Construction of a haptic-enabled broadcasting system based on the MPEG-V standard

With rapid developments in communications technology and digital multimedia, there has been increasing demand in recent years for realistic broadcasting technology beyond conventional audio-visual media. In response to this demand, this paper presents an example of the construction of a haptic-enabled broadcasting system based on the MPEG-V standard that was established recently. The construction processes of the proposed haptic-enabled broadcasting system include various types of media acquisition, haptic content creation by modeling and authoring, transmission, rendering, and interaction. This paper illustrates the data flow within the system, from the creation of haptic contents to the rendering of these contents to the end user, and explains a method of building the system with the MPEG-V standard. The constructed haptic-enabled broadcasting system allows users to have more immersive interaction with the synthesized haptic multimedia, which is closely synchronized with audio-visual data.     

Preparation of Ni-coated TiC particles using potential hydrogen (pH) for dispersion into a molten metal

Titanium carbide (TiC) particles have been coated with nickel (Ni) particles to increase compatibility between the TiC particles and the metal matrix based on Ni, leading to the improvement in the dispersion of TiC particles into a molten matrix, as functions of the potential hydrogen (pH) of TiC suspension, and the heat-treatment condition. The TiC particles were dispersed into the aqueous solution with various pH values, and then nickel nitrate (Ni(NO₃)₂) as a Ni precursor was added at the TiC suspension. As the pH is increased the content of Ni phase on the surface of TiC particle is increased, due to the increment of attractive force between the TiC particle and the Ni ion by the augmentation of negative value on the surface of TiC particle. The Ni-coated TiC particles heat treated at 500 °C under H₂ atmosphere indicate the TiC and Ni phases only, whereas those heat treated at 1000 °C under Ar atmosphere show a titanium oxide (TiO₂) with the TiC and Ni phases, which is resulted from the oxidation of TiC particle by oxygen contained in Ar gas. The dispersibility of TiC particles into a molten metal would be improved through the coating of Ni particles (or phase), inducing the improvement and reliability of mechanical properties.     

An angular distribution function for the sputter-depositing atoms and general equations describing the initial thickness profile of a thin film deposited inside a via and trench by sputtering

We developed an angular distribution function that describes the distribution of directional sputter-depositing atoms: g(θ) = (k sin²θ + k⁻¹cos²θ)⁻², where k is a directionality factor that determines the directionality of depositing atoms and θ is the incident angle of a depositing atom. The thickness profiles of the sputtered films deposited inside a vertical trench were simulated using the ballistic transport reaction model in conjunction with the angular distribution function, g(θ). The simulated thickness profile agreed well with the experimentally measured thickness profile. General equations that describe the thickness profile of sputter-deposited films inside vias and trenches were derived. The initial film thickness profile could be predicted by substituting the directionality factor, k, and the geometric parameters of the via or trench in the general equations. An optimum directionality factor, defined as the directionality factor that maximizes the sidewall coverage of a vertical pattern, was obtained by solving the general equations. An ideally-tapered via that maximizes sidewall coverage was identified by optimizing the directionality factors and aspect ratios of the vias.     

Development of ultrasonic waveguide sensor for under-sodium inspection in a sodium-cooled fast reactor

The reactor core and in-vessel structures of a sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) cannot be examined visually due to the opaque sodium. The examination of the in-vessel structures is possible using ultrasonics to penetrate the sodium. A plate-type ultrasonic waveguide sensor using a leaky Lamb wave (A₀ mode) has been developed for under-sodium visual inspection of the reactor core and in-vessel structures. In the plate waveguide sensor, the A₀ leaky Lamb wave is utilized for the single mode generation and the effective radiation capability in a fluid. The liquid wedge is applied for the generation of the A₀ mode in the low frequency range. The long pulse tone-burst excitation should be applied to minimize the dispersion effect in 10 m long distance propagation of the A₀ Lamb wave. And a novel technique which is capable of steering a radiation beam of a waveguide sensor without a mechanical movement of the waveguide sensor has been suggested. The control of the beam angle can be achieved by a frequency tuning method of the excitation pulse in the dispersive low frequency range of the A₀ Lamb wave. A 10 m long ultrasonic waveguide sensor module which consists of a plate waveguide, a liquid wedge, an ultrasonic sensor, and an acoustical shielding protection tube has been designed and manufactured. The possibility of applying the ultrasonic waveguide sensor module to an under-sodium visual inspection has been investigated. The experimental tests such as the long distance propagation test of A₀ Lamb wave, the beam profile measurements, and C-scanning experiments in water have been carried out for the performance of the ultrasonic waveguide sensor. The feasibility of the ultrasonic waveguide sensor technique has been successfully demonstrated.     

