3D Hair sketching for real-time dynamic & key frame animations

Physically based simulation of human hair is a well studied and well known problem. But the “pure” physically based representation of hair (and other animation elements) is not the only concern of the animators, who want to “control” the creation and animation phases of the content. This paper describes a sketch-based tool, with which a user can both create hair models with different styling parameters and produce animations of these created hair models using physically and key frame-based techniques. The model creation and animation production tasks are all performed with direct manipulation techniques in real-time.     

Flexible and light weight copper indium diselenide solar cells on polyimide substrates

Thin film flexible CuInSe₂ (CIS) solar cells have been fabricated for the first time on light-weight polymeric substrates. Evaporated Cu---In alloy precursors were selenized in H₂Se atmosphere at around 400°C to grow the CIS absorber layers. Low temperature techniques which are compatible with the polymeric substrates were used to deposit the window layers of CdS and ZnO. The demonstrated active area conversion efficiency of 9.3% makes this light-weight device very attractive for many terrestrial and space power generation applications where high specific power and mechanical flexibility are needed.     

Fast and Compact 16 by 16 Cellular Neural Network Implementation

The paper presents a Cellular Neural Network implementation based on a high gain sigmoid operation. The required simplifications to the original theory are described that allow the use of high gain. With this design black and white images can be processed. The basic building blocks in a cell are described. A 16×16 cells network has been designed and processed with 1.2 micron CMOS technology. Measurement results which show the operation of the network are presented.     

Synthesis of C60-Furfural Adduct

Diels-Alder cycloaddition of furfural to C₆₀ in toluene has been realised. UV-VIS, FTIR and ¹H-NMR investigations suggest that the conjugated structure of furfural was changed into a non-conjugated structure in the product.     

Relaxed stability and performance conditions for Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy systems with knowledge on membership function overlap.

This correspondence presents a relaxation of some earlier linear matrix inequality (LMI) conditions, which allow setting up less conservative stability or performance conditions for Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy models. Unlike the previous literature, this correspondence takes into account the knowledge of the membership functions' shape by considering bounds on them and their cross products (interpreted as an overlap measure), introducing auxiliary LMI variables. Numerical examples illustrate the achieved improvements.     

Effect of surfactant replacement therapy on the outcome of premature infants with respiratory distress syndrome

Lung surfactant replacement has been tested clinically in recent years. In this study the outcome of 31 premature infants with moderate to severe neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) treated with surfactant was compared to that of 74 prematures with RDS treated conventionally by positive pressure ventilation and supportive care. The groups were well matched for gestational age, birthweight, sex, and Apgar scores at 1 and 5 min. Surfactant treatment resulted in a significant decrease in mortality--from 36.6% in the untreated group to 12.9% in the surfactant-treated group (P < 0.04). This improvement in survival was seen also in prematures with a birthweight < 1,000 g; in the untreated group mortality was 57.6% compared to 23.5% in the treated group (P < 0.05). The incidence of pneumothorax was lower in the treated group--42% vs. 13% (P < 0.01). Surfactant treatment resulted in a trend of more survivors without bronchopulmonary dysplasia or intraventricular hemorrhage, even though surfactant therapy did not change the incidence of either.     

Effects of gamma irradiation on aflatoxins

Summary The effects of gamma irradiation on a mixture of aflatoxins B₁, B₂, G₁, G₂ were studied. Standard solutions of A and B were irradiated at 5, 10, and 20 kGy in a solution of water/DMSO (9+1, v/ v) by using a¹³⁷Cs source. The control (0 kGy) and irradiated samples were subjected to RP-HPLC analyses with methanol/water (4+5, v/v) as the mobile phase. Aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) was the most radio-sensitive of the four compounds. The radiosensitivity of the other aflatoxins, was in increasing order: G₂, B₂, G₁. Only about 5% of AFB₁ remained after irradiation of solution A at 5 kGy. When the concentration of solution B was increased two-fold, trace amounts of AFB₁ remained after irradiation doses of 10 and 20 kGy. Irradiation was found to be suitable for the destruction of aflatoxins in solution.

---

Einfluß von Gammastrahlung auf die Aflatoxine

Zusammenfassung Der EinfluB von -Strahlen auf die Aflatoxinmischung B₁, B₂, G₁ und G₂ wurde untersucht. Standardlösungen A und B wurden mit -Strahlung von 5; 10; bzw. 20 kGy in der Lösung von Wasser/DMSO (9+1, v/v) unter Verwendung einer¹³⁷Cs-Quelle bestrahlt. Kontroll(0 kGy)-und bestrahlte Proben wurden der RP-HPLC Analyse unter Verwendung von Methanol/Wasser (4+5, v/v) als mobile Phase unterworfen. Aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) war die strahlenempfindlichste von den vier, die Strahlenempfindlichkeit der anderen Aflatoxine nahm bei 5 kGy in der Reihenfolge: G₂, B₂, G₁ zu. Nur ca. 5% von AFB₁ ist nach der Bestrahlung üibriggeblie-ben. Wenn sich die Konzentration zweifach erhöht (Lösung B), ist von AFB₁ nur eine Spur nach der 10 kGy- und 20 kGy-Bestrahlung übriggeblieben. Es wurde gefunden, daß die Bestrahlung zur Zerstörung der Aflatoxine in der Lösung geeignet ist.

     

Corrosion behavior of Fe-20Cr and Ni-20Cr alloys in Ar-H2O-HBr gas mixtures at 1000 K

Discontinuous mass-change measurements and corrosion-product analyses were made for Fe-20Cr and Ni-20Cr alloys after exposing them to Ar-H ₂ O-HBr gas mixtures at 1000 K for 24 hours. Predominantly chromia scales formed on both alloys. Upon cooling, the scales remained adherent to the Fe-20Cr alloy but spalled extensively from Ni-20Cr samples. After tests in HBr-rich gas mixtures, bromine-rich corrosion products were found underneath chromia scales on both alloys while nickel evaporation was observed from Ni-20Cr samples. Preoxidation of the Ni-20Cr alloy prior to exposure to Ar-H ₂ O-HBr gas mixtures increased chromia scale adherence but did not prevent nickel loss from the alloy. Chromia scales formed on the Fe-20Cr alloy were more protective due to the absence of iron oxides in the scale. Large NiO crystals formed over the Ni-20Cr alloy decreased chromia-scale adherence and increased nickel loss from the alloy due to the low stability of NiO in HBr-containing gas mixtures.