Pointillist video stylization based on particle tracing

We present an algorithm that stylizes an input video into a painterly animation without user intervention. In particular, we focus on pointillist animation with stable temporal coherence. Temporal coherence is an important problem in non-photorealistic rendering for videos. To realize pointillist animation, the various characters of pointillism should be considered in painting process to maintain temporal coherence. For this, weused the particle video algorithm which is a new approach to long-range motion estimation in video. Based on this method, we introduce a method to control the density of particles considering the features of frames and importance maps. Finally, the propagation methods of stroke to minimize flickering effects of brush strokes are introduced.     

Development and control of a new AUV platform

This paper presents an architecture of a newly developed autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) platform, named KAUV-1, which is designed as a torpedo with very light weight and small size, suitable for use in marine exploration and monitoring. The KAUV-1 has a unique ducted propeller located at the aft end with yawing actuation acting as a rudder. For depth motion, the KAUV-1 is designed to have a mass shifter mechanism inside to change the vehicle center of gravity and to control its pitch angle and depth motion. The paper also presents an analysis on the equations of motion of the KAUV-1 with mass shifter mechanism and a new depth control strategy for the KAUV-1. The feasibility of the proposed control strategy is validated through simulation and experiment of performance of the vehicle.     

Selective CO oxidation in the presence of hydrogen over supported Pt catalysts promoted with transition metals

Selective CO oxidation in the presence of excess hydrogen was studied over supported Pt catalysts promoted with various transition metal compounds such as Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Zr. CO chemisorption, XRD, TPR, and TPO were conducted to characterize active catalysts. Among them, Pt-Ni/γ-Al₂O₃ showed high CO conversions over wide reaction temperatures. For supported Pt-Ni catalysts, Alumina was superior to TiO₂ and ZrO₂ as a support. The catalytic activity at low temperatures increased with increasing the molar ratio of Ni/Pt. This accompanied the TPR peak shift to lower temperatures. The optimum molar ratio between Ni and Pt was determined to be 5. This Pt-Ni/γ A1₂O₃ showed no decrease in CO conversion and CO₂ selectivity for the selective CO oxidation in the presence of 2 vol% H₂O and 20 vol% CO₂. The bimetallic phase of Pt-Ni seems to give rise to stable activity with high CO₂ selectivity in selective oxidation of CO in H₂-rich stream.     

Absorption of chlorine into aqueous sodium carbonate solutions and desorption of carbon dioxide

The absorption of pure chlorine into aqueous sodium carbonate solutions accompanied by the desorption of carbon dioxide was studied both theoretically and experimentally. The absorption rates of chlorine and the desorption rates of carbon dioxide were measured at 25°C using a baffled agitated vessel operated batchwise. The experimental results were analyzed with the chemical absorption theory based on the Lévěque model. The measured absorption and desorption rates were in good agreement with the theoretical predictions.     

Synthesis and characterization of in situ polymerized segmented thermoplastic elastomeric polyurethane/layered silicate clay nanocomposites

Nanocomposites based on thermoplastic elastomeric polyurethane (TPU) and layered silicate clay were prepared by in situ synthesis. The properties of nanocomposites of TPU with unmodified clay were compared with that of organically modified clay. The nanocomposites of the TPU and organomodified clay showed better dispersion and exhibited superior properties. Exfoliation of the clay layers was observed at low organoclay contents, whereas an intercalated morphology was observed at higher clay contents. As one of major purposes of this study, the effect of the silicate layers in the nanocomposites on the order–disorder transition temperature (T_ODT) of the TPU was evaluated from the intensity change of the hydrogen‐bonded and free carbonyl stretching peaks and from the peak position change of the N? H bending peak. The presence of the organoclay increased T_ODT by approximately 10°C, which indicated improved stability in the phase‐separated domain structure. The layered silicate clay caused a tremendous improvement in the stiffness of the TPU; meanwhile, a reduction in the ultimate elongation was observed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 3048–3055, 2006     

The effect of extrudate swell on modeling the film blowing process

The extrudate swell effect has not received sufficient attention in modeling the film blowing process. This effect is addressed in this paper, and as an ab initio study, only viscous fluids were considered. The problem region was separated into two zones; the extrudate swell zone and the film blowing zone. The annular extrudate swell problem was solved using a finite element method. The film blowing process was modeled following Pearson and Petrie's (4) work. Although only viscous fluids were considered, the simulation results show a remarkable difference when swelling was included in the modeling. Viscoelastic fluids, which are more realistic for polymer melts, were not investigated here because of the so called high Weisenberg number problem. This is an open area still under investigation.     

