Curvelet-based fingerprint anti-spoofing

Existing perspiration-based liveness detection algorithms need two successive images (captured in certain time interval), hence they are slow and not useful for real-time applications. Liveness detection methods using extra hardware increase the cost of the system. To alleviate these problems, we propose new curvelet-based method which needs only one fingerprint to detect liveness. Wavelets are very effective in representing objects with isolated point singularities, but fail to represent line and curve singularities. Curvelet transform allows representing singularities along curves in a more efficient way than the wavelets. Ridges oriented in different directions in a fingerprint image are curved; hence curvelets are very significant to characterize fingerprint texture. Textural measures based on curvelet energy and co-occurrence signatures are used to characterize fingerprint image. Dimensionalities of feature sets are reduced by running Pudil’s sequential forward floating selection (SFFS) algorithm. Curvelet energy and co-occurrence signatures are independently tested on three different classifiers: AdaBoost.M1, support vector machine and alternating decision tree. Finally, all the aforementioned classifiers are fused using the “Majority Voting Rule” to form an ensemble classifier. A fingerprint database consisting of 185 real, 90 Fun-Doh and 150 Gummy fingerprints is created by using varieties of artificial materials for casts and moulds of spoof fingerprints. Performance of the new liveness detection approach is found very promising, as it needs only one fingerprint and no extra hardware to detect vitality.     

Co Solubility in Sn and Interfacial Reactions in Sn-Co/Ni Couples

It has been reported that minute Co additions to Sn-based solders are very effective for reducing undercooling, probably due to low Co solubility in Sn. In this study, Co solubility in molten Sn was determined experimentally. According to results of metallographic analysis, Co solubility in molten Sn is as low as 0.04 wt.% at 250°C. Interfacial reactions in Sn-Co/Ni couples at 250°C were examined for Co contents from 0.01 wt.% to 0.4 wt.%. The Ni₃Sn₄ phase was the only interfacial reaction phase in almost the entire Sn-0.01 wt.%Co/Ni couple. For Sn-Co/Ni couples with a Co content higher than 0.01 wt.%, a thin, continuous Ni₃Sn₄ layer and a discontinuous decahedron (Ni,Co)Sn₄ phase were formed in the initial stage of reaction. The reaction products evolved with time. With longer reaction time, the Sn content in the decahedron (Ni,Co)Sn₄ phase decreased, and the (Ni,Co)Sn₄ phase transformed into the (Ni,Co)Sn₂ phase and cleaved into a sheet, which then detached from the interface, after which Ni₃Sn₄ began to grow significantly with longer reaction times.     

Kinetics of Intermetallic Compound Formation at the Interface Between Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu Solder and Cu-Zn Alloy Substrates

The growth kinetics of an intermetallic compound (IMC) layer formed between Sn-3.5Ag-0.5Cu (SAC) solders and Cu-Zn alloy substrates was investigated for samples aged at different temperatures. Scallop-shaped Cu₆Sn₅ formed after soldering by dipping Cu or Cu-10 wt.%Zn wires into the molten solder at 260°C. Isothermal aging was performed at 120°C, 150°C, and 180°C for up to 2000 h. During the aging process, the morphology of Cu₆Sn₅ changed to a planar type in both specimens. Typical bilayer of Cu₆Sn₅ and Cu₃Sn and numerous microvoids were formed at the SAC/Cu interfaces after aging, while Cu₃Sn and microvoids were not observed at the SAC/Cu-Zn interfaces. IMC growth on the Cu substrate was controlled by volume diffusion in all conditions. In contrast, IMC growth on Cu-Zn specimens was controlled by interfacial reaction for a short aging time and volume diffusion kinetics for a long aging time. The growth rate of IMCs on Cu-Zn substrates was much slower due to the larger activation energy and the lower layer growth coefficient for the growth of Cu-Sn IMCs. This effect was more prominent at higher aging temperatures.     

A Novel FRFT Beamformer for Rayleigh Faded Channels

A method of optimal beamforming for flat Rayleigh faded channels using the Fractional Fourier Transform (FRFT) is considered in this paper. It has been demonstrated through simulations that optimal beamforming with FRFT allows smaller mean-square errors in restoring signals degraded with linear time-or frequency variant distortions and Additive White Gaussian Noise. This is made possible by the additional flexibility that comes with free parameter ‘a’ of the fractional Fourier transform as oppose to the classical Fourier transform (FT). The method is especially useful in moving source problems, where Doppler Effect produces frequency shift when the source is moving, as in mobile and wireless communication where user produces the frequency shift while moving. In this paper it is shown through simulations that beamforming in fractional domain reduces BER as compared to time or frequency domain.     

