New acoustic system for continuous measurement of river discharge and water temperature

In many cases, river discharge is indirectly estimated from water level or streamflow velocity near the water surface. However, these methods have limited applicability. In this study, an innovative system, the fluvial acoustic tomography system （FATS）, was used for continuous discharge measurement. Transducers with a central frequency of 30 kHz were installed diagonally across the river. The system＇s significant functions include accurate measurement of the travel time of the transmission signal using a GPS clock and the attainment of a high signal-to-noise ratio as a result of modulation of the signal by the 10th order M-sequence. In addition, FATS is small and lightweight, and its power consumption is low. Operating in unsteady streamflow, FATS successfully measured the cross-sectional average velocity. The agreement between FATS and acoustic Doppler current profilers （ADCPs） on water discharge was satisfactory. Moreover, the temporal variation of the cross-sectional average temperature deduced from the sound speed of FATS was similar to that measured by a temperature sensor near the bank.

Characterization of a Microhollow Cathode Discharge Plasma in Helium or Air with Water Vapor

Microhollow cathode discharge （MHCD） plasmas were generated in gas mixtures containing water vapor at pressures of up to 100 kPa of He or 20 kPa of air. The cathode diameter was 1.0 mm with a length of 2.0 ram. The electricM characteristics showed an abnormal glow mode. Spectroscopic measurements were carried out to examine the plasma and radicals. An analysis of the spectral profile of Ha at 656.3 nm enabled a derivation of the electron densities, namely 2× 1014 cm-3 （at 10 kPa） and 6× 1014 cm-3 （at 4 kPa） for the helium and air atmospheres, respectively, in the negative glow region. By comparing the observed OH radical spectra with those calculated by the simulation code L[FBASE, the gas temperature was deduced to be 900 K for 4 kPa of He at a discharge current of 50 mA.

Topology Optimization and Fatigue Analysis of Temporomandibular Joint Prosthesis

Treatment of bone tumors in the mandible often involves extensive excavation of affected bone, followed by mandibular reconstruction. Prosthetic implants may be needed to restore jaw functionality. The challenges of making prosthetic bone implants include stress shielding and extending the mechanical life of the implant. We have developed a design algorithm to improve the efficiency of prosthesis design. A finite element model of the patient case is constructed from a computer tomography scan, and the computer implements topology optimization techniques to design the prosthesis with limited stress shielding affected by highly biomechanical compatibility. Topology optimization facilitates the design of low weight structures by automatically introducing holes into the structure. This is governed by engineering predetermined constraints to meet certain job specifications. Such a design will be tested for fatigue life before it is ready to be manufactured and used. Topology optimization can be performed as a design process to achieve a final design that takes stress shielding into consideration. The problem of stress shielding is solved by matching the stiffness of the orthopedic implant to the original bone that is being replaced. The material we used was titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-7Nb). Volume fraction of the orthodox implant was used (0.2872 for the studied case) as volume constraints. Compliance of the bulk bone was set as a further constraint to match the stiffness of the bone with the designed structure. Our results show a good life expectancy for the designed parts, with 12% higher life expectancy for stress-based topology optimization than for compliance-based topology optimization.

Development of a Client-Server System for 3D Scene Change Detection

In this paper, we present a client-server system for 3D scene change detection. A 3D scene point cloud which stored on the server is reconstructed by (structure-from-motion) SfM technique in advance. On the other hand, the client system in tablets captures query images and sent them to the server to estimate the change area. In order to find region of change, an existing change detection method has been applied into our system. Then the server sends detection result image back to mobile device and visualize it. The result of system test shows that the system could detect change cor- rectly.

Viscosity Transient Phenomenon in Drop Impact Testing of Soft Material

The authors carried out drop impact tests for several soft materials under a flat frontal impact condition in which a drop hammer with a flat bottom surface strikes a plate-like soft material in the normal direction. The experimental results indicated that the impact force waveforms of soft materials consisted of a thorn-shaped waveform and a subsequent mountain-shaped waveform. The thorn-shaped waveform was strongly affected by the strain rate. In the present study, the occurrence mechanism of this distinctive waveform was discussed from the viewpoint of the viscosity transient phenomenon. A standard linear solid (SLS) model in which the viscosity transient phenomenon was considered was applied to the simulation. Some features of the impact force waveform of soft materials could be explained by the SLS model. Furthermore, the thorn-shape waveform could also be observed in the impact force waveforms of human skin and free-falling hollow balls.

