Amount Of Illumination Research Articles

Day2Dark: Pseudo-Supervised Activity Recognition Beyond Silent Daylight

AbstractThis paper strives to recognize activities in the dark, as well as in the day. We first establish that state-of-the-art activity recognizers are effective during the day, but not trustworthy in the dark. The main causes are the limited availability of labeled dark videos to learn from, as well as the distribution shift towards the lower color contrast at test-time. To compensate for the lack of labeled dark videos, we introduce a pseudo-supervised learning scheme, which utilizes easy to obtain unlabeled and task-irrelevant dark videos to improve an activity recognizer in low light. As the lower color contrast results in visual information loss, we further propose to incorporate the complementary activity information within audio, which is invariant to illumination. Since the usefulness of audio and visual features differs depending on the amount of illumination, we introduce our ‘darkness-adaptive’ audio-visual recognizer. Experiments on EPIC-Kitchens, Kinetics-Sound, and Charades demonstrate our proposals are superior to image enhancement, domain adaptation and alternative audio-visual fusion methods, and can even improve robustness to local darkness caused by occlusions. Project page: https://xiaobai1217.github.io/Day2Dark/.

Internet of things applied to agriculture using the ESP32 module in connection with the Ubidots platform

This article presents the use of the ESP32 module as a linking device for the Internet of Things (IoT). A prototype was implemented in the area of agriculture, specifically, in greenhouses. This prototype allows us to read and control some variables present in the microclimate of a greenhouse. These variables are: percentage of relative humidity of the soil, the amount of illumination that the crops receive, the measurement of the pH of the soil and the environmental temperature. In the second instance, a pump that supplies water for irrigation can be controlled, as well as the on/off of the ultraviolet light that falls on the plants. That is why the MQTT protocol was used to communicate with the Ubidots platform, creating a client from the ESP32 module, which was programmed using the Arduino IDE only as an editor, compiler and code store.

БИОХИМИЧЕСКИЕ ПОКАЗАТЕЛИ И ПРИМЕНЕНИЕ МИКРОВОДОРОСЛЕЙ Cyanobacteria Spirulina В КОРМАХ КРУПНОГО РОГАТОГО СКОТА

The qualitative and quantitative compositions of the valuable biologically active substances, species and strains of microalgae are related the genus of Cyanobacteria Sp.platensis and Sp.labgrinthifosmis that were isolated from local nature and grown in semi-production facilities were considered. In order to adapt for mass cultivation, algae were first grown in greenhouse conditions. The algae were cultivated within 12 days. The produc-tivity in the tubular cultivator with stirring of Sp.platensis was 3.8 g / l, protein (73.0%), and Sp.laberinthiformis was 2.6 g / l of protein (63.1%). Similar studies were carried out in the open-air conditions that showed an increase in the amount of illumination causes a significant restructuring of the entire photosynthetic apparatus of algae. The accumulation of Sp.labyrinthiformis 2.7 g / l a.d.c., protein 62.21%, and Sp.platensis 4.08 g / l, protein 75.3%, were within 10 days. The content of protein and carotenes sharply increases in comparison with the greenhouse conditions. It was found that the addition of Sp.platensis suspension, as a protein-vitamin supplement for the bulls’ feedstuff, stimulates physiological processes that improves the biochemical parameters of their blood, the digestibility coefficient of nutrients by 8-9%, positive mineral balance, increases live weight gain (17.4%) and slaughter yield of the bulls (3.6%). So, the suspension of Sp.platensis is recommended for use as a protein-vitamin supplement in livestock farms that will allow having a significant economic effect in livestock farming, in average 20-25% profits per yearly.

