A handwritten character recognition system using directionalelement feature and asymmetric Mahalanobis distance

This paper presents a precise system for handwritten Chinese and Japanese character recognition. Before extracting directional element feature (DEF) from each character image, transformation based on partial inclination detection (TPID) is used to reduce undesired effects of degraded images. In the recognition process, city block distance with deviation (CBDD) and asymmetric Mahalanobis distance (AMD) are proposed for rough classification and fine classification. With this recognition system, the experimental result of the database ETL9B reaches to 99.42%     

An evaluation of the flow behavior during high strain rate superplasticity in an Al-Mg-Sc alloy

An Al-3 pct Mg-0.2 pct Sc alloy was fabricated by casting and subjected to equal-channel angular pressing to reduce the grain size to ∼0.2 μm. Very high tensile elongations were achieved in this alloy at temperatures over the range from 573 to 723 K, with elongations up to >2000 pct at temperatures of 673 and 723 K and strain rates at and above 10⁻² s⁻¹. By contrast, samples of the same alloy subjected to cold rolling (CR) yielded elongations to failure of <400 pct at 673 K. An analysis of the experimental data for the equal-channel angular (ECA)-pressed samples shows consistency with conventional superplasticity including an activation energy for superplastic flow which is within the range anticipated for grain boundary diffusion in pure Al and interdiffusion in Al-Mg solid solution alloys.     

Using equal-channel angular pressing for refining grain size

Equal-channel angular pressing is an effective tool for attaining ultrafine grain sizes in bulk materials. An important advantage of this technique over conventional metalworking processes, such as extrusion and rolling, is that very high strains may be attained without any concomitant change in the cross-sectional dimensions of the sample. The microstructures introduced by equalchannel angular pressing critically depend on a number of experimental factors, including the nature of the slip systems introduced during the pressing operation and the total strain imposed on the sample. These factors are illustrated by reference to experiments conducted on pure aluminum; results are also included to demonstrate the influence of alloying additions and especially the remarkably small grain sizes that may be achieved in materials having low rates of recovery. For more information, contact T.G. Langdon, University of Southern California, Departments of Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering, Los Angeles, California 90089-1453; (213) 740-0491; fax (213) 740-7797; e-mail langdon@usc.edu.     

Enhancement of Catalytic Activity on Pd/C and Te–Pd/C During the Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Sodium Lactate to Pyruvate in an Aqueous Phase Under Pressurized Oxygen

The oxidative dehydrogenation of sodium lactate to sodium pyruvate in an aqueous phase proceeded favorably using Pd/C and that doped with Te at 358 K with no adjustment in solution pH under pressurized oxygen, although previous reports had stated that this reaction would not proceed using Pd/C while Pd/C doped with either Pb, Bi or Te showed the activity at atmospheric pressure, 363 K, and a pH of 8.     

Enzyme-assisted aqueous extraction of fat from kernels of the shea tree,Butyrospermum parkii

Chemical characteristics of kernels of the shea tree (Butyrospermum parkii) from Ghana were determined in order to design and evaluate studies on a traditional enzyme-assisted fat extraction of the kernels. The effectiveness of a number of cellular degrading enzymes in assisting the shea fat extraction were also tested by treating meals of the kernels with one or more of these enzymes before extraction and comparing the yield with control extractions. Proximate composition of the kernel on dry-matter basis was: total lipids, 59.04%; crude fat, 54.85; protein, 7.81%; total carbohydrates, 34.77%; ash, 2.57%. Starch content was 7.59%; hemicellulose, 10.84%; cellulose, 5.95%; and pectic substances, 2.93%. Total fiber content was 20.35%. The fat extracted by the Soxhlet method was pale-yellow in color and solid at room temperatures. Its physicochemical characteristics were: melting range, 34–36°C; iodine value, 58.53; saponification value, 180.37; and unsaponifiable matter content, 7.48%. The predominant fatty acids were: palmitic (3.55%), stearic (44.44%), oleic (42.41%), linoleic (5.88%) and linolenic (1.66%) acids. The enzyme-assisted extraction tests showed increases in extraction yield when the shea kernel meals were treated with the enzyme(s) before extraction. An increase of about 20% was realized when a protease and an enzyme with both cellulase and hemicellulase activities were used together. These observations confirmed the fact that the shea kernel is a rich source of fat. They also indicate the possibility of improving shea kernel extraction processes by pretreating the kernel meal with cell structure-degrading enzymes.     

Activity of oxygen reduction reaction on small amount of amorphous CeOx promoted Pt cathode for fuel cell application

Pt on ceria (CeO_x) particles supported on carbon black (CB) were synthesized using the combined process of hot precipitation and impregnation methods. During 30 cycles of cyclic voltammetry pre-treatment in the potential ranging from −0.2 to 1.3 V (V vs. Ag/AgCl), it was observed that a small amount of CeO_x, which consisted of the interface region between Pt and CeO_x, remained on Pt particles. Other free CeO_x particles were dissolved into H₂SO₄ aqueous solution. To develop the Pt-CeO_x/CB catalyst, the surface chemical states, the net chemical composition, morphology and electrochemical behavior in H₂SO₄ aqueous solution were characterized. Our microanalysis and electrochemical analysis indicate that the active CeO₂ with high specific surface area provides the continuous amorphous cerium oxide (Ce³⁺, Ce⁴⁺) layer with pores on the surface of Pt particles. It is concluded that the amorphous cerium oxide layer on Pt inhibits the oxidation of Pt surface and contributes to enhancement of the activity on Pt cathode. The single cell performance was also improved using the Pt-CeO_x/CB cathode. Based on all data, it is expected that the design based on characterization of the interface between Pt and small amount of amorphous cerium oxide layer could help in preparation of more active Pt catalyst.     