SUBSTITUENT EFFECTS OF tert-BUTYL GROUPS ON FLUORENYL LIGAND OF [t-BuNSiMe2Flu] ZrMe2

[t-BuNSiMe_2(2,7-t-Bu_2Flu)]ZrMe_2 and[t-BuNSiMe_2(3,6-t-Bu_2Flu)]ZrMe_2 were synthesized,and the solid structure of complex[t-BuNSiMe_2(2,7-t-Bu_2Flu)]ZrMe_2 was elucidated by single crystal X-ray analysis.These complexes were applied for propylene polymerization using dried modified methylaluminoxane as a cocatalyst at 0℃and 20℃in toluene.Both systems did not show activity at 0℃,but they conducted the polymerization at 20℃.The introduction of t-butyl substituents to the fluorenyl ligand improved the activ...

Preparation of Conducting Poly N-methylaniline Microsphere and Its Antibacterial Performance to Sulfate Reducing Bacteria

Microspheres of conducting polymers poly N-methylaniline （PNMA） were successfully synthesized through oxidation of N-methylaniline without any template. The average diameter of the microspheres with a smooth surface was about 0.40 μm when 0.2 M N-methylanUine was oxidized with 0.2 M ammonium persulfate in 0.2 M of HClO4 solution. The size of microspheres can be controlled by changing reaction time and temperature. The acid concentration was critical for the formation of microspheres with smooth surfaces. The excellent antibacterial performance of PNMA in novolac epoxy coating to sulfate reducing bacteria was demonstrated. Moreover, in API media, PNMA inhibited growth of SRB and then reduced the corrosion rate of carbon steel remarkably.

Nontidal sea level changes in Hiroshima Bay,Japan

Nontidal sea level changes generated in Hiroshima Bay of the Seto-Inland Sea in Japan are studied over various time scales, from the sub-tidal （2 d to 1 month） to inter-annual scales （〉2 years）. The total sea level variation produces a standard deviation （STD） of 12.5 cm. The inter-annual component of the sea level variation in Hiroshima Bay oscillates with a STD of 3.4 cm, forming a long-term trend of 4.9 mm/a. The STD of the sea level variation is 9.8 cm for the seasonal component （8 months to 2 years） and 4.7 cm for the intra-seasonal one （1 month to 8 months）. Significant sea level variations with a STD of 4.2 cm also occur in the sub-tidal range. Special attention is paid to the sub-tidal sea level changes. It is found that the upwelling and associated transient sea level changes generated along the north coast of Hiroshima Bay （opened southward） by the strong northerly wind, play a significant role in sub-tidal sea level changes. The transient sea level changes are over 10 cm in most cases when caused by typhoons that pass through the Pacific Ocean offthe Kii Peninsula, located at about 400 km east of Hiroshima Bay. Reasonable sea level changes are evaluated by the balance of pressure forces at the onshore and offshore boundary of the study domain.

Recent Progress in Plasma Control Studies on the Improvement of Plasma Performance in Heliotron J

Recent progress in plasma control studies on the improvement of plasma performance in Heliotron J is reviewed. The supersonic molecular beam injection （SMBI） fueling is successfully applied to Heliotron J plasma. A supersonic H2-beam is effectively injected to increase fueling efficiency and generate a peaked density profile. Local fueling with a short-pulsed SMBI can increase the core plasma density and avoid the degradation arising from edge cooling. Second harmonic electron cyclotron current drive （ECCD） experiments were conducted by launching a focused Gaussian beam with a parallel refractive index of -0.05 ≤ Nil 〈 0.6. Results show that the electron cyclotron （EC） driven current is determined not only by Nil but also by local magnetic field （B） structure where the EC power is deposited. Detailed analysis of the observed NI and B dependences is in progress with a ray-tracing simulation using the TRAVIS code. Fast ion velocity distribution was investigated using fast protons generated by ion cyclotron resonant frequency （ICRF） minority heating. For the standard configuration in Heliotron J, charge ex- change neutral particle analysis （CX-NPA） measurements show higher effective temperature of fast minority protons in the on-axis resonance case compared to that in the HFS （high field side） off-axis resonance case. However, the increase in bulk ion temperature in the HFS resonance case is larger than that in the on-axis resonance.

