Tilt angle dependence of output power in an 80 kWp hybrid PV system installed at Shiga in Japan

One-year field experience of an 80 kW PV system on a rooftop of the ROHM Memorial VLSI Research Center at the Ritsumeikan University is reported. All kinds of live technology available materials, c-Si, poly Si and a-Si solar cells are installed on the three tilt angles of 26.5° south, horizontal and north 26.5°. Systematic PV performances have been measured from the beginning of June 2000 to the end of May 2001. Measurements were made mainly on DC output power from four kinds of PV arrays; c-Si south side, a-Si of horizontal and poly Si, a-Si north side. It has been shown from analyses of monthly data on each material that almost 70% of with that in the south side in the annual average. In summer a-Si module yields the maximum output power normalized to 1 kWp. On the contrary c-Si module shows larger output in winter. Some other unique results are demonstrated and discussed.     

The preparation of iron (III) oxide nanoparticles using W/O microemulsion

Iron (III) oxide, Fe₂O₃, nanoparticles were prepared using W/O microemulsion as the reactor. W/O microemulsion was formed using n-heptane as oil phase, water and AOT as the surfactant under the specific composition. Iron (III) Chloride was used as a starting material and Ammonium hydroxide was a precipitating agent. Fe₂O₃, nanoparticles were then produced in situ the water core. Size of particles could be adjusted by the water content of the mixtures. The higher the water content, the bigger the particle size. The average size of the nanoparticles obtained was smaller than 100 nm. Moreover, Fe₂O₃ produced by this method was hematite with hexagonal in structure.     

Transport of single cells using an actin bundle-myosin bionanomotor transport system

The potential of using actin bundles for the transport of liposomes and single cells across myosin-coated surfaces is investigated. Compared to that observed with filamentous actin, the liposome transport using actin bundles was more linear in nature and able to occur over longer distances. Bundles, but not filamentous actin, were capable of moving single cells. Cargo unloading from bundles was achieved by incubation with Triton X-100. These data suggest that actin bundling may improve the ability of the myosin motor system for nanotransport applications.     

Chemical bath deposition for the fabrication of antireflective coating of spherical silicon solar cells

A CdS film as an antireflective (AR) coating has been successfully deposited on spherical silicon solar cells by chemical bath deposition, which is a novel deposition method of AR coatings for spherical silicon solar cells. The CBD method is a growth method in an aqueous solution and enables film formation for electronic devices with arbitrary shapes. The solar cell performance of the cell with the CdS film showed a 16% increase in short circuit current compared to that without an ARC. The result confirms that the CBD method is useful for the ARC fabrication of spherical silicon solar cells.     

Noninvasive subsurface analysis using multiple miniaturized Raman probes, part I: basic study of thin-layered transparent models of biomedical tissues

This study describes a basic theory for reconstructing pure Raman signals of materials composing a multilayer sample from Raman spectra obtained using two types of miniaturized Raman probes. An illustrative example is demonstrated using a multilayer system of samples composed of the transparent plastics polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and polyethylene (PE) as a model of thin-layered biomedical tissues. When the same region of an object is measured using Raman probes with different focal properties, the Raman spectra provide different depth profile information depending on the level of light penetration. Thus, a detailed comparison of the spectra can provide an interesting opportunity to probe the differences between the layers. A simple analytic form is presented for reconstructing the pure Raman spectra of the embedded layer. The method applies an understanding of the Raman sampling volume in layered transparent materials to the interpretation of Raman spectra experimentally measured by multiple probes. The basic theory described here is necessary for the expansion of the technique to turbid media, such as biological samples, where light-scattering effects must be considered. The potential applications of the proposed method include material and catalyst subsurface probing through different embedded materials, such as assessment of silicon wafers, effective noninvasive screening for catalyst synthesis, and biomedical tissue research.     

