How does response bias emerge in lengthy sequential preference judgments?

Behaviormetrika - Internet surveys are currently used in many academic and marketing research fields. However, the results for these surveys occasionally show traces of response bias. In our study,...     

Singlemode transmission within photonic bandgap of width-variedsingle-line-defect photonic crystal waveguides on SOI substrates

It is demonstrated experimentally that a single missing-hole line defect photonic crystal waveguide fabricated on a silicon-on-insulator substrate can support a single waveguiding mode within the photonic bandgap if the waveguide width is properly tuned     

Experimental proof of voltage‐current waveform sensor output of resin molded type for measurement of power factor and harmonics in general power distribution system

We have proposed a voltage‐current sensor of resin molded type for measurement of the power factor and harmonics. To understand the characteristics of the conventional prototype sensor and the problems of its practical use, we conducted a finite element analysis. Problems involving the cost and practical usage of the sensor were identified. Therefore, we have redesigned the prototype sensor, incorporating the current sensor designed on the basis of the FEM and a ready‐made voltage sensor. In this paper, we describe feasibility field experiments with the present sensor in a practical 6.6‐kV distribution system and show that the sensor can measure the power factor and harmonics of horizontal and vertical power line systems successfully. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 178(3): 1–10, 2012; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.21213     

Optimal Power Distribution on Decentralized Energy Networks with Battery Degradation Control

This paper proposes an optimal power distribution method on a decentralized energy network with battery degradation control. Because battery degradation is unavoidable in battery utilization, we solve the optimal power distribution problem by an MIP formulation to keep the battery degradation to a minimum.     

Infrared spectra and ferro‐electricity of ultra‐thin films of vinylidene fluoride and trifluoroethylene copolymer

The structures of ultra‐thin films of vinylidene fluoride and trifluoroethylene copolymer were characterized using Fourier transform infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (FTIR‐RAS), FTIR transmission spectroscopy (FTIR‐TRS), atomic force microscopy, and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction. The ferro‐electricity was determined from polarization charge (a displacement (D)–electric field (E) hysteresis). FTIR‐RAS and FTIR‐TRS measurements showed that the molecular chains of polymers (crystal c‐axis) near the substrate tended to align parallel to the substrate. However, thermal annealing of the sample films at temperatures above 145 °C caused a marked change in molecular alignment of the polymer chains (crystal c‐axis) from parallel to normal to the substrate, and, further, caused a conformation change from trans to partially gauche forms. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Preparation of giant magnetostrictive materials under microgravity condition

In this paper, we investigated the possibility of preparation of TbFe₂ giant magnetostrictive alloys under a microgravity condition using 6 m drop-tube system on basis of a feasibility study by JAMIC drop-tower. The diameters of TbFe₂ alloy droplets varied from 1.1 to 2.1 mm were obtained. The magnetostriction of 1.1 mm droplet shows the highest value of about 1600 ppm at external magnetic field of 15 kOe. The magnetostriction of TbFe₂ droplets increased with decreasing diameter. It was suggested that a cooling rate during free-fall in helium gas atmosphere and oil quenching influenced the magnetostriction of the samples. We concluded that 6 m drop-tube system could be potential the continuous preparation process for high performance TbFe₂ giant magnetostrictive alloys.     

Active phase of calcium oxide used as solid base catalyst for transesterification of soybean oil with refluxing methanol

For developing a process of biodiesel production with environmental benignity, much interest has been focused on solid base catalysts such as calcium oxide for transesterification of vegetable oils with methanol. In this paper, the active phase of calcium oxide was investigated by characterizing the catalyst collected after achieving the conversion of edible soybean oil into its methyl ester at reflux of methanol in a glass batch reactor. Calcium oxide combined with the by-produced glycerol, so that calcium diglyceroxide was a major constituent of the collected catalyst. The absence of calcium methoxide was clear from the spectrum of solid-state ¹³C-NMR. The chemical change of calcium oxide was not observed, when the yield of FAME reached 30%. The collected catalyst was not as active as the fresh one (calcium oxide), but was reused without any deactivation. In order to identify the active phase of the collected catalyst, we prepared calcium diglyceroxide by immersion of calcium oxide with refluxing methanol in the presence of glycerol. Calcium diglyceroxide prepared as the reference sample was as active as the collected catalyst in the transesterification, and was tolerant to air-exposure.     

Design systems for gear elements made of cotton fiber-reinforced plastics

We look on the cotton fiber reinforced plastics as industrial gear materials, and have been developing design systems for industrial gears made of cotton fiber-reinforced plastics. In this report, we deal with a method estimating for tooth root stresses caused by bending movements under running conditions. The gear material used was cotton fiber plain woven cloth reinforced phenolic resin laminates. Paper-reinforced phenolic resin laminates, a commonly used material, was used as a control for comparison. The main dimensions of the gears were module 3–5 mm and tooth width 25 mm. First, accelerations of gears were measured under running conditions to estimate dynamic performance. Second, fracture tests of gear teeth were carried out under bending loads. Different fracture modes at tooth roots for cotton fiber-reinforced plastics and phenolic resin gears were observed. The fractures occurred at a high position from the tooth root in the case of the cotton fiber-reinforced plastics gear because the cotton fiber-reinforced plastics had excellent cleavage and shear strength. This gear also had higher strength for tooth bending loads. Third, the mechanical properties of the gears were researched by tensile, bending, and shearing tests. It was clear that the cotton fiber-reinforced plastics had excellent properties in cleavage fracture between laminates and shear strength. Finally, we proposed a design method for this gear, which considers the cleavage and shear strength.     

Statistical Shape Model of the Liver and Its Application to Computer‐Aided Diagnosis of Liver Cirrhosis

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in statistical shape modeling of human anatomy. The statistical shape model can capture the morphological variations of human anatomy. Since liver cirrhosis will cause significant morphological changes, the authors propose a computer‐aided diagnosis method for liver cirrhosis based on statistical shape models. In the proposed method, the authors first construct a statistical shape model of the liver using 50 clinical CT datasets (25 sets of normal data and 25 sets of abnormal data). The authors apply the marching cubes algorithm to convert the segmented liver volume to a triangulated mesh surface containing 1000 vertex points. The coordinates of these vertex points are used to represent the 3D liver shape as a shape vector. After normalization and identification of correspondences between all datasets, principal component analysis (PCA) is employed to find the principal variation modes of the shape vectors. Then the authors propose a mode selection method based on class variations between the normal class and abnormal class. The authors found that the top two modes of class variations are most effective for the classification of normal and abnormal livers. The classification rate of abnormal livers and normal livers by the use of a simple linear discriminant function were 84% and 80%, respectively.