RFID: Prospects for Europe: Item-level Tagging and Public Transportation

This report, which is part of the COMPLETE series of studies, investigates the current and future competitiveness of the European industry in RFID applications in general and in two specific cases: item-level tagging and public transportation. It analyses its constituent technologies, drivers and barriers to growth, actual and potential markets and economic impacts, the industrial position and innovative capabilities, and it concludes with policy implicationsJRC.DDG.J.4-Information Societ

Search for new particles in events with energetic jets and large missing transverse momentum in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

A search is presented for new particles produced at the LHC in proton-proton collisions at root s = 13 TeV, using events with energetic jets and large missing transverse momentum. The analysis is based on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 101 fb(-1), collected in 2017-2018 with the CMS detector. Machine learning techniques are used to define separate categories for events with narrow jets from initial-state radiation and events with large-radius jets consistent with a hadronic decay of a W or Z boson. A statistical combination is made with an earlier search based on a data sample of 36 fb(-1), collected in 2016. No significant excess of events is observed with respect to the standard model background expectation determined from control samples in data. The results are interpreted in terms of limits on the branching fraction of an invisible decay of the Higgs boson, as well as constraints on simplified models of dark matter, on first-generation scalar leptoquarks decaying to quarks and neutrinos, and on models with large extra dimensions. Several of the new limits, specifically for spin-1 dark matter mediators, pseudoscalar mediators, colored mediators, and leptoquarks, are the most restrictive to date.Peer reviewe

Probing effective field theory operators in the associated production of top quarks with a Z boson in multilepton final states at root s=13 TeV

Peer reviewe

Buscadores Visuales

La búsqueda visual por medio de contenido significa que se busca una imagen sin utilizar necesariamente una descripción textual. Ya existen algunos sistemas comerciales de búsqueda que utilizan contenido visual, y se usan, por ejemplo, para encontrar el objeto deseado en sistemas de comercio electrónico. Pero estos sistemas están diseñados para una tarea especial y buscan sólo en una colección de imágenes definida y usualmente no muy amplia. A pesar del alto grado de interés que tendrían los buscadores visuales de uso universal, todavía no se ha encontrado una solución satisfactoria para todos los casos. En este artículo presentamos las principales categorías y las áreas de aplicación de la búsqueda visual. Analizamos las razones por las cuales, a pesar de un amplio interés y muchas investigaciones, el uso en la práctica de los sistemas de la búsqueda visual está limitado a algunas tareas particulares.JRC.J.4-Information Societ

A Framework for Assessing RFID System Security and Privacy Risks

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a technology for automatic identification of physical objects based on radio waves. RFID systems have been developing rapidly over the last few years and have already proven their benefits in many application domains; however they also raise serious privacy and security concerns. In this paper we present a brief review of the main threats to RFID systems and propose a methodology for the qualitative evaluation of the risk level for application domains, using three criteria: (a) the range of the system's deployment (from local networks to global, cross-platform functionality); (b) the type of link between the RFID tag and identity-related data (from systems with no link possible between RFID tags and people to RFID implants) and (c) the demand for security which is related to the size of the potential damage and to the level of motivation of potential attackers. We present a taxonomy of some of the existing RFID applications based on these criteria and discuss the most critical ones.JRC.J.4-Information Societ

Las tecnologías de identificación personal: la biometría

Este artículo trata sobre la identificación biométrica - la identificación de las personas a través de sus características físicas o de conducta. Se discuten las principales aplicaciones de la identificación biométrica, como los sistemas forenses, la protección de acceso a ciertas áreas, privilegios o dispositivos, los documentos personales de identidad y el reconocimiento de las personas en una multitud. Al final se delibera sobre los retos de los sistemas biométricos y sobre algunas áreas de investigaciones que se deberían seguir para mejorar su rendimiento.JRC.J.4-Information Societ

Automatic Calibration of a LiDAR–Camera System Based on Instance Segmentation

In this article, we propose a method for automatic calibration of a LiDAR–camera system, which can be used in autonomous cars. This approach does not require any calibration pattern, as calibration is only based on real traffic scenes observed by sensors; the results of camera image segmentation are compared with scanning LiDAR depth data. The proposed algorithm superimposes the edges of objects segmented by the Mask-RCNN network with depth discontinuities. The method can run in the background during driving, and it can automatically detect decalibration and correct corresponding rotation matrices in an online and near real-time mode. Experiments on the KITTI dataset demonstrated that, for input data of moderate quality, the algorithm could calculate and correct rotation matrices with an average accuracy of 0.23°

A framework for a hierarchical model of cooperation between unmanned airplanes

In this article we propose a framework for a hierarchical model for cooperation between unmanned airplanes in large groups. We argue that the swarm approach to cooperation between a large number of mobile robots is ineffective when robots can be equipped with efficient communication, precise location hardware and with complex control algorithms. The proposed model, analogous to the organisation of a team of people, is an intermediate solution, between the swarm approach and central control. The bottom layer of the model includes unmanned airplanes that perform tasks related to the mission goals, such as capturing images, looking for objects through image analysis, etc. These airplanes are organised in teams, and each team is controlled by the superior airplane. Two top layers are ground-based: the central computer and the human operator, and their functions are mostly defining the goals, planning and optimisation of the mission. We present two examples of response to events, related to failure or loss of an airplane. We discuss how the proposed model can manage possible interruptions of communication and security issues, and how collision avoidance can be implemented. Finally, we point out that, although the control structure is different than in the swarm approach, swarm intelligence can still be used to optimise missions

RFID implants: Opportunities and Challenges for Identifying People

RFID implant-based applications for I&A are in their infancy. There are some indications of economic and social potential, although quantifying real benefits still needs in-field testing. Todays concerns with respect to security, privacy and ethics are substantial and they seem to block further development. Technology acceptance, however, may change in the future. Although the prospects are uncertain in this framework, this paper shows that a wide use of RFID implants for I&A in a number of applications is not an unlikely scenario.JRC.J.4-Information Societ

Preference Extraction in Image Retrieval

In this chapter, we describe two new approaches to content-based image retrieval (CBIR) based on preference information provided by the user interacting with an image search system. First, we present the existing methods of image retrieval with relevance feedback, which serve then as a reference for the new approaches. The first extension of the distance function-based CBIR approach makes it possible to apply this approach to complex objects. The new algorithm is based on an approximation of user preferences by a neural network. Further, we propose another approach to image retrieval, which uses reference sets to facilitate image comparisons. The methods proposed have been implemented, and compared with each other, and with the earlier approaches. Computational experiments have proven that the new preference extraction and image retrieval procedures here proposed are numerically efficient. Finally, we provide a real-life illustration of the methods proposed: an image-based hotel selection procedure.JRC.J.4-Information Societ