Cell cycle analysis of Chinese hamster ovary cells stimulated by phosphatidic acid in serum-free culture

When recombinant Chinese hamster ovary cells were treated with pertussis toxin or genistein, not only lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) but also phosphatidic acid (PA) failed to stimulate progression through the cell cycle in serum-free culture, suggesting that PA and LPA induce cell growth through the same signal transduction pathway. Cell cycle analysis also indicates that cell growth promoted by PA results in enhanced protein production.     

Recombination of Spin Polarized Atomic Hydrogen Adsorbed on a Dilute 3He-4He Mixture

We have been searching for two-dimensional (2-D) superfluidity of spin-polarized atomic hydrogen (H) adsorbed on liquid helium surface. We have investigated H adsorbed on ³ He- ⁴ He mixtures instead of pure ⁴ He because the thermal coupling of H to the mixtures is stronger than ⁴ He. ESR at 129 GHz was carried out to detect H at 4.5 T by using the Fabri-Perot confocal cavity with the cold spot located at the confocal point and thus the 2-D H signal was effectively detected. We investigated the two-body bulk and surface recombination processes of H on a 3% ³ He ³ He- ⁴ He mixture film. From the analysis of the surface recombination process, we found the adsorption energy of H was a 0.6 K for the mixture film in the temperature range between 120 mK and 250 mK, greater than the 0.3–0.4 K found previously for pure ³ He and a 67% ³ He ³ He- ⁴ He mixture.     

Piezoelectric Vibration-Type Tactile Sensor Using Elasticity and Viscosity Change of Structure

We propose a new tactile sensor utilizing piezoelectric vibration. This tactile sensor has a high sensitivity, wide measurement range, pressure resistance, flexibility, and self-sensing function. This tactile sensor comprises two piezoelectric materials. One is used for the vibration of the sensor element and the other is used for the measurement of the change in mechanical impedance induced by an external force. We achieved the wide measurement range by implementing two ideas. One was to apply the external force to the sensor element through an elastic body and the other was to use two or more modes of vibration. Moreover, for the elastic body, it is preferable to use a material whose elasticity and viscosity are easily changed by an external force, such as a gel. In this study, first, this tactile sensor was analyzed, and then its characteristics were derived. The analytical results qualitatively corresponded to the experimental results. Next, a prototype tactile sensor was fabricated and evaluated. The evaluation results showed that this tactile sensor can measure a pressure of 2.5 Pa or less and a pressure of 10 kPa or more and its pressure resistance is 1 MPa or more.     

Nanometric patterning of zinc by optical near-field photochemical vapour deposition

A new technique, optical near-field photochemical vapour deposition (NFO-PCVD) enables maskless production of nanometric structures with controllable size, chemical composition and morphology. By placing a near-field optical microscope inside the reaction chamber for photochemical vapour deposition we have deposited nanoscale metal patterns. We demonstrate for the first time, successfully deposited in the near-field region, lines of metallic zinc with the observed stripe width of 20 nm.     

Development of new‐type outdoor termination using composite insulator with SF6 gas: Commercial use for 77‐kV transmission lines and development for 154‐kV XLPE cable

Recently, composite insulators have been increasingly employed mainly for economic reasons. We have developed a new type of outdoor termination using a composite insulator, which can be installed horizontally on a steel tower in order to reduce the construction cost. In this outdoor termination, SF₆ gas is filled in the composite insulator and a cold shrinkable premolded rubber unit is applied instead of the combined use of a rubber‐molded stress relief cone, epoxy resin insulator and spring unit. The application of the composite insulator, SF₆ gas and cold shrinkable premolded rubber unit reduces the total weight and makes it possible to install the termination horizontally on the tower. The new‐type outdoor termination for 77‐kV XLPE cable has already been applied in commercial use and enabled a reduction of the construction costs for power transmission lines. A 154‐kV new‐type outdoor termination has been developed and its initial electrical tests were successfully completed. This paper describes the design and performance of both 77‐kV and 154‐kV new‐type outdoor termination, and a follow‐up survey of the 77‐kV new termination in a commercial use. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 159(4): 18– 26, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20511     

