Invisible Surface Research Articles

Developing a technology for modeling radar portraits of complex-shape objects for intelligent recognition systems

The object of this study is the modeling of radar portraits (RPs) for intelligent recognition systems based on the use of faceted 3D models. In order to solve the problems of target identification in homing systems of high-precision missile weapons, a technology is needed that could make it possible to efficiently and quickly generate RPs of military objects of complex shape in the required quantity. The research results are based on a combination of separate component technologies, in particular: the devised technology of using faceted 3D models – their construction and further processing with invisible surfaces excluded from it for an arbitrary viewing angle. The basic part of the work is the development of an algorithm and technological procedures for the formation of a spatial tracing grid for the current observation angle. A feature of the proposed technology is the application of a facet selection algorithm using an array of tracing facets and the application of the Huygens-Fresnel principle to recognize objects of complex shape. The RP database of military objects of complex shape was built. The results of modeling faceted RP’s, in particular the armored boat "Gyurza-M", are given. The results of the experimental study showed the ability to recognize the type of military object of complex shape at the level of 80‒90 %, which makes the use of this technology appropriate for recognizing military objects of complex shape. The achieved high-speed and quality characteristics of RP generation of military objects of a complex shape makes it possible to assume that the main prospective field of practical application is the identification and visual interpretation of targets in homing systems of high-precision missile weapons

3D Information Guided Motion Transfer via Sequential Image Based Human Model Refinement and Face-Attention GAN

Image and video based human motions can be regarded as the deformation processes of person appearances, so motion transfer is usually treated as a pose guided image generation task and implemented in the 2D image plane. However, the 2D plane image generation lacks guidance of the original 3D motion information, which results in blur and shape distortions of the generated motion images. Therefore, we propose to simulate the generation process of real motion images by projecting the 3D human models, which are reconstructed from the training motion images and driven with target poses, into the 2D plane. We then take the 2D projections as the pose representations and input them into the generation model as they naturally inherit the 3D information from the original motions. Considering the unreliability on the invisible surface of the single image based human model reconstruction, we propose a sequential image based human model refinement module which exploits the complementary information between adjacent motion frames to refine the 3D human model. Furthermore, we propose a face-attention GAN model to conduct the final motion transfer, in which we use the Gaussian distribution to match the elliptical face region and design a face enhancement loss function since the faces in the generated motion images influence the performances very much. The generated motion images with reliable depth information, accurate shapes and clear faces demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

PH/Redox Dual-Responsive Drug Delivery System with on-Demand RGD Exposure for Photochemotherapy of Tumors.

Nanotechnology has been widely used in antitumor research. The complex physiological environment has brought significant challenges to the field of antitumor micelles. The ideal micelles must not only have an invisible surface to extend the circulation time but must also enhance the retention of drugs and cellular internalization at the tumor. A graded response micelle (RPPssD@IR780/DOC) was designed to self-assemble by cRGD-poly(β-amino esters)-polyethylene glycol-ss-distearoyl phosphatidylethanolamine (cRGD-PBAE-PEG-ss-DSPE) loaded with docetaxel (DOC) and IR-780 iodide (IR780). The micelles were designed to allow the PEG shell to prolong the blood circulation time in the body and effectively accumulate in the tumor. Subsequently, the acidic microenvironment of the tumor could transform the PBAE to hydrophilic, thereby increasing the size of micelles and exposing cyclic Arg-Gly-Asp (cRGD) peptides to increase the retention and cellular internalization of micelles in the tumor. After tumor cells had captured micelles, the high expression of glutathione in the cells prompted the release of DOC and IR780. Subsequently, the IR780 was stimulated by an 808-nm laser to generate local heat and reactive oxygen species (ROS) to synergize with DOC to treat the tumor. In vitro and in vivo experimental results suggested that RPPssD@IR780/DOC was a potential photochemical effective for the treatment of tumors with non-negligible antitumor activity and good biocompatibility. A dual-response pH/redox delivery system with on-demand RGD exposure was designed to achieve photochemotherapy of tumors with good biosafety and antitumor effects.

