Relationship between mode‐boundary from surface color to fluorescent appearance and preferred gamut on wide‐gamut displays

Abstract— Color‐gamut design is a major concern in wide‐gamut displays. To determine a preferred gamut for displaying object color in natural scenes on a wide‐gamut display, subjective evaluations were conducted to investigate the preferred color and acceptable limit. Then, simple synthesized images were used to determine the mode boundary between surface color and fluorescent color appearance. It was found that (1) observers perceived the colors with high saturation and high lightness as fluorescent colors and (2) the fluorescent appearance decreased preference. The color‐mode index (CMI) was defined as an evaluation index of the color‐appearance mode so that the boundary between surface color and fluorescent color appearance was defined as CMI 100. Additionally, it was found that the CMI 100 loci could be interpreted as an optimal color loci. Then, it was clarified that the mode boundary and the preferred gamut were closely related and that the acceptable limit for L* was 1.1 times L* for CMI 100.     

Thermally stimulated current and thermally stimulated charge distribution in electron‐beam‐irradiated PMMA

The relationship between the external current J_ter(t), the conduction current J_c(x, t), and the displacement current ϵ∂E(x, T)/∂t of an electron‐beam‐irradiated PMMA is discussed in terms of measurements of the thermally stimulated current (TSC) and the thermally stimulated space charge distribution (TS‐SCD). ϵ∂E(x, T)/∂t is calculated from TS‐SCD measurements obtained with an improved pulsed electroacoustic (PEA) system. By virtue of the conservation of charge, J_c(x, t) is easily calculated from the measured J_ter(t) and the calculated ϵ∂E(x, T)/∂t. In this report, an approach to the conduction current analysis using the theory of conservation of charge is described and an analysis of the conduction current in an electron‐beam‐irradiated PMMA is introduced as a typical example. © 1999 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 128(2): 1–6, 1999     

Component spatial pattern analysis of chemicals by use of two-dimensional electro-optic terahertz imaging

We demonstrate a method of chemical mapping by using the transillumination terahertz (THz) images obtained by two-dimensional electro-optic THz imaging. The images and spectral data were measured between 0.1 and 1.0 THz. An experimental sample consisting of three chemicals was prepared, with one in two concentrations. By introducing the component spatial pattern analysis based on the least-squares method, the chemical composition, spatial distribution, and difference in concentration were clearly determined.     

Non-ignition of an ejected flame through a gap greater than the quenching distance

When a gap is greater than the quenching distance, the flame from an explosion inside a chamber can pass through the gap, but it will not always ignite an outside combustible mixture. There is a non-ignition gap distance, greater than the quenching distance, below which ignition will not occur, and above which it will. The present paper presents experimental determinations of non-ignition gap distances for different values of several parameters (gap width, number of gaps, and chamber volume) for various rectangular gaps with a wide range of lengths. A rectangular gap has three dimensions. One of these is here referred to as the gap distance, the others being gap width and gap length; diagramme definitions of the terms are given. The gap distance for non-ignition varies with the values chosen for the other two dimensions. It increases as the gap width decreases. But when gap length is varied for gap widths over 4.0 cm, the non-ignition gap distance first increases with increasing gap length, and then levels off. A second increase may occur or not, depending on other parameters. In particular, any given sectional gap area (fixed values for gap width and gap distance) may be subdivided, giving rise to multi-layered gaps. Experiment establishes that such subdivision is available as a method of preventing ignition of an outside combustible mixture, since ignition may occur through a single gap of given area and not through a subdivided multi-layered gap of the same area. At multi-layered gaps, one gap flame is far in advance of the others. Other gap flames are either soon extinguished within the gap, or advance a short distance without emerging. It seems permissible to consider the resultant as one flame for analysis. The magnitude of the non-ignition gap distance for multi-layered gaps is proportional to ut, u being the ejection velocity of the flame from the gap, and t the time taken for the flame to pass from the jet origin to the gap exit.     

Nonlinear two-stage model for color discrimination

We modified a two-stage model for color discrimination proposed in a previous study [Color Res. Appl.25, 105 (2000)]; in order to extend the model to wider conditions, we considered the conditions with luminance modulations in addition to color modulations. Using the modified model, we successfully predicted color discrimination data with test color changes along both the chromatic and luminance axes under a variety of background colors. Both qualitative and quantitative assessments in modeling showed that nonlinearity is required in both the cone and the cone-opponent stages to interpret adaptation effects of both color and luminance on color discrimination. This fact suggests that the nonlinear properties at each stage have different roles in color perception.     

