bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Machine vision 3D skin texture analysis for detection of melanoma
Authors: Smith L.N. , Smith M.L. , Farooq A.R. , Sun J. , Ding Y. , Warr R. 
Published: March 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe innovative machine vision methods that have been employed for the capture and analysis of 3D skin textures; and the resulting potential for assisting with identification of suspicious lesions in the detection of skin cancer.Design/methodology/approachA machine vision approach has been employed for analysis of 3D skin textures. This involves an innovative application of photometric stereo for the capture of the textures, and a range of methods for analysing and quantifying them, including statistical methods and neural networks.Findings3D skin texture has been identified as a useful indicator of skin cancer. It can be used to improve realism of virtual skin reconstructions in tele‐dermatology. 3D texture features can also be combined with 2D features to obtain a more robust classifier for improving diagnostic accuracy, thereby assisting with the long‐term goal of implementing computer‐aided diagnostics for skin cancer.Originality/valueThe device developed for capturing 3D skin textures is known as the “Skin Analyser”, and as far as the authors know it is unique in the world in being able to recover 3D textures from pigmented lesions in vivo. There currently exist numerous methods for analysing lesions, including manual inspection (using established heuristics commonly known as ABCD rules), dermoscopy and SIAoscopy. The ability to capture and analyse 3D lesion textures complements these existing techniques and forms a valuable additional indicator for assisting with the early detection of dangerous skin cancers such as melanoma.
Vibration measurement system based on position sensitive detector
Authors: Sui Jinxue , Zhang Xia , Yang Li , Zhu Zhilin , Xin Zhang 
Published: March 2011

PurposeVibration measurement is needed in many industrial production processes, such as equipment monitoring, fault diagnosis, and noise analysis and eliminating and so on. The purpose of this paper is to propose a simple vibration testing system which includes the laser, the string, position sensitive detector (PSD) and the corresponding signal processing circuit.Design/methodology/approachPSD is an optical semiconductor sensor that can fast locate the luminous spot position precisely, which means that it can output different electric current according to the luminous spot at different position of its surface. Moreover, the experiment on PSD sensor using different vibration source and frequency had been carried out. Finally, the vibration waveform of the luminous spot on PSD photosurface was obtained.FindingsAccording to the experimental results, each kind of vibration parameter with different vibration source, such as vibration frequency and amplitude can be calculated.Originality/valueThe experimental results agreed with the actual parameter, which showed PSD not only had its own good qualities in the position measurement, but also had the unique superiority in the vibration measurement.
Determination of tool nose radii of cutting inserts using machine vision
Authors: Chian G.J. , Ratnam M.M. 
Published: March 2011

PurposeThe nose radii of cutting inserts are normally measured using a profile projector or toolmaker's microscope. Since only a sector of a circle is available for the measurement using such instruments, the radii determined from these methods are inaccurate. The purpose of this paper is to present an alternative method of determining the nose radii more accurately using machine vision.Design/methodology/approachThe 2D images of the cutting inserts were captured using a CCD camera with the aid of back lighting. The tool nose center in each digitized image was located based on the tool geometry. The curved nose profile was transformed into a linear profile using polar‐radius transformation. The nose radius was then varied within ten pixels of the nominal radius and the average deviation from a straight line profile in the nose region in the polar‐radius plot was evaluated. The radius corresponding to the minimum average deviation is identified as the most accurate radius value.FindingsFor the 15 simulated images of cutting inserts tested, the error in radii determine by the proposed method varied from −4.9 to 3.7 percent. But, the radii were about 9 to 22 percent higher than those measured using the profile projector on commercially available inserts. The radii measured using the profile projector was closer to the nominal radii with an average deviation of −3.2 percent compared to those measured using the proposed method.Research limitations/implicationsThe cutting inserts must be clean and free from dust particles when capturing the images; and the insert must be aligned accurately so that the plane of the nose profile is perpendicular to the optical axis of the CCD camera.Practical implicationsThe proposed method can be used to determine the nose radii accurately. If the exact nose radius of an insert is known, the tool path can be programmed precisely to obtain high‐dimensional accuracy in the finished product.Originality/valueThe paper shows how a new method of determining the tool nose radii of cutting inserts more accurately compared to the conventional methods, based on a sector of the nose profile, has been developed.
On‐line print‐defect detecting in an incremental subspace learning framework
Authors: Sun Xiaogang , Zhang Liang , Chen Bin 
Published: March 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose a novel on‐line print‐defect detecting approach.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed method uses incremental principal component analysis (IPCA) to model a variety pattern with respect to the detected image itself.FindingsThe algorithm is constructed and deployed to a real‐time detecting print‐defect system, and the test results show that the system reduces false alarms dramatically.Originality/valueThe paper describes groundbreaking work which, for the first time in the printing industry, uses IPCA in relation to print‐defect detecting.