Discovering characteristic patterns from collections of classical Japanese poems

Waka is a form of traditional Japanese poetry with a 1300-year history. In this paper, we attempt to discover characteristics common to a collection ofwaka poems. As a schema for characteristics, we use regular patterns where the constant parts are limited to sequences of auxiliary verbs and postpostional particles. We call such patternsfushi. The problem is to automate the process of finding significantfushi patterns that characterize the poems. Solving this problem requires a reliable significance measure for the patterns. Brāzma et al. (1996) proposed such a measure according to the MDL principle. Using this method, we report successful results in finding patterns from five anthologies. Some of the results are quite stimulating, and we hope that they will lead to new discoveries. Mayumi Yamasaki, M.A.: She received her B.E. and M.A. degrees from Kyushu Institute of Technology in 1997 and from Kyushu University in 1999, respectively. Her research interests include machine discovery and datamining. Presently, she works at Fujitsu FIP Corporation. Masayuki Takeda, Dr. Eng.: He is an Associate Professor in Department of informatics at Kyushu University. He received his B.S., M.S., and Dr. Eng. degrees from Kyushu University in 1987, 1989 and 1996 respectively. His present research interests include pattern matching algorithims, text compression, discovery science, information retrieval and natural language processing. He is a member of Information Processing Society of Japan, Japanese Society for Artificial Intelligence and Japanese Society for Soft-ware Science and Technology. Tomoko Fukuda, M.A.: She is a Lecturer at Fukuoka Jo Gakuin University and at Junshin Women’s Junior College, She received her B.A. and M.A. degrees from Fukuoka Women’s University in 1987 and from Kyushu University in 1992 respectively. Her present research interests are in Japanese literature in the Heian period and classical 31-syllable Japanese poems. She is a member of Waka-Bungaku Kai (Society for Study of Japanese Poems) and Chuko-Bungaku Kai (Society for Study of Japanese Literature in the Heian Period). Ichiro Nanri, M.A.: He is an Associate Professor at Junshin Women’s Juior College. He received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Kyushu University in 1990 and 1995 respectively. His present research interests are in Japanese language in the Heian-Kamakura period and classical 31-syllable Japanese poems. He is a member of Kokugo Gakkai (Society for Study of Japanese Language) and Kuntengo Gakkai (Society for Studyy of Old Language).     

Organic LED full-color passive-matrix display

Abstract— A full-color 5.2-inch 1/4-VGA passive-matrix organic LED display has been developed, adopting selective deposition for the different emitting materials. The display features 320 (×3) × 240 pixels with an equivalent pixel size of 0.33 × 0.33 mm, white peak luminance of over 150 cd/m², and power consumption of 6 W.     

Development of a high-efficiency H2 feeder for bioremediation.

An electrochemical dissolved hydrogen feeder equipped with a multi-cathode system and a high-rate recirculation pump was developed in order to examine its feasibility for bioremediation. Results showed that the feeding efficiency was remarkably higher than that in former studies. The reason for the enhanced hydrogen dissolution rate was thought to be due to the large cathode area by applying multiple granular activated carbon electrodes resulting in low current density. Two mass balance equations were formulated and applied to analyze the performance of the apparatus theoretically. The hydrogen dissolution rate calculated from the equations was in fairly good agreement with observed results. It was suggested that the electrochemical H2 feeder would be a competitive alternative as a hydrogen feeding method for bioremediation.     

Suppression of interface degradation in InGaAsP inP buried heterostructure lasers

In InGaAsP/InP buried heterostructure (BH) lasers, the degradation of BH interface between first- and second-growth step layers can be suppressed by employing the melt back process just before the second-step layer growth. It is confirmed this burying process give more reliable BH lasers than the conventional burying process. From the viewpoint of BH interface degradation, lasers lasing at 1.5 μm, where the melt back process naturally occurs during BH formation, are found to be more reliable than those lasing at 1.3 μm.     

High-power 0.98 mu m GaInAs strained quantum well lasers for Er/sup 3+/-doped fibre amplifier

High-power GaInAs strained quantum well lasers with an emission wavelength of 0.98 mu m, suitable for Er/sup 3+/-doped fibre amplifier pumping, have been fabricated. A threshold current of 15 mA and a peak output power as high as 85 mW have been obtained for the ridge waveguide structure with AR/HR facet coating. Highly efficient pumping for the 1.536 mu m signals has been confirmed.<>