4,687 research outputs found
The Greece of the Greeks: By G.A. Perdicaris, A.M. Late Consul of the United Stats at Athens, in two volumes. New-York: Paine and Burgess, 1845.
No full textIntroduction: (introductory) by the authorDedication: by the author to those who are interested in the Fate of GreecePagination: PP21+293P, PP8+300P+1PPVolumes: 2Edition:1stText Genre:Prose / Journa
Automatic sign language recognition inspired by human sign perception
No full textAutomatic sign language recognition is a relatively new field of research (since ca. 1990). Its objectives are to automatically analyze sign language utterances. There are several issues within the research area that merit investigation: how to capture the utterances (cameras, magnetic sensors, instrumented gloves), how to extract interesting information from the captured data, and how to classify signs or sentences automatically using the extracted information. These issues are of an immediate and basic nature, and must be solved before any automatic recognition of sign language can be achieved. But other issues, pertaining to the nature of sign language and human recognition, are no less interesting: which elements of a sign are important for the meaning of an utterance? How do consecutive signs influence one another? Why are certain types of variation unimportant while others change the meaning of the sign? Automatic sign language recognition has, until recently, mostly focused on the first set of issues. In this thesis, we attempt to integrate knowledge about sign languages and human sign recognition into the automatic sign recognition process. Research on the (psycho)linguistics of sign languages is itself quite young (since ca. 1960), and many questions as yet unanswered. For this reason, we conduct our own studies of human sign language recognition. The knowledge gained from these experiments is applied in an existing automatic sign language recognition system. The thesis is divided into two parts: the first part describes the experiments conducted with human signers, the second part describes experiments investigating the possibilities of integrating such knowledge in the automatic recognizer. This recognizer is meant to be used in an interactive environment for young children to practice sign language vocabulary. For this reason, it is vision-based (which is unobtrusive), and only handles isolated signs. The experiments in part I of the thesis investigate the information content of various sign elements: fragments of a sign in time (chapter 2), and the sign aspects handshape and hand orientation (chapter 3). In time, the central phase of a sign is the most informative one, equally informative to the entire sign. Recognition based on other phases is also possible to a certain extent, and the transition from the preparation phase to the central phase appears to be a salient moment. As for the aspects, the aspect handshape proves more useful for recognition than hand orientation. Chapter 4 gives an overview of the human recognition research and discusses possibilities for application. In part II, the possibilities of utilizing the results of part I in the recognition system are investigated. Chapter 5 describes the addition of the handshape feature to the system (which chapter 3 showed to be the most interesting feature to add). Adding handshape gives a small improvement in the recognition performance. In chapter 6, the salience of the sign fragments used in chapter 2 for the automatic recognizer is investigated. The central phase proves to be the most informative one, as it was for human signers. Chapter 7 describes experiments in which a small set of frames is used to represent a sign. The results show a deterioration in recognition performance. Strict demands on the correctness of the remaining frames are probably partly responsible for the performance decrease. In conclusion, we can say that applying human knowledge in automatic sign language recognition is a complex task. Conclusions about human sign recognition do not necessarily hold for the automatic recognizer as well. The most important obstacles for utilizing information successfully seem to be: 1) data acquisition: computer vision is not as accomplished as human observers in capturing the complex, dynamic hand and face motions that form sign language. This means that information that is present in a sign movement for a human being may not be (correctly) observed by an