Real-Time Seamless Multi-Projector Displays on Deformable Surfaces.

Prior works on multi-projector displays have focused primarily on static rigid objects, some focusing on dynamic rigid objects. However, works on projection based displays on deformable dynamic objects have focused only on small scale single projector displays. Tracking a deformable dynamic surface and updating projections precisely in real time on it is a significantly challenging task, even for a single projector system. In this paper, we present the first end-to-end solution for achieving a real-time, seamless display on deformable surfaces using mutliple unsychronized projectors without requiring any prior knowledge of the surface or device parameters. The system first accurately calibrates multiple RGB-D cameras and projectors using the deformable display surface itself, and then using those calibrated devices, tracks the continuous changes in the surface shape. Based on the deformation and projector calibration, the system warps and blends the image content in real-time to create a seamless display on a surface that continuously changes shape. Using multiple projectors and RGB-D cameras, we provide the much desired aspect of scale to the displays on deformable surfaces. Most prior dynamic multi-projector systems assume rigid objects and depend critically on the constancy of surface normals and non-existence of local shape deformations. These assumptions break in deformable surfaces making prior techniques inapplicable. Point-based correspondences become inadequate for calibration, exacerbated with no synchronization between the projectors. A few works address non-rigid objects with several restrictions like targeting semi-deformable surfaces (e.g. human face), or using single coaxial (optically aligned) projector-camera pairs, or temporally synchronized cameras. We break loose from such restrictions and handle multiple projector systems for dynamic deformable fabric-like objects using temporally unsynchronized devices. We devise novel methods using ray and plane-based constraints imposed by the pinhole camera model to address these issues and design new blending methods dependent on 3D distances suitable for deformable surfaces. Finally, unlike all prior work with rigid dynamic surfaces that use a single RGB-D camera, we devise a method that involve all RGB-D cameras for tracking since the surface is not seen completely by a single camera. These methods enable a seamless display at scale in the presence of continuous movements and deformations. This work has tremendous applications on mobile and expeditionary systems where environmentals (e.g. wind, vibrations, suction) cannot be avoided. One can create large displays on tent walls in remote, austere military or emergency operations in minutes to support large scale command and control, mission rehearsal or training operations. It can be used to create displays on mobile and inflatable objects for tradeshows/events and touring edutainment applications.

3D Gamut Morphing for Non-Rectangular Multi-Projector Displays.

In a spatially augmented reality system, multiple projectors are tiled on a complex shaped surface to create a seamless display on it. This has several applications in visualization, gaming, education and entertainment. The main challenges in creating seamless and undistorted imagery on such complex shaped surfaces are geometric registration and color correction. Prior methods that provide solutions for the spatial color variation in multi-projector displays assume rectangular overlap regions across the projectors that is possible only on flat surfaces with extremely constrained projector placement. In this paper, we present a novel and fully automated method for removing color variations in a multi-projector display on arbitrary shaped smooth surfaces using a general color gamut morphing algorithm that can handle any arbitrarily shaped overlap between the projectors and assures imperceptible color variations across the display surface.

Automated Geometric Registration for Multi-Projector Displays on Arbitrary 3D Shapes Using Uncalibrated Devices.

In this article we present a completely automated and scalable multi-projector registration system that allows multiple uncalibrated projectors and cameras on arbitrary shape surfaces. Our method estimates the parameters of multiple uncalibrated tiled or superimposed projectors, the extrinsic parameters of the observing cameras (with known intrinsic parameters), the shape of the illuminated 3D geometry and geometrically registers the projectors on it. This is achieved without using any fiducials, even if part of the surface is visible to only one camera. The method uses a completely automatic approach for cross-correlation and cross-validation of the device parameters and the surface geometry resulting in an accurate registration on the arbitrary unknown geometry that does not need an accurate prior calibration of each of the uncalibrated devices using physical patterns or fiducials. Estimating projector parameters allows for quick recalibration of the system in the face of projector movements, by re-estimating only the parameters of the moved projector and not the entire system. Thus, our work can enable easy deployment of spatially augmented reality environments of different sizes (from small table top objects to large immersive environments), different shapes (inside-looking-out or outside-looking in), and different configurations (tiled or superimposed) using the same proposed method.

