In this study, we present a spherical style deformation algorithm to be applied on single component models that can deform the models with spherical style, while preserving the local details of the original models. Because 3D models have complex skeleton structures that consist of many components, the deformation around connections between each single component is complicated, especially preventing mesh self-intersections. To the best of our knowledge, there does not exist not only methods to achieve a spherical style in a 3D model consisting of multiple components but also methods suited to a single component. In this study, we focus on spherical style deformation of single component models. Accordingly, we propose a deformation method that transforms the input model with the spherical style, while preserving the local details of the input model. Specifically, we define an energy function that combines the as-rigid-as-possible (ARAP) method and spherical features. The spherical term is defined as l2-regularization on a linear feature; accordingly, the corresponding optimization can be solved efficiently. We also observed that the results of our deformation are dependent on the quality of the input mesh. For instance, when the input mesh consists of many obtuse triangles, the spherical style deformation method fails. To address this problem, we propose an optional deformation method based on convex hull proxy model as the complementary deformation method. Our proxy method constructs a proxy model of the input model and applies our deformation method to the proxy model to deform the input model by projection and interpolation. We have applied our proposed method to simple and complex shapes, compared our experimental results with the 3D geometric stylization method of normal-driven spherical shape analogies, and confirmed that our method successfully deforms models that are smooth, round, and curved. We also discuss the limitations and problems of our algorithm based on the experimental results.

In this paper, we present a novel portrait impression estimation method using nine pairs of semantic impression words: bitter-majestic, clear-pure, elegant-mysterious, gorgeous-mature, modern-intellectual, natural-mild, sporty-agile, sweet-sunny, and vivid-dynamic. In the first part of the study, we analyzed the relationship between the facial features in deformed portraits and the nine semantic impression word pairs over a large dataset, which we collected by a crowdsourcing process. In the second part, we leveraged the knowledge from the results of the analysis to develop a ranking network trained on the collected data and designed to estimate the semantic impression associated with a portrait. Our network demonstrated superior performance in impression estimation compared with current state-of-the-art methods.

A free-viewpoint application has been developed that yields an immersive user experience. One of the simple free-viewpoint approaches called “billboard methods” is suitable for displaying a synthesized 3D view in a mobile device, but it suffers from the limitation that a billboard should be positioned in only one position in the world. This fact gives users an unacceptable impression in the case where an object being shot is situated at multiple points. To solve this problem, we propose optimal deformation of the billboard. The deformation is designed as a mapping of grid points in the input billboard silhouette to produce an optimal silhouette from an accurate voxel model of the object. We formulate and solve this procedure as a nonlinear optimization problem based on a grid-point constraint and some a priori information. Our results show that the proposed method generates a synthesized virtual image having a natural appearance and better objective score in terms of the silhouette and structural similarity.

The volumetric representations of deformable objects suffer from high memory and computational costs. In this work we analyze an approach of constructing low-resolution mass spring models (MSMs) on the basis of a high-resolution reference MSM. Preserving the physical properties of the modeled objects is emphasized such that their motion is consistent and independent of the spring network resolution. We varied the node merging algorithm and analyzed how various aspects of the simplification process affected the properties of the model and how these properties translated into visual behavior in a simulation.

Electromagnetic power transmission through two cyl-inder-penetrated circular apertures in parallel conducting planes is studied. The Weber transform and superposition principle are used to represent the scattered field. A set of simultaneous equations for the modal coefficients are constituted based on the mode-matching and boundary conditions. The whole integration path is slightly deformed into a new one below the positive real axis not to pass through the pole singularities encountered on the original path so that it is easily calculated by direct numerical quadrature. Computation shows the behaviors of power transmission in terms of aperture geometry and wavelength. The presented scheme is very amenable to numerical evaluations and useful for various electromagnetic scattering and antenna radiation analysis involved with singularity problems.

