have widely been used to uncover factors which determine their adoption in different contexts. Some of the scenarios in technology adoption differ due to the specific technology which is under study. For instance, mobile phone technology differs from other computing technologies in several aspects due to its nature i.e. mobility. These differences come along with some different insights concerning the adoption of mobile phones in a particular context. Highlighting important issues on studying the adoption of mobile technology is necessary, especially in developing countries where SMEs are engaging in the usage of mobile phones to accomplish business processes. Thus, this paper provides set of metrics for measuring adoption of mobile phone technology in SMEs. This qualitative study uses a combination of critical literature reviews and interviews conducted by involving key stakeholders of SMEs in Tanzania. This paper shows that among the existing metrics which are used in measuring adoption of other computing technologies, only value creation metric has more realistic grounds to explain the extent of mobile phones adoption in the context of SMEs.
Rogers' Innovation Diffusion Theory (1962, 1995)
Authors: Miller Rebecca L.
Published: January 2018

This chapter presents an overview of a key overarching theory of adoption of innovations, Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations Theory. A complex yet coherent set of concepts and models comprise the overall theory, which is summarized by the definition established by Rogers (2003): “the process by which (1) an innovation (2) is communicated through certain channels (3) over time (4) among the members of a social system” (p. 11, emphasis in the original). First, a brief background on Everett Rogers is provided, then a history of the development of the theory basis is presented. Next, the four core components of the theory, as well as the strengths and limitations of the theory are discussed. Finally, the relation between the diffusion of innovations theory and other technology adoption theories, specifically TAM and UTAUT are briefly described, with areas for possible further expansion identified.
Enablers for Patients to Adopt Web-Based Personal Health Records (PHR)
Authors: Sohn Changsoo , Yeo Younsook
Published: January 2018

This study analyzed what are enablers to adopt web-based Personal Health Records (PHR) from patients' perspective while many studies are conducted from providers' perspective. Patients may consider Perceived Value of Information, Perceived Worthwhileness of Searching, Privacy, Information Trust, and Security before adopting web-based PHR. By using HINTS (Health Information National Trends Survey), this study found out that Perceived Value of Information is the most critical enabler for patients to adopt web-based PHR. Privacy, Information Trust, and Security are also enablers to adopt web-based PHR. But, Perceived Worthwhileness of Searching is not statistically significant to explain adoption of web-based PHR. However, Perceived Value of Information is strong antecedent of Perceived Worthwhileness of Searching. Based on this study, patients are more likely to adopt web-based PHR when they realize that web-based PHR provides valuable and reliable information with protecting privacy and security.
Evaluation of Theories and Information System Adoption Drivers in Government Organizations
Authors: Alcivar Nayeth Idalid Solorzano , Sanzogni Louis , Houghton Luke
Published: January 2018

The suitability of current Information System (IS) adoption models is anachronistic when uniformly applied across regions in developing economies, including Latin American (LAT) countries where the context varies from the accepted norm. From the premise that the major ingredients of adoption studies are drivers whose relationships are encapsulated into theoretical models, this chapter present a comprehensive Systematic Literature Review (SLR) process convergent towards the critical selection of reliable scholarly sources in order to identify empirically supported drivers of IS adoption successes and assesses their applicability in public organizations situated in LAT, as not for profit environments. Participants from Public Ecuadorian Organizations were sought out as a focus case to gather opinions and scrutinize identified drivers to demonstrate the depth of this problem. The study offers an overall comprehensive rationalization of proposed drivers, and the identified need for an adapted IS adoption theory for LAT contexts.
An Introduction to Wavelet-Based Image Processing and Its Applications
Authors: Kolekar Mahesh Kumar H. , Raja G. Lloyds , Sengupta Somnath
Published: January 2018

This chapter gives a brief introduction of wavelets and multi-resolution analysis. Wavelets overcome the limitations of Discrete Cosine Transform and hence found its application in JPEG 2000. In wavelet transform, the scaling functions provide approximations or low-pass filtering of the signal and the wavelet functions add the details at multiple resolutions or perform high-pass filtering of the signal. Applying Discrete Wavelet Transform to an image decomposes it into LL, LH, HL, and HH subbands. The low frequency LL band carries most of the significant information in the image. Wavlet transform allows us to analyse the local properties of a signal or image by shifting and scaling operations. The inherent properties of wavelets makes it useful in image denoising, edge detection, image compression, compressed sensing and illumination normalization. The wavelet coefficients at various levels of decomposition follows a parent-child relationship.
Overview of Texture Analysis
Authors: Hamouchene Izem , Aouat Saliha
Published: January 2018