Effects of different light regimes on Dunaliella salina growth and β-carotene accumulation

Outdoor cultivations of microalgae for commercial scale production usually rely on natural sunlight following ‘Sine’ regime, but most lab scale studies adopt ‘Block’ or ‘Continuous’ regimes, leading to poor prediction of outdoor cultivation results. To fill this gap on β-carotene production by Dunaliella salina, the effects of light regimes (‘Block’, ‘Sine’, ‘Continuous’) on cell growth and β-carotene accumulation in D. salina were investigated in this study. The results showed significant difference between these regimes. When receiving the same amount of illumination, ‘Sine’ mode inferred 10–55% higher biomass yield and 31–58% higher β-carotene yield than those under the ‘Block’ mode. The biomass concentration, as well as protein and total fatty acid (TFA) content, has no significant difference between different light regimes, but the starch content in the ‘Continuous’ light regime was higher than that of ‘Sine’ and ‘Block’ regime. β-carotene accumulation under ‘Continuous in summer’ and ‘Simulated diurnal irradiance in summer’ regimes were correlated with increase (C18:1, C18:2) and decrease (C16:4, C18:3) of specific fatty acids (FAs) contents, rather than TFA content. Meanwhile, it was found that β-carotene accumulation was correlated with periodical Fv/Fm fluctuations under different light regimes, and indicate that exposure to periodical strong light is more favorable for β-carotene accumulation, rather than continuous light. These results indicated the significance of using ‘Sine’ light regime since it not only provided better predictions on outdoor production, but also helpful for increase biomass and β-carotene productivities.

Response in Nighttime Activity of White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) to Lunar Cycle and Cloud Cover

From 14 October 2014 through 31 November 2018, we used trail cameras to investigate the relationship between nighttime activity of Odocoileus virginianus (White-tailed Deer) and 2 extraneous variables (lunar cycle and cloud cover). We hypothesized that greater amounts of illumination would positively affect the nighttime activity of White-tailed Deer. Our findings supported our hypothesis indicating that both lunar cycle and cloud cover affect the activity of the species. Nighttime activity decreases as illuminance of the moon decreases through the lunar cycle (number of detections: full moon = 578, new moon = 232, first quarter = 386, third quarter = 329). Lowest activity occurred on nights when illuminance was the lowest (e.g., new moon with overcast skies) and highest activity on nights when illuminance was the greatest. The amount of illumination may be important regarding White-tailed Deer avoidance of predators.

Some physiological parameters of the resistance of woody plants in the arid conditions of the Mangystau desert

The purpose of this study was to identify the possibility of using physiological parameters of growth and development of woody plants as markers of their tolerance to the arid conditions of the Mangistau desert zone. Using the generally accepted representative methods for 21 species of trees and shrubs, we studied the seasonal dynamics of the intensity of transpiration and water content of leaves, chlorophyll concentration and heat resistance. According to the magnitude of transpiration consumption of moisture, three groups of introducents were identified: weakly transpiring (<250 mg/g of raw leaves per hour), mediumtranspiring (250-500) and highly transpiring (> 500). A close correlation was established between the intensity of transpiration (IT) and the water content of the leaves of woody plants (r = 0.79). Soil moisture predetermines from 11.6 to 43.6 % of changes in transpiration flow (r = 0.34-0.66). The close connection between the transpiration intensity and relative humidity (r = -0.59) and air temperature (r = 0.46) is credible at 5 % significance level. With the amount of illumination it is associated statistically incredible (r = 0.19). Seasonal dynamics of IT in most introductions looks like a one-peak curve with a maximum in June. For the daytime course of transpiration changes, three types of rhythms are distinguished: “increasing” (from morning to evening), “falling” (from morning to evening) and “variable” (with a maximum at noon). The intensity of the transpiration process due to significant variability and multifactorial nature cannot be counted among the criteria for resistance of woody plants. However, at the same time, a significant correlation was revealed between the biological resistance of introducents and the coefficient of variation of IT. With an increase in its values, the tolerance of plants to arid habitat conditions usually increases due to their increased ability to self-regulate water exchange. Chlorophyll content is characterized by a double-vertex curve with a maximum in June and September. In the most biologically resistant species (elm elm, spinefly), its concentration is less susceptible to seasonal fluctuations. According to the collected research materials, the chlorophyll content cannot yet be considered a credible parameter of plant resistance, since it strongly depends on the bioecological properties of introduced species, especially in adverse conditions of the Mangistau desert. By heat resistance, plants are ranked in three groups: “low” (50 °С) – 3 species; “medium” (60 °С) – 8 and “high” (70 °С) – 3 taxon. As a genetically fixed bioecological parameter, weakly subject to intraspecific changes, it may well be used as a diagnostic characteristic of the introduction value of plants in arid conditions.

