A Novel Fusion System Based on Iris and Ear Biometrics for E-exams

With the rapid spread of the coronavirus epidemic all over the world,educational and other institutions are heading towards digitization.In the era of digitization,identifying educational e-platform users using ear and iris based multi-modal biometric systems constitutes an urgent and interesting research topic to pre-serve enterprise security,particularly with wearing a face mask as a precaution against the new coronavirus epidemic.This study proposes a multimodal system based on ear and iris biometrics at the feature fusion level to identify students in electronic examinations(E-exams)during the COVID-19 pandemic.The proposed system comprises four steps.Thefirst step is image preprocessing,which includes enhancing,segmenting,and extracting the regions of interest.The second step is feature extraction,where the Haralick texture and shape methods are used to extract the features of ear images,whereas Tamura texture and color histogram methods are used to extract the features of iris images.The third step is feature fusion,where the extracted features of the ear and iris images are combined into one sequential fused vector.The fourth step is the matching,which is executed using the City Block Dis-tance(CTB)for student identification.Thefindings of the study indicate that the system’s recognition accuracy is 97%,with a 2%False Acceptance Rate(FAR),a 4%False Rejection Rate(FRR),a 94%Correct Recognition Rate(CRR),and a 96%Genuine Acceptance Rate(GAR).In addition,the proposed recognition sys-tem achieved higher accuracy than other related systems.

THE SIMULTANEOUS AND NON-SIMULTANEOUS BLOW-UP CRITERIA FOR A DIFFUSION SYSTEM

This paper investigates the finite time blow-up of nonnegative solutions for a nonlinear diffusion system with a more complicated source term, which is a product of localized source, local source, and weight function, and complemented by homogeneous Dirichlet boundary conditions. The criteria are proposed to identify simultaneous and nonsimultaneous blow-up solutions. Moreover, the related classification for the four parameters in the model is optimal and complete. The results extend those in Zhang and Yang [12].

Tracking method based on separation and combination of the measurements for radar and IR fusion system

A new distributed fusion method of radar/infrared （IR） tracking system based on separation and combination of the measurements is proposed by analyzing the influence of rate measurement. The rate information separated from the radar measurements together with measurements of IR form a pseudo vector of IR, and the corresponding filter is designed. The results indicate that the method not only makes a great improvement to the local tracker＇s performance, but also improves the global tracking precision efficiently.

A Layered Interactive Neural-fuzzy Fusion System and Its Application in Data Processing

A Layered Interactive Neural-fuzzy Fusion System, which is a general fusion model is presented with its structure and algorithm studied systematically. The system, according to the layering technique, is logically composed of a hierarchical set of subsystems. Subsystems with the same rank make up a specific layer. Corresponding fusion techniques are adopted for each layer. Thus a general scheme from the whole to the detail is obtained for the design of tile fusion system. Furthermore, since the element of the bottom layer can be defined by object-oriented analyzing method, the flexibility of the fusion system is consequently improved. A practical neural-fuzzy fusion system is developed for data processing problem and its performance is proved to be better than the old ones.

A Study of Multi-sensor Data Fusion System Based on MAS for Nutrient Solution Measurement

For complementarity and redundancy of multi-sensor data fusion (MSDF) system,it is an effective approach for multiple components measurement.In order to measure nutrient solution on-line,a dynamic and complex system under greenhouse environment,sensors should have intelligent properties including self-calibration and self-compensation. Meanwhile,it is necessary for multiple sensors to cooperate and interact for enhancing reliability of multi-sensor system. Because of the properties of multi-agent system (MAS),it is an appropriate tool to study MSDF system.This paper proposed an architecture of MSDF system based on MAS for the multiple components measurement of nutrient solution.The sensor agent's structure and function modules are analyzed and described in detail,the formal definitions are given,too.The relations of the sensors are modeled to implement reliability diagnosis of the multi-sensor system,so that the reliability of nutrient control system is enhanced.This study offers an effective approach for the study of MSDF.

