Thinning is a frequently used strategy to produce skeletonlike shape features of binary objects. One of the main problems of parallel thinning is to ensure topology preservation. Solutions to this problem have been already given for the case of orthogonal and hexagonal grids. This work introduces some characterizations of simple pixels and some sufficient conditions for parallel thinning algori...

A 3D thinning algorithm erodes a 3D image layer by layer to extract the skeletons. This paper presents an improved fully parallel 3D thinning algorithm which extracts medial lines from a 3D image. This algorithm is based on Ma and Sonka’s thinning algorithm [16], which fails to preserve connectivity of 3D objects. We start with Ma and Sonka’s algorithm and examine its verification of connectivi...

Aim of study: This contribution describes a systematic search method for identifying optimum thinning regimes for beech forests (Fagus sylvatica L.) by using a combination of optimization heuristics and a simple whole stand growth prediction model. Area of study: Data to build the model come from standard and management forest inventories as well as yield tables from the Northern and Western pa...

Apples show biennial fluctuations in yields (alternate bearing). The alternate bearing cycle can be broken by reducing excessive flowers using either chemical or mechanical means. Currently, automatic thinning systems are treating the trees uniformly despite the fact that neighbouring trees can have a very different numbers of flowers resulting in different thinning requirements. In order to so...

PURPOSE To evaluate whether β-zone parapapillary atrophy (PPA) is associated with the rate of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness change as assessed by trend-based analysis using time-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT). METHODS This retrospective cohort study included 202 glaucomatous eyes that were observed for ≥3 years with serial OCTs and stereo disc photographs. Subjects wer...

Management is an effective tool for increasing the productivity of Mongolian pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica). This species has been widely planted in China, especially in sandy lands. However, optimization of management practices had not been fully explored. We established a system dynamic model to evaluate the effects of thinning and of manipulation of water supply on the productivity a...

Fruit thinning is defined as the removal of certain flowers or clusters of flowers or individual fruitlets after fruit set and natural dropping have occurred.it improves fruit yield and quality and return bloom for the following year.There are three types of thinning namely:hand,mechanical and chemical.Chemical thinning is the most common type of thinning.Various chemicals are used for thinning...

The dynamics of elastocapillary thinning in high molecular weight polymer solutions are reexamined using high-speed digital video microscopy. At long times, the evolution of the viscoelastic thread deviates from self-similar exponential decay and the competition of elastic, capillary, and inertial forces leads to the formation of a periodic array of beads connected by axially uniform ligaments....

Implantable 3D engineered vascular tissue constructs can be formed by co-culturing endothelial and fibroblast cells on macroporous scaffolds. Here we show that these constructs can be used for studying the dynamics of neovascular formation in-vitro by a combination of live confocal imaging and an array of image processing and analysis tools, revealing multiple distinct stages of morphogenesis. ...

Thinning of large antenna arrays in order to obtain low sidelobes is a difficult and nontrivial problem. Evolutionary programming (EP), a multi-agent stochastic search method, is proposed for optimizing thinned phased arrays with a large number of elements. Experiments are conducted to determine the efficiency of EP procedure in terms of the reliability in producing acceptable solutions and the...