Single-crystal growth and characterization of Cu2O and CuO

We have prepared a large number of crystals of cuprous oxide (Cu2O) by various procedures. Photoluminescence spectra of these crystals were studied to examine the concentration of defects, especially copper vacancy VCu to seek favourable conditions for growing Cu2O crystal. High-quality single crystals of Cu2O were prepared by the floating-zone melting method in air. Several synthetic crystals (specimens FA, FZ and GZ) and also a natural crystal were studied by X-ray analysis, inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy analysis, optical absorption, photoluminescence, photoconductivity and cyclotron resonance absorption, photoluminescence, photoconductivity and cyclotron resonance absorption to characterize their optical and electrical qualities. The best values of mobility and scattering time of photocarriers at T = 4.2 K are estimated to be h1.8 × 105 cm2 V–1 s–1 and h60 ps for positive holes, and 1.3 × 105 cm2 V–1 s–1 and 70 ps for electrons in Cu2O. Further, we report preliminary experimental results on transport property of crystals also of cupric oxide (CuO) purified by the floating-zone melting method.     

Thermal conductivity and phonon scattering mechanisms in La#x2212;x#x2212;x#x2212;xMxCuO4

The thermal conductivity of high density La_2–xM_xCuO₄ (M=Ba, Sr) sintered materials was measured between 15K and 150K for the various concentrations of Ba and the phonon thermal conductivity was analyzed comparing with that of Nd_2–xCe_xCuO₄. The pretty large value for pure La₂CuO₄ was drastically diminished by substituting La by a small amount of Ba atoms especially at low temperatures. It was found that a new type of the phonon scattering center such as a two-level tunneling must be taken account of in order to explain the observed reduction.     

A Hilbert warping method for handwriting gesture recognition

We propose a novel sequence alignment algorithm for recognizing handwriting gestures by a camera. In the proposed method, an input image sequence is aligned to the reference sequences by phase-synchronization of analytic signals which are transformed from original feature values. A cumulative distance is calculated simultaneously with the alignment process, and then used for the classification. A major benefit of this method is that over-fitting to sequences of incorrect categories is restricted. The proposed method exhibited higher recognition accuracy in handwriting gesture recognition, compared with the conventional dynamic time warping method which explores optimal alignment results for all categories.     

A reduction method of dynamic false contour utilizing the frame‐rate‐control method with suppression of the side effect on PDPs

Abstract— The plasma‐display panel (PDP) is a type of flat‐panel display that can display a high‐quality image. However, when moving images are displayed, annoying disturbances such as false contour noise occurs. This noise is called dynamic false contour (DFC). To achieve a higher‐quality image, DFC has to be reduced. Therefore, a new method to reduce DFC is proposed. To find a way to reduce DFC, a new evaluation value for it has been defined: the evaluation value of dynamic false contour (EVDFC). This value is defined on the basis of a person's subjective evaluation. By applying this value, the cause that generates DFC can be identified. On the basis of these studies, a new method for reducing DFC by applying frame‐rate control (FRC) with suppression of the side effect is proposed. This improved method can be used to provide high‐quality images.     

CuO/SnO2-In2O3 sensor for monitoring CO concentration in a reducing atmosphere

The CO sensing property of CuO-loaded SnO₂-In₂O₃ sensor was investigated in a reducing atmosphere. The sensor response to CO for CuO/SnO₂-In₂O₃ (8/2) was much higher than that for CuO/SnO₂ in the range of 200-1000 ppm of CO concentration. Such a high sensor response of CuO/SnO₂-In₂O₃ may originate from the high dispersion of CuO playing a role as sensing site.     

Properties of variations in the periods of ring neural oscillators with noise

Effects of additive noise on a series of the periods of oscillations in unidirectionally coupled ring neural networks of ring oscillator type are studied. Kinematical models of the traveling waves of an inconsistency, i.e. the successive same signs in the states of adjacent neurons in the network, are derived. A series of the half periods in the network of N neuron is then expressed by the sum of N sequences of the N-first order autoregressive process, the process with the spectrum of exponential type and the first-order autoregressive process. Noise and the interaction of the inconsistency cause characteristic positive correlations in a series of the half periods of the oscillations. Further, an experiment on an analog circuit of the ring neural oscillator was done and it is shown that correlations in the obtained periods of the oscillations agree with the derived three expressions.     

Damage to seagrass and seaweed beds in Matsushima Bay,Japan, caused by the huge tsunami of the Great East Japan Earthquake on 11 March 2011

Damage to seagrass and seaweed beds caused by the huge tsunami of the Great East Japan Earthquake on 11 March 2011 was investigated in Matsushima Bay, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, by comparing satellite images taken before the tsunami in November 2009 and after the tsunami in May 2011. The results showed that the tsunami destroyed 220 ha of seagrass and seaweed beds, from 320 ha in 2009 to 100 ha just after the tsunami. Zostera marina beds on the sandy and muddy bottom were rather severely damaged compared with brown seaweed beds of Sargassum horneri on the rocky substrate. Substrates of the beds and directions of the tsunami seem to be responsible for the magnitude of the damage to the beds. Maps of the spatial distributions of the beds before and after the tsunami can provide information for the restoration of seagrass and seaweed beds as natural infrastructures of coastal fisheries resources.     

Slow eye movement as a possible predictor of reaction delays to auditory warning alarms in a drowsy state

In recently developed intelligent vehicles, warning alarms are often used to prompt avoidance behaviours from drivers facing imminent hazardous situations. However, when critical reaction delays to auditory stimulation are anticipated, the alarm should be activated earlier to compensate for such delays. It was found that reaction times to an auditory stimulus significantly increased in the presence of slow eye movement (SEM), which is known to occur frequently during the wake-sleep transition. The reaction delay could not be attributed to temporal effects such as fatigue and was invariant regardless of response effectors (finger or foot). Moreover, it was found that applied pedal force decreased immediately after an auditory stimulus interrupted SEM. Consequently, it was concluded that SEM can be a good predictor of reaction delays to auditory warning alarms when drivers are in a drowsy state. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: The present study demonstrated that simple auditory reaction time significantly increased when SEM emerged. In the design of vehicle safety systems using warning alarms to prompt avoidance behaviours from drivers, such reaction delays during SEM must be taken into account.