University of Windsor

About: University of Windsor is a education organization based out in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Argumentation theory. The organization has 10654 authors who have published 22307 publications receiving 435906 citations. The organization is also known as: UWindsor & Assumption University of Windsor.

Desirable Airfoil Features for Smaller-Capacity Straight-Bladed VAWT:

Abstract: In the small scale wind turbine market, the simple straight-bladed Darrieus type vertical axis wind turbine (SB-VAWT) is very attractive for its simple blade design. A detailed aerodynamic performance analysis was conducted on a smaller capacity fixed-pitch SB-VAWT. Brief analyses of the main aerodynamic challenges of this type of wind turbine were first discussed and subsequently the authors conducted further literature survey and computational analysis to shortlist aerodynamic characteristics of a desirable airfoil for a self-starting and better performing SB-VAWT. The required geometric features of the desirable airfoil to achieve the short listed characteristics were also discussed. It has been found out that conventionally used NACA symmetric airfoils are not suitable for smaller capacity SB-VAWT. Rather, it is advantageous to utilize a high-lift and low-drag asymmetric thick airfoil suitable for low speed operation typically encountered by SB-VAWT.

History of aquatic invertebrate invasions in the Caspian Sea

Abstract: Incorporation of the fossil record and molecular markers into studies of biological invasions provides new historical perspectives on the incidence of natural and human-mediated invasions of nonindigenous species (NIS). Palaeontological, phylogeographic, and molecular evidence suggests that the natural, multiple colonizations of the Caspian basin via transient connections with the Black Sea and other basins played an important role in shaping the diversity of Caspian fauna. Geographically isolated, conspecific Ponto-Caspian lineages that currently inhabit fragmented habitats in the Ponto-Caspian region show limited genetic divergence, implying geologically recent episodes of gene flow between populations during the Pliocene to Pleistocene. Several molluscan lineages in the Caspian Sea may have descended from Lake Pannon stock before the Late Miocene isolation of the Caspian depression, about 5.8 million years ago. Anthropogenic activities during the 20th century were responsible for a 1800-fold increase in the rate of establishment of new aquatic species in the Caspian Sea compared to the preceding two million years of natural colonization. The observed success of NIS invasions during the 20th century was due primarily to humanmediated transport mechanisms, which were dominated by shipping activities (44%). Human-mediated species transfer has been strongly asymmetrical, toward the Volga Delta and Caspian Sea from or through Black and Azov Seas. Global and regional trade, particularly that mediated by commercial ships, provides dispersal opportunities for nonindigenous invertebrates, indicating that future invasions in the Caspian Sea are anticipated.

A comparative experimental study of image feature detectors and descriptors

Abstract: Feature detection and matching is a fundamental problem in many computer vision applications. In the past decades, various types of feature detectors and descriptors have been proposed in the literature. Although several comparative studies on feature detectors and descriptors have been performed in the past, few studies have been carried out concerning recently proposed descriptors such as BRISK, FREAK, etc. Also, previous comparisons were either application oriented or limited in experimentation or in the number of detectors and descriptors compared. This paper provides a comprehensive review of a large number of popular feature detectors developed in the last three decades. The study makes several contributions to the development of a generic comparison of feature detectors and descriptors. First, we conduct comparisons of invariance against image transformations such as illumination changes, blurring, rotation, scaling, viewpoint changes, exposure, JPEG compression, combined scaling and rotation, and combined viewpoint changes. Second, we provide a proper distinction between detectors and descriptors using separate comparisons. Third, a few detectors have been tested on the variation of parameter values. Fourth, we conduct a statistical analysis of invariance against four popular types of transformations: viewpoint changes, blurring, scaling, and rotation. Fifth, we carry out intuitive matching between detectors and descriptors, testing on simulated and practical scenarios. Last, we conduct exhaustive experiments on several datasets for each combination of detectors and descriptors to provide a ranking that can also be weighted to suit specific applications.