Unconstrained Hand Dorsal Veins Image Database and Recognition System

Hand veins can be used effectively in biometric recognition since they are internal organs that, in contrast to fingerprints, are robust under external environment effects such as dirt and paper cuts. Moreover, they form a complex rich shape that is unique, even in identical twins, and allows a high degree of freedom. However, most currently employed hand-based biometric systems rely on hand-touch devices to capture images with the desired quality. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, most hand-based biometric systems have become undesirable due to their possible impact on the spread of the pandemic. Consequently, new contactless hand-based biometric recognition systems and databases are desired to keep up with the rising hygiene awareness. One contribution of this research is the creation of a database for hand dorsal veins images obtained contact-free with a variation in capturing distance and rotation angle. This database consists of 1548 images collected from 86 participants whose ages ranged from 19 to 84 years. For the other research contribution, a novel geometrical feature extraction method has been developed based on the Curvelet Transform. This method is useful for extracting robust rotation invariance features from vein images. The database attributes and the veins recognition results are analyzed to demonstrate their efficacy.     

Extrinsic parameter's adjustment and potential implications in Plasmodium falciparum malaria diagnosis

Malaria is a major public health concern, affecting over 3.2 billion people in 91 countries. The advent of digital microscopy and Machine learning with the aim of automating Plasmodium falciparum diagnosis extensively depends on the extracted image features. The color of the cells, plasma, and stained artifacts influence the topological, geometrical, and statistical parameters being used to extract image features. During microscopic image acquisition, custom adjustments to the condenser and color temperature controls often have an influence on the extracted statistical features. But, our human visual system sub-consciously adjusts the color and retains the originality in a different lighting environment. Despite the use of appropriate image preprocessing, findings from the literature indicate that statistical feature variations exist, allowing the risk of P. falciparum misinterpretation. In order to eliminate this pervasive variation, the current work focuses on preprocessing the extracted statistical features rather than the prepossessing of the source image. It begins with the augmentation of series images for a microscopic field by inducing illumination variations during the microscopic image acquisition stage. A set of such image series is analyzed using a Nonlinear Regression Model to generalize the relationship between microscopic images acquired with variable ambient brightness and a specific feature. The projection point of the centroid feature onto the brightness parameter is identified in the model and it is denoted as the optimum brightness factor (OBF). Using the model, the feature correction factor (CF) is calculated from the rate of change of feature values over the interval OBF, and the brightness of the test image is processed. The present work has investigated OBF for selected image textural features, namely Contrast, Homogeneity, Entropy, Energy, and Correlation individually from its co-occurrence matrices. For performance analysis, the best state-of-the-art method uses selected texture as a subset feature to evaluate the effectiveness of P. falciparum malaria classification. Then, the impact of proposed feature processing is evaluated on 274 blood smear images with and without Feature Correction (FC). As a result, the “p” value is less than .05, which leads to the result that it is highly significant and the classification accuracy and F-score of P. falciparum malaria are increased.     

多层介质膜脉宽压缩光栅清洗方法研究

采用SPM (Sulfuric-Peroxide Mixtures, 98wt%H₂SO₄+30wt%H₂O₂)+兆声(方法1)和氧等离子体+HPM (Hydrochloric/Peroxide Mixture, 37wt%HCl+30wt%H₂O₂+DIH₂O)+兆声(方法2)两种清洗方法对多层介质膜脉宽压缩光栅进行清洗, 并对清洗前后样品的表面元素含量、衍射效率、表面粗糙度、表面温升以及激光损伤阈值等参数进行测量以评估两种清洗方法清洗效果。在入射角70°, 脉宽12 ns, s偏振, 波长1064 nm的激光辐照下, 经过清洗方法1清洗后的光栅样品单脉冲激光损伤阈值为7.55 J/cm ², 而方法2清洗后的样品损伤阈值为5.32 J/cm ²。另外, 虽然经过方法2清洗后样品表面杂质含量更低, 但是在衍射效率、表面粗糙度和表面温升都劣于经方法1清洗后的样品, 进一步分析发现方法2中氧等离子体清洗过程引入的Fe元素影响了其样品损伤性能和温升性能。因此, SPM清洗方法可以作为多层介质膜脉宽压缩光栅提升抗激光损伤性能的优化清洗方案。     

基于NB分类器重访概率预测的Web缓存替换策略

Web缓存是用来解决网络访问延迟和网络拥塞问题，缓存替换策略直接影响缓存的命中率。为此，提出一种朴素贝叶斯（NB）分类器重访概率预测的Web缓存替换策略；根据用户之前访问日志，通过分区操作提取多项特征来表示每次访问的对象，并构建特征数据集；训练NB分类器，用来确定缓存中对象被再次访问的概率，为对象分配权重；结合LRU策略来合理删除一些对象。仿真结果表明，提出的策略在保证较高命中率的同时有效降低了执行时间。     

Effect of Kollidon VA®64 particle size and morphology as directly compressible excipient on tablet compression properties

The study evaluates use of Kollidon VA^®64 and a combination of Kollidon VA^®64 with Kollidon VA^®64 Fine as excipient in direct compression process of tablets. The combination of the two grades of material is evaluated for capping, lamination and excessive friability. Inter particulate void space is higher for such excipient due to the hollow structure of the Kollidon VA^®64 particles. During tablet compression air remains trapped in the blend exhibiting poor compression with compromised physical properties of the tablets. Composition of Kollidon VA^®64 and Kollidon VA^®64 Fine is evaluated by design of experiment (DoE). A scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of two grades of Kollidon VA^®64 exhibits morphological differences between coarse and fine grade. The tablet compression process is evaluated with a mix consisting of entirely Kollidon VA^®64 and two mixes containing Kollidon VA^®64 and Kollidon VA^®64 Fine in ratio of 77:23 and 65:35. A statistical modeling on the results from the DoE trials resulted in the optimum composition for direct tablet compression as combination of Kollidon VA^®64 and Kollidon VA^®64 Fine in ratio of 77:23. This combination compressed with the predicted parameters based on the statistical modeling and applying main compression force between 5 and 15?kN, pre-compression force between 2 and 3?kN, feeder speed fixed at 25?rpm and compression range of 45–49?rpm produced tablets with hardness ranging between 19 and 21?kp, with no friability, capping, or lamination issue.     