Image analysis is emerging as an important research area. The study of certain methods of image processing by the texture characteristic has been made in this paper. Existing texture analysis algorithms are studied and classified into four categories: statistical methods, structural methods, model based methods and Transform based methods. Each approach is reviewed according to its classification. Many methods have been developed to extract textural features from an image, the authors will talk about the most famous methods and used of texture features extraction with examples and they will give their critics about them. A discussion of these texture methods concludes this study.
Analysis of Different Feature Description Algorithm in object Recognition
Authors: Hore Sirshendu , Chatterjee Sankhadeep , Chakraborty Shouvik , Shaw Rahul Kumar
Published: January 2018

Object recognition can be done based on local feature description algorithm or through global feature description algorithm. Both types of these descriptors have the efficiency in recognizing an object quickly and accurately. The proposed work judges their performance in different circumstances such as rotational effect scaling effect, illumination effect and blurring effect. Authors also investigate the speed of each algorithm in different situations. The experimental result shows that each one has some advantages as well as some drawbacks. SIFT (Scale Invariant Feature Transformation) and SURF (Speeded Up Robust Features) performs relatively better under scale and rotation change. MSER (Maximally stable extremal regions) performs better under scale change, MinEigen in affine change and illumination change while FAST (Feature from Accelerated segment test) and SURF consume less time.
A Metaheuristic Algorithm for OCR Baseline Detection of Arabic Languages
Authors: Daneshfar F. , Fathy W. , Alaqeband B.
Published: January 2018

Preprocessing is a very important part of cursive languages Optical Character Recognition (OCR) systems. Thus, baseline detection, which is one of the main parts of the preprocessing operation, plays a basic role on OCR systems; improvement on baseline detection could be absolutely useful for decreasing errors in recognition words. In this chapter, a metaheuristic- and mathematical-based algorithm is recommended, which has improved the baseline detection process in relation to the well-known baseline detection algorithms. The most important advantages of the proposed method are simplicity, high speed processing, and reliability. To test this novel solution, IFN/ENIT database, which is a well-known and attending database, is utilized. However, the proposed solution is reliable to any standard database of cursive language's OCR.
Context-Based Scene Understanding
Authors: Zolghadr Esfandiar , Furht Borko
Published: January 2018

Context plays an important role in performance of object detection. There are two popular considerations in building context models for computer vision applications; type of context (semantic, spatial, scale) and scope of the relations (pairwise, high-order). In this paper, a new unified framework is presented that combines multiple sources of context in high-order relations to encode semantical coherence and consistency of the scenes. This framework introduces a new descriptor called context relevance score to model context-based distribution of the response variables and apply it to two distributions. First model incorporates context descriptor along with annotation response into a supervised Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) built on multi-variate Bernoulli distribution called Context-Based LDA (CBLDA). The second model is based on multi-variate Wallenius' non-central Hyper-geometric distribution and is called Wallenius LDA (WLDA). WLDA incorporates context knowledge as bias parameter. Scene context is modeled as a graph and effectively used in object detection framework to maximize semantical consistency of the scene. The graph can also be used in recognition of out-of-context objects. Annotation metadata of Sun397 dataset is used to construct the context model. Performance of the proposed approaches was evaluated on ImageNet dataset. Comparison between proposed approaches and state-of-art multi-class object annotation algorithm shows superiority of presented approach in labeling of scene content.
Combining Block DCV and Support Vector Machine for Ear Recognition
Authors: Hailong Zhao , Junyan Yi
Published: January 2018

In recent years, automatic ear recognition has become a popular research. Effective feature extraction is one of the most important steps in Content-based ear image retrieval applications. In this paper, the authors proposed a new vectors construction method for ear retrieval based on Block Discriminative Common Vector. According to this method, the ear image is divided into 16 blocks firstly and the features are extracted by applying DCV to the sub-images. Furthermore, Support Vector Machine is used as classifier to make decision. The experimental results show that the proposed method performs better than classical PCA+LDA, so it is an effective human ear recognition method.
Ontological Random Forests for Image Classification
Authors: Xu Ning , Wang Jiangping , Qi Guojun , Huang Thomas S. , Lin Weiyao
Published: January 2018

