Automatic segmentation of latent fingerprints

Latent fingerprints are routinely found at crime scenes due to the inadvertent contact of the criminals' finger tips with various objects. As such, they have been used as crucial evidence for identifying and convicting criminals by law enforcement agencies. However, compared to plain and rolled prints, latent fingerprints usually have poor quality of ridge impressions with small fingerprint area, and contain large overlap between the foreground area (friction ridge pattern) and structured or random noise in the background. Accordingly, latent fingerprint segmentation is a difficult problem. In this paper, we propose a latent fingerprint segmentation algorithm whose goal is to separate the fingerprint region (region of interest) from background. Our algorithm utilizes both ridge orientation and frequency features. The orientation tensor is used to obtain the symmetric patterns of fingerprint ridge orientation, and local Fourier analysis method is used to estimate the local ridge frequency of the latent fingerprint. Candidate fingerprint (foreground) regions are obtained for each feature type; an intersection of regions from orientation and frequency features localizes the true latent fingerprint regions. To verify the viability of the proposed segmentation algorithm, we evaluated the segmentation results in two aspects: a comparison with the ground truth foreground and matching performance based on segmented region. © 2012 IEEE.

Evaluation of Stress Patterns Produced by Implant-Retained Overdentures and Implant-Retained Fixed Partial Denture

The purposes of this study were to photoelastically measure the biomechanical behavior of 4 implants retaining different cantilevered bar mandibular overdenture designs and to compare a fixed partial denture (FPD). A photoelastic model of a human edentulous mandible was fabricated, which contained 4 screw-type implants (3.75 x 10 mm) embedded in the parasymphyseal area. An FPD and 3 overdenture designs with the following attachments were evaluated: 3 plastic Hader clips, 1 Hader clip with 2 posterior resilient cap attachments, and 3 ball/O-ring attachments. Vertical occlusal forces of 100 N were applied between the central incisor and unilaterally to the right and left second premolars and second molars. Stresses that developed in the supporting structure were monitored photoelastically and recorded photographically. The results showed that the anterior loading, the overdenture with 3 plastic Hader clips, displayed the largest stress concentration at the medium implant. With premolar loading, the FPD and overdenture with 3 plastic Hader clips displayed the highest stresses to the ipsilateral terminal implant. With molar loading, the overdenture with 3 ball/O-ring attachments displayed the most uniform stress distribution in the posterior edentulous ridge, with less overloading in the terminal implant. It was concluded that vertical forces applied to the bar-clip overdenture and FPD created immediate stress patterns of greater magnitude and concentration on the ipsilateral implants, whereas the ball/O-ring attachments transferred minimal stress to the implants. The increased cantilever in the FPD caused the highest stresses to the terminal implant.

Immediate loading of implants installed in a healed alveolar bony ridge or immediately after tooth extraction: an experimental study in dogs

ObjectiveTo compare the sequential healing at immediately loaded implants installed in a healed alveolar bony ridge or immediately after tooth extraction.Material and methodsIn the mandible of 12 dogs, the second premolars were extracted. After 3months, the mesial roots of the third premolars were endodontically treated and the distal roots extracted. Implants were placed immediately into the extraction sockets (test) and in the second premolar region (control). Crowns were applied at the second and third maxillary premolars, and healing abutments of appropriate length were applied at both implants placed in the mandible and adapted to allow occlusal contacts with the crowns in the maxilla. The time of surgery and time of sacrifices were planned in such a way to obtain biopsies representing the healing after 1 and 2weeks and 1 and 3months. Ground sections were prepared for histological analyses.ResultsAt the control sites, a resorption of the buccal bone of 1mm was found after 1week and remained stable thereafter. At the test sites, the resorption was 0.4mm at 1-week period and further loss was observed after 1month. The height of the peri-implant soft tissue was 3.8mm both at test and control sites. Higher values of mineralized bone-to-implant contact and bone density were seen at the controls compared with the test sites. The differences, however, were not statistically significant.ConclusionsDifferent patterns of sequential early healing were found at implants installed in healed alveolar bone or in alveolar sockets immediately after tooth extractions. However, three months after implant installation, no statistically significant differences were found for the hard- and soft-tissue dimensions.