A wavelet-based dominant feature extraction algorithm for palm-print recognition

In this paper, a multi-resolution feature extraction algorithm for palm-print recognition is proposed based on two-dimensional discrete wavelet transform (2D-DWT), which efficiently exploits the local spatial variations in a palm-print image. The entire image is segmented into several small spatial modules and the effect of modularization in terms of the entropy content of the palm-print images has been investigated. A palm-print recognition scheme is developed based on extracting dominant wavelet features from each of these local modules. In the selection of the dominant features, a threshold criterion is proposed, which not only drastically reduces the feature dimension but also captures precisely the detail variations within the palm-print image. It is shown that, because of modularization of the palm-print image, the discriminating capabilities of the proposed features are enhanced, which results in a very high within-class compactness and between-class separability of the extracted features. The effect of using different mother wavelets for the purpose of feature extraction has been also investigated. A principal component analysis is performed to further reduce the feature dimension. From our extensive experimentations on different palm-print databases, it is found that the performance of the proposed method in terms of recognition accuracy and computational complexity is superior to that of some of the recent methods.     

New insights into the microencapsulation properties of sodium caseinate and hydrolyzed casein

The aim of the present study was to describe the fundamental physical characteristics of spray-dried carrier matrices based on sodium caseinate and casein hydrolyzate and microcapsules as well as their impact on the stability of a microencapsulated functional ingredient. Spray-dried carrier matrix was characterized by different physical methods (helium pycnometry, nitrogen displacement for surface area analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy). Surface viscoelasticity of protein-stabilized oil–water interfaces was analyzed using dynamic pendant drop tensiometry. Fish oil was microencapsulated and microencapsulation efficiency as well as oxidative stability over time was monitored.     

Technical Analysis of Security Management in Terms of Crowd Energy and Smart Living

In this paper, a technical and statistical analysis of security system and security management is provided for crowd energy and smart living. At the same time, a clear understanding is made for crowd energy concept and next generation smart living. Various case examples have been studied and a brief summary has been provided. Furthermore, a statistical analysis has been provided in terms of security management in smart living where it is found that young technocrats give the highest importance to security management in smart living. Last but not the least, current limitation, constraints, and future scope of security implementation have been discussed in terms of crowd energy clustered with next generation smart living.     

A Data Classification Method for Inconsistency and Incompleteness Detection in Access Control Policy Sets

Access control policies may contain anomalies such as incompleteness and inconsistency, which can result in security vulnerabilities. Detecting such anomalies in large sets of complex policies automatically is a difficult and challenging problem. In this paper, we propose a novel method for detecting inconsistency and incompleteness in access control policies with the help of data classification tools well known in data mining. Our proposed method consists of three phases: firstly, we perform parsing on the policy data set; this includes ordering of attributes and normalization of Boolean expressions. Secondly, we generate decision trees with the help of our proposed algorithm, which is a modification of the well-known C4.5 algorithm. Thirdly, we execute our proposed anomaly detection algorithm on the resulting decision trees. The results of the anomaly detection algorithm are presented to the policy administrator who will take remediation measures. In contrast to other known policy validation methods, our method provides means for handling incompleteness, continuous values and complex Boolean expressions. In order to demonstrate the efficiency of our method in discovering inconsistencies, incompleteness and redundancies in access control policies, we also provide a proof-of-concept implementation.     

Thermal conductivity of an aligned carbon nanotube array

The thermal conductivity of vertically aligned CNT film arrays prepared using carbon vapor deposition (CVD) on a glass substrate was examined. A modern light flash device was first used to measure the effective thermal conductivity of the combined sample consisting of a sandwiched CNT film array thermal interface material between two glass plates. The results were used in an effective thermal resistance model to estimate the thermal conductivity of the CNT film. The value obtained was higher than that found in the literature and clearly demonstrated the advantage of using aligned CNTs and thus utilizing their maximum axial thermal conductivity. It was concluded that the quality of the CNT array produced using CVD directly contributed to the high thermal conductivity value obtained for the CNT film.     

An iterative method for modelling the air‐cooled organic Rankine cycle geothermal power plant

This work presents an iterative method for modelling the effect of ambient air temperature on the air‐cooled organic Rankine cycle. The ambient temperature affects the condenser performance, and hence the performance of the whole cycle, in two ways. First, changing the equilibrium pressure inside the condenser, the turbine outlet pressure and the turbine pressure ratio vary. Since the turbine pressure ratio is a major parameter in determining the power generated by a turbine, the plant output is directly affected. Second, changing the condenser outlet temperature with ambient temperature, the pump inlet and outlet conditions are changed. Thus, the vapourizer equilibrium temperature and pressure are influenced. The developed method iteratively seeks the equilibrium conditions for both the condenser and vapourizer. Two case studies based on a real plant performance have been carried out to demonstrate the validity of the method. The developed method demonstrates robustness and converges regardless of the initial conditions allowed by the physical properties of the working fluid. This method is effective for cycles that use saturated vapour as well as superheated vapour under static or dynamic conditions with appropriate initial conditions and constraints. The developed method may be applied to any Rankine cycle with closed cycle operation. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

优化水泥厂能源管理和生产运作

Lehigh水泥公司在对其位于马里兰州Union Bridge的工厂进行现代化管理的过程中，集成运用了过程控制和能源管理以达到改善整个工厂的生产效率的目的。