Color to Gray: Visual Cue Preservation

Both commercial and scientific applications often need to transform color images into gray-scale images, e. g., to reduce the publication cost in printing color images or to help color blind people see visual cues of color images. However, conventional color to gray algorithms are not ready for practical applications because they encounter the following problems: 1) Visual cues are not well defined so it is unclear how to preserve important cues in the transformed gray-scale images; 2) some algorithms have extremely high time cost for computation; and 3) some require human-computer interactions to have a reasonable transformation. To solve or at least reduce these problems, we propose a new algorithm based on a probabilistic graphical model with the assumption that the image is defined over a Markov random field. Thus, color to gray procedure can be regarded as a labeling process to preserve the newly well-defined visual cues of a color image in the transformed gray-scale image. Visual cues are measurements that can be extracted from a color image by a perceiver. They indicate the state of some properties of the image that the perceiver is interested in perceiving. Different people may perceive different cues from the same color image and three cues are defined in this paper, namely, color spatial consistency, image structure information, and color channel perception priority. We cast color to gray as a visual cue preservation procedure based on a probabilistic graphical model and optimize the model based on an integral minimization problem. We apply the new algorithm to both natural color images and artificial pictures, and demonstrate that the proposed approach outperforms representative conventional algorithms in terms of effectiveness and efficiency. In addition, it requires no human-computer interactions.

Photoluminescence properties of LaF3: Eu3+ nanoparticles prepared by refluxing method

The europium-doped LaF3 nanoparticles were prepared by refluxing method in glycerol/water mixture and characterized with X-ray diffraction(XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectrum, and photoluminescence spectra. The results of XRD indicated that the obtained LaF3: Eu3+ nanoparticles were well crystallized with a hexagonal structure. ne FE-SEM image illustrated that the LaF3: Eu3+ nanoparticles were spherical with an average size around 30 nm. Under irradiation of UV light, the emission spectrum of LaF3: Eu3+ nanoparticles exhibited the characteristic line emissions arising front the D-5(0)-> F-7(J), (J=1, 2, 3, 4) transitions of the Eu3+ ions, with the dominating emission centered at 590 nm. In addition, the emissions from the 51), level could be clearly observed due to the low phonon energies (-350 cm(-1)) of LaF3 matrix. The optimum doping concentration for LaF3: Eu3+ nanoparticles was determined to be 20mol.%.

Photoinduced DNA Cleavage by alpha-, beta-, and gamma-Cyclodextrin-Bicapped C-60 Supramolecular Complexes

Water-soluble supramolecular inclusion complexes of alpha-, beta-, and gamma-cyclodextrin-bicapped C-60 (CD/C-60) have been investigated for their photoinduced DNA cleavage activities, with the aim to assess the potential health risks of this class of compounds and to understand the effect of host cyclodextrins having different cavity dimensions. Factors such as incubation temperature, irradiation time, and concentration of NADH or CDs/C-60 supramolecular inclusion complexes have been examined. The results show that alpha-, beta-, and gamma-CDs/C-60 are all able to cleave double-stranded DNA under visible light irradiation in the presence of NADH. However, a difference in the photoinduced DNA cleavage efficiency is observed, where the cleavage efficiency increases in the order of alpha-, beta-, and gamma-CD/C-60. The difference is attributed to the different aggregation behavior of the inclusion complexes in aqueous solution, which is correlated to the cavity dimension of the host cyclodextrin molecules.

Surface modification of single-walled carbon nanotubes with polyethylene via in situ Ziegler-Natta polymerization

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were modified with polyethylene (PE) prepared by in situ Ziegler-Natta polymerization. Because of the catalyst pre-treated on the surface of the SWNTs, the ethylene was expected to polymerize there. Scanning electron microscopy images and solubility measurements showed that the surface of the SWNTs was covered with a PE layer, and a crosslink may have formed between the SWNTs and PE. When the SWNTs covered with a PE layer were mixed with commercialized PE by melt blending, the resulting composite had better mechanical properties than the composite from the SWNTs without a PE layer. The yield strength, the tensile strength and modulus, the strain at break, and the fracture energy of the modified-SWNT/PE composites were improved by 25, 15.2, 25.4, 21, and 38% in comparison with those of the raw-SWNT/PE composites.

Thermal degradation kinetics of uncapped and end-capped poly(propylene carbonate)

In order to improve its thermal stability, poly(propylene carbonate)(PPC) was end-capped by different active agents. Thermogravimetric data show that the degradation temperature of uncapped PPC was lower than that of end-capped PPC. The kinetic parameters of thermal degradation of uncapped and end-capped PPC were calculated according to Chang's method. The results show that different mechanisms operate during the whole degradation temperature range for uncapped PPC. In the first stage, chain unzipping dominates the degradation. With increasing temperature, competing multi-step reactions occur. In the last stage, random chain scission plays an important role in degradation. For end-capped PPC, random chain scission dominates the whole degradation process.

