bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Research Conceptualization
Authors: Aremu Oyesoji Amos
Published: January 2018

This chapter discusses the import of research conceptualization, documentation, and communication. The intent is to clinically exposit the importance of research and its processes, to underscore the philosophy of research and its relevance to science, and to make research and its processes a better tool in the hands of researchers. Orchestrating this, the chapter clinically exposits the following sub-headings: research conceptualization, objective research, motivation in research, forms and types of research, exploratory research, descriptive research, qualitative research, quantitative, criteria of a good research method, methodological and theoretical robustness of research, research method and its methodology, and justification for the choice of research method. The chapter, therefore, may make a significant contribution to the field of research. Arguably, the essence is to make research methodology more apt and educative.
Ethical Data Management and Research
Authors: Olarewaju Ogundele Michael
Published: January 2018

This chapter focuses on the concepts of ethical issues and research integrity. Those unethical issues in research such as copyright violation, submitting articles for publication to more than one journal, and author biases are mentioned. The chapter also investigates the causes of unethical issues in research like inadequate national concept benchmark accorded publication, political influence and economic factors, the aftermath and the way forward for enhancing research integrity in Nigerian education is also recommended for rectification.
Misconceptions About ELLs
Authors: Christoun Lara , Wang Jun
Published: January 2018

A growing number of American students are English language learners (ELLs) who speak another language other than English. By 2030, the percentage of students who speak a language other than English is expected to increase substantially. Unfortunately, general education teachers often do not feel prepared to teach ELLs in their classrooms or even hold negative attitudes toward ELLs included in their classrooms. As a result, ELLs are being underserved and continually experience lower achievement. This chapter summarizes several important misconceptions related to the teaching practices of general education teachers for ELLs based on the current literature. The authors then make recommendations for practicing teachers about culturally responsive strategies for ELLs in classrooms. Finally, they conclude with remarks regarding the mindset school communities should offer ELLs.
Teaching Mathematics to Elementary ELL Students
Authors: Kartal Ozgul , Guler Nilufer , Guler Dincer
Published: January 2018

The number of English language learners (ELLs) is increasing rapidly at U.S. schools. Mainstream teachers have an important role in the academic success of these students because ELLs spend most of their school time in mainstream classes. They are pulled out a few hours in a school day for ELL services. Therefore, it is crucial to educate mainstream teachers in how to teach ELL students. Mathematics is one of the hardest topics for ELLs. This chapter aims to uncover some of the challenges that elementary ELLs have in math classes and provide some implications on how to better teach math to ELL students.
Microbes as Indicators of Water Quality and Bioremediation of Polluted Waters
Authors: Sharma Barkha
Published: January 2018

Water is the most important commodity in the world. Over the large parts of world, humans have inadequate access to potable water. Since the inception of industrial revolution different toxic compounds have entered in the water bodies due to leakage, improper disposal or accidents and caused great harms to rivers and various water bodies and imposed major health risks on human beings. Water pollution is measured by variety of physical, biological and chemical methods. Microbiological tests have proven to be indispensable part of environmental contamination detection. The main suggested criteria for selecting a microbial indicator for water potability should be: it should be suitable for the analysis of all types of water, present wherever enteric pathogens are present, survive longer than enteric pathogens, must have easy procedure for detection, should be harmless to humans and the level of indicator bacteria in contaminated water should have direct relationship to the degree of pollution.
Endophytes and Their Role in Phytoremediation and Biotransformation Process
Authors: Gunjal Aparna Baban , Waghmode Meghmala S. , Patil Neha N. , Kapadnis Balasaheb P.
Published: January 2018

This chapter discusses the endophytic bacteria and their role in agriculture. The endophytes help in the plant growth by various mechanisms and also help in disease control. The capability of colonizing internal host tissues of plant has made endophytic bacteria valuable for agriculture to improve crop performance. Various endophytic diazotrophic bacteria colonize primarily the root interior of graminaceous plants. The review also discusses the role of endophytes in phytoremediation and induced systemic resistance. Endophytes have found important role in the production of many bioactive compounds, which have various applications (e.g., antibiotics, antimicrobial compounds). The contributions of this research field will have economic and environmental impacts.
Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria
Authors: Chandra Dinesh , Pallavi  , Barh Anupam , Sharma Ishwar Prakash
Published: January 2018