Structure characterization of interior invisible single grain boundary by nanorobot pick-and-place grain in bulk ZnO under SEM

• Invisible grain boundary is first creatively characterized using nanorobot in SEM. • Irregular shape of invisible grain boundary can be exhibited in plane X-Y. • Three-dimensional virtual reconstruction is utilized to verify irregular structure. In order to independently characterize invisible structure, a new approach is first creatively proposed to express interior invisible single grain boundary using nanorobot pick-and-place single grain in SEM. Picking of a single grain handled by single probe and then rolling-over placing manipulated by dual-probes can be sequentially conducted by nanorobot. The upper and lower invisible surface interface layer profile of single grain can be extracted by SEM imaging in plane X-Y. Experimental results demonstrate that interior invisible single grain boundary characterized by nanorobot seems to be reasonably feasible. The upper and lower surface structures of single grain in plane X-Y can also be virtually modeled by 3D software. This method can further provide a unique characterization approach of interior invisible structure of single grain boundary.

Invisible surfaces enabled by the coalescence of anti-reflection and wavefront controllability in ultrathin metasurfaces

Reflection inherently occurs on the interfaces between different media. In order to perfectly manipulate waves on the interfaces, integration of antireflection function in metasurfaces is highly desired. In this work, we demonstrate an approach to realize exceptional metasurfaces that combine the two vital functionalities of antireflection and arbitrary phase manipulation in the deep subwavelength scale. Such ultrathin devices confer reflection-less transmission through impedance-mismatched interfaces with arbitrary wavefront shapes. Theoretically and experimentally, we demonstrate a three-layer antireflection metasurface that achieves an intriguing phenomenon: the simultaneous elimination of the reflection and refraction effects on a dielectric surface. Incident waves transmit straightly through the dielectric surface as if the surface turns invisible. We further demonstrate a wide variety of applications such as invisible curved surfaces, “cloaking” of dielectric objects, reflection-less negative refraction and flat axicons on dielectric-air interfaces, etc. The coalescence of antireflection and wavefront controllability in the deep subwavelength scale brings new opportunities for advanced interface optics with high efficiency and great flexibility.

Alegorik Bir Öykü Olarak Küçük Kara Balık Üzerine Değerlendirmeler

İnsan, anlatmak istediklerini göstergelerle anlatır. Dolayısıyla verilmek istenen ileti, bakılan açı ve döneme göre farklı farklı biçimlerde yorumlanabilir. Kaldı ki nitelikli edebiyat ürünlerinde de anlam boşlukları vardır. Bu boşluklar, farklı edebiyat kuramları bağlamında farklı biçimlerde doldurulabilir. Okur merkezli edebiyat kuramları, okurun tüm edinilmişlikleri ile metne yaklaştığını ve bu çerçevede metni anlamlandırdığını söyler. Bu araştırma, Samed Behrengi’nin Küçük Kara Balık isimli öyküsündeki alegorik unsurları ortaya koymak, görünen ve görünmeyen yüzeyi ile metnin okura sunduğu anlam evrenini açık etmek için yapılmıştır. Süreçte Samed Behrengi ya da Küçük Kara Balık üzerine yapılmış olan çalışmalar incelenmiştir. Bu araştırmaların Küçük Kara Balık’a yönelik bakış açısından yararlanılmış ve öyküye farklı cephelerden yaklaşılmıştır. Nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden doküman analizi kullanılarak metin incelenmiştir. Sonuçta Samed Behrengi, Pehlevi Hanedanlığı döneminde yaşamış ve diğer aydınlar gibi rejimin baskısı ile karşılaşmıştır. Hâl böyle olunca Behrengi de kurmaca büyüsünün ardına gizlenip alegorik unsurlar kullanmıştır. Küçük Kara Balık’ın yazarın yaşadığı dönemden izler taşıdığı anlaşılmıştır. Yazar alegorilerle dönemini anlattığı gibi kurmacanın imkânlarından yararlanarak araştıran, sorgulayan ve yaratıcı düşünebilen çocukların yetiştirilmesine de hizmet etmek istemiştir.

