Real‐time word lip reading system based on trajectory feature

This paper describes a real‐time word lip reading system. Although our system is based on a word lip reading method already proposed, this system adapts to the user facial movements that cannot be avoided in a real‐time process. With nine subjects, we obtained an average recognition rate of 89% for 14 Japanese words. Moreover, we carried out additional experiments with the system under various conditions, and verified the robustness and usefulness of our system. © 2011 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Protective effect of lutein after ischemia-reperfusion in the small intestine

Lutein is a carotenoid mainly found in green leafy vegetables and is located in the macula lutea in the human eye. Since humans cannot synthesise lutein de novo, it must be digested as food. The physiological importance of an orally administered compound depends on its interaction with target tissues. There is little information about the effects of intake of lutein in tissues other than the eyes. The aim of this study was to clarify the protective effect of lutein against oxidative injury using ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) model rats and to determine the relationship between pharmacokinetics and antioxidant activity of lutein. Intestinal I/R was induced by 30-min occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery followed by 60-min reperfusion. After 60 min of reperfusion, intestinal tissue was used for analysis of Evans blue dye extravasation, lipid peroxidation and myeloperoxidase activity. Lutein administered before I/R had a significant protective effect against oxidative injury.     

Technique for transfer of high-density,high-aspect-ratio nanoscale patterns in UV nanoimprint lithography and measurement of the release force

Ultraviolet nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) is a powerful tool for nanoscale fabrication. However, the replication of high-density, high-aspect-ratio mold patterns by UV-NIL is very difficult because of the strong forces required to release the replicate from the mold. We used a glassy carbon (GC) mold with an antireflective structure, fabricated by irradiation with an oxygen-ion beam, to produce a high-density, high-aspect-ratio pattern, and we evaluated its release properties. The fabricated GC surface contained high-aspect-ratio conical structures with pitch of less than 100 nm. After fabrication of the antireflective structure, the mold surface was coated with chromium and a fluorinated silane coupling agent. By using this treatment and a peel motion during mold release, faithful replication of the mold structure in photocurable resin was possible. The release force increased with increasing mold surface area; the surface area effect is therefore the main factor in the mold-release step.     

Gateway Selection Protocol in Hybrid MANET Using DYMO Routing

In this paper, we propose a novel gateway (GW) selection protocol in hybrid Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs). We focus on the situation that occurs when specialized, sensitive data is sent to the Internet from MANET nodes. These special data types are especially susceptible to security risks such as information leak and data falsification. Therefore, it is necessary for such special data to be forwarded by a secure/trusted GW which is controlled by a trusted network administrator. However, there should be multiple GWs deployed in a MANET, where the cost ineffectiveness makes it difficult for a network administrator to simultaneously manage every GW. Because of the risk of forwarding special data through an unmaintained GW, we propose a routing protocol which allows a source node to have sensitive data forwarded to the Internet through a trusted GW. To achieve this desirable performance, we improve upon one of the newest routing protocols, Dynamic MANET On-demand (DYMO), which works in consideration of application data. Through simulations, we evaluate our protocol in comparison with the conventional DYMO protocol. The results show that our protocol can make MANET source nodes choose GWs for specific data.     

Suzuki segregation in Co–Ni-based superalloy at 973 K: An experimental and computational study by phase-field simulation

Suzuki segregation in Co–Ni-based superalloys is of longstanding interest. In this study, the development of widely extended stacking fault (SF) ribbons was confirmed in a Co–Ni-based superalloy aged at 973 K after deformation at room temperature, which supports the decrease in stacking fault energy (SFE) due to Suzuki segregation. In addition, the plastic deformation behaviors of Co–Ni-based superalloys with various Nb contents up to 3 wt.% were investigated focusing on the effect of Nb addition on dynamic strain-aging by Suzuki segregation. The negative strain-rate dependence of flow stress due to dynamic strain-aging became more significant with increasing Nb content; however, attempts to detect segregating elements by scanning transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy analysis were not successful. A phase-field simulation of Suzuki segregation suggested strong Ni depletion with segregation of Cr and Mo atoms at the SF, and the SFE can become negative as a consequence of the segregation. This agrees with the experimentally observed formation of wide SFs by the aging at 973 K after cold deformation. It is also suggested that Nb atoms are strongly depleted at SFs, and a small amount of Nb addition dramatically enhances Cr segregation, resulting in further decreases in the SFE, which is probably responsible for the observed enhancement of dynamic strain-aging by Nb addition. In addition, the local structural changes, such as short-range ordering and/or an in-plane ordering, accompanying the segregation were discussed as possible additional mechanisms for strain-aging enhancement.     