Conventional agriculture plays a substantial role in meeting the food demands of a growing human population, which has led to an increased reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Chemical fertilizers are industrially manipulated substances and composed of known amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. In appropriate and misuse use of chemical fertilizers causes air and ground water pollution by eutrophication of water bodies and causing health problem in human. Therefore, the aim of this chapter is to emphasize the importance and use of plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) as a gateway to sustainable agriculture that could ensure plant productivity and quality agricultural practices in an environment friendly manner. In this respect, efforts have been made to products of nutrient rich high-quality food in feasible way to ensure bio-safety. The innovative aspect of farm production attracts the need of biological based organic fertilizers, an exclusive alternative to agro-chemicals. Organic farming is one of such strategies that not only ensures food safety but also adds to the biodiversity of soil. The eco-friendly approaches trigger a wide range of application of PGPB that leads to improved plant growth, soil health, nutrient uptake and plant tolerance to abiotic and biotic stress. PGPB is an essential component of organic farming and play crucial role in maintaining long term soil fertility and sustainability and would be a viable alternative for farmers to increase productivity per unit area in organic farming for an era of prosperity and clean environment.
Using Action Research to Develop a Public Programming Strategy for Heritage Assets, With an Example From South Africa
Authors: Ngulube Patrick
Published: January 2018

The literature on action research and how it should be applied is extensive. However, this chapter is not intended to be a substitute for or to provide a synopsis of the substantial body of literature on action research. Its aim is instead to show the potential benefits of this underutilised research approach in heritage management research. Although there are many varieties of action research, the major elements of action research processes are action, research, and participation. Action research has a collaborative social change agenda, with democratic transformation being achieved through the participation of professional researchers and practitioners. It bridges the divide between the outsiders (researchers) and insiders (stakeholders), and differs from many conventional research strategies in that it identifies a problem and attempts to provide a solution that leads to a change in the community or organisation. The case study on developing a public programming strategy for archival institutions in South Africa presented in this chapter illustrates this point.
The Nature and Utilisation of Archival Records Deposited in Makerere University Library, Uganda
Authors: Luyombya David , Kiyingi George William , Naluwooza Monica
Published: January 2018

Makerere University archives are kept in Makerere University Library (Maklib) but their utilisation is limited. This chapter reports the findings of a study that analysed the types of archives in Maklib and the extent of their utilisation. A mixed method approach of a questionnaire, observation, and documents analysis was used. The data obtained was analysed as descriptive statistics. The population of the study included 302 Maklib users who visited the Africana Special Collection Section between May and June 2017. The findings revealed that the scope of the archives collection is limited in time and content, few users, limited publicity of existing records, deplorable state of the paper records, and long waiting time for the information to be provided. Recommendations include widening the collection, digitisation of the archives, further development of human resources capacity, and initiation of outreach programmes to boost the archives visibility and attract users.
Management of Public Sector Records and Archives in Botswana
Authors: Keakopa Segomotso Masegonyana
Published: January 2018

This chapter looks at the management of public sector records and archives in Botswana. The chapter starts with an overview of developments in the East and Southern African Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives (ESARBICA), which provides a foundation for discussion of developments in Botswana. It looks at the extent to which the Botswana National Archives and Records Services (BNARS) has fulfilled its role as the overseer of the creation, maintenance, use, disposition of public sector records, and preservation of the country's cultural heritage. It also looks at the impact of information and communication technologies and management of electronic records together with issues of staffing, training, and the challenges and prospects the country is faced with in managing records and archives as a symbol of cultural heritage. The chapter is based on an extensive review of the literature and the author's personal experience. It ends with recommendations on future directions.
Some Economics of Conservation of Cultural Heritage
Authors: Vecco Marilena
Published: January 2018

This chapter contributes to theoretical debates in the study of the economics of cultural heritage conservation. In particular, it deals with the economic analysis, the effects, and the normative aspects of decision making on the preservation of artistic and historical heritage. The different concepts of conservation (re-use, restoration, preservation) are discussed from an economic and historical perspective. A formalised model is presented to ground the analysis. The most relevant dilemmas characterising the issue are studied on this basis. The impossibility of deriving optimum solutions from the market is argued together with the arbitrariness of all non-market decisions on this subject. The rejection of the current definition of conservation as “preservation” on economic grounds is therefore suggested, given its pure ideological nature.
Challenging the Concept of Infinity Retention of Collections in Selected National Museums in Zimbabwe
Authors: Gurira Nyasha Agnes
Published: January 2018