Invisible Surface Oxygen Vacancies in a Thin MgO Film: Impacts on the Chemical Activity and Secondary Electron Emission.

Today, Fs defects in MgO as isolated surface neutral oxygen vacancies are in the focus of surface science, catalysis research, and emission coating of microchannel plates. With the 10-4 atom % content at 750 K and under pO2 = 10-9 Torr, estimated by us from the known equilibrium T-x and p-T-x diagrams of MgO, Fs defects remain invisible or difficult-to-detect objects. The MgO(100) → MgO(100) + Fs + 1/2O2 phase transition was studied in MgO films deposited by the metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) procedure from the mixed-ligand Mg precursor on Si substrates at 725 K in the O2 flow where the nonstoichiometric phase (MgO/Fs) is formed in the gas medium containing simultaneous H2, CO, H2O, CO, and O2 species in unbalanced concentrations. Realization of the above transition was proven theoretically and experimentally through kinetic-thermodynamic analysis of the nonequilibrium system with revealing thermodynamic motive forces, i.e., the positive enthalpy and entropy, as well as through a new combination of diagnostic methods including the original differential dissolution method, due to which separate determination of the point and morphological defects was achieved. It was found that Fs defects occur when oxygen in the immediate vicinity to the substrate surface is replaced practically completely by the oxidized products of the precursor and the resulting oxygen pressure becomes enough for this process. The 90 mass % of the as-deposited MgO-film-involved (MgO/Fs) phase; its chemical activity is demonstrated through dissolution in hot water, while the electron donor activity is through 9 at 750 eV secondary electron yield. A good understanding of gas-phase reactions between the precursors and oxygen provides the fundamental basis of the MOCVD process to deposit MgO films that are dense, free from carbon, and of homogeneous texture. This makes the MOCVD process suitable also for use as coatings of microchannel plates.

Mirror-aided registration-free geometric quality inspection of planar-type prefabricated elements using terrestrial laser scanning

This study presents a new technique that enables entire surface geometric quality inspection (GQI) of planar-type prefabricated construction elements without registration of point cloud data. Laser scanning technology has gained much attention in the area of GQI of manufactured planar-type construction elements such as precast concrete (PC) elements during the fabrication or manufacturing stage, due to its speed and accuracy. However, the scope of existing GQI techniques using laser scanning are limited to single surface GQI of planar-type construction elements. Because of this, a registration process is inevitably necessary to merge different sets of point cloud data acquired at multiple scanning locations. The current multiple scans and registration approach for the GQI of planar-type construction elements are, however, time consuming and error prone due to registration errors. This study aims to develop a registration-free GQI technique that is capable of scanning invisible side surfaces of planar-type elements from the terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) using flat mirrors in order to tackle the limitations of the prior GQI studies. Firstly, the geometrical relationship between the flat mirror and the invisible surfaces of the planar-type element is identified based on the mirror reflection principle of laser beams. The virtual scan points of the invisible side surfaces generated by the flat mirror are then transformed to the location of the actual side surface based on the identified geometrical relationship and the mirror plane estimated using rectangular patches attached to the mirror. To investigate the feasibility of the proposed registration-free GQI technique, a series of tests on a laboratory-scale specimen with varying scan parameters are conducted. In addition, comparison tests with traditional registration methods are performed to further analyze the performance of the proposed technique in terms of GQI accuracy and efficiency. The results show that the proposed technique provides more accurate GQI results while reducing scanning time compared to traditional registration methods, demonstrating great potential for application in the GQI of planar-type prefabricated construction elements during the fabrication stage.

