Search Results (1,928)

The orange (Citrus sinensis) is a fruit of the Citrus genus, which is part of the Rutaceae family. The orange has gained considerable importance due to its extensive range of applications, including the production of juices, jams, sweets, and extracts. The consumption of oranges confers several nutritional benefits, including flavonoids, vitamin C, potassium, beta-carotene, and dietary fiber. It is crucial to acknowledge that the primary quality criterion employed by consumers and producers is maturity, which is correlated with the visual quality associated with the color of the epicarp. This study proposes the implementation of a computer vision system that estimates the degree of ripeness of oranges Valencia using fuzzy logic (FL); the soluble solids content was determined by refractometry, while the firmness of the fruit was evaluated through the fruit firmness test. The proposed method was divided into five distinct steps. The initial stage involved the acquisition of RGB images. The second stage presents the segmentation of the fruit, which entails the removal of extraneous noise and backgrounds. The third and fourth steps involve determining the centroid of the fruit, and five regions of interest were obtained in the centroid of the fruit of the Citrus Color Index (CII), ranging from 3 × 3 to 11 × 11 pixels. Finally, in the fifth step, a model was created to estimate maturity, °Brix, and firmness using Matlab 2024 and the Fuzzy Logic Designer and Neuro-Fuzzy Designer applications. Consequently, a statistically significant correlation was established between maturity, degree Brix, and firmness, with a value greater than 0.9, using the Citrus Color Index (CII), which reflects the physical–chemical changes that occur in the orange. Full article

The default mode network (DMN) is a complex network that plays a significant and active role during naturalistic stimulation. Previous studies that have used naturalistic stimuli, such as real-life stories or silent or sonorous films, have found that the information processing involved a complex hierarchical set of brain regions, including the DMN nodes. The DMN is not involved in low-level features and is only associated with high-level content-related incoming information. The human sexual experience involves a complex set of processes related to both external context and inner processes. Since the DMN plays an active role in the integration of naturalistic stimuli and aesthetic perception with beliefs, thoughts, and episodic autobiographical memories, we aimed at quantifying the involvement of the nodes of the DMN during visual sexual stimulation. After a systematic search in the principal electronic databases, we selected 83 fMRI studies, and an ALE meta-analysis was calculated. We performed conjunction analyses to assess differences in the DMN related to stimulus modalities, sex differences, and sexual orientation. The results show that sexual stimulation alters the topography of the DMN and highlights the DMN’s active role in the integration of sexual stimuli with sexual schemas and beliefs. Full article

This study investigated the use of non-formaldehyde binders in the production of plywood panels, focusing on mixtures containing 70% poly 4,4’-methylene diphenyl isocyanate (pMDI) and 30% soy flour (SF), along with blends of soy flour and agricultural residues (olive by-products—with and without extraction of their bioactive ingredients—and defatted hemp seeds). The basic properties of these biomaterials, such as moisture content, pH, and buffering capacity, were determined with laboratory analysis. Adhesive mixtures were characterized using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The adhesive’s bonding ability was evaluated by manufacturing plywood panels on a laboratory scale, simulating industrial practices. The glue lines were visually inspected with a stereomicroscope. Micro-ATR-FTIR study of the cross-sections of plywood panels showed the full consumption of isocyanate groups indicating effective curing of the adhesive. Mixtures containing olive residues, particularly olive skin and stones, showed improved thermal stability in the TGA study. The mechanical properties of the plywood panels were assessed with three-point bending tests, while their shear strength and wood failure performance were tested according to the European standards used in the relevant industry (EN 314.1:2004 and EN 314.2:1993). In terms of flexural properties, the adhesive with non-extracted (NE) residual olive skin (ROS) showed the highest flexural strength of around 17 MPa and a flexural modulus of 650 MPa. The formulations containing extracted materials from hemp seeds (HSs) and residual olive skin (ROS) showed the best overall performance with wood failure values of 85% and 75% after the most severe cyclic test (EN314.1:2004-Pretreatment 5.1.3). Overall, the results showed that binders prepared with residual olive skin and defatted hemp seeds have promising performance and can be used in the manufacture of plywood panels. Full article

