Abstract-While stroking a rigid tool over an object surface, vibrations induced on the tool, which represent the interaction between the tool and the surface texture, can be measured by means of an accelerometer. Such acceleration signals can be used to recognize or to classify object surface textures. The temporal and spectral properties of the acquired signals, however, heavily depend on different parameters like the applied force on the surface or the lateral velocity during the exploration. Robust features that are invariant against such scan-time parameters are currently lacking, but would enable texture classification and recognition using uncontrolled human exploratory movements. In this paper, we introduce a haptic texture database which allows for a systematic analysis of feature candidates. The publicly available database includes recorded accelerations measured during controlled and well-defined texture scans, as well as uncontrolled human free hand texture explorations for 43 different textures. As a preliminary feature analysis, we test and compare six wellestablished features from audio and speech recognition together with a Gaussian Mixture Model-based classifier on our recorded free hand signals. Among the tested features, best results are achieved using Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCCs), leading to a texture recognition accuracy of 80.2%.

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The interface between biomacromolecules and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is of critical importance in developing effective techniques that provide CNTs with both biomolecular recognition and signal transduction through immobilization. However, the chemical inertness of CNT surfaces poses an obstacle to wider implementation of CNTs in bioanalytical applications. In this paper, we present a review of our recent research activities related to the covalent attachment of biomacromolecules to plasma-patterned and functionalized carbon nanotube films and their application to the fabrication of electrochemical biosensing devices. The SWCNT films were spray-deposited onto a miniaturized three-electrode system on a glass substrate and activated using highly purified atomic oxygen generated in radiofrequency plasma; this introduced oxygen-containing functional groups into the SWCNT surface without fatal loss of the original physicochemical properties of the CNTs. The carboxylated SWCNT electrodes were then selectively modified via amidation or esterification for covalent immobilization of the biomacromolecules. The plasma-treated SWCNT-based sensing electrode had an approximately six times larger effective area than the untreated SWCNT-based electrode, which significantly amplified the amperometric electrochemical signal. Finally, the efficacy of plasma-functionalized SWCNT (pf-SWCNT) as a biointerface was examined by immobilizing glucose oxidase, Legionella pneumophila ( L. pneumophila)-specific antibodies, L. pneumophila-originated DNAs, and thrombin-specific aptamers on the pf-SWCNT-based three-electrode devices. The pf-SWCNT films were found to support direct covalent immobilization of the above-listed biomacromolecules on the films and to thereby overcome the many drawbacks typically associated with simple physisorption. Thus, pf-SWCNT sensing electrodes on which biomacromolecules were covalently immobilized were found to be chemically stable and have a long lifetime.

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The orientation characteristics of FNLC-919, a new material with a ferroelectric nematic phase at room temperature, were investigated. The alignment characteristic varied greatly depending on the relative rubbing direction on...

Contaminant concentrations in a subway station in Seoul, Korea before (March 2008) and after (March 2009) the installation of platform screen doors (PSDs) were measured to investigate the effect of the PSD system on the subway indoor environment. PM10, CO2 and NO2 concentrations were measured at the platform, concourse and tunnel areas, using an indoor air quality tele-monitoring system (IAQ-TMS) operated by the Korean Ministry of Environment. Spatial correlations of contaminant concentrations at different locations were analysed, to investigate the effect of PSD installation on the movement of contaminants through air passages between zones. The results indicate that PM10 concentrations at the platform were reduced significantly after PSD installation and were within the guideline limit. The R2 value for the platform–tunnel correlation was reduced, indicating that in the absence of PSD, a significant amount of particulate matter was introduced to the platform from the tunnel. Conversely, the CO2 level in the platform was increased slightly after PSD installation, exhibiting a strong correlation with the number of passengers in the station. NO2 was predominantly introduced to the platform from the outdoor environment, on the basis of the source characteristics and their movement through air passages. This paper provides the data to develop a pollution management guide to control air quality contaminants in subway stations.

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Application of fuzzy logic structures in computeraided design (CAD) of digital electronics substantially improves quality of design solutions by providing designers with flexibility in formulating goals and selecting tradeoffs. In addition, the following aspects of a design process are positively impacted by application of fuzzy logic: utilization of domain knowledge, interpretation of uncertainties in design data, and adaptation of design algorithms. We successfully applied fuzzy logic structures in conjunction with constructive and iterative algorithms for selecting of design solutions for different stages of the design process. We also introduced fuzzy logic software development tool to be used in CAD applications.Index Terms-Adaptive systems, fuzzy logic, greedy algorithms, iterative algorithms, multiobjective optimization, VLSI CAD.