Effect of graded levels of soapnut (Sapindus mukorossi) shell powder on reproductive performance in broiler breeders.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the effects of soapnut (Sapindus mukorossi) shell powder (SSP) on serum hormone level, egg quality, semen characteristics and reproductive performance of broiler breeders fed with a maize-soybean meal based diet. METHODS: Ninety six female and twenty four male CARIBRO-VISHAL broiler breeders, 38-week old, were individually caged and randomly allocated to four treatment groups (24 female breeders/treatment and 6 male breeders/treatment): an un-supplemented control (T1) and three groups with 0.0176% SSP (group T2), 0.026% SSP (group T3) and 0.0528% SSP (group T4), to have supplementary saponin at 0, 50, 75, and 150 ppm, respectively, for 42 days. RESULTS: The results indicated that serum (p<0.001) and seminal plasma (p<0.05) testosterone level, semen volume (p<0.001), mass motility (p<0.001), and live spermatozoa count (p<0.001) was increased in groups T3 and T4 compared to T2 and control groups. Compared with control group, total sperm count was increased (p<0.001) and dead spermatozoa count was decreased (p<0.001) in SSP supplemented groups. Supplementation of SSP did not affected the quality of egg lay. Compared with control group, fertility (p<0.01) and hatchability (total eggs set and fertile eggs set) (p<0.001) were significantly improved in SSP supplemented groups with the highest improvement in T3 treatment group. Embryonic death was decreased (p< 0.001) in SSP supplemented groups compared to control; lowest embryonic death was recorded in T3 treatment group. CONCLUSION: Thus, it was concluded that dietary supplementation of 0.026% SSP (saponin equivalent 75 ppm) improved the reproductive performance of broiler breeders.

Optimized Multi-Spectral Filter Array Based Imaging of Natural Scenes.

Multi-spectral imaging using a camera with more than three channels is an efficient method to acquire and reconstruct spectral data and is used extensively in tasks like object recognition, relighted rendering, and color constancy. Recently developed methods are used to only guide content-dependent filter selection where the set of spectral reflectances to be recovered are known a priori. We present the first content-independent spectral imaging pipeline that allows optimal selection of multiple channels. We also present algorithms for optimal placement of the channels in the color filter array yielding an efficient demosaicing order resulting in accurate spectral recovery of natural reflectance functions. These reflectance functions have the property that their power spectrum statistically exhibits a power-law behavior. Using this property, we propose power-law based error descriptors that are minimized to optimize the imaging pipeline. We extensively verify our models and optimizations using large sets of commercially available wide-band filters to demonstrate the greater accuracy and efficiency of our multi-spectral imaging pipeline over existing methods.

Geometry processing of conventionally produced mouse brain slice images.

BACKGROUND: Brain mapping research in most neuroanatomical laboratories relies on conventional processing techniques, which often introduce histological artifacts such as tissue tears and tissue loss. NEW METHOD: In this paper, we present techniques and algorithms for automatic registration and 3D reconstruction of conventionally produced mouse brain slices in a standardized atlas space. This is achieved first by constructing a virtual 3D mouse brain model from annotated slices of Allen Reference Atlas (ARA). Virtual re-slicing of the reconstructed model generates ARA-based slice images corresponding to the microscopic images of histological brain sections. These image pairs are aligned using a geometric approach through contour images. Histological artifacts in the microscopic images are detected and removed using Constrained Delaunay Triangulation before performing global alignment. Finally, non-linear registration is performed by solving Laplace's equation with Dirichlet boundary conditions. RESULTS: Our methods provide significant improvements over previously reported registration techniques for the tested slices in 3D space, especially on slices with significant histological artifacts. Further, as one of the application we count the number of neurons in various anatomical regions using a dataset of 51 microscopic slices from a single mouse brain. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHOD(S): To the best of our knowledge the presented work is the first that automatically registers both clean as well as highly damaged high-resolutions histological slices of mouse brain to a 3D annotated reference atlas space. CONCLUSIONS: This work represents a significant contribution to this subfield of neuroscience as it provides tools to neuroanatomist for analyzing and processing histological data.

Effect of coenzyme Q10 supplementation on serum protein, mineral status, blood picture and immune status in broilers.

