Markedly compressible behaviors of gellan hydrogels in a constrained geometry at ultraslow strain rates

The fracture behaviors of gellan hydrogels under compression remarkably depend on the strain rate as well as the boundary conditions for lateral expansion. In the geometry with no constraint for lateral expansion (conventional uniaxial compression), the gels rupture at relatively small strains independently of the compression rates. In contrast, when the gels are compressed extremely slowly (at a strain rate of ca. 10⁻⁵ s⁻¹) in the geometry prohibiting the lateral expansion at their top and bottom surfaces, they are remarkably compressible down to 2% of the initial height without macroscopic fracture and they are accompanied by a large amount of water release. In such markedly compressed gels, many microscopic cracks are formed around the central layer, where strain concentration occurs due to the nonuniform deformation arising from the constrained geometry. In the highly compressible case, the formation of macroscopic cracks is prevented by the localization of microscopic cracks as well as the enhancement in mechanical toughness by a significant increase in polymer concentration due to water release.     

Infiltrating the zebrafish swarm: design,implementation and experimental tests of a miniature robotic fish lure for fish–robot interaction studies

Robotic fish are nowadays developed for various types of research, such as bio-inspiredrobotics, biomimetics and animal behavior studies. In the context of our research on the social interactions of the zebrafish Danio Rerio, we developed a miniature robotic fish lure for direct underwater interaction with the living fish. This remotely controlled and waterproof device has a total length of 7.5 cm with the same size ratio as zebrafish and is able to beat its tail with different frequencies and amplitudes, while following the group of living animals using a mobile robot moving outside water that is coupled with the robotic lure using magnets. The robotic lure is also equipped with a rechargeable battery and can be used autonomously underwater for experiments of up to 1 h. We performed experiments with the robot moving inside an aquarium with living fish to analyze its impact on the zebrafish behavior. We found that the beating rate of the tail increased the attractiveness of the lure among the zebrafish shoal. We also demonstrated that the lure could influence a collective decision of the zebrafish shoal, the swimming direction, when moving with a constant linear speed inside a circular corridor. This new robotic fish design and the experimental results are promising for the field of fish–robot interaction.     

Data-driven dual-rate cascade control and application to pitch angle control of UAV

A data-driven design method for a cascade control system is proposed. The cascade control system consists of inner and outer loops, where the control interval of the outer loop is an integer multiple of the inner loop; hence, the system is a dual-rate system. In the proposed method, controllers in the inner and outer loops are designed based on one-shot data. In such a dual-rate cascade system, since the controllers are designed using different data-rate signals, the lifting technique is applied to align the dual-rate data. To show its effectiveness, the proposed method is compared with a conventional single-rate cascade control method, and numerical simulations and experiments are presented to examine servo and regulation performance.     

Development and Evaluation of a Robust Sandwich Immunoassay System Detecting Serum WFA-Reactive IgA1 for Diagnosis of IgA Nephropathy

Aberrant glycosylation of IgA1 is involved in the development of IgA nephropathy (IgAN). There are many reports of IgAN markers focusing on the glycoform of IgA1. None have been clinically applied as a routine test. In this study, we established an automated sandwich immunoassay system for detecting aberrant glycosylated IgA1, using Wisteria floribunda agglutinin (WFA) and anti-IgA1 monoclonal antibody. The diagnostic performance as an IgAN marker was evaluated. The usefulness of WFA for immunoassays was investigated by lectin microarray. A reliable standard for quantitative immunoassay measurements was designed by modifying a purified IgA1 substrate. A validation study using multiple serum specimens was performed using the established WFA-antibody sandwich automated immunoassay. Lectin microarray results showed that WFA specifically recognized N-glycans of agglutinated IgA1 in IgAN patients. The constructed IgA1 standard exhibited a wide dynamic range and high reactivity. In the validation study, serum WFA-reactive IgA1 (WFA+-IgA1) differed significantly between healthy control subjects and IgAN patients. The findings indicate that WFA is a suitable lectin that specifically targets abnormal agglutinated IgA1 in serum. We also describe an automated immunoassay system for detecting WFA+-IgA1, focusing on N-glycans.     

