Face recognition systems face real challenges from various presentation attacks. New, more sophisticated methods of presentation attacks are becoming more difficult to detect using traditional face ...recognition systems. Thermal infrared imaging offers specific physical properties that may boost presentation attack detection capabilities. The aim of this paper is to present outcomes of investigations on the detection of various face presentation attacks in thermal infrared in various conditions including thermal heating of masks and various states of subjects. A thorough analysis of presentation attacks using printed and displayed facial photographs, 3D-printed, custom flexible 3D-latex and silicone masks is provided. The paper presents the intensity analysis of thermal energy distribution for specific facial landmarks during long-lasting experiments. Thermalization impact, as well as varying the subject’s state due to physical effort on presentation attack detection are investigated. A new thermal face spoofing dataset is introduced. Finally, a two-step deep learning-based method for the detection of presentation attacks is presented. Validation results of a set of deep learning methods across various presentation attack instruments are presented.
The purpose of this article is to explore what kind of light apocalyptic eschatology can shed on our understanding of Paul’s argumentation in 2 Cor 10–13. The focus is on 2 Cor 10:3–6, where Paul, ...using the topos of holy war, describes his struggle against the opponents in Corinth. The apostle elaborates on a biblical theme, which also appears in Jewish apocalyptic texts, such as 1QM and T. 12. Patr. Comparing 2 Corinthians with this literature allows us to see certain similarities: the performative nature of 2 Cor and 1QM; the radical division into the servants of light and the servants of darkness; the active participation of Belial/Satan in the present warfare, and the belief in the absolute defeat of the evil spirit at the end of time, combined with the gift of peace and the universal reign of the Messiah. There are also significant differences between Paul on the one hand, and 1QM and T. 12. Patr. on the other: the lack of dualism of the cosmic type and a non-violent nature of Paul’s struggle, resulting from the fact that the apostle imitates the meek and clement Christ. Ultimately, the apocalyptic eschatology sharpens Paul’s rhetoric, strengthens his authority in Corinth and enhances the weight of his appeals to the community, upon the acceptance of which the salvation of believers depends.
The article presents a synthetic analysis of empire criticism in Pauline letters, beginning with the omnipresence and character of imperial cult in Paul’s time. Subsequently, the author highlights ...the places in Pauline letters that are usually associated with anti-imperial rhetoric. The following part of the article critically appraises the arguments for the presence of an anti-imperial script in Paul’s letters. The conclusions critically assess the methodology and premises of empire criticism, which essentially ignores Paul’s argumentative context, refers to the problematic “hidden transcript,” and can be strongly informed by contemporary ideologies. According to the author, Paul does not fight with the Empire, accepting its institutions and social order and trying to change them from within. Although the apostle does not consciously use the anti-imperial script, the Good News he preached and the communities he founded possess an anti-imperial potential. In light of this, the article ultimately advocates a careful application of empire criticism to Paul, which can serve a better understanding of the New Testament background and the message of Paul.
The author analyzes the Pauline pronouncement on homosexuality in Rom 1:26-27. He first places it in the context of the apostle’s arguments in Rom 1–4, outlines the structure of Rom 1:18-32, and ...examines the most important terms related to homosexual behavior in Rom 1:22-32. Subsequently, the author presents contemporary interpretations of Rom 1:26-27 which deconstruct or reject the Pauline critique of homosexual acts. They are divided into three basic categories: arguments from the position of modern psychology and ancient homosexual practices, arguments based on Paul’s understanding of nature, and arguments stemming from the rhetorical-literary context of Rom 1:18-32. The author critically examines these arguments, pointing to their anachronisms, limited reading of the apostle’s argumentative context, unsubstantiated overlapping of the concept of nature and cultural norm, and disregard of the universalistic character of the Pauline discourse in Rom 1:18-32.
The author analyzes the foundations of Paul’s argument on homosexuality in Rom 1:26-27. First, he points to the categories of honor and shame functioning in the Hellenistic world, which the apostle ...refers to when he describes male and female homosexual relations moved by “degrading” and “consuming passions,” and consequently leading to “shameless acts” (Rom 1:26-27). Second, Paul relies on the natural law, which he perceives not as a cultural norm but, like some Greco-Roman and Jewish authors, as a creation order permeated with God’s insight. Third, the primary point of reference for the apostle are the Scriptures and the broadly understood Jewish tradition (Lev 18:22; 20:13; Deut 4:16-19; Ps 105:20; Jer 2:11; Wis 12–15), especially Genesis 1–3 (with particular emphasis on Gen 1:27-28). They connect homosexuality with idolatry, transgressing the order of creation and blurring the distinction between the male and the female. Gender differences serve procreation, but also building up the relationship based on mutual understanding and complementarity between a man and a woman. The apostle finds allies in Plato, Plutarch, Dio Chrysostom, Philo, Flavius Joseph, Pseudo-Phocylides and many others who also refer to the categories of honor and shame, natural law and procreation in their critique of homosexual acts.
