Effect of pupil dilation and constriction on the distribution of bit errors within the iris

Texture information in the iris image is not uniform in discriminatory information content for biometric identity verification. The bits in an iris code obtained from the image differ in their consistency from one sample to another for the same identity. In this work, errors in bit strings are systematically analysed in order to investigate the effect of light-induced and drug-induced pupil dilation and constriction on the consistency of iris texture information. The statistics of bit errors are computed for client and impostor distributions as functions of radius and angle. Under normal conditions, a V-shaped radial trend of decreasing bit errors towards the central region of the iris is obtained for client matching, and it is observed that the distribution of errors as a function of angle is uniform. When iris images are affected by pupil dilation or constriction the radial distribution of bit errors is altered. A decreasing trend from the pupil outwards is observed for constriction, whereas a more uniform trend is observed for dilation. The main increase in bit errors occurs closer to the pupil in both cases.

Domain Adaptation on the Statistical Manifold

In this paper, we tackle the problem of unsupervised domain adaptation for classification. In the unsupervised scenario where no labeled samples from the target domain are provided, a popular approach consists in transforming the data such that the source and target distributions be- come similar. To compare the two distributions, existing approaches make use of the Maximum Mean Discrepancy (MMD). However, this does not exploit the fact that prob- ability distributions lie on a Riemannian manifold. Here, we propose to make better use of the structure of this man- ifold and rely on the distance on the manifold to compare the source and target distributions. In this framework, we introduce a sample selection method and a subspace-based method for unsupervised domain adaptation, and show that both these manifold-based techniques outperform the cor- responding approaches based on the MMD. Furthermore, we show that our subspace-based approach yields state-of- the-art results on a standard object recognition benchmark.

Letter regarding prohibition of Philip J. Joachimsen from receiving mitzvah

Digital image

Medicalising Prohibition : Harm reduction in Finnish and International Drug Policy

The increase in drug use and related harms in the late 1990s in Finland has come to be referred to as the second drug wave. In addition to using criminal justice as a basis of drug policy, new kinds of drug regulation were introduced. Some of the new regulation strategies were referred to as "harm reduction". The most widely known practices of harm reduction include needle and syringe exchange programmes for intravenous drug users and medicinal substitution and maintenance treatment programmes for opiate users. The purpose of the study is to examine the change of drug policy in Finland and particularly the political struggle surrounding harm reduction in the context of this change. The aim is, first, to analyse the content of harm reduction policy and the dynamics of its emergence and, second, to assess to what extent harm reduction undermines or threatens traditional drug policy. The concept of harm reduction is typically associated with a drug policy strategy that employs the public health approach and where the principal focus of regulation is on drug-related health harms and risks. On the other hand, harm reduction policy has also been given other interpretations, relating, in particular, to human rights and social equality. In Finland, harm reduction can also be seen to have its roots in criminal policy. The general conclusion of the study is that rather than posing a threat to a prohibitionist drug policy, harm reduction has come to form part of it. The implementation of harm reduction by setting up health counselling centres for drug users with the main focus on needle exchange and by extending substitution treatment has implied the creation of specialised services based on medical expertise and an increasing involvement of the medical profession in addressing drug problems. At the same time the criminal justice control of drug use has been intensified. Accordingly, harm reduction has not entailed a shift to a more liberal drug policy nor has it undermined the traditional policy with its emphasis on total drug prohibition. Instead, harm reduction in combination with a prohibitionist penal policy constitutes a new dual-track drug policy paradigm. The study draws on the constructionist tradition of research on social problems and movements, where the analysis centres on claims made about social problems, claim-makers, ways of making claims and related social mobilisation. The research material mainly consists of administrative documents and interviews with key stakeholders. The doctoral study consists of five original articles and a summary article. The first article gives an overview of the strained process of change of drug policy and policy trends around the turn of the millennium. The second article focuses on the concept of harm reduction and the international organisations and groupings involved in defining it. The third article describes the process that in 1996 97 led to the creation of the first Finnish national drug policy strategy by reconciling mutually contradictory views of addressing the drug problem, at the same as the way was paved for harm reduction measures. The fourth article seeks to explain the relatively rapid diffusion of needle exchange programmes after 1996. The fifth article assesses substitution treatment as a harm reduction measure from the viewpoint of the associations of opioid users and their family members.

答“关于Columbus问题的几点注记”

本文是对“关于Columbus问题的几点注记”一文的答复。今后如无新的学术观点和研究进展,本刊对有关Columbus问题的讨论,即告结束。

关于Columbus问题的几点注记

<正> 在Columbus问题的研究中,应用全充液腔体定点旋转运动稳定理论模型(以下简称定点模型)已有长期历史。最近,文献[13]认为“定点模型”是错误的,这是一个无视这个问题理论和实验研究历史的武断的结论。文献[13]中公式(5)和(6)只是小扰动条件下线性理论的结果,却被作为依据导出大扰动条件下的公式(7)。本文目的就是为了澄清这些问题,同时叙述了一项新的流体转子陀螺实验。

Columbus问题的解答

<正> 对于充液腔体平衡转动的稳定性问题已有大量研究,然而由Kelvin所提出的“Columbus蛋”的稳定性问题则至今尚未从流体动力学角度获得具体的解答。 “Columbus蛋”没有固定点,但有一个单面约束面,因而文献[6,8]对Columbus蛋应用全充液腔体绕定点转动的稳定性判据是错误的;如果从的一般性定理出发,则不能

关于Columbus问题大扰动情形的完全解

本文在大扰动普遍情形下,按照连续系统的直接方法解答了Columbus问题。所得理论结果和Kelvin实验结果精确一致。至此,Columbus问题得到较完善的解决。

旋转充液腔体的非线性稳定理论及其对Columbus问题的应用

对于任意形状、充满粘性液体的腔体绕惯性主轴整体旋转的一般情形,本文首先导出大扰动运动方程组,然后按照直接方法建立了弱非线性稳定理论,并应用于Columbus问题,得到和实验完全一致的结论。

Complete solution of the columbus problem for large-disturbance cases

The Columbus problem has been rigorously solved by Lyapunov's direct approach to the continuous system in gencral cases of large disturbance and the theory has proved to be in strict consistency with Kelvin's experiments.