Evaluating the microscopic effect of brushing stone tools as a cleaning procedure

Cleaning stone tool surfaces is a common procedure in lithic studies. The first step widely applied at any archeological site (and/or at field laboratories) is the gross removal of sediment from the surfaces of artifacts. Lithic surface alterations due to mechanical action applied in wet or dry cleaning regimes have never been examined at a microscopic scale. This could have important implications in traceology, as any modern surface modifications inflicted on archeological artifacts might compromise their functional interpretations. The current trend toward quantification of use-wear traces makes the testing even more important, as even slight, apparently invisible surface alterations might be measured.In order to evaluate the impact of common cleaning procedures, we undertook a controlled experiment. The main aim of this experiment was to assess the effects that brushing actions applied for removing sediment particles have on flint and quartzite surfaces.All surfaces were analyzed with confocal microscopy before and after having been brushed to quantify possible changes in the micro-topography. Surface roughness parameters (ISO 25178-2 among others) were applied.Nine parameters changed significantly when mechanical actions were applied to lithic surfaces, meaning that some changes in the surface micro-topography were detected. Therefore, archeologists need to be cautious when applying prolonged mechanical actions for cleaning archeological stone tools.

Physical interaction makes invisible surfaces visible

Perhaps the most basic task faced by visual processing is to detect the presence of objects; before computing an object’s color, shape, or orientation, we must first register that something is there. Detection may be fairly straightforward when an object is fully visible, but in many realistic viewing conditions the visual system can only infer the presence of objects using cues such as continuity behind occluders, coincidental clipping of multiple figures, or unified motion against a background. All such cues, however, concern fairly low-level aspects of visual processing, encompassing only basic geometric and kinetic factors. Might more sophisticated forms of input cue an object’s presence? Here, we explore how a surprisingly high-level cue—physical interaction—can imply the presence of a hidden surface, in ways that directly facilitate later detection. Subjects saw an animation of a disk falling and then unexpectedly bouncing off of an ‘invisible’ surface. Sometimes, the disk bounced straight back up, implying a flat surface; other times, the disk’s bounce implied an angled surface. Afterwards, a visible line appeared where the disk had just bounced, whose orientation either matched or didn’t match the surface implied by the disk’s exit trajectory; subjects’ task was simply to report the orientation of this new, visible line, regardless of the physical events that came before it. Subjects were faster and more accurate at reporting the line’s orientation when it matched the orientation of the physically implied surface vs. when it conflicted. Follow-up experiments extended this work to attentive search in multi-event displays; again, detection of a specific oriented line was facilitated by seeing physical interactions that implied surfaces with that orientation. This work shows how a process as basic and seemingly low-level as detecting the presence of an object or contour can be influenced by a surprisingly high-level cue: otherwise-unexplained physical interactions.

An analytical model of the growth of invisible bubbles on solid surfaces in a supersaturated solution

Heterogeneous nucleation of gas bubbles is central to many engineering fields, from boiling and heat transfer to cavitation and particle separation. In this paper, models accounting for the origin and growth of gas bubbles on solid surfaces in a supersaturated solution are proposed by applying the diffusion theory and the molecular-kinetic model. Both are validated by the available experimental results during the specific period. The theory provides an explanation for the bubbles’ growth from the pre-existing invisible nanobubbles on the submerged surface. The non-linear evolution of the bubble is attributed to the progression from the pinning stage to the floating stage, transition stage and expansion stage. In the pinning stage, when the base radius of the optically invisible surface bubbles is smaller than the critical value, they are speculated to be stable with the constant base radius because of the equilibrium between the driving force of diffusion and the Laplace pressure. Otherwise, the contact line of the surface bubble will start to move, is no longer pinned, and continues to grow with a constant bubble radius, which is called the floating stage. This is followed by the transition stage in which both the bubble radius and contact angle change with time. The final expansion stage is characterised by the bubble growth with the constant contact angle. Unlike the classical Epstein-Plesset model for bubble growth in the bulk, the diffusion theory can satisfactorily predict the growth of surface bubbles while the molecular-kinetic model can only fit the floating and expansion stages.

