In order to achieve extended life of asphalt pavement, one of key points is to achieve a good bonding between it’s components. This research paper presents findings on the topic of influence of polyethylene bitumen modification on the adhesion between bitumen and aggregate. A novel method of quantifying the bitumen coated area, based on computer image analysis, has been developed for this study. Two different methods of adhesion testing were employed, namely boiling water method and the rolling bottle method. Aggregates used in this study were granite and limestone. Based on 108 measurements, it was concluded that polyethylene modification has a negative impact on binder aggregate adhesion.

Fractal analysis is one of the rapidly evolving branches of mathematics and finds its application in different analyses such as pore space description. It constitutes a new approach to the issue of their natural irregularity and roughness. To be properly applied, it should be encompassed by an error estimation. The article presents and verifies uncertainties along with imperfections connected with image analysis and expands on the possible ways of their correction. One of key aspects of such research is finding both appropriate place and the number of photos to take. A coarse- grained sandstone thin section was photographed and then pictures were combined into one, bigger image. Fractal parameters distributions show their change and suggest that the accurately gathered group of photos include both highly and less porous regions. Their amount should be representative and adequate to the sample. The resolution influence on the fractal dimension and lacunarity values was examined. For SEM limestone images obtained using backscattered electrons, magnification in the range of 120x to 2000x was used. Additionally, a single pore was examined. The acquired results point to the fact that the values of fractal dimension are similar to a wide range of magnifications, while lacunarity changes each time. This is connected with changing homogeneity of the image. The article also undertakes a problem of determining fractal parameters spatial distribution based on binarization. The available methods assume that it is carried out after or before the image division into rectangles to create fractal dimension and lacunarity values for interpolation. An individual binarization, although time consuming, provides better results that resemble reality to a closer degree. It is not possible to define a single, correct methodology of error elimination. A set of hints has been presented that can improve results of further image analysis of pore space.

Surfactants can interfere with the biological wastewater treatment processes. They contribute to the changes in activated sludge floes structure. In order to quantify the influence of surfactants on sludge floes morphology the series of experiments in the flow continuous system were conducted. Sodium dodccyl sulphate, which belongs to the most ubiquitous anionic surfactant in everyday use, was selected to be the object of investigations. The results of its biodegradation in continuous flow system at influent concentration of 250 mg -dm' are presented. It turned out that SDS diminished the mean projected area of floes from 50 OOO to 15 OOO μm' with the increase of dilution rate from 0.029 to 0.192 h·1• At the same time the obtained data confirmed that there was a correlation between the morphological parameters of floes and other biomass indicators. The linear relation between mean projected area of floes and volatile suspended solids was found.

Endoscopy represents a commonly employed technique for canine enteropathies. Different trials in human intestinal endoscopy have suggested that the introduction of water for luminal distension, in place of air, improves the visualization of the mucosal texture and decreases pain.

The aim of the study was to compare water immersion (WI) vs. air insufflation (AI) during duodenoscopy in anesthetized dogs in terms of mucosal visualization and nociception.

Twenty-five dogs undergoing duodenoscopy were included. The same image of the descen- ding duodenum was recorded applying WI and AI. Each pair of images was analyzed using mor- phological skeletonization, an image entropy evaluation, and a subjective blind evaluation by three experienced endoscopists. To evaluate differences in nociception related to the procedure applied, heart rate and arterial blood pressure were measured before, during and after WI/AI. To compare the two methods, a t-test for paired data was applied for the image analysis, Fleiss’ Kappa evaluation for the subjective evaluation and a Friedman test for anesthetic parameters.

No differences were found between WI and AI using morphological skeletonization and entropy. The subjective evaluation identified the WI images as qualitatively better than the AI images, indicating substantial agreement between the operators. No differences in nociception were found.

The results of the study pointed out the absence of changes in pain response between WI and AI, likely due to the sufficient control of nociception by the anesthesia. Based on subjective evaluation, but not confirmed by the image analysis, WI provided better image quality than AI.

A new method for measurement of sludge blanket height (SBH) based on image analysis is presented. The proposed method uses a histogram back-projection algorithm to distinguish between the settling sludge and supernatant and can be used with sludge possessing different coloring characteristics both in the sludge color and the color of supernatant produced. Individual pixels in the acquired image are compared with a histogram of a representative sludge region. Therefore, the proposed method relies neither on the assumed shape of light intensity profile nor on the dominant sludge or supernatant color. Batch sedimentation tests are presented for different initial sludge concentrations and different background colors to simulate different sludge characteristics. Parameters of a settling velocity function are estimated based on the obtained results. Additionally, an algorithm is proposed that enables the zone settling velocity (ZSV) to be estimated before the batch sedimentation test is completed.

The paper describes modification to Fm3–m (space group no. 225) lattice of aluminium based α-solid solution observed in Zn-Al alloys required to properly correlate quantitative data from X-ray diffraction analysis with results obtained from quantitative scanning electron microscopy image analysis and those predicted from Zn-Al binary phase diagram. Results suggests that 14 at.% of Zn as a solute atom should be introduced in crystal lattice of aluminium to obtain correct estimation of phase quantities determined by quantitative X-ray diffraction analysis. It was shown that this modification holds for Cu mould cast as well as annealed and water-cooled samples of Zn-3wt.%. Al and Zn-5wt.% Al.

In the vast archives and libraries of the world, countless historical documents are tucked away, often difficult to access. Thankfully, the digitization process has made it easier to view these invaluable records. However, simply digitizing them is not enough – the real challenge lies in making them searchable and computer-readable. Many of these documents were handwritten, which means they need to undergo handwriting recognition. The first step in this process is to divide the document into lines. This article introduces a solution to this problem using tensor voting. The algorithm starts by conducting voting on the binary image itself. Then, using the local maxima found in the resulting tensor field, the lines of text are precisely tracked and labeled. To ensure its effectiveness, the algorithm’s performance was tested on the data-set delivered by the organizers of the ICDAR 2009 competition and evaluated using the criteria from this contest.