Gait Verification using Knee Acceleration Signals

A novel gait recognition method for biometric applications is proposed. The approach has the following distinct features. First, gait patterns are determined via knee acceleration signals, circumventing difficulties associated with conventional vision-based gait recognition methods. Second, an automatic procedure to extract gait features from acceleration signals is developed that employs a multiple-template classification method. Consequently, the proposed approach can adjust the sensitivity and specificity of the gait recognition system with great flexibility. Experimental results from 35 subjects demonstrate the potential of the approach for successful recognition. By setting sensitivity to be 0.95 and 0.90, the resulting specificity ranges from 1 to 0.783 and 1.00 to 0.945, respectively

Geochemical and spectral characterization of naturally altered rock surfaces

The possibility of using the visible-near infrared region for compositional analysis of remotely sensed rock surfaces is studied. This would allow mapping rock type both on the Earth's surface and on other planetary surfaces. Reflectance spectroscopy, economic geology, optical depth determination, and X-ray diffraction mineralogy are discussed

Remarks on flavour mixings from orbifold compactification

We consider 5d SU(5) GUT models based on the orbifold $S^1/(Z_2 \times Z_2')$, and study the different possibilities of placing the SU(5) matter multiplets in three possible locations, namely, the two branes at the two orbifold fixed points and SU(5) bulk. We demonstrate that if flavour hierarchies originate solely from geometrical suppressions due to wavefunction normalisation of fields propagating in the bulk, then it is not possible to satisfy even the gross qualitative behaviour of the CKM and MNS matrices regardless of where we place the matter multiplets.Comment: 4 pages, Late

Modelling the Asymmetric Volatility in Hog Prices in Taiwan: The Impact of Joining the WTO

Prices in the hog industry in Taiwan are determined according to an auction system. There are significant differences in hog prices before, during and after joining the World Trade Organization (WTO). The paper models growth rates and volatility in daily hog prices in Taiwan from 23 March 1999 to 30 June 2007, which enables an analysis of the effects of joining the WTO. The empirical results have significant implications for risk management and policy in the agricultural industry. The three sub-samples for the periods before, during and after joining the WTO display significantly different volatility persistence of symmetry, asymmetry and leverage, respectively.leverage;asymmetry;conditional volatility models;hog prices;joining the WTO;moment conditions

Quantum tunneling through planar p-n junctions in HgTe quantum wells

We demonstrate that a p-n junction created electrically in HgTe quantum wells with inverted band-structure exhibits interesting intraband and interband tunneling processes. We find a perfect intraband transmission for electrons injected perpendicularly to the interface of the p-n junction. The opacity and transparency of electrons through the p-n junction can be tuned by changing the incidence angle, the Fermi energy and the strength of the Rashba spin-orbit interaction. The occurrence of a conductance plateau due to the formation of topological edge states in a quasi-one-dimensional p-n junction can be switched on and off by tuning the gate voltage. The spin orientation can be substantially rotated when the samples exhibit a moderately strong Rashba spin-orbit interaction.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Raman spectroscopic determination of the length, strength, compressibility, Debye temperature, elasticity, and force constant of the C-C bond in graphene

From the perspective of bond relaxation and vibration, we have reconciled the Raman shifts of graphene under the stimuli of the number-of-layer, uni-axial-strain, pressure, and temperature in terms of the response of the length and strength of the representative bond of the entire specimen to the applied stimuli. Theoretical unification of the measurements clarifies that: (i) the opposite trends of Raman shifts due to number-of-layer reduction indicate that the G-peak shift is dominated by the vibration of a pair of atoms while the D- and the 2D-peak shifts involves z-neighbor of a specific atom; (ii) the tensile strain-induced phonon softening and phonon-band splitting arise from the asymmetric response of the C3v bond geometry to the C2v uni-axial bond elongation; (iii) the thermal-softening of the phonons originates from bond expansion and weakening; and (iv) the pressure- stiffening of the phonons results from bond compression and work hardening. Reproduction of the measurements has led to quantitative information about the referential frequencies from which the Raman frequencies shift, the length, energy, force constant, Debye temperature, compressibility, elastic modulus of the C-C bond in graphene, which is of instrumental importance to the understanding of the unusual behavior of graphene

Uncertainty Management and Evidential Reasoning with Structured Knowledge

This research addresses two intensive computational problems of reasoning under uncertainty in artificial intelligence. The first problem is to study the strategy for belief propagation over networks. The second problem is to explore properties of operations which construe the behaviour of those factors in the networks. In the study of operations for computing belief combination over a network model, the computational characteristics of operations are modelled by a set of axioms which are in conformity with human inductive and deductive reasoning. According to different topological connection of networks, we investigate four types of operations. These operations successfully present desirable results in the face of dependent, less informative, and conflicting evidences. As the connections in networks are complex, there exists a number of possible ways for belief propagation. An efficient graph decomposition technique has been used which converts the complicated networks into simply connected ones. This strategy integrates the logic and probabilistic aspects inference, and by using the four types of operations for its computation it gains the advantage of better description of results (interval-valued representation) and less information needed. The performance of this proposed techniques can be seen in the example for assessing civil engineering structure damage and results are in tune with intuition of practicing civil engineers