An automatic system for recognizing fly courtship patterns via an image processing method.

Fruit fly courtship behaviors composed of a series of actions have always been an important model for behavioral research. While most related studies have focused only on total courtship behaviors, specific courtship elements have often been underestimated. Identifying these courtship element details is extremely labor intensive and would largely benefit from an automatic recognition system. To address this issue, in this study, we established a vision-based fly courtship behavior recognition system. The system based on the proposed image processing methods can precisely distinguish body parts such as the head, thorax, and abdomen and automatically recognize specific courtship elements, including orientation, singing, attempted copulation, copulation and tapping, which was not detectable in previous studies. This system, which has high identity tracking accuracy (99.99%) and high behavioral element recognition rates (> 97.35%), can ensure correct identification even when flies completely overlap. Using this newly developed system, we investigated the total courtship time, and proportion, and transition of courtship elements in flies across different ages and found that male flies adjusted their courtship strategy in response to their physical condition. We also identified differences in courtship patterns between males with and without successful copulation. Our study therefore demonstrated how image processing methods can be applied to automatically recognize complex animal behaviors. The newly developed system will largely help us investigate the details of fly courtship in future research.

From Anomaly Detection to Defect Classification.

This paper proposes a new approach to defect detection system design focused on exact damaged areas demonstrated through visual data containing gear wheel images. The main advantage of the system is the capability to detect a wide range of patterns of defects occurring in datasets. The methodology is built on three processes that combine different approaches from unsupervised and supervised methods. The first step is a search for anomalies, which is performed by defining the correct areas on the controlled object by using the autoencoder approach. As a result, the differences between the original and autoencoder-generated images are obtained. These are divided into clusters using the clustering method (DBSCAN). Based on the clusters, the regions of interest are subsequently defined and classified using the pre-trained Xception network classifier. The main result is a system capable of focusing on exact defect areas using the sequence of unsupervised learning (autoencoder)-unsupervised learning (clustering)-supervised learning (classification) methods (U2S-CNN). The outcome with tested samples was 177 detected regions and 205 occurring damaged areas. There were 108 regions detected correctly, and 69 regions were labeled incorrectly. This paper describes a proof of concept for defect detection by highlighting exact defect areas. It can be thus an alternative to using detectors such as YOLO methods, reconstructors, autoencoders, transformers, etc.

Study on fabrication of force transducer based on carbon nano-flake balls.

The purpose of this study was to fabricate a force sensor. A novel three-dimensional carbon-based material called a carbon nano-flake ball (CNFB) was used because it exhibits a large surface-area and high electrical conductivity. Moreover, CNFB can be easily fabricated using a one-step process via microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition. In the present study, two different methods, chemical and mechanical exfoliation, were used to fabricate the CNFB thin films. CNFEs were successfully synthesized on the silicon-based composite substrate. The substrate was constructed by the Si, SiO2, and Al2O3, where Al2O3played the role of the substrate for the force sensor while SiO2was the interface layer and was removed in the process by hydrogen fluoride (HF) solution to separate Al2O3from Silicon. The experiments showed that using sol-gel catalyst coating as pretreatment precursor, results in a larger ball-size but lower deposition density of CNFB on Al2O3substrate. By using mechanical exfoliation by polyimide (PI) tape, the CNFB grown on silicon substrate can be easily exfoliated from the substrate. PI/CNFB was successfully exfoliated from the substrate with a silver-grey color at the bottom of the CNFB which is likely to be silicon carbide (SiC) from the energy dispersive spectrometer analysis. The sheet resistance of PI/CNFB was 18.3 ± 1.0 Ω sq.-1PI/CNFB exhibits a good force sensing performance with good stability after 10 times of loading-unloading cycles and a good sensitivity of 11.6 Ω g-1.

Autoencoders Based on 2D Convolution Implemented for Reconstruction Point Clouds from Line Laser Sensors.

