This paper presents a template-based inspection application for change detection. This implementation aims to the inspection of targets which appear at an arbitrary orientation, such as undervehicle surfaces in vehicle inspection stations. The operation of the application is divided in two phases: image registration and change detection. Image registration aims to accurately detect the spatial transformation parameters which describe the orientation of the target with respect to its template. Change detection separates content changes from sensor noise fluctuations through noise model estimation.

An electric equivalent circuit for Co-based amorphous wires is studied in this paper. Its structure is based on some simple assumptions related to domain structure and the coupling between these domains but also on the presence of the specific relaxation mechanisms. Model parameters were identified using impedance spectroscopy techniques.

The table data for R-T dependence of NTC resistors (NTCRs), which have resistance RN = 10000 Ω at a temperature of 25 °C and limits of error ±0,2 °C in the range (0 to 70) °C [1-4], are analysed. The determination of two approximation curves is described: a three-parameters (abbreviated as AC1) and a two-parameters (AC2). These curves are compared with the three-parameters Steinhart-Hart equation (S&H) by using the table data of resistance for different NTCRs and calculating the following for all of them: unknown parameters by the least-squares method, approximated temperature using determined parameters, and the difference to the table data of temperature. The obtained results are presented, which show a very good agreement of curves, with their mutual differences within a few millikelvin, and the differences to the table data within ±15 mK for the range (0 to 70) °C. Therefore, presented two-parameters approximation curve AC2 can be very convenient for the use with some NTCRs for the calculation of unknown temperature from the measured resistance.

The work proposes an accurate, on-site and real-time method to measure the moisture content of agricultural soils; the idea is to estimate the moisture measuring the velocity of propagation of seismic waves in the medium applying a new model based on the use of both compressional and shear waves. In a previous paper the authors derived the relationship between the compressional wave speed and the moisture content for various kind of soils; they also derived the conditions for the actual validity of the proposed relationships and a suitable range of frequencies for the sound used as the input stimulus, for a wide range of agricultural soils in different physical conditions. In this paper, the use of shear wave velocity is proposed aiming to increase the accuracy of moisture estimation and to reduce the number of parameters affecting the measurement without increasing the computational charge. Finally, using the results obtained, they propose a portable, accurate and very cheap sensor suitable for direct use by farmers and/or not specialized personnel.

Time-domain Reflectometry (TDR) is a well-established technique for the development of microwave sensors devoted to the dielectric characterization of materials. This renders TDR an appealing method for a variety of monitoring applications. Till now, TDR has been successfully applied to solve hydrological or soil prospecting problems, though its adoption in many other cases is worth an investigation. In this paper, it is demonstrated that TDR is a viable approach for quantitative and qualitaive real-time characterization of liquids inside tanks. In fact, in one shot the suitable handling of time-domain reflectometry data allows the determination of the liquid level, as well as the evaluation of dielectric properties, such as dielectric permittivity and electrical conductivity. Some applications to real cases are proposed, referred to petrol-chemical mixtures or water-based liquids, thus validating the approach on a wide range of materials.