Clinical Evaluation of TruFUSE^(█) Lumbar Facet Fusion System

Introduction: The TruFUSE lumbar facet fusion system is a unique allograft milled bone dowel used to fuse facet joints. We evaluated subjects undergoing TruFUSE fusion for stable grade I spondylolisthesis and stenosis comparing operative time, length of stay, blood loss and outcome to a similar literature-based cohort of patients undergoing pedicle screw fusion (PSF). Methods: From 2009 to 2011, 41 subjects (17 M,24 F, aver. age 69.5 yr) underwent TruFUSE facet fusion along with transverse process bone fusion and laminectomy. Length of stay, operative time, blood loss and outcomes were compared to eight literature-based cohort that analyzed similar parameters following pedicle screw fusion. Results: The 41 subjects’ mean operative time for laminectomy, transverse process fusion and TruFUSE facet fusion was 106 min, with a mean blood loss of145 cm3, and a mean hospital stay of 1.7 days (77% one day). A follow-up at average six months, 33 (80%) subjects reported subjective outcomes of “excellent” or “somewhat improved”, four (10%) “unchanged” and four (10%) “worse”. Flexion and extension radiographs showed 39 of the 41 patients (95%) had spinal stability at an average six months post-op and all (100%) had signs of early fusion. Discussion: TruFUSE subjects had significantly (p - 19 days range). Mean estimated blood loss (EBL) was significantly lower (p 3 compared to321 cm3 and1082 cm3 range for PSF). Subjective outcome and radiographic stability were comparable between groups. Conclusion: This comparison using the TruFUSE lumbar facet fusion system demonstrates improvements in length of stay, surgical blood loss, and operative time in our selected patient population compared to several published lumbar pedicle screw fusion systems outcomes. There may be potential economic benefits as a result of these improvements.

Parameter Estimation of a Valve-Controlled Cylinder System Model Based on Bench Test and Operating Data Fusion

The accurate estimation of parameters is the premise for establishing a high-fidelity simulation model of a valve-controlled cylinder system.Bench test data are easily obtained,but it is challenging to emulate actual loads in the research on parameter estimation of valve-controlled cylinder system.Despite the actual load information contained in the operating data of the control valve,its acquisition remains challenging.This paper proposes a method that fuses bench test and operating data for parameter estimation to address the aforementioned problems.The proposed method is based on Bayesian theory,and its core is a pool fusion of prior information from bench test and operating data.Firstly,a system model is established,and the parameters in the model are analysed.Secondly,the bench and operating data of the system are collected.Then,the model parameters and weight coefficients are estimated using the data fusion method.Finally,the estimated effects of the data fusion method,Bayesian method,and particle swarm optimisation(PSO)algorithm on system model parameters are compared.The research shows that the weight coefficient represents the contribution of different prior information to the parameter estimation result.The effect of parameter estimation based on the data fusion method is better than that of the Bayesian method and the PSO algorithm.Increasing load complexity leads to a decrease in model accuracy,highlighting the crucial role of the data fusion method in parameter estimation studies.

Anti-swarm UAV radar system based on detection data fusion

There is a growing body of research on the swarm unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)in recent years,which has the characteristics of small,low speed,and low height as radar target.To confront the swarm UAV,the design of anti-UAV radar system based on multiple input multiple output(MIMO)is put forward,which can elevate the performance of resolution,angle accuracy,high data rate,and tracking flexibility for swarm UAV detection.Target resolution and detection are the core problem in detecting the swarm UAV.The distinct advantage of MIMO system in angular accuracy measurement is demonstrated by comparing MIMO radar with phased array radar.Since MIMO radar has better performance in resolution,swarm UAV detection still has difficulty in target detection.This paper proposes a multi-mode data fusion algorithm based on deep neural networks to improve the detection effect.Subsequently,signal processing and data processing based on the detection fusion algorithm above are designed,forming a high resolution detection loop.Several simulations are designed to illustrate the feasibility of the designed system and the proposed algorithm.

