bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
La perception du cycle de réformes éducatives par les enseignants en Albanie : une transition bien assimilée ?
Authors: Arapi Enkeleda , Lasserre Frédéric
Published: August 2017

Après la chute du régime communiste en 1991, l’Albanie a entrepris une profonde réforme de son système éducatif qui l’oriente vers le modèle occidental adopté en Europe centrale et orientale. Ces transformations d’ordres politique, structurel et pédagogique ont modifié autant les programmes que les approches pédagogiques. L’article retrace une recherche exploratoire sur leur perception par les enseignants albanais. S’ils parlent peu des grandes orientations politiques et structurelles des réformes dont ils ont une représentation assez fidèle et plutôt positive, ils expriment surtout leurs préoccupations quotidiennes : gestion de classe, rôle de l’élève dans ses apprentissages, relations avec les parents, méthodes d’enseignement, etc. Ils critiquent le processus de sélection des manuels sans consultation des acteurs concernés. Cette recherche donne à voir les représentations des enseignants des changements opérés après la période communiste, elle interroge les conditions d’une modernisation d’un système éducatif.
Socio-Economic and Demographic Determinants of Indian Youth Financial Literacy
Authors: Bharucha Jehangir Pheroze
Published: August 2017

The purpose of this study is, with the existing data about the level of financial literacy at hand, to examine which factors actually determine the level of personal financial literacy among the youth in India's financial capital city. A total of 650 completed and returned questionnaires have finally been used for the purpose of this study. The data analysis uses descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis. The explanatory variables are gender, district of residence, educational level, father's educational level, employment, marital status and parenthood. Findings of the study depict that having children is the most positively correlated (+0.327) with financial literacy. Education (+0.245) and employment (+0.140) are positively correlated with financial literacy. It is also concluded that females are less likely to have a high level of financial literacy (-0.271) compared to males.
Consumer Perception and Satisfaction Towards Internet Banking and Mobile Banking with Reference to Nationalized Banks in Rural India
Authors: Ashoka M. L. , Rakesh T. S. , Madhushree S.
Published: August 2017

Today, the Indian government is emphasising more on cash less transactions in order to eliminate black money activity in the market. In supporting to this internet and mobile banking is also one of the initiations steps taken by the nationalized banks. Even there are money private sectors banks are also coming up with innovative products of service to facilitate the customer in cashless transactions either in shopping, banking, payment of bills, recharges etc. This venture may be successful in the urban part of the India but making it reachable to the rural part is a big challenge. In this background, current study is focusing on the issues related to the internet and mobile banking usage and its impact on the consumers and their satisfaction towards the facilities offered by the nationalized banks in the rural part of the India especially in the Belthangady taluk, Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka.
Online Information Search Behavior of Business School Aspirants
Authors: Mondal Abu Sayeed
Published: August 2017

In last two decades there are several forces that have impacted business education system. It prompts the business schools across the globe to have market oriented approach either to survive or to excel. In this changing scenario the students' roles in the system bear similarity to that of consumers in traditional business context. Accordingly, the researchers and practitioners have adapted the various marketing constructs – consumer behavior, service quality etc- to study the problems and prospects of this industry. The present study is an all round attempt to arrest the prospective business school students' information search behavior which precedes actual decision making stage. Factor analysis reveals that seven factors- intellectual resource, state of Infrastructure, scope of placement, accreditation and collaboration, ranking status, cost of the program, and admission procedure- are usually searched online by the aspirants at pre-admission stage.
Electrical Conductivity of Skin Compared to Skin Perfusion Recordings
Authors: Jarløv Anders , Jensen Tim Toftgaard
Published: August 2017

The electrical impedance between skin-electrodes placed at the intact skin can be a source of artefacts when small electrical voltages such as ECG- and EEG-signals are recorded. This is mainly due to random variations of the electrical properties of the electrode-skin interface. To reduce the effect of these shortcomings, the skin is prepared with conductive paste and sometimes stripped to remove the outer corneous layer of the skin at the sites where the electrodes are placed. That reduces the impedance between the electrode and the skin and subdues disturbing electrical signals emanating from external sources. Numerous electrical models have been presented in the literature in order to relate electrical parameters to physiological and anatomical properties of the skin and to counteract the distortion of electrical signals recorded from the skin surface. To meet these requirements flexible electrodes combined with biochemical sensors have been developed which seem to prepare the way for the future application of skin electrodes as a means of determination of skin parameters.
A Tenable Approach for Protection of Electronic Medical Records Using Thermal Image Watermarking
Authors: Mohan Mamtha , Sujatha B. K.
Published: August 2017

