Demonstration of 100 Gbps optical packet switching using header processor based on 48-bit longest prefix matching

Wire-rate packet processing and its energy saving for over 100 Gbps speed of line are major issues to be resolved in optical packet switching (OPS) networks. For that purpose, we newly develop a high-speed, deterministic-latency electronic header processor based on longest prefix matching (LPM) for searching optical packet destination addresses (OP-DAs). This paper reports the successful experimental results of electronic header processing based on LPM search of up to 48 bits and optical switching of 100 Gbps optical packets by the use of the header processor. We demonstrate 48-bit LPM-capable optical packet switching. We also demonstrate IP packet transfer and 32-bit LPM-capable optical packet switching. In the latter demonstration, the 32-bit OP-DA of optical packets is directly copied from the 32-bit destination address of Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) packets. This result indicates that OPS networks can be deployed with electronic IP networks by the use of integrated network operation between OPS and IP networks.     

Effect of probe arrangement on reproducibility of images by near-infrared topography evaluated by a virtual head phantom

The effect of the probe arrangement on the reproducibility of topographic images of the concentration changes in oxygenated hemoglobin and deoxygenated hemoglobin is evaluated by a virtual head phantom. A virtual head phantom consists of five types of tissue the 3D structure of which is based on a magnetic resonance imaging scan of an adult head. Localized and broadened brain activation is assumed in a virtual head phantom. The topographic images are obtained from the reflectance detected by the standard probe arrangement and the double-density probe arrangement. The uneven thickness of the superficial layer, which cannot be evaluated by the previous slab model, affects the distribution of measured activation in the topographic image, and this reduces the position reproducibility of near-infrared (NIR) topography with the standard probe arrangement. The overlapping measurements by the double-density probe arrangement can improve the reproducibility of the image obtained by NIR topography.     

Extracellular Vesicles Taken up by Astrocytes

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are composed of lipid bilayer membranes and contain various molecules, such as mRNA and microRNA (miRNA), that regulate the functions of the recipient cell. Recent studies have reported the importance of EV-mediated intercellular communication in the brain. The brain contains several types of cells, including neurons and glial cells. Among them, astrocytes are the most abundant glial cells in the mammalian brain and play a wide range of roles, from structural maintenance of the brain to regulation of neurotransmission. Furthermore, since astrocytes can take up EVs, it is possible that EVs originating from inside and outside the brain affect astrocyte function, which in turn affects brain function. However, it has not been fully clarified whether the specific targeting mechanism of EVs to astrocytes as recipient cells exists. In recent years, EVs have attracted attention as a cell-targeted therapeutic approach in various organs, and elucidation of the targeting mechanism of EVs to astrocytes may pave the way for new therapies for brain diseases. In this review, we focus on EVs in the brain that affect astrocyte function and discuss the targeting mechanism of EVs to astrocytes.     

The effect of a new type of pin mixing section on the performance of a single-screw extruder

The effect of a holed-pin mixing section on the performance of a single screw extruder was investigated and compared with a free flight and a normal pin mixing section, using a practical single-screw extruder. The effect of axial distance between two pins in a holed-pin mixing section on performance was also studied. Mixing ability was quantified using the statistical approach of carbon black concentration distribution in the extruded film mixed with a carbon black masterbatch. The results indicate that a free flight gives the lowest melt temperature rise, pressure drop, and driver power, but the worst mixing; a holed-pin mixing section has better mixing ability, lower melt temperature rise, and lower driver power than a normal pin mixing section does; the value of the pressure drop of the two types of pin mixing sections is approximately identical. A longer axial distance between the two pins in a holed-pin mixing section gives better mixing and lower melt temperature rise than a shorter one; however, when the distance is longer than a critical value, the improvement of mixing is not so outstanding; for different axial distances between two pins, no great change in pressure drop was found and the extrusion throughput has almost no great relation to the axial distance.     

Characteristics of bifacial solar cells under bifacial illumination with various intensity levels

The characteristics of bifacial solar cells with different rear structures were investigated under front, rear and bifacial illumination with an intensity of 0.4–4.2 suns. Five kinds of solar cells, rear flat local‐BSF cells, rear textured local‐BSF cells (textured RLB cells), rear total‐BSF cells, rear floating‐emitter cells, and triode cells with double‐sided junctions, were tested. The I–V characteristics of the cells under bifacial illumination were measured with a newly designed measurement system that simultaneously illuminated both surfaces of the cells. In the short‐circuit current (J_SC) and the saturation current evaluations, the bifacial illumination effect, which means that the power output of the cell is intrinsically improved by adding rear illumination, was not observed. Although the RLB cells showed a nonlinear increase in J_SC and enhanced V_OC, these increases did not make a practical contribution to extra output because of the low levels of these characteristics. When we evaluated the maximum output power, the bifacial illumination effect was only observed in the triode cell. A triode cell can decrease resistive loss by introducing light from both surfaces, compared with a conventional cell with one junction. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fin efficiency of serrated fins: Part 1. Analysis of theoretical fin efficiency and experimental results