Review on uncertainty analysis and information fusion diagnosis of aircraft control system

In the aircraft control system,sensor networks are used to sample the attitude and environmental data.As a result of the external and internal factors(e.g.,environmental and task complexity,inaccurate sensing and complex structure),the aircraft control system contains several uncertainties,such as imprecision,incompleteness,redundancy and randomness.The information fusion technology is usually used to solve the uncertainty issue,thus improving the sampled data reliability,which can further effectively increase the performance of the fault diagnosis decision-making in the aircraft control system.In this work,we first analyze the uncertainties in the aircraft control system,and also compare different uncertainty quantitative methods.Since the information fusion can eliminate the effects of the uncertainties,it is widely used in the fault diagnosis.Thus,this paper summarizes the recent work in this aera.Furthermore,we analyze the application of information fusion methods in the fault diagnosis of the aircraft control system.Finally,this work identifies existing problems in the use of information fusion for diagnosis and outlines future trends.

State Estimation Method for GNSS/INS/Visual Multi-sensor Fusion Based on Factor Graph Optimization for Unmanned System

With the development of unmanned driving technology,intelligent robots and drones,high-precision localization,navigation and state estimation technologies have also made great progress.Traditional global navigation satellite system/inertial navigation system(GNSS/INS)integrated navigation systems can provide high-precision navigation information continuously.However,when this system is applied to indoor or GNSS-denied environments,such as outdoor substations with strong electromagnetic interference and complex dense spaces,it is often unable to obtain high-precision GNSS positioning data.The positioning and orientation errors will diverge and accumulate rapidly,which cannot meet the high-precision localization requirements in large-scale and long-distance navigation scenarios.This paper proposes a method of high-precision state estimation with fusion of GNSS/INS/Vision using a nonlinear optimizer factor graph optimization as the basis for multi-source optimization.Through the collected experimental data and simulation results,this system shows good performance in the indoor environment and the environment with partial GNSS signal loss.

Induction System for a Fusion Reactor: Quantum Mechanics Chained up

In the quest for a sustainable and abundant energy source, nuclear fusion technology stands as a beacon of hope. This study introduces a groundbreaking quantum mechanically effective induction system designed for magnetic plasma confinement within fusion reactors. The pursuit of clean energy, essential to combat climate change, hinges on the ability to harness nuclear fusion efficiently. Traditional approaches have faced challenges in plasma stability and energy efficiency. The novel induction system presented here not only addresses these issues but also transforms fusion reactors into integrated construction systems. This innovation promises compact fusion reactors, marking a significant step toward a clean and limitless energy future, free from the constraints of traditional power sources. This revolutionary quantum induction system redefines plasma confinement in fusion reactors, unlocking clean, compact, and efficient energy production.

Neutronics analysis of a subcritical blanket system driven by a gas dynamic trap-based fusion neutron source for ^(99)Mo production

Gamma-emitting radionuclide ^(99m)Tc is globally used for the diagnosis of various pathological conditions owing to its ideal single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) characteristics.However,the short half-life of ^(99m)Tc (T_(1/2)=6 h)makes it difficult to store or transport.Thus,the production of ^(99m)Tc is tied to its parent radionuclide ^(99)Mo (T_(1/2)=66 h).The major production paths are based on accelerators and research reactors.The reactor process presents the potential for nuclear proliferation owing to its use of highly enriched uranium (HEU).Accelerator-based methods tend to use deuterium–tritium(D–T) neutron sources but are hindered by the high cost of tritium and its challenging operation.In this study,a new ^(99)Mo production design was developed based on a deuterium–deuterium (D–D) gas dynamic trap fusion neutron source (GDT-FNS) and a subcritical blanket system (SBS) assembly with a low-enriched uranium (LEU) solution.GDT-FNS can provide a relatively high-neutron intensity,which is one of the advantages of ^(99)Mo production.We provide a Monte Carlo-based neutronics analysis covering the calculation of the subcritical multiplication factor (k_(s)) of the SBS,optimization design for the reflector,shielding layer,and ^(99)Mo production capacity.Other calculations,including the neutron flux and nuclear heating distributions,are also provided for an overall evaluation of the production system.The results demonstrated that the SBS meets the nuclear critical safety design requirement (k_(s)<0.97) and maintained a high ^(99)Mo production capacity.The proposed system can generate approximately 157 Ci ^(99)Mo for a stable 24 h operation with a neutron intensity of 1×10^(14) n/s,which can meet 50%of China’s demand in 2025.

