An Imaging Colorimeter for Noncontact Skin Color Measurement

There has been a considerable effort made in several medical fields in the objective color analysis and characterization of biological tissues. Conventional colorimeters have proved inadequate for this purpose, since they do not provide spatial color information and because the measuring procedure randomly affects the color of the tissue. In this paper an imaging colorimeter is presented where the non imaging optical photodetector of the instrument is replaced with a charge-coupled device (CCD) sensor of a color video camera, enabling the independent capture of color information for any spatial point within its field of view. Combining imaging and colorimetry, the acquired image is calibrated and corrected under several ambient light conditions, providing non contact reproducible color measurements free of the errors and limitations present in conventional colorimeters. The technique has been used in hospital clinics for a wide variety of patients. These features highlight the potential of the imaging colorimeters as clinical and research tools for the standardization of clinical diagnosis and the objective evaluation of treatment efficacy.     

Robust curve fitting method for optical spectra by least median squares (LMedS) estimator with particle swarm optimization (PSO).

A curve fitting technique for optical spectra based on a robust estimator, least median squares (LMedS), is introduced in this study. For the effective calculation of LMedS, particle swarm optimization (PSO) is also introduced. Unlike a standard curve fitting method using least squares (LS) estimator, the method based on LMedS estimator is less influenced by outliers in experimental data. Two kinds of data sets, simulated data with outliers and temperature-dependent near-infrared (NIR) spectra of oleic acid (OA) are applied for the demonstration of the proposed method. The results clearly reveal that, compared with the LS estimator, the proposed method can effectively reduce undesirable effects of low SN ratio and can yield more accurate fitting results.     

Candibirin A,a furano­coumarin dimer isolated from Heracleum candicans Wall.

Candibirin A [systematic name: 9,9′‐(1,4‐dioxane‐2,5‐diyldi­methyl­ene­dioxy)­di(7H‐furo­[3,2‐g]­chromen‐7‐one)], a new furano­coumarin dimer, was isolated from Heracleum candicans Wall . ¹H NMR and MS spectra had indicated that the title compound was a dimer of heraclenin or heraclenol, but the linkage structure and its chirality were undetermined. The dioxane linkage, having the R,R configuration, has now been elucidated from di­methyl sulfoxide‐solvated crystals, C₃₂H₂₈O₁₀·2C₂H₆OS. Candibirin A is thus a dimerization product from heraclenin formed by reaction at the epoxy group. Di­methyl­form­amide‐solvated crystals, C₃₂H₂₈O₁₀·C₃H₇NO, adopt a different conformation, with a folded structure that differs from the extended structure in the dimethyl sulfoxide solvate. However, the puckering of the dioxane linker unit is very similar in the two conformers. This result shows that the rotation of the ether bonds, in the linker between the furano­coumarin and dioxane moieties, causes the conformational flexibility of (I).     

Photocrosslinking system using multifunctional epoxy crosslinkers having thermally degradable properties

A novel thermally degradable photocrosslinking system was investigated. Difunctional and trifunctional epoxides with tertiary ester linkages were synthesized. When blended films of epoxides and poly(vinyl phenol) or epoxides and poly(methacrylic acid‐co‐ethyl methacrylate) with a photoacid generator were irradiated and then baked at relatively low temperatures (<100 °C), the films became insoluble in solvents. The heating conditions strongly affected the insoluble fractions of the blends. The insoluble fractions of the blended films containing the trifunctional epoxide were higher than the fractions of the films containing the difunctional epoxide. The crosslinked films became soluble after baking at relatively high temperatures (>120 °C). The reaction pathway of the blended system was studied with in situ Fourier transform infrared measurements. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 3685–3696, 2004     

Effect of cholesterol and other additives on viscosity, self-diffusion coefficient, and intramolecular movements of oleic acid

