3,261 research outputs found
Face analysis using curve edge maps
This paper proposes an automatic and real-time system for face analysis, usable in visual communication applications. In this approach, faces are represented with Curve Edge Maps, which are collections of polynomial segments with a convex region. The segments are extracted from edge pixels using an adaptive incremental linear-time fitting algorithm, which is based on constructive polynomial fitting. The face analysis system considers face tracking, face recognition and facial feature detection, using Curve Edge Maps driven by histograms of intensities and histograms of relative positions. When applied to different face databases and video sequences, the average face recognition rate is 95.51%, the average facial feature detection rate is 91.92% and the accuracy in location of the facial features is 2.18% in terms of the size of the face, which is comparable with or better than the results in literature. However, our method has the advantages of simplicity, real-time performance and extensibility to the different aspects of face analysis, such as recognition of facial expressions and talking
Dissociation of ssDNA - Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Hybrids by Watson-Crick Base Pairing
The unwrapping event of ssDNA from the SWNT during the Watson-Crick base
paring is investigated through electrical and optical methods, and binding
energy calculations. While the ssDNA-metallic SWNT hybrid shows the p-type
semiconducting property, the hybridization product recovered metallic
properties. The gel electrophoresis directly verifies the result of wrapping
and unwrapping events which was also reflected to the Raman shifts. Our
molecular dynamics simulations and binding energy calculations provide
atomistic description for the pathway to this phenomenon. This nano-physical
phenomenon will open up a new approach for nano-bio sensing of specific
sequences with the advantages of efficient particle-based recognition, no
labeling, and direct electrical detection which can be easily realized into a
microfluidic chip format.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Observability and diagnostics in the X-ray band of shock-cloud interactions in supernova remnants
X-ray emitting features originating from the interaction of supernova shock
waves with small interstellar gas clouds are revealed in many X-ray
observations of evolved supernova remnants (e.g. Cygnus Loop and Vela), but
their interpretation is not straightforward.
We develop a self-consistent method for the analysis and interpretation of
shock-cloud interactions in middle-aged supernova remnants, which can provide
the key parameters of the system and the role of relevant physical effects like
the thermal conduction, without the need to run ad-hoc numerical simulations
and to bother of morphology details.
We explore all the possible values of the shock speed and cloud density
contrast relevant to middle-aged SNRs with a set of hydrodynamic simulations of
shock-cloud interaction, including the effects of thermal conduction and
radiative cooling. From the simulations, we synthesize spatially and spectrally
resolved focal-plane data as they would be collected with XMM-Newton/EPIC, an
X-ray instrument commonly used in these studies.
We devise and tune up two diagnostic tools, the first based on the
mean-photon energy vs. count rate scatter plot and the second on the spectral
analysis of the interaction region, that can be used to highlight the effects
of thermal conduction and to derive the shock speed in case of efficient
conduction at work. These tools can be used to ascertain information from X-ray
observations, without the need to develop detailed and ad-hoc numerical models
for the interpretation of the data.Comment: 9 pages, 7 Figures; accepted for publication on A&A. Version with
full resolution images can be found at
http://www.astropa.unipa.it/~orlando/PREPRINTS/sorlando_13801.pd
One-year record of organic and elemental carbon in fine particles in downtown Beijing and Shanghai
International audienceWeekly PM2.5 samples were collected for one year (1999-2000) in Beijing and Shanghai and the carbonaceous species analyzed to investigate and compare their time series patterns and possible sources in the two biggest cities of China. Weekly carbonaceous concentrations varied in wide ranges with 8.6-59”g m-3 for OC and 1.5-25.4”g m-3 for EC in Beijing, and with 5.1-38.4”g m-3 for OC and 2.3-13.0”g m-3 for EC in Shanghai. Similar weekly and seasonal variations of OC and EC concentrations were found in each city though major combustion sources presented source-dependent emission characteristics and seasonal differences in emission amount for carbonaceous species. Both OC and EC maintained much higher concentrations in late fall through winter, probably due to enhanced emissions coupled with unfavorable meteorological conditions. In Beijing, the 14C analysis of limited samples suggested there was a significant contribution (33-48%) of modern carbon to the total fine carbonaceous PM burden with higher fractions in the harvest seasons. The high mass ratios of excessive potassium to EC in both Beijing and Shanghai also indicated that biomass burning had important contribution to fine carbonaceous particles