automatic vision analysis system. Thus, the data that humans work with is not necessarily identical to the data the recognizer works with, and this may cause techniques that are successful for human signers to fail in the automatic system. And 2) differences in basic system architecture. Research into human sign recognition is still ongoing, there is no clear model of human sign recognition yet. This makes it more difficult to translate observations from human sign recognition to the automatic recognizer: human signers may use techniques that are not compatible with the current architecture of the recognizer. For example: human signers may process aspects independently. If the recognition system processes all data as a single stream, then such a technique cannot be implemented. A more thorough understanding of human sign recognition, more sophisticated computer vision techniques, and a close co-operation between the fields of automatic sign language recognition and human sign perception, seems the best way to overcome these obstacles.MediamaticsElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc
Reliability Analysis for Overturning and Sliding of Lacustrine Dikes: The Nezahualcoyotl's Dike Case
No full textBefore the year 1519, the Valley of Mexico was a closed basin and at the bottom of the valley, an extensive system of shallow lakes was formed. Within this lacustrine system, the capital of the Aztec empire, Tenochtitlan, was built. The Aztecs were known for their impressive constructions and complex hydraulic structures, of which the most impressive structure was the Nezahualcoyotl dike. This structure was constructed across Lake Texcoco. Its principal function was to protect the city of Tenochtitlan from high water levels at the lake. However, there is not enough information about the reliability of this dike. Mainly due to two reasons, today there are no remains left of the dike and most of the lacustrine system is drained. In this paper, we present a method to study the reliability of the Nezahualcoyotl dike under two failure modes, overturning and sliding. This is done by following up on the work presented by Torres-Alves & Morales-Nápoles (2020) where they developed a hydrological characterization of the lacustrine system and studied the dike under one failure mode, overflow. The proposed analysis aims to provide a more realistic assessment of the reliability of the dike as a flood defense mechanism.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Hydraulic Structures and Flood Ris
Reliability Analysis of the Ancient Nezahualcoyotl's Dike: Investigating Failure Due to Overflow Using an Improved Hydrological Model
No full textInvestigating the reliability of ancient hydraulic structures constructed without modern probabilistic criteria allows an understanding of why and how the structure fails. In this paper, we present an extended method, firstly introduced by Torres-Alves and Morales-Nápoles (2020), to perform the reliability analysis of the Nezahualcoyotl's dike that was designed (most likely) without probabilistic criteria. The dike was built around 1450 by the Aztec empire dividing Lake Texcoco from north to south (present-day Mexico City). We estimate the probability of failure due to overflow. By using a discrete time-state Markov chain and bi-variate copulas to generate large synthetic observations of the environmental variables precipitation and evaporation. In addition to the previous methodology, two sources of uncertainty were taken into account (i) the characterization of the environmental conditions during the dry season to estimate initial water levels on the lake and (ii) the influence of surface runoff and subsurface seepage losses on the water levels. The extended method allows for better characterization of the lacustrine system. Therefore an improved extent of the hydrology of the system and a more reliable estimation of the probability of failure of Nezahualcoyotl's dike are presented.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Hydraulic Structures and Flood Ris
Alle origini delle discipline aziendali: l’opera di G.A. Tagliente
No full textThe Contribution of G.A. Tagliente to the birth of business disciplines
