A CPD image sensor with an SOI structure

A CPD image sensor with an SOI (silicon-on-insulator) structure has been developed. The sensor is composed of read-out transistors fabricated on laser-recrystallized silicon, photodiodes on the seeding region, an MOS shift register, and a CCD shift register. A reproduced image with a 50 (H)×60 (V) pixel image sensor showed reduction of smear noise to a value 1/8000 times that in the bulk transistor as a result of complete isolation of the drains of the read-out transistors by oxide layers     

Effect of self-representation of interaction history by the robot on perceptions of mind and positive relationship: a case study on a home-use robot

A question in research is concerning the most important factors for increasing the motivation of a human to continue interacting with an interactional robot. Previous studies have argued that the perceptions of mind and interactability of the robot by the interacting human are essential factors. However, ways of improving such perceptions have not sufficiently investigated. In this study, we focused on the case of a home-use interactional robot and investigated ways to improve such perceptions. We proposed the perceived interaction history of the robot to be another essential factor and hypothesized that adding this factor can promote the perceptions of mind and positive relationship. We conducted a human–robot interaction experiment with 32 human subjects, and the experimental results verified our hypothesis.     

Application of virtual machine technology to real-time mapping of Thomson scattering data to flux coordinates for the LHD

This paper presents a system called “TSMAP” that maps electron temperature profiles to flux coordinates for the Large Helical Device (LHD). Considering the flux surface is isothermal, TSMAP searches an equilibrium database for the LHD equilibrium that fits the electron temperature profile. The equilibrium database is built through many VMEC computations of the helical equilibria. Because the number of equilibria is large, the most important technical issue for realizing the TSMAP system is computational performance. Therefore, we use multiple personal computers to enhance performance when building the database for TSMAP. We use virtual machines on multiple Linux computers to run the TSMAP program. Virtual machine technology is flexible, allowing the number of computers to be easily increased. This paper discusses how the use of virtual machine technology enhances the performance of TSMAP calculations when multiple CPU cores are used.     

The blood flow characteristics in borderline ovarian tumors based on both color Doppler ultrasound and histopathological analyses

We previously reported that a macrophage response that increased binding to 125I-radiolabeled soluble denatured collagen (gelatin) was induced by preincubation of macrophage with a 70-kDa amino-terminal fibronectin fragment and soluble nonlabeled gelatin [S. F. Penc, F. A. Blumenstock, J. E. Kaplan (1995) J. Leukoc. Biol. 58, 501-509]. We now report that neither protein synthesis nor recycling of receptors between the cell surface and interior were required for this response. However, removal of cell surface components with trypsin demonstrated that induced gelatin binding required native cell surface constituents. It was found that in the presence of the 70-kDa fibronectin fragment and gelatin, matrix metalloprotease-2 (MMP-2) and matrix metalloprotease-9 (MMP-9) activity in the cell layers was significantly decreased or undetectable, respectively. Similar levels of increased gelatin binding could be reproduced after inhibition of matrix-degrading metalloprotease activity with 1'10-phenanthroline. These results demonstrate that a macrophage specific response that decreased gelatinase activity and increased gelatin binding was initiated by interaction with a 70-kDa fibronectin fragment and gelatin.     

Tailoring adhesive forces between poly(dimethylsiloxane) and glass substrates using poly(vinyl alcohol) primers

A thin poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) layer has been found to control adhesive forces between poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and a glass substrate. Various PVAs were coated on glass substrates on top of which PDMS pre‐polymer was cast. After thermal curing, the peel strength was tested. It was found that the fundamental adhesive forces are attributed to the degree of hydrolysis (or saponification value) of the PVAs. For a PVA modified with a silanol group, strong adhesive force resulted. The range of tailoring the force with the PVAs was 16 kgf/m. The production of thin interlaminated PVA layers as primers was demonstrated. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2014 , 131, 39927.     

A Compositional Framework for Developing Parallel Programs on Two-Dimensional Arrays

Computations on two-dimensional arrays such as matrices and images are one of the most fundamental and ubiquitous things in computational science and its vast application areas, but development of efficient parallel programs on two-dimensional arrays is known to be hard. In this paper, we propose a compositional framework that supports users, even with little knowledge about parallel machines, to develop both correct and efficient parallel programs on dense two-dimensional arrays systematically. The key feature of our framework is a novel use of the abide-tree representation of two-dimensional arrays. The presentation not only inherits the advantages of tree representations of matrices where recursive blocked algorithms can be defined to achieve better performance, but also supports transformational development of parallel programs and architecture-independent implementation owing to its solid theoretical foundation – the theory of constructive algorithmics.     

Preparation of novel transparent glass–ceramics containing fluoride crystals

Transparent glass–ceramics containing YLiF₄ nano-crystals were synthesized by controlled heat-treatments of LiFYF₃Al₂O₃SiO₂ glass. The crystallite size estimated to be about 8 nm was much less than the wavelength of the visible light. The transmittance of the glass–ceramic with a thickness of 2 mm was more than 85% at 400 nm and as high as 95% in the infrared region. The fluorescence centered around 1000 nm was hardly observed from Er³⁺-doped precursor glass under 800 nm excitation, while the emission with the Stark spitting was clearly observed for the Er³⁺-doped glass–ceramic. The phonon sideband of the ⁷F₀ → ⁵D₂ excitation spectra of Eu³⁺ reveals that Eu³⁺ doped in precursor glass is in silicate network while Eu³⁺ doped in the glass–ceramic is in not only silicate framework but also fluoride framework. These results indicate that rare-earth ions such as Er³⁺ and Eu³⁺ could be successfully incorporated into YLiF₄ nano-crystals in the glass–ceramics.