Using no‐parameter statistic features for texture image retrieval
Authors: Zhu Xianqiang , Shao Zhenfeng 
Published: March 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the spectrum influence between radon transform and log‐polar transform when rotation and scale effect is eliminated. The average retrieval performance of wavelet and NSCT with different retrieval parameters is also studied.Design/methodology/approachThe authors designed a multi‐scale and multi‐orientation texture transform spectrum, as well as rotation‐invariant feature vector and its measurement criteria. Then a new two‐level coarse‐to‐ﬁne rotation and scale‐invariant texture retrieval algorithm based on no‐parameter statistic features was proposed. Experiments on VisTex texture database show that the algorithm proposed in this paper is appropriate for main orientation capturing and detail information description.FindingsAccording to the experiments results, it was found that the combination of this two‐level progressive retrieval strategy and multi‐scale analysis method can effectively improve retrieval efficiency compared with traditional algorithms and ensure a high precision as well.Originality/valueThe paper presents a novel algorithm for rotation and scale‐invariant texture retrieval.
Micro crack detection of multi‐crystalline silicon solar wafer using machine vision techniques
Authors: Chiou Yih‐Chih , Liu Jian‐Zong , Liang Yu‐Teng 
Published: March 2011

PurposeThe detection of invisible micro cracks (μ‐cracks) in multi‐crystalline silicon (mc‐si) solar wafers is difficult because of the wafers' heterogeneously textured backgrounds. The difficulty is twofold. First, invisible μ‐cracks must be visualized to imaging devices. Second, an image processing sequence capable of extracting μ‐cracks from the captured images must be developed. The purpose of this paper is to reveal invisible μ‐cracks that lie beneath the surface of mc‐si solar wafers.Design/methodology/approachTo solve the problems, the authors first set up a near infrared (NIR) imaging system to capture images of interior μ‐cracks. After being able to see the invisible μ‐cracks, a region‐growing flaw detection algorithm was then developed to extract μ‐cracks from the captured images.FindingsThe experimental results showed that the proposed μ‐cracks inspection system is effective in detecting μ‐cracks. In addition, the system can also be used for the inspection of silicon solar wafers for stain, pinhole, inclusion and macro cracks. The overall accuracy of the defect detection system is 99.85 percent.Research limitations/implicationsAt present, the developed prototype system can detect μ‐crack down to 13.4 μm. The inspection resolution is high but the speed is low. However, the limitation on inspection speed can easily be lifted by choosing a higher resolution NIR camera.Practical implicationsGenerally, this paper is a great reference for researchers who are interested in developing automatic optical inspection systems for inspecting solar wafer for invisible μ‐cracks.Originality/valueThe research described in this paper makes a step toward developing an effective while low‐cost approach for revealing invisible μ‐crack of mc‐si solar wafers. The advantages provided by the proposed system include excellent crack detection sensitivity, capability of detecting hidden subsurface μ‐cracks, and low cost.
An automatic inspection and control method for a biological reagent production system with image processing techniques
Authors: Lin Chern‐Sheng , Su Yung‐Yen , Shei Hung‐Jung , Tien Chuen‐Lin , Lu An‐Tsung 
Published: March 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present an automatic inspection and control method for a reagent rapid test strip production system, with image processing techniques.Design/methodology/approachFluorescence, color arrangement and combination matching with the database were used to identify the responses of biochemicals. The position accuracy and insufflation consistency between the control line and test line on a reagent rapid test strip will be analyzed from the image after series processing.FindingsThe system can identify failed products and regulate production conditions to insure that the quality standard is maintained. The idea edges of the control line and test line are the boundary at which a significant change occurs in the surface reflectance and illumination of the viewer. But the change of the real boundary of the test line may be insufficient for identification.Research limitations/implicationsAs the illumination of biological reagent images cannot be measured precisely in the production process, and the intensity of the background light source is difficult to control, there are always significant errors in the production process. If the environment at sampling could be precisely controlled, the accuracy of the system could be enhanced.Originality/valueThis study developed software architecture for a biological reagent production and inspection system. Future studies will focus on the implementation of testing, and improvement of the system, so that it can be applied to medical systems for the benefit of all patients.
Theoretical and experimental studies on liquid refractive index sensor based on bundle fiber
Authors: Harun S.W. , Yang H.Z. , Ahmad H. 