Characterization of surface oil thickness distribution patterns observed during the Deepwater Horizon (MC-252) oil spill with aerial and satellite remote sensing

Knowledge of the spatial distribution of oil thickness patterns within an on-water spill is of obvious importance for immediate spill response activities as well as for subsequent evaluation of the spill impacts. For long-lasting continuous spills like the 2010 3-month Deepwater Horizon (DWH) event in the Gulf of Mexico, it is also important to identify changes in the dominant oil features through time. This study utilized very high resolution (≤5m) aerial and satellite imagery acquired during the DWH spill to evaluate the shape, size and thickness of surface oil features that dominated the DWH slick. Results indicate that outside of the immediate spill source region, oil distributions did not encompass a broad, varied range of thicknesses. Instead, the oil separated into four primary, distinct characterizations: 1) invisible surface films detectable only with Synthetic Aperture Radar imaging because of the decreased surface backscatter, 2) thicker sheen & rainbow areas (<0.005mm), 3) large regional areas of relatively thin, “metallic appearance” films (0.005–0.08mm), and 4) strands of thick, emulsified oil (>1mm) that were consistently hundreds of meters long but most commonly only 10–50m wide. Where present within the slick footprint, each of the three distinct visible oil thickness classes maintained its shape characteristics both spatially (at different distances from the source and in different portions of the slick), and temporally (from mid-May through July 2010). The region over the source site tended to contain a more continuous range of oil thicknesses, however, our results indicate that the continuous injection of subsurface dispersants starting in late May significantly altered (lowered) that range. In addition to characterizing the oil thickness distribution patterns through the timeline of one of the world's largest oil spills, this paper also details the extension of using high resolution aerial imagery to calibrate medium resolution satellite data sources such as USA's Thematic Mapper (30m) to provide larger-scale spatial views of major spills, and discusses implications for utilizing such data for oil spill characterizations and spill response.

Invisible surface defects in a tight-binding lattice

Surface Tamm states arise in one-dimensional lattices from some defects at the lattice edge and their energy generally falls in a gap of the crystal. The defects at the surface change rather generally the phase of propagative Bloch waves scattered off at the lattice edge, so that an observer, far from the surface, can detect the existence of edge defects from e.g. time-of-flight measurements as a delay or an advancement of a Bloch wave packet. Here we show that a special class of defects can sustain surface Tamm states which are invisible, in a sense that reflected waves acquire the same phase as in a fully homogeneous lattice with no surface state. Surface states have an energy embedded into the tight-binding lattice band and show a lower than exponential (algebraic) localization. Like most of bound states in the continuum of von Neumann - Wigner type, such states are fragile and decay into resonance surface states in presence of perturbations or lattice disorder. The impact of structural lattice imperfections and disorder on the invisibility of the defects is investigated by numerical simulations.

Invisible Surface Charge Pattern on Inorganic Electrets

We propose an easy method to pattern the surface charge of SiO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> electrets without patterning the dielectric layer. By eliminating the use of metal guard electrodes, both the charge efficiency and the surface charge stability in humid environments improve. We apply the concept to a vibrational energy harvesting device, where a power output of 3 μW is successfully harvested at a low acceleration of 0.05 g and a resonant frequency of 414 Hz. No decay of the power output can be observed in a RH95% humidity test, which shows that the surface charge is stable and this is promising for application in harsh environments.

In-depth micro-spectrochemical analysis of archaeological Egyptian pottery shards

Old Egyptian pottery samples have been in-depth microchemically analyzed using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. Samples from two different ancient Islamic eras, Mamluk (1250–1517 AD), Fatimid (969–1169 AD) in addition to samples from the Roman period (30 BC–395 AD) were investigated. LIBS provided the analytical data necessary to study in micrometric steps the depth profiling of various elements in each sample. Common elements such as silicon, calcium, and aluminum relevant to the originally manufactured and processed clay, showed up in all the investigated samples. EDX and XRD techniques that have been used in the present work provided important chemical insight about the structure of the samples. The obtained analytical results demonstrated the possibility of using LIBS technique in performing in situ spectrochemical analysis of archaeological pottery. This leads to fast in-depth spatial characterization of the samples in the micron range with nearly invisible surface destructive effects. There is no doubt that this can help in restoration and conservation of such precious objects.