Syntheses and crystal structures of mononuclear rhodium hydrido complexes from the reactions of [Rh(H)(2)(PPh3)(2)(EtOH)(2)]ClO4 with various nitrogen ligands

Reactions of the Rh hydrido complex [Rh(H)(2)(PPh3)(2)(EtOH)(2)]ClO4 (1) With nitrogen ligands such as 2-(4-thiazolyl)benzimidazole (tbz). pyridazine (pdz), imidazole (im) and pyrimidine (pmd) in CH,Cl, afforded Various mononuclear Rh hydrido complexes, [Rh(H)(2)(PPh3)(2)(tbz)]CIO4 (2), [Rh(H)(2)(PPh3)(2)(pdZ)(2)]ClO(4)(.)2CH(2)Cl(2) (3). [Rh(H)Cl(PPh3)(2)(pdz)(2)](ClO4CH2Cl2)-C-. (4). [Rh(H)(2)(PPh3)(2)(im)(2)]ClO(4)(.)2CH(2)Cl(2) (5). [Rh(H)Cl(PPh3)(2)(im)(2)](ClO4CH2Cl2)-C-. (6). [Rh(H)(2)(PPh3)(2)(pmd)(2)](ClO4CH2Cl2)-C-. (7) and the Rh non-hydrido complex [RhCl2(pmd)(4)]ClO4 (8). The Rh complexes 2. 3, 5 and 6 were crystallographically characterized. The formation process was monitored by H-1 NMR and UV-Vis spectra. In all the Rh hydrido complexes, the Rh atom is coordinated by two PPh3. ligands in trans-positions and two nitrogen ligands in the cis-positions. The remaining sites Lire occupied by one or two hydride atoms to form a saturated 18-electron framework in a slightly distorted octahedral geometry. For complex 2 an appreciable inter-molecular pi interaction is observed between planes of tbz and PPh3 ligands, while an intra-molecular hydrogen bonding interaction between C-H and Cl atoms is found in complex 6.

Solvent-dependent formation of di- and trinuclear rhodiurn and iridium complexes bridged by N,N '-donor ligands

Reactions of Rh and Ir hydrido complexes. [Rh(H)(2)(PPh3)(2)(solv)(EtOH)]ClO4 (solv = Me2CO, 1a; EtOH, 1b) and [Ir(H)(2)(PPh3)(2)(Me2CO)(2)]BF4 (2), with various N,N'-donor bridging ligands, such as pyrazine (pyz), 4,4'-trimethylenedipyridine (tmdp) and di(4-pyridyl) disulfide (dpds), in some solvents were examined, and their reaction products were characterized by X-ray crystal structure analysis. IR, H-1 NMR and UV-vis spectra. Rh hydrido complexes, la or 1b, formed a dinuclear Rh complex, [Rh-2(PPh3)(2) {(eta(6)-C6H5PPh2}(2)] (ClO4)(2).6CH(2)Cl(2) (3.6CH(2)Cl(2)), in dichloromethane with a reductive elimination of hydrogen. The reactions of 1a or 1b with the pyz ligand in dichloromethane and tetrahydrofuran gave triangular Rh-3 complexes, [Rh-3(PPh3)(6)(pyz)(3)](ClO4)(3).CH2Cl2 (5.CH2Cl2) and [Rh-3(PPh3)(6)(pyz)(3)](ClO4)(3).EtOH (5.EtOH), respectively, in contrast to the formation of a dinuclear Rh hydrido complex, [Rh-2(H)(4)(PPh3)(4)(Me2CO)(2)(pyz)](ClO4)(2).EtOH A-EtOH). in acetone. The reactions of la or 1b with the tmdp ligand in dichloromethane and 3-methyl-2-butanone also afforded dinuclear Rh complexes, [Rh-2(PPh3)(4)(tmdp)(2)](ClO4)(2) (6) and [Rh-2(PPh3)(4)(tmdp)(2)](ClO4)(2).4MeCOCHMe(2) (6.4MeCOCHMe(2)), respectively. On the other hand, Ir hydrido complex 2 reacted with pyz and dpds ligands in dichloromethane to afford dinuclear Ir complexes, [Ir-2(H)(4)(PPh3)(4)(Me2CO)(2)(pyz)]- (BF4)(2).3CH(2)Cl(2) (7.3CH(2)Cl(2)) and [Ir-2(H)(4)(PPh3)(4)(dpds)(2)](BF4)(2).3CH(2)Cl(2).H2O (8.3CH(2)Cl(2).H2O), respectively, without any reductive elimination of hydrogen. Based on structural studies in solution and in the solid state. it was demonstrated that various Rh and Ir complexes were selectively produced depending on the choice of solvents and N,N'-donor bridging ligands.

Synthesis, structure characterization and biological activity of a novel amino acid salt (HAla)(8)(H3O)(10)[PMo12O40](6) center dot 22H(2)O

A novel compound was synthesized and characterized by means of elemental analysis, IR and UV spectra, TG, CV and single crystal X-ray diffraction. The compound crystallized in an orthorhombic space group C222 with a=1. 622 4(3) nm, b=3. 498 4(7) nm, c=1. 301 5(3) nm, V=7. 387 (3) nm(3), Z=6, R-1= 0. 037 3, wR(2)=0. 114 0. The Ala (Ala = alanine) molecules were protonated at the amino nitrogen N (1) and the C (2) of Ala group with the terminal oxygen atom O(15), O(14), O(26) and O(27) of the polyoxometalates participating in the hydrogen bond network. The anti-tumor activity of the title compound was estimated against Hela and Pc-3m cancer cells.