Published: March 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate, theoretically and experimentally the performance of liquid refractive index sensor (LRIS).Design/methodology/approachThe proposed LRIS is based on the intensity modulation and a bundle fiber. The mathematical model is used to study the effect of inclination angle on performance of the sensor.FindingsThe theoretical result shows that the highest sensitivity can be achieved by using a probe inclined with angle 20° which is almost 13 times higher than that of 0° inclination. In the experiment, three different liquids: isopropyl alcohol, water and methanol are used to investigate the sensor response. Both theoretical and experimental results show that the peak power and the location of the displacement curve changes with refractive index. The sensitivities are obtained at 0.11/mm and 0.04/mm for the sensors with 10° and 0° inclination angles, respectively.Originality/valueIn this paper, a simple LRIS is proposed using a bundle fiber as a probe at various inclination angles.
System development and application of Taylor Kriging metamodeling
Authors: Liu Heping , Chen Yanli , Strickland Fred L. , Dai Ran , Qi Bing 
Published: March 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop an application software interpolation system based on Taylor Kriging (TK) metamodeling, and apply the developed software system to addressing some engineering interpolation problems.Design/methodology/approachTK is a novel Kriging model where Taylor expansion is used to identify the base functions of drift function in Kriging. The paper explains the methodology of TK, illustrates the development of software, and reports the results of two case studies by comparing TK with several regression methods.FindingsTK has the advantage of interpolation accuracy, and the developed Kriging software system is useful and can be conveniently manipulated by users.Practical implicationsThe developed software system can benefit practical engineering applications that need accurate interpolations under limited observations.Originality/valueThis paper develops an application software interpolation system based on a novel TK metamodel, and the practical engineering applications show that it can provide accurate interpolations under limited observations.
A robust data mining approach for formulation of geotechnical engineering systems
Authors: Hossein Alavi Amir , Hossein Gandomi Amir 
Published: March 2011

PurposeThe complexity of analysis of geotechnical behavior is due to multivariable dependencies of soil and rock responses. In order to cope with this complex behavior, traditional forms of engineering design solutions are reasonably simplified. Incorporating simplifying assumptions into the development of the traditional models may lead to very large errors. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate capabilities of promising variants of genetic programming (GP), namely linear genetic programming (LGP), gene expression programming (GEP), and multi‐expression programming (MEP) by applying them to the formulation of several complex geotechnical engineering problems.Design/methodology/approachLGP, GEP, and MEP are new variants of GP that make a clear distinction between the genotype and the phenotype of an individual. Compared with the traditional GP, the LGP, GEP, and MEP techniques are more compatible with computer architectures. This results in a significant speedup in their execution. These methods have a great ability to directly capture the knowledge contained in the experimental data without making assumptions about the underlying rules governing the system. This is one of their major advantages over most of the traditional constitutive modeling methods.FindingsIn order to demonstrate the simulation capabilities of LGP, GEP, and MEP, they were applied to the prediction of: relative crest settlement of concrete‐faced rockfill dams; slope stability; settlement around tunnels; and soil liquefaction. The results are compared with those obtained by other models presented in the literature and found to be more accurate. LGP has the best overall behavior for the analysis of the considered problems in comparison with GEP and MEP. The simple and straightforward constitutive models developed using LGP, GEP and MEP provide valuable analysis tools accessible to practicing engineers.Originality/valueThe LGP, GEP, and MEP approaches overcome the shortcomings of different methods previously presented in the literature for the analysis of geotechnical engineering systems. Contrary to artificial neural networks and many other soft computing tools, LGP, GEP, and MEP provide prediction equations that can readily be used for routine design practice. The constitutive models derived using these methods can efficiently be incorporated into the finite element or finite difference analyses as material models. They may also be used as a quick check on solutions developed by more time consuming and in‐depth deterministic analyses.
Wavelet basis finite element solution of structural dynamics problems
Authors: Gopikrishna K. , Shrikhande Manish 
Published: March 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a new hierarchical finite element formulation for approximation in time.Design/methodology/approachThe present approach using wavelets as basis functions provides a global control over the solution error as the equation of motion is satisfied for the entire duration in the weighted integral sense. This approach reduces the semi‐discrete system of equations in time to be solved to a single algebraic problem, in contrast to step‐by‐step time integration methods, where a sequence of algebraic problems are to be solved to compute the solution.FindingsThe proposed formulation has been validated for both inertial and wave propagation types of problems. The stability and accuracy characteristics of the proposed formulation has been examined and is found to be energy conserving.Originality/valueThe paper presents a new hierarchical finite element formulation for the solution of structural dynamics problems. This formulation uses wavelets as the analyzing basis for the desired transient solution. It is found to be very well behaved in solution of wave‐propagation problems.
