3D Face Recognition Using Simulated Annealing and the Surface Interpenetration Measure

This paper presents a novel automatic framework to perform 3D face recognition. The proposed method uses a Simulated Annealing-based approach (SA) for range image registration with the Surface Interpenetration Measure (SIM), as similarity measure, in order to match two face images. The authentication score is obtained by combining the SIM values corresponding to the matching of four different face regions: circular and elliptical areas around the nose, forehead, and the entire face region. Then, a modified SA approach is proposed taking advantage of invariant face regions to better handle facial expressions. Comprehensive experiments were performed on the FRGC v2 database, the largest available database of 3D face images composed of 4,007 images with different facial expressions. The experiments simulated both verification and identification systems and the results compared to those reported by state-of-the-art works. By using all of the images in the database, a verification rate of 96.5 percent was achieved at a False Acceptance Rate (FAR) of 0.1 percent. In the identification scenario, a rank-one accuracy of 98.4 percent was achieved. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest rank-one score ever achieved for the FRGC v2 database when compared to results published in the literature.     

Theoretical and Experimental Study of Water Transport in a Hollow Cylinder Applied to the Drying of Round Squid Mantle

ABSTRACT

Until now, attention has been focused solely in the drying of squid mantle from an experimental point of view, neglecting the transport phenomenon studies of water in squid muscle. This work studies the drying of squid mantle (Loligo brasiliensis), previously salted and smoked by liquid smoking (hickory extract), using a tubular dryer in closed cycle with a silicagel fixed bed in series. The mass transfer phenomenon during drying was studied, based on the Fick's second law, with the effective diffusivity supposed constant, which enabled an analytical solution to the problem. The drying curve calculated with the resulting equation was compared with experimental data. The model was applied to a hollow cylinder geometry (round squid mantle), with its internal surface isolated from the drying environment by a plastic film. The latter was given a tubular form and introduced inside the mantle cavity (impervious wall boundary condition).     

Weak evidence for determinants of citation frequency in ecological articles

Citation frequency has been considered a biased surrogate of publication merit. However, previous studies on this subject were based on small sample sizes and were entirely based on null-hypothesis significance testing. Here we evaluated the relative effects of different predictors on citation frequency of ecological articles using an information theory framework designed to evaluate multiple competing hypotheses. Supposed predictors of citation frequency (e.g., number of authors, length of articles) accounted for a low fraction of the total variation. We argue that biases concerning citation are minor in ecology and further studies that attempt to quantify the scientific relevance of an article, aiming to make further relationships with citation, are needed to advance our understanding of why an article is cited.     

The impact of Felsenstein's “Phylogenies and the comparative method” on evolutionary biology

Summary Programs in global environmental change research call for sweeping international cooperation and the creation of global networks. This paper analyzes to what extent research institutions in the field of global environmental change have responded to this call. Several bibliometric indicators of internationalization are discussed. A German and a U.S. sample are compared. The results indicate that a very discernable trend of recent internationalization can be observed. This is in line with a general internationalization trend across all fields, but at a much higher level. Given the political emphasis on capacity building in developing countries in this research field, however, there is only weak evidence of a more encompassing globalization process which also includes marginal world regions. Finally, the internationalization trend does not coincide with de-nationalization.     

SOME THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS ON THE THIN-LAYER DRYING OF FISH CRACKERS: PRODUCT EXPANSION ASSESSMENT

Fish crackers are semi-prepared starch-based products which must be expanded just prior to consumption. This work aims at the experimental and theoretical study of the thin-layer drying process of fish crackers in a thin disc geometry. The process was carried out in an insulated cabinet dryer and the experimental kinetic drying data were fitted using the analytical solutions resulting from both a drying model governed by the Fick' s second law and a model based on the lumped system, highlighting the adequacy of each of them. Therefore, it was possible to calculate the mass transfer coefficients for seven different blends offish crackers. Also, the effect of the drying time on the bulk density of the puffed product was evaluated for these seven blends. Both the kinetic drying parameters and the optimal bulk density responses were analyzed using the Simplex-Lattice Design over a mixture triangle within a minimal number of experiments.     

