Augmented reality-based block piling game with superimposed collapse prediction

Understanding what cannot be seen is difficult. Physical behavior can be explained on the basis of physical theories even if the behavior cannot be observed. Explanation of what is physically happening in the real world would become easy, however, if annotations were superimposed on the real objects. Herein, the authors demonstrate how an understanding of a physical event can be facilitated by overlapping a real-world situation with a simulation that predicts a future state. This idea is demonstrated in a game application in which a player stacks blocks into a pile until it collapses. In general, it is easy to estimate whether a block on the edge of a table will fall or not. However, it is more difficult to predict whether a stack of many blocks will collapse, and in what manner the stack will collapse. Even though previous research has demonstrated that the problem of how two-dimensionally stacked blocks collapse can be reduced to solving a sequence of convex quadratic programs, algorithms for convex quadratic programs require massive computational resources. Hence, the authors developed a fast and new algorithm based on a linear program. The proposed algorithm realizes real-time simulation based on physics that superimposes predicted collapse. The block that is predicted to fall is superimposed on the real block with a lit background projection. The system was evaluated in an experiment, and superimposed augmented reality annotation was observed to be efficient. The system was also demonstrated in game contests and received positive feedback and comments.     

Surface Defects on Semicoherent and Incoherent NaCl-Type Carbides Dispersed in Hot-Rolled Ferritic Steel

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - The interface structure of semicoherent titanium carbide (TiC) nanoparticles and incoherent micron-sized TiC precipitates in Fe–C–Ti alloy...     

Development of an image evaluation method for skin color distribution in facial images and its application: Aging effects and seasonal changes of facial color distribution

In this article, we present an evaluation method for the skin color distribution in the face area. Unlike previous methods that extract a specific area, our method subdivides the entire face into small regions and analyzes detailed, per-frame textures. Our evaluation method for skin color distribution is based on facial feature points and includes segmentation that takes into account the facial skeleton and muscle orientation. The use of facial feature points enables a comparison at relatively equal positions on the face without depending on the shape or size of the individual's face. Our evaluation method is versatile, and as an application, we clarified age-specific features and seasonal variations of facial color distribution. As a result of applying this evaluation method to the facial images of women aged 20 to 78 years, we confirmed that the lightness of the face decreased as age increased. In particular, the decrease in lightness was remarkable in the region along the cheekbone, from the temple to the center of the cheek. Furthermore, we analyzed the seasonal changes of melanin distribution in the face area. This showed that the melanin index increased particularly in the cheekbone area in the summer when the influence of ultraviolet rays became large. Our novel methodology and the data presented in this article will be useful in various fields, such as dermatology, cosmetics, and computer vision.     

Visible Light Irradiation of [60]Fullerene Causes Killing and Initiation of Transformation in Balb/3T3 Cells

Abstract

Cell transformation in vitro is a model of carcinogenesis in vivo. Two-stage transformation assay increases the sensitivity of cells to chemicals and permits detection of carcinogens acting as initiating agents. [60]Fullerene (C₆₀) was cytotoxic in BALB/3T3 cells when it was irradiated by visible light, but not without light irradiation. Under conditions when C₆₀ was cytotoxic, it acted as an initiating agent for cell transformation, but it did not act as a complete transforming agent. the initiating activity of visible-light-irradiated C₆₀ was statistically significant in a modified two-stage transformation assay including a procedure for replating cells treated by C₆₀ and light, but it was equivocal in the standard two-stage transformation assay.     

Chemical Recognition of Partner Plant Species by Foundress Ant Queens in Macaranga–Crematogaster Myrmecophytism

The partnership in the Crematogaster–Macaranga ant–plant interaction is highly species-specific. Because a mutualistic relationship on a Macaranga plant starts with colonization by a foundress queen of a partner Crematogaster species, we hypothesized that the foundress queens select their partner plant species by chemical recognition. We tested this hypothesis with four sympatric Macaranga species and their Crematogaster plant-ant species. We demonstrated that foundress Crematogaster queens can recognize their partner Macaranga species by contact with the surface of the seedlings, that they can recognize compounds from the stem surface of seedlings of their partner plant species, and that the gas chromatographic profiles are characteristic of the plant species. These findings support the hypothesis that foundress queens of the Crematogaster plant-ant species select their partner Macaranga species by recognizing nonvolatile chemical characteristics of the stem surfaces of seedlings.     

A novel sphingophosphonolipid head group 1-hydroxy-2-aminoethyl phosphonate in Bdellovibrio stolpii

Members of the bacterial genus Bdellovibrio include strains that are free-living whereas others are known to invade and parasitize larger Gram-negative bacteria. The bacterium can synthesize several sphingophospholipid compounds including those with phosphoryl bonds as well as phosphonyl bonds. In the present study, the dominant sphingophosphonolipid component was isolated by column chromatography, and the long-chain bases, fatty acids, and polar head groups were identified by thin-layer and gas-liquid chromatographic procedures. The definitive structural identity of the sphingolipid was established by nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry of hydrolysis products and the intact compound. The compound was identified as N-2′-hydroxypentadecanoyl-2-amino-3,4-dihydroxyheptadecan-1-phosphono-(1-hydroxy-2-aminoethane).     

Biosynthesis of Trehangelin in Polymorphospora rubra K07–0510: Identification of Metabolic Pathway to Angelyl‐CoA

Trehangelins are trehalose angelates discovered from endophytic actinomycete Polymorphospora rubra K07‐0510. We identified the trehangelin biosynthetic gene cluster, including genes that encode a glycoside hydrolase‐like protein (thgC), α‐amylase (thgD), 3‐ketoacyl‐ACP synthase III (thgI), 3‐ketoacyl‐ACP reductase (thgK), enoyl‐CoA hydratase (thgH) and acyl transferase (thgJ). Heterologous expression of thgH, thgI, thgJ and thgK confirmed the importance of these genes in the biosynthesis of trehangelin A. Enzymatic activity studies showed that ThgI catalyses the condensation of acetyl‐CoA and methylmalonyl‐CoA to 2‐methylacetoacetyl‐CoA (MAA‐CoA), ThgK catalyses NADPH‐dependent reduction of MAA‐CoA to 3‐hydroxy‐2‐methylbutyryl‐CoA (HMB‐CoA) and ThgH catalyses the dehydration of HMB‐CoA to angelyl‐CoA (AN‐CoA). This is the first report on the elucidation of the enzymatic formation of AN‐CoA.