This paper reviews methods for computer assisted medical intervention using statistical models and machine learning technologies, which would be particularly useful for representing prior information of anatomical shape, motion, and deformation to extrapolate intraoperative sparse data as well as surgeons' expertise and pathology to optimize interventions. Firstly, we present a review of methods for recovery of static anatomical structures by only using intraoperative data without any preoperative patient-specific information. Then, methods for recovery of intraoperative motion and deformation are reviewed by combining intraoperative sparse data with preoperative patient-specific stationary data, which is followed by a survey of articles which incorporated biomechanics. Furthermore, the articles are reviewed which addressed the used of statistical models for optimization of interventions. Finally, we conclude the survey by describing the future perspective.

The accuracy of non-rigid 3D face recognition is highly influenced by the capability to model the expression deformations. Given a training set of non-neutral and neutral 3D face scan pairs from the same subject, a set of Fourier series coefficients for each face scan is reconstructed. The residues on each frequency of the Fourier series between the finely aligned pairs contain the expression deformation patterns and PCA is applied to learn these patterns. The proposed expression deformation model is then built by the eigenvectors with top eigenvalues from PCA. Recognition experiments are conducted on a 3D face database that features a rich set of facial expression deformations, and experimental results demonstrate the feasibility and merits of the proposed model.

A compact antenna is proposed for operating at the Federal Communications Commission allocated ultra-wideband (UWB) of 3.1-10.6 GHz. The antenna is made by deforming a film antenna which consists of two glass-shaped and square-shaped radiation elements. The antenna in its planar form is optimized for the UWB operation and is deformed by different manners such as folding, meandering or twisting, without much influence on its input characteristics. The deformations not only miniaturize the antenna but also improve its radiation characteristics. A prototype with a dimension of 2033 mm2 is fabricated and then the antenna is deformed by rolling it into a circular rod with a diameter of 6.4 mm, or meandering it into a square rod with a cross-sectional dimension of 65 mm2. The deformed antennas maintain the operation at the UWB and have better omni-directional radiation patterns than the antenna in its planar form.

Designing NURBS surfaces by manipulating control points directly requires too much trial and error for immersive VR applications. A more natural interface is provided by deforming a NURBS surface so that it passes through a given target point; and by repeating such deformations we can make the surface follow one or more target curves. These deformations can be achieved by modifying the pseudo-inverse matrix of the basis functions, but this matrix is often ill-conditioned. However, the application of a modified FE approach to the weights and control points provides controllable deformations, which are demonstrated across a range of example shapes.

To segment a shape into parts is an important problem in shape representation and analysis. We propose in this paper a novel framework of shape segmentation using deformation models learned from multiple shapes. The deformation model from the target image to every other image is then estimated. Finally, normalized-cut graph partition is applied to the graph constructed based on the similarity of local patches in the target image, and a segmentation of the shape is carried out. Experimental results for images from MPEG7 shape database show the effectiveness of the proposed method.

In recent years, wireless communications systems such as wireless LAN, Bluetooth, etc. are being rapidly adopted. As the antennas used in wireless communications systems are usually installed in small mobile devices, it is demanded that the volume should be small. In our research, we focus our attention on flexible printed circuits (FPCs) to meet the miniaturization demand. In this paper, we introduce a planar inverted F antenna (PIFA) suitable for IEEE802.11b/g and Bluetooth. The antenna is made of FPC. We measured the radiation pattern of the antenna when the antenna is successively curved and folded, and it is clear that its radiation performance does not vary much when the antenna is deformed. We analyzed the antenna by using the moment method.

Large liquid crystal display (LCD) panels have several cell-gap problems. For example, gravity defects are observed as thicker cell-gap areas at the bottom of an LCD panel at a high temperature, and cold-bubble defects are observed as bubbles in an LCD panel at a low temperature. We have developed a gap simulation to investigate these problems. The calculation was carried out for both column and ball spacers. It was shown that gap defects can be substantially reduced using ball spacers.

This paper presents a survey of elastic matching (EM) techniques employed in handwritten character recognition. EM is often called deformable template, flexible matching, or nonlinear template matching, and defined as the optimization problem of two-dimensional warping (2DW) which specifies the pixel-to-pixel correspondence between two subjected character image patterns. The pattern distance evaluated under optimized 2DW is invariant to a certain range of geometric deformations. Thus, by using the EM distance as a discriminant function, recognition systems robust to the deformations of handwritten characters can be realized. In this paper, EM techniques are classified according to the type of 2DW and the properties of each class are outlined. Several topics around EM, such as the category-dependent deformation tendency of handwritten characters, are also discussed.

