Thin plate splines are highly useful for the approximation of functions of two variables, partly because they provide the interpolant to scattered function values that minimizes a 2-norm of second derivatives. On the other hand, they have the severe disadvantage that the explicit calculation of a thin plate spline approximation requires a log function to be evaluated m times, where m is the num...

In this article, using generalized differential quadrature (GDQ) methods, free vibration of a thin annular plate coupled with two open circuit piezoelectric layers, is numerically studied based on the classical plate theory. The governing differential equations with respective boundary conditions are derived and transformed into a set of algebraic equations by implementing the GDQ rule, then so...

It has been known for quite some time that materials and structures with small-scale dimensions do not behave in the same manner as their bulk counterparts. This aspect was first observed in thin films where certain defect structures were found to have deleterious effects on the film’s structural integrity and reliability. This became a significant concern because thin films are routinely emplo...

Bismuth and antimony are semimetals with a rhombohedral crystal structure and similar lattice parameters. Bi12xSbx alloys exhibit unusual electronic properties and are of interest for thermoelectric and magnetoelectronic devices. In this paper, we show that Bi12xSbx alloys can be electrodeposited from acidic chloride-based solutions and that a homogenous solid solution is obtained across the en...

We present a simple yet highly efficient method to register range and color images. This method does not rely upon calibration parameters nor does it use visual features analysis. Our assumption is that if the transformation that registers the images is a mathematical function, we can approximate with little number of samples. To this end, thin-plate spline-based interpolations are used in this...

In this paper we address the problem of registering 3D scattered data by the mean of a statistical shape model. This model is built from a training set on which a principal component analysis ( E A ) is applied. A local system of reference is computed for each sample shape of the learning set, what enables to align the training set. PCA then reveals the main modes of deformation of the class of...

Adapted finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) update equations exist for a number of objects that are smaller than the grid step, such as wires and thin slots. In this contribution we provide a technique that automatically generates new FDTD update equations for small objects. Our presentation will be focussed on 2-D-FDTD. We start from the FDTD equations in a fine grid where the time derivative...

In the face recognition problem, one of the most critical sources of variation is facial expression. This paper presents a system to overcome this issue by utilizing facial expression simulations on realistic and animatable face models that are in compliance with MPEG-4 specifications. In our system, firstly, 3D frontal face scans of the users in neutral expression and with closed mouth are tak...

The recently developed multiscale kernel of R. Opfer is applied to approximate numerical derivatives. The proposed method is truly mesh-free and can handle unstructured data with noise in any dimension. The method of Tikhonov and the method of L-curve are employed for regularization; no information about the noise level is required. An error analysis is provided in a general setting for all dim...