The chapter challenges the concept of undefined, infinity, and indefinite retention periods of collections in Zimbabwe's state museums and underscores the need for each state museum to develop a collections management policy. The concept of indefinitely retaining collections characterizes Zimbabwe's National Museums. In that regard, this chapter interrogates issues surrounding collections management in Zimbabwe's state museums. Museums in Zimbabwe are overburdened with inherited collections from the past with limited supporting information. This coupled with the need to store contemporary collections congests the storage space in museums. A multiple case study approach was employed to examine the state of collections in three selected state museums in Zimbabwe. Findings revealed that collections in these museums have been inherited from the past collectors who amassed collections with limited information about them. There was no formal collections management policy. The chapter proposes a regime to guide museums in dealing with their collections.
CFD-Supported Designing of a Louvered Cylindrical Mixing Pipe for Maximum Air Entrainment
Authors: Sahu Sameer Ranjan , Mishra Dipti Prasad
Published: January 2018

Conservation equations of mass, momentum and energy have been solved numerically along with a two-equation-based k-ɛ turbulent model to determine the air entrainment into a mixing pipe. Two different louvered pipe configurations (one with entrance face closed to atmosphere while the other was opened) were used to entrain air into the mixing pipe and by changing various design parameters, the resulting effects were studied. For both the configurations, the opening area and the number of nozzles (assumed exhaust pipe) had significant effect in bringing down the exhaust temperature especially the configuration with its entrance face opened to atmosphere. Temperature as low as 309 K (approx.) was successfully achieved in the analysis. Nozzle protrusion length also proved to be an important parameter among other parameters like nozzle pitch circle diameter, inclination angle and pipe diameter.
Improvement of Mechanical Properties and Morphological Studies of Friction Stir Processed Composites
Authors: Sharma Sanjay , Cheema Gurmeet Singh , Singh Sahib Sartaj , Verma Deepak
Published: January 2018

Friction-stir processing (FSP) is a property enhancement technique which, not only removes the defects of initial casting process, but also improves the microstructure of the metals and metal matrix composites (MMCs). The process is based on frictional heating which results in a considerable dynamic plastic deformation within the metals. FSP can be specifically applied to develop fine-grained microstructures throughout the thickness of metal surface, to impart super plasticity and ensure homogeneous distribution of reinforced particles, if any. This chapter is a dedicated effort to consolidate the latest developments contributed by different researchers in last few years. The work covers various components and parameters, selected and used, for FSP to obtain specific desired results. Also, it includes past researches to exhibit various changes in mechanical properties with a keen focus on morphological study (by scanning electron microscopy) of these MMCs. In the last, a brief discussion on application and future scope of FSP processed MMC materials, is presented.
A Conceptual Framework of RFID Adoption in Retail Using TOE Framework
Authors: Bhattacharya Mithu , Wamba Samuel Fosso
Published: January 2018

Motivated by the need to understand the underlying antecedents of RFID adoption in retail, this study proposes and tests a framework predicting RFID adoption intent. Based on the TOE (technology-organization-environment) framework, this research develops and validates the research framework to examine the influence of twelve contextual factors under four broad categories (technological, organizational, environmental, and value-chain) on RFID adoption in retail. A structured study instrument is developed to measure these variables and data are collected from 74 experts spread across different business associations through Delphi technique. Multivariate discriminant analysis (MDA) is used to develop the conceptual framework for RFID adoption. The results indicate that relative advantage, competitive pressure, catalyst agent, and value chain complexity are significant determinants of RFID adoption in retail. It suggests that environmental characteristics are very important to be considered in RFID adoption studies along with technological and value chain characteristics.
A Unified Framework of Organizational Perspectives and Knowledge Management and Their Impact on Job Performance
Authors: Kasemsap Kijpokin
Published: January 2018

This chapter introduces the framework and causal model of organizational culture, organizational climate, knowledge management, and job performance related to business process orientation. It argues that dimensions of organizational culture, organizational climate, and knowledge management have mediated positive effect on job performance. Knowledge management positively mediates the relationships between organizational culture and job performance and between organizational climate and job performance. Organizational culture is positively related to organizational climate. Furthermore, the author hopes that understanding the theoretical constructs of organizational culture, organizational climate, knowledge management, and job performance through the use of the framework and causal model will not only inform researchers of a better design for studying organizational culture, organizational climate, knowledge management, and job performance, but also assist in the understanding of intricate relationships between different factors.
Digital Writing and the Role of Critical Pedagogy in Preservice Teacher Education
Authors: Albers Peggy
Published: January 2018

