Realistic image synthesis of a deformable living thing based on motion understanding

This paper describes a system that can synthesize realistic sequential images of moving goldfish based on the image understanding result of real goldfish. To analyze and synthesize images in real-time, we have constructed a hardware system that consists of 32 paralell transputers with a high-speed visual-data interface called VIT (Visual Interface for Transpputer Network). The system is very flexible and powerful for various types of image processing because it can be extended according to the required computational cost. In the understanding process, we assume that the target object, a goldfish in this case, deforms its shape pliably in 3-D space and moves only in a two-dimensional direction. A modeling, called the Bone-Structured Solid Modeler, which is suitable for representing deformable objects such as living things, plays an important role in the understanding and synthesis processes of the deformable object. Three types of constraints for motion, namely, static, dynamic, and object, are utilized to verify the estimated pose and orientation of the object. In the motion synthesis process, realistic moving images are synthesized by controlling the model employing the motion understanding result. Simulation results are presented to show the effectiveness of the system. The technology discussed in this paper is expected to play a key role in the realization of future visual human interfaces.     

Effects of seasonings on physical properties and MRI T2 map of cooked spaghetti

The effect of seasonings on the texture of cooked spaghetti was examined by sensory and shearing tests. Spaghetti tossed with sucrose, trehalose, salt, and monosodium glutamate and their mixture retarded deterioration of the firmness of spaghetti strands. To investigate the penetration of water and seasonings, maps of spin–spin relaxation time and their profiles from the center to the surface of a spaghetti strand were acquired by magnetic resonance imaging. The homogenization of moisture distribution in cooked spaghetti during holding was delayed temporarily by salt owing to a back current caused by the gradient of salt content on the surface immediately after tossing. Monosodium glutamate rapidly penetrated into spaghetti strands and caused water T₂ decrease possibly owing to the decreased mobility of water molecules in starch gel, whereas the sweeteners hardly altered the T₂ maps. Salt and monosodium glutamate are considered to retard more effectively the deterioration of firmness of spaghetti.     

Metabolism of 12-ketooctadecanoic acid byEscherichia coli K-12 andCandida tropicalis

The mode of degradation of long chain keto acids by two microorganisms was investigated.Escherichia coli K-12 converted 12-ketooctadecanoic acid to 4-ketodecanoic acid, accumulating some amounts of intermediates, 10-ketohexadecanoic, 8-ketotetradecanoic and 6-ketododecanoic acids. In contrast,Candida tropicalis completely metabolized the keto acid with transient accumulation of the metabolites mentioned above. The difference between the metabolism byE. coli of hydroxy acid and keto acid is that 12-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid is degraded as far as 6-hydroxydodecanoic acid, while 12-ketooctadecanoic acid can be degraded as far as 4-ketodecanoic acid.     

Semiautomatic leakage analyzing system for time series fluorescein ocular fundus angiography

An algorithm for measuring an index of leakage in fluorescein fundus angiography is presented. The number of pixels whose gray level exceeds an automatically determined slice level is calculated. An automatic blood vessel elimination technique is introduced. Further, a method of measuring the short term change of leakage from a time series of the fluorescein fundus angiographs is described. Our system can also deal with the time series images obtained on different occasions (long term change).The features of this paper are: (1) this paper deals with double time sequence images (short and long term); (2) an automatic blood vessel recognition algorithm is employed.     

Highly hydrogenated dietary soybean oil modifies the responses to polychlorinated biphenyls in rats

The effects of dietary highly hydrogenated soybean oil (HSO) upon the changes caused by dietary polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were examined in rats. Six groups of rats were fed the following diets for 30 d: a 20% soybean oil-containing diet (control diet), a diet in which a half of soybean oil was substituted with HSO (HSO-A diet), a diet in which cellulose powder was replaced with HSO (HSO-B diet) and these diets supplemented with 100 ppm PCBs (control+PCBs, HSO-A+PCBs and HSO-B+PCBs diets). Hepatic concentration of PCBs and relative liver weight were markedly decreased in rats fed with the HSO-A+PCBs diet compared with those fed with the other diets containing PCBs. Liver lipids and liver cholesterol were considerably decreased with a reciprocal increase in fecal sterol excretion by rats fed the HSO-A+PCBs and the HSO-B+PCBs diets compared with those fed with the control+PCBs diet. The fatty acid composition in hepatic phospholipids showed an independent increase of the saturated fatty acid content induced by dietary HSO and PCBs. Dietary PCBs also caused decreases in the amounts of monounsaturated and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. These results suggest that dietary HSO prevents accumulation of PCBs in the liver and promotes the excretion of lipids stimulated by PCBs, accompanied by a change in fatty acid metabolism.     

Thermochemical study of vaporization of LiTiO by a mass spectrometric Knudsen effusion method

The vaporization of Li₄TiO₄ has been studied by a mass spectrometric Knudsen effusion method in the temperature range 1082–1582 K. Identified vapors are Li(g), LiO(g), Li₂O(g) and Li₃O(g). When the vaporization proceeds, the content of Li₂O in the Li₄TiO₄ sample decreases and the condensed phase of the sample changes to β-Li₄TiO₄ plus l-Li₂TiO₃ below 1323 K, to β-Li₄TiO₄ plus h-Li₂TiO₃ in the range 1323–1473 K and to h-Li₂TiO₃ plus liquid above 1473 K. On the basis of the partial pressure data, the enthalpies of formation for β-Li₄TiO₄ from elements and from constituent oxides have been determined to be ΔH_f,298^°(β-Li₄TiO₄,s) = −2247.8 ± 14.3 kJ mol⁻¹ and Δ_fox,298^°(β-Li₄TiO₄, s) = −107.3 ± 14.3 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively.     

Geothermal observations by use of a helicopter-borne remote sensing system

Detailed infrared images are useful for investigating thermal features of geothermal fields. A remote sensing system which is installed on low-altitude-flying helicopters is developed to get the infrared images with high resolution. But those images can cover only a limited domain. As the system can fit visible images on infrared ones simultaneously obtained, within a common field of view, this makes it possible to determine the positions of target areas by finding out geographical and topographical features over the visible images in spite of its limited areas. Observations by means of the helicopter-borne system are described for the two geothermal fields in Japan. Finally, heat discharge from those fields are estimated by analyzing the observed thermal images.     

s-Shaped Software Reliability Growth Models and Their Applications

The s-shaped growth curves of detected software errors can be observed in software testing. The delayed s-shaped and inflection s-shaped software reliability growth models based on a nonhomogeneous Poisson process are discussed. The software reliability growth types of the models are investigated in terms of the error detection rate per error. In addition, a viable method for the software quality assessment, which integrates the capture-recapture method and the models above, is discussed, and its application to actual test data is illustrated.     

In situ high temperature TEM observation of interaction between multi-walled carbon nanotube and in situ deposited gold nano-particles

Interaction between multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) and deposited gold nano-particles has been dynamically observed in a 200 kV transmission electron microscope (TEM) using a specimen heating holder. Gold particles with diameters of several tens of microns were mixed with MWNTs to mount on the heating element of a specimen heating holder. The gold particles were instantaneously heated to 1373 K to deposit gold nano-particles on the MWNTs from a very short distance. The MWNTs were then heated to 1073 K to observe interaction between the deposited gold nano-particles and MWNTs. Some gold nano-particles drilled through the wall of the MWNT and entered the capillary space of the MWNTs. To characterize the mechanism of the transition of the gold nano-particles into the capillary space of the MWNT, high resolution TEM observation of the deformed wall of MWNT was also carried out.