The fin efficiency of serrated fins was analyzed, and an analytical solution was derived as a function of modified Bessel functions. Two assumptions, i.e., thermal insulation at the end surfaces of segmented sections, and a uniform heat transfer coefficient over the fin surface, were employed in this analysis. To determine the effect of these assumptions, a heat transfer experiment was performed. From a comparison of the experimentally evaluated fin efficiencies with the analytical solution, a correction factor was obtained for a typical serrated fin configuration. © 1999 Scripta Technica, Heat Trans Asian Res, 28(6): 528–540, 1999     

Uniaxial elongational viscosity of various molten polymer composites

Uniaxial elongational viscosity of low density polyethylene (LDPE) that was filled with glass bead, glass flake, talc, or glass fiber was measured. The effect of various inorganic fillers on the strain-hardening property in elongational viscosity was investigated. The strain-hardening property of LDPE became weaker by the addition of fillers in the order of glass bead, glass flake, and talc. Glass fiber filled LDPE showed a strain-softening property. The smaller the particle and the larger the aspect ratio, the weaker the strain-hardening property. Their causes were analyzed from the two terms, i.e., the relaxation spectrum and the damping function, by Bernstein-Kearsley-Zapas (BKZ) model. By the incorporation of fillers, the relaxation modules became larger, and the damping function became stronger in the order of glass bead, glass flake, talc, and glass fiber. Recoverable strain was also measured to understand weaker strain-hardening properties. The degree of recovery became smaller by the addition of fillers. It was found that the smaller the particles and the larger the aspect ratio, the smaller the degree of recovery. It was concluded that weaker strain-hardening properties of LDPE composite than that of LDPE are caused by stronger damping function and smaller degree of recovery.     

斜齿正时皮带传动的噪音和寿命

一种新的降低噪音的斜齿正时皮带已经被开发,本研究采用一种曲线齿廓分别设计了斜角为3°、5°和10°的三种皮带.把这些正时皮带的噪音和寿命与斜角为0°的常规正时皮带进行了比较.这些具有斜角为5°和10°的新型斜齿皮带的噪音比常规带低5 dB(A).设置装配张力传递动力时带松边张力最低,对各型带的寿命几乎相同.本研究结果表明,在实际应用中如果噪音是关键要素,则应选用斜齿带.     

Study on adsorption refrigeration cycle utilizing activated carbon fibers. Part 1. Adsorption characteristics

Thermal heat driven adsorption systems using natural refrigerants have been focused on the recent energy utilization trend. However, the drawbacks of these adsorption systems are their poor performance in terms of system cooling capacity and coefficient of performance (COP). The objective of this paper is to improve the performance of thermally powered adsorption cooling system by selecting new adsorbent–refrigerant pair. Adsorption capacity of adsorbent–refrigerant pair depends on the thermophysical properties (pore size, pore volume and pore diameter) of adsorbent and isothermal characteristics of the pair. In this paper, the thermophysical properties of two PAN types of activated carbon fibers (FX-400 and KF-1000) are determined from the nitrogen adsorption isotherms. The standard nitrogen gas adsorption/desorption measurements on various adsorbents at liquid nitrogen of temperature 77.3 K were performed. Surface area of each adsorbent was determined by the Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) plot of nitrogen adsorption data. Pore size distribution was measured by the Horvath and Kawazoe (HK) method. As of the adsorption/desorption isotherms, FX-400 shows very small hysteresis when the value of P/P_o exceeds 0.4, while KF-1000 has no hysteresis in the whole range of P/P_o. The adsorption capacity of FX-400 is about 30% higher than that of KF-1000. The adsorption equilibrium data of activated carbon fiber (ACF)-methanol are presented and correlated with simple equations. The adsorption equilibrium data of ACF (KF-1000)-water also presented in order to facilitate comparison with those of ACFs-methanol pair. The results will contribute significantly in designing the adsorber/desorber heat exchanger for thermally driven adsorption cooling system.     

Medical application of carbon-nanotube-filled nanocomposites: the microcatheter

Carbon nanotubes hold great promise for use in biomedical fields. Among numerous potential applications, including DNA and protein sensors, bioseparators, biocatalysts, and tissue scaffolds, this article emphasizes the use of carbon-nanotube-filled polymer composites as medical devices, namely, microcatheters. The currently hot topic of the biocompatibility (e.g., toxic properties) of carbon nanotubes is discussed. In addition, critical issues that must be clarified for the full utilization of current carbon-nanotube science and technology in biomedical fields are discussed.