Chemical differentiation in a prestellar core traces non-uniform illumination

Dense cloud cores present chemical differentiation due to the different distribution of C-bearing and N-bearing molecules, the latter being less affected by freeze-out onto dust grains. In this letter we show that two C-bearing molecules, CH$_3$OH and $c$-C$_3$H$_2$, present a strikingly different (complementary) morphology while showing the same kinematics toward the prestellar core L1544. After comparing their distribution with large scale H$_2$ column density N(H$_2$) map from the Herschel satellite, we find that these two molecules trace different environmental conditions in the surrounding of L1544: the $c$-C$_3$H$_2$ distribution peaks close to the southern part of the core, where the surrounding molecular cloud has a N(H$_2$) sharp edge, while CH$_3$OH mainly traces the northern part of the core, where N(H$_2$) presents a shallower tail. We conclude that this is evidence of chemical differentiation driven by different amount of illumination from the interstellar radiation field: in the South, photochemistry maintains more C atoms in the gas phase allowing carbon chain (such as $c$-C$_3$H$_2$) production; in the North, C is mainly locked in CO and methanol traces the zone where CO starts to freeze out significantly. During the process of cloud contraction, different gas and ice compositions are thus expected to mix toward the central regions of the core, where a potential Solar-type system will form. An alternative view on carbon-chain chemistry in star-forming regions is also provided.

The Influence of Selected Type of Daylight Device on Horizontal and Vertical Internal Illuminance

Daylighting is one of the key parameters of internal environment generation in buildings. This parameter determines creation of suitable conditions for visual activities in internal spaces and contributes to human well-being and comfort. Daylight is also the primary stimulus for synchronizing the human circadian photobiological system. Traditional parameters and criterions based explicitly on photopic vision have been critically re-evaluated and basic principles of circadian photometry have been developed in theoretical level. Nevertheless daylighting has often been neglected or left out from the main design proposals, which are usually just focused on covering basic needs for vision tasks represented barely by the illumination limits on working plane. Because the amount of light entering the eye is the most important for circadian entrainment, the illuminance recorded on a vertical plane, at eye level, is more significant for human biological system. This paper deals with the comparison of internal horizontal and vertical illuminance recorded in 3 models of room, inserted in simulation program Radiance and illuminated by three types of lighting devices, i.e. window, light-pipes and permanent supplementary artificial lighting represented by the combination of window and light-pipes. Achieved data also express the influence of a workplace position on the amount of illuminance entering the eye according to the direction of the incoming daylight from windows in side-lit room.

Illumination frame of reference in the object-reviewing paradigm: A case of luminance and lightness.

The present study combines the object-reviewing paradigm (Kahneman, Treisman, & Gibbs, 1992) with the checkershadow illusion (Adelson, 1995) to contrast the effects of objects' luminance versus lightness on the object-specific preview benefit. To this end, we manipulated objects' luminance and the amount of illumination given by an informative background scene in experiments. In line with previous studies (Moore, Stephens, & Hein, 2010), there was no object-specific preview benefit when objects were presented on a uniformly colored background and luminance switched between objects. In contrast, when objects were presented on the checkershadow illusion background which provided an explanation for the luminance switch, a reliable object-specific preview benefit was observed. This suggests that object correspondence as measured by the object-reviewing paradigm can be influenced by scene-induced, perceived lightness of objects' surfaces. We replicated this finding and moreover showed that the scene context only influences the object-specific preview benefit if the objects are perceived as part of the background scene.

Theoretical approaches to lightness and perception.