This paper presents a novel security architecture for protecting the integrity of facial signature images and templates using watermarking and Visual Cryptography (VC). The proposed scheme offers a complete protection framework for the facial signature biometrics consists of two stages: the first stage is for facial signature image protection while the second is for the facial signature template. Firstly, a watermark text which carries personal information of the patient is embedded in the middle band frequency region of the facial signature image using a novel watermarking algorithm that randomly interchanges multiple middle band pairs of the Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT). Secondly, the proposed algorithm is fully integrated and consolidates the critical steps of feature extraction. The novel approach at developing a thermal signature template ensured that unforeseen changes in the vasculature over time did not affect the biometric matching process as the authentication process relied only on consistent thermal features.
A Valid Scheme to Evaluate Fuzzy Definite Integrals by Applying the CADNA Library
Authors: Araghi Mohammad Ali Fariborzi , Noeiaghdam Samad
Published: August 2017

The aim of this paper is to estimate the value of a fuzzy integral and to find the optimal step size and nodes via the stochastic arithmetic. For this purpose, the fuzzy Romberg integration rule is considered as an integration rule, then the CESTAC (Controle et Estimation Stochastique des Arrondis de Calculs) method is applied which is a method to describe the discrete stochastic arithmetic. Also, in order to implement this method, the CADNA (Control of Accuracy and Debugging for Numerical Applications) is applied which is a library to perform the CESTAC method automatically. A theorem is proved to show the accuracy of the results by means of the concept of common significant digits. Then, an algorithm is given to perform the proposed idea on sample fuzzy integrals by computing the Hausdorff distance between two fuzzy sequential results which is considered to be an informatical zero in the termination criterion. Three sample fuzzy integrals are evaluated based on the proposed algorithm to find the optimal number of points and validate the results.
Configurations of Information Technology Governance Practices and Business Unit Performance
Authors: Tabach Afaf , Croteau Anne-Marie
Published: August 2017

The main objective of this article is to investigate the existence of configurations of information technology governance within organizations and to zoom in on their role in driving business value. This study proposes a research model that relies on the configurational theory in an attempt to reveal different clusters of IT governance practices and link them with the performance of business units from a financial and non-financial perspective. To test the model, 57 matched surveys were collected from medium to large international organizations. Three configurations of IT governance practices have emerged with distinct and significant impact on the business unit non-financial performance. However, no significant impact on the business unit financial performance was directly found. The results show that more mature IT governance practices within organizations can result in higher levels of performance at the business unit level in terms of business processes, decision making, innovation, and legal and ethical compliance.
The Role of Culture in IT Governance Five Focus Areas
Authors: Aasi Parisa , Rusu Lazar , Vieru Dragos
Published: August 2017

Information technology governance (ITG) is one of the top challenges of managers today and culture in different level can have an important role while implementing IT governance. This is a new and significant issue, which has not been investigated deeply. This paper sets out to provide a systematic review of the literature, focusing on the role of culture in IT governance. The literature review findings are categorized through the lens of IT governance's five focus areas which are IT strategic alignment, IT value delivery, Risk management, IT resource management and Performance measurement. This study contributes to the field of IT governance by reviewing and discussing the existing literature on the role of culture on IT governance. This literature review resulted that there are few research studies in this topic and many of the IT governance focus areas are not covered regarding the role of culture in these IT governance areas.
Human Resource Planning as a Strategic Function
Authors: Jha Jatinder Kumar , Singh Manjari
Published: August 2017

This paper explores the strategic importance of human resource (HR) planning and the various techniques employed by organizations to attract talent and thus to gain a competitive edge. In this paper, the authors have tried to explore the various biases that come into play when supervisors forecast for human resources. Backed by research, the paper recommends the integration of line managers with HR managers and their participations in strategic planning to enable the HR managers to gain valuable insights for HR planning. The paper further suggests that though biases cannot be ruled out completely but they can be controlled by providing relevant training to the HR and line managers to forecast dynamics. Further, the judgement of the line managers could be complemented with other forecasting techniques to make the process more reliable.
The Effects of Construct Redundancy on Readers' Understanding of Conceptual Models
Authors: Bera Palash , Poels Geert
Published: August 2017

This paper investigates the effect of construct redundancy on readers' understanding of conceptual models. Conceptual models play a crucial role in understanding the domain related to information system development. The clarity of such models can be compromised if they are constructed using a conceptual modelling grammar exhibiting construct redundancy where one real-world phenomenon maps to two or more grammar constructs. With two empirical studies on solving domain-related problems using Unified Modeling Language (UML) class diagrams as conceptual domain models, it was found that when construct redundancy is present at different strengths, then the effect of the redundancy on the understanding of a model depends on the modeling knowledge of the reader. Novice readers with minimal modeling knowledge find models difficult to interpret when a strong level of redundancy caused by distinct construct redundancy exists. However, when the models have a weak level of redundancy then these readers find them easier to understand compared to models without redundancy. In contrast, trained readers are indifferent to a weak level of redundancy in a model.
Thermal Conductivity Impact on Thermal Stability of Reactive Materials
Authors: Lebelo Ramoshweu Solomon
Published: August 2017