Tolerance Levels of Peanut Varieties against Aspergillus flavus Infection

Peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.) are usually infected by Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus during pre and post-harvest periods subsequently resulting in aflatoxin contamination. Thirteen peanut varieties were evaluated for kernel and pod colonization and infection by A. flavus in this study. The pods and kernels were examined under a microscope for A. flavus infection levels. Differences in mean ratings of infected peanut kernels and pods were observed after 10 days of artificial inoculation and incubation. More differences were observed among the mean ratings of peanut kernels and pods with invisible mycelial surface coverage. However, these mean differences were not statistically significant P ≥ 5. Peanut varieties with the biggest mean ratings of kernels and pods with invisible mycelia or no visible sign of infection and smallest mean ratings of infected pods and kernels could be considered tolerant to A. flavus colonization and infection in this study. Therefore, there is a need to promote the cultivation of these varieties by farmers as they have low levels of infection and subsequently low level of aflatoxin contamination. The peanut varieties with the lowest mean ratings of kernels and pods with invisible mycelia which are considered to have good attributes warrant improvement through selection and breeding. This is because most farmers in Uganda store their peanuts in pod form which offers some protection against infection. In addition, peanut varieties with biggest mean ratings of kernels with invisible mycelia need to be promoted among traders since they are considered to have lower levels of A. flavus infection.

Sa1585 The Corresponding Rate of Magnification Observation Findings of Narrow Band Imaging (NBI) and Flexible Spectral Imaging Color Enhancement (FICE) in Gastric Tumors and in Colorectal Lesions

The Corresponding Rate of Magnification Observation Findings of Narrow Band Imaging (NBI) and Flexible Spectral Imaging Color Enhancement (FICE) in Gastric Tumors and in Colorectal Lesions Yuko Hiraga*, Masaaki Sumioka, Tomoki Hiramoto, Morihisa Akagi, Daisuke Komichi, Yukio Kuwada, Mikiya Kitamoto, Chiyuki Watanabe, Takashi Nishisaka Department of endoscopy, Hiroshima prefectural Hospital, Hirosima, Japan; Department of gastroenterology, Hiroshima prefectural Hospital, Hirosima, Japan; Department of pathology, Hiroshima prefectural Hospital, Hirosima, Japan Introduction/Objectives: There is a difference in how to see the microvessels by NBI and FICE for the reason that the method of the image enhancement is different, so that it has not been clear whether NBI magnification classification can apply to FICE also. We have been able to use both the instruments in our hospital, so that we were able to do the comparative study of NBI findings and FICE ones at the same lesions for the purpose of examining whether the classification of NBI magnification fits FICE magnification findings also. Methods: We examined a total of 161 lesions (22 gastric tumors, 139 colorectal lesions) that observed by both NBI magnification and FICE magnification between April 2009 and August 2011, treated by endoscopic or surgical resection and diagnosed clinicopathologically. The interval of NBI and FICE examinations was 62.3days (shortest one day, longest 475 days). We examined on the comparison with the NBI findings and the FICE ones and on the relationship between them and histological diagnosis. We classified NBI/FICE magnifying findings according to whether surface pattern was visible or not and whether that was regular or not, and whether microvessels were regular or not and whether avascular area appeared or not. We followed VS classification system (Vascular pattern; regular, irregular or absent, Surface pattern; regular, irregular or absent) in gastric tumors, and followed Hiroshima classification (A, B, C1, C2 or C3) in colorectal lesions. Results: 1) Gastric tumors: In surface pattern diagnosis, FICE findings corresponded with NBI ones at all 22 lesions. But in microvessels pattern diagnosis, evaluations differed in two lesions (regular-irregular, regular-absent). The corresponding rate of NBI and FICE magnification findings was overall 90.9% in gastric tumors, in each of histological diagnosis, it was 91.7% in adenomas, and 90.0% in cancers. 2) Colorectal lesions: The diagnoses of FICE findings differed from NBI ones in 16 lesions, concretely A-B 1 lesion, B-C1 13 lesions and C1-C2 2 lesions. The diagnoses of C3-type, with invisible surface pattern and fragmental microvessels or avascular area, corresponded in all 6 lesions. The corresponding rate of NBI and FICE magnification findings was overall 88.5% in colorectal lesions, in each of histological diagnosis, it was 100% in non-neoplasm, 89.6% in adenomas, 90.5% in intramucosal cancers, and 66.7% in invasive cancers. Conclusions: In gastric tumors and colorectal lesions, the diagnoses between NBI magnification and FICE ones almost corresponded. We were able to apply the classification of NBI magnification to also FICE magnification by using the classification that paid attention to a visibility of surface pattern and to an irregularity of microvessels diameter and distribution.

