Pace-sync shoes: intuitive walking-pace guidance based on cyclic vibro-tactile stimulation for the foot

We propose a walking guidance method with a sandal-shaped vibration interface and describe two experiments we performed to formulate the design principles of the interface. In the interface, a vibrating motor presents timing information to the foot, and pressure sensors measure walking pace. Our method is a combination of the walking-state monitoring and vibro-tactile feedback to maintain or promote a walking pace. Vibration stimuli with a constant presentation interval are alternately and repeatedly given to the right or left foot of the user according to the measured walking pace, and then the walking pace gradually conforms to the presented interval of the vibration. In the experiments, we specified the effective timing and intervals of the vibration stimuli for efficient inductance of walking pace. The method is applicable for training and coaching in sports and rehabilitation in health care.     

Effect of the sequence context of the AUG initiation codon on the rate of translation in dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous plant cells

The sequence context around the AUG initiation codon strongly contributes to the translation initiation step in mammalian and plant cells. Here, we investigated the effect of the three nucleotides immediately upstream of the initiating AUG (positions − 3 to − 1) on the translation efficiency of a reporter gene, β-glucuronidase, in dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous plant cells.     

An in‐cell capacitive touch sensor integrated in an LTPS WSVGA TFT‐LCD

This paper discusses an In‐cell capacitive touch sensor and its integration in an LTPS TFT‐LCD with 7‐inch screen size and WSVGA resolution. The operation of the newly developed sensor is based on capacitive coupling between user's finger and the detection electrode on the TFT substrate, and is purely capacitive. The sensors and the sensor driver circuits have been integrated in the TFT substrate of the prototype TFT‐LCD using LTPS technology. The prototype having 256x150 sensors shows advantages such as smooth operation with no touch force, high position accuracy, multi‐touch (10 or more), a thin and light LCD module, high display quality, and thus is suitable for various applications such as cell‐phones, smart‐phones, mobile‐PCs, and automotive‐use displays.     

Basic study of dropout by phase jump characteristic modeling of distributed generators in secondary system for trunk transmission system analysis

The secondary systems are expressed by a reduced model in trunk transmission system analysis. Thus, multiple distributed generators in the secondary system are expressed by the reduced model. But by representing distributed generators by the reduced model, partial dropout of distributed generators cannot be expressed, and therefore there is a possibility that we cannot perform an accurate analysis. Consequently, we studied a method of dropout characteristics in which distributed generators are expressed by the reduced model. To obtain the dropout characteristic, we performed parameter studies by the detailed model and the reduced model on a secondary system under the same conditions. The parameter study indicated that in the dropout characteristic the remaining voltage in the primary system is correlated with the percentage of induction machines in the secondary system. Thus, we derived a dropout characteristic in which the above two quantities were taken as parameters. To confirm the validity of this dropout characteristic, we calculated the dropout magnitudes of the distributed generator for two or more conditions with both the detailed model and the reduced model. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 172(1): 27–37, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20869     

Preparation and some properties of stereocomplex‐type poly(lactic acid)/layered silicate nanocomposites

Stereocomplex‐type poly(lactic acid)‐ [PLA]‐ based blends were prepared by solution casting of equimolar PLLA/PDLA with different amounts of organo‐modified montmorillonite. The homocrystallization and stereocomplexation of PLAs were enhanced by annealing of the blends. The stereocomplexation of PLAs, intercalation of the polymer chains between the silicates layers, and morphological structure of the filled PLAs were analyzed by wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope. Thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and tensile test were performed to study the thermal and mechanical properties of the blends. The homo‐ and stereocomplex crystallization of neat PLLA/PDLA were enhanced by annealing. The effect of annealing on the crystallization was emphasized by the addition of clay. With this structural change, thermal stabilities properties were also improved by the addition of clay. The silicate layers of the clay were slightly stacked but intercalated and distributed in the PLA‐matrix. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Electrochemical polymerization of aniline in the presence of poly(acrylic acid) and characterization of the resulting films

Conducting films composed of polyaniline (PANI) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) were prepared by electrochemical polymerization of aniline in the presence of PAA. The PAA content in the films (PANI/PAA films) was controlled by the concentration of PAA in polymerization solution, and the properties of the films were investigated in relation to the PAA content. It was demonstrated by means of scanning electron microscopy and cyclic voltammetry that the surface morphology and electrochemical property of the films were affected significantly by the PAA content. In contrast, the conductivity of the films was found hardly dependent on the PAA content up to 18 wt %. The cyclic voltammetry gave an interesting result that the PANI/PAA films showed an electroactivity in neutral solution, which was not observed for the PANI film without PAA, and the electroactivity was closely related to the PAA content in the PANI/PAA films.     

Estimation of traffic congestion distance using frequency division multiplexing based on IEEE802.15.4

We propose a system to estimate the traffic congestion distance using IEEE 802.15.4, that is extended by multicommunication frequency division multiplexing. Our proposed system is developed at 20% equipped rate, where five lanes are considered. Furthermore, in our proposed system, it is assumed that the equipped rate in all lanes increases. Our proposed method can estimate an error rate lower than 10% approximately at on equipped rate greater than 50%. Additionally, we use 16 terminals in the actual environment. From the actual experiment, we find that our proposed method involving the use of communication pattern 2 is 300% faster than the existing method. © 2012 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Production of lactic acid from xylose and wheat straw by Rhizopus oryzae

Rhizopus oryzae NBRC 5378 was the best among 56 strains of R. oryzae for the production of lactic acid from xylose. This strain produced lactic acid from wheat straw powder by a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation process, with a yield of 0.23 g/g from cellulose and hemicellulose in wheat straw.     

Efficient production of L-lactic acid from xylose by a recombinant Candida utilis strain

Efficient L-lactic acid production from xylose was achieved using a pyruvate decarboxylase-deficient Candida utilis strain expressing an L-lactate dehydrogenase, an NADH-preferring mutated xylose reductase (XR), a xylitol dehydrogenase and a xylulokinase. The recombinant strain showed 53% increased L-lactic acid production compared with the reference strain expressing native XR (NADPH-preferring).