Coupling of mutual diffusion to viscoelasticity in moderately concentrated polyisobutylene solutions

The normalized intensity autocorrelation function g⁽²⁾(t) were obtained by dynamic light scattering for moderately concentrated entangled solutions of polyisobutylene in n-heptane at 25.0 °C and in isoamyl isovalerate (IAIV) at 25.0 °C (Θ). The obtained data have been successfully analyzed by the ‘procedure X’ familiar for determination of mechanical relaxation spectra on the basis of the recent theory for g⁽²⁾(t). The results have shown that while the mutual diffusion coefficient D increases in the n-heptane solutions and decreases in the IAIV solutions with increasing polymer mass concentration c, the friction coefficient ζ for both solutions increases with c showing the same power-law behavior irrespective of the weight-average molecular weight M_w and solvent quality. It has been found that the instantaneous longitudinal modulus L₀ for n-heptane solutions increases in proportion to c², obeying the familiar relation for the plateau value (4/3)G_N of the longitudinal stress relaxation modulus, but L₀ for the IAIV solutions becomes progressively smaller than the values predicted from the relation with decreasing c. The terminal relaxation time τ_m has been found to follow the power-law τ_m∝M_w^3.4 established by rheological measurements.     

Positional distribution of fatty acids in triacylglycerols and phospholipids from adzuki beans (Vigna angularis)

The fatty acid distributions of triacylglycerols (TAG) and major phospholipids (PL) obtained from adzuki beans (Vigna angularis) were investigated. The total lipids extracted from the beans were separated by thin‐layer chromatography (TLC) into eight fractions. The major lipid components were PL (63.5 wt‐%), TAG (21.2 wt‐%), steryl esters (7.5 wt‐%) and hydrocarbons (5.1 wt‐%), while free fatty acids, diacylglycerols (1,3‐DAG and 1,2‐DAG) and monoacylglycerols were also present in minor proportions (0.2–1.1 wt‐%). The major PL components isolated from the beans were phosphatidylcholine (45.3 wt‐%), phosphatidylethanolamine (25.8 wt‐%) and phosphatidylinositol (21.5 wt‐%). Phosphatidylinositol was unique in that it had the highest saturated fatty acid content among the three PL. With a few exceptions, however, the principal characteristics of the fatty acid distribution in the TAG and three PL were evident in the beans: Unsaturated fatty acids were predominantly concentrated in the sn‐2 position while saturated fatty acids primary occupied the sn‐1 or sn‐3 position in the oils of the adzuki beans. In general, these results could be useful to both consumers and producers for the manufacture of traditional adzuki foods in Japan.     

Synthesis and thermal characterization of novel adamantane-based polysiloxane

Novel polysiloxane derivative having adamantyl moiety in the main chain (P1) was synthesized and characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetry (TG), and X-ray diffraction analysis. P1 was obtained by bulk polycondensation without catalysts as well as solution polycondensation of novel disilanol monomer, i.e., 1,3-bis[4-(dimethylhydroxysilyl)phenyl]adamantane (M1), which was prepared by the Grignard reaction using chlorodimethylsilane and 1,3-bis(4-bromophenyl)adamantane, followed by the hydrolysis catalyzed by 5% palladium on charcoal. The molecular weight of P1 was dependent on the concentration of M1 in solution polycondensation, and the high concentration of M1 would result in the high average molecular weight of P1. P1 exhibited the good solubility in common organic solvents, such as tetrahydrofuran (THF), chloroform, dichloromethane, and toluene. The glass transition temperature (T_g) of P1 determined from DSC would be dependent on the average molecular weight of P1. The highest T_g was 115 °C and much higher than that of poly(tetramethyl-1,4-silphenylenesiloxane) (−20 °C). The melting temperature (T_m) of P1 seemed to be independent of the average molecular weight of P1 and was in the range of 153-157 °C, which was comparable to the T_m of poly(tetramethyl-1,4-silphenylenesiloxane). The temperature at 5% weight loss (T_d5) of P1 determined by TG was also comparable to that of poly(tetramethyl-1,4-silphenylenesiloxane), indicating that P1 is a new polysiloxane derivative with the high T_g as well as good thermostability.     

Synergistic degradation of arabinoxylan with alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase, xylanase and beta-xylosidase from soy sauce koji mold, Aspergillus oryzae, in high salt condition

This study addresses induction and some properties of alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase from a soy sauce koji mold, Aspergillus oryzae HL15, cultured on solid and liquid media. Alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase was induced by soybean polysaccharide and secreted into media on solid cultivation; the enzyme was associated with mycelium as a cell-wall-bound form in liquid cultivation. A major alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase, which was purified homogeneously on SDS-PAGE, showed highest activity in the presence of 10% of NaCl; also, somewhat higher activity was observed even in 25% NaCl than in the absence of NaCl. Arabinoxylan was synergistically degraded by xylanase, beta-xylosidase, and alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase from A. oryzae HL15 in the condition of imitative pH 5.0 and 15% NaCl concentration of the soy sauce moromi mash. These results suggest that arabinose and xylose, which are closely related to melanoidin formation, can be released by synergistic action of these enzymes in soy sauce moromi mash.