Time-Domain Sound Field Reproduction with Pressure and Particle Velocity Jointly Controlled

Particle velocity has been introduced to improve the performance of spatial sound field reproduction systems with an irregular loudspeaker array setup. However, existing systems have only been developed in the frequency domain. In this work, we propose a time-domain sound field reproduction method with both sound pressure and particle velocity components jointly controlled. To solve the computational complexity problem associated with the multi-channel setup and the long-length filter design, we adopt the general eigenvalue decomposition-based approach and the conjugate gradient method. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated through numerical simulations with both a regular loudspeaker array layout and an irregular loudspeaker array layout in a room environment.

Research of the compliance of the actual consumption of food products by the school pupils with the recommended consumption rates

The aim of the research is to study the correspondence of the actual consumption of food products by schoolchildren of different age groups in Krasnodar to the recommended consumption standards and to identify their taste preferences in order to justify the choice of basic products for creating products enriched with complexes of deficient micronutrients. The study of the actual consumption of food products by schoolchildren was carried out by a questionnaire using the 24-hour food reproduction method, and additional questions were included in the questionnaires to establish the preferences of schoolchildren when choosing food in the school canteen. It was found that the diet of schoolchildren, especially adolescents, is unbalanced. It was revealed that the consumption of sugar and confectionery products in the diet of schoolchildren significantly exceeded the recommended norm. Fast food constituted 42% in the daily diet of middle and senior schoolchildren. In addition, senior schoolchildren do not follow the diet: 18% of senior schoolchildren eat 4 times a day, 78% eat 3 times a day, and 4% eat only 2 times a day with significant breaks between meals. The study of food preferences of schoolchildren revealed that the greatest demand was for bakery products (67%) and drinks (54%), as well as confectionery (54%). Taking into account that the consumption of sugar and confectionery products in the diet of schoolchildren significantly exceeded the recommended norm and had a negative effect on the young organism, bakery products and drinks were chosen as basic products for creating food products enriched with deficient micronutrient complexes on their basis.

Reproduction Method of Rockfall Geologic Hazards Based on Oblique Photography and Three-Dimensional Discontinuous Deformation Analysis

Rockfall geologic hazards are widely distributed. Due to their concealed nature, rockfalls are difficult to investigate using traditional contact survey methods, and the hazards they pose affect major projects and people’s safety. Reproducing methods, including scene survey and movement process analysis, are primary tasks used to prevent these hazards; however, few reconstruction methods can directly apply the parameters of the rockfall geologic hazards obtained by the scene survey to evaluate the movement process. To address this problem, a method of reproduction based on oblique photography and three-dimensional discontinuous deformation analysis (3D-DDA) is proposed; the method consists of three key techniques (oblique photography, 3D rock block system modeling, and 3D rock block system analysis). First, geometric characteristic parameters of the terrain, rockfall, and discontinuities are extracted based on oblique photography using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Second, the block system model of rockfall is reconstructed by using 3D computational geometry theory and taking these geometric characteristic parameters as an input. Finally, the whole evolution process of rockfall geologic hazard, including initiation, movement, and accumulation, is simulated by the 3D-DDA method. To verify the practicability of this reproduction method, a typical rockfall geologic hazard, located in the K8 + 050 section of the Gaohai expressway, Yunnan, China, is studied. In addition, the characteristics of 19 dangerous rock masses in the survey area are clarified, and the geometric features of the discontinuities in the rock masses are extracted based on oblique photography using an UAV. The block system model of a potential rockfall is reconstructed, the movement trajectory is simulated by the 3D-DDA method, and the evolution process of velocity and kinetic energy of the rockfall verifies that the spatial layout of the current three-level passive protective nets system is reasonable. The case study indicates that the proposed method provides a geological and mechanical model for the risk assessment of rockfall geologic hazards.

A New Photographic Reproduction Method Based on Feature Fusion and Virtual Combined Histogram Equalization

A desirable photographic reproduction method should have the ability to compress high-dynamic-range images to low-dynamic-range displays that faithfully preserve all visual information. However, during the compression process, most reproduction methods face challenges in striking a balance between maintaining global contrast and retaining majority of local details in a real-world scene. To address this problem, this study proposes a new photographic reproduction method that can smoothly take global and local features into account. First, a highlight/shadow region detection scheme is used to obtain prior information to generate a weight map. Second, a mutually hybrid histogram analysis is performed to extract global/local features in parallel. Third, we propose a feature fusion scheme to construct the virtual combined histogram, which is achieved by adaptively fusing global/local features through the use of Gaussian mixtures according to the weight map. Finally, the virtual combined histogram is used to formulate the pixel-wise mapping function. As both global and local features are simultaneously considered, the output image has a natural and visually pleasing appearance. The experimental results demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method and the superiority over other seven state-of-the-art methods.