Influence of heat treatment on microstructure,mechanical and corrosion behavior of WE43 alloy fabricated by laser-beam powder bed fusion

Magnesium(Mg)alloys are considered to be a new generation of revolutionary medical metals.Laser-beam powder bed fusion(PBF-LB)is suitable for fabricating metal implants withpersonalized and complicated structures.However,the as-built part usually exhibits undesirable microstructure and unsatisfactory performance.In this work,WE43 parts were firstly fabricated by PBF-LB and then subjected to heat treatment.Although a high densification rate of 99.91%was achieved using suitable processes,the as-built parts exhibited anisotropic and layeredmicrostructure with heterogeneously precipitated Nd-rich intermetallic.After heat treatment,fine and nano-scaled Mg24Y5particles were precipitated.Meanwhile,theα-Mg grainsunderwent recrystallization and turned coarsened slightly,which effectively weakened thetexture intensity and reduced the anisotropy.As a consequence,the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength were significantly improved to(250.2±3.5)MPa and(312±3.7)MPa,respectively,while the elongation was still maintained at a high level of 15.2%.Furthermore,the homogenized microstructure reduced the tendency of localized corrosion and favoredthe development of uniform passivation film.Thus,the degradation rate of WE43 parts was decreased by an order of magnitude.Besides,in-vitro cell experiments proved their favorable biocompatibility.

Alloy design for laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing:a critical review

Metal additive manufacturing(AM)has been extensively studied in recent decades.Despite the significant progress achieved in manufacturing complex shapes and structures,challenges such as severe cracking when using existing alloys for laser powder bed fusion(L-PBF)AM have persisted.These challenges arise because commercial alloys are primarily designed for conventional casting or forging processes,overlooking the fast cooling rates,steep temperature gradients and multiple thermal cycles of L-PBF.To address this,there is an urgent need to develop novel alloys specifically tailored for L-PBF technologies.This review provides a comprehensive summary of the strategies employed in alloy design for L-PBF.It aims to guide future research on designing novel alloys dedicated to L-PBF instead of adapting existing alloys.The review begins by discussing the features of the L-PBF processes,focusing on rapid solidification and intrinsic heat treatment.Next,the printability of the four main existing alloys(Fe-,Ni-,Al-and Ti-based alloys)is critically assessed,with a comparison of their conventional weldability.It was found that the weldability criteria are not always applicable in estimating printability.Furthermore,the review presents recent advances in alloy development and associated strategies,categorizing them into crack mitigation-oriented,microstructure manipulation-oriented and machine learning-assisted approaches.Lastly,an outlook and suggestions are given to highlight the issues that need to be addressed in future work.

Characterization, preparation, and reuse of metallic powders for laser powder bed fusion: a review

