Development of atom probe specimen preparation techniques for specific regions in steel materials

More elaborated specimen preparation techniques for atom probe analysis were developed using a focused ion beam with a sample lift-out system so as to expand the application field in steel materials. The techniques enable atom probe analysis of sample steel at site-specific regions of interest. The preferable form of the needle specimen was provided by electrostatic field calculation using a finite element method. The new techniques were applied to the observation of a bainite-ferrite interface in a low carbon steel, and atomic-scale partitioning and segregation of alloying elements at the phase interface were directly observed in three dimensions.     

Piezoelectric properties of vinylidene fluoride oligomer for use in medical tactile sensor applications

The piezoelectric effect of vinylidene fluoride (VDF) oligomer was evaluated with respect to its medical use as a new tactile sensor. VDF oligomer is a new substance that has a smaller number of VDF units and a lower molecular weight than poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF); among the organic ferroelectrics, it has the largest reported remanent polarization. In this work, the performance of a prototype sensor device based on this material was evaluated. The piezoelectric coefficient of VDF oligomer was found to be greater than that of P(VDF/TrFE) copolymer; a film composed of VDF oligomer was thin and uniform. Based on the experimental results, possible applications of VDF oligomer in medical tactile sensors are discussed. This study confirms that VDF oligomer is a promising ferroelectric material for use in tactile sensors.     

X-ray yields from high-energy heavy ions channeled through a crystal: their crystal thickness and projectile dependences

X-rays emitted from Ar¹⁷⁺, Fe²⁴⁺ and Kr³⁵⁺ ions of about 400 MeV/u transmitting through a thin Si crystal of about 20 μm thickness have been measured in a planar channeling condition and compared with those in a random incident condition. We have found that the X-ray yield from Ar¹⁷⁺ ions is larger for the channeling condition than for the random incidence, while those from Fe²⁴⁺ and Kr³⁵⁺ ions are rather smaller. Such tendencies are explained by considering the projectile dependences of excitation and ionization probabilities together with X-ray emission rates. A crude simulation has qualitatively reproduced these experimental results. When the crystal thickness is small, the X-ray yield is smaller in the channeling condition than in the random incident condition, because excitation is depressed. However, for thicker crystals, the X-ray yield is larger, since the survived population of projectile-bound electrons is larger due to small ionization probabilities under the channeling condition. This inversion occurs at a specific crystal thickness depending on projectile species. Whether the thickness of the used crystal is smaller or larger than the inversion thickness determines enhancement or depression of the X-ray yield in the channeling condition.     

Phase transitions of lignin-based polycaprolactones and their polyurethane derivatives

Alcoholysis and kraft lignin-based polycaprolactones (LigPCL) were synthesized by the polymerization of ε-caprolactone which was initiated by the hydroxyl (OH) group in lignin. LigPCL-based polyurethanes were also prepared from LigPCL. The caprolactone (CL)/OH ratio of the CAPCLs was changed from 1 to 25 mol mol⁻¹. Thermal properties of the LigPCL and LigPCL-based polyurethane (PU) sheets were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Glass transition temperature (T_g), heat capacity difference at T_g (ΔC_p) cold crystallization temperature (T_cc) and melting temperature (T_m), were determined by DSC. The main chain motion of lignin is observed in the whole CL/OH ratio. When CL/OH ratio exceeds 5 mol mol⁻¹ in the LigPCL samples and 10 mol mol⁻¹ in the LigPCL-based PU samples, the crystalline region which is organized by the PCL chain association is observed. It was found that PCL chain association is controlled by both chain length and chemical cross linking.     

A two-layered approach to communicative artifacts

A key issue in social intelligence design is the realization of artifacts that can fluently communicate with people. Thus, we proposed a two-layered approach to enhance a robot’s capacity of involvement and engagement. The upper layer flexibly controls social interaction by dynamic Bayesian networks (DBN) representing social interaction patterns. The lower layer improves the robustness of the system by detecting rhythmic and repetitive gestures. We designed a listener robot that can follow and record humans’ explanation on how to assemble and/or disassemble a bicycle. The implementation of this system is described by assembling the key algorithms presented in this paper.     