Observation of Edge Plasma Fluctuations with a Fast Camera in Heliotron J

A fast video camera is verified to be a powerful t0ol for observation of filaments/blobs near the last closed flux surface （LCFS）. In order to extract the fluctuation component from the raw data of the fast camera, a pre-processing technique, sliding time window averaging subtraction （STWAS） has been developed to remove the background of slowly varying emission from the bulk plasma. By using this pre-processing technique, the fast camera data are analyzed. A method to identify the filaments in the pre-processed image is also discussed.

Spectroscopic Measurement of Shock Waves in an Arcjet Plasma Expanding Through a Conical Nozzle

A diamond-shaped shock wave was created in a helium arcjet plasma. Visi- ble/ultraviolet emission spectroscopy was used to investigate the condition for the formation of stable shocks and to determine characteristics of the plasma. Dependence of the position of the shock front on the gas pressure in the expansion region was investigated. It was found that the shock wave arises from the collision of plasma particles and residual neutral atoms in that region. Continuum and line spectra of neutral helium were measured, from which the electron temper- atures were derived. The electron density was deduced from the Inglis-Teller limit of the He I 2p3p-3d3D series. The temperature and density were found to have almost constant values of 0.2 eV and 8.5x 1013 cm-3, respectively, across the shock front.

Estimation of Growth Area of Aquatic Macrophytes Expanding Spontaneously in Lake Shinji Using ASTER Data

In this study, we estimated the growth area of aquatic macrophytes that have expanded spontaneously in Lake Shinji, located in eastern Shimane Prefecture, Japan, using Terra satellite Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) data. Visible and near infrared ASTER data from April, August, and September 2012 were used. The water depth at which ASTER can detect submersed aquatic macrophytes using in situ spectral reflectance of aquatic macrophytes and a bio-optical model was also examined. As a result, when the threshold value of a normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was set to 0, only aquatic macrophytes up to a depth of approximately 10 cm could be detected. The growth area of aquatic macrophytes detected by NDVI from ASTER data was in relatively good agreement with the growth area as observed by aerial photography.

Supercritical Fluid Impregnation of Essential Bark Oil in Copolymers of L-Lactide with 7-Membered Cyclic Compounds

In order to develop a novel controlled-release material, we previously attempted to impregnate poly(L-lactide) (poly(L-LA)), poly(L-LA-ran-CL) (CL: ε-caprolactone) or poly(L-LA-ran-TEMC) (TEMC: tetramethylene carbonate) with low boiling point, organic useful compounds using supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) as the solvent. In this work, the factors influencing impregnation of poly (L-LA) random copolymers with useful compounds were investigated under scCO2 using the copolymers previously used. The influence of temperature, pressure, and time on the impregnation contents of the useful compounds on the copolymers was evaluated. The polymer used, which is a base of this material, was poly(L-LA-ran-CL), poly(L-LA-ran-TEMC), or poly(L-LA-ran-DXO) (DXO: 1,5-dioxepan-2-one). Statistical random copolymers of L-LA with CL, TEMC, or DXO were synthesized using Sn(oct)2 as a catalyst at 150°C for 24 h without solvent. Preparation of the controlled-release materials was carried out using essential bark oil from Thujopsis dolabrata var. hondae and synthetic L-LA random copolymers as a base material under scCO2. The impregnation experiment, which investigated the influence of pressure, was conducted in the range of 10 to 20 MPa. The influence of temperature on impregnation was carried out at 40°C to 100°C. Impregnation time was varied from 1 to 5 h. The pressure of essential oil impregnated into poly(L-LA) random copolymers was the highest at 14 MPa. In the influence of temperature on impregnation, the amount of essential oil increased with increasing temperature.