This chapter focuses on writing and the work of design (van Leeuwen & Kress, 2001) in creating digital projects. More specifically, this chapter focuses on a study of the digital writing, and the choices that preservice teachers made when they designed, developed, and wrote one minute Public Service Announcements (PSAs) that addressed social issues they saw operating in adolescent literature. Located in critical multimodality as a theoretical frame, this chapter positions digital writing as a critical endeavor, one that understands that modes are not neutral, and every choice made by the designer/writer of a digital text has intention and purpose.
A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Electronic Government Adoption in Spain and the USA
Authors: Rufín Ramón , Bélanger France , Molina Cayetano Medina , Carter Lemuria , Figueroa Juan Carlos Sánchez
Published: January 2018

Electronic Government (e-government) is growing in popularity across the globe. Given the increasing relevance of electronic services in the public sector, there is a need for a global agreement on a consistent framework for assessing e-government. This study uses a cross-cultural comparison to assess the fundamentals of e-government adoption in the United States (USA) and Spain. In particular, the authors explore the effects of perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, compatibility and trust on intentions to use e-government services. A survey was administered to citizens in both countries to test the hypotheses derived from adoption literature and Hofstede's dimensions of culture. Results indicate that there are differences in the relationship between compatibility and use intention, with stronger effects in the USA sample. Furthermore, while perceived ease of use significantly impacts intentions for the USA sample, it does not for the Spain sample; and, while trust is not significant in the USA sample, it is for the Spain sample. The implications of these results, mostly consistent with the hypotheses as suggested by the dimensions of culture, are discussed for both research and practice.
Factors Influencing Acceptance and Use of ICT Innovations by Agribusinesses
Authors: Ibrahim Adamkolo Mohammed , Hassan Md. Salleh Hj. , Yusuf Sarina
Published: January 2018

This chapter proposes a modified conceptual framework for investigating the influence of cognitive, management characteristics and organizational size factors on information and communication technology (ICT) adoption by agribusinesses. Agro-based small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) often deal in commodities that have shorter shelf life. Given that, researchers often face challenges determining the appropriate conceptual framework to adopt, which yields results that proffer both practical and theoretical solutions to business problems, hence, it is imperative for agri-preneurs to harness technology for maximum profit and food security. The unified theory of use and acceptance of technology (UTAUT) model, which has four key predictors, was adopted with the integration of two external variables: SME Managerial Characteristics and SME Organizational Size. Factor analysis shows that five out of the six predictors loaded strongly. The study concludes that researchers in technology adoption should consider integrating organization and management quality variables into their research frameworks.
Determinants of Social Media Impact in Local Government
Authors: Sharif Mohd Hisham Mohd , Troshani Indrit , Davidson Robyn
Published: January 2018

Limited attention has been directed towards understanding the impact of social media in the public sector, particularly in local government organisations. Although social media offer substantial benefits and opportunities to local government, research into the impact of social media remains scant. To address this gap, the authors draw on the technology, organisation, and environment (TOE) framework and propose a model of the determinants of social media impact in local government. The model is tested with data collected via a survey with 173 Australian local government organisations using social media. Data were analysed using the partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) technique. The results indicate that TOE factors including perceived benefits, perceived security risks, compatibility, and degree of formalisation are important predictors of social media impact in local government.
Technology Adoption in Online Tutorial
Authors: Rahardjo Djoko , Bintarti Arifah
Published: January 2018

Technology enabled academic delivery in most of the developing countries is plagued with the problems of poor utilization of such apparently so promising mediums. The students' attitudes towards the utilization of such technologies have not been sufficiently investigated in research literature. Focusing on the students experience in adopting technology especially in online tutorial, an online survey was carried out on a sample of 96 respondents analyzing with Structural Equation Model. The result showed that usefulness and ease of use positively correlated to the attitude of students in using the online tutorial. The study of these students' attitudinal behaviors gives rise to a new perspective in the design of ODL systems. The author argues that use of technology to explore customized solutions for the socioeconomically disadvantaged communities need to be a carefully planned process in which prospective target communities should participate as a co-designer.
Mobile Internet in Portugal
Authors: Damásio Manuel José , Henriques Sara , Teixeira-Botelho Inês , Dias Patrícia
Published: January 2018

In contemporary society, Internet services and phones are blending into a mobile device frequently called smartphone. As a consequence, mobile Internet is having an exponential growth and new practices of mobile social networking and mobile communication are emerging, as these devices make it easier to maintain networks of relationships. Resulting from this convergence, contemporary mobile user experience also contributes to the blending of local and global through the permanent dynamic articulation of communication and coordination. This chapter deals with the emerging adoption drivers of mobile Internet and the behaviors of use that characterized it, highlighting the importance of mobility for online activities and the industry's and user's perspective of this technology adoption, patterns of use, motivating factors, and type of activities performed online. The authors' main hypotheses argue that the nature of social interactions allowed by m-Internet is a key adoption driver and that, as consequence, social activities are integrative and relevant parts of m-Internet service. Moreover, The authors discuss that the type of access has an influence on the type of activities undertaken online, arguing that mobile access facilitates interaction and participation and supports more collective-based activities.
The Relationship Between Social Justice Issues and Emotional Intelligence (EI)
Authors: Chakraborty Misha , Chlup Dominique T.
Published: January 2018

