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In this study, we present a novel approach to efficiently detect the flame in multiple scenes in an image. The method uses a set of parametric representation named as Gradient Features (GF), to learn the features of flame color changes in the image. Different from the traditional color features of the flame, GF represents the color changes in RGB channels for further consideration. In this study, support vector machine was applied to generate a set of candidate regions and the decision tree model was used to judge flame regions based on GF. Some exclusive experiments were conducted to verify the validity and effectiveness of the proposed method. The results showed that the proposed method can accurately differentiate between yellow color light and sunrise scenes. A comparison with the state-of-the-art preceding methods showed that this method can utilize the symmetry of flame regions and achieve a better result.

Software outsourcing partnership (SOP) is a type of cooperative client-vendor relationship for achieving mutually beneficial goals and is totally based on mutual trust and commitment. SOP is an emerging strategy and is different to ordinary software development outsourcing (SDO). Usually, a successful and long-lasting outsourcing association between client and vendor organization might be converted to outsourcing partnership. The overarching target of this exploratory paper is to analyze a list of factors that are considered important for vendors in the renovation of their surviving contractual outsourcing relationship to a partnership. We have executed a systematic literature review (SLR) process. We have performed all the SLR phases, like protocol development, publication collection, publication quality assessment, data generalization, and reporting. We have analyzed the factors found, through SLR, based on different variables such as continents, decades, and study strategy. Some factors like “mutual trust,” “effective communication,” “organizations proximity,” “mutual inter-dependence and shared values,” “3C (coordination, cooperation, and collaboration),” and “quality production” are marked as critical, because these momentously assist vendors in renovation of the standing outsourcing relationship with client into partnership. The factors are correlated to finding any significant relationships among the factors. Vendors should address all the listed success factors, especially the critical success factors in order to attain partner position in SDO. Our outcomes will help practitioners working on outsourcing collaboration in the SDO industry. They can determine from the results of the study where to outsource and which are the emerging trends in software outsourcing.

Software Outsourcing Partnership (SOP) is a type of an alliance based on sharing benefits and risks between client and vendor. SOP is an emerging outsourcing model and is different to ordinary software development arrangement. Generally, a profitable outsourcing relationship might be a candidate to be converted to SOP. Since SOP is popular and has great potential. However, many barriers prevent it from reaching its maximal potential. Consequently, making a systematic literature review on such barriers is potentially beneficial. The main target of intended study is to find a list of barriers those are deliberated obstacles for vendors in the transformation of their surviving contract based outsourcing association to an outsourcing partnership. In this article, we have presented a novel protocol using systematic literature review process. The results are based on broad literature review and comparisons. A total of twenty-six barriers were identified, twelve barriers were considered as critical barriers (CBs). Software development outsourcing vendors should address all the listed barriers particularly the CBs in order to move up from vendor to partner.

Effects of different planting densities and modes on activities of key enzymes related to carbon-nitrogen metabolism in summer maize in two cultivars,Zhengdan 958 and Xundan 20,were studied under the condition of Northern Henan Province.The results showed that the activities of nitrate reductase(NR),glutamine synthetase(GS),sucrose phosphate synthetase(SPS) and sucrose synthetase(SS) in leaves increased first and decreased later during tasseling and silking stages.The activities of NR and GS in leaves reached the peak at silking stage,and the maximum of activities of SPS and SS in grains occurred at 15d after filling.Genotype,density and planting mode had significant effects on the activities of NR,GS in leaves and SPS,SS in grains during the later-growth period,but the interaction between them was indistinctive.The activities of NR,GS in leaves and SPS,SS in grains of Zhengdan 958 were higher than those of Xundan 20(5.02%,7.40%,6.25% and 4.43% increases,respectively) during the later-growth period.Within the range of 67500—90000 plants per hm2,the activities of these enzymes decreased significantly with the increasing of planting density.A comparison between two planting modes indicated that activities of NR,GS in leaves and SPS,SS in grains of wide-narrow row mode were higher than those of equidistant row mode(6.23%,9.25%,6.87% and 2.84% increases,respectively).The yield reached highest in the test plots with 82 500 plants per hm2 and wide-narrow row mode.

Recently, whether Archaefructus has bisexual multi-parted flowers or just inflorescences of unisexual flowers, and whether it is ancestral to all angiosperms or a derived eudicot have been debated. Here, from the same Yixian Formation, NE China, we report a new Archaefructus species, A. eoflora sp. nov., with the generic characteristics of dissected leaves and bisexual reproductive axes. It is entirely preserved with roots, rhizome, shoots and protogynous reproductive organs at different developmental stages. Its lateral and main fertile shoots form a pseudo-indeterminate pattern, while the reproductive branches on the main shoot form a cymose inflorescence. Subtended by 1-2 bract-like leaves, the section of stamen clusters changes into a much shorter section of carpels that have one row of orthotropous ovules. Significantly, one cluster bearing two carpels and one stamen between the two sections demonstrates a true bisexual flower, an important step of the origin of floral bisexuality, and the homology between the stamen and carpel. The complex reproductive axes represent a mix between flowers and inflorescences, and suggest that A. eoflora sp. nov. possesses the potential to evolve into a variety of diverse flower types as found in modern basal and early fossil angiosperms. A comparison with other two species also leads to a revision of the generic diagnosis.

The geographic distribution of coal balls of China and their stratigraphic range are very wide. Fossil plants in coal balls are abundant Floras of coal balls of Jingyuan Gansu contain the same content as those of the Hauptfloz coal of Ruhr and the Kokfloz coal of Ostrau (Namur C) in Europe. Coal balls of Shanxi and Shandong (P1) are abundant and highly diversified with flourished Cathaysian flora, while in the coal balls of Shuicheng, Guizhou (the top of Upper Permian) the Cathaysian flora somewhat declines and shows less in diversification. Some Mesozoic coloured elements have also been observed.

This paper presents a solution to the problem of dynamic three-dimensional displacement distributions on a curved surface under impact-loading by utilizing photomechanics and the finite-element method. An impulsive force is applied by using a new type of electromagnetic forcing mechanism, which gives good repeatability. The relation between instataneous loading and time that is set for the force-voundary condition in the finite-element calculation of the displacement components is recorded experimentally. It is found that the experimental results are in good agreement with those of the finite-element method.

In order to overcome the disadvantage that only one solution can be found in particle swarm optimization (PSO), a novel niche particle swarm multi_optimizer (multi_PSOer) which combines two strategies is devised in this paper. Firstly, guaranteed convergence PSO (GCPSO) is adopted to guarantee the algorithm can converge on a local point. Secondly, niche technique is used to ensure the algorithm is a global search algorithm. Different hills are looked as different niches. Particles are divided into different sub_swarms according to the same_hill function. The function can judge whether particles are in the same hill through monitoring the change of particlespsila tangent. If the tangent values change from negative into positive, they are in different niches, otherwise they are in the same niche. Particle flies following the best one in the same hill with itself. Therefore each peak can be found in this way. It is necessary to know neither the niche radius nor other parameters at all. Numerical experiments show that the multi_PSOer may, efficiently and reliably, obtain all local and global optima for multimodal optimization problems.

The principal stress distribution over a section of a polyester model of a semi-infinite plate during the propagation of a stress wave has been determined experimentally. The stress pulse was generated by the impact of a pendulum hammer. Two external suitable trigger mechanism were used to trigger a double-pulse Ruby laser (0.5 Joule per pulse) at pre-determined intervals. One surface of the model was made fully reflecting so that by means of reflective holo-interferometry of that surface and reflective photoelasticity through the other surface of the model the isopachic and isochrometic fringe patterns were recorded at different time delays after impact.