3D fingerprint reconstruction system using feature correspondences and prior estimated finger model

The paper studies a 3D fingerprint reconstruction technique based on multi-view touchless fingerprint images. This technique offers a solution for 3D fingerprint image generation and application when only multi-view 2D images are available. However, the difficulties and stresses of 3D fingerprint reconstruction are the establishment of feature correspondences based on 2D touchless fingerprint images and the estimation of the finger shape model. In this paper, several popular used features, such as scale invariant feature transformation (SIFT) feature, ridge feature and minutiae, are employed for correspondences establishment. To extract these fingerprint features accurately, an improved fingerprint enhancement method has been proposed by polishing orientation and ridge frequency maps according to the characteristics of 2D touchless fingerprint images. Therefore, correspondences can be established by adopting hierarchical fingerprint matching approaches. Through an analysis of 440 3D point cloud finger data (220 fingers, 2 pictures each) collected by a 3D scanning technique, i.e., the structured light illumination (SLI) method, the finger shape model is estimated. It is found that the binary quadratic function is more suitable for the finger shape model than the other mixed model tested in this paper. In our experiments, the reconstruction accuracy is illustrated by constructing a cylinder. Furthermore, results obtained from different fingerprint feature correspondences are analyzed and compared to show which features are more suitable for 3D fingerprint images generation.     

Target detection based on a dynamic subspace

For hyperspectral target detection, it is usually the case that only part of the targets pixels can be used as target signatures, so can we use them to construct the most proper background subspace for detecting all the probable targets? In this paper, a dynamic subspace detection (DSD) method which establishes a multiple detection framework is proposed. In each detection procedure, blocks of pixels are calculated by the random selection and the succeeding detection performance distribution analysis. Manifold analysis is further used to eliminate the probable anomalous pixels and purify the subspace datasets, and the remaining pixels construct the subspace for each detection procedure. The final detection results are then enhanced by the fusion of target occurrence frequencies in all the detection procedures. Experiments with both synthetic and real hyperspectral images (HSI) evaluate the validation of our proposed DSD method by using several different state-of-the-art methods as the basic detectors. With several other single detectors and multiple detection methods as comparable methods, improved receiver operating characteristic curves and better separability between targets and backgrounds by the DSD methods are illustrated. The DSD methods also perform well with the covariance-based detectors, showing their efficiency in selecting covariance information for detection.     

Simulation of the smart grid communications: Challenges,techniques, and future trends

This paper gives an overview of available simulation techniques to support the analysis of smart grid communications. Intelligent power grids, known as smart grids, are required as the demand for energy continues to grow and more emphasis is being placed on the supply of renewable energy. The main ingredient of smart grid is the integration of information and communication technology into the grids to monitor and regulate power generation and the demand. The impact of the communication networks on the performance of power system dynamics can only be understood through numerical simulations. This paper provides an overview of available simulation techniques for smart grid communications with a particular focus on the co-simulation frameworks and their enabling technologies. Moreover, a case study with VPNET for analyzing agent based shipboard smart grid protections considering communication impacts is provided.     

Estimation bias of ocean current measured by along-track interferometric synthetic aperture radar and its compensation methods

In previous works on current measured by along-track interferometric synthetic aperture radar (ATISAR), the decorrelation function of an ocean-surface backscattering signal was usually assumed to be a real Gaussian function, i.e. the phase term was omitted. In this study, it is proved that the omission of the phase term included in the decorrelation function results in a significant estimation bias that can be modelled by a higher-order function of time lag and that the coefficients of this higher-order function can be expressed as a series of higher-order Doppler spectral moments. This model is validated by the scatterometer data obtained from an experimental wind-wave tank. The estimation bias especially needs to be considered for the ATISAR system with a long time lag. Simulation results show that if the time lag is equal to the coherence time, the estimation bias of the current can reach about 0.2 m s^?1, which is not insignificant in high-precision current-retrieving applications. However, because most real-life ATISAR systems, including TerraSAR-X, operate with time lags significantly shorter than the expected coherence time, the estimation biases in these systems are relatively small or even negligible. Finally, four possible compensation methods for the estimation bias are proposed and discussed.     

Prelaunch calibration and primary results from in-orbit calibration of the atmospheric correction microwave radiometer (ACMR) on the HY-2A satellite of China

The atmospheric correction microwave radiometer (ACMR) is one of the main payloads for correcting atmospheric path delay in the radar altimeter on the Haiyang-2A (HY-2A) satellite. The ACMR is a three-band microwave radiometer operating at 18.7, 23.8, and 37.0 GHz. Calibration of the ACMR is important for applying its measurements to correct for atmospheric effects on the HY-2A altimeter signal transmission in the air. Therefore, a detailed introduction to the principles and specifications of the ACMR system is given first. The thermal vacuum calibration method of the ACMR is discussed and analysed, and the microwave transfer functions and related coefficients are given, especially the nonlinear coefficients derived from a test for correcting nonlinear responses between the input of antenna temperature and the output of voltage at each channel of the ACMR. Furthermore, antenna pattern correction algorithms for removing the effects of side lobe and cross-polarization are derived and their coefficients are used for in-orbit data processing. Primary calibration results are given by comparing with the similar spaceborne Jason microwave radiometer (JMR) on the Jason-1 satellite and with the advanced microwave radiometer (AMR) on Jason-2. The results of this comparison show that the data from the ACMR match well to those from the JMR and AMR.     