Previous image classification approaches mostly neglect semantics, which has two major limitations. First, categories are simply treated independently while in fact they have semantic overlaps. For example, “sedan” is a specific kind of “car”. Therefore, it's unreasonable to train a classifier to distinguish between “sedan” and “car”. Second, image feature representations used for classifying different categories are the same. However, the human perception system is believed to use different features for different objects. In this paper, we leverage semantic ontologies to solve the aforementioned problems. The authors propose an ontological random forest algorithm where the splitting of decision trees are determined by semantic relations among categories. Then hierarchical features are automatically learned by multiple-instance learning to capture visual dissimilarities at different concept levels. Their approach is tested on two image classification datasets. Experimental results demonstrate that their approach not only outperforms state-of-the-art results but also identifies semantic visual features.
Evaluation of Image Detection and Description Algorithms for Application in Monocular SLAM
Authors: Urrea Claudio , Solar Gabriel
Published: January 2018

The results of new experiments on the detection and description of images for an EKF-SLAM monocular application are employed in order to obtain a dispersed set of features without related data association problems. By means of different detectors/descriptors, the number of features observed and the ability to observe the same feature in various captures is evaluated. To this end, a monocular vision system independent of the EKF-SLAM system is designed and implemented using the MatLab software. This new system allows for—in addition to image capture—the detection and description of features as well as the association of data between images, thus serving as a priori information to avoid incorrect associations between the obtained features and the map of an EKF-SLAM system. Additionally, it enables the evaluation and comparison of the precision, consistency and convergence of various algorithms.
Machine-Learning-Based Approach for Face Recognition
Authors: Tiwari Arvind Kumar
Published: January 2018

Face recognition has been one of the most interesting and important research areas for real time applications. There is a need and necessity to design efficient machine leaning based approach for automatic recognitions and surveillance systems. Face recognition also used the knowledge from other disciplines such as neuroscience, psychology, computer vision, pattern recognition, image processing, and machine learning, etc. This chapter provides a review of machine learning based techniques for the face recognition. First, it presents an overview of face recognition and its challenges then, a literature review of machine learning based approaches for face detection and recognition is presented.
Image Processing
Authors: Jyothi Singaraju , Mamatha Dadala Mary
Published: January 2018

This chapter gives an introductory to intermediate level text on the science of image processing. It employs the Matlab programming language to illustrate some of the elementary key concepts in modern image processing and pattern recognition. The approach taken is essentially practical and the chapter offers a framework within which the concepts can be understood by a series of well-chosen examples, exercises and computer experiments, drawing on specific examples from within science, medicine and engineering. Particularly, the modern applications such as agriculture, aquaculture, food industrial analysis and Hyperspectral images analysis are discussed in this chapter with illustrations using Matlab.
Efficient Image Denoising for Effective Digitization Using Image Processing Techniques and Neural Networks
Authors: Srinivasa K.G. , Sowmya B.J. , Kumar D. Pradeep , Shetty Chetan
Published: January 2018

Vast reserves of information are found in ancient texts, scripts, stone tablets etc. However due to difficulty in creating new physical copies of such texts, knowledge to be obtained from them is limited to those few who have access to such resources. With the advent of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) efforts have been made to digitize such information. This increases their availability by making it easier to share, search and edit. Many documents are held back due to being damaged. This gives rise to an interesting problem of removing the noise from such documents so it becomes easier to apply OCR on them. Here the authors aim to develop a model that helps denoise images of such documents retaining on the text. The primary goal of their project is to help ease document digitization. They intend to study the effects of combining image processing techniques and neural networks. Image processing techniques like thresholding, filtering, edge detection, morphological operations, etc. will be applied to pre-process images to yield higher accuracy of neural network models.
New Neural Buildings Stereo Matching Method Applied to Very High Resolution Ikonos Images
Authors: Zigh E.
Published: January 2018