Laser powder bed fusion(L-PBF) has attracted significant attention in both the industry and academic fields since its inception, providing unprecedented advantages to fabricate complex-shaped metallic components. The printing quality and performance of L-PBF alloys are infuenced by numerous variables consisting of feedstock powders, manufacturing process,and post-treatment. As the starting materials, metallic powders play a critical role in infuencing the fabrication cost, printing consistency, and properties. Given their deterministic roles, the present review aims to retrospect the recent progress on metallic powders for L-PBF including characterization, preparation, and reuse. The powder characterization mainly serves for printing consistency while powder preparation and reuse are introduced to reduce the fabrication costs.Various powder characterization and preparation methods are presented in the beginning by analyzing the measurement principles, advantages, and limitations. Subsequently, the effect of powder reuse on the powder characteristics and mechanical performance of L-PBF parts is analyzed, focusing on steels, nickel-based superalloys, titanium and titanium alloys, and aluminum alloys. The evolution trends of powders and L-PBF parts vary depending on specific alloy systems, which makes the proposal of a unified reuse protocol infeasible. Finally,perspectives are presented to cater to the increased applications of L-PBF technologies for future investigations. The present state-of-the-art work can pave the way for the broad industrial applications of L-PBF by enhancing printing consistency and reducing the total costs from the perspective of powders.

Influence of layer thickness on formation quality,microstructure,mechanical properties,and corrosion resistance of WE43 magnesium alloy fabricated by laser powder bed fusion

Laser powder bed fusion(L-PBF)of Mg alloys has provided tremendous opportunities for customized production of aeronautical and medical parts.Layer thickness(LT)is of great significance to the L-PBF process but has not been studied for Mg alloys.In this study,WE43 Mg alloy bulk cubes,porous scaffolds,and thin walls with layer thicknesses of 10,20,30,and 40μm were fabricated.The required laser energy input increased with increasing layer thickness and was different for the bulk cubes and porous scaffolds.Porosity tended to occur at the connection joints in porous scaffolds for LT40 and could be eliminated by reducing the laser energy input.For thin wall parts,a large overhang angle or a small wall thickness resulted in porosity when a large layer thicknesses was used,and the porosity disappeared by reducing the layer thickness or laser energy input.A deeper keyhole penetration was found in all occasions with porosity,explaining the influence of layer thickness,geometrical structure,and laser energy input on the porosity.All the samples achieved a high fusion quality with a relative density of over 99.5%using the optimized laser energy input.The increased layer thickness resulted to more precipitation phases,finer grain sizes and decreased grain texture.With the similar high fusion quality,the tensile strength and elongation of bulk samples were significantly improved from 257 MPa and 1.41%with the 10μm layer to 287 MPa and 15.12%with the 40μm layer,in accordance with the microstructural change.The effect of layer thickness on the compressive properties of porous scaffolds was limited.However,the corrosion rate of bulk samples accelerated with increasing the layer thickness,mainly attributed to the increased number of precipitation phases.

Pyrimethamine upregulates BNIP3 to interfere SNARE-mediated autophagosome-lysosomal fusion in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common tumor types and remains a major clinical challenge. Increasing evidence has revealed that mitophagy inhibitors can enhance the effect of chemotherapy on HCC. However, few mitophagy inhibitors have been approved for clinical use in humans. Pyrimethamine (Pyr) is used to treat infections caused by protozoan parasites. Recent studies have reported that Pyr may be beneficial in the treatment of various tumors. However, its mechanism of action is still not clearly defined. Here, we found that blocking mitophagy sensitized cells to Pyr-induced apoptosis. Mechanistically, Pyr potently induced the accumulation of autophagosomes by inhibiting autophagosome-lysosome fusion in human HCC cells. In vitro and in vivo studies revealed that Pyr blocked autophagosome-lysosome fusion by upregulating BNIP3 to inhibit synaptosomal-associated protein 29 (SNAP29)-vesicle-associated membrane protein 8 (VAMP8) interaction. Moreover, Pyr acted synergistically with sorafenib (Sora) to induce apoptosis and inhibit HCC proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Pyr enhances the sensitivity of HCC cells to Sora, a common chemotherapeutic, by inhibiting mitophagy. Thus, these results provide new insights into the mechanism of action of Pyr and imply that Pyr could potentially be further developed as a novel mitophagy inhibitor. Notably, Pyr and Sora combination therapy could be a promising treatment for malignant HCC.