Coupled reliability model of biodeterioration, chloride ingress and cracking for reinforced concrete structures

Maintaining and operating civil infrastructure systems has been recognized as a critical issue worldwide. Among all possible causes of safety reduction during the structural lifetime, deterioration is particularly important. Structural deterioration is usually a slow time-dependent process controlled by safety and operation threshold specifications. This paper presents a model of RC deterioration by coupling biodeterioration (i.e., chemical, physical and mechanical action of live organisms), steel corrosion, and concrete cracking. The final purpose of the model is to compute the reduction of the concrete section and the area of steel reinforcement in order to assess the change of structural capacity with time. Given the uncertainties in both the parameters and the model, the probabilistic nature of loads, the material properties and the diffusion process are taken into account to evaluate structural reliability. The model is illustrated with an example where the inelastic behavior of a pile subject to random loading is considered. The results of the analysis have shown that the effect of biodeterioration on the structural performance is significant and can cause an important reduction of its lifetime. On the whole, the paper states that modeling the effects of biodeterioration in RC structures should be included as part of infrastructure planning and design, especially, when they are located in aggressive environments.     

Serial ablations of the telencephalon and avoidance learning by goldfish (Carassius auratus).

Simultaneous bilateral ablation of the teleost telencephalon was confirmed to impair the retention, extinction, and reversal learning of a preoperatively learned instrumental avoidance response in a shuttle box. The focus of the experiment, using 30 goldfish, was on whether 2-stage serial unilateral ablations of the teleost telencephalon would ameliorate the effects seen following 1-stage bilateral ablation and whether such amelioration would be a function of S's experiences between the staged ablations. The degree of retention, relearning, and extinction of the avoidance response was not modulated by the serial ablation procedure whether or not there was interoperation retraining experience. However, reversal learning, in which the previous warning signal became the safety signal and the previous safety signal became the new warning signal, was less impaired following serial ablations than following single-stage bilateral ablation. Results are contrasted with those from experiments with mammalian Ss. (46 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The design of mosaic armour: The influence of tile size on ballistic performance

Silicon carbide square tiles of different areal geometries and manufactured via two different processing routes have been bonded to polycarbonate layers to evaluate their ballistic performance. Four ceramic tile sizes were tested: 85 mm, 60 mm, 50 mm and 33 mm. In each case the residual depth-of-penetration into a polycarbonate semi-infinite backing was recorded. To elucidate the penetration and failure mechanisms, a computational model using the JH-1 ceramic model [Holmquist TJ, Johnson GR. Response of silicon carbide to high velocity impact. J Appl Phys 2002;91:5858–66] of the projectile used in the experimental study penetrating into a silicon carbide-faced polycarbonate was implemented in the hydrocode AUTODYN-2D. This paper shows that there is a critical dimension of tile that should be used in a silicon carbide-based ceramic-faced mosaic armour system design to ensure optimum system performance when each tile is struck centrally.     

Prenylated Flavonoids with Potential Antimicrobial Activity: Synthesis,Biological Activity,and In Silico Study

Prenylated flavonoids are an important class of naturally occurring flavonoids with important biological activity, but their low abundance in nature limits their application in medicines. Here, we showed the hemisynthesis and the determination of various biological activities of seven prenylated flavonoids, named 7–13, with an emphasis on antimicrobial ones. Compounds 9, 11, and 12 showed inhibitory activity against human pathogenic fungi. Compounds 11, 12 (flavanones) and 13 (isoflavone) were the most active against clinical isolated Staphylococcus aureus MRSA, showing that structural requirements as prenylation at position C-6 or C-8 and OH at positions C-5, 7, and 4′ are key to the antibacterial activity. The combination of 11 or 12 with commercial antibiotics synergistically enhanced the antibacterial activity of vancomycin, ciprofloxacin, and methicillin in a factor of 10 to 100 times against drug-resistant bacteria. Compound 11 combined with ciprofloxacin was able to decrease the levels of ROS generated by ciprofloxacin. According to docking results of S enantiomer of 11 with ATP-binding cassette transporter showed the most favorable binding energy; however, more studies are needed to support this result.     

Synthesis, structural characterization and ethylene polymerization behavior of complex [Ph4P][CrCl3{HB(pz)3}] [HB(pz)3 = hydrotris(1-pyrazolyl)borate]

Reaction of CrCl₃(THF)₃ with K[HB(pz)₃] in THF leads to the formation of the complex K[CrCl₃{HB(pz)₃}] (1). The salt metathesis of complex 1 with [Ph₄P]Br in CH₂Cl₂ yields the complex [Ph₄P][CrCl₃{HB(pz)₃}](2). The structure of complex 2 · CHCl₃ has been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. In the anion the metal centre shows a distorted octahedral geometry with the hydrotris(1-pyrazolyl)borate bonded as N,N′,N″-donor tripod ligand and three chloride atoms completing the co-ordination sphere. Complex 2 in the presence of MAO leads to the formation of an active catalyst for the polymerization of ethylene.