The impact of thermal conductivity on the thermal stability of a combustible material is studied in a stockpile modelled in a long cylindrical pipe. Two combustible material systems, one with constant thermal conductivity, the other one with variable thermal conductivity, are compared to analyse thermal stability in each case. A combustible material is the one that contains carbons or hydrocarbons that readily react with the oxygen of the system. Low-temperature oxidation or exothermic chemical reaction is the primary cause of spontaneous ignition. This is a theoretical study that involves mathematical approach to do the investigation. The nonlinear partial differential equations for heat transfer are solved numerically using the Finite Difference Method (FDM). Effects of embedded kinetic parameters on the temperature of the system are depicted graphically and discussed accordingly.
Performance Analysis of Magnetite Nano-Suspension Based Porous Slider Bearing with Varying Inclination and Slip Parameter
Authors: Ram Paras , Kumar Anil , Makinde Oluwole Daniel , Kumar Punit , Joshi Vimal Kumar
Published: August 2017

Performance analysis of porous inclined slider bearing based on magnetite nanosuspension has been carried out to investigate the effects of slip parameter arising out of modeling. The expression for load carrying capacity has been derived analytically as a function of slip, magnetic, permeability and material parameters. Furthermore, the effect of an important term pertaining to the co-rotational derivative of magnetization is usually ignored by the researchers working on similar problems. However, as this term is expected to influence the load carrying capacity significantly, this paper investigates its effect on the bearing performance parameters under the present conditions. Besides, the effect of varying the inlet-outlet ratio has also been studied. It has been found that with an increase in the inlet-outlet ratio up to an optimum value, the load carrying capacity increases followed by a decreasing trend.
Non-Uniform Heat Source/Sink Effect on Liquid Film Flow of Jeffrey Nanofluid over a Stretching Sheet
Authors: Avinash K. , Sandeep N. , Makinde Oluwole Daniel
Published: August 2017

The heat transfer in nanofluids plays a major role in solar energy, nuclear reactors, aerodynamics, etc. By keeping this in view, in this study, we investigated the flow and heat transfer nature of liquid film flow of ethylene glycol (EG)-Cu nanofluid in the presence of non-uniform heat source/sink. We considered the Jeffrey fluid model to investigate the flow and heat transfer behavior. The governing equations are transformed as ordinary differential equations with the aid of similarity variables. Numerical results are carried out by employing bvp5c Matlab package. The influence of pertinent parameters on velocity and temperature profiles along with the reduced Nusselt number is discussed with the help of graphs and tabular results. It is observed that the rising value of the non-uniform heat source/sink parameter acts like heat generators and regulates the thermal field. Rising the film thickness enhances the heat transfer rate.
Conventional echo color Doppler versus ULA-OP in the assessment of venous flow model
Authors: Tavoni Valentina , Sisini Francesco , Di Domenico Giovanni , Mohammed Nadiya , Gadda Giacomo , Calderoni Francesca , Gambaccini Mauro
Published: August 2017

The quantification of venous flows can be obtained by multiplying cross sectional area, measured on a B-mode video-clip, by velocity values, obtained with Doppler measurements. The Doppler angle between ultrasound (US) line and blood flow requires a manual adjustment. Establishing this parameter is critical in order to calculate blood velocity. However, the operator dependency gives high variable results. It is worth noting that a new class of vector Doppler devices can enhance the accuracy and precision of measurements. Such technology uses a double US line that leads to automatically know the Doppler angle. By comparing in an in vitro model of venous flow conventional echo color Doppler (ECD) equipment with the new device, we found a better minimal difference between the latter and the nominal flow rate (20%). On the contrary, the comparison with conventional ECD showed a difference ranging between 2% and 43%, according to the possible settings of the equipment. Our study demonstrates a better accuracy of the experimental device with respect to conventional ECD in measuring the venous flow rate.
Stenting for obstructive iliac vein lesions
Authors: Jayaraj Arjun , Raju Seshadri
Published: August 2017

Endovenous stenting has supplanted open surgery as the treatment of choice for iliocaval obstruction. This review provides a brief overview of such obstructive pathology and an in-depth assessment of femoroilio- caval stenting.
Philipp Melanchthon: A short introduction
Authors: Van Wyk Ignatius W.C.
Published: August 2017

Philipp Melanchthon was one of the most influential theologians of the Reformation of the 16th century. He was responsible for transforming the secondary and tertiary educational systems in Germany. He was responsible for a new theological curriculum. He wrote the first Protestant ‘systematic theology’ and was the author of the Confessio Augustana. He is called the ‘teacher of Germany and Europe’. In spite of all the praises, most South Africans know very little about this important theologian. In this year of jubilee, it is imperative that a short introduction to his life and work be published – in the hope that he would receive more attention in future from South African scholars.
Perichoresis and Ubuntu within the African Christian context
Authors: Manganyi Jele S. , Buitendag Johan
Published: August 2017

