3D Deformable Super-Resolution for Multi-Camera 3D Face Scanning

Low-cost and high-accuracy 3D face measurement is becoming increasingly important in many computer vision applications including face recognition, facial animation, games, orthodontics and aesthetic surgery. In most cases fringe projection based systems are used to overcome the relatively uniform appearance of skin. These systems employ a structured light camera/projector device and require explicit user cooperation and controlled lighting conditions. In this paper, we propose a 3D acquisition solution with a 3D space-time non-rigid super-resolution capability, using three calibrated cameras coupled with a non calibrated projector device, which is particularly suited to 3D face scanning, i.e. rapid, easily movable and robust to ambient lighting variation. The proposed solution is a hybrid stereovision and phase-shifting approach, using two shifted patterns and a texture image, which not only takes advantage of stereovision and structured light, but also overcomes their weaknesses. The super-resolution scheme involves a shape+texture 3D non-rigid registration for 3D artifacts correction in the presence of small non-rigid deformations as facial expressions.     

Studies on Cobalt(II) Complexes with Benzenesulfonate: Synthesis,Crystal Structure,and Spectroscopic and Magnetic Properties

Two novel transition metal benzenesulfonate complexes with a formula [Co(H₂O)₆][C₇H₅O₃SO₃]₂?2H₂O (1) and Na₄[Co(H₂O)₂ Cl₄][C₇H₅O₃SO₃]₂?4H₂O (2), have been synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction technique; thermal analysis was done and spectroscopic and magnetic properties were studied. The [Co(H₂O)₆][C₇H₅O₃SO₃]₂?2H₂O (1) complex crystallizes in the triclinic system; however, the (2) complex crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system with the C2/c space group. Each Co(II) atom in (1) and (2) is octahedrally coordinated. A hydrogen bond links the complex cation and anion, forming one-dimensional hydrogen-bonded supramolecular chains. The complexes exhibit different decomposition characteristics. Magnetic susceptibility measurement shows that complexes have weak anti-ferromagnetic intermolecular interactions between many local spins. The magnitude and nature of these magnetic interactions are discussed in the light of their respective structures, and they are compared with those reported for related systems. Magnetic moments of both compounds at room temperature are characteristic of high-spin complexes Co(II).     

Crosscumulants based approaches for the structure identification of Volterra models

In this paper, we address the problem of structure identification of Volterra models. It consists in estimating the model order and the memory length of each kernel. Two methods based on input-output crosscumulants are developed. The first one uses zero mean independent and identically distributed Caussian input, and the second one concerns a symmetric input sequence. Simulations are performed on six models having different orders and kernel memory lengths to demonstrate the advantages of the proposed methods.     

Comparative study of the dispersion of three oxide pigments with sodium polymethacrylate dispersants in alkaline medium

The adsorption of sodium polymethacrylate (NaPMA) dispersants onto three oxide powders (hematite, goethite and rutile) in alkaline medium has been investigated together with the resulting stabilization of the suspensions. Under basic conditions of waterborne coatings formulation, hematite and rutile are negatively charged whereas goethite is almost neutral. Adsorption isotherms, electrophoretic mobility, particle size, IR spectroscopy and rheological measurements were used to investigate the polymer–pigments interactions. It was found that adsorption of the anionic NaPMA polymer on the three pigments was still possible even at pH above the isoelectric point (IEP). Depending on the pH and the type of oxide, electrostatic interactions, chemical complexation at the surface or/and hydrogen bonding were suggested to be the predominant contributions to the adsorption process. The adsorption at high pH was enough for preventing particles aggregation and ensuring an efficient stabilization of the suspensions. The viscosity measurements performed at pH close to the IEP's also suggested that besides the electrostatic stabilization, the NaPMA polymers provided a steric stabilization. The steric effect was larger with the polymers of higher molar mass. The comparison of the three oxide showed that the affinity for the surface site came mainly from chemical interaction with acidic surface sites in the order rutile > goethite > hematite. The strong adsorption on rutile came from the aluminum treatment of its surface.     

Design and analysis of secure host-based mobility protocol for wireless heterogeneous networks

Mobility protocols allow hosts to change their location or network interface while maintaining ongoing sessions. While such protocols can facilitate vertical mobility in a cost-efficient and access agnostic manner, they are not sufficient to address all security issues when used in scenarios requiring local mobility management. In this paper, we propose a new scheme that makes Host Identity Protocol (HIP) able to serve as an efficient and secure mobility protocol for wireless heterogeneous networks while preserving all the advantages of the base HIP functions as well. Our proposal, called Heterogeneous Mobility HIP (HMHIP), is based on hierarchical topology of rendezvous Servers (RVSs), signaling delegation, and inter-RVS communication to enable secure and efficient network mobility support in the HIP layer. Formal security analysis using the AVISPA tool and performance evaluation of this method are provided; they confirm the safety and efficiency of the proposed solution. HMHIP reduces handover latency and packet overhead during handovers by achieving registration locally.     

Changes in Fatty Acids,Tocochromanols, Carotenoids and Chlorophylls Content During Flaxseed Development

A comparative study was performed to determine tocopherols, tocotrienols, fatty acids, and pigments content during the development of three varieties of flaxseed (H52, O116 and P129). Seed samples were collected at regular intervals from 7 to 56 days after flowering (DAF). The highest content of chlorophyll (89.72–130.5 mg/kg oil) was detected at 7 DAF. The maximum level of carotenoids (52.10–65.55 mg/kg oil) was reached at 21 DAF. During seed development, unsaturated fatty acids are the major component, reaching 85% of the total fatty acids while saturated fatty acids content were about 15%. The maximum level of γ-tocopherol (585 mg/kg oil) was reached at 42 DAF in P129 variety. These results may be useful for evaluating the flaxseed quality and determining its optimal harvest period.     

Modeling and experimental validation of a humidification–dehumidification desalination unit solar part

This paper presents the modeling and the experimental validation of air and water solar collectors used in humidification-dehumidification (HDH) solar desalination unit. The solar desalination process is currently operating under the climatological conditions of Sfax (34 N, 10 E), Tunisia. To numerically simulate the air and water solar collectors, we have developed dynamic mathematical models of the solar collectors. The resulting distributed parametric systems of equations are transformed into a system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) using the orthogonal collocation method (OCM). A comparison between numerical and experimental data was conducted. It was found that the two-temperature mathematical model describes more precisely the real behaviour of the water solar collector than the one-temperature mathematical model. It was also shown that the developed mathematical models are able to predict accurately the trends of the thermal characteristic of the water and air solar collectors. As a result, the proposed models can be used to size and test the behaviour of such a type of water and air solar collectors.     

Contribution to the optimisation of artificial ligament mechanical properties

In this work, artificial anterior cruciate ligaments were manufactured using braiding process. The mechanical behaviour of circular braids under tensile loads was studied. These braids were manufactured from different yarns and materials. A study of the effect of yarns characteristics and the machine parameters on the braid mechanical properties was done. Predictive models of the braid mechanical response based on the constituent yarn characteristics and the machine parameters have been developed. The last part of this study has been devoted to optimise the braid mechanical properties to be close to those of native ligament.