Two-dimensional universal conductance fluctuations and the electron-phonon interaction of topological surface states in Bi2Te2Se nanoribbons
The universal conductance fluctuations (UCFs), one of the most important
manifestations of mesoscopic electronic interference, have not yet been
demonstrated for the two-dimensional surface state of topological insulators
(TIs). Even if one delicately suppresses the bulk conductance by improving the
quality of TI crystals, the fluctuation of the bulk conductance still keeps
competitive and difficult to be separated from the desired UCFs of surface
carriers. Here we report on the experimental evidence of the UCFs of the
two-dimensional surface state in the bulk insulating Bi2Te2Se nanoribbons. The
solely-B\perp-dependent UCF is achieved and its temperature dependence is
investigated. The surface transport is further revealed by weak
antilocalizations. Such survived UCFs of the topological surface states result
from the limited dephasing length of the bulk carriers in ternary crystals. The
electron-phonon interaction is addressed as a secondary source of the surface
state dephasing based on the temperature-dependent scaling behavior
Growth of High-Mobility Bi2Te2Se Nanoplatelets on hBN Sheets by van der Waals Epitaxy
The electrical detection of the surface states of topological insulators is
strongly impeded by the interference of bulk conduction, which commonly arises
due to pronounced doping associated with the formation of lattice defects. As
exemplified by the topological insulator Bi2Te2Se, we show that via van der
Waals epitaxial growth on thin hBN substrates the structural quality of such
nanoplatelets can be substantially improved. The surface state carrier mobility
of nanoplatelets on hBN is increased by a factor of about 3 compared to
platelets on conventional Si/SiOx substrates, which enables the observation of
well-developed Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations. We furthermore demonstrate the
possibility to effectively tune the Fermi level position in the films with the
aid of a back gate
Satellite radiance data assimilation for binary tropical cyclone cases over the western North Pacific
A total of three binary tropical cyclone (TC) cases over the Western North Pacific are selected to investigate the effects of satellite radiance data assimilation on analyses and forecasts of binary TCs. Two parallel cycling experiments with a 6 h interval are performed for each binary TC case, and the difference between the two experiments is whether satellite radiance observations are assimilated. Satellite radiance observations are assimilated using the Weather Research and Forecasting Data Assimilation (WRFDA)'s three-dimensional variational (3D-Var) system, which includes the observation operator, quality control procedures, and bias correction algorithm for radiance observations. On average, radiance assimilation results in slight improvements of environmental fields and track forecasts of binary TC cases, but the detailed effects vary with the case. When there is no direct interaction between binary TCs, radiance assimilation leads to better depictions of environmental fields, and finally it results in improved track forecasts. However, positive effects of radiance assimilation on track forecasts can be reduced when there exists a direct interaction between binary TCs and intensities/structures of binary TCs are not represented well. An initialization method (e.g., dynamic initialization) combined with radiance assimilation and/or more advanced DA techniques (e.g., hybrid method) can be considered to overcome these limitations
Evolution of ferroelastic domain walls during phase transitions in barium titanate nanoparticles
In this work, ferroelastic domain walls inside BaTiO3 (BTO) tetragonal nanocrystals are distinguished by Bragg peak position and studied with Bragg coherent x-ray diffraction imaging (BCDI). Convergence-related features of the BCDI method for strongly phased objects are reported. A ferroelastic domain wall inside a BTO crystal has been tracked and imaged across the tetragonal-cubic phase transition and proves to be reversible. The linear relationship of relative displacement between two twin domains with temperature is measured and shows a different slope for heating and cooling, while the tetragonality reproduces well over temperature changes in both directions. An edge dislocation is also observed and found to annihilate when heating the crystal close to the phase transition temperature
Microscopic models for fractionalized phases in strongly correlated systems
We construct explicit examples of microscopic models that stabilize a variety
of fractionalized phases of strongly correlated systems in spatial dimension
bigger than one, and in zero external magnetic field. These include models of
charge fractionalization in boson-only systems, and various kinds of
spin-charge separation in electronic systems. We determine the excitation
spectrum and show the consistency with that expected from field theoretic
descriptions of fractionalization. Our results are further substantiated by
direct numerical calculation of the phase diagram of one of the models.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure
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