This article is about the juxtaposition of the notion of perichoresis in the work and theology of the Cappadocian Fathers and the notion of Ubuntu in the African Traditional Religion (ATR). Perichoresis was a result of an attempt to understand and to resolve the relationships within the Trinity. The issue at hand was how to make sense between the one and the many at the same time. The Cappadocian Fathers understood the oneness of God as unity in plurality, not a singularity. One Ousia and three hypostases were based on the understanding of the relationships within the trinity. The question of three yet one God (the church in Jerusalem continued worship of God the Father and Jesus Christ in the Power of the Holy Spirit), the apostles according to the information we have never question nor try to resolve the position and status of Jesus within the oneness. It appears as though they celebrated the tension rather than resolving it. They heard from Jesus, who said to them ‘you believe in God believe also in me’ and ‘if you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him … whoever has seen me has seen the Father’. They also heard him when he said ‘I am in the Father and the Father is in me’. The article is going to investigate and analyse the two notions, Perichoresis and Ubuntu, within the African Christian context. Yet there is a tension between Jesus and the ancestors. Can this tension be resolved? The notion of Ubuntu is based upon the understanding that a person becomes fully a person in the presence of other persons. It is a notion that deals with the relationships from an individual to the community and from physical to spiritual perspectives. The article shall also attempt to analyse any categories of thinking that are within the ATR that may better explain the relationship within the Trinity.
Conformity visa-vi transformational conversion in mission: Towards a self-transcendental mission agenda
Authors: Kgatla Selaelo T.
Published: August 2017

In this article, the author discusses the concept of conversion as opposed to conformity to  a  religious tradition without internal self-assertiveness. A transcendental mission understanding as opposed to an immanent agenda for liberation is proposed as an alternative solution. He analyses the role played and the contributions made by missionary enterprise and the liberation theologies in South Africa as they shaped the path for liberation. The white churches and state theologies sought to produce black conformists to the system; liberation theologies resisted the conformity mentality and fought for an egalitarian and free society. Both movements failed to embrace a transcendental methodology that would go beyond the secular boundaries and bring about transformational and empowering spirituality. This article suggests new spirituality for life and affirmation that would work against self-hate among the previously oppressed and self-guilt among the previously oppressing ruling class. It seeks ways to heal broken relationships through authentic empowerment and transformation.
On becoming a practical theologian: Past, present and future tenses
Authors: Graham Elaine L.
Published: August 2017

This article takes an autobiographical approach to the development of practical theology as a discipline over the past 30 years, with particular attention to my own context of the United Kingdom (UK). The unfolding of my own intellectual story in relation to key issues within the wider academic discourse provides an opportunity to reflect on some of the predominant themes and trends: past, present and future. Changing nomenclature, from ‘pastoral studies’ to ‘practical theology’, indicates how the discipline has moved from regarding itself as the application of theory into practice, into a more performative and inductive epistemology. This emphasis continues to the present day and foregrounds the significance of the human context and the realities of lived experience, including narrative and autobiography. Whilst the methodological conundrums of relating experience to tradition and theory to practice continue, further challenges are beckoning, including religious pluralism, and so the article closes by surveying the prospects for a multicultural practical theology.
Equipping the poorest of the poor to become agents of community transformation: A case study of milk as a catalyst in Burundi
Authors: Van Aarde Timothy A.
Published: August 2017

Community transformation has cultural, political and religious dimensions. In the case of Burundi, it is ranked 188/188 on the scale of the world’s poorest countries. The poor in Burundi have a fatalistic attitude towards poverty as a result of the unstable political climate, corruption and a climate of suspicion. The poor are cynical and have no hopeful future expectations. The resourcefulness of the poor having been muted. The Christian church of Burundi has developed a culture of dependency. The role of the church in the West has been limited to lifting the poor out of abject poverty. A creative use of available resources and the participation of the poor through the recognition of their own resourcefulness and stewardship is a sustainable approach to the alleviation of poverty. Newfrontiers churches have developed the approach of equipping the poor as a mission’s strategy to participate in the missio Dei. The majority of churches and non-governmental organisations who endeavour to alleviate poverty in Burundi have, what can be termed, a ‘dependency virus’ or ‘dependency crisis’ and are victims caught in the ‘dependency trap’, that is, they create a culture of dependency through their provision. The loss of dignity that follows, transform the community into a slave of the beneficiary system in which poverty is conceived as a lack of things rather than a mind-set born from help given by the beneficiary without the consent of the poor.
Gothic landscape, memory and food: A reading of Valerio Varesi’s The Dark Valley
Authors: Kreuiter Allyson
Published: August 2017