In poultry, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is widely used as a feed additive to control mortality due to ascites in broilers. Apart from its use the treatment of a variety of disorders viz., ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, Parkinson's disease, muscle fatigue and muscle weakness, its supplementation has been reported to be beneficial for cardiovascular disease, chronic heart failure, cancer, migraine, asthma and hypertension. In this study, we investigated the effect of CoQ10 supplementation on serum protein, serum minerals, blood parameters, ascites susceptibility and humoral immune status in broilers fed with different energy levels which influence their productivity, biochemical profile and ascites incidences. The treatment had three levels of CoQ10, namely 0, 20 and 40 mg/kg at normal (NE), low (LE) and high (HE) energy levels in which 2X3 factorial design was followed. The haemoglobin and packed cell volume were not affected (P >0.05) by either energy or CoQ10 levels but the erythrocyte osmotic fragility per cent (EOF %) and blood glucose levels were decreased by CoQ10 supplementation at both 20 and 40 mg/kg. The serum calcium level had significantly (P <0.01) increased with CoQ10 at 40 mg/kg (12.70 vs. 11.58 and 11.98 mg/dL) in NE diet group over the unsupplemented and 20 mg/kg supplemented birds. Compared to the respective unsupplemented groups, CoQ10 @40 mg/kg reduced (P <0.01) the serum total protein (4.69 vs. 5.23 g/dL) and serum albumin (2.46 vs. 2.78 g/dL) in NE group but increased (P <0.01) (4.70 vs. 4.08 g/dL) and (2.59 vs. 2.04 g/dL), respectively in LE group. High energy birds showed significantly (P <0.01) increased serum albumin (2.74 vs. 2.24 g/dL). The humoral immunity against Newcastle Disease (ND titre) was significantly (P <0.01) higher in 21 days of growth period at both the levels of supplementation but on 42 days no significant difference among the groups were observed. It can be concluded that CoQ10 supplementation at 20 mg/kg decreased blood glucose level and increased erythrocytes osmotic stability and hence, could reduce bird's susceptibility to ascites.

Ammonium dichromate poisoning: A rare cause of acute kidney injury.

Ammonium dichromate is an inorganic compound frequently used in screen and color printing. Being a strong oxidizing agent, it causes oxygen free radical injury resulting in organ failure. We report a 25-year-old female who presented with acute kidney injury after consumption of ammonium dichromate. She was managed successfully with hemodialysis and supportive measures. This case is reported to highlight the toxicity of ammonium dichromate.

Hatchery production of the clownfish Amphiprion nigripes at Agatti Island, Lakshadweep, India.

Healthy individuals of matured clownfish, Amphiprion nigripes and sea anemone, Heteractis magnifica were collected from the Agatti island lagoon by snorkeling. During 'conditioning' for 3 months, pair formation occurred and the same were transferred to rectangular fiber glass spawning tanks of 10001 capacity. Suitable water quality parameters were maintained. The fishes were fed with tuna eggs, boiled clam meat, squid, octopus and trash fish thrice in a day. Reproductive behaviour and embryonic development were documented. Spawning took place in between 0900 - 1100 hr and hatched-out occurs, after sunset following an incubation period of 8-9 days. Size of the newly laid egg was 2.0-2.2 mm in length and 1.0-1.2 mm in width. The larval rearing tanks were maintained with UV-treated water and followed the optimal physico-chemical parameters as in the parent tanks. The different light regimes and diets were used for the successful larval rearing. The maximum larval survival (61%) was achieved at the photoperiod of 24 L/0D. Within 15-17 days, the larvae metamorphosed and took up parent colouration and comparatively high growth rate was observed when fed on algae enriched rotifer than those with poly unsaturated fatty acid (PUFA).

Phylogenetic study of sponge associated bacteria from the Lakshadweep archipelago and the antimicrobial activities of their secondary metabolites.

Marine ecosystem of the Lakshadweep archipelago is unique and known to have a very high degree of biodiversity with a number of endemic flora and fauna. The present study focuses to isolate the endosymbiotic microorganism from sponges and its effectiveness against marine ornamental fish pathogens. The sponges were collected from Agatti island of Lakshadweep archipelago and identified as Clathria procera, Sigmadocia fibulata and Dysidea granulosa. In which, 15 different types of bacteria were isolated and screened against marine ornamental fish pathogens (A. hydrophila, Vibrio alginolyticus, V. harveyii, V. parahaemolyticus and Pseudomonas fluorescens). The strain S25 was found as potential bacteria based on their antimicrobial activity against the fish pathogens. Molecular identification of the potential strain (S25) of the 16S rRNA gene showed 99% identity with Acinetobacter sp. The sequenced 16 s rRNA gene with 1,081 bp in length was submitted in NCBI Genbank and Accession was obtained (GenBank Accession number HM004071). The strain exhibited high similarity (99%) with the 16S rRNA gene of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus from GenBank database. Crude extract obtained with acetone and ethyl acetate from extracellular products of S25 showed significant antimicrobial activity by disc diffusion assay using 1,500 µg/ml of crude extract. Extracellular metobolite of A. calcoaceticus was extracted by shake flask method and the crude extract was partially purified by thin layer chromatography. Partially purified crude extract showed significant inhibition zone of antimicrobial activity (A. hydrophila, V. alginolyticus, V. parahaemolyticus) and less similar activity against V. harveyii and P. fluorescens. This is the first report on A. calcoaceticus isolated from sponges of Lakshadweep archipelago and the studies are underway to characterize and purify the antimicrobial compounds of the potential bacteria.