Theories of lightness, like theories of perception in general, can be categorized as high-level, low-level, and mid-level. However, I will argue that in practice there are only two categories: one-stage mid-level theories, and two-stage low-high theories. Low-level theories usually include a high-level component and high-level theories include a low-level component, the distinction being mainly one of emphasis. Two-stage theories are the modern incarnation of the persistent sensation/perception dichotomy according to which an early experience of raw sensations, faithful to the proximal stimulus, is followed by a process of cognitive interpretation, typically based on past experience. Like phlogiston or the ether, raw sensations seem like they must exist, but there is no clear evidence for them. Proximal stimulus matches are postperceptual, not read off an early sensory stage. Visual angle matches are achieved by a cognitive process of flattening the visual world. Likewise, brightness (luminance) matches depend on a cognitive process of flattening the illumination. Brightness is not the input to lightness; brightness is slower than lightness. Evidence for an early (< 200 ms) mosaic stage is shaky. As for cognitive influences on perception, the many claims tend to fall apart upon close inspection of the evidence. Much of the evidence for the current revival of the 'new look' is probably better explained by (1) a natural desire of (some) subjects to please the experimenter, and (2) the ease of intuiting an experimental hypothesis. High-level theories of lightness are overkill. The visual system does not need to know the amount of illumination, merely which surfaces share the same illumination. This leaves mid-level theories derived from the gestalt school. Here the debate seems to revolve around layer models and framework models. Layer models fit our visual experience of a pattern of illumination projected onto a pattern of reflectance, while framework models provide a better account of illusions and failures of constancy. Evidence for and against these approaches is reviewed.

Vehicle Lighting and Modern Roundabouts: Implications for Pedestrian Safety

Modern roundabout facilities are increasing in number throughout North America and the world. Appropriate vehicle lighting, including the application of intelligent headlighting systems, might help support safe, efficient driving behavior while navigating through these new intersection types. We present the results of a field study conducted to compare different vehicle lighting systems in terms of drivers' ability to detect and identify pedestrian activity, under different amounts of illumination from fixed outdoor lighting systems. The results are compared to analytical predictions of visibility using a validated visual performance model. Language: en

Photodynamic therapy for breast cancer in a BALB/c mouse model

ObjectivePhotodynamic therapy (PDT) has been used for superficial neoplasms and its usage has been recently extended to deeper lesions. The purpose of this study was to observe whether or not PDT can cure breast cancer in the solid tumor model, and to define the critical point of laser amount for killing the cancer cells.MethodsTwenty four BALB/c mouse models with subcutaneous EMT6 mammary carcinomas were prepared. Mice were divided into eight groups depending on the amount of illumination, and the tumor size was between 8 mm and 10 mm. We began by peritoneal infiltration with a photosensitizer 48 hours prior to applying the laser light, and then we applied a non-thermal laser light. The energy was from 350 J/cm2 to 30 J/cm2 to the cancer.ResultsRegardless of the tumor size from 8 mm to 10 mm, all mice apparently showed positive results via PDT. We also did not find any recurrence over 90 J/cm2. In all models, the color of the breast cancer lesions began to vary to dark on 2 days post PDT and the tumor regression began simultaneously. Also, we confirmed the complete regression of the breast cancer 21 days after PDT.ConclusionWe confirmed that PDT may treat breast cancers that are sized less 10 mm in mouse models. The moderate energy to destruct the breast cancer cells may be 90 J/cm2. Therefore, we can expcect that PDT may be utilized to treat breast cancer, but we need more experience, skills and processing for clinical trials.