Advances In Peer-To-Peer Content Search

Peer-to-peer (P2P) computer networks have recently received tremendous attention due to their inherent scalability and flexibility, which facilitates a broad spectrum of innovative multimedia applications. Such networks rely on the power of participant nodes of the network (called peers) for communications and computation. Traditional applications of P2P multimedia include decentralized file sharing and content distribution. Yet, the value of the virtually unlimited amount of data distributed in the P2P network will be sacrificed if effective and efficient ways to locate the content are missing. This challenge has stimulated extensive research in recent years, and many new P2P content search methods have been proposed. This paper provides a timely review of influential work in the area of peer-to-peer (P2P) content search. We begin with a survey of text-based P2P search mechanisms and continue with an exposition of content-based and semantic-based approaches followed by a discussion of future directions.     

Random waypoint mobility model in cellular networks

In this paper we study the so-called random waypoint (RWP) mobility model in the context of cellular networks. In the RWP model the nodes, i.e., mobile users, move along a zigzag path consisting of straight legs from one waypoint to the next. Each waypoint is assumed to be drawn from the uniform distribution over the given convex domain. In this paper we characterise the key performance measures, mean handover rate and mean sojourn time from the point of view of an arbitrary cell, as well as the mean handover rate in the network. To this end, we present an exact analytical formula for the mean arrival rate across an arbitrary curve. This result together with the pdf of the node location, allows us to compute all other interesting measures. The results are illustrated by several numerical examples. For instance, as a straightforward application of these results one can easily adjust the model parameters in a simulation so that the scenario matches well with, e.g., the measured sojourn times in a cell.     

A New Design Concept for High-Performance Fading Channel Simulators Using Set Partitioning

In this paper, we introduce a new technique for the design of high-performance Rayleigh fading channel simulators. The proposed design method uses set partitioning – a technique, which plays a key role in the design of trellis-coded modulation schemes. We show how set partitioning can be used to design multiple uncorrelated fading waveforms enabling the simulation of Rayleigh fading channels. For the important case of isotropic scattering, we show that the sample average of the generated waveforms results in a deterministic process, the autocorrelation function (ACF) of which tends to the zeroth-order Bessel function of the first kind as the number of sample functions increases. The proposed procedure is completely deterministic. The comparison with a stochastic procedure using Monte Carlo techniques will be made. A study of the performance shows clearly that the new technique using set partitioning outperforms by far existing Monte Carlo methods.     

The novel communication algorithm and the throughput analysis for wireless sensor networks

Aiming at the significance of the energy controls of wireless sensor networks, an economical energy consumption algorithm for wireless communicating in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) is presented. Based on the algorithm, the maximal system throughput of WSN is analyzed, and the upper bound of throughput of WSN is proposed and proved. Some numerical simulations are conducted and analyzed. The conclusions include that the transmitting radius of sensor node and the parameters of the energy cost function have significant influence upon the throughput, but the monitoring region radius has little influence. For the same transmitting distance, the more the hopping of information trans- mitting, the better the throughput of WSN. On the other hand, for the energy optimization of the whole WSN, the trade-off problem between the throughput capacity and the relay nodes is proposed, and the specific expression of relay hops that minimized the energy consumptions and the maximal throughput of WSN under the specific situation is derived.     

High-speed active-input cascode current mirror

A high-speed active-input cascode current mirror is presented. The proposed configuration combines a high output impedance with the high-frequency performance of a source- or emitter-driven active-input topology. Simulation results in a 0.35 /spl mu/m SiGe BiCMOS are presented to demonstrate the validation of the proposed current mirror. A much higher (about 30 to 40 times) output impedance is achieved, with no degradation in the high-frequency behaviour compared to conventional emitter-driven active-input current mirrors, without increasing the power consumption. The proposed configuration can be applied to both bipolar and CMOS technology.     

A high performance CNFET-based operational transconductance amplifier and its applications

High performance electronic systems face several challenges in driving innovative integrated circuits when the internal transistors are scaled down below 45 nm. Carbon nanotube field effect transistors (CNFETs) are considered as excellent candidates for building energy-efficient electronic systems in the near future, due to their unique characteristics such as ballistic transport, scalability, and better channel electrostatics. In this paper, a new high performance operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) based on 32 nm CNFET devices is presented. The proposed OTA maintains a highly linear wide continuous tuning range and a wide frequency response range, enabled by splitting the linear voltage-to-current conversion and tuning two different blocks. As an application, a universal second-order transconductance-capacitor (G _m  ? C) filter realized using the OTA is introduced. Simulation results show that the CNFET-based OTA offers very a low current consumption of 2.35 μA from a ± 0.9 V power supply, achieves a bandwidth of 9.5 MHz, and has an input dynamic range of ± 0.2 V.