What is known as Mediterranean Noir has crimes that occur in a landscape set under the azure skies and seashores of cities such as Marseille, Barcelona or even Venice. In contrast, Italian writer, Valerio Varesi, relocates his crime novels to the more rural landscapes of villages in Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna. In these places, it is the landscape of mist, rivers and mountains that creates the noir Gothic narrative and atmosphere surrounding the crimes committed. My article will examine how, in Varesi’s The Dark Valley, a subtle fusing of the devices of landscape, food and a Gothic disruption of the return of the past into the present are central to the story world of the novel. This dislocation between past and present, I contend, will lead to Varesi’s detective, Commissario Soneri, questioning his own identity.
A descriptive study of biological and psychosocial factors associated with body mass index for age, in adolescents attending an outpatient department at Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital
Authors: Ncube Kgomotso R. , Khamker Nadira , Van der Westhuizen Deborah , Corbett Thea
Published: August 2017

Objective: To describe biological and psychosocial factors associated with body mass index (BMI) for age in adolescents attending an outpatient department at Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital.Methods: A total of 50 adolescents participated in a convenience sampling research study. BMIs were calculated using their weights and heights to distinguish different weight categories based on the 2007 World Health Organization (WHO) growth charts. Based on their BMIs, participants were categorised as underweight, normal body weight, overweight and obese. The association between the BMIs of the biological parents and their adolescent children was investigated using the Fisher’s exact test. The data collection included adolescents’ demographic information, psychiatric diagnosis, psychiatric medication, nutritional intake, eating habits and the intensity of physical activity such as sports, leisure and sedentary behaviour.Setting: The study was conducted at Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital’s adolescents outpatient department.Results: Of the participants, 72% were males. Forty-eight per cent of all the adolescents had a normal BMI, mostly of black African descent. When comparing the adolescents’ BMI with that of their biological mothers, 50% of those who were obese also had mothers who were mostly obese (53.8%). The Fisher’s exact test indicated a statistically significant association between the BMI categories of mothers and those of their adolescent children (Fisher’s exact test, p = 0.032). Despite the above association, no significant association could be found regarding their nutritional intake and eating habits. Also, no significant association was found between the adolescents’ BMIs and the use of psychotropic medication, as compared with other previous studies. Furthermore, no association could be found between adolescents’ BMI categories and the level of intensity of physical activity such as sports and leisure activities or sedentary behaviours.Conclusion: This study supports previous findings that a significant association exists between maternal and childhood obesity. The association between BMI and psychotropic medication, nutritional intake and eating habits, and level of physical activity could not be confirmed in our study. The study results were limited by the small sample size and the convenience sampling method. Although this was only a descriptive study, it highlighted the complexity of biological and psychosocial factors involved in weight gain. Further studies are needed to explore the interplay of physical and environmental risk factors for childhood obesity, as well as to ensure early identification and education of patients and their families to prevent development of obesity.
Comparing computed tomography (CT) angiography versus digital subtraction angiography for the screening of traumatic pseudoaneurysms in transcranial stab injuries
Authors: Karanja Susan W. , Harrichandparsad Rohen , Royston Duncan , Motebejane Samson M. , Mitha Ayesha
Published: August 2017

Introduction: Transcranial stab injuries among the civilian population in South Africa are more common than in the West. In a study conducted in Durban, South Africa, in 1992, transcranial stab injuries accounted for 6% of all head injuries admitted to the neurosurgical unit. Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) has been the gold standard for diagnosing traumatic pseudoaneurysms. Its use as a screening tool is, however, limited and carries risks of neurological deficits. We postulate that the newer generation computed tomography (CT) scanner would serve as a better screening tool for traumatic pseudoaneurysms following transcranial stab injuries with the blade removed, provided the image quality is good.Methods: All patients admitted with a stab to the head with total calvarial penetration from September 2014 to January 2016 were included in the study. Those with a retained metallic fragment, incomplete imaging protocols, no penetration of the blade into the brain parenchyma or other causes of penetrating head injury were not included in the study. A retrospective chart review was then done on a prospectively recruited patient cohort. All CT angiograms were performed using a dual source CT scanner.Results: A total of 26 patients met the inclusion criteria. There were seven vascular injuries identified on DSA: three traumatic pseudoaneurysms and four vessel cut-offs. One traumatic pseudoaneurysm was missed on computed tomography angiography (CTA) because of a poor quality scan. The average sensitivity and specificity of CTA compared with DSA was 67% and 95.5%, respectively. Negative predictive value for CTA was 99.5%.Conclusion: A good quality CTA carried out on the newer generation CT scanners allows for use of CTA as a screening tool for patients with a transcranial stab injury and no retained blade or metallic foreign bodies.
Is rule of halves still an occurrence in South India
Authors: Kar SS , Kalaiselvi S , Archana R , Saya GK , Premarajan KC
Published: August 2017

Background:

The objective of the present study was to assess the applicability of the rule of halves in an urban population of Puducherry, South India. We also aimed to find the correlates associated with undiagnosed hypertension to facilitate targeted screening.

