Eye-Full Tower: A GPU-based variable multibaseline omnidirectional stereovision system with automatic baseline selection for outdoor mobile robot navigation

In recent years, it can be observed that there is a gradual increase in the number of researchers and projects involved with the development of omnidirectional vision systems for various applications. The primary factors, which contributed towards this positive trend, are the availability of inexpensive and high resolution vision sensors, robust and fast computers and the advantages of using such systems over perspective vision systems. In this paper, a novel variable multibaseline omnidirectional stereovision system is presented. The proposed algorithm is implemented on the GPU based on the Nvidia CUDA libraries and subsequently, this paper will provide details of the automatic baseline selection process. Finally, results of the multibaseline stereovision algorithm based on voxel voting will be illustrated and discussed. In addition, possible research directions suggested by this approach will also be discussed.     

Effects of Partially Hydrogenated,Semi-Saturated,and High Oleate Vegetable Oils on Inflammatory Markers and Lipids

Knowledge about the effects of dietary fats on subclinical inflammation and cardiovascular disease risk are mainly derived from studies conducted in Western populations. Little information is available on South East Asian countries. This current study investigated the chronic effects on serum inflammatory markers, lipids, and lipoproteins of three vegetable oils. Healthy, normolipidemic subjects (n = 41; 33 females, 8 males) completed a randomized, single-blind, crossover study. The subjects consumed high oleic palm olein (HOPO diet: 15% of energy 18:1n-9, 9% of energy 16:0), partially hydrogenated soybean oil (PHSO diet: 7% of energy 18:1n-9, 10% of energy 18:1 trans) and an unhydrogenated palm stearin (PST diet: 11% of energy 18:1n-9, 14% of energy 16:0). Each dietary period lasted 5 weeks with a 7 days washout period. The PHSO diet significantly increased serum concentrations of high sensitivity C-reactive protein compared to HOPO and PST diets (by 26, 23%, respectively; P < 0.05 for both) and significantly decreased interleukin-8 (IL-8) compared to PST diet (by 12%; P < 0.05). In particular PHSO diet, and also PST diet, significantly increased total:HDL cholesterol ratio compared to HOPO diet (by 23, 13%, respectively; P < 0.05), with the PST diet having a lesser effect than the PHSO diet (by 8%; P < 0.05). The use of vegetable oils in their natural state might be preferred over one that undergoes the process of hydrogenation in modulating blood lipids and inflammation.     

半连续式油脂脱臭工艺系统

连续式脱臭系统，如填料式脱臭塔、塔盘式脱臭塔和猛犸泵塔盘式脱臭塔采用本地和进口部件相结合。然而有中间排放塔盘的半连续式脱臭塔则是最复杂的，在精炼各种不同油品的过程中，如不同程度的氢化油、棕榈油、棕榈油中间分提物、可可脂类物质、代可可脂和液态棕榈油等，最少的油品污染和快速的批次变换是必要的，这里介绍我们从１５０t/d到３００t/d的半连续式脱臭塔方面的经验。     

Submicrometer‐Sized ZIF‐71 Filled Organophilic Membranes for Improved Bioethanol Recovery: Mechanistic Insights by Monte Carlo Simulation and FTIR Spectroscopy

Template‐free self‐assembly synthesis of nano‐sized metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) is of particular interest in MOF research since organized nanostructures possessing distinctive properties are useful for many advanced applications. In this work, the facile room temperature synthesis of robust submicrometer‐sized ZIF‐71 crystals with different particle sizes (140, 290, or 430 nm), having a high permanent microporosity (S_BET = 827 cm² g^?1) and synthesis yield up to 80% based on Zn on a gram‐scale, is reported. These small ZIF‐71 particles are ideal filler for the fabrication of thinner and homogeneous polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) based mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) with excellent filler dispersion and filler‐polymer adhesion at high loading up to 40 wt%, as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. Pervaporation tests using these submicrometer‐sized ZIF‐71 filled MMMs show significant improvement for bioethanol recovery. Interesting phenomena of i) reversible ethanol‐ethanol hydrogen interaction in the ethanol liquid‐phase and ii) irreversible hydrogen interaction of ethanol and –Cl functional group in the α‐cages and octagonal prismatic cages of ZIF‐71 in ethanol vapor‐phase are discovered for the first time by a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) study. In full agreement with molecular simulation results, these explain fundamentally the ZIF‐71 filled MMMs pervaporation performance.     

Surface modification of silica nanopowders in microwave plasma

In this work, surface modification of nanopowders in microwave plasma process was demonstrated. In order to obtain silica nanopowder with polymeric coating, a two-step microwave process was designed. 3-Aminopropyltrimethoxysilane was used as the surface modifier. Transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy have been used for the direct microstructural imaging and chemical analysis of surface modified-silica nanopowders. The silica nanopowders were uniformly coated with a thick layer of amino-silane. Surface modification in microwave plasma is a simple, direct and easy to control process without using any solvents. The surface modified-silica nanopowders can be incorporated directly into polymer matrix for the preparation of hybrid nanocomposite materials.     

Implementation of a fourth-generation 1.8-GHz dual-core SPARC V9 microprocessor

This fourth-generation processor combines two enhanced third-generation cores using an advanced 90-nm dual-Vt, dual-gate-oxide technology. Hardware additions feature expanded caches and inclusion of a 2-MB Level-2 cache and a Level-3 tag. Layout was completely redrawn to optimize the design for manufacturability and performance in the latest technology. Special emphasis was placed on library development to improve automation and assist in custom design. The memory design methodologies were completely updated to make quality design simpler and more robust. The chip operates at 1.8 GHz while dissipating 90 W of power at 1.1 V.     

Overlapping Functions of the Paralogous Proteins AtPAP2 and AtPAP9 in Arabidopsis thaliana

Arabidopsis thaliana purple acid phosphatase 2 (AtPAP2), which is anchored to the outer membranes of chloroplasts and mitochondria, affects carbon metabolism by modulating the import of some preproteins into chloroplasts and mitochondria. AtPAP9 bears a 72% amino acid sequence identity with AtPAP2, and both proteins carry a hydrophobic motif at their C-termini. Here, we show that AtPAP9 is a tail-anchored protein targeted to the outer membrane of chloroplasts. Yeast two-hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence complementation experiments demonstrated that both AtPAP9 and AtPAP2 bind to a small subunit of rubisco 1B (AtSSU1B) and a number of chloroplast proteins. Chloroplast import assays using [³⁵S]-labeled AtSSU1B showed that like AtPAP2, AtPAP9 also plays a role in AtSSU1B import into chloroplasts. Based on these data, we propose that AtPAP9 and AtPAP2 perform overlapping roles in modulating the import of specific proteins into chloroplasts. Most plant genomes contain only one PAP-like sequence encoding a protein with a hydrophobic motif at the C-terminus. The presence of both AtPAP2 and AtPAP9 in the Arabidopsis genome may have arisen from genome duplication in Brassicaceae. Unlike AtPAP2 overexpression lines, the AtPAP9 overexpression lines did not exhibit early-bolting or high-seed-yield phenotypes. Their differential growth phenotypes could be due to the inability of AtPAP9 to be targeted to mitochondria, as the overexpression of AtPAP2 on mitochondria enhances the capacity of mitochondria to consume reducing equivalents.