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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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Recognizability of Demographically Altered Computerized Facial Approximations in an Automated Facial Recognition Context for Potential Application in Unidentified Persons Data Repositories

This study examined the recognizability of demographically altered facial approximations for potential utility in unidentified persons tracking systems. Five computer-generated approximations were generated for each of 26 African male participants using the following demographic parameters: (i) African male (true demographics), (ii) African female, (iii) Caucasian male, (iv) Asian male, and (v) Hispanic male. Overall, 62% of the true demographic facial approximations for the 26 African male participants examined were matched to a corresponding life photo within the top 50 images of a candidate list generated from an automated blind search of an optimally standardized gallery of 6159 photographs. When the African male participants were processed as African females, the identification rate was 50%. In contrast, less congruent identification rates were observed when the African male participants were processed as Caucasian (42%), Asian (35%), and Hispanic (27%) males. The observed results suggest that approximations generated using the opposite sex may be operationally informative if sex is unknown. The performance of approximations generated using alternative ancestry assignments, however, was less congruent with the performance of the true demographic approximation (African male) and may not yield as operationally constructive data as sex-altered approximations.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) Improves Empathy and Recognition of Facial Emotions Conveying Threat in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

Introduction: Empathy is critical for human interactions to become shared and meaningful, and it is facilitated by the expression and processing of facial emotions. Deficits in empathy and facial emotion recognition are associated with individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with specific concerns over inaccurate recognition of facial emotion expressions conveying a threat. Yet, the number of evidenced interventions for facial emotion recognition and processing (FERP), emotion, and empathy remains limited, particularly for adults with ASD. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a noninvasive brain stimulation, may be a promising treatment modality to safely accelerate and/or enhance treatment interventions to increase their efficacy. Methods: This study investigates the effectiveness of FERP, emotion, and empathy treatment interventions paired with tDCS for adults with ASD. Differences in scores on the Empathy Quotient (EQ) and on a FERP test were predicted for verum tDCS when compared to sham. Verum/sham tDCS was randomly assigned in a within-subjects, double-blinded design in adults with ASD without intellectual disability. Results: Verum tDCS significantly improved EQ scores and FERP scores for emotions that conveyed threat. Conclusions: These results suggest the potential for increasing the efficacy of treatment interventions by pairing them with tDCS for individuals with ASD.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Point Adversarial Self-Mining: A Simple Method for Facial Expression Recognition

In this article, we propose a simple yet effective approach, called point adversarial self mining (PASM), to improve the recognition accuracy in facial expression recognition (FER). Unlike previous works focusing on designing specific architectures or loss functions to solve this problem, PASM boosts the network capability by simulating human learning processes: providing updated learning materials and guidance from more capable teachers. Specifically, to generate new learning materials, PASM leverages a point adversarial attack method and a trained teacher network to locate the most informative position related to the target task, generating harder learning samples to refine the network. The searched position is highly adaptive since it considers both the statistical information of each sample and the teacher network capability. Other than being provided new learning materials, the student network also receives guidance from the teacher network. After the student network finishes training, the student network changes its role and acts as a teacher, generating new learning materials and providing stronger guidance to train a better student network. Here, the adaptive learning materials generation and teacher/student update can be conducted more than one time, improving the network capability iteratively. Extensive experimental results validate the efficacy of our method over the existing state of the arts for FER.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Rifle-like camera for long distance face recognition

An improved long-range facial recognition system is provided. The facial recognition system includes an integrated, rifle-like mounting platform with modular and interchangeable components, including a machine-vision camera, a facial recognition module, and an aiming scope. The mounting platform includes an elongated frame, a hand grip, a shoulder stock, and an underbody support attachment for an optional bipod. The mounting platform provides an intuitive, shoulder-operated support structure for stabilizing the machine-vision camera and reducing vibrations that otherwise inhibit long distance imaging.

Bolme, David S.↗

Facial Named Entity Recognition by Attention-Based Graph Convolutional Neural Network

In the realm of facial recognition and analysis, the ability to accurately cluster large datasets of facial images stands as a cornerstone for various applications, ranging from security surveillance to user biometric identification. This project evolves a novel approach to facial data clustering by embedding facial images into a high-dimensional vector space using an advanced embedding model trained on separate data and assumes a graph-like structure on the high-dimensional vectors. We find our method works significantly better than common shallow methods.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

An image-driven machine learning approach to kinetic modeling of a discontinuous precipitation reaction

Micrograph quantification is an essential component of several materials science studies. Machine learning methods, in particular convolutional neural networks, have previously demonstrated performance in image recognition tasks across several disciplines (e.g. materials science, medical imaging, facial recognition). Here, we apply these well-established methods to develop an approach to microstructure quantification for kinetic modeling of a discontinuous precipitation reaction in a case study on the uranium-molybdenum system. Prediction of material processing history based on image data (classification), calculation of area fraction of phases present in the micrographs (segmentation), and kinetic modeling from segmentation results were performed. Results indicate that convolutional neural networks represent microstructure image data well, and segmentation using the k-means clustering algorithm yields results that agree well with manually annotated images. Classification accuracies of original and segmented images are both 94% for a 5-class classification problem. Kinetic modeling results agree well with previously reported data using manual thresholding. The image quantification and kinetic modeling approach developed and presented here aims to reduce researcher bias introduced into the characterization process, and allows for leveraging information in limited image data sets.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