Review of the finite element models for a structural integrity evaluation of the sodium-cooled fast reactor high temperature piping

We compared the structural analysis feature of finite element (FE) models for the structural integrity evaluation of the sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) high temperature piping and to evaluate the structural integrity against the typical duty cycle event. To evaluate the structural integrity of the high temperature piping per ASME Subsection NH rules, the structural analysis should be carried out first by using a 3-dimensional structural model. The object FE models under consideration in this study are pipe element model, 3-D full model, and 3-D simplified model. The pipe element model is based on the 3-D beam element and effective in understanding overall deformation but less favorable to the detailed stress distribution. The 3-D full model consists of solid structure as well as the contained coolant inside the piping structure with the fluid element. The 3-D simplified model consists of structure shape only, but its material properties are recalculated to reflect the coolant weight effect. The loading conditions for the structural analyses are the mechanical load including dead weight and steady state thermal load. From the analysis results, the piping element model shows the smallest stress intensity, and the required time for FE analysis is also the shortest. The 3-D simplified model shows the most conservative stress intensity output but its calculation time is less than the 3-D full model.     

A study on the antecedents of healthcare information protection intention

This study investigates the antecedents of HIPI (Healthcare Information Protection Intention) of HIS (Healthcare Information Systems) users by introducing a model which incorporates constructs from GDT (General Deterrence Theory) and PMT (Protection Motivation Theory). The results show that (1) a clear awareness of the consequences of security threats increases HIS users’ understanding on the severity of healthcare information leakage, and thus may decreases abuse of HIS by users; (2) user satisfaction with the security system may make them have self-efficacy that they can handle the medical information leakage issue by themselves; and (3) although HIS users are realizing the consequences of healthcare information leakage, they think that they are unlikely to encounter such situations. The results imply that in order to increase HIPI of HIS users, ongoing security education is needed and motivating users to protect healthcare information through their satisfaction with the security system is important.     

DRAM technology perspective for gigabit era

Many challenges emerge as the DRAM enters into a generation of the gigabit density era. Most of the challenges come from the shrink technology which scales down minimum feature size by a factor of 0.84 per year. The need for higher performance to narrow the bandwidth mismatch between fast processors and slower memories and lower power consumption drives the DRAM technology toward smaller cell size, faster memory cell operation, less power consumption, and longer data retention times. In addition, increasingly complicated wafer processing requires simple process. In this paper, the challenges brought from the extremely small minimum feature, high performance, and simple wafer processing will be discussed. The solutions to overcome the challenges will be described focusing on the memory cell scheme, lithography, device, memory cell capacitor, and metallization     

Ultrasonic Imaging in Hot Liquid Sodium Using a Plate-Type Ultrasonic Waveguide Sensor

This paper reports the first set of results from ultrasonic measurements for determining the imaging capability of a plate-type ultrasonic waveguide sensor in \(200\,^{\circ }\) C liquid sodium. This 10-m long plate-type waveguide sensor has been developed for viewing objects in opaque liquid sodium coolant for the applications in a sodium-cooled fast reactor (a next generation nuclear reactor). Various imaging capabilities of the waveguide sensor have already been demonstrated in water including ultrasonic beam steering, high resolution C-scan, and so on. However, water and liquid sodium have different acoustic properties and, more importantly, different wetting characteristics with stainless steel—the material for the waveguide sensor. For applications of the developed waveguide sensor in a real reactor environment, this research performs a set of necessary ultrasonic measurements in liquid sodium. The end section of the waveguide sensor which radiates an ultrasonic beam into the liquid sodium is coated with thin beryllium and nickel layers which can significantly improve the ultrasonic beam quality and wetting property of the stainless steel. A liquid sodium facility that consists of a glove box system, a sodium test tank, and an argon purification system has been built. The resolution and beam property are determined from ultrasonic C-scan experiments; a signal-to-noise ratio of over 10 dB and the resulting detection of a 1 mm wide slit can be achieved. The inherent issues associated with wetting of the waveguide sensor in liquid sodium are discussed based on the ultrasonic imaging results.     

User-centered redirected walking and resetting with virtual feelers

Virtual Reality - With redirected walking (RDW), the exploration of an infinite virtual world with a small physical space has been enabled. This paper proposes a user-centered RDW (UC-RDW) and...