Hand detection is a fundamental step for many hand-related computer vision tasks, such as gesture recognition, hand pose estimation, hand sign language translation, and so on. However, robustly detecting hands is a challenging task because of drastic changes in appearance based on finger articulation and changes in lighting conditions, camera...
The purpose of this paper is to describe the
application of expert system concepts to cartographic
problems. Expert systems, a subfield of artificial
intelligence, are computer programs based on knowledge and
symbolic reasoning. The basic principles of expert systems
will be explained. Areas of cartography that are most
suitable for...
In this work, we consider a convexity splitting scheme for a coupled phase field and energy equation, a modification of Stefan problem. The Stefan problem is a free boundary value problem that models the temperature in a homogeneous multiphase medium. Each phase is modeled using a heat diffusion parabolic partial...
We construct a website to explain how Gaussian mixture models can be optimized using the expectation maximization algorithm. Previous free, online material on this process has been extremely limited. All sources surveyed failed to entirely describe our identified criteria for an in-depth description and useful visualizations. After surveying a variety...
Autonomous robotic agents are on their way to becoming in-home personal assistants, construction assistants, and warehouse workers. The degree of autonomy of such systems is reflected by the manner in which we specify goals to them; the abstraction of low-level commands to high-level goals goes hand-in-hand with increased autonomy. In...
Natural disasters are an increasingly costly and frequent occurrence globally and in the United States (IPCC, 2012; IPCC, 2014; Berlemann & Steinhardt, 2017). Discrete disaster events, such as coastal flooding, have been shown to be push factors in temporary and long-term migration (Black et al., 2013). Policy efforts to adapt...
Liquid sodium is a challenging fluid to perform verification and validation for. Its chemical reactivity, large thermal conductivity, and opacity make both modeling and experimental data gathering difficult. Converting the wire wraps of liquid sodium reactor fuel pin geometry into capillaries, and inserting fiber optic temperature sensors, promises to capture...
Cooperation across ownership boundaries is critical to most conservation efforts in mixed ownership landscapes. Where owner objectives vary widely, as at public-private landownership boundaries, cooperation can be especially challenging. This research explores the opportunities and challenges for cooperative fire management among public and private forest managers in the John Day...
Torsion test was evaluated as a method to determine the shear strength
parallel to grain of full-size structural composite lumber (SCL). Experimental
results of eighty-five rectangular (44 x 140 mm²) specimens were verified by finite
element analysis. Laminated strand lumber (LSL), laminated veneer lumber
(LVL) and parallel strand lumber (PSL)...
In order to advocate for a nonviolent future, I argue throughout this thesis that we must redefine our sense of self within a social context. I assert that Communitarianism, which seeks balance between the individual and their many overlapping communities, can situate our identities as less absolute and more constitutive...