Comparison of mechanical properties of ground corn stover,switchgrass, and willow and their pellet qualities

Mechanical and physical properties of ground corn stover, switchgrass, and willow were measured and compared in addition to the quality of pellets. Biomass was size-reduced with two different screen sizes (3.175 and 6.35?mm) and conditioned to obtain samples at two different moisture contents (17.5 and 20% on wet basis). Ground switchgrass had the smallest and willow had the highest D₅₀ when size-reduced with the same screen size. Hydrostatic triaxial compression tests were performed using the cubical triaxial tester to determine the bulk modulus, compression index, and spring-back index at specific unloading pressures (20, 45, 70, and 95?kPa). The trends of pressure vs. volumetric strain and void ratio vs. natural log of pressure were similar for all three materials; however, the magnitudes were different. Willow, size-reduced with 3.175?mm screen size at 17.5% wet basis, had the highest bulk modulus among different conditions of all the three biomass. Pellet durability values for all the three materials were higher than 80%. Corn stover pellets formed with 3.175?mm screen size at 20% wet basis had the highest diametral tensile and axial compressive strengths among different conditions for all the three biomass, however the values were not significantly different (p?>?0.05).     

Unpatterned Bioactive Poly(Butylene 1,4-Cyclohexanedicarboxylate)-Based Film Fast Induced Neuronal-Like Differentiation of Human Bone Marrow-Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Herein, we present poly(butylene 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylate) (PBCE) films characterized by an unpatterned microstructure and a specific hydrophobicity, capable of boosting a drastic cytoskeleton architecture remodeling, culminating with the neuronal-like differentiation of human bone marrow-mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs). We have used two different filming procedures to prepare the films, solvent casting (PBCE) and compression-moulding (PBCE*). PBCE film had a rough and porous surface with spherulite-like aggregations (Ø = 10–20 μm) and was characterized by a water contact angle = 100°. PBCE* showed a smooth and continuous surface without voids and visible spherulite-like aggregations and was more hydrophobic (WCA = 110°). Both surface characteristics were modulated through the copolymerization of different amounts of ether-oxygen-containing co-units into PBCE chemical structure. We showed that only the surface characteristics of PBCE-solvent-casted films steered hBM-MSCs toward a neuronal-like differentiation. hBM-MSCs lost their canonical mesenchymal morphology, acquired a neuronal polarized shape with a long cell protrusion (≥150 μm), expressed neuron-specific class III β-tubulin and microtubule-associated protein 2 neuronal markers, while nestin, a marker of uncommitted stem cells, was drastically silenced. These events were observed as early as 2-days after cell seeding. Of note, the phenomenon was totally absent on PBCE* film, as hBM-MSCs maintained the mesenchymal shape and behavior and did not express neuronal/glial markers.     

基于机器视觉的玻璃缺陷检测

随着科学技术的进步,高端显示屏产品对平板玻璃的质量要求越来越高,玻璃的表面缺陷检测技术也因此备受关注。传统的人眼检测方法工作量大且准确率低,已经无法满足生产实际要求。研究了一种基于机器视觉的玻璃质量检测系统,采用先进的CCD成像技术和背光式照明获取图像,用MATLAB图像处理工具箱对采集到的图像进行灰度值化、滤波降噪和阈值分割处理,实现对缺陷区域的特征提取和识别。最后用BP神经网络对玻璃表面的三种缺陷进行分类,该神经网络识别的平均误差率为9.84%,表明此检测方法具有一定的应用价值。     

Microstructure,mechanical and wear properties of aluminum borate whisker reinforced aluminum matrix composites

The microstructural features and the consequent mechanical properties were characterized in aluminium borate whisker (ABOw) (5, 10 and 15 wt.%) reinforced commercially-pure aluminium composites fabricated by conventional powder metallurgy technique. The aluminium powder and the whisker were effectively blended by a semi-powder metallurgy method. The blended powder mixtures were cold compacted and sintered at 600 °C. The sintered composites were characterized for microstructural features by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Porosity in the composites with variation in ABOw contents was determined. The effect of variation in content of ABOw on mechanical properties, viz. hardness, bending strength and compressive strength of the composites was evaluated. The dry sliding wear behaviour was evaluated at varying sliding distance at constant loads. Maximum flexural strength of 172 MPa and compressive strength of 324 MPa with improved hardness around HV 40.2 are obtained in composite with 10 wt.% ABOw. Further increase in ABOw content deteriorates the properties. A substantial increase in wear resistance is also observed with 10 wt.% ABOw. The excellent combination of mechanical properties of Al−10wt.%ABOw composites is attributed to good interfacial bonds, less porosity and uniformity in the microstructure.     

不同干密度尾矿料压缩特性探究

为研究不同干密度尾矿料的压缩特性,采用筛分法将尾矿料分别配制成不同干密度的尾矿砂及尾矿土,进行渗透、压缩试验。试验表明:尾矿砂的沉降主要发生在施加荷载的早期阶段,且沉降量较大。压缩模量随着干密度的增大而增大,压缩系数随着干密度的增大而减小,在相同压力增量下,尾矿土的压缩性更强。