A design of high optical efficiency wedge type light guide plate adopting twin inclined cylindrical surface

We propose wedge type light guide plate (LGP) adopting twin inclined cylindrical surfaces (TICS) at the incident part of a LGP. It has higher optical efficiency than conventional wedge type LGP. In dimension of LGP which the thickness of incident part is 1.5 mm and that of luminance part is 0.7 mm, the optical efficiency of wedge type LGP adopting TICS is expected to be 96% in comparison with a normal flat LGP. In addition, there is an advantage to reduce the non‐uniformity of vicinity of light emitted diodes (LEDs) by TICS reflecting light laterally. However, it is necessary that the LED centers are aligned with the intersections of TICS. The misalignment of LED causes non‐uniformity of optical profile that is slightly larger than a normal LGP.     

Information gathering and searching approaches on the Web

The information accessible through the Internet is increasing explosively as the Web is getting more and more widespread. In this situation, the Web is indispensable information resource for both of information gathering and information searching. Though traditional information retrieval techniques have been applied to information gathering and searching in the Web, they are insufficient for this new form of information source. Fortunately some Al techniques can be straightforwardly applicable to such tasks in the Web, and many researchers are trying this approach. In this paper, we attempt to describe the current state of information gathering and searching technologies in the Web, and the application of AI techniques in the fields. Then we point out limitations of these traditional and AI approaches and introduce two aapproaches: navigation planning and a Mondou search engine for overcoming them. The navigation planning system tries to collect systematic knowledge, rather than Web pages, which are only pieces of knowledge. The Mondou search engine copes with the problems of the query expansion/modification based on the techniques of text/web mining and information visualization. Seiji Yamada, Dr. Eng.: He received the B.S., M.S. and Ph.S. degrees in control engineering and artificial intelligence from Osaka University, Osaka, Japan, in 1984, 1986 and 1989, respectively. From 1989 to 1991, he served as a Research Associate in the Department of Control Engineering at Osaka University. From 1991 to 1996, he served as a Lecturer in the Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research at Osaka University. In 1996, he joined the Department of Computational Intelligence and Systems Science at Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan, as an Associate Professor. His research interests include artificial intelligence, planning, machine learning for a robotics, intelligent information retrieval in the WWW, human computer interaction, He is a member of AAAI, IEEE, JSAI, RSJ and IEICE. Hiroyuki Kawano, Dr.Eng.: He is an Associate Professor at the Department of Systems Science, Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University, Japan. He obtained his B.Eng. and M.Eng. degrees in Applied Mathematics and Physics, and his Dr.Eng. degree in Applied Systems Science from Kyoto University. His research interests are in advanced database technologies, such as data mining, data warehousing, knowledge discovery and web search engine (Mondou). He has served on the program committees of several conferences in the areas of Data Base Systems, and technical committes of advanced information systems.     

Further investigation on the thermal decomposition of aluminium dialkylamides

Both dimethylamino- (I) and diethylamino-alane dimers (II), [(R₂N)₂AlH]₂ (I, R=Me; II, R=Et) decompose above 800° C under a few hundred Pa of hydrogen to dark greyish, hard (Vickers hardness larger than 2000), oxidation-resistive and oxidation-protective deposits which are tentatively identified as Al₅C₃N. The deposits are stable to moisture and diluted hydrochloric acid in contrast to those obtained below 800° C, but they easily dissolve in sodium hydroxide solution at room temperature evolving a gas. The deposits on a stainless steel substrate adhere strongly to the substrate and remain so on rapid heating and cooling. The electrical resistivity of the deposits is in the range 10² to 10⁴ cm.     

Development of smart composite structures with small-diameter fiber Bragg grating sensors for damage detection: Quantitative evaluation of delamination length in CFRP laminates using Lamb wave sensing

The authors and Hitachi Cable, Ltd. have recently developed small-diameter optical fiber and its fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor for embedment inside a lamina of composite laminates without strength reduction. The outside diameters of the cladding and polyimide coating are 40 and 52 μm, respectively. First, a brief summary is presented for applications of small-diameter FBG sensors to damage monitoring in composite structures. Then, we propose a new damage detection system for quantitative evaluation of delamination length in CFRP laminates using Lamb wave sensing. In this system, a piezo-ceramic actuator generates Lamb waves in a CFRP laminate. After the waves propagate in the laminate, transmitted waves are received by an FBG sensor attached on or embedded in the laminate using a newly developed high-speed optical wavelength interrogation system. This system was applied to detect interlaminar delamination in CFRP cross-ply laminates. When the Lamb waves passed through the delamination, the amplitude decreased and a new wave mode appeared. These phenomena could be well simulated using a finite element analysis. From the changes in the amplitude ratio and the arrival time of the new mode depending on the delamination length, it was found that this system could evaluate the delamination length quantitatively. Furthermore, small-diameter FBG sensors were embedded in a double-lap type coupon specimen, and the debonding progress could be evaluated using the wavelet transform.     