The Mertens Unrolled Network (MU-Net): A High Dynamic Range Fusion Neural Network for Through the Windshield Driver Recognition

Face recognition of vehicle occupants through windshields in unconstrained environments poses a number of unique challenges ranging from glare, poor illumination, driver pose and motion blur. In this paper, we further develop the hardware and software components of a custom vehicle imaging system to better overcome these challenges. After the build out of a physical prototype system that performs High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging, we collect a small dataset of through-windshield image captures of known drivers. We then reformulate the classical Mertens-Kautz-Van Reeth HDR fusion algorithm as a pre-initialized neural network, which we name the Mertens Unrolled Network (MU-Net), for the purpose of fine-tuning the HDR output of through-windshield images. Reconstructed faces from this novel HDR method are then evaluated and compared against other traditional and experimental HDR methods in a pre-trained state-of-the-art (SOTA) facial recognition pipeline, verifying the efficacy of our approach.

Ruby, Max↗

GenomeFace v1.0

GenomeFace is meta-genome binning software. Metagenomic binning, the process of grouping DNA sequences into taxonomic units, is critical for understanding the functions, interactions, and evolutionary dynamics of microbial communities. We propose a deep learning approach to binning using two neural networks, one based on composition and another on environmental abundance, dynamically weighting the contribution of each based on characteristics of the input data. Trained on over 43,000 prokaryotic genomes, our network for composition-based binning is inspired by metric learning techniques used for facial recognition. Using a task-specific, multi-GPU accelerated algorithm to cluster the embeddings produced by our network, our binner leverages marker genes observed to be universally present in nearly all taxa to grade and select optimal clusters of sequences from a hierarchy of candidates. We evaluate our approach on four simulated datasets with known ground truth. Our linear time integration of marker genes recovers more near complete genomes than state of the art but computationally infeasible solutions using them, while being over an order of magnitude faster. Finally, we demonstrate the scalability and acuity of our approach by testing it on three of the largest metagenome assemblies ever performed. Compared to other binners, we produced 47%-183% more near complete genomes. From these datasets, we find over the genomes of over 3000 new candidate species which have never been previously cataloged, representing a potential 4% expansion of the known bacterial tree of life.

Lettich, Richard [Lawrence Berkeley National Labor↗

Vulnerabilities in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Applications and Data

Artificial intelligence (AI) applications driven by machine learning (ML) are transformational technologies within the international nuclear security regime. Advancements realized by AI—faster and improved data insights, more efficient and automated processes, reductions in human error—enable nuclear security applications such as behavior analysis for insider threat mitigation, source tracking of stolen nuclear material, and facial recognition software for physical protection. In addition to the advantages, however, there are also inherent vulnerabilities and threats associated with its use and risk mitigations must be built into any AI/ML-enabled systems. This work provides a background on AI and ML and different data types used in the field, including open-source intelligence information (OSINT) that is discoverable by AI tools and application data that are used by AI tools for decision-making and automation. Current and potential AI applications and vulnerabilities related to their use within the nuclear security regime are also discussed.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗

The Evolution of Wayfinding Within Airports

The process of navigating within airports has evolved over the years, with various technologies emerging. Historically, wayfinding began with static signage and airport staff members before progressing into digital signs, interactive kiosks and displays. In recent years, wayfinding has continued along its digital path through the use of indoor positioning technology, mobile applications, and even robot guides. The future of wayfinding will likely be heavily linked to further digital developments such as facial recognition and autonomous vehicle navigation. This paper delves into the history of interior wayfinding in airports, its present state, and the anticipated future. Key wayfinding technologies are discussed in detail with an emphasis on smartphone applications. Other considerations such as traveler stress, legal issues, pandemic safety, and language barriers are included.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

Support for the Core Research Activities and Studies of the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (DE-SC0020446 Final Technical Report)

Supported the core operations of the National Academies' Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (CSTB). Helped support planning and conducting of board meetings, identification of priority topics in computer science and other areas of computing and communications technologies, and oversight for CSTB's portfolio of studies and convenings. Activities shaped and overseen included: a workshop on Al for scientific discovery; collaborative work with other Academies units on a study on foundational research gaps and future directions for digital twins; a study on current capabilities, future prospects, and governance of facial recognition technologies, a study on post- exascale computing; a study on fostering responsible computing research, collaborative work with other Academies units on automated research workflows for accelerated scientific discovery; a study on meeting federal cybersecurity workforce needs, and a study of the ecosystem driving information technology innovation.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

The Evolution of Wayfinding Within Airports

The process of navigating within airports has evolved over the years, with various technologies emerging to complement static signage. Historically, wayfinding began with static signage and airport staff members providing personal guidance, before progressing into digital signs, interactive kiosks, and displays. In recent years, wayfinding has continued along its digital path using mobile applications, indoor positioning technology, and even robot guides. With ever- larger airport facilities and a growing number of travelers, the future of wayfinding will likely be heavily linked to further digital developments such as facial recognition, augmented-reality technology, and autonomous vehicle navigation. This report delves into the history of interior wayfinding in airports, its present state, and the anticipated future. Key wayfinding technologies are discussed in detail, with an emphasis on emerging smartphone applications. Other considerations such as traveler stress, legal issues, pandemic safety, and language barriers are included. A wayfinding framework is proposed, with static wayfinding technologies serving as the base upon which dynamic and personalized digital technologies are built. In this framework, electronic wayfinding technologies do not replace - but rather augment - traditional methods. These technologies can be integrated into existing wayfinding systems for a seamless traveler experience.

ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

The Evolution of Airport Terminal Wayfinding Technologies

This work was presented during the Transportation Research Board (TRB) and Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) webinar "Enhancing the Airport Experience with Wayfinding" on May 23, 2024. The process of navigating within airports has evolved over the years, with various technologies emerging to complement static signage. Historically, wayfinding began with static signage and airport staff members providing personal guidance, before progressing into digital signs, interactive kiosks, and displays. In recent years, wayfinding has continued along its digital path using mobile applications, indoor positioning technology, and even robot guides. With ever- larger airport facilities and a growing number of travelers, the future of wayfinding will likely be heavily linked to further digital developments such as facial recognition, augmented-reality technology, and autonomous vehicle navigation. This presentation delves into the history of interior wayfinding in airports, its present state, and the anticipated future. Key wayfinding technologies are discussed with an emphasis on emerging smartphone applications. Other considerations such as legal issues, language barriers, and human-technology interactions are included. A wayfinding framework is proposed, with static wayfinding technologies serving as the base upon which dynamic and personalized digital technologies are built. In this framework, electronic wayfinding technologies do not replace - but rather augment - traditional methods. These technologies can be integrated into existing wayfinding systems for a seamless traveler experience.

airport↗

Face Recognition Oak Ridge (FaRO): A Framework for Distributed and Scalable Biometrics Applications

The facial biometrics community has seen a recent abundance of high-accuracy facial analytic models become freely available. Although these models' capabilities in facial detection, landmark detection, attribute analysis, and recognition are ever-increasing, they aren't always straightforward to deploy in a real-world environment. In reality, the use of the field's ever growing collection of models is becoming exceedingly difficult as library dependencies update and deprecate. Researchers often encounter headaches when attempting to utilize multiple models requiring different or conflicting software packages. Face Recognition Oak Ridge (FaRO) is an open-source project designed to provide a highly modular, flexible framework for unifying facial analytic models through a compartmentalized plug-and-play paradigm built on top of the gRPC (Google Remote Procedure Call) protocol. FaRO's server-client architecture and flexible portability allows easy construction of modularized and heterogeneous face analysis pipelines, distributed over many machines with differing hardware and software resources. This paper outlines FaRO's architecture and current capabilities, along with some experiments in model testing and distributed scaling through FaRO.

Bolme, David↗

The Facial Reconstruction of a Mesolithic Dog, Muge, Portugal

This paper presents the facial reconstruction of a Mesolithic dog whose skeleton was recovered from the Muge shell middens (Portugal) in the 19th century. We used the anatomical deformation approach based on a collection of computer tomography images as an attempt to reconstruct the Muge dog’s head appearance. We faced a few challenges due to the level of bone displacement and the absence of some cranium anatomical parts, as well as accurate information on soft tissue thickness for modern dogs. This multidisciplinary study combined anatomical, veterinary, zooarchaeological, artistic and graphic aspects to allow for the facial reconstruction of the Muge dog. Albeit an approximation, it confers a recognition to this prehistoric finding.

Moraes, Cicero (ORCID:0000000294790028)↗

Evaluating Automated Face Identity-Masking Methods with Human Perception and a Deep Convolutional Neural Network

Face de-identification (or “masking”) algorithms have been developed in response to the prevalent use of video recordings in public places. Here, we evaluated the success of face identity masking for human perceivers and a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN). Eight de-identification algorithms were applied to videos of drivers’ faces, while they actively operated a motor vehicle. These masks were pre-selected to be applicable to low-quality video and to maintain coarse information about facial actions. Humans studied high-resolution images to learn driver identities and were tested on their recognition of active drivers in low-resolution videos. Faces in the videos were either unmasked or were masked by one of the eight algorithms. When participants were tested immediately after learning (Experiment 1), all masks reduced identification, with six of eight masks reducing identification to extremely poor performance. In a second experiment, two of the most effective masks were tested after a delay of 7 or 28 days. The delay did not further reduce identification of the masked faces. In all masked conditions, participants maintained stringent decision criteria, with low confidence in recognition, further indicating the effectiveness of the masks. Next, the DCNN performed an identity-matching task between high-resolution images and masked videos—a task analogous to that done by humans. The pattern of accuracy for the DCNN mirrored some, but not all, aspects of human performance, highlighting the need to test the effectiveness of identity masking for both humans and machines. The DCNN was also tested on its ability to match identity between masked and unmasked versions of the same video, based only on the face. DCNN performance for the eight masks offers insight into the nature of the information in faces that is coded in these networks.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