Methodology:

We derive our observation from a community-based cross-sectional study conducted using the World Health Organization STEPwise approach to surveillance in urban slum of Puducherry during 2014–15. Blood pressure (BP) was measured for all the study subjects (n = 2399), and the subjects were classified as hypertensive using Joint National Committee 8 criteria, systolic BP (SBP) ≥140 mm Hg and/or diastolic BP (DBP) ≥90 mmHg and/or known hypertensives and/or treatment with antihypertensive drugs. Controlled hypertension was defined as SBP <140 mmHg and DBP <90 mmHg.

Results:

Of 2399, 799 (33.3%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 31.4%–35.2%) adults were found to have raised BP by any means (known and unknown hypertensives). Of the 799, 367 (15.3%; 95%CI: 13.9%–16.8%) of study participants were known hypertensives. Of the known hypertensives, 74.7% (274/367) were put on treatment (drugs and or lifestyle modification), and 80% (218/274) were on regular treatment. Higher proportions of men were found to have undiagnosed hypertension compared to women (26.1 vs. 19.8%, P < 0.001). Similarly, adult from below poverty line (23.8 vs. 20%, P < 0.001), unskilled laborer (26.6 vs. 20%, P < 0.001), and literacy less than middle school (12.3 vs. 23%, P < 0.001) had more undiagnosed hypertension.

Conclusion:

In the selected urban area of Puducherry around one-third of the adult populations are having hypertension, including the 54% of undiagnosed hypertension. Adults from the vulnerable subgroups such as lower level of literacy, below poverty line, and unskilled work are found to have higher proportions of undiagnosed hypertension.
Drone Package Delivery: A Heuristic approach for UAVs path planning and tracking
Authors: Bekhti Mustapha , Achir Nadjib , Boussetta Khaled , Abdennebi Marwen
Published: August 2017

In this paper we propose a new approach based on a heuristic search for UAVs path planning with terrestrial wireless network tracking. In a previous work we proposed and exact solution based on an integer linear formulation of the problem. Unfortunately, the exact resolution is limited by the computation complexity. In this case, we propose in this paper a new approach based on a heuristic search. More precisely, a heuristic adaptive scheme based on Dijkstra algorithm is proposed to yield a simple but effective and fast solution. In addition, the proposed solution can cover a large area and generate a set of optimum and near optimum pa ths according to the drone battery capacities. Finally, the simulation results show that the drone tracking is sustainable even in noisy wireless network environment.
An Information-Centric Platform for Social- and Location-Aware IoT Applications in Smart Cities
Authors: Govoni M. , Michaelis J. , Morelli A. , Suri N. , Tortonesi M.
Published: August 2017

Recent advances in Smart City infrastructures and the Internet of Things represent a significant opportunity to improve people’s quality of life. Corresponding research often focuses on Cloud-centric network architectures where sensor devices transfer collected data to the Cloud for processing. However, the formidable traffic generated by countless IoT devices and the need for low-latency services raise the need to move away from centralized architectures and bring the computation closer to the data sources. To this end, this paper discusses SPF, a middleware solution that supports IoT application development, deployment, and management. SPF runs IoT services on capable devices located at the network edge and proposes an information-centric programming model that takes advantage of decentralized computation resources located in the proximity of application users and data sources. SPF also adopts Value-of-Information based methods to prioritize the transmission of essential information.
UCalMiCeL – UNIFIED INTRINSIC AND EXTRINSIC CALIBRATION OF A
MULTI-CAMERA-SYSTEM AND A LASERSCANNER
Authors: Hillemann M. , Jutzi B.
Published: August 2017

Abstract. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) with adequate sensors enable new applications in the scope between expensive, large-scale, aircraftcarried remote sensing and time-consuming, small-scale, terrestrial surveyings. To perform these applications, cameras and laserscanners are a good sensor combination, due to their complementary properties. To exploit this sensor combination the intrinsics and relative poses of the individual cameras and the relative poses of the cameras and the laserscanners have to be known. In this manuscript, we present a calibration methodology for the Unified Intrinsic and Extrinsic Calibration of a Multi-Camera-System and a Laserscanner (UCalMiCeL). The innovation of this methodology, which is an extension to the calibration of a single camera to a line laserscanner, is an unifying bundle adjustment step to ensure an optimal calibration of the entire sensor system. We use generic camera models, including pinhole, omnidirectional and fisheye cameras. For our approach, the laserscanner and each camera have to share a joint field of view, whereas the fields of view of the individual cameras may be disjoint. The calibration approach is tested with a sensor system consisting of two fisheye cameras and a line laserscanner with a range measuring accuracy of 30 mm. We evaluate the estimated relative poses between the cameras quantitatively by using an additional calibration approach for Multi-Camera-Systems based on control points which are accurately measured by a motion capture system. In the experiments, our novel calibration method achieves a relative pose estimation with a deviation below 1.8° and 6.4 mm.
SLIC SUPERPIXELS FOR OBJECT DELINEATION FROM UAV DATA
Authors: Crommelinck S. , Bennett R. , Gerke M. , Koeva M. N. , Yang M. Y. , Vosselman G.
Published: August 2017