A new method for estimating initial rotor phase of self‐excited hybrid‐field synchronous motors

This paper proposes a new method for properly estimating the rotor initial phase (i.e., the position) of the newly emerging self‐excited hybrid‐field synchronous motors (SelE‐HFSMs), which have the rotor held by both a permanent magnet and a diode‐shorted held winding. The proposed method injects a spatially rotating high‐frequency voltage and detects the rotor phase directly by evaluating the norm of the associated current. The method is very simple, but has a high degree of usability. 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 173(3): 49–58, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience. wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.21027     

Numerical Analysis of the Boundary Scattering Effect on Transport Properties in Bi-Sb Nanowires

In this study, we have numerically analyzed the transport properties of Bi-Sb nanowires, taking into account wire boundary scattering. Wire boundary scattering slightly decreased the Seebeck coefficient of Bi-Sb nanowires. This effect is due to the observation that boundary scattering and the mobility ratio of L-point electrons to T-point holes in the nanowires are smaller than those in bulk Bi-Sb because the wire boundary scattering suppresses the mobilities of L-point electrons and heavy holes. The largest Seebeck coefficient for all wire diameters was obtained when the Sb concentration was 5 at.%. The effective mass approached zero near 5 at.% Sb, and the small effective mass led to a large subband shift in each band. Thus, a small effective mass enhances the quantum effect at a fixed wire diameter, even if wire boundary scattering is taken into account.     

Efficient electron transport in 4,4′-bis[N-(1-napthyl)-N-phenyl-amino] biphenyl and the applications in white organic light emitting devices

The electron transport capability of 4,4′-bis[N-(1-napthyl)-N-phenyl-amino] biphenyl (α-NPD) was investigated by fundamental physical measurements named as current–voltage (I–V) electrical property evaluation and displacement current measurement (DCM). In electron-dominated devices, the I–V characteristics of α-NPD were similar as that of (8-hydroxyquinolino) aluminum (Alq₃) owing to their same order of electron mobilities. The interface of Al/LiF and α-NPD was proven to be an Ohmic contact through the evaluation of I–V characteristics at low bias regime (<3 V). And an electron injection barrier, 0.21 eV, at Al/LiF/α-NPD was obtained by extrapolating the temperature dependent I–V curves. The electron transport behavior in α-NPD film was further confirmed by DCM evaluations. Furthermore, an efficient white organic light emission device was successfully fabricated by using α-NPD as hole transport layer and electron transport layer, respectively.     

An all DC-powered Josephson logic circuit

A novel DC-powered Josephson circuit is reported. An improved HUFFLE-type DC flip-flop with a parallel resistor, to prevent hang-up, is constructed by combinational circuits as well as sequential circuits. The basic device is a vertical type two-junction interferometer with only three-metal layers. The design rule is 2.5 μm. High junction-current density allows for a wide operating margin even with a low inductance load. Basic circuit function test elements have been completed. The DC flip-flop with excess gate current works as a GHz range VCO (voltage controlled oscillator) for internal clock generation. The speedup junction successfully accelerated the switching speed. The ring-oscillator showed a minimum gate delay of 11.3 ps     

Earth‐Abundant and Durable Nanoporous Catalyst for Exhaust‐Gas Conversion

Precious metals (Pt and Pd) and rare earth elements (Ce in the form of CeO₂) are typical materials for heterogeneous exhaust‐gas catalysts in automotive systems. However, their limited resources and high market‐driven prices are principal issues in realizing the path toward a more sustainable society. In this regard, herein, a nanoporous NiCuMnO catalyst, which is both abundant and durable, is synthesized by one‐step free dealloying. The catalyst thus developed exhibits catalytic activity and durability for NO reduction and CO oxidation. Microstructure characterization indicates a distinct structural feature: catalytically active Cu/CuO regions are tangled with a stable nanoporous NiMnO network after activation. The results obtained by in situ transmission electron microscopy during NO reduction clearly capture the unique reaction‐induced self‐transformation of the nanostructure. This finding can possibly pave the way for the design of new catalysts for the conversion of exhaust gas based on the element strategy.