Gradual development is moving from standard visual content in the form of 2D data to the area of 3D data, such as points scanned by laser sensors on various surfaces. An effort in the field of autoencoders is to reconstruct the input data based on a trained neural network. For 3D data, this task is more complicated due to the demands for more accurate point reconstruction than for standard 2D data. The main difference is in shifting from discrete values in the form of pixels to continuous values obtained by highly accurate laser sensors. This work describes the applicability of autoencoders based on 2D convolutions for 3D data reconstruction. The described work demonstrates various autoencoder architectures. The reached training accuracies are in the range from 0.9447 to 0.9807. The obtained values of the mean square error (MSE) are in the range from 0.059413 to 0.015829 mm. They are close to resolution in the Z axis of the laser sensor, which is 0.012 mm. The improvement of reconstruction abilities is reached by extracting values in the Z axis and defining nominal coordinates of points for the X and Y axes, where the structural similarity metric value is improved from 0.907864 to 0.993680 for validation data.

Design of the Automated Calibration Process for an Experimental Laser Inspection Stand.

This paper deals with the concept of the automated calibration design for inspection systems using laser sensors. The conceptual solution is based on using a laser sensor and its ability to scan 3D surfaces of inspected objects in order to create a representative point cloud. Problems of scanning are briefly discussed. The automated calibration procedure for solving problems of errors due to non-precise adjustment of the mechanical arrangement, possible tolerances in assembly, and their following elimination is proposed. The main goal is to develop a system able to measure and quantify the quality of produced objects in the environment of Industry 4.0. Laboratory measurements on the experimental stand, including the principal software solution for automated calibration of laser sensors suitable for gear wheel inspection systems are presented. There is described design of compensation eccentricity by Fourier transform and sinusoidal fitting to identify and suppress the first harmonic component in the data with high precision measuring.

Three-Dimensional Tracking of Multiple Small Insects by a Single Camera.

Many systems to monitor insect behavior have been developed recently. Yet most of these can only detect two-dimensional behavior for convenient analysis and exclude other activities, such as jumping or flying. Therefore, the development of a three-dimensional (3D) monitoring system is necessary to investigate the 3D behavior of insects. In such a system, multiple-camera setups are often used to accomplish this purpose. Here, a system with a single camera for tracking small insects in a 3D space is proposed, eliminating the synchronization problems that typically occur when multiple cameras are instead used. With this setup, two other images are obtained via mirrors fixed at other viewing angles. Using the proposed algorithms, the tracking accuracy of five individual drain flies, Clogmia albipunctata (Williston) (Diptera: Psychodidae), flitting about in a spherical arena (78 mm in diameter) is as high as 98.7%, whereas the accuracy of 10 individuals is 96.3%. With this proposed method, the 3D trajectory monitoring experiments of insects can be performed more efficiently.

Stiffness Enhancement, Anti-Aging, and Self-Forming Holes in Polycarbonate/Acrylonitrile-Styrene-Acrylic by the Core-Shell Structure of Acrylic Resin.

Currently, polycarbonate/acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylic (PC/ASA) is used mainly in the automotive, outdoor electronic equipment, sports equipment, and medical care fields, but its use is limited by its poor impact resistance and aging characteristics. This study investigates the preparation of polycarbonate/acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylic/acrylic resin (PC/ASA/ACE) via melt blending. We observed that the addition of acrylic resin (ACE) enhanced the impact strength (up to 14.1%) and abrasion resistance (up to 35.7%) of the blends compared to PC/ASA. The microstructure of the copolymer was observed by scanning electron microscopy and laser scanning confocal microscopy. They were found to have a self-forming hole phenomenon, which is more favorable for potential PC/ASA applications. Furthermore, ACE addition effectively enhances the copolymer toughness and wear properties but slightly reduces their hardness, tensile strength, and melt flow rate, improving their suitability for use in applications such as aircraft windshields. After 80 cycles of aging, the PC/ASA/ACE also outperformed the impact strength of the unaged PC/ASA. ACE addition to PC/ASA can create materials with better impact and aging resistance.

Low cost fabrication of diamond nano-tips on porous anodic alumina by hot filament chemical vapor deposition and the field emission effects.

A novel growth method for diamond nano-tips on porous anodic alumina (PAA) by hot filament chemical vapor deposition has been investigated for the first time. Before diamond film deposition could be carried out, nano-diamond particles were deposited onto the pore surface of PAA by electrophoretic deposition at the nucleation sites. Diamond nano-tips were then successfully formed by the shape of porous alumina. The results show that a diamond nano-tip with a smaller radius has superior effects of field emission. Its threshold field and current density are 1.2 V µm(-1) and 4.0 mA cm(-2), respectively, for the case of a tip radius of about 20-30 nm.