Development of orally disintegrating tablets comprising controlled-release multiparticulate beads.

Melperone is an atypical antipsychotic agent that has shown a wide spectrum of neuroleptic properties, particularly effective in the treatment of senile dementia and Parkinson's-associated psychosis, and is marketed in Europe as an immediate-release (IR) tablet and syrup. An orally disintegrating tablet (ODT) dosage form would be advantageous for patients who experience difficulty in swallowing large tablets or capsules or those who experience dysphagia. Controlled-release (CR) capsule and ODT formulations containing melperone HCl were developed with target in vitro release profiles suitable for a once-daily dosing regimen. Both dosage forms allow for the convenient production of dose-proportional multiple strengths. Two ODT formulations exhibiting fast and medium release profiles and one medium release profile capsule formulation (each 50 mg) were tested in vivo using IR syrup as the reference. The two medium release formulations were shown to be bioequivalent to each other and are suitable for once-daily dosing. Based on the analytical and organoleptic test results, as well as the blend uniformity and in-process compression data at various compression forces using coated beads produced at one-tenth (1/10) commercial scale, both formulations in the form of CR capsules and CR ODTs have shown suitability for progression into further clinical development.

Interactive multiscale tensor reconstruction for multiresolution volume visualization.

Large scale and structurally complex volume datasets from high-resolution 3D imaging devices or computational simulations pose a number of technical challenges for interactive visual analysis. In this paper, we present the first integration of a multiscale volume representation based on tensor approximation within a GPU-accelerated out-of-core multiresolution rendering framework. Specific contributions include (a) a hierarchical brick-tensor decomposition approach for pre-processing large volume data, (b) a GPU accelerated tensor reconstruction implementation exploiting CUDA capabilities, and (c) an effective tensor-specific quantization strategy for reducing data transfer bandwidth and out-of-core memory footprint. Our multiscale representation allows for the extraction, analysis and display of structural features at variable spatial scales, while adaptive level-of-detail rendering methods make it possible to interactively explore large datasets within a constrained memory footprint. The quality and performance of our prototype system is evaluated on large structurally complex datasets, including gigabyte-sized micro-tomographic volumes.

Color seamlessness in multi-projector displays using constrained gamut morphing.

Multi-projector displays show significant spatial variation in 3D color gamut due to variation in the chromaticity gamuts across the projectors, vignetting effect of each projector and also overlap across adjacent projectors. In this paper we present a new constrained gamut morphing algorithm that removes all these variations and results in true color seamlessness across tiled multiprojector displays. Our color morphing algorithm adjusts the intensities of light from each pixel of each projector precisely to achieve a smooth morphing from one projector's gamut to the other's through the overlap region. This morphing is achieved by imposing precise constraints on the perceptual difference between the gamuts of two adjacent pixels. In addition, our gamut morphing assures a C1 continuity yielding visually pleasing appearance across the entire display.We demonstrate our method successfully on a planar and a curved display using both low and high-end projectors. Our approach is completely scalable, efficient and automatic. We also demonstrate the real-time performance of our image correction algorithm on GPUs for interactive applications. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that presents a scalable method with a strong foundation in perception and realizes, for the first time, a truly seamless display where the number of projectors cannot be deciphered.

A generic scheme for progressive point cloud coding.

In this paper, we propose a generic point cloud encoder that provides a unified framework for compressing different attributes of point samples corresponding to 3D objects with arbitrary topology. In the proposed scheme, the coding process is led by an iterative octree cell subdivision of the object space. At each level of subdivision, positions of point samples are approximated by the geometry centers of all tree-front cells while normals and colors are approximated by their statistical average within each of tree-front cells. With this framework, we employ attribute-dependent encoding techniques to exploit different characteristics of various attributes. All of these have led to significant improvement in the rate-distortion (R-D) performance and a computational advantage over the state of the art. Furthermore, given sufficient levels of octree expansion, normal space partitioning and resolution of color quantization, the proposed point cloud encoder can be potentially used for lossless coding of 3D point clouds.