Forensic Imaging

At the microscopic level, printing on a substrate exhibits imperfections that can be used as a unique identifier for labels, documents and other printed items. In previous work, we have demonstrated using these minute imperfections around a simple forensic mark such as a single printed character for robust authentication of the character with a low cost (and mobile) system. This approach allows for product authentication even when there is only minimal printing (e.g. on a small label or medallion), supporting a variety of secure document workflows. In this paper, we present an investigation on the influence that the substrate type has on the imperfections of the printing process that are used to derive the character "signature". We also make a comparison between two printing processes, dry electro photographic process (laser) and (thermal) inkjet. Understanding the sensitivity of this approach is important so that we know the limitations of the approach for document forensics

Combustion Synthesis of Ca3(PO4)2 Net-Shape Surgical Implants

Self-propagating high-temperature combustion synthesis (SHS) is the basis of a method of making components of porous tricalcium phosphate [Ca3(PO4)2] and related compounds in net sizes and shapes for use as surgical implants that are compatible with bone. The SHS method offers advantages over prior methods of manufacturing Ca3(PO4)2-based surgical implants

DIAL 2004 Working Group Report on Acquisition Quality Control

This report summarizes the discussions of the Working Group on Acquisition Quality at the International Workshop on Document Image Analysis for Libraries, Palo Alto, CA, 23-24 January 2004. Acquisition of the image is one of the most time intensive components of forming a digital library, and the quality of the acquisition will affect all later stages of the digital library project. The current state of the art in acquisition is analyzed. Problems and suggested improvements for image acquisition and storage formats and the special problems associated with acquisition from microfilm follows. A list of general suggestions was developed which was complemented by a wish list of things the Working Group would like to see followed in acquisition discussions in the future

Functional Analytics for Document Ordering for Curriculum Development and Comprehension

We propose multiple techniques for automatic document order generation for (1) curriculum development and for (2) creation of optimal reading order for use in learning, training, and other content-sequencing applications. Such techniques could potentially be used to improve comprehension, identify areas that need expounding, generate curricula, and improve search engine results. We advance two main techniques: The first uses document similarities through various methods. The second uses entropy against the backdrop of topics generated through Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA). In addition, we try the same methods on the summarized documents and compare them against the results obtained using the complete documents. Our results showed that while the document orders for our control document sets (biographies, novels, and Wikipedia articles) could not be predicted using our methods, our test documents (textbooks, courses, journal papers, dissertations) provided more reliability. We also demonstrated that summarized documents were good stand-ins for the complete documents for the purposes of ordering.Comment: 23 page

Circular Coding with Interleaving Phase

ABSTRACT A general two-dimensional coding method is presented that allows recovery of data based on only a cropped portion of the code, and without knowledge of the carrier image. A description of both an encoding and recovery system is provided. Our solution involves repeating a payload with a fixed number of bits, assigning one bit to every symbol in the image whether that symbol is data carrying or non-data carrying with the goal of guaranteeing recovery of all the bits in the payload. Because the technique is applied to images, for aesthetic reasons we do not use fiducials, and do not employ any end-of-payload symbols. The beginning of the payload is determined by a phase code that is interleaved between groups of payload rows. The recovery system finds the phase row by evaluating candidate rows, and ranks confidence based on the sample variance. The target application is data-bearing clustered-dot halftones, so special consideration is given to the resulting checkerboard subsampling. This particular application is examined via exhaustive simulations to quantify the likelihood of unrecoverable bits and bit redundancy as a function of offset, crop window size, and phase code spacing

Image-Based Mobile Service: Automatic Text Extraction and Translation

We present a new mobile service for the translation of text from images taken by consumer-grade cell-phone cameras. Such capability represents a new paradigm for users where a simple image provides the basis for a service. The ubiquity and ease of use of cell-phone cameras enables acquisition and transmission of images anywhere and at any time a user wishes, delivering rapid and accurate translation over the phone’s MMS and SMS facilities. Target text is extracted completely automatically, requiring no bounding box delineation or related user intervention. The service uses localization, binarization, text deskewing, and optical character recognition (OCR) in its analysis. Once the text is translated, an SMS message is sent to the user with the result. Further novelties include that no software installation is required on the handset, any service provider or camera phone can be used, and the entire service is implemented on the server side

Beyond quantified self: data for wellbeing

Sustaining our health and wellbeing requires lifelong efforts for prevention and healthy living. Continuously observing ourselves is one of the fundamental measures to be taken. While many devices support monitoring and quantifying our health behavior and health state, they all are facing the same trade-off: the higher the data quality is the higher are the efforts of data acquisition. However, for lifelong use, minimizing efforts for the user is crucial. Nowadays, few devices find a good balance between cost and value. In this interdisciplinary workshop we discuss how this trade-off can be approached by addressing three topics: understanding the user’s information needs, exploring options for data acquisition, and discussing potential designs for life-long use

The Application of Electric Current Computed Tomography to Defect Imaging in Metals

Electric Current Computed Tomography (ECCT) is a technique for producing images of the electrical resistivity profile within a body from measurements made on the body’s exterior. To make these measurements, an array of electrodes is attached to the surface of the body. Sets of current patterns are applied through these electrodes and the voltages needed to maintain these specified currents are measured and recorded. These applied currents and measured voltages are then used in a reconstruction algorithm to produce images that represent approximations to the electrical resistivity distribution in the interior of the body.</p