计算机视觉在球类机器人和行为理解研究中的应用与发展

智能机器人是当今机器人研究的热点，并逐渐由制造领域向非制造领域发展。本文以几种国内外近年研制的新型球类运动机器人为例，介绍了计算机视觉在智能机器人研究中的应用情况。另外，有关人与机器人之间的视觉行为理解研究是计算机视觉研究与智能机器人研究领域的新发展，本文对此也进行了介绍。     

HSPF Simulation of Runoff and Sediment Loads in the Upper Changjiang River Basin, China

To evaluate the performance of a computer model simulating runoff and sediment load in the upper region of the Changjiang (Yangtze River) basin over a relatively short time interval, including examining the applicability of the input precipitation data generated from global circulation models and satellite data, we used a spatially distributed model, HSPF with the International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project (ISLSCP) precipitation data for 1987 and 1988 as input data. The Nash–Sutcliffe coefficient (R2) for 5-day average streamflow was 0.94 in the calibration period and 0.95 in the verification period for the whole upper region. Moreover, the model simulated the 5-day average streamflow well in each main tributary, as shown by R2 values of 0.46–0.96, except that it underestimated the peak flow rates during the flood season over 2 years by up to 71% in Tuojiang and 61% in Jialingjiang. The model simulated the 5-day concentrations of suspended solids (SS) fairly well in the headwaters and upper regions of the Jinshajiang, Yalongjiang, and Minjiang watersheds, as shown by R2 values of 0.31–0.65. In the other regions, however, the model underestimated the SS load by up to 72%, and rarely simulated the fluctuation of SS concentration in each river channel during the flood season. These errors led to the underestimation of sediment runoff volume from the whole upper region during the flood season, as shown by the ratio of the simulated sediment load to the observed data at Yichang: 0.69 in the calibration period and 0.68 in the verification period. The ISLSCP precipitation tended to be more frequent and less intense than the measured precipitation. This was probably the main reason why the HSPF did not perform well in all regions at all times.     

Lymphatic networks in the periodontal tissue and dental pulp as revealed by histochemical study.

The structural organization and fine distribution of the lymphatic networks in the periodontal tissues (gingiva, periodontal membrane, and alveolar process) and dental pulp of animals and humans were reviewed with special reference to histochemical examination by light and electron microscopy. The distinction between lymphatics and blood vessels was made on cryostat sections of undecalcified and calcified teeth treated with EDTA solution and whole mount preparations of periodontal membranes using 5'-nucleotidase (5'-Nase)-alkaline phosphatase (ALPase) double staining. This staining procedure allowed lymphatic vessels in the periodontal tissue and dental pulp to be differentiated from blood vessels. The specificity and localization of the enzyme reactions were confirmed by comparative histochemical studies of the same specimen with light microscopy and scanning or transmission electron microscopy. Well-developed 5'-Nase-positive lymphatic networks were observed on the tissue sections and whole mount preparations of the gingiva, periodontium, and dental pulp. More lymphatic vessels were seen in the root area of the periodontium than in the cervical area. In the dental pulp, lymphatic vessels were more numerous in the central part than in the peripheral odontoblastic layer. These distributions of the lymphatic capillary networks are discussed in relation to their ability to supply lymph to the teeth.     

Catalytic cycle of cytochrome-c3 hydrogenase,a [NiFe]-enzyme,deduced from the structures of the enzyme and the enzyme mimic

Hydrogenases catalyze uptake and production of H₂. Heterolytic cleavage of H₂ bound on [NiFe]-hydrogenase (E) produces two unequal H species to form E:H_aH_b, where H_a and H_b behave differently. The structures of various states of the enzyme established by crystallography and spectroscopy were used to construct a catalytic cycle of the enzyme. The Ni–Fe center of the active enzyme has the Ni–Fe bridging site vacant. The enzyme is suggested to bind H₂ either at Ni or Fe atom. In E:H_aH_b, H_a is considered to be a protein-bound hydron (proton or deuteron) at the entrance to the hydrophobic gas tunnel. The structure of a synthetic hydrogenase-mimic suggests H_b to be the 6th ligand to Fe. Two successive one-electron processes from E:H_aH_b complete the catalytic cycle of H₂ uptake. The reverse of the cycle operates in the H₂ production. The proposed catalytic cycle is consistent with the kinetic, crystallographic and spectroscopic studies.     

Sieving of aerosol particles with metal screens

Metal screens with uniform micrometer-sized opening were employed to sieve aerosol particles by suppressing the adhesion of particles smaller than the openings. The collection efficiencies of monodispersed polystyrene latex (PSL) particles were experimentally determined using the metal screens with 1.2, 1.8, 2.5, and 4.2 μm openings at various filtration velocities. The particles smaller than the mesh opening adhered on the metal screen at a low filtration velocity, but the bounce-off of particles on the mesh surface suppressed the adhesion at a high velocity. As a result, we found that the adhesion of PSL particles larger than 0.3 μm mostly suppressed at a filtration velocity higher than 10 m s^?1 and therefore we can sieve aerosol particles according to the opening size of metal screens. We also found that the particle number concentration could be determined by measuring the increase in pressure drop since the clogging of metal screen openings takes place by the individual particles.

© 2016 American Association for Aerosol Research