The author analyzes the Pauline statements on homosexuality in 1 Cor 6:9-10 and 1 Tim 1:8-10. The examined texts are first placed in their argumentative context, with a hint at the Old Testament ...traditions standing behind them (Gen 1: 27-28; Exod 20:1-17; Deut 5:6-21; Lev 18:22 and 20:13). Next, the author critically presents the positions of the scholars who limit Paul’s understanding of homosexuality in 1 Cor 6:9-10 and 1 Tim 1:8-10 to pederasty and prostitution. Philological and contextual arguments of the vast majority of researchers indicate that the terms μαλακός and ἀρσενοκοίτης used by the apostle should be read as a broad critique of all kinds of homosexual acts. In the last paragraph, the author sums up the contemporary discussion on homosexuality and its interpretation in Paul, pointing to inadequate methodology, language and new hermeneutics underlying the attempts to refute the Pauline critique of homosexual acts.
The paper presents the influence of the temperature of the sintering process on the microstructure and selected properties of boron carbide/TiB2/SiC composites obtained in situ by spark plasma ...sintering (SPS). The homogeneous mixture of boron carbide and 5% vol. Ti5Si3 micropowders were used as the initial material. Spark plasma sintering was conducted at 1700 °C, 1800 °C, and 1900 °C for 10 min after the initial pressing at 35 MPa. The heating and cooling rate was 200 °C/min. The obtained boron carbide composites were subjected to density measurement, an analysis of the chemical and phase composition, microstructure examination, and dry friction-wear tests in ball-on-disc geometry using WC as a counterpart material. The phase compositions of the produced composites differed from the composition of the initial powder mixture. Instead of titanium silicide, two new phases appeared: TiB2 and SiC. The complete disappearance of Ti5Si3 was accompanied by a decrease in the boron carbide content of the stoichiometry formula B13C2 and an increase in the content of TiB2, while the SiC content was almost constant. The relative density of the obtained boron carbide composites, as well as their hardness and resistance to wear, increased with the sintering temperature and TiB2 content. Unfortunately, the reactions occurring during sintering did not allow us to obtain composites with high density and hardness. The relative density was 76–85.2% of the theoretical one, while the Vickers hardness was in the range of 4–12 GPa. The mechanism wear of boron carbide composites tested in friction contact with WC was abrasive. The volumetric wear rate (Wv) of composites decreased with increasing sintering temperature and TiB2 content. The average value of coefficient of friction (CoF) was in the range of 0.54–0.61, i.e., it did not differ significantly from the value for B4C sinters.
Since the release of the second-generation cryoballoon (CB2; Arctic Front AdvanceTM, Medtronic Inc) and its design modifications with improved cooling characteristics, the technique, dosing, and ...complication profile is significantly different from that of the first-generation cryoballoon. A comprehensive report of CB2 procedural recommendations has not been reported.
The purpose of this study was to review the current best practices from a group of experienced centers to create a user’s consensus guide for CB2 ablation.
High-volume operators with a combined experience of more than 3000 CB2 cases were interviewed, and consensus for technical and procedural best practice was established.
Comprehensive review of the CB2 ablation best practice guide will provide a detailed technique for achieving safer and more effective outcomes for CB2 atrial fibrillation ablation.
Currently, COVID-19 is considered to be the most dangerous and deadly disease for the human body caused by the novel coronavirus. In December 2019, the coronavirus spread rapidly around the world, ...thought to be originated from Wuhan in China and is responsible for a large number of deaths. Earlier detection of the COVID-19 through accurate diagnosis, particularly for the cases with no obvious symptoms, may decrease the patient's death rate. Chest X-ray images are primarily used for the diagnosis of this disease. This research has proposed a machine vision approach to detect COVID-19 from the chest X-ray images. The features extracted by the histogram-oriented gradient (HOG) and convolutional neural network (CNN) from X-ray images were fused to develop the classification model through training by CNN (VGGNet). Modified anisotropic diffusion filtering (MADF) technique was employed for better edge preservation and reduced noise from the images. A watershed segmentation algorithm was used in order to mark the significant fracture region in the input X-ray images. The testing stage considered generalized data for performance evaluation of the model. Cross-validation analysis revealed that a 5-fold strategy could successfully impair the overfitting problem. This proposed feature fusion using the deep learning technique assured a satisfactory performance in terms of identifying COVID-19 compared to the immediate, relevant works with a testing accuracy of 99.49%, specificity of 95.7% and sensitivity of 93.65%. When compared to other classification techniques, such as ANN, KNN, and SVM, the CNN technique used in this study showed better classification performance. K-fold cross-validation demonstrated that the proposed feature fusion technique (98.36%) provided higher accuracy than the individual feature extraction methods, such as HOG (87.34%) or CNN (93.64%).
Spoofing attacks using imitations of fingerprints of legal users constitute a serious threat. In this study, a terahertz time domain spectroscopy (TDS) setup in a reflection configuration was used ...for the non-intrusive detection of fingerprint spoofing. Herein, the skin structure of the finger pad is described with a focus on the outermost stratum corneum. We identified and characterized five representative spoofing materials and prepared thin and thick finger imitations. The complex refractive index of the materials was determined in TDS in the transmission configuration. For dataset collection, we selected a group of 16 adults of various ages and genders. The reflection results were analyzed both in the time (reflected signal) and frequency (reflectivity) domains. The measured signals were positively verified with the theoretical calculations. The signals corresponding to samples differ from the finger-related signals, which facilitates spoofing detection. Thanks to deconvolution, we provide a basic explanation of the observed phenomena. We propose two spoofing detection methods, predefined time–frequency features and deep learning based. The methods achieved high true detection rates of 87.9% and 98.8%. Our results show that the terahertz technology can be successfully applied for spoofing detection with high detection probability.
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