A Gait Phase Measurement System Using Treadmill Motor Current

The article describes the development of a gait phase time-based split-belt treadmill measurement system. Conventional methods of measuring gait phase, such as the foot switch and force plate, require significant preparation and are costly. In this article, we propose a simple, cheap, and accurate gait phase measurement system that utilizes only the treadmill motor current value. Comparison of this algorithm with conventional methods reveals that the proposed algorithm is as accurate as the foot switch. Moreover, the proposed algorithm can estimate stance phase within a 0.2?s error of the measured value of the force plate in most cases (four out of five healthy subjects). This accuracy is higher than that of the foot switch which is widely used in the clinical field.     

Finite element iterative techniques for determining the interface boundary between Laplace and Poisson domains—characteristic analysis of a field effect transistor

Two kinds of techniques for solving a shape determination problem are proposed. The determination of the interface boundary between two domains governed by Poisson and Laplace equations under the compatible and constraint condition is considered. Influence coefficient and inverse variational approaches are examined by using the iterative finite element procedure. A two-dimensional model of a junction-type field effect transistor is a test example. The determination of its interface boundary and the prediction of the potential distribution and static characteristic are demonstrated.     

Flexible feature discovery and structural information control

In this paper, we propose a new information theoretic method called structural information control for flexible feature discovery. The new method has three distinctive characteristics, which traditional competitive learning fails to offer. First, the new method can directly control competitive unit activation patterns, whereas traditional competitive learning does not have any means to control them. Thus, with the new method, it is possible to extract salient features not discovered by traditional methods. Second, competitive units compete witheach other by maximizing their information content about input patterns. Consequently, this information maximization makes it possible to control flexibly competition processes. Third, in structural information control, it is possible to define many different kinds of information content, and we can choose a specific type of information according to a given objective. When applied to competitive learning, structural information can be used to control the number of dead or spare units, and to extract macro as well as micro features of input patterns in explicit ways. We first applied this method to simple pattern classification to demonstrate that information can be controlled and that different neuron firing patterns can be generated. Second, a dipole problem was used to show that structural information could provide representations similar to those by the conventional competitive learning methods. Finally, we applied the method to a language acquisition problem in which networks must flexibly discover some linguistic rules by changing structural information. Especially, we attempted to examine the effect of the information parameter to control the number of dead neurons, and thus to examine how macro and micro features in input patterns can explicitly be discovered by structural information.     

Theoretical studies on VPI-5. 3. The MS-Q force field for aluminophosphate zeolites

Aluminophosphate zeolite is an artificial material which shows strange hydrophilicity. We have been investigating the reason by quantum mechanics, and found that the hydrophilicity of this zeolite depended on the local geometric deformation, and speculated that the site-specific hydrophilicity might be explained by differences in the stiffness of the local deformation determined by the location with the pore structure. In order to test these ideas, we construct a reliable force field based on the new MS-Q approach developed by Demiralp, Cagin, and Goddard. Our force field well reproduces the experimental structure of VPI-5.     

A local demand forecast by NN method for distributed autonomous voltage and reactive power control system

The paper describes required technological innovation for voltage control of power systems under deregulation of power supply industries and presents a new concept of an autonomous control system for the voltage and reactive power of power systems. Installation of distributed generation connected to distribution networks will significantly increase the short circuit capacity of distribution lines. Therefore, GIS underground substations in the center of a large city are required to enable replacement of circuit breakers with ones of greater capability and to reform GIS bus configurations. Furthermore, a more detailed forecast of local demand and operation data of distributed generators are required for the stable control of voltage and reactive power. This paper presents methods of on‐line autonomous forecasting for short circuit capacity and demand of local transmission and distribution lines, which are indispensable for voltage and reactive control under deregulation of electric power supply industries. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 159(4): 27–37, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20450     

A Foundation of Quantum Channels with Super Additiveness for Shannon Information

This paper presents a review and some results on problems of super additiveness in quantum channel for Shannon information. Especially, how to investigate concrete systems showing super additiveness is discussed. It is verified that the concept of the conventional error correction scheme does not play an important role to demonstrate, at least, the super additiveness of quantum channel, and that rather one can apply them to only selection of code word states with desirable Hamming distance. Finally, some properties of quantum reliability function are given, which are useful to discuss the general property of coding with super additiveness. Received: September 29, 1998; revised version: July 9, 1999     

Formation of Alkoxy-Derived lead Niobates in the PbO-Rich Region

The formation of lead niobates in the PbO-rich region is studied using powders prepared by the simultaneous hydrolysis of lead and niobium alkoxides. Cubic 3PbO·2Nb_2PO₅ solid solutions crystallize at low temperatures from amorphous materials having concentrations of 58 to 75 mol% PbO. The lattice parameter a increases linearly from 1.0544 to 1.0708 nm with increasing PbO. At higher temperatures the solid solutions made with 66.67 and 71.43 mol% PbO transform into 2PbO·Nb₂O₅ (monoclinic) and 5PbO·2Nb₂O_s (monoclinic), respectively. Monoclinic 5PbO·2Nb₂O₅ transforms into a new modification at = 3850° to = 3900°C. It has a rhombohedral unit cell with a = 0.7461 nm and c = 4.8092 nm ( a = 1.6599 nm, a = 25.97°). In the presence of excess lead, monoclinic 5PbO·2Nb₂O₅ transforms into tetragonal 3PbO·Nb₂O₅.     

Antioxidant activity of Japanese pepper (Zanthoxylum piperitum DC.) fruit

Antioxidants were extracted from Japanese pepper (Zanthoxylum piperitum DC.) fruit and characterized. The antioxidant activity of the methanol extract from Japanese pepper fruit was found to be equal to that of α-tocopherol and stable under heat treatment. The main compounds that gave a significant antioxidant activity from the methanol extract were identified to be hyperoside (quercetin-3-O-galactoside) and quercitrin (quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside) as determined by HPLC, mass spectrometry, UV/Vis spectroscopy, and TLC. Radical-scavenging activities of hyperoside and quercitrin from Japanese pepper fruit were evaluated using the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method. As a result, hyperoside and quercitrin scavenged DPPH radical strongly with IC₅₀ values of 16 and 18 μM, respectively. These observations show the presence of strong antioxidants, namely hyperoside and quercitrin in Japanese pepper fruit.     

Properties of mixed chlorophyll a-glycolipid monolayers

Surface pressure, ellipsometric and surface potential-area isotherms have been measured to investigate the properties of chlorophyll a-digalactosyldiacyglycerol (Chl a-DGDG) and Chl a-sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol (SQDG) monolayers at the nitrogen-water interface. The surface pressure-area isotherms of Chla-DGDG exhibit a pronounced negative deviation with respect to ideality, whereas ellipsometric and surface potential isotherms of the mixed monolayers fall between those of the pure components. Hydrophilic interactions have been ruled out on the basis of the additivity law followed by the surface dipole moment of the mixed monolayers. The observed deviation exhibited by the π-A isotherms is interpreted in terms of an intermolecular cavity effect.