Photographic Reproduction and Enhancement Using HVS-Based Modified Histogram Equalization

Photographic reproduction and enhancement is challenging because it requires the preservation of all the visual information during the compression of the dynamic range of the input image. This paper presents a cascaded-architecture-type reproduction method that can simultaneously enhance local details and retain the naturalness of original global contrast. In the pre-processing stage, in addition to using a multiscale detail injection scheme to enhance the local details, the Stevens effect is considered for adapting different luminance levels and normally compressing the global feature. We propose a modified histogram equalization method in the reproduction stage, where individual histogram bin widths are first adjusted according to the property of overall image content. In addition, the human visual system (HVS) is considered so that a luminance-aware threshold can be used to control the maximum permissible width of each bin. Then, the global tone is modified by performing histogram equalization on the output modified histogram. Experimental results indicate that the proposed method can outperform the five state-of-the-art methods in terms of visual comparisons and several objective image quality evaluations.

Comparative characteristics of the actual nutrition of younger schoolchildren with different indices of nutritional status

Introduction. Nutrition is one of the most critical factors determining the health status of children and adolescents. Violation of the nutritional status in excess body weight hurts the state of physical development of children. Malnutrition in childhood in childhood is a risk factor for the development of alimentary-dependent diseases, which determined the relevance of this study-the study of the structure of the actual nutrition of younger schoolchildren with various indicators of nutritional status to develop recommendations for optimizing the diet. Material and methods. The essential nutrition was studied in 80 younger schoolchildren of public educational institutions of Smolensk at the age of 9.5-10.5 years. To determine the nutritional status of schoolchildren, we used the standards of the World Health Organization (2007). Actual nutrition was studied using the 24-hour nutritional reproduction method. The composition of the body of children was investigated by the bioimpedance method using the AVS-02 Medass analyzer. Results. In the structure of nutrition of primary schoolchildren, regardless of the nutritional status of children, there is a deficit in the consumption of many essential products of the children’s diet (milk and dairy products, fish, vegetables, and fruits). In the diets of schoolchildren with excessive nutritional status, an excess of products with high energy value (confectionery and pasta, sugar) was revealed. In the intake of essential nutrients, there was noted an imbalance associated with excessive consumption of fats and carbohydrates, along with a lack of dietary fibers, a number of minerals (calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, zinc, iodine), and vitamins (C, B1, B2, A, E, biotin). Conclusion. Comparative analysis of the actual nutrition in primary schoolchildren identified disorders and structure of food packages’ imbalance composition, most pronounced in children with excessive nutritional status. The performed correlation analysis confirmed the existence of a reliable relationship between nutritional status indices, anthropometric indices, and parameters of the body composition of the examined children.

Productivity of common Saint-John's wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) by using transplant reproduction method in the conditions of drip irrigation

The influence of plant nutrition area and mineral fertilizer rates on the productivity of St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) by using transplant reproduction method in the conditions of drip irrigation was studied. It was proved that the transplant method of cultivation of St. John's wort under drip irrigation is a very effective method of reproduction of this crop. Four variants of planting density per unit area were studied: 42 thousand plants / ha (cultivation scheme 60x40 cm), 56 thousand plants / ha (60x30 cm), 83 thousand plants / ha (60x20 cm) and 167 thousand plants / ha (60x10 cm). Yield recording of raw materials (air-dry tops) was carried out in the phase of mass flowering. In the first year of vegetation this period was in the first decade of August, in the second year – in the second decade of June. It was found that the increase in the number of planted plants of St. John's wort per 1 ha contributed to the increased plantation productivity. When having a cultivation plant density of 42,000 plants / ha, the yield of dry grass in the first year of vegetation was 3,02 t / ha. Increasing the number of plants to 56 thousand plants / ha provided 3,26 t / ha of raw materials. The highest yield of dried St. John's wort – 3,76 t / ha in the first year of vegetation was obtained in the variant with the largest number of planted plants per unit area - 167 thousand plants / ha. In the second year of vegetation of St. John's wort in the variant with the lowest plant density of 42 thousand plants / ha, the yield was 3,65 t / ha. The most productive plantation of the second year of vegetation was in the variant with a plant density of 83 thousand plants / ha, where the yield of dry raw materials was 3,96 t / ha. A further increase in the number of plants per unit area led to a decrease in crop yields. The influence of four variants of the main application of mineral fertilizers on the productivity of St. John's wort was also studied: N0P0K0 (reference), N60P60K60, N120P120K120 and N180P180K180. It was found that with increasing fertilizer application rate, the yield of dry raw materials increased. The most favorable conditions for growth and development of plants of St. John's wort developed in the variant with the maximum rate of fertilizer application - N180P180K180, where the yield of dry raw materials in the first year was 3,31 t / ha, and in the second year – 4,15 t / ha, which exceeded the reference result (without fertilizers) by 0,61 t / ha and 0,84 t / ha, respectively.