Masking model for accurate colorimetric characterization of LCD

Abstract— A color management system (CMS) such as ICC profile or sRGB space have been proposed for color transformation and reproduction of cross media. In such a CMS, accurate colorimetric characterization of a display device plays a critical role in achieving device‐independent color reproduction. In the case of a CRT, colorimetric characterization based on a GOG model is accurate enough for this purpose. However, there is no effective counterpart in liquid‐crystal displays (LCDs) since the characterization of an LCD has many difficulties, such as channel interaction and non‐constancy of channel chromaticity. In this paper, a new method of display characterization is proposed which is applicable to the assessment of color reproduction of LCDs. The proposed method characterizes an electro‐optical transfer function considering both channel interaction and non‐constancy of channel chromaticity. Experimental results show that the proposed method is very effective in the colorimetry of LCDs.     

State-space forms for higher-order discrete-time models

This paper presents a fundamental study of the connection between continuous- and discrete-time systems. Provided is a definition for discrete-time models, that is discrete-time systems with a continuous-time counterpart, whose order can be higher than that of the continuous-time system. This definition is based on a comparison in a certain sense on the time responses of continuous- and discrete-time systems. A theorem is presented for relating the higher-order discrete-time models to their continuous-time counterparts, which is an extension of a previous theorem for models with order equal to that of the continuous-time system. State-space forms are derived for models obtained through the use of a certain class of hold elements and through the use of mapping models, and these discrete-time systems are shown to be valid according to the definition. Special cases are models obtained using first-order and slewer hold devices, whose convergence to a continuous-time counterpart has not been shown mathematically before, and mapping models corresponding to two-step linear multi-step methods, which have not previously presented in the state-space form. The derived state-space forms provide a convenient way to implement these models for purposes of analysis, design, and implementation of discrete-time systems and finds applications in such areas as digital signal processing, digital simulation, and digital control.     

Force control of twisted and coiled polymer actuators via active control of electrical heating and forced convective liquid cooling

For decades, numerous artificial muscles have been proposed in order to implement beneficial features of biological muscles into robotics. Unfortunately, traditional artificial muscles experienced difficulties in imitating properties of the biological muscles due to mechanical and control issues. Recently, twisted and coiled polymer actuators (TCP) have been shown to produce large mechanical power via thermal stimulations and strong linearity. In this paper, a high-performance TCP thermally cycled by electrical heating and forced convective liquid cooling is designed and associated control algorithms are presented. We elaborate the model of the TCP that is simple, yet provides insight into how the electrical heating and the forced convective liquid cooling contribute to the TCP actuation. The proposed model is verified by experimental studies. Based on the proposed model, we design a feedforward–feedback controller and switching laws, which actively control the TCP in both the heating and cooling cycles. Furthermore, we extend our control methodology to agonist–antagonist TCPs. From the experimental studies, the proposed method is shown to be effective in both single TCP and antagonistic TCPs.     

Hydrophobic Tagged Dihydrofolate Reductase for Creating Misfolded Glycoprotein Mimetics

In the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), nascent glycoproteins that have not acquired the native conformation are either repaired or sorted for degradation by specific quality‐control systems composed by various proteins. Among them, UDP‐glucose:glycoprotein glucosyltransferase (UGGT) serves as a folding sensor in the ER. However, the molecular mechanism of its recognition remains obscure. This study used pseudo‐misfolded glycoproteins, comprising a modified dihydrofolate reductase with artificial pyrene–cysteine moiety on the protein surface (pDHFR) and Man₉GlcNAc₂‐methotrexate (M9‐MTX). All five M9‐MTX/pDHFR complexes, with a pyrene group at different positions, were found to be good substrates of UGGT, irrespective of the site of pyrene modification. These results suggest UGGT's mode of substrate recognition is fuzzy, thus allowing various glycoproteins to be accommodated in the folding cycle.     

Effects of water chemistry and potential distribution on electrochemical corrosion potential measurements in 553 K pure water

The effects of water chemistry distribution on the potential of a reference electrode and of the potential distribution on the measured potential should be known qualitatively to obtain accurate electrochemical corrosion potential (ECP) data in BWRs. First, the effects of oxygen on a platinum reference electrode were studied in 553 K pure water containing dissolved hydrogen (DH) concentration of 26–105 μg kg^?1 (ppb). The platinum electrode worked in the same way as the theoretical hydrogen electrode under the condition that the molar ratio of DH to dissolved oxygen (DO) was more than 10 and that DO was less than 100 ppb. Second, the effects of potential distribution on the measured potential were studied by using the ECP measurement part without platinum deposition on the surfaces connected to another ECP measurement part with platinum deposition on the surfaces in 553 K pure water containing 100–130 ppb of DH or 100–130 ppb of DH plus 400 ppb of hydrogen peroxide. Measured potentials for each ECP measurement part were in good agreement with literature data for each surface condition. The lead wire connecting point did not affect the measured potential. Potential should be measured at the nearest point from the reference electrode in which case it will be not affected by either the potential distribution or the connection point of the lead wire in pure water.     

A Two‐Stage Stochastic Mixed‐Integer Programming Approach to the Smart House Scheduling Problem

A “smart house” is a highly energy‐optimized house equipped with photovoltaic (PV) systems, electric battery systems, fuel cell (FC) cogeneration systems, electric vehicles (EVs), and so on. Smart houses are attracting much attention recently because of their enhanced ability to save energy by making full use of renewable energy and by achieving power grid stability despite an increased power draw for installed PV systems. Yet running a smart house's power system, with its multiple power sources and power storages, is no simple task. In this paper, we consider the problem of power scheduling for a smart house with a PV system, an FC cogeneration system, and an EV. We formulate the problem as a mixed‐integer programming problem, and then extend it to a stochastic programming problem involving recourse costs to cope with uncertain electricity demand, heat demand, and PV power generation. Using our method, we seek to achieve the optimal power schedule running at the minimum expected operation cost. We present some results of numerical experiments with data on real‐life demands and PV power generation to show the effectiveness of our method. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 186(4): 48–58, 2014; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.22336