Recent climate variability and its impact on precipitation,temperature, and vegetation dynamics in the Lancang River headwater area of China

The alpine ecosystem is one of the most fragile ecosystems threatened by global climate change. The impact of climate variability on the vegetation dynamics of alpine ecosystems has become important in global change studies. In this study, spatially explicit gridded data, including the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) land-surface temperature (LST) product (MOD11A1/A2), the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) rainfall product (3B43), and MODIS net primary productivity (NPP) product (MOD17A3), together with meteorological observation data, were used to explore the spatio-temporal pattern of climate variability and its impact on vegetation dynamics from 2000 to 2012 in the Lancang River headwater area. We found that the variation patterns of LST, precipitation, and NPP in the study area showed remarkable spatial differences. From the northwest to the southeast the spatial variation of average annual LST exhibited a decreasing–increasing–decreasing–increasing pattern. At the same time, most of the study area exhibited an increasing LST during the growing season. The annual precipitation increased in the semi-arid northern part, whereas it decreased in the semi-humid southern part. The precipitation variability during the growing season has a pattern similar to the annual precipitation variability. Although the majority of the regions have seen an NPP increase from 2000 to 2012, the responses of the vegetation to the varied climate factors were spatially heterogeneous. The alpine–subalpine meadows in the high-altitude areas were more sensitive to climate variability in the growing season. It is argued that satellite remote-sensing products have great potential in investigating the impact of climate variability on vegetation dynamics at the finer scale, especially for the Lancang River headwater area with complex surface heterogeneity.     

A comparative study of two wayfinding aids for simulated driving tasks – single-scale and dual-scale GPS aids

Global Positioning System (GPS) is currently the most frequently used wayfinding aid for driving. Yet, GPS is designed to act as a driving guide rather than to help users gain spatial knowledge. Accordingly, GPS might be less usable in situations where such knowledge is required or highly desirable. In this study, we experimentally study the influence of GPS display scales (single-scale vs. dual-scale) using simulated driving tasks in a virtual environment. The single-scale GPS is similar to the regular GPS view. The dual-scale GPS aid is a dual-scale navigation tool that provides two levels of detail, including both detailed and contextual information. The results demonstrate that the dual-scale GPS was more efficient in leading the participants to the destination during the simulated driving and was more useful for the participants to establish spatial awareness and a cognitive map; the dual-scale GPS participants also reported higher subjective evaluations. The proposed dual-scale GPS design and experimental results show some indications for designing new wayfinding aids aimed at increasing wayfinding performance while simultaneously helping users construct a cognitive map.     

Association-Based Active Access Control models with balanced scalability and flexibility

In existing Active Access Control (AAC) models, the scalability and flexibility of security policy specification should be well balanced, especially: (1) authorizations to plenty of tasks should be simplified; (2) team workflows should be enabled; (3) fine-grained constraints should be enforced. To address this issue, a family of Association-Based Active Access Control (ABAAC) models is proposed. In the minimal model ABAAC₀, users are assigned to roles while permissions are assigned to task-role associations. In a workflow case, to execute such an association some users assigned to its component role will be allocated. The association's assigned permissions can be performed by them during the task is running in the case. In ABAAC₁, a generalized association is employed to extract common authorizations from multiple associations. In ABAAC₂, a fine-grained separation of duty (SoD) is enforced among associations. In the maximal model ABAAC₃, all these features are integrated, and similar constraints can be specified more concisely. Using a software workflow, case validation is performed. Comparison with a representative association based AAC model and the most scalable AAC model so far indicates that: (1) enough scalability is achieved; (2) without decomposition of a task, different permissions can be authorized to multiple roles in it; (3) separation of more fine-grained duties than roles and tasks can be enforced.     

Learning Natural Colors for Image Recoloring

We present a data‐driven method for automatically recoloring a photo to enhance its appearance or change a viewer's emotional response to it. A compact representation called a RegionNet summarizes color and geometric features of image regions, and geometric relationships between them. Correlations between color property distributions and geometric features of regions are learned from a database of well‐colored photos. A probabilistic factor graph model is used to summarize distributions of color properties and generate an overall probability distribution for color suggestions. Given a new input image, we can generate multiple recolored results which unlike previous automatic results, are both natural and artistic, and compatible with their spatial arrangements.     

Ink‐eliminated waste paper sludge flour‐filled polypropylene composites with different coupling agent treatments

Ink‐eliminated sludge flour (IESF), waste residue from the recycling treatments of waste paper, was utilized as a new kind of filler to reinforce polypropylene (PP) in this research work. Different coupling agents, including maleated anhydride grafted PP (MAPP), stearic acid (SA), and titanate (NDZ‐101), were used to increase the compatibility between IESF and PP. By using different measurements, the microstructure, morphology, thermal behaviors, and mechanical properties of the IESF/PP composites were investigated in detail. It was found that IESF, as a nucleation agent, not only induced the crystallization orientation of PP but also accelerate the crystallization rate of PP. Just as indicated in the experiments, the presence of IESF has shown the advantages of increasing the dimensional stability, the hardness and the flexural property, and the presence of coupling agents has a favorable effect on the improvement of dimensional stability. Moreover, the coupling agent has minor influence on the mechanical property, even causes some decrease in the impact strength. Among these three coupling agents, MAPP is found to be the best coupling agent for increasing the interfacial adhesion between IESF and PP, and the MAPP addition makes the PP composite possess the quickest crystallization rate and greatest tensile strength. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 513–520, 2003