Preparation of spinel-type ferrite thin films by the dip-coating process and their magnetic properties

Films of spinel-type ferrite, MFe₂O₄ (M=Ni, Co, Mg, Li_0.5Fe_0.5) have been prepared by a dip-coating method from the sol-gel process. Ferric nitrate, nickel nitrate, cobalt nitrate and lithium nitrate were used as raw materials, and glycerol and formamide were used as solvents. A film was prepared by dipping a silica glass plate. The spinel-type ferrite was obtained by heat-treatment at 700–900°C for 2 h in air. The film thickness was about 0.8 m. The saturation magnetization, _r, of the film and powder with composition 50NiO·50Fe₂O₃ was 196 emu cm^–3 and 29.1 emu g^–1, respectively, and the coercive force,H _c, was 140 and 95 Oe, respectively, after heat-treatment at 800°C for 2 h. In particular, the films were shown to have a much largerH _c than the powder. The grain growth of spinel ferrite may be subject to restriction because it is in progress above an amorphous base-plate. The crystals are therefore aligned with the base-plate and have uniaxial anisotropy.     

A photoimmobilizable sulfobetaine-based polymer for a nonbiofouling surface

A novel photoreactive polymer containing sulfobetaine polar groups was prepared by copolymerization of two kinds of methacrylic acids with sulfobetaine and azidoaniline. The polymer was photoimmobilized on polyester and polystyrene surfaces. Its effects on surface modification were investigated from its interactions with water, proteins and cells. Polymer immobilization altered both of the plain surfaces to becoming hydrophilic in a similar range of static contact angles (12.5 ± 1.6° on polyester and 14.7 ± 2.2° on polystyrene). This suggests that the surfaces were covered with sulfobetaine polar groups. Micropattern immobilization was carried out on both polymers using a photomask. The formed pattern was identical to the photomask, showing that the polymer was formed in response to ultraviolet irradiation. Measurements using atomic force microscopy showed that the polymer was formed at a thickness of 550 nm, demonstrating that the polymer was cross-linked with itself and with the substrate molecules. Measurements using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry detected an abundance of sulfur-containing ions in the patterned polymer, confirming that sulfobetaine had been immobilized. Protein adsorption and mammalian cell adhesiveness were reduced markedly on the immobilized regions. The reduction of cell adhesiveness was concentration-dependent for the immobilized polymer on polyester surfaces. In conclusion, a novel sulfobetaine-containing polymer was immobilized photoreactively on conventional polymer surfaces and significantly reduced interactions with proteins and mammalian cells.     

Neocognitron: A new algorithm for pattern recognition tolerant of deformations and shifts in position

Suggested by the structure of the visual nervous system, a new algorithm is proposed for pattern recognition. This algorithm can be realized with a multilayered network consisting of neuron-like cells. The network, “neocognitron”, is self-organized by unsupervised learning, and acquires the ability to recognize stimulus patterns according to the differences in their shapes: Any patterns which we human beings judge to be alike are also judged to be of the same category by the neocognitron. The neocognitron recognizes stimulus patterns correctly without being affected by shifts in position or even by considerable distortions in shape of the stimulus patterns.