Synthesis of PbTiO3 film on LaNiO3-coated substrate by the spray-ICP technique

In an attempt to utilize LaNiO₃ as a bottom electrode for PbTiO₃ ferroelectric film, PbTiO₃ and LaNiO₃ films were prepared by the spray-ICP technique under atmospheric pressure. The dense LaNiO₃ films crystallized with preferred (1 1 1) and (1 0 0) orientations on sapphire (0 0 1) and MgO (1 0 0), respectively. Resistivities of the LaNiO₃ films deposited above 600 °C were about 4 × 10^–6 m. The PbTiO₃ film with preferred (001) orientation was successfully prepared on LaNiO₃-coated MgO (1 0 0). Its dielectric constant and dissipation factor were about 200 and 0.02, respectively, at 1 kHz. The Curie temperature suggested that PbTiO₃ films were free from contamination by LaNiO₃.     

Diffusion bonding of ceramics: mullite,ZrO2-toughened mullite

Diffusion bonding of fine-grained mullite and ZrO₂-toughened mullite was performed in the temperature range from 1500 to 1550 °C in air. Uniaxial pressure was applied at high temperature during the bonding process. The surface roughness to be bonded (R _max) was about 3 m. Bonding strength was measured by four-point bending tests and the strength of the base material was measured by three-point bending tests. The effects on the bonding strength of bonding conditions such as temperature and applied strain were examined. Bonding strength increased with increasing bonding temperature and applied strain. The bonding strength of mullite and ZrO₂-toughened mullite was about 80% of the strength of the base material before bonding. The bonding strength of mullite was maintained up to 1000 °C.     

An effective constructive heuristic for permutation flow shop scheduling problem with total flow time criterion

This article addresses the permutation flow-shop scheduling problem with total flow time minimization criterion. The problem is proved to be NP-hard; thus, the development of heuristic methods that provide high-quality solutions with computational efficiency are the motivating aspects for the development of this research. In this article, a new simple constructive heuristic method has been proposed to solve the problem. Initially, an extensive literature review with key methods was performed for analysis, comparison, and evaluation. Then, a new simple heuristic method has been proposed and evaluated by means of extensive computational experiments. The results showed that the proposed method provides high-quality solutions with computational efficiency, significantly outperforming the best simple heuristics found in the literature.     

Performance of the efficacy enhancement layer using nano‐particles in PDPs

Abstract— A nano‐particle dielectric layer was experimentally placed between a conventional dielectric layer and a MgO thin film. This greatly reduces the discharge current and enhances high luminous efficacy. The current reduction might reflect a capacitance reduction in the entire dielectric layer due to the extremely low permittivity of the nano‐particle layer which includes a large amount of space. The luminous efficacy is improved more than what is expected because of the reduction in capacitance. The layer affects the MgO film properties such as crystal growth size, orientation, cathode luminescence, and exo‐electron emission. As a result, it improves the statistical delay in addressing. This might be caused by the large crystal growth of MgO due to the surface roughness of the nano‐particle layer underneath. The particle size required to optimize the roughness of the large growth is about 10–50 nm. The rise in the discharge voltage accompanied by the nano‐particle layer insertion is improved when the layer is properly patterned. A reduction in luminance is prevented when it is patterned in narrow lines along the X—Y gaps while the improvement in address delay strongly depends on the areal ratio of the nano‐particle layer.     

Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)‐Targeted,Galectin‐Mediated Retrograde Transport by Using a HaloTag Carrier Protein

Investigations into metabolic processes within the cell have often relied on genetic methods such as forced expression and knockout or knockdown techniques. An alternative approach would be introducing a molecule into the desired location inside the cell. To translocate compounds from outside cells into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), we constructed a delivery carrier protein. This comprised N‐terminal galectin‐1 for cell‐surface binding (G1), a protease cleavable sequence (ps), a HaloTag domain for attaching exogenous compounds (Halo), and a C‐terminal KDEL sequence for ER retention. Fluorescently labeled G1‐ps‐Halo‐KDEL passed through the Golgi apparatus and reached the ER. By using Man₉GlcNAc₂‐BODIPY as a cargo compound, the carrier protein was also delivered into the ER with concomitant processing of mannose to Man_5,6, by the ER‐resident α1,2‐mannosidase. G1‐ps‐Halo‐KDEL might serve as a new type of delivery carrier protein to direct compounds into the ER.     

Absolute-length determination of a long-baseline Fabry-Perot cavity by means of resonating modulation sidebands

A new method has been demonstrated for absolute-length measurements of a long-baseline Fabry-Perot cavity by use of phase-modulated light. This method is based on determination of a free spectral range (FSR) of the cavity from the frequency difference between a carrier and phase-modulation sidebands, both of which resonate in the cavity. Sensitive response of the Fabry-Perot cavity near resonant frequencies ensures accurate determination of the FSR and thus of the absolute length of the cavity. This method was applied to a 300-m Fabry-Perot cavity of the TAMA gravitational wave detector that is being developed at the National Astronomical Observatory, Tokyo. With a modulation frequency of ~12 MHz, we successfully determined the absolute cavity length with resolution of 1 mum (3 x 10(-9) in strain) and observed local ground strain variations of 6 x 10(-8).     

Distribution of hydroxyapatite crystallite orientation and ultrasonic wave velocity in ring-shaped cortical bone of bovine femur

At the nanoscopic level, bone consists of calcium phosphate, which forms incomplete hydroxyapatite (HAp) crystals. The preferred orientation of the c-axis of HAp crystallites induces anisotropy and inhomogeneity of elastic properties in bone. In this study, the effect of the preferred orientation of HAp crystallites on the spatial distribution of ultrasonic wave velocity was experimentally investigated, considering bone mineral density (BMD) and microstructure. Three ring-shaped cortical bone samples were made from a 36-month-old bovine femur. Longitudinal wave velocity was measured by a conventional ultrasonic pulse system, using self-made polyvinylidene fluoride transducers. The integrated intensity of the (0002) peak obtained using X-ray diffraction was estimated to evaluate the amount of preferred orientation. The velocity distribution pattern was similar to the distribution of integrated intensity of (0002). The effect of the preferred orientation of HAp crystallites on velocity was clearly observed in the plexiform structure, despite the fact that the BMD value was almost independent of the preferred orientation of HAp crystallites. Velocity measurement of cortical bone can reveal information about HAp crystallite orientation.