Face recognition approach based on rank correlation of Gabor-filtered images

Face recognition is challenging because variations can be introduced to the pattern of a face by varying pose, lighting, scale, and expression. A new face recognition approach using rank correlation of Gabor-filtered images is presented. Using this technique, Gabor filters of different sizes and orientations are applied on images before using rank correlation for matching the face representation. The representation used for each face is computed from the Gabor-filtered images and the original image. Although training requires a fairly substantial length of time, the computation time required for recognition is very short. Recognition rates ranging between 83.5% and 96% are obtained using the AT&T (formerly ORL) database using different permutations of 5 and 9 training images per subject. In addition, the effect of pose variation on the recognition system is systematically determined using images from the UMIST database.     

Intrinsic significance of molecular aggregation in sucrose-surfactant separation by dialysis

Aqueous sucrose-surfactant mixtures were dialysed and the diffusates examined quantitatively for sucrose at intervals by spectrophotometric analysis. The effect of surfactants (lecithin and glycerol monostearate) on the dialysability of sucrose from these solutions was also investigated and the amount of sucrose dialysed was found to increase steadily only up to about 2h with lecithin slowing down the rate of sucrose dialysis much more than GMS. These variations in the dialysability of sucrose from the mixtures are explained in terms of molecular aggregation and these are confirmed by freezing point depression measurements. The results are discussed in terms of the significance of molecular aggregation on the gustatory qualities of sapid molecules.     

Meteorological Characterization of Effective Earth Radius Factor (k-Factor) for Wireless Radio Link Over Akure,Nigeria

The propagation loss on a terrestrial line-of-sight wireless link is influenced by atmospheric and seasonal conditions. The reliability of the link is also affected by k-factor values which is usually taken as 4/3 in regions where there is dearth of data; however, this value can only be used for gross planning. Therefore, it is important to determine its average and effective value for adequate path engineering because its value depends on local climatic conditions and it is terrain specific. In this study, k-factor values for the entire seasonal cycle within 2007–2009 in Akure are analyzed. The work is aimed at observing the distribution of k-factor and its influence on terrestrial point to point, line-of-sight radio link over Akure, south western Nigeria. From the study therefore, an average value of ?63.22 N-units/km and 1.50 were obtained for refractivity gradient and k-factor respectively. Also, super-refractive condition was deduced to be mostly prevalent at higher antenna heights of 100–150 m.     

A clustering approach for minimizing intercell trips in cell formation

Excessive intercell trips in a cellular manufacturing system may minimize the benefits that the system can provide. Hence, this research develops a non-linear integer formula to reduce intercell trips in a cell type system design. A clustering algorithm is then developed to obtain a satisfactory solution to the proposed cell formulation problem. To determine the performance of the proposed clustering algorithm, comparisons are made with an Exhaustive Search (ES) algorithm to show the relative optimality.     

Performance Analysis of Microwave Radio Refractivity on Radio Field Strength and Radio Horizon Distance Over Akure,Nigeria

Surface radio refractivity studies are being carried out in Akure, \((7.15^{\circ }\hbox {N}, 5.12^{\circ }\hbox {E})\) South-Western Nigeria, by in-situ measurement of atmospheric pressure, temperature, and relative humidity using Wireless Weather Station (Integrated Sensor Suit, ISS). Five years of measurement (January, 2007–December, 2011) were used to compute the surface radio refractivity and its diurnal, daily, seasonal and yearly variations are analyzed. The results were then used to compute radio horizon distance \((\hbox {R}_\mathrm{DH})\) and examine the field strength (FSV) variability. Results obtained show that the surface radio refractivity, \(\hbox {N}_\mathrm{s}\) , varies with the time of the day as well as the seasons of the year. High values of \(\hbox {N}_\mathrm{s}\) were recorded in the morning and evening hours while the values were minima around 1,500 h local time. An average value of surface radio refractivity of 364.74 N-units was obtained for this location. The annual maximum mean of FSV is 15.24 dB and the minimum is 2.20 dB. This implies that the output of a receiving antenna in Akure may generally be subject to variations not less than 2 dB in a year, but can be as high as 15 dB.     

Light and Electron Microscopy Studies of the Visible Diffusion Zone of Mild Steel Pack Cyanided in Processed Cassava Leaves

This study investigates the microstructure of the processed cassava leaves. Standard parts machined from low visible diffusion zone formed in low carbon steel pack cyanided using carbon steel were pack cyanided by high temperature in-situ diffusion of nascent carbon and nitrogen into austenite. Formation of a visible diffusion zone was confirmed after observation with a Reichert-Jung Polyval optical microscope coupled with Zeiss AxioCam ICc 1 camera. High magnification Scanning Electron Microscope （SEM） imaging of the visible diffusion zone was done with a CamScan Series 2 scanning electron microscope. The zone was found variable in depth as measured from a representative position. The structure of all samples consists of ferrite and pearlite as determined by optical and SEM examination. Resulting products were thus both tough and hard suitable for service environments requiring high resistance to both wear and impact failure.