Evaluation of an optimal design method for a multilayer perceptron by using the design of experiments

We evaluated the performance of an optimal design method for a multilayer perceptron (MLP) by using the design of experiments (DOE). In our previous work, we proposed an optimal design method for MLPs in order to determine the optimal values of such parameters as the number of neurons in the hidden layers and the learning rates. In this article, we evaluate the performance of the proposed design method through a comparison with a genetic algorithm (GA)-based design method. We target an optimal design of MLPs with six layers. We also evaluate the proposed designed method in terms of calculating the amount of optimization. Through the above-mentioned evaluation and analysis, we aim at improving the proposed design method in order to obtain an optimal MLP with less effort.     

Prowling autonomous mobile robot with a network camera

This research aimed to develop an autonomous mobile robot that helps various kinds of people. The evasion of obstacles is absolutely imperative so that the robot can act in a human-life environment. Therefore, we developed a robot that moves through doors and avoids obstacles with the help of images taken by a camera set on the robot. This work was presented in part at the 13th International Symposium on Artifical Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 31–February 2, 2008     

Thermoelectric properties of Ni- and Zn-doped Nd2CuO4

The electrical resistivity, Seebeck coefficient, and thermal conductivity of Nd₂(Cu_0.98M_0.02)O₄ (M: Ni and Zn) have been measured in the temperature range from room temperature to about 1000 K. Ni- and Zn-doping decreases the electrical resistivity and the absolute values of the Seebeck coefficient. The thermal conductivity decreases with increasing temperature, showing phonon conduction, and also decreases by doping. The power factor of Nd₂(Cu_0.98Ni_0.02)O₄ reaches 1.02×10⁻⁴ W m⁻¹ K⁻² and the figure of merit is 1.35×10⁻⁵ K⁻¹ at 320 K. The relatively low figure of merit compared with that of the state-of-the-art thermoelectric materials is due to the high thermal conductivity.     

Electro‐optic properties of an intrinsic half‐V‐mode FLCD and its application to field‐sequential full‐color LCDs using a poly‐Si TFT matrix array

Abstract— An intrinsic half‐V‐mode ferroelectric liquid‐crystal display (FLCD) exhibiting a high contrast ratio (300:1), owing to defect‐free gray‐scale capability, with a high response speed (τ ? 400 μsec) and good switchability with TFTs, has been developed. Furthermore, this FLCD features high‐temperature reliability owing to the use of a special hybrid alignment technique. We successfully fabricated an active‐matrix poly‐Si TFT field‐sequential full‐color (FS FC) LCD with XGA specifications and a 0.9‐in. diagonal using a half‐V‐mode FLCD and an RGB light‐emitting‐diode (LED) array microdisplay. It is shown that the fabricated active‐matrix FS FCLCD exhibits good moving‐image performance with high full‐color display capability.     

A novel tumor-related protein, C7orf24, identified by proteome differential display of bladder urothelial carcinoma

Proteome analysis of bladder cancer with narrow-range pH 2-DE has identified a novel protein on chromosome 7 encoded by ORF 24 (C7orf24) as one of the highly expressed proteins in cancer cells. C7orf24 is currently registered in the protein database as a hypothetical protein with unknown function. The homologs of C7orf24 in other animals have also been registered as putative protein genes. Western blot analysis using a mAb against C7orf24 confirmed its higher expression in bladder cancer compared with normal tissue. Several other cancer cell lines were also found to express C7orf24. However, the introduction of C7orf24 into Rat-1 or NIH3T3 cells did not cause malignant transformation. A stable transfectant of NIH3T3 cells with recombinant retrovirus vector was produced for a growth rate assay, and a higher growth rate was observed in C7orf24-expressing cells compared with the controls. Six kinds of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) were then produced, and C7orf24-siRNA#5 showed a strong knockdown effect on protein expression and significant antiproliferative effects on cancer cell lines were demonstrated by the MTT assay. Therefore, C7orf24 may have an important role in cancer cell proliferation, and may be an appropriate therapeutic target molecule against cancer.     

Effects of a binder on properties of taeniolite-acriflavine complex films before and after carbonization

Taeniolite-acriflavine complex films (about 10 m in thickness) with less than 2 wt % of aluminium phosphate binder were prepared, followed by heat treatment (carbonization) below 1073 K under nitrogen in order to examine the effects of the binder on properties of the films. The results obtained are as follows.(1) The binder made the film more dense without structural change on X-ray diffraction analysis. (2) The tensile strength of the film, especially after heating to high temperature, was improved by adding the binder. (3) The modulus of toughness was scarcely influenced by the binder. (4) No change was observed in the electric resistivity by adding the binder.     

Sequential method in propositional dynamic logic

Summary Recently prepositional modal logic of programs, called prepositional dynamic logic, has been developed by many authors, following the ideas of Fisher and Ladner [1] and Pratt [12]. The main purpose of this paper is to present a Gentzen-type sequential formulation of this logic and to establish its semantical completeness with due regard to sequential formulation as such. In a sense our sequential formulation might be regarded as a powerful tool to establish the completeness theorem of already familiar axiomatizations of prepositional dynamic logic such as seen in Harel [4], Parikh [11] or Segerberg [15]. Indeed our method is powerful enough in completeness proof to yield a desired structure directly without making a detour through such intermediate constructs as a pseudomodel or a nonstandard structure, which can be seen in Parikh [11]. We also show that our sequential system of prepositional dynamic logic does not enjoy the so-called cut-elimination theorem.     

Ethylene/propylene/5-ethylidene-2-norbornene

Summary Ethylene/propylene/5-ethylidene-2-norbornene(ENB) terpolymerization was carried out with a highly active Ti catalyst system(MgCl₂/TiCl₄/C₆H₅COOC₂H₅ (EB) — AliBu₃/di-iso-amyl ether (IAE)). The obtained terpolymer could be vulcanized with sulfur, but the increase of torque value through the vulcanization measured by curelastometer for the terpolymer obtained with this catalyst was considerably lower than that for the terpolymer obtained with the conventional VOCl₃ catalyst system. It was suggested that lower torque value would be attributed to the heterogeneous diene distribution in the obtained terpolymer, particularly lower ENB content in the high molecular weight fraction.     

Dynamics and control of an activated sludge process as a mixed culture system

One of the difficulties encountered in the operation of an activated sludge process is the phenomenon of bulking sludge. In an activated sludge process which is composed of a completely mixed aeration tank and a sedimentation vessel, the dynamic behavior of the system can be analyzed using a mathematical model. The model developed here is based on the kinetics and settleability of the combination of floc-forming sludge and bulking sludge. The operating conditions that cause the bulking phenomenon are clarified on the phase plane. It is also shown that a type of nonlinear state feedback regulator makes the system stable.     

Preparation of Dense BaTiO3 Ceramics from Sol-Gel-Derived Monolithic Gels

Dense, small-grained BaTiO₃ ceramics, with a grain size around 1 μm and a relative sintered density >98%, were obtained at 1100°C from sol-gel-derived gel monoliths without using any sintering additives. The monolithic gels asprepared had a relative density of about 50% and consisted of ultrafine pseudo-cubic BaTiO₃ particles (<50 nm). These gels, with a significantly high density compared with that of previous ones (∼30%), have been synthesized at room temperature from a sol solution with a concentration of equimolar mixture of titanium isopropoxide and barium ethoxide (0.8 mol/L), using the methanol/2-methoxyethanol mixed-solvent system. Microstructural development of the gel monoliths with increasing sintering temperature and the dielectric properties of the obtained dense BaTiO₃ ceramic have been investigated.