Reliability of multilayer ceramic capacitors with nickel electrodes

The reliability of multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) with Ni internal electrodes has been studied trom the viewpoint of partial oxygen pressure (P_O2) during firing. It is shown that the load-life time of the insulation resistance (1R) was prolonged by firing under low Po₂ annealing after firing, and the addition of dopants. It is also shown that the generation of oxygen vacancies led to the degradation of IR. Annealing treatment for the oxidation of the dielectric body accelerates the dielectric aging of MLCCs. It is found that the appropriate control of the P_O2 during firing can improve the reliability of MLCCs with Ni electrodes to a level as high as that of MLCCs with precious metal electrodes. Thus, we have developed an MLCC with Ni electrodes that features high reliability and a large capacitance of 10 μF for the Y5V characteristic and 4.7 μF for the X7R characteristic, both in the case of the C3216 (3.2 mm × 1.6 mm × 1.4 mm) form.     

Suppression of inducible nitric oxide synthase expression and amelioration of lipopolysaccharide-induced liver injury by polyphenolic compounds in Eucalyptus globulus leaf extract

Eucalyptus leaf extract (ELE) is rich in hydrolyzable tannins. We examined the effects of ELE and its constituents on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced liver injury in mice. Mice fed a diet supplemented with 1% ELE were intraperitoneally administered LPS. Six hours later, the serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities were significantly lower in the ELE-supplemented mice than in the controls; LPS-induced hepatic inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression was also suppressed. ELE lowered LPS-stimulated iNOS expression in cultured RAW 264.7 macrophages. Furthermore, the aglycones of hydrolyzable tannins, gallic acid (GA) and ellagic acid (EA), inhibited iNOS induction to a greater extent than did ELE (15-fold higher). When mice were fed a 1% GA or EA diet, the increase in the serum ALT and AST activities and hepatic iNOS expression in response to the LPS challenge were significantly attenuated. Thus, hydrolyzable tannins in ELE ameliorate LPS-induced liver injury.     

Toward a multi-culture adaptive virtual tour guide agent with a modular approach

Embodied conversational agents (ECAs) are computer-generated, human-like characters that interact with human users in face-to-face conversations. ECA is a powerful tool for representing cultural differences and is suitable for interactive training or edutainment systems. This article presents preliminary results from the development of a culture-adaptive virtual tour guide agent for serving Japanese, Croatian, and general Western users by displaying appropriate verbal and non-verbal behaviors. It is being implemented in Generic ECA Framework, a modular framework for developing ECAs. Dividing the ECA functions into reusable and loosely coupled modules minimizes the effort required to implement additional behavior and facilitates incremental scale up of the system.     

循环荷载下圆柱和I型钢筋混凝土剪力墙的能量消耗与损伤分析

采用非线性有限元方法,对循环荷载下圆柱和Ⅰ型钢筋混凝土剪力墙进行试验,通过能量消耗分析评估其损伤。首先,通过对荷载-位移关系、裂缝情况的研究以及经过分析所得的总应变能与试验加载能量的比较,验证分析方法的有效性。其次,对能量消耗分布以及钢筋和混凝土的配置进行研究。研究表明:能量消耗是评估剪力墙损伤的有效方法。     

In vitro construction and screening of a Burkholderia cepacia lipase library using single-molecule PCR and cell-free protein synthesis

A mutant library of Burkholderia cepacia lipase KWI-56 was constructed on microplates by a cell-free process and tested with a chromogenic assay. This high-throughput construction system can be used to screen mutant proteins based on their catalytic activity.     

Self-organizing network services with evolutionary adaptation

This paper proposes a novel framework for developing adaptive and scalable network services. In the proposed framework, a network service is implemented as a group of autonomous agents that interact in the network environment. Agents in the proposed framework are autonomous and capable of simple behaviors (e.g., replication, migration, and death). In this paper, an evolutionary adaptation mechanism is designed using genetic algorithms (GAs) for agents to evolve their behaviors and improve their fitness values (e.g., response time to a service request) to the environment. The proposed framework is evaluated through simulations, and the simulation results demonstrate the ability of autonomous agents to adapt to the network environment. The proposed framework may be suitable for disseminating network services in dynamic and large-scale networks where a large number of data and services need to be replicated, moved, and deleted in a decentralized manner.     

Novel Phase Transition in BaPr2Mn2O7

The rare earth manganite BaLn2Mn2O7 (Ln=rare earth element) has a Sr3Ti2O7-type layered perovskite structure with double-block oxygen octahedra belonging to the Ruddlesden-Popper-type homologous series AO(ABO3)2. In Pr-manganite, a novel phase transition was first observed in situ at 1040 K by a thermal transmission electron microscope. At 1040 K, reflections began to split along the c-direction in the selected area diffraction pattern. This indicates that a new phase appears in the original phase matrix; the c length of the new phase is 1.5% longer than that of the original phase. After about 5 min, the original phase disappears. No change in the crystal symmetry (space group I4/mmm) is observed above 1040 K.     

Formalization and Analysis of Class Loading in Java

Since Java security relies on the type-safety of the JVM, many formal approaches have been taken in order to prove the soundness of the JVM. This paper presents a new formalization of the JVM and proves its soundness. It is the first model to employ dynamic linking and bytecode verification to analyze the loading constraint scheme of Java2. The key concept required for proving the soundness of the new model is augmented value typing, which is defined from ordinary value typing combined with the loading constraint scheme. In proving the soundness of the model, it is shown that there are some problems inside the current reference implementation of the JVM with respect to our model. We also analyze the findClass scheme, newly introduced in Java2. The same analysis also shows why applets cannot exploit the type-spoofing vulnerability reported by Saraswat, which led to the introduction of the loading constraint scheme.