This chapter discussed issues of injustice as often affecting the emotional, and in some cases, the physical well-being of a person. In recent years, researchers have begun to explore the role of Emotional Intelligence (EI) in creating awareness when it comes to social justice issues related to areas such as racism, sexism, heterosexism, etc. The purpose of this chapter is twofold: First, to concentrate on the area of social justice issues to find out what the literature has explored in terms of the role Emotional Intelligence (EI) might play when it comes to dealing with social oppression, and second, to advocate emotional intelligence traits that can be successfully used to cope with social oppression. We reviewed the literature as a way to deepen our understanding of how to foster “socially conscious” practices within the workplace. The chapter has implications for Human Resource Development (HRD) practitioners to remind them of the responsibility they have to encourage and welcome studies and practices addressing critical aspects such as social justice issues as a way to help ensure a productive and safe workplace. Through this review of the literature, we found that emotional intelligence traits, if practiced responsibly, can make society a better place for everyone to live and work in.
Relationships Between Individuals' Convergence Readiness and Performance in Using Mobile Phones
Authors: Chang Po-Chien
Published: January 2018

Due to the emerging trend of digital convergence, the uses of self-service technologies (SSTs) on mobile devices are pervasive worldwide. However, most studies have devoted their efforts to the adoption of new technologies, few studies and business practices paid attention to the evaluation and consequences of mobile user behaviors, such as the uses of a mobile phone for information, communication and self-related services. Hence, this study developed a model by integrating technology readiness and individual performance to assess the individuals' level of readiness and various behavioral patterns in the use of mobile phones. The results show the perceptions of optimism and innovativeness are effective indicators that explain individuals' performance and usage behaviors in the use of mobile phones. The behavioral patterns of using various self-service technologies on mobile phones are segmented and have hierarchical effects. The research implications are valuable to IS implementation and service marketing in the domain of digital convergence.
Exploring Female Hispanic Consumers' Adoption of Mobile Social Media in the U.S.
Authors: Yang Kenneth C. C. , Kang Yowei
Published: January 2018

U.S. Hispanic purchasing power is estimated to reach $1.5 trillion by 2015. Because of this growing importance, there has been a surge of Hispanic consumer behavior research in recent years. Latinas account for 49.5 percent of the U.S. Hispanic population and increasingly become tech-savvy to adopt new mobile social networking technologies. In spite of their growing importance, there still lacks a thorough examination on factors affecting female Hispanic consumers' decision-making process related to mobile social media applications. This book chapter collected qualitative in-depth interview data that were interpreted from Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and TAM2 as theoretical lenses. Four major themes were identified: 1) family and peer influence; 2) perceived functional benefits of mobile social media; 3) Latinas as a primary decision-maker to adopt; 4) cultural and sub-cultural influence.
Promoting Voluntariness on Technology Usage in Organisations
Authors: Mushi Renatus , Jafari Said
Published: January 2018

Voluntariness in technology adoption and use is vital in promoting technology diffusion and use in organisations. Various technology adoption models have been proposed to explain the adoption of technologies in different settings, such as organizational and individual, as well as in the voluntary and mandatory contexts. Recently, uptake of mobile phones in achieving organisational targets has been increased in developing countries and Tanzania in particular. This is due to the notable improvements in both hardware performance and sophistications. In organisation context, not all users are willing to use technology as required. In such circumstances, they are mandated to use it in order to fulfil their working duties. This leads to poor uptake of technology and results to unclear understanding regarding to their attitudes towards using it. While some studies have discussed the impact of voluntariness in using traditional desktop computer systems and thin client computing, mobile phone technology has not received the deserved attention. Discussing voluntariness in using mobile phone technology in organisations in relation to other technologies is essential especially due to its usage in both working and private purposes. This paper describes the voluntary aspects of using mobile phones in performing activities of the firms in Tanzania and compares it with desktop and thin client technologies. Also, it proposes possible ways of handling such situation in order to improve its use. Among others, the paper has analysed mandotoriness on usage of mobile technology. Further, it highlights key areas which should be addressed in order to improve the usage of mobiletechnology in organisations and eventually cover the gap caused by such mandatory situations.
Accelerating Knowledge Adoption
Authors: Huang Hung-Chun , Davy Frederick Leslie , Shih Hsin-Yu , Fan Chwei-Jen
Published: January 2018

