Nonlinear dielectric response and positive dielectric tunability in antipolar CaTiSiO5

Dielectric tunability has been extensively investigated in ferroelectric materials, which exhibit a negative tunability of dielectric permittivity in an external electric field. In contrast, positive tunability is rare and has been reported only in a few antiferroelectric materials. We present positive (and negative) tunability in the titanite, CaTiSiO₅. The dielectric property of CaTiSiO₅ was measured up to an extraordinarily high electric field of 40 MV/m. A nonlinear polarization field loop with no hysteresis was obtained. The dielectric permittivity of ε_r ~ 25 increases up to ε_r ~ 40 at 20 MV/m and room temperature. Although titanite has an antipolar structure and is expected to be “antiferroelectric,” its dielectric response in high electric fields up to ~40 MV/m differs from that of conventional antiferroelectrics. We demonstrate that the phase-transition temperature and dielectric tunability could be modulated through the chemical substitution of Ca_1−xLa_xTiSi_1−xAl_xO₅, in which the destabilization of the long-range antipolar order is revealed by transmission electron microscopy analysis. These results indicate that the observed dielectric response to an electric field may originate from the unique features of the antipolar and domain structures in CaTiSiO₅.     

Molecular Evolution of the TET Gene Family in Mammals

Ten-eleven translocation (TET) proteins, a family of Fe²⁺- and 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases, are involved in DNA demethylation. They also help regulate various cellular functions. Three TET paralogs have been identified (TET1, TET2, and TET3) in humans. This study focuses on the evolution of mammalian TET genes. Distinct patterns in TET1 and TET2 vs. TET3 were revealed by codon-based tests of positive selection. Results indicate that TET1 and TET2 genes have experienced positive selection more frequently than TET3 gene, and that the majority of codon sites evolved under strong negative selection. These findings imply that the selective pressure on TET3 may have been relaxed in several lineages during the course of evolution. Our analysis of convergent amino acid substitutions also supports the different evolutionary dynamics among TET gene subfamily members. All of the five amino acid sites that are inferred to have evolved under positive selection in the catalytic domain of TET2 are localized at the protein’s outer surface. The adaptive changes of these positively selected amino acid sites could be associated with dynamic interactions between other TET-interacting proteins, and positive selection thus appears to shift the regulatory scheme of TET enzyme function.     

Sol–Gel‐Derived High‐Performance Stacked Transparent Conductive Oxide Thin Films

Single‐ and multi‐layer transparent conductive oxide (TCO) thin films exhibiting high performance, good packing density and low surface/interface roughness are deposited on silica glass substrates by the sol–gel method. The crystal and microstructural properties of the TCO thin films are evaluated as an alternate to films prepared by ultra‐high vacuum deposition. Tin‐doped indium oxide (ITO) thin films produced using a two‐step drying process showed low surface roughness because of dense packing structure not only horizontal but also vertical directions. As a result, electrical conductivity, carrier concentration, carrier mobility, and optical transmittance of 2.3 × 10³ S/cm, 8 × 10²⁰ cm^?3, 18 cm²/Vs, and over 98% at 500 nm, respectively, were achieved. A multilayer ZnO/ITO stacked structure was also fabricated using the sol–gel process. Our findings suggest that solution‐based methods show promise as an alternative to existing ultra‐high vacuum methods to fabricate TCO thin films.     

Posture Control for Personal Mobility Robot Using Feedback Compensation with Unstable Pole

This paper presents a novel posture control approach using feedback compensation with an unstable pole. For a narrow and small personal mobility robot (PMR), this is needed in order to control its posture for achieving quick turning and high acceleration. However, in the conventional control approach that uses the posture angle as a controlled variable, the zero moment point (ZMP) does not settle to the desired point in the following cases: an unknown disturbance force given to the PMR, a fluctuation in the center of gravity of the PMR, and a change in the conditions between the tires and the road surface. In this paper, a novel control method using feedback compensation with an unstable pole is proposed to achieve the desired ZMP in the steady state. The proposed controller changes the control input for the actuator of posture control to zero in order to achieve the desired posture angle. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is verified through experiments using a prototype of the PMR.     