Numerical analysis on reaction injection molding of polyurethane foam by using a finite volume method

Foam reaction injection molding (FRIM) is one of the most popular and useful processes for producing polyurethane foam with a complex geometry. A theoretical model which includes chemical reactions, foaming, and mold filling was developed to analyze FRIM. Energy balance equation was derived by considering polyurethane reaction, water-isocyanate reaction, and evaporation of physical blowing agents. Density and viscosity model was proposed for the bubble suspension, which was assumed to be a homogeneous phase. Based on the theoretical model, three-dimensional numerical simulation for mold filling of the polyurethane foam was carried out to predict flow field, flow front advancement, and density distribution during mold filling. Mold filling of a refrigerator cavity was investigated numerically. The density and thermal conductivity of the foam in the flow front was higher than those in the initially filled region.     

The influence of titanium on the electrochemical properties of the AB5-type metal hydrides

AB₅-type intermetallic compounds were prepared by arc-melting in argon atmosphere. The composition of a stoichiometric compound LaNi_3.6Al_0.4Co_0.7Mn_0.3 with a hexagonal CaCu₅ structure was varied by stoichiometric and nonstoichiometric addition of Ti. With the increase of the Ti y0.05 content in LaNi_3.6Al_0.4Co_0.7Mn_0.3Ti_y, the hydrogen storage capacity is enhanced, whereas when y=0.1–0.3, it is decreased. The discharge capacity and cyclability are increased considerably by addition of titanium in the range of 0.02–0.1 with a maximum value at about 0.1%. The highest maximum capacity is achieved for a nonstoichiometric addition of 0.05% Ti. The kinetic properties are also additionally improved by the formation of a titanium-rich second phase. This can explain the improvement of the capacity for alloys with low Ti content. The decrease in capacity for high Ti content was also correlated with the amount of the Ti-rich phase. Therefore, the improvement of kinetics are due to the catalytic effect, grain boundary diffusion effect or more pronounced alloy pulverization upon cycling. This study has been aimed to improve the electrode properties of a series of multicomponent LaNi_3.6Al_0.4Co_0.7Mn_0.3Ti_y (y=0.0, 0.02, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3) alloys which have mutual complementary properties. All the prepared alloys have been subjected to analyses by EDS, SEM and XRD. In order to determine the hydrogen storage capacity, the pressure composition isotherms (P–C–T curves) have been used. The metal hydride electrodes were characterized by galvanostatic cycling test.     

Effect of low-cycle fatigue on the hot ductility of plain carbon steel

In a continuous casting steelmaking operation, the surface of a slab is under a condition that can be characterized as high-temperature, low-cycle fatigue in which the tensile and compressive stress is repeatedly developed. For this reason, for the evaluation of the hot ductility of a slab, considering the fatigue deformation is more feasible before a tensile or compressive test. In this study, the effects of low-cycle fatigue on the hot ductility of steels with a carbon content of 0.06–0.8 wt.% are investigated at various temperatures. For a carbon content of 0.06%, there were no significant differences between the RA values from a simple tensile test and those from a tensile test after fatigue deformation. The tendency of ductility deterioration with fatigue deformation is evident in 0.1 %C steel, and is due to the deformation-induced ferrite film that forms around the prior austenite grain. Conversely, high carbon steel containing 0.8 %C did not show a recovery of hot ductility in a low temperature region, and the specimen on which the tensile was measured after fatigue showed a higher hot ductility in the low temperature region, which is thought to result from the pearlite refinement effects. As the results obtained in this work showed noticeable differences in the hot ductility of carbon steel through the test conditions, it is suggested that for more accurate data, fatigue deformation be adopted in which the temperature range in an unbending operation is determined in the steelmaking factory.     

Gender Differences in Mouse and Cursor Movements

Computer cursor and mouse activities such as moving, pointing, selecting, and dragging are essential parts of everyday interactions. Yet it is unknown how men and women differ in the way they move computer cursors. This study examines gender differences in movements of computer cursors. In one experiment, the authors measured trajectories of computer cursors every 20 ms in a simple choice-reaching task and tested the extent to which movement features related to controlling and targeting diverge between male and female participants. Results showed significant gender differences in cursor motions. Female participants deviated from the straight path toward the target location to a larger degree than did male participants, and female participants showed more backward motions (deviating backward from the target location) than did male participants. Implications for sources of these gender differences, user interface and input device design, and musculoskeletal disorders in women are also discussed.