Learning faster is important in personal competitive advantage. However, to accelerate a group of people's learning efficiency is more complicated than individual practice. Learning efficiency is highlighting research in information systems change management as well as knowledge management. In practice, knowledge is difficult to manage directly. On the other hand, managing knowledge behaviors can achieve knowledge management. A teamwork structure is a micro-social system and internal collaboration network. Therefore, different teamwork structures conduct different knowledge behaviors. Social influence theories provide an interpretation that different social proximity distinguish contagion effects. This study applies the social network perspective to explore the knowledge behaviors of computer software developers. Therefore, the finding of this study shows that controlling network redundancy can enhance knowledge diffusion efficiency. Furthermore, if team fails to manage knowledge diffusion, they will offset the timing of competitive advantage in technological upgrade. Based on this finding, this study suggests a new thinking for implementation of information systems, change management, and strategic planning.
Computational Models of Visual Attention
Authors: Pal Rajarshi
Published: January 2018

Even the enormous processing capacity of the human brain is not enough to handle all the visual sensory information that falls upon the retina. Still human beings can efficiently respond to the external stimuli. Selective attention plays an important role here. It helps to select only the pertinent portions of the scene being viewed for further processing at the deeper brain. Computational modeling of this neuro-psychological phenomenon has the potential to enrich many computer vision tasks. Enormous amounts of research involving psychovisual experiments and computational models of attention have been and are being carried out all within the past few decades. This article compiles a good volume of these research efforts. It also discusses various aspects related to computational modeling of attention–such as, choice of features, evaluation of these models, and so forth.
Efficiency Analysis of Genetic Algorithm and Genetic Programming in Data Mining and Image Processing
Authors: Chatterjee Ayan , Rong Mahendra
Published: January 2018

Today, in the age of artificial intelligence and machine learning, Data mining and Image processing are two important platforms. GA and GP are value based and program based randomized searching tools respectively and these two are very much useful in the fields' data mining and image processing for handling different issues. In this chapter, a review is made on ability of GA and GP in some applications of these two fields. Here, the selected subfields of data mining are market analysis, fraud detection, risk management, sports analysis, protein interaction, classification of data, drug discovery and feature construction. The similar in image processing are enhancement and segmentation of images, face recognition, photo mosaic generation, data embedding, image pattern classification, object detection and Graphics Processor Unit (GPU) development. The efficiencies of GA and GP in these particular applications are analyzed with corresponding parameters, comparing with other non-GA and non-GP approaches of the corresponding subfields.
An Image De-Noising Method Based on Intensity Histogram Equalization Technique for Image Enhancement
Authors: S. P. Shantharajah , T Ramkumar , N Balakrishnan
Published: January 2018

Image enhancement is a quantifying criterion for sharpening and enhancing image quality, where many techniques are empirical with interactive procedures to obtain précised results. The proposed Intensity Histogram Equalization (IHE) approach conquers the noise defects that has a preprocessor to remove noise and enhances image contrast, providing ways to improve the intensity of the image. The preprocessor has the mask production, enlightenment equalization and color normalization for efficient processing of the images which generates a binary image by labeling pixels, overcomes the non-uniform illumination of image and classifies color capacity, respectively. The distinct and discrete mapping function calculates the histogram values and improves the contrast of the image. The performance of IHE is based on noise removal ratio, reliability rate, false positive error measure, Max-Flow Computational Complexity Measure with NDRA and Variation HOD. As the outcome, the different levels of contrast have been significantly improved when evaluated against with the existing systems.
Artificial Intelligence Algorithms for Classification and Pattern Recognition
Authors: Jarušek Robert , Kocian Vaclav
Published: January 2018

Classification tasks can be solved using so-called classifiers. A classifier is a computer based agent which can perform a classification task. There are many computational algorithms that can be utilized for classification purposes. Classifiers can be broadly divided into two categories: rule-based classifiers and computational intelligence based classifiers usually called soft computing. Rule-based classifiers are generally constructed by the designer, where the designer defines rules for the interpretation of detected inputs. This is in contrast to soft-computing based classifiers, where the designer only creates a basic framework for the interpretation of data. The learning or training algorithms within such systems are responsible for the generation of rules for the correct interpretation of data.
Bio-Inspired Polarization Vision Techniques for Robotics Applications
Authors: Shabayek Abd El Rahman , Morel Olivier , Fofi David
Published: January 2018