On the use of EAS solid‐shell formulations in the numerical simulation of incremental forming processes
Authors: Sena J.I.V. , Alves de Sousa R.J. , Valente R.A.F. 
Published: March 2011

PurposeIncremental sheet forming represents a promising process in the manufacturing of metallic components, particularly its variant known as single point incremental forming (SPIF). The purpose of this paper is to test and validate the results coming from numerical simulation of SPIF processes using the reduced enhanced solid‐shell formulation, when compared to the solid finite elements available in ABAQUS software. The use of SPIF techniques in the production of small batch components has a potential wide application in fields such as rapid prototyping and biomechanical devices.Design/methodology/approachIncremental forming processes differ from conventional stamping by not using a press and by requiring a lower number of tools, since no dedicated punches and dies are necessary, which lowers the overall production costs. In addition, it shows relative simplicity and flexible setup for complex parts, when compared with conventional technologies. However, the low speed of production and low‐dimensional accuracy levels are still the main obstacles for a wider application of this technique in the context of large production batches.FindingsIn this sense, the use of numerical simulation tools based on the finite element method (FEM) can provide a better understanding of the process' peculiarities. However, there are differences on using distinct finite element formulations, regarding accuracy as well as CPU times during simulations, which can be prohibitive in some cases.Originality/valueAiming to provide sounding improvements in these two fields (robustness and cost effectiveness of FEM solutions), the present work encloses a preliminary study about some relevant parameters in the FEM simulation of SPIF. Special focus is given to the use of solid‐shell and solid finite elements, for the sake of generality in modelling, as well as implicit solution schemes for the sake of accuracy. Finally, results coming from both experimental data and commercial FEM packages are compared to those obtained by a reliable and cost‐effective solid‐shell finite element formulation developed and implemented by the authors.
The extended finite element method (XFEM) for discontinuous rock masses
Authors: Yu T.T. 
Published: March 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to achieve numerical simulation of discontinuous rock masses.Design/methodology/approachThe extended finite element method (XFEM) was used. Discontinuities (such as joints, faults, and material interfaces) are contained in the elements, thus the mesh can be generated without taking into account the existence of discontinuities. When one element contains no discontinuity, the displacement function is degenerated into that of the conventional finite element. For the element containing discontinuities, the standard displacement‐based approximation is enriched by incorporating level‐set‐based enrichment functions that model the discontinuities, and an element subdivision procedure is used to integrate the domain of the element.FindingsMesh generation can be simplified considerably and high‐quality meshes can be obtained. A solution with good precision can also be achieved. It is concluded that the XFEM technique is especially suitable in simulating discontinuous rock masses problems.Research limitations/implicationsCrack initiation and propagation should be considered in further studies.Practical implicationsThe paper presents a very useful numerical method for a geotechnical engineering problem that has the ability to simulate the failure process of discontinuous rock masses. The method is expected to be used widely in the deformation and stability analysis of complicated rock masses.Originality/valueThe paper provides a new numerical method for discontinuous rock masses that is very convenient for pre‐processing.
Synergetic effects in working teams
Authors: Hertel Guido 
Published: March 2011

PurposeWhereas motivation and coordination losses in teams have been investigated for quite some time, systematic research on performance gains in teams (often called “synergetic effects”) only emerged recently. The purpose of the present paper is to clarify the concept of process gains (or synergy) in teams, and to introduce recent findings from basic psychology that can be very valuable for the management of high performing teams.Design/methodology/approachBased on the definition of synergy as process gain during teamwork compared with a clear baseline (team potential), this review develops specific requirements for the empirical demonstration of synergetic effects in teams. Moreover, a brief history of research on process gains in teams is provided, followed by an outlook on current and future trends in this field.FindingsAlthough this research is still in its pioneering days, various triggers of process gains in teams have been already derived theoretically and/or demonstrated empirically, among them social support from fellow team members, perceived indispensability for the team outcome, the development and/or selection of experts for task and team processes, use of multiple perspectives and information, team learning, and social identification processes.Practical implicationsUnderstanding the preconditions and underlying mechanisms of process gains in teams enables managers to trigger performance levels of teams that exceed what can be expected based on the individual team members' capabilities alone. Moreover, the estimation of a team's potential provides a helpful standard for the assessment of the ongoing team performance.Originality/valueProcess gains in teams and related laboratory research have been largely neglected in the managerial literature so far. This paper and the current special issue are among the first to introduce a clear definition of process gains in teams, and to suggest concrete trigger factors of synergetic effects in teams based on systematic research.