It has been empirically known that cholesterol largely increases the viscosity of oleic acid. To clarify the mechanism of the effect of cholesterol on the intermolecular and the intramolecular (segmental) movements of oleic acid in the liquid state, we measured density, viscosity, IR, 1H NMR chemical shift, self-diffusion coefficient, and 13C NMR spin-lattice relaxation time for the liquid samples of oleic acid containing a small amount of cholesterol. Furthermore, the above measurements were also carried out for the samples of oleic acid containing a small amount of cholestanol, cholestane, cholesteryl oleate, ethanol, or benzene. Cholesterol, possessing one OH group and one double bond in its molecular structure, largely increased the viscosity and reduced the self-diffusion and the intramolecular movement of oleic acid. Cholestanol, possessing one OH group but not a double bond, and cholesteryl oleate, not possessing an OH group, also reduced the self-diffusion and the intramolecular movement; cholestane, not possessing an OH group, slightly reduced the self-diffusion and the intramolecular movements. In contrast with these sterols, ethanol and benzene reduced the viscosity and increased the self-diffusion and the intramolecular movements. In addition, cholesterol and ethanol, both having one OH group, promoted the upfield shift of the 1H NMR signal of the carboxyl group of oleic acid; IR difference spectra for the cholesterol/oleic acid system quite resemble those for the ethanol/oleic acid system. These results suggest that oleic acid makes a complex with cholesterol as well as with ethanol. On the basis of the formation of the complex, we have revealed the role and the functional mechanism of cholesterol to the intermolecular and the intramolecular movements of oleic acid in the liquid state.     

Self-modeling curve resolution (SMCR) by particle swarm optimization (PSO)

Particle swarm optimization (PSO) combined with alternating least squares (ALS) is introduced to self-modeling curve resolution (SMCR) in this study for effective initial estimate. The proposed method aims to search concentration profiles or pure spectra which give the best resolution result by PSO. SMCR sometimes yields insufficient resolution results by getting trapped in a local minimum with poor initial estimates. The proposed method enables to reduce an undesirable effect of the local minimum in SMCR due to the advantages of PSO. Moreover, a new criterion based on global phase angle is also proposed for more effective performance of SMCR. It takes full advantage of data structure, that is to say, a sequential change with respect to a perturbation can be considered in SMCR with the criterion. To demonstrate its potential, SMCR by PSO is applied to concentration-dependent near-infrared (NIR) spectra of mixture solutions of oleic acid (OA) and ethanol. Its curve resolution performances are compared with SMCR with evolving factor analysis (EFA). The results show that SMCR by PSO yields significantly better curve resolution performances than those by EFA. It is revealed that SMCR by PSO is less sensitive to a local minimum in SMCR and it can be a new effective tool for curve resolution analysis.     

Fabrication of Small Fluorescence Scale Patterns by Electron Beam Drawing Using Polymer Film Containing Fluorescence Dye

We report the fabrication of a resolution–evaluation chart and a scale for a fluorescence microscope. Small fluorescence patterns were fabricated by irradiating an electron beam (EB) in a thin film prepared by dispersing fluorescence dye (rhodamine 590) in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and by development to remove EB-irradiated parts. As a result, the fluorescence emission pattern of nanometer order (a line width of 110 nm and a line interval of 370 nm) with sufficient fluorescence intensity was obtained, and a 1 μm bright fluorescence scale for the laser scanning fluorescence microscope was fabricated. These fluorescence patterns are handled easily and are effective for measurement using a fluorescence microscope.     

Creation of very-low-Reynolds-number chaotic fluid motions in microchannels using viscoelastic surfactant solution

Solutions of flexible high-molecular-weight polymers or some kinds of surfactant are viscoelastic fluids. The elastic stress is induced in such viscoelastic fluid flows and grows nonlinearly with the flow-rate resulting in many particular flow phenomena, including purely elastic instability. The purely elastic instability can even result in a kind of chaotic fluid motion, the so-called elastic turbulence, which is a recently discovered flow phenomenon and arises at arbitrarily small Reynolds number. By using viscoelastic surfactant solution, we attempted to create the peculiar chaotic fluid motions in several specially designed microchannels in which flows with curvilinear streamlines can be generated. The viscoelastic working fluids were aqueous solutions of surfactant, CTAC/NaSal (cetyltrimethyl ammonium chloride/sodium salicylate). CTAC solutions with weight concentration of 200 ppm (part per million) and 1000 ppm, respectively, at room temperature were tested. For comparison, water flows in the same microchannels were also visualized. The Reynolds numbers for all the microchannel flows were quite small (for solution flows, the Reynolds numbers were the order of or smaller than one) and the flow should be definitely laminar for Newtonian fluid. It was found that the regular laminar flow patterns for low-Reynolds-number Newtonian fluid flow in different microchannels were strongly deformed in solution flows: either asymmetrical flow structures or time-dependent vortical fluid motions appeared. These chaotic flow phenomena were considered to be induced by the viscoelasticity of the CTAC solutions. Discussions about the potential applications using such kind of chaotic fluid motions were also made.