Abstract. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are increasingly investigated with regard to their potential to create and update (cadastral) maps. UAVs provide a flexible and low-cost platform for high-resolution data, from which object outlines can be accurately delineated. This delineation could be automated with image analysis methods to improve existing mapping procedures that are cost, time and labor intensive and of little reproducibility. This study investigates a superpixel approach, namely simple linear iterative clustering (SLIC), in terms of its applicability to UAV data. The approach is investigated in terms of its applicability to high-resolution UAV orthoimages and in terms of its ability to delineate object outlines of roads and roofs. Results show that the approach is applicable to UAV orthoimages of 0.05 m GSD and extents of 100 million and 400 million pixels. Further, the approach delineates the objects with the high accuracy provided by the UAV orthoimages at completeness rates of up to 64 %. The approach is not suitable as a standalone approach for object delineation. However, it shows high potential for a combination with further methods that delineate objects at higher correctness rates in exchange of a lower localization quality. This study provides a basis for future work that will focus on the incorporation of multiple methods for an interactive, comprehensive and accurate object delineation from UAV data. This aims to support numerous application fields such as topographic and cadastral mapping.
PRECISION ANALYSIS OF VISUAL ODOMETRY BASED ON DISPARITY CHANGING
Authors: Fu C. Y. , Tsay J. R.
Published: August 2017

Abstract. This thesis aims to analyze the precision of Position and orientation of cameras on Mobile Mapping System (MMS) determined by disparity based VO (DBVO). Dual forwards taken cameras on MMS are applied to obtain a sequence of stereo pairs. The Interior Orientation Parameters (IOPs) and Relative Orientation Parameters (ROPs) are derived in advance. The pose estimation is achieved by DBVO without additional control data. The procedure of DBVO consists of four steps. First up, keypoint detection and matching is conducted to obtain tie points in consecutive images. Then, image rectification is implemented to transform tie points into epipolar image space. Next, parallax equation is applied to estimate the 3D coordinates of interest points in epipolar image 3D space. Since their image points have different disparity in neighboring stereo pairs, the 3D coordinates of interest points in neighboring pairs are different as well. Finally, 3D conformal transformation is employed to derive the transformation parameters between neighboring pairs according to changing of coordinates of interest points. The posteriori STDs are adopted to assess the quality of transformation. Besides, check data of ground trajectory derived by photo triangulation are applied to evaluate the result. The relative errors of horizontal and vertical translations derived by DBVO are 2 % and 3 % in non-viewing direction. However, the translation in viewing direction and three rotation angles derived by DBVO have significant systematic errors about 1 m, 3°, 3° and 10° respectively. The influence of error propagation is not significant according to the chart of error distance ratio. In open area, the trajectory of INS/GPS is similar to ground truth, while the trajectory derived by DBVO has 44 % relative error. In residential district, the trajectory derived by INS/GPS has drift error about 2 m, while the relative error of the trajectory derived by DBVO decreases to 38 %. It is presumed that the systematic error results from 3D coordinates estimated by parallax equation because of poor intersection geometry. It will be proved by adding sideward photographing cameras in the future.
IMPLEMENTATION OF A REAL-TIME STACKING ALGORITHM IN A PHOTOGRAMMETRIC DIGITAL CAMERA FOR UAVS
Authors: Audi A. , Pierrot-Deseilligny M. , Meynard C. , Thom C.
Published: August 2017

Abstract. In the recent years, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become an interesting tool in aerial photography and photogrammetry activities. In this context, some applications (like cloudy sky surveys, narrow-spectral imagery and night-vision imagery) need a longexposure time where one of the main problems is the motion blur caused by the erratic camera movements during image acquisition. This paper describes an automatic real-time stacking algorithm which produces a high photogrammetric quality final composite image with an equivalent long-exposure time using several images acquired with short-exposure times. Our method is inspired by feature-based image registration technique. The algorithm is implemented on the light-weight IGN camera, which has an IMU sensor and a SoC/FPGA. To obtain the correct parameters for the resampling of images, the presented method accurately estimates the geometrical relation between the first and the Nth image, taking into account the internal parameters and the distortion of the camera. Features are detected in the first image by the FAST detector, than homologous points on other images are obtained by template matching aided by the IMU sensors. The SoC/FPGA in the camera is used to speed up time-consuming parts of the algorithm such as features detection and images resampling in order to achieve a real-time performance as we want to write only the resulting final image to save bandwidth on the storage device. The paper includes a detailed description of the implemented algorithm, resource usage summary, resulting processing time, resulting images, as well as block diagrams of the described architecture. The resulting stacked image obtained on real surveys doesn’t seem visually impaired. Timing results demonstrate that our algorithm can be used in real-time since its processing time is less than the writing time of an image in the storage device. An interesting by-product of this algorithm is the 3D rotation estimated by a photogrammetric method between poses, which can be used to recalibrate in real-time the gyrometers of the IMU.
ACCURACY VALIDATION OF POINT CLOUDS OF UAV PHOTOGRAMMETRY AND ITS APPLICATION FOR RIVER MANAGEMENT
Authors: Kubota S. , Kawai Y. , Kadotani R.
Published: August 2017