Carbon Nanotubes Decorated with Platinum Nanoparticles for Field-Emission Application.

In this work, a simple and scalable method was presented to decorate carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs) by atomic layer deposition (ALD) for field emission (FE) application. The size and distribution of NPs were precisely controlled by adjusting the number of ALD cycles. It was discovered that a higher cycle number of ALD resulted in continuously increased conductivity of the CNTs@Pt nanocomposite. It could be explained by not only the increased loading of Pt NPs but also by the gradually decreased presence of the PtO compound in NPs. As a result, a significant improvement in the FE characteristics of the cold cathode was observed because of the decoration of CNTs with metal NPs. The higher number of ALD cycles resulted in the gradual lowering of the turn-on electric field which reached a minimum value of ∼0.43 V/µm after 100 cycles of ALD.

Image tracking study on courtship behavior of Drosophila.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, there have been extensive studies aimed at decoding the DNA. Identifying the genetic cause of specific changes in a simple organism like Drosophila may help scientists recognize how multiple gene interactions may make some people more susceptible to heart disease or cancer. Investigators have devised experiments to observe changes in the gene networks in mutant Drosophila that responds differently to light, or have lower or higher locomotor activity. However, these studies focused on the behavior of the individual fly or on pair-wise interactions in the study of aggression or courtship. The behavior of these activities has been captured on film and inspected by a well-trained researcher after repeatedly watching the recorded film. Some studies also focused on ways to reduce the inspection time and increase the accuracy of the behavior experiment. METHODOLOGY: In this study, the behavior of drosophila during courtship was analyzed automatically by machine vision. We investigated the position and behavior discrimination during courtship using the captured images. Identification of the characteristics of drosophila, including sex, size, heading direction, and wing angles, can be computed using image analysis techniques that employ the Gaussian mixture model. The behavior of multiple drosophilae can also be analyzed simultaneously using the motion-prediction model and the variation constraint of heading direction. CONCLUSIONS: The overlapped fruit flies can be identified based on the relationship between body centers. Moreover, the behaviors and profiles can be correctly recognized by image processing based on the constraints of the wing angle and the size of the body. Therefore, the behavior of the male fruit flies can be discriminated when two or three fruit flies form a close cluster. In this study, the courtship behavior, including wing songs and attempts, can currently be distinguished with accuracies of 95.8% and 90%, respectively.

Silicon rice-straw array emitters and their superior electron field emission.

Free standing and vertically aligned silicon rice-straw- like array emitters were fabricated by modified electroless metal deposition (EMD), using HF-H(2)O(2) as an etching solution to reduce the emitter density and to make the emitter end of the formed silicon rice-straw arrays shaper than those formed by conventional EMD. These silicon rice-straw array emitters can be turned on at E(0) = 4.7 V/µm, yielding an EFE (electron field emission) current density of J(e) = 139 µA/cm(2) in an applied field of 12.8 V/µm. According to a simple simulation, the excellent EFE performance of the silicon rice-straw array emitters originates in not only the favorable distribution of emitter arrays, but also the shape of the emitter apexes. The modified-EMD method is easily scaled up without expensive equipment, so silicon rice-straw array emitters are a promising alternative to silicon-based field emitters.

Low cost fabrication of the large-area anti-reflection films from polymer by nanoimprint/hot-embossing technology.

In this paper, we present a low cost approach to produce large-area polymer sheets with sub-wavelength nanostructures. The fabricated polymer films would have great potentials to attach to optical or solar-cell-related consumer products when anti-reflection/anti-glaring is mandatory. We employed a special electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma process to fabricate the SWSs with large area directly on silicon substrates. Homogeneously distributed nanotips on the full 4 inch silicon substrate were fabricated by using gas mixtures of silane, methane, argon and hydrogen. An Ni-Co metal mold with a hardness of 550 HV was produced through the replication of the Si mold by electroplating. Afterwards, the molding process was applied to manufacture the nanostructures in PMMA plates in large volume. The nanostructures in PMMA plates with aspect ratios of 4 and diameters of 150 nm were fabricated. The fabricated PMMA sheets could generate the gradient of the refractive indices, absorb the light and greatly reduce the reflectivity. Compared with the PMMA without SWSs, the reflectivity of PMMA with SWSs decreased dramatically from 4.25% to 0.5% at the wavelength of light from 400 to 800 nm.