Kernel analysis of partial least squares (PLS) regression models

An analytical technique based on kernel matrix representation is demonstrated to provide further chemically meaningful insight into partial least squares (PLS) regression models. The kernel matrix condenses essential information about scores derived from PLS or principal component analysis (PCA). Thus, it becomes possible to establish the proper interpretation of the scores. A PLS model for the total nitrogen (TN) content in multiple Thai fish sauces is built with a set of near-infrared (NIR) transmittance spectra of the fish sauce samples. The kernel analysis of the scores effectively reveals that the variation of the spectral feature induced by the change in protein content is substantially associated with the total water content and the protein hydration. Kernel analysis is also carried out on a set of time-dependent infrared (IR) spectra representing transient evaporation of ethanol from a binary mixture solution of ethanol and oleic acid. A PLS model to predict the elapsed time is built with the IR spectra and the kernel matrix is derived from the scores. The detailed analysis of the kernel matrix provides penetrating insight into the interaction between the ethanol and the oleic acid.     

Polysynaptic neuronal pathways from group I and group II afferents innervating tail muscles to hindlimb motoneurons in the cat

Postsynaptic potentials evoked in motoneurons innervating m. posterior biceps and semitendinosus (PBSt) and m. triceps surae (GS) by low threshold afferents from various tail muscles located at the level of the second-third caudal vertebrae were investigated in the non-anesthetized and spinalized cat. Afferent inputs from tail muscles on both sides predominantly evoked depolarizing potential in PBSt motoneurons and hyperpolarizing potential in GS motoneurons. The findings suggest that in general, tail muscle afferents facilitate flexor and inhibit extensor hindlimb motoneurons through polysynaptic pathways, so that the pelvic girdle is kept in a low position to maintain the stability of the body irrespective of different movements or posture of the tail.     

Ganglioside GQ1b enhances Ig production by human PBMCs

We have reported that high glucose conditions (27 mM for 4 days) induces activation of protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPases) which are associated with impaired insulin signaling in Rat 1 fibroblasts expressing human insulin receptors [Maegawa, H. et al. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 7724-7730]. In this study, we found increased mRNA-levels of a non-receptor type PTPase, protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B), and receptor type PTPases, leukocyte common antigen-related phosphatase (LAR), and LAR-related phosphatase (LRP), under high glucose conditions. In accordance with these results, LAR content was significantly increased, whereas LRP content was not increased. Cytosolic PTP1B content was increased, but membrane-associated PTP1B content showed no detectable change. Pioglitazone, a thiazolidinedione, normalized increased cytosolic PTPase activity through reduction of cytosolic PTP1B content, but it had no effect on mRNA levels of these PTPases. Under the high glucose condition, we also found that epidermal growth factor (EGF)-stimulated signaling, including tyrosine-phosphorylation of EGF receptor and phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase activities, was attenuated. Nevertheless, pioglitazone failed to restore the attenuated EGF-signaling. These results indicate that the high glucose conditions cause dysfunction of EGF receptor. However, the increased cytosolic PTP1B content is not involved in the abnormal regulation of EGF-signaling, in contrast to insulin-signaling.     

A three-loop antenna system for performing near-field measurementsof electric and magnetic fields from video display terminals

This paper discusses the use of a three-loop antenna system (TLAS) for near-field measurement of electric and magnetic fields from video display terminals (VDTs). We calculated the electric and magnetic dipole moments to derive the electric and magnetic field patterns in the near field region. Electric and magnetic fields, emitted by several different models of VDTs, were evaluated with the TLAS and were compared with those measured by conventional electric and magnetic field probes at different distances and directions from VDTs. A good correlation (±1.6 dB) between the two measurement techniques was found. This agreement is within the accuracy (±2 dB) of the conventional field probe measurements     

Effect of Manganese Oxide Additive on the Dielectric Properties of Mixed-Sintering Ceramics

The influence of internal electrode material on the sintering of mixed-sintering ceramics and the effect of MnO₂ additive on improving their dielectric properties were investigated for their application as multilayer ceramic capacitors. The resistivities of mixed-sintering ceramic pellets sintered with Ag-Pd electrode material decreased remarkably because of the expulsion of component elements during sintering. A small amount of MnO₂ additive improved the resistivities. Extended X-ray absorption fine-structure analysis showed that MnO₂ exists in the grain boundaries and compensates for the electrical valence of the expelled elements.