Researchers have been inspired by nature to build the next generation of smart robots. Based on the mechanisms adopted by the animal kingdom, research teams have developed solutions to common problems that autonomous robots faced while performing basic tasks. Polarization-based behaviour is one of the most distinctive features of some species of the animal kingdom. Light polarization parameters significantly expand visual capabilities of autonomous robots. Polarization vision can be used for most tasks of color vision, like object recognition, contrast enhancement, camouflage breaking, and signal detection and discrimination. In this chapter, the authors briefly cover polarization-based visual behavior in the animal kingdom. Then, they go in depth with bio-inspired applications based on polarization in computer vision and robotics. The aim is to have a comprehensive survey highlighting the key principles of polarization-based techniques and how they are biologically inspired.
Total Variation Applications in Computer Vision
Authors: Estrela Vania Vieira , Magalhães Hermes Aguiar , Saotome Osamu
Published: January 2018

The objectives of this chapter are: (i) to introduce a concise overview of regularization; (ii) to define and to explain the role of a particular type of regularization called total variation norm (TV-norm) in computer vision tasks; (iii) to set up a brief discussion on the mathematical background of TV methods; and (iv) to establish a relationship between models and a few existing methods to solve problems cast as TV-norm. For the most part, image-processing algorithms blur the edges of the estimated images, however TV regularization preserves the edges with no prior information on the observed and the original images. The regularization scalar parameter λ controls the amount of regularization allowed and it is essential to obtain a high-quality regularized output. A wide-ranging review of several ways to put into practice TV regularization as well as its advantages and limitations are discussed.
Feature Detectors and Descriptors Generations With Numerous Images and Video Applications
Authors: Dey Nilanjan , Ashour Amira S. , Hassanien Aboul Ella
Published: January 2018

Feature detectors have a critical role in numerous applications such as camera calibrations, object recognition, biometrics, medical applications and image/video retrieval. One of its main tasks is to extract point correspondences “Interest points” between two similar scenes, objects, images or video shots. Extensive research has been done concerning the progress of visual feature detectors and descriptors to be robust against image deformations and achieve reduced computational speed in real-time applications. The current chapter introduced an overview of feature detectors such as Moravec, Hessian, Harris and FAST (Features from Accelerated Segment Test). It addressed the feature detectors' generation over time, the principle concept of each type, and their use in image/video applications. Furthermore, some recent feature detectors are addressed. A comparison based on these points is performed to illustrate their respective strengths and weaknesses to be a base for selecting an appropriate detector according to the application under concern.
An Improved Arabic Handwritten Recognition System Using Deep Support Vector Machines
Authors: Elleuch Mohamed , Kherallah Monji
Published: January 2018

Deep learning algorithms, as a machine learning algorithms developed in recent years, have been successfully applied in various domains of computer vision, such as face recognition, object detection and image classification. These Deep algorithms aim at extracting a high representation of the data via multi-layers in a deep hierarchical structure. However, to the authors' knowledge, these deep learning approaches have not been extensively studied to recognize Arabic Handwritten Script (AHS). In this paper, they present a deep learning model based on Support Vector Machine (SVM) named Deep SVM. This model has an inherent ability to select data points crucial to classify good generalization capabilities. The deep SVM is constructed by a stack of SVMs allowing to extracting/learning automatically features from the raw images and to perform classification as well. The Multi-class SVM with an RBF kernel, as non-linear discriminative features for classification, was chosen and tested on Handwritten Arabic Characters Database (HACDB). Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed model.
3D Face Recognition Using Spatial Relations
Authors: Berretti Stefano , del Bimbo Alberto , Pala Pietro
Published: January 2018

Identity recognition using 3D scans of the face has been recently proposed as an alternative or complementary solution to conventional 2D face recognition approaches based on still images or videos. In fact, face representations based on 3D data are expected to be more robust to pose changes and illumination variations than 2D images, thus allowing accurate face recognition in real-world applications with unconstrained acquisition. Based on these premises, in this chapter, the authors first introduce the general and main methodologies for 3D face recognition, shortly reviewing the related literature by distinguishing between global and local approaches. Then, the authors present and discuss two 3D face recognition approaches that are robust to facial expression variations and share the common idea of accounting for the spatial relations between local facial features. In the first approach, the face is partitioned into iso-geodesic stripes and spatial relations are computed by integral measures that capture the relative displacement between the sets of 3D points in each pair of stripes. In the second solution, the face is described by detecting keypoints in the depth map of the face and locally describing them. Then, facial curves on the surface are considered between each pair of keypoints, so as to capture the shape of the face along the curve as well as the relational information between keypoints. Future research directions and conclusions are drawn at the end of the chapter.
Face Match for Family Reunification
Authors: Borovikov Eugene , Vajda Szilard , Gill Michael
Published: January 2018

