Human-centric light sensing and estimation from RGBD images: the invisible light switch

Lighting design in indoor environments is of primary importance for at least two reasons: 1) people should perceive an adequate light; 2) an effective lighting design means consistent energy saving. We present the Invisible Light Switch (ILS) to address both aspects. ILS dynamically adjusts the room illumination level to save energy while maintaining constant the light level perception of the users. So the energy saving is invisible to them. Our proposed ILS leverages a radiosity model to estimate the light level which is perceived by a person within an indoor environment, taking into account the person position and her/his viewing frustum (head pose). ILS may therefore dim those luminaires, which are not seen by the user, resulting in an effective energy saving, especially in large open offices (where light may otherwise be ON everywhere for a single person). To quantify the system performance, we have collected a new dataset where people wear luxmeter devices while working in office rooms. The luxmeters measure the amount of light (in Lux) reaching the people gaze, which we consider a proxy to their illumination level perception. Our initial results are promising: in a room with 8 LED luminaires, the energy consumption in a day may be reduced from 18585 to 6206 watts with ILS (currently needing 1560 watts for operations). While doing so, the drop in perceived lighting decreases by just 200 lux, a value considered negligible when the original illumination level is above 1200 lux, as is normally the case in offices

Integrated Social-sector Macroeconometric Model for Pakistan

While the traditional neoclassical production model postulates that it is the physical inputs such as private capital, labour, land, and technology that are the key determinants of output and economic development, in recent years, however, the social sector variables are also considered to be critical, particularly for the long-run sustainable growth of the economy. If fact, what has been argued in the form of “new growth theories” is that social variables (e.g., education, health, knowledge, etc.) generate “positive externalities” and, thus, may facilitate and foster the process of economic growth and development. Recently, the World Bank, based on a broad cross-country study, found some very interesting results in the above context. According to the World Development Report (1991): about fifty percent of the factor productivity contribution to output growth comes not from traditional physical inputs (capital, labour and land) but is a residual factor.

Steroidi i poliketidi iz kore biljke Uvaria hamiltonii

Two known steroids, stigmasterol and 6beta-hydroxystigmasta-4,22-dien-3-one (1) and two unusual polyketides, cis-4-hydroxymellein (2) and trans-4-hydroxymellein (3) were isolated from the stem bark of Uvaria hamiltonii. The structures of the compounds were elucidated independently by high-resolution 2D-NMR techniques and confirmed by comparison with previously reported values.Dva poznata steroida, stigmasterol i 6-hidroksistigmasta-4,22-dien-3-on (1) i dva neuobičajena poliketida, cis-4-hidroksimelein (2) i trans-4-hidroksimelein (3) izolirana su iz kore biljke Uvaria hamiltonii. Strukture spojeva određene su neovisno 2D-NMR spektroskopijom visoke rezolucije i usporedbom s literaturnim podacima

What Explains the Current High Rate of Inflation in Pakistan?

One of the most significant developments in the current economic scene in Pakistan has been the sharp increase in the rate of inflation. The annual average rate of increase in the wholesale price index (WPI) during the first seven months (July-January 1994-95) of the current fiscal year has been about 19 percent as opposed to 11.3 percent during the same period last year. A similar increase was also witnessed in the consumer price index (CPI) which accelerated to 13 percent as opposed to 11.1 percent during the previous period. Such a sharp increase in prices in recent months has not only caused alarm in the academic circles but has equally disturbed the country’s chief executive, the Prime Minister. The recent surge of inflation is a matter of serious concern for a variety of reasons. First, Pakistan has been a low-inflation country as it has experienced price stability during the last three decades. The rate of inflation, as measured by an increase in the WPI, averaged 2.6 percent during the 1960s. The components of the WPI, i.e., food, raw materials, manufactures, and fuel and lubricants, also grew by an average rate ranging from 2.0 to 3.4 percent p.a. during then 1960s (see Table 1 for relevant statistics). The rate of inflation crossed the single-digit threshold during the 1970s. The WPI and its components increased at an annual average rate ranging from 12 to 18 percent. The double-digit inflation during the 1970s has been the result of two major oil shocks, a massive devaluation of currency, and devastating floods destroying agricultural crops. Pakistan returned to the fold of the single-digit inflation during the 1980s. The rate of inflation remained at the single-digit level during the first three years of the 1990s with the exception of 1990-91, when the rate of inflation increased to 11.7 percent as a result of the Gulf War. It is only during the outgoing fiscal year and in the current year that the rising inflation is posing a major threat to macroeconomic stability.