An Investigation on Barrier Inhomogeneities of 4H-SiC Schottky Barrier Diodes Induced by Surface Morphology and Traps

The correlation between barrier inhomogeneities of 4H-SiC Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) and surface defects and traps for SBDs fabricated with and without chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) is investigated. 60% of the barrier inhomogeneities of SBDs with invisible surface defects are eliminated when CMP is applied in the refabrication. About 40% of SBDs with carrots inside the active areas exhibit double barriers without using CMP. This excludes that carrots are a cause of barrier inhomogeneities. However, none of the barrier inhomogeneities of the SBDs with carrots can be eliminated by using CMP. Most barrier inhomogeneities of SBDs with various surface defects inside the active areas can be improved by CMP. The difference between the high and low barrier heights of an SBD with CMP was reduced to about 0.02-0.06 eV. Therefore, the leakage current induced by barrier inhomogeneities is also reduced by CMP. Moreover, SBDs with a resistive termination extension (RTE) have a higher barrier height than SBDs without RTE, and there is no direct evidence to show that the inclusion of RTE can induce barrier inhomogeneities.

Development of a Interactive Stereoscopic Image Display System using Invisible Interaction Surface Generation

In this paper, we propose a development methodology of interactive stereoscopic image display system. In our case, we consider a multiple touch recognition technique as the interaction method. That's because we want to guarantee multiple user access and interaction to the content without any restriction. In this case, however, some restrictions are occurred on account of the distance between display and participants. For this reason, this paper propose an invisible interaction surfaces which are generated in the air. This surface is utilized as interaction medium instead of the display wall. We also present an effective way to generate and edit interactive stereoscopic images based on Game Engine.

Meshed capillary vessels by use of narrow-band imaging for differential diagnosis of small colorectal polyps

Although microvascular vessels on the surface of colorectal polyps are observed by narrow-band imaging (NBI) with magnification, its clinical usefulness is still uncertain. Our purpose was to evaluate the usefulness of meshed capillary (MC) vessels observed by NBI magnification for differentiating between nonneoplastic and neoplastic colorectal lesions. Prospective polyp study. National Cancer Center Hospital East, Chiba, Japan. A total of 702 consecutive patients who underwent total colonoscopy between September and December 2004 were prospectively evaluated. Patients with polyps >10 mm and those with polyps previously evaluated by histologic examination or colonoscopy were excluded. Lesions were classified into 2 groups: polyps with invisible or faintly visible MC vessels as nonneoplastic and polyps with clearly visible MC vessels as neoplastic. Lesions judged as nonneoplastic were subjected to biopsy and those as neoplastic were removed endoscopically. Histologic analysis was performed in all lesions. Visible or invisible surface MC vessels, prediction of histologic diagnosis. Of 92 eligible patients enrolled in this study, 150 lesions, including 39 (26%) hyperplastic polyps and 111 (74%) adenomatous polyps, were detected. Observation of MC vessels detected 107 of 111 neoplastic polyps and 36 of 39 nonneoplastic polyps. The overall diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were 95.3%, 96.4%, and 92.3%, respectively. MC vessel judgment performed by a single colonoscopist with extensive experience in magnifying NBI. Observation of surface MC vessels by magnifying NBI is a useful and simple method for differentiating colorectal nonneoplastic and neoplastic polyps.