This paper presents a deformable fast computation elastic model for real-time processing applications. 'Gradational element resolution model' is introduced with fewer elements for fast computation, in which small elements are laid around the object surface and large elements are laid in the center of the object. Elastic element layout is changed dynamically according to the deformation of cutting or tearing objects. The element reconstruction procedure is applied little by little for each step of the recursive motion generation process to avoid an increase in motion computation time.

In this paper, a new method for displaying a surface deformation is proposed to provide sufficient realism in virtual environment. The approach selected in this paper is based on the fuzzy model and it is sufficient that only one additional rule be added to the fuzzy model to display a surface deformation. Furthermore, designers can easily determine which parameters should be used and how much they should be changed in order to alter shapes as required. The proposed method, thus, is a simple, but effective technique that can also be applied to real time operation and makes it possible to act on several surface points simultaneously. The results of the computer simulation are also given to demonstrate the validity of the proposed algorithm.

The optical recording on an azopolymer surface by the optical fiber probe with a 100 nm diameter aperture was demonstrated. The 150 nm diameter pit was formed by the optical fiber probe coupled with a 50 ns pulse of 10 mW and 488 nm wavelength coherent light.

The concept of a "standardized brain" is familiar in modern functional neuro-imaging techniques including PET and fMRI, but it has never been adopted for optical imaging studies that deal with a regional cortical area rather than the whole brain. In this paper, we propose a "standardized barrel cortex" for rodents, and present a method for mapping optically detected neural activity onto the standard cortex. The standard cortex is defined as a set of simple cortical columns, which are modeled on the cytoarchitectonic patterns of cell aggregates in cortical layer IV of the barrel cortex. Referring to its underlying anatomical structure, the method warps the surface image of individual cortices to fit the standard cortex. The cortex is warped using a two-dimensional free-form deformation technique with direct manipulation. Since optical imaging provides a map of neural activity on the cortical surface, the warping consequently remaps it on the standard cortex. Data presented in this paper show that somatosensory evoked neural activity is successfully represented on the standardized cortex, suggesting that the combination of optical imaging with our method is a promising approach for investigating the functional architecture of the cortex.

Electrochemomechanical deformation (ECMD) of poly(o-methoxyaniline) (PoMAn) film has been studied in various acid solutions, such as Cl-, HSO4-, BF4-, and p-toluene sulfate. The magnitude of ECMD of the film depends linearly on the degree of oxidation of the film similarly to the case of polyaniline (PAn). 2. 53% of deformation ratios along the stretched direction are obtained for 30% of reduction. In contrast to that of PAn, however, the ECMDs of PoMAn do not markedly depend on the kind of anions. Transient responses of current and deformation are investigated by the potential application stepwise and the diffusion coefficient of ions in films. The results are discussed in terms of the effect of substituted methoxy group.

The tape deformation due to such particles as wear debris and dust in the head/tape contact region is one of the main causes of the signal quality deterioration in magnetic tape devices. Thus it is significant to make clear the tape deformation due to a particle for realizing higher recording densities. This paper investigates the tape deformation profile generated by a particle through an interferometric experiment and a simulation using a point loaded tape model. A rather good agreement between them is obtained, thereby the simulation is verified appropriate to estimate the tape deformation due to a particle. This paper also describes the relationship between the spacing loss and the particle height, considering the tape deformation profile obtained from the simulation. In addition, the influence of the particle height on the width of the tape deformed area is estimated, which can make a basis of the design of error correction code.

We propose a method to search all the zeros of a complex function in a given compact region D Cn. The function f: Cn Cn to be considered is assumed to consist of polynomial and transcendental terms and to satisfy f (x) Rn for any x Rn. Using the properties of such a complex function, we can compute the number of zeros and determine the starting points of paths on the boundary of D, which attain all the zeros of f in D without encountering a singular point. A piecewiselinear approximation of the function on a triangulation is used for both computing the number of zeros and following the paths.