An Illuminating No-Touch Device for Breast Augmentation

Skin contact of breast prostheses is considered by many to be a significant cause of ongoing subclinical infection leading to subsequent symptomatic capsular contracture (1–5). Many surgeons employ a no-touch technique, aiming to lower capsular contracture rates by eliminating skin contamination. One approach requires several assistants to hold retractors so that the implant can be inserted into the pocket without touching the skin (6). This is somewhat awkward and imprecise, and adds the expense of an additional assistant. Others have adopted a no-touch approach that uses a sterile tube or a simple anoscope acting as a sterile sleeve, which works quite well with a single assistant (7). The present paper describes a surgical instrument designed for the insertion of breast prostheses. The instrument can be used quite safely and efficiently by a surgeon with one nurse assistant. It has enhanced illumination, enabling good hemostasis, and is particularly easy to make at low cost. The casing of a 60 mL Toomey syringe is cut with a fine saw on an approximate 45° angle, and is used in both a long (100 mm) and short (66 mm) version (Figure 1). The tip is heat burnished with a butane torch to smooth the cut edges, and more importantly, to convert the plastic from opaque to clear. When used with a headlight, the translucent wide end of the syringe casing absorbs the light, and the clear tip, which is now within the dissected pocket, transmits the light with enhanced intensity. The amount of illumination is quite significant and beneficial, particularly when viewing the corners of a pocket with the longer casing, to ensure that there is good hemostasis (Figure 2). The shorter version works well for the insertion of the prosthesis. Figure 1) A 66 mm (top) and 100 mm (bottom) section of a 60 mL Toomey syringe that has been cut on a 45° angle Figure 2) After the tip has been heat burnished it becomes translucent, transmitting light with enhanced intensity Once hemostasis is complete, the prosthesis, partially filled with 30 mL of normal saline, is simply folded and lubricated with Bacitracin (Pfizer Canada Inc) or saline (Figures 3 and ​and4).4). It is passed as a folded tube through the lumen of the shorter casing into the pocket. This is atraumatic for the prosthesis, and completely prevents any elements of contact between the prosthesis and the skin. We have used implants as large as 400 mL that, when filled with 30 mL of saline, can simply be folded and passed through without difficulty. Figure 3) The prosthesis is passed as a folded tube through the lumen of the shorter casing into the pocket, preventing any elements of contact between the prosthesis and the skin Figure 4) The prosthesis is completely within the pocket after passing through the lumen of the shorter casing This device has many advantages over the anoscope because it transmits far more light, and its diameter fits into a 4.5 cm incision, which is quite acceptable for inframammary incisions. Its length can be determined by the surgeon’s preference. The author has not used this for axillary or periareolar incisions, but the principle to avoid the prosthesis skin contact should still exist. A no-touch sleeve device’s ability to reduce the incidence of infection and subsequent capsule formation is a question that could only be resolved by a large randomized series, which has not been done to date. The advantage of this new device in ensuring hemostasis is a significant advantage in itself. It is low cost and reusable.

Automatic Light Source Placement for Maximum Visual Information Recovery

The automatic selection of good viewing parameters is a very complex problem. In most cases, the notion of good strongly depends on the concrete application. Moreover, when an intuitive definition of good view is available, it is often difficult to establish a measure that brings it to the practice. Commonly, two kinds of viewing parameters must be set: camera parameters (position and orientation) and lighting parameters (number of light sources, its position and eventually the orientation of the spot). The first ones will determine how much of the geometry can be captured and the latter will influence on how much of it is revealed (i. e. illuminated) to the user. Unfortunately, ensuring that certain parts of a scene are lit does not make sure that the details will be communicated to the user, as the amount of illumination might be too small or too high. In this paper we define a metric to calculate the amount of information relative to an object that is effectively communicated to the user given a fixed camera position. This measure is based on an information-based concept, the Shannon entropy, and will be applied to the problem of automatic selection of light positions in order to adequately illuminate an object. In order to validate the results, we have carried out an experiment on users, this experiment helped us to explore other related measures.

How Modern Headlamp Performance Impacts Sag Vertical Curve Design

For over 50 years, the basis for calculating the length of sag vertical curves has been the sight distance based on a 1° upward divergence of the headlamp beam. Over the last 20 years, headlamps have transitioned from being 100% sealed beam to modern replaceable bulb headlamps that project less light above the horizontal plane compared to the sealed beam headlamps that are the basis for the sag curve design. This paper analyzes the performance of modern headlamps with respect to sag vertical curve design by calculating the amount of illumination reaching the pavement in a sag curve. The analysis indicates that the headlamp beam angle used to calculate sag curve length should change from 1 to 0.75° to provide an illuminance level with modern headlamps that is equal to the illuminance provided by sealed beam headlamps. Such a change would increase the K values for sag curve design from 13, 30, and 55 to 15, 37, and 70 for design speeds of 110, 80, and 50 km/h, respectively.

The Experimentally Measured Performance of a Peripherally—Glazed Floor, Sunlighting System

In an attempt to improve the energy efficiency of a building, the impact of floor glazing was assessed. The floors of a 3-story scale model were constructed of either partial (perimeter) glazing, full glazing or no glazing. Results indicated that the amount of illumination transmitted from one floor to the adjacent floor was a function of the amount of glazing. They also indicated that even partial glazing (along the perimeter) results in significant illumination to adjacent floors (as much as a 16.5% increase). Both direct and indirect (reflected) illumination via partially glazed floors occurred, the latter being quantitatively less but still significant. Thus, partial (perimeter) glazing for multiple floors should be considered another means of increasing the energy efficiency of small structures.