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma metastases to the small intestine and colon presenting as an intussusception

A case of malignant fibrous histiocytoma metastases to the small intestine and colon presenting as an intussusception is described. Although malignant fibrous histiocytoma is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in late adult life, GI involvement has rarely been reported. The review of both our case and eight cases in the English-language literature suggests that GI involvement from malignant fibrous histiocytoma occurs most frequently in the small intestine (six of nine) and that two major clinical manifestations of GI involvement are GI bleeding (five of nine) from ulcerated tumors and intussusception (two of nine) led by polypoid tumors.     

Hyperbox clustering with Ant Colony Optimization (HACO) method and its application to medical risk profile recognition

A clustering method, called HACO (Hyperbox clustering with Ant Colony Optimization), is proposed for classifying unlabeled data using hyperboxes and an ant colony meta-heuristic. It acknowledges the topological information (inherently associated to classification) of the data while looking in a small search space, providing results with high precision in a short time. It is validated using artificial 2D data sets and then applied to a real medical data set, automatically extracting medical risk profiles, a laborious operation for doctors. Clustering results show an improvement of 36% in accuracy and 7 times faster processing time when compared to the usual ant colony optimization approach. It can be further extended to hyperbox shape optimization (fine tune accuracy), automatic parameter setting (improve usability), and applied to diagnosis decision support systems.     

Effects of the agrochemicals butachlor, pretilachlor and isoprothiolane on rat liver xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes

1. The herbicides butachlor (2-chloro-2',6',diethyl-N-[buthoxymethyl] acetanilide) and pretilachlor (2-chloro-2',6'-diethyl-N-[2-propoxyethyl] acetanilide) are widely used in Asia, South America, Europe and Africa. Isoprothiolane (diisopropyl-1,3-dithiolan-2-ylidenemalonate) is used as a fungicide and an insecticide in rice paddies. We administered these agrochemicals to the male rat and examined their effects on cytochrome P450 (P450), glutathione S-transferase (GST), UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UDPGT), and NAD(P)H-quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1)-related metabolism in the liver. 2. Administration of isoprothiolane, butachlor or pretilachlor to rat induced hepatic P4502B subfamily-dependent enzyme activities (pentoxyresorufin O-depentylation and testosterone 16 beta-hydroxylation) up to 271-413% of control, which coincided with the increase in expression levels of the P4502B apoprotein. 3. Activities of GST toward 1-chloro-2,4-nitrobenzene and 3,4-dichloronitrobenzene were slightly induced (127-133% of control) in the liver of the rat treated with these pesticides. On the other hand, marked elevations of UDPGT activities toward p-nitrophenol (164-281% of control) were observed. NQO1-related metabolism (menadione reductase activity) was also induced (123-176% of control) in the liver of rat treated with these agrochemicals. 4. These results indicate that some of the agrochemicals currently in use are capable of inducing phase I and II xenobiotic-metabolizing enzyme activities in an isozyme selective manner. The induction of these activities may disrupt normal physiologic functions related to these enzymes in exposed animals.     

A 256-Mb SDRAM using a register-controlled digital DLL

This paper describes the key technologies used in a 256-Mb synchronous DRAM with a clock access time of 1 ns. This DRAM is stable against temperature, voltage, and process variation through the use of a register-controlled digital delay-locked loop (RDLL). The total timing error of the RDLL is about 0.4 ns, sufficient for high frequency operation at 150 to 200 MHz. Unlike most conventional high-density DRAMs, the bit lines are placed above the storage capacitors in this DRAM to relax the design rules of the core area. The noise issues were analyzed and resolved to help implement the technology for mass production of 0.28- to 0.24-μm 200-MHz DRAMs     

Coupled Building Control Using Acceleration Feedback

Connecting adjacent buildings for response reduction has been shown to be an effective method of structural control. Active coupled building control has been implemented in 2001 in the recently constructed Triton Square office complex in Tokyo, Japan. To date, active coupled building control using acceleration feedback has not been demonstrated. This paper reports on studies at the Structural Dynamics and Control/Earthquake Engineering Laboratory (SDC/EEL) at the University of Notre Dame to experimentally verify active coupled building control employing acceleration feedback for the seismic protection of structures. Herein, a pair of 2–dof flexible building models with a DC servo–motor/ball–screw control mechanism are employed. Feedback control is incorporated, using the acceleration, as well as relative displacement, measurements at the top stories of the building models. The proposed approach is shown to be effective for reduction of structural vibration due to seismic excitation.