This study contributes to filling knowledge gaps regarding recent information on the diet of the European hake, Merluccius merluccius Linnaeus, 1758, in the Greek seas, particularly its ontogenetic shifts and its spatiotemporal variability. The trophic preferences of M. merluccius were investigated in the North Aegean Sea during the summers of 2019 to 2023 with visual stomach content analysis to assess its composition, diversity, and variability across body-size classes, years, and subareas. The identified prey are functionally diverse and in many cases also primary targets for local fisheries. The ontogenetic trophic niche of hake was characterized by two distinct shifts, delineated by 10 and 50 cm body-size thresholds. Cephalopods were a prevalent dietary component for large hake individuals. The intermediate body-size classes demonstrated greater trophic niche breadth concerning prey diversity and absolute prey-size ranges. A feeding strategy characterized by the specialization of individuals was also revealed. The effect of the temporal and spatial context on the hake diet was occasionally correlated with spatiotemporal variations in the sizes of their populations. In conclusion, ontogenetic and spatiotemporal variability in the hake diet were found to be significant and should be considered in the data collection design and analyses of the trophic interactions of the species. Full article

This study explores the learning effects of color cues in video lectures and their underlying mechanisms. With the rapid growth of online education, lifelong learning, and blended learning, video lectures have become integral to teaching and learning. Color, a crucial element in visual design, directs attention, organizes content, and integrates information. Evaluating 78 college students, we assessed learning performance by comparing video content with no-color, single-color, and multi-color cues using eye-tracking technology and cognitive load scales. Results indicate that students viewing videos with color cues demonstrated better retention and transfer test performance, while absence or excess of color cues increased cognitive load. These findings have practical implications for video producers and provide a theoretical foundation for enhancing learners’ viewing experience and overall effectiveness. This study not only offers an in-depth analysis of color cue utilization in video lectures, highlighting their positive impact on learning outcomes but also introduces fresh perspectives for educational technology and cognitive psychology research. Future investigations should consider color cue effects in diverse cultural contexts and subject areas, exploring varied strategies to optimize the learning experience. Full article

This paper proposes a new approach to enhance the realism and interactivity of shooting simulation systems by integrating a three-degree–of–freedom (3-DoF) platform with sensory and interactive elements, as well as digital content. The system employs visual effects computers and servo controls, utilizing network packet messages for communication based on different scene definitions. When the control handle sends commands, the visual effects computer transmits control parameters to the image generator. Additionally, AI-controlled aircrafts act as enemy planes, autonomously determining flight paths, tracking targets, and engaging in combat, thereby enhancing realism in interactive mechanisms. An iterative learning control (ILC) is designed to provide the platform with good dynamic response, load capacity, and tracking ability when operated by a manual control handle. The core control uses a TMS320F28377D digital signal processor from Texas Instruments, integrated with visual effects computers for three-axis control, controller computation, finite state machines, and network communication operations. Experimental results demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the developed three-axis shooting platform, achieving immersion and coordination with AI enemy aircrafts. Full article

A body of experimental research has aimed to investigate processes underlying dream formation by examining the effects of a range of pre-sleep stimuli and events on subsequent dream content. Given its ever-growing presence and salience in people’s everyday lives, pre-sleep media consumption stands out as a key variable that could influence people’s dreams. We conducted a scoping review to evaluate the experimental evidence of the effects of pre-sleep exposure to visual media on dream content. A systematic search on PubMed, PsycInfo, and Web of Science using terms related to moving visual media and dreams yielded 29 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. Overall, we found modest yet varied effects of pre-sleep exposure to visual media on dream content, with rates of stimulus-related incorporation ranging from 3% to 43% for REM dream reports, 4% to 30% for NREM sleep mentation reports, and between 11% and 35% for home dream reports. Our review highlights the large methodological heterogeneity and gaps across studies, the general difficulty in influencing dream content using pre-sleep exposure to visual media, and suggests promising venues for future research to advance our understanding of how and why digital media may impact people’s dreams. Full article

The rapid increase in telehealth has the potential to bring informed decision-making for prostate cancer screening (PCS) at the population level to high-risk individuals. We utilized a global technology platform of electronic health records data repositories (TriNetX) to determine its utility for Navigator-guided decision-making aid for PCS in Black men ages 45–79 years with no history of prostate cancer and PSA testing. Patients from Pennsylvania were invited to participate in a telehealth-delivered informed decision-making session for PCS. Focus groups, social learning theory, visual diagrams, and quantitative data on PCS risks and benefits were used to develop the content of the sessions, which included numerical discussions of risks vs. benefits in Black men. Participants completed several surveys, including baseline demographic and numeracy questionnaires, a one-on-one telehealth session with a trained Navigator, post-Navigation surveys, and an optional follow-up session with a urologist. Eighty-seven participants were consented and recruited. Although the mean numeracy score was only 1.9 out of 6, more than 90% rated as good or excellent that the sessions aided their PCS decision-making skills. This study indicates that Navigation by telehealth offers the ability to assist in informed decision-making for PCS at the population level. Full article