Chlorophyll-a Estimation in Tachibana Bay by Data Fusion of GOCI and MODIS Using Linear Combination Index Algorithm

This study discusses the fusion of chlorophyll-a (Chl.a) estimates around Tachibana Bay (Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan) obtained from MODIS and GOCI satellite data. First, the equation of GOCI LCI was theoretically calculated on the basis of the linear combination index (LCI) method proposed by Frouin et al. (2006). Next, assuming a linear relationship between them, the MODIS LCI and GOCI LCI methods were compared by using the Rayleigh reflectance product dataset of GOCI and MODIS, collected on July 8, July 25, and July 31, 2012. The results were found to be correlated significantly. GOCI Chl.a estimates of the finally proposed method favorably agreed with the in-situ Chl.a data in Tachibana Bay.

Computer-Aided Design and Fabrication of Finger Prosthesis

Custom-made esthetic finger prostheses, which are used for rehabilitation of patients with missing or impaired fingers, have been fabricated manually. However, such fabrication is time-consuming and requires manual skill. Here we propose a computer-aided method for fabricating finger pros-theses to save time and allow fabrications that do not require considerable manual skill. In this method, the dimensions of a patient’s healthy finger on the contralateral hand are first measured using a caliper. Using these dimensions, a three-dimensional model is constructed for fabricating a prosthesis for the patient’s impaired finger. Using the 3D model, a mold is designed using 3D modeling tools and a computer-aided design system. The resulting mold is then fabricated using a 3D printer. A finger prosthesis is fabricated by pouring silicone resin into the mold. A finger prosthesis for a volunteer was experimentally fabricated according to the proposed method. To evaluate the size and shape of the finger prosthesis, the difference between the finger prosthesis and the original finger of the volunteer was analyzed. Because the average difference between them was 0.25 mm, it was concluded that the proposed method could be used to fabricate a finger prosthesis of adequate size and shape.

A Hybrid De-Noising Method on LASCA Images of Blood Vessels

A de-noising approach is proposed that based on the combination of wiener filtering, nonlinear filtering and wavelet fusion, which de-noise the LASCA (LAser Speckle Contrast Analysis) image of blood vessels in Small Animals. The approach first performs laser spectral contrast analysis on brain blood flow in rats, get their spatial and temporal contrast images. Then, a de-noising filtering method is proposed to deal with noise in LASCA. The image restoration is achieved by applying the proposed admixture filtering, and the subjective estimation and objective estimation are given to the de-noising images. As our experimental results shown, the proposed method provides clearer subjective sense and improved to over 25 db for PSNR.

Thorn-Shape Waveform and Double-Strike Phenomenon Seen in the Impact Force of Soft Materials

In the impact tests of soft materials, we sometimes observe a thorn shape in the rising segment of the impact force waveform. However, the reason for the occurrence of the thorn shape has not been made clear. In this study, thorn-shape waveforms of several soft materials are measured using compact drop test equipment under the condition of a flat frontal impact. A flat frontal impact is the condition where a drop hammer with a flat bottom surface strikes a plate-like soft material in the normal direction. Synchronized impact forces are measured using two sensors installed on both the drop hammer side and the floor side. The examined soft materials are a sponge sheet, sponge rubber sheet, gel sheet, rubber sheet, flat oil clay, low-rebound urethane foam, cork sheet, sliced ham, pork ham steak, and pork. Based on the test results, the features of the thorn-shape waveforms are discussed from a bird’s-eye view. Furthermore, the occurrence mechanism of the thorn-shape waveforms is discussed from the viewpoint of viscosity discontinuity and the double-strike phenomenon.

Semi-Rigid Registration of 3D Points

In this paper, we proposed a method for semi-rigid changed 3D point clouds registration. We first segment the point clouds into individual segments and then the alignment energy costs of each segment are calculated. The rough initial transformation is estimated by minimizing the energy cost using integer programming. The final registration results are obtained by rigid alignments of separated corresponded segments. Experimental result with simulated point clouds demonstrate that the concept of semi-rigid registration works well.

Quantitative Security Evaluation for Software System from Vulnerability Database

This paper proposes a quantitative security evaluation for software system from the vulnerability data consisting of discovery date, solution date and exploit publish date based on a stochastic model. More precisely, our model considers a vulnerability life-cycle model and represents the vulnerability discovery process as a non-homogeneous Poisson process. In a numerical example, we show the quantitative measures for contents management system of an open source project.