The author introduces a new neural stereo matching method using very high resolution IKONOS images. They do not have the parameters of the images acquisition system or other technological resources like digital elevation model, Lidar, or Laser data. These images contain dense urban scenes including various kinds of roads, cars, vegetation, and builds. The author is interested by buildings; they have different shapes, positions, and intensity levels or colours, so they make a lot of “false matches.” To solve this issue, the authors extracts regions of buildings at first; after that, she proposes a neural stereo matching method. A neural field is chosen due to its good management of imprecision and uncertainty relatives to real problems in general and to this one in particular. To show the effectiveness of a proposed method, the chapter contains at first details about encountered problems, and secondly, it explains the stereo matching process, its different kinds, and a chosen approach; thirdly, it gives obtained results using panchromatic and colour images.
Bilateral Histogram Equalization for Contrast Enhancement
Authors: Amil Feroz Mahmud , Rahman Shanto , Rahman Md. Mostafijur , Dey Emon Kumar
Published: January 2018

As image enhancement is a well discussed issue, various methods have already been proposed till to date. Some of these methods perform well for specific applications but most of the techniques suffer from artifacts due to the over or under enhancement. To mitigate this problem a new technique namely Bilateral Histogram Equalization for contrast enhancement (BHE) which uses Harmonic mean of the image to divide the histogram is introduced. BHE is evaluated in both qualitative and quantitative manner and the results show that BHE creates less artifacts on several standard images than other existing state-of-the-art image enhancement techniques.
Ambiguity Reduction Through Optimal Set of Region Selection Using GA and BFO for Handwritten Bangla Character Recognition
Authors: Das Nibaran , Basu Subhadip , Kundu Mahantapas , Nasipuri Mita
Published: January 2018

To recognize different patterns, identification of local regions where the pattern classes differ significantly is an inherent ability of the human cognitive system. This inherent ability of human beings may be imitated in any pattern recognition system by incorporating the ability of locating the regions that contain the maximum discriminating information among the pattern classes. In this chapter, the concept of Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Bacterial Foraging Optimization (BFO) are discussed to identify those regions having maximum discriminating information. The discussion includes the evaluation of the methods on the sample images of handwritten Bangla digit and Basic character, which is a subset of Bangla character set. Different methods of sub-image or local region creation such as random creation or based on the Center of Gravity (CG) of the foreground pixels are also discussed here. Longest run features, extracted from the generated local regions, are used as local feature in the present chapter. Based on these extracted local features, together with global features, the algorithms are applied to search for the optimal set of local regions. The obtained results are higher than that results obtained without optimization on the same data set.
Memetic Algorithms and Their Applications in Computer Science
Authors: Tripathy B. K. , T. R. Sooraj , Mohanty R. K.
Published: January 2018

The term “memetic algorithm” was introduced by Moscato is an extension of the traditional genetic algorithm. It uses a local search technique to reduce the likelihood of the premature convergence. Memetic algorithms are intrinsically concerned with exploiting all available knowledge about the problem under study. MAs are population-based metaheuristics. In this chapter we explore the applications of memetic algorithms to problems within the domains of image processing, data clustering and Graph coloring, i.e., how we can use the memetic algorithms in graph coloring problems, how it can be used in clustering based problems and how it is useful in image processing. Here, we discuss how these algorithms can be used for optimization problems. We conclude by reinforcing the importance of research on the areas of metaheuristics for optimization.
Egocentric Landmark-Based Indoor Guidance System for the Visually Impaired
Authors: Yang Zhuorui , Ganz Aura
Published: January 2018

In this paper, we introduce an egocentric landmark-based guidance system that enables visually impaired users to interact with indoor environments. The user who wears Google Glasses will capture his surroundings within his field of view. Using this information, we provide the user an accurate landmark-based description of the environment including his relative distance and orientation to each landmark. To achieve this functionality, we developed a near real time accurate vision based localization algorithm. Since the users are visually impaired our algorithm accounts for captured images using Google Glasses that have severe blurriness, motion blurriness, low illumination intensity and crowd obstruction. We tested the algorithm performance in a 12,000 ft2 open indoor environment. When we have mint query images our algorithm obtains mean location accuracy within 5ft., mean orientation accuracy less than 2 degrees and reliability above 88%. After applying deformation effects to the query images such blurriness, motion blurriness and illumination changes, we observe that the reliability is above 75%.