Micro machining for control of wettability with surface topography

A micro fabrication is presented to manufacture hydrophobic surfaces with micro-scale structures. Hydrophobicity is controlled with the shape and the alignment of micro pillars in the structure. The structures are manufactured in large areas at high production rates in the following processes: (1) the structure is fabricated on a tool by focused ion beam sputtering; (2) the reverse structure is formed on a metal plate by incremental stamping using the structured tool; and (3) the structure is transferred onto plastic plates by molding. A consecutive stamping is also proposed to fabricate several structures on a surface accurately with a structured tool, in which the moving pitch of the structured tool is numerically controlled. The effect of the surface topography on hydrophobicity is discussed with measuring contact angles on the structured surfaces in the water droplet tests. Hydrophobicity on the plastic plate is associated with the solid fraction on the structured surface based on the Cassie–Baxter model. A larger contact angle is observed for a smaller solid fraction of the surface.     

Heavy-ion microbeam system for cell irradiation at Kyoto University

We have developed a heavy-ion microbeam system for cell irradiation that uses an 8-MV tandem Van de Graaff accelerator at Kyoto University. Using a pair of apertures as the final collimator, microbeams of carbon, fluorine, and silicon were extracted to the atmosphere with few background particles. We used a thin transmission scintillator and a photomultiplier detector to accurately measure the number of extracted particles. To examine beam spreading, the beam profile was measured by observing tracks of an irradiated CR-39 track detector. The two disks with holes which were added to the collimating apertures reduced background radiation due to secondary X-rays and electrons from the apertures.     

Nature of complex number and complex-valued neural networks

We discuss the nature of complex number and its effect on complex-valued neural networks (CVNNs). After we review some examples of CVNN applications, we look back at the mathematical history to elucidate the features of complex number, in particular to confirm the importance of the phase-and-amplitude viewpoint for designing and constructing CVNNs to enhance the features. This viewpoint is essential in general to deal with waves such as electromagnetic wave and lightwave. Then, we point out that, although we represent a complex number as an ordered pair of real numbers for example, we can reduce ineffective degree of freedom in learning or self-organization in CVNNs to achieve better generalization characteristics. This merit is significantly useful not only for waverelated signal processing but also for general processing with frequency-domain treatment through Fourier transform.     

Transverse surface waves in a piezoelectric material carrying a gradient metal layer of finite thickness

The existence and propagation behavior of transverse surface waves in a layered structure concerning a piezoelectric substrate and a gradient metal layer are theoretically investigated in this paper. The Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin (WKB) method is applied to obtain the analytical solutions in the gradient metal layer. The dispersion equation for transverse surface waves in such structure is obtained in a quite simple mathematical form, where the material gradient of the metal layer assumes arbitrary functions. Effects of material gradient on three types of dispersion behavior are discussed in detail based on a proper classification. Numerical results show that the material gradient in the metal layer evidently affects the fundamental mode shape of the transverse surface waves but has negligible effects on the higher order modes.     

Modeling and energy simulation of the variable refrigerant flow air conditioning system with water-cooled condenser under cooling conditions

As a new system, variable refrigerant flow system with water-cooled condenser (water-cooled VRF) can offer several interesting characteristics for potential users. However, at present, its dynamic simulation simultaneously in association with building and other equipments is not yet included in the energy simulation programs. Based on the EnergyPlus's codes, and using manufacturer's performance parameters and data, the special simulation module for water-cooled VRF is developed and embedded in the software of EnergyPlus. After modeling and testing the new module, on the basis of a typical office building in Shanghai with water-cooled VRF system, the monthly and seasonal cooling energy consumption and the breakdown of the total power consumption are analyzed. The simulation results show that, during the whole cooling period, the fan-coil plus fresh air (FPFA) system consumes about 20% more power than the water-cooled VRF system does. The power comparison between the water-cooled VRF system and the air-cooled VRF system is performed too. All of these can provide designers some ideas to analyze the energy features of this new system and then to determine a better scheme of the air conditioning system.