Vertical stratification and use of vegetation and light habitats by Neotropical forest birds

The vertical stratification of bird species has been intensively studied in both temperate and tropical bird communities. I investigated the vertical stratification of bird species and their use of vegetation structures and light habitats using observation data from 92 rainforest species. Most observations were made from a 40 m high canopy crane situated close to the Surumoni river (65°40′W, 3°10′N) near Esmeralda, Estado Amazonas, southern Venezuela. Further observations were made at several forest sites nearby. Previous analyses had shown that bird species foraged in stratified vertical niches, with wider niches for midstorey birds than for either canopy or understorey birds. In this study, I used across-species as well as phylogenetically-controlled analyses to correlate the vertical position of bird species with variables relating to vegetation structures and the amount of illumination. I found that species which foraged low in the forest were mostly found in small gap and forest shade light habitats, while species that foraged high were mostly found in large gap and woodland shade light habitats. Furthermore it was the lower-foraging species that were more often found in dimmer light conditions inside denser cover. In correspondence with their wider vertical niches, midstorey birds foraged in a wider range of light habitats and illumination than either canopy or understorey birds. While preserving their overall stratification, species actively moved within their preferred stratum, e. g. downwards and into denser vegetation during hours of strong sunlight and around midday when temperatures are highest. Bird activity appeared to be lowest shortly after midday, as I discovered when controlling for the effects of chance encounters with multi-species flocks. These observations are important not only for the determination of foraging niches, but also for the study of crypsis and the conspicuousness of a bird species in relation to its foraging stratum.

An Empirical Explanation of the Cornsweet Effect

A long-standing puzzle in vision is the assignment of illusory brightness values to visual territories based on the characteristics of their edges (the Craik-O'Brien-Cornsweet effect). Here we show that the perception of the equiluminant territories flanking the Cornsweet edge varies according to whether these regions are more likely to be similarly illuminated surfaces having the same material properties or unequally illuminated surfaces with different properties. Thus, if the likelihood is increased that these territories are surfaces with similar reflectance properties under the same illuminant, the Craik-O'Brien-Cornsweet effect is diminished; conversely, if the likelihood is increased that the adjoining territories are differently reflective surfaces receiving different amounts of illumination, the effect is enhanced. These findings indicate that the Craik-O'Brien-Cornsweet effect is determined by the relative probabilities of the possible sources of the luminance profiles in the stimulus.

THERMAL BACKGROUND SUBTRACTION IN PHOTODIODE DETECTORS

ABSTRACT An investigation of the nature of the thermal diode background in integrating photodiode detectors is presented. The Weckler's (1967) nonlinear model was extended to the general situation of comparable dark and photocurrents, and the model with a self-scanned diode array detector was verified. It was found that a naive linear subtraction of a scan of background from a scan of signal plus background introduces a small multiplicative error in the apparent gain of the detector; the fractional gain error is approximately equal to the fraction of diode saturation due to integrated dark current and does not depend on the amount of illumination. A simple linear correction algorithm is described which allows the use of integration times for which diode background becomes a large fraction of diode saturation allowing detection of lower light levels. A sample application of the correction formula allows operation at a convenient dry-ice pumped-alcohol temperature for exposure times of up to 200 s.

Influence of the Shelf-Break Front Off Nova Scotia on Phytoplankton Standing Stock in Winter

Observations made on the shelf-break front off Nova Scotia during winter on 2 successive yr show the concentration of chlorophyll a in the euphotic zone to be correlated to the inclination of the subsurface front. The steepness of the front influences the depth to which phytoplankton are mixed which in turn controls the average amount of illumination received by a given cell. The two winter observations showed the subsurface front at each of two extremes: vertical with little phytoplankton biomass and almost horizontal with significant quantities of chlorophyll. Calculations were made as to the amount of production enchancement that could result from shallowing of the mixed layer by decreased frontal inclination. They show that during the winter under ideal conditions as few as 35 d of intermittent growth increase annual production in the frontal region by 25%. Key words: front, winter production, phytoplankton, shelf-break, chlorophyll a, frontal oscillations, growth enhancement, stability, stratification