Role of heterogenous microstructure and deformation behavior in achieving superior strength-ductility synergy in zinc fabricated via laser powder bed fusion

Zinc(Zn)is considered a promising biodegradable metal for implant applications due to its appropriate degradability and favorable osteogenesis properties.In this work,laser powder bed fusion(LPBF)additive manufacturing was employed to fabricate pure Zn with a heterogeneous microstructure and exceptional strength-ductility synergy.An optimized processing window of LPBF was established for printing Zn samples with relative densities greater than 99%using a laser power range of 80∼90 W and a scanning speed of 900 mm s−1.The Zn sample printed with a power of 80 W at a speed of 900 mm s−1 exhibited a hierarchical heterogeneous microstructure consisting of millimeter-scale molten pool boundaries,micrometer-scale bimodal grains,and nanometer-scale pre-existing dislocations,due to rapid cooling rates and significant thermal gradients formed in the molten pools.The printed sample exhibited the highest ductility of∼12.1%among all reported LPBF-printed pure Zn to date with appreciable ultimate tensile strength(∼128.7 MPa).Such superior strength-ductility synergy can be attributed to the presence of multiple deformation mechanisms that are primarily governed by heterogeneous deformation-induced hardening resulting from the alternative arrangement of bimodal Zn grains with pre-existing dislocations.Additionally,continuous strain hardening was facilitated through the interactions between deformation twins,grains and dislocations as strain accumulated,further contributing to the superior strength-ductility synergy.These findings provide valuable insights into the deformation behavior and mechanisms underlying exceptional mechanical properties of LPBF-printed Zn and its alloys for implant applications.

An improved particle filter indoor fusion positioning approach based on Wi-Fi/PDR/geomagnetic field

The existing indoor fusion positioning methods based on Pedestrian Dead Reckoning(PDR)and geomagnetic technology have the problems of large initial position error,low sensor accuracy,and geomagnetic mismatch.In this study,a novel indoor fusion positioning approach based on the improved particle filter algorithm by geomagnetic iterative matching is proposed,where Wi-Fi,PDR,and geomagnetic signals are integrated to improve indoor positioning performances.One important contribution is that geomagnetic iterative matching is firstly proposed based on the particle filter algorithm.During the positioning process,an iterative window and a constraint window are introduced to limit the particle generation range and the geomagnetic matching range respectively.The position is corrected several times based on geomagnetic iterative matching in the location correction stage when the pedestrian movement is detected,which made up for the shortage of only one time of geomagnetic correction in the existing particle filter algorithm.In addition,this study also proposes a real-time step detection algorithm based on multi-threshold constraints to judge whether pedestrians are moving,which satisfies the real-time requirement of our fusion positioning approach.Through experimental verification,the average positioning accuracy of the proposed approach reaches 1.59 m,which improves 33.2%compared with the existing particle filter fusion positioning algorithms.

CAEFusion: A New Convolutional Autoencoder-Based Infrared and Visible Light Image Fusion Algorithm

To address the issues of incomplete information,blurred details,loss of details,and insufficient contrast in infrared and visible image fusion,an image fusion algorithm based on a convolutional autoencoder is proposed.The region attention module is meant to extract the background feature map based on the distinct properties of the background feature map and the detail feature map.A multi-scale convolution attention module is suggested to enhance the communication of feature information.At the same time,the feature transformation module is introduced to learn more robust feature representations,aiming to preserve the integrity of image information.This study uses three available datasets from TNO,FLIR,and NIR to perform thorough quantitative and qualitative trials with five additional algorithms.The methods are assessed based on four indicators:information entropy(EN),standard deviation(SD),spatial frequency(SF),and average gradient(AG).Object detection experiments were done on the M3FD dataset to further verify the algorithm’s performance in comparison with five other algorithms.The algorithm’s accuracy was evaluated using the mean average precision at a threshold of 0.5(mAP@0.5)index.Comprehensive experimental findings show that CAEFusion performs well in subjective visual and objective evaluation criteria and has promising potential in downstream object detection tasks.