The content-style duality is a fundamental element in art. These two dimensions can be easily differentiated by humans: content refers to the objects and concepts in an artwork, and style to the way it looks. Yet, we have not found a way to fully capture this duality with visual representations. While style transfer captures the visual appearance of a single artwork, it fails to generalize to larger sets. Similarly, supervised classification-based methods are impractical since the perception of style lies on a spectrum and not on categorical labels. We thus present GOYA, which captures the artistic knowledge of a cutting-edge generative model for disentangling content and style in art. Experiments show that GOYA explicitly learns to represent the two artistic dimensions (content and style) of the original artistic image, paving the way for leveraging generative models in art analysis. Full article

In order to visualize the content and development patterns of microplastic biodegradation research, the American Chemical Society (ACS), Elsevier, Springer Link, and American Society for Microbiology (ASM) were searched for the years 2012–2022 using Citespace and VOSvivewer for bibliometrics and visual analysis. The biodegradation processes and mechanisms of microplastics were reviewed on this basis. The results showed a sharp increase in the number of publications between 2012 and 2022, peaking in 2020–2021, with 62 more publications than the previous decade. The University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), Northwest A&F University (NWAFU), and Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) are the top three research institutions in this field. Researchers are mainly located in China, The United States of America (USA), and India. Furthermore, the research in this field is primarily concerned with the screening of functional microorganisms, the determination of functional enzymes, and the analysis of microplastic biodegradation processes and mechanisms. These studies have revealed that the existing functional microorganisms for microplastic biodegradation are bacteria, predominantly Proteobacteria and Firmicutes; fungi, mainly Ascomycota; and some intestinal microorganisms. The main enzymes secreted in the process are hydrolase, oxidative, and depolymerization enzymes. Microorganisms degrade microplastics through the processes of colonization, biofilm retention, and bioenzymatic degradation. These studies have elucidated the current status of and problems in the microbial degradation of microplastics, and provide a direction for further research on the degradation process and molecular mechanism of functional microorganisms. Full article

This article examines the communication and marketing requirements of a prospective business enterprise that specializes in offering online courses focusing on psychology, personal growth and professional development to change patterns of educational production and consumption. The objective of this research is to analyse the necessary brand positioning for this company to improve its visibility, attracting and retaining interested customers. Using a sequential and evidence-based methodology, this study analyses the precise business requirements to establish an optimal and competitive platform for professionals offering wellbeing courses. This involved analysing the characteristics and needs of the target audience—the professionals who would deliver the courses—and the audience who would enrol in the courses. In addition, we assessed the company’s environmental context, its strengths, weaknesses and unique selling points, as well as effective marketing and positioning strategies, and its direct competitors. We identified a growing interest in online training of courses that contribute to wellbeing. Among the target audience, preferences were diverse, with 58.1% leaning towards personal growth, 45.9% interested in meditation and 43.2% in psychology. Social media, particularly YouTube (52.7%), served as the main source of information for these courses. Criticisms focused mainly on issues such as poor visual and audio quality (20%), inadequate structuring of content (30%) and perceived boredom (23.6%). Addressing these preferences through multilingual translation, niche targeting, diverse course offerings, flexible pricing and membership options can effectively cater to diverse customer segments. The findings emphasise the importance of prioritising audiovisual quality and personalised learning experiences to foster audience loyalty. Full article

The efficient extraction, storage, and visualization of geometric and semantic information is a key foundation for the operation of the building information modeling (BIM) platform. This study aims to develop a lightweight BIM system and optimize the system’s performance according to the specific characteristics of steel structures. This study proposes several novel techniques for extracting and decoupling the geometric and semantic information of components from industry foundation class (IFC) files. A redundancy removal approach combining the principal content analysis (PCA) algorithm and the Hausdorff-based comparison algorithm is proposed to identify standardized steel components, and a lightweight visualization method on Web3D for redundant instances is also presented. A loading mechanism of the level of detail (LOD) model based on a mesh simplification algorithm is presented to optimize the display efficiency. The developed system is evaluated by three steel structural models. Using the redundancy removal approach, the number of instances is decreased by 96.46% in less than 30 s and over 30 FPS (frame per second) is kept when rendering. Using the LOD loading mechanism, 95.38% of vertices and 98.46% of patches are eliminated under 50 mm precision. The experiment results indicate that users can quickly load large BIM models and fetch sufficient information from the website. Full article