Abstract. River administration facilities such as levees and river walls play a major role in preventing flooding due to heavy rain. The forms of such facilities must be constantly monitored for alteration due to rain and running water, and limited human resources and budgets make it necessary to efficiently maintain river administration facilities. During maintenance, inspection results are commonly recorded on paper documents. Continuous inspection and repair using information systems are an on-going challenge. This study proposes a maintenance management system for river facilities that uses three-dimensional data to solve these problems and make operation and maintenance more efficient. The system uses three-dimensional data to visualize river facility deformation and its process, and it has functions that visualize information about river management at any point in the three-dimensional data. The three-dimensional data is generated by photogrammetry using a camera on an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.
USE OF GREENDRONE UAS SYSTEM FOR MAIZE CROP MONITORING
Authors: Nasir A. K. , Tharani M.
Published: August 2017

Abstract. This research work presents the use of a low-cost Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) – GreenDrone for the monitoring of Maize crop. GreenDrone consist of a long endurance fixed wing air-frame equipped with a modified Canon camera for the calculation of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and FLIR thermal camera for Water Stress Index (WSI) calculations. Several flights were conducted over the study site in order to acquire data during different phases of the crop growth. By the calculation of NDVI and NGB images we were able to identify areas with potential low yield, spatial variability in the plant counts, and irregularities in nitrogen application and water application related issues. Furthermore, some parameters which are important for the acquisition of good aerial images in order to create quality Orthomosaic image are also discussed.
SCALE INVARIANT FEATURE TRANSFORM PLUS HUE FEATURE
Authors: B.Daneshvar M.
Published: August 2017

Abstract. This paper presents an enhanced method for extracting invariant features from images based on Scale Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT). Although SIFT features are invariant to image scale and rotation, additive noise, and changes in illumination but we think this algorithm suffers from excess keypoints. Besides, by adding the hue feature, which is extracted from combination of hue and illumination values in HSI colour space version of the target image, the proposed algorithm can speed up the matching phase. Therefore, we proposed the Scale Invariant Feature Transform plus Hue (SIFTH) that can remove the excess keypoints based on their Euclidean distances and adding hue to feature vector to speed up the matching process which is the aim of feature extraction. In this paper we use the difference of hue features and the Mean Square Error (MSE) of orientation histograms to find the most similar keypoint to the under processing keypoint. The keypoint matching method can identify correct keypoint among clutter and occlusion robustly while achieving real-time performance and it will result a similarity factor of two keypoints. Moreover removing excess keypoint by SIFTH algorithm helps the matching algorithm to achieve this goal.
USING DISTANCE SENSORS TO PERFORM COLLISION AVOIDANCE MANEUVRES ON UAV APPLICATIONS
Authors: Raimundo A. , Peres D. , Santos N. , Sebastião P. , Souto N.
Published: August 2017

Abstract. The Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and its applications are growing for both civilian and military purposes. The operability of an UAV proved that some tasks and operations can be done easily and at a good cost-efficiency ratio. Nowadays, an UAV can perform autonomous missions. It is very useful to certain UAV applications, such as meteorology, vigilance systems, agriculture, environment mapping and search and rescue operations. One of the biggest problems that an UAV faces is the possibility of collision with other objects in the flight area. To avoid this, an algorithm was developed and implemented in order to prevent UAV collision with other objects. “Sense and Avoid” algorithm was developed as a system for UAVs to avoid objects in collision course. This algorithm uses a Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), to detect objects facing the UAV in mid-flights. This light sensor is connected to an on-board hardware, Pixhawk’s flight controller, which interfaces its communications with another hardware: Raspberry Pi. Communications between Ground Control Station and UAV are made via Wi-Fi or cellular third or fourth generation (3G/4G). Some tests were made in order to evaluate the “Sense and Avoid” algorithm’s overall performance. These tests were done in two different environments: A 3D simulated environment and a real outdoor environment. Both modes worked successfully on a simulated 3D environment, and “Brake” mode on a real outdoor, proving its concepts.