The Method of Automatic Knuckle Image Acquisition for Continuous Verification Systems

The paper proposes a method of automatic knuckle image acquisition for continuous verification systems. The developed acquisition method is dedicated for verification systems in which the person being verified uses a computer keyboard. This manner of acquisition enables registration of the knuckle image without interrupting the user’s work for the time of acquisition. This is an important advantage, unprecedented in the currently known methods. The process of the automatic location of the finger knuckle can be considered as a pattern recognition approach and is based on the analysis of symmetry and similarity between the reference knuckle patterns and live camera image. The effectiveness of the aforesaid approach has been tested experimentally. The test results confirmed its high effectiveness. The effectiveness of the proposed method was also determined in a case where it is a part of a multi-biometric method

The k-NN classifier and self-adaptive Hotelling data reduction technique in handwritten signatures recognition

The paper proposes a novel signature verification concept. This new approach uses appropriate similarity coefficients to evaluate the associations between the signature features. This association, called the new composed feature, enables the calculation of a new form of similarity between objects. The most important advantage of the proposed solution is case-by-case matching of similarity coefficients to a signature features, which can be utilized to assess whether a given signature is genuine or forged. The procedure, as described, has been repeated for each person presented in a signatures database. In the verification stage, a two-class classifier recognizes genuine and forged signatures. In this paper, a broad range of classifiers are evaluated. These classifiers all operate on features observed and computed during the data preparation stage. The set of signature composed features of a given person can be reduced what decrease verification error. Such a phenomenon does not occur for the raw features. The approach proposed was tested in a practical environment, with handwritten signatures used as the objects to be compared. The high level of signature recognition obtained confirms that the proposed methodology is efficient and that it can be adapted to accommodate as yet unknown features. The approach proposed can be incorporated into biometric systems

An accurate fingerprint reference point determination method based on curvature estimation of separated ridges

This paper presents an effective method for the detection of a fingerprint’s reference point by analyzing fingerprint ridges’ curvatures. The proposed approach is a multi-stage system. The first step extracts the fingerprint ridges from an image and transforms them into chains of discrete points. In the second step, the obtained chains of points are processed by a dedicated algorithm to detect corners and other points of highest curvature on their planar surface. In a series of experiments we demonstrate that the proposed method based on this algorithm allows effective determination of fingerprint reference points. Furthermore, the proposed method is relatively simple and achieves better results when compared with the approaches known from the literature. The reference point detection experiments were conducted using publicly available fingerprint databases FVC2000, FVC2002, FVC2004 and NIST

A New Hand-Movement-Based Authentication Method Using Feature Importance Selection with the Hotelling’s Statistic

The growing amount of collected and processed data means that there is a need to control access to these resources. Very often, this type of control is carried out on the basis of biometric analysis. The article proposes a new user authentication method based on a spatial analysis of the movement of the finger’s position. This movement creates a sequence of data that is registered by a motion recording device. The presented approach combines spatial analysis of the position of all fingers at the time. The proposed method is able to use the specific, often different movements of fingers of each user. The experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the method in biometric applications. In this paper, we also introduce an effective method of feature selection, based on the Hotelling T2 statistic. This approach allows selecting the best distinctive features of each object from a set of all objects in the database. It is possible thanks to the appropriate preparation of the input data

Are the hydantoin-1,3,5-triazine 5−HT6R5-HT_{6}R ligands a hope to a find new procognitive and anti-obesity drug? : considerations based on primary in vivo assays and ADME-Tox profile in vitro

$5-HT_{6}R$ Though the $5-HT_{6}R$ serotonin receptor is an important target giving both agonists and antagonists similar therapeutic potency in the treatment of topic CNS-diseases, no $5-HT_{6}R$ ligand has reached the pharmaceutical market yet due to the too narrow chemical space of the known $5-HT_{6}R$ agents and insuffcient "drugability." Recently, a new group of non-indole and non-sulfone hydantoin-triazine $5-HT_{6}R$ ligands was found, where 3-((4-amino-6-(4-methylpiperazin-1-yl)- 1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)methyl)-5-methyl-5-(naphthalen-2-yl)imidazolidine-2,4-dione (KMP-10) was the most active member. This study is focused on wider pharmacological and "druglikeness" characteristics for KMP-10. A computer-aided insight into molecular interactions with $5-HT_{6}R$ has been performed. "Druglikeness" was examined using an eight-test panel in vitro, i.e., a parallel artificial membrane permeability assay (PAMPA), and Caco-2 permeability-, P-glycoprotein (Pgp) affnity-, plasma protein binding-, metabolic stability- and drug–drug interaction-assays, as well as mutagenicity- and HepG2-hepatotoxicity risk tests. Behavioral studies in vivo, i.e., elevated plus-maze (EPM) and novel object recognition (NOR) tests, were performed. Extended studies on the influence of KMP-10 on rats' metabolism, including biochemical tests, were conducted in vivo. Results indicated significant anxiolytic and precognitive properties, as well as some anti-obesity properties in vivo, and it was found to satisfy the "druglikeness" profile in vitro for KMP-10. The compound seems to be a good lead-structure and candidate for wider pharmacological studies in search for new CNS-drugs acting via $5-HT_{6}R$

An Agent-Based Co-Evolutionary Multi-Objective Algorithm for Portfolio Optimization

Algorithms based on the process of natural evolution are widely used to solve multi-objective optimization problems. In this paper we propose the agent-based co-evolutionary algorithm for multi-objective portfolio optimization. The proposed technique is compared experimentally to the genetic algorithm, co-evolutionary algorithm and a more classical approach—the trend-following algorithm. During the experiments historical data from the Warsaw Stock Exchange is used in order to assess the performance of the compared algorithms. Finally, we draw some conclusions from these experiments, showing the strong and weak points of all the techniques

Overcoming undesirable hERG affinity by incorporating fluorine atoms: A case of MAO-B inhibitors derived from 1 H-pyrrolo-[3,2-c]quinolines

International audienceThe incorporation of the fluorine motif is a strategy widely applied in drug design for modulating the activity, physicochemical parameters, and metabolic stability of chemical compounds. In this study, we attempted to reduce the affinity for ether-à-go-go-related gene (hERG) channel by introducing fluorine atoms in a group of 1H-pyrrolo[3,2-c]quinolines that are capable of inhibiting monoamine oxidase type B (MAO-B). A series of structural modifications guided by in vitro evaluation of MAO-B inhibition and antitargeting for hERG channels were performed, which led to the identification of 1-(3-chlorobenzyl)-4-(4,4-difluoropiperidin-1-yl)-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-c]quinoline (26). Compound 26 acted as a reversible MAO-B inhibitor exhibiting selectivity over 45 targets, enzymes, transporters, and ion channels, and showed potent glioprotective properties in cultured astrocytes. In addition, the compound demonstrated good metabolic stability in rat liver microsomes assay, a favorable safety profile, and brain permeability. It also displayed procognitive effects in the novel object recognition test in rats and antidepressant-like activity in forced swim test in mice. The findings of the study suggest that reversible MAO-B inhibitors can have potential therapeutic applications in Alzheimer's disease