The paper presents the work of a XVI century Italian Accounting author, G.A. Tagliente, giving a historiographic interpretation under a business economics point of view. The research is placed in a wider project of mapping Early Mod- ern Era contributions on Accounting, where contents, distinctly analyzed, are linked to their respective social and economic contexts. In the paper biograph- ical notes are placed in the Early XVI Century Venice and the whole literary production of the Author is presented before the proper accounting one. He was the second writer on double entry method, after Pacioli’s work. He pub- lished also books on mathematics for business, but his fortune is due mainly to the unique treatise on “simple entry book”, at those times very spread through the small and medium enterprises. Even if “minor” respect to the Great Pacioli, with him a cultural path began that would lead, finally, to the establish- ment of a new stream of thought: Accounting as we recognise it nowadays. In certain respects, furthermore, he underscored not still explored concern as- pects like family’s administration, extraordinary events, fixed assets and other peculiar issues
Reliable methods for predicting the sound from clustered rocket engines
No full textHigh area ratio rocket engines generate strong vibro-acoustic loads primarily during transient operations, like start-up and shut-down of the engine. These loads can adversely affect the launch vehicle and its payload. Thus, an accurate prediction of the loads produced during engine start-up is pertinent to the safety and reliability of the launch vehicle. The present work focuses on developing a robust framework for predicting these loads using laboratory scale rocket nozzles tested in the fully anechoic chamber at The Uni- versity of Texas at Austin. This encompasses corrections for the observer position relative to the prominent source region, as well as scaling factors to correct for geometric factors. The test campaign encompasses single, two, three and four nozzle clusters, as well as differences in nozzle geometry and operating conditions (nozzle pressure ratio)
Coming home to mother
No full textGift of Dr. Mary Jane Esplen.Piano vocal [instrumentation]We love to think of years ago [first line]We are coming home to Mother [first line of chorus]A flat [key]Piano [tempo]House, families, birds, photograph of M.E. Mollins [illustration]Popular song [form/genre]Publisher's advertisement on inside front [note]Mediatoon by G.A. Boyton [note
Working in soviet aircraft industry. Extract from G.A. Cheremukhin memories
No full textPublished by N.G. Georguiyeva
This is a publication of an excerpt from the G.A. Cheremukhin's memoirs «The work in the aircraft industry» (1921-2009). He was a famous aircraft designer noted both in Russia and abroad. This fragment contains the previously little known information on the beginning of the creation of a strategic bomber TU-4 in 1945-1947. N.G. Georgieva prepared this publication on the basis of the manuscript of his memoirs. The preface and footnotes contain biographic data on people who were mentioned in the memoirs and who were working together with the author of the memoirs
Itauara rupicola Alves & Dumas & Nessimian & Santos 2023, sp. nov.
No full text<i>Itauara rupicola</i> sp. nov. <p>urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 1B42DDFE-5391-4E25-B5DD-D93BB5860129</p> <p>Fig. 9</p> Differential diagnosis <p> This new species belongs to the <i>brasiliana</i> species group and, in the strict consensus tree, it appears in an unresolved polytomy within this species group. This new species can be easily recognized by the tergum X with three acute processes in dorsal view, with the median process being larger than the lateral ones (Fig. 9A–B). Moreover, the nearly straight shape of the phallicata, and the basally bifid parameres also easily distinguish <i>I</i>. <i>rupicola</i> sp. nov. from other species.</p> Etymology <p> From the Latin ‘ <i>rupes</i> ’ (‘rock’), and ‘- <i>cola</i> ’ (‘inhabitant’), in reference to the typical environment surrounding the type locality, the “Campos Rupestres” or “Campos Rupícolas”.</p> Material examined <p> <b>Holotype</b> BRAZIL • ♂; Minas Gerais, Morro do Pilar, Parque Nacional da Serra do Cipó, Córrego Água Escura; 19°16′02.7″ S, 43°30′56.8″ W; alt. 1239 m; 18–21 Nov. 2018; A.A. Alves, A.P.M. Santos, A.S. Freitas and A.L.D. Ferreira leg.; Malaise trap; DZRJ 7629.</p> <p> <b>Paratypes</b> BRAZIL • 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; DZRJ 7630 • 2 ♂♂; same collection data as for holotype; 11–14 Oct. 2019; A.A. Alves, J.L. Nessimian, L. Hoehne and G.A. Jardim leg.; Malaise trap; MNRJ-ENT10-187 • 2 ♂♂; same collection data as for holotype; Parque Nacional da Serra do Cipó, Trilha para o Córrego Água Escura, Córrego Indaiá; 19°15′47.9″ S, 43°31′28.8″ W; alt. 1295 m; 18 Nov. 2018; A.A. Alves and A.P.M. Santos leg.; Pennsylvania light trap; DZRJ 7633 • 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; Jaboticatubas, Parque Nacional da Serra do Cipó, Trilha para Cachoeira da Farofa, Córrego da Farofa; 19°23′2.6″ S, 43°34′49.1″ W; alt. 812 m; 5–10 Jan. 2019; A.A. Alves, J.L. Nessimian, L. Hoehne and A.L. Henriques-Oliveira leg.; Malaise trap; DZRJ 7632.</p> Description <p> <b>Adult</b></p> <p>Length of each forewing 2.7–3.0 mm (n = 7). Head, thorax, and appendages, in alcohol, light brown. Forewings covered with brown setae, slightly broad after anastomosis, with anterior and posterior margins approximately parallel, apex subacute; forks I, II, and III present; Sc and R1 veins not fused; forks I and II sessile; fork III petiolate, with stem longer than fork; Cu1 vein complete, reaching wing margin; Cu1 and Cu2 veins intersecting near anastomosis; Cu2 vein with row of erect setae; A3 vein absent; crossveins constituting relatively straight transverse line; Rs vein shorter than discoidal cell. Hind wings with margins approximately parallel, with apical portion tapered; forks II and V present; Sc and R1 veins converging very near to wing margin; A2 vein absent. Spur formula 1, 4, 4, foretibial spur reduced and hair-like. Segment VI with digitate process, with acute apex.</p> <p> <b>Male genitalia</b></p> <p>Preanal and inferior appendages absent. Segment IX broad medially; anterior margin rounded; posterolateral margin slightly sclerotized. Tergum X partially fused to tergum IX; in dorsal view, dorsomesal margin with elongate, digitate mesal process, downturned in lateral view (Fig. 9A–B); dorsolateral margin with pair of lateral setose processes, shorter than dorsomesal process (Fig. 9AB); ventrolateral margin, with pair of flange-like processes outwardly directed, with small upper protuberances, each one with apical setae (number variable in left-right sides), and larger lower digitate lobe (Fig. 9A, C); and medially, between ventrolateral processes, with long digitate process (Fig. 9A). Parameres present, sclerotized, paired, bifid, arising ventrobasally from fused endotheca and phallobase; lower process long, rod-like, slender, upturned, with apical portion slightly broader, directed dorsally, apices pointed (Fig. 9A, C); upper process, short, acute, and downturned in lateral view (Fig. 9A), with outwardly projecting apex in ventral view (Fig. 9C). Phallobase reduced, slightly sclerotized. Phallicata with long sclerotized dorsally flattened sheath, almost straight (Fig. 9A); dorsobasally with strong curvature posteriorly directed (Fig. 9A). Endophallus membranous, enlarged, and convoluted, with membranous flanges produced ventrobasally, almost forming hollow tube, and with slightly sclerotized lobe basoventrally (Fig. 9A, C).</p> <p> <b>Female and immatures</b></p> <p>Unknown.</p> Distribution <p>Brazil [state of Minas Gerais (municipality of Morro do Pilar)].</p>Published as part of <i>Alves, André Almeida, Dumas, Leandro Lourenço, Nessimian, Jorge Luiz & Santos, Allan Paulo Moreira, 2023, Born from rock: eight new species of Itauara Müller, 1888 (Trichoptera: Glossosomatidae) from southeastern Brazil, including phylogenetic and distributional comments on the genus, pp. 99-133 in European Journal of Taxonomy 885</i> on pages 120-122, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2023.885.2193, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/8205440">http://zenodo.org/record/8205440</a>
The Annals of Montecassino, 1189-1195 (translation)
No full textThis unpublished translation relates to the Conquest of Southern Italy by Henry VI.
The Annales Casinenses survive in several different versions, the last of which finishes in 1212. The section from 1183-95 seems to be written by a single author, more or less contemporaneously with the events described, and originally came in the format
translated below in two manuscripts, the first (now lost) used by Erasmo Gattula, the Cassinese archivist and historian of the early eighteenth-century, who believed it to have been copied c. 1270, the other (Berlin 296), was written in 1314.
The section here has been translated by G.A. Loud from Monumenta Germaniae
Historica, Scriptores xix.314-18
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