This study examines the microfluidic characterization of foamy oil flow dynamics in heterogeneous porous media. A total of 12 microfluidic CSI experiments were conducted using reservoir-on-the-chip platforms. In addition, detailed PVT analysis was performed to characterise the heavy oil/solvent systems. Moreover, a numerical model constructed with CMG software package (2021.10) has been validated against the experimental findings in this study. A clear-cut visualization study provided by microfluidic systems revealed that factors including solvent type, pressure depletion rate, and reservoir parameters have a significant impact on foamy oil flow extension. It was found that a solvent containing a higher CO₂ content demonstrated more effective performance compared with other solvent compositions, owing to its capability to reduce viscosity, enhance swelling, and offer more gas molecules due to its superior solubility. Additionally, a high pressure-depletion rate amplifies the driving force for bubble nucleation, as well as reducing the amount of time available for bubble coalescence. In addition, lower reservoir porosity impedes bubble movement and delays coalescence, thus extending the foamy oil flow. Furthermore, with the aid of a robust image analysis technique, it was discovered that utilizing 100% CO₂ as a solvent resulted in a 17% increase in oil recovery over using 50% CO₂ and 50% CH₄. Furthermore, a 6% increase in oil recovery was achieved by applying a fast pressure depletion rate as opposed to a slow pressure depletion rate. Moreover, the numerical model constructed was found to be accurate in adjusting heavy oil recovery with an average relative error of 7.7%. Full article

During satellite remote sensing imaging, the use of Bayer mode sensors holds significant importance in saving airborne computing resources and reducing the burden of satellite transmission systems. The demosaicing techniques play a key role in this process. The integration of Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) has garnered significant interest in the realm of image demosaicking, owing to their ability to generate intricate details. However, when demosaicing mosaic images in remote sensing techniques, GANs, although capable of generating rich details, often introduce unpleasant artifacts while generating content. To address this challenge and differentiate between undesirable artifacts and realistic details, we have devised a novel framework based on a Progressive Discrimination Strategy within a Generative Adversarial Network architecture for image demosaicking. Our approach incorporates an artifact-weighted Location Map refinement technique to guide the optimization process towards generating authentic details in a stable and precise manner. Furthermore, our framework integrates a global attention mechanism to boost the interaction of spatial-channel information across different dimensions, thereby enhancing the performance of the generator network. Moreover, we conduct a comparative analysis of various prevalent attention mechanisms in the context of remote sensing image demosaicking. The experimental findings unequivocally demonstrate that our proposed methodology not only achieves superior reconstruction accuracy on the dataset but also enhances the perceptual quality of the generated images. By effectively mitigating artifacts and emphasizing the generation of true details, our approach represents a significant advancement in the field of remote sensing image demosaicking, promising enhanced visual fidelity and realism in reconstructed images. Full article

Seaports affect the environment through various functions related to cargo handling, connectivity to the sea and land transport networks, and industrial, logistics, and distribution activities. The purpose of this study was to perform a preliminary assessment of the contents of dioxins and microplastics in the bottom sediments of the Port of Gdynia. The identification of plastic particles was carried out on the basis of visual and microscopic observations, as well as spectroscopy analysis. Fragments and fibres were dominant when categorised by particle shape, while transparent, white, and black particles dominated when categorised by colour. The predominant polymer types identified polyolefins and their derivatives. These findings suggest that low-density plastics are present in seabed sediments, probably as a result of biofouling. Samples were also tested for the presence of dioxins. In the sediment surface layer, the highest concentrations were obtained for octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (5.54–962 ng/kg d.m.), which has low toxicity. The most toxic congener (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin) was present in very low concentrations (0.19–0.32 ng/kg s.m.). The values of the toxicity coefficient ranged from 0.01 to 9.77 ng/kg s.m. The results showed that in the studied bottom zones in Gdynia Port, the analysed pollutants do not cause a high ecological risk and do not require permanent monitoring. Full article