A brainlike learning system with supervised,unsupervised, and reinforcement learning

According to Hebb's cell assembly theory, the brain has the capability of function localization. On the other hand, it is suggested that in the brain there are three different learning paradigms: supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning, which are related deeply to the three parts of brain: cerebellum, cerebral cortex, and basal ganglia, respectively. Inspired by the above knowledge of the brain in this paper we present a brainlike learning system consisting of three parts: supervised learning (SL) part, unsupervised learning (UL) part, and reinforcement learning (RL) part. The SL part is a main part learning input–output mapping; the UL part is a competitive network dividing input space into subspaces and realizes the capability of function localization by controlling firing strength of neurons in the SL part based on input patterns; the RL part is a reinforcement learning scheme, which optimizes system performance by adjusting the parameters in the UL part. Numerical simulations have been carried out and the simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed brainlike learning system. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 162(1): 32–39, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20600     

A novel method for induction and detection of anaphylactic reaction using the mouse abdominal wall (AW method)

We found that an antigen-specific anaphylaxis was induced by antigen challenge to the abdominal wall, ear auricle, or subcutaneous tissue in mice sensitized 9 days previously with antigen and adjuvant. The anaphylactic reaction was detected by vascular permeability at the injected site 7 minutes after challenge, which was the best time for estimation. A novel method (AW method) for induction and detection of the anaphylactic reaction in mice was established using the abdominal wall as the challenge site. This method could detect the anaphylactic response in mice 1 to 3 weeks after sensitization. The increase in vascular permeability was completely inhibited by administration of diphenhydramine.     

Design study of PbBi- and NaK-cooled small deep sea fast reactors

The liquid lead-bismuth eutectic (PbBi) has good compatibility with water, which is different from sodium. It is expected that the PbBi could be used as a coolant of the deep sea fast reactor (DSFR). Physics analysis of the PbBi-cooled small reactor cores with and without inner control rods performed using the computer program of a neutronics code system (SRAC95) shows that PbBi is suitable for the coolant of small reactors as well as NaK.     

Noninvasive Measurement of the Volume Elastic Modulus in Finger Arteries Using Photoelectric Plethysmography

A method for the nonivasive measurement of the volume elastic modulus (Ev) in human finger arteries was developed. The volume change ratio and pulse pressure in the arteries were simultaneously determined by a transmittance type infrared photoelectric plethysmograph and a volume oscillometric sphygmomanometer using an occlusive cuff. The Ev values could be obtained at a desired transmural pressure level of the arteries which was controlled by the cuff. A clear difference was revealed between the Ev values obtained in the fingers of two male subjects of 33 and 65 years old. The values determined by this method were compared to those calculated from pulse wave propagation velocity (Evp) obtained simultaneously in the fingers of 11 subjects. The linear regression equation was Ev = 1.31 Evp ?0.117 with a correlation coefficient r = 0.893 (n = 39). These results suggest that this should be a useful and noninvasive method of evaluating changes in arterial elasticity accompanying aging and perhaps influenced by accompanying hypertension or arteriosclerosis.     

Fir laser emissions from population inversion transition by TEA-CO2 laser pumping

In this paper, the numerical analysis is given which is applicable for a TEA-CO₂ laser pumping in search of effective pumping method. The analysis also can estimate the optimum pressure for a given molecule and a given pulse laser. Also we report in this work many FIR laser emissions from population inversion transition which have never observed before using a TEA-CO₂ laser.     

Improved Filtration Performance of Continuous Alumina-fiber-reinforced Mullite Composites for Hot-Gas Cleaning

The effect of filtration layer morphology on filtration performance at 673 K was investigated for continuous alumina-fiber-reinforced mullite composite filters that capture fly ash on their outer surfaces. Two types of filtration layers were prepared on the outer surfaces: a mono-layer consisting of mullite agglomerated particulates and a bi-layer, with mullite whiskers formed by a vapor-phase reaction and strongly adhered to the particulates exposed on the outer surfaces. For filters with mono-filtration layers, the filtration efficiency was improved slightly by increasing the filtration layer thickness. However, the maximum differential pressure increased during the filtration tests. Adhesion of whiskers to the outer surface decreased the maximum differential pressure to about one-third less than that with the mono-filtration layer. This low differential pressure remained constant throughout the duration of the test, with corresponding increases in filtration efficiency.