Despite the many advances in face recognition technology, practical face detection and matching for unconstrained images remain challenging. A real-world Face Image Retrieval (FIR) system is described in this paper. It is based on optimally weighted image descriptor ensemble utilized in single-image-per-person (SIPP) approach that works with large unconstrained digital photo collections. The described visual search can be deployed in many applications, e.g. person location in post-disaster scenarios, helping families reunite quicker. It provides efficient means for face detection, matching and annotation, working with images of variable quality, requiring no time-consuming training, yet showing commercial performance levels.
Multiple Object Tracking by Scale Space Representation of Objects, Method of Linear Assignment, and Kalman Filter
Authors: Ray Kumar S. , Ghosh Soma , Chatterjee Kingshuk , Ganguly Debayan
Published: January 2018

This chapter presents a multi-object tracking system using scale space representation of objects, the method of linear assignment and Kalman filter. In this chapter basically two very prominent problems of multi object tracking have been resolved; the two prominent problems are (i) irrespective of the size of the objects, tracking all the moving objects simultaneously and (ii) tracking of objects under partial and/or complete occlusion. The primary task of tracking multiple objects is performed by the method of linear assignment for which few cost parameters are computed depending upon the extracted features of moving objects in video scene. In the feature extraction phase scale space representation of objects have been used. Tracking of occluded objects is performed by Kalman filter.
Automatic Fish Segmentation and Recognition for Trawl-Based Cameras
Authors: Chuang Meng-Che , Hwang Jenq-Neng , Williams Kresimir
Published: January 2018

Camera-based fish abundance estimation with the aid of visual analysis techniques has drawn increasing attention. Live fish segmentation and recognition in open aquatic habitats, however, suffers from fast light attenuation, ubiquitous noise and non-lateral views of fish. In this chapter, an automatic live fish segmentation and recognition framework for trawl-based cameras is proposed. To mitigate the illumination issues, double local thresholding method is integrated with histogram backprojection to produce an accurate shape of fish segmentation. For recognition, a hierarchical partial classification is learned so that the coarse-to-fine categorization stops at any level where ambiguity exists. Attributes from important fish anatomical parts are focused to generate discriminative feature descriptors. Experiments on mid-water image sets show that the proposed framework achieves up to 93% of accuracy on live fish recognition based on automatic and robust segmentation results.
Human Health Diagnosis System Based on Iris Features
Authors: N Poonguzhali , Ezhilarasan M. , Hariharan R. , Devaraajan N. Praveen
Published: January 2018

Iris feature has been used in authentication systems in many real time applications and is proved to provide high accuracy. Apart from authentication iris features can also be used for detecting pathological changes in human body and diagnose human health. The present study analyses the relationship between human iris anatomy and their health, as it is proved that changes in human health condition reflects the iris. Basically, in authentication system iris texture features are used for identification, in the proposed work iris texture and geometric features can also be deployed in diagnosing human health. The texture features present in the human iris are extracted using the mathematical statistical measure which is used to specify the characteristics of the texture of an image using gray-level co-occurrence matrix. The iris and pupil are extracted and correlated to the compactness features of the circle. Based on the comparison the system enables in prediction of abnormalities in the iris texture and identifies the affected person.
Using the Similarity Measure Between Intuitionistic Fuzzy Sets for the Application on Pattern Recognitions
Authors: Fan Lixin
Published: January 2018

The measurement of uncertainty is an important topic for the theories dealing with uncertainty. The definition of similarity measure between two IFSs is one of the most interesting topics in IFSs theory. A similarity measure is defined to compare the information carried by IFSs. Many similarity measures have been proposed. A few of them come from the well-known distance measures. In this work, a new similarity measure between IFSs was proposed by the consideration of the information carried by the membership degree, the non-membership degree, and hesitancy degree in intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IFSs). To demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed similarity measure, various similarity measures between IFSs were compared with the proposed similarity measure between IFSs by numerical examples. The compared results demonstrated that the new similarity measure is reasonable and has stronger discrimination among them. Finally, the similarity measure was applied to pattern recognition and medical diagnosis. Two illustrative examples were provided to show the effectiveness of the pattern recognition and medical diagnosis.