Learning based automatic face annotation for arbitrary poses and expressions from frontal images only

Statistical approaches for building non-rigid deformable models, such as the Active Appearance Model (AAM), have enjoyed great popularity in recent years, but typically require tedious manual annotation of training images. In this paper, a learning based approach for the automatic annotation of visually deformable objects from a single annotated frontal image is presented and demonstrated on the example of automatically annotating face images that can be used for building AAMs for fitting and tracking. This approach employs the idea of initially learning the correspondences between landmarks in a frontal image and a set of training images with a face in arbitrary poses. Using this learner, virtual images of unseen faces at any arbitrary pose for which the learner was trained can be reconstructed by predicting the new landmark locations and warping the texture from the frontal image. View-based AAMs are then built from the virtual images and used for automatically annotating unseen images, including images of different facial expressions, at any random pose within the maximum range spanned by the virtually reconstructed images. The approach is experimentally validated by automatically annotating face images from three different databases. © 2009 IEEE.

III-V compound semiconductor nanowires for optoelectronic device applications

GaAs and InP based III-V compound semiconductor nanowires were grown epitaxially on GaAs (or Si) (111)B and InP (111)B substrates, respectively, by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition using Au nanoparticles as catalyst. In this paper, we will give an overview of nanowire research activities in our group. In particular, the effects of growth parameters on the crystal structure and optical properties of various nanowires were studied in detail. We have successfully obtained defect-free GaAs nanowires with nearly intrinsic exciton lifetime and vertical straight nanowires on Si (111)B substrates. The crystal structure of InP nanowires, i.e., WZ or ZB, can also be engineered by carefully controlling the V/III ratio and catalyst size. © 2011 World Scientific Publishing Company.

ALGAL GROWTH POTENTIAL AND NUTRIENT LIMITATION IN SPRING IN THREE-GORGES RESERVOIR, CHINA

In China, especially in Three-Gorges Reservoir, our knowledge of the algal growth potential and nutrient limitation was still limited. In the spring of 2006, the water column ratios of total nitrogen/total phosphorus were investigated and algal bioassays performed to determine algal growth potential of waters and nutrient limitation of mainstream and Xiangxi Bay of Three-Gorges Reservoir. The results showed sampling sites in mainstream were co-limited by N and P or P-limited alone, and sites in Xiangxi Bay were N-limited alone. Fe likely played an important role in determining the appearance and disappearance of algal blooms of Three-Gorges Reservoir. Native algae, Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata and Cyclotella meneghiniana, had high growth potential in Three-Gorges Reservoir.

Effect of rapid thermal annealing and hydrogen plasma treatment on the microstructure and light-emission of silicon-rich oxide film

Silicon-rich silicon oxide (SRSO) films are prepared by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition method at the substrate temperature of 200degreesC. The effect of rapid thermal annealing and hydrogen plasma treatment on tire microstructure and light-emission of SRSO films are investigated in detail using micro-Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) spectra. It is found that the phase-separation degree of the films decreases with increasing annealing temperature from 300 to 600degreesC, while it increases with increasing annealing temperature from 600 to 900degreesC. The light-emission of the films are enhanced with increasing annealing temperature up to 500degreesC, while it is rapidly reduced when the annealing temperature exceeds 600degreesC. The peak position of the PL spectrum blueshifts by annealing at the temperature of 300degreesC, then it red-shifts with further raising annealing temperature. The following hydrogen plasma treatment results in a disproportionate increase of the PL intensity and a blueshift or redshift of the peak positions, depending on the pristine annealing temperature. It is thought that the size of amorphous silicon clusters, surface structure of the clusters and the distribution of hydrogen in the films can be changed during the annealing procedure. The results indicate that not only cluster size but also surface state of the clusters plays an important role in the determination of electronic structure of the amorphous silicon cluster and recombination process of light-generated carriers.

快速热退火和氢等离子体处理对富硅氧化硅薄膜微结构与发光的影响

采用micro-Raman散射、傅里叶变换红外吸收谱和光致发光谱研究了快速热退火及氢等离子体处理对等离子体增强化学气相沉积法200 ℃衬底温度下生长的富硅氧化硅（SRSO）薄膜微结构和发光的影响。研究发现在300-600 ℃范围内退火，SRSO薄膜中非晶硅和SiO_x:H两相之间的相分离程度随退火温度升高趋于减小；而在600-900 ℃范围内退火，其相分离程度退火温度升高又趋于增大；同时发现SRSO薄膜发光先是随退火温度的升高显著加强，然后在退火温度达到和超过600 ℃后迅速减弱；发光峰位在300 ℃退火后蓝移，此后随退火温度升高逐渐红移。对不同温度退火后的薄膜进行氢等离子体处理，发光强度不同程度有所增强，发光峰位有所移动，但不同温度退火样品发光增强的幅度和峰位移动的趋势不同。分析认为退火能够引起薄膜中非晶硅颗粒尺度、颗粒表面结构状态以及氢的存在和分布等方面的变化。结果表明不仅颗粒的尺度大小，而且颗粒表面的结构状态都对非晶硅颗粒能带结构和光生载流子复合机理发挥重要影响。

Extracting nanobelt mechanical properties from nanoindentation

A three-spring-in-series model is proposed for the nanobelt (NB) indentation test. Compared with the previous two-spring-in-series model, which considers the bending stiffness of atomic force microscope cantilever and the indenter/NB contact stiffness, this model adds a third spring of the NB/substrate contact stiffness. NB is highly flexural due to its large aspect ratio of length to thickness. The bending and lift-off of NB form a localized contact with substrate, which makes the Oliver-Pharr method [W. C. Oliver and G. M. Pharr, J. Mater. Res. 7, 1564 (1992)] and Sneddon method [I. N. Sneddon, Int. J. Eng. Sci. 3, 47 (1965)] inappropriate for NB indentation test. Because the NB/substrate deformation may have significant impact on the force-indentation depth data obtained in experiment, the two-spring-in-series model can lead to erroneous predictions on the NB mechanical properties. NB in indentation test can be susceptible to the adhesion influence because of its large surface area to volume ratio. NB/substrate contact and adhesion can have direct and significant impact on the interpretation of experimental data. Through the three-spring-in-series model, the influence of NB/substrate contact and adhesion is analyzed and methods of reducing such influence are also suggested. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3432748]

Molybdenum L-shell X-ray production by 350-600 keV Xeq+ (q=25-30) ions

Molybdenum L-shell X-rays were produced by Xeq+ (q = 25-30) bombardment at low energies from 2.65 to 4.55 keV/amu (350-600 keV). We observed a kinetic energy threshold of Mo L-shell ionization down to 2.65-3.03 keV/amu (350-400 keV). The charge state effect of the incident ions was not observed which shows that the ions were neutralized, reaching an equilibrium charge state and losing their initial charge state memory before production of L-shell vacancies resulted in X-ray production. The experimental ionization cross sections were compared with those from Binary Encounter Approximation theory. Taking into account projectile deflection in the target nuclear Coulomb field, the ionization cross section of Mo L-shell near the kinetic energy threshold was well described. (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier B.V.