Spatially detailed survey on pollution by multiple perfluorinated compounds in the Tokyo Bay basin of Japan

Pollution from 35 perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in the water of the Tokyo Bay basin was examined. The water in the basin contained relatively high levels of perfluorononanoate (PFNA), perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) compared to the other PFCs, which were present at concentrations of 20.1 ng/L, 6.7 ng/L, and 5.8 ng/L, respectively. In contrast, the concentrations of their precursors and degradation products were an order of magnitude lower. Sewage treatment plant (STP) effluent in the area also contained high levels of PFNA compared with the river water samples (Mann-Whitney U-test, p<0.0002). From a spatial aspect, increases in PFC pollution levels correlated with increased urbanization in the study area suggested that there are nonpoint source contributors to the PFC pollution in this area. Branched isomers of the PFCs were also quantified. Samples that contained high concentrations of perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCA) showed lower proportions of its branched isomer. This indicates that the branched isomers are more prominent in the area with lower PFC pollution. This analysis was beneficial for estimating the individual contributions of different PFCA production processes. This survey provided new information on the sources, spatial distribution, and behavioral characteristics of PFC pollutants in this area.     

Intrabody three-dimensional position sensor for an ultrasound endoscope

To avoid or reduce the X-ray exposure in endoscopic examinations and therapy, as an alternative to the conventional two-dimensional X-ray fluoroscopy we are developing an intrabody navigation system that can directly measure and visualize the three-dimensional (3-D) position of the tip and the trace of an ultrasound endoscope. The proposed system can identify the 3-D location and direction of the endoscope probe inserted into the body to furnish endoscopic images. A marker transducer(s) placed on the surface of the body transmits ultrasound pulses, which are visualized as a marker synchronized to the scanning of the endoscope. The position (direction and distance of the marker transducer(s) outside the body relative to the scanning probe inside the body) of the marker is detected and measured in the scanned image of the ultrasound endoscope. Further, an optical localizer locates the marker transducer(s) with six degrees of freedom. Thus, the proposed method performs inside-body 3-D localization by utilizing the inherent image reconstruction function of the ultrasound endoscope, and is able to be used with currently available commercial ultrasound image scanners. The system may be envisaged as a kind of global positioning system for intrabody navigation.     

Environmental fate of bisphenol A and its biological metabolites in river water and their xeno-estrogenic activity

Monitoring of bisphenol A [BPA; 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane] and its biological metabolites [4,4'-dihydroxy-alphamethylstilbene (DHMS), 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1-propanol (BPA-OH), 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)propanoic acid (BPA-COOH), and 2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane (3-OH-BPA)] in river waters was performed by solid-phase extraction and GC/MS determination. The concentrations of BPA, BPA-COOH, BPA-OH, and 3-OH-BPA in the river water ranged from 2 to 230 (8.8 x 10(-12) to 1.0 x 10(-9) M), from 5 to 75 (1.9 x 10(-11) to 2.9 x 10(-10) M), from 3 to 16 (1.2 x 10(-11) to 6.6 x 10(-11) M), and from 3 to 11 (1.2 x 10(-11) to 4.5 x 10(-11) M) ng L(-1), respectively. DHMS, an intermediate in the main degradation pathway of BPA, was not detected in any water sample. Under the aerobic conditions in the river water, BPA disappeared within 8 d of incubation, but BPA-COOH, BPA-OH, and tetraol remained in the supernatant after 14 d of incubation. For the xeno-estrogenic activity of BPA and the metabolites, their ability to bind to recombinant human estrogen receptor alpha in competition with fluorescence-labeled 17beta-estradiol was measured. Fifty percent inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of BPA, DHMS, 3-OH-BPA, and BPA-OH were approximately 1 x 10(-5), 1 x 10(-6), 3 x 10(-5), and 1 x 10(-2) M, respectively. In human cultured MCF-7 breast cancer cells, BPA increased cell numbers in a dose-dependent manner at concentrations from 10(-7) to 10(-5) M. For the BPA metabolites, DOHMS, 3-OH-BPA, and BPA-COOH caused the cells proliferation at concentrations from 10(-9) to 10(-6), from 10(-7) to 10(-6), and from 10(-5) to 10(-4) M, respectively. BPA-OH did not cause MCF-7 cells proliferation. These results indicate that BPA is mainly metabolized through oxidative rearrangement by bacteria in the river water, and intermediate bisphenols via minor metabolic pathways exist in river water. The presence of the bisphenols having the xeno-estrogenic effect suggests the necessity of monitoring those in river water, in the effluent waters from sewage plants, or in landfill leachate.     

Probabilistic distributions of plate buckling strength for normal and bridge high-performance steels

The probabilistic distributions of buckling strengths for compressive plates of normal and bridge high-performance steels were obtained through numerical analyses in order to develop a nominal design strength and a corresponding safety factor. In the numerical analyses, Monte Carlo simulation was used in combination with the response surface method to reduce the effort associated with the finite element analyses. For each value of the slenderness parameter R, a response surface of the normalized local bucking strength was determined based on the results of 114 finite element analyses using different residual stresses and initial defections. The response surface is approximated as a simple algebraic function of the residual stress and the initial deflection. Monte Carlo simulation is then carried out in order to evaluate the probabilistic distribution of the local bucking strength. The mean values obtained in the present study approach those of a mean curve proposed based on experiments. The standard deviation of the present study was approximately half that obtained based on experimental results in the range of 0.6 <R<1.2.