"Residence times difference" fluxgate magnetometers

We present analytical and experimental results on fluxgate magnetometers that make use of a readout technique based on residence times. This approach allows for enhancing sensitivity to weak target signals in particular when the reduction of the sensor dimensions are considered. Our approach, exploiting the inherent nonlinear character of the bistable core dynamics, is based on the time domain characterization of the transitions between the two saturation states of the hysteresis loop that is inherent in the ferromagnetic core dynamics. This readout technique can be implemented with bias signals having lower amplitude and frequency than those used in conventional fluxgate processing schemes, thus reducing the device power requirements. The efficacy of this strategy is shown through an analytical approach and via experimental results which suggests guidelines for optimal device design and realization. The experiments have been carried out on a miniaturized laboratory fluxgate prototype; this device shows numerous desirable characteristics, including very good sensitivity and resolution, as well as ease of operation and a very low cost.     

Readout characteristics of flexible monolithic optical head slider combined with visible laser light guide

Optical near-field recording is a candidate technology for overcoming the diffraction limit of conventional optical recording. In our previous work, we proposed a novel optical head slider for near-field recording that we call a flexible optical head slider. An air-bearing pad pattern is formed on the apex of a cantilever-like polymeric waveguide so that, by using the cantilever itself as the slider suspension, a single body structure incorporates the functions of the flying slider, suspension, and waveguide. This structure can be expected to provide several important advantages by miniaturizing head assemblies; simplifying the assembly and optical trimming processes; and producing a lighter head, thus allowing a wider tracking bandwidth. In this paper, we report the read-out signal evaluation of the flexible optical head slider. Using a slider with a sub-micron sized aperture, read-out of a test metal-patterned ROM (Read Only Memory) disk was successfully demonstrated down to a 0.2 μm linewidth line and space pattern.     

基于三维人脸成像系统的复数域人脸识别方法

三维人脸识别是模式识别和人工智能领域的研究热点。提出了一种利用人脸图像的二维灰度信息和三维深度信息进行人脸识别的算法。首先利用相关型图像传感器构成三维实时人脸成像系统,并将获得的三维人脸物理数据用复数形式表达。再将特征脸（Eigenface）方法和Fisherface方法拓展到复数域,提出了复数域特征脸方法和复数域Fisherface方法。改进的复数域人脸识别方法在三维实时成像系统的人脸数据库中进行的人脸识别实验表明,复数域的三维人脸识别方法明显优于传统的人脸识别方法。     

Uterine Deletion of Bmal1 Impairs Placental Vascularization and Induces Intrauterine Fetal Death in Mice

Recently, it was demonstrated that the expression of BMAL1 was decreased in the endometrium of women suffering from recurrent spontaneous abortion. To investigate the pathological roles of uterine clock genes during pregnancy, we produced conditional deletion of uterine Bmal1 (cKO) mice and found that cKO mice could receive embryo implantation but not sustain pregnancy. Gene ontology analysis of microarray suggested that uterine NK (uNK) cell function was suppressed in cKO mice. Histological examination revealed the poor formation of maternal vascular spaces in the placenta. In contrast to WT mice, uNK cells in the spongiotrophoblast layer, where maternal uNK cells are directly in contact with fetal trophoblast, hardly expressed an immunosuppressive NK marker, CD161, in cKO mice. By progesterone supplementation, pregnancy could be sustained until the end of pregnancy in some cKO mice. Although this treatment did not improve the structural abnormalities of the placenta, it recruited CD161-positive NK cells into the spongiotrophoblast layer in cKO mice. These findings indicate that the uterine clock system may be critical for pregnancy maintenance after embryo implantation.     

Development of biobased microwave absorbing composites with various magnetic metals and carbons

The preparation and characterization of a biobased electromagnetic absorbing composites derived from natural lacquer as a renewable resource with microwave‐absorption fillers, including Ni–Zn ferrite and carbonyl iron (CI) as magnetic metals and soot and carbon nanotube (CNT) as carbon materials, were investigated in terms of the gel content, hardness, drying properties, and electromagnetic absorption properties. Interestingly, composites with ferrite and CI contained up to 320 and 550 wt %, respectively, of these compounds. This quite high loading capacity of the metal fillers in a natural‐lacquer base could have been due to the high compatibility between the filler and the natural lacquer; this indicated that the natural lacquer worked as a binder for these metals. The morphology of the biobased composite was characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The electromagnetic absorption properties of composites were characterized in the frequency range from 0.05 and 20 GHz by the reflection loss (RL) measurement method in terms of the kind of fillers and filler loading. The natural lacquer did not affect the absorption properties of the fillers. Biobased composites showed over 99% electromagnetic absorption in the frequency range 3.0–4.0 GHz for 280 wt % ferrite and 8.9–9.7 GHz for 200 wt % CI. Conversely, 10 and 20 wt % soot exhibited good performance (RL < ?20 dB) between 16.5 and 17.3 and between 8.8 and 9.2 GHz, respectively. The areas with RL values of less than ?20 dB of the CNT composites were 10.4–11.0 GHz for 5 wt % and 14.6–15.2 GHz for 10 wt %. Hence, natural lacquer can be used as a binder material for electromagnetic absorption composites. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 44131.     

