Groupwise non-rigid image alignment is a difficult non-linear optimization problem involving many parameters and often large datasets. Previous methods have explored various metrics and optimization strategies. Good results have been previously achieved with simple metrics, requiring complex optimization, often with many unintuitive parameters that require careful tuning for each dataset. In this chapter, the problem is restructured to use a simpler, iterative optimization algorithm, with very few free parameters. The warps are refined using an iterative Levenberg-Marquardt minimization to the mean, based on updating the locations of a small number of points and incorporating a stiffness constraint. This optimization approach is efficient, has very few free parameters to tune, and the authors show how to tune the few remaining parameters. Results show that the method reliably aligns various datasets including two facial datasets and two medical datasets of prostate and brain MRI images and demonstrates efficiency in terms of performance and a reduction of the computational cost.
The toxic lead additives to gasoline are no longer used in many countries around the world. Many other countries are now phasing out the lead in gasoline. Although the lead fuel is still in use in Iraq, several plans are considered to phase out the lead. The use of organic compounds to replace the lead additives in gasoline is considered now as an option in Iraqi refineries. The main objective of this project was preparation of premium gasoline, by blending of gasoline with Alternative additives (alcohol, aromatic) to enhancing octane number of Al-Doura gasoline pool. Improved gasoline was tested by ASTM standard method which includes octane number measuring by CFR engine analyzer. Gasoline pool RON (80) was used and selective components
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Two different oxidative desulfurization strategies based on oxidation/adsorption or oxidation/extraction were evaluated for the desulfurization of AL-Ahdab (AHD) sour crude oil (3.9wt% sulfur content). In the oxidation process, a homogenous oxidizing agent comprising of hydrogen peroxide and formic acid was used. Activated carbons were used as sorbent/catalyst in the oxidation/adsorption process while acetonitrile was used as an extraction solvent in the oxidation/extraction process. For the oxidation/adsorption scheme, the experimental results indicated that the oxidation desulfurization efficiency was enhanced on using activated carbon as catalyst/sorbent. The effects of the operating conditions (contact time, temperat
... Show MoreThe enhancement of heat exchanger performance was investigated using dimpled tubes tested at different Reynolds numbers, in the present work four types of dimpled tubes with a specified configuration manufactured, tested and then compared performance with the smooth tube and other passive techniques performance. Two dimpled arrangements along the tube were investigated, these are inline and staggered at constant pitch ratio X/d=4, the test results showed that Nusselts number (heat transfer) of the staggered array is higher than the inline array by 13%. The effect of different depths of the dimple (14.5 mm and 18.5 mm) has been also investigated; a tube with large dimple diameter enhanced the Nusselts number by about 25% for the ran
... Show MoreThis research was aimed to study the osmotic efficiency of the draw solutions and the factors affecting the performance of forward osmosis process : The draw solutions used were magnesium sulfate hydrate (MgSO4.7H2O) pojtassium chloride (KCL), calcium chloride (CaCl2) and ammonium bicarbonate (NH4HCO3). It was found that water flux increases with increasing draw solution concentration, and feed solution flow rate and decreases with increasing draw solution flow rate and feed solution concentration. And also found that the efficiency of the draw solutions is in the following order:
CaCl2> KCI > NH4HCO3> MgSO4.7H
This work was conducted to study the effect of selective adsorption on removal of sulfur compounds from Iraqi heavy naphtha from Al-Dura refinery by using molecular sieve (13X) in a fixed-bed column and it was be run out at 1.5–6.0h-1 LHSV, 15–30 gr weight of molecular sieve (13X), 600–1650ppm sulfur concentration in the feedstock , the adsorption temperature was 25oC and 40oC. The best operating conditions for removing sulfur compounds was 3.0 h-1 LHSV, 20 gr molecular sieve bed weight and 25oC temperature, where the sulfur content in heavy naphtha was reduced from nearly 600 ppm to less than 1 ppm (by weight). Regeneration steps was thermally took place by hot air flow in a range from 16.6
... Show MoreUrban land uses of all kinds are the constituent elements of the urban spatial structure. Because of the influence of economic and social factors, cities in general are characterized by the dynamic state of their elements over time. Urban functions occur in a certain way with different spatial patterns. Hence, urban planners and the relevant urban management teams should understand the future spatial pattern of these changes by resorting to quantitative models in spatial planning. This is to ensure that future predictions are made with a high level of accuracy so that appropriate strategies can be used to address the problems arising from such changes. The Markov chain method is one of the quantitative models used in spatial planning to ana
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