Microstructures of SiO2 and TiOX films deposited by atmospheric pressure inductively coupled micro-plasma jet

Atmospheric-pressure inductively coupled micro-plasma jet was used for deposition of SiO₂ and TiO_x thin films. Si and Ti alkoxides respectively were vaporized into Ar gas to be decomposed thermally in the Ar plasma jet, being deposited as the metal oxide films. Microstructures of the films were investigated as changing the plasma conditions such as Ar gas flow rate and concentration of the alkoxides in Ar gas. The SiO₂ and TiO_x films deposited at higher Ar gas flow rates were composed of particles of micron or submicron sizes. The SiO₂ film was composed of a single layer of the particles and the particles sometimes formed unique aggregation structures. On the other hand, the TiO_x film had a structure in which the particles were piled up randomly. The structures suggested that the SiO₂ particles grew on the substrate whereas TiO_x particles were formed in plasma gas phase.     

Development of novel bioactive composites by electrophoretic deposition

Electrophoretic deposition (EPD), which is normally available on electric conductive materials, was applied to insulating materials. Wollastonite particles were deposited into the pores of porous alumina and porous ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) substrates by EPD to yield alumina-wollastonite and UHMWPE-wollastonite composites, respectively. These composites were soaked in simulated body fluid (SBF) to evaluate their apatite-forming ability. Apatite was induced from the wollastonite particles, which grew on the surfaces and covered the entire composite surfaces. The bonding strength of the apatite layer to the substrates was as high as 8.9 MPa for alumina and 5.2 MPa for UHMWPE due to an interlocking effect. Thus, the formed alumina-wollastonite and UHMWPE-wollastonite composites should be useful as bone substitutes.     

Wavelength conversion film with glass coated Eu chelate for enhanced silicon-photovoltaic cell performance

In order to improve the conversion efficiency of a silicon-photovoltaic (PV) module, we investigated the combination with a wavelength conversion film (WCF), which consists of Eu chelate particles encapsulated by the sol–gel derived silica glass. The photoluminescence (PL) excitation spectrum of Eu chelate shows that the violet light below 400 nm is effectively converted to the red emission at 613 nm. Since the PV cell has higher sensitivity at the red wavelength region compared to the violet region, Eu chelate is one of the suitable material for a WCF. The diameter of fabricated sol–gel encapsulated Eu chelate was larger than the wavelength of irradiated sunlight, therefore, the transmittance of a WCF decreased with increasing the concentration of Eu chelate. The short circuit current (J_SC) was increased by inserting the the WCF on the front side of Si-PV cell compared to the reference module (glass/ethylene vinyl acetate/WCF without Eu chelate/Si-PV cell/EVA/back-film), and the maximum increase of ΔJ_SC was 1.03 mA/cm² compared to the reference module. However, the maximum ΔJ_SC of fabricated module was almost same as the conventional Si-PV cell due to the refractive index mismatch of each layers.     

Occurrence and profiles of chlorinated and brominated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in waste incinerators

Chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (CIPAHs) have been reported to occur in urban air. Nevertheless, sources of CIPAHs in urban air have not been studied, due to the lack of appropriate analytical methods and standards. In this study, we measured concentrations of 20 CIPAHs and 11 brominated PAHs (BrPAHs) in fly ash and bottom ash from 11 municipal/hazardous/industrial waste incinerators, using analytical standards synthesized in our laboratory. Concentrations of total CIPAHs and BrPAHs in ash samples ranged from <0.06 to 6990 ng/g and from <0.14 to 1235 ng/g, respectively. The concentrations of CIPAHs were approximately 100-fold higher than the concentrations of BrPAHs. 6-CIBaP and 1-CIPyr were the dominant compounds in fly ash samples. The profiles of halogenated PAHs were similar to the profiles reported previously for urban air. 1-BrPyr was the predominant BrPAH in fly ash. Concentrations of 6-CIBaP, 9,10-Cl2Phe, 9-CIAnt, and 6-BrBaP in fly ash were significantly correlated with the corresponding parent PAH concentrations. Significant correlation between sigmaCIPAH and sigmaPAH concentrations suggests that direct chlorination of parent PAHs is the mechanism of formation of CIPAHs during incineration of wastes; nevertheless, a comparable correlation was not found for BrPAHs. There was no significant correlation between the capacity and temperature of an incinerator and the concentrations of sigmaCl-/BrPAHs in ash samples, although lower concentrations of all halogenated PAHs were found in stoker-type incinerators than in fixed grate-type incinerators. Toxicity equivalency quotients (TEQs) for CIPAHs in ash samples were calculated with CIPAH potencies. Average TEQ concentrations of CIPAHs in fly ash and bottom ash were15800 pg-TEQ/g and 67 pg-TEQ/g, respectively. Our results suggest that the extent of dioxin-like toxicity contributed by CIPAHs in ash generated during waste incineration is similar to that reported previously for dioxins. Waste incineration is an important source of Cl-/BrPAHs in the urban atmosphere.