7,758 research outputs found
Advancing the state of the art in the modelling and simulation of information systems evaluation
No full textIt is widely accepted that Information Systems Evaluation (ISE) is a powerful and useful technique
that can be used to assess IT/IS investments in an a-priori or a-posteriori sense. Traditional
approaches to ISE have tended to centre upon financial and management accounting frameworks,
seeking to reconcile tangible and intangible costs, benefits, risks and value factors. Such techniques,
however, do not provide the IS researcher or practitioner with further insight or appreciation of any
inherent and implicit inter-relationships, in the investment justification process. Thus, this paper
outlines and discusses via a taxonomy and resulting classification, alternative and complementary
approaches that can be applied to ISE from the fields of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Operational
Research (OR) and Management Science (MS). The paper subsequently concludes that such
approaches can be potentially used by researchers and practitioners in the field, as a basis for
carrying out further research in the field of applied ISE
A nonlinear variational method for signal segmentation and reconstruction using level set algorithm
No full textA nonlinear functional is considered in this letter for segmentation and noise removal of piecewise continuous signals containing binary information contaminated with Gaussian noise. A discontinuity is defined as points in time scale that separates two signal segments with different amplitude spectra. Segmentation and noise removal of a piecewise continuous signal are obtained by deriving equations minimising the nonlinear functional. An algorithm based on the level set method is employed to implement the solutions minimising the functional. The proposed method is robust in noisy signals and can avoid local minima
Geometrical-based algorithm for variational segmentation and smoothing of vector-valued images
No full textAn optimisation method based on a nonlinear functional is considered for segmentation and smoothing of vector-valued images. An edge-based approach is proposed to initially segment the image using geometrical properties such as metric tensor of the linearly smoothed image. The nonlinear functional is then minimised for each segmented region to yield the smoothed image. The functional is characterised with a unique solution in contrast with the Mumford–Shah functional for vector-valued images. An operator for edge detection is introduced as a result of this unique solution. This operator is analytically calculated and its detection performance and localisation are then compared with those of the DroGoperator. The implementations are applied on colour images as examples of vector-valued images, and the results demonstrate robust performance in noisy environments
Hyalomma hussaini Sharif 1928
No full text11. Hyalomma hussaini Sharif, 1928. An Oriental species whose adults are usually found on Artiodactyla: Bovidae. Adult ticks alone have been collected from Artiodactyla: Bovidae, Camelidae and Suidae, Carnivora: Canidae and Ursidae, and Perissodactyla: Equidae; nymphs and the undescribed larva have been collected from Rodentia: Muridae, and Soricomorpha: Soricidae. Hyalomma hussaini is a very rare parasite of humans. M: Sharif (1928), under the name Hyalomma hussaini typica and given its current status in Sharif (1930) F: Sharif (1928), as Hyalomma hussaini typica N: Singh and Dhanda (1965); see note below L: Singh and Dhanda (1965); see note below Redescriptions M: Feldman-Muhsam (1957), Kaiser and Hoogstraal (1964), Geevarghese and Dhanda (1987), Apanaskevich et al. (2009) F: Feldman-Muhsam (1957), Kaiser and Hoogstraal (1964), Geevarghese and Dhanda (1987), Apanaskevich et al. (2009) N: Geevarghese and Dhanda (1987), Apanaskevich et al. (2009); see note below L: Geevarghese and Dhanda (1987), Apanaskevich et al. (2009); see note below Note: Camicas et al. (1998) list the nymph and larva of Hyalomma hussaini as undescribed, but they are described and have been redescribed in the references cited above published before 1998.Published as part of Guglielmone, Alberto A., Petney, Trevor N. & Robbins, Richard G., 2020, Ixodidae (Acari: Ixodoidea): descriptions and redescriptions of all known species from 1758 to December 31, 2019, pp. 1-322 in Zootaxa 4871 (1) on pages 205-206, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4871.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/442334
Nonlinear optimisation method for image segmentation and noise reduction using geometrical intrinsic properties
No full textThis paper considers the optimisation of a nonlinear functional for image segmentation and noise reduction. Equations optimising this functional are derived and employed to detect edges using geometrical intrinsic properties such as metric and Riemann curvature tensor of a smooth differentiable surface approximating the original image. Images are then smoothed using a Helmholtz type partial differential equation. The proposed approach is shown to be very efficient and robust in the presence of noise, and the reported results demonstrate better performance than the conventional derivative based edge detectors
Action Mechanisms of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Phosphorus Uptake by Capsicum annuum L.
No full textA pot experiment was conducted to investigate the action mechanisms of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in phosphorus (P) uptake of Capsicum annuum L. in a sterilized fossil Oxisol. Three P levels of 0, 10 and 200 mg kg(-1) soil (PO, P10 and P200, respectively) without and with AM fungal inoculation were applied as Ca(H(2)PO(4))(2)center dot H(2)O. Shoot dry matter yields and shoot P uptake increased significantly (P > 0.05) by the inoculation of AM fungi at PO and P10. Root length and P concentration in soil solution increased with the inoculation of AM fungi but the root:shoot ratio decreased or remained constant. Around 50% roots of inoculated plants were infected by AM and the external hyphae amounted to 20 m g(-1) soil at P10 and P200. The hyphae surface area of the infected root cylinder amounted to 11 and 2 cm(2) cm(-2) root at PO and P10, respectively. The increased P uptake of inoculated plants was mainly because of an up to 5 times higher P influx of the infected root. Model calculations showed that the root alone could not have achieved the measured P influx in both infected and non-infected roots. But the P influx for hyphae calculated by the model was even much higher than the measured one. The P uptake capacity of hyphae introduced in the model was too high. Model calculations further showed that the depletion zone around roots or hyphae was very narrow. In the case of the root only 7% of the soil volume would contribute P to the plant, while in the case of hyphae it would be 100%. The results together with the model calculations showed that the increased P uptake of AM inoculated plants could be explained partly by the increased P concentration in the soil solution and by the increased P absorbing surface area coming from the external hyphae.Higher Education Commission of Pakista
Shifting Paradigm of Governance in the Natural Resources Management of Bangladesh: A Centralist to Pluralistic Approach in the Forest Protected Areas Management
No full textEstablishment of a protected area (PA) is a key global conservation strategy aimed to protect the Earth’s imperiled biodiversity and ecosystems. Globally, PA networks now cover nearly 15% of the terrestrial ecosystem. Despite the importance of PAs in protecting declining biodiversity and unique ecosystems, many of them are in critical condition due to poor governance, thus functioning below the expected level. Moreover, in many developing countries, the PA coverage is lower than the global standard. Recognizing their contemporary role in conservation, governments have recently agreed to expand the global PA coverage to 17% by the year 2020 (Aichi Target 11). This book with case studies from around the world provides an overview of PA governance, institutional mechanisms, conservation benefits, limitations and challenges associated with their respective policy discourse, integrated management, and functional attributes. Chapter One provides a general overview with an introduction to the chapters, while Chapters Two through Nine present various attributes of protected area management, from policy to governance, conservation to ecotourism, and land-use/cover change to impact on climate. Protected areas will continue to play an important role in conservation and protection of biodiversity and wild habitats, particularly in countries where population pressure and habitat loss are high. Regular intervention, political commitment, and effective governance are essential for the sustainability of PAs across the globe. In this book, we also attempted to shed some light on future developmental clues for the sustainable management and monitoring of PAs worldwide. This book will be useful to managers of protected areas, conservation scientists, policymakers, students and researchers working on biodiversity conservation, natural resources, and environmental management. [Book Synopsis
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