Mutation Analysis of Radioresistant Early-Stage Cervical Cancer

Radiotherapy is a definitive treatment for early-stage cervical cancer; however, a subset of this disease recurs locally, necessitating establishment of predictive biomarkers and treatment strategies. To address this issue, we performed gene panel-based sequencing of 18 stage IB cervical cancers treated with definitive radiotherapy, including two cases of local recurrence, followed by in vitro and in silico analyses. Simultaneous mutations in KRAS and SMAD4 (KRAS^mt/SMAD4^mt) were detected only in a local recurrence case, indicating potential association of this mutation signature with radioresistance. In isogenic cell-based experiments, a combination of activating KRAS mutation and SMAD4 deficiency led to X-ray resistance, whereas either of these factors alone did not. Analysis of genomic data from 55,308 cancers showed a significant trend toward co-occurrence of mutations in KRAS and SMAD4. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis of the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia dataset suggested upregulation of the pathways involved in epithelial mesenchymal transition and inflammatory responses in KRAS^mt/SMAD4^mt cancer cells. Notably, irradiation with therapeutic carbon ions led to robust killing of X-ray-resistant KRAS^mt/SMAD4^mt cancer cells. These data indicate that the KRAS^mt/SMAD4^mt signature is a potential predictor of radioresistance, and that carbon ion radiotherapy is a potential option to treat early-stage cervical cancers with the KRAS^mt/SMAD4^mt signature.     

Heat-moisture treatment of high-amylose corn starch increases dietary fiber content and lowers plasma cholesterol in ovariectomized rats

ABSTRACT:  The effect of dietary high-amylose corn starch (HACS) of varying dietary fiber (DF) content on plasma cholesterol was examined in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. Gelatinized normal corn starch (G-CS) was used as a reference. OVX rats were fed a fiber-free purified diet containing G-CS, HACS, gelatinized high-amylose corn starch (G-HACS), or heat-moisture treated HACS (HM-HACS) at 400 g starch/kg diet for 21 d. The DF content of G-CS, HACS, G-HACS, and HM-HACS measured by the AOAC method was 0.1, 19.3, 2.4, and 64.5 g/100 g, respectively. The dry weight of cecal contents, cecal wall weight, the amount of short chain fatty acids in cecal contents, the amount of bile acids in small intestinal contents, and fecal excretion of neutral sterols increased logarithmically with increasing DF, while total plasma cholesterol concentration decreased. On the other hand, hepatic CYP7A1 activity, fecal dry weight, and fecal excretion of bile acids increased linearly with increasing DF, while body weight gain decreased. The hypocholesterolemic effect of HACS in OVX-rats appeared to be more effective by heat-moisture treatment.     

Crack-Healing Behavior of Si3N4/SiC Ceramics under Cyclic Stress and Resultant Fatigue Strength at the Healing Temperature

Si₃N₄/SiC composite ceramics were sintered and subjected to three-point bending. A semi-elliptical surface crack of 100 μm surface length was made on each specimen. The crack-healing behavior under cyclic stress of 5 Hz, and resultant cyclic fatigue strengths at healing temperatures of 1100° and 1200°C, were systematically investigated. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) Si₃N₄/SiC composite ceramics have an excellent ability to heal a crack at 1100° and 1200°C. (2) This sample could heal a crack even under cyclic stress at a frequency of 5 Hz. (3) The crack-healed sample exhibited quite high cyclic fatigue strength at each crack-healing temperature, 1100° and 1200°C.     

Solubility of NiO in Al2O3

Solubility of NiO in Al₂O₃ was determined by electron probe microanalysisy A diffusion couple method was used by coupling an NiO-doped Al₂O₃ polycrystal to a pure single crystal of Al₂O₃. The solubility of NiO in Al₂O₃ in air was 230 wt ppm (157 at. ppm of cations) and 170 wt ppm (116 at. ppm) at 2073 and 1973 K, respectively. The solubility of NiO